Sunday, 27 February 2011
Written by Editor
[Stratpost]
India has begun evacuating its citizens early Saturday from violence-stricken Libya by sending two Air India planes to the north African country’s capital Tripoli.
“Two planes, one from Mumbai and one from Delhi, left for Tripoli at around 1:30 a.m., reached Tripoli by afternoon and passengers have begun boarding,” a senior Air India official told IANS. The special flights, two in a day, will bring back Indians stranded in Libya, where a revolt against the Muammar Gaddafi government has turned violent, so far claiming over 1,000 lives.
According to the Air India official, both the planes were expected to bring back around 700 passengers. “We have sent one Boeing 747 Jumbo and another Airbus A330 for the evacuation,” the official added.
Describing the situation in Libya as ‘very grave’, External Affairs Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna had Friday said India was closely watching the developments in the region hit by unrest and advocated democracy in the fast-changing scenario.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Written by Editor
JERUSALEM; Israel's navy on Wednesday escorted into port a ship its commandos seized, saying it had arms from Iran bound for militants in the Gaza Strip, Israel's media reported.
Military specialists in the southern port of Ashdod would begin checking 39 containers on the deck of the "Victoria" to ascertain the exact amount and type of arms and munitions they contained, army radio reported.
Sappers would first check for booby traps, news website Ynet reported.
The military spokesman's office had no immediate statement.
The Liberian-flagged Victoria was intercepted Tuesday as it sailed about 200 nautical miles west of Israel's territorial waters.
It arrived at Ashdod in the early hours of Wednesday.
Top defence officials said earlier that its cargo included Chinese-made C704 anti-ship missiles, which would be a threat to Israeli naval patrols off the Gaza coast.
"(There are) two to four missiles, shore-to-sea missiles, of type C704, a missile with.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Written by Editor
UNITED NATIONS: UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of troops against protesters as "unacceptable" and demanded reforms.
Ban is "deeply concerned by the continuing violence in Syria," particularly a new operation on the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughur, and its "heavy toll" on civilians, said his spokesman Martin Nesirky.
At least 25 people were killed by Syrian security forces in nationwide protests Friday as troops launched a crackdown on Jisr al-Shughur near the border with Turkey.
"The Syrian authorities have an obligation to protect their people and respect their rights," Ban said. "The use of military force against civilians is unacceptable."
The UN secretary general "remains convinced that the only way to heed the calls of the Syrian people for peaceful change is by engaging in a fully inclusive national dialogue and the launching of genuine reforms.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Written by Editor
ANKARA: Turkey said on Friday its top four military chiefs were all seeking retirement, in what appeared to reflect a deep rift between the secularist military and a government with roots in political Islam.
State-run Anatolian news agency said head of the armed forces General Isik Kosaner and the heads of the ground, naval and air forces were all stepping down, in what some Turkish media initially described as resignations.
The reason for the generals' move was not immediately clear, but tensions between the military and the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan have run high in recent years.
The Supreme Military Council is due to hold a major twice-yearly meeting next week dealing with key appointments and President Abdullah Gul and Erdogan met Kosaner on Friday to discuss the matter.
Erdogan held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay at the prime minister's office after news of the generals' decision emerged. The head of Turkey's gendarmerie paramilitary force also arrived at Erdogan's office, Anatolian said.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Written by Editor
CIZRE: Turkey on Saturday kept up a major offensive against Kurdish rebels on its border and in northern Iraq on the third day of operations after rebel attacks killed 24 Turkish soldiers. The military activity continued on both sides of the border, said an AFP photographer in the southeastern town of Cizre, less than 40 miles (70 kilometres) from the Iraqi frontier. Local residents saw a convoy of 43 military trucks returning from the north of Iraq where members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are holed up, he added. The operation was continuing in Kazan valley in Hakkari province in the southeast, private NTV television reported. Turkish helicopters dropped commando units and several Kurdish rebels were killed in clashes, it added. Fifty-three rebels were killed since the operations began in the Kazan valley, the daily Hurriyet reported on its website, quoting unidentified sources as saying that the toll could increase. More than 30 of the rebels were killed on Saturday, it added.
Sunday, 06 November 2011
Written by Editor
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army was a stakeholder in the dialogue process with India, foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar said and assured that Islamabad had granted the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India.
Khar told mediapersons in Lahore on Saturday that MFN status to India had been granted with the approval of the federal cabinet with the assurance that India would waive non-tarrif barriers as part of the dialogue process.
On confidence building measures with India, she said that New Delhi had assured Islamabad that it would not block Pakistan's way in preferential market access by the European Union unlike it had done in the past, reported Associated Press of Pakistan.
She said the army was a stakeholder in the dialogue process with India.
All institutions are supportive of the idea of improving relations with India, she added.
With reference to Kashmir, the foreign minister said that Pakistan desired result-oriented dialogue with India. The country had achieved much more than expected during the dialogue process.
Tuesday, 04 January 2011
Written by Editor
VIENNA: Iran has invited Russia, China, the European Union and its allies among the Arab and developing world to tour its nuclear sites, in an apparent move to gain support ahead of a new round of talks with six world powers.
In a letter made available yesterday to The Associated Press, senior Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh suggests the weekend of Jan 15 and 16 for the tour and says that meetings "with high ranking officials" are envisaged.
While no reason was given for the timing of the offer, it comes just weeks before Iran and the six powers follow up on recent talks that ended with agreement on little else but to meet again.
The new round between Tehran, and the permanent UN Security Council members the US Russia, China, Britain, France plus Germany, is tentatively set for Istanbul, Turkey in late January.
It is meant to explore whether there is common ground for more substantive talks on Iran's nuclear program, viewed by the US, and its allies as a cover for secret plans to make nuclear arms something Tehran denies.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Written by Blood Wizard
 [DEBKA File] Israel has turned down several Turkish requests for advanced military hardware, according to Israeli and Western intelligence sources. Sources in Ankara say that the impact from Prime minister Tayyep Recep Erdogan's alignment with Syria and Iran and poisonous attacks on Israel is beginning to cut into the Turkish army's operational capabilities. In recent weeks, Turkish naval chiefs tried to find out in particular if Israel would be willing to sell the Barak 8 missile interceptor, whose radar provides 360-degree coverage against incoming missiles or air attack, and which was developed in partnership with India.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Written by Editor
MOSCOW: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reached a deal with Russia on Friday to build the South American country's first nuclear plant, as questions arose why a nation rich in oil and gas would feel the need to venture into atomic energy.
The two nations also signed other energy agreements. Russia has cultivated close ties with Chavez's government to expand its global clout and counter US influence in Latin America.
The ITAR-Tass news agency said Russia plans to build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors at the Venezuelan plant. The cost of Friday's nuclear deal wasn't immediately announced.
The deal is likely to raise concern in President Barack Obama's administration but continues a pattern of Russia pressing to export its nuclear expertise.
Russia has just completed Iran's first nuclear power plant and recently reached new deals to build nuclear reactors in China and Turkey. It's talking with Indian officials about building a dozen of nuclear reactors there and also wants to build a nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic.
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