LONDON, 23 December 2021, (TON): Work on the joint engine demonstrator will kickstart early next year, with the UK investing an initial £30 million in planning, digital designs and innovative manufacturing developments.

A further £200 million of UK funding is expected to go towards developing a full-scale demonstrator power system, supporting hundreds of highly skilled jobs, including many at Rolls-Royce’s Filton facility in Bristol.

Over the next four years, the UK is investing more than £2 billion into its major national and international endeavour to design a world-leading Future Combat Air System. In parallel, through its F-X programme, Japan is looking to develop a future fighter aircraft to a similar timescale to replace the F-2 aircraft.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said “Strengthening our partnerships in the Indo-Pacific is a strategic priority and this commitment with Japan, one of our closest security partners in Asia, is a clear example of that.”

BRUSSELS, 23 December 2021, (TON): Russia has made public two draft treaties affecting the European security architecture. They are addressed to the United States and to the members of the Atlantic Alliance respectively.

The European Union is fully committed to security in Europe based on the key principles of non-aggression and respect for national sovereignty and for territorial integrity.

Today, Europe’s security is under threat.

Russia’s actions, in particular the illegal annexation of Crimea, its role in fuelling the conflict in eastern Ukraine as well as its actions in the Georgian break-away regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in the Transnistrian region and in its support to the Lukashenko regime, have led to a severe deterioration of the security situation in Europe.

Most recently, the military build-up of Russia at its borders with Ukraine and in the illegally annexed Crimea have created new threats and fears of invasion.

Together with partners and allies, the EU has clearly indicated that it will respond resolutely to any further violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty. At the same time, the EU believes that dialogue, negotiation and cooperation  are the only means to overcome disputes and bring peace.

MOSCOW, 23 December 2021, (TON): President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia was prepared to take military steps in response to unfriendly Western actions over the Ukraine conflict, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric.

The Russian president has for weeks accused the United States and the Washington-led Nato military alliance of stoking tensions near Moscow’s borders, but these were his first comments hinting at potential conflict.

Putin told defence ministry officials that if the West continued its obviously aggressive stance Russia would take “appropriate retaliatory military-technical measures”.

He said “Russia will react toughly to unfriendly steps.”

He added that he wanted to underscore that, we have every right to do so.

The United States has been sounding the alarm since mid-November that Moscow could be planning a large-scale attack on its ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine and has warned Putin of unprecedented sanctions.

Western governments have accused Moscow of amassing some 100,000 troops near its border with eastern Ukraine, where Kiev has been fighting pro-Russia separatists since 2014.

RIYADH, 23 December 2021, (TON): The Arab coalition said that more than 280 Houthis were killed in strikes on the Yemeni provinces of Al-Jouf and Marib.

The coalition added that 25 military vehicles and air defenses were also destroyed during the strikes over the last 24 hours.

The coalition said “four operations targeting Yemen’s western coast were also carried out to support coastal forces and protect civilians.”

These operations targeted military vehicles and ammunition dumps, and more than 30 Houthis were killed as a result.

Meanwhile, the coalition said it carried out airstrikes on the Houthi militia's central security camp in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and destroyed 7 warehouses used to hide drones and weapons, Al Ekhbariya reported on early Thursday.

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 December 2021, (TON): The Malaysian military used boats to distribute food to desperate people trapped in their homes after massive floods, as the death toll rose to 14 with over 70,000 displaced.

Days of torrential rain triggered some of the worst flooding in years across the country at the weekend, swamping cities and villages and cutting off major roads.

Selangor, the country’s wealthiest and most densely populated state, encircling the capital Kuala Lumpur, is one of the worst-hit areas.

Some parts of state capital Shah Alam were still under water on Tuesday, and military personnel in boats distributed food to people stuck in their homes and government shelters.

Kartik Subramany fled his house as floodwaters rose, and took refuge in a school for 48 hours before being evacuated with his family to a shelter.

LONDON, 23 December 2021, (TON): Britain's House of Commons expressed alarm at human rights violations, including fake encounters by Indian forces, in Indian-occupied Kashmir and sought a response from the Indian High Commission over the maltreatment of Kashmiri citizens.

As many as 28 MPs of the British Parliament have written a joint letter to the Indian High Commission, seeking its response to reports of flagrant abuses of human rights in the occupied territory.

The letter questioned the killings of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian forces who labelled the unarmed citizens as suspected terrorists before mowing them down.

The letter said "those who are killed are mostly normal citizens.”

The lawmakers also expressed shock at the incarceration of prominent rights activist Khurram Pervez by Indian forces and sought an explanation for his detention.

"Khurram Pervez is not a terrorist but a defender of human rights".

Personnel from the National Investigation Agency had arrested Parvez in Srinagar on Nov 22. They had also confiscated Parvez’s mobile phone, laptop and some books, along with his cell phone.

His wife later informed journalists “they said it’s a case of ‘terror funding’.”

Parvez, 42, is the programme coordinator for a widely respected rights group in the disputed territory, the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, and chairperson of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances.

WASHINGTON, 23 December 2021, (TON): US State Secretary Antony Blinken thanked Pakistan for hosting the extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Blinken said "the OIC extraordinary session on Afghanistan is a prime example of our collective determination and action to help those most in need. We thank Pakistan for hosting this vital meeting and inviting the global community to continue cooperating to support the Afghan people.”

The OIC session was held in Islamabad on Sunday. Envoys from 57 Islamic nations as well as observer delegations participated in the session during which it was decided to set up a Humanitarian Trust Fund and Food Security Programme to deal with the rapidly aggravating crisis.

The OIC, which is also the world’s second-largest multilateral forum, in a communiqué adopted at the end of the extraordinary session said it “will play a leading role in the delivery of humanitarian and development aid to the people of Afghanistan”.

Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Imran Khan had issued a clear warning to the global community, stating that Afghanistan could potentially become the biggest "man-made crisis in the world" if action was not take immediately.

TUNIS, 23 December 2021, (TON): State news agency said after he called on France this year to end support for the current administration “a Tunisian court issued a verdict to prison former President Moncef Marzouki for four years on charges of “assaulting the external security of the state.”

Marzouki, who resides in Paris, had criticized President Kais Saied, saying he staged a coup.

Saied suspended parliament and dismissed the government in July, before later appointing a government and announcing a plan for a referendum and elections next year.

WASHINGTON, 23 December 2021, (TON): The United States formally exempted US and UN officials doing official business with the Taliban from US sanctions to try to maintain the flow of aid to Afghanistan as it sinks deeper into a humanitarian crisis.

It was unclear, however, whether the move would clear the way for proposed UN payments of some $6 million to the group for security.

Local media exclusively reported a UN plan to subsidize next year the monthly wages of Taliban-run Interior Ministry personnel who guard UN facilities and to pay them monthly food allowances, a proposal that raised questions about whether the payments would violate US sanctions.

The Treasury Department declined to say whether the new license would exempt the proposed UN payments from US sanctions on the Taliban.

Having designated the Taliban as a terrorist group for years, Washington has ordered its US assets frozen and barred Americans from dealing with them.

The Treasury issued three general licenses aimed at easing humanitarian aid flows into Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, 23 December 2021, (TON): Commander Royal Bahrain Naval Force Rear Admiral Mohammad Yousif Al Asam Wednesday called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa here at GHQ and acknowledged the professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and vowed to enhance cooperation in various fields.

An Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) media release said “during the meeting, matters of mutual interest, current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in defence and security fields were discussed.”

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief of Army Staff said, “Pakistan desires to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement and wish for long term and multi-domain enduring relationship with Bahrain.”

On Afghanistan, the Chief of Army Staff stressed upon the need for global convergence and sincere efforts to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe.