Source: Asia Nikkei By Simon Roughneen Even by his outspoken standards, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s account of a conversation he had with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, was startling. During a meeting between the two leaders in Beijing in May 2017, the subject turned to whether the Philippines would seek to drill for oil in… Continue reading HOW BEIJING IS WINNING CONTROL OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
TURKISH ARMY LAUNCHES QANDIL OPERATION TO DESTROY PKK HQ
Source: Daily Sabah Turkey launched an operation in the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq on Monday to clear PKK terrorists in the area and eradicate the leadership of the terrorist organization. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the operation during his rally in the central Anatolian province of Niğde, saying the main aim was to drain… Continue reading TURKISH ARMY LAUNCHES QANDIL OPERATION TO DESTROY PKK HQ
TURKISH FIGHTER JETS DESTROYED 12 TARGETS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Source: Jerusalem Post The Turkish military destroyed 12 targets in northern Iraq belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in overnight air strikes, it said on Tuesday, as the army steps up operations against militant targets in the Qandil region. The targets, in northern Iraq’s Qandil, Hakurk and Avasin-Basyan regions, included shelters and ammunition depots,… Continue reading TURKISH FIGHTER JETS DESTROYED 12 TARGETS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
TRUMP, KIM LAUNCH HISTORIC SINGAPORE SUMMIT WITH A HANDSHAKE
Source: Jerusalem Post U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands and smiled as they started a historic summit on Tuesday, just months after they traded insults and threats of nuclear war. For both men, the summit, the first between leaders of North Korea and the United States, is likely… Continue reading TRUMP, KIM LAUNCH HISTORIC SINGAPORE SUMMIT WITH A HANDSHAKE
40 ISRAELI FIGHTER JETS, REFULING & TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TRAIN FOR LONG-RANGE MISSIONS IN GREECE
Source: Times of Israel By Judah Ari Gross Forty Israeli planes participated in an aerial exercise in Greece’s skies last week, practicing long-range operations and missions over unfamiliar terrain, the military said Monday. The Israeli Air Force launched the large-scale exercise last Sunday, meant to simulate a war on multiple fronts, including a significant bombing… Continue reading 40 ISRAELI FIGHTER JETS, REFULING & TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TRAIN FOR LONG-RANGE MISSIONS IN GREECE
HAFTAR FORCES SEIZE MOST OF LIBYA’S DERNA FROM EXTREMIST GROUPS
Source: Al Arabiya The Libyan National Army has seized most of the eastern coastal city of Derna from extremist groups who have controlled it for years, a spokesman said, amid fierce fighting since late April. Their progress continued, with troops saying on Saturday that they have mostly cleared the Ambekh area, the largest residential neighborhood… Continue reading HAFTAR FORCES SEIZE MOST OF LIBYA’S DERNA FROM EXTREMIST GROUPS
MECCA SUMMIT CONCLUDES WITH $2.5 BLN IN AID TO SUPPORT JORDAN’S ECONOMY
Source: Al Arabiya The Mecca Summit held by Saudi Arabia with three other nations to discuss support for Jordan’s economy resulted in an aid package totaling $2.5 bln. The summit’s communique said the aid would be represented in the following: 1) Deposit in the Central Bank of Jordan. 2) World Bank Guarantees for Jordan 3)… Continue reading MECCA SUMMIT CONCLUDES WITH $2.5 BLN IN AID TO SUPPORT JORDAN’S ECONOMY
USS HARRY S. TRUMAN FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER EVER TO JOIN BALTOPS DRILL
Source: Naval Today Aircraft from the US Navy’s Carrier Air Wing One (CVW) 1, embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), contributed to Baltic Sea maneuvers as part of the annual multinational exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2018. CVW-1 operations over the Baltic involved overflight of Europe from the Adriatic Sea,… Continue reading USS HARRY S. TRUMAN FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER EVER TO JOIN BALTOPS DRILL
CHINESE MISSILE LAUNCHERS REAPPER ON DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLAND
Source: CNN By Ben Westcott A series of Chinese missile systems have reappeared on a disputed island in the South China Sea, days after satellite imagery appeared to show they had been removed. The initial discovery of their disappearance was made by ImageSat International (ISI) in early June, who provided images showing bare sand where… Continue reading CHINESE MISSILE LAUNCHERS REAPPER ON DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLAND
ERDOGAN: CLOSURE OF MOSQUES IN AUSTRIA MAY LEAD TO “WAR BETWEEN CROSS & CRESCENT”
Source: RT.com Austria’s move to close mosques and expel “foreign-funded” imams has infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, warning of a war “between cross and crescent” and threatening that Ankara will not sit idle. “These measures taken by the Austrian prime minister are, I fear, leading the world towards a war between the cross and… Continue reading ERDOGAN: CLOSURE OF MOSQUES IN AUSTRIA MAY LEAD TO “WAR BETWEEN CROSS & CRESCENT”