The Indian Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday that New Delhi will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting on 28 April. India is the SCO chair for 2023. According to reports, the defence ministers of China and Iran will attend the meeting.
India and Mozambique held the fourth meeting of their Joint Defence Working Group in New Delhi on Tuesday. The two sides discussed conducting military exercises and deepening defence ties. “The Indian side highlighted the country’s growing capabilities in the field of defence production and discussed ways to further bolster bilateral military ties,” the Indian Defence Ministry said. Mozambique welcomed strengthening defence cooperation with India, stressing it would help forces counter security threats, including terrorism.
Pakistan reported its first confirmed case of monkeypox on Tuesday, with a Pakistani man testing positive for the viral illness. Authorities and hospitals have been put on high alert to be on the lookout for other cases.
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, is in China for a four-day official visit to enhance bilateral military relations, according to a statement published by the Pakistani military’s media wing on Sunday. This is the COAS’ fourth overseas visit following trips to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the UK, earlier this year.
China’s Director General of Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, Wu Weiren, announced Tuesday that the country intends to work with international partners to construct a basic version of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) before 2028. It will also construct an improved version of ILRS before 2040, and a complete one with application functions by 2050.
Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military drills, which will run from 15 May-28 July, will focus on combatting a blockade of the island by China and preserving the fighting ability of its armed forces.
Sweden launched a research rocket on Monday, which ended up malfunctioning and hitting a mountain range in Norway. While the Swedish Space Corporation apologised for the incident, Norway has criticised its neighbour for failing to inform relevant authorities about the accident.
A regional official reported on Tuesday that Ukrainian soldiers deployed on the western bank of the River Dnipro routinely stage raids on the eastern bank close to the city of Kherson to drive Russian troops out of the area. Yuriy Sobolevskiy, Deputy Director of the Kherson regional government, stated that raids are meant to diminish the combat capacity of Russian forces bombarding Kherson city since being forced to retreat earlier in November.
The Russian Defence Ministry informed reporters that a scheduled flight of two Tu-160 strategic missile carrier bombers took place over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian seas for more than 14 hours. During the flight, the crews conducted in-flight refuelling during the day and at night; additionally, supersonic interceptor aircraft MiG-31 flew alongside the bombers. The Ministry added that Russian long-range aviation crew often fly over neutral waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic area, Black and Baltic seas, and the Pacific Ocean.
According to a report by Morning Consult, US President Joe Biden, who launched his re-election bid on Tuesday, is an “unpopular incumbent,” who only narrowly outperforms the two favourite Republican candidates — ex-President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The survey agency estimates that, currently, Biden has a slim 1-percentage point lead over Trump and a 4-percentage point lead over DeSantis, who is yet to formally launch his bid.