flat world

Beijing’s diplomatic quarters were clouded by speculations and surprise accompanied by what experts described as a strange, highly mysterious, visit by the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.  To anyone closely following the North Korean issue, prospects of this abruptly planned visit of Kim to Beijing including a meeting with Xi raises questions on what North Korea is planning to signal, a sudden unforeseen surge of diplomacy after years of provoking nuclear threats on bombing the U.S territories interspersed by potential missile tests. Talks are scheduled first with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea in April and later with President Trump, perhaps in May.  According to various sources, Kim did his schooling in Switzerland near Bern, he had never traveled abroad since becoming the North Korea’s leader in 2011 after his father’s death. Nor he has never met any head of state or leader so far. . (Xinhua/Ju Peng) For China, meeting with their strategic neighbor ma...

Trump administration has ordered to expel over 60 Russian Diplomats, joining the chorus of European countries in punishing Moscow for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain. In addition, the administration has also announced shutting down of Russia's consulate in Seattle, citing its proximity to a U.S. Naval base and Boeing, a major defense manufacturer.  Of those 60 unnamed diplomats (intelligence agents) being expelled, 48 of them work at the Russian embassy in Washington and 12 are posted at the United Nations office in New York. "The United States takes this action in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world in response to Russia's use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilizing activities around the world," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Seattle Consulate, Naval base, and Boeing The Naval base at Bangor has e...

Israel – Palestine conflict has always been the Middle East’s cauldron, but since recent times, this issue was overshadowed by the Arab Spring, ISIL menace, Afghanistan wars and political turmoil in Libya, Iraq, and Iran. However recent events following the U.S President Trump’s announcement has put the Palestinian issue back at the forefront in the Middle East politics. Briefing in the White House’s diplomatic reception room, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel and also unveiled his plan to eventually move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like any other sovereign nation to determine its own capital;” He further said “Acknowledging this is a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace." Jerusalem Embassy Act (JEA) of 1995 It is in fact not President Trump’s original plan to relocate the embassy and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In 1995, during th...