Ukraine war: Russian recruitment drive unlikely to have impact - UK
Russia's plan to expand its armed forces is unlikely to have an impact on the Ukraine war, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said, BBC reported.
Vladimir Putin recently signed a decree to increase the Russian armed forces' military personnel to more than 1.15m - a potential increase of 137,000.
But the MoD said the boost was unlikely to increase Russia's combat power - partly because of ongoing losses.
President Putin's decree came amid a military recruitment drive.
There have been reports that recruiters have even been visiting prisons, promising inmates freedom and money.
Currently, Russia has a limit of just over a million military personnel, plus almost 900,000 civilian staff.
In one of its regular updates on the war, the UK ministry said it was not clear if the planned increase would be achieved by recruiting more volunteers - or by increasing conscription, according to BBC.
But any increase was unlikely to have an impact in Ukraine given that:
- Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops,
- Very few new contract (i.e. non-conscript) servicemen are being recruited
- Conscripts are not technically obliged to serve outside Russian territory, the MoD said.
Western officials say some 70-80,000 troops have been killed or wounded since Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago.
Russia planned a short, decisive campaign when it invaded Ukraine in February, but Ukrainian resistance has stalled its progress, and in recent weeks front lines have hardly moved, BBC reported.
Currently, Russian men aged 18 to 27 are subject to conscription, although many are able to avoid or reduce their service - usually one year - through medical exemptions or by enrolling in higher education.
Tribhuvan University demands government security
The Tribhuvan University has demanded the government's security stating that it has been receiving threats from a student union. The TU in a statement accused the Nepal Students Union, Kirtipur of issuing threats to TU staffs, office bearers and employees and to padlock, vandalise and encircle it. It has also created obstructions in TU's daily administrative work by barging into the office, it blamed. "Main administrative building of the central office has been padlocked. As a result, TU's day-to-day official work has come to a halt. It has appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to take necessary action against the group that is trying to take the TU hostage through a padlocking, and manage security personnel and provide security," read the statement. Similarly, as a result of the padlocking of the account section, TU, college staffs and employees across the country under the TU have been deprived of salaries since two months, according to the statement. Also, retired college staffs and employees have also been deprived of pension and gratuity.
Dust settles on 9-year battle, Noida twin towers are gone
The Supertech twin towers in Noida were demolished on Sunday, ending a nine-year-long legal battle, The Indian Express reported. The nearly 100-metre-high structures – taller than Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar (73 metres) – were brought to the ground in seconds/ Minutes after the demolition, the nearby buildings appeared to be safe. A detailed safety audit is expected later. The air quality and visibility was extremely low. Close to 500 police and traffic personnel were deployed around Supertech’s twin towers in Noida, ahead of the demolition. The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway remained shut between 2.15 pm and 2.45 pm, while a no-fly zone was instated over the city for drones. Meanwhile, Realty firm Supertech on Sunday said that the twin towers were conducted as per the building plan approved by Noida development authorities and no deviations were made, news agency PTI reported. Supertech added that the demolition of these two towers will not impact its other real estate projects, which will be delivered to homebuyers, according to the Indian Express. The towers — Ceyane (29 floors) and Apex (32 floors) — were part of the Emerald Court project of Supertech Ltd and were found to be in violation of multiple regulations regarding construction. They were demolished via a ‘controlled implosion’ to ensure minimal damage to the surroundings.
NA sends Citizenship Bill to Legislative Management Committee for deliberations
The National Assembly sent the Citizenship Bill, endorsed by the House of Representatives without any revision, to the parliamentary committee on Sunday. The upper house sent the bill, returned by President Bidya Devi Bhandari with a 15-point message to the Parliament for reconsideration, to the Legislative Management Committee for deliberations. The National Assembly unanimously endorsed the proposal tabled by Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand to send the bill to the Legislative Management Committee. During the meeting, National Assembly Secretary Rajendra Phuyal informed about the message received from the House of Representatives regarding the Nepal Citizenship Bill (First Amendment) 2079, which was returned by the President for a review. The bill endorsed by both the lower house and upper house was sent to the President for authentication. President Bhandari on August 14 sent the bill back to the Parliament with a 15-point message saying that the bill needs amendment. The next meeting will be held at 3 pm on Thursday.
