SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Thursday, July 25, 2024 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Holding the Taliban Accountable: A Global Call for Justice (Jurist News – opinion)
Jurist News [7/24/2024 4:04 PM, Staff, 167K, Neutral]
Afghan women vow to tirelessly work until the Taliban are held accountable for gender apartheid in Afghanistan. In a step towards recognizing the crimes committed against half of the population, Amnesty International recently called for an end to the regime’s impunity:
In a powerful show of global solidarity, 354,847 signatures have been collected calling on the Taliban de-facto authorities to respect and protect human rights in Afghanistan. As the catastrophic human rights situation persists, we must continue our joint demand for accountability and justice in Afghanistan.
Since retaking control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has implemented an even harsher version of their 1990s rule. They’ve issued over 60 edicts, brutally attacking women’s rights in an institutionalized manner to maintain dominance by erasing women from daily life.
After more than 1,000 days of Taliban rule, they show no signs of reversing course. Reports indicate 4.3 million women and girls are now banned from pursuing education.
The result has attracted the attention of human rights advocates around the world. Heather Barr, Human Rights Watch’s associate director of Women’s Rights, said in a statement.“Afghanistan will never fully recover from these 1,000 days. … The potential loss in this time – the artists, doctors, poets, and engineers who will never get to lend their country their skills – cannot be replaced. Every additional day, more dreams die.”
The Taliban’s oppressive system of gender apartheid extends beyond education to every aspect of Afghan women’s lives. A recent UN report stated, “The punishments attached to non-compliance with instructions and decrees are often arbitrary, severe and disproportionate. Sweeping bans with a discriminatory effect on women have been introduced. Human rights violations, as well as the unpredictability of enforcement measures, contribute to a climate of fear and intimidation among segments of the population.”
Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, emphasized, “The Taliban’s institutionalization of its system of oppression of women and girls, and the harms that it is continuing to entrench, should shock the conscience of humanity. These violations are so severe and extensive that they appear to form a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population which may amount to crimes against humanity. This attack is not only ongoing, it is intensifying.” Bennett urged an “all tools” approach to challenge and dismantle the Taliban’s system of gender oppression, including international accountability mechanisms like the International Criminal Court and national-level cases under universal jurisdiction.
The Taliban’s place is behind prison bars, not at negotiating tables. On June 30th, the UN invited the Taliban to Doha Talk III, excluding Afghan women and ignoring women’s rights issues in their agenda. This move was seen as despising the oppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan. The UN must act according to its fundamental principles and hold the Taliban accountable for their institutionalized crimes against women and girls.
Afghan women and girls deserve more than fear and intimidation. They deserve education, dreams, and a future unshackled by gender apartheid. Pakistan
US links Pakistan’s economic growth to political stability (VOA)
VOA [7/24/2024 11:33 AM, Ayaz Gul, 4032K, Neutral]
The United States urged Pakistan Wednesday to protect the rights of all citizens, including freedom of expression and assembly, as a military-backed crackdown on the opposition party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan continues.Donald Blome, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, stressed during a seminar in Islamabad that upholding constitutionally guaranteed rights is crucial to the country’s economic progress.“Protecting human rights for all is not just a fundamental pillar of a democracy; it’s a critical component of a vibrant and stable society drawing on the talents and contributions of all its citizens for the country’s benefits,” Blome said.“Without such stability, the prospects for investment and economic growth appear far less certain,” he noted, without directly naming Pakistani political stakeholders.The U.S. ambassador’s remarks came as Pakistan faces prolonged political turmoil stemming from Khan’s removal from power in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote and his subsequent imprisonment last August, which the United Nations described as having no legal basis.The ongoing crackdown has led to the arrest of hundreds of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party, including women.This week, police raided the PTI’s headquarters in the Pakistani capital, detaining its chief spokesman and several other media team professionals, accusing them of running an “anti-state campaign.”Khan’s aides have denounced the arrests as part of a campaign of suppression and intimidation.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, struggling to address Pakistan’s deep economic problems, has publicly stated its intention to ban the party over charges of anti-state activities and maligning the military.“We will, under no circumstances, tolerate such actions against our motherland, innocent people, or the armed forces of Pakistan,” Sharif reiterated Wednesday, while presiding over a cabinet meeting.The threat of banning the country’s most popular and the single largest party in parliament has further fueled political tensions.On Tuesday, during a congressional hearing in Washington, the crackdown and potential banning of the Pakistani opposition party also came under discussion when Donald Lu, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, was responding to questions from lawmakers.Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised the issue of Pakistan banning Khan from holding public office and preventing his party from using its iconic cricket bat symbol on the ballots in the February 8 vote.“The information minister and two other ministers have said that they want to ban the PTI. And we see in the latest development that the PTI office has been sealed, their national information security and many women have been arrested,” Sherman said.“The best thing you can do is ask Ambassador Blome to go visit Imran Khan in prison, and I wonder if you would consider that,” the congressmen told Lu. “We’ll definitely discuss it with Ambassador Blome,” responded the assistant secretary of state."Pakistan’s future must be decided by its people. It’s clear that the PTI is Pakistan’s most popular party. I disagree with Imran Khan on many things, but it’s the right of Pakistan’s people to choose their leader,” Sherman wrote on his social media X platform after the hearing.Khan’s arrest last year sparked violent street protests in Pakistan, with some of his supporters attacking facilities linked to the country’s powerful military.The Sharif government and the military used the riots to defend the crackdown on the PTI and as a reason to keep Khan in prison after several of his convictions in other cases were recently overturned by appeals courts for lack of evidence.Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ruled that the PTI was eligible for around two dozen extra reserved seats in parliament, saying the Election Commission of Pakistan deprived the party of them in breach of the constitution.Once implemented, the verdict will further strengthen the PTI in the parliament and weaken the ruling coalition. It has also given credence to the opposition and independent monitors’ allegations that the February 8 elections were rigged in favor of pro-military parties and prevented the PTI from sweeping the polls.Khan, 71, rejects all charges against him — ranging from corruption to sedition and a fraudulent marriage — as politically motivated and part of a larger effort by the military to keep him and his party from returning to power.The former cricket hero turned politician insists on the return of his party’s "stolen mandate" or new elections overseen by an impartial election commission.Sharif, who has the backing of the military, denies his government is unfairly targeting Khan and his party, saying it was determined to bring to justice those responsible for the May 2023 attacks on military facilities.Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 368-7 to approve a resolution urging “the full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in Pakistan’s election, a move Islamabad rejected. Pakistan: Why are many Pashtuns turning against Islamabad? (Deutsche Welle)
Deutsche Welle [7/24/2024 10:15 AM, Haroon Janjua, 15592K, Negative]
Thousands of protesters in Pakistan’s northwestern Bannu area held a demonstration last week to demand an end to military operations in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.The peaceful rally turned violent after a gunfire triggered a stampede. Two people were killed and dozens were injured as a result.The rally organizers condemned the use of violence against the protesters."We are protesting against state atrocities, removal of landmines, recovery of missing persons, and for a claim on our [regional] natural resources. We also seek accountability for the military operations in our areas," Idrees Pashteen, an activist belonging to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), told DW.Rights groups criticized authorities for their alleged use of violence to break up the march, with Amnesty International saying that the "use of lethal force at a peaceful rally advocating for peace is unlawful."The rights watchdog demanded a prompt investigation to "hold to account officials responsible for the attack."Security officials have denied firing at the protesters.New military operations and more resistanceAt the heart of these demonstrations is the PTM, an Pashtun rights movement, and anti-war group, which has gained considerable strength in the past seven or eight years, and has drawn tens of thousands of people to its protest rallies.Its supporters are critical of wars, which they say have ravaged the Pashtun-majority areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.The PTM demands an end to extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions of Pashtuns in the name of war against militants.Earlier this month, Islamabad launched a new military operation aimed at stamping out militancy and tackling a surge in armed violence.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government named the new operation "Azm-e-Istehkam," meaning Resolve for Stability in Urdu. It is the latest in a series of operations that Pakistan’s military has launched against militant groups.But another military operation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province risks authorities upsetting the locals.Uptick in militancyPakistan has witnessed a dramatic increase in violent attacks over the past two years.The attacks have claimed the lives of at least 62 soldiers, including two officers, so far this year. The military said it killed 249 and arrested 396 terrorists in more than 13,000 intelligence-based operations.Most of these attacks are claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — an umbrella group of Islamist militant outfits known by the acronym TTP — which has been waging a war against the state to try to overthrow the government.The TTP wants to run Pakistan as an Islamic state governed by its own harsh interpretation of Islam.The group is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, as US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war.The mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has long been a hive of Islamist militant groups, including the TPP and the local chapter of the "Islamic State" group.Pakistan’s civilian government and the military leadership believe that rooting out the TTP-led militancy is the need of the hour.Pashtuns’ experience with warThose who live in the areas along the border with Afghanistan fear that another full-scale military operation will result in mass displacement and deaths.Afrasiab Khattak, a former senator, told DW that Pashtuns know that the military operations have only brought "death, destruction and displacement" to their region.PTM supporters blame both the Pakistani military and Islamists for this."The Taliban have no place in our area, and there should be no violence," the PTM’s Pashteen said.Khattak says there have been widespread protests and demonstrations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against both Islamists and the militarization of the region by Pakistan’s military generals.Analysts say Pashtuns have a "structural disagreement" with the Pakistani state for its Afghanistan policy."Pakistan first supported militants [in the 1980s] and then targeted them [after 9/11] in the border region with Afghanistan," Qamar Cheema, an Islamabad-based analyst, told DW, adding that all of this has resulted in mayhem and tribulation.Feeling of isolationPashtun activists say that Prime Minister Sharif’s government has not done anything to address their demands.While there is scant coverage of anti-war rallies in the mainstream Pakistani media, the lawmakers’ inaction on the issue is also strengthening the idea that Pashtuns have been left on their own."The parliament is silent, and the issue of mistrust has not been addressed at the national level," Cheema said.Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, said last week that he opposed any new military operation in the northwestern and southwestern parts of the country and directed his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which currently governs the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to stand against it.But Khan’s party itself is facing a government crackdown and is unable to play a crucial role on this issue. Imran Khan to run for chancellor of Oxford University from prison (The Telegraph)
The Telegraph [7/24/2024 12:04 PM, George Johnson, 29812K, Negative]
Imran Khan is currently in jail over allegations of stoking protests and violence against the Pakistan militaryImran Khan will run for chancellor of Oxford University from his prison cell in Pakistan, his team has told The Telegraph.The former Pakistani prime minister and cricket star will enter an online ballot, despite serving a 10-year jail sentence.The seat of chancellor of Oxford University is vacant following the resignation of 80-year-old Lord Patten, the former governor of Hong Kong and Tory Party chairman, who held the post for 21 years.For the first time, the elections for the chancellor will be held online compared to the traditional process in which the graduates were required to attend the process in full academic dress. The prestigious chancellorship goes to graduates of the university, usually politicians.Khan is currently in jail over allegations of stoking protests and violence against the all-powerful Pakistan military on May 9 last year. He has denied the charges.Khan studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972. He made a Test debut for Pakistan in 1971 and also captained the cricket team of Oxford University. In 2005, Imran Khan became the chancellor of Bradford University. He served in the post till 2014.“Imran Khan will contest for the chancellor of Oxford University as there is a public demand that he should contest,” Khan’s advisor on international media Syed Zulfi Bukhari told The Telegraph.“We will announce it publicly once we get a go-ahead from Khan and start the signature campaign for it,” Mr Bukhari said.Victory for Khan appears unlikely. Former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are also among the candidates to become the university’s chancellorThe Pakistani authorities have filed numerous cases against Khan since 2022 when he was removed from power through an army-backed vote of no-confidence in the parliament. Khan has been involved in over 150 legal cases, including charges of inciting violence, since his initial arrest in May 2023.On July 13, a Pakistani court overturned the conviction and seven-year sentences of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a case relating to the legality of the couple’s 2018 marriage. However, officials swiftly filed new cases against him to prevent his release from prison.On Tuesday, more than two dozen members of Parliament called for Khan’s immediate release during a hearing in the House of Lords Committee Room, discussing the erosion of democratic norms in Pakistan and the “illegal incarceration” of the former prime minister.The hearing was jointly convened by Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, and Conservative Peer, Lord Hannan of Kingsclere.The PTI said that a Pakistani dissident, Azhar Mashwani, and a close aide of Khan residing in the UK, was warned that his parents would be abducted if he attended the event. Mashwani was scheduled to speak at the House of Lords on Tuesday.Since Khan’s imprisonment in August 2023, which the UN has described as having no legal basis, hundreds of his supporters have been arrested, and the government has indicated its intention to ban his party PTI. India
US Treasury warns India’s banks about business with Russia (Reuters)
Reuters [7/24/2024 12:02 PM, Karen Freifeld, 85570K, Negative]
A U.S. Treasury official warned India´s banks on Wednesday that financial institutions that do business with Russia’s military industrial base risk losing access to the U.S. financial system, according to a letter seen by Reuters. "We know that the Russian military relies on importing sensitive goods, like machine tools and microelectronics, and it looks to foreign financial institutions to facilitate these transactions," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in the letter to the Indian Banks’ Association.While the letter does not identify a particular concern about India’s banks, New Delhi has resisted pressure to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, said it is exploring ways to boost its exports to Russia.The letter follows an executive order U.S. President Joe Biden issued in December authorizing sanctions against foreign financial institutions that conduct business with Russia’s military industrial base, Adeyemo said, and Treasury’s recent, expansive interpretation of who is part of Russia’s military industrial base.The Indian Banks’ Association could not immediately be reached for comment.The U.S. is eager to further strengthen its economic relationship with India, Adeyemo also said. Trade between the two countries increased by over 110 percent in a decade, he wrote, and they remain among each other’s largest trading partners.But the U.S. and a global coalition of countries is committed to ending Russia’s unprovoked war by depriving it of the "financial and material means to fight," he said, a reference to sanctions and export controls imposed on Russia since its invasion.He asked the bank group to respond within 30 days with steps they could take with Treasury to make India’s companies and financial institutions aware of the U.S. executive order and its ramifications."Any foreign financial institution that does business with Russia’s military industrial base risks being sanctioned itself, and it could lose access to the U.S. financial system, and likely other financial systems," he said.Besides the bankers group, the letter was sent to Indian industry associations. India’s Government Plans to Steadily Lower Debt Ratio to 50% (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [7/24/2024 7:11 AM, Shruti Srivastava, Ruchi Bhatia, and Siddhartha Singh, 27296K, Neutral]
India’s government plans to reduce its debt ratio to about 50% of gross domestic product over the coming years and sustain it around that level, a person familiar with the matter said.The goal is to cut the ratio — which was 58.2% in the fiscal year that ended in March — to pre-pandemic levels by lowering it by 0.5 percentage points a year, the person said Wednesday, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. The debt ratio was 44.5% in the 2019 fiscal year.The government has been steadily lowering its budget deficit and debt since the pandemic, a necessary step in order to win a credit rating upgrade. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pledged in her budget speech on Tuesday to narrow the deficit to 4.9% of GDP this year and 4.5% next year. She added that from 2026-27 onwards, “our endeavor will be to keep the fiscal deficit each year such that the central government debt will be on a declining path as percentage of GDP.”Moody’s Ratings is closely monitoring India’s debt levels and interest cost, both of which remain high for the country compared with other peers rated in the Baa category, Gene Fang, an associate managing director of sovereign risk, said Tuesday. India’s combined debt of the central government and the states will likely remain at about 80%, and may reduce at a “very gradual rate,” he said. India Considering Lifting Restrictions on Some Chinese Firms (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [7/24/2024 9:00 AM, Ruchi Bhatia, Shruti Srivastava, and Siddhartha Singh, 1985K, Negative]
India’s government is weighing options to ease investment restrictions on some Chinese firms, an official familiar with the matter said, a move that could help the South Asian nation boost its domestic manufacturing.Discussions are underway on whether to give exemptions to Chinese firms in hi-tech sectors like solar modules and critical minerals, the official said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are private. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and other security-related departments are examining the issue, the official said, adding that a final call on the issue hasn’t been taken yet.India-China relations spiraled downwards after a deadly 2020 border clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, with New Delhi imposing strict rules on Chinese businesses, banning Chinese apps and slowing visa approvals. Indian firms, especially in manufacturing, say the curbs have hurt their operations and are undermining the government’s ability to become a factory hub in the region.Reuters earlier reported India was considering easing the restrictions on some businesses.The government’s annual Economic Survey report, authored by the chief economic adviser and released Monday, made a strong pitch for India to attract more investment from China as a way of boosting manufacturing.“Focusing on foreign direct investment from China seems more promising for boosting India’s exports to the US, similar to how East Asian economies did in the past,” according to the report. India likely to ease curbs on some Chinese investments, sources say (Reuters)
Reuters [7/24/2024 7:24 AM, Nikunj Ohri, Manoj Kumar, 42991K, Neutral]
India is likely to ease restrictions on Chinese investment in non-sensitive sectors like solar panels and battery manufacturing where New Delhi lacks expertise and which hinders domestic manufacturing, two government sources said.The government plans to free up sectors to Chinese investment that it deems less sensitive from a security point of view, said one of the officials, who did not want to named.The plans mark a first step in improving economic ties between the two neighbors, a relationship that worsened after clashes in the remote Himalayan border in 2020, after which India tightened scrutiny on investments from Chinese companies.The non-critical sectors "would be decided on a case-to-case basis," the second official said, but curbs on Chinese investments in electronics and telecom would continue.The prime minister’s office, foreign, finance, home and trade ministries did not respond to requests for comments.Top government officials have been open to reviewing their stance against Chinese investment in the last few months as foreign investment has fallen to 17-year lows.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s support of better economic ties with China on Tuesday was the first such public comment made by a ranking cabinet minister in the Modi government.On Monday, Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran said New Delhi could promote foreign direct investment from China to boost India’s exports.The plans, if confirmed, could unlock investments from Beijing worth billion of dollars that were blocked by India over the last four years.India has also virtually blocked visas for Chinese nationals since 2020, but may ease these restrictions for Chinese technicians as the move has hindered investments. UK Strengthens Ties With India in Technology Security (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [7/25/2024 1:05 AM, Swati Gupta, 5.5M, Neutral]
The UK will increase its collaboration with India in critical and emerging technologies as the two nations seek to strengthen bilateral ties.
The UK and India will launch a Technology Security Initiative, led by their respective National Security Advisers, to cooperate more in the areas of high tech, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement late Wednesday.
The announcement came during a two-day visit by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to India, where he met his counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The tech security initiative identifies several areas of collaboration: telecommunications, critical minerals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology and healthtech, and advanced minerals.
The two countries are planning to launch a joint research program on future telecoms later this year, according to the statement. In the critical minerals sector, the two countries pledged to boost research and exploration in rare earth elements and improve the resilience of supply chains in the sector.
India has been aggressively pursuing a plan to build manufacturing plants for semiconductors in the country. Under the joint India-UK initiative, there will be “academic and industrial R&D collaboration, including in chip design and IP, compound semiconductors, advanced packaging and innovative system,” the statement said.
During his meeting with Modi, Lammy also discussed progress on a UK-India free trade agreement currently under negotiation. Earlier this month, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters India is “deeply committed” to a trade agreement with the UK and would like to grow trade between the two countries to $100 billion by 2030. UK and India launch technology security initiative (Reuters)
Reuters [7/24/2024 5:34 PM, William James, 42991K, Positive]
Britain said on Wednesday it had launched a new technology security initiative with India aimed at boosting economic growth, fostering collaboration on telecoms security and unlocking investment in emerging technologies.The British government said the agreement would see the two countries work more closely together on critical technologies including semiconductors, quantum and AI."This will mean real action together on the challenges of the future from AI to critical minerals. Together we can unlock mutual growth, boost innovation, jobs and investment," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement released by his office during a visit to India.Lammy, who met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Minister for External Affairs earlier on Wednesday, also agreed to work more closely with India on tackling climate change, including mobilising finance and accelerating a partnership on off-shore wind and green hydrogen. India is on alert after a fresh outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus. Here’s what you need to know (CNBC)
CNBC [7/25/2024 1:25 AM, Sam Meredith, 44.5M, Negative]
Health authorities in the southern Indian state of Kerala are on high alert following the latest flare-up of the deadly Nipah virus.
It comes after a 14-year-old boy died from an infection over the weekend and as authorities race to track those who came into contact with him.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said Tuesday that the close relatives of the teenager had tested negative for the virus, according to local media reports. She added that precautionary measures such as wearing face masks in public areas could not be lifted yet.
The state’s health minister has previously said that 60 people had been identified as being in the high-risk category of having the disease. All of those identified as high-risk are being tested for the virus.
The Nipah virus, which partly inspired the fictional “MEV-1” virus in the 2011 Hollywood film “Contagion,” is considered one of the most dangerous pathogens circulating in the wild.
First identified 25 years ago in Malaysia, Nipah is estimated to have a case fatality rate as high as 75% and has been cited as having the potential to spark another pandemic. There is currently no vaccine to prevent infection and no treatment to cure it.
The Nipah virus is transmitted to humans from animals such as fruit bats or pigs. The virus is known to cause a lethal brain-swelling fever in humans.
The World Health Organization says human infections can range from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory infection.
Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, said Tuesday that the latest Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala appeared to have a “low risk” of further transmission.“Active and extensive contact tracing was carried out by the Kerala government. 60 people had a close contact with the 14-year-old who died and thus were categorized as high-risk contacts. They are all being tested for the virus,” Ofrin told CNBC in an emailed statement.“Considering transmission dynamics of the Nipah virus itself and the current assessment and the caseloads, this outbreak seems to have a low risk of further transmission.”
Nipah virus outbreaks
Ofrin said the reason why Nipah virus outbreaks have been detected in Kerala was “multi-factorial” but emphasized that the southern Indian state has an “excellent” system for identifying, detecting and registering all suspected cases, leading to immediate public health measures.
Prior to the latest flare-up, Kerala’s state government had reported four separate Nipah virus outbreaks in the region since 2018.
In an investigation published last year, Reuters reported that extensive tree loss and rapid urbanization in Kerala over recent decades had created ideal conditions for the Nipah virus to emerge.
A separate report identified Kerala as having some of the world’s leading so-called “jump zones,” a term used to describe the areas that are most conducive to bat-borne viruses infecting humans.
India’s National Centre for Disease Control, which leads on outbreak response, was not immediately available to provide an update when contacted by CNBC on Wednesday. NSB
Bangladesh factories, banks reopen as curfew is eased after protests taper off (Reuters)
Reuters [7/24/2024 11:26 AM, Ruma Paul, 4032K, Neutral]
Factories, offices and banks reopened in Bangladesh on Wednesday after a nationwide curfew enforced by the army was eased and relative calm prevailed following days of deadly violence.Rush-hour traffic returned to the capital Dhaka and broadband internet was largely restored, although social media continued to be suspended after student-led protests turned violent last week.Almost 150 people were killed as security forces cracked down on gatherings against quotas in government jobs that were reinstated by a high court order last month during an unemployment crisis. The quotas included reservations for families of fighters in the 1971 independence war.But students paused their protests on Sunday when the Supreme Court agreed to scrap most quotas and ruled that 93% of jobs should be open to competition.On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government eased the curfew it had imposed four days ago to contain the violence that spread across the country."For now, all social media will remain shut," Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a junior technology minister, told reporters.People may have to wait until Sunday or Monday to get mobile internet, he said.As curfew eased, the garment and textiles industries, which supply to major Western brands, began reopening factories."All our factories are open today. Everything is going smoothly," said S.M. Mannan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.The stock exchange opened too, as well as banks, after remaining shut the past two days.Dhaka residents were out on the streets, some making their way to offices as buses also began running in some places.News websites, which had stopped updating since Friday, were back online.Data from hospitals showed at least 147 people have been killed and police said they have arrested nearly 3,000 for violence and arson.The government said curfew restrictions would be relaxed for seven hours on Thursday too, and offices would also be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.STUDENT DEMANDSAnalysts say the student action has given fresh impetus to Hasina’s critics - who accuse her of authoritarianism - months after she won a fourth-straight term in power in January in an election boycotted by the main opposition party."The informal federation of government critics appears deeper and wider than before the election, which presents a serious challenge to the ruling party," said Geoffrey Macdonald at the United States Institute of Peace.Hasina, 76, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, who led the country’s movement for independence from Pakistan.The earlier 56% job quotas included a 30% reservation for families of the independence fighters, which critics said favoured supporters of Hasina’s Awami League.Hasina’s government had scrapped the quotas in 2018 but a high court ruling reinstated the them last month, which the government appealed in the Supreme Court.The quotas left fewer than half of state jobs open on merit amid an unemployment crisis, particularly in the private sector, making government sector jobs with their regular wage hikes and perks especially prized.Hasina has blamed her political opponents for the violence and her government said on Tuesday it would heed the Supreme Court ruling.The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has denied any involvement in the violence and accused Hasina of cracking down on free speech and dissent, charges denied by her government.Students have made four demands to the government with a deadline of Thursday, including the restoration of internet, withdrawal of police from campuses, lifting the curfew and reopening universities shut since Wednesday. Students groups have not said what they plan to do if the demands are not met. Bangladesh Relaxes Curfew As Unrest Recedes (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [7/25/2024 1:25 AM, Staff, 1.4M, Neutral]
Bangladesh further eased a nationwide curfew Thursday as students weighed the future of their protest campaign against civil service hiring rules that sparked days of deadly unrest last week.
Last week’s violence killed at least 191 people including several police officers, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals during some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
Thousands of troops are still patrolling cities and a nationwide internet shutdown remains largely in effect, but clashes have subsided since protest leaders announced a temporary halt to new demonstrations.
Hasina’s government ordered another relaxation to the curfew it imposed at the height of the unrest, allowing free movement for seven hours between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.
Streets in the capital Dhaka, a sprawling megacity of 20 million people, were choked with commuter traffic in the morning, days after ferocious clashes between police and protesters had left them almost deserted.
Banks, government offices and the country’s economically vital garment factories had already reopened on Wednesday after all being shuttered last week.
Student leaders were set to meet later Thursday to decide whether or not to again extend their protest moratorium, which is due to expire on Friday.
Students Against Discrimination, the group responsible for organising this month’s rallies, said it expected a number of concessions from the government.
"We demand an apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the nation for the mass murder of students," Asif Mahmud, one of the group’s coordinators, told AFP.
"We also want the sacking of the home minister and education minister."
Mahmud added that the estimated toll in the unrest was understated, with his group working on its own list of confirmed deaths.
Police have arrested at least 2,500 people since the violence began last week, according to an AFP tally.
Protests began after the June reintroduction of a scheme reserving more than half of government jobs for certain candidates, including nearly a third for descendants of veterans from Bangladesh’s independence war.
With around 18 million young people in Bangladesh out of work, according to government figures, the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute jobs crisis.
Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to Hasina’s Awami League.
The Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs on Sunday but fell short of protesters’ demands to scrap the quotas entirely.
Hasina, 76, has ruled the country since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.
Her government is also accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists. Burned TV station showcases anger at Bangladesh PM (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [7/24/2024 11:33 AM, Shafiqul Alam, 85570K, Negative]
Torn portraits of Bangladesh’s independence hero litter a ransacked state television station -- a pointed expression of public fury against his daughter, who just witnessed the worst unrest of her premiership.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the nation on Bangladesh Television (BTV) last week to appeal for calm, just as a police crackdown on student protests was poised to tip into violent disorder.The next day a mob of hundreds stormed the state broadcaster and set fire to an office building, along with dozens of other government and police posts around the capital Dhaka.They also attacked a gallery hosting around 150 portraits of the premier’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the country after its devastating 1971 liberation war with Pakistan until his assassination four years later."This is a war zone," Bangladeshi information minister Mohammad Ali Arafat told reporters invited by the government and BTV to survey the destruction on Wednesday.He gestured to oil paintings of Rahman strewn on the ground, disfigured by knives used to stab through the leader’s face."Does this look like a peaceful protest to you?"Mujib’s nationbuilding role has been both lauded and dismissed by successive Bangladesh governments, with memories of the war and famine that birthed the country still polarising its people more than half a century since independence.But Hasina has foregrounded her father’s legacy to such an extent that critics accuse her of establishing a personality cult designed to entrench her rule.Since she took office a second time in 2009, Mujib’s image has appeared on every banknote and in hundreds of public murals across the South Asian nation of 170 million people.Portraits like those in BTV’s Dhaka headquarters are not only commonplace, but a legal requirement: Hasina’s government changed the constitution to require that they be hung in every school, government office and diplomatic mission.During Hasina’s speech on BTV last week, given in a failed effort to quell the rising tensions soon to unleash mayhem across Bangladesh, several portraits of her father hung around her office appeared on the broadcast.The unrest began last week when the youth wing of Hasina’s ruling Awami League and police officers attempted to suppress running student demonstrations against job quotas for civil servant hires.The scheme was introduced by Hasina’s father in 1972 and until Sunday reserved nearly a third of all government jobs for the families of veterans from the independence war with Pakistan.Hasina, 76, inflamed by likening protesters to the Bangladeshis who had collaborated with Pakistan during that conflict.The premier won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.Hasina’s father casts a long shadow over her own leadership: she refers to his assassination in a 1975 coup in almost every speech she gives, her voice often choking with emotion.The military regime that followed did its best to sideline Mujib’s contribution to the country entirely, but even considered at a remove from Bangladesh’s deeply polarised politics, his legacy remains complex.Towards the end of his life, Mujib abolished multi-party democracy and imposed media restrictions that shuttered all but four state-controlled newspapers.Hasina’s critics often evoke autocratic parallels between Mujib and his daughter.One senior human rights activist in Bangladesh said, on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, that the now-ubiquitous presence of Mujib’s portrait in public spaces made the country resemble "one-party states". Bangladesh protests cause thousands of Indians to flee (Nikkei Asia)
Nikkei Asia [7/24/2024 9:55 PM, Neeta Lal, 2042K, Negative]
The deadly riots roiling Bangladesh amid anti-quota protests have upended the lives of thousands of Indians and their families. From students to traders and other professionals, all are feeling the heat of the bloodshed that has claimed 151 lives so far in the South Asian country of 169 million people."We could hear gunshots and firing just outside our campus," said Shivendu Sarkar, 21, a second-year student at the City Medical College in Gazipur, 25 kilometers from Dhaka, the capital. "My panic-ridden parents were trying to reach me but couldn’t as internet and mobile services were all down.""Somehow they booked and sent me my air tickets," Sarkar said. "My college transported me and 12 other students in an ambulance to the airport and we took the first flight back home." He landed in New Delhi early on Monday having grabbed whatever he could from his hostel room.Sarkar is among thousands of Indian students who flock to Bangladesh each year to avail themselves of the country’s affordable medical education."We don’t know what lies ahead of us," he said.The violent clashes between the protesters and members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing began earlier this month after a high court ruling reinstated a quota of government jobs for family members of freedom fighters in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The provision had been scrapped after widespread protests in 2018.The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has now whittled down the proposed reservation across various categories from 56% to 7%.With no signs of a truce between the warring parties, officials in India’s foreign ministry say they are anxious about the "spillover effect" of the unrest. Already, over 4,500 Indian students have rushed home through land border crossings or by air.A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said that the Indian High Commission in Dhaka was making arrangements for the safe travel of Indian nationals to border crossings."We are also in regular contact with remaining students in various universities in Bangladesh and with Indian nationals for their welfare and assistance, and coordinating with relevant Indian authorities to ensure a smooth passage for our citizens at land ports and airports," it said.The unrest is also affecting trade as movement of trucks between India and Bangladesh via land ports has come to a grinding halt. Cargo trucks along the Petrapole Port in West Bengal, the largest land port in India and South Asia, are stalled due to the riots, said Ujjal Saha, secretary of the West Bengal Exporters’ Coordination Committee."Over 700 cargo trucks are stuck at parking lots along Petrapole and Benapole Port in Bangladesh many of them loaded with perishables," he said. "The delay is causing losses worth millions daily. Already, due to the ongoing heavy monsoons, we had suffered loss of income. This catastrophe is only making things worse."India is Bangladesh’s largest partner in Asia, and bilateral trade between the two neighbors was $15.9 billion in 2022-23. The fracas has also acquired a political hue with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announcing that she is ready to welcome all Bangladeshi refugees who flee the country."Whatever is happening in Bangladesh is their internal matter and we as a state cannot comment on this," she said on Monday. "But according to U.N. guidelines, we will welcome all refugees who will be dislodged from their home and hearth in Bangladesh and seek refuge in our state."India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed Banerjee’s statement, saying it is "totally misplaced" as "immigration and citizenship" subjects are under central jurisdiction. The BJP’s Amit Malviya in West Bengal said Banerjee’s statement was an "evil plan" of the opposition INDIA bloc to settle illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in neighboring Jharkhand and other Indian states to win polls.Other countries also responded to the situation in Bangladesh.A chartered evacuation flight carrying 123 Malaysians, including 80 students, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.On Sunday, Japan’s foreign ministry issued a level 2 hazard warning, the third most severe on a scale of four, to advise people to avoid non-essential travel to the entire country.Similarly, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday it has raised Bangladesh’s travel advisory to level four, which urges people to not travel there. Pilot sole survivor of Nepal plane crash that killed 18 (CNN)
CNN [7/24/2024 5:54 AM, Aishwarya Iyer, Esha Mitra and Isaac Yee, 22739K, Negative]
At least 18 people were killed after a small plane skidded off the runway in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, local officials said.The pilot, who has been hospitalized, is the sole survivor of the Saurya Airlines crash, said Gyanendra Bhul, a spokesperson for Tribhuvan International Airport. All those on board - 18 Nepalis and a Yemeni citizen - were employees of the carrier, according to police.Images from Nepal police showed thick smoke billowing from the burning aircraft on the the airport runway.The aircraft crashed during takeoff from Kathmandu to the city of Pokhara around 11 a.m. local time, Bhul said. The plane was en route for technical maintenance, he added.“Rescue efforts were started immediately and the situation was brought under control,” the aviation authority said. The crash once again highlights the dangers of air travel in Nepal, a country often referred to as one of the riskiest places to fly due to multiple factors including its mountainous terrain.The Himalayan country, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Everest, has a record of air accidents. Its weather can change suddenly, and airstrips are typically sited in difficult-to-reach, mountainous areas.Aircraft with 19 seats or fewer are more likely to have accidents due to these difficulties, according to a 2019 safety report from the Civil Aviation Authority. While the country has made improvements in safety standards in recent years, challenges remain, and a lack of investment in aging aircraft only adds to the risks of flying.Last year, Nepal saw its worst plane crash in more than 30 years when at least 68 people died when a Yeti Airlines flight went down near Pokhara.In May 2022, a Tara Air flight departing from Pokhara crashed into a mountain, killing 22 people.In early 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight from Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to Kathmandu crashed on landing and caught fire, killing 51 people.And in 2016, a Tara Air flight crashed while flying the same route as the 2023 crash. Pilot survived Nepal crash after cockpit split from plane (BBC)
BBC [7/24/2024 5:07 PM, Tom Bennett and Ashok Dahal, 60154K, Negative]
The pilot who survived a deadly plane crash in Nepal was saved after his cockpit was sheared off by a freight container seconds before the rest of the aircraft crashed in flames.Captain Manish Ratna Shakya, the sole survivor of the disaster that killed 18 people at Kathmandu airport, is being treated in hospital but BBC Nepali has confirmed he is talking and able to tell family members he was “all good”.Rescuers told the BBC that they had reached the stricken pilot as flames neared the cockpit section of the aircraft embedded in the container.“He was facing difficulty to breathe as the air shield was open. We broke the window and immediately pulled him out,” Senior Superintendent of Nepal Police Dambar Bishwakarma said."He had blood all over his face when he was rescued but we took him to the hospital in a condition where he could speak,” he added.Nepal’s civil aviation minister Badri Pandey described how the aircraft had suddenly turned right as it took off from the airport, before crashing into the east side of the runway.CCTV footage shows the aircraft in flames careering across part of the airport before part of it appears to fall into a valley at the far edge of the site."It hit the container on the edge of the airport... then, it fell further below," Mr Pandey said. "The cockpit, however, remained stuck inside the container. This is how the captain survived.”
“The other part of the plane crashed into a nearby mound and it tore into pieces. The entire area away from the region where the cockpit fell down caught fire and everything was burnt,” Mr Pandey said.The pilot was "rescued within five minutes of the crash" and "was very scared but had not lost consciousness at that time", according to a statement released by the Nepali army.An army ambulance then took him to hospital.According to the hospital’s medical director, Dr. Meena Thapa, he suffered injuries to his head and face and will soon undergo surgery to treat broken bones in his back."We have treated injuries on various parts of his body," Thapa told BBC News Nepali, "He is under observation in the neuro surgery ward." On Wednesday evening, Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma visited the hospital, where he met members of the pilot’s family.Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.The head of Tribhuvan International Airport said that an initial assessment showed that the plane had flown in the wrong direction."As soon as it took off, it turned right, [when it] should have turned left," Mr Niraula told BBC Nepali.Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record. In January 2023, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti Airlines crash that was later attributed to its pilots mistakenly cutting the power.It was the deadliest air crash in Nepal since 1992, when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed on approach to Kathmandu Airport.Saruya Airlines operates flights to five destinations within Nepal, with a fleet of three Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, according to the company’s website. Japan to resume funding for stalled projects in Sri Lanka, envoy says (Reuters)
Reuters [7/24/2024 7:57 AM, Uditha Jayasinghe, 42991K, Neutral]
Japan will resume funding for all stalled projects in Sri Lanka, Tokyo’s envoy there said on Wednesday, the first such announcement since the island nation finalised a $10 billion restructuring deal with its official creditors.A total of 11 projects will restart, and bring in $1.1 billion in funds over the next five years, finance ministry official Ajith Abeysekera told reporters.Sri Lanka began talks on restarting suspended projects with Japan earlier this year as part of efforts to resuscitate its economy after a severe foreign exchange crisis in early 2022 triggered a foreign debt default.Bilateral creditors including Japan, China, and India signed up to a $10 billion debt rework last month, which gave Sri Lanka breathing space to defer repayments for four years and save $5 billion in repayments.An expansion of Sri Lanka’s main international airport, as well as water sanitation, healthcare and other infrastructure projects are among the ventures to be restarted, Mizukoshi Hideaki, Japan’s ambassador to Colombo, said at a ceremony with finance ministry officials.Sri Lanka still has to put the finishing touches to a preliminary agreement with bondholders on restructuring $12.5 billion of debt ahead of a third review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) later this year.Sri Lanka’s economy is expected to grow 3% in 2024 after Colombo secured $2.9 billion in lending from the IMF last year.The island’s economy shrank 7.3% in 2022 and 2.3% last year after a record shortfall of dollar reserves and huge debt sparked a severe financial crisis.Sri Lanka’s central bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday in a surprise decision aimed at spurring economic recovery following the crisis. Central Asia
Russian Anti-War Activist Released From Extradition Center In Kazakhstan (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [7/24/2024 7:12 AM, Staff, 1530K, Negative]
The Kazakh Bureau for Human Rights said on July 23 that Russian anti-war activist Natalya Narskaya was released from an extradition detention center in Almaty after spending exactly one year there. Kazakh law allows those facing possible extradition to be held for no more than 12 months. Narskaya, who fled Moscow in 2022, was arrested in Kazakhstan at Russia’s request. Kazakh human rights defenders have helped prevent her extradition to Russia, where she is wanted for publicly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Narskaya is said to have developed psychological problems while in custody. Kazakhstan’s Villages Go ‘Dry’ To Combat Alcoholism (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [7/25/2024 1:25 AM, Bruno Kalouaz, 1.4M, Neutral]
Scanning shop shelves in the Kazakh village of Karakuduk, locals will not find a drop of alcohol due to a prohibition movement growing in popularity across the Central Asian country."We don’t sell any alcoholic drinks. If you want something to drink, we’ve got water, juice, fizzy drinks and fermented milk," said Aigerim Mukeyeva, who owns a shop in the village of around 650 people, located in central Kazakhstan’s vast steppe.Like many ex-Soviet republics -- particularly its neighbour Russia -- Kazakhstan has long-standing problems with alcoholism.The country’s authorities are keen to promote healthy living and have supported moves to establish "dry" villages such as Karakuduk -- although there is no legal ban on alcohol sales.The country’s interior ministry lists 97 "sober" places, half of them in the vast industrial Karaganda region, where Karakuduk is located.But local media have reported that even larger numbers of villages have gone alcohol-free.Although most Kazakhs are Muslim, religion does not appear to be a major factor in the prohibition push.The country is a secular state, influenced by decades of Soviet atheism.Officially, the authorities are not imposing prohibition.A police spokesman told AFP that the impetus "comes from the people".The decision to go dry is usually proposed by influential local elders, who act as a form of social control in Central Asian societies, often in conjunction with the state.The fear of judgement by such community leaders can act as a powerful incentive for people to quit booze."The only shop here that sold alcohol closed a few years ago, due to lack of demand," Karakuduk mayor Bauyrzhan Zhumagulov, a former special operations police officer, told AFP.He admitted, however, that he had quietly suggested to shop owners not to extend their alcohol licences.In other places, people have used more radical methods.In the village of Abai in central Kazakhstan, locals removed bottles from shelves and ceremonially smashed them."We’re against... vodka!" the mayor and a group of villagers shouted, pumping their fists, before throwing the bottles into a metal bin, footage on state television showed.In another village, Aksu in the north, police used a bulldozer to smash 1,186 bottles from a shop that had been secretly selling alcohol at night.Statistics on Kazakhstan’s alcohol consumption are incomplete.The World Health Organization says that alcohol consumption is equivalent to 4.5 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year. The government says it is 7.7 litres.Vodka and other spirits are typically 40 percent alcohol.The impact on society is easier to measure.Authorities say alcohol abuse is cited in half of all domestic violence cases and is the most commonly cited reason for divorce.Some 90,000 people -- 0.5 percent of the population -- have been officially registered as alcoholics.The prohibition drive fits in with official measures taken to curb unhealthy lifestyles in recent years, such as banning the sale of alcohol, energy drinks and tobacco to those aged under 21.Local media have hailed the effectiveness of dry zones, reporting that officials noted a drastic fall in bad behaviour in "model villages".In Karakuduk, police commander Kuanysh Kalelov claimed "the crime rate is zero"."The young people in the village have a healthy lifestyle," Mayor Zhumagulov said, showing off his flagship projects. These include a new gym "for a sober village" and a clinic "built on the initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev".To dissuade locals from simply stocking up in the regional capital of Karaganda, just 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, police remind them they face a fine of around 35 euros ($38) for being drunk in a public place."I work on prevention," said police chief Kalelov, who patrols the village’s pot-holed streets in his white Lada car, preaching the dangers of drink-driving.The interior ministry has confiscated the driving licenses of 12,000 people this year alone for being drunk behind the wheel.In Karakuduk, locals seemed enthusiastic about the dry regime -- though gauging public opinion is tricky.On their reporting trip to the village, AFP journalists were shepherded by security service officers -- standard practice in Central Asia."Drinking never does you any good. Young people should stay far away from alcohol," said Maksat Bitebayev, a farmer in his 30s.But Serik Bakhayev, 68, a supermarket server, recalled: "Before, we used to get a beer in the summer when it was hot."Now residents can quench their thirst with kumis, a popular drink made of fermented mare’s milk, prepared by local farmer Indira Egenberdieva."It’s on sale everywhere," she said. "The shops buy it from us and some customers come from Karaganda." No Justice for Rights Defender’s Death in Kyrgyzstan Prison (Human Rights Watch)
Human Rights Watch [7/24/2024 10:00 PM, Syinat Sultanalieva, 2.1M, Negative]
It has been four years since Azimjon Askarov, a human rights defender from southern Kyrgyzstan, died in custody. When he died on July 25, 2020, he had been in jail for ten years, subjected to torture and neglect. Towards the end, with his health deteriorating, he was denied release on humanitarian grounds.
An accomplished painter, journalist, and human rights defender, who worked on documenting prison conditions and police mistreatment of detainees, he would have turned 73 this year. He was widely respected internationally as a quietly determined political prisoner. His death shocked his many supporters.
Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek, had been serving a life sentence following an unfair trial related to the June 2010 interethnic conflict in southern Kyrgyzstan. He was found guilty on several trumped-up charges, including inciting ethnic hatred and complicity in the murder of a policeman by a group. In March 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that Askarov had been arbitrarily detained and called for his immediate release, to no avail.
Kyrgyzstan’s prison service said Askarov died of complications from Covid-19. An initial inquiry led by the same prison service was shut down in June 2021 due to what they claimed was a lack of evidence.
Following an international outcry, the investigation was reopened in September 2021 and assigned to the State Committee on National Security. However, despite repeated requests from Bir Duino, a human rights organization legally representing Askarov’s widow, Khadicha Askarova, this investigation has ignored requests for updates. That is despite a more recent court order requesting additional witness interviews.
In December 2023, Edil Baisalov, deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers of the Kyrgyz government, said it an interview that he did not believe Askarov was guilty of the charges against him. “I have repeatedly expressed the sense that the plot of Askarov’s case does not correspond to the accusation that he in any way took part in any murders. It’s simply impossible to believe it, and there is not a single fact in his case that would indicate this.” Askarov was a “victim of these bloody events,” he said.
Askarov’s death is a shameful stain on Kyrgyzstan’s human rights record that can only be addressed by the Kyrgyz government respecting the UN Human Rights Committee’s decision, quashing Askarov’s conviction, completing an impartial investigation, and providing his family appropriate compensation and redress. Tajikistan Silences One Of The Last Voices Of Dissent In The Country (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [7/24/2024 1:45 PM, Staff, 1530K, Negative]
Tajikistan recently arrested the last opposition politician in the country who dared to openly criticize the authoritarian government’s policies.In a move described by the opposition as “catastrophic” for Tajik society, authorities detained Shokirjon Hakimov, the deputy head of the Social Democratic Party on July 12, although officials have not publicly announced or commented on the politician’s arrest.Hakimov’s relatives have since avoided talking to the media, sparking fears the family was warned against speaking out.The Tajik government has brutally cracked down on its political opponents over the years, jailing opposition politicians or forcing them into self-exile. Dozens of independent journalists, activists, and government critics languish in prisons. Some of them were hunted down abroad and forcibly brought back home. Others were killed.The Europe-based National Alliance of Tajikistan that brings together several exiled Tajik opposition groups, expressed concern about the impact of Hakimov’s arrest on civil society, which has increasingly witnessed alternative voices silenced one after another.“The arrest of freethinking and courageous politicians like Hakimov and their removal from the political scene will have catastrophic consequences for the future of the Tajik nation,” the group said.It’s not clear what charges Hakimov, 58, is facing. A source close to Tajik law enforcement agencies told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity that Hakimov’s detention is linked to a criminal case against Saidjafar Usmonzoda, a lawmaker and the former head of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan who was detained in June for allegedly “seeking to overthrow the government.”Tajik Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon told parliament following the lawmaker’s arrest that “Usmonzoda and others” had been plotting to illegally seize the government. The prosecutor didn’t say who the “others” were.But there have been rumors that several prominent figures -- including former Foreign Minister Hamrohkhon Zarifi, 75, and former parliament chairman Akbarshoh Iskandarov, 73 -- were detained on unknown charges in June.Sources close to the government confirmed to RFE/RL that Hakimov was arrested but were not able to provide details.Climate Of FearNearly a decade ago, Dushanbe banned its major political opponent, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and Group 24 -- an organization that had been gaining popularity among younger Tajiks.Both parties were branded as “terrorist,” and the government of autocratic President Emomali Rahmon continues to target their members and supporters both at home and outside the country.Although the Social Democratic Party has been officially registered in Tajikistan, it has been under constant political and financial pressure. Controlled elections have made it impossible for the party to ever win a seat in parliament.Hakimov twice ran for parliament in 2010 and 2015 in his native Konibodom district in the country’s north. But both times pro-government candidates were declared winners amid reports of irregularities and violations by election officials.Despite having a doctorate in law, Hakimov said that he was unable to get a lecturer’s job at any Tajik university because of his political views.But he refused to remain silent and continued to voice his opinion at public gatherings and in comments to foreign media. For several years it seemed the authorities tolerated his criticism.“But now, apparently, the regime is so unsure of its own stability that it even sees [a lone critic such as] Hakimov as a serious threat,” said U.S.-based Tajik political observer Aziz Nasrulloev.Political activist Farhod Khudoyorov predicts that Hakimov’s arrest will further erode ordinary Tajiks’ trust in the government and might even push some people toward extremism.“It will add to [the existing] climate of fear. Self-censorship in media will increase further and people will hesitate about voicing their opinion openly,” Khudoyorov said. “As a result, people will become more radical [toward the government.]” Tajikistan: World Bank report voices concern about influence of state-connected companies on economy (EurasiaNet)
EurasiaNet [7/24/2024 4:14 PM, Staff, 57.6K, Neutral]
A new World Bank report gives Tajikistan passing grades for its present economic performance but cautions that an excessive state role in the economy poses a significant threat to continuing stability.
The bank’s report on Tajikistan specifically focuses on “the impact of enterprises with state participation and competitive neutrality.” It starts with praise, noting that the Tajik economy grew by 8.3 percent in 2023 and 8.2 percent during the first quarter of this year. Growth, the report adds, was driven by increased revenue from gold exports, a rise in private consumption and government investment in infrastructure projects.
The report then quickly shifts from cheery commentary about the present to a more ominous tone about the near future. A budget deficit is expected to grow in 2024 thanks to a decrease in tax revenue. In addition, costs involving the government’s signature infrastructure project, the Rogun hydroelectric power station, are spiraling upward.“Tajikistan will remain a country with a high risk of a debt crisis until the full repayment of Eurobonds related to Rogun” in 2025-27, the WB report states. It adds that the economic growth rate is projected to slow to 6.5 percent in 2024 and 4.5 percent in following years.
The report devotes lots of attention to the poor performance of enterprises with state participation, defined as companies in which the government has a major, if not majority stake. Most state-connected enterprises in Tajikistan are unprofitable, the World Bank notes, adding that the 25 largest such enterprises, covering such sectors as mining, energy and telecoms, accounted for losses totaling 4.2 billion somoni, or roughly 3.2 percent of GDP.
The heavy state involvement in loss-making ventures “creates significant fiscal risks for financial stability of the country,” the report asserts. “Although government participation in [state-connected enterprises] may serve legitimate purposes, the preferential treatment given to these enterprises distorts market dynamics and hinders private-sector development.”
Meanwhile, an investigative report by RFE/RL found that some Chinese-run mining ventures in Tajikistan are stoking complaints from local citizens about excessive air, water and soil pollution. But instead of investigating mining practices at the ventures, Tajik authorities are pressuring citizens to drop their complaints. Some 3,400 Tajik Nationals Turned Back From Russian Airports In Past 6 Months (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [7/24/2024 6:09 AM, Staff, 1530K, Negative]
Some 3,400 Tajik migrant workers have not been allowed to enter Russia and turned back to Tajikistan from Russian airports over the last six months, the director of the Tajik Civil Aviation Agency, Habibullo Nazarzoda, told reporters on July 24. According to Nazarzoda, Tajik citizens were not allowed to enter Russia due to alleged problems with their documents. Since Russia arrested several Tajik nationals suspected of being involved in a terrorist attack at an entertainment center near Moscow that left more than 140 people dead in late March, Tajik migrant workers have faced increased restrictions inside Russia and when traveling to Russia. Uzbek Court Again Rejects Appeal Of Karakalpak Activist (Radio Free Europe)
Radio Free Europe [7/24/2024 7:23 AM, Staff, 1530K, Negative]
The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan has again rejected the appeal by Karakalpak activist Dauletmurat Tajimuratov against the 16-year prison term he was handed over mass antigovernment protests in the country’s Karakalpak Autonomous Republic in 2022. Tajimuratov’s lawyer, Sergei Mayorov, said on July 23 that his client had filed a second, so-called revised appeal with the Supreme Court after it had rejected his initial appeal in June last year. Mayorov added that the hearing late on July 23 was held without his client’s presence as the court did not allow Tajimuratov to participate in the hearing via a video link. Mayorov added that he is not aware of Tajimuratov’s exact whereabouts. Twitter
Afghanistan
SIGAR@SIGARHQ
[7/25/2024 1:05 AM, 170.4K followers, 2 retweets, 3 likes]
(1/2) Last quarter, former Afghan Minister of Education Rangina Hamidi told SIGAR that madrassas have always been one of two “education tracks” for Afghan students. Hamidi added that given the ban on girls’ education past the sixth grade in a formal school setting,
SIGAR@SIGARHQ
[7/25/2024 1:05 AM, 170.4K followers, 2 likes]
(2/2)…there is a need to consider other settings, such as madrassas, for girls to get an education. Others disagree with former minister & see madrassas as a tool for Taliban’s larger “war on education,” to root out previously-established public education https://sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2024-04-30qr.pdf#page=58
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[7/25/2024 3:18 AM, 96.4K followers, 2 retweets, 11 likes]
IEA-Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi held a telephonic conversation with Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, the Chief of the political office of HAMAS. During telephonic conversation, exhaustive discussion was held regarding the latest political & jihadi developments in Gaza...
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[7/25/2024 3:18 AM, 96.4K followers, 1 like]
& regional issues. Acknowledging the efforts & sacrifices made by Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, HAMAS, FM Muttaqi underscored the importance of unity & perseverance in the Jihadist struggle, calling the commitment to Islamic values as the main principle.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[7/25/2024 3:18 AM, 96.4K followers, 2 likes]
Also, welcoming the negotiations & agreement among the Palestinian factions in Beijing, FM Muttaqi once again underscored the support of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan & Afghan nation to the legitimate resistance & cause of Palestinian nation.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad@HafizZiaAhmad
[7/25/2024 3:18 AM, 96.4K followers, 2 likes]
Hailing the position of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan & the Afghan nation on Palestine in particular regarding the recent developments in Gaza, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh shared information about the recent negotiations with the occupying regime.
Heather Barr@heatherbarr1
[7/24/2024 12:17 PM, 62.8K followers, 126 retweets, 181 likes]
81 percent of Afghan women do not think the international community is adequately representing their views in international forums. Pakistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan@ForeignOfficePk
[7/24/2024 11:09 AM, 479.7K followers, 14 retweets, 25 likes]
Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi @syrusqazi today inaugurated the two-day Regional Conference on Export Control Programme for Dual-Use Goods in Central Asia, being held in Islamabad. Co-organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad and the European Union, the Regional Conference brings together Senior officials and Experts from Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the US, the EU, the UN and representatives of multilateral export control regimes and other international organizations. The participants will discuss national approaches on strategic trade controls with a view to promoting international cooperation on trade of goods and technologies, in line with the relevant United Nations Resolutions, particularly UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1540.
Hamid Kakar@kuchiafghan
[7/24/2024 1:43 PM, 5K followers, 61 retweets, 404 likes]
Pakistani state failed to get U.S support. Failed to get drones. Failed to get Arab states’ support. Failed to get Russian support and even failed to unite its citizens. As a last resort they hired this woman @NajibaFaiz5 to save a nuclear armed state. Imagine this woman is Pakistan’s last hope as a failed nuclear state. Pindi boys think that if she starts insulting Afghans or tweet randomly targeting poor Afghans refugees in Iran and elsewhere then perhaps Pakistan come back as a triumph state. My free advice to Pajeets/ Foujeets get as much cash as you can and run away come 2025 Pakistan is no more.
Madiha Afzal@MadihaAfzal
[7/24/2024 2:59 PM, 42.8K followers, 17 retweets, 45 likes]
Repeatedly calling criticism or dissent a threat to national security and "digital terrorism" has one intent: to stifle speech. The Pakistani leadership seems to have little else on its mind.
Anas Mallick@AnasMallick
[7/25/2024 2:43 AM, 73.2K followers, 11 likes]
Its official, Pakistan’s Prime Minister @CMShehbaz to head to Iran on 30th July to attend the oath taking of the newly elected Irani President @drpezeshkian, announces @ForeignOfficePk in her weekly briefing. India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[7/24/2024 10:17 AM, 100.4M followers, 2.6K retweets, 10K likes]
From education to infrastructure, agriculture to employment creation, the #BudgetForViksitBharat has catered to all sectors and set the foundations for even quicker and inclusive progress. https://news18.com/education-career/education-budget-2024-allocation-of-rs-1-48-lakh-crore-a-positive-step-says-experts-8975755.html https://moneycontrol.com/news/business/budget/india-inc-welcomes-budget-focus-on-infra-consumption-growth-and-employment-12776343.html
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[7/24/2024 10:11 AM, 100.4M followers, 2.9K retweets, 13K likes]
The #BudgetForViksitBharat ensures all-around growth and, at the same time, ensures that the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor. https://hindustantimes.com/opinion/the-budget-echoes-the-developed-india-vision-101721752425622.html
Richard Rossow@RichardRossow
[7/24/2024 4:09 AM, 29.6K followers, 2 retweets, 6 likes]
Quad Foreign Ministers meeting set for Tokyo on July 29.
Derek J. Grossman@DerekJGrossman
[7/25/2024 1:44 AM, 90.7K followers, 9 retweets, 43 likes]
India will just have to keep waiting for UNSC permanent membership. The UN is completely outdated for the multipolar world. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/no-real-progress-on-un-security-council-expansion-say-former-ambassadors/article68441830.ece
Derek J. Grossman@DerekJGrossman
[7/24/2024 11:16 AM, 90.7K followers, 8 retweets, 49 likes]
A/S Liu says US was “disappointed with the symbolism and the timing" of Modi’s trip to Russia and hugging of Putin. But he also highlights that no new technology or military deals came out of the visit, and Modi stressed peace in Ukraine. NSB
Awami League@albd1971
[7/24/2024 12:03 PM, 639.3K followers, 41 retweets, 89 likes]
Poising as general students, several violent activists attacked Mostafa Mahbub, senior Reporter, from a private television channel in Science Lab area in the capital on July 18 evening. In this video the reporter exposes overwhelming presence of political activists under the guise of general students who attacked journalists, forced them escape and later carried out violence on the streets. Without proof they slapped a pro government tag on the journalist and attacked him. Even general students failed to prevent these attackers, he recalled. In that area, nearby institutions including Teachers Training College were completely set on fire. #QuotaMovement #Bangaldesh #BNPJamaat #BNPJamaatViolence #Journalist #PressFreedom
Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP@bdbnp78
[7/24/2024 9:51 AM, 53.8K followers, 295 retweets, 875 likes]
After the police shot and killed Tahmid, a ninth-grade student, his classmates were taking his body for burial. At that time, the police launched another armed attack! Such barbarity has never occurred in the history of #Bangladesh. #QuotaReformMovement #PoliceBrutality
Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP@bdbnp78
[7/24/2024 4:12 AM, 53.8K followers, 188 retweets, 532 likes]
The trigger-happy #Bangladesh police have killed whomever they wanted. In this video, it shows a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk being shot and killed by a police officer without any reason. Murderers should not be peacekeepers. #QuotaReformMovement #PoliceBrutality https://x.com/i/status/1816023730428293225
Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office@amnestysasia
[7/24/2024 2:08 PM, 85.5K followers, 221 retweets, 366 likes]
Bangladesh is witnessing the deadliest crackdown on student protesters. At least 197 people have been killed. Thousands are injured. Take action. Sign our petition calling for an end to this crackdown: https://amnesty.org/en/petition/bangladesh-must-immediately-end-crackdown-against-protesters/ #ProtectTheProtest #SaveBangladeshiStudents
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[7/24/2024 10:18 AM, 211.2K followers, 44 retweets, 193 likes]
Bangladesh has accrued massive reputational costs from its crisis (which is by no means over), and that’s especially damaging for a government that goes into overdrive to shape its image abroad and craft narratives around it.
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[7/24/2024 10:18 AM, 211.2K followers, 1 retweet, 22 likes]
Some of the issues on which it claims success and stakes its legitimacy (democracy, economic growth, even UN peacekeeping-DW reports a UN-marked tank was involved in the crackdown) have all taken big hits. Will require a Herculean effort for Dhaka to walk this all back.
The President’s Office, Maldives@presidencymv
[7/24/2024 12:58 PM, 109K followers, 135 retweets, 130 likes] President Dr @MMuizzu launches the ‘Male Fahi’ programme.The initiative aims to address traffic and vehicular congestion in the Greater Male Area. #MaleFahi
Abdulla Shahid@abdulla_shahid
[7/24/2024 1:09 PM, 118.3K followers, 48 retweets, 102 likes]
Congratulations dear Hon. @hisaanhussain on being appointed the Vice President of @MDPSecretariat. It was your enduring commitment and invaluable contributions to the party over the years and your professional achievements that led me to nominate you to this position. I am confident that you will take this party forward to more success. I am also thrilled to now count you - an accomplished and exceptional woman - among the party leadership. Women should be in decision making roles in politics - and I am glad we take a step forward today, in that direction. Thank you to MDP Gaumee Majlis, for endorsing my nomination.
MOFA of Nepal@MofaNepal
[7/25/2024 2:20 AM, 258.8K followers, 5 retweets, 12 likes]
Foreign Secretary Ms. Sewa Lamsal had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Wang Hao, Vice Governor of the Yunnan Province of the People’s Republic of China today.
MOFA of Nepal@MofaNepal
[7/25/2024 2:20 AM, 258.8K followers, 2 retweets, 4 likes]
They discussed matters pertaining to mutual interest of both the countries including cooperation in the fields of trade, tourism, people-to-people relations and connectivity. @sewa_lamsal
MOFA of Nepal@MofaNepal
[7/24/2024 7:36 AM, 258.8K followers, 7 retweets, 42 likes]
Foreign Secretary Ms. Sewa Lamsal delivered a Keynote Speech at the 5th China-South Asia Cooperation Forum in Kunming today. In her address, she highlighted the ways and means to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Nepal and China. @sewa_lamsal
MOFA of Nepal@MofaNepal
[7/24/2024 7:36 AM, 258.8K followers, 2 retweets, 4 likes]
She stressed on the need to enhance bilateral cooperation, in the areas of trade, investment, tourism, connectivity, people-to-people relations and infrastructure development, among others.
MOFA of Nepal@MofaNepal
[7/24/2024 7:36 AM, 258.8K followers, 5 retweets, 14 likes]
On the sidelines of the Forum, FS Ms. Lamsal had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Deng Xijun, Special Envoy for Asian Affairs of the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of China. During the meeting, they discussed various aspects of bilateral relations with a focus on development cooperation.
M U M Ali Sabry@alisabrypc[7/24/2024 6:56 AM, 5.9K followers, 2 retweets, 19 likes]
Today, I along with President’s Chief of Staff @SagalaRatnayaka, Education Ministry, and UDA officials, visited Colombo Central and Colombo North. After months of discussions with stakeholders, we have identified a site for a new national school in these areas. Committed to enhancing educational infrastructure for our children’s brighter future
M U M Ali Sabry@alisabrypc
[7/24/2024 6:52 AM, 5.9K followers, 16 retweets, 89 likes]
The Japanese government officially announces the release of funds for resuming projects undertaken in Sri Lanka-
Eran Wickramaratne@EranWick
[7/24/2024 6:50 AM, 68.9K followers, 8 retweets, 36 likes]
The IMF agreement must be renegotiated. While agreeing on the macro fiscal principles and taxes, the burden of taxes has to be reviewed. I have done it before, as I explained on Hiru TV Salakuna on Monday. After the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, when the tourism sector was devastated, I submitted a cabinet proposal to grant hotels a moratorium on their bank debt. Sri Lanka was in an IMF programme, and such a moratorium was contrary to the programme’s original aims. However, I explained to the IMF officials the attacks’ impact on the hotel sector, and the necessity for a moratorium. They understood, and agreed. Similarly, the current IMF programme can be renegotiated. We need good negotiators and the political will to get the best deal for Sri Lanka. Central Asia
UNODC Central Asia@UNODC_ROCA
[7/25/2024 3:40 AM, 2.4K followers]
Prison Committee & its regional departments, the Kostanay Training Academy & other higher schools join the #PrisonersMatter campaign to integrate #NelsonMandelaRules and ensure safe & humane prison management with respect to human rights and dignity of every prisoner.
Navbahor Imamova@Navbahor
[7/25/2024 12:52 AM, 23.5K followers, 1 like]
Media discussion with our colleagues from Bukhara, Uzbekistan Yechimlar jurnalistikasi: #Buxoroisharifuz - @AmerikaOvozi{End of Report} To subscribe to the SCA Morning Press Clips, please email SCA-PressOfficers@state.gov. Please do not reply directly to this email.