Monday, November 25

Types of News: Brief

News briefs are shorter stories about current events. It’s the who-what-when-and-where. “Just the facts, ma’am.” Please see our writers guidelines.

Afghanistan Is At the Center Of Attention This Month As The Taliban Raises Havoc
20Jul By Spencer HayesNo Comments
Diplomacy, Types of News: Brief

Afghanistan Is At the Center Of Attention This Month As The Taliban Raises Havoc

July 20, 2021--As foreign troops pull out of Afghanistan, neighboring countries are buttressing up their borders and extending ties with one another to protect themselves against instability. Meanwhile, the Taliban grow increasingly violent.  Growth in Terror Today, the Taliban attacked the presidential palace in Kabul by a rocket attack. Financial Times reported that the rocket attack is the consequence of increased Taliban control. Furthermore, the Taliban most recently seized the Spin Boldak border. Fighting between the Afghan military and Taliban members have placed civilians in the line of fire. On July 16th, Danish Siddiqui, a Reuters’ journalist and photographer, and a senior Afghan officer were killed in what Afghan officials a "Taliban crossfire". Siddiqui was covering the fi...
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Foreign Diplomats Discuss Path To Sustainable Development
16Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, International Development, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

Foreign Diplomats Discuss Path To Sustainable Development

July 16, 2021—International diplomats cast a particular eye this week on the needs of the world’s poorest countries. As they met under the leadership of the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), representatives looked at ways the poorest countries are trying to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. The high-level delegation meetings come amid warnings by the OECD and others that developing countries are at a high risk for rising discontent and protests as many economies struggle to recover from the global pandemic. Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 Representatives to the meetings this week met both in person and virually. They worked on a draft agenda for sustainable development goals for 2030. The draft agenda for SDGs is a significant document for the United Nations. It...
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U.S. and Russia Optimistic About Joint Climate Action
15Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Diplomacy, Types of News: Brief

U.S. and Russia Optimistic About Joint Climate Action

July 15, 2021—Top officials from the old Cold War’s top superpowers said they see an issue on which they can work together: climate change. Courtesy Needpix.com The optimistic outlook came during U.S. climate envoy John Kerry's four-day visit to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other government officials. The countries they represent produce the second and fourth greatest amounts of carbon dioxide emissions, respectively. China is number one and India is third.* Kerry said, “we believe that there is space for us to cooperate on this," as reported by Radio Free Europe. Lavrov agreed that such discussions are a positive move forward. The detente on climate change is a bright spot during a time of heightened tensions between th...
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China Issues Paper On Human Rights, Xinjiang
14Jul By Spencer HayesNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Human rights, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

China Issues Paper On Human Rights, Xinjiang

July 14, 2021--A day after the U.S. government warned against doing business in Xinjiang, China issued a White Paper today defending its human rights record and asserting that the elimination of poverty supports equal rights. Fighting Poverty And Terrorism "Poverty is a major problem that plagues humanity, and poverty eradication is the most arduous global human rights cause in the contemporary era," the white paper said. It reported that "From 1955 to 2020, Xinjiang’s GDP rose from RMB1.2 billion in 1955 to RMB1.4 trillion in 2020. On a per capita GDP basis, that is RMB241 in 1955 to RMB53,593 in 2020. According to the paper, extremists and terrorists from East Turkistan have incited hatred, discrimination, and violence inside Xinjiang, "taking advantage of people's ethnic and r...
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UN Security Council Unanimously Backs US-Russian Deal on Syrian Aid
14Jul By Spencer HayesNo Comments
Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, International Development, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Brief

UN Security Council Unanimously Backs US-Russian Deal on Syrian Aid

UN Security Council Unanimously Supports Compromise Plan On Aid Route. July 9, 2021 'Catastrophe Averted' For Syrian Refugees With One-Year Extension July 14, 2021—In a sign that diplomacy can work, the United Nations Security Council voted 15-0 late last week on a plan to keep a key transportation route open for humanitarian aid for Syrians impacted by the 10-year civil war. The action extends for one year a cross-border route along the Syrian-Turkish border for another 12 months. The high-level decision on the Bab al-Hawa border crossing impacts millions of Syrians. “Parents can sleep tonight knowing that their children will be fed for the next 12 months. The humanitarian agreement we have reached here will literally save lives,” said Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ...
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G20 Finance Ministers Back Carbon Taxes To Fight Climate Change
12Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Diplomacy, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

G20 Finance Ministers Back Carbon Taxes To Fight Climate Change

July 12, 2021—G20 finance ministers last week agreed carbon pricing could be an effective tool to help fight global climate change. During their meetings at the G20 High Level Tax Symposium on Tax Policy and Climate Change in Venice, Italy, the ministers also reaffirmed a 2050 target for net zero emissions of greenhouse gases, using carbon taxes as a way to get there. Photo by veeterzy on Unsplash Tools At Their Disposal While the ministers did not approve a carbon tax proposal, they acknowledged that different countries had many tools at their disposal to reduce emissions, but international cooperation is ultimately critical. Carbon Pricing, Explained Carbon pricing is a fee or tax on companies to cover the external costs of greenhouse gas emissions, such as...
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EU Invests In Western Balkan States, Discusses Enlargement Plans
9Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Europe, EU, Eurozone, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

EU Invests In Western Balkan States, Discusses Enlargement Plans

German Leader Angela Merkel hosts the 2021 Berlin Process in a virtual meeting. Angela Merkel Hosts 8th Annual Berlin Process Engaging Western Balkans July 7, 2021-European Union leaders said they are encouraged by the progress Western Balkan countries are making in pursuit of EU membership. Writing on Twitter, EU President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needs to “speed up the enlargement process.” She also said the process aids the applicants. The EU restated its commitment to helping the Western Balkans with post-pandemic economic recovery efforts via infrastructure investments, as well as financial and technical assistance among other avenues. Berlin Process for Admission The Berlin Process is the lengthy path to EU membership for Albania (applied 2009), Bosnia and Herz...
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Biden Extends Sanctions Over China’s Actions in Hong Kong
8Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

Biden Extends Sanctions Over China’s Actions in Hong Kong

July 8, 2021—President Joe Biden today extended the national emergency declared related to how China is governing Hong Kong. Continuing crackdowns by Beijing against pro-democracy advocates and media underline Biden’s decision. “The situation with respect to Hong Kong, including recent actions taken by the People’s Republic of China to fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy, continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” the extension stated. The order led to sanctions against individuals involved in the clampdown, including the freezing of economic assets in the U.S. and barring them from entering the country. Biden’s move continues for one year President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13936 of...
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8Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief, United States

Biden Extends Emergency Designation On Transnational Criminal Organizations

July 8, 2021—U.S. President Joe Biden extended a previous national emergency designation regarding the continued threat of transnational criminal organizations to U.S. national security and private interests. The White House’s announcement said transnational criminal organizations "continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." The order allows the U.S. government to block property of organizations involved in criminal activities in two or more countries. Extension of Obama Executive Order The declaration is actually a continuation of executive order 13581 first issued by President Barack Obama in 2011 and continued in 2016. That order named the following organizations: The Brothers' Circle, Camorra...
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EU Presses Hungary To Restore Rule of Law, Human Rights
8Jul By Steve BerlinNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Domestic Politics, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Brief

EU Presses Hungary To Restore Rule of Law, Human Rights

European Parliament debates a Hungarian law blocking broadcasts that include homosexuals. July 8, 2021. Source: European Commission. European Lawmakers Grow Increasingly Discontent Over Dismantling of Democracy in Hungary July 8, 2021--Six months into a new law linking EU funds to a condition requiring members to uphold the rule of law, European lawmakers are primed to use the new power in a case against member-state Hungary. Today, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution condemning Hungary for "state-sponsorship" of censorship against homosexuals. The vote of 459 for, 147 against and 58 abstentions came as a new Hungarian law banning depictions of homosexuals in media took effect. Today's resolution condemns "in the strongest possible terms" the Hun...
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