WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Pentagon’s top general said Wednesday that China’s recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union’s stunning launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers’ space race. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile that would be very difficult to defend against. “What we saw was […]
Tag: military
Myanmar activist arrested in junta raid: wife
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — An activist who rose to prominence during Myanmar’s 1988 student uprising has been arrested in an overnight raid, his wife said Sunday, in the latest blow to the anti-junta movement as the military cracks down on dissent. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup, triggering nationwide protests that have seen more than 1,100 people killed by security forces, according […]
Myanmar junta re-arrests more than 100 released in amnesty: monitoring group
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta has re-arrested more than 100 anti-coup protesters freed in a recent amnesty, according to a local monitoring group that tracks detentions and killings in the country. The Southeast Asian nation has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,100 killed in a crackdown on dissent and over 8,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). On Monday, the military announced it would free […]
Biden leads outpouring of tributes for former US secretary of state Colin Powell
by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Colin Powell, a US war hero and the first Black secretary of state who saw his trailblazing legacy tarnished when he made the case for war in Iraq in 2003, died Monday from complications from Covid-19. The 84-year-old retired four-star general was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement, making him one of the most high-profile US public figures to die of […]
Myanmar to free more than 5,000 protesters after ASEAN snub
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta chief Monday announced the release of more than 5,000 people jailed for protesting against a February coup, days after a regional bloc delivered a major snub to the military regime. There has been chaos in Myanmar since the coup, with more than 1,100 civilians killed in a bloody crackdown on dissent and more than 8,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group. More than 7,300 are currently behind […]
UN alarmed by Myanmar military moves
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The United Nations voiced alarm Friday at Myanmar’s military junta deploying heavy weapons and troops to particular townships, fearing for the civilian population. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the deployment of two high-ranking commanders represented a worrying escalation in the situation. “Alarming reports indicate that there has been substantial deployment of heavy weapons and troops by the Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, over the past few […]
Tsai warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if Taiwan falls
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the island were to fall to China and vowed to “do whatever it takes” to guard against threats in an article published on Tuesday. Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the self-ruled democratic island as its territory to be re-taken one day, by force if necessary. President Xi Jinping has described the seizure of Taiwan as […]
Six dead as Thai military battles rebels in restive south
NARATHIWAT, Thailand (AFP) — Six days of gun battles between soldiers and militants in Thailand’s restive south have left six people dead, the military said Monday, as troops hunt insurgents hiding in a swampy forest. Thailand’s three southernmost provinces have been in the grip of a 17-year conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, the majority civilians, as militants in the Muslim-majority region fight for more autonomy from the Thai state. The pandemic had […]
‘Severe crisis’ as number of people needing aid in Myanmar triples: UN
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Myanmar is facing a “severe crisis” with the number of people needing aid tripling to three million in the eight months since the military launched a coup, the UN humanitarian coordinator to the country said Thursday. Andrew Kirkwood described the situation as “very concerning.” “The people of Myanmar are really living in a severe crisis at the moment,” he said in a virtual meeting with reporters. “The United Nations […]
Drones and jets: China shows off new air power
ZHUHAI, China (AFP) — China on Tuesday showed off its increasingly sophisticated air power including surveillance drones and jets able to jam hostile electronic equipment, with an eye on disputed territories from Taiwan to the South China Sea and rivalry with the United States. The country’s biggest airshow, in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, comes as Beijing pushes to meet a 2035 deadline to retool its military for modern warfare. China still lags the […]
North Korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: South’s military
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Nuclear-armed North Korea fired an ‘unidentified projectile’ into the sea off its east coast, the South’s military said Tuesday. No further details were immediately available from the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The launch comes just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s influential sister Kim Yo Jong, a key adviser to her brother, dangled the prospect of an inter-Korean summit. But she insisted that “impartiality” and mutual respect […]
UK warship makes rare transit through Taiwan Strait
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — The Royal Navy said a British warship was sailing through the Taiwan Strait on Monday, a rare voyage by a non-US military vessel through the sensitive waterway that is likely to strain ties with Beijing. “After a busy period working with partners and allies in the East China Sea, we are now en route through the Taiwan Strait to visit Vietnam and the Vietnam People’s Navy,” tweeted HMS Richmond, a frigate […]
