Daily News Brief
March 14, 2024 (Thursday)
Asia Pacific
1. China, NATO
Hold Security Dialogue in Beijing.
China and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held their eighth
security policy dialogue in Beijing, according to a statement released by
China's Defense Ministry.
2. Japan to
Relax Export Curbs to Allow Overseas Sales of Joint Jet Fighter. Japan will tweak its military equipment
transfer rules to allow exports of the jet fighter it is developing with
Britain and Italy, the country's leader said, removing an obstacle that could
have stymied the project.
Russia/Europe/West
3. Putin Warns Russia is Ready to Use Nuclear
Weapons if Sovereignty Threatened.
President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if
its sovereignty or independence is threatened, issuing another blunt warning to
the West just days ahead of an election in which he’s all but certain to win
another six-year term.
4. Finnish
Leader Says Russia is Preparing for ‘Long Conflict with the West’. Finnish
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that Russia was gearing up for a “long
conflict with the West” and he asked for more spending and coordination on
European defence.
REGIONAL
India/South Asia
5. Protests
Erupt Across India Against Anti-Muslim Citizenship Law. According to Kashmir Media Service, Narendra
Modi government faces backlash as demonstrations broke out in various states,
including Assam and Tamil Nadu, just days before a general election is
announced.
6. India’s Modi
Government Rushes to Regulate AI Ahead of National Elections. The Indian government has asked tech companies
to seek its explicit nod before publicly launching “unreliable” or
“under-tested” generative AI models or tools. It has also warned companies that
their AI products should not generate responses that “threaten the integrity of
the electoral process” as the country gears up for a national vote.
7. China Says Military Delegation Visited Maldives,
Sri Lanka and Nepal. A Chinese military delegation recently visited the
Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal to discuss further cooperation in defence issues,
Beijing said as Beijing seeks to build closer ties in South Asia in a push to
counter India for influence.
IIOJK
8. Modi Govt Bans Nayeem Khan Led National Front in
IIOJK. As part of its attempts to subdue the voice of
people in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP-led Indian government has now
banned the Jammu Kashmir National Front led by incarcerated senior APHC leader
Nayeem Ahmad Khan.
9. India Deploys Advanced Anti-Drone Systems Along LoC
in Poonch & Rajouri.
In what appears to be an unprovoked escalation in tensions with Pakistan, India
has deployed sophisticated anti-drone systems along the Line of Control (LoC)
in Poonch and Rajouri districts of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Afghanistan
10. Kandahar
Governor, Pakistani Diplomat Discuss Durand Line.
Obaid Rahman Nizamani, the head of the Pakistan
diplomatic mission in Kabul, on his visit to Kandahar engaged in discussions on
the Durand Line with Mullah Shirin Akhund, the governor of Kandahar province,
who also serves as the head of the committee tasked with resolving Durand Line
issues.
11. At Least 60 Afghans Killed by Weeks of Intense Snow,
Rain. At least 60 people have been
killed by heavy rain and snow in Afghanistan over the past three weeks, the
government’s disaster ministry said.
Middle
East/Africa
12. Israeli Forces Launch Deadly Raids in Occupied West
Bank. Israeli forces have killed
at least four people, including two minors, in raids on multiple locations in
the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials reported.
13. Greek
Military Ship Shoots at Two Drones in the Red Sea.
A Greek
military vessel serving in the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea
has shot at two drones and pushed them back, a Greek Defense Staff official
said.
Iran
14. Iran Says
Export of Defense Equipment Up by 5 Times. “The
export of defense products has also increased by about four to five times
compared to the last two years, and it will increase in the future following
innovations that are being made and the weapons that we are seeking to
manufacture,” the Iranian defense minister Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza
Ashtiani said.
15. Iran-Turkey
Joint Chamber to Hold Annual General Assembly in Mid-April. Presenting reports on the performance of the
board of directors over the past three years, approving balance sheets and
financial statements, and presenting and approving the annual budget of the
chamber are among the programs scheduled for the general assembly.
INTERNAL
Security
16. CTD Arrests
Terrorist in Sahiwal IBO.
CTD officials stated that the arrested terrorist of the banned organization was
identified as Azam Gul and a resident of Landi Kotal Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
17. 2 Sindh CTD Personnel Suspended over ‘Abduction,
Harassment’ of Newspaper Reporter. Two
personnel of the Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) were suspended over
charges of kidnapping and harassment of Daily Jang reporter Mohammed Nadeem the
previous afternoon.
Economy
18. Second
Review of SBA with IMF to Begin from 14 Mar: Ministry of Finance. The second review of the Stand-By Arrangement
(SBA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to commence from 14-18
March, 2024 in Islamabad, said the Ministry of Finance in a statement.
19. Car Sales
Drop 8% Amid Economic Strain.
Car sales dropped to 9,709 units, marking an 8% decline on a month-on-month
basis due to factors such as rising car prices, expensive auto financing, and
consumers’ low purchasing power, according to data reported by the Pakistan
Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA), compiled and shared by Topline
Securities.
Politics
20. PM Shehbaz Assured Facilitation on Meeting with Imran Khan: CM Gandapur. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured him of facilitating his meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
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