Geopolitics
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[ 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Biden White House has temporarily halted a military aid package to Ukraine that would include lethal weapons, a plan originally made in response to aggressive Russian troop movements along Ukraine’s border this spring.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…
UN General Assembly voted 199-1 (36 abstain) to call for an end to arms sales to Myanmar’s military junta.
UNGA adopted resolution with an overwhelming vote to denounce arm sales to Myanmar’s military in the light of the military coup and violence. “The risk of a large-scale civil war is real. Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing.” UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, told…
[ The Irrawaddy ] Time Is Right for India to Step In and Help Solve Myanmar Crisis
The Myanmar junta chief’s candid admission that his regime is not in full control of the country ravaged by a civil war offers an opportunity for India to step in to mitigate the crisis. Last month, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reportedly said in a television interview that he did not expect to see such an uprising…
[ Eurasianet ] In Karabakh, Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders cement alliance
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid his first official visit to Karabakh eight months after Azerbaijan’s victory in the war against Armenia. He and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on June 15 signed a new agreement aimed at boosting cooperation between the two countries on defense and economic issues. Erdogan was the first foreign leader…
[ Middle East Monitor ] UAE resumes flights to Syria
Direct flights between Syria’s Damascus and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s cities of Dubai and Sharjah will resume on 20 June, the Syrian Ministry of Transport announced yesterday. In an official statement, the ministry said that the national airline, Syrian Air, will operate three flights to Sharjah and four to Dubai every week.
[ BusinessWorld ] The European Union and ASEAN are natural partners and have a common agenda
“The EU launched in April 2021 an Indo-Pacific strategy, with one key message: we want to step up our engagement and work with our partners to boost trade and investment, economic openness, and a sustainable approach to connectivity in the region. Besides being an economic powerhouse, the EU is also ready to be a political…
[ Today ] Singaporean Dickson Yeo, who spied for China in the US, tried to gather info on Singapore for foreign handlers: ISD
A 40-year-old Singaporean who was previously jailed in the United States for spying for China has been served with a detention order under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for acting as a paid agent of a foreign state. He was arrested by ISD on Dec 30 last year upon his deportation from the United States,…
[ Reuters ] Erdogan says Turkey can work with France on Syria, Libya
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday that their two countries could work together to tackle conflicts in Syria and Libya. Erdogan was speaking at a news conference after a NATO summit in Brussels where he met the French president and other leaders. The two countries have disagreed…
[ Japan Today ] China cautions G7 that ‘small’ groups don’t rule the world
“The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone,” a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said. “We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries.” The Chinese…
[ SCMP ] Why Asean is wary about stronger ties with China
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang told Asean that Beijing was keen to “explore the possibility of elevating relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership as a new benchmark of China-Asean cooperation”. But the phrase “comprehensive strategic partnership”, which signifies a higher priority in Beijing’s foreign affairs, did not appear in a lengthy joint statement…
[ Al Jazeera ] Turkey’s troops should leave Afghanistan under 2020 deal: Taliban
Taliban spokesman tells Reuters Turkey should withdraw troops as part of deal with the US for pullout of foreign forces. Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the 2020 deal for the pullout of foreign forces, a Taliban spokesman has said, effectively rejecting Ankara’s proposal to guard and run Kabul’s airport after the United…
[ Times of Israel ] Key passages from outgoing Mossad chief’s unprecedented TV interview
In an interview with Ilana Dayan on Channel 12’s “Uvda” documentary series Thursday night, recently retired Mossad chief Yossi Cohen spoke with unprecedented detail and candor about his career, actions to thwart Iran, his ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more.
[ Reuters ] China Will Always Support Myanmar in Choosing Its Own Path, Says Senior Diplomat
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will always support Myanmar in choosing its own developmental path, Chinese senior diplomat Wang yi told his Myanmar counterpart on Tuesday. Wang assured Myanmar foreign minister Wunna Maung Lwin that China’s friendly policy towards Myanmar was not affected by changes to Myanmar’s domestic and external situation, according to a statement by…
Federal State of New China?
Disclaimer: Defense Politics Asia is in no way endorsing or supporting this movement, or acknowledging the legitimacy of such a proclamation. However, given the gravity of the people involved that are giving a face to this grouping/declaration – and the lack of reporting in any English language media – we deem it necessary to report…
6 Feb 2020: Speculation of the Actual 2019-nCoV Numbers in China
I personally dont think anyone knows the actual number of death, with exception of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) leadership and the point people who are consolidating reports from all over China. Usually in this kindda “China-numbers” cases, I will just x10 whatever “bad-news” number was officially reported by China, as a mental conditioning. Being…
Wuhan Coronavirus is definitely more viral & dangerous than SARS
SARS1 Nov 2002 To: 1 Apr 2003 (6 months) China alone.Infected: 806Dead: 34 https://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/2003_04_01/en/ One Month later: accumulated numbers became… 1 Nov 2002 To: 01 May 2003 China alone.Infected: 3638Dead: 170 https://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/2003_05_01/en/ And despite this massive increase, its “merely” 450% increase over 30 days.- — Today. Wuhan Coronavirus1 Dec 2019 To: 27 Jan 2020 (2…
Jerusalem Post: Iran lacks good options – analysis
First, it is worth recalling the sequence of events. The killing on Thursday of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani outside Baghdad International Airport by a US MQ9 Reaper Drone firing a Hellfire missile, was the latest escalation in a process that began with the killing of an American contractor by the Iran-supported Kataib Hezbollah…
Soleimani: Another miscalculation on Trump’s resolve – Episode Iran
Iran had been systematically raising the stakes across the region after Trump cancelled Obama’s marquee “Iran Nuclear Deal” and imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iran. Since then Iran had ramped up its actions abroad, with the most significant events being the seizures of foreign oil tankers in the Gulf and the “drone attack” on Saudi Arabia’s…
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