Mike Pence launches plans for sixth military service
Published: The Guardian
09 Aug 2019
Mike Pence has announced plans for a new, separate US Space Force as a sixth military service by 2020. The US vice-president said the development is needed to ensure America’s dominance in space amid heightened competition and threats from China and Russia. In a speech at the Pentagon in Washington DC, Pence said that while space was once peaceful and uncontested, it is now crowded and adversarial.Click here to read...
Handling of US trade dispute causes rift in Chinese leadership: Sources
Published: The Tribune
09 Aug 2018
A growing trade war with the United States is causing rifts within China’s Communist Party, with some critics saying that an overly nationalistic Chinese stance may have hardened the US position, according to four sources close to the government.
President Xi Jinping still has a firm grip on power, but an unusual surge of criticism about economic policy and how the government has handled the trade war has revealed rare cracks in the ruling Communist Party.Click here to read...
Our govt will build balanced, trustworthy relationship with US, says Imran Khan
Published: Deccan Chronicle
10 Aug 2018
Pakistan's Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan has said his government will build a more "balanced and trustworthy" relationship with the US, asserting that the trust deficit between the two countries has resulted in many ups and downs in the bilateral ties.
Speaking to Acting US Ambassador to Pakistan John F Hoover who called on him at his Banigala residence on Wednesday, the cricketer-turned-politician said there was a need for revitalisation of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the US and transforming the relationship for the benefit of both the countries.Click here to read...
Unrealistic to set timetable for South China Sea code, says Chinese official
Published: Channel NewsAsia
09 Aug 2018
Talks on completing a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea will be long and complex and it would be unrealistic to set a timetable, state media on Thursday cited a senior Chinese diplomat as saying. Southeast Asia and China agreed last week on a working text to continue long drawn-out negotiations over the code of conduct, with officials lauding it as a "milestone" and "great progress".Click here to read...
Hydrographic survey ship of Chinese Navy in Colombo
Published: Daily Mirror
09 Aug 2018
A hydrographic survey ship of the Chinese Navy arrived at the Colombo port on Wednesday on a four-day goodwill visit, the Navy said. The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship Qian Weichang was welcomed by the Sri Lanka navy accordance with naval traditions. The 129m long and 17m wide vessel which has a displacement of 4,900 tons is manned by 158 officers and sailors.Click here to read...
Myanmar snubs Hague court’s intervention in Rohingya crisis
Published: The Indian Express
10 Aug 2018
Myanmar sharply rejected an attempt by the International Criminal Court to consider the country’s culpability for activities that caused 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh for safety last year. The office of the nation’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, said in a statement posted online Thursday that the court in the Netherlands has no jurisdiction over Myanmar because it is not a member state.Click here to read...
SDG on track but challenges aplenty
Published: Kuensel
09 Aug 2018
Financing gap and data limitation is identified as major challenges for the country to meet some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), according to Bhutan’s voluntary national review report on the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The country’s domestic revenue, the report stated finances 64 percent of the total expenditure and official development assistance (ODA) is estimated to decline.Click here to read...
