
Pakistan says India has "ignited an inferno in the region" following strikes
Pressure is mounting on India and Pakistan to pull back from the brink of a wider conflict, after New Delhi launched strikes on several targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Islamabad accused New Delhi of 'igniting an inferno in the region' and says it reserved the right to respond 'at a time, place and manner of its choosing'. Ishan Garg, Hira Mustafa and Tan Yew Guan report.

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Expanding missile threats and airspace closures are straining airlines, World News
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"Compared to five years ago, more than half of the countries being overflown on a typical Europe-Asia flight would now need to be carefully reviewed before each flight," said Mark Zee, founder of OpsGroup, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths — some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers. Russian airports, including in Moscow, are now regularly shut down for brief periods due to drone activity, while interference with navigation systems, known as GPS spoofing or jamming, is surging around political fault lines worldwide. When hostilities broke out between India and Pakistan last month, the neighbours blocked each other's aircraft from their respective airspace. "Airspace should not be used as a retaliatory tool, but it is," Nick Careen, International Air Transport Association (IATA) senior vice president for operations, safety and security, told reporters at the airline body's annual meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Isidre Porqueras, chief operating officer at Indian carrier IndiGo, said the recent diversions were undoing efforts to reduce emissions and increase airline efficiencies. Worst-case scenario Finances aside, civil aviation's worst-case scenario is a plane being hit, accidentally or intentionally, by weaponry. In December, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. The plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defences, according to Azerbaijan's president and Reuters sources. In October, a cargo plane was shot down in Sudan, killing five people. Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally, with three near-misses since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions. Governments need to share information more effectively to keep civil aviation secure as conflict zones proliferate, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said this week. Safety statistics used by the commercial aviation industry show a steady decline in accidents over the past two decades, but these do not include security-related incidents such as being hit by weaponry. IATA said in February that accidents and incidents related to conflict zones were a top concern for aviation safety requiring urgent global coordination. Tough choices Each airline decides where to travel based on a patchwork of government notices, security advisers, and information-sharing between carriers and states, leading to divergent policies. The closure of Russian airspace to most Western carriers since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 put them at a cost disadvantage compared to airlines from places like China, India and the Middle East that continue to take shorter northern routes that need less fuel and fewer crew. Shifting risk calculations mean Singapore Airlines' flight SQ326 from Singapore to Amsterdam has used three different routes into Europe in just over a year, Flightradar24 tracking data shows. When reciprocal missile and drone attacks broke out between Iran and Israel in April 2024, it started crossing previously avoided Afghanistan instead of Iran. Last month, its route shifted again to avoid Pakistan's airspace as conflict escalated between India and Pakistan. Flight SQ326 now reaches Europe via the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Singapore Airlines did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Pilots and flight attendants are also worried about how the patchwork of shifting risk might impact their safety. "IATA says airlines should decide if it's safe to fly over conflict zones, not regulators. But history shows commercial pressures can cloud those decisions," said Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots. Flight crew typically have the right to refuse a trip due to concerns about airspace, whether over weather or conflict zones, IATA security head Careen said. "Most airlines, in fact, I would say the vast majority of them, do not want crew on an aircraft if they don't feel comfortable flying," he said. [[nid:717677]]


CNA
11 hours ago
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Former Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean resigns from GIC board of directors
SINGAPORE: Former Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean has resigned from GIC's board of directors and as chairman of its international advisory board, effective Jun 30, said the sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday (Jun 10). Mr Teo, 70, retired from politics in April and did not contest in the recent General Election. Temasek Holdings announced last week that he will succeed Mr Lim Boon Heng as its fifth chairman. He will first join Temasek's board as deputy chairman on Jul 1, before taking the reins on Oct 9. Mr Teo served on the GIC Board for 14 years. He was first appointed as a director in December 2010 and assumed the role of chairman of its International Advisory Board in April 2015. 'During his tenure, Mr Teo helped GIC navigate significant developments including the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating technology and climate change, as well as rising geopolitical uncertainty,' said GIC in a news release. In a letter to Mr Teo, Senior Minister and Chairman of GIC Lee Hsien Loong wrote: "On behalf of the board of directors, management, and staff of GIC, I wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for your invaluable contributions on the GIC board for 14 years." As a director, Mr Teo helped steer GIC's long-term investment strategy and policies, said Mr Lee. "Your insights on geopolitical developments and risks have guided GIC's global investment strategies and the development of its investment framework, as GIC responded to an increasingly complex global environment," he added. CEO of GIC Lim Chow Kiat added: "Mr Teo generously contributed his wealth of experience in public policy and global affairs to GIC. "His geopolitical insights were particularly important, given the growing complexity and salience of these issues for GIC." He added that Mr Teo's dedication to Singapore was an invaluable asset, helping the sovereign wealth fund to sharpen its investment discipline and organisational values. 'On behalf of the board and GIC, I extend our deep appreciation for his service and wish him well in his future roles.' Mr Teo made his political debut in 1992 when he was part of a People's Action Party team that contested and won a by-election in Marine Parade GRC. He then moved to contest Pasir Ris GRC during the 1997 polls and was subsequently re-elected in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC five times. During his time in government, Mr Teo helmed the home affairs, defence, education and environment ministries, among other roles. A core member of Singapore's third-generation leadership team, he later served as deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2019 before being appointed as senior minister. The political veteran also held the role of coordinating minister for national security from 2011 and oversaw other portfolios, such as the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group and the National Climate Change Secretariat, until he stepped down from politics.