People's Republic of China: 'Does U.S. Have the Moral Authority or Legitimacy to Host Summit for Democracy?'

Ahead of President Biden’s “summit for democracy,” some of the decisions regarding the list of participating nations are raising questions, while China and Russia are condemning the very notion of the U.S. hosting such an event.  Read

Iran Claims All Parties at Nuclear Talks Support Ending ‘Illegal’ US Sanctions

As Iran nuclear deal talks got underway in Vienna on Monday after a five-month hiatus, Iran’s chief negotiator claimed that all of the participating countries in a first meeting backed Tehran’s demands that a lifting of “illegal” U.S. sanctions should be top priority.  Read

COVID Variant Xi? World Health Organization Skips to Omicron

From the moment the World Health Organization last May announced its decision to name new variants of the virus causing COVID-19 after letters of the Greek alphabet, it was only a matter of time until the sequence reached the letter spelled “Xi.” But when it did, the U.N. agency balked.  Read

‘Not Informed by Science’: South Africa Appeals for Reversal of ‘Omicron’ Travel Bans

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa led calls on Sunday for the U.S. and other governments to lift hastily-announced travel bans on a handful of southern African countries, linked to the emergence of the new coronavirus variant, “omicron.”  Read

NBA Critic of Chinese, Turkish Rights Abuses to Become US Citizen, Change Name to ‘Freedom’

 Enes Kanter, the Boston Celtics basketball player who has angered the Turkish and Chinese governments with provocative criticism of their human rights records, is to become a United States citizen on Monday and will legally change his surname to Freedom.  Read

Chinese Security Official’s Likely Election to INTERPOL Governance Body Triggers Alarm Bells

The prospect of a Chinese security official obtaining a senior position in INTERPOL has cast a shadow over the first gathering of the international policing agency’s general assembly in two years.  Read

‘No One Shall Monopolize the Right to Define Democracy,’ China Says Ahead of WH Summit

Ahead of President Biden’s planned democracy summit next month, China and Russia are stepping up their verbal attacks, charging that the West does not have a monopoly on democracy.  Read

State Dep’t Announces More Nord Stream 2 Sanctions, But Again, Not Against Key Players

The Biden administration on Monday announced sanctions against a Russian-linked shipping company and vessel involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, declaring that it “continues to oppose” the soon-to-be-operational project – despite the fact it’s waiving sanctions against the main actors behind it.  Read

China’s State Media Shrugs Off Olympics Boycott Reports: ‘Why Should China Care…?’

The Chinese government responded to reports that the U.S. and four English-speaking allies may not send official delegations to the 2022 Winter Olympics over human rights concerns in the usual manner – reiterating its opposition to the “politicization of sports.”  Read

5 Dead After SUV Plows Into Wisconsin Christmas Parade

Waukesha, Wisc. police chief Daniel Thompson confirmed on Sunday night that there were “some fatalities” after an SUV plowed into people enjoying the town’s Christmas parade.  Read

‘Trivial,’ ‘Mouse,’ ‘Flea,’ ‘Clown’: China Unleashes on Lithuania Over Taiwan

Chinese state media unleashed vitriol on Lithuania on Sunday, characterizing the small eastern European country as an insignificant insect to be squashed for daring to challenge Beijing’s rigid stance on Taiwan.  Read

Putin: ‘Peculiar’ Western Countries Aren’t Taking Our Security ‘Red Lines’ Seriously

 Rebuking Western nations for holding military exercises in the Black Sea and supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday these countries –“to put it mildly” – are not taking Moscow’s warnings about crossing its “red lines” seriously.  Read

As Taliban Again Demands UN Seat, Afghanistan’s Current Ambassador Appeals Against Recognition

As a U.N. committee prepares to meet to consider the Taliban’s demand to be given the Afghanistan seat at the world body, the current holder of the seat appealed again to the U.N. not to recognize the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” or any government that is imposed by force. Read

Russia In, Nigeria Out in Biden Administration’s First Religious Persecution Designations

The Biden State Department on Wednesday announced its first designations of religious freedom violators, adding Russia to the blacklist for the first time but – in a decision advocates found puzzling – delisting Nigeria.  Read

Baffling Biden Comment Sheds No Light on Possible Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics

Amid growing indications that the administration is leaning towards a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over Chinese human rights abuses, President Biden himself threw no light on the matter when asked this week if a government delegation would be sent to the games.  Read

October Border Encounters With Illegal Russian Immigrants Up 22,428% from Oct. 2020

The number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection “encounters” with illegal Russian migrants on the southwest border in the first month of the new fiscal year rose more than 225-fold from the same month last year.  Read

‘It’s Independent,’ Biden Says of Taiwan – Then Walks Back the Explosive Remark

Hours after Chinese state media quoted President Xi Jinping as having warned President Biden during their virtual meeting that supporting Taiwanese independence was “like playing with fire,” Biden used the words “it’s independent” in connection with the island democracy.  Read

US Space Command: Russian Satellite Shootdown Will Threaten Space Activities ‘For Years to Come’

Just five days after the International Space Station was forced to maneuver to dodge orbiting debris originating from Beijing’s controversial 2007 shootdown of a Chinese weather satellite, Russia on Monday destroyed a satellite of its own, adding more than 1,500 pieces of “trackable” debris into space.  Read

In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan, Infant Girls Offered for Future Marriage Amid Economic Crisis

The last time the Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan, rates of child marriages were among the world’s highest, and amid a deepening economic crisis, the United Nations’ children’s agency is concerned that the numbers are likely to rise once again.  Read

China’s Xi Greets ‘Old Friend’ Biden, Urges ‘Peace’ and ‘Win-Win Cooperation’

 “I’m very happy to see my old friend,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Biden on Monday evening as the two began what Biden said would be a “candid and forthright discussion.”  Read

COP26 Head: China and India Will Have to Justify Watering-Down Coal Commitment in Climate Pact

China and India will have to justify to developing countries why they insisted on a vital word change in the agreement endorsed at the close of the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, the event’s president said on Sunday.  Read

Beijing Puts Focus on Taiwan Ahead of Xi-Biden Talks

Ahead of Monday evening’s closely watched virtual meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing is making clear that the dispute over Taiwan is its top concern, and that it will allow no middle ground on the issue.  Read

Biden Urged to Address China’s ‘Malign Behavior’ in His Talks With Xi

 As President Biden prepares for his virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, rights activists and Republican lawmakers are urging the U.S. president to speak out against abuses by the Chinese Communist Party, pointing in particular to its suppression of minority Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong.  Read

Belarus President Threatens Flow of Gas to Europe; Russia Sends Bombers in Show of Support

 Belarus’ standoff with the European Union deepened on Thursday as President Alexander Lukashenko warned he could cut the westward flow of natural gas and as Russia flew nuclear-capable bombers through Belarus airspace for a second day in a show of support for its embattled ally.  Read

When Will Biden Make a Decision on Beijing Olympics? Blinken: Sometime Before They Start

Biden administration officials have spoken periodically for ten months about consultations with “partners and allies” over the Beijing Olympic games, but Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week had no update to offer.  Read

‘Great, Glorious, and Correct’: Chinese Communist Party Passes Resolution Exalting Itself and 'Comrade Xi Jinping'

The central committee of the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday endorsed a resolution highlighting the greatness of the party – and further elevating President Xi Jinping’s status as an epochal figure in the history of the People’s Republic of China. Read

EU, US May Target Airlines Bringing Migrants Into Belarus to ‘Destabilize’ Neighboring Countries

The E.U. and U.S. may impose sanctions on airlines that are flying migrants into Belarus as part of what European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called the Lukashenko’s regime’s “cynical geopolitical powerplay.”  Read

Is Putin Using Energy Supplies As a Weapon Again? Blinken and Ukrainian FM Appear to Disagree

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Ukrainian counterpart appeared to disagree Wednesday over whether Russia is once again using its energy supplies to Europe “as a weapon” – a key factor in the Biden administration’s approach towards the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline.  Read

US to China: Free Ailing Woman Jailed for Reporting Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak

Zhang Zhan, the first person known to have been tried and convicted for unauthorized coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, is reported to be close to death in a Shanghai prison, and the State Department is calling again for her immediate release.  Read

US Won’t Support Efforts to ‘Normalize’ or ‘Rehabilitate’ Assad, ‘a Brutal Dictator’

A decade after the Arab League suspended the Assad regime over atrocities in the civil war, the UAE’s foreign minister has become the latest senior Arab official to meet with the Syrian dictator in Damascus. His Egyptian counterpart, meanwhile, did not rule out a Syrian return to the bloc of Arab nations, on certain conditions. Read

Sullivan: Biden Administration is Not Seeking ‘Fundamental Transformation of the Chinese System’

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s assertion that the Biden administration, in a shift from “previous approaches,” is not trying to transform “the Chinese system” brought a cautious welcome on Monday from a Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.  Read

State Dept. Sidesteps ‘Hypothetical’ About Alleged Iranian Involvement in Iraq Drone Attack

The Biden administration strongly condemned Sunday’s drone attack targeting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, but amid claims that Iranian proxy militias were responsible, State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to “engage in a hypothetical about who may or may not be responsible.”  Read

Biden Slams Autocratic ‘Ortega-Murillo Regime’ in Nicaragua After ‘Rigged’ Election

 The U.S. and others in the international community will “use all diplomatic and economic tools” to hold the Ortega regime in Nicaragua accountable, President Biden said on Sunday in response to an election widely panned as a charade.  Read

Israeli Leaders Reject Biden’s Consulate Plan: ‘Jerusalem Is the Capital of Israel Alone’

The Biden administration’s plan to reopen a consulate in Jerusalem that previously served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinian Authority has placed the U.S. in the middle of the two parties on arguably the most sensitive unresolved issue between them – sovereignty over Jerusalem.  Read

Iran Insinuates U.S. Is Behind Failed Bid to Kill Iraqi Prime Minister

President Biden says U.S. officials will help Iraqi security forces identify the culprits behind a drone attack apparently designed to kill Iraq’s prime minister, but Iran – whose proxy militias are strongly suspected of responsibility – is pointing a finger at the United States.  Read

Belarus Opposition Leader Warns Deals Between ‘Illegitimate Regime’ and Putin ‘Will be Revised’

Russia and Belarus on Thursday edged a little closer to a two-decade-old vision of a “union state” that has yet to materialize, but Belarus’ exiled opposition leader warned that all documents signed by “the illegitimate regime” will be revised “in the new Belarus.”  Read

Beijing Bristles After Milley Says US Forces ‘Absolutely Have the Capability’ to Defend Taiwan

 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley’s assessment this week that U.S. forces were “absolutely” capable of defending Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack drew a sharp response from Beijing, even though what he said was neither new nor remarkable.  Read

Pentagon More Than Doubles Estimate of Chinese Nuclear Warheads by 2030

In the space of just over one year, the Department of Defense’s assessment of how many deliverable nuclear warheads China could have by 2030 has more than doubled – from the low-to-mid 400s to “at least 1,000.”  Read

In Bid to Jumpstart Talks, China, Russia in New Push to Ease Sanctions on North Korea

Having failed in a bid to do so during the Trump administration, China and Russia are pushing again for a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the lifting of sanctions against North Korea.  Read

Russian FM: Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan Have Rejected US ‘Over-the-Horizon’ Cooperation

Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have all turned down U.S. requests to use their territory for “over-the-horizon” counterterror operations in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed.  Read

Biden Criticizes Xi and Putin For ‘Not Showing Up’ at Climate Conference

China made a “big mistake” by not turning up for the U.N. climate conference, President Biden said on Tuesday, asking how either China or Russia could claim to be world leaders and not show up when the “gigantic issue” of climate is on the table.  Read

Biden Disputes That Virginia Race Is Referendum on His Policies

President Biden voiced confidence Tuesday that Democrat Terry McAuliffe would win Virginia’s gubernatorial election, a prediction that turned out to be wrong. He also disputed the notion that the off-year election constitutes a referendum on his policies. Read

Republicans Oppose Biden Plan to Reopen Palestinian-Focused US Consulate in Jerusalem

The Biden administration’s plan to reopen the U.S. consulate-general in Jerusalem, a move opposed by the Israeli government, is attracting growing opposition from Republicans in Congress.  Read

Biden: Americans Have ‘Seen the Lord’ and Now Believe in 'Climate Change'

Americans who several years ago weren’t sure if climate change was “real” have “seen the Lord,” President Biden told an event at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday.  Read

Biden Criticized For Pledging That US Won’t Exit Nuclear Deal Again, as Long as Iran Complies

President Biden pledged at the weekend that if the United States rejoins the Iran nuclear accord it will not leave again as long as the regime complies with it. The move prompted a leading congressional critic of the deal to point out that since it it not a treaty, Biden is in no position to make such a commitment.  Read

Global Coronavirus Death Toll Reportedly Reaches Five Million

The number of people around the world whose deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 passed the five million mark early on Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University’s real-time coronavirus database.  Read

‘Last Chance Saloon’: UN Climate Conference Opens as Prince Charles Calls for Action

The U.N. climate mega-conference known as COP26 has formally opened in Glasgow, after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed disappointment that a G20 summit with a strong climate focus ended in Italy on Sunday with vague pledges to aim for carbon neutrality “by or around mid-century.”  Read