Russia supplied India with around US$13 billion of arms during the past five years, and New Delhi has orders placed with Moscow for weapons and military equipment exceeding US$10 billion, Russian state news agencies reported late on Sunday (Feb 12). India is the world’s biggest buyer of Russian arms, accountingContinue Reading
MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday (Feb 12) he saw no reason why the Philippines should not have a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Japan if it would boost maritime security and ensure greater protection for Filipino fishermen. Marcos, however, also told reporters he would exercise care inContinue Reading
NATO should hold an emergency meeting to discuss recent findings about September explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late on Saturday (Feb 11). Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1970, said in a blog post on Wednesday, citingContinue Reading
LISBON: Tens of thousands of teachers took to Lisbon’s streets on Saturday (Feb 11) in one of the biggest protests in Portugal in recent years as the Socialist government faces a wave of discontent over the cost of living crisis. “(We) have been badly treated for a long time,” saidContinue Reading
HONG KONG: A Chinese health official has urged local governments to take “bold” steps to lower the cost of having babies and raising children to reduce the burden on families and boost fertility, a state-backed publication reported on Friday (Feb 10). China’s population fell last year for the first timeContinue Reading
HONG KONG: A Chinese health official has urged local governments to take “bold” steps to lower the cost of having babies and raising children to reduce the burden on families and boost fertility, a state-backed publication reported on Friday (Feb 10). China’s population fell last year for the first timeContinue Reading
SYDNEY: The Australian government on Thursday (Feb 9) said it had acknowledged the decision by international prosecutors to suspend their investigation into the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014. MH17 was shot down by a Russian BUK missile system as it flew over eastern UkraineContinue Reading
BEIJING: China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao said talks held on Monday (Feb 6) with Australian counterpart Don Farrell were a key step toward bringing bilateral economic and trade ties back on track, with relations improving after being strained in recent years. The virtual meeting came after Chinese officials relaxed importContinue Reading
SHANGHAI: China said on Saturday (Feb 4) that mutual political trust with Russia has continued to deepen after Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited the country this week and met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. China is willing to work with Russia to implement their strategic partnership and promoteContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: South Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin said after meeting US top diplomat Antony Blinken on Friday (Feb 3) that Seoul and Washington were committed to strengthening “extended deterrence” in relation to North Korea. South Korea has sought assurances over extended deterrence, referring to the ability of the US military toContinue Reading