Sturgeon refused to say whether she believed Irish reunification would come before Scottish independence…reports Asian Lite News
Nicola Sturgeon has predicted an independent Scotland and a united Ireland as part of a “wider shake-up” of the UK’s constitution.
The former first minister speaking to the BBC to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2014 referendum. “I believe that, perhaps as part of a wider shake-up of UK governance, the reunification of Ireland, perhaps, more autonomy in Wales, that I think we will see Scotland become an independent country,” she said.
“I’ll certainly campaign and advocate for that for as long as I’ve got breath in my body.”
Sturgeon refused to say whether she believed Irish reunification would come before Scottish independence but added: “I do think that will happen. “I think we will see over the next number of years, I’m not going to sit here and put a figure on that, what I would describe as a very healthy realignment of how the nations of the British Isles are governed and cooperate together.”
Asked whether he supported Sturgeon’s predictions about an independent Scotland and a united Ireland, John Swinney told journalists: “Do I think they’ll both happen? Yes, I do. So I agree with that point very much. I think the tide and the pattern of those debates is moving decisively and emphatically in that direction.”
Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservative chairman, said: “Nicola Sturgeon simply cannot help herself. Not only is she still pushing Scottish independence at every turn, she has now decided to weigh in on the divisive issue of a border poll in Ireland too.
“Rather than constantly talking about the break-up of the United Kingdom, the former SNP leader should be focused on the real priorities of the people in Glasgow Southside. She should stop being a part-time MSP and stand up for what really matters to her constituents like record NHS waiting times, good local jobs and keeping communities safe from crime.”
Sturgeon said at the time that the departure from the EU had “brought to the fore some very fundamental questions” over governance in the UK.
O’Neill became Northern Ireland’s first nationalist first minister in February, fuelling debate about the possibility of a border poll.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement says that “the people on the island” should be able to exercise “their right of self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland”, subject to the principle of consent in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Act 1998 states that “if at any time it appears likely” that a majority of those voting in a border poll would “express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom and form part of a united Ireland”, the secretary of state will consent to a border poll. It is not clear exactly how this process would come about.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said last year that an Irish unity referendum was “not even on the horizon”.
Sturgeon described herself as a natural pessimist but said that was not the case come polling day, 18 September 2014. “Unusually for me, in the final days, I was really optimistic,” she said.
“I definitely felt that victory was within grasp.” The then deputy first minister had a leading role in the Yes campaign and spent the summer touring around Scotland.
The decision to increase the PM’s chief of staff’s salary to £170,000 has ignited a row within the government. Gray, whose report while a senior civil servant into Downing Street parties during the pandemic contributed to Johnson’s downfall…reports Asian Lite News
Keir Starmer’s chief of staff received a pay rise after the election which means she is now paid more than the prime minister. Sue Gray asked for and was given a salary of £170,000 – £3,000 more than the PM and more than any cabinet minister – or her Conservative predecessor.
A government source close to Gray said this claim was “categorically untrue” and she had “had no involvement in any decision on her pay”.
The decision has ignited a row within government over Gray, whose report while a senior civil servant into parties in Downing Street during the pandemic contributed to the downfall of Boris Johnson. She then went on to work as a Labour Party adviser.
Her wide-ranging role as the prime minister’s chief of staff includes controlling access to the PM and helping to ensure the government’s policies are put into action.
Her Conservative predecessor Liam, now Lord, Booth Smith, who did the job under Rishi Sunak, was paid at the upper end of the highest pay band for special advisers, between £140,000 and £145,000 a year.
The boost in Gray’s pay comes after the prime minister signed off a rebanding of the salaries for special advisers shortly after taking office. The government says the rebanding was done by officials, not by Gray herself, and her salary is not at the top of the new highest band for special advisers.
News of Gray’s pay rise is the latest in a line of leaks about her which paint a picture of fractious relationships at the very top of government, just months into Labour’s tenure. “It speaks to the dysfunctional way No10 is being run – no political judgement, an increasingly grand Sue who considers herself to be the deputy prime minister, hence the salary and no other voice for the prime minister to hear as everything gets run through Sue,” one insider said.
The prime minister earns £166,786.
One angry government insider branded Gray’s pay “the highest ever special adviser salary in the history of special advisers”. Others in government speak passionately in Gray’s defence and believe there is a misplaced and deeply personal campaign against her which is grossly unfair.
A government source said “any questions should be directed at the process and not an individual”. Asked about Gray being paid more than the PM, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We’re very lucky to have Sue.”
Another cabinet minister, speaking on condition of anonymity said: “Sue has done an enormous job preparing Labour for government, and is now showing her customary drive to get Whitehall to deliver on Labour’s priorities. She won’t be distracted, she will carry on doing what she always does, focus on delivering the change that the British people voted for.”
Gray’s salary has sparked such a row in government partly because other advisers believe they are being underpaid.
Every cabinet minister has at least two special advisers, many of whom also worked with them in opposition. Then, they were paid by the Labour Party.
Most were expecting pay rises upon entering government only to discover they would in fact be paid less. Many of the disappointed advisers blame Gray specifically – although others insist that pay is a matter for civil servants.
The majority of those on the committee within Whitehall responsible for special advisers pay and conditions are civil servants, but Gray is on it too. “It’s bizarre,” one furious adviser said. “I’m working harder than ever in a more important job and they want to pay me less than the Labour Party was paying me when it was broke.” These frustrations are not confined to junior advisers.
A source claimed that the prime minister’s director of communications, Matthew Doyle, was initially offered a salary of £110,000, significantly less than Gray’s. This was later raised to £140,000, a figure in line with several of his predecessors doing the same job.
There is no suggestion there was any anger internally over Doyle’s pay.
Many special advisers worked for weeks without being shown a proposed employment contract, meaning that by the time they discovered what their salary would be they had essentially no choice but to accept it.
Again, Gray was widely blamed for the delay in formal contracts being circulated. When Gray was hired as Starmer’s chief of staff in 2023 she was tasked with working on Labour’s preparations for government.
Special advisers see the row over their salaries as a sign that the work was not carried out in enough detail. “If you ever see any evidence of our preparations for government, please let me know,” one adviser said.
Shenzhou 12 spacewalker Liu Boming positions himself to mount the end of a robotic arm outside of China's space station. Credit: CCTV news
“Chinese are clearly developing a world-class military space capability that includes both space support and counter-space.”…reports Asian Lite News
Chinese ambitions – “the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” as Chairman Xi Jinping calls it – are almost unbridled in their scope. As well as seeking to dominate nearby territory such as Taiwan, the mountainous border with India, international waters in the South China Sea and the icy wastes of Antarctica – Beijing has cast its zealous net deep into space too.
A sharp warning came recently from the Headquarters of the US Space Force. In a space threat fact sheet it stated, “Intensifying strategic competition presents a serious threat to US national security interests in, from and to space. China and Russia seek to position themselves as leading space powers while undermining US global leadership. Both countries are developing new space systems to enhance military effectiveness and end any reliance on US space systems.”
Dr Malcom Davis, a senior analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), concurred. He told ANI: “Clearly, China would like to dominate space in terms of control, and deny space access to the US and to US allies…In every sense of the word, I think the Chinese are determined to overtake the US in space.”
Before delving further into the contents of that American Space Force report, it is pertinent to see how China is already trampling upon international norms on Earth. If Beijing is willing to unashamedly do this on our terrestrial ball, against the wishes of others, then what will it attempt in the vast, uncontested reaches of outer space?
China is planning a permanent moon base, and it will presumably ride roughshod over the US-sponsored Artemis Accords of 2020 that recommend principles regarding moon colonization. A key provision in the Artemis Accords is license for lunar operators to establish “safety zones” around their activities “to avoid harmful interference”. Some 43 countries have signed the accords, but not China or Russia since they are developing their own frameworks.
The Shenzhou 13 crew is expected to spend six months at the space station. (Photo: Weibo)
China’s and minor partner Russia’s proposed base at the moon’s south pole is called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Its roadmap was unveiled in 2021, but China revealed further information earlier this month. Five super-heavy-lift rockets are to help establish the first phase of the ILRS from 2030-35, after which it will expand through till 2050. Chinese state media said the extended station will be a “comprehensive lunar station network that utilizes the lunar orbit station as its central hub and the south pole station as its primary base, and it will include exploration nodes on the lunar equator and the far side of the moon”. Power will come from solar, radioisotope and nuclear generators. To date, 13 countries have signed up to the ILRS project.
However, how will China behave on the moon? It has already shown in Antarctica how it despises international treaties. Specifically, China requested an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) around its Kunlun Station on Dome A in 2013. An ASMA is the equivalent of a lunar safety zone, but China’s request was roundly denied under the Antarctica Treaty System (ATS) since there is no threat to or need for deconfliction in this zone. China insisted it needed the ASMA for precautionary reasons, and the situation has devolved into an international stalemate. Since then, Beijing has spitefully obstructed various unrelated decisions by the ATS.
On the moon, China could just as easily spurn international treaties and efforts to deconflict exploration programs, especially since the south pole is the most favored area for colonization sites. The Outer Space Treaty prevents any country from reserving a territorial claim on the moon, but “safety zones” are the nearest thing to establishing sovereignty there. However, if China were to arrive on the moon first, it could take control of parts of it by establishing its own massive “safety zones” in defiance of treaties or public opinion. Who is to stop it?
Xi certainly has a track record of bullying and disdainfully treating rules and norms. He is ramping up sustained pressure on Taiwan. Since President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration in May, the number of Chinese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) or Taiwan Strait centerline incursions has risen from an average of 7.5 to 18.7 per day. Year on year they are up 73%, and this year’s cumulative total of incursions already exceeds that of 2023. By the end of August, the PLA had intruded 1,986 times, compared to 1,703 for the whole of last year.
It is not just Taiwan that China is intimidating. On 26 August, a PLA Y-9 electronic intelligence aircraft violated Japanese airspace over the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea. This appeared to be the first time a Chinese military aircraft had violated Japanese airspace since World War II. With Tokyo supportive of Taiwan, China is increasingly eyeing the possibility of interdicting the Japanese Ryukyu Island chain, which includes Okinawa, critical to both the Japanese and American militaries.
Meanwhile, in the Western Pacific, for the first time a Chinese Type 075 landing helicopter dock ship operated with the aircraft carrier Shandong east of Taiwan during a surge deployment exercise in August. This was the first time these two powerful naval assets had operated together.
Back in the South China Sea, the Philippines noted the presence of 203 Chinese vessels, the most ever recorded, near its own occupied features last week. These were mostly maritime militia vessels (fishing boats acting at the behest of the state), but also coast guard and naval vessels. Some 71 boats were swarming Sabina Shoal alone, a site of tension between the Philippines and China. Malaysia’s government has been trying to play down Chinese encroachment into its maritime territory in the South China Sea.
Recently, the Chinese research ship Ke Xue San Hao was conducting an illegal survey of Chinese waters at Ardasier Bank within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, and before that three coast guard vessels were loitering.
As can be seen from this snapshot of recent nefarious Chinese activity, Beijing does not mind intimidating other nations in order to gain advantage.
Unfortunately, China also nominated space as a new domain of warfare in 2015, and it is boldly staking its claim in this celestial sphere. The US Space Force explained, “China’s rapidly growing space program – second only to the US in number of operational satellites – is a source of national pride and key to President Xi’s ‘China Dream’ to establish a powerful and prosperous nation. Beijing expects space to play an important role in future conflicts by enabling long-range precision strikes and by denying other militaries the use of space-based information systems.”
Last year, China conducted 66 successful space launches, placing 217 payloads into orbit. More than half – 114 payloads to be exact – were for satellites capable of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). China now has 470+ ISR-capable satellites with optical, multispectral, radar and radio frequency sensors that can detect American and others’ military assets. One of the most significant of these is the Yaogan-41 remote sensing satellite launched in December 2023. It allows China to persistently monitor American and allied forces in the region.
According to the US military, since the end of 2015, China’s on-orbit presence has grown by approximately 550%. Quantitatively this is more than 800 satellites and, indeed, as of March 2024, China had more than 950 satellites in orbit. Furthermore, Beijing’s improving space-based capabilities can combine with the PLA’s growing arsenal of long-range weapons to enable long-range precision strikes against US and allied forces.
China is even successfully utilizing reusable spaceplanes. Three launches have occurred, the first lasting two days and the second more than nine months, and both released unidentified objects. The third spaceplane launched in December 2023 and it remains in orbit today.
The US Space Force further warned: “Intelligence suggests the PLA likely sees counter-space operations as a means to deter and counter US military intervention in a regional conflict.
Moreover, PLA academics stress the necessity of ‘destroying, damaging and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance…and communications satellites’ to ‘blind and deafen the enemy’.”
A Long March-5B Y3 carrier rocket, carrying Wentian lab module, blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China’s Hainan Province, July 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Gang/IANS)
Chinese intentions were made manifest in 2007 when it employed a direct-ascent antisatellite (ASAT) missile to destroy a defunct weather satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO). This created more than 2,700 pieces of trackable debris that remain an orbital hazard. The USA claimed, “That missile evolved into an operational ground-based system intended to target LEO satellites. The PLA actively trains on this system today.”
The Pentagon assessed that China “likely intends to field ASAT weapons capable of destroying satellites up to geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) at 36,000km. In 2013, China launched a ballistic object which peaked at 30,000km, suggesting it may already have a basic ASAT capability against higher orbits.”
Addressing China’s counter-space capabilities, Dr. Davis of ASPI said: “What you’re seeing is that, while the Chinese are developing this sort of direct-ascent, kinetic-kill ASATs, the favored capability for them will be soft-kill systems that are either co-orbital or ground-based, because they can deliver reversible, scalable effects, and they also don’t create clouds of space debris.”
He added: “What they’re demonstrating, perfecting, is the technological means to do these sort of attacks in a crisis leading up to war, to exploit the gray-zone attack using, for example, a dual-role commercial satellite that has an anti-satellite capability.” In fact, Beijing is developing satellite “inspection and repair systems” that could serve as weapons. In January 2022, for instance, the Shijian-21 satellite moved a derelict BeiDou navigation satellite to a graveyard orbit above GEO. “This technology could be used in future systems to grapple other satellites.”
Dr. David Stupples, professor of Electronic & Radio Engineering at City University of London, told ANI that, while the ASAT threat is “very serious”, any attack would lead to fratricide due to American retaliation. “But what China has then said is, okay, you can do all of that, but we will flood space with our signals intelligence satellites and our reconnaissance satellites, etc. and, therefore, we’ll make it very difficult to do that.”
Further evidence of nefarious Chinese intentions is seen in SJ- and TJS-series experimental satellites observed conducting unusual, large and rapid maneuvers in GEO.
The USA believes these are “tactics which could have a number of different military applications”. Additionally, the PLA owns multiple ground-based laser weapons able to disrupt, degrade or damage satellite sensors. “By the mid-to-late 2020s, they could have higher-power systems able to damage satellite structures.”
Dr. Stupples commented: “They do have lasers powerful enough at the moment probably to destroy a satellite in LEO. But they’re also developing satellite-killer satellites which will go alongside another satellite and then aim a laser at the solar panels or antennas … I don’t know as yet whether they’ve launched any, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had, because they would be testing it against their own satellites.”
PLA exercises routinely incorporate jammers against space-based communications, radars and navigation systems like GPS. There are also indications China may be developing jammers able to target satellite communications over a range of frequencies, including the US military’s protected extremely-high-frequency systems.
Another achievement was China’s July 2021 fractional orbital launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle. This was a world-first, and it marked the longest flight of any PLA land attack weapon ever. In 100+ minutes, it flew around 40,000km.
Dr Davis warned: “We should be very concerned, because the Chinese are clearly developing a world-class military space capability that includes both space support and counter-space. And I think that all the good intentions and flowery language of arms control and regulatory reform aside, the Chinese will use counter-space capabilities prior to or at the outset of the next war. We should expect space to be contested, and ultimately a warfighting domain, where the Chinese will seek to deny us access to critical space support.”
The US Space Force sounded the same alarm bells: “China is the pacing challenge and is rapidly improving its space capabilities to track and target US military forces.” (ANI)
China objected to the move by the US and vowed to “resolutely defend national sovereignty,…reports Asian Lite News
The US 7th Fleet said on Tuesday that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft transited the Taiwan Strait and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” the US 7th Fleet in a statement said.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, China objected to the move by the US and vowed to “resolutely defend national sovereignty,” according to a report by VOA.
“On September 17, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait,” Li Xi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said.
The PLA theater command “organised fighter jets to tail and stand guard against the US aircraft’s flight, dealing with it in accordance with the law. Theater troops are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability,” Li said, according to VOA.
Notably, Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.
Earlier in July, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te accused the Chinese government of misinterpreting a United Nations resolution to justify its military activities against Taiwan and drawing an inappropriate linkage to its “One China” principle, the Central News Agency (CNA) had reported.
Beijing claims that the UN resolution confirmed its one-China principle, which implies that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. (ANI)
The flotilla, which included two Luyang III-class missile destroyers, sailed southwards through the waters between the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News
A Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time, as confirmed by Japan’s military on Wednesday. The passage, which occurred between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands, is the latest in a series of assertive moves by Beijing that have alarmed Japan, a close US ally. The area is close to the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in China, which have long been a flashpoint between the two nations.
The flotilla, which included two Luyang III-class missile destroyers, sailed southwards through the waters between the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday. Japan’s defense ministry noted that this was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had been observed passing through these particular waters. Local media, citing unnamed defense sources, reported that the carrier had entered Japan’s contiguous waters, an area where a country can exert some control, although this is not yet fully confirmed by Japan’s defense ministry.
Taiwan also reported that the same Chinese naval formation had passed through waters northeast of the self-governed island on its way toward Japan’s Yonaguni Island. The movements come amid heightened tensions in the region, with China’s increasing military presence and assertiveness causing concern among the US and its allies, particularly in territorial disputes.
Incidents involving Chinese and Japanese vessels, especially around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, have become frequent. In recent years, Japanese fighter jets have been scrambled multiple times in response to incursions by Chinese aircraft, with Tokyo calling a Chinese military aircraft incursion in August a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.
In response to these growing threats, Japan has been boosting its defense spending and enhancing its military capabilities, including counter-strike abilities. Japan is also strengthening its defense partnerships, notably with the Philippines, and has supported regional security by providing patrol vessels and other military assistance to neighboring countries.
The mobile phones and additional items have been confiscated, and a smuggling case has been initiated…reports Asian Lite News
The Pakistan Customs authorities have successfully intercepted an attempt to smuggle 15,465 mobile phones, predominantly Android devices, valued at PKR 446 million from China into Pakistan via the Khunjerab Pass border crossing.
The mobile phones and additional items have been confiscated, and a smuggling case has been initiated, Dawn reported.
According to a report submitted to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Customs officials at the Sost Dry Port had received intelligence that a truck, identified as GLTE 1257, carrying smuggled mobile phones and other high-value goods had entered Pakistan from China through the Khunjerab Pass and was parked on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) near the Dehi area of Khunjerab Pass, potentially waiting to unload its cargo during the night.
The report details that Assistant Collector of Customs at Sost Dry Port, Imtiaz Shigri, dispatched a Customs team to investigate the truck, which was parked at Barkhoon near Dehi. The truck was found abandoned on the roadside with no one present.
When questioned, local residents revealed that an unidentified individual had left the truck, claiming it had a mechanical issue that required a mechanic’s attention, reported Dawn.
The Customs team transported the truck to Sost Dry Port, where it was secured by port officials. As no one came forward to claim the vehicle or its cargo, a public notice was issued at both Sost Dry Port and the Baggage Section, requesting the unidentified importer to present the necessary documents for the truck within 15 days. Failure to comply would result in legal action as stipulated by law.
With no response received by the end of the notice period, the Assistant Collector of Sost Dry Port organised another team to conduct a physical examination of the truck’s contents. The team’s inspection revealed a total of 15,465 mobile phones, including 8,365 smartphones (such as iPhone, Oppo, Vivo, One-Plus) and 7,100 bar phones, alongside other non-duty paid items, Dawn reported. (ANI)
The issue stems from a financial dispute between the water board and Pakistan Steel Mills….reports Asian Lite News
The Karachi industrial sector is experiencing a significant crisis due to water shortages that jeopardize the operations of major factories in the Steel Mill and Port Qasim Industrial Area, according to Samaa TV.
A report from last month indicated that industries have been struggling due to the cut in water supply by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), affecting numerous production facilities, including global automotive manufacturers.
The issue stems from a financial dispute between the water board and Pakistan Steel Mills. The Water Board cut off the water supply to industrial units in the area, citing unpaid debts by the Steel Mill, even though the company has paid millions in water bills over the years.
Pakistan Steel has requested the KWSB to take control of the water management system; however, the Water Board rejected the proposal, citing the significant debts owed by the Steel Mill.
The report further stated that the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and the Industrial Park Owners Association have expressed concern about the situation. In correspondence with the Federal Minister of Industry and Production, they underscored the substantial effects on production and called for urgent intervention. Zainul Abedin Shariq, Chairman of the Industrial Park Owners Association, emphasized that the conflict between the two parties has jeopardized the operations of numerous industries.
The letter states that the Steel Mill has continued to collect millions in ground rent and other fees from the industrial units, despite the water supply being cut off. Nevertheless, the factories are compelled to cease production due to the water shortage.
The Water Board administration has stated that no water will be supplied until the Steel Mill settles all outstanding dues. As a result, many industries, particularly in the auto sector, are facing a crisis, with production lines halted. (ANI)”
This move highlights the Taliban’s ongoing efforts to establish a more formal diplomatic presence…reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan’s Embassy in Oman has officially reopened, signaling the Taliban’s growing diplomatic presence in the Gulf region. Zia Ahmad Takal, the deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kabul, confirmed that the embassy in Muscat resumed operations on Sunday. This comes after the United Arab Emirates accepted a Taliban ambassador last month, and follows the Taliban’s July declaration that they no longer recognize diplomatic missions set up by the previous, Western-backed government of Afghanistan.
While there has been no immediate confirmation from Omani authorities, Takal emphasized that the embassy is now staffed by diplomats from the Taliban-led government. He noted that the resumption of the embassy’s activities, facilitated through cooperation with Oman, is expected to enhance political, economic, social, and religious relations between Kabul and Muscat. Takal also confirmed that 39 diplomatic missions globally are now under Taliban control.
This move highlights the Taliban’s ongoing efforts to establish a more formal diplomatic presence, despite most countries still not recognizing them as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. The Taliban have been in power for three years and continue to face limited internal or external opposition. Nevertheless, they have pursued closer bilateral ties with key regional powers.
In line with this diplomatic push, Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister, Abdulla Aripov, visited Afghanistan last month, making it the highest-level visit by a foreign official since the Taliban took control in August 2021. Meanwhile, embassies in London and Oslo have closed, reflecting the international community’s divided stance on how to engage with the Taliban as they extend their control over Afghanistan’s overseas diplomatic missions.
Fifteen people were arrested in connection with the case and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation…reports Asian Lite News
The Afghan security forces have seized a large amount of weapons and military equipment during a series of operations in the past three months in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the provincial police office said in a statement.
The contraband, which included nine Kalashnikovs, 41 pistols, two AK-47 rifles, six US-made M16 machine guns, five grenades, 15 various types of mines, and a quantity of war equipment, such as cartridges and bullets, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the statement.
Fifteen people were arrested in connection with the case and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation, it said.
The Afghan caretaker government, which vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone outside the security forces, has discovered and seized thousands of light and heavy weapons including tanks since it took over power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
Taliban suspends polio vaccination
The United Nations (UN) announced on Monday that the Taliban has suspended all polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan.
UN agencies said that they were notified about the suspension just days before the scheduled September immunisation campaign, though no official reason was provided.
Representatives from the Taliban-led government did not comment on the situation immediately.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where the spread of the paralysing and potentially fatal disease has not been eradicated.
Despite the polio eradication programme’s continuous efforts in Afghanistan, the last phase of the campaign to achieve polio-free status has faced significant challenges.
Over the past three years, the number of polio cases have risen in the country, with the virus spreading to provinces that had remained free of the disease for an extended period.
UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and various non-governmental organisations, has been working through the Emergency Operating Centre (EOC) to explore innovative methods to ensure every child is reached with vaccines.
The focus was also on building trust and demand for vaccination campaigns among the population.
So far, 16 Afghan provinces have been affected, with a total of 56 cases of Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) reported.
The southern region of Afghanistan remains the most severely impacted, accounting for 66 per cent of the country’s total polio cases in 2020.
Despite the ongoing challenges, the polio programme has ensured 100% adequacy of vaccine supplies for all polio-related activities, including immunisation campaigns, case responses, and the deployment of Permanent and Temporary Teams (PTT).
The successful introduction of vaccines such as mOPV2, mOPV1, and tOPV for case response campaigns has been made possible through capacity building in vaccine management and accountability.
Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, the polio programme managed to conduct three National Immunisation Days, two Sub-National Immunisation Days, and three Case Response Campaigns across Afghanistan.
However, the current suspension by the Taliban adds uncertainty to future vaccination efforts, raising concerns about the ongoing fight to eliminate polio in the country.
Vinesh stated that the symbol of ‘Hand’ will act as a slap and will strike the BJP government on October 5….reports Asian Lite News
Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government ahead of the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
Vinesh, a Congress candidate, filed her nomination from the Julana Assembly constituency last week. Vinesh took a jibe at the ruling BJP government before the Haryana Assembly elections, set to be held on October 5.
Vinesh used the Congress party’s symbol as a metaphor. She stated that the symbol of ‘Hand’ will act as a slap and will strike the BJP government on October 5.
“You know my party symbol; don’t press the wrong one. This time Congress’ symbol of hand will act as a slap. On October 5, this slap will strike in Delhi,” Vinesh said.
She went on to claim that the BJP government has failed to respect the people of Haryana. She questioned the need for the presence of such a government where the people are not respected.
“We have to take revenge for unemployment and your insult that has prevailed for the past 10 years. We are willing to put our lives on the line to protect our respect. But, the BJP government has not respected it. If our respect is taken away, then what shall we do with such a government,” Vinesh added.
Vinesh was one of the leading wrestlers during the protest launched against the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year over his alleged sexual harassment of several women wrestlers.
Vinesh joined the Congress party on September 6, along with Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, following her disqualification from the women’s 50kg final at the Paris Olympics.
She is pitted against BJP candidate Captain Yogesh Bairagi in Julana for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
The counting of votes will be held on October 8. In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP became the single-largest party with 40 seats, and Congress won 30 seats. (ANI)
