WASHINGTON, May 1, 2023 (AFP) – Moves to check Beijing’s aggressive expansion into the trade routes and strategic islands of the South China Sea will headline talks Monday between President Joe Biden and his Philippines counterpart Ferdinand Marcos at the White House. Marcos is on a four-day trip that follows last week’s state visit to Washington by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and a White House meeting in January between Biden and Japanese Prime […]
Tag: politics
Chinese ‘scorpion’ combat drone circles Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A long-range Chinese combat drone capable of carrying a large weapons payload has circled Taiwan, the island’s defense ministry said Friday. Democratic Taiwan lives under constant threat of an attack by Beijing, which views the island as part of its territory. Taiwan’s defense ministry said it detected 38 Chinese aircraft, including a TB-001 drone nicknamed the “twin-tailed scorpion”, around the island between 6:00 am (1000 GMT) Thursday and 6:00 am Friday. […]
Guatemala leader vows to stand by ‘solid’ ally Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday pledged support for “solid diplomatic ally” Taiwan during a visit to the self-ruled island that has been slammed by China. The Central American nation is one of the few remaining countries to recognize Taiwan, a list that has shrunk in recent years as Beijing moves to isolate Taipei on the international stage. China considers democratic Taiwan a part of its territory to be taken one […]
Biden, 80, expected to announce second term bid
by Sebastian Smith Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden was expected to announce Tuesday he is running for a second term, plunging at the record age of 80 into a ferocious new White House campaign — and potential rematch against Donald Trump. “Stay tuned,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Monday. The Democrat was expected to release a video message, just as he did exactly four years ago […]
South Korea’s Yoon heads to US ahead of Biden summit
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol flew to Washington Monday for a six-day state visit, as the allies move to bulk up military cooperation over North Korea’s expanding nuclear threats. Pyongyang has conducted another record-breaking string of sanctions-defying launches this year, including test-firing the country’s first solid-fuel ballistic missile this month — a key technical breakthrough for Kim Jong Un’s military. In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to […]
Whispers, hints, and non-denials ahead of supposed Biden 2024 launch
No one at the White House will openly tell you Joe Biden is announcing his 2024 re-election campaign next Tuesday. And no one will tell you he isn’t. Including Joe Biden. Asked by AFP as he crossed a sun-drenched Rose Garden on Friday whether he was announcing, the president playfully answered: “I don’t know.” Welcome to the Biden mystery reveal party. Here’s what we know. Major US media, led by The Washington Post, quoted multiple […]
Philippines raises concerns over Taiwan in talks with China
The Philippines’ top diplomat has expressed his concern to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang over escalating tensions in waters around Taiwan, Manila said on Saturday. Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo met Qin as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties while also managing their dispute in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement after the talks. “Secretary Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’ adherence to the One China Policy, […]
UK to test alert system on millions of phones
The UK will conduct its first test of a new emergency alert service on Sunday, with millions of mobile phones set to emit a loud alarm and vibrate at 3:00pm (1400 GMT). The national system, modelled on similar schemes in Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby but has generated criticism over “nanny state” intrusion. A message will say: “This is […]
Some rebel Russian far-right groups join Ukraine’s side
Paris, France | AFP | Friday 4/21/2023 by Didier Lauras with Anna Malpas in Kyiv Russia’s far-right groups have splintered over the war in Ukraine, with some of them now fighting alongside Kyiv’s forces and organising moves to embarrass the Kremlin. In March, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVK) came out of the woodwork when it claimed responsibility for a violent incursion in Russia’s Bryansk border region. The group represents a “complex mixed threat of cross-border […]
China blasts potential US investment curbs as ‘economic coercion’
Beijing accused the United States Friday of “naked economic coercion and technological bullying”, in response to Washington’s potential new restrictions on US firms’ ability to invest in Chinese entities. The Biden administration is considering a programme to restrict certain US outbound investments involving specific sensitive technology with significant national security implications. Beijing’s ambitions in the tech sector have already been hit by existing measures imposed by Washington and its allies, with Chinese authorities doubling down […]
UK deputy PM resigns over bullying claims
by Phil HAZLEWOOD Dominic Raab announced he was stepping down on Friday as UK deputy prime minister after being faulted in a workplace bullying inquiry, dealing a fresh blow to the beleaguered Conservatives. The resignation presents a headache for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had pledged a fresh start after his predecessors’ turbulent tenures, some two weeks before local elections at which the Tories are expected to lose seats. Sunak is also battling to claw […]
China FM warns of ‘dangerous consequences’ of Taiwan criticism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pryM_ffgT2I Criticising China over Taiwan will have dangerous consequences, Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Friday, as he insisted Beijing is a “growing force for peace and justice”. Two weeks ago, China launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan — simulating targeted strikes and a blockade of the island — in response to a meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “Recently, there has been some absurd rhetoric accusing China… […]





