U.S. President Joe Biden drew enthusiastic applause from tribal leaders attending day one of a two-day White House Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, where Biden announced new policies for improving tribal consultation across federal agencies. “Consultation has to be a two-way, nation-to-nation exchange,” he said. “Federal agencies should strive to reach consensus among the tribes, and there should be adequate time for ample communication.” Tribes …
Study: South Africa Resilient to Chinese Attempts to Influence Media
South Africa’s free press has been largely successful at resisting efforts by the Chinese government to influence its content, say analysts, affirming a recent study by the U.S.-based think tank Freedom House. “In South Africa, we have a deep historical suspicion of state media,” said Anton Harber, professor of journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. South Africa’s wariness of state media, he …
US Central Bank Hints at Less Severe Interest Rate Hikes
The U.S. central bank could scale back the pace of its interest rate hikes “as soon as December,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday, while warning that the fight against inflation was far from over and key questions remain unanswered, including how high rates will ultimately need to rise and for how long. “It makes sense to moderate the pace of our rate …
US Concerned Over American Jailed in Russia and Not Heard From
The United States is deeply concerned about American Paul Whelan, who is in a Russian jail, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday after Whelan’s family said they had not heard from him for a week. U.S. diplomats have been trying to get more information about Whelan’s condition and his whereabouts, Kirby said. “As we speak this morning, regrettably, we do not …
Australia Shocks Denmark 1-0 to Move Into World Cup Last 16
Australia upset Denmark 1-0 on Wednesday to qualify for the World Cup knockout phase for the first time in 16 years thanks to a fine solo goal from Mathew Leckie. Australia contained Denmark at the Al Janoub Stadium before stinging the Scandinavians on a counter-attack in the 60th minute when Leckie burst into space, wrong-footed defender Joakim Maehle and fired low past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. …
Report: Authoritarianism on the Rise as Democracy Weakens
Democracy is being degraded around the world because people are losing faith in the legitimacy of elections and see freedom of expression being stymied, among a range of other problems, according to a global body founded to promote democracy worldwide. The 34 member-country International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, or International IDEA, said in a report that the decline in democratic rule is being …
EU Seeks Special Court for Russian Crimes Against Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Wednesday for a special court to prosecute Russian crimes against Ukraine. Von der Leyen proposed a court backed by the United Nations “to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression.” She also said Russia and Russian oligarchs need to pay for costs to rebuild Ukraine from the damage done by Russian forces since they invaded Ukraine in …
Biden Hails Semiconductor Plant as ‘Game Changer’ for American Manufacturing
President Joe Biden on Tuesday toured a $300 million semiconductor manufacturing facility in Michigan that aims to create 150 jobs and said the U.S. was “not going to be held hostage anymore” by countries like China that dominate the industry. “Instead of relying on chips made overseas in places like China, the supply chain for those chips will be here in America,” Biden said to …
US Pleas for Calm Fail to Resonate Along Turkish-Syrian Border
U.S. efforts to ease tensions between Turkey and Kurdish fighters in northern Syria appear to be having little effect, with both sides refusing to back down despite warnings that a conflict will only benefit the Islamic State terror group. U.S. defense and military officials say they have been in constant contact with Turkey, a NATO ally, and with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a …
Anti-Government Protests Grow in China and Elsewhere While Technology Tries to Keep Up
As protests continue in cities across China over the government’s harsh “zero-COVID” policy, a separate battle is taking place on social media sites within China and around the world; a fight that is testing the strength of China’s online censorship apparatus, known as the Great Firewall. Human Rights Watch China Director Sophie Richardson said Chinese officials appear to be resorting to “low-tech approaches” to tamp …
With Media Under Fire, Organizations Rally to Offer Support
From the evacuation of Ukrainian journalists in occupied cities to legal support for independent reporters from Russia, a community of organizations is working to keep media safe. In Ukraine, the February 24 invasion led to an unprecedented level of requests for assistance from the country’s National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. Before then, the union had “hot spots” with journalists covering conflict in Donbas. But …
Right-wing Oath Keepers Founder Convicted of Sedition in US Capitol Attack Plot
Stewart Rhodes, founder of the right-wing Oath Keepers militia group, was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss — an important victory for the Justice Department. Rhodes, a Yale Law School-educated former Army paratrooper and disbarred attorney, was accused by prosecutors during an …
Azerbaijan Stands Up to Iran, with Turkey’s Support
As anti-government protests continue in Iran, Tehran is escalating tensions with its neighbors, accusing them of interfering in its domestic affairs. One of those neighbors, Azerbaijan, has Turkey’s support and is pushing back. Iran has recently carried out military exercises on Azerbaijan’s border and warned Baku not to incite Iran’s significant Azeri minority. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has carried out numerous drone strikes against Kurdish groups based …
US Bat Species Devastated by Fungus Now Listed as Endangered
The Biden administration declared the northern long-eared bat endangered on Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to save a species driven to the brink of extinction by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease. “White-nose syndrome is decimating cave-dwelling bat species like the northern long-eared bat at unprecedented rates,” said Martha Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency is “deeply committed to working with …
Russia Donates 260,000 Tons of Fertilizer to Africa
Russia has donated 260,000 metric tons of fertilizer it produced that was sitting in European ports and warehouses for use by farmers in Africa, the United Nations said Tuesday. “This will serve to alleviate humanitarian needs and prevent catastrophic crop loss in Africa, where it is currently planting season,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, welcoming the announcement. He said a ship chartered by the …
US-Backed Kurdish Commander: US Needs Stronger Position on Turkish Threat
Turkish forces have launched a barrage of airstrikes on suspected militants in northeastern Syria and Iraq in recent days, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed Kurdish groups for last week’s bombing in Istanbul. Kurdish groups have denied responsibility for that attack and say Turkish military assaults have killed civilians and imperiled the international fight against Islamic State militants operating in the region. “There is …
China Owns 400 Nuclear Warheads, According to Pentagon Report
A Pentagon report warns that China now has more than 400 nuclear warheads, approximately doubling its nuclear arsenal in just two years, while its military has increased “unsafe” and “unprofessional” military behavior toward the United States and its allies in the region, especially Taiwan. The pace of China’s accelerating nuclear expansion may enable Beijing to field a stockpile of about 1,500 warheads by 2035, according …
Referendum Shows Slovenian Support for RTV’s Independence, Journalists Say
Journalists at Slovenia’s public broadcaster RTV have expressed relief at the results of a referendum aimed at protecting them from political interference. The results show “citizens support us and want a professional, independent and quality public (broadcaster),” Helena Milinkovic, head of the coordination of trade unions of journalists of RTV, told VOA. Marko Milosavljevic, journalism chair at the University of Ljubljana’s faculty of social sciences, …
Biden Hosts Congressional Leaders to Discuss His Agenda
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he hopes lawmakers can work together to fund the government, boost spending for Ukraine and avert a crippling rail strike as he hosted congressional leaders at the White House. But Republicans’ pick to be the next speaker of the House served notice that things are “going to be different” once the GOP takes control of the chamber. The meeting came …
Twitter Rolls Back COVID Misinformation Policy
Twitter has rolled back a policy that was aimed at tackling misinformation related to COVID-19 on the social media platform, lending itself to the risk of a potential surge in false claims even as cases rise in China and some parts of the world. The move also comes amid concerns of Twitter’s ability to fight misinformation after it let go about half of its staff, …