#How China uses summits to advance its real agenda

#How China uses summits to advance its real agenda

The leaders of the Chinese Communist Party have long harbored a peculiar passion for summits. Often labeled “strategic dialogues” between China and its major adversaries, these meetings are rarely meant to solve any specific issues. More often, the CCP uses them as platforms to salvage its domestic credibility, to promote its global vision — and to hoodwink…

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#McConnell backs Speaker’s spending proposal despite lack of Ukraine money 

#McConnell backs Speaker’s spending proposal despite lack of Ukraine money 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is backing Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) two-step proposal to fund the government, even though it will not include funding for Ukraine, which is a top McConnell priority.   McConnell’s decision to embrace the new Speaker’s spending strategy means Republican leaders are united heading toward the Nov. 17 government funding…

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#South Korea is facing a Fukushima seafood dilemma

#South Korea is facing a Fukushima seafood dilemma

In August, Japan released treated radioactive water into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. China responded immediately with a blanket ban on all imports of Japanese seafood. The reverberations from this ban will likely be felt later this month, when the foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan, and China are expected to…

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#Putin’s long war gamble could be paying off

#Putin’s long war gamble could be paying off

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nears the end of its second year, a conclusion to the conflict seems as distant as ever.  Kyiv’s counteroffensive has failed to decisively break through the Russian Army’s prepared defenses in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is digging in for a long war and assumes it can outlast the…

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#Three charged in connection with ‘brothel network’ that allegedly served elected officials: DOJ

#Three charged in connection with ‘brothel network’ that allegedly served elected officials: DOJ

Three people were arrested for allegedly operating “sophisticated high-end brothels” in Virginia and Massachusetts that catered to high-powered clients, including elected officials and government contractors with security clearances, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday. Han Lee, 41, of Cambridge, Mass.; James Lee, 68, of Torrance, Calif.; and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Mass., were…

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