Debates commission says it will try to add more order to Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s remaining showdowns

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Quint Forgey on politico.com on September 30, 2020.The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Wednesday that the prior night’s face-off between Donald Trump and Joe Biden showed the need for “additional structure” in the format of the remaining forums...

27m

France and Turkey at odds as Karabakh fighting divides Nato allies

Nato allies France and Turkey traded angry recriminations on Wednesday as international tensions mounted over the fiercest clashes between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces since the mid-1990s.On the fourth day of fighting, Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh accused each other of shelling along the line of contact that...

1h

Mike Pompeo gets Italian promise on 5G security but doesn’t convince Vatican on bishops deal with China

Washington has made inroads in persuading European countries to curb China’s 5G technology, with Italy promising to heed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s concerns about national security, and a Pompeo deputy praising Germany for plans to introduce a tough screening mechanism.Amid strong pressure from Washington, Britain and France have already...

1h

US spy community not postured to handle rising China threat, House Intelligence Committee finds

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Martin Matishak on politico.com on September 30, 2020.The US intelligence community has failed to keep pace with the technological and political strides made by China over the last two decades, a lag that risks leaving policymakers permanently in the dark about...

2h

US must show China its strategic ambiguity on Taiwan is backed by serious deterrent

Tensions within East Asia have risen to dangerous levels in recent months, starting with Hong Kong’s national security law ending its autonomous status within China, and including a deadly confrontation between Chinese and Indian troops in the Himalayan mountains, with both sides signalling willingness to escalate the crisis, even if it leads to war. However,...

2h

Top Japanese chef committed suicide in France after false sex assault claims, family says

The family of a Japanese chef who was a rising star in France said he has killed himself after he was the target of false sexual assault allegations.Taku Sekine’s tiny Paris restaurant, Dersou, was named the best in France by the Fooding guide in 2016, and his new Asian fusion restaurant, the Cheval d’Or, had garnered equally rave reviews.But his family...

3h

TikTok will be shut down if Oracle deal does not meet US security requirements, Treasury secretary says

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said if TikTok’s deal with Oracle cannot satisfy US security requirements, the Chinese owned video-sharing app will be banned in the country.“If the deal can be closed on our terms, we will do it. If not, it will be shut down,” said Mnuchin at a CNBC investor conference on Wednesday.“The president is focused on national...

3h

Hong Kong police officers, staff recognised in honours list for efforts during city’s anti-government protests

Hong Kong police officers and staff make up some 14 per cent of the honours awarded by the city’s leader this year.The government handed out a record 687 awards in its honours list this time – the most since the system was launched in 1997, breaking the high of 444 in 2009.The police force, often at the centre of controversy over its handling of anti-government...

3h

US election: Trump-Biden debate astonishes, bewilders viewers in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam

The first US presidential debate of 2020 between President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden was so chaotic that Taiwan’s Yahoo News anchor Catherine Lu thought there was a technical bug with her earpiece.“I have not often come across this kind of situation!” she exclaimed live on air while presenting in Mandarin. “Trump keeps interrupting Biden,...

5h

Merkel targets China on human rights and trade but tempers with praise on climate

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has laid out a three-pronged approach to EU-China relations, praising Beijing for “ambitious” commitments to climate change while calling for fair trade and voicing concerns over Hong Kong and other “dreadful and often horrible” human rights issues.Merkel made the remarks on Wednesday at the Bundestag, the German parliament,...

5h