Author: Harvey Rogers

Berlin (2/3 – 62.50). Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais says the €100 billion committed by the government last year is insufficient. Meanwhile, an association representing soldiers says the Bundeswehr turnaround needs to speed up. Germany would have to spend more money on its armed forces if it wants it fully equipped, army chief Lieutenant General Alfons Mais said on Sunday. He told the German news agency, dpa, the €100 billion ($107 billion) to speed up the modernization of the armed forces promised by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Russia invaded Ukraine was not enough. Mais, caused a stir last year when he criticized what he described…

In the whirlwind of Sri Lankan politics, last week’s visit by Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) to India carved a narrative that has both intrigued and polarised the political arena. This spectacle showcased the delicate art of political communication, underscoring the critical importance of reputation management and the nuanced dance of damage control in the face of adversity. For years, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), questioning authority and challenging the status quo, found itself in an unfamiliar position – defending rather than accusing. The controversial trip to India marked a turning point. Critics pounced, dissecting every word, every move, with relentless…

PA President’s son Tareq Abbas also holds positions in other ventures incorporated by offshore company. Leaked documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca reveal Tareq Abbas, son of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, holds shares worth nearly $1 million in an offshore company with ties to the Palestinian Authority. The documents, leaked as part of the massive ‘Panama Papers’ scandal, show that a company called the Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC) was registered in September 1994 in the British Virgin Islands. Since then, the company’s economic portfolio has grown substantially, and is active in virtually every Palestinian economic sphere, including…

The Sri Lankan tourism sector has witnessed a remarkable growth in the 11 months of 2023, with cumulative tourist arrivals reaching 1.27 million, generating a revenue of $1.8 billion. Latest data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) reveals a substantial 78.3% increase in income generated by tourism from January to November 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. The data highlights a notable surge in revenue earned from tourism in November 2023, amounting to $205.3 million, more than doubling the figures from November 2022. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, expressed optimism about a surge in tourist…

On December 8th, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) unveiled a landmark decision, approving a $400 million policy-based loan intended to amplify climate adaptation efforts in Bangladesh. This financial pledge is a pivotal element within a more extensive initiative, showcasing the Manila-based institution’s unwavering commitment to allocate over half of its funds designated for Bangladesh between 2024 and 2026, a staggering $5.5 billion, to propel the government’s climate-centric objectives. This loan marks the inception of the subprogram embedded within the grand $700 million Climate-Resilient Inclusive Development Programme. The primary ambition of this sweeping initiative is to fortify Bangladesh’s resilience against the…

Edible oil imports are the mystery behind Pakistan’s massive $9 billion food import bill, contributing to nearly half of it and in a time of extreme need for self-sufficiency, everyone wonders what’s the way out. Pakistan’s per capita consumption of edible oil has risen from 6 kg per annum to 18 per annum between 2000-2020. This is caused mainly by population boom, increase in income levels, rising demand for fast food and trend of eating out. More than 80 percent of the national demand is met through imports, with more than half of the local production coming from Cottonseed, followed…

Berlin (06/11 – 58) UN Special Rapporteur of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has once again called on the authorities of Tajikistan to release imprisoned Tajik journalists and bloggers. Mary Lawlor posted on her social media account, formerly Twitter, that during a meeting with Tajikistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jonibek Hikmat, in New York on October 24, she reiterated her call for the Tajik authorities to release the convicted human rights defenders and journalists, including Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva. Last year, in Tajikistan, eight journalists and bloggers were sentenced to various prison terms, ranging from 7…

ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani diplomat said Wednesday that nearly 450,000 Afghan nationals returned to their home country since his government announced two months ago that it would deport all undocumented foreigners. Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, shared the latest data while addressing a seminar in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. He spoke on a day the United Nations renewed its warning that Afghans returning from Pakistan “face a precarious, uncertain future” in their crisis-hit and impoverished nation. The Pakistani government says its crackdown is primarily targeting an estimated 1.7 million Afghans who have overstayed their visas or do not possess…

Jakarta, Surakarta, Berlin (7/12 – 11) Amid a generally declining period for Germany’s national football team, the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia has been a shining light for them. Germany is one of the most successful national teams ever in international competition. They have won four World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014), three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996), and a Confederations Cup (2017). Nevertheless, in recent years, Germany is suffering a horrid fate. In 2018, Germany suffered their first-ever first-round exit from the World Cup, since 1938. Germany became the fifth defending champions to be eliminated in the…

The mass deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is indicative of a growing disenchantment between the Pakistani military-controlled establishment and the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul. This shift in dynamics, merely over two years after the Taliban’s ascendancy to power in August 2021 with Pakistan’s active support, exposes inherent flaws in and failure of Islamabad’s strategic calculations. It was never a matter of how but when these two entities would clash, foretold by the reversing nature of their relations. As a result of this growing discord between Islamabad and Kabul, it has gradually given renewed impetus to the Pashtun nationalist…