The remains of a Medal of Honor recipient who went missing in action during the Korean War have been identified almost 73 years later and will be buried on 29 May, Memorial Day. The body of Cpl. Luther H. Story will be interred at Andersonville National Cemetery in Georgia. Story was last seen fighting off North Korean attackers so that his fellow soldiers could escape. Unable to flee himself due to his wounds, Story remained behind, using every weapon available to fend off more attackers. He was posthumously awarded the highest military honor for his bravery.
Russian human rights organization OVD-Info has explained why Russian citizens have been reluctant to protest against the state when hundreds have opposed the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has seen daily “signs of resistance” since the decade-long Kremlin political crackdown began, with protests ranging from leaflet distribution to the burning of military recruitment offices, however, they have been met with jail sentences and state-sponsored hounding. The Kremlin’s repression has been guided by fear of a democratic wave across the former Soviet Union, as well as preparations for war. Russians who voice their opinions are often attacked by the government, with the majority of the population afraid to either support or oppose the war. Ordinary Russians are living with the fear of committing thought crimes and opposing the conflict, whilst the government continues its relentless persecution of protesters; since 2015, 496 people have been put through criminal prosecution and more than 60,000 protesters punished for minor offences.
Cyclone Mocha has killed at least 145 people and left 800,000 at risk in Myanmar, according to the UN. Aid has been held up by the military government, with the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) ready to deploy urgently needed food, water, medical supplies and assistance as soon as possible. The WFP has warned of a “trail of devastation” as power lines, schools and hospitals have been destroyed and telecommunications disrupted in Rakhine State. Relief for this area has been particularly difficult to co-ordinate as it harbours a large population of Rohingya people, a mostly-Muslim minority that successive Burmese governments have refused to recognise.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
The Mexican Navy has taken over a section of railway in southern Mexico operated by Grupo Mexico Transportes, leading to a 4% fall in shares for the infrastructure and mining company. Other Mexican public works have also been allocated to the armed forces, as part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's efforts to develop the country’s poorer regions. Last week, the Mexican government issued a decree authorising the temporary takeover of around 120 km of track for the Inter-Oceanic Corridor upgrade. The decree invoked an expropriation law that allows the government to declare areas of public utility.
The Group of Seven (G7) summit, held in Hiroshima, did not reach a consistent tone of animosity towards China. While the G7 has shown more unity towards Russia, China remains a divisive issue among the US and its allies. The summit was an opportunity to consolidate support for Ukraine, strengthen sanctions against Russia, discuss Taiwan, supply chains, Beijing’s quasi-alliance with Moscow and its alleged economic coercion against other countries. The list of G7 invitees included the major emerging economies of Brazil, Indonesia, and India, along with Indo-Pacific powers such as South Korea, Vietnam, and Australia. Though some analysts speculated that the summit was aimed at Beijing, observers have said that Europe holds different views towards China and harshened its stance towards the country. The feud between China and Japan has escalated since the Kishida government increased support for stronger security alliances; China, in response, accused Japan of using its position as the host of the G7 summit to whitewash its history of militarist aggression.
The Mexican government has seized control of a private railway line to help build a rail-seaport network, discouraging investments in the region. The railway line on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec now requires compensation for the “temporary occupation” of the Grupo Mexico Transportes-owned property. The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, plans to build industrial parks and LNG terminals to boost development in the area. The recent seizure of the port and railway line affected Vulcan Materials' salt export business and other companies currently doing business in Mexico may be impacted by similar seizures in the future.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
US President Joe Biden began his third day in Japan at the G7 summit with discussions aimed at rallying regional cooperation against China. On the same day, the president was also scheduled to hold a series of meetings challenging China’s expansion across the Indo-Pacific, along with members of the US, Australia, Japan and India Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. During the summit, Biden was keeping up with what is being discussed regarding the US federal debt limit. There has been tension as domestic dramas continue to hold back an image of global leadership that the US government is working hard to convey, according to reports.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting capital city Port Moresby, and will be driven along a major six-lane highway built by China ahead of Monday's summit of Pacific leaders. President Joe Biden had planned a visit to the region, but due to concerns over Covid-19 and with his domestic political agenda taking precedent, Blinken has been dispatched instead. The rivalry between China and the US in the Pacific has allowed Pacific governments to play one off against the other, with significant aid, loans and construction projects flowing into their coffers.
Leaders of the G7 countries and their invited guests, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia, are meeting in Hiroshima over the next few days. The likely topics for discussion include the Ukraine conflict, growing Chinese dominance and the threat to Taiwan as well as issues surrounding supply chains and economic and energy security. The prominent attendance of India, a country that chairs the G20 this year, is highlighted as likely to shine a spotlight on the developing world. However, many have asked why the focus of the summit is background noise, rather than on the nuclear threat signaled by North Korea's recent nuclear tests and missile launches.
India and Australia are seeking to deepen their economic and strategic ties amid a regional security realignment in the Indo-Pacific, at a time when the US and China are in heightened competition. As the two nations ink their first free-trade agreement, business insiders suggest many Australian firms may find it difficult to compete on price in India. India-born Raj Khanna, an events organiser in Australia, warned that doing business with India could be risky, with the potential need to bribe officials. Coal accounts for 70% of Australia’s exports to India, but mining interests were ignored by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a recent trade visit in India, which has attracted criticism. However, Albanese did promote Australian solar manufacturing, and hopes to align the countries on mutual investments in areas such as tourism, resources, and clean energy.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
The US will allow Ukraine to buy F-16s after the White House overruled concerns from military officials over the risk of escalating the conflict with Russia. President Joe Biden said the jets would help Ukraine deter Russian aggression. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that the decision would bring peace closer, and Zelensky had already arrived at the G7 summit in Japan to hold important meetings with his allies. Military experts said the aircraft would be a significant upgrade from Ukraine’s ageing Soviet-era fleet, offering greater ability to strike targets in the air or on the ground.
US President Joe Biden has apologised to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia for his cancelled trip to the country and said that negotiations to resolve the US debt crisis were “in their closing stages” ahead of the rescheduled Quad summit on Saturday night. Biden said he was confident the US will avoid a default if the deadline of 1 June is met. At the summit in Hiroshima, Biden is expected to discuss threats to regional and global security with leaders from India, Japan and Australia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to attend the G7 summit on Sunday, allowing him to confront Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, two crucial developing countries that have maintained close ties with Moscow despite the country’s invasion of Ukraine, about their lack of support for sanctions against Russia, with their obfuscation over who is to blame for the conflict in which Kyiv is preparing to push for battlefield gains. Experts believe Zelenskyy’s presence should serve as a ‘symbol of unity’ against Russia.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
With most of Australia's key attractions and cities located around its fringes, cruises (preferably topped and tailed with land-based touring) are a great way to explore numerous Down Under wonders in a single trip, writes John Lee in iNews. Although Brits tend to overlook Australia as a cruise destination, the country with the world's largest island has over 37,000 miles of coastline fronting the Southern, Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as several smaller seas. There are several types of cruises available in the country, from mega-ships with a plethora of facilities, boutique brands with a more refined air, and luxurious riverboats to expedition ships that can sail to remote places. The Kimberley, Western Australia's vast and sparsely populated wilderness region, is one such place and is best explored with Coral Expeditions, which has been cruising the area for four decades. A ten-night Darwin to Broome cruise with the company costs from £3,965 ($5,495) per person and departs between April and September each year.
Guest leaders from the so-called Global South have joined discussions at the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which also convened private sector executives, offering "an alternative to financing from China with investments in a transparent and fair manner," according to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Some countries, including India and Brazil, have called for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, while increasing energy imports from Russia, and new power struggles are emerging as the US, UK and EU face criticism over funding to poorer countries for infrastructure projects.
Leaders at the G7 summit in Japan have held talks focusing on the deepening dominance of China and political tensions on the Korean peninsula. The likely impact on the Japanese economy of the UK's Brexit decision is also a significant concern. Top of the agenda was the situation in the Ukraine and issues related to economic security and supply chains. India's attendance, as chair of the G20, has highlighted the importance of the developing world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made several contributions to the talks, arguing for inclusive food systems to be created across the world. At a separate meeting, involving the leaders of Japan and Brazil, mention was made of the need for security council reform. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima, where he laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
