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Changes to Hong Kong's political system imposed on the city by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) amid an ongoing crackdown on public dissent have turned the city's legislature into a "rubber stamp," and undermined the independence of judges, according to a U.S. government report.

Relations between Russia and China have reached their highest level in history, and the two countries will step up cooperation further, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

Moscow has denounced a bill drafted by US lawmakers that aims to make it law not to recognize Vladimir Putin as president of Russia should he win another term after 2024, describing the attempt as absurd and provocative.

Polish authorities say migrants tried to cross the border from Belarus overnight -- but in smaller numbers -- after Belarus cleared some camps where people had gathered in freezing temperatures and as hundreds of migrants were flown back to Iraq. but in smaller numbers -- after Belarus cleared some camps where people had gathered in freezing temperatures and as hundreds of migrants were flown

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday the situation at the border between Poland and Belarus is "deeply concerning" and the alliance stands ready to help its allies involved.

The Chinese government firmly opposes and protests against the "representative office" established in Lithuania by the Taiwan island, which severely violates the one-China principle, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday night. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and Lithuania will bear all the consequences by its own.

After the island of Taiwan opened its so-called representative office in Lithuania, sparking strong opposition and protest from the Chinese government, experts warned the most severe consequence the Baltic state will face could be severed diplomatic ties by China, and that more countermeasures by China such as sanctions and restrictions of business ties could be imposed on political figures from Lithuania, who have colluded

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin landed in Bahrain Friday at the start of a Middle East trip that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) returned to Yokosuka, Japan, Nov. 19, following a six-month deployment across the 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.

A multinational NATO battalion has conducted military drills in Poland amid heightened tensions along the country's border with Russia's close ally, Belarus, and US provocations in the Black Sea region.

Germany has sent high-ranking diplomats to Kabul to meet with the Taliban for the first time since the militia group took power in Afghanistan.

The United States has berated the Taliban for what it said were misconstrued facts the Islamist group penned in a letter to the U.S. Congress this week regarding Afghanistan's economic and humanitarian crisis.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered in the center of the Georgian capital to demand the transfer of jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili to a high-profile civilian clinic as concerns grow over the health of the opposition figure, who has been on a hunger strike for 50 days.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel Friday voted unanimously to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available to those 18 and older. The CDC also said those older than 50 should get a booster.

Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday the government will begin a nationwide lockdown Monday and mandate vaccinations for all, making it the first European nation to reimpose COVID-19 measures, as cases throughout the region surge.

German health officials said Friday the current COVID-19 situation in the country is a national emergency and called for immediate measures to be taken to mitigate the situation — including lockdowns, even for people who have been vaccinated.

The number of daily COVID-19 infections in Germany continued to rise strongly, exceeding 65,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases announced on Thursday.

The German Health Ministry has announced that a new wave of coronavirus infections has plunged the country into a national emergency.

Speaking at the German Atlantic Association 'NATO Talk 2021' conference on Friday (19 November 2021), NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of transatlantic unity in the face of today's challenges: ''These challenges are all very different, but they have one thing in common'', he said. ''The best way to tackle them is to stay united. Europe and North America together, in NATO''.