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German defence major TKMS and India’s MDL ink pact

In June 2021, the defence ministry cleared the mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy…reports Asian Lite News

Eyeing the Indian Navy’s Rs 43,000-crore contract for six stealth submarines, German defence major Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) signed a framework agreement on Wednesday to bid for the project.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in Mumbai in the presence of German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

The MoU was signed a day after Pistorius held wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnatjh Singh, following which he said TKMS is well-placed to execute the mega project.

“I was particularly pleased that I was able to be present at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Mazagon Docks Limited and German company TKMS,” the German defence minister told the media in Mumbai.

Pistorius described the partnership between TKMS and MDL as an “important signal” for the possible construction of the six submarines.

“We have, thus, sent a very important signal today — a milestone one could say for a new flagship project. The Indian partners were full of praise for the German technology, the reliability and the longevity of the equipment, submarines and ships of the last decades,” he said.

The bidding process for the project called P-75 India ends in August.

TKMS said as the market leader for non-nuclear submarines, it signed the MoU with MDL on the “intended construction” of conventional, air independent-propulsion submarines.

In June 2021, the defence ministry cleared the mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy.

The submarines will be built under the much-talked-about strategic partnership model that allows domestic defence manufacturers to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms to reduce import dependence.

The defence ministry is likely to finalise the winner of the contract by the end of this year or early next year.

According to the MoU, TKMS would contribute to the engineering and design of the submarines as well as provide consultancy support to the joint project, while MDL would take the responsibility of constructing and delivering the respective submarines, officials said.

The construction of the submarines would take place in India and is expected to have significant local content.

“We look back on a trusting and decade-long partnership with India. The boats we built in the 1980s are still in service today. We are very proud of that and would be delighted to continue contributing to India’s national security in the future. We are ready when India calls,” said Oliver Burkhard, CEO, TKMS.

TKMS said with the signing of the MoU, it has laid the foundations for a possible cooperation with MDL to compete in the Indian Navy’s tender process.

With this MoU, TKMS is proactively striving to contribute to Germany’s strategic cooperation with India, it said.

“Both parties can draw on many years of expertise, knowledge and professional competence in fulfilling this project to everyone’s complete satisfaction. They have already cooperated closely in completing great projects in India and look forward to close cooperation,” the company said in a statement.

TKMS has built and delivered vessels for the Indian Navy in the past.

In his comments to the media, Pistorius reaffirmed that India is an important strategic partner not only for Germany, but also for the European Union (EU).

“You know that our navy has been operating safely and efficiently with TKMS products for decades and we are not the only ones and that is a good sign of how well positioned the German armaments industry is, especially when it comes to such systems,” he said.

“My encounters and conversations over the last few days have impressively shown how important our commitment here is, how important our presence is, how important it is to show that we have an interest in this region,” he added.

ALSO READ-Germany seeks submarine deal with India

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Erdogan dials Putin, offers mediation in Ukraine conflict

MOSCOW, March 5, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow, Russia, on March 5, 2020. Russia and Turkey agreed Thursday on a ceasefire in the de-escalation zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, after talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan which lasted for about six hours. (Sputnik/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)

Erdogan emphasised that Turkey is determined to continue to make necessary efforts to establish a just peace between Russia and Ukraine….reports Asian Lite News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during a telephonic conversation, discussed about the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Erdogan stressed that the continuation of consultations with the United Nations to remove obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertiliser would be beneficial, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement published on Wednesday by Erdogan’s office.

The Turkish President said that the whole world attaches importance to the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain to world markets, underlining that the agreement they established through joint efforts plays a vital role in tackling the global food crisis.

Erdogan emphasised that Turkey is determined to continue to make necessary efforts to establish a just peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan also spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, offering aid to investigate the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in southern Ukraine.

In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkey and the United Nations on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Ukraine crisis.

The memorandum of understanding between Russia and the United Nations on the facilitation of exports of Russian food and fertilizer is a parallel agreement with the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

While the exports of Ukrainian grain have made strides, Russia has constantly expressed displeasure with the lack of progress in the facilitation of exports of Russian food and fertiliser.

The initiative, initially in effect for 120 days, was extended in mid-November 2022 for another 120 days till March 18, 2023. At that point, Russia only agreed to extend the deal for 60 days, till May 18, 2023. On May 17, Russia agreed to extend the deal for another 60 days.

ALSO READ: We stand by India, says Erdogan

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‘Environmental bomb of mass destruction’: Zelensky on Ukraine dam breach

Dam burst in Ukraine.(photo:instagram.com/p/CtKa6O_p91d/)

The breach of the dam and the subsequent destruction of a hydro-electric power plant in the Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka, led to mass evacuations…reports Asian Lite News

As fears loom over an ecological catastrophe due to the breaching of a major dam in southern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “Russian terrorists have detonated an environmental bomb of mass destruction”.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the President said: “The whole world knows about this Russian war crime, the crime of ecocide — the deliberate destruction of the dam and other structures of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant by the Russian occupiers.

“In fact, Russian terrorists have detonated an environmental bomb of mass destruction.”

The breach of the dam and the subsequent destruction of a hydro-electric power plant in the Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka region in the early hours of Tuesday, led to mass evacuations as water levels downstream rapidly increased.

Officials have said that 30 towns and villages along the river have been flooded and nearly 2,000 homes have been submerged in the city of Kherson — the region’s capital controlled by Ukraine.

Of the 30 flooded towns and villages, 20 are controlled by Ukraine and 10 are occupied by Russia.

Kiev and Moscow have traded accusations over the dam’s destruction, without providing concrete proof that the other is culpable.

It is not yet clear whether the dam was deliberately attacked or whether the breach was the result of structural failure.

In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky further said although the country’s “military and special services were rescuing people and doing as much as possible, despite the shelling… But large-scale efforts are needed”.

He called on international organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, to immediately join the rescue operation and help people in Nova Kakhovka.

Also on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin announced that the country has “initiated proceedings over this crime, qualifying it as a violation of the laws and customs of war and ecocide. It has caused severe long-term damage to people and the environment.”

“The consequences are catastrophic. More than 40,000 people have been affected. Homes and infrastructure have been destroyed, land has become unsuitable for agriculture, and water supply has been disrupted in a number of regions, both in the government-controlled areas and in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia,” CNN quoted Kostin as saying in an official statement.

Concerns are now turning to the dangers to wildlife, farmlands, settlements and water supplies from the floodwaters and possible contamination from industrial chemicals and oil leaked from the hydropower plant into the Dnipro River.

The flooding has already killed 300 animals at the Nova Kakhovka zoo, according to the Ukrainian Defence Ministry.

Before its collapse, the critical Nova Kakhovka dam was the largest reservoir in Ukraine in terms of volume.

It is the last of the cascade of six Soviet-era dams on the Dnipro River and supplied water for much of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014.

ALSO READ: Ukraine: Dam collapse triggers flood, forces thousands to flee

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Germany seeks submarine deal with India

Pistorius on Tuesday said a long-standing strategic partnership connects Germany and India…reports Asian Lite News

Concerned about China’s geostrategic striving for supremacy, which is challenging the other neighbouring countries, India and Germany on Tuesday vowed to further solidify their strategic partnership that could include a possible deal to jointly manufacture six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy.

As he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius called India a “strategically reliable partner” which should be treated at par with Australia and Japan when it comes to arms exports.

Besides announcing a joint exercise with the German Navy in the coming year, Pistorius also hinted at Thyssen-Krupp Maritime Systems (TKMS) based on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast being in the running to supply six submarines for the Indian Navy in a deal worth six billion Euros.

“We talked about a concrete cooperation in military procurement. That could be six submarines from TKMS. That could be a flagship project,” the German media quoted the country’s defence minister as saying after the meeting with his Indian counterpart.

Interestingly, Pistorius is travelling to Mumbai next, where he is scheduled to visit the Headquarters of the Western Naval Command and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.

Singh, on the other hand, stressed that India and Germany could build a more symbiotic relationship based on shared goals and complementarity of strength, namely skilled workforce and competitive costs from India and high technologies and investment from Germany.

He mentioned the opportunities that have opened up in the defence production sector, including the possibilities for German investments in the two Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

“The Indian defence industry could participate in the supply chains of German defence industry and add value to the ecosystem, besides contributing to supply chain resilience,” said the Ministry of Defence in a statement.

Under its resolve to become a completely self-reliant, combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-proof force until 2047, Indian Navy is going ahead full steam with its mission to have ‘Made in India’ ships, submarines, aircraft, unmanned vessels and systems.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, including Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan also attended the delegation-level talks which reviewed the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation activities and explored ways to enhance the collaboration, particularly defence industrial partnership.

Pistorius is the first German Defence Minister to visit India since 2015 and the first in many years to take part in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last week, the Indo-Pacific counterpart to the Munich Security Conference.

The Pistorius-Singh meeting took place less than 24 hours after India and the United States finalised a new roadmap for defence industrial cooperation during the US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to the Indian capital, showcasing India’s immense geopolitical clout.

Berlin is concerned with the increasing Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific and has a strategic interest in free sea routes as more than 20 per cent of German trade is with countries in the region.

Pistorius on Tuesday said a long-standing strategic partnership connects Germany and India.

The German Defence Minister during a media briefing on Tuesday said that next year, India and Germany will conduct a multi-day military exercise with the deployment of our naval units for the Pacific Program 2024, including a port visit. “There will be an exercise in Goa. This is important for several reasons,” he said.

The German Defence Minister while talking about his meeting with his counterpart Rajnath Singh, said, “We talked about the fact that our connection, our strategic partnership, should and must gain more momentum–not only against the background of current developments in the region, but also worldwide.”

“We have established that defence is a pillar of this partnership between the two countries in a special way, precisely because of our joint strategic partnership experience. We both emphasized very, very clearly why the future will be and that is part of it,” he said.

Pistorius said: “It is the first visit by a defence minister from the Federal Republic of Germany since 2015, i.e. in eight years. And I think it was about time. A long-standing strategic partnership connects Germany and India. The corresponding agreements were made in 2000 and 2011.”

The German Defence Minister said: “We also talked about the war between Russia and Ukraine. The war has repercussions up to here in every corner of the world. That’s no surprise. And India is trying very hard to significantly and quickly reduce its dependency on Russia for armaments, which is currently at 60 per cent. Germany is the largest trading partner for India in the EU, with a volume of 30 billion euros. That is significantly more than between India and France, for example.”

Pistorius, who is on a four-day visit to India, was accorded a Guard of Honour at Manekshaw Centre in the presence of Rajnath Singh in Delhi. He also laid a wreath at National War Memorial in the national capital. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Germany to close four Russian consulates

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Ukraine: Dam collapse triggers flood, forces thousands to flee

Dam burst in Ukraine.(photo:instagram.com/p/CtKa6O_p91d/)

Russia has denied destroying the dam – which it controls – instead blaming Ukrainian shelling…reports Asian Lite News

Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after the collapse of a major hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine, which Kiev said was “blown up by Russia in a desperate attempt to ward off a Ukrainian counteroffensive”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky declared the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam an “environmental bomb of mass destruction” and said only liberating the entire country could guarantee against new “terrorist” acts, The Guardian reported.

Eighty towns and villages may be flooded after the destruction of the dam at Nova Kakhovka, Zelensky, who blamed on Russia for the collapse, was quoted by the BBC as saying.

Water is surging down the Dnipro river, and is said to pose a catastrophic flooding risk to the city of Kherson.

Russia has denied destroying the dam – which it controls – instead blaming Ukrainian shelling, the BBC reported.

The Kakhovka dam, downstream from the huge Kakhovka reservoir, is crucial to the region. It provides water to farmers and residents, as well as to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It is also a vital channel carrying water south to “Russian-occupied” Crimea, the British news broadcaster said.

Ukraine’s state-owned hydropower plants administrator Ukrhydroenergo warned that the peak of a water spill downstream from the emptying reservoir was expected on Wednesday morning.

It said this would be followed by a period of “stabilisation”, with the water expected to rapidly recede in four to five days.

There are concerns about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – which uses reservoir water for cooling.

The situation there is said to be under control and there is “no immediate nuclear safety risk” for the plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

ALSO READ: Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up Nova Kakhovka dam

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Indian nurses in soup over Irish visa ‘logjam’

An Indian nurse with 20 years’ work experience said that she has been waiting 76 working days for a decision on her visa application….reports Asian Lite News

Up to 850 highly-qualified nurses from India and other countries hoping to work in Ireland are stuck in a visa application ‘logjam’ due to delays in processing their applications, according to a media report.

With the waiting times for visas going up, nurses have missed their exam slots, making them wait for the next exam, pay the fee again and seek a new three-month visa, The Irish Times reported, quoting the owner of a health recruitment agency.

“Since the new year, candidates are being refused their temporary visa to sit the exam for bizarre and random reasons such as the type of software used to submit their documentation or the middle name not being included in one document,” the recruiter told The Times requesting anonymity.

In order to work in Ireland, the nurses have to first qualify the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) exam for which they have to come on a temporary visa costing 250 euros (Rs 22,000), in addition to 3,000 euros (Rs 2.6 lakh) examination fee.

Ireland grants highest number of work permits to Indians in Q1 2023.

An Indian nurse with 20 years’ work experience told The Irish Times she has been waiting 76 working days for a decision on her visa application. Currently employed in the Middle East, she was due to appear for the RSCI exam in late May but was unable to travel to Ireland due to the lack of a visa, and one of the documents she had photocopied was deemed illegible.

“I wanted to work in Europe and chose Ireland because friends said it was peaceful and the salaries were good. But I have been waiting a long time. I have resigned from my job, which ends in July. I will have to go to India then if this is not sorted out,” she said.

She further said that many of her colleagues are now turning to countries like the UK and New Zealand for they process applications swiftly.

“These nurses will have had to give several months notice in their current positions and will have quit their jobs in expectation of sitting their exams and beginning their new careers in Ireland. They have upended their lives and gambled their life savings on a bureaucratic process that is not fit for purpose,” the nurse told The Irish Times.

The RCSI said it refunds exam fees in most circumstances, including when a candidate is unable to travel.

At present, the average processing time for applications is approximately 35 working days, according to the Department of Justice website, which advises applicants to expect processing to take at least 20 working days.

As of April 30, 2023, visa application volume increased 40 per cent compared to 2022, and 75 per cent compared to 2019, according to Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi.

The recruiter said he had two nurses waiting 42 working days for a visa decision, while two others have been waiting 74 working days, and had to postpone their exams.

“We have eight other candidates waiting on decisions that would be due now and these nurses are due for exams in July,” he said.

The Department of Justice spokesperson told The Times that they are working to reduce immigration processing times via modernisation of systems. “More resources were added to manage the scheme recently as well as additional streamlining measures which should also reduce processing times for applications.”

ALSO READ: 2 Indian nurses shortlisted for Global Nursing Award

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Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up Nova Kakhovka dam

Ukraine war pictures.(photo:instagram)

European Council President Charles Michel also appeared to blame Moscow, writing on Twitter that “Russia and its proxies” will be held accountable…reports Asian Lite News

A major dam and hydro-electric power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine was destroyed early Tuesday, prompting mass evacuations and fears for large-scale devastation as Ukraine accused Moscow’s forces of committing an act of “ecocide.”

Residents downstream from the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson were told to “do everything you can to save your life,” according to the head of Ukraine’s Kherson region military administration, as video showed a deluge of water gushing from a huge breach in the dam.

Two videos posted to social media and geolocated by CNN showed the destroyed dam wall and fast-moving torrents of water flowing out into the river. Multiple buildings at the entrance to the dam were also heavily damaged.

The critical Nova Kakhovka dam spans the Dnipro River, a major waterway running through southeastern Ukraine and there are multiple towns and cities downstream, including Kherson, a city of some 300,000 people before Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.

Multiple senior Ukrainian officials and military figures accused Russia of sabotaging the dam.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who convened an emergency meeting of his security chiefs, said its destruction “only confirms for the whole world” that Russian forces “must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”

“This is ecocide,” added Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

“The Russians will be responsible for the possible deprivation of drinking water for people in the south of Kherson region and in Crimea, the possible destruction of some settlements and the biosphere,” he said.

European Council President Charles Michel also appeared to blame Moscow, writing on Twitter that “Russia and its proxies” will be held accountable.

“Shocked by the unprecedented attack of the Nova Kakhovka dam,” he said, adding the attack on “clearly qualifies as a war crime.”

In recent days Ukraine’s forces have increasingly taken the fight to Russia’s entrenched frontlines in the south and east ahead of a widely expected summer counter-offensive.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Zelensky, said the dam’s destruction would “create obstacles for the offensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

“This once again confirms that the Kremlin is not thinking strategically, but rather in terms of short-term situational advantages. But the consequences are already catastrophic,” he told CNN.

Ukraine’s military accused Russia’s forces of blowing up the dam “in panic”.

Ukrainian authorities urged residents living downstream to escape the area, with about 80 settlements in the zone of potential flooding, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

As of 10:00 a.m. local time, 742 people have been evacuated from the Kherson region, the ministry said.

“We are helping citizens in the liberated west-bank part of the Kherson region. We are worried about our people who remained in the temporarily occupied east bank part of the region,” said Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko.

Evacuations were disrupted as water began to inundate some settlements, the ministry said.

“Water is coming. The situation is complicated by the fact that some roads are being washed away. This makes it impossible to drive to some settlements. Evacuation teams are looking for other ways,” it continued.

Around 16,000 people on the west bank of Kherson region are in a “critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region military administration, said.

He had previously urged citizens to “collect your documents and most needed belongings and wait for evacuation buses.”

“I ask you to do everything you can to save your life. Leave the dangerous areas immediately,” he added.

Units of Ukraine’s National Police and the state emergency service of the Kherson region have been put on alert to warn and evacuate civilians from potential flood zones, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Throughout the course of the war in Ukraine both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Soviet-era dam.

A critical piece of infrastructure, the dam holds back around 18 cubic kilometers in the Kakhovka Reservoir, about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah, according to Reuters news agency.

The 30-meter-high, 3.2-kilometer (2 miles)-long structure is one of six dams along the Dnipro and supplies water for much of southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

It also supplies water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies upstream and is also under Russian control.

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Russia ready for dialogue with US on arms control

Kremlin Palace (L) and the Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, capital of Russia

In February 2023, Russia officially suspended its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US…reports Asian Lite News

Russia remains open to a dialogue with the US on arms control as it is “extremely important”, but Moscow is waiting for specific proposals from Washington, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

During a daily briefing, Peskov called it “important and positive” the recent statement by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that the US is ready for nuclear talks with Russia without preconditions, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We hope that it will be supported by actual steps through diplomatic channels. And then it will be possible to consider the proposed formats of dialogue,” he told reporters.

“It is very difficult to rely on statements to the press on such an important and sensitive issue, especially when we are experiencing an acute shortage of mutual trust in our bilateral relations,” he said.

In February 2023, Russia officially suspended its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US, the last nuclear arms control pact between the two nuclear superpowers.

Moscow pointed out the combined strike potential of NATO as the UK and France also have nuclear arsenals that pose a threat to Russia.

ALSO READ: Russian navy starts drills in Sea of Japan, Okhotsk

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Pakistan under Norway scanner

In Norway, Pakistan is under the scanner on suspicions of siphoning WMD technology

Besides highlighting Pakistan as a future threat, Norway has identified Islamist extremist violence as a mounting threat….reports Rahul Kumar

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has listed Pakistan as one of the countries that pose a significant threat to Norway.

Greek website Directus says that the threat assessment report 2023 prepared by the PST – Norway’s domestic security service, points to several threats to Norway’s security, both domestically and internationally. The department identifies and assesses threats related to intelligence, sabotage, spread of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and extremism.

The website says: “Islamabad has the dubious distinction of appearing in the list for the last few years. It is perceived to be posing a threat to Norway in terms of proliferation of sensitive technology. Norwegian businesses, researchers and research institutes possess knowledge and technology that are sought after for the development of advanced weapons systems and weapons of mass destruction”.

Analysts say Norwegian suspicions may been raised because of Islamabad’s dubious track record on nuclear proliferation marshalled by none other than the rogue Pakistani atomic scientist AQ Khan, who had stolen the blueprints for nuclear technology from Norway’s southern neighbour – the Netherlands.

While working at the Physical Dynamic Research Laboratory (FDO) in the Netherlands in the seventies, Khan copied blueprints for centrifuges and other components and quietly slipped back to Pakistan. Both American and Dutch intelligence agencies got wind of Khan’s intentions. Eventually, a Dutch court even convicted Khan to four years in prison in absentia for nuclear espionage.

After getting Islamabad and the Pakistani military the nuclear devices, Khan is believed to have proliferated nuclear documents to Iran, Libya and North Korea at an individual level.

The crisis-ridden Pakistan is increasingly being looked at suspiciously by global powers due to rising violence, political immaturity of its leaders, strong separatist movements and the tattered state of its economy.

In April this year, Norway’s neighbour Sweden had closed its Islamabad embassy indefinitely due to security concerns. A statement on the embassy website simply said: “Due to the current security situation in Islamabad, the Embassy of Sweden is closed for visitors”.

In February this year, China also shut down the consular section of its Islamabad embassy due to poor security. Simultaneously, Beijing advised its nationals to enhance personal safety measures as violence mounted across the country by the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) in the north-west and the Baloch insurgents in the south-west provinces.

Pakistan’s reputation as a global threat is now at its peak. In October 2022, US President Joe Biden had said that the country is one of the most dangerous nations. Speaking with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Biden had said: “What I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world, Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.

The sentiments about Pakistan being a threat are now being echoed openly across the world.

The Directus website says that Pakistan can harm Norway in two ways – install its researchers in academic and research institutions in Norway to obtain sensitive technology and transfer it to Pakistan for the development of weapons systems.

The other route Pakistan is likely to take is to circumvent Norwegian export control regulations in a bid to obtain banned Norwegian technology. For this, the website says: “The modus operandi is to create as much uncertainty as possible around the actual end user of the good. One method is to establish a highly complex corporate structure, with nominee and front companies and complicated supply chains. Another is to use an unusual freight route to transport the product to its final destination that makes it very difficult to detect breaches of the export control regulations”.

AQ Khan

Besides highlighting Pakistan as a future threat, Norway has identified Islamist extremist violence as a mounting threat. Another Norwegian website, The Local says: “China, Iran, Pakistan, and several other states conduct active intelligence efforts in Norway”.

Among the threats arising from various countries, It has also mentioned likely terrorist plots being carried out by “extreme Islamists” who feel offended at the Quran burning incidents. The Norwegian police says: “However, the most relevant targets for extreme Islamist terror will still be civilian crowds, institutions, or people who are perceived to insult the religion of Islam, as well as uniformed police and defence personnel in public spaces”.

Regarding Islamist violence, the PST report says: “In Norway, we expect such events to occur in 2023. Debates and events in Norway that are perceived to inhibit religious practice will also reinforce the perception that the West is at war with Islam. When such events occur in Norway, the likelihood of radicalisation and ultimately terrorist plots against Norway increases”.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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Russian navy starts drills in Sea of Japan, Okhotsk

Russian ships and rocket boats approaching Odessa.

More than 60 combat ships and support vessels, 35 naval aviation aircraft and over 11,000 military personnel are involved in the exercises…reports Asian Lite News

Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that its Pacific Fleet had commenced exercises in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.

“As part of the Pacific Fleet’s 2023 training plan, operational exercises involving various fleet forces are being conducted in the distant sea zone of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk from June 5 to June 20, under the leadership of Fleet Commander Admiral Viktor Liina,” the Ministry said.

More than 60 combat ships and support vessels, 35 naval aviation aircraft and over 11,000 military personnel are involved in the exercises, reports Xinhua news agency.

In collaboration with naval aviation units, naval tactical groups will carry out submarine search and tracking operations and exercises focusing on surface and aerial targets.

Additionally, the exercises will include organising anti-aircraft defence and addressing logistical support for forces at sea.

Russia to keep ICBM notifications under old deal

Russia will continue to provide notifications of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launches under the relevant 1988 agreement to avoid dangerous escalations, an official has said.

“We have certainly taken note of the US intention, at least in words, to continue fulfilling the 1988 agreement on notifications of ICBM and SLBM launches,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

“Accordingly, within the framework of New START (New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), notifications will not be transmitted, but within this (1988) agreement, the relevant procedures will be maintained from our side,” he said.

The US and the former Soviet Union signed Ballistic Missile Launch Notification Agreement in 1988.

“Therefore, a certain level of transparency and predictability will remain in this area, allowing us to avoid further dangerous escalations,” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 21 that Moscow would suspend its participation in New START but would not withdraw from it. On March 1, Putin signed a law to officially suspend Russia’s participation in the treaty.

“Our decision to suspend New START is unshakable, irrespective of any measures or countermeasures from the American side. Furthermore, our condition for the treaty’s full-fledged functioning is the US renouncing its fundamentally hostile policy towards Russia,” Ryabkov said.

The US State Department had previously announced that starting from June 1, Washington would stop providing Moscow with data on the status and location of its missiles and launchers covered by New START.

ALSO READ: Pakistan initiates barter trade with Afghanistan, Iran & Russia