Kim Jong Un’s sister said North Korea is ‘using the Pacific as our firing range’ North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off the country’s east coast on Monday morning, one day after the U.S. held joint military drills with South Korea and Japan. Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim …
Read More »Pakistan, Afghan Taliban trade fire at border crossing; 7 dead
Pakistani border guards and Afghan Taliban forces traded cross-border fire on Monday morning, officials said, a day after Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers closed the Torkham border crossing amid increasing tensions between the two neighbors. Six Pakistani civilians and one Afghan soldier were killed on Sunday in the shelling and gunfire, according …
Read More »This is what Taliban will do with former US military bases: Plan revealed
The Taliban administration will move ahead with plans to turn former foreign military bases into special economic zones for businesses, the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement on Sunday. The acting commerce minister had told Reuters in December that his ministry was working on the …
Read More »US, South Korea stage joint air exercise after North’s ICBM launch
The United States and South Korea have held a joint air exercise involving US strategic bombers after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a “sudden launching drill”. On Sunday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the exercise, where South Korea’s F-35A, F-15K, and US F-16 fighters escorted …
Read More »US handling of balloon incident ‘hysterical,’ says China’s top diplomat
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said on Saturday that the US handling of the balloon incident had been “unimaginable” and “hysterical” – an “absurd” act that had violated international norms. “There are so many balloons all over the world, so is the United States going to shoot all of them …
Read More »North Korea fires long range missile ahead of US-South Korea drills
North Korea has launched at least one long-range ballistic missile off its east coast after warning of a strong response to the upcoming US-South Korea military drills. According to the South Korean military, the missile launch was conducted from the Sunan area near Pyongyang on Saturday. “North Korea fires an …
Read More »White House to hold ‘secret’ talks with Taiwan officials – FT
The Asian island’s foreign minister and national security adviser will reportedly visit Washington while a US delegation travels to Taipei. A Taiwanese delegation that is reportedly set to arrive in the US over the weekend will take part in “secret talks” with White House officials, the Financial Times has reported, …
Read More »Biden sets out views on prospects of cold war with China
US president says he makes no apologies for his order to shoot down the Chinese balloon Washington isn’t interested in starting a cold war with China, US President Joe Biden reassured an audience in a speech on Thursday in which he also said he plans to discuss the balloon incident …
Read More »China sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales
China on Thursday put Lockheed Martin and a unit of Raytheon Technologies on an “unreliable entities list” over arms sales to Taiwan, banning them from imports and exports related to China in its latest sanctions against the U.S. companies. The measures come amid heightened tensions after the U.S. military shot …
Read More »Iran, China presidents urge JCPOA implementation, verifiable removal of sanctions
Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have called for the full and effective implementation of the Iran nuclear deal by all sides and the removal of all US sanctions against Tehran in a verifiable manner. In a joint statement issued at the end of Raeisi’s three-day …
Read More »China threatens ‘countermeasures’ against US entities after balloons shootdown
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin remains vague on proposed countermeasures in press conference Wednesday The People’s Republic of China threatened Wednesday to take action against U.S. agencies responsible for destroying and recovering a surveillance balloons. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin made the vague threat …
Read More »US lawmakers prepare plan to ‘infuriate’ China: Report
The United States is reportedly considering sending a congressional delegation to Taiwan to “infuriate” China after Washington alleged that a Chinese spy balloon flew over the country before it was shot down last week by the American military. US Congressman Rob Wittman (R-Virginia), who sits on the US House of …
Read More »Balloon row: China says US flew over 10 high-altitude balloons over its airspace since 2022
China says US high-altitude balloons flew over its airspace without permission more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022, widening a diplomatic row between the two countries over balloons. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made these remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday, without specifically describing the …
Read More »US lawmakers prepare plan to ‘infuriate’ China – Nikkei
Politicians are considering a new congressional visit to Taiwan, according to a report The US House of Representatives Select Committee on China is discussing whether it should send a congressional delegation to Taiwan despite realizing that such a move would likely rile up Beijing, Nikkei reported on Sunday, citing an …
Read More »China urges US to cease unilateral sanctions
Chinese Foreign Ministry has urged the United States to stop abusing “long-arm jurisdiction” and unilateral sanctions which have distorted multilateralism and weakened international trade. “The US’ long-arm jurisdiction is an arbitrary judicial practice, wielded by the US government on the strength of its national power and financial hegemony, to enforce …
Read More »US unveils new sanctions on China
The restrictions come days after the Pentagon brought down a suspected Chinese ‘spy balloon’ The US announced new sanctions against China on Friday, targeting six companies linked to Beijing’s suspected surveillance program. The move comes after a Chinese “spy balloon” was spotted and shot down in US airspace. In a …
Read More »North Korea shows off advanced ICBM at nighttime military parade
North Korea has staged a massive military parade to mark the founding anniversary of its armed forces, displaying more intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which state-run media claimed have the “maximum nuclear attack capability.” North Korea held the nighttime military parade in Pyongyang on Wednesday as leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by …
Read More »China’s surge in COVID cases has produced no new variants: study
Amidst the recent COVID-19 outbreak in China, scientists are saying it appears no new variants developed. “Given the impact that variants have had on the course of the pandemic, it was important to investigate whether any new ones emerged following the recent changes to China’s COVID-19 prevention and control policies,” …
Read More »China calls balloon incident a setback for ties with US
The attack on the airship disrupted bilateral relations, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing has said Washington’s decision to shoot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon that had entered US airspace last week is detrimental to diplomatic relations between the two countries, Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday. By deciding to destroy …
Read More »Pakistan ex-President Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after years in exile
Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the campaign against al Qaeda following the militant group’s Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, died in Dubai on Sunday after a prolonged illness. He was 79. Musharraf, a former four-star general who seized power after a 1999 military coup, died in …
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