“Social media has been blocked for a few hours so that troublemakers can not use it during Friday prayers congregations,” said an official…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan on Friday blocked social media platforms amid fears that activists of a radical Islamist group might use the technology to stoke violent protests against last year’s depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in France.
Followers of far-right Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), a group that supports the country’s controversial blasphemy laws, have blocked roads and chocked streets at deadly protests that started on Monday, reports dpa news agency.
The protesters are demanding that the government fulfil an earlier promise to expel the French Ambassador by April 20 over the publication of a cartoon depicting the prophet last year.
At least five people including two police officers have been killed in the protests, which have prompted the France Embassy in Islamabad to urge French nationals to leave Pakistan temporarily.
“Social media has been blocked for a few hours so that troublemakers can not use it during Friday prayers congregations,” an official told dpa.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp and TikTok are inaccessible across the country, including the capital Islamabad.
Political parties, Islamist groups and militant organisations like Pakistani Taliban heavily rely on social media platforms to connect with their followers.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for a summit of the 10-member Asean bloc last month, after hundreds were killed in a military crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Myanmar…reports Asian Lite News
Leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) are expected to meet in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next week to discuss the political crisis in Myanmar following the February 1 military coup, an official source said on Friday.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for a summit of the 10-member Asean bloc last month, after hundreds were killed in a military crackdown on anti-coup protesters in Myanmar, reports dpa news agency.
The summit is to be held in person in Jakarta on April 24, said the source close to the Indonesian President.
A demonstrator stacks bags on a street as a barricade during a demonstration against the military coup and the detention of civilian leaders in Myanmar(ians)
“All the 10 countries are expected to be represented,” the source added.
More than 700 people have been killed by Myanmar’s security forces since protests broke out after the coup that deposed former de facto leader Aung San Su Kyi’s civilian government, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a Myanmar human rights group based in Thailand.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday had condemned the conviction of seven activists who took part in anti-government protests in Hong Kong by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities…reports Asian Lite News.
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced by a Hong Kong court to one year in prison on Friday over illegal assembly in August 2019, reported Xinhua. Lai and some other protestors of Hong Kong riots were convicted earlier by the local court for organising and participating in an unauthorised assembly on August 18, 2019, in Hong Kong. Lai was also involved in multiple other cases including illegal assemblies and national security law violations, reported Xinhua.
Earlier, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday had condemned the conviction of seven activists who took part in anti-government protests in Hong Kong by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. Subversion was made a criminally punishable offence in Hong Kong last year under the Beijing-drafted national security law. According to Beijing, the legislation criminalises activities related to terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power and collusion with foreign forces, while local pro-democracy activists and certain Western nations claim that the law undermines Hong Kong’s civil liberties and democratic freedoms.
Beijing was perturbed by violent anti-government protests in 2019 and has imposed the national security law to take action against those who protested against the government. The process will also further concentrate power in the hands of the ruling Communist Party and decimate the political hopes of the territory’s already beleaguered opposition for years to come. These actions have raised fears among the people as China is rejecting the ‘one country, two systems’ concept which the city was promised when it was transferred from British to Chinese control in 1997.
During the meeting held in the Afghan Presidential Palace on Thursday, Ghani stressed the common struggle of all countries against terrorism…reports Asian Lite News
A day after US President Joe Biden announced the unconditional withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by September which will end the 20-year old war, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and visiting American Secretary of State Antony Blinken exchanged views on the decision and the war on terrorism.
During the meeting held in the Afghan Presidential Palace on Thursday, Ghani stressed the common struggle of all countries against terrorism, reports Xinhua news agency.
Ghani told Blinken that Afghanistan respects the US President’s decision, adding that the Kabul government will ensure a smooth transition.
The President said that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) were capable enough to defend their country and ensure security.
Ghani, Blinken meet in Kabul(Twitter)
On his part, the top US diplomat said: “The withdrawal of our troops from Afghanistan will not mean the weakening of strategic relations between the two countries. The US will honour its commitments to the government and people of Afghanistan.”
Blinken said his visit to Afghanistan was important because he wanted to convey in person America’s commitment to an enduring partnership with the country and its people, TOLO News reported.
“We never intended to have a permanent military presence here. Threat from Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is significantly degraded.
“By our enduing to support to Afghanistan economically, diplomatically, politically, I do want to say that as we proceed, we will remember the extraordinary courage, strength and sacrifices our troops who served in Afghanistan in the past two decades.
“An now we are embarking on a new chapter in our partnership with the Afghan people,” he added.
The Secretary of State also warned the Taliban against attacking the US forces as they are withdrawing from Afghanistan, saying any attack by the Taliban will be met with forceful response.
“We will continue to support Afghan national security forces, but importantly we are doing everything we can now to advance diplomacy to bring in regional and international partners,” he added.
Besides Ghani, Blinken also met Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation.
“We agreed that a negotiated political settlement remains the only way forward, and the US will continue to support it,” he said of his meeting with Abdullah.
President Joe Biden (www.instagram.comwhitehouse)
Biden on Wednesday announced the full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, who have stayed in the country for 20 years.
Biden said that it has been 10 years since former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden’s death, and it is time to end America’s war in the country and to bring US troops home.
“We will begin our withdrawal on May 1,” Biden said, adding that it will not be a “hasty rush to the exit”, and if the Taliban attacks, the US will defend itself and partners with “all the tools at our disposal”.
Refugees from Afghanistan arrive at Skala Sikaminias, on the island of Lesvos, Greece(Xinhua/Marios Lolos/IANS)
EU will continue to encourage “a politically negotiated settlement through continued direct talks between the parties” said EU spokeperson …reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) has called for “firm commitment and constructive engagement by all parties” in the peace talks in Afghanistan, after the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced the pullout of their troops from the country.
European Commission spokesperson Nabila Massrali told a press briefing on Thursday that the EU will continue to encourage “a politically negotiated settlement through continued direct talks between the parties”, reports Xinhua news agency.
The bloc has also called for an end to the violence in the country, “which remains unacceptably high”, the spokesperson added.
NATO allies on Wednesday agreed to pull out all of their armed forces from Afghanistan after the US announced that all American troops would leave the country by September 11.
Biden said recently his top foreign policy agenda was the nuclear threat posed by North Korea…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden will receive his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in the second half of May, the White House has said.
Biden said recently his top foreign policy agenda was the nuclear threat posed by North Korea, whose rogue regime last month test-fired short-range ballistic missile.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday said that a specific date for the Washington meeting has not yet been set, DPA news agency reported.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon boss Lloyd Austin travelled to Seoul last month.
Austin had emphasized that the US alliance with South Korea “has never been more important” given the “unprecedented challenges” posed by North Korea’s military provocations and China’a increasing drive for power in the Indo-Pacific region.
On Friday, Biden will meet the leader of another critical US ally in East Asia, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
It will be Biden’s first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader as president.
This cooperative activity was established by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Israeli Ministry under an agreement between both governments…reports Asian Lite News
Israel and the US have launched a program aimed at fostering and supporting the joint development of advanced technologies for homeland security, Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.
This cooperative activity was established by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Israeli Ministry under an agreement between both governments on cooperation in science and technology for homeland security matters, Xinhua news agency reported.
The program includes a call for proposals, as a project proposal should include R&D cooperation between two companies, or between a company and a university or a research institution, with one side Israeli and the other from the US.
According to the call, the proposals will include innovative technologies in areas such as combating cyber-crime, security of critical infrastructure and public facilities, safe and secure cities, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
Another area is land and maritime border protection, including biometrics, screening systems and robotics.
The maximum conditional grant is $1 million dollars per project, up to 50 per cent of the joint R&D budget.
Morrison said Australia would follow the US in ending its military presence in Afghanistan after 20 years…reports Asian Lite News
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday that the country’s remaining troops in Afghanistan will leave in September.
Morrison said Australia would follow the US in ending its military presence in Afghanistan after 20 years, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Over the past two years we’ve been reducing our military presence in Afghanistan from a high of over 1,500 personnel to around 80 personnel currently,” he told reporters.
“In line with the US and our other allies and partners, the last remaining Australian troops will depart Afghanistan in September 2021.”
Australian Defence Force personnel arrived in Afghanistan in 2001.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison
More than 39,000 Australian troops had been deployed to Afghanistan, 41 of whom died in the country.
He acknowledged that the conflict has “exacted an enormous toll” on the Afghan people and said that Australia would continue to support peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban.
The Australian Defence Force last year released the findings of a four-year inquiry that found “credible evidence” of the special forces soldiers’ murdering of 39 Afghans, including children, in 23 incidents, and none of those killings occurred in “the heat of a battle”.
The killings have been described by many as war crime.
Suga is expected to hold talks with Biden at the White House on Friday, to become the first foreign leader to meet in person with Biden…reports Asian Lite News
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to depart for the US on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden amid the Covid-19 pandemic and tension with China.
Suga is scheduled to hold a summit meeting with Biden at the White House on Friday, becoming the first foreign leader to meet in person with the new president, who was inaugurated in January, DPA news agency reported.
Suga wants the talks to be “productive”, he told reporters on Wednesday.
The two leaders want to show the strong ties of the Japan-US alliance and their commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, Tokyo said.
US President Joe Biden
Suga and Biden are expected to discuss climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to China and North Korea and cooperation toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the Japanese government said.
Tokyo has expressed concerns about a new Chinese law which allows Beijing’s coastguard to use weapons on foreign ships.
Chinese coastguard vessels were spotted near a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea every day in the past two months.
The Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan, where they are known as Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai, respectively.
“The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year,” said Biden…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden has announced that all US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before September 11, a move to end the longest war in American history.
“The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year,” Biden said on Wednesday in his remarks at the White House, Xinhua news agency reported.
“US troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before we mark the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11th.”
“It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come home,” he said, noting that the US has achieved counterterrorism objectives in Afghanistan.
US troops in Afghanistan.
In his remarks, Biden made clear that the withdrawal is not subject to any changes of conditions on the ground.
“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result,” he said.
“I’m now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.”
The upcoming September 11 is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that drew the United States into war in Afghanistan. Biden said that 2,488 US military personnel were killed, and 20,722 have been wounded in this longest war in American history.
Biden highlighted that the US would continue to support the Afghan government and provide assistance to the Afghan military after the withdrawal. “While we will not stay involved in Afghanistan militarily, our diplomatic and humanitarian work will continue.”
Afghan security force members take part in a military operation in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan
Meanwhile, he voiced US support for the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban facilitated by the United Nations.
Biden spoke with Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani earlier in the day. The two leaders discussed continued commitment to a strong bilateral partnership following the departure of US troops from Afghanistan, according to a readout issued by the White House.
The latest decision extends the deadline negotiated between the previous administration and the Afghan Taliban last year to pull US troops out of the country on May 1.
The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement in late February 2020, which called for a full withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups.
The Biden administration had concluded that the Taliban had not met its commitment under the US-Taliban deal.
The Pentagon said that there are roughly 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan, but US media recently said the number did not include 1,000 more US special forces in the country. Besides, about 7,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan rely on US logistics and security support.
