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☆ Japan and South Korea Are Fighting Over an App at a Tense Time
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( River Akira Davis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A joint venture set up in 2019 by two top Japanese and South Korean companies was hailed as a beacon of cooperation amid strained diplomatic relations. Executives from South Korea’s Naver and Japan’s SoftBank Group said they would jointly own the operator of Line, a South Korean-developed messaging app popularized in Japan. Five years later, Japan and South Korea have made significant strides in easing longstanding historical tensions. Japan and South Korea, both key United States allies in Asia, have a sensitive history. Japan colonized Korea from 1910 until Japan’s surrender in World War II in 1945, and Japan and South Korea have often scuffled over territory and geopolitical differences.

Persons: Japan’s Locations: South Korea’s, Korean, Japan, South Korea, States, Asia, Korea

☆ ‘They saved their whole lives for this’: American woman’s heartbreak as parents die on Hajj
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Pauline Lockwood | Maija-Liisa Ehlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Saida Wurie said it was her parents’ lifelong dream to participate in Hajj, the religious pilgrimage that brings Muslims from around the world to Saudi Arabia each year. Speaking to CNN’s Whitfield on Saturday, Wurie said she had been in close contact with her parents while they were in Saudi Arabia via a family group chat. As of Saturday, diplomats have not committed to meeting them in person in Saudi Arabia, she said. Mecca, the holy city that is central for Hajj pilgrims, saw temperatures soar to a record-setting 125 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. Fadel Senna/AFP/Getty ImagesBut CNN has spoken to other Hajj pilgrims who said the preparations weren’t enough, with one describing seeing fellow worshipers lose consciousness and walking past bodies covered in white cloths.

Persons: Saida Wurie, They’d, “, ”, CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield, Wurie, Isatu Tejan, Alieu Dausy, Prince George’s County, CNN’s Whitfield, Arafat, Mount Arafat, Whitfield, Fadel Senna, Mina . Organizations: CNN, Kaiser Permanente, ”, Saudi Interior Ministry, US Embassy, General’s Office, US State Department, Saudi, Ahram Locations: Hajj, Saudi Arabia, Maryland, Bowie , Maryland, Kaiser, Prince George’s, Mina, Jeddah, Saudi, Mecca, AFP, Egypt, Saudi Arabian

☆ South Korea said it might send weapons to Ukraine after Putin signed a security pact with its biggest enemy
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewSouth Korea said it could send weapons to Ukraine after Russia signed a security pact with Seoul's biggest regional foe, North Korea. Putin became the first Russian leader to visit North Korea in a quarter of a century this week, cementing an alliance with the pariah state. Putin, on a trip to Vietnam Friday, warned South Korea against arming Ukraine in response, saying that it would be a "big mistake." Moscow "will... [make] decisions which are unlikely to please the current leadership of South Korea" if it goes ahead and sends weapons to Ukraine, Putin said, reported BBC News. But he also said that South Korea has "nothing to worry about" from the new pact as long as it doesn't commit acts of aggression toward North Korea.

Persons: —, Chang Ho, Kim Jong Un, Chang, Putin, Russia's, Cho Tae, yul, Antony Blinken Organizations: Service, Seoul's, Korean, North, Business, UN Security Council, UN, South, BBC Locations: Korea, Ukraine, Russia, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russian, East Asia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Moscow

☆ Putin’s Presidential Planes: What We Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Eve Sampson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When President Vladimir V. Putin travels abroad — as he did this week to North Korea and Vietnam to bolster alliances and nurture security ties amid Russia’s war in Ukraine — he typically flies in dated, Soviet-designed Ilyushin Il-96 series jets. With his latest trip coming shortly after aircraft crashes killed two other world leaders, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and Vice President Saulos Chilima of Malawi, a Kremlin spokesman felt it necessary recently to reassure the Russian public that Mr. Putin’s planes were “very reliable.”Though Russian airline carriers have abandoned Ilyushin models in favor of newer Western models — neither of the country’s two major airlines, Aeroflot and Rossiya, currently list any Ilyushin planes in their commercial passenger fleet — Mr. Putin seems steadfast in his commitment. Accompanied by fighter jets, Mr. Putin took an Il-96 on a whirlwind day trip in 2023 for talks with leaders in United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Earlier that same year, another plane in the government’s Il-96 fleet was tracked stopping at airports in Washington and New York to retrieve Russian diplomats who the Kremlin said had been ordered to leave the United States.

Persons: Vladimir V, Putin, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Saulos Chilima, Mr Organizations: Kremlin, Aeroflot, Rossiya, United Locations: North Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine —, Soviet, Iran, Malawi, Russian, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Washington and New York, United States

☆ Potential of a Trump return inspires Biden and G7 rush to guarantee long-term support for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Trump argued, as he had before, that if he were president the war wouldn’t still be going. Opposed to additional Ukraine aid and openly skeptical of NATO, Trump could rip up the bilateral agreement Biden signed Thursday if he returned to office. Yet with uncertainty swirling around any American support in the future, the time to act appeared short. Biden pushes G7 to back reproductive rightsEven on an issue unrelated to Ukraine, Biden sought this week to consolidate G7 support in a way that would be unlikely if Trump were to return to the summit. American allies in Europe are collectively preparing for a second Trump administration with a sense both of trepidation and exhaustion.

Persons: Joe Biden, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, John Bolton, doesn’t, Zelensky, –, Putin, Ursula von der Leyen, Jake Sullivan, Ukraine “, Ukraine —, Giorgia Meloni Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Capitol, NATO, Trump, Biden, Democratic, White Locations: Italy, Ukraine, Washington, Kyiv, Paris, Iran, Russia, Puglia, Italian, Hiroshima, Japan, Europe, Sicily, haggling, Quebec, Biarritz

☆ G7 leaders huddle in Italy, escaping political peril at home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Rarely has the yearly gathering of the world’s leading economies been so overshadowed by the political vulnerabilities of nearly all its members. She emerged as the only European G7 leader bolstered by last week’s European Parliament elections. “I am proud that Italy will present itself to the G7, to Europe with the strongest government of all. The leaders of France and Germany are contending with very different sets of political circumstances. Whether it is Trump at the G7 table next year or Biden is among the great unknowable questions hanging over the gathering.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, don’t, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Biden, –, ”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, “, Josh Lipsky, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Trump, Brothers, ” Meloni, Rishi Sunak, Canada’s Justin Trudeau —, Japan’s Fumio Kishida, who’s Organizations: CNN, Parliamentary, National Assembly, “, Ukraine, GeoEconomics, Atlantic Council, Italian, United, Conservative Political, Conference, Reuters, Trump Locations: Italy, Puglia, France, United Kingdom, United States, Paris, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, it’s, China, India, Brazil, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Germany, Britain, Sicily, haggling, Quebec, Biarritz

CNN —A group of Russian Navy ships, including a nuclear-powered submarine, arrived in Cuba on Wednesday morning in a sign of strengthening ties between the two Cold War allies. The four Russian ships are now docked in berths usually occupied by cruise ships. The US has also deployed air assets, including a P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance plane, to circle overhead the Russian vessels. The rescue and tugboat Nicolay Chiker, part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Cuba, arrives at Havana's harbour, June 12, 2024. According to a Cuban Armed Forces Ministry statement, none of the Russian ships are armed with nuclear weapons.

Persons: Gorshkov –, Gorshkov, Adalberto Roque, Donald Cook, Joe Biden, Nicolay Chiker, ”, weathers Organizations: CNN, Russian Navy, Military, Kazan, Getty Images, Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian MOD, US Navy, Coast Guard, US, Pentagon, State Department, Russian, Cuba’s Foreign, Cuban Armed Forces Ministry, Soviet Union, Cuban Missile Locations: Cuba, Russian, Havana, Spanish, Kazan, Florida, Russia, Ukraine, Havana's, AFP, Caribbean, Canada, Washington, Moscow

☆ Israel-Hamas War: U.N. Security Council Resolution Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

In passing the resolution, the Council delivered a diplomatic victory to Washington, which had vetoed three previous cease-fire resolutions before the Council. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 0:43 - 0:00 transcript United Nations Security Council Backs Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution Fourteen of the 15 members on the U.N. Security Council, with Russia abstaining, voted in favor of adopting a proposal calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. The draft resolution has been adopted as resolution 2735.” “Colleagues, the cease-fire deal would pave the way toward an enduring cessation of hostilities and a better future for all. Russia and China and Algeria, the only Arab member of the Security Council, had said in back-channel negotiations that the text appeared too lopsided in favor of Israel. Ever since the war started eight months ago, the Security Council has been in a deadlock over finding a way to end the conflict and fulfill its mandate to uphold international peace and stability.

Persons: ”, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Thomas, Israel, “, ” “, Biden, There’s, Michael M, Reut Shapir Ben, Naftaly, Ms, Shapir Ben, Vasily Nebenzya, Nebenzya, Nate Evans, Evans, “ Israel, Marko Djurica, Benjamin Netanyahu, Fu Cong Organizations: . Security, United Nations, United Nations Security, Hamas, Credit, U.S, ., Reuters, ” Diplomats, States, Security, Security Council, United Locations: U.S, Gaza, Russia, Washington, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, Russian, Tel Aviv, China, Algeria

☆ Analysis: Hamas gambled on the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Netanyahu played right into it
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Nic Robertson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

He appeared to justify the deaths of Palestinian civilians as a “necessary sacrifice” according to the messages. In recent weeks, Ireland, Spain, Norway and Portugal, all frustrated Netanyahu won’t agree a peace deal, have formally recognized Palestinian statehood. The war Sinwar started has taken Palestinian suffering to the next level – and Netanyahu has played right into it. Sinwar’s power amid the war seems to be becoming part of the perceived wisdom about Gaza and the war. And if past experience is any measure, he will likely gamble that he can play mind games better than Netanyahu.

Persons: CNN — Yahya Sinwar, –, Benjamin Netanyahu, Sinwar, Israel, Netanyahu, hasn’t, they’d, they’ve, Biden, Netanyahu won’t, belligerence, Antony Blinken, “, Sinn Fein Organizations: CNN, Israel, Wall Street, ICC, Hamas, Democratic, Northern Locations: Israel, United States, Europe, Gaza, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Rafah, Doha, Iran, Turkey

☆ U.N. Security Council Passes U.S.-Backed Cease-Fire Resolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and other members of the United Nations Security Council voted on the resolution. The U.N. Security Council on Monday adopted a U.S.-backed cease-fire plan for the Gaza Strip after Russia opted not to block it, adding extra heft to a growing international push for an end to the fighting. In passing the resolution, the Council delivered a diplomatic victory to Washington, which had vetoed three previous cease-fire resolutions before the Council. Russia and China and Algeria, the only Arab member of the Security Council, had said in back-channel negotiations that the text appeared too lopsided in favor of Israel. Ever since the war started eight months ago, the Security Council has been in a deadlock over finding a way to end the conflict and fulfill its mandate to uphold international peace and stability.

Persons: Linda Thomas, Greenfield, ”, Thomas, Israel, “, Reut Shapir Ben, Naftaly, Ms, Shapir Ben, Vasily Nebenzya, Nebenzya, Biden, Nate Evans, Evans, “ Israel, Marko Djurica, Benjamin Netanyahu, Fu Cong Organizations: United Nations Security, . Security, United Nations, U.S, ., Reuters, ” Diplomats, States, Security, Security Council, United Locations: U.S, Gaza, Russia, Washington, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Russian, Israel, Tel Aviv, China, Algeria

☆ Narendra Modi’s India
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Alex Travelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Despite having led India for a decade, Modi has in some ways kept his country guessing about his vision. On major issues — India’s relationships, its economy, its society and its government — it’s still unclear what sort of country Modi wants India to be. India has spent recent years deepening its relationship with the United States. It has gotten closer to American allies, including Japan and Australia, and ordered high-end American weapons systems — the kind that create dependence down the road. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States tried in vain to persuade India to take a stand against the war.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, — it’s Locations: India, United States, Japan, Australia, China, Beijing, U.S, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Slamming China over its stance on Russia and the war, Ukraine might have made a big miscalculation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's very public criticism of China over its relationship with Russia and cool stance toward a forthcoming peace summit could end up backfiring on Kyiv, analysts say. China analysts say Zelenskyy's outburst was a risky move that could antagonize and alienate Beijing — and push it closer to Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping bid farewell at the end of talks in Beijing, China May 16, 2024. China confirmed last week that it would not send a delegation to the Ukraine peace summit set to be held at the Bürgenstock resort above Lake Lucerne, saying the event does not meet its expectations that both Russia and Ukraine take part. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via phone line, in Kyiv on April 26, 2023.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Edgar Su, Astrid Nordin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, it's, Mao Ning, Bonnie Glaser, Glaser, Xi, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Leah Millis Organizations: Beijing, Reuters, Ministry, Chinese International Relations, King's College London, CNBC, Putin, Russian, Via Reuters, Presidential Press Service, Foreign, Asia, German Marshall Fund of, National Security, White Locations: China, Russia, Kyiv, Singapore, Ukraine, Moscow, Switzerland, Reuters China, Beijing, Via, Via Reuters China, Lake Lucerne, United States, Saudi Arabia, California, Hollywood, Moscow . U.S, Washington , U.S

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskyy accuses China of helping Russia to disrupt upcoming peace summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on June 2, 2024. SINGAPORE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday accused China of helping Russia to disrupt an upcoming peace summit by pressuring other countries not to attend. Zelenskyy, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, said that Russia is using Chinese influence in Asia to disrupt the summit. "Unfortunately, regrettably, Russia, using Chinese influence on the region, using Chinese diplomats, does everything to disrupt the peace summit," he said, according to a translation of his remarks, without giving specific examples. Zelenskyy also accused Russia of threatening other nations with blockades of goods such as agricultural exports, chemical products and high energy prices.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir, Putin, Zelenskyy Organizations: SINGAPORE —, CNBC, Chinese Foreign Ministry Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, China, Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Asia, regrettably, Moscow

Singapore CNN —China’s support to Russia will extend the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, as he called on countries across the Asia-Pacific to join an upcoming peace summit he accused Russia of trying to thwart. It comes ahead of the international peace conference on Ukraine slated to be held June 15-16 in Switzerland. “With China’s support to Russia the war will last longer. When asked later about China’s statement it would not attend the peace summit, the Ukrainian leader accused Russia of using Chinese diplomats to disrupt it. “Time is running out” including for Ukrainian children taken by Russia, Zelensky told a packed hall during an address on the closing day of the three-day security meeting.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, China –, ” Zelensky, “, Putin, of National Defense Dong, ” Dong, Lloyd Austin, Dong, Russia ”, Vladimir Putin, ”, Austin, Prabowo Subianto, José Ramos, Pat Ryder, Joe Biden Organizations: Singapore CNN —, of National Defense, CNN, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Criminal, Ministry of Foreign, US Defense, Horta, Ukraine, Pentagon, Twitter Locations: Singapore, Russia, Ukraine, Asia, Pacific, China, Switzerland, Beijing, Kharkiv, The Hague, United States, Timor

☆ A Pacific Island With Ties to Taiwan Was Hacked. Was It Political?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Jacob Judah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This year, Washington finalized a long-delayed plan to give Palau hundreds of millions of dollars in aid over two decades. Hours before diplomats gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Palau to toast the agreement, the island nation was hit by an enormous cyberattack. And there were hundreds of documents detailing the close relationship between Palau and Taiwan. Palau is one of the few countries in the world that recognize Taiwan as an independent democracy. Beijing has enticed other countries, like Nauru, another Pacific nation, to sever ties with Taipei.

Organizations: U.S, Embassy, Navy Locations: Palau, United States, China, Washington, U.S, Taiwan, Beijing, Nauru, Pacific, Taipei

☆ Blinken Hints U.S. May Allow Ukraine Greater Latitude to Strike in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken left open the possibility on Friday that President Biden could allow Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike at a broader array of targets inside Russia, going beyond attacks he has approved on launch sites the Russians are using for their current assault on the Kharkiv area. “Going forward, we’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing, which is: As necessary, adapt and adjust,” Mr. Blinken said at a news conference in Prague at the end of a two-day meeting of top diplomats from member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Mr. Blinken was responding to a reporter’s question on whether the United States might give permission for Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deeper into Russia. American officials then said on Thursday that Mr. Biden had made that decision in recent days and told the Ukrainians, but that the permission to strike in Russia was limited to sites the Russians were using for the assault on Kharkiv. U.S. officials said the ban on Ukraine using weapons for “long range” attacks in Russia had not changed.

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Biden, we’ll, Mr Organizations: Atlantic Treaty Organization Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kharkiv, Prague, United States, Chisinau, Moldova, Kharkiv .

☆ China’s Xi Jinping calls for peace conference and ‘justice’ over war in Gaza as Arab leaders visit Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping decried “tremendous sufferings” in the Middle East and called for an international peace conference as leaders from Arab nations visit Beijing this week amid mounting global concern over Israel’s war in Gaza. Justice should not be absent forever,” Xi said Thursday at the opening of a meeting between top diplomats from China and Arab states, also attended by several leaders from the region. Delegations from 22 Arab states joined that event at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, according to Chinese state media. China has recognized a Palestinian state since 1988. Thursday’s ministerial meeting is the first such gathering since China held its first joint summit with Arab leaders in late 2022 in Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Israel, Xi, ”, Abdel, Fattah, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Kais Saied, China “, Yun Sun, Fatah, Joe Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, Egypt’s Sisi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Arab Emirates, States Cooperation Forum, Diplomats, Stimson, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, of Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Gaza, “, Palestinian, Rafah, United States, Israel, Washington, United, Palestine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Istanbul

☆ Facing Global Outrage, Netanyahu Calls Civilian Deaths in Rafah Strike ‘Tragic Accident’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With international condemnation mounting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said on Monday that the killing of dozens of people a day earlier at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah was “a tragic accident,” but gave no sign of curbing the Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city. The deadly fire that tore through the encampment on Sunday after an airstrike came at a particularly delicate time for Israel, just days after the International Court of Justice appeared to order the country’s military to halt its offensive in Rafah and as diplomats were aiming to restart negotiations for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. The Israel military said that the target of the strike in Rafah on Sunday was a Hamas compound, and that “precise munitions” had been used to target a commander and another senior militant official there. But at least 45 people, including children, were killed by the blast and by the fires it set off, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry said that 249 people were wounded.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Organizations: International Court of, Hamas, Israel Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Hamas

YouTube YouTube TikTok TikTok TikTok TikTok YouTube Visual Investigations How a Haitian Gang Is Trying to Turn Itself Into a Militia Dozens of 5 Segonn members dance in a music video. It’s typically carried by militaries and hasn’t been seen being used before by the 5 Segonn gang. It’s typically carried by militaries and hasn’t been seen being used before by the 5 Segonn gang. A group of 5 Segonn gang members dressed in tactical gear. TikTok TikTok TikTok TikTok YouTube YouTube YouTube TikTok TikTok On social media, Izo often posts videos of himself dancing and drinking.

Persons: hasn’t, Jovenel Moïse, Ariel Henry, Johnson André, TikTok, Izo, They’ve, Gustavo Petro, Moïse’s, Dimitri Hérard, Hérard, Izo’s Organizations: YouTube YouTube, Kenyan, The New York Times, Gang, PORT, PRINCE, Prince Bay Gang, Prince, Global, Transnational, Rights, Human Rights Defence Network, Human Rights, Integrated, YouTube, of, Los Angeles Crips, Toyota, Haitian National Police, Haitian Army, Times, Associated, The Justice Department, State Department, Facebook Locations: Belgian, Haiti, Port, Dominican Republic, Prince Bay HAITI, PRINCE HAITI, U.S, America, Dieu, Izo’s, United States, Colombia, Haitian, South, Central America, Brazil, Latin America, Europe, Izo, Western

☆ US embassy in London refuses to pay $18.6 million in congestion charge fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Louis Mian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The US embassy in London is refusing to pay more than $18.6 million in charges from unpaid congestion fees, according to Transport for London (TfL), which oversees the city’s vast transport network. The congestion charge was introduced in 2003 in order to stem traffic and pollution in central London. However, TfL is insisting that in agreement with the UK government, London’s congestion charge constitutes a service and not tax. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 161 embassies, high commissions and consulates owed more than $182 million combined in unpaid congestion charge fees, according to TfL data. According to TfL’s figures, the Japanese embassy owes the second highest amount from unpaid congestion charge fees, at around $12.8 million.

Persons: ”, Dominic Raab Organizations: CNN, Transport, London, Drivers, TfL, International Court of Justice, Diplomatic Relations, U.S . Government, CNN “, of, Embassy, Foreign Office Locations: London, Vienna, of Japan

☆ Opinion: We Germans are making Trump ‘thunderstorm’ plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Opinion Anna Sauerbrey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

That’s scary.” If Trump is elected, Jörg is convinced, he would withdraw American troops from Europe and stop aid to Ukraine. Jim Bourg/AFP/Getty ImagesSix months ahead of the vote, this soccer field conversation reflects the German view of the US elections quite well. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s an optimistic view, based on the assumption that Trump will act rationally, as a deal-maker, if elected. What if Trump tries to take America out of NATO or creates a “dormant NATO,” a NATO existent only in name? Another Trump presidency would not only put Germany’s security at risk, but also manifest this view of the US for another four years.

Persons: Thomas Ernst Editor’s, Anna Sauerbrey, Read, ’, ”, Jörg, Miguel, Donald Trump, “, “ Trump, Trump, “ I’m, Piero, Joe Biden, Jim Bourg, Europe’s, Russia “, Olaf Scholz, Michael Kappeler, ” Scholz, mums, Annalena Baerbock, Greg Abbott, Biden, Kirill Kudryavtsev, George H, Bush’s, Barack Obama, Obama, Heinz M, Schahina Gambir, Gambir, Roe, Wade, Bob Parent Organizations: Zeit, Berlin CNN —, Köpenicker FC, CNN, Biden, Trump, Getty, NATO, Republican, European Union, European Central Bank, EU, ”, Dallas Mavericks, Mavericks, LA Clippers, NBA, Green, Bundestag Locations: Berlin, America, Taiwan, Europe, Ukraine, Italy, AFP, Gaza, Germany, Russia, United States, Trump, Texas, China, Poland, France, Frankfurt, Kabul, New York City, New York

☆ Haiti’s Gangs Grow Stronger as Kenyan-Led Force Prepares to Deploy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Maria Abi-Habib | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

They have a stranglehold on the country’s infrastructure, from police stations to seaports. They have chased hundreds of thousands of people from the capital. And they are suspected of having ties to the 2021 assassination of Haiti’s president. Western diplomats and officials say the influence and capability of many Haitian gangs are evolving, making them ever more threatening to the Kenyan-led multinational police force soon deploying to Haiti as well as the fragile transitional council trying to set a path for elections. With their arrival just days away, the 2,500 police officers will confront a better equipped, funded, trained and unified gang force than any mission previously deployed to the Caribbean nation, security experts say.

Organizations: Kenyan Locations: Haiti, Caribbean

☆ Vietnam reportedly forfeits billions of dollars in foreign aid amid anti-graft freeze
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnam forfeited at least $2.5 billion in foreign aid over the last three years and may lose another $1 billion because of administrative paralysis, the United Nations, the World Bank and Western donors told the government in a letter seen by Reuters. Vietnam forfeited at least $2.5 billion in foreign aid over the last three years and may lose another $1 billion because of administrative paralysis, the United Nations, the World Bank and Western donors told the government in a letter seen by Reuters. Two senior foreign officials interviewed by Reuters directly linked the administrative hurdles to the "blazing furnace" anti-graft drive, echoing similar comments from other diplomats and officials in recent months. The anti-graft drive has created a sort of paralysis, in which bureaucrats are slow to approve or advance initiatives because they fear accidentally violating complex regulations. The U.N. and the World Bank said they kept working closely with the government on projects, with the U.N. acknowledging in a statement to Reuters that there were "challenges" for the use of funding.

Persons: Pham Minh Chinh Organizations: United Nations, World Bank, Reuters, European Union, Japan, Asian Development Bank Locations: Vietnam, Communist, United States

☆ Gaza Gets Its First Aid Shipment from U.S. Pier: Israel-Hamas Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. But the Arab League’s statement appeared to be the first time the group had officially made such a request in a written document, according to Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesman. U.N. forces, which are typically drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries, do not enter live battle zones and do not engage in fighting. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to having U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers.

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, Vedant Patel, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League, Arab League, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Manama, Bahrain, United States, Washington, Bahrain’s, Rafah

☆ Jake Sullivan met in-person with representatives of countries whose citizens Hamas took hostage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Mj Lee | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan convened for the first time this week an in-person meeting of ambassadors and chiefs of mission representing countries whose citizens were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, CNN has learned, as a ceasefire and hostages release deal remains stalled. Those 17 countries, along with the United States, have citizens whom Hamas took captive at the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The meeting comes at a critical moment when the efforts to secure the release of hostages and Gaza ceasefire appear to have stalled once again. Multiple US diplomats have told CNN in recent weeks that they are consistently hearing those concerns from their counterparts abroad. Still, the White House has also been clear that the US remains a steadfast supporter of Israel, including its right to defend itself.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Israel, “, ” Sullivan, Biden, ”, CNN’s Erin Burnett Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Hamas, Qatar –, United Nations, Israel, White Locations: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah

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