Daily News Brief

 

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May 16, 2024 (Thursday)

GLOBAL

Asia Pacific

1.       US Delegation to Attend Taiwan Inauguration as China Tensions Flare. President Joe Biden will dispatch former U.S. officials to Taiwan as its new president takes office, a show of support for the island calibrated to avoid enraging Beijing.

2.       China Responds to US and Taiwan's Secret Naval Training in Pacific. China has issued a strong protest and an ominous warning after news broke that the U.S. and Taiwan had recently conducted joint naval drills in secret.

Russia/Europe/West

3.       Russia Escalates the War in Ukraine, Aiming to Complicate Kyiv’s Defence. Russia escalated its aggressive war in Ukraine psychologically, tactically and economically in the past week, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted, “it’s a challenging moment”.

4.       China Sets Out to Strengthen 'No Limits' Friendship with Russia as Vladimir Putin Visits Xi Jinping. Russia has signified ongoing good relations with China as President Vladimir Putin embarks of the first state visit of his fifth term to Beijing.

REGIONAL

India/South Asia

5.       Rajnath Singh Announces Commencement of Work on India's Third Aircraft Carrier, Plans for Further Expansion. India is gearing up to commence the construction of its third aircraft carrier, announced Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an interview with the new carrier to be comparable in size to the INS Vikrant    

IIOJK

6.       Indian Troops Conduct Massive Search Operation in Kathua. According to Kashmir Media Service, the search operation was launched on the pretext of reports about presence of armed individuals. Indian army and police personnel are conducting thorough searches in the forest area.

Afghanistan

7.       Helicopter Crash in Ghor Leaves One Dead, 12 Injured. The Afghan Defense Ministry's statement said that the MI 17 helicopter had traveled from Herat to Ghor to remove the bodies of flood victims but was forced to make an emergency landing due to a technical issue.

Middle East/Africa

8.       EU Urges Israel to 'Immediately' End Military Operation in Rafah. The European Union (EU) urged Israel to end its military operation in Rafah "immediately," stressing that continued military operation would "inevitably put a heavy strain" on its relationship with Israel.

Iran

9.       Iran's Culture Minister Calls for Strengthening Cultural Ties with SCO Member States.  Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili made the remarks during the 21st Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was held online at the Tehran International Book Fair.

INTERNAL

Security

10.      Pakistan Conducts Successful Training Launch of Rocket System Capable of Engaging ‘Deep Targets’. Pakistan Army successfully conducted the training launch of the Fatah-II Guided Rocket System capable of engaging “deep targets” with high precision, a statement from the army’s media wing said, adding it can defeat any defense system.

Economy

11.      IMF ‘Asks’ Pakistan for Privatisation of National Entities. The IMF mission during talks expressed ‘concern’ over the increasing losses of the government-owned entities and summoned a fresh report regarding current losses, Pakistani media quoted sources.

Politics

12.      PTI Founder Gets Bail in £190m Case. A two-member bench, comprising IHC CJ Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, reserved the verdict a day ago after the completion of arguments.