Month: July 2022

A bus collided with a truck in southern Egypt killing nine Sudanese and injuring dozens of other people Thursday, official media reported.

The bus carrying the Sudanese and truck loaded with ice crashed on the desert route between Abu Simbel and Aswan, near the Sudanese border, state-run newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm reported.

It said the crash injured 43 Sudanese and five Egyptians.

Sudanese travel regularly to Egypt, with which their country shares cultural and commercial ties, but the area is also a tourist resort home to Abu Simbel temple.

In April, a tourist bus collided with a pickup truck on the same road, killing 10 people including four French tourists and a Belgian.

Crashes are relatively common in Egypt, where many roads are in disrepair and traffic regulations frequently ignored.

Official figures show that 7,000 people died in road accidents in the country in 2020.

The Enforcement Directorate said it raided 48 locations of Vivo and its 23 related entities this week, alleging that sale proceeds of Vivo India were transferred out of India to show losses and avoid paying taxes.

Vivo, owned by China’s BBK Electronics, did not immediately respond to a request on the bank account block.

Earlier this week, Vivo said it was cooperating with authorities and was committed to fully complying with Indian laws.

The directorate said in its statement that Vivo’s employees, including some Chinese nationals, did not cooperate during the search and “tried to abscond, remove and hide digital devices”.

The agency also seized two kilogrammes of gold bars and some cash during the operation, it said.

News of the raids prompted China’s embassy in India to call for a fair business environment for its companies, saying late on Wednesday that India’s multiple investigations into Chinese firms were damaging the confidence of foreign entities investing and operating in the country.

In the Vivo investigation, the federal agency alleges the company remitted almost 50 per cent of its total sales of 1.25 trillion rupees ($15.82bn) to China “in order to disclose huge losses in Indian incorporated companies to avoid payment of taxes in India”.

The investigation began in Feb 2022, the statement added.

India smartphone market leader Xiaomi too has been under investigation since February, with the Enforcement Directorate in April seizing $725m in the company’s India bank accounts, alleging it had made illegal remittances abroad “in the guise of royalty” payments.

Xiaomi denies wrongdoing and an Indian court has temporarily lifted the block following a challenge by the company. The case is ongoing.

Many Chinese firms have struggled to do business in India after political tension surged following a border clash in 2020. India has cited security concerns in banning more than 300 Chinese apps since and toughened rules on Chinese investment.

Vivo is one of India’s biggest smartphone makers, accounting for a 15pc market share, according to Counterpoint Research.

Xiaomi has the biggest 24pc share, while South Korea’s Samsung Electronics has 18pc.

The Taliban, whose government remains an international pariah without formal recognition, have courted regional powers, including Qatar and Turkey, to operate Kabul airport, landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link with the world, and others.

But after months of back-and-forth talks, and at one point raising the possibility of a joint UAE-Turkey-Qatar deal, the Taliban is set to hand the operations in their entirety to the UAE, who had previously run Afghan airports, the sources said.

An agreement would help the Islamist militants ease their isolation from the outside world as they govern an impoverished country beset by drought, widespread hunger and economic crisis. It would also hand Abu Dhabi a win in its diplomatic tussle with Qatar for influence.

Under the deal with the UAE, Afghans will be employed at the airports, including in security roles, crucial for the Taliban who want to show they can create jobs but also because they staunchly oppose the presence of foreign forces, sources said.

An Emirati state-linked contractor had been contracted to provide security services, which should be announced soon, while negotiations over airspace management are ongoing, they said.

The militants in May awarded the ground services contract to UAE state-linked GAAC, which was involved in running security and ground handling services at Afghan airports before the Taliban takeover, shortly after Taliban officials had visited Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Qatar and Turkey’s joint negotiations with the Taliban broke down around the same time, sources said.

Emirati officials had no immediate comment. GAAC did not respond to a request for comment.

A Taliban transport ministry spokesman confirmed an aviation security contract had already been signed with the UAE but said the air traffic contract was not finalised or confirmed yet.

The sources said UAE airlines, which have not flown to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover last year, were expected to resume flights to Kabul and possibly other Afghan airports after the deal was finalised.

 

According to the Foreign Office (FO), Bilawal told the senior US official that he looked forward to “frequent exchange of high-level visits”.

He also reiterated mutual commitment to deepen Pak-US ties upon the completion of 75 years of relations between the two countries.

Bilawal also tweeted about his conversation with Blinken.

“We agreed to expand our engagement in trade, energy, health & security marking 75 years of our relationship. We must increase people-to-people & business-to-business contacts,” the foreign minister said.

Bilawal and the senior US official had their first face-to-face meeting in New York on May 18 where the duo had affirmed their shared desire for a strong and prosperous bilateral relationship.

“We want to focus on the work we’re doing to strengthen our economic and commercial ties between the United States and Pakistan; of course, focus on regional security,” Secretary Blinken had said.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador Donald Blome also called on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar today and discussed “matters of mutual interest”.

The FO quoted Khar as reiterating Pakistan’s “commitment to widen and deepen longstanding ties between Pakistan and the US”.

She also underlined the importance of people-to-people ties and congressional engagement.

Earlier, she congratulated Blome on assuming the charge as ambassador.

The vote paves the way for the European Union proposal to pass into law, unless 20 of the bloc’s 27 member states decide to oppose the move, which is seen as very unlikely.

The new rules will add gas and nuclear power plants to the EU “taxonomy” rulebook from 2023, enabling investors to label and market investments in them as green.

Out of 639 lawmakers present, 328 opposed a motion that sought to block the EU gas and nuclear proposals.

The European Commi­ssion welcomed the result. It proposed the rules in February after more than a year of delay and intense lobbying from governments and industries.

“The Complementary Delegated Act is a pragmatic proposal to ensure that private investments in gas and nuclear, needed for our energy transition, meet strict criteria,” EU financial services chief Mairead McGuinness said.

The rules have split EU countries, lawmakers and investors. Brussels redrafted the rules multiple times, flip-flopping over whether to grant gas plants a green tag. Its final proposal fuelled fierce debate about how to hit climate goals amid a crisis over dwindling Russian gas supplies.

Gas is a fossil fuel that produces planet-warming emissions — but far less than coal, and some EU states see it as a temporary alternative to replace the dirtier fuel.

Nuclear energy is free from CO2 emissions but produces radioactive waste. Supporters such as France say nuclear is vital to meet emissions-cutting goals, while opponents cite concerns about waste disposal.

Slovakian prime minister Eduard Heger said the vote result was good for energy security and emissions-cutting targets. “We’ll remain on the way to climate neutrality by 2050,” he said.

Luxembourg and Austria, which both oppose nuclear power and have warned against labelling gas as green, said they would challenge the law in court.

“It is neither credible, ambitious nor knowledge-based, endangers our future and is more than irresponsible,” Austrian climate minister Leonore Gewessler said.

Climate campaigners criticised the move, with Greenpeace saying it would also mount a legal challenge.

“This is a poor signal to the rest of the world that may undermine the EU’s leadership position on climate action,” said Anders Schelde, chief investment officer at Danish pension fund AkademikerPension.

Industry groups welcomed the vote. Ingbert Liebing, managing director of Germany’s local utility association VKU, called it “an important sign of the role of natural gas as a bridge to achieving climate goals.” The EU taxonomy aims to clear up the murky world of sustainable investing, by ensuring any financial products making eco-friendly claims meet certain standards. Gas plants, for example, must switch to low-carbon gases by 2035 and meet an emissions limit.

How the law will impact investing trends is yet to be seen. The taxonomy does not prohibit investments in activities without the green label.

The Taliban chief’s latest statement is thought to be softer than his remarks at last week’s address to a scholars’ conference wherein he stated that the world should not interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs as the country under the Taliban does not accept anyone’s orders.

“You (the Americans) have dropped the mother of all bombs (in Afghanistan) and [even] if you use the atomic bomb against us we will not deviate from Islam or Sharia,” Akhundzada had said at the ulema moot.

Today, the Taliban supreme commander publicly mentioned the United States for the first time, expressing the intention of the Islamic emirate to have good relations with Washington.

“Within the framework of mutual interaction and commitment, we want good diplomatic, economic and political relations with the world, including the United States, and we consider this in the interest of all sides,” Akhundzada said in his Eidul Azha message.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued the message in several languages, including Urdu.

The Taliban leader allayed concerns of neighbours about the use of Afghan soil against them.

“We assure our neighbours, the region and the world that we will not allow anyone to use our territory to threaten the security of other countries. We also want other countries not to interfere in our internal affairs,” Akhundzada said.

Pakistan has long been saying that its armed opponents are using Afghan soil to launch attacks on border posts.

The Taliban government has been playing the role of a mediator in peace talks between Pakistani security officials and the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Several rounds of talks have been held with little progress. However, both sides are holding an indefinite ceasefire.

In his message, the Taliban chief mainly focused on Afghanistan’s internal affairs but did not mention the opening of girls’ educational institutions above sixth grade. The global community has been urging the Taliban to reopen the schools as they had initially promised to allow girls to attend high schools before withdrawing the decision in March this year.

Akhundzada said the Taliban government “pays attention to education, with special emphasis on religious as well as modern studies for children”, adding that “the Islamic emirate understands its importance and will work hard for its further enhancement.”

The Taliban leader also addressed the growing concerns in and outside of Afghanistan about curbs on freedom of expression in the country.

“The Islamic emirate is committed to freedom of expression in the light of Islamic principles and Sharia as well as the country’s national interests. Journalists [mindful of] the above and the principles of journalism can continue their work,” he said.

He urged Taliban officials to honour commitments with Afghan leaders and those who worked with the previous government.

“As Afghans return from abroad to their homeland, I instruct the liaison commission to fulfil all the promises made to them and ensure their safety and security,” Akhundzada said.

He insisted that Afghanistan “is the common home of all Afghans, [and] we must all take part in the reconstruction of the country. We must consider this as our national duty.”

He underlined that Afghanistan did not want enmity with anyone, saying “our arms are open to our countrymen and our friendship and enmity are based on the principles of Islam,” the Taliban leader added.

ALGIERS: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met publicly for the first time in over five years, on the sidelines of Algerian independence anniversary celebrations.

Algeria’s state broadcaster reported late Tuesday that representatives of the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas movement also attended this meeting, which it called “historic”.

The pair, who officially last met face-to-face in Doha in October 2016, were brought together in a meeting with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, whose country marked the 60th anniversary of independence from France.

Abbas’ secular Fatah party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority that rules the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has been at loggerheads with Hamas since elections in 2007, when the movement took control of Gaza.

Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank

Tebboune and Abbas also signed a document to name a street “Algeria” in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Palestinian killed

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Wednes­day as he was attempting to flee an army raid, officials on both sides said.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the man as Rafiq Riyad Ghannem, 20, saying he was shot by Israeli troops in Jaba, a town near the flashpoint city of Jenin in the northern West Bank.

Israel’s military said it had conducted “counterterrorism activity” in Jaba early on Wednesday.