For the second day in a row, Russian fighter jets were caught on video harassing U.S. military drones in Syria, and Twitter threatened a competitor with a lawsuit. These stories and more highlight the rundown for Friday, July 7, 2023.
Russian jet drops flares in front of U.S. drone
Russian fighter jets have been caught on camera harassing U.S. military drones in Syria for the second day in a row. The Air Force released a video that shows Russian jets dropping flares in front of the drones.
According to the Pentagon, footage shows the jets flying dangerously close to the reaper drones which were carrying out an operation against Islamic State targets on the morning of Thursday, July 6. The incident is similar to one that occurred the previous day.
On Wednesday, July 5, three U.S. military drones were harassed by three Russian fighter jets in Syria. An earlier confrontation occurred in March when Russian aircraft collided with a U.S. drone, causing it to crash into the Black Sea.
The U.S. has condemned Russia, calling all three incidents “unsafe and unprofessional.”
$800m aid package to Ukraine could include cluster bombs
The Biden administration is expected to announce its latest military aid package for Ukraine. According to the Associated Press, It’s expected to be worth up to $800 million dollars.
Part of the deal is expected to include cluster munitions, which is controversial because cluster bombs have a high rate of failure to explode. Some reports say the failure rate is as high as 40%.
The Pentagon refused to confirm Thursday whether the explosives would be part of the package, but said it would be helpful to Ukraine’s current counteroffensive. The latest military aid is coming from Pentagon stocks and will include armored vehicles, ammunition and rocket systems.
This $800 million package is separate from the $500 million aid package The Pentagon announced last week. More than $40 billion dollars in military aid has been sent to assist Ukraine since February of 2022.
Yellen criticizes China’s treatment of U.S. companies
Secretary of State Janet Yellen made a trip to Beijing for the better interest of American business overseas. In a meeting with some of the most powerful American companies, Yellen criticized the Chinese Communist Party for its treatment of those companies.
Yellen called new export controls on certain critical minerals. She China’s punitive actions are fueling the Biden administration’s efforts to make U.S. manufacturers less reliant on China.
This is the second high-stakes trip the Biden administration has made in the last few weeks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s President Xi Jinping in June.
Twitter threatens to sue Meta over launch of rival Threads app
Twitter has threatened legal action over Meta’s new social media app Threads that launched Thursday. An attorney for Twitter described the newly-launched platform as a “copycat” service.
According to a letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter alleged the app was developed by former employees of Twitter and uses the company’s trade secrets. Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted “Competition is fine. Cheating is not.”
Within its first few hours of launch, Threads had more than 30 million users signed up.
FDA approves first drug shown to slow Alzheimer’s
For the first time ever, a drug meant to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s will be on the market. The FDA has approved the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi.
While other drugs targeting the symptoms of the disease have already been approved, this is the first drug that slows down cognitive decline. Scientists said patients still decline on the drug, but the onset is slowed by as much as 27%, according to clinical trial results.
Leqembi will cost $26,000 per year. Medicare is expected to broadly cover those costs.
LAEA chief reveals Fukushima water release concerns
New evidence shows some of the experts involved in the plans to release radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan may not be on board. The United Nation’s nuclear watchdog released a report Tuesday, July 4 greenlighting the plans.
However, the head of the watchdog said one or two of the experts behind the report may have had concerns about releasing the water. This could include Liu Senlin, a Chinese expert who described the report as “hasty,” saying the input from experts was limited and only used for reference.
“I heard that being said. I’m not sure to be honest that that is the case. But again, what we’ve published is scientifically impeccable,” International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Raphael Grossi said in an exclusive interview with Reuters Friday. “They often say this is one-sided. We do not take sides. I’m not on the side of Japan or on the side of China or on the side of Korea. The standards apply to all, the same way.”
Grossi toured the nuclear plant Wednesday and said he’s satisfied with the plans. He called for trust in his organization and offered to visit South Korea to address any further concerns.
