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☆ Ukraine’s president signs law banning Russia-linked religious groups
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Daria Tarasova Markina | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

President Volodymr Zelensky signed into law a bill banning religious groups with ties to Russia Saturday, Ukraine’s Independence Day. The bill’s main target is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which has historically been linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate. The law passed Ukraine’s parliament on August 20, with 265 lawmakers voting for and 29 voting against. But with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine’s Orthodox churches split. In particular, 63% believe that Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be completely banned in Ukraine.

Persons: Volodymr Zelensky, Mykyta, ” Poturaiev, Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Ukraine’s, Epiphanius, ”, Metropolitan Clement, –, ” Kosta Gak Organizations: CNN, Russia, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church, Russian, Church, Ukraine’s, Service, Ethnic, Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine, of Ukraine, Moscow Patriarchate, Ukraine, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Facebook, God Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Crimea, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Kyiv, Russian

☆ Here are 3 ways analysts say China could blockade Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Annabelle Chih/Getty ImagesA quarantine or, taking things a step further, blockade of Taiwan has long been discussed by Chinese military planners and various officials and experts as an option for China to achieve unification with Taiwan. The first, an all-out kinetic blockade, is the harshest option and is very closely aligned with Chinese military doctrine. AdvertisementIn this situation, China would potentially be relying primarily on the force presence provided by its navy and air force. A screen grab captured from a video shows the Taiwan army conduct military exercise following China's large-scale joint military drill around Taiwan. TAIWAN Military News Agency, Ministry of National Defense, R. O. C. / HANDOUTIt's unclear if Taiwan's military could stand against major Chinese military operations, especially if the US and its allies don't come to its aid.

Persons: —, Annabelle Chih, Lai Ching, Lai's, Feng Hao, GAO Organizations: Service, Center for Strategic, International, Business, CSIS, US Department of Defense, Taiwan, Theater Command, PLA, China Military, Anadolu, Getty, TAIWAN Military News Agency, Ministry of National Defense, Washington, People's Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, China, Kaohsiung, Beijing, Taiwan Strait

Top NewsPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel a “bloodsucking vampire” because of his approach to the war in Gaza. Mr. Erdogan knew Mr. Haniyeh personally. He didn’t name them, but the United States is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel. United States officials have suggested that the authority — a fierce rival of Hamas — could help govern Gaza after the war, an idea Mr. Netanyahu has rejected. Mr. Flake said that despite Mr. Haniyeh’s death, Turkey and the United States still shared the same goal.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Erdogan’s, Mr, Haniyeh, Hakan Fidan, Jeffry, Fidan, “, ”, Abbas, —, Netanyahu, Haniyeh’s, Flake, Turkey’s Organizations: Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Development Party, West Bank, Israel Locations: Turkey, Gaza, ”, Israel, Ankara, United States, Montenegro, reining, Qatar, Egypt

☆ Chinese scientists say they've found a way to make hypersonic missiles skip in the sky to strike deeper. US experts aren't convinced it'll be effective.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewA team of scientists in China believe they've found a way to make hypersonic missiles more potent — by extending their range via "skipping" on the atmosphere. Skip-gliding missiles may also be harder to track and intercept, she added. Kavanagh noted that a future skip-gliding missile would likely still be detectable from hundreds of miles away. AdvertisementKearn believes the issue is being overblown since China has the ability to launch nuclear strikes regardless of its hypersonic missiles. AdvertisementTheir next step, they said, would be to research how easily a skip-gliding missile can maneuver and navigate laterally.

Persons: —, they've, Yong Enmi, Washington, Jennifer Kavanagh, Kavanagh, David Kearn, Biden, Kearn Organizations: Service, China Aerodynamics Research, Development Center, Business, Astronautics, China Morning Post, US, Defense, People's, Army, PLA, Government, St, John's University Locations: China, Hong Kong, Nazi Germany, Beijing, Washington, Hawaii, United States

Former Trump administration officials argue that more foreign students are involved in the campus protests and accuse the Biden administration and universities of withholding such information. He contended that it would be unconstitutional for authorities to try to deport them based solely on their expressing support for Hamas at protests. About 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, according to local health officials. Kena Betancur / AFP - Getty Images fileBiden’s approachBiden administration officials told NBC News that Trump’s threats don’t match the realities of the country’s overburdened immigration system. It argued that the Education Department is purposely protecting “pro-Hamas foreign extremists on American college campuses” and failing to provide records on foreign students, or pro-Hamas activities, at schools.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Ben Wizner, ” Wizner, ” Reed Rubinstein, Stephen Miller, aren’t, “, ”, Rubinstein, ‘, you’re, Seth, ” Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Kena Betancur, Jon Feere, isn’t, Feere, Kenneth Marcus, George W, Bush, Marcus, Louis D, ” Marcus, Vanessa Harmoush, Nerdeen Kiswani, hasn’t, Kiswani, ” Kiswani, Stephanie Keith, Daniel Richman, Richman, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, that’s, ” Mitchell, it’s Organizations: GOP, Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention, NBC News, Trump, Israel, Harvard, Emory, University of Pennsylvania, Hamas, American Civil, Technology, America, Justice, “, Fountain, Washington , D.C, Seth Herald, Republicans, Congress, NBC, D.C, Israeli, Brooklyn Museum, Times, U.S, Popular Front, Liberation, Palestine, Columbia University, Getty, Biden, United States, State Department, Immigration, Customs Services, ICE, Center of Immigration Studies, Education Department, Justice Department, Department’s, Civil Rights, Brandeis Center for Human, Department of Education, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Columbia Law, Islamic, CAIR wouldn’t, CAIR, don’t Locations: Israel, U.S, Chicago, Gaza, Columbia, Columbus, Washington ,, New Jersey, Palestinian, Washington, New York City, Brooklyn, Vandals, New York, Germany, AFP, United States, Palestine

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government said Tuesday that it had filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing after Chinese jets flew dangerously close and fired a volley of flares in the path of a Philippine air force patrol plane over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said Saturday that a Philippine air force aircraft “illegally” entered the airspace above the shoal, which China claims, disrupting its combat training activities. The command sent jets and ships to identify, track and drive away the Philippine aircraft, it added. In 2013, China announced a new Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea that covers a chain of disputed islands also claimed by Japan. Washington has repeatedly warned that it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Persons: Romeo Brawner Jr, ” Brawner, Teresita Daza, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, ”, Jay Batongbacal, ” Batongbacal, Thomas Shoal Organizations: Philippine military’s, Scarborough, seaway, ” Department of Foreign Affairs, ”, China, Southern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, Philippine, U.S, Air Defense, East China, Institute for Maritime Affairs, Law, University of the, Washington Locations: MANILA, Philippines, Beijing, Philippine, South China, Manila, China, People’s Republic of China, United States, Australia, Canada, East, Japan, Washington, University of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Scarborough, Asia

☆ Ukraine wants more negotiating power as forces advance into Russia, humiliating Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian servicemen operate a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 12, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Sunday that it was designed "to put pressure on the aggressor Russia" and to push "the war into the aggressor's territory." Russian official Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, told a solemn-looking Putin via videoconference Monday that Ukraine controlled 28 settlements. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said geolocated footage suggests Ukraine controls a higher number of around 40 settlements, as of Monday. Russia caught off guardPresident Putin vowed on Monday a "worthy response" to Ukraine's border raid, just as 11,000 more civilians were evacuated in Kursk's neighboring region Belgorod, due to "enemy activity."

Persons: Roman Pilipey, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Alexei Smirnov, Putin, Gavriil Grigorov, Kostiantyn Liberov, Liberov Organizations: Afp, Getty, CNBC, Institute for, Sputnik, Ukrainian, United, Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Anadolu, Employees, Russian Emergencies Ministry Locations: Soviet, Sumy, Russia, Ukraine, Roman, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Kursk, Russian, Novo, Ogaryovo, Moscow, Kherson, Kharkiv, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Kursk's, Belgorod, Kursk Oblast, Oryol

☆ Tim Walz’s Long Relationship With China Defies Easy Stereotypes
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Amy Qin | Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the summer of 1989, Tim Walz faced a difficult choice. A newly minted college graduate from small-town Nebraska, he had just turned down a stable, 9-to-5 job offer and moved across the world to teach at a local high school in China. He had made it as far as Hong Kong, just across the Chinese border, when People’s Liberation Army tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square to crush pro-democracy protests. As high school teachers in Nebraska and Minnesota, Mr. Walz and his wife, Gwen, regularly led trips to China in the 1990s and early 2000s to introduce students to China’s history and culture. Mr. Walz has said that he has traveled to China some 30 times, including for his honeymoon.

Persons: Tim Walz, Mr, Walz, . Walz, Gwen Organizations: People’s Liberation Army Locations: Nebraska, China, Hong Kong, “, Minnesota

☆ Philippine military condemns China air force for ‘dangerous’ acts in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Philippine military said on Saturday it strongly condemns “dangerous and provocative actions” by China’s air force at a contested shoal in the South China Sea. It was the first time the Philippines has complained of dangerous actions by Chinese aircraft, as opposed to navy or coast guard vessels, since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022. Two People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft executed a dangerous maneuver and dropped flares in the path of a NC-212i Philippine air force propeller aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the Scarborough shoal on Thursday morning, the military said in a statement. Filipino fishermen frequent the Scarborough Shoal one of two flashpoints in a longstanding maritime rivalry with China. A China Coast Guard ship monitors a Philippine fisherman aboard his wooden boat in the disputed South China Sea.

Persons: Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Romeo Brawner, Ted Aljibe Organizations: People’s Liberation Army Air Force, China Coast Guard, Getty Locations: Philippine, South China, Philippines, Scarborough, Manila, China, Beijing, Bajo, Masinloc, AFP, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Hague

☆ Opinion | Juan Gabriel, My Mother and Me
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Maria Garcia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the thick of the pandemic I moved back to El Paso, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border, where I’d been raised, for what I thought would be a temporary stay. I found myself being more discreet around my family in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, where I was born. My favorite songs to sing were those by the iconic Mexican showman Juan Gabriel. Juan Gabriel’s tender femininity was a radical quality in a Mexico entrenched in machismo and homophobia. He managed to embody his Mexican roots while also exuding queerness — two ideas that were for so long at odds in our culture.

Persons: I’d, Juan Gabriel, Juan Gabriel’s Organizations: Ciudad, Ciudad Juárez Locations: El Paso , Texas, Mexico, New York, Boston, El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad, Mexican

☆ A new experimental US Air Force bomb can sink warships, but the question is if it's the right weapon for a war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewA US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber recently used a new anti-ship weapon to sink a decommissioned warship in the Pacific and a cargo ship off the coast of Florida. A US Air Force B-2 Spirt receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker in the sky over northwest Missouri in August 2018. According to the Air Force Research Laboratory, the goal is to replicate the combat potential of a submarine with an aircraft that can cover a much larger area. QUICKSINK is not the only initiative indicative of the Air Force's desire to increase its maritime strike capabilities. The Air Force remains interested in developing more affordable munitions for maritime strikes.

Persons: —, Vincent De Groot, Bryan Clark, Lindsey Heflin, Mark Gunzinger, QUICKSINK, Clark, Gunzinger Organizations: Service, Air Force, American, Business, US Air Force, KC, US Air National Guard, Air Force Research Laboratory, US Navy, Hudson Institute, US, People's, Army, China News Service, Getty, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Ship, Navy Locations: Pacific, Florida, China, Missouri, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, Washington, Beijing, Western Pacific

☆ Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is chosen to lead Bangladesh after protests toppled Hasina
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been chosen to head the country’s interim government after the nation’s longtime prime minister resigned and fled abroad in the face of violent unrest against her rule. During the investigations, Hasina accused Yunus of using force and other means to recover loans from poor rural women as the head of Grameen Bank. He was put on trial in 2013 on charges of receiving money without government permission, including his Nobel Prize and royalties from a book. In 2023, some former Grameen Telecom workers filed a case against Yunus accusing him of siphoning off their job benefits. Earlier this year, a special judge’s court in Bangladesh indicted Yunus and 13 others on charges over the $2 million embezzlement case.

Persons: Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s, Muhammad Yunus, Sheikh Hasina, Yunus, Hasina, Nahid Islam, ”, ” Yunus, Hasina’s, Yunus ’, “ Organizations: Olympics, Grameen Bank “, Grameen Bank, Grameen Telecom, Telenor, Vanderbilt University, Associated Press Locations: DHAKA, Bangladesh, bangladesh, Paris, Chittagong, United States

The crisis could also have implications for neighboring India, which is seen as having long supported Hasina and where she fled Monday. He did not say how long Hasina would be in India or what she planned to do next. Though the protests began over a controversial quota system for highly coveted government jobs, they soon morphed into broader calls for justice for those killed as well as Hasina’s resignation. On Monday, the State Department said the U.S. stands with the people of Bangladesh and urged all parties to refrain from further violence as an interim government is formed. “Too many lives have been lost over the course of the past several weeks, and we urge calm and restraint in the days ahead,” spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington.

Persons: Islam, Yunus, ” Yunus, Bangladesh’s, ”, Chietigj Bajpaee, Bangladesh doesn’t, Hasina, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Matthew Miller Organizations: NBC, Yunus Centre, South, Chatham House, State Department Locations: Dhaka, South Asia, London, Washington, Bangladesh, China, Beijing, India, United States, U.S

☆ Bangladesh’s ‘Gen Z revolution’ toppled PM Sheikh Hasina. Why did they hit the streets and what happens now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Fires burn outside the Prime Minister's House after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, on August 5, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Protesters shout slogans as they celebrate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation in Dhaka. Other student protesters and those arrested on “false cases,” were also released, the president said. K M Asad/AFP/Getty ImagesWhile Hasina’s resignation was celebrated, some Bangladeshis expressed trepidation over the path ahead as the country attempts to fill a leadership vacuum. “Hasina may be gone, but there is still a long road ahead for Bangladesh,” student Faiza Chowdhury, 25, told CNN.

Persons: Sheikh Hasina, Zaman, Muhammad Yunus, Hasina, Minister's, Parvez Ahmad Rony, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s, Sheikh Hasina's, Mujibur Rahman –, ”, Raiyan Aftab, …, Shaheed, Shaheed Minar, Aftab, Abu Sufian, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Khaleda Zia –, –, Wolfgang Rattay, Z, Sabrina Karim, Karim, “, Mohammad Ponir Hossain, Muhammad Nahid Islam, hadn’t, Yunus, K M Asad, Faiza Chowdhury Organizations: CNN, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Yunus, Dhaka University, Awami League, “, BRAC University, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka University Campus, Getty, Reuters, curfews, Cornell University Locations: Dhaka, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Rajib Dhar, Munich, Germany, UN, Paris, ”, AFP, Bangladeshi, New York

☆ Gunmen kill New Zealand helicopter pilot in another attack in Indonesia’s restive Papua region
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Story Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Jayapura, Indonesia — Gunmen stormed a helicopter and killed its New Zealand pilot shortly after it landed in Indonesia’s restive Papua region on Monday, and they released two health workers and two children it was carrying, police said. West Papua Liberation Army spokesperson Sebby Sambom told The Associated Press that he had not received any reports from fighters on the ground about the killing. NZ Pilot Philip Mehrtens flanked by members of the West Papua National Liberation Army. Planning to use the pilot to negotiate, Kogoya has said they won’t release Mehrtens unless Indonesia frees Papua as a sovereign country. Flying is the only practical way of accessing many areas in the mountainous easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.

Persons: Indonesia — Gunmen, Glen Malcolm, Faizal Ramadhani, ”, Sebby Sambom, ” Sambom, “, Philip Mehrtens, Egianus, Philip Mark Mehrtens, Kogoya, Graeme Thomas Wall, Wall Organizations: Indonesia —, Zealand, Indonesian, PT, Angkasa Air Service, West Papua Liberation Army, Free Papua Movement, National Police, Associated Press, New Zealand, NZ, West Papua National Liberation Army, West, Susi, PT Freeport Indonesia Locations: Jayapura, Indonesia, Indonesia’s restive Papua, Alama, Mimika district, Central Papua, Papua, West, Jakarta, Dutch, New Guinea, West Papua, Christchurch, Indonesian, New Zealand, Ngaruawahia

☆ China's naval commandos rode electric skateboards into a combat exercise with drones disguised as birds, then left in a pickup truck
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese state TV showed armed commandos riding electric skateboards in a combat exercise. The naval special forces also deployed drones designed to flap like an eagle and a sparrow. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementChina's special forces showcased electric skateboards, jet surfboards, and other gadgets in a combat demonstration televised on Thursday.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, China Military TV, Nanchang Infantry Academy, Jiaolong Commandos, Business Locations: Jiangxi

☆ Taiwan is making a TV show about a Chinese invasion. And it’s hitting close to home
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Nectar Gan | Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The 17-minute trailer hit close to home in Taiwan, making headlines in local media and garnering more than a million views on YouTube. But Hsin-mei Cheng, the showrunner of “Zero Day,” worried that her fellow Taiwan citizens have grown “too numb” to the danger of an impending conflict. Hsin-mei Cheng, the showrunner of "Zero Day," says she hopes the show can serve as a wakeup call to the people of Taiwan. Cheng also assembled a team of 10 directors, each responsible for an episode in “Zero Day” that tells an independent story. In “Zero Day,” Chinese infiltration and cognitive warfare takes on many forms – from the lure of money and power to the threat of violence.

Persons: ”, China’s, Xi Jinping, Cheng, “, Mei Cheng, Nancy Pelosi’s, Robert Tsao, Lo Ging, Howard Yu, ” Cheng, Lo, Chapman, Hong Kong’s, –, livestreaming, influencers, Beijing’s, Howard Yu Su Tzu, yun, Lee Yen, China – Organizations: Taipei CNN, China’s People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, YouTube, CNN, Presidential, Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, Netflix, Chinese Communist Party, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Kuomintang Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, dramatize, China, Ukraine, Beijing, Kinmen

☆ Ukraine pushed Russia's Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea but retaking the peninsula will be incredibly hard
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewUkraine has dealt a massive blow to Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russia has retained control of Crimea since invading and annexing the peninsula in 2014 and secured Sevastopol as the headquarters for its Black Sea Fleet. Related stories"Without an amphibious naval force to land in Crimea, how can Ukraine project enough troops onto the peninsula to claim its control?" Ukraine has resorted to hitting Russia's air defenses in Crimea with missiles and long-range weapons, including US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS. "Even with F-16s, I don't think Ukraine has the ability to provide its ground forces effective close air support, given Russian air defense capability," he told BI.

Persons: —, steeled, Mark Cancian, who's, Basil Germond, Ulf Mauder, Cancian, Mark Temnycky, Ukraine's, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Temnycky, Benjamin Friedman, VIKTOR KOROTAYEV, Sergej Sumlenny, Sumlenny, Operation Barbarossa, Friedman Organizations: Service, Business, US Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Lancaster University, Getty, Council's Eurasia Center, Ukraine, Army Tactical Missile Systems, The Institute, Defense, Resilience Initiative, Soviet Union's Red Army, Russians, Red Army, Soviet Union —, Soviet Union Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Sevastopol, Russian, Kerch, Feodosia, Novorossiysk, Kherson, Ukrainian, Pereko, Suvorikin, Soviet, Soviet Union, Operation, Soviet Ukraine, Pereko —

☆ Turkey blocks access to Instagram. Reports say it's in response to removal of posts on Hamas chief.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Turkey’s communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the block early Friday but did not provide a reason. Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killling of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Unlike its Western allies, Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organization. Turkey has a track record of censoring social media and websites.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Fahrettin Altun, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdogan, Haniyeh Organizations: Communication Technologies Authority, Meta, Expression Association, YouTube Locations: Sabah, Turkey, Gaza

☆ Turkey blocks Instagram throughout country amid complaints of censorship of Hamas posts
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turkey blocked access to Instagram for its 85 million people, the country's Information and Communication Technologies Authority announced Friday morning. According to Turkish media, there are more than 50 million users of the photo-sharing app in the country. Reports however suggest the ban was a response to the Meta -owned platform removing posts related to the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Iranian officials and Hamas blame Israel for what they say is an assassination, while Israel has declined to comment. Fahrettin Altun, head of Turkey's presidential communications and an aide to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan, on Wednesday criticized Instagram, accusing it of censorship.

Persons: Instagram.com, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Fahrettin Altun, Recep Tayip Erdogan, Instagram, Altun, Meta, Israel —, Erdogan Organizations: Communication Technologies, Turkey's Daily, CNBC, Turkish Locations: Turkey, Turkish, Turkey's, Turkey's Daily Sabah, Tehran, Israel, Gaza

☆ Battle for Lashio: Civilians caught in the crossfire as rebels claim major victory over Myanmar’s junta
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Helen Regan | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Displaced people fleeing fighting in Lashio try to cross the flooded road to Taunggyi in Myanmar's northern Shan state on July 9, 2024. For Lashio to fall, “it basically eliminates the junta as an effective organized force from a huge part of the country,” Ruser said. The road on the way was badly damaged,” he said as he traveled to Taunggyi, the Shan state capital some nine hours south of Lashio. People queue for food at a monastery turned temporary shelter for internally displaced people in Lashio, Shan state on November 15, 2023. There were also reports in local media that the junta had ordered its staff to leave Lashio as fighting got closer.

Persons: Khin, ” Khin Swe, ”, “, Lashio “, Zaw Min Tun, Lashio, Stringer, Nathan Ruser, ” Ruser, Swe, Khin Swe, –, Arakan Army –, “ They’re, Miemie Winn Byrd, Daniel K, Inouye, ” Byrd, “ I’m, Min Aung, I’m, they’re Organizations: CNN, Northeastern Military Command, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Junta, Getty, Analysts, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, “ Artillery, Facebook, Rebels, Three Brotherhood Alliance, People’s Defence Force, National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, US Army, Pacific Center for Security, Brotherhood Alliance Locations: Myanmar, Lashio, Shan, Zaw, Taunggyi, AFP, Zin Ann, Hsipaw, Mandalay, Arakan, Inouye Asia

☆ South Sudan is on the rise at the Olympics, just as Luol Deng envisioned it
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Marcus Thompson Ii | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

And that’s way bigger than wins and losses.”Really cool scene outside the arena after USA vs. South Sudan. Back on July 20, in London, South Sudan came within a couple possessions late of upsetting America in an exhibition. In the 11 days since the near upset of the century, South Sudan was searched an estimated 152,000 times. Then, in the country’s Olympics debut, South Sudan beat Puerto Rico to make national history. “There’s a lot of jokes in the media, a lot of people saying certain things about South Sudan.

Persons: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Kang JJ, ”, Royal Ivey, “, vFXBNtpx36 — Marcus Thompson II, Deng could’ve, Duke, he’d, Deng, ” Deng, Steve Kerr, it’s, ” Grant, Luol Deng, Nathaniel S, Butler, NBAE, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nuni Omot, I’ve, Ivey, Deng didn’t, Deng’s, Manute Bol, He’s, who’ve, ” Omot, Sudan’s JT Thor, Sameer Al, Omot, Kuol, Steph Curry, Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, They’re Organizations: Stade, Wec, Sudan didn’t, USA, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, NBA, Athletic, Invest, Team USA, Getty, America, French National Team, Puerto Rico, Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement, Southern, Bulls, United Nations, Food, Kenyan, Sydney Kings, National Basketball League, UNHCR, Los, Los Angeles Laker, Maccabi Tel Locations: D’ASCQ, France, South Sudan, Sudan, USA, Africa, Kenya, London, Puerto, Southern Sudanese, Wau, Egypt, That’s, Eastern Africa, AFP, Ethiopia, Minnesota, Australia, Khartoum, New Hampshire, Maccabi Tel Aviv

☆ We’re Taught to Hate Hypocrisy. We Shouldn’t. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Lydia Polgreen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Don’t Tell My Friends, But… is a seriesin which we asked Times columnistswhateveryone else is wrong about. At worst, it is hypocrisy, a clear felony compared with my misdemeanor hypocrisy. But I understand the appeal of calling out what looks like hypocrisy when we see it, especially now. To give hypocrisy a pass, one might argue, is to slide down a slope toward having no principles at all. In these merciless political times we should focus our minds on the true betrayals that really matter.

Persons: Mitch McConnell’s, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Israel, “, Ocasio, Cortez, Israel —, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson, Mitch McConnell, Al Capone Organizations: Nova, Israel, AIPAC Locations: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan

☆ The Problem With the Natural Childbirth Movement - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The natural-parenting movement, like the anti-vaccine movement, relies on our forgetfulness about what life was like before the innovations that it denounces. Also like the anti-vaccine movement, the natural-parenting movement is a reaction to very real failures in our medical system, which has more than earned people’s distrust. Natural parenting has since been thoroughly secularized, but it still preaches something akin to spiritual transcendence through female sacrifice. Even if you distrust the natural-parenting movement, its pressures are hard to escape. If the natural-parenting movement really cared about children, it would do some introspection about how often it makes their parents miserable.

Persons: I’d, “, ”, who’ve, thrall, It’s, Carla Cevasco, don’t, —, Amy Tuteur, Dick, Read, Ina May Gaskin, William Sears, God, Emily Oster, Long, Gaskin, who’d, saccharine condescension Organizations: World Health Organization, OB, Harvard Medical, Leche League, Daily Locations: British, Leche

☆ Xi wants the world to know China's military is totally loyal despite the purges
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's military is loyal and will faithfully execute the policies set down by the Communist Party. In June, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping reminded the Central Military Commission — the country's top political-military body — that the military reports to the Communist Party. "Xi stressed that political work is always the lifeline of the country's military. "Xi stresses PLA's political loyalty at crucial meeting held in old revolutionary base," read the Global Times headline. Beyond military corruption, Xi also is concerned about what he sees as decadence in Chinese society — especially among young people — which is undermining Chinese military power.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei, he'd, he's, Stalin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Communist Party, Central Military Commission, Global Times, Business, Party, Times, People's Liberation Army, PLA, RAND Corp, Taiwan, PLA Rocket Force, CMC, Soviet Union, Political, Red Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, US, China —, Germany, Soviet Union, Forbes

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