Vaughn Cockayne

Trump could move needle on jailed Hong Kong media mogul’s case

The son of jailed Hong Kong media magnate and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai says he's optimistic U.S. President Trump can convince China his father should be released, because keeping him imprisoned only reinforces the reputation of Beijing as an authoritarian, freedom-crushing power.

September 10, 2025

Mossad, White House reportedly promised it would not attack Hamas officials in Qatar

The Israeli spy agency Mossad and the White House both had promised not to attack Hamas officials in Doha, Qatar, before Tuesday's airstrikes by Israel Defense Forces.

September 10, 2025

Iran agrees to resume nuclear inspections in bid to avoid sanctions

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency reached on Tuesday an agreement on resuming inspections at uranium enrichment facilities hit by Israeli and U.S. bombs.

September 10, 2025

Iranian regime confirms it has lost access to its stockpiles of enriched uranium

An Iranian government spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that the Islamic republic does not have access to its stockpiles of enriched uranium following its 12-day war with Israel.

September 9, 2025

New portable drone launch system enables fully autonomous drone launch while mobile

The defense arm of aerospace company Teledyne Technologies unveiled a new portable drone platform this week that can launch and retrieve drones while troops are on the move.

September 9, 2025

Putin says Russia would consider Western troops in Ukraine as ‘legitimate’ military targets

Russian President Vladimir Putin said any Western troops in Ukraine would be fair targets for Russian forces, a clear warning to NATO and the U.S. as debate continues over security guarantees for Kyiv.

September 5, 2025

China’s control over rare earth metals threatens U.S. security, industry expert says

China's strategic investment in processing instead of mining rare earth metals has led to its nearly total domination of worldwide rare earth metal production, giving it leverage over the U.S., an industry expert said in the latest episode of the "Threat Status" podcast.

September 5, 2025

Rubio announces $13.5 million for Ecuador to combat drug violence

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a substantial payment aimed at assisting Ecuadorian authorities in fighting violence coming from drug cartels in South America.

September 4, 2025

China’s DeepSeek to release high-powered AI agent by the end of the year

The Chinese artificial intelligence system DeepSeek is developing an advanced AI agent feature that can learn and improve over time, according to media reports.

September 4, 2025

Russia denies reports it jammed navigation systems on EU leader’s plane

Russia on Thursday officially denied allegations that it was behind a cyberattack on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plane over the weekend.

September 4, 2025

Rubio to tackle cartels, immigration during trip to Mexico and Ecuador this week

Immigration and cartel issues are expected to dominate Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to Mexico and Ecuador this week, as the secretary looks to cement U.S. influence in the region.

September 2, 2025

Investigation finds Syrian government, militia forces executed Druze civilians in July conflict

Amnesty International this week documented evidence that Syrian military forces and government-aligned troops conducted extrajudicial killings of Druze religious minorities in Suwayda province during sectarian fighting in July.

September 2, 2025

China, Russia condemn use of ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran

China and Russia on Monday jointly condemned the effort by European leaders to reimpose U.N.-backed sanctions on Iran, calling the move illegal.

September 2, 2025

Belgium pledges to recognize Palestinian state at U.N. General Assembly

Belgium will join Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom in recognizing a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly next week, the country's foreign minister announced Tuesday.

September 2, 2025

‘Lack of discipline’ behind U.S. shipbuilding issues, former rear admiral says

Expensive labor and an undisciplined process have hampered U.S. shipbuilding, says a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, at a time when China aims to dominate the world's oceans.

August 31, 2025

All NATO members to meet old defense spending goal by the end of the year

NATO announced Thursday that all member nations will spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense by the end of 2025, according to new data on allied defense spending.

August 29, 2025

E3 nations move to place U.N.-backed snapback sanctions back on Iran

Britain, France and Germany on Thursday began the process to reimpose U.N.-backed sanctions on Iran through the snapback mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, putting further pressure on the Islamic Republic to find a diplomatic solution to its nuclear program.

August 28, 2025

Turkey unveils Steel Dome air defense system

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday unveiled the Steel Dome integrated air defense system.

August 28, 2025

Treasury Dept. issues sanctions against North Korean information technology worker scheme

The Treasury Department has issued sanctions against individuals and businesses for their roles in assisting a fraudulent information technology worker scheme backed by North Korea.

August 28, 2025

Iran: IAEA inspectors to return after Supreme National Security Council approval

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that there must be "no exemption or exception" with the access his inspectors have to key Iranian nuclear facilities, including those bombed by U.S. warplanes in June.

August 27, 2025