Three dead as Taliban open fire on protesters

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Updated 18 August 2021
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Three dead as Taliban open fire on protesters

  • On Wednesday, evacuations from Kabul airport were ongoing as western countries scramble to take out their citizens and friendly Afghans

KABUL: At least three people were shot dead and more than a dozen wounded on Wednesday when Taliban fighters in Jalalabad opened fire on protesters trying to raise the Afghan flag.

The shootings came as Ashraf Ghani, the deposed president who fled the country when the Taliban swept into Kabul on Sunday, emerged in Abu Dhabi. The UAE government said it had given him and his family refuge “as a humanitarian gesture.”

In a video message, Ghani said allegations that he had smuggled several million dollars out of Afghanistan were “baseless lies.” He said he was “in consultation with others until I return to continue my efforts for justice for Afghans.”

The Taliban opened fire in the eastern city of Jalalabad, 150km from Kabul on the main road toward Pakistan, when protesters in the main square removed Taliban flags and tried to display the Afghan tricolor.

Taliban commanders and soldiers also fired into the air to disperse crowds outside Kabul airport, from where thousands are trying to flee. “Everyone wants out,” said one Afghan man who arrived in Frankfurt with his wife and son on a flight via Tashkent. “We saved ourselves but we couldn’t rescue our families.”

About 5,000 diplomats, security staff, aid workers and Afghan civilians had been evacuated from Kabul in the past 24 hours and military flights would continue around the clock, a Western official said. “It’s absolutely hectic and chaos out there,” the official said.

The UN began moving up to 100 international staff to Kazakhstan but said the measure was temporary and it was “committed to staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people in their hour of need.”

The UN has about 300 international staff and 3,000 local staff in Afghanistan.

In Kabul, the Taliban held talks with former President Hamid Karzai and leading politician Abdullah Abdullah to form what they described as an “inclusive, Islamic government.” Karzai and Abdullah met Anas Haqqani, a senior leader of the Haqqani network, a powerful Taliban faction.

Mohammed Yusof Saha, a spokesman for Karzai, said preliminary meetings would lead to negotiations with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban political leader who flew from Qatar to Kandahar on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury has frozen the Afghan government’s accounts and halted direct assistance payments. Ajmal Ahmady Ahmady, head of Afghanistan’s central bank, said the country’s physical supply of US dollars was “close to zero.” He said this would lead to a depreciation of the local currency, the afghani, hurting the country’s poor.

“The Taliban won militarily, but now have to govern,” he said. “It is not easy.”


India defense minister heads to China summit

Updated 5 sec ago
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India defense minister heads to China summit

  • Rajnath Singh will join fellow regional defense ministers in China’s Qingdao city for SCO summit starting Wednesday 
  • He will call for joint, consistent efforts to eliminate “terrorism” and extremism in the region, says Indian defense ministry 

NEW DELHI: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China this week for talks with his regional counterparts, New Delhi said Tuesday.

Ties between the world’s two most populous nations have improved in recent months, after hitting a low in 2020 over a deadly clash between their troops on the Himalayan border.

Singh will join fellow defense ministers in the eastern city of Qingdao for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit starting Wednesday.

He will “outline India’s vision toward achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region,” a defense ministry statement said.

Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China and Russia, which are alliance members alongside Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Ahead of the two-day SCO meeting, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks in Beijing with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Doval “underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations,” New Delhi said Monday.

Wang said relations have “seen some positive developments” since the two countries’ leaders met last year, China’s foreign ministry said.

Beijing has granted permission to Indian pilgrims wishing to trek to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a site holy to Hindus and Buddhists, for the first time since the deadly 2020 clash.

The rival countries have also agreed to expedite resuming direct flights.


France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

Updated 4 min 36 sec ago
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France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

PARIS: French anti-fraud authorities said on Tuesday they have ordered US electric car giant Tesla’s local subsidiary to stop “deceptive commercial practices” after an investigation found several violations harmful to consumers and contrary to law.
The fraud prevention and consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) said its agents investigated Tesla’s French subsidiary between 2023 and 2024 after reports were filed on a consumer complaint platform.
The probe revealed “deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers,” it said.
The agency also cited delays in refunding canceled orders, a lack of information on the location of deliveries and incomplete sales contracts, among other violations.
Tesla was given four months to comply with regulations.
It faces a daily fine of 50,000 euros ($58,000) if it fails to stop deceptive commercial practices over the fully autonomous driving option of certain Tesla models.
Tesla did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Tesla sales have tanked in Europe in recent months owing to an aging fleet of cars, rising competition and consumer distaste for Elon Musk’s role in US President Donald Trump’s administration.


Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory

Updated 7 min 34 sec ago
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Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory

TOKYO: Japan’s army announced Tuesday that it conducted a missile test for the first time on Japanese territory.
The test-firing of the Type-88 surface-to-ship short range missile was conducted Tuesday at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
The exercise by the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade was joined by about 300 soldiers who fired at an unmanned boat about 40 kilometers (24 miles) off the southern coast of Hokkaido, officials said.
Officials were still examining the results of the test, they said.
The test was conducted as Japan accelerates its military buildup to acquire strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China.
Japan plans to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahauks, beginning later this year.
Japan has previously conducted missile tests overseas, including in the territories of its defense partners such as the United States and Australia.

Netherlands to send 175 million euros of military aid to Ukraine, expands drone cooperation

Updated 24 June 2025
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Netherlands to send 175 million euros of military aid to Ukraine, expands drone cooperation

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 100 drone-detection radars and 20 medical evacuation vehicles as part of a new 175 million euro ($202 million) aid package, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Tuesday.
Delivery of the radars, which will help identify incoming drones and relay data to air defense systems, is expected to be completed by year-end.
In a statement on Friday, the Dutch Defense Ministry specified that 80 million euros of the package will go toward drone support through the international drone coalition.
The move on Tuesday follows a 500 million euro deal to produce 600,000 drones with the Ukrainian defense industry, Brekelmans said ahead of a NATO Summit in The Hague.
The Netherlands has pledged about 10 billion euros in military support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in early 2022.


Zelensky-Trump meeting planned Wednesday: Ukraine presidency

Updated 24 June 2025
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Zelensky-Trump meeting planned Wednesday: Ukraine presidency

KYIV: Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump are planning to meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, a senior source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP.
“The teams are finalizing the details,” the source told AFP, adding that the talks were scheduled for the “early afternoon” in the Netherlands and would focus on sanctions against Russia and arms procurement for Kyiv.