World Geography And Politics Daily News | 07 Jun 2023
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US slaps sanctions on Iranian, Chinese targets over Tehran's missile, military programs
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday on more than a dozen people and entities in China, Hong Kong and Iran, including Iran's defense attache in Beijing, over accusations they helped procure parts and technology for key actors in Iran's ballistic missile development. Earlier on Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency reported Iran had presented what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, an announcement likely to heighten We
By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday on more than a dozen people and entities in China, Hong Kong and Iran, including Iran's defense attache in Beijing, over accusations they helped procure parts and technology for key actors in Iran's ballistic missile development.
Earlier on Tuesday, the official IRNA news agency reported Iran had presented what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, an announcement likely to heighten Western concerns about Tehran's missile capabilities.
“The United States will continue to target illicit transnational procurement networks that covertly support Iran’s ballistic missile production and other military programs," Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement.
Washington has imposed extensive sanctions on Iran over the years, including over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and accusations of human rights abuse.
The Treasury statement accused Iran's defense attache in Beijing, Davoud Damghani, of coordinating military-related procurements from China for Iranian end-users, including subsidiaries of Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
Washington targeted centrifuge sales to Parchin Chemical Industries (PCI), dual-use metals sales to its intermediary, P.B. Sadr, and MODAFL's electronics procurement in Tuesday's action, according to the statement. Both PCI and P.B. Sadr were previously hit with sanctions by the United States.
Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China and Iran in March 2021 signed a 25-year cooperation agreement to strengthen their longstanding economic and political alliance. China has been a major buyer of Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions designed to choke off these exports.
Among those targeted were China-based Zhejiang Qingji Ind Co, Ltd, which the Treasury accused of selling centrifuges and other equipment and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to PCI with P.B. Sadr as an intermediary.
Also among those sanctioned were Hong Kong Ke.Do International Trade Co., Limited and China-based Qingdao Zhongrongtong Trade Development Co, Ltd, which the Treasury accused of engaging in the sale of tens of millions of dollars worth of dual-use, nonferrous metals to P.B. Sadr.
Zhejiang Qingji did not immediately respond to a request for comment. P.B. Sadr and PCI, as well as the other companies, could not immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed and David Brunnstrom; editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Heinrich and Howard Goller)
Lawyer: Health of Gadhafi's son, detained in Lebanon, deteriorating 3 days into hunger strike
The health of a son of Libya's late leader Moammar Gadhafi was deteriorating three days into a hunger strike to protest his detention in Lebanon without trial, his lawyer said Tuesday. Hannibal Gadhafi was suffering from headaches, muscle pain and difficulties moving around, his lawyer Paul Romanos said. Romanos said Gadhafi was also suffering from back pain due to being held in a small room where he cannot move freely or exercise.
BEIRUT (AP) — The health of a son of Libya's late leader Moammar Gadhafi was deteriorating three days into a hunger strike to protest his detention in Lebanon without trial, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Lebanese police later announced it had collected Hannibal from the northeastern city of Baalbek where he was being held. He has been detained in a Beirut jail without trial since then.
Romanos said Gadhafi was also suffering from back pain due to being held in a small room where he cannot move freely or exercise.
“He is continuing his hunger strike and his health is deteriorating,” Romanos told The Associated Press in a voice message.
A Lebanese security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said he had no information on Gadhafi’s health status.
The disappearance of al-Sadr in 1978 has been a long-standing sore point in Lebanon. The cleric’s family believes he may still be alive in a Libyan prison, though most Lebanese presume al-Sadr is dead. He would be 94 years old.
Most of al-Sadr’s followers are convinced that Moammar Gadhafi ordered al-Sadr killed in a dispute over Libyan payments to Lebanese militias. Libya has maintained that the cleric and his two traveling companions left Tripoli in 1978 on a flight to Rome and suggested he was a victim of a power struggle among Shiites.
Gadhafi was killed by opposition fighters in 2011, ending his four-decade rule of the north African country.
Hannibal Gadhafi was born two years before al-Sadr disappeared. He fled to Algeria along with his mother and several other relatives after his father's fall from power. He later ended up in Syria where he was given political asylum before being kidnapped and brought to Lebanon.
Recalled pillows linked to 10 infant deaths still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, US agency says
Federal safety regulators are urging consumers to stop using baby pillows that have been linked to 10 infant deaths but are still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, despite being recalled two years ago. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that Boppy Newborn Loungers are no longer legally for sale but it has found thousands of them on Facebook Marketplace since the 2021 recall began. The agency wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, on Tuesday saying it had made repeated requests to have recalled items taken down from Marketplace.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety regulators are urging consumers to stop using baby pillows that have been linked to 10 infant deaths but are still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, despite being recalled two years ago.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that Boppy Newborn Loungers are no longer legally for sale but it has found thousands of them on Facebook Marketplace since the 2021 recall began.
The agency wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, on Tuesday saying it had made repeated requests to have recalled items taken down from Marketplace. It cited the Boppy loungers as “a particularly egregious example” of a product that puts consumers at risk.
“Until these sales are stopped, babies will continue to be at risk of death,” CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka said in a statement. He added that Meta “has not taken effective action” in response to CPSC’s average of one thousand takedown requests made each month over the last year for the Boppy loungers.
The Boppy Co. recalled more than 3 million of its infant pillows due to suffocation risk in September 2021 — with reports of eight deaths associated with Boppy's loungers between 2015 and 2020. The CSPC said Tuesday that two additional babies died shortly after the recall began.
The CSPC is urging consumers to stop using the recalled loungers — as babies can suffocate if they roll over, are placed on the lounger in a position that restricts breathing or move off the infant pillow.
Meta's online policy states that listings on Marketplace cannot promote or sell recalled products and encourages users to check current recalls before purchasing items. The company says that Marketplace posts featuring recalled products are removed when identified.
“Like other platforms where people can buy and sell goods, there are instances of people knowingly or unknowingly selling recalled goods on Marketplace," Meta said in a statement. "We take this issue seriously and when we find listings that violate our rules, we remove them.”
“CPSC continues to emphasize that the best place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib, bassinet, or play yard,” the agency said in its Tuesday notice. “Parents and caregivers should never add blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers, or other items to an infant’s sleeping environment. Babies should always be placed to sleep on their backs.”
The Associated Press reached out to The Boppy Co. for further comment Tuesday.
US sanctions group of people and firms from Iran, China and Hong Kong tied to Iran ballistic program
The U.S. said Tuesday it is sanctioning a group of people and firms from Iran, China and Hong Kong associated with the alleged development of Iran’s ballistic missile program. Among the sanctions targets are the China-based firm Zhejiang Qingji, which has allegedly sold centrifuges and other materials to an Iran-based firm affiliated with the nation's defense ministry.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Tuesday it is sanctioning a group of people and firms from Iran, China and Hong Kong associated with the alleged development of Iran’s ballistic missile program.
The network of seven people and six firms "facilitated procurement of sensitive and critical parts and technology for key actors in Iran’s ballistic missile development,” including Iran’s defense ministry and its affiliated firms, according to the Treasury Department.
Among the sanctions targets are the China-based firm Zhejiang Qingji, which has allegedly sold centrifuges and other materials to an Iran-based firm affiliated with the nation's defense ministry. Also designated for sanctions were several executives at Qingji and the Hong Kong-based Lingoe Process Engineering Limited, which Treasury said served as a front company for the Chinese firm.
Also named is Iran’s Defense Attaché in Beijing, Davoud Damghani, who is alleged to coordinate purchases from China for Iran end-users.
Among other things, the sanctions deny the people and firms access to any property or financial assets held in the U.S. and prevent U.S. companies and citizens from doing business with them.
Brian E. Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the U.S. “will continue to target illicit transnational procurement networks that covertly support Iran’s ballistic missile production and other military programs.”
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Associated Press reporter Jon Gambrell in Abu Dhabi contributed to this report.
UN chief says Ukraine dam burst 'a consequence' of Russia's invasion
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations does not have any independent information on how a Ukrainian dam burst, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday, describing it as "another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine." The U.N. Security Council will meet later on Tuesday to discuss the dam at the request of both Russia and Ukraine. A torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern U
By Michelle Nichols
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations does not have any independent information on how a Ukrainian dam burst, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday, describing it as "another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
The U.N. Security Council will meet later on Tuesday to discuss the dam at the request of both Russia and Ukraine.
"Attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure must stop. We must act to ensure accountability and respect for international humanitarian law," Guterres told reporters.
A torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine, flooding a swathe of the war zone and forcing villagers to flee.
According to the Security Council meeting requests seen by Reuters, Ukraine accused Russia of an "ecological and technological act of terrorism", while Russia described it as an "act of sabotage carried out by Ukraine."
Guterres said it was a "monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe."
"At least 16,000 people have already lost their homes - with safe and clean drinking water supplies at risk for many thousands more," he said, adding that the United Nations was coordinating with the Ukrainian government to send support including drinking water and water purification tablets.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Rami Ayyub and David Gregorio)
Judge rules to release names of Rep. Santos bond cosigners, will stay secret as appeal considered
A federal magistrate ruled Tuesday to make public the names of the cosigners on indicted Rep. George Santos ’ $500,000 release bond, but said she’ll keep them secret for now to give his lawyer time to appeal the decision. U.S. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields’ ruling came a day after Santos’ lawyer said the New York Republican would risk going to jail to protect the identities of his cosigners whose backing enabled his pretrial release. Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged Shields to keep the names secret.
The decision was a victory for news outlets including The Associated Press and The New York Times that petitioned Shields last week to unseal the names, citing a need for “the greatest transparency possible.”
Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, urged Shields to keep the names secret. He suggested that the congressman’s cosigners could “suffer great distress,” including possible job losses and physical harm, if they’re identified publicly.
Murray said he, Santos and Santos’ staff have been receiving threatening and harassing calls and messages, including death threats. He said he worries Santos’ critics “are just waiting to pounce” on the people backing his release.
“My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come,” Murray wrote.
Shields gave Murray until 12 p.m. Friday to appeal. A message seeking comment was left with Murray.
Santos, 34, represents parts of Queens and Long Island. He pleaded not guilty May 10 to charges he duped donors, stole from his campaign, lied to Congress about being a millionaire and cheated to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve.
At Murray’s request, Shields agreed at Santos’ arraignment to keep the cosigners’ names out of the public court record. In her ruling Tuesday, Shields reversed that decision.
Santos’ bond is unsecured. That means his cosigners didn’t have to put up any money up front, but could be forced to pay the full amount if he doesn’t comply with his release conditions or fails to show up for court.
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