“ “

Manmohan Singh

Volume Num. 4615 Sunday May 30, 2021 Jawza 09, 1400 www.Outlookafghanistan.net Price: 20/afs

www.outlookafghanistan.net@The.Daily.Outlook.AfghanistanOutlookafghanistan@gmail.com0093 799-005019/ 777-005019In front of Habibia High School,District 6, Kabul, AfghanistanQ

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ayPakistan and Terrorism

We all know the epicentre of terrorism in the world today is Pakistan. The world community has to come to grips with

this harsh reality.

NSA Refutes Reports of Pakistan Cutting

Contact with Him

Key US Military Base

in Kabul Handed Over

to Afghan Forces

Iran Renews Support to Afghan Peace ProcessIndia an Important

Part of Afghanistan Conversation: Jaishankar

KABUL - National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib on Saturday denied re-ports indicating Pakistan has stopped official contact with him.Addressing a joint security of-ficial’s press conference in Ka-bul, Mohib stated that he has not received any official com-munique from Pakistan in this respect. “There has been some talk about me from an anonymous and unnamed address, which is not the official position of Pakistan. If Pakistan says any-thing officially, the Afghan government will announce its position,” said Mohib.Mohib’s comments come a day after VOA reported that Pakistan has official-ly stopped all contact with Mohib ...

KABUL - A key military base of US forces in downtown, the New Kabul Compound, also known as NKC, was handed over to the Ministry of Defense at a ceremony on Friday.Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said that at a ceremony on the occasion, US and NATO forces commander Gen. Scott Miller emphasized the in-ternational community’s continued support to Afghan forces. ...

KABUL - Dep-uty and Acting Foreign Min-ister Mirwais Nab met with the Assistant Foreign Minis-ter and General Director of Iran Foreign Minis-try’s West Asia D e p a r t m e n t , Seyyed Rasoul Mousavi and discussed Afghan peace pro-cess, security and economic ties, according to a statement on Saturday.Welcoming Mr. Mousavi to Kabul, Mr. Nab highlighted the recent developments in the Afghan peace talks, se-curity, and economic affairs. Deputy and Acting Foreign Minister added that Iran’s continued support to the le-gitimate demands of the Af-ghan people and government in the peace process as well as Iran’s efforts in establishing

regional consensus thereof was important.Describing the goals of his visit to Kabul, Mr. Mousavi called the relations between Afghanistan and Iran historic and enduring. Emphasizing on the continuation of Iran’s support to the Afghan Peace Talks, a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and the pres-ervation of gains in last two decades are vital, he added.The two sides also discussed and exchanged views on the significance of sign-ing the Afghanistan-Iran ...

WASHINGTON - There is a recognition in the US that India is an impor-tant part of the conversation when it comes to talk about the future of Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said. Jaishankar, who is in the US on an official trip, said the situation in Afghanistan, from where the US is in the process of withdrawing its troops, was discussed during his meetings with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan. ...

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Page 2 May 30, 2021 Main Page

May 30, 2021 - You’re currently stuck be-tween two strong desires - the desire to create for your own pleasure and the de-sire to please others. You come by this lat-ter urge naturally, as it’s part of your char-acter. It will understandably be difficult

for you to resolve this dissonance. The solution for you comes from asking why you feel such a strong need to be appreciated.

May 30, 2021 - Today you may be im-pressed by the powers of concentra-tion and self-discipline of one of your friends. There’s a lesson to be learned from your admiring stance, though. The fact that you recognize these quali-

ties in others means that you’re making progress. Don’t be shy, Taurus. Strut your stuff!

May 30, 2021 - Confidence and efficien-cy are the day’s themes. Do you long to bring your romantic involvement to the next level? Do you wish your partner would consent to a more profound com-mitment? You can take advantage of the

energy from today’s aspects to give your future a gen-tle nudge in the right direction, Gemini.

Down

Across Yesterday’s Solution

1. Genuflected, 2. Muse of love poetry, 3. Kidney-related, 4. Deity, 5. A type of painful injury, 6. Level, 7. Common hop, 8. Reverted, 9. S, 10. Electric fan, 11. Emancipator, 12. Smell, 13. Foot digits, 18. Ancient Hebrew vestment, 22. Auspices, 24. P P P P, 26. Copied, 28. Intended, 29. Sourish, 30. Female sheep (plural), 31. A person who is in charge, 32. A sharply directional antenna, 33. A type of church elder, 34. Vineries, 37. Brass instrument 38. Dry riverbed, 40. Lacquered metalware, 41. Indian millet, 43. Yield, 44. Cumulus and cirrus, 46. Venomous snake, 47. Gratings, 48. Gangsters, 49. Anxious, 50. Flat-bottomed boat, 51. The thin fibrous bark, 53. Indian music, 56. Obtain, 57. Foot digit

1. Large mass of ice, 5. A fencing sword, 10. Smudge, 14. Chocolate cookie, 15. Layers16. Adriatic resort, 17. Rovings, 19. Double-reed woodwind, 20. Estimated time of ar-rival, 21. Beeper, 22. Decorative jugs, 23. Similar to a porpoise, 25. Keen, 27. A very long period, 28. Suck in (air), 31. Publicized, 34. Holding devices, 35. A Hebrew letter, 36. Hearing organs, 37. Clocked, 38. Be dressed in, 39. Senesce, 40. Tweaked, 41. Pub game, 42. Got undressed, 44. Rechewed food, 45. Fasten, 46. Okay, 50. Pizazz, 52. Eagerness, 54. Caviar, 55. Provisions, 56. Commencement ceremony, 58. Not closed, 59. Nosed (out), 60. Probabilities, 61. Verruca, 62. Russian emperors, 63. To be, in old Rome

Outlook Horoscope

Pisces (Feb.19-Mar.20)

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb.18)

Capricorn (Dec.21-Jan19)

Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov.22)

Libra (Sep 23-Oct. 22)Cancer (June 21-July 20)

Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec.20)

Leo (July 21-Aug. 21)Taurus (Apr.21-May 20)

Aries (Mar. 22-Apr.20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20)Virgo (Aug. 22-Sep 22 )

May 30, 2021 - You may feel more of an urge than ever to search for your family roots. Your search could be so deep and intense that you may even go beyond ge-nealogy and study archeology as a way

to learn how to bring some cohesion to the odd bits and pieces of family remnants that you uncover.

May 30, 2021 - The relative tranquillity you enjoy today lets you listen more atten-tively to your inner self. You’re well aware of the toll you pay when you try to ignore those nudges of intuition you sometimes

feel. If you’re alone at some point today, Cancer, take advantage of the time to evaluate the events of the past few days. You may gain some insight into what’s trou-bling you.

May 30, 2021 - The forecast is wonderful today, Libra. You may have been ask-ing yourself a thousand questions about what will become of you, especially in terms of your career. It’s as though all

your experience so far no longer make sense. The posi-tive aspect of that observation will energize you today. Live for the moment, be in the present, and know that anything is possible in the future.

May 30, 2021 - You may feel that your current relationships are more compli-cated than ever, Capricorn. This is be-cause you’re going through a period

when many planets are trying to shed light on your hidden motivations. When you’re finished analyzing and have an understanding of what really drives you, your relationships will seem much simpler.

May 30, 2021 - Admit it, Scorpio. You have a tendency to run away from con-flict in relationships. This can get you into some complicated situations. You don’t always dare say what you think,

and this can block your energy and determination. Try to stop yourself from running away today. Take re-sponsibility for your opinions. Don’t be afraid to voice them.

May 30, 2021 - You finally understand that the force of your will can’t always determine everything, Aquarius. Your ego is taking a beating, no doubt, but this will help you mature. You accept be-

ing wrong and willingly revise your judgment when necessary. In a way, you’ve just finished your first year at a university for wisdom!

May 30, 2021 - You’re currently stuck between two strong desires - the desire to create for your own pleasure and the desire to please others. You come by

this latter urge naturally, as it’s part of your char-acter. It will understandably be difficult for you to resolve this dissonance. The solution for you comes from asking why you feel such a strong need to be appreciated.

May 30, 2021 - There’s no doubt that to-day will be excellent, Virgo. You can find satisfaction that puts a smile on your face and boosts your morale. There’s the likeli-

hood that you’re challenging some of your core values. While it’s true that these values have stabilized your life, you may be starting to feel they’re less relevant. Approval from loved ones gives you the assurance that anything is possible.

May 30, 2021 - Do you feel that your pow-er has increased, Sagittarius? You may not know what to do with this newfound

strength. Try looking at how you relate to your friends. Could you improve your relationships? Using power is something that one learns over time. If you let it stag-nate, it will create some stubborn obstacles. “Use it or lose it” applies in this instance.

arbor breach broke centcleft construction cull decay double excite extent goose here hiatus impacts investments jum-ble life match mobsternerve normal offend re-peat rifle role rubbishscan shame solve swill

KABUL - The Taliban have publicly threatened Afghan security guards who have worked for the soon-to-be-shut Australian embassy, circulating pictures of them online and warning they would be targeted for cooperat-ing with a foreign government.The Australian government an-nounced this week that it was shutting its embassy in Kabul, citing “an in-creasingly uncertain security environ-ment” and saying its diplomats would not be safe “in light of the imminent international military withdrawal from Afghanistan”.Afghan nationals employed on con-tract by the Australian government as security guards at the Kabul embassy say their work – highly visible, stand-ing outside the embassy compound – has made them targets for Taliban ret-

ribution, and many say they will not be safe inside Afghanistan.The Taliban have openly said anyone who has worked for or alongside for-eign governments or military forces is a traitor and an enemy and will be targeted.The US military has said it is working “rapidly” to develop plans to evacu-ate interpreters and other staff – up to 18,000 – who worked alongside Amer-ican troops. But other allied countries have not made similar announce-ments.The Guardian has seen several posts online threatening Afghans who have worked at the Australian embassy.One, which has a picture of the guards protesting outside the diplomatic compound this week, carries the mes-sage, written in Pashto: ...

KABUL - The prices of flour, rice and tea have increased while the value of ghee, gold and liquefied gas dipped during the outgoing week in capital Kabul, market sources said Saturday.Zamari Safi, head of Food Traders Union in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the wholesale price of 49 kilo-grams of Kazakhstani flour increased from 1,550 afghanis to 1,600 afghanis, 24kg of Pa-kistani rice from 2,350afs to 2,400afs and a kilogram of African black tea from 320afs to 340afs.However, he said that the price of a 16 liters tin of Ma-laysian ghee dipped from 1,980afs to 1,950afs.HamedSofizada, a re-tailer in ...

LASHKARGAH - Unidenti-fied gunmen have opened fire at four moneychanger broth-ers, killing one and wounded three others, officials said on Saturday.Head of Helmand provincial council, Attaullah Afghan told Pajhwok Afghan News unidentified gunmen have opened fire at four brothers in Peace square of Lashkar-gah city on Saturday morn-ing.“These four brothers were moneychangers and gunmen opened fire at them and took only pages with them,” he added.Afghan said these four broth-ers have been wounded in the incident and are under treatment in Lashkargah ...

KABUL - The Afghanistan-Australia Chamber of Com-merce and Investment (AAC-CI) has asked the Australian government to reconsider its decision of closing its diplo-matic mission in Afghanistan, according to a statement on Saturday.Recently some reports broad-casted that the government of Australia decided to close its Embassy in Kabul, Afghani-stan.As diplomatic mission plays significant role in strengthen-ing and facilitation of trade and investment as well. The private sector is in Afghanistan is con-cerning in this regard.“Afghanistan and Australia have had good diplomatic and trade relationships over the

KABUL - Former Awami Na-tional Party (ANP) Leader Afrasyiab Khattak on Saturday warned a new round of vio-lence could dynamite the Chi-na Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).On his twitter handler he wrote: “A new round of vio-lence can dynamite the CPEC, but that won’t be the only thing to be blown away.”He added: “The US, Taliban Doha deal didn’t work in 1990s and it won’t work now. If not changed the said policy can turn relationship between the two countries into a zero sum game.”Coming hard on Pakistani military generals he said: “Pa-kistani generals are practically imposing suzerainty over Af-

NEW DELHI - In the wake of the newly enacted Citizenship Act in 2019, thousands of In-dians took to the streets to de-mand the legislation be with-drawn. The opposition alleged that the Act was discriminatory

United States envoy Angela Aggeler on Friday met Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed issues on post-withdrawal Afghanistan and the peace process.“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall region-

past many years”, said Abdul-rahimzai, founder and CEO for Afghanistan-Australia Cham-ber of Commerce and Invest-ment.He added “we appreciate the support and cooperation of Australia in various areas in-cluding trade and investment so, we kindly request the gov-ernment of Australia to re-consider the decisions and consider the concerns of the private ...

ghanistan through Taliban. Every Afghan leader who rais-es the question of Taliban sanc-tuaries in Pakistan and the un-declared war fought by them for decades is blacklisted/del-egitimised. This has become more brazen after US-Taliban Doha deal.” (Pajhwok)

and anti-Muslim in nature, but the federal government rejected such claims.The government of India has invited non-Muslim refu-gees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and ...

al security situation, including recent developments in Afghan peace process, and bilateral co-operation in various fields were discussed,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.The meeting ...

Education Centers in Afghanistan Closed Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases

Ghee, Gold, LPG Prices

Down in Kabul

1 Moneychanger Killed, 3

Wounded in Helmand

AACCI Urges Australian Govt to Reconsider Embassy Closing Decision

Unstable Afghanistan Threat to CPEC: Khattak

India Invites Non-Muslim Refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, &

Bangladesh to Apply for Citizenship

US Envoy, Bajwa Discuss Post-Withdrawal Afghanistan

KABUL - The Ministry of Pub-lic Health (MoPH) of Afghani-stan on Saturday announced that schools and universities in 16 provinces will remain closed for two weeks to contain the spread of the third wave of COVID-19.The Ministry said that public and private schools, universi-ties, and training centers will remain closed in Kabul, Ghaz-ni, Helmand, Kandahar, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Panjshir, Balkh, Laghman, Badakhshan, Kapisa, Kunduz, and Nimroz provinces.This comes as 20 people have died of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours in the country, the

Ministry stated.According to the Ministry’s dai-ly statistics, 654 new infections have been recorded during this period.The total number of people in-fected people with the coro-navirus has risen to 70761 of which 2919 have died and another ...

Taliban Threaten Afghan Security Guards Who Work for Australian Embassy in Kabul

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billion) worth of goods from China – more than from any other country – and exported €203 billion worth of goods to China. We don’t know which partner earns higher margins or can substitute imported goods more easily. But the vol-ume of trade in both directions suggests that there is consid-erable interdependence – certainly enough to provide some protection against aggressive trade policies.The same is true with the US. When Trump threatened to im-pose tariffs on goods from the EU to address America’s bilat-eral merchandise-trade deficit, Europeans pointed out that the US had a similarly sized surplus in services and primary income (for example, from licensing). And those US exports had high margins. With US companies highly dependent on the European market, the US could not have won a trade war with the EU. That’s probably a major reason why Trump ul-timately didn’t pursue one.Dependencies can also arise from cross-border investment. But here, too, it can be difficult to determine which side is better off.Overall, European companies invest much more in China than Chinese companies invest in Europe, despite stricter regulations. The main concerns, it seems, relate to the types of investments Chinese companies are making in Europe.If Chinese investors buy a European port company, have Eu-ropeans become dependent on China? Not necessarily. On the contrary, given the vital importance of port facilities, it is relatively easy for a national government to bring them un-der its control, or even to expropriate them, if the operators are deemed to be in breach of their duty to run it properly.Technological dependencies raise further questions. For ex-ample, does Chinese companies’ participation in building telecommunications infrastructure, such as 5G networks, create serious risks for the EU? Again, the answers are not cut and dried, not least because they may depend on fac-tors, such as political influence, that are opaque and difficult to control. There is no doubt that excessive dependence can carry risks. So, in principle, the EU is right to strengthen its strategic autonomy. But, rather than rely on simplistic as-sumptions, it should carry out a comprehensive analysis of its economic relationships and the associated mutual depen-dencies, to identify which need to be reduced.The EU must also consider carefully its options for doing so. Engaging less might not be the solution. In fact, Europe might balance the scales – or even tip them in its favor – by deepening ties. For example, promoting Chinese investment in Europe could help to reduce European investors’ disad-vantages in China by giving the EU more leverage.Europe’s share of the global economy may be declining, but the EU remains a major economic power with strong ties to the rest of the world. If its pursuit of strategic autonomy de-volves into a push for protectionism or even autarky, it risks losing that status. If that happens, Europe really would be vulnerable.

is difficult to decide what role the Afghan media actually play in the process of conflict resolution. In practice, when the peace journalism philosophy is transferred to actual media work, small media and active audience formats are deemed most useful. When traditional news media channels are requested to engage in peace journalism, the recommen-dations tend to reinforce traditional journalistic standards: independence, objectivity, fairness, and the importance of fact checking. These standards correspond entirely with the values called for by journalist organizations in Afghanistan. In this area, the contribution of peace journalism does not stand out as something new. When it comes to the need for explaining the complexity of the Afghan conflict and creat-ing understanding between the various parties, there is un-doubtedly room for improvement both in the Afghan and international media. A bulletin style news language would not suffice. One needs wider program formats and participation from diverse inter-ests, including average citizens. The language of the media must also be the subject of persis-tent critical analysis. Some of the important issues are how reporters frame a conflict and who they include and exclude in the presentation. To scrutinize the media processes, one could very well be inspired by Johan Galtung and other peace researchers who are critical of the logics of the main-stream media. However, traditional journalism actually does not appear to be hostile to improvements in these areas. To the contrary, it is part and parcel of the journalistic craft to be cognizant of the effects of word choice and media fram-ing. To journalists covering Afghan issues, however, the ap-propriate approach appears to be the exercise of professional journalism rather than entering a peace mediation role.

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo Institute, is Professor of Economics at the University of Munich.

Mohd. Sakhi Rezaie is the permanent writer of the Daily Out-lookAfghanistan. He can be reached at sakhi2007@gmail.com

Ethnocentric Mindset Leads to Violence

Chairman / Editor-in-Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

www.outlookafghanistan.net

The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authers and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan.

Media can play a vital role in Peace Building in Afghani-stan. One of the key issues to be interrogated by media

researchers in relation to conflicted societies is the extent to which the media serve to escalate or reduce the overall con-flict situation. The argument goes that the media either esca-late the conflict by accentuating disagreements, foreground-ing confrontations, and lending air time to forceful voices, or, conversely, reduce the conflict by shunning extremism, giving room for alternative voices and visualizing peaceful solutions. For several reasons, the media situation in and around Af-ghanistan provides an interesting ground for discussing these issues. For one, the long-lasting Afghan conflict has been a re-current issue for both the local and the international media. In addition, the extraordinary situation of the growing Afghan diaspora has provoked a media engagement that in a special way treats issues of conflict through civic-driven, transnation-al media channels. Within this backdrop, it is the aim of the current article to discuss the role of the extended Afghan me-dia in relation to the local conflict situation. Within media and conflict research, a particular movement, namely “peace journalism,” has received increased atten-tion over the last few years. In short, peace journalism seeks to challenge conventional journalism by working actively for peace through the media. The movement has gained momen-tum as a result of criticism raised against conventional media operations in the coverage of the so-called global war on ter-ror, a critique that echoes several decades of disappointment with the global media and their coverage of national and in-ternational conflicts. Against this backdrop, peace journalism claims to be an alternative to the traditionally conflict-oriented news paradigm. Peace researchers generally see a great potential for improve-ment in the area of mass media as an instrument for change and reconciliation. Media analysts are often more skeptical. It

When it comes to economic growth, Europe has been lagging behind the

world’s other major economic powers – the United States and China – for some time. No surprise, then, that the old continent’s rela-tive weight in the global economy is declin-ing fast. How vulnerable does this leave the European Union – and what should EU leaders do about it?When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, the countries that comprise today’s EU, plus the United Kingdom, accounted for 27.8% of global GDP (in terms of purchasing power parity). For the US, that share was 22.2%. China, with a share of 4%, still hardly registered as an economic power.Thirty years later, the EU, together with the UK, accounted for 16% of global output, still slightly ahead of America’s 15%. The big shift was in China’s position, which had surpassed its Western counterparts with a share of 18.3%.The COVID-19 pandemic is set to accelerate these trends. De-spite a brief recession, the US is on track to surpass pre-crisis output levels as early as this year. More impressive, China’s economic output could be 10% higher in 2021 than in 2019. The EU, by contrast, will not return to pre-pandemic GDP levels until 2022 at the earliest. In principle, the robust recovery in China and the US is good news for Europe: industry in the EU, especially in Germany, is benefiting from strong demand from the world’s two largest economies. Nonetheless, Europe’s di-minishing economic weight relative to the US and China raises serious questions about its ability to defend and advance its core interests. Already, many fear that EU countries are be-ing forced to make risky compromises. For example, Chinese investors have been buying up companies in Europe and even taking over critical infrastructure, such as ports, in countries like Belgium, Greece, and Spain. Germany has been accused of being slow to condemn Chinese human-rights abuses, in an apparent bid to protect its economic interests.Europe’s dependence on the US – particularly in security mat-ters – has of course been viewed less critically. Yet, as former US President Donald Trump made clear, this also carries sig-nificant risks. And, indeed, calls for Europe to increase its “strategic autonomy” – that is, to reduce its dependence on outside powers – have been growing louder.But all dependencies are not created equal; only those that are one-sided are truly problematic. Identifying which of the EU’s economic dependencies fit into that category will require more careful analysis than has so far been carried out.For starters, in international trade, is the importer dependent on the exporter, or vice versa? For goods and services with large fixed costs and high margins, the seller’s dependence on market access is greater than for goods with lower margins. Importers are more dependent on supplies from a particular country if the goods are essential and difficult to obtain else-where.In 2020, the EU (excluding the UK) imported €383 billion ($468

The Afghan Media and Their Peace-Building Potential

Europe’s Strategic Autonomy Trap

By: Mohd. Sakhi Rezaie

Page 3 May 30, 2021 Editorial and Opinions

By: Clemens Fuest

Afghanistan has undergone conflict and civil unrest in the wake of ethnocentric mindset and racial and religious su-

periority throughout the history. Racial and religious segrega-tion played a highly destructive role in Afghanistan. People have been discriminated on the grounds of their race, color and creed. That is, racial discrimination and sectarian violence did not only hurt people emotionally and physically but also put peaceful coexistence at stake. The rights and freedoms of Afghan men and women were trampled upon simply for be-longing to a particular ethnic or sectarian group. The ongoing conflict is believed to stem from ethnocentric mindset and racial and sectarian superiority. If racial and religious/sectarian discrimination continues and people treat each other on the grounds of their caste, color, and creed, peaceful coexistence is unlikely to be established in Afghanistan. It is evident that “disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts” and brought untold sorrow to nations and human societies; “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,” as stated in the Universal Dec-laration of Human Rights (UDHR). In Afghanistan, to one’s unmitigated chagrin, contempt for human rights is still exercised by individuals, who hold or once held high political positions in the government machin-ery. Despite wearing tie, those political figures practice strong traditional and conservative mindset, which is appalling to the public. Racial and religious rhetoric generates hot topics on social me-dia once in a while. Those who outrage public conscience by ethnocentric words are strongly condemned. Afghans have to learn the “art of living together” through practicing tolerance and promoting the spirit of brotherhood. All people are born free and equal and should not be discrimi-nated on the basis of their racial or religious grounds. As far as people are discriminated simply for the color of their skin, peaceful coexistence and the spirit of brotherhood will remain elusive. Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic community, where all are sup-posed to be able to exercise their rights and liberties regardless of their race and color. Forming “a civil society void of oppres-sion, atrocity, discrimination as well as violence, based on rule of law, social justice, protecting integrity and human rights, and attaining peoples’ freedoms and fundamental rights,” as stated in the preamble of Afghanistan’s Constitution, needs accepting people the way they are and exercising religious tol-erance. Article 22 of the constitution stipulates, “Any kind of discrimi-nation and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan shall be forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, man and woman, have equal rights and duties before the law.” Afghan people in general and Afghan political figures in par-ticular have to stop spilling their venom regarding one’s sect and ethnicity and have to reaffirm their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal rights of men and women of the country. Meanwhile, those who put peaceful coexistence of people of Afghanistan at stake through their words of hatred and hos-tilities have to be prosecuted. Generating rift between ethnic groups and dividing them on the grounds of their race and color will imperil the entire society. For instance, radical groups seek to capitalize on Afghans’ racial and sectarian sen-timent so as to create division and tension across the country. Religious hardliners and fundamental groups have been seek-ing to foment sectarianism and shed the blood of people on the basis of their sect so that they could achieve their political objectives. Ethnocentrism has room neither in national laws nor in inter-national instruments. Those who air their ethnocentric views to humiliate an ethnic group or show their own superiority should get the blame since no one is superior or inferior sim-ply for happening to be born in a particular ethnic or racial group. Ethnocentric mindset and racial and ethnic superiority do not have moral or religious grounds, either. Hence, one has to respect the individuals’ ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs and ground their mindset on the principle of equality. One should be viewed and treated with respect for being hu-man regardless of their sex, color, creed, etc. Claiming superiority based on race, ethnicity or beliefs will lead to horrible consequences. If racial and sectarian violence does not come to an end, peace and stability will remain elu-sive. All individuals and layers of the society have to play their role in eliminating sectarianism.

Page 4 May 30, 2021victory. The report is also expected to offer recommendations for preventing similar insurrections from happening again. (Xinhua)

(17) Press Freedom…“Four days into their trip, the visiting journalists were ordered to leave after immigration officials advised them and Mr. Moyo that official notice of their ac-creditation credentials had not been re-ceived from the necessary authorities,” the New York Times reported.The newspaper quoted Coltart as say-ing that Moyo was subsequently arrest-ed along with a ZMC official because immigration officials are “now saying those accreditation cards were fake”.In a statement on Facebook, the ZMC said that the two New York Times re-porters had applied for clearance to work in the country but their applica-tion was denied by the responsible au-thorities. (Aljazeera)

(18) Hybrid of …B.1.1.7 coronavirus strain, was first de-tected in England late last year and is more transmissible than the regular SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Co-vid-19.The transmission rates for the B.1.617.2 strain, which was first recorded in In-dia, were roughly two-thirds higher than for the UK variant, BBC reported, citing Public Health England.The spread of the Indian variant on Brit-ish soil prompted Germany and France to introduce tougher quarantine rules for travelers from the UK this month. (RT)

(19) Syria’s Assad… presidential election will be neither free nor fair,” the statement said.On July 17, 2000, Assad succeeded his father Hafez al-Assad as the Syr-ian president. Under the current Syrian constitution adopted in 2012, the presi-dent of Syria has the right to run for of-fice twice, which means this would be Assad’s last term in office. (Xinhua)

(20) Ex-Premier’s …government pledges to hold minis-ters accountable for $790 million gone missing from the Defense Ministry fund years ago.Kuwaiti newspapers — still report-ing despite the court order — said the defense team maintained the former prime minister’s innocence during the most recent hearings. Sheikh Jaber’s legal team did not respond to repeated requests for comment amid the gag rule. Kuwait’s Information Ministry declined to comment on the case, cit-ing the court’s secret investigation.Soon, WhatsApp groups crackled with leaks that while other officials remained in detention, Sheikh Jaber’s version of state custody was a special hospital wing decorated like a palace with hotel service. A doctor at Kuwait’s state-run al-Amiri Hospital confirmed to The Associated Press that Sheikh Ja-ber, who skipped the last court session due to reported health problems, was receiving treatment there. The doctor declined to give details and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of re-prisals, like most people interviewed. (AP)

(21) Scientists at …However, the lab’s now-notorious “bat woman” leader, Shi Zhengli, dismissed the fears in a since-deleted article, claiming that “this job is not as danger-ous as everyone thinks,” Taiwan News noted.“The odds of directly infecting humans is very small,” she reportedly wrote be-fore her lab become the focus of world-wide attention because of the coronavi-rus pandemic that as of Thursday has killed more than 3.5 million people worldwide. (Fox News)

(22) DA Won’t…the Christmas Eve 2002 disappearance of 27-year-old Laci, who was eight months pregnant.Investigators say Peterson took the bodies from their Modesto home and dumped them from his fishing boat into San Francisco Bay, where they surfaced months later.Peterson maintains his innocence and a judge is considering whether to grant a new trial because a juror failed to dis-close that she had sought a restraining order in 2000 against her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. She said in seeking the or-der that she feared for her unborn child. The judge must decide if that amounted to juror misconduct, and if so, whether it was so prejudicial that a new trial is warranted. Harris noted that prosecu-tors had earlier said the family support-ed again seeking the death penalty, and contended that their new motion is a gambit to avoid a new airing of the case.“The truth of the matter is they have de-termined ... that the handwriting is on the wall and if we go back to trial we’re going to prove Scott’s innocence,” he said. (AP)

(6) Taliban Threaten…“Interpreters and security guards gathered in front of the Australian em-bassy in Kabul to seek asylum from the Australian government.“They had no idea that one day the doors of the embassy would be closed and they would be held accountable to the people.”One guard said guards at embassies of countries with troops in Afghanistan regularly faced death threats from the Taliban, made against them, their chil-dren and families.Previously, security guards employed as “contractors” to provide security for the Australian embassy were not eligible for the Australian govern-ment’s locally engaged employee hu-manitarian resettlement scheme, open to other directly employed staff, such as interpreters.Security guards were told specifically: “The following Afghan nationals will not be eligible for resettlement under this policy: people who worked with Dfat as part of their duties as an em-ployee of a private security company.”However, this week that advice was changed, and correspondence from the foreign affairs and trade depart-ment, seen by Guardian Australia, said “contractors and security staff can also apply for the locally engaged staff hu-manitarian visa”.Guards say they welcome being al-lowed to apply under the scheme, but with processing times running often beyond five years, they fear it will be too slow. They say the sudden closure of the embassy has left them exposed to insurgent violence, and feeling abandoned by the country they risked their lives for.One guard, who the Guardian has cho-sen not to name for security reasons, said guards would be targeted and killed by the Taliban when foreign troops leave.“We are not going out from home, the kids have stopped school, all because of threat to our lives,” he said.“We feel good about our work for Aus-tralia and we are still proud of Austra-lia. So they won’t turn their back on us. We worked faithfully and helped them to live secure[ly].”Pat Ryan, a former Dfat contractor in Afghanistan and advocate for Austra-lia’s Afghan national staff, said there was “real and present threat to local national staff who have worked to pro-tect the embassy and consular build-ings”.“This threat increases with the with-drawal of coalition forces and our dip-lomats.”Jason Scanes, a former Australian army captain who served in Afghani-stan, said Australia had a “moral obli-gation” to those who it relied upon for 20 years.“There will be a great deal of shame felt by many veterans in our govern-ment with the closure of the embassy if we abandon those we formed close bonds with and who assisted us across Afghanistan and on the battlefield,” he said.Dfat did not respond to questions about its proposed resettlement of se-curity and other staff.With US and its coalition forces leav-ing Afghanistan by September, the prospects for Afghanistan are bleak. A resurgent and emboldened Taliban have control of significant swathes of the country, and threatens much more.“The Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield,” and the prospects for a peace deal are “low”, a US intelligence report said.Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Mark Milley, said this week the US was “rapidly” making plans to evacuate Afghan citizens who had worked for the US military, ahead of September’s troop pullout.Milley said it was important the US “remain faithful to those who had sup-ported the war effort … and that we do what is necessary to ensure their pro-tection and, if necessary, get them out of the country”.“There are plans being developed very, very rapidly here, not just inter-preters but a lot of other people that have worked with the United States.”In Kabul, there is a lack of certainty over the immediate future of Austra-lia’s embassy.The government’s announcement on Tuesday said the embassy would close on Friday 28 May. But security guards say they’ve been told they will contin-ue to stand guard until 15 June. (The Guardian)

(7) Education Centers…57281 have been recovered.Meanwhile, in a joint press conference the ministry of health, higher educa-tion, and ministry of education called on the people to adhere to the health instructions.Majroh warned that if people do not

cooperate, “we have to change all the houses to beds (isolation ward) and all the people will be affected by the vi-rus,” said Wahid Majroh, Health Min-ister.“We can manage to deal with the third wave of coronavirus if people give a hand,” he said.Acting Minister of Education Rangina Hamidi hopes the situation gets bet-ter in the next two weeks and that “we will be able to resume schools and stu-dents and teachers in provinces where the education process is normal are required to follow the health instruc-tions recommended by the Health Ministry.”Abas Basir, Minister of Higher Educa-tion stated that following the decision of the Committee to Fight Coronavi-rus, all public and private universities in 16 provinces of the country have been closed for two weeks. (ATN)

(8) Ghee, Gold…Dahan-i-Bagh market in Kabul, said a 49kg bag of Kazakhstani flour cost 1,650afs, a 49kg sack of Indian sugar 2,400afs and a 24kg bag of Pakistani rice 2,450afs, 16 liters of Malaysian cooking oil cost 1,980afs, a kilogram of Indo-nesian green tea cost 350afs and same quantity of African black tea cost 370afs.Gold, gas prices dipped.Mohammad Javid, a jeweler in Lycee Mariam area of Kabul, said that the price of one gram of Arabian gold de-creased to 3,780afs from 3,750 afs, and the same quantity of Russian variety to 3,250afs from 3,160 afs.Mohammad Sharif, a liquefied gas seller in KololaPushta area of Kabul said the price of one kilogram of the commodity was decreased from 60afs to 55afs.A worker at Hashemi Fuel Station in Taimani area of Kabul said the price of one liter of diesel stood at 50afs and the same quantity of petrol at 46afs.Haji Hussain, owner of the Sadaqat Money Exchange Service in Kabul, said one US dollar accounted for 78.40afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees 494afs, against last week’s 77.80afs and 494afs respectively. (Pajhwok)

(9) AACCI Urges…community in both the countries. Af-ghanistan”.Afghanistan-Australia Chamber of Commerce and Investment since 2020 after completing its legal procedures officially started its activities to tie bi-lateral relations, support private sector, and encourage investments. (Pajhwok)

(10) India Invites …Pakistan to apply for Indian citizenship under the nation’s citizenship law.The Union Home Ministry has extend-ed an invitation to Hindu, Sikh, Chris-tian, Jain, and Buddhist refugees from the three aforementioned neighbouring countries who are at present residing in 13 districts of India’s Gujarat, Chhattis-garh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab.The government issued a notification to this effect for immediate implemen-tation of the order under the Citizen-ship Act 1955 and Rules framed under the law in 2009. However, rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or the CAA enacted in 2019 are yet to be framed by the government.“In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 16 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955), the Central Government hereby directs that powers exercis-able by it, for registration as a citizen of India under section 5, or for grant of certificate of naturalisation under Sec-tion 6, of the Citizenship Act, 1955, in respect of any person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, namely, Hin-dus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians shall also be exercisable by the Collector, within whose jurisdiction the applicant is ordinarily resident”, the notification said. (Sputnik)

(11) US Envoy, Bajwa… between the US chargé d’affaires and the army chief was part of the ongoing engagement between the two countries on Afghanistan, Dawn News reported.This comes after a telephone conversa-tion between US Secretary of State Ant-ony Blinken and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.The national security advisers of the two countries also met in Geneva and the US defence secretary spoke with the army chief over the phone.“The US dignitary appreciated Paki-stan’s sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region, especially the Afghan peace process,” the ISPR said.It has been speculated that the US has been asking for bases in Pakistan after the withdrawal of its forces from Af-ghanistan, Dawn News reported.These reports followed President Joe Biden’s statement that the US would “reorganise … counterterrorism capa-bilities and the substantial assets in the region to prevent reemergence of ter-rorists — of the threat to our homeland

from over the horizon. We’ll hold the Taliban accountable for its commitment not to allow any terrorists to threaten the United States or its allies from Af-ghan soil”.Foreign Minister Qureshi had earlier this week told the Senate that Pakistan would not allow American bases in the country. “Let this house and the Paki-stani nation be a witness to my testi-mony that under Imran Khan there will be no American base built on Pakistani soil. Forget about the past,” he said.“The government of Pakistan has cat-egorically said that we will not allow kinetic use of drones nor are we inter-ested in the surveillance of your drones. That’s a very clear-cut policy of this government,” Qureshi said.The Taliban this week warned the “neighbours” against hosting the US forces after their departure from Af-ghanistan, saying that any such action would be seen as “provocative”. (ATN)

(12) 1 Moneychanger …emergency hospital.But a source at the emergency hospital told Pajhwok Afghan News that four wounded were evacuated to their hos-pital but one of them succumbed to his wounds.An eye witness, Wahidullah told Pa-jhwok Afghan News three individuals have been killed in the incident and only one was wounded.He added the doctors told us that one of the wounded was alive and three others succumbed to their wounds.Lately, targeted killings have spiked in the country triggering concerns among the people. (Pajhwok)

(13) ‘We Are…Sake, some 20 kilometres (13 miles) northwest of Goma, people slept wherever they could – on the side of the road and inside classrooms and churches.Kabuo Asifiwe Muliwavyo, 36, said she and her seven children had not eaten since arriving on Thursday.“They told us that there will be a sec-ond eruption and that there will be a big gas explosion,” she told Reuters news agency as she cradled her crying one-year-old.“But since we moved, there is nothing here … We are starving.” (Aljazeera)

(14) Mali Court…to deal with the looming threat of re-gional sanctions, the correspondent added.Earlier on Friday, the colonel made his first public remarks since his latest power grab and said the military had had little choice but to intervene.“We had to choose between disorder and cohesion within the defence and security forces and we chose cohe-sion,” he said.He added that he would name a new prime minister from among the mem-bers of the M5-RFP coalition, which led protests against Keita last year and fell out with Ndaw and Ouane during the transition.Jeamille Bitar, a member of the coali-tion, said its pick for the post would be Choguel Maiga, a former government minister. (Aljazeera)

(15) News Analysis…on evicting 28 Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighbor-hood, and then expanded to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, until Hamas fired a barrage of rockets toward Jerusa-lem on May 10 that led to an immediate major air offensive on Gaza from Israel.In the West Bank, 30 Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured by Israeli soldiers during clashes. In the Gaza Strip, 255 were killed and 1,948 injured in the intensive airstrikes carried out by Israeli fighter jets.Abdulmajid Sweilem, a political ana-lyst from the West Bank city of Ramal-lah, said the Palestinian issue mainly includes the status of Jerusalem, settle-ment expansion in the West Bank and the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua)

(16) U.S. Senate…lie has now fully enveloped the Repub-lican party. Trump’s big lie is now the defining principle of what was once the party of Lincoln,” Schumer said.Senate Republicans were widely ex-pected to block the bill since they be-lieved the commission would damage them during the 2022 midterm elec-tions, local analysts say.Earlier this month, the Democrat-led House voted mostly along party lines to pass the legislation creating the commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission to probe the Jan. 6 Capi-tol riot.The 10-member commission is tasked with delivering a final report on its findings about what happened on Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump’s supporters breached the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s election

(1) India an Important…In my meeting with the Secretary of Defence, with the, with the Secretary of State, the Afghanistan issue obviously came up because it is a very important concern,” he said. “The possible scenar-ios, once the US military draws down is obviously something which matters to us, it matters very much to Afghanistan, it matters to the United States, and it has a larger regional resonance, Jaishankar said. US President Joe Biden in April announced that all American troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11 this year, thus bring-ing to end the country’s longest war, spanning across two decades.In an interaction with a group of Indian reporters here, Jaishankar said that Af-ghanistan came up in all of these meet-ings. I don’t think it was so much an issue of what is India’s role? I mean, In-dia has an interest, India has influence, India has stakes, India has a history out there. We are a regional country. We are probably bordering Afghanistan,” he said. “So, there is a recognition, clearly in the United States as indeed in many other countries, that when you talk about the future of Afghanistan, India, is an important part of that conversa-tion, Jaishankar said.There were discussions on what could happen, what should happen, what should not happen, he said in response to a question. Earlier, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Dean Thompson told reporters that both India and the US have long shared the view that a peaceful, stable Afghanistan is in their mutual interest. We need to continue working together and with the region to press for a politi-cal settlement to end the conflict there, he said. With respect to the question about Afghanistan, certainly provid-ing an update on what’s happening in Afghanistan the two ministers talked about where things are headed on that front, Thompson said. India has invest-ed more than USD 3 billion in stabilis-ing Afghanistan economically, in re-construction and relief work since 2001 when US-led troops drove the Taliban out of Kabul. (One India)

(2) Iran Renews…comprehensive cooperation agreement, expanding bilateral relations, enhanced cooperation between the two countries in health, education, border, and con-sular spheres, and Iran’s role in ensur-ing peace in Afghanistan. (Pajhwok)

(3) Key US Military…The withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from the country started on May 1. So far, according to figures provided by US Central Command, the Pentagon has retrograded the equivalent of ap-proximately 160 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and has turned over more than 10,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for dispo-sition. The figures also show that the US had by last week officially handed over five facilities to the Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan. Pentagon officials have said that the US has completed up to 25% of the entire withdrawal process.President Ashraf Ghani at a ceremony at the Kabul University on Thursday said that with the withdrawal of the US and coalition forces from the country, a new chapter has been opened in Afghani-stan’s relations with its allies as well as with the region. He reiterated that the new chapter requires proper planning. Violence remains high in the country, especially after the three-day ceasefire from May 13 to May 15. The Ministry of Defense on Saturday said that at least 210 Taliban were killed in clashes and defensive operations by Afghan forces in 18 provinces, includ-ing Kabul, in the last 24 hours. (TOLO NEWS)

(4) NSA Refutes…after what Pakistan called his “abusive outburst” against Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.Pakistan has conveyed to the leadership in Afghanistan it will no longer conduct official business with Kabul’s top na-tional security chief because of his re-cent “abusive outburst” against Islam-abad, VOA reported citing officials and diplomatic sources.In a public speech earlier this month in eastern Nangarhar province, which bor-ders Pakistan, Mohib not only repeated his allegations but called Pakistan a “brothel house.”His remarks outraged leaders in Islam-abad, who denounced them, saying they “debased all norms of interstate communication.” (ATN)

(5) Blast Targets…police. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Most of those affected are lec-turers from Alberoni University in Par-wan province. (TOlO NEWS)

Ex-Premier’s Graft Case a Test of Justice in Oil-Rich Kuwait

DA Won’t Seek New Death Sentence Against Scott Peterson

Scientists at Wuhan Lab in COVID Probe Admitted Being

Bitten by Bats: Reports

Page 5 May 30, 2021 International Page

Hybrid of UK and Indian Coronavirus Variants Found in Vietnam – Health Minister

Press Freedom Watchdog Calls for Release of

Zimbabwean Journalist

‘We Are Starving’: Little Food for Families Fleeing DRC Volcano

Mali Court Appoints Assimi Goita as Interim President

U.S. Senate Republicans Block Legislation on Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Commission

News Analysis: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Returns to Global Fore Amid

High Regional Tension: AnalystsRAMALLAH- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has re-cently been brought back to the global fore from sev-eral years of marginaliza-tion, especially during and after a 11-day-long round of the probably heaviest fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s ruler Hamas since 2014, accord-ing to Palestinian analysts.The analysts agreed in sep-arate remarks they made to Xinhua that a new path that leads to a comprehen-sive solution based on the vision of the two-state so-lution on the 1967 borders is in preparation with the mounting tension between Israelis and Palestinians.On May 15, the sixth day of the Israel-Hamas fight-ing, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a phone call with U.S. Presi-dent Joe Biden. Before long, the foreign ministers of Germany, the United States, Egypt, Jordan and Britain successively vis-

Mali’s constitutional court has named the colonel who led a mili-tary coup this week as the country’s new in-terim leader.The ruling, issued late on Friday, said Assimi Goita would “lead the transition process to its conclusion” and carry the title of “president of the transition, head of state”.The court said it had made the decision due to the “vacancy in the presidency” follow-ing the resignation of caretaker President Bah Ndaw.Goita, 38, was previous-ly Ndaw’s deputy, and had ordered the former leader’s arrest on Mon-day following a cabinet reshuffle that stripped

People in eastern Democratic Re-public of the Congo (DRC) woke to more powerful tremors on Sat-urday morning as fleeing families seeking shelter from a feared sec-ond volcanic eruption struggled to find enough food and water.Dozens of people died when

DUBAI- Where is Sheikh Jaber? Kuwait was abuzz with the question as citizens on social media de-manded to know the whereabouts of their 79-year-old former prime minister. He’d been ordered detained pending trial in an un-precedented move last month over the alleged embezzlement of mil-lions of dollars from a military aid fund.When the scandal in-volving the sheikh and another royal family member erupted into public view nearly two years ago, it unleashed a rare wave of street protests. It prompted the Cabinet’s resigna-tion and forced a reck-oning in the Gulf Arab state about endemic corruption that has en-

SACRAMENTO- A California district at-torney said in a court filing Friday that she won’t seek a new death sentence against Scott Peterson, convicted in 2005 of murdering his pregnant wife.The Stanislaus County district attorney’s of-fice said it would drop efforts to restore the penalty thrown out last year by the state Su-preme Court. The DA said the decision was made in consultation with Laci Peterson’s family.The California justices ruled the death sen-tence couldn’t stand because potential ju-rors were excluded

Scientists at the Chi-nese lab eyed as a possible source of the coronavirus pandemic were previously filmed getting bitten and spat-tered with blood while handling bats without protection, according to reports.The state-run TV foot-age showed research-ers at the Wuhan Insti-tute of Virology (WIV) disregarding gloves, masks and other PPE while handling bats and collecting feces in the field, Taiwan News first noted.In one section, virus ex-pert Cui Jie related how a bat’s fangs once went right through his glove, describing it as feeling

ited Ramallah and held talks with Abbas in hopes of de-escalating the re-gional tension and bring-ing the peace talks back on track.Nabil Shaath, a diplomatic aide to President Abbas, told Xinhua that the Pal-estinian leadership has stressed to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken the necessity of ending the political vacuum that led to the growing tension in the region.“We believe the United States has to pressure Is-rael to show goodwill gestures about a real op-portunity that Washing-ton can use together with Arab and international states to resume the peace process which had been stalled for seven years,” Shaath said.The current high tension since April, as most previ-ous cases, started in East Jerusalem as Israel insist-ed ...(More on P4)...(15)

two soldiers of their ministerial posts.Ndaw resigned while in detention on Wednes-day and was later re-leased.Friday’s ruling raised the stakes as West Af-rican leaders prepared to meet on Sunday to decide how they would respond to the take-over, which regional and Western govern-ments fear could could exacerbate instability in northern and central Mali and undermine a regional fight against armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).Goita’s power grab is his second in less than a year.Goita, however, still has ...(More on P4)...(14)

Mount Nyiragongo volcano, one of the world’s most active, roared back into life a week ago, sending rivers of lava spreading towards the nearby city of Goma that de-stroyed thousands of homes along the way. The lava stopped just short of the city limits, but thou-

sands more people fled on Thurs-day when the government warned that the volcano could erupt again at any time.On Saturday, a small eruption was detected at the nearby Mount Nyamuragira volcano but was not believed to threaten any inhabited areas, the government said.“A low-intensity volcanic erup-tion has been reported in the northern side Nyamuragira,” the communication ministry said in a statement. “The lava is flowing in an uninhabited area within Virun-ga Park.”Most people have headed to the town of Sake or the Rwandan border in the northeast, while oth-ers have fled by boat across Lake Kivu. Nearly 10,000 people are taking refuge in Bukavu on the lake’s southern bank, according to Governor Theo Ngwabidje, many of them in host families.In ...(More on P4)...(13)

trapped ministers and stained the country’s sprawling bureaucracy for generations.Activists believe cor-ruption runs rampant through the region of oil-rich Gulf Arab sheikhdoms, but public criminal cases against senior officials and royal family members remain rare, typically playing out behind pal-ace doors.That may be changing, however, with recent explosive feuds over money laundering in Kuwait, a major cor-ruption sweep in Saudi Arabia and last week’s arrest of Qatar’s pow-erful finance minister in an embezzlement probe.Now, Kuwait’s jus-tice system is testing ...(More on P4)...(20)

after saying they dis-agreed with the death penalty.The family has “no doubt” Peterson killed his wife and unborn son Conner and de-serves the death pen-alty but doesn’t want to pursue that pun-ishment because “this process is simply too painful to endure once again,” District At-torney Birgit Fladager said her filing in San Mateo Superior Court.Peterson, now 48, was convicted in the San Mateo court after his trial was moved from Stanislaus County due to the massive pre-trial publicity that followed ...(More on P4)...(22)

“like being jabbed with a needle,” the outlet noted.The video — first broadcast in China on Dec. 29, 2017 — then cut to a person’s limb badly swollen from an apparent bat bite. Sci-entists also admitted getting spattered with blood during the re-search, according to the Sun.As one scientist was shown handling sam-ples with bare hands, the narrator noted how the risk of injury “still exists,” and that team members got a rabies vaccine before each field sampling, the Taiwan report said. ...(More on P4)...(21)

US Reports it Has Imported Sanctioned Oil from Iran, a First after 30 Years of Sanctions

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senate Republicans on Friday blocked legislation to establish an inde-pendent commission to inves-tigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.Senators voted 54-35 on the House-passed bill, falling short of 60 votes needed to get it over an initial hurdle.Six Republican senators joined Democrats voting to advance

the legislation.“I do not believe the extraneous ‘commission’ that Democratic leaders want would uncover crucial new facts or promote healing. Frankly, I do not believe it is even designed to,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McCon-nell said on the floor.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republican law-makers voted against advancing

the Jan. 6 commission bill “out of fear or fealty to (former U.S. President) Donald Trump.”“Senate Republicans for months publicly supported the idea of a commission. But now all of a sudden, the Senate minority and the Senate minority lead-er waged a partisan filibuster against the bill. This vote has made it official: Donald Trump’s big ...(More on P4)...(16)

Despite the severe sanctions im-posed on Iran’s energy sector by the White House, the US nonethe-less imported a substantial batch of crude from the Islamic Republic for the first time in 30 years, its Depart-ment of Energy reports.The department did not provide information on how the Iranian im-ports showed up on its log, despite current US restrictions banning any nation from purchasing oil from Iran.The US reportedly imported an estimated 36,000 barrels per day in October 2020, according to data tracked by the US Energy Informa-tion Administration (EIA). In March, the import volumes of Iranian crude reportedly totaled 33,000 barrels per day. That marks the first delivery of Iranian crude to the US since 1991, when the country was shipping up to 64,000 barrels per day.

oil aboard four tankers that were allegedly transporting the fuel to Venezuela. The US has imposed sanctions against Iran since 1984, banning all arms sales and Ameri-can aid to the nation. A new round of penalties against Tehran was introduced later, shortly after for-mer US President Donald Trump initiated a withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal signed un-der the Obama administration. Trump’s decisions reflected the US’ campaign of ‘maximum pres-sure’ against the Islamic Republic, measures aimed at forcing it to give up its nuclear ambitions. The latest steps taken by the current US administration, with a view to eas-ing tensions between the parties, reportedly may lead to a complete or a partial lifting of anti-Iran sanc-tions, and Washington and Tehran are currently in talks. (RT)

However, the US energy department re-corded another delivery of Iranian crude

in 2020. In August, Washington confiscat-ed 1.16 million barrels of Iranian-sourced

Syria’s Assad Says Winning Presidential Election “Slap in

Faces of Enemies”DAMASCUS- After scoring a sweeping victory in the presi-dential election, incum-bent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that the vote was “a slap in the faces of enemies.”Assad made the re-marks in a televised speech after his elec-tion victory, where he said the vote constitut-ed an “unprecedented challenge to enemies of the homeland,” appar-ently referring to the Western-backed exiled opposition, the armed rebels, and the United States and its allies which have denounced the election as “illegiti-mate.”Hailing the Syrian people who voted in the election, Assad said they have re-defined

the meaning of revolu-tion, adding his re-elec-tion is “a great honor” to him.A day earlier, Assad won his fourth seven-year term in the 2021 presidential race with 95.1 percent of the vote as opposed to 88.7 per-cent in the 2014 elec-tion.The number of eligible voters inside and out-side Syria was esti-mated at more than 18 million, 14 million of whom cast their votes in the election with a turnout rate of 78.64 percent.A joint statement is-sued on Tuesday by the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy slammed the elec-tion as “illegitimate.”“Syria’s ...(More on P4)...(19)

A new mutation of the coronavi-rus with characteristics of both the UK and the Indian variant was detected in Vietnam, the country’s top health official has announced.“After running gene sequenc-ing on newly detected patients, we have discovered a new vari-ant that is a mix of India and UK ones,” Vietnam’s Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said at a government meeting on Satur-day, online newspaper VnEx-press reported.“More specifically, it is an In-dian variant with mutations that originally belong to the UK vari-ant,” the minister said, adding that the government would soon “announce the new coronavirus variant on the global genome map.”The country’s health ministry recorded 87 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday. Overall, Vietnam

has had 5,164 locally transmit-ted cases and 1,492 imported cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the gov-ernment. A 22-year-old woman died from Covid-19 on Thursday night, raising the death toll from the virus to 47.Vietnam plans to use 100 mil-lion doses of the vaccine to in-

oculate 70% of its population that is over 18 years old, and reach herd immunity this year. In May, the World Health Organization assured that the existing vac-cines have proven to be effective against all known Covid-19 vari-ants.The UK variant, also known as the ...(More on P4)...(18)

A press freedom watch-dog has called on Zim-babwean authorities to immediately release a local journalist who was remanded in custody on accusations of violating the country’s immigra-tion laws to facilitate a reporting trip by two foreign colleagues.The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Friday the “base-less” charges against Jef-frey Moyo, a New York Times freelancer who has also worked for oth-er international media outlets, including The Globe and Mail, should be dropped.Moyo, 37, was arrested on Wednesday in the

capital, Harare. His lawyer, Doug Coltart, told the CPJ Moyo was charged with violating Section 36 of the Im-migration Act for alleg-edly presenting false information to immigra-tion officials to help two New York Times jour-nalists enter the country.According to Coltart, the two colleagues – Christina Goldbaum and Joao Silva – who arrived in the southern city of Bulawayo from South Africa on May 5 were deported on May 8 because they alleged-ly did not have proper accreditation from the Zimbabwe Media Com-mission (ZMC). ...(More on P4)...(17)

Kabul Bamiyan Herat Mazar Kandahar Ghazni Jalalabad Mostlysunny

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Daily Outlook Weather Forcast

www.outlookafghanistan.net@The.Daily.Outlook.AfghanistanOutlookafghanistan@gmail.com0093 799-005019/ 777-005019In front of Habibia High School,District 6, Kabul, Afghanistan

www.thedailyafghanistan.net@The.Daily.AfghanistanThedailyafghanistan@yahoo.com0093 799-005019/ 777-005019In front of Habibia High School,District 6, Kabul, Afghanistan

Back Page Sunday May 30, 2021

Afghanistan Ready to Purchase Arms and

Equipment from Russia - Ambassador

MOSCOW - Kabul is ready to purchase weap-ons from Moscow, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Russia Said Tayeb Jawad said in an inter-view with TASS.“We are hoping that Russia will consider re-pairing the existing Russian equipment, espe-cially helicopters,” the ambassador said.

“Our cadets are getting training here, especially from the Ministry of Interior, which is good,” he noted.The diplomat also expressed hope that Russia would provide an opportunity for Afghanistan to train its pilots and mechanical engineers. (TASS)

PARWAN - Four people were killed in an explosion that tar-geted a bus carrying lecturers from Alberoni University in Bagram district of Parwan on Saturday afternoon, a health of-ficial said.Dr. Qasim Sangin, chief medical

officer at Parwan Hospital, said 13 more were wounded in the explosion. The blast happened in Rabat area in Bagram district at around 3:15 p.m. on Satur-day afternoon, accord-ing to Bagram...

Blast Targets University Bus in Parwan; 4 Killed

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Notice of Intention for Award of Contract (Single Stage-Tow Envelope)

Project Name: Supply, Installation, Commissioning and Testing of 400 sets of electronic transit cargo tracking devices; Equipping the Central Command & Control Centre; Geo-fencing signal tracking; Supply of vehicles; Training of Customs Officers ADB Grant No. Grant 0423-AFG: Transport Network Development Investment Program – Tranche 4 – Border Crossing Improvement Subproject Bid/Contract Reference No: NPA/MOF/98/G-4594/ICB-Rebid Procuring Entity: Ministry of Finance (MOF) Contract Awarded recommendation: Name: M/s Bsmart System Solution SDN BHD Address: Malaysia. Evaluated Bid Price (in evaluation currency): USD 729,638.77 (Seven hundred twenty-nine thousand, six thousand thirty-eight point seventy-seven USD inclusive all taxes and duties)

List of bidders who submitted Bids: 1) Canuck Logistic and Supply Services JV Nuctech Company Limited 2) Anham FZCO 3) Bsmart System Solution SDN BHD 4) Starcom GPS Global Solution 5) No lemon Automotive Management Services 6) Safe Zone GPS

List of responsive bidders (Technical evaluation): 1) Canuck Logistic and Supply Services JV Nuctech Company Limited 2) Bsmart System Solution SDN BHD

List of non-responsive bidders (Technical evaluation): 1. Anham FZCO 2. Starcom GPS Global Solution 3. No lemon Automotive Management Services 4. Safe Zone GPS

This is to notify that, Ministry of Finance (MOF) intends to award the contract for Supply, Installation, Commissioning and Testing of 400 sets of electronic transit cargo tracking devices; Equipping the Central Command & Control Centre; Geo-fencing signal tracking; Supply of vehicles; Training of Customs Officers, Ref No: NPA/MOF/98/G-4594/ICB-Rebid to the first lowest-responsive bidder M/s Bsmart System Solution SDN BHD at a total amount of USD 729,638.77 (Seven hundred twenty-nine thousand, six thousand thirty-eight point seventy-seven USD inclusive all taxes and duties)

The ground for protest is open, starting from date of announcement of this intention for award and will close within one calendar week. Protest shall not be accepted beyond the deadline. Protest must be addressed in writing to procurement Directorate of Ministry of Finance (MOF) located at Pashtunistan Watt, Kabul Afghanistan. This notice doesn’t constitute a contract, until deadline completion stipulated herein and completion of further processes