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TOKYO -- The global wheat market has been hit by Chinese buyers canceling major shipments, seemingly in an attempt to secure better prices and bolster the country's food security. Benchmark Chicago wheat futures are trading at about $5.50 per bushel, up slightly from a three-and-a-half-year low marked in mid-March but down about 10% from the beginning of the year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture last month said 504,000 tonnes of wheat sales to China had been canceled. The figure is equivalent to about half the total U.S. wheat shipments to China in 2022 and the largest cancellation on record going...

The messaging from media in Israel and Mainstream Media in the US tonight points to some sort of conflict between Israel and Iran...a critic of Israel's government leftist Journalist Seymour Hersh speaking...Netanyahu is 'willing to risk war with Iran' to remain in office...Scott Ritter saying Iran should withhold fire... One killed, one wounded in a knife attack in Bordeaux, France tonight... Three people shot and five arrested following a shooting incident in Philadelphia... Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appearing before an inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics... China's President Xi Jinping and former Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou reaffirming their...

A semiconductor company whose president was head of the now-bankrupt Solyndra solar energy company stands to receive $6.6 billion in funding from the Biden administration. Under a preliminary agreement, according to CNBC, a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in Arizona will receive the funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. The company’s president is Brian Harrison. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Harrison was CEO of Solyndra, which in the early 2000s was involved in the manufacturing of solar panels and considered at the forefront of the sustainable energy industry.

President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department -- a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development. "It's as though Commerce's mishandling of missile-tech transfers to China in the 1990s never happened," said Mr. Sokolski, a former Pentagon proliferation specialist. "But it did. As a result, we are now facing much more accurate, reliable missiles from China." Mr. Sokolski said he expects the U.S. government under the new policy to again boost Chinese military modernization through "whatever renewed 'benign'...

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar warned on Friday that “one tiny mistake” could turn Cyprus into “a new Gaza”. Tatar, not recognized as a head of state by the international community, also suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan may soon recognize the north. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, said, “A mistake or a misunderstanding such as the shooting of a Turkish soldier on the Green Line… would provoke a bomb between the two populations.” “If you shoot one Turkish soldier, you...

Yesterday Fox News' Peter Doocy let the White House's John Kirby know that Biden's support for Israel no longer appears to be "unwavering." Kirby tried to spin his way out of the question but yes, Biden's support for Israel has wavered: Also yesterday, Kirby made it clear that the Biden administration doesn't support independence for Taiwan: KIRBY: "We don't support independence for Taiwan." pic.twitter.com/pLPtp8hKix — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 4, 2024 It's too bad the United States can't remain independent from the Biden administration, but here we are. Add it all up and Dana Loesch reminded us Team Biden's set...

It was a terrible quake that struck near Hualien City, Taiwan, just as the workday was beginning on Wednesday. Details aren't yet complete but, so far, nine people have been reported killed, over a thousand more injured, and 152 trapped in damaged buildings, quarries, and other places. At 7.4 on Richter Scale, the Hualien shifter was three times more powerful and released 5.6 times more energy than the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that dropped part of San Francisco's elevated Embarcadaro freeway, killed 63 people, and injured 3,757 more. “It was pretty scary,” a visiting American told NBC News. “In all...

The Taiwanese government has rebuffed an offer of help extended by Beijing as the island contends with the aftermath of a deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck on Wednesday morning, killing at least nine people.At least 934 people are reported injured and 56 remain trapped in the quake that struck off the east coast at 7.58am and sparked tsunami warnings. Soon after the disaster, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council offered the island disaster assistance. In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said in a short statement there was no need for the mainland to help. “We noticed that...

Multiple buildings collapse in Hualien, Taiwan after USGS reports magnitude 7.4 earthquake

Magnitude: 7.5 Origin Time: 4/2/2024, 6:58:00 PM Depth: 7 mi.Lat: 23.8° N Lon: 121.7° E Location: TAIWAN

45 years after the United States withdrew its forces from Taiwan following the normalization of diplomatic relations with China, it is now revealed that the ‘Green Beret’ forces are permanently stationed on islands in the Taiwan Strait near the Chinese border. Taiwanese Defense Chief Chiu Kuo-cheng officially confirmed it when asked about the presence of the US Army Special Forces. This revelation has the potential to escalate tensions with China. Daily Express US reported: “[The admission] comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week issued an ‘ironclad’ warning to China as tensions between the two nations rise.” Former President...

Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate mounting tensions with China.The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in 2023 facilitated the deployment of these troops to conduct training programs for Taiwanese frontline forces.The move comes as China continues to assert its disputed claim over Taiwan, viewing it as a renegade province despite never having ruled it. The heightened military activities by China in and around the Taiwan Strait have prompted Taiwan to bolster its defense capabilities.

Taiwan has confirmed there are U.S. troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait on a permanent basis, including an island just over a mile off China's southeast coast. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in 2023 paved the way for their arrival to conduct training programs for troops on Taiwan's front line. China has vowed to someday annex democratic Taiwan, which it regards as a rogue province, despite the fact that the Chinese Communist Party government in Beijing has never ruled there. China has sharply increased military sorties and drills in and around the 90-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, prompting...

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - An agreement reached by U.S. congressional leaders and the White House on a massive bill funding military, State Department and a range of other government programs will continue a ban on U.S. funding for UNRWA, the main U.N. agency for Palestinians, until March 2025, two sources said on Tuesday. President Joe Biden's administration said in January it was temporarily pausing new funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) after Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 employees in Gaza of participating in the deadly Oct. 7...

Amid the West's continued support of Ukraine, the threat of nuclear escalation with Russia has been ever-present as the Kremlin tries to deter further NATO involvement. While there is no indication of an impending nuclear clash between Russia and NATO, the results would be catastrophic, according to the "Plan A" simulation published by Princeton's Science and Global Security program, which estimates there would be 91.5 million casualties within hours of a nuclear conflict and many more in the following months and years. A Russian nuclear attack on the U.S. would aim to cut essential command and control communications channels, destroy...

Friction has grown between Manila and Beijing in recent months over competing claims in the South China Sea. "These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy," Mr Blinken said. "They're also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world," "That's why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defence commitments, including under the mutual defence treaty." The visit is also likely to be seen as bolstering American support for Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has tilted towards Washington unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who pushed ties...

Korbein Schultz, a U.S. Army soldier and intelligence analyst, was arrested today at Fort Campbell following an indictment by a federal grand jury charging him with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official.“Mr. Schultz, a member of the U.S. Army, stands accused of conspiring to obtain and provide national defense information to an individual overseas. As part of the conspiracy, the defendant provided sensitive government information to his coconspirator in exchange for thousands of dollars,...

The South China Sea has once again become a focal point of international attention following sudden clashes between coast guard vessels of the Philippines and China. As tensions rise, the involvement of global powers like the US and Japan adds further complexity to the situation, potentially pushing more nations to align against Beijing. Amid these escalating tensions, it becomes imperative for China to reconsider its assertive stance and respect the existing global order to avoid further international backlash The South China Sea (SCS) has once again come into focus following sudden skirmishes between the coast guard vessels of the Philippines...

China and the United States resumed military-to-military contacts with a series of recent meetings, delivering on a decision by their leaders at a November 2023 summit. Michael S. Chase (C, L), U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, hosts Chinese delegation led by Maj. Gen. Song Yanchao (C, R), deputy director of the Chinese Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation for meetings at the Pentagon on Jan. 9. Two days of meetings, called the China-U.S. defense policy coordination talks, took place Jan. 8-9 at the Pentagon. It was the first formal in-person encounter between...

China will boost its defense spending by 7.2% this year, fueling a military budget that has more than doubled under Xi Jinping’s decade-plus in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan, according to official reports on Tuesday. The increase mirrors the rate presented in last year’s budget and comes in above the government’s economic growth forecast for this year. China also officially adopted tougher language against Taiwan as it released the budget figures, dropping the mention of “peaceful reunification” in a government work report delivered by Premier Li Qiang at the opening of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s...