Connect with us

ASIA

From climate change to “foreign conspiracy”; Recent floods left 60 dead in Afghanistan

Published

on

The devastating floods in the past few days have taken the lives of many people and affected huge financial losses in a number of provinces across Afghanistan.

The destruction of public roads, demolishing of agricultural crops and the loss of thousands of citizens of the country are other consequences of the storm and heavy rains in the provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Panjshir, Kapisa and Maidan Wardak.

The Taliban have confirmed that 47 people were killed and more than 350 others were injured as a result of floods and severe storms in Nangarhar province. Around 10 people were also killed in Kapisa and Kunar provinces.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that a large number of displaced people and migrants were living in the flooded areas of Nangarhar.

However, the Washington Post has reported that Afghanistan is dealing with climate change on its own, while the Taliban see natural disasters as the work of God or foreign conspiracies.

Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

It has been reported that Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change with very little global attention and local capacity to deal with it.

Indeed, the recent storm with heavy rains were unprecedented in the history of Afghanistan.This disaster is the latest in a series of extreme weather events that have plagued the country in recent years, including severe droughts, extreme temperatures, and flash floods.

Unfortunately, these recurring catastrophes underscore the harsh reality of climate change, with Afghanistan standing on the front line, bearing the brunt of its impacts.

Head of natural disaster management authority, Saifullah Khalid said that over 400 houses, 60 electricity poles, and many agricultural lands were destroyed in the recent storms and heavy rains.

Strong winds, storms and heavy rains have also killed 11 members of a family in Sarkhrood district of Nangarhar province. The incident took place on Thursday. The relatives of this family said they were  gathered to celebrate the birth of a baby when suddenly a storm hit the district and as a result 11 people died.

The victims have described the storm and heavy rain in this province as unprecedented and asked the government to help them as they lost almost everything.

The areas affected by the floods hosted a large number of displaced people and returnees.

On the other hand, the pictures and videos circulating in the media show some areas of Panjshir province which were badly hit with storms and heavy rains that resulted in destruction of people’s gardens and agricultural lands. Roads were also damaged causing the blockage of traffic.

On the other hand, Taliban local officials in Kapisa said that three people lost their lives to the floods and many other villagers received financial losses.

The flood in Maidan Wardak province has also destroyed hundreds of acres of agricultural land and dozens of gardens and caused huge financial losses to the residents of the province.

At the same time, the UNHCR said that the areas affected by the recent floods in Nangarhar hosted a large number of displaced people and returnees. This organization said that their staff reached the area and are currently helping the affected families.

However, Najibullah Sadid, an environmental expert has posted a satellite image and said that it shows the extent of flooding in Sarkhrood and Sultanpur districts which was severe.

As predicted, a strong monsoon prevails in the Indian subcontinent this year, and due to its effect, it is possible that the region and eastern Afghanistan will witness destructive floods, according to Najiubllah.

Long drought in Afghanistan has hardened the soil so that flash floods are more severe and its damage is much greater.

The new climatic conditions require a continuous and effective struggle, otherwise the living conditions of the people will become more difficult day by day.

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Program said that Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country due to climate change and natural events.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has reported that Afghanistan is dealing with climate change alone. According to the report, Afghanistan due to its policy to stop girls from schools and other education facilities is deprived of foreign financial aid for necessary measures such as adapting to climate change.

It also reported that the Taliban are arguing that natural disasters in Afghanistan are “the work of God or a foreign conspiracy”. The report states that Afghanistan is currently dealing with the effects of global warming alone, and the Taliban blame the floods and poor government management on foreigners.

In his speech at the conference in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, which was held on the occasion of climate change, Taliban Deputy Minister of Higher Education Lutfullah Khairkhah said: “Just as they attacked our country, they also attacked our climate. We must defend our climate, our water and our soil in the same way as we defend ourselves against invasion.”

UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, said that the long drought in Afghanistan has hardened the soil so that flash floods are more severe and its damage is much greater.

ASIA

Afraid of the gun; Taliban supreme leader fears of a coup

Published

on

Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has ordered the security institutions that without his permission, “no one can distribute or use the military equipment registered by the ministries of defense and interior, the directorate of intelligence and other independent institutions.”

Experts and analysts have considered this move by Hibatullah as last resort to weaken the position of defense minister, Yaqoob Mujahid, interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani and the head of Taliban intelligence, Abdul Haq Wasiq in order to prevent a possible internal coup that was initiated by these three top officials.

In the first article of the order, it is mentioned that no person can distribute military equipment registered in the reserves of the ministries of defense, interior and intelligence, or issue an order to distribute it without the order of Hibatullah.

This decree titled “Regarding the distribution, protection and supervision of registered military equipment”, specifies that whenever an Emirate entity (Taliban-related entity) needs weapons, ammunition, night vision cameras, telecommunications and other military equipment” must receive the approval order from the leader of the Taliban.

Also, in the second article of this decree, it is stated that whenever one of the military departments of the Taliban needs military equipment, it must send its request to Hibatullah’s office in Kandahar.

In the third article of the decree, it is emphasized that if the military equipment was distributed or used without the permission of the Taliban leader before the issuance of this decree, they must be returned to the reserves.

Ministries of defense, interior and head of intelligence department are banned from disturbing military weapons.

According to this article, Hibatullah entrusted the ministries of defense and interior, as well as the general directorate of Taliban intelligence, with the responsibility to report the list of available military equipment to the directorate of registration, and protection of military equipment.

This order of the Taliban leader has been considered as another step in the direction of concentrating more power in the hands of Mullah Hibatullah in Kandahar. Many have seen it as a sign of Hibatullah’s increasing distrust of senior Taliban officials in Kabul. Previously, some senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, have openly disobeyed Hibatullah’s order to prohibit photography and filming and have not followed the order of their supreme leader.

(R) Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid and (L) Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Previously, several reports have been published about the sale of military equipment left over from the US troops and Afghan security forces during the republic government. Even the US-elected president Donald Trump, repeatedly mentioned this issue during his election campaigns. Not long ago, the government of Pakistan also announced that the Pakistan security forces have discovered and confiscated a car carrying US weapons smuggled from Afghanistan.

Pakistani media reported that this equipment included M4 assault rifles, night vision cameras and thousands of rounds of ammunition, which were transported in a truck carrying vegetables. Pakistani security officials have estimated the total value of weapons smuggled from Afghanistan in this truck to be 126,354 US dollars.

The cost of US’s remaining equipment in Afghanistan estimated over 7 billion US dollars

The Pentagon has already announced that after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, about 7 billion dollars of military equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban. This equipment reached the hands of the Taliban after the fall of Afghanistan on 15 August, 2021.

It has been reported that when the US forces left Afghanistan, there were 78 US-made aircrafts in the country, whose value reached 1 billion dollars. According to CNN, with the end of the US military presence, a total of more than 9,000 air-to-ground munitions worth more than six and a half million dollars have remained in Afghanistan.

The report also states that out of a total of 96,000 military vehicles, more than 40,000 units, including 12,000 Humvees (armored tanks), fell into the hands of the Taliban. Moreover, out of a total of more than 400,000 weapons that the US gave to the forces of the former Afghan government, about 300,000 remain in the country.

Almost all “communications equipment, including mobile base stations, portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices, all remain in Afghanistan,” according to the report.

The report added that “almost all” of the equipment for night vision cameras, surveillance, biometric and positioning equipment,” a total of nearly 42 thousand pieces of specialized equipment, remained in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Five Mi 17 helicopters of the then Afghan army, which were transferred to Ukraine for repair before the collapse of the government, have also returned to Afghanistan and now are used by the Taliban.

It should be noted that the internal rivalries in the Taliban, especially among the different factions of this group, is one of the important reasons for Mullah Hibatullah’s distrust of some Taliban officials. Some officials, including interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and defense minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, gained a lot of power, especially during the Taliban’s war against foreign forces, and Mullah Hibatullah may be worried that these officials are trying to expand their power, which is a clear threat to his position as the Taliban leader.

Continue Reading

ASIA

China’s BYD prepares to launch latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe despite EU tariffs

Published

on

BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, is set to launch its latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe, undeterred by recent tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles. This strategic move highlights BYD’s commitment to expanding overseas sales despite economic barriers.

Deliveries of the Sealion 07 are scheduled to begin in 2025, marking BYD’s seventh all-electric model in the European market, the company announced on Wednesday. Additionally, BYD plans to enter the South Korean market next year, adding to its existing presence in 95 countries worldwide.

This European expansion comes on the heels of the European Union’s decision last month to impose new tariffs—ranging from 17% to 35.3%—on Chinese electric vehicles following an anti-subsidy investigation. BYD’s EVs are subject to a 17% tariff, in addition to the standard 10% tariff applied to all pure electric cars imported from China. These tariffs, which took effect last month, will remain in place for five years. Meanwhile, U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made EVs increased from 25% to 100% as of September, citing similar concerns.

Despite the added costs, BYD’s vehicles continue to hold strong appeal in export markets. “BYD’s vehicles remain attractive even after the additional tariffs, so it’s not really a big problem for the company,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service, a leading industry consultancy. “The Sealion 07 exemplifies how BYD’s cost advantage enables it to counteract such trade barriers in key export markets.”

Shenzhen-based BYD has yet to disclose the European pricing for the Sealion 07. On the mainland, the SUV—featuring a range of 450 kilometers—starts at 189,800 yuan (approximately US$26,272), with deliveries beginning in May.

According to a report last year from UBS analysts, BYD has a sustainable cost advantage of 25% over traditional European brands.

Continue Reading

ASIA

Singles’ day promotions target overseas Chinese as China’s domestic demand slows

Published

on

After last year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival in China was dubbed the “quietest in history,” China’s e-commerce platforms focused on a new strategy this year.

For this year’s Singles’ Day event, major e-commerce companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo invested heavily in expanding overseas markets, targeting the estimated 100 million Chinese living abroad with offers like discounts and free or low-cost shipping.

The central question, however, is not whether these efforts will succeed in the short term, but rather if this shift can help platforms grow their user bases as online sales growth in China reaches a bottleneck.

“Domestic consumption is quite weak right now, and every company is certainly considering new ways to drive growth for Singles’ Day,” said an executive at a leading online retailer, who requested anonymity. “The overseas market is widely seen as a promising source for additional growth,” he added in an interview with Nikkei Asia.

Singles’ Day, a one-day sales event launched by Alibaba in 2009 as a celebration for singles, has since evolved into a month-long campaign with special offers and deep discounts, culminating on or around November 11.

This year, China aimed to revitalize its retail sector with the event. Total consumer goods sales rose by 3.3% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2024, though high-end consumer spending remained stagnant. Cosmetics sales fell by 1%, while gold and silver jewelry sales declined by 3.1% year-on-year.

Last month, Alibaba’s Taobao launched a significant marketing campaign in Hong Kong and Taiwan, flooding subway stations with advertisements for “free shipping on orders over 99 yuan,” among other offers. According to the company, the campaign cost 2 billion New Taiwan dollars ($61.7 million) in Taiwan and 1 billion yuan ($138 million) in Hong Kong.

Following Alibaba’s move, JD.com announced it had invested 1.5 billion yuan to offer discounted product prices and cheaper shipping to Hong Kong shoppers. Bargain platform Pinduoduo took it a step further, offering free shipping via courier SF Express for Hong Kong shoppers, regardless of the item’s price. All products on these platforms are shipped from mainland China.

A spokesperson from Alibaba’s International Digital Commerce Group noted that since the overseas initiative launched in October, Taobao Hong Kong has achieved double-digit growth in both orders and gross merchandise value (GMV)—a metric that excludes canceled orders—on both a monthly and year-on-year basis.

The platforms are also targeting Chinese shoppers in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

This year, unlike in previous years, shoppers could combine online discounts with a subsidy program introduced by the Chinese government to boost domestic consumption, primarily for home appliances and household products. Analysts suggest these incentives will likely boost sales for JD.com, which is known for selling high-quality large appliances and offering after-sales services.

While JD.com has yet to release sales or GMV figures for home appliances during the shopping festival, it is expected to share its June-September results, along with Alibaba, later this week.

Last year, data provider Syntun estimated that total GMV on major e-commerce platforms grew by only 2.1% to 1.14 trillion yuan, falling short of the 2.9% growth forecast for 2022. Similarly, consultancy Bain predicted that Singles’ Day sales would reach 1.15 trillion yuan in 2023.

On Tuesday morning, Alibaba announced “strong GMV growth” and a “record number” of active shoppers for this year’s Singles’ Day event.

Continue Reading

MOST READ

Turkey