Israeli Strike Kills Senior Hamas Militant

TEL AVIV, Mar 31: Israeli strikes killed 77 Palestinians in Gaza in the past 24 hours, health authorities said on Sunday, as Egypt hosted an Israeli delegation for a new round of talks in a bid to secure a truce with Gaza's Hamas rulers.

The Israeli military said it killed a senior Islamic Jihad militant in a strike on a command centre in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. It did not mention his name or rank.

"The command centre and terrorists were struck precisely, the military said, adding it was intended to minimise "harm to uninvolved civilians in the area of the hospital". "The Al-Aqsa Hospital building was not damaged and its functioning was not affected."

There was no immediate comment from Islamic Jihad, a militant group and ally of Hamas.

Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said the strike hit several tents inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing four people and wounding several, including five journalists.

More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the health authorities.

The two sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel's offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of 130 hostages still held by Hamas militants in Gaza after their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Hamas says any deal must secure an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governing and military capabilities of Hamas.

Hamas would not be present at the talks in Cairo, an official told Reuters on Sunday, as it waited to hear from mediators on whether a new Israeli offer was on the table.

After US, Germany, UN Comment On Arvind Kejriwal, Vice President's Rejoinder

NEW DELHI, Mar 29: Stressing that India is a unique democracy, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said the country does not need lessons from anyone on the rule of law.

His comments came after Germany, the US and the United Nations made remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The questions posed to representatives of the US and the UN, which triggered the comments, were also about the freezing of the Congress' bank accounts.

Speaking at an event on Friday, the Vice President said, "India is a democracy with a robust judicial system. This can't be compromised by any individual or any group. India does not need lessons from anyone on rule of law."

Dhankhar emphasised that "equality before law is the new norm" in India and those who thought they are beyond the law are being held accountable.

In a possible reference to the AAP's planned rally against Kejriwal's arrest at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday, which will be attended by several leaders from the INDIA alliance, the Vice President said, "But what do we see? The moment the law takes its course, they take to the streets, high-decibel debates, camouflaging culpability of the worst nature by human rights. This is happening under our nose," he added.

Describing the Indian judicial system as robust, independent and pro-people, he asked, "What is the justification for a person or an institution or an organisation to take to the streets when the law is set in motion?"

Addressing the 70th Founders' Day celebrations of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Dhankhar also said people engaging in the "transgression of law" are now playing the victim card.

"Corruption is not a passage to opportunity, employment or a contract anymore. It is a passage to jail... Can you go on a high moral ground that the corrupt must not be dealt with because it is a festive season or it is farming season? How can there be any season to save those who are culpable," the Vice President asked.

More than 40 people killed in Israeli strikes on Syria’s Aleppo: Reports

TEL AVIV, Mar 29: Israeli air strikes on Syria’s northern province of Aleppo have killed more than 40 people, most of them soldiers, according to news agencies and a war monitor.

The fatalities included six members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group confirmed on Telegram.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) put the death toll at 42 and said dozens of people were injured.

The attacks about 1:45am on Friday (22:45 GMT on Thursday) targeted several areas in Aleppo’s countryside, Syria’s Ministry of Defence said. It did not provide casualty figures, only saying a number of civilians and military personnel were killed and property was damaged after Israel and unnamed armed groups carried out the strikes, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.

The SOHR, an opposition war monitor, said in posts on X that Israeli strikes hit a weapons depot near Aleppo International Airport, resulting in a series of large explosions.

At least 36 Syrian soldiers were killed, it said, adding that Hezbollah weapons depots were located in the area.

The Israeli military has not confirmed the attacks.

India Summons US Diplomat Over Comments On Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest

NEW DELHI, Mar 27: The government has objected strongly to remarks by a US State Department spokesperson on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest last week in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The External Affairs Ministry summoned Gloria Berbena, the US' Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, to a 40-minute meet at its office in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. In a brief statement released shortly afterwards, the MEA warned of "unhealthy precedents and against "unwarranted aspersions".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the External Affairs Ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the statement stressed.

On Tuesday the US State Department said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest, and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader.

The US State Department's comments came, in turn, days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Kejriwal, like any other Indian citizen facing charges, is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.

The Indian government reacted strongly to the comment, summoning the German envoy and labelling the Foreign Office spokesperson's remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

"We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," the External Affairs Ministry said, "Biased assumptions are most unwarranted."

Asked about India's protest to Germany, the State Department spokesperson said, "We refer you to the German Foreign Ministry for comment on their discussions with the Indian government."

Julian Assange's extradition put on hold as UK court wants ‘assurances’ from US

LONDON, Mar 27: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the United States from Britain was put on hold on Tuesday after London's High Court said the U.S. must provide assurances he would not face the death penalty.

U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange, 52, on trial on 18 counts, all bar one under the Espionage Act, over WikiLeaks' high-profile release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.

Assange's lawyers in February sought permission to challenge Britain's approval of his extradition, part of a more than 13-year legal battle in English courts.

In their ruling, two senior judges said he had a real prospect of successfully appealing against extradition on a number of grounds.

The court said in its written ruling that Assange arguably would not be entitled to rely on the First Amendment right to free speech as a non-U.S. national and that, while none of the existing charges carried the death penalty, he could later be charged with a capital offence such as treason, meaning it would be unlawful to extradite him.

The judges said Assange had pointed to a comment by former U.S. President Donald Trump who said in 2010, when discussing WikiLeaks, that "I think there should be like a death penalty or something".

His case was at least arguable, the ruling said, citing "the calls for the imposition of the death penalty by leading politicians and other public figures".

If the U.S. assurances were not forthcoming by April 16, then Assange would be granted permission to appeal, the judgment said. A further hearing has been scheduled for May 20, meaning his extradition - which his campaign team said could have been imminent depending on the ruling - has been put on hold.

"Today's decision is astounding," Assange's wife, Stella Assange, said outside the court. "The (U.S. President Joe) Biden administration should not issue assurances, they should drop this shameful case that should never have been brought."

Although Assange's legal team were successful on some grounds, the court rejected his bid for an appeal on the basis that the case was politically motivated or that he would not receive a fair trial.

Assange's many supporters hail him as an anti-establishment hero who is being persecuted, despite being a journalist, for exposing U.S. wrongdoing and alleged war crimes.

The U.S. says the WikiLeaks' revelations imperilled the lives of their agents and there was no excuse for his criminality.

It has said Assange was charged for "indiscriminately and knowingly" publishing sources' names and not his political opinions.

Toronto may impose 'Rain tax'

TORONTO, Mar 27: A city in Canada is planning to impose a tax on residents on the amount of water that is discharged from their houses into the sewage system. Dubbed the 'rain tax', the plan has angered Toronto residents who are protesting vociferously.

Every day, citizens pay taxes on various things they buy and use. These taxes form the backbone of our communities, funding the government for important services like the police, hospitals and schools. But have you ever heard of a 'rain tax'?

One might have heard of the goods and services tax and income tax, but a city in Canada now plans to charge what is being dubbed the 'rain tax'.

Toronto is considering a new type of tax aimed at addressing stormwater management issues. Toronto's municipal government is considering the introduction of a 'rain tax' and it is set to be implemented in April, according to the Toronto government's official website.

In a bid to tackle stormwater management, the authorities are engaging with water users and interested parties through a "Stormwater Charge & Water Service Charge Consultation" dubbed the 'rain tax'.

“The City of Toronto is consulting with water users and interested parties on the possible implementation of a stormwater charge, stormwater charge credits, and a water service charge. These potential charges would impact the rate that customers pay for their water,” Toronto City’s official website stated.

The government plans to implement a 'stormwater charge' across all property classes.

Moreover, they aim to establish a programme offering stormwater charge credits for larger properties, alongside administrative water charges (referred to as a “water service charge” in this consultation).

The stormwater charge aims to address the run-off issue caused by rain and melted snow, which, when not absorbed into the ground, can overwhelm the city's sewer system, leading to flooding and water-quality issues.

"Stormwater is rain and melted snow. When not absorbed into the ground, stormwater runs off hard surfaces, onto streets, down storm drains, and through a network of pipes that carry it into local waterways. In urbanised areas like Toronto, there are a lot of hard surfaces. When severe storms happen, more stormwater runs off hard surfaces and enters the City’s sewer system," stated the Toronto City website.

"Too much stormwater can overwhelm the city’s sewer system, which can lead to flooded basements and impacts on surface water quality in Toronto’s rivers, streams, and Lake Ontario’s waterfront," the website added.

Residents of Toronto already pay water rates as part of their utility bills, which cover stormwater management expenditures.

The proposed stormwater charge would specifically target properties based on their impact on stormwater runoff into Toronto's storm sewer system.

This impact would be measured by the amount of hard surface area on the property, including roofs, asphalt driveways, parking lots, and concrete landscaping.

India backs Philippines’ national sovereignty, says Jaishankar; China bristles

MANILA, Mar 26: India backs the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty and seeks “staunch adherence” to a rules-based order, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday amid a flaring up of tensions between Beijing and Manila over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

Following talks with Jaishankar in Manila, Filipino secretary of foreign affairs Enrique Manalo said at a media briefing that the two sides will accelerate maritime cooperation with a dialogue which is expected to focus on marine domain awareness, shipping, search and rescue, and law enforcement.

Strategic cooperation between India and the Philippines, especially in defence and security, has grown significantly in recent years.

In 2022, Manila became the first foreign customer for the BrahMos cruise missile by inking a $375-million order for the weapon system developed by India and Russia. India and the Philippines are also part of the Indo-Pacific maritime domain awareness initiative.

Without directly naming China or referring to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Jaishankar told the media after his talks with Manalo that all parties must adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is “the constitution of the seas”. He added: “I take this opportunity to firmly reiterate India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty.”

India is “deeply invested” in the region because of its Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision and strongly supports Asean’s centrality and unity. “We are also convinced that the progress and prosperity of this region is best served by staunch adherence to a rules-based order,” he said.

Manalo said the Philippines and India are “staunch advocates” of freedom of navigation and adherence to international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. This ruling declared China’s claims in the South China as unlawful.

The position of both countries was reflected during the discussions on Tuesday, “especially on recent actions of China in the West Philippines Sea”, Manalo said. The two sides have decided to accelerate maritime cooperation with discussions to be held in Manila that will look at promising areas for collaboration, such as maritime domain awareness, shipping and seafaring, search and rescue, law enforcement and environmental protection, Manalo said.

The Philippines also sees India’s defence industries playing an important role in the modernisation programme of the country’s armed forces, and priorities include education, training, research and development in support of Manila’s self-reliant defence posture, he added.

Within hours, China reacted to the comments by Jaishankar and Manalo by saying that “third parties” have no role in the disputes in the South China Sea. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing in Beijing in response to a question: “Maritime disputes are issues between the countries concerned. Third parties have no right to interfere whatsoever.”

Lin added that relevant parties should “face squarely the facts and truth on the South China Sea issue, and respect China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

These developments come days after angry exchanges between the Philippines and China over territorial claims in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Philippines made a strong protest over “aggressive actions” by China’s Coast Guard and maritime militia against a Filipino resupply mission, while Beijing urged Manila to behave cautiously and seek dialogue, the second such warning in three months.

Jaishankar, who is on a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia that includes Singapore and Malaysia, said India’s ties with the Philippines have grown in areas such as trade, investment, health, food security, education, science and technology, defence and maritime cooperation. Bilateral trade crossed the $3-billion mark last year and India, as the fifth largest economy, is preparing to step up its engagement with the Philippines, he said.

Both sides are moving ahead on quick impact projects in agriculture, health and capacity building, and the “growing comfort and trust” are reflected in ongoing supplies of rice from India as an exceptional measure, Jaishankar said.

Manalo said both countries are having extensive discussions on defence and security cooperation, mainly to support a rules-based order in the context of their deep interest in ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

The two sides also explored cooperation to ensure the safety of Indian and Filipino seafarers working on merchant vessels in the Red Sea in view of the current spate of attacks by Houthi rebels. Manalo expressed appreciation for the Indian Navy’s “immediate and effective response” to a distress call by the vessel MV True Confidence, which resulted in the safe return of 13 Filipino seafarers. Jaishankar noted that an Indian Coast Guard vessel was making a port call in Manila and said he had briefed Manalo about the Indian Navy’s deployments in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to counter ongoing threats.

Jaishankar also met National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, defence secretary Gilbert Teodoro and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.

Tehran Unveils Advanced 'Gaza' UAV with Potential Reach to Israel

LONDON, Mar 24: In a recent demonstration of its growing military capabilities, Iran unveiled a significant upgrade to its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet with the introduction of the “Gaza” drone, boasting an extended range that could potentially place Israel within striking distance.

The newly revealed UAV advances upon the Shahed 129 model and features superior specifications, including the ability to bear up to 13 bombs and travel several thousand kilometers thanks to its turbojet engine.

Citing Iranian sources, the new drone is reported to possess robust target engagement abilities, suitable for both moving and static objectives. Equipped to launch “Sadid-1” missiles, the “Gaza” stands out as the second in Iran’s UAV arsenal to carry such firepower, following the “Karar.”

The unveiling of this new UAV comes in the wake of lifted UN embargoes on Iran’s armament exports, sparking broader international concern, especially among United States allies.

Despite being described as moderate in quality, these Iranian drones, priced competitively, have attracted attention in the global arms market. This upswing in military export activity is evidenced by Iran’s recent transactions, including the provision of short-range missiles to Russia and supplying suicide drones to Sudan.

Iran’s increasing prowess in drone warfare implicates challenges ahead for nations like the US, which encountered deadly consequences through an Iranian-backed attack in Jordan. The revelation of this novel UAV is a clear indicator of Iran’s ambition to contend with top-tier military equipment such as the US-made MQ-9 Reaper.

The introduction of the “Gaza” drone reflects Iran’s ongoing efforts to solidify its presence in the UAV market and expound upon its technological capabilities. The UAV industry, comprising both the military and commercial segments, has been seeing rapid growth.

Market forecasts suggest that the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) sector is set to expand significantly over the coming years due to increasing demand across various applications including surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeted strikes in military operations, as well as for agricultural, environmental monitoring, and delivery services in the commercial sector.

The military UAV market, in particular, is witnessing a surge in demand as countries seek to enhance their surveillance and defense capabilities without risking human lives. However, proliferation comes with its issues, including concerns about UAVs being used for terrorist activities, privacy violations, and potential airspace incursions that could lead to international tensions.

Analysts project robust growth within the global military drone market. This can be attributed to technological advancements, increased adoption by armed forces, and the relatively lower cost of UAVs compared to manned aircraft. The military segment’s growth is supplemented by increasing R&D investment from both state and private sectors, intending to develop UAVs with longer ranges, enhanced autonomy, and more significant payload capacities.

Market forecasts also indicate a spike in demand for commercial drones, propelled by their utility in agriculture for crop monitoring, in infrastructure for inspection, and in logistics for last-mile delivery. Regulatory improvements, technological innovation, and investment in infrastructure to support UAV operations are additional factors that could further buoy market growth.

Despite the promising outlook, the UAV industry faces specific challenges. In the military sector, concerns revolve around the proliferation of armed drones and the potential for their misuse, as well as the stability risks posed by exporting advanced UAV technology to conflict-prone regions. Ethical debates regarding the use of drones for targeted strikes without risking human troops are ongoing, raising questions about the conduct of warfare.

Moreover, there are technical hurdles to overcome, such as enhancing UAV performance in adverse weather conditions and navigating complex airspaces, which require sophisticated sense-and-avoid technologies. Ensuring the security of UAV communications to protect against hacking and unauthorized access is another pressing concern, as the potential for intercepted or hijacked drones could have severe implications.

The UAV market’s expansion also poses regulatory and legal challenges. National airspace regulations must be continually assessed and updated to integrate UAVs safely, requiring coordination among many international stakeholders to prevent incidents and ensure that commercial and military drones do not interfere with manned aircraft operations.

For further insights into the broader market trends and the implications of UAV advancements on global military strategy, you can visit the websites of leading aerospace and defense research institutions and agencies such as RAND Corporation and U.S. Department of Defense. These sources often provide extensive research and analysis on the subjects of UAV development, market dynamics, and associated geopolitical issues.

Russia mourns deadly Moscow terror attack that claimed 133 lives

MOSCOW, Mar 24: Russia mourned the worst terrorist attack in Moscow for more than two decades as authorities said the death toll had climbed to 133 and rescue workers continued to search for victims.

President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a televised address Saturday that the security services had captured four suspects who were trying to flee to Ukraine. While he didn’t accuse Ukrainian authorities of involvement in the attack at the Crocus City Hall on the edge of Moscow late Friday, Putin said a “window" had been prepared for the men to cross the border, without offering evidence.

Ukraine denied any role and called the attack a false-flag operation by the Kremlin. Islamic State earlier claimed responsibility in a Telegram message and posted a photograph of four men it said carried out the assault.

It’s the biggest single loss of life from terrorism in Moscow since Chechen separatists took hostages in 2002 at the Nord-Ost theatre, where at least 170 people including the dozens of attackers died during a botched rescue mission. Friday’s assault took place days after Putin cemented his grip on Russia by claiming a fifth term with 87% of the vote in the presidential election.

Authorities cancelled public events and tightened security across the country following the tragedy that shattered the illusion of security in Moscow that Putin has sought to cultivate in the more than two years since he invaded Ukraine. It recalled an earlier period of his quarter-century rule, when suicide bombings, most blamed on Islamists from within Russia or its neighbours, killed scores of people.

“ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack," Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, said in a statement Saturday. “There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever."

She reiterated that the US shared information with Russia in early March “about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow" and pointed again to a public warning by the US Embassy in Moscow on 7 March.

Putin said authorities had detained all those directly involved in the “barbaric" assault by gunmen who turned automatic weapons against people attending a rock concert at the Crocus City complex. He declared Sunday a national day of mourning and vowed to pursue anyone responsible for ordering and organizing the incursion.

The president spoke after the Federal Security Service announced that agents had detained the suspects in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. The men planned to cross into Ukraine where they “had contacts," the Interfax news service reported, citing a statement by the service known as the FSB that gave no more detail.

FSB director Alexander Bortnikov reported to Putin that a total of 11 people had been detained, including the four suspects, according to a Kremlin statement earlier Saturday.

Over 115 Dead In Russia Terror Attack, All 4 Gunmen Among 11 Arrested

MOSCOW, Mar 23: At least 115 people were killed and about 145 others injured after gunmen opened fire at them in a Moscow concert hall, Russian authorities said, raising an earlier count of 40.

Police have arrested 11 suspects - including all four gunmen directly involved in carrying out the deadly attack - following a "car chase" in Russia's Bryansk region.

Russian security agency said the attackers had contacts in Ukraine and were driving to the border. "After committing the terrorist attack, the criminals intended to cross the Russian-Ukrainian border, and had appropriate contacts on the Ukrainian side," the FSB said.

Ukraine's presidency said Kyiv had "nothing to do" with the attack, while its military intelligence called the incident a Russian "provocation" and charged that Moscow special services were behind it.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters attacked "a large gathering" on Moscow's outskirts and "retreated to their bases safely".

Attackers dressed in camouflage uniforms entered the building, opened fire and threw grenades or incendiary bombs. Videos showed images of flames and black smoke pouring from the hall. Three helicopters were involved in efforts to put out the fire, dumping water on the giant concert hall that can hold several thousand people and has hosted top international artists.

Scores of people hid behind seats in the hall or rushed towards entrances to the basement or roof to escape the bullets. Shortly after midnight, the emergencies ministry said the fire had been contained.

The European Union, France, Spain and Italy joined several countries in condemning the attack. The US called the attack "terrible" and said there was no immediate sign of any link to the conflict in Ukraine.

The US embassy had said two weeks before the attack that there was a risk of "extremists" targeting mass gatherings in Moscow, including concerts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wished a speedy recovery to the inured. "The president wished everyone a speedy recovery and conveyed his gratitude to the doctors," deputy prime minister Tatyana Golikova was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the terror attack in Moscow. "We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack in Moscow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. India stands in solidarity with the government and the people of the Russian Federation in this hour of grief," Modi posted on X.

China's claims over Arunachal 'ludicrous': Jaishankar Pradesh

SINGAPORE, Mar 23: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday rubbished China's repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh, calling them “ludicrous” and asserting that the frontier state is a “natural part of India”. Jaishankar's statement comes days after India dismissed China's “absurd” claims.

“This is not a new issue. I mean China has laid claim, it has expanded its claim. The claims are ludicrous to begin with and remain ludicrous today,” Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to Singapore, said while responding to a question on the Arunachal issue after delivering a lecture at the prestigious NUS Institute of South Asian Studies.

“…So, I think we've been very clear, very consistent on this. And I think you know that is something which will be part of the boundary discussions which are taking place,” he added.

China has been claiming Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet and has also named the area as ‘Zangnan’. The country also objected to Indian leaders' visits to the state to highlight its claims. Recently, the Chinese side objected to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh where he dedicated the Sela Tunnel to the nation.

“We require the Indian side to cease any action that may complicate the boundary question, and earnestly maintain peace and stability in the border areas,” Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Zhang Xiaogang was quoted as saying by the local media.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, India reacted strongly to the Chinese side's repeated claims, saying that “repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity”.

“We have noted the comments made by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity…Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason. Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. The Chinese side has been made aware of this consistent position on several occasions," ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

Modi-Tshering Tobgay hold bilateral talks as India-Bhutan ink six agreements

THIMPHU, Mar 22: India and Bhutan signed six agreements on Friday to bolster cooperation in areas ranging from energy to space as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay to firm up bilateral ties against the backdrop of China’s efforts to settle a border dispute with the Himalayan nation.

Modi travelled to Bhutan a day after his visit was postponed due to inclement weather over the airport at Paro.

It is rare for an Indian premier to travel after dates for the general election have been announced and the trip emphasises the importance New Delhi attaches to its relationship with Thimphu.

Tobgay, who made India the destination for his first foreign visit after assuming office in January, personally welcomed Modi with an embrace on his arrival at Paro and the Indian premier was presented a guard of honour.

Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck subsequently conferred the Order of Druk Gyalpo, the country’s highest honour, on Modi.

Modi and Tobgay held talks during a working lunch in the capital Thimphu on various aspects of the multi-faceted bilateral ties. They forged an understanding to enhance cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, agriculture, environment and forestry, youth exchanges and tourism, the external affairs ministry said in a readout.

“India and Bhutan enjoy long-standing and exceptional ties characterised by utmost trust, goodwill, and mutual understanding at all levels,” the readout said.

Ahead of the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements in areas such as energy, digital connectivity and space.

Under an MoU on petroleum, oil, lubricants and related products, India will facilitate the supply of these items to Bhutan through agreed border points.

An agreement on a Joint Plan of Action on Space Cooperation provides a roadmap for developing collaboration through exchange programmes and training. In November 2022, an Indian rocket carried a satellite jointly developed by India and Bhutan into space.

The two sides also agreed on the text of an MoU for establishing two rail links – Kokrajhar-Gelephu and Banarhat-Samtse – and the modalities for their implementation.

Another agreement for recognising controls exercised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) will facilitate bilateral trade by reducing compliance costs. This MoU will lead to the acceptance of BFDA’s export inspection certificates by FSSAI for exports to India.

Under an MoU for cooperation in energy conservation, India will assist Bhutan to enhance energy efficiency in households by promoting the star labelling programme developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

It also covers the formulation of building codes and creating a pool of energy professionals in Bhutan through training of energy auditors.

An MoU on cooperation on reference standards, pharmacopoeia, vigilance and testing of medicinal products will help develop cooperation and information exchanges for regulating medicines in line with the laws and regulations of each country. This MoU will allow the acceptance of Indian Pharmacopoeia by Bhutan as a book of standards for medicines and supply of generic medicines at affordable prices.

The two sides also signed an MoU on cooperation in sports and youth affairs, and renewed another MoU for a peering arrangement between the National Knowledge Network of India and Druk Research and Education Network of Bhutan.

Following the talks between the two premiers, Bhutan’s King conferred the Order of Druk Gyalpo on Modi. The award was announced earlier on December 17, 2021 for Modi’s efforts to strengthen India-Bhutan ties and for New Delhi’s provision of 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

Modi Urges Dialogue, Diplomacy To Resolve Conflict In Calls With Putin, Zelenskyy

NEW DELHI, Mar 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hours after speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister's conversation with the two leaders comes in the backdrop of Putin's reelection as President and no sign of a de-escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war. The two leaders said they see India as a peacemaker.

Sources said both Zelenskyy and Putin have invited Prime Minister Modi to visit their countries after the Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Modi last visited Russia in 2018.

Prime Minister Modi discussed ways to strengthen India-Ukraine partnership and reiterated the nation's people-centric approach and calls for dialogue and diplomacy for the resolution of the ongoing conflict.

The Prime Minister said India would continue to do everything within its means to support a peaceful solution. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy appreciated India's continued humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine. The two leaders agreed to remain in touch.

In May last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Ukrainian President on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan's Hiroshima. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Russian President Vladimir Putin, congratulating him again on his re-election to the top office. During their telephonic conversation, both leaders agreed to intensify efforts towards expanding the India-Russia 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership'.

"Spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election as the President of the Russian Federation. We agreed to work together to further deepen and expand the India-Russia Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead," Modi said.

India has stressed diplomacy and discussion to resolve the conflict which began in February 2022 with Russia's full-scale invasion. The Ministry of External Affairs in a press briefing said, "India desires that there be discussion, there be diplomacy, there be constant engagements so that both sides can come together and find peace."

Vladimir Putin won the Presidential elections, securing 87.17 per cent votes. The Communist Party of Russian Federation candidate Nikolai Kharitonov secured the second spot with 4.1 per cent of the votes while New People Party candidate Vladislav Davankov stood third with 4.8 per cent votes.

Putin has served four terms as Russian President. He was first elected President in 2000 and again in 2004, 2012, and 2018. He has effectively remained unchallenged in the polls and has strengthened his control over the Kremlin with another six-year term. The West has described the election as "incredibly undemocratic".

Ukraine has urged the US Congress to unblock a $60 billion aid package, which has been stalled due to political infighting. The delays have been a "shock" for Ukrainian officials, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an online briefing for foreign media.

US Defence Secretary Lloys J Austin said, "Since the invasion, Russia has wasted up to USD 211 billion to equip, deploy, maintain and sustain its needless war on its neighbour," Austin said. "Putin's war of choice will cost Russia USD 1.3 trillion in previously anticipated economic growth through 2026."

"If Putin is successful in Ukraine, he will not stop there," Austin said. "Our allies and partners are here because they understand the stakes."

Israeli military says 90 Hamas men killed in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital raid

TEL AVIV, Mar 20: The Israeli military says it has killed 90 people during its raid on Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital where a siege has entered a third day, as displaced Palestinians sheltering in the facility described long detentions and abuse.

Hamas condemned what it called Israel’s “bloody massacre” at al-Shifa and said civilians, patients and displaced people were among the fatalities.

Al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital before the current conflict started, is one of the few healthcare facilities that is even partially operational in the north of the enclave.

It housed more than 7,000 patients and displaced people before the latest attack, the Gaza government said.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said about 300 suspects were interrogated at the complex and more than 160 detained were brought to Israel “for further investigation”.

“Over the past day, the troops have eliminated terrorists and located weapons in the hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment,” the military said in a statement.

Ismail al-Thawabta, the director of Gaza’s government media office, denied the Israeli military’s claims of having killed fighters and said all the dead were wounded patients and displaced people.

Meanwhile, an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least 27 people, most of whom were displaced because of attacks on other parts of the enclave. At least five women and nine children were among the dead.

The injured were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah after an Israeli air strike targeted a three-storey family home in the camp late on Tuesday.

Another Israeli strike hit the nearby Bureij camp, killing eight people, including three women.

Hamas number three killed in Israeli operation: White House

WASHINGTON, Mar 19: Israel killed the Hamas militant group's third-in-command last week, the White House said Monday, after Israel previously said he had been targeted in a Gaza airstrike but did not confirm his death.

"Hamas's number three Marwan Issa was killed in an Israeli operation last week," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said as he gave a readout of a call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sullivan said Israel had also "broken a significant number of Hamas battalions, killed 1000s of Hamas fighters including senior commanders."

"The rest of the top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network, and justice will come for them too," he added.

Israel's military said on March 11 that an air strike on an underground compound in central Gaza on March 9-10 had targeted Issa, describing him as one of the planners of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

Issa was a deputy of Mohammed Deif, who heads Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Israel's military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at the time.

But Hagari said then that it was unclear if Issa had been killed in the operation, adding: "We are still examining the results of the strike, and final confirmation has yet to be received."

Launched retaliatory attacks on Pak after air strikes in Afghanistan killed 8: Taliban

KABUL, Mar 18: Afghanistan's Taliban said on Monday that Pakistan carried out two air strikes on its territory, killing five women and three children, and it fired heavy weapons at Pakistani forces along the border in retaliation.

The neighbouring countries have traded blame over who is responsible for a recent spate of Islamist militant attacks in Pakistan. Pakistan says the attacks were launched from Afghan soil; Afghanistan's ruling Taliban deny this.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory," Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a statement. The strikes killed five women and three children in the eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika, he added.

In a separate statement, the Taliban defence ministry said its security forces had targeted Pakistani troops at the border in response to the air strikes.

Pakistan's army and foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported strikes, which come after unidentified militants attacked a military post in Pakistan on Saturday, killing seven security force members.

In a statement provided to state television, the Pakistani military said "a recent wave of terrorism has the full support and assistance of Afghanistan". It did not mention any air strikes, but said that Saturday's attack was carried out by militants who had "safe haven" in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government and security officials have said repeatedly that such attacks have risen in recent months, many of them claimed by the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and launched from Afghan soil.

The Afghan Taliban has denied that it allows its territory to be used by militant groups.

"Pakistan shouldn't blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence and problems in its own territory," Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said in the statement.

“Such incidents can have very bad consequences which will not be in Pakistan's control.”

Israel to offer six-week Gaza truce for 40 hostages in Qatar talks

TEL AVIV, Mar 18: Israel will send a high-level delegation headed by its Mossad chief to Qatar on Monday for mediated talks with Hamas designed to secure a six-week Gaza truce under which the Palestinian militants would free 40 hostages, an Israeli official said.

This stage of the negotiations could take at least two weeks, the official estimated, citing difficulties that Hamas' foreign delegates may have in communicating with the group in the besieged enclave after more than five months of war.

North Korea fires ballistic missiles as top Biden official visits Seoul

SEOUL, Mar 18: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles in a defiant show of force that coincided with a visit to Seoul by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a Summit for Democracy.

Several short-range ballistic missiles were fired from around 7:44 a.m. Monday from a province southeast of Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to reporters.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in parliament that multiple missiles were launched, and there were no reports of damage as the projectiles fell outside of the country’s exclusive economic zone.

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward waters off the east coast that reached a maximum altitude of about 50 kilometers (31 miles) and flew some 350 km, Japan’s Ministry of Defense said. It didn’t comment on the type of projectiles but the trajectory is similar to that of short-range ballistic missiles North Korea has previously tested.

This is the first ballistic missile test from North Korea in about two months and it is unclear what was in the barrage. North Korea, which often comments on missile launches the following day, has been known to engage in provocations designed to coincide with high-profile political events involving the US, South Korea and Japan.

Kim Jong Un’s regime last conducted a ballistic missile test in mid-January, when it fired off an intermediate-range rocket designed to hit US bases in Asia. The state’s official media said that projectile was a “hypersonic” missile, indicating it deployed a reentry vehicle for carrying a nuclear warhead that can change its flight path at high speeds.

Kim and his official media have been lashing out frequently at the US and South Korea, with the North Korean leader saying the time for peaceful unification is over and striking the concept from the country’s constitution.

Prior to the launch, Kim guided military drills that included fire from an artillery unit capable of hitting Seoul, overseeing training that simulated storming a South Korean border guard post and driving the country’s newest tank. These stepped up threats against his neighbor to the south coincided with it holding joint military training with the US.

The US and South Korea concluded their annual Freedom Shield exercises on March 14, which included training on land, sea and in the air against contingencies posed by North Korea. Pyongyang has bristled for decades against joint drills, calling them a prelude to an invasion.

Kim said in February he has the legal right to annihilate South Korea. Kim has also shown no inclination that he wants to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks and has rolled out a series of new weapons designed to deliver nuclear strikes on the US and its allies in Asia.

This has led to some speculation that Kim has turned the corner on his bellicose outbursts and is readying for battle. US President Joe Biden has warned Kim that it would mean the end of his regime if he tried to launch a nuclear attack.

Kim appears to be transferring massive amounts of weapons to Russia for President Vladimir Putin to use in his war on Ukraine. The arms include artillery shells and ballistic missiles, the US and South Korea have said. Russia is likely providing technology, key materials and commodities to Kim that could help him expand the economy and increase his military strength.

Putin Wins Russia Presidential Polls With 88% Votes: 1st Official Results

MOSCOW, Mar 17: President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his grip on power though thousands of opponents staged a noon protest at polling stations and the United States said the vote was neither free nor fair.

For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, the result is intended to underscore to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more years to come.

The early result means Putin, 71, will easily secure a new six-year term that would enable him to overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia's longest-serving leader for more than 200 years.

Putin won 87.8% of the vote, the highest-ever result in Russia's post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87%. The first official results indicated the polls were accurate.

"The elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him," the White House's National Security Council spokesperson said.

The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. He casts it as a "special military operation".

Netanyahu Okays Plans For 'Action In Rafah', Despite Biden's Warning

JERUSALEM, Mar 15: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah, where most of war-battered Gaza's population has sought refuge.

Netanyahu "approved the plans for action in Rafah," his office said in a statement, without giving details or a timeline.

The statement said the military was "prepared for the operational side and for the evacuation of the population."

Rafah is the last major population centre yet to be subjected to a ground assault during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, which was triggered by the militants' unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.

The attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign to eliminate Hamas has killed at least 31,490 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

US President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel during the war, said recently that an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a "red line" without credible civilian protection plans in place.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Vienna on Friday that Washington had not seen any plans for a Rafah operation, but reiterated that it wants a "clear and implementable plan" to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".

Israel to evacuate population out of Rafah ahead of attack: Officials

JERUSALEM, Mar 14: Israeli officials have said that the country is resolved to attack Rafah, the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city sheltering some 1.4 million internally displaced Palestinians by the Israeli strikes elsewhere, and will evacuate most of the residents ahead of the attack.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari stated in a press briefing on Wednesday that the military intends to guide the population of Rafah towards “humanitarian islands” that Israel planned to create with the international community in central Gaza before launching the offensive, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that basic needs, including housing, food and water, would be provided in these designated areas.

Hagari did not mention a date for the beginning of Rafah’s evacuation or the commencement of the planned offensive.

The international community and various humanitarian organizations have expressed deep concerns about Israel’s plan to carry out a ground operation in Rafah, a small city densely populated by displaced people, which also serves as Gaza’s primary gateway for crucial aid supplies from Egypt. They have warned that any military operation in Rafah would result in a humanitarian catastrophe.

On Wednesday morning, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Gaza Strip and held an operational situation assessment, his office said in a statement.

During the visit, he “observed the work carried out in preparation for the maritime corridor,” which is expected to be used for aid shipments from Cyprus to the war-ravaged enclave.

Regarding the military plans to conduct a ground operation in Rafah, Gallant said: “Even those who think we are delayed will soon see that we will reach every location necessary.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said the army will expand the offensive into Rafah, where Israel believes some Hamas militants are hiding in underground tunnels.

More than five months of Israel’s relentless attacks in Gaza have left much of the Palestinian territory devastated, exacerbating a deepening humanitarian crisis.

According to warnings issued by the United Nations, approximately one in every four of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of starvation.

IDF strikes Hezbollah sites deep in Lebanon; 100 rockets fired at north

TEL AVIV, Mar 12: The Israel Defense Forces carried out two waves of airstrikes deep in Lebanon, late Monday and on Tuesday morning, saying fighter jets hit several sites belonging to the Hezbollah terror group.

On Tuesday morning, hours after the first wave of strikes in northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbbek, a barrage of some 70 rockets was launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon at the Golan Heights, according to the IDF.

It marked one of the largest barrages fired by the terror group amid the ongoing war.

A short while later, a further 30 rockets were fired at the Golan Heights, the IDF said.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the barrages, saying it targeted two Israeli army bases in the Golan Heights with more than 100 Katyusha rockets.

The terror group said the rocket barrage came in response to recent Israeli attacks, including Monday night’s strike in northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbek, which reportedly killed a civilian.

There were no reports of damage or injuries from the Hezbollah rockets, with footage showing some of the projectiles being intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. Sirens had sounded several communities in the northern Golan Heights and the Galilee Panhandle.

Sirens did not sound for the second barrage as the rockets impacted open areas, the army said.

After the barrages of 100 rockets, the IDF said fighter jets struck three rocket launchers in southern Lebanon used in the attack.

According to the IDF, the airstrikes on Monday night in the area of northeastern Lebanon’s Baalbek targeted facilities belonging to Hezbollah’s “aerial unit.”

Baalbek, an area identified in the past as a Hezbollah stronghold, is nearly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Israeli border.

The IDF said the strikes were in response to the Lebanese terror group’s recent launching of explosives-laden drones toward the Golan Heights.

There have been no reports of injuries or damage in the recent explosive unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, the latest of which was carried out on Monday morning.

Two security sources and the Baalbek governor, Bashir Khader, said that at least one civilian was killed and several others were injured in the Israeli strikes.

One of the strikes hit the southern entrance to the city of Baalbek, at least two kilometers from Roman ruins, the security sources said. The three other strikes hit near the city of Taraya, 20 kilometers west of Baalbek, they added.

Israel considering arming Gazan civilians to secure aid transfers: Report

TEL AVIV, Mar 9: Israeli officials have discussed arming some civilians in Gaza to provide security protection for aid convoys into the besieged enclave, as part of wider planning for humanitarian supplies after fighting ends, the Israel Hayom daily reported on Friday.

With civil order increasingly strained in Gaza and Hamas-backed municipal police refusing to provide security to convoys because of the risk of being targeted by Israeli forces, the issue of secure distribution of supplies has become a major problem.

The potential civilians to be armed would not be linked to terrorist groups including Hamas but it remained unclear who they might be, the newspaper said. It said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had postponed a decision on the issue.

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report, which came a week after dozens of Palestinians were killed in an incident in which crowds stampeded and surrounded a convoy of aid trucks entering northern Gaza and troops opened fire on several of them who approached the soldiers.

The incident underlined the chaotic conditions in which aid has been delivered into Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of the growing threat of famine after more than five months of war.

“We were not carrying weapons or anything, we are civilians. We wanted to get food because we are starving here in Gaza,” said Mustafa Lolo, who said he was shot in the legs trying to get aid.

On Friday, the IDF released the results of a review of the circumstances behind the February 29 truck convoy incident and repeated that troops had only fired at individuals they felt posed a threat.

“The command review found that IDF troops did not fire at the humanitarian convoy, but did fire at a number of suspects who approached the nearby forces and posed a threat to them,” it said in a statement.

US Says Conducts Self-Defence Strikes In Yemen, Downs Houthi Drones

YEMEN, Mar 8: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it conducted self-defence strikes on Thursday against four mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) and one Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

CENTCOM said its forces shot down three UAVs launched toward the Gulf of Aden from areas controlled by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Gunmen Kidnap More Than 280 Students From Nigerian School During Raid

KANO (Nigeria), Mar 8: Gunmen have kidnapped more than 280 pupils during a raid on a school in northwest Nigeria, a teacher and a resident said, in one of the country's largest mass abductions.

Mass kidnappings for ransom are common in Africa's most populous country, where criminal gangs have targeted schools and colleges, especially in the northwest, though such attacks have abated recently.

Local government officials in Kaduna State confirmed the kidnapping attack on Kuriga school on Thursday, but gave no numbers as they said they were still working out how many children had been abducted.

Sani Abdullahi, one of the teachers at the GSS Kuriga school in the Chikun district, said Thursday night that staff managed to escape with many students when the gunmen were firing in the air.

"We then began working to determine the actual figure of those kidnapped," he told local officials visiting the school.

"In GSS Kuriga, 187 children are missing while in the primary school, 125 children were missing but 25 returned."

Local resident Muhammad Adam told AFP: "More than 280 have been kidnapped. We initially thought the number was 200, but after a careful count it was discovered the children kidnapped are a little more than 280."

Local officials and police did not give any figures for the number of kidnapped.

"As of this moment we have not been able to know the number of children or students that have been kidnapped," Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani told reporters at the site on Thursday.

"No child will be left behind."

In recent years, criminal gangs known locally as bandits have repeatedly raided schools mostly in rural areas in northwestern states of Nigeria.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made reducing insecurity one of his priorities, but Nigeria's armed forces are battling on several fronts, including a long-running jihadist insurgency in the northeast of the country.

More than 100 people were missing after oppressive carried out a mass kidnapping last week targeting women and children in a camp for those displaced by the conflict in the northeast.

Attack On Pak Jail Housing Imran Khan Thwarted, 3 Terrorists Detained

RAWALPINDI, Mar 8: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the police successfully prevented an attempted attack on Central Jail Adiala, detaining three terrorists on Thursday night, reported Dawn.

"Along with heavy weapons and ammunition, police officials claim to have found them among the terrorists who were captured and later relocated to sites that are not publicly known," police officials stated.

"Authorities intercepted a potential assault on Central Jail Adiala, detaining three terrorists who belong to Afghanistan," said a spokesperson for the Rawalpindi police, as per Dawn.

The suspects, reportedly of Afghan origin, were found in possession of a cache of heavy weapons and ammunition.

According to Dawn, following their arrest, they have been relocated to undisclosed locations for further investigation.

"Recovered items included automatic heavy weapons, hand grenades, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and detailed maps of the jail premises," stated CPO Syed Khalid Hamdani.

'Flouts Written Agreements': S Jaishankar On China's 'Questionable Intent'

TOKYO, Mar 7: Taking a dig at China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said Beijing has not observed longstanding written agreements with India and blamed it for the bloodshed at the borders in 2020, the first in more than four decades.

Speaking at the inaugural Raisina Roundtable in Tokyo, an event by the think tank, Jaishankar also spoke about how he expected a change in Russia's direction towards the rest of the world and it may likely want multiple options in Asia.

On a two-day trip to Japan, Jaishankar elaborated on the changing world order, saying, "There is a reality of a very big power shift in the Indo-Pacific. When there are very big shifts in capabilities and influence and presumably ambitions, then there are all the accompanying ambitions and strategic consequences."

"Now, it's not an issue whether you like it or you don't like it. There's a reality out there, you have to deal with that reality," he said and added, "Ideally, we would assume that everybody would say, okay, things are changing, but let's keep it as stable as we can."

"Unfortunately, that's not what we have seen in the last decade of our own experience in the case of China, for example, is between 1975 to 2020, which is really 45 years, there was no bloodshed on the border, and in 2020, that changed," he said.

He added, "We disagreed on many things. When a country doesn't observe written agreements with a neighbour. I think you have cause for concern here. It raises a question mark about the stability of the relationship and frankly, about the intentions."

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

"We see it in conflict in Europe, in disregard for international law in Asia, and in the ongoing developments in the Middle East and often in the weaponisation of the normal," he said earlier in his prepared address.

"Longstanding agreements are not being necessarily observed, raising question marks about the stability of the environment in which we all operate," he said, referring to the 1993 Border Peace and Tranquillity Agreement (BPTA) and the 1996 agreement on "Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Areas".

Answering a question after his speech, he said, "That is why for India, in a changing world, our own equilibrium, our own balances with other countries are changing as well. They don't have to be acrimonious, but the balance is changing."

The External Affairs Minister had on March 2 in Delhi raised a similar point while speaking at an interactive session of a think tank. "China must adhere to border management pacts and there has to be peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for improvement in Sino-India ties," Jaishankar asserted amid the lingering military face-off in eastern Ladakh.

In his remarks, in an apparent reference to India's increasing economic strength, he said, "We cannot become, in GDP, from number 11 to number five and (expect) everything remains the same. It will not remain the same."

"But how to create new equilibriums ... in a less frictional manner ... I think that today, the management of the global order, some of us are trying to help. Some of us have other approaches to countries in various sectors and also that broadens the spectrum," the Minister added.

The Minister also made an interesting comment about Russia and its changing approach. Pointing out how, during the last two years, Russia's relationship with the West has broken down because of the Ukraine conflict, he said, "Economically, it means that a lot of access Russia had to the Western world is no longer there and historically, Russia has always put a premium that is the main axis for them."

"So you actually have today the prospect that Russia is turning more and more towards Asia. It can also turn to other continents but I would say Asia is the most dynamic possibility for them," he observed.

The flow of Russian trade of investments of resources, and available collaborations towards Asian destinations will not be a short-term trend and continue for some years, he added.

"So I expect, actually, almost like a change in Russia's direction towards the world and I think it has very interesting implications for us in Asia, because like any big power Russia will also want multiple options," Jaishankar added.

Israel has killed Hamas' rocket chief

TEL AVIV, Mar 7: The IDF and Shin Bet say the commander of Hamas’s rocket unit in central Gaza was eliminated in an airstrike in the past day.

Amar Atiya Darwish Aladini was responsible for Hamas’s rocket fire from the so-called central camps over the past several decades, at least from the 2008 war, according to a joint statement.

The IDF and Shin Bet say Aladini “played a central role in the preparations” for the terror group’s October 7 onslaught, and directed rocket fire on Israeli cities and IDF troops in Gaza amid the fighting.

The IDF says it also carried out strikes on several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya over the past day, in response to rocket fire on Sderot.

The targets included hideout apartments where terror operatives were gathered and weapons were stored, other weapon depots, rocket launchers, and tunnels, it says.

Hamas delegation leaves Gaza truce talks in Cairo without deal

CAIRO, Mar 7: A Hamas delegation has left talks in Cairo without a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza, but the armed group says indirect negotiations with Israel are not over.

It had been hoped that a 40-day truce could be in place for the start of the Islamic month of Ramadan next week.

With more signs of a famine looming, international pressure has only grown.

But Egyptian and Qatari mediators have struggled to seal a deal that would see Hamas free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israel did not send a delegation to Cairo, saying it first wanted a list of the surviving hostages who could be released under the agreement.

Hamas said Israel did not accept its demands for displaced Palestinians to be able to return to their homes nor a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gazan cities.

A Hamas statement said its delegation left Cairo on Thursday morning "for consultation with the leadership of the movement, with negotiations and efforts continuing to stop the aggression, return the displaced and bring in relief aid to our people".

Egyptian state-affiliated TV channel al-Qahera meanwhile cited a senior source as saying that the negotiations would resume next week.

There was no immediate comment from Israel's government.

Russia Says It 'Neutralized' ISIS Cell Plotting Attack On Moscow Synagogue

MOSCOW, Mar 7: Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday it prevented an attack on a synagogue in Moscow that was plotted by an Islamic State cell, Russian state news agencies reported.

FSB said that the members of the organization had been planning "to commit a terrorist act against one of the Jewish religious institutions in Moscow", the RIA news agency quoted the report as saying.

The attackers opened fire during the attempted arrest and were "neutralized by return fire", the FSB said.

Indian Navy Warship Rescues 21 From Ship Hit By Houthi Missile

NEW DELHI, Mar 7: The Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata successfully rescued 21 crew members, including one Indian national, from the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier MV True Confidence after a maritime incident in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was reportedly hit by a missile from Yemen's Houthi militants, resulting in three deaths and several people injured.

The incident happened on Wednesday, approximately 55 nautical miles (101 km) southwest of Yemen's port city Aden. The crew, facing imminent danger, sought refuge in a life raft as the INS Kolkata, deployed for maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, sped to the scene.

Commander Vivek Madhwal, a Navy spokesperson, provided details of the operation, stating that the INS Kolkata arrived at 4:45 pm and swiftly executed the rescue using its integral helicopter and boats. The crew, including the critically injured, received essential medical aid from the ship's medical team.

Following the successful rescue, all 21 crew members, along with the injured personnel, were evacuated to Djibouti on the same day.

The incident comes amidst growing global concerns regarding attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly by Houthi militants.

Over the past few weeks, the Indian Navy has been actively involved in extending assistance to various merchant vessels in the Western Indian Ocean following similar attacks.

Israel approves plans for 3,400 new homes in West Bank settlements

TEL AVIV, Mar 7: Israel's government has advanced plans for more than 3,400 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank.

About 70% of the homes will be built in Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, with the rest in nearby Kedar and Efrat, south of Bethlehem.

A minister has said the construction is a response to a deadly Palestinian attack near Maale Adumim two weeks ago.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the plans, which are reportedly the first to be approved since June.

Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land the Palestinians want as part of a future state - in the 1967 Middle East war.

The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper said the Higher Planning Committee of the Civil Administration - the body that implements Israeli government policy in the West Bank - had advanced plans for the development of 3,476 settler homes on Wednesday - with 2,452 in Maale Adumim, 694 in Efrat and 330 in Kedar.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who oversees the Civil Administration, said following the meeting that a total of 18,515 homes in West Bank settlements had now been approved over the past year.

"The enemies try to harm and weaken us but we will continue to build and be built up in this land," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

However, the Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now warned: "Instead of building a future of hope, peace, and security, the Israeli government is paving the way for our destruction."

It said the projects would have a negative impact on the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The foreign ministry of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority condemned both the new plans and Smotrich's remarks.

"Settlement is void and illegitimate from its foundation, representing an explicit call for the continuation of the spiral of violence and wars," a statement said.

Smotrich put forward the plans on 22 February, hours after three Palestinian gunmen opened fire on cars on a road near Maale Adumim, killing one Israeli and wounding several others. He said the attack "must have a determined security response but also a settlement response".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed disappointment with the decision the following day and surprised many observers by declaring that the US viewed settlements as illegal - reverting to a position that had been overturned by former President Donald Trump's administration in 2019.

"It's been longstanding US policy under Republican and Democratic administrations alike that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace," he told reporters in Argentina.

"They're also inconsistent with international law. Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion. And in our judgement, this only weakens - it doesn't strengthen - Israel's security."

A Peace Now report said in January that there had been an "unprecedented surge in settlement activities" across the West Bank since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by Hamas's deadly attacks in Israel on 7 October.

The West Bank has also experienced a spike in violence over the same period.

The UN says at least 413 Palestinians - members of armed groups, attackers and civilians - have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, or in Israel since October.

Fifteen Israelis, including four security forces personnel, have also been killed.

Sweden Becomes NATO's 32nd Member After Two-Year Wait

WASHINGTON, Mar 7: Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, ending two centuries of official non-alignment and capping two years of torturous diplomacy.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Thursday hailed his country's entry into NATO as a "victory for freedom," as it turned the page on two centuries of non-alignment following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The accession "is a victory for freedom today. Sweden has made a free, democratic, sovereign and united choice to join NATO," he said at a ceremony in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO's table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

"After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies' freedom and security," he said.

The Swedish government announced it was holding a special government meeting to approve accession.

Later in the day, the Swedish Prime Minister is to attend the annual State of the Union address by President Joe Biden, who has been struggling to persuade the rival Republican Party to approve new aid to Ukraine.

Sweden's blue and golden-yellow flag is expected to be hoisted on Monday at the Brussels headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.

Russia has vowed "countermeasures" over Sweden's entry into NATO, especially if the alliance's troops and assets deploy in the country.

Sweden and Finland, while both militarily intertwined with the United States and members of the European Union, have historically steered clear of officially joining NATO, formed in the Cold War to unite against the Soviet Union.

After Finland joined last year, Sweden's membership means all the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, except Russia, will be part of the US-led military alliance.

That has led some to label the sea a "NATO lake", with the Western allies now appearing well-placed to strangle Russia's room for manoeuvre in the crucial shipping route if a war with Moscow ever breaks out.

Sweden has not been involved in a war, including World War II, since the Napoleonic conflicts of the early 19th century.

But Finland and Sweden launched a joint bid after Russia in 2022 invaded Ukraine, which had unsuccessfully sought to join NATO -- which considers an attack on one member an attack on all.

Finland successfully joined in April 2023.

Missile From Yemen Hits Bulk Carrier In Gulf Of Aden, 2 Dead, 6 Injured

WASHINGTON, Mar 6: A missile fired from Yemen hit a bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, with the crew reporting at least two dead and six wounded, a US official said.

The missile caused "significant damage" to the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, the official said, adding that its "crew reports at least two fatalities and six injured crewmembers and have abandoned the ship."

"At least 2 innocent sailors have died. This was the sad but inevitable consequence of the Houthis recklessly firing missiles at international shipping," the British Embassy in Yemen said.

It was the fifth anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Huthis in two days, the official said, noting that two -- including the latest -- hit merchant vessels and a third was shot down by an American destroyer.

The Huthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Huthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

Anger over Israel's devastating campaign in Gaza -- which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 -- has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

As Chinese 'Spy' Ship Leaves, Maldives Severs Yet Another Tie With India

MALE, Mar 6: Maldives will not renew an agreement with India to conduct hydrographic surveys and plans to acquire the facilities and machines required to do the exercise by itself, President Mohamed Muizzu has announced.

Muizzu also announced that his country is working to establish a 24X7 monitoring system for the Maldivian waters this month to ensure control of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) despite its significantly large area.

The development comes days after China signed a defence cooperation agreement with the Maldives to provide free military assistance to foster "stronger" bilateral ties.

India-Maldives ties have suffered a setback ever since Muizzu, who is blindly pro-China, assumed office last year. Hours after he took oath in November 2023, one of the first steps Muizzu took, was to demand India to withdraw all its troops.

Muizzu's new announcement comes days after a Chinese research and 'spy' vessel spent about a week around Male and more than a month just outside Maldives' EEZ.

Speaking at a ceremony at one of the islands that he was visiting on Monday, Muizzu said, the Maldives Ministry of Defence is making efforts to obtain the facilities required for conducting the hydrographic surveys by the country itself.

"This will allow Maldives to conduct the underwater surveys of the country by ourselves. We will then acquire all insights of our underwater features and prepare charts, they will be drawn by us," the president was quoted as saying by Edition.mv, a news portal on Tuesday.

Maldives' former administration, led by then President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, had signed an agreement with the Indian government to conduct hydrographic surveys of Maldives' underwater features.

"We decided not to renew the agreement entered into with the Indian government to scan and acquire all insights into our underwater bodies. All these underwater details are our property, our heritage," Muizzu said and claimed the Maldives earlier needed to purchase all such maps and survey data from India.

This is the first time that Muizzu has publicly commented about the hydrographic survey plans of his government. His government has earlier announced that it reviewing more than 100 agreements signed with India by the previous regimes.

The most recent hydrographic survey carried out in collaboration with India's Hydrography Office was launched in January 2021 as part of the agreement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 during his visit to Maldives.

"The former President had obtained the approval of the parliament to facilitate this hydrography services in the Maldives and confer the facility to the Defence Ministry," the Edition.mv reported.

Meanwhile, two days earlier, Muizzu, while visiting yet another atoll on Saturday said, his government has vowed to begin work on and establish a 24X7 monitoring system of the Maldivian waters in March.

Speaking with the locals of Raa Meedhoo, the President highlighted that the area of sea is twice as large as the entire land mass of the Maldives and noted that the Maldives "has not been in control of its Exclusive Economic Zone despite its significantly large area."

"Although the EEZ is part of our territory, we did not have the capacity to monitor the area. God willing, our work (to monitor the Maldivian waters) will commence in March. We will establish a 24X7 monitoring system during this month," Sun.mv, a news portal reported, quoting the President.

The Maldives Coastguard currently seeks regular assistance from the militaries of neighbouring countries, and carries out some of the special patrolling operations with foreign allies, the news portal said.

Maldives Says Indian Troops Will Not Remain 'Even In Civilian Clothing'

MALE, Mar 5: Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, a media report said today.

President Muizzu's statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two nations for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.

Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government's success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours, are attempting to twist the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.

"That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies," the portal quoted Muizzu, widely regarded as a China-backed leader, as saying.

"There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence," he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.

Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10.

In his maiden address to Parliament on February 5, he made similar remarks.

There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10.

India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.

The Opposition has been directing criticism at the administration asserting that the Indian personnel sent to Maldives as civilians are in reality military officials out of uniform and that the government has no way to ascertain otherwise, the portal claimed.

Meanwhile, local media reports also said that Maldives has successfully tied up with Sri Lanka to run flights for medical evacuation last week, further indicating that it is bent on removing all Indian troops in whichever category.

Further highlighting that securing true independence is a concept he regards with utmost priority, the President remarked that the State is exerting efforts with due importance "to regain the southern maritime area deprived of the country in addition to expelling Indian troops from the Maldives."

"I am confident we can achieve this. The delay in concluding this task is due to the adverse procedures practiced during the implementation. It was done without even taking the matter to the parliament ... in violation of the Constitution as well," the portal quoted the President as saying.

The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.

The Maldives has been India's key maritime neighbour in the IOR and it occupies a special place in its initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy.'

Philippine, Chinese vessels collide in disputed South China Sea; 4 Filipino crew are injured

MANILA, Mar 5: Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels have collided in the disputed South China Sea, slightly injuring four Filipino crewmen in a new confrontation that unfolded as Southeast Asian leaders gathered for an Asian summit where alarm over Beijing’s aggression at sea was expected to be raised

Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided in the disputed South China Sea and four Filipino crew members were injured on Tuesday in high-seas confrontations as Southeast Asian leaders gathered for an Asian summit where alarm over Beijing’s aggression at sea was expected to be raised.

The Chinese Coast Guard ships and accompanying vessels blocked the Philippine Coast Guard and supply vessels off the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and executed dangerous manoeuvres that caused two minor collisions between the Chinese ships and two of the Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said.

The BRP Sindangan of the Philippine Coast Guard had minor structural damage from the collision that happened shortly after dawn.

Over an hour later, another Chinese coast guard ship first blocked and then collided with a supply boat the Philippine coast guard was escorting, the Philippine officials said.

The supply boat, manned by Filipino Navy personnel, was later hit by water cannon blasts from two Chinese coast guard ships. Its windshield shattered, injuring at least four Filipino crew members, according to a statement from the Philippine government task force dealing with territorial disputes.

The task force said the actions by the Chinese was “another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission.”

“China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers” against Philippine ships en route to deliver supplies and fresh troops to the Philippine-occupied shoal “put the lives of our people at risk and caused actual injury to Filipinos,” it said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila summoned China’s Deputy Ambassador to convey a protest against the Chinese coast guard’s actions, which it said were unacceptable.

A small Philippine marine and Navy contingent has kept watch onboard a rusting warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which has been marooned since the late 1990s in the shallows of the Second Thomas Shoal.

China also claims the shoal lying off the western Philippines and has surrounded the atoll with coast guard, Navy and other ships to press its claims and prevent Filipino forces from delivering construction materials to fortify the Sierra Madre in a decades-long standoff.

The shoal has been the site of several tense skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships last year.

Washington strongly condemned the Chinese coast guard’s actions and its Ambassador in Manila, MaryKay Carlson, said the U.S. stands with the Philippines and proponents of international law. Australia and Japan separately expressed their concern over China’s actions.

The long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea are expected to be discussed at a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their Australian counterpart on Wednesday in Melbourne.

Gaza ceasefire talks extended in Cairo for another day, Hamas says

CAIRO, Mar 5: Hamas negotiators will remain in Cairo for another day at the request of mediators, keeping ceasefire talks going after two days with no breakthrough, an official from the militant group said on Tuesday.

The Cairo talks have been billed as a final hurdle to reach the first extended ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel- a 40-day truce during which Israeli hostages would be freed and aid pumped into Gaza – ahead of Ramadan, which is due to begin at the start of next week.

“The delegation will remain in Cairo on Tuesday for more talks, they are expected to wrap up this round later today,” said a Hamas official.

Egypt’s Qahera television also reported the talks had been extended for a third day, but said they were “facing difficulties”.

Earlier, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said the militant group had presented its proposal for a ceasefire agreement to the mediators, and was now waiting for a response from the Israelis, who have stayed away from this round. “(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu doesn’t want to reach an agreement and the ball now is in the Americans’ court” to press him for a deal, Naim said.

A senior Israeli official, asked about Naim’s comments that Israel was holding up the deal, said: “The claim is incorrect. Israel is making every effort to reach an agreement. We are awaiting a response from Hamas.”

Israel has declined to comment publicly on the talks in Cairo.

North Korea Slams South Korea-US Drills, Warns Of Consequences

SEOUL, Mar 5: North Korea's defence ministry called on South Korea and the United States to stop military drills, saying they are rehearsals of war and warning of consequences, KCNA reported on Tuesday.

South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off their annual spring exercises on Monday with twice the number of troops joining compared to last year, seeking to improve their responses to North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats.

An unnamed spokesperson of Pyongyang's defence ministry said it strongly denounces what it called "frantic, reckless" military drills, urging them to stop, KCNA said.

India Issues Advisory For Its Citizens In Israel After Kerala Man Killed

NEW DELHI, Mar 5: Shortly after a Kerala man was killed and two others injured in a missile strike near the Israel-Lebanon border, the Centre today issued an advisory for Indians, asking them to move to safer areas in Israel.

"In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel. The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals," the Indian embassy in Israel has said.

In the first Indian casualty in the Israel-Hamas war, a man from Kerala's Kollam died in a missile strike in north Israel's Margaliot yesterday. The Israel embassy in India said in a statement this morning that two others, also from Kerala, were injured in the "cowardly" attack by Hezbollah. The man killed in the strike has been identified as Pat Nibin Maxwell. Those injured have been identified as Paul Melvin and Bush Joseph George from Idukki.

The three were cultivating an orchard at the time of the missile strike, the statement said. The Israel embassy has said its prayers go out to the families of the dead and the injured. "Israeli Medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by our very best medical staff. Israel regards equally all nationals, Israeli or foreign, who are injured or killed due to terrorism. We will be there to support the families and offer them assistance," it said.

Israel said to boycott Cairo ceasefire talks over hostage list

TEL AVIV, Mar 3: Israel boycotted Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas rejected its demand for a complete list naming hostages that are still alive, an Israeli newspaper reported.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo for the talks, billed as a possible final hurdle before an agreement that would halt the fighting for six weeks. But by the evening there was no sign of the Israelis.

"There is no Israeli delegation in Cairo," Ynet, the online version of Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, quoted unidentified Israeli officials as saying. "Hamas refuses to provide clear answers and therefore there is no reason to dispatch the Israeli delegation."

Washington has insisted the ceasefire deal is close and should be in place in time to halt fighting by the start of Ramadan, a week away. But the warring sides have given little sign in public of backing away from previous demands.

After the Hamas delegation arrived, a Palestinian official said the deal was "not yet there". There was no official comment from Israel.

One source briefed on the talks had said on Saturday that Israel could stay away from Cairo unless Hamas first presented its full list of hostages who are still alive. A Palestinian source said that Hamas had so far rejected that demand.

In past negotiations Hamas has sought to avoid discussing the wellbeing of individual hostages until after terms for their release are set.

Israel Releases Video Showing Hamas Escaping In Ambulance After Airstrike

TEL AVIV, Mar 3: A squad of Palestinian terrorists in the Zeitoun area of Gaza were caught on film escaping in an ambulance in footage released on Sunday by the Israel Defense Forces.

According to the military, soldiers from the IDF's 162nd Division and 401st Brigade were searching for and destroying rocket launchers and launch pits when a Hamas terror squad fired an anti-tank missile at close range. Israeli aircraft responded, killing most of the members of the squad.

However, surveillance footage from an Israeli drone filmed the armed survivors entering an ambulance with Palestinian Red Crescent markings.

More than 100 terrorists were eliminated and 35 locations in Zeitoun belonging to the two terror groups were destroyed, including rocket launching sites, weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, tunnel shafts, and operational centers.

In a separate incident, Israeli forces spotted a Hamas sniper firing from an adjacent building and directed an airstrike killing him.

Israeli forces also destroyed terrorist infrastructure belonging to Ad Aladdin Haddad, a senior commander in Hamas's Gaza City Brigade.

According to IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, 85 per cent of Gaza's hospitals have been used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad for terror.

In December, Ahmed Kahlot, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, confirmed to Israeli interrogators that he and other staff were Hamas operatives.

During the interrogation, Kahlot described how Hamas used hospitals and ambulances to hide operatives, launch military activity, transport members of terror squads and even deliver a kidnapped Israeli soldier.

Other Gazans have told Israeli interrogators deeply embedded themselves in the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to use hospitals as a base for attacks.

As reported by the Tazpit Press Service, Hamas made extensive use of the Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest medical center. Hamas launched rockets from its compound, hid hostages in the bowels of the building, tortured collaborators, and dug tunnels connecting Shifa to nearby sites. Israel also released a recording of a phone call confirming that Hamas also stores at least a half-million liters of fuel underneath the compound.

And in Jenin, in northern Samaria, Israeli soldiers disguised as doctors and nurses killed three terrorists hiding inside the Ibn Sina Hospital and planning an imminent terror attack.

Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistan PM for second term

ILAMABAD, Mar 3: Pakistani legislators have elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister for a second term following a controversial election last month.

The South Asian country voted on February 8 in a vote marred by allegations of large-scale rigging and delayed results. On Sunday, the National Assembly, as the lower house of parliament is called, met to elect the premier.

“Shehbaz Sharif is declared to have been elected the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said.

Shehbaz secured 201 votes in the 336-member National Assembly, comfortably prevailing over rival Omar Ayub Khan, who won 92. The winner needed at least 169 votes.

Khan was backed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the political group legislators belonging to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party joined after the PTI was barred from contesting for allegedly violating election laws.

Sharif, 72, served as prime minister until August last year when the National Assembly was dissolved to make way for a caretaker government, tasked with holding the national elections.

Shehbaz is the younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who founded the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party, which is in alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to form the government. Shehbaz is also the current PMLN president.

The PTI, which was forced to field its candidates as independents after losing its election symbol, had emerged as the largest group with 93 seats. The party alleges its mandate was “stolen” and has also kicked off street protests against the alleged rigging.

'Right Now Ball Is In The Camp Of Hamas': US Official On Gaza Ceasefire

WASHINGTON, Mar 2: Israel has broadly accepted a deal for a six-week Gaza ceasefire and it is now up to Hamas to agree to release the most vulnerable hostages for the deal to take effect, a senior US official said Saturday.

"There's a framework deal. The Israelis have more or less accepted it," the Biden administration official told reporters on a call, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Right now, the ball is in the camp of Hamas."

Negotiators from regional powers were working "around the clock" to secure the deal by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is due to start in about one week.

"It will be a six-week ceasefire in Gaza starting today if Hamas agrees to release the defined category of vulnerable hostages... the sick, the wounded, elderly and women," the official added.

"I just want to kind of emphasize that we would have a ceasefire if Hamas addresses that final issue."

US officials hope such a deal would create space for a "more enduring" peace settlement between Israel and Hamas, at war since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel.

A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce, a source close to the group said.

The ceasefire would also allow a "significant surge" in humanitarian aid to Gaza, with the UN warning of an imminent famine in the north of the besieged territory.

US airdrops meals into Gaza days after 100 killed in clash with Israeli troops

WASHINGTON, Mar 2: U.S. military C-130 cargo planes on Saturday dropped food in pallets over Gaza, three U.S. officials said, two days after more than 100 Palestinians who had surged to pull goods off an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic encounter with Israeli troops.

Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles containing about 38,000 meals into Gaza at 8:30 a.m. EST, according to two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity before a public announcement.

The airdrop is expected to be the first of many announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. The aid will be coordinated with Jordan, which has also conducted airdrops to deliver food to Gaza.

At least 115 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more wounded in the Thursday attack as they scrambled for aid, the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said. Israel says many of the dead were trampled in a chaotic crush for the food aid, and its troops fired warning shots after the crowd moved toward them in a threatening way.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Friday that the airdrops were being planned to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance in a safe way to people on the ground.

The C-130 cargo plane is a widely used military jet to deliver aid to remote places due to its ability to land in austere environments and cargo capacity.

A C-130 can airlift as much as 42,000 pounds of cargo and its crews know how to rig the cargo, which sometimes can include even vehicles, onto massive pallets can be safely dropped out of the back of the aircraft.

Air Force loadmasters secure the bundles onto pallets with netting that is rigged for release in the back of a C-130, and then crews release it with a parachute when the aircraft reaches the intended delivery zone.

The Air Force's C-130 has been used in years past to air drop humanitarian into Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and other locations and the airframe is used in an annual multi-national “Operation Christmas Drop” that air drops pallets of toys, supplies, nonperishable food and fishing supplies to remote locations in the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.

Israeli Strikes Kill 7 Hezbollah Members in South Lebanon

LEBANON, Mar 2: An Israeli drone strike hit a car in south Lebanon Saturday morning, killing three Hezbollah members, state media and officials said.

Another four Hezbollah members were killed in a strike on a house in the town of Ramia overnight, said a Lebanese security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

The state-run National News Agency said the latest strike on Saturday hit a car in the Naqoura area along Lebanon’s southern coast.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had “struck a vehicle in southern Lebanon, in which a number of terrorists who launched rockets into Israeli territory were driving.” It said the militants operated under the Imam Hossein Division, which is affiliated with Iran and operates under Hezbollah.

Hezbollah announced the deaths of seven of its fighters Saturday, but as usual did not specify when and where they were killed.

The Lebanese militant group has been trading fire with Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border near-daily since the beginning of Israel’s war against Hamas, a Hezbollah ally, in Gaza. The fighting has killed more than 200 Hezbollah fighters and at least 37 civilian in Lebanon and at least nine soldiers and nine civilians in Israel.

UK-owned ship attacked by Houthis sinks off Yemen coast

LONDON, Mar 2: A British-registered cargo ship has sunk two weeks after being attacked by Houthis in the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen's government said the Rubymar was drifting and taking on water for days before it sank.

It is the first ship to have been sunk by the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since they began targeting vessels in the Red Sea.

The ship was reportedly carrying fertilisers and experts say the sinking risks "an environmental catastrophe".

The Rubymar was in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab Strait when it was hit by two missiles fired by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

Ten days ago, the British government said that the vessel had been taking in water and all its 24 crew had been rescued.

The BBC obtained an image of the ship on 21 February, which showed it submerged at the stern, but still afloat.

The vessel's owners said at the time that it was being towed to nearby Djibouti but could yet sink. It said it was unable to confirm it had given there was no one aboard.

The vessel was flying under a Belize flag and operated by a Lebanese firm. It is believed to have been carrying a cargo of ammonium nitrate fertiliser.

The prime minister of Yemen's internationally recognised government, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, called the ship's sinking "an unprecedented environmental disaster".

Greenpeace said a spill of ammonium nitrate could have "significant impacts on marine ecosystems".

Since November, the Houthi rebels have been carrying out attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying their actions are in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

43 killed, Several Injured As Fire Breaks Out At Building In Bangladesh

DHAKA, Mar 1: At least 43 people were killed and dozens injured after a fire blazed through a seven-storey building in an upscale neighbourhood in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka late Thursday, health authorities said.

"So far 43 people have died from the fire," Bangladesh's health minister Samanta Lal Sen told AFP after visiting the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and an adjoining burn hospital.

Sen said at least 40 injured people were being treated in the city's main burn hospital.

Fire department official Mohammad Shihab said the blaze originated in a popular biriyani restaurant in Dhaka's Bailey Road at 9:50pm Thursday (1550 GMT), and quickly spread to the upper floors, trapping scores of people.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control in two hours, he said.

They rescued 75 people alive, a statement from the fire service said.

The Bailey Road building houses mainly restaurants along with several clothing and mobile phone shops.

"We were at the sixth floor when we first saw smoke racing through the staircase. A lot of people rushed upstairs. We used a water pipe to climb down the building. Some of us were injured as they jumped from upstairs," said a restaurant manager called Sohel.

Fires in apartment buildings and factory complexes are common in Bangladesh due to lax enforcement of safety rules.

In July 2021, at least 52 people were killed including many children when a fire swept through a food processing factory.

In February 2019, 70 people died when an inferno ripped through several Dhaka apartment blocks.