World News

By Nidal Al-Mughrabi
June 16, 20255:18 AM EDT

""I was never a fan of Iran, I still don't like them because of their intervention in Gaza and other Arab countries, but seeing them retaliate for real, not a play like in previous times, made me happy, despite all the sadness around me," said Amr Salah, 29.

"It is nothing compared to what Israel did to Gaza, but at least a taste of it. It is maybe time to end all of this, in Gaza too," he added."

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/3159168

Archived version

Taiwan sealed a partnership deal on Tuesday with U.S. and German-based Auterion for drone software battle-tested in Ukraine to help strengthen the island's defences against growing military threats from giant neighbour China.

Auterion, whose software is used in Ukrainian drones operating combat missions against Russia, said the deal could eventually lead to the technology being used in millions of drones for Taiwan.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up its military pressure over the past five years, including staging half a dozen rounds of war games. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan has been studying how Ukraine has deployed drones, both in the air and at sea, to successfully offset Russia's numerical advantage on the battlefield, given China's forces also outnumber Taiwan's.

Auterion said it had agreed to a strategic partnership with Taiwan's defence ministry's research and development arm, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, for uncrewed systems and drone swarming software.

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"The partnership is super long-term. So I think in terms of, if you're trying to put that in number of drones or dollars, we're expecting millions of drones eventually over multiple years and hundreds of millions of dollars in value that's being created," he added, speaking at a ministry-organised sea drone exhibition at the northeastern Taiwanese port of Suao.

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Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces to be able to wage "asymmetric warfare", using mobile and often cheaper weapons which still pack a targeted punch, like drones and truck-mounted missiles.

Chung-Shan President Li Shih-chiang thanked the five foreign companies who participated at the Suao exhibition.

"I believe that you will soon be sanctioned by the Chinese government, but do not fear, because you have chosen the democratic camp," he added.

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The United Nations said Monday it was drastically scaling back its global humanitarian aid plans because of the "deepest funding cuts ever" – leaving tens of millions of people facing dire straits.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was seeking $29 billion in funding for 2025 compared to the $44 billion originally requested in December, in a "hyper-prioritised" appeal.

Since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, the United States – the world's top donor – has heavily slashed foreign aid, causing havoc in the humanitarian sector across the globe.

150.000 participants according to organizers

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/36813071

Archived

Here is the full report (pdf).

China and Russia’s deepening strategic partnership Despite a shared history of rivalry, conflict and mistrust, today China and Russia share a broad interest in undermining what leaders in both countries perceive to be a world order dominated by the West. Both countries see the US as their prime adversary, and undermining NATO – the strongest US-led alliance – as a common goal, according to a report published by the China Strategic Risks Institute in the UK (CSRI).

[...]

These shared interests are the backdrop to a deepening strategic partnership between Russia and China, in which the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are increasingly perceived by both actors as a unified security theatre.

TLDR:

• Undersea cables underpin economic security and global prosperity in the digital age, carrying 99% of intercontinental data traffic. Undersea cables are vital for both civilian and defence infrastructure, including future AI-powered technologies.

• A series of suspicious breakages in the Baltic Sea and Taiwan Strait indicate that China and Russia may be using undersea sabotage as part of broader grey-zone operations against their adversaries – including NATO and its member states.

• This paper examines 12 suspected undersea cable sabotage cases from January 2021 to April 2025. Of the 10 with identified vessels, 8 are linked to China or Russia by flag or ownership.

• The involvement of Chinese vessels in cable breakages in Europe, and Russian vessels near Taiwan, suggests plausible China-Russia coordination amid deepening ties in both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.

• As a key hub in Euro-Atlantic cable infrastructure, the UK is a likely target for future Russian and Chinese grey-zone operations – posing a new and complex challenge for its maritime defence and surveillance systems.

The UK must be clear-eyed and proactive in addressing grey-zone threats to undersea infrastructure. Recommendations include:

• Enhancing monitoring and surveillance: The UK should use NATO mechanisms to regularly share best practice and intelligence on undersea cable threats, including Russia and China’s shadow fleets, and extend cooperation to experienced partners like Taiwan and Japan.

• Strengthening mechanisms for accountability: International law on undersea cables is outdated and insufficient. The UK should work with partners to strengthen accountability powers through utilising Port State Controls and publishing vessel blacklists. It must also tighten domestic laws and establish protocols for rapid pursuit, interdiction, and detention of suspect vessels.

• Improving redundancy, repair and resilience: The UK government should work with private operators to ensure guaranteed access to cable repair vessels capabilities during crises or national emergencies, as well as strategic stockpiling of cable repair parts.