LONDON: North Korean missile tests are endangering the safety of commercial shipping in busy sea lanes in northeastern Asia without enough time given for notification, several countries told a UN agency on Wednesday (May 31). Nuclear-armed North Korea’s sixth satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, with the booster andContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: Beijing has declined a US invitation for a meeting in Singapore between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu, the Pentagon said on Monday (May 29). “Overnight, the PRC informed the US that they have declined our early May invitation for Secretary Austin to meet withContinue Reading
China has declined a request by the US for a meeting between their defence chiefs at an annual security forum in Singapore this weekend, media reported on Monday (May 29), a new sign of strain between the powers. “Overnight, the PRC informed the US that they have declined our earlyContinue Reading
But is this changing along with perceptions of China on the global stage, as well as what could be characterised as roiling ties with several countries in the West and beyond? “In the past, it seemed that China was wanting to seek or strengthen favourable relations with other nations,” saidContinue Reading
BRUSSELS: The European Commission repeated calls on Thursday (May 25) for China to play a constructive role in establishing peace in Ukraine, after a top EU diplomat met Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian Affairs and former ambassador to Russia. “The EU expects China, as a permanent member ofContinue Reading
LONDON: North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania have the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index published Wednesday (May 24), which noted a “worsening” situation globally since its last survey five years earlier. The report said an estimated 50 million people were “livingContinue Reading
Representative Mike Gallagher, an influential lawmaker whose select committee on China has pressed the Biden administration to take tougher stances on China, is the only lawmaker so far to call for retaliatory action. The US “must make clear to the PRC (People’s Republic of China) that it will not tolerateContinue Reading
Few places on the moon come with the conditions needed for sustainable human exploration, such as continual sunlight to power vehicles and lunar bases. But while it is always dark at the bottom of the Shackleton crater, parts of its rim are permanently in sunlight. In 2021, NASA and IMContinue Reading
“You’re right, we should have an open hotline. At the Bali conference, that’s what President Xi and I agreed we were going to do and meet on,” he said. “And then, this silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States,”Continue Reading
HIROSHIMA, Japan: India will do “whatever we can” to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged Saturday (May 20) as he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia’s invasion. “I understand your pain and the pain of Ukrainian citizens very well,” Modi said, as the pairContinue Reading