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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A near miss between Russian and US warplanes over Syria this month was the closest the two air forces have come to a midair mishap in the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Monday. The incident occurred in eastern Syria on October 17, when a Russian jet that was escorting a larger spy plane maneuvered near an American warplane, coming to within half a mile (0.8 kilometer) of the US jet, […]
by Sammy Ketz BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Russia Thursday denied any involvement in deadly air strikes on a Syrian school and rejected a UN-led investigation showing its ally Damascus had carried out chemical attacks, as Moscow’s relations with the West took another hit. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded an immediate probe into Wednesday’s attack on the school in rebel-held Idlib province that he said “may amount to a war crime”. The tensions mounted a day […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP)– The world’s largest marine reserve aimed at protecting the pristine wilderness of Antarctica will be created after agreement was finally reached Friday with Russia dropping its long-held opposition. The deal, sealed by the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) at an annual meeting in Hobart after years of negotiations, will see a massive US and New Zealand-backed marine protected area established in the Ross Sea. It will cover more than 1.55 […]
By Anthony V. Rinna, Analyst on Russian foreign policy, Sino-NK (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — Less than six months into his tenure as President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has embarked on what even he considers to be risky foreign policy moves. In September 2016, he declared that he is about to ‘cross the Rubicon’ in the Philippines’ relationship with the United States. The ‘crossing’ Duterte refers to is his plan to enhance the Philippines’ […]
by Danny KEMP BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU leaders backed down Friday from an explicit threat of sanctions against Russia over the bombing of Aleppo but warned that they would consider “all available options” if atrocities in Syria continue. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi demanded that any mention of possible punitive measures against Moscow over the Syrian carnage should be removed from a statement issued after a summit in Brussels. The climbdown underscored the deep […]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — EU leaders agreed Thursday to consider “all available options” against Syria and its allies including Russia if atrocities in Aleppo continue, president Donald Tusk said, but backed down from threatening sanctions. “The European Union is calling for an end to the atrocities and immediate cessation of hostilities. It considers all available options if these atrocities continue,” Tusk said after a summit in Brussels. © 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) – by Danny KEMP European Union leaders warned Russia at a summit on Thursday that they will consider sanctions over its role in the Syrian conflict if Moscow does not stop “crimes” in the devastated city of Aleppo. As the bloc’s 28 leaders met in Brussels for a crucial discussion on their future strategy to deal with Moscow, EU President Donald Tusk said they should “keep all options open, including sanctions.” French President Francois […]
by Hui Min Neo with Karam al-Masri in Aleppo BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready to prolong a unilateral ceasefire in Aleppo, after tough talks in Berlin where the leaders of Germany and France refused to rule out sanctions against Moscow. Putin said he told the European leaders that Russia was “intending to extend as far as possible” a halt to its air raids in Syria’s second city, […]
by Karam al-Masri with Maya Gebeily in Beirut ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Russia has announced an eight-hour “humanitarian” ceasefire in Aleppo later this week, as the EU warned that the Syrian regime’s Moscow-backed assault on the city could amount to a war crime. The United Nations and European Union welcomed the announcement, but said Thursday’s planned pause in fighting needed to be longer to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, dozens of civilians including […]
MANILA, Philippines | AFP | — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he is open to joint military exercises with China and Russia, and reiterated he will no longer allow war games with the United States. Duterte made the remarks in an interview broadcast Monday with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television ahead of a four-day visit to Beijing, which begins on Tuesday and is aimed at improving ties that soured over competing claims in the resource-rich […]
By Huiyun Feng, Griffith University (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — In September 2016, Russia and China started their routine naval drill, ‘Joint Sea-2016’, off the coast of China’s Guangdong province. This was the fifth joint naval drill between the two nations since 2012, but the first to take place in the South China Sea. The decision to carry out this exercise in the South China Sea was announced after The Hague ruling in July, which […]
MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday he would soon visit China and hoped also to travel to Russia, as he again criticized longtime ally the United States for “arrogance”. The mission to China will be Duterte’s first outside of Southeast Asia since assuming the presidency on June 30, in a symbolic move highlighting the importance he places on improving ties with Beijing that soured over competing claims to the […]
