18-2-2025

China will fly home about 200 of its nationals found in call-centre scam compounds on the Thailand-Myanmar border, a Thai security official said on Tuesday, as part of a multinational effort to crack down on illegal online operations in the region.

Hundreds of thousands of people trafficked by criminal gangs have been forced to work in such compounds that have sprung up across Southeast Asia, including the border area between Thailand and Myanmar, the United Nations says.

The Chinese group will be flown back on a commercial aircraft on Thursday from Mae Sot in Tak province, which borders Myawaddy town in Myanmar, said Maj Gen Thanathip Sawangsaeng, a spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Defence.

Source: Bangkokpost.com 

NORTH Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Tuesday, according to Seoul’s military, in what experts said could be a message to US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
The launch came as Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited South Korea for a series of meetings with top officials, with the Asian neighbours seeking to boost bilateral ties before Trump returns to office next week.
“The South Korean military detected several short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea,” the military in Seoul said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
South Korean and US intelligence agencies had monitored Pyongyang’s launch preparations, the military said, with Seoul maintaining “full readiness” and sharing information with Washington and Tokyo. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

At least 49 people have been killed, and 75 injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip over the past day, the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry said on Mon-day. 

"Over the last 24 hours, the Israeli occupation carried out three mass killings of families in the Gaza Strip. Hospitals received 49 fatalities and 75 injured individuals," the statement read. 

Overall, since the escalation of the conflict in October 2023, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,854, with more than 109,000 people wounded, the ministry added.

On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, fighters of Palestinian movement Hamas infiltrated the border areas, opened fire on the military and civilians and took hostages. Israeli authorities say that about 1,200 people were killed during the raid. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords in Gaza and announced a complete blockade of the enclave. Sputnik

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper

MIZUHO Bank said Tuesday that its systems experienced connection disruptions from around 7 am, affecting online transactions for individuals and corporations, but it stressed there are no other issues detected such as a loss of customer data. One of Japan’s three megabanks suggested it may have been targeted by a distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS attack, in which networks are overwhelmed by data from multiple sources over a short period. The bank said internet transactions were functioning again by approximately 10 am.

The system failure led the Tokyo-based financial institution to encourage customers to use automated teller machines for urgent transactions. — Kyodo

Source: Global New Light of Myanmar

The Russian Navy has officially commissioned the nuclear-powered submarine Arkhangelsk, the latest addition to the Yasen-M-class of fourth-generation submarines. 

Built at the Sevmash Shipyard in northwestern Russia, the Arkhangelsk will serve in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Defense.

On December 27, an official ceremony was held at the Sevmash Shipyard, where the Arkhangelsk was delivered to the Navy. 

The event was presided over by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, who handed over the St. Andrew’s naval flag to the submarine’s commanding officer, Captain First Rank Alexander Gladkov. The flag was hoisted aboard the submarine, officially marking its entry into active service.

The Arkhangelsk, named after the historic Russian city in the northern region of Pomorye, is the fourth submarine of its kind in the Yasen-M class. The Malakhit Design Bureau of Marine Engineering in St. Petersburg designed the boat.  

The vessel was rolled out of the shipyard’s slipway on November 29, 2023. It has since undergone 13 months of sea trials, including navigation and weapons testing in the White and Barents Seas. Following the success of these tests, the submarine has now become part of the Russian Navy’s powerful fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. 

This marks the 141st nuclear-powered submarine built at the Sevmash Shipyard, a testament to Russia’s long history of advanced naval construction. 

Alexander Moiseev said, “The nuclear submarine Arkhangelsk is a carrier of all types of naval missile weapons, capable of effectively hitting both sea and coastal targets. This allows the Yasen-M class submarines to remain an effective and promising weapon. Thanks to this, they make an invaluable contribution to maintaining global and regional security in peacetime.”

The construction of the Arkhangelsk was a complex and extensive process, with over 400 organizations from across Russia playing a role. The submarine now features the latest advancements in military technology, naval weaponry, radio-electronic systems, and upgraded power plants.  

Source: https://www.eurasiantimes.com

At least nine people were killed and several others wounded on early Thursday morning by Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital here and the Red Sea ports in the western province of Hodeidah, the Houthirun al-Masirah TV reported.“

 Seven were killed in the port of As Salif, and two others killed in the port of the Ras Issa oil facility,” said the TV broadcaster, adding that at least three others were wounded in the airstrikes. 

Residents of Hodeidah posted videos on social media showing fires burning at several facilities in the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif, adding that the fires were still burning. 

In Sanaa, al-Masirah TV said the Israeli airstrikes had targeted the Hizyaz and Dhahban power stations, south and north of Sanaa, respectively. 

The airstrikes on Sanaa shook the entire city and smashed the windows of houses near the power stations. 

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, uses the ports of Ras Issa and As-Salif to import fuel and cooking gas and sell them to the residents in the areas under their control. 

According to al-Masirah TV reports, the Israeli airstrikes came a day after the U.S. navy launched an airstrike that targeted the Houthi-controlled defence ministry building in down-town Sanaa, causing extensive damage to the building, and a few hours after the Houthi group launched a long-range rocket toward Israel. Xinhua

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper

IRAN’S envoy to the United Nations (UN) has warned that if Europe “misuses” the snap back mechanism, it will receive the country’s “decisive and proportionate” response, the official news agency IRNA reported early Wednesday. Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks at a UN Security Council meeting Tuesday on the implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorses a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The snapback mechanism is a clause in the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that would allow the other parties to reimpose all international sanctions should Iran fail to comply with the agreement. Iravani said Iran “categorically” rejected any threat by the E3 group of France, Germany and Britain of using the snapback mechanism, stressing that the mechanism was not a “tool in the hands” of Western nations for threatening Iran. — Xinhua

Source: GNLM

The  masterminds and organizers of the blast that killed Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, the head of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence of the Russian armed forces, are clear, as Kyiv does not hesitate to use terrorist methods, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. “In this case, our special services, law enforcement agencies, you see, they work efficiently, they work quickly. It is already obvious who the masterminds are, who are the organizers of this terrorist act. It is once again confirmed that the Kyiv regime does not hesitate to use terrorist methods of work,” Peskov told reporters. The investigation into the death of Kirillov is effective, Peskov said. Russian President Vladimir Putin expresses his condolences over the death of Lt-Gen Igor Kirillov, Peskov said. “Naturally, everyone deeply condoles, and the president is expressing condolences in this regard,” Peskov told reporters. Kirillov and his aide were killed in a bomb blast in Moscow early on Tuesday, the Russian Investigative Committee said. An official with Ukraine’s security service SBU confirmed to The New York Times that Ukraine was responsible for the killings. Russia has no details about the planned trips of US President-elect Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg, and there were no contacts with Trump’s team on the matter, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “No, we do not have the de tails. We have seen relevant media reports that such trips are being planned. There have not been any contacts with the Trump team in this regard,” Peskov told a briefing. — SPUTNIK

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

SOUTH Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday he would lift martial law, just hours after imposing it in a bid to quell what he called “anti-state forces”. Yoon backed down after lawmakers voted to oppose the unexpected declaration, which caught even South Korea’s closest allies around the world off guard.
Earlier the National Assembly was sealed and troops entered the building for a short time, while hundreds of protesters gathered outside chanting: “arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” and faced off with security forces.
“Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of S Korea president says will lift martial law emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations,” Yoon said in a televised address around 4:30 am (1930 GMT Tuesday). “We will accept the National Assembly’s request and lift the martial law through the Cabinet meeting.” — AFP

Source- The Global New Light of Myanmar

A GROUP of 39 Iranian parliamentarians has asked the Iranian Supreme National Security Council to revise the country’s defence doctrine, in particular to allow the creation of nuclear weapons because of the threat of an Israeli attack, Iranian state news agency ISNA reported on Wednesday, citing an Iranian official.

Despite the prohibition under Islamic law on the development and use of nuclear weapons, as repeatedly stated by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, it could still be reconsidered, the official said.

Atomic Energy Organization of Iran chief Mohammad Eslami announced earlier this year that the Islamic Republic would build four 1,250 MW reactors at a large new nuclear power plant in Hormozgan province over the coming decade, with the $20 billion project expected to generate some 20,000 MW of energy by 2041.— SPUTNIK

Source- The Global New Light Of Myanmar