Beijing (AFP) Oct 17, 2015
Beijing sought to soothe tensions over its South China Sea claims Saturday, saying it will avoid the use of force in the region as the US ponders sending warships close to territory claimed by the Asian giant. Speaking at the Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, Fan Changlong, vice-chair of China's Central Military Commission, pledged that the country would "never recklessly resort t
Beijing sought to soothe tensions over its South China Sea claims Saturday, saying it will avoid the use of force in the region as the US ponders sending warships close to territory claimed by the Asian giant. Speaking at the Xiangshan regional defence forum in Beijing, Fan Changlong, vice-chair of China's Central Military Commission, pledged that the country would "never recklessly resort t
China gathered defence officials and experts from across the Asia-Pacific in Beijing Friday for a three-day security forum intended to boost the Asian giant's influence on the global stage. The Xiangshan, or Fragrant Hills, conference comes as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing, the region's two largest economic and military powers, over the latter's construction of artificial isla
US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart stressed their readiness to "engage" nuclear-armed North Korea Friday, albeit with conditions. Hailing the Washington-Seoul alliance as the "lynchpin" of security on the Korean Peninsula, Obama welcomed Park Geun-Hye to the White House and said his nuclear deal with Iran carried lessons for Northeast Asia. If Pyongyang is willin
Officials from NATO and the Czech Republic signed a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to improve cooperation and assistance on cyberdefense. The document was signed by NATO Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Sorin Ducaru, and Czech Director of National Security Dušan Navrátil. The document is a follow up to the Enhanced NATO Policy on Cyber Defense in 2014. The Czech Republic is the first
Navies from the U.S., India, and Japan will participate in naval military exercise Malabar 2015 beginning on Wednesday. Malabar is a complex military exercise that has traditionally been held by the U.S. and India with Japanese forces sitting in as observers. Japan will now be a permanent participant as the country embraces more activist military policies, according to Defense News. The
Iran said on Saturday that its recent test launch of a long-range missile does not violate UN Security Council resolutions as claimed by the United States and France. "Our missile tests have nothing to do with Resolution 2231, which only mentions missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a news conference. Speaking in Tehran alongsid
The EU will announce Sunday the formal end to damaging economic sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme which the West feared would give Tehran the atomic bomb, Western diplomatic sources said. They said the decision will take effect around the end of the year after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certifies that Iran has met its commitments under a landmark July ac
Iranian state television broadcast unprecedented footage Wednesday of a deep underground tunnel packed with missiles and launcher units, which officials said could be used if "enemies make a mistake". The pictures were released just three days after Iran tested a new long-range missile that the United States said may have breached a UN Security Council resolution. The footage also came a
The UN atomic watchdog said Thursday it has completed on schedule gathering information in its probe into Iran's alleged past efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that, in line with a plan agreed with Iran in July, its chief Yukiya Amano will now provide a "final assessment" on the investigation by December 15. The IAEA keeps close tabs on Iran'
The nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers is "an opening for further diplomatic endeavours" to resolve the conflicts in the Middle East, the German foreign minister said in Tehran Saturday. "This region needs more diplomacy, not less" said Frank-Walter Steinmeier, pointing to the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, according to the text of a speech he delivered. "We need and w
Cathay Pacific said Wednesday it had suspended flights over Iran and the Caspian Sea after an aviation safety body issued a warning about Russian missiles being fired at Syria, while some European airlines have also taken measures. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) took action to avoid a repeat of the tragedy involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over war-torn
The imminent deployment of 300 US soldiers in Cameroon is intended to provide nations around Lake Chad with what they most lack in the battle against Boko Haram: reliable intelligence. On Thursday and Friday, suicide bombers from the Islamist sect slew dozens of people in attacks on Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, where the radical movement first emerged. The insurgency has claimed at least
Iraqi forces defused booby traps and hunted down holdout jihadists in the strategic Baiji area Friday as part of their biggest advance against the Islamic State group in months. Baiji lies at a crossroads between several frontlines, and control of the area is seen as the key to progress in other regions, including Anbar province where forces were also closing in on IS strongholds. The ar
The United States' decision to extend its military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016 has thrown the war-ravaged country's government a much needed lifeline even as its dysfunctionality, blamed for the Taliban's revival, shows no signs of abating. It has been just over a year since Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as president as part of a US-brokered unity government with his main election rival,
A Saudi-led coalition air strike "mistakenly" hit a position held by pro-government forces in southern Yemen Saturday, causing casualties, officials, medics and witnesses said. At least 30 were killed and 40 others were wounded in the strike on Waziya, an area between Taez and Lahj provinces where rival forces have been fighting since late September, the medics and witnesses said. But Ab
