SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
Prepared for the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
TO: | SCA & Staff |
DATE: | Friday, March 14, 2025 6:30 AM ET |
Afghanistan
Afghanistan denies link to train attack in Pakistan (VOA)
VOA [3/13/2025 5:12 PM, Sarah Zaman, 2913K]
The Afghan Taliban have rejected Pakistan’s allegation that Tuesday’s deadly hostage-taking of a train was planned and directed from Afghan soil.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Pakistan’s assertions "baseless," in a statement Thursday.
"We categorically reject baseless allegations by Pakistani army spokesperson linking attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with Afghanistan," foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement posted on X.
Militants linked with the banned Baloch Liberation Army attacked a passenger train Tuesday near Sibi, Balochistan, taking hundreds hostage.
At least 21 passengers and four paramilitary troops died in the attack. The military claimed the killing of 33 terrorists.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Pakistani military’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations, had earlier said attackers collaborated with partners in Afghanistan.
"During the operation, these terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan via satellite phone," Chaudhry told a private news channel as he declared the clearance operation over Wednesday night.
Later, the military’s media wing reiterated the assertion."Intelligence reports have unequivocally confirmed that the attack was orchestrated and directed by terrorist ringleaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with terrorists throughout the incident," a statement from the ISPR said.
Rebutting the claim, Balkhi said Islamabad must address internal issues.
"[We] urge Pakistani side to focus on resolving their own security and internal problems instead of such irresponsible remarks," the Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Tuesday’s attack marked a dramatic escalation in the separatist insurgency that has ravaged Balochistan for nearly two decades.
The militants blew up tracks, bringing the train with nearly 450 passengers to a halt in a tunnel, where they stormed it.
Survivors told VOA the attackers singled out security personnel and ethnic Punjabi passengers, shooting many.
"Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan Government to uphold its responsibilities and deny use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan," the military said in written comments to the media Wednesday, repeating an increasingly frequent demand.
On Thursday, the spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan, repeated Islamabad’s stance.
"We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice," Khan told media at the weekly briefing.
Balkhi rejected the allegation that Baloch separatists have put down roots across the border.
"No members of Balouch opposition have presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had or have any links with the Islamic Emirate," Balkhi said in his post on X. The Taliban refer to their government as the Islamic Emirate.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in terrorism in the last year, with deaths rising by nearly 45% in 2024 from the year before.
The country now ranks second on the Global Terrorism Watchlist with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, an ideological offshoot of the Afghan Taliban, and the separatist Baloch Liberation Army emerging as the deadliest outfits.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan this week, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said Kabul was failing to rein in Baloch separatists.
"The Kabul authorities have failed to address the threat posed to the region and beyond by other terrorist groups, such as al Qaida, the TTP and Baloch terrorists, including the BLA and the Majeed Brigade, which are present in Afghanistan," the Pakistani envoy said Monday. Pakistan
Pakistan’s leader meets survivors of deadly train hijacking and the commandos who ended the siege (AP)
AP [3/13/2025 12:32 PM, Abdul Sattar, 456K]
Pakistan’s prime minister on Thursday commended the country’s armed forces for successfully rescuing 339 passengers after a deadly train hijacking by insurgents in the southwest. A total of 25 people were killed by the attackers.
The dead included 21 civilian hostages and four troops, one of whom was killed during the military’s rescue operation. Authorities haven’t provided the number of wounded. All of the insurgents were killed, officials said.“The terrorists who attacked the train even showed no regard for the sanctity of the fasting month of Ramadan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in his televised remarks in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, where he also met with survivors of the train attack.
His remarks came hours after Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that Afghan soil was used to orchestrate the train attack, though an outlawed separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army, has claimed responsibility.
The assault began Tuesday and ended Wednesday when troops killed all 33 insurgents in an operation that the military said resulted in no further passenger deaths.
The train was heading from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when insurgents blew up the track, forcing nine coaches and the engine of the Jafer Express train to stop partially inside a tunnel.
The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has attacked trains, but had never been able to hijack one in the past. They have also attacked Chinese workers, thousands of whom are involved in multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in Balochistan.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. Members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
Amid tight security, Sharif and members of his Cabinet were received by senior government officials upon his arrival at an airport in Quetta, his office said. Authorities said that arrangements were made to transport victims’ bodies to their hometowns, while wounded people were receiving medical treatment.
Foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad that BLA assailants who hijacked the train were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan.“Our security forces successfully eliminated all 33 terrorists, including suicide bombers, while rescuing the hostages,” he said.
Khan said that the attackers had been “in direct communications with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident” and Pakistan has repeatedly asked Kabul “to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like BLA for their attacks against Pakistan.”“We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice,” Khan said.
In an overnight statement, the military said that it had “confirmed intelligence” indicating that the assault was “orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.” The military didn’t reveal details of the intelligence.
In Kabul, Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi rejected the Pakistani accusations, saying: “We are saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident.”
According to a Pakistani military statement, the “terrorists, after blowing up the railway track, took control of the train and held the passengers hostage including women, children and elderly, using them as human shields.”
Many survivors said the assailants opened fire on the windows of the train, entered the cars and killed or wounded people before taking them hostage.
Three soldiers who had been guarding the railroad track were among those killed, according to military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif.
Separately, Pakistani security killed 10 militants after spotting them near a military facility in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
Authorities said those killed were members of Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTT. The group is an ally of the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power there in 2021. Pakistan train attack survivors ‘crouched for hours’ to survive (Reuters)
Reuters [3/13/2025 12:44 PM, Saleem Ahmed, 62527K]
Hostages freed after a day-long ordeal following an attack by militants on a train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province described crouching on the floor for hours before their release, as the bodies of 25 people killed arrived in Quetta.
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on the Jaffar Express, during which they and held passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security services in a remote mountain pass.
Pakistan’s military said it had killed 33 attackers and that the siege had ended, but the claim was refuted by the BLA, which said in a Thursday statement that it still had hostages and the battle with security services was ongoing.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the BLA claims.
Men armed with rocket launchers, guns, and other weapons stormed the train and began shooting people, said Arslan Yousaf, one of several rescued hostages who arrived in regional capital Quetta on Thursday, escorted by security forces.
The militants grouped the passengers on the basis of their region of origin, Yousaf added.
"Sometimes, they took soldiers ... and executed them," he said, referring to passengers from the Pakistan Army and other security forces who were travelling on leave.
"Other times, they targeted specific individuals. If they had a grudge against someone, they shot him on the spot.".
HOSTAGES ONLY GIVEN WATER
The hostages survived only on water during the time they were held, said Muhammad Tanveer, another passenger.
The BLA are fighting a decades-long insurgency to win independence for the mineral-rich province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.
A total of 21 hostages and four security troops were killed in the standoff, according to the military, but the BLA - the largest of Balochistan’s armed ethnic groups battling the government - said 50 hostages were executed.
"The terrorists breached the train by smashing windows, but they mistakenly believed we were dead," said train driver Amjad, who dived to the engine floor for cover when the militants opened fire and crouched there for about 27 hours to survive.
Mehboob Ahmed, 31, who was shot several times, said the hostages made two attempts to escape from the train and while some succeeded, many were killed as the armed men opened fire.
"We had nearly lost hope for survival," he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Quetta on Thursday for a briefing on the security situation.
"No such incident has ever happened in the history of Pakistan," Sharif told a meeting of parliamentarians and military officers in the city. ‘Killed in front of our eyes’: How the Pakistan train hijacking unfolded (BBC)
BBC [3/13/2025 8:40 AM, Gavin Butler, 69901K]
Mehboob Hussain was riding the train home on Tuesday when the tracks under the front car exploded.
In the depths of central Pakistan’s Bolan Pass, a pocket of wilderness so remote that there is no internet or mobile network coverage, the nine-coach Jaffar Express ground to a halt. Then the bullets started flying.
"I was a passenger on the train that was attacked," Mr Hussain told BBC Urdu.
He, along with some 440 others, had been travelling from Quetta to Peshawar through the heart of the restive Balochistan province when a group of armed militants struck – they bombed the tracks, fired on the train and then stormed the carriages.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the siege, and threatened to kill many of those on board if Pakistani authorities did not release Baloch political prisoners within 48 hours.
The group, which many countries have designated a terrorist organisation, has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence for Balochistan, accusing Islamabad of exploiting the province’s rich mineral resources while also neglecting it.
BLA militants have a long history of attacking military camps, railway stations and trains in the region.
But this was the first time they had hijacked one.
The siege lasted over 30 hours. According to authorities, 300 passengers have now been freed, and 33 BLA militants, 21 civilian hostages and four military personnel were killed. But conflicting figures suggest many passengers remain unaccounted for.
Information relating to the attack and the subsequent rescue operation has been tightly controlled throughout.
But the BBC was able to speak to multiple eyewitnesseses who described the "doomsday scenes" on board the train as the attack unfolded.
As Ishaq Noor told BBC Urdu of those first few moments: "We held our breath throughout the firing, not knowing what would happen next.".
A gunfight
A railway police officer who was on board the train told BBC Urdu that, contrary to initial reports from Pakistani authorities, the train was "not in a tunnel but in an open area" when it was hit.
The BLA has also released an alleged video of the moment the train was struck by the blast. It shows an open section of track that runs along the base of a large rocky slope.
Atop that slope, according to the video, is a cluster of BLA fighters.The officer described to the BBC how he initially "fought together with other police officers" to try and hold off the militants until "the ammunition ran out".
"They [the BLA] were moving in front of us on the mountain and they were much more numerous than us, in the hundreds," the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recalled. He noted that he was accompanied by four railway police and two members of Pakistan’s paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC).
At least 100 of those on the train were members of the security forces, according to Pakistani officials.
"I told my companion to give me the G-3 rifle because it is a better weapon," the officer explained. "When I got the rifle and the rounds, we also started firing back. I used to fire one shot at a time at them so that they could not come near us and the train... [But] in an hour-and-half, our rounds were over... We were helpless.".
When the gunfire from those on board the Jaffar Express ceased, the militants came down from the surrounding mountains and started taking passengers off the train, the officer said.
"They started checking cards and telling people to go this way, this way," he said, explaining that the hostages were separated into groups alongside the train, according to their ethnicity.
The militants were speaking in the Balochi language, he added, and declared, "We have made demands to the government and if they are not met, we will not spare anyone; we will set the vehicle on fire".
The officer claimed the militants were receiving orders: "They would get orders to kill, and they would pick up people from the group and kill them. They killed many people - both army personnel and civilians.".
The first release
Some passengers, however, were allowed to leave unharmed – including women, children, the elderly and those who lived in Balochistan, according to Mr Noor.
Among those released was Noor Muhammad. He said that when the initial volleys of gunfire stopped after an hour, armed men forced open the door to the train and entered, saying "get out or we will shoot you".
Mr Muhammad said he was escorted off the train, and when he told the militants his wife was still in the back of the car, they brought her out too. Then they "told us to go straight and not look back".
The couple walked through the wilderness, he said, and with "great difficulty" reached Panir Railway Station at about 1900, where they rested.
His wife recalled the moment the Pakistan military arrived to meet them."They told me, ‘ma’am, come inside with us, we will take you home safely,’" she said. The soldiers took the couple to the town of Machh, she added, "and then we reached Quetta to our children, who were waiting for us".
Some passengers who managed to leave the train late on Tuesday evening said they walked for nearly four hours to reach the next railway station. They included Muhammad Ashraf, who had been riding the train to Lahore to visit his family.
"We reached the station with great difficulty," he told BBC Urdu, "because we were tired and there were children and women with us.".
Shots in the night
As night descended over the Jaffar Express, scores of BLA militants began to depart, according to the police official who did not wish to named.
"Many of them hugged each other and 70, 80 people left while 20, 25 stayed behind," he said.
At about 10pm, he recalled, violence erupted again.
"Some people tried to run away, they [the BLA] saw them and opened fire, then everyone fell to the ground," the official said.
Mr Mehboob similarly recalled gunfire throughout the night – and said that at one point, a person close to him, who had five daughters, was shot.
"When someone is killed in front of your eyes, you don’t know what to do," he said.
Another passenger, Allahditta, said his cousin was killed in front of him by the BLA. He said his cousin was pleading to the militants to not kill him as he had young daughters but "his life was not spared".
The BBC on Wednesday saw dozens of wooden coffins being loaded at Quetta railway station. A railway official said they were empty and being transported to collect casualties.
Morning escape
It was during the time of morning prayer on Wednesday that rescuers from the FC started firing on the BLA militants, Mr Allahditta said.
Amid the sudden chaos, he and others broke free.
"When the FC opened fire at the time of the Fajr call to prayer, we escaped from the militants," Mr Allahdita said.
The police official similarly recalled the moment when the FC moved in, briefly diverting the BLA militants’ focus away from the hostages."When the FC arrived in the morning, the attention of these people turned to this direction," the official said. "I told my companion, ‘Let’s try to run away.’".
Militants fired on the escapees as they fled, and the official said his companion was hit from behind.
"He told me to let go of him. I said no, I’ll carry you on my shoulder. Then another person also joined hands and we went down the hills and out of firing range.".
Mr Allahdita was among those who escaped the train when rescuers arrived.
Mr Mehboob, Mr Allahdita, the police official and his companion all managed to escape the Jaffar Express alive as the FC attacked the militants.
Military and paramilitary troops and helicopters had surrounded the stranded train since Tuesday. On Wednesday, they killed the hostage-takers and cleared the site, according to a military spokesperson.
Authorities said there were 440 passengers on the train - and 300 of them have been freed. But it’s still unclear what happened to the remaining 140. Reuters and AFP quoted an unnamed security official who said some miliants had left, taking an unknown number of passengers with them.
The military says it is still working to find passengers who escaped and fled into the surrounding area, and insists that any others involved in the hijacking would be brought to justice.
Mr Noor, who is now distributing alms and charity in his hometown along with his wife, is just grateful to have escaped the situation with his life.
"Thank God," Mr Noor said. "He saved us.". Pakistan Cuts Solar Buyback Price After Chinese Panel Boom (Bloomberg)
Bloomberg [3/14/2025 3:42 AM, Kamran Haider, 5.5M]
Pakistan has lowered the rate it pays for electricity from solar users, after a massive boom had made the nation the third-largest destination for Chinese panels.
The Economic Coordination Committee reduced the price by almost two-thirds to 10 rupees a unit for new net-metered costumers to ease the growing financial burden on grid consumers, according to a finance ministry statement. The lower cost will be applicable to existing customers after their current agreements end with power suppliers, it added.
Millions of consumers and businesses in Pakistan have switched to solar as an alternative since the national grid power prices have tripled for some since 2021. There are about 283,000 net metered users and such a system would transfer a financial burden of 4 trillion rupees ($14.3 billion) to grid consumers by 2034 unless the change is made, according to the statement.
Pakistan is under pressure to reduce financial losses that has long forced the nation to seek financial help repeatedly from global lenders and friendly states including China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to support its weak economy. Financial losses that have forced the nation to repeatedly seek financial help from the International Monetary Fund with the latest $7 billion program demanding the country to make its energy sector financially sustainable.
Pakistan is also renegotiating contracts with power producers to reduce the burden but global lenders have warned the government that it will undermine investor confidence and future payments. India
US journalist sues Indian government after losing his overseas citizenship (The Guardian)
The Guardian [3/13/2025 2:15 PM, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, 78938K]
A US journalist has taken the Indian government to court after his Indian overseas citizenship was unilaterally cancelled, after the publication of a story critical of a prominent Indian businessman.
Raphael Satter, who covers cybersecurity for the Reuters news agency in the US, received a letter from India’s ministry of home affairs in early December 2023, accusing him of producing work that "maliciously" tarnished India’s reputation and informing him that his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card had been cancelled.
OCI status is given to foreign citizens of Indian origin, or those married to Indian nationals, and allows for visa-free travel, residency and employment in India. Satter received his OCI through marriage. The cancellation of his OCI status means he is no longer able to travel to India, where members of his family live.
In recent years, the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government, led by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, has been accused of revoking OCI privileges for those it has deemed critical, part of what Human Rights Watch has called a campaign of "politically motivated repression".
Journalists, academics and activists have been a particular target. Several high-profile journalists have been forced to leave the country after their OCI cards were revoked and academics have been turned away at the Indian border.
According to the letter sent to Satter in December 2023, his OCI status was revoked for his alleged "practising [of] journalism without proper permission" and for work that had been "maliciously creating adverse and biased opinion against Indian institutions in the international arena".
Satter, who works in Washington DC, denies ever conducting journalism in India and has only travelled to the country to visit family.
The Indian government provided no specifics to Satter’s lawyers on how his journalistic work had been deemed a national security threat to India. However, Satter’s lawyers noted that the cancellation of his OCI came at exactly the same time that a defamation case had been filed against him in India for a story he had written on the Indian cybersecurity company Appin and its co-founder Rajat Khare.
Satter’s investigation for Reuters, titled "How an Indian startup hacked the world", exposed the workings of Appin, alleging it had become "a hack-for-hire powerhouse that stole secrets from executives, politicians, military officials and wealthy elites around the globe".
Rajat Khare’s US representative, the lawfirm Clare Locke, rejected any association between its client and the cyber-mercenary business, telling Reuters that Khare "has never operated or supported, and certainly did not create, any illegal ‘hack for hire’ industry in India or anywhere else".
During the course of his inquiries into Appin and Khare, Satter said that he had received a series of threats made by individuals associated with the company, "one of whom alluded to potential ‘diplomatic action’ unless I abandoned my reporting".
"The petitioner and his employer, Reuters, began receiving threats from individuals linked to a company called Appin, which has hacked organisations in India and abroad," Satter’s court petition says.
On the same day that Satter received the notice of the OCI cancellation, a Delhi judge granted an injunction against the story, forcing it to be temporarily taken down. It was restored 10 months later. Karuna Nundy, the lawyer representing Satter, said the timing clearly "linked" the two events. She emphasised that, under Indian law, defamation is not grounds for OCI cancellation.
Khare has been active in pursuing news organisations that have published articles on the activities of Appin. According to an investigation by Reporters Without Borders, at least 15 media outlets investigating Appin received legal notices and five have been subjected to legal proceedings.
The New Yorker and the Sunday Times are among those who have faced legal action by entities representing Khare, who also has initiated legal proceedings in Switzerland against a story that mentioned his name. Reporters Without Borders described the magnitude of these gag lawsuits as "unprecedented".
The first court hearing for Satter’s case was heard in Delhi this week. In a statement sent to the Guardian, Satter said the Indian government’s decision to cancel his OCI had "effectively cut me off from members of my family and a country I hold in great affection and respect".
Satter was insistent that the decision was a "mistake or on a misunderstanding" by the ministry of home affairs and that he had only decided to go to court after not receiving any response to his appeal to the government for more than a year.
"I am confident that, once the integrity of my journalism is demonstrated before the Indian courts and the true and correct facts are brought to the fore, the ministry of home affairs will see fit to restore my OCI card," he said. The ministry of home affairs did not respond to requests for comment about Satter’s case.
The Indian government now has until the next hearing, on 22 May, to respond to the petition and give legal justification for Satter’s OCI cancellation.
The Modi government has cancelled more than 100 OCI cards while in power for the last decade. Among them was the journalist Aatish Taseer, after he wrote a cover article for Time magazine criticising the prime minister.
"The Indian authorities should not be attempting to silence critics by revoking residency rights or other means," said Meenakshi Ganguly, the deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch. "Instead, the authorities should have the maturity to accept legitimate criticism and work on reforms.". India to deliver US summons to Adani for alleged bribery (Reuters)
Reuters [3/13/2025 9:46 AM, Sarita Chaganti Singh and Arpan Chaturvedi, 41523K]
The Indian government has asked a local court to deliver a summons issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to billionaire Gautam Adani over alleged securities fraud and a $265 million bribery scheme, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The summons, which was issued under Hague Service Convention that does not allow the serving of legal documents directly to defendants in India, would require Adani or his legal counsel to appear in the case in the United States, Indian lawyers said.
Adani Group has denied the allegations, describing them as "baseless" and vowing to seek "all possible legal recourse".
India’s federal ministry of law has asked a district court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Adani’s home state, to deliver the summons to him, the letter dated February 25 shows.
"The summons seems to be for appearance in a court in New York. If service is effected through the Indian court, the respondents will have to appear," said Arshdeep Khurana, a criminal lawyer in India.
Adani and India’s law ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The summons does not imply an extradition risk for the businessman, who oversees a sprawling conglomerate spanning airport construction to media, another lawyer said.
"Extradition proceedings only come in to the picture if the U.S. court issues warrants of arrest," said Malak Bhatt, founding partner at NM Law Chambers.
Reuters reported on February 18 that the SEC was making efforts to serve its complaint on Gautam Adani and his nephew, Sagar Adani, and was seeking help from India to do so.
Reuters could not determine if the summons against Adani’s nephew has also been processed.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month said he did not discuss the Adani case with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington. India arrests Russia-linked crypto exchange admin wanted by US (The Independent)
The Independent [3/13/2025 9:10 AM, Alisha Rahaman Sarkar, 126906K]
Police in India have arrested a cryptocurrency exchange administrator wanted in the US for alleged money laundering and sanctions violations, the country’s top investigative agency said.
Aleksej Besciokov, a 46-year-old Lithuanian citizen who lives in Russia, was arrested from the southern Indian state of Kerala on Tuesday at Washington’s request, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The US, Germany, and Finland took down the online infrastructure used by the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, the US Justice Department said last week, adding that two administrators of the exchange were charged. Garantex was sanctioned by the US in April 2022.
One of those administrators was Mr Besciokov, who was charged with money laundering and also faced accusations of violating sanctions and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business, the Justice Department said last week.
The CBI said India’s foreign ministry issued a provisional arrest warrant at Washington’s request. It was unclear when and why Mr Besciokov arrived in India.
The CBI coordinated with the Kerala police to arrest the "fugitive criminal", the agency said, adding that Mr Besciokov will now be produced in a lower court in Delhi for extradition proceedings.
Mr Besciokov was arrested from the popular tourist destination of Varkala while on a vacation with his family, the Times of India reported.
"I can confirm Aleksej Besciokov, one of the administrators of Garantex, was arrested in India at the request of the United States," a US Justice Department spokesperson told CNN.
Garantex has been accused of laundering millions of dollars, including proceeds from ransomware groups such as Black Basta, Play and Conti between 2021 and 2024, according to reports. The exchange has processed at least $96bn (£74bn) in cryptocurrency transactions since April 2019, authorities in the US said.
The Justice Department said the proceeds were used to "facilitate several crimes" such as hacking, ransomware, terrorism and drug trafficking. It accused Mr Besciokov and Russian national Aleksandr Mira Serda of knowing that the criminal proceeds were being laundered through Garantex and taking steps to conceal the facilitation of illegal activities.
Mr Besciokov has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business. China’s Growing Concerns Over India-US Relations (The Diplomat)
The Diplomat [3/14/2025 4:41 AM, Rahul Mishra, 913K]
The changing India-U.S. dynamic has been much in the news in China lately. Many Chinese reports have been indulging in a narrative that India is worried about its ties with the United States, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveling halfway around the world to ensure that New Delhi remains in the good books of the Trump administration. Chinese media outlets have even suggested that during his recent trip to the U.S., Modi was "turned away by Trump" and "defeated in the U.S.," claiming that President Donald Trump dismissed India’s overtures.These assertions imply that uncertainties and anxieties in dealing with Trump might prompt India to mend ties with China. Such assumptions are flawed. The success or failure of Modi’s U.S. tour and complications in coordination with the new Trump administration cannot be a determinant to India normalizing its ties with China – as some Chinese media outlets seem to have suggested. However, such narratives signal Beijing’s growing anxieties about Trump’s trade war and India’s skillful response to keep Washington in a tight embrace.Beijing – and indeed most analysts around the world – perceives the strengthening India-U.S. partnership as a response to its strategic assertions and territorial aggression with its neighbors including India. With Trump’s return to office in January, concerns in Beijing are intensifying, reshaping the geopolitical triangle between China, India, and the United States.Trump’s previous term in the White House had unsettled both Europe and China, and his return to office has put both Beijing and Brussels in the line of fire on tariffs and trade. However, for India, this scenario is not entirely unfavorable. Modi was one of the first global leaders to engage Trump after his electoral victory, highlighting India’s elevated role in U.S. foreign policy.While India is seen as a counterweight to China, Washington’s perspective on India has also matured, acknowledging New Delhi as a pivotal partner in a broader Indo-Pacific strategic and economic framework. This shift is particularly relevant as the United States navigates shifting transatlantic alliances and recalibrates its Indo-Pacific strategy. India’s flexible and amenable approach to Trump’s insistence on tariff reductions is beginning to pay off and the two sides are aiming to conclude a bilateral trade agreement by this fall. This shows the remarkable ease India has acquired in dealing with the United States and the value it attaches to bilateral relations.Chinese commentators frequently highlight frictions in India-U.S. relations, such as disputes over trade tariffs, technology restrictions, and immigration policies, interpreting them as signs of instability in the partnership. Some analysts argue that Washington’s primary interest in India is its role merely as a strategic counterbalance to China, rather than as a genuine long-term ally.A Chinese commentary noted that while Beijing was not directly involved in this diplomatic drama, the broader China-India-U.S. triangle was at play. Liu Zongyi from the Shanghai Institute of International Studies argued that India aims to ensure continued U.S. pressure on China while advancing its own economic and technological interests.On the surface, the United States and India appear to share warm ties, but underlying tensions persist. Many in China perceived Modi’s visit as a humiliation, citing conflicts between India’s "Make in India" ambitions and Trump’s "America First" policy. One commentator remarked, "You are in the United States, talking to Americans, and the Americans put their national interests first. Doesn’t that mean the loss of India’s national interests?".Some Chinese analysts speculate that Trump’s reduced focus on the Indo-Pacific signals a decline in India’s strategic relevance. Some believe that while India-U.S. relations will endure, their momentum may slow in the absence of a strong regional emphasis. For example, Hu Shisheng, from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, is skeptical about whether a second Trump administration would deepen ties with India beyond the momentum seen under Joe Biden.However, other analysts, like Zhang Jiadong of Fudan University, have suggested that Trump’s foreign policy would likely prioritize India over Europe, reinforcing New Delhi’s strategic importance.China often underestimates India’s commitment to strategic autonomy, assuming that New Delhi simply follows Washington’s lead. In reality, India has pursued parallel engagements with multiple global players, including Russia, while reducing its economic reliance on any single bloc. However, persistent border disputes and military tensions have reshaped India’s approach toward China, compelling it to recalibrate its strategic partnerships.The deepening India-U.S. engagement extends beyond bilateral interests. From defense collaborations to semiconductor supply chain diversification, the partnership is evolving in response to global economic and security dynamics. The United States recognizes India’s growing influence and strategic importance, especially as supply chain realignments reduce dependence on China.Recent trade data underscores this shift: India-U.S. trade surpassed $190 billion in 2023, making the United States India’s largest trading partner, surpassing China. Defense cooperation has also expanded, with India signing agreements for joint military exercises, defense technology sharing, and advanced fighter jet engine manufacturing.In contrast, China-India trade, although substantial at $136 billion in 2023, remains heavily skewed in Beijing’s favor, with a significant trade deficit for India. This economic imbalance, coupled with ongoing military standoffs, continues to fuel strategic mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing.While China remains an influential factor in India-U.S. relations, it does not define them. The evolving partnership between New Delhi and Washington reflects a convergence of shared interests in security, trade, and technology. India’s strategic autonomy remains a guiding principle, allowing it to collaborate with the United States while maintaining independent policies toward China, Russia and other global actors.China’s assessment of India often overlooks New Delhi’s nuanced and pragmatic foreign policy approach. As India navigates a shifting global order, its deepening engagement with the U.S. is driven by long-term strategic interests rather than temporary political alignments. Regardless of Trump’s unconventional approach, the India-U.S. partnership is set to evolve, balancing cooperation with competition while ensuring that New Delhi remains a pivotal player in global geopolitics. Trump’s tariffs could push U.S. allies elsewhere — including China and India (CNBC)
CNBC [3/14/2025 2:34 AM, Lim Hui Jie, 35.4M]
Tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump could push allies to forge closer relationships with other countries like China and India, according to former U.S. diplomat Wendy Cutler.It comes amid the U.S. president’s threat to levy steep tariffs on European alcohol products, after the European Union said it would impose counter tariffs on 26 billion euros ($28.33 billion) worth of U.S. goods starting in April.
The 27-nation bloc’s tariff measures followed U.S. duties on all steel and aluminum imports.
Trump’s trade policies, which appear designed to rebalance the economic order in America’s favor, include targeted tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China.
Speaking to CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Thursday, Cutler, who formerly served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, pointed out that traditional U.S. allies, such as the EU had announced “a very ambitious negotiating strategy.”
Cutler said “the EU had concluded a big deal with the Mercosur countries. The EU and India are going to restart their negotiations.”
Mercosur is the Spanish abbreviation for the Southern Common Market, a regional trade bloc made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The EU finalised negotiations with the Mercosur countries in December, a political agreement that the Center for Strategic and International Studies described as a “landmark deal” and the only one Mercosur has with a major trading bloc.
CSIS estimated that the deal eliminates tariffs on over 90% of bilateral trade, saving European exporters 4 billion euros annually while granting South American products preferential access to European markets. It added that this means “European products will enter its market under much better conditions than U.S. or Japanese products.”‘China can help’
Competing powers, such as China, are also wooing other countries, Cutler said, highlighting that the world’s second-largest economy has upgraded its free-trade agreement with the ASEAN region.“It’s making overtures to other countries, and if our partners can’t rely on us. Guess what? These other countries, including China, look more attractive.”
Cutler is not the only person to suggest Europe may be looking elsewhere as tensions between the U.S. and the region escalate.“The reality is, in the broadest sense of the word, Europe has to look for alternative markets to the U.S. China can help,” David Roche, strategist at Quantum Strategy, told CNBC earlier this month.“One thing I’ve learned at the negotiating table, you do need to have respect and trust if you’re going to reach a deal,” Cutler said.“If someone’s at the table and they really feel that they’ve been unfairly treated, it’s hard to get them to move, to do what you want them to do,” she added.
What the world might see, Cutler said, is that countries might turn to multilateral trade agreements, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The U.S. is not party to either agreement.
She noted that Hong Kong has expressed interest in joining the RCEP, and the CPTPP successfully concluded the admission of the U.K., adding: “I expect other countries to express interest ... I don’t think it’s out of the question that perhaps the EU even thinks about joining CPTPP. It’s a new world out there.”
Policy of chaos?
But, as the world’s largest economy, it is difficult to envision countries cutting all trade ties with the U.S.
As such, one question would be, if a country needs to navigate trade tensions with the U.S., how should it do it, especially with Trump constantly shifting stances on tariffs.
Stephen Olson, visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told CNBC Tuesday that Trump “zig-zags” on tariffs because he believes that by keeping trade partners on edge, it works in America’s favor.
Trump has “repeatedly stated that he thinks one of his greatest assets is his unpredictability, and he thinks that he thrives under situations of chaos. So when everyone else in the world is running around with their hair set on fire, Trump thinks that works to his advantage,” Olson said.
Olson indicated he felt there was little point in U.S. allies “trying to discern a thread of logic” in Trump’s trade policy. “My advice would be ... don’t bother,” Olson said.
Asked how long Trump may maintain a stance of “zig-zagging” on trade policy, Olson said the U.S. president is not looking for “solid, concrete resolutions.”
Instead, Trump is likely “looking to keep trade partners always in the hot seat, and to always have that sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.”
A White House spokesperson was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC. Elon Musk’s Starlink Pushes Its Way Into India (New York Times)
New York Times [3/13/2025 4:14 PM, Alex Travelli, 831K]
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite communications company, fought behind the scenes for months to break into India’s internet business. The market is dominated by two local giants, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which seemed united in trying to keep Starlink out.
Then, suddenly, this week each of them announced a partnership to bring Starlink into India, pending the government’s approval.Jio, a branch of India’s biggest corporation, said on Tuesday that it would team up with Starlink “to deliver reliable broadband services across the country, including in the most remote and rural regions.” Hours earlier, Airtel had celebrated a deal in similar terms.
The support of two of India’s most influential tycoons, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance and Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Airtel, was a breakthrough for Mr. Musk, whose businesses have tried for years to gain access to India.
Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, said in a statement accompanying Jio’s announcement that she looked forward to “receiving authorization from the government of India to provide more people, organizations and businesses with access to Starlink’s high-speed internet services.” Airtel noted that its partnership would be “subject to SpaceX receiving its own authorizations.” With local partners that hold the government’s ear, Starlink’s odds look stronger.
As Mr. Musk stands side by side with President Trump, trying to aggressively shrink the government of the United States, his business dealings around the world have become even more prominent. In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to placate Mr. Trump to avoid tariffs, Mr. Musk’s long struggle to crack the market for his car company, Tesla, has attracted a lot of attention. But Starlink could be a bigger prize.
Starlink’s low-Earth-orbit satellites swarm the globe, making it possible to beam internet services to the surface at broadband quality. Where ground-based internet is patchy, as in rural parts of India, Starlink sees an opportunity.
Mr. Ambani’s Jio, the world’s biggest provider of mobile data, has half a billion subscribers. But for generations, foreign companies have found it impossible to challenge the Ambani family on its home turf.
With Mr. Trump’s election, and Mr. Musk’s proximity to power in Washington, new arrangements seem possible.
India’s business and political leaders have held a flurry of closed-door meetings with Mr. Trump’s inner circle. Mr. Ambani attended one of Mr. Trump’s inauguration parties in January, and Mr. Modi was photographed having a chummy meeting with Mr. Musk in Washington last month. India’s commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, spent last week in Washington, and Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence, is due in New Delhi next week.
In India, Starlink has been fighting two battles simultaneously. The first is against India’s firm sense of national security. To qualify for a communications license, foreign companies need to pass a gantlet of regulatory tests. Starlink briefly took preorders in India in 2021, drawing an angry response from India’s ministry of communications, which told it to quit selling until it got government approval, now under review.
The other battle pitted the world’s richest person, Mr. Musk, against Asia’s richest person, Mr. Ambani. The Jio owner had teamed up with Airtel’s, normally a fierce competitor, to argue that rights to beam the internet to India should be sold by the government at auction. Starlink wanted to avoid a bidding war, which would force it to outspend companies that had already staked big bets on the Indian market.
Nikhil Pahwa, the founder of MediaNama, which provides analysis of India’s technology policy, said it was unclear whether Starlink would compete directly with the two Indian telecoms giants or only serve them. That matters, because “there’s lack of competition in the Indian market for internet access,” he said. Mobile data is cheaper in India than anywhere in the world, at just 14 cents per gigabyte, but “if Starlink doesn’t offer its own services, this only entrenches the duopoly of Airtel and Jio,” he said.
In either case, Starlink stands to corner the market in satellite-based internet to India. Both Airtel and Jio had begun investing in alternative systems, developed at great expense with European partners, but could decide to rely exclusively on Starlink instead.
Others worry about different kinds of vulnerability, such as Mr. Musk’s ability to use Starlink as an instrument of geopolitics. Starlink’s services have been restricted multiple times in Ukraine during the war there.
Last week, Mr. Musk had an ill-tempered exchange on social media with Poland’s foreign minister, who said that if Starlink proved an “unreliable provider” in Ukraine, the country’s allies would look for other suppliers. Mr. Musk responded sharply — “Be quiet, small man” — and added that he would never switch off its services in Ukraine, because “without Starlink, the Ukrainian lines would collapse.”
After the deals with Jio and Airtel were announced, Jairam Ramesh, a spokesman for India’s opposition Congress Party, asked in a post: “Who will have the power to switch connectivity on or off when national security demands it? Will it be Starlink or its Indian partners?” Millions of people celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors (AP)
AP [3/14/2025 3:14 AM, Staff, 456K]
Millions of people in South Asia celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, on Friday by smearing each other with brightly colored powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets prepared for the occasion.
The raucous spring festival sees Hindus take part in a kaleidoscopic celebration of the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil. The festival is a national holiday in India, while in Nepal it’s a two-day event that began Thursday. It’s also observed in other South Asian countries as well as among the Indian diaspora.
Holi has its origins in Hindu mythology and lore and celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha, and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation.
Across the country, people, mostly dressed in all white clothes, celebrated the festival by hurling colored powder at each other. Children, perched on rooftops and balconies, flung water balloons filled with colored pigments at passers by.
Groups of young men also used water guns to chase people down in public parks and on the roads, while others danced on the streets to music blaring from speakers.In New Delhi, a rainbow haze hung in the air around a park where the group of friends splashed one another with pigmented powder and colored water.“It’s time for fun and frolic,” said Krisha Bedi, a lawyer, whose face was covered with red, green and blue colors.
In some places, people hurled marigolds, roses and jasmine petals instead of colored powder.
Amid massive celebrations in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad, thousands of people gathered at temple were sprayed with colored water from huge pipes as they swayed to traditional Gujarati music, clapping over their heads.
Food and drink are a big part of the festivities. Vendors in parts of India sold thandai, a traditional light green beverage prepared with milk, cardamom and dried fruit, and gujia, a flaky, deep-fried sweet pastry stuffed with milk curds, nuts and dried fruit.
Another tradition that marks Holi is bhang, a local drink prepared with cannabis and consumed with milk or water. The drink is connected to Hinduism, particularly to Lord Shiva, and is also enjoyed during other religious festivals in the region. Its consumption is permissible under Indian law and it is also sold at government licensed shops.
In many parts of India, people also light large bonfires the night before the festival to signify the destruction of evil and victory of good. Families gather around the flames to sing, dance and pray to Hindu gods.
In two northern towns, hundreds of women celebrated last week by playfully hitting men who teased them as a part of ritual with wooden sticks. The festival is called “Lathmar Hol,” or Stick Holi. Why is India quietly boosting ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban? (Nikkei Asia – opinion)
Nikkei Asia [3/13/2025 4:05 PM, Derek Grossman, 1191K]
The Taliban’s reconquest of Afghanistan following the U.S. military’s withdrawal in August 2021 generated serious strategic concerns for India. No longer would New Delhi have a friendly Afghan government in place. Nor would it benefit from having U.S. troops on the ground to serve as a bulwark against instability and terrorism, especially against groups seeking India harm, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). And now, India’s top rivals -- China and Pakistan -- are trying to fill the power vacuum, with potentially significant economic and security consequences.It is for these reasons that India is taking no chances. Indeed, New Delhi has been quietly reestablishing and elevating ties with the Taliban, not only to ensure they remain a strategic partner rather than adversary but also to incentivize cooperation with India over China and Pakistan. Although India closed its embassy in Kabul immediately after the Afghan national government fell to the Taliban in August 2021, India sent a "technical team" there in June 2022 to reestablish its diplomatic presence. The team was tasked with facilitating the distribution of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, which helped New Delhi build goodwill and trust with the Taliban shortly following the political transition.Then, in November 2024, India obliged the Taliban’s request to allow an envoy into the country. According to reports, the Taliban appointed a post-doctoral student of international law from New Delhi’s South Asia University, Ikramuddin Kamil, as their unofficial or "acting" diplomatic representative in the Afghan Consulate in Mumbai.This decision seemingly paved the way for a major diplomatic engagement that moved beyond previous low-level and indirect interactions at regional fora and in other venues. In January, India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, and the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met to discuss bilateral relations, marking the first time the two sides have met at such a high level. Clearly pleased by the outcome, the Taliban later said: "In line with Afghanistan’s balanced and economy-focused foreign policy, the Islamic Emirate aims to strengthen political and economic ties with India as a significant regional and economic partner."Most recently, India is rumored to have agreed to a new Taliban request last month. The Taliban will send an ambassador-level though unofficial envoy to the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. The Taliban is yet to name the representative, but the announcement appears imminent. Although India is unlikely to become the first nation to diplomatically recognize Taliban-led Afghanistan, it is certainly inching closer and closer to that milestone.Whether New Delhi has been successful in its low-key engagement with the Taliban is yet to be determined. On the terrorism challenge, the Taliban in 2022 were reportedly allowing LeT and JeM to return to Afghanistan, raising renewed fears in New Delhi that the country could once again become a training platform for anti-India terrorist groups. But at a minimum, JeM is probably operating there less today, and the same may be true of LeT. However, this seems more a function of deteriorating Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, which has prompted Islamabad to pull back its proxy forces, rather than India’s strengthening influence over Taliban decision-making.It is also unclear whether India is making significant strategic headway against China. The early answer is probably not.For example, although it does not diplomatically recognize the Taliban, China nonetheless has also welcomed a Taliban envoy to Beijing -- but in this case, labelling him an official representative. And senior Chinese officials had engaged with Taliban counterparts even before the U.S. military withdrawal (India did not). Hence, Beijing probably has the inside track on accessing critical minerals within Afghanistan and leveraging it as part of a regional strategy of economic and security cooperation in Central Asia.By contrast, New Delhi’s Central Asia strategy has consistently been hamstrung by poor relations with Pakistan and stiff competition from China. If India continues to have less influence than China in Afghanistan, it will continue to struggle in engaging with neighboring Central Asian states.None of this, however, should suggest that India’s approach has been inconsequential or wrong. Rather, New Delhi’s strategy makes good sense because it gives India a fighting chance to succeed with Afghanistan.The alternative policy of shunning Afghanistan’s rulers would virtually ensure less Taliban concern about anti-India terrorism and allow Chinese and Pakistani influence to grow unchecked. A pivot completely in the other direction, whereby India might become the first state to diplomatically recognize the Taliban, would also be a mistake since it would compromise New Delhi’s democratic values and bestow a benefit on the Taliban that is unlikely to be reciprocated.Thus, the best policy is to engage directly, but in a quiet and incremental way, which should offer India some benefits without the risk of major harm to its strategic position. India’s Next Election Has a Theme — Southern Discomfort (Bloomberg – opinion)
Bloomberg [3/13/2025 5:00 PM, Andy Mukherjee, 16228K]
India’s next election is still four years away, but battle lines are already getting drawn in the country’s more prosperous south.M.K. Stalin, the rather improbably named chief minister of Tamil Nadu, is trying to mobilize his neighbors against what he perceives as a grand plan by northern politicians, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu right-wing party, to extend their hegemony.The trigger for the pushback is the Modi government’s decision to revise regional representation in national parliament with updated population data. Such a reshuffle could erode the south’s political relevance, despite its higher per capita income, greater investment success, and superior track record on education and health.Ostensibly, the purpose of the exercise is to have each lawmaker represent roughly the same number of electors. While that’s a good organizing principle for any democracy, there was a valid reason why India put a 25-year moratorium on the practice by amending its constitution in 1976. Back then, the biggest priority was to control explosive population growth. It made no sense to reward regions that were making more babies with higher representation. Modi’s own party, when it was in power in 2001, extended the freeze to 2026.As the long-delayed reset finally gets underway after a new census, the south may lose big. The combined parliamentary strength of the five southern states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — could slide by 26 seats, or a fifth of the current total of 129, according to analysts. That would help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Even after winning the national elections three times in a row, the BJP has only 29 lawmakers from the south in the 545-member parliament. Not one of the 240 seats it won in last year’s polls was from Tamil Nadu.Modi’s government has denied that electoral redistricting has a political motive. Amit Shah, the federal home minister, has promised that the south won’t lose any seats. But then more constituencies may need to be created in the north, bulking up the size of parliament. Either way, the progressive part of India might end up with a smaller say over national affairs compared with Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, collectively referred to as “BIMARU,” a pejorative Hindi word for sick.That would be unfair. After all, it was the south that empowered women with education and jobs, crunching fertility rates to below levels required for population replacement. As a result, those states today face an emerging labor shortage. Meanwhile, women are still having three or more babies in some parts of India’s north, where there is little job creation and poverty rates are often at sub-Saharan levels. The regional disparities, instead of dissipating over time, are growing. As I wrote last year, a child born in Kerala has a better chance of surviving to age five than in the US. In Uttar Pradesh, the odds are worse than in Afghanistan.The south believes it has already paid more than its fair share to help the north catch up. The taxes it generates are liberally redirected by the federal government to the north: Uttar Pradesh, India’s most-populous state, gets more federal tax revenue than all of the south. But the resource transfers are failing to check the divergence in their performance. The fast-growing southern region fears that it will be punished again — and this time, fatally -- by taking away its political voice.What damage might a loss of representation do? The big worry is that the Modi government or its successor will continue to weaponize tax resources to make the south more like the north. For instance, New Delhi has refused to release nearly $230 million in education funds until Tamil Nadu, which has always only mandated Tamil and English in its schools, accepts a new federal policy that requires three languages to be taught. Stalin says he won’t bow to any pressure to force Hindi — a predominantly north Indian language — on a people who rejected such an imposition even under British colonial rule in 1938. (After India’s 1947 independence, too, there were anti-Hindi agitations and riots.) Superficially, it’s a battle about the best utilization of scarce resources: hire Hindi teachers or pay for a new science lab? Deep down, there is serious economic misgiving. Why should Tamil Nadu, with per capita income of $3,800, burden its kids with the language of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which are three to five times poorer? Being forced to do so may be “antithetical to our performance,” P Thiaga Rajan, Tamil Nadu’s minister for information technology, said in a recent interview with The Wire. “Now if you say we’re not even going to have representation, it drives me into a panic,” he added. The south’s rejection of the BJP’s Hindu-majoritarian politics is crucial, and not just for regional politicians like Thiaga Rajan and his boss, Stalin. Rahul Gandhi’s Congress Party, the main national opposition, has lost most of its sway in the north and west to Modi’s relentless rise, but it’s in power in two southern states. Modi’s third term in power may be the 74-year-old prime minister’s last, but not necessarily his party’s. While the administration in New Delhi is distracted by US President Donald Trump’s trade war, sputtering domestic demand and falling stock prices, the BJP is still determined to win. After all, the decadal census scheduled for 2021 was never conducted, even though the pandemic, the original reason behind the delay, is long over. As commentators have speculated, that’s perhaps because new data for redistricting must come from a population count taken after 2026.A big change in India’s electoral map could make the 2029 polls moot — the contest may be over even before the first vote is cast. That’s the genesis of the nation’s brewing southern discomfort. NSB
UN chief in Bangladesh to visit Rohingya camps as he pushes for aid (AP)
AP [3/13/2025 10:33 AM, Julhas Alam, 2913K]
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is getting a first-hand look at the situation of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as fears mount of serious aid cuts across the world following Washington’s decision to shut down USAID operations.
Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser, Touhid Hossain, welcomed Guterres at Dhaka’s main airport on Thursday. Guterres’s four-day visit — his second to Bangladesh — is seen as crucial after the announcement of possible aid cuts by the World Food Program, or WFP, and others in the aftermath of the USAID shuttering.
Bangladesh’s interim government — which came to power last August after a mass uprising ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina — hopes the visit will boost international efforts to mobilize aid for the Rohingya refugees and attract new global attention to their crisis.
A letter from the U.N. food agency earlier this month said cuts to food rations could take effect from next month at Cox’s Bazar, home to dozens of camps housing Rohingya refugees. The WFP said the food rations could be reduced to $6, from the current $12.50 per month — unless adequate funding is secured.
According to WFP spokesperson Kun Li, if the WFP is unable to secure sufficient funding — $81 million to sustain operations through the end of the year, including $15 million needed for April — it will have no choice but to reduce rations starting in April.
Ahead of Guterres’ visit, Amnesty International urged the international community to urgently step up and deliver the necessary support to avoid the devastating impact on the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
"The funding shortfall will only exacerbate the existing desperate shortage of essential supplies and services in the camps," said Smriti Singh, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International.
"The Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar have little alternative but to rely on WFP aid," Singh said, adding that the Bangladesh government prohibits the refugees from leaving the camps and finding jobs.
Guterres and Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, are to visit Cox’s Bazar district on Friday. On Saturday, the two will hold talks at Yunus’ office in Dhaka, the country’s capital, and jointly talk to reporters afterward.
Bangladesh’s interim government has said that the end of USAID payments would stop other projects in the country but that funding for Rohingya refugees would continue to flow.
The U.S. has been the top donor to Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees, providing the United Nations with emergency food and nutrition assistance. The U.S. usually provides almost half of the aid money spent on the humanitarian response to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, which provided about $300 million in 2024.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have lived in Bangladesh for decades and about 70,000 crossed the border from Myanmar in 2024. During fighting with the military junta, the opposition force known as the Arakan Army effectively took over the Rakhine state where Rohingya were displaced and took shelter in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh says repatriation of the refugees to Myanmar, which has been accused in an international court of genocide against Rohingya, is the ultimate solution of the crisis, but complexities over verification and other diplomatic and political issues have made the future of the refugees bleak. ‘We are simply going to starve’: UN chief visits Rohingya refugees amid aid funding shortfall (Reuters)
Reuters [3/14/2025 4:11 AM, Ruma Paul, 5.2M]
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is visiting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as their food rations face drastic cuts amid a funding shortfall, threatening already dire living conditions in the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Guterres’ visit on Friday to the border district of Cox’s Bazar — his second to Bangladesh — is seen as crucial after the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) announced potential cuts to food rations, following the shutdown of USAID operations.
The WFP has said it may reduce food rations for the Rohingya from $12.50 to just $6 per month starting in April because of a lack of funding, raising fears among aid workers of rising hunger in the overcrowded camps.
"Whatever we are given now is not enough. If that’s halved, we are simply going to starve,” said Mohammed Sabir, a 31-year-old refugee from Myanmar who has lived in the camps since fleeing violence in 2017.
The WFP said earlier this month that the reduction was due to a broad shortfall in donations, not the Trump administration’s decision to cut U.S. foreign aid globally, including USAID. But a senior Bangladeshi official told Reuters that most likely played a role, as the United States has been the top donor for Rohingya refugee aid.
Bangladesh is sheltering more than 1 million Rohingya, members of a persecuted Muslim minority who fled violent purges in neighbouring Myanmar mostly in 2016 and 2017, in camps in the southern Cox’s Bazar district, where they have limited access to jobs or education.
Roughly 70,000 fled to Bangladesh last year, driven in part by growing hunger in their home Rakhine state, Reuters has reported.
Sabir, a father of five children, said: “We are not allowed to work here. I feel helpless when I think of my children. What will I feed them?”“I hope we are not forgotten. The global community must come forward to help,” Sabir said.
The WFP has emphasised that it requires $15 million in April to maintain full rations for the refugees. But fears are growing about the impact on food security during the holy month of Ramadan, which this year ends in the last days of March.
Bangladesh’s interim government, which took power in August 2024 following mass protests that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is hoping that Guterres’ visit will help draw international attention to the crisis and mobilise aid for the refugees.
Guterres is scheduled to take part in a fasting break on Friday afternoon with refugees during Iftar, accompanied by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government.“Without work or income, this will have catastrophic consequences,” 80-year-old refugee Abdur Salam said of the food ration cuts. “What kind of life is this? If you can’t give us enough food, please send us back to our homeland. We want to return to Myanmar with our rights.” Fierce protests as eight-year-old rape victim dies in Bangladesh (BBC)
BBC [3/14/2025 3:26 AM, Gavin Butler, 69.9M]
An eight-year-old child who was raped in Bangladesh has died of her injuries on Thursday, setting off fierce protests around the country.
The girl was raped while visiting her elder sister’s house in the city of Magura some time between the night of 5 March and the following morning, according to a case filed by her mother.
The elder sister’s 18-year-old husband, along with his parents and brother, were arrested and placed on remand.
On Thursday night, after hearing news of the child’s death, an angry mob descended on the house where the incident is alleged to have taken place, setting it on fire.
The girl died at about 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday after suffering three cardiac arrests, according to a statement by the government’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) department.
"Although doctors managed to stabilize the condition twice, the heart failed to restart after the third episode," the statement said.
She had spent six days in a critical condition at the Combined Military Hospital in the capital Dhaka, after being admitted on 8 March.
"I thought my daughter would survive," her mother said following the girl’s death, according to local media. "If she had made it through, I would never have let her go anywhere alone again."
The girl’s body was taken back to Magura in an army helicopter, which landed at the local stadium around 18:00 to fierce protests.
Aiyub Ali, officer-in-charge of Magura Sadar Police Station, said that authorities struggled to bring the situation under control, according to local news outlet The Daily Star.
Thousands of people gathered in the public square in Magura for the girl’s namaz-e-janaza, the Islamic funeral prayer, before she was laid to rest at 19:30.
An absentee funeral was also held for the girl at Dhaka University, in the nation’s capital, followed by a protest march and speeches by female students.
Many protesters demanded that the government expedite justice for rape victims and reform laws related to women and children’s safety.
Protesters also called for greater clarity around the legal definitions of what constitutes rape in Bangladesh, which they said were currently ambiguous.
The trial of the rape and murder case is expected to begin within the next seven days, according to legal advisor Asif Nazrul.
"DNA sample collection has been completed, we hope to get the report within the next five days," Mr Nazrul told a press briefing at the Secretariat on Thursday – adding that statements had already been taken from 12 to 13 people.
"If we can start the trial within seven days, our judges will be able to ensure justice with the utmost speed," he added.
The rape of minors is punishable by death in Bangladesh, as per a law that was passed in 2020.
The introduction of that law followed a series of high-profile sexual violence cases, including the brutal gang assault on a 37-year-old woman that was filmed and spread on social media.
Less than a week after the rape of he young girl in Magura, media reports emerged of at least three rapes of children of around the same age in different parts of Bangladesh.
In some cases the accused were neighbours of the victim, while others were close relatives.
According to statistics from the Law and Arbitration Center, 3,438 child rape cases have been filed in Bangladesh in the last eight years, and there have been many more rape victims.
At least 539 of them are under the age of six, and 933 are between the ages of seven and twelve.
Research has shown that in most cases, children are sexually abused or raped by people they know. In Bhutan, bitcoin reserves are already common currency (Financial Times – opinion)
Financial Times [3/13/2025 11:32 AM, Staff, 14.6M]
Donald Trump may have called for a strategic bitcoin reserve, but while the US president grabs headlines, other sovereigns are quietly amassing their own kitties. Bhutan, a tiny kingdom so esoteric it measures happiness the way more humdrum countries measure economic output, holds the fifth-biggest national bitcoin stash.
Countries come by their tokens in different ways. Crime kick-started Washington’s booty. US federal law enforcement seized bitcoin when taking down the Silk Road online marketplace — assets in this case being the bitcoin buyers used to purchase drugs, arms and other contraband on the dark web. Forfeits from crime also explain the UK’s 61,000-odd bitcoin, as of the end of December.
Bhutan’s haul derives from a more wholesome source. The Himalayan kingdom mines its own coins, harnessing rivers to power the computers. There is a nice circularity to this. Exporting hydropower would be expensive and inevitably require new infrastructure, not all of which would necessarily be aesthetically pleasing. So instead Bhutan monetises the energy — turning gigawatts into money — by mining bitcoin at home. That’s helpful for a country with few wealth-generating levers at its disposal; it imports nearly everything and manufacturing is a non-starter.
Britain’s holding is around five times the size of Bhutan’s, but much smaller relative to the economy. Even at bitcoin’s peak it wouldn’t cover a fortnight’s funding for the health service.
Sovereigns talk up the inflationary hedge aspect of this “digital gold”. Like gold, its scarcity value theoretically protects it from inflationary pressures — although in practice bitcoin has proved too volatile to make the case.
But there are obvious risks to states holding chunks of a highly volatile asset backed by nothing more than lines of code. Current kitty sizes may not be enough to raise hackles, but recent months have highlighted yet again just how wild this ride can be. The Trump bump pushed bitcoin past $105,000 in January but, like other assets, it has since lost ground and now sits at just over $83,000.
Buyers in the wake of the coin’s Trump bump include Saudi Arabia, traders reckon. El Salvador, undeterred by the strings attached to a pending IMF bailout, continued to buy bitcoin last month.
China may, or may not, have a kitty not far short of Washington’s. To a country keen to diversify away from the dollar and comfortable stockpiling everything from pork to critical minerals, a strategic bitcoin reserve might not seem outlandish. True, the token is banned in the People’s Republic, but exceptions can always be made.
Sovereign bitcoin reserves are a relatively small phenomenon but they are probably here to stay. One reason is that old-school currency reserves are also becoming riskier. See, for instance, speculation that the US might pursue a so-called Mar-a-Lago accord to weaken the dollar. Should a new monetary system come about, that might just create a space for an alternative like bitcoin. Nepal community efforts revive red panda population (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/13/2025 11:03 PM, Anup Ojha, 62527K]
Nepali police officer Jiwan Subba still feels pangs of regret decades after he bludgeoned a strange creature he found wandering in his barn, not realising it was an endangered red panda.
Red pandas may share a similar name to giant pandas -- due to their bamboo diet -- but the copper-hued mammals with raccoon-like features are much smaller, typically the size of a house cat."I was 17 and had no idea what it was. Nobody in our village even knew," Subba, now 48, told AFP.
Today, he is not only aware of the red panda’s vulnerability but is actively involved in its protection -- reflecting a broader shift in attitudes spurred by Nepal’s extensive community awareness programmes.
"I once took a life out of ignorance, but now I work to prevent others from making the same mistake," he said.
"People now understand that red pandas are a protected species.".
Officials say that Nepal’s pioneering community-based conservation work has helped arrest the decline of the cute but skittish bamboo-eaters, which number fewer than 10,000 globally.
Red Panda Network, an organisation leading global efforts to conserve the animal, estimates between 500 and 1,000 of the species live in Nepal.
That is an almost certain increase from an estimated population of somewhere between 300 and 600 by the Himalayan republic’s wildlife department in 2011.
"Now, villagers say they can see three or four red pandas on the same day," Red Panda Network’s Ang Phuri Sherpa told AFP.
Conservationists say that educational outreach combined with sustainable livelihood programmes has helped improve the effectiveness of Nepal’s conservation efforts.
In eastern Nepal, Indigenous inhabitants of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area switched from raising livestock to cultivating nettle plants to minimise disturbances to red panda habitats.
"We have stopped foraging in the forest so red pandas remain undisturbed," said Chandra Kumari Limbu, a local working on conservation efforts.
Red pandas face high risk of extinction due to habitat loss, conservation groups say.
Instead, the rhythmic clap of looms now fills the village from women weaving nettle fabric into school bags, wallets and clothing.
"This has empowered women here who did not have an income before. And at the same time we are letting red pandas thrive," Limbu told AFP.
Nepal last year also declared a new conservation zone in the country’s east to protect red pandas.
The Puwamajhuwa Community Red Panda Conservation Area, spanning 116 hectares (287 acres), has dedicated anti-poaching and smuggling control committees with local involvement.- Poaching and infrastructure -Nepali authorities have confiscated 33 red panda hides from smugglers in the past five years, a drop from 70 hides from 2011-15.
"The number of red panda hides being smuggled has significantly come down, mainly due to weaker smuggling networks and lower profits," police spokesperson Dinesh Kumar Acharya told AFP.
Nepal has strict punishments for poachers of protected species, including prison sentences of up to 10 years.
Conservationists warn however that many poaching incidents go undetected or unpunished.
Red panda hides are mainly smuggled to China and Myanmar for their supposed medicinal qualities and aesthetic value, according to police.
Their copper-coloured fur, cherubic appearance and small size also make them easy candidates for the exotic pet trade.
According to an assessment from the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN), interest in red pandas as pets may have grown partly because of the preponderance of "cute" images of the animals shared on social media.
The IUCN has listed the mammal as an endangered species since 2016 and says they face high risk of extinction due to habitat loss.
Sherpa of the Red Panda Network said growing infrastructure development in Nepal was posing further challenges for conservation efforts.
"Road networks, hydroelectricity, transmission lines and cable car construction is going on, and because of these, habitats have been fragmented," he said.
Residents in Taplejung district, a key red panda habitat, are currently protesting the mass felling of thousands of trees for a new cable car project aimed at promoting tourism in the area.
"The government should take extra cautious measures when constructing large infrastructure projects," local conservationist Rajindra Mahat told AFP.
"It is an endangered species worldwide, so it is our shared responsibility to protect it.". Central Asia
Measles cases in Europe and Central Asia doubled last year to the highest reported level since 1997 (AP)
AP [3/13/2025 1:11 PM, Staff, 126906K]
There were 127,350 measles cases reported in Europe and Central Asia in 2024, double the number of cases reported the previous year and the highest number since 1997, according to an analysis by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
In a report published Thursday, U.N. health experts said Romania had the most measles infections, at more than 30,000, followed by Kazakhstan, which reported 28,147 people with measles.
UNICEF said that about 40% of measles infections in Europe and Central Asia were in children younger than 5 and that more than half of all people sickened by measles had to be hospitalized. Measles is among the world’s most infectious diseases and is spread by an airborne virus.
Two doses of the measles vaccine is estimated to be 97% effective in preventing the disease, which typically infects the respiratory system and causes symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose and a rash. In serious cases, measles can cause pneumonia, encephalitis, dehydration and blindness.
"Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call," Dr. Han Kluge, WHO’s Europe director, said in a statement. "Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security.".
WHO and UNICEF noted that in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, less than 70% and 50% of children in those countries respectively have been vaccinated against measles for at least the past five years. Scientists estimate that more than 95% of the population needs to be immunized to prevent outbreaks.
After a drop in immunization coverage during the coronavirus pandemic, measles cases surged in 2023 and 2024, with vaccination rates in numerous countries still lower than what they were before COVID-19 hit. The U.N. said the number of measles cases across Europe made up one-third of the approximately 359,521 infections last year.
Concerns about the safety of the measles vaccine have persisted for decades, after British physician Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a paper in 1998 — which has long since been retracted — linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism. No evidence for any causal link has ever been found and Wakefield had his license to practice medicine in the U.K. revoked.
British officials said last month there have been more than 200 reported cases in the U.K. and that many more are expected.
"It’s never too late to get vaccinated," said Ben Kaastan-Dabush, an assistant professor in global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who warned that misinformation can unfortunately travel rapidly. "Even a small decline in vaccine uptake can have devastating consequences.".
In the U.S., measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico are continuing to spread and are now up to 250 cases, including two deaths in people who weren’t vaccinated. Kyrgyz President Signs Law Expanding Legislative Power, Limiting Public Input (OCCRP)
OCCRP [3/13/2025 9:48 AM, Staff, 458K]
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a controversial new law Wednesday that grants the legislative branch broader powers while reducing public consultation on legislation, further consolidating authority in the hands of the president.
The law, passed by parliament last month, cuts the minimum period for public discussion of proposed legislation from 30 days to 15, with the possibility of shortening it further to 10 days. It also allows certain bills—such as those related to national security, state secrets, or Constitutional Court rulings—to bypass public consultation altogether.
Additionally, bills deemed "urgent" by the president or the head of the Cabinet of Ministers can now be fast-tracked through parliament.
Under Japarov’s leadership, Kyrgyzstan—once considered Central Asia’s most democratic country—has seen increasing restrictions on transparency.
Since taking office in 2020, Japarov has overseen sweeping constitutional changes that have significantly expanded presidential power, weakened impeachment mechanisms, and curtailed access to government information. Critics have dubbed the new constitution the "Khanstitution," in referencing a move toward autocratic rule. Khan means king in the local language.
A key provision in the new law allows the president to implement something called "temporary legal regulation of new public relations" for up to one year. It is unclear what this really means as details remain vague. Critics warn it is open to interpretation and effectively permits the executive branch to override existing legislation without parliamentary approval.
"There is a danger here that anything can be called ‘new public relations,’ and it doesn’t matter whether we have a constitution or constitutional laws—the decree can be seen as superior to any law. There is such a risk," lawmaker Dastan Bekeshev warned on his Telegram channel.
Something like this occurred last year when the Constitutional Court ruled that children could adopt their mother’s surname instead of their father’s. The ruling was initially celebrated as a progressive step, but days later, the head of Kyrgyzstan’s State Security Service, a close ally of Japarov, publicly opposed the ruling.
The administration swiftly introduced a bill allowing the president to order reviews of Constitutional Court rulings—previously considered final and beyond appeal. Parliament passed the bill soon after.
The new legislative changes have sparked concern among opposition figures and civil society groups, who argue they undermine democratic principles and concentrate excessive power in the presidency. While the government insists the reforms are necessary for efficiency and national stability, critics see them as another step in Kyrgyzstan’s shift away from democratic governance. Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan sign border deal to boost regional stability (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/13/2025 7:54 AM, Staff, 52868K]
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed on Thursday a border agreement seen as key for the stability of Central Asia, a move that follows three decades of conflict between the two former Soviet republics over water resources and land.
The deal -- signed in Bishek by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon -- is a sign of how relations between the two allies of Russia have improved since their last clash in autumn 2022.
"From now and forever, the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will be the border of eternal friendship," Japarov said.
Japarov’s office said the accord would contribute to "strengthening security, stability and sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and in the whole of Central Asia".
The two leaders said direct air links would resume and the border, closed nearly four years ago in May 2021, would reopen.
The deal involves an exchange of territory.
Kyrgyzstan will receive about 25 square kilometres (nearly 10 square miles) from Tajikistan in exchange for about the same amount of land or for better access to shared water resources, Kyrgyz authorities said.
The accord stipulates that certain roads will be designated as neutral, and that neither side may hinder the use of agricultural or energy facilities in border regions.
Rakhmon hailed the "historic" agreement, which was concluded 33 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Recent years have seen an improvement in relations between the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
One by one, they have clinched border agreements designed to ease trade and enhance stability in the region, which is important for its resources and strategic location.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- which comprises China, most Central Asia coutries, Iran, India and Russia -- welcomed the Kyrgyz-Tajik treaty.
China, which has borders with both countries, has become a key player in Central Asia.
It is financing a colossal infrastructure scheme it calls the New Silk Roads, which aims to open up access to the mountainous region and facilitate trade with Europe. Driving ban puts brakes on young women in Turkmenistan (Agence France-Presse)
Agence France-Presse [3/14/2025 2:41 AM, Staff, 913K]
Mekhri feels "a sense of freedom and self-confidence" when she’s behind the wheel of a car -- despite being forced to drive illegally because of an unwritten rule preventing women getting a licence.
In Turkmenistan, the reclusive Central Asian state where she lives, young women are effectively banned from driving.
"I know the rules of the road. I drive calmly, don’t overtake anyone and know how to park," the 19-year-old said.
Like other women interviewed by AFP in Turkmenistan -- ranked by rights groups as one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world -- she withheld her surname.
There is no legislation specifically outlawing women under 30 from obtaining a driving licence.
But it is one of many informal prohibitions that is universally followed, so women that do drive must do so without this precious permit, which is indeed against the law.
"When my daughter wanted to enrol at the driving school, we were told that she could take lessons but that she would probably not pass the test," said Guzel, Mekhri’s 57-year-old mother.
So instead of paying for lessons, Guzel assumed the role of instructor and now takes Mekhri outside the capital, Ashgabat, to practice.
"Where there are few cars, police officers and cameras, I let my daughter take the wheel and I teach her," Guzel, who started driving when she was 40, told AFP.‘Don’t understand’
Among the other transport-related diktats imposed by father-and-son duo Gurbanguly and Serdar Berdymukhamedov -- who have ruled the country one after the other since 2006 -- are a ban on black cars.
Owners have been forced to paint the vehicles white, the favourite colour of Gurbanguly, whose official titles are "Hero-Protector" and "leader of the Turkmen nation".
Many young women share Mekhri’s frustration.
"I wanted to take my test at 18. At the driving school, the instructor immediately warned the many girls there: ‘You’ve come for nothing. You won’t be able to take it," said Maisa, a 26-year-old saleswoman.
"But up to the exam, driving schools take both boys and girls, because they pay," she told AFP.
Goulia, 19, said her parents had wanted to buy her a car when she went to university so she could be more independent, do the family shopping and take her grandmother to hospital and the chemist’s.
"But because of the difficulties that girls like me face getting a driver’s licence, my mother said she would have to postpone the decision," she said.
"I’ve just turned 19 and I can’t get a licence but the boys can and I don’t understand why," she added.Turkmenistan’s motor transport agency did not respond to an AFP request to comment.‘Great respect’
Contacted via phone by AFP, one driving school said "women have the right to enrol in the course and take the exam" before abruptly hanging up.
But another instructor from Ashgabat acknowledged the informal ban.
"It is due to a sharp increase in accidents involving female drivers," the instructor said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"After an investigation by the authorities, it turned out they were simply buying driving licences," the instructor said -- a claim AFP could not verify.
Rules have also been tightened for women over 30 who are not covered by the informal ban.
To register a car in their own name, they have to show a marriage certificate, family record book and a report from their employer.
Authorities routinely reject accusations that they are restricting women’s rights.
Responding to a recent United Nations report criticising the country, the government said: "The motherland treats mothers and women with great respect."
Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, President Serdar Berdymoukhamedov gifted every woman the equivalent of $3 -- enough to buy a cake or six kilogrammes (13 pounds) of potatoes. Japan’s Itochu buys into Uzbek uranium mine (Nikkei Asia)
Nikkei Asia [3/13/2025 10:57 AM, Shin Watanabe, 1191K]
Japanese trading house Itochu will invest in a uranium mining project in Uzbekistan, expecting higher demand for the fuel as more countries turn to nuclear power to cut carbon emissions.Itochu has agreed to take a minority stake in Nurlikum Mining, a joint venture now with 51% ownership held by French nuclear fuel company Orano and 49% by Uzbek state-run miner Navoiyuran, Orano said Thursday.The project is expected to produce uranium for at least 10 years, with annual output as high as 700 tonnes. No start date has been announced.Itochu’s only previous uranium mining investment was in the southwestern African country of Namibia. The company already has withdrawn from that project.The trading house serves as a middleman for exports of uranium from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The uranium concentrate it handles is enriched at facilities run by other companies, then supplied to nuclear power plants mainly in Europe and the U.S.Global uranium demand totals 60,000 to 70,000 tonnes a year. Itochu is believed to handle around 5,000 tonnes annually, making it one of the world’s top players. Fellow Japanese trading house Marubeni is also involved in uranium trading. Japan uses satellites to expand greenhouse gas tracking in Asia (Nikkei Asia)
Nikkei Asia [3/13/2025 12:31 PM, Masatoshi Ida, 1191K]
Japan will expand the use of satellites to measure greenhouse gas emissions in Asia with an eye on promoting the use of Japanese energy-saving technologies in the future.Japan’s Ibuki and Ibuki 2 satellites now track greenhouse gas levels in Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan -- areas that include significant reserves of oil, gas and coal. There are plans to expand monitoring to Turkmenistan by fiscal 2026.Under the Paris climate accord, all countries regardless of income levels are required to report greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations every two years starting in 2024. More accurate data from satellites could encourage developing countries to reduce emissions.In Uzbekistan, satellite data is combined with data from the ground to analyze greenhouse gas absorption and emission levels. "We could improve the way we calculate emissions by using satellites to take measurements that account for weather conditions and other factors," said Masataka Watanabe, a professor at Japan’s Chuo University involved in the efforts.Japan’s Environment Ministry plans to further expand the use of Japanese satellite data, mainly among Asian countries, from fiscal 2027. Data from Japan’s new Global Observing Satellite for Greenhouse Gases and Water Cycle (GOSAT-GW), which will be launched in the first half of fiscal 2025, will also be used.Japan is also looking to encourage more businesses to use satellite-based data. GOSAT-GW can perform more detailed observations than the Ibuki satellites, including emissions coming from specific businesses or regions, opening the door to new applications.The Environment Ministry expects greater use of satellite data by foreign companies will promote the adoption of low-emission Japanese equipment and technologies as well.In Japan, Ibuki data will be made available online for free by the end of the month through Tellus, a private satellite data platform. The data is now available through Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies but requires specialized software. Tellus will make the data accessible through regular web browsers, making analysis easier.Beyond greenhouse gases emitted directly by companies, the international community has been focusing on reducing Scope 3 emissions, which refers to emissions throughout the entire supply chain, including raw material procurement and transportation. Detailed satellite data will make it possible to understand how greenhouse gases are being emitted in a company’s supply chain.Using actual observed data will also help ensure companies are not "greenwashing," or misleading the public about emissions reductions. Twitter
Afghanistan
Michael McCaul@RepMcCaul
[3/13/2025 12:18 PM, 63.2K followers, 142 retweets, 430 likes]
Our Afghan allies fought terrorists alongside our military for two decades. I spoke with @MargBrennan about upholding the United States’ commitment to the men & women who helped our troops. https://x.com/i/status/1900219948196126939
Abdul Qahar Balkhi@QaharBalkhi
[3/13/2025 6:09 AM, 255.6K followers, 234 retweets, 905 likes]
We categorically reject baseless allegations by Pakistani army spokesman linking the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan province with Afghanistan, & urge Pakistani side to focus on resolving their own security & internal problems instead of such irresponsible remarks.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi@QaharBalkhi
[3/13/2025 6:12 AM, 255.6K followers, 30 retweets, 173 likes]
No members of Balouch opposition have presence in Afghanistan, nor have they ever had or have any links with the Islamic Emirate. We are saddened by the loss of life of innocents in the incident. Sacrificing civilians for political objectives is unjustifiable.
Habib Khan@HabibKhanT
[3/13/2025 6:35 PM, 247.7K followers, 91 retweets, 185 likes]
This is what Talibanization look like. Afghan classrooms once welcomed both men and women, offering education and choice. Today, the Taliban enforces beards, turbans, and their dress code for men—while banning women from universities altogether.
Suhail Shaheen@suhailshaheen1
[3/13/2025 7:32 AM, 744K followers, 14 retweets, 93 likes]
National Procurement Commission, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has approved hundred of projects last year.
Lynne O’Donnell@lynnekodonnell
[3/13/2025 7:52 AM, 27.4K followers, 1 retweet, 1 like]
#Iran Deepens Influence in #Taliban Power Struggle, Aims to Secure Control Over #Afghanistan -- the latest from Project Taliban https://open.substack.com/pub/lynneodonnell/p/iran-takes-sides-in-taliban-power?r=8ijf1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Pakistan
Shehbaz Sharif@CMShehbaz
[3/13/2025 9:45 PM, 6.7M followers, 124 retweets, 627 likes]
I extend my heartfelt greetings to our Hindu community in Pakistan on the joyous occasion of Holi. The vibrant energy that surrounds this festivity mark the arrival of spring, symbolizing love and the triumph of good over evil. While celebrating new beginnings, renewal, and the strengthening of relationships, this occasion also highlights the importance of diversity and the power of inclusion in building a stronger, more unified nation. May this festival of colors fill your lives with happiness, health success, and prosperity. Happy Holi!
Michael Kugelman@MichaelKugelman
[3/13/2025 10:47 PM, 219K followers, 13 retweets, 54 likes] “Unlike in the past, TTP doesn’t target …US citizens or US interests. But if US-Pakistan security cooperation strengthens, becoming more visible, TTP may start to see the United States as a threat again—a scenario that the administration wants to avoid.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/12/pakistan-us-counterterrorism-security-cooperation-trump/ India
Narendra Modi@narendramodi
[3/13/2025 10:53 AM, 105.8M followers, 3.3K retweets, 22K likes]
Pained by the passing away of Dr. Shankar Rao Tatwawadi Ji. He will be remembered for his extensive contribution to nation-building and India’s cultural regeneration. He dedicated himself to RSS and made a mark by furthering its global outreach. He was also a distinguished scholar, always encouraging a spirit of enquiry among the youth. Students and scholars fondly recall his association with BHU. His various passions included science, Sanskrit and spirituality. I consider myself fortunate to have interacted with him on several occasions, both in India and overseas. His ideological clarity and meticulous style of working always stood out. Om Shanti.
Vice-President of India@VPIndia
[3/13/2025 10:44 PM, 1.6M followers, 157 retweets, 1.1K likes]
Heartiest greetings on the auspicious occasion of Holi. Holi marks the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring, symbolizing new beginnings and fresh perspectives. May this #Holi serve as a reminder to colour our thoughts with compassion, our actions with kindness, and our vision with hope for our great nation. #Holi2025
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[3/14/2025 2:09 AM, 3.4M followers, 94 retweets, 603 likes]
Wishing everyone a happy Holi! May the festival of colours fill your lives with happiness, joy and harmony.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[3/13/2025 10:26 AM, 3.4M followers, 257 retweets, 3.5K likes]
Pleased to meet Telangana CM @revanth_anumula today in Delhi. We discussed opportunities for Telangana in greater global engagement. Assured support for fulfilling development and growth aspirations of the State, thereby contributing to a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[3/13/2025 10:18 AM, 3.4M followers, 690 retweets, 3.4K likes]
Met a fishermen’s delegation from Tamil Nadu led by @annamalai_k this evening in Delhi. Discussed their concerns, with a view to explore a sustainable solution. Their livelihood issues will guide the Government’s approach. Our High Commission will continue to render full support in consular cases.
Dr. S. Jaishankar@DrSJaishankar
[3/13/2025 10:16 AM, 3.4M followers, 108 retweets, 702 likes]
Joined my cabinet colleague @AshwiniVaishnaw, CM @Dev_Fadnavis and @Murugan_MoS for a session on the upcoming 1st World Audio - Visual & Entertainment Summit #WAVES2025 in Mumbai. @WAVESummitIndia represents the coming together of cinema, the digital world, content revolution, IT industry and India’s global capability centres. In many ways, it captures the real globalisation and enormous diversity of our peoples and our planet.
Derek J. Grossman@DerekJGrossman
[3/13/2025 11:48 PM, 96.3K followers, 4 retweets, 19 likes]
India is quietly boosting ties to Taliban-run Afghanistan. But why? Think counterterrorism and countering China. Although unclear whether New Delhi’s strategy is working, it has little choice but to follow through. My latest for @NikkeiAsia explains. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Why-is-India-quietly-boosting-ties-with-Afghanistan-s-Taliban
Hamid Mir@HamidMirPAK
[3/14/2025 2:02 AM, 8.6M followers, 7 retweets, 28 likes]
Indian Government bans Mirwaiz Umar Farooq led AAC, Masroor Abbas Ansari’s JKIM for 5 years and Mirwaiz has once again been placed under house arrest, preventing him from delivering the Friday sermon at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar today. NSB
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/14/2025 1:38 AM, 121.9K followers, 14 retweets, 133 likes]
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres signs visitors’ book after he calls on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka on Friday.
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/14/2025 12:37 AM, 121.9K followers, 49 retweets, 411 likes]
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Dhaka on Friday.Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/13/2025 6:10 AM, 121.9K followers, 143 retweets, 1.2K likes]
UN Secretary General @antonioguterres arrives in Dhaka on a four-day visit on Thursday. Foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain received Guterres at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh@ChiefAdviserGoB
[3/13/2025 6:28 AM, 121.9K followers, 165 retweets, 826 likes] The recent spate of unfounded stories in certain Indian media outlets, such as The Economic Times, India Today, and others, alleging coups or instability within the Bangladesh Army, is not only baseless but also deeply irresponsible.
Sajeeb Wazed@sajeebwazed
[3/13/2025 10:12 AM, 475.8K followers, 120 retweets, 520 likes]
Yunus Cannot Escape Responsibility for the Breakdown of Law and Order in Bangladesh The total breakdown in law and order in Bangladesh is a direct result of the Yunus regime manipulating the entire justice system to try and destroy the Awami League. From the Chief Justice down to local law enforcement, threats and violent coercion have been used to intimidate the judiciary and police to do the regime’s bidding. Never in the history of Bangladesh has a violent mob forced the Chief Justice and the senior most judges of the Supreme Court to resign by threatening to ransack his house and kill his family. High profile criminals and Islamist extremists have been released from prison. Rape, murder and armed robberies are a daily occurrence. People are afraid to go out after dark.
Jamaat-E-Islami and BNP associated people have been appointed to head institutions like the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD). The pattern that follows is simple - file false cases at the ACC and ICT-BD, force judges to accept the cases, routinely deny bail, and misuse law enforcement to illegally detain thousands of people.
Yunus can go crying to the international media and make all kinds of excuses he wants but in reality he is squarely to blame for the current state of lawlessness in the country. Since taking over power illegally and unconstitutionally, the regime has been:
Providing indemnity to those who killed police officials, attacked hundreds of police stations and vehicles, and looted thousands of arms and ammunitions;
Allowing impunity for criminals who have been attacking among others, Awami League associated people and religious minorities, regularly for the last seven months;
Standing by as political mobs attacked, looted, vandalised and/or burnt down thousands of public and private properties, and historic and cultural structures, including the Bangabandhu Museum;
Freeing hundreds of hardened organised crime operatives and Islamic militants from jails;
Disregarding merit, appointing retired civil servants and police officials to key law enforcement and security positions purely based on their political allegiance;
Misusing scarce law enforcement resources to hunt down Awami League associated people, including arresting at least 13,000 activists and supporters of the party in the so-called “Operation Devil Hunt”;
Allowing Islamists to impose their backward fundamentalist views on women, Sufi Muslims, secular intellectuals, arts, culture, entertainment, sports, the judiciary, and even businesses in direct violation of the laws of the land;
Providing free reign to the area-wise teen/youth crime gangs who assisted the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) during their July-August 2024 anti-Awami League movement.
Among others.
Since the outset, the Yunus Regime has made a mockery of the concepts of rule of law, judicial independence, and law enforcement by their own actions and/or omissions. Now that crimes have reached a point when people have come out on the streets to protest, Yunus resorts to cheap tactics like comparing Bangladesh to Gaza to hide his own shortcomings. #BangladeshCrisis #StepDownYunus #YunusMustGo
Mohamed Nasheed@MohamedNasheed
[3/13/2025 6:53 AM, 274.3K followers, 26 retweets, 58 likes]
Encouraging to see Maldives Gov repay its $100m loan from Cargill Financial Services International, inc $26m interest. But @TheCVF countries face high costs of capital making climate action expensive, while in 2023 developing countries saw outflows of $200bn when we need inflows.
Dipanjan R Chaudhury@DipanjanET
[3/14/2025 12:30 AM, 5.9K followers, 2 retweets, 2 likes]
Maldives may be staring at debt crisis akin to Sri Lanka. Despite austerity measures crisis looms large & international lenders including China & GCC refrain from new assistance. Debt servicing is due in 2025 & 2026 — My report @ETPolitics @harshvshringla
M U M Ali Sabry@alisabrypc
[3/13/2025 9:30 PM, 8K followers, 3 retweets, 15 likes]
Ensuring Safety and Upholding Public Order Regardless of political differences, we must all unite to support the government of the day in safeguarding the lives of our people, especially public servants who dedicate themselves to the nation. The underworld must never be allowed to resurface, dictate terms, or instill fear through intimidation, threats, or violence. Law and order must prevail, and in times like these, it is our collective responsibility to stand together in defense of public order. We have done it before, and we must do it again, for the safety of our people and the future of our nation. Central Asia
Yerzhan Ashikbayev@KZAmbUS
[3/13/2025 10:25 AM, 2.7K followers, 1 retweet, 5 likes]
Honored to present the Order of Dostyk (Friendship), 2nd degree, from President @TokayevKZ to Rafael Santana, President & CEO of @WabtecCorp. A true testament to strong and mutually beneficial partnership in fostering innovation
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ[3/13/2025 1:10 PM, 3.3K followers, 3 retweets, 30 likes]
On the evening of March 13, the President of #Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, concluded his state visit to the #Kyrgyz Republic. At the #Bishkek International Airport, our Head of State #EmomaliRahmon, was seen off by #SadyrJaparov, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ
[3/13/2025 1:06 PM, 3.3K followers, 2 retweets, 5 likes]
On March 13, the President of #Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon met with the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the #Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev. The meeting discussed topical issues of developing relations between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ
[3/13/2025 1:00 PM, 3.3K followers, 2 retweets, 4 likes]
On March 13, the President of #Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, during his state visit to the #Kyrgyz Republic, met with the Toraga of the #Jogorku Kenesh Nurlanbek Shakiev. The Head of our state emphasized the role of legislative bodies in the development of public and political life.
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ
[3/13/2025 12:58 PM, 3.3K followers, 5 retweets, 12 likes]
Following the talks #EmomaliRahmon and #SadyrJaparov made statements to the media. The Heads of the two states highly appreciated the results of the official talks, including stating that air routes between #Tajikistan and #Kyrgyzstan will be reopened tomorrow, March 14, 2025.
Emomali Rahmon@EmomaliRahmonTJ
[3/13/2025 4:01 AM, 3.3K followers, 6 retweets, 10 likes]
#EmomaliRahmon and #SadyrJaparov, participated in the virtual ceremony of re-opening of the two checkpoints on the state border of #Tajikistan and #Kyrgyzstan. In accordance with the order of the heads of the two states, it is planned to restore land and air transport.
UNODC in Central Asia@UNODC_ROCA
[3/13/2025 7:42 AM, 2.5K followers, 2 likes]
At #CND68, discussions focused on introducing Early Warning Systems as an effective tool to combat New Psychoactive Substances in Central Asia. This is crucial as the region faces rising consumption and trafficking of #NPS and synthetic drugs. Organized by CARICC.
UNODC in Central Asia@UNODC_ROCA
[3/13/2025 6:08 AM, 2.5K followers, 6 retweets, 17 likes]
New psychoactive substances are affordable and sold via the internet, making them attractive to young users. Kazakhstan organized a side-event at #CND68 calling for prompt response to the threats of #NPS and improving drug demand reduction measures.{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.