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China sanctions five US arms manufacturers over Taiwan weapons sales

China sanctions five US arms manufacturers over Taiwan weapons sales

The move follows US approval of $300m in military aid for the self-ruled island, which holds elections in a week. China has announced sanctions against five US arms manufacturers over weapons sales to Taiwan. Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals, while the United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The sanctions come ahead of Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and parliamentary elections, which China has claimed are a choice between war and peace. Last month, the US State Department approved a $300m arms package to strengthen Taipei’s joint battle command and control system, prompting Beijing to say it would take unspecified “countermeasures” against the companies involved. China’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday sanctioned the companies BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions. “The countermeasures consist of freezing the properties of those companies in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibiting organisations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them,” the ministry said in a statement. “The US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region… seriously harm China’s sovereignty and security interests,” it added. Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016, claiming she wants independence. Tsai has said it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide their future. Her vice president, William Lai, is running for the top job against Hou Yu-ih of the more China-friendly KMT. Taiwan has reported regular sightings of Chinese warplanes and balloons around the island in the weeks running up to the election and has warned Beijing against seeking to influence the outcome of the poll. Adblock test (Why?)

All you need to know about the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023

All you need to know about the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023

Tournament format, venues, title favourites, groups and prize money for AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast. The Confederation of African Football’s (CAF’s) highly anticipated African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 is set to kick off on January 13 in the Ivory Coast, where the continent’s biggest stars are expected to shine after an impressive showing for their respective clubs and the Qatar World Cup 2022. The tournament boasts five teams from the tournament in Qatar, with semifinalists at the global showpiece – Morocco – the red-hot favourites to become the champions of Africa. Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming AFCON: Who are the hosts? The African Cup of Nations takes place in Ivory Coast for a second time. Matches will be held at six stadiums across five cities. The capital, Abidjan, offers two venues – the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium and the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, which will also host the final. Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Korhogo and San Pedro will host the remaining fixtures. All-time #TotalEnergiesAFCON stats for the 2023 hosts Côte d’Ivoire. 📝 How will these change by the end of #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023? ☄️ pic.twitter.com/UVPxBtXYzp — CAF (@CAF_Online) November 5, 2023 Which teams have qualified? Group A – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau Group B – Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique Group C – Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, and The Gambia Group D – Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Angola Group E – Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, and Namibia Group F – Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania When are the opening fixtures? Ivory Coast face Guinea-Bissau in the opening match at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, on January 13 in Group A. The kickoff is at 20:00 GMT. The host nation will have the focus on the first day, but after that, there will be a minimum of two games per day through the group stage. On match-day two, Nigeria take on Equatorial Guinea at 14:00 GMT to complete the first round of fixtures in Group A, with the game again being played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium. Abidjan remains the focus for the next two games of the day as Egypt meet Mozambique before Ghana open against Cape Verde. Both Group B games will be played at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium that day, with kickoff times of 15:00 GMT and 20:00 GMT, respectively. The newly built Alassane Ouattara Stadium will host the opening match and the final of the 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations [File: Luc Gnago/Reuters] How does the group stage work? The top two teams in each group and the four best-ranked third-placed teams will advance to the last 16. The bottom teams and the two worst-ranked third-placed teams in each group will be eliminated from the tournament. How does the knockout stage work? There will be three rest days from January 24 before the last-16 fixtures commence. This is how the last 16 stage looks: Group D winners vs third place Group B/E/F Group A runners-up vs Group C runners-up Group A winners vs third place Group C/D/E Group B second place vs Group F runners-up Group B winners vs third place Group A/C/D Group C winners vs third Place Group A/B/F Group E winners vs Group D runners-up Group F winners vs Group E runners-up Egypt have won a record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles, but Mohamed Salah has lost in both the 2017 and 2021 finals [File: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters] Who are the past winners? Egypt are the record winners in AFCON’s history with seven titles. They were also runners-up most recently, in 2017 and 2022 [or 2021? the caption above has 2021.]. Cameroon are the second most successful team with five wins. Ghana have lifted the trophy on four occasions but not since 1982. That still, however, will irk their West African rivals, Nigeria, who have claimed the title three times. Hosts Ivory Coast, Algeria (winners in 2019) and DR Congo have two wins each. Senegal are defending their only Africa Cup of Nations crown, while Morocco, the highest-ranked nation, have also only been crowned winners once, and that was in 1976. Tunisia, Zambia, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa and the Republic of the Congo have also lifted the title on one occasion. Constant #TotalEnergiesAFCON participants! 📝 Does your nation make it to the list? 👀 pic.twitter.com/nqPd3nkG1x — CAF (@CAF_Online) October 7, 2023 Who are the favourites? World Cup semifinalists Morocco are the clear favourites as they look to end a nearly 40-year wait for their second AFCON crown. The 1976 winners are the highest-ranked team at the tournament. Reigning champions Senegal and the team they defeated in the last edition, Egypt, are expected to be the teams to push them closest. Nigeria boast the squad with the most depth as you can read in our analysis of the favourites [link?]. How much is the prize money? There will be a 40 percent increase in the prize money for the winners of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The winners of the latest edition in Ivory Coast will receive 5.5 million pounds ($7m). The runners-up will get 3.165 million pounds ($4m), with each of the two semifinalists receiving 1.979 million pounds ($2.5m) and the four quarterfinalists taking 1.029 million pounds ($1.3m) each. Where can the matches be watched? Global listings are available from livesoccertv.com. Adblock test (Why?)

Can Pakistan’s Indus River dolphins be saved?

Can Pakistan’s Indus River dolphins be saved?

Gliding through the waters of the Indus River, Pakistan’s river dolphins – known locally as “bulhan” – can be glimpsed as they rise up to gulp air before submerging once again into the murky waters. It was a rare sighting in 2004 that spurred the then-14-year-old Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to become a climate activist. Now 33, the acclaimed artist and grandson of his namesake, the former president of Pakistan, said that until that moment, he had only ever heard about the fabled dolphins from stories told by older family members. “I knew about them, and people knew that they existed in the river. To me, they were almost like unicorns,” he told Al Jazeera. The dolphins, whose numbers had dwindled severely since the early 1900s, started to make a slow comeback in the 1970s when the hunting of dolphins for their meat and blubber was outlawed. Now, more and more are being spotted in the river again. What are the Indus River dolphins? Unlike unicorns, the Indus River dolphins are very real. They are, however, at risk of extinction, and despite more of their number being identified in recent years, they remain on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of endangered species. Part of the cetacean family, a group of mammals that also includes whales and porpoises, these dolphins have distinct, elongated noses like blunt swords, which they use to find food along the bottom of the river. They have minuscule eyes – “as big as pinpricks to protect them from river silt that builds up in their freshwater habitats”, Bhutto explained. In fact, the dolphins are functionally blind – unable to see objects but able to detect shifts in light. One of the remaining 2,100 dolphins that live in the Indus River in Pakistan [Shutterstock] The Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) and its cousin, the Ganges river dolphin – locally known as “susu” (Platanista gangetica gangetica) – are two river dolphin subspecies that are today the only surviving members of a once primitive and widespread group of archaic cetaceans that swam in the ancient Tethys Sea 50 million years ago. The Tethys Sea once covered what is now India, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean. As the lands shifted and sea levels dropped, the freshwater-only Indus River dolphins were left behind in inland rivers in what is now Pakistan. Back in the late 19th century, dolphins swam in the lower parts of the Indus in Pakistan and in the Beas River, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India. In 1878 and 1879, a survey carried out by the British zoologist John Anderson tallied about 10,000 dolphins across what was then British India. In 2001, a survey by the Wildlife Department of Pakistan’s Sindh province found 617 dolphins remaining in the Indus River. This number rose to just under 1,000 in 2004. Today, there are 2,100 – an improvement, but not enough. The survival of these dolphins is crucial to the local ecostructure. They are considered an “indicator” species, acting as an indicator of the health of the rivers in which they live. “They are the canaries in the coal mine of freshwater,” Bhutto said. “If they are breeding and reproducing, it means they are doing well. If there is a drop, then it means something is wrong in the river’s ecosystem.” What caused the dolphin population to dwindle? Bhutto cited the work of Gill Braulik, a leader in the conservation of marine mammals who is based at St Andrews University in Scotland. In 2012, she proved that a series of dams and barrages (low-level dams) built by the British in the mid-20th century had led to the river dolphins’ decline. Barrages, in particular, were built to divert water into canals to irrigate farmland. This caused some areas of the river to become too shallow for the dolphins, which have also frequently been trapped by gates built into the barrages. The barrages have segmented the river and artificially isolated the dolphin population. When a barrage opens its gate, a dolphin may be swept downstream and is then unable to swim back upstream as it once could because of strong currents created by the barrages. Being trapped in the lower parts of the river is problematic because water extraction to the canals means the river dries up for several months each year. The barrages “systematically annihilated the dolphin populations in the tributaries”, Bhutto said. The Sukkar Barrage, built in Sindh, Bhutto’s home province, to control flooding and provide irrigation, was the first to open in 1932. Today, it feeds into the largest irrigation system in the world, providing irrigation to more than 7.63 million acres (nearly 31sq km) of land. Five more would follow from 1946 to 1971: the Guddu Barrage, the Kotri (also known as the Ghulam Muhammad) Barrage, the Taunsa Barrage, the Chashma Barrage and the Jinnah Barrage. The Indus River’s barrages have devastated the dolphin population [Creative Commons] The river dolphins, which once had free reign over the waterways, had been able to swim all 3,180km (1,976 miles) of the Indus, from the foothills of the Himalayas and Karakoram mountains to its delta in Sindh, where its waters empty into the Arabian Sea, and all of its tributaries. But these new structures meant they were now contained within the six smaller enclaves that existed between these barrages. While swimming along the canals, which were built following the natural pathways of the river’s tributaries, many became trapped, stuck in shallow canals or, worse, caught in fishing nets. “They need to come up for air every two to three minutes. If they get trapped in a net, then they can drown within five minutes,” Bhutto explained. “They are extremely fragile creatures.” “We don’t know how much of the population declined in those days [the mid-1900s] as they weren’t being tracked, but it declined, becoming almost extinct in the tributaries, so there was only a population left in the mainstream of the river.” By 1960,

DNC criticizes New Hampshire Democratic Party for ‘detrimental’ primary process

DNC criticizes New Hampshire Democratic Party for ‘detrimental’ primary process

The Democratic National Committee called the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s upcoming primary process “detrimental.” The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs Minyon Moore and James Roosevelt Jr. wrote in a letter to the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s chair, Raymond Buckley, that “The event on January 23, 2024 cannot be used as the first determining stage of the state’s delegate selection process and is considered detrimental.” “The NHDP must take steps to educate the public that January 23rd is a non-binding presidential preference event and is meaningless and the NHDP and presidential candidates should take all steps possible not to participate,” the letter, obtained by POLITICO, reads. LIZ CHENEY CALLS ON NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTERS TO FIGHT ‘PLAGUE OF COWARDICE’ IN REPUBLICAN PARTY This comes after New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan, a Republican, announced that the state would hold its primary on Jan. 23, undermining Democrats’ efforts to hold the party’s first primary in South Carolina on Feb. 3. “We are aware that the Party intends to host a delegate selection process on Saturday, January 6,” the letter reads. “We advise you to inform participants that this process has not been approved by the RBC and is therefore not the approved route to become a Delegate to the National Convention, nor will it be recommended for approval by the RBC.” Buckley said in a statement to POLITICO that it is “nothing new. They’ve been saying that for a year, yet we persist.” HALEY SPARKS STRONG REACTIONS FROM CAUCUS-GOERS AFTER TELLING NH VOTERS TO ‘CORRECT’ IOWA CAUCUS Iowa and New Hampshire have historically been the first states in the Democrats’ election process. However, President Biden and the DNC attempted to change the primary calendar this year to kick off with South Carolina, a state that propelled the president to victory in 2020, to try and increase racial diversity in the election process. “The Democratic Party looks like America, and so does this proposal,” DNC Chair Jamie Harrison said of the plan last year. 

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 683

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 683

As the war enters its 683rd day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Sunday, January 7, 2024. Fighting At least 11 people, including five children, were killed by a Russian missile attack in and around the Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk. Vadym Filashkin, the regional governor of Ukraine’s partially-occupied eastern Donetsk region, said eight people were injured in the attack. Ukraine’s military said it carried out a successful attack on the Saky military airbase in the west of the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. “Saki airfield! All targets were hit!” Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram. He also published a photo appearing to show the airfield. Russia said earlier that its air defence units brought down Ukrainian missiles and drones targeting Crimea and the western part of the Black Sea. Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Local officials in Belgorod – a Russian city some 40km (25 miles) from the border with Ukraine – said that an “air target” was shot down on approach to the city. As Russians prepared to celebrate Orthodox Christmas, Christmas Eve masses in Belgorod were cancelled due to the “operational situation”, Mayor Valentin Demidov said. Politics and diplomacy Speaking on the eve of the Russian Orthodox Christmas as he met families of soldiers killed in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin promised more support for soldiers who “with arms in hands” were defending Russia’s interests. In a rare public protest, about 15 Russian women whose husbands have been sent to fight in the Russian full-scale invasion symbolically laid flowers at the flame of the unknown soldier beneath the walls of the Kremlin in Moscow and demanded the men’s return from the front. About 244,000 Russians have been mobilised to fight in Ukraine out of a total force of about 617,000 troops. The remains of the suspected North Korea-supplied missile in the snow [Serget Bobok/AFP] Shalanda Young, United States President Joe Biden’s top budget official, warned about the rapidly diminishing amount of time for lawmakers in Congress to replenish US aid for Ukraine. The funding has been blocked by Republicans demanding the $106bn plan, which also includes support for Israel, be linked to immigration measures at the US-Mexico border. Young said the situation was “dire”. Weapons Ukraine provided further evidence that Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles supplied by North Korea, as the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office showed the media fragments of a weapon that hit the northeastern city on January 2. Spokesman Dmytro Chubenko said the missile was slightly bigger in diameter than the Russian Iskander missile, while its nozzle, internal electrical windings and rear parts were also different. Russia aims to produce more than 32,000 drones each year by 2030 and for domestic producers to account for 70 percent of the market, the state TASS news agency reported, citing First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov. Adblock test (Why?)