Author: Tyler Potter

Daniel Andrews, premier of the Australian state of Victoria, is set to travel to China this week on a trade mission, Australian media ABC reported over the weekend. Andrews’ visit comes at a sensitive time as the warming-up of bilateral economic ties has encountered a new challenge – Australia’s involvement in the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. Chinese analysts believe that with the AUKUS deal, American politicians are attempting to handcuff Australia onto a US agenda to form an underwater military encirclement against China, although such “strategic coordination” only serves the geopolitical interest of the US and plants a “time bomb”…

Obviously, there is a global merging of confrontations in Europe and Asia, and this is a very dangerous trend. While Xi Jinping was received with great pomp and ceremony in Moscow last week, Fumio Kishida was in Kiev, 800 kilometers away. The fact that the Chinese leader and the Japanese prime minister made simultaneous and competing visits to the capitals of Russia and Ukraine highlights the global significance of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Japan and China are bitter rivals in East Asia. Both countries understand that their fight will be affected by the outcome of the conflict in Europe, writes Financial Times columnist Gideon Rahman in his…

South Korean law prohibits the export of weapons to countries in active conflict. With this, Seoul found it difficult to deliver weapons directly to Kyiv. South Korea is quiet favorite of gun buyers around the world. And this was achieved during the country’s decades of efforts to protect itself from North Korea. The threat that never goes away forces Seoul to build a domestic arms industry. And in the end, this sector achieves economies of scale obtained from large export sales. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), there has been a drastic increase in South Korea’s ranking…

President Joe Biden called for peaceful protests ahead of the release of footage of a Memphis traffic stop that led to the death of a 29-year-old Black driver, Tyre Nichols. And FBI Director Chris Ray said he was “appalled” after viewing video of the police stop that led to Nichols’ death. Elsewhere in the political world, the RNC is electing a new chair as the party wrestles with its political future. And video of Paul Pelosi’s October attack was released. Here’s the day’s political news: President Joe Biden tries to comfort parents of Tyre Nichols, a Black motorist who died…

A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing “a clip” at a target, and “aim for the head.” In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.” Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling. Minihan…

A security officer is seen at the headquarters of Bank of Japan in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoReuters A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. Judging by Wednesday’s reaction, world markets reckon Japan will eventually abandon its ultra-loose monetary policy despite a stubborn doubling down this week – and overseas ructions may be less than feared. After weeks of speculation, the Bank of Japan left its rock-bottom interest rates unchanged on Wednesday and kept its government bond yield cap at 0.5%, defying expectations it would phase out the stimulus programme as…

Top Pentagon officials on Friday appeared steadfast in the face of concerns about potential deep cuts to U.S. military support for Ukraine following reports that Rep. Kevin McCarthy is considering dramatic concessions to far-right members of Congress to secure the House speakership. Laura Cooper, the top Defense Department official for Russia and Ukraine, who has helped manage tens of billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid over the 10 months since Moscow’s invasion, was adamant Friday when asked about the effect of not having a speaker of the House in place – a standoff that prevents the legislature from conducting…

(CNN) The evolution of Rudy Giuliani is an epic tale. A celebrated crime fighter who brought down mafia bosses and put Wall Street crooks behind bars, he traded on trust and integrity to prove Republicans could still get elected as mayors of big cities. His empathy and leadership on 9/11 in New York City made him a global figure and a bona fide hero. How that man, who used to get standing ovations whenever he entered a room, morphed into former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theory lackey peddling lies about the 2020 election is the subject of the new CNN Original Series, “Giuliani:…

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The new Nevada governor’s chief of staff said on Friday that the administration plans an “unprecedented investment” in K-12 education — but did not provide details on what that would entail. In a 15-minute roundtable, Ben Kieckhefer, chief of staff for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, also vowed that the administration would pursue “school choice in all its forms” — a main campaign theme that Lombardo plans to elaborate on later this month. Kieckhefer also floated the prospect of pay raises for state employees and said Lombardo, elected in November, will still pursue his core campaign…

Much of the United States is being engulfed with bitter cold and snow this holiday season. Forecasters say the conditions are threatening the busy travel period, and major delays could be expected in the coming days. In a sign of what’s to come, snow in Seattle forced the cancellation of roughly 200 flights at SeaTac airport on Tuesday. Earlier this month, AAA expected some 7 million Americans to fly over the holidays, and airports say they’ll do everything they can to stay open. Source: SKY News