India-China Row: PLA Extends Power Supply To Himalayan Border Posts...
Notwithstanding the troops’ disengagement on the contentious India-China border, Beijing has continued to boost infrastructure in the border region. As per the latest reports, it was revealed that the People’s Liberation Army has extended the power supply to border outposts in the...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94174
1st Rafale F4 Fighter Breaks Cover! How Is UAE’s F4 Aircraft...
France has unveiled the first F-4 Rafale fighter jet for the UAE. The first F4 Rafale has become ready for flight tests at Dassault Aviation’s Flight Test Centre, and deliveries to the UAE will begin at the end of 2026. The aircraft was unveiled in a post by a French aircraft maker,...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94173
Ukraine War: Return Of World War-1 Strategies To Europe? France...
The French government has reportedly called on the civilian industry, including the automotive sector, to adapt their production lines for large-scale military manufacturing—specifically, the production of kamikaze drones. The initiative, reported by the French newspaper L’Opinion,...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94172
“Not Even A Scratch”! China Claims Its Type-55...
The U.S. Navy’s strategy to “field multiple thousands of all-domain, attritable autonomous systems to warfighters by August of 2025″ is well on track, according to U.S. Navy Captain Alex Campbell. The Hellscape strategy focuses on a simple rule: Should...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94171
From Car Spare Parts To World Leader In UAV Tech — How A...
Turkish firm Baykar Defense has revolutionized modern combat by producing cutting-edge drones that have shown their mettle globally. The world started taking notice of Baykar’s prowess when the Bayraktar TB-2 shot to fame in the September 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94170
One More Nuclear Country: With 43% Of World’s Uranium...
In November 2024, the World Nuclear Association reported that Kazakhstan has 12% of the world’s uranium resources. In 2022, Kazakhstan produced 43% of the world’s uranium. However, Kazakhstan had only one Russia-made nuclear power reactor, which operated from 1972 to 1999,...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94168
Japan, China Or Taiwan: Who Does The U.S. Support As 2 Key Allies...
The Trump administration has assured Tokyo that it will defend the Senkaku Islands, which are disputed between Japan, China, and Taiwan, as stipulated by Article 5 of the US-Japan Security Treaty. The much-needed reassurance came after a 40-minute phone call between Japanese Defense...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94167
Trump Pushes To ‘Overhaul’ U.S. Navy, Override Outdated...
It may sound ironic, but notwithstanding his protectionist industrial vision to “Make America Great Again,” President Donald Trump is open to the idea of outsourcing the building of U.S. Navy ships to Washington’s allies in an effort to restore a maritime balance of power...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94166
“Double Punch” On Russia Military Positions! Reports...
With Russian forces pushing further inside Ukraine and capturing strategic frontline towns, the Ukrainian Air Force has started attacking Russian positions with the 1,000-pound (or 460-kilogram) variant of the Joint Advanced Direct Munition -Extended Range (JDAM-ER) bombs. The Joint Direct...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94165
India Tops The “Sorrowful List” Of Most Abandoned...
The global economy thrives on the movement of goods across oceans, with over 80% of world trade by volume carried by sea, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) (2021). Yet, behind this colossal industry lies a hidden human cost: the abandonment of seafarers. These men and...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94164
World’s Fastest Military Aircraft — After 6th-Gen...
In what may be the first acknowledgment of a high-speed military project in China, a team of Chinese scientists has concluded ground testing of a super fast turbojet that could power its own high-speed ‘Blackbird’ military aircraft. The supersonic SR-71...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94163
“Decisive Blow To Germans” — Russians Commemorate...
On January 30, 1945, approximately 80 years ago, the Soviet submarine S-13, commanded by Captain 3rd Rank Alexander Marinesko, struck a decisive blow to Nazi Germany by sinking the Wilhelm Gustloff, a former cruise liner repurposed as a floating barracks for the Kriegsmarine. The attack,...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94162
Ukraine’s Next Big Headache — Russian Drone Motherships...
Reports suggest that Russian forces have stepped up the use of drone motherships to extend the operational range of FPV (First-Person View) kamikaze drones. These motherships serve as carriers and data-link nodes, allowing FPV drones to be deployed over significantly longer distances than they...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94161
With Russian Help, This African Country Aims To Become A...
In the heart of West Africa, Mali stands at a critical crossroads, where military aspirations collide with economic desperation. Mali’s transitional president and military junta leader, General Assimi Goita, recently announced the country’s ambitious plan to establish its own...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94159
Trump on Musk: ‘If there’s a problem, we won’t...
President Trump said Monday that billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk can’t do anything without approval from the White House, suggesting if there’s a conflict of opinion with Musk that he would be blocked from acting. Trump was asked why is it important for Musk to have access...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94154
DeepSeek: The countries and agencies that have banned the AI...
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company, is raising the ire of regulators around the world. DeepSeek's viral AI models and chatbot apps have been banned by a growing number of countries and government bodies, which have expressed concerns over DeepSeek's ethics,...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94152
How should China respond to Trump? Ask DeepSeek
From the sharply political to the deeply personal, Chinese internet users have described questions asked of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence app, including what Beijing should do in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's import tariffs. China's launch of a ground-breaking AI service...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94149
Trump Hits Out at Murdoch’s Mouthpiece for Calling Tariffs...
President Donald Trump spent the second Sunday of his administration attacking The Wall Street Journal after its editorial board criticized his steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada while admitting Americans may suffer because of them. Trump blasted the Journal‘s...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94147
China renews threat to retaliate against US tariffs
U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada, Mexico and China is ramping up over the production and importation of the opiate fentanyl, along with trade surpluses and illegal border crossings by migrants from across the globe. Here is what Beijing says about it: What has been China's...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94145
Here’s what will get more expensive from Trump’s...
President Donald Trump made good on his promise to impose steep tariffs on America’s three largest trading partners — Canada, China and Mexico — citing a national emergency on the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants into the United States. The...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94144
Trump's Canada, Mexico, China tariffs suspend loophole behind...
Fentanyl precursors are displayed at Reuters' office in Mexico City. President Donald Trump's new tariff orders against Canada, Mexico and China all contain clauses suspending a duty-free exemption for low-value shipments below $800 that is widely seen as a loophole that has allowed...
https://afriprime.net/posts/94141
In a post on X, Noboa said he favors more exchange of goods with other countries, including a potential free trade deal with Mexico, "but not when there is abuse." Until there is such a deal, he added, the 27% duty will apply.
Last year, Ecuador and Mexico broke off diplomatic relations after Noboa ordered a raid on the Mexican embassy to arrest a former Ecuadorean vice president.
The South American nation is set to hold a first-round general election this Sunday, in which Noboa is running to remain in office.
Mexico's economy ministry, which handles trade policy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Any move by Panama to distance itself from Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature Belt and Road Initiative is a win for Washington, which has argued that Beijing uses the scheme for "debt trap diplomacy" to cement its global influence.
Rubio, his first overseas trip as the top U.S. diplomat under President Donald Trump to Panama, a close U.S. partner in Latin America, and pressured the country over its ties with China.
After talks with Rubio, Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino said his country's broad agreement to contribute to the Chinese initiative will not be renewed, and could be terminated early. He said the deal was set to expire in two to three years, but did not elaborate.
China is president of the Security Council for February and China's U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Wang would chair a ministerial meeting of the 15-member body on Feb. 18 that would focus on multilateralism and improving global governance.
Rubio and Wang have spoken on phone.
"I do hope that despite all the rhetoric that we have heard from the American politicians, we can take a constructive and - I will emphasize - a professional approach in the United Nations," Fu said. "So much is at stake."
"We are firmly opposed to this unwarranted increase and we do believe that this is in violation of the WTO rules. So that's why China is filing a complaint at this WTO." Fu said.
Trump complained that the U.S. had sent more in military and economic assistance to Ukraine than its European partners, adding, “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things."
Trump suggested that he's received word from the Ukrainian government that they'd be willing to make a deal to give the U.S. access to the elements critical to the modern high-tech economy.
“I want to have security of rare earth,” Trump added. “We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earth. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do it.”
“We made a lot of progress on Russia, Ukraine," Trump said. "We’ll see what happens. We’re going to stop that ridiculous w
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said at least some of her colleagues on the other side of the aisle aren’t fans of Elon Musk. The tech billionaire and close ally of President Donald Trump is already playing a key role in the new administration.
“Can I tell you that Republicans want to see Elon go down?” she told MSNBC’s Alex Witt on Sunday. “I can. Now, will they come out publicly and say that? No, because they’re concerned about whether or not he’ll spend money in their next elections.”
Crockett recalled December’s continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March. After Republican and Democratic lawmakers reached a deal, Musk tried to tank it via Twitter.
“There were Republicans that silently, or in the background, were cheering us on,” she recalled. “And saying ‘this is wrong.’ Like they knew we had negotiated, and all of a sudden, this guy who’s not elected makes a tweet on Twitter.”
The car detonated next to a vehicle carrying mostly female agricultural workers on the outskirts of the city of Manbij.
The dead included 18 women and one man, a nurse at the hospital, Mohammad Ahmad, told The Associated Press. Another 15 women were wounded, some of them in critical condition, according to the local Syrian civil defense.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.
It was the seventh car bomb explosion in Manbij in just over a month, said Munir Mustafa, the deputy director of civil defense.
Manbij in northeastern Aleppo province continues to witness violence even after the downfall of President Bashar Assad in December.
Turkish-backed factions, known as the Syrian National Army, have clashed with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The cost of borrowing has surged to painful levels, as interest rates of 21pc pile pressure on companies. The strain is such that Putin has reportedly been scolding officials over a drought in private investment.
Unsurprisingly, Russia’s oligarchs are squirming. Igor Sechin, the boss of Rosneft, and Oleg Deripaska, the billionaire aluminium magnate, are among those who have publicly criticised high interest rates.
Deripaska warned in 2023 that Russia could soon run out of money, and other senior officials are also beginning to ask themselves the same question.
The country’s wealth fund is being depleted, with the liquid portion of assets now down to just $38bn (£30bn), from roughly $100bn at the start of 2022.
Russia’s economic resilience has surprised many, signs of fragility are starting to emerge.
“I will never support the idea of fighting allies. But of course, if the U.S. puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response,” Danish Prime Minister.
Greenland, home to a large U.S. military base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally. Last month, Trump left open the possibility that the American military might be used to secure Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. “We need Greenland for national security purposes,” he said.
Frederiksen said she has “great support” from her EU partners on the fact “that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It’s part of our territory and it’s not for sale.”
The move by Trump, though widely expected, knocked some of the world's biggest manufacturers, as investors grappled with the prospect of weakening demand from the world's top economy and, more worryingly, the possibility of a downturn in global growth.
Automakers were the hardest hit. Many Japanese and South Korean car makers, and their suppliers, have operations in Mexico and have long exported cars made there to the United States.
Toyota, the world's top automaker, and smaller rival Nissan fell more than 5%. Honda tumbled more than 7%.
Nissan has two plants in Mexico, where it makes the Sentra, Versa and Kicks models for the U.S. market. It exports about 300,000 vehicles to the U.S. a year.
Honda sends 80% of its Mexican output to the U.S
