Geopolitics
ARTICLES
[ SCMP ] Taiwan asserts island’s sovereignty after US restates opposition to independence
“We support a strong unofficial relationship with Taiwan. We do not support Taiwan independence,” Kurt Campbell, the White House Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, said in response to the question “how much love is too much?” when it came to stronger US ties with Taiwan. The comment, at an event hosted by the Asia Society, was…
[ Today ] Singapore to reclaim land around Pedra Branca to build facilities to improve maritime safety and security
The Housing and Development Board will reclaim land around Pedra Branca The development work will improve facilities on the island, let vessels berth and allow more facilities to be set up It will take a few years to complete The work, announced in 2019, had been postponed owing to a sovereignty dispute with Malaysia Pedra Branca…
[ WeeklyBlitz ] Rohingya militancy group ARSA silently gets organized
Dhaka Post reporters Adnan Rahman and Joshim Uddin in their report said, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) has already recruited over two thousand members from the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, where it has approximately 150 female jihadists. Majority of the ARSA recruits are based in Kutupalong and Balukhali areas in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf district. According…
[ DW ] As Lebanon nears collapse, EU debates sanctions
Lebanon continues to unravel as its economic and political crisis worsens. The country has not had a government for almost a year now and its economy is in the process of collapsing after decades of mismanagement and corruption. Over the past month, there have been stories both absurd and horrifying coming out of the small Mediterranean nation. For…
[ Financial Times ] Senior Nato officer warns of China’s ‘shocking’ military advances
“It is quite shocking how quickly China has built ships, how much China has modernised its air force, how much it has invested in cyber and other forms of information management, not least facial recognition,” said Peach — who is stepping down on Friday after three years as head of Nato’s military committee — in…
[ Asia Times ] New age rebels rock and roil Myanmar’s junta
The future for Myanmar thus looks bleak, with only a split within the Tatmadaw likely able to bring about fundamental change. But there are no signs yet of that happening as Myanmar’s resistance shifts from peaceful protests to more violent means. The most the “new rebels”, alone or together with ethnic allies, may be able…
[ Myanmar Now ]Tanker carrying jet fuel due to arrive in Yangon on Saturday
A tanker ship carrying airplane fuel is scheduled to arrive in Yangon on Saturday after departing from Singapore’s Jurong Island on Tuesday, according to data from several marine tracking websites. The Panama-registered tanker SANTYA is loaded with Jet A1 fuel, which can be used both for commercial aviation and military aircraft, documents seen by Myanmar…
Kashmiri Freedom Fighters conducted drone strikes on India Air Force’s Jammu Air Force Station | Lashkar-e-Taiba commander captured
According to a tweet by Aerospace & Open Source Intelligence Board (Pakistan Strategic Forum), Kashmiri Freedom Fighters utilised two drones to drop improvised explosive devices onto the India Air Force’s Jammu Air Force Station (Jammu AFS) at around 1am local time on 27 June 2021 The drones reportedly flew 14.5km from the border to the…
[ Asia Times ] China returns fire at Australia in the WTO
China in November announced tariffs of up to 218% on Australian wines, which it said were being “dumped” into the Chinese market at subsidized prices. The crackdown virtually closed what had been Australia’s biggest overseas wine market, with sales falling from A$1.1 billion (US$840 million) to only A$20 million, according to official figures.
[ CNA ] Taiwan’s Apple Daily says it will continue operations
The Taiwanese edition of Apply Daily assured readers that its operations will continue as the island’s government on Thursday (Jun 24) denounced the closure of its sister paper in Hong Kong under a national security law. Hong Kong’s most popular tabloid had long been a thorn in Beijing’s side, with unapologetic support for the city’s…
[ Daily Mail ] British doctor Peter Daszak who tried to gag Wuhan lab leak theory is FIRED from UN commission investigating COVID after he was exposed for organizing letter denying leak claim in The Lancet medical journal
The British scientist’s profile on commission website now shows him as recused Daszak is president of New York-based EcoHealth Alliance, a medical nonprofit Earlier this month, it emerged he’d organized a letter co-signed by scientists and published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet denouncing lab leak theory Daszak did so despite having strong professional ties…
[ Daily Mail ] REVEALED: Google FUNDED virus research carried out by Wuhan-linked scientist Peter Daszak for over a decade, new report reveals, amid accusations Big Tech has silenced COVID lab leak theory
Google’s charity arm, Google.org, has provided financial backing for research and studies carried out by Peter Daszak and his EcoHealth Alliance charity The financial ties, which were first reported by The National Pulse , are disclosed in various scientific studies dating back to at least 2010 Google on Tuesday issued a statement saying the ‘one-off philanthropic…
[ CNA ] Self-radicalisation main terror threat in Singapore; far-right extremism an emerging concern: ISD report
Self-radicalised actors influenced by extremist materials online are the main domestic terrorism threat facing Singapore, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a report released on Wednesday (Jun 23). And while Islamist terrorism remains the primary concern, far-right extremism is an emerging threat, it said in the Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report 2021.
Canada to begin negotiations with Indonesia on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
News release June 20, 2021 – Ottawa, Canada – Global Affairs Canada The Government of Canada is committed to building back from COVID-19 and deepening trade and investment ties with fast-growing markets around the world will generate growth, create jobs, and ensure a strong, resilient economic recovery. Today, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small…
[ CNA / AP ] Debate over Myanmar upends start to UN rights body session
The United Nations’ top human rights body opened its latest session on Monday (Jun 21) and was immediately embroiled in a debate over the representation of Myanmar, where a military takeover toppled the civilian government in February. Western countries said that two planned debates about the human rights situation in Myanmar at the Human Rights Council’s…
[ The ASEAN Post ] Myanmar Leader In Moscow For Security Conference
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing left the capital Naypyidaw Sunday on a special flight to attend the Moscow Conference for International Security, state-run MRTV said. He was attending at “the invitation of Russian Defence Minister,” it said, adding he had been “greeted” by the Russian ambassador to Myanmar at the airport. It did not give…
[ SCMP ] China tells its nationals to leave Afghanistan urgently as violence spirals
Citizens and organisations should strengthen emergency preparedness with security situation ‘becoming more severe and complicated’, Chinese embassy says Withdrawal of US and Nato troops has been blamed by Beijing for a wave of attacks Beijing has warned Chinese nationals to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, amid a rapid rise in violence in the country as the…
[ Politico ] White House freezes Ukraine military package that includes lethal weapons
“The Biden White House has temporarily halted a military aid package to Ukraine that would include lethal weapons, a plan originally made in response to aggressive Russian troop movements along Ukraine’s border this spring. The aid package would be worth up to $100 million, according to four people familiar with internal deliberations. The National Security…
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