Saudi Arabia Gets Pakistani Military Support vs CIA Color Revolution, India Confirms Chinese Military Engineers in Kashmir, India’s Secret Services Join Hands With CIA to Destabilise Pakistan, Saudi Diplomat Shot Dead Two Days after Grenade Attack on Consulate in Karachi, “Pakistani Militants” Hit Anti-Submarine Warfare Base in Karachi, China “Asks” U.S. to Respect Pakistan’s Sovereignty, Islamabad Offers China a Naval Base on Indian Ocean, Russia Expels Israeli Military Attache for “Industrial Espionage”, Expelled Israeli Spy was after Russian-Arab Arms Deals, Moscow Says Washington May Extend Missile Shield to Bulgaria Turkey, Threatens Nuclear Build-up, Syrian Policemen Clash With Hundreds of Gunmen on the Turkish Border, 120 Members of the Security Forces Killed in Ambush, Armed Groups Flee to Turkey, Erdogan: Turkey Will Not Close its Borders to Syrian “Refugees”, Saudi Air Force to Take Part in Turkey’s Anatolian Eagle Exercise, CIA Now Thinks Greece Military Coup Possible, Britain Will Not Abandon Military Bases in Cyprus, Israeli Stealth Ships in Reconnaissance Missions against Iran’s Secret Nuclear Sites, Iraq’s Sadr Rallies Supporters against U.S. Troop Extension, Five U.S. Soldiers Killed in Attack on Base in Iraq, German Soldiers Killed, NATO General Wounded in Afghanistan Attack, Iranian Submarines Sent to the Red Sea
Tarpley.net | April 20,2011
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India confirms Chinese military in PoK
Indian intelligence agencies now have credible evidence of their own that several hundred of the Chinese working in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are People’s Liberation Army engineers. They are in the process of verifying if these Chinese military engineers are engaged in some sort of military construction like bunkers.
Continue Reading >> The Times of India | May 12, 2011
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RAW, RAMA join hands with CIA to destabilise Pakistan
The ongoing tussle between the ISI and the CIA has intensified while the Indian, Israeli and Afghani secret agencies have stepped in to support the American secret service, raising concerns about possibility of more attacks on Pakistan’s military and other strategic installations.
Continue Reading >> The Nation | May 25, 2011
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Saudi diplomat shot dead in Pakistan
Shooting comes two days after grenade attack on consulate in Karachi as tensions rise between Sunni and Shia populations.
Motorcycle-riding assassins have gunned down a Saudi diplomat in the Pakistani city of Karachi, four days after a grenade attack on the Saudi consulate there.
Continue Reading >> The Guardian | May 16, 2011
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Pakistani militants hit Karachi naval base in Bin Laden revenge attack
Pakistani commandos continued to battle with heavily armed militants at a naval airbase in Karachi on Monday after 10 hours of fighting triggered by a Taliban assault to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden.
Blasts were heard after dawn local time as the military stepped up its counterattack on insurgents inside the PNS Mehran base, just off one of the city’s busiest roads.
Continue Reading >> The Guardian | May 23, 2011
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China asks US to respect Pak’s sovereignty, independence
China on Thursday said the international community “must respect” Pakistan’s sovereignty, tacitly confirming reports that it has asked the US not to violate Islamabad’s territorial integrity, following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Continue Reading >> The Economic Times | May 20, 2011
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Pakistan Offers China a Naval Base on Indian Ocean
China’s “good neighbor” Pakistan recently confirmed to the Financial Times (FT) that it has requested China to build a naval base at its China-financed southwestern port of Gwadar and hopes to see the Chinese navy maintaining a regular presence there.
Continue Reading >> Military.com | May 24, 2011
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Russia expels Israeli military attache for ‘industrial espionage’
The Kremlin has expelled a top Israeli diplomat, accusing him of illegally obtaining Russian military secrets in order to help Israeli companies win lucrative defence contracts.
Continue Reading >> The Daily Telegraph | May 19, 2011
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Expelled Israeli spy was after Russian-Arab arms deals, says FSB
The military attaché at the Israeli embassy in Moscow, who was unceremoniously expelled by the Russian government last week, was allegedly gathering intelligence on Russian arms exports to the Arab world.
Continue Reading >> Intelligence News | May 24, 2011
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Russia Says U.S. May Extend Missile Shield to Bulgaria, Turkey
[...] “Russia is deeply concerned that after Poland and Romania, elements of U.S. missile defense will emerge in the Czech Republic, Turkey, Bulgaria and some other NATO members,” the deputy chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, told foreign diplomats today in Moscow. “In the future, it may create risks for Russian strategic nuclear forces.”
Continue Reading >> Bloomberg | May 20, 2011
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Russia threatens nuclear build-up over U.S. missile shield
Russia will need to speed up the development of its nuclear strike capabilities if the United States does not convince Moscow its missile defense system isn’t aimed at Russia, President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
Continue Reading >> CNN | May 18, 2011
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Syrian forces clash with hundreds of gunmen – TV
Syrian security forces clashed with hundreds of gunmen in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday, state television said.
“They have managed to end a blockade over one of the neighbourhoods that was seized by the gunmen for a while and are now battling them to end the blockade on the other neighbourhoods,”
Continue Reading >> Reuters | May 18, 2011
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Syria armed groups flee to Turkey
The terrorist groups behind days of deadly clashes in a northwestern Syrian town have escaped to Turkey, reports say.
Hundreds of Syrian civilians have also crossed the northern border into Turkey to escape violence in the town of Jisr al-Shughour after Ankara announced that its doors are open to those seeking refuge.
So far, hundreds of Syrians have crossed the border and Turkish ambulances have moved into Syria, transferring those injured in the unrest to the other side of the border.
At least 120 Syrian soldiers were killed after armed groups attacked police and security stations in the town on Monday. Some 200 others were also injured in the clashes.
Dozens of civilians were also killed and injured during the exchange of fire. Syrian officials said the armed groups were hiding in houses and firing at soldiers and civilians alike, using residents as human shields.
According to the state TV, armed groups also took over parts of Jisr al-Shughour and torched several government buildings.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | June 8, 2011
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Royal Saudi Air Force to take part in Anatolian Eagle exercise
The Royal Saudi Air Force will participate in this year’s Anatolian Eagle military training exercise, which will begin next month in the central Anatolian province of Konya, a newspaper in Saudi Arabia has reported.
This year the participation of the Royal Saudi Air Force, which joined last year’s Anatolian Eagle exercise as an observer, will be a first. Jordan, Pakistan, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Turkey are other participants in the exercise which will run June 13-24.
[...] In the fall of 2009, the Turkish military changed the Anatolian Eagle exercise, which is a joint international military exercise and which was to have included Israel, into a national military exercise, in a move widely seen as a way to exclude Israel.
A delay in the delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Turkey from Israel was linked to the tension sparked by this cancellation, which is contrary to popular speculation that the delay was due to Turkey’s disapproval of Israel’s devastating offensive against the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008/2009.
Continue Reading >> Today’s Zaman | May 24, 2011
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CIA Now Thinks Greece Military Coup Possible
Despite last year’s 110 billion euro Greece bailout — from the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank — there remains serious concern that the periphery EU nation will be unable to continue its debt repayments. Due to the increasing severity of the problem, and the ongoing resistance to additional support, the Central Intelligence Agency has now issued a report warning on how worsening Greek unrest could bring rise to even a military coup.
Continue Reading >> Business Insider | June 1, 2011
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Britain says will not abandon bases in Cyprus
Britain said on Wednesday that the review of its military bases in Cyprus does not involve entirely abandoning them.
In remarks to mostly correspondents of Cypriot media, made public in Nicosia, a spokeswoman for the British Defence Ministry said the bases in Cyprus are very important for Britain from a strategic point of view. “Issues which will be reviewed are what we have now there, how do we use it, can we use it in a better way and with less spending, are changes needed and if yes which these changes should be,” the spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
Continue Reading >> Xinhuanet | May 26, 2011
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Israeli Stealth Ships in Raids on Iran
Cargo vessels owned by Israel’s richest man, who died on Friday, had been used to ferry elite Israeli forces for operations inside Iran, according to defence sources.
The death in Tel Aviv of Sammy Ofer, 89, came just days after the United States accused his company of breaching sanctions by selling an oil tanker to Iran. It has mystified Israelis why a company with close links to the government was allegedly breaching sanctions.
Military experts suggested the cargo ships had carried Black Hawk helicopters, hidden in modified containers, for use by commando teams in reconnaissance missions against Iran’s secret nuclear sites. Israel is conducting a massive intelligence operation to monitor Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.
Continue Reading >> The Progressive Mind | June 5, 2011
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Iraq’s Sadr rallies supporters against U.S. troop extension
Anti-U.S. Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr brought thousands of Shi’ite supporters onto the streets of Baghdad on Thursday in a show of force against any extension of the U.S. military presence in Iraq past a year-end deadline.
Sadr’s threats to revive his Shi’ite militia and protests by his Sadrist bloc are testing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s fragile coalition government over the divisive issue of whether American troops should remain on Iraqi soil.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | May 26, 2011
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Five U.S. soldiers killed in attack on base in Iraq
The American military suffered the deadliest attack against its forces in Iraq in more than two years Monday when rockets slammed into a joint U.S.-Iraqi base in Baghdad, killing five U.S. troops and reviving concerns about security and the stability of the country’s unwieldy coalition government.
Continue Reading >> The Washington Post | June 6, 2011
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German soldiers killed, NATO general wounded in Afghanistan attack
Two German soldiers and the police chief of northern Afghanistan were killed in a suicide attack in Takhar province. General Markus Kneip, the German commander of NATO forces in the region, survived the attack.
Continue Reading >> DW-World | May 29, 2011
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Iranian subs to the Red Sea – riposte for nuclear watchdog’s indictment
The deployment of Iranian “military submarines” in the Red Sea, announced Tuesday June 7, was Tehran’s response to the latest International Atomic Energy Agency’s report accusing Iran of nuclear work with “possible military purposes.”
Continue Reading >> DEBKAfile | June 7, 2011
NATO Seeks to Disintegrate Libya and Plunder its Rich Oil Resources, Russia and China Concerned By Western Interference in Middle East and North Africa, Condemn the Idea of Ground Military Operation, Russian Special Forces Kill Top Militant in Breakaway Chechnya, Moscow Will Hold Large-Scale Naval Drills With Norway, China Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Hold Counterterrorism Drill in the Breakaway Region of Xinjiang, the Scenario Called on the Three Countries to Coordinate a Manhunt for anti-China Separatists, Beijing Sees a Role amid Pakistan-U.S. Rift, Urges World to Back Pakistan in Terror Fight, Indian Prime Minister Plans Trip to Afghanistan
NATO Seeks to Disintegrate Libya
A senior Libyan politician warned of the NATO’s suspicious moves in his country, saying that the West is seeking to prolong the war in Libya in a bid to disintegrate the North African country to plunder its rich oil resources.
“We know that the NATO coalition seeks its own interests by prolonging the war and wants to divide the country into several parts, but the Libyan nation is opposed to this option,” Secretary-General of Libya’s National Movement Meftah Lamloum told FNA on Sunday.
Lamloum expressed his deep suspicion about NATO’s goals in Libya, and cautioned that the western countries are seeking to plunder the country’s rich oil resources.
He further opposed foreign military intervention in his country, and underlined that the crisis in Libya can only be settled by the Libyan people.
Since the revolution against Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi’s regime began in mid-February, hundreds have been killed and injured in clashes between Libyan revolutionaries and pro-Gaddafi forces.
Many civilians have reportedly been killed since the Western coalition unleashed a major air campaign against the Libyan regime forces on March 19 under a UN no-fly zone mandate.
The Western military alliance has refused to apologize for the deadly bombardments.
Meantime, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also cautioned that the West is using the conflict in Libya as an excuse to sell its arms productions.
“They (the West) have frozen (Libya’s) funds under the pretext of the war and right now they are selling their stockpiled armaments and they withdraw the money for these arms sales from the account of those killed (in the war),” President Ahmadinejad said in Tehran on Thursday.
Fars News Agency | May 8, 2011
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Russia, China concerned by western interference in Middle East
Russia and China are concerned about the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and will tighten cooperation in the region. The two countries’ foreign ministers made the decision during talks in Moscow.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | May 6, 2011
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Russia kills top al-Qaeda militant in Chechnya
Hot on the heels of the United States special forces operation that ended in the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, Russia says its own forces have killed a top al-Qaeda militant in Chechnya.
Continue Reading >> Mail & Guardian Online | May 4, 2011
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Russia, Norway to hold joint naval drills next week
Russia and Norway will hold large-scale naval exercise Pomor 2011 on May 11-16, a spokesman for Russia’s Northern Fleet said on Friday.
The drills in the Barents and Norwegian seas will involve Russian Udaloy class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov from the Northern Fleet, Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen class frigate Helge Ingstad, coastal guard vessels and naval aircraft.
“The drills will include artillery firing at air and surface targets, anti-submarine warfare, an anti-piracy mission, and the freeing of an oil platform or a commercial ship from armed extremists,” Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga said.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | May 6, 2011
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China, Central Asian states hold anti-terror drill
Security forces from China and two Central Asian neighbors practiced hunting down violent separatists in a counterterrorism drill along a border area where ethnic Muslim rebels have staged attacks against Beijing’s rule, the government said Saturday.
Friday’s one-day exercise involved forces from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as China and took place along their borders in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, the government and media reports said.
The scenario called on the three countries to coordinate a manhunt for anti-China separatists who had set up a training camp on the Chinese side of the border, the China News Service said. Flushed out, the rebels hijacked a tourist bus that television footage showed black-suited tactical units storming, shattering the windows to get inside.
Continue Reading >> The Associated Press | May 7, 2011
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China sees a role amid Pakistan-U.S. rift
Renewed strains in relations between Pakistan and the United States following last week’s killing of Osama bin Laden have been seen in China as opening the door for closer engagement with Islamabad.
According to officials and analysts here, China is keen to further tighten its already close relationship with its long-term strategic ally, driven by the view that the country is going to play a crucial, even defining, role in Afghanistan, amid declining U.S. influence there.
Continue Reading >> The Hindu | May 8, 2011
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China urges world to back Pakistan in terror fight
China reaffirmed its support on Thursday for efforts by its ally Pakistan to combat terrorism after the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by US forces, and urged the world to help Islamabad.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stopped short of directly criticising the daring raid by US special forces on Pakistani soil that ended with bin Laden’s death but said national sovereignty “should be respected” at all times.
Continue Reading >> AFP | May 5, 2011
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Eye on Afghan endgame, PM plans trip to Kabul
[...] Though Singh has been planning the visit to Afghanistan for sometime now, the recent developments there as well as the killing of Bin Laden have “brought a sense of immediacy to the whole thing”, sources explained.
Continue Reading >> Hindustan Times | May 7, 2011
No More Raids! Pakistan Warns U.S. of “Disastrous Consequences”, Urges Washington to Reduce its Forces, Warns India against “Misadventure”, Pakistani President to Visit Russia “at the Invitation of President Medvedev”, Iran Says it Will Continue to Build on Cooperation With Egypt, Dispatches 14th Fleet of Warships to Gulf of Aden, Israel Buys Dolphin Submarine, Keeps Eye on Rising Egyptian Threat, Changing Situation on Southern Border May Precipitate a Massive Military Buildup, Military Plan Includes Preparation for War on Multiple Fronts
No more raids! Pakistan warns US of ‘disastrous consequences’
Pakistan warned the US Thursday of “disastrous consequences” if it carries out any more raids against terrorists like the one that killed Osama Bin Laden, and hit back at international allegations it might have been harboring the Al-Qaeda chief.
Continue Reading >> Arab News | May 5, 2011
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Pakistan urges US to reduce its forces
Pakistan has called on the United States to reduce its military personnel in the country, following the deadly US attack on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | May 5, 2011
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Pakistan warns India against ‘misadventure’
Taking a serious view of assertions made by the Indian military leadership since the U.S. operation in Pakistan to nab al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Pakistan Army on Thursday warned that any “misadventure of this kind will be responded to very strongly.” Earlier in the day, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said mimicking U.S. unilateral action in Pakistan would result in a “terrible catastrophe.”
Continue Reading >> The Hindu | May 5, 2011
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President Zardari to visit Russia
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation between May 11 and 14 at the invitation of President Medvedev, the foreign ministry announced yesterday.
Continue Reading >> Gulf News | May 5, 2011
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Iran says it will continue to build on cooperation with Egypt
Iran’s foreign minister Ali Akbafr Salehi said on Wednesday that his country will resume collaboration with Egypt, and will continue to do so once the two nations have established embassies in each other’s countries.
Continue Reading >> Al-Masry Al-Youm | May 5, 2011
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Iran Dispatches 14th Fleet of Warships to Gulf of Aden
The Iranian Navy dispatched its 14th flotilla of warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against Somali pirates.
Continue Reading >> Fars News Agency | May 1, 2011
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Israel buys Dolphin submarine
Israel will purchase its sixth Dolphin submarine from Germany at the expense of $1 billion, officials announced Thursday, despite constant objections by the IDF echelon.
Continue Reading >> Ynetnews | May 5, 2011
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Israel Keeps Eye on Rising Egyptian Threat
[...] Jerusalem Post military correspondent Yaakov Katz said the changing situation on Israel’s southern border may precipitate a massive military buildup.
Continue Reading >> The Christian Broadcasting Network | May 4, 2011
Indian Army Commander: China’s Presence in Pakistan-administered Kashmir “Increasing Steadily”, China’s First Aircraft Carrier May Be Nearly Ready, Photos Released Days Before Robert Gates Visit to Beijing, Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow to Offset the Perceived Military Threat from China, Former Minister of Railways Executed for Act of Sabotage and Espionage Charges in North Korea, Pyongyang Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border, Threatens Action for US-South Korea Military Exercises, Sri Lankan Army Commander in Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced, Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased 62%, Tehran Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil Gas Fields, Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant, China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage, Washington Gears for High-Stakes Sea-Based Missile Defense Test, With Eye on South China Sea U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia, Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years
China’s Presence in PoK “Increasing Steadily”: Army Commander
China’s presence in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is “increasing steadily” and its troops are “actually present” along the Line-of-Control, a top Army commander said, adding the Chinese footprints are “too close for comfort” for India.
“Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily… There are many people who are concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of Chinese. Not only they are in the neighbourhood but the fact that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,” Northern Army commander Lt Gen KT Parnaik said here last week while addressing a seminar.
He said China’s links with Pakistan through PoK “lends strength” to the “nexus” between the two countries which is a cause of “great security concern” for India.
“As part of (China’s) ‘strings of pearls’ policy, Chinese footprints are too close for comfort,” Parnaik added.
The Army commander said such a nexus between the Chinese and Pakistani military “jeopardises our regional strategic interests in the long run and and facilitates speedy and enhanced deployment of Pakistan armed forces to complement China’s military operations and thus outranks India.”
He said China has been found to be involved in the construction of numerous roads and and several hydro-power projects inside PoK.
Beijing is laying a web of roads that run across areas as distant from each other as Skardu in PoK and Kunming in China near Myanmar border.
China has already constructed roads connecting all its highways to logistic centres and major defence installations that dot the border with India and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-eastern Jammu and Kashmir.
The Times of India | April 5, 2011
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Chinese Warship May Be Nearly Ready
The Chinese state news agency has posted photographs of an aircraft carrier under reconstruction that appears to show the warship near completion. Captions with the photos said that the work would end soon and that the carrier was expected to sail later this year.
[...] Xinhua’s headline with the photos said: “Huge warship on the verge of setting out, fulfilling China’s 70-year aircraft carrier dreams.” One caption said: “A few days ago, domestic online military forums consecutively published photographs of the Varyag aircraft carrier being reconstructed at China’s Dalian shipyard. From the pictures, we can see that this project is entering its final stage.” The caption noted that construction on the ship’s bridge was almost done, with the exception of a radar system.
[...] The appearance of the photos came just days before Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited China. Military officials tested the fighter while Mr. Gates was in Beijing, which led to a puzzling and awkward diplomatic moment between Mr. Gates and President Hu Jintao.
Continue Reading >> The New York Times | April 7, 2011
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Taiwan Inaugurates Missile Ships amid Buildup Vow
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou inaugurated a squadron of missile boats Thursday as he pledged to continue the island’s military buildup to offset the perceived military threat from China.
The fleet of 10 locally manufactured missile boats joined the navy following a ceremony presided over by Ma at the northeastern naval base in Suao.
Ma, the initiator of detente with the island’s giant neighbour, said tensions with the mainland have eased significantly since he came to power in 2008 but insisted Taiwan needed a deterrent against Beijing which claims the island as part of its territory.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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Two Former Ministers Executed in North Korea – Seoul Newspaper
[...] The newspaper reported that the North Korean former minister of railways, who occupied the post in 1998-2000, was executed over the blast case at a railway station in April 2004. This explosion was qualified as an act of sabotage targeted against a special train of a North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who was on the way back from China.
The minister was accused of classified information leakage. The routes and the schedule of Kim’s trips were accessible only for his bodyguards and secretaries, as well as the railway minister.
Continue Reading >> ITAR-TASS | April 4, 2011
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N. Korea Strengthens Submarine Drills Near Border
North Korea has intensified submarine drills near the tense Yellow Sea border with South Korea, putting Seoul defence officials on alert, a report said Thursday.
JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, citing a Seoul military source, said the North had been staging exercises involving five or six submarines at the Bipagot submarine base on its west coast since last month.
They feature the signature 325-tonne submarines as well as the new and bigger Shark-class submarines called K-300, it said.
“It’s highly unusual for them to beef up submarine drills in March so we’re intensely monitoring the situation,” said the source.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 7, 2011
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N. Korea Threatens Action for US-SKorea Drills
North Korea warned Friday that its military would not remain a “passive onlooker” if South Korea and the United States continued joint military drills, state media reported.
The threat came from Ri Yong-Ho, a vice marshal of the North’s armed forces, at a meeting attended by top government, military and party officials in Pyongyang.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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SL, Indonesia Defence Relations to Be Enhanced
Sri Lankan Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya’s official visit to Indonesia has resulted in further strengthening the longstanding and excellent defence relations between the two nations and their armed forces.
Army sources say that it also provided opportunity to explore further defence cooperation between the two countries.
Continue Reading >> Daily News | April 6, 2011
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Iran’s Oil Exports to China Increased in 2011
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s crude oil exports to China increased 62 percent in the first two months of 2011, Xinhua reported.
In January-February 2011, Iran’s crude exports to China increased 62 percent compared to the same period last year.
During the mentioned time, China has totally imported 45.73 million tons half of which has been supplied by the countries in the Middle East.
Iran’s crude oil exports to China reached 4.11 million tons during the two months. Iran has been second biggest crude supplier to China.
Saudi Arabia exported 8.19 million tons of oil to China and it was ranked first supplying 20 percent of the Asian country’s oil demand during the same period.
Mojnews | April 6, 2011
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Tehran, Moscow Underline Increasing Cooperation in Oil, Gas Fields
Iranian Deputy Vice-President for Economic Affairs Ali Aqa Mohammadi and Chief Executive of Russia’s Gazprom Company Alexei Miller in a meeting in Moscow underscored the necessity for the further promotion of mutual cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sectors.
Continue Reading >> Fars New Agency | April 7, 2011
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Russia Begins Refuelling Iran Nuclear Plant
Russia on Friday resumed loading fuel into Iran’s first nuclear power plant after it had to be removed because of an apparent technical fault, news reports said.
Continue Reading >> AFP | April 8, 2011
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China and Russia Fingered in German Industrial Espionage Alert
Industrial espionage by China and Russia is becoming easier thanks to computer hacking, officials warned German business leaders on Thursday, adding that police need data logs to track computer break-ins.
A conference heard that the annual cost to German companies of data theft was at least 20 billion euros (nearly 30 billion dollars).
[...] “Russia and China are the main sources of so-called industrial espionage in Germany,” Schroeder said.
Continue Reading >> Monsters and Critics | April 7, 2011
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U.S. Gears for High-Stakes Missile Defense Test
The United States is preparing for its first test of a sea-based defense against longer-range missiles of a type that officials say could soon threaten Europe from Iran.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | April 7, 2011
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With Eye on South China Sea, U.S. Might Place Troops in Australia
American troops might soon find themselves serving in Australia as the United States looks for better access to the South China Sea, the source of much friction between China and many other Pacific nations.
During testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Adm. Robert Willard, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said Australians would like to see an increase of U.S. military activities Down Under.
[...] U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he has a group studying the idea of U.S. troops rotating through existing Australian bases, but he doesn’t want to create any new permanent bases in the Pacific. And he remained diplomatic when asked whether such a plan would be about keeping China in check.
[...] The United States and Australia have been on the same side of every major war since World War I. Australia has the largest group of troops from a non-NATO country fighting in Afghanistan.
Continue Reading >> CNN | April 8, 2011
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Russia to Continue Military Conscription for Next 10-15 Years – Medvedev
The Russian Armed Forces will continue using a mixture of conscripts and contracted recruits for the next 10-15 years, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.
Russia is in the process of reforming its armed forces by shifting the focus away from a largely inefficient body of conscripted soldiers toward a smaller professional army.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | April 4, 2011
Israel Prepares for Multi-Front War against Hamas Hezbollah and Syria in War Games, Will Deploy Four More “Iron Dome” Anti-Rocket Defences “With the Financial Help of the Americans”, Israeli Minister: War on Gaza Coming Soon, Sudan Accuses Israel Over Port Sudan Air Strike, Israel Believes Weapons are Being Smuggled through the Region to Gaza, U.S. Embassy Convoy Stoned in Southern Lebanon, Syria-Iran-Backed Hezbollah Fortifying South Lebanon, Washington Urging U.S. Citizens to Avoid Traveling to Lebanon, “The Potential for a Spontaneous Upsurge in Violence is Real”, Emboldened Gulf Arabs Speak Out against Iran, Kuwait Arrests Two Iranian “Spies” Recalls its Ambassador to Tehran Two weeks after Bahrain’s Similar Move, U.S. Forces Germany to Stop Indian Oil Payments to Iran, Egypt Extends Olive Branch to Iran Seeks to Normalize Ties, Iran’s Foreign Minister Invites Egyptian Counterpart to Visit Tehran, Iran Lawmakers to Visit Egypt, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to Double Staff, NATO Chief Holds Talks in Turkey, Ankara Bolsters Security on Syria, Iraq Borders
IDF Prepares for Multi-Front War in War Games
Military holds drill aimed at preparing forces for all-out war against Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas; exercise did not include soldiers, live-fire.
In the face of a changing Middle East, the IDF held a set of war games this week aimed at preparing the military for all-out war against Hezbollah, Syria and Hamas.
The exercise did not include soldiers or live-fire exercises, but was held to drill commanders and their decisions in the event of a large-scale war on multiple fronts.
Continue Reading >> The Jerusalem Post | April 1, 2011
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Israel to Deploy Four More “Iron Dome” Anti-Rocket Defences
Israel is planning to deploy four more batteries of its “Iron Dome” short-range missile defence system, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday.
Speaking on military radio, Barak said: “With the financial help of the Americans, we hope to equip ourselves with four new ‘Iron Dome’ batteries.
[...] According to plans, the system will first be deployed along the border of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, from where militants fired a daily barrage of improvised rockets prompting Israel to launch a devastating 22-day offensive in December 2008.
It will then be deployed along the Lebanese border, from where Hezbollah militants fired some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during a 2006 war. It was that experience which prompted the development of Iron Dome.
Continue Reading >> Space War | April 3, 2011
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Israeli Minister: War With Gaza Coming Soon
Israel’s Minister of Public Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch warned on Tuesday that Israel and Gaza are on the verge of another flare-up like Operation Cast Lead, Israel Radio reported.
[...] In response to a query by Xinhua, Aharonovitch’s media advisor was emphatic that “the minister meant exactly what he said, that he believes that there will soon be another war with Gaza.”
Continue Reading >> Xinhuanet | April 5, 2011
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Sudan Accuses Israel Over Port Sudan Air Strike
Sudan has accused Israel of carrying out an air strike that killed two people in a car near the city of Port Sudan on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti said one man was Sudanese, but the identity of the other passenger was unknown.
There has been no comment from Israel. But correspondents say Israel believes weapons are being smuggled through the region to Gaza.
Continue Reading >> BBC News | April 6, 2011
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U.S. Embassy Convoy Stoned in Southern Lebanon
A US embassy convoy in Lebanon was stoned on Saturday in the southern port city of Sidon by a group of unknown assailants, the embassy in the capital Beirut confirmed.
The group threw stones at the convoy while it was touring a touristic area of Sidon, the Lebanese state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
‘The Lebanese army immediately cordoned off the scene and arrested some of the men responsible for the attack,’ the NNA added.
Monsters and Critics | April 2, 2011
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Hizbullah Fortifying South Lebanon
According the the Israel Defense Forces, Hizbullah has built bunkers and underground weapons depots in most southern Lebanese villages as it continues building its army, the Associated Press reports.
A memo from the IDF brass to Israeli embassies on Thursday to Israel details the acceleration of Hizbullah’s fortification of the volatile border region since the end of the 2006 Lebanon war.
The memo says, “Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons.”
Continue Reading >> Israel National News | April 1, 2011
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Lebanese Threat “Real” Washington Says
The potential for an uptick in violence in Lebanon that threatens U.S. citizens is very real, the U.S. State Department said in a travel warning.
The State Department said it was urging U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon and said all U.S. employees in the country should keep a low profile.
“The potential in Lebanon for a spontaneous upsurge in violence is real,” the warning read. “Lebanese government authorities are not able to guarantee protection for citizens or visitors to the country should violence erupt suddenly.”
The warning said that anti-Western groups like Hezbollah remain a persistent threat and sporadic violence in Hezbollah strongholds in the south of the country makes travel risky.
Last month, seven Estonian bicyclists were kidnapped from the area in what the State Department says was a planned attack. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Continue Reading >> UPI | April 5, 2011
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Emboldened Gulf Arabs Speak Out Against Iran
Sectarian strife has emboldened Sunni Arabs to defy Tehran, experts say
Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Iran, making the second Gulf Arab country to do so in less than two weeks, amid signs that the region’s Sunni governments are growing concerned about alleged Iranian influence in their domestic affairs and acting promptly and publicly to squelch it.
The Kuwaiti action, taken on Wednesday, came less than 24 hours after the country’s criminal court condemned two Iranians and a Kuwaiti to death following their conviction of spying for Iran. Two weeks ago, Bahrain ordered back its ambassador to Tehran and not long afterwards entered into a war of words with the leader of Hizbullah, the Lebanese Shiite movement allied with Iran,, and cut off air links with Lebanon.
“There is much fear of Iranian expansionism,” Ali Al-Saffar, an Iraq expert at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told The Media Line. “Whether this fear is true or perceived is debatable.”
Continue Reading >> The Media Line | March 31, 2011
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U.S. Forces Germany to Stop Indian Oil Payments to Iran
India is exploring paying for crude oil it buys from Iran in rupee after the US forced Germany to stop routing payments through a Hamburg-based bank.
India in February had begun clearing past dues to Iran by making euro payments through German-based Europisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG ( EIH Bank). But EIH, which is owned by Iran, is a banned entity in the US and Washington used its influence on Germany to stop payments.
Continue Reading >> The Economic Times | April 4, 2011
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Egypt Extends Olive Branch to Iran, Seeks to Normalize Ties
Egypt extends olive branch to Iran; seeks to normalize ties Egypt’s new foreign minister Nabil Al-Arabi has said that his country also would like to turn over a new leaf with respect to Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Iran is a state in the region, and we have had long-term historical ties with it over the different periods,” al-Arabi told a press conference. “We will turn over a new leaf with all states, including Iran.”
Al-Arabi cautioned that restoring diplomatic ties will depend on the Iranian side.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has welcomed Egypt’s statements and said that better relations would improve security in the Middle East. He added that he hopes there will be “an expansion of relations” between Cairo and Tehran.
[...] Iran and Egypt have not had formal diplomatic relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution when the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was given exile in Cairo by his friend Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.
A year before that, Iran ended diplomatic ties with Egypt when Sadat signed the Camp David peace treaty with Israel.
Continue Reading >> The International Business Times | March 30, 2011
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Iran’s FM Invites Egyptian Counterpart to Visit Tehran
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi officially invited Egypt’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi to pay a visit to Tehran.
Continue Reading >> Fars News Agency | April 5, 2011
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“Iran Lawmakers to Visit Egypt”
Following encouraging signals between Iran and Egypt to restore diplomatic relations, a senior member of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) says a number of Iranian lawmakers are likely to pay a visit to Cairo.
Continue Reading >> Press TV | April 4, 2011
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US Embassy in Baghdad to Double Staff: This is NUTS! 16,000! Sixteen THOUSAND staff!
“We’ll be doubling our size if all of our plans go through and if we receive the money from Congress in 2011 and then again in 2012,” James Jeffrey, the US ambassador in Iraq, said.
He said the staff would increase “from 8,000 plus personnel that we have now to roughly double that by 2012,” adding that US forces would make up only a very small part of that number.
Continue Reading >> Global Research | April 4, 2011
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NATO Chief Holds Talks in Turkey
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen met with Turkish officials on Monday as an envoy of Moamer Kadhafi arrived in Ankara for talks on a possible ceasefire in conflict-torn Libya.
Continue Reading >> Cumhuriyet | April 4, 2011
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Turkey Bolsters Security on Syria, Iraq Borders
Turkish sources said the military has sent reinforcements along key points of the nation’s 600-kilometer border with Syria.
They said the reinforcements were sent after fighters and operatives of the Kurdish Workers Party were believed to have infiltrated Turkey from Syria.
Turkey has also reinforced troops along the border with Iraq, which harbors an estimated 3,000 PKK fighters in the Kandil mountains, Middle East Newsline reported.
Continue Reading >> World Tribune | April 4, 2011
Russia Hopes Turkey Will Eventually Give the Green Light to the South Stream Gas Pipeline Project, “Turkey to OK South Stream When Conditions Met”, “Project is Not in the Best Interest of Ukraine and the Country is Working against it”, Iran Plans to Invest $90 Billion in South Pars Gas Field, U.K. Royal Dutch Shell Drilling 17 Gas Wells in China, Beijing Urges Quick End to American-Led Airstrikes in Libya, Considers the Security Situation in the Asia-Pacific as “Volatile”, Points to the U.S. Reinforcement of Military Alliances and Rising Suspicions in the Region, Seeks to Reinforce Trust With Neighbours, Will Stick to a Defensive Military Doctrine, The World’s Largest Arms Importer is Now India Not China, South Korea U.S. Conduct Large Military Exercise in Yellow Sea, Singapore Thailand U.S. Conclude Military Drill, Naval Exercises Between the Philippines and Malaysia, Venezuela’s $15 Billion Weapons Purchase Concerns Latin America, Joint Ghana U.S. Jungle Warfare Exercise Ends
Russia hopes Turkey will approve South Stream
Russia hopes Turkey will eventually give the green light to the section of the South Stream gas pipeline project that crosses its territory, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
Turkey has not given its consent to the laying of part of the 15.5-billion-euro marine pipeline across its Black Sea territory. South Stream is designed to diversify Russian gas export routes, and will stretch to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast and then on to Italy and Austria.
[...] The land section of the pipeline will go across Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria, with whom Russia has already signed intergovernmental agreements.
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | March 22, 2011
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“Turkey to OK South Stream When Conditions Met”
Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said Turkey would still abide by the terms of a 2009 agreement with Russia over a proposed underwater pipeline that will carry natural gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine.
South Stream, controlled by Russian Gazprom and Italian Eni, is planned to carry Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and on to Europe via Italy and Austria. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Yıldız reaffirmed the Turkish position on the $21.5 billion pipeline project called South Stream, saying nothing had changed on the Turkish side. “We are still waiting for the environmental impact studies, as well as feasibility studies, on South Stream to see if the required criteria demanded by Turkey are met. If met, there is no question we would give our approval to the project,” he said.
Continue Reading >> Today’s Zaman | March 26, 2011
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Minister: Ukraine Works Against South Stream
The South Stream natural gas pipeline project is not in the best interest of Ukraine and the country is working against it, according to Ukrainian Minister of Energy Yuriy Boyko.
Boyko said his country is undergoing “tense discussions” with Russia, the main country supporting the project, set to deliver gas to southern and central Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
“South Stream is a political project of our Russian partners, who want to create an excess of transit capacities for gas, like what they did back in the day for oil,” said the Ukrainian minister, quoted by MIGnews.
Boyko said that in collaboration with Ukraine’s “EU partners,” the country will be putting efforts so that in the end the pipeline be not built.
Sofia News Agency | April 2, 2011
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Iran Plans to Invest $90B in South Pars
Iran’s Oil Ministry plans to invest about $90 billion in South Pars gas field in the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi said.
According to Mirkazemi, about $60 billion of the mentioned amount will be allocated to the upstream projects and about $30 billion to the downstream sector, SHANA News Network reported.
The official also noted that an extra $20 billion will be invested in the petrochemical projects of the giant field.
Mirkazemi further said that the Oil Ministry plans to complete the developing projects of all the remaining phases of the field within 35 months.
The Iranian oil minister also stressed the need for foreign investment in the site to speed up the projects, saying that once all the phases of the South Pars come on stream, the field can produce 25 million cubic meters of natural gas and about 40,000 barrels of liquefied natural gas per day, making the country’s annual revenue from the field hit $110 billion, Press TV reported.
The South Pars gas field is located in the Persian Gulf in the border zone between Iran and Qatar. The field’s reserves are estimated at 14 trillion cubic meters of gas and 18 billion barrels of liquefied natural gas.
Payvand Iran News | April 1, 2011
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Shell Drilling 17 China Gas Wells
U.K. oil major Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN) is drilling 17 wells in China, including for tight gas and shale gas, Reuters reported Sunday, citing Chief Executive Peter Voser.
If drilling is successful, Shell plans to spend $1 billion a year during the next five year years on shale gas in China, Voser was quoted as saying.
MarketWatch | March 20, 2011
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China Urges Quick End to Airstrikes in Libya
China escalated its opposition to American-led airstrikes on Libya on Tuesday, joining Russia and India in calls for an immediate cease-fire and suggesting that coalition forces were imperiling civilians by exceeding the United Nations-mandated no-fly zone.
[...] China’s response to the campaign has been the most forceful, warning that the assault could bring about a “humanitarian disaster.” In a news briefing Tuesday, Jiang Yu, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, called for an end to hostilities. “We’ve seen reports that the use of armed force is causing civilian casualties, and we oppose the wanton use of armed force leading to more civilian casualties,” she said.
China was one of five countries to abstain from the United Nations resolution that authorized the allied airstrikes against the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, which have been seeking to crush a rebellion against his four-decade rule. Russia, Brazil, India and Germany also abstained, while South Africa joined nine other Security Council members in supporting the resolution approved last week.
In its decision to abstain rather than block the resolution through its veto power, China said it was heeding the wishes of the Arab League and the African Union.
Continue Reading >> The New York Times | March 22, 2011
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China to Reinforce Trust With Neighbours
The Chinese government on Thursday said it viewed the security situation in the Asia-Pacific as “volatile”, pointing to the United States “reinforcing” regional military alliances and rising suspicions among China’s neighbours.
In a national defence white paper issued on Thursday, China said it would seek to expand confidence-building measures with its neighbours, as well as stick to a defence policy that was defensive in nature.
The white paper, the seventh that China has issued since 1998, portrayed a strained regional security environment, describing the Asia-Pacific region, in particular, as “volatile.”
“Relevant major powers are increasing their strategic investment,” said the paper. “The United States is reinforcing its regional military alliances, and increasing its involvement in regional security affairs.”
Continue Reading >> The Hindu | March 31, 2011
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The World’s Largest Arms Importer is Now India, Not China
India has spent US$80 billion to modernize its military to keep up with China and now, India has become the world’s number one arms importer according to Swedish think-tank keeping tabs on global arms transactions. India makes up 9 percent of global arms purchases while China has 6 percent of market share in comparison.
“India has ambitions to become first a continental and [then] a regional power,” Rahul Bedi, an analyst with London-based Jane’s Defence Weekly, told AP.
“Just from what they have already ordered, we know that in the coming few years India will be the top importer,” said Siemon Wezeman, a senior fellow at SIPRI told the International Business Times.
SIPRI’s report stated India’s defense budget for the coming fiscal year is in the region of $32.5 billion, 40 percent more than in 2009. In addition, India will spend over $50 billion in the next five years to modernize its military – including purchasing new fighter jets and aircraft carriers.
“The kind of purchases that India is buying, no country in the world buys,” added Bedi of Jane’s Defence Weekly. India has also been importing 82 percent of its weapons from Russia and plans to purchase 250 to 300 advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jets worth $30 billion in the next decade.
SIPRI also included in its report:
Average volume of global arms transfers in 2006-2010 increased 24 percent from 2001-2005.
Asia and Oceania accounts for 43 percent of arms imports, Europe for 12 percent, 17 percent in the Middle East, 12 percent in the Americas and 7 percent in Africa.
The largest arms importers are locate in Asia with India accounting for 9 percent of all imports, 6 percent in China, 6 percent in South Korea and 5 percent in Pakistan.
USA remains the world’s largest exporter of military equipment and totals 30 percent of global arms exports in 2006-2010; of which 44 percent were exported to Asia and Oceania, 28 percent in the Middle East and 19 percent to Europe.
EconomyWatch | March 30, 2011
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S. Korea, US Conduct Large Military Exercise in Yellow Sea
A large-scale South Korea-U.S. military exercise in the Yellow Sea seeks to prepare for North Korea`s use of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, submarines and special forces to destroy or blockade major infrastructure in the South.
Continue Reading >> Donga.com | March 24, 2011
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Singapore, Thailand, US Conclude Military Exercise
Singapore, Thailand and the United States concluded the trilateral “Exercise Cope Tiger 2011″ at Korat Air Base in Thailand on Friday.
[...] About 100 aircraft and 34 ground-based air defence systems were deployed.
[...] More than 2,300 personnel took part.
Continue Reading >> Channelnewsasia | March 26, 2011
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Military Exercises Strengthens RP-Malaysian Relations
The ten-day military exercises between the Philippine Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy, which concluded March 25, has been beneficial to both parties and was a success in its purpose, the Naval Forces West (NFW) claimed. The activity opened on March 16.
Continue Reading >> Zamboanga Today | April 1, 2011
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Hugo Chavez’s $15 Billion Weapons Purchase Concerns Latin America
With the acquisition of hundreds of tanks, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles as well as submarines and missile networks, Venezuela is arming itself at a speed unprecedented in the history of the South American country.
Continue Reading >> McClatchy | March 21, 2011
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Joint Ghana, US Military Exercise Ends
The Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2011 jungle exercise, conducted by personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the United States Marines, has ended at Achiase Jungle Warfare in the Eastern Region.
[...] The two-week training exercise comprised 100 troops from GAF and 42 US Marines.
Continue Reading >> Vibeghana | March 22, 2011
Russia Demands Punishment for Japanese Radicals Who Desecrated Flag, to Build Bangladesh’s First Nuclear Plant, Mongolia to Build Railway Link to Russian Port to Avoid “Overdependence on China”, Russia Ratifies Deal with U.S. Allowing Transit for Military Equipment and Personnel Across Russia to NATO Forces in Afghanistan Easing Reliance on Convoy Routes through Pakistan, Former Pakistan Chief of Army Staff : Nuclear Scientist AQ Khan is “Next Target of U.S. Agents”, India Rated “High Risk” Economy for Investors, Chinese Envoy : Pakistan Can Be Economic Powerhouse, China and Pakistan to Enhance Military Co-operation, “Have Strategy to Invade India and Nepal”, Sarah Palin to Visit India, Bangladesh’s Army Chief in Sri Lanka on “Goodwill Visit”
Russia to Demand Punishment for Japanese Radicals Who Desecrated Flag
The Russian embassy in Tokyo is preparing a note to the Japanese foreign ministry demanding to launch criminal investigation into the recent desecration of the Russian flag, a diplomat said.
Japanese right-wing campaigners dragged the Russian flag along the ground outside the Russian Embassy in Tokyo on February 7, demanding the return of a group of disputed Pacific islands. The embassy sent a protest note to the Japanese Foreign Ministry just after the incident.
Later that day, the Russian embassy in Tokyo had also received an envelope containing a bullet and a letter which said “The Northern Territories are Japanese land.”
Continue Reading >> RIA Novosti | February 22, 2011
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Russia to Build Bangladesh’s First Nuclear Plant
Russia has agreed to build energy-starved Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, which will generate a total of 2,000 megawatt of electricity.
Bangladesh’s decades-old gas-fired power plants are unable to generate enough electricity for the country’s 150 million people. Businesses complain that the shortages interfere with production.
Continue Reading >> The Daily Telegraph | February 25, 2011
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Mongolia to Build Railway Link to Russian Port
Land-locked Mongolia will build a 1,000 km (620 mile) railway to enable it to export its vast but largely untapped mineral wealth via a Russian port.
[...] Analysts say Mongolia’s government plans to build the Russian route because it is worried about overdependence on China, its southern neighbour and a huge market for Mongolia’s resources.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | February 22, 2011
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Russia Ratifies Military Transit Deal with U.S.
Russia’s parliament approved a deal with the United States on Friday to allow transit for military equipment and personnel across Russia to the NATO force in Afghanistan, easing reliance on Pakistan as a transit route.
[...] Currently, about 80 percent of NATO’s supplies cross through Pakistan. But NATO has been trying to reduce its dependence on convoy routes through Pakistan where they are prey to Islamist militant attacks.
[...] The transit deal stops short of opening the Russian route for weapons for the NATO mission in Afghanistan, where Moscow fought a disastrous 1979-89 war which still haunts Russia and which killed 15,000 Soviet troops.
Russia’s NATO envoy has said the deal would not allow NATO to ship tanks or combat-ready armored personnel carriers (APCs) through Russian territory.
Continue Reading >> Reuters | February 25, 2011
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Former Pak Army Chief Claims Nuclear Scientist AQ Khan is “Next Target of U.S. Agents”
Former Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (r) Mirza Aslam Beg has claimed that the American agents’ network is spread throughout the country, and that their next target is disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.
[...] Khan is known as the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, and is accused of illegally transferring nuke know-how to China, North Korea and Iran.
Continue Reading >> Sify | February 26, 2011
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India Rated ‘Extreme Risk’ Economy for Investors
India – along with Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines – has been rated a ‘high risk’ growth economy for investors. In a ranking of 175 countries by the Global Risks Atlas 2011 released this week, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan have been dubbed ‘extreme risk’ nations because of weak governance, internal conflicts and regional instability.
Continue Reading >> Sify | February 25, 2011
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Pakistan Can be Economic Powerhouse : Chinese Envoy
Pakistan is a gifted nation that fulfils all the prerequisites to become an economic power, a diplomat said on Friday.
Addressing business community at the residence of Raza Khan, Chairman Coordination Committee of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Ambassador of China to Islamabad Liu Jian said that improved law and order coupled with continuity of enabling economic policies can attract huge investment in this great business destination.
[...] The ambassador said that the current bilateral trade volume between the two countries stood at $8.7 billion, up by $2 billion from last year, which is unsatisfactory as it can be increased manifold.
Continue Reading >> The News International | February 20, 2011
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China and Pakistan Pledge to Enhance Military Co-operation
[...] China attaches great importance and is devoted to pushing forward relations between the two militaries, Chen Bingde, Chief of General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, told visiting General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan.
China is willing to work with Pakistan to develop the mechanism of defense and security talks, deepen strategic cooperation and contribute to the peace, stability and common development in the region and the world, Chen said.
[...] The Pakistani army is willing to continue to strengthen friendly communication and cooperation with the Chinese army, and make more efforts to safeguard the two countries’ development and security interests.
Continue Reading >> Defence Professionals | February 24, 2011
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China, Pakistan Have Strategy to Invade India: Mulayam Singh
Alleging that China and Pakistan are having “a strategy to invade India,” Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to give an assurance to Parliament that the country is safe from a possible external aggression.
“China and Pakistan can invade India. They are having a strategy to invade India. The House must be assured that India is safe, when PM gives reply,” Yadav said in the Lok Sabha participating in a discussion on the motion of thanks to the President for her address to Parliament.
Referring to developments in Ladakh, Tibet and Arunachal Pradesh where China is allegedly building Army threatening India’s sovereignty, he said, “They are occupying one inch of territory every day. We could not regain our lost territory. They are claiming our land.”
The former defence minister said he was aware that China is ready to attack India.
“China is our No 1 enemy. It is time to save our country,” he said.
“Their armed forces are ready. They may invade at any time. Nepal would also be occupied,” Mulayam feared and called for a “Himalayan policy” to check a possible Chinese invasion.
[...] Criticising the country’s foreign policy, he said, it is in the hands of the US.
“Who are our friends? We don’t have any friends like USSR,” said the leader, whose party has 22 MPs who support the government from outside.
[...] He said both Nepal and Sri Lanka used to enjoy good relations with India in the past but that is not so now.
Continue Reading >> The Times of India | February 22, 2011
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Sarah Palin to Visit India Next Month
Republican leader Sarah Palin will make her first trip to India next month to attend a conference and speak on her vision of America.
Continue Reading >> The Economic Times | February 24, 2011
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Bangladesh’s Army Chief Here on Goodwill Visit
General Mohammed Abdul Mubeen, Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff, at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart, arrives in Sri Lanka on Wednesday (23) on a five-day goodwill visit.
Continue Reading >> Ministry of Defence | February 22, 2011
Webster Tarpley On The Moscow Airport Bombing
Recent causes of US-UK animus towards Russia include the Khodorkhovsky verdict (the US position being that a finance oligarch that rich should of course be above the law), the inability of NATO to foment a gas crisis this winter, President Medvedev’s endorsement of a Palestinian state (re-affirming the 1988 decision by the USSR), and Afghan President Karzai’s visit to Moscow, where he created the premises for a long-term post-NATO strategic relationship with Russia including the Salang tunnel, hydroelectric plants, and a Turkmenistan-India gas pipeline the US has been seeking to block. Also worth noting is that, in a recent Wikileaks document dump, the impotent gaggle of marginal Russia opposition figures assembled by Obama’s lightweight NSC Russia director Michael McFaul demonstrated a special desire to oust Chechen President Razman Kadyrov, a Putin ally. Are their alleged human rights concerns only a cover story for their fear that Kadyrov is actually suppressing NATO-backed terrorism in Chechnya?
Tarpley | January 25, 2011
Crouching Dollar, Floating Yuan
The Chinese President Hu Jintao is enjoying the red-carpet treatment in Washington DC against a backdrop of increasing tension between his country and the US.
As the two leaders meet, a number of US lawmakers are demanding again that China allow its currency to float against the dollar – arguing that a weak yuan is hurting American business.
But is China really listening? Its global expansion takes in every corner of the globe. And its influence is growing. Will this be China’s century? Will the US have to live in China’s shadow? Inside Story, with presenter David Foster, discusses.
Al Jazeera English | January 20, 2011
George Friedman : The Republic and The Empire
Stratfor founder George Friedman discusses the theme of his forthcoming book, “The Next Decade,” and explains why the United States has to change the way it deals with today’s world.
Stratfor | January 7, 2011
Rising Fuel and Food Prices in India
Rising fuel and food prices in India are reviving inflation fears. During the past year, the nation’s food price index rose 12.13 percent. Basic vegetables are of main concern as consumers complain about being unable to afford certain dietary staples. The price of onions, for example, has risen by 350%. Up-scale restaurants have also seen a steady increase in prices these last six months, effecting their profit margins. Although they are able to absorb the price hike right now, the question that remains is: for how long? In an effort to ease the sting, India’s embattled government banned onion exports and scrapped import duties. High food inflation has dislodged state governments in the past. India’s Congress party that leads the ruling coalition has to come up with a solution before the partial state elections later this year.
AlJazeera English | January 2, 2011
India, Mongolia Conduct Joint Military Exercises
The troops of India and Mongolia engaged in joint exercises, with the latest two-week drill in counter-insurgency ending in Belgaum on Sunday. Nearly 30 officers and personnel of the Mongolian armed forces participated in the workout called “Nomadic Elephant” along with 50 officers and personnel of the Indian Army in counter-terrorism environment.
The current engagement tapered and ended around the time the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was in India and Pakistan. Defence cooperation and relations between the militaries of the two countries has seen a steady growth over the last decade with the first joint exercise in 2004. For the last few years, the joint drills are being held every year.
India Defence | December 20, 2010
China’s Ties with Pakistan Concern U.S. Officials
China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s recent visit to Pakistan and the trade deals struck during that trip show China has much greater influence over Pakistan than the U.S.
Newsy | December 19, 2010
France Courts Emerging Powers
Analysts Marko Papic and Reva Bhalla examine the geopolitical significance of France’s diplomatic charm offensive toward emerging powers India and Brazil.
Stratfor | December 8, 2010
Somali Pirates’ Eastward Expansion
Analyst Ben West examines the reasons why Somali pirates have increasingly looked to the Indian Ocean for hijacking targets.
Stratfor | December 6, 2010
India Starts Building Nuclear Shelters
Working on a new two- front war strategy with Pakistan and China, India has started building nuclear shelters in big cities and military centres. Under a military plan, hundreds of underground big shelters will be built to counter possible “nuclear assaults” from Pakistan and China.
The shelters will also be built along the metro lines in the capital, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Some big shelters will accommodate command and control centres, hospitals and training centres.
Each big shelter will have capacity to accommodate eight thousand persons in case of hostility. Special shelters will be constructed to accommodate VIPs, VVIPs and other dignitaries.
Indian military set up has recently designed a new war doctrine to confront Pakistan and China simultaneously. India is building up its military muscles and New Delhi has planned to spend $ 30 billion in next five years on purchase of advanced weapons from Russia, Israel, European nations and the United States.
Pakistan Observer | December 4, 2010
Pakistan’s ISI Chief Tipped off Israel on Potential Attacks in India
The chief of Pakistan’s spy agency said he had contacted Israeli officials to head off potential attacks on Israeli targets in India, according to an October 2009 U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks.
Lieutenant General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, told former U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson that he wanted Washington to know he had been to Oman and Iran “to follow up on reports which he received in Washington about a terrorist attack on India.”
“Pasha asked Ambassador to convey to Washington that he had followed up on threat information that an attack would be launched against India between September-November. He had been in direct touch with the Israelis on possible threats against Israeli targets in India,” the Oct 7, 2009 cable reported.
A Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence spokesman had no immediate comment.
Israel’s anti-terrorism headquarters publicized a severe travel warning for Israelis, especially those planning to enter India only one week later, on October 15, 2009. That travel warning specified that there was a very real concrete threat of an attack on Israelis in India.
Haaretz | December 1, 2010
Sri Lanka Navy Gets Fast Attack crafts from Israel
Sri Lanka navy gets attack craft, focus on guarding ocean wealth
Sri Lanka’s navy is acquiring more fast attack craft as its role shifts to protecting the island’s exclusive economic zone following the end of a war, navy commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe said.
“We are acquiring six fast attack craft,” he told a news conference held to announce the navy’s plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
“Four craft have already been delivered and we’re getting the other two in January.”
Samarasinghe told LBO the latest vessels were acquired from Israel and were bigger than previous craft and capable of going further out to sea as the navy focuses on protecting its exclusive economic zone.
Israel has been one of the key suppliers of arms, technology and expertise to Sri Lanka in its war against the Tamil Tiger separatists.
Fast attack craft supplied by Israel in the early years of the 30-year ethnic war, which ended in May 2009, helped the navy fight the ‘Sea Tiger’ naval wing of the Tamil separatists and prevent arms smuggling.
“We now need bigger vessels as our focus shifts to protecting the country’s economic wealth in the oceans,” Samarasinghe said.
Elaborate plans to mark the navy’s diamond jubilee on December 09 include a naval exhibition, an international symposium and a sail-past that includes vessels from foreign navies, including the USA, UK, Russia, China, India and Iran.
Samarasinghe said the navy is the first line of defence for the island nation and would increase vigilance of the seas and coastline to ensure terrorism does not recur.
Lanka Business Online | November 25, 2010
India to Deploy 36.000 Extra Troops on Chinese Border
India has formed two new army divisions – comprising more than 36,000 men – to defend the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The remote north-eastern state adjoins China which claims large parts of it.
The 56th Division will be based in the nearby state of Nagaland to guard the eastern flank of Arunachal Pradesh from Chinese attack through Burma.
The other new formation, the 71st Division, will be based in Assam to protect central Arunachal Pradesh.
There has been no response so far from China to the decision.
Mountain warfare
Already the Indian Fifth Mountain Division guards western Arunachal Pradesh while another division is responsible for protecting the eastern part of the state.
In addition there are counter-insurgency troops in Assam who can be sent to the Sino-Indian border at short notice.
A total of 1,260 officers and 35,011 soldiers have been assigned to the two new divisions, which are being especially equipped for mountain warfare.
Officials say they were formed at the behest of the Indian army chief, General VK Singh – who said they were necessary to beef up defences against China.
Gen Singh was not available for comment but one of his staff officers, on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that the army chief had “pushed very hard to fast-track the raising of the two divisions”.
He said that they should be “fully operational” by March 2011.
He said their formation was India’s response to the “huge Chinese build-up” in Tibet over the last three to four years. But he did not wish to elaborate.
India is also raising a paramilitary force called the Arunachal Scouts and Sikkim Scouts to help the army protect the Sino-Indian border in the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
“All the men in these formations will be drawn from mountain-fit local tribesmen but the officers will be from the army, at least for a while,” said a corps commander.
Their formation will be modelled on the Ladakh Scouts, who the army says bravely fought Pakistani intruders during the Kargil conflict of 1999.
India says the new measures have been put in place partly because China has “superb” communications on its side of the border, especially after a new train line to Lhasa was built in 2006.
India says that the Chinese airlift capability is also far superior.
The formation of the two new divisions means that India’s deployments in the eastern sector of its border with China now matches the five army divisions that existed in 1986-87, when the two countries nearly went to war.
But after India and China signed a “Peace and Tranquillity” treaty in 1993, both sides scaled down their deployments as part of a confidence-building package.
BBC News | November 24, 2010
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