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March
Ukraine, Russia say hundreds of enemy troops killed in battle for Bakhmut
Written by Nur Yasmin
Ukraine and Russia claimed on Saturday that hundreds of enemy troops were killed over the previous 24 hours in the fight for Bakhmut, with Kyiv fending off unabating attacks and a small river that bisects the town now marking the new front line.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, said that 221 pro-Moscow troops were killed and more than 300 wounded in Bakhmut. Russia's defence ministry said that up to 210 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the broader Donetsk part of the frontline.
While Moscow did not specify Bakhmut casualties, the eastern Donetsk town, now nearly deserted, has been the site of one of the bloodiest and longest battles of the year-long war.
Both sides have admitted to suffering and inflicting significant losses in Bakhmut, while the exact number of casualties is difficult to independently verify.
British military intelligence said on Saturday that Russia's Wagner mercenary group has taken control of most of the eastern part of Bakhmut - an advance that the group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed on Wednesday.
"In the city centre, the Bakhmutka River now marks the front line," the British Defence Ministry said in its daily intelligence bulletin.
Ukraine insisted that it was holding on in Bakhmut and was giving a "decent rebuff" to Russian forces, with the commander in charge of defending Bakhmut saying its protection was key for a Ukrainian counter-strike.
"It is necessary to gain time to accumulate reserves and start a counter-offensive, which is not far off," the military cited Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi as saying on Saturday.
Moscow says capturing Bakhmut would punch a hole in Ukrainian defences and be a step towards seizing all of the Donbas industrial region, a major target. Kyiv says the battle is grinding down Russia's best units.
Prigozhin said on Saturday that he is now 1.2 km (0.75 mile) away from the administrative centre of the city. The centre is on the west side of the Bakhmutka River.
British intelligence said that with the river running through some open ground, "this area has become a killing zone, likely making it highly challenging for Wagner forces attempting to continue their frontal assault westward."
But the situation remained dangerous for Ukrainian forces.
"The Ukrainian force and their supply lines to the west remain vulnerable to the continued Russian attempts to outflank the defenders from the north and south," it said. (Reuters)
March
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman formally announced on Sunday the creation of a new national airline, Riyadh Air, with industry veteran Tony Douglas as its chief executive, as the kingdom moves to compete with regional transport and travel hubs.
Riyadh Air will will serve more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030, making use of the kingdom's location between Asia, Africa and Europe, state news agency SPA said.
The new airline is expected to add $20 billion to Saudi Arabia's non-oil GDP growth and create more than 200,000 jobs both directly and indirectly, it said.
The announcement may lead to a tougher battle for passengers, going head-to-head with regional giants Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic.
Riyadh Air is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has more than $600 billion in assets and is the main driver of the kingdom's efforts to diversify its economy and wean itself off oil.
In October, Saudi Arabia was in advanced negotiations to order almost 40 A350 jets from Airbus (AIR.PA), with Boeing Co (BA.N) also lobbying for a slice of the kingdom's transportation expansion, industry sources had told Reuters.
The head of state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) told Reuters at the time that it was in talks with Boeing and Airbus on orders both for itself and a planned new carrier. (Reuters)
March
Bangladesh panel says fire at Rohingya camps 'planned sabotage’
Written by Nur Yasmin
A fire that left thousands of Rohingya Muslims homeless in Bangladesh camps was a "planned act of sabotage", a panel investigating the blaze said on Sunday.
Nearly 2,800 shelters and more than 90 facilities including hospitals and learning centres were destroyed in the fire on March 5, leaving more than 12,000 people without shelter, officials said.
More than 1 million Rohingya refugees live in tens of thousands of huts made of bamboo and thin plastic sheeting in camps in the border district of Cox's Bazar, most having fled a military-led crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.
“The fire was a planned act of sabotage,” senior district government official Abu Sufian, head of the seven-member probe committee, told Reuters by phone from Cox's Bazar.
He said the blaze broke out in several places at the same time, proving it was a planned act, adding it was a deliberate attempt to establish supremacy inside the camps by militant groups. He didn't name the groups.
“We recommended further investigation by the law-enforcing agency to identify the groups behind the incident,” he said, adding that the report was based on input from 150 eye witnesses.
The panel also recommended the formation of a separate fire service unit for the Rohingya camps. Each block of Rohingya camps needs to be widened to accommodate fire service vehicles and the construction of water cisterns, and the camps should use less flammable materials in shelters, among other recommendations.
Fires often break out in the crowded camp with its makeshift structures. A massive blaze in March 2021 killed at least 15 refugees and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.
Surging crime, difficult living conditions and bleak prospects for returning to Myanmar are driving more Rohingya refugees to leave Bangladesh by boat for countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, putting their lives at risk. U.N. data shows 348 Rohingya are thought to have died at sea last year. (Reuters)
March
Japan's birthrate policy could be funded by government bonds, says ruling party heavyweight
Written by Nur Yasmin
Japan's efforts to counter the country's declining birth rate by doubling the budget for child-related policies could possibly be covered by government bonds, a ruling party heavyweight lawmaker said in a television programme broadcast on Sunday.
"I think it's completely plausible to consider covering it with government bonds," Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker Hiroshige Seko said during a segment on BS TV Tokyo regarding the government's policy to take "unprecedented" steps in countering Japan's falling birth rate.
Seko, currently the LDP's secretary-general for the upper house, said there needed to be a discussion on whether to fund the policy with government bonds, taxes, an insurance scheme, or a combination of different sources, but added that funding through government bond issuance "should be allowed."
Births in Japan plunged to a new record low of just below 800,000 last year, according to official records.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged in January to tackle the country's declining birth rate by submitting plans to double the budget for child-related policies by June.
During the TV programme, which was recorded on Monday, Seko also spoke out against tightening Japan's current ultra-loose monetary policy.
"Interest rates will probably rise naturally if we can sustainably achieve the 2% price goal and wages rise in accordance with that," the former economy minister said, adding he was against tightening when 2% inflation had not been achieved.
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintained ultra-low interest rates on Friday ahead of a leadership transition in April. Incoming governor Kazuo Ueda has echoed current governor Haruhiko Kuroda's calls to keep an ultra-loose policy, but has also said he had ideas on how to exit low rates. (Reuters)
March
US-sanctioned general to become public face of China's growing military
Written by Nur Yasmin
General Li Shangfu, named on Sunday as China's new defence minister, is a veteran of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) modernisation effort - a drive that led the United States to sanction him over the acquisition of weapons from Russia.
Although his new post within the Chinese system is viewed as largely diplomatic and ceremonial, Li's appointment is being closely watched given his background, regional diplomats say.
His tenure starts as Washington pushes to restore military dialogue and communications that soured as Beijing reacted angrily to the August visit to Taiwan by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Li's history as a technocrat - he is an aerospace engineer who worked in China's satellite programme - will help him play a key part in meeting the interim targets of President Xi Jinping's goals for the PLA, experts say.
"The operational and technological background of the next Chinese defence minister is especially pertinent given that the PLA aims to become a world-class military by 2049," said James Char, a security scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
In 2016, Li was named deputy commander of the PLA's then-new Strategic Support Force - an elite body tasked with accelerating the development of China's space and cyber warfare capabilities.
He was then appointed head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's governing defence body, headed by President Xi Jinping.
RUSSIAN PURCHASES
As director, he was named in sanctions imposed by the U.S. State Department in September, 2018 over the purchase of 10 Su-35 combat aircraft in 2017 and equipment related to the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia's main arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
Some security scholars note the sanctions - while not a deal-breaker for future meetings - add a potential complication, and could provide China's military leadership with leverage.
When asked last week about Li's impending rise, Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners said that the U.S. military could not comment on media reports about China's leadership changes, but that they had been clear in wanting to maintain communications with the PLA.
"Open lines of communication can help us manage risk, avoid miscalculation, and responsibly manage competition," Meiners said.
Oriana Skylar Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, said China was likely to use the dynamic for diplomatic gain - either by presenting the sanctions as immaterial if they are overlooked, or by suggesting it's Washington, not Beijing, that doesn't want to engage.
"Engagement has always been a priority for the U.S., and China sees it as a concession," Mastro said.
Li's term at the Central Military Commission has highlighted his ties to Xi, who has strengthened his grip across the military.
Some scholars believe Li has close ties to Zhang Youxia, a close military ally of Xi, whom Li replaced as head of the department.
Zhang was promoted to first vice-chairman of the CMC during the Communist Party's Congress in October, with Li following him onto the commission's governing seven-person group.
As defence minister, Li is also likely to be closely involved with military relations in Asia, attending events such as meetings of Asian defence leaders and the informal Shangri-La Dialogue on security in Singapore.
"I think he has been elevated to this position because he's delivered for Xi Jinping in key areas of modernisation," said Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow with Hawaii's Pacific Forum think-tank.
"This is someone who will have to hold their own in front of an international audience." (Reuters)
March
PLN To Install 100 SPKLUs For 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta (voinews): State-run electricity company PT PLN’s East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) readies 100 units of electric vehicle charging station (SPKLU) to support the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, NTT Province.
“PLN provides 100 SPKLU units to serve 275 electric cars to transport the delegates, as well as (electric) cars for security and operational vehicles,” General Manager of PLN’s NTT Fintje Lumembang said in a statement received here on Sunday.
As many as 105 electric motorcycles will also be deployed during the summit – which is scheduled to be held in May 2023 -- for escorting the delegates and carrying out patrols, she said.
The charging stations comprise ultra-fast charging stations as well as slow charging stations, she noted.
Earlier, Lumembang along with PT PLN’s Senior Specialist Officer for Distribution Joko Priharto and his team, had reviewed the planned installation locations of the SPKLU and the readiness of the supporting facilities.
Lumembang said all of the charging units had arrived in Labuan Bajo and that the company has bagged the local government’s permission to install the facilities.
“These SPKLU units will be installed at a number of locations, such as at the parking lot of the office of the Head of West Manggarai District as well as at Kampung Ujung (in Labuan Bajo),” she said.
A number of supporting equipment, such as uninterruptible power supply (UPS), Mobile Electrical Substation Unit (UGB), and generators, will also be provided, she continued.
In addition, PLN had improved the transmission, distribution, and reliability of the electricity supply at all venues of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in the district, such as the Tanamori area.
It had also helped in expediting the establishment of the communication as well as supervisory control and data acquisition infrastructure.
“The electricity infrastructure in Labuan Bajo is ready to support the implementation of the ASEAN Summit,” she noted.
The 2023 ASEAN Summit is planned to be implemented in Labuan Bajo in May and Jakarta in September 2023. (Antaranews)
March
Papuan Separatists Attack Another Civilian Aircraft: Police
Written by Nur Yasmin
Jakarta (voinews): A Trigana Air plane was shot at by members of an armed Papuan separatist group on Saturday, according to Jayapura Police chief, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Fredrickus W.A. Maclarimboen.
The shooting occurred shortly after the plane took off from Dekai Airport in Yahukimo district, Papua Pegunungan province, Maclarimboen told ANTARA.
He, however, did not provide any details on the impact of the shooting on the aircraft.
ANTARA has reported earlier that over the past few years, armed Papuan groups have often employed hit-and-run tactics against Indonesian security personnel and mounted acts of terror against civilians in the districts of Intan Jaya, Nduga, and Puncak to trigger fear among the people.
The targets of such acts of terror have included construction workers, motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers, teachers, students, street food vendors, and also civilian aircraft.
On December 2, 2018, a group of armed Papuan rebels brutally killed 31 workers from PT Istaka Karya who were engaged in the Trans Papua project in Kali Yigi and Kali Aurak in Yigi sub-district, Nduga district.
The same day, armed attackers also killed a soldier, identified as Handoko, and injured two other security personnel, Sugeng and Wahyu.
Such acts of violence continued to occur in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
On January 6, 2021, at least 10 armed separatists vandalized and torched a Quest Kodiak aircraft belonging to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) on the Pagamba village airstrip.
On February 8, 2021, a 32-year-old man was shot at close range in Bilogai village, Sugapa sub-district.
The victim, identified by his initials as RNR, sustained gunshot wounds on the face and right shoulder and was taken to Timika Public Hospital in Mimika district on February 9.
In a separate incident on February 9, a motorcycle taxi (ojek) driver was fatally stabbed by 6 armed Papuans.
On April 8, 2021, several armed Papuan separatists opened fire at a kiosk in Julukoma village, Beoga sub-district, Puncak district.
The shooting resulted in the death of a Beoga public elementary school teacher, identified as Oktovianus Rayo.
After killing Rayo, the armed attackers torched 3 classrooms at Beoga public senior high school.
On April 9, 2021, armed separatists fatally shot another teacher, Yonatan Randen, in the chest.
On April 25, 2021, Papuan separatists operating in Beoga ambushed State Intelligence Agency (Papua) chief, I Gusti Putu Danny Karya Nugraha, and several security personnel during their visit to Dambet village.
On March 2, 2022, several members of an armed Papuan group operating in Beoga sub-district, Puncak district, killed 8 Palaparing Timur Telematika (PTT) workers, who were repairing a base transceiver station (BTS) tower belonging to state-owned telecommunications operator Telkomsel.
The workers were identified as B, R, BN, BT, J, E, S, and PD, while another worker, identified by his initials as NS, survived the deadly assault, according to Papua Police spokesperson, Senior Commissioner Ahmad Kamal.
This year, a group of armed Papuan separatists attacked a civilian aircraft owned by Susi Air on February 7.
They burned the plane at Paro Airfield, Nduga district, and captured its pilot, Captain Philip Mark Marthens, according to the National Police's (Polri's) public relations division head, Inspector General Dedi Prasetyo. (antaranews)
March
South Australia to be 'big beneficiary' of AUKUS, Albanese says
Written by Nur Yasmin
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that South Australia state would be a "big beneficiary" of the landmark AUKUS defence pact, which is expected to see Australia buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines.
Reuters, citing four U.S. officials, reported this week that Australia would likely buy the submarines in the 2030s as part of the agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, in what would present a new challenge to China's military build-up.
Albanese's federal government has indicated construction would be in South Australia's capital Adelaide, but state premier Peter Malinauskas said this week he was unclear about the number of orders.
On Saturday, Albanese, when asked how many submarines would be built in Australia as part of AUKUS, said an announcement would be made on Monday.
"This is about jobs, including jobs in manufacturing, and Adelaide in particular will be a big beneficiary of this announcement as will Western Australia," he said in a TV broadcast from New Delhi, India, where he is on a visit.
Albanese will leave India later on Saturday and go to the United States to meet U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks on AUKUS.
"When you talk about the issue of manufacturing submarines in Australia, that's an absolute priority for us," Albanese added.
Adelaide was chosen as the site in 2016 when France won a A$50 billion ($33 billion) deal to build 12 submarines for Australia before Canberra scrapped that in favour of AUKUS, causing outrage in Paris.
AUKUS is expected to be Australia's largest-ever defence project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries.
China "firmly objects" to AUKUS, its foreign ministry said this month. (Reuters)
March
India, Australia aim to boost critical mineral trade in broader deal
Written by Nur Yasmin
India and Australia aim to expand trade in critical mineral to help them achieve their goals on reducing carbon emissions, as they seek a broad trade pact, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Saturday.
"India is short of critical minerals. Australia has a large reserve of critical minerals that go into (electric vehicle)batteries, which isn't fully processed or manufactured presently," Goyal told a news conference after meeting Australia's trade and tourism minister, Don Farrell.
Critical minerals, along with space technology and opportunities in the digital sector, will be key areas of the planned deal, Farrell said.
The meeting followed a summit in New Delhi on Friday between the Asia nations' prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese.
India and Australia hope to complete by year's end an ambitious, comprehensive trade deal that has been stuck in negotiations for over a decade.
It would expand on a free trade deal the two signed last year, the first between India and a developed country in a decade. The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement came into effect in December, removing duties on 96% of Indian exports to Australia and 85% of Australian exports to India. (Reuters)
March
North Korean leader Kim calls for intensified drills in case of 'real war'
Written by Nur Yasmin
North Korea's Kim Jong Un ordered the military to intensify drills to deter and respond to a "real war" if necessary, state media said on Friday, after the leader oversaw a fire assault drill that it said proved the country's capabilities.
North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile off its west coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, adding it was analysing possibilities the North may have launched multiple missiles simultaneously from the same area.
Photos released by the North's KCNA news agency showed at least six missiles being fired at the same time.
KCNA said a unit trained for "strike missions" fired a "powerful volley at the targeted waters" and demonstrated its capability to "counter an actual war."
"(Kim) stressed that the fire assault sub-units should be strictly prepared for the greatest perfection in carrying out the two strategic missions, that is, first to deter war and second to take the initiative in war, by steadily intensifying various simulated drills for real war ...," KCNA said.
Kim was accompanied by his young daughter who has appeared recently in a series of major events.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said South Korea would step up combined military drills with the United States and enhance joint planning and execution of U.S. extended deterrence against the North's nuclear and missile threats.
"We will build an overwhelming response capability and retaliation posture," Yoon said at a commissioning ceremony for naval academy graduates in the southeastern city of Changwon, adding that the security situation surrounding the Korean peninsula was "more serious than ever."
Seoul has been seeking to strengthen extended deterrence, the ability of the U.S. military to deter attacks with its nuclear umbrella, amid growing calls within South Korea for the country to develop its own nuclear capability to counter North Korean threats.
The latest missile launches came as the United States and South Korea were set to kick off large-scale military exercises known as the Freedom Shield drills next week. North Korea has long bristled at the allies' drills as a rehearsal for invasion.
North Korean leader Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said earlier this week any move to shoot down one of its test missiles would be considered a declaration of war and blamed the joint military exercises for growing tensions.
Yang Uk, a research fellow and defence expert at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said North Korea has been increasingly claiming that its smaller missiles are nuclear-capable, in apparent threats to South Korea.
"North Korea doesn't appear to have developed miniaturised nuclear warheads to be loaded on cruise or tactical ballistic missiles yet, but it's clear that's where they are headed to," Yang said.
The United States will hold an informal meeting of United Nations Security Council members next week on human rights abuses in North Korea, a move likely to anger Pyongyang and spur opposition from China and Russia. (Reuters)