SOURCE: IANS

Fierce clashes are reported to have erupted in Bolan district of Balochistan after the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) killed scores of Pakistani soldiers in different attacks over the weekend. The Pakistani army is reported to have launched a retaliatory operation with ground forces, helicopter gunships, surveillance drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in different areas of Bolan, close to Quetta – the Balochistan capital.

Pakistan launched the offensive against the BLA after the Baloch rebel group killed nine Pakistani military personnel on Friday. The BLA targeted an outpost of the Pakistani military in Zarghoon near Quetta, which was allegedly providing security to coal miners in the region.

SOURCE: ANI

The ecology of the Kashmir occupied by Pakistan (PoK) is being destroyed by an expanding military presence, including insurgent camps and the footprints of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), reported Asian Lite International. According to media reports and expert commentators in Pakistan, the region’s ecology has suffered due to the sharp decline in forest cover.

For obvious security concerns, they avoid discussing the military presence and the terrorist camps that are cited with evidence by Western think tanks. On the other side, Pakistani writers call for the army’s “intervention” to stop the clearing of forests and the smuggling of wood by private contractors, claiming a conspiracy between governmental authorities and the “timber mafia,” as per Asian Lite International.

SOURCE: IANS

On May 28 Pakistan will celebrate the ‘Youm-e-Takbir’, the ‘Day of Greatness’ to give itself a pat on its back, for the nuclear tests in 1998, under the shadow of an unprecedented revolt against the powerful army. Around the same time, the Baloch diaspora will protest against the Pakistani nuclear tests in Balochistan as Aasrokh – day of mourning.

Pakistan had conducted the tests in utter secrecy in the Chagai district of Balochistan, not even revealing about the tests to the Baloch chief minister and his cabinet who came to know about the tests only through the media.

SOURCE: ANI

Dutch politician and former Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, along with a European delegation is on a visit to Bangladesh from May 20-26, where the delegation will investigate the genocide committed by Pakistan in 1971. The mission is an initiative of the European Bangladesh Forum (EBF) and will also consist of genocide scientist Anthonie Holslag (VU), political analyst Chris Blackburn, British EBF chairman Ansar Ahmed Ullah and Dutch EBF chairman Bikash Chowdhury Barua.

The mission’s goal is to obtain firsthand information on the genocide committed by the Pakistani army in Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The delegation tends to meet victims, witnesses, genocide researchers, academics, policymakers and government representatives in Bangladesh. In addition, the team visits a number of killing fields and war museums in and around the capital Dhaka and the second major city Chittagong, according to an official statement.

SOURCE: AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Sunday that Russia has taken control of the city of Bakhmut after a bloody eight-month battle by Moscow’s Wagner private army, with the support of Russian troops, that has left it in ruins.

Zelenskky said he thought Ukraine had lost the city, but added, “You have to understand that there is nothing,” saying of the Russians, “They destroyed everything.”

SOURCE: AFI

The forthcoming F4.2 and F5 variants of the Rafale fighter aircraft are set to prioritize the suppression of SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) capabilities. This strategic focus aims to enhance the aircraft’s ability to neutralize enemy air defense systems effectively.

The development of these advanced Rafale variants reflects the evolving nature of modern warfare, where countering enemy air defenses has become a critical aspect of mission success. By incorporating specialized SEAD capabilities, the F4.2 and F5 Rafale variants will be equipped to neutralize hostile air defense systems and create favorable conditions for other offensive operations.

SOURCE: ANI

Pakistan’s so-called ‘geostrategic location’ now stands as a relic of a bygone era despite once being considered a gateway between the West and the East, The News International reported. Pakistan has been struggling to keep pace with the shifting tides of global power and influence and Islamabad finds itself isolated from the global arena. Children in Pakistan are taught about Pakistan’s geostrategic position as Islamabad used to get an extraordinary amount of benefits by being located in this specific zone, as per the news report. As per the news report, it is history that Pakistan received dollars.

The most important events that took place in the past 75 years of Pakistan’s history just happened to be passing by its locality, including the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The report said that had Pakistan not entered the West wing and remained non-aligned, the so-called ‘geostrategic location’ would be non-existent, and thus would not have entered the discourse at all.

SOURCE : PRESS TV

Russia says it has destroyed a US-built Patriot air defense system in an overnight barrage of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.

The Russian military said on Tuesday it destroyed the US air defense system using a hypersonic Kinzhal missile. The missile is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads up to 2,000 kilometers. Last year, for the first time Russia used the weapon in warfare in Ukraine.

SOURCE: API

In response to a fresh overnight barrage of missiles and drones launched by Russia, Ukraine claimed on Tuesday that it had successfully intercepted six advanced Russian hypersonic missiles and nine sub-sonic cruise missiles using 30 Patriot PAC-3 missiles. The dramatic display of Ukrainian missile defense capabilities lit up the skies of Kyiv, with debris falling after the missiles were shot down.

However, the claim made by Ukraine has sparked intense debate on social media platforms. Many supporters in the Western world expressed awe at Ukraine’s ability to launch such expensive weaponry, as each Patriot PAC-3 missile has an estimated cost of $5,275,000 for the fiscal year 2024. With approximately $158,250,000 spent within a span of just two minutes, concerns have been raised about the sustainability of Ukraine’s missile inventory.

SOURCE: FORBES

To date, Ukraine has received at least 390 pieces of towed artillery and 440 self-propelled guns. NATO’s “big guns” have performed well in Ukrainian hands, but they are suffering heavy losses to Russian action. As imagery of successful attacks on Western gear accumulates, they suggest that Ukraine must keep their artillery pieces on the move, avoiding predictable patterns of operation.

Open-source data compiled by the indefatigable researchers behind the Oryx website suggest that Ukraine’s heaviest towed artillery— guns that cannot move themselves and are heavy enough to be an occasional mobility challenge—are getting hit. Ukraine’s loss rates are brutal. Of the approximately 152 big M777 155mm towed howitzers that “officially” arrived in Ukraine, over a third have already been damaged or destroyed.

SOURCE: The New Voice of Ukraine

During a working visit to Kharkiv Oblast, he tested one of the tanks and stated that the “Ukrainian tank should be in the forefront of the tank coalition.”

“I love the cuisine and music of different nations around the world, but when it comes to industry, I am a proponent of Ukrainian protectionism,” he stated. “That is why a decision has been made for the Ministry of Defense to order Oplot tanks from Ukroboronprom for the Ukrainian army].”

SOURCE: ANI

The Nepali Army has begun the procurement process of acquiring weapons from a Chinese company that has been accused of providing inexpensive arms to South Asian and African nations, reported e-Pardafas. The report adds that the army will procure the arms from North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) without conducting any competitive bidding. The army has made the decision to purchase around USD 6 billion worth of weapons.

The purchasing procedure has begun once a formal agreement was signed. Progress was achieved in obtaining 26 APCs, 72 tactical vehicles, and ammunition from China while Sher Bahadur Deuba was the former prime minister. Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka seems uninformed of this development and is denying any involvement in the decision-making process on social media.

SOURCE: ANI

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan while addressing the nation on Saturday said people should understand the atrocities committed in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). “Today, we should understand what happened in East Pakistan and the atrocities committed. The party there which won a majority and should have been Prime Minister, was denied their right,” the PTI chief said. “We lost half the country.

We cannot imagine the damage done to the country. Because people make decisions behind closed doors, a handful of people that don’t know how the rest of the world is operating, make decisions,” Khan said. The PTI chief further said: “They don’t even allow people to assess the damage done because of their decisions.

SOURCE: API

On Monday, China’s mysterious reusable space plane returned to Earth after completing a record-breaking 276-day orbit. The mission was the longest one yet for this new space plane, which had previously spent just two days in orbit, according to Andrew Jones, a journalist specializing in China’s space program.

Despite the lengthy duration of the recent flight, China has released very little information about the space plane’s objectives, specifications, or activities in orbit. In a brief announcement, Chinese state news agency Xinhua hailed the mission as a breakthrough in the country’s research on reusable spacecraft technology, which it said would enable more affordable and convenient methods of space travel in the future.