Japan protests over Chinese ambassador's "extremely inappropriate" comment about Japanese people who would be "dragged into the fire" if they support Taiwan's independence ( www.reuters.com )
Japan has lodged a protest against the Chinese ambassador's "extremely inappropriate" comments about Taiwan, chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday....
Syria: protests against HTS face repression in Idlib ( countervortex.org )
UK defence minister says intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine ( www.reuters.com )
British defence minister Grant Shapps accused China on Wednesday of providing or preparing to provide Russia with lethal aid for use by Moscow in its war against Ukraine....
Ireland and Spain have followed Norway in announcing their recognition of a Palestinian state ( www.dw.com )
Norway, Spain, and Ireland will recognize an independent Palestinian state as of May 28....
China: Mass Relocations of Tibetans Coerced by Extreme Pressure and Misleading Information, Rights Group says ( www.hrw.org )
- The Chinese government is using extreme forms of pressure to coerce Tibetans to relocate their long-established villages....
Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response, Estonian leader says ( www.independent.co.uk )
Perched on the open ramp at the rear of a British Chinook helicopter, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas flew home from the annual Spring Storm military exercises, pleased to see NATO allies cooperating. But she later said that other types of warfare were on her mind....
Activists lament 'impunity' of Iran's Raisi after crash death ( www.france24.com )
Human rights groups and emigre opposition factions expressed regret that Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death meant he never saw justice for crimes they say he committed during decades as a leading figure in the Islamic republic.--...
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Foreign businesses operating in China and Taiwan raise concerns about Beijing's recently-revised state secrets law ( www.dw.com )
China's expanded Law on the Guarding of State Secrets, which was passed by lawmakers in February, took effect on May 1 to bring it into line with Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent efforts to broaden national security-driven regulations....
War in Ukraine: Peace on Russian terms will not mean an end to human suffering, Estonian Prime Minister says ( www.eurointegration.com.ua )
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Poland arrests nine on charges of Russian-ordered sabotage ( www.euractiv.com )
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Iran hangs at least seven people, including two women, as surge in executions intensifies, rights group says ( www.al-monitor.com )
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Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi says she is facing a new trial after she accused the security forces of sexually assaulting women ( www.bbc.com )
In a message from Evin prison where she is being held, Ms Mohammadi said the trial relates to an audio post, in which she condemned a "full-scale war against women" by the Iranian regime....
Wikileaks' Julian Assange given permission to appeal against U.S. extradition, UK court rules ( www.reuters.com )
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange's battle to avoid extradition to the United States received a huge boost on Monday when London's High Court ruled that U.S. assurances over his case were unsatisfactory and he would get a full appeal hearing....
International Criminal Court applied for arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza for war crimes ( www.bbc.com )
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza for war crimes....
Chinese nationals are trying to get to Australia by boat over a weak economy and political oppression at home ( www.abc.net.au )
As night fell over the Indian Ocean, Li thought he would die in his boat....
Taiwan's new president calls on China to stop threatening the island and accept the existence of its democracy ( www.bbc.com )
- Beijing dislikes Taiwan's new President William Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which they see as pro-independence. It has ramped up military incursions around Taiwan's waters and airspace since his election win in January....
Prime Minister of Estonia: NATO troops training in Ukraine will not lead to an escalation of war ( westobserver.com )
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College Professors Are Being Fired for Activism on Gaza War ( theintercept.com )
Estonian parliament adopts law allowing use of Russian frozen assets ( www.riigikogu.ee )
Estonian MPs passed a law that enables the use of Russian assets frozen under international sanctions to compensate Ukraine for war damages....
Russian court seizes assets from European banks UniCredit, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank ( www.morningstar.com )
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Taiwan's outgoing president says boosting her country's military was the only way to defy China's threat - and that 'democratic countries need to support Ukraine' ( www.bbc.com )
When Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's President who soon leaves office after eight years and hands over to her successor William Lai, swept to power in 2016, she was dismissed as a dull bureaucrat. But she stood up to an increasingly authoritarian and aggressive China under Xi Jinping; she held on to a vital US alliance under Donald Trump...
Slovakia: Suspect in court as Putin’s friends capitalise on shooting of prime minister Robert Fico ( www.theguardian.com )
Media is barred from hearing as 71-year-old man appears in closed session over attempted assassination of prime minister....
The crew of the Dali, that hit the Baltimore bridge in februari, have been confined to their ship for almost 2 months now while investigations continue. ( edition.cnn.com )
Update: the ship has been towed now