” ”Volume No. 4383 Thursday February 06, 2020 Dalw 17, 1398 www.outlookafghanistan.net Price: 20/-Afs

Quote of the Day

I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be left alone.’

There is all the difference.Greta Garbo

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Add: In front of Habibia High School, District 3, Kabul, Afghanistan

Last Decade Marks over 80,000 Civilian Casualties, Afghanistan

We Want Peace That Protects Women’s Rights: Ghani

Analysts: Multiple Plans Affect Peace Process

No Cargo Flight from Kandahar to India Current Solar Year

KABUL - The latest statistics by the Independent Human Rights Commission shows that over 80,000 civilians, either killed or wounded, in the last decade in Afghanistan.The IHR’s annual report, un-veiled Tuesday, February 4, says that though the violence graph has reduced by a mar-gin of 45%, compared to 2018, between 2009 and late 2019, around 28,979 civilians have been killed, and 57,844 others have been injured.The report also indicates that 70,597 people were domesti-cally displaced due to the war.The IHRC’s findings suggest that the main cause of the ci-vilian casualties are the insur-gent groups – the Taliban and the ISIS – and partially, the

KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday stressed protec-tion of women’s rights and solu-tion to their problems, saying he did not want to change the peace process into a political trade.A statement from the Presiden-tial Palace Media’s office received by Pajhwok Afghan News said President Ghani met with Kabul women’s representatives from various parts at the Presidential Palace Wednesday.The statement said women shared their problems regarding health-care, sports, education, high education, social associations, economic and commerce with President Ghani at the meeting.President Ghani ordered the Ka-bul municipality to provide elec-tion opportunity to two women’s representatives in each municipal

KABUL - Analysts familiar with the Afghan peace process say they see a lack of “serious coordi-nation” between the government and political parties and move-ments that have presented vari-ous draft plans for reconciliation and talks with the Taliban.There are at least eleven plans and frameworks for talks and the peace process itself, according to analysts, who said none of these schemes have been put into prac-tice so far.More recently, there are opposite ideas coming from the Presiden-tial Palace and the Sapidar Palace

KANDAHAR CITY - Fresh and dried fruit traders and their rep-resentatives on Wednesday said no cargo flight took place from southern Kandahar province to India current 1398 solar year.Traders and commerce and in-dustry officials called for resump-tion of cargo flights to India and said the air corridor was a great opportunity for fresh and dried fruits exports.Haji Nanai Agha, head of Fresh Fruits Traders’ Association in Kandahar, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they were fully pre-pared to export fresh fruits from

National Security Forces are responsible as well.The report categorizes the sub-jects of the casualties as fol-

district. He called for creation of a strong women council to address their issues, saying women were recruited to high posts during the

lows:The Taliban: 71%National forces: 14%ISIS: 5% ...( More on P4)...(5)

past five years and the process would continue. Ghani promised further facilities ...( More on P4)...(4)

on a ceasefire and a reduction in violence. President Ghani is in-sisting on a ceasefire while Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah reiterates that the current oppor-tunity – which is the Taliban’s willingness for a reduction in vi-olence – should be taken advan-tage of.Since the start of the US-Taliban talks in 2018, the Afghan govern-ment, the High Peace Council, the Heart of Asia Foundation, former president Hamid Karzai, Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan party, Hizb-e-Islami party, Wahdat-e-Islami party, the High Council of Jihadi

Kandahar to India through the air corridor, but no flights were made since the beginning of cur-rent year.He said creating the air corridor was a symbolic move from the government as it was stopped af-ter its launch.Grape production in Kandahar was high but traders were in trouble exporting them and they needed cargo flights this year more than any other years in the past, he said.“Pakistan is the biggest market for Kandahar fresh fruits, but this country increased taxes by 300

and National Parties, among oth-ers, have presented plans for the reconciliation process.Analysts said the intra-Afghan negotiations – if started – will not have a result unless there is an agreement between the US and the Taliban. “None of these plans have been implemented. They are still work-ing on them. As far as I know, politicians want to agree on a uni-fied plan,” presidential advisor Nabi Misdaq said.Analysts also said that a major-ity of these plans are general, and lack ...( More on P4)...(7)

percent on Afghanistan exports from the beginning of the current year”, he said.“Pakistan always creates prob-lems for fresh fruits exports, it sometimes shuts the border and sometimes increases taxes”, he said, adding that gardeners were obliged to dry their fruits and then export them abroad as ex-porting them fresh could gener-ate a low revenue.Agha said it was responsibility of the government to resolve the problem and facilitate exports through air.He ...( More on P4)...(6)

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump has renewed his pledge to bring back US troops from Afghanistan as his administration aims to end the United States’s longest war.“We are working to finally end America’s longest war and bring our troops back home,” Trump said on Tuesday during his State of the Union address to US Congress that touched on few foreign-policy points.“I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people in Afghanistan, many of them totally inno-cent,” Trump told the joint session of Congress.“It is also not our function to serve other nations as a law enforcement agency. These are war-fighters, the best in the world, and they either want to fight to win or ...( More on P4)...(2)

Special Care Center for Coronavirus in

Kabul

Pakistan to Continue Aiding

Afghan Peace ProcessKABUL - On February 4th, 2020, the first special care center to fight coronavirus was established in Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital in Kabul.Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz says that the center offers 100 beds, and is dedicated to diag-nose and cure coronavirus patients.The minister adds that if need be, they will estab-lish such centers, with a capacity of 150 beds, in other provinces too.He says, “The special care center is meant for those infected and/or possibly exposed to the virus – they will be diagnosed and cured here, because moving patients around, adds to the possibility of the outbreak.”Authorities in the hospital say that as of now, the outbreak of the coronavirus in Afghanistan is neg-ative.Mohammad Tahir Formuli, head of Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital, says, “There is no problem in the diagnosis and treatment of pa-tients. We have the required number of staff. In case, God forbid, ...( More on P4)...(1)

KABUL - Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Zahid Nasrullah Khan on Wednesday said Islam-abad played a vital role in the US-Taliban peace talks and would continue facilitating the process.The envoy said this while addressing a gathering at the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul, marking Kash-mir Solidarity Day.Nasrullah Khan said Afghanistan and Pakistan were neighbors and enjoyed a long border, add-ing that around two million Afghan refugees still lived in Pakistan.He said the Afghan peace process was vital for Af-ghanistan, Pakistan and the entire region, adding that Pakistan was playing a key role in the process.He said Pakistan facilitated the launch of Taliban and US talks and facilitated the process to a great-er extent.“Peace in Afghanistan is vital for us. War is not a solution to Afghan problem, this conflict should come to an end to serve the best interest of the peo-ple of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani, head of the Melli Mahaz Party, said there ...( More on P4)...(3)

Trump Renews Pledge to Bring Back US Troops

from Afghanistan

KABUL - The Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) on Wednes-day said the Access to Informa-tion Commission (AIC) worked under government’s influence, a claim the commission rejected.Mohammad Ikram Afzali, IWA head, told a press conference here that the Afghan govern-ment had failed to implement the Access to Information Law properly and the relevant com-mission was under its pressure.The Presidential Palace, the At-torney General Office, the Su-preme Court and Parliament are major barriers to Access to Information Law and they have violated the law in this regard, he said.“Unfortunately AIC somehow defended the government’s po-sition on Tuesday and ignored the government’s shortcom-ings,” he said.“Most of government officials do not share information with journalists for their own per-sonal and political interests”, he said.Afzali stressed that creating a good law without implement-ing it was meaningless.AIC should act independently and should not accept pressures from the government, he added.

KABUL - President Ghani signed a decree ordering the merge of state-owned enterprises to estab-lish a single corporation naming ‘National Development Corpora-tion’.The ordinance document indicates that the President has ordered the merging of eight state-owned en-terprises to incorporate a national development corporation.The enterprises mentioned to be merged are Housing Construction Enterprise, Banahi Construction Enterprise, Afghani Construction Enterprise, Helmand Construction Enterprise, Ghori and Jabal Saraj cement production enterprises, Food Enterprise and Nangarhar Wadi Agricultural Enterprise.Ghani has appointed Abdul Rah-man Attash as the CEO of the ‘Na-tional Development Corporation’ and he has been authorized to at-tend the cabinet and high council meetings chaired by the President.According to the decree, the aim of

creating a new corporation is said to be the coherence and imple-mentation of the national projects in a better way.

The Ministry of Finance is tasked to transfer the new corporation’s initial investment funds within the next 60 days and the Administra-

tive Office of President will fund the corporation until it gets the ini-tial investment funds, said in the decree. (KHAAMA PRESS)

KABUL - A program to provide loans to Afghan female entrepre-neurs without any interest was launched on Wednesday.The program was launched by Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where a female entrepreneur could get up to 3,000 US dollars loan from a private bank.At the program’s launch, a total of $18,000 was provided as loans to nine women from Kabul, Herat and Balkh provinces.They are expected to repay the loans in one year.

PESHAWAR - Iran has urged closer cooperation between Is-lamabad and Tehran to resolve regional issues including the conflict in Afghanistan.Apart from cooperation on bringing peace to Afghanistan, an Iranian diplomat said the two nations work together to build a railroad between Gwa-dar and Chabahar ports.Ambassador Seyyed Moham-mad Ali Hosseini, speaking at the Islamabad Strategic Studies Institute (ISSI) on Tuesday, pro-posed a new bloc to deal with

NEILI - Accused of land grab-bing, around 140 individuals have been introduced to judicial organs in southwestern Daikun-di province, an official said.Abdul Ghafoor Hakimi, the jus-tice department chief, told Pajh-wok Afghan News cases of 444 individuals had been discussed in light of complaints registered against them over the past eight years.He said 174 of the 444 cases of land grabs were referred to ju-dicial organs and the rest were under investigation.He said the accused individuals had arbitrarily constructed resi-dential compounds and build-ings in Shahraj Jadid Neili and Dashti Zamin areas.Khadija Ahmadi, the Neili may-or, told Pajhwok that they had introduced 174 individuals over

land grab accusations to the judi-cial organs.He did not provide details in this regard, adding further informa-tion would be provided to the media by judicial organs later.Ali Hussain Nibi, a resident of the Neili City, the provincial capital, accused local authorities of their involvement in the issue and said the provincial munici-palities had to specify their mas-ter plan in this regard. (Pajhwok)

Rahila Sajadi, a female entrepre-neur, said that she would use the loan in purchasing handicraft items of female prisoners to sell them in markets. Manizha Wafiq, head of Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry, said that the program would help make entrepreneur-ship and investment by women in the country to grow. More than 100,000 women in Afghanistan are carrying out business activi-ties, nearly half of them involved in traditional fields such as handi-craft. ...( More on P4)...(9)

regional challenges.Russia, China, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran should enter an alli-ance to grapple with regional challenges and promote coop-eration, the ambassador sug-gested.“Countries like Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia and China have the potential to form a new alli-ance for a better future for the region,” remarked.The effective use of other fo-rums like D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and ...( More on P4)...(10)

Ghani Orders Merge of State-Owned Enterprises to Establish a Development Corporation

AIC Working Under Govt’s Influence, Says IWA

Afghan Female Entrepreneurs Can Now Get

Interest-Free LoansIran Suggests Bloc to

Deal with Regional Issues

Dozens Arrested over Land Grabbing in Daikundi

Feb 6, 2020 - You might find yourself really interested in getting out and doing something today, Leo. And why not? It can’t be too diffi-cult to phone a few friends and arrange to get together in the evening. Or perhaps you can look in the events page in your local newspa-

per and see whether a meeting or lecture is taking place that you’d like to attend. Is there a place you’ve been curi-ous about and wanted to visit? If so, go there today and check it out. Make the best of your time!

Feb 6, 2020 - Today may bring a keen sense of empathy and understanding, Taurus. With this, verbal communication is also more likely to be effective. Consider seiz-ing this energy by making a point of talk-ing through any problems or issues you

have with those in your life. If they don’t live with you, see about driving over to visit them or calling them up to work things out.

Feb 6, 2020 - Don’t be surprised if you find your mind going a thousand miles a minute today, Gemini. Slowing down will likely elude you and you’ll have to find one means or another to express what’s racing around in your head. The aspects today

lend much to communication. Perhaps talking over your writing or ideas with someone whose insight you value will do the trick. Even doodling can give you a place to put your thoughts. Explore these activities today.

Down

Across Yesterday’s Solution

1. A thick slice, 2. Of higher order, 3. Acquire deservedly, 4. Keen, 5. Adjust, 6. Night-mare, 7. Absorb written material, 8. Anagram of “Sees”, 9. Forever, 10. Covering on a sofa, 11. Rhinoceros, 12. One more than 6, 13. Amazes 21. East southeast, 25. Aye, 26. Money, 27. Be worthy of, 28. Angers, 29. Designation, 30. Carries, 31. Decays, 33. Des-tiny, 34. X X X X, 35. A coniferous tree, 36. Sun, 38. Magnetic tape container, 41. Not bottom, 42. Spray can, 44. Martini ingredient, 45. Regenerate, 46. Spare, 47. A young female horse, 48. Bronzes, 50. College girl, 51. Grasp, 52. Greek territorial unit, 53. Type of sword, 54. A building for skating, 55. Catholic church service

1. Besmirch, 6. To endure (archaic), 10. Celestial bear, 14. Depart, 15. A musical pause, 16. Expresses relief, 17. Courtyards, 18. Leisure, 19. Apiary, 20. Music director, 22. 1 1 1 1, 23. Belief, 24. Man-made fiber, 26. Cower, 30. Attempts, 32. Moses’ brother, 33. Footfalls, 37. Flower stalk, 38. Bitchy, 39. Way out, 40. Pauses, 42. Turf, 43. Snouts, 44. A hot spring, 45. Harvests, 47. Coniferous tree, 48. Words, 49. Marine invertebrate, 56. Against, 57. Ana-gram of “Loot”, 58. Old photo color, 59. Infamous Roman emperor, 60. Express in words, 61. Portents, 62. An aquatic bird, 63. Countercurrent, 64. Scallions

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 )

Feb 6, 2020 - When was the last time you used a pen and paper, Aries? In this age of computers, the keyboard has all but replaced these wonderful tools. In the same way that walking provides much more than fresh air, the kinesthetic val-

ue of the rhythmic motion of writing with a pen is far more soothing and even healing than most realize.

Feb 6, 2020 - Welcome to another great day, Cancer. The energy from the day’s aspects is positive and encouraging when it comes to communication and interaction with oth-ers. Why not take advantage of this? Get to-

gether to visit with friends and family and enjoy yourself. Consider inviting people over for a game or dinner. Even a potluck can be a lot of fun. You work hard all the time, so play hard today!

Feb 6, 2020 - You might feel the need for some time to yourself today, Li-bra. And why not take it? Chances are you’re surrounded by others most of the time, and when you don’t take time

to be alone with your thoughts and feelings, it can prove unhealthy for you. Taking care of your emo-tional well-being is critical, as you have a deeply sensitive nature.

Feb 6, 2020 - Serious thinking and com-munication will be enhanced today, Capricorn. These are strong qualities for you anyway, and with this added

boost, you’ll need to have a place to express yourself. If you’ve started a journal, this can prove to be an ex-cellent outlet. Talking with other people is another. If there are issues or worries that have been bothering you, consider getting together with those involved and airing what’s on your mind.

Feb 6, 2020 - Today you may want to go your own way regardless of what some-one else wants, Scorpio. Your independ-ence is very important to you. However, compromise might be necessary in order to

avoid serious conflict. Consider splitting your day to allow for the wishes of those close to you and time for yourself. If you can’t make others understand why you want to be alone, this might be the best solution.

Feb 6, 2020 - You might feel cornered into doing something you just don’t want to do today, Aquarius. Perhaps you made a promise to handle a project, or someone close to you has decided that it’s the day to

tackle something specific. Either way, if you’re uncom-fortable following through, communicate that to this person. Your ability to express yourself and be under-stood is enhanced with this day’s energy.

Feb 6, 2020 - You might discover that someone close to you, a family member perhaps, could use a hand today, Pisces. Chances are good, too, that he or she

won’t ask for help out of pride. Don’t let that stop you, though. If you recognize a situation where you can be of assistance, go for it. Don’t wait for an invitation or request. Simply take hold of the circumstances and do what you can.

Feb 6, 2020 - Consider channeling your philo-sophical inspirations into some creative writ-ing, Virgo. You’ll certainly enjoy this type of activity. Even if you haven’t explored this

before, there’s no better day than today to give it a whirl. Why not start a journal if you haven’t done so already? This will give your ideas a place to incubate, and it can be-come a starting point for further reflection. Or you could try your hand at poetry and fiction instead.

Feb 6, 2020 - Today may well find you in the mood to head out on a venture or visit someone, Sagittarius. When was

the last time you took a day for something like this? Chances are it’s been too long. Not only will you en-joy it but others will be thrilled to have some time with you as well. Whether you pack up the whole family or head out on your own, seize the opportu-nity to visit a new place or connect with people you haven’t seen in a while.

alert appreciate bones caddy cease chime cleanse close clothes cradle delvedinner eave examine gable heart helmet investigate latex lover never paper previous principles problems rail realize sleep sleeve

On the other hand, AIC head Ainuddin Bahaduri said that the commission was a govern-ment’s institution but it worked independently.He said the commission was ready to respond to evidence from journalists or other people to prove that AIC was not inde-pendent.A day earlier, a number of me-dia representatives and jour-nalists held a protest meeting against government’s indiffer-ence regarding sharing infor-mation with media.More than 30 high-profile me-dia outlets in the country and 18 media entities have considered the situation regarding access to information a serious threat to freedom of expression and asked the Afghan government and the international commu-nity to take required measures in this regard.Protest rally which was held on lack of access to information, of-ficials of media supporting en-tities and media outlets blamed the Ministry of Information and Culture and Kabul Municipality for not following up the work process of the Freedom of Ex-pression’s monument. (Pajh-wok)

Main News PageFebruary 06, 20202

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

February 06, 2020

Reaching a Deal or Deadlock

Peace talks carry increasing significance for Afghan peo-ple, who have frequently urged the Taliban to stop vio-lence and negotiate with the Kabul administration. Af-

ter many ups and downs within the past year, the peace talks between the United States and the Taliban have not borne the desired result. With the backdoor talks in the Qatari capital of Doha, it is said that no breakthrough has been made in the US-Taliban talks. There are two ways for the talks, the US and Taliban will reach either an agreement or a cul-de-sac. However, if the talks reach a stalemate, the conflict will continue unabated and shatter Af-ghans’ hope for peace and stability. There are many reasons behind the possibility of the stalemate in the talks: For the one, if the Taliban play a foul game at the table, haggle over higher prices, and seek to impose their con-ditions on their interlocutors without seeking to declare cease-fire, peace talks are likely to reach a deadlock. Second, the role of global actors and regional stakeholders is very crucial in the talks. If regional and global actors do not put their weight behind the talks and pressure the Taliban to be genuine and reasonable at the peace table, negotiations will not come to fruition. Third, if the group’s supporters do not stop their financial and intelligence support to the Taliban, talks will not be productive enough. That is, if the Taliban are equipped financially, they will continue their insurgency and are unlikely to act genu-inely in this regard. To undermine the Taliban group, Ulema Council and reli-gious scholars have to challenge their fundamental ideology. Although Afghan religious scholars have issued fatwa earlier denouncing the Taliban’s acts of violence, such fatwas have not been preached and were simply reduced to written form. Recently, a number of religious scholars called in the Taliban war “haram” (prohibited by Islamic law) in Afghanistan and urged warring sides to negotiate to end the war. Calling it “ha-ram”, head of Ulema Kapisa Council Mirwais Karimi is cited as saying, “No one is allowed to interpret it in their own way. They can’t say that the war is legitimate.” Religious scholars from across the world, mainly of Pakistan, have to issue global fatwa against the fundamental ideology of the Taliban and their affiliates and other radical groups. The silence of Pakistani religious scholars regarding the Taliban’s fundamental acts and violent practices in Afghanistan, which have no religious basis, is really surprising to me. In short, it is really hard to put an end to the protracted war unless the Taliban are pressured and undermined financially and ideo-logically. In such a case, all segments of the society – including politicians, religious scholars, tribal elders, civil society activ-ists, etc. – should play their role actively and constructively. The Taliban are unwilling to go beyond reaching an agreement for US troop withdrawal in exchange for their pledge not to allow Afghanistan to be used to plan terrorist attacks against the US and to abjure ties with al-Qaeda, ISIL or other terrorist groups. On his recent trip to Kabul, US Special Representative for Af-ghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad briefed Afghan high-ranking officials including CEO Abdullah and his elec-toral team on five key issues: US-Taliban deal conditions, re-duction in violence and ceasefire, the continuation of NUG un-til the final election results are announced, creating a national consensus for the success of the peace process and US’ support to a transparent election result. It is true that there has been no breakthrough in the US-Taliban talks since the two sides still discuss the four issues and cease-fire and reduction in violence are still controversial. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded “demon-strable evidence” from the Taliban that it can and will reduce violence before signing a deal that would be a prelude to intra-Afghan talks. It was said earlier that the US and the Taliban were close to signing a deal, it is not clear how close they are. The two sides have come close to a deal on multiple occasions over the past few weeks, but realities on the grounds halted the progress. Peace talks hit national headlines frequently and Khalilzad makes repeated trips in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Qatar, however, there is still no tangible result. It indicates that reach-ing a deal with the Taliban group, which appears not to be genuine in the talks, is highly difficult. In short, peace talks are a really rocky and tortuous road. The Taliban are insincere, and their war supporters seem unwilling to discontinue their support to the group.

Chairman / Editor-in-Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Vice Chairman / Exec. Editor: Moh. Sakhi Rezaie

Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

www.outlookafghanistan.net

Recently, a sudden outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia emerged in China. All Chinese people have made great sacrifices and efforts to this end and are still fighting against the coronavirus.

As Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, I have been closely following the trend of the coronavirus and maintained good communication with the Afghan government and the media. Here, I would like to brief my Afghan friends on the latest situation of the epidemic.For the government of China, outbreak containment is of paramount importance now. President Xi Jinping chaired leadership meetings and made important instructions. Acting with a high sense of responsibility to people’s health, the Chinese government has taken the most compre-hensive and strict prevention and control measures after the outbreak of the epidemic, many of which have far exceeded what International Health Regulations required. We make the best use of the socialist system’s ad-vantages, which enable us to concentrate resources to accomplish large undertakings and mobilize all of China in action to fight the epidemic. The miracle of building the Huoshenshan Hospital in 10 days and the touching story of more than 7000 medical workers rushing to help Wuhan despite difficulties and dangers have demonstrated China’s conviction and cour-age in resolutely defeating the epidemic.China has also been actively fulfilling its international obligations for the cause of global health and security. Since the novel coronavirus pneumo-nia outbreak, the Chinese Government, acting in an open, transparent and responsible manner, has been sharing timely information with its citizens and the international community, informed WHO of the epidemic situa-tion immediately, shared the virus genetic sequence with WHO and other countries in a timely manner, and actively responding to various concerns and seeking stronger cooperation with the world.According to a WHO report released on February 3, there are altogether 153 confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV outside China, which is less than 1% of the number in China, and no case in Afghanistan so far. In con-trast, in 2009, the H1N1 flu in the US spread to 214 regions and countries, including Afghanistan. The 2019-nCoV mortality rate in China is about 2.1%, much lower than that of the 2009 H1N1 flu and other previous out-breaks. This shows that China has done its best and taken the most power-ful measures to control the spread of the epidemic and protect the health of people around the world. Another good news is that since February 1, the number of cured patients in China has exceeded the number of deaths. As of 24:00 on February 4, a total of 892 cases have been cured and discharged from hospital. This is an important sign that the epidemic is controllable and treatable. At present, the cure rate is still rising, and it is believed that we will see the turning point soon. The Chinese government and people are united as one, and we have the confidence, ability and resources to win this war against the epidemic as soon as possible.Afghan friends also have confidence in China’s war against the epidemic.

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.

Although the modernization process has begun since the kingdom of Habibullah Khan and Amanullah Khan in Afghanistan, the ex-perience of democracy is attributed to two distinct periods, namely

the era Mohammad Zahir Shah and Hamed Karzai. Historically, after the death of Abdul Rahman Khan, his son Habibullah Khan took the power with releasing dozens of prisoners, inviting back the exiled Afghan figures and ended the dictatorial atmosphere in the country. With starting changes from himself, he divorced his fifth wife so as to show his firm determina-tion on enforcement of Islamic law. After a trip to India, he realized that his country was lagged behind civilization and progress. After that he got inter-ested in developmental activities and so he established Habibia high school and then commenced the publication of the Seraj al-Akhbar. The Habibiya School became the main center of Enlightenment where Indian, Turkish, and Afghan teachers promoted the ideas of independence and constitution-alism. The Independent and constitutionalist intellectuals formed a national secret group but they were arrested and executed by the king. When Mul-lah Mohammad Wasif, who considered as the leader of the Constitutional-ists, was executed he asked a pen and paper and then wrote that he had left his life and property for constitutionalism.Although the constitutionalists were repressed in the beginning, later in 1911 it revived with recommencement of Siraj al-Akhbar under leadership of Mahmoud Tarzi. Seraj al-Akhbar always took stance against internal des-potism, British colonist policies and overall raised the voice of second con-stitutionalists with modern European literature. With the fall of Amanul-lah, the constitutionalism and modernism movement were also fallen down. After years of closure, a more significant wave of democratization re-emerged under kingdom of Zahir Shah which is referred to as “decade of democracy”. The Constitutionalist ideas were at the forefront of the decade of democracy. The political experience of the decade of democracy is signifi-cant and can be summarized in several important points: the rise of politi-cal parties, draft of the constitutional law, establishment of newspapers and magazines, growth of secularists and communist intellectuals and freedom of social association and demonstration which showed a sort of pluralistic society. The second experience of democracy begins with the presidency of Hamid Karzai at the beginning of the 21st century. The international forces led by the United States and foreign organizations played key role in emer-gence of democracy and enhancement of the democratic values in the initial steps and so they were warmly welcomed by Afghan people. Despite nu-merous challenges in the next decade, Afghanistan could succeed to pre-serve democratic experience in Afghanistan. Now, after 19 years of ups and downs, significant achievements have been made in various fields. Today, the democracy of Afghanistan has gained a long and promising experience which can be explained by following components: The first and most important component of democratic achievement in last two decade is the freedom of expression. The media growth in Afghani-stan has been the biggest achievement in the last two decades. Mojib Khal-watgar, the chief executive officer of the Afghan Free Media Foundation

China and Afghanistan Working Together to Win the Battle Against the Virus

The ups and downs of democracy in Afghanistan

H.E. President Ghani, H.E. Chief Executive Abdullah, H.E. acting Foreign Minister Chakhansuri and H.E. Minister of Public Health Feroz have re-peatedly expressed their confidence through various channels that China will win the fight against the epidemic. The Afghanistan-China Friend-ship Association led by H.E. Ambassador Baheen, the Third Political De-partment of the MoFA, also expressed support. On Twitter, many Afghan netizens left messages to bless China to overcome the epidemic as soon as possible. All these have moved me very much, and I really feel the traditional friendship of helping each other and sharing weal and woe between China and Afghanistan. In addition, many countries and inter-national organizations have also cast a “vote of confidence” in China’s fight against the epidemic. WHO Director-General praised China for set-ting a new standard for outbreak response, said that there is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel.Some Afghan friends also asked me about the situation of Afghan stu-dents in Wuhan, Hubei Province. In this regard, I have maintained close communication with the acting Foreign Minister and the Minister of Pub-lic Health of Afghanistan. A few days ago, I paid a special visit to Minister of Public Health Dr. Feroz to brief him about Afghan students in Wuhan and said that China would ensure their health. Dr. Feroz was glad to hear that they are in good health. The embassy has kept in touch with some Af-ghan students studying in Wuhan. A student named Mujtaba published an open letter a few days ago, saying that although he was faced with the threat of the novel coronavirus, he was not panicked in Wuhan. He now has plenty of food, an orderly life and full confidence in the prevention and control of the epidemic. It is very touching that Afghan students are working together with the people of Wuhan to fight the epidemic, and the fine tradition of helping each other and sharing weal and woe be-tween China and Afghanistan is being passed on among young people. I want to stress that virus knows no borders. The epidemic is temporary, but cooperation lasts. In the face of the epidemic, many countries, includ-ing Afghanistan, have provided support and assistance to China in fight-ing the epidemic in different ways, for which we are grateful. In the face of a public health crisis, countries should not create and spread fear. They should work together to overcome the difficulties, rather than resort to beggar-thy-neighbor practice, let alone take advantage of others’ difficul-ties. China will continue cooperating with WHO and countries concerned including Afghanistan to safeguard the life and health of people of all countries. As a widely circulated poem in the Muslim world goes, hu-man beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul; if one member is afflicted with pain, other members uneasy will remain. China and Afghanistan are friendly and brotherly countries that have thousands of years of friendship. I believe that as long as the two coun-tries work together, we will win the war of prevention and control of the coronavirus outbreak together.

Editorial and Opinions3

By: Mohammad Zahir Akbari (NII), said there are 483 media across Afghanistan, including 96 television networks, 190 radio stations, 14 news agencies and 183 print media. But according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Culture and Information, 2000 and 343 media have taken work permit in the country. Along with mass media, social media such as Face-book and Twitter have also a lot of users. Several foreign and international media are also active in Afghani-stan. Criticism from governance and also from political, cultural, and eco-nomic issues have no restrictions in the country. Therefore, the extent of such freedom has been unprecedented in Afghanistan.The second important component of democracy which achieved in last two decade is civil society institutions and including multiple political parties. In democratic systems, the civil institutions such as student unions, trade unions, social associations, research institutes and universities not only play as watchdogs role but also bridge between government and people with playing a preventive role against authoritarianism. The growth of such in-stitutions strengthens and stabilizes the democracy in the country. The in-ternational assistance through civil society organizations has strengthened civil society institutions contributing plurality of voices in the community. The voice of civil society plays important role in major political decision making such as the peace and social justice. In Afghanistan, the civil society has always stressed on preservation of democratic values, social justice, free and fair election and so on. This implies that the society has largely rescued from monopolistic condition. The third important component of democracy which achieved in last two decade is rule of law and constitution. The con-stitution comprises all rules and regulations about political power, transi-tion of political power and enforcement of political power. The constitution is the mother of the laws that define the framework of political system, limit the political power and specify boundaries of individual liberty. Moreover, all other laws are originated from the constitution. This constitution which considered as eighth constitution in Afghanistan ratified under President Hamid Karza in 2003 in 12 chapters and 162 articles. Though the current constitution of Afghanistan has some minor flaws, it is one of the best laws in the region and considered as an important achievement for Afghanistan. It defines the division of powers, freedom of expression, the rights and du-ties and freedom of citizens; it prohibited all forms of discrimination in the country. In light of the constitution, numerous laws have been adopted and amended in the past 18 years. As a result, Afghanistan has enriched in terms of having modern and democratic laws but there are serious challenges in law enforcement.Now that Afghanistan has more than 19 years political experience with enjoying freedom of expression, free election, freedom of demonstration, freedom of civil society, political party and so on there are serious concerns about returning to the past. In fact, there are many factors including Taliban, political interferences, religious and racial extremists that threaten democ-racy in Afghanistan. These factors are so powerful that requires grave mea-sures in this segment of the history.

By: Wang Yu

Mohammad Zahir Akbari is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Af-ghanistan. He can be reached at mohammadzahirakbari@gmail.com

Wang Yu is Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan

December 19, 2019February 06, 20204Two returning Japanese citizens initially refused to be tested at all, though they later changed their mind.Japanese officials say the current designa-tion of the virus does not allow for either forcible quarantine of those not diagnosed with the virus, nor mandatory testing for those suspected to have it.A fourth evacuation flight is being organ-ised, with discussions under way to allow non-Japanese with ties to Japan, including Chinese spouses of Japanese citizens, to board the plane. (AFP)

(18) Bodies of Two ... the southeast.Prime Minister Scott Morrison suspended the first day of parliament after the sum-mer break on Tuesday to lead a tribute to fire victims.On Wednesday, senior U.S. embassy of-ficials along with top Australian fire and emergency service officers stood at at-tention alongside relatives of the men as hearses slowly crossed the tarmac to the planes which would carry them home.Representatives of Coulson Aviation, the private Canadian company that em-ployed the trio and owned the C-130 tank-er which crashed, were at the ceremonies.The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the crash which occurred after the air tanker dumped retardant on a huge wildfire in mountains in a national park south of Canberra, the capital.The third man killed in the crash, DeM-organ, would be honored at a ceremony at a military base north of Sydney on Sat-urday before his remains were returned home. (Reuters)

(19) Twenty-One ...under an earlier avalanche that struck on Tuesday, killing five people. Eight people were rescued from that avalanche and the second snowslide occurred as teams were searching for two others. (Reuters)

(20) Russian Priests ...of the Rite of blessing of military weap-ons, and therefore, the use of this order to “sanctify” any kind of weapon, the use of which could lead to the death of an un-determined number of people, including weapons, should be excluded from pas-toral practice indiscriminate action and weapons of mass destruction,” the church wrote.The proposal noted the blessing of mili-tary vehicles used on land, air and sea is not the “blessing of guns, rockets or bombing devices that the Lord is asking for, but the protection of soldiers.”The proposals will be discussed on June 1 and the public is being asked to weigh in the debate, Reuters reported.The request comes as the church and the Russian military continue to forge close ties. The armed forces are building a sprawling cathedral at a military park outside Moscow. (Fox News)

(21) Iran Will Back ...ica and Palestinians should confront the deal by forcing Israelis and Americans out through jihad, Khamenei said, according to his official website.Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States after top Iranian mili-tary commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with a missile attack against a U.S. base in Iraq days later.Separately, Khamenei called for a high turnout in parliamentary elections on Feb. 21, broadly seen as a gauge of support for authorities after all-out war with the Unit-ed States almost broke out last month.“It’s possible that someone doesn’t like me but if they like Iran they must come to the ballot box,” Khamenei said, according to his official website, noting that the elec-tions could help solve Iran’s international problems.Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rou-hani lashed out at hardliners over the mass disqualification of candidates for the election.Iran’s economy has been battered after Trump pulled out of a multilateral nucle-ar deal with the Islamic Republic in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. (Reuters)

(22) Neutrality ...tween the countries.Speaking at the event, Yalcin Topcu, a se-nior adviser to the Turkish president, said that Turkey is the first country that recog-nized the neutrality of Turkmenistan.Topcu underlined that Turkey and Turk-menistan have shared values in history, culture, religion and language.He added that the trade volume and eco-nomic ties between the two countries con-tinue to increase.Turkey has multidimensional relations with Turkmenistan, especially on eco-nomics, said Adem Kula, secretary-gener-al of the Economic Cooperation Organiza-tion Trade and Industry.Highlighting that Turkmenistan has be-come the leading country for Turkish contracting companies, Kula said Turk-ish companies carried out 80% of the con-struction projects in Turkmenistan worth

women are protected, peace will not be en-hanced with emotions.” (Pajhwok)

(5) Last Decade ...Other (unknown forces): 9%Naeem Nazari, the deputy of the IHRC said, “We just witnessed a reduction in vio-lence, which may probably be as a result of the peace talks. Another main factor could be that the elimination of the ISIS in eastern Afghanistan.”Based on the report, men have suffered most of the casualties, while children and women are also included in the census.On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense denies the allegation of its involvement in the civilian casualties.Fawad Aman, the deputy spokesperson of the MoD, considers the Taliban account-able for most of the civilian casualties.The IHRC also breaks down the report on a geographical basis as below:Southeastern Zone: 32% (3,453 killed, wounded)Eastern Zone: 21%Central Zone: 20%Northern Zone: 6%Southern Zone 4%Despite the 45% reduction in violence, 2019 was still a fatal year for the civilians. (ATN)

(6) No Cargo ...said exporting fruits through air was effec-tive and asked the government to reacti-vate it.Haji Aziz, another fresh fruits trader in Kandahar, said traders were obliged not to export grapes to Pakistan due to high taxes.He said Pakistan used to increase taxes just when grapes ripen in Kandahar province. “The government only makes promises about solving problems and does not take any action”, he said.He also said no cargo flights were made from Kandahar in a long time despite the fact the province made 75 percent of the country’s fresh fruit exports.Pakistan previously charged 86,000 rupees on a truck of fruits but increased the charge to 320,000 rupees this year, he said.Aziz said gardeners waited for a year so their products ripe and earn some money for their families, but problems destroyed all their efforts.Haji Nasrullah, head of Kandahar Cham-ber of Commerce, also expressed concern over stoppage of cargo flights between Afghanistan and India and said the central government was responsible for the prob-lem.He said he also did not know the reason behind suspension of cargo flights to India.He said cargo flights to India began in 2017 when seven cargo flights were made from Kandahar to New Delhi followed by four flights next year, but there were no flights this ongoing year, he said.Nasrullah said Kandahar fresh fruit exports had come to a halt and a limited amount of dried fruits remained for export.He added they had told the central govern-ment in the season of fresh fruits that they were ready to export fruits through air cor-ridor, but the government did not care.He said Kandahar province made 70 per-cent of fresh and dry fruit exports to foreign countries and the province needed more flights than any other province.But he said traders faced problems at bring-ing their money through the route.He said cargo flights from Kandahar were suspended due to some problems. How-ever, he did not explain the problems.But he said the local administration was trying to resume cargo flights between Af-ghanistan and India. (Pajhwok)

(7) Analysts: Multiple ...required details about the talks and the peace process.“The main problem in the peace talks is a dispersion in the government,” former MP Fawzia Kofi said. “There are different plans from different places that need to be uni-fied, and we should have a unified stance from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.”“The plans have been made by a group of politicians in the absence of women,” said Shahla Farid, a university lecturer. “The values that are considered red lines for women are absent in the eleven (peace) plans.”The analysts also said that the plans and frameworks for peace have stressed the maintenance of the last 18 years’ achieve-ments including the Constitution, freedom of speech, human rights--and particularly women’s rights.“Reduction in violence, women’s rights and other issues around the achievements of the past eighteen years will be discussed in the intra-Afghan negotiations,” said Mawlana Jalaluddin Shinwari, a former Taliban member.“There are hopes that political parties and the government will agree on a unified plan ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations,” said Khalil Safi, former country direc-tor of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an international crisis group. (TOLO NEWS)

(8) Withdrawal ...can achieve that but we’re not there yet and work certainly remains.”Pompeo’s comments came just two days

after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad ar-rived in Kabul and told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani there has been “no notable progress” in talks with the Taliban.However, Khalilzad said he was hopeful of reaching an understanding with them on a reduction of hostilities, without offering any time frame.The US currently has about 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan.In response to Pompeo’s remarks, Zabihul-lah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said in a tweet that the Taliban has “the intention and capacity for a resolution.”He said that the negotiation process “has been harmed by Trump’s tweet, numerous US demands and quarrel between the US and Kabul officials.”He said that Secretary Pompeo “should re-frain from blame-shifting.” (TOLO NEWS)

(9) Afghan Female ...Lack of access to market and loans have been considered to be among major prob-lems faced by businesswomen. (1TV NEWS)

(10) Iran Suggests ...Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) could lead to enhanced multilateral economic cooperation, he believed.“Establishment of a rail network between Gwadar and Chabahar … will usher in ma-jor economic development in the region,” the diplomat concluded. (Pajhwok)

(11) China Races ... Al Jazeera has been able to identify several that have broken ground in the past week as well as many more, from larger 1,000-bed facilities to smaller, 50-bed rural clinics, that are being planned or are already under construction.“I don’t think anyone knows the number, it could be [a lot of these] are either the county level, city level or the district lev-el,” Chen Xi, assistant professor of Public Health at Yale School of Medicine told Al Jazeera by phone.While some have dubbed these other hos-pitals as local versions of Xiaotangshan, the Beijing hospital famous for treating patients during the 2003 outbreak of Se-vere Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), there appears to be some wariness about reusing that name to avoid sparking panic. (Aljazeera)

(12) Russian S-400 ...director of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, as saying deliveries would start in September 2021.Sergey Chemezov, the head of Russian conglomerate Rostec, said last November New Delhi has made an advance payment of $800m for the anti-aircraft missile sys-tems, considered one of the world’s best.Moscow has long been the main supplier of military equipment to India - accounting for 62 percent of its total weapons imports during the last five years, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute.In the past three years, New Delhi has bought Russian arms worth $15bn, accord-ing to Drozhzhov.“The order portfolio has exceeded $15bn over the past three years. If we talk about the volume of contracted products, that is, since 1991, this volume has amounted to about $70bn,” he said.However, in recent years, New Delhi has inched closer to the US and Israel for weap-ons supply.The US has warned that India could face sanctions if it goes ahead with the S-400 deal. It has issued similar threats to Turkey over its purchase of the missile defence sys-tem.S Samuel C Rajiv, a defence analyst and associate fellow at New Delhi’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), said “the danger of sanctions” is real, but pointed to the case of Turkey, which is yet to be sanctioned by the administration of President Donald Trump.The office of India’s Defence Secretary re-fused to comment on the report. A Defence Ministry spokesperson could not be im-mediately reached out for a comment. (Al-jazeera)

(13) Trump Set for ...back in December, after weeks of investi-gations into his alleged corruption. But far from being forced from office like Richard Nixon, Trump is set to see himself declared not guilty by his Republican party majority in the Senate. The finale to the trial won’t mean an end to Democratic-led investiga-tions, but it gives Trump momentum in his bid to win another four years after a tumul-tuous, scandal-filled first term.Although he has never got approval rat-ings over 50 percent during his presidency, this most polarizing of politicians was able to celebrate a personal best on the eve of the impeachment verdict -- 49 percent, accord-ing to Gallup.With a ferociously loyal right-wing base packing his frequent rallies around the country, Trump thinks he has enough strength to win.But the event had begun with no less ani-mosity, when Trump first walked in and refused to shake the speaker’s hand -- as is

(1) Special Care ...the number of the infected exceeds, we can use auxiliary from the Infectious Diseases Hospital, whose personnel have also been trained in a relevant field.”To date, the coronavirus has been spread to 27 countries, killing 426 people and leaving nearly 21,000 people infected. (ATN)

(2) Trump Renews ...not fight at all,” he said.The US president offered his blessing for continuing negotiations with the Taliban armed group, which has been fighting the US-led NATO troops and the Afghan forc-es since 2001 when the Afghan group was deposed from power.The talks between the two sides have failed to make headway in recent weeks, with Washington insisting on reduction in vio-lence as a condition to reach a deal.Taliban accuses US of delaying talksOn Tuesday, the Taliban accused the US of hampering the peace negotiations after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said “de-monstrable evidence” of a reduction in vio-lence was necessary, Reuters News Agency reported.“Mr Pompeo should not shift the blame. Our stance is principled and united, and our policy is not shaky like the opposite side,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mu-jahid said in a statement on messaging ser-vice WhatsApp.Trump has long questioned the wisdom of keeping troops overseas and has described the war in Afghanistan launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks as a drain on blood and treasure.But last year he abruptly said he had can-celled a previously unannounced summit at the Camp David presidential retreat with the Taliban because of an attack that killed an American soldier.He later allowed veteran US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad to resume the talks, which had taken place for months in Qatar.Under a draft deal, the US will withdraw troops, and the Taliban will promise not to allow armed groups to use Afghanistan as a base as well as to open talks with the West-backed government in Kabul.Little on foreign policyThe Taliban has more recently proposed a limited reduction in violence, an easing of position after previously refusing any halt to attacks it sees as leverage.Trump’s speech focused little on foreign policy, with no mention of North Korea, a year after Trump used the State of the Union to announce his second summit with the nuclear-armed state’s leader, Kim Jong Un.The US leader only briefly mentioned his plan for the Middle East, which he unveiled last week next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after more than a year of delay.On Iran, Trump highlighted his pressure campaign against Tehran and boasted of the controversial strike he ordered last month that killed Iran’s top general, Qas-sem Soleimani.“Because of our powerful sanctions, the Iranian economy is doing very poorly,” Trump said.“We can help them make it very good in a short period of time, but perhaps they are too proud or too foolish to ask for that help.”Trump in 2018 withdrew from an inter-nationally-backed nuclear deal negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, and imposed sweeping sanctions aimed at re-ducing Iran’s regional clout. (ALJAZEERA)

(3) Pakistan to ...was no alternative to peace, asking all stakeholders reconcile.Referring to recent remarks by US foreign secretary, he said the Taliban and US agree-ment would pave the way for intra-Afghan talks.He, however, stressed the pull out of US troops from Afghanistan should be com-pleted responsibly; otherwise the entire re-gion would suffer the consequences.Pakistan Embassy marks the Kashmir Soli-darity day at a time when some individu-als have erected protest tent in front of the Pakistani Embassy calling for the release of Pashton Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) Lead-er Manzoor Pashteen. (Pajhwok)

(4) We Want ...for sportswomen.Addressing a number of Kabul based women; President Ghani promised that the Kabul Chaman-i-Hozori area would be prepared for women and children as a sports and sightseeing park and a part of the Kabul Paghamn and Balabagh as well.President Ghani tasked sports institutions’ directors to appoint women as assistants and said efforts were underway to bring about drastic reforms in the country’s edu-cation system in near future.He said civil services administration had made enough preparations for women’s recruitment, asking women to share their plans in this regard.President Ghani said efforts were under-way for finding market for women’s handi-crafts and trade goods.He said, “Peace is the entire nation’s de-mand, but a peace in which rights of all

customary.Pelosi put out a hand and Trump turned away, leaving her arm in thin air.Later, Trump outdid even this stroke of theatrics by singling out a woman in the audience whose army husband had been away for months on foreign deployments, then telling her he had “a very special sur-prise.”It was her husband, in full uniform, com-ing down the stairs for a tearful, surprise reunion -- in front of a primetime national television audience. (AFP)

(14) Withdraw ...Syrian Army positions.The Idlib governorate is the last large stronghold of anti-government forces in Syria. It was proclaimed a de-escalation zone under the Russia-Turkey agree-ments. Turkey, which has influence with several armed groups there, is supposed to help deescalate the armed conflict and assist with a transition to political dia-logue and a peaceful resolution. It has 12 observation posts that are meant to moni-tor the situation.Syrian troops have been gradually captur-ing some parts of the Idlib governorate, pushing militant groups – who continu-ously violated the ceasefire – closer to the Turkish border.Russia blamed Monday’s incident on mis-communication with the Turkish side. Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, took part in an emergen-cy phone call following the clashes in an effort to deflate the tension, and agreed to reinforce coordination in Syria. (RT)

(15) Trial of Former ...sum of 194 million ringgits ($45.93 mil-lion) to help a company, Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, secure a solar power project.Of that total, prosecutors accuse Rosmah of arranging for 187 million ringgits to be paid as a political donation to Najib, while also receiving two bribes of 6.5 million ringgits.The trial had been due to start on Mon-day, but was delayed as the defense said Rosmah was too ill to attend.Sitting in the dock behind her legal team, dressed in a green floral baju kurung, a traditional Malay long smock and dress, and wearing a headscarf, Rosmah ap-peared calm throughout the first day’s proceedings.Prosecutors argued that Rosmah had put herself in a position where she was able to influence decisions by the government, particularly the award of a 1.25-billion-ringgit solar power project for rural schools in the eastern state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo.“By herself, she occupied no official posi-tion. However, she wielded considerable influence by reason of her overbearing na-ture,” Gopal Sri Ram, who leads the pros-ecution, said in his opening statement.High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Ma-zlan dismissed the objection from defense counsel Jagjit Singh that the prosecution’s characterization of Rosmah as “overbear-ing” amounted to character assassination. (Reuters)

(16) Netanyahu-Burhan ...Arab states - Egypt and Jordan - have dip-lomatic ties with Israel.“History!” tweeted Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political future ahead of a snap legislative election on March 2, the third in less than a year.As news of the talks spread, protests re-portedly erupted in Khartoum as Suda-nese government ministers insisted they were unaware of the meeting and had heard about it through the media.Al-Burhan himself only made his first public remarks about it the next day after briefing the council and the cabinet.The plan proposed a two-state solution to the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli con-flict, with a new Palestinian capital out-side of Jerusalem while maintaining the historic city as an “undivided capital” for Israel. (Aljazeera)

(17) At Least 10 on ...24,000 in mainland China.The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to impose travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters that specimens were col-lected from 273 people on board the Dia-mond Princess, which arrived in Yoko-hama Bay on Monday.So far, the results of 31 tests are available, with 10 confirmed to have the virus, he said.The 10 who tested positive were removed from the vessel in the early morning and sent to medical facilities, the minister add-ed.The rest of the passengers and crew on board the ship will be required to stay on the vessel for 14 days, Kato said, citing the medical consensus that the new virus has an incubation period of up to two weeks.“We ask people on board to behave in a way to avoid infection while we continue the quarantine process,” Kato said.

International5

Neighbor News

Russian S-400 Missile Delivery to India by End of 2021

Japan Allocates $370,000 For Humanitarian Projects

in Tajikistan

‘Neutrality basis of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy’

International Fight Against Terrorism: Topic of

Russia-Turkmenistan Talks

Netanyahu-Burhan Meeting Slammed in Sudan,

Exposes Divides

At Least 10 on Japan Cruise Ship Have New Coronavirus: Minister

Bodies of Two U.S. Firefighters Killed

in Australia Sent Home

Russian Priests Shouldn’t Bless Nuclear Weapons, Other Weapons of Mass Destruction,

Orthodox Church Says

Twenty-One Dead, Others Trapped After Avalanche in

Eastern Turkey

Trial of Former Malaysian PM’s Wife Begins, Court Told She Influenced

Government Decisions

Iran Will Back Palestinian Armed Groups as Much as It Can

Withdraw Behind Observation Points, or Turkey Will Do What Is

Necessary – Erdogan to Syrian Troops

DUSHANBE - The government of Japan will provide $370,000 grant for 5 humanitar-ian projects in Tajiki-stan.The ceremony of sign-ing of the documents on the projects was held on February 4.Over $88,500 will be provided for construc-tion of a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities in Khujand.Some $90,800 will be allocated for improve-ment of water supply

Turkmenistan’s Em-bassy in Ankara on Wednesday organized an event to promote the country’s declaration of 2020 as a year of Turk-menistan – Homeland of Neutrality.“Turkmenistan is the first and only country that gained a legal sta-tus of neutrality,” said Ishankuli Amanlyev, Turkmenistan’s ambas-sador to Turkey.He said the neutrality is the basis of Turkmeni-stan’s foreign policy.This is not a passive neutrality, Amanlyev said, adding the coun-try is eager to contrib-ute to global peace and stability.“We are against war, and are on the side of peace,” he stressed.He noted Turkmeni-

ASHGABAT - Rus-sian-Turkmen consul-tations at the level of deputy foreign minis-ters in charge of inter-national cooperation in the fight against terrorism were held in Ashgabat, Trend re-ports referring to the Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The Russian delega-tion was led by Oleg Syromolotov, and the Turkmen delegation by Vepa Hadjiev.In general, the parties touched upon press-ing issues in the field of countering inter-national terrorism and extremism, and hereby exchanged as-sessments of the state of global and regional terrorist threats, ema-nating from the terri-tory of Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa.The parties informed partners about efforts on prevention and

TEHRAN - Iran will support Palestinian armed groups as much as it can, Iran’s Su-preme Leader said on Wednesday, urging Palestinians to confront a U.S. plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.“We believe that Pal-estinian armed organi-zations will stand and continue resistance and the Islamic Republic sees supporting Pal-estinian groups as its duty,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech carried on his website. “So it will sup-port them however it

TOKYO - At least 10 people on a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan have test-ed positive for the new coronavirus, Japan’s health minister said on Wednesday.Japan quarantined the vessel carrying 3,711 people and began test-ing those on board for the virus after a former passenger who disem-barked in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the illness. Meanwhile,

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benja-min Netanyahu was smiling and gestur-ing as he posed for pictures alongside Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda who hosted him in the city of Entebbe on Monday; but it was another meeting, far from the media glare, that made interna-tional headlines - and raised eyebrows.In an unannounced move, Netanyahu on Monday also held

MOSCOW - The Russian Orthodox Church thinks its priests should discontinue the prac-tice of blessing weapons of mass destruction that inflict death upon thousands of people, according to a proposal published Monday.The church released a draft document out-lining its stance on the blessing of Orthodox Christians “for the performance of military duty” and “defense of the Fatherland.”Russian priests have longed sprinkled holy water on various weapon systems, including submarines, ballistic missiles and space rock-ets, among others.“It is not reflected in the tradition of the Or-thodox Church and does not correspond to the content ...(More on P4)...(20)

SYDNEY - The bodies of two U.S. firefighters killed battling Australian blazes were sent home on Wednesday in emo-tional ceremonies attended by officials and relatives.Mourners gathered on the tar-mac at Sydney Airport to see off Captain Ian H. McBeth, 44, of Great Falls, Montana, and First Officer Paul Clyde Hud-son, 42, of Buckeye, Arizona, as their flag-draped caskets were lifted into aircraft for the journey home.Fire trucks were parked near-by with their emergency lights flashing.The men and a third Ameri-can, flight engineer Rick A. DeMorgan Jr, 43, of Navarre, Florida, were killed in a plane crash in remote bushland while battling fires on Jan. 23, in one of the deadliest days of Australia’s most destructive bushfire season in a genera-tion.The three were among hun-dreds of North American firefighters who joined an in-ternational effort to tackle the fires that have killed eight fire-fighters and 33 people in total.As searing temperatures and strong winds subsided, and weather forecasters predicted several days of rain, Australia has turned its attention to the emotional toll after months of near-constant emergency warnings and toxic smoke across...(More on P4)...(18)

ISTANBUL - An avalanche in eastern Turkey killed at least 21 people, including military police and civilians who were working to rescue victims of an earlier snowslide, the lo-cal governor said on Wednesday.Mehmet Emin Bilmez, governor of the east-ern province of Van, said some 30 people had been pulled out from under the snow.More people are believed to be still trapped, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said ear-lier, without giving a number.TV footage from Van’s Bahcesaray district showed dozens of people using shovels and sticks in snowfall and high winds to dig out buried vehicles, and other overturned ve-hicles.Soylu said the conditions in the area made it difficult for rescue vehicles to operate, add-ing a vehicle had been pulled out from under 4-5 meters (16 feet) of snow.Rescue teams were working to rescue people trapped ...(More on P4)...(19)

networks in Penjikent and construction of a new building for the children’s infectious diseases hospital in Sangvor district.$89,900 will be pro-vided for upgrade of medical equipment at Dushanbe infectious diseases hospital.$10,000 will be pro-vided for upgrade of equipment of the re-gional center for elder-ly people and people with disabilities in Is-taravshan. (AKI Press)

stan’s diplomatic mis-sions along with its international partners will organize cultural and sports activities, media forums and fairs to mark the 25th anni-versary of the country’s neutrality.On Dec. 12, 1995, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing and sup-porting the permanent neutrality of Turkmeni-stan with the support of 185 member states.In 2017, the UN de-clared Dec. 12 as the International Day of Neutrality to strength-en peace and secu-rity in relevant regions and develop peaceful, friendly and mutually beneficial relations be...(More on P4)...(22)

suppression of terror-ism, extremism, drug trafficking, as well as ensuring international information security in their countries.Special attention was paid to the strength-ening of coopera-tion in identifying and suppressing the sources and channels of terrorist financing, countering the spread of extremist ideol-ogy and cross-border movements of foreign terrorist fighters, as well as coordinating positions on key mul-tilateral spaces.“The sides spoke about the importance of ensuring interna-tional information security. They also considered counter-ing the spread of ter-rorist and extremist ideology in a virtual environment,” Turk-menistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. (Trend)

can and as much as it can and this support is the desire of the Islamic system and the Iranian nation.”U.S. President Donald Trump announced a U.S. plan last month which would set up a Palestinian state with strict conditions but al-low Israel to take over long-contested Jewish settlements in the occu-pied West Bank.Palestinian leaders have rejected it as bi-ased toward Israel.Trump’s plan is to the detriment of Amer...(More on P4)...(21)

ANKARA - Damas-cus must withdraw its troops from Turkey’s positions in Idlib or face retaliation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, following a deadly clash between the two nations’ forces in the jihadist-riddled area.Things can’t continue to go the way they did on Monday, the Turkish president told a party session, referring to clashes between Turk-ish and Syrian troops in the northwestern Syrian governorate earlier in the week.The Syrian government will have to pull its troops away from Turk-ish observation posts

KUALA LUMPUR - The corruption trial of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak, began on Wednesday, with a prosecutor describing how she exerted “considerable influence” over government decisions.Accusations of graft on a massive scale, were leveled against the cou-ple after Najib lost a general elec-tion in 2018. They have both denied all charges, labeling them politically motivated. Najib now faces dozens of

MOSCOW - Russia will begin delivering S-400 surface-to-air missile sys-tems to India by the end of 2021, state-run RIA No-vosti news agency quoted a Russian official as saying on Wednesday.India signed a $5bn deal for S-400 missiles in 2018, drawing warnings from the United States that such an acquisition would trig-ger sanctions as part of a wider programme against Russia.“The contract is being implemented on sched-ule. The first shipment is

in Idlib by the end of the month, Erdogan de-manded. He said Turk-ish troops will force Da-mascus to retreat if this is not done, deploying the army and warplanes if necessary.Several Turkish person-

nel were killed when a military convoy was hit by Syrian artillery fire, as Ankara moved its troops into Syria with-out prior notice. The incident triggered a re-taliatory bombardment of ...(More on P4)...(14)

graft and money laundering charges linked to the plunder of funds from sovereign fund 1Malaysia Develop-ment Bhd. During a break from one of his own ongoing trials, Najib came to see Rosmah, 67, on her first day in the dock.During that brief visit Najib spoke to his wife and her lawyers, giving her a little hug before leaving the court.Rosmah faces three charges of solicit-ing and receiving bribes involving a ...(More on P4)...(15)

due by the end of 2021,” Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Mili-tary-Technical Coopera-

hundreds of travellers on board a cruise ship that docked in Hong Kong on Wednesday will be allowed to leave the vessel after health checks, the op-erator said, despite three recent passen-gers testing positive for coronavirus. More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people and infected more than ...(More on P4)...(17)

talks with Abdel Fat-tah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s sovereign council, a joint civilian-military transitional body that has been governing the country since August last year in the wake of long-time President Omar al-Bashir’s overthrow months before.Following the secret meeting, Israel said the two countries had agreed to move to-wards forging normal relations. Only two ...(More on P4)...(16)

Trump Set for Senate Acquittal in Boost to Reelection Campaign

WASHINGTON - Presi-dent Donald Trump was set to win acquittal from impeachment in the Senate on Wednes-day, hours after his partisan State of the Union speech triggered unprecedented protests from Democrats in a seething display of US political divisions.The Democratic-led House of Representa-tives impeached Trump for abuse of office and obstructing Congress ...(More on P4)...(13)

tion (FSMTC) Vladimir Drozhzhov said at the Defence Expo 2020 in Lucknow, India, accord-

ing to RIA.In November, the same agency cited the general ...(More on P4)...(12)

February 06, 2020BEIGIN - Authorities in China have glorified the rush to build two infectious disease hospitals in a matter of days at the epicen-tre of the coronavirus outbreak that has now claimed at least 490 lives on the mainland, with live streams showing the construction and the arrival of the first patients at Huoshenshan field hospital in Wuhan on Tuesday.The 1,000-bed Huoshenshan, or Fire-God Mountain, hospital and the 1,600-bed Leishenshan, or Thunder God Mountain, hospital - which will start taking patients on Thursday - have been the main focus of attention for the coun-try’s state-run media, with round-the-clock coverage.Less known, however, are the oth-er hospitals now under construc-tion elsewhere in the country to address the shortage of beds and facilities needed to treat the out-break....(More on P4)...(11)

China Races to Build More Hospitals as Coronavirus Outbreak Grows

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ECC Announces Decisions on Hundreds of Thousands of Disputed Votes

Withdrawal of US Troops Will Boost Taliban

ESG Asks Election Bodies to Act Impartially

KABUL - Afghanistan’s Elec-toral Complaints Commission on Wednesday announced its deci-sions about hundreds of thousands of disputed votes from September 28 presidential election.On the 137,630 suspicious votes, ECC chairwoman Zuhra Bayan Shinwari said that 309 polling sta-tions (10 percent) of 3,097 stations where the votes were recorded are subject to special audit.She said that all such votes will be validated if 65 percent of the poll-ing stations are found to meet cri-teria of having biometric records, journals and result sheets, and if not, all the polling stations where such votes were recorded will be audited.On the 102,012 votes outside poll-ing hours, 1,103 polling stations (15 percent) of 7,354 stations where the votes were recorded are subject to special audit. If 65 percent of the polling stations are found to have biometric records, journals and re-

WASHINGTON - Retired US General Jack Keane told US news outlet The National Inter-est that the Taliban’s leaders cal-culate that a withdrawal of US troops would produce a massive boost to their movement in Af-ghanistan.Gen. Keane believes that the troops’ withdrawal also would amount to a US admission of defeat and guarantee the legiti-macy of the political wing of the Taliban.Despite goodwill gestures from the Taliban and declining inter-est among Americans, it is im-portant that the United States remains in Afghanistan, Keane said.Over the past 18 years, he said, he US has made tremendous progress at preventing another attack on the US from al-Qaeda originating from Afghanistan.Keane also said his sources in Afghanistan say the Taliban wouldn’t win a single district in the event of an election.“The people absolutely do not want them because they’re liv-ing under their boot,” Keane said of the Taliban. “They’re liv-ing under their tyranny. They’re living under the fact that they can’t educate their children.”On Monday, US Secretary of

KABUL - The Election Support Group (ESG) on Tuesday said it recognized the patience all Af-ghans displayed awaiting the announcement of presidential election results and asked the electoral bodies to act impar-tially.“Safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process is para-mount. It has required consid-erable resources and time,” the group said in a statement, add-ing it noted recent statements by electoral authorities that they will shortly announce important

with the relevant laws and regu-lations, the ESG said. “We urge the electoral management bodies to ensure that the election is com-pleted in a timely manner.”The group asked all stakeholders to respect the electoral process and let the commissions perform their work independently and free from interference.“We remind all candidates and their supporters of their obliga-tions under the law and the Code of Conduct. Above all, stakehold-ers must refrain from any actions that could lead to instability, or compromise the credibility of the electoral process.”Until the final election results are

State Mike Pompeo demanded “demonstrable evidence” from the Taliban that it can and will reduce violence before sign-ing a deal that would lead to Afghanistan peace talks and a withdrawal of American troops from the country, according to an AP report.Speaking at a news conference in neighboring Uzbekistan, Pompeo said a deal is close but that they have been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to demonstrate its seriousness. He said more work remains to be done so that peace talks can get started.“We’re working on a peace and reconciliation plan, putting the commas in the right place, get-ting the sentences right,” he said. “We got close once before to having an agreement: a piece of paper that we mutually exe-cuted, and the Taliban were un-able to demonstrate either their will or capacity or both to deliv-er on a reduction in violence.”“So, what we are demanding now is demonstrable evidence of their will and capacity to re-duce violence, to take down the threat, so the inter-Afghan talks ... will have a less violent con-text,” he said. “We’re hopeful we ...( More on P4)...(8)

decisions on appeals adjudica-tion process.We are committed to support-ing the efforts of all stakeholders working to protect the integrity of the elections and the will of Afghan voters.”For candidates and voters to re-tain confidence in the process and the outcome, both the In-dependent Election Commis-sion (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) must ensure that their work was impartial, transparent, open to public scrutiny and compliant

certified and a new government formed, the guiding principles of the National Unity Government (NUG) must continue to prevail.“This is essential for the unity of the government and its ability to pursue important goals such as peace and economic growth, and for the cohesion and neutrality of the security forces.” (Pajhwok)

sult sheets, all such votes will be valid and if not all the votes will be invalidated.On complaint about 2,423 polling stations without biometric verification, 298 polling stations are subject to re-count.On the difference between the number of votes in result sheet and biometric devices in a polling station, Shinwari suggested that votes from such a station are valid if there is a difference of 1-5 votes.She also said that head of election office in Panjsir and administrative manager of the office were fined 10,000 and 5,000 afghanis each respectively. Moreover, votes from four polling stations in Faryab were invalidated, she said.Shinwari said that it had addressed all the 16,500 complaints and 6,200 appeals. (1TV NEWS)