Chinese missile tactics force Taiwan to reroute ships and cancel international flights

China fired missiles near Taiwan as part of its military drills. This follows a visit by senior US politician Nancy Pelosi to the island. Multiple missiles fell into the waters around the country. Japan called for an "immediate stop" to the exercises. This ongoing tension between China and Taiwan has disturbed shipping and flights from Taiwan. Many ships had to re-route their services. This could lead to delays in receipt of consignments and consequential impact on supply lines. The impact would be global. Similarly, for flights from Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport. It canceled more than 50 international flights. Incidentally, the US does not officially recognize Taiwan. However, it continues to sell weapons to it for self-defiance. The brief visit of Nancy Pelosi to the country led to a rise in tensions. She is now in Japan as a part of her Asian tour. China fires missiles near Taiwan after Pelosi visit

China justified the launch of ballistic missiles by saying they were key training sessions. These included naval, land and aerial exercises as informed by the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command. The defense ministry of Taiwan retaliated by activating its defense systems to monitor the situation. The foreign affairs of Taiwan accused China of imitating the tactics of North Korea by intentionally test-firing missiles into waters near other countries. Japan also echoed the sentiments of Taiwan. Its Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said - "We strongly condemn the act as it is a serious issue concerning Japan's security and the safety of Japanese people,"

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Assad government agrees to six-week ceasefire in Aleppo

#aleppo #syria #assad #mortarfire #SOHR It has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 19 February 2015 that the government of Syria has agreed to put on hold airstrikes and artillery shelling on Aleppo for six weeks to see if a ceasefire is workable in the city which is divided into a rebel-controlled west and government-held east.
This has been informed by the United Nations envoy to Syria by Staffan de Mistura who was briefing the Security Council in a closed session on his latest efforts to find a solution to the civil war that has torn Syria apart over the past four years.
In his opinion, the fresh development should be viewed as a 'glimmer of hope' and emphasized the need for a political solution to the conflict. He would also have to convince the opposition and obtain their support for the plan – this would mean they would have to suspend rocket and mortar fire in the same period.
Incidentally, in spite of the agreement to a ceasefire by the regime of Assad, battles have been raging in and around Aleppo and have resulted in the death of killed at least 70 pro-government fighters apart from another 80 insurgents in the last 24 hours.
This was the outcome of a fresh offensive launched in Aleppo by the army. The army, backed by local allied militia, had captured areas north of Aleppo. As per the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, this was basically an attempt to encircle the city and throttle the supply lines.
The conflict in Syrian began in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad and has gradually taken the shape of a civil war, drawing in foreign fighters on both sides. According to UN estimates, the total number of casualties is nearly 220,000 while millions have fled to neighboring countries to seek refuge.

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