Daily News Brief

Asia Pacific

1.      North Korea to Launch 3 New Satellites in 2024. North Korea has said it will launch three more military spy satellites, build military drones and boost its nuclear arsenal in 2024, continuing a military modernization programmed that saw a record number of weapons tests this year.

2.      U.S. and China to Resume Staff-Level Military Dialogue in January. The U.S. and China will resume staff-level military-to-military dialogue, holding a recurring exchange named Defense Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT) in January, U.S. officials told Nikkei Asia.

Russia/Europe/West

3.      Ukraine Downs Iran-Made Shahed Drones as Russia Retaliates for Belgorod Attack. Kyiv said it had destroyed 21 of 49 Iranian-made drones fired after Russia vowed to retaliate for what it called a “terrorist attack” on a border city that left 24 dead.

4.      Spain Awards $2.2 Billion in Armored Vehicle Deal. Spain has signed a contract with TESS Defence to renew the country’s TOA M-113 armored vehicle fleet. The company will design and manufacture the Spanish Army’s Vehículo de Apoyo de Cadenas (VAC) tracked support vehicles under the $2.2-billion deal.

India/South Asia

5.      India Claims Qatar Court Has Reduced Punishment of Ex-Navy Officials Facing Death Sentence. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said the Court of Appeal of Qatar reduced the death sentences in the Dahra Global case. It, however, didn’t specify what the court said, adding that a detailed judgment in the matter is awaited.

6.      India Needs Strategic Autonomy: Rajnath Singh. Indian Defence minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the need for strategic autonomy for India and the development of a strong domestic defence industrial ecosystem.

7.      INS Vikrant's Acquires New Radar, Missiles. The Israel-designed MF-STAR (Multi-Function Surveillance, Track and Guidance Radar) and Barak-8 MRSAMs (Medium Range Surface to Air missiles) are of Israeli origin. The MRSAM is manufactured under license in India.

IIOJK

8.      Indian Police Arrest 4 Kashmiris Including Woman in UP. Indian police arrested four innocent people from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including a woman, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to adjoining Ayodhya.     

9.      Authorities Also Impose Ban on Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in IIOJK. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah in a post on the social media platform “X” said the organization is involved in the prohibited activities of secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India and is involved in the prohibited activities of establishing Islamic rule.

Afghanistan

10.     Afghan Forces Capacity Increased from 150,000 to Over 200,000 Personnel. The Afghan Ministry of Interior’s spokesman, Abdul Matin Qani, said that the capacity of the ministry has increased from 150,000 to more than 200,000 personnel and that all forces and personnel have been enrolled based on the needs in civilian and military departments.

11.     UN Security Council Adopts Resolution on Afghanistan. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution co-penned by the UAE and Japan that focuses on a path for Afghanistan's reintegration into the international community referencing the recently completed independent assessment on Afghanistan.

Middle East/Africa

12.     Netanyahu Says Israel Must Control Gaza's Border with Egypt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retake control of the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, expanding Israel's mission to neutralize Hamas in a conflict it says it expects to last for months.

13.     US Military Claims Sinking Houthi Boats That Attacked Maersk Container Ship in Red Sea. The United States said it destroyed anti-ship missiles and boats operated by Yemen’s Houthi militia after a failed attempt by the Iran-backed group to board a container ship in the Red Sea.

Iran

14.     UK Foreign Minister: Iran Shares Responsibility to Prevent Houthi Attacks in Red Sea.  Britain’s foreign minister said that he told his Iranian counterpart that Tehran shares responsibility for preventing attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.

15.     US, European Allies Jointly Urge Iran to Halt Nuclear Ambitions. The governments of the US, France, Germany, and the UK in a statement jointly condemned Iran, urging the country’s leadership to abandon its nuclear ambitions. This joint rebuke follows a recently published report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicating an acceleration in the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment program.

Security

16.     India Formally Asks Pakistan to Extradite Hafiz Saeed. India has formally requested that Pakistan extradite the 2008 Mumbai attacks suspect Hafiz Saeed for trial in India, according to New Delhi’s Ministry of External Affairs. 

17.     Five Terrorists Killed in North Waziristan Operation: ISPR. Five terrorists, including a commander, were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) carried out by security forces in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district, the military said.

Economy

18.     Pakistan Earned Over $892m from IT Services’ Export in 4 Months: PBS. Pakistan earned US $892.972 million by providing different Information Technology (IT) services to various countries during the first four months of the current fiscal year 2023-24.

Politics

19.     Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Convoy Comes Under Gun Attack. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s convoy came under gun attack in DI Khan.

20.     ROs Disqualify PTI as Scrutiny Concludes. The returning officers (ROs) concluded the scrutiny of nomination papers, stumping majority of the PTI candidates across the country by detecting errors in their papers and clearing all those whom some might have thought would fail the scrutiny test.