Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft until July 23
FILE PHOTO: View of a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane at Islamabad International Airport, Pakistan October 3, 2023. Pakistan has extended an airspace ban on Indian aircraft until July 23. - Reuters
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended an airspace ban on Indian aircraft until July 23, the Pakistan Airports Authority said on Monday (June 23), a month after the two countries agreed to a ceasefire following a military conflict.
Pakistan's previous restrictions on Indian aircraft were set to expire on June 24.
Tensions flared following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir in April, eventually triggering the worst military conflict in nearly three decades between the nuclear-armed rivals before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. - Reuters
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The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Tourism dip fuels worst stock drop in Asia
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The Star
an hour ago
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Fearing war with Russia, Finland hardens NATO's north frontier
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The 2022 assault on Ukraine hardened 47-year-old Latto's perception of Russia. "What if they decide to come and change the border, just like they went to Ukraine," said Latto, who runs a small business assembling neon signs and billboards. He recalled Soviet attempts to invade during World War Two, and how Finland was forced to cede approximately 10% of its territory to Russia, including Ayrapaa, a nearby municipality that his grandfather died defending in 1944. The countries each insist they pose no threat to the other. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said some level of Russian buildup is a normal response to Helsinki's accession to NATO, which more than doubled the length of Russia's border with the alliance. However, a Finnish government defence report late last year described "a heightened risk of an armed conflict," citing the development of Russia's military capabilities since the start for the war in Ukraine, and saying Moscow had ambitions to create a "buffer zone" from the Arctic to Southern Europe. Finland has since announced plans to stockpile landmines. It banned Finnish-Russian dual nationals from flying drones and Russians from buying property, and last week warned that mobile signals were disrupted in regions near Russia. "Finland is responsible for over half of the entire land border between NATO countries and Russia," Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen posted on X on Thursday, saying the country's defence posture was to ensure the border "remains inviolable." Finland's presidency declined to comment for this story. Russia's foreign ministry did not respond to a comment request. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday denied any plans to attack NATO. He said he did not see NATO rearmament as a threat. After Finland joined the alliance, Moscow announced plans to strengthen military capacity in Russia's west and northwest. The activities of the Finnish reservists, who also use firearms in target practice, are voluntary, although most have completed Finland's long-standing mandatory male conscription. More than 50,000 Finns take part in such clubs, up by about a third since before the Ukraine war, according to the Finnish Reservists' Association, with a similar increase in the number of reservists called up by the military for refresher training. Even older members of Latto's band of volunteers could see service in a crisis, as Finland raises the reserve's upper age limit to 65 to add 125,000 troops to a wartime army, and to take the number of reservists to one million by 2031. He welcomed the extended military service, saying older reservists could be drone or radar operators. 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"I saw it differently – money was coming into the town," said Tarvainen, who is now looking for online shoppers to replace Russian footfall. Oksana Serebriakova, 50, whose grandfather was Finnish, moved to Lappeenranta from Moscow after the COVID-19 pandemic looking for better opportunities for her 17-year-old son Vitalik. Her older son and the boys' father stayed in the Russian capital, with plans for frequent visits. The border closure has split the family, creating "a very sad situation," said Serebriakova, who is studying for a business administration diploma at a local vocational college. The migration problem "could have been solved" with measures such as strict checks at entry points similar to airports, she suggested. Finland has around 38,000 dual citizens, official data shows, considerably less than other countries bordering Russia. About 420,000 Finns who lived in territory ceded to Russia after World War Two settled in Finland. Ivan Deviatkin, a local politician who has a son in Finland and an ageing mother in Russia, unsuccessfully challenged the border closure in Finland's courts. Nine plaintiffs now have a complaint pending hearing at the European Court of Human Rights, which has asked Finland to justify the shutdown. 'RE-BORDERING' For decades after World War Two, Finland gradually opened trade and travel connections with Russia. Now though, the E18 motorway that links Helsinki and St. Petersburg ends abruptly at metal barricades at the border, as do other previously busy roads. Finland closed the frontier over the arrivals of undocumented migrants in 2023, which Helsinki viewed as a Russian policy response to its accession to NATO. Moscow said it was abiding by rules and that Finland had adopted an anti-Russia stance. 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Behind the border, satellite images show Russia beginning some work on garrisons, including building new warehouses. A senior government official aware of Finland's military planning described such work as minor and not a threat. Finland has long had a strong military. It has ordered 64 U.S.-made F-35s to modernise its fighter jet fleet. It has the largest artillery arsenal in Western Europe, another official said. The sources requested anonymity to speak about sensitive matters. It is important "to signal credibly to Russia that it's not worth it," said Chatham House associate fellow Minna Alander, whose research includes work on Finnish and Northern European security. She said Finland was not a threat to Russia. "NATO will never attack Russia, and I believe they know this," Alander said. The new NATO northern headquarters will host around 50 officers from countries including the U.S. and UK together with the Finnish Army Command, in the eastern Finnish town of Mikkeli, a two-hour drive from the border. "In the event that we ever moved into a conflict, this headquarters would be working alongside NATO forces in a command and control role," Brigadier Chris Gent of the Allied Land Command told Reuters on a visit in Finland. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Lappeenranta, Imatra and Helsinki; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
The Star
2 hours ago
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"A scrap of paper": Philippine VP Duterte wants impeachment complaint dismissed
FILE PHOTO: Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte delivers a statement in her office at Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines, February 7, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez/File Photo MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has described the impeachment complaint against her as "nothing more than a scrap of paper" in her formal response to the Senate, saying the case was baseless and should be dismissed for being unconstitutional. The impeachment, widely seen as a test of political alliances, comes amid an acrimonious falling out between Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr that has sparked a broader power struggle ahead of the 2028 presidential election. Marcos, who has distanced himself from the case, is limited to a single term but is expected to groom a successor to run. Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is viewed as a strong rival contender if she avoids impeachment. "The Vice President enters a plea of not guilty, without waiving any of her jurisdictional and other objections over the charges," Duterte said in a submission dated June 23. She dismissed the accusations against her as baseless, calling them "exaggerations and speculations that are not supported by evidence" in the 34-page response to the Senate. In February, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Duterte for betrayal of public trust and high crimes, sending the case to the Senate. On June 11, the Senate returned the case to the House shortly after convening as an impeachment court. The Senate also ordered Duterte to respond to the allegations in the case, including that she had plotted to assassinate Marcos and others based on a statement she made in November about hiring an assassin. She is also accused of misusing public funds both as vice president and during her stint as education secretary. As well as saying there was nothing substantive for her to answer in the case, Duterte argued the impeachment complaint was the fourth filed against her, with the three earlier ones not acted on by the lower house. This, she said, violated a constitutional safeguard against more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a year, reiterating the arguments she used in asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the complaint. That case is ongoing. "There are no statements of ultimate facts in the Fourth Impeachment complaint. Stripped of its 'factual' and legal conclusions, it is nothing more than a scrap of paper," Duterte's reply said. She faces a lifetime political ban if convicted. Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, a member of the impeachment prosecution panel, confirmed the lower house had received Duterte's reply to the Senateon Monday. "The entire prosecution team is currently studying each and every allegation contained in the answer. Certainly, we will be filing a reply within 5 days from receipt as provided in the rules," Luistro said in a phone message. (Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair)
