#Taiwan's military mobilised forces & said it was confident it could protect the island, after #China started 2 days of #punishment drills around Taiwan in what it said was a response to "separatist acts".
The exercises in #TaiwanStrait & around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands…,come 3 days after #Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new #president, a man Beijing detests as a #separatist.
China, which views democratically governed #Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai's inauguration speech on Mon, in which he called on #China to stop its threats & on Tues Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called #Lai "disgraceful".
Lai has repeatedly offered talks w/ China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, & rejects Beijing's #sovereignty claims.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (#PLA) said it had started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force & rocket force, in areas around #Taiwan at 7:45AM.
The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south & east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu & Dongyin, the command said in a statement.
After a sobering trip to #Kyiv, Secy of State Antony J. #Blinken is urging #POTUS#Biden to lift some restrictions on how Ukraine can use American arms.
Since the 1st US shipments of sophisticated weapons to #Ukraine, #POTUS#Biden has never wavered on 1 prohibition: President #Zelensky had to agree to never fire them into Russian territory, insisting that would violate Biden’s mandate to “avoid World War III.”
But consensus around that policy is fraying. Propelled by the State Dept, there is now a vigorous debate inside the admin over relaxing the ban to allow Ukrainians to hit missile & artillery launch sites just over the border in #Russia….
The Spanish, Irish & Norwegian govts announced Wed that they would recognize a #Palestinian state, saying there would be no #peace in the #MiddleEast w/o it.
Israel denounced the move as giving aid to its enemy #Hamas.
The coordinated announcements are purely symbolic — but not w/o some power.
The leaders of the 3 countries said they hoped their recognition would press #Israel, the #Palestinians & the international community toward a #TwoStateSolution to the conflict.
“In the midst of a #war, w/tens of thousands killed & injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis & Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in #peace & #security,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of the Israeli ambassadors to #Spain, #Ireland & #Norway. “I am sending a clear message today: #Israel will not be complacent against those who undermine its sovereignty & endanger its #security.”
The #UnitedStates govt reiterated its position that recognizing a #PalestinianState was premature & must be the result of direct negotiations between Israel & the #Palestinians.
A video circulating across social media shows #Romanian officials physically fighting with each other on Tuesday during a #parliament meeting, as one can be seen trying to bite the other's face.
According to a video shared by Eastern European media, NEXTA, the two men, Florin Roman, deputy of the National Liberal Party, and Dan Vîlceanu, independent deputy, began tussling.
The #UnitedStates should slap sanctions on ICC ofcls who seek an #arrest#warrant for PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a top foreign policy adviser to #Republican presidential #candidate Donald Trump said on Tues after meeting the Israeli leader.
#China has #banned former #USLawmaker Mike Gallagher from entering the country & taken other measures in response to his words & actions that "interfered in China's internal affairs," the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Under the #sanctions, China could freeze any assets Gallagher might at some point have in the country & ban organisations & individuals there from trading & cooperating with him, the ministry said.
Been reading r/worldnews for a decade now and lately it has been really revealing what a propaganda machine it has become. Just got perma banned for pointing out that "legal war targets aren't necessarily ethically correct"
With Artifact gone, reddit basically gone - what other sources do you use for #geopolitics?
@hobs Thank you! Please eliminate the NFL hashtag. I make a point of telling people to not hashtag NFL, and NFL is only used during live-posting. MANY thanks again. @wraptile@rbreich@JosephMenn@MikeDunnAuthor@gtconway3@ClimateNewsNow@DemocracyMattersALot
The lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has announced that he is seeking arrest warrants for Benjamin #Netanyahu and Yahya #Sinwar, along with senior figures of their respective regimes, for the commission of #WarCrimes and #CrimesAgainstHumanity.
Amidst the predictable performative outrage from the US political elite, one fact is barely reported upon: the US is amongst a handful of nations that does not recognise the #ICC, and has on its books a 2002 law (colloquially dubbed 'the Hague Invasion Act') threatening war upon the #Netherlands (!) should any US citizen (or the citizen of any US ally) be brought for trial before the ICC.
Given the fact that the #US routinely fails to follow its own laws, let alone #InternationalLaw, when it comes to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the chances of an actual US invasion of the European lowlands is scant. Nonetheless, the rogue nature of #USexceptionalism is the always the elephant in the room when it comes to all discussions of accountability for the most egregious crimes of #geopolitics.
Of course, it is worth noting that the so-called Hague Invasion Act is itself a crime under international law, as are all the current US and Israeli threats being made against the ICC.
3 fmr #UnitedStates foreign policy ofcls in Trump's admin met w/ Benjamin Netanyahu & other public figures in #Israel on Mon….
The delegation was comprised of Robert O'Brien, who served as Trump's 4th & final #NationalSecurity adviser, as well as fmr Ambassador to the #UAE John Rakolta & fmr Ambassador to #Switzerland Ed McMullen….
In addition to #Netanyahu, the #Trump delegation met Israeli opposition ldr Yair Lapid & several other Israeli ofcls….
[They say] Among the main goals of the trip was to obtain a better understanding of #Israel's domestic #political situation…. Netanyahu's coalition is beset by internal disagreements, w/many Israelis blaming his govt for failing to prevent the #Hamas attack.
…[the meeting] took place amid strains between Israel & the #Biden admin about Israel’s conduct …in #Gaza.
A helicopter carrying President #EbrahimRaisi of #Iran & his foreign minister crashed on Sunday in the country’s mountainous northwest, acc/to state media, deepening the turmoil that has gripped the nation on both the international & domestic fronts in recent months.
#Raisi, 63, was traveling from Iran’s border w/ Azerbaijan to inaugurate a joint dam project.
The helicopter, carrying #Raisi & #Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir #Abdollahian, state media reported, crashed near the city of Varzaghan around 1PM local time, in bad weather & thick fog.
Search & rescue teams scoured an area of tall mountains & dense forest through rain & fog for >10 hrs. At one point the authorities called off the aerial search because of the weather, dispatching on foot soldiers, elite commandos of the Revolutionary Guards & 40 rescue teams….
#Raisi is a hard-line religious cleric who came of age during the #Islamic revolution. Under #Iran’s #theocracy, Raisi, as president, is the 2nd most powerful individual in Iran’s #political structure after… #Khamenei.
After becoming president in 2021, Raisi consolidated power & marginalized reformists who wanted to defuse tensions w/the #West. He repeatedly said he pursued a policy of “strong diplomacy,” forging closer #economic & #security ties w/ #Russia & #China.