The UN Security Council has been urged by U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken to authorize deployment of a Kenya-led security mission to Haiti. He has also promised “robust financial and logistical assistance” for a campaign to address ongoing gang violence which has paralyzed Haiti for more than two years. [node:read-more:link]
The UN was criticized today by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not fulfilling its fundamental obligation in dealing with Russia’s invasion. Calling for Russia to be stripped of its Security Council veto, he said “it is impossible to stop the war because all actions are vetoed by the aggressor.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated a claim that the West had staged a “coup” in Ukraine to install a pro-Western president. [node:read-more:link]
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with the challenges of climate change, sustainable development, poverty, the coronavirus pandemic aftermath and even the UN’s fundamental roles are casting a gloomy shadow over New York this week. There is particular focus on a potential September 20 face-off between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. [node:read-more:link]
Iran’s decision to ban some UN nuclear inspectors is being denounced by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as a “disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure.” Iran linked its decision to criticism by U.S., Britain, France and Germany and the maintenance of economic sanctions. [node:read-more:link]
Ontario Conservative MP Michael Chong told a congressional group today that Canada and the U.S. need to cooperate more against Chinese interference. He said a joint “suite” of measures is needed to protect “our economy, our long-term prosperity, social cohesion, our Parliament and our elections.” [node:read-more:link]
Even though his country has been a party since 2002 to the UN statute which underpins the International Criminal Court, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said September 9 that Vladimir Putin will not be arrested if he attends the 2024 G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The ICC issued a warrant for Putin last March over alleged crimes in Crimea but Lula flatly rejected the prospect of an arrest. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. FBI and its European partners infiltrated and shut down a major global malware network used for more than 15 years to commit a gamut of online crimes. Some 40 ransomware attacks in one 18-month period had netted the Qakbot controllers approximately US$58 million. [node:read-more:link]
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński said today that he and his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts are prepared to close their common borders with Belarus if a “critical incident” occurs. So, too, would the third Baltic State, Estonia, which borders on Latvia and Russia, and “regardless of whether it is a Polish, Lithuanian or Latvian border, we will apply immediate retaliation.” [node:read-more:link]
Two Montreal men extradited to the U.S. in 2021 have been sent to prison for their involvement in an international scheme to distribute fentanyl and other synthetic opioids throughout the U.S., all orchestrated from inside a Quebec prison. The pair, Xuan Cahn Nguyen, 43, and Marie Um, 42, pleaded guilty in 2022. [node:read-more:link]
An Ottawa man identified as Alaa Hattab, 34, is one of five men charged in U.S. Federal Court in New Jersey with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruct justice in connection with a “Ponzi-like scheme” run by Eliyahu Weinstein, who was pardoned two years ago by President Donald Trump after being convicted of similar offences. Two others are New Jersey residents and the fifth lives in Israel. [node:read-more:link]
More than 200 countries signed on to a UN pact last year to create a fund to help developing countries cope with climate change and some want the major economies to pay for past greenhouse gas emissions. However, before heading to China for climate change talks, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says the U.S. will not pay reparations “under any circumstances.” [node:read-more:link]
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today that Sweden’s status as NATO’s 32nd member will not be ratified by the Turkish parliament until October, the earliest opportunity after a scheduled summer recess. [node:read-more:link]
The European Commission today rejected a renewed call by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for EU membership, a process stalled since 2018. “Turkey has been waiting at the door of the European Union for over 50 years now, and almost all of the NATO member countries are now members of the European Union,” Erdoğan had said, linking the request to his country’s stance on NATO membership for Sweden. [node:read-more:link]
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Sweden and Turkey have made some progress in talks about the former’s proposed membership in the alliance. Talks are to continue over the weekend with a view to addressing Turkey’s concerns before the July 11-12 NATO summit in Lithuania. [node:read-more:link]
As expected, former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s tenure as NATO Secretary General has been extended for a year, until October 2024. Confirmed July 4, it is the fourth extension since he was appointed in 2014 and is taken as a sign that the 31-state alliance wants an experience hand at the helm during a time of growing international tensions. [node:read-more:link]
