Showing 1 - 10 of 114
Western armed forces facing a recruitment crisis
News, Peter Apps, Published on 01/04/2024
» Every morning on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, an unsuspecting crew member is called to the bridge, presented with a cookie and asked to sit in the captain's chair.
US-led naval force may not end Houthi ship strikes
News, Published on 22/12/2023
» US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has announced a new military effort in the Middle East: Operation Prosperity Guardian. It will bring together a coalition of nations to safeguard the dangerous waters of the Red Sea, North Arabian Sea and western Indian Ocean from surprisingly sophisticated attacks by Iranian-sponsored terrorists from the Houthi rebellion in Yemen.
Some 2023 tales you may have missed
Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/12/2023
» It is customary at this time of the year for PostScript to look back at some of the major happenings of the last 12 months. But we will have a change this year because the news has been far too depressing. So instead we will examine some of the not-so-major happenings of 2023 that you might have missed amongst all the gloom and doom. They may not be particularly significant but are a lot more fun than the grim stuff we read every day.
The fight against drugs
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/09/2023
» It should be good news that the Srettha government will make the fight against narcotics part of the national agenda. Announced on Sunday by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the news has garnered mixed reactions, especially among human rights activists, which is understandable.
Without aid of whistleblowers, the West is lost
News, Published on 28/06/2023
» Earlier this month, CNN reported that a British court has denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange "permission to appeal an order to extradite him to the United States, where he faces criminal charges under the Espionage Act". Although Assange's legal team will continue to explore its options, the snare around his neck is clearly tightening. Time is not on his side. The US and British authorities who are pursuing him can afford to wait for any remaining public interest in his case to dwindle in the face of wars, climate change, anxiety about artificial intelligence, and other global issues.
Climates of fear lead to 'shoot-downs'
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 15/01/2020
» One of the main causes of death for airline passengers in recent decades is being shot down by somebody's military. Not the very biggest, of course: accidents account for nine-tenths of all deaths in civilian airline crashes, and terrorist attacks and hijackings cause most of the rest. But a solid 2.5% of the deaths are due to trigger-happy people in military uniforms.
Silly buggers: Russia, US play chicken
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 23/06/2017
» I don't remember which navy I was in when I first heard the term "silly buggers", but the meaning was clear. It included some sensible exercises like "man overboard" drills, but the heart and soul of the game was high-speed manoeuvres by ships travelling in close company. These sometimes got quite exciting, because ships don't have brakes.
Missing persons still need legal help
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 05/09/2019
» The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is getting praise it well deserves. On Tuesday, the DSI held a joint press conference with other state agencies announcing they have found Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, a Karen ethnic rights activist who disappeared more than five years ago.
Asean media under attack
News, Editorial, Published on 22/01/2018
» A free press is the key test of whether a nation has true freedom of speech. Across the region, every country is failing the test. In communist Vietnam and all the way to the resurgent army controllers in Myanmar, governments are arresting, imprisoning and strongly intimidating the media.
Justice fails test in temple stand-off
News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 31/05/2016
» No matter how it turns out, the stand-off between the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and Wat Phra Dhammakaya has underscored a combination of extreme conviction and weak enforcement of the justice system that has underpinned Thailand's many crises.