Page 7 - Military

Gabon Military officers announce seizing power days after prez election

Nearly a dozen soldiers took to state television and said they were overturning the presidential election and called for calm among the population. We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon's commitments to the national and international community," said a spokesperson for the group. The soldiers on television were comprised of members from the gendarme, the republican guard and other factions of the security forces. Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was seeking a third term in elections this weekend that could extend his family's 55-year political dynasty. He served two terms since coming to power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years. There was concern of violence before the election due to deep-seated grievances among the population of some 800,000 people. Nearly 40 per cent of Gabonese ages 15-24 were out of work in 2020, according to the World Bank. After last week's vote, the Central African nation's Communications .

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's funeral held privately in Russia

The Wagner founder's funeral took place "in a closed format," according to Concord Management, the company Prigozhin owned

Kim Jong Un asks his military to be ready to smash US-led invasion plot

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for his military to be constantly ready for combat to thwart plots to invade his country, as he accused the US of conducting "more frantic" naval drills with its allies near North Korea, state media reported Tuesday. The US and South Korean militaries are holding joint summer exercises that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. The allies have insisted the drills are defensive in nature. Kim said in a speech marking the country's Navy Day that falls on Monday that the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been made unstable "with the danger of a nuclear war" because of US-led hostilities, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. He cited a recent US-South Korean-Japanese summit, the deployment of US nuclear strategic assets and the US drills with its allies. "The prevailing situation requires our navy to put all its efforts into rounding off the war readiness to maintain the constant combat alertness and get prepared to break

American military brings in artificial intelligence robot for aerial combat

And gaining and maintaining an edge in artificial intelligence is one element of an increasingly open race with China for technological superiority in national security

Plane crashes near Moscow, mercenary chief Prigozhin on passenger list

Earlier TASS had reported that ten people had died after a private jet crashed in Russia's Tver region north of Moscow. The jet, en route from Moscow to St Petersburg, was carrying seven passengers an

Niger's neighbours out of options as defence chiefs plan military force

Regional countries are facing a crisis of legitimacy as they run out of options and time to restore democratic rule in Niger after soldiers ousted the president last month, say analysts. Defence chiefs from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, are meeting in Ghana Thursday to discuss Niger's crisis after a deadline passed for mutinous soldiers to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face military intervention. Bazoum was overthrown in July and remains under house arrest with his wife and son in the capital, Niamey. This is the first meeting since ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a standby force last week to restore constitutional rule in the country. It's unclear if or when troops would intervene. A force would likely consist of several thousands soldiers from Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Benin and could take weeks or months to prepare, say conflict experts. ECOWAS has a poor track record in stemming the region's rampant coups: neighboring Burkina Faso and Mal

Netanyahu voices support for military after his son lambastes officials

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to reassure the Israeli public and army Tuesday of his full support for the military following recent rhetorical attacks on senior security officials by his far-right political allies and divisive son. Thousands of military pilots and soldiers have vowed not to turn up for reserve duty in protest of Netanyahu's contentious plan to overhaul the country's judiciary, sparking a backlash from the Israeli leader's coalition allies and other ultranationalists. The prime minister and defense minister reject any attack on senior security establishment officials and fully back the commanders and soldiers of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), who are working day and night for the security of Israel, Netanyahu's office said. Growing opposition within the Israeli military to government plans to weaken the Supreme Court poses perhaps the most serious threat to the legislation, which has already spurred unrelenting street demonstrations and fury from former

LS gives nod to bill to evolve disciplinary code for tri-services military

A new tri-service legal architecture, it is hoped, will bring in benefits such as maintenance of effective discipline by the heads of ISOs

Rajnath to present military inter-services organisations bill in Lok Sabha

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will present the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, According to the legislative business listed for the day in Lok Sabha

Support for Niger at risk as military takeover threatens stability: Blinken

Political instability in Niger resulting from a military takeover that deposed the president this week threatens the economic support provided by Washington to the African nation, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Saturday. Members of the Niger military announced on Wednesday they had deposed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum and on Friday named Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani as the country's new leader, adding Niger to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region. Blinken, who is in Australia as part of a Pacific tour, said the continued security and economic arrangements that Niger has with the US hinged on the release of Bazoum and the immediate restoration of the democratic order in Niger. Our economic and security partnership with Niger which is significant, hundreds of millions of dollars depends on the continuation of the democratic governance and constitutional order that has been disrupted by the actions in the last few days, Blink

Niger adds to growing list of countries in the Sahel run by the military

Mutinous soldiers in Niger this week overthrew the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, adding to a growing list of military regimes in West Africa's Sahel region and raising fears of regional destabilization. The Sahel, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert, faces growing violence from Islamic extremists, which in turn has caused people to turn against elected governments. The military takeovers have followed a similar pattern: The coup leaders accuse the government of failing to meet the people's expectations for delivering dividends of democracy. They say they will usher in a new democratic government to address those shortcomings, but the process gets delayed. Karim Manuel, west and central Africa analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, says the military governments threaten to unwind democratic gains made not just in the Sahel region but in the broader West Africa region. This increases political instability going forward and makes the

Soldiers declare Niger general as head of state after he leads a coup

Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation's fight against jihadists and boost Russia's influence in West Africa. Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge. Various factions of Niger's military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France. Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa's Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 ...

Russian navy ships visit Shanghai as countries reaffirm military ties

A pair of Russia navy ships are visiting China as the countries reaffirm their military ties amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The Cold War-era frigates Gromkiy and Otlichnyy arrived in the financial hub of Shanghai, China's largest city and biggest port, on Wednesday for a seven-day visit. Following the port call, the ships will conduct joint drills with their Chinese counterparts focusing on ship-to-ship communications, maneuvering in formation and maritime search and rescue, state television's military channel reported Thursday. The visit follows a meeting Monday in Beijing between China's defense minister and the head of Russia's navy, the first formal military talks between the friendly neighbors since a short-lived mutiny by the Russian mercenary group Wagner. China has reassured Russia of its continued support since the uprising, and Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu told Russian Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov that China hoped for increased exchanges, joint exercises and other form

Condition of Bhim Army chief stable, attackers' vehicle recovered: Police

The vehicle used by the attackers of Dalit leader and Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad was recovered from a village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district, police said on Thursday. Meanwhile, police in Amethi district registered a case under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) after it came to light that a Facebook page had issued a death threat to Aazad days before the attack. Activists of the Bhim Army and Azad Samaj Party held a demonstration at Parivartan Chowk here and demanded proper security for Aazad. They were later taken into custody by police. A bullet grazed the 36-year-old Bhim Army chief's abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur's Deoband, where he had gone to attend a ritual at a supporter's home, on Wednesday evening. The vehicle used by Aazad's attackers was seized from Miragpur village late on Wednesday night. The number plate of the car showed it was registered in Haryana, the police ...

Pak govt tells SC trial of those involved in May 9 attacks yet to begin

The Pakistan government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the trial of civilians allegedly involved in attacks on the army facilities has not yet started in the military courts. A six-member bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Mazahar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha Malik was hearing the pleas challenging the trial of civilians under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 and the Official Secret Act, 1923. Attorney General Mansoor Awan told the bench during the hearing that the trial of civilians involved in the May 9 violence was yet to begin after the chief justice on Monday hoped the trial would not commence while the court was hearing the case. The development came as the military spokesman on Monday told the media that 102 civilians were in military custody for trial at 17 military courts which were already functional under the existing laws. No trial has started yet and that also takes time. The ..

Wouldn't allow to be used as base for threats against India: Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka would not be allowed to be used as a base for any threats against India, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, asserting that the island nation remains "neutral", having no military agreements with China. Wickremesinghe, who was on an official visit to the UK and France, made the comments during an interview with France's state media on Monday. In an interview with France24, Wickremesinghe said, "We are a neutral country, but we also emphasise the fact that we cannot allow Sri Lanka to be used as a base for any threats against India." Responding to a question about China's perceived military presence in Sri Lanka, the president said that the Chinese have been in the country for about "1500 years and, so far, there has been no military base". Wickremesinghe asserted that the island nation has no military agreement with China and said, "There won't be any military agreements. I don't think China will enter into one." The president said there were no issues of military u

Israel's export of military equipment hits record high of $12.55 bn in 2022

Some 120 Israeli companies signed "hundreds" of new sales deals in 2022, with about half of them valued at over $100 million, according to the statement

Pak deploys military to evacuate 100,000 people as cyclone moves closer

Pakistan on Tuesday deployed the military to speed up the evacuation of around 100,000 people from the low-lying coastal areas in the southern Sindh province as Cyclone Biparjoy moved closer to the country's financial capital, Karachi. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) latest advisory, Biparjoy which has been downgraded from extremely severe cyclonic storm to very severe cyclonic storm moved further north-northwestward during last six hours and now lay at a distance of about 410-km south of Karachi and 400-km south of Thatta. Cyclone Biparjoy - which means disaster or calamity in the Bengali language - is likely to hit the coastal belt of Sindh on June 15, but its intensity will subside by June 17 to 18. The PMD stated that maximum sustained surface winds are 140-150 km/hour gusts 170 km/hour around the system centre, and sea conditions are phenomenal around the system centre with a maximum wave height of 30 feet. Under the existing upper-level steering

Military purge in Pak gathers steam as countdown begins for Imran's arrest

New Delhi, June 9: The military purge in Pakistan has gathered steam to root out supporters of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan whose early arrest is now on the cards

World is big enough for us to grow together: China defense minister to US

President Xi Jinping's government has repeatedly charged the US with using its military alliances, trade policy and the threat of sanctions to bully smaller nations and try to keep China down