China’s land reclamation around reefs in the disputed South China Sea is undermining freedom and stability, and risks provoking tension that could even lead to conflict, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a conference in Jakarta. China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil… [Read More]
Russia says has right to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea
Russia has the right to deploy nuclear arms in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine last year, a Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday, adding he knew of no plans to do so. “I don’t know if there are nuclear weapons there now. I don’t know about any plans, but… [Read More]
Israeli diplomats recalled over tweets seen as critical of Netanyahu
Israel’s ambassador to Switzerland and two other diplomats face possible dismissal for Twitter posts seen as critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The disciplining of the three comes amid heightened Israeli public scrutiny over the impartiality of civil servants before a March 17 election that is widely seen as… [Read More]
Russia calls new sanctions on Crimea ‘collective punishment’
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday new Western sanctions against Ukraine’s Crimea region were a “collective punishment” on residents who voted last March to join Russia, adding it was preparing to retaliate. Both the European Union and United States adopted tighter restrictions on investments in Crimea this week, targeting individuals, Russian Black Sea oil… [Read More]
NSA chief warns Chinese cyber attacks could shut U.S. infrastructure
China and “probably one or two” other countries have the ability to invade and possibly shut down computer systems of U.S. power utilities, aviation networks and financial companies, Admiral Mike Rogers, the director of the U.S. National Security Agency, said on Thursday. Testifying to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on cyber threats, Rogers said… [Read More]
Ukraine: Russian aid convoy is a ‘direct invasion’
Russia sent dozens of aid trucks into rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Friday without Kiev’s approval, saying its patience had worn out with the Ukrainian government’s stalling tactics. Ukraine called the move a “direct invasion.” The unilateral move sharply raised the stakes in eastern Ukraine, for any attack on the convoy could draw the Russian military… [Read More]
Ukraine Tenisons Flare as Poroshenko Touts Strike on APCs
Tensions flared in Ukraine as the government said its army destroyed part of a column of military vehicles that crossed the border from Russia, even as Vladimir Putin denies any military presence in the country. President Petro Poroshenko said Ukrainian forces destroyed part of a column that had arrived from Russia. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow… [Read More]
Russia: EU sanctions weaken anti-terrorism efforts
Russia is lashing out at the latest round of Ukraine-related sanctions imposed by the European Union, saying they endanger the fight against international terrorism. The sanctions, announced on Friday, impose travel bans and asset freezes on 15 people, including the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service and the head of the agency’s department overseeing international… [Read More]
German leader: US spy reports serious, if true
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that if reports that a German intelligence employee spied for the United States are proven true, that would be a “clear contradiction” of trust between the allies. The comments marked Merkel’s first public remarks on the arrest last week of a 31-year-old man suspected of spying for foreign intelligence… [Read More]
CIA, FBI and Now Academi Mercenaries on the Ground in Ukraine
The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday 400 U.S. mercenaries are working with the junta government in Ukraine to suppress opposition to the coup in the eastern part of the country. The newspaper said the for-profit mercenaries are actively participating in the effort to eliminate anti-coup activists in Slavyansk and possibly other areas… [Read More]
North Korea issues its latest nuclear threat
North Korea issued its latest nuclear threat on Saturday, two days after South Korea’s defense minister said Pyongyang was making final preparations to conduct its fourth nuclear test. North Korea has “clarified its resolute stand that it would take countermeasures including nuclear test to protect the sovereignty and dignity of the” country, the North’s official… [Read More]
Ukraine Accord Nears Collapse as Biden Makes Stop in Kiev
An agreement to ease tensions in Ukraine showed signs of crumbling as the U.S. and Russia traded blame as Vice President Joe Biden meets government leaders in the Black Sea country. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday “there will be consequences” if Russia fails to act “over the… [Read More]