Martin McCauley writers: The recent visit by Wang Jiarui, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was to mark the beginning of the ‘Year of China-DPRK Friendship’. Even more significant was his meeting with the ‘Dear Leader’, Kim Jong-Il. It was the Korean leader’s first public appearance with an international guest since his rumoured stroke in August 2008. It also marked Beijing’s continued efforts to maintain a high level [...]

Martin McCauley writes: Turkish President Abdullah Gul has just completed a visit to Kenya and Tanzania. The President thus becomes the first Turkish head of state to visit these sub-Saharan states. Kenya and Turkey signed an agreement on civil aviation and health care. Turkish Airlines has begun direct flights between Istanbul and Nairobi. In Tanzania, Gul pointed out that all but two African states had supported Turkey’s candidature for a non-permanent seat for 2009 and 2010 in the UN Security [...]

Adam Lovejoy writes: Today we salute the Royal Bank of Scotland that has posted a record loss in British corporate history of £24.1 billion yesterday. As a result the government would have to pump another £13 billion into RBS, on top of the £20 billion that have already been given to the group. As a result the Treasury would from now on control 84 per cent of RBS. We, at StirringTroubleInternationally, say: well done RBS! We always had faith in [...]

Martin McCauley writes: US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited Indonesia last week as part of a tour of East and South East Asia. It underlined the fact that Asia is the main priority of the new US Administration. Military relations between Jakarta and Washington were normalised in 2005 after being frozen because of alleged Indonesian breaches of human rights in East Timor and Papua. Mrs Clinton called Indonesia a ‘dynamic country’ and one which shares democratic values with the [...]

Adam Lovejoy writes: We have been saying it all along: we are here to entertain our readers first and inform them second. Humour mixed with politics – that is what StirringTroubleInternationally is all about. And if sometimes we say things, in a funny sort of way, that later prove to be correct then it just goes to prove that humour can sometimes hit the target as well as serious political analysis. If not better.Take the recent mini-summit which was hosted [...]

Martin McCauley writes: America is devoting its energies to turning around its economy. The outside world will have to take second place. This leaves a geopolitical void which China has rushed in to fill. ‘Team China’ has been sending an unprecedented number of leaders around the world to demonstrate that the Middle Kingdom is now a major international player.This month, Hu Jintao, President and Secretary General of the Communist Party of China (CPC) visited Saudi Arabia and Africa; Vice-President Xi [...]

Just like reality television has very little to do with reality itself, reality TV star Jade Goody’s highly publicised wedding on Sunday had little to do with raising awareness of cervical cancer, the disease that she is dying from.For some people to claim that her ‘fairy tale wedding’ would give inspiration to other cancer sufferers is nothing short of offensive. How is it exactly that this media circus was supposed to cheer up cancer sufferers who are either fighting the [...]

Anton Goryunov writes from Moscow: You might not know this but yesterday, on the 23rd of February, was a national holiday in Russia. It was the Defender of Motherland Day, previously known as the Red Army Day and, since 1949 till the break-up of the Soviet empire in 1991, celebrated as Soviet Army and Navy Day. Since 1992 it was known as simply Armed Forces Day but last year it was renamed into what it is now, Defender of the [...]

Adam Lovejoy writes: What a relief for everyone at 10 Downing Street! Prime Minster Gordon Brown has finally secured a meeting with US President Barack Obama, on March 3, in Washington. Brown’s aides must be patting each other on the shoulder and rejoycing. He will be the first European leader to hold talks with Mr Obama in Washington and, what is even more important, he has managed to beat that annoying man, French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was threatening to [...]

Martin McCauley writes: Russia’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant went on stream on February 18. Those present included Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, British Prince Andrew, a Dutch minister and Taro Aso, the Prime Minister of Japan. The plant will process gas from the Sakhalin-2 project which is composed of several fields in the Sea of Okhotsk. The Russian state-owned energy corporation, Gazprom (the name consists of first several letters of the two Russian words ‘Gazovaya Promyshlennhost’, ‘Gas Industry’), has [...]