More than a dozen
people were killed in a 5.6-magnitude quake that rattled Indonesia's West Java
province on Monday, a local official said.
Herman Suherman, a government official from Cianjur, the
town in West Java where the epicentre of the quake was located, told news
channel MetroTV that up to 20 people had died at one hospital in the area.
The epicentre was on land in Cianjur in West Java, about 75
km southeast of Jakarta, and at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), BMKG said, adding
there was no potential for a tsunami.
Some people evacuated offices in the central business
district of Jakarta, while others reported feeling buildings shake and seeing
furniture move, Reuters witnesses said.
Muchlis, who was in Cianjur when the quake hit, said he felt
"a huge tremor" and the walls and ceiling of his office building were
damaged.
"I was very shocked. I worried there will be another
quake," Muchlis told the Metro TV news channel, adding that people ran out
of their houses, some fainting and vomiting because of the strong tremors.
BMKG chief Dwikorita Karnawati, speaking to reporters at
parliamentary building, advised people to stay outdoors in case of aftershocks.
Suko Prayitno Adi of the BMKG said authorities were checking
the extent of the damage caused by the quake.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the
earthquake at a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale.
– Reuters
Comment
President Vladimir Putin has held extensive meetings with the military top brass overseeing Russia's campaign in Ukraine, where Moscow has stepped up bombardments, the Kremlin said Saturday.
"On Friday, the president spent the whole day at the army staff involved in the special military operation in Ukraine," a statement said.
He held a meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and held "separate discussions
with commanders" from different defence branches, it said.
"I would like to hear your proposals on our actions in
the short- and medium-term," Putin was shown as saying in the meeting by
Russia's state television.
Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Friday on multiple
cities in Ukraine, plunging them into darkness, cutting water and heat and
forcing people to endure sub-zero temperatures.
After a series of embarrassing battlefield defeats, Russia
since October has pursued an aerial onslaught against what Moscow says are
military-linked facilities.
France and the European Union said the suffering inflicted
on freezing civilians constitutes war crimes, with the bloc's foreign policy
chief calling the bombings "barbaric".
- BSS/AFP
Comment
US Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and
Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Afreen Akhter has said the United States sees
Bangladesh as a “truly important strategic partner" and looks forward to
working over the next 50 years for a stronger relationship.
She said in the last 50 years Bangladesh-US relations have
seen incredible progress between the peoples, economies and governments.
The people-to-people ties between the two countries are very
deep, she said.
Praising Bangladesh's progress in different sectors, the US
Deputy Assistant Secretary said Bangladesh's economy has expanded from largely
agriculture society to economic powerhouse over the just few decades.
This is a story to really be proud of that Bangladesh has
lifted millions of people out of poverty and the country will achieve the
middle-income status within generations, which is truly remarkable, she said
while speaking at a Victory Day function in Washington.
Beyond the economic cooperation, Afreen mentioned the close
partnership between the two countries in providing COVID-19 vaccines and
addressing climate change issue. She thanked the Bangladesh government for
hosting some 1,1 million Rohingya from Myanmar.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC celebrated the 52nd Victory Day of
Bangladesh, remembering the valiant freedom fighters who fought and made the
supreme sacrifice for the cause of long-aspired independence.
To commemorate the day, the Embassy arranged a daylong
program.
The day's first part of the programme began with the
hoisting of the national flag ceremonially on the chancery premises in the
morning by Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran.
Officials and employees of the embassy were present at that
time.
Later, the Ambassador along with officials and employees of
the embassy placed a wreath at the bust of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Corner of the embassy.
The messages issued on the occasion of the Victory Day by
President Md. Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister Dr.
A.K. Abdul Momen, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam were
read out by Deputy Chief of Mission Ferdousi Shahriar, Minister (Commerce) Md.
Salim Reza, Counsellor (Public Diplomacy) Arifa Rahman Ruma and Counsellor
(Political-I) Mohammad Moniruzzman.
A special prayer was held seeking peace, progress and
development of the nation as well as eternal peace of the departed soul of
martyrs of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was
offered.
A discussion was held later.
Ambassador Imran recalled with profound respect the greatest
Bengali of all time and the founding Father of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.
He also paid deep homage to three million martyrs for their
supreme sacrifices and two 2 lakh women who sacrificed in 1971.
The day’s other program ended with a colourful cultural
function.
The artistes of Dhroopodi, a Bangladeshi-American cultural
organisation, performed group dances on patriotic songs.
Counsellor Shameema Yasmin Smrite and First Secretary Md
Ataur Rahman conducted the day’s programme. The embassy also arranged a photo
exhibition on the day.
- UNB
Comment
North Korea fired
around 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on
Monday, South Korea's military said, in the latest apparent military drill near
their shared border.
Some of the shells landed in a buffer zone near the sea
border in what Seoul said was a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement
designed to reduce tensions.
The South Korean military sent several warning
communications to the North over the firing, the ministry of defence said in a
statement.
North Korea did not immediately report on the artillery
fire, but it has been carrying out an increasing number of military activities,
including missile launches and drills by warplanes and artillery units.
South Korea and the United States have also stepped up
military drills this year, saying they are necessary to deter the nuclear-armed
North.
The 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) was the most
substantive deal to come from the months of meetings between leader Kim Jong Un
and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
With those talks long stalled, however, recent drills and
shows of force along the fortified border between the Koreas have cast doubts
on the future of the measures. South Korea has accused the North of repeatedly
violating the agreement with artillery drills this year.
This year North Korea resumed testing of its long-range
intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017, and
South Korea and the United States say it has made preparations to resume
nuclear testing as well.
- Reuters
Comment
A Group of Seven
(G7) price cap on Russian seaborne oil came into force on Monday as the West
tries to limit Moscow's ability to finance its war in Ukraine, though Russia
has said it will not abide by the measure even if it has to cut production.
The G7 nations and Australia on Friday agreed a $60 per
barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil after European Union members
overcame resistance from Poland. Russia is the world's second-largest oil
exporter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the world had
shown weakness by setting the cap at that level while Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday it was a gross interference that
contradicted the rules of free trade.
"We are working on mechanisms to prohibit the use of a
price cap instrument, regardless of what level is set, because such
interference could further destabilise the market," said Novak, the
Russian government official in charge of its oil, gas, atomic energy and coal.
"We will sell oil and petroleum products only to those
countries that will work with us under market conditions, even if we have to
reduce production a little," he said.
The G7 agreement allows Russian oil to be shipped to
third-party countries using G7 and EU tankers, insurance companies and credit
institutions, only if the cargo is bought at or below the $60 per barrel cap.
Industry players and a US official said in October that
Russia can access enough tankers to ship most of its oil beyond the reach of
the cap, underscoring the limits of the most ambitious plan yet to curb
Russia's wartime revenue.
According to Zelenskiy, the $60 cap would do little to deter
Russia from waging war in Ukraine. "You wouldn't call it a serious
decision to set such a limit for Russian prices, which is quite comfortable for
the budget of a terrorist state."
The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping
sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine on February 24 and sent billions
of dollars in aid to the Ukrainian government.
French President Emmanuel Macron, however, drew criticism
from Ukraine and its Baltic allies over the weekend for suggesting the West
should consider Russia's need for security guarantees if it agrees to talks to
end the war.
Zelenskiy's aide, Mykhailo Podolyak, said the world needed
security guarantees from Russia, not the other way around.
PLANNED BLACKOUTS
In Ukraine, Russia has been pounding power infrastructure
since early October, causing blackouts and leaving millions without heating as
temperatures plummet.
Russia says the assaults do not target civilians and are
meant to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight.
Ukraine says the attacks are a war crime.
Zelenskiy, in a video address on Sunday, urged citizens to
be patient and strong in resisting the rigours of winter.
"To get through this winter, we must be even more
resilient and even more united than ever," he said.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram that blackouts
would be confined from Monday to planned "stabilisation" cutoffs to
get the grid working again, but added the situation remained
"difficult".
Ukraine's largest power supplier, DTEK, said blackouts were
planned for three other regions - Odesa, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk in
Ukraine's south and east.
In Kherson, largely without power since Russian forces
abandoned the southern city last month, the regional governor said 85% of
customers had electricity.
SHELLING ALONG FRONT LINES
On the battlefront, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces were
holding positions along the front line, including near Bakhmut, viewed as
Russia's next target in their advance through Donetsk.
Ukraine's military said Russian forces were pressing for
improved tactical positions to advance in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions.
About 16 settlements, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka, were shelled by tanks,
mortars, barrel and rocket artillery, the General Staff of Ukraine's armed
forces added.
Russian forces are on the defensive along the Zaporizhzhia
frontline while hitting four settlements in the Donetsk region and six in the
Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine's army added.
Russia's defence ministry said its troops were conducting
successful operations in the area of Bakhmut and had pushed back Ukrainian
attacks in the Donetsk direction.
Russian-installed officials in the occupied Donetsk said
Ukraine fired at least 10 Grad rockets into the city. There was no word on
casualties.
In Kryvyi Rih, among the largest cities in southern Ukraine,
Russian rockets killed one person and wounded three just after midnight, the
governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said.
"They aimed at an industrial enterprise,"
Reznichenko said on the Telegram messaging app without giving details.
Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.
The head of US intelligence said fighting in Ukraine was
running at a "reduced tempo" and that militaries on both sides were
looking to refit and resupply to prepare for a counter-offensive after the
winter.
- Reuters
Oil price cap Oil price G7 Russia Ukraine crisis
Comment
Gunmen abducted 19
Muslim worshippers after attacking a mosque in the restive northwest of
Nigeria, police said Sunday.
The attackers stormed the mosque in Maigamji village, in
Katsina state, during evening prayers Saturday and carried out the kidnappings
after shooting and wounding the imam and another worshipper, said local police
spokesman Gambo Isah.
"Our men mobilised and went after the bandits and
succeeded in rescuing six of the worshippers from their abductors, while
efforts are underway to free the remaining 13," he added.
The two people wounded were being treated in hospital, he
added.
Northwest and central Nigeria have been terrorised by
criminal gangs locally known as bandits, who village raids steal cattle, kidnap
for ransom and burn homes after looting supplies.
Hostages are usually released after a ransom is paid to the
gangs, which take refuge in the vast Rugu Forest. It straddles four states in
northwest Nigeria, including Katsina.
Last month, 15 people were killed and several others wounded
in a series of bandit attacks on villages in neighbouring Kaduna state, say the
authorities.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been under intense
pressure to end the violence before he leaves office next year at the end of
his eight-year tenure in office.
There is growing concern over an alliance in the northeast
between the bandits and jihadists waging a 12-year insurgency to establish a
Caliphate.
– BSS/AFP
Comment
President Vladimir Putin has held extensive meetings with the military top brass overseeing Russia's campaign in Ukraine, where Moscow has stepped up bombardments, the Kremlin said Saturday. "On Friday, the president spent the whole day at the army staff involved in the special military operation in Ukraine," a statement said.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) Afreen Akhter has said the United States sees Bangladesh as a “truly important strategic partner" and looks forward to working over the next 50 years for a stronger relationship. She said in the last 50 years Bangladesh-US relations have seen incredible progress between the peoples, economies and governments.
North Korea fired around 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on Monday, South Korea's military said, in the latest apparent military drill near their shared border. Some of the shells landed in a buffer zone near the sea border in what Seoul said was a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement designed to reduce tensions.
A Group of Seven (G7) price cap on Russian seaborne oil came into force on Monday as the West tries to limit Moscow's ability to finance its war in Ukraine, though Russia has said it will not abide by the measure even if it has to cut production. The G7 nations and Australia on Friday agreed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil after European Union members overcame resistance from Poland. Russia is the world's second-largest oil exporter.
Gunmen abducted 19 Muslim worshippers after attacking a mosque in the restive northwest of Nigeria, police said Sunday. The attackers stormed the mosque in Maigamji village, in Katsina state, during evening prayers Saturday and carried out the kidnappings after shooting and wounding the imam and another worshipper, said local police spokesman Gambo Isah.