Daily News Brief

 January 3, 2024 (Wednesday)

Asia Pacific

1.       Japan Finishes SH-60L Naval Combat Helicopter Development. The SH-60L, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is set to become one of the JMSDF’s most state-of-the-art anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare choppers.

2.       Kim Jong Un Orders End to Communist Diplomacy to Reunify Korean Peninsula. North Korea will scrap its efforts to reunify the Korean Peninsula due to South Korea’s “collusion with foreign forces,” the country’s state-run news agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the five-day, end-of-year ruling party plenary meeting in Pyongyang last week made a “decisive policy change” toward South Korea.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       Ukrainian Missiles Target Russia’s Belgorod Region. One man was killed and seven people were wounded in a Ukrainian attack on the city and region of Belgorod, near Russia’s border with Ukraine, the Defense Ministry and regional officials said.

4.      Ukraine Receives Tactical Vehicles from Japan. Ukraine has taken delivery of several tactical vehicles from Japan to support its ground operations against Russian forces. According to the Japanese Embassy in Ukraine, the unnamed vehicles were handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces late last year.

India/South Asia

5.       India-Made Ammunition Being Used by Ukraine Against Russia. According to Kashmir Media Service, the images of the ammunition released by Ukraine from inside AHS Krab Self Propelled Howitzer, closely resemble products manufactured by Munitions India Limited, suggesting a potential connection.

6.       Indian Navy Plagued by Accidents, Raising Concerns About Safety, Competence. According to a report by India Today, the navy has suffered a staggering 26 major accidents over the past few years, translating to roughly one warship lost every five years and one trained officer or sailor killed every two years due to negligence.

7.       Bangladesh Convicts Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus in Labour Law Case. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws in a case decried by his supporters as politically motivated.

IIOJK

8.       Indian Army Gets 50 Armado Vehicles for IIOJK Operations. In contravention to its own normalcy propaganda, the Narendra Modi-led Indian government is equipping its army with specially designed bullet-proof Light Specialist Vehicles (ALSVs) to suppress the ongoing freedom movement in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.     

9.       Modi Regime Sanctions Creation of Finger Print Bureau to Curb Freedom Sentiments in IIOJK. The Modi government has approved the establishment of the Finger Print Bureau in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir for screening and profiling the Kashmiri population as part of its designs to suppress the freedom sentiments in the territory.

Afghanistan

10.      Taliban Chief’s Top Aide Arriving Tomorrow. The Afghan interim government is striving to mend ties with Pakistan concerning the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a close aide of the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader prepares for critical discussions with authorities in Islamabad.

11.      Nearly 15,000 Counter-Narcotics Operations in 2023: Taliban. The Afghan Ministry of Interior said that nearly 15,000 counter-narcotics operations were conducted in 2023, during which the security forces seized around 8,200 tons of narcotics.

Middle East/Africa

12.      Israeli Army Launches Attacks on Targets in Syria and Lebanon. Israel has launched attacks on positions in Syria and Lebanon, as part of its ongoing campaign against opposing militaries and armed forces in the Middle East.

13.      Saudi Arabia Officially Joins BRICS Bloc. The BRICs bloc previously included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but is set to double with Saudi Arabia joining the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia as new members.

Iran

14.      Iran Hangs Nine Convicted Drug Traffickers: State Media.  Iran has hanged nine convicted drug traffickers in recent days, state media reported, as it keeps up one of the world’s highest rates of execution.

15.      Iran’s Raisi Set to Visit Türkiye Amid Red Sea Tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to meet visiting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Ankara. The long-delayed visit makes Raisi Erdoğan’s first guest head of state this year. It comes at a time of tensions between the West and Iran over the latter’s stance on heating the Red Sea.

PAKISTAN

Security

16.      Four Terrorists Gunned Down in North Waziristan IBO: ISPR. Security forces gunned down four terrorists in an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. 

17.      Pakistan Arrests Members of Outlawed Militant Groups. Pakistani authorities announced that they had arrested 21 members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups in eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks.

Economy

18.      Pakistan’s Trade Deficit Shrinks Over 34%. Pakistan’s trade deficit shrank 34.29% to $11.15 billion in 6MFY24 on account of a significant reduction in imports, a consequence of administratively controlled measures, and a marginal improvement in exports.

19.      Pakistan’s Exports to China Up by 39.44pc in 5 Months. Pakistan’s export of goods and services to China witnessed an increase of 39.44 per cent during the first five months of the current fiscal year (2023-24) as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported.

Politics

20.      FM Jilani Says US-Pakistan Relationship Gaining Momentum. Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani spoke with US Ambassador Donald Blome and stressed that the two sides should “continue to build on the recent exchanges and the momentum gained in bilateral ties”.