SOURCE: PTI

China has delivered a second new submarine, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, to Pakistan as part of its efforts to beef up the navy of its all-weather ally to back its growing presence in the Arabian Sea and India’s backyard – the Indian Ocean.

The Hangor-class submarine, which is part of the eight such submarines to Pakistan in a deal with around USD five billion, was launched in Wuhan, China’s Hubei Province, official media here reported on Sunday. This is in addition to four modern naval frigates China supplied to Pakistan in the last few years as part of its efforts to boost the naval strength of Pakistan, amid the Chinese navy’s steady expansion in the Arabian Sea, where it is developing the Gwadar port in Balochistan, and the Indian Ocean.

SOURCE: REUTERS

The pilot of a Chinese training fighter parachuted to safety after the plane crashed in southern Hainan province on Saturday afternoon, according to the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

There were no casualties at the site of the crash, according to a statement from the southern theater command of the PLA Navy.

SOURCE: AP

Satellite imagery from the specialised website N38 North appeared to show that the country’s first airborne early warning aircraft is near completion. North Korea appears to be upgrading its air force, as a website specialised in the country showed satellite imagery of an early warning aircraft nearing completion.

This would be the first aircraft of its kind to join the North Korean army. Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs pose a significant security threat to South Korea, the US and others. However, its aerial surveillance capability is far behind that of its rivals, while most of its fighter jets and other military aircraft are ageing.

SOURCE: PTI

Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Balochistan, an army general said on Wednesday. Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene. “The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely, Lt Gen Sharif said.

He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident.

SOURCE: AFP

Pakistani troops freed dozens of train passengers taken hostage by armed militants in the country’s southwest on Tuesday, with hundreds more still being held in the deadly siege.

Security sources said that heavy gunfire was ongoing between security forces and the militants. Gunmen forced the train to a halt in a remote, mountainous area of Balochistan province on Tuesday afternoon, with the assault immediately claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group behind rising violence in the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

SOURCE: IANS

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik on Monday admitted that some travel restrictions may be introduced on Pakistani citizens by the new US administration led by President Donald Trump.

Malik noted that while the US has expressed concerns over the surge in terrorism-related incidents in Pakistan, Washington has till now not imposed an outright travel ban on Pakistanis. Islamabad fears that, along with Afghanistan, Pakistan will also definitely feature in the list being prepared by the Trump administration to impose new travel ban based on a government review of security and vetting risks.

SOURCE: REUTERS

Fifteen people were injured in South Korea on Thursday after bombs dropped by fighter jets landed in a civilian district, damaging houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and the fire department said.

The Gyeonggi-do Bukbu Fire Services said in a statement that 15 people were wounded, out of which two were seriously hurt. Pocheon is about 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Seoul, near the heavily militarised border with North Korea.

SOURCE: IANS

Already facing severe political and security challenges, the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus has come under huge criticism from its own stakeholders for failing to carry out the promised economic reforms in the restive country.

After assuming office last year following the fall of the government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the interim government formed various commissions, committees, and task forces aimed at carrying out reforms in different sectors in Bangladesh.

SOURCE: GLOBAL TIMES

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) officially signed on Friday a cooperation agreement on selecting and training Pakistani astronauts for future flight missions to China’s Tiangong space station, opening a new chapter in deepening cooperation in manned space sector between the two countries, according to the CMSA. 

This marks the very first step of China selecting and training foreign astronauts to participate in the country’s space station flight missions. The move reflects a substantial breakthrough in China’s international cooperation in major space programs, and shows the maturity and reliability of China’s manned space technologies, experts said. 

SOURCE: REUTERS

The Trump administration released $5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, mostly for security and counternarcotics programs, according to a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters that included only limited humanitarian relief.

The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, focused on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, received 17 exemptions worth more than $30.4 million, the list showed.

SOURCE: The Associated Press

A group of residents in southern Bangladesh on Monday attacked an air force base following an altercation, prompting soldiers to open fire that killed at least one and wounded several others, local media reports said.

The military in a statement blamed “miscreants” for attacking the air force base in Cox’s Bazar. It did not mention any casualties. The country’s largest English-language Daily Star newspaper reported one dead. The violence broke out after a man on a motorbike was challenged by air force soldiers for not wearing his helmet, according to the Bengali-language Prothom Alo newspaper. After an altercation, the man’s relatives and neighbors came forward and started attacking the base, the report said.

SOURCE: IANS

Iran unveiled new domestically-developed missiles, drones, artillery and air defence systems on Wednesday, the official news agency IRNA reported. The equipment was displayed during the second phase of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force’s “Great Prophet 19” exercise in southwestern Iran, attended by the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Baqeri, IRNA said.

Among the unveiled systems were the BM-450 ballistic missile (200 km range), the Fat’h-360 short-range satellite-guided tactical ballistic missile, the Fajr-5 long-range missile, smart precision-guided 122 mm rockets, and the short-range Majid air defence system, IRNA reported.

SOURCE: AFP

Algeria has confirmed the purchase of Russian Su-57 fighter jets, making the North African country the first international customer for the aircraft. According to Defence Blog on 12 February, Russian officials claimed in November 2024 that the first export agreements had been signed but it is only now that the customer has been revealed.

With deliveries of the advanced fighter expected within the year, Algeria is set to become the first foreign customer of the Su-57, a development with wide-ranging geopolitical and military implications.

SOURCE: PTI

At least 18 security personnel and 23 terrorists were killed during clashes between the two sides in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.

The military said the terrorists were killed in different areas of troubled Balochistan in the last 24 hours. In one such operation in Harnai district on Saturday, national troops effectively engaged the terrorists, killing 11 militants and destroying multiple terrorist hideouts.Earlier on Friday night, 12 terrorists were killed while security forces successfully thwarted militants’ attempt to establish roadblocks in the Mangocher area of Kalat.

SOURCE: AFP

The Ministry of Defence of the United Arab Emirates has received the first batch of 80 Rafale fighter jets from France during an official ceremony in Paris.

In a statement issued today, the ministry confirmed that this step is part of a “historic deal” signed with France’s Dassault Aviation, reflecting the deep strategic partnership between the UAE and France. This historic Rafale deal, worth 16.6 billion euros (about Dh63.5 billion), is one of the most prominent defence deals in the history of UAE-French relations. It includes the production of 80 fighter jets equipped with the latest defence technologies.