Miguel Díaz-Canel | July 13, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Thousands of Cubans chanted "Patria y Vida," or "Homeland and Life" during protests calling for the end of the island's authoritarian regime. The battle cry is a play on words of the revolutionary slogan "Patria o Muerte," or "Homeland or Death."

Cuba leader denies repression, says blackouts, U.S. embargo led to massive protests

Jul 13 - Without making any acknowledgment of the deep discontent with his government shown by protesters chanting “down with the dictatorship” across the island on Sunday, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said Monday the massive uprisings were the “cumulative” result of U.S. policies.

He said the majority of people participating in the huge protests across the island on Sunday, which he referred to as “events” and “provocations” rather than protests, were unhappy with the power blackouts proliferating during the hot Cuban summer and the lack of food and other necessities, all because of the U.S. embargo.

Díaz-Canel said U.S. financial sanctions had made it almost impossible to pay for goods abroad, just when the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched resources to the limit.

“All this discontent, these feelings of dissatisfaction, what is the ultimate cause of all that? It’s the blockade,” Díaz-Canel said during a press conference that was broadcast live on Cuban TV and live-streamed on YouTube on Monday. “This is part of the U.S. playbook to destabilize us, to generate chaos, to break our will and spirit.” He said social media has allowed the U.S. to amplify its “genocidal” campaign against Cuba.

He denied the existence of government repression on the island, saying critics “have already come up with this, that in Cuba we repress, we murder… Where are the murders, where is the Cuban repression, the disappeared? Why don’t they worry about the massive murders that take place every day in Latin American countries. Why don’t they care about the disappeared in the region?”...    more

Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (Spanish: [mi.ˈɣel ˈdi.as ka.ˈnel]; born 20 April 1960) is a Cuban politician serving as the president of Cuba since 2019 and as the first secretary of the Communist Party since 2021.

He was previously President of the Council of State of Cuba from 2018 to 2019 and First Vice President from 2013 to 2018. He has been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party since 2003, and he served as Minister of Higher Education from 2009 to 2012; he was promoted to the post of Vice President of the Council of Ministers (Deputy Prime Minister) in 2012. A year later, on 24 February 2013, he was elected as First Vice President of the Council of State.[1] He was selected to succeed Raúl Castro as the candidate for President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers on 18 April 2018 and was sworn into office the following day after the National Assembly voted for his nomination. His two predecessors in the role were brothers by blood; notably, Díaz-Canel's succession (following Raúl Castro) represents a non-dynastic form of succession for the Communist Party as well as for the Republic of Cuba.

​Díaz-Canel is the first president to not be a Castro family member since Osvaldo Dorticós in 1976 and the first leader of the government who is not a Castro since José Miró Cardona in 1959. He succeeded Raúl Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba on 19 April 2021 marking the end of the Castro era in Cuba...     from Wikipedia

Supporters of the Cuban government in San Antonio de los Banos (western Havana) on July 11 after the anti-government protests in which hundreds of people participated.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called on supporters to fight in the streets as anti-government protests grow

Jul 13 - Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called on his supporters to take to the streets and fight amid ongoing anti-government protests in the country.
"The order to fight has been given - into the street, revolutionaries!" Díaz-Canel said during a TV speech on Monday, the BBC reported.

"We call on all the revolutionaries of the country, all the communists, to go out in the streets where these provocations will occur, from now on and in the next few days. And to face them in a decisive, firm, and courageous way," he added, i24 News reported.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets over the weekend, calling on Díaz-Canel to resign in the largest protests in the country in decades, Reuters reported.

The anti-government protesters have grown frustrated with ongoing economic troubles in the country, which are the worst since the fall of the Soviet Union, the report said. People in Cuba have reported difficulty accessing basic goods while the government clamps down on civil liberties and COVID-19 infections surge, the report said.

Cuba reported nearly 7,000 new COVID-19 cases and 47 deaths from the disease on Sunday - a record amid protesters' calls to ramp up the nation's vaccination effort, the BBC reported.

In his televised address on Monday, Díaz-Canel said the anti-government protests were led by mercenaries hired by the US in an attempt to destabilize Cuba, the BBC reported. He also blamed US-led social-media campaigns, Reuters said.     source from

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俄轰炸机射巡航导弹 美运输船硬闯黑海 俄与北约对抗升级？20210711 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际​
Jul 13, 2021

In this Feb. 26, 2021, file photo, an oil well is seen east of Casper, Wyo. Federal officials have approved thousands of new oil and gas drill permits since President Joe Biden took office in January, disappointing environmentalists who want a ban against drilling on federal lands. 
U.S. drilling approvals increase despite Biden's climate pledge

Jul. 13 - Approvals for companies to drill for oil and gas on U.S. public lands are on pace this year to reach their highest level since George W. Bush was president, underscoring President Joe Biden's reluctance to more forcefully curb petroleum production in the face of industry and Republican resistance.

The Interior Department approved about 2,500 permits to drill on public and tribal lands in the first six months of the year, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data. That includes more than 2,100 drilling approvals since Biden took office Jan. 20.

New Mexico and Wyoming had the largest number of approvals. Montana, Colorado and Utah also had hundreds each...     more

Humpty Dumpty
《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 13, 1953
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Bang Bang Bang
《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 14, 1953
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a new gym set
《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 15, 1953
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KLUNK
《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 16, 1953
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CLUNK
《花生漫畫》西元1953年月/"Peanuts" on July 17, 1953
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picnic-school
《花生漫畫》西元1953年月/"Peanuts" on July 18, 1953
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CPAC | July 12, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

CPAC: Donald Trump spins tales of rigged election, papers over Jan. 6 riot, hints at 2024 comeback
45th president’s mention of taking back White House thrills conservatives at Dallas confab.
​
Jul 12 - ...​Estimates put the crowd that day at no more than 50,000, not over a million. Of those, several thousand lay siege to the Capitol, bashing in windows and doors, attacking police with flagpoles, bike racks, hockey sticks and pepper spray and sending lawmakers into hiding for hours.

Trump topped the CPAC straw poll for the 2024 GOP nomination, besting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 70-21. If Trump opts not to run, DeSantis would be the top pick for 68% of attendees.

Trump’s approval rating: 98%. Biden’s disapproval rating, for comparison: 97%.
“We have a much different party than we had five years ago,” said Trump, who snubbed CPAC in March 2016, when conservative activists were clamoring for anyone but him as the GOP nominee.

Introducing Trump, the chair of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp, called him “the biggest impact player in our movement.” Despite efforts by social media giants to “cancel” him – prompting a class action lawsuit by Trump against Facebook, Twitter and Google that the American Conservative Union joined – “he simply won’t give in and be quiet,” Schlapp said...     quoted from

Conservative Political Action Conference

In 2020, CPAC hosted its main event during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the public health risks. On Saturday, March 7, 2020, ACU confirmed that an attendee at the 2020 CPAC later tested positive for COVID-19. Senator Ted Cruz, Representatives Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Doug Collins, and Mark Meadows had direct contact with the unnamed carrier, and announced their self-quarantine.[25][26]

In 2021, CPAC hosted its main event during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the public health risks. The previous customary venue for CPAC, (Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center) in National Harbor, Maryland was subject to public health restrictions in Maryland, issued by Republican Governor Larry Hogan, which restricted gathering sizes to a maximum of 10, to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.[27][28]

​As a result, the conference was relocated to Orlando, Florida,[28] which had removed all prior pandemic-related limits on gathering sizes.[29] The event was still subject to Orlando mandatory mask-wearing rules. Notwithstanding those restrictions, numerous attendees chose to not wear masks during the event, despite frequent announcements by the event's organizers and hotel staff, requesting attendees to comply with the local mask-wearing mandate.[30] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis characterized the state's resistance to pandemic gathering-size limits as comporting with the state's status as "an oasis of freedom."[30] The conference's theme, "America Uncancelled", sought to highlight alleged attempts by social media companies, the Democratic Party, U.S. universities and progressive organizations to censor conservatives' public expression of their political views. The conference's main event was a closing address by former U.S. President Donald Trump, his first public address and political speech since leaving office. Trump spent significant portions of the speech criticizing his successor, Joe Biden. The speech received significant media coverage in anticipation of Trump's announcement of his post-presidential political activity.

A second 2021 conference was held in Dallas, Texas from July 9–11, 2021 at the Hilton Anatole hotel.[31] The theme of the conference was immigration policy and border security, in the context of the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. Southern Border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Trump are scheduled to address the conference on its final day.        quoted from Wikipedia

Trump wins the CPAC straw poll as attendees clamor for him to run again

Jul 12 - Former President Donald Trump bathed in the adulation of an adoring crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference Sunday as he easily won the informal straw poll of attendees when they were asked who they'd like to see run for the White House in 2024.

The political gathering normally serves as an audition for Republican presidential contenders, but the three-day session was yet another example of how Trump has effectively frozen the field more than three years before the next election as he teases another possible run.

​Trump accused big tech companies of skewing the votes in the 2020 election through censorship and he chided the press for stating that there is no widespread evidence of voter fraud. He accused the "radical left" of cheating and called the 2020 election "a disgrace to our nation.""We are truly being scorned and disrespected all over the world. Never forget that the radical left is not the majority in this country. We are the majority and it's not even close," Trump said as the crowd cheered and chanted "USA! USA! USA!"Trump once again teased a 2024 run on Sunday: "I could have a nice, beautiful life and here I am on a Sunday in Texas." The crowd began to chant "Four more years! Four more years"...     more

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阿富汗多地陷激战 美加速“甩包袱式”撤军有何盘算？20210710 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 11, 2021

Details of Tehran initiative for Afghan peace

Jul 12 - ...Condemning attacks on houses, hospitals, schools, etc

Appreciating Iran for this initiative

Focusing on the aforementioned principles and comparing them with content of the previous initiatives indicate that Tehran meeting was the first real meeting of representatives of people and ethnic groups who determine the future of Afghanistan.

Both sides agreed that Afghanistan has no military solution and that a solution to the Afghan problem should be solved through negotiation and a political solution. Explicit condemnation of attacking civilians and public installations. Accepting Tehran initiative as a permanent process to establish peace.

​For the first time, Taliban agreed to negotiate on ending war, the future of the political system and how to establish a new political system.     quoted from

Tajikistan | July 10, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

The Soviet spectre haunting Afghanistan

Jul. 10 - ...The real concern is that Islamist militants will stir up trouble in neighbouring Central Asia, or even stage cross-border incursions. Tajikistan is especially vulnerable, with a 870 mile-long frontier over which more than a thousand Afghan troops have already fled seeking sanctuary.

Tajikistan has mobilised some 20,000 reservists to reinforce the border but it has also appealed to its allies within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a Russian-dominated Eurasian alliance. Russia has a limited military presence in Tajikistan, but of the 6,000 servicemen at its 201st Military Base outside Dushanbe, many are Tajiks who chose to enlist as a way of gaining Russian citizenship. It is now looking increasingly likely that Moscow will bring the base to full operational status and reinforce its contingent there....  quoted from

Tajikistan

On 9 September 1991, Tajikistan became an independent sovereign nation as the Soviet Union disintegrated. A civil war was fought almost immediately after independence, lasting from 1992 to 1997. Since the end of the war, newly established political stability and foreign aid have allowed the country's economy to grow. The country has been led by President Emomali Rahmon since 1994 who rules an authoritarian regime, as there is extensive corruption and widespread violations of human rights, including torture, arbitrary imprisonment, worsening political repression, and a lack of religious freedom and other civil liberties.[18][19]

​Tajikistan is a presidential republic consisting of four provinces. Most of Tajikistan's population belongs to the Tajik ethnic group,[20] who speak Tajik (a dialect of Persian) — the first official language. Russian is used as the official inter-ethnic language. While the state is constitutionally secular, Islam is practiced by 98% of the population. In the Gorno-Badakhshan oblast, despite its sparse population, there is large linguistic diversity where Rushani, Shughni, Ishkashimi, Wakhi and Tajik are some of the languages spoken. Mountains cover more than 90% of the country. It is a developing country with a transition economy that is highly dependent on remittances, aluminium and cotton production. Tajikistan is a member of the United Nations, CIS, OSCE, OIC, ECO, SCO and CSTO as well as an NATO PfP partner.    quoted from Wikipedia

Afghan soldiers pause on a road at the front line of fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces in the province of Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan on July 4.

Fighting The Taliban Was 'Suicide': Hundreds Of Afghan Soldiers Escape To Tajikistan
​
Jul 10 - Amid swift Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan, Mohammad Zaher felt that fleeing to neighboring Tajikistan was his only chance to survive.

Zaher -- the head of a border communications unit in the Khwahan district of the northeastern province of Badakhshan -- is among the hundreds of Afghan forces who have crossed the border into Tajikistan in search of safety since late June.

Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said on July 6 that 2,300 Afghan personnel who fled to Tajikistan had rejoined the Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF). A Tajik security official told RFE/RL's Tajik Service on July 7 that some 600 Afghan servicemen had been flown back to Afghanistan.

Zaher said resisting the Taliban was a losing battle as a large group from the local Public Uprising Forces had decided to join the militant group and fight pro-government troops. The forces -- which include volunteers -- fight under the umbrella of the government to help maintain security in different areas of the country.

Zaher added that the group had a significant amount of arms and ammunition.

"The Public Uprising Force seized government equipment and struck a deal with the Taliban. We no longer had the strength to resist and came to Tajikistan," Zaher told RFE/RL.

Like Zaher, Afghan soldier Mohammad Vali said fighting the Taliban with little support was "suicide." Therefore, he and his colleagues retreated across the Tajik border...     more

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英航母战斗群欲穿南海 美拉帮结派亚太搞军演意欲何为？20210709 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 10, 2021

China | July 9, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

China’s Air Defenses Are Blowing Russia’s Anti-Aircraft Weapons Away

China is pulling ahead of Russia, especially in terms of sophisticated radars and sensors, according to a British expert.

Jul 7 - Here's What You Need to Remember: Not that Russia’s air defenses should be underestimated. The latest missiles for the S-400 and S-300VM (NATO code name: SA-23 Gladiator) have a range of 400 kilometers (249 miles).

While the West has been focusing on the power of advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles such as the S-400, it should have been watching China.

China is pulling ahead of Russia, especially in terms of sophisticated radars and sensors, according to a British expert.

“I’d say we should have been paying more attention to Chinese systems alongside the Russian ones,” Justin Bronk, a researcher at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, told the National Interest. “Not because the latter aren’t still superior, but because of the threat trajectory of the former. China will eventually catch up to and then surpass Russian missile and sensor technologies; and with a much more capable air force and economy than Russia”...     more

Taliban delegation attends an "extended trio" (Russia, the US, China, Pakistan) meeting
Taliban delegation visits Moscow to assure that the movement poses no threat to Central Asian nations

Taliban political delegation led by Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar visited Moscow on July 8 seeking to provide assurances that recent gains across Afghanistan do not pose a threat to Russia or Central Asia’s nations.

Date published on July 9, 2021

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Kremlin’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov held talks with a delegation of the Taliban, urging the Islamist group to prevent the conflict in Afghanistan from spilling across borders.

"During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the prospects of launching inter-Afghan talks.  The Russian side has expressed concern in relation to the escalation of tensions in the northern districts of Afghanistan, calling to avoid its spread outside of the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released after the consultations yesterday.

“We received assurances from the Taliban that they wouldn’t violate the borders of Central Asian countries and also their guarantees of security for foreign diplomatic and consular missions in Afghanistan," the Ministry said.

"They stressed the group’s firm resolve to fight the ISIL threat in Afghanistan and eradicate drug production in the country’s territory after the end of the civil war," the Ministry added.

Radio Liberty reports that Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, said the delegation discussed preventing drug trafficking and reiterated that Afghan territory under their control would not be used to threaten neighbors.

He reportedly also said all border crossings under the control of the Taliban would remain open and that the group’s fighters would not target diplomatic missions and nongovernmental organizations.

Taliban fighters have captured large swaths of territory in northern Afghanistan as government forces collapse with the U.S. troop exit from the country.  Earlier this week, Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan, which hosts a Russian military base.  Tajikistan in turn called up 20,000 military reservists to strengthen its southern border with Afghanistan.

The Russian-led CSTO military alliance, which includes Tajikistan, reiterated on July 8 that it was ready to mobilize if the situation on Tajikistan's common border with Afghanistan deteriorated.     source from

Shahabuddin Delawar is a U.N.-sanctioned Taliban senior leader based in Qatar. Until September 1998, Delawar was the Taliban’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.* He has since led or participated in several Taliban delegations in other countries. Delawar is also sanctioned by Australia,* France,* the European Union,* and the United Kingdom.*

Delawar was the Taliban’s chief delegate during talks in Chantilly, France, in December 2012. According to an anonymous source present at the talks, “Delawar was surprised that everyone else was talking about coalitions and elections… They [the Taliban] still think they can win on the battlefield.”* At the same meeting, Delawar reiterated that the Taliban would not negotiate with the official government of Afghanistan under then-President Hamid Karzai.

Delawar has continued to act as a Taliban envoy since moving to Qatar, helping to set up the Taliban’s office in Doha. In April 2016, Delawar took part in a three-person Taliban delegation in Islamabad for “exploratory” meetings with Pakistani government authorities.* In March 2017, Delawar was part of a five-person Taliban team led by Qatar office chief Sher Abbas Stanikazai that visited China on the invitation of the Chinese government...     more

驻阿美军加速撤离 塔利班来势汹汹 俄欲强势出手能否助阿渡难关？20210708 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 9, 202

《花生漫畫》西元1953年七月/"Peanuts" on July 12, 1953
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