Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Gangs in Haiti besieged multiple districts in Port-au-Prince, burning homes and exchanging Gunfire with police for hours as hundreds escaped the mayhem early Thursday, in one of the most serious attacks since Haiti’s new prime minister was appointed.

The attacks began late Wednesday in communities such as Solino and Delmas 18, 20, and 24, southwest of the main international airport, which has been shuttered for over two months due to ongoing gang violence.

“The gangs started burning everything in sight,” said a man named Néne, who refused to disclose his last name due to fear. “I was hiding in a corner all night.”

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Gangs In Haiti Launch Fresh Attacks, Days After A New Prime Minister Is Announced

He walked with a companion, carrying a dusty red bag crammed with clothes—the only thing they could preserve. The garments belonged to Néne’s children, whom he had whisked out of Delmas 18 in the morning during a lull in the battle.

The neighborhoods formerly bustling with cars and pedestrians were like ghost towns long after morning, with only the occasional bleating from a lone goat breaking the calm.

An armored police truck patrolled the streets, passing burnt vehicles and cinderblock walls with the scrawled “Viv Babecue,” a reference to one of Haiti’s most powerful gang bosses.

People who escaped the onslaught in Delmas 18 and other adjacent communities held fans, stoves, mattresses, and plastic bags packed with clothes as they left on foot, on motorcycles, or in colorful mini buses known as tap-taps. Others were walking empty-handed after losing everything.

“There were gunshots left and right,” claimed Paul Pierre, 47, who was walking with his girlfriend looking for safety after their house burned down. They couldn’t salvage any of their possessions.

He stated that the nocturnal battle ripped children from their parents and husbands from their wives as people fled in terror, adding, “Everyone is just trying to save themselves.”

Martina, a woman who refused to provide her last name out of fear, claimed she was left homeless after armed assailants burnt her home. She fled with her 4-year-old, who she claims attempted to flee when the shooting started late Wednesday.

“I told him, ‘Don’t be afraid. “This is life in Haiti,” she remarked as she held a hefty load of goods on her head, including butter, which she wanted to sell to generate money and find a new home.

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Gangs In Haiti Launch Fresh Attacks, Days After A New Prime Minister Is Announced

When asked to describe what transpired overnight, she answered, “Gunfire, Gunfire, everywhere! Nobody slept. “Everybody was running.”

Jimmy Chérizier, the head of the formidable gang federation G9 Family and Allies and a former elite police officer known as Barbecue, was in charge of the area where the incident occurred.

He and other gang bosses have been blamed for the coordinated attacks that began on February 29 in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Gunmen have torched police stations, opened fire on the main international airport, and stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing over 4,000 inmates.

The attacks eventually forced Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign, prompting the formation of a transitional presidential council. The council’s majority unexpectedly announced a new prime minister on Tuesday: Fritz Bélizaire, a former sports minister. The action threatens to split the nine-member council, which was sworn in last week.

As new authorities take over the country amid fighting, Haitians demand that they prioritize their protection, as gangs remain more strong and well-armed than the Haitian National Police.

More than 2,500 people were murdered or injured between January and March of this year, a more than 50% rise over the same period last year, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, over 90,000 individuals have fled Port-au-Prince in just one month, as gangs controlling an estimated 80% of the capital increasingly target formerly tranquil districts.

Ernest Aubrey told how he relocated to Delmas 18 years ago. He’s leaving home for the first time.

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Gangs In Haiti Launch Fresh Attacks, Days After A New Prime Minister Is Announced

“It is too much. “We can’t resist any longer,” he said of the gangs. “They are taking everything we own.”

As he went with his heavy backpack, he noticed an acquaintance leaving in a car and dashed toward them to see if he could catch a ride.

Vanessa Vieux was one of the few who stayed at Delmas 18. Early Wednesday after the incident, she relocated her elderly mother to the countryside. She thought it was best not to give her home over to gangs. Furthermore, she has faith in Haiti’s National Police.

“I live next to a police officer,” she explained. “That’s why I’m not scared.”

SOURCE – (AP)

United Nations  — A week after vetoing a U.S.-Japan resolution to halt an arms race in space, Russia circulated a UN resolution urging all countries to take immediate steps to prevent weapons from being placed in outer space “forever.”

The Russian draft resolution, goes beyond the U.S.-Japan plan by calling not only for steps to prevent weapons from being deployed in outer space but also for preventing “the threat or use of force in outer space,” “for all time.”

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Russia Proposes UN Resolution On Banning Weapons In Space, After Vetoing Similar UN-Japan Draft

It states that this should include deploying weapons “from space against Earth, and from Earth against objects in outer space.”

When Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia rejected the United States-Japan draft, he warned the Security Council that it did not go far enough in outlawing all sorts of weapons in space.

The vetoed resolution only addressed weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and made no mention of other weapons in space.

It would have urged all countries to refrain from developing or deploying nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in space, as prohibited by a 1967 international convention adopted by the United States and Russia, and to recognize the importance of verifying compliance.

Before the US-Japan resolution was voted on April 24, Russia and China presented an amendment calling on all countries, particularly those with space capabilities, “to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space, and the threat of use of force in outer spaces.”

Seven countries voted in favor, seven against, and one abstention, and the amendment failed to receive the requisite nine “yes” votes in the 15-member Security Council.

Following the decision, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield informed the council that Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Moscow has no intention of placing nuclear weapons in space.

“Today’s veto raises the question: why? Why, if you are obeying the rules, would you oppose a resolution that reinforces them? “What could you possibly be hiding?” she inquired. “It’s confusing. And it is a disgrace.”

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Russia Proposes UN Resolution On Banning Weapons In Space, After Vetoing Similar UN-Japan Draft

Putin was responding to the White House’s revelation in February that Russia had acquired a “troubling” anti-satellite weapon capability, but such a weapon is not yet operational.

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN Ambassador, said after casting the veto that the US-Japan resolution cherry-picked weapons of mass devastation.

He emphasized that the US and its partners had already revealed plans to deploy weapons in outer space, which explains their activities.

Nebenzia also claimed that the United States has been opposing a Russian-Chinese proposal for a convention prohibiting the deployment of weapons in outer space since 2008.

Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of undermining global treaties to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, recklessly invoking “dangerous nuclear rhetoric,” abandoning several arms control obligations, and refusing to engage “in substantive discussions around arms control or risk reduction.”

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Russia Proposes UN Resolution On Banning Weapons In Space, After Vetoing Similar UN-Japan Draft

Much of the Russian draft resolution is identical to the US-Japan text, including the wording aimed at averting an arms race in space.

It urges all countries, particularly those with significant space capabilities, “to actively contribute to the goal of the peaceful use of outer space and the prevention of an arms race in outer space.”

According to Thomas-Greenfield, the world is only beginning to realize “the catastrophic ramifications of a nuclear explosion in space.”

SOURCE – (AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan Taliban – Yunis Safi, a Kabul businessman, understands how important it is to show off your phone if you want something done.

“In Afghanistan, your phone is your personality,” he remarked, beaming, his hands adorned with jewel-encrusted rings. One has an emerald, the other a large Russian diamond. “When you go to a meeting with the government, the better your phone, the more they respect you.”

Safi owns a phone business in the exclusive Shar-e-Naw area. An armed guard stands outside. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is now on store shelves, priced at $1,400. He has customers willing to part with this amount of money, which may surprise some, considering the country’s economic troubles and that more than half of the population relies on humanitarian help for survival.

Afghanistan’s finances were precarious even before the Taliban took power in 2021. The budget relied significantly on foreign help, and corruption was rampant. The seizure shattered Afghanistan’s economy, freezing billions of dollars in international finances and forcing tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans to flee the country with their money.

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Phones, Islamic Books And Currency Exchange. Some Businesses Are Making Money Out Of Taliban Rule

Despite the terrible conditions, some businesses benefit under the Taliban administration. Women are relegated to customers, however, because authorities have forbidden them from most jobs, including retail. None of Safi’s 78 employees are female.

He has tapped into a varied client base, including those eager for the latest iPhone release and those who prefer simple devices. The latter account for the majority of his sales and range in price from $20 to $200.

The Taliban used to target phone towers and threaten telecom companies, accusing them of working with the United States and other international forces to detect insurgent movements via mobile phone signals. Now, they’re investing in 4G mobile networks.

The Communications Ministry reports that 2 million new SIM cards have been issued in the last two years, and subscriber numbers are increasing. Enayatullah Alokozai, a ministry official, stated that the government is investing $100 million in telecom and has completely rebuilt hundreds of towers.

There are 22.7 million active SIM cards in a country with a population of 41 million. Ten million are for phone calls, with the remainder for mobile internet.

According to Trade Ministry estimates, phone imports have increased. More than 1,584 tons of phones entered Afghanistan in 2022. Last year, it weighed 1,895 tons.

Safi said he had many Taliban customers, and the younger ones prefer iPhones. “Of course, they need smartphones. They use social media and enjoy making videos. The iPhone offers stronger security than Samsung. The camera’s resolution, CPU, and memory are all improved. Afghans use smartphones like everyone else.”

Safi has the iPhone 15 Pro Max, an Apple Watch Ultra, and three automobiles.

Business was difficult shortly after the Taliban took power, but it is improving, according to Safi. “The people buying the new release iPhones are the ones with relatives abroad sending money to Afghanistan.”

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Phones, Islamic Books And Currency Exchange. Some Businesses Are Making Money Out Of Taliban Rule

Remittances are a lifeline, but less than half of what they were before the Taliban took power and the financial system collapsed.

At Kabul’s rowdy Shahzada Market, hundreds of money changers clutch stacks of the local currency, the Afghani, and noisily hawk their wares. They occupy every floor, stairwell, corner, and cranny.

According to Abdul Rahman Zirak, a senior official at the money exchange market, $10 million changes hands every day. The diaspora sends largely U.S. cash to family, which they convert for Afghani.

Before the Taliban took control, there were more ways to donate money to Afghanistan. However, there are no longer any linkages to SWIFT or international banking, which is one of the main reasons why business is brisk in the market, he said.

“The work of money exchangers has increased and strengthened,” he stated. “Money transfers come from Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia, Arab nations and other neighboring countries.”

Trade becomes extremely chaotic during the holidays. During the holy month of Ramadan, 20,000 people visited the market daily, and it took more than 90 minutes to enter, he claimed.

Our business may suffer if the restrictions are lifted and the assets are unfrozen. But I don’t see this happening. Many do not have bank accounts. Unemployment is rising, therefore people send money to Afghanistan. Our company will be needed for years to come.”

Irfanullah Arif, who owns Haqqani Books, a specialist retailer of Islamic manuscripts, is likewise pleased with his fortunes. His consumers are primarily religious school professors and pupils.

There are at least 20,000 madrasas in Afghanistan. The Taliban intends to build more. Last year, the supreme commander allegedly directed the recruiting of 100,000 madrassa teachers.

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Phones, Islamic Books And Currency Exchange. Some Businesses Are Making Money Out Of Taliban Rule

While Arif’s business suffered, along with everyone else’s, from the chaos that followed the takeover, there was another cause. “All the students left the madrassas and went to work for the (Taliban) government,” Arif claimed.

The Taliban’s push for Islamic education has brought him some relief. Last year, he sold 25,000 textbooks.

Success, however, comes with a price. Arif imports everything, and the Taliban are just concerned with collecting revenue, even from Islamic literature.

Arif pays a tax of 170 Afghanis ($2.36) for a carton of 100 books, with a shipping cost of 500 Afghanis ($6.95). His bookstore’s taxes have increased under the Taliban administration.

“That’s why books are expensive in Afghanistan,” he sighed. “With the increase of madrassas, our trade has gone up, but so have the taxes.”

SOURCE – (AP)