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☆ China Denies Banning iPhones, but Cites Unspecified Security Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( David Pierson | More About David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China on Wednesday made its first public comments about reports that the government is restricting the use of Apple’s iPhones by some state employees, saying that Beijing had noted what it claimed were security concerns about the device. She pointed to what she described as “media reports” about security flaws in the iPhone, without elaborating. She also said China had not published “any law, regulation or policy document” banning the purchase or use of foreign cellphones, including those made by Apple. The comments come after some employees of government agencies have said they have had been told not to use iPhones for work. Notices issued to government employees and state-owned businesses, calling for usage of domestic brands of cellphones, have also been circulating online.

Persons: Mao Ning Organizations: Foreign Ministry, Apple Locations: China, Beijing

For more than a decade, China has courted developing countries frustrated with the West. And as it challenged the postwar order, especially with its global focus on development through trade, loans and infrastructure projects, it sent billions of much-needed dollars to poor nations. Exhibit A: the unexpected consensus India managed at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi over the weekend. With help from other developing nations, India persuaded the United States and Europe to soften a statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine so the forum could focus on the concerns of poorer countries, including global debt and climate financing. India also presided over the most tangible result so far of its intensifying campaign to champion the global south: the admission of the African Union to the G20, putting it on par with the European Union.

Organizations: Group, African Union, European Union Locations: China, ”, India, New Delhi, United States, Europe, Ukraine

Circuit Court of Appeals for a new ruling to prevent the "improper result" of allowing parts of the lower court order "to regain effect even after having been held invalid by this court." The plaintiffs allege that U.S. officials lobby social media platforms to suppress what the government considers to be misinformation, violating users' right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. While the case was still at an early stage, Doughty issued a preliminary injunction banning a wide range of communications between a slew of officials and social media companies. The panel limited the injunction's reach to a smaller group of officials, including White House staff, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It said that the 5th Circuit should either put the parts of Doughty's order that it reversed on hold, or finalize its order immediately.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Doughty, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Justice Department, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Biden, Democrat, District, X Corp, White House, Centers for Disease Control, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, Missouri, Monroe , Louisiana, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSept 8 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the White House, the FBI and top health officials to not "coerce or significantly encourage" social media companies to remove content that the Biden administration considers to be misinformation. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed much of an injunction that restricted Biden administration contact with social media companies issued by a Louisiana judge. The agencies are barred from coercing, threatening or pressuring social media companies to remove content. The attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri, along with several individuals who say they were censored on social media, had sued Biden administration agencies and officials last year. The Biden administration has argued that it asked social media companies to take down posts it considered to be harmful misinformation, but never forced them to do so.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Andrew Bailey, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump ., Terry Doughty, Nate Raymond, Jonathan Stempel, Brendan Pierson, Bill Berkrot, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, White, FBI, Circuit, Facebook, YouTube, 5th, Republican, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Democratic, Supreme, U.S . Department of Justice, Biden, Twitter, Donald Trump . U.S, District, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, Louisiana, Missouri, U.S, Monroe , Louisiana, Boston, New York

The John Adams Courthouse, where the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court presides, stands in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., September 7, 2023. In a unanimous ruling Thursday, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that the state acted in bad faith in regulating the Canton-based Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. The legal fight over the facility began in 1985, when the state sought to ban the shock treatment. In 2013, the state sought to terminate the consent order altogether, before Judge Field's ruling in 2018 that it was still necessary because of state regulators' bad faith conduct. A federal appeals court in 2021 ruled in a separate case that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could not ban the shock device.

Persons: John Adams, Brian Snyder, Katherine Field, JRC, Michael Flammia, Scott Kafker, Judge Field's, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Massachusetts, Rotenberg Educational, Probate, state's Department of Developmental Services, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Massachusetts, Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Canton, Bristol, New York

Sept 6 (Reuters) - Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) has been accused in a new lawsuit of using fraudulent patents and other illegal tactics to maintain its monopoly on blockbuster blood cancer drug Pomalyst for years after it should have faced generic competition. A spokesperson for Bristol Myers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pomalyst is a top seller for Bristol Myers, bringing in nearly $3.5 billion out of $46.16 billion of its total revenue last year. The drug was developed by Celgene, a company acquired by Bristol Myers in 2019. The generic companies, which are also named as defendants in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Pomalyst, Bristol Myers, Celgene, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Bristol Myers Squibb, Louisiana, Pomalyst, Bristol, Celgene, U.S . Patent, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Aurobindo Pharma, Breckeridge Pharmaceutical, Natco Pharma, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York

Ms. Mao declined to explain the reason for the decision and refused to answer questions about Mr. Xi. The Chinese leader has never missed a G20 summit, which brings together 19 countries and the European Union, since taking power in 2012. The opacity of Chinese politics and Beijing’s reticence make it difficult to know why Mr. Xi appears to have chosen not to attend the summit. Analysts say it could reflect Mr. Xi’s preference for groupings in which China is more dominant, such as the recently concluded BRICS summit of emerging nations in Johannesburg. Given that Mr. Xi would be missing an opportunity to meet with President Biden on the sidelines of the summit, the move might suggest that Mr. Xi wants to ease tensions with the United States on his own terms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Mao Ning, Mao, Xi, Beijing’s, Biden Organizations: China’s Foreign Ministry, European Union, Russia Locations: China, New Delhi, India, United States, Washington, Asia, Johannesburg

President Biden had bet that high-level dialogue could help manage an escalating rivalry over trade, technology and the status of Taiwan. After logging all those miles, the question now is whether China will reciprocate by sending senior Chinese ministers to Washington. The United States has publicly invited China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, but he has yet to accept. The last senior Chinese official to travel to Washington was China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, who visited in late May. China has much to gain from dispatching officials to the United States.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Janet L, John Kerry, Wang Yi, Wang Wentao, China’s, Xi Jinping Organizations: Taiwan, United Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, United States, San Francisco

Aug 31 (Reuters) - The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries, to take effect while it hears a legal challenge to the statute. The ruling came after a judge last Friday blocked the law in response to a challenge by the families of transgender children and doctors. Texas is one of at least 20 states that have banned or restricted gender-affirming care for minors. Mainstream U.S. medical groups have opposed the bans and maintain that gender-affirming care improves transgender patients' mental health and reduces the risk of suicide. Several other similar state laws have been blocked by judges, though a federal appeals court earlier in August revived Alabama's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Maria Cantu Hexsel, Hexsel, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Texas Supreme, Texas Attorney General's, Republican, U.S, Thomson Locations: Texas, . Texas, Travis County, Austin, New York

The 3M logo is seen at its global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. on March 4, 2020. Some analysts' estimates of the company's potential liability from the earplug litigation had been as high as $10 billion. The Combat Arms earplugs were made by Aearo Technologies, a company 3M acquired in 2008. The lawsuits were consolidated before U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers in Pensacola, Florida federal court in 2019. Aearo filed for bankruptcy in July 2022, with 3M pledging $1 billion to fund its liabilities stemming from the earplug lawsuits.

Persons: Nicholas Pfosi, M, Casey Rodgers, Aearo, Rodgers, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Aearo Technologies, 3M, U.S, District, Thomson Locations: Maplewood , Minnesota, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pensacola , Florida, New York

About 240,000 people are expected to be eligible for the settlement, Chris Seeger, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at a press conference. The money will be paid out from 2023 to 2029, and $1 billion will be in the form of 3M stock, the company said in a statement. Some analysts' estimates of the company's potential liability from the earplug litigation had been as high as $10 billion. The Combat Arms earplugs were made by Aearo Technologies, a company 3M acquired in 2008. Aearo filed for bankruptcy in July 2022, with 3M pledging $1 billion to fund its liabilities stemming from the earplug lawsuits.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chris Seeger, Seeger, Bryan Aylstock, Clayton Clark, M, Casey Rodgers, Aearo, Rodgers, Brendan Pierson, Kannaki, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, 3M, Aearo Technologies, District, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Minnesota, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pensacola , Florida, New Yorkk, Bengaluru

The 3M logo is seen at its global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. on March 4, 2020. The Combat Arms earplugs were made by Aearo Technologies, a company 3M acquired in 2008. They were used by the U.S. military in training and combat from 2003 to 2015, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. Aearo filed for bankruptcy in July 2022, with 3M pledging $1 billion to fund its liabilities stemming from the earplug lawsuits. 3M argued that the mass tort litigation was unfair because Rodgers had kept scientific evidence favorable to the company out of trials and allowed thousands of "unvetted" claims to swell the court's docket.

Persons: Nicholas Pfosi, M, Casey Rodgers, Aearo, Rodgers, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Aearo Technologies, 3M, District, Thomson Locations: Maplewood , Minnesota, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pensacola , Florida, New York

REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 25 (Reuters) - A Texas judge on Friday blocked a Republican-backed state law banning so-called gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for transgender minors from taking effect while she hears a legal challenge to it. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed the law in June, making Texas one of at least 20 states to ban gender-affirming care. The offices of Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mainstream U.S. medical groups including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics oppose the measure and maintain that gender-affirming care improves transgender patients' mental health and reduces risk of suicide. Several other similar state laws have been blocked by judges, though a federal appeals court this week revived Alabama's ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

Persons: Jonathan Drake, Judge Maria Cantu Hexsel, Greg Abbott, Brian Klosterboer, Ken Paxton, Brendan Pierson, Will Dunham Organizations: REUTERS, Republican, Texas, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, U.S, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Thomson Locations: Durham , North Carolina, United States, Texas, Travis County, Austin, Abbott, New York

A logo of low cost carrier Spirit Airlines is pictured on an Airbus plane in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Spirit Airlines Inc FollowNEW YORK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Spirit Airlines Inc (SAVE.N) has agreed to pay up to $8.25 million to settle a class action lawsuit by passengers who said the low-cost carrier blindsided them with surprise carry-on bag fees on tickets bought through third-party travel services. Like other low-cost airlines, Miramar, Florida-based Spirit relies on added fees to help make up for lower base fares. Plaintiffs in the 2017 lawsuit accused the carrier of advertising misleading low prices on travel websites that concealed the "gotcha" bag fees travelers would have to pay at the airport. The plaintiffs originally sought $100 million in punitive damages, though that was dropped from a later version of the lawsuit.

Persons: Regis, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Spirit Airlines, Airbus, REUTERS, Spirit Airlines Inc, Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Colomiers, Toulouse, France, Brooklyn, Expedia, Miramar , Florida, New York

South Carolina Republican state senator Katrina Frye Shealy debates a six-week abortion ban at the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. May 23, 2023. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 23 (Reuters) - South Carolina's highest court on Wednesday upheld a new state law banning abortion after fetal heart activity is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy, months after it blocked a similar ban. "With this victory, we protect the lives of countless unborn children and reaffirm South Carolina's place as one of the most pro-life states in America," South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, said in a statement. The new law came after the state Supreme Court in January struck down a previous abortion law, by a 3-2 vote. South Carolina's Republican legislature in February replaced Hearn, who was the sole woman on the five-member court, with Justice Garrison Hill, who voted to uphold the new law on Wednesday.

Persons: Katrina Frye, Sam Wolfe, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Justice Kaye Hearn, Hearn, Justice Garrison Hill, John Few, Donald Beatty, Brendan Pierson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: South, South Carolina Republican, REUTERS, South Carolina Supreme, South Carolina Governor, Republican, Democrat, South Carolina's Republican, Justice, Thomson Locations: South Carolina, Columbia , South Carolina, U.S, America, South Carolina's, New York

President Xi Jinping of China, traveling to Africa for the first time in five years, pledged greater cooperation with South Africa to enhance the voice of poor nations. He commended developing countries for “shaking off the yoke of colonialism.”And on Wednesday, he held talks with the leaders of the BRICS, a club of emerging nations, and called for members to “accelerate” its expansion to serve as a counterweight to Western dominance. “The Cold War mentality is still haunting our world, and the geopolitical tension is getting tense,” Mr. Xi said. The grouping, he continued, should “bring more countries into the BRICS family so as to pool our strength, pool our wisdom to make global governance more just and equitable.”On his four-day visit to South Africa this week, Mr. Xi has sought to cast himself as a leader of the developing world. Mr. Xi kicked off his trip with a state visit and was received with an honor guard, a 21-gun salute and roads lined with cheering crowds waving Chinese flags.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mr, Xi, ” Locations: China, Africa, South Africa

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Indivior (INDV.L) has agreed to pay $30 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by health plans accusing the drugmaker of illegally suppressing generic competition for its opioid addiction treatment Suboxone. The settlement, disclosed on Saturday in a filing by lawyers for the health plans in federal court in Philadelphia, must still be approved by a judge. Indivior is still facing claims by drug wholesalers that bought Suboxone from the Virginia-based company directly, with a trial scheduled in October. Lawyers for the health plans did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Indivior agreed in June to pay $102.5 million to settle related claims by 41 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

Persons: Indivior, Mark Crossley, Suboxone, Brendan Pierson, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: U.S, D.C, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Thomson Locations: U.S, Philadelphia, Virginia, Washington, United States, New York

The group of nations known as BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — represents 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of the world’s economy. Now it is considering expanding, in a push to be seen as a credible counterweight to Western-led forums like the G7 group of advanced nations. It comprises the world’s largest authoritarian state (China) and its largest democracy (India), economies big and small, and relations with the United States that run the gamut, from friend to foe. China, under Xi Jinping, wants to expand BRICS, seeing in it a platform to challenge American power. India, locked in a territorial dispute with China, is wary of Beijing’s dominance in the club.

Persons: Xi Jinping Organizations: South Africa — Locations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Western, United States, Moscow, Ukraine

Ever since members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization sprang into action to help Ukraine try to thwart Russia’s invasion last year, China has warned about a similar U.S.-led security alliance forming in Asia that would seek to hobble Beijing’s ambitions and provoke a confrontation. President Biden’s Camp David summit on Friday with the leaders of Japan and South Korea most likely reinforces Beijing’s perception. The talks saw Japan and South Korea put aside their historical animosities to forge a defense pact with the United States aimed at deterring Chinese and North Korean aggression. Mr. Biden, who met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, sought to emphasize at a news conference that the summit was not “anti-China.” But Beijing will almost certainly find Mr. Biden’s assertion unpersuasive. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has accused the United States of leading Western countries in the “all-around containment, encirclement and suppression of China.”

Persons: hobble, Biden’s, David, Mr, Biden, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, Xi Jinping, ” Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Locations: Ukraine, China, U.S, Asia, Japan, South Korea, United States, ”, Beijing

Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. The three-judge 5th Circuit panel was reviewing an order in April by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas. They contend the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider the drug's safety when used by minors. The court also reversed the agency's 2016 decision to allow mifepristone to be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, up from seven.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, William Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Circuit, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, White, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, STATES, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Thomson Locations: Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, New York, Boston

Boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, are seen at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. Circuit Court of Appeals means for doctors and patients:CAN PATIENTS STILL GET THE ABORTION PILL? WHAT IS MEDICATION ABORTION? Medication abortion is a two-drug regimen consisting of mifepristone followed by misoprostol used to terminate a pregnancy within the first 10 weeks. If the ruling is upheld, doctors could still prescribe the abortion pill, but with restrictions.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, mifepristone, misoprostol, Wade, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Danco, GenBioPro, Brendan Pierson, Noeleen Walder, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Alamo Women's, REUTERS, New, Circuit, U.S, Supreme, Danco Laboratories, FDA, Hippocratic Medicine, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, District, Thomson Locations: Carbondale , Illinois, U.S, New Orleans, United States, Texas, Amarillo , Texas

Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said that the Biden administration will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, supports abortion rights and last year ordered the federal health agency to expand access to mifepristone. [1/2]Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Alexis McGill Johnson, Evan Masingill, Evelyn Hockstein, James Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Patrick Wingrove, Nate Raymond, Sharon Bernstein, Trevor Hunnicutt, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Circuit, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, Supreme, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, U.S . Food, Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, New York, Boston, Sacramento , California, Washington

They said that the state law, signed by Republican Governor Brad Little in March, illegally discriminates on the basis of gender identity and violates students' right to privacy. Idaho's bathroom bill allows students to sue schools for $5,000 if they encounter a transgender student in a bathroom the law forbids. That effectively puts a "bounty" on transgender students and encourages others to search them out, the lawsuit said. The new law says schools must provide a "reasonable accommodation" for transgender students unwilling or unable to use their assigned bathroom. Federal courts have been divided on school policies requiring transgender students to use the restroom corresponding to their birth sex, with the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S.

Persons: Queen Mary, Stephane Mahe, David Nye, Peter Renn of, Raul Labrador, Rebecca Roe, Brad Little, Brendan Pierson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Justice, REUTERS, U.S, District, Peter Renn of Lambda, Republican, Circuit, Appeals, Thomson Locations: Brittany's, Rennes, France, Idaho, Richmond , Virginia, Virginia, Atlanta, Florida, New York

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstAug 10 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday will weigh lifting a Louisiana judge's order limiting the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies to urge them to moderate information it deems harmful or misleading. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is set to hear arguments in the administration's appeal of the judge's ruling, which found that the government wrongly pushed social media firms to suppress disfavored political views. The Biden administration quickly appealed, and the 5th Circuit temporarily put the judge's ruling on hold while it heard the case. The administration denies forcing social media companies to take down any posts. The panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal includes three judges who were all appointed by Republican presidents, U.S.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Terry Doughty's, Doughty, Donald Trump, Trump, lockdowns, Biden, Edith Brown Clement, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Biden, Circuit, District, Democratic, Meta, Inc, YouTube, Twitter, X Corp, Trump, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, 5th Circuit, Republican, Thomson Locations: Arcosa, Belen , New Mexico, U.S, Louisiana, New Orleans, Missouri, Monroe, New York

Ukraine will make a renewed push this weekend at a gathering in Saudi Arabia to win the support of dozens of countries that have remained on the sidelines of the war — the start of a broader campaign in the months ahead to build the diplomatic muscle to isolate and weaken Russia. Ukraine and Saudi Arabia invited diplomats from some 40 governments to talks in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. Notable among them were China, India, Brazil, South Africa and some of the oil-rich Gulf nations that have tried to maintain good relations with both Ukraine and Russia throughout the war, which began in February 2022. The meeting is the starting point of what is expected to be a major Ukrainian diplomatic push in the coming months to try to undercut Russia. It began on Wednesday, when President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine recalled his ambassadors for an emergency strategy session on how to get the country’s message out to the world.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky Locations: Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Red, Jeddah, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Ukrainian

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