Daily News Brief

 

January 26, 2024 (Friday)

Asia Pacific

1.       North Korea Says Tested New Type of Cruise Missile with Nuclear Capability. North Korea has said it conducted its first test of a new-generation cruise missile, as it continues to expand its military capabilities.   

2.       Philippines, Vietnam to Sign Coast Guard Deal. The Philippines and Vietnam will agree to boost coast guard cooperation during a visit to Hanoi next week by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., officials said, a move that risks angering China.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       Biden Urges US Congress to Approve F-16 Sale to Turkey. US President Joe Biden sent a letter to leaders of key Capitol Hill committees informing them of his intention to begin the formal notification process for the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Turkiye once Ankara completes Sweden’s NATO accession process.

4.       NATO Kicks Off Largest Military Exercise in Decades. NATO began its biggest military exercise since the Cold War with a US warship leaving the United States for transit across the Atlantic to alliance territory in Europe.

India/South Asia

5.       Manipur Violence Engulfs Indian Army, Six Injured after Kuki Soldier Opens Fire on Colleagues. In what believed as Manipur violence has engulfed Indian army as well, a soldier from Kuki tribe committed suicide after opening fire on colleagues injuring six of them in the state.

6.       India Has Not Told Defence Personnel to Pull Out from Maldives: IN Chief. India's government has not told its defence personnel to pull out from Maldives following a request from Male, Indian Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar told broadcaster CNN-News 18.

7.       ‘India Out’ Drive Gains Momentum in Bangladesh over Interference in Internal Matters. In yet another significant development after the Maldives, Bangladesh is also witnessing a surge in the ‘India Out’ campaign, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), over blatant interference by India in the country’s internal affairs and politics.

IIOJK

8.       Heavy Presence of Indian Troops Badly Affecting Students’ Education in IIOJK. A report released by the Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Day of Educationsaid India is denying all fundamental freedoms including the right to education to the people of occupied Kashmir.        

9.       Indian Northern Army Commander Visits Poonch. Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi visited troops in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and was briefed about a new methodology being adopted to strengthen the area's security.

Afghanistan

10.      Uzbek and Pakistani Officials Discuss Afghanistan. The President of Uzbekistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, discussed the situation in Afghanistan at a meeting with Asif Durrani, Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan.

11.      Deportation of 'Illegal' Afghan Refugees Continues. Illegal Afghan deportation has been continued as another 692 Afghans returned to Afghanistan. During the campaign to expel the illegal residents from the country, a total of 474,956 Afghans living illegally in Pakistan have returned to their country.

Middle East/Africa

12.      Israeli Aggression on Gaza’s Khan Yunis after Deadly Shelling Hits UN Shelter. Israeli aggression that included air strikes and ground operations were focused on the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, where the UN said nine people were killed by tank shelling at one of its shelters the day before.

13.      UK and US Sanction Senior Houthis over Red Sea Shipping Attacks. Britain and the United States said they had sanctioned four senior Houthi officials for their roles in supporting or directing attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Iran

14.      Iran and Niger Sign Economic and Health Cooperation Agreements.  Iran and Niger have taken a step forward in strengthening their bilateral relations with the signing of two agreements focused on economic, political, and health sector cooperation.

15.      Turkey, Iran Agree on Need for Regional Stability. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he and his Iranian counterpart have agreed to avoid steps that could threaten Middle East stability, during a visit to Ankara by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.

PAKISTAN

Security

16.      India Carrying Out Target Killings in Pakistan. In a startling revelation, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary, Syrus Sajjad Qazi, disclosed that India was involved in recent target killing incidents within the country. Qazi asserted that evidence, including financial transactions and confessions from the perpetrators, pointed to the involvement of Indian citizens in orchestrating the murders.

17.      Police Neutralize Two Terrorists in Intense Bannu Encounter. In a significant development, Bannu police, in collaboration with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), engaged in a fierce encounter resulting in the death of two terrorists in the Mandan police station limits.

Economy

18.      Ready to Upgrade CPEC: Beijing. China has said it is ready to work with Pakistan to upgrade the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.

19.      E&P Firms to Invest $33m for Oil, Gas Search. Exploration and production (E&P) companies are poised to invest $33.3 million over the next three years in eight blocks to search for hydrocarbon reserves in an attempt to overcome the energy crisis in the country.

Politics

20.      Pakistan Raises Issue of Ram Temple Consecration at OIC Ambassadors’ Meeting. Pakistan has used the platform of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to reiterate its condemnation of India’s consecration of a grand temple to the Hindu god Lord Ram on a site believed to be his birthplace but where a 16th century mosque was demolished in 1992 in the Indian city of Ayodhya.