World
Chinese move on Taiwan would hit ‘every country on earth’: Blinken
Any try by China to forcefully change the established order with Taiwan would hit “fairly actually each nation on earth,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned in an interview with Euronews during which he additionally made clear his nation doesn’t search a direct confrontation with Beijing.
China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has vowed to reunite the democratic island with the mainland, a purpose that Western international locations interpret as a coded language for a doable full-scale army intervention someday sooner or later.
These fears have drastically elevated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted an evident deterioration in relations between China and the West.
Chatting with Euronews after a gathering on Wednesday of NATO overseas affairs ministers in Brussels, Antony Blinken shared his private nervousness and warned of far-reaching and enormously damaging penalties if China makes a unilateral transfer in opposition to Taiwan.
“I heard this in conversations with lots of our NATO allies in addition to companions in Asia: there may be concern that, had been there to be a disaster because of China’s actions over Taiwan, that may have repercussions for fairly actually each nation on earth,” Blinken stated.
“50% of world business visitors goes by way of the Taiwan Strait day by day. 70% of the semiconductors that we’d like for our smartphones, for our dishwashers, for our vehicles, they’re made in Taiwan,” he went on.
“If there was some sort of disaster because of one thing that China did, that may have terribly disruptive results on the worldwide economic system, which is why international locations all over the world look to everybody to behave and act responsibly.”
‘We’re not making an attempt to include China’
Blinken’s feedback come as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, a high-profile encounter that triggered verbal threats from Beijing.
Regardless of the rising tensions between the 2 superpowers, the Secretary of State insisted Washington wouldn’t alter the long-standing One China coverage that recognises the Individuals’s Republic of China as the only reliable authorities of China.
Taiwan, a complicated economic system and main exporter of high-tech merchandise, is against this recognised as an impartial state by simply 13 small-sized international locations.
“We now have been very clear that we don’t need, we don’t search a battle. We’re not making an attempt to include China. We, quite the opposite, need to protect peace, stability, create alternative,” Blinken stated.
“In the case of Taiwan, our coverage has been constant for many years. Any variations between mainland China and Taiwan must be resolved peacefully. Neither aspect ought to do something to disrupt the established order, nor take any unilateral actions that may do this.”
Blinken famous that each nation has “sophisticated and really consequential” relations with China and defended a technique of “de-risking” quite than decoupling.
This strategy was just lately voiced by European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen in a important speech, which Blinken described as “very sturdy and completely constant” with America’s China coverage.
“Sure, we’re in competitors. Nothing fallacious with competitors so long as it is truthful,” the Secretary of State stated.
“However we need to make it possible for that competitors doesn’t veer into battle.”
‘China is making an attempt to have it each methods’
Throughout his interview with Euronews, Blinken additionally spoke about China’s position within the Ukraine conflict, which Western international locations have criticised as overly ambivalent and imprecise, and expressed his hope Beijing would chorus from supplying deadly help to Moscow, a much-dreaded situation that diplomats and evaluation stated could be a game-changer.
“I believe China’s additionally making an attempt to have it each methods,” Blinken stated.
“It needs to be seen as making an attempt to advance peace and on the identical time, it continues to assist Russia in numerous methods, rhetorically, making its case in worldwide establishments, advancing Russian propaganda in regards to the aggression.”
Blinken painted Russia as “more and more dependent” on China and the “junior accomplice” within the pair, an unbalanced relation that provides Beijing “some leverage” over Moscow.
The Secretary then urged China, a everlasting member of the United Nations Safety Council, to make use of this affect to uphold worldwide legislation and persuade the Kremlin to present again the occupied territories in Ukraine, a situation that in his view is non-negotiable to strike a peace deal.
“A simply peace is one which respects the fundamental rules of the United Nations constitution, together with territorial integrity. It will possibly’t be a peace that endorses Russia’s seizure by power of a lot of Ukraine’s territory,” Blinken stated.
“And it must be sturdy within the sense that we will not simply have one thing that permits Russia to relaxation, to refit its troops after which to reattack when it is extra handy.”
Additionally within the interview, Blinken celebrated Finland’s turning into the thirty first member of NATO and appeared satisfied that Sweden, which utilized for entrance concurrently Helsinki did, would be a part of the alliance by the point NATO convenes a leaders’ summit in July.
Sweden’s bid is presently blocked by Turkey and Hungary, that are but to ratify the appliance.
Requested if Turkey’s hesitancy was associated to Ankara’s pending request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets from America, the Secretary stated each points had been “completely separate.”
“We assist Turkey getting an upgraded F-16 programme,” Blinken stated. “That’s for us, for the Biden administration, impartial of the accession course of to NATO or, for that matter, every other query.”
This text has been up to date to incorporate extra quotes from the interview.
World
Memes, Jokes and Cats: South Koreans Use Parody for Political Protest
As South Koreans took to the streets this month demanding the ousting of their president, some found an unexpected outlet to express their fury: jokes and satire.
They hoisted banners and flags with whimsical messages about cats, sea otters and food. They waved signs joking that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law had forced them to leave the comfort of their beds. Pictures of the flags spread widely on social media.
The idea was to use humor to build solidarity against Mr. Yoon, who has vowed to fight his impeachment over his ill-fated martial law decree on Dec. 3. Some waved flags for nonexistent groups like the so-called Dumpling Association, a parody of real groups like labor unions, churches or student clubs.
“I just wanted to show that we were here as part of the people even if we aren’t actually a part of a civic group,” said Kim Sae-rim, 28, who waved the flag of the dumpling group at a recent protest she went to with friends. Some groups referred to other local favorites like pizza and red bean pastries.
Kwon Oh-hyouck, a veteran protester, said that he had first seen such flags emerge during demonstrations in 2016 and 2017 that ultimately resulted in the removal of President Park Geun-hye. Mr. Kwon said that satire was part of the Korean spirit of protest.
“People satirize serious situations, even when those in power come out with guns and knives,” he said. “They are not intimidated.”
In the past month, protesters have come up with a wide range of unorthodox groupings. Some were self-proclaimed homebodies. Still others came together as people who suffered from motion sickness.
Lee Kihoon, a professor of modern Korean history at Yonsei University in Seoul, said that he believed the flags at this month’s protests were an expression of the diversity of people galvanized by the president’s attempt to impose military rule.
“They’re trying to say: ‘Even for those of us who have nothing to do with political groups, this situation is unacceptable,’” he said. “‘I’m not a member of a party or anything, but this is outrageous.’”
Some held signs ridiculing Mr. Yoon, saying that he had separated them from their pets at home and disrupted their routine of watching Korean dramas. One group called itself a union of people running behind schedule, referring to the idea that the need to protest over martial law had forced them to reschedule their appointments.
And of course, there were animals, both real and fake.
South Koreans have shown that protests for serious causes — like the ousting of a president — can still have an inviting, optimistic and carnival-like atmosphere.
“I don’t know if the protesters realize it, but even though they’re angry, they haven’t gotten solemn, heavy or moralistic,” Mr. Lee said. “The flags have had an effect of softening and relaxing the tension.”
On the day that lawmakers voted to impeach Mr. Yoon, protesters who were K-pop fans brought lightsticks to rallies and danced to pop songs blasting from speakers. “Even though this is a serious day,” said Lee Jung-min, a 31-year-old fan of the band Big Bang, “we might as well enjoy it and keep spirits up.”
World
Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident: US military
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in what appeared to be “friendly fire”, the U.S. military said.
The pilots were found alive after they ejected from their aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries.
The incident demonstrates the pervasive dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis, even as U.S. and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, but U.S. Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.
US NAVY SHIPS REPEL ATTACK FROM HOUTHIS IN GULF OF ADEN
The military said the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. On Dec. 15, Central Command said the Truman had entered the Mideast, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
It is unclear how the Gettysburg had mistaked an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly since ships in a battle group are linked by radar and radio communication.
US MILITARY CONDUCTS SUCCESSFUL AIRSTRIKES ON HOUTHI REBEL FORCES IN YEMEN
Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Fire from the Houthis has previously forced sailors to make decisions in seconds.
The U.S., since the Truman arrived, has ramped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. But an American warship group in the region may lead to additional attacks from the rebels.
On Saturday night and into Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, which the Houthis have held for a decade. Central Command said the strikes targeted a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility.”
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, but did not disclose details on any casualties or damage.
The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October of last year, the Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones.
The rebels say that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which began after Hamas’ surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, although many of the ships the rebels have attacked have little or no connection to the ongoing war, including some headed for Iran.
The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel with drones and missiles, leading to retaliatory airstrikes from Israeli forces.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
AfD party calls for big rally after Germany's Christmas market attack
Leading right-wing figures in Europe have also weighed in, criticising the German authorities for failing to take stronger preventative action.
German far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is calling for a major rally following the attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg which left several people dead and hundreds injured.
At a memorial site for the victims, AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla called on Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to take stronger action to ensure the safety of the German public.
“I am now demanding answers from the interior minister: What is actually going on here in this country? What is actually happening in this country? We put up with it week after week, we put up with attacks, we put up with murders of our own people. This has to be cleared up now, and these phrases from politicians that things can’t go on like this, which I’ve heard again today, are actually upsetting,” Chrupalla told the press at the site.
Experts are now raising concerns that far-right groups could exploit the tragedy to fuel their anti-immigration rhetoric after police identified the assailant as a doctor from Saudi Arabia.
“Magdeburg is in eastern Germany where the support for the AfD is quite high. So, in elections usually, they have in the region more than one-third of the votes. So about 30% of the votes in the city, not as much as in the rural areas around,” says Matthias Quent, Professor of Sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences.
“The region in general, eastern Germany, is a hotspot of far-right mobilisations. And we are facing election campaigns until the federal elections in February. And so this is not just a critical time because of Christmas and the trust that gets destroyed by such an attack but, also, regarding questions of disinformation and polarisation and the spread of hate that will and could happen over these kinds of attacks now,” he added.
Leading right-wing figures in Europe have also weighed in, criticising the German authorities for failing to take stronger preventative action.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán drew a direct link between immigration and Friday’s deadly attack in Germany, telling a news conference on Saturday, “These phenomena have only existed in Europe since the start of the migration crisis. So there is no doubt that there is a link between the changed world in Western Europe, the migration that flows there, especially illegal migration and terrorist acts.”
However, Quent explains that this particular case becomes more complex as further details emerge on the background of the attacker.
Investigators have found that the perpetrator had tried to build connections to far-right organisations in Germany and the UK, including Germany’s far-right AfD party as well as Tommy Robinson, the founder of the far-right English Defence League.
“So it’s a very complicated case we are facing here. And it’s not an Islamist attack. It’s quite sure, a kind of anti-Islam. More like far-right attacks than any other, if you want to search a kind of context on the political radar,” Quent says.
Identified by local media as 50-year-old Taleb A., a psychiatry and psychotherapy specialist, authorities said he had been living in Germany for two decades.
Taleb’s alleged X account is filled with tweets and retweets focusing on anti-Islam themes and criticism of the religion while sharing congratulatory notes to Muslims who left the faith.
He also described himself as a former Muslim.
He was critical of German authorities, saying they had failed to do enough to combat the “Islamism of Europe.”
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