DUBAI, April 28 (Reuters) – Iran is ready to share its defensive weapons capabilities with “independent countries, especially members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)”, Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik said on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran fought a war with the United States and Israel from late February to early April, during…
Editor’s note: Moses Becker is a special political commentator for News.Az. He holds a PhD in political science and specializes in interethnic and interreligious relations. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the position of News.Az. The principle of an empire is continuous expansion and the widening…
Politburo member Wang Yi has become the most senior Chinese official to wade into the war of words over the new Japanese prime minister’s comments on the Taiwan Strait, saying her remarks “crossed a red line”. Wang, who is China’s foreign minister, said China must “resolutely respond” to the comments to safeguard the country’s sovereignty…
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that more than 1,400 people from 36 African nations are known to be fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, urging governments to warn their citizens against joining a conflict where they are “quickly killed”. Speaking on Friday, Sybiha accused Moscow of enticing Africans into joining the…
United States President Donald Trump will host the heads of five Central Asian countries – Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – in an annual summit in Washington, DC, on Thursday. The group, founded in 2015, is known as C5+1, which refers to the five Central Asian countries and the US. According to the US…
China’s recent high-profile diplomatic activity, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and the Victory Day parade in Beijing in the same week, conveyed more than international headlines suggested. Although much of the media spotlight focused on the optics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and North Korean leader…
A Coleman Wong-powered Hong Kong pulled off a stunning Davis Cup upset on Sunday, downing fifth seeds Uzbekistan 3-1 at Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. The city’s top player finished what he had started the day before, brushing aside Khumoyun Sultanov 6-2, 6-2 to win the tie with a match to spare. It was the 21-year-old’s…
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping walked down a red carpet on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in early September flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at a heavily choreographed military parade, another story about China’s expanded influence was unfolding on the sidelines. While Xi sent messages of resolve aimed at the…
A slew of foreign leaders took China’s signature high-speed railway from the northern port city of Tianjin to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, having departed from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to attend a Victory Day parade. Seven state leaders arrived on Monday night: President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz…
Hong Kong’s triathletes put in a “heroic effort” on Saturday to secure the best finish ever by the men at an Asia Championships, and “fired warning shots” at their mainland rivals ahead of the National Games. Oscar Coggins, the Tokyo Olympian, finished fourth in Istanbul, with Robin Elg one place behind. Mainland China’s Zhang Xiriu,…