A senior Taliban diplomat urged the international community to aid Afghanistan’s recovery during a meeting in Kabul on Sunday, emphasising the destruction caused by decades of conflict. Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai called on the United Nations and international NGOs to provide support to Afghanistan in the form of technical help, economic development initiatives and agricultural cooperation. He particularly addressed countries that were previously militarily involved in Afghanistan , claiming they have a moral obligation to help rebuild the country based on the Doha Agreement. 06:51 Taliban attracts Chinese tourists to Afghanistan in an effort to boost the economy Taliban attracts Chinese tourists to Afghanistan in an effort to boost the economy Stanekzai indirectly pointed to Nato countries that took part in US-led operations, claiming
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
Nov
The joint amphibious training is announced after three countries express concerns about ‘dangerous conduct’ by the Chinese military. Japan’s troops will participate in joint training with United States Marines and Australian forces in northern Australia next year, the defence ministers from the three countries have said, as they expressed concerns over the growing threat from the Chinese military. A joint statement released on Sunday reiterated “serious concern” about destabilising actions in the East and South China seas, including “dangerous conduct” by the Chinese military against the Philippines and other vessels from the region. Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles hosted his US and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Gen Nakatani, for talks in Darwin city. They announced trilateral amphibious training between Australia, Japan and the US Marine rotational force in northern
Supreme Court justices hint at lifting freeze on IDF review after October 7 investigation stalls. By AVRAHAM BLOCH NOVEMBER 17, 2024 18:27 THE HIGH Court of Justice has been a paper tiger in everything concerning the Netanyahu bloc’s interests, says the writer (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) On Sunday, during a hearing on petitions opposing the State Comptroller’s investigation into the IDF’s actions on October 7, Supreme Court justices suggested they may lift the existing order that currently freezes the Comptroller’s review of the military’s conduct that day. “A brief additional period is necessary to complete discussions between the IDF and the State Comptroller,” Attorney Yonatan Berman from the State Attorney’s High Court Division said during the hearing. “We have not yet reached a satisfactory agreement on the issues, but we
Nov
Jones sends Miocic into retirement with a brutal back kick to the ribs on UFC 309 fight night in New York. Jon Jones has cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time by pulling off a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic to retain his heavyweight belt at the UFC 309 fight night. The 37-year-old American looked fully in control throughout the main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from leveraging his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal heel to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs. “That body shot man, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver,” a jubilant Jones said in the cage following his victory. In the aftermath, 42-year-old
Americans felt the vibe – that American wokeness and moral self-doubt were insidious weaknesses. Therefore, they ruled that the Obama era must finally end. By DAVID M. WEINBERG NOVEMBER 17, 2024 09:09 FORMER US president Barack Obama speaks during a presidential election campaign rally for then-candidate Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last month. (photo credit: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS) More than last week’s US presidential vote being a victory for Donald Trump, it was a searing defeat for Barack Obama. This month’s real headline is “Trump thrashes Obama again.” In a torrent of impassioned campaign stops over the past two months, former president Obama made it clear that this election was a referendum on his policies. He explicitly warned that unless Kamala Harris was elected president, everything that he stood for and worked
Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya. Former university student leader Chege Majuice has suggested that ex-deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is plotting revenge following his impeachment. Youth leader Chege Majuice (l). Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua (r) at a church service in Kahawa West. Photo: Chege Majuice/Rigathi Gachagua.Source: Facebook Chege claims that Gachagua has devised a strategy to attend all functions involving Kenya Kwanza officials, intending to undermine their leadership and bring them down. According to the youth leader, Gachagua’s popularity is not rooted in a genuine desire to lead the country, but rather in his potential role in dismantling President William Ruto’s regime. “Gachagua will mop the floor with you
As the war enters its 995th day, these are the main developments. Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin of combat medic Maria-Khrystyna Dvoinik, who was killed during an evacuation of wounded soldiers from the front line in Donetsk, November 15, 2024 [Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA] Here is the situation on Saturday, November 16: Fighting Russia’s Ministry of Defence said air defences downed 15 drones in the Kursk region on the Ukrainian border. The ministry said one drone each was downed in the Bryansk region, also on the border, and in Lipetsk, further north, as well as in the central Oryol region. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, a frequent target on the Ukrainian border, said a series of attacks had smashed windows in an apartment building and caused other damage, but no casualties
President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized the rising price of groceries throughout his campaign, even delivering an address outside his New Jersey home in August alongside a table covered with cereal boxes, coffee grounds and ketchup. A wave of consumer discontent appears to have helped lift him back into the Oval Office, but Trump now faces the task of how to ease voters’ frustration. Food inflation soared to a peak of more than 10% in 2022, but price increases have slowed to about 2%, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Still, the yearslong bout of rapid inflation has sent food prices soaring more than 25% since President Joe Biden took office. Typically, prices do not fall across the board unless the economy slows or even tips into recession, which would
Cairo, Egypt – The reception of the Palestine Hospital was busy as usual in early November, but the mood among the Palestinian staff was clouded by an approaching anniversary. On November 11, 2004, a thunderbolt announcement on all major networks: PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat had died in Paris – poisoned with polonium-210, according to an investigation by Al Jazeera and French, Swiss and Russian scientists. Yasser Arafat was not the only icon the Palestinian people lost that year – his brother Fathi was deathly ill as well, in a coma due to his stomach cancer. As Yasser lay ill and dying, Fathi woke from his coma suddenly and asked, “Where’s Yasser, is he OK?” Fathi’s son Tarek told Al Jazeera. He replied, back then, “He is fine, Dad, in Ramallah,”
‘Genuine impasse’ at top of government about social care plan – so what next? BBC Sir Keir Starmer’s first five months have produced little sign of a plan for Labour’s promised National Care Service – and now I’m told there is a “genuine impasse” at the top of government over what to do about social care. Health Secretary Wes Streeting publicly acknowledges “we can’t solve the NHS crisis” without improving what a government source describes as an “appalling” situation, in a system that’s meant to look after vulnerable and elderly adults in England. But multiple sources tell me the Treasury is deeply nervous about the cost and that the prime minister is yet to make a decision on how to proceed. Talks have so far failed to decide even whether
Additionally, the commissioner instructed the implementation of controlled entry and exit checkpoints in communities to enhance residents’ security and continue enforcement against crime. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 16, 2024 14:42 Newly appointed Police Commissioner Daniel Levi at a ceremony of new appointments and ranks of the Israeli police, at the Ministry of National Security in Jerusalem, on July 4, 2023. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) Police Commissioner Daniel Levi held a special situational assessment on Saturday morning following a series of violent murders in Arab communities. The commissioner directed additional reinforcements to address the surge in crime. During the briefing, senior command staff provided updates on the investigations into four separate incidents that occurred in Rahat, Ar’ara, Lod, and Kafr Qara. Commissioner Dani Levi also met with National Security Minister
Shifurah, a woman who went viral for featuring on a freestyle of the Hoozambe song, has asked for help. Why is Shifurah broke? The Ugandan vixen’s gorgeous eyes captivated Kenyan men on social media after appearing in the Hoozambe freestyle by D Star. Dazzled men said her eyes were attractive and the centre of attention in the video, which spawned the Shifura challenge in Kenya. The video showed the woman enticingly looking at the camera while seated on D Star’s lap as he sang his heart out in the company of friends. Mesmerised social media users said she was beautiful, adding that her eyes were irresistible. However, things are not going well for the vixen as she’s struggling. In a recent interview, Shifura said she is struggling because she has
THE author is an Emeritus Professor of Politics at London Metropolitan University, UK, and a regular communist in both the Daily Graphic and Daily Statesman newspapers. Prof. Haynes seeks to challenge simplistic portrayals of the political career of Flt-Lt Jerry Rawlings to examine the complex interactions between state institutions, civil society, public welfare and global influences in Ghana’s political evolution. Upon my first reading of the review copy during my leisure time, I knew it had a vast potential for intellectual trouble. It is that very fact that makes it such a valuable and worthwhile publication. For me, reading the book is just like a rare breed of sweet wine whose taste still lingers in the mouth and makes the taste buds want more. Questions The book effectively addresses many
President Marcos directs government to prepare for ‘worst-case scenario’, with millions at risk from storm surges. The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm in a month – approaches the archipelago. Packing winds of 240km/h (149mph), Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA. “Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that was expected to make landfall near the province of Catanduanes on Saturday night or early on Sunday. It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated. Man-yi was heading towards the eastern part of
Lawmakers running for reelection loathe tough votes. And for senators up in purple states in two years, those tough votes are coming early. President-elect Donald Trump is moving at a lightning pace to stock up his administration, mixing in conventional picks like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state with controversial moves like putting up Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for health and human services secretary. For frontline senators who hold the key to the next Senate majority, navigating their confirmations will be a minefield. Republicans will be defending the seats of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, while Democrats will be working to protect Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. Their confirmation votes for