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Overnight News Digest May 12, 2023 [1]

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Date: 2023-05-12

Al Jazeera

South Africa rejects US accusations of arms shipment to Russia

South African officials have hit back at US accusations that a Russian ship collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town late last year. The US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship under US sanctions took on board weapons from the Simon’s Town base in December, suggesting the transfer was not in line with Pretoria’s stance of neutrality in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Western diplomats were alarmed at South Africa carrying out naval exercises with Russia and China this year, and at the timing of a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. South Africa is one of Russia’s most important allies on a continent divided over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but has said it is impartial and has abstained from voting on UN resolutions on the war. Brigety was summoned on Friday by the South African foreign ministry, which “expressed the government’s utter displeasure with his conduct and statements made yesterday” a statement from the ministry said. It said Brigety “admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly to the government and the people of South Africa”.

Reuters

US military to bolster defensive posture in Gulf after Iran seizes tankers

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will work to bolster the defensive posture in the Gulf region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months, U.S. officials said on Friday. In the past two years, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with the navigational rights of 15 internationally flagged commercial vessels, officials said. "The Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf," White House spokesperson John Kirby told a news briefing. Kirby added that in the coming weeks there would be an attempt to "increase coordination and interoperability" with allies in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said it was working with regional allies to increase the rotation of ships and aircraft patrolling around the Strait of Hormuz. "Iran's unwarranted, irresponsible and unlawful seizure and harassment of merchant vessels must stop," the Fifth Fleet's commander, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, said in a statement.

Reuters

U.S. Postal Service cracking down on rising mail theft

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service said on Friday it is taking steps to crack down on rising mail theft, robberies of carriers, change-of-address fraud and counterfeit postage. The postal service said it is installing 12,000 high-security blue collection boxes nationwide to make access more difficult for criminals and is evaluating replacing additional existing blue collection boxes. USPS will also replace 49,000 antiquated arrow locks with electronic locks to address an increase in letter carrier robberies nationwide. Criminals are targeting letter carriers for their keys to steal mail from secure mail receptacles and commit financial fraud crimes. New locks have been installed in some cities with additional major metropolitan areas to follow. Incidents of letter carrier robberies have been rising. In the 2022 budget year, 412 USPS letter carriers were robbed compared with 305 in the six months ending March 30.

Deutsche Welle

How prepared is Taiwan for a potential Chinese attack?

Taiwan's air defense capabilities have come into focus in recent weeks, after the Washington Postreported that Taiwan would struggle to handle aerial offensive operations from China, citing classified documents leaked by a 21-year-old American man who was a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The report, which was published in April, claimed that Taiwanese officials doubt their air defense can "accurately detect missile launches" from China and that not enough of Taiwan's military aircraft are "fully mission capable." The report also highlighted that Taiwan's fighter jets could become targets of Chinese missile attacks as it requires at least "a week" to move them to shelters. Taiwan's Defense Ministry described details in the US newspaper's report as "untrue" and emphasized that Taiwan had made "appropriate modifications on combat plans" while continuing to bolster its military preparedness. Some analysts agree that the leaked documents underestimate Taiwan's "robust" missile defense capabilities. "Taiwan's long-range early warning radar and space warning can detect missile launches within seconds, and it also has a very impressive command and control system," said Tony Hu, a former senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the US Department of Defense.

L A Times

California ‘weather whiplash’ fuels uncertainty in upcoming wildfire season

When Jonathan O’Brien sees the rolling green hills of Southern California, the grasses lush from this winter’s heavy rains, he can’t help but feel uneasy. “Even if it’s not this year or next year, sooner or later we absolutely will go into a drought period again, and all this vegetation that has grown will eventually suffer — that’s just the cycle we face,” said the National Interagency Fire Center meteorologist. “When that happens, it’s all but inevitable we will see a severe fire season or two.” This summer, however, O’Brien and other forecasters project that portions of the state could get a break. The storms of the past couple of months have left behind a deep mountain snowpack that is expected to act as a buffer against massive wildfires like those that twice burned from one side of the Sierra Nevada to the other in 2021. At lower elevations, the outlook is uncertain. Those grassy hills could burn sooner rather than later. Any lull in the fire season would just be temporary, experts say. Climate change is supercharging California’s natural climate variability, making wet spells wetter and causing dry spells to run hotter and longer.

Washington Post

Serbians hand in thousands of guns after two mass killings

Serbians handed in thousands of guns in the first three days of an amnesty aimed at disarming the country following two mass killings last week, including one targeting schoolchildren. Almost 6,000 unregistered weapons, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, and 470 pieces of mines and explosive devices have been voluntarily surrendered nationwide since Monday, the country’s interior ministry said Thursday in an Instagram post promoting the measure. President Aleksandar Vucic announced a suite of gun-control measures on May 5, pledging to “carry out an almost total disarmament of Serbia.”

ArtNews

Art Adviser Lisa Schiff Accused of Leading ‘Ponzi Scheme’ in Lawsuit Over Adrian Ghenie Painting

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