Author: Basbug Sayyid

Russia is trying to attract foreigners from around the globe to serve as troops in its airborne brigades to replenish combat losses in the war against Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports. “The Russian military reportedly continues to recruit foreign volunteers to serve in relatively elite but likely degraded Russian Airborne (VDV) units,” the Oct. 3 report says. One Russian source said that volunteers from Nepal are serving in these Russian airborne brigades. ISW previously reported that Cuban volunteers reportedly serve in the Russian 106th Airborne Division. Subsequently, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Cuba announced the arrest…

Since the late 1990s, Pakistan has experienced several rounds of intense political turbulence. But the crisis unfolding today may be the most dramatic episode to date. The country’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan has refused to go quietly, and his supporters are challenging the powerful military establishment. Khan himself survived an assassination attempt last November and has now been jailed on charges of corruption. Delayed national elections are due to be held in January of next year. Ayyaz Mallick is a lecturer in human geography at the University of Liverpool. This is an edited transcript from Jacobin’s Long Reads podcast. You can listen…

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has invited investors from the Commonwealth countries to come to Bangladesh in a bigger way. “Geographically, Bangladesh is at the centre of a market of three billion people. We have 170 million people of our own. By 2030, the affluent population of Bangladesh will stand at 35 million. So, Bangladesh will become the third largest market globally, after Germany and the United Kingdom,” she said while addressing the two-day “Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum Bangladesh 2023” after inaugurating the event at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital yesterday, reports UNB. Bangladesh is hosting the Commonwealth…

Six people have died in a helicopter crash in Nepal, a spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport said Tuesday. The Manang Air helicopter was carrying five Mexican passengers and a Nepali pilot, Teknath Sitoula told CNN. Reuters reported that Manang Air caters to tourists wanting a view of Nepal’s peaks, including Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. It set off from Solukhumbu district, where Everest is situated, at 10:05 a.m. local time (12:20 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, heading for the capital, Kathmandu, according to a statement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The helicopter lost contact less than 10 minutes…

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke by phone with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari today to reaffirm a productive U.S.-Pakistan partnership. Secretary Blinken underscored the United States’ steadfast commitment to the people of Pakistan, highlighting that the economic success of Pakistan remains a top priority for the United States.  The Secretary noted that the United States will continue to engage with Pakistan through technical and development initiatives and through our robust trade and investment ties. He also welcomed the International Monetary Fund’s approval of a program to support Pakistan and encouraged continued reforms to promote economic recovery and…

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague has rejected India’s objections to a Pakistan-initiated procedure over water use in the Indus River basin, reopening a procedure that had been blocked for many years. India called the arbitration proceeding illegal as a neutral expert was also looking at the issue and the World Bank-brokered treaty prohibits parallel proceedings, the Reuters news agency reported on Thursday. The South Asian neighbours have been arguing over hydroelectric projects on the shared Indus River and its tributaries for decades, with Pakistan complaining that India’s planned hydropower dams in upstream areas will cut flows on the river…

Nepal finished its SAFF Championship 2023 campaign on a high after clinching a narrow 1-0 win against Pakistan at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Tuesday. Aashish Chaudhary scored the winner late in the second half as Pakistan ended the tournament as the only team from Group A without a single point in three matches. The Gorkhalis started the match on the front foot, putting the Pakistan backline under pressure. Shahzad Anwar’s team looked devoid of ideas, mostly resorting to hoofing the ball up the pitch to clear any attacking threat. Nepal got its first significant chance of the match in the 12th minute when…

KARACHI: The Pakis­tan Meteo­rological Depar­tment (PMD) stated on Monday that heatwave-like conditions may develop in most parts of the country from June 20 till June 24 due to a high pressure area circulating in the upper atmosphere. According to the department’s advisory, daytime temperatures are likely to remain between 4°C and 6°C above normal in upper and central Punjab, Islamabad, upper KP, GB, Kashmir and from 2°C to 4°C above normal in Sindh, south Punjab and parts of Balochistan. General public is advised to avoid unnecessary exposure to direct sunlight. Chief meteorologist Dr S. Sarfaraz told Dawn that daytime temperatures were likely…

China’s army on Thursday it monitored and drove away a US destroyer that had illegally entered waters around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. In a statement, the military said without the approval of the government, the guided-missile destroyer Milius illegally intruded into China’s territorial waters, undermining peace and stability in the busy waterway, Reuters reported. “The theater forces will maintain a high state of alert at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Reuters quoted Tian Junli, a spokesman for China’s Southern Theatre Command as…

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Tuesday voiced hope for a growing trade and investment relationship with China to help Nepal achieve its development goals. Addressing the inaugural session of the Nepal-China investment and business forum 2023 held here in Nepal’s capital, the prime minister noted that China remains Nepal’s second largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign direct investment. Dahal said he believes that China’s economic progress would open up wider avenue of opportunity for Nepal, and relevant export and investment would help his country grow and prosper. He lauded China’s latest move to list Nepal…