Saturday, April 17, 2021

On Wednesday, the US President Joe Biden announced plans to withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, officially ending the US’ involvement in the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan. Similar troop withdrawals by the United Kingdom and NATO were also announced.

Former US President Donald Trump had set May 1 as the deadline. Both the US and NATO allies are to begin troop withdrawals on May 1. The date of conclusion of the US withdrawal is to coincides with the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, incidents which began the US-led incursion into Afghanistan, now the nation’s longest war.

Speaking from the room George W. Bush announced the US had launched airstrikes on Al-Qaeda training camps, Biden said “[w]e went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021. […] We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result”. On the war’s longevity, Biden said “I’m now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth”.

Biden said of a worldwide threat assessment claiming “the Taliban is likely to make gains on the battlefield” and “American troops shouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip between warring parties in other countries. That’s nothing more than a recipe for keeping American troops in Afghanistan indefinitely.” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a tweet “we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition.”

The US currently has about 2500 troops stationed in Afghanistan of a NATO mission of 9600; according to NPR, as many as 1000 special operations forces may be present as well. However, combat operations from both the US and UK ended in October 2014.

Biden said “[i]t’s time for American troops to come home”, the exit will be done “responsibly, deliberately and safely”. Though NATO and the United Kingdom will join the US in making considerable withdrawals in the coming months, according to the BBC the US will continue “diplomatic and humanitarian work” in Afghanistan.

NATO has said they have achieved their goal of “prevent[ing] terrorists from using Afghanistan as a safe haven to attack us”, and “[t]here is no military solution to the challenges Afghanistan faces”. According to Politico, NATO’ statement read: “Our troops went into Afghanistan together, we have adjusted together, and now we are leaving together”. Defence Minister of Germany, a NATO member, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the German public broadcaster ARD “we’ll go in together, we’ll leave together. I am for an orderly withdrawal”.

Pledging co-operation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels “I am here to work closely with our allies […] on the principle that we have established from the start: In together, adapt together and out together.”

According to the BBC, in announcing the British “drawdown” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said while “[t]he people of Afghanistan deserve a peaceful and stable future”, “the security of our people currently serving in Afghanistan remains our priority and we have been clear that attacks on Allied troops will be met with a forceful response.” Wallace said in his statement “we must remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, who will never be forgotten.”

After a phone call to the former President Bush, Biden said “[w]e’re absolutely united in our respect and support for the valor, the courage and integrity of the women and men of the United States armed forces who have served”.

In the United States Senate, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the move “a grave mistake”, adding “[f]oreign terrorists will not leave the United States alone simply because our politicians have grown tired of taking the fight to them.” Republican Representative Liz Cheney called it “a huge victory, huge propaganda victory, for the Taliban, for Al-Qaida”. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan criticised the plan saying “Withdrawal of U.S. troops must be based on the facts on the ground, not arbitrary deadlines”. Her fellow Democrat Elizabeth Warren said Biden “recognizes the reality that our continued presence there does not make the U.S. or the world safer.” Former US President Barack Obama gave his support as well, saying it was “the right decision”.

Director of the US’ Central Intelligence Agency told the Senate “I think we have to be clear-eyed about the reality, looking at the potential terrorism challenge”, there is a “significant risk” and “Al-Qaida and ISIS in Afghanistan” could pose a threat to “US targets”.

Monday, December 7, 2015

Yesterday, at least seven people including Aden, Yemen governor Jaafar Mohammed Saad died in a car bomb attack on their convoy in the city of Aden, according to local officials. An online claim of responsibility on behalf of militant group ISIS called Saad a “tyrant”.

An online post purportedly from the group claimed they detonated the bomb as Saad’s convoy passed where the car was parked. The post shared photos purporting to show Saad’s vehicle passing the parked car, and the following explosion.

People as much as 10km away reported hearing the explosion, and medics said it left victims’ bodies unrecognizable. Photos supposedly of the attack showed a burning, wrecked car. Aden’s Jumhoriya Hospital treated the victims.

The online statement threatened to “chop off” the “rotten heads” of Yemen’s “infidels”, and said more attacks are coming.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who follow Shia Islam, have taken over Yemen’s capital of Sanaa. Until just recently, President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government operated for several months in Saudi Arabia, which has led a coalition involving air strikes against the rebels.

Yemeni fatalities in ISIS-claimed bombings this year number reportedly around 159. Yemeni fatalities since March, when Saudi Arabia’s pro-Hadi airstrikes began, number at least 5,700 according to the United Nations.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

The California Department of Justice on Wednesday released the warrant and affidavit of a criminal investigation of the Wells Fargo bank. The State of California served the warrant on October 5 to search the San Francisco headquarters of Wells Fargo for felonious activities related to identity theft.

The warrant said property to be seized at the bank’s San Francisco headquarters was related to the unauthorized creation of accounts by Wells Fargo employees including the names of individuals for the accounts; account information and fees; the names of employees and their managers who created accounts without the consent of the Wells Fargo customers in question; and all communications including emails referencing the unauthorised accounts.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris’s criminal probe is part of an increasing list of officials nationwide questioning the business practices of Wells Fargo such as California State Treasurer John Chiang who announced a one-year suspension of State investment with the bank on September 28; Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs followed suit with a year-long ban on October 3; and Democratic United States Senators Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who wrote to the U.S. Security Exchanges Commission (SEC) suggesting investigation on September 29.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Buffalo, New York —A woman in Buffalo, New York in the United States is in critical condition tonight at Sisters Of Charity Hospital after she accidentally set herself on fire.

The unnamed elderly woman was receiving oxygen for medical problems in her home and lit a cigarette, and the oxygen coming from her mask facilitated the ignition of her clothing, setting her on fire.

Despite her “severe” burns as described by firefighters on radio communications, she was still able to dial the emergency line in the U.S., 911.

In the U.S. only 4% of all residential fires were reportedly caused by smoking materials in 2002. These fires, however, were responsible for 19% of residential fire fatalities and 9% of injuries. The fatality rate due to smoking is nearly four times higher than the overall residential fire rate; injuries are more than twice as likely. Forty percent of all smoking fires start in the bedroom or living room/family room; in 35% of these fires, bedding or upholstered furniture are the items first ignited.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter.

The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 trillion, above Germany’s forecast $1.17 trillion.

Huang Guohua, a statistics official with the customs administration, said the December exports rebound was an important turning point for China’s export sector. He commented that the jump was an indication that exporters have emerged from their downslide.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports,” he said.

However, although China overtook Germany in exports, China’s total foreign trade — both exports and imports — fell 13.9% last year.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a five-year program that could reduce taxes by a total C$60 billion.

The planned tax reduction measures include:

• Low-end personal income tax rates would be reduced from 15.5% to 15%, taking retroactive effect to the start of 2007;
• The basic personal exemption, the amount at which income is taxable, is raised from C$8,929 to C$9,600, also backdated to January 2007;
• Business tax rates are expected regularly drop from the current 20.5% to 15% in 2012;
• The Goods and Services Tax that applies to most purchases would be reduced from 6% to 5% as 2008 begins. This rate was previously reduced from 7% July 2006, shortly after Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office.

These measures will be brought before the House of Commons in Ottawa on Wednesday as a confidence motion. In Canada’s minority government situation, opposition parties could defeat these measures and likely prompt an election. However, opposition leader Stéphane Dion has expressed an unwillingness to defeat the government on this matter.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

After almost a decade off the air, the science fiction television series Doctor Who returned with new episodes to BBC airwaves on Saturday night, drawing a large audience.

Starring movie actor Christopher Eccleston, the ninth actor cast to play the Doctor, as the newly reincarnated Time Lord, the new series showed off a bigger budget with expensive special effects and a much darker — and sexier — tone. The new star and series got a blessing from actor Sylvester McCoy, who played the Doctor in the 1980s.

“I am very envious about not being in it. The writing is terrific and the toys they play with are much more sophisticated than they were in my day,” McCoy wrote in a column for BBC News. “My only criticism was about the TARDIS. It was far too clean. It needs to look a bit more battered and bruised as if it’s been through the odd asteroid or two,” he said.

The Doctor’s new sidekick is played by Billie Piper, whose marriage to Chris Evans ended during filming.

“We’re pleased so many people sat down as a family to watch the return of the Doctor,” a spokesperson said. Families apparently sat down in droves. Preliminary ratings figures show Who wooing 10.5 million viewers at its peak, or more than 44 percent of all television households in the United Kingdom, for the debut episode.

This made it the most-watched show of the evening, easily outpacing second-place Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV, which attracted an average of 7.2 million households.

The series will run for another twelve episodes.

One of the longest-running dramas in British history, Doctor Who has been airing sporadically since its debut in 1963. Ironically, the series cancellation in 1989 was due to low ratings.