Russia spy chief says Nato will fail to inflict strategic defeat on Moscow
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2023
One of Russia’s top spies forecast on Wednesday that the Nato military alliance would fail to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Moscow, despite sending billions of dollars worth of weapons and military hardware to Ukraine.
Sergei Naryshkin, who heads up Russia’s SVR Foreign Intelligence Service and is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, accused Nato of upping the ante in the conflict by supplying Kyiv with more advanced weapons.
“Nato is raising the stakes because they still have dreams of a strategic defeat over Russia,” Naryshkin said in a televised interview with the state-run Ria news agency released on Wednesday.
“But this will not happen.” His comments come as the United States is readying its latest package of military aid for Ukraine, worth some $2 billion. Supplies are expected to include rockets with a range of up to 150 kilometers (94 miles) for the first time.
Washington has previously been hesitant to supply Kyiv with such long-range weapons, apparently fearing they could be used in attacks on Russia itself, which could bring Moscow and Nato closer to the brink of direct conflict.
Naryshkin criticized Washington’s latest promises of military aid, saying Moscow had “taken note of the expansion in both the volume and the range of military equipment being supplied.”
He said the United States and its allies were “determined to wage war with Russia to the last Ukrainian.”
Following promises by the United States, Germany and several other European countries to deliver dozens of tanks to Ukraine, Russian officials such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov have accused Nato countries of taking a more active role in the war.
Kyiv and the West say military supplies are vital to help Ukraine defend itself against what they say is an illegal war of aggression being waged by Russia which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year in what it called a “special military operation.”
Bolsonaro addresses supporters after applying for US tourist visa
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2023
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro addressed a crowd of supporters during an event at a restaurant in the Dezerland amusement park in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro recently applied for a six-month tourist visa to remain in the United States, his lawyer said this week, despite calls for any US visas held by Bolsonaro to be revoked following violent protests in Brasilia.
The United States received his application on Friday last week, his lawyer, Felipe Alexandre, said, adding that Bolsonaro will remain in the United States while his application is pending.
The Financial Times first reported that Bolsonaro had requested a tourist visa.
A State Department spokesperson said visa records are confidential under US law, adding that the department cannot discuss details of individual visa cases.
Far-right Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1 and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office, before the former president’s supporters stormed the country’s capital.
Supporters of Bolsonaro ransacked Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace, calling for a military coup to overturn the October election that Lula won.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has agreed to open an investigation into Bolsonaro for allegedly encouraging anti-democratic protests that ended in the storming of government buildings by his supporters in Brasilia.
Earlier this month, 41 Democratic members of the US House of Representatives asked US President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday to cooperate with Brazil’s investigation into violent protests in Brasilia and revoke any US visas held by Bolsonaro.
The State Department has said repeatedly its policy is not to discuss specific visa cases.
The State Department has said it was incumbent on an individual who entered the United States on a so-called “A” visa reserved for diplomats and heads of state to depart the country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer engaged in official business. Bolsonaro is believed to have entered on such a visa.
Two years on, Myanmar coup still committing ‘crimes against humanity’ – UN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2023
Two years after Myanmar’s Feb. 1, 2021, military coup, which unseated Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, it has left a trail of upended lives in its wake.
US-based conflict monitoring group Acled says about 19,000 people died last year as a crackdown on protests led many to take up arms against the military.
Some 1.2 million people have been displaced and over 70,000 have left the country, according to the United Nations, which has accused the military of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Myanmar’s military says it is carrying out a legitimate campaign against “terrorists.” It did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.
The UN special envoy at the United Nations on Tuesday said it was the “second anniversary of the failure of we, as an international community, to effectively address this crisis.”
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, issued a report, “Illegal and Illegitimate: Examining the Myanmar Military’s Claim as the Government of Myanmar and the International Response.”
“It’s extremely important that we, as an international community, understand the extraordinarily important role that we play in either recognizing the legitimacy or the illegitimacy of the military junta and that’s what this paper is all about,” he said. “There are three things that the junta needs to sustain itself, it needs money, it needs weapons and it needs legitimacy. The junta does not have legitimacy in the eyes of the people of Myanmar.”
Chinese yearning for overseas trips in 2023: Report
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023
A recent report by tourism website Qyer unveiled that most Chinese visitors plan to travel overseas within a year, as the country’s adjusted Covid-19 response has lifted restrictions on overseas trips.
It revealed that Chinese travellers are yearning for overseas trips — 75.4 % of the subjects paid attention to outbound tourism content while they were browsing travel tips.
About 38.5 % of the subjects wanted to have an outbound travel within half a year and 12 % planned to do so during the approaching Spring Festival holiday. Over half said they wanted to have a 10-day overseas trip.
They were most concerned about air ticket prices and the destinations’ policy toward Chinese tourists. The search volume about outbound travel, such as overseas hotels and visas, on Qyer had a sudden increase.
The report showed that Chinese visitors were most interested in natural scenery, famous destinations, exotic culture, food and shopping concerning outbound travel. Their most favourite overseas destinations of 2023 were Thailand, Japan, Spain, France, the United States, Italy, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Most subjects believed that travel was an inevitable part of life. In 2022, over half of them travelled twice in China and about 20 % travelled four times.
Last year, the most popular among Chinese visitors were short-distance trips, delicious local food, culture and arts activities, outdoor tourism and parents travelling with children. Hiking, camping and cycling were popular among outdoor travellers.
They preferred to gain inspiration for their travel plans from tourism tips sharing platforms, recommendations from travel influencers, online platforms and friends, and shooting locations from films, television and variety shows.
The top 10 popular domestic destinations of 2022 were Hangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, Sanya, Chongqing, Shanghai, Lijiang, Suzhou, Macao and Dali.
Philippine police chief on ICC’s drug war deaths probe: We’re not hiding anything
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday maintained that it is not concealing anything as it called on the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) to respect the country’s sovereignty and recognize that its judicial system can investigate the drug war killings during the previous administration.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. assured the public on Monday that they are “fully cooperating” with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in reviewing the cases of its personnel found liable for procedural lapses in anti-illegal drugs operations.
“We are not hiding anything,” Azurin stressed in a news briefing. “What we are asking is for ICC to also give due respect to the judicial processes that we have in our country because we are a sovereign country. We have our own judicial proceedings.”
Azurin then urged the ICC to instead submit evidence should they find any. He, however, reiterated that the country’s judicial bodies “will do the process.”
“It’s a matter of reaching out — who are these people complaining to the ICC so that they can engage us. And we promise, the PNP will help to make sure that they will be served justice if that’s what they’re asking for,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Azurin further said: “The PNP is committed to upholding the rule of law in all our actions, and we call on ICC and all international bodies to respect the jurisdiction and sovereignty of our country to address these cases under Philippine laws.”
52, so far, facing raps During the time of former PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar, some 300 cases against police personnel who allegedly committed procedural lapses in anti-illegal drug operations were submitted to the DOJ, according to Azurin.
Formal cases were lodged against 52 PNP personnel.
“That’s why we don’t see any reason why the ICC would come in to investigate because there are continuous investigations being done by the police in tandem with the Department of Justice (DOJ),” the top cop said.
Azurin noted that no additional cases have so far been forwarded since he assumed the helm of the PNP, but he assured the public that they are frequently looking into drug war-related cases involving police personnel.
Last week, the ICC said it would resume the full-blown probe into the numerous deaths in Duterte’s bloody drug war and the Davao death squad killings.
DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, however, called this move an insult to the government’s justice system which, he argued, is already conducting its own investigations on the matter.
Several lawmakers and human rights groups welcomed the ICC call as they urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to cooperate with the probe and prove that the Philippines, under his administration, is an ally of human rights.
Sinking towns, crumbling homes show cost of India’s infrastructure push in Himalayas
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023
Jaswant Singh Butola says he is shocked by the state of his village of Maroda, as he, like hundreds of others around the northern Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, will be forced to abandon his home where his family have lived for generations.
The land around the village of 45 households began subsiding around 18 months ago, Butola said, when work started on a new railway line that the Indian government is building deep into the Himalayas.
“Generations after generations have lived here. And now this is the condition of the village. This is unimaginable,” Butola told Reuters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s government is on an overdrive to bring large-scale infrastructure into the Himalayas, building hydro-power plants, railway lines and highways — including strategically vital roads to support military deployments on the fractious border with China.
But some of these projects, located in unstable mountainsides once covered by glaciers, are unsettling the delicate ecological balance in the Himalayas, triggering landslides, flash floods and now the destruction of settlements.
The focus in recent weeks has been on Joshimath, about 100 kilometres (km) north of Maroda, where over 850 buildings have developed cracks and some completely crumbled since early January, forcing more than 900 people out of their homes.
“All their memories are from here. Everyone is leaving. What can we do,” said 68-year-old resident, Ganeshi Rawat, as she was reminiscing about her children growing up in her home that she is now having to leave.
Around the town, the government’s largest power producer, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), did not conduct relevant studies before digging a tunnel for its 520-megawatt hydropower plant, according to two experts involved in the initial planning for the project.
State authorities last year noted that there was also improper drainage throughout Joshimath, which resulted in rainwater and wastewater seeping into the mountain, and cavities forming from the removal of soil.
“We definitely need development, but we need sustainable development,” urged 26-year-old Shubham Rawat who moved back to his hometown to start a business.
The conditions in Joshimath have resulted in over 220 families being shifted to relief camps in the safer areas in the area, the Chamoli District Magistrate told Reuters.
The 120-billion-rupee ($1.48 billion) Char Dham project, one of many helmed by the Modi government to expand Himalayan connectivity, was green-lit by the Supreme Court in December 2021 partly because the wide highways would help the military. Environmental groups had challenged the project in the courts since 2018.
Construction on 83 km of tunnels, part of the 125 km railway project from Rishikesh to Karnaprayag, was
completed on January 7, according to the federal railway ministry, even as reports from the crisis in Joshimath had started making headlines.
sanook.com, Thailand’s news website and entertainment portal, on Monday, announced winners of ‘Sanook’s Top of the Year Awards 2022’ in 14 award categories.
As the third consecutive event of the annual entertainment awards program by sanook.com, this year’s event reached its all-time high with over 250 million votes from entertainment fans nationwide during its 22-day voting period and drew more than 70 million visits to the website – another reaffirmation of sanook.com’s status as one of Thailand’s most engaging platforms for quality news and entertainment.
Kanokporn Prachayaset, Chief Commercial Officer at Tencent (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said, ” Sanook’s Top of the Year Awards is now in its third year, presenting awards to the best in each category to recognize award-winning actors, artists, and people behind award-winning works. This annual entertainment awards program is also open for the general public to show support for their favourite actors, artists and works by means of voting, which has witnessed enormous response from voters since its first year.”
“Sanook’s Top of the Year Awards 2022” voting ran on sanook.com website for 22 days from December 26, 2022 to January 16, 2023.
It registered over 250 million votes, an all-time high since the launch of this annual awards program. Sanook’s Top of the Year Awards 2022 went to the best actors, artists and works in 14 award categories as follows.
Shipped Couple of the Year: Zee – NuNew Actor of the Year: Win Metawin Actress of the Year: Yaya Urassaya Rising Male Star of the Year: NuNew Chawarin Rising Female Star of the Year: Sarah Salola Shippers’ Series of the Year: Cutie Pie Series Chinese Series of the Year: The Oath of Love Thai Series/TV Drama of the Year: To Sir, With Love (ONE 31) Viral Thai Song of the Year: Silent Mode (PROXIE) Thai Song of the Year: Chop Tua Eng Ton Yu Kap Thoe (BILLKIN) Artist of the Year: Nont Tanont T-pop Artist of the Year: 4EVE Young Icon of the Year: PP Krit Inspiring Woman of the Year: Engfa Waraha
“We believe that Sanook’s Top of the Year Awards will give actors, artists, series production companies, music labels, and people in the entertainment industry a good dose of encouragement and the drive to create quality works for people. It will also serve as a platform for fans to show support to their favourite artists. And to engage fans, we are allocating our website space for the fanbase of award-winners to promote their favorite artists at no cost to them! Look forward to more details about this on sanook.com soon. At sanook.com, we continue to create a variety of content and exclusive activities to keep the users delighted with informative and entertaining content and reaffirm our position as the leading news and entertainment portal for Thais,” Kanokporn concluded.
Kotwada Airport in Kalikot is finally readying for operations, 37 years after it was built. The runway of the airport located in the mountains of western Nepal was blacktopped recently, raising hopes of locals.
In 2016, Tara Air had conducted a test flight, but no passenger services have been operated since.
Local resident Nara Bahadur Bista worked as a labourer at the construction site when he was 33 years old. Bista, now 75, says, “I also worked as a volunteer for a month at the airport.”
Bista is happy that the airport’s runway has been blacktopped. “I am hopeful that flights will start soon.”
The airport would have been a lifesaver for the people of Kalikot if it had been put into service when there were no roads linking the district. Now roads have reached the villages.
“But the airport is still important because the road gets blocked frequently,” Bista said.
The company that received the contract for the blacktopping work is scheduled to hand over the airport to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal on January 29.
Structures like terminal tower, security building, toilets and parking space have been completed.
Technician Kedar KC, who was involved in the airport’s construction, said that improvement work was being done on the water supply, electricity and runway.
“All the contract work will be completed by mid-February,” he said. “Regular flight operations can be done from that date,” he said.
Gauri-Parbati Shyam and Shankar JV were awarded the contract for the blacktopping of the 690-metre runway at a cost of Rs138.6 million.
According to the airport office, a sum of Rs150.14 million has been spent.
The Civil Aviation Authority claims that the runway at Kotwada Airport is longer and wider than at Mugu, Dolpa and Humla in Karnali. Aircraft can land and take off from either end of the runway.
“Kotwada Airport will make it convenient for the residents of Narharinath, Raskot, Sannitriveni, Pachaljharna, Palata, Khadachakra and Ramarosan in Achham,” said Ratna Singh Saud, principal of Nandadevi Higher Secondary School, Kotwada.
Nagendra Bahadur Bista, chief of Narharinath Rural Municipality, said locals of Narharinath had been dreaming of the airport for years. “The runway has been blacktopped, and now there is a need to take steps for regular flights,” he said.
“Now it will be easy for tourists to visit Ramaroesan, Triveni Patan and Badimalika in Achham,” he added. It will also help in providing access to health care.
Chaurjahari Airport in Rukum West, which has been out of commission for the past eight years, has been upgraded. The runway has been expanded. Flight services were operating until the airport’s runway was blacktopped.
Local resident Gopal Sharma, who is also a former finance minister of Karnali province, said the airport was being expanded to accommodate 72-seater planes. He said that the upgradation of the airport would support tourism development in Dolpa, Jumla and Jajarkot.
According to him, the Ministry of Finance has allocated a budget of Rs90 million for a detailed project report and distribution of compensation for the land to be acquired for the project’s expansion.
Chaurjahari Airport was blacktopped in August 2015 at a cost of Rs50.59 million. But there have been no flights since then.
Nepal Airlines has stopped flying to Chaurjahari as it is short of planes. But airline officials say flights were suspended for lack of passengers.
It has been six years since Nepal Airlines shut down its office in Chaurjahari. Locals worry that the airport will never come into operation again.
“Nepal Airlines has closed its office,” said Jhup Bahadur Budha, a local. “There is no hope that Nepal Airlines will resume operations.”
The air traffic controller of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has left as the airport remains closed. The control tower has been closed for years.
Kamal Lamichhane, a local, said a police station still exists at the airport to provide security. After the airport closed, locals tore down the fence around it and let their cattle graze on the grounds. “Bushes have grown around the runway,” he added.
Yadu Acharya, a local leader, said locals were travelling by road. “But it is very difficult for people who have an emergency due to lack of air services,” he said.
The airport was built in 1971 targeting Rukum West, Salyan and Jajarkot districts.
44 killed, 157 injured in blast at Peshawar Police Lines mosque
MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2023
A blast inside a mosque shook Peshawar’s area on Monday, with officials saying that at least 44 people were killed and 147 were injured.
Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Mohammad Asim confirmed the number of casualties, adding that a number of injured persons were in critical condition.
According to a list shared by the hospital, the mosque’s imam, Sahibzada Noorul Amin, was also killed in the blast.
The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the blast.
Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsood said a rescue operation was underway inside the mosque as a number of people were buried under the rubble.
“An emergency has been imposed at hospitals across the city and injured persons are being provided the best medical facilities,” the senior official said.
Speaking to the media, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that the roof of the mosque collapsed after the blast. “A number of jawans are still stuck under the rubble and rescuers are trying to pull them out.”
He said the main hall of the mosque – which had a capacity of 250 to 300 people – had collapsed but the rest of the building was still intact.
In response to a question about the nature of the blast, the official said: “The smell of explosives has been detected but it is too early to say anything substantial.”
Khan said between 300 to 400 police personnel were present in the area at the time of the blast. “It is apparent that a security lapse occurred,” the CCPO told the media.
He added that the bodies and injured persons had been moved to the LRH.
Standing alongside Khan, KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali condemned the blast and urged the people of Peshawar to donate blood for the injured, saying that it would be a “huge favour for the police”.
Former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan also called on PTI workers in Peshawar and adjoining areas to reach LRH to donate blood to the victims.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on PML-N workers to the nation to donate blood for those injured in the blast, especially those with O negative blood group.
He called on the nation, students and party workers to reach LRH without any delay and play a role in saving precious lives.
Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.
Since the talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in KP and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the outlawed TTP.
On January 22, a police vehicle narrowly escaped a bomb blast in Peshawar’s Badaber area. A day earlier, a policeman was martyred and two others were injured when unidentified assailants attacked a police post in Dheri Zardad locality of Charsadda.
On January 14, a deputy superintendent and two constables were martyred when militants, armed with automatic assault weapons, targeted the Sarband police station on the outskirts of the province’s capital, Peshawar late at night.
The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat.
Dawn.com’s correspondent at the blast site said the explosion took place at around 1:40pm as Zuhr prayers were being offered. He said personnel of the police, army and bomb disposal squad were present inside the mosque.
The reporter said a portion of the building had collapsed and several people – especially those standing in the front row during the prayers – were believed to be under it.
Visuals run on television channels showed people gathered around the collapsed wall of the mosque. Meanwhile, roads leading to the Red Zone – the area housing Governor’s House, Chief Minister Secretariat, Corps Headquarters and important defence installations – were closed down.
A witness told Dawn.com that he was performing wudhu in the mosque’s compound when a powerful explosion threw him onto the street. “My ears were blocked and I was knocked unconscious.”
Another witness said that the windows of the building adjacent to the mosque shattered because of the intensity of the blast.
Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived, said the explosion took place seconds after the imam started prayers. “I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life “.
“The screams of the people are still echoing in my mind,” he added. “People were screaming for help.”
Condemnations
In a statement issued later in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast and said that the attackers behind the incident “have nothing to do with Islam”.
“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” he said.
The premier paid tribute to the martyrs and promised that their sacrifices would not be in vain. “The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism.”
PM Shehbaz also said that a comprehensive strategy would be adopted to counter the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal government will help provinces in increasing their anti-terrorism capacity.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while condemning the attack, said that “terrorist incidents before local and general elections were meaningful”.
A tweet by PPP’s media cell quoted Bilawal as saying that strict action would be taken against terrorists, their patrons and their facilitators.
Bilawal stressed that the National Action Plan was the only solution to the issue of terrorism and promised that it would be “implemented strictly”.
He also called party workers to donate their blood to save the lives of the injured.
Later in the day, Bilawal took to his own Twitter to condemn the attack. “Deeply saddened at loss of innocent lives; my heartfelt condolences to the affected families. Such cowardly acts will not deter our resolve against acts of terrorism in Pakistan,” he said.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan also strongly condemned the “terrorist suicide attack” in Peshawar and expressed sympathies with the families of the victims.
“It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism,” he added.
Ex-human rights minister Shireen Mazari termed the bomber’s “access to a central area of the provincial capital” as another “intel failure”.
“Our police are frontline defenders against terrorists, especially in urban areas and need better resources, including equipment,” she added.
PTI’s Shibli Faraz condemned the attack but said the government had “failed to maintain security of its citizens”.
The US embassy in Islamabad extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims. “The United States stands with Pakistan in condemning all forms of terrorism,” the mission said on Twitter.
Security high-alert in Islamabad, Sindh
Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan issued directions for a “security high-alert” to be placed in the capital, a tweet by Islamabad Police said.
It said that security at all entry and exit points of the city has been increased and monitoring was being done through the “Safe City” system.
The police added that snipers had been placed at “important points and buildings” and the police were provided with thermal imaging facilities.
Meanwhile, Sindh IG Ghulam Nabi Memon issued a red alert for the province after the Peshawar blast.
“Security arrangements at mosques, imambargahs and other important religious places should be strengthened,” the provincial police chief said.
Memon also directed police to enhance patrolling and snap-checking. He said the crackdown against criminals should be made effective through monitoring and intelligence collection.
SootinClaimon.Com 