Daily News Brief

 

January 9, 2024 (Tuesday)

Asia Pacific

1.       Philippines Working with Hackers Against State-Backed Cyberattacks. The Philippine government is employing hackers to counter an increase in state-sponsored cyberattacks, according to an official.

2.       China Accuses Britain Foreign Consulting Agency Head of Spying. The Ministry of State Security said in a WeChat post that Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service - also known as MI6 - used a foreign national with the surname Huang to establish an “intelligence cooperation relationship”.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       Ukraine Says Downed 18 of 51 Missiles in ‘Massive’ Russian Air Attack. Ukraine said Monday it was targeted by 51 Russian missiles in a “massive” air attack overnight, 18 of which were shot down by its air defenses.

4.       Germany Ready to Sell Eurofighter Jets to Saudi Arabia. Germany is ready to allow sales of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, having for years blocked arms deals with the Gulf kingdom.

India/South Asia

5.       India Court Quashes Early Release of Men in Muslim Woman's Gang-Rape. India's top court quashed the early release of 11 Hindu men who had been jailed for life for gang-raping a pregnant Muslim woman and murdering her relatives during Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat state in 2002, a lawyer in the case said.

6.       Indian Ocean Region security among Rajnath Singh's UK visit. India and the UK propose to further consolidate their strategic ties during defence minister Rajnath Singh's visit to London this week, with enhancing security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and defence-industrial collaboration proposals in fighter jet engines and electric propulsion for warships figuring high on the bilateral agenda.

7.       Sheikh Hasina Wins Fifth Term in Bangladesh Amid Turnout Controversy. Sheikh Hasina has secured her fifth term as Bangladeshi prime minister in an election whose outcome was decided the moment its schedule was announced in early November when the main opposition boycotted the poll.

IIOJK

8.       Indian Troops Continue Violent CASOs in IIOJK. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops conducted the operations in name of so-called suspicious movements in different areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts since 21 December 2023.     

9.       Kashmiris Call for Settlement of Kashmir Dispute Within UN Framework. Civil society, political and legal experts including Academic Research on Kashmir, Institute of Kashmir political Studies, Research Institute of Kashmir Awareness and Documentation centre in Srinagar talking to media men said that UN had acknowledged the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination in its more than a dozen resolutions, particularly the one passed on 5 Jan 49.

Afghanistan

10.      3,000 Anti-Terrorist Operations Conducted in 2023: Islamic Emirate. The Ministry of Interior said that in 2023, it conducted nearly 3,000 operations to suppress terrorist groups and armed individuals in the country.

11.      Islamic Emirate’s PM Meets Pakistan’s Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman. The Islamic Emirate’s Prime Minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, received the Pakistani delegation led by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the leader of Pakistan's Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, the Arg said in a statement.

Middle East/Africa

12.      Israeli Strike on Lebanon Kills Senior Commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, three security sources told Reuters.

13.      Western Allies Seek Rapid End to Gaza War. The United States and its allies in the Group of Seven are seeking a quick way out of the military phase of the Gaza conflict, Italy said, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his EU and German counterparts toured the region.

Iran

14.      Iran Seeks Quick Resolution of Issues Preventing Umrah Pilgrimage.  Iran hopes technical problems preventing Iranian Muslims from making the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will soon be resolved, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

15.      US Sent Iran Message Offering Major Settlement to End Regional Tension: Tehran Envoy. The Iranian Ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, said that the US sent a message to Tehran through a Gulf delegation to solve the problem in the region and not just for a partial settlement of the conflict.

PAKISTAN

Security

16.      Pakistan Rejects ‘Country of Particular Concern’ Designation by US. Pakistan categorically rejected its designation as “a country of particular concern” by the United States State Department, calling it “detached from ground realities”. 

17.      Blast in Pakistan Kills Five Police Officers During Polio Vaccination Drive. At least five police officers have been killed and nearly two dozen others wounded after an explosive device targeted their vehicle during a polio vaccination drive in Bajaur.

Economy

18.      Govt to Ensure Uninterrupted Power Supply to Karachi: PM Kakar. Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that the government, in collaboration with K-Electric, would ensure an uninterrupted power supply to Karachi to meet its needs.

19.      Govt’s Record Bank Borrowing in FY24 Sparks Economic Concerns. The recent data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) unveils that government borrowing from banks in the current fiscal year (FY24) has skyrocketed sevenfold, reaching the total borrowed in the entire FY23. These worrying figures indicate potential economic challenges as the government grapples with an unprecedented surge in borrowing.

Politics

20.      Supreme Court Annuls Lifetime Disqualification for Lawmakers. A seven-member larger bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Musarrat Hilali heard the case. Justice Yahya Afridi dissented from the reserved verdict.