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U.S. NEWS Friday 23 September 2022

Biden seeks closer ties with Philippines after ‘rocky’ past

By AAMER MADHANI wan. China claims the self-
Associated Press ruled island as its own.
NEW YORK (AP) — Presi- Marcos, the son and name-
dent Joe Biden pledged sake of the country’s for-
on Thursday in his first face- mer dictator, took office
to-face meeting with new in June. He has said he
Philippine President Ferdi- wants to pursue closer ties
nand Marcos Jr. to work to with China, which has also
strengthen relations with sought to court him.
the Pacific nation after Biden has put a premium
what he said had been on improving relations with
some “rocky times” in the Pacific nations in the early
past. going of his presidency. He
Meeting on the sidelines of sees a rising China as the
the U.N. General Assem- most threatening econom-
bly, the leaders discussed ic and national security ad-
tensions in the South China versary to the United States.
Sea, the long-standing se- Marcos underscored to
curity relationship between Biden that the Philippines is
the United States and the “your partners, we are your
Philippines, the state of allies, we are your friends.”
the global economy, and He also thanked the U.S.
other issues. Biden said they for its “massive” assistance
would also address human President Joe Biden meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, during the pandemic, in-
rights. in New York cluding sharing COVID-19
Biden also noted that the Associated Press vaccines, and for its role in
Philippines was among U.S. start of the meeting. virtually all the killings, car- National Police since 2016. ensuring peace and stabil-
allies to quickly condemn The relationship hit bumps ried out by police and Thursday’s talks come amid ity in the Indo-Pacific.
the Russian invasion of during the presidency of armed vigilantes, occurred heightened tensions be- “The role of the United
Ukraine. Marcos’ predecessor, Ro- without due process, and tween the U.S. and China States in maintaining the
“We’ve had some rocky drigo Duterte. the vast majority of vic- over America’s Taiwan peace in our region is
times, but the fact is it’s Human rights groups say tims were unarmed, poor policy. The “One China” something that is much ap-
a critical, critical relation- Duterte’s “war on drugs” low-level offenders. The policy recognizes Beijing as preciated by all the coun-
ship, from our perspective. resulted in thousands of ex- U.S. government has sus- the government of China tries in the region, and the
I hope you feel the same trajudicial killings. Accord- pended counter-narcotics but allows informal relations Philippines, especially,”
way,” Biden said at the ing to human rights groups, assistance to the Philippine and defense ties with Tai- Marcos said. q

U.S. sanctions Iranian morality police after woman’s death

violence erupted over the didn’t properly cover her rageous woman whose
weekend because of the hair with the Islamic heads- death in Morality Police
young woman’s death. carf, known as the hijab, custody was yet another
The Treasury Department’s which is mandatory for Ira- act of brutality by the Irani-
Office of Foreign Assets nian women. an regime’s security forces
Control also designated Amini collapsed at a police against its own people,”
the leaders of the Iranian station and died three days Yellen said.
Ministry of Intelligence and later. Amini’s death has prompt-
Security, the Army’s Ground Police say that she died of ed Iranians to take to the
Forces, the Basij Resistance a heart attack and deny streets of Tehran and other
Forces and other law en- that she was mistreated. parts of the country. Many
forcement agencies for The government released Iranians, particularly the
the sanctions, which deny video footage purporting young, have come to see
them access of their prop- to show the moment she her death as part of the
erties and bank accounts collapsed. Her family says Islamic Republic’s heavy-
held in the U.S. she had no history of heart handed policing of dissent
Exile Iranians of the National Council of Resistance of Iran gather “These officials oversee or- trouble, and her death in and the morality police’s
in front of the embassy of Iran in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 20, 2022 ganizations that routinely police custody has trig- increasingly violent treat-
after the death of an Iranian woman held by the country’s
morality police. employ violence to sup- gered daring displays of ment of young women.
Associated Press press peaceful protesters defiance from protesters, An anchor on Iran’s state
and members of Iranian in the face of beatings and television suggested the
By FATIMA HUSSEIN been detained over an ac- civil society, political dissi- possible arrest. death toll from the mass
Associated Press cusation she violated the dents, women’s rights ac- Treasury Secretary Janet protests could be as high as
WASHINGTON (AP) — The country’s dress code by tivists, and members of the Yellen said the U.S. calls 17, but he did not say how
U.S. government on Thurs- wearing her Islamic head- Iranian Baha’i community,” on the Iranian government he reached that figure.
day imposed sanctions on gear too loosely. the Treasury said in a news “to end its violence against Iran has faced global con-
Iran’s morality police and The sanctions come after at release. women and its ongoing demnation over Amini’s
leaders of other govern- least nine protesters have The morality police de- violent crackdown on free death, with the U.N. human
ment agencies after the been killed in clashes with tained 22-year-old Mahsa expression and assembly.” rights office calling for an
death of a woman who’d Iranian security forces since Amini last week, saying she “Mahsa Amini was a cou- investigation.q