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The Irish government will intervene in the case taken by South Africa and argue that restricting food and other essentials in Gaza may constitute genocidal intent, the foreign minister Micheál Martin said on Wednesday.

“We believe there is a case, given how this war has been conducted,” Martin said.

“We will be inviting the court to consider the issue of broadening how you determine whether genocide has taken place or not on the basis of an entire population being collectively punished.”

A clear pattern of behaviour had impeded humanitarian aid, resulting in widespread suffering, he said. “Half the population of Gaza is facing famine and 100% is experiencing food insecurity.”

Several banks in China, the UAE and Turkey have boosted their sanctions compliance requirements in recent weeks, resulting in delays or even the rejection of money transfers to Moscow and reducing revenue to the Kremlin.

Powered by a BMW engine and normal fuel, the AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021, using runways for take-off and landing.

It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft.

Now vehicles made based on its design will be used within a "specific geographical region" of China.

Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area.

Brussels had announced the probe on February 16, with EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton at the time saying CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive was thought to have relied on subsidies to "submit an unduly advantageous offer" to try to win the tender for electric trains in Bulgaria.

EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said that Europe's single market remained open "for firms that are truly competitive and play fair" but that Brussels will take "all necessary measures to preserve Europe's economic security and competitiveness".

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/10406685

The guidelines apply to all autocratic countries, but China is likely to be the principal concern.

Scholarships funded by foreign governments and partnerships that mean academic staff have to pass ideological tests may breach rules, according to the Office for Students (OfS).

It has launched a consultation on its guidance, which will come into effect in August.

Universities say they take their commitments to freedom of speech and academic freedom "extremely seriously".

"The escalation of threats and violence suffered by journalists in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, has reached an unprecedented level," the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) says.

In just ten days, no fewer than seven journalists have faced threats and assaults in the city of Novi Sad alone. Whether it is physical assaults, verbal abuse, online harassment or death threats, the ability of Serbian journalists to do their job is severely compromised and their safety is at risk.

After two years of war in Ukraine, videos of death and torture have become commonplace in Russia. And methods of torture once only spoken about in witness testimonials are now being promoted online by the perpetrators themselves as they publish photos and videos of brutality for bragging rights.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/10380911

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Loughton and Stewart McDonald said it's time for a "new era" in UK-China relations at a press conference in London, with Sir Iain adding they cannot be "bullied" by Beijing.

The former Tory party leader said: "We have been subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time."

While that was "extremely unwelcome", Sir Iain said "our discomfort pales in comparison to Chinese dissidents who risk their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party".

Sanctions against Chinese officials are expected to be announced later.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suggested that the fact the four leaders represented all sides of the political spectrum - with Spain and Malta governed by centre-left parties, Slovenia by a Liberal party, and Ireland by a centre-right party - showed there was broad political consensus that the recognition of Palestine is necessary for any future peace process.

Although the European Union supports the so-called two-state solution - which would deliver statehood for Palestinians - and is the single biggest donor of aid to Palestinians, it has not yet unanimously backed the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/10376907

China is increasingly targeting people outside its borders in a tactic known as transnational repression, which aims to stifle debate or criticism.

Steve Tsang, the director of the Soas China Institute, says Chinese student protesters in the UK have long been photographed and monitored, but the practice “may well” have increased with newer surveillance technology.

Students say their families in China have also been threatened by local authorities, warning them to stop engaging in political activities overseas.

Some politicians in Germany consider the app "a danger to our democracy," says Roderich Kiesewetter, vice chairman of the Bundestag’s intelligence control committee and member of Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), because it is an "important instrument" in China and Russia’s hybrid warfare.

Jens Zimmerman, a member of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, said that the government should consider at least banning the app on federal devices. This is the case for the EU institutions, for instance.

Less than 10 years ago, Germany, and especially Berlin, was held up as a beacon of openness and inclusivity in a western world rocked by Brexit and Donald Trump. Angela Merkel’s decision to take in thousands of refugees displaced by the war in Syria boosted her country’s reputation in progressive circles, with many international artists and academics choosing to make the German capital their new home.

Yet the conflict in the Middle East is showing Germany in a new light, highlighting fissures in society and the arts world that until now had been easier to ignore.