pgnewser

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.nytimes.com

The House select committee on China has asked the Justice Department and F.B.I. to investigate reports that Chinese authorities covered up positive doping tests for nearly half the swim team it sent to the last Olympic Games and that the global antidoping regulator failed to take action.

In a letter sent late Tuesday, the committee asked that the authorities use a law passed in 2020 in the wake of another doping scandal, involving Russia, that gives the Justice Department the power to criminally prosecute those who help athletes dope at international competitions, regardless of whether the offenses occur on American soil.

Go to Article
Excerpt from apanews.net

A lecturer at the University of Bamako has been sent to jail for critising the military government in Mali, APA has learnt on Tuesday.

Étienne Fakaba Sissoko who was sentenced to a two-year jail term which has als been fined CFA 3million after being found guilty of defaming the state and character assassinating its functionaries in a book he authored critising the government.

The book is titled ”Propaganda, Agitation and Harassment, government communication during the transition in Mali” and accused the militry authorities of misleading public opinion on burning issues of the day in Mali to prolong their hold on power.

Sissoko, 41 was detained in March and intends to appeal against the sentence, his lawyers say.

Go to Article
Excerpt from sudantribune.com

May 22, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reported in a statement that the Sudanese army’s air force bombed the Khartoum Petroleum Refinery with barrel bombs late Tuesday night.

According to a statement by RSF spokesman Al-Fatih Qureshi, the military airstrike severely damaged the Al-Gaili Petroleum Refinery.

In a previous statement on May 19, the RSF indicated that the bombings had caused severe damage to the crude oil transmission lines and resulted in the burning and vandalism of several facilities within the refinery.

Activists shared videos depicting flames engulfing the refinery following the bombing.

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.foxnews.com

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday called for “decent nations” to defund the International Criminal Court (ICC) after a court prosecutor filed applications for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders for alleged “war crimes.”

Prosecutor Karim Khan said his office had collected evidence to give “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant “bear criminal responsibility for… war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine.”

Khan said those alleged crimes include “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.”

Go to Article
Excerpt from abcnews.go.com

BERLIN — The German parliament on Friday approved plans to relax strict restrictions on family names — clearing the way, among other things, for couples to take double-barreled surnames and pass them on to their children.

The reform of Germany’s rigid rules is due to take effect at the beginning of May 2025 after passing parliament’s upper house, which represents the country’s 16 state governments.

As it stands, parents are required to give their children one of their surnames. One partner in a married couple — but not both — can add the other partner’s name to his or her surname.

Go to Article
Excerpt from uk.news.yahoo.com

(Reuters) – Protesters and a thousand French police reinforcements were playing a “game of cat and mouse” in New Caledonia, ahead of the arrival of France’s President Emmanuel Macron after the worst riots in 40 years in the French territory, pro-independence groups said on Wednesday.

France’s High Commission said Macron would be accompanied by ministers for defence and interior for Thursday’s talks, and some 100 members of the GIGN or elite tactical response group were deployed in New Caledonia.

More than 1,000 security reinforcements from France were on the ground, some 90 barricades had been cleared from roads, and the night had been calmer despite two fires in Noumea, the high commission said on Wednesday. Some 20 arrests were made yesterday, with 280 rioters arrested in the past week.

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.yahoo.com

Spain withdraws its ambassador to Argentina over comments made by President Milei

Go to Article
Excerpt from amp.scmp.com

Many treacherous hazards confront statecraft, as the United States and Europe well know. China will face challenges in Iraq that are the result of antagonisms that have deepened over the past few centuries. The late US statesman Henry Kissinger wrote in 2014 that in the Middle East “political, sectarian, tribal, territorial, ideological, and traditional national interest disputes merge”.

Today, the war in Gaza promises an impossible outcome. Throughout the Middle East, there have been flare-ups of terrorist activity in societies roiled by deep-seated religious tensions that unstable governments cannot defuse. Gulf countries are rising in power and ambition as they assert their independence.

China isn’t absolved from these difficulties by stressing neutrality and dialogue facilitation while keeping its distance from local groups. As its involvement in Iraq deepens and the dilemmas multiply, President Xi Jinping’s efforts will be compromised and possibly rebuffed. How can China succeed if it doesn’t take sides with local actors?

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.i24news.tv

The Jerusalem Police revealed on Tuesday that they had thwarted a planned series of pipe bomb attacks in East Jerusalem.

A month-long investigation by the Central Unit of the Jerusalem District uncovered a cell of four minors, all residents of East Jerusalem, who were plotting attacks against transport vehicles and security forces in the Silwan area.

The investigation found that the boys meticulously planned their attacks, assigning specific roles among themselves for procuring materials, collecting them, monitoring, and placing the bombs. They had begun researching bomb-making on social media and had purchased some of the necessary materials, even conducting unsuccessful experiments with the explosives.

Go to Article
Excerpt from amp.theguardian.com

Haiti

An advance group of Kenyan officers, part of a larger UN-backed ‘support mission’ to stabilize Haiti, landed in Port-au-Prince

Kenyan special forces police who have spent time battling al-Shabaab fighters in east Africa are expected to arrive in Haiti in the coming days, as the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, warned the Caribbean country was “on the precipice of becoming an all-out failed state”.

A small advance group of Kenyan officers – part of a larger UN-backed “multinational security support mission” designed to stabilize Haiti after months of mayhem – landed in the capital, Port-au-Prince, late on Monday as the city’s airport reopened nearly three months after a gang uprising forced it to close.

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.lbcgroup.tv

In a significant move, 104 out of 120 members of the Israeli Knesset have signed a petition condemning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The petition, titled “A Clear Expression Against Anti-Semitism,” is part of a broader international campaign Israel is leading to pressure the court into reversing its decision.

The petition did not gain support from Arab members of the Knesset or members of the Labor Party.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is actively holding meetings to push for the retraction of the ICC’s decision, bolstered by those protesting the comparison between him and Hamas leaders, as well as between Israel and Hamas.

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.garoweonline.com

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has reportedly upgraded its consulate in Hargeisa, the regional administrative capital of the Somaliland region, to a full-fledged embassy, which could escalate the existing conflict with Somalia.

Ali Mohamed Hassan, alias Ali Marehaan, the minister for information and culture in Somaliland, said Ethiopia had confirmed the new status of relations with Somaliland, adding that this is the ‘process towards recognition of Somaliland’.

Over the weekend, Somaliland leader Muse Bihi Abdi hinted at the development, as the region celebrated its 33rd independence day. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but since then, it has never been recognized internationally.

In an interview with the BBC, Ali Hassan Mohamed said the decision by Ethiopia had been announced by Muse Bihi Abdi, adding that the two parties shall recognize each other as sovereign states. Ethiopia is yet to openly comment on the matter.

“Upgrading of the Ethiopian representative office in Somaliland to a fully-fledged one was officially [a piece] of bonafide information since it was revealed by none other than the President himself in his speech to the nation during the most important date of the government calendar,” he said.

Go to Article
Excerpt from timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan‘s Taliban government confirmed the resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Kabul‘s international airport, nearly three years after the carrier’s services were suspended following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said that the first Turkish Airlines flight landed Tuesday and was greeted by government officials.
Turkish Airlines flights have returned with a schedule of four weekly round-trip flights between Istanbul and Kabul on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
All international airlines halted flights to Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces departed after two decades of war.
In January, Air Arabia restarted flights to Kabul’s international airport. In November 2023, FlyDubai became the first international carrier to resume flights to Afghanistan.

Go to Article
Excerpt from www.washingtontimes.com

Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera.