Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of news coverage regarding North Korea and the nuclear test they conducted back in September. Citizens in not just the surrounding countries, but in the West as well, are nervous for North Korea’s encroachment on perfecting their nuclear capabilities. Besides the United States, the country that would be most affected… Read more »
The New Zealand contingent in Iraq will eventually switch from training Iraqi troops to training local police, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says. Mr Brownlee is in Paris for a meeting of 13 countries in the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State.
In a cavernous, dimly-lit auditorium in Washington last month, three officials took the stage. They settled themselves into tan, leather armchairs and fielded questions, including this one: Name a global flashpoint you’re looking to with concern? “North Korea,” came the reply from one. “And how the United States and China deal with that situation.” The exchange is worth noting because… Read more »
The president of the Hong Kong legislature on Tuesday delayed the swearing-in of two pro-independence lawmakers and temporarily banned them from attending meetings, an unprecedented move that follows weeks of pressure from factions loyal to Beijing.
After years of hesitation, South Korean defense officials and members of President Park Geun-hye’s ruling Saenuri Party are openly discussing the possibility of pre-emptive strikes on North Korean missile and nuclear facilities. Increasingly, political figures are urging both their own government and the U.S. to go beyond the level of study promised by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and… Read more »
The conflict in the South China Sea is a very pressing issue on the global scale at the moment. It is home to one of the most important shipping routes in the world, and China has been taking over and artificially expanding the islands there for their own military gain. The Hague previously ruled that China has absolutely no right to make… Read more »
Military officials from New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Britain are holding exercises in the South China Sea this month in the latest display of force aimed at telling Beijing to back off on its claims to the disputed territory, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
A 14-year old border conflict between Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, and Australia was revived by The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on Monday. Around 3,000 nautical miles separate Australia and Timor-Leste, an island in the Indonesian archipelago. Between the two countries lie the Timor Sea, home to the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA) that is rich in… Read more »
HONG KONG – Two years after the pro-democracy “Umbrella Revolution” began, Hong Kong is entering uncharted political territory as former protesters prepare to take office, advocating a possible split from China. The first major elections since the 2014 rallies saw rebel politicians win seats this month as fears grow that Beijing is tightening its grip on the city in a… Read more »
Japan and Mongolia have agreed on coordinated action to press North Korea to stop its nuclear and missile programs after the reclusive state held its fifth nuclear test earlier this month despite international condemnation. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Mongolian counterpart, Tsend Munkh-Orgil, also confirmed during a meeting Tuesday their cooperation in addressing the long-stalled issue of Pyongyang’s abductions… Read more »