UN Appeals for Nearly $1 Billion to Aid Rohingya Refugees
GENEVA | United Nations aid agencies are appealing for more than $950 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance this year for 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi communities hosting them in Cox’s Bazar. Nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees live in substandard, overcrowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar. More than 670,000 of them have fled to Bangladesh since August to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar. These refugees are on top of more than 200,000 Rohingyas who arrived during previous influxes.
They and 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis are in urgent need of life-saving food, clean water and sanitation, shelter, health care and other relief. The United Nations reports more than 150,000 refugees, more than half of them children, are at risk of landslides and floods from impending monsoon rains and potential cyclones.
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said preparations are underway to mitigate what could be a disaster in addition to the prevailing emergency. He said aid agencies are pre-positioning food and other relief items, as well as reinforcing fragile shelters. “It is about developing 500 acres of land additional land that has been made available by Bangladesh, building bridges and roads, relocating the tens of thousands of people that are most exposed,” Grandi said.
High Commissioner Grandi said the solution to this complex crisis lies with Myanmar. He says the refugees have a right to return home to northern Rakhine State, but only under certain conditions. “The one fundamental right is that to gain their citizenship. You know very well that we consider these people not only refugees, but stateless because they have been denied citizenship” Grandi said. “But, also other sets of rights right of movement, right of access to services. All that they did not enjoy needs to be given for these people to be able to go back in a sustainable in a safe and sustainable manner.”
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US trainers in Afghanistan to offer new type of training to local troops
WASHINGTON ( March 5) : A brigade of seasoned American soldiers has arrived in Afghanistan in recent days on a much-trumpeted mission to offer a new type of training as well as motivation to beleaguered Afghan partners. Pentagon officials hope the deployment of hundreds of battle-hardened, expert troops across the country will help turn the tide in the war, but Afghanistan watchers are sceptical about how much difference they can make in the 16-year-old conflict. Most of the troops in the so-called Security Force Assistance Brigade, or SFAB, have multiple Afghanistan combat deployments under their belts, speak some level of Pashto or Dari and after having themselves undergone special training have now volunteered to return.
“They are coming here because they are passionate about the mission,” Navy Captain Tom Gresback, a spokesman for Nato’s Resolute Support mission in Kabul, said. ‘Courtesy Dawn Karachi’
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Afghan Air Force Getting New Hellfire-Shooting Planes; More Air strikes Coming
By PAUL MCLEARY : March 13, 2018 | WASHINGTON: The Afghan Air Force is about to get a powerful new weapon in what is shaping up to be a bloody year in the 17-year-old war against the Taliban. The U.S. Air Force announced an $86 million deal with an American defense contractor Orbital ATK to supply single-engine, turboprop AC-208 airplanes to the Kabul government. The aircraft dubbed the Eliminator are designed to deploy with precision-guided munitions and surveillance systems, making them purpose-built for hunting down small groups of insurgent fighters.
Equipped to carry four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and two 70mm rocket pods capable of carrying a variety of precision rockets, the Eliminator will head into the fight alongside the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft that Afghan pilots already operate, allowing the two planes to team up while allowing the pilots to be in contact with the thousands of American troops freshly deployed to the war to help the government push back against two years of insurgent gains, in part by helping guide bombs onto targets.
Small aircraft like the Afghan air force’s 12 A-29s they’ll have 25 in the coming years and the AC-208 are likely to be highly valuable in this kind of fight, given their slow speeds, new communications gear, and precision munitions allowing them to identify and single out targets in a confused landscape.
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3 killed, 9 injured in Herat mosque suicide attack
HERAT CITY (Mar 25, 2018) Three people were killed and nine others were injured in a blast inside the Nabi Akram Mosque in western Herat province. Aminullah Amin, deputy police chief, said one individual was killed and seven others were wounded in the suicide blast. He said two suicide bombers wanted to enter the mosque but they were identified by the mosque guards who put resistance. One of the bombers detonated his explosives and the second one was shot dead by the guards. Daesh or Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
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At least 33 dead in Kabul suicide bombing claimed by Daesh
The Associated Press |Mar 21, 2018 | A Daesh suicide bomber struck on the road to a Shiite shrine in Afghanistan’s capital, killing at least 33 and wounded 65 people as Afghans celebrated the Persian new year. The Persian new year, known in Afghanistan as Nowruz, is a national holiday, and the country’s minority Shiites typically celebrate by visiting shrines. The Sunni extremists of Daesh have repeatedly targeted Shiites, who they view as apostates deserving of death. The attack took place near Kabul University and a government hospital, about a kilometre from the Sakhi shrine, where people were gathered to celebrate the new year, said Gen. Daud Amin, Kabul’s police chief.
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Syria’s War:Seven years
On March 15, 2011, peaceful protests erupted in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, inspired by Arab Spring protests, which toppled presidents in Egypt and Tunisia. Seven years on, al-Assad remains in power and violence rages across Syria. The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 465,000 Syrians and left over a million injured. More than half of the country’s prewar population, some 12 million people, have fled Syria or been internally displaced, prompting a refugee crisis.
To mark the seventh anniversary of the start of the war, looks back at some of our best documentaries charting the conflict’s many faces, from political power playing and undercover journalists, to refugee children and westerners travelling to Syria to join the fight.
Observers say the human cost of the war has few modern equivalents. An estimated half a million Syrians have been killed and 6.1 million internally displaced, according to the United Nations. From years-long city sieges to the destruction of historic landmarks, much of the country’s infrastructure has been reduced to rubble. Millions of Syrians have sought safety in neighbouring countries, or made the perilous crossing over the Mediterranean in search of refuge in Europe.
From the global actors deploying ground troops and bombers, to the states housing those displaced, little of the world has been untouched by Syria’s war.
Return home?Many of the asylum seekers and refugees Euronews spoke to said they dreamed of returning to Syria. “I hope the situation will improve, we want to go back to our homeland, our country. There is no place like home, in spite of everything,” 38-year-old Rasha, an asylum seeker at Moria camp, said through tears.
But seven years after the conflict, observers warn that there is still no end in sight. In 2018 alone, there have been record levels of displacement, increased civilian casualties, rising attacks on education facilities and a systematic denial of aid, NGO Save the Children warns.
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Israeli army kills 17 Palestinians in Gaza protests
Gaza : Friday March 30 2018 | More than 1,400 others wounded by Israeli forces during march calling for return of Palestinian refugees to their lands. 30,000 people attended the event, during which tires were burnt and molotov cocktails and stones were thrown in the direction of the border
The Palestinian Authority has declared Saturday 31 March, a day of national mourning after 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. “Schools, universities, as well as all government institutions, across the country will be off , as per President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to declare a day of national mourning for the souls of the martyrs,” a statement issued on Friday said.
Friday’s 30 March, demonstration commemorated Land Day, which took place on March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces during protests against the Israeli government’s decision to expropriate massive tracts of Palestinian-owned land.
Some 70 percent of Gaza’s two million population are descendants of Palestinians who were driven from their homes in the territories taken over by Israel during the 1948 war, known to Arabs as the Nakba.
Protesters in Gaza gathered in five different spots along the border, originally positioned about 700 metres away from the fence. According to the ministry, the majority were injured by live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas inhalation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an “independent and transparent investigation” and reaffirmed “the readiness” of the world body to revitalise peace efforts.
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Xi Jinping unanimously re-elected Chinese president
BEIJING (Saturday 17-March-2018) Xi Jinping was elected Chinese president by a unanimous vote Saturday March 17th morning at the ongoing session of the 13th National People’s Congress, reported Xinhua. Xi, 64, was also elected chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by a unanimous vote. Right after the election, Xi took a public oath of allegiance to the Constitution in the Great Hall of the People. This was the first time for a Chinese president to take such an oath upon assuming office.
Last October, he was elected general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and appointed CMC chairman of the CPC at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. In 2007, Xi joined the central leadership as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He was first elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in late 2012, and Chinese president and CMC chairman of the PRC in March 2013. The National People’s Congress voted on changes to the Chinese constitution, specifically the requirement that a president cannot exceed two-terms in office. A total of two delegates voted against the motion with another three abstaining. 2,964 delegates voted in favour of the changes. The term-limits were introduced by Deng Xiaoping in the 1980’s but the repeal of the clause means that Xi Jinping can retain his post beyond 2023, the year his term ends. Observers have compared Xi Jinping’s influence to Chairman Mao Zedong with his thought officially enshrined as part of the CPC’s ideology as ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang endorsed for five-year term
By: PTI | March 18, 2018 | Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was today endorsed for a second five-year term by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament after he was nominated by President Xi Jinping. Li, 63, a second ranking leader in the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), has completed the first five-year tenure along with Xi who is now regarded as the “core” leader of the party placed along with party founder Mao Zedong.
Li, who maintained a low profile under Xi mainly looking after economy, was endorsed as premier for his second tenure. But significantly he was nominated by Xi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Other officials who got elected included was Yang Xiaodu director of the national supervisory commission, a newly formed anti-corruption body with statuary powers.
Vladimir Putin Overwhelmingly Wins Another Six Years as Russia’s Leader
MOSCOW : (March 18, 2018) Vladimir Putin rolled to a crushing re-election victory for six more years as Russia’s president, and he told cheering supporters in a triumphant but brief speech that “we are bound for success.” There had been no doubt that Putin would win in his fourth electoral contest; he faced seven minor candidates and his most prominent foe was blocked from the ballot.
His only real challenge was to run up the tally so high that he could claim an indisputable mandate.
With ballots from 80 percent of Russia’s precincts counted by early Monday, Putin had amassed 76 percent of the vote. Observers and individual voters reported widespread violations including ballot-box stuffing and forced voting, but the claims are unlikely to dilute the power of Russia’s longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin.
Putin extolled them for their support “I am a member of your team” and he promised them that “we are bound for success.”
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Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over chemical attack on ex-spy
LONDON: Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack on a Russian former double agent in southern England, Prime Minister Theresa May said, adding it was the biggest single expulsion in over 30 years. May told parliament Britain would also freeze Russian state assets wherever there was evidence of a threat and downgrade its attendance at the soccer World Cup this summer.
British PM Theresa May has said the pair were attacked with Novichok, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent. She had asked Moscow to explain whether it was responsible for the attack or had lost control of stocks of the highly dangerous substance. “There is no alternative conclusion, other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter, and for threatening the lives of other British citizens in Salisbury,” she said. “This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.” Kremlin rejects ‘unfounded accusations’
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Russia expels 23 British diplomats in retaliation
Moscow (CNN)Russia’s Foreign Ministry ordered the expulsion of 23 British diplomats from Russia in a tit-for-tat response to Britain’s decision to expel Russian envoys in connection with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter on British soil. The ministry also declared it was closing the British Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the British Council in Russia, in a step beyond the measures taken by Britain. The British Council is a cultural institute with artistic, language and educational programs. Russian Senator Igor Morozov, a veteran of the Russian Service of External Intelligence, claimed that the British Council was shut down because UK intelligence operated under the cover of the organization, state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.
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Over 18 countries expel 100 Russian diplomats over:
Salisbury attack, largest expulsion since Cold War
WASHINGTON:(26-3-2018) The United States said it would expel 60 Russian diplomats, joining governments across Europe in punishing the Kremlin for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain that they have blamed on Moscow. It was the strongest action that US President Donald Trump had taken against Russia since coming to office. He has been criticised by Democrats and members of his own Republican Party for failing to be tough enough on Russia over US allegations of Russian meddling in the US electoral system, including the 2016 presidential campaign. British Prime Minister Theresa May, welcoming the show of solidarity, said 18 countries had announced plans to expel Russian officials. Those included 14 European Union countries. In total, 100 Russian diplomats were being removed, the biggest Western expulsion of Russian diplomats since the height of the Cold War.
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US considering permanent freeze on Pakistan military aid: American magazine
By News Desk: March 27, 2018 | The Trump administration has been looking into a range of new options to incrementally pressure Pakistan into acting against militants, Foreign Policy reported. According to the American publication, White House functionaries are weighing unprecedented penalties including revoking the country’s major non-NATO ally status, permanently cutting off military aid and imposing a visa bars on Pakistani government officials. However, the magazine claimed the suggestions stimulated internal debate in Washington circles on the “tempo and scale” of the under-consideration measures. The publication noted some officials and military men favoured pursuing an aggressive policy while others counselled caution. These reports come amidst an ongoing shuffle in the Trump cabinet. Foreign policy hawk John Bolton was recently appointed National Security Advisor and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Pompeo replaced Rex Tillerson at the US State Department.
These changes could “tilt” the discussion on Pakistan in the Trump inner circle in favour of new measures against Islamabad, according to the American publication. Foreign Policy cited current and former deputies in the White House as saying that drastic measures against Pakistan included punitive actions like a visa ban on government and security officials from Islamabad allegedly involved in subversive activities. “We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect US personnel and interests in the region,” a senior Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters last week. These reports suggest a shift in American policy towards Pakistan with previous US presidents being hesitant to push Pakistan too hard.
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How a nuclear attack order is carried out now
LISBETH GRONLUND: Lisbeth Gronlund is a senior scientist and co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
DAVID WRIGHT: David Wright is a senior scientist and codirector of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
If the president is not at the White House or other location with secure communication, he or she would use the so-called nuclear football to order the use of nuclear weapons. The football, or Presidential Emergency Satchel, is a briefcase containing various items, including a book laying out various attack options, from striking a small number of military targets to launching an all-out attack against Russian nuclear forces, military installations, leadership facilities, military industry, and economic centers. This briefcase is carried by an aide who stays near the president at all times.
The president carries a cardthe “biscuit”with a code that changes periodically and would be used to authenticate a launch order. To order the use of nuclear weapons, either first or in retaliation, the president would call the Pentagon’s National Military Command Centerknown as the War Roomread the code on the biscuit to confirm that he or she is indeed the president, and specify what attack option to use. (Our proposal to require approval of a nuclear attack order by two officials in the line of presidential succession, “How to limit presidential authority to order the use of nuclear weapons.” After confirming the president’s identity, the Command Center would send an encrypted launch order to aircraft pilots, the underground crews that launch land-based missiles, and/or the submarine crews that launch submarine-based missiles. For land-based missiles, it would be a matter of minutes from the presidential order to when missiles would leave their silos.
If the War Room is unable to function during a crisis, the War Room’s role is taken over by Strategic Command.
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Death of US dollar? China launches petro-yuan to challenge greenback’s dominance
26 Mar, 2018 | The highly anticipated yuan-backed crude oil futures have been launched in Shanghai. China is the world’s biggest oil consumer, with eyes on rival benchmarks Brent and WTI as well as the US currency. Trading of the new oil futures contracts for September settlement started on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange at 440.20 yuan ($69.70) per barrel, reports Chinese daily the South China Morning Post. Some 18,540 lots have reportedly been sold and purchased so far. The long-awaited step evoked a surge in global prices for oil with Brent Crude soaring to $71 a barrel for the first time since 2015. US crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached the highest level in three years at $66.55 per barrel, before retreating to $65.53. Experts see China’s yuan-dominated contracts as historic as the new futures symbolize the first time that foreign investors can access a Chinese commodity market. The launch ends years of setbacks and delays since the country’s first attempt at listing the securities in 1993.
At the same time, the petro-yuan launch is seen as a blow to the US dollar that has been weakening in recent months. The US dollar is the predominant settlement currency for oil futures contracts. On Monday, the greenback slipped to a 16-month low against the Japanese yen, but remained steady against a basket of six major currencies. Chinese authorities have reportedly accelerated the launch amid growing crude imports. Last year, the country outpaced the US as the world’s number one importer of oil. Thus, the contracts may not only help to win some control over pricing from the major international benchmarks, but also promote the use of Chinese currency in global trade. The greenback will get weaker, as soon as other nations have a real credible alternative to it, Ann Lee, Adjunct Professor of Economics and Finance at New York University and author of the book ‘What the US Can Learn From China’, told RT.
“It is more of a game changer for the US. As soon as other nations have a real credible alternative to the US dollar, they can dump dollars and switch to the yuan which can spark a dollar crisis. If that happens, not only will there be inflation from the tariffs, but also from the flood of dollars,” said Lee.
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Russians Grieve: At Least 64 Killed In Siberian Shopping Mall Fire
(25 March 2018) At least 64 people As many as 41 children have died in a fire that tore through a shopping and entertainment complex in the Siberian coal-mining city of Kemerovo. Horrifying footage has captured the desperate moment shoppers jumped from the fourth floor of a burning shopping centre to escape a blaze. Authorities warned that a further 27 people – including children were missing after the fire at the Winter Chery mall in Kemerovo.
The death toll makes this one of the greatest tragedies in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union 27 years ago. Initial reports suggested it was caused by arson. “The fire started from the trampoline room” – a children’s zone in the complex,” said deputy governor Vladimir Chernov. “The preliminary theory is that one of the children had a cigarette lighter. “ Fire started right in the foamed trampoline pool, which flared up like gunpowder.”
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Russian nuclear subs quietly reached US coast & left undetected Navy officer
16 Mar, 2018| Russian nuclear-powered submarines conducted an exercise near American military bases with the objective of avoiding detection as they came close to the US coast, a submarine squadron commander told a Russian military TV channel.
The stunning revelation was made in a military TV series set to air on Zvezda (‘Star’), the Russian Defense Ministry’s official broadcaster. The episode focuses on Akula-class Shchuka-B nuclear-powered attack submarines.
According to a submarine officer filmed in the show, the Navy command ordered to take position in the vicinity of US military bases during exercises. “This mission has been accomplished, the submarines showed up in the set location in the ocean and returned to base,” the commander of the submarine squadron, Sergey Starshinov, told.
Asked if the submarines had managed to stay off the radar during the mission, Starshinov replied: “Yes. This is our objective to come and go undetected.” The Navy commander said the Russian vessels came “close enough” to American shores but did not violate US maritime borders, remaining in neutral waters. The date and location of the covert mission have not been disclosed, but the channel said the Russian nuclear-powered submarines “reached the very coastline of the US.”
Shchuka-B submarine has been commissioned for the Soviet Navy in 1986. The nuclear-powered sub is capable of launching Kalibr or Granat cruise missiles, engaging underwater targets with its 553mm torpedoes, and staying submerged for up to 100 days, according to open sources.
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Russian Air force Successfully Fires ‘Kinzhal ‘Hypersonic Missile
March 11th, 2018 | The missile, dubbed Kinzhal (“Dagger”), was fired by a Mig-31 fighter jet and hit its designated target at an undisclosed test range, the ministry said in a statement. Hypersonic speed, combined with flight and technical characteristics of MiG-31, is what makes the Kinzhal missile unique. Kinzhal can reportedly reach speeds of around 7,673mph and travel an incredible distance of 1,243 miles (2,000km). The missile is intended to destroy surface and waterborne targets.
The new missile is currently undergoing tests and the pilots involved are getting a grip of the cutting-edge munition during their routine service, Col. Valery Antsibor, deputy commander of Russia’s main test-piloting center, said. Tests of this nature also help the ground crews and all other military personnel involved to get familiar with the new missiles. The new weapon was unveiled on March 1 by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, with a range of other new arms, which include a nuclear-powered drone submarine, a combat laser system and even a nuclear-powered cruise missile of “unlimited range.”
NATO condemns ‘threatening’ Russia after weapons show : NATO said that Russian threats to its members were “unacceptable and counterproductive” after President Vladimir Putin unveiled a new arsenal of hypersonic weapons billed as “invincible”.
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World Second scientist and cultural icon, Professor Stephen Hawking dead
Wed, 14 March, 2018| Professor Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralysed by disease, has died aged 76. Hawking suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and was confined to an electric wheelchair for much of his adult life. Diagnosed at age 21, he was one of the world’s longest survivors of ALS.
Stephen Hawking was Britain’s most famous modern day scientist, a genius who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. A Cambridge University professor, Hawking redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate. He also showed that the universe had a beginning by describing how Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity eventually breaks down when time and space are traced back to the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.
‘A Brief History of Time’, first published in 1988, earned its author worldwide acclaim, selling at least 10 million copies in 40 languages and staying Often referred to as “one of the most unread books of all time” for the hard-to-grasp concepts, it included only one equation: E = mc2 or the equivalence of mass and energy, deduced by Einstein from his theory of special relativity. The book outlined the basics of cosmology for the general reader.
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Sudi Arabia intercepts 7 missiles fired from Yemen, 1 killed from falling debris
22 March, 2018 | Saudi Arabia says one person was killed after seven missiles were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday. It’s the first death on Saudi soil since the Saudi-led coalition began a military intervention in Yemen three years ago.
The missiles were fired at four targets, including the capital city of Riyadh, and all were intercepted and destroyed, said Saudi coalition forces spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki in a statement. Fragments from the intercepted missiles killed an Egyptian resident, the statement added. “These hostile acts continue to pose a direct threat to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and threaten regional, as well as international, security,” the statement said.
However, in a statement, the Houthi Ministry of Defense claimed the missiles hit seven different targets inside Saudi Arabia, including four airports. Following the missile strikes, thousands of people reportedly came out onto the streets of the capital Sanaa to take part in demonstrations coinciding with the third anniversary of the intervention against the Houthi rebels.In a speech to demonstrators, Houthi leader Saleh al-Sammad told the Saudis to “stop your airstrikes, and we will stop our missiles.”
On Saturday 31 March: Saudi air defense destroy ballistic missile fired by Houthi fighters in neighboring Yemen at the southern city of Najran.
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Egyptian student dies after ‘racially motivated’attack by gang of women in Nottingham-UK
14 MARCH 2018 : An Egyptian engineering student has died three weeks after she was brutally attacked by a ten-strong gang of women. The engineering ‘Mariam Moustafa, 18 year old ” student was taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre after the assault took place on February 20.
She was put into an induced coma and subsequently transferred to Nottingham City Hospital, where she died on Wednesday 14 March. Her family believe she was targeted in a racially-motivated attack by a group of women who had previously hurled abuse at her in the street. Miss Moustafa’s mother, Nessrin Shehat, said her daughter had been previously attacked by the same group but that the police had failed to act.Egypt: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reelected for a second presdential termEgyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been reelected for a second term with secures over 92% of the vote, but turnout of just 40% percent dented his push for popular legitimacy. Some 23 million of the 60 million registered voters turned out during the three days of polling that ended Wednesday, state-owned newspapers Al-Ahram and Akhbar el-Youm, and the official MENA news agency reported.
Sisi’s sole challenger was the little-known Moussa Mostafa Moussa, himself a supporter of the president, who registered immediately before the close date for applications, saving the election from being a one-horse race.
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Israel admits striking Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007
By Oren Liebermann, CNN| March 21, 2018| Jerusalem (CNN)Israel acknowledged publicly for the first time that it struck a secret nuclear reactor in Syria 11 years ago. In the darkness of a late Wednesday night in September 2007, eight Israeli fighter jets streaked out of southern Israel, heading north. Two hours later, they reached their target in the Deir Ezzor region in eastern Syria — a nondescript square building, tucked into a desert valley between rolling hills.Shortly after midnight, precision-guided Israelis bombs, dropped by the F-16s and F-15s circling above, ripped apart the facility, sending a plume of smoke into the Syrian sky. The strike destroyed the reactor, which was mere months from completion. If completed, the facility would have made Syria the first Arab nuclear state. Israel has now fully acknowledged carrying out the operation, named “Outside the Box,” to a handful of media organizations. But at the time, even the name of the operation was secret — it was spoken of publicly as “Operation Orchard.”Cockpit video from the operation seen by CNN shows the bombs as they fall towards the reactor. The release of the video comes amid growing concern in Israel about the years-long war unfolding next door in Syria. It also comes as Israel wages a very public lobbying campaign against Iran — a key Syrian ally — and the deal to curtail its nuclear program.
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un met Xi Jinping on surprise visit to China
Beijing (CNN)North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made his first foreign trip since assuming power in 2011, meeting China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing and discussing giving up the country’s nuclear weapons, according to Chinese state media.
Kim, who made the surprise trip to the Chinese capital at Beijing’s request, said he felt compelled to personally inform President Xi of the rapid diplomatic developments on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks, Xinhua reported.
Kim is set to attend a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month, and will later meet US President Donald Trump, in what would be an historic first encounter between a sitting US President and a North Korean leader. The US President added he was optimistic Kim will “do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!”
Key points:
- Kim said he was committed to denuclearization but with conditions, Xinhua reported
- Xi hosted a grand banquet for Kim at the Great Hall of the People
- Kim traveled to China by train on March 25 and spent two days in Beijing
- North Korean state media said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang
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Trump won’t repeat “mistakes of the past” in dealing with North Korea
Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear
By : Mike Chinoy | When George W. Bush took office in 2001, North Korea’s nuclear program was frozen and Kim Jong Il had signaled he was ready to negotiate. Today, North Korea possesses as many as ten nuclear warheads, and possibly the means to provide nuclear material to rogue states or terrorist groups. How did this happen?
Drawing on more than two hundred interviews with key players in Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing, including Colin Powell, John Bolton, and exKorean president Kim Dae-jung, as well as insights gained during fourteen trips to Pyongyang, Mike Chinoy takes readers behind the scenes of secret diplomatic meetings, disputed intelligence reports, and Washington turf battles as well as inside the mysterious world of North Korea. Meltdown provides a wealth of new material about a previously opaque series of events that eventually led the Bush administration to abandon confrontation and pursue negotiations, and explains how the diplomatic process collapsed and produced the crisis the Obama administration confronts today.
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First Indian Commercial Flight Crosses Saudi Airspace to Land in Israel
22 March, 2018: Air India completed on Thursday 22 March , 2018, the first scheduled service to Israel to be allowed to cross Saudi airspace. The 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Flight AI 139 landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport about 30 minutes after its scheduled arrival time. “This is a historic moment,” Israeli Transport Minister Yisrael Katz told AFP on the tarmac as the Boeing Dreamliner rolled to a halt. “It is the first time that there is an official connection between the state of Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
There will now be three flights weekly in each direction, ending a decades-long Saudi ban on the use of its airspace for commercial flights to Israel.
Israel’s national carrier El Al currently operates an India service to Mumbai that takes a detour over the Red Sea to avoid flying over Saudi Arabia and Iran. Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, but ties between the two countries have been improving over the shared goal of countering Iranian influence. The flight approval comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described relations with the Arab world as the “best ever”.
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BRAHMOS WITH INDIGENOUS SEEKER TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY
PNS | New Delhi | Scientists achieved a major milestone on Thursday 22 March, by successfully test-firing an indigenous seeker-fitted Brahmos supersonic cruise missile. Till now the seeker, the most important component in the missile identifies and guides the missile to the target, was of Russian origin.
The supersonic missile is a joint-venture between India and Russia. The seeker test was conducted in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the missile hit the target with “pin-point” accuracy. This success will further bolster India’s national security, she added.
The missile is capable of hitting a target at 290 kms and its range can be extended to more than 400 kms as certain technical restrictions were removed after India became a full member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The Army and Navy have already inducted Brahmos and with the successful trial of the capability to launch this missile from a jet has given lethality to the armed forces.
In simple terms, it means that a fighter jet can take out terrorist hiding a built-up area or high risk installations in enemy territory without entering its air space. Moreover, it can easily evade the enemy radars to launch the missile and evade detection quickly after successful completion of the mission.
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Nine Indian Security Forces Killed as Naxal attack in Sukma
by Madhuri Adnal, oneindia.com | March 13, 2018
At least nine CRPF personnel belonging to the 212th battalion were killed in a Naxal IED blast in the jungles of Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, during the search operations. Six CRPF personnel were injured, out of which 4 are critical.
The injured personnel are being evacuated by helicopter to Raipur. The blast occurred when a team of CRPF’s 212th battalion was patrolling in a forest in Kistaram area of Sukma, located around 500 kms from Chhattisgarh. The rebels used a lot of explosives to blow up the vehicle, the official said. ‘Courtesy One India News’
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Indian forces martyr 13 youths in occupied Kashmir
Anti-India protests erupt in Kashmir after deadly fighting
BY AIJAZ HUSSAIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Srinagar : Sunday April 1st 2018: At least 13 people have been martyred in addition to 100 injured by Indian troops during cordon and search operations in Kashmir’s Islamabad and Shopian districts on Sunday 1 April 2018, according to Kashmir Media Service. According to a statement by the Director General of Police SP Vaid, 13 suspected militants were killed during gunfire exchange with Indian forces in two separate incidents. Seven were killed in Dragad and four in Shopian district’s Kachdoora area. The new round of anti-India protests and clashes, which led to the killings of at least two civilians, comes after Indian troops launched deadly counterinsurgency operations targeting mainly the southern parts of Kashmir, where new-age rebels have revived militancy and challenged New Delhi’s rule with guns and effective use of social media. The gun battles in southern Kashmir began overnight after government forces raided two villages following a tip that rebels were hiding there and came under fire, police said. Police said the militants tried to escape from a security cordon while firing their guns and grenades but were killed in the ensuing fighting. Seven militants, including some commanders, were killed in the Shopian area, while one rebel was killed and another captured in Anantnag. Two army soldiers were killed in the anti-militant operations, and at least six police and soldiers were wounded, police officer S.P. Vaid said.
As the fighting raged, anti-India protests erupted in several villages in southern Kashmir in solidarity with the rebels. Many protesters also tried to march to the gunbattle sites to help the trapped militants escape, leading to clashes between rock-throwing residents and government forces who fired live ammunition, shotgun pellets and tear gas.
Authorities stopped train services and cut cellphone internet services in the most restive towns, and reduced connection speeds in other parts of the Kashmir Valley, a common government practice aimed to calm tensions and prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized. They also ordered curfews in some southern areas.
Several protests and clashes also erupted in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. In recent years, Kashmiris, mainly youths, have displayed open solidarity with anti-India rebels and sought to protect them by engaging troops in street clashes during military operations against the militants.
Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or become an independent country. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.
Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has called for a shutdown for two days across Indian occupied Kashmir. Syed Ali Gilani, Muhammad Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq are part of JRL.
In a similar vein, students from Kashmir University (KU) demonstrated against the killings and shouted anti-india slogans. ‘End Occupation, Free Kashmir’ read the banners carried by the students.
Most Kashmiris support the rebels’ cause against Indian rule while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
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Sports
Big-time cricket : PSL breathes life back into Karachi after nine years
Islamabad wins PSL with Karachi back on cricket map
Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 3 wickets (with 19 balls remaining)
KARACHI (26 March 2018) The Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in which Islamabad United beat title holders Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets is seen as a major step towards reviving international cricket in the country, suspended since that 2009 attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. The attacks forced Pakistan cricket into exile, with international teams refusing to tour the terror-hit country over security fears and the national team left to play its home matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first 31 matches of the PSL were again played in Dubai and Sharjah before the two play-offs in Lahore, highlighting the improvement in the security situation after military operations in the troubled north-west of the country.
Islamabad, who won the title in its inaugural year in 2016, rode on a brisk 26-ball 52 by Luke Ronchi spiced with five sixes and four boundaries which anchored his team’s successful chase of a 149-run target in 16.5 overs. Ronchi also finished as top run-getter with 435 runs in 11 matches. Asif Ali smashed three sixes in his 26 not out.
Peshawar Zalmi faltered in their batting after winning the toss as their top scorer of the league Kamran Akmal managed just one off nine balls. Chris Jordan topscored with 36 while Andre Fletcher scored 33 and Wahab Riaz made 28 not out. Spinners Shadab Khan took three and Samit Patel chipped in with two wickets.
Pakistan returns to the fold : Karachi became the second major venue to host international matches after Lahore hosted five international matches against Zimbabwe in 2015, as well as the PSL final in March last year, three World XI matches in September and one against Sri Lanka a month later. Sunday’s final was watched by a packed crowd of 33,000, including Pakistan’s prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi. PCB chairman Najam Sethi said more cricket will follow. “It’s a historic occasion as Karachi is hosting a match after a nine year gap,” said Sethi before the final. Giles Clarke, director of the International Cricket Council (ICC), praised Pakistan’s efforts. “Sethi is very courageous in his decision making,” said Clarke, who is also the head of the Pakistan Task Team formed to help revive international cricket in Pakistan.
“Let this final be successful and we look forward to more matches. It’s great that West Indies are coming here and that was important and I look forward to more teams coming and more grounds hosting matches in Pakistan.”
Fans weathered suffocating security arrangements, with 8,000 policemen and paramilitary staff guarding the venue at the various check posts in and around the stadium. The last match Karachi hosted was a Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in February 2009, a week before the visitors were attacked in Lahore.
Final Score:
Peshawar Zalmi (20 Overs Maximum)| Score 148/9 (20 Overs, RR: 7.4)
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Islamabad United (Target: 149 runs from 20 overs) 154/7 (16.5 Overs, RR: 9.14)
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PLAYER OF THE MATCH | Luke Ronchi
