Daily News Brief
May 23, 2024 (Thursday)
GLOBAL
Asia Pacific
1. China, Qatar
Agree to Promote Military Cooperation. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Qatar's Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed Al
Attiyah in Beijing, with the two sides pledging to further promote military
cooperation.
2. DPRK Leader
Announced Intention to Enhance Strategic Role of North Korea's Nuclear Forces
by 2025. North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un said that North Korea will strive to increase the strategic
role of its nuclear forces by 2025 in accordance with the plan of the Central
Military Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Russia/Europe/West
3. Billions
from Russia's Frozen Assets Will Go to Help Ukraine's Military, the EU Says. The European Union will use as much as $3.25
billion in profits from Russian sovereign assets, frozen by sanctions due to
Russia's war on Ukraine, to fund Ukraine and its military.
4. China Takes
Measures Against 12 U.S. Military-Linked Firms. China said it had taken measures against 12
companies involved in the U.S. military-industrial complex and their senior
executives, in response to the U.S. arming of Taiwan and sanctions on Chinese
companies.
REGIONAL
India/South Asia
5. India’s
Wealth Gap Widens as Billionaires Flourish Amidst Widespread Poverty: Report. Experts say that the Modi government is
obstructing efforts to accurately measure poverty levels by cherrypicking the
release of critical data and surveys and failing to address the chronic lack of
secure jobs for the almost 1 billion Indians.
IIOJK
6. Scrapping of
Article 370 Reversible: Omar Abdullah. In a media interview in Srinagar, National Conference vice president
Omar Abdullah pointed out that three previous judgments challenging Article 370
were upheld by the Supreme Court in the past, and maybe in the future, a bench
will reverse the latest apex court judgment.
Afghanistan
7. Taliban
Convenes Security Meeting in Kandahar Following Blast. In response to a recent explosion in Kandahar
that caused the death of one group member and injuries to three others, the
Taliban governor’s office has announced a meeting aimed at bolstering security.
Middle
East/Africa
8. Ireland, Norway and Spain to Recognise Palestine as
Independent State. Ireland, Spain
and Norway have announced they will recognise a Palestinian state as Israel
accused the nations of “rewarding” Hamas for its brutal attack on 7 October.
Iran
9. Dignitaries
from Over 50 Countries in Tehran for Funeral of Raeisi, Companions. Dignitaries
from dozens of countries have arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran to take
part in funeral ceremonies held for late President Ebrahim Raeisi and
companions who were martyred in a helicopter crash northwest of the country
over the weekend.
INTERNAL
Security
10. Sindh
Rangers Raid CTD Office, Recover Abduct Citizen. Pakistan Rangers Sindh conducted a raid at the
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Civil Lines office and recovered the
civilian who was kidnapped on 19 May.
Economy
11. Stagflation
Keeps Growth Low at 2.4%.
Pakistan’s economy remained in stagflation for the second consecutive year,
growing by 2.4% amidst a 26% inflation rate and high poverty during the
outgoing fiscal year, an outcome reflecting harsh ground realities that
compelled the government to slow down the economic wheel.
Politics
12. PTI leader Hammad Azhar Reappears on Public Scene after Almost a Year in Hiding. “I received a message from Imran Khan last night after the attack on Rauf Hassan. He directed that it is now time for me to join the party leadership,” former finance minister Hammad Azhar said in a brief interaction with media personnel after showing up at the party central secretariat in Islamabad.
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