Sea State On Saturday, naval warships, aircraft carriers and submarines from the US, India and Japan streamed into the Bay of Bengal as part of the Malabar exercises. A joint press release from the three countries claimed that …
Last week’s revelation that the Pentagon had been briefing Asian allies that US Navy warships would soon conduct freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea has ramped up tensions in the world’s most …
Sea State The US Navy has reportedly declared its intentions to send a surface ship inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit China claims for its man-made islands in the South China Sea. According to the Financial …
Sea State Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has detailed ambitious efforts to modernise the navy’s nuclear-powered submarines. Moscow is modernising 12 nuclear-powered submarines, with the boats intended to serve another 20 years. The modernisation effort is intended …
Sea State Competition between the three contenders for the replacement of the Royal Navy’s Collins-class submarines has started to heat up with Japan now revealing its willingness to build the submarines in Australia despite previous …
The Beat Inside the Yakuza We recently discussed how divisions within the Yamaguchi-gumi criminal group sparked fears of gang violence in Japan. After months of negotiation, Belgian photographer Anton Kusters gained a rare insight into …
Sea State Chinese state media reported on Thursday that China had begun its first joint naval drills with Malaysia in the Strait of Malacca. According to Xinhua News, Chinese ships taking part in the six-day …
The Beat Identity crime report Last week we mentioned the release of the Identity Crime and Misuse in Australia 2013-2014 report from the Attorney-General’s Department and Australian Institute of Criminology. Key findings include that identity …
Sea State Last week five Chinese Navy ships came within 12 nautical miles of the US mainland, sailing inside American territorial waters as they passed through the Bering Sea, coinciding with President Obama’s trip to …
The Beat Yakuza and mafia shake-ups Japanese police are bracing themselves for potential violence following reports of a split in one of the yakuza, or organised criminal syndicates that operate in Japan. Plans to move …
The Beat Ticket to fraud Fraudsters have taken advantage of a new target connected to our daily transactions—the troubled public transport ticket system Myki. Public Transport Victoria have refunded $4.2 million to international credit card …
Sea State Australia’s second Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Adelaide, is currently undergoing its final sea trials with a crew of BAE Systems employees and RAN personnel. Additionally, HMAS Canberra, the first of the …