India and Nepal Forge Historic Pact for 10,000 MW Electricity Export
NEW DELHI ( DT) -Nepal and India signed a power trade agreement on Thursday for Kathmandu to export 10,000 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectricity to India over the next 10 years, officials said, in a deal they hope will draw investment to the cash-strapped Himalayan nation.
Nepal’s rivers, cascading from the Himalayas, have the potential to generate about 42,000 MW of electricity, but due to the lack of technical know-how and funds the country, wedged between China and India, produces less than 3,000 MW now.
In a landmark development, India and Nepal have entered into a pivotal agreement, solidifying their commitment to the export of 10,000 MW of electricity. The accord, signed by representatives of both nations in a ceremony held today, marks a significant stride towards fostering regional energy cooperation and addressing the growing demand for sustainable power sources.
The agreement, a testament to the enduring diplomatic ties between India and Nepal, aims to strengthen energy security in the region while promoting economic growth and sustainability. Under the terms of the pact, the seamless exchange of electricity is poised to benefit both nations, addressing energy deficits and ensuring a reliable and consistent power supply.
Leaders from both sides expressed optimism about the transformative impact this collaboration could have on the socio-economic landscape. The partnership is expected to open new avenues for cooperation in the energy sector, fostering a robust foundation for shared progress.
The signing ceremony was attended by key officials, dignitaries, and representatives from the energy sector, reflecting the shared commitment to advancing regional energy cooperation. As the pact comes into effect, it is anticipated to set a precedent for collaborative efforts in the broader South Asian region, paving the way for sustainable and mutually beneficial energy partnerships.
Stay tuned for further developments on this groundbreaking initiative that holds the promise of shaping the energy landscape in the Indian subcontinent.
“Clarity Eludes: Nepal’s Silence on Disputed Issues in Recent Meetings Raises Questions”
There is currently no clear indication as to whether Nepal has brought up any of the disputed issues, including the boundary disagreement concerning Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, as well as the potential revision of the 1950 peace and friendship treaty based on the recommendations of the Eminent Persons Group, during any of the recent meetings.
Tokyo stocks open the year 2024 with a diverse performance as the yen weakens in response to earthquake fears
Tokyo (KYODO NEWS) – Tokyo stocks were mixed Thursday, the first trading day of 2024, as exporters received a boost from the yen’s weakness following a major earthquake in central Japan while technology shares were sold, tracking their U.S. counterparts.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 175.88 points, or 0.53 percent, from Friday at 33,288.29. The broader Topix index finished up 12.40 points, or 0.52 percent, at 2,378.79.
Japanese financial markets were closed from Monday to Wednesday due to the New Year holidays.
On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by marine transportation and oil and coal product issues. Top decliners were electric appliance and precision instrument issues.
The U.S. dollar briefly strengthened to the upper 143 yen range in Tokyo, as the yen was sold on a view that the powerful earthquake that shook the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in central Japan Monday has reduced the likelihood of the Bank of Japan shifting from its ultraloose monetary policy at its January meeting, some analysts said.
At 5 p.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 143.37-39 yen compared with 143.25-35 yen in New York at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The euro was quoted at $1.0937-0938 and 156.81-85 yen against $1.0918-0928 and 156.41-51 yen in New York late Wednesday afternoon.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond ended at 0.615 percent, the same level as its previous close on Friday.
The debt was sold on reduced expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve could soon bring down interest rates after the minutes of its December policy meeting offered few indications when cuts could start, while buying came on views that the BOJ will not move from its current monetary policy in January.
Tokyo stocks recovered in the afternoon after the Nikkei benchmark index started trading by falling over two percent when participants sold technology stocks after their U.S. counterparts fell on the back of rising interest rates.
Related News : An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 rocked a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast Monday, killing at least four people and triggering tsunami and fires in the central prefecture of Ishikawa, and dampening the festive mood of New Year celebrations nationwide.
Concern over the effects of the powerful earthquake also weighed, but the index trimmed losses as investors bought on the dip and snapped up exporter-related shares on the yen’s weakness.
“Investors were reassured by U.S. futures rising after the Nikkei fell dramatically, with the yen’s weakness helping to push buybacks on automaker and machine manufacturers,” said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co.
Among technology stocks, semiconductor testing equipment maker Advantest was down 182 yen, or 3.8 percent, to 4,615 yen, while Tokyo Electron fell 1,250 yen, or 4.9 percent, to 24,005 yen.
Major exporter automaker Toyota Motor advanced 44.5 yen, or 1.7 percent, to 2,635.0 yen, while Honda Motor was up 31.0 yen, or 2.1 percent, to 1,497.0 yen, as the yen’s weakness raised prospects of higher profits when repatriating overseas earnings.
Elsewhere, Japan Airlines ended the day up 21.5 yen, or 0.8 percent, to 2,796.5 yen, its first day of trading after one of its planes caught fire in a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on the runway of Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday.
Analysts said the firm drew buying despite initial heavy selling as investors were reassured by the airline’s safety procedures, which ensured all passengers and crew survived the accident.
After truckers, Delhi Taxi Drivers Unite in Protest Against Stringent Hit-and-Run Penal Law
NEW DELHI (DT) – One day following a nationwide protest by truck drivers against a new penal provision in hit-and-run cases, leading to panic buying of fuel in various states, taxi driver associations took to the streets in the national capital on Wednesday. This protest unfolded despite assurances from the Home Ministry received on Tuesday.
The protesters, armed with banners and slogans, voice their concerns regarding the implications of the new law on their profession. Many argue that the stringent penalties may disproportionately affect drivers who might face unforeseen circumstances while on the road.
The protest has garnered attention from both local residents and policymakers, sparking a renewed dialogue on the balance between road safety and fair treatment of drivers. Authorities are urged to engage in discussions with the protesting drivers to address their grievances and find a middle ground that ensures safety without unduly burdening those in the transportation industry.
As the demonstration gains momentum, the city anticipates further developments in the ongoing dialogue between taxi drivers and relevant authorities, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts in shaping fair and effective legislation. Stay tuned for updates on this evolving situation.
Hundreds of transporters gathered at Jantar Mantar to voice their objections to the recently proposed section in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita bill. According to the new clause, an individual could be subjected to a maximum penalty of 10 years if they flee the scene of an accident.
Various transport unions, such as the Delhi Auto Taxi Transport Congress, All Drivers’ Kalyan, Safety Driver Sangathan from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, All Driver Kalyan Sangh, Maharashtra Rickshaw Panchal, and All India Auto Taxi Transport Sangathan, actively participated in the protest.
Putin offers citizenship to foreigners who fight for Russia against Ukraine
Moscow (Reuters/Fox News) – President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on Thursday allowing foreign nationals who fight for Russia in Ukraine to obtain Russian citizenship for themselves and their families.
The order said people who have signed contracts during what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine can apply to get Russian passports for themselves and their spouses, children and parents. They must provide documents showing that they signed up for a minimum of one year.
Those eligible include people who have signed contracts with the regular armed forces or other “military formations” – a description that could apply to groups such as the Wagner mercenary organisation.
The measure appeared to be aimed at creating additional incentives for foreigners with military experience to apply to join Russian ranks.
Moscow does not publish data on the number of foreigners fighting on its side in Ukraine. However, Reuters has reported previously on Cubans who signed up for the military in return for bonuses equivalent to more than 100 times the average Cuban monthly salary, and three Africans recruited by Wagner, of whom two were killed in action.
The statistic was highlighted in a declassified U.S. intelligence report that found Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 with 360,000 troops, a source familiar with the document told Reuters at the time.
The report also said Russia started the war with 3,100 tanks but has since lost 2,200 of them, and after backfilling its army with T-62 tanks produced in the 1970s, it only has about 1,300 tanks on the battlefield, according to Reuters, citing the source.
Global intelligence reports have shown extensive efforts by Russian agents to field combatants in the conflict from foreign countries.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said no further mobilisation is needed, however, because hundreds of thousands of men signed voluntary contracts last year to become professional soldiers.
Rescuers work at the site of a destroyed apartment building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo : (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has disclosed the extent of its losses in the 22-month war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last month that his military had proposed mobilising 450,000-500,000 more people, and the Kyiv parliament on Thursday began reviewing a contested piece of draft legislation that would tighten and expand mobilisation rules.
Biden’s kicking off 2024 by delving into some of the country’s darkest moments
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is starting the campaign year by evoking the Revolutionary War to mark the third anniversary of the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and visiting the South Carolina church where a white gunman massacred Black parishioners — seeking to present in the starkest possible terms an election he argues could determine the fate of American democracy.
On Saturday, Biden will travel to near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, where George Washington and the Continental Army spent a bleak winter nearly 250 years ago. There, he’ll decry former President Donald Trump for the riot by a mob of his supporters who overran the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Two days later, the president will visit Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, where nine people were shot and killed in a June 2015 white supremacist attack.
Biden’s kicking off 2024 by delving into some of the country’s darkest moments rather than an upbeat affirmation of his record is meant to clarify for voters what his team sees as the stakes of November’s election. During both events, he will characterize his predecessor as a serious threat to the nation’s founding principles, arguing that Trump — who has built a commanding early lead in the Republican presidential primary — will seek to undermine U.S. democracy should he win a second term
“We are running a campaign like the fate of our democracy depends on it, because it does,” Biden reelection campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said on a conference call with reporters.
Trump, who faces 91 criminal charges stemming from his efforts to overturn his loss to Biden and three other felony cases, argues that Biden and top Democrats are themselves seeking to undermine democracy by using the legal system to thwart the campaign of his chief rival.
“Joe Biden and his allies are a real and compelling threat to our Democracy,” Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote in a memo this week. “In fact, in a way never seen before in our history, they are waging a war against it.”
Biden’s channeling of personal grief and national traumas, often into calls for action, has become his political calling card. Tragedies have defined the president’s own life, from the 1972 car crash that killed his first wife and infant daughter to his son Beau’s death from brain cancer at age 46 in 2015.
In 2020, Biden won the White House by promising to heal the “soul of the nation” after he said that seeing hate groups marching in Charlottesville, Virginia, with torches and swastikas in 2017 propelled him to run.
Rather than promising to bridge the nation’s partisan divide as he did four years ago, Biden will instead stress how Trump and top supporters of his “Make America Great Again” movement pose existential threats.
The president’s reelection campaign has publicized Trump’s repeating rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler when he suggested that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country,” as well as the former president joking that he’d only seek to serve as a dictator on the first day of his second term.
“The leading candidate of a major party in the United States is running for president so that he can systematically dismantle and destroy our democracy,” said Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler.
Even if another Republican beats Trump in the GOP primary, Biden’s reelection argues the victor would be similar enough to the former president that the campaign’s themes would change little.
“Anybody who wins the MAGA Republican nomination is going to have done so by hard-tacking to the most extreme positions that we have seen in recent American history,” Tyler said.
A majority of Americans are concerned about the future of democracy in the upcoming election — though they differ along party lines on whom poses the threat.
The Biden campaign also promised it would be “out in full force” to mark the Jan. 22 anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years, before the high court overturned the ruling in June 2022.
Biden’s team has argued that abortion access and democracy are intertwined in the upcoming election — building on the president’s warnings about Trump and “MAGA extremists” that helped Democrats defy historical precedent by retaining control of the Senate and only narrowly losing the House majority to Republicans in the 2022 midterms.
Brother of powerful Colombian senator pleads guilty in New York to narcotics smuggling charge
New York (AP) — The brother of a powerful leftist senator in Colombia pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal narcotics charges as part of a sting in which he offered to introduce U.S. drug informants to dissident guerrillas who could help smuggle huge quantities of cocaine to New York.
Álvaro Córdoba, dressed in prison garb, entered a plea in Manhattan federal court to a single count of conspiring to send 500 grams (17 ounces) or more of cocaine into the U.S. He will be sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison but could also face more than two decades behind bars under sentencing laws. His plea does not contain any promise to cooperate with law enforcement.
“I knew that the cocaine would end up in the United States and I knew what I was doing was wrong,” Córdoba, who will be sentenced in April, told Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Córdoba, 64, was arrested in Medellin, Colombia, in 2022 and extradited to the U.S. almost a year ago by President Gustavo Petro, who was elected with the support of Córdoba’s sister, Sen. Piedad Córdoba. The case was something of a minefield for Petro, given his historic ties to the left as a former rebel himself and his newfound role as commander in chief of security forces that have long served as the United States’ caretaker in fighting narcotics smuggling in the South American nation.
Piedad Córdoba has been a harsh U.S. critic who, under previously conservative Colombian rule, promoted closer ties to Venezuela’s socialist government and more support for traditionally overlooked Afro-Colombian communities.
While prosecutors have not accused the senator of any involvement in the drug conspiracy, her brother’s court-appointed attorney, John Zach, suggested in an October hearing that agents for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration instructed informants to target the politician. And the senator herself likened the sting against her and her brother to the manhunt decades ago that brought down Medellin cartel boss Pablo Escobar.
But her complaints of “political persecution” fell on deaf ears, with Petro signing off on Córdoba’s extradition shortly after he was elected. Petro’s decision was taken as a hopeful sign in Washington, which has relied on Colombia’s support for more than two decades to limit the supply of cocaine entering the U.S. More recently, however, Petro has lambasted the U.S.-led war on drugs.
Zach declined to comment. The Associated Press sent an email requesting comment to Sen. Córdoba.
Although much of the U.S. case against Álvaro Córdoba remains sealed, Colombian court records from his attempt to block extradition show that a DEA confidential source approached him saying that he was looking for protection inside Colombia to smuggle as much as 3 tons (2.7 metric tons) of cocaine per month through Mexico to New York.
Córdoba then put the source in touch with an associate who said he had a large amount of “chickens” —
Córdoba also allegedly offered to make arrangements for the DEA source to visit a clandestine camp in southern Colombian jungles where 300 guerrillas armed with surface-to-air missiles and other weapons would supply and provide safe passage for the narcotics. The rebel unit was run by a holdout commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who refused to go along with a 2016 peace deal that Piedad Córdoba helped broker, prosecutors said.
Right before Christmas in 2021, Córdoba and an associate delivered to the confidential source and an undercover Colombian official a 5-kilo (11-pound) sample of cocaine in exchange for $15,000, authorities said. A few months later, Córdoba was arrested. After being extradited to New York, additional weapons charges against him were dropped.
Associated Press (BY LARRY NEUMEISTER AND JOSHUA GOODMAN)
Runway crash in Tokyo, Investigators concentrate on air traffic communication following a tragic
TOKYO (AP) — A transcript of communication between traffic control and two aircraft that collided and burst into flames at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport showed that only the larger Japan Airlines passenger flight was given permission to use the runway where a coast guard plane was preparing for takeoff.
An orange fireball erupted from both aircraft on Tuesday evening as the JAL flight 516 continued down the runway covered in flames and spewing gray smoke. Within 20 minutes, all 379 passengers and crew members slid down emergency chutes and survived. The pilot of the coast guard plane — a Bombardier Dash-8 — evacuated with injuries but five crew members were killed.
The Transport Ministry on Wednesday released a transcript of air traffic control communication of about 4 minutes and 25 seconds just before the crash. It showed no clear takeoff approval was given to the coast guard plane. According to the text, the Tokyo air control gave the JAL Airbus A350 permission to land on Runway C, noting that there is a departing plane, with the JAL pilot repeating the instruction.
The coast guard plane said it was taxiing to the same runway, and the traffic control instructs it to proceed to the stop line ahead of the runway. The controller noted the coast guard gets the departure priority, and the pilot said he was moving to the stop line.
Their communication in the script ends there. Two minutes later, there was a three-second pause, apparently indicating the time of the collision.
Police began a separate probe into possible professional negligence. Tokyo police said that investigators examined the debris on the runway and were conducting interviews. They said 17 JAL passengers were slightly injured.
The JAL plane had flown from Shin Chitose airport near the northern city of Sapporo, and the coast guard Bombardier was preparing to depart for Niigata to deliver relief supplies to the central regions hit by powerful earthquakes on Monday that killed more than 60 people.
On Wednesday, six experts from the Japan Transport Safety Board examined what remained of the aircraft, the board said. TV footage showed the severely damaged A350’s wings among the charred, broken parts of fuselage. The smaller coast guard plane resembled a mound of rubble. Board investigator Takuya Fujiwara said his team recovered flight data and voice recorders from the Bombardier for analysis.
Investigators plan to interview the pilots, officials as well as air traffic control officials to find out how the two planes simultaneously ended up on the runway, JTSB said.
The two sides had different understandings of their permission to use the runway.
JAL Managing Executive Officer Tadayuki Tsutsumi told a news conference late Tuesday that the A350 was making a “normal entry and landing” on the runway and that the pilot said he did not recognize the Bombardier. Another JAL executive, Noriyuki Aoki, said the flight had received permission to land.
The burn-out Japanese coast guard aircraft is seen at rear behind the logo of Japan Airline at Haneda airport on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)
Air traffic officials gave the JAL airliner permission to land while telling the coast guard pilot to wait before entering the runway, the Transport Ministry transcript showed. But according to an NHK television report, the coast guard pilot said he was given permission to take off. The coast guard said officials were verifying that claim.
All passengers and crew members left their baggage and slid down the escape chutes within 20 minutes of the landing as smoke filled the cabin of the burning aircraft — an outcome praised by aviation experts. Videos posted by passengers showed people covering their mouths with handkerchiefs as they ducked down and moved toward the exits. Some passengers told news media they felt safe only after reaching a grassy area beyond the tarmac.
“The entire cabin was filled with smoke within a few minutes. We threw ourselves down on the floor. Then the emergency doors were opened and we threw ourselves at them,” Swedish passenger Anton Deibe, 17, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “The smoke in the cabin stung like hell.”
Even after safely evacuating the aircraft, passengers on the tarmac were struck with new horror as flames engulfed the plane and one of the jet engines whirred to life as if it was about to take off, William Manzione, who was on the flight, said. The crew shouted for them to run away from the plane.
The burn-out wreckages of the Japan Airlines plane, bottom right, and the Japanese coast guard aircraft, left top, are seen at Haneda airport on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)
“The feeling was this is about to explode,” Manzione told Sky News. “That was the biggest moment of fear for me and the other passengers.”
The fire is likely to be seen as a key test case for airplane fuselages made from carbon-composite fibers — featured on the A350 and the Boeing 787 — instead of conventional aluminum skins.
“This is the most catastrophic composite-airplane fire that I can think of. On the other hand, that fuselage protected (passengers) from a really horrific fire — it did not burn through for some period of time and let everybody get out,” safety consultant John Cox said.
Haneda’s three other runways reopened late Tuesday, but about 140 flights had been canceled Wednesday alone due to the closure of the runway, transport officials said. The airport was packed Wednesday as many holidaymakers wrapped up their New Year travel, including those who who survived the fire and spent the night at the airport or at nearby hotels, trying to change their flights.
Haneda is the busier of the two major airports serving the Japanese capital, with many international flights, and is favored by business travelers due to its proximity to central parts of the city.
Tuesday’s accident was the first severe damage to an Airbus A350, among the industry’s newest large passenger planes. It entered commercial service in 2015. Airbus said in a statement it was sending specialists to help Japanese and French officials investigating the accident, and that the plane was delivered to Japan Airlines in late 2021.
JAL operates 16 of the A350-900 version aircraft, according to its website. The twin-engine, twin-aisle A350 is used by a number of long-haul international carriers. More than 570 of the aircraft are in operation, according to Airbus.
Yamaguchi reported from Kyoto, Japan. Associated Press writers Brian Melley in London, Adam Schreck in Osaka, Japan, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.
Iran says at least 103 people killed, 211 wounded in bombing at Kerman, ceremony honoring slain general
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two bombs exploded minutes apart Wednesday at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, officials in Iran said, killing at least 103 people and wounding at least 211 as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for what appeared to be the deadliest militant attack to target Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. The blasts shook the city of Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran, and sent shrapnel hurtling into a screaming crowd fleeing the first explosion.
The gathering marked the fourth anniversary of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. The explosions occurred near his grave site as long lines of people gathered for the event.
Iranian state television and officials described the attacks as bombings, without immediately giving clear details of what happened. Ahmad Vahidi, the interior minister, told state television that the first bomb detonated around 3 p.m., with the other going off some 20 minutes later. He said the second blast killed and wounded the most people.
Images and video shared on social media appeared to correspond with officials’ accounts, which said the first blast happened about 700 meters (765 yards) from Soleimani’s grave in the Kerman Martyrs Cemetery near a parking lot. The crowd then rushed west along Shohada, or Martyrs, Street, where the second blast struck about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) from the grave.
A delayed second explosion is often used by militants to target emergency personnel responding to the scene and inflict more casualties.
Iranian state TV and state-run IRNA news agency quoted emergency officials for the casualty figures, which rose rapidly in the hours after the explosions. Authorities declared Thursday would be a national day of mourning.
An explosion has been reported on the pathway leading to Martyrs Cemetery in the southeastern Iranian city of #Kerman with no reports still available about the cause of the incident. pic.twitter.com/O9wPkUkYfl
Iran has multiple foes who could be behind the assault, including exile groups, militant organizations and state actors.
While Israel has carried out attacks in Iran over its nuclear program, it has conducted targeted assassinations, not mass casualty bombings. Sunni extremist groups including the Islamic State group have conducted large-scale attacks in the past that killed civilians in Shiite-majority Iran, though not in relatively peaceful Kerman.
Iran also has seen mass protests in recent years, including those over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022. The country also has been targeted by exile groups in attacks dating back to the turmoil surrounding its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
People stay next to an injured man after an explosion in Kerman, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahdi Karbakhsh Ravari)
Deadly blasts at commemoration for slain Iranian general
Iran itself has been arming militant groups over the decades, including Hamas, the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. As Israel wages its devastating war in Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw over 200 others taken hostage, both Hezbollah and the Houthis have launched attacks targeting Israel that they say come on behalf of the Palestinians.
Israel is suspected of launching an attack Tuesday that killed a deputy head of Hamas in Beirut, but that attack saw limited casualties in a densely populated neighborhood of the Lebanese capital.
Mohammed Abdel-Salam, a Houthi spokesman, sought to link the bombings to Iran’s “support for the resistance forces in Palestine and Lebanon.”
“All attempts by America and Israel to destabilize Iran’s security will fail,” Abdel-Salam wrote online, though he did not specifically blame anyone for the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also offered his condolences over the “heinous terrorist attacks.” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had been expected to visit Turkey on Thursday.
Soleimani was the architect of Iran’s regional military activities and is hailed as a national icon among supporters of Iran’s theocracy. He also helped secure Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government after the 2011 Arab Spring protests against him turned into a civil, and later a regional, war that still rages today.
Relatively unknown in Iran until the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Soleimani’s popularity and mystique grew after American officials called for his killing over his help arming militants with penetrating roadside bombs that killed and maimed U.S. troops.
A decade and a half later, Soleimani had become Iran’s most recognizable battlefield commander, ignoring calls to enter politics but growing as powerful, if not more, than its civilian leadership.
Ultimately, a drone strike launched by the Trump administration killed the general, part of escalating incidents that followed America’s 2018 unilateral withdrawal from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
___
Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; and Jack Jeffrey in London contributed to this report.
South Africa name new skipper and seven uncapped players for New Zealand tour
CAPE TOWN(REUTERS) – South Africa named uncapped Neil Brand as their captain for a two-match test tour of New Zealand next month where the majority of their team will be missing, competing instead in the domestic Twenty20 league.
Half of the 14-man squad named on Saturday have yet to play a test but get their opportunity because the tour clashes with the SA20, the T20 league that was launched by Cricket South Africa and Indian Premier League investors last year.
All but two of the players in the side that beat India in the Boxing Day test are competing in the SA20 league but David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen will be going to New Zealand.
Bedingham scored a half century on his test debut this week as South Africa beat India by an innings and 32 runs.
Of the party heading to New Zealand, batsmen Zubayr Hamza and Khaya Zondo have won previous test caps, along with pace pair Duanne Olivier and Dane Paterson and spinner Dane Piedt.
Brand led South Africa A to a 2-1 series win over West Indies A earlier this month.
Despite the lack of experience in the squad, coach Shukri Conrad insisted South Africa would prove competitive.
“The players picked for this tour have every chance of challenging New Zealand and we have full confidence they will do exactly that when we arrive for the first test match at Mount Maunganui,” he said in a statement announcing the team.
“Most of these guys participated in the recent ‘A’ series against West Indies where they showed that they have what it takes against players of international calibre. That experience will no doubt leave them in a better position for what we expect to be a testing series in New Zealand.”
South Africa will play a three-day warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Christchurch before the first test at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from Feb 4-8 and the second test at Seddon Park in Hamilton from Feb. 13-17
Squad: Neil Brand (captain), David Bedingham, Ruan de Swardt, Clyde Fortuin, Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana (Western Province), Duanne Olivier (DP World Lions), Dane Paterson, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Raynard van Tonder, Shaun von Berg, Khaya Zondo.
Malaysia anti-graft body probes ex-finance minister for abuse of power, money laundering, Daim Zainuddin neglected to disclose his assets despite numerous petitions from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
KUALA LUMPUR(Reuters/CNA) – Malaysia’s anti-graft agency said on Saturday it was investigating a former finance minister and key ally of ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad under the country’s abuse of power and money laundering laws.
In a statement, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed media reports this month that it had seized Ilham Tower, a 60-storey building in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, as part of its investigation into Daim Zainuddin.
Daim, 85, said in a statement on Thursday that he denied all wrongdoing and said he was not informed what offence he had allegedly committed despite repeated queries to the MACC.
He also described the probe against him as a “political witch-hunt” driven by the anti-graft agency and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who came to power last year, has vowed to weed out high-level corruption, but has faced accusations by some critics of targeting political rivals.
CNA reported last week that the multi-million-dollar Ilham Tower, a prime commercial building owned by the Daim family, had been seized after he refused to declare his and his family’s financial holdings.
According to the MACC, it issued a notice to Mr Daim on Jun 7, requesting that he declare all his assets in Malaysia and abroad.
The agency added that he had applied for an extension five times – all of which were granted on Jul 6, Aug 10, Sep 11, Oct 11 and Nov 14.
It urged the public not to speculate on the case while investigations are ongoing.
The MACC said it had asked Daim to declare his assets in June and granted five extensions to the former minister to do so — the latest on Nov. 14.
It added that “he has every opportunity to clear his name if the case is brought to the court of law.”
Daim held the finance portfolio twice: between 1984 and 1991, when he was succeeded by Anwar; and from 1999 to 2001 after Anwar was sacked by then-PM Mahathir for alleged corruption and sodomy.
Though retired from active politics, Daim remains an influential figure.
In 2018, when Mahathir came out of retirement and returned as prime minister, he appointed Daim to lead a government advisory council tasked with scrutinising everything from government policies to the management of state-linked firms.
Daim also led talks to renegotiate several deals with China, including the East Coast Rail Link project, part of Beijing’s Belt and Road programme.
