A Syrian rebel alliance has not pulled any heavy arms from the country’s north, its spokesman said on Sunday, denying reports it had begun implementing a demilitarisation deal there. Russia and Turkey reached a deal earlier this month to create a buffer zone around the opposition stronghold of Idlib that …
Read More »China’s combat aircraft makes debut flight
China’s indigenously-built new multi-role combat aircraft for exports has made its debut flight, state media reported on Saturday. The FTC-2000G, a new multi-role combat aircraft developed for export by the State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), made its debut flight on Friday in the Guizhou province, state-run China Daily …
Read More »The rise of China’s private security firms
China’s relentless drive under its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to build factories, railways, and other infrastructure, even in risky global hotspots, is having an unexpected fallout — the rise of a home-grown private security industry. Private security companies (PSCs) have spiralled in response to a string of security …
Read More »‘China will not be blackmailed’
Foreign Minister asks the U.S. to give up pressure tactics, drop Cold War mindset China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the U.S. to abandon fruitless pressure tactics to resolve the trade row between the two countries. “Regarding trade frictions, China stands for a proper settlement based on rules and …
Read More »Trump orders probe into Kavanaugh
The FBI investigation will be limited in scope and completed in less than one week, says President U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court pick, as the Senate delayed a vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to make way …
Read More »Terrorism is largest threat to peace in S. Asia: Sushma
Pakistan blames India for ‘blocking regional integration’ Terrorism remains the single largest threat to peace and stability in South Asia, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told an informal meeting of her counterparts from the region on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Ms. Swaraj left the meeting after …
Read More »China slams U.S. trade ‘blackmail’
But Foreign Minister says they do not want to challenge America’s pre-eminence China on Friday denounced “blackmail” by President Donald Trump over trade but insisted it had no plan to challenge U.S. pre-eminence, as relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorate. Days after Mr. Trump slapped $200 billion in …
Read More »Swedish Parliament ousts Prime Minister in vote of no-confidence
Sweden’s centre-right Opposition and the far right ousted Prime Minister Stefan Löfven in a vote of no-confidence on Tuesday, as the left and right blocs wrangle over who can form a new government after neither won a majority in September 9 elections. Mr. Löfven’s departure was widely anticipated. The head …
Read More »‘Alternative Nobel’ for 3 Saudi activists
The Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel, was awarded on Monday to three jailed Saudi human rights defenders and two Latin American anti-corruption crusaders. The prize foundation said the 1 million kronor ($113,400) cash award for 2018 would be shared by Abdullah al-Hamid, Mohammad Fahad al-Qahtani and …
Read More »France pulls out of ‘tyre reef’ plan
What seemed a like a crazy idea turned out to be just that: a 1980s experiment that saw 25,000 car tyres dumped into the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean to create a sanctuary for sealife off the French coast is being cleaned up after it was found to be polluting. …
Read More »