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Here are answers to questions about U.S.-Niger ties:WHY IS NIGER IMPORTANT TO THE UNITED STATES? The country, located in the semi-arid Sahel region, plays an outsized role in the United States' Africa strategy. The State Department in March said Niger had "taken important steps to consolidate and strengthen its democracy." The State Department in March said the United States had plans to provide $101 million in bilateral assistance to Niger in fiscal year 2022, including assistance for food security, democracy and governance, and security. It is unclear how much the United States has given in security assistance specifically.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Washington's, Biden, Bazoum's, Vedant Patel, Niger, Bazoum, Wagner, Patel, Antony Blinken, Chris Coons, Mario Diaz, Balart, Daphne Psaledakis, Simon Lewis, Patricia Zengerle, Moira Warburton, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: UNITED STATES, Islamic, State Department, ., West, The State Department, U.S, State, Embassy, Pentagon, AID, Republican, Thomson Locations: Niger, U.S, Washington, NIGER, United States, Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, al Qaeda, Russia, Niamey

Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan in the 2023 budget. One official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said the package is expected to be worth around $330 million. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, halt the sale of weapons to the island. Taiwan has complained of delays to U.S. weapon deliveries, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as shipments from U.S. stockpiles moved to Ukraine.

Persons: General Atomics, Defense Lloyd Austin, Mark Milley, Mike Stone, Idrees Ali, Chris Sanders, Deepa Babington, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Congress, U.S . Air Force, Cultural, Defense, Presidential, Authority, U.S . Army, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thomson Locations: United States, Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, U.S, Ukraine

Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority weapons aid for Taiwan in the 2023 budget. One official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said the package is expected to be worth around $330 million. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, halt the sale of weapons to the island. Taiwan has said its defense spending this year will focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a "total blockade" by China, including parts for F-16 fighters and replenishing weapons.

WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered his administration to begin sharing evidence of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine with the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), a U.S official said on Wednesday. The ICC, a permanent war crimes tribunal, in March issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which would be a war crime. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have accused the Pentagon of effectively undermining war crimes prosecution of Russia by blocking the sharing of U.S. military intelligence with the ICC. Russia has issued an arrest warrant for the ICC prosecutor who in March prepared a warrant for Putin on war crimes charges. A successful war crimes prosecution requires a high standard of proof, in a situation where access to suspects and crime scenes is often restricted and there is overlapping jurisdiction between national and international courts.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Putin, Trevor Hunnicutt, Idrees Ali, Ismail Shakil, Rami Ayyub, Dan Whitcomb, Jonathan Oatis, Deepa Babington Organizations: Hague, Court, ICC, U.S, Pentagon, New York Times, National Security, Ukraine’s, Republican, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, United States, Russia

☆ Pentagon chief urges Israeli consensus, action on settler violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Yves Herman/File PhotoWASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for political consensus in Israel on Tuesday in a call with his Israeli counterpart, in the latest sign of strain between the allies over an Israeli judicial overhaul triggering major protests. The protests may be affecting the Israeli military. "Austin underscored the United States' belief that broad consensus through political dialogue, especially in the coming weeks and months, are critical elements of a resilient democracy," a Pentagon readout of the call said. She also declined to elaborate on Austin's comments regarding settler violence in Israel. A Pentagon readout said Austin urged Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant "to address extremist settler violence against Palestinian civilians."

Persons: Defence Lloyd Austin, Yves Herman, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Sabrina Singh, Yoav Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Defence, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, . Defense, Pentagon, Israeli, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Israel, U.S, Israeli, United States

☆ US says Russian plane hit drone with flare over Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON July 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said a Russian fighter jet hit a U.S. drone with a flare and "severely" damaged its propeller over Syria, the latest in a series of closer interactions by Russian military aircraft in the region. Over the past several months, U.S. officials say, Russian jets have increased the pace of dangerous encounters with U.S. military aircraft over Syria, where forces from both countries operate. "One of the Russian flares struck the U.S. MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller," the U.S. military said in a statement on Tuesday. "Fortunately, the MQ-9 crew was able to maintain flight and safely recover the aircraft to its home base," the statement added. U.S. military officials have said it is unclear what has led to the uptick in aggressive Russian moves over Syrian skies.

Persons: Mark Milley, Idrees Ali, Kanjyik Ghosh Organizations: U.S, Russian, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Thomson Locations: Russian, U.S, Syria, Washington

King, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier serving in South Korea, sprinted into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the Demilitarized Zone on the border between the two Koreas. Washington is fully mobilized in trying to contact Pyongyang about him, U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said on Thursday, but North Korea had yet to respond. At that time, U.S. officials had just concluded an initial nuclear agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il. Warmbier was eventually returned to the United States in a coma in 2017, but died days later. "Here's the response we got: one missile launch after another," referring to repeated North Korean missile tests.

Persons: Travis King, Christine Wormuth, Joe Biden, Trump, It's, Thomas Hubbard, Bobby Hall, Kim Jong Un's, Kim Jong Il, Hubbard, King, Mickey Bergman, Bill Richardson, Bergman, Jenny Town, Charles Robert Jenkins, ‘, Tae Yong, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Otto’s, Fred, He’s, Antony Blinken, Biden, Blinken, Simon Lewis, David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali, Don Durfee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Army, U.S . Army, U.S, North, Koreans, United Nations Command, Richardson, . Army, Reuters, Aspen Security, Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, South Korea, . Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Washington, North, Korea, Koreans, Sweden, New York, Jenny, Korean, Korea's

WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday voiced mounting concern over Army Private Travis King, who dashed into North Korea two days ago, saying Pyongyang had a history of mistreating captured Americans. But North Korea had yet to offer any response, officials said. American officials remained stumped about why King ran across the border into North Korea. Asked whether King might have sympathized with North Korea, Wormuth said: "I don't think we have any information that points to that clearly." Last week, North Korea launched its newest solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it said had the longest flight time ever.

Persons: Travis King, mistreating, Christine Wormuth, Washington, Wormuth, Otto Warmbier, John Kirby, King, Sabrina Singh, Army's, Singh, North Korea Sung Kim, Kim, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Jake Sullivan, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, David Brunnstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S . Army, United, Aspen Security, White House, National Security, Army, Pentagon, Incheon International Airport, U.S, Reuters, South Korean, Thomson Locations: United States, North Korea, Pyongyang, United Nations, Colorado, U.S, South Korea, Japan, Incheon, Dallas , Texas, Korea

North Korea's state media has made no mention of the incident. North Korea has been testing increasingly powerful missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Forces Korea, said the military was "working with our KPA counterparts to resolve this incident," referring to North Korea's People's Army. NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILESThe soldier was on a tour of the Panmunjom truce village with other visitors when he crossed a Military Demarcation Line, U.S. officials say. The launch came hours after the South Korea and the United States held the first round of talks on Tuesday on upgrading coordination in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea.

Persons: Travis T, King, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Isaac Taylor, Taylor, Kim Hong, Panmunjom, Tae Yong, Josh Smith, Hyonhee Shin, hyang Choi, David Brunnstrom, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Nobuhiro Kubo, Jack Kim, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, The U.S . Army, Security Area, U.S . Defence, United Nations, U.S . Forces, Korea's People's Army, Command, UNC, North Koreans, KOREA, REUTERS, Ji, U.S ., Korea's Unification Ministry, South, United, Thomson Locations: North North Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, South Korea, WASHINGTON, American, North Korea, Washington, The, New York, U.S . Forces Korea, Paju, Ji U.S, United States, Korean, Korea's, Seoul, Tokyo

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia is far from a failure, but the fight ahead will be long and bloody, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday, even as casualties on both sides mount and the front lines have moved only incrementally. The United States and other allies have spent months building Ukraine a "mountain of steel" of weaponry and training Ukrainian forces in combined arms techniques to help Kyiv pierce formidable Russian defenses during its counter-offensive. Asked whether the counter-offensive was a failure, at least so far, General Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: "It is far from a failure. Moscow says the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed. Six weeks since Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the east and south, Russia is mounting a ground offensive of its own in the northeast.

Persons: Mark Milley, Milley, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Doina, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: Joint Chiefs, Staff, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk

Asked whether the counter-offensive was a failure, at least so far, General Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said: "It is far from a failure. Speaking after another round of talks on arms for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's now nearly 17-month invasion, Milley said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive will be slow. Moscow says the Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed. Six weeks since Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the east and south, Russia is mounting a ground offensive of its own in the northeast. Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine defence minister, said after the Tuesday talks that "supply of weapons and equipment urgently needed" is a priority for Ukraine.

Persons: Mark Milley, Russia's, Milley, Reznikov, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Doina, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler, Michael Perry Organizations: Joint Chiefs, Staff, Kyiv, European Union, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Russia, United States, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kyiv, Bakhmut, Moscow, Kupiansk, Reznikov, Melbourne

☆ US soldier who crossed into North Korea faced disciplinary action back home
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. soldier who on Tuesday crossed into North Korea during a civilian tour of the border zone had been due to face disciplinary action by the U.S. military, two U.S. officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. It was not clear how the soldier arranged to participate in tour. A third U.S. official said the soldier had crossed into North Korea "willfully and without authorization." Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees AliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali Organizations: U.S ., Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: U.S, North Korea

☆ US to send additional jets, warship to Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - The United States will send additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, along with a warship to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Monday, in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months. "The (Pentagon) is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the (Strait of Hormuz) and surrounding waters," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. It was not clear where exactly the additional jets would be placed and how long they would stay in the region. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, which the West sees as a threat to Israel and Gulf Arab oil exporters.

Persons: Biden, Sabrina Singh, Donald Trump's, Joe Biden, Idrees Ali, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pentagon, White, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: United States, Hormuz, Iran, Gulf of Oman, Oman, Washington, Israel, Gulf

☆ US needs to speed up delivery of weapons to Taiwan - US general
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies need to speed up the delivery of weapons to Taiwan in the coming years to help the island defend itself, the top U.S. general said on Friday. The United States is Taiwan's most important arms supplier. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the sale of U.S. weapons to Taiwan stop, viewing them as unwarranted support for the democratically governed island that Beijing claims. Milley said Taiwan needed weapons like air defence systems and those that could target ships from land. Milley said the United States was looking at whether it needed to change where some U.S. forces were based within the Asia Pacific.

Persons: Mark Milley, Milley, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Idrees Ali, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, Taiwan, Beijing, U.S, Tokyo, Ukraine, Russian, China, Taipei, Asia, South Korea, Japan

☆ Russian leadership suffers 'friction and confusion' since mutiny, US general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"At the strategic level it is pretty clear that you have a significant amount of friction and confusion," General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a small group of reporters traveling with him in Asia. Milley said that lower-level Russian troops in Ukraine were likely more focused on the situation on the ground and surviving day to day. Since the mutiny, which posed the biggest domestic challenge to the Russian state in decades, President Vladimir Putin has so far kept Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov in their jobs. In the latest surprise, the Kremlin said this week that Putin met Prigozhin and his commanders just five days after the mutiny. Lukashenko first announced Prigozhin was in Belarus, then said last week that he was back in Russia.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, group's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Mark Milley, Milley, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin, Lukashenko, Idrees Ali, Peter Graff Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Staff, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Moscow, Asia, Russian, decamp, Belarus

☆ US, Japan, S.Korea hold rare military meeting as N.Korea launches missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Washington has been pressing the uneasy neighbors to work more closely to better counter rising threats from China and North Korea. He said the North Korean ballistic missile had been launched towards the Sea of Japan. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea's use of ballistic missile technology, including for satellite launches. North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday a U.S. military spy plane had entered North Korea's Exclusive Economic Zone eight times. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it appeared that North Korea's threats were largely bluster.

Persons: Mark A, Milley, Yves Herman, SMITH, Dave Butler, Mark Milley, Camp, Korea's Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un, Idrees Ali, Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel Organizations: Joint Chiefs, NATO Defence Ministers, REUTERS, United, South, Reuters, North, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Hawaii, United States, North Korea, Washington, China, Seoul, Tokyo, Korea, Japan, Camp Smith, U.S, South Korea

☆ US to send Ukraine cluster munitions, NATO makes membership pledge
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The cluster munitions "will deliver in a time frame that is relevant for the counteroffensive," a Pentagon official told reporters. Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries.Russia, Ukraine and the United States have not signed on to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans production, stockpiling, use and transfer of the weapons. BOTH SIDES SHOULD STOP USING CLUSTER BOMBS -HRWHuman Rights Watch has accused Russian and Ukrainian forces of using cluster munitions, which have killed civilians. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting Zelenskiy that Ukraine deserved NATO membership and that Ankara would continue working on a negotiated end to the war. "Our summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russia's aggression will not pay," Stoltenberg said at a news conference in Brussels.

Persons: Washington's, Vladimir Putin, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Anatoly Antonov, Antonov, Igor Ovcharruck, Clodagh, It's, Colin Kahl, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Biden, Putin, Martin Griffiths, Griffiths, Robert Muller, Jason Hovet, Pavel Polityuk, Mike Stone, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool, Diane Craft, David Gregorio Our Organizations: NATO, United States, Rights, United Nations, Pentagon, Cluster Munitions, White House, Watch, U.S, Washington, TASS, REUTERS, Treaty Organization, CNN, UN, Initiative, U.N, United, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, U.S, United States, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Zelenskiy, Ankara, Prague, Sofia, Brussels, Vilnius, Lithuanian, RUSSIA, Moscow, Odesa, United Nations, Kyiv, Washington

☆ Biden says US destroys last of chemical weapons stockpile
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. has destroyed the last of its declared chemical weapons stockpile, President Joe Biden said on Friday, bringing to an end a decades-long effort to eliminate the deadly weapons first used on a large scale in World War One. As part of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1997, the U.S. and other signatories are required to destroy their chemical weapons stockpile by Sept. 30, 2023. The U.S. has been destroying its remaining stockpiles at U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colorado, and Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky. "Chemical weapons are responsible for some of the most horrific episodes of human loss. Chemical weapons came to the fore during World War One, which became known as the "chemist's war."

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Mitch McConnell, Idrees Ali, Dan Whitcomb, Marguerita Choy Organizations: U.S, Chemical Weapons Convention, U.S . Senate, White, Army Pueblo Chemical, Blue Grass Army, The U.S, Centers for Disease Control, Senate Republican, United, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Pueblo , Colorado, Richmond , Kentucky, Kentucky, The, United Nations

☆ Pentagon has strategic germanium stockpile but no gallium reserves
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 6 (Reuters) - The Pentagon holds a strategic U.S. stockpile for germanium but currently has no inventory reserves for gallium, a spokesperson said on Thursday, after China announced export restrictions on the two metals used in semiconductors. "The (Defense) Department is proactively taking steps using Defense Production Act Title III authorities to increase domestic mining and processing of critical materials for the microelectronics and space supply chain, including gallium and germanium," the spokesperson said. Germanium is used in high-speed computer chips, plastics and military applications such as night-vision devices, as well as satellite imagery sensors. Gallium is used in radar and radio communication devices, satellites and LEDs. While major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) may not buy gallium and germanium directly, they likely purchase semiconductors from suppliers who source Chinese gallium and germanium, said Arun Seraphin, executive director for the National Defense Industrial Association’s Emerging Technologies Institute.

Persons: Arun Seraphin, ”, Dak Hardwick, Hardwick, Xi Jinping, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Valerie Insinna, Rami Ayyub, Doina Chiacu, Mark Porter, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Pentagon, China, Defense, Department, Lockheed Martin Corp, National Defense Industrial, Emerging Technologies, Aerospace Industries Association, U.S, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Thomson Locations: U.S, China

☆ Pentagon to tighten controls on classified information after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 5 (Reuters) - The Pentagon announced on Wednesday plans to tighten controls on classified information after an alleged leak incident that saw an airman arrested in April and later indicted on accusations of posting classified documents on the messaging app Discord. Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was indicted last month on six counts of wilful retention and transmission of classified information relating to national defense. Prosecutors say Teixeira leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord. "As someone who has read a lot of DoD policies, they are not the clearest documents," the official said. The official said the Pentagon needed to be more clear about policies related to classified information and spaces it can be accessed in, along with greater accountability for personnel who work with sensitive information.

Persons: Jack Douglas Teixeira, Teixeira, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Franklin Paul, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Pentagon, WikiLeaks, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: North Dighton , Massachusetts, U.S

☆ Chinese spy balloon did not collect information over US, Pentagon says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year before being shot down did not collect information as it went across the country, the Pentagon said on Thursday. "We assess that it did not collect while it was flying over the U.S.," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters. The balloon spent a week flying over the United States and Canada before the U.S. military shot it down off the Atlantic Coast on Biden's orders. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Pat Ryder, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Chris Reese Organizations: Pentagon, Thomson Locations: United States, Canada, U.S

☆ Russian general Surovikin was sympathetic towards Wagner rebellion, US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, was sympathetic to mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's weekend rebellion, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, though it was unclear if he actively supported it. As the rebellion began, Surovikin publicly urged fighters of the Wagner private militia to give up their opposition to the military leadership and return to their bases. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Surovikin had advance knowledge that Prigozhin was planning a rebellion. U.S. officials and Western officials said Prigozhin had been stockpiling weaponry ahead of the mutiny attempt. The U.S. officials suggested he must have believed he had enough firepower and sympathy within the Russian military to carry out his uprising.

Persons: Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Prigozhin, Wagner, Surovikin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Joel Schectman, Don Durfee, Grant McCool Organizations: Wagner Group, New York Times, U.S, Kremlin, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russian, Chechnya, Syria, Western, Belarus

Chinese officials have repeatedly said they want those sanctions, imposed in 2018, dropped to facilitate discussions. This scuppered planned talks between theatre-level commands, regular defence policy co-ordination and military maritime consultations, which included operational safety issues. Diplomats and Chinese analysts say military attaches at embassies Beijing and Washington are still able to meet officials - an important element of routine communication. Senior Chinese military intelligence officials also participated in a secret meeting of regional spies in Singapore earlier this month - a session that included U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. The official said some lower-level interactions with the Chinese military had continued.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, Li, Nancy Pelosi's, National Intelligence Avril Haines, Austin, Zhou Bo, Yang Tao, Admiral John Aquilino, General Lin Xiangyang, Greg Torode, Tian, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Gerry Doyle Organizations: . Defence, China's Defence, Taiwan, Pentagon, Diplomats, National Intelligence, PLA, Beijing's Tsinghua University . Senior, Reuters, U.S, Pacific Command, Eastern Theatre, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, East Asia, China, United States, Beijing, Singapore, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ US should apologize to Guantanamo Bay inmates for treatment -UN expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 26 (Reuters) - A United Nations expert said on Monday that U.S. government treatment of Guantanamo Bay inmates was cruel, inhuman and degrading under international law and called for Washington to apologize and provide reparation. "I observed that after two decades of custody, the suffering of those detained is profound, and it's ongoing," Fionnuala Ni Aolain said at the United Nations after completing the first official visit by a U.N. expert to the detention facility in Cuba. The prison was set up in 2002 by then-U.S. President George W. Bush to house foreign militant suspects following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Its population grew to a peak of about 800 inmates before it started to shrink. The comments by the independent expert add to recent criticism from the Red Cross and another UN body.

Persons: Ni Aolain, George W, Bush, Joe Biden, Washington, Emma Farge, Idrees Ali, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: United, United Nations, Pentagon, UN, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Guantanamo, Washington, Cuba, United States

He said the United States has had "real concerns" about China’s relationship with Cuba and was closely monitoring it. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a U.S. Defense Department spokesperson, said: "We are not aware of China and Cuba developing a new type of spy station." If such a facility is built, the Chinese will use Cuba "as a beachhead for collection against the United States," said Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA undercover officer. Cuba, an old Cold War foe of the United States, has long been a hotbed of espionage and spy games. It backed down and removed the missiles, but it is widely regarded as the moment when the United States and the Soviet Union came closest to a nuclear confrontation.

Persons: Fort Bragg, John Kirby, General Patrick Ryder, Jose Cabanas, Washington, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Washington's, House's Kirby, Bob Menendez, ”, Daniel Hoffman, Biden, Vladimir Putin, Matt Spetalnick, Jonathan Landay, Doina Chiacu, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, Patricia Zengerle, Dave Sherwood, Michael Martina, Kanishka Singh, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Nick Zieminski, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Wall Street, White House, Pentagon, U.S, U.S . Central Command, Tampa . Fort Liberty, Fort, White House National Security Council, Reuters, U.S . Defense Department, Embassy, Senate Foreign Relations, CIA, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, Cuban, Moscow, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: China, Cuba, Florida, Beijing, U.S, Tampa . Fort, North Carolina, United States, Washington, Cuban, America's, Coast, South, Taiwan, South China, Havana, Soviet, Lourdes, Russian

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