Connect with us

Law & Justice

Biden aide held hours of ‘constructive’ talks with Chinese diplomat.

Published

on

Beijing and Washington announced Sunday that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta for hours this weekend to improve relations.

On Sunday, the White House and Chinese foreign ministry said the Sept. 16-17 sessions were “candid, substantive and constructive” talks.

A senior Biden administration official said there were “limited” early signals that military communications between the two sides may resume.

Chinese officials did not discuss military-to-military communication.

Sullivan’s meeting with Wang was the latest in a series of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials that could lead to a meeting between Biden and Jinping later this year.

Their presence comes amid a series of top-level Chinese government changes, including the disappearance of Defense Minister Li Shangfu and economic wobbles that have alarmed foreign capitals.

One senior Biden administration official told reporters that the Malta talks lasted 12 hours over two days. Sullivan last saw Wang in May in Vienna.

China’s foreign ministry said both parties agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and confer on Asia-Pacific, maritime, and foreign policy.

The U.S. official said the U.S. told China it was ready to work together on counter-narcotics, artificial intelligence, and climate change despite concerns over unspecified Chinese support for Russia and Beijing sending fighter jets across the Taiwan Strait median line.

Wang warned the U.S. that Taiwan is the “first insurmountable red line of Sino-U.S. relations,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. China claims the self-ruled island.

Wang also stated that China’s “strong internal momentum” and “Chinese people’s legitimate right to development cannot be deprived.”

China claimed that the U.S. has suppressed and contained its expansion despite inviting healthy competition based on fair norms that benefit both countries.

The U.S. official said “there have been some small or limited indications” that Beijing is ready to reopen some cross-military communications used to de-escalate conflict after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Aug. 2022 visit to Taiwan enraged China.

The White House said both sides “committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas… in the coming months.”

Biden lamented that Xi skipped a Group of 20 summit in India this month, but he would “get to see him.” Xi and Biden may meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco in November, something U.S. aides have hoped for months.

After the U.S. military shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over the U.S., Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Biden climate envoy John Kerry visited China this year to resolve tensions and maintain communication.

Biden and Xi last met in 2022 in Bali as part of a G20 summit.

Law & Justice

Israel says fighting Hamas across Gaza, ships attacked in the Red Sea.

Published

on

The Israeli military said that its forces were engaging Hamas fighters across the Gaza Strip. This indicated that the Israeli military’s planned ground attack in the refugee-filled south of the enclave had begun. At the same time, Israeli bombardment killed and maimed scores of Palestinian members of the Palestinian population.

Following the conclusion of a seven-day break in the combat between Israeli troops and Hamas terrorists, which had allowed for the exchange of 105 hostages held by Hamas, the majority of whom were Israelis, for 240 Palestinian inmates, the hostilities resumed on Friday.

Despite requests from the United States, Israel’s closest friend, urging Israel to restrict injuries to Palestinian civilians in the new phase of its attack, which is centered on the south, the most recent bloodshed still took place.

In a statement released on Sunday, inhabitants of Gaza expressed their concern that an Israeli ground attack on the southern regions was approaching. Tanks had effectively divided the Gaza Strip into three halves by blocking the route that connected Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah in the middle of Gaza.

Israel’s military issued a statement on Monday morning, explaining that they had issued new instructions to Gazans to evacuate around twenty places or blocks in the Gaza Strip. The announcement included three arrows on the map, all pointing south, suggesting where Palestinians should depart.

Israel claims that it is establishing “safe areas” for Gaza civilians to reduce the risk of harm to them; however, officials from the United Nations and residents of Gaza have stated that it is difficult to comply with these directives in real time due to the unstable electricity and spotty internet connectivity.

Over the weekend, Hamas official Osama Hamdan, who is stationed in Lebanon, stated that “there are no safe areas.”

Residents have said that bombings from war aircraft and artillery were also centered on Khan Younis and Rafah, which is another city located in the southern region of Gaza. Hospitals also had difficulty keeping up with the influx of injured individuals.

Eylon Levy, a spokeswoman for the Israeli government, stated that the Israeli military had carried out more than 400 strikes over the weekend, including primary aerial operations in the Khan Younis region. Additionally, the IDF had killed Hamas terrorists and damaged their infrastructure in Beit Lahiya, which is located in the northern region of their territory.

There was no quick reaction after the reports of particular attacks were made public.

CLASHES THAT ARE WIDE SCOPE
Approximately two kilometers (one mile) from the city of Khan Younis in the south, Hamas reported that its members engaged in combat with Israeli soldiers on Sunday.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military, informed reporters in Tel Aviv that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are continuing to expand their ground operation against Hamas centers throughout the whole Gaza Strip. “The forces are coming face-to-face with terrorists and killing them.”

On Monday, Israel said that the number of military casualties attributable to ground operations in Gaza had increased to 76.

Hamas media said early on Monday morning that emergency services had reported that an Israeli attack had resulted in the deaths of three civil emergency personnel in Gaza City, which is located in the northern part of the coastal territory.

One of the locations that was claimed to have been struck by air strikes on Sunday was the Jabalia refugee camp, which is located in the northern part of Gaza and is administered by Hamas.

According to a representative for the Gazan Ministry of Health, an Israeli air attack resulted in the deaths of many individuals.

The footage that Reuters received showed a little child coated in gray dust and sitting and crying amid crumbling cement and rubble from fallen houses.

He shouted out in a harsh voice, “My father was laid to death as a martyr.” A young woman, dressed in a pink sweatshirt and covered in dust, stood between the heaps of debris.

ATTACKS ON THE SHIPPING
On Sunday, there were attacks on vessels in the southern part of the Red Sea, which increased the worries that the violence might extend.

Three commercial ships were assaulted by the Houthi movement, which is affiliated with Iran and operates in international seas of the Red Sea, according to the United States Department of Defense. Additionally, a United States destroyer that was patrolling in the region shot down three drones as it reacted to distress calls.

An Israeli military spokeswoman stated that the two ships had no relation to Israel, even though a representative for the Houthi group claimed that their navy had assaulted two Israeli ships in the Red Sea on Sunday using an armed drone and a missile.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 15,523 individuals have been murdered in nearly two months of combat that broke out after a Hamas cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7. The raid resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of approximately 240 more. According to Israel, Hamas is still holding 136 people as prisoners.

Israel has made a solemn threat to eradicate Hamas. The Iranian-backed outfit has taken an oath to carry out the destruction of Israel. The first attack by Hamas and the subsequent fighting constitute the deadliest event in the lengthy confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians, which has been going on for decades.

Continue Reading

Law & Justice

Canada’s Trudeau apologizes after Nazi veteran praised in parliament.

Published

on

After the House of Commons speaker lauded a Nazi veteran in the chamber, At the same time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was present, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a formal apology on Wednesday.

Additionally, Trudeau stated that Ottawa has previously apologized to Kyiv and Zelenskiy through diplomatic channels.

After openly praising veteran Yaroslav Hunka in the House last Friday and referring to him as a hero, Anthony Rota resigned as speaker of the House on Tuesday and claimed entire responsibility for what transpired. Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian of Polish descent, participated in one of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen SS divisions during World War Two. Later, he moved to Canada.

According to Russia, the episode supports its claim that the goal of the Ukrainian conflict is to “denazify” the nation. Kyiv and its Western allies reject this claim as unfounded.

President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian delegation deserve our sincere regrets for what happened on Friday, Trudeau said in a statement to the House on Wednesday. “On behalf of all of us in this House, I would like to present unreserved apologies,” he said.

It was a dreadful error and an insult to the memories of those who endured such suffering at the hands of the Nazi government for any of us to have unwittingly recognized this person.

The Canadian Parliament should formally condemn Nazism, according to a statement from the Kremlin earlier in the day.

In previous remarks to reporters, Trudeau said, “It is incredibly problematic to believe that Russia and its supporters are politicizing this egregious blunder to give misleading propaganda about what Ukraine is fighting for.

Hunka resides in the legislative district of Rota. Trudeau asserted that the speaker’s invitations were not subject to review by the Liberal administration.

Given that he had asked Zelenskiy to address the Canadian Parliament, the official opposition Conservatives claim that Trudeau was ultimately to blame for what transpired and have accused him of incompetence.

Continue Reading

Geopolitics & Foreign Policy

India would look into any ‘specific’ info on Sikh separatist killing in Canada-minister.

Published

on

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the foreign minister of India, stated on Tuesday that his country had informed Canada that it was willing to look into any “specific” or “relevant” evidence it provided on the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that Ottawa had reliable evidence connecting Indian operatives to the assassination. This statement sparked an outraged response from New Delhi, which rejected the claim.

Jaishankar provided specifics on India’s diplomatic activities in answer to questions about the claims at a Council on Foreign Relations event in New York.

We informed the Canadians that this was not the policy of the Indian government, he added. “Two,” we said, “we told the Canadians, saying, Look, if you have something specific, if you have something relevant, you know, let us know—we are open to looking at it.”

This week, India halted the issuance of new visas to Canadians and requested that Ottawa scale up its diplomatic representation there, citing a deteriorating security climate.

About separatists like Nijjar, he claimed that India has been “badgering the Canadians” about its allegations that organized criminals are located there. He also stated that India had submitted “a large number of extradition requests.”

“The picture is not complete without the context,” he continued. It would be best to recognize that organized crime has increased significantly in Canada over the past several years. This is due to separatist forces, organized crime, violence, and extremism, all of which are intricately linked.

The accusations have drawn the cautious concern of Canada’s allies, notably the U.S., who have encouraged India to assist Canada with its inquiry.

The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom make up the Five Eyes intelligence partnership, which the U.S. ambassador to Canada said had acquired some information on the case.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending