Opinion Archives - Page 10 of 45

Potential targets of a cyberattack supported by China include Trump and Vance.

27Oct

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Potential targets of a cyberattack supported by China include Trump and Vance.

US authorities say cybercriminals linked to China may have attempted to tap into the phones or networks used by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, a number of sources familiar with the matter confirmed to the BBC's US news partner, CBS News. The sources said the Trump-Vance campaign had been alerted to the fact that phones used by Trump and Vance may have been among the targets of a broader cyber attack. People affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign were also targeted, a person familiar told BBC News. It is unclear how much information, if any, may have been compromised. The Department of Justice and the FBI declined to comment on whether candidates were targeted. A joint statement from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructu...

Beneath Iran’s Tactical Victories, a Longer-Term Concern

27Oct

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Beneath Iran’s Tactical Victories, a Longer-Term Concern

When Israeli fighter jets roared off the runways on Friday night, on a thousand-mile run to Iran, they headed for two major sets of targets: the air defenses that protect Tehran, including Iran’s leadership, and the giant fuel mixers that make propellant for Iran’s missile fleet. Israel’s military leaders, in calls with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and other senior American officials, had concluded that taking out the air defenses would make Iran’s leaders fearful that Tehran itself could not be defended. That feeling of vulnerability was already high, after Israel decimated the leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah, Tehran’s proxy forces that could strike Israel, over the past month. The surprise element for the Iranians was a set of strikes that hit a dozen or

Biden Aids in the Battle Against Middle East Wars Ahead of the U.S. Election

26Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Biden Aids in the Battle Against Middle East Wars Ahead of the U.S. Election

It is not where the Biden administration wants to be less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election. Israeli attacks with American-made bombs continue to wipe out Palestinian families in Gaza. The war in Lebanon is expanding. And Israel and Iran’s exchanges of direct attacks could escalate, following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military sites early Saturday. With many progressive voters and Arab and Muslim Americans in battleground states furious at President Biden for his unwavering support of Israel’s offensives since the devastating Hamas assault last year, U.S. officials had been desperate for some way to prod the Middle East toward stability. Then came Israel’s Oct. 16 killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, which Biden officials saw as a fresh o

According to the PM, Russia jeopardizes Ukraine’s global food security.

25Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

According to the PM, Russia jeopardizes Ukraine’s global food security.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Russia is stepping up attacks on Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – delaying the export of agricultural produce, including aid intended for Palestinians caught up in the conflict with Israel. During several days of strikes in early October, Russian weapons hit at least four cargo ships, including one reportedly carrying 6,000 tonnes of corn. Sir Keir said that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was willing “to gamble on global food security in his attempts to force Ukraine into submission”. The prime minister's remarks came as he travels to the Pacific Island of Samoa for a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government. During several days of strikes, Russian missile strikes on the Odesa region hit a Panamanian-registered ship

Mauritius is embroiled in a phone-tapping controversy before to the general election on November 10.

25Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Mauritius is embroiled in a phone-tapping controversy before to the general election on November 10.

A wire-tapping scandal has erupted in Mauritius, just weeks ahead of the country’s elections. Reports indicate that phone conversations of politicians, journalists, civil society members, and even foreign diplomats have been recorded and leaked online. Among those wiretapped were five prominent journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has called for an independent investigation to determine those responsible. “Eavesdropping on journalists’ telephone conversations and exposing them on social media constitutes a serious threat to their safety and the protection of their sources,” it said in a statement on Thursday. “As Mauritius is heading into legislative elections, RSF is concerned about these leaks, which point to a system of widespread wiretapping that d

The LDP is predicted to lose support as Japan PM Ishiba’s defense reforms confront an electoral obstacle.

25Oct

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The LDP is predicted to lose support as Japan PM Ishiba’s defense reforms confront an electoral obstacle.

New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces major obstacles in pushing his ambitious defence agenda as polling suggests his party will lose ground in Sunday’s general election, forcing it to lean more heavily on its pacifist coalition partner. Analysts say Japanese voters are more focused on domestic issues such as rising living costs than foreign policy or defence, which will also make it difficult for Ishiba to prioritise his controversial security reforms that include a proposal for an “Asian version of Nato”. Polling ahead of the October 27 election indicates the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may lose its majority in the lower house, which means it is likely it will have to rely on its coalition partner, Komeito, to remain in power. The LDP, which has held s

Reuven Azar, Israel’s ambassador, says he is “encouraged by support for” India’s political and economic position in West Asia.

23Oct

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Reuven Azar, Israel’s ambassador, says he is “encouraged by support for” India’s political and economic position in West Asia.

Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has praised India for its economic and political role in West Asia and highlighted that Israel was “encouraged” by India's support for its self-defence. Speaking with news agency ANI, Reuven Azar said, “We have good relations with India. We were encouraged by the fact that India has supported our right for self-defence. I think that India has a huge role to play in West Asia because of what they have to offer and what they bring to the table, both economically and also politically.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to condemn Hamas' October 7 2023 attack on Israel, and called for a ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. India has also repeatedly pushed for the ‘two-state so

How Republican-affiliated advertisements inflame relations with Israel to undercut Harris Kamala

23Oct

By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

How Republican-affiliated advertisements inflame relations with Israel to undercut Harris Kamala

Those contradictory messages have aired in the weeks leading up to a close presidential election in the United States. And both were produced and paid for by the same group: a shadowy Republican-linked political action committee (PAC) bankrolled by an organisation that has hosted events with Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. But the advertisements targeted two separate sets of voters. The first, touting Harris’s pro-Israel bona fides, went out in areas of Michigan with a large Arab American presence, according to Google data. The second, warning of her supposed pro-Palestine bent, targeted towns with large Jewish communities in Pennsylvania. Experts say the messaging blitz is designed to stoke divisions over Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon — and pla

China and India decide to reduce border tensions.

22Oct

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

China and India decide to reduce border tensions.

India and China have agreed on patrolling arrangements to de-escalate tensions along a disputed Himalayan border which has seen deadly hand-to-hand clashes in recent years, India’s top diplomat has said. Vikram Misri said on Monday the two sides have agreed on “disengagement and resolution of issues in these [border] areas that had arisen in 2020”. He was referring to the Galwan Valley clashes - the first fatal confrontation between the two sides since 1975, in which both sides suffered casualties. Relations between the neighbours have been strained since then. “An agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in t

The youngest son of Singapore’s founder, Lee Hsien Yang, is seeking refuge in the United Kingdom.

22Oct

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

The youngest son of Singapore’s founder, Lee Hsien Yang, is seeking refuge in the United Kingdom.

The youngest son of Singapore‘s late founding father has declared that he is now a political refugee in the United Kingdom, marking the latest development in the high-profile feud within the city-state’s most prominent family. Lee Hsien Yang said on Tuesday that the UK government granted him asylum from what he described as “persecution” at home. Lee and his sister Lee Wei Ling, who died on October 9, have for years been estranged from influential elder brother Lee Hsien Loong, who was prime minister for two decades until May this year. The rift centred around disagreements over the fate of their father’s home following his death in 2015. The frayed relationship has played out publicly, with the younger Lee, 67, aligning himself with an opposition party during the 2020 election a