Tag: Ukraine

Switzerland to China: ‘Give Us a Hand’ With Ukraine Peace Process

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As Switzerland prepares to host peace talks on Russia’s war on Ukraine, it has formally invited China to join the effort that it is spearheading. Speaking with reporters Wednesday as he wrapped up a two-day visit to China’s capital, Switzerland’s foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, said he was interested in getting Beijing’s help because “China has great relations with Russia.” “I hope that China, that is very open to contribute, can ‘give us a hand’ towards peace,” Cassis said. Last month, Switzerland agreed to hold the peace summit at the request…

Ukraine, Middle East Conflicts Hamper Fight Against Graft

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Global efforts to curb public sector corruption are stalling, even reversing in some regions due to armed conflicts and dysfunctional justice systems, a leading corruption watchdog said on Tuesday. Berlin-based Transparency International’s annual report paints a grim picture, revealing that most countries have made negligible or no progress in tackling corruption. “Both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders undermining justice contribute to increasing impunity for corruption and, in some cases, even encourage it by removing consequences for wrongdoers,” the company said in a statement. Even while it repels the Russian invasion,…

Switzerland to Host Peace Summit on Ukraine

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Switzerland announced Monday it will host a global peace summit on Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Planning for the event will start Tuesday. At a press conference in Bern alongside Swiss President Viola Amherd, Zelenskyy urged China, a Russian ally and global power player, to participate and help resolve the conflict with Russia. “We would very much like China to be involved in our [peace] formula, as well as in the summit,” he said. “But not everything depends on our wishes.” Zelenskyy did not provide an…

From Lebanon to the Red Sea, a Broader Conflict With Iran Looms

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President Biden and his top national security aides believed last summer that the chances of conflict with Iran and its proxies were well contained. After secret talks, they had just concluded a deal that led to the release of five imprisoned Americans in return for $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds and some Iranian prisoners. The militants that Tehran finances and arms — Hamas in the Palestinian territories, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen — seemed relatively quiet. Iran even slowed enrichment of uranium at its underground nuclear…

North Korean-Russian Military Cooperation Could Threaten Global Security

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WASHINGTON —  The renewed military cooperation between North Korea and Russia in 2023 could increase threats to global security in coming years, analysts said. As Russia’s Ukraine war approaches the second anniversary of the February 2022 invasion, Moscow has turned to North Korea for help in replenishing its depleted stockpile of arms. In exchange, Russia has suggested it will help develop weapons that Pyongyang wants, including a spy satellite. North Korea claimed on November 28 that a satellite it launched into orbit the week before had taken photos of critical…

The world in 2024: Guardian writers on what to look out for

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The year 2024 will be a critical one. The future of Gaza and the West Bank may hinge in part on whether Donald Trump returns to the White House – as may the outcome of the war in Ukraine. China will be locked in a race against time as its population ages. And the natural world will reach a new series of tipping points. But there are some reasons for cautious optimism. With so much happening, it can be hard to know where to look. Here Guardian correspondents offer their…

Worlds apart: inside the 22 December Guardian Weekly

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The Guardian Weekly magazine looks forward and back in our final edition of 2023, a year overshadowed by war and conflict. In a special essay, diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reflects on how a perception of US double standards over Ukraine and Gaza has damaged the west in the minds of the global south, and whether an international reckoning of sorts awaits Washington in 2024. “I wanted to illustrate chaos and destruction as testaments of war,” writes Israel G Vargas on his cover artwork for this week’s edition. “Two conflicts shaking…

Hunter Biden Offers to Testify in House Inquiry, but Only in Public

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Hunter Biden, the president’s son, who is the subject of an investigation by House Republicans into his family, told Congress on Tuesday that he was willing to testify — but only publicly so that Republicans cannot twist or selectively leak what he says. In a letter to Congress, Abbe D. Lowell, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, criticized the Republican inquiry as a “partisan crusade,” and said he has watched as Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has used “closed-door sessions to manipulate, even…

What Are the Risks of A.I. Drones and Weapons?

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Swarms of killer drones are likely to soon be a standard feature of battlefields around the world. That has ignited debate over how or whether to regulate their use and spurred concerns about the prospect of eventually turning life-or-death decisions over to artificial intelligence programs. Here is an overview of how the technology has evolved, what types of weapons are being developed and how the debate is unfolding. How new are these weapons? Eventually, artificial intelligence should allow weapons systems to make their own decisions about selecting certain kinds of…