Daily News Brief

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May 22, 2024 (Wednesday)

GLOBAL.

Asia Pacific

1.       China Training Troops to Attack with, Evade, or Kill FPV Drones. Footage released by Chinese official news channels shows what appears to be People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers training to counter first-person view (FPV) drones.

2.       China and South Africa Agree to Strengthen Military Ties Amid Fresh Visits. South Africa and China enjoy close military ties, and will continue to strengthen bilateral defence relations, with South Africa’s naval chief currently visiting Beijing, and a Chinese navy frigate visiting Cape Town.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       Russia Starts Tactical Nuclear Drills to Answer West's 'Threats'. Russia announced the start of tactical nuclear weapons drills in its southern military district, close to Ukraine, in what it said was a response to "threats" by the West.

4.       Germany’s Foreign Minister Says in Kyiv that Air Defenses are an ‘Absolute Priority’ for Ukraine. Sending air defense systems to Ukraine to help protect it from Russian cruise missiles, rockets and drones is an “absolute priority,” Germany’s foreign minister said in Kyiv after visiting a local power plant that was largely reduced to ruins by a recent barrage.

REGIONAL

India/South Asia

5.       ‘Now, No One Dares to Offer Namaz on UP Roads: Yogi Adityanath. A human rights advocacy group, Law and Policy Research Institute (LPRI), based in Bengaluru, has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath against the inflammatory speeches targeting the Muslim community during an election rally in Palghar, Maharashtra.    

IIOJK

6.       34 Years On, Victims of Hawal Massacre Still Await Justice. On 21 May 1990, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq’s martyrdom shook the territory, triggering an outpouring of grief as thousands gathered in Srinagar’s Hawal area for his funeral upon whom Indian troops unleashed indiscriminate gunfire, leaving 72 Kashmiris dead and over 200 injured.

Afghanistan

7.       Turkish Airlines Resumes Flights to Afghanistan Nearly 3 Years after the Taliban Captured Kabul. Afghanistan’s Taliban government confirmed the resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Kabul’s international airport, nearly three years after the carrier’s services were suspended following the collapse of the Western-backed government.

Middle East/Africa

8.       Israeli Officials Seize AP Equipment, Stop Live Feed of Gaza, Citing Media Law. Israeli authorities seized equipment from The Associated Press and shut down the news outlet’s live feed of Gaza, citing a new law about foreign media.

Iran

9.       Funerals Begin for Iran President, Other Officials.  The Iranian government began funeral proceedings for its late president, foreign minister and other officials killed in a helicopter crash, as the country attempts to regain footing after the deaths left the Islamic Republic with an uncertain future.

INTERNAL

Security

10.      Nothing Against Agencies, Only Against Them Operating Extrajudicially: IHC. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) clarified that there was nothing against the intelligence agencies, only against them operating extrajudicially, adding that they should only play a supporting role for the investigative arm of law enforcement.

Economy

11.      At SCO Foreign Ministers Moot, FM Dar Highlights Pakistan’s Location as Trade and Transit Hub. Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, addressed a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers in Kazakhstan, where he highlighted Pakistan’s geostrategic location as a trade and transit hub, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

Politics

12.      PTI Spokesperson Raoof Hasan Injured in Islamabad Attack. PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan was injured in an attack in Islamabad with Islamabad Police stating he was attacked with a sharp edged weapon.