Archives: Shortcuts

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron urged President Vladimir Putin to continue with talks over the war in Ukraine. The Elysee confirmed the call in a statement, adding that EU leaders would be discussing the conflict in Ukraine at their summit in Versailles on Thursday evening. The conversation came after the foreign […]Read More

A team of experts from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which monitors the Islamic State, Al-Qaida and the Taliban, called on Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Deputy National Security Advisor Rajinder Khanna. They were briefed on India’s counter-terrorism priorities and concerns, particularly in the South Asia region. Discussions were also held […]Read More

The 5th NSA level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave in the Maldives, saw a roadmap adopted with the focus on five key areas: Maritime Safety and Security, Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation, Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime, Cyber Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. In this […]Read More

Iran unveiled a new solid fuelled ballistic missile with a range of 1,450 km, sufficient to hit Israel or U.S. bases in the region, according to state television. It is called Khaibar-buster, which refers to a Jewish castle overrun by Muslim armies in the early years of Islam.Read More

China lashed out at the Quad meeting of foreign ministers scheduled in Australia on Friday, saying its members have a “Cold War mentality”. The foreign ministry in Beijing claimed the Quad was trying to trigger a confrontation with China and said it was trying to enforce U.S.-style democratic standards. India’s external affairs minister is in […]Read More

CSIS, a U.S. think tank says North Korea has built a secret missile base near the China border to house long range ballistic missiles. The base was identified using satellite imagery.  The missiles could be of the ICBM variety and if those are not yet ready, perhaps IRBMs, the think tank said.Read More

China has declared a lockdown in the southern city of Baise after 135 cases of Omicron were reported. People have been told to stay at home, all transportation links have been suspended and non-essential businesses shut down.Read More

U.S. has announced a reward of $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Islamic State Khorasan chief Sanaullah Ghafari. Believed to be of Arab origin, Ghafari had been blacklisted as a foreign terrorist last November and is believed responsible for all military operations in Afghanistan.Read More

Some members of Afghanistan’s Under-19 cricket team, that has just wrapped up a series in the West Indies have fled to the UK and sought asylum there. This is the first defection since the Taliban came to power in Kabul last year.Read More

France’s President Macron has launched what is widely seen as a risky diplomatic initiative to get Russia to dial down tensions with Ukraine. Macron is in Moscow and will also fly to Kyiv. Sources indicated he hoped to buy time and freeze the situation for several months at least until after elections in his country […]Read More

Iraq’s presidential election suffered a setback with the federal court suspending the poll citing corruption complaints against Hoshiyar Zebari, one of two contenders for the job. The other is incumbent Barham Saleh.Read More

The eighth round of talks between Iran and its western interlocutors over the 2015 nuclear deal is expected to resume on Tuesday after a week-long break. This could be the final round with Iran firm that sanctions must end. Iran also wants guarantees that the U.S. will not renege on the deal again, as it did in […]Read More

Abu Bakr alias Abdul Ghafoor, wanted in India for landing RDX explosives that were used in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has been held in the UAE. Security agencies there recently confirmed to their Indian counterparts about his arrest and that the deportation process was underway.Read More

Russia has assembled 70 per cent of the military firepower it needs for invading Ukraine, the U.S. has claimed.  Reports in the U.S. media quoting U.S. officials said Russia would aim to capture the capital Kyiv, an operation that could result in 50,000 casualties. Russia has dismissed it as scare-mongering.Read More

Turkey will now be known as Turkiye, the way it is pronounced in the Turkish language. That’s according to President Erdogan, who in a statement said it best reflected the culture and civilisation of the nation.Read More

An Amnesty International report accusing Israel of committing apartheid against Palestinians has been condemned across Washinton’s political divide. Democrats and Republicans said the report would fuel antisemitism but the outrage seemed directed only at Amnesty’s use of the word antisemitism. Nobody has objected to Israel’s specific acts against the Palestinians that are mentioned in the […]Read More

Myanmar’s military junta has filed another corruption charge against Aung San Suu Kyi, the 11th of its kind.  She’s accused of receiving $550,000 as donation for a charity foundation named after her mother.  It’s not clear when court proceedings will begin. Read More

Israel and Bahrain have signed a security cooperation agreement, the first between the Jewish state and a Gulf Arab country. The Israeli defence ministry said the agreement covers intelligence and military to military cooperation, industrial collaboration and more.Read More

“We have a relationship with India that stands on its own merits,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said when asked about India’s position on Ukraine in the UN Security Council.  But he also said that Russian aggression against Ukraine and a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have security implications well beyond that neighbourhood. Whether […]Read More