Russia ratifies N Korea pact
Moscow, Nov 6: The upper house of Russian parliament on Wednesday ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes as the US has confirmed the deployment of 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia. The “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,” which Russian President Vladimir Putin signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a visit to Pyongyang in June, obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” if either is attacked. It marked the strongest link between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. The pact’s endorsement by the upper house, the Federation Council, follows its ratification by the lower house, the State Duma, on Oct 24. On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers were in Russia’s Kursk region and were preparing to join Moscow’s fight against Ukraine. If they engage in combat, it would be North Korea’s first participation in a large-scale conflict since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Moscow and Pyongyang have responded vaguely to South Korean and Western claims of the North Korean troop deployment to Russia, emphasizing that their military cooperation conforms with international law. (AP)
Philippine forces retake island in mock combat
Thitu Island (South China Sea), Nov 6: Philippine forces retook an island in the South China Sea Wednesday in the first such combat exercise in the disputed waters as Chinese navy ships kept watch from a distance, the Philippine military chief said. Gen Romeo Brawner Jr, who witnessed the drills from a navy frigate, said the exercise underscored the readiness of Filipino forces to defend the country’s sovereignty at all costs. “We are warning our neighbours or whoever or any external forces that we are capable of defending our islands,” Brawner told a small group of journalists invited to the exercises. There were no immediate comments from Chinese officials, but they have opposed past war drills in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. (AP)
IMF team to visit Pak ahead of schedule to review bailout
Islamabad, Nov 5: The International Monetary Fund will dispatch a review mission to Pakistan earlier than scheduled to assess its progress under the USD 7 billion bailout package agreed upon last month as the cash-strapped nation strives to meet its budget targets and address economic challenges. The IMF team is expected to arrive next week, four months ahead of its planned visit, apparently due to concerns over the implementation of the agreed-upon reforms between the two sides and assess Pakistan’s eligibility for the next tranche of the bailout package. According to a report published in The Express Tribune, the IMF mission’s early arrival underscores the importance of the programme for the IMF management and board members, while providing an opportunity to reassess targets that, according to Pakistani authorities, may have already become irrelevant one month after the loan’s approval. (PTI)