Geopolitics
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[ National Post ] Turkey cannot stop Russian warships accessing Black Sea, says foreign minister
Turkey cannot stop Russian warships accessing the Black Sea via its straits, as Ukraine has requested, due to a clause in an international pact that allows vessels to return to their home base, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday. Ukraine has appealed to Turkey to block Russian warships from passing through the Dardanelles and…
Belarus denied claims that Belarus took part in the attack on Ukraine
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus has denied claims that his nation is taking part in a Russian attack on Ukraine, Belarusian state media reported on Thursday. Ukrainian border guards had made the accusation against Minsk earlier in the day. The Ukrainian statement asserted that some of the Russian troops entering Ukraine came from the territory of neighboring Belarus,…
Biden reimposed sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline after lifting it 9 months prior
“Yesterday, after further close consultations between our two governments, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the pipeline. Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers,” “These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. As…
Putin announces “Special Operation” – multiple Ukrainian cities reported explosions
Explosions were reported across multiple cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and Mariupol. There are also unverified reports that amphibious assault on Mariupol and Odessa. Mariupol is in Donetsk oblast. But if Russian troops lands in Odessa (which is west of Crimea), it would invalidate our assessment that this would just be a limited…
Donbas is the final warning from Putin
As the world buzzes with the news of Putin recognizing the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic + the decreed to OFFICIALLY deploy the Russian military into the 2 regions as “peacekeepers” – the headline calling this an invasion is actually a bit of a misnomer. You can’t invade what you…
Russia will not invade Ukraine… unless…
There are so much media hype and perhaps, even misinformation, on the “Ukraine Crisis” – as the western media narrative of an impending invasion of Ukraine by the Russia – the layman on the streets are not going to realise how far it is from the reality. Yes, Russia had massed a lot of forces…
[ Express ] Global tensions grow as Chinese rocket scientist defects to the West
Described as a rocket technician, the Chinese national was attached to the stateowned Aviation Industry Corp of China, where he helped develop a mid-range hypersonic boost-glide vehicle capable of carrying DF-17 missiles to a range of up to 2,000 miles. Sources say the scientist, in his 30s, is connected with a more recent hypersonic missile…
NATO doubled down as the alliance demands Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova
NATO had officially replied to Russia and provided NATO’s own proposals to Russia. In short, NATO basically doubled down on their position and further demanded Russian withdrawal from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. Russia was waiting for a reply from the United States, and the reply had instead came from NATO, and in General Jens Stoltenberg…
[ AP ] Russia threatens retaliation if Ukraine demands not met
Russia warned Wednesday it would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the U.S. and its allies reject its security demands and continue their “aggressive” policies, ratcheting up pressure on the West amid concerns that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied it has any such designs, but the United States and its NATO…
Are small and medium states ready to stop terrorists with cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency, or “crypto” as some prefer to call it, is slated to be the future of financial transactions. While the further development of crypto is widely celebrated, with mild speculations, traceability remains the most important issue surrounding the digital currency that requires abject focus. Often, acute discussions about the pros and cons of cryptocurrency assume…
[ AP ] Indonesia, Singapore sign key defense, extradition treaties
The agreement on defense cooperation — along with separate treaties on extradition and airspace rights — were signed in the presence of Indonesian President Joko Widodo of Indonesia and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The defense cooperation agreement will significantly boost Singapore’s ability to carry out naval and military exercises amid regional tensions over…
[ Reuters ] Indonesia, Singapore sign extradition, airspace and defence agreements
Indonesia and Singapore signed on Tuesday a bilateral extradition agreement, a move that Jakarta expects to help authorities in their effort to bring to justice people accused of stashing offshore billions of dollars in state money. Senior cabinet ministers from both countries also signed bilateral agreements covering airspace and defence in a ceremony aired on…
[ Reuters ] Singapore PM backs continued exclusion of Myanmar junta from ASEAN meetings
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a video call on Friday urged the regional group’s new chair, Cambodia, to engage all sides in Myanmar’s conflict, Singapore’s foreign ministry said on Saturday. Lee told his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen that ASEAN should continue inviting a non-political representative from Myanmar to its meetings and any decision to…
[ Tolo News ] Afghan Commander: Troops Will Be Stationed Along Durand Line
The commander made the remarks during a graduation ceremony of around 150 border force members who passed a 45-day training in the eastern part of the country. Sangin said these forces will be dispatched alongside the Durand Line to defend Afghanistan’s territory. “The new forces are going to be settled … where we built 32…
Japan signs defense pact with Australia; further abandoning pacifism
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison signed a new defense pact via a virtual summit which the two countries will agree to cooperate closely on defense to bolster securities ties. The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), will allow Australian and Japanese military to work seamlessly on defense and humanitarian operations. “Japan is…
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen accepted invite to lead high delegation to meet Myanmar military junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing
According to the press release from Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen will be leading a high delegation consist of his deputy, Foreign Minister, Industry Minister as well as a number of senior government officials from the 7 to 8 January 2022. The announced meeting is said to discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation (read: taking sides;…
IMF’s global financial system cyberattack wargame a signal of what is to come?
Israel on Thursday led a 10-country simulation of a major cyberattack on the global financial system in an attempt to increase cooperation that could help to minimise any potential damage to financial markets and banks. The simulated “war game”, as Israel’s Finance Ministry called it and planned over the past year, evolved over 10 days,…
Tablighi Jamaat a Cause For Concern
Tablighi Jamaat (TIJ) is currently grabbing the headlines for getting banned by Saudi Arabia. Saudi government official statement called Jamaat as a danger to society and one of the gates of terrorism. In a tweet on December 6, the country’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs said, His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif Al…
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