Author: Miritos

The Australian government on Thursday announced a major restructuring of its military to make it more prepared for combat in the region. According to a statement by the Defense Ministry, troops and equipment will be moved to northern Australia while moving from generalist combat brigades to specialist combat brigades. The changes were announced following the recommendations of the Defense Strategic Review, to shift the defense force with a broad range of capabilities to a much more focused force directed at maintaining peace and security in the region. “To achieve this, the Albanese government is announcing key changes to the army’s…

The sky is pitch-black and the hum of insects the only sound in the cloud forest. My guide, Jhon Alva, is leading me on a three-hour walk from the town of Cocachimba to Gocta Waterfalls, one of the tallest free-falling cascades in the world. On the dark trail I have no choice but to trust Alva completely, cautiously taking each step on the steamy ground where I think I heard his last one. Day breaks as we reach a lush valley where sunlight soon pours over the plunging torrents flanked by endless tiers of cliffs. There isn’t another soul in…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as most ASEAN leaders and guest countries skipped any direct reference to the tensions in South China Sea due to Chinese navy’s “water-cannoning” of fishermen of other countries and Beijing’s release of a new map that lays claim to vast portions of this maritime region. Focus on rules-based world order US Vice-President Kamala Harris underscored the need to uphold the rules-based international order in South China Sea, while Australian PM Anthony Albanese said Canberra would continue military exercises near South China Sea with the Philippines However, while speaking at the ASEAN-India summit on Wednesday,…

(Bloomberg) — A public spending boom and generous tax cuts carried out by Argentina’s Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who’s also running for president in the October election, pose new setbacks to the country’s $44 billion program with the International Monetary Fund, according to the Washington-based lender. “The recently adopted policy measures and announcements add to Argentina’s challenges,” IMF chief spokesperson Julie Kozack said at a press conference in Washington Thursday. “The economic situation remains very challenging and complex.” The IMF’s rare public criticism of Argentina underscores growing concerns about the future of the financial assistance program received by the South…

Frankfurt (22/09 – 58.33) Since May 2022, the Tajikistani authorities have stepped up their ongoing crackdown on Pamiris, an ethnic, linguistic and religious minority originating from the Pamir mountains in Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast of Tajikistan. They have arbitrarily detained hundreds of Pamiris, including civil society activists and human rights defenders, and imprisoned over 200 of them after convictions in unfair trials, in a campaign aimed at stripping the local communities of their leadership and dismantling their civil society. The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Pamiri civil society activists, journalists and human rights defenders who have been detained solely…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be arrested in Brazil if he attends the Group of 20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year. Lula, speaking to the Firstpost news show at the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Delhi on Saturday, said Putin would be invited to next year’s event. He added that he himself planned to attend a BRICS bloc of developing nations meeting due in Russia before the Rio meeting. “I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil,” Lula said. “What I can say to you…

The United Arab Emirates has said it is careful not to violate sanctions imposed by its Western allies on Russia over the war in Ukraine, after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report claimed the country was aiding Moscow by providing an outlet for Russian money. A UAE official, however, said the country has a robust process to deal with sanctioned people and companies, and is in close contact with the United States and the European Union about the war’s implications for the global economy. The official, quoted by the outlet, added that Emirati banks monitor compliance with sanctions imposed on Russia to…

Culture Minister Leslie Urteaga highlighted that the monumental archaeological zone of Kuelap has officially reopened to domestic and foreign tourists, noting that visitors, in general, will be able to enter the area free of charge until December 31, 2023, to enjoy the impressive legacy left by the Chachapoyas people. “We are really very happy. This has been a constant effort, both in technical and financial terms. When we took office, we found that some studies had been conducted. I have to thank the International Cooperation, international organizations, and the academy,” she remarked. “Kuelap is a fairly large archaeological zone, but it has…

Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory are being forced to assume Russian citizenship or face retaliation, including possible deportation or detention, a new US report has said. Yale University researchers found that residents of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions were being targeted by a systematic effort to strip them of Ukrainian identity. Ukrainians who do not seek Russian citizenship “are subjected to threats, intimidation, restrictions on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, and possible detention or deportation, all designed to force them to become Russian citizens,” the report said. Russia’s actions were “classic war crimes in the sense that they are restricting…

The clock was ticking in Qatar, and Argentina was on the brink of defeat, but snatched victory from its jaws after… securing a USD 580 million emergency loan from Doha to pay the International Monetary Fund (IMF) one day before a default deadline. The parallels with the country’s World Cup victory are easy to draw, but this time the win was much smaller, merely averting disaster as Economy Minister Sergio Massa continues to walk a fine line between repaying the IMF on time and avoiding an unpopular devaluation in the midst of election season. Mr. Massa reached a preliminary agreement with IMF staff last week to postpone maturities…