标题: 2022.06.01美国将向乌克兰提供远程火箭系统 [打印本页] 作者: shiyi18 时间: 2022-6-1 19:11 标题: 2022.06.01美国将向乌克兰提供远程火箭系统 The world in brief
Catch up quickly on the global stories that matter
Updated 1 hour ago (10:23 GMT+1 / 05:23 New York)
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America will provide Ukraine with long-range rocket systems that can strike targets nearly 50 miles (80km) away, as part of a new $700m military aid package. The commitment was only made after senior Ukrainian officials assured America that the weapons would not be used against targets inside Russia. Writing in the New York Times, Joe Biden said he does not want a war between NATO and Russia or to oust Vladimir Putin. America’s goal is a “democratic, independent” Ukraine with the means to “defend itself against further aggression”.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, called the Russian bombing of a chemical plant “just crazy”. On Tuesday the governor of Luhansk, a province in the east of Ukraine, said that Russian forces hit a tank full of nitric acid at a facility in Severodonetsk, a city they are closing in on. Residents were told to stay in shelters to avoid the fallout. Earlier Ukraine’s prosecutor-general announced that the country would start prosecuting 80 suspected Russian war criminals, out of the 600 it has identified.
Russia cut off more of its gas supply to Europe, following the European Union’s partial ban on Russian oil. Gazprom, a state-owned energy giant, said it will halt flows to companies in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands because they failed to make payments in roubles. On Monday leaders of the EU agreed to the bloc’s harshest package of sanctions yet, which will cut imports of Russian oil by 90% by the end of the year.
America’s Supreme Court temporarily blocked a Texas law that would prevent social-media firms from censoring content based on the views expressed within them. Bringing the case, two tech trade associations argued that the law would encourage hate speech and was in any case unconstitutional. Texas thinks that social-media platforms are too quick to suppress conservative viewpoints.
The chief executive of DWS, Germany’s largest fund manager, resigned, a day after police in Frankfurt raided the company’s offices looking for evidence of greenwashing. Germany’s financial regulator and America’s Securities and Exchange Commission have both launched probes into DWS, after a former executive claimed that it lied about the ESG-credentials of its assets. Police also raided the offices of Deutsche Bank, DWS’s majority owner.
Alexei Navalny, a jailed Kremlin critic, said he had been charged with additional crimes by Russian authorities and faces 15 more years in prison if found guilty. The accusations, he said, include creating an extremist organisation to “fan hatred against officials and oligarchs” and organising anti-government protests. In March, Mr Navalny was handed a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court.
The Biden administration said it would push for further sanctions against North Korea if the country went ahead with an expected nuclear-weapons test. Last week China and Russia vetoed America’s proposal to tighten sanctions at the UN after a series of rocket launches by North Korea. The country has not conducted a nuclear test since 2017, the last time the UN imposed sanctions.
Fact of the Day: One in five, the share of Britons who contract the flu each year. What if it were treated more like covid? Read the full article.
California copes with drought
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Picture a Californian home with its backyard pool and pea-green lawn. That lawn may soon be a thirsty taupe. Starting Wednesday, 6m people in and around Los Angeles have been asked to water their lawns just once a week. The new rules will conserve water amid a drought in the American West that climatologists consider “extreme” across 60% of California. Last year was the state’s second-driest on record; this year is likely to be even worse.
The restrictions will have a limited impact, since urban areas account for just a fifth of water used by households and firms. Agriculture consumes the rest. Water shortages will force farmers to let irrigated cropland turn fallow. Landowners will probably invest in crops that produce higher revenues for net water used—known as “pop per drop”—such as vegetables and nuts, instead of rice and cotton. Many urban gardeners, meanwhile, will ditch lush perennials in favour of prickly cacti.
Denmark’s EU defence vote
PHOTO: AFP
Danes have always had reservations about the EU. In 1992 they voted in a referendum against the Maastricht treaty that founded the union. The next year they changed their minds, after the government negotiated opt-outs from policies in four areas, including defence. But when Russia invaded Ukraine, Denmark’s parliament decided to revisit the issue. On Wednesday the country holds a referendum on whether to join European defence policies after all.
The EU’s limited defence efforts include a programme to co-ordinate arms procurement and a joint mission in the Mediterranean to enforce restrictions on Libya. Denmark is a founding member of NATO, and some Danes wonder what the EU has to add. Far-left and far-right parties want to keep the opt-out, and doubters fear (wrongly) that Danish soldiers could be forced into missions without parliamentary approval. But most parties want to join, both to deter Russia and to become less dependent on America. Polls suggest voters agree.
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The “Hong Kong 47” go on trial
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
A trial of 47 opposition Hong Kong politicians and activists is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Their alleged crime—carrying a maximum life sentence under national-security legislation—was to hold an unofficial primary in 2020. They wanted to determine a slate of candidates to take on pro-Beijing politicians in elections due later that year (but subsequently postponed).
In a pre-dawn swoop in January 2021, police rounded up the organisers, including luminaries of the pro-democracy movement such as Benny Tai and Joshua Wong. John Lee, Hong Kong’s incoming chief executive—then secretary of security—accused them of a “vicious plot”. Their aim was to win at least half of the seats in the legislative chamber, he said, as if they should have been attempting to lose. After 25 years dealing with its boisterous southern territory, China is now clear that Hong Kongers must not be allowed to express their beliefs, especially at the ballot box.
By invitation: Recep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion
PHOTO: DAN WILLIAMS
Turkey’s president is blocking Finnish and Swedish NATO accession. This is an extract from a piece he has written for The Economist explaining why:
As all NATO allies accept Turkey’s critical importance to the alliance, it is unfortunate that some members fail fully to appreciate certain threats to our country. Turkey maintains that the admission of Sweden and Finland entails risks for its own security and the organisation’s future. We have every right to expect those countries, which will expect NATO’s second-largest army to come to their defence under Article 5, to prevent the recruitment, fundraising and propaganda activities of the PKK [a Kurdish separitist group], which the European Union and America consider a terrorist entity.
Turkey wants the candidate countries to curb the activities of all terrorist organisations and extradite the members of these organisations. We provided clear evidence to the authorities in these countries and waited for action from them. Also Turkey wants these countries to support the anti-terror operations of NATO members. Terrorism is a threat for all members and the candidate countries should recognise this reality before joining. Unless they take necessary steps, Turkey will not change its position on this issue.
Ukraine fights for a spot at the World Cup
PHOTO: REUTERS
The last remaining European team to qualify for this year’s football World Cup will be settled this week. On Wednesday Scotland play Ukraine in Glasgow, with the winner facing Wales in Cardiff on June 5th for the deciding match. The fixtures have been postponed from March to give war-torn Ukraine time to prepare. Around half of the national squad are based at home, where the domestic season was cancelled following Russia’s invasion.
Wednesday’s match will be the first competitive fixture Ukraine has played since the outbreak of war (some practice games have been held to keep rustiness at bay). The usual competitive atmosphere might be missing in the stadium, at least ahead of the starting whistle, with the Scottish side expected to sing Ukraine’s national anthem in solidarity. The odds are stacked against Ukraine, but it would not be the first time that the country has mounted a surprise defence against a stronger opponent.
Daily quiz
Our baristas will serve you a new question each day this week. On Friday your challenge is to give us all five answers and, as important, tell us the connecting theme. Email your responses (and include mention of your home city and country) by 1700 BST on Friday to QuizEspresso@economist.com. We’ll pick randomly from those with the right answers and crown one winner per continent on Saturday.
Wednesday: Which silent film comedian was dubbed “the great stoneface”?
Tuesday: Which Florida city was the site of the “winter White House” of President Harry Truman?
There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.