Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

International-UN-NGOs

World Bank announces $250 million for Lebanon reconstruction

2025-06-26

[AnNahar] The World Bank announced on Wednesday it had approved a $250 million project to support Leb
Leb

...The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
's reconstruction and recovery following last year's devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The bank had previously estimated reconstruction and recovery to cost around $11 billion.

"The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved yesterday a US$250 million financing to Lebanon to support the most urgent repair and reconstruction of damaged critical public infrastructure and lifeline services, and the sustainable management of rubble in conflict-affected areas," it said in a statement.

Jean-Christophe Carret, the World Bank Middle East Department's division director, said that "given Lebanon's large reconstruction needs, the (project) is structured as a $1 billion scalable framework with an initial $250 million contribution from the World Bank."

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the decision, calling the project "a key step in reconstruction by responding to damage to critical infrastructure and essential services in war-affected areas."

"This support strengthens recovery efforts within the state-led implementation framework and leverages much-needed additional financing," he said.

More than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, including a full-blown war that began in September, ended with a ceasefire agreement in late November.

The conflict caused massive destruction across Lebanon, particularly in Hezbollah strongholds in the country's south and east and in Beirut's southern suburbs, and further exacerbated economic woes caused by an economic crisis that started in 2019.

Reconstruction remains one of the greatest challenges facing Lebanon's government, with Beirut seeking foreign aid to finance the post-war recovery.

Link

Home Front: Politix

India leads in remittances - but Trump's tax could deal a blow

2025-06-06

[BBC] Tucked deep in Donald Trump's sprawling "One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act" is a clause that could quietly take billions from money sent abroad.

It proposes a 3.5% tax on remittances sent abroad by foreign workers, including green card holders and temporary visa workers such as those on H-1B visas. For India - the world's top remittance recipient - the implications are serious, say experts. Other major recipients include Mexico, China, the Philippines, France, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In 2023, Indians abroad sent home $119bn (£88bn) - enough to finance half of India's goods trade deficit and outpace foreign direct investment, according to a paper by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) economists. Of this, the largest share came from the US. For millions of migrants, that includes the money wired to cover a parent's medicine, a nephew's tuition or a mortgage back home.

A blunt levy on remittances could skim billions from migrant workers, many of whom already pay taxes in America. The likely result? A rise in informal, untraceable cash transfers and a dent in India's most stable source of external financing.

India has remained the top recipient of remittances since 2008, with its share rising from 11% in 2001 to 14% in 2024, according to World Bank. India’s central bank says that remittances are expected to stay strong, reaching an estimated $160bn by 2029. The country's remittances have consistently hovered around 3% of GDP since 2000.

India's international migrant population grew from 6.6 million in 1990 to 18.5 million in 2024, with its global share rising from 4.3% to over 6%. While the Gulf still hosts nearly half of all Indian migrants, skilled migration to advanced economies - especially the US - has increased significantly, driven by India's global IT footprint.

The US remains the top source of remittances worldwide, with its share rising from 23.4% in 2020–21 to nearly 28% in 2023–24, driven by a strong post-pandemic job recovery and a 6.3% rise in foreign-born workers in 2022. Notably, 78% of Indian migrants in the US work in high-earning sectors such as management, business, science, and the arts.

Remittance costs - driven by fees and currency conversion - have long been a global policy concern due to their impact on families. While global averages of the costs remain above targets, India stands out as one of the most affordable destinations, reflecting the rise of digital channels and heightened market competition.

AFP via Getty Image A worker holding US dollar (R) and Indian rupee currency notes poses for a photograph at a money exchange outlet in New Delhi on April 3, 2025. US President Donald Trump ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war on April 2 as he slapped 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world and harsh extra levies on key trading partners. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (Photo by ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Image

India topped the global remittance charts with $129bn sent home in 2024

A 10-15% drop in remittances could cost India $12-18bn a year, tightening dollar supply and putting pressure on the rupee, according to Ajay Srivastava of Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI). He reckons the central bank may have to step in more often to stabilise the currency.

The bigger blow would land on households in states such as Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where remittances fund essentials like education, healthcare and housing. The tax could "hit household consumption hard" even as the Indian economy grapples with global uncertainty and inflation, Mr Srivastava says in a note.

The remittance tax could squeeze Indian household budgets, dampen consumption and investment, and undermine one of India's steadiest sources of foreign exchange, warns a brief by the Delhi-based Centre for WTO Studies. Maharashtra, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu, continues to be among the dominant recipient states.

Remittances in India are largely used for household consumption, savings and investment in assets like housing, gold and small businesses. according to a policy brief by the think tank's Pritam Banerjee, Saptarshee Mandal and Divyansh Dua.

A drop in inflows could shrink domestic savings and reduce investment in both financial and physical assets. When remittance inflows decline, households are likely to "prioritise consumption needs (e.g. food, healthcare, and education) over savings and investment", the brief says.

A study by Center for Global Development, a Washington-based think tank, suggests the proposed tax could sharply cut formal transfers, with Mexico facing the biggest hit - over $2.6bn annually. Other major losers include India, China, Vietnam and several Latin American nations like Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

To be sure, there's still some confusion surrounding the tax, and final approval is pending Senate action and the President's signature.

"The tax applies to all non-citizens and even embassy and UN/World Bank staff. But those who pay taxes can claim a tax credit. Thus, the remittance tax would apply only to those migrants who do not pay taxes. That would mostly include unauthorised migrants (and diplomats)," Dilip Ratha, the World Bank lead economist for migration and remittances, told the BBC.

Dr Ratha wrote in a note on LinkedIn that migrants would try to cut remittance costs by turning to informal methods - hand-carrying cash, sending money through friends, couriers, bus drivers or airline staff, arranging local currency payouts via friends in the US, or using hawala, hundi and cryptocurrencies.

"Will the proposed tax deter unauthorised immigration to the US? Will it encourage unauthorised migrants to return home?" wonders Dr Ratha.

Not quite, he says. A minimum wage job in the US earns over $24,000 a year - roughly four to 30 times more than in many developing countries. Migrants typically send home between $1,800 and $48,000 annually, estimates Dr Ratha.

"A 3.5% tax is unlikely to deter these remittances. After all the main motivation for migration - migrants trying to cross oceans and rivers and mountains - is to send money home to help helpless family members."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

After Trump announcement, Treasury Department says US formally lifting Syria sanctions

2025-05-25

[IsraelTimes] Sweeping economic relief doesn’t include removal of Sharaa’s HTS from terror blacklist; some US officials pushed for phased approach that would include normalizing ties with Israel

The Trump administration granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions Friday in a big first step toward fulfilling the president’s pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 13 years of civil war.

While broad, the administration’s actions could possibly be reversed. Syrians say they need permanent relief to secure the tens of billions of dollars in investment needed to rebuild after a conflict that fragmented the country, displaced or killed millions of people, and left behind thousands of imported muscle.

A measure by the State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019.

A measure by the State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. A Treasury Department action suspended enforcement of sanctions against anyone doing business with a range of Syrian individuals and entities, including Syria’s central bank.

Trust but verify. And quietly watch where the money flows…

Syria is now led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former militia commander who helped drive longtime autocratic leader Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Terror of Aleppo ...
from power late last year.

President Donald Trump
...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down...
announced last week that the US would roll back the heavy financial penalties in a bid to give the interim government a better chance of survival. The Trump administration said businesses and investors are getting the protection against sanctions they need to come back to Syria, calling it "the opportunity for a fresh start."

"The only other option was Syria becoming a failed state and civil war," said Mouaz Moustafa, a Syrian American advocate who had campaigned for quick, broad relief. "Now there is hope for a future democratic Syria."

The congressional sanctions, known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, had aimed to isolate Syria’s previous rulers by effectively expelling those doing business with them from the global financial system. They specifically block postwar reconstruction, so while they can be waived for 180 days by executive order, investors are likely to be wary of reconstruction projects when sanctions could be reinstated after six months.

The Trump administration said Friday’s actions were "just one part of a broader US government effort to remove the full architecture of sanctions." Those penalties had been imposed on the Assad family for their support of Iranian-backed militias, their chemical weapons

...have not been used since WWI except for in Iraq, by the late, unlamented Saddam Hussein and in Syria, but really, honest, not by the Syrian government. And in Germany in WWII, but that was against civilians. Lots of them, just one of many reasons Hitler's also late and unlamented...
program and abuses of civilians.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT EXPECTS ACTION FROM SYRIA
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
said in a statement Friday that in return for sanctions relief, Trump expects "prompt action by the Syrian government on important policy priorities."

Al-Sharaa’s own past has fueled doubts. The group that he led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
, was originally affiliated with al-Qaeda, although it later renounced ties and took a more moderate tone. It is still listed by the US as a terrorist organization.

But if al-Sharaa’s government fails, the US and others fear renewed conflict in Syria and a power vacuum that could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
and other bad boy groups.

"If we engage them, it may work out, it may not work out. If we do not engage them, it was guaranteed not to work out," Rubio told politicians this week.

Trump met al-Sharaa last week in Saudi Arabia

...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
, a day after announcing his intention to lift the sanctions: "We’re taking them all off. Good luck, Syria. Show us something special."

Rubio said sanctions relief must start quickly because Syria’s transition government could be weeks from "collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions."

But asked by politicians this week what sanctions relief should look like overall, Rubio gave a one-word explanation: "Incremental."

DEBATE WITHIN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
While some sanctions can be quickly waived through executive actions like those taken Friday, Congress would have to permanently remove the penalties it imposed.

Some Trump administration officials have been pushing for relief as fast as possible without demanding tough conditions first. Others have proposed a phased approach, giving short-term waivers right away on some sanctions then tying extensions or a wider executive order to Syria meeting tough conditions.

Critics said that could slow or prevent longer-term relief, hindering the interim government’s ability to attract investment and rebuild.

Proposals circulated among administration officials, including one shared this week that broadly emphasized taking all action possible, as fast as possible, to help Syria rebuild, according to a US official familiar with the plan who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another proposal — from State Department staff — that circulated last week suggested a three-phase road map, starting with short-term waivers and then laying out sweeping requirements for future phases of relief or a permanent lifting of sanctions, the official said.

Removing "Paleostinian terror groups" from Syria is first on the list of conditions to get to the second phase. Supporters of sanctions relief say that might be impossible, given the subjectivity of determining which groups meet that definition and at what point they can be declared removed.

Other conditions for moving to the second phase are for the new government to take custody of detention facilities housing Islamic State fighters and to move forward on absorbing a US-backed Kurdish force into the Syrian army.

To get to phase three, Syria would be required to join the Abraham Accords — normalized relations with Israel — and to prove that it had destroyed the previous government’s chemical weapons.

Israel has been suspicious of the new government, although Syrian officials have said publicly that they do not want a conflict with Israel. Since Assad fell, Israel has launched hundreds of ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Hezbollah seeks boost in Lebanon vote as disarmament calls grow

2025-05-24

[IsraelTimes] Though the terror group was badly weakened by the war with Israel, popular support among Lebanese Shi’ites remains strong

Amid the rubble left by Israeli bombardment of south Leb
...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects....
, campaign posters urge support for Hezbollah in elections on Saturday as the group aims to show it retains political clout despite the pounding it took in last year’s war.

For Hezbollah, the local vote is more important than ever, coinciding with mounting calls for its disarmament and continued Israeli ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
...KABOOM!...
s, and as many of its Shi’ite Moslem constituents still suffer the repercussions of the conflict.

Three rounds of voting already held this month have gone well for the Iran-backed terror group. In the south, many races won’t be contested, handing Hezbollah and its allies early wins.

"We will vote with blood," said Ali Tabaja, 21, indicating loyalty to Hezbollah. He’ll be voting in the city of Nabatieh rather than his village of Adaisseh because it has been destroyed.

"It’s a desert," he said.

The south’s rubble-strewn landscape reflects the devastating impact of the war, which began when Hezbollah began launching regular attacks on Israel in October 2023 in support of Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
following the latter terror group’s devastating attack on southern Israel.

After nearly a year of war, Israel launched a major offensive against the organization. Hezbollah emerged as a shadow of its former self, with its leaders and thousands of its fighters killed, its influence over the Lebanese state greatly diminished, and its Lebanese opponents gaining sway.

In a measure of how far the tables have turned, the new government has declared it aims to establish a state monopoly on arms, meaning Hezbollah should disarm.

Against this backdrop, the election results so far indicate "the war didn’t achieve the objective of downgrading Hezbollah’s popularity in the community," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a think tank. "On the contrary, many Shia now feel their fate is tied to Hezbollah’s fate.

Hezbollah’s election performance "really matters," Hage Ali added. "It shows they still represent the great majority of Shi’ites and underlines the reality that any attempt by other Lebanese to disarm them by force would risk being seen as a move against the community and jeopardize civil peace."

Hezbollah’s arms have long been a source of division in Lebanon, sparking a brief civil conflict in 2008. Critics say Hezbollah has unilaterally involved Lebanon in wider Middle East conflicts.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for dialogue with Hezbollah over a national defense strategy, implying discussion of its weaponry, but talks have yet to begin.

Wednesday saw the Lebanese and Paleostinian Authority presidents agree that Paleostinian factions won’t use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren’t under the authority of the Lebanese state.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah opponent, has said that Lebanon has been told there will be no reconstruction aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms.

Hezbollah, in turn, has put the onus on the government over reconstruction and accuses it of failing to take steps on that front, despite promises that the government is committed to it.

A US State Department spokesperson said that while Washington was engaged in supporting sustainable reconstruction in Lebanon, "this cannot happen without Hezbollah laying down their arms."

"We have also made clear that transparency and economic reform are the only path to greater investment and economic recovery for the country," the spokesperson said in response to a Rooters query.

Hezbollah claims its weapons are now gone from the south, but links any discussion of its remaining arsenal to Israel’s withdrawal from five positions it still holds, and an end to Israeli strikes.

Israel says Hezbollah still has combat infrastructure, including rocket launchers in the south, calling this "blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon." It says the five positions are necessary to defend northern Israel from the threat of Hezbollah, which had planned an October 7-style attack on northern communities.

A French diplomatic source said reconstruction would not materialize if Israel continues striking and the Lebanese government does not act fast enough on disarmament.

Donors also want Beirut to enact economic reforms.

Hashem Haidar, head of the government’s Council for the South, said the state lacks the funds to rebuild, but cited progress in rubble removal. Lebanon needs $11 billion for reconstruction and recovery, the World Bank estimates.

In Nabatieh, a pile of rubble marks the spot where 71-year-old Khalil Tarhini’s store once stood. It was one of dozens destroyed by Israeli bombardment in Nabatieh’s central market.

He has received no compensation and sees little point in voting. Expressing a sense of abandonment, he said: "The state did not stand by us."

The situation was very different in 2006, after a previous Hezbollah-Israel war. Aid flowed from Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and Gulf Arab states.

Hezbollah says it has aided 400,000 people, paying for rent, furniture, and renovations. But the funds at its disposal appear well short of 2006, recipients say.

Hezbollah says state authorities have obstructed funds arriving from Iran, though Tehran is also more financially strapped than two decades ago due to tougher US sanctions and the reimposition of a "maximum pressure" policy by Washington.

As for Gulf states, their spending on Lebanon dried up as Hezbollah became embroiled in regional conflicts and, echoing the US, they declared it a terrorist group in 2016. Saudi Arabia

Link

India-Pakistan

Pakistan will not get water over which India has rights, says Modi

2025-05-23

[GEO.TV] Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, a month after a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) led New Delhi to suspend a key river water-sharing treaty between the neighbours.

The suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), negotiated by the World Bank in 1960, was among a slew of measures announced by India against Pakistan last month after the April 22 attack that killed 26 men, mostly Hindu tourists.

New Delhi accused Pakistan of the attack without presenting evidence and launched missile strikes on Pakistani cities, triggering the worst military clashes in nearly 30 years before both sides agreed to a ceasefire on May 10.

"Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack ... Pakistan's army will pay it, Pakistan's economy will pay it," Modi said at a public event in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan.

The Indus treaty provides water for 80% of Pakistan's farms from three rivers that flow from India, but Pakistan's finance minister said this month that its suspension was not going to have "any immediate impact".

The ceasefire between the countries has largely held, with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar saying that there is no exchange of fire currently and "there has been some repositioning of forces accordingly".

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

World Bank says Saudi Arabia and Qatar have paid off Syria’s outstanding debt

2025-05-17

Trim your beard, put on a $4000 suit, send your wife to Sultan Erdogan’s wife’s modest dressmaker, and you, too, can be a success in the great, wide world.

[IsraelTimes] The World Bank says that the $15.5 million Syria owed it has been paid off by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, clearing Damascus to take out new loans.
So they bought Syria for $15m?
Hey Greenland!
Saudi Arabia and Qatar had announced plans last month to clear Syria’s outstanding debts, a move that Syria hailed as paving the way for recovery and reconstruction after a 14-year conflict that killed half a million people and caused wide destruction in the country.

The debt was owed to the World Bank’s International Development Association, a fund that provides zero- or low-interest loans and grants to the world’s poorest countries.

“We are pleased that the clearance of Syria’s arrears will allow the World Bank Group to reengage with the country and address the development needs of the Syrian people,” the World Bank says in a statement.

It adds that “the first project in our reengagement with Syria is centered on access to electricity.”

Months after a lightning insurgency unseated former Syrian President Bashar Assad and ended the civil war that decimated much of the country’s infrastructure, severe electricity shortages continue to plague the country.

The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and state-supplied electricity comes as little as two hours every day. Millions of Syrians cannot afford to pay hefty fees for private generator services or install solar panels to supplement the meagre supply.

In March, Qatar began supplying Syria with natural gas through Jordan to ease the long hours of electricity cuts.

However, Western sanctions imposed on the country during the Assad dynasty’s rule have posed an obstacle to development and reconstruction projects.

Earlier this week, during a regional tour during which he met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump said he would move to lift the sanctions, clearing the way for investments in Syria.

Link

Caribbean-Latin America

Top Mexican politician is stunned to discover Trump has REVOKED visas for her and her husband

2025-05-13

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A second international politician has been notified that President Donald Trump

...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
's administration revoked her and her husband's tourist visas.

Marina del Pilar Avila, the governor of Mexico's Baja Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, state, announced on Sunday that she and her husband, Carlos Torres, had been informed of the United States' consular measure.

She did not provide any reason for the revocation in her X post, but Torres wrote on Facebook Saturday that it 'does not represent an accusation, investigation or formal incident by any authority, neither in Mexico nor in the United States.'

Tragic. But no doubt there is an unspoken reason, well known to all the parties involved. Something about narco gangs, perhaps?

Torres, who serves as the coordinator of special projects within the Baja California state administration and for the city of Tijuana, also claimed that the revocation is 'a measure that, as is with many people in similar contexts, responds to internal arrangements of the State Department.'

'Currently, the application of these administrative criteria has become increasingly common and like so many others, I am included in that universe,' Torres told his followers.

In fact, their visa revocation comes just weeks after Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed the Trump administration revoked his visa to attend meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

It also comes amid President Trump's war of words with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her refusal to deal with narco mobs in her country.

Hmmm… a bunch of breadcrumbs, for those willing to follow them…

Trump had pressured Sheinbaum last month to allow US soldiers into her country to help fight the narco gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl into the United States, but she declined the offer, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Link

India-Pakistan

India-Pakistan War: DGMO Says India Killed Over 40 Pakistan Army Personnel In Shelling Along LoC

2025-05-12

[OneIndia] In a press briefing on India-Pakistain ceasefire, Lieutenant Gen Rajiv Ghai, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), disclosed that it killed around 35 to 40 Pak soldiers between May 7 and 10. He added that India lost five soldiers in Operation Sindoor.

Lieutenant Ghai highlighted that Operation Sindoor commenced on the nights of March 7 and 8. The operation caught Pakistain off guard and resulted in the elimination of over 100 terrorists. Among those neutralised were high-profile targets such as Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf, and Mudassir Ahmed. These individuals were linked to significant terror incidents like the IC-814 hijacking and the Pulwama attack.

OPERATION SINDOOR'S IMPACT
The operation's success was underscored by its ability to thwart repeated aerial attacks on airfields and dumps. Lieutenant Ghai mentioned that these assaults were effectively countered. The Pak Army suffered casualties due to artillery and small arms fire along the Line of Control during this time frame.

Lieutenant Ghai emphasised that Operation Sindoor was a strategic move that significantly impacted terrorist activities. The operation not only targeted gunnies but also disrupted their operations, thereby enhancing security in the region.

CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES
The Indian Army's actions led to substantial losses for Pakistain, with an estimated 35 to 40 soldiers killed. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
India also faced losses, with five soldiers losing their lives during the operation. This highlights the intense nature of the conflict along the Line of Control.

The successful execution of Operation Sindoor demonstrates India's commitment to combating terrorism. By targeting key figures involved in past attacks, India aims to prevent future threats and ensure regional stability.

From the One India liveblog:

May 12, 2025, 8:42 AM IST
India Rules Out IWT, Kashmir Talks With Pakistan; Limits Engagement To DGMO Level Only
India will engage with Pakistan solely through communication between their respective Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), and there will be no dialogue on contentious issues such as Kashmir or the Indus Waters Treaty, which currently remains suspended, according to a Hindustan Times

May 11, 2025, 10:39 PM IST
Major points from the press conference held by DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Air Marshal AK Bharti and Vice Admiral AN Pramod, on Operation Sindoor:

1. Over 100 terrorists killed in the action. 11 air bases in Pakistan destroyed. Indian Army inflicted heavy damage in response to Pakistan’s intrusion.

2. High-value targets eliminated include: Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Malik Rauf, Mudassir Ahmad.

3. 9 confirmed terror camps, based on multi-agency intelligence. Key Targets: Bhawalpur (terrorist training camp) and Muridke (another key terrorist training site)

4. Even after the ceasefire, wave of UAVs and small drones intruded into Indian civilian and military areas. • These drones were successfully intercepted.

5. A befitting response was given by Indian armed forces. Further, all field commanders have been authorised to take appropriate action in case of any ceasefire violation.

May 11, 2025, 10:18 PM IST Delhi
"Our forces remained forward deployed in the Arabian Sea in a decisive posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets in sea and on land, including Karachi at the time of our choosing," said Vice Admiral AN Pramod.

From the Times of India liveblog:

08:54 (IST) May 12
First 'peaceful night' along J&K, border areas in days, says Army
Following the chaos and all the skirmishes that had kept the areas along the northern and western International Borders (IB) up during the night for the past few days, the region has largely remained peaceful during the intervening night of May 11 and May 12, the Army stated.

According to the Army, the region of Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the IB were calm, and no incidents of the violation of the cessation of hostilities were reported.

The army noted that this marked the first calm night in recent days following the cross-border firing, heavy artillery shelling and drone attacks by Pakistan in response to India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attacks, which dismantled major terror sites in Pakistan and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

"The night remained largely peaceful in Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the international border. No incident has been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days," the Indian Army stated.

For the past few days, the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat were witnessing chaotic and sleepless nights due to Pakistan's heavy shelling and attempted drone attacks, which were aimed at disrupting peace along the region.

04:57 (IST) May 12
India agreed to pause as 'main objectives had already been achieved'
Deep precision airstrikes with BrahMos supersonic missiles and other standoff weapons on several crucial airbases in Pakistan early Saturday proved to be decisive in the escalating hostilities between the two nations, causing the US to step in and push for a truce.

India agreed as it had achieved its three main objectives — political, military and psychological — according to govt sources.

Ceasefire on, but pressure stays: 6 key decisions by India against Pakistan that still stand
[TimesOfIndia] India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire following escalated cross-border tensions in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.

The ceasefire was the result of direct engagement between Indian and Pakistani officials, with Islamabad agreeing to the terms with "no preconditions, no postconditions, and no links to other issues."

This comes after the armed forces carried out precision strikes on terrorists hotspots in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under 'Operation Sindoor'.
Follow live blog: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting a day after India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement

Following India's action, Pakistan launched missiles and drones across LoC and International Borders which were intercepted by Army's air defence systems.
Here are the punitive actions that will remain in effect:

SUSPENSION OF INDUS WATERS TREATY
The Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance, government sources confirmed. “There are no preconditions to the ceasefire agreement reached on Saturday, and the IWT will remain suspended,” sources in the ministry of external affairs said.

Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the treaty governs the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.

The treaty has historically benefited Pakistan, which receives about 80% of the total water flow from these rivers—vital for agriculture, particularly in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.

INTEGRATED CHECK POST TO REMAIN SHUT
The Integrated check-post at Attari will also remain shut. The Attari-Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan was completely closed following a week of heavy cross-border movement.

The check post at Attari in Punjab was closed, and those who crossed over with valid documentation were instructed to return through that route before May 1.

TRADE BAN
The prohibition on all imports from Pakistan, whether direct or routed through intermediary nations, will also continue.

Additionally, Pakistan-registered vessels are barred from entering Indian ports, and Indian ships are prohibited from accessing Pakistani harbors—reflecting a tougher diplomatic stance.

A newly incorporated provision under “Prohibition on Import from Pakistan” in the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) says, “Direct or indirect import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders.”

CLOSURE OF AIRSPACE
India will continue to enforce the closure of its airspace to flights originating from or traveling through Pakistan, a measure that came into effect on April 30.

This move will force foreign carriers that typically overfly Pakistani airspace after exiting Indian airspace to take longer, alternate routes.

BAN ON PAKISTANI ACTORS AND ARTISTS
In the interest of national security, India will maintain its ban on Pakistani actors and artists performing within the country.

In addition, all OTT platforms, media streaming services, and intermediaries operating in India are required to discontinue web series, films, songs, podcasts, and other digital content of Pakistani origin—whether available via subscription or otherwise.

VISA SERVICES FOR PAKISTANI CITIZENS
India will continue the suspension of all types of visas for Pakistani nationals.
l
Following the Pahalgam terror attack, the government had suspended all categories of visas for Pakistani citizens and instructed those already in India to leave by April 27. However, medical visas were given an extension until April 29, after which they were also revoked.

“In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The ministry also advised Indian nationals currently in Pakistan to return at the earliest.

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Government Corruption

After a 6 week review, 83 % of USAID programs have now been eliminated

2025-05-01

[X]

🚨JUST IN: After a 6 week review, 83 % of USAID programs have now been eliminated.

Do you support this?

YES or NO? pic.twitter.com/hKVpWHTv3f
— Elon Musk 🇺🇸 News (@ElonMuskNews47) April 30, 2025

Jordan to continue receiving US financial support despite Trump’s cuts to foreign aid

[IsraelTimes] Washington provides Amman assurances that annual financing for budgetary aid, water infrastructure and defense to remain intact

Millions of dollars in US grants for Jordan’s largest water desalination project abruptly dried up when US President Donald Trump
...The cad! Twice caught beating wimmin!...
announced sweeping cuts to foreign aid in January.

Within two months, support was flowing again, a result of diplomacy that has arguably put the pivotal Middle Eastern state on a more solid financial footing than before the US president’s shock move to reshape global foreign aid in January, conversations with more than 20 sources in Jordan and the United States reveal.

Jordan — which stands behind only Ukraine, Israel and Æthiopia among the largest recipients of US aid globally — has won assurances from Washington that the bulk of financing worth at least $1.45 billion annually remains intact, including military and direct budgetary support, according to Rooters conversations with the sources.

Most of the sources, including Jordanian officials, diplomats, regional security officials, US officials and contractors involved in US aid projects, asked not to be named to discuss sensitive ongoing diplomatic discussions.

Four of these payments resumed in March to US firm CDM Smith, which USAID tasked with overseeing the $6 billion Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project, seen as key to the self-sufficiency of the arid kingdom.

The United States has for decades relied on Jordan to help achieve its goals in the Middle East, including during the Iraq War and as a partner in the fight against al-Qaeda in the region. Jordan hosts US forces under a treaty allowing them to deploy at its bases. The CIA works closely with Amman’s intelligence services.

Although several sources said much of the $430 million annual assistance for development programs remains frozen, hitting education and health projects, Molly Hickey, a Harvard doctoral researcher studying US aid and Jordan’s political landscape, said these areas are considered less strategically important.

"Trump has protected funding considered critical to Jordan’s stability, namely defense, water, and direct budget support," Hickey said, citing contacts with US officials that corroborate Rooters’ findings.

A US State Department spokesperson confirmed Jordan’s military aid was intact, calling Jordan a strong US partner with a critical role for regional security.

A decision has now been taken to continue US foreign military financing to all recipients, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration...
completed his review of foreign assistance awarded by State and USAID, the spokesperson said.

The assurances to Jordan, extended during visits by Jordan’s King Abdullah and Prime Minister Jafaar Hassan to Washington in recent weeks, have not previously been reported, and appear to mark a reversal of Trump’s earlier warning he could target Jordan’s aid if the country did not agree to take in large numbers of refugees under a proposal to turn Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
into a beach resort.

In a private White House meeting in February, Trump assured King Abdullah that US aid would not be used as leverage for political concessions, two US and two Jordanian officials familiar with the matter told Rooters.

The White House said questions on the issue should be directed to the State Department, which declined to comment on "ongoing negotiations."

Senior White House aides met in recent weeks to discuss the fate of Jordan’s financing, three officials with knowledge of the situation told Rooters, concluding that the kingdom’s stability was critical to US national security. There was agreement in the meetings that aid should be restructured and enhanced to directly support that goal, one of the officials said.

None of the sources described specific concessions by Jordan, instead pointing to its position as a stable ally whose longstanding peace deal with neighbor Israel and deep ties to Paleostinians were a bulwark against wider Middle East conflict.

"We appreciate the US economic and financial support and will continue to engage in discussions that will benefit the economic sectors of both countries," Jordan’s Minister of State for Communications Mohammad al-Momani told Rooters in response to a question about Hassan’s talks and whether Jordan’s lobbying to maintain critical aid was paying off.

ISLAMISTS OUTLAWED
A financial squeeze on Jordan does not serve US interests, given the kingdom’s vulnerability to "radical influences," said one senior Jordanian official, referring to the Islamist Moslem Brüderbund group, as well as Iranian proxies in the region.

Last week, Jordan outlawed the Moslem Brüderbund, a political movement that gave rise to Hamas
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
, after accusing its members of a major sabotage plot. The plot was announced on April 15, the same day Hassan met with Rubio. One official told Rooters the threat of political Islam and the Moslem Brüderbund was discussed at the meeting. Rooters could not establish whether they discussed banning the group.

Another bigwig and a regional intelligence official said economic pressure risked unrest among a population angered by the government’s treaty with Israel and its pro-Western stance. That view was bolstered by the foiled sabotage plot, the intelligence official said.

While Washington has moved to restore some World Food Program food projects to countries including Jordan, only a few of the USAID-led projects, including those promoting political and economic reform, have been brought back.

"Ensuring we have the right mix of programs to support US national security and other core national interests of the United States requires an agile approach. We will continue to make changes as needed," the State Department spokesperson said.

The largest component of US aid to Jordan is some $850 million in direct budget support, agreed under a seven-year strategic partnership signed in 2022. Government ministers had fretted in private that this money was at risk

"Eliminating that support would significantly worsen our deficit and debt burden," former Jordanian Planning Minister Wissam Rabadi said in televised remarks. "Today we face a deficit, and losing $800 million would be devastating."

However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
five of the sources, including two US sources, told Rooters that Washington has now assured Amman this year’s support, due in December and already factored into the $18 billion national budget, would not be touched.

SHAKEN BY TRUMP
Shaken by Trump’s threats, Jordan has simultaneously been locking down further assistance from other allies. It has turned to Europe, Gulf neighbors and multilateral lenders since Trump unveiled the global aid freeze in a January 20 memo, with the State Department initially offering waivers only for military aid to Egypt and Israel.

Last week, King Abdullah visited Mohammed bin Salman

...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
, the crown prince of Jordan’s larger Arabian peninsula neighbor, Saudi Arabia

...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
. One senior Jordanian official familiar with the discussions said Riyadh was considering a military aid package to strengthen Jordan’s defense capabilities. Ties with Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent years, and it has not previously provided military aid. The official did not give a sense of the potential scale of the package. The Saudi government media office and Jordan’s army front man did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Two officials and a senior Western diplomat familiar with the talks with the IMF said the government was close to finalizing a sustainability agreement with the IMF to supplement its existing $1.2 billion, four-year EFF program. The new arrangement could unlock as much as an additional $750 million in tranches, they added. The IMF declined to comment.

Other negotiations have already yielded results: 3 billion euros over three years from the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, announced days after Trump’s aid cuts by European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, who cited "geopolitical shifts;" $1.1 billion in fresh financing from the World Bank and a $690 million package from the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, both approved in April.

Domestically, Hassan has been rallying corporations and business leaders to contribute to a national fund, raising over $100 million to relieve pressure on government finances.

"Jordan’s economy has largely weathered the storm," said Raad Mahmoud Al Tal, the head of the economics faculty at the University of Jordan. The government’s lobbying "allowed it to retain the bulk of core aid and even get bigger donor packages beyond what was anticipated."

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India-Pakistan

India's Modi gives army freedom to act as tensions rise with Pakistan after deadly terror attack

2025-04-30

[FoxNews] Pakistani minister claims India 'intends carrying out a military action' against his country 'in the next 24-36 hours'

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is giving the armed forces near complete freedom of action to respond following a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region on April 22 that saw 26 people killed by terrorists. India and Pakistan have exchanged fire every day since the attack along the Line of Control that separates the Indian and Pakistani areas of Kashmir.

The Times of India reported on Tuesday that Modi has given the military the operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of the response to the attack in Kashmir.

Modi is set to convene another meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday to coordinate India’s next moves.

The move comes as Pakistan's Minister for information and broadcasting claimed on X that his country has "credible intelligence that India intends carrying out military action against Pakistan in the next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident."

Modi recently said India will "identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers," in a post on X. "We will pursue them to the ends of the earth," Modi added.

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told Reuters that the country has mobilized its forces because retaliation is "something which is imminent now."

The Resistance Front (TRF), an extremist group linked to the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam. Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and is known to have links with the Pakistani military and a partnership with Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack.

Pakistan lies, as usual.

The attack, which killed 26 people and was the worst terrorist attack on India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has increased tensions on the Indian subcontinent between two nuclear-armed powers.

"An Indian military response is likely reflecting the more muscular foreign policy of the Modi government as noted by its actions following previous terrorist attacks," Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House, told Fox News Digital.

Bajpaee noted that a surgical strike or airstrike is the most likely form of retaliation, and the response will likely take a calibrated approach to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties and to control the escalation ladder in order to keep the conflict below the nuclear threshold.

"However, this is easier said than done given the possibility of accidental escalation" and a "broader tit-for-tat military escalation cannot be ruled out," he warned.

Although there was limited outreach from Modi in the past, two rounds of escalation in 2016 and 2019 have soured relations.

Sadanand Dhume, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital that Modi is facing pressure to mount a tough response.

"The Indian public is outraged by last week’s terrorist attack in Kashmir, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is under immense pressure to respond to the atrocity by striking Pakistan, which has long sponsored attacks on India," Dhume said.

Already India has suspended the landmark 1960 Indus Water Treaty, a key water-sharing agreement covering rivers that overlap both countries. Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law and Justice told Reuters that Islamabad plans on challenging India’s suspension of the treaty and is raising the issue with the World Bank.

Pakistan said the impediment to the free flow of water would constitute an act of war.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan dates back to the partition of the former British colony of India in 1947, with the establishment of Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India. The partition plan also provided the contested regions of Jammu and Kashmir with the opportunity to choose if they wanted to join either newly established nation. Kashmir ultimately decided to join India in exchange for help against invading Pakistani militias, with India and Pakistan fighting three wars over the territory since 1947.

India and Pakistan have an estimated combined 342 nuclear warheads, according to the Arms Control Association.

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International-UN-NGOs

Saudi Arabia, Qatar to pay Syria’s outstanding World Bank debt of $15 million

2025-04-28

[IsraelTimes] Saudi Arabia

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Good Morning

2025-04-26

California floats plan to allow homeless
students to sleep in their cars amid housing crisis

Saturday 04/26/2025

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani wants Syria to recognise Israel

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Good samaritans stop kidnapping in
progress of mother and two small children in Florida

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