Day: April 12, 2023

Seoul Stands Firm on Not Sending Lethal Weapons to Ukraine

Chin@Strategy

washington —  Seoul has reiterated its decision not to send lethal weapons to Kyiv following the leak of Pentagon documents reportedly showing top South Korean officials deliberating whether to sell artillery shells to the U.S. because of worries that the ammunition could end up in Ukraine. “The government’s policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine remains unchanged,” a spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry told VOA’s Korean Service on Wednesday. “The Republic of Korea and U.S. government have been discussing ways to support Ukraine’s protection of freedom. However,…

Macron Says France Backs Status Quo on Taiwan

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President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France’s position toward Taiwan remained unchanged, but he stood by comments he made on the island’s security that dismayed some allies after he returned from a trip to China and insisted that Europe could not be a “vassal” of the United States. “France’s position and the European position on Taiwan is the same,” Mr. Macron said at a news conference in Amsterdam on the second day of a state visit to the Netherlands. “We are for the status quo. This policy is constant…

North Korean ICBM Sparks Emergency Alerts in Japan

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Seoul, South Korea —  North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, U.S. officials said, prompting emergency alerts and evacuation warnings on Japan’s northernmost main island. Residents in Hokkaido were warned to immediately take shelter in their basements, and some public transit systems in the area were temporarily stopped, according to Japanese media. About 20 minutes after the alerts were issued, however, Japanese officials lifted the warning. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada later said the missile fell outside Japanese territory. In a statement, the White House strongly condemned the test,…

A Panda Is Coming Home, and Her Chinese Fans Say It’s About Time

Chin@Strategy

After two decades on loan to the Memphis Zoo, Ya Ya, a female giant panda, is heading home to China. To some animal welfare activists and Chinese people, it’s not a moment too soon. They are alarmed by videos and photos of Ya Ya in which she has mangy fur and looks somewhat thin. Two animal rights groups, In Defense of Animals and Panda Voices, have been campaigning to send her back to China “before her health worsens.” They have also blamed the zoo for the death of Ya Ya’s…

Montana’s Plan to Bank TikTok Is a Preview for the Rest of the Country

Chin@Strategy

Lawmakers in Washington are pushing for an outright ban of TikTok on American soil. Montana might beat them to it. The state’s Legislature is further along than any other body in the United States to passing a ban of the popular Chinese-owned video app, which has faced scrutiny for whether it is handing sensitive data about Americans to Beijing. A Montana bill to block the app was introduced in February, and the State Senate approved it last month. The State House, where the bill has a strong chance of passing…

Brazil’s Lula Arrives in China for State Visit

Chin@Strategy

Shanghai, China —  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived late Wednesday in China for an official visit aimed at boosting the deep ties between the Asian giant and Latin America’s biggest economy. The veteran leftist, who is to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday in Beijing, arrived first in Shanghai with his wife, Rosangela “Janja” da Silva. Before departing Brazil, Lula said he planned to invite President Xi to visit but didn’t specify a date. “We’re going to consolidate our relationship with China,” Lula said Monday evening.…

New US Electric Vehicle Rule Would Speed Supply Chain Changes

Chin@Strategy

A Biden administration proposal would force U.S. automakers to sharply increase their production of electric cars and trucks over the next decade, lending greater urgency to the effort to build raw material supply chains that reduce the industry’s dependence on China. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced a proposed rule that would place stricter limits on the average tailpipe emissions of vehicles built in the United States. The proposal would reduce the allowable limit by so much that automakers would have no way to comply unless about two-thirds of…

Military stymies rescue efforts at scene of Myanmar strike that killed at least 80

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Efforts by workers to rescue the injured and collect the remains of mangled bodies at the scene of a junta air strike that killed at least 80 civilians in Myanmar’s northern Sagaing region have been hampered by troops in the area, sources said Wednesday. Tuesday’s air strike, in which junta aircraft bombed a crowd of hundreds attending an office opening ceremony in Kanbalu township’s Pa Zi Gyi village, is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians since Myanmar’s military seized power in a February 2021 coup d’etat. Witnesses have said…

Brazilian kickboxer granted Cambodian citizenship after promoting national sport

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At Prime Minister Hun Sen’s behest, Cambodia has granted a Brazilian kickboxer and his wife citizenship for promoting Kun Khmer, the national sport, in the latest development in a controversy with Thailand, which calls the sport Muay Thai. Hun Sen also gave a U.S.$20,000 sponsorship to Thiago Teixeira, 34, who with his wife Roma Maria Rozanska-Steffen, an American citizen, became naturalized Cambodian citizens by King Norodom Sihamoni through a royal decree dated April 11, the Phnom Penh Post reported. The announcement came after the World Muay Thai Organization, or WMO,…

Brazilian kickboxer granted Cambodian citizenship after promoting national sport

Chin@Strategy

At Prime Minister Hun Sen’s behest, Cambodia has granted a Brazilian kickboxer and his wife citizenship for promoting Kun Khmer, the national sport, in the latest development in a controversy with Thailand, which calls the sport Muay Thai. Hun Sen also gave a U.S.$20,000 sponsorship to Thiago Teixeira, 34, who with his wife Roma Maria Rozanska-Steffen, an American citizen, became naturalized Cambodian citizens by King Norodom Sihamoni through a royal decree dated April 11, the Phnom Penh Post reported. The announcement came after the World Muay Thai Organization, or WMO,…