SEOUL, 07 March 2022, (TON): North Korea carried out “another important test” towards the development of a reconnaissance satellite, state media said Sunday, but analysts warned it was a thinly-veiled ballistic missile launch, just days before South Korea elects a new president.

From hypersonic to medium-range ballistic missiles, Pyongyang test-fired a string of banned weaponry in January and last week launched what it claimed was a component of a reconnaissance satellite although Seoul described it as another ballistic missile.

North Korea is under biting international sanctions for its nuclear weapons programs, but peaceful satellite launches are not subject to the same level of restrictions although they use much of the same technology.

The development of a military reconnaissance satellite along with the hypersonic weapons tested in January is officially one of Pyongyang’s key defence projects, as outlined by leader Kim Jong Un last year.

KCNA news agency said “the DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) and the Academy of Defence Science conducted another important test on Saturday under the plan of developing a reconnaissance satellite.”

RIYADH, 07 March 2022, (TON): Saudi Advanced Communications and Electronics Systems Co., ACES, has partnered with China Electronics Technology Group to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicle payload systems in the Kingdom.

This came after the Riyadh-based telecommunication firm established a new company for unmanned aircraft in the Kingdom, under the name of Aerial Solutions.

China Electronics Technology Group, the state-owned defense conglomerate specializing in dual-use electronics, will aid in establishing a research and development center and manufacturing team for various types of unmanned aerial vehicle payload systems.

PARIS, 07 March 2022, (TON): Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in cities from Paris to New York in support of Ukraine, demanding an end to Russia’s invasion.

Citizens worldwide have been horrified by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attack, which began on February 24 and appeared to be entering a new phase with escalating bombardment.

According to interior ministry estimates “around 41,600 people demonstrated in 119 protests in towns and cities across France.”

In Paris itself, some 16,000 turned out.

“Despite the suffering, we are going to win, we are sure of it,” said Nataliya, a Franco-Ukrainian with the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag draped over shoulders, at the Paris protest.

She declined to give her full name because of concerns about the safety of her son in Ukraine.

She added “we are proud of their courage, their determination.”

MOSCOW, 07 March 2022, (TON): Thousands of people have been detained at anti-war protests across Russia, rights groups and Russian authorities say.

Some 1,700 people were detained in Moscow alone, the RIA news agency reported, citing the interior ministry. The OVD-Info rights group says detainments took place in 49 cities.

Although protests have become increasingly restricted in recent years, rallies have taken place across Russia since the Ukraine invasion.

More than 10,000 people have been detained since the war began 11 days ago, OVD-Info says.

Reuters news agency from Tbilisi in Georgia told “the screws are being fully tightened – essentially we are witnessing military censorship, Maria Kuznetsova, OVD-Info’s spokeswoman.”

“We are seeing rather big protests today even in Siberian cities, where we only rarely saw such numbers of arrests.”

Earlier this week, government critic Alexei Navalny who is in jail on fraud charges called for daily demonstrations against the invasion, saying Russia should not be a “nation of frightened cowards.”

VIENNA, 07 March 2022, (TON): Talks to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers were mired in uncertainty following Russia’s demands for a US guarantee that the sanctions it faces over the Ukraine conflict will not hurt its trade with Tehran.

Moscow threw the potential spanner in the works, just as months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington in Vienna appeared to be headed for an agreement, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying the Western sanctions over Ukraine had become a stumbling block for the nuclear deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to dispel talk of such obstacles on Sunday when he said that the sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine had nothing to do with a potential nuclear deal with Iran.

Blinken said in an interview “these things are totally different and just are not, in any way, linked together. So I think that’s irrelevant.”

He added that a potential deal with Iran was close, but cautioned that a couple of very challenging remaining issues were unresolved.

Yet a senior Iranian official told Reuters earlier that Tehran was waiting for clarification from Moscow about the comments from Lavrov, who said Russia wanted a written US guarantee that Russia’s trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions.

MONTREAL, 07 March 2022, (TON): Canada called on its nationals to avoid all travel to Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine and on Canadians in Russia to leave the country.

In an update to its travel advice, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that its nationals “avoid all travel to Russia due to the impacts of the armed conflict with Ukraine.”

The statement added “if you are in Russia, you should leave while commercial means are still available.”

Ottawa had previously advised its citizens to avoid nonessential travel to Russia. In the travel advisory, the ministry said that sanctions on Moscow and Russia’s response may have an important impact on the availability and the provision of essential service. Flight availability is becoming extremely limited.

The ministry also noted that Russia had passed a law on March 4 that severely restricts free speech.

The advisory said “the legislation punishes the publication of what it calls “fake news” about its invasion with jail terms of up to 15 years. Foreign journalists and other media workers in the country may face considerable risks.”

Ottawa urged Canadians in Russia to refrain from discussing the invasion, participating in protests or sharing or publishing information related to current events in Russia and Ukraine.

Canadians who wished to stay in Russia despite the travel advisory were warned they might have to stay “longer than expected” and could be affected by shortages of essential products and services.

NIAMEY, 07 March 2022, (TON): The defence ministry said “five soldiers have been killed by a mine in Niger’s southwestern Torodi region, where jihadist attacks using improvised explosive device are increasingly frequent.”

The ministry said in a statement carried on national television “three soldiers were wounded in the blast, which occurred when an army patrol vehicle ran over the IED.”

The troops were part of the 2,160-strong Niya anti-jihadist force set up in February in the southwest, near the border with Burkina Faso.

Since 2017, western Niger has been regularly targeted by Islamist groups, despite the deployment of thousands of anti-jihadist troops and the imposition of a state of emergency.

IED attacks on the army have become particularly frequent in Torodi and neighbouring Gotheye.

RIYADH, 07 March 2022, (TON): The Saudi Press Agency reported early “coalition forces have intercepted and destroyed a number of drones launched by Yemen's Houthi terror militia toward Saudi Arabia.”

Following the latest Houthi strike, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said it has launched a military operation in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

WASHINGTON, 07 March 2022, (TON): The United States supports the status of neutrality of Moldova enshrined in the constitution. This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at a joint press conference with President Maia Sandu.

Blinken said in his speech “Moldova has proclaimed a course towards building a legal and democratic state, towards rapprochement with European institutions. We support these aspirations, including [the country’s] neutrality.”

He assured that the United States will continue to support reforms in the justice sector and the fight against corruption in Moldova, as well as “independent media”.

The Secretary of State welcomed Chisinau’s recent decision to apply for EU membership, drawing attention to the convergence of views between the current Moldovan and US authorities.

In addition, Blinken said that the United States intends to support Moldova in achieving energy diversification and ensuring energy security.

CHISINAU, 07 March 2022, (TON): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States was working actively on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with jets to fight invading Russians.

The deal, according to reports, could involve Pol-and handing over its existing MIG-29s, a Soviet/Russian-made jet fighter Ukrainian pilots are familiar with, and the US would then provide its F-16 fighters to Poland as replacements.

US officials, including Blinken, had downplayed the possibility of any NATO country supplying besi-eged Ukraine since the beg-inning of this week. But speaking in Moldova, Blinken confirmed it was under active discussion.

He told reporters “can’t speak to a timeline, but I can just say we’re looking at it very, very actively.”

“We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.”

The comments came one day after Blinken met Ukraine’s foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the Poland-Ukraine border and Kuleba pressed him for the aircraft.