June 18, 1985, Forty Years Ago: US Assures India
The United States government has assured India that it will take every step to see that Pakistan does not produce a nuclear weapon. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said the assurance came during his talks with US President Ronald Reagan and other leaders on Pakistan's plan to produce a nuclear weapon. Regarding Afghanistan, the PM said India favoured the United Nations initiative to solve the problem and referred to the 'proximity talks' between Afghanistan and Pakistan due to be held in Geneva later this week.
All hostages aboard a hijacked US airliner were removed from the plane to an undisclosed location outside Beirut airport for security reasons, Shiite militia commander and Justice Minister Nabih Berri told a news conference. The evacuation occurred after midnight when there were fears of a rescue operation by foreign troops, he said.
The 'United' Akali Dal dropped president Harchand Singh Longowal and SGPC chief G S Tohra from the ad hoc committee announced by Joginder Singh on May 1. A decision to this effect was taken at a joint meeting of the advisory and ad hoc committees of the party under the chairmanship of Singh. No other leaders have yet been nominated in their place.
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Eelam National Liberation Front (ENLF) of Sri Lanka, in a statement, have set five pre-conditions for cessation of hostilities. Cooperation will be extended if the Sri Lankan government lifts the prohibition and surveillance zones and other regulations prohibiting the movement of people in affected areas. The Sri Lankan armed forces should be completely withdrawn from Tamil areas.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
How a tiny South Caucasus country is becoming India's strategic answer to Turkey-Pakistan ties
India has evacuated 110 students studying at Iran's Urmia Medical University through Armenia , as regional tensions in West Asia rise. The operation highlights New Delhi's growing logistical presence in the South Caucasus and its evolving partnership with Armenia, a country increasingly aligned with India on regional security concerns. The development comes amid geopolitical shifts in the region. India's closer ties with Armenia are shaped by mutual interests in countering the influence of Turkey and Pakistan, both of which have backed Azerbaijan in recent regional conflicts. India, Armenia and the Pakistan-Turkey equation Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had, in 2020, accused Pakistani special forces of aiding Azerbaijani troops. Indian officials have also stated that Pakistan used Turkish drones to target India during Operation Sindoor. Turkey's opposition to India stems from its continued support for Pakistan's position on Kashmir. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has regularly raised Kashmir at international forums, including the United Nations. Ankara's increasing defence and diplomatic cooperation with Islamabad has added to the friction. Live Events India has viewed these developments as interference in its internal affairs. In response, India has chosen to deepen engagement with Armenia, not merely as a reaction to the trilateral bloc of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan, but as part of a broader regional strategy. India-Armenia cooperation based on long-term interests Indian officials and analysts say that the ties with Armenia are driven by strategic, defence, and diplomatic considerations. While Azerbaijan and Turkey have echoed Pakistan's views on Kashmir, India's ties with Yerevan extend beyond short-term alignment. India and Armenia have maintained stable diplomatic relations since 1991. Armenia has emerged as a growing customer of Indian defence systems, with ties being bolstered by shared historical links and positive diplomatic engagement. India emerges as top defence supplier to Armenia India has recently overtaken Russia as Armenia's largest defence supplier. This follows a shift caused by Russia's military engagement in Ukraine, which disrupted its arms export capacity. Armenia's dependence on Indian systems marks a key shift in the military balance in the region. Major defence supplies from India to Armenia India's defence exports to Armenia now include a wide range of advanced systems: Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher Systems : Four batteries delivered for long-range rapid fire operations. ATAGS Howitzers : 90 units of the long-range, precision artillery systems supplied. Swathi Weapon Locating Radars (4 units): For detecting and tracking incoming enemy fire. Akash Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (4 units): Medium-range air defence system used during Operation Sindoor. Ashwin Advanced Air Defence Interceptors (15 units): Acquired in 2023 for aerial threat interception. TC-20 (MaRG 155mm) Self-Propelled Howitzers (72 units): Delivered by Kalyani Strategic Systems. Spartan-S thermal sights: From Tonbo Imaging , these aid night-time military operations. Anti-drone systems developed by India's Zen Technologies have also reportedly been delivered, though the company has not confirmed the deal. India fills vacuum left by Russia India's entry as Armenia's principal arms supplier coincides with Russia's reduced ability to meet defence demands due to its focus on the war in Ukraine. This change has allowed India to step in and expand its footprint in the strategically located Caucasus region. Experts view this shift as significant for India's ambitions to grow as a defence exporter while also asserting influence in regions bridging Europe and Asia. A partnership with long-term impact India's growing defence partnership with Armenia suggests a strategic realignment in the region. For India, it is an opportunity to emerge as a dependable defence supplier. For Armenia, it diversifies its defence sources and strengthens its military readiness. The full details of recent defence deals have not been publicly disclosed. However, the regular exchanges and volume of recent arms transfers indicate a growing strategic partnership with wider implications for regional geopolitics.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Violence Against Children In Conflict Zones Hit 'Unprecedented Levels': UN
From Gaza to the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence against children in conflict zones reached "unprecedented levels" in 2024, a United Nations annual report said Thursday. "In 2024, violence against children in armed conflict reached unprecedented levels, with a staggering 25 percent surge in the number of grave violations in comparison with 2023," according to the report from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report verified 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024 -- including 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed previously but confirmed in 2024 -- the highest number since the monitoring tool was established nearly 30 years ago. The new high beats 2023, another record year, which itself represented a 21 percent increase over the preceding year. With more than 4,500 killed and 7,000 injured, children continue to bear "the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks," the report said. There was also a marked increase in the number of child victims of multiple violations to 22,495. "The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball -- but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings -- should keep all of us awake at night," said Virginia Gamba, special representative of the UN secretary-general for children and armed conflict. "This must serve as a wake-up call. We are at the point of no return." In its annual report, the UN compiles violations of the rights of children, those aged under 18, in some 20 conflict zones around the world. In its appendix, a "list of shame" calls out those responsible for these violations -- a powerful coalition of Haitian gangs was added this year -- which include child killings and mutilations, recruitment to violence, kidnappings, denial of humanitarian aid and sexual violence. The Israeli armed forces, which were named last year along with Palestinian terroist group Hamas, remain on the list. Conflict casualties The Palestinian territories occupy the top spot in the dismal rankings, with more than 8,500 serious violations, the vast majority attributed to Israeli forces, including more than 4,800 in the Gaza Strip. This figure includes confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, and the UN notes it is currently verifying information on an additional 4,470 children killed in 2024 in the war-torn territory. Violence erupted there following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The report also calls out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured last year. Following the Palestinian territories, the countries where the UN recorded the most violence against children in 2024 are: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (more than 4,000 grave violations), Somalia (more than 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (more than 2,200). "List of shame" inductees include Haitian gang coalition "Viv Ansanm," blamed for a 490 percent increase in violations, including child recruitment, murders and gang rapes. Another addition to the list is Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo, which is accused of child recruitment. Colombia in general recorded a significant increase in cases of forced recruitment, with 450 children in 2024 compared to 262 the previous year. Remaining on the list are the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been fighting in Sudan for more than two years. Also listed again is the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, where the report records a 105 percent increase in serious violations between 2023 and 2024.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Myanmar's junta battles guerillas for control of key jade mining hub
YANGON: Myanmar's junta and anti-coup guerillas battled over the country's jade mining hub Friday, a combatant and a local said, displacing desperate civilians as they vied for supplies of the precious stone. Myanmar has been consumed by a many-sided civil war since a 2021 coup toppled the democratic government, with the myriad of fighting factions plundering the nation's vast natural resources to fill their coffers. Jade is considered auspicious in Chinese culture and high-quality stones can fetch astronomical sums in the neighbouring country. Fighting has raged during a Myanmar military offensive around villages and mining sites in Hpakant township of northern Kachin state, according to Naw Bu, spokesman of the Kachin Independence Army battling the junta in the area. "They came to the jade mining areas of some companies and they burned down trucks and destroyed other things," he added. "They intended to stop our income from jade mining." AFP was not able to verify the claim and a spokesman for Myanmar's junta could not be reached for comment. Battles in the area began around three weeks ago but continued in the early hours of Friday, Naw Bu said. A local resident who asked to remain anonymous said around 15 civilians had been killed since May 28 and "some residents didn't dare to stay in the combat zone and have been displaced." As Myanmar's civil war enters its fifth year, more than 3.5 million people in the Southeast Asian country of around 50 million are currently displaced, according to United Nations figures. Kachin state hosts the largest jade deposits in the world according to geologists. Myanmar also has a huge and loosely-regulated mining sector for gold, rubies and rare earth minerals which has flourished in the war. China is also a key market for rare earth minerals, where they are used in electric vehicles the country is producing at prodigious rates.
