Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 169

Vietnam builds airstrip on reclaimed island in South China Sea

The latest satellite imagery has revealed a new airstrip taking shape on Barque Canada reef, an artificial island developed by Vietnam in the disputed Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea.Images provided by Earth imaging company Planet Labs and analyzed by Radio Free Asia show a partial runway of about 1,050 meters (3,445 feet) in length in the middle of the reef. Barque Canada reef is one

India and China have struck a deal that could ease border tensions ahead of expected leader meeting

India and China have reached an agreement on military disengagement along their disputed border, New Delhi said, a step toward reducing frictions between the nuclear-armed neighbors that comes ahead of an expected meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of a summit in Russia.India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday said the agreement on military patrolling in

Chinese blockade would be act of war, Taiwan says Story by Reuters

A real Chinese blockade of Taiwan would be an act of war and have far-reaching consequences for international trade, Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday after last week’s drills by China that practiced such a scenario. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past five years staged almost daily military activities around the island,

North Korean troops spotted in Russian border region with Ukraine, says Kyiv

A group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area that borders Ukraine and has seen ongoing military operations, Ukraine’s military intelligence service announced Thursday.In a post on its official Telegram account, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said some North Korean troops, who had received training in Russia’s far east, have made their way to the

Are North Koreans fighting in Ukraine? Here’s what we know

There is growing intelligence that North Korea has been readying itself for a more direct role in Russia’s war in Ukraine, a move that could reverberate far beyond the frontlines of the war raging in Europe. The United States, Ukraine and South Korea say that North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia for training with the aim of being deployed to Ukraine.Russia and North Korea have dismissed

Här är namnen på Kinas nätverk av agenter i Sverige, del 1

Jojje Olsson, redaktør av det svenske nettstedet Kinamedia, skriver: "Kalla fakta i TV4 avslöjade förra veckan ett nätverk av 17 kinesiska agenter i Sverige, men namngav endast en av dem. Avslöjandet kommer efter att flera medier och organisationer tillsammans arbetat med en lista som sommaren 2021 läckte ut på ett forum för hackare.Kinamedia har sedan dess fått tag på listan, och anser att

China’s Nuclear Submarine Bases: A Stocktaking – Analysis

China’s nuclear submarine building programme is running on overdrive.[1] If China maintains its current pace of construction of 4.5 to six nuclear submarines per year for the next couple of decades, the number of nuclear boats in the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) inventory is set to swell substantially.Nuclear submarines are amongst the most complex and maintenance-heavy platforms ever

Scientists discover why the Great Wall of China has remained so well preserved for over 2,000 years

The Great Wall of China, a symbol of ancient civilization, stretches across the northern borders, standing as a testament to over two millennia of history. Despite its grandeur, what remains today is only a fraction of its former self, as time and natural forces have taken their toll on the structure. However, a recent discovery reveals that nature itself might be playing a crucial role in

Putin sends defiant message to the West as he gathers world leaders for BRICS

World leaders descended on the Russian city of Kazan today for a summit of BRICS - a major diplomatic event that Vladimir Putin hopes will be a milestone in his effort to erode the political and economic dominance of his Western foes. The summit running from October 22-24 will be the biggest held in Russia since Putin ordered troops to storm across the border of Ukraine more than two-and-a-half

China holds live-fire drills opposite Taiwan, a week after large-scale exercise

China is holding live-fire drills off the coast of its southern Fujian province facing Taiwan, just a week after a massive air-and-sea drill it described as punishment for Taiwan's president rejecting Beijing's claims of sovereignty. The live-fire drills were being held near the Pingtan islands, according to a notice from the Maritime Safety Administration. It warned ships to avoid the area. It