Latest news with #military
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cha Eun-woo's camp asks fans not to send letters and gifts
1 Aug - As singer and actor Cha Eun-woo enlisted in the military, his agency Fantagio requested that fans refrain from sending him letters and gifts. On 29 July, through the official fan cafe, the agency announced, "We are well aware of the feelings of Alohas who want to send messages of support to Cha Eun-woo, but military units have difficulty managing large volumes of letters and mail, and there is a risk of loss, so we ask that you refrain from delivering letters and mail." They continued, "Please note that if military life is disrupted due to gift delivery, a penalty may inevitably be imposed at the company level. In addition, all gifts delivered to military units and military-related locations will be disposed of." Meanwhile, Cha Eun-woo entered the Nonsan Army Training Center in South Chungcheong Province on 28 July and began basic military training. After completing training, he will serve as an active-duty soldier in the Army Band. His discharge date is set for 27 January 2027. (Photo Source: Cha Eun-woo IG, Koreaboo)
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Russia Claims Capture of Chasiv Yar after 16-Month Battle
Russia said on Thursday it had captured the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, opening the way for potential further advances. Russia's Defense Ministry said in a brief statement its forces had "liberated" the town. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the claim as "disinformation". A Ukrainian military spokesperson called it "propaganda". But a video posted by a Russian military unit and verified by Reuters showed a Russian paratroop banner and the national flag being raised by soldiers in the desolate ruins of the town. Russia has been slowly grinding forward in eastern Ukraine as talks to end the 3-1/2 year war have failed to make progress towards a ceasefire, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten new sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports from next week. Moscow's forces are also mounting intense pressure on the city of Pokrovsk, 60 km (37 miles) southwest of Chasiv Yar. Military analyst Emil Kastehelmi, co-founder of the Finland-based Black Bird Group, said it was likely that battles were continuing near Chasiv Yar. "The terrain of Chasiv Yar has favored the defender. Forested areas, waterways, hills and a varied building stock have enabled Ukraine to conduct a defensive operation lasting over a year, in which the Russians have made minimal monthly progress," he told Reuters. GRADUAL ADVANCE Kastehelmi said it was likely that the town's fall, if confirmed, would create conditions for Russia to advance further in eastern Ukraine, but still only gradually. "The fall of the city to the enemy is nevertheless a challenging situation for Ukraine, as it will bring the Russians closer to Kostiantynivka, which Russia is now approaching from several directions," he said. "The logistics in the area will also be affected, as Russians can bring drone teams even closer." Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, said Ukrainian units around Chasiv Yar were "defending our positions. Every Russian attempt at advancing in Donetsk region, in Sumy, in Kharkiv is thwarted in the end." Quoting a report from top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskiy said the most intensive battles were still near Pokrovsk. Ukrainian forces, he said, were repelling Russian sabotage and reconnaissance parties. The popular Ukrainian blog DeepState, which uses open-source materials to track the movements of Russian forces, also denied that Moscow's forces were in control of Chasiv Yar. The battle for Chasiv Yar began in April last year, when Russian paratroopers reached its eastern edge. Russian state media reported then that Russian soldiers had begun phoning their Ukrainian counterparts inside the town to demand they surrender or be wiped out by aerial guided bombs. The town, now destroyed, had a pre-war population of more than 12,000 and its economy was based around a factory that produced reinforced concrete products and clay used in bricks. It lies just west of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in 2023 after one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
State to use EU defence regulation to jointly purchase body armour
Ireland seeking to link with other EU countries to purchase advanced body armour for its soldiers in order to reduce the price and speed up procurement. The move is the State's first use of a major new EU defence initiative that allows member states to jointly procure military equipment as the bloc seeks to rapidly rearm in the face of Russian aggression. The EU regulation, known as Security Action for Europe (Safe), relaxes procurement rules for defence purchases and allows countries to work together to develop and acquire military capacities. Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has sought Irish participation in Safe to help him meet the Government's goal to rapidly expand the size and capabilities of the Defence Forces by 2030. READ MORE Participation in Safe will allow Ireland to buy military equipment in co-operation with other EU countries. Since announcing Irish participation a month ago, the Government has faced accusations that it is part of a concerted attempt to undermine Irish military neutrality and shore up the European arms industry. The first Irish use of Safe will be relatively modest; partners will be sought to join an Irish procurement process for 'integrated modular body-armour systems' (Imbas) for all Irish troops. However, it is expected the instrument will also be used for the acquisition of much larger purchases, including sonar equipment, artillery and armoured personnel carriers. Other projects include the purchase of ammunition and drones. The Irish part of the body armour contract will be worth about €16.5 million. An EU-based company is being sought to manufacture 6,000 units. The Defence Forces hope to start taking delivery of the new armour by the end of the year. 'This step is a demonstration of Ireland's commitment to the aims and objectives of the Safe regulation,' Mr Harris said. 'It illustrates, in a very practical way, how this instrument can be used to the mutual benefit of those member states who choose to use it.' The Safe initiative is a core pillar of the European Commission's ReArm Europe Plan, which aims to inject €800 billion into the EU's defence industry over the coming years. As well as speeding up procurement, it makes €150 billion available to member states, in the form of low-interest, long-term loans, to rapidly increase defence spending. The Government has not decided if it will apply for these loans. A decision is expected shortly. Mr Harris said he looks forward 'to exploring opportunities afforded by the regulation to enhance the capabilities of our Defence Forces'. The new body-armour system was designed in house by the Defence Forces Ordnance Corps, to replace the ageing ceramic armour currently used by troops. 'It will provide enhanced levels of ballistic and fragmentation protection for Defence Forces personnel, reflecting current proven developments in standards, materials and end user ergonomics,' the Department of Defence said. 'Our troops face dangerous situations both at home and overseas as they train and operate to defend our State and contribute to global peace keeping operations,' said the new Defence Forces chief of staff Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy. 'It is vital that they are equipped with a body-armour system that protects them and enables them to operate in a dynamic and challenging environment for prolonged periods of time.'
CNA
4 hours ago
- Health
- CNA
Indonesia's military set to produce drugs for public use to lower prices. Will it cause more headaches?
JAKARTA: Indonesia's plan for the military to produce medicines for public use has sparked alarm among health experts, who question whether the armed forces possess the required expertise and safety protocols. Although facilities run by the army, navy and air force already produce drugs for their soldiers, experts question if they can meet the standards of modern pharmaceutical production. On Jul 22, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin signed an agreement with the country's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) authorising labs run by the army, navy and air force to start producing drugs and medical supplies for civilians. Sjafrie said the military will increase the production capacity of its medical research centres before beginning to produce drugs for the public. The Indonesian government, the minister added, is hoping to launch these military-produced medicines on Oct 5, the 79th anniversary of the country's armed forces. The drugs, he said, will be half the price of those produced by regular pharmaceutical companies and will be available at the 80,000 state-backed Red and White village cooperatives, a programme recently launched by President Prabowo Subianto. 'We will mass produce medicines and ship them to villages at prices which are 50 per cent cheaper than those in the market so people can afford them,' Sjafrie told reporters on Jul 22. "We are thinking of ways to lower the price even more so we could provide free medicines." According to its website, the military has produced 44 types of drugs for internal use, including several paracetamols, pain killers and antibiotics. Officials have not disclosed what medicines or the quantities that would be produced for public use. Experts highlighted the lack of information on the standards and protocols at the military's production facilities. 'Producing medicines requires expertise, precision, sterile labs and strict protocols. How can an institution whose core competence is not in the pharmaceutical sector be allowed to produce medicines for the general public?' Windhu Purnomo, a public health expert from Airlangga University, told CNA. 'What is at stake is the safety, efficacy and quality of the medications produced.' The opaque nature of the military adds to transparency and accountability concerns, observers said. 'If their manufacturing process is faulty, does the health ministry or the BPOM have power over the military? Will those responsible be held accountable? Because the military is not subject to civilian rules and regulations,' said Hermawan Saputra, chairman of the Indonesian Health Expert Association. The pharmaceutical push comes amid a broader political shift under Prabowo, a former defence minister and a retired army general, who has expanded the military's role in civic affairs since he took office last year. Under Prabowo, uniformed men have been appointed to strategic civilian positions inside various ministries, agencies and state-owned enterprises. The military has also been awarded lucrative contracts by the government that range from road construction to cash crop cultivation in various parts of the country. It has even secured catering contracts to supply food to millions of school children and pregnant women under the president's signature free meal initiative. WHAT MEDICINES WILL THE MILITARY PRODUCE? Indonesia has several medical research centres operated by different branches of the armed forces. These centres were built in the 1950s to develop medical procedures, equipment and medicines to treat combat injuries and fight diseases endemic to soldiers' operational areas. The military has not disclosed much information about these research centres, including what types of medication and supplies they produce, how much they produce and where the supplies are distributed. Producing vast quantities of medicines for civilians of different ages and with different health conditions is not the same as manufacturing a limited amount of drugs for a group of young and fit soldiers, experts said. 'The protocols and standards are much stricter for mass produced medicines,' said Hermawan of the health expert association. 'Some chemicals need to be handled, stored and processed in very specific ways. There are strict guidelines to prevent contamination and mix-ups.' Failure to follow these pharmaceutical manufacturing practices can have deadly consequences, he added. In 2022, more than 200 children in various parts of the country died of an acute kidney injury after consuming toxic cough syrup. The poisoning also left several survivors with permanent disabilities including blindness and hearing loss. Last year, an Indonesian court found that lax oversight by the pharmaceutical company Afi Farma and its supplier, Samudra Chemical, caused the syrup to be tainted with ethylene glycol at a concentration that was 1,000 times higher than what is considered safe for consumption. Ethylene glycol is a commonly used chemical in products such as brake fluid and antifreeze. Four officials from Afi Farma and Samudra Chemical were each sentenced to two years in prison and the two companies were ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines and compensation to the victims' families. Samudra Chemical was a new player in the pharmaceutical industry while Afi Farma has been producing medicines since 1985. According to court documents, Samudra was originally selling chemicals to soap manufacturers and had only begun supplying to pharmaceutical companies for a year before the incident occurred. The risk of such poisoning incidents recurring is high if medicines are produced by inexperienced players, experts said. Such episodes, Hermawan said, not only erode the public's trust in the country's health system but also tarnish Indonesia's image internationally. 'Health organisations might think twice about sending free vaccine or drug materials to Indonesia because there is a high chance these materials will not be processed properly,' he said. Taruna Ikrar, chief of the drug supervisory agency BPOM, said his office will ensure that the drugs produced by the military are safe. The Indonesian Armed Forces, he added, is in the process of acquiring the permits and certifications needed to produce and distribute medicines. 'We will make sure the military meets all the requirements, from manufacturing to laboratory standards. We are making recommendations so the military can obtain these certificates,' he said. Indonesian officials have said the military's involvement is needed to keep drug prices low. Existing pharmaceutical players care more about maximising profit than serving people's needs, officials have said, but such an argument misses the mark, experts countered. 'The main problem is 85 per cent of our pharmaceutical ingredients are imported, especially from China and India, and they sometimes involve very long chains of suppliers and intermediaries,' Dicky Budiman, a public health expert from Jakarta's Yarsi University told CNA. This is a factor causing the prices of some drugs in Indonesia to be up to five times that of other countries. 'What the (Indonesian) government should be doing is to build an upstream pharmaceutical industry,' Dicky said. It should provide incentives in the form of tax breaks, subsidies and funding so local pharmaceutical companies, as well as universities and research bodies can develop and produce their own chemical and biological ingredients. 'The government can also force (pharmaceutical) companies to increase their local content through regulations or by prioritising medications with high local content to supply state-run hospitals, health insurance schemes or other government programmes,' he said. Another way to keep medicines affordable is to simplify the distribution chain. The same drug can be sold at starkly different prices at different pharmacies due to various reasons, noted Windhu of Airlangga University. One pharmacy might sell some products cheaply because they are procured directly from the manufacturer. But other products may cost more because the pharmacy may have had to go through layers of distributors and intermediaries. 'Sometimes, a pharmacy will just inflate the price because they are the only ones in town and the nearest competitors are kilometres away,' Windhu added. Each year, the government caps the price of certain generic drugs but experts said this is rarely enforced. Putting a ceiling on how much medicines should cost will force the industry to simplify its distribution chain, Windhu said, as well as curb monopolistic and unethical practices. 'It is no secret that pharmaceutical companies like to provide junkets, lavish events, gifts and even kickbacks to get doctors to prescribe their products, and these costs are ultimately borne by the consumers,' he said. 'It's time the government gets serious about putting a ceiling on how much drugs should be sold, so companies will think twice about these types of practices.' WHEN IS THE MILITARY NEEDED? Despite the outcry, experts acknowledged that the military has valuable assets that can be mobilised to strengthen Indonesia's pharmaceutical industry. With its vast logistical network, disciplined personnel and reach into the most remote corners of the archipelago, the Indonesian Armed Forces could help overcome one of the health sector's most persistent challenges: distribution. 'The military is well equipped to handle distribution to all areas, even the most remote ones. That's different from the private sector which just doesn't have that kind of infrastructure,' Windhu said. The COVID-19 pandemic offered a clear example of how military's logistical abilities and manpower can complement national health efforts. During the pandemic, the military helped transport vaccines, set up field hospitals, and distribute aid to remote regions that proved critical to the overall emergency response. 'The military can be quite useful in times of emergency. However, under normal circumstances, the military should focus on playing a supporting role, filling the gaps which the civilian sector cannot fulfill like (distributing medicines to) remote areas,' Khairul Fahmi, a military expert of the think tank Institute for Security and Strategic Studies told CNA. 'By focusing only on filling the gaps, the military's involvement can strengthen Indonesia's medical sector and not disrupt or be in direct competition with existing pharmaceutical businesses. More importantly, Indonesia can maintain civilian supremacy in the sector.' Health expert Windhu agreed. 'In an emergency where we need to produce huge quantities of medicines in a short amount of time, getting the military involved in pharmaceutical production is justified,' Windhu said.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The signs China is ready to invade Taiwan
Will China invade Taiwan? If so, when and what signs should we look for that will show it is imminent? How exactly could Beijing seize the island? And what would the US do in response? These questions have been at the core of Indo-Pacific security concerns for decades, but in recent years, the threat has become more tangible - and the questions more urgent. In the final episode of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey looks at different analyses of whether Beijing is getting ready to invade the self-ruled island it claims as its own. Plus, she examines the different scenarios that could unfold and crucially, what that would mean for a conflict with the US and a potential Third World War. This series on China's military dives into the strengths and weaknesses of China's military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class. How significant is China's military buildup? What does Xi Jinping's ongoing purge mean for the People's Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years? Listen to episode one and two now here. As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China's military on the world stage has never been more important.
