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Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder Holds an On-Camera Press Briefing DoD 05 Jan 2023
• DoD Begins Implementation of Naming Commission Recommendations DoD 05 Jan 2023-- Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William A. LaPlante today directed all Department of Defense organizations to begin full implementation of the Commission on the Naming of Items of the Department of Defense ("Naming Commission") recommendations.
• DOD Begins Implementing Naming Commission Recommendations DoD News 05 Jan 2023 -- So long, Fort Bragg. Hello, Fort Liberty.
• Memorandum: Plan of Actions and Milestones for Implementation of the Naming Commission Recommendations DoD 05 Jan 2023
• DHA Will Serve 'Anytime, Anywhere — Always,' Says New Director DoD News 05 Jan 2023 -- Army Maj. Gen. Telita Crosland yesterday became the Defense Health Agency's fourth director in its nearly 10-year existence, pledging to continue taking the DHA "down its path of excellence."
• DOD Releases Memo Expanding Military Parental Leave Program DoD News 05 Jan 2023 -- The Defense Department has released guidelines for the expansion of the military parental leave policy.
• Advancing JADC2: Second SITE Summit Includes FVEY Partners DoD 05 Jan 2023-- The Joint Staff J6 sponsored a second Security Interoperability in the Tactical Environment (SITE) Summit Dec. 14-16, hosted at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Headquarters in Maryland.
• $37.6M Task Order Awarded for Trident Training Facility Kings Bay Additions US Navy 05 Jan 2023 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $37.6 million firm-fixed-price task order, under a multiple award construction contract (MACC), Dec. 30, 2022, to Sauer Construction LLC from Jacksonville, Florida, to provide construction of two additions to the Trident Training Facility Kings Bay (TTFKB).
• NATO Secretary General in Oslo: ''no lasting peace'' if tyranny prevails over freedom NATO 05 Jan 2023 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine, including with more weapons, in a speech to the Annual Conference of the Norwegian Confederation of Enterprises in Oslo on Thursday (5 January 2023).
• Ukraine Troops to Get Bradley Fighting Vehicles DoD News 05 Jan 2023 -- DOD will be delivering Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine in the near future, White House officials said today.
• Joint Press Statement Following a Call between the President Joe Biden and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz The White House 05 Jan 2023
• US and allies to send armored vehicles to Ukraine for its war with Russia Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- The United States and its allies have decided to supply armored military vehicles to Ukraine for its war with Russia.
• Ukraine's Western Allies To Provide Armored Vehicles As Kyiv Warns Of Looming Offensive RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- With fighting raging in the partially Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Kyiv's Western allies appear to be moving toward providing advanced armored combat vehicles to the Ukrainian military.
• US, Germany Intend to Provide Ukraine With Infantry Fighting Vehicles - Joint Statement Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- The United States and Germany intend to supply Ukraine with infantry fighting vehicles and train Ukrainian troops to use them, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a joint statement following a call between the two leaders on Thursday.
• France, US to give Ukraine armored vehicles as Kiev presses NATO for tanks Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- France and the United States will supply Ukraine with armored vehicles, as Kiev continues to press NATO for heavy tanks to fend off Russian troops.
• France to Deliver Light Armored Vehicles to Ukraine VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- France announced it will send light tanks to Ukraine, a French official said on Wednesday after a phone call between the two countries' leaders.
• Norway donates additional artillery ammunition to Ukraine Government of Norway 05 Jan 2023 -- Norway has delivered another 10,000 artillery shells to Ukraine.
• China's 2nd aircraft carrier Shandong carries out realistic combat-oriented training in South China Sea Global Times 05 Jan 2023 -- China's second aircraft carrier, the Shandong, recently conducted realistic combat-oriented training in the South China Sea, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday. The announcement came amid the reported fighter jet drills of China's first aircraft carrier the Liaoning in the West Pacific. Two aircraft carriers hosting drills in two different directions demonstrated China's aircraft carriers' enhanced capacity and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's strong capability, analysts said.
• Taiwan's military says capacity sufficient to train one-year conscripts CNA 05 Jan 2023 -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Thursday its capacity was sufficient to train conscripts once mandatory military service in Taiwan is extended to one year in 2024.
• Ex-chief calls on NATO to help Taiwan train, hold joint drills in Europe CNA 05 Jan 2023 -- Visiting former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called on the intergovernmental security alliance and European countries on Thursday to hold joint exercises with Taiwan's military on "European soil" to prevent a Chinese invasion.
• Australia Will Buy American HIMARS Missile Systems to Deploy by 2026-2027 Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- Australia is planning to purchase and deploy the US-manufactured High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) by 2026-2027, among other weapon acquisitions called to boost the national military capabilities, the Australian government said on Thursday.
• Australia to Buy Long-Range US-Made Missiles VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Australia is boosting its long-range strike capability with the purchase of a U.S. missile system, the same long-range military technology Ukraine is using in its war with Russia.
• 134th Meeting of Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC) India PIB 05 Jan 2023 -- The 134th meeting of the Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC) was held under the Chairmanship of Director General, Indian Coast Guard, V S Pathania at Varanasi on 04 January, 2023. The participants reviewed the preparedness and effectiveness of the security of India's offshore installations.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh reviews operational preparedness of Andaman & Nicobar Command in Port Blair India PIB 05 Jan 2023 -- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh reviewed the operational preparedness of Andaman & Nicobar Command and infrastructure development at operational areas during his visit to the Headquarters of the only operational joint services command of the country in Port Blair on January 05, 2023.
• Syria: Chemical weapons pose unacceptable threat, and are a 'danger to us all' UN News 05 Jan 2023 -- Any use of chemical weapons anywhere is simply "unacceptable", the deputy head of the UN Disarmament Affairs office (UNODA) told the Security Council on Thursday, briefing on efforts to eliminate the scourge from the battlefields and towns of Syria.
• The absence of accountability for Syria's use of chemical weapons is a danger to us all: UK statement at the Security Council UK FCDO 05 Jan 2023 -- Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Political Coordinator at the UN, at the UN Security Council briefing on Chemical Weapons in Syria
• Dutch aviators receive new helicopters at Fort Hood Army News 05 Jan 2023 -- The 302nd Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force took delivery of two new AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters at Robert Gray Army Air Field here, Dec. 13.
• Department Press Briefing - January 5, 2023 US Dept. of State 05 Jan 2023
• Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Call with Francesco Talo, Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Italy The White House 05 Jan 2023

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Jan. 5, 2023

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News


• 5 January 2023 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Jan 2023
• Taliban Seal Afghan Oil Deal With China VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Afghanistan's ruling Taliban signed their first international agreement with a Chinese petroleum company Thursday to extract and develop oil reserves in the country's north.
• Taliban: Anti-Terror Raids Kill 11 Islamic State Group Militants VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Afghanistan's Taliban said Thursday their special forces had killed 11 Islamic State group operatives and captured seven others in overnight raids against the group's hideouts in Kabul and elsewhere in the country.
• China, Philippines to resume oil and gas cooperation in S.China Sea, properly manage differences: joint statement Global Times 05 Jan 2023 -- Following a candid meeting between leaders of China and the Philippines, the two sides issued a joint statement on Thursday, highlighting the resumption of oil and gas cooperation in the South China Sea as well as the establishment of a diplomatic communication mechanism to resolve maritime issues.
• Manila, Beijing agree to establish hotline to avoid South China Sea mishaps Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday that he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to set up a hotline to avert miscommunication in the contested South China Sea, over which Manila has filed 65 diplomatic protests since Marcos took office in June.
• China's coast guard patrols site of Indonesian gas field Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- The China Coast Guard's leading ship has been patrolling the waters around Indonesia's Natuna islands in the South China Sea just as Jakarta approves a plan to develop an offshore gas field there, ship tracking data shows.
• Pakistan Kills 11 Militants Near Afghan Border Amid Spike in Terrorism VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Pakistan said Thursday that a military counterterrorism raid in a remote region near Afghanistan's border had killed at least 11 militants linked to a banned militant organization.
• Leaders of Turkey, Syria may meet to discuss peace, stability: Erdogan Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed the possibility of meeting with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in forthcoming talks with Russia to discuss peace and stability in the region and in the Arab country.
• Battle between Karen rebels and junta troops intensifies in Myanmar's Kayin State Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- Fighting between junta troops and Karen National Liberation Army joint forces continued in Kayin State Thursday, a day after the rebel group attacked three military camps in Kyainseikgyi township, according to Liberation Army members and local residents.
• Dalai Lama's successor to be finally approved by Chinese central government: experts Global Times 05 Jan 2023 -- The Chinese central government will support and guide the work of finding the successor of the 14th Dalai Lama and the successor, like his predecessors, will be finally approved by the central government, experts on Xizang issues said.
• NATO-led KFOR mission dismantles last barricades in northern Kosovo NATO 05 Jan 2023 -- On Thursday (5 January 2023), the NATO-led KFOR mission completed the removal of several vehicles blocking roads in northern Kosovo, through the deployment of engineer units to the areas of Duda's Rock and Srbovac arterial route.
• M23 Rebels Announce Withdrawal From Strategic Military Base in Eastern DR Congo Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- Over the past few weeks, rebels of the Tutsi-led M23 movement started to pull out from previously-seized territories in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the town of Kibumba, in the DRC's North Kivu province, demonstrating support for the peace process organized by the East African Community (EAC).
• Togo's President Arrives in Mali to Mediate in Freeing Detained Suspected Ivorian 'Mercenaries' Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- In late December 2022, Mali sentenced 46 Ivorian soldiers suspected of being "mercenaries" to 20 years in prison, days before a deadline set by the regional ECOWAS bloc for Mali to free the troops expired. The Ivorians were arrested by Malian authorities at Bamako airport in July 2022 to provide back-up security for a UN peace-keeping mission.
• Sudan's Tigray War Refugees Hope to Return Home After Peace Deal VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Some of the more than 70,000 Ethiopians who fled to Sudan during the two-year war in the Tigray region are hoping to return home soon, as a November peace deal between Ethiopian federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front appears to be holding.
• UN Security Council Hears Calls for Maintaining Status Quo at Jerusalem's Holy Sites VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- U.N. Security Council members on Thursday reaffirmed the need to preserve the historic status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites in the aftermath of a visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound by a hard-line Israeli minister.
• UN working to reduce tensions following Israel minister's holy site visit UN News 05 Jan 2023 -- The United Nations remains ready to support efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East exacerbated this week by the visit of Israel's new National Security Minister to a disputed holy site in Jerusalem, the Security Council heard during an emergency session on Thursday.
• The Status Quo governing Jerusalem's holy sites preserves peace: UK statement at the Security Council UK FCDO 05 Jan 2023 -- Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on situation in the Middle East

News Reports

• The United States and Türkiye Take Joint Action to Disrupt ISIS Financing US Dept. of State 05 Jan 2023 -- The United States and Türkiye have disrupted ISIS's ability to finance its operations by designating four individuals and two entities of an ISIS financial facilitation network.
• The United States and Türkiye Take Joint Action to Disrupt ISIS Financing US Treasury 05 Jan 2023 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated critical nodes of a key financial facilitation network of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which included four individuals and two entities in Türkiye, who have enabled the terrorist group's recruitment and financial transfers to and from Iraq and Syria. This network played a key role in money management, transfer, and distribution for ISIS in the region. Concurrently, the Turkish Ministry of Treasury and Finance, together with the Ministry of Interior, have implemented an asset freeze against members of this network.
• No: 3, 5 January 2023, Press Release Regarding the Joint Action Taken By Türkiye and U.S. On Freezing the Assets of a DAESH Related Network Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs 05 Jan 2023
• Biden Announces New Border Measures to Curb Unlawful Migration to US VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday measures to crack down on migrants seeking to enter the United States without authorization from Mexico while offering a new pathway to legal entry for up to 30,000 people a month from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti.
• VOA Interview: Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced measures Thursday to prevent migrants from entering the United States without authorization from Mexico, while offering a new pathway to legal entry for up to 30,000 people a month under its "humanitarian parole" program now available to refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan.
• Remarks by President Biden on Border Security and Enforcement The White House 05 Jan 2023
• DHS Continues to Prepare for End of Title 42; Announces New Border Enforcement Measures and Additional Safe and Orderly Processes DHS 05 Jan 2023 -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to prepare for the end of the Title 42 public health order, which is currently the subject of multiple court orders, and a return to processing all noncitizens under the Department's Title 8 immigration authorities.
• Rewards for Justice - Reward Offer for Information on Maalim Ayman and Others Responsible for 2020 Attack on Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya US Dept. of State 05 Jan 2023 -- The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of Maalim Ayman or any individual who committed, attempted, or conspired to commit, or aided or abetted in the commission of the January 5, 2020 terrorist attack on U.S. and Kenyan personnel at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya.
• Coming Apart At The Seams? For Russia's Ethnic Minorities, Ukraine War Is A Chance To Press For Independence From Moscow RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- In October, Chechen native Rustam Azhiyev - known by the nom de guerre Abdul-Khakim Shishani - traveled to Ukraine and joined an all-Chechen unit fighting with Kyiv against the Russian invasion. Now 41, he has been waging war against Russia since he was 19, and he views the conflict in Ukraine as just a continuation of the cause he took up then.
• Russia's Medvedev describes US government. as Nazis who had reached limit of 'moral degradation' Press TV 06 Jan 2023 -- Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has lashed back at the United States describing US government officials as cynical "freaks" and "sons of b*****s" whom he likened to Nazis whose egregious behavior is symptomatic of their "moral degradation."
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on January 5, 2023 PRC MofA 05 Jan 2023
• Significant results including energy cooperation expected from Turkmen president's visit to China Global Times 05 Jan 2023 -- President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov is expected to pay a state visit to China from Thursday to Friday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Observers said that being one of the first foreign leaders to be received by China in 2023 reflects the unusual nature of China-Turkmenistan relations. Significant achievements including practical economic and energy cooperation are likely to be reached during the visit.
• China to pursue officials who flee through 'revolving door' to top company jobs Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- The anti-corruption arm of the ruling Chinese Communist Party has warned it will pursue officials who use the "revolving door" between state-owned companies and government to evade investigation or cash in on their former status.
• Former senior Xiamen municipal legislator indicted for graft, power abuse People's Daily 05 Jan 2023 -- Chen Jiadong, a former senior legislator in the city of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province, has been indicted for suspected crimes of taking bribes, embezzlement, and abuse of power, according to the prosecutors Wednesday.
• Full text: Joint Statement between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of the Philippines PLA Daily 05 Jan 2023 -- The following is the full text of a joint statement released by China and the Philippines on Thursday.
• Space contractors release China's annual launch plan PLA Daily 05 Jan 2023 -- China plans to carry out around 60 launch missions this year, according to the country's major space contractors.
• South Korean politicians' visit to Taiwan region sends wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' forces, extremely dangerous: Chinese Embassy Global Times 05 Jan 2023 -- China has lodged solemn representations to South Korea and urged it to abide by the one-China principle, a spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in South Korea said in a statement on Thursday after a few South Korean politicians paid a provocative visit to China's Taiwan island.
• German politicians due in Taipei as West escalates China tensions Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- Germany will send a high-ranking parliamentary delegation to Taipei next week, a move highly likely to spark tensions with China.
• US Guided-Missile Destroyer Chung-Hoon Transits Through Taiwan Strait in Fresh Provocation Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- The US guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon transited through the neutral waters of the Taiwan strait in a demonstration of the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the 7th Fleet Public Affairs said on Thursday.
• Electricity Output Goes up in DPRK KCNA 05 Jan 2023 -- The Wonsan Youth Power Station in the DPRK strives to increase the electricity production, true to the idea and spirit of the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
• North Koreans step up scrap metal collection to support struggling steel works Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- North Korea has ordered its people to donate large amounts of scrap metal in the new year to help the country's steel industry, which is struggling from a lack of fuel, electricity and raw materials, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.
• South Korea says North Korean drone entered no-fly zone over presidential office Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- South Korea says a North Korean drone intruded into the no-fly zone over the presidential office in the capital, Seoul, last month.
• North Korean Drone Flew Directly Into No-Fly Zone Around South Korea's Presidential Palace Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- North Korea launched five drones into South Korean airspace on December 26, sparking a military alert and outrage from Seoul. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has instructed the National Security Office to suspend the landmark 2018 military agreement with Pyongyang if it "stages another provocation intruding on our territory."
• Iranian Teacher Slams Officials After Dismissal For Not Wearing Hijab RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- An Iranian female teacher who was dismissed after appearing in a video online while not wearing the mandatory hijab has slammed the Education Ministry as a "misanthropic institution."
• US: Iran Protests, Iranian Support of Russia Priorities Ahead of Nuclear Deal VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- Negotiations to return to the international agreement that limited Iran's nuclear program is not a current priority for the United States, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.
• Iran shuts down Tehran-based French research institute in response to magazine's insulting cartoons Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry has decided to shut down a Tehran-based French archaeological and historical institute in protest against the French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo's move to insult the top religious authority of the Islamic Republic.
• Iran says holds French govt. responsible for infamous magazine's profane cartoons Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry says Tehran holds the French government responsible for an "anti-cultural and anti-human move" by a notorious French weekly to publish insulting caricatures of the country's top politico-religious authority, announcing a decision to revise cultural relations with Paris in response.
• Iran Closes French Institute In Tehran Over Charlie Hebdo Cartoons RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- Iran says it is closing the French Institute for Research in Tehran "as a first step" against "insulting" cartoons of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that were published by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
• Iran's space industry achievements attest to failure of Western sanctions, isolation efforts: Raeisi Press TV 05 Jan 2023 -- President Ebrahim Raeisi has hailed Iran's achievements in the space industry, saying the rapid progress in the field has proved the failure of Western sanctions and plots to isolate the Islamic Republic.
• Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (January 05, 2023) India MEA 05 Jan 2023
• Transcript of Special Briefing by Secretary (CPV & OIA) on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (January 05, 2023) India MEA 05 Jan 2023
• Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson on Thursday, 05 January 2023 Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs 05 Jan 2023
• Pakistan floods: 9 million more risk being pushed into poverty, warns UNDP UN News 05 Jan 2023 -- An additional nine million people risk being pushed into poverty on top of the 33 million affected by last summer's devastating floods in Pakistan, the UN development agency, UNDP said on Thursday, ahead of next week's International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.
• UN Appeals for Global Solidarity to Rebuild Flood-Ravaged Pakistan VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- U.N. and Pakistani officials are appealing for global solidarity to rehabilitate and rebuild flood-ravaged Pakistan in advance of the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan next week in Geneva.
• Despite Releases, 50 Other Journalists Still Jailed in Myanmar VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- At least nine journalists were among the more than 7,000 people freed from prisons across Myanmar on Wednesday.
• Belarusian Union Leaders Given Lengthy Prison Terms RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- Two Belarusian independent union leaders and an activist have been handed lengthy prison terms in Minsk as a crackdown against dissent continues under authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
• UK and Germany agree closer cooperation in first ever UK-Germany annual Dialogue UK FCDO 05 Jan 2023 -- Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hosted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in London for the first annual UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue.
• On First Anniversary Of Protests, Kazakhs Honor Victims Of Deadly Unrest RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- Dozens of leading political and rights activists gathered on the central square of Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, on January 5 to commemorate victims of mass protests one year ago that turned violent and left at least 238 people dead across the country, mostly in Almaty.
• Hanoi court sentences former AIC chairwoman to 30 years in prison Radio Free Asia 04 Jan 2023 -- Hanoi People's Court has sentenced the former chairwoman and general director of Advanced International Joint Stock Company - known as AIC - to a total of 30 years in prison. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan has evaded arrest and is hiding abroad.
• Vietnam taps 2 new deputy prime ministers Radio Free Asia 05 Jan 2023 -- Vietnam's National Assembly elevated two party officials to the position of deputy prime minister on Thursday after dismissing their predecessors, whose tenures were marred by bribery scandals.
• Turkmenistan's Leader Heads To Beijing As Dependence On China Grows RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- Hoping to boost his country's economic prospects and deepen its energy links with China, Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhammedov arrived in Beijing on January 5 for a two-day state visit.
• Former Uzbek Prosecutor-General Jailed For Corruption Released On Parole RFE/RL 05 Jan 2023 -- Former Uzbek Prosecutor-General Rashidjon Qodirov, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on corruption charges in June 2019, has been released on parole.
• Venezuelan Opposition Puts Final Nail in Guaido Ouster With New Figuera Appointment Sputnik 05 Jan 2023 -- Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly replaced Juan Guaido as its head on Thursday, a week after ousting the nation's US-backed "interim president" and dissolving his government.
• European Gas Deals at Risk as Qatar Corruption Scandal Deepens VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- The corruption scandal at the European Parliament deepened this week as officials said they would seek to lift immunity on two more lawmakers accused of taking bribes from Qatar.
• Rising US Dollar Pushes Egyptian Economy Into Tailspin VOA 05 Jan 2023 -- As a rising U.S. dollar puts increasing pressure on Egypt's national currency, several Egyptian banks announced this week that they were offering certificates of deposit with 25% interest rates.