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☆ In ‘The Hungry Season,’ Whole Worlds in a Grain of Rice
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Ellen Barry | More About Ellen Barry | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To keep rice seedlings from shriveling in the arid San Joaquin Valley, a farmer must flood them two or three times a week with water pumped up from deep below the surface of the earth. Then she must wage war against strangling weeds, cut each stalk individually and thresh it by hand. If rice is so cheap and plentiful, why bother? Over the next 20 years, as Lisa M. Hamilton recounts in “The Hungry Season,” Ia’s 10 rows of seedlings grow into a kingdom of nine acres. Her farm will become a refuge for older Hmong women who whisper and sing to one another as they harvest rice stalks by hand, working their way up parallel rows of grain.

Persons: Lisa M, Hamilton, ” Organizations: Hamilton, U.S . State Department Locations: Fresno, Calif, Laos, Thai, California, shriveling, San Joaquin Valley

Chen told CNN he “felt sad, angry and afraid” after receiving such a call on July 21, when police told him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. When evening fell, he crossed the border into the Laos mountains, he told CNN – and by early August, he’d crossed the Mekong River and entered Thailand. Many Chinese dissidents do not feel safe in Thailand given the government’s often friendly links with Beijing, and in the past dissidents based there have turned up in Chinese custody. Soon after posting his video, Chen was taken for questioning by Taiwan’s immigration authorities and the Mainland Affairs Council, he told CNN. Laos lies across China’s southwestern border and has long been a common, albeit risky, exit point for Chinese dissidents trying to leave the country.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Chen Siming, Chen, Xi Jinping, “, ”, he’d, Beijing’s, Jiang Yefei, Dong Guangping –, Lu Siwei, Lu, Wang Dan Organizations: Taiwan CNN, CNN, United Nations, Refugees, Taoyuan International Airport, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party, Mainland Affairs Council, UNHCR, Taiwan Affairs Office Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, United States, Canada, Thailand, China, Beijing, Laos, Guangzhou, Taoyuan, Hong Kong, West, Southeast Asia

☆ Delivery Hero confirms talks on partial sale of Asian business
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Andreas Harte, a Foodora delivery cyclist poses in front of Delivery Hero headquarters in Berlin, Germany, June 2, 2017. Foodora is part of the Berlin-based company Delivery Hero, one of Europe's largest internet start-ups. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Delivery Hero (DHER.DE) confirmed talks on a partial sale of its Asia business on Wednesday, adding that the deal's value is still under negotiation. Delivery Hero has been focusing on reaching profitability while maintaining growth as investor confidence in the company started to wane after a pandemic-driven boost. Grab makes most of its sales from its food delivery business and has recently seen strong growth in its ride-share business.

Persons: Andreas Harte, Foodora, Fabrizio Bensch, Niklas Oestberg, Rachel More, Andrey Sychev, Matthias Williams, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Asia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand

☆ I moved from the US to Wales and can't imagine going back. I'm paid less, but the relaxed work culture more than makes up for it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Regina Beach | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She also says healthcare, driving, and working in the UK are some things that shocked her the most. Driving in the UK is not for the faint of heart and the driving test is taken very seriously. Working in the UKThirty-five hours of work per week or more is considered full time. Coming from the US, part-time worker's rights and generous paid family-leave was a real culture shock for me. AdvertisementAdvertisementI work fewer hours and have a better quality of life than I did living in Chicago.

Persons: Regina Beach, I'd, I've, There's, — Organizations: US, Service, Healthcare, National Health Service Locations: Regina, Wales, Wall, Silicon, Laos, Southeast Asia, Chicago, United Kingdom, Bristol, England, Great Britain, America, British, South Wales

☆ Inside Operation Barrel Roll, a covert US military campaign that dropped 2 million tons of bombs on Laos over 9 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

For nine years, a covert CIA-run operation called "Operation Barrel Roll" dropped more than 580,000 bombs on Laos. The US was trying to stop North Vietnamese forces from transporting weapons and soldiers through Laos. But the bombs' impact continued long after an estimated 80 million bombs were dropped but failed to detonate. The CIA covertly executed the bombings, which is referred to as the US "secret war" on Laos. Here's what happened and why the bombs are still hurting Laos today.

Organizations: CIA, Service Locations: Laos, Wall, Silicon

☆ Chinese rare earth prices hit 20-month high on Myanmar supply worry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING/HANOI (Reuters) -Chinese rare earth prices jumped to their highest in 20 months, as mining suspension in major producer Myanmar sparked stockpiling ahead of the peak consumption season, analysts said on Thursday. A mining machine is seen at the Bayan Obo mine containing rare earth minerals, in Inner Mongolia, China July 16, 2011. Rare earth is a prized group of 17 minerals used in consumer electronics and military equipment. Myanmar accounted for 38% of rare earth imports into China in January-July, Chinese trade data showed, while the Southeast Asian country was the fourth biggest source of rare earth mining in 2022, data by the U.S. Geological Survey showed. ($1 = 7.3275 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Persons: Stringer, Eikon, SMM, “, ”, Yang Jiawen, David Merriman, Merriman, ” Merriman, SMM’s Yang Organizations: REUTERS, Shanghai Metals, Mines, U.S . Geological Survey, Reuters Locations: BEIJING, HANOI, Myanmar, Bayan, Inner Mongolia, China, Myanmar’s Pangwa, Kachin State, Chipwi, Pangwa, Kachin, Southern China, Laos, Jiangxi province

☆ Thailand Gets Ready to Sparkle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( David Belcher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thailand’s history is rich with gemstones, beginning in the 1400s when its mines first produced the sapphires and rubies that adorned the crowns, swords and even the footwear of the country’s royalty. And as recently as May, jewelry fans took note of the glittering sapphire and diamond necklace and earring set that Queen Suthida of Thailand wore at King Charles III’s coronation in London. But since the 1970s, Thailand has mostly been known as a global hub for cutting, polishing, heating and trading stones, doing business with its gem-rich neighbors Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, along with countries far beyond. The event offers “a lot of opportunities for local businesses to be exposed to overseas buyers,” said Sumed Prasongpongchai, chief executive of the Gem & Jewelry Institute of Thailand (G.I.T. “We promote the fair heavily in the Middle East, Europe and America.”

Persons: Suthida, King Charles III’s, ”, Sumed Prasongpongchai Organizations: & Jewelry Institute of Thailand, Ministry of Commerce Locations: Thailand, London, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Bangkok, East, Europe, America

On Wednesday, China's Li warned against starting a "new Cold War" and warned countries against taking sides in any conflict. Harris, attending the meetings instead of President Joe Biden, reiterated a U.S. commitment to the region. "The United States has an enduring commitment to Southeast Asia and more broadly to the Indo-Pacific," she said. A White House official said earlier the U.S. shared interests with ASEAN in "upholding the rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea, in the face of China's unlawful maritime claims and provocative actions". The Chinese premier and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met briefly on the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday and discussed Japan's release into the sea of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, Lee Hsien Loong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun, Pham Minh Chinh, Fumio, Yoon Suk Yeol, Joko, Kamala Harris, Li Qiang, Sergei Lavrov, China's Li, Harris, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: Singapore's, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam's, Japan's, ASEAN, Russian, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, White, U.S, Japanese, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Fumio Kishida, South, JAKARTA, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, South China, Myanmar, Korea, Russia, United States, Southeast Asia, China, Laos

Afterward the summit, Biden and Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will meet in Hanoi and are expected to announce plans to tighten economic cooperation. The Chinese economy is weighed down by a property bubble, local government debt, high youth unemployment and a broader inability to rebound as expected from pandemic lockdowns. But so far this year, the U.S. economy has outperformed expectations as the Chinese economy has underperformed. Still, China’s economic challenges could create more geopolitical risk as economics can often inform national security strategies. At an August fundraiser in Utah, Biden called China's economy a “ticking time bomb.”“When bad folks have problems, they do bad things,” the president said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Nguyen Phu Trong, ”, Colleen Cottle, Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, ” Raimondo, ” Biden, Xi, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Yun Sun, Narendra Modi, Modi, Tracy Brown Organizations: WASHINGTON, Group, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Biden, South China, White, Associated Press, U.S, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, White House, IMF, Stimson, Indian Locations: India, Vietnam, United States, China, White, New Delhi, Hanoi, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, South, Washington, U.S, Beijing, Jakarta, Indonesia, The U.S, Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Laos, Mongolia, Utah, Ukraine

☆ Myanmar won't be allowed to lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026, in blow to generals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

An official ASEAN statement issued Tuesday night confirmed the decision to hand the chair to the Philippines in 2026 and affirmed the group's commitment to a five-point plan for restoring peace and stability in Myanmar. The ASEAN leaders' statement on Myanmar stressed the desire to work with the generals to end the country's crisis, especially in the context of the five-point plan which Myanmar accepted in 2021 but has largely failed to implement. "All of us are aware of the magnitude of the world's challenges today, where the main key to facing them is the unity and centrality of ASEAN," Widodo told fellow leaders. "ASEAN leaders must ensure that this ship is able to keep going, able to keep sailing," Widodo said. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said before flying to Jakarta that he plans to offer assurances of the safety of the ongoing release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos, Lee Hsien Loong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun, Pham Minh Chinh, Joko Widodo, Sonexay Siphandone, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Hun Manet, Anwar Ibrahim, Xanana Gusmao, Adi Weda, Aung, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Retno Marsudi, —, Marsudi, bloc's, Widodo, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Li Qiang, Sergey Lavrov, Fumio Kishida Organizations: Singapore's, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam's, Cambodia's, Malaysia's, East Timor's, ASEAN Summit, Afp, Getty, United, Aung San Suu, ASEAN, Indonesia, Associated Press, European Union, Myanmar Armed Forces, Foreign Ministry, ASEAN Chair, Indonesian, Assistance Association for Political, U.S ., U.S, Russian, Japanese Locations: Laos, East, Jakarta, Myanmar, United States, Aung San, Philippines, Philippine, ASEAN, Naypyidaw, South China, U.S, China

☆ ASEAN welcomes world leaders as China-U.S. rivalry overshadows region
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United States and its allies have echoed ASEAN's calls for freedom of navigation and overflight and to refrain from building a physical presence in the area. Just before this week's gatherings, China released a map with its "10-dash line" delineating what it considers its waters, that appeared to expand its claims in the South China Sea. The United States has also courted ASEAN countries with varying degrees of success. 'GREAT DANGER'Lina Alexandra, a political analyst at think tank CSIS, said the draft was "very weak on the issues of the South China Sea". President Joko Widodo of ASEAN chair Indonesia warned on Tuesday that members must not become proxies in big-power rivalry.

Persons: Ferdinand " Bongbong, Marcos Jr, Lee Hsien Loong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun, Pham Minh Chinh, Li Qiang, Joko Widodo, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, ASEAN's, Lina Alexandra, Alexandra, Wednesday's, Aung, Suu Kyi, Stanley Widianto, Kate Lamb, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: Singapore's, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam's, ASEAN, Wednesday, The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, U.S, White, United, Reuters, CSIS, Thomson Locations: Philippines, Laos, JAKARTA, United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, South China, States, South, Indonesia, ASEAN, Myanmar, Suu, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ Ukraine war brings surge in global use of cluster bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cluster munitions, fired from the ground or by aircraft, explode mid-air, spraying smaller 'bomblets' over a wide area. Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a party to the ban, nor is the United States, which began supplying cluster munitions to Ukraine this year. In Ukraine, the report said Russia had used cluster munitions "repeatedly", while Ukraine had also used them, but to "a lesser extent". The report covered last year, and therefore excludes this year's use by Ukraine of U.S. cluster munitions, which Kyiv began receiving in July. It also said its cluster munitions leave behind far fewer unexploded bomblets than those used by Russia.

Persons: Ivan Alvarado, Mary Wareham, Washington, Emma Farge, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Cluster Munitions Coalition, Human Rights Watch, Kyiv, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, United States, Geneva, Kyiv, Moscow, U.S, Myanmar, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen

☆ ASEAN is ‘at a loss for ideas’ on how to address Myanmar crisis, says Indonesia's ex-foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Myanmar migrant workers hold a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi during the march to mark International Labor Day in Bangkok, calling for the workers rights and protesting against the Myanmar military government on May 1, 2023. "I get the sense that ASEAN is at a loss for ideas … one can speak with eloquence about one individual member state's wish to happen in Myanmar. "At the moment, I'm reminded more about the divisions rather than the unity … this is not only a litmus test for ASEAN, but in my view is an existential threat to ASEAN," Natalegawa added. Myanmar's military administration, however, has not implemented the peace plan — despite agreeing to it two months after the democratic government was overthrown by the coup. "Some ASEAN member states in dispute feel that they are not being provided a common ASEAN home, so as if they are left on their own devices to deal with this issue," said Natalegawa.

Persons: Aung, Suu Kyi, Marty Natalegawa, CNBC's JP Ong, Marty Natalegawa Indonesia's, Natalegawa, Min Aung Organizations: International Labor, Myanmar, Getty, ASEAN, CNBC, 43rd Association of Southeast, Nations, Suu, Reuters Locations: Myanmar, Suu, Bangkok, Indonesian, Jakarta, South China, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ He Fled China’s Repression. But China’s Long Arm Got Him in Another Country.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Tiffany May | More About Tiffany May | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To stop him, the authorities put him under surveillance and barred him from practice, depriving him of his livelihood. Mr. Lu’s wife and young daughter fled first, moving to the United States. A few days later, as he was preparing to board a train to Thailand, he was arrested by local authorities. Accused of using fraudulent travel documents, he was in Laotian custody as of late August and facing the threat of deportation. Under Xi Jinping, China’s most iron-fisted leader in decades, Chinese authorities have aggressively expanded their net outside the country.

Persons: Lu Siwei, Lu’s, Xi, Eva Pils Organizations: King’s College London Locations: China, United States, Laos, Thailand

☆ Russia has lost more than 2,200 tanks in Ukraine, and it may be reaching the limit of its ability to 'rebuild' older ones
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( David Hambling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russia has lost more than 2,200 main battle tanks since invading Ukraine in February last year. Russian storage depots are deep, but they don't have an unlimited supply of armor to throw into a new fight. In fact, Russia is rebuilding tanks rather than building them, and their capacity to do so may be reaching its limit. Russia has vast stockpiles of old tanks, from T-90s barely 20 years old to rusting T-62s from the 1960s. More importantly, Russia's supply of old tanks for rebuilding is showing signs of running down.

Persons: Alexander Zemlianichenko, Stalin, UVZ, Sergio Miller, Abrams, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Shoigu, Putin's, Dmitry Medvedev, OLGA MALTSEVA, Jakub Janovsky, Medvedev, Nobody, Putin, David Hambling Organizations: Service, Russia, Victory Day, AP, Stalin Ural Tank, British Army, Sierra Army, Omsk Transport Machine Factory, —, Getty, Defence, Moscow Times, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, Aviation, Forbes, The, New, Popular Mechanics, WIRED Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, AP Russia, Nizhny Tagil, Moscow, Stalin Ural, Doyle , California, Omsk, St Petersburg, Siberia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Russian, Rostov, Izyum, AFP, OmskTransMash, Laos, St . Petersburg, Buryatia, Mongolia, Urals, USSR, Germany, Kremlin, London

☆ Janet Yellen explains her ‘magic mushroom’ experience in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ate a “magic mushroom” on a recent trip to Beijing, but the aftereffects don’t sound that special. CNN’s Erin Burnett spoke to her Monday, asking about the “mushroom experience” that set off a social media frenzy and dramatically boosted business for a Yunnan restaurant chain, where Yellen ate the local jian shou qing. I learned that later,” Yellen said about the group dinner that clarified that she didn’t organize nor did she do the ordering. Yellen’s July trip to the Yunnan restaurant chain, called Yi Zuo Yi Wang (In and Out), garnered attention for the highly sought-after mushroom prized for its unique properties. Rather, the chain specializes in Yunnan food, a popular regional cuisine from part of southwestern China that borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

Persons: Janet Yellen, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Yellen, jian shou qing, ” Yellen, Erin Burnett, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, Jian shou qing, ”, Yellen’s Organizations: New, New York CNN Locations: New York, Beijing, Yunnan, China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar

☆ Japan is Asia's most expensive location to send expats — here are the other top spots
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The average expatriate package in Japan cost employers $370,183 in 2022, according to "MyExpatriate Market Pay" survey by data company ECA International. Japan's salary and benefits packages for expats remained the highest in Asia, a new report has found. The average expatriate package in Japan costs employers $370,183, according to "MyExpatriate Market Pay" survey by data company ECA International. As a result, when measured in U.S. dollars, costs for salary, benefits and taxes "all fell by double-digit percentages," the report said. Globally, Japan ranked second while the U.K. retained its top spot as the most expensive location in the world to send expatriates.

Persons: —, assignees, Lee Quane, Quane Organizations: ECA, expats, Japan, ECA International, International's, Asia, Hong Locations: Japan, Asia, Laos, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Korea Republic

☆ Project Wild Earth: This family of four has just embarked on a 5-year adventure around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

They instantly connected and maintained a long-distance relationship for a year after his road trip ended before moving to Hong Kong to start a life together. During the project, dubbed “Project Wild Earth,” they will also share stories on their website and social media accounts about inspiring rangers, support organizations, government officials and entrepreneurs they work or come in contact with. Leah, an American, worked as a primary school teacher and helped establish a Sudbury school in Hong Kong that empowers children to direct their own education. The Priors found themselves stuck in Hong Kong, which had some of the strictest pandemic restrictions in the world due to its “zero-Covid” approach. “When these things unfolded in Hong Kong, we had to reconsider everything.

Persons: we’re, Matt, Leah Prior, Leah, Zapp, Graham, Paige, “ Leah, ” Matt, ”, “, AdventureX, Jack, Matt couldn’t, “ Jack, Sai Kung, “ It’s, Dr, Jane Goodall, Tompkins, Allen, –, Reinhard Dirscherl, Charlotte, they’ll Organizations: CNN, The Explorers Club, Sumy Sadurni, Getty, Allen Coral Atlas, Jane, Jane Goodall Institute and, Bank Locations: Charlotte, Laos, London, South Korea, Hong Kong, Europe, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, Asia, Pacific, Africa, Americas, American, Sudbury, British, Indonesia, Hong, New Territories, AFP, Patagonia, agroforestry

☆ Former Special Forces engineer says Russian minefields are unlike anything he has ever seen and battling these hidden death traps is 'exhausting'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The former US Special Forces engineer says the overwhelming numbers of land mines is wildly different from anything he saw in Afghanistan. "There are millions and millions of mines in Ukraine," many put down by the Ukrainians, but significantly more by the Russians. The Russians have "the capability to lay millions and millions of land mines, and they do," he said, stressing that "the biggest shaping factor of this war is land mines." "Any movement, offense, or counteroffense, assaults, or anything like that, the commander has to take into account land mines," Hendrickson said. "The casualties that the Ukrainians are suffering on this offensive," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US Army Gen. Mark Milley said this week, "they're from minefields — minefields that are covered with direct fire from anti-tank hunter-killer teams, that sort of thing."

Persons: Ryan Hendrickson, Hendrickson, Ercin, Getty Images Hendrickson, Valery Zaluzhny, Mark Milley Organizations: US Special Forces, Ukrainian YouTube, Service, US Army Special Forces, Green Berets, Ukrainian Toronto Television, 35th Marine Brigade, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Rights, Toronto Television, Group, Getty Images, Washington Post, Joint Chiefs, Staff US Locations: Ukraine, Afghanistan, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Donetsk, Laos, Cambodia

☆ Why US Treasury Secretary Yellen’s visit to a Beijing restaurant set off a wild mushroom craze
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Maggie Wong | Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Among the dishes the food blogger claimed to have spotted were grilled fish with herbs, stir-fried pickled Yunnan wild greens with potato slices and cold rice noodles. She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). But the most heated discussions were focused on the multiple orders of the mushroom dish – jian shou qing. Jian shou qing, Yunnan’s mysterious mushroomsBaskets of jian shou qing mushrooms, foraged from a Yunnan forest. Chieu Luu/CNNThe fact that Yellen and her team visited a Yunnan restaurant shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — It’s, Janet Yellen, jian shou qing, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, ”, Pan Pan Mao, ” Pan Pan Mao, Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Yellen’s, Jian shou qing, Colin Domnauer Jian shou qing, “, Peter Mortimer, Mortimer, Jun Xu, they’re, Luu, Dian Cai –, Ng Mung Lam, Ng, Yellen's, Leisa Tyler, LightRocket Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Weibo, CNN, Kunming Institute of Botany, African, Getty, Botanical Society of, Xinhua, CNN Travel Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Yunnan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Weibo, India, Yunnan Province, Botanical Society of Yunnan, China’s, Shenzhen, Chuxiong prefecture, pu’er

☆ ASEAN struggles for unity on Myanmar conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The cause of the delay was unclear but an ASEAN official said a communique was being finalised and would be released soon. ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urged the group's foreign ministers to remain united in tackling the escalating violence in Myanmar. Malaysia, a vocal critic of the junta, urged ASEAN to strongly condemn the junta's actions, including violence. RIFTS APPARENTRifts within ASEAN over Myanmar were highlighted when Thailand invited Myanmar military officials to a meeting last month aimed at "re-engaging" with the junta. Indonesia, as ASEAN chair this year, is working behind the scenes to bring all stakeholders in the Myanmar conflict together for informal talks, but diplomats say it is struggling to make headway.

Persons: Zambry Abdul Kadir, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Don Pramudwinai, Don, Myanmar's, Aung San, Aung San Suu Kyi, Malaysia's Zambry, Suu Kyi's, Kate Lamb, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor, Rob Birsel, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Myanmar's, Association for Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Junta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Myanmar, Thai Foreign, National Unity Government, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Myanmar, Malaysia, United States, China, Russia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Aung San Suu, Naypyitaw

☆ The US says the cluster bombs it's giving Ukraine fail less than 3% of the time. Experience suggests the real number is far higher.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The United States is providing Ukraine with cluster bombs it says have a failure rate of 2.35%. Cluster bombs that fail to explode can pose a risk to civilians for decades to come. He compared it to the alleged failure rate for Russian cluster munitions of 30-40%. 'Failure rates of 10% to 30%'Russia has been criticized not just for using cluster bombs but for deploying them in densely populated civilian areas. The US military has said it will select from its stockpile only cluster munitions that have been assessed to have a failure rate of 2.35%.

Persons: Colin Kahl, I'm, Kahl, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, New York Times, Congressional Research Service, CNN Locations: States, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Laos, Russian, United States

☆ What are the cluster munitions the US is expected to supply Ukraine?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The United States is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine on Friday that will include cluster munitions for the first time, defense officials have told CNN. Cluster munitions, also called cluster bombs, are canisters that carry tens to hundreds of smaller bomblets, also known as submunitions. The US has a stockpile of cluster munitions known as DPICMs, or dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, that it no longer uses after phasing them out in 2016. Yes, both the Ukrainians and the Russians have used cluster bombs since Moscow’s forces invaded in February 2022. “Any use of cluster munitions, anywhere, by anyone, must be condemned,” Carbonnier said.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Andre Luis Alves, maim, ” Gilles Carbonnier, ” Carbonnier Organizations: CNN, Anadolu Agency, International Committee, Coalition, Rights Watch, Cluster Munitions, Human Rights Watch, US Central Command Locations: United States, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Washington, Kyiv, Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Switzerland, Iraq

☆ Allies React Cautiously to Prospect of U.S. Cluster Weapons for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Thomas Gibbons-Neff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

The United States appears to be on the verge of providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, a senior Biden administration official said. What are cluster munitions? “There’s just not a responsible way to use cluster munitions,” said Brian Castner, the weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team. The New York Times has documented Russia’s extensive use of cluster munitions in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. The Convention on Cluster Munitions also limits the ability of nations that have signed on to cooperate militarily with countries that employ them.

Persons: Laura Cooper, “ There’s, ”, Brian Castner, Castner, “, Ukraine —, Jerry Redfern, Mary Wareham, Cooper, Biden, Gabriela Rosa Hernández, David Guttenfelder, Oleksandr Kubrakov, ” Eric Schmitt, John Ismay, Gaya Gupta Organizations: Biden, Washington, U.S, Pentagon, National Public Radio, United Nations, Amnesty, Cluster Munitions, Getty, The New York Times, The Times, Human Rights Watch, NATO, Ukraine, Munitions, Arms Control, Ukraine’s, Brigade, ., Munich Security Locations: States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Eurasia, Tibnin, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Balkans, Laos, U.S, United, United States, LightRocket, Russian, Kramatorsk, Ukrainian

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