Sourced : Business Insider China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Thursday, a move that could raise tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarizing the vital waterway. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), part of Washington’s Center for Strategic and International… Continue reading CHINA HAS BUILT NEW MILITARY FACILITIES ON DISPUTED SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLANDS AND CAN DEPLOY “AT ANY TIME”
MEMBERS OF US CONGRESS URGE TILLERSON TO TAKE STRONG STANCE ON TURKISH THREATS AGAINST CYPRIOT EEZ
Sourced : Cyprus Mail By Apostolis Zoupaniotis Thirty-six members of the US House of Representatives encouraged US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to continue the active engagement by the State Department in the Eastern Mediterranean, including against Turkish threats concerning the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In a letter, the Representatives urged Tillerson to maintain… Continue reading MEMBERS OF US CONGRESS URGE TILLERSON TO TAKE STRONG STANCE ON TURKISH THREATS AGAINST CYPRIOT EEZ
AUSTAL WINS NEW AU $779 MILLION U.S NAVY CONTRACT
Sourced : The Australian Shipbuilder Austal has won an AU $779 million (U.S $584m) contract to build a 14th Littoral Combat Ship, of the Independence-class for the US Navy. The West Australian-based company (ASB) said the 127-metre LCS28 will be built at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, employing techniques that would be applied if it… Continue reading AUSTAL WINS NEW AU $779 MILLION U.S NAVY CONTRACT
CHINA’S LATEST 10,000-TONNE TYPE 055 DESTROYER A STEP ABOVE INDIA’S “VISAKHAPATNAM” CLASS VESSEL
Sourced : First Post China’s increasingly powerful navy launched its most advanced domestically produced destroyer taking a giant stride in building complex naval platforms indigenously at a time of rising competition with other naval powers such as the United States, Japan and India. The 10,000-tonne Type 055 warship was set on water at the Jiangnan… Continue reading CHINA’S LATEST 10,000-TONNE TYPE 055 DESTROYER A STEP ABOVE INDIA’S “VISAKHAPATNAM” CLASS VESSEL
NATO SAYS NON-US 2017 DEFENCE SPENDING TO RISE 4.3%
Sourced : Yahoo News European NATO allies and Canada will increase defence spending this year by 4.3 percent, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday, amid pressure from President Donald Trump to spend more. “In 2017 we foresee an even greater annual real increase of 4.3 percent. That is three consecutive years of accelerating defence spending,”… Continue reading NATO SAYS NON-US 2017 DEFENCE SPENDING TO RISE 4.3%
THE TIME HAS COME FOR IRAQI KURDISH TOMAKE ITS CHOICE ON INDEPENDENCE
Sourced : The Washington Post By Masoud Barzani, The president of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. On Sept. 25, the people of Iraqi Kurdistan will decide in a binding referendum if they want independence or to remain part of Iraq. The vote will resolve a conflict as old as the Iraqi state itself between the… Continue reading THE TIME HAS COME FOR IRAQI KURDISH TOMAKE ITS CHOICE ON INDEPENDENCE
HEAD OF TURKISH DEFENCE COMMITTEE : TURKEY, RUSSIA S-400 DEAL NEAR COMPLETION
Sourced : Daily Sabah By Yunus Paksoy Negotiations between Turkey and Russia for the purchase of S-400 missile defense systems are near completion, Parliamentary Defense Committee head Yusuf Beyazıt recently told Daily Sabah, adding that Turkey’s efforts in developing a fully local defense industry for the past 15 years have also been gradually paying off.… Continue reading HEAD OF TURKISH DEFENCE COMMITTEE : TURKEY, RUSSIA S-400 DEAL NEAR COMPLETION
WILL CHINA PROVIDE SANCTUARY TO NORTH KOREAN SUBMARINES?
Sourced : Asian Times By Peter J. Brown As Washington, Seoul and Tokyo fret about North Korea’s repeated firing of ballistic missiles into the skies of Northeast Asia, another part of Pyongyang’s arsenal has gone largely unnoticed because it’s under the ocean: Submarines. Of course, submarines aren’t supposed to be noticed, which is what can… Continue reading WILL CHINA PROVIDE SANCTUARY TO NORTH KOREAN SUBMARINES?
SYRIA’S ASSAD BOARDS RUSSIAN JET VISITS INJURED SOLDIERS AMID U.S MILITARY THREATS
Sourced : Newsweek By Tom O’Connor Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rarely makes public appearances outside Damascus, but he has been seen frequently in recent days, including visiting wounded soldiers and a major Russian-leased military base in Syria, as Moscow defended him against U.S. accusations that he and his armed forces were planning to launch a… Continue reading SYRIA’S ASSAD BOARDS RUSSIAN JET VISITS INJURED SOLDIERS AMID U.S MILITARY THREATS
UAE ENVOY : GULF STATES CONSIDERING NEW QATAR SANCTIONS
Sourced Al Jazeera A Saudi-led bloc is considering fresh sanctions against Qatar that may include asking trading partners to choose between them or Doha, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Russia said. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, envoy Omar Ghobash said the expulsion of Qatar from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was… Continue reading UAE ENVOY : GULF STATES CONSIDERING NEW QATAR SANCTIONS