Eyes of the India

 India-US Talks: Recent public statements from Washington warning India about consequences for purchases of weapons and discounted oil from Russia are contrary to private discussions between the two sides. India is optimistic about talks next week with the US on military cooperation even as the Biden administration becomes more vocal in rebuking New Delhi over its reluctance to criticize Russia’s war in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said. Recent public statements from Washington warning India about consequences for purchases of weapons and discounted oil from Russia are contrary to private discussions between the two sides, the people said, asking for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks. They cited conversations in New Delhi last month with US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who offered help in finding alternative sources of weapons that could be used to counter neighbors Pakistan and China. India informed Nuland that the alternative...

 North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile that exploded in mid-air shortly after launch, South Korea said on Wednesday. The failed launch was likely a test of Pyongyang's so-called "monster missile", analysts have warned. The suspected ballistic missile "seems to have exploded in mid-air shortly after launch," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP. The launch was North Korea's 10th suspected weapons test this year. The US said the nuclear-armed country was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM] "at full range" for the first time since 2017. North Korea, despite international sanctions, conducted seven missile tests in January and twice launched components of what it claimed was a "reconnaissance satellite". South Korea and the US said last week those tests were actually of a new ICBM system that has never been launched before. The Hwasong-17, dubbed a "monster missile" by analysts, was first u...

 Vessels being held on suspicion of illegal shipments of crude The US has seized two tankers suspected of transporting Iranian oil as part of a sanctions-busting scheme involving forged documents and the repainting of a ship’s deck to conceal illegal shipments. Details of the seizure were contained in a federal civil case after the Greek-managed vessels discharged their cargo, worth more than $38 million, in Houston and the Bahamas at the direction of the US, AP reported. The incident comes as President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that would most likely entail the US lifting sanctions. Talks have been made more urgent by President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine and the US decision to retaliate by banning all Russian oil imports. The ban potentially removes from western markets more than 10 million daily barrels of oil. Some of that lost supply could be made up by Iran, which pumped an average 2.4 million barrels a day last year. Te...

Russian forces are bearing down on Kyiv and regrouping north-west of the Ukrainian capital, satellite pictures show Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted to allow volunteers to fight against Ukrainian forces and approved handing over captured western missile systems to Russian-backed rebel fighters. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu proposed handing over US-made anti-tank systems, such as Javelin and Stinger, to fighters from the rebel regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Mr Putin, at a Russian security council meeting, said he supported such an idea, Reuters reported. He also said that those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russian-backed forces should be allowed to do so. Mr Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who were ready to come to fight with Russian-backed forces. Moscow could now be planning an assault on the city within days, the UK said on Friday. "Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed off...

  A  cargo ship carrying thousands of luxury cars  — including Porsches and Bentleys — has sunk, nearly two weeks after it caught fire off the Portuguese Azores archipelago, a port official has said. The Panama-flagged  Felicity Ace  sank on Tuesday as efforts to tow it encountered difficulties due to structural problems caused by the fire and rough seas, Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the island of Faial, told Reuters. The blaze on the ship carrying around 4,000 vehicles made by Volkswagen Group from Germany to the US broke out on February 16. The 22 crew members were evacuated the same day. “When the towing started... water started to come in,” he said. “The ship lost its stability and sank.” Read More :  https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2022/03/02/felicity-ace-ship-carrying-porsches-and-bentleys-sinks-two-weeks-after-fire/