Taliban to create Afghanistan ‘grand army’ with old regime troops
(22 Feb 2022) Latifullah Hakimi, head of the Taliban’s Ranks Clearance Commission, also told a news conference that they had repaired half the 81 helicopters and planes supposedly rendered unserviceable by the United States-led forces during last year’s chaotic withdrawal.
He said Taliban forces took control of more than 300,000 light arms, 26,000 heavy weapons and about 61,000 military vehicles during their lightning takeover of the country. Afghanistan’s armed forces disintegrated in the face of a Taliban onslaught ahead of the August 31 US-led force withdrawal, often abandoning their bases and leaving behind all their weapons and vehicles. The Taliban has promised a general amnesty for everyone linked to the old regime, but nearly all senior government and military officials were among the more than 120,000 people who evacuated by air in the final days. Many of the rank and file remained, melting back into civilian life and keeping a low profile for fear of reprisals. The United Nations said in January that more than 100 people linked to the old armed forces have been killed since August. Hakimi insisted, however, that the Taliban amnesty had worked well. “If it hadn’t been issued, we would have witnessed a very bad situation,” he said. “The suicide bombers who were chasing a person to target him are now the same suicide bombers protecting him,” he added. There has been little evidence the Taliban has absorbed former troops into their ranks but, over the weekend, it named two senior ex-Afghan National Army officers to top posts in the defence ministry. Both are specialist surgeons attached to the country’s main military hospital. “Our work on the formation of an army is going on,” Hakimi said. “Professionals including pilots and engineers, service persons, logistical and administrative staff (from the previous regime) are in their places in the security sector.” Hakimi said they would form “a grand army… according to the country’s needs and the national interests”, although he did not specify a size. He said the army would only be one that the country could afford. Afghanistan is effectively bankrupt, with $7bn in overseas assets seized by the US. Washington said half will be reserved for a fund to compensate victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, and half gradually released as part of a carefully monitored humanitarian aid fund. Hakimi told the news conference the Taliban had purged nearly 4,500 “unwanted people” from its ranks, mostly new recruits who joined in the aftermath of their takeover and were blamed for a spate of crime.)(SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
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US Navy plans launch of Middle East drone force with allies
(21 Feb 2022) The United States Navy has announced the launch of a new joint fleet of unmanned drones in the Middle East with allied nations to patrol vast swaths of volatile waters as tensions simmer with Iran. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads the 5th Fleet, said 100 unmanned drones, both sailing and submersible, would dramatically multiply the surveillance capacities of the US Navy, allowing it to keep a close eye on waters critical to the flow of global oil and shipping. Trade at sea has been targeted in recent years as Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers collapsed. “By using unmanned systems, we can just simply see more. They’re high reliability and remove the human factor,” Cooper said on the sidelines of a defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi, adding the systems are “the only way to cover on whatever gaps that we have today”. Cooper said he hopes the drone force using artificial intelligence would be operational by the summer of 2023 to put more “eyes and ears on the water”. The Bahrain-based 5th Fleet includes the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Gulf through which 20 percent of all oil passes. It also stretches as far as the Red Sea near the Suez Canal, the waterway in Egypt linking the Middle East to the Mediterranean, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen. The high seas have witnessed a series of assaults and escalations in recent years, following former US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the nuclear deal with Iran and reimpose devastating sanctions. (SOURCE: AP)
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New Quad of India, Israel, US, UAE
to launch international forum for economic cooperation
A free-trade agreement struck last week between India and the United Arab Emirates is the first of a series of deals which will soon bring together members of US-sponsored strategic alliances in theMiddle East and Asia. The UAE, a wealthy oil exporter and the Middle East’s top trade hub, is also close to wrapping up free-trade negotiations with, Emirati officials said, underpinning a rapidly growing relationship established under the Abraham Accords in August 2020. Marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Israel in January, India announced it had also entered into free-trade talks with Jerusalem. “The signing of the historic Abraham Accords has not only opened up new opportunities for our own bilaterals, but also the quadrilateral strategic cooperation between the UAE, the, India and Israel,” Ahmed Albanna, the UAE ambassador to India, said at an event in New Delhi on February 10. Describing the West Asian Quad as “an offspring of the Abraham Accords”, Albanna said that the multilateral approach embodied by the US-backed alliances was “more critical than ever to respond to increasingly complex threats to global economic growth and stability”. (Source:South China Morning Post)
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Ahmedabad bombings: India court sentences 38 to death
(18 Feb 2022) A court in India has sentenced 38 people to death and ordered life in prison for 11 others over a series of bomb blasts in 2008 that killed dozens in the western city of Ahmedabad. The court had on February 8 convicted 49 people over the coordinated attacks that killed 56 and wounded 200, launching shrapnel through markets, buses and other public places in Gujarat state’s commercial hub. Nearly 80 people were charged overall for the attacks but 28 were acquitted. The convicted were all found guilty of murder and criminal conspiracy. Judge A R Patel ordered the punishment after the prosecution pressed for the death sentence describing the incident as a “rarest of rare case” in which innocent lives were lost. A defence lawyer said they would appeal the verdict in a higher court. “We had sought lenient sentences for the convicts as they have already spent more than 13 years in prison,” Khalid Shaikh told Reuters news agency. “But the court awarded death to the majority of them. We will definitely go for appeal.” A group calling itself the “Indian Mujahideen” had claimed responsibility for the blasts on July 26, 2008. It said the act was revenge for 2002 religious riots in the state that left some 1,000 people mostly Muslims dead. The marathon trial lasted nearly a decade, with more than 1,100 witnesses called to testify. It was dragged out by procedural delays, including a legal battle by four of the accused to retract confessions. Ahmedabad was the centre of deadly 2002 religious riots that saw at least 1,000 people hacked, shot and burned to death. The violence broke out after the death of 59 Hindus in a train fire a case in which 31 Muslims were convicted for criminal conspiracy and murder. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was then head of the state government and has subsequently been dogged by accusations of turning a blind eye to the violence.(SOURCE:NEWS AGENCIES)
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Kuwaiti MPs demand ban on entry of BJP members
News Desk | February 20, 2022
A group of powerful Kuwaiti parliamentarians had demanded of the government of Kuwait to put an immediate ban on the entry of any member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India into Kuwait.
The eleven parliamentarians wrote a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly about atrocities being committed by the ruling BJP in India against the Muslim minority.
In a tweet on the social media platform Twitter, they said “We can’t sit back and watch Muslim girls being publicly persecuted they said. Time for the Ummah to unite.” They said female Muslim students were being stopped from entering educational institutions in Hijab.
Kuwaiti activists gathered in Irada Square in Kuwait City last week to support Muslim women in India following a ban on hijab at schools and colleges in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
The women’s wing of the Islamic Constitutional Movement also staged a protest at the Green Island’s parking in front of the Indian embassy in Kuwait in support of Muslim women in India following the ban on hijab in schools.
India objects to Singapore PM’s remarks about ‘criminal’ Mps
By Alasdair Pal
NEW DELHI, Feb 18 (Reuters) – India has complained to Singapore about a remark its prime minister made on the number of Indian parliamentarians facing criminal charges, an Indian official said on Friday, in a rare instance of friction between the Asian allies. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made the remark in Singapore’s parliament on Wednesday 16 February, during a debate about accusations of lying levelled at a member of Singapore’s opposition. Lee, referring to parliamentary standards, mentioned India, suggesting a decline there since its first prime minister after independence from Britain in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru, was in charge. “Nehru’s India has become one where … almost half the MPs in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges pending against them, including charges of rape and murder,” Lee said, referring to India’s lower house of parliament. He did add, however, that many of the charges were politically motivated. Indian media reported that Singapore’s ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry to explain. The Indian ministry declined to comment but an official there criticised what the Singapore leader said. “The remarks by the prime minister of Singapore were uncalled for,” said the official, who declined to be identified.(Courtesy: Muslim Mirror/Reuters)
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Chinese navy laser lights up Australian military aircraft: Australian Defense
SYDNEY, Feb 19 (Reuters) – A Chinese navy vessel directed a laser at an Australian military aircraft in flight over Australia’s northern approaches, illuminating the plane and potentially endangering lives, Australia’s defence said. A P-8A Poseidon – a maritime patrol aircraft – detected a laser emanating from a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) vessel, the Defence Department said in a statement. “Illumination of the aircraft by the Chinese vessel is a serious safety incident,” the department said. “Acts like this have the potential to endanger lives. We strongly condemn unprofessional and unsafe military conduct.” The Chinese vessel was sailing east with another PLA-N ship through the Arafura Sea at the time of the incident, the department said. The sea lies between the north coast of Australia and the south coast of New Guinea. The defence department said that both ships have since transited through the Torres Strait and were in the Coral Sea. Relations between Australia and China, its top trade partner, soured after Canberra banned Huawei Technologies [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] from its 5G broadband network in 2018, toughened laws against foreign political interference, and urged an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. In 2019, Chinese maritime militia vessels initiated a series of laser attacks on Australian pilots while flying over the South China Sea, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).(Source: Reuters)
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Ethiopia starts electricity production at Blue Nile mega-dam
20 Feb 2022| Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has officially inaugurated electricity production from the country’s mega-dam on the Blue Nile, a milestone in the controversial multibillion-dollar project. Abiy, accompanied by high-ranking officials, toured the power generation station and pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen, a move that officials said initiated production. “This great dam was built by Ethiopians but not only for Ethiopians, rather for all our African brothers and sisters to benefit from,” an official presiding at the launch ceremony said.
“The day every Ethiopian has sacrificed for, hoped and prayed for, is finally here.” The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be the largest hydroelectric scheme in Africa but has been at the centre of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground there in 2011. Ethiopia’s downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on Nile waters, while Addis Ababa deems it essential for its electrification and development. The $4.2bn project is ultimately expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, more than doubling Ethiopia’s electricity output. State media reported that the 145-metre (475-foot) high dam which lies on Blue Nile River in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of western Ethiopia, not far from the border with Sudan had started generating 375 megawatts of electricity from one of its turbines on Sunday. Egypt, which depends on the Nile for about 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking water, sees the dam as an existential threat. Sudan hopes the project will regulate annual flooding but fears its own dams could be harmed without agreement on the GERD’s operation. Both countries have been pushing Ethiopia for a binding deal over the filling and operation of the massive dam, but talks under the auspices of the African Union (AU) have failed to reach a breakthrough. The dam was initiated under former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the leader who ruled Ethiopia for more than two decades until his death in 2012. (SOURCE:ALJAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES)
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Roman-era tombs uncovered at construction site in Gaza
A 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery that includes at least 34 tombs has been uncovered in a northern Gaza city.
By Maram Humaid | Published On 23 Feb 2022
Gaza City, Palestine Construction workers at a building site in northern Gaza have uncovered old tombs dating back to the first century AD. The Roman-era tombs were discovered as construction work began on an Egyptian-funded residential area, part of the $500m reconstruction Egypt pledged following the 11-day offensive on the Gaza Strip last May. Naji Sarhan, a spokesperson of Gaza’s Ministry of Public Works, confirmed graves were discovered, with evidence there are other graves at the site. The construction work at the area was halted with experts and technicians from Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities sent there to inspect gravestones and artefacts, Sarhan said. Jamal Abu Rida, the ministry’s director-general told Al Jazeera from the site that the number of discovered tombs had reached 34 by Wednesday morning. Abu Rida said that technicians from the ministry and experts from the French School for Antiques unveiled belongings and pottery artefacts dating back to the Roman era. The remains of the 2,000-year-old cemetery were discovered at the start of this month when construction workers found a Roman tomb while working on the new project. The area has been made off-limits to the public until excavation work is completed.(SOURCE: AL JAZEERA)
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At least 13 killed by suicide bomber in central Somalia
16 Feb 2022| The dead were mostly civilians and 20 other people were wounded in the town of Beledweyne, police spokesman Dini Roble Ahmed said. The blast caused “huge damage”, he added. Witnesses said a large explosion tore through an open area of the Hassan Dhiif restaurant where people gathered under trees to eat lunch. The attack took place despite security being tightened in Beledweyne on the eve of a first round of voting for parliamentary seats in the constituency, 340km (210 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu. Two deputy district commissioners were among the dead, police officer Mohamud Hassan said. “This was the deadliest attack I can recall in this town.” (SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES)
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North Korea claims new test of spy satellite component
(5-3-2022) Pyongyang reportedly tested the spy satellite’s data transmission and reception system, as well as its ground-based control systems. North Korea has performed key tests needed to develop a spy satellite, in the second such tests in about a week, indicating the country intends to conduct a prohibited long-range rocket launch soon. On Sunday, the North’s Korean Central News Agency said it had conducted “another important test” the previous day under its pl an to develop a reconnaissance satellite. It said authorities tested the satellite’s data transmission and reception system and its ground-based control systems. The KCNA dispatch didn’t directly mention any missile or rocket launches to conduct such satellite-related tests, but apparently referred to the North’s ninth round of missile launches this year, spotted on Saturday 3rd March..Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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Scores of Rohingya Muslims land on Indonesian beach in rickety boat
(6 March 2022) 114 refugees, including 35 children, were “weak from hunger and dehydration after a long and severe voyage at sea.”More than 100 hungry and weak Rohingya Muslims have been found on a beach in Indonesia’s northernmost province of Aceh after weeks at sea. The group arrived on Jangka beach near Alue Buya Pasi, a fishing village in Bireuen district, on a rickety wooden boat early on Sunday according to officials. The villagers who saw the 114 ethnic Rohingya helped them to land and then reported their arrival to authorities, said Badruddin Yunus, the leader of the local tribal fishing community. “They look very weak from hunger and dehydration after a long and severe voyage at sea,” said Yunus, adding it wasn’t clear where the group was traveling from or where it was headed as none spoke English or Malay. The 58 men, 21 women and 35 children were given shelter and received help from villagers, police and military, while local authorities including the coronavirus task force were helping to process them, Yunus said. (Courtesy TRT News Agency)
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World Bank announces more than $1 bn in aid for Afghanistan
(AFP/Stefani Reynolds) (Stefani Reynolds) : Wed, March 2, 2022
The reallocation from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) follows the $280 million in ARTF funds disbursed last December, and is aimed at supporting the humanitarian response over the critical winter months. The funds, to be delivered in the form of grants, aim “to support the delivery of essential basic services, protect vulnerable Afghans, help preserve human capital and key economic and social services and reduce the need for humanitarian assistance in the future,” the Washington-based lender said in a statement. The bank suspended its aid to Kabul late last August after the hardline Islamist Taliban swept back into power. ARTF is a multi-donor fund that coordinates international aid to improve the lives of millions of Afghans. It is administered by the World Bank on behalf of donor partners. Until the Taliban took over, the ARTF was the largest source of development funding for Afghanistan, financing up to 30 percent of the government’s budget. Because the World Bank is unable to provide money directly to the Taliban regime — which is not recognized by the international community — it has redirected the funds to organizations like UN childrens agency UNICEF in response to the humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan’s population has faced food shortages and mounting poverty since the Taliban took over. The objective of the new aid is to “protect vulnerable Afghans (and) help preserve human capital and key economic and social services,” the World Bank said.
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Legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne dies in Thailand
BANGKOK, March 4 (Reuters) – Australian cricketer Shane Warne, one of the finest spin bowlers of all time whose talent and personality transcended the sport, died aged 52 on Friday. read more Warne, who ended his spell-binding international career in 2007 with a remarkable 708 test wickets, died from a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand, his family confirmed in a statement.”Shane was found unresponsive in his Villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived,” the statement read.Thai Police said Warne and three other friends were staying in a private villa and one of them went to inquire about him after the former cricketer did not turn up for dinner. “The friend did CPR on him and called an ambulance,” Chatchawin Nakmusik, an officer with the Bo Put police on Koh Samui, told Reuters by phone. “An emergency response unit then arrived and did another CPR for 10-20 minutes. Then an ambulance from the Thai International Hospital arrived and took him there. They did CPR for five minutes, and then he died.” They did not know the cause of death but were not treating it as suspicious, added Chatchawin. Warne’s last post on Twitter, 12 hours before his death was reported, was a tribute to Marsh.
ALL-TIME GREATS
Credited for reviving the art of leg spin, Warne made his test debut in 1992 against India and by the time he ended his 15-year international career, the spinner had established himself as one of the all-time greats of the game. read more He also had 293 wickets from 194 one-dayers and won the man-of-the-match award when Australia beat Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup final.(Courtesy : Reuters)