Category Archives: World

Taiwan Scrambles Fighter Jets To Counter Communist Chinese Incursion

By Douglas F. Roberts, The Chicago Times

December 22, 2022

TAIPEI – The Taiwanese Air Force scrambled combat jets Thursday to intercept 39 Communist Chinese aircraft that illegally entered its southeastern air defense zone.

Taiwanese Fight Jets

This is not the first time Communist China has invaded the Taiwanese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) which has prompted formal complaints by the Taiwanese government.  According to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, the Communist incursion included 21 fighters and 4 H-6 bombers (a Chinese copy of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16)  along with several antisubmarine and aerial refueling aircraft.  Communist Chinese aircraft flew over the Bashi Channel to an area off Taiwan’s southeastern coast.  The Taiwanese Defense Ministry also said Communist Chinese naval vessels were also detected close to Taiwan.

Over the past few months, Communist China has been completing pre-invasion drills around Taiwan threatening peace in the Pacific.  Communist China claims Taiwan as a wayward province and refuses to allow Taiwan to be an independent nation.  Taiwan has vowed to fight back if attacked by Communist China.

Putin Warns NATO: More U.S. Weapons To Ukraine Will Widen War

By Sasha Kinskey, The Chicago Times

December 21, 2022

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the western powers on Wednesday that increasing the transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine would widen the war and Russian resolve to win in Ukraine.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin (Former KGB agent).

In a meeting with Russian military leaders, Putin vowed to train and strengthen the Russian military and to learn from their humiliating withdrawal from northern and eastern Ukraine over the past few months.  Putin also claimed that Russia would place a special emphasis on nuclear forces which he declared Russia’s final guarantee of sovereignty.  Putin may have been referring to Russia’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile which is scheduled to go into service shortly.

Russian ground forces have been strengthened to nearly 1 million soldiers ranging from volunteers to conscripts.  According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, military personnel consist of 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers with the remaining being conscripts.  Historically, the Russian Federation has mandatory conscription for men 18 to 27, but it is expected that the age requirements will change to 21 to 30 years of age.  Conscripts, who serve one year, will often be given the choice to join the armed services as a regular.  In recent years, it has been alleged that the Russian military routinely forces conscripts to sign active military service contracts.

Russian military strategists have also indicated a return to Cold War strategy in countering NATO, especially with the addition of Finland and Sweden into the western alliance.  Russia is expected to form and deploy new military units to strategic locations in the west. NATO strategists believe these new units will be larger than the units currently fighting in Ukraine, which might explain the series of Russian defeats in Eastern Ukraine.

Japan To Develop Fighter Jet With The UK And Italy

By Douglas F. Roberts, The Chicago Times

December 9, 2022

TOKYO –  Japan announced Friday that it will develop its next-generation fighter jet in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Italy.  The Japanese government has designated the Mitsubishi F-X fighter jet to replace its aging fleet of Mitsubishi F-2s that was jointly developed with the United States.  The three nations will share current development of their current next-generation fighter jets including the British Tempest that is slated to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2035.

With the growing threat of Communist China, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has boosted defense spending targets over the next five years to 43 trillion yen.  The Japanese government has also expressed interest in developing pre-emptive strike capability and the deployment of long-range missile systems.  Japan has also sought to strengthen alliances with Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian nations.

According to Japan’s Defense Ministry, the new aircraft will be developed as a multi-role stealth fighter that will exceed the performance of the F-35 and the Eurofighter.  The new fighter jet is expected to replace 94 of Japan’s  F-2s, 144 Eurofighters based in the UK, and 94 Eurofighters based in Italy.

Iran Claims ‘Only’ 300 Protesters Killed During Two Months Of Protests

By Peter Lawrence, The Chicago Times

November 28, 2022

TEHRAN –  Iranian officials claim that 300 people have been killed in the protests spreading across Iran over the last two months.

An Iranian general claimed that 300 hundred people have been killed during the past two months of protesting, which is lower than that reported by Human Rights Activists in Iran, US based group monitoring the protests that began after the death of a young woman taken prisoner by Iran’s morality police.

Iranian Security Forces overlook protestors. Photo: AP.

According to HRAI, it is believed that 451 protesters and 60 security forces have been killed along with some 18,000 people detained since protesting began in September. The protests erupted after the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was arrested for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. 

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the aerospace division of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, was caught saying on a Guard website that 300 people have been killed, including security forces.  Hajizadeh believes the protests have been fomented by Iran’s enemies and not by the suspicious death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of police for a dress code violation.  Protestors have declared that they have had it with decades of social and political repression and deny any foreign influence.

Feature Photo: General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the IRGC Air Force.

Communist China: Angry Protests Erupt In Xinjiang After Deadly Fire

By Douglas F. Roberts, The Chicago Times

November 26, 2022

URUMQI – Angry protests over Communist China’s widening COVID-19 lockdowns have erupted across China’s far western Xinjiang region.

Angry crowds took to the streets on Friday night in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi shouting “End the lockdown!” while pumping their fists in unison after being angered by a deadly apartment block fire that, according to some, could have been avoided if the lock down mandate was not in place.

Videos have been posted showing crowds in a plaza protesting the brutal lockdowns imposed by the communist government, which maintains a zero COVID policy.  In the city of Urumqi the lockdowns have required 4 million residents to remain in their homes for nearly 100 days with no end in sight.

Public anger over the lockdowns erupted after a large apartment block fire in Urumqi killed 10 people Thursday night.  It has been reported that the lockdown policy imposed by the iron-fisted communist government prevented residents from escaping the deadly fire.

Urumqi officials claim the lockdowns did not prevent people from escaping, but many across the nation tired of propaganda are continuing to question the “official” narrative.

Xinjiang is home to 10 million Uyghurs.  Over the last few years, Communist China has been under investigation by human rights groups for abuses against the Muslim ethnic minority, including forced labour in internment camps.

Chinese Communist leader, Xi Jinping, defended the zero-COVID policy as life-saving and necessary to prevent overwhelming the healthcare system, and has vowed to continue the oppressive policy despite growing push back.  Communist China is known for brutally crushing protests as witnessed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in which some 350 freedom protestors were shot by the People’s Liberation Army and police.

COVID cases are on the rise in Communist China with 35,000 daily cases recorded, which is still low by global standards.

The Chinese Communist Party declined to comment on the situation.

Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Sworn In As Prime Minister

By S. E. Flynn, The Chicago Times

November 24, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian statesman Anwar Ibrahim has been sworn in as the country’s tenth prime minister, after the Malaysian King was forced to appoint the opposition leader on Thursday to break an election stalemate.

Anwar was sworn in around 5:00 pm, Malaysian time, after a meeting with state leaders and in accordance with the Malaysian constitution which obligated King Al-Sultan Abdullah to appoint a prime minister he believes can form a majority government when an election ends in a stalemate.

The King requested that newly elected members of parliament serve the nation well and extended his thanks to state rulers for their assistance as well as insights toward the resolution of the crisis.

Anwar served as deputy to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad during the 1990s before being jailed for corruption and unusual sexual behavior.

Malaysia’s general election last week resulted in the nation’s first hung parliament, which obligated the King to ask leading coalitions to present their alliances on Tuesday in order to form a government and nominate their preferred prime minister.  However, that meeting ended without a consensus forcing the King to make the decision on his own.

Last week’s election saw Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition gain 82 seats in parliament and incumbent coalition Perikatan Nasional with 73 seats.  Neither party met the 112 seat threshold to form a simple majority government.