A News Aggregator That Covers The World's Major Wars And Conflicts. Military, Political, And Intelligence News Are Also Covered. Occasionally We Will Have Our Own Opinions Or Observations To Make.
The Kremlin expressed "solidarity" on Friday with China's stance on Taiwan after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. leader Joe Biden not to "play with fire" over the self-ruled island.
"Certainly we are in solidarity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and believe that no country in the world should have the right to question this or take any inflammatory or other steps," he added.
"We are convinced that such behavior on the international arena can only cause additional tension."
PLA Army soldiers look through the sights of their rifles as they provide security for the hovering transport helicopter during an inter-Services maritime coordinated training exercise with the PLA Navy at an undisclosed sea area on August 3, 2020. They are assigned to an army aviation brigade under the PLA 73rd Group Army. Photo:China Military
"Preparing for war!" This short social media post by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) 80th Group Army generated over 300,000 thumbs-up in 12 hours on Friday, amid high morale among Chinese soldiers ahead of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the PLA and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Straits.
The post on Sina Weibo had received more than 19,000 comments as of press time, with many netizens commenting excitedly "PLA soldiers, fighting! We support you guys!"
Some veterans said that they are always prepared to return to the PLA whenever the country needs them, and some netizens also expressed their wish for reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits soon.
WNU editor: Chinese leaders have been telling its citizens to "prepare for war" for as long as I can remember. But I sense the tempo has increased this year, especially as the Russia - Ukraine war continues to grind on.
* 'If US fighter jets escort Pelosi's plane into Taiwan, it is invasion' Hu Xijin, a commentator with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times, wrote on Twitter
* 'The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction'
* 'If ineffective, then shoot them down' Hu said
* Pelosi has not confirmed reports she will travel to Taiwan, only saying that she does not comment on her foreign travel plans for 'security reasons'
* The threat is a dramatic escalation in rhetoric as China grows increasingly agitated at the U.S.'s posture with Taiwan
China fired its most direct warning shot yet amid reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may visit Taiwan on Friday, saying that if the speaker's plane is accompanied by U.S. fighter jets, they would not rule out shooting them down.
'If US fighter jets escort Pelosi's plane into Taiwan, it is invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi's plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,' Hu Xijin, a commentator with the Chinese state-affiliated Global Times, wrote on Twitter.
WNU Editor: Hu Xijin is not a Chinese government spokesperson. But his call to shoot down Pelosi's plane if she flies to Taiwan is receiving widespread support in China.
Chinese Commentator On State Media Suggests Shooting Down Pelosi's Plane If She Flies To Taiwan
* US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, an ex-US Marine
* In order to release the Americans, US officials said they offered to hand over Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the 'Merchant of Death'
* Russian officials also reportedly requested for a convicted murderer and Kremlin spy Vadim Krasikov to be included in the prisoner swap
* The request was made by Russia's backchannel spy agency, the FSB, but sources said the US is not considering Krasikov's inclusion in the deal
* Griner was arrested for carrying cannabis oil in February, and Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020, which the U.S. said were false
Russia requested that a convicted murder to be included in a proposed swap with the US that would see 'Merchant of Death' convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout traded for WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American detainee.
Although Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he was not aware of a trade deal until Friday, it was revealed that Russian officials had requested the US help free Kremlin spy Vadim Krasikov in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, a former Marine from Michigan, CNN reported.
WNU Editor: Yesterday Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said he was not going to talk to US Secretary Blinken when Blinken requested a phone conversation. Today he is talking to to US Secretary Blinken. Someone ordered Lavrov to talk Blinken, and there is only one person in the Kremlin who has the authority to do that.
For reasons only known to the Kremlin and the White House, both sides now want the issue of detained Russians and Americans resolved as quickly as possible. Makes one wonder on what do they know that we do not.
BREAKING: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Odesa region to observe the loading of grain as exports resume for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy saw a Turkish ship loaded with grain. https://t.co/rdkJrLnAzX
🚀Ukrainian army fired a HIMARS missile at a POW prison in Elenovka, DPR. 40+ prisoners were killed & 130+ wounded. They literally killed their own people... pic.twitter.com/nRK5Ttn5vS
BREAKING: Ukraine denies shelling a prison in Donetsk holding Ukrainian POWs from Mariupol and accuses Russia of attacking it to hide its abuses there. https://t.co/MO5elYOduP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he’s open to a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss a possible prisoner swap involving American basketball star Brittney Griner. https://t.co/70cBjbqF0f
Finns call for halt to 'unbearable' Russian tourism.
The Nordic country is the only EU neighbour still granting tourist visas to Russians. But many Finns are unhappy about Russians enjoying a Finnish summer while Ukrainians suffer under a brutal invasionhttps://t.co/LaHczIkRuqpic.twitter.com/Tfo9n5EEfw
• Xi Jinping warns Joe Biden against 'playing with fire' over Taiwan • Russia attacks Kyiv area for the first time in weeks • Alaska battles unprecedented wildfires, as extreme weather continues to sweep the US
From the latest in the Ukraine war to a $430 billion drugs and climate change bill in the U.S., here are today's top 5⃣ stories you need to know pic.twitter.com/b8MxVBAiae
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to depart for a tour of Asia today, though whether she'll make a high-stakes stop in Taiwan remains uncertain https://t.co/IUIDcRwloY
Inflation is running at its highest levels ever among the 19 countries using the euro, according to numbers published by Eurostat. Energy prices, which went up almost 40% in July, have contributed to the record hike.https://t.co/B7nCP9Rf50
BREAKING: An inflation gauge that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.8% in June from a year ago, the biggest increase in four decades, and leaving Americans with no relief from surging costs. https://t.co/WQnVCE5ZdB
#UPDATE French leader Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed to work "to ease the effects" of the Ukraine war, Macron's office said Friday, after talks in Paris that marked the full diplomatic rehabilitation of the Saudi leader https://t.co/xJI1eEAfPKpic.twitter.com/nUID1JTFTu
A view shows the reconstruction works on the site of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, France, July 28, 2022. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Pool via REUTERS
Washington said it was seeking a conversation between State Secretary Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
Moscow has acknowledged receiving a call request from Washington on Thursday. A conversation between the two nation’s top diplomats might take place as soon as the busy schedule of Russia’s top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, makes it possible, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lavrov will “pay attention to this request when time permits,” the ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told journalists, referring to Washington’s request for a phone conversation between Lavrov and US State Secretary Antony Blinken.
Medvedev offers Kiev a visual on its worst case scenario
Ukraine is more likely to be reduced to Kiev and its surroundings than to ever re-encompass Crimea and the Donbass republics, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The one-time president and long-time prime minister who now heads the national security council also posted two maps helpfully illustrating his argument.
Afghanistan is again facing risks of mass starvation in coming months as critical relief operations suffer substantial funding shortfalls.
The World Food Program (WFP) says it faces a net funding shortage of $960 million to sustain humanitarian operations over the next six months.
"Funding shortfalls and skyrocketing prices mean WFP has been forced to take hard decisions earlier this year to cut down activities to the bare minimum from June to August, temporarily focusing assistance on 10 million people who face the most urgent and life-threatening needs," Philippe Kropf, the WFP's head of communication in Afghanistan, told VOA.
Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdad's Green Zone parliament on Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Tehran-backed parties.
Most of the protesters were said to be followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The demonstrators were seen singing and waving Iraqi flags, while some walked on tables on the parliament floor, leafed through folders, and sat in lawmakers' chairs.
The incident raised the stakes in the political struggle for Iraq nearly 10 months after federal elections.
LONDON (Reuters) -Russia said on Thursday there was no deal yet with the United States on swapping detained U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner and a former Marine for an imprisoned Russian called by American prosecutors one of the world's most prolific arms dealers.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the United States has made a "substantial offer" to Russia to release American citizens held in Russia. A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed surprise at the public remarks from Blinken.
Russia has cautioned the United States that such discussions are best conducted in private.
"So far, there are no agreements in this area," Peskov told reporters in Moscow. "When discussing such topics, you don't conduct information attacks."
One of the Air Force's top combat jets couldn't perform without the help of Robins Air Force Base.
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — This July marks 50 years since the first flight of an F-15 fighter jet. It is still one of the Air Force's top combat mission planes.
"We've never lost one in combat from any type of enemy fire," says Scott Smith, an F-15 test pilot at Robins Air Force Base.
"No other fighter aircraft has the capacity to carry the number of weapons and the size of weapons that the F-15 can carry," says F-15 Program Director Jesse Warren.
The Hungarian leader said his citizens want Brussels to stay out of the country’s energy policy
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has lambasted an EU plan to reduce gas consumption by 15%. Unless the bloc pushes for peace in Ukraine, he warned that Europe will face an energy crisis, a recession, and political turmoil.
Speaking following a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna on Thursday, Orban said that Hungary determines its own energy policy, and any attempt by Brussels to interfere with this “will not find favor with the Hungarians.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent and counter any US military clash.
He made the remarks during a speech at an event to mark the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, which left the two Koreas technically still at war.
That confrontation with the United States had posed nuclear threats since the 1950-53 war and required the North to achieve an "urgent historical task" of beefing up its self defence, Mr Kim said, according to the official KCNA news agency.
"We were briefed that over 75,000 Russians have either been killed or wounded, which is huge. You've got incredible amounts of investment in their land forces, over 80% of their land forces are bogged down, and they're tired,” @RepSlotkin told CNN. (h/t @MZanona@NatashaBertrand)
* US officials think more than 75,000 Russians were killed or injured in Ukraine, reports said.
* Estimates for Russian troop losses have varied, but this is one of the highest given so far.
* Russia has not released its troop loss figures in months, and is accused of covering up its dead.
US officials said that more than 75,000 Russians have been killed or injured as part of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to multiple reports.
The figure would represent around half the total number of troops Russia sent to Ukraine at the start of its invasion. It is significantly higher than estimates US officials have given in public.
CNN reporter Michael Cohen tweeted on Wednesday that Rep. Elissa Slotkin told CNN she and other House lawmakers had been given the 75,000 figure that day by US officials.
Action is the most powerful language, said the Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday as its spokesperson stressed the sensitivity of the Taiwan question again after China issued six warnings against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan island over the past few days.
The frequency of Chinese warnings and the remarks different departments use fully demonstrate China's determination to take any necessary military measures to counter US provocations and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said.
China often holds military exercises at short notice in response to U.S. naval activities in disputed seas.
China has staged another military exercise off the back of a five-day large-scale drill near the Paracel islands–just as the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked in Singapore after spending over a week in the South China Sea.
The U.S. carrier and its strike group were slated to visit Vietnam this month but the visit has been called off, said two Vietnamese sources with knowledge of the matter who wish to stay anonymous because they’re not authorised to speak to the media.
WNU Editor: Now is not the time to send a US carrier group to Taiwan. Tensions are already incredibly high, and from the Chinese perspective they feel they have no choice but to respond. I can only hope that the Chinese response will not be a reckless one that can quickly escalate into a disaster.
A war between Haitian gangs which has left hundreds dead since it flared up three weeks ago has spread to the centre of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Gang members engaged in a fierce gun battle with each other and with police on Wednesday.
The city's temporary cathedral caught fire amid the fighting.
It is not yet known how many people were killed in this latest battle but UN figures suggest more than 200 died between 8 and 17 July.
Previously, the focal points of the battle between the G9 criminal alliance and a rival alliance calling itself G-Pèp had centred around the impoverished neighbourhood of Cité Soleil. But on Wednesday, video showed police confronting gang members not far from the presidential palace.
* President Joe Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday morning amid rising tensions with Taiwan
* Xi said during the two-hour call, according to Chinese state media: 'Those who play with fire will only get burnt. Hope the U.S. side can see this clearly'
* The call is the fifth time the leaders spoke since Biden took office last year
* Chinese press reports that Taiwan will 'bear the wrath of Beijing' should House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island go forward
China's President Xi Jinping warned Joe Biden 'those who play with fire will get burned' during a two-hour call Thursday morning amid rising tensions over Taiwan, according to Chinese state media.
The fifth call between the world leaders since President Biden took office comes amid simmering tensions and a potential impending visit to Taiwan from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
US gross domestic product shrank 0.9 percent in the second quarter, following a decline of 1.6 percent decline in the first quarter. Two consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP is the classic definition of a recession
* US gross domestic product shrank 0.9% last quarter, the Commerce Department said on Thursday
* It marked two consecutive quarters of GDP decline, the classic and informal definition of a recession
* But White House has insisted that the alarming data doesn't mean the economy is in a recession
* Technically, a recession has to be officially declared by private research group's panel of economists
* 'We are on the right path and we will come through this transition,' Biden said in response to the grim news
* Critics furiously blasted the administration for 'deflecting blame' and trying to 'redefine a recession'
President Joe Biden is facing fierce criticism for refusing to acknowledge that America has entered a recession, after the US economy met the classic definition of a downturn by contracting for the second straight quarter.
The Commerce Department confirmed in a report on Thursday that US gross domestic product shrank 0.9 percent in the second quarter, following a decline of 1.6 percent decline in the first quarter.
WNU Editor: The main battles continue in the Donbas, but Ukrainian forces have launched a number of attacks near Kherson in the south-west part of the country.
Russia-Ukraine updates: British military intelligence says Russian-occupied Kherson was "virtually cut off" as Ukrainian forces stage a counteroffensive helped by newly acquired long-range artillery capability. DW rounds up the latest.https://t.co/nkOiXo16oQ
Ukrainian officials announced an operation to liberate the Russian-occupied Kherson region in the country’s south. Russian forces have launched massive missile strikes on the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, areas that haven’t been targeted in weeks. https://t.co/D8u42N1LJE
Tons of donated arms and equipment from nearly four dozen countries are flowing into Ukraine's fight against Russia through a little-known group of military logistics experts working out of an attic in Germany https://t.co/29LaDNPgLP
Sanctions on Russia are taking a heavy toll on the economy, despite Moscow's assertion that the country is not feeling the pinch, according to a new study from Yale University.https://t.co/ywa1Zb0nyG
Vying for Africa: Russian, French and American leaders are crisscrossing the continent to garner support for their Ukraine war positions. They are waging what some describe as the most intense competition for influence in Africa since the Cold War. https://t.co/9jEgGMKAyP
#UPDATE Moscow confirmed on Thursday that it was in talks with Washington on a possible prisoner swap but said there was no concrete agreement "yet" on a deal that reportedly might include notorious Russian gun runner Viktor Bout (pic, left) https://t.co/tysGjuderCpic.twitter.com/KA4HUtn3BD
• Ukraine says Russia has taken control of Ukraine's second biggest power plant • Firefighters partially contain fires in California, avert expansion toward Yosemite National Park • Kim Jong Un threatens to use nuclear weapons against the US in case of conflict
The U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the second quarter, with consumer spending growing at its slowest pace in two years and business spending declining, which could fan financial market fears that the economy was already in recession https://t.co/EwExd006SB
#UPDATE The US Federal Reserve again raised the benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point in its ongoing battle to tamp down raging price pressures that are squeezing American families https://t.co/qPMjwkutOR
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea, unleashing fiery rhetoric against rivals he says are pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war. https://t.co/3MzdxcbdSS
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on Thursday, defying criticism that the invitation is deeply inappropriate barely four years after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi https://t.co/cd3QDaIJJl
Supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed Iraq's parliament building in protest of a rival bloc's nomination for prime minister on Wednesday evening, deepening a power vacuum and complicating the formation of a new government. pic.twitter.com/Mcz7HheTAp
The Canadian government made clear on Wednesday that Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the country’s church-run residential schools didn’t go far enough, suggesting that reconciliation is still very much a work in progress. https://t.co/pvnFz8eo1lpic.twitter.com/KWZvoCu6bQ
Graph shows the change in date from 1971 to 2022 of Earth Overshoot Day which designates the date when humanity has consumed all natural resources that the Earth can renew in a year
* Earth Overshoot Day comes when demand exceeds the planet's yearly resources
* Humans 'busted Earth's budget' as of Thursday (July 28), earlier than ever before
* For the rest of the year forests are depleted and CO2 builds up in the atmosphere
As of today, humans have already used a year's worth of natural resources in 2022 – a calendar event known as Earth Overshoot Day.
The annual date marks the point at which humanity has used all the biological resources that the Earth can regenerate during that year.
But in 2022 it's earlier than ever before, largely due to a demand for food, land, timber and new urban infrastructure to cater to a growing population.
Demand for these resources outstrips the Earth's biocapacity – its ability to renew those resources – meaning we now effectively have gone into overdraft.
* The US Air Force is sending six F-22 Raptors to support NATO's "air shielding" mission in Poland.
* The F-22s will bolster NATO's eastern flank amid Russian aggression in Ukraine.
* The Air Force says the Raptor is unmatched by "any known or projected" aircraft.
The US Air Force is sending F-22 Raptor fighter jets to Lask, Poland to support NATO's "air shielding" mission and bolster deterrence against potential Russian threats.
The fifth-generation stealth fighter jets of the 90th Fighter Squadron, which just arrived at RAF Lakenheath, England from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, will soon make their way to the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, Poland, according to a statement from US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa.
WNU Editor: This photo-shoot was only done to influence and shape a certain narrative in the West. The people in Ukraine have other things on their minds right now to be bothered to read Vogue.
