Tag: international relations

Tech companies have a big remote worker problem: North Korean operatives

Posted on by Lone Candle

“A growing number of the nation’s top tech firms have hired remote information technology workers, only to discover that the employees were actually North Korean cyber operatives.

Their goal? Cashing in on top tech salaries to funnel millions of dollars back to Pyongyang for its weapons program.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/north-korea-remote-workers-us-tech-companies-00340208

US and China slash tariffs as trade war cools

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Donald Trump’s team cuts tariffs to 30 percent, while China slashes its levies to 10 percent. Now they have 90 days to do a deal.”

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“The de-escalation does not affect tariffs ranging up to 25 percent that Trump imposed on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese goods during his first term, leaving a wide range of goods with effective tariff rates of either 37.5 percent or 55 percent.”

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“It also does not roll back the 25 percent “sectoral” tariffs that Trump has imposed on autos, steel and aluminum, U.S. officials said. Some other tariff increases that President Joe Biden imposed, such as on electric vehicles, also are not affected.”

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“In a separate interview on CNBC, Bessent said the two sides may use the “Phase 1” trade deal that Trump negotiated during his first term as the “starting point” for negotiations. That pact called on China to buy an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2020 and 2021, but Beijing fell well short of the goal.”

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“The remaining 30 percent tariff on Chinese goods from Trump’s second term reflects a 10 percent “reciprocal” baseline tariff that Trump imposed on all countries on April 2 and a 20 percent tariff that he imposed earlier this year to pressure China to do more to stop the flow of precursor chemicals that are used to make fentanyl.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/us-china-cut-tariffs-dramatically-donald-trump-trade-war/

US popularity collapses worldwide in wake of Trump’s return

Posted on by Lone Candle

“A majority of people surveyed had an overall negative perception of the U.S., marking a steep decline from last year. America’s reputation took a particularly massive hit in EU countries — perhaps unsurprisingly, as U.S. President Donald Trump has called the bloc “horrible,” “pathetic” and “formed to screw the United States.””

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“Meanwhile, China kept improving its global standing, overtaking the U.S. for the first time and recording mostly positive perceptions in all regions except Europe.”

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“Trump’s reputation is in line with that of his country. The survey showed he’s less popular worldwide than his Russian and Chinese counterparts, Putin and Xi Jinping.”

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“Israel emerged as the country with the worst global reputation of those included in the poll, especially in the Middle East and South Asia. Israel is unpopular even in European countries that have historically been its allies, such as Germany, signaling growing discomfort with its government’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/usa-popularity-collapse-worldwide-trump-return/

Trump has sat for only 12 ‘daily’ intelligence briefings since taking office

Posted on by Lone Candle

Trump has sat for only 12 ‘daily’ intelligence briefings since taking office

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/09/trump-intelligence-briefing-frequency-00338946

Russia burned down Warsaw’s biggest mall, Tusk says

Posted on by Lone Candle

“A huge fire that burned the largest shopping center in the Polish capital Warsaw to the ground a year ago was set deliberately by people acting on behalf of Russia, Donald Tusk said Sunday.
European countries, particularly those in the east of the bloc, have been plagued by Russian espionage in recent years. Arson attacks are another common tool used as part of Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy.

“We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by Russian special services,” Tusk said. “Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and [are being] sought. We will get you all!”

Tusk had said in March that evidence from Lithuania suggested Russia was to blame for the attack, in line with suspicions in Poland, but his statement on Sunday was unequivocal in assigning responsibility to Russia.

The Lithuanian investigation found that a May 9, 2024 arson attack on an IKEA store in Vilnius, as well as the May 12, 2024 Marywilska fire, were set by Ukrainian citizens acting on behalf of Russia, Tusk wrote in March. A week earlier, Polish prosecutors had said a Belarusian refugee was responsible.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-warsaw-poland-fire-donald-tusk/

Opinion | Europe Needs Its Own Nukes

Posted on by Lone Candle

“If Washington truly abandons its role as the world’s police officer, Europe would struggle to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army, at least in that time frame. Many European countries, especially Germany, have neglected their own military in recent decades. While Russia has converted everything to a war economy, parts of Europe have only just woken up from the dream of a peaceful world. Military experts proclaim that it will take more than four years to manufacture an arsenal of conventional weapons of the size needed to counter a Russian invasion. While most observers consider a Russian attack on Germany unlikely, even this is not an impossible scenario.

That’s why, to deter Russia, Germany and Europe need their own nuclear shield.”

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“relying solely on France seems risky especially with French nationalist Marine Le Pen, a known Russia sympathizer, or another figure from her nationalist party potentially taking over the Élysée Palace in the near future. A broader European solution also involving Britain’s nuclear capabilities — and possibly Poland as a front-line state — would be far more prudent.”

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/04/08/nuclear-weapons-europe-defense-trump-00278754

What you need to know about the AIR WAR between INDIA and PAKISTAN

Posted on by Lone Candle

A lot of uncertainty in what’s really going on in the air war between India and Pakistan. A lot of propaganda and biased commentators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elImXpteVdI