Taiwan military equipment

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will extend compulsory military service to one year from four months starting in 2024 due to the rising threat the democratically governed island faces from its giant neighbor China , President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday. The move, which had been well-flagged ahead of time, comes as China ramps up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims, including almost daily Chinese air force missions near the island over the past three years. Tsai, speaking after a national security council meeting of senior security officials, said Taiwan wanted peace but needed to be able to defend itself. “As long as Taiwan is strong enough, it will be the home of democracy and freedom all over the world, and it will not become a battlefield,” Tsai told a news conference announcing the decision, which she described as “incredibly difficult.” The current military system, including training reservists, is inefficient and … [Read more...] about Taiwan to extend military conscription to one year, citing threat from China

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday signed off on a two-year extension of a program that protects Hong Kong residents in the U.S. from deportation, renewing the protection until January 2025. Biden first authorized the program, the Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Citizens, in August 2021 for 18 months. It was set to expire on Feb. 5. The decision to provide a temporary safe haven was in response to Hong Kong's sweeping national security law and other measures that undercut the rights promised when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. “With this action, we are demonstrating again President Biden’s strong support for the people of Hong Kong in the face of increasing repression by the (People's Republic of China)," the White House National Security Council said in a statement. "We continue to strongly oppose the PRC’s use of its National Security Law to deny the people of Hong Kong their human rights and fundamental freedoms, … [Read more...] about Biden extends deportation protection for Hong Kong residents

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 TOKYO (AP) — A senior EU official said Friday that Russia has taken its war against Ukraine to a “a different stage” by making indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets, while criticizing Moscow for triggering recent moves by Germany and the United States to send advanced tanks to Ukraine. Stefano Sannino, Secretary General of the European Union’s European External Action Service, defended German and U.S. provisions of the military equipment to Ukraine, and criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for waging a war on NATO and the West. Sannino, speaking at a news conference in Tokyo as part of an Asia-Pacific tour, said Putin had “moved from a concept of special operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West.” He said German and U.S. tank provisions are meant to help Ukrainians defend themselves in the war, rather than making … [Read more...] about EU official: Russia shifts war focus to ‘NATO and the West’

In a stunning statement contradicting her own government and the official line from NATO, Germany’s Foreign Minister declared that her country and Europe as a whole is in a “war against Russia” in Ukraine. Speaking before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Annalena Baerbock of the German Green Party and a top member of the traffic light coalition government of Olaf Scholz, publicly contradicted the head of her government by saying that they are at war with Russia. “I’ve said already in the last days – yes, we have to do more to defend Ukraine. Yes, we have to do more also on tanks,” Baerbock said. “But the most important and the crucial part is that we do it together and that we do not do the blame game in Europe, because we are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.” "We are fighting a war against Russia." – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaking on Tuesday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council … [Read more...] about German Foreign Minister Declares ‘We Are Fighting a War Against Russia’

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Japan unveiled plans Wednesday to strengthen their alliance to help counter threats from North Korea and China , which they called the greatest security challenge in the region. In unusually blunt terms, the U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers condemned China’s increasing aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere, called out Russia for its war with Ukraine and castigated North Korea for ramping up its nuclear and missile programs. In a joint statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Yasukazu Hamada, said China presents an “unprecedented” threat to international order and vowed to redouble their efforts to counter it. “China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order to its benefit and to employ China’s growing political, economic, military, and technological power to that end,” the statement said. “This behavior is of … [Read more...] about U.S. and Japan agree to strengthen alliance, citing China and North Korea

Click here to read the full article. Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 28th edition of Rendez-Vous With French Cinema , an annual celebration of contemporary French filmmaking. The event will take place March 2–12. It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.” More from Variety Virginie Efira Claims Unifrance French Cinema Award At France's Ministry of Culture Comedies, Family Fare Dominated International Box Office for French Movies in 2022 Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris Sparks Back to Life With 400 Film Buyers, 100 TV Buyers Attending “It is a such … [Read more...] about Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center Reveal Rendez-Vous With French Cinema Lineup (EXCLUSIVE)