Author: Amrita Sandhu

Officials from Japan and NATO agreed Tuesday to increase military cooperation including joint drills, citing fears the Russia’s invasion in Ukraine is deteriorating the security situation in Europe and Asia. During meeting of NATO Military Committee Chief Rob Bauer, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi stated that Japan intends to improve its ties with European countries and supports NATO’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific area. The security of Asia and Europe “The security of Asia and Europe are inextricably linked,” Mr. Kishi said, “especially now when the world community is confronting major challenges.” Mr. Bauer’s visit to Tokyo coincides with the participation of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in NATO naval exercises there in Mediterranean Sea. In contrast to it’s own relations with the United States & partnerships with the other nations in the Indo-Pacific area, Japan has been boosting its military capabilities & cooperation with Europe. Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Japan, has also been invited here to NATO summit later this month and therefore is reportedly considering attending, making him the very first Japanese leader to do so.Koji Yamazaki, Japan’s military chief of staff, attended a NATO meeting in Belgium for first time in May. Mr. Bauer applauded their greater commitment to addressing “common security concerns.” Spending 2% of their GDP in Defence Japan rapidly followed the US and Europe in slapping sanctions on Russia and pledging support for Ukraine, claiming that the crisis not only affects Europe but might also empower China to push itself more assertively in the Indo-Pacific. Eventually on Tuesday, PM Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet has approved an annual policy plan calling for a drastic increase in defence capabilities & spending within five years, citing rising tensions with Taiwan and NATO members’ commitment to spend 2% of their GDP on defence — more than twice Japan’s existing military spending of just over 1% of GDP. The plan asks for pre-emptive strike cacapabilitie, as well as the, development and reinforcement of space, cyber, and electromagnetic defences, as well as unmanned weapons – a significant move that opponents argue falls beyond Japan’s self-defense-only policy. READ MORE-Ukrainian President urges for more support from NATO

An official claimed on June 7 that Sri Lanka has requested for $55 million loan through India to purchase urea in the middle of its worst economic crisis, which is facing a serious food shortage. Due to the continued economic turmoil, PMRanil Wickremesinghe recently warned of a food catastrophe in the island nation. “The Prime Minister’s proposal to negotiate an agreement with The government to acquire urea for agriculture has been accepted by the Cabinet,” an official said. Loan to resolve agricultural shortages The Indian government agreed to offer a $55 million loan through Export-Import Bank of India, according to the government. The loan will be used to purchase urea for the ‘Maha’ harvest season in 2022/23. Mr. Wickremesinghe has stated that the current agricultural shortages could be resolved in five to six months if immediate effort is made to address the farmers’ shortages. Due to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision last year to prohibit chemical fertiliser imports, the government is experiencing a near 50% crop loss. The decision sparked massive farmer protests, which the administration dismissed, claiming that it was the government’s intention to transition to green agriculture using organic fertiliser. Sri Lanka is experiencing its biggest economic crisis since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1945. The consequences faced due to economic crisis Food, medicines, cooking gas as well as other fuel, toilet paper, and even matches are in short supply as a result of the economic crisis, with Sri Lankans forced to queue for hours outside businesses to buy gasoline and cooking gas for months. The move sparked massive farmer protests, which the administration dismissed, claiming that it was the government’s intention to shift to green agriculture using organic fertilisers. Sri Lanka is experiencing its biggest economic crisis since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1945. Sri Lanka has already been having trouble paying for vital imports such as food, medications, fuel, and LPG for months due to a dollar shortage. India to support Sri Lanka As the island’s crisis worsened this year, India provided $3.5 billion in critical support in the form of lines of credit for import, debt deferments, & currency swaps. “Those aspects are being worked out,” an Indian officials said of whether the fertiliser would be delivered as type of current credit lines or through a new one. As per Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, M.B. Rohana Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka is now counting on the arrival of a 65,000 tonne fertiliser consignment from India worth about $25 million. “We’ve asked for nitrogen fertiliser, which is crucial for present paddy & maize growing season.” READ MORE-India export Fertilizer to SriLanka to cope with Food shortages

In a brief steam-driven on Sunday, a volcano southeast of the Philippine capital ejected ash & stream about a kilometer into the sky, scattering ash in adjacent communities and scaring inhabitants, officials said. Following the 17-minute blast, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology & Seismology upped the warning level at Mount Bulusan in Sorsogon province but said there was no sign of an oncoming big eruption. Bulusan: most active Volcano Bulusan, one of the country’s most active volcanoes, has been displaying symptoms of discontent in recent years, with the ash and steam eruptions. Bulusan is currently in an abnormal state, according to the government volcanology institute, which advised residents to remain clear from just a 4-kilometer (2.4-mile) permanent risk zone around the volcano. At least seven communities in and around the seaside town of Juban, just at foot of Bulusan, were devastated by ashfalls, prompting residents to stay inside and wear masks. The warnings released On ash- & mud-covered roadways, motorists are advised to proceed with caution. Officials said they were deciding whether or not to evacuate residents from ashfall-affected areas, particularly pregnant women, the elderly, and children. Outside of the persistent risk zone, the volcanology center cautioned residents, particularly those on the volcano’s weak southeastern flank, to remain vigilant “due to the heightened possibility of abrupt and severe phreatic eruptions.” During the rainy season, villagers residing in valleys .along rivers, and streams have been cautioned to be on the lookout for volcanic mudflows.  It was suggested that aircraft avoid flying too close to a volcano in Sorsogon, roughly 600 kilometers (373 miles) southeast of Manila. The Philippine archipelago, which includes approximately 2 dozen active volcanoes, is located on the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a region prone to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. READ MORE: Putin’s first visit outside the former USSR since the Ukraine invasion.

Dhaka, Bangladesh, 5 June (PTI) Officials stated on Sunday that a major fire triggered by an explosion ripped though the private chemical container warehouse in southern Bangladesh, killing at least 40 people and injuring over 450 others. A fire broke out at the BM Container Depot throughout the Kadamrasul neighbourhood of Chittagong’s Sitakunda Upazila on Saturday night. The reported injuries “So far, 40 bodies have arrived at the morgue here,” said a police official there at government Chattagram Medical College Hospital (CMCH). The Dhaka Tribune quoted Istakul Islam, chief of Health and Service Department in Red Crescent Youth Chittagong, as saying, “Over 450 persons have been hurt in this incident, of which at least 350 are at CMCH.” “At other hospitals, the number of deaths could be higher,” Islam warned. Furthermore, Ashraf Uddin, Chattogram Divisional Commissioner (DC) Ashraf Uddin stated that the DC office is providing USD 560 (Taka 50,000) to the families of the deceased. Meanwhile, the Daily Star claimed that USD 224 ( in Taka 20,000) has been provided to the injured’s families. PM Sheikh Hasina expressed her condolences for the loss of life & directed the mobilisation of all resources for the salvage operation. Officials constituted a high-powered investigating group and demanded that it provide its findings within three days. A fire started out at the container depot around 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to Nurul Alam, CMCH Police Outpost Sub-Inspector (SI). The spread of explosion There has been an explosion when firefighters attempted to put out the fire, and the fire quickly spread. According to the article, it was initially assumed that its containers depot caught on fire due to chemicals. Due to the combination of chemicals from one of the containers, there was a big explosion at 11:45 p.m., and the fire moved through one container to another. “The depot was mostly vacant when the fire broke out, and firefighters, police officers, and other rescuers raced to the scene when the fire broke out, as well as the explosion in containers after containers full of chemicals killed them,” a victim told PTI over the phone. “Around 19 firefighting units are working to douse the blaze, and six ambulances are also there on the area,” Chittagong Fire Service & Md Faruk Hossain Sikdar, Civil Defence Assistant Director said. “Several sorts of chemicals, like as hydrogen peroxide, were stored in containers at the depot, and the chemicals visibly caused the fire,” fire department chief Brigadier General Mohammad Mainuddin has said at the site in the Sitakunda neighbourhood on the port city’s outskirts. The majority of the fire victims were treated at the Chattagram Medical College Hospital, but others, including scores of firefighters, were treated in a military hospital and some private facilities. READ UP-Explosion at neighboring Bangladesh’s chemical warehouse, at least 32 dead, hundreds burnt

China’s China Manned Space Agency announced Saturday that it is prepared to launch the new three-person mission to finish work on the permanent orbiting space station. The Shenzhou 14 crew would stay aboard the Tiangong station for six months, overseeing the integration of the two laboratory modules into the main Tianhe living room, which has been launched in April 2021. China’s 55 successful launch In 2021, China achieved a new global record after completing 55 successful launch flights. The country, on the other hand, intends to beat its own record. It’s off to a great start already. China’s principal space contractor, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), had launched 10 rockets into space as of April 26, carrying a range of satellites, including the communication Zhongxing-6D satellite and the environmental monitoring probe Gaofen-3 03. The Scheduled launch Their spacecraft is scheduled to launch on Sunday morning from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center just on outskirts of the Gobi Desert, according to the agency. Commander Chen Dong & astronauts Liu Yang , Cai Xuzhe will put together the three-module construction that will connect with existing Tianhe with the Wentian and Mengtian spacecraft, which are scheduled to arrive on July and October, respectively. “China to complete Space Station” The Tianzhou-3, another supply ship, is still moored at the station.China’s space programme launched 1st astronaut in space in 2003, making it the third country after its former United States and soviet Union States to do it independently. China’s Space Programme Last year, it placed robot rovers on moon and sent one to Mars. China also has returned lunar samples, and officials have considered the possibility of a crewed lunar mission. The People’s Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, is in charge of China’s space programme, forcing the United States to remove it off the International Space Station. The crew of the forthcoming Shenzhou 15 will join Chen, Liu, and Cai for 3 to 5 days now at end of their mission, becoming the first the station has had 6 people aboard. “China to complete Space Station” The Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft, that is expected to launch near Wenchang, China, in May 2022, will be the first of six Tiangong missions to replenish the Tianhe module. The mission Shenzhou 14 would carry 3 astronauts towards the Tianhe module in June 2022 for a six-month stay read more:-https://tdznkwjt9mxt6p1p8657.cleaver.live/the-twin-taliban-issue-in-pakistan/

The Supreme Court said on Monday that governments must be proactive in conserving ecology, noting that now the threat of catastrophic climate change is looming large due to global warming, and ordered that one kilometre around all protected forest, national park, as well as wildlife sanctuary be proclaimed a “eco-sensitive” zone where almost no mining, construction, or other projects will be allowed. “ECZ 1 Km around sanctuaries and National parks”. Supreme Court’s statement Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai, and Aniruddha Bose wrote that adhering to the idea of sustainable development is indeed a constitutional duty, and that environmental and forest preservation are urgently needed. The court stated that the 1 km wide “no-development zone” is the minimum and that it “ECZ 1 Km around sanctuaries and National parks”.might be enlarged based on the area an d position of protected forests because there was no consensus between different authorities concerning the area to be recognised as an ESZ. The Supreme Court also ordered all states and UTs’ Chief Conservators of Forests to make a list of structural components that within ESZs & send a report in within three months. “Such authorities can seek assistance from governmental entities for satellite imaging as well as photography utilising drones for this reason,” the bench stated. The order came in response to a pending PIL named T N Godavarman vs UOI, which dealt with problems such as forest preservation. The Sustainable Development In relation to natural resources, the state must also operate like a trustee for such benefit of the public in order to achieve long-term sustainability. “With the potential of climatic disaster involved in global warming growing large,” Justice Bose said for the Bench, “such a purpose of the government is much more vital today than, perhaps, at any moment in history.” The decision came in response to a plea filed for the conservation of forest area in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district. The court then expanded the scope of the writ petition in order to protect those natural resources across the country. The court ruled that if any national park and protected forest seems to have a buffer zone stretching beyond one kilometre, that would take precedence. If a statutory decision on the buffer zone’s size is pending, the court’s order to maintain the one-kilometer safety zone will apply until the law makes a final determination. “Mining within wildlife sanctuaries and national parks will not be tolerated,” the court said. It made the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & State Home Secretaries liable for the judgment’s implementation. read more:-https://tdznkwjt9mxt6p1p8657.cleaver.live/the-twin-taliban-issue-in-pakistan/

China has progressively increased the influence in South Pacific during the previous two decades. Many people believe that this expansion is happening at a far faster pace than what would be expected given China’s expanding economic and geopolitical dominance. What is China’s South Pacific aim, and what concerns does this pose? China’s presence mostly in South Pacific has grown so vast in the last three years, and its behaviour in other regions of the world has been so assertive, as alarm bells have begun to ring in the capital cities of it’s South Pacific’s traditional partners. The South Pacific is noted for its beautiful beaches, diverse cultural and geographic landscapes, and distinct development challenges. The 14 sovereign nations & seven teritories cover almost 15% of the world’s area and have a combined population of less than 13 million people. The Melanesian subregion of the Pacific Ocean skirts Australia’s east coast. The distance between Australia & Papua New Guinea is only 6 kilometres, while the distance between Australia and Vanuatu is only 2,000 kilometres. Eastern Kiribati atolls are only 3,000 kilometres from Hawaii, whereas Palauis 1,300 kilometres from Guam. China’s Footprint In the South Pacific, China seems to have apresence. For decades, ethnic Chinese have lived in the area and run some of the region’s oldest commercial houses. For decades, the China-Taiwan struggle for regional diplomatic friends have resulted in some jockeying by briefcase diplomacy among the 2 throughout the region. China’s economic, assistance, diplomatic, and commercial engagement in the Pacific region, on the other hand, has been gradually and considerably increasing since 2006. With the exception of Papua New Guinea, China’s two-way trade has surpassed that of Australia from 2013. Two-way commerce with China now accounts for 46 percent of all trade in the Solomon Islands. The risk associated with China rise The Pacific is a region that is grappling with serious development issues. China provides them with options, as well as more influence and attention from conventional development partners that have previously regarded them with benign neglect. China maintains that it has no unique strategic interests there in Pacific, and this is simply the natural extension of both the country’s growing engagement throughout all emerging nations. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of scholarly Chinese publications on the Pacific Islands region, and it does not figure prominently in Beijing’s official declarations, speeches, or strategic documents. While this may indicate where the Pacific ranks in China’s strategic goals, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered about how China intends to use its growing might in the Pacific. Whatever China’s regional ambitions may be, analysts in Canberra and all other countries have concluded that China’s rising footprint as well as influence in the Pacific pose two substantial threats to their national interests. An attempt to create a military base The first risk, that has a low possibility of occurring but will have a significant impact, would be that China is attempting to create а military base somewhere around the South Pacific through diplomacy, debt, commerce, or elite capture. This is a high impact risk because such an event would fundamentally alter Australia’s national defence and security policies. Australia’s military forces are designed to work in tandem with US-led coalitions. A Chinese military installation as close as 2,000 kilometres from Australia’s eastern coast might drive a wedge between the country as well as its traditional strategic ally, the US. While the strategic value & scale of such a base for China seems debatable — sustaining supply routes alone will be difficult — it would have a significant psychological impact upon Australia. It would hasten a military build-up,, validate Ll of the most virulent prejudices about China’s regional geopolitical intentions, & force Australia to “do it alone.” The rising concerns The second concern, which has a lower impact but a higher likelihood of occurring, is also that China and Chinese enterprises, through elite capture & corruption, are swiftly eroding governance institutions that Western donors have spent significant money to create. This has gotten so bad over recent years one of these countries may be driven to the brink of collapse. China, on the other hand, has finding it more difficult to control its momentum there in South Pacific and it will become a more well-known development partner nations, and traditional partners have…

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration announced on June 2 that India has pledged Sri Lanka of fertilizer supplies to assist the debt-ridden country avoid food shortages due to crop losses & exacerbated by the world’s worst economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa claimed PMNarendra Modi has promised him of fertilizer supplies for the upcoming farming season when discussing with a group of irrigation authorities about the next harvesting season’s requirements. Sri Lanka to boost its agriculture industry The goods, which would be transferred there and will be disbursed within 20 days of their arrival in Colombo, he said. Following the reduction in paddy cultivation mostly during Maha session, Sri Lanka is attempting to bolster its agriculture industry to avoid any market disruptions. Yala is the paddy-growing season in Sri Lanka, which runs from May to August. Chemical fertilizer were outlawed in Sri Lanka last year as a part of the initial transition to organic agriculture. The scarcity of organic fertilizer harmed agricultural output, particularly rice and tea, and resulted in a food shortfall, with crop losses of up to 50%. Last month, India promised Sri Lanka that it would immediately deliver 65,000 metric tonnes of urea so prevent paddy cultivation from being disrupted. Despite a restriction on urea export from India, the Indian government chose to deliver this quantity of urea to Sri Lanka immediately at the request of the Sri Lankan government, according to a statement released by the Sri Lankan High Commission. Imports of fertilizer in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka spends $400 million each year on fertiliser imports. Fertilizer shortages have prompted farmers across the country to protest, claiming that they have been been compelled to abandon their farms. Sri Lanka has more than two million farmers and up to 70% of its 22 million people are directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. India has…

The rise in monkeypox cases has prompted a flurry of social media posts, with many saying that the chimpanzee adenovirus vector being used AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccination is to blame, and others stating that the infection is only shingles and a “well-known” adverse effect of the vaccine. Both claims, according to experts contacted by PTI, are false. They have sparked heated debate on Twitter, to numerous posts & thousands of retweets. Adenoviruses are not linked to poxviruses, therefore shingles is not same as monkeypox. Is Adenovirus and Monkeypox related? While the AstraZeneca vaccine does contain a chimp adenovirus vector, the virus has been modified to inhibit that from replicating in human cells. The vector’s job is to transport the vaccine components into human cells, but it does not cause infection, according to scientists.”Adenovirus and monkeypox are both DNA viruses, but they cannot cause each other,” said Vineeta Bal of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research in Pune. DNA viruses, such as adenoviruses, herpes viruses, and poxviruses, have DNA rather than RNA as their genetic material.”That’s ludicrous, even for conspiracy theories.” It’s the same as saying we’re all at danger of smallpox because we’re all constantly infected with human adenoviruses,” noted Satyajit Rath, visiting researcher at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune. Monkeypox outbreaks have caused concern in a number of countries throughout the world since the viral infection, which spreads by intimate contact and was initially discovered in monkeys, is usually found in african countries and only travels extremely rarely abroad. Misinformation and bogus stories have circulated on the internet, as they have in previous epidemics. Is this pox is essentially Shingles? The allegation that monkeypox is essentially shingles, which would be a side effect of a COVID-19 vaccines, was also refuted by scientists. Shingles is a painful rash caused by a viral infection. The varicella zoster virus, that also causes chickenpox, is to blame. Unlike monkeypox, which is a member of the poxviruses, varicella zoster is the herpes virus family member, as well as the rashes caused by two viruses appear on the skin in distinct ways. The variola virus, orthopoxvirus family member, causes smallpox, which is an acute infectious disease. Read More : Indian health ministry issues guidelines against monkeypox after discovering 550 confirmed cases in 30 countries

After the latest mass shooting in the United States, President Joe Biden sought counsel from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday, but the White House also admitted its limitations on gun control in comparison to its close friends. Biden mentioned the 51 people killed in horrific shootings targeting Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, during his meeting with Ardern in the Oval Office. Following the carnage, New Zealand banned military-style rifles and implemented a successful gun buy-back programme. Biden’s statements “We need your advice,” Biden added, alluding to a “global effort to confront violence and extremism online,” as well as the broader US-New Zealand alliance. “I’d like to collaborate with you on that, ” he continued. Biden said there was a “awful lot of pain” and that “much of it is preventable” when he visited the Texas town, Uvalde on Sunday to mourn the loss of 19 children and two teachers who were killed by a gunman using an assault-style weapon. Biden had also visited the site of another mass shooting in New York state, targeting African Americans, less than two weeks prior. New Zealand’s Prohibition on firearms sale However, given the abundance of privately owned firearms in the United States and the Constitution’s protection of the right to bear arms, the Democrat has an uphill battle in Congress to have even the greatest modest additional restrictions adopted. New Zealand’s political opposition to meddling with access to firearms contrast sharply with those of the United States’ closest friends in Europe and Asia, as well as neighbouring Canada. Despite the fact that his country has significantly fewer mass shootings than the United States, PM Justin Trudeau recommended prohibiting firearm sales on Monday. “Our experience in the field is our own, and if there’s anything we can contribute that’d be of any use, we will be here to share it,” Ardern said of the Texas & New York murders.