Day: February 27, 2023

Gunmen killed at least four miners and injured three others in southwest Pakistan on Monday, officials and local media reported.

The attack, the latest in a series of similar ambushes, occurred in the remote Harnai district of southwestern Balochistan province, a hub of coalmines located some 169 kilometers (105 miles) from the provincial capital Quetta.

Local broadcaster Dunya News, citing security officials, reported that four miners were killed and another three injured when a group of gunmen attacked the coalfield where they were working.

The attackers, the channel reported, also set at least 11 coalmines on fire.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack till this report was published, nonetheless, the ethnic Baloch separatists have long been involved in targeting coalminers across the mineral-rich province.

Eleven coalminers were kidnapped and later killed in Balochistan's Mach district in January 2021.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Physicians and paramedical staff from Indonesia have treated over 2,000 people in earthquake-hit Türkiye, an official from the country said on Monday.

Dr. Corona Rintawan, deputy head of Indonesian field hospital, said in a written statement that around 70% of patients who were treated by the Indonesian emergency medical team, complained of “respiratory problems.”

The health problems, he said, could have been caused due to weather, shelter conditions and dust as the process of dismantling of debris is still going on.

Indonesia set up its field hospital on Feb. 15 in the Hassa district of Hatay, one of the 11 provinces hit by the massive twin earthquakes on Feb. 6, which caused widespread devastation.

The Southeast Asian nation’s embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara said the hospital was serving around 200 patients a day, 50 patients above its capacity of 150 per day.

Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, Indonesia’s top diplomat in Türkiye, said while the medical team from Indonesia officially ended their emergency mission on Monday, “all field hospital (material) will be donated to the Turkish Health Ministry which will continue operations with its own Turkish officers and doctors for the next three months.”

The Indonesian medical team has data of the patients besides 29 service and support tents and necessary medical equipment which will be transferred to the Turkish health authorities.

At least 44,374 people have been killed by the back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6.

With their epicenter in Kahramanmaras province, the powerful tremors struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig. Some 13.5 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The maximum price of gas and electricity units in the UK will be reduced from April, energy regulator Ofgem announced on Monday.

As part of efforts to lower energy costs for consumers, Ofgem said the quarterly cap on bills for average dual fuel households paying by direct debit will be cut by 23% to £3,280 ($3,921) in the year’s second quarter.

Despite the reduction, though, average energy bills are still expected to rise.

“From 1 April 2023, the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) is expected to increase from £2,500 to £3,000 for a typical dual fuel direct debit domestic consumer and will be extended until April 2024,” read an Ofgem statement.

“That means from 1 April 2023, a typical household in Great Britain will see an increase in their bills. However, the EPG still reflects a discount relative to the underlying price cap,” it added.

Industry and consumer groups have urged the government not to increase its subsidy level to £3,000, citing cheaper wholesale energy prices that have eased the fiscal burden on the Treasury.

The energy price cap is a government initiative aimed at protecting consumers from excessively high energy bills.

It limits the maximum amount that suppliers can charge for standard variable tariffs, which is the default energy plan for many households.

According to latest data, the average energy bill for a typical a three-bed house in the UK is around £1,138 per year.

Ofgem has also advised consumers to shop around for the best energy deals and to consider switching suppliers to get the best value for their money.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Tensions were rising in Nigeria as authorities slowly counted more votes on Monday after a tightly contested election in Africa’s largest democracy.

Results released so far show the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party has an early lead, but the two main opposition forces – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party – are already crying foul.

The election commission has officially tallied results in seven of Nigeria’s 36 states, while unofficial reports place the figure at nine.

The PDP accused the APC of trying to manipulate results in three major states, including the commercial hub Lagos.

At a news conference, PDP official Dele Momodu said the party is “calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shun any act of tampering … as being attempted by some state governors.”

Julius Abure, chairman of the Labour Party, struck a similar note in a separate statement, saying the party is “shocked” by reports of APC’s attempts to rig the results.

In the southern Rivers state, he said “thugs believed to be agents of the state government invaded various polling units and collation centers and took away election materials, including the results sheets.”

These individuals tampered with Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and uploaded fake results to the central election portal, Abure added.

Fears of violence

INEC head Mahmood Yakubu has tried to assuage growing concerns over the vote count, asserting that the electoral watchdog will ensure complete transparency.

However, the sluggish pace is fueling anxiety in the country that threatens to spill over into violence.

Saturday’s voting, though marked by delays, was largely peaceful.

There were, however, reports of sporadic violence, with at least two people killed in an attack on an election office of a New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate.

In Lagos, police said unidentified people armed with knives and sticks attacked polling stations and officials.

In a statement on Monday, police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi called on all parties to play their part to maintain peace.

Citing “a series of intelligence reports,” he urged all presidential candidates to “caution their party supporters to avoid making inciting comments.”

Pivotal vote for Nigeria

More than 93 million people were registered to vote for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari and lawmakers for both chambers of parliament.

The race for president has narrowed down to three serious contenders: veteran politicians Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar and new challenger Peter Obi.

Tinubu, 70, is from Buhari’s ruling APC and has previously served as a senator and governor of Lagos.

Abubakar, a 76-year-old businessman who was Nigeria’s vice-president from 1999 to 2007, is the candidate for the main opposition PDP, his record sixth shot at the top office.

At 61, Labour Party candidate Obi is the youngest in the three-way contest.

The former two-time governor of Anambra, a state in southeastern Nigeria, has been polling strongly in the lead-up to the general elections, with some surveys projecting him as the winner.

For most Nigerians, whoever succeeds Buhari has to tackle the protracted security crisis, economic woes, youth unemployment and dissatisfaction, and an overall sense of untapped potential in Africa’s most populous – and one of its most influential – country.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Novak Djokovic achieved yet another milestone in his glittering career by overtaking Steffi Graf’s record of most weeks as the world’s top-ranked tennis player.

“The Serbian already held the record for the most weeks as No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) when he surpassed Roger Federer’s mark of 310 weeks in March 2021,” read an ATP statement on Monday.

“Now he has moved past Graf by beginning his 378th week on top of tennis’ mountain.”

Djokovic is currently on 6,980 points in the ATP Rankings, returning to the summit last month for the first time since last June by claiming his 10th Australian Open title.

He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to clinch the record-extending championship win.

After Djokovic and Graf, the players with most weeks as No. 1 are Martina Navratilova (332 weeks), Serena Williams (319 weeks), and Roger Federer (310 weeks).

Graf, a tennis great, had 377 weeks as the top-ranked women’s player by the time she retired in 1999.

The Germany bagged 22 Grand Slam titles in her 16-year professional tennis career.

She is still the only player to win a Golden Slam, achieving the feat in 1988 as she won all four majors – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open – and the Olympic gold in Seoul.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Hailing the support and solidarity Egypt displayed immediately after deadly earthquakes shook southern Türkiye earlier this month, the Turkish foreign minister said Monday that the two countries were "opening a new chapter in relations."

"Friendship and fraternity are evident during difficult times," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, who is visiting southern Adana and Mersin regions.

After the two powerful back-to-back earthquakes that occurred on Feb. 6, Egypt showed Türkiye its fraternity and friendship, Cavusoglu said.

He underlined that the two nations were "opening a new chapter in relations," noting the "fruitful" meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Doha last November.

Cavusoglu said he and Shoukry addressed ways to further develop ties in a bilateral meeting at Adana's Sakirpasa Airport.

"Developing relations between Türkiye and Egypt is in the interest of both countries, but not only for both countries, but also important for the peace, stability and development of our region," the top Turkish diplomat added.

Saying that the bilateral trade and economic cooperation continued "even when the ties were not good," Cavusoglu said many Turkish investors are involved in important projects in Egypt.

"During our meeting today, we have exchanged ideas about mutual visits or meetings between the two of us, and possible topics to discuss, as our deputies have met twice before on this issue. It would be beneficial for them to meet again," he added.

Emphasizing that meeting just to pose for cameras is not enough, Cavusoglu said the Turkish and Egyptian presidents could meet either in Türkiye or Egypt once the foreign ministers meet to develop ties.

30 field hospitals

Separately, the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Twitter announced that 28 countries have established 30 field hospitals in Türkiye's earthquake-hit regions.

At least 130,785 tents, 1,168 temporary housing containers and over 1,600 mobile hygiene units have arrived in Türkiye as part of coordinated efforts of Turkish missions abroad, the ministry said.

More than 1.6 million blankets, 226,451 sleeping bags, 83,844 beds, 29,266 power generators, over 6,300 tons of clothing, over 3,000 tons of hygienic medical materials and nearly 6,000 tons of food have also been delivered, it added.

'Support and consolation'

For his part, Shoukry said he conveys a message of “support and consolation for the friendly Turkish people.”

He said Egypt has been making efforts to help Türkiye during the disaster, adding that priority was given to ships carrying aid supplies to cross the Suez Canal.

Egypt’s efforts during the earthquake disaster “affirm the special relation which connects the Egyptian people with the Turkish people,” Shoukry added.

He said Egypt believed in Türkiye’s ability to overcome the disaster, it will remain by Türkiye's side and that bilateral relations will rise to the "best level."

Regarding the prospects of normalization and possibility of a meeting between Erdogan and Sisi, he said “certainly, there will be contacts at the appropriate time according to the vision of the two presidents.”

Shoukry's visit to Türkiye was the first by an Egyptian foreign minister in more than a decade.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The launch of the Arab world's first long-term space mission for Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi was delayed Monday because of a ground problem, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced.

The "Crew-6" mission was scheduled to launch Monday from the Kennedy Space Center NASA in the US to conduct 19 research experiments on the International Space Station for six months.

The Falcon 9 space shuttle was just minutes away from launch when the problem was detected during final checks.

"Crew-6 launch was aborted due to ground systems issue," NASA announced on Twitter.

"Stay tuned for details on a new launch date and time."

A new launch date will be announced at a later date.

The UAE launched its astronaut program in 2017 to train and prepare a team of Emiratis to be sent into space for various scientific missions.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar

Source: Anadolu Agency

All major Asian indexes closed Monday with declines, as Singapore's index posted the biggest drop.

The Asia Dow, which includes blue-chip companies in the region, fell 0.24% to 3,299.92 points as of 1141GMT.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 decreased 0.11% to 27,423.96 points.

The Hang Seng, the benchmark for blue-chip stocks trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, dropped 0.33% to 19,943.51.

China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange fell 0.28% to 3,258.03.

India’s Sensex benchmark was down 0.3% to close at 59,288.35, while the Singapore index dropped 0.58% to 3,263.24 for the biggest fall among the major Asian indexes.

Source: Anadolu Agency