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☆ What is Islamic Jihad? The Hamas ally at war with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants participate in an anti-Israel military parade marking the 36th anniversary of the movement's foundation in Gaza City, October 4, 2023. Israel said Islamic Jihad was responsible, saying a failed rocket launch by the group hit the hospital. Islamic Jihad denied this, saying it did not have any activity in or around Gaza City at that time. * Islamic Jihad has the second-biggest armed network in Gaza after that of the enclave's governing militant group Hamas. * Islamic Jihad is designated a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and European countries.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Israel, Islamic Jihad, Fathi Shiqaqi, Abdel, Aziz Odeh, Yasser Arafat's, Shiqaqi, Edmund Blair Organizations: Islamic, REUTERS, Al Ahli Arab Hospital, Islamic Jihad, Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation, PLO, West Bank, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza City, Palestinian, Gaza, Al Ahli, Yasser Arafat's Palestine, Malta, Palestine, Jihad, Beirut, Damascus, United States

☆ Migrant’s drowning in Mediterranean prompts criticism of Malta's rescue policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Reade Levinson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

Details of the incident, described to Reuters by humanitarian groups MSF, Sea-Watch and Alarm Phone, haven’t previously been reported. By the next morning, June 23, survivors told MSF, they had run out of food and water. [1/5]Handout image obtained by Reuters, October 12, 2023 shows a Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) rescue boat near a rubber boat carrying migrants from the Middle East and Africa, in the Mediterranean Sea, June 24, 2023. At 12:46 p.m., Alarm Phone called the Malta Search and Rescue Coordination Centre to report that one person was in the water. The passengers told the men they were scared and didn’t want to remain on the boat, survivors told MSF.

Persons: Africa –, ’, Ainhoa Campàs Velasco, Sabrina Borg, “, ”, Tommaso Foti, Foti, Oliver Kulikowski, Neil Azzopardi Ferriggi, Skye McKee, Handout, Kulikowski, Byron Camilleri, Camilleri, Jean, Pierre Gauci, Reade Levinson, Janet Roberts Organizations: Reuters, Sea, MSF, Geo, University of Southampton, “, EU, REUTERS Acquire, Passengers, Coordination, Watch, Reuters ., Maltese, Armed Forces of, Armed Forces, -, United Nations, Refugees, Amnesty International, European, of Human Rights, Home Affairs, European Union, British Institute of International, Comparative, La Spezia, Thomson Locations: East, Africa, Malta, Maltese, Italy, Europe, Italian, “ Malta, Sirte, Libya, Syria, South Sudan, Sea, Armed Forces of Malta, Malta's, Laconia, Gabon, ”, London

A European Union flag flutters outside the congress palace ahead of the European Political Community summit in Granada, Spain, October 4, 2023. The council said all three jurisdictions either lacked tax information or failed to deliver on commitments regarding governance and transparency reforms. Barring Russia, it said in a statement, the EU list only includes "small and vulnerable countries like Belize yet fails to include any EU member state" which were given the same Global Forum rating. Oxfam's EU tax expert Chiara Putaturo also slammed the list as "toothless" for not screening the United States, the UK, or EU states such as Luxembourg and Malta, adding "countries deemed too big to be listed can no longer escape scrutiny." The EU Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Jon Nazca, Chiara Putaturo, Sarah Morland, Alvaro Murillo, Jose Sanchez, Bill Berkrot, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, OECD's, Transparency, Information, EU, Marshall, Thomson Locations: Granada, Spain, Seychelles, Caribbean, Belize, Antigua, Barbuda, Russia, Panama, EU, United States, Luxembourg, Malta, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Mexico City, San Jose, Belmopan

The EU is typically one of the most ambitious negotiators at the annual United Nations climate talks, where nearly 200 countries negotiate efforts to fight global warming. A central decision will be whether countries at the COP agree for the first time to phase out fossil fuels. EU countries must agree their negotiating position unanimously, meaning one government can block it. EU countries opposing a full phase-out include poorer nations who fear the impact of weaning their economies off fossil fuels. The brackets around "unabated" indicate EU countries have not yet agreed on the word.

Persons: Rula, EU's, Kate Abnett, Jan Strupczewski, Emelia Organizations: Abu Dhabi Sustainability, REUTERS, Union, EU, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: UAE, Abu Dhabi, BRUSSELS, United, Dubai, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia

☆ Berardi helps Italy thrash Malta, Hungary, Denmark also win on road to Euros
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Tommy Lund | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Italy's win leaves them in second place ahead on goal difference of Ukraine, who won 2-0 against North Macedonia. Both teams have 10 points but Italy have a match in hand on all their group rivals except England, who top the group with 13 points. Hungary remain top of Group G after beating second-placed Serbia 2-1, with all the goals coming in the first half. Hungary have 13 points, three points above Serbia with a game in hand. They are level on 16 points with second-placed Denmark, who won 3-1 at home to Kazakhstan.

Persons: Domenico Berardi, Luciano Spalletti's, Ciro, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Mateo Retegui, Federico Chiesa, Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Zaniolo, Italy's, Giacomo Bonaventura, Bonaventura, Davide Frattesi, Spalletti, Gareth Southgate's, Benjamin Sesko, Erik Janza, Tommy Lund, Anita Kobylinska, Ken Ferris Organizations: Malta, Italy, Stadio San Nicola, North, Sky Sports, RAI Sport, England, Wembley, H, Slovenia, Thomson Locations: Italy, Hungary, Germany Slovenia, Denmark, England, Slovenia, Bari, Malta, Germany, Turin, Ukraine, North Macedonia, ENGLAND, Serbia, Lithuania, Finland, Kazakhstan, Gdansk

☆ Which airlines have suspended Israel flights after Hamas attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are airlines that have temporarily halted flights to and from Israel:AFRICARoyal Air Maroc cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, United Airlines (UAL.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv. EUROPEAll airlines owned by Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), including Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Brussels Airlines, cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Saturday. Norwegian Air (NAS.OL) cancelled flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Tel Aviv and return flights through Sunday. Portugal's TAP suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv without providing a time frame.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Britain's, Vueling, Alessandro Parodi, Joao Manuel Mauricio, Milla Nissi, Bernadette Baum 私 Organizations: Gaza, REUTERS, AFRICA Royal Air Maroc, Delta Air Lines, Sunday, United Airlines, American Airlines, Tel Aviv . United, Air Canada, ASIA Hainan Airlines, Cathay, HK, Korean, Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Saturday, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Norwegian, TAP, Sunday . British Airways, IAG, Air Europa, Italy's ITA, Aegean Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Air Malta, Virgin Atlantic, EAST Etihad Airways, . Gulf Air Locations: Sderot, Israel, Tel Aviv, AFRICA, ASIA, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Incheon, EUROPE, Europe's, France, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Hungarian, Iberia, Spanish, London Heathrow, Abu Dhabi, Gdansk

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors Sunday, with the United States demanding all 15 members strongly condemn “these heinous terrorist attacks committed by Hamas,” but it took no immediate action. U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said afterward that “a good number of countries” did condemn the Hamas attack but not all council members. He said Beijing condemns all attacks on civilians, though he did not mention Hamas. Malta’s U.N. ambassador, Vanessa Frazier, who called for the meeting, said she didn't know if the council would adopt a statement, but added that any condemnation must be mostly against Hamas. Council members were briefed virtually by U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland.

Persons: Robert Wood, Russia’s U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, ”, “, ” Nebenzia, Zhang Jun, ” Zhang, “ What’s, ” Wood, impportant, we’ve, Russia’s Nebenzia, Malta’s U.N, Vanessa Frazier, Tor Wennesland, Nebenzia, Wennesland, Lana Nusseibeh, Wood, Biden, Gilad Erdan, ” Riyad Mansour Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, . Security, Associated Press, Security Council, U.N, United Arab Emirates, Hamas, Israel Locations: United States, Russia, Beijing, Palestinian, Gaza, Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Friday that he could potentially meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. “There has been no such meeting set up, but it is a possibility," Biden told reporters when asked about the prospects of a face-to-face meeting with the Chinese leader. Biden and Xi have not spoken since their meeting last November of the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesThe Biden administration shot down a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the continental U.S. earlier this year. Beijing has stayed on the sidelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Gina Raimondo, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Raimondo, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Economic Cooperation Locations: Asia, San Francisco, Bali , Indonesia, White, U.S, China, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Russia, Moscow, Malta

Italy is even going outside the EU to establish links with the United Kingdom to crack down on unwanted arrivals. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was blunt about how far Europe's leaders still are from reaching a consensus before they met in Granada, Spain. Orbán, who has pushed back against EU policy repeatedly and taken a hard-line approach against migration, said that he won't sign off on any deal at any point in the foreseeable future. He went as far as to compare the situation to being “legally raped” by Hungary's fellow EU members. “The agreement on migration, politically, it’s impossible — not today (or) generally speaking for the next years," Orbán said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, “, Mateusz Morawiecki, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Roberta Metsola, ” Metsolas, Giorgia, Rishi Sunak, ___ Wilson, Raf Casert, Ciarán Giles, Colleen Barry, Vanessa Gera, Danica Kirka Organizations: European Union, EU, International Organization for Migration, Giorgia Meloni, della, The Times Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Brussels, Hungary, Poland, Italy, United Kingdom, Granada, Syria, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Lampedusa, London, Africa, El Hierro, Senegal, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw

☆ Biden plans November meeting with China's Xi -Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The White House is making plans for a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco next month as the two countries seek to stabilize troubled relations, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. Biden and Xi's last meeting was on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia in November 2022, which was their first in person meeting since Biden became president. China's top security agency hinted last month any meeting between Xi and Biden will depend on the United States "showing sufficient sincerity." Xi recently skipped the G20 summit in New Delhi that Biden attended.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Blinken, Han Zheng, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Biden, Xi's, Xi, Raimondo, Yellen, Jasper Ward, Kanishka Singh, Chris Sanders, Chris Reese, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Washington Post, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: Bali , Indonesia, San Francisco, Taiwan, Washington, U.S, China, New York, Malta, Indonesia, United States, Beijing, Asia, New Delhi

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to China next week, traveling to the country amid heightened tensions and after several members of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet visited over the summer. Schumer, along with Republican Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, is visiting government and business leaders in China, South Korea and Japan “with the goal of advancing U.S. economic and national security interests” in the region, his office said Tuesday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China in June, followed by visits of Treasury and Commerce secretaries Janet Yellen and Gina Raimondo as well as climate envoy John Kerry. Political Cartoons View All 1196 ImagesBiden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan also held two days of talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Malta last month. Wang is expected to visit Washington before the end of October on a trip that officials will nail down the date and venue of the expected Biden-Xi summit.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden’s, Schumer, Republican Sen, Mike Crapo of, Schumer —, ”, Biden, Xi Jinping, China’s, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, John Kerry, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Wang, Crapo, Democratic Sens, Maggie Hassan, Jon Ossoff of, Republican Sens, Bill Cassidy of, John Kennedy of, Matthew Lee Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Treasury, Democratic, ___ Associated Press Locations: China, Mike Crapo of Idaho, South Korea, Japan, Ukraine, Taiwan, South China, Asia, San Francisco, Malta, Washington, New Hampshire, Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, John Kennedy of Louisiana

☆ How GlobalFoundries aims to remain world’s third-biggest semiconductor foundry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Based in upstate New York, GlobalFoundries isn't a household name because it's manufacturing semiconductors that are designed and sold by other companies. "Look at every electronic device in your house, and I would bet you money that every one of those devices has at least one GlobalFoundries chip in it," Thomas Caulfield, GlobalFoundries CEO, told CNBC. GlobalFoundries chips are inside everything from smartphones and cars to smart speakers and Bluetooth-enabled dishwashers. Although GlobalFoundries' chips are considered legacy nodes, the process and resources needed are still incredibly complex. GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 in Malta, New York, where Equipment Engineering Manager Chris Belfi led CNBC's Katie Tarasov on a tour on September 5, 2023.

Persons: GlobalFoundries, it's, Thomas Caulfield, They're, GlobalFoundries isn't, Caulfield, Abu, Moorhead, Jerry Sanders, Katie Tarasov, Carlos Waters, Daniel Newman, couldn't, TSMC, China's, STMicroelectronics, Hui Peng Koh, that's, Chris Belfi Organizations: HK GM LMT, GlobalFoundries, CNBC, Bluetooth, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Devices, AMD, Chartered Semiconductor, Nasdaq, Futurum, U.S, Semiconductor Manufacturing International, Samsung, fabs, United Microelectronics, we've, Upstate Locations: New York, China, U.S, Singapore, Germany, France, Malta , New York, Dresden, Malta, Vermont, South Korea, Taiwan, TSMC, Crolles, Chengdu, Upstate New York, Europe, Koh, Arizona, Asia

☆ Germany hits back at Elon Musk after he wades in on migrant debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Germany has hit back at Elon Musk after the billionaire businessman waded into the country’s debate on migration. Musk reshared a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter, that criticized German NGO operations in the Mediterranean for “unloading illegal immigrants” in Italy. The post also called for a victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the next elections. “There are currently 8 German NGO ships in the Mediterranean Sea collecting illegal immigrants to be unloaded in Italy. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty ImagesMusk’s comments come with Berlin locked in a spat with Italy over NGO sea operations.

Persons: Elon Musk, waded, Musk, “, ” Musk, Odd Andersen, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Olaf Scholz, ”, ” Meloni Organizations: CNN, Elon, Radio Genoa ”, Foreign, Immigration Authority, Getty, Italian, ”, European Union Locations: Germany, Italy, Eisenhuttenstadt, Berlin, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Valletta

☆ Senior US, China diplomats meet in Washington in latest effort to maintain dialogue
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kanishka Singh | Thomson Reuters | Kanishka Singh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Reuters In Washington Dc | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister for Asia Sun Weidong, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday. More recently, Blinken met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in New York and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta. KEY QUOTES"The two sides held a candid, in-depth, and constructive consultation on regional issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication," the State Department said. High-level talks between the two sides could help set the stage for a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Sonali Paul and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Blinken, Han Zheng, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Kritenbrink, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kanishka Singh, Eric Beech, Sonali Paul, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, State, East Asian, Pacific Affairs, Foreign, Asia Sun Weidong, State Department, Thomson Locations: Washington, China, New York, U.S, Malta, Taiwan Strait, Myanmar, North Korea, Taiwan

☆ Chipmaker GlobalFoundries seeks funding under CHIPS Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A signage at U.S. chipmaker GlobalFoundries' new fabrication plant in Singapore, September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 25 (Reuters) - Contract chipmaker GlobalFoundries (GFS.O) said on Monday it has submitted applications for funding under the U.S. CHIPS act to expand capacity and modernize its local manufacturing facilities. The CHIPS and Science Act provides a total of $52.7 billion in subsidies for U.S. semiconductor production, research and workforce development. It also includes a 25% investment tax credit for building chip plants estimated to be worth $24 billion. Malta, New York-based GlobalFoundries makes wireless connectivity chips used in mobile phones, WiFi routers and radio towers.

Persons: chipmaker, Edgar Su, Steven Grasso, Lockheed Martin, Jaspreet Singh, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Commerce Department, Lockheed, Thomson Locations: Singapore, U.S, Malta , New York, Bengaluru

☆ Why you should be traveling to Europe in fall, not summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And now it’s fall, when the continent really comes into its own as the leaves – and visitor numbers – start to drop. A recent report from luxury travel network Virtuoso named Paris, London and Florence as the most booked cities for fall travel. “Fall is one of the best times to visit Europe because of the vast variety of interests [the season] can cater to,” says Mina Agnos, president of luxury travel company Travelive. If you’re ready for a different take on Europe this fall, we’ve got ideas. Fall also means it’s harvest time in Rebland – an area southwest of Baden-Baden famous for its Riesling.

Persons: ”, Mina Agnos, foodies, Brian Young, we’ve, Sérgio Duarte, Octant, Val, Culinarium Urtijei, Christopher Hill, Holger Leue, it’s, Jack Ezon, Samantha Pearson, Notte Bianca, Valery Bareta, Belle, Caracalla Organizations: CNN, EMEA, G, Gran Canaria, UNESCO, ADLER, Mallorca Locations: Europe, Paris, London, Florence, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Sicily, Slovenia, Gibraltar, Tenerife, Ibiza, Mallorca, Gran, Alentejo, Douro, Val Gardena, Dolomites, Italy, Northern Italy, South, Ortisei, Romania, Brasov, Baia Mare, Saxon, Moșna, Mallorcan, Pollença, Palma . Thessaloniki, Thermaic, Santorini, Greece’s, Balkans, Mount Olympus, Thessaloniki, Malta Malta, Malta, Gozo, Comino, Valletta, Madeira, Morocco, Terrabona, Funchal, Savoy, Baden, Germany Baden, Black, Friedrichsbad

☆ Fall equinox: Why the first day of fall isn’t as equal as you might think
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

If you reside in the Northern Hemisphere, you know it as the fall equinox (or autumnal equinox). Technically, your location on the globe also determines the local time and even the date you experience the fall equinox. Here are the answers to some fall equinox questions:Where does the word ‘equinox’ come from? From the CNN Fast Facts file: The term equinox comes from the Latin word equinoxium, meaning “equality between day and night.”Precisely when will the fall equinox happen? Ryan K. W. Lai/ShutterstockAll around the world, the fall equinox has weaved its way into our cultures and celebrations.

Persons: There’s, King Mindaugas, Bridge, Mindaugas Kulbis, Louis, what’s, ” Allison Chinchar, ”, ” Chinchar, Chinchar, It’s, Primrose, Aaron Chown, Hagar Qim, Chichén, El Castillo, Jantar, Ryan K, Arif Hudaverdi Yaman Organizations: CNN, Northern, Mexico City, Seattle, NASA, Northern Hemisphere, Autumnal, Coto Japanese Academy, Anadolu Agency, • Locations: Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, King, Vilnius, Lithuania, Montreal, Richmond , Virginia, St, Mexico, Amsterdam, Split, Croatia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, Pole, London, United Kingdom, Malta, Yucatán, El, New Delhi, India, Victoria, Great Britain, Japan, Shintoism, Quito, Ecuador, Cairo, Egypt, Helsinki, Finland

☆ Putin accepts invitation to visit China in October after meeting Chinese foreign minister in Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he accepted an invitation from his Chinese counterpart to visit China in October during the Belt and Road Summit. Speaking after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow, Putin said Russia and China are "integrating our ideas of creating a large Eurasian space," noting that China's Belt and Road Initiative is a part of that. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin has pivoted the country toward China, selling it more energy, and increasingly carrying out joint military exercises. The Kremlin has continuously expressed support for Beijing as Russia and China have grown closer as their relations with the West deteriorate. Putin's plan to visit China was initially announced in July.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wang Yi, Putin, Nikolai Patrushev, Wang, Joe Biden's Organizations: Wednesday, Foreign, Initiative, Moscow, NATO, U.S Locations: China, Moscow, Russia, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, Malta

☆ Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. A senior Kremlin official on Tuesday called for closer policy coordination between Moscow and Beijing to counter what he described as Western efforts to contain them as he hosted China's top diplomat for security talks. The Kremlin has continuously expressed support for Beijing as Russia and China have grown increasingly close while their relations with the West deteriorate. Last month, China helped engineer an expansion of the BRICS partnership, which invited six more countries to join what has been a five-nation bloc that includes China, Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa. China has denounced Western sanctions against Moscow, and accused NATO and the United States of provoking Putin's military action.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Nikolai Patrushev, Wang Yi, Patrushev, Putin, Wang, Joe Biden's, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov Organizations: Kremlin, Security, Moscow, NATO, U.S, Russian Locations: Moscow, Beijing, Russian, Russia, China, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, Brazil, India, South Africa, Ukraine, United States, Malta

☆ Analysis: EU, Italy talk tough on migration but action won't be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy. Well over 10,000 migrants reached the Italian island - whose permanent population is about 6,000 - last week. Lampedusa sits in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island of Sicily and is a first port of call for many migrants seeking to reach the EU. In 2020, it was discontinued as other EU nations balked at Italian requests to have them redistributed around the bloc. Other EU states have not commented publicly on the idea of a naval blockade, which Italy says would also need the consent of North African states.

Persons: Yara, Sophia, Giorgia Meloni, Lampedusa, Meloni, Ursula von der Leyen, Ferruccio Pastore, Pastore, von der Leyen, Maurizio Ambrosini, Jan Strupczewski, Gavin Jones, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, EU, European Union, European, International, European Forum, Research, Immigration, Human, Reuters, Dublin, University of Milan, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, North Africa, ROME, Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, Europe, Albania, Italian, Rome, Tirana, France, Austria, Dublin, EU, Germany, Brussels, repatriations

☆ Top China, U.S. officials hold Malta talks ahead of possible Xi-Biden meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's foreign minister Wang Yi and U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan met in Malta over the weekend. The bilateral talks come ahead of a possible meeting between China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in November. Their Malta meeting convened after several high level officials visited Beijing in recent months and just before Wang's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later this week. In readouts issued by the White House and China's Foreign Ministry, the two-day talks in Malta were characterized as "candid, substantive and constructive." Wang had re-assumed his former job as foreign minister after Xi removed his successor Qin from the position.

Persons: Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wang, Sullivan, Sergei Lavrov, Han Zheng, Xi, readouts, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Malta . Wang, Qin Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Russian, China's, Ministry, United Nations General Assembly, White, China's Foreign Ministry Locations: USA, China, U.S, Malta, Asia, Vienna, Beijing, New York, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Malta .

Other unions are digging in as well. The Writers Guild of America is in the fourth month of its strike against major Hollywood studios, while the actors’ union, known as SAG-AFTRA, is in its second. A Gallup poll published in August found that 67 percent of Americans approve of unions, the fifth straight year such support has exceeded the long-term polling average of 62 percent. Time is running out for Congress to reach a compromise to keep the government running past Oct. 1. The confab is part of an effort to lay groundwork for a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.

Persons: Drew Barrymore, Biden, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Xi Jinping Organizations: Guild of America, Hollywood, SAG, Labor Department, Gallup, Republican, Biden, U.S Locations: U.S, California, Malta, Ukraine, Taiwan, San Francisco

☆ China's Wang Yi visits Russia ahead of possible Xi-Putin meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, July 26, 2023. Wang, who heads the foreign ministry as well as the ruling Communist Party's foreign affairs office, will meet Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev for annual security talks, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. The veteran diplomat's talks with counterpart Sergei Lavrov will cover a "wide range of issues" including "contacts at higher and the highest levels," the Russian foreign ministry said last week. Ahead of this week's visit, Wang travelled to Malta for hours of "constructive" talks with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Hakan Fidan, Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Wang, Nikolai Patrushev, diplomat's, Sergei Lavrov, Xi Jinping, Putin, Xi, Hague, Maria Zakharova, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Ryan Woo, Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Turkish, Rights, Security, China's, Criminal Court, ICC, White House, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Rights BEIJING, Russia, Beijing, Communist, Moscow, Ukraine, China, Rome, United States, Malta, U.S

HONG KONG, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The disappearance of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu highlights the opaque and complex nature of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), diplomats and analysts say. In the Chinese system, the Minister of National Defence is seen as significantly less powerful than the U.S. defence secretary and many international equivalents. HOW DOES THE CHINESE MILITARY SYSTEM OPERATE? When the forum was last held in-person in 2019, more than 530 defence and military officials and scholars attended, including defence ministers from 23 countries. The Chinese defence minister would typically give the keynote speech at the forum and meet with delegations.

Persons: Li Shangfu, Li, Xi Jinping, technocrat, Xi, Lloyd Austin, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Zhang Youxia, Greg Torode, Tian, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defence, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Reuters, of National Defence, Central Military Commission, Communist Party, Strategic, Force, . Defence, White House, Foreign, Austin, CMC, Diplomats, China, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, U.S, ., Singapore, Malta, China

The meeting between Blinken and Han was the latest in a series of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials that could lay the groundwork for a meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. "The world expects us to responsibly manage our relationship," Blinken said in brief remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Han. Neither Blinken nor Han in their remarks explicitly mentioned whether such a meeting will materialize. "Currently, China-U.S. relations face many difficulties and challenges," Han told Blinken, noting that China hoped the U.S. would make efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and promote the stable development of relations. "The world needs stable and healthy China-U.S. relations,” Han said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Han Zheng, Julia Nikhinson, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Han, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Blinken, Gina Raimondo, Janet Yellen, John Kerry, Biden, Xi, ” Han, Humeyra Pamuk, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, United Nations General Assembly, White House, Foreign, U.S, U.S . Commerce, Biden, Economic Cooperation, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Malta, Blinken, United States, China, India, Asia, San Francisco

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