Free Republic

mid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a Chinese newspaper warned on Sunday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could expand the conflict into a "world war." The high tensions between Russia and NATO have seemingly escalated in recent weeks after the military alliance's announcement last month of its largest military exercise in more than 35 years. Dubbed "Steadfast Defender 2024," the operation launched in late January and will run through May. It ultimately will include participation of around 90,000 military personnel from 31 NATO allies and Sweden. NATO officials have said the exercise will test the allies' ability to quickly...

Leon Trotsky, founder of the Red Army and Stalin’s archrival said words to the effect, “You may not be interested in war. But war is interested in you.” In 1940, Trotsky found war personally when he was assassinated in his well-guarded compound in Mexico City by one of Stalin’s people. Mexico for years was a playground for KGB and now FSB personnel, with the American Government essentially ceding Mexico to the foreign adventurism of Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea; a veritable Mos Eisley of international rogues. Currently, the ungoverned spaces of Mexico are the domain for Chinese overseers of...

Last week I wrote about the concerns of a pair of North Korea analysts that something had changed in the tone of the rhetoric emanating from Kim Jong Un. Of course North Korea has a long history of belligerent talk and threats against the US but something about this seemed different and more urgent. Kim said he was giving up on reunification with South Korea. Instead, South Korea would now be considered the North’s top enemy.But it’s more than just empty rhetoric. Sometime over the past few days Kim ordered a monument meant to symbolize hope for reunification torn down.Kim...

Bank of America (BAC) has made headlines by announcing layoffs of approximately 20 bankers in Asia, marking the first major downsizing move in 2024. The decision comes as China and Hong Kong markets continue to underperform, leading to a growing bearish sentiment among smart money players. This move sets the tone for potential shifts in the financial landscape as major institutions respond to market challenges. The economic landscape is painted with shades of concern as the Richmond Fed Survey reveals three consecutive declines. The performance post-lockdowns has experienced a downward trajectory since the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This trend...

TAIPEI, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Taiwan's export orders fell more than expected in their worst performance in six months in December, with the outlook for the island's high-tech products remaining poor due to growing doubts about global economic growth. Export orders last month slipped 16.0% from a year ago to $43.81 billion, the worst showing since July and well below the average analyst forecasts of a 0.25% decline predicted in a Reuters poll. Orders edged up 1.0% year-on-year in November. ... Weak demand for Taiwan's technology products amid global economic uncertainty has prompted the government to forecast that for 2023...

North Korea’s first missile test of 2024, which came on January 15, has renewed fears among Asian and Western military leaders that the Hermit Kingdom may have more advanced missile technologies than previously thought, including hypersonic warheads. Meanwhile, in an alarming parallel development, President Joe Biden has continued to postpone missile defense upgrades for U.S. military bases in the Pacific. South Korean and Japanese military officials reported shortly after the launch earlier this week that the missile flew some 620 miles from Pyongyang before splashing into the sea. After testing five long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in 2023 – the...

Let me suggest 5 major drivers: 1. Meritocratic civil service exams encouraged heavy investment in education. China institutionalised this first, but the system then spread across East Asia. Education became seen as the pathway for social mobility. 2. Education fever has spawned an arms race of intensive parenting. 3. Within China, fertility fell earliest in the more individualist northeast, where there is less onus on lineage. 4. Economic development has spawned cultural liberalisation, weakening pressure to bear multiple sons. 5. Given heavy expectations of parenting and cultural liberalisation, one child is increasingly seen as enough. To understand all these interactions,...

Japanese researchers say their "shocking" systematic review of research papers on COVID-19 vaccines has discovered thousands of side effects "affecting every possible aspect of human pathology." The findings were laid out in a 93-minute press conference in Japan held January 11 by the Vaccine Issues Study Group, a panel of esteemed medical experts. The findings followed six months of investigations into the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. Professor Emeritus Masanori Fukushima of Kyoto University, long a fierce critic of the vaccines, said the breadth of the harms is "unprecedented" for medical treatments. “A systematic review of the literature has unveiled...

China's youth came of age during a time of huge economic growth. But now, a sense of gloom is hanging around them as the country's economy plateaus. China's slower-than-usual economic growth has put pressure on the country's millennials and Generation Z. Reared by a generation of Chinese who made their wealth during nearly four uninterrupted decades of explosive economic growth, they face much lower expectations for economic dynamism and their own prospects going forward. "China's golden years, the two decades or so after our country's reform and opening-up policies, are over. There's nothing I can do about this. I can...

President Joe Biden offered no words of congratulations or support to Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te following his election victory on Saturday, telling reporters simply that America does “not support independence.” Lai, of the anti-communist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), defeated two leftist rivals on Saturday to hand his party an unprecedented third term in power. Lai is currently the vice president of the country and will succeed current DPP President Tsai Ing-wen.

World leaders congratulated Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for a historic third presidential term even as President Biden warned that the U.S. will not endorse independence for the island. "We do not support independence," Biden told reporters when asked for comment on DPP candidate William Lai’s victory over the rival Koumintang (KMT) party following Saturday’s election. Lai, who also goes by his Chinese name, Ching-te, declared victory after a tightly contested election saw him beat KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih, the mayor of New Taipei City. Beijing had not declared a clear preference for any candidate, but Chinese officials framed...

On January 13, 2023, a conflict occurred at an apartment complex opposite the Ghazipur police station in Indiranagar, Uttar Pradesh state, Lucknow, India. Lucknow is in north-central India, not far from the border of Nepal. The conflict was reported to include two groups of young people in a dispute a bit before midnight. Early reports said the dispute was over a parking spot or possibly a complaint of the lack of a security guard. One of the people in the dispute, Sunil Dutt Tripathi, was attacked and suffered injuries. He fired his licensed “Glock” pistol in the air to stop...

Did you see that we just bombed the Houthis? Each new day in 2024 seems to bring some sort of a new escalation, and for now most Americans can ignore all of the fighting because it is all happening on the other side of the globe. But how are they going to feel when the U.S. is actively engaged in multiple wars simultaneously and those wars are directly affecting daily life inside the United States? The time to speak out against the foolish policies of our leaders is before the entire world is engulfed in flames. Once thousands of missiles...

World-leading indie travel news source Travel Off Path has listed Vietnam as the safest country to visit in Asia for 2024. According to Travel Off Path, one of North America's largest travel news websites, safety is a primary concern for Americans traveling abroad, especially amid the current climate where conflicts are breaking out internationally and security is decreasing across a number of destinations. Over the last few years, Asia has been no exception, but Vietnam has proven to be remarkably stable and safe for tourists, said the website. It cited the latest Global Law and Order Index indicating Vietnam is...

What is is about airline disasters turned miracles, and for that matter, tsunamis, happening around this time of year? Japan got both in the last two days, but the latter story appears to be truly miraculous: Take a look at this video and imagine the odds of anyone on it surviving:blockquote> #BREAKING | Japan Airlines aircraft in flames after collision with coast guard plane on Tokyo airport's runway#Japan #JapanAirlines #TokyoAirport #Haneda #TokyoHanedaAirport #Airplane #Airplanecrash #Tokyo #Breaking #Airplane #JapanEarthquake #JapanTsunami pic.twitter.com/Y7uDzUpdio — Neha Bisht (@neha_bisht12) January 2, 2024 All 400 crews and passengers on board have evacuated according to NHK news....

In a dramatic incident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, a Japan Airlines plane caught fire upon landing, with flames visible from the windows and beneath the aircraft. The alarming scene was captured by NHK, showing a runway ablaze. According to Tokyo’s fire department, the fire may have resulted from a collision between the JAL plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft.

TOKYO -- Inflation continues to simmer in many Asian countries largely due to higher prices of rice and other food items. Increases in food prices account for 50% to 70% of inflation in the Philippines and India. Prices of rice, a regional staple, have soared due to poor harvests caused by extreme weather. Prices are unlikely to come down soon, as many rice exporters have grown reluctant to sell it abroad, giving priority to domestic demand. Concerns are mounting about a possible recurrence of the food crisis in the late 2000s. Inflation has begun to show signs of slowing down...

The ongoing scarcity of critical medications has trapped Americans between a rock and a hard place.Active national drug shortages hit a 10-year high this year, leaving many health care providers, pharmacies, and hospitals without enough life-saving and supportive medications, according to data collected by the University of Utah Drug Information Service.A survey by the same university in July found that 99 percent of the 1,123 pharmacists who responded—many of whom work in hospitals—reported shortages. One-third of the pharmacists listed the shortages as "critically impactful," which is defined as being forced to ration medication or delay or even cancel medical treatments.The...

PORTLAND, Maine — Illegal marijuana grows run by Chinese nationals have sprung up all across the state of Maine, and residents say law enforcement isn’t doing enough to stop their spread. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified 270 suspected Chinese illegal marijuana grow operations in the state that could be making an estimated $4.37 billion in revenue, which are often used for more criminal activities or are sent back to China, the DCNF exclusively reported in August.

(CNN) - A furnace explosion at a Chinese-owned nickel factory in Indonesia on Sunday has killed at least 13 workers and injured 38 others, officials say. The incident took place at a factory in the Morowali Industrial Park on the island of Sulawesi. The factory is operated by Chinese steel and nickel giant Tsingshan, which has stakes in Indonesia’s lucrative nickel mining industry and runs operations under its local arm, Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS). Morowali police spokesperson Ipda Hamid told CNN affiliate CNN Indonesia that 13 people had died at the scene, with multiple victims being rushed to nearby...