22.08.2022

The governor of the U.S. state of Indiana has become another U.S. politician to visit Taiwan. "Democratic allies must stand together," Taiwan's president said.

Despite tensions with China, a U.S. delegation has again visited the island republic of Taiwan. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen received the group led by Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb.

During the meeting, Tsai called for further strengthening of mutual relations. Taiwan is under military threat from China, she said. "At this moment, democratic allies must stand together and promote cooperation in all fields," Tsai said.

Holcomb had arrived in Taipei on Sunday for the previously unannounced visit. The governor promised that Indiana would continue to work on expanding a strategic partnership with Taiwan. He said he looks forward to future collaborations.

Just last week, five members of Congress led by Democratic Senator Ed Markey traveled to Taiwan. The visit came less than two weeks after a dispute with the government in Beijing over U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. The communist leadership regards the island as part of the People's Republic, firmly rejects official contacts between other countries and Taipei, and even threatens to conquer it. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as independent.

After Pelosi's visit, China began large-scale maneuvers around Taiwan. Among other things, a naval and air blockade and a possible conquest were practiced. Eleven ballistic missiles were also launched, one of which flew directly over Taiwan for the first time not far from the capital. It was the largest military show of force in decades.

22.08.2022

Tensions between the U.S. and China could grow into "the greatest challenge of mankind," according to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

In an interview with U.S. broadcaster CNN, excerpts of which were shown on television Friday, Kissinger said, "The unique thing about the situation is that both countries each have the capacity to destroy the world. And when they get into conflict, there's no restraint in the use of technology."

If there were a military conflict between the U.S. and China, the world would look infinitely worse today than it did after World War I, the 99-year-old said. "I think it's an obligation for our foreign policy and theirs to discuss the problems that could get out of control."

Kissinger calls Pelosi's Taiwan visit "unwise"

Kissinger called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan "unwise." He said it was just another drop in the bucket that gave China the opportunity to threaten Taiwan.

Kissinger advocates for a policy of détente with China. He traveled to the country as recently as November 2019, warning against escalation between the U.S. and China, and also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The German-American was born in Fürth, central Franconia, in 1923. His mother was Jewish, and in 1938 he fled to the United States with his parents and brother Walter Kissinger out of fear of the Nazis. Kissinger later served as national security adviser in the United States and as secretary of state from 1973 to 1977. In 1973, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for the Armistice and Disengagement Agreement with what was then North Vietnam.

South Korea and USA begin major maneuver

22.08.2022

South Korea has begun a major military maneuver together with the United States for the first time since 2018. In the past, these exercises had been reduced out of consideration for North Korea.

The maneuver, which will last a total of eleven days, will simulate North Korea's attack on the neighboring country. According to local media, South Korea's joint exercise with the U.S. consists of three elements: Repel North Korean attacks, defend the Seoul metropolitan area and go on the attack itself.

Large-scale civil defense exercise also

This time, that includes a large-scale civil defense drill in Seoul that will last several days and involve nearly half a million people and about 4,000 public institutions. South Korea's conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol said at the outset that only exercises identical to a real battle could defend the lives and security of the nation.

Only a few days ago, Yoon Suk Yeol had held out the prospect of extensive economic aid to the communist neighboring country if it disarmed nuclear. North Korea, however, had harshly rejected this.

Under Yoon's liberal predecessor Moon Jae-in, regular maneuvers between the U.S. and South Korea were scaled down so as not to inflame tensions on the Korean peninsula. Some 25,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea.

"We'll get your yacht and your jet".

22.08.2022

Russian oligarchs have parked and anchored their riches around the world. A new special unit in New York is now targeting them - and providing the legal groundwork for confiscation.

Things will be tight for Russian oligarchs if U.S. justice targets them, promises Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. There's no point in hiding, she says: "We'll get you, we'll get your yacht, your jet, your bank account."

Dirty assets, tricks to get around sanctions - since Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, the U.S. government has been cracking down on Moscow's corrupt money elite, says U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland:

"We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to investigate and arrest and prosecute those whose criminal actions make it possible for Russia to wage this unjustified war."

"Disrupting the comfort of the oligarchs"

The task force on the trail of the oligarchs lurks behind mirrored windows of a dark administrative building in Manhattan's financial district. "KleptoCapture" is the name of the unit, which translates as "catch the thief."

What sounds like the name of a board game has already become bitterly serious for numerous oligarchs - and politicians: 28 names are on the U.S. sanctions list, including Russia's President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The special unit Garland formed in New York in March is designed to show that the U.S. is enforcing its sanctions against supporters of this war at all costs. And that no one can circumvent them through money laundering or networks, "KleptoCapture" director Andrew Adams explained in an interview with NBC: "We want to disrupt networks. Disrupt the comfort that the oligarchs enjoy: Real estate, bank accounts, art, the undeservedly harvested fruits of a life of luxury - we've got all that covered."

The first trophy: a yacht

Adams could play the nice-guy law enforcement officer in a black-and-white thriller. But behind his boyish facade are years of accumulated experience. As a prosecutor, he has taken on Russian organized crime groups. In his new job in Manhattan, he leads a whole armada of oligarch hunters.

The team includes more than ten prosecutors and other criminal lawyers, as well as national security experts, FBI and tax investigators. "You can't just go and grab a yacht," Adams describes. "You have to go through the facts that link the property to a crime. You have to prove the crime."

The task force seized the first oligarch vessel right away in April: the luxury yacht of Russian investor Viktor Wekselberg. The billionaire has already been on the U.S. sanctions list since 2018 - for alleged tax fraud, money laundering and document forgery to circumvent sanctions. With the help of Spanish police, KleptoCapture chained up his $90 million yacht Tango off the coast of Mallorca.

A private plane in Kazakhstan

Meanwhile, KleptoCapture is targeting another Russian billionaire: Duma deputy Andrei Skoch. The U.S. and EU have imposed numerous sanctions against the oligarch. Among other things, he is allegedly linked to Russian organized crime gangs. "KleptoCapture" wants to collect his plane worth the equivalent of more than 88 million euros. It's in Kazakhstan right now.

Not an easy case - but that's what appeals to oligarch hunter Adams: "The reason to come to work is to chase the money and then the crime behind it."

The U.S. and other countries have the right to freeze assets of suspected oligarchs. The original owners then cannot use those yachts, jets, homes or accounts until the sanctions are lifted or successfully challenged.

So far, the U.S. and its allies, including Germany, have frozen assets of Russian oligarchs worth more than $330 billion.

Trump's potential comeback is becoming more and more realistic.

20.08.2022

Cheney's political comeback is now more possible as a result of Trump's success in removing his critic. Biden's dismal poll numbers for the US President are laying the groundwork for this.

One should definitely get used to the thought that vengeful former President Donald Trump may be about to make a political return, at the very least following Liz Cheney's crushing electoral setback. Anyone in the Republican Party without Trump's support is doomed, as seen by his relentless criticism of his most prominent insider rival.

Trump is succeeded in purging the Republican Party of everyone who does not adhere to him without question. A nearly unfathomable development: Even members of Trump's inner circle believed the election loser was politically dead following the takeover of the Capitol. Not so.

Many people have been upset by the findings made by the Investigative Committee, including Trump's repeated attempts to rig the election in his favor and his failure to control the ravaging mob.

But at least since the Mar-a-Lago residence was searched, the Republicans have learned how to free themselves from the noose: All of the criticism of Trump is based on the lie that he is being targeted by the dishonest establishment, against whom he has declared war. Trump's supporter base, which has been effectively convinced that every assault on Trump is equally an attack on itself, will find this appealing.

The strength of Trump is Biden's vulnerability.

But why is this shocking and historically unique development tolerated by a larger public? The answer may be found in Joe Biden's appalling poll results: Trump is stronger than Biden. Do you fare better now than you did four years ago? That was how Ronald Reagan phrased a straightforward query in 1980, which has since become the primary criterion for deciding who wins elections in the USA.

Americans are very concerned about inflation, the recession, the price explosion, migration, and the perceived humiliation brought on by the disorganized withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Reagan's question would likely receive a "no" response from the majority today. Life would be more relaxed under Trump.

At the same time, Biden's political rivals are aware that winning the election requires a united front. Uncoordinated parties that are only interested in themselves are undesirable. Finally, Biden's vulnerability is partly a result of the internal Democratic wingfights. This can only be successful with Trump and the new voter layers he has recruited for the Republicans. United against Biden. Because of this, troublemakers are not welcome, and Cheney had to leave.

The day after her political demise, it appears that only justice will be able to stop Trump. However, the uproar over the raid has given us a preview of what would probably happen if Trump is impeached. Attorney General Merrick Garland is aware of the potential consequences of an impeachment trial against President Trump, including the possibility of a civil war in the most extreme scenarios.

The judiciary may be wary at first

The judges will probably wait until the evidence is overwhelming and crystal obvious for the sake of communal harmony. So, as the inquiry goes on, Trump is clearing the way to the White House one stone at a time. With Cheney, he has done so significantly.

Long lines for empty shelves

22.08.2022

In New York, inflation is higher than it has been in decades. In some neighborhoods, one in four could soon have trouble getting a meal. Food banks are struggling twice over.

"I normally couldn't give an interview in this room," says Maria Cintron. She is manager of The HopeLine food bank in New York's South Bronx. The small chamber at the end of the facility is usually stacked with boxes full of rice, pasta or canned goods. Right now, he says, it's difficult to get all that produce. "Vegetables and fruits have always been in short supply for food banks, but now even non-perishables are hard to come by," she says.

At nearly nine percent, inflation in New York is the highest it's been in 40 years. The high prices are hitting food banks and food pantries in many ways: not only are the increased prices leaving more people in need, as they can no longer afford goods at the supermarket. Food is also becoming less affordable for food banks, as many of the donating organizations are also under pressure. Chambers are clearly feeling the global aftermath of the pandemic, staff shortages, the war in Ukraine and supply chain chaos.

Bronx is a "food desert"

"The HopeLine" has been serving New Yorkers in need in the South Bronx for more than 30 years. The borough, like most poor neighborhoods in the American metropolis, is considered a "food desert." These are neighborhoods where fresh, healthy, nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables are hard to come by. The density of bodegas, or small kiosks, is often high, but supermarkets with plenty of choices are scarce.

Even before the pandemic, many people here lived in so-called food insecurity. According to a study by the United Hospital Fund and the Boston Consulting Group, one in four people in the Bronx will soon not know where their next meal will come from.

Pandemic has increased need

Once a month, families in need can pick up a bag of groceries at The HopeLine, but only by appointment. "We don't have lines because of that, but we know exactly how many families need more help." Since the pandemic began, about 3,000 additional families have signed up, but a maximum of 1,500 can drop in each month.

In the pandemic, many new food banks and food pantries have sprung up in New York City to address the sudden need in neighborhoods. "That's good," says Cintron, "but the grant money from the city and major sponsors is now spread across more facilities. That means there's less of the pie for us." And when the grants do exist, the high prices make it harder to buy enough food.

Prices are rising everywhere

Maria Ferrera regularly stops by to pick up a bag. She lost her job in the pandemic and hasn't worked since. The high prices she sees in supermarkets worry her. "Meat or even cooking oil have become especially expensive. I am struggling to get enough food for me and my family. I really hope that prices will come down again."

Little Kayla grabbed a stuffed animal from the shelf. Her mother Dayenne smiles all over her face with her daughter, happy to be able to give the four-year-old this joy. "The people here are real lifesavers," she says. Her other two children are two and seven years old, she works as an assistant teacher in a school, and her husband also has a job. Still, money is tight for them, too. "We come here once a month, which really helps us a lot. Supermarket prices are so through the roof."

Gasoline and apartment rents have also become expensive, Cintron explains, as have diapers or baby food. When those things cost more, it naturally reduces the family grocery budget, he says.

Supply shortages compound the problem

Mark Cohen is a professor of retailing at Columbia University Business School. The government is "already responding as aggressively as it can by raising the federal funds rate," he said in an interview with the news site The Gothamist. Also, he said, President Joe Biden has urged oil and gas companies to increase production to lower gasoline prices. Still, he expects food prices to remain high for at least another year before the effects are felt.

25.08.2022

The UN Security Council meeting in the face of the now six-month-long Ukraine war once again revealed the deep rifts within the body.

"Today marks a sad and tragic milestone. Six months have passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council.

That Russia's war of aggression has now lasted six months was one reason for the UN body's special session. The second is Ukraine's Independence Day. Despite the deal negotiated in late July between Moscow and Kiev to export for grain, Guterres has no hope for an early end to the war. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield made it even clearer:

"Six months later, it's clearer than ever what Russia is up to - wiping Ukraine off the geopolitical map."

Dispute over route of arrival

The IAEA mission, which is supported in principle by all sides, has so far failed because of the dispute over whether the experts will arrive via Russian-controlled territory or - which would be correct under international law - Ukrainian territory.

As early as two weeks ago, the Russian Foreign Ministry had accused that an agreement had been prevented by objections from the UN leadership. On Tuesday, a ministry spokeswoman again criticized the UN and spoke of a "false game played by the United Nations Secretariat."

"Almost daily reports of alarming incidents at the plant"

DiCarlo further said that preparations for an expert mission from an area under Ukrainian control to the Russian-occupied nuclear plant were ongoing, but Kiev and Moscow had to agree.

Meanwhile, the de-escalation around Zaporizhzhya continues with "almost daily reports of alarming incidents at the plant." Any attack on the plant would be "suicidal" because of the immense nuclear danger.

Mutual accusations

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear plant. Moscow's U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebensya told the Security Council that Russia had forwarded a letter with photographs as evidence to key U.N. bodies. "We have a whole series of such photographic evidence that was circulated this morning as an official document within this Security Council and the General Assembly."

The letter, obtained by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, contains 12 photos purporting to show the power plant after it was shelled on Aug. 20. Ukraine, meanwhile, rejected the accusation. "No one in their right mind, at least halfway, can imagine that Ukraine would attack a nuclear power plant with a huge risk of nuclear disaster and located on its own territory," Ukrainian Ambassador Serhiy Kislizia said. Russia, he said, was turning the issue of nuclear safety into a "farce, a circus."

Women and children particularly at risk

According to the aid agency, more than eleven million border crossings from Ukraine have been registered since the start of the war, and 6.6 million people have fled within the country. Since the end of February, 4.7 million people have crossed the border into Ukraine.

About 90 percent of the refugees in the past six months are women and children, according to the report. In order to protect them, the "stay safe" information campaign has been launched to raise awareness about the dangers of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. At the same time, so-called "Blue Dots" are being set up in transit regions - safe spaces where families, children and particularly vulnerable refugees can receive protection and assistance for a short time.

UNHCR said it is assisting authorities in Ukraine's neighboring countries with the registration of new arrivals. It says this makes it easier to identify the most vulnerable groups and people with special needs, such as unaccompanied children, the elderly, people with disabilities and those at particular risk of displacement.

No large-scale Independence Day events

Ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on Wednesday, authorities fear increased Russian missile attacks on Kiev. All major events have been banned in the Ukrainian capital. No large-scale public events, rallies or other gatherings are allowed to take place from Monday to Thursday, they said. President Volodymyr Selenskyi had warned over the weekend that Russia could do "something particularly vicious" on the 31st anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 24, which this time also marks the start of the Russian invasion six months ago.

Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv in the country's northeast extended a nighttime curfew imposed because of ongoing Russian attacks to 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. (local time), according to local authorities. The rule will initially apply from Tuesday to Thursday, they said. In Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, which is close to Russian-occupied territory, Governor Vitaly Kim ordered people to work from home on Tuesday and Wednesday if possible. Large gatherings of people should also be avoided.

Renewed attacks reported near Zaporizhzhya

Fighting also continued in the area of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya. Ukraine again accused Russia of being responsible for the shelling. Overnight, at least four people were injured by Russian missile salvos in the town of Nikopol as well as in the nearby districts of Krivji Rih and Synelnykovsky, the region's governor, Valentyn Resnichenko, said on Telegram. Nikopol is located across the Dnipro River from Russian-occupied Enerhodar, where the nuclear power plant is located.

Because of the fighting, Russia again called on the UN Security Council. The country - one of the five permanent members - requested a meeting of the UN's most powerful body in New York on Tuesday, diplomatic sources told the dpa news agency. The government in Moscow cited "continued shelling and attacks on the site by Ukrainian forces."

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the area of the nuclear power plant. The nuclear plant has been occupied by Russian troops since March, but is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. Ukraine accuses Russia of using the site as a base to store weapons and prepare attacks. The government in Moscow rejects this. It cannot be independently verified at present. Ukraine also reported a Russian missile attack on Vosnesensk to the southwest, which is not far from the country's second largest nuclear power plant.

Hope for a better future

Among them is Alexander Rafael Colmenares. He fled his native Colombia and tells how armed gangs caused major problems in his country - so he "gave everything" to "look for a better future for me and my family."

The 30-year-old looks into the room from tired brown eyes. Apart from the clothes he is wearing, he has hardly anything with him. His cell phone would have been taken away from him by border officials.

Colmenares has been on the road for a month and a half, crossing six countries. Mostly he walked, only sometimes he took a bus. When he arrived in Texas, he was offered a free seat on the bus to Washington. He gladly accepted - it was reassuring to get away from the border by bus, he says, and everything is "much better" now.

Free tickets - with calculation

In fact, Colmenares landed in Washington because two men don't want the refugees in their states: the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona, Greg Abbott and Ducey. Since the spring, they have offered the migrants free tickets to Washington at the Mexican border, and since the beginning of August - at least the Texan Abbott - also to New York.

With the bus action they protest against the immigration policy of the Democratic U.S. government. Greg Abbott said on U.S. television that in the capital of the United States, the Biden administration could then "immediately address the needs of the people they have allowed to come across our border."

Hope triggers more migration

Not much has actually changed on immigration policy since Democrats took over in 2021. But the mere announcement of relief has prompted thousands of people from South and Central America to make their way to the United States. Already, more immigrants have come across the southern border than in the entire previous U.S. fiscal year.

In Washington alone, 7,000 migrants have arrived by bus from the border since April. Muriel Bowser, mayor of the nation's capital, asked the U.S. government for National Guard help twice in recent weeks to avert a "humanitarian crisis," as she wrote in her request for assistance. That was denied.

Nothing works without volunteers

So all that remains are the volunteers - a now vast network that cares for the arriving people. And they do this largely without government support, says the pastor Stephanie Vader, in whose church room the refugees were allowed to come that day. Governmental - and better coordinated - support would be very helpful in this regard. While the Mutual Aid network has spent more than $300,000, she says, it was all donated funds. And yet, he said, there are still many unmet needs.

Nine out of 10 refugees do not stay in Washington, but travel on. Colmenares also received a bus ticket donated by the Volunteer Network, for a trip to visit his brother in Tennessee. There, he hopes to eventually work, settle down - and stay.

This is the second time since 2015 that the conference has failed to reach its joint declaration. Participants and experts expressed disappointment. But too much weight should not be placed on this declaration, said researcher Matt Korda of the Alliance of American Scientists Nuclear Project.

He cited what had been expressed earlier by a representative of the Austrian delegation: "If there is a final document, what changes the day after it is adopted?" As long as the parties did not doubt the nuclear nonproliferation treaty in principle and talked to each other, he said, there was hope for agreement.

Consensus not really expected

In the current tense world situation, many diplomats had expected that no unanimous declaration would emerge from the conference. It is held every two years to review progress and compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It stipulates the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and their disarmament, as well as the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

In fact, the success of this conference cannot be measured by the achievement of a final declaration - if no one adheres to it afterwards anyway, Korda says: "On the international stage, we see that all nuclear powers are modernizing their weapons, expanding the role of nuclear weapons in their military doctrine, spending more money on them. And nuclear weapons reductions are going down."

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty states that only the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom can possess nuclear weapons. The four other suspected nuclear powers, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea, have either not joined the treaty or have withdrawn. "I understand why so much frustration is building in countries that don't have nuclear weapons, many of them from the Global South," Korda says.

Increasingly, they bring up another tool for disarmament in their speeches: The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, negotiated five years ago at the UN in New York - with the goal of creating a world entirely without nuclear weapons. Almost 90 countries have now signed it and it is in force. However, NATO, and by extension Germany, are boycotting the agreement. In their opinion, it is counterproductive to the existing Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Apparently, ex-US President Trump also had a document on another country's nuclear weapons stored in his mansion. Other documents are too confidential even for very senior government officials, according to a media report.

During the search of former US President Donald Trump's mansion in Florida, a document on the defense capabilities of a foreign government has also been seized, according to a newspaper report. As the "Washington Post" writes, the paper is about both the military and nuclear capabilities of the country. It does not say which state is involved.

Some of the roughly 11,000 documents seized by the FBI at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate are so secret that even some of the highest-ranking national security officials in U.S. President Joe Biden's administration are not authorized to see them, the report adds.

For some secret U.S. operations, only a few dozen people in the entire government apparatus are authorized to even know of their existence, it said. Records on them are usually kept in secure facilities, under the supervision of a control officer, it said.

More than 100 confidential documents

On Aug. 8, the FBI had raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in the state of Florida. Task forces seized numerous boxes containing more than 100 confidential documents, some of which were subject to the highest levels of secrecy. Since Trump kept the papers in his private estate after his term in office, he may have violated the law. This is now being investigated.

Trump has criticized the authorities' actions as politically motivated. For weeks, the Republican has been fueling speculation that he could run for a second term in the 2024 presidential election. Back in May, the FBI reviewed 15 boxes of documents that Trump had submitted to the National Archives after long urging from Mar-a-Lago. Officials found 184 confidential documents of various classification levels in them.

Under legal orders, Trump's team turned over another 38 confidential documents to the FBI shortly thereafter, including 17 marked "top secret." In total, then, we are talking about at least more than 300 classified documents that Trump kept with him.