Chinese Parents of Schoolchildren Forced to Sign Pledge of Atheism

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Parents of kindergarten students in Wenzhou City, China, have been forced to sign a pledge of atheism as a condition for their children staying in school, Bitter Winter reported Friday.

The pledge, which was issued earlier this month, is called a “Kindergarten Family Commitment Not to Believe in Religion” and must be signed by the parents, who must in turn indicate the names of their children.

The text of the document declares that parents “do not hold a religious belief, do not participate in any religious activities, and do not propagate and disseminate religion in any locations,” ChinaAid reported.

The parents also promise to raise “civilized families” who “do not believe in religion, do not participate in any religious activities, do not teach religion to children.” Parents promise to avoid “feudal superstition” and to teach kindergarten children faith in science, socialism, and the Chinese Communist Party.

“In the past, the higher-level education department made it compulsory for kindergartens not to be superstitious and not to participate in cult organizations,” an unnamed kindergarten teacher in Wenzhou told ChinaAid, “but did not mandate kindergarten children’s families not to believe in religion or participate in any religious activities.” (Read more from “Chinese Parents of Schoolchildren Forced to Sign Pledge of Atheism” HERE)

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Iran Proxies Fire Missiles at US Base in Syria After Airstrikes Kill Eight Militants

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Iran-backed proxy groups fired missiles at a U.S. military base near Al-Omar oil field in Syria on Friday after the U.S. killed eight militants in retaliatory airstrikes.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby called the Friday missile attack ineffective. No U.S. injuries were reported, according to Reuters.

The attack came after the United States delivered airstrikes against what the U.S. military said were facilities belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The American airstrikes hit a munition warehouse, a control building, and an intelligence-collection site, killing eight militants, according to The New York Times.

U.S. forces suffered one casualty after a drone of “Iranian origin” struck a U.S. coalition base on Thursday afternoon. Five U.S. service members and another contractor were also injured in the attack.

The family of the dead contractor was notified Thursday night, Kirby said during a Friday morning appearance on CNN. The contractor was an American citizen. (Read more from “Iran Proxies Fire Missiles at US Base in Syria After Airstrikes Kill Eight Militants” HERE)

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China Threatens ‘Serious Consequences’ After US Warship Sails by Contested Paracel Islands

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China threatened the U.S. Navy on Friday with “serious consequences” after a warship passed through the South China Sea near the contested Paracel Islands.

For the second day in a row, Beijing accused the U.S. of violating the sovereignty and security of the island, which it currently occupies but which Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim over.

The U.S. rejected China’s accusations and said its passage through the waters is permitted under international law and falls under a “freedom of navigation operation” – which challenges attempted restrictions by all three nations to enforce a policy of permission or advanced notice by any military vessel before it can pass by.

“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” spokesperson Lt. j.g. Luka Bakic for the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.

“The United States challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant,” he added. (Read more from “China Threatens ‘Serious Consequences’ After US Warship Sails by Contested Paracel Islands” HERE)

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Where Is the Russian Banking Crisis?

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Sanctions were supposed to kill the Russian financial sector. It did, and it didn’t.

It did insofar as any globally ambitious Russian money center bank or asset manager had their expansion plans curtailed by sanctions. Doing business as a Westerner with a Moscow or St. Petersburgh-based bank is next to impossible now. Sanctions hurt.

“Because of the sanction environment, global banks, vendors, partners are extremely careful in dealing with Russia-based or connected counterparts, and always ask a lot of questions,” says Neri Tollardo, a former executive at Tinkoff Bank in Moscow, now living and working in Mexico as of mid-2022. “Banks do not process or accept payments in and out of Russia, and often times global counterparts have self-imposed compliance standards that are much stricter than the law,” he says.

So in this way, sanctions have hurt Russia’s financial institutions.

But a Russian banking crisis, one that looks like we have seen in the U.S. recently with Silicon Valley Bank and in Switzerland with Credit Suisse, has not occurred. There were never any runs on Russian banks. The ruble strengthened. And while most banks are protected by the state – led by Sberbank and VTB – the Russian Central Bank has spent much of the last decade working to clean up the financial system. This house cleaning, led by Central Bank president Elvira Nabiullina, which led to the closure of hundreds of private banks, is arguably why sanctions didn’t ruin Russian finance. Elvira had already taken the weak links out of the system. And there were many. For this reason, Russian banks have survived the West’s sanctions regime and stock market delistings better than anyone would have imagined. For a cynical Russian, watching Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse burn down while their bankers are gainfully employed is like smirking before the camera lens in front of a burning building. (Read more from “Where Is the Russian Banking Crisis?” HERE)

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Putin’s Arrest Abroad Would Amount to ‘Declaration of War,’ Russian Official Says

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If Russian President Vladimir Putin were to be arrested overseas following the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him, it would amount to a “declaration of war,” a top Russian official warned.

The ICC announced the arrest warrant for Putin last Friday, accusing him of being responsible for the thousands of children that have been forcibly deported to Russia, where they’ve undergone political reeducation training. The Kremlin quickly denounced the warrant and dismissed it.

“Just imagine — clearly that such a situation is never going to happen, but still — let’s imagine that it has happened. The incumbent head of a nuclear country arrives in, say, Germany and is arrested. What does it mean? A declaration of war against Russia. In such a case, all our weapons will target the Bundestag, the [German] chancellor’s office, and so on,” Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, who held the title of Russian presidency under Putin from 2008 to 2012, said Thursday, according to state news agency TASS.

German Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann said Berlin would have to implement the ICC decision and arrest the Russian president if he arrived in Germany. In response, Medvedev said, “Does he even realize that it would be a casus belli, a declaration of war?”

If Putin were arrested abroad, it would worsen Russia’s relationship with Western countries, he said. (Read more from “Putin’s Arrest Abroad Would Amount to ‘Declaration of War,’ Russian Official Says” HERE)

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Chinese Government Says It Will Not Allow Forced Sale of TikTok by US

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Chinese government officials have come out in official opposition to any forced sale of TikTok, creating a road bump for the Biden administration’s attempt to require a transfer of the platform to a domestic owner for it to stay in the United States.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry argued on Thursday that the proposed sale of TikTok to a U.S. client would involve the export of technology and has to be approved by the Chinese government. The government would likely not support it because it would undermine global investor confidence in the U.S. The government weighed in just before TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before Congress.

“If the news is true, China will firmly oppose it,” ministry spokeswoman Shu Jueting said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, an interdepartmental agency that reviews U.S. sanctions with international businesses, demanded that Chinese parent company ByteDance sell its stake in TikTok or risk being banned.

Chew has stated that TikTok will protect user data in the U.S. through “Project Texas,” a plan to store all U.S. data on localized servers. (Read more from “Chinese Government Says It Will Not Allow Forced Sale of TikTok by US” HERE)

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Russian Pop Star Found Dead From Drowning After Criticizing Putin

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Russian pop star Dima Nova was found dead from drowning on Sunday after criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was 34.

Born Dmitry Svirgunov, Nova founded the popular electronic group Cream Soda — whose song “Aqua Disco” became an anthem for anti-war protests in Russia, Newsweek reported.

In the song, the pop group called out Putin over his alleged $1.3 billion mansion. The song was commonly heard at protests against the country both before and after Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. These protests became known as “Aqua Disco Parties.” . . .

The report cited an article in a Russian news website People Talk that said Nova fell through the ice while crossing the Volga river in the Yaroslavl region, north east of Moscow. Svirgunov was not alone – he was reportedly with his brother Roma and a couple friends. (Read more from “Russian Pop Star Found Dead From Drowning After Criticizing Putin” HERE)

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Xi Jinping Uses Russia Trip to Position China as the Winner of Ukraine Invasion

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Chinese dictator Xi Jinping emphasized on Monday that his visit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, charged with human rights crimes before the International Criminal Court (ICC) less than a week ago, is intended to promote “friendship, cooperation, and peace,” positioning China as a mediator in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Xi will be in Moscow from Monday to Wednesday, meeting with Putin and other senior leaders. Xi has emphasized China’s potential role in the Ukraine crisis since arriving, promoting a Chinese “peace plan” debuted last month that demands a ceasefire, lays no blame on either side, and does not offer specificity on its demand for both sides to “calm down as soon as possible.”

Arriving on Monday, Xi vowed that China would “stand guard over the world order,” hinting at ambitions to mediate the Ukraine conflict.

Both Russia and Ukraine have offered tepid reactions to the peace plan but have encouraged Beijing to get more involved in the conflict in the role of mediator. If successful in halting some of the hostilities, Xi could use Ukraine to greatly elevate China’s international reputation as peacemaker, even as China continues to execute a years-long genocide on its own people.

The Russian news agency Tass reported that his first meeting with Putin on Monday lasted 4.5 hours and, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “obviously” addressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi and Putin will return to talks at 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Peskov added, regarding both countries’ bilateral ties and the Ukraine invasion. (Read more from “Xi Jinping Uses Russia Trip to Position China as the Winner of Ukraine Invasion” HERE)

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Israel Could Strike Iran in Months Unless U.S. Steps In, Former Israeli General Says

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The window to prevent an Israeli strike against Iran’s growing nuclear program is closing quickly, a retired Israeli military general says.

Retired Brigadier General Amir Avivi says that the United States’ retreat from the Middle East, which has allowed China and Russia to move in, is quickly limiting Israel’s options for avoiding conflict. Israel’s timeframe for launching a strike against Iran has shortened to potentially as little as a few months.

An Israeli strike against Iran “is bad for everybody, but this is at the moment what’s going to happen, and maybe happen in three months, in six months, maybe a year,” Avivi told The Washington Free Beacon. Avivi spent three decades in the Israel Defense Forces before becoming the chairman of an Israeli national security think tank, the Israel Defense and Security Forum.

Iran and Russia have deepened ties since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war last year. Iran has reportedly provided Russia with ammo and drones to fuel its war machine while pressuring Moscow to supply Tehran with S-400 missile systems. The anti-air missile system would bolster Iran’s defensive capabilities and make delivering a strike against sensitive or high-priority targets more difficult for Israel. (Read more from “Israel Could Strike Iran in Months Unless U.S. Steps In, Former Israeli General Says” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Gave $1M to Group Opposed to US Arms for Ukraine: Report

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A co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has donated more than $1 million to a group that is urging an end to US military support for Ukraine as the country tries to stave off a Russian invasion.

Ben Cohen — who with Jerry Greenfield started the ice cream behemoth in 1978 — told the Daily Beast: “I think the US should use its power to negotiate an end to the war, not prolong the death and destruction by supplying more weapons.”

Cohen is head of the People Power Initiatives — one of whose projects is Eisenhower Media Network, which bills itself as “an organization of expert former military, intelligence, and civilian national security officials … [which] seeks to reach broad, cross-partisan audiences in diverse media outlets and among the American people.”

The former national security officials promoted by EMN, including retired US Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, a former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, have argued that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was provoked by NATO expansion eastward.

Dennis Fritz, the director of EMN, told the Daily Beast: “We gave Putin just cause [to invade Ukraine].” (Read more from “Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Gave $1M to Group Opposed to US Arms for Ukraine: Report” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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