Russian parliament speaker to visit China, Vedomosti says
Volodin will visit Beijing and Changchun, the newspaper said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit China at the end of August and early September for celebrations marking the end of World War Two in China.
Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force in Europe on May 8, 1945 but in Moscow it was already May 9, which became the Soviet Union's "Victory Day" in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two.
In Asia, World War Two ended on Sept. 2 with the surrender of Japan after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
Chinese Communist Party historians say China's casualties in the 1937-1945 Second Sino-Japanese War were 35 million.
The Japanese occupation caused the displacement of as many as 100 million Chinese people and significant economic hardship, as well as the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, during which an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 victims were killed.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Romania, NATO and sham accounts: Fake Euronews content persists online
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has intensified a specific kind of propaganda campaign, which consists of digitally altering and faking news reports from mainstream news outlets. For instance, a news segment which was aired on the Euronews programme Good Morning Romania in February recently surfaced on pro-Russian social media accounts and Telegram channels. They took a statement made by Cristian Diaconescu, head of Romania's presidential chancellery, out of context, to make it seem like he supported the idea of Romania leaving NATO and joining Russia. "Romania must join Russia. We don't need NATO," the caption superimposed onto the video reads. The accounts that reposted the clip cut it short and inserted Romanian and Russian flags, as well as the communist hammer and sickle symbol, to further push a pro-Kremlin narrative. In the real report broadcast in February, Diaconescu suggested that Moscow wants NATO to revert its security guarantees to what they were in 1997. This would mean that countries that joined the alliance after 1997, such as Romania, wouldn't be covered, according to the report. In 1997, there were 16 NATO countries compared to today's 32. Back then, the alliance was mostly confined to Western Europe, the US and Canada, sharing a relatively small border with Russia via the northeastern part of Norway. Romania officially joined NATO in 2004, around the time many other European countries that had historically been under Soviet influence, or indeed forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, were doing the same, including Bulgaria and the Baltics. Related Euronews targeted by anti-Moldova disinformation campaign Fake Euronews Telegram channel spreads false claims about Romanian and Moldovan leaders No, Euronews didn't publish a video about corruption in Moldova Diaconescu also said that Russia wants to unilaterally establish a sphere of influence over Eastern Europe and force the West to accept it. He later clarified that neither issue is up for discussion, and that Russia's President Vladimir Putin first released the information at the beginning of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as potential measures he would accept to stop his offensive. Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected any of the allegations made in the fake Euronews report, stating that it amounts to a typical line of attack by pro-Russian actors. Other Euronews bureaus have also been targeted, with fake Instagram and Telegram accounts which purport to be Euronews' Uzbekistan bureaus also cropping up recently. This comes as the pro-Russian Matryoshka campaign ramps up its efforts to spread disinformation in Moldova, ahead of its elections, often in the form of fake Euronews reports, in addition to videos allegedly created by other reputable news outlets. EuroVerify has already debunked various instances of this, including false Euronews videos posted by fake journalists alleging criminality in Moldova, and others claiming that Romania cautioned French authorities over interference in the Romanian presidential election runoff.
Politico
24 minutes ago
- Politico
GOP bucks Trump on blue slips
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Judiciary Rs rebuke Trump's blue slip orders— RSC hosts more megabill 2.0 talks this week— Oyster farmer jumps into race to oust Collins Senate Republicans are standing their ground against President Donald Trump's order to get rid of so-called blue slips. Last month, Trump tried to pressure Senate Republicans to end the process that allows minority party senators to veto judicial nominees who would serve in their home states. The president publicly called on Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley to 'step up' and end it, adding that he helped the senator get reelected 'when he was down, by a lot.' It didn't work. GOP senators dismissed Trump's push in a rare split with the president. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there was little appetite to nix blue slips. And it looks like the divide will continue when lawmakers return this fall, Hailey Fuchs reports this morning, as Republicans plan to change the rules to speed up the confirmation process for Trump nominees on the Senate floor. 'The Senate's not going to give up the blue slip,' Sen. John Kennedy, a Judiciary member, told Hailey in an interview. 'So my appeal to the president is: please reconsider. Why do we want to have this fight for nothing?' Republicans also fear getting rid of blue slips could hurt them later on if Democrats regain control. Grassley seems to have anticipated that danger; he polled his committee members to see if they'd support getting rid of blue slips, Thom Tillis recently said on the Senate floor. Tillis said he told Grassley he'd honor the policy even if it were rescinded. 'I get President Trump is frustrated,' Tillis told Hailey. 'But I also understand, as somebody who's spent 10 years in this institution and 10 years on Judiciary, it would be a bad idea. And he would even regret it.' GOOD TUESDAY MORNING. Mia is back from vacation — big thanks to Calen and Cassandra Dumay for holding down the fort while she was gone. Email us: mmccarthy@ and crazor@ And congratulations to Rep. Kat Cammack and her husband Matt, who welcomed their daughter Augusta Dair last week. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE GOP leaders back Trump in Russia-Ukraine talks Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson backed the president Monday as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just days after Trump's 1:1 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Johnson praised Trump on X as 'the PEACE PRESIDENT' while Thune applauded him for 'his courage to engage with all parties in a way his predecessor refused to do.' The majority leader added that the Senate is ready to provide Trump 'any economic leverage needed to keep Russia at the table to negotiate.' A bill by Sen. Lindsey Graham to impose secondary sanctions on Russia is on ice as the senator yields to Trump on the timing of such action. Trump and Zelenskyy both expressed hopes for a future trilateral meeting with Putin to 'deter any future aggression against Ukraine.' Trump also said he would support European security guarantees for Ukraine, but stopped short of promising U.S. troops. POLICY RUNDOWN OVERSIGHT TO RECEIVE EPSTEIN FILES — House lawmakers will get their hands on a first batch of Jeffrey Epstein-related files Friday provided by the Justice Department, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer announced Monday. He cautioned it could take a while for all the DOJ materials to come through, Hailey reports. 'There are many records in DOJ's custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,' Comer said. Democrats are gearing up to reignite the controversy over the secretive nature of the Epstein files once lawmakers return to Capitol Hill next month. MORE RSC BRIEFINGS ON MEGABILL 2.0 — The House Republican Study Committee is hosting GOP staff this week for more discussions on potential policies to include in a second reconciliation package, according to invites viewed by our Benjamin Guggenheim. On Tuesday, aides will hear from key members of the America First Policy Institute like Save America Coalition co-chair Steve Moore. Wednesday's focus will be on values-related, pro-family policies featuring Paul Dupont, director of policy at the American Principles Project, and Tom McClusky, director of government affairs at CatholicVote. Thursday's agenda will center on immigration policy, with speakers including Grant Newman of the Immigration Accountability Project. WRIGHT TALKS RISING ELECTRICITY COSTS — Energy Secretary Chris Wright told our Josh Siegel in an exclusive interview he knows Republicans could suffer for rising electricity prices ahead of midterms next year, but he's hoping voters will point to Biden administration policies instead. Last week Wright was in Iowa — a state that gets 60 percent of its electricity from wind, higher than any other state — and said wind and solar projects that have already started construction should continue to qualify for the tax credits that Republicans phased out in the GOP megabill. The energy secretary also acknowledged that wind-powered grids can be successful in some contexts. Joining Wright were Iowa Republicans who have called on Trump to take a softer approach to federal tax breaks for wind and solar initiatives. 'There are a number of projects that have been planned already, and we would like to see those continue to qualify,' Sen. Joni Ernst said. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST Congressional Book Club: Lawmakers Earn Big Money from Author Side Hustles, from Dave Levinthal at NOTUS New Capitol Police chief faces DC takeover, member security, from Justin Papp at Roll Call THE CARRY OUTA recess spotlight on lawmakers' Capitol Hill food recs Rep. Brad Schneider said he often grabs a pre-made chicken caesar wrap from Au Bon Pain in Cannon. Asked if it was good, he replied: 'It's edible.' What's your go-to meal in the Capitol? Email mmccarthy@ and crazor@ CAMPAIGN STOP DEMS VOW TO DEFEND MAIL-IN VOTING — Schumer is promising to slow any legislative effort to roll back mail-in voting after Trump on Monday promised to end the practice ahead of 2026. Schumer called the move Trump's latest attempt to undermine American democracy and vowed that Senate Democrats 'will make sure that any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate.' GOP LEANS INTO IMPEACHMENT MESSAGING — Republicans are hoping to shore up midterm support by warning their voters that 'Democrats would vote to impeach [Trump] on their first day' if they win the majority, Brakkton Booker and Andrew Howard report. A digital ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee claims Democrat's 'Project 2026' agenda is to 'impeach President Trump.' Democrats have little consensus about their party's strategy on impeachment and many are wary of even talking about it. 'We should never, at least in the near future, use the 'I' word,' said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. 'One of the things we learned is that articles of impeachment are also articles of recruitment for Trump.' WHO'S RUNNING — Democrat Graham Platner, a little-known oyster farmer, is launching a Senate bid in Maine in an attempt to oust Sen. Susan Collins. It's disrupting establishment Dems' plans to recruit and unite behind Gov. Janet Mills, Holly Otterbein reports this morning. … Former Sen. Sherrod Brown officially launched his comeback bid for the Senate seat in Ohio, kicking off a nearly 15-month face-off against Sen. Jon Husted. JOB BOARD American Oversight is elevating Peter Kenny to VP of litigation and investigations. Kenny is a White House and House Oversight alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former President Bill Clinton … Sen. Pete Ricketts … Rep. James Comer … former Rep. Will Hurd … Mary Matalin … Julius Genachowski of the Carlyle Group … Brody Mullins … Adam Tomlinson … BGR Group's Steve Pfrang … Steve Sothmann … Andrew Vlasaty … Maria Reynolds of Sen. James Lankford's office … Christian McMullen … Adam Conner of the Center for American Progress … Shannon Campagna … Rob Damschen of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office … Tipper Gore TRIVIA MONDAY'S ANSWER: This one stumped you all. Emmanuel Leutze was the first painter to depict an African American in a Capitol mural. Leutze added a black pioneer to his painting, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (1861-1862), shortly after President Abraham Lincoln signed the first Emancipation Proclamation. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Mia: Who was the first U.S. president born in California? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A new giant Ukrainian cruise missile is rumored to carry a 1,000-kg warhead for strikes 1,800 miles deep inside Russia
Ukraine announced it has begun serial production of a cruise missile said to carry a 1,000-kg warhead. The Flamingo is rumored to have a range of 1,800 miles and looks to be a huge conventional weapon. A missile of such range and power could allow strikes on vital production hubs deep inside Russia. Ukraine has started making a new cruise missile said to be capable of carrying a 1,000 kg warhead with a range of 1,800 miles, according to its defense minister. Denys Shmyhal, who was appointed as defense minister in July, said at a public event on Monday that serial production of the missile, dubbed the Flamingo, had begun. The minister declined to discuss the missile further, saying that more details would be disclosed "when the right time comes." But his announcement comes a day after other sources in Ukraine reported on its specifications. Efrem Lukatsky, an Associated Press photographer, published an image on Monday of a large missile that he identified as the Flamingo. Lukatsky's Facebook post said the photo was taken on Thursday at a workshop run by Fire Point, a Ukrainian defense company. He also wrote that the missile had a range of 3,000 kilometers, or roughly 1,800 miles. After Lukatsky's Facebook post, the Ukrainian newspaper Mirror of the Week uploaded a video on Monday of what appears to be the missile being launched from an open field. In the clip, the Flamingo is seen rail-mounted on a canted platform before it is fired. The missile starts climbing upward almost immediately after launch. Mirror of the Week reported that the video depicted a Flamingo missile launched at a Russian target, indicating that the weapon is already being used in combat. In another video from the outlet, the missile is seen with fixed wings, like the Flamingo photographed by Lukatsky. The outlet wrote in a report on Monday that Fire Point said it tested the Flamingo several months ago and that the missile had entered mass production. Mirror of the Week also reported that the missile can carry a maximum payload of 1,150 kg with a range of 1,800 miles. The Flamingo looks a lot like another new missile The Flamingo bears a striking resemblance to the FP-5 produced by Milanion Group, a defense firm headquartered in Abu Dhabi that's been working with Ukraine since at least 2021. That year, the firm signed a memorandum of understanding with a Ukrainian company. Since the full-scale war started, it's also been providing its Alakran mobile mortar system and uncrewed ground vehicles to Kyiv's troops. Milanion Group showcased the FP-5 in February at a defense expo in Abu Dhabi. There, it said the missile is equipped with anti-jamming tech and satellite navigation and can fly for up to four hours at a top cruise speed of 559 mph. The firm also said the FP-5 can carry a payload of up to 1,000 kg and fly 1,800 miles. That capability also means the FP-5 is a gargantuan missile, with a 20-foot wingspan and a take-off weight of 6,000 kg, or 6.6 tons. That kind of size and weight for a cruise missile hasn't typically been seen in modern Western militaries since the early Cold War. By comparison, the US-made Tomahawk cruise missile has a take-off weight of up to 1,600 kg and carries a 450-kg warhead. And Russia's long-range Kh-101 cruise missile, which can fly up to 3,400 miles, has a take-off weight of roughly 2,400 kg. In its brochure on the FP-5, Milanion Group said it could build over 50 of the missiles a month. Despite these similarities, it's still unconfirmed if the Flamingo or the FP-5 are directly related. Milanion Group did not respond to a request for comment about the Flamingo sent by Business Insider outside regular business hours. Ukraine wants a long-range threat A range of 1,800 miles would allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia, potentially at military production facilities. A new missile of such devastating power and range means it can potentially threaten Russian hubs for armor, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, and artillery systems in the Ural Mountains, located some 1,000 miles from Ukraine. So far, Kyiv has relied mainly on slower one-way attack drones that resemble Cessna-style aircraft to attack Russian oil refineries and manufacturing plants in the Moscow area and beyond. The distance between Kyiv and Moscow, for example, is just 450 miles. Yelabuga, a special economic zone where Russia is believed to be manufacturing its version of the Shahed drone, is also roughly 800 miles from Ukraine. Ukraine has shown before that it can locally manufacture cruise missiles while at war. Its homemade anti-ship missile, the Neptune, is a subsonic truck-launched weapon that was used to sink the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Read the original article on Business Insider
