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  • Exclusive: Venezuela’s oil tankers at risk of sinking, fires, spills, report finds

    Exclusive: Venezuela’s oil tankers at risk of sinking, fires, spills, report finds

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    PUNTO FIJO, May 4 (Reuters) – More than half of the 22 oil tankers in Venezuela’s fleet are so run down that they should be immediately repaired or taken out of service, according to an internal report from state-run oil company PDVSA that was shared exclusively with Reuters.

    The report by PDVSA’s maritime branch, entitled “Critical deficiencies and risks of PDV Marina’s tanker fleet,” said years of deferred maintenance had left the entire fleet with “low levels of reliability,” at risk of spills, sinking, fires, collisions or flooding.

    “The ships currently lack seaworthiness classification and certifications by flag nations,” the report said.

    PDVSA and PDV Marina did not respond to requests for comment.

    The report, dated March 2023, was among eight documents shared with Reuters describing the state of PDVSA’s tanker fleet from the oil company’s corporate office, trading division and maritime branch, as well as Venezuela’s maritime authority. The existence of the documents has not been previously reported.

    Dated from Jan. 2022 to March this year, the documents detail the condition of the company’s tankers; the costs of chartering third-party vessels and the status of shipbuilding contracts with companies in Argentina and Iran.

    The deterioration of the fleet has forced PDVSA to charter tankers to move its oil, which provides the bulk of Venezuela’s hard currency, the analysis by PDVSA’s trade division said.

    PDVSA and the oil ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

    The reports were prepared amid a wide-ranging anti-corruption probe ordered by Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro last October after the discovery of billions of dollars in missing payments for petroleum exports. More than 60 people have been arrested and PDVSA’s chief executive and the nation’s oil minister have been replaced.

    The report from PDV Marina recommended withdrawing five tankers from active use; sending seven to shipyards for major repairs and installing transponders, fire extinguishers and communication equipment in others. No actions have been taken as the audit on the company’s operations continues.

    Five of PDVSA’s tankers are at least 30 years old, past their recommended lifespan, according to the PDV Marina report. The last major maintenance work on the fleet was five years ago, the report said.

    “The tanker fleet is showing a decline in the quality of its operations due to advanced physical deterioration, which implies higher maintenance and repair costs. Planning for sending the tankers to dry docks has been very affected by lack of payment to shipyards and providers,” the PDV Marina report said.

    Reuters has previously reported on an increase in tanker collisions, spill risks and fires in Venezuela.

    PDVSA leased 41 vessels last year, the documents said, paying about double the market rate, between $14,000 and $36,500 per day, to tanker owners willing to work with Venezuela despite U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019.

    DELAYED SHIPS

    At least four tankers ordered from foreign shipyards have been held up because of payment delays, cost increases and sanctions, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters.

    The audits ordered by PDVSA’s new CEO Pedro Tellechea as part of Maduro’s anti-corruption probe could bring further delays, a PDVSA executive said.

    “All contracts are frozen,” the executive said on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation. PDVSA’s legal and supply and trade departments are asking PDV Marina for documentation on the contracts, he added.

    Venezuela has paid shipyards in Iran and Argentina at least $300 million for six new vessels ordered as far back as 2005.

    It has taken delivery of only two of them, according to the documents.

    PDVSA has paid almost 80% of the $160 million due for two tankers from Rio Santiago shipyard in Argentina, the documents showed.

    Rio Santiago said it was not authorized to give information about that particular contract.

    In addition, PDVSA paid almost 157 million euros (about $173 million), or 63% of a 248 million euros contract (about $272 million) to U.S.-sanctioned Iran Marine Industrial Company (Sadra) for four tankers, according to the documents.

    Two of the four vessels were delivered after payment delays, difficulties with parts supplies and problems with insurance and certifications, according to the documents.

    The payment delays generated extra costs for demurrage, the documents said.

    Sadra did not reply to a request for comment.

    Reporting by Mircely Guanipa; Additional reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston, Eliana Raszewski in Buenos Aires and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Editing by Gary McWilliams and Suzanne Goldenberg

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Drones attack Ukrainian capital, Moscow says US behind Kremlin drone

    Drones attack Ukrainian capital, Moscow says US behind Kremlin drone

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    • White House, Kyiv deny Russian accusations
    • Zelenskiy visits The Hague, says Putin must face justice
    • Diplomats work on extending Black Sea grains deal

    KYIV, May 4 (Reuters) – Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday evening, the fourth assault in as many days subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions, and at least one drone was shot down.

    City authorities had declared an alert for Kyiv and the surrounding area. Residents who had gone to air raid shelters said the drones arrived more quickly than usual after the alerts were declared. Reuters witnesses heard gunfire and repeated heavier explosions near the city centre.

    The attacks started just after 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) and lasted around 20 minutes. Ukraine’s air force said in a statement that it had destroyed one of its own drones after the drone lost control over Kyiv region, probably because of a technical failure. It wasn’t clear how many drones in total were destroyed.

    Russia said on Thursday that the United States was behind a purported drone attack on the Kremlin aiming to kill President Vladimir Putin. Washington and Kyiv denied involvement.

    Putin will head a scheduled meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Friday and the Kremlin incident could be on the agenda, TASS news agency reported.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, speaking in The Hague after visiting the International Court of Justice, said Putin must be brought to justice over the war and that Kyiv would work to create a new tribunal for this purpose.

    In other diplomacy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on a visit to Brazil that she encouraged the government to include Ukraine in any attempt to negotiate an end to the war. She was referring to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s comments calling on the West to stop arming Ukraine to allow peace talks to start.

    There are currently no peace talks to end the war, which has devastated Ukrainian towns and cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

    FRONTLINE ACTION

    Nearly 50 Russian attacks were repelled along the main sectors of the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Thursday evening. The heaviest fighting is still in Bakhmut and in Maryinka, further south in Donetsk region, it said.

    Russian forces also launched 66 air raids and engaged in 33 shelling episodes on Ukrainian positions and on towns and villages, causing casualties and damaging infrastructure, the report said.

    Smoke rises over the city after remains of a shot down Russian drone landed on buildings, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

    Reuters was not able to verify the battlefield accounts.

    MOSCOW CITES ‘US ORDERS’

    Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, without providing evidence, said Ukraine had acted on U.S. orders to attack the Kremlin citadel in the early hours of Wednesday.

    White House national security spokesperson John Kirby dismissed Russian “lies” and said there still was no conclusive evidence as to the authenticity of a video showing the drone at the Kremlin.

    “Attempts to disown this (attack on the Kremlin), both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington,” Peskov told reporters.

    Peskov said an urgent investigation was under way and that any response would be carefully considered and balanced.

    Russia has increasingly accused the United States of being a direct participant in the war, intent on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Moscow. Washington denies this, saying it is arming Kyiv to defend itself and retake illegally seized land.

    KYIV, ODESA TARGETED

    Earlier on Thursday, Russia fired two dozen combat drones at Ukraine, hitting Kyiv and also striking a university campus in the Black Sea city of Odesa. There were no reports of casualties. Russia denies targeting civilians in Ukraine.

    Diplomats, meanwhile, are still working to keep a package deal for Ukrainian and Russian agricultural exports alive beyond May 18. Technical personnel from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations will meet on Friday to discuss the deal, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.

    Russia has a list of demands it wants met for continuation of the Black Sea grains pact, which the U.N. said helps tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Russian forces invading neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.

    Zelenskiy has vowed to drive all invading Russian forces back to the borders set in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He said on Thursday the whole of Ukrainian society was preparing for a counteroffensive, which he said would be successful against what he called a “demotivated” Russia.

    Reporting by Kyiv, Moscow and Amsterdam buros
    Writing by Gareth Jones
    Editing by Nick Macfie

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Russia says U.S. was behind Kremlin drone attack, drawing quick denial

    Russia says U.S. was behind Kremlin drone attack, drawing quick denial

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    • Kremlin administration shifts focus from Kyiv to Washington
    • Allegation goes beyond previous accusations against U.S.
    • Washington denies accusation
    • Security experts: incident implausible as assassination attempt
    • Incident came six days before Victory Day showcase on Red Square

    May 4 (Reuters) – Russia accused the United States on Thursday of being behind what it says was a drone attack on Moscow’s Kremlin citadel intended to kill President Vladimir Putin.

    A day after blaming Ukraine for what it called a terrorist attack, the Kremlin administration shifted the focus onto the United States, but without providing evidence. The White House was quick to reject the charge.

    Ukraine has also denied involvement in the incident in the early hours of Wednesday, when video footage showed two flying objects approaching the Senate Palace inside the Kremlin walls and one exploding with a bright flash.

    “Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington,” said Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

    He said the United States was “undoubtedly” behind the incident and added – again without stating evidence – that Washington often selected both the targets for Ukraine to attack, and the means to attack them.

    “This is also often dictated from across the ocean … In Washington they must clearly understand that we know this,” Peskov said.

    White House national security spokesman John Kirby told MSNBC television the Russian claims were false, and that Washington does not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

    Russia has said with increasing frequency that it sees the United States as a direct participant in the war, intent on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Moscow. The United States denies that, saying it is arming Ukraine to defend itself and retake territory that Moscow has seized illegally in more than 14 months of war.

    CALLS TO KILL ZELENSKIY

    However, Peskov’s allegation went further than previous Kremlin accusations against Washington.

    Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time, and security analysts have poured scorn on the idea that the incident was a serious assassination attempt.

    But Russia has said it reserves the right to retaliate, and hardliners including former president Dmitry Medvedev have said it should now “physically eliminate” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

    Peskov declined to say whether Moscow saw Zelenskiy as a legitimate target.

    He said Russia had an array of options and the response would be carefully considered and balanced. He said an urgent investigation was under way.

    Putin was in the Kremlin on Thursday and staff were working normally, he said.

    The incident took place less than a week before Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two – an important public holiday and an opportunity for Putin to rally Russians behind what he calls Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.

    Peskov said air defences would be tightened, and this was happening anyway for the military parade on Red Square, the centrepiece of the holiday, just over the Kremlin wall from the site of the alleged attack.

    He said the parade would go ahead as normal, and include a speech from Putin.

    Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Mark Trevelyan

    Thomson Reuters

    Chief writer on Russia and CIS. Worked as a journalist on 7 continents and reported from 40+ countries, with postings in London, Wellington, Brussels, Warsaw, Moscow and Berlin. Covered the break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Security correspondent from 2003 to 2008. Speaks French, Russian and (rusty) German and Polish.

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  • U.S. Congress gears up for immigration overhaul as Title 42 ends

    U.S. Congress gears up for immigration overhaul as Title 42 ends

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    WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) – A fresh push for a bipartisan immigration overhaul, coupled with enhanced border security, is emerging in the U.S. Congress, as thousands of migrants amass across the border in Mexico ahead of the end of COVID-era border restrictions next week.

    The latest among those efforts is a last-minute legislative push that would grant U.S. border authorities similar expulsion powers allowed under the expiring COVID restrictions – known as Title 42 – for a period of two years, according to a congressional office involved in the talks.

    Title 42 began under Republican former President Donald Trump in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and allows U.S. authorities to expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum. The order is set to lift on May 11 when the COVID health emergency officially ends.

    But many Republicans and some Democrats, particularly in border areas, fear the end of the order will lead to a rise in migration that authorities are poorly equipped to face. A top border official recently told lawmakers that migrant crossings could jump to 10,000 per day after May 11, nearly double the daily average in March.

    Senators Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, and Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, are leading the effort to temporarily extend border expulsions. The pair view it as a short-term fix while they work on broader immigration reform, Sinema spokesperson Hannah Hurley said.

    “This is squarely about the immediate crisis with the end of Title 42,” Hurley said.

    Separately, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives plans to pass a package of border security measures next week to place tougher constraints on asylum-seekers, resume construction of a wall along the southwest border with Mexico, and expand federal law enforcement.

    Many are seeking more sweeping change – but their hopes have been dashed in the past.

    It has been 37 years since Congress passed significant immigration reform, but a persistently high volume of migrants and an acute labor shortage have galvanized lawmakers. Republicans also cite the flow of illegal drugs into the United States through ports of entry as reason to harden border security.

    While some Democrats characterize the House border legislation as inhumane, several Democratic and Republican senators said they eagerly await such a bill.

    Tillis, who is pushing both the short-term legislative fix for Title 42’s end and a wider package of reforms, said a House-passed bill would be “something we can build on.”

    “It gives us some room to gain the support we need in the Senate” for broader legislation, he said, adding it could take two to three months to construct a compromise. But senators had no illusions this would be an easy task.

    Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said the House bill would provide clues on Republicans’ intent. He added that in conversations with fellow senators, “One of the first things they say is ‘well if the House starts the conversation I think we can get somewhere.’ We’ll see.”

    Since a 1986 immigration reform package, which resulted in some 3 million immigrants winning legal status, Congress repeatedly has failed to update the nation’s policies.

    Around 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States could have a stake in the outcome of this latest effort, along with U.S. businesses hungry for workers.

    To succeed in the Democrat-controlled Senate, it would need 60 senators from across both parties to back it, as well as win the support of the Republican-controlled House.

    “A high-wire act,” is how Republican Senator John Cornyn from border state Texas portrayed it, adding it was “the only path forward.”

    STARS ALIGNING

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business association, has launched a campaign urging Congress to act. It was endorsed by 400 groups, ranging from the American Farm Bureau Federation to the U.S. Travel Association.

    Republican-controlled states see their farming, ranching, food processing and manufacturing businesses begging for workers, a void that immigrants could fill if not for Washington’s clunky visa system.

    Finally, passage of an immigration bill coupled with beefed-up border security could boost President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and give Republican candidates something to cheer, too.

    The House bill would deal with some of the five “buckets” in the Tillis-Sinema effort, according to a Senate source familiar with their work.

    Overall, they include a modernization of the plodding asylum system, improvements to how visas are granted, and measures to more effectively authorize immigrants, be they laborers and healthcare workers or doctors and engineers, to fill American jobs.

    There is also the fate of 580,000 “Dreamers” enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, who were brought illegally into the United States as children.

    Republicans have blocked their path to citizenship for two decades, arguing that would encourage more to take the dangerous journey to the border.

    Senators acknowledge some of their goals might have to be abandoned to achieve a “sweet spot.” But which ones?

    Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who won passage last year of the first major gun control bill in about three decades, did so in part by recognizing that a too ambitious bill is a recipe for failure.

    Murphy was asked how the difficulty of winning immigration legislation stacks up to other recent battles, such as gun control, gay marriage and infrastructure investments.

    “It’s an 11 on a scale of 10.”

    Reporting by Richard Cowan; additional reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Mary Milliken and Diane Craft

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Italy unlikely to renew China deal, but needs time, official says

    Italy unlikely to renew China deal, but needs time, official says

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    ROME, May 4 (Reuters) – Italy is highly unlikely to renew its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal with China, which expires early next year, but needs time to discuss the issue with Beijing, a senior government official said.

    The official, who has knowledge of internal discussions over the matter, said a formal decision would not be made ahead of this month’s Group of Seven summit in Japan, adding that it was a highly sensitive topic.

    Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office declined to comment.

    Italy in 2019 became the first and so far only G7 nation to join the hugely ambitious BRI programme, which critics said would enable China to gain get control of sensitive technologies and vital infrastructure.

    The then prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, hoped the deal would give a lift to Italy’s underperforming economy, but over the past four years it has seen little benefit, with exports to China totalling 16.4 billion euros ($18.1 billion) last year from 13 billion euros in 2019.

    By contrast, Chinese exports to Italy rose to 57.5 billion from 31.7 billion over the same period, according to Italian data.

    Italy’s main euro zone trading partners France and Germany exported significantly more to China last year, despite not being part of the BRI.

    The government official said Rome would use this lack of economic development as an argument for not renewing the deal.

    The pact expires in March 2024 and will be automatically renewed unless either side informs the other that they are pulling out, giving at least three months’ written warning.

    In an interview with Reuters last year, before she won power in a September election, Meloni made clear she disapproved of Conte’s decision. “There is no political will on my part to favour Chinese expansion into Italy or Europe,” she said.

    Meloni, who heads a conservative, nationalist coalition, has been keen to burnish her credentials as a committed pro-NATO, pro-Atlantic leader, catching the eyes of Western allies with robust, vocal support for Ukraine.

    But she has been careful not to give offence to China, and government officials said Rome did not want to cause a diplomatic rupture.

    China had to remain a partner, but Italy could not get into a situation where it was over-reliant on Beijing in any key sector, as had happened with Russia and its energy supplies, a second official said.

    Meloni met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali last November and accepted an invitation to visit China, but a date has not yet been fixed.

    Meloni has also not yet visited Washington and the government official said she did not want to travel to Beijing without having first been received by U.S. President Joe Biden.

    (This story has been corrected to show that data refers to Chinese exports to Italy, not Chinese imports from Italy, in paragraph 6)

    ($1 = 0.9037 euros)

    Reporting by Crispian Balmer; editing by John Stonestreet

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • S.Korea’s Yoon to meet Biden as doubts grow over nuclear umbrella

    S.Korea’s Yoon to meet Biden as doubts grow over nuclear umbrella

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    SEOUL, April 24 (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol set off on Monday for the United States and a summit with President Joe Biden at a time of rare questioning in South Korea of an alliance that has guaranteed its security for decades.

    Yoon’s April 24-29 trip is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years and will mark the 70th anniversary of a partnership that has helped anchor U.S. strategy in Asia and provided a foundation for South Korea’s emergence as an economic powerhouse.

    But as North Korea races ahead with the development of nuclear weapons and missiles to carry them, there are growing questions in South Korea about the relying on “extended deterrence”, in essence the American nuclear umbrella, and calls, even from some senior members of Yoon’s party, for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.

    A recent poll by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies showed that more than 54% of respondents believed the U.S. would not risk its safety to protect its Asian ally.

    More than 64% supported South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, with about 33% opposed.

    Yoon has been pushing to boost South Korea’s say in operating the U.S. extended deterrence but exactly what that might entail has not been spelt out.

    Yoon’s deputy national security adviser said both sides had been working on measures to operate the extended deterrence in a more concrete manner, hopefully with progress to be a revealed in a joint statement after the summit.

    “What I can tell you now is that people’s interest in and expectations for extended deterrence have been great, and there are several things that have been carried out over the past year in terms of information sharing, planning and execution,” the adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, told reporters.

    “We need to take steps to organise these things so that it can be easily understood to anyone in one big picture, how this is implemented and developed.”

    A senior U.S. official said on Friday that Biden, during the summit with Yoon, would pledge “substantial” steps to underscore U.S. commitments to deter a North Korean nuclear attack.

    HELP FOR UKRAINE

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which some in South Korea feel is distracting the United States from dangers in Asia, has also led to some rare friction between Seoul and Washington.

    Leaked U.S. documents recently highlighted South Korean difficulties in dealing with pressure from its ally to help with the supply of military aid to Ukraine.

    South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, says it has not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia. It has limited its support to humanitarian aid.

    South Korea tries to avoid antagonising Russia, due chiefly to business interests and Russian influence over North Korea.

    Suggestions reported in media that the United States had been spying on South Korean deliberations about its support to Ukraine have raised hackles in South Korea, though both sides have played the down the issue.

    Yoon, in an interview with Reuters last week, Yoon signalled for the first time a softening in his position on arming Ukraine, saying his government might not “insist only on humanitarian or financial support” if Ukraine comes under a large-scale attack on civilians or a “situation the international community cannot condone”.

    A South Korean official said the government’s position against arms support for Ukraine “raised eyebrows” in some countries at a time when South Korean defence firms have won big deals in Europe, including a $5.8 billion contract to supply howitzers and tanks to Poland.

    Another South Korean official said the government had been “treading a fine line” as it tried to maintain ties with Russia but Yoon’s remarks could give South Korea greater flexibility.

    Yoon is due to meet Biden for their summit on Wednesday. He will address the U.S. Congress on Thursday.

    Yoon is bringing business leaders to boost partnerships on supply chains and high-tech areas including chips and batteries. He will also discuss space cooperation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

    Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Robert Birsel

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Brazil takes fight against racism abroad

    Brazil takes fight against racism abroad

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    LISBON, April 23 (Reuters) – Government officials from Brazil are using their president’s first visit to Europe since being elected to raise awareness and fight against the racial discrimination faced by the Brazilian community in Portugal and elsewhere.

    Brazil’s minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco, was one of the officials who travelled with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Her mission was to bring discussions about racism to the table.

    “We’re not going to be able to solve 523 years of problems in just one visit but I hope we can move forward because that’s why we’re here,” Franco told reporters on Sunday, referring to centuries of oppression faced by Black people.

    Franco is the sister of Marielle Franco, a Black councilwoman in Rio de Janeiro who fought for racial justice and was shot dead in 2018.

    When elected, Lula said he aimed to attack racism and Brazil’s legacy of slavery. Portuguese vessels carried nearly 6 million enslaved Africans into slavery. Most went to Brazil.

    Europe’s top human rights group previously said Portugal had to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade to help fight racism and discrimination in the country today.

    “Let’s build a future without forgetting the debts of the past,” Franco wrote on Instagram. “Let’s build a future where cooperation is mutual between countries to seek justice and reparation.”

    In a letter addressed to Lula on Sunday, Lisbon-based migrant association Casa do Brasil said cases of discrimination against Brazilians in Portugal were on the rise.

    A study by Casa do Brasil showed 91% of Brazilians in Portugal, a community of around 300,000, have faced some sort of discrimination in access to public services.

    Franco met Portuguese parliament affairs minister Ana Catarina Mendes on Saturday to discuss policies to tackle racial injustice.

    Both governments agreed on a national strategy to combat racism.

    “We need to make it happen,” said Franco.

    Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Christina Fincher

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Catarina Demony

    Thomson Reuters

    Portugal-based multimedia correspondent reporting on politics, economics, the environment and daily news. Previous experience in local journalism in the UK., co-founded a project telling the stories of Portuguese-speakers living in London, and edited a youth-led news site.

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  • Philippines’ Marcos to seek specifics from Biden on US defence commitment

    Philippines’ Marcos to seek specifics from Biden on US defence commitment

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    MANILA, April 24 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Monday said he will press U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to make clear the extent of Washington’s commitment to protect his country under a 1951 security pact, citing growing regional tension.

    The past two Philippine administrations have urged former colonial power United States to be specific on the circumstances under which it would defend its ally under the Mutual Defence Treaty, amid fears of an increased risk of confrontation in the South China Sea.

    Marcos will hold talks with Biden in Washington on May 1, a meeting the White House said would reaffirm its “ironclad commitments to the defence of the Philippines”.

    “It (the treaty) needs to adjust because of the changes in the situation we are facing in the South China Sea, Taiwan, North Korea,” Marcos said in a radio interview.

    “The situation is heating up,” he added.

    The push for clarity comes amid a steady buildup of military and coast guard assets by Beijing in the South China Sea, including artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago that are equipped with missile systems within range of the Philippines.

    It also comes as the Biden and Marcos administrations seek to boost their military alliance, demonstrated this year by the largest-ever U.S. troop presence at annual war games and the Philippines almost doubling the number of its military bases that Washington can access.

    The Philippines has said the agreement in bases was for its self-defence purposes.

    China, however, says the pact with the United States is stoking the fire of regional tensions.

    Marcos on Monday said he and Biden should discuss what exactly their alliance entails and how to manage tension with China.

    “What is our partnership? What can be done to tone down or reduce rhetoric? Because there have been an exchange of heated words,” he said.

    (This story has been corrected to change the date of talks with Biden to May 1, not weekend, in paragraph 3)

    Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Taiwan or China? Paraguay’s dilemma puts election race in the spotlight

    Taiwan or China? Paraguay’s dilemma puts election race in the spotlight

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    ASUNCION, April 24 (Reuters) – From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials – and farmers – are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay’s future ties with Taiwan.

    Paraguay will vote for its next president on April 30, choosing between a ruling party candidate pledging to extend decades-long diplomatic relations with Taiwan and an opposition rival who favors switching ties to China to boost the landlocked country’s farm-driven economy.

    Pressure inside the South American nation has been rising, especially from its powerful agricultural lobby, to flip ties to China and open up the Asian country’s lucrative markets to Paraguay’s soybeans and beef, its main exports.

    “We’re a food-producing nation that is not selling to the world’s biggest buyer of food,” Pedro Galli, the head of the Paraguayan Rural Association (ARP), told Reuters. His organization represents some 3,000 local farmers.

    Were Paraguay to recognize China it would be a blow to Taiwan, which is facing an uphill battle against Beijing’s economic muscle to keep its remaining 13 allies worldwide, and a fresh sign of China’s growing clout in an area Washington has long regarded as its backyard.

    Galli cited the recognition of China by other countries in the region, which in recent years have included Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Honduras was the latest to switch sides in March.

    “We’re watching the party from the balcony,” Galli said, referring to the loss the farming sector felt in terms of exports. “It’s just us and the Guatemalans left.” 

    Opposition candidate Efrain Alegre, who represents a center-left coalition, told Reuters in January and again in April that he would favor relations with China, the world’s largest beef and soybean importer, if elected president.

    “We are going to be where it is convenient, otherwise it would be a betrayal of the country,” Alegre told Reuters in the April 17 interview. “How can I deny a relationship that is beneficial for all Paraguayans, a people that need development, need investment, need industry?”

    The ruling conservative Colorado Party candidate, Santiago Peña, has vowed to stick with Taiwan. A cross-party delegation visited the island in February, seeking to calm Taiwanese jitters.

    Taipei, which argues that it provides economic support to its allies, said last week it was “perplexed” by the position taken by Paraguay’s opposition and it would do its utmost to maintain its diplomatic ties with the country.

    China has long argued that democratically-ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. China demands that countries with which it has ties recognize its position.

    ‘WHEN, NOT IF’

    Among diplomatic circles in Asuncion there is a sense a switch is inevitable – regardless of the election outcome.

    “With Paraguay it is a matter of when, not if,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters, adding that given the pressures from the local business community and the fragile global economy, Paraguay could switch “within the next two years.”

    Even if the ruling Colorado party were to win the election, its leaders may not have the same staunch support for Taiwan as incumbent President Mario Abdo, whose father helped forge relations with Taiwan as a political aide over six decades ago.

    “We are brotherly peoples, and we have a destiny together,” Abdo said during February’s visit.

    “Current president Abdo had a strong personal commitment to Taiwan that goes back to his father,” said Evan Ellis, who specializes in China-Latin America relations at the U.S. Army War College Institute.

    “It is not clear that the same personal depth of ties is there with whoever takes over.”

    Opinion polls in April differed widely, with Atlas ranking pro-China Alegre narrowly ahead of Peña and Grau & Associated predicting a 16-point lead for Peña.

    Paraguayan rancher Fernando Serrati, who farms corn, soybeans and cattle, said the country was “trapped” in a diplomatic conflict hurting producers and exports, while the closed door to China meant it often lost a price premium.

    A severe drought that has hit regional farm production, poorer economic prospects globally, and war in Ukraine that has affected shipments of beef to sanctioned Russia have all further dented local sentiment, spurring more Paraguayans to favor new ties with China.

    “We need to consider the real interests of our country and open up to the world,” Serrati said.

    Reporting by Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Rosalba O’Brien

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • It’s not 2020 anymore. Biden’s re-election campaign faces new challenges

    It’s not 2020 anymore. Biden’s re-election campaign faces new challenges

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    WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) – It won’t be a campaign from the basement this time.

    As U.S. President Joe Biden gears up for a bruising re-election battle, the realities of the 2024 race and differences with 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic create new challenges for him.

    Biden, a Democrat, says he is running again and is considering a formal announcement via video as soon as Tuesday.

    In 2020, Biden kept a low profile as the spread of COVID-19 caused havoc to most aspects of American life, including the election campaign that pitted him against then-President Donald Trump, a Republican.

    Trump still spoke at big rallies, but Biden did much of his campaigning virtually from the basement of his home in Wilmington, Delaware, largely avoiding crowds to prevent the spread of disease and reduce his own risk of catching the virus.

    That will change this time around. Gone will be the aversion to public events, large and small, likely replaced by traditional campaign stops at diners, factories and union halls with handshakes, selfies, and crowds of people.

    The Democratic convention in Chicago will be in-person rather than online. And Biden, who at 80 is already the oldest president in U.S. history, will have his day job to do while he makes the case for four more years in office.

    Biden beat Trump in 2020 by winning the Electoral College 306 to 232, winning the close swing states of Pennsylvania and Georgia, and he bested Trump by more than 7 million votes nationally, capturing 51.3 percent of the popular vote to the Republican’s 46.8 percent.

    AGE FACTOR

    Republicans will watch closely for signs of a diminished schedule to suggest that age has made Biden less fit for the campaign trail, and for the White House.

    “It’s quite shocking that Biden thinks he would be able to fill a second term, let alone the rest of this term,” said Republican strategist Scott Reed.

    Trump, the early front-runner for the Republican nomination, is himself 76 years old.

    Biden’s reply to concerns about his age and running for re-election has been to say “watch me,” and the White House points to his record of legislative accomplishments as a sign of his effectiveness.

    “An extensive travel schedule is not the measure of a candidate’s ability to do the job,” said Democratic strategist Karen Finney. “There’s no scenario where the Republicans don’t try to make his age an issue. We know that. And so the focus has to be on … what is the most effective way to reach the American people. Some of that, yes, is going to be in-person events and travel, but there may be other innovations.”

    CAMPAIGN REINVENTED

    Biden campaign aides reinvented his 2020 campaign as COVID-19 spread across the country.

    Some of the innovations were regarded as a success, including star-studded virtual fundraisers done without the need for expensive travel.

    But other changes were more controversial, including a months-long prohibition on the use of door-knocking by campaign volunteers and the regular appearances by Biden in his home’s basement, which became a meme panned by right-wing voters.

    Having to get out more than in 2020 could help Biden, said Meg Bostrom, co-founder of Topos Partnership, a strategic communications firm.

    “Just look at the State of the Union (address.) That was the best I’ve ever seen. When Republicans started heckling him, he just lit up,” she said. Biden sparred ably with Republicans during his speech to Congress in February.

    But other issues may trip up the incumbent president on the campaign trail, including his handling of the economy.

    “The allure for voting for Biden in 2020 was sort of the quaint notion of getting back to normal,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell, referring to the chaos of Trump’s time in office.

    “The problem for Biden is that he’s been in power … and things are anything but normal, especially when it comes to the economy and inflation.”

    Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

    RECESSION CONCERNS

    Biden took office in January 2021 just as COVID vaccines were rolling out, and economic conditions gradually normalized during his early tenure after the shock of nationwide shutdowns. The United States now boasts 3.2 million jobs over the pre-pandemic peak.

    But Americans are concerned about a potential recession, and Biden may suffer from being on the wrong side of an economic cycle heading into 2024, with unemployment likely to rise as growth slows, interest rates remaining high and inflation potentially hovering above pre-pandemic levels.

    Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

    Trump, who has announced his re-election bid already and could be Biden’s opponent again, is expected to follow the strategy that he employed in 2016 and 2020 with multiple large rallies to energize his base.

    But he will first have to win what could be a grueling Republican nomination contest – something that Biden, as an incumbent without major opposition inside his party, will not face.

    “We don’t need fire and brimstone. We don’t need rah rah rallies,” said Democratic strategist Joe Lestingi. “We need the strength and conviction of our values and a steadiness not to move on them.”

    Biden, he said, would provide that steadiness.

    “I think he’ll get out more,” Lestingi said, praising Biden’s skill at traditional “retail” politics. “If you get an opportunity to be with him in a small intimate setting, he can make a real big difference.”

    Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

    Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Howard Schneider and Andrea Shalal; editing by Grant McCool

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Jeff Mason

    Thomson Reuters

    Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

    He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA’s work was recognized with Deutsche Welle’s “Freedom of Speech Award.”

    Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA’s “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure” award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists’ “Breaking News” award.

    Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union.

    Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

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  • China says it respects sovereignty of ex-Soviet states after EU uproar

    China says it respects sovereignty of ex-Soviet states after EU uproar

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    • Chinese ambassador to Paris caused uproar in EU
    • Comments focused on Ukraine, ex-Soviet states
    • Beijing says he was expressing personal views
    • EU welcomes ‘clarification’

    LUXEMBOURG, April 24 (Reuters) – China respects the status of former Soviet member states as sovereign nations, its foreign ministry said on Monday, distancing itself from comments by its envoy to Paris that triggered an uproar among European capitals.

    Several European Union foreign ministers had said comments by ambassador Lu Shaye – in which he questioned the sovereignty of Ukraine and other former Soviet states – were unacceptable and had asked Beijing to clarify its stance.

    Asked if Lu’s comments represented China’s official position, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing respected the status of the former Soviet member states as sovereign nations following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    Mao told a regular news briefing that it was her remarks on sovereignty that represented China’s official government stance.

    The Chinese embassy in Paris issued a statement later on Monday to say that Lu’s comments on Ukraine “were not a political declaration but an expression of his personal views”.

    Both statements, following the backlash, appeared to be an effort to ease the tension with the EU while Washington also cited growing closeness between Beijing and Moscow.

    “Beijing has distanced itself from the unacceptable remarks by its ambassador,” Josep Borrell told a news conference, saying it was “good news”.

    The French foreign ministry said it was “taking note” of Beijing’s “clarifications” and that the minister’s chief of staff had met with Lu on Monday, told him his comments were unacceptable and urged him to speak in a way “that is in line with his country’s official stance.”

    Lu has earned himself a reputation as one of China’s “wolf warrior” diplomats, so-called for their hawkish and abrasive style.

    Asked about his position on whether Crimea was part of Ukraine or not, Lu had said in an interview aired on French TV on Friday that historically it was part of Russia and had been offered to Ukraine by former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

    “These ex-USSR countries don’t have actual status in international law because there is no international agreement to materialize their sovereign status,” Lu added.

    Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks during a news conference, in Riga, Latvia April 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

    ‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE’

    Monday’s statements from the Chinese foreign ministry and embassy in Paris came after criticism from across the EU.

    Speaking ahead of a Luxembourg meeting of EU foreign ministers earlier in the day, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said Lu’s comments were “totally unacceptable”.

    “I hope the bosses of this ambassador will make these things straight,” he told reporters.

    A spokesperson for Germany’s foreign ministry said it had taken note of Lu’s comments “with great astonishment, especially as the statements are not in line with the Chinese position we have known so far.”

    Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said the three Baltic countries would summon Chinese representatives to officially ask for clarification.

    He said Beijing was “sending the same message” as Moscow on questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet countries, which he described as “dangerous”.

    Lithuania and its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Estonia were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940, but regained independence after its break-up in 1991.

    EU leaders would discuss the bloc’s stance towards China and its future relations with Beijing during their next summit in June, EU Council President Charles Michel said.

    Lu has been summoned to France’s foreign ministry several times in the past, including for suggesting France was abandoning old people in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and for calling a respected China scholar at a French think-tank a “mad hyena”.

    Asked about Chinese officials’ comments, White House spokesperson John Kirby told MSNBC broadcaster that China and Russia are clearly aligning, adding: “These are two countries that want to challenge outright the international rules-based order … that respects sovereignty around the world.”

    “They want to undermine it. They want to reduce and diminish not only the United States and our influence around the world but also our allies and partners.”

    Reporting by Bart Meijer

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • China respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations – foreign ministry

    China respects ex-Soviet states as sovereign nations – foreign ministry

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    BEIJING, April 24 (Reuters) – China respects the status of the independent sovereign nations that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, after Beijing’s envoy to Paris sparked a diplomatic storm by questioning their sovereignty.

    Ambassador Lu Shaye said in an interview aired on French television on Friday that former Soviet countries like Ukraine lacked “actual status in international law”, prompting foreign ministers from several EU member states to label his comments as totally unacceptable.

    China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning set out the official stance of the government during a regular news conference in Beijing, when asked if China stood behind the envoy’s remarks.

    “The Chinese side respects the status of the member states as sovereign states after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” Mao said, adding that China was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with those countries.

    On the issue of territorial sovereignty, China’s position is consistent and clear, she said.

    China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and upholds the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, Mao said.

    Asked if China recognises Ukraine as a sovereign state, Mao said China’s position on this issue is objective and fair.

    “The Soviet Union was a federal state, and externally as a whole, it had the status of being a subject of international law, so conversely, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the various republics have the status of sovereign states,” she said.

    And only sovereign states can become official members of the United Nations, she said.

    “The country you mentioned is a full member of the United Nations.”

    Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Toby Chopra

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Explainer: What is solid-fuel technology, and why is North Korea eager to develop it?

    Explainer: What is solid-fuel technology, and why is North Korea eager to develop it?

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    SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) – North Korea says it has tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), its first known use of the propellant in a longer-range projectile, as it seeks the capability to launch with little preparation.

    Here are some characteristics of solid-fuel technology, and how it can help the North improve its missile systems.

    WHAT IS SOLID-FUEL TECHNOLOGY?

    Solid propellants are a mixture of fuel and oxidiser. Metallic powders such as aluminium often serve as the fuel, and ammonium perchlorate, which is the salt of perchloric acid and ammonia, is the most common oxidiser.

    The fuel and oxidiser are bound together by a hard rubbery material and packed into a metal casing.

    When solid propellant burns, oxygen from the ammonium perchlorate combines with aluminium to generate enormous amounts of energy and temperatures of more than 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), creating thrust and lifting the missile from the launch pad.

    North Korea claims to have tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-18

    WHO HAS THAT TECHNOLOGY?

    Solid fuel dates back to fireworks developed by the Chinese centuries ago, but made dramatic progress in the mid-20th century, when the U.S. developed more powerful propellants.

    The Soviet Union fielded its first solid-fuel ICBM, the RT-2, in the early 1970s, followed by France’s development of its S3, also known as SSBS, a medium-range ballistic missile.

    China started testing solid-fuel ICBMs in the late 1990s.

    South Korea said on Friday it had already secured “efficient and advanced” solid-propellant ballistic missile technology.

    SOLID VS. LIQUID

    Liquid propellants provide greater propulsive thrust and power, but require more complex technology and extra weight.

    Solid fuel is dense and burns quite quickly, generating thrust over a short time. Solid fuel can remain in storage for an extended period without degrading or breaking down – a common issue with liquid fuel.

    Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who now works with the 38 North project, said solid-fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquid-fuel weapons.

    Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said any country that operates large scale, missile-based nuclear forces would seek solid-propellant missiles, which do not need to be fuelled immediately ahead of launch.

    “These capabilities are much more responsive in a time of crisis,” Panda said.

    WHAT NEXT?

    North Korea said the development of its new solid-fuel ICBM, the Hwasong-18, would “radically promote” its nuclear counterattack capability.

    South Korea’s defence ministry sought to downplay the testing, saying the North would need “extra time and effort” to master the technology.

    Panda said the North could face difficulties ensuring such a large missile does not break apart when the diameter of the booster becomes larger.

    Although the Hwasong-18 might not be a “game changer”, he said, it will most likely complicate the calculations of the United States and its allies during a conflict.

    “The most important interest the United States and its allies have is to reduce the risks of nuclear use and escalation stemming from North Korea’s possession of these weapons,” Panda said.

    Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Additional reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Gerry Doyle

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Over 18,000 cows die in Texas dairy farm blaze

    Over 18,000 cows die in Texas dairy farm blaze

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    April 13 (Reuters) – More than 18,000 cows died after an explosion and fire at a family dairy farm in west Texas, marking the deadliest such barn blaze on record in the United States.

    Firefighters rescued one employee from the South Fork Dairy near Dimmitt on Monday as flames raced through a building and into holding pens, according to images and statements from the Castro County Sheriff’s Office.

    The cause of the fire was under investigation and it was not immediately possible to contact members of the family who own the farm in one of Texas’ biggest milk production counties.

    The blaze prompted calls from the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), among the oldest U.S. animal protection groups, for federal laws to prevent barn fires which kill hundreds of thousands of farm animals each year.

    There are no federal regulations protecting animals from the fires and only a few states, Texas not among them, have adopted fire protection codes for such buildings, according to an AWI statement.

    The blaze was the most devastating U.S. barn fire involving cattle since the AWI began tracking such incidents in 2013. Around 6.5 million farm animals have died in such fires in the last decade, most of them poultry.

    Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Daniel Wallis

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Airman suspected of leaking secret US documents hit with federal charges

    Airman suspected of leaking secret US documents hit with federal charges

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    BOSTON, April 14 (Reuters) – A 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard accused of leaking top secret military intelligence records online was charged on Friday with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified material.

    Jack Douglas Teixeira of North Dighton, Massachusetts, who was arrested by heavily armed FBI agents at his home on Thursday, made his initial appearance in a crowded federal court wearing a brown khaki jumpsuit.

    At the hearing, Boston’s top federal national security prosecutor, Nadine Pellegrini, requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was set for Wednesday.

    During the brief proceeding, Teixeira said little, answering “yes” when asked whether he understood his right to remain silent.

    The judge said Teixeira’s financial affidavit showed he qualified to be represented by a federal public defender, and he appointed one.

    After the hearing, three of Teixeira’s family members left the courthouse, with a group of reporters trailing them for several blocks. They entered a car without making any comments.

    The leaked documents were believed to be the most serious U.S. security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. The Pentagon has called the leak a “deliberate, criminal act.”

    This leak did not come to light until it was reported by the New York Times last week even though the documents were posted on a social media website weeks earlier.

    U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he ordered investigators to determine why the alleged leaker had access to the sensitive information, which included records showing purported details of Ukrainian military vulnerabilities and embarrassed Washington by revealing its spying on allies.

    Fallout from the case has roiled Washington. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has requested a briefing for all 100 senators next week while Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to investigate.

    “The Biden administration has failed to secure classified information,” McCarthy said on Twitter. “Through our committees, Congress will get answers as to why they were asleep at the switch.”

    FBI agents arrest Jack Teixeira, an employee of the U.S. Air Force National Guard, in connection with an investigation into the leaks online of classified U.S. documents, outside a residence in this still image taken from video in North Dighton, Massachusetts, U.S., April 13, 2023. WCVB-TV via ABC via REUTERS

    Biden said he was taking steps to tighten security. “While we are still determining the validity of those documents, I have directed our military and intelligence community to take steps to further secure and limit distribution of sensitive information,” he said in a statement.

    MORE CHARGES EXPECTED

    A criminal complaint made public on Friday charges Teixeira with one count of violating the Espionage Act related to the unlawful copying and transmitting of sensitive defense material, and a second charge related to the unlawful removal of defense material to an unauthorized location.

    A conviction on the Espionage Act charge carries up to 10 years in prison.

    The charges are connected to just one leaked document so far, a classified record that described the status of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and included details about troop movements on a particular date.

    Experts expect more charges as investigators examine each leaked document. Teixeira could also face more counts depending on the number of times he separately uploaded and transmitted each document.

    “They are going to pick the ones (documents), I would imagine, that foreign governments have already seen,” said Stephanie Siegmann, the former national security chief for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston and now a partner with the Hinckley Allen law firm.

    In a sworn statement, an FBI agent said Teixeira had held a top secret security clearance since 2021 and also had sensitive compartmented access to other highly classified programs.

    Since May 2022, the FBI said, Teixeira has been serving as an E-3/airman first class in the Air National Guard and has been stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts.

    Siegmann said one lingering question is why a 21-year-old National Guardsman held such a top-level security clearance.

    “That’s an issue that Department of Defense needs to now deal with,” she said. “Why would he be entitled to these documents about the Russia-Ukrainian conflict?”

    Reuters has reviewed more than 50 of the documents, labeled “Secret” and “Top Secret,” but has not independently verified their authenticity. The number of documents leaked is likely to be over 100.

    Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and Tim McLaughlin in Boston
    Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Sarah N. Lynch

    Thomson Reuters

    Sarah N. Lynch is the lead reporter for Reuters covering the U.S. Justice Department out of Washington, D.C. During her time on the beat, she has covered everything from the Mueller report and the use of federal agents to quell protesters in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in prisons and the department’s prosecutions following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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  • North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of ‘extreme’ horror

    North Korea says it tested new solid-fuel ICBM, warns of ‘extreme’ horror

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    • Leader Kim Jong Un and family watch missile test
    • Test key to deploying missiles faster in war
    • South Korea, U.S. and Japan stage military drills

    SEOUL, April 14 (Reuters) – North Korea announced on Friday it had tested a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a development set to “radically promote” its forces, which experts said would facilitate missile launches with little warning.

    Leader Kim Jong Un guided Thursday’s test, and warned it would make enemies “experience a clearer security crisis, and constantly strike extreme uneasiness and horror into them by taking fatal and offensive counter-actions until they abandon their senseless thinking and reckless acts”, North Korean state media said.

    Analysts said it was the North’s first use of solid propellants in an intermediate-range or intercontinental ballistic missile, a key task to deploying missiles faster during a war.

    South Korea’s defence ministry said North Korea was still developing the weapon, and that it needed more time and effort to master the technology, indicating that Pyongyang might carry out more tests.

    North Korean state media outlet KCNA released photos of Kim watching the launch, accompanied by his wife, sister and daughter, and the missile covered in camouflage nets on a mobile launcher. A state media video showed the Hwasong-18 missile blasting off from a launch tube, creating a cloud of smoke.

    The development of the Hwasong-18 will “extensively reform the strategic deterrence components of the DPRK, radically promote the effectiveness of its nuclear counterattack posture and bring about a change in the practicality of its offensive military strategy,” KCNA said, using the initials of the country’s official name.

    South Korea and the U.S. air forces staged drills hours after the report, involving American B-52H bombers that joined F-35A, F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, Seoul’s defence ministry said.

    “By deploying U.S. strategic assets with increased frequency and intensity, the two countries will continue demonstrating our strong alliance’s will that we will never tolerate any nuclear attack from North Korea,” the ministry said in a statement.

    North Korea has criticised recent U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises as escalating tensions, and has stepped up weapons tests in the past months.

    Japan also conducted separate air drills with two U.S. B-52 bomber jets on Friday, accompanied by four U.S. F-35 fighters and four Japanese F-15 fighters, Tokyo’s defence ministry said. It marked a second consecutive day of a Japan-U.S. joint air mission over the Sea of Japan.

    Japan asked the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on North Korea’s ballistic missile launches, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno told a Friday press conference.

    [1/6] A view of a test launch of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-18 at an undisclosed location in this still image of a photo used in a video released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) April 14, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS TV/via REUTERS

    Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics

    MORE TESTS?

    Most of North Korea’s largest ballistic missiles use liquid fuel, which requires them to be loaded with propellant at their launch site – a time-consuming and dangerous process.

    “For any country that operates large-scale, missile based nuclear forces, solid-propellant missiles are an incredibly desirable capability because they don’t need to be fuelled immediately prior to use,” said Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “These capabilities are much more responsive in a time of crisis.”

    North Korea will most likely keep some liquid-fuel systems, complicating the calculations of the U.S. and its allies during a conflict, Panda said.

    Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S. government weapons expert who now works with the 38 North project, said solid-fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support – making them harder to detect and more survivable than liquids.

    North Korea first displayed what could be a new solid-fuel ICBM during a military parade in February after testing a high-thrust solid-fuel engine in December.

    Analysts said the U.S. could determine between a solid- or liquid-fuelled launch with early warning satellites that can detect differences in the infrared data produced by various missile types.

    The latest launch came days after Kim called for strengthening war deterrence in a “more practical and offensive” manner to counter what North Korea called moves of aggression by the United States.

    The missile, fired from near Pyongyang, flew about 1,000 km (620 miles) before landing in waters east of North Korea, officials said. North Korea said the test posed no threats to its neighbouring countries.

    A South Korean military official said the missile’s maximum altitude was lower than 6,000 km, the apogee of some of last year’s record-breaking tests.

    “North Korea could have opted to focus on collecting data necessary to check its features at different stages than going full speed at the first launch,” said Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. “As it was a test that did not demonstrate its normal flight pattern, North Korea will likely conduct some more tests.”

    Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Leslie Adler

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Trump hush money case: What is an indictment? An arraignment? A gag order?

    Trump hush money case: What is an indictment? An arraignment? A gag order?

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    April 3 (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday following his indictment on criminal charges after a probe into hush money paid to a porn star.

    Below is an explanation of what it means to be indicted and arraigned, and other key terms related to Trump’s case.

    INDICTMENT

    An indictment is a court document containing charges that were voted on by a grand jury, a group of people who decide whether a prosecutor has enough evidence to pursue criminal charges.

    An indictment formally charges a defendant with a crime and provides a basis for legal prosecution.

    Following an indictment, a defendant is given formal notice of the charges, a right enshrined in the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

    A defendant can then be formally arraigned on whatever charges are brought. Law enforcement officials fingerprint and photograph most defendants facing arraignments.

    ARRAIGNMENT

    An arraignment is where a defendant is brought to court to hear charges and have a chance to enter a plea, which is generally guilty or not guilty.

    A judge or prosecutor typically reads the charges aloud. A defendant is usually represented by lawyers, especially in cases that are high-profile or could lead to jail or prison.

    If a defendant pleads not guilty, a judge will typically accept the plea and schedule the next court appearance, and perhaps a tentative trial date.

    [1/6] A person uses a smartphone after former U.S. President Donald Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S, April 3, 2023.  REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli

    If a defendant pleads guilty, the judge will impose punishment, typically at a later date.

    Trump’s lawyers have said he will plead not guilty on Tuesday.

    Lawyers for some defendants who plead not guilty may engage in plea bargaining, where they negotiate a guilty plea with prosecutors to avoid a trial. Defendants would typically plead guilty to some but not all charges they face.

    BAIL

    Judges in New York state criminal court have three options for bail: They can set bail, order a defendant released without bail, or order a defendant’s detention.

    The purpose of bail in New York is to ensure that a defendant returns to court, without taking into account the risk a defendant may cause further harm. In 2019, New York ended cash bail for most cases involving misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, such as Trump’s case.

    GAG ORDER

    A gag order is when a judge prohibits lawyers, parties and witnesses from talking about a case in public.

    Gag orders are common in criminal cases. That is especially true when there is a risk that someone may make statements that could incite violence, be viewed as threatening to prosecutors or witnesses, or taint the jury pool.

    A defendant who violates a gag order in New York can be held by a judge to be in criminal contempt, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. A judge will typically warn a defendant before issuing a contempt citation.

    If a gag order is imposed against Trump, he can appeal and argue that it undermines his First Amendment right to free speech as he runs for president.

    Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Jonathan Stempel; editing by Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • China warns US House Speaker not to meet Taiwan president

    China warns US House Speaker not to meet Taiwan president

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    • McCarthy, Tsai to meet in Los Angeles on Wednesday
    • China again warns McCarthy against meeting
    • Taiwan says China’s criticism “increasingly absurd”

    BEIJING/TAIPEI, April 4 (Reuters) – China warned U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday not to “repeat disastrous past mistakes” by meeting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it would not help regional peace and stability, only unite the Chinese people against a common enemy.

    The Republican McCarthy, the third-most-senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai, during a sensitive stopover in the United States that has prompted Chinese threats of retaliation.

    China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited the capital, Taipei.

    Tsai will make what is formally called a “transit” in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei after a trip to Central America. The United States says such stopovers are common practice and there is no need for China to overreact.

    But China’s consulate in Los Angeles said it was “false” to claim it as a transit, adding that Tsai was engaging in official exchanges to “put on a political show”.

    No matter in what capacity McCarthy meets Tsai, the gesture would greatly harm the feelings of the Chinese people, send a serious wrong signal to Taiwan separatist forces, and affect the political foundation of Sino-U.S. ties, it said in a statement.

    “It is not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability, and is not in the common interests of the people of China and the United States,” the consulate added.

    McCarthy is ignoring the lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor, it said, in a veiled reference to Pelosi’s Taipei visit, and is insisting on playing the “Taiwan card”.

    “He will undoubtedly repeat disastrous past mistakes and further damage Sino-U.S. relations. It will only strengthen the Chinese people’s strong will and determination to share a common enemy and support national unity.”

    Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China will closely follow developments and resolutely and vigorously defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, without giving details.

    CHINESE MILITARY ACTIVITIES

    Although Taiwan has not reported unusual Chinese movements in the run-up to the meeting, China’s military has continued activities around the island.

    Taiwan’s defence ministry on Tuesday morning reported that in the previous 24 hours it had spotted nine Chinese military aircraft in its air defence identification zone, in an area between Taiwan’s southwest coast and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea.

    In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said China had no right to complain, as the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island.

    China’s recent criticism of Tsai’s trip “has become increasingly absurd”, it added.

    “Even if the authoritarian government continues with its expansion and intensifies coercion, Taiwan will not back down,” the statement said.

    In China, prominent commentator Hu Xijin wrote on his widely followed Twitter account “the Chinese mainland will definitely react, and make the Tsai Ing-wen regime lose much more than what they can gain from this meeting.”

    Hu, who had voiced his concerns over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year, also wrote “The U.S. side is definitely not getting any real advantage either,” on his Weibo account, a Twitter-like social media platform in China.

    Hu is former editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed tabloid the Global Times, known for its strident nationalistic stance.

    Taiwan has lived with the threat of a Chinese attack since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists.

    Life in Taiwan has continued as normal, with shops, restaurants and tourist spots in Taipei packed during a long holiday weekend that ends on Wednesday.

    “They will certainly get angry and there will be some actions, but we are actually used to this,” said social worker Sunny Lai, 42.

    Reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom and Fabian Hamacher in Taipei; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez and Gerry Doyle

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

    Laurie Chen

    Thomson Reuters

    Laurie Chen is a China Correspondent at Reuters’ Beijing bureau, covering politics and general news. Before joining Reuters, she reported on China for six years at Agence France-Presse and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. She speaks fluent Mandarin.

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  • Analysis: China’s intensifying nuclear-armed submarine patrols add complexity for U.S., allies

    Analysis: China’s intensifying nuclear-armed submarine patrols add complexity for U.S., allies

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    HONG KONG, April 4 (Reuters) – China is for the first time keeping at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine constantly at sea, according to a Pentagon report – adding pressure on the United States and its allies as they try to counter Beijing’s growing military.

    The assessment of China’s military said China’s fleet of six Jin-class ballistic missile submarines were operating “near-continuous” patrols from Hainan Island into the South China Sea. Equipped with a new, longer-range ballistic missile, they can hit the continental United States, analysts say.

    The note in the 174-page report drew little attention when it was released in late November, but shows crucial improvements in Chinese capabilities, according to four regional military attaches familiar with naval operations and five other security analysts.

    Even as the AUKUS deal will see Australia field its first nuclear-powered submarines over the next two decades, the constant Chinese ballistic missile patrols at sea pile strain on the resources of the United States and its allies as they intensify Cold War-style deployments.

    “We’re going to want to have our SSNs trying to tail them… so the extra demands on our assets are clear,” said Christopher Twomey, a security scholar at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in California, speaking in a private capacity. SSN is a U.S. designation for a nuclear-powered attack sub. “But the point here is that the information – the near continuous patrols – has changed so rapidly that we don’t know what else has changed.”

    The new patrols imply improvements in many areas, including logistics, command and control, and weapons. They also show how China starting to operate its ballistic missile submarines in much the same way the United States, Russia, Britain and France have for decades, military attaches, former submariners and security analysts say.

    Their “deterrence patrols” allow them to threaten a nuclear counterattack even if land-based missiles and systems are destroyed. Under classic nuclear doctrine, that deters an adversary from launching an initial strike.

    The Chinese subs are now being equipped with a third-generation missile, the JL-3, General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told a congressional hearing in March.

    With an estimated range of more than 10,000 kilometres (6,214 miles) and carrying multiple warheads, the JL-3 allows China to reach the continental United States from Chinese coastal waters for the first time, the Pentagon report notes.

    Previous reports had said the JL-3 was not expected to be deployed until China launched its next-generation Type-096 submarines in coming years.

    The Chinese defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Pentagon report and its submarine deployments. The Pentagon did not comment on its earlier assessments or whether the Chinese deployments posed an operational challenge.

    The U.S. Navy keeps about two dozen nuclear-powered attack subs based across the Pacific, including in Guam and Hawaii, according to the Pacific Fleet. Under AUKUS, U.S. and British nuclear-powered subs will be deployed out of Western Australia from 2027.

    Such submarines are the core weapons for hunting ballistic missile subs, backed by surface ships and P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft. The U.S. also has seabed sensors in key sea lanes to help detect submarines.

    Timothy Wright, a defence analyst at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, said U.S. forces could probably cope with the situation now, but would have to commit more assets in the next 10 to 15 years once the stealthier Type-096 patrols begin.

    China’s rapid expansion of its nuclear forces mean U.S. strategists must contend with two “nuclear peer adversaries” for the first time, along with Russia, he added.

    “That will be of concern to the United States because it will stretch U.S. defences, hold more targets at risk, and they will need addressing with additional conventional and nuclear capabilities,” he said.

    COMMAND AUTHORITY

    China’s navy has for years been thought to have the capability for deterrence patrols, but issues with command, control and communications have slowed their deployment, the military attaches and analysts say. Communications are crucial and complex for ballistic missile subs, which must remain hidden as part of their mission.

    The Jin-class subs, expected to be replaced by the Type-096 over the next decade, are relatively noisy and easy to track, the military attaches said.

    “Something concerning command authority must have also changed, but we just don’t have very good opportunities to talk to the Chinese about this kind of stuff,” Twomey said.

    The Chinese military has emphasised that the Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is the only nuclear command authority.

    Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists, said he believed command and communications issues remained a “work in progress”.

    “While China probably has made progress on establishing secure and operationally meaningful command and control between the Central Military Commission and the SSBNs, it seems unlikely that the capability is complete or necessarily fully battle hardened,” he said, using the designation letters for a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

    Two researchers at a Chinese navy training institute in Nanjing warned in a 2019 underwater-warfare journal of poor command organisation and co-ordination among submarine forces. The paper also urged improvements in submarine-launched nuclear strike capability.

    The navy must “strengthen ballistic missile nuclear submarines on patrol at sea, so as to ensure that they have the means and capabilities to carry out secondary nuclear counterattack operations when necessary,” the researchers wrote.

    SOUTH CHINA SEA ‘BASTION’

    With the advent of the JL-3 missile, Kristensen and other analysts expect Chinese strategists to keep their ballistic missile subs in the deep waters of the South China Sea – which China has fortified with a string of bases – rather than risk patrols in the Western Pacific.

    Collin Koh, a security fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said China could keep its ballistic missile submarines in a “bastion” of protected waters near its shores.

    “If I was the planner, I would want to keep my strategic deterrence assets as close to me as possible, and the South China Sea is perfect for that,” Koh said.

    Russia is thought to keep most of its 11 ballistic missile submarines largely in bastions off its Arctic coasts, while U.S., French and British boats roam more widely, three analysts said.

    Kristensen said the more numerous Chinese submarine deployments have meant the PLA and U.S. militaries increasingly “rub up” against each other – increasing the odds of accidental conflict.

    “The Americans of course are trying to poke into that bastion and see what they can do, and what they need to do, so that is where the tension can build and incidents happen,” he said.

    Reporting By Greg Torode in Hong Kong and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle.

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Exclusive: India’s Bank of Baroda stops clearing payment for above-cap Russian oil – sources

    Exclusive: India’s Bank of Baroda stops clearing payment for above-cap Russian oil – sources

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    NEW DELHI, April 4 (Reuters) – India’s Bank of Baroda (BOB.NS) has stopped clearing payments for Russian oil sold above the price cap set by the West from this month, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, a move that could expedite transition to a rupee trade mechanism.

    Some Indian refiners were paying in the United Arab Emirates dirham currency for Russian low-sulphur crude priced above the $60 a barrel cap using Bank of Baroda, mainly to Dubai-based traders, sources said.

    The Group of Seven economies, the European Union and Australia, set the price cap late last year to bar Western services and shipping from trading Russian oil unless sold at an enforced low price to deprive Moscow of funds for its Ukraine war.

    “Bank of Baroda is extremely cautious in settling payments for Russian oil bought (at levels) above the price cap,” one of the sources said.

    “They have told us no for settling payments for above-cap barrels,” the person said.

    The state-run lender told refiners last month that it would not settle payment from Russian barrels bought above the price cap, the three sources said.

    Bank of Baroda did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

    Before the Ukraine war, Indian refiners rarely bought oil from Russia due to higher freight costs. After Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, Indian refiners have been gorging on discounted Russian oil.

    Russia has replaced Iraq as the top oil supplier to India in the last few months, data from trade sources showed.

    Sources anticipate that prices of Russian sweet crude such as Sokol and ESPO Blend, which was sold near $60 a barrel in recent weeks, could breach the price cap due to a sharp spike in global oil prices triggered by Sunday’s OPEC+ decision to cut output.

    Some refiners, mainly private operators, have been clearing payments in dirhams for Russian crude through private lender Axis Bank (AXBK.NS), sources told Reuters last month. It was not clear if Axis Bank had also stopped settling trades for Russian oil sold above the price cap.

    Axis Bank did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

    Although Indian refiners buy Russian oil on a delivered basis, copies of invoices reviewed by Reuters also show shipping charges, which helps in calculating the price of crude at Russian ports.

    Sources said that problems in settling trade for Russian oil could push sellers to accept rupee payments, at least for barrels that exceed the price cap.

    “We have neither stopped nor reduced purchases of Russian oil after Bank of Baroda’s decision … we will consider using rupees to pay for oil purchased above the price cap,” another source said.

    India does not recognise the Western price cap on Russian oil, a senior oil ministry source said last month.

    SETTLEMENT MECHANISM

    India set up a mechanism to settle its international trade in rupees last year. Some Russian banks later opened vostro accounts with banks in India to facilitate rupee trade.

    The mechanism has not yet started given the lack of Russian appetite for rupees and India’s trade deficit with Moscow.

    However, during a visit last week to India, Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russian oil major Rosneft, discussed ways to expand cooperation with India across the hydrocarbons value chain, including the possibility of making payments in national currencies.

    A switch to rupee payments would help wean Russia from dollars and would save foreign exchange for India.

    Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Additional reporting by Siddhi Nayak in Mumbai; Editing by Tony Munroe and Jacqueline Wong

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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