5 biggest news to know to start your Tuesday
1. S.Korea, US, and Japan to coordinate sanctions on N.Korea -S.Korea envoy
South Korea, Japan and the United States will coordinate sanctions and close gaps in the international sanctions regime against North Korea, Seoul’s envoy for North Korea said on Tuesday.
Kim Gunn, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, said at a meeting with his US and Japanese counterparts that North Korea was becoming more aggressive and blatant in its nuclear threat.
2.US sends the first shipment of power equipment in aid to Ukraine
The United States has shipped the first part of its power equipment aid to Ukraine, US officials said on Monday, as Washington works to support the country’s energy infrastructure against intensifying attacks from Russia.
The first tranche was power equipment worth about $13 million, one of the officials said. Another source familiar with the matter said two planeloads of equipment would leave from the United States later this week.
3. White House says Musk’s condemnation of Fauci is ‘dangerous’ and ‘disgusting’
Billionaire Elon Musk’s public condemnation of top U.S. health official Anthony Fauci is “dangerous” and “disgusting,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday.
Musk over the weekend had tweeted: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.” As the tweet went viral, Musk replied to his post, adding: “Truth resonates.”
4. Australian gunfight kills six, including two police
Six people including two police officers were killed in a gunfight at a remote property in Australia’s Queensland state, authorities said on Tuesday, after police visited the place to investigate reports of a missing person.
Initial information indicated the officers were shot by two armed offenders on Monday evening when they approached the residence on the property in Wieambilla, about 300 km (186 miles) northwest of Queensland’s capital Brisbane, state police said in a statement.
After specialist officers and air support responded to a siege situation at the property, three offenders including a woman were shot dead, the police said.
A member of the public was also killed while two other police officers were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Gun crime remains relatively rare in Australia which implemented some of the world’s toughest gun laws after a lone gunman killed 35 people in April 1996 at a cafe and tourist site at the former colonial prison of Port Arthur in the island state of Tasmania.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as a “terrible and heartbreaking day for the families and friends of the Queensland Police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.”
“My condolences to all who are grieving tonight – Australia mourns with you,” Albanese said in a tweet.
5. Biden announces inter-agency group to counter antisemitism
US President Joe Biden unveiled a new Inter-Agency Group to Counter Antisemitism. The announcement comes on the heels of the recent spike of antisemitic incidents in the US.
“As President Biden has made clear: antisemitism has no place in America,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Monday. “All Americans should forcefully reject antisemitism – including Holocaust denial – wherever it exists,” she said.
She said that the President is establishing an inter-agency group led by Domestic Policy Council staff and National Security Council staff “to increase and better coordinate US Government efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States.”
5 biggest news to know to start your Tuesday
“The President has tasked the inter-agency group, as its first order of business, to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism,” said the White House Press Secretary. She said that this strategy “will raise understanding about antisemitism and the threat it poses to the Jewish community and all Americans, address antisemitic harassment and abuse both online and offline, seek to prevent antisemitic attacks and incidents, and encourage whole-of-society efforts to counter antisemitism and build a more inclusive nation.”
“We look forward to working with advocates, civil rights leaders, civil society, and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to continue countering the scourge of antisemitism,” said Jean-Pierre.
US Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) applauded the news and said that with Jewish communities here in the US and worldwide experiencing an epidemic of anti-Jewish bigotry and violence, “a whole-of-government approach is needed to counter the scourge of antisemitism.”
“I am pleased to see President Biden heeded our call to convene an interagency group and develop a national strategy to combat antisemitism,” said Rosen. “The steps announced today will go a long way toward improving the United States’ ability to combat antisemitism, helping to keep communities safe and eradicate hate.”
