1 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)
2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)
Thousands Flee As Taliban Eye Full Control Of Northern Afghanistan (ibtimes.com)Aug. 10 - The Taliban were in control of six Afghan provincial capitals on Tuesday after a blitz across the north that forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes for the relative safety of Kabul and other centres.
The insurgents now have their eyes on Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in the north, whose fall would signal the total collapse of government control in a region that has traditionally been anti-Taliban.
Government forces are also battling the hardline Islamists in Kandahar and Helmand, the southern Pashto-speaking provinces from where the Taliban draw their strength.
The United States -- due to complete a troop withdrawal at the end of the month and end its longest war -- has all but left the battlefield. However, its special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been sent to Qatar to try and convince the Taliban to accept a ceasefire.
Khalilzad "will press the Taliban to stop their military offensive", the State Department said, and "help formulate a joint international response to the rapidly deteriorating situation".
Officials from Afghanistan's most vested neighbours -- Pakistan, China and Iran -- would also attend meetings there.
But Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said it was down to the Afghan government and its forces to turn the tide, saying there was "not much" the United States could do to help.
source from
An executive assistant to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has broken her anonymity and called for accountability over his alleged sexual harassment.Andrew Cuomo: Accuser Brittany Commisso says governor broke lawAug. 10 - Brittany Commisso's claims were first detailed in a report which found Mr Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.What he did to me was a crime," Ms Commisso, 32, said about alleged instances of groping while she worked under the governor.Mr Cuomo, 63, denies any wrongdoing and has so far resisted calls to resign.An inquiry by Attorney General Letitia James's office last week found that Mr Cuomo's alleged behaviour against women had violated state and federal law.The investigation took months and involved interviews with almost 200 people, including staff members making complaints against him.Ms Commisso, referred to in the report as Executive Assistant #1, told investigators that the governor made increasingly suggestive comments about her appearance and relationship status after she began working with him.She said he had inappropriately hugged her - and once kissed her on the lips without her consent.She also accused the governor of touching her bottom while the pair took a photograph together and alleged that on another occasion put his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast... moreRelated Articles:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan’s National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba meet in Washington on MondayUS and Japan stress importance of peace in Taiwan StraitAug. 10 - The United States and Japan say that peace in the Taiwan Strait is important to both countries. That came during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japan’s National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba in Washington on Monday.
The two officials say that the US-Japan alliance is vital for maintaining an “inclusive, free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The US State Department says that the two pledged “to maintain freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea in the South China Sea and beyond.”
It also says that trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea is important for addressing a number of challenges, including the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
As Chinese military activity near Taiwan has increased, global leaders have been more vocal about their concern for cross-Strait peace. The Group of Seven (G7) nations also expressed their concern about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait for the first time in their joint statement in June.
source from Takeo Akiba, close aide to Suga, named Japan's top national security adviserDate published on July 6, 2021The government decided Tuesday to appoint former Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba as secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat to succeed Shigeru Kitamura who is stepping down for health reasons.
The 62-year-old Akiba, a close aide to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe, will take the post of the nation’s top security adviser on Wednesday.
Akiba will be responsible for beefing up the country’s alliance with the United States and forging a stable relationship with China, amid escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.
He will also work on improving chilly relations between Japan and South Korea.
Takeo Akiba, former vice foreign minister, will become Japan’s national security adviser on Wednesday. | KYODOAfter joining the Foreign Ministry in 1982, Akiba served as vice minister between January 2018 and June this year.
Speaking at a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said, “As (Akiba) has a wide range of work experience at the Foreign Ministry, he is just the right man for the job.”
The personnel change will see a diplomat in the post for the first time since Shotaro Yachi, a former vice foreign minister who became the first head of the secretariat in 2014 before stepping down in 2019.
The secretariat assists the National Security Council, which was launched by Abe in 2013 as the command base for Japan’s foreign and security policies. Under Abe’s administration, the prime minister’s office spearheaded matters of diplomacy.
Kitamura, 64, a former National Police Agency official, served as an executive secretary to Abe during his first stint as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 before becoming the head of the secretariat in September 2019, replacing Yachi.
December, Kitamura was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the United States for his contributions to strengthening the bilateral alliance and regional cooperation under the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
source from U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan walk along the Rose Garden Colonnade as they arrive for a news conference at the White House on April 16, 2021 in Washington, DC.Biden commends Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for successful OlympicsAug. 10 - U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday and commended him on the successful hosting of the Olympic Games and the public health measures that allowed them to be held, a White House statement said.
Biden also affirmed U.S. support for Japan’s hosting of the Paralympics, which start on Aug. 24, it said.
“President Biden applauded the performance of all the athletes and highlighted the success of Japanese and U.S. Olympians,” the statement said, while noting “the public health measures taken so that Olympic athletes could compete in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit.”
Suga, an important ally for Biden in pushing back against China’s increasingly assertive behavior, has suffered a dip in domestic support amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections...
...Blinken and Akiba also stressed the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and noted the importance of trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan and South Korea to address challenges, including denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, it said.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national Security adviser, also met Akiba and discussed a range of security issues, “including the challenge of China, economic and technology security,” a later White House statement said. source from
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Takeo Akiba, Secretary General of Japan’s National Security SecretariatAUGUST 09, 2021
•STATEMENTS AND RELEASESNational Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with the Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, Takeo Akiba, to discuss shared efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship and ensure that the alliance sustains its vital role as the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. They discussed a range of national security issues, including the challenge of China, economic and technology security, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the importance of trilateral U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea cooperation. They affirmed the importance of enhancing multilateral cooperation in the region, including with ASEAN and through the Quad. Mr. Sullivan also congratulated Secretary General Akiba on Japan’s successful hosting of the Olympic Games.
source from 欲向南海派舰队 印度“向东行动”会否随美起舞?20210807 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Aug 8, 2021