President Joe Biden’s nominee for ambassador to the UN is vowing to bring a tough approach on to the body after coming under scrutiny for a 2019 speech at a Chinese-funded Confucius Institute at Georgia’s Savannah State University.
Several senators raised the issue of the speech during private meetings before Linda Thomas-Greenfield's confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield, who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs under the Obama administration, mainly addressed US-Chinese competition for influence in Africa in the 2019 speech.
She made the speech as a senior vice president at the Albright Stonebridge Group consultancy, which she joined after the Trump administration expelled her from the State Department in 2017 along with other senior foreign service officers.
“Truthfully, I wish I had not accepted this specific invitation, and I came away from the experience alarmed at the way the Confucius Institute was engaging with the black community in Georgia,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield told the Senate at her hearing.
“It reminded me of what I’d seen in Africa – the Chinese government going after those in need, with fewer resources.
"I gave the speech as a way of recommending to Africans how they can address their challenges with China.
“If I’m confirmed, I commit to working with this committee to counter China at the UN, to fight against all efforts by the Chinese government to add harmful language to UN resolutions, and to resist China’s efforts to overfill key UN positions with Chinese citizens.”
China runs Confucius Institutes on university campuses across the world with the stated goal of promoting Chinese language and culture.
Savannah State University followed the lead of others in closing its Confucius Institute last year amid allegations that the centres restrict academics and import Chinese state censorship.
FBI director Christopher Way told Congress in 2018 that his agency was monitoring the institutes, and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo designated the their headquarters in the US as a Chinese foreign mission last year.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said she supported efforts by China hawks in Congress to crack down on Confucius Institutes in the US.
She said she delivered the speech as part of an invitation from Savannah State University, a historically black university, to take part in a broader series of events encouraging students of colour to join the foreign service.
The university gave Ms Thomas-Greenfield a $1,500 honorarium for her visit and address.
Her pledge to take a tough stance on China echoed many of those made by senior Biden Cabinet officials at their confirmation hearings, amid bipartisan pressure.
They included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Intelligence Director Avril Haines.
“The tougher language will be calling the Chinese out whenever we see them crossing line, particularly as it relates to their aggressive actions both here in the United States and across the globe,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield told the Senate.
“It also may mean that we have to use other instruments that we have, including the possibility of sanctions, including the possibility of flexing our muscle.”
“None of us want to encourage or support a conflict and that is not the intent here. The intent here is to encourage the Chinese to change their behaviour.”
She mostly breezed through her confirmation hearing without much other controversy.
It did not appear as if the speech would derail the possibility that the Senate would vote to confirm her as UN ambassador.
“There isn’t a person sitting in this room that hasn’t given a speech that they don’t wish they had back,” said James Risch, the top Republican on the Senate foreign relations committee.
“I personally am not going to hold one speech against somebody.”
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
MATCH INFO
Everton 0
Manchester City 2 (Laporte 45 2', Jesus 90 7')
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
