China warns Trump against tariff escalation, threatens response to supply chain deals
Beijing has warned the Trump administration against restoring steep U.S. tariffs next month and signalled it will retaliate against countries that cut...
Belarus is set to hold a presidential election on 26 January with five registered candidates, including incumbent Alexander Lukashenko. The OSCE was not invited to observe the vote, calling it a blow to transparency, while the CIS mission reported a calm electoral process.
Five candidates’ names are registered for a presidential election in Belarus on Sunday, with the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko in the list.
Among other four candidates there are Chairman of the Republican Party of Labor and Justice Alexander Khizhnyak, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus Oleg Gaidukevich, entrepreneur Anna Kanopatskaya, and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Sergei Syrankov.
In power since 1994, the 70-year-old Alexander Lukashenko positioned himself as a leader who would take care to “build enterprises and provide people with not just jobs, but make them more happy about their salaries” instead of engaging in an election campaign. "To be honest I don't follow it. I simply don't have time for it," he told factory workers last week.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) said in the joint statement that OSCE participating States were not invited to observe the country’s presidential election.
“This decision is deeply regrettable. The lack of co-operation from Belarus diminishes the spirit of trust that underpins the OSCE even more and the lack of transparency further undermines faith in the electoral system of Belarus,” - said OSCE PA President Pia Kauma.
The statement noted this is the third time since the August 2020 presidential elections that ODIHR has been unable to observe elections in Belarus due to the lack of a timely invitation.
Parliamentary Assembly ’s General Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus, Ryszard Petru warns “the so-called presidential elections arranged in Belarus for 26 January 2025 are set to be a sham that, again, deny the right of the Belarusian people to participate in free and fair elections.”
“The widespread repression by the Lukashenka regime that led to the arbitrary detention of tens of thousands of peaceful protesters after the fraudulent elections of 2020 has only continued to this day in blatant disregard of international law and democratic norms,” he stated and noted that “over 1,200 political prisoners remain in detention, opposition political parties and trade unions have been liquidated and their leaders persecuted, and up to 500,000 Belarusians now live in exile.”
At the same time, the CIS observation mission to the presidential election has issued an interim report saying that the rally is conducting in “calm manner and in strict compliance with the electoral legislation, and candidates have been provided with generally equal conditions for campaigning and the right to speak in the media.”
“The efforts that the country created give us a confidence that elections will be held in a smooth and calm manner, with no provocations in the voting process,” Sergei Lebedev, Head of CIS observation mission said as BelTA reported.
CIS delegation consists of 290 observers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union State of Belarus and Russia, the Union State Standing Committee, and the CIS Executive Committee.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s Tokara Islands on Wednesday, with no tsunami warning issued but residents advised to remain vigilant.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 work visas to non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028, as announced in a cabinet statement. The initiative aims to address labor shortages by expanding legal immigration pathways
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
China has warned Myanmar's Kachin rebels it will block rare-earth imports from their territory unless they halt an offensive on a key junta stronghold, raising fears over the global supply of critical minerals.
China has consolidated its rare-earth sector into two state-owned giants, tightened export quotas, and introduced new supply-chain tracking systems as part of a sweeping push to reinforce its global dominance in critical mineral processing.
Beijing has warned the Trump administration against restoring steep U.S. tariffs next month and signalled it will retaliate against countries that cut China out of supply chains through bilateral deals with Washington.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 8th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday told President Donald Trump he had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, handing Trump a nomination letter during a meeting at The White House. The two leaders met for the first time since the US launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment