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Exploding Cosmetics, Sex Toys: Inside Suspected Russian Sabotage Plot Across Europe

By
Team StratNews;
-

Fake cosmetics, massage pillows, sex toys, crude homemade explosives, a Russian operative called “Warrior,” and the code word “Mary” — these are key elements of a suspected Russian sabotage plot that triggered parcel explosions at courier depots in Britain, Germany, and Poland last summer, according to a source familiar with the Polish investigation.

The pillows, packed into the parcels with the cosmetics and sex toys, contained hidden homemade incendiary devices made of a cocktail of chemicals including highly reactive magnesium, according to the person familiar with the case who provided the most granular account yet of the alleged plot.

Pre-Timed Detonators

The chemicals were ignited by pre-timed detonators adapted from cheap Chinese electronic gadgets used to track items like lost keys, with the effect enhanced by the tubes of what looked like cosmetics but in fact contained a gel made of flammable compounds including nitromethane, according to the source.

“The proceedings in this case concern criminal activities inspired by Russia’s GRU,” this person said, referring to Moscow’s foreign military intelligence agency.

Reuters is reporting the details of the investigation for the first time, drawing on the account provided by the source close to the Polish case as well as interviews with more than a dozen European security officials. The findings provide a rare insight into how Russian sabotage plots play out on the ground.

‘Hybrid War’

European security chiefs made the parcel fires public in October, describing them as part of a “hybrid war” being waged by Russia to destabilise the functioning of countries that support Ukraine, involving tactics like arson and cyberattacks.

They said the parcels – which caught alight in warehouses, causing fires but not hurting anyone – were a dry run for a future Russian plot to detonate similar packages in midair on cargo flights to the United States and Canada.

“With the war in Ukraine, these attacks have intensified, they became more frequent, more assertive,” said Nicu Popescu, Moldova’s deputy prime minister and foreign secretary until early last year and now distinguished policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.

“Of course, this poses a risk to people, to citizens across the European Union.”

Russia Rejects Allegations

The Kremlin rejected the accusation of Russia having a hand in the fires. “We know nothing about it,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. “We do not rule out that this is just more fake news or a manifestation of blind Russophobia.”

The Kremlin said European allegations of a Russian sabotage or hybrid campaign were wholly unsubstantiated.

The GRU didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The package detonations took place on July 19, 20 and 21 in the British city of Birmingham, Leipzig in Germany and near the Polish capital of Warsaw.

Instructions Via Telegram

Two EU security officials with knowledge of alleged attacks, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said the Polish cell was typical of Russian intelligence’s methods. Russian handlers often recruit local criminals to carry out their plans, the officials added, giving them basic instructions via Telegram and paying each operative up to a few thousand euros per job.

The ingredients and igniters detailed in the case are widely available in stores selling products like fertiliser inputs and pyrotechnics, said Jaroslaw Stelmach, a former bomb-disposal specialist who runs the Safety Project, a consultancy that advises on the security of public buildings among other things.

While the small, crude devices might only be able to cause a small fire, they could be difficult to detect, he told Reuters. “This is an extremely cheap, very effective, highly anonymous method of producing explosive devices,” he added.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Elon Musk Hopes For Free Trade Between US, Europe In Future

By
Team StratNews;
-

U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday he hopes for free trade between the United States and Europe, days after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on key trading partners.

Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful U.S. public spending, spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party.
“At the end of the day, I hope it’s agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said.

Under Trump’s plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the United States, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other European Union countries.

Interviewed by League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk, who has repeatedly expressed support for right-wing parties across Europe, said he also hoped to see greater freedom of movement between Europe and the United States.

“If people wish to work in Europe or wish to work in North America, they should be allowed to do so in my view,” Musk said, adding that this “has certainly been my advice to the president.”

Musk, who has been close in the past to Italy’s rightist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, has also expressed support for Salvini’s League.
Both groups have a hard-right agenda based on law-and-order, tax cuts and cracking down on irregular immigration.

Italy’s Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, who is from the League, said earlier on Saturday the government wanted “de-escalation” with the U.S. following Trump’s tariff announcement, and warned against imposing retaliatory tariffs.

Musk last month expressed gratitude to Salvini after the League chief said Italy should pick his Starlink company to obtain a system for satellite communications.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Trump Administration Picks Junior Officer To Lead US Foreign Service

By
Team StratNews;
-

A national security lawyer who joined the foreign service just four years ago has been named by the Trump administration to lead the State Department’s global workforce, according to three sources familiar with the decision.

As per an email reviewed by Reuters, the hiring of Lew Olowski to run the department’s Global Talent Management Bureau comes as President Donald Trump shrinks the federal workforce and looks to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his “America First” policies.

Olowski served as a senior counselor at the Department of Homeland Security under the first Trump administration. He was named the Senior Bureau Official at the Department’s Global Talent Management Bureau, officials said.

Olowski, who entered the foreign service in 2021, will temporarily fill a position traditionally occupied by veteran foreign service officers, including ambassadors, typically with decades of experience.

The move comes as Trump is looking to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his “America First” policies.

His appointment sent shockwaves across the State Department workforce and drew an objection from the American Foreign Service Association, which represents foreign service officers, saying it was “deeply concerning” to appoint Olowski and compared the move to putting a junior military officer in charge of the Pentagon’s personnel system.

“Placing an untenured, entry-level officer who has only served one complete overseas tour into this critical role, even in an acting capacity, not only disregards that tradition but also sends a clear message about the value this administration places on experience and professional progression,” the Association said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear when the administration was planning to nominate a Director General for the Foreign Service, which is a Senate-confirmed position.

‘Moment Of Transition’

In an internal email to some State Department staff, Olowski’s predecessor Catherine Rodriguez, a former ambassador who had led the Global Talent Management Bureau since the start of the Trump administration, described the past few months as a “profound moment of transition” and urged staff to welcome Olowski, who will take up his new role starting next week.

At least one diplomat has threatened to resign over the appointment.

Kent Longsdon, a career diplomat and a former ambassador to Moldova who served as the principal deputy assistant secretary in the bureau that Olowski would be leading, said he would quit in protest in a meeting on Thursday at the State Department, two U.S. officials familiar with the conversation said.

Longsdon referred any queries to the State Department.

“We are not going to comment on internal personnel matters,” a State Department spokesperson said when asked about Olowski’s appointment.

The State Department’s nearly 70,000 global workforce is bracing for potential job cuts and closures of U.S. overseas missions as Trump, with the help of billionaire Elon Musk, presses ahead with an effort to cut the federal workforce.

Olowski is a Ben Franklin fellow, a network that includes many individuals who have served under Trump, including the current Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

In February, Trump issued an executive order directing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revamp the foreign service to ensure “faithful and effective implementation” of Trump’s foreign policy agenda.

The order said failure to implement the president’s agenda is grounds for professional discipline, which may result in the termination of personnel.

During his campaign, he had repeatedly pledged to “clean out the deep state” by firing bureaucrats whom he deems disloyal.

Trump, along with Musk, has already fired thousands of federal workers and dismantled Washington’s top aid agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, jeopardising the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid and disrupting global humanitarian relief efforts.

(With inputs from Reuters)

U.S.-Wide Protests Target Trump’s Executive Orders

By
Team StratNews;
-

Organizers are expecting over 1,200 protests to take place across the U.S. on Saturday, marking what is anticipated to be the largest single day of demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk. The protests come in response to their swift efforts to reshape the government and extend presidential power.

Thousands were streaming into downtown Washington as the protests got underway under gloomy skies and light rain. Organizers told Reuters that more than 20,000 people were expected to attend the rally at the National Mall.

The protests in the U.S. will give Trump opponents an opportunity to demonstrate their displeasure en masse in response to Trump’s raft of executive orders.

Some 150 activist groups have signed up to participate, according to the event’s website. Protests are planned in all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico.

Protesters were lining the busy thoroughfare of Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., awaiting buses to take them downtown. They were carrying signs with slogans such as “No Kings in the USA” and “Deport Musk.”

‘Whole Country Under Attack’

Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist from Princeton, New Jersey, was among hundreds who gathered early in front of the stage below the Washington Monument.

She said she drove down to attend the rally to protest Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education. I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is.”

David Madden, a 75-year old Army veteran and retired trial lawyer, said he flew from Dayton, Ohio, to demonstrate against “the injustice that is dominating this country, the institutions that are being stolen from the American people, the confusion in the courts, the fact that we have a population that I believe is essentially racist.”

With Trump’s blessing, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team has scythed through the U.S. government, eliminating more than 200,000 jobs from the 2.3 million federal workforce. At times, the effort has been haphazard and forced the recall of needed specialists.

On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service began laying off more than 20,000 workers, as much as 25% of its ranks.

Several hundred people gathered on Saturday outside the headquarters of the Social Security Administration, a top DOGE target, near Baltimore to protest against cuts to the agency which delivers benefits to the elderly and disabled.

‘Fire DOGE’

The mood was angry and defiant, after the agency recently announced cuts of 7,000 staff and the ending of phone services to millions of claimants.

Members of DOGE have been inside the building for weeks. Many in the crowd of mostly retirees held handmade signs, including “Where Has My Country Gone?”, “FIRE DOGE!”, “Send Musk to Mars,” and “Hands off Social Security!”.

Linda Falcao, who turns 65 in two months, told the crowd she had been paying into the Social Security fund since the age of 16.

“I’m terrified, I’m angry, I’m pissed, I’m bewildered this could happen to the United States,” she said. “I do love America and I’m heartbroken. I need my money. I want my money. I want my benefits!”

In response, the crowd chanted, “It’s our money!”

‘Trump’s Position Is Clear’

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston disputed the protesters’ charge that Trump aimed to cut Social Security and Medicaid.

“President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors,” Huston said in an email.

Much of Trump’s agenda has been restrained by lawsuits contending he has overstepped his authority with attempts to fire civil servants, deport immigrants and reverse transgender rights.

Trump returned to office on January 20 with a stream of executive orders and other measures critics say are aligned with an agenda outlined by Project 2025, a deeply conservative political initiative to reshape government and consolidate presidential authority. His supporters have applauded Trump’s audacity as necessary to disrupt entrenched liberal interests.

Hours before the protests were due to kick off in the United States, hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris and London to voice opposition to Trump’s sweeping makeover of U.S. foreign and domestic policies.

About 200 people, mostly American, gathered on Paris’ Place de la Republique, listening to speeches and waving banners ranging from “Resist Tyrant”, “Rule of Law” to “Feminists for Freedom not fascism” and “Save Democracy”.

“We have to show solidarity with all the demonstrations in a thousand cities today in the USA,” Democrats Abroad spokesperson Timothy Kautz said in Frankfurt. Protester Jose Sanchez said Trump was a con man who was destroying U.S. democracy.

(With inputs from Reuters)

U.S. Aid Workers Dismissed Amid Myanmar Earthquake Relief, Ex-Official Says

By
Team StratNews;
-

Three American aid workers were dismissed while they were on the ground in Myanmar assisting with rescue and recovery efforts following the country’s devastating earthquake, according to a former senior official. The incident highlights how the Trump administration’s rollback of foreign aid programs is affecting its disaster response.

After travelling to the Southeast Asian nation, the three officials were told late this week they would be let go, Marcia Wong, a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development, told Reuters.

“This team is working incredibly hard, focussed on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination – how can that not be demoralising?” said Wong, former deputy administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which oversees Washington’s disease response efforts overseas.

President Donald Trump’s government has pledged at least $9 million to Myanmar after the magnitude-7.7 quake, which has killed more than 3,300. But his administration’s massive cuts to USAID have hindered its ability to respond, while China, Russia, India and other nations have rushed in assistance.

Huge Layoffs Of USAID Staff

The Trump administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff in recent weeks, as billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending.

The three USAID workers have been sleeping on the streets in the earthquake zone, Wong said, adding that their terminations would take effect in a few months. Residents have been sleeping outside for fear of aftershocks and further building collapses.

Wong said she is in contact with remaining USAID staff and that she heard about the terminations after an all-staff meeting on Friday.

Former USAID staff say most of the people who would have coordinated the response have been let go, while third-party implementing partners have lost contracts.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday rejected criticism that Washington was slow to respond to the March 28 earthquake because USAID was dismantled.

Rather, he told reporters in Brussels, Myanmar was not “the easiest place to work”, saying the military government does not like the United States and prevents it from operating in the country as it wants to.

The United Nations has said the junta was limiting humanitarian aid.

Rubio said the U.S. would no longer be the world’s top humanitarian donor, calling on other wealthy nations to step up in assisting Myanmar.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Palestinian Paramedic Alleges Israeli Troops Fired On Emergency Vehicles

By
Team StratNews;
-

A Palestinian paramedic who witnessed the deadly incident in southern Gaza last month, where 15 emergency workers were killed, said he saw Israeli forces shooting at emergency vehicles that were later found bloodstained.

After several days of uncertainty about the whereabouts of the paramedics, Red Crescent and U.N. officials found the bodies of the 15 emergency and aid workers buried in a mass grave in southern Gaza, accusing Israeli forces of killing them. Another worker is still missing.

Munther Abed, a volunteer for the Palestinian Red Crescent, said he was responding to a call with two colleagues near Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip on March 23 when he was detained by the Israeli soldiers shortly before they opened fire on other emergency vehicles.

He said he had not been able to see exactly what happened when the soldiers opened fire. But his account corresponds with assertions by officials from the Palestinian Red Crescent and the United Nations that the emergency workers from the Red Cross, Red Crescent, U.N. and Palestinian Civil Emergency service were targeted by Israeli troops.

The Israeli military has opened an investigation into the incident, which by its account occurred when unmarked vehicles approached an Israeli position in the dark without lights or special markings and without previous coordination, factors it said had made the vehicles’ advance appear suspicious.

The military said the soldiers who opened fire had killed a number of Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants who were travelling in vehicles marked with the Palestinian Red Crescent signs.

The ‘Lone Survivor’

The Palestinian Red Crescent describes Abed as “the lone survivor” of the incident, with the fate of the missing paramedic still unclear.

Abed said he and colleagues had received a call to go out to help wounded people at around dawn following an air strike in the Al-Hashasheen area in Rafah, close to the border with Egypt.

“We moved right away, it was me and two other colleagues. As soon as we arrived there, we came under fire and they detained us,” he told Reuters by phone from his house in Khan Younis, referring to shooting by Israeli soldiers.

After he was detained, he said he lost sight of his two colleagues.

As he was standing near the soldiers, he said he saw other emergency vehicles approaching the Israeli soldiers’ position.

“I could see the vehicle of the Civil Emergency. The soldiers began shooting at the vehicles, they fired heavily,” he said. “It was dark and I couldn’t see what happened to the people there, but they (the soldiers) fired heavily. They asked me to duck down and they were firing heavily. I felt as if the bullets were hitting me personally.”

On Saturday, the Red Crescent issued published a video obtained from the cellphone of a paramedic found buried in the mass grave.

Filmed from inside a moving vehicle, it appears to show a clearly marked convoy of ambulances and a fire truck driving at dawn with their red lights flashing. After they stop by a vehicle that had veered off the road, two rescue workers and another man can be seen before a volley of gunshots is heard.

Reuters was able to verify the location of the video near the Tal al-Sultan area west of Rafah city in Rafah governate.

The Israeli military said in response to a request for comment about the video that the event on March 23, 2025, was under thorough examination.

“All claims, including the documentation circulating about the incident, will be thoroughly and deeply examined to understand the sequence of events and the handling of the situation,” it said.

‘Blood On The Vehicles’

It was only after daybreak that Abed, who remained held at the location where he was initially detained, was able to get a clearer picture of what had happened.

“With the first light of the day, things become clearer, I saw the vehicles of the Civil Emergency and the Red Crescent, the doors of all the vehicles were open and there was blood on the vehicles,” he said.

He said he saw a bulldozer dig four holes in the sandy ground before crushing the wrecked vehicles and burying them.

“At that time I had no clue about the fate of my colleagues,” he said.

Abed said he was held in detention by Israeli forces for about 15 hours during which time he was interrogated and beaten. He said he saw the aid worker who is still missing, detained by Israeli soldiers.

“They asked me where I had been on October 7, they were saying Palestinians are terrorists, and that we are all terrorists. They asked many personal questions too about me and my family,” he said. “I felt I was about to die.”

Eventually he said the soldiers made some checks on him before they decided to release him.

Nebal Farsakh, spokesperson of the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that Abed was working for the organization as a volunteer and was in Rafah that day with the mission.

“He is the lone survivor, the two colleagues who were with him were killed. There is another colleague who is still missing,” Farsakh told Reuters.

“He had no clue at that moment whether his colleagues were martyred or were wounded and saved.”

(With inputs from Reuters)

Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Stepping Up Energy Strikes Despite U.S.-Mediated Pause

By
Team StratNews;
-

Russia’s defence ministry claimed on Saturday that Ukraine has intensified its assaults on Russian energy facilities, carrying out 14 strikes in the past 24 hours, despite a moratorium mediated by the United States. Ukraine’s military dismissed the accusation, labelling it “fake” and “disinformation.”

In a statement published on Telegram, the ministry said Ukraine “multiplied the number of unilateral attacks using drones and artillery shells on the energy infrastructure of Russian regions”.

It said the strikes had caused damage in Russia’s Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, as well as the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Kherson, parts of which Russia controls.

Reuters was unable to verify the reports of the strikes. In its own statement on Telegram, Ukraine’s military said that the reports were fake, and that its forces were only striking military targets.

Ukraine’s military has previously said it halted strikes on Russian energy facilities on March 18.

Russia and Ukraine agreed last month to a U.S. proposal for a 30-day moratorium on striking each other’s energy infrastructure. Both sides have since repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal.

The deal was part of a wider diplomatic push by U.S. President Donald Trump since his return to office in January to end the conflict.

Separately on Saturday, authorities in two Russian regions reported Ukrainian drone strikes on local industrial facilities.

The governor of Russia’s Volga river region of Mordovia said Ukrainian drones had struck an industrial facility. Media reports said it was an optical fibre factory in the region’s capital, Saransk.

The governor of Samara region, another Volga riverside province, said that a factory in the city of Chapaevsk had been attacked by Ukrainian drones.

A source in Ukraine’s SBU security service told Reuters that the target was a plant producing industrial explosives, and that the strike had caused multiple explosions and fires.

On Friday, a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed at least 19 people, including nine children, local officials said.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted a military gathering in the city, a statement the Ukrainian military denounced as disinformation.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Rajnath Singh Flags Off INS Sunayna As IOS SAGAR At Karwar Naval Base

By
Team StratNews;
-

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday flagged off INS Sunayna as the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) under the SAGAR (Security & Growth for All in the Region) initiative in Karwar, Karnataka.

Singh also inaugurated modern operational, repair and logistic facilities constructed under Project Seabird worth over Rs 2,000 crore.

He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and other senior officials.

IOS Sagar

The flagging-off of the ship, with 44 naval personnel from nine friendly nations (Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka & Tanzania), marks a significant step in reinforcing India’s commitment to regional maritime security and international cooperation.

Addressing the representatives from partner nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Rajnath Singh termed the launch of IOS SAGAR as a reflection of India’s commitment to peace, prosperity, and collective security in the maritime domain.

He highlighted India’s growing presence in IOR and said: “It is not just related to our security and national interests, it also points towards the equality of rights and duties among our friendly countries in the region. Our Navy ensures that, in IOR, no nation suppresses another on the basis of overwhelming economy and military power. We ensure that the nations’ interests are protected without compromising their sovereignty.”

Singh also commended the Indian Navy for emerging as the first responder during incidents such as hijackings of ships and acts of piracy in the region.

He stated that the Navy ensures the security of not just Indian ships but also foreign ones, terming free navigation, rule-based order, anti-piracy and securing peace and stability in IOR as one of its biggest objectives.

“Along with other stakeholders, the Indian Navy is ensuring peace and prosperity in the region. Equipped with state-of-the-art ships, weapons & equipment and well-trained & motivated sailors, we resolve to move ahead with other friendly nations towards developing IOR as a symbol of brotherhood and shared interest,” he added.

The flag-off coincides with the 10th anniversary of the SAGAR initiative and the National Maritime Day.

Rajnath Singh referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) initiative and stated that it will expand and strengthen the SAGAR vision in a more advanced and collaborative manner.

“Now that India has transitioned from SAGAR to MAHASAGAR, there could be no better time to launch the voyage of IOS SAGAR,” he said.

Singh highlighted the historical significance of April 5, when India’s first merchant ship, SS Loyalty, sailed from Mumbai to London in 1919, describing it as a fitting occasion to launch the IOS SAGAR mission.

“It’s a proud moment to see India leading the charge for regional cooperation on the same date we mark our maritime legacy,” he said.

Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that IOS SAGAR will achieve its broader goals of collective security and growth, and maritime excellence.

IOS SAGAR is a pioneering effort aimed at bringing together the navies and maritime agencies of the Southwest IOR on an Indian Naval platform.

The mission will serve as an opportunity to provide comprehensive training to sea-riders from friendly countries and marks an unprecedented collaboration in maritime security, read an official statement.

INS Sunayna, during its deployment, will visit Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis and Port Victoria.

The international crew aboard will undertake training exercises and apply knowledge gained from various professional training schools at Kochi.

The exercises/training planned include firefighting, damage control, Visit Board Search and Seizure, bridge operations, seamanship, engine room management, switchboard operations and boat handling – all of which will improve interoperability between the Indian Navy and its international partners.

IOS SAGAR will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the IOR. With this mission, India once again reaffirms its commitment to building stronger ties with its maritime neighbours and working towards a safer, more inclusive and secure maritime environment in the region.

Project Seabird Facilities

The facilities include marine infrastructure designed for berthing ships, submarines and harbour craft, an armament wharf, two piers specifically equipped for refits, marine utility complexes, residential infrastructure consisting 480 dwelling units for sailors and defence civilians, and support facilities comprising 25 km road network, 12 km storm water drainage, water reservoirs, waste management plants and security watch towers.

These facilities will boost the sustenance of assets operating off the West Coast, and augment the Indian Navy’s efforts in maintaining a future-ready force.

The infrastructure has been developed in pursuit of the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat with more than 90% of the material and equipment being sourced from within the country.

The progressive operationalisation of the Karwar base will generate industrial growth and enable substantial support to the local economy in the Uttar Kannada Region.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Myanmar: Junta Continues Attacks Despite Declaring Ceasefire After Earthquake

By
Team StratNews;
-

Myanmar‘s anti-regime forces claimed that despite declaring a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday after the recent deadly earthquake, the military junta continues air and ground attacks.

The junta announced a three-week ceasefire in civil war-torn Myanmar amid growing criticism of the junta’s military operations across the nation during the post-earthquake search and rescue efforts.

“Out of compassion for the earthquake-affected people and to facilitate swift humanitarian and reconstruction operations, the Tatmadaw hereby declares a temporary ceasefire from April 2-22,” the junta said in a statement as quoted by Myanmar Now.

Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an opponent of the junta regime, reported airstrikes and ground offensives in several areas of the country.

“We saw that they released a ceasefire statement. However, the fighting hasn’t stopped,” group’s spokesperson Col. Naw Bu was quoted as saying by Myanmar Now.

“The airstrikes in Bhamo started yesterday and continued until around 6:30 this morning,” he said.

Asked about how the KIA’s response, he said: “If they attack, of course, we will defend ourselves by fighting back. So we expect there will be more fighting.”

Call For Immediate Aid

Amid ongoing military airstrikes and growing humanitarian needs following last week’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, the UN has intensified calls for immediate, unhindered aid access to assist millions affected by the disaster.

Despite the military’s announcement of a ceasefire, attacks have continued across the country, exacerbating an already dire situation, UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on Friday.

“In the days following the deadly earthquake that tore through central Myanmar last week, the Myanmar military continued operations and attacks, including airstrikes – some of which were launched shortly after tremors subsided,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“We urge a halt to all military operations and for the focus to be on assisting those impacted by the quake,” she told journalists in Geneva, reiterating Mr. Türk’s call for an “inclusive political solution” to end more than four years of fighting sparked by the junta’s February 2021 coup d’état.

61 Attacks Reported Since Earthquake

Latest data from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, points to at least 61 reported attacks across Myanmar since the disaster happened, including 16 since the ceasefire announced by the military was supposed to take effect on April 2.

A broad coalition of opposition armed groups has declared a temporary truce on offensive operations to facilitate emergency aid.

A broad coalition of opposition armed groups have declared a temporary truce on offensive operations to facilitate emergency aid.

The tactics of the military – known as the Tatmadaw in Myanmar – include using near-silent adapted paragliders to bomb communities, said James Rodehaver, Head of OHCHR’s Myanmar team:

“What those are is an individual military operative who uses a hang-glider with a backpack attached to his back or to his torso with a large fan on it, and he uses that to essentially paraglide using the fan as a motor over areas and drop hand-held bombs or munitions onto targets below.”

UN Relief Chief In Myanmar

Against this backdrop, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, arrived in Myanmar on Friday to assess the scale of devastation and meet survivors and aid workers.

After briefings with humanitarian teams in Yangon, Mr. Fletcher travelled to Myanmar’s second largest city, Mandalay, near the epicentre of the quake, where 80 per cent of the buildings are estimated to have collapsed.

There, he met with frontline humanitarians and community organizations who have been leading earthquake response, applauding their “courage, skill and determination”.

“Many themselves lost everything and yet kept heading out to support survivors,” he said in a post on social media.

Security Council Urges Access

The UN Security Council issued a press statement on Friday reiterating the importance of a safe and conducive environment to ensure the timely and effective delivery of lifesaving assistance to all those in need, without disruption or discrimination.

“The members of the Security Council recognised the need to strengthen rescue, relief, and recovery efforts and to scale up immediate and rapid humanitarian assistance in response to the requests to help the people of Myanmar, supported by the international community,” the statement said.

They also expressed their gratitude and support for the work of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), UN agencies and the wider international community, including the swift provision of urgent life-saving assistance, rescue, and disaster relief.

Humanitarian Response Ramps Up

Immediately after the 28 March earthquake, which struck just before 1 PM local time, UN agencies deployed teams to affected areas, delivering critical aid to tens of thousands of families and assessing the damage.

More than 25 search-and-rescue teams are in the field, medical teams have been deployed, and essential aid – including water and shelter kits – is being distributed across impacted regions. On Thursday alone, 30 tons of medical supplies arrived in Myanmar, bringing the total delivered so far to 100 tons.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has also provided plastic sheets and kitchen sets for 25,000 people and is mobilizing additional supplies for another 25,000 people from its existing stockpiles.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Russian Strike In Ukraine Kills 19, Including 9 Children

By
Team StratNews;
-

A Russian strike in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday resulted in at least 19 deaths, including nine children, according to local authorities. However, Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that the attack was aimed at a military assembly in the area.

The Ukrainian military denounced the Russian statement as misinformation.

Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that a missile hit residential areas, killing 18, and sparked fires. Later, Russian drones attacked homes and killed one person, Oleksandr Vilkul, the city’s military administrator, said.

Pictures posted online showed bodies of the dead and wounded lying on the pavement as grey smoke rose into the sky.

‘High-Precision Strike’

Russia’s Defence Ministry, in a post on Telegram, said a “high-precision strike” had targeted “a meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors” in a restaurant.

“As a result of the strike, enemy losses total up to 85 servicemen and officers of foreign countries, as well as up to 20 vehicles,” the ministry said on Telegram.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who took office in January after pledging he would end the war in 24 hours, has sought to broker an end to the conflict. The U.S. said last week it had agreed with Russia and Ukraine two ceasefire accords, including one that would halt strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure.

Rescue workers toiled through the night with flashlights in Kryvyi Rih, moving around wrecked cars, buildings with shattered windows and a gaping crater. Residents carried armloads of foil and timber for emergency home repairs, according to a Reuters eyewitness.

Using their mobile phones for light, some people registered at help centres.

“There were dead children lying there, crying parents, it was horrible,” Yulia, 47, told Reuters as she surveyed the damaged blinds, fixtures and furniture in her apartment.

The strike on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown was one of Moscow’s deadliest this year in the conflict, launched with the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Thousands Killed

At least 50 people were wounded, the emergency services said, adding that the figure was growing. More than 30 people, including a three-month-old baby, were in hospital, Lysak said.

Russia denies targeting civilians, but thousands have been killed and injured in the invasion.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s military said the attack showed that Russia “is in no way seeking peace, but rather intends to continue its invasion and war to destroy Ukraine and all Ukrainians.”

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy called on the West to exert greater pressure on Moscow.

On Friday, each side accused the other again of flouting the energy-infrastructure ceasefire.

Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking Russian energy facilities six times in the past 24 hours.

Zelenskiy said Russia had launched a drone attack on a thermal power plant in Ukraine’s city of Kherson on Friday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

India, Sri Lanka Sign First-Ever Defence Cooperation MoU

By
Team StratNews;
-
Narendra Modi was accorded ceremonial welcome to Sri Lanka on Saturday morning. Photo Courtesy: X/Narendra Modi

India and Sri Lanka signed the first-ever MoU on defence cooperation following the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka in Colombo on Saturday.

Sharing details about the deal signed, the Indian government said in a statement: “MoU between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on Defence Cooperation.”

The two neighbours, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), also signed a tripartite agreement to develop Trincomalee as an energy hub.

In total, seven MoUs were inked by the two nations.

International Best Practices

Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha told Daily Mirror that any cooperation activities undertaken under the proposed MoU will be in accordance with international best practices and will not conflict with the domestic laws and national policies of either Sri Lanka or India

Sri Lanka and India have had cordial defence relations for decades, engaging in defence dialogues, joint military and naval exercises, training, and workshops, according to him.

Annually, India provides training for approximately 750 military personnel from Sri Lanka. The India-Sri Lanka defence partnership has been, and continues to be, an invaluable asset for Sri Lanka, he told the newspaper.

During the Defence Dialogue, both sides agreed in 2023 to further strengthen defence relations through a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation with a view to continuing the defence partnership and engagements more efficiently and in a structured manner.

The MoU was meticulously scrutinized, reviewed, and relevant negotiations were conducted in terms of circular instructions issued by the Secretary to the President in January this year concerning interactions with foreign governments. The approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was duly obtained prior to signature, he said.

“The MoU will be in force for five years, with the rights reserved for the parties to terminate the agreement with three months’ advance notice, and continuation for three years thereafter, subject to a review of progress and termination, if so inclined, with similar prior notice,” he said.

Modi Gets Ceremonial Welcome

Modi, who reached Sri Lanka last evening, on Saturday morning received a ceremonial welcome at the Independence Square in Colombo.

Modi was received by Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Independence Square.

Five top Sri Lankan ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, welcomed the Indian Prime Minister at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday evening.

The Prime Minister wrote on X, “Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka.”

BIMSTEC Summit

Modi is the first foreign leader whom Dissanayake is hosting as the country’s President.

Modi reached Sri Lanka after concluding a two-day tour to Thailand, where he attended the BIMSTEC Summit.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Judge Finds Trump Administration Violated Court Order On FEMA Grants

By
Team StratNews;
-
U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a briefing on Hurricane Laura at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, U.S., August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump‘s administration violated a court order by stopping FEMA from disbursing millions in grant funding to states.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, sided with Democratic state attorneys general in finding that the funding pause violated his injunction blocking the administration’s earlier sweeping pause of federal grants, loans and other financial aid.

Those attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia said that FEMA, despite the judge’s past orders, had been continuing to halt disbursements since early February for a “manual review” of grants without any clear end date.

FEMA Faced No ‘Imediments’

McConnell, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, said the preliminary injunction he issued had been “clear” and that FEMA faced no impediments to complying with the order.

“Thus, FEMA’s manual review process violates the court’s preliminary injunction order,” McConnell said.

He ordered the agency, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to immediately cease the review process and comply with his order barring the funding freeze.

“Today’s court order makes it unequivocally clear: the Trump administration’s reckless effort to hold up millions in emergency funds is unlawful,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement.

A Homeland Security official in a statement described the ruling as coming from an “activist judge” and said FEMA “will continue to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and for mission critical efforts.”

Concerns Over Compliance

The ruling came as concerns by Democrats and some legal observers mount over whether the Trump administration will comply with unfavourable court rulings, with criticism of judges who block its agenda emanating from the White House escalating.

McConnell previously blocked the Trump administration from reissuing or adopting a sweeping freeze on $3 trillion in federal grants, loans, and other financial aid first announced in a since-rescinded January 27 memo by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.

The memo directed agencies to temporarily pause spending on federal financial assistance programmes while the administration reviewed grants and loans to ensure they are aligned with Trump’s executive orders.

The state attorney general said, despite McConnell’s orders, grant funding from FEMA remained frozen, jeopardizing programs to address wildfires, floods and other threats.

They said the issue appeared tied to an executive order Trump signed on his first day in office on January 20 as part of his immigration crackdown that targeted so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions.”

Such jurisdictions have laws that prevent state and local law enforcement from assisting federal civil immigration officers.

McConnell in Friday’s ruling agreed with the states, pointing to a directive by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem restricting grants that “touch in any on immigration” as evidence FEMA was “covertly” implementing Trump’s order.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Turkey Scopes Out Air Bases In Syria Before Israeli Airstrikes Hit

By
Team StratNews;
-
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz waits for his British and French counterparts ahead of a meeting, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, August 16, 2024. REUTERS/Florion Goga/ File Photo Purchase

Turkey had surveyed at least three air bases in Syria for potential troop deployment under a planned joint defence pact before Israel’s airstrikes hit the sites this week, according to four people familiar with the matter.

The bombardment signals the risks of a deepening rift between Turkey and Israel — two powerful regional militaries — over Syria, where Islamist rebels have installed a new government after toppling former leader Bashar al-Assad in December.

Israeli Airstrikes

The Israeli strikes on the three sites Turkey was assessing, including a heavy barrage on Wednesday night, came despite Ankara’s efforts to reassure Washington that a deeper military presence in Syria was not intended to threaten Israel.

The Islamists replacing Assad have alarmed Israel, which is wary of an Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United States to curb Turkey’s growing influence in the country.

Ankara, a longtime backer of opposition to Assad, is positioning to play a major role in the remade Syria, including with a possible joint defence pact that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria’s airspace.

In preparation, Turkish military teams in recent weeks visited the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria’s Homs province and the main airport in Hama province, according to a regional intelligence official, two Syrian military sources and another Syrian source familiar with the matter.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the visits, which have not been previously reported.

Runways Evacuated

Turkish teams evaluated the state of the runways, hangars and other infrastructure at the bases, the regional intelligence official said.

Another planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after Israel struck both bases just hours beforehand, according to the regional intelligence official and the two Syrian military sources.

Strikes at T4 “destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won’t accept the expanded Turkish presence,” said the intelligence official, who reviewed photographs of the damage.

“T4 is totally unusable now,” said a fourth Syrian source, who is close to Turkey.

When asked about the visits, a Turkish defence ministry official said: “Reports and posts regarding developments in Syria – whether real or alleged – that do not originate from official authorities should not be taken into consideration, as they lack credibility and may be misleading.”

A spokesperson for Syria’s defence ministry declined to comment.

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Thursday called Israel “the greatest threat to regional security”. On Friday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters that Turkey wanted no confrontation with Israel in Syria.

Heavy Strikes

In the four months since Assad was toppled, Israel has seized ground in southwest Syria, made overtures to the Druze minority, and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons and equipment. Wednesday’s strikes were some of the most intense yet.

Syria’s foreign ministry said Israel struck five separate areas within a 30-minute window, resulting in the near-total destruction of the Hama base and wounding dozens of civilians and soldiers.

Israel said it hit the T4 air base and other military capabilities at air bases in Hama and Homs provinces, as well as military infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the air strikes a warning that “we will not allow the security of the State of Israel to be harmed”. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ankara of seeking a “Turkish protectorate” in Syria.

Noa Lazimi, a specialist in Middle East politics at Bar-Ilan University, said Israel was concerned that Turkey could establish Russian anti-aircraft systems and drones at T4.

“The base would enable Turkey to establish air superiority in this area, and this poses a serious concern for Israel because it undermines its operational freedom in the region,” she said.

‘Ideological Collision Course’

Turkey has tried to reassure the U.S. that it wants to work towards a stable Syria.

Foreign Minister Fidan told U.S. officials in Washington last month that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa would not pose a threat to neighbours, according to a senior regional diplomat close to Turkey and a source in Washington briefed on the meetings.

Fidan and other Turkish officials had earlier told Sharaa that Ankara was carefully calibrating its moves towards a defence pact so as not to irk Washington, one of the Syrian military sources said.

“Turkey, not Israel, would pay the highest price among regional states were there to be failure or destabilization in Syria, including with refugees and security,” an official in Turkey’s ruling AK Party told Reuters.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute think tank, said Turkey and Israel were on an “ideological collision course” but could avoid military escalation through mediation with Washington.

(With inputs from Reuters)

US Court Orders Return Of Maryland Man Wrongly Deported To El Salvador

By
Team StratNews;
-

A U.S. judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration must return a wrongly deported Maryland man from El Salvador within three days, marking another legal blow to its hardline deportation policies.

The U.S. has already acknowledged Kilmar Abrego Garcia – a migrant from El Salvador who lived in the U.S legally with a work permit – was deported in error as part of three planeloads of migrants flown out last month over alleged ties to violent gangs.

But the administration has argued it has no legal authority to bring him back to the country, though Abrego Garcia’s lawyers dispute that.

“They put him there, they can bring him back,” Andrew Rossman, lawyer at prominent law firm Quinn Emanuel that joined Abrego Garcia’s legal team on Friday, said in a statement.

After questioning government lawyers, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled at a Greenbelt, Maryland, court hearing that the government must take steps to bring him back to the United States by April 7.

Justice Dept. To Appeal

The Justice Department will appeal the order to the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a court filing after the hearing.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Xinis should contact President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador “because we are unaware of the judge having jurisdiction or authority over the country of El Salvador.”

In a court filing on early Saturday, the U.S. Justice Department called the judge’s order “indefensible” and urged the appeals court to immediately pause the ruling.

The United States said Abrego Garcia “has no legal right or basis to be in the United States at all” and that “the public interest obviously disfavors his return, let alone a slapdash one conducted as the result of judicial fiat.”

Earlier, at the hearing on Friday, Abrego Garcia’s lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told the judge that there was no legal basis for the deportation.

“They admit they had no legal authorization to remove him to El Salvador,” Moshenberg said. “The public interest lies in the government following the law.”

Erez Reuveni, a lawyer for the government, conceded that Abrego Garcia should not have been removed.

“That is not in dispute,” Reuveni said.

In an unusual exchange, Xinis grilled Reuveni on why the U.S. couldn’t get Abrego Garcia back – to which Reuveni said he had asked U.S. government officials that question without getting a satisfactory answer himself.

“The absence of evidence speaks for itself,” Reuveni said.

US Immigration Crackdown

The case is the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, which has raised constitutional questions and drawn the rebuke of a judge in Washington who is weighing whether U.S. officials violated a court order temporarily blocking the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.

Trump on March 15 invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The administration said it sent two flights to El Salvador that day carrying deportees processed under the rarely used wartime statute and a third flight carrying people deported under other rules.

Abrego Garcia was wrongfully placed on the third flight despite an October 2019 judicial order granting him protection from deportation, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official has said in a court filing.

Abrego Garcia was stopped and detained by ICE officers on March 12 and questioned about his alleged gang affiliation. The government asserted in his earlier immigration dispute in 2019 that Abrego Garcia was a member of the gang MS-13, which he has denied.

His lawyers, who also represent his wife and five-year-old child in the U.S., in a court filing said the U.S. had failed to take any voluntary steps “to rectify what they themselves describe as an error.” Abrego Garcia’s wife, who attended Friday’s hearing, as well as his child, are U.S. citizens.

The Trump administration has also sent military troops to the U.S. border and reassigned federal agents to focus on immigration enforcement amid ramped-up arrests and deportation efforts.

(With inputs from Reuters)

US: Nationwide “Hands Off!” Protests To Challenge Trump’s Agenda

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Team StratNews;
-

Organizers are expecting more than 1,200 protests to take place across the U.S. on Saturday, marking what is anticipated to be the largest day of demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his billionaire associate, Elon Musk, since the administration began its swift push to impose a conservative agenda on the government.

The “Hands Off!” protests will give Trump opponents an opportunity to demonstrate their displeasure en masse in response to Trump’s sweeping makeover of U.S. foreign and domestic policy through executive orders.

Events In All 50 States

“This is an enormous demonstration that is sending a very clear message to Musk and Trump and congressional Republicans and all the goose-stepping allies of MAGA that we don’t want their hands on our democracy, on our communities, on our schools and our friends and our neighbors,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups organizing Saturday’s events.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Trump or Musk.

Some 150 activist groups have signed up to participate, according to the event’s website.

Events are planned in all 50 states plus Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Mexico and Portugal. One of the biggest rallies is expected on Washington’s National Mall.

‘Trump’s Position Is Clear’

Trump returned to office on January 20 with a stream of executive orders and other measures critics say are aligned with an agenda outlined by Project 2025, a deeply conservative political initiative to reshape government and consolidate presidential authority. His supporters have applauded Trump’s audacity as necessary to disrupt entrenched liberal interests.

White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston disputed the protesters’ charge that Trump aimed to cut Social Security and Medicaid.

“President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors,” Huston said in an email.

Much of Trump’s agenda has been restrained by lawsuits contending he has overstepped his authority with attempts to fire civil servants, deport immigrants and reverse transgender rights.

Pro-Palestinian Groups To Protest

Pro-Palestinian groups opposing U.S. ally Israel’s renewed military action in Gaza and the Trump administration’s crackdown on campus protests will also participate in Washington and plan to carry out a march, protest groups said in a statement.

At the start of Trump’s first term in 2017, hundreds of thousands of people joined the Women’s March on Washington to demonstrate opposition.

Protests this year have been smaller, but activist leaders have been planning to unite for a large-scale event, Levin said.

Indivisible, which formed after Trump’s first election in 2016, has worked with other liberal groups, including MoveOn and the Working Families Party, to unite progressive organizations nationwide.

Among the organizations pledged to participate are the Service Employees International Union, a labor union representing about 2 million workers; Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the United States; and the environmental group Greenpeace.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Modi Meets Thailand Royals, Discusses Ways To Bolster Bilateral Ties

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Team StratNews;
-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana at Dusit Palace in Bangkok and discussed ways to further strengthen Indo-Thai multifaceted ties.

Sharing details about the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a Royal Audience today with His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana at Dusit Palace in Bangkok.”

“They exchanged views on shared cultural heritage between India and Thailand,” the statement said.

“In this context, they spoke about the relics of Lord Buddha which travelled from India to Thailand last year and the positive impact the initiative has had in further strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries. They also discussed ways to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between the two countries,” the statement further said.

Earlier in the day, Modi, accompanied by the Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, visited Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan, popularly known as Wat Pho.

The Indian Prime Minister paid homage to the Reclining Buddha and offered ‘Sanghadana’ to senior Buddhist monks.

“Prime Minister also presented a replica of Ashokan Lion Capitol to the shrine of Reclining Buddha,” read a statement issued by the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.

On the occasion, he recalled the strong and vibrant civilizational ties that exist between the two countries.

BIMSTEC Summit

Modi is visiting Thailand to attend the BIMSTEC Summit.

Modi on Friday proposed a 21-point Action Plan covering different aspects of cooperation among the BIMSTEC nations at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in the Thai capital.

He remarked on boosting business across BIMSTEC nations and harnessing the rich potential of the IT sector.

He also urged the need to work together in the field of disaster management in the wake of the recent earthquake affecting Myanmar and Thailand.

Modi emphasised working in the world of space and strengthening the security apparatus.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Narendra Modi Conferred With Sri Lanka’s Highest Civilian Honour

By
Team StratNews;
-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Sri Lanka‘s highest civilian honour, Mithra Vibhushana, on Saturday.

He is currently on a three-day visit to the Island Nation.

Modi received the award from Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

After receiving the award, Modi said it marked a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India.

After receiving the award, Modi wrote on X: “It is a matter of immense pride for me to be conferred the ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana’ by President Dissanayake today. This honour is not mine alone – it is a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India. It symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and historic ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka.”

“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the President, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for this honour,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of President Anura Kumara Disanayake, visited the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday.

“Modi was warmly welcomed by President Anura Kumara Disanayake upon his arrival at the Presidential Secretariat,” read a statement issued by the Sri Lankan President’s website.

Ceremonial Welcome

Modi, who reached Sri Lanka last evening, on Saturday morning received a ceremonial welcome at the Independence Square in Colombo.

Modi was received by Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Independence Square.

Five top Sri Lankan ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, welcomed the Indian Prime Minister at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday evening.

The Prime Minister wrote on X, “Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka.”

BIMSTEC Summit

Modi is the first foreign leader whom Dissanayake is hosting as the country’s President.

Modi reached Sri Lanka after concluding a two-day tour to Thailand, where he attended the BIMSTEC Summit.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Senate Passes Republican Budget Plan, Extends Tax Cuts

By
Team StratNews;
-
A bird flies near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
A bird flies near the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

The U.S. Senate passed a Republican budget plan early Saturday, aiming to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts worth trillions and significantly cut government spending.

The 51-48 vote, following a late-night legislative session, unlocks a maneuver called budget reconciliation that will allow Republicans to bypass the Senate’s filibuster – a rule that imposes a 60-vote threshold on most legislation – and pass Trump’s tax, border security and military priorities later this year without Democratic votes.

“Tonight, the Senate took one small step toward reconciliation and one giant leap toward making the tax cuts permanent, securing the border, providing much-needed help for the military and finally cutting wasteful Washington spending,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said.

Two Republicans – Senators Susan Collins and Rand Paul – joined Democrats in opposing the measure.

The Senate’s action sent the measure on to the Republican-led House of Representatives, which is expected to take it up next week.

$5.7 Trillion Debt

Non-partisan analysts say the Trump agenda, if enacted, would add about $5.7 trillion to the federal government’s debt over the next decade. Senate Republicans contend the cost is $1.5 trillion, saying that the effects of extending existing tax policy that was scheduled to expire at the end of this year should not be counted in the measure’s cost.

The measure also aims to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling by $5 trillion, a move Congress has to make by summer or risk defaulting on $36.6 trillion in debt. It aims to partly offset the deficit-raising costs of tax cuts by cutting spending. Democrats have warned that Republican targets would imperil the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income Americans.

Republicans warned that allowing the 2017 tax cuts to expire would hit Americans hard, imposing a 22% tax hike on the average taxpayer. The cuts, Trump’s signature legislative achievement of his first term, reduced the top corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%, a move that is not set to expire.

The remainder of the cuts, for individual Americans, were set to expire, a decision made to limit the 2017 bill’s deficit-raising effects.

“Donald Trump has betrayed the American people. Tonight, Senate Republicans joined him in that betrayal. In voting for this bill, Senate Republicans sided with billionaires against the middle class, in total obeisance to Donald Trump,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said after the vote.

Brutal Sell-Off

Hanging over the debate, which began late on Thursday, was a brutal stock market sell-off following Trump’s sweeping new trade tariffs, which economists warned will drive up prices and could trigger a recession.

Some Republicans said economic uncertainty could slow the path forward for Trump’s agenda if market weakness continues.

“My concern is, if we are having the kind of conversation today three weeks from now, then the distraction will be so great that it will slow down what we try to do,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters.

During a six-hour “vote-a-rama” session to consider amendments, Senate Republicans altered the blueprint to add a deficit-neutral reserve fund to help protect Medicaid and the Medicare healthcare program for the elderly.

Republicans also turned away dozens of Democratic amendments aimed at rescinding Trump trade tariffs and protecting Medicaid, Medicare, nutrition support for low-income women and children, the Social Security retirement system, veterans benefits and other government assistance.

Divide Within Party

Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski, Josh Hawley and Collins backed Democratic measures to safeguard social safety-net programs, but their support was not enough.

If House Republicans get their way, Congress could enact $2 trillion in spending cuts by overhauling Medicaid and food assistance programs and by eliminating popular environmental policies.

The budget blueprint would also make room for tighter security measures along the U.S. border with Mexico, fund administration efforts to significantly ramp up immigrant deportations and bolster U.S. military readiness.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Israel Eliminates Hamas Psychological Operative Al-Bardawil

By
Team StratNews;
-
An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo

The Israel Defense Forces on Friday said it has eliminated Hamas‘s military wing’s psychological terror operative Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil.

Sharing details about him, Israel Defense Forces wrote on X, “Bardawil played a central role in Hamas’ propaganda apparatus, spreading false information, leveraging media as a tool for psychological terror and took an active part in producing the cynical propaganda videos in which Israeli hostages were filmed during their captivity in Gaza.”

“While he was referred to as a well-known journalist in Gaza, he was an integral part of Hamas’ incitement,” it said.

The IDF further wrote on X: “The IDF and ISA will continue to operate against Hamas and remove any threat to Israeli civilians.”

Terror Group Commander Killed

In a separate operation, the IDF said a senior commander in the Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades, Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, has also been eliminated.

Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades is a terrorist group associated with Hamas.

Sharing details about his death, the IDF said: ” Awad was a senior commander in the Military Intelligence Agency in Gaza and affiliated with senior commanders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist.”
organization.

“On October 7, he infiltrated the Israeli community of Nir Oz several times. He was one of the leaders of the massacre and was likely involved in the abductions and brutal murders of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. He was also involved in the abduction and burial of Gad and Judi Lynn Weinstein. Moreover, he took part in the abductions of Thai civilians,” the forces said.

IDF said he was actively involved in recruiting terror operatives and in the execution of terrorist attacks against Israel and IDF troops.

Atrocity Crimes In Gaza

The recent killings of 15 medical personnel and humanitarian aid workers in Gaza raise further concerns over the commission of war crimes by the Israeli military, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council on Thursday.

Ambassadors met for an emergency session to discuss the escalation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Rights chief Volker Türk said he was pained to brief the Council once again on the “catastrophic suffering of people in Gaza,” noting that “the temporary relief of the ceasefire, which gave Palestinians a moment to breathe, has been shattered.”

He reported that since March 1, Israeli military operations have killed more than 1,200 Palestinians, including at least 320 children, according to the Gaza health authorities.

Türk said he was appalled by the killing of the medical and humanitarian personnel.

“There must be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings, and those responsible for any violation of international law must be held to account,” he said.

He highlighted that there is nowhere safe to go in Gaza amid ongoing bombardment. Furthermore, half of the territory is now under mandatory evacuation orders or has been declared a no-go zone.

At the same time, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continue to launch indiscriminate rockets from Gaza into Israel, in breach of international humanitarian law.

“I am also deeply concerned about the fate and well-being of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza,” he said.

(With inputs from IBNS)

Taiwan Slams China’s War Games As U.S. Talks Begin

By
Team StratNews;
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Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan January 9, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan January 9, 2024. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

The head of Taiwan’s National Security Council arrived in the United States for discussions with President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a source familiar with the situation. This visit comes just days after China completed military exercises near Taiwan.

Joseph Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel”, the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on January 20.

Earlier this week, China’s military concluded two-day war games around Taiwan in which it held long-range, live-fire drills in the East China Sea, marking an escalation of exercises around the island.

Taiwan Upset

Taiwan has denounced China for holding the drills. The United States, Taiwan’s most important international supporter and main arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, condemned the latest exercises earlier this week.

Taiwan is only one area of tension between the United States and China whose ties have been tested by multiple issues such as human rights, the origins of COVID-19 and trade tariffs, including measures put in place by Trump this week.

Trump’s tariffs this week also upset Taiwan which called them unreasonable.

Trump has also been critical of Taiwan for taking U.S. semiconductor business, saying he wants the industry to re-base to the United States. Taiwan’s top security official has said the Trump administration’s support for Taiwan remains “very strong.”

‘Parasite’

China has stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, calling him a “parasite” on Tuesday in the wake of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Asia visit, during which he repeatedly criticized Beijing.

The White House and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly denounced Lai as a “separatist”. Lai, who won election last year, rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

Taiwan has lived under the threat of Chinese invasion since 1949 when the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, though the two sides have not exchanged fire in anger for decades.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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