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[ Insider Asia ] North Korea rejects almost 3 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, saying it should be given to countries that need it more
North Korea has rejected about 3 million doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine, asking for them to be sent to countries that need them more. The isolated kingdom had also previously rejected almost 2 million AstraZeneca vaccines due to the potential of rare but severe blood clots. The country has so far reported zero cases…
[ Daily Mail ] Pentagon orders ALL active military to get the vaccine as soon as possible: 800,000 service members still haven’t gotten a shot and could face court martial if they don’t
More than 800,000 service members out of around 1.4 million still need to get their shots, according to Pentagon data Of active duty forces, 68 percent are fully vaccinated and 76 percent have at least one dose The Army has the lowest vaccination rate, where 40% are fully vaccinated and 57% have one dose Kirby…
[ Reuters ] Before Afghan collapse, Biden pressed Ghani to ‘change perception’
In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither Biden nor Ashraf Ghani appeared aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the entire country falling to insurgents, a transcript reviewed by…
[ The Independent ] New Covid-19 variant with multiple mutations sparking concerns
South African scientists have identified a new coronavirus variant – its number of mutations sparking concerns. First identified in the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, the variant, called C.1.2, is more highly mutated than others flagged by the World Health Organization (WHO). Since being identified, the variant has spread to most South African provinces and…
[ Business Insider ] The UK is considering incorporating Afghan special forces evacuated from Kabul into the British army
Afghan special forces could join the British Army as part of a new regiment being considered by UK MPs, according to the Telegraph. Hundreds of the Afghan commandos who’ve arrived in the UK over the past few weeks have been trained by UK troops in Afghanistan. Ministers are currently considering the proposal to employ the soldiers.…
[ ABC ] North Korea appears to have reactivated Yongbyon nuclear plant, atomic watchdog IAEA says
North Korea appears to have restarted a nuclear reactor that is widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog has said in an annual report. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The country then pressed ahead…
Taliban captured 85 billion dollars of military hardware – now is as strong as Tajikistan’s military… maybe
A lot had been made and reported about the multi-billion dollars “acquisition” of the US military hardware that were left behind by the US forces and the Afghan National Army. A whopping 85 billion dollars worth of it. In a tweet by disclose.tv reveal the below numbers: The numbers look very impressive, until you start…
[ United With Israel ] Biden ‘Not Optimistic’ About Return to Iran Nuclear Deal
President Joe Biden’s mood on a U.S. return to the Iranian nuclear deal is “not optimistic,” according to an Israeli source quoted by Times of Israel. The report followed up on the president’s Friday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Oval Office. The controversial Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) promised Iran economic…
[ Newlines Mag ] The Taliban’s Struggle to Control Kabul
Before formally entering Kabul, the Taliban had already secreted men into the city, where they were biding their time, ready to take over the capital. But the quick collapse of the capital caught even them unprepared. The units assigned to secure the city were still busy clearing the outskirts of the capital and neighboring provinces…
[ WSJ ] China Plans to Ban U.S. IPOs for Data-Heavy Tech Firms
China plans to propose new rules that would ban companies with large amounts of sensitive consumer data from going public in the U.S., people familiar with the matter said, a move that is likely to thwart the ambitions of the country’s tech firms to list abroad. In recent weeks, officials from China’s stock regulator have told…
[ TOLO News ] Massoud, Taliban Agree to Not Fight Until Next Round of Talks
Supporters of Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the resistance front against the Taliban, and Taliban representatives held their first meeting on Wednesday afternoon in the center of Parwan province to seek an alternative to fighting. The resistance front delegation was composed of 12 people led by Almas Zahid, a former Mujahideen commander, and the…
[ Politico ] U.S. officials provided Taliban with names of Americans, Afghan allies to evacuate
U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, a choice that’s prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials. The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional…
[ Gateway Pundit ] US State Department Goes Into Hiding, Cancels Press Briefing After 4 US Marines Killed, 3 Injured in Kabul Blasts
The State Department on Thursday canceled its press briefing after 4 US Marines were killed and at least 3 others were injured in the Kabul blasts. There were two explosions reported outside the Kabul Airport on Thursday. The Biden White House has canceled all meetings and press briefings so far. DPA Notes: The lack of…
[ MEMO ] Israel: IDF acknowledges failure to destroy ‘Hamas metro’
Senior officers have recognised that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) failed to achieve the goals set for the military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip between 11 and 21 May, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi have discussed these issues with senior…
[ The Drive ] Navy Halts Plans To Give Its Super Hornets Conformal Fuel Tanks
The U.S. Navy appears to have all but scrapped its plans to equip its future Block III F/A-18E/F Super Hornets with conformal fuel tanks, or CFTs, at least for the time being. Boeing says it is not presently expecting to deliver any Block III jets with CFTs to the Navy. The service itself has also revealed that it…
[ Euasianet ] Tajikistan: President demands Tajik role in running Afghanistan
The president of Tajikistan has said that his government will not recognize the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan unless the country’s ethnic Tajik minority is accorded a “worthy role” in the running of the country. Rahmon said his confidence in the Taliban has been undermined by the group’s abandonment of pledges to consider power-sharing with all…
[ Reuters ] EXCLUSIVE-Internal UN document says Taliban threatened, beat staff
The Taliban stopped an Afghan United Nations staff member as he tried to reach Kabul airport on Sunday. They searched his vehicle and found his U.N. identification. Then they beat him. The incidents are among dozens contained in an internal U.N. security document seen by Reuters that describes veiled threats, the looting of U.N. offices…
[ RICE ] Meet Paul, The Singaporean Who Cleared Taliban Landmines In Afghanistan
When I was young, I wasn’t the most academic kid. So I decided to join the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) boys school at the age of 16. Then I did my NS, and stayed on to work in the military for 30 years. Eventually, I got to a point where I was no longer satisfied…
[ The News Pakistan ] From battlefield to power table: Khalil Haqqani emerges as key player
KABUL, Afghanistan: He has a $5 million bounty on his head and a triumphant smile on his face. The head money marked by the US Treasury Department for Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani has lost much of its significance in the fast-changing circumstances of Afghanistan. Khalil, a scion of the feared Haqqani Network, is not an ordinary man…
[ The Guardian ] Ukraine denies minister’s claims of hijacked Afghanistan evacuation flight
A Ukrainian minister has claimed a passenger jet meant to evacuate people fleeing Afghanistan to Ukraine was hijacked at gunpoint and flown instead to Iran, in an unconfirmed incident that was later denied by his own government. Ukraine’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Yevhen Yenin, said armed hijackers seized the plane at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai international airport,…
[ Middle East Eye ] Algeria severs diplomatic ties with Morocco over ‘hostile manoeuvres’
Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/algeria-morocco-sever-diplomatic-ties Algeria announced on Tuesday that it was officially severing ties with neighbouring Morocco “starting today”, after months of tensions between the two countries. Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday evening. “It has been proven that the (Moroccan) kingdom has not ceased its unfriendly, low and hostile manoeuvres against…
[ Vulcan Post ] Binance CEO worked at McDonald’s, now he’s a crypto billionaire and one of Singapore’s richest
Most recently, Binance founder and CEO Zhao Changpeng (also known as “CZ”) was a new entrant to Forbes’ Singapore’s 50 Richest 2021 list, where he took the 22nd spot. The 45-year-old amassed a net worth of US$1.9 billion (as of 10 August 2021), thanks in part to an estimated 30 per cent stake in his company.…
Become a writer / contributor to DPA
We have just added a form on the home page, as well as on the Editor’s Notes page that will allow anyone to submit their articles to be published on DPA. ( alternatively, you can simply just contact us directly at admin@defensepoliticsasia.com ) Of course, as usual for any website, we will need to vet…
[ The Epoch Times ] New Jersey Military Base to Be Used to House Afghan Evacuees: Pentagon
A military base in New Jersey will house evacuees from Afghanistan as the United States works on flying tens of thousands of Afghans from the Taliban-held country. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, about 39 miles northeast of Philadelphia, is the fourth base that is preparing to or already has accepted evacuees. The other three bases are Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort McCoy…
[ BBC ] Pfizer becomes first Covid vaccine to gain full FDA approva
Pfizer’s two-dose Covid-19 vaccine has received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – the first jab to be licensed in the nation. The vaccine had initially been given emergency use authorisation. Its two jabs, three weeks apart, are now fully approved for those aged 16 and older. In a statement, the…