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Shift In US Politics: Senators Call For Recognition Of Palestinian State
In a sign of shifting sentiment in Washington, a group of US senators on Thursday introduced the first Senate resolution urging recognition of a Palestinian state — marking a significant political development nearly two years into Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
The Democratic-led measure is unlikely to pass the chamber where President Donald Trump’s Republicans have a 53-47 majority. Trump said on Thursday he disagreed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over whether to recognize a Palestinian state and no Republicans have joined efforts to do so.
‘Time To Act Is Now’
Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is leading the effort, said in a statement: “America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now.”
The resolution urges US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel and would offer both sides hope while boosting prospects for peace, Merkley said.
In the House of Representatives, Ro Khanna of California is circulating a letter hoping to rally support for recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The actions reflect a shift among lawmakers toward pressuring Israel to end the war and ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the conflict approaches the two-year mark.
The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Senate resolution’s other co-sponsors are Democrats Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Peter Welch of Vermont, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, as well as Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
Sanders on Wednesday became the first US senator to describe events in Gaza as a genocide.
Israel Claims Foul Play
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel said the findings were biased and based on unverified evidence.
A handful of US allies are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state as world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll last month showed that a majority of Americans – 58% – believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation.
The Palestinian death toll from the war surpassed 65,000 on Wednesday, Gaza health authorities say. About 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza and around 20 are still alive.
(With inputs from Reuters)
US Vetoes UN Resolution Calling For Gaza Ceasefire, Aid Access
In a move likely to draw global scrutiny, the United States on Thursday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the lifting of all Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The text, drafted by the elected 10 members of the 15-member council, would also have demanded the immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.
It received 14 votes in favor. It was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Security Council over the nearly two-year war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
Gaza Famine
“Famine has been confirmed in Gaza – not projected, not declared, confirmed,” Denmark’s UN Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen told the council before the vote.
“Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, further deepening the suffering of civilians. As a result, it is this catastrophic situation, this humanitarian and human failure, that has compelled us to act today,” she said.
Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined last month.
US Shields Israel
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. But in a rare move last week it backed a Security Council statement condemning recent strikes on Qatar, though the text it did not mention Israel was responsible.
The move reflected US President Donald Trump’s with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the US veto on Thursday showed that just a week later Washington was again staunchly giving diplomatic protection to Israel.
US Blames Hamas
“Hamas is responsible for starting and continuing this war. Israel has accepted proposed terms that would end the war, but Hamas continues to reject them. This war could end today if Hamas freed the hostages and laid down its arms,” US diplomat Morgan Ortagus told the council before the vote.
Israel was not happy with the Security Council statement on the strikes on Qatar, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters on Thursday, adding: “But I think, overall, the level of cooperation with the US is so high that we were OK with that.”
Danon said that after Netanyahu addressed the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders next week the prime minister would travel to Washington to meet with Trump on September 29. Netanyahu said earlier this month he had been invited by Trump to visit the White House.
The UN Security Council is also due to hold a high-level meeting on Gaza on Tuesday while world leaders are in New York.
An October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. Hamas killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. More than 64,000 people, also mostly civilians, have since been killed during the war in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
(With inputs from Reuters)
New UK-Ireland Pact To Address Legacy Of Northern Ireland Conflict
In a bid to heal old wounds, the UK and Ireland will on Friday unveil a joint framework to address decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, replacing a controversial law granting amnesty to ex‑soldiers and militants.
The agreement will fulfil a pledge by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to repeal the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act, a section of which offered immunity from prosecution for those who cooperate with a new investigative body – a provision that was ruled incompatible with human rights law.
Opposed By Victim’s Families
The law halted inquests into cases from the three decades of conflict between Irish nationalist militants seeking a united Ireland, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries and the British military.
It was opposed by victims’ families, all political parties in Northern Ireland, including pro-British and Irish nationalist groups, and the Irish government, which brought a legal challenge against Britain at the European Court of Human Rights.
Britain’s Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn said this month that the plans would significantly reform the contested new investigative body, make it capable of referring cases for potential prosecution and give it independent oversight.
A separate information recovery body, as envisioned in a 2014 UK-Irish legacy agreement that was never implemented and overridden by the Legacy Act, will also be included, a source familiar with the framework said.
Resetting Ties With Ireland
Dublin has said it would revisit its legal challenge against Britain if a new framework is put in place and is human rights-compliant. Starmer’s government has sought to reset relations with Ireland that were strained during Brexit.
The previous Conservative government defended its approach by arguing that prosecutions linked to the events of up to 57 years ago – also known as the Troubles – were increasingly unlikely to lead to convictions and that it wanted to draw a line under the conflict.
While some trials have collapsed in recent years, the first former British soldier to be convicted of an offence since the peace deal was given a suspended sentence in 2023.
The trial of the sole British soldier charged with murder over the 1972 “Bloody Sunday” killings of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers also began this week.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Nvidia Backs Intel With $5 Billion Investment Amid AI Push
Signalling a dramatic turn in Silicon Valley’s power dynamics, Nvidia on Thursday announced a $5 billion investment in Intel — a bold show of support for the embattled US chipmaker, just weeks after the White House brokered a deal for the federal government to acquire a major stake in the firm.
The stake will instantly make Nvidia one of Intel’s largest shareholders, giving it roughly 4% of the company after new shares are issued to complete the deal. Nvidia’s support represents a new opening for Intel after years of turnaround efforts failed to pay off, and it triggered a 29% jump in the US manufacturer’s shares.
Trump Admin Not Involved
The company – once the chip industry’s flag bearer that claimed to put the “silicon” in Silicon Valley – appointed a new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, in March. He quickly came under fire from US elected officials, including President Donald Trump, who called for him to resign due to concerns about his connections with China. That led to a swiftly arranged meeting in Washington that ended with Intel’s unusual arrangement to give the US a 10% stake in the company.
A White House official said on Thursday that the Trump administration was not involved in Nvidia’s investment in Intel, even though Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was seen with Trump and other business leaders during the US president’s state visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday.
This new pact includes a plan for Intel and Nvidia to jointly develop PC and data center chips, but crucially will not involve Intel’s contract manufacturing business, known as a “foundry” in the chip industry, making computing chips for Nvidia. Intel’s foundry business will, however, supply the central processors and advanced packaging for the joint products.
Most analysts believe that for Intel’s foundry to survive, it would need to win a large customer such as Nvidia, Apple, Qualcomm or Broadcom.
“This may be the first step of an acquisition or breakup of the company (Intel) among US chip makers though it is entirely possible the company will remain a shadow of its former self but will survive,” said Nancy Tengler, CEO of Laffer Tengler Investments.
Nvidia, whose must-have chips are powering a global artificial intelligence boom, said it would pay $23.28 per share for Intel common stock, slightly below the $24.90 Wednesday closing price but higher than the $20.47 price the US government paid. Nvidia shares were up 3.5% on Thursday.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of their collaboration but said they would make “multiple generations” of future products.
The deal adds to Intel’s growing reserve of capital, following a $2 billion investment from Softbank and the $5.7 billion investment from the US government.
CEO Tan has vowed to make Intel’s operations lean and build factory capacity only when there is demand to match it.
“This is a massive game-changer for Intel and effectively resets its position of AI-laggard into a cog in future AI infrastructure,” said Gadjo Sevilla, senior AI and tech analyst at eMarketer.
Risks To Competitors
The pact represents a potential risk to Taiwan’s TSMC. TSMC currently manufactures Nvidia’s flagship processors, a business the world’s most valuable company could one day extend to Intel. AMD, which competes with Intel for supplying chips to data centers, also stands to lose thanks to Nvidia’s backing.
TSMC declined comment; AMD did not respond to a request for comment.
“AMD has been seizing market share in desktops and laptops for quite some time and this will help Nvidia out against its closest domestic peers, but I think TSMC may have the bigger risk to its operation over the long term,” said David Wagner, portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors.
Under the terms of the deal, Intel will design custom data-center central processors Nvidia plans to package with its AI chips, known as GPUs. A proprietary Nvidia technology will let the Intel and Nvidia chips communicate at higher speeds than before.
Speedy links are a key differentiator in the AI market because many chips must be strung together to act as one to chew through massive amounts of data. Currently, Nvidia’s best-selling AI servers with those links are only available using Nvidia’s own chips; this deal would put Intel on equal footing, giving it a chance to make money off each Nvidia server.
The combined Nvidia-Intel chips could challenge AMD, which is developing its own AI servers, and Broadcom, which also has chip-to-chip connection technology and helps companies such as Alphabet’s Google develop AI chips. Broadcom did not respond to a request for comment.
AMD shares were down 2.8%, while Broadcom shares rose 0.2%.
For consumer markets, Nvidia will provide Intel with a custom graphics chip that Intel can package with its PC central processors with the same speedy links, potentially giving it an edge against AMD.
The companies did not say when the first joint products would come to market, but said their product plans prior to the deal had not changed.
(With inputs from Reuters)
US And Israel Condemn UN Workers’ Stance On Gaza War As Protests Unfold
Documents revealed that the United States and Israel have sent letters of complaint to senior U.N. officials, criticizing the stance of the organization’s staff on the Gaza war. Meanwhile, hundreds of U.N. employees staged a protest outside its European headquarters on Thursday.
U.N. staff carried placards saying “Peace for Gaza” and “Not a Target”. They laid over 370 white roses next to a memorial plaque in Geneva to represent each U.N. aid worker killed in the nearly two-year war.
“Today, the U.N. staff are coming together to say that enough is enough, to say that we cannot kill our colleagues in Gaza with such impunity and to say stop to all these murders,” Nathalie Meynet, president of the U.N. refugee agency staff council, said at the protest.
The letters highlight the rising tensions between the U.N. and its top funder, the U.S., which has already disengaged from the U.N. Human Rights Council over what Washington says is its anti-Israel stance.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Denounces Event
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Daniel Meron wrote ahead of the event to the Director-General of the United Nations’ Geneva office Tatiana Valovaya denouncing the event.
“U.N. staff are not activists or political actors…Those who incite and participate in such politically charged activities should face disciplinary measures, including suspension,” his letter dated September 10 showed.
Séverine Deboos, one of the events’ organisers, denied that its purpose was political: “The message is in honour of our colleagues (in Gaza) and to thank them,” she said.
Israel says it takes care to avoid civilian deaths in its war with Hamas.
‘Grave Violation Of Neutrality’
Several hundred people joined in the protest and a minute of silence in the bright Geneva sunshine outside the U.N. building.
Earlier this week, a thousand U.N. employees joined an online briefing with Francesca Albanese – a U.N. independent expert whose criticism of Israel has led to U.S. sanctions.
Both Israel’s Meron and U.S. Charge d’Affaires Tressa Finerty complained to Valovaya about the call, with the latter saying in her September 16 email that the matter would also be raised with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“This is a grave violation of the U.N.’s principle of neutrality on multiple levels,” said Finerty in an email.
“If U.N. staff during the U.N. workday, using U.N. email addresses and U.N. computers on U.N.-suppplied smartphones, participate in this Teams meeting, there can be no dodging the charge that the U.N. is systematically and uniquely anti-Israel and, because of that, antisemitic.”
A staff union member confirmed the Albanese meeting but said it involved core U.N. work.
The U.S. diplomatic mission in Geneva declined to comment. A U.N. spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Unprecedented UN Staff Losses In Gaza War
Since the October 7, 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict began, some 543 aid workers have been killed in Gaza including 373 U.N. staff and team members, according to U.N. data, making the scale of losses unprecedented in the body’s 80-year history.
Under Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service adopted by the U.N., staff are advised not to take sides or express their convictions publicly on controversial matters.
U.N. staff representatives received a management note on September 17 asking them to stay impartial on the Gaza conflict, according to a confidential memo.
Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance Catherine Pollard on September 17 acknowledged that the loss of colleagues had caused “immense suffering”, adding: “I want to remind you that staff associations should not organize or promote activities that may be perceived as political in nature,” the letter said, warning of risks for the organisation.
Yousra Ahmed, a U.N. staff worker at the protest said: “It’s not a question of neutrality. I’m just outraged that the rules of the United Nations and humanitarian law are not being applied.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Nepal’s Gen-Z Revolt ‘Entirely Homegrown’
The wave of Gen-Z protests that swept Nepal earlier this month and forced the resignation of former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was “entirely homegrown” and bore no trace of outside interference, says veteran diplomat Vijay Kanta Karna.
Karna, Nepal’s former ambassador to Denmark and a noted expert on India-Nepal relations, told StratNews Global from Kathmandu that the international community should help safeguard Nepal’s fragile democratic process in the aftermath of the upheaval.
“I don’t think there is any foreign elements involved in this case, this is entirely homegrown,” Karna said in a videoconference interview. “It was surprising even for me that students from Class 8–12, undergraduates who don’t even vote, came onto the streets. This is a revolt against corruption, loot, and years of misrule by all major political parties.”
The protests, which erupted on 9 September, saw demonstrators storm and torch government buildings including the federal Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the prime minister’s residence. As violence escalated and demands for his ouster grew, Oli stepped down the same day, ending the communist government’s rule.
Karna, who now heads the Centre for Social Inclusion and Foreign Policy, a Kathmandu-based think tank, said Nepal’s two powerful neighbours — India and China — should back the Himalayan nation in holding “free and fair elections” as the next step forward.
Following negotiations between protest leaders and the Army Chief, former Chief Justice of Nepal Sushila Karki was sworn in as interim prime minister on 12 September.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became one of the first world leaders to speak with Karki. A readout from India’s Ministry of External Affairs later said, “Prime Minister conveyed India’s readiness to continue working closely to further strengthen the special ties between the two countries and India’s full support to Nepal in its efforts towards restoring peace and stability, and for the progress of the people of Nepal.”
Still, questions remain about the legitimacy of the interim government, given the extralegal process by which it came into being. Its ability to deliver stability and address entrenched corruption and economic mismanagement is also uncertain.
President Ramchandra Paudel has already dissolved Parliament and set a deadline of March 6, 2026, for fresh elections. But Karna doubts polls can be held so soon.
“It is not possible in six months. There are some practical reasons,” he said. “To create a functional government at district, local, provincial and national level — the authorities who actually conduct elections — you need time. Judges must be seated in courts. It takes two to three months just to create a functional government. We don’t have a proper one at the moment.”
Karna estimated that it would take at least eight to nine months before credible elections could be organised.
Nepal on 17 September observed a national day of mourning to honour the 72 people killed during the protests.
For now, the interim government has managed to restore a tenuous calm, but the deeper question remains: can it survive long enough to deliver the clean governance and stability that Nepal’s restless Gen-Z is demanding?
Court Blocks Trump’s Bid To End Venezuelan Migrants’ Protections
The Trump administration’s attempt to overturn a judge’s ruling on deportation protections for 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. was struck down by a federal appeals court, which found the rollback had been carried out unlawfully.
A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a decision late Wednesday declined to pause a judge’s September 5 ruling holding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked the authority to end the programme, known as Temporary Protected Status or TPS.
“Vacating and terminating Venezuela’s TPS status threw the future of these Venezuelan citizens into disarray, and exposed them to a substantial risk of wrongful removal, separation from their families, and loss of employment,” the panel said.
The panel, which included three judges appointed by Democratic presidents, said Congress did not contemplate such a result, and they declined to put on hold San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s ruling while the administration pursued an appeal.
U.S. Department of Justice lawyers defending Noem’s decision in court papers had said that if a stay was denied they may take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court for a second time.
The justices in May put on hold an earlier preliminary injunction Chen issued, clearing the way for the administration to end temporary protections for about 348,000 of the Venezuelans at issue.
TPS For Eligible Migrants
Chen’s latest decision also applied to 521,000 Haitians whose TPS status was also revoked by Noem in February. The Trump administration had not asked the 9th Circuit to put that part of Chen’s ruling on hold as a second judge in New York had already blocked the administration from revoking the Haitians’ status.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Temporary Protected Status is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. It provides eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation.
The programme was created in 1991 and under Democratic President Joe Biden was extended to cover about 600,000 Venezuelans and 521,000 Haitians. Noem reversed the extensions in February, saying they were no longer justified.
Wednesday’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed by several migrants covered by the TPS programme and the National TPS Alliance, an advocacy group, who challenge Noem’s action.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump and Starmer Praise Revived ‘Special Relationship’ While Dodging Contentious Issues
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the revival of the “special relationship” between their countries. Trump’s unusual second state visit ended with both leaders showing unity in public, while carefully avoiding sensitive issues.
At a warm press conference when the two leaders glossed over differences on Gaza and wind power to present a united front, Trump reserved his toughest language for Russian President Vladimir Putin who he said had “let him down” in his efforts to end what he thought would be an easy war to resolve in Ukraine.
After two days of his state visit to Britain, which the U.S. leader described as an “exquisite honour”, Trump was in a relaxed mode at the final press conference when Starmer was focused on skirting over potential areas of disagreement.
Trump, speaking alongside King Charles on Wednesday at Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, described his visit as “truly one of the highest honours of my life”.
The press conference ended without either being tripped up by potential embarrassing subjects, with both batting away questions over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to Trump and to Starmer’s former ambassador to the U.S..
Leaders Praise Their Close Ties
“We’ve renewed the special relationship for a new era,” Starmer told reporters.
“This partnership today is a signal of our determination to win this race together and to ensure it brings real benefits in jobs, in growth, in lower bills, to put more hard-earned cash in people’s pockets at the end of each month.”
Trump also described the close ties enjoyed by the two countries, praising Starmer for being a tough negotiator in securing the first tariff deal with the U.S.
“We’re forever joined, and we are forever friends and we will always be friends,” Trump said.
($1 = 0.7328 pounds)
(With inputs from Reuters)
Brenner Tunnel Breakthrough Marks EU Transit Shift
In a milestone moment for European infrastructure, workers on Thursday broke through the final stretch of rock to complete an underground tunnel between Austria and Italy — a key section of a high-speed rail line set to connect northern and southern Europe.
The Brenner Base Tunnel, which is being billed as the world’s longest underground rail connection, is a centrepiece of a European Union drive to shift freight off the roads and onto rail, to cut pollution and boost cross-border trade.
‘Historic Day’
“Today we are taking together a decisive step for the construction of one of the largest infrastructure works in the entire continent,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the rock breaking ceremony.
“It is a historic day … for Italy, for Austria, and for the whole of Europe.”
The link will be the first dedicated rail tunnel directly connecting Austria and Italy. It is due to open in 2032, about 16 years behind schedule, and is set to cost 8.5 billion euros ($10 billion) – about 2.5 billion above budget.
Time Reduced By Half
The tunnel will stretch 55 km (34 miles) when complete, extending to 64 km by hooking up to an existing underground link into Innsbruck. It will cut journey times between Fortezza in Italy to Innsbruck to less than 25 minutes from 80 minutes.
The Brenner Pass is one of Europe’s busiest mountain crossings used for freight transport. Each year, more than 2.5 million trucks, 14 million vehicles and 50 million tonnes of goods cross the Alpine pass, choking local communities.
Currently, around 70% of trans-Alpine freight traffic through the Brenner travels by road, with only 30% by rail – a balance the tunnel aims to reverse.
However, the hoped-for impact of the new link could be undermined by Germany, which accounts for a significant amount of road traffic through the Alps, but has not finalised crucial northern access routes to hook up with the Brenner tunnel.
(With inputs from Reuters)
U.S. Revokes Visas Of Some Indian Executives, Families Amid Fentanyl Probe
The U.S. embassy in India has announced the revocation and denial of visas for several Indian business executives and corporate leaders over global fentanyl trafficking.
These individuals are alleged to be involved in the trafficking of precursor chemicals used in the manufacture of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States.
Citing sections 221(i), 212(a)(2)(C), and 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, U.S. authorities underscored the seriousness of the violations.
The crackdown extends not only to the executives but also to close family members, effectively blacklisting their access to U.S. soil. “Individuals and organisations involved in the illegal production and trafficking of drugs to the United States, along with their families, will face consequences,” said Chargé d’affaires Jorgan Andrews.
‘Grateful to Indian Govt’
“We are grateful to our counterparts in the Government of India for their close cooperation,” the U.S. Embassy stated, framing the action not as an indictment of India, but as a joint effort to counter a common threat.
U.S. investigators have traced the movement of precursor chemicals from Chinese manufacturers through Indian firms, ultimately landing in the hands of Mexican drug cartels.
Earlier this year, an Indian company, Rauxter Chemicals, was indicted for its alleged role in supplying fentanyl precursors to the U.S. Rauxter Chemicals’ senior executive Bhavesh Lathiya was arrested in New York in January, raising red flags in U.S.-India trade and diplomatic circles.
This latest visa revocation move appears to be part of a broader strategy under the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to tackle synthetic opioid trafficking at the source. The White House has prioritized border security, international enforcement and pressure on source countries as key pillars of its anti-drug policy.
The China Connection
Although the latest visa denials targeted Indian nationals, U.S. officials were careful to place the spotlight squarely on China, the global epicenter of fentanyl precursor production. According to a recent FBI report, China has enacted strict domestic controls on narcotics but is allegedly allowing, and even encouraging exports of precursor chemicals to destabilise foreign nations, particularly the United States.
The report, which includes statements from FBI Director Kash Patel, accuses the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of orchestrating a deliberate campaign to smuggle fentanyl precursors through third countries, including India.
“This is not merely a public health crisis, it’s a geopolitical attack,” Patel said, calling on India to join hands with the U.S. in dismantling the China-linked narcotics web.
Fentanyl, often nicknamed “China White” due to its origin, has become a symbol of a modern-day chemical war, with U.S. authorities suggesting that Beijing is using narcotics as a weapon to weaken American society from within.