Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri killed by US operation in Afghanistan
The other news of the day: Sources confirm Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan while Chinese warplanes flew over the Taiwan Strait. Beijing is expanding nuclear testing facilities in Xinjiang. In Pakistan, Imran Khan's party could be banned.
AFGHANISTAN
A US drone killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul last Saturday, US President Joe Biden announced last night. According to a UN report, it was well known that the Taliban (in particular the Haqqani network) tolerated al-Qaeda’s presence in the country in violation of the Doha accords.
CHINA – UNITED STATES – TAIWAN
Several sources confirmed the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan this evening. “Such a visit is apparently very much dangerous, very much provocative’” said China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun. Pelosi and her delegation arrived in Malaysia today while Chinese warplanes flew over the Taiwan Strait.
CHINA
Satellite imagery obtained by Nikkei Asia suggests that China is expanding its nuclear testing facilities in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The pictures ostensibly show Lop Nur, the site where China first carried outs its first nuclear tests in 1964, which were stopped 25 years ago.
INDONESIA – CAMBODIA
On Sunday, Cambodian police rescued 62 Indonesians, duped into working in Cambodia. Speaking to Radio Free Asia, families said their relatives were the victims of abuse and violence in Sihanoukville, forced to work as cyber scammers.
PAKISTAN
The Election Commission of Pakistan has ruled that former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party received illegal funds. The investigation, which ended today, had been dragging on since 2014. The ruling could lead to the party being banned for failing to disclose several secret bank accounts in violation of the constitution.
RUSSIA – SERBIA – KOSOVO
Following violence involving police in Metohija/Dukagjini on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Russia backs Serbia's claims against the unrecognised Republic of Kosovo/Kosova. In his view, local authorities have no rights over Kosovar Serbs in the north, and countries that recognise Kosovo/Kosova must prevent the conflict from escalating.
UZBEKISTAN
A month of public consultations on draft amendments to the constitution of Uzbekistan ended yesterday. Plans to curb Karakalpakstan’s autonomy were scrapped after they sparked protests and unrest. The Constitutional Commission of Uzbekistan reportedly received 117,000 proposals.
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20/02/2021 13:24
