China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said on Saturday (Feb 18) that the US handling of the balloon incident had been “unimaginable” as well as a “hysterical and absurd” act that violated international norms. “There are many balloons from many countries in the sky. Do you want to down each andContinue Reading
SYDNEY: India’s foreign minister on Saturday (Feb 18) hit out at “scaremongering” critics who claim the country’s democracy is being corroded, singling out billionaire George Soros – a popular target for right-wing ire. At an event in Sydney, S Jaishankar rejected accusations that multiple raids on the BBC’s India officesContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: US diplomatic communications with China remain open after the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon this month, but contact between the countries’ militaries “unfortunately” remains shut down, the White House said on Friday (Feb 17). White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said it was notContinue Reading
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA. “Attendees made a firm resolution … to make this year a year of great change for the republic’s development path,” North Korea’sContinue Reading
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s military said on Thursday (Feb 16) it had found the remains of a probable crashed weather balloon likely from China on a remote and strategically located island near the Chinese coast, amid a dispute between China and the United States over spy balloons. Taiwan, claimed by China asContinue Reading
One way that Japan could share information with Taiwan could be through its close ally the United States, added Onodera, who said he had visited Taiwan in January, where he was briefed about threats posed to the island by China. Japan on Tuesday said that it suspected Chinese spy balloonsContinue Reading
GENEVA: Human Rights Watch expects the United Nations to follow up on a report which found that China’s detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims may constitute crimes against humanity, its acting executive director said on Monday (Feb 13). Tirana Hassan of Human Rights Watch said that UN High Commissioner forContinue Reading
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