Daily News Brief

 

February 2, 2024 (Friday)

Asia Pacific

1.       US, Japan Conduct Joint Naval Drills. The US and Japanese navies held joint exercises in the Philippine Sea this week, in a show of force as tensions with China and North Korea rise.

2.       Myanmar Military Extends State of Emergency. Speaking on state television, Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing, who took over on 1 February 2021, said the military would do “whatever it takes to return the state to stability” amid unprecedented advances by an alliance of anti-coup forces and ethnic armed groups.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       EU Strikes $54 Billion Deal with Hungary’s Viktor Orban in Ukraine Aid Deal. EU leaders struck a deal with Viktor Orban to get 50 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine, overcoming the Hungarian leader’s veto with surprising speed at a crunch summit in Brussels.

4.       Russian Oil Flows Through Red Sea Still Face Lower Risks. Tankers carrying Russian oil have continued sailing through the Red Sea largely uninterrupted by Houthi attacks on shipping and face lower risks than competitors, according to shipping executives, analysts and flows data.

India/South Asia

5.       Centuries-Old Mosque Torn Down in Indian Capital. Bulldozers have knocked down a centuries-old mosque in India’s capital, a member of the mosque’s managing committee said during a demolition drive to remove “illegal” structures from a forest reserve.

6.       India’s NCRB Report Reveals Alarming Rise in Communal Riots. India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has revealed an alarming uptick in communal riots during 2022 across India, with Maharashtra state taking the lead.

7.       Indian Navy to Commission Survey Vessel ‘Sandhayak’. The Indian Navy is all set to commission its latest survey vessel ‘Sandhayak’ at the naval dockyard, Vizag in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar.

IIOJK

8.       Indian State Terrorism in IIOJK Increased During BJP Rule. An analytical report released by Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, revealed that Indian troops martyred 2152 Kashmiris, 305 of them in custody and fake encounters, since January 2015 till date. Prominent Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai and Altaf Ahmed Shah died in Indian captivity during the period.

9.       IIOJK Apple Traders Face Losses Due to Price Drop. According to Kashmir Media Service, the growers from different areas said apples fetched good returns earlier but now rates have dipped with some 10 per cent of the produce yet to reach mandis from Controlled Atmosphere (CA) Storages.

Afghanistan

10.      Taliban Reject UN Team’s Report on Al-Qaeda Camps in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s Taliban government rejected a recent UN Security Council report claiming that new Al-Qaeda training centers have been established on its soil.

11.      US Reacts to China’s Relations with Islamic Emirate. Addressing a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the relationship of the “Taliban” with the international community depends entirely on their actions.

Middle East/Africa

12.      Hamas Head Due in Cairo for Truce Talks. The leader of Hamas was expected in Cairo for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza, as Israel kept up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.

13.      South Africa Says Israel is Ignoring UN Court Ruling of Prevent Deaths in Gaza. Israel has ignored the ruling by the U.N.'s top court last week by killing hundreds more civilians in a matter of days in Gaza, South Africa’s foreign minister said. Additionally, she asked why an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been issued in a case South Africa filed at the separate International Criminal Court (ICC).

Iran

14.      US Approves Multi-Day Strikes against Iran-Linked Targets in Iraq, Syria: Report.  The United States has approved plans for multi-day strikes in Iraq and Syria against multiple targets, including Iranian personnel and facilities, CBS News reported, citing US officials.

15.      Tehran Repatriates Bodies of Nine Pakistanis Killed by Unknown Gunmen in Iran. Tehran handed over the bodies of the slain men at the Taftan border crossing, local government administrator Waqar Kakar said. He said the bodies were being flown to the city of Multan and will be sent from there to their hometowns.

PAKISTAN

Security

16.      At Least One Killed as Multiple Explosions Rock Balochistan. At least one person was killed and five others were injured in separate attacks in Balochistan as the province experiences an upsurge in violence in the run-up to polls scheduled for 8 February.

17.      KP Political Figures Receive Threats Ahead of Elections. According to the Counter Terrorism Department, 15 politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have received threats from terrorists.

Economy

18.      SBP-Held Foreign Exchange Reserves Decrease $54mn. Foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decreased by $54 million on a weekly basis, clocking in at $8.22 billion as of 26 Jan, data released showed.

19.      Inflation Clocks in at 28.3pc in January. Inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), surged by 28.3 per cent year-on-year in January, according to data released from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

Politics

20.      Polls on 8 Feb ‘Come What May’: Interior Minister. Following a pivotal meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the security concerns in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Caretaker Interior Minister Dr Gohar Ejaz said that the elections would be held on 8 February “come what may.”