Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Large explosion rocks factory, creates mushroom-like cloud near Moscow; dozens injured
A large explosion at a factory in a city near Moscow sent a massive mushroom-shaped plume of smoke into the sky Wednesday, according to initial reports that said the blast blew out the windows of several nearby houses. Published August 9, 2023
China blames U.S. for ‘hype’ over territorial dispute with the Philippines
China says the United States is trying to "hype up" territorial disputes in the South China Sea amid rising tension stemming from Beijing's effort to block the Philippines from accessing a key shoal controlled by Manila. Published August 9, 2023
Saudis host peace summit on Ukraine, with Kremlin not on the invite list
Saudi Arabia is hosting an unusual gathering of top security officials from some 30 nations, including the United States, for a Ukraine-led summit this weekend to discuss potential pathways toward negotiations to end Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory. Published August 3, 2023
Lockheed, rivals receiving billions to replenish U.S. arms stockpiles drained by Ukraine war
The Pentagon has committed nearly $2.3 billion to defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin Corp. in its drive to restock weapons stockpiles that have been depleted by U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine over the past year. Published August 3, 2023
Xi Jinping wants to ‘hollow out Taiwan from within,’ ex-CIA official warns
China's ruling Communist Party is preparing for war over Taiwan, but President Xi Jinping would much rather take control of the U.S.-backed island democracy without a military clash. Published August 3, 2023
Latest shakeup removes top officers from China’s nuclear weapons agency
China's ruling Communist Party has appointed new leaders for the defense body that controls the country's fast-growing nuclear arsenal, in the biggest shake-up of Beijing's military leadership in years. Published August 1, 2023
Video games pushing glory to Russia amid war with Ukraine
Russian propaganda denigrating Ukraine is spreading through internationally popular online video games such as "Minecraft," owned by U.S. tech giant Microsoft. Published August 1, 2023
South Sea scramble: Blinken, Austin lead challenge to China’s Pacific Islands clout
The Biden administration's push to counter China will reach new heights over the coming days as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visit island nations in the South Pacific to pursue new military and diplomatic outposts in the hotly contested region. Published July 25, 2023
Iran says it won’t accept new Swedish ambassador amid outrage over Koran desecration in Stockholm
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday moved toward severing diplomatic ties with Sweden in an expression of outrage that Stockholm has allowed an Iraqi activist to hold demonstrations in which he desecrated the Koran. Published July 23, 2023
Putin claims Ukraine offensive has ‘failed’ as advances to force Russian invaders out incremental
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Sunday that the Ukrainian military's counteroffensive against Russia "exists," but claimed that the operation has "failed." Published July 23, 2023
Israel’s president promotes unity with U.S. against Iran as Netanyahu’s government draws criticism
Israeli President Isaac Herzog drew cheers from a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday by stressing the U.S. and Israel must remain united on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon -- regardless of current tensions between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Published July 19, 2023
GOP demands answers as mystery over Iran envoy Rob Malley deepens
The Biden administration faced growing pressure Tuesday to explain the mystery around its top Iran envoy, Robert Malley, whose disappearance from his key position inside the State Department has plunged Iran policy into uncertainty and raised questions about whether the White House's diplomatic outreach to Tehran might have jeopardized national security. Published July 18, 2023
It would be ‘treason’ if Robert Malley leaked secrets, GOP leader says
Friction between the White House and Republicans over the Biden administration's top Iran policy official heated up over the weekend, with a key GOP member of the House saying it "would be treason" if special State Department Iran envoy Robert Malley is found to have leaked classified secrets to foreign adversaries. Published July 17, 2023
China’s ambassador to U.S. makes rare visit to Pentagon
China's top diplomat in the U.S. visited the Pentagon this week for a rare meeting with the top U.S. defense official for Asia, signaling a possible opening of military communications between Washington and Beijing since the Chinese side shut them down nearly a year ago. Published July 13, 2023
Biden: NATO alliance ‘more united than ever in its history’ in support of Ukraine
President Biden closed out a major NATO summit in Lithuania on Wednesday by touting the alliance's staying power on the global stage and asserting that Russian President Vladimir Putin badly misjudged the alliance's unity and strength when he invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. Published July 12, 2023
Zelenskyy’s frustrations with NATO boil over at summit
Tensions over Ukraine's desire to join NATO burst into the open as the alliance's annual summit began Tuesday, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is a special guest, sharply criticizing the bloc's failure to offer a firm date for his country to join. Published July 11, 2023
Turkey yields, opens Sweden’s path to NATO; war in Ukraine casts cloud over two-day summit
In a surprise move, Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden's bid to join NATO, opening the way for the alliance to move forward with its second historic expansion just hours ahead of a summit in Lithuania. Published July 10, 2023
China views Myanmar as hot spot in Cold War with Washington
A violent civil war between the China-backed military junta ruling Myanmar and a patchwork of pro-democracy rebels in the Southeast Asian nation is not getting much attention in the West, but is increasingly viewed by China's leadership as a strategic "Cold War" frontline in its global competition with the United States. Published July 3, 2023
Iranian dissidents hold major rally in France calling for regime change in Tehran
Thousands of supporters of the world's biggest exiled Iranian dissident group rallied in France over the weekend, calling for the overthrow of the theocratic regime at an event that drew support from top international figures. Published July 2, 2023
Fog of war: Crumbling Russian morale gives rare opening for Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Ukraine's highly touted counteroffensive to regain territory seized by Russian invaders showed little progress in its initial days, but that was before the near coup in Moscow and the possible removal from the battlefield of thousands of Wagner Group mercenaries, the backbone of Russian ground operations over the past year. Published June 28, 2023