A Chinese Communist Party-linked newspaper is highlighting an anti-Christian, anti-West political cartoon deriding the U.S. as “feeble” and destined for death.
“The Last G-7” shows the U.S. and other G-7 nations depicted as animals bustling over a table where toxic wine and a China-shaped cake are being served. India and Australia, regional rivals of China, are also present, as an elephant and kangaroo.
“Through this, we can still rule the world,” the caption reads.
The Global Times, an English-language newspaper with ties to China’s ruling Communist Party, reported that the image went viral on China’s Weibo social media platform as the G-7 summit kicked off in the United Kingdom over the weekend.
Anti-Christian, Anti-West Political Chinese Cartoon Derides G7 Leaders, Sparks Criticism
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Says Al Qaeda Could Regroup In Afghanistan In 2 Years
At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley whether they rated the likelihood of a regeneration of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State group in Afghanistan as small, medium or large.
“I would assess it as medium,” Austin replied. “I would also say, senator, that it would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability.”
Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said he agreed.
“I think that if certain other things happen — if there was a collapse of the government or the dissolution of the Afghan security forces — that risk would obviously increase, but right now I would say ‘medium’ and about two years or so,” Milley said.
Their responses underscored the overall military fears about the consequences of a complete, unconditional withdrawal. Military leaders over the past few years have pushed back against administration efforts — including at times by then-President Donald Trump — to pull out of Afghanistan by a certain date, rather than basing troop numbers on the security conditions on the ground.
It was the most specific public forecast of the prospects for a renewed international terrorist threat from Afghanistan since President Joe Biden announced in April that all U.S. troops would withdraw by Sept. 11.
Milley also acknowledged that a collapse of the government or takeover by the Taliban could have broader impacts on the strides women have made in Afghanistan. And the military has said it will be far more difficult to collect intelligence on terror groups in the country, if there is no American presence there.
Lufthansa OK’s Check-In With Digital Vaccine Pass
Lufthansa is set to allow passengers to check in with a new digital vaccination pass, and CEO Klaus Froese says it’s a vital step towards reviving air travel.
Lufthansa will allow passengers to check in with new digital vaccination certificates.
The German airline said Thursday (June 17) that travelers would be able to show the proof of inoculation on their phones or on a printout.
On some routes it will also be possible to use the certificates to check in by smartphone.
Speaking to Reuters, Lufthansa’s Klaus Froese said it was a vital step towards reviving air travel.
“We have, because there was a huge demand for touristic travel, we have added 40 destinations in the Mediterranean Sea. But for most of them it is necessary to show a prove of vaccination. And to make it as easy as possible for our travellers we have streamlined our procedures. We strive for automatisation and standardization of the check-in.”
Germany last week started issuing QR codes identifying those who are fully vaccinated.
And confidence seems to be returning.
TUI – the world’s biggest holiday company – says Germans are now booking trips at faster rate than they did before the crisis.
Lufthansa says passengers will be able to check they have all the right forms by contacting one of its service centers up to 72 hours before they fly.
“We need two things: We need to know what document the traveller needs for land A, lets say Spain. We inform the traveller about this in a very easy way by him being able to enter his travel route in our website and we then inform him what he needs. If he is not certain what he needs, then our service centre makes sure that we check that he has the necessary documents for him or her.”
EU countries agreed last week to ease restrictions, and allow fully vaccinated tourists to avoid tests and quarantine.
They also broadened the list of EU countries from which it is safe to travel.
Lufthansa and other airlines will be hoping it’s all in time to avoid another lost summer.
Ryanair Sues UK Government Over Travel Curbs
Irish airline Ryanair is launching a legal challenge against Britain over its “traffic light” system for international travel, hoping to force a relaxation of strict rules that threaten the summer holiday season.
Irish airline Ryanair is launching legal action against Britain.
It’s over the country’s “traffic light” system for international travel.
The airline has teamed up with Manchester Airports Group, and the pair plan to file papers at England’s High Court on Thursday (June 17). They’re seeking clarity over the transparency of the system. With other airlines expected to join the move.
There are just weeks before the peak summer travel season when most airline profits are made.
The industry has repeatedly criticised the UK’s traffic light system for international destinations. Airlines say it is unpredictable and doesn’t make scientific sense. And that some low risk countries and islands should be open for travel.
A government spokesperson said it could not comment on legal proceedings.
Britain allowed vacations again from May after months of lockdown, but discourages travel to popular holiday destinations such as Spain, France, Greece and the United States.
They’re classified as “amber” on the system, meaning travelers have to take multiple tests and quarantine for 10 days on their return.
Only a few places a listed as “green”, and none in the EU.
The aviation industry had been banking on Britons to be at the forefront of the resumption in travel.
Eriksen Discharged After Successful Operation For Heart-Starter Implant
Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen has been discharged from hospital following a successful operation, days after he collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener, the Danish Football Association (DBU) said on Friday.
Eriksen had a heart-starter device implanted after his collapse due to a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s first Group B game against Finland in Copenhagen on Saturday.
The 29-year-old’s life was saved when CPR was administered to him on the pitch and his heart was re-started with a defibrillator before he was taken to hospital.
“Thank you for the massive number of greetings, it has been incredible to see and feel,” Eriksen, who plays his club football at Italian champions Inter Milan, said in a statement.
“The operation went well and I am doing well under the circumstances. It was really great to see the guys again after the fantastic game they played last night. No need to say that I will be cheering on them on Monday against Russia.”
Eriksen visited his team mates at their training base in the coastal town of Helsingor, about 45 km from the Parken Stadium where he collapsed, and the DBU said he would be going home to spend time with his family.
Denmark lost their second consecutive game at the Euros against Belgium despite taking an early lead in Copenhagen on Thursday, losing 2-1 to sit bottom of the group.
The match was stopped in the 10th minute as both teams joined the 25,000-strong crowd for a minute’s applause as a tribute to the playmaker.
Eriksen’s collapse shocked millions of viewers around the world. The game against Finland was suspended for nearly two hours and, when it eventually resumed, Denmark lost 1-0.
German Transport Minister Hopes Europe-U.S. Air Travel Will Resume Soon
The German government hopes air travel between Europe and United States will soon start returning to normal, the country’s transport minister Andreas Scheuer said on Friday.
“We also need the other direction – that flying to the United States will be possible again,” Scheuer told an aviation conference. “We should reach a ‘new normal’ in the coming weeks – that’s what the German government is wishing for.”
Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr told the same conference he hopes that Washington will also allow Europeans to enter the United Sates soon to help the airline’s business.
The German government has agreed to allow vaccinated Americans to travel to Germany from the end of June.
Thailand To Reopen Tourism After $50 Billion Loss
Thailand lost about $50 billion in tourism revenue last year, but this week its prime minister said he was willing to take a calculated risk to reopen the country.
Its prime minister described it as a calculated risk to revive its troubled economy.
“I know this decision comes with some risk because, when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions. But, I think, when we take into consideration the economic needs of people, the time has now come for us to take that calculated risk.”
Strict entry requirements helped keep Thailand’s coronavirus outbreaks under control until recent months. But it’s come at a price.
The country lost about $50 billion in tourism revenue last year – an 82% plunge. Prayuth said Thailand is ahead of target in securing 105.5 million doses of vaccine for this year
Chinese Astronauts Settle Into Space Station
Three Chinese astronauts on Thursday boarded an unfinished space station in China’s first crewed mission since 2016, state media reported.
State broadcaster CCTV carried footage of the three astronauts, who lifted off on Thursday (June 17) morning, floating into the space station and then settling into their new quarters.
According to CCTV, the astronauts boarded the Tianhe space station module at around 6:48 p.m. Beijing time (1048 GMT).
The astronauts will be living in the module for the next three months, the longest stay in low-Earth orbit by any Chinese national.
China’s space station, due to be finished by the end of 2022, will be the only alternative to the two-decade-old, U.S.-led International Space Station (ISS), which may be retired in 2024.
If the ISS – backed mainly by the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada – is decommissioned, China would be the operator of the only active space station.
That would potentially give it greater power in shaping future norms and regulations for near-Earth space, which is already teeming with Chinese satellites.
Hundreds Of Migrants Rescued By MSF Charity Land In Sicily
Around 400 migrants disembarked on Friday from the ship Geo Barents at the Italian port of Augusta, in Sicily, more than a week after the first rescue operation was carried out in the Mediterranean Sea.
Of the people on board, mainly from Africa, some 100 were minors, the MSF charity operating the boat said. Around 40 migrants were affected by fuel burns, dehydration, hypothermia and infected scabies.
The Geo Barents took the first migrants on board on June 10 off the Libyan coast. Most of them will now face 14 days of coronavirus quarantine on another boat.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s unity government has pursued similar restrictive migration policies to the previous administration, impounding several charity rescue boats and supporting Libyan efforts to stop illegal migrant departures.
However, there has been a pick-up in arrivals in 2021, with 18,170 people reaching Italy so far against 5,696 in the same period last year, interior ministry data show.
More than 1,000 landings in the last few days have overwhelmed the reception centre on the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, one of the main landing points for people trying to get into Europe.
Authorities are now moving migrants away from the island to ease pressure on the centre.
Allow freedom of speech, Nigerian press urges Reps
The Nigerian media industry has called on the House of Representatives to step down a bill seeking to amend the Nigerian Press Council Act, saying it is still a subject of litigation at the Supreme Court.
This message was given by the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO), which covers the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), at the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values organised public hearing on the bill. The House, however, insisted on going ahead with the exercise.
In recent time, several media organisations and groups have criticised various clauses in the bill as possibly discouraging Freedom of Speech in the country.
The committee had organised the hearing on five bills that include the ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigerian Press Council Act, CAP N128, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to Remove Bottlenecks Affecting Its Performance and Make the Council in Tune with Current Realities in Regulating the Press and for Related Matters (HB 330).’
Olusegun Odebunmi, chairman of the committee, apologised to the Nigerian media, especially NPAN that protested on Wednesday over exclusion from the exercise, saying an open invitation to the event was extended to all stakeholders.
Odebunmi said, “So, I am sorry if there is anybody who thinks we did not invite them. It is not by intention; it was definitely a mistake. Notwithstanding, we have covered everybody through our advert.”
However, Azubuike Ishiekwene, editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspapers, who represented the NPO, said contrary to the claim of an open invitation by the committee, the organisation did not receive any notification that would have enabled it engage the lawmakers and Nigerians robustly on the bill.
