Regional powers back aid for Afghanistan as Russia hosts Taliban
Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers won backing from 10 regional powers at talks in Moscow for the idea of a United Nations donor conference to help the country stave off economic collapse and a humanitarian catastrophe.
On Wed. 20th October, 2021) Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Iran and formerly Soviet Central Asian states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined the Taliban in calling for the UN to convene such a conference as soon as possible to help rebuild the country.
They said it should take place “with the understanding, of course, that the main burden … should be borne by the forces whose military contingents have been present in this country over the past 20 years”.
That was a pointed reference to the United States and its allies, who invaded Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks and whose abrupt withdrawal paved the way for the Taliban to seize back control of the country in August. Washington chose not to attend the talks, citing technical reasons, but has said it may join future rounds. Russia has led the calls for international aid, conscious that any spillover of conflict from Afghanistan could threaten regional stability. The Taliban’s resurgence has stirred international fears of a return to their hardline rule in the 1990s, when they hosted Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda movement and carried out egregious human rights violations, including public stonings and the marginalisation of women at work and in schools.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have said they have moved as quickly as possible on opening up their government and guaranteeing rights to women, and that they do not represent a threat to any other country.
“Afghanistan will never allow its soil to be used as a base for anyone to threaten the security of another country,” Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy prime minister who led the delegation, said: “Isolating Afghanistan is in no one’s interests.”
He said the meeting was “very important for the stability of the entire region”.
While governments around the world, including Russia, have declined to give official recognition to the Taliban government, the communique recognised the “new reality” of their ascent to power.
No recognition ‘for now’
The talks come after Moscow said that Russia, China and Pakistan are willing to provide aid to Afghanistan, which is now facing a looming humanitarian and economic crisis (SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
************************************************************************
Assailants kill several people in Bangladesh’s Rohingya camp ARSA blamed for killing and chaos
(23-10-2021) The security has been tightened in Cox’s Bazar to protect the refugee camp from further violence.
Armed assailants targetted an Islamic seminary in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, killing seven people and injuring 20 others.
The attackers went berserk, shooting haphazardly at refugees and stabbing many of them in knife attacks at the Balukhali refugee complex in Cox’s Bazar, according to the Bangladeshi police.
This is yet another brutal attack marked in a Rohingya camp after the recent killing of Rohingya leader, Mohibullah. Bangladesh’s Home Ministry said had beefed up the security at Rohingya refugee camps after Mohibullah’s assassination.
An on-duty official from the Armed Police Battalion, who declined to give his name because he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed the number of deaths and the use of firearms during the attack but did not explain the reasons.
However, Reuters quoted its sources in the camp saying unidentified men attacked an Islamic seminary at Block H-52 of Camp No 18 before daybreak. Local law enforcers have so far arrested a man on suspicion of involvement in the attack.
Md Hasanuzzaman, Cox’s Bazar district police chief, described the incident as an “armed clash” and said the police has already begun operations to detain the perpetrators.
“Situation at the refugee camps is under control now,” the police official said, adding that the death toll might rise.
ARSA blamed for killing and chaos
Some groups in Cox’s Bazar, which houses about 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state after a deadly military crackdown in August 2017, have been involved in shooting incidents in the past, which law enforcement officials blamed on “Rohingya robbers” or “smugglers.”
Ansar Ali, a Rohingya community leader in the camps, alleged that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is to blame for the killings and chaos.
“ARSA men have been trying to control the refugee camps,” he told Anadolu Agency, “and they often conduct secret killing operations if anyone tries to protest them.”
Earlier, police arrested five suspected ARSA members for their alleged involvement in the murder of Mohibullah.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said on Thursday that the government had held talks with all concerned parties and stakeholders to maintain law and order and overall security in Cox’s Bazar and the Bhasan Char island, where 20,000 Rohingya have been relocated this year.(Source:AA)
************************************************************************
46 killed in suicide bombing at Kunduz mosque
(Fri. 8 Oct 2021) The state-run Bakhtar News Agency said at least 46 people were killed, while more than 140 were wounded inside the mosque in the Khan Abad area of Kunduz city.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra reporting from the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif said people in Kunduz have described “horrifying” scenes.
The Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack through its Telegram channels on Friday. In a statement released on Telegram, the group said an ISIS-K suicide bomber “detonated an explosive vest amid a crowd” of Shia worshippers who had gathered inside the mosque. Video footage showed bodies surrounded by debris inside the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque that is used by people from the minority Shia Muslim community.
“I assure our Shia brothers that the Taliban are prepared to ensure their safety,” Obaida said, adding that an investigation was under way. (Source: Al Jazeera News Agency)
———————————————————————————
62 killed in bomb blast at Shiite mosque in Afghanistan’s Kandahar
(Friday. 15 Oct. 2021) At least 62 people were killed and 70 others injured in a suicide bomb attack that hit a packed Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan, according to Kabul-based news agency Bakhtar.
The Imam Barga mosque in Kandahar was full of worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers.
The attack comes a week after a bombing, claimed by a local Daesh affiliate, killed 46 people at a Shiite mosque in Kunduz.
Murtaza, an eyewitness who like many Afghans goes by one name, said four suicide bombers attacked the mosque. Two detonated their explosives at a security gate, allowing the other two to run inside and strike the congregation of worshippers.
Daesh has claimed a number of deadly bombings across the country since the Taliban seized power in August amid the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The group has also targeted Taliban fighters in smaller attacks. Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi confirmed the explosion and said an investigation was underway, without providing further details.
***********************************************************************
US Was Losing War So It Negotiated: Khalilzad
Khalilzad said Afghan elites made terrible mistakes, misused elections, democracy and did not treat their security forces properly. The former US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said the US was losing the war to the Taliban so it chose peace negotiations as an alternative.
Talking to CBS News, Khalilzad said the US military tried many times to strengthen its position on the battleground, but it failed. “The negotiation was a result of–based on the judgment that we weren’t winning the war and therefore time was not on our side and better to make a deal sooner than later.”
Khalilzad blamed the then-president Ashraf Ghani for the disintegration of Afghanistan’s security sector, saying his escape triggered the chaos in the Afghan capital. He said the Taliban was in discussions with him about forming a power-sharing government and including some officials of the Ghani administration in the next government. All these things did not happen because Ghani did not stay, he said.
Khalilzad said Ghani did not want to let go of power, and discredited Ghani’s remarks about fleeing Kabul to avoid bloodshed, saying they were not true. “So, the question is, why did President Ghani do what he did? If he was willing to step aside for the sake of peace, imagine if he had offered that a year ago, six months ago — that somebody that’s mutually acceptable could have led the government. But he did not,” he said.
According to Khalilzad, the US has largely succeeded in suppressing Al Qaeda- the reason it went to Afghanistan–but has failed in building a democratic Afghanistan. He said the two decades of US involvement has transformed Afghanistan and now “the Taliban are going to have a hard time putting them back in the box the way they had put people in the 1990s.”
Khalilzad said the US wanted a different outcome for the Afghan peace talks, preferably a power-sharing government with the Taliban instead of what happened on August 15.
Khalilzad said the Taliban has lived up to its promise of cutting ties with terrorist groups and not allowing Afghanistan to be used for staging attacks against the US and its allies. “They are not allowing plotting and planning operations by Al-Qaeda against the United States,” he said.
According to Khalilzad, if the Islamic Emirate does not form an inclusive government and does not respect the rights of Afghans, the relationship between Afghanistan and the US will not become normal.
Khalilzad also warned of a possible civil war if the Afghan economy collapses. He said if the “Taliban don’t move toward more inclusiveness, respecting the rights of the Afghan people, and then honoring their commitment to us on terrorism; there will be no move towards normalcy and there shouldn’t be. There should be no release of funds. So their economy could collapse and in that collapse a new civil war could start.”
Khalilzad said Afghanistan has many problems, and the US should help it come to an agreement on a formula that is acceptable by urban and rural Afghans, and by secular and religious Afghans, to end troubles in the country. (Source: CBC News)
************************************************************************
US ignored Afghanistan’s history and culture, which led to tragedy: ‘Russian President’
MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The United States ignored the history and culture of the Afghan people, which entailed a tragic result, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary meeting of the Russian Energy Week forum on Wednesday.
“Freedom and democracy cannot but be linked with the culture and traditions of a certain people. The United States intruded into Afghanistan in defiance of the traditions, culture and history of the Afghan people. The result was tragic,” he said.
Putin stressed that US interference in Afghanistan had brought about a colossal upsurge of terrorism in the region and around the world.
The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) launched a massive operation for establishing control of Afghanistan after the United States last spring declared the intention to pull out its troops. On August 15, President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and left the country, while the Taliban entered Kabul without encountering resistance. The Western countries by August 31 had completed the evacuation of their citizens and Afghans who had worked for them.
************************************************************************
Eight Orphan Children Found Dead From Starvation In Kabul
October 24, 2021
An ethnic Hazara political leader and former member of Afghanistan’s parliament says the bodies of eight orphan children who starved to death have been found on the west side of Kabul.
In a statement posted to Facebook on October 24, Mohammad Mohaqiq said the children died in a neighborhood in Kabul’s 13th district about three weeks ago. He said they were buried by a local mullah and by residents of the neighborhood where they were found.
A local mullah named Mohammad Ali Bamiani provided details about the deaths of the children, saying the eldest was about eight years old and the youngest was an 18-month-old infant.
“They had no one,” Bamiani said. “Their parents were both dead and they had no close relatives.”
Bamiani said he went into the house where the bodies of the children had been discovered.
He said “they were so hungry that they couldn’t even stretch their legs.”
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government has not yet commented on the deaths.
************************************************************************
China conducted two hypersonic weapons tests this summer
Nuclear-capable ‘glide vehicle’ raises US fears that Beijing is developing new generation of arms
The Chinese military conducted two hypersonic weapons tests over the summer, raising US concerns that Beijing is gaining ground in the race to develop a new generation of arms.
On July 27 the Chinese military launched a rocket that used a “fractional orbital bombardment” system to propel a nuclear-capable “hypersonic glide vehicle” around the earth for the first time, according to four people familiar with US intelligence assessments.
The Financial Times reported that the first test was in August, rather than at the end of July. China subsequently conducted a second hypersonic test on August 13, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Three people familiar with the first test in July said it stunned the Pentagon and US intelligence because China managed to demonstrate a brand new weapons capability, although they declined to elaborate on the details.
One person said government scientists were struggling to understand the capability, which the US does not currently possess, adding that China’s achievement appeared “to defy the laws of physics”.
Space and missile experts have been debating the Chinese test since the FT revealed the event at the weekend.
Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons expert at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, said China appeared to have developed a new innovation, but stressed the need to maintain a degree of skepticism.
“We should be open to the reality that China is also capable of technological innovation,” he said.
“But I would be careful about exaggerated characterisations that may help excuse a mundane intelligence failure. If we say some innovation is impossible to imagine, then no one is really responsible for missing it.”Global Insight Kathrin Hille
China’s bellicose behavior is the driver of tensions in Asian waters
President Joe Biden expressed concern about hypersonic weapons. Asked as he departed Washington for Pennsylvania whether he was worried about the development of the high-speed maneuverable weapons, he responded, “yes”.
The Chinese foreign ministry denied the FT story, saying it had only launched a space plane, but that test was conducted on July 16. The Chinese embassy in Washington declined to comment on October 20, 2021.
Speaking to the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes in Germany, Admiral Charles Richard, the head of Strategic Command who oversees US nuclear forces, said he was “not surprised” by the FT report. He added he also would not be surprised if more reports emerge next month.
Ned Price, state department spokesperson, this week said the Biden administration was very concerned about the rapid expansion of China’s nuclear forces, including its development of “novel delivery systems”.
************************************************************************
First joint naval patrol by China, Russia in West Pacific
(By GT staff reporters)
Chinese and Russian naval forces have carried out their first joint sea patrol in waters in the West Pacific between October 17 to 23, Chinese Ministry of Defense said, which experts said is of vital significance in sending a clear signal and practicing
real world drills.
A China-Russia joint naval ships formation which included a total of 10 warships and six carrier-based helicopters carried out the joint maritime patr ol in the Sea of Japan, the West Pacific and the East China Sea, during which they organized exercises over joint sailing and joint maneuve The joint maritime patrol is aimed at further developing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, elevating the joint action capabilities of both nations and jointly maintaining international and regional strategic stability. It’s a part of the annual cooperation plan between the two nations and is not targeted at any third parties, the Chinese Ministry of Defense stated.rs and conducted live-fire drills.
The patrol was held right after China and Russia wrapped up a joint naval exercise in the Sea of Japan from October 14 to 17.
Immediate exercises including crossing, joint mobility and live fire after the joint naval drill is closer to the situation of actual combat and able to test and improve the forces’ capacity of continuous operation and capacity to remain combat ready in open seas. It could also improve Chinese and Russian navies’ capacity to deal with maritime security threats, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the Naval Research Academy of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), told the Global Times on Saturday.
He noted that the first China-Russia joint sea patrol in waters in the West Pacific is of vital significance in send ing a clear signal and practicing real world drills.
Military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that the latest joint sea patrol showed high degree of actual combat. Immediately transformation from drill to patrol is a mechanism transforming from peacetime to wartime status. “The formation of such mechanism indicates that the capacity of China and Russia to make quick reaction in military cooperation is improving fast,” Song noted.
In the future, joint air patrol and joint naval patrol between China and Russia will become increasingly common, Song said. Air-sea joint patrol would also follow, which demonstrate deeper China-Russia friendship and improved China-Russia joint operation capacity, as well as stronger actual combat capacity.
“The formation of China-Russia joint combat capacity would bring about attacking measures at multiple layers and improve the forces’ abilities to perform military tasks. It will provide more options to deal with regional conflicts such as terrorist attacks,” Song said. The joint maritime patrol is aimed at further developing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, elevating the joint action capabilities of both nations and jointly maintaining international and regional strategic stability. It’s a part of the annual cooperation plan between the two nations and is not targeted at any third parties, the Chinese Ministry of Defense stated. (Courtesy : Global Times)
************************************************************************
Chinese, Russian warships circle around Japan; base of US provocations within reach
By Liu Xuanzun | Oct 22, 2021
The Chinese-Russian joint naval flotilla that transited the Tsugaru Strait days ago has since sailed along the east side of Japan’s main island to its south, almost making a circle around the island country, in a move Chinese experts said on Friday can bring balance to regional stability at a time when the US, Japan and other Western forces have been colluding to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region.
From the east of Japan, China and Russia could reach the US Navy base in Yokosuka, headquarters of the US Seventh Fleet, from which the US and its allies have been making many provocative moves in places like the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, observers said.
After the joint flotilla consisting of 10 warships from China and Russia transited the Tsugaru Strait on Monday, the vessels turned southeast, and were then seen heading south along the east of Japan on Wednesday and sailing to the west through islands to the south of Japan’s main island on Thursday, Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Friday.
The warships involved included the Type 055 guided missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Kunming, the Type 054A guided missile frigates Binzhou and Liuzhou and the Type 903A comprehensive supply ship Dongpinghu from China, and the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Panteleev and Admiral Tributs, the instrumentation ship Marshal Krylov, and the corvettes of the project 20380 Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Gromkiy from Russia.
Ka-28 and Ka-27 vessel-based anti-submarine warfare helicopters from Chinese and Russian warships conducted operations in the process, according to the press release.
If the vessels enter the East China Sea through the Miyako Strait or Osumi Strait, it would mean that they have encircled Japan, observers said. (Source: Global Times)
************************************************************************
China Says its AI-Controlled Hypersonic Missiles Can Hit Targets With 10 Times More Accuracy China military researchers pinpoint AI for hypersonic weapons accuracy
Stephen Chen in Beijing – (14 Oct, 2021)
Their paper, published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Systems Engineering and Electronics, proposes using artificial intelligence to write the weapon’s software “on the fly” through a unique flight control algorithm as it travels at hypervelocity.
Professor Xian Yong and Li Bangjie, from Rocket Force Engineering University’s college of war support, said more decision-making power would be handed to the smart weapon giving its human controllers no idea how it would behave after the launch button was pressed but overall positioning accuracy “would increase by one to two orders of magnitude”.
Conventional missiles are equipped with positioning software which is installed and fine-tuned on the factory floor. But if the software was written by AI, with a different algorithm for each weapon, the researchers found they could address the challenges of controlling flight at five times the speed of sound or beyond.
Whether a hypersonic weapon can hit its target after travelling hundreds or thousands of kilometres depends heavily on how precisely it can determine its own position while making complex manoeuvres during flight.
At hypervelocity, parts of an aircraft can get hotter than the sun’s surface, breaking air molecules into electrically charged ions which form a plasma coating. This reduces the craft’s radar signature but can also make it blind and deaf unable to pick up GPS signals or use other references, such as the Earth’s magnetic field, for guidance.
These extreme conditions over long distances have forced a reliance on built-in inertial sensors such as quartz accelerometers and laser gyroscopes which can only estimate a hypersonic weapon’s location. This is despite sophisticated control software and painstaking on-the-ground testing.
The researchers said physical disturbances to the sensors were inevitable during their assembly, transport and routine maintenance. And each time the weapon is powered up, it affects the hardware, causing further deviations from the factory settings.
Xian and Li’s team believe factory settings could eventually be scrapped for good with the application of AI. It would require considerable computing power but was feasible with current technology, the researchers said.
Their study showed an AI-based system could keep a hypersonic weapon on course with an accuracy of about 10 metres (32 feet).
Using their method, the AI would start work immediately after launch, before the weapon reached hypervelocity, to calculate its position using the signal from the GPS or BeiDou China’s navigational positioning system and compare it with the results generated by the on-board sensors to evaluate the actual condition of the hardware.
Based on this fresh information, the AI would create a unique positioning algorithm for the weapon’s flight control programme before it entered the cruising stage of hypersonic flight.
In one simulated flight, the AI-generated algorithm underwent thousands of rounds of evolution during the initial stage of flight on a 10-year-old Intel Xeon CPU. The final version was obtained in about 20 seconds.
The speed of processors used in China’s hypersonic weapons programme remains classified, but their performance has been increasing steadily, according to the researchers.
Chinese scientists have used artificial intelligence to address other aspects of hypersonic flight, including engine control and communication. While China has fielded various types of hypersonic weapons, civilian applications of the technology remain challenging.
In May, Chinese space authorities announced plans to build a small passenger plane, capable of reaching anywhere on Earth in an hour, by 2035. This would require it to reach a speed of Mach 15. (South China Morning Post)
************************************************************************
President Xi calls for new progress in military equipment, weapons
October 26, 2021 | Reuters
BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping called for efforts to “break new ground” in military equipment and weapons development for the People’s Liberation Army, China’s armed forces, according to a report from the official Xinhua media.
Xi, who is also chair of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), made the comments at a conference in Beijing, according to the report.
China’s strategic capabilities had been enhanced by “leapfrog development” in military equipment and weapons, said Xi.
Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the CMC, also said that China should pursue self-reliance in technology and make an “all-out” push to accelerate modernisation and build a “world-class” army, according to the report.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times citing unnamed sources reported that China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August, showing a capability that caught US intelligence by surprise. The report said the Chinese military launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that flew through low-orbit space, circling the globe before cruising towards its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles.
“The test showed that China had made astounding progress on hypersonic weapons and was far more advanced than US officials realised,” the report said, citing people briefed on the intelligence.
************************************************************************
U.S. and Israel to form team to solve consulate dispute(Barak Ravid, author of from Tel Aviv)
The U.S. and Israel are planning to form a joint team to hold discreet negotiations on the reopening of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, Israeli officials say.
Why it matters: The consulate handled relations with the Palestinians for 25 years before being shut down by then President Donald Trump in 2019. Senior officials in Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government see the consulate issue as a political hot potato that could destabilize their unwieldy coalition.
Biden told Bennett during their White House meeting in August that he will not abandon his plan to reopen the consulate in Jerusalem, setting up a major point of contention between the administrations.
Driving the news: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid discussed the consulate issue during their meeting in Washington last Wednesday.
Lapid pushed back on the U.S. position, saying, “I don’t know how to hold this coalition together if you reopen the consulate,” according to Israeli officials.
Blinken said he understood the sensitive political situation and wants to start a dialogue to work toward a solution, the officials say.
What’s next: Blinken proposed the formation of a small team including Lapid and himself along with one or two aides from each side to discuss the issue with maximum discretion. Lapid agreed but said he wants to hold off on such a dialogue until after the Israeli government passes a budget in the first week of November.
Between the lines: The issue is so politically charged because the U.S. would once again have separate missions for the Israelis and the Palestinians in Jerusalem. The Israelis believe that would infringe on their sovereignty in the city. For the Palestinians, it could strengthen their claim to part of Jerusalem.
Asked after Lapid’s visit about the possibility of the U.S. instead opening a consulate in the West Bank, a senior Israeli official responded favorably but said he couldn’t say whether that was under consideration.
What they’re saying: A spokesperson for Lapid said no team was formed yet, and he reiterated that Lapid had made his opposition to the reopening of the consulate clear in all of his meetings in Washington.
A State Department spokesperson said, “We have nothing new for you on this issue at this time.”
************************************************************************
Outcry as Israel labels Palestinian rights groups ‘terrorists’
(22 Oct 2021) Israel has issued a military order designating six prominent Palestinian human rights groups as “terrorist organisations”, in a move swiftly condemned by the Palestinian Authority and rights groups. The Israeli Ministry of Defence claimed that the groups were linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a left-wing movement with a political party as well as an armed wing that has carried out deadly attacks against Israelis.
The ministry said the humanitarian groups “constitute a network of organisations active undercover on the international front on behalf of the Popular Front.” They are “controlled by senior leaders” of the PFLP and employ its members, including some who had “participated in terror activity”, it said.
It also accused the groups of serving as a “central source” of financing for the PFLP and of having received “large sums of money from European countries and international organisations,” without elaborating. The designated groups include Al-Haq, a human rights group founded in 1979, the Addameer rights group, Defence for Children International-Palestine, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees.
The PA condemned what it said was an “unhinged assault” on Palestinian civil society.
“This fallacious and libellous slander is a strategic assault on Palestinian civil society and the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to oppose Israel’s illegal occupation and expose its continuing crimes,” it said.
In a joint statement, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch noted that the military order “effectively outlaws” the activities of the six groups.
As a consequence, Israeli security forces are authorised to close the groups’ offices, seize their assets and arrest and jail their staff members. Funding or even publicly expressing support for their activities is also prohibited.
“This appalling and unjust decision is an attack by the Israeli government on the international human rights movement,” Amnesty and HRW said. (SOURCE: ALJAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES)
************************************************************************
‘No change’ in US policy on Taiwan, White House says after Biden vows to defend it against China
(22 Oct, 2021) The White House has toned down its rhetoric on Taiwan a day after US President Joe Biden vowed to militarily support the island nation against Beijing, angering China.
“The president was not announcing any change in our policy and there is no change in our policy,” a White House spokesman told journalists on Friday, commenting on Biden’s earlier statements. The US president raised eyebrows on Thursday when he said Washington would support Taiwan if China attacked it.
Speaking at a CNN forum, Biden claimed Washington had a “commitment” to defend Taipei under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which governs relations between the two. The document, however, does not contain any actual mutual defense treaty.
This fact apparently did not stop the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin from doubling down on Biden’s statement after a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels. Austin said the US would continue to help the island nation with “resources and capabilities.”
He added, however, that he would not “engage in any hypotheticals,” concerning exactly how the US would respond if China attacked the island nation which Beijing regards as an inalienable part of its territory.
The defense secretary also reiterated Washington’s commitment to the ‘One China’ policy at the same time. Under this policy, the US recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the legal government of China, while also maintaining unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Biden’s statement sparked an angry reaction from China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the Taiwan issue a purely “internal affair” for Beijing, adding that no external interference is permitted and saying it would not compromise on its “core” interests.
Austin, meanwhile, also vowed to “collectively work” with European partners to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region remains “free and open.” Europe’s increased engagement in the area also drew criticism from China as Beijing condemned a EU Parliament decision, in which the MEPs overwhelmingly supported increasing ties with Taiwan. (Source : ‘RT’ Russian News)
************************************************************************
Rocket failure mars U.S. hypersonic weapon test as others succeed
By Mike Stone and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON, Oct 20 (Reuters) – The Pentagon’s hypersonic weapon programs suffered a setback on Thursday when a booster rocket carrying a hypersonic weapon failed, people briefed on the test result said. The test was intended to validate aspects of one of the Pentagon’s hypersonic glide vehicles in development, two of the people said.
Hypersonic glide vehicles are launched from a rocket in the upper atmosphere before gliding to a target at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, or about 3,853 miles (6,200 kilometers) per hour. In a separate series of tests conducted on Wednesday 20th October, the U.S. Navy and Army tested hypersonic weapon component prototypes. That test successfully “demonstrated advanced hypersonic technologies, capabilities, and prototype systems in a realistic operating environment,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The United States and its global rivals have quickened their pace to build hypersonic weapons – the next generation of arms that rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms.
U.S. President Joe Biden expressed concern about Chinese hypersonic missiles, days after a media report that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide weapon.
Glide bodies are different from their air-breathing hypersonic weapon cousins which use scramjet engine technology and the vehicle’s high speed to forcibly compress incoming air before combustion to enable sustained flight at hypersonic speeds. An air-breathing hypersonic weapon was successfully tested in September.
Companies such as Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) are working to develop the hypersonic weapon capability for the United States.
************************************************************************
U.S. expels 55 Russian diplomats
Saturday, October 30, 2021 | The United States is expelling 55 Russian diplomats, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
According to her, Washington continues to insist on bringing to parity the number of diplomats in the two countries, including the Russians working in the UN permanent mission in New York in the total count.
“If we compare embassies and consular offices, the picture is completely different. The Americans now have about 130 people working in Russia, while in our mission in Washington and two consulates general in New York and Houston there are less than 200,” Zakharova said.
“Given Washington’s demands that 55 morte of our diplomats and administrative and technical staff must leave the U.S. in the coming months, the situation on the diplomatic ‘front’ will only get worse,” she warned.
According to Zakharova, every hostile action of the United States will be followed by a “prompt and proportionate, but not necessarily symmetrical” response.
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia told RIA Novosti that dozens of Russian diplomats did not have their visas extended. As a result, they cannot leave the United States because they will not be allowed back.
The mother of one of the diplomats died and he was unable to attend the funeral ” because if he had left, he would not have received the visa to come back,” Nebenzia lamented.
In April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to create a list of “unfriendly countries”, which would have a limited ability to hire Russian citizens to work in their embassies. The U.S. was included in the list. Because of this Washington was forced to reduce the number of embassy staff fourfold and stopped issuing non-immigrant visas to Russians.
In October, the U.S. Department of State put Russians applying for American visas in “homeless nationalities” category along with Venezuela, Yemen, Iran, Cuba, Libya, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea.
Russia has about 400 diplomats in the United States, but most of them are employees of the UN mission. In September, a group of American senators called on Joe Biden administration to expel 300 Russians to eliminate diplomatic disparity. The Russian Foreign Ministry threatened Washington with retaliatory measures up to the complete closure of American foreign missions in Russia.
************************************************************************
The US Navy has figured out what a nuclear-powered attack submarine ran into in the South China Sea: Report
By : Ryan Pickrell
The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut
The Seawolf-class attack submarine USS Connecticut has been battling bedbugs.
US Navy
The US Navy has completed its investigation into a submarine incident in the South China Sea.
The USS Connecticut ran aground on an uncharted seamount, USNI News first reported.
The investigation has been sent to the fleet commander, who will consider accountability actions.
US Navy investigators have determined what a nuclear-powered attack submarine hit in the South China Sea last month, USNI News reported, citing defense officials familiar with the investigation and a legislative official.
The Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Connecticut collided with an unidentified object on October 2, the Navy said five days after the incident. Investigators have determined the submarine ran aground on an undersea mountain, the location of which was previously unknown, USNI News said.
The 7th Fleet confirmed the USNI News report to Insider, with its spokesperson Cdr. Haley Sims saying: “The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The earlier Navy statement on the incident left a lot to the imagination. It said the submarine struck something while operating in international waters, there were no life-threatening injuries, the submarine was in stable condition, and the nuclear-propulsion systems were not damaged. The sea service did not say where the incident occurred, though Navy officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told some reporters it happened in the South China Sea after the release of the statement.
As of, the US Navy was not quite sure what the submarine hit, though defense officials told USNI News that early indications suggested that the Connecticut crashed into a seamount, an undersea mountain that rises from the ocean’s depth. Those can also pose a risk to ships on the surface, depending on how close its summit is to the surface.
China, often at odds with the US in the South China Sea, has capitalized on the limited information provided by the Navy about the incident, with Chinese officials accusing the US of a cover-up and calling it “cagey” and “irresponsible.”
The US military denied it was trying to cover up the incident. After a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson first made the allegations, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said, “It’s an odd way of covering something up when you put a press release out about it.”
But Beijing, both the foreign ministry and the defense ministry, has continued to criticize the US for a “lack of transparency,” while repeatedly calling the US “the biggest force for militarization of the South China Sea,” an accusation typically directed at China.
The conclusion of the command investigation into the Connecticut incident takes some of the mystery out of things. The investigation has been passed up to the 7th Fleet commander, who will make decisions about accountability actions, a fleet spokesperson said.
As the investigation into the incident has not yet been publicly released, information is still limited on how the submarine ran into a seamount and to what degree members of the crew and command were responsible.
The submarine, one of only three in the powerful Seawolf class, is in Guam, where it is undergoing repairs, likely initial work before more extensive repairs can be completed elsewhere.
There are concerns that if the Connecticut had to be taken back to a public shipyard for additional repairs, it could throw a wrench into a submarine-maintenance backlog that has long been problematic.
************************************************************************
Turkey’s Erdogan orders expulsion of 10 Western ambassadors
Envoys of the US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for release of businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala.
(23 Oct 2021) Seven of the ambassadors represent Turkey’s NATO allies and the expulsions, if carried out, would open the deepest rift with the West in Erdogan’s 19 years in power.
“I have ordered our foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as persona non grata as soon as possible,” Erdogan said on Saturday, referring to a term used in diplomacy that signifies the first step before expulsion. He did not set a firm date.
Philanthropist Osman Kavala has been in prison since late 2017, charged with financing nationwide protests in 2013 and with involvement in a 2016 failed coup. He denies the charges.
“They must know and understand Turkey,” Erdogan added, accusing the envoys of “indecency”.
“They must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey,” Erdogan said.
The envoys had issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying the continued detention of Parisian-born activist Osman Kavala “cast a shadow” over Turkey.
The US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for a “just and speedy resolution to [Kavala’s] case”.
Jailed since 2017
Kavala has become a symbol of the sweeping crackdown Erdogan unleashed after surviving the coup attempt.
Speaking to the AFP news agency from his jail cell last week, Kavala said he felt like a tool in Erdogan’s attempts to blame a foreign plot for domestic opposition to his nearly two-decade rule. (Source: Al Jazeera News Agency)
************************************************************************
44 Indian soldier killed in occupied Kashmir in October
October turned out to be the deadliest month for Jammu and Kashmir this year with 44 killings, which included 19 militants, 13 civilians and 12 armed forces personnel.
The violence increased on multiple fronts despite the reiteration of ceasefire along the Line of Control since February and reports of only two successful infiltrations. At least six grenade attacks, recovery of four IEDs, hurling of two petrol bombs and a string of targeted attacks against 11 civilians including five non-local labourers and three members of the minority communities added to the ‘deteriorating situation’.
One civilian was killed for allegedly jumping a CRPF security check post and another was killed near a CRPF camp after he was allegedly caught in the crossfire. Two more non-local labourers were found dead in mysterious circumstances this month.
The killings triggered migration of non-locals from the Valley, with around 10,000 of them leaving within the first two weeks of killings. Over 350 migrant families left Kashmir urgently in the same period.
In the wake of civilian killings, armed forces launched a massive crackdown across the Valley, killing 19 militants in 14 encounters. They also launched a massive crackdown against the alleged sympathisers of militants, summoning, arresting and detaining hundreds of youths.
“Attacks by militants have increased in October and there have been at least 10 incidents of violence initiated by militants in Srinagar. There has been a sudden paradigm shift on the ground situation,” a senior official told ET.
“This has been the most violent month after August 5, 2019, considering the numbers, impact and expanse of the incidents,” another official said.
The National Investigation Agency also pitched in to control the deteriorating situation in Kashmir and registered a case on October 10 against those involved in conspiracies. They raided over 40 locations across J&K in October and formally arrested 25 persons in the militant-conspiracy cases. The J&K Police also arrested several youngsters for their alleged involvement in the cases. The administration shifted at least 48 prisoners slapped with the Public Safety Act to high security prison in Agra last month.
In the last week of October, the police also registered two cases against students of two medical colleges in Srinagar for allegedly celebrating Pakistan cricket team’s win over the Indian team in the ongoing T20 world cup.
Meanwhile, the operation in the forests of the Rajouri-Poonch range of Jammu entered the 20th day. Till now, nine army men including two junior commissioned officers have been killed in the operation. Two armed forces personnel were killed on Saturday in Rajouri near LOC due to a landmine blast while they were on patrol.
J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh on Sunday said the situation is returning to normalcy after a spike in the last few weeks. “People want to move towards peace and development and they are against violence. There were a few violent incidents. Now, the situation is better,” Singh said.(Source: The Economic Times, India)
************************************************************************
India successfully test-fires N-capable Agni-V Ballistic Missile with 5,000 km range
By: SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP | 27 October, 2021
New Delhi: India Wednesday successfully test-fired the recently inducted Agni-V, the nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), amid rising tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The successful launch of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which has a range of over 5,000 km, was done at approximately 7:50 pm from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha.
This is the first user launch of the missile, which was last tested in 2018, before it got inducted into the Strategic Forces Command that looks after India’s nuclear arsenal.
In a statement, the Defence Ministry said the successful test of Agni-V “is in line with India’s stated policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to ‘No First Use’”.
The missile, which uses a three-stage solid-fuelled engine, is capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 kilometres with a very high degree of accuracy, the ministry said.
However, defence sources said the range is much more than the officially stated figure of 5,000 km.
India joins club of countries with ICBMs
Agni-V has the capability to reach almost every part of China, sources had said in 2018, when the missile was tested last by its developer, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Interestingly, the DRDO is also working on a longer-range version of the Agni series of missiles.
The launch Wednesday comes just months after India also test-fired the Agni Prime, the next generation nuclear-capable ballistic missile in the nuclear arsenal.
While the Agni Prime and the rest of the Agni series is focussed primarily on Pakistan, the Agni-V is a much larger strategic weapon, capable of striking at much longer ranges.
With Agni-V, India has joined an exclusive club of countries, with the others being China, US, Russia, Britain and France, to have ICBMs.
A DRDO official had in 2018 said that Agni-V is programmed in a way that after reaching the peak of its trajectory, it will turn towards Earth to continue its journey towards the intended target with increased speed due to the attraction of the Earth’s gravitational pull. (Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
************************************************************************
Middle Eastern countries boycott Indian products
‘India kills Muslims’ has been trending in Arab countries after videos of brutality against Indian Muslims went viral APP | October 14, 2021
People across countries in the Middle East have started a social media campaign to boycott Indian products to protest the Assam police’s brutality against Muslims during an eviction drive earlier in September.
The incident drew wide condemnation after a video of Indian police shooting a Muslim man went viral.
The widely circulated video also showed an Assam government photographer repeatedly stomping on a body during the eviction drive. The horrific video has triggered a backlash in the Gulf countries.
Boycott of Indian products on social media in the Arab world is currently underway.
The hashtag ‘India kills Muslims’ has been trending in Arab countries and India is being accused of genocide. Under the hashtag, many people expressed their support for displaced families and condemned the treatment meted out to them by Indian authorities.
On September 30, The Middle East Monitor, a publication focused on reporting from the region, revealed that members of Kuwait’s National Assembly had condemned “the atrocities committed by the Indian authorities and Hindu extremist groups against the Muslim community”.
Kuwait’s National Assembly members also issued a joint statement against the attacks on Muslims in India.
“The lawmakers said in a joint statement that in the wake of the wave of violence and discrimination committed against Indian Muslims, including killing, displacement and burning, the lawmakers stand in solidarity with Muslims in India.”
“They called on international, humanitarian, human rights and Islamic organisations to immediately work towards stopping the Indian authorities’ actions and restore security to Indian Muslims,” The Middle East Monitor reported.
Kuwaiti member of Parliament Shuaib Al-Muwaizri called for a boycott of Indian goods.
According to Kuwaiti news outlet Sabr News on September 29, Al-Muwaizri said, “The Islamic World Organization, the leaders of Islamic countries, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations, where are you about the heinous crimes committed by the Indian government against Muslims, men, women and children? Boycotting India and its products is a legal duty.”
Oman’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Al Khalili, one of the most influential clerics in the country, tweeted on September 28, about violence against Muslims in India.
He claimed the violence in India was “a blatant aggression against Muslim citizens at the hands of extremist groupssupported by official bodiesit hurts everyone with a conscience”.
“I appealin the name of humanityto all peace-loving countries to intervene to stop this aggression, and I also appeal to the Ummah as a whole to stand united in this matter,” Sheikh Ahmed Al Khalili said.
Khaled Beydoun, the author of the book ‘Islamophobia’, described it as “state-sponsored Islamophobia” and “Hindutva violence”.
Former director of Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IESCO), A. Altwaijri, tweeted that Narendra Modi’s “Hindu government” was abusing and persecuting Muslims “within the framework of a systematic policy and in light of international silence and Islamic inaction”.
Abdul Rahman Al-Nassar, who has over 3,18,000 followers on Twitter, tweeted the viral video of violence at Darrang and said, “There are more than three million Hindus in the Gulf, they bring tens of billions of dollars to India, and we treat them with respect, so why are our brothers in India being killed just because they are Muslims?”
************************************************************************
Ethiopia’s strategic town of Dessie ‘captured’ by rebel forces
(30 Oct 2021) Tigrayan forces said they captured the strategic town of Dessie in Amhara region that borders Tigray, according to a rebel spokesman and residents. An Ethiopia government spokesperson, however, denied Tigrayan fighters seized Dessie, saying the town was still under government control. Residents told AFP news agency that government troops retreated on Saturday following heavy fighting and power outages in parts of the town.
“At around 2am [23:00 GMT] Friday, Ethiopian soldiers began retreating from the area,” Amir, a Dessie resident who declined to give his second name, said. Another resident said Tigrayan rebels “entered the city with ENDF [Ethiopian National Defense Force] soldiers not seen” anywhere in the city.
Getachew Reda, spokesperson for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters news agency by satellite phone from an undisclosed location that Tigrayan fighters pushed government forces from Dessie and were headed towards the town of Kombolcha. He added the fighters captured numerous Ethiopian soldiers.
The TPLF’s account of developments could not be independently verified and phone lines in Dessie appeared to be down as of Saturday afternoon. Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to corroborate.
‘Fabricated propaganda’
Legesse Tulu, the government spokesperson, said in a text message the town was still under the control of the Ethiopian government, adding claims by Tigrayan forces were “fabricated propaganda”.
The capture of Dessie would be a strategic gain for Tigrayan fighters against central government forces trying to dislodge them from the Amhara region. Tens of thousands of ethnic Amharas have also sought refuge there from an escalation in fighting.
The large town is 385km (240 miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa, and is the furthest south in Amhara that the TPLF has reached since pushing into the region in July. Samuel Getachew, an independent journalist based in Sodo, Ethiopia, said the capture of Dessie would mark a significant gain for rebel forces in the Amhara region.
“It’s an important city and people are really under siege, they’re just waiting for what’s going to happen to them,” Getachew told Al Jazeera. “There was a warning from the leadership of the TPLF that they were coming to Dessie and here they are.”
International censure
The United States called on Tigrayan rebels to withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions with a statement from the State Department urging the TPLF to “halt its advances in and around the cities of Dessie and Kombolcha”. (SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES)
************************************************************************
Over 100 million people in Africa threatened by climate change
(19 Oct 2021) A new report by the United Nations has warned that more than 100 million “extremely poor” people across Africa are threatened by accelerating climate change that could also melt away the continent’s few glaciers within two decades.
The report released on Tuesday by the World Meteorological Organization presented a grim reminder that Africa’s 1.3 billion people remain “extremely vulnerable” as the continent warms more and at a faster rate than the global average when the continent’s 54 countries are responsible for less than 4 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
“By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa, if adequate response measures are not put in place,” said Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, commissioner for rural economy and agriculture at the African Union Commission.
The extremely poor were defined by the WMO as those who live on less than $1.90 per day.
“In sub-Saharan Africa, climate change could further lower gross domestic product by up to 3 percent by 2050,” Sacko said.
“Not only are physical conditions getting worse, but also the number of people being affected is increasing,” she said in the report’s foreword.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that last year temperatures continued to rise across Africa, “accelerating sea-level rise” as well as extreme weather events like floods, landslides and droughts all indicators of climate change.(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
************************************************************************
Nigerian gunmen attack jail, 575 detainees missing
(Reuters)
ABUJA, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Gunmen attacked a jail in Nigeria’s Oyo State late on Friday and freed over 800 inmates by force, the third such major attack this year, prison service said in a statement.
The prison service said the attackers were heavily armed and after an exchange of gunfire with prison officers, gained entry to the prison yard by blasting the walls with dynamite.
Some 575 inmates, who were all awaiting trial, were missing while 262 escapees had since been recaptured, it said, adding that the jail housed only 64 convicts, who did not escape.
“While all the awaiting trial detainees were forced out of custody, the cells housing the convicts and the female inmates were not vandalised,” the prison service said.
Nigeria is struggling with security problems across its vast territory, including a spate of abductions of students for ransom by criminal gangs in the northwest and an Islamist insurgency in the northeast.
The jail attack in Oyo follows similar attacks in Imo state in April where more than 1,800 inmates were freed, while another 266 prisoners were forcibly released in Kogi state last month. read more Reporting by Camillus Eboh, (Source: Reuters)