International
Blinken dismisses Putin’s new nuclear doctrine as “total irresponsibility”
The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, called on Thursday the new nuclear doctrine of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, “total irresponsibility,” and that the Kremlin announced as a “warning” for the West not to authorize Ukraine to use large-range missiles.
“It is total irresponsibility and I think many countries in the world have said it clearly whenever (Russia) has threatened the nuclear issue, including China,” said the head of US diplomacy in an interview with MSNBC from New York, on the occasion of the UN General Assembly.
Blinken sees Putin’s announcement as wrong
Blinken said that the announcement is especially serious because it occurs when leaders from around the world are meeting at the UN talking, among many other issues, about “the need for further disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.”
“I think (Russia’s announcement) will be very frowned upon around the world,” he added.
Putin last night gave the order to consider changes in nuclear doctrine to allow nuclear responses against non-nuclear nations that have support from nuclearized nations, in clear reference to Ukraine, which receives military support from the United States and other nations with nuclear weapons.
“It is a warning that warns of the consequences in case those countries participate in an attack against our country by various means, not necessarily nuclear,” Dmitri Peskov, presidential spokesman, said on Thursday in his daily telephone press conference.
The announcement coincides with the visit to the United States of the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, who will present this Thursday to US President Joe Biden, his plan for victory, which includes security guarantees and the supply of weapons to defeat Russia.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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