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[ Task & Purpose ] The US is sending B-52s and AC-130 gunships back in Afghanistan to slow its impending collapse
The U.S. Air Force has committed B-52 bombers and AC-130 gunships to support Afghan forces on the ground, Task & Purpose has confirmed. The Times of London was first to report about those U.S. aircraft being used to conduct airstrikes in Afghanistan. No information was immediately available on how many airstrikes the B-52s and AC-130s have carried…
Exercise Falcon Strike 2015: China J11 34 – 42 Thai Gripen | Full Translated Report
According to a report by Alert5 that is published on 10 December 2019, which somehow gone viral recently after National Interest wrote an article based on the report. So we decided to join in the fun, but report directly based on the “leaked photos” of the after action review presentation in the Alert5 report. We…
[ Business Insider ] Chinese sleeper agents are trying to enter the UK through a scheme designed for Hong Kongers fleeing the city, report says
– Chinese agents are trying to enter the UK with a visa designed to give refuge to Hong Kongers. – Sources told The Times agents try use the visa introduced after China’s new national security law. – It is not clear if any have been successful, and the UK government said it has a strict vetting process.…
The Myanmar military junta had denied responsibility for the alleged assassination plot on Myanmar’s UN Ambassador
According to the report by Reuters on the statement by the Myanmar military-led government on state television MRTV, the junta had denied responsibility for the uncovered assassination attempt on the Myanmar’s United Nations ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, dismissing it as a domestic U.S case. “The event is a domestic case in the United States. Judgment…
[ SCMP ] China sticks with zero Covid-19 approach, leaving borders closed for now
Beijing is set to stick to its zero-tolerance Covid-19 strategy, in a sign that mainland China’s borders will not be opening to Hong Kong or the outside world any time soon. While some experts – including leading epidemiologist Zhang Wenhong, known as “China’s Dr Fauci” – are suggesting the country will need to live with…
[ CNN ] China’s spiraling Delta variant outbreak hits Wuhan, as country introduces mass travel restrictions
China’s spiraling Delta variant outbreak has reached Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, prompting citywide coronavirus testing as authorities scramble to contain the city’s first reported local infections in more than a year. China is grappling with its worst outbreak in months, with more than 300 cases detected in more than two dozen cities across the…
[ The Guardian ] Myanmar duo arrested in New York over plot to kill UN ambassador
Two Myanmar citizens have been arrested in New York state for plotting with an arms dealer in Thailand – who sells weapons to the Burmese military – to kill or injure Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations. The US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York said on Friday that Phyo Hein Htut, 28, and…
[ Noahpinion] Why is China smashing its tech industry?
For those outside China’s byzantine, opaque nexus of party, government, and big business, it’s very difficult to figure out what’s going on. Just who is ordering these actions is not clear, or what the ultimate result of the crackdown will be. That makes it very hard to figure out why it’s happening. Some observers see this as an…
[ SCMP ] Biden administration approves its first arms sale to Taiwan
The potential US$750 million deal includes 40 new M109 self-propelled howitzers and almost 1,700 kits to convert projectiles into more precise GPS-guided munitions The proposed sale would improve Taiwan’s capability to blunt a Chinese land invasion The US State Department notified Congress on Wednesday of a proposal to sell some US$750 million of weapons to…
[ The Vibes ] RM114 mil in seized assets returned to Najib, Umno
Assets totalling RM114 million, seized from Pavilion Residences on May 17, 2018, have been returned to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Umno. This comes after the prosecution decided to not file for an appeal in the forfeiture suit after it was dismissed by high court judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin. Deputy public prosecutor Faten…
[ The Drive ] Russian Nuclear Submarine Broke Down In Danish Waters
The Russian Oscar-II class nuclear guided-missile submarine Orel had an unknown problem with its propulsion system on July 30 while transiting Danish waters in the Baltic Sea near Denmark’s second-largest city Aarhus, prompting the Russian Navy to prepare to tow the submarine before it eventually resumed operation. In a Facebook post, the Danish Navy’s Third Squadron wrote that this particular escort “will…
[ National Interest ] India Proves Critics Wrong on Kashmir
Thursday marks the second anniversary since India’s President Ram Nath Kovind revoked Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 of India’s constitution. In effect, the move ended Kashmir’s autonomy and turned Kashmir into a union territory equal in status to Delhi or the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Diplomats may have condemned the change to the status quo but, as legal specialist Kelly Buchanan noted for the nonpartisan Library of Congress noted,…
[ CNN Philippines ] Duterte admits US vaccine donations persuaded him to cancel VFA termination
https://www.cnn.ph/news/2021/8/3/Duterte-US-vaccine-donations-cancelation-of-VFA-termination.html President Rodrigo Duterte revealed on Monday that COVID-19 vaccine donations from the United States played a role in his decision to recall the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement. “Give and take lang tayo, so pasalamat tayo sa kanila at may naibigay naman ako sa kanila na (we thank them, and I also gave them a) concession,”…
[ The Jerusalem Strategic Tribute ] Can America Regain Global Leadership? A View From Singapore
Can America regain global leadership? The question reflects the shock and dismay with which foreign policy establishments in North America and Europe greeted and viewed Donald Trump’s election as the 45th president of the United States. They came to regard what Trump said and did in office between 2017 and 2021 as a repudiation of…
[ The Guardian ] Taliban on brink of taking key Afghan city as residents told to flee
Taliban fighters appeared to be on the brink of overrunning the key Afghan provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, as officials confirmed all but one district of the city was under the hardline Islamists’ control and residents were ordered to evacuate. Majid Akhund, the deputy chairman of the Helmand provincial council, said the Taliban had taken…
[ Reuters ] U.S., Britain believe Iran attacked Israeli-managed tanker off Oman
“Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack, which killed two innocent people, using one-way explosive UAVs,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, adding there was “no justification” for the attack. “We are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with…
[ Dawn ] Pakistan Cabinet gives the green light to cyber security policy
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Cyber Security Policy 2021 that allows establishment of a national cyber security response framework as the government constituted the Cyber Governance Policy Committee to implement the policy. As per the policy, a cyberattack on any institution of Pakistan will be considered an act of aggression against…
[ Reuters ] Myanmar shadow government condemns army ruler for taking PM role
Members of a shadow government set up by opponents of Myanmar’s coup condemned on Monday the country’s military ruler for taking on the role of prime minister in a caretaker government and said the move was designed to try to win legitimacy. “The transition from a military council to a caretaker government is a reflection…
[ The Irrawaddy ] COVID-19 Rips Through Myanmar Military: Soldiers
The State Administrative Council (SAC), the governing body of the military regime, has imposed a news blackout on COVID-19 deaths in the military, despite widespread infections. The infected junior personnel and their families do not receive treatment at military hospitals until their conditions are serious. Until then they are ordered to isolate in their accommodation,…
Copying the 2014 Thailand coup d’etat, Myanmar military coup leader, Min Aung Hlaing declares himself Prime Minister, reneging on his 1 year election promise
In a dramatic, yet unsurprising, turn of event, the Tatmadaw leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing declared himself the Prime Minister in a speech broadcasted on national tv on Sunday, reneging on his 1 year election promise – extending it by 2 years till August 2023. The State Aministration Council (SAC) will now be replaced…
[ NY Times ] Top Myanmar General Says Military Rule Will Continue Into 2023
Six months after seizing power, the junta’s leader on Sunday extended a state of emergency for two more years. Protesters said they would persevere.
[ CSMonitor ] ‘Coup’ in Tunisia: Why Arab Spring’s last light is dimming
With a single announcement, the last embers of the once-blazing Arab Spring were dimmed by what some are calling a constitutional coup in the Arab world’s lone democracy. On Sunday, Tunisia’s populist president, Kais Saied, seized emergency powers for what he pledged would be a 30-day interim period. He dismissed the prime minister and defense…
[ Frontline ] What Is the Fatemiyoun Brigade and Why Does It Make the Taliban Nervous?
In the new FRONTLINE report Leaving Afghanistan, correspondent Najibullah Quraishi investigated how Afghanistan’s neighbors — particularly Iran, through its proxy militia, the Fatemiyoun — are looking to fill the void as America withdraws. Quraishi spoke to Taliban leaders and former fighters who claimed Iran is mobilizing the Shia Fatemiyoun within Afghanistan. In return, a Sunni Taliban leader…
[ SCMP ] China pledges support for Taliban in Afghanistan, but demands end to ETIM ties
Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells delegation there is no room for links with terror group it blames for Xinjiang attacks Taliban spokesman says meeting in Tianjin covered political, economic and security issues as well as peace process China has pledged support for the Taliban’s role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, while demanding that it cuts ties with the East Turkestan…
Updated Homepage Layout
Around 2-3 weeks ago, we decided to put some of our pretty instagram “quotes” images as part of a good “gateway” to read some of what we think are important news/articles. Today, we decided to swap out our rather messy layout of the news via the categories, into a combined “pinterest” style masonry layout –…