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Margrethe Vestager under fire for hiring an American citizen

Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager is answering questions from lawmakers on considering giving a top job in her cabinet to a U.S. citizen.Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesEurope's powerful competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, is under fire for hiring an American citizen for one of her team's top jobs.Vestager, who's been leading investigations into Big Tech for almost 10 years, is due to answer questions from European lawmakers Tuesday after appointing Fiona Scott Morton, a professor at the Yale School of Management, as chief competition economist at the European Commission, the EU's legislative arm.The heaviest criticism has come from French government members. Laurence Boone, France's secretary for Europe, said on Twitter that she had spoken with Vestager about this nomination, adding that "Europe has many talented economists.""We have engaged, without a delay, in a dialogue with the commission so that the appointments are consistent with our European ambitions," she said.Jean-Noël Barrot, France's minister delegate in charge of the digital transition and telecommunications, also said via Twitter: "At a time when Europe is embarking on the most ambitious digital regulation in the world, the recent appointment of the chief economist of the DG Competition is not without raising legitimate questions.""I invite the European Commission to reconsider its choice," he added.When contacted by CNBC, a spokesperson for the commission highlighted previous comments where the Brussels institution announced her appointment: "With a distinguished academic background and decades of experience in economic analysis and competition policy, Fiona Scott Morton possesses a deep understanding of market dynamics and regulatory frameworks.""Her track record in advising governmental agencies highlights her ability to provide strategic and informed guidance on complex economic issues, making her highly suitable to advise on the economic aspects relating to the policy development and enforcement of competition rules in the EU."

Scott Morton has a Bachelor`s degree from Yale College and a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also worked in economic analysis at the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice between May 2011 and December 2012. However, one of the biggest issues raised has been her experience in consulting for Big Tech.A group of European lawmakers wrote a letter to Vestager last week saying they "learnt with dismay" about the appointment."We are very concerned about the opposite views she publicly expressed and the potential conflict of interests between her new role and her previous functions with large American tech companies," they said in the letter, shared by one lawmaker on Twitter.A spokesperson for the commission previously explained that the there were "a limited number of applications." Scott Morton is set to start the new role in September. Source link Read the full article

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Bank of America (BAC) earnings 2Q 2023

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America Corp., during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2022.Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBank of America is set to report second-quarter earnings before the opening bell Tuesday.Here's what Wall Street expects:- Earnings: 84 cents a share, according to Refinitiv - Revenue: $25 billion - Net interest income: $14.2 billion, according to FactSet - Trading: Fixed income $2.77 billion; equities $1.48 billion

related investing news

While analysts expected Bank of America to be one of the top beneficiaries of rising interest rates, it hasn't played out that way. The company's net interest income, one of the main drivers of a bank's revenue, has been under pressure lately as loan and deposit growth has slowed.Bank of America shares have declined about 11% this year, compared with the approximately 20% decline of the KBW Bank Index.This month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it fined the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank for customer abuses including fake accounts and bogus fees. Analysts may ask CEO Brian Moynihan if the problems have been resolved.On Friday, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo each posted earnings that topped analysts' expectations amid higher interest rates. Morgan Stanley is scheduled to release results later Tuesday, and Goldman Sachs wraps up big bank earnings Wednesday.  This story is developing. Please check back for updates. Source link Read the full article

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Bank of America (BAC) earnings 2Q 2023

Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America Corp., during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2022.Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBank of America is set to report second-quarter earnings before the opening bell Tuesday.Here's what Wall Street expects:- Earnings: 84 cents a share, according to Refinitiv - Revenue: $25 billion - Net interest income: $14.2 billion, according to FactSet - Trading: Fixed income $2.77 billion; equities $1.48 billion

related investing news

While analysts expected Bank of America to be one of the top beneficiaries of rising interest rates, it hasn't played out that way. The company's net interest income, one of the main drivers of a bank's revenue, has been under pressure lately as loan and deposit growth has slowed.Bank of America shares have declined about 11% this year, compared with the approximately 20% decline of the KBW Bank Index.This month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it fined the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank for customer abuses including fake accounts and bogus fees. Analysts may ask CEO Brian Moynihan if the problems have been resolved.On Friday, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo each posted earnings that topped analysts' expectations amid higher interest rates. Morgan Stanley is scheduled to release results later Tuesday, and Goldman Sachs wraps up big bank earnings Wednesday.  This story is developing. Please check back for updates. Source link Read the full article

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Goldman Sachs cuts odds of a U.S. recession in the next year

Skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City and the Water's Soul sculpture on July 11, 2023, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty ImagesGoldman Sachs revised down the odds of a U.S. recession happening in the next 12 months, cutting the probability down to 20% from 25% on the back of positive economic activity.The investment bank's chief economist, Jan Hatzius, cited a slew of better-than-expected economic data in a research report released Monday."The main reason for our cut is that the recent data have reinforced our confidence that bringing inflation down to an acceptable level will not require a recession," he said.The chief economist cited resilient U.S. economic activity, saying second-quarter GDP growth was tracking at 2.3%. The rebound in consumer sentiment and unemployment levels falling to 3.6% in June also added to Goldman's optimism.The U.S. economy expanded 2% at an annualized pace in the first quarter. Last Thursday, data from the Labor Department showed that initial jobless claims fell to 239,000 for the week ended June 24, well below estimates of 264,000 and marking a 26,000 decline from the previous week.

There are also "strong fundamental reasons" to expect the easing of consumer price rises to continue after June's core inflation, excluding food and energy, rose at the slowest pace since February 2021.The investment bank, however, expects some deceleration in subsequent quarters as a result of sequentially slower real disposable personal income growth."But the easing in financial conditions, the rebound in the housing market, and the ongoing boom in factory building all suggest that the U.S. economy will continue to grow, albeit at a below-trend pace," Hatzius said.Goldman still expects a 25 basis point hike from the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting next week, but Hatzius believes that it could mark the last of the current cycle.—CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. Source link Read the full article

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China's Evergrande posts $81 billion loss over the past two years

The Evergrande Group headquarters building in Shenzhen is pictured on January 11, 2022 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China.Liang Xiashun | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesChina Evergrande Group posted a combined loss of $81 billion in its long overdue earnings report late on Monday.The world's most indebted property developer fell into default in 2021 and announced an offshore debt restructuring program in March, having struggled to finish projects and repay suppliers and lenders.Evergrande's net losses for 2021 and 2022 were 476 billion yuan ($66.36 billion) and 105.9 billion yuan ($14.76 billion), respectively, as a result of writedowns of properties, return of lands, losses on financial assets and financing costs, the company said. In its last normal year of operation, 2020, Evergrande posted a net profit of 8.1 billion yuan.Evergrande's colossal debt pile in recent years has become the source of serious concern about China's property sector, a bedrock of the Chinese economy, with defaults and abandoned property projects seen across the country. Source link Read the full article

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NOAA warns X-class solar flare could hit today, with smaller storms during the week. Here's what to know.

The strongest category of solar flares, known to potentially cause worldwide transmission problems and blackouts, could be emitted this week, scientists say. On Sunday, radio blackouts were already detected, though scientists did not say where.The warning comes from scientists from both the U.S. and Russia. The latter, from Moscow's Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics, said on Sunday that they had observed three solar flares that day and that they believed X-class flares are possible on Monday, according to Reuters. X-class flares are the biggest category of solar flare activity, and are essentially "explosions on the surface of the sun ranging from minutes to hours in length," according to NASA, which calls X-class flares "the real juggernauts."  "Large flares can release enough energy to power the entire United States for a million years," NASA says, adding that the most powerful X-class flare ever recorded was in 2003. That event "was so powerful that it overloaded the sensors measuring it," NASA says. "A powerful X-class flare like that can create long-lasting radiation storms, which can harm satellites, and even give airline passengers flying near the poles small radiation doses," said the agency. "X flares also have the potential to create global transmission problems and worldwide blackouts." Unlike geomagnetic storms, which are known for causing electrical power outages and driving intense viewings of the northern lights, solar flares directly affect Earth's radio communications and release energetic particles into space, the European Space Agency says. Strong flares affect the ionosphere, which is the layer of the atmosphere that conducts electricity. The ionosphere is the atmospheric level that interacts with radio waves, and such impacts cause radio signals to "become degraded or completely absorbed," NASA says, resulting in a radio blackout. High-frequency radio between 3 and 30 megahertz — such as GPS — is primarily what's affected.NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center has also said in its latest forecast that there is a "chance" of a strong X-class event on Monday or Tuesday, with another "slight chance" of them appearing on Wednesday. The events on Monday or Tuesday could be an R3 on its radio blackout scale of R1-R5, NOAA said, meaning they have the potential to cause a "wide area blackout of HF radio communication" with a loss of radio contact for roughly an hour in some parts of Earth. Radio blackouts have already been observed within the past 24 hours, NOAA said in its Monday forecast. There's at least a 50% chance for smaller radio blackouts through Wednesday, the agency said, with a 25% chance for the R3 blackout on Monday and Tuesday, a likelihood that decreases to 15% on Wednesday. 

Are solar flares dangerous? 

Just a few weeks ago, fears of an "internet apocalypse" that could happen within the decade due to activity on the sun went viral. The term seems to have come from a  2021 paper about solar storm impacts, in which a researcher described a "solar superstorm" that could cause global internet outages for months.  While extreme geomagnetic storms can cause blackouts and grid systems to collapse, such events are only expected to happen once every 500 years. The last time such an event happened was 164 years ago.NASA explains that solar flares become "bigger and more common" every 11 years, when the sun reaches its maximum activity in its cycle. This cycle has "ramped up much faster" than what scientists originally predicted, but it's still expected to be an "average" cycle overall compared. Most solar flares aren't dangerous to humans on Earth.  "Earth's atmosphere absorbs most of the Sun's intense radiation, so flares are not directly harmful to humans on the ground," NASA says. "However, the radiation from a flare can be harmful to astronauts outside of Earth's atmosphere, and they can affect the technology we rely on."Solar flares are ranked from A-class, which are essentially "background levels," to X, which are the strongest flares, with the rankings of B, C and M in between. Each of those classification levels represents a 10-fold increase in energy output, NASA says, meaning that an X-class flare, for example, is 10 times stronger than an M. Each of those classes is then broken down to a number, from 1 to 9. C-class and weaker flares don't noticeably affect the planet, while strong flares — those rated at an M5 or higher — can impact technology as it affects the planet's ionosphere, which is used by navigation and GPS. If the light from the flare hits Earth, it can also cause electrical surges or light flashes in the ionosphere that creates radio signal blackouts that last, in the worst case, up to "hours at a time," NASA says, which could impact radios used for emergency communications.  More Li Cohen Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News. Source link Read the full article

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KP Snacks: Possibility of peanut shortage as workers threaten strikes | UK News

A peanut shortage could be looming as workers at KP Snacks threaten strike action. Pubs and supermarkets would be "hit hard" by industrial action, Unite union said, because the Rotherham factory is the only producer of KP Snacks. The union said staff were being "paid peanuts" while the company had increased its profits by 275% since 2018.About 135 workers at KP Snacks, including low-paid cleaners, will vote on strike action this week.Average pay at KP Snacks has fallen in real terms by 14% since 2018, Unite said. The current company offer is a pay rise of 6% plus a £1,000 one-off payment.But the lowest paid cleaners, who earn £10.66 an hour, have been excluded from the pay offer.Read more: Train strikes in July: All you need to know Walkout at missile depot 'could threaten supply to Ukraine'"To exclude the lowest paid workers from the pay negotiations all together is corporate greed in action," Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said. "Especially when KP Snacks made £54m in profit. The workers have Unite's steadfast support."Unite regional officer, Chris Rawlinson, said: "Unite members are determined to get a fairer portion of the company's huge profits. It's time for management to put a serious pay offer to the workforce."Sky News has contacted KP Snacks for comment. Source link Read the full article

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How China is using new railway line to extend influence in Myanmar | World News

At one of the furthest ends of this vast country, there is a new train line, and it speaks volumes about China's ambitions in the region.The southwestern province of Yunnan is rural, remote, and parts of it are still extremely poor. This line is a slightly incongruous flash of modernity, slicing through the mountains. We joined it on its final stretch, from the tourist spot of Dali right up to the end of the line at a small mountain town called Lincang, just a few hours' drive from the border with Myanmar.The line itself is an excellent example of China's exemplary 'bullet' trains; modern, clean, organised and bang on time. Chatting to passengers along the way, it's also clear it has made an enormous difference to their lives. "It makes things much more convenient," says Fong Hong Sui who is from this area and travelling for business."Before, there wasn't this train and I would have to take a coach which took at least seven or eight hours."But this line was clearly not designed for people alone.The huge terminal at Lincang, complete with large freight yard and cargo cranes, says it all; this place was built to transport trade and lots of it - from China to Myanmar and beyond.

This trade line only opened in 2021 and while it has been long in the planning, it's a clear sign of the ongoing support that Myanmar is receiving from its powerful neighbour.When the military Junta first seized power in 2021, like many other countries in the region China initially refrained from comment. It spent the best part of the following two years watching how things panned out, while retaining ties with opposition groups. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

5:26 What's happening in. Myanmar? But that appears to have changed. In fact in May, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang paid a visit to Myanmar and was filmed meeting with the Junta's leader Min Aung Hlaing, a figure Chinese officials had initially shunned.The message was clear; China was implicitly throwing its support behind this illegal regime and offering a real lifeline to its troubled leaders.

China is Myanmar's largest trading partnerThe extent to which this is invaluable to the Junta cannot be overstated.Indeed, China is Myanmar's largest trading partner, buying 27% of all its goods from metals, precious stones and rare earth elements. The energy market is the most important section of Myanmar's economy, and China bought 38% of its gas exports in 2022.But Chinese companies, including some that are state-owned, are also selling significant quantities of arms to Myanmar, over £200 million worth since the coup according to a recent UN report. The majority of these sales went directly to the Junta and there is evidence some of the products have been used in the civil war.But what is in it for China, a country that notoriously dislikes instability? Well, the Lincang trade route offers some indication as to what the motivation might be.

China 'very aware' of security risksIn fact, the real value of this line is that it offers China passage not just to, but through its neighbour to the valuable sea ports beyond.A trial run before the line was officially opened saw goods linked all the way from the Chinese city of Chengdu, through Myanmar and onto Singapore by sea.And it is this Indian Ocean access that is particularly prized by China. Without the route through Myanmar, goods would have to be taken the long way around via the Malacca Strait, a route considered by China to not just be long but insecure."There is some pragmatism here from China," explains Chim Lee, an expert on China-Myanmar relations at the Economist Intelligence Unit."China is interested in pushing through there, but it's also very aware of the security risks and economic risks in the country."

Ultimately, China knows its support buys influence and leverage and there are many things it gains from a healthy influence in Myanmar, not least natural resources and balance of power interests in the South East Asian region.There may also be a calculation that it wants to avoid influences from America and the West prevailing. But there is no doubt the conflict has stymied China's ambitions.Indeed a little further up the border in the town of Ruili, while the crossing is a tourist attraction, the actual traffic passing through in terms of people and trade is much lower than it was.Read more: A conveyor belt of horror: The secret jungle hospital on the front lineA lifeline for many of Myanmar's border peopleBut if China has offered a lifeline to the military Junta there is also a lifeline for many of Myanmar's border people and that is very clear in Ruili. Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcastsIn the bustling market held on 'Myanmar street' we met a woman who asked us to call her A Moe which translates as 'aunty'. She travels across the border from her home in Myanmar daily to sell traditional herbs and make ends meet.She described the war as "difficult and not good for business"."Now that the COVID is improved, we come out here to set up stalls to make a little bit of money," she says."So it's a little bit better now. In those years, it was the COVID, and the civil war, so it was very difficult for us."Read more: UK vows to defend exiled Hong Kong activists after arrest warrants issued Children 'among 100 dead' as Myanmar military targets village event

There is clearly a lot of personal affinity between the people here too, the Chinese traders are accepting and broadly supportive of the government's stance.One Chinese woman selling Myanmar jade described the relationship as "very harmonious"."Of course it is better if leaders from China and Myanmar get on well together... there should be economic coordination."There is nothing China dislikes more than instability. Its implicit support for the Junta strengthens the military regime hugely, and while it may well extend the conflict, it does make another change of power less likely.You can watch a special programme - Inside Myanmar: The Hidden War - on Sky News tonight at 9pm Source link Read the full article

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18 Days of Extreme Heat in Phoenix With No End in Sight

On Monday, Phoenix reached a miserable milestone: It was the first time since 1974 that it had 18 days in a row of 110-degree or more temperatures. On Tuesday, it was poised to break that 49-year-old record and hit Day 19. The forecast called for a high of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.People in the Southwest are used to brutal summers. Phoenix has had plenty of days that soar past 100 degrees. Water misters spritz patios, and neighborhoods and playgrounds clear out in the midday sun. Monsoons usually sweep through with refreshing relief. But this stagnant summer is testing even the hardiest, and putting many more people at risk.“It just feels awful,” said Mazey Christensen, 20, a scooper at Sweet Republic, an ice cream shop in Phoenix.Business at the store has been steady; on blistering days, customers tend to go for fruity flavors like watermelon sorbet and pineapple whip. But they mostly visit the shop later in the day when the sun is not so scorching.The temperatures are “very extreme,” said Matt Salerno, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We’re talking 10 degrees above where they normally are.” The city set another heat record on Monday: eight consecutive days in which the overnight temperature never dipped below 90 degrees.The heat is particularly brutal and inescapable at the sprawling homeless encampment in central Phoenix known as “The Zone.”There are barely any trees and, this July, people have been suffering second-degree burns after they pass out or fall asleep on the hot asphalt and sidewalks.There are few sources of running water other than donated bottles and portable wash stations. So a spigot outside a shelter often has a line of people pouring water over their heads and filling up five-gallons jugs to take back to their tents.“It just sucks it right out of you,” said Charles Outen, 49, who said he had spent the summer hopscotching between cooling centers during the day and sleeping at local churches at night to avoid the heat.For many in the city and across the Southwest, the searing temperatures have come with little relief: The monsoon season — which typically brings cooling thunderstorms to the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico — is arriving later than usual.And all across the South, the heat has been not only strikingly severe, but also abnormally persistent.This week, hot and humid conditions were expected to worsen along the Gulf Coast and throughout the Southeast, according to the Weather Service. Across the country, about 100 million people are under heat alerts. And even parts of Northern states, including Michigan, New York and Vermont, have recently broken daily temperature records.In Palm Springs, Calif., a desert resort city in Southern California, residents and tourists have been trying their best to keep cool in temperatures that spiked to around 115 degrees.Zach Stone, who lives in his car, says the heat inside the vehicle is unbearable. To find relief, he came to the Demuth Community Center, where he worked on a puzzle in the gym.“They have bread and water and there’s vending machines and bathrooms, and that’s a huge convenience,” he said.The heat can be especially brutal for those who were already dealing with medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, drug addiction and heart disease, said Dr. Jerald Moser, a co-director of the emergency department at the Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz., where the heat wave has brought in more patients than usual. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 110 degrees there this week.People without shelter or access to water are especially at risk, Dr. Moser said, adding that many of them wind up in emergency rooms after being found incapacitated on the ground, sometimes with secondary burns from the scorching sidewalks.“We see people passing out from full-blown heat stroke with a core body temperature of 104 degrees,” he said.The persistent heat in the Southwest is the result of a high-pressure system that has been parked over the region for weeks. It has been particularly stubborn this year, delaying cooling storms.The monsoon schedule varies from one year to the next, said Michael Crimmins, an environmental science professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson, so while it is not yet clear whether climate change is to blame for the heat wave’s persistence, it has very likely made the daily high temperatures even higher.In Texas, the heat this year has prompted cotton plants, especially in the southern parts of the state, to bloom early. “It’s running ahead of time, which is not good,” said Josh McGinty, an agronomist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service whose office in Corpus Christi is bordered by cotton fields.Normally during this time of year, a few bulbs would be starting to unfurl. Instead, Mr. McGinty said, “every fruit on the plant is open, and they shouldn’t be. The heat is just shutting the plants down. They’re in survival mode at this point.” But even that, he said, is better than last year, when the cotton crop suffered even more because of droughts.Farther east, residents of Southern states are bracing for a long spell of hot and muggy days. Heat indexes, which measure how hot it feels outside while accounting for both temperature and humidity, were expected to surpass 100 degrees this week in many cities including Jackson, Miss., Montgomery, Ala., and Tallahassee, Fla.On Monday afternoon, Ralph Horton was driving east along Interstate 20 to his home Tallapoosa, Ga., when he stopped in Vicksburg, Miss., for a break.He was traveling from Texas, where he had spent a few days. “Oh my gosh, it was hot,” he said.On Monday, he stood on an overlook with a view of the Mississippi River, anticipating a different kind of heat — the kind that is oppressive even when the temperatures don’t reach triple digits. “The humidity is killer in this part of the country,” Mr. Horton said.The spot where he stood was already under a heat advisory, with heat indexes forecast to reach around 110 degrees on Tuesday.Reporting was contributed by Maggie Miles, Jack Healy and Sheryl Kornman. Source link Read the full article

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Yiddish Is Alive and Well in Melbourne, Australia

“Mir kumen on, mir kumen on! Un fest un zikher undzer trot!”Late on a recent Friday night, dozens of voices joined in this Yiddish anthem — “We are coming, we are coming! And our step is firm and true!” — and soared from a conference center among gum trees and kookaburras outside Melbourne, Australia.Today, Yiddish is most commonly used in ultra-Orthodox communities in places like Brooklyn or Jerusalem. But in Melbourne, snatches of it can be heard on certain streets, around multigenerational dinner tables, on stages and in classrooms.And one weekend a year, Australian speakers of Yiddish come together at Sof-Vokh Oystralye, or Weekend Australia, for 48 hours of total immersion in the language of a thousand years of Jewish life and culture that, before the Holocaust, was spoken by 13 million people, mostly in Eastern Europe.For some of the singers at this year’s retreat, in late May, Yiddish is the hard-fought language of everyday life. For others, it evokes a long-ago childhood in an immigrant neighborhood in Melbourne. For many of the tiniest participants, including some who had already been dispatched to bed, it is the language of the classroom, sitting easily alongside Hebrew and English at the world’s only secular primary school where it is a compulsory daily subject.At Sof-Vokh, attendees in beanies and scarves emblazoned with the insignia of Australian football teams played Dungeons and Dragons, basketball and chess; smeared creamy cheese into blintzes in a stainless steel-wrapped catering kitchen; and played games in which they impersonated animals and translated gibberish into poetry — all in Yiddish.From a makeshift Twister game set up in the hotel’s foyer, a tumbling child let out a loud “Oy vey!”Beyond the lighting of candles and blessings in Yiddish over bread and wine on Friday night, there were few signs of organized religion. Yet the preservation of the language has, for the founders of the event and others in the Jewish community in Melbourne, become an almost holy crusade.In 1995, when Melbourne’s last Yiddish newspaper closed, Freydi Mrocki, a musician and a teacher, fell to the floor of her dining room, weeping, she said. “That’s when I decided Yiddish would die over my dead body,” Ms. Mrocki, 63, said. “I gave my life over to Yiddish, in the same way that some people give their life to God.”Along with Dr. Doodie Ringelblum, she co-founded Sof-Vokh in 2004.“Yiddish is our contribution to world culture,” said Dr. Ringelblum, 60, “and Judaism is our contribution to the richness of human life.”Dr. Ringelblum and his wife raised their three children to speak Yiddish as a first language. But with few other Yiddish-speaking families in Melbourne, and scant secular resources — as well as the occasional recalcitrance of his teenage children — passing it on has been “horrifically difficult,” he said. “The two words that are spoken most in our family are ‘redt Yiddish’ — ‘speak Yiddish.’”Many of Melbourne’s present-day Yiddish speakers, including Ms. Mrocki and Dr. Ringelblum, descend from a wave of Jewish refugees who settled in the city between 1938 and 1960, giving Australia the largest proportion of Holocaust survivors of any country beside Israel.Hania Joskowicz, who will turn 100 in February, moved to Australia in 1951 with her husband and daughter.She spent six years of the war in a labor camp, unaware that the Nazis had murdered her parents and two of her three siblings. It had been a “nothing life,” she said in a recent interview at her Melbourne home. “In every minute, you’re dead. Every second.”But in Melbourne, she found ready community in the neighborhood of Carlton, living among fellow Holocaust survivors and other new migrants, and picking up Greek and Italian alongside English.“It really was shtetl Carlton, back then,” said Arnold Zable, 76, a writer who captured the community and area in his book “Scraps of Heaven.”At the Kadimah, a Jewish cultural center and library in Melbourne, Ms. Joskowicz and her husband attended Yiddish theater, dances and other events. She recalled the shock of suddenly encountering a close friend from before the war there. “I fell down, for happiness,” she said.As Melbourne’s last generation of prewar Yiddish speakers fades out, the language comes to life for most present-day speakers in settings like Sof-Vokh or in classes, as well as through Melbourne’s thriving Yiddish music scene.This has been the case around the world, said Rivke Margolis, a professor of Jewish studies at Monash University in Melbourne. “There’s no indication, at all, that Yiddish is ‘dying,’” she said.At Sof-Vokh, she guided a rapt crowd through a monologue by the writer Aaron Zeitlin, in which a Yiddish-speaking migrant to the United States muses on his assimilated family before noting, stricken, that no one will say Kaddish, the Jewish mourners’ prayer, for him when he dies.Over time, Melbourne’s Jewish population moved slowly from Carlton to the city’s present-day “bagel belt” south of the river, where the Kadimah eventually relocated. At 111, the organization still puts on plays in Yiddish and teaches the language to people of all ages.Around the corner is Sholem Aleichem College, a secular Jewish primary school named for the acclaimed Yiddish writer, where about 300 students learn in English, Hebrew and Yiddish.At a lunch at Sof-Vokh, Helen Greenberg, the school’s principal of 17 years, laughed as she chatted with former students, and greeted those still in her charge.“Their intonation is sensational,” she said, of her students��� proficiency in Yiddish. She added, “They don’t just see it as a language, they see it as part of their identity.”At the school recently, in a bright, modern classroom, children of 3 or 4 fidgeted through a Yiddish-language acknowledgment of the Aboriginal inhabitants of the land, before joining together to rattle off the days of the week, starting with “montik.”The school is now independent, and Israeli flags hang on its walls. But it has its roots in the Jewish Labour Bund, a 19th-century Eastern European socialist workers’ union that espoused Marxist and anti-Zionist values and today survives only in Melbourne, along with its youth group, SKIF.The Bund’s political philosophy, though still socialist and unaffiliated with Zionism, has shifted over time toward a focus on “Yiddishkeit,” a catchall term for Jewish culture that extends to the promotion of Yiddish language, and “Doikayt” — supporting Jewish communities wherever they are.During the pandemic, many of Melbourne’s Yiddish institutions saw an uptick of enthusiasm in online activities that has since filtered into the physical world. In March 2022, the Kadimah presented a modern Yiddish-language adaptation of “Yentl,” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, which sold out its two-week run at one of the city’s top theaters, and won multiple Melbourne theatrical prizes.Late on Saturday afternoon at Sof-Vokh, a small group led by Joshua Reuben, 27, and Tomi Kalinski, 71, pored over two different Yiddish translations of the “Uluru Statement from the Heart,” a 2017 petition for reparations by Aboriginal leaders that has led to a forthcoming referendum on constitutional reform.A clamor from the dining room grew louder as they reached the end of the passage: “We invite you to walk with us,” Mr. Reuben read, in Yiddish, “in a movement of the Australian people, for a better future.” Source link Read the full article

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John Kerry upholds U.S.-China ‘stability’ in symbolic Beijing visit

U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry and China's Premier Li Qiang attend a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 18, 2023.Florence Lo | Afp | Getty ImagesBEIJING — In the third high-level U.S. official visit to China in about a month, U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry emphasized efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship."Now we're in a place where because of the efforts of President Biden and President Xi to try to stabilize the relationship, we can now I hope, make progress between now and the meeting in the UAE, in December, of COP 28," Kerry said Tuesday, in opening remarks at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.About a week earlier, Li met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the same building. In late June, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also met there with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Blinken's visit brought a thaw to increasingly frigid relations in which climate talks, one of the few areas of cooperation, have even seen temporary suspension.The U.S. and China are also the world's largest polluters. In recent weeks, global temperatures have climbed to record highs.Our hope is now that this could be the beginning of a new definition of collaboration and the capacity to resolve the differences between us.John KerryChinese premierThe world faces great "challenges" in responding to climate change, Li said."It is incumbent upon China, the United States, and indeed all countries in the world to strengthen coordination with consensus and speed of actions," he said, according to an official translation of his Mandarin-language remarks.Earlier on Tuesday, Kerry also emphasized stability in his meeting with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi."Biden is very committed to stability within this relationship and also to achieve efforts together, that can make a significant difference in the world," Kerry said."Our hope is now that this could be the beginning of a new definition of collaboration and the capacity to resolve the differences between us."

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Climate talks between the U.S. and China were temporarily suspended after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year, drawing the ire of Beijing.China considers the democratically self-ruled island as part of its territory.Tensions between the U.S. and China have also spilled over into technology, with U.S. efforts to limit Chinese access to high-end semiconductor technology."Of course, pushing for cooperation on climate change is under the larger scope of China-U.S. relations," Wang said, according to a CNBC translation of the Mandarin.He said the two countries could resolve problems as long as the dialogue was based on "equality" and with "mutual respect."

Following the latest U.S. senior official visits to Beijing, high-level Chinese officials are expected to visit the U.S. at an unspecified date.Since arriving in Beijing on Sunday, Kerry has focused on talks with his climate counterpart Xie Zhenhua. Kerry is set to depart on Wednesday.Parts of meetings open to the press were tense.During the meeting with the Chinse premier, Kerry brought up a report of a 52°C (125.6°F) temperature reading in China a few days earlier. Li interjected to question whether it was from an official weather report or "small" media, and whether it was a reading from the ground or air."Oh. Well, it may not be," Kerry said. He said that he'd seen the news on TV and said his point was about the rate of change and predictions for the future.State-run China News Agency on Monday said an "automatically" recorded temperature from a local weather station showed the Sanbao township in Xinjiang reached a record high of 52.2°C on Sunday. Source link Read the full article

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Trump-less debate could hurt GOP primary stragglers most

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses The Faith and Freedom Coalition's 2023 "Road to Majority" conference in Washington, U.S., June 24, 2023.Tasos Katopodis | ReutersSome Republican presidential hopefuls are pushing hard just for the chance to seize the stage in their party's primary debate next month.But the impact of the event may be limited if their top rival, former President Donald Trump, is a no-show.Trump has repeatedly signaled that he might skip the first debate, set for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, wondering aloud why he would join the fray just to expose himself to a barrage of attacks from his competitors. "When you have a big lead, you don't do it," Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday. He added that he still hasn't made up his mind."I understand a lot of people would like to have him there," said Saul Anuzis, a Republican strategist and former chair of the Michigan GOP. "If I were a challenging candidate I would definitely want to have him there and have a chance to take some shots at him."Trump's absence would take that chance off the table, and any heat he might take for refusing to confront his rivals isn't expected to drag down his lead.The former president's shrug toward the debate underscores his elevated position in the Republican primary and the impact his absence could have on his competitors — especially those struggling to raise money or gain traction in the polls.Trump noted that "Ronald Reagan didn't do it." Reagan skipped a GOP debate in Iowa in 1980, but caught flak for the decision and participated in a later debate in the cycle. Trump himself skipped a primary debate in 2016, opting instead to hold a campaign event nearby."You're leading people by 50 and 60 points and you say, why would you be doing a debate — it's actually not fair," Trump said in Sunday's interview. "Why would you let somebody that's at zero, or one or two or three, be popping you with questions?"It might be a prudent move. National polls of the Republican field consistently show Trump leading his nearest challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by double-digit margins. Neither Trump's loss to President Joe Biden in 2020, nor the two criminal indictments he is fighting on the campaign trail, have appeared to shake his status as the de facto leader of the Republican Party."The political reality is that as a candidate who's so far out ahead, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to put himself in the firing line," Anuzis said.Trump's absence could also take a toll on DeSantis, who would become the top candidate on the debate stage — and thus the target of the event. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas experienced something of that kind during the 2016 debate that Trump skipped, according to a post-debate poll of GOP insiders who rated Cruz the loser that night.Without Trump, who is known for attracting attention and media ratings, it's likely that a smaller audience will tune in, according to Anuzis. That would be a blow to some candidates who may get few other prime-time opportunities to break out from the pack.

What about fundraising?

Republican presidential candidate Miami Mayor Francis Suarez delivers remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on June 15, 2023 in Simi Valley, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesHistorically, debates can also present an important fundraising opportunity. Biden's 2020 campaign, for instance, said it raised nearly $4 million in an hour after a general election debate against Trump."A good debate showing always helps from a fundraising perspective," Anuzis said. "Especially for the challengers who are having a more difficult time raising money."Some of them are still pushing to land a spot on the debate stage. The Republican National Committee has required that candidates must have at least 40,000 unique donors and receive at least 1% support in certain national polls to qualify.Former Vice President Mike Pence suggested in a tweet last week that his campaign had yet to reach that donor threshold. And former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told the Associated Press earlier this month that over 5,000 donors have contributed to his campaign.Other lower-polling candidates have offered perks to boost their donor engagement. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, for example, announced he would give $20 gift cards to up to 50,000 people who donated at least $1 to his White House bid. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez's campaign is raffling off tickets to see soccer legend Lionel Messi's MLS debut.Some, though, are merely trying to hype a potential slugfest.Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who has touted his debate skills and vowed to pull no punches on Trump, predicted Sunday that the ex-president's "ego" would drive him to participate in the debate."I think he'd be enormously frustrated sitting back in Bedminster and watching what I'm going to do to him on that stage in absentia," Christie said on ABC News' "This Week.""Come on, Donald, get on the stage and defend your record," Christie added. Source link Read the full article

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Israeli President to Meet With Biden Amid U.S. Unease With Netanyahu

President Biden will meet with President Isaac Herzog of Israel on Tuesday at the White House, a diplomatic overture to one of America’s key allies amid tensions between the Biden administration and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister.White House officials described the meeting with Mr. Herzog as an opportunity for Mr. Biden to strengthen an already “ironclad” relationship between the two countries. They said the two leaders would discuss preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon as part of the White House called its “unwavering commitment” to Israel’s security.But the declarations of mutual respect have masked strains between the two governments that have grown in recent years, as Mr. Biden has become increasingly frustrated with Mr. Netanyahu’s positions on Israeli settlements and efforts to overhaul the nation’s judicial system.On Monday, Mr. Biden ended months of delay in offering Mr. Netanyahu a formal visit to the United States. After the pair talked on the phone, Mr. Biden invited the prime minister to meet in the United States, most likely before the end of the year — though not necessarily at the White House.Tuesday’s visit by Mr. Herzog, whose position in Israel’s government is largely ceremonial, could be an opportunity for Mr. Biden to express his commitment to the Middle Eastern country without delivering the political benefits of a White House visit to Mr. Netanyahu.Israel is a central U.S. ally in the Middle East and the recipient of billions of dollars in aid each year. White House officials said Mr. Biden planned to emphasize areas of cooperation, including progress toward normalization of relations with other Middle Eastern countries and diplomatic efforts with the Palestinians.Some supporters in the United States consider Mr. Herzog, who ran against Mr. Netanyahu almost a decade ago, a bridge builder whose efforts to find a middle ground in Israel’s fraught political climate are a welcome change from some of the more extremist elements of the country’s government.But even before Tuesday, his visit was generating controversy. Several liberal lawmakers said they would boycott Mr. Herzog’s planned speech to Congress on Wednesday to protest Mr. Netanyahu’s government.Earlier this month, Mr. Biden called Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet “one of the most extremist” he had seen in decades of foreign policy engagement with Israel — in effect acknowledging the anger among many progressives with the prime minister’s policies.White House officials said that on Tuesday Mr. Biden would raise his concerns about the Israeli government’s expansion of settlements, which the administration considers an impediment to an eventual two-state solution, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel.Officials said Mr. Biden would also express to Mr. Herzog his discomfort with Mr. Netanyahu’s efforts to make changes to the judicial system that critics say would undermine the power of Israel’s Supreme Court.“We want to see Israel be as vibrant and as viable a democracy as possible,” said John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council. “And that means that you build programs and reforms and changes in a way that is based on compromise.”But officials also said the president’s meeting with Mr. Herzog in the Oval Office would attempt to underscore the history of friendship that has characterized the relationship between the two countries since Israel’s creation.“As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, the visit will highlight our enduring partnership and friendship,” a White House statement said. “The two leaders will discuss opportunities to deepen Israel’s regional integration and to create a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East.” Source link Read the full article

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UK renewable energy tycoon to launch electric airline Ecojet

"The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades," said Dale Vince, founder of British energy firm Ecotricity.Ryan Hiscott | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesBritish entrepreneur Dale Vince on Monday announced plans to launch an electric airline that will be powered using renewable energy — and those behind the project hope it will mark the start of a new era in air travel.The formation of Ecojet represents the latest attempt to reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. Flights in the U.K. will begin in 2024. Trips to mainland Europe will follow, and long-haul journeys are also in the works.Ecojet will use 19- and 70-seat turboprop aircraft. While the goal is for the airplanes to use hydrogen-electric powertrains eventually, initial flights won't.  "Short-term, to secure routes and a license from the Civil Aviation Authority, Ecojet will initially fly using conventionally fuelled planes," a statement issued Monday said.

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It went on to state that the aircraft would be "retrofitted with the hydrogen-electric power trains as soon they become approved for service by the CAA."The first retrofits are slated for 2025, a year after flights begin. Onboard meals will be plant-based, and single-use plastic will be scrapped.Repurposing planes instead of building new ones "will save 90,000 tonnes of carbon per year," the statement said. "The only byproduct will be water, which can be captured and released into the lower atmosphere to avoid the harmful effects of contrails," it added.

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Vince, who is the founder of British energy firm Ecotricity, was bullish about Ecojet's prospects. "The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades," he said.He went on to describe Ecojet as "by far the most significant step towards a solution to date."

'We should be honest'

There are reasons not to get too hopeful too soon, however.According to the International Energy Agency, aviation was responsible for 2% of the planet's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2022.The Paris-based organization notes that although it "accounts for a relatively small share of global emissions," it is "one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise."Elsewhere, the World Wildlife Fund describes aviation as "one of the fastest-growing sources of the greenhouse gas emissions driving global climate change." It adds that air travel is the most carbon-intensive activity a person can engage in.As concerns about sustainability and the environment mount, discussions about aviation have increasingly focused on how new innovations and ideas could reduce the sector's impact on the environment.In September 2020, a hydrogen fuel-cell plane capable of carrying passengers took to the skies over England for its maiden flight. The same month also saw Airbus release details of three hydrogen-powered concept planes.  But while there is excitement about the potential of hydrogen-powered flight and other innovations within the sector, some industry veterans have struck a cautious tone when it comes to talking about radical shifts taking place in the immediate term.   "I think ... we should be honest again," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told CNBC in 2021. "Certainly, for the next decade ... I don't think you're going to see any — there's no technology out there that's going to replace … carbon, jet aviation.""I don't see the arrival of … hydrogen fuels, I don't see the arrival of sustainable fuels, I don't see the arrival of electric propulsion systems, certainly not before 2030," O'Leary added. Source link Read the full article

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Georgia Supreme Court Rejects Trump Effort to Quash Investigation

ATLANTA — In a ruling on Monday, the Georgia Supreme Court rejected a long-shot attempt by former President Donald J. Trump’s legal team to scuttle an investigation into election interference weeks before indictment decisions are expected.The pronouncement from the court was both unanimous and swift, coming just three days after Mr. Trump’s lawyers submitted their filing. They had sought a court order that would throw out the work of a special grand jury in Atlanta and disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, from the proceedings. She has been the prosecutor in charge of the investigation into whether Mr. Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia.Most of the court’s nine justices were originally appointed by Republican governors; thus far, the case has played out in Superior Court in Atlanta.Mr. Trump’s lawyers had conceded in their filing that they were up against long odds and had identified “no case in 40 years” where the court had intervened in the way they were seeking. In their ruling, the justices said the Trump team had “not shown that this case presents one of those extremely rare circumstances in which this court’s original jurisdiction should be invoked, and therefore, the petition is dismissed.”They also said that Mr. Trump’s lawyers had not presented “either the facts or the law necessary to mandate Willis’s disqualification.”Mr. Trump’s lawyers had previously sought to scuttle the investigation with a motion, filed in March, to quash much of the evidence that Ms. Willis’s team had collected since the investigation began in early 2021 and to take Ms. Willis off it. But the Superior Court judge handling the case, Robert C.I. McBurney, has yet to rule.“Stranded between the supervising judge’s protected passivity and the district attorney’s looming indictment, petitioner has no meaningful option other than to seek this court’s intervention,” the lawyers wrote in their filing to the state’s high court on Friday.The lawyers could not be reached immediately on Monday; the district attorney’s office had no immediate comment.Ms. Willis has signaled that any indictments will come in the first half of August; she recently asked judges in a downtown Atlanta courthouse not to schedule trials for part of that time as she prepares to bring charges. The investigation has examined whether the former president and his allies illegally interfered in the 2020 election in Georgia, where Mr. Trump lost narrowly to Joe Biden.The special grand jury heard evidence for roughly seven months and recommended indictments of more than a dozen people; its forewoman strongly hinted in an interview with The New York Times in February that Mr. Trump was among them. To bring any charges, Ms. Willis must now seek indictments from a regular grand jury. Source link Read the full article

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Explosions Damage Crimea Bridge as Russia Blames Ukraine for Attack

Predawn explosions hit the only bridge linking the occupied Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia on Monday, damaging a vital symbol of President Vladimir V. Putin’s claims to sovereignty over Ukrainian territory and briefly disrupting a major supply line to Russian troops.The blasts were the second time the Kerch Strait Bridge has been hit in 10 months. And though these inflicted far less damage than an explosives-laden truck that blew up last October, they exposed the vulnerability of the bridge — and other Russian supply routes far from the front — as Ukraine wages a grueling counteroffensive to retake land.Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of using maritime drones to assault the bridge, a strategic link for Russian forces fighting in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials celebrated the attack, but neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the blasts.Hours after the attack, Moscow announced that it was pulling out of the Black Sea grain deal, an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite Moscow’s naval blockade. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said the bridge attack was not related to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the deal, which had helped keep global food prices stable.Rail service over the bridge resumed Monday morning. But damage to the car lanes, which appeared to have left part of the road tilting, according to video verified by The New York Times, threatened to constrict Russian logistical operations.If the bridge were destroyed or severely damaged, Moscow would be left with a single major land route from Russia, along the southern coast of Ukraine, to support tens of thousands of soldiers fighting to hold onto territory captured in the first weeks of its invasion.Mr. Putin, in a meeting with transportation officials broadcast on state TV, condemned the explosions as “another terrorist attack perpetrated by the Kyiv regime.” He said the Ministry of Defense was preparing Russia’s response and that Russia’s main security service, the F.S.B., would investigate.“Given that this is the second terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge,” Mr. Putin said, “I am waiting for concrete proposals to improve the security of this strategically important transportation facility.”One bridge segment was destroyed, and another was dislocated by more than 30 inches, according to Marat Khusnullin, a Russian deputy prime minister. But the main support pillars remained intact, which Mr. Putin called “good news.”Mr. Khusnullin said limited vehicle traffic might resume as soon as Tuesday. Less damaged lanes would be restored by mid-September, and the rest of the lanes by November, he said.Pro-war Russian military bloggers and commentators described the attack, which officials said killed two people and injured a third, as evidence of another failure by the Russian military command. Igor Girkin, a former Russian intelligence officer who runs a prominent blog, said that Ukraine would strike again and again until the bridge link is severed.The attack came as Ukrainian forces were engaged in a grinding counteroffensive, now five-weeks old, aimed at driving Russian forces from areas of southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian forces are dug in behind fields laden with land mines, so the Ukrainian military has been forced to move cautiously and progress has been slow.Isolating Russian forces in Crimea is an essential part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive strategy, according to analysts. Ukrainian ground forces have been seeking to drive a wedge through the natural land bridge that connects Russia to the peninsula through southern Ukraine, and have repeatedly targeted the bridge, which Mr. Putin ordered built after Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.When the bridge opened in 2018, Mr. Putin hailed it as a “remarkable” achievement that strengthened Crimea. With its opening, he said, “all of us are even closer to each other.”The explosion that hit the bridge last October was large enough to rupture fuel tanks on a passing train, setting it on fire, and pulled part of the roadway off its joints and into the sea. Ukrainian officials did not acknowledge any role until months later, but have called the 12-mile bridge a legitimate military target because of its vital logistical role in the Kremlin’s war effort.“Any illegal structures used to deliver Russian instruments of mass murder are necessarily short-lived, regardless of the reasons for the destruction,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, said on Twitter on Monday.After the October attack, Moscow stepped up countermeasures to defend the structure, deploying a ship with an array of radar reflectors to protect the bridge.A Russian agency, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, said in a statement that Ukraine attacked the bridge on Monday with two maritime drones, a claim that could not be independently verified. Video and photographs verified by The Times showed the most significant damage along a span of the bridge heading into Russia. One photo also showed a damaged car on the bridge.Though taking down a bridge in wartime has historically been difficult, airborne and waterborne drones may provide new ways to target the weakest points.“Precision-guided weapons, where you can hit a specific part of the bridge, make it less difficult to knock it out,” said Samuel J. Cox, a retired rear admiral and the director of the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington. “That allows you to get to a specific point on the bridge where you can do more damage.”But bridge designs have improved over the years, meaning a bridge often retains the structural integrity to be repaired, instead of having to be replaced.“I would think the Russians would be able to fix this fairly quickly,” Admiral Cox said.Milana Mazaeva, Ivan Nechepurenko, James Glanz and Axel Boada contributed reporting. Source link Read the full article

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Wagner's rebellion could hit Kremlin's 'pro-Russian state' in Africa

BANGUI, Central African Republic - March 23, 2023: Demonstrators carry banners in Bangui, on March 22, 2023 during a march in support of Russia's presence in the Central African Republic. Taking advantage of the vacuum created by the departure of the bulk of French troops, Moscow sent "military instructors" to the country in 2018, then hundreds of Wagner paramilitaries in 2020 at the request of Bangui, faced with a threatening rebellion.BARBARA DEBOUT/AFP via Getty ImagesSince the Wagner Group's aborted rebellion against the Russian military late last month, a cloud of uncertainty has hovered over the mercenary force's operations around the world.The Wagner Group, a paramilitary unit founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia, is known for both brutality and effectiveness in its role as a private mercenary contractor with close ties to the Kremlin, often popping up on conflict-ridden states to help fragile governments repel armed insurgencies.Its fighters have played a key role in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, securing crucial territories in some of the conflict's bloodiest battles to date. But the group also has a significant presence elsewhere in the world — not least in Africa.Hundreds of Wagner troops were spotted last week departing from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic (CAR), where the Kremlin-linked group has its largest and broadest overseas presence.It comes just weeks after Wagner boss Prigozhin embarked on an ill-fated rebellion in Russia, ordering his troops fighting in Ukraine to march toward Moscow.The mutiny ended with a deal brokered by Belorussian leader Alexander Lukashenko that saw Prigozhin seemingly exiled to Belarus, but a lack of clarity has ensued over his whereabouts.Meanwhile, Wagner's chain of command has been called into question, with the Kremlin attempting to re-establish its control over the previously allied mercenary force.Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that mercenaries who were not involved in the mutiny may be offered the opportunity to sign contracts with the Russian armed forces, rather than handing over their arms. Sky News reported Friday that the Wagner personnel who left CAR had refused to sign new these contracts.It remains unclear whether the exodus of Wagner personnel in CAR last week was related to a routine rotation of troops, a refusal to sign contracts, or a Moscow-ordered withdrawal designed to curb Prigozhin's empire.However, the Officers' Union for International Security (OUIS), a U.S.-sanctioned Wagner front company operating in CAR, announced over the weekend that a fresh wave of fighters had arrived in the CAR capital of Bangui."The planned rotation continues. Several hundred experienced professionals from the Wagner company are joining the team working in CAR," the OUIS said in a statement on Telegram."Russian instructors will continue to aid soldiers in the Central African armed forces to ensure security in anticipation of the constitutional referendum scheduled for July 30."Whatever the reason for the rotation, Alex Vines, director of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, told CNBC on Wednesday that the number of troops departing "seems higher than normal."Chris Weafer, CEO of Moscow-based Macro-Advisory, noted that Prigozhin appears to have reached an "understanding" with the Kremlin. "He will not again threaten the regime, and in exchange, he can remain free to manage his business interests and, possibly, to continue managing Wagner," he told CNBC.Weafer suggested that Wagner, or some variation of it, will "continue to be useful for the Kremlin" in several countries in Africa, adding that it is "unlikely they will again operate in eastern Ukraine.""It is a very Russian solution to what is essentially an internal power dispute," he added.The 'pro-Russian state' experiment in AfricaOver the past six years, Wagner has established a significant presence on the African continent, both militarily and in terms of political and economic influence, serving as an important vehicle for Russia to expand its diplomatic and economic interests.Mercenary activities have been confirmed in CAR, Sudan, Libya, Mali and Mozambique, but Chatham House's Vines noted that only in the CAR has Wagner been able to establish an all-encompassing military, economic and political presence.Wagner entered CAR in 2018 at the request of President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to protect the government and lucrative mines against armed rebels amid an ongoing civil war. The group's influence has since expanded to include the mining of gold and other natural resources.It proved an opportune moment for Moscow, which saw the potential to expand its geopolitical reach as France began to loosen ties to its former colonies in Africa.

Vines noted that the Kremlin had initially planned to build on its warm relationship with former Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir to establish a pro-Russian, geostrategically significant state, until the Bashir regime was overthrown in a military coup in 2019.It was then that Wagner's presence in CAR, and Touadéra's growing dependence on the mercenary force, took on additional importance."Originally, saw it as an extension of their ambition to use Sudan as a big platform with Al-Bashir — and have a big corridor going through — but then Al-Bashir collapsed, but they continued on experimentation on how to create a pro-Russian state in Africa, which is what I think we have in the Central African Republic," Vines explained. The Russian foreign ministry has been contacted for comment by CNBC.CAR has since become a vehicle for Russia's ambitions in Africa, however a divisive referendum at the end of the month — called by Touadéra in an effort to override the country's constitution and run for a third term in office — will offer a stern test of its efforts to prop up the government against a backdrop of widespread conflict and human rights abuses.Wagner itself has been accused by numerous international bodies of perpetrating human rights abuses in CAR, including the torture and killing of civilians, though it maintains a strong public image in the country of having successfully quashed violent rebel uprisings at the government's behest.

New challengers

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Touadéra in Gabon in March, with many commentators suggesting both parties wish to see CAR, which gained independence from France in 1960, diversify its international partnerships away from what has become a heavy dependence on Russia.As well as Western efforts to rebuild ties with CAR and other African nations in which Wagner has a presence, Putin and Prigozhin may also begin to face challenges from other African forces such as Rwanda, Vines noted.Rwandan President Paul Kagame earlier this year signed an agreement to provide security services in Benin, and also visited Guinea, while Rwandan forces have been active in repelling militant factions in northern Mozambique.Although Rwandan forces have proven "disciplined and effective" in their more distant security partnerships, they have also been linked to atrocities perpetrated by Kigali-backed M23 rebel groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

These have included summary executions, rape, forced recruitment of civilians and a litany of alleged war crimes, according to various human rights groups, and Rwanda's support for M23 has taken the country to the brink of war with its vast but unstable neighbor. The Rwandan government has denied supporting the rebels.During his state visit to Benin, Kagame also took shots at the West over its attempts to persuade African states not to engage with Russia and China."Those who come to Africa you hear people complain about China, then about Russia, but how about them? What right do they have to be in Africa that others don't have?" Kagame told a joint press conference with Beninese President Patrice Talon."What we need to do in Africa is to be together, to identify what we need in terms of partnerships and who offers what we need."

Wagner revenue

Another cloud on Wagner's horizon is its future revenue stream, particularly given its tense relationship with Moscow following the rebellion.Putin has previously confirmed that the group receives Kremlin funding, and has been subsidized by Moscow to the tune of $1 billion, but Vines suggested this was primarily directed toward its operation in Ukraine.While Russian government funding may have helped Wagner establish itself in CAR, Vines noted that the group had several years to fully entrench itself in the economy and start generating its own revenue, as part of the broader experiment of creating a "pro-Russian state."If brought under the Kremlin's umbrella during a costly ongoing war, that government funding is more likely to be diverted toward the war effort in Ukraine, while any Wagner commercial activity will need to generate quick returns.The state-backed, gradual expanse seen in CAR will not therefore be replicable anywhere else in Africa, Vines suggested, because "there just isn't the pocket and the strategic patience for it that the Russians had" back in 2018. Source link Read the full article