LAVROV SAYS NATO CREATING PROBLEMS IN INDIA-CHINA TIES

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US-led military bloc NATO of attempting to make "overtures" to India to create "additional problems' in India's already strained relations with China.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he also said that the US-led West has taken the concept of the Indo-Pacific "out of context and given a new meaning - the indivisibility of interests of NATO and the Indo-Pacific region. The difference is obvious".

"NATO is not limited to organising life on the European continent. In June 2022, NATO's Madrid Summit declared that the military bloc had a global commitment, specifically in relation of the Asia-Pacific region, which they call the Indo-Pacific region. It is clear that they are attempting to make overtures to India to create additional problems in its relations with China," Lavrov said.

PAKISTAN DOESN'T SEE A PARTNER IN PM MODI: HINA RABBANI KHAR ON PEACE WITH INDIA

Pakistani minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said her country does not see a "partner" in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for working towards peace between the two countries, but it saw a partner in his predecessors Manmohan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Speaking at a session on South Asia here at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023, Khar said, "When I went to India as foreign minister, I had worked really hard to press for better cooperation and we were in a much better position at that time compared to the situation in 2023." "What we have done in these years, we have added to the hostility. We must realise that we cannot change geography. And let's understand it's not a South Asia problem, it is an India-Pakistan problem and the problem from India side and there was a lack of statesmanship," Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs alleged.

"There is a need to think beyond an election cycle and a willingness for peace. I am not seeing a partner in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, though he may be good for his country, I did see a partner in Manmohan Singh and in Atal Bihari Vajpayee," she said.

UKRAINE: US AND EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PLEDGE HEAVY WEAPONS

More countries have answered President Volodymyr Zelensky's call to send further arms to Ukraine.

The US says a package worth $2.5bn (£2bn) will be sent, including armoured vehicles and air defence systems.

Several European nations promised their own new packages - including hundreds of missiles pledged to Kyiv by the UK.

The announcements come ahead of a crunch meeting scheduled in Germany on Friday, in which 50 countries are set to co-ordinate arms supplies.

A meeting on Thursday saw representatives from 11 nations gather at an army base in Estonia to discuss a range of new packages to help Ukraine recapture territory and fend off any further Russian advances.

Nine countries - the UK, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, the Netherlands and Slovakia - promised more support.

The packages announced in a joint statement include:

UK - 600 Brimstone missiles

Denmark - 19 French-made Caesar self-propelled howitzers

Estonia - howitzers, ammunition, support vehicles and anti-tank grenade launchers

Latvia - Stinger air-defence systems, two helicopters, and drones

Lithuania - anti-aircraft guns and two helicopters

Poland - S-60 anti-aircraft guns with 70,000 pieces of ammunition

Czech Republic - produce further large calibre ammunition, howitzers and APCs

The Netherlands will announce its package of support on Friday.

RUSSIA WARNS OF ESCALATION IF WEST SUPPLIES MORE ARMS

The Kremlin on Thursday warned of escalation in Ukraine if the West gives the pro-Western country more weapons capable of striking Russia.

The warning comes on the eve of a key donor meeting as Western countries consider sending more powerful weapons to Ukraine. On Friday, the United States will gather its allies at its airbase in Ramstein for a new round of talks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke after Moscow’s ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Russia would retaliate if Ukraine uses Western-supplied weapons to target Russia.

CRITICAL COVID CASES HAVE PEAKED: CHINA

Beijing : The number of Covid patients needing critical care in China’s hospitals has peaked, health authorities said, as millions travelled across the country for long-awaited reunions with families, raising fears of freshoutbreaks. There has been widespread scepticism over China’s official Covid data since it abruptly axed anti-virus controls last month. China said last Saturday nearly 60,000 people with Covid had died in hospitals between December 8and January 12 — a roughly ten-fold increase from previousdisclosures. However, that number excludes those who die at home, and some doctors in China have said they are discouraged from putting Covid on deathcertificates. A National Health Commission official told on Thursday that China has passed the peak period of Covid patients in fever clinics, emergency rooms and with critical conditions. The number of patients with critical conditions in hospital were more than 40% lower on January 17 than a peak seen on January 5, an official said.

NATIONWIDE STRIKES HIT FRANCE AS UNIONS FIGHT PENSION PLAN

French train drivers, teachers and refinery workers were among those who walked off their jobs on Thursday in a nationwide day of strikes against government plans to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.

The strikes, and protests expected across the country, are a major test for President Emmanuel Macron, who says his pension reform plan, which opinion polls show is hugely unpopular, is vital to ensure the system does not go bust.

The challenge for unions is to transform opposition to the reform — and anger over a cost-of-living crisis — into a mass social protest which would eventually force the government to change tack.

For Mr. Macron, at stake are his reformist credentials, both at home and with his European Union peers, as well as keeping public spending in check.

Pushing back the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would bring an additional 17.7 billion euros ($19.1 billion) in annual pension contributions, allowing the system to break even by 2027, according to Labour Ministry estimates.

The pension reform still needs to go through Parliament, where Mr. Macron has lost his absolute majority but is hoping to get it passed with the support of conservatives. Unions argue there are other ways to ensure the viability of the pension system.

PAK GOVT MAKES A‘U-TURN’ ON TOSHAKHANA POLICY

Islamabad : PM Shehbaz Sharif’s government told the Lahore HC on Thursday that disclosing Toshakhana (state depository) gifts could cause “unnecessary media hype” and “potentially damage Pakistan’s interests in international ties”, months after accusing ex-PM Imran Khan of concealing such gifts and complaining to the election commission about it.

The reservations were expressed by the Shehbaz-led PML-N coalition government in a report submitted before the HC as it heard a petition seeking to make Toshakhana gift records public. The petition was filed by a private citizen, Munir Ahmad, last month. It contends that people have the right to such details about public functionaries. Fawad Chaudhry, leader of Imran’s PTI, pointed out that “a Toshakhana watch was the top agenda of the (Shehbaz) government until a few days ago and now it is finding an escape route due to fears of being exposed”.

OFFICIAL: NEPAL AIRPORT DID NOT HAVE ‘INSTRUMENT’ THAT GUIDES PLANES TO RUNWAY

The newly opened airport in Nepal where a Yeti Airlines plane was attempting to land when it crashed over the weekend, killing all 72 on board, did not have a functioning instrument landing system that guides planes to the runway, an official said on Thursday. Aviation safety experts said it reflects the Himalayan country’s poor air safety record, although the cause of the accident has not been determined. Jagannath Niroula, a spokesman for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, said Pokhara International Airport’s instrument landing system will not be working until February 26 —56 days after the airport began operations on January 1.

An instrument landing system helps planes fly safely when the pilot is unable to maintain visual contact with obstacles and the ground, mainly due to weather conditions or at nighttime.

Amit Singh, founder of India’s Safety Matters Foundation, said the lack of an instrument landing system or navigational aids could be a “contributory cause” of the crash and pointed to a “notoriously bad air safety culture in Nepal. ”“Flying in Nepal becomes challenging if you don’t have navigational aids and puts an extra workload on the pilot,” Singh said. “Lack of an instrument landing system only reaffirms that Nepal’s air safety culture is not adequate. ”

Meanwhile, according to a Kathmandu Post the pilots of the Yeti Airlines aircraft may have failed to fully deploy the wing flaps while attempting to land, leading to a stall.

U.S. DEBT CEILING: GOVT. TOUCHES LIMIT AMID PARTISAN STANDOFF

The U.S. government hit its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit on Thursday, amid a standoff between the House of Representatives and Democrats. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that her department had begun using extraordinary cash management measures that could stave off default until June 5.

KAZAKH PRESIDENT DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT, CALLS MARCH ELECTION

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dissolved the Central Asian country’s Lower House of Parliament on Thursday and set an early election for March 19, his office said. The announcement comes a year after Kazakhstan descended into chaos with deadly riots that killed 238 people in January 2022.