News Report: UN Chief - Millions Live Under Shadow of DPRK Nuclear Threat

Margaret Besheer

UNITED NATIONS — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened his first General Assembly gathering Tuesday, warning that North Korea's nuclear ambitions are the world's most serious challenge.

"Today proliferation is creating unimaginable danger, and disarmament is paralyzed," Guterres said in New York.

"Millions of people live under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," the secretary-general said, referring to North Korea by its formal name. "I condemn those tests unequivocally."

Guterres commended the unity of the U.N. Security Council in its recent tightening and imposing of economic sanctions on Pyongyang, saying the move sends "a clear message" to the leadership there.

"Fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings," he warned. "The solution must be political — this is a time for statesmanship — we must not sleepwalk our way into war."

News Report: Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to Give National Address on Rakhine Crisis

Aung San Suu Kyi

Margaret Besheer

UNITED NATIONS — Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi is scheduled to give a highly anticipated national speech Tuesday addressing her country's crisis in Rakhine state, where ongoing violence has led about 400,000 ethnic Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh in recent weeks.

Rohingya militants attacked security forces in Myanmar — also known as Burma — in late August. Since then, analysts and rights workers say the Burmese military has carried out a brutal crackdown that has burned entire villages and killed fleeing women and children. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has come under strong international criticism for not speaking out more forcefully on the situation. She canceled her appearance at the United Nations General Assembly this week in part to address the ongoing crisis at home.

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Monday, diplomats from the United States, Britain and other countries concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine called for an end to the violence and for measures to relieve Rohingya refugees' suffering. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said it was a "productive meeting about the dire situation," but that no improvement has been seen on the ground in the area where displaced Rohingyas have been fleeing into Bangladesh.

News Story: Afghanistan’s Views Were Included In New Strategy - ARG

By Sayed Sharif Amiri

The views of Afghanistan have been included in the United States’ new war strategy for Afghanistan and there is no confusion about this, said President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman Shahhussain Murtazawi. 

The strategy guarantees the common interests of the two countries, he said. 

Although the new war strategy was widely welcomed by the Afghan political leadership, CEO Abdullah Abdullah said on Monday that some parts of the strategy must be explained to the people. 

“The views of Afghanistan have been included in the strategy and this strategy guarantees the common interests of Afghanistan and the United States,” Murtazawi said. 

But critics say that the Afghan people do not know about the details of the strategy - recently announced by US President Donald Trump. 

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: Pakistan's FM calls for achieving regional consensus to address Afghan issue

TEHRAN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday here urged regional countries to reach a consensus that could lead to the best solution to the Afghanistan problem.

Asif made the remarks in an interview with Iranian official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) at the Islamabad airport before leaving for Tehran for a visit.

"Basically my main purpose of the visit to Iran is to evolve some consensus amongst the neighbors of Afghanistan, because peace in Afghanistan will have a comprehensive effect on the rest of the region," Asif said.

The Pakistani top diplomat said the U.S. military approach in Afghanistan has already failed to address the problems in the country.

"No need to say that the approach taken by the Americans which is a military one, has not been able to bring peace to Afghanistan 16 years," he said. "It is very important for us, it is very important for the region that we evolve consensus over different problems."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: Turkish President Ready to Help Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya Refugees

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday at the Science and Technology Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that his country was ready to help the Rohingya, a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar who are fleeing conflict.

ASTANA (Sputnik) – Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his speech at the summit, which is underway in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana, that Turkey had already notified Bangladesh, where many Rohingya refugees seek asylum, about its readiness to help.

The Turkish President also expressed readiness to work with the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar to prevent cruelty toward the Muslim minority.

The two-day OIC summit kicked off earlier in the day.

News Report: Turkish Envoy Visits Bangladesh to Help Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar

Dorian Jones

ISTANBUL — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is to fly to the Bangladesh on Wednesday for talks in the capital, Dhaka.

Ankara is pressing Bangladesh to give sanctuary to all Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar. More than 120,000 of them have entered Bangladesh, fleeing Myanmar military operations against insurgents. Cavusolgu is also due to visit Rohingya refugee camps, and said Turkey would give financial assistance to Bangladesh if it continues to give refuge to those fleeing Myanmar.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Myanmar for its ongoing military operations.

"There is a genocide there. Those who close their eyes to this genocide perpetuated under the cover of democracy are its collaborators," Erdogan said Friday.

News Story: Turkey president blames world "blind and deaf" to Muslim Rohingya plight

ANKARA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the international community to step up efforts to help Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority, blaming the world was "blind and deaf" to their plight, local TV station reported Tuesday.

The Rohingya, one of the world's largest stateless communities, are fleeing in droves towards Bangladesh, trying to escape the latest surge in violence in Rakhine state between a shadowy militant group and Myanmar's military.

The UN refugee agency said over 3,000 had arrived in the past three days, as people told of how they fled for their lives from Myanmar's army.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Turkish FM says Iraqi Kurdish referendum "wrong decision"

BAGHDAD, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday arrived here to hold talks with Iraqi leaders and to demand that the Iraqi Kurds cancel their referendum for independence.

"We have said, several times, that the referendum of Kurdistan is a wrong decision, and today when I will visit Arbil (capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan), I will repeat what I said that the referendum is wrong decision which will create problems and a new crisis," Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

"We hope that Arbil would retreat and cancel the referendum, as it is for the interest of the Kurds to preserve Iraq's unity," Cavusoglu said.

"We wish that all the problems between Baghdad and Arbil be solved to preserve the integrity of Iraq. We (Turkey) are ready to play a role to help solving the problems if the two sides asked us," he said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

--

PacificSentinel: Lets be frank here, the main reason Turkey has a problem with Kurdish independence is that a large chunk of Turkey is actually part of Kurdistan, as you can see in the above map.

News Story: Turkey, Indonesia team up in defense, enhance military ties

KAPLAN MT tank

YUNUS PAKSOY

As part of its defense strategy, Ankara is enhancing cooperation with Jakarta to boost bilateral projects in defense industries and the sharing of military experience

High-level diplomatic sources in Ankara told Daily Sabah that Ankara and Jakarta have recently intensified efforts to jointly develop defense industry mechanisms and share military experience.

In this respect, a prototype for the Turkish-Indonesian tank has already been created and is set to partake in an official military parade in Jakarta in October. The sources did not provide the number of tanks that would be produced, but demand will be a determining factor.

Defense industry experts said the tank will weigh around 35 tons, and will have a 700-horsepower engine. There will be two tanks in the first leg of production, one for Turkey and one for Indonesia. The development cost for the medium-weight tank is estimated at $11.5 million. The FNSS, a subsidiary of Nurol Holding, which operates in the industry, eyes the production of 40 tanks, while that number could go up to 200 if Indonesia is satisfied.

The KAPLAN MT tank is expected to make a powerful contribution due to its firepower and large ammunition options as well as its superior agility. A CMI Cockerill 3105 tower, equipped to fire high-pressured 105mm shells, provides the tank's firepower.

One of the striking points in the joint venture is the production of submarines. The senior sources stressed that Indonesia wants to gain know-how and the deal is near completion. Experts said that the Turkish defense industry is producing six submarines in Turkey's Gölcük shipyard under the license of ThyssenKrupp. The first submarine is set to be delivered in 2021.

Read the full story at Daily Sabah

News Story: 350 foreigners rounded up in anti-IS ops in Nilai 3

Image: Flickr User - AK Rockefeller

Police are now screening their particulars with Interpol database on wanted terrorists.

PETALING JAYA: Some 350 foreigners were rounded up in a special operation by the federal Special Branch counter-terrorism division focusing on shops in Nilai 3, Negeri Sembilan.

Some of the suspects are believed to be linked to the Islamic State of Khorasan province (ISKP) organisation, whose members have been in hiding in this country, reported NST Online today.

It said the ISKP is a branch of the Islamic State (IS) and operates in the border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In the three-hour operation, a total of 742 shops were checked by various enforcement agencies.

The division’s principal assistant director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the operation was a follow-up to that undertaken at Masjid India here on Aug 6.

Read the full story at Free Malaysia Today

News Story: Pakistan to sell 10 Super Mushshak aircraft to Azerbaijan - officials

Super Mushshak (Image: Wiki Commons)

ISLAMABAD July 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Thursday signed an agreement with Azerbaijan for sale of 10 Super Mushshak training aircraft to Azerbaijan Air Force, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said.

The contract was signed at Azerbaijan, where Air Marshal Arshad Malik, Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at the town of Kamra represented Pakistan, whereas Azerbaijan was represented by Air Force Commander Azerbaijan Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov at the occasion.

This contract would also include operational training and technical support and assistance to Azerbaijan Air Force, said a PAF statement issued in Islamabad.

"This landmark agreement will further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two brotherly countries," it said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: NDS Chief Stanekzai Meets First VP Dostum In Turkey

Afghan First Vice President General Abdul
Rashid Dostum (Image: Wiki Commons)

By Karim Amini

Sources close to First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum confirmed that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Massoom Stanekzai recently met with Dostum in Turkey.

This meeting reportedly took place after the formation of the new tri-party alliance. However, his aides did not give details about the meeting.

Suspicions have been raised following this visit which comes in the wake of the establishment of the new coalition between key Afghan political parties, including Jamiat-e-Islami party, Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami party and Junbish-e-Milli party.

Although Dostum’s aides have confirmed that the meeting took place, they said they were not privy to the details.

Read the full story at TOLOnews

News Story: Indonesia intensifies watch on nationals returning from Syria

by Abu Hanifah

JAKARTA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has launched a more intensive coordinated watch on nationals returning from Syria by forcing them into a month-long de-radicalization program, following several Islamic State (IS)-related attacks that occurred in the country.

Close monitoring measures would also be applied against them by assuring domiciles, aimed at easing the efforts to tracking down suspects involving in possible attacks.

"Soon after they arrived here, we will identify them first and bring them to the de-radicalization program center. They will undergo the program here in one month before returning to families across the country," Head of Indonesian government anti-terror desk Suhardi Alius said.

The verification process is necessary to identify nationals who were combatants in IS-related conflicts.

A number of Indonesian nationals have travelled to Syria and joined IS in the past several years.

Read the full story at Xinhua

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (14-Jun-2017)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea State

The full ship’s company is now aboard the Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth. But ongoing delays to the ship’s sea trials have kept it docked in Scotland, exacerbating the dull and boring conditions that have been blamed for a ‘morale crisis’ and the recent resignation of more than 20 sailors. As a result, reports say that sailors aren’t being released to resettlement courses, are having job transfers denied and are working longer hours. The official line, however, denies that morale is low and insists resignation rates are ‘absolutely in line with the fleet average’.

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba is currently in Tel Aviv meeting with Chief of the General Staff of Israeli Defence Force, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot. The talks come ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s forthcoming visit to Israel—the first by an Indian prime minister—and are intended to deepen security and defence ties. The leaders are expected to announce a ‘raft of mega deals’, including a contract to supply four Navy ships with long range surface-to-air missiles. For the first time, the contract will be executed with Indian government-owned BEL as part of Modi’s ‘Make in India’ policy.

News Story: Journey to statehood still long for Iraq Kurds

By Jean Marc Mojon

Many Iraqi Kurds hailed last week's announcement of a September referendum on independence as historic, but major obstacles will remain on the path to statehood after an expected landslide "yes".

The autonomous region is still at war with the Islamic State group, it hosts a displaced population of more than a million and its once promising economy has taken a double hit from conflict and low oil prices.

The northern region's leader, Massud Barzani, announced on June 7 that a referendum would be held in Kurdish areas of Iraq on September 25 to ask voters if they want a separate state.

The vote is non-binding, but sets the wheels in motion for an independent state that has been gestating since Iraq's Kurds gained autonomy from Baghdad on the back of the 1991 Gulf War.

Read the full story at SpaceWar

News Story: Afghanistan to host int'l conference on security, reconciliation on June 6 - diplomat

ISLAMABAD, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will hold an international conference on peace, security and reconciliation next week at a time when Taliban insurgents have intensified attacks and killed dozens of policemen over the past few days, a senior Afghan diplomat said here on Monday.

Zardasht Shams, deputy head of the Mission at the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad, said over 20 countries have been invited to the conference in Kabul on June 6.

"The Kabul Process meeting will be held by the instructions of President (Ashraf Ghani) to bring various processes or meetings on Afghanistan under one umbrella," Shams told Xinhua.

He said that anti-terrorism cooperation is also one of the key issues to be discussed by senior diplomats and officials from these countries.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: China decries protectionism, but Europeans rain on Silk Road parade

By Yanan WANG, Joanna CHIU

Chinese President Xi Jinping criticised protectionism on Monday at a summit positioning Beijing as a champion of globalisation, but several European nations spoilt attempts to win full backing for his trade agenda.

Xi addressed almost 30 leaders on the second day of a forum on his new Silk Road plan, a huge infrastructure project intended to revive ancient land and sea trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa.

"Globalisation is encountering some headwinds," Xi told leaders from countries ranging from Spain to Turkey, Russia and Pakistan at a convention centre near the Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing.

"We need to seek results through greater openness and cooperation, avoid fragmentation, refrain from setting inhibitive thresholds for cooperation or pursuing exclusive arrangements, and reject protectionism."

He compared countries to "swan and geese" that can "fly long and safely through winds and storms because they move in tandem and help each other as a team".

The Chinese leader is using the international gathering to promote his signature foreign policy project, the One Belt, One Road initiative.

Read the full story at EnergyDaily

News Story: Turkey, Mongolia seek to join Asean

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Turkey and Mongolia have expressed interest in joining the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) and their leaders have asked President Duterte to pave the way for their entry into the regional group. 

The President said that he had separate talks with both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum held recently in Beijing, China. 

“They also want to join ASEAN,” the President said upon arrival before dawn yesterday at the Davao International Airport after his trips to Cambodia, Hong Kong and China. 

Read the full story at PhilStar

Think Tank: Sea, air, land and space updates (16-May-2017)

Zoe Glasson, Sophie Qin, Madeleine Nyst and Patrick Kennedy

Sea State

President Trump has been blowing off steam about the US Navy’s catapults. Apparently, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the USS Gerald Ford—‘slated to become the crown jewel of the US Navy’—may not be long for this world. In an interview with TIME, Trump queried the use of ‘digital’ catapults and appeared to suggest a reversal to the previous generation steam-powered catapults. It’s true that EMALS has been beset by cost and schedule overruns, but the system is expected to save the Navy US$4 billion in maintenance costs over the ship’s 50-year lifetime (not to mention its many other potential benefits). Facing an impossible re-engineering task on the Ford class, and said to be ‘blindsided’ by Trump’s comments, Navy officials have declined to comment.

The Philippines is buying a second-hand warship from South Korea for just US$100 (!). But, the 30 year old Pohang-class corvette was decommissioned in December 2016 and will require considerable investment (an estimated US$4 million) to return to service. And it won’t come with all its weaponry. Luckily, South Korea, which is working to build its own arms export industry, ‘is well positioned to re-equip it for the Philippines, at a price’.

News Story: Turkish, German firms eye Indonesian sub contract

Type-214 (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Burak Ege Bekdil

ISTANBUL—Turkish and German naval specialists signed May 10 a letter of intent to cooperate on a contract to build variant of the Type-214 diesel-electric submarines for the Indonesian Navy. 

The deal was signed at the IDEF’17 defense and aerospace exhibition in Istanbul between STM, a Turkish government-controlled defense engineering company and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).  

“We are bringing together our resources with the aim of designing and constructing submarines for Indonesia,” STM and TKMS official said during a ceremony. 

Through the joint venture with STM, TKMS is partnering with Turkey’s Golcuk shipyard, the production site for the Piri Reis, the first of a batch of six Type-214 submarines being built for the Turkish Navy.  The Type 214 is a derivation of the Type-209 SSK built by Germany’s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH’s (HDW). The Type-214 features design innovations from the HDW Type-212. It displaces 1,700 tons (surface) and has eight torpedo tubes which can deploy heavyweight torpedoes – such as the Atlas Elektronik SeaHake – and anti-ship missiles, such as the Harpoon and Exocet. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews