Global Issues

12/06/2024

Later this month, in Kathmandu, Nepal and China will convene for the 16th round of negotiations under the Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism.

Later this month, in Kathmandu, Nepal and China will convene for the 16th round of negotiations under the Diplomatic Consultation Mechanism. Most likely, June 2

10/06/2024

India’s economy, the fastest-growing major economy in the world, isn’t running smoothly.Narendra Modi faces an issue with that, as he recently secured a third consecutive five-year term as prime minister—albeit without a simple majority.

India's economy, the fastest-growing major economy in the world, isn't running smoothly.Narendra Modi faces an issue with that, as he recently secured a third c

05/06/2024

On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin heralded the beginning of a “new convergence” in the Indo-Pacific as the US strengthens security and strategic alliances in the area in the face of growing challenges from Russia and China.”At the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, we are seeing a new convergence around almost all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific,” Austin stated.

On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin heralded the beginning of a “new convergence” in the Indo-Pacific as the US strengthens security and strategi

03/06/2024

The construction of Pokhara International Airport, funded by a $215.96 million soft loan from the Export-Import Bank of China, has been plagued by delays and cost escalations. The airport’s first international flight only landed on June 21, 2023, six months post-inauguration, underscoring the issues highlighted in the Auditor General’s 61st report. The report criticizes the increased construction costs due to project delays and mismanagement.

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has raised serious concerns regarding the Chinese-built Pokhara International Airport, highlighting significant delays and cost overruns in its latest report. Despite being inaugurated with much fanfare by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on January 1, 2023,....

30/05/2024

China ships visit islands under Japanese control for an unprecedented amount of time, according to Tokyo

According to Tokyo's most recent count, which was made public on Monday, China Coast Guard ships have been in the waters surrounding Japanese-controlled island

22/05/2024

One passenger died and 71 people were injured when their Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence Tuesday, throwing passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.The Boeing 777-300ER was about 10 hours into its flight and midway through meal service when it hit turbulence while flying over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin, according to the airline.

One passenger died and 71 people were injured when their Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence Tuesday, throwing pass

17/05/2024

In November 2016, Gwadar port symbolized stability, peace and prosperity for Pakistan — at least according to then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"This day is the dawn of a new era," he told the opening ceremony crowd, which had gathered to witness a row of Chinese trucks arriving to load cargo onto the first-ever container ship to pass through the port.

Pakistan's Gwadar port was meant to be a shining success for China's Belt and Road Initiative. But almost two decades later, it still sits empty.

07/05/2024

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the move as “completely unacceptable” after Australia accused a Chinese fighter plane of shooting flares into the path of a navy helicopter last weekend over international waters in the Yellow Sea.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the move as "completely unacceptable" after Australia accused a Chinese fighter plane of shooting flares into the pa

05/05/2024

Taiwan’s leaders are working on an ambitious new satellite system to keep the island online in case of disaster, as it deals with the constant threat of hostilities with China.

01/05/2024

According to new data from the cross-border journalistic collective Lost in Europe, over 47 children disappear in Europe every day. 50,000 juvenile migrants went missing after arriving during the previous three years.

According to new data from the cross-border journalistic collective Lost in Europe, over 47 children disappear in Europe every day. 50,000 juvenile migrants wen

24/04/2024

A statewide ban on TikTok could result from legislation that Congress finalised on Tuesday, posing a serious danger to the company’s US operations.
https://arknewsnepal.com/congress-just-passed-a-potential-tiktok-ban/

22/04/2024

According to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations. The ministry has also posted details of what it claims are espionage activities carried out by American and British spy agencies, and detailed how Chinese nationals studying or working abroad have allegedly been recruited by the CIA.

Under leader Xi Jinping, China’s secretive Ministry of State Security has morphed from a shadowy organization into a highly visible presence in public life.

16/04/2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi once famously made a simple election promise: “good days are coming”.

To his adoring supporters, it’s a vision of a future now finally within reach should Modi and his right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secure an emphatic and rare third consecutive term at this month’s nationwide election.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reelection slogan makes a simple promise: “good days are coming.” But opponents argue he has done little to soothe India’s deep divisions.

08/04/2024

Spiraling geopolitical tensions have pushed the world to a “historic turning point” and are forcing Japan to change its defense posture, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told CNN Sunday ahead of a closely watched summit with US President Joe Biden next week.

04/04/2024

A survey of 31 economists, jointly conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News in March, revealed an average projection of 4.7% growth in 2024. This is marginally up from the 4.6% rate they forecast in a December survey but lower than Beijing’s official target of “around 5%” announced at the National People’s Congress in early March. Twenty-seven of the economists predicted growth below 5%, mainly pointing to the sluggish housing market and a lack of sufficient policies to stimulate demand.

New economic forecasts for China show Beijing’s efforts to promote an optimistic narrative have not shaken predictions of a long-term slowdown, with the growth rate seen sinking well below 5%. A survey of 31 economists, jointly conducted by Nikkei and Nikkei Quick News in March, revealed an averag...

01/04/2024

Russian officials swiftly ascertained that the four individuals charged with carrying out a lethal terror assault on Moscow’s Crocus City concert hall last week were natives of Tajikistan, a former Soviet nation in Central Asia.Videos of the police savagely beating and holding the accused attackers surfaced on Russian social media channels in the hours following the attack. One of the videos seemed to show a suspect having part of his ear severed and then shoved into his mouth. According to police, the men were migrant workers in Russia with either temporary or expired visas.

Russian officials swiftly ascertained that the four individuals charged with carrying out a lethal terror assault on Moscow's Crocus City concert hall last wee

29/03/2024

In 2019, Australian intelligence determined China was responsible for a cyber-attack on its national parliament and three largest political parties before the general election but the Australian government never disclosed officially who was behind the attacks.

Andrew Hampton, Director-General of Security at New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service, told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that seven citizens had left their roles at companies providing training to China’s military.

“We have never, nor will we in the future, interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including New Zealand.” a spokesperson said.

21/03/2024

Two years after a Boeing 737-800 passenger jet nosedived 29,000 feet into a remote mountain, killing all 132 people on board, investigators in China have failed to offer new insight into the cause of the country’s deadliest air disaster in decades.

The cause of China’s deadliest air disaster in decades remains undetermined, Chinese investigators said Wednesday, two years after the Boeing 737-800 passenger jet nosedived 29,000 feet into a remote mountain, killing all 132 people on board.

20/03/2024

Analysts claim that the Indian Navy’s successful rescue of a commercial ship from pirates this weekend off the coast of Somalia demonstrates how Delhi’s military has produced special forces capabilities comparable to some of the best in the world.According to an Indian Navy news release, the navy saved 17 crew members of the MV Ruen following a nearly two-day anti-piracy operation. No casualties were reported. It stated that many dozen pirates had been apprehended.

http://arknewsnepal.com/the-capture-of-a-pirate-ship-demonstrates-indias-elite-special-forces/

17/03/2024

Polls in the world’s largest democracy India will open on April 19, the country’s election commissioner announced on Saturday, setting the stage for a nationwide election expected to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi clinch a rare third consecutive term.

Polls in the world’s largest democracy India will open on April 19, the country’s election commissioner announced on Saturday, setting the stage for a natio

14/03/2024

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who ended the alliance with the Nepali Congress and formed a coalition with the UML, has initiated steps to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.

Former Finance Minister from the Nepali Congress, Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, took the position of considering the BRI project only under conditions of subsidy or a favorable interest rate, which drew dissatisfaction from the Chinese side.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who ended the alliance with the Nepali Congress and formed a coalition with the UML, has initiated steps to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. Former Finance Minister from the Nepali Congress, Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, took th...

12/03/2024

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple, the largest in the United Arab Emirates, boosting his credentials as a global statesman months before he heads to the polls in a nationwide election where he is seeking a rare third term in power.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple, boosting his credentials as a global statesman months before he heads to the polls in a nationwide election where he is seeking a rare third term in power.

10/03/2024

On Sunday, thousands of medical professionals in South Korea demonstrated against the government’s intentions to raise admissions to medical schools and against what they perceived as a wider lack of support for the nation’s healthcare system in the streets of Seoul.According to the physicians, the government must address more issues than just the overall number of new physicians training year in order to improve the healthcare system.

Thousands of doctors in South Korea took to the streets of Seoul on Sunday to protest the government’s plans to increase medical school admissions and what they see as a broader lack of support for the country’s medical system.

06/03/2024

The ministry stated that the arrangement was “gratis,” or provided without charge, although it did not disclose the specifics of the support. The move is part of a push by President Muizzu since taking office in November to develop closer relations with China, following his “India Out” election campaign that promised to remove Indian troops from Maldivian soil and reassert “lost” national sovereignty.

The Maldives announced on Tuesday that China will give it "military assistance," marking the latest indication that the Indian Ocean archipelago's pro-China

29/02/2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West of the risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight for Ukraine, saying Moscow had the weapons to strike Western targets.

In his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, Putin said claims that Russia intends to attack Europe are “nonsense” but warned that his country might strike Western countries with nuclear weapons.

Putin says West sending troops to Ukraine could lead to nuclear war

28/02/2024

Firefighters in Australia are battling a huge blaze that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people amid some of the worst fire conditions the country has seen in recent years.

Hot, dry and windy conditions have created “extreme to catastrophic fire dangers” in parts of Victoria and South Australia, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

Firefighters in Australia are battling a huge blaze that has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people amid some of the worst fire conditions the country has seen in recent years.

26/02/2024

For years, the proposed airport in Mondulkiri has symbolized grand aspirations for development. However, with a sparse population and limited tourist appeal, skeptics question the rationale behind such a costly endeavor in this remote region. Compounding the uncertainty, a major Chinese financier has withdrawn support from the project, leaving its future hanging in the balance since its announcement in 2019.

In Cambodia’s Mondulkiri province, where lush forests and indigenous communities once thrived, the landscape now bears the scars of halted progress. Amidst razed farmlands, concrete fence posts stand as silent witnesses to the ambitious plans for an airport that may never materialize. For years, t...

15/02/2024

Chinese leader Xi Jinping heralded a new year of growing coordination with Russia during a call with counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that comes as the two countries continue to cement their partnership amid frictions with the West.

Xi told Putin the two sides should “strengthen strategic coordination” and “safeguard the national sovereignty, security and development interests of their respective countries,” according to a readout from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping heralded a new year of growing coordination with Russia during a call with counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday that comes as the two countries continue to cement their partnership amid frictions with the West.

09/02/2024

During a meeting this week with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song conveyed that at least six projects it previously committed to would be expedited, and groundwork will begin after the conclusion of the Chinese New Year holidays,” Rupak Sapkota, foreign relations adviser to Prime Minister Dahal, told the Post.

Foreign affairs adviser says envoy Chen told prime minister that groundwork would start after the Chinese holidays.