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☆ France pension reform protests turn violent following national day of action
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Aurore Laborie Dalal Mawad Oliver Briscoe Allegra Goodwin Pierre Bairin Helen Regan | Aurore Laborie | Dalal Mawad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Paris CNN —More than a million people took to the streets across France on Thursday with protests turning violent in some areas as demonstrators voiced their fury at proposed pension reforms. At least 80 people were arrested and 123 police officers injured in France on Thursday during the nationwide protests, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. The gate of the Bordeaux city hall after it was set on fire during a demonstration on a national day of action, on March 23 in Bordeaux, southwestern France. French riot police apprehend a protester amid clashes during a demonstration against pension reform in Paris on March 23, 2023. It rammed the legislation through the French National Assembly last week using a constitutional clause that allows the government to bypass a vote.

☆ South Korea says its own companies will pay to resolve forced labor dispute with Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin speaks during a briefing on March 06, 2023 in Seoul. The South Korean government announced it will no longer seek direct payment from responsible Japanese firms to compensate victims of Japan's forced wartime labor. South Korea said on Monday that its companies would compensate people forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, in a bid to improve poor relations that have impeded trade and cooperation between the two countries. Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced laborers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. "We welcome this as a step that returns Japan-South Korea relations to a healthy one," he said.

☆ Putin's war in Ukraine is endangering Russia's centuries of great-power status
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Robert Farley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

And yet Russian power and influence have waned in the past; the first 20 years of the 20th century represented a nadir in Russian power, as the Russian Empire lost most of its western territories after suffering a series of defeats at the hands of Japan, Germany, and Poland. Russian soldiers in World War II uniforms parade at Dvortsovaya Square in St. Petersburg in January 2019. AP Photo/Dmitri LovetskyBy virtue of its size and legacy, Russia is undoubtedly an important military power. Even as Russia has struggled mightily to impose its will upon Ukraine, nuclear weapons have ensured that NATO stays on the sidelines. Thomson ReutersBut is Russia a great power if it can't even crush its neighbor without help from China?

Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. SOUTH KOREAN FUNDSRelations plunged to their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced labourers. Overall there are fewer than 1,300 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to media estimates. The South Korean companies include KT&G (033780.KS), Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) (015760.KS) and other companies that benefited from a 1965 treaty between South Korea and Japan. Asked whether Japanese companies would pitch in to compensate, Park said both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to contribute.

☆ The Treasury just gave the strongest indication yet that the US will get a digital dollar, but an expert says proliferation of CBDCs poses risks to the dollar.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Treasury just made its strongest indication that a central bank digital currency is on the table. A US digital dollar, Liang said, would be legal tender and users could convert it one-for-one with other forms of central bank assets, like paper money or reserves. Redbord also believes the US must carefully evaluate the space, given that China is embarking on a similar digital currency program that's aimed at competing with the dollar. In her Wednesday speech, Liang differentiated between wholesale and retail digital dollars. The upside for a retail CBDC, meanwhile, comes from access, rather than technology, but could also destabilize private sector lending during times of duress, she added.

☆ Putin cancels decree underpinning Moldova's sovereignty in separatist conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

CHISINAU, Feb 22 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin revoked on Tuesday a 2012 decree that in part underpinned Moldova's sovereignty in resolving the future of the Transdniestria region - a Moscow-backed separatist region which borders Ukraine and where Russia keeps troops. The decree, which included a Moldova component, outlined Russia's foreign policy 11 years ago which assumed Moscow's closer relations with the European Union and the United States. It is part of a series of anti-Western moves announced by Putin on Tuesday. "The decree is a policy document that implements the concept of Russia's foreign policy," Flenchea told Publika-TV. "Moldova and Russia have a basic political agreement that provides for mutual respect for the territorial integrity of our countries."

☆ Putin's address to Russia's parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are highlights from his speech, which was delivered to members of both houses of parliament, state officials, military commanders and soldiers. CULTURE WARS"They distort historical facts, constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country. Millions of people in the West understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe. Russia is not withdrawing from the treaty but is suspending its participation..."The United States is developing new types of nuclear weapons... In this situation, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Rosatom must ensure readiness for testing Russian nuclear weapons.

☆ Biden Does a Spy Balloon Fly-By
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Our inclination is to support a President’s foreign policy when it’s in the national interest, no matter the party in the White House. But it’s getting harder to do when the current White House habit is to spin every issue for short-term political gain. The latest example is the decision finally to roll out President Biden on Thursday for a cursory overview of the unprecedented military action over North America in the past two weeks. Mr. Biden offered little of substance for fewer than 10 minutes and shuffled off without taking questions.

☆ South Korea's new 'stealthy' fighter jet just hit a supersonic milestone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Maya Carlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

South Korea's KF-21 Boramae "Fighting Hawk" made its first supersonic flight in January. Roughly 65% of the KF-21's parts are domestically produced, a major feat for South Korea. Positioned near the PRC and the Hermit Kingdom, South Korea considers aerial-defense capabilities to be paramount to its security. ReutersDespite its advanced electronics capabilities, Seoul refers to its KF-21 fighter as a 4.5-generation fighter. The Boramae's recent test flight makes Seoul the eighth nation to produce a supersonic fighter.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Chinese engineer sentenced to 8 years in U.S. prison for spying
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A former Chicago graduate student in electrical engineering was sentenced Wednesday to eight years in prison for spying for the Chinese government. Ji Chaoqun, 31, a Chinese national, was convicted last year of acting as an agent of China's Ministry of State Security and making a material false statement to the U.S. Army. Chinese engineer Ji Chaoqun. During the meetings, he said he could use his military identification to visit and take photos of "Roosevelt-class" aircraft carriers, the Justice Department said. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Australian minister says Kanye West could be denied entry
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 24 (Reuters) - American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, may not be suitable for an Australian visa because of his history of anti-Semitic remarks, a government minister said on Wednesday, as pressure mounted to deny the award-winning rapper entry. Minister for Education Jason Clare condemned Ye's "awful" anti-Semitic comments involving Hitler and the Holocaust, saying others who had made similar statements had been denied visas. Ye has been dropped by major corporate partners, including Adidas (ADSGn.DE) and banned from Twitter because of anti-Semitic remarks and outbursts on social media against other celebrities. "He's not a person of good character and the minister has the ability to stop somebody coming into our country of bad character." Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, met officials on Tuesday to argue for an entry ban.

The debate centers on the precise form and function of the new fighting vehicles — but it misses the point. (The guns on the Bradley and Marder are smaller-caliber, while the AMX is wheeled rather than tracked.) And despite the downsides of providing these more sophisticated vehicles, armored vehicles can help capture ground whereas artillery, even if more lethal and at least as important, by itself can’t. A Marder infantry fighting vehicle of the German armed forces participates in the NATO Iron Wolf military exercises on Oct. 26, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. Nonetheless, supplying new, tougher armored vehicles will improve Ukraine’s ability to liberate territory.

SYDNEY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - A venture headed by China's Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ) made an A$136 million ($94.07 million) bid to buy Australian lithium developer Essential Metals (ESS.AX), in a big test of Australian regulators' appetite for Chinese-led foreign investment. Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), which is 51% owned by Shenzhen- and Hong Kong-listed Tianqi Lithium Corporation and 49% by Australian miner IGO Ltd (IGO.AX), set the bid at 50 Australian cents per share. The deal requires the approval of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), with Treasurer Jim Chalmers having the ultimate say. Essential Metals' shares surged as much as 40% on Monday, trading as high as 48.50 Australian cents. It expects the Essential Metals deal to be completed by May 2023.

☆ Putin’s American Cheerleaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Adrian Karatnycky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

American commentators and journalists often appear on Ukrainian television expressing solidarity and offering analysis. Russia’s airwaves have largely been free of U.S. voices, save for occasional clips from American airwaves by Ukraine critics such as Tulsi Gabbard , Tucker Carlson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene . Most U.S. guests on Russian media come from the fringe, including former Virginia State Sen. Richard Black , who associates with the Lyndon LaRouche movement’s Schiller Institute, and Scott Ritter , an embittered and disgraced former American intelligence officer turned critic of the war in Iraq. More surprising are the appearances of several establishment figures: Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs ; the National Interest’s former national security correspondent, Mark Episkopos ; and Dimitri Simes , until recently president of the Center for the National Interest. They willingly appear on the programs of Russia’s most odious state propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov .

☆ 5 places World War III could start in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Robert Farley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine, starting the largest clash in Europe since World War II. These five simmering disputes pose the greatest risk of erupting into "World War III" in 2023. In 2022, the world came closer to Great Power War than at any point since the end of the Cold War. These five areas pose the greatest risk for the eruption of what we might be tempted to call "World War III." Pray World War III never happensDestroyed apartments in Lyman after the Ukrainian city was recaptured from Russia forces in November 2022.

☆ Analysis: Panama and First Quantum harden battle lines over key copper mine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Valentine Hilaire | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, no agreement was forthcoming, prompting the two sides to raise the stakes to protect their interests in the mine, known as Cobre Panama. "Cobre Panama is the only metal mine operating in the country and many foreign companies started operations in Panama with its arrival. Failure to reach a deal could spook foreign investors at a time when Panama is looking to develop three other copper deposits that could bring in similar investments to Cobre Panama, said Morales. First Quantum paid $61 million in royalties to Panama's government in 2021, while the Cobre Panama mine posted sales revenues of $3.2 billion for the year, company data show. LUCRATIVE ASSETIn 2021, Cobre Panama represented more than half of First Quantum's earnings before interest, tax depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

☆ China appoints Xi's trusted aide Qin Gang as new foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Dec 30 (Reuters) - China has appointed Qin Gang, a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, as its new foreign minister, state radio reported on Friday. Qin, 56, and currently China's ambassador to the United States, replaces Wang Yi, who has been foreign minister for the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and is expected to play a bigger role in foreign policy. A rising star in the foreign ministry, Qin rose through various positions including as the ministry's spokesman and postings at the Chinese embassy in Britain. Following his appointment, Qin will return to Beijing from Washington after 17 months as China's 11th ambassador to the United States.

Lufthansa declined to comment on Rome's decision to offer an initial minority stake. Some of Italy's politicians consider ITA as the heir to cultural icon Alitalia, which they want to preserve. Some also say that ITA does not have to worry so much about losing its national identity should Lufthansa take over. The Certares-led alliance was willing to pay 350 million euros for a 50% stake plus one share of the state-controlled airline, sources had said. ($1 = 0.9412 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Joanna Plucinska in London; additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome.

SYDNEY, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit China this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, signalling an improvement in diplomatic relations between Beijing and Canberra. Wong will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and hold the sixth Australia–China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on Wednesday. It will be the first visit to China by an Australian minister since 2019, and the first formal talks in Beijing between the two nations' top diplomats since 2018. The significance of it is that it's a meeting not in a conference, but a physical meeting in Beijing. read moreAustralian diplomats have previously said Canberra's moves to improve ties with Beijing would not bring a shift in defence policy.

In the mid-1990s, revelations that Israel may have shared U.S. fighter technology with China led Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wisc., to sponsor an amendment banning the not-yet-in-service F-22 stealth fighter from being exported. Unfortunately, this contributed to a negative outcome for the U.S. as well as its potential foreign partners. It’s true some U.S. defense partners maintain significant partnerships with potential military adversaries or may use U.S. arms in objectionable ways. If that happens, it could become impossible to rebuild domestic fighter production capacity fast enough to respond to a crisis. But it’s good for U.S. national security when our allies and partners retain an independent defense technology base rather than allowing their indigenous industries to atrophy.

☆ A moment of truth is fast approaching for both Trump and the DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

She then rebuffed White House condemnations of her comments by insisting she was joking. Smith has also issued a flurry of grand jury subpoenas since Thanksgiving, including to ex-Trump adviser Stephen Miller and two former White legal counsels. A judge on Monday formally dismissed Trump’s case challenging the Mar-a-Lago evidence collection and in which she had appointed a special master. If a moment of truth is approaching for Trump, the same can be said of Garland and the DOJ. Trump has already tried to use claims that justice is being weaponized against him as rocket fuel for his 2024 presidential bid.

So far the practical help for a project that will create around 1,000 jobs, has come from the Europe Union. It also says its panels are better and that 3Sun will be the European Union's largest producer of high performance bifacial solar panels by 2024. Eurostat figures show around three quarters of Europe's solar panels are sourced from China. The European Union as a whole aims to reach almost 600 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2030 and the number of installations is increasing. Enel is not limiting its ambitions to Europe, although it says at least 50% of its Sicilian production will be for the continent.

Each new B-21 is pegged at roughly $729.25 million, and the U.S. Air Force expects to procure at least 100 of them. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. Factoring in inflation, it’s half the price of the exorbitantly expensive B-2 stealth bomber it’s meant to replace. (China’s military grasps the benefit of long-range stealth bombers in the Pacific context and is developing its own Raider-like stealth bomber intended to expand its strike range.) That isn’t to say the Raider program should be written a blank check.

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