Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth turned back due to bomb threat; RSAF aircraft activated to escort plane

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Singapore: A bomb risk forced a Scoot journey from Singapore to Perth to turn around and return to Changi Airport on October 12.

In response to CNA’s questions, Scoot & nbsp said that emergency services had also been activated and that the Republic of Singapore Air Force ( RSAF) aircraft had escorted the plane back to the airport.

On Thursday at 4.11 p.m., Scoot aircraft TR16 departed Singapore.

A cautious decision to return the aircraft to Singapore due to a weapon threat was made about an hour into the trip, according to the airport.

At 6.27 p.m., the helicopter properly touched down in Singapore, and security personnel were checked. & nbsp,

” Scoot is helping the police with their inquiries ,” the statement reads. We regret that we are unable to provide more information because this is a safety issue, the airport said. & nbsp,

” Scoot honestly regrets the pain and disruption it caused. Our top goal is the health of our staff and customers, and we’ll keep helping them out.

Flight TR16 made a U-turn over Indonesia’s Bangka Island and then headed back towards Singapore about 30 minutes into the flight, according to data from & nbsp, flight tracker Flightradar24. & nbsp,

After that, it flew in spirals for around 50 days over the South China Sea to the east of Malaysia.

After that, the aircraft flew over Batam before touching down on Thursday night at Changi Airport. The aircraft appeared to be stable near the southern end of Runway 3 as of 6.50 p.m. and had not made it back to a terminal.

While this was going on, some flights to Singapore were placed in holding trends over the Riau Islands, including Singapore Airlines Flight SQ331 from Paris, United Airlines trip UA29 from San Francisco, and IndiGo Flight 6E1013 from New Delhi.

Soon after TR16 touched down, these airlines started landing.

For more details, CNA has contacted Scoot, Changi Airport Group, the Ministry of Defense, and the officers.

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Scoot flight bound for Perth escorted back to Singapore due to bomb threat; passenger arrested

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SINGAPORE: On Thursday, October 12, a Scoot flight bound for Perth was forced to turn around and return to Singapore due to an explosive hazard.

The 30-year-old Australian man was detained for legal coercion, according to the police, who added that further inquiries are ongoing.

After the flight took off at 4:11 p.m., the police said in a speech that they were made aware of the bomb threat on aircraft TR16.

” The aircraft made a U-turn again to Singapore after leaving Singapore.” At around 6.26 p.m., the plane made a safe landing at Changi Airport, according to the police, who also added that fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force ( RSAF ) escorted the aircraft back.

The man was detained after security checks were finished by the authorities.

” The police will act swiftly against those who purposefully raise public concern because they take safety hazards seriously.”

Scoot responded to CNA’s questions by stating that the bomb threat led to a” cautious selection” to change the plane up to Singapore.

” Scoot is helping the police with their inquiries ,” the statement reads. We regret not being able to provide more information because this is a safety issue, the airport said. & nbsp,

” Scoot honestly regrets the pain and disruption it caused. Our best goal is the health of our staff and customers, and we will keep helping our customers.

In response to the” suspected bomb threat ,” the RSAF claimed in a Facebook post that it had activated two of its F-15SG fighter jets.

U-TURN

Flight TR16 made a U-turn over Indonesia’s Bangka Island and then headed back towards Singapore about 30 minutes into the flight, according to data from & nbsp, flight tracker Flightradar24. & nbsp,

It then flew in spirals for around 50 days before entering a keeping pattern over the South China Sea south of Malaysia.

After that, the aircraft flew over Batam before touching down on Thursday night at Changi Airport. The aircraft appeared to be fixed near Runway 3’s southern terminus as of 6.50 p.m. and had not made it back to a terminal.

While this was going on, a number of flights to Singapore— including the SQ331 from Paris, the UA29 from San Francisco, and the IndiGo 6E1013 from New Delhi — were placed in holding patterns over the Riau Islands.

These planes started taking off not long after TR16 touched down.

For more details, CNA has gotten in touch with Scoot and Changi Airport Group.

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Israel-Gaza distraction: an opportunity for Putin

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Russia’s ally in the Russian conflict is time. In order to maintain its military presence in Ukraine for as long as feasible, Russia must lower the number of battle fatalities.

A gap in Kyiv’s arms supply and a waning commitment from the European and US administrations to support the war or give military hardware would be of great assistance to Vladimir Putin. This might be provided by a competing problems in the Middle East to divert Ukraine’s allies.

The United States has already been socially diverted by Hamas’ violent invasion of Israel from Gaza on Saturday, October 7.

Additionally, rather than going to Ukraine, the issue might send defense technology supplies to the Middle East. Whether Israel decides to try to reconquer Gaza or not will determine how significant the escape of arms is.

A conflict may also help to further soften the allies of Ukraine’s resolve to continue spending money there. It might do but because continuing hostilities in Ukraine may have less of an impact than a larger Middle Eastern conflict or China strategically attacking Taiwan.

Russia’s rival connections

The political stance taken by Russia toward the Israel-Hamas issue is not entirely clear-cut. Israel and Russia have a long history of friendship. Israel has reflected this by downplaying any criticism it has leveled at the conquest by the Ukrainians.

Lately, Russia has gotten friendlier with Iran as it has tried to purchase military hardware. However, Iran is probably the cause of the military hardware that Hamas used to overpower Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system and enter the nation, including the electrical interference technology that deactivated the border detectors and remote sentries.

The ability of Hamas to evade the interest of the skilled Israeli intelligence services is likely a result of intelligence techniques developed in Iran. Egyptian counterintelligence is probably influenced by Soviet practices because Russia has been effective in selling intelligence techniques all over the world.

Russia has much engaged in multidimensional politics, managing to keep cordial ties with rival and even warring countries in the Middle East, and it will keep doing so. It is doubtful that this will be a drawback.

Putin’s intentions made public?

Putin has a long record of remaining undetected. We take his intentions to be linguistic bluster when he makes them clear to us. Putin is actually describing his ideas to us and testing his ability to carry them out.

The annual Soviet security event, also known as the Valdai International Discussion Club, was missed by the majority of the world’s media. On October 5, Putin gave a speech there. There, he stated that his goal was to establish a new global order that would be” civilization-based approach.” This would acknowledge regional variations and shared interests among populations.

Putin was subtly emulating an American social structure that places a strong emphasis on the culture, specifically the natural environment and its inhabitants. It also echoes Jewish kibbutzim‘s tenets of justice, shared personality, community loyalty, and efforts.

This is an outright rejection of northern autonomy and a declaration of Russia’s allegiance to those in the developing earth.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the left-wing chairman of Ukraine, may be aware that Russia wants the world’s attention to remain focused on Israel and Gaza rather than the Ukraine conflict. Photo: President’s Office of Ukraine

Putin reframed the past 20 years in his speech as Russia attempting to constructively participate in assisting in the resolution of global issues, but he complained that this participation had been interpreted as submission to western expectations and norms. Putin more argued that rather than having everyone adopt Western patterns of economic exploitation and intellectual dominance, the world needed many sources of power and ways of seeing it.

He cited China and India as believable stand-ins for global perspectives and strength. According to Putin’s civilization-based strategy, his invasion of Ukraine is not an attempt by Russia to seize place. Instead, it stands for opposing NATO and the EU’s Euro-Atlantic command.

The message of freedom from colonialism, which common Ukrainians may disagree with, is at the core of Putin’s Valdai speech.

Putin remarked that NATO forces only engage with Muslim countries in the Middle East. Those who are faithful are given security, but not because of their beliefs or customs.

Ok, we can deduce that Putin supports both Jewish and Arab states and that the only people responsible for the ongoing fight between Israel and Palestine are Westerners who give one side an overriding protection guarantee.

Russia’s advantages

The turmoil and tumult in Israel and Gaza benefit Russia, but it is unlikely that it was the cause. Putin need not be to blame for the increase in anxiety, but he won’t be let down if it continues over the next few weeks and months.

Russia also benefits from the distraction it provides for the upcoming US presidential election and poses to a world order already on high alert due to Ukraine, & nbsp, China, Taiwan, Serbia, and Kosovo.

Therefore, despite all of Russia’s war and nuclear losses, day is still on its side as it invades Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine will be quickly influenced by the struggle for control of the White House, an environmentalist US Congress that continues to express concern about additional funding for Ukraine, and the US’s need to support Israel and NBP in the Middle East.

Russia will have the higher hand if the conflict in Ukraine is also raging in 2025.

Professor of knowledge and regional security at the University of Hull, Robert M. Dover.

Under a Creative Commons license, this essay has been republished from The Conversation. read the article in its entirety.

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Calls for new China debt boom miss the big picture

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At a time when President Xi Jinping’s group is veering in the opposite direction, eminent Chinese analyst Yu Yongding is calling for violent financial growth.

Yu, a previous top official from the People’s Bank of China who is currently employed by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, contends that the shift in policy to” apply fiscal and monetary levers to listen to growth and value files” is the” key to success.” Fiscal and monetary expansion are appropriate if both growth and prices are slow.

According to Yu, the intensity of the headwinds affecting China calls for a strong outburst of public spending in particular to regain demand and thwart negative forces. Instead, he worries that Xi’s economic team is overly preoccupied with” supply-side” solutions like tax breaks, which may ultimately harm China. According to Yu,” supply-side economics is more important in China than in the US ,” even though several Western observers would agree.

It’s difficult to imagine that some major observers, least of all representatives of the International Monetary Fund, would agree with Yu on his proposals for fiscal and monetary expansion, aside from Nobel laureate Paul Krugman.

IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas called for” aggressive actions by the regulators” on a number of fronts, not only looser fiscal policy, in his speech on Tuesday in Marrakech.

In order to prevent an increase in financial instability, to ensure that it stays localized in the real estate business and doesn’t spread out into the larger financial system, and to help rebuild household confidence, Gourinchas argued that Xi’s group if” help rebuild struggling home developers.”

The argument made here is that the largest economy in Asia needs to be stabilized through architectural changes and governmental actions. The IMF’s position does not, of course, preclude increased & nbsp, fiscal spending.

Beijing telegraphed moves to increase its budget deficit for 2023 at the same time Gourinchas spoke at an IMF occasion in Morocco, suggesting a new new stimulus may accompany Xi’s supply-side efforts to calm property markets.

According to Bloomberg, Beijing may issue additional sovereign debt totaling up to 1 trillion yuan($ 137 billion ) to fund new infrastructure projects. China’s 2023 budget deficit would increase above the 3 % cap established in March as a result.

Yu, who is concerned that Xi’s inside circle is extremely devoted to the debt-to-gross-internal-policy provisions of the Maastricht Treaty, the founding document for the European Union, may be encouraged by this development. It maintains that the debt to GDP ratio cannot be higher than 3 %.

According to Yu, the People’s Bank of China has been” juggling too many priorities ,” while Beijing has” pursued a careful financial plan.” ” Economic growth, employment, internal and external price stability, & nbsp, financial stability and even allocation of financial resources” are the terms he uses to describe them.

Yu claims that the PBOC has specifically had to react to the housing price index’s seasonal changes. According to Yu,” the PBOC pulls back the financial plan reins if the score rises quickly.” More generally, the PBOC has vowed to stick to a” precision drip – irrigation” approach rather than pursue” flood irrigation ,” which would mean flooding the economy with liquidity.

However, according to Yu, China” unquestionably” could have been experiencing” higher growth over the past ten years with a more intense economic – coverage strategy.” ” China can still obtain a more powerful coming, even though it’s too late to change the history ,” he claims,” but only if it implements carefully thought-out fiscal and monetary expansion focused on increasing powerful require and, ultimately, rise.”

Academician and top colleague Yu Yongding works at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Wikipedia image

The problem is that rather than addressing the root causes of China’s financial andNBSP problems, these plans do more to treat its symptoms.

Yu is not the only person who believes that China’s issue is a lack of speedy sugar highs. Leading mainland macro hedge fund Shanghai Banxia Investment Management Center urged Xi’s team to establish a market stabilization fund on Tuesday in order to put an end to the” vicious cycle” that is undermining shares. Li Bei, the fund’s leader, is essentially looking for a return to direct business interventions of the kind used in 2015.

Li stated in a WeChat article that” the key is to split the damage property – price declines are doing to people, and their trust.”

However, these quick fixes have no effect on China’s economic system, business governance, or capital markets. Additionally, they don’t boost efficiency, advancement, or chances for change in a struggling economy.

Incentives for local governments to create more dynamic business environments, create social safety nets, which are needed to find households to invest more and keep less, or handle the world’s aging population won’t change despite loosening fiscal policy and bailing out markets andnbsp.

Stimulus alone cannot promote the shift away from tomorrow’s investment-heavy, state-owned – enterprise-led growth model and toward a demand-driven economy. It won’t increase the confidence of international buyers to place large bets on China. Additionally, it didn’t help to stabilize the unstable real estate markets that are alarmed owners.

The issue with the real estate market is the most pressing. Country Garden is implying that it won’t be able to fulfill its obligations abroad two centuries after China Evergrande Group filed for bankruptcy. One of China’s largest real estate developers, Country Garden, had an estimated debt pile of$ 116 billion as of 2023.

Despite the numerous easing measures implemented in September, the property business” showed signs of weakening again ,” according to Tu Ling, a Nomura scholar. This was particularly true of low-tier locations, which may have been squeezed even more by the relaxation of regulations in high-territ cities.

According to Zhang Wenlang, an analyst at China International Capital Corp.,” We believe that economic development may continue to be hampered by pressures along the real estate price network, such as sales, property acquisition, and building.”

Similarities to Japan’s negative mortgage crisis in the 1990s have been made due to the scope of the issue. According to Gourinchas of the IMF,” aggressive action is necessary to clean up the real estate business.”

There is a possibility that the issue will rot and get worse if that doesn’t happen, he claims.

Of all, the PBOC may contribute. However, the weak yuan & nbsp may restrict Governor Pan Gongsheng’s ability to further reduce interest rates. That implies that there will undoubtedly be some financial relaxation.

According to scholar Ding Shuang at Standard Chartered Plc,” with CPI falling to depreciation, exports contracting further, and the home business also struggling, we see opportunity for the authorities to make full use of the fiscal space under the approved budget to maintain growth.”

According to economist Thomas Gatley of Gavekal Research, problems facing Evergrande and other designers harm the Taiwanese economy as a whole,” as the recent declines in equity and offshore bond pricing attest ,” going far beyond the strain they place on the companies’ direct lenders.

According to Gatley, there are at least three causes for concern for shareholders regarding the future of Evergrande.

First, he claims that there are now more risks associated with government policy mistakes that” disrupt industry and the market.” ” Mistakes are always possible, and the precarious financial situation of developers makes it difficult to predict or control the flow of events ,” says Gatley.

Two, there is still the” potential for further damage to cover – market sentiment, which is already anxious.” Third, Gatley claims that” as engineers delay or default on payments to their manufacturers, the financial strain of house builders is spilling over onto another companies.”

By the middle of 2023, China’s listed designers jointly owed their suppliers 3.4 trillion renminbi( US$ 466 billion ) in business payables. Evergrande only is worth$ 82 billion in the US.

In short, according to Gatley,” the struggles of China’s real estate developers have now drained trillions of rmb of liquidity from the economy andnbsp, and if things get worse for developers, so will the monetary drag on associated industries.”

Therefore, economists like Yu downplay the urgent need for the supply-side rebellion.

Vitor Gaspar, chairman of financial affairs for the IMF, approached the issue from a different angle this week in Marrakech. According to Gaspar, both China and the US are getting less value for their signal investment.

According to Gaspar, the US and China’s budget deficits, which range from 6 % to 7 % of GDP over the course of the period up to 2028, are what are really driving them. However, for both of the world’s two largest markets,” growth has slowed and the medium-term leads are the weakest in some day.”

The opacity built into the Communist Party’s growth model, including the explosion of off-balance-sheet borrowing via local government financing vehicles ( LGFVs ) since the late 2000s, is a major concern in China.

Lower China’s long-standing emphasis on real estate and massive infrastructure projects for growth, according to Gaspar, is the current top priority. According to Gaspar,” The concern for China is development, balance, and innovation.”

According to Gaspar,” China” has” enough coverage space” and” many options” to switch to a new development model that prioritizes domestic need over exports and investment. He cites development in the electric vehicle industry and other energy markets as examples of those options.

Encourage households to eat more and keep less must be the main focus. According to Eric Khaw, older portfolio manager at Nikko Asset Management,” China’s huge benefits imbalance is the trouble now.” The savings rate is significantly higher than the purchase price, which has been impacted by a liberal decline in investment demand, and China currently has one of the highest savings rates in the region.

This implies, according to Khaw,” that China, with its surplus discounts, will need to have higher purchase.” You can see that the overall level of personal loan is lower than that of the US, South Korea, Japan, and many other nations if you look at it.

He also notes that, based on IMF information, China’s public debt is only about 71 %. ” Relatively less than those of the US and Japan ,” to put it mildly. Therefore, in our opinion, there is a lot of room to raise the nation’s purchase rate.

According to Khaw,” more borrowing and lending will need to be done for China’s economic mediation the bigger the discounts.” Saving must either be invested domestically or borrowed internationally. China used to be able to export its extra benefits worldwide. However, politics then place restrictions on Chinese imports. Saving might be the only option available to the Chinese authorities.

Therefore, claims like Yu’s that a debt-fueled signal growth is necessary to return to 6 % only serve to continue the boom-bust period that the Xi team is trying to break. In order to win China’s financial game, fresh and disruptive policies must be taken on, rather than being reliant on tried-and-true safeguards.

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Why Hamas needs terror, escalation and global disruption

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Hamas’ assault on Israel exemplifies the nature of violence in many ways. Hundreds of people have been killed and abducted as a result of the team’s size incursions into Israeli towns. When it comes to inciting feelings of despair and escalating the situation, the book seems to have done this.

However, it also serves as a reminder that violence depends on the unique circumstances of the condition from which it arises, and that its effects frequently extend well beyond national borders, as pioneering antiterrorism expert Martha Crenshaw teaches.

Three of the many measurements that could be made are noteworthy. Terrorism is first and foremost a greatly developed form of psychological warfare by character.

Compared to disease, automobile accidents, and cardiovascular diseases, violence kills far fewer people, but polls consistently indicate that many people are still very worried about it.

Privacy, fraud, and surprise are the foundations of terrorism. Extremism is like a stage for getting media attention, so whenever possible, it should be impressive, destructive, and uncontrolled.

For terrorists, striking on symbolic dates and saturating the internet with creative, bone-chilling videos( including fake ones ) is essential. It gives them the ability to exaggerate events and give life to person’s worst nightmares. In this feeling, Hamas handled everything.

As alarms sounded behind and Hamas rocket attacks were launched from the Gaza Strip, smoke billowed over private Israeli neighborhoods. NDTV Screengrab picture

ability and desire

Second, the likelihood of a terrorist strike depends on the desire and skills of jihadists, as well as popular counter-terrorism scientist Boaz Ganor has argued.

Hamas evidently still has an unyielding, partially spiritual motivation despite the ceasefire that was agreed upon at the end of the 2014 Gaza battle. Its founding charter, which states that” There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad ,” is consistent with its use of violence. Global events, activities, and ideas are all a waste of time.

However, in addition to having a very strong desire that justifies mass murder, Hamas also possesses numerous capabilities, such as weapons, money, intelligence, and political coverage, much of which is provided by Iran.

The team’s arsenal includes paragliders to avoid more technologically advanced defense systems as well as less traditional methods to improve casualties, such as bulldozers that tear down fences.

Hamas is alleged to have used tunnels, booby traps and hundreds of individuals who are not always affiliated with the group but are still prepared to fight to the death to elicit lethal resistance from Israeli troops in past conflicts. Israel may anticipate a comparable outcome if it invades Gaza once more.

Its criminal attacks are quite likely to continue cyclically because it has the capacity to fight a protracted conflict and the desire to eliminate as many people as possible.

eliciting a response

Second, the attack emphasizes terrorism’s desire for reaction and escalation, particularly in light of the group that commits it receiving dwindling domestic and international assistance.

Hamas probably needs this increase in a twisted method. Growing numbers of Gazan citizens have apparently been protesting the team’s leadership in recent weeks, accusing it of corruption and failing to improve living conditions.

Most importantly, however, because it would immediately negate Israel’s anti-Israel stance, the growing likelihood of an arrangement between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a serious blow to Hamas’ reputation within the Muslim world.

Hamas can divert Palestinian attention from its issues and gain points in its competition with the rival Palestinian Authority ( PA ) now that it has successfully incited Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed” mighty revenge.”

Hamas did quell criticism from PA and others in the West Bank, who will never support Israel, if Israel attacks, by uniting the Arab people behind its symbol. The Israeli-Saudi agreement is probably going to fall apart.

Iran: Hezbollah supporters display images of the late defense leader Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated by Israeli cleverness in 2020, to commemorate the Hama’s strategy. Abedin Taherkenareh, EPA, EFE via The Conversation, and nbsp

There’s more. Hezbollah, the criminal organization in charge of the area, also wants to escalate the conflict, so it could spread to southern Lebanon since well.

Due to accusations of corruption, involvement in the Palestinian conflict, and tampering with the criminal investigation into the 2020 Beirut port fire, Hezbollah, like Hamas, has been losing control over various facets of Palestinian society.

Iran may also view war as a fantastic opportunity to weaken Israel and severely jeopardize pacts with Saudi Arabia, Tehran’s another major regional rival.

Israel runs the risk of becoming mired in a terrible, protracted fight in which its soldiers must search door-to-door for Hamas agents. By turning them into Palestine’s sole, genuine supporters in the eyes of its people, this may cause hundreds, if not hundreds, of deaths and accomplish what Hamas and Hezbollah seek.

Numerous soul-searching concerns are frequently raised by large-scale, sensationalized criminal problems. This may require re-examining knowledge sharing and analysis functions in the case of Israel and its supporters.

What are the best ways to combat this kind of violence, and what does success actually entail? They might come to the conclusion that a defense reaction is crucial as the idea of winning becomes more and more hazy. However, nobody will try to escape this by bombing or using the officers.

Michele Groppi teaches security studies at the Defense Studies Department of King’s College London.

Under a Creative Commons license, this post has been republished from The Conversation. Read the original publication.

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Circular closes US.6 mil funding to spearhead consumer tech subscriptions in APAC 

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Circular’s overall value is now US$ 30 million thanks to money.Will expand & nbsp, products in Singapore, hasten expansion in AustraliaCircular, a subscription service backed by Y Combinator that specializes in high-end consumer electronics, has successfully shut down its seed & nbsp, round & nBsP, of$ 7.6 million. Investors from YC…Continue Reading

Singapore’s Circular closes US.6 mil funding to spearhead consumer tech subscriptions in APAC 

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Circular’s overall evaluation now stands at US$ 30 million thanks to money.Funds will be donated to & nbsp, which will expand its offerings in Singapore and Australia.Circular, a subscription service that specializes in high-end consumer electronics and is supported by Y Combinator, has successfully closed its seed funding round and secured…Continue Reading

Gatherings banned around Government House

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8 October 2023 at 18: 30 PUBLISHED

Gatherings banned around Government House
P – Move protesters congregate on October 5 near Government House. ( Image: Chanat Katanyu)

As the People’s Movement for a Just Society ( P – Move ) outside parliament enters its second week, police have outlawed all public gatherings within 50 meters of Government House until Wednesday.

No meetings may be permitted near Government House to avoid disrupting the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to an announcement made by Pol Lt. Gen. Thiti Saengsawang, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, on Saturday.

Officers will block access to Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, which runs from Makawan Rangsan Bridge to the Misakawan intersection, as well as Phitsanulok Road between the House and Phanichayakarn Road, according to a source with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration( BMA ).

The action is being taken as P – Move’s protest, which started on October 2, shows no signs of slowing down. The party has set up camp outside Government House to require that the Pheu Thai-led administration honor the commitments it made to the group in February.

The team’s nine requirements, which include giving rural populations more say in the management of local sources, fair and equal treatment for marginalized communities in property issues, and universal basic income, were taken into consideration by the state, according to the party.

The party moved their dissent from the UN’s Thailand business to the doors of Government House on October 4.

The Minister of Agriculture, Captain Thammanat Prompow, has been given the task of negotiating with P – Move, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. This year, the agriculture minister did record to the government, he said.

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Gatherings banned around Govt House amid P-Move protest

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8 October 2023 at 18: 30 PUBLISHED

Gatherings banned around Govt House amid P-Move protest
P – Move protesters congregate on October 5 near Government House. ( Image: Chanat Katanyu)

As the People’s Movement for a Just Society ( P-MOVE) outside of parliament enters its second week, police have outlawed all public gatherings within 50 meters of Government House until Wednesday.

No meetings may be permitted near Government House to avoid disrupting the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to an statement made by Pol Lt. Gen. Thiti Saengsawang, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, on Saturday.

Officers will block access to Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, which runs from Makawan Rangsan Bridge to the Misakawan intersection, as well as Phitsanulok Road between the House and Phanichayakarn Road, according to a source in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration( BMA ).

The action is being taken as P – Move’s protest, which started on October 2, shows no signs of slowing down. To demand that the Pheu Thai-led state keep the commitments it made to the party in February, they have set up camp outside Government House.

The team’s nine requirements, which include giving rural populations more say in the management of local sources, fair and equal treatment for marginalized communities in property issues, and universal basic income, were taken into consideration by the state, according to the party.

The party moved their dissent from the UN’s Thailand business to the doors of Government House on October 4.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai announced that Capt. Thammanat Prompow, the Minister of Agriculture, had been given the task of negotiating with P – Move. This year, the agriculture minister may present a report to the cupboard, he said.

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Ukraine’s emerging modern military-industrial complex

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Ukraine, which has been devastated by war, is violently reshaping its defense sector in an effort to shed its state-burdened Russian legacy and transform into a modern producer that complies with NATO standards and capabilities and keeps an eye on international arms markets.

In an effort to lessen its present significant reliance on foreign hands, Ukraine wants to become one of the world’s largest arms producers, according to multiplemediaoutlets last month.

Security ministers from Britain and France as well as the secretary general of NATO traveled to Kiev to promote improving Ukraine’s home arms manufacturing capabilities. 20 representatives from the French arms sector were sent by the country’s security chief.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, just announced the formation of the Defense Industries Alliance, which includes 13 major producers of arms. This includes making plans to establish a specific finance to fund the alliance through the purchase of seized Russian assets and dividends received from condition defense funds.

European countries are having trouble keeping their promises to Ukraine’s weapons, especially weaponry ammunition. To address the shortage, the US government has signed deals to establish new production facilities for artillery shells.

Recently, manufacturing facilities for German Rheinmetall and British BAE Systems, which concentrate on armoured vehicles and gun, have also been established in Ukraine.

In the US and Europe, open aid for arming Ukraine is dwindling. In order to fend off Russia’s military assault, Ukraine is being forced to create its own cutting-edge war technology. & nbsp,

Ukraine inherited a sizable portion of the Russian military and defense industries, but over time, major downsizing was brought about by unfavorable financial conditions and perceived ostentation.

Denys Kiryukhin notes in an article published in August 2018 for the Foreign Policy Research Institute( FPRI ) that Ukraine received a sizable military arsenal following the fall of the Soviet Union, including 780 000 soldiers, 6, 500 tanks, 1, 100 combat aircraft, 500 ships, 176 intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBM ), and 1, 000 tactical nuclear weapons.

Ukraine is using the conflict as an opportunity to establish relationships with Western arms producers in the protection sector. UNI Potential image

According to Kiryukhin, Russian officials at the time felt that this large military was unnecessary and decided to scale back military personnel and structures. The nation even renounced nuclear weapons as a result of US-led international pressure.

According to Kiryukhin, Ukraine had three military objectives prior to 2014: combat terrorism, take part in peacekeeping operations, and, if necessary, combat regional wars. He points out that while Ukraine’s special operations forces and swift reaction were properly developed, the majority of its military was still in poor shape.

He points out that the Ukrainian military had 700 tanks, 170 combat aircraft, and 22 warships— a formidable but underpowered force — prior to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. In response to losing Crimea to Russia, Ukraine started significant military reforms to restore its dismantled military and adjust it with NATO standards.

According to a report from the US Congressional Research Service( CRS) from January 2022, Ukraine’s defense sector is capable of producing boats, missiles, electronics, vehicles, and other types of security equipment. Ukroboronprom, which manages over 130 state-owned firms, is in charge of the sector.

While Russian officials want to reform Ukroboronprom and increase transparency, such as by passing the On Defense Procurement legislation in July 2020, the CRS review notes that problem, inefficiency, conflict, and opacity continue to pose serious obstacles to development and the application of NATO’s high standards.

The Russian security industry’s decline is due to its historical reliance on Russia, according to Thomas Laffitte in a September 2022 issue of FPRI. Since 2014, bilateral trade has been disrupted, which has led to numerous issues for producers who have had to find new suppliers. He adds that the harm done since Russia’s war in February 2022 has also had a negative impact on Russian manufacturing facilities.

Despite these difficulties, Paul McLeary notes in a Politico article published in December 2022 that NATO is creating an ambitious 10-year plan to rebuild Ukraine’s security sector as part of an ongoing commitment to bring the nation closer to the coalition in terms of training and equipment.

Top NATO consolidation officials have now gathered to discuss ways to support the Russian defense industry while replenishing stocks of weapons and equipment donated to Kiev since the start of the war, according to McLeary. The goal is to move away from Russian equipment and toward NATO-compatible American gear.

In a June 2023 issue of Defense News, Jaroslaw Adamowski observes that Russian defense companies are looking to collaborate with Western suppliers to produce collaborative weapons, with many of them posing as war veterans and selling themselves as such. According to Adamowski, Ukroboronprom is working on shared projects with a number of NATO people, including France, Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, and two unnamed partners.

Adamowski pointed out that Ukroboronprom and Rheinmetall, two German companies, have agreed to repair vehicles, with the previous hoping to gain a foothold in Ukraine through additional services. Cooperation, he says, could make it easier for technology to be transferred to Ukraine and used to make” select” Rheinmetall products.

Additionally, he mentions the strengthening of ties between Poland and Ukraine’s defense sector, which has promised Ukroboronprom exposure to production facilities through PGZ, the state-owned defence company of Poland. In order to launch new production traces to produce 125mm pond shells for Ukraine’s government in April of this year, PGZ and Ukroboronprom company Artem, according to Adamowsi, signed a contract.

Adamowski also mentioned that Petr Pavel, the president of the Czech Republic, had stated that his nation would think about giving Ukraine some of its L-159 developed light combat aircraft. The F / A-259 Striker aircraft that Czech aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody, which also produces the L-159, developed with Israel Aerospace Industries, will be produced in the future as part of a joint venture between the two governments.

The intricate and expanding network of defense industries between Ukraine and its allies has the potential to spark a global arms sales boom as Europe rebuilds its arsenals and arms dealers search for attractive emerging markets.

The Ukraine War has created excellent marketing options for arms dealers and substantially boosted the arms industry, according to Connor Echols in an article for Responsible Statecraft published in February 2023.

According to Echols, the long-term effects could include the development of a” multipolar” arms business, with the trend toward supply chain safety and resilience diversification away from one or two major suppliers.

Echols points out that American sanctions have recently caused a decline in the Russian security sector, enabling the US to maintain its position as the world’s top arms producer.

Foreign buyers can purchase Ukraine’s Vilkha multiple launch rocket system( MLRS ). Photo: Twitter

He claims that as a result, traditional buyers of Russian munitions like India have grown afraid and have begun to look to other countries, like France and the US, for assistance. He adds that emerging vendors like Turkey and South Korea have been able to display their arms as a result of Russia’s declining share of the global hands business.

In the case of Ukraine, Adamowski observes in a Defense News article from September 2022 that the ongoing conflict has aided it in marketing goods like its Skif and Corsar anti-tank guided missiles( ATGM ) to foreign consumers.

He points out that Ukraine recently sold its Neptune anti-ship missiles, which were renowned for sinking Russia’s Moskva cruiser, to Indonesia as well as its Vilkha multiple launch rocket system( MLRS ) to Egypt. & nbsp,

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