8 FEBRUARY 2016

Ø  Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday ruled out any troop withdrawal from the Siachen glacier after the last week’s avalanche claimed the lives of 10 soldiers. The decision on Siachen is based on the security of the nation. I am disturbed by the loss of life but I think that due to this, some other solution [withdrawal] would not be the proper analysis.

Ø  North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket on Sunday was conducted in defiance of UN sanctions and just weeks after a nuclear bomb test. The U.S. Strategic Command said it had detected a missile entering space, and South Korea’s military said the rocket had put an object into orbit. Later in the day, the United Nations Security Council began an emergency meeting on and diplomats said they expected the 15-nation body to condemn Pyongyang and redouble efforts to agree on new sanctions. North Korea said the launch of the satellite Kwangmyongsong-4, named after late leader Kim Jong-il, was a “complete success” and it was making a polar orbit of Earth every 94 minutes. The launch order was given by his son, leader Kim Jong-un.