Scotland’s ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrested in party finances probe

Scottish police say report to be sent to Crown Office, Procurator Fiscal Service after questioning

Ahmet Gurhan Kartal |11.06.2023 - 


LONDON

Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been detained on Sunday in connection with an investigation into the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) finances.

"A 52-year-old woman has today, Sunday, 11 June, 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party," Scottish police said in a statement.

"The woman is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives,” it added.

"A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service."

The party’s former chief executive and Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell was previously arrested but later released without charge.

The police confiscated documents and computers after searches in Sturgeon and Murrel’s home and the SNP’s headquarters.

The investigation was launched in 2021 after allegations that approximately £600,000 ($754,000) collected from party supporters for Scottish independence bid was misspent.

Sturgeon has been a staunch supporter of Scotland’s becoming an independent country, separating from the UK.

Scots wanted to remain as part of the UK in a 2014 independence referendum as more than 55% voted against independence. However, the independence bid has been revised following the Brexit vote in 2016 as more than half of the Scottish voters voted to remain in the EU.

Humza Yousaf, first minister of Scotland and the new leader of the SNP said on Sunday that the independence will be front and center of their next general election campaign.

Dengue outbreak in Peru reaches over 130K cases with 200 dead, heightened by El Niño rains

By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Fox News
June 11, 2023 

Peru’s worst dengue outbreak on record could intensify further as an El Niño climate phenomenon brings torrential rains and mosquitoes, driving the death toll this year past 200 with over 130,000 recorded cases, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Dengue fever is an aedes aegypti mosquito-borne tropical disease that can provoke a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and sometimes death.

The country’s health authorities have pointed towards the natural climate phenomenal, El Niño, as one of the key drivers of the surge in cases.

El Niño is a cyclical warming of the world’s oceans and weather, which fuels tropical cyclones in the Pacific, boosting rainfall and flood risk in the region.

The increase in rainfall brings mass reproduction of mosquitoes due to the accumulation of water in the cities.

Peru’s health officials are prohibiting residents from storing still water in open containers, hoping to prevent reproduction.

“Dengue kills,” said Health Minister Rosa Gutiérrez in a Tuesday statement. “Because of that, help me eliminate mosquito breeding sites.”

Peru has 130,000 recorded cases of dengue fever.AFP via Getty Images

Dengue fever can cause a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pain, and sometimes death.AFP via Getty Images

A worker of the Health Ministry fumigates against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the spread of dengue fever in Managua.AFP via Getty Images

On Thursday, June 8, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) declared that an El Niño is now underway. The past three years have been dominated by the cooler La Niña pattern.

Scientists say this year looks particularly worrying.

The last strong El Niño was in 2016, and the world saw its hottest year on record.

200 people have died of dengue fever in Peru this year.AFP via Getty Images

Family members mourn a 10-year-old who died from dengue fever.AFP via Getty Images


“We’re in unprecedented territory,” said Michelle L’Heureux, a meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte signed a decree on Thursday declaring a two-month “state of emergency” in 18 of the country’s 24 regions to allow swift official action for “imminent danger from heavy rainfall” this year and next.

Gutiérrez said the figure is the highest since 2017, when there were 68,290 cases and 89 deaths.

India and Pakistan brace for severe weather as Cyclone Biparjoy intensifies

Cyclone Biparjoy formed over the Arabian Sea earlier this month

Biparjoy means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali.

People have been urged to stay away from the coast, with concerns of high waves as seen in Mumbai in 2022. AP

The National
Jun 11, 2023

Authorities in India and Pakistan have urged people to stay away from the coast as more than 1 million people brace for the arrival of Cyclone Biparjoy, which has increased in strength as it prepares to make landfall.

In a warning on Sunday, India's Meteorological Department said it recorded “phenomenal” conditions over the east-central Arabian Sea with winds of up to 170km per hour.

Fishing communities in the western states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and other coastal areas have been advised to stop all activity for five days.

People in Pakistan were also urged to stay away from the coastline with the cyclone set to intensify.

Cyclone Biparjoy map tracker: Updates as storm intensifies en route to India

Biparjoy means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali.

More than 1.8 million people across India and Pakistan are thought to be in the path of the cyclone, according to the Pacific Disaster Centre.

“People should be aware of weather conditions and avoid going to the beach whereas fishermen should avoid boating in the open sea,” said Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Authorities in Karachi have banned the public from accessing beaches, as well as fishing, sailing and swimming in the sea, Pakistan's Dawn News reported.

However, the paper said “considerable” crowds were pictured at Karachi beaches despite the restrictions.

The storm formed over the Arabian Sea early this month, with Biparjoy being declared a severe cyclone by Oman on June 7, where authorities warned locals to stay away from coastal areas.

India's meteorological department said it will very likely move north until Wednesday morning when it will move north-east towards Pakistan.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the districts most likely to be affected by the storm.

Unstable structures, such as hoardings, have been removed and the electricity department is on standby for power supply disruptions, Reuters reported.

It will hit the coast between the Indian state of Gujarat and Pakistan as a “very severe cyclonic storm” with wind gusts of up to 150km per hour the department said in an update on Sunday.

The Chief Minister of Pakistan's Sindh province has said authorities are prepared to relocate eight to nine thousand “vulnerable” families if needed.

Dozens have already been killed in heavy rains in northern Pakistan.

At least 12 people were buried alive after the roofs and walls of their houses collapsed,” Taimur Ali Khan, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority told AFP.

The storms hit four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Saturday, with 15 people killed in Bannu district, including five siblings aged between two and 11.

More than 140 people were injured and more than 200 livestock died, he said.

Winds and heavy rain kill at least 29, including 8 children, in Pakistan




People gather around a car damaged after a tree fell during a rainfall in Lahore. AFPHeavy rains followed by strong winds killed at least 29 people, including eight children, in northwest Pakistan, officials said on Sunday.

The storms hit four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Saturday, with five siblings aged between two and 11 among the dead.


"At least 12 people were buried alive after the roofs and walls of their houses collapsed," Taimur Ali Khan, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority, told AFP. More than 140 people were injured and more than 200 livestock died, he said.

Authorities have declared an emergency in all four districts.

The affected districts of KP province are Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Karak, senior rescue officer Khateer Ahmed said, uprooting trees and knocking down electrical transmission towers. Officials were working to provide emergency relief to the injured, Ahmed said.

Last year, monsoon rains and flooding devastated Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people, affecting around 33 million people and displacing nearly 8 million.


To mitigate the effects of natural disasters, the government in its national budget draft presented on Friday allocated $1.3 billion for climate resilience.


 

An injured victim of rain storm is treated at a hospital in Bannu. AP

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of life loss from the storm and directed authorities to pick up the pace of the relief operation.

Meanwhile, a cyclone is making its way across the Arabian Sea towards the coastlines of Pakistan and India, expected to make landfall at the end of the week.

The "severe and intense” cyclone with wind speeds of 150 kilometres per hour was on a course toward the country’s south, Pakistan's disaster management agency said.

Pakistani authorities said they would begin evacuating between 8,000 and 9,000 families from along the coastline of Sindh province, including in the mega port city of Karachi, home to around 20 million people. The army will be deployed from Monday to assist.

 

People bathe along the Seaview Beach in Karachi on Sunday. AFP

The cyclone could bring winds, storm surges and urban flooding from Tuesday evening as it approaches, the disaster management agency said Sunday.

"Fishermen are advised not to venture into the open sea until the (weather) system is over by June 17," the agency said.

Prime Minister Shahbaz also ordered officials to put in place emergency measures in advance of the approaching Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabia Sea.

 

Motorcyclists ride a motorbike along a street during a rainfall in Lahore. AFP

Scientists say climate change is making seasonal rains heavier and more unpredictable.

Pakistan, which has the world's fifth largest population, is responsible for only 0.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but is one of the most vulnerable nations to extreme weather caused by global warming.

Last summer, unprecedented monsoon rains put a third of the country under water, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people.

June 11,2023

Agencies

A lawsuit brought by kids in Montana could determine if the state has a constitutional duty to protect its residents from climate change

Associated Press
Jun 11, 2023

Glacier National Park, Montana. Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A lawsuit brought against the state of Montana by a group of kids heads to trial on Monday.
Whether a constitutional right to a livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of the lawsuit.
The outcome has the potential to set an important precedent in the fight against climate change.

Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal precedent.

It's the first trial of its kind in the U.S., and legal scholars around the world are following its potential addition to the small number of rulings that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change.

The trial comes shortly after the state's Republican-dominated legislature passed measures favoring the fossil fuel industry by stifling local government efforts to encourage renewable energy while increasing the cost to challenge oil, gas, and coal projects in court.

By enlisting plaintiffs ranging in age from 5 to 22, the environmental firm bringing the lawsuit is trying to highlight how young people are harmed by climate change now and will be further affected in the future. Their testimony will detail how wildfire smoke, heat and drought have harmed residents' physical and mental health.

The plaintiffs' youth has little direct bearing on the legal issues, and experts say the case likely won't lead to immediate policy changes in fossil fuel-friendly Montana.

But over two weeks of testimony, attorneys for the plaintiffs plan to call out state officials for pursuing oil, gas and coal development in hopes of sending a powerful message to other states.

Plaintiff Grace Gibson-Snyder, 19, said she's felt the impacts of the heating planet acutely as wildfires regularly shroud her hometown of Missoula in dangerous smoke and as water levels drop in area rivers.

"We've seen repeatedly over the last few years what the Montana state Legislature is choosing," Gibson-Snyder said. "They are choosing fossil fuel development. They are choosing corporations over the needs of their citizens."


In high school, Gibson-Snyder was an environmental activist who was too young to vote when she signed on as a plaintiff. The other young plaintiffs include members of Native American tribes, a ranching family dependent on reliable water supplies and people with health conditions, such as asthma, that put them at increased risk during wildfires.

Some plaintiffs and experts will point to farmers whose margins have been squeezed by drought and extreme weather events like last year's destructive floods in Yellowstone National Park as further evidence that residents have been denied the clean environment guaranteed under Montana's Constitution.

Experts for the state are expected to downplay the impacts of climate change and what one of them described as Montana's "minuscule" contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Lawyers for Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a Republican, tried repeatedly to get the case thrown out over procedural issues. In a June 6 ruling, the state Supreme Court rejected the latest attempt to dismiss it, saying justices were not inclined to intervene just days before the start of a trial that has been "literally years in the making."

One reason the case may have made it so far in Montana, when dozens of similar cases elsewhere have been rejected, is the state's unusually protective 1972 Constitution, which requires officials to maintain a "clean and healthful environment." Only a few other states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York, have similar environmental protections in their constitutions.

In prior rulings, State District Judge Judge Kathy Seeley significantly narrowed the scope of the case. Even if the plaintiffs prevail, Seeley has said she would not order officials to formulate a new approach to address climate change.

Instead, the judge could issue what's called a "declaratory judgment" saying officials violated the state Constitution. That would set a new legal precedent of courts weighing in on cases typically left to the government's legislative and executive branches, environmental law expert Jim Huffman said.

Still, such a ruling would have no direct impact on industry, said Huffman, dean emeritus at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.

"A declaratory judgment would be a symbolic victory, but would not require any particular action by the state government. So the state could, and likely would, proceed as before," he said.

Economist Terry Anderson, a witness for the state, said that over the past two decades, carbon dioxide emissions from Montana have declined, but that's in part due to the shuttering of coal power plants.

"Montana energy or environmental policies have virtually no effect on global or local climate change because Montana's GHG (greenhouse gas) contributions to the global total is trivial," Anderson said in court documents.

He argued climate change could ultimately benefit Montana with longer growing seasons and the potential to produce more valuable crops.

Supporters of the lawsuit predicted an overflow crowd when the trial starts Monday in Helena. They rented a nearby theater to livestream the proceedings for those who can't fit in the courtroom.

The case was brought in 2020 by attorneys for the environmental group Our Children's Trust, which has filed climate lawsuits in every state on behalf of young plaintiffs since 2011. Most of those cases, including a previous one in Montana, were dismissed prior to trial.

A ruling in favor of the Montana plaintiffs could have ripple effects, according to Philip Gregory, Our Children's Trust attorney. While it wouldn't be binding outside Montana, it would give guidance to judges in other states, which could impact upcoming trials such as one in Hawaii, Gregory said.

Attempts to get a similar decision at the federal level were boosted by a June 1 ruling allowing a case brought by young climate activists in Oregon to proceed to trial in U.S. District Court. That case was halted by U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts on the eve of the trial in 2018.

From 2011 through 2021, Our Children's Trust brought in contributions of more than $20 million, growing from four employees to a team of more than 40 attorneys and other workers and about 200 volunteers, according to tax filings and the group's website.

Founder Julia Olson said securing the trials in Montana and Oregon marked a "huge step" forward for the group.

"It will change the future of the planet if courts will start declaring the conduct of government unconstitutional," she said.

While Montana's Constitution requires the state to "maintain and improve" a clean environment, the Montana Environmental Policy Act, originally passed in 1971 and amended several times since, requires state agencies to balance the environment with resource development.

Lawmakers revised the policy this year to say environmental reviews may not look at greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts unless the federal government makes carbon dioxide a regulated pollutant.

A key question for the trial will be how forcefully the state contests established science on human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, said Jonathan Adler, environmental law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. If the state doesn't deny that science, the trial will deal with the question of whether courts can tell governments to address climate change.

"I'm skeptical about that," Adler said. "It really pushes the boundaries of what courts are capable of and effective at addressing."

To Gibson-Snyder, now a student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the court system became the only avenue to make change as a 16-year-old.


Since then, "I've become maybe a bit disillusioned," she said. "The question is not only can we create sustainable policy, it's how can we dismantle the policy that's actively harming Montana?"

American Musician Who Featured on Bourdain’s Show Is Arrested in Russia

SCARY

Michael Travis Leake could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of production or distribution of drugs.

Erik Uebelacker
Breaking News Intern
Published Jun. 11, 2023 

@AlecLuhn/Twitter

A U.S. military veteran and rock band musician has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of drug trafficking, Russian state media reported.

Michael Travis Leake, who has reportedly lived in Russia since 2010, was detained on Saturday for allegedly selling the amphetamine mephedrone. In a Telegram statement from Moscow’s courts of general jurisdiction, Leake was described as a “former paratrooper and musician” who “is accused of engaging in the narcotics business through attracting young people.”

An Instagram account under Leake’s name lists him as the vocalist for the band LoviNoch—which translates to “Catch the Night”—and the producer for groups Lourna, Tarakany and others.

Leake also famously appeared on an episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in Moscow and St Petersburg after being handpicked by Bourdain to appear on the show. In the episode, he half-joked about the KGB listening in on their conversation and tailing Bourdain.

The episode’s producer, Darya Tarasova, told CNN that Leake’s band wasn’t famous, but he and his friends were vocal critics of Russian state censorship and advocates for free speech in the country.

“Bourdain really liked that interview,” she said, adding, “The last time we spoke was in 2018 and he seemed depressed and upset, but Travis would never do the things he is being accused of. He is an American in Russia and is very aware of the situation he’s in. But I’m surprised he stayed after the war started as it was very risky for him.”

The U.S. State Department said it’s aware of the reports that an American citizen had been detained in Moscow, according to an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

Leake will be held for two months in pre-trial detention, per orders from the Moscow court. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of production or distribution of drugs.

Chilling videos: Buildings quiver as earthquake hits South Africa's Johannesburg

By Mallika Soni
Jun 11, 2023 

Johannesburg Earthquake: Residents across the province shared pictures on social media showing minor structural damages of walls.

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Johannesburg, shaking buildings across South Africa's most populous province, United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted. The tremor struck at 2:38 am (0038 GMT) around 10 kilometres (six miles) below the surface, the USGS said. Buildings shook across the province of Gauteng, where Johannesburg is located.

Johannesburg Earthquake: The tremor struck at 2:38 am (0038 GMT) around 10 kilometres (six miles) below the surface.

Residents across the province shared pictures on social media showing minor structural damages of walls.

Emergency services department did not report any casualties nor injuries but said that the disaster management teams would remain on standby. Johannesburg emergency services spokeswoman Xolile Khumalo warned residents to "be on alert in case after tremors occur, (as) these tend to be more dangerous than the initial earthquake".

The epicentre of the "relatively long tremor" was at Boksburg, small a town located about 20 kilometres east of Johannesburg, the authorities said. In August 2014, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit a gold mining town near Johannesburg.

How Sierra Leone's lust for land is provoking the wrath of nature

Deforestation continues apace - ignoring the lessons of a deadly landslide tragedy in 2017


Nick Webster
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Jun 09, 2023

A rampant land grab engulfing Sierra Leone's capital city is threatening communities and the future of its wild chimpanzees.

Freetown, the largest port city in the country, has a population of about 1.2 million people that is expected to grow by 3 per cent every year over the next decade.

Despite this growth, the poorest communities living there, as well as rare wildlife, are vulnerable to losing land via the deforestation that is taking over the fringes of Freetown's Western Peninsula.

Deforestation caused by illegal logging and the allocation of land for development and mining has also significantly increased the threat of mudslides.

Devastation hits

In August 2017, torrential rain caused a devastating mudslide in the Babadorie River Valley that wiped out an entire community built on an area of forest illegally cleared for new homes.

According to official reports, more than 1,000 people were killed or declared missing, although the figure is feared to be even higher due to the numerous-occupancy makeshift homes that appeared a few months before.

Yanbsu Sahr, 52, had eight children aged five to 31. He lost some of his children, as well as brothers, sisters and friends in the disaster.

When the rain comes, I cannot sleep. I worry for my family.

Yanbsu Sahr, wildlife ranger at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

“I left for work at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary at around 6.25am,” said Mr Sahr, who is a wildlife ranger inside the protected area.

“A short time later, some of my children came to get me and said everyone had gone. I did not know what they meant so I went home with them.”

When he arrived, all he could see were rocks, stones and rubble. “There were no more houses there,” he said.

Mr Sahr said that he rescued a pregnant woman from the rubble and got her into a taxi that took her to the hospital. He then went on to tend to the dead and wait for ambulances to come.

People inspecting the damage after a mudslide in the mountain town of Regent, Sierra Leone, on August 14, 2017. Reuters

“We did not know who they were. Many had been crushed by the rocks that came down,” he said.


Six years on, the shrine dedicated to the dead welcomes visitors to what is accepted as an undeclared cemetery, and reforestation of the area has already started, with new trees beginning to grow.

“Development is continuing and we mark these buildings to say they are built on protected areas, but nothing changes,” Mr Sahr said.

“It is a big risk but people cannot afford to leave and start somewhere new. When the rain comes, I cannot sleep. I worry for my family.”

Rampant deforestation

Despite the tragedy, deforestation continues to spill out of Freetown's city limits and locals are becoming increasingly worried about extreme weather and violent storms becoming more common.

More than 1,200 hectares out of 18,000ha of primary forest were lost between 2015 and 2020, according to satellite imagery for a World Food Programme assessment of the Western Area Peninsular Forest Reserve.

Deforestation has accelerated more since, with a further 2,850ha of forest lost in the protected area from April 2021 to February 2022.

Inside the WAPFR is the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a haven for chimps rescued from the wildlife trade or that have lost their homes to deforestation.






Freetown in Sierra Leone experienced one of the worst landslides in 2017 that wiped out a village, killing at least 1,141 people. All photos: Andy Scott / The National

Poachers roam the forest at night, capturing young chimpanzees to sell into the cruel international wildlife trade.

“The reality in the Western Province is that people are now encroaching into the national park,” said Bala Amarasekaran, a Sri Lankan who founded the sanctuary in 1988.

“Freetown exists because of water that comes from the mountains. If we do not protect our catchment, we are doomed.”

Despite a buffer zone being placed, land-grabbers are having “a field day”, she said.

Within earshot of the quarantine centre for recently rescued baby chimps, football commentary can be heard echoing through the trees from nearby makeshift homes that have sprung up almost overnight.

If we do not protect our catchment, we are doomed.

Bala Amarasekaran, founder of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

“The landslide was heartbreaking,” said Mr Amarasekaran, whose team cares for 115 chimpanzees.

“A week before, we were playing a football tournament near to where it happened.

“I looked at the hillside and I said: Do you realise all this is going to come down? All the foundations were going, so it was waiting to happen,” he said.

“We are a society that tries to fix problems after they have happened. We need change to be more proactive to prevent these tragedies. They are so predictable,” he said.
Short supply of manpower

The government of Sierra Leone said it is committed to protecting forests from further destruction, but with only 500 rangers on patrol, manpower is in short supply.

Lahai Keita, acting director of Environmental Emergencies at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, said land-grabbing in protected areas could be difficult to police.

“Once buildings get to a certain level, it becomes a legal issue to demolish or not to demolish,” he said.

“These land-grabbers come with trucks and backfill open land at night, so it is difficult for our rangers. These people are exposing themselves to danger,” he said.

READ MORE

Locals fear 'dark future' over illegal overfishing in Sierra Leone

At Cop26, the government said it was committed to planting 25 million trees by 2030 spread across more than 960,000ha to mitigate some of the damage.

“Landslides pose the biggest threats to makeshift homes built into hillsides illegally cleared of forest,” said Mr Keita.

Even when the military is deployed, enforcement needs to come from the community so they understand the risk, he said.

“It has become an issue of life and death,” Mr Keita said.

Billionaire George Soros hands control of empire to son

Soros, 92, said he previously didn't want his Open Society Foundations (OSF) to be taken over by one of his five children.

By REUTERS
Published: JUNE 11, 2023 

Billionaire investor George Soros attends the Schumpeter Award in Vienna, Austria, June 21, 2019.
(photo credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER)

Billionaire financier George Soros told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Sunday that he was handing control of his massive empire to his son, Alexander Soros.

A hedge fund manager turned philanthropist and major backer of liberal causes, Soros, 92, said he previously didn't want his Open Society Foundations (OSF) to be taken over by one of his five children.

But speaking of his decision to turn over the foundation and the rest of his $25 billion empire to his son, Alexander, 37, who goes by Alex, the elder Soros said: "He's earned it."

Political plans

Also interviewed by the newspaper, Alex said he's "more political" than his father and that he plans to continue donating family money to back left-leaning US political candidates.

Billionaire investor George Soros speaks to the audience at the Schumpeter Award in Vienna, Austria June 21, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER)

"As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it too," Alex said.

The OSF board elected Alex as its chairman in December, and Alex now directs political activity as president of Soros' political action committee.

The foundation directs about $1.5 billion a year to groups such as those backing human rights around the world and helping build democracies, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Arab nations seek Chinese investment as Saudis take centre stage

Resource-rich region with $3.5tr aggregate economy is an attractive investment destination

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman speaks during the 10th Arab-China Business Conference in Riyadh. Reuters

Sarmad Khan
Jun 11, 2023

The Arab world is ready for increased Chinese investment with Saudi Arabia taking centre stage as it looks to solidify its position as a bridge between the Middle East and the world’s second-largest economy.

Resource-rich Arab nations are looking for investment partners that share their vision to be part of their growth story by not only developing mega projects but also by increasing local consumption in the region, Khalid Al Falih, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment, said on Sunday.

“We will make sure China has a big part of this market,” he told delegates at the 10th Arab-China Business Conference in Riyadh.

“What we also need in the next development phase is real Chinese investment that adds value – not only receiving our natural resources but also adding value through industrialisation, logistics services and connecting the region … and its surrounding in Africa, Europe and of course China.”

READMORE
Saudi Arabia's special economic zones 'pivotal' to its future as an investment destination

Saudi Arabia looks to boost trade ties with China

In recent times, Chinese companies, whether private or government, and investment funds in the country have adopted a strategy of mixing their export of goods and services with the export of investments, he said.

This not only bodes well for Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s biggest economy, but also for the rest of the Middle East, he added.

“What is coming to Saudi Arabia [in terms of Chinese investment] is good for the rest of the Arab countries,” Mr Al Falih said.

“We believe that the economic strength of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the economic integration of the bigger Arab world.”

While the Arab world will benefit from deeper trade and investment relations with China, Chinese investors also stand to gain from partnering with the regional economies, the minister said.

He was speaking to more than 3,500 delegates comprising Chinese, Saudi and other Arab policymakers, government officials, investors and executives from top companies who have gathered for the two-day event.

The region has a population of 500 million, mostly young people, and its aggregate gross domestic product stands at $3.5 trillion, which makes it a substantial market for investments.

Saudi Arabia accounts for a third of the region’s cumulative GDP.

The region, especially the six-member economic bloc of GCC, is rich in hydrocarbon wealth and is looking to transform its economic landscape through radical reforms to cut reliance on oil.

Saudi Arabia, Opec’s largest crude exporter, the UAE, the Arab World’s second-largest economy and other countries in the broader Middle East and North Africa are trying to broaden their trading relationships with partners across the globe.

Arab nations have set ambitious foreign direct investment targets to expand their industrial base and develop non-oil sectors including mining and minerals, tourism and leisure to increase local consumption, create jobs and develop alternative revenue streams.

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih speaking at the two-day Arab-China Business Conference in Riyadh. AFP

These countries are offering attractive incentives to foreign investors including those from China. The Chinese government and private sector companies have been aggressively investing over the past decade in countries along the old silk road through Belt and Road initiatives.


Rania Al Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation, said the pace of foreign investment in Egypt, which fell during the pandemic, has picked up again. There is renewed interest for investments in the Suez Canal, renewable energy, conventional energy and ports projects.

The Arab world’s most populous nation is open to innovative financing structures and public-private partnerships with Chinese investors and there are a multitude of opportunities available, she said.

Companies in Oman and the Omani government are also keen to partner with Chinese investors in the industrial sector and Oman’s ports, including Duqm, said Abdulsalam Al Murshidi, president of Oman's Investment Authority, at a panel discussion on Sunday.

China's overall outward direct investment reached $146.5 billion in 2022, up 0.9 per cent year-on-year.

Non-financial investment climbed 2.8 per cent on an annual basis to reach $116.9 billion, while the Belt and Road non-financial outward investments increased 3.3 per cent annually to $21 billion, according to EY estimates.

The number of Chinese companies setting up base in Saudi Arabia is also increasing rapidly as the kingdom launched four special economic zones at the end of last month – the King Abdullah Economic City, Jazan, Ras Al Khair and Cloud Computing in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.

These zones have already attracted $12.6 billion from investors across the maritime, mining, manufacturing, logistics and tech sectors. The investment pipeline has grown to $31 billion as interest continues to grow to set up base in the zones that also offer tax rebates for businesses.

Saudi Arabia is also keen to work with China on renewable energy as well as the mid-stream oil and gas sector, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told delegates.

Asked about criticism of the growing Saudi Arabia-China relationship, the minister said: “I ignore it”.

There have been several co-operation deals announced between the kingdom and China and "I wouldn’t be surprised if you will hear more announcements soon”.

He said the kingdom does not pick and choose and will work with partners where it sees the opportunity.

“We are involved in transactional activity and it is not a pot that you divide between countries,” he said.

“You go where the opportunity is and you go where partners want to invest.”

There are so many things that Saudi Arabia intends to do with China and “equally they want to do with us”, he said.

There are also synergies between what the Belt and Road initiative and what the kingdom wants to achieve out of its Vision 2030 programme, he added.

China is also keen to deepen trade ties with GCC countries and is seeking a free-trade agreement with the economic bloc.

However, the interests of emerging industries in the Gulf region and Saudi Arabia should be protected in the proposed agreement, Mr Al Falih said.

“We need to enable and empower our industries to export, so we hope all countries that negotiate with us for free trade deals know we need to protect our new, emerging industries,” he said.

The minister said he hoped the agreement, which is currently being negotiated, will be finalised soon.

“We have come a long way. The leadership from both sides is showing willingness,” he said.

PAKISTAN
UN report finds ‘strong and symbiotic’ links between Afghan Taliban, TTP

Tahir Khan Published June 11, 2023 

The link between the Afghan Taliban and proscribed militant outfits Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains “strong and symbiotic”, a report published by the United Nations (UN) said.

The fourteenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council’s 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee — released on Friday — noted that a “range of terrorist groups has greater freedom of manoeuvre under the Taliban de facto authorities”.

“They are making good use of this, and the threat of terrorism is rising in both Afghanistan and the region,” the report read, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

“While they have sought to reduce the profile of these groups and conducted maintaining links to numerous terrorist entities, the Taliban have lobbied member states for counter-terrorism assistance in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), which it perceives as its principal rival.”

The report said that the Taliban forces have conducted operations against ISIL-K, in general, but they have not delivered on the counter-terrorism provisions under the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the United States of America and the Taliban.

“There are indications that Al-Qaeda is rebuilding operational capability, that TTP is launching attacks into Pakistan with support from the Taliban, that groups of foreign terrorist fighters are projecting threat across Afghanistan’s borders and that the operations of ISIL-K are becoming more sophisticated and lethal (if not more numerous),” it added.

However, the Afghan Taliban dismissed the report and called it “full of prejudice”.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers the continuation of UN Security Council sanctions and such reports as full of prejudice and in conflict with the principles of independence and non-interference, and calls for an end to it,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement today.



Mujahid called the accusations “baseless” and a result of “obvious hostility” with the people of Afghanistan as well as repetition of the “baseless propaganda” of the past 20 years.

“We strongly reject the assessment of this report that the Islamic Emirate is helping the opponents of neighbouring and regional countries or using the territory of Afghanistan against other countries, from the content of this report”.

The Taliban spokesman said it seemed that either the UNSC’s authors did not have access to the information or they “deliberately distorted” the facts or the source of their information was the Islamic Emirate’s fugitive opponents.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan insists on its commitments and assures that there is no threat from the territory of Afghanistan to the region, neighbours and countries of the world and it does not allow anyone to use its territory against others,” Mujahid added.
Pakistan’s stance

Pakistani security officials have long been saying that the TTP and other anti-Pakistan armed groups operate from Afghan soil.

The Taliban government hosted peace talks between the TTP and Pakistani security officials to put an end to the violence in Pakistan. However, the talks collapsed last year over tough conditions from both sides.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif led a high-powered delegation in talks with senior Taliban leaders in Kabul in February with a single-point agenda to take action against the TTP.

There have been no cross-border attacks from the Afghan side for months, however, there has been a spike in the TTP attacks since the group ended a ceasefire in November.

The government has also stopped talks with the TTP and launched intelligence-based operations against the group, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Explained | Taliban have put Afghan clock back to 1990s’ autocracy: UN report

New Delhi

Edited By: Mukul Sharma

Updated: Jun 11, 2023


An armed Talib guarding a security checkpoint in Kabul | Representative Photograph:(Reuters)

The United Nation Security Council's Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted its 14th annual report about the Taliban’s impact on the security situation in Afghanistan this month, in which it accused the regime of reverting to its "autocratic" policies of the late 1990s.

The connection between the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains strong and mutually beneficial for all the parties involved with the Taliban as current rulers of Afghanistan acting as the nucleus of the entire set-up harbouring terror activities, a latest UN report has indicated.

The report highlights that terrorist groups are now able to freely operate under the Taliban's authority in Afghanistan, posing a significant threat of terrorism in the country and the wider region.

The report further describes that the Taliban's relationship with Al-Qaeda and TTP remains robust and symbiotic, enabling other terrorist groups to operate more freely under the Taliban's rule except for the ones that it sees as its rival.

The UNSC’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted its 14th annual report about the Taliban’s impact on the security situation in Afghanistan this month, in which it accused the regime of reverting to its "autocratic" policies of the late 1990s.

Taliban is allowing Afghanistan to be used for attack against other nations

Contrary to the Taliban's promises and subsequent claims of not allowing Afghan soil to be used for attacks against other countries, the report reveals that they have been harboring and actively supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In another contradiction, while the Taliban maintains ties with various terrorist entities, it has sought counter-terrorism assistance from member states in its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K), which it considers its primary rival.

“The Taliban leadership shows no signs of bending to pressure for reform or compromise, in the hope of earning international political recognition,” the report said, adding that Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada has been “proudly resistant” to external pressure to moderate his policies.
Taliban is not honoring Doha agreement: UN report

The Taliban has failed to fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations as outlined in the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan between the United States and the Taliban, the UN report said.

What does the Taliban in Afghanistan mean for Pakistan?

Unlike the popular optics of August 201 showing Pakistani establishment mingling with Taliban as an apparent mark of US’ departure from the region, the snakes Islamabad has fed for decades have come to bite Pakistan itself.

The report underscores that the tight bond between the Afghan Taliban and TTP, similar to their relationship with Al-Qaeda, is unlikely to dissipate. This situation puts Pakistan to the test and raises the risk of heightened violence on both sides of the border.
Taliban shows no signs of reform

The report, the first to cover the entirety of the Taliban's period in power, indicates that the Taliban leadership shows no intention of reform or compromise to gain international political recognition. With no significant political opposition, the Taliban's unchecked authority has allowed foreign terrorist fighters sheltered by the group to become an increasingly significant security threat to neighboring countries.

Taliban, Al-Qaeda ties: Afghanistan a safe haven for terror

While the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Aiman al-Zawahiri in a Kabul house connected to Taliban's acting Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, did lead to a sense of distrust among its members, according to the latest UN report, Afghanistan continues to be a safe haven for Al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda aims to strengthen its position in Afghanistan and has been collaborating with the Taliban, supporting the regime, and safeguarding senior Taliban figures.

Al-Qaeda maintains a low profile, utilising the country as an ideological and logistical hub for mobilisation, recruitment, and covertly rebuilding external operational capabilities. Al-Qaeda finances its activities through core funding and donations, including the use of hawala services and cryptocurrencies.

ISIL-K 'most serious terrorist threat'

ISIL-K has been identified as the most serious current terrorist threat in Afghanistan, neighboring countries, and Central Asia, according to member states.

Also read | Exclusive: 'Why is the world neglecting Afghan women?'

The group has enhanced its operational capabilities and freedom of movement within Afghanistan, aiming to sustain a high pace of mostly low-impact attacks while sporadically executing high-impact actions to incite sectarian conflicts and destabilise the region in the medium to long term.

Over the past year, ISIL-K has claimed responsibility for more than 190 suicide bomb attacks targeting major cities, resulting in the death or injury of approximately 1,300 people.
Taliban rule in Afghanistan so far

Barely a month after coming to power, the Taliban banned girls from secondary education in September 2021.

On December 21, 2022, the Taliban banned women from attending universities.

WION first reported in January 2023 when the Taliban-ruled in Balkh province that male doctors can no longer treat female patients.

The Taliban stormed to power virtually unchallenged after the withdrawal of US-led forces from the country in the first week of August 2021. The regime has not received international recognition especially due to its imposition of anti-women decrees.