Militarypedia - Worldwide Defense Forums

ghazi · Jan 29, 2024

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'

Contingents from Pakistan Army and Bahrain National Guards are participating in the two-week-long exercise, says ISPR

News Desk
January 29, 2024

opening ceremony of two weeks long joint exercise al badar viii at national counter terrorism centre pabbi k p photo ispr

Opening ceremony of two weeks long Joint Exercise Al-BADAR-VIII at National Counter Terrorism Centre, Pabbi

The opening ceremony of Pakistan-Bahrain “Joint Exercise Al-BADAR-VIII” was held at National Counter Terrorism Centre in Pabbi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the military said.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), contingents from Pakistan Army and Bahrain National Guards are participating in the two-week-long exercise.

“The exercise is aimed at nurturing of joint employment and interoperability besides, harnessing the historic military to military relations among the brotherly countries,” the military’s media wing added.

The ISPR said that the Director General Military Training was the chief guest at the opening ceremony.

It further said that both countries have displayed zeal and enthusiasm for benefiting from each other’s expertise.

Al-BADAR is an annual bilateral joint exercise in counter terrorism domain between Pakistan and Bahrain.

Earlier this month the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, conferred the Military Medal Order of Bahrain First Class upon Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir during his two-day official visit to the kingdom.

The honour was given in recognition of Gen Asim's efforts and contributions to the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two nations.

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII' | The Express Tribune

Contingents from Pakistan Army and Bahrain National Guards are participating in the two-week-long exercise, says ISPR

tribune.com.pk

ghazi · Jan 29, 2024

The Uranium Route to the Bomb: PAEC's role in Uranium Enrichment

Pakistan from the outset of the Multan conference was exploring both the Plutonium and Uranium routes to the bomb. During 1974-76, uranium enrichment was probably seen as a backup or at most a co-equal programme for fissile material production. Having two different technologies for production would make Pakistan more resistant to efforts to restrain its programme, and producing both U-235 and plutonium would give Pakistan greater flexibility in weapon design. Dr. Bashiruddin Mahmud was only one of dozens of scientists and engineers (besides) AQ Khan who were working in Europe, Canada and the US in late sixties and early seventies that later became “Consortium Companies” to supply enriched uranium to European nuclear power plants. PAEC brought back dozens of scientists from Belgium to start this programme under Dr Bashiruddin long before

AQ Khan came on board.

Moreover, the PAEC was already considering the centrifuge problem, and there was one experiment in Lahore in the early 1970s involving centrifuges. Two pilot centrifuge plants were set up in Golra and Sihala before the actual uranium enrichment facility was established at Kahuta. Munir Ahmad Khan completed the site selection for the Kahuta enrichment plant, initial procurement of vital equipment, construction of its civil works, and recruitment of staff for it by 1976. The Kahuta Enrichment Project was called Project-706 of the PAEC, and as with the plutonium programme, it was under the overall control and supervision of Chairman Munir Khan. A.Q. Khan came to Pakistan and produced gas centrifuge designs and drawings from URENCO. He initially worked under Project Director Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmud. Much of the buying for Kahuta of necessary materials and equipment before and after A.Q. Khan's arrival was done by a brilliant PAEC physicist-turned diplomat, S.A. Butt, who was also looking after the plutonium programmes' requirements. The best PAEC scientists and engineers staffed Kahuta. It must be remembered that the Plutonium contract with France had not been cancelled by the French government when the Enrichment Plant was being set up at Kahuta.

When Canada in 1976 suspended the supply of heavy water fuel and spare parts for KANUPP, the PAEC under Munir Khan took up the challenge and using indigenous resources produced the feed for KANUPP. As a result the Muslim World's first nuclear reactor was not closed even for a single day for want of spare parts, fuel, and heavy water.

The technology Qadeer brought would have eventually been acquired. The work had been started by Bashir-ud-din on Nuclear Fuel cycle to make fuel for KANUPP and future nuclear plants two years prior to Qadeer's arrival in Pakistan. Dr. A.Q. Khan did not bring a magic wand from URENCO but still it was a vital link to the bomb. Under Munir Ahmed Khan, PAEC started an ambitious programme to master the technology of complete nuclear fuel cycle in which “ Heavy Water” was one of the most important components. Heavy Water which was so (prohibitively) expensive which Canada was charging Pakistan $27/lb (in early/mid-seventies), Pakistan's only nuclear power plant would die and our whole nuclear programme would come crashing in late 1970. Qadeer's contribution cannot be denied but should not be overblown. Centrifuge essentially a highly specialized mechanical component was a link in the long chain of enrichment technology. As Qadeer and his team stumbled on many occasions, he received vital technical support from PINSTECH and PAEC infrastructure and scientists. Dr N Ikram out of many (Punjab University, Institute Of Solid State Physics) was a rare specialist in this field and international authority who came to his rescue.

Qadeer's blueprints were based on first generation enrichment technology originally developed by the URENCO in late sixties and early seventies whose SWU (unit of the measurement to separate U-238 and U-235 in natural uranium in order to create final product that is richer in U-235 (atoms) was so low that thousands of centrifuge machines would have to be deployed for thousands of hours at performance levels much inferior to then installed centrifuges at URENCO. PAEC (under Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan) challenged its economic viability and presented a programme that will deploy the most efficient technology by setting up an infrastructure for advanced machine design for the next generation centrifuges and in the two decades that followed spent more than $3 billion on centrifuge technology and its support infrastructure. PAEC used “proven technology” with heavy emphasis on R&D (not copy or stealing as US and western media says) with much higher SWU while reducing costs and improving efficiency through the use of state-of-the-art materials, control systems and manufacturing processes.

By late 90s, KRL had conducted centrifuge development work costing hundreds of millions of dollars. PAEC enabled KRL to take advantage of commercial advances in construction materials (thanks to PAEC/PINSTECH's Scientists) and advanced manufacturing methods to develop a centrifuge machines that achieved several times SWU performance previously demonstrated by early KRL machines, but at substantially reduced cost. Today PAEC has a workhorse technology that capably serves Pakistan defence needs and since New Labs setup, much of the fuel needs of the future nuclear plants in Pakistan.

People might ask the significance of higher SWU? Natural uranium, in the form of uranium hexafluoride (natural UF6), is fed into an enrichment process. If (for example), you begin with 50 kilograms of natural uranium, it takes about 30 SWU to produce 5 kilograms of uranium enriched in U-235 to 4. -5%. It takes on the order of (roughly) 100,000 SWU of enriched uranium to fuel a typical 137 megawatt (MW) commercial nuclear reactor for a year. A 137 MW (KANUPP) plant can supply the electricity needs for a city of about 500,000 in a country like Pakistan.

Moreover, the technology brought by A.Q. Khan was based on the URENCO designs of gas centrifuges for enriching uranium to weapon grade, also known as Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU). But again, A.Q. Khan's uranium enrichment was not independent of PAEC, even after having acquired total control and autonomy for KRL. In order to enrich uranium to weapon grade, he needed the crucial Hexafluoride gas, known as UF-6. Concurrent to the plutonium programme and the setting up of Project-706, the PAEC was also setting up a plant to produce Uranium hexafluoride, which is a crucial ingredient for enriching uranium. Here is how UF6 produced and supplied by PAEC to KRL is critical to Enriching Uranium through gas centrifuges and it underlines the importance of this very important 'step' in a series of interconnected steps that lead to a bomb. KRL depends on PAEC for Enriching Uranium as is illustrated here. KRL's role in centrifuges and vacuum technology and material is not being denied here, but PAEC's role is highlighted which is unknown and unacknowledged and unsung and all praise only goes to A.Q. Khan.

Beijingwalker · Jan 29, 2024

China will continue to be a global power despite slowing growth and China always treats India as a subsidiary power and ignores India's concerns, says Vijay Gokhale
Jan. 29 2024

Vijay Gokhale, former Foreign Secretary of India, highlighted that China has always treated India as a subsidiary power, ignoring India’s concerns. He suggestedthat there were indicators in 1950 that should have raised awareness of these gaps, but they were overlooked.

Amidst the ongoing liquidation of China’s major real estate firm, China Evergrande Group, which marks a significantshift in the country’s economic strategy and raises concerns about its escalating debt burden, Vijay Gokhale, formerForeign Secretary, said the country will remain formidable. .

Gokhale, in an interview with CNBC-TV18, said China will remain a force to be reckoned with on the global stage —undeterred by Evergrande’s liquidation — even if its growth rate dips to as low as 2%.

Trading of Evergrande’s shares was halted in Hong Kong on Monday after a court ordered the property developer toundergo liquidation due to its failure to restructure a plan for repaying its debts to banks and bondholders.

Gokhale, while acknowledging the opaque nature of China’s economy, pointed out that the country is clearly movingaway from growth led by infrastructure.

Gokhale endorsed Nehru’s strategic vision of China as a crucial partner but admitted that India has not been clear aboutits objectives in dealing with the Communist government in China. This lack of clarity, along with conflicting foreignpolicies, has led to strained relations between the two nations since the 1950s.

He highlighted that China has always treated India as a subsidiary power, ignoring India’s concerns. Gokhale suggestedthat there were indicators in 1950 that should have raised awareness of these gaps, but they were overlooked.

According to Gokhale, the Taiwan Strait remains the most dangerous conflict point in the Indo-Pacific region today,involving both the US and China directly. He emphasized that any friction in the Taiwan Strait, such as a quarantine orblockade, would directly impact the Indian economy. He also noted India’s involvement in previous crises in the TaiwanStrait.

The Galwan clash marked a significant turning point in the India-China relationship, leading to a state of armedcoexistence. Gokhale advocated for dialogue and deterrence as the only way forward for India on China and called for adirect bilateral dialogue with China on the boundary dispute.

Despite the challenges, Gokhale does not foresee the collapse of China. He sees the current geopolitical tensions as anatural opportunity for China to assert its influence. He also highlighted the Indian Navy’s response to attacks in the RedSea as an example of India taking responsibility to maintain peace, contrasting it with China’s lack of efforts to maintainregional peace.

China will continue to be a major economy, despite Evergrande’s liquidation, says Vijay Gokhale

Vijay Gokhale, former Foreign Secretary of India, highlighted that China has always treated India as a subsidiary power, ignoring India’s concerns. He suggested that there were indicators in 1950 that should have raised awareness of these gaps, but they were overlooked.

www.cnbctv18.com

Beijingwalker · Jan 29, 2024

Electricity Demand Grows Fastest In China, India But Plummets In The United States And European Countries In 2023
By Manish Kumar/ Updated On Mon, Jan 29th, 2024

A latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that electricity demand in 2023 plummeted in the United States and European countries. It, however, said that the power demand in India, China, and some South Asian countries grew rapidly. The global energy think tank attributed several reasons for the same.

The report said that while China, India and numerous Southeast Asian countries experienced robust growth in electricity demand in 2023, advanced economies posted substantial declines due to a lackluster macroeconomic environment and high inflation, reducing manufacturing and industrial output.

“In 2023, China’s electricity demand rose by 6.4%, driven by the services and industrial sectors. With the country’s economic growth expected to slow and become less reliant on heavy industry, the pace of Chinese electricity demand growth eases to 5.1% in 2024, 4.9% in 2025 and 4.7% in 2026 in our forecasts,” the report said.

The IEA report said that over the next three years, India will add electricity demand roughly equivalent to the current consumption of the United Kingdom by 2026.

“China provides the largest share of global electricity demand growth in terms of volume, but India posts the fastest growth rate among major economies through 2026. Following a 7% increase in India’s electricity demand in 2023, we expect growth above 6% on average annually until 2026, supported by strong economic activity and expanding ownership of air conditioners,” the report said.

The report said that in the last few years, electricity use per capita in India and Southeast Asia rapidly rose while remaining stagnant in Africa for over three decades. The report also said that, unlike India and China, the electricity demand in the United States (US) fell by 1.6 percent in 2023. The IEA report said this was mainly due to milder weather in 2023 and a slowdown in the manufacturing sector.

However, the report also said that increased power generation from coal-fired plants in India and China caused increased emissions in these countries. “The strong growth in coal-fired power generation in 2023 – especially in China and India amid reduced hydropower output – was responsible for the rise in the global electricity sector’s CO2 emissions,” the report said.

Electricity Demand Growth Grew Fastest In India, China: IEA Report

A latest IEA report said that electricity demand in 2023 plummeted in the United States and European countries but rose in India and China.

www.saurenergy.com

ghazi · Jan 29, 2024

Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming

Imran Ayub
January 20, 2024

• Sindh govt signs agreement with Green Corporate Initiative to hand over land in six cities for 20 years
• Initiative aims to ‘modernise agriculture and ensure food security’

KARACHI : Despite reservations and resistance from nationalist parties, the caretaker Sindh government on Friday formally entered into an agreement with an army-backed company to give it over 52,000 acres of land in six districts for corporate farming.

“After a successful pilot corporate agriculture farming project in Punjab, a government-to-government (G2G) Joint Venture Agreement was signed at Chief Minister House between the Sindh government and M/s Green Corporate Initiative (Private) Limited, a company under the umbrella of the Pakistan Army for corporate agriculture farming initiative for cultivating available barren land in all the provinces of the country,” said a press release issued by the CM House.

According to the agreement, the local administration in Sindh had identified approximately 52,713 acres of “barren” land — 28,000 acres in Khairpur, 10,000 acres in Tharparkar, 9,305 acres in Dadu, 1,000 acres in Thatta, 3,408 acres in Sujawal and 1,000 acres in Badin — to be handed over to the company for the next 20 years to execute its ‘Green Pakistan Initiative’, which is aimed at modernising agricultural practices by bringing the concept of corporate farming in the country.

“The barren land shall be handed over for 20 years after survey, demarcation and verification that such land is not located in prohibited areas, not under any pending litigations or court orders and also not included in any barrage land grants,” it said.

It said that a board of management had been established under the Sindh chief secretary and it would take all decisions regarding land management and issues.

Details of the major initiative were shared at a press conference held at the CM House.

Caretaker Revenue Minister Younus Dhaga, Law Minister Omar Soomro, Information Minister Ahmad Shah and Major General Shahid Nazeer told the media that the project was one of the initiatives under the umbrella of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

In July 2023, the then prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff General Asim Munir launched the first corporate farm.

However, since the launch of the initiative, nationalist parties in Sindh have been raising serious reservations against it and called the project an ‘onslaught’ on the province.

However, the caretaker administration in the fresh details shared the terms and conditions to carry out the project while answering several questions removing multiple misconceptions.

“The land will not be granted as a title but will be given just for cultivation purposes,” said Minister Dhaga. “The ownership of land shall vest with the Sindh government. No local rights will be affected by the projects and no water rights of the local population shall be affected. The companies have to arrange for water resources through alternative modes rather than relying solely on irrigation channels.”

He further cited the terms for the project, which says that the ‘barren land’ will be handed over for 20 years after survey, demarcation and verification to ensure that such facility is not located in prohibited areas, not under any pending litigations or court orders and also not included in any barrage land grants.

Further, the ministers explained, it shall also be ensured that no land shall be considered for this initiative which falls within the limit of any villages, katchi abadi, locality, temporary shelters, grazing land, seasonal cultivation, range, any settlement, amenity, potential mining areas, already reserved land for any public purpose, motorways, superhighways, national highways, roads, jails, railway lines, irrigation channels, wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, mountain ranges, heritage sites, religious sites, graveyards, forest land, including mangroves habitats and protected forests, wastelands, wetlands, ‘dhoras’/depressions, sea creeks, river deltas, inland waters, internal waters, historical waterways, vital security installations, port and seashore.

The company shall spend 20 per cent of the net profit on research and development in the local area while 40pc of the net profit will be paid to the Sindh government on an annual basis, said the terms of the agreement between the two sides.

However, the terms said, the remaining 40pc of the company share shall also be spent on local infrastructures, irrigation channels, solar-powered water supply schemes, schools, hospitals, development schemes and other facilities in areas where such projects will be executed in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2024

https://www.dawn.com/news/1807189/army-backed-firm-to-get-52000-acres-of-sindhs-land-for-farming

Beijingwalker · Jan 29, 2024

Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%

A more moderate rate of growth helps to prevent bubbles and systemic crises, and contributes to a sustainable bull market

Published Mon, Jan 29, 2024 · 6:13 pm

2023 was another rough year for China’s economy and its stock market. This followed a tough 2022 when harsh Covid measures were abruptly lifted and the economic reopening was chaotic.

Consumers and business owners, who were not given handouts like in most countries, still seem to be suffering from “post-Covid blues”, such that the economic recovery and confidence are not as strong as many had hoped.

Chinese consumers are still hoarding excess savings in their bank accounts instead of spending. The negative wealth effect of a three-year stock market slump, along with plummeting real estate prices, also sapped spirits and fed pessimism about China’s future.

In the face of these challenges, China did not blink and resort to massive money printing. It maintained monetary discipline, which is negative for the stock market and domestic consumption in the short term. But it affords the country greater flexibility in the coming years both in terms of monetary as well as fiscal policy, should economic conditions call for more measures.

On top of domestic challenges, China also had to manage persistent geopolitical tensions with the United States, which has launched “wars” against China on four fronts – trade, semiconductor chips, investments, and propaganda. While some global investors fear that the wars of rhetoric may escalate to a hot war, any clash of arms may be rather limited, as neither power wants to risk mutually assured destruction.

Pessimists think the Thucydides Trap will take centre stage. As this theory goes, war is inevitable when a great power’s supremacy is threatened by a rising power. Some investors have also begun to discount the likelihood that China’s economy sinks into a long-term slump or Japan-style deflation, along with other ills like sustained capital flight and innovation bottlenecks.

On the bright side, China has found more support in coalescing the Brics geopolitical grouping, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. China’s breakthrough in 7-nanometre chips resulted in Huawei’s colossal comeback in 5G phones via its flagship Mate 60 smartphones.

Sustained innovations in electric vehicles (EVs) also bode well for China’s technological future. These developments illustrate China’s transition away from its fixed asset and property-driven economy, towards one that is focused on and powered by high-value-added manufacturing and innovation.

In such a transition, a long-term gross domestic product growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent is appropriate and ideal.

Yet, many economists and investors still wish for some kind of stimulus before they turn more bullish on the country. A return to 10 per cent or even 8 per cent annual GDP growth must mean the resumption of, or an increase in, China’s infrastructure spending as well as a strong credit and property market-driven recovery.

This scenario would almost certainly lead to an even larger real estate bubble down the road as well as wasteful investment in infrastructure. We already see this in Guizhou province’s beautiful, underutilised highways, and the low returns on capital on such projects.

Rather, we think a 5 per cent growth rate will result in much higher quality and sustainable growth, just like in the major successful developed countries, preventing bubbles and systemic crises, and contributing to a sustainable bull market. This is a new paradox that few investors have come to grips with.

At APS, we have worked to build an optimal portfolio of growth stocks as well as high-quality deep-value stocks. We do not just go for low price-to-earnings (PE) ratio stocks. “High-quality” means talented, competent and highly motivated company management, strong business franchises and healthy balance sheets. Focusing on such stocks allowed us to beat the relevant market indices by a respectable margin in 2023.

Growth stocks include promising, attractively priced deep-tech stocks that will power the new economy, such as a solar panel equipment maker, a cybersecurity firm, an industrial automation firm and a satellite mapping firm. Stocks of well-managed, strong business franchises are valued at only 20 to 40 times earnings, when the compounded annual growth rate of their earnings can be in the 20 to 40 per cent range for three years or longer.

Deep-value stocks include telcos, financial leasing companies and an oil and gas company, all selling at a fraction of their underlying intrinsic values, and as low as three to five times ex-cash earnings. We think these stocks can still deliver high single-digit growth rates for three years or longer, while paying annual dividend yields of 6 to 10 per cent.

We have not seen such depressed valuations and extreme pessimism since we started investing in China almost three decades ago. Barring some sort of catastrophe, we believe a rerating of these stocks must take place because their valuations are just incredibly cheap. In fact, the rerating process may have already begun.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/wealth/why-5-economic-growth-china-better-10

Beijingwalker · Jan 27, 2024

What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being

How illegal The McMahon Line came into being and why China withdrew after 1962 China-India border war

1986年傅全有视察墨脱时，发现300名解放军都没穿军装，为何？
In 1989, PLA general Fuquanyou arrived in Medog via a military helicopter to inspect the border troops, he was shocked to find out all the soldiers wore various civilian clothes but not PLA uniforms, later he learned that because Medog was a totally cut off enclave on the southern slope of the Himalaya Mountains with no road connections, No supplies, including PLA uniforms could be delivered into the Medog region. Many times these border soldiers had to hunt in the jungle for their own food.

Mêdog was the last Chinese county being connected by roads in 2013.

Beijingwalker · Jan 29, 2024

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan
Jan 29, 2024, 1:02 PM GMT+8

Soldiers line up on the deck in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province.

"You don't have to be a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician to realize the number of Chinese ships is going to continue to outpace us," said retired US Navy Adm. James Stavridis.

The US Navy needs more ships to match up to China, says retired US Navy Adm. James Stavridis.
China has the world's largest navy, with over 355 vessels in its fleet.
"We have a lot more experience, but quantity has a quality on its own," Stavridis said.

The US is going to have to expand its Navy and get more boats if it wants to keep pace with China's forces, says retired US Navy Adm. James Stavridis.

"You don't have to be a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician to realize the number of Chinese ships is going to continue to outpace us," Stavridis, a former NATO commander, said in a Sunday radio interview on "The Cats Roundtable."

In July, leaked US Navy intelligence said that China's shipbuilding capacity is 232 times greater than the US.

China has the world's largest navy, with over 355 vessels in its fleet, per a 2021 US Navy Institute report. The US has a smaller fleet of 296 ships, according to a 2021 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"We have a lot more experience, but quantity has a quality on its own," Stavridis told radio host John Catsimatidis. "We need to build more warships. We need to think about a US Navy that approaches 350 ships."

"We don't want to be the world's policemen, but we want to live in a safe neighborhood. And sometimes that means having very capable military forces," Stavridis said. "We need a bigger Navy to do that."

This isn't the first time Stavridis has weighed in on the US and China's naval capabilities, and how they stack up against each other. Stavridis said in an interview on "The Michael Medved Show" in December that China isn't ready to take on the US.

"Even though China is building a massive fleet, even though they're acting very aggressively, they're not ready yet to line up all that they need to take on the US Pacific Fleet," Stavridis said.

The former NATO supreme allied commander said the strength of US military alliances would blunt a Chinese offensive.

"If we ended up in a war with China, it wouldn't be just the US and China. We have treaty allies who are sworn to come and be a part of a military campaign like that," Stavridis said.

"That's Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand," he continued. "So that's a lot of firepower when you kind of put it all together."

Representatives for Stavridis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

"We have a lot more experience, but quantity has a quality on its own," said retired US Navy Adm. James Stavridis.

www.businessinsider.com

Beijingwalker · Jan 28, 2024

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

‘What matters is that Ukraine gets continued support, because we need to realise that this is closely watched in Beijing,’ Jens Stoltenberg said
If Ukraine were abandoned by the US and its allies, China might be tempted to take military action to seize control of Taiwan, analysts warn

Published: 2:08am, 29 Jan, 2024

US military funding for Ukraine carries a key deterrent message for China, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg argued on Sunday at the start of a Washington visit aimed at lobbying Congress to continue funding the war against Russia.

After billions in US aid have been sent to Ukraine since the invasion nearly two years ago, many Republican lawmakers have grown reluctant to keep supporting Kyiv, saying it lacks a clear end game as the fighting against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces grinds on.

US President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve US$61 billion in new aid to Ukraine. But the talks have bogged down as Republican lawmakers – furious over record illegal flows over the US border with Mexico – demand major changes in US immigration and border control policy in exchange for approving more money for Ukraine.

Stoltenberg plans to make the case in Washington this week for continued aid to Ukraine.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: AFP

“What matters is that Ukraine gets continued support, because we need to realise that this is closely watched in Beijing,” Stoltenberg said on Fox News.

Analysts say Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary, is watching to see if once-strong Western support for Ukraine is now petering out.
If Ukraine were abandoned by the US and its allies, mainland China might be tempted to take military action to seize control of Taiwan, these analysts warn.

“So it’s not only making Europe more vulnerable, but all of us, also the United States, more vulnerable, if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg added.

He said the agreement being negotiated in the US Congress is “a good deal”. US aid to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said, has been just a fraction of the Pentagon budget, and yet “we have been able to destroy and degrade the Russian army substantially”.

US aid to Ukraine also helps American workers, because the money is used to buy weapons made in the United States, the Nato secretary general said.

Stoltenberg is expected to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday.

On Tuesday he is expected to meet Republican and Democratic lawmakers involved in the Ukraine aid debate.

Former US president Donald Trump, the almost certain Republican candidate in the November presidential election, and who has often spoken fondly of Putin, is urging Republican lawmakers to reject the immigration accord being negotiated in Congress – which would also torpedo aid for Ukraine.

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg begins Washington visit aimed at lobbying Congress to continue funding the war against Russia.

www.scmp.com

ghazi · Jan 28, 2024

World Bank closes $200m locust project

Amin Ahmed
January 22, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has closed its locust emergency and food security (Leaf) project, for which it had approved $200 million, citing the performance of the project as highly unsatisfactory.

The project was approved in July 2020 and it was meant to control the locust outbreak, restore livelihoods in locust-affected areas, and strengthen national food security and monitoring in the country.

Informed sources believe the World Bank withdrew the project due to irregular appointments made under the project.

The Ministry of National Food Security, which was to implement the project, had appointed 86 entomologists in the Department of Plant Protection (DPP) for the locust and invasive pests control and management project in March 2023.

The implementation report of the project prepared by the World Bank says the project activities had not commenced and no disbursement had been made.

Since the project has been closed, the ministry terminated services of 86 entomologists hired for the Leaf project in the Department of Plant Protection in Karachi.
The terminated employees have appealed to the ministry against the abrupt termination of their services and payment of outstanding salaries of nearly seven months.

The employees said they continued their services in DPP from July 2023 to January 15, 2024, and were assigned duties and tasks. They said neither the plant protection adviser nor DPP director-general or the secretary of the ministry issued any directives, either verbally or in writing, to discontinue their services.
However, on Jan 17, 2024, the employees were abruptly informed verbally that their services will no longer be required in the project.

They said the DPP did not provide the mandatory one-month notice to them for termination of services and no valid reason was also provided for the sudden move.

They urged the government to adhere to the Supreme Court’s verdict and protect interests of contract employees.
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2024

World Bank closes $200m locust project

Project was meant to control the locust outbreak, restore livelihoods in affected areas, and strengthen national food security.

www.dawn.com

Search

Militarypedia - Worldwide Defense Forums

SOURCE & DATE

Latest Posts Latest Countries Latest Continents Q&A

Videos

[🇵🇰-Land] Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII' | The Express Tribune

[🇵🇰] The Uranium Route to the Bomb:

South Asia China will continue to be a global power despite slowing growth and China always treats India as a subsidiary power and ignores India's concerns, says

China will continue to be a major economy, despite Evergrande’s liquidation, says Vijay Gokhale

World Electricity Demand Grows Fastest In China, India But Plummets In The United States And European Countries In 2023

Electricity Demand Growth Grew Fastest In India, China: IEA Report

[🇵🇰] Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming

Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming

East Asia Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%

Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%

East Asia What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being

What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being

[🇺🇸] A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

World China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

[🇵🇰] World Bank closes $200m locust project

World Bank closes $200m locust project

World Bank closes $200m locust project

Members Online

Recommended Videos

Militarypedia - Worldwide Defense Forums

Videos

[🇵🇰-Land] Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'​

[🇵🇰] The Uranium Route to the Bomb:

South Asia China will continue to be a global power despite slowing growth and China always treats India as a subsidiary power and ignores India's concerns, says

World Electricity Demand Grows Fastest In China, India But Plummets In The United States And European Countries In 2023

[🇵🇰] Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming

Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming​

East Asia Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%

Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%​

East Asia What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being

What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being​

[🇺🇸] A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time​

World China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief​

[🇵🇰] World Bank closes $200m locust project

World Bank closes $200m locust project​

Pakistan, Bahrain hold joint exercise ‘Al-BADAR-VIII'

Army-backed firm to get 52,000 acres of Sindh’s land for farming

Why 5% economic growth in China is better than 10%

What is Mêdog? The isolated Chinese enclave in South Tibet, and How the illegal McMahon Line came into being

A retired admiral says the US needs to start building boats fast because China's going to outpace the US Navy in no time

China is watching US drama over arming Ukraine: Nato chief

World Bank closes $200m locust project