Astana, Kazakhstan( AA/DT) – Kazakhstan on Tuesday hosted the second Germany-Central Asia summit in the capital Astana, which saw the participation of all five presidents from the region and visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Ahead of the meeting, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev welcomed Scholz to the Independence Palace hosting the summit, in addition to his Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek counterparts.
Speaking in an opening address to the summit, Tokayev thanked Scholz and his Central Asian counterparts for their participation in the meeting, and that dialogue in the format, which was first launched in Berlin last September, has “become regular and trusting,” said a statement by the press service of the Kazakh presidency.
“I consider this evidence of the interest and desire of the Central Asian states and Germany to comprehensively develop a regional strategic partnership,” Tokayev was quoted as saying.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2024. Photo : UZBEK PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT
Expressing that Germany’s socio-economic, scientific, and technological progress is a good example for many countries, Tokayev said they highly appreciate Germany’s commitment to developing an equal partnership with all countries in Central Asia.
He further said that increasing trade turnover and expanding cooperation in energy are two major priorities for them, indicating that Kazakhstan is ready to increase oil exports to the German market and develop green energy.
“Our country, together with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, is developing a project to build a line for the transmission of green energy along the bottom of the Caspian Sea and further to European countries. We invite German partners to consider the possibility of participating in this strategic project,” Tokayev also said.
He went on to note the bolstering of industrial cooperation, strengthening transport and logistics interconnectivity, and the development of scientific and educational ties as other key priorities.
“Our countries closely interact in a multilateral format, including within the framework of the United Nations. We intend to continue to resolutely support the efforts of this uncontested universal organization in the fight against terrorism, extremism, illegal migration and climate change, and peacekeeping and disarmament,” he added.
The statement said a joint statement was adopted following the talks.
Scholz arrived in Astana as part of a three-day official visit to Central Asia, which commenced with a visit to neighboring Uzbekistan on Sunday.
RUSSIA (RFE) – Russia’s Investigative Committee said on September 17 that nine people were arrested in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk after the deaths of three people who died while receiving IV treatments.
Those arrested were charged with providing illegal medical services at home for fees. According to the officials, the suspects illegally used strong and psychotropic substances through IV drips to people suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction without proper diagnoses. A search of the suspects’ homes allegedly uncovered a large amount of illegal medical substances.
New Delhi, India (DT) – Prime Minister of India will be traveling to the United States to participate in the Quad Summit, scheduled to take place from September 21 to 23.
During the visit, Prime Minister will take part in the fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, which is being hosted by the President of the United States of America, H.E. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on 21 September 2024.
The summit, which brings together leaders from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) nations—India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—will focus on strengthening cooperation and addressing regional and global challenges.
This high-profile visit underscores India’s commitment to bolstering strategic partnerships and engaging in crucial discussions on security and economic issues.
Following the request of the US side to host the Quad Summit this year, India has agreed to host the next Quad Summit in 2025.
At the Quad Summit, the leaders will review the progress achieved by the Quad over the last one year and set the agenda for the year ahead to assist the countries of the Indo-Pacific region in meeting their development goals and aspirations.
India will host the next Quad Summit in 2025
On 23 September, Prime Minister will address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The theme of the Summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.
A large number of global leaders are expected to participate in the Summit. On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister would be holding bilateral meetings with several world leaders and discuss issues of mutual interest.
While in New York, Prime Minister will address a gathering of the Indian community on 22 September.
Prime Minister would also be interacting with CEOs of leading US-based companies to foster greater collaborations between the two countries in the cutting-edge areas of AI, quantum computing, semiconductors and biotechnology. Prime Minister is also expected to interact with thought leaders and other stakeholders active in the India-US bilateral landscape.
New Delhi, India (Reuters/DT) – India has condemned comments made by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the treatment of Muslims in the South Asian nation, calling his remarks “misinformed and unacceptable”.
“We cannot consider ourselves to be Muslims if we are oblivious to the suffering that a Muslim is enduring in Myanmar, Gaza, India, or any other place,” Khamenei said in a social media post on Monday.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued this statement on their website and social media accounts
We strongly deplore the comments made regarding minorities in India by the Supreme Leader of Iran. These are misinformed and unacceptable. Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others.
“Countries commenting on minorities are advised to look at their own record before making any observations about others,” the foreign ministry spokesperson said.
The two countries have typically shared a strong relationship, and signed a 10-year contract in May to develop and operate the Iranian port of Chabahar.
India has been developing the port in Chabahar on Iran’s south-eastern coast along the Gulf of Oman as a way to transport goods to Iran, Afghanistan and central Asian countries, bypassing the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in its rival Pakistan.
Khamenei, however, has been critical of India in the past over issues involving Indian Muslims and the troubled Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (DT/AP) — During a live debate on Sunday, Brazilian mayoral candidate José Luiz Datena, 67, violently struck his opponent, Pablo Marçal, 37, with a chair.
The altercation occurred amid a heated exchange and was broadcast by TV Cultura, with coverage from outlets including CNN, NBC, and The Washington Post. Datena, a news anchor, and Marçal, a far-right influencer, were two of the six candidates vying to become the next mayor of São Paulo, one of the world’s largest cities.
Datena, who has denied the allegations, then came over toward Marçal’s podium with the chair above his head and slammed it into Marçal’s side as the influencer put up his arms. The moderator of the TV Cultura debate then quickly interrupted and cut to commercials, and the debate resumed later Sunday night without Marçal.
Marçal’s team shared video of him subsequently rushing to a hospital in an ambulance while receiving respiratory support. He explained on social media channels Monday that he had felt pain while breathing, and had suffered a fracture at the bottom of his rib cage.
Marçal suffered “trauma to the right chest region and right wrist, without major associated complications,” the Syrian-Lebanese hospital said in a statement Monday, adding that he had been discharged.
A video on social media shows a doctor talking to Marçal in the hospital bed, telling him that he has “a little line of a fracture.” Marçal referred to the incident on social media as “attempted homicide,” and compared it to the assassination attempt against Donald Trump earlier this year and to the stabbing of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in the lead up to the 2018 presidential election.
Marçal has parlayed his internet fandom and fiery rhetoric into a nascent political movement, shooting up in the polls in recent months and now running neck-and-neck with incumbent Ricardo Nunes and leftist lawmaker Guilherme Boulos. That has drawn even greater attention to the mayoral race in Brazil’s biggest city.
An inquiry into the alleged misconduct by Datena never resulted in any charges, and it was shelved when the accuser retracted her statements.
Speaking to reporters after the debate, Datena explained that the episode had been especially painful for him because he believes it prompted his mother-in-law to suffer a series of strokes and pass away.
On Monday, Datena said in a statement that he had made a mistake, but that he did not regret it “at all.”
“If the circumstances were the same, I would not refrain from repeating the gesture, an extreme response to a history of aggression perpetrated against me and many others by my adversary,” his statement said.
Marçal’s campaign team said the debate shouldn’t have continued without him, and that it hopes appropriate legal measures will be taken against Datena.
A statement from Sao Paulo’s public security agency said the incident was registered as “bodily injury and insult” at a local police station on Sunday night, indicating that an investigation was under way.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is backing Boulos. Bolsonaro endorsed Nunes, but many supporters of the former president have rallied behind Marçal, enthralled by his persona.
BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government and Hezbollah officials said.
Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment.
A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others.
Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded — 200 of them critically.
Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.
Photos and videos from Beirut’s southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets.
Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying that they could be used by Israel to track their movements and to carry out targeted strikes.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry called on all hospitals to be on alert to take in emergency patients and for people who own pagers to get away from them. It also asked health workers to avoid using wireless devices.
AP photographers at area hospitals said the emergency rooms were overloaded with patients, many of them with injuries to their limbs, some in serious condition.
The state-run National News Agency said hospitals in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs — all areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence — had called on people to donate blood of all types.
The news agency reported that in Beirut’s southern suburbs and other areas “the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported.”
The Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media said the explosions were the result of “a security operation that targeted the devices.”
“The enemy (Israel) stands behind this security incident,” the official said, without elaborating. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.
Lithium batteries, when overheated, can smoke, melt and even catch on fire. Rechargeable lithium batteries are used in consumer products ranging from cellphones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium battery fires can burn up to 590 C (1,100 F).
The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war between Israel and Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza.
The clashes have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal.
Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.
Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, and Josef Federman, in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.
Denpasar Bali, Indonesia (REUTERS/AP/DT) — Indonesian authorities said Tuesday that they have arrested six people on drug charges on the tourist island of Bali since July.
Four could face execution under the country’s strict drug laws.
Two Thai nationals, Rachanon Jongseeha, 33, and his girlfriend Woranawan Wongsuwan, 31, were arrested upon arrival at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport on Sept. 8, with 1.9 kilograms (4.1 pounds) of methamphetamines mixed with ecstasy powder packed in 108 sachets of a fruit-flavored collagen drink, and 20 pills of the party drug ecstasy, according to provincial anti-narcotics chief Rudy Ahmad Sudrajat.
One of the Indonesian nationals was arrested at the same airport on Sept 8, while a courier, whose nationality was not given, was also arrested.
All four face the death penalty if found guilty, Mr Rudy said.
Police also arrested two Europeans in July – a Latvian man and a Swedish man.
The Latvian man – suspected of belonging to a crime syndicate in his country – faces up to 20 years in prison after being caught with 450g of hashish and 977g of marijuana.
The Swedish suspect faces up to 15 years in prison after being found with 201g of hashish at his villa.
Indonesia has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers.
There are dozens of traffickers on death row in the country, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother and a Philippine woman accused of smuggling heroin.
All four could face execution by firing squad if charged and found guilty, Sudrajat said. In Nov. 2019, a court in Bali sentenced two Thais to 16-year prison terms for smuggling 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of methamphetamine.
Sudrajat said a Latvian man, identified by the initials VS, was arrested at the airport on July 4 carrying 450.41 grams (15.8 ounces) of hashish and 977.83 grams (34.5 ounces) of marijuana concealed in his suitcase.
Sudrajat said VS had a tattoo indicating affiliation with organized crime groups in the former Soviet Union.
A Swedish man identified by the initials SUE was captured on July 31 when police raided his villa in Gianyar, a popular tourist spot, and seized 201.28 grams (7 ounces) of hashish, following a tip that SUE had received a suspicious package by mail from Thailand, Sudrajat said. He faces up to 15 years on charges of possession.
Indonesia has dozens of convicted drug smugglers on death row. Its last executions were carried out in July 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by firing squad.
In May 2019, a French citizen was sentenced to death on Lombok, an island next to Bali, for smuggling 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of ecstasy before a higher court commuted his sentence to 19 years in prison.
Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including five women and four children.
A strike flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people there, including four women and two children. The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the toll and also said 13 people were wounded. Hospital records show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings.
Another strike on a home in Gaza City killed six people, including a woman and two children, according to the Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government.
Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack triggered the Israel-Hamas war nearly a year ago. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
Poland’s government declared a disaster in affected areas
EUROPE (AFP/REUTERS/DT/AP) – The death toll continued to rise in Central European countries on Sunday, September 15, following days of heavy rainfall that led to widespread flooding and forced evacuations. Nations such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania have already experienced severe flooding.
Slovakia and Hungary may face similar challenges due to a low-pressure system from northern Italy, which has been dumping record amounts of rain in the region since Thursday. Many rivers across Central Europe have overflowed, inundating towns and causing some of the worst flooding in at least two decades.
On Monday, the Polish government declared a disaster in the affected areas and allocated $260 million to assist victims. Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland, along with other impacted countries, would seek financial aid from the European Union.
The southern Polish town of Klodzko remained submerged on Monday, following significant damage in border regions between the Czech Republic and Poland over the weekend. The surging water levels have caused bridge collapses, forced evacuations, and left a path of widespread destruction.
The floods have claimed six lives in Romania and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people who were swept away by waters were missing, police said.
Most parts of the Czech Republic have been affected as authorities declared the highest flood warnings at around 100 places across the country. But the situation was worst in two northeastern regions that recorded the biggest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border.
Polish rescuers and soldiers evacuate local residents in the village of Rudawa, southern Poland, on September 15, 2024. One person has drowned in Poland and an Austrian fireman has died responding to floods, authorities said, as Storm Boris lashed central and eastern Europe with torrential rains. Since Thursday, September 12, 2024, swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have been hit by high winds and unusually fierce rainfall. The storm had already caused the death of five people in Romania, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes across the continent. Photo : Sergei GAPON / AFP
In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 people out of a population of around 56,000 have been asked to move to higher ground. Rescuers used boats to transport people to safety in a neighborhood flooded by the raging Opava River.
“There’s no reason to wait,” Mayor Tomáš Navrátil told Czech public radio. He said that the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century.”
“We have to focus on saving lives,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government was set to meet Monday to assess the damages. The worst ” is not behind us yet,” the prime minister warned. President Petr Pavel sounded more optimistic, saying “it’s obvious we’ve learned a lesson from the previous crisis.”
Thousands of others also were evacuated in the towns of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Cesky Tesin. The Oder River that flows to Poland was reaching extreme levels in the city of Ostrava and in Bohumin, prompting evacuations. Ostrava, the regional capital, is the third-largest Czech city. Mayor Jan Dohnal said the city will face major traffic disruptions in the days to come. Almost no trains were operating in the region.
Authorities declared the entire state of Lower Austria in the northeastern part of the country a disaster zone, while 10,000 relief forces have so far evacuated 1,100 houses there. Emergency personnel have started setting up accommodation for residents who had to flee their homes due to the flooding. The municipality of Lilienfeld with about 25,000 residents is cut off from the outside world. Residents were told to boil tap water as a precaution.
The situation is particularly dangerous along the Kamp River, which flows into the Danube.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said the situation “continues to worsen.” He said 2,400 soldiers were ready to support the relief effort in Austria. Of those, 1,000 soldiers will deploy to the disaster zone in Lower Austria, where dams were beginning to burst.
Romania reports two more flooding victims
Romanian authorities said Sunday that another two people had died in the hard-hit eastern county of Galati after four were reported dead there a day earlier, following unprecedented rain.
This aerial photograph taken on September 15, 2024 shows local residents being evacuated by Polish rescuers in the village of Rudawa, southern Poland. SERGEI GAPON / AFP
In Poland, one person was presumed dead in floods in the southwest, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sunday. Tusk said the situation was “dramatic” around the town of Klodzko, with about 25,000 residents, located in a valley in the Sudetes mountains near the border with the Czech Republic. Helicopters were used to pick up people from roofs in a few cases.
A bridge in the town collapsed under flood pressure and a police station building was knocked down in Stronie Śląskie after floodwaters burst through a dam. Submerged cars could be seen in many places in the Kłodzko Valley region bordering the Czech Republic, while a new flood wave was expected there.
In the city of Jelenia Gora, which has 75,000 residents, downtown streets were flooded after one of the embankments burst on the Bobr River. City authorities have warned residents they may need to evacuate as more flooding was moving toward the city. Energy supplies and communications were cut off in some flooded areas, and regions may resort to using the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said.
Florida, USA (AFP) – A man suspected of plotting to assassinate former US president Donald Trump was charged with federal gun crimes on Monday.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance.
Routh, who was arrested on Sunday after an alleged abortive bid to shoot the Republican presidential candidate at his West Palm Beach golf course, is expected to face further charges at a later date.
Routh appeared calm during the brief court hearing before Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe of the Southern District of Florida, answering “yes” in a soft voice to several questions.
A bond hearing was scheduled for September 23 and an arraignment on further potential charges was set for September 30, according to US media.
Routh was arrested on Sunday after a US Secret Service agent on the president’s security detail saw what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle pointing out of a tree line on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Course, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI special agent.
“The Agent fired his/her service weapon in the direction of the rifle,” the complaint said.
Trump, who was slightly wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, was several hundred yards away when the golf course shooting occurred and was unharmed.
A man later identified as Routh was seen by a witness fleeing the area in a Nissan sport utility vehicle at high speed, the complaint said.
Routh was arrested by local police shortly afterward and replied in the “affirmative” when asked if he knew why he was being stopped, it said.
According to the complaint, a “loaded SKS-style, 7.62×39 caliber rifle with a scope,” a digital camera, a backpack and a black plastic bag containing food were recovered from the tree line.
Routh is reported to be a self-employed builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.
He regularly posted about politics and current events on social media, including criticism of Trump, according to US media.
According to the criminal complaint, he was convicted in North Carolina in December 2002 of “possession of a weapon of mass death and destruction.”
He was convicted in North Carolina in 2010 of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods, it said.
Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum five-year sentence.
