Tag: Ukraine

Hunter Biden Offers to Testify in House Inquiry, but Only in Public

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Hunter Biden, the president’s son, who is the subject of an investigation by House Republicans into his family, told Congress on Tuesday that he was willing to testify — but only publicly so that Republicans cannot twist or selectively leak what he says. In a letter to Congress, Abbe D. Lowell, Mr. Biden’s lawyer, criticized the Republican inquiry as a “partisan crusade,” and said he has watched as Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has used “closed-door sessions to manipulate, even…

What Are the Risks of A.I. Drones and Weapons?

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Swarms of killer drones are likely to soon be a standard feature of battlefields around the world. That has ignited debate over how or whether to regulate their use and spurred concerns about the prospect of eventually turning life-or-death decisions over to artificial intelligence programs. Here is an overview of how the technology has evolved, what types of weapons are being developed and how the debate is unfolding. How new are these weapons? Eventually, artificial intelligence should allow weapons systems to make their own decisions about selecting certain kinds of…

A.I. Killer Drones Are Becoming Reality. Nations Disagree on Limits.

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It seems like something out of science fiction: swarms of killer robots that hunt down targets on their own and are capable of flying in for the kill without any human signing off. But it is approaching reality as the United States, China and a handful of other nations make rapid progress in developing and deploying new technology that has the potential to reshape the nature of warfare by turning life and death decisions over to autonomous drones equipped with artificial intelligence programs. That prospect is so worrying to many…

Apec summit ends with unity on WTO reform but not Gaza or Ukraine

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Pacific Rim leaders have shown divisions over the wars in Ukraine and Gaza after a two-day summit of the Apec forum, while pledging support for reform of the World Trade Organization. The 21 economies that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum – among them Russia, China, the US and Australia – did not mention either conflict in their final joint communique. Instead an accompanying chair’s statement noted the bloc had “exchanged views on the ongoing crisis in Gaza”. Days of meetings involving Apec ministers and leaders were dominated by…

Pakistani PM Denies Arms Sales to Ukraine

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Islamabad —  Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister has said his country did not sell weapons for use by Ukraine in its war with Russia, calling reports of such sales a “confusion.” In an exclusive interview with VOA, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Pakistan did not sell arms to the U.S. for Ukraine. “We will investigate if it [Pakistan arms] has ended up somewhere else. But, as far as Pakistan is concerned our arms were not at all destined for either Ukraine or any other place for that matter,” Kakar said. A recent investigative…

European leaders seethe over Putin-Orbán meeting

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European leaders must not “fall” for the tactics of Vladimir Putin, the Czech president, Petr Pavel, has said, two days after Hungary’s prime minister shook hands with Russia’s leader. Viktor Orbán, in a rare move for the leader of a country that belongs to the EU and Nato, met Putin in Beijing on Tuesday for what the Hungarian leader’s office described as a discussion on energy cooperation and peace. Hungary has long been criticised for democratic backsliding at home and its Russia- and China-friendly policies abroad. Its foreign minister, Péter…

Putin calls US supply of ATACMS weapons to Ukraine ‘another mistake’

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Vladimir Putin has called the US delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Kyiv “another mistake by the United States” in his first public comments since an unprecedented Ukrainian strike destroyed helicopters at two airfields in Russian-occupied territory this week. The Russian president also claimed that the delivery of the army tactical missile system (ATACMS) missiles, which can strike targets more than 100 miles away and deliver salvoes with cluster munitions, would “not do Ukraine any good either. It will simply prolong [their] agony.” Yet the missiles have struck one…

Putin Takes Center Stage at China’s Belt and Road Forum

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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing this week is giving him a rare chance to meet with other world leaders and deepen Moscow’s “no limits” relationship with China. In China, Putin will attend Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative forum, which began Tuesday and ends Wednesday. He will deliver a speech, meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and hold a press conference. Putin’s trip to Beijing is his second overseas since the International Criminal Court put out a warrant for his arrest in March. Earlier this month, he traveled to…

‘A dangerous game’: Republican chaos and indecision as crises shake the world

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The US’s closest ally in the Middle East is reeling from what many call its “9/11” and now a humanitarian disaster looms in Gaza. Winter is approaching in Ukraine, which needs urgent supplies to maintain its counteroffensive against Russia. From China’s expansive ambitions, to coups in Africa, to the climate crisis, the world is crying out for leadership. But on Capitol Hill in Washington, Republicans can’t find one. Friday marked the 10th day of paralysis as the party struggles to elect a speaker of the House of Representatives to replace…

Americans Are Losing Faith in U.S. Democracy as Far Right Revolts

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There was a time, not that long ago, when the United States presumed to teach the world how it was done. When it held itself up as a model of a stable, predictable democracy. When it sent idealistic young avatars to distant parts of the globe to impart the American way. These days, to many watching at home and abroad, the American way no longer seems to offer a case study in effective representative democracy. Instead, it has become an example of disarray and discord, one that rewards extremism, challenges…