Colombo, May 22 (IANS) More than 15,000 soldiers who had deserted the Sri Lankan army have received a legal discharge from their duties during a month-long amnesty period declared by the Ministry of Defence, the army said in a statement here.

The general amnesty was announced from April 20 to May 20, 2024, during which army absentees were allowed to legally discharge themselves from the army in coordination with their respective regimental centers, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

According to the statement, by the end of the amnesty period, a total of 15,667 army personnel who were absent from their duties without leave since December 31, 2023, and earlier, have been temporarily discharged from their regimental centers.

The Sri Lankan army said that among those discharged, 373 army deserters were presently residing overseas and absent from their duties without leave.

–IANS

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Paris, May 21 (IANS/DPA) French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which has been rocked by serious unrest.

A French government spokeswoman said Macron will leave late on Tuesday for the Pacific archipelago, which lies 1,500 kilometres east of Australia.

France has deployed 2,700 police officers and some military units to New Caledonia in the wake of riots which have killed six people and seen over 200 detained.

A state of emergency is also in effect in the territory, although the situation has improved in recent days, the spokeswoman said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand dispatched aeroplanes to bring stranded citizens home from the violence-stricken region.

The protests emerged in response to proposed electoral reforms which would give French nationals the right to vote in provincial elections after ten years of residency in the territory.

The indigenous Kanak population of New Caledonia, which has long campaigned for independence, accused Paris of pushing ahead with the controversial reform without considering strong opposition among the majority of the territory’s residents.

The archipelago gained extensive autonomy through the Nouméa Agreement of 1998. Paris is currently trying to conclude a new agreement with political leaders in the territory, which is strategically located in the southern Pacific Ocean.

–IANS/DPA

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Islamabad, May 21 (IANS/DPA) The Taliban Supreme Court said on Tuesday that 10 people accused of robbery had been publicly whipped in two Afghan provinces.

Eight convicts in the south-western province of Nimruz received between 15 and 30 lashes, the statement said. In the eastern province of Paktika, two convicts were sentenced to one year in prison and received 30 lashes each, according to a separate statement.

The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has seen the reintroduction of corporal punishment, including execution and whipping, for crimes including murder, robbery and adultery.

The United Nations has criticised the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, saying it violates the Convention against Torture, and has called for an end to the practice.

The Taliban authorities rejected the criticism, saying this form of punishment is in line with the law and is necessary to ensure security and safety for the public.

–IANS/DPA

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Brussels, May 21 (IANS) The Council of the European Union (EU) announced on Tuesday that ministers from EU member states have agreed to use proceeds from frozen assets of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) to support Ukraine’s military efforts, reports Xinhua News Agency.

Under the agreement, 90 per cent of the profits from these assets will be allocated to the European Peace Facility, an EU-run fund providing military aid for Ukraine. The remaining 10 per cent will bolster Ukraine’s defence industry capacities and reconstruction needs.

“Up to 3 billion euros (3.26 billion U.S. dollars) this year alone, 90 per cent goes for Ukraine’s military,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky stated on social media platform X.

According to data from the Council, around 260 billion euros in CBR assets have been immobilized in securities and cash across the jurisdictions of the G7 partners, the EU, and Australia. More than two-thirds of these frozen assets are held within the EU.

–IANS

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Islamabad, May 21 (IANS) In a major development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the recovery of the missing Kashmiri journalist and poet Ahmed Farhad Shah by Friday (May 24), granting the state an extension in the case.

Farhad, a Kashmiri poet and journalist, was abducted from his residence in Islamabad on May 14 and is suspected to be in the custody of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Known for criticising the country’s powerful military establishment through his poetry, he supported the recent anti-inflation long march held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) which witnessed massive violence in the region.

It is believed that Farhad’s criticism of the country’s military establishment on social media led to his abduction by the country’s intelligence agency.

The case landed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) where Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani – one of the six judges who wrote a letter to the Supreme Court highlighting the ongoing interference, influence, harassment and intimidation tactics allegedly by the country’s intelligence agencies to influence judicial proceedings and matters – took a serious note of the matter and slammed the government and the spy agencies for not shedding the perception of their involvement in forced abductions.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan assured the court on behalf of the state institutions that Farhad would be recovered, asking the court to give some more time to ensure the recovery.

The AGP’s assurance became the talking point as Justice Kayani highlighted and mentioned that the assurance was being given on behalf of the state (establishment) and its institutions, telling the Attorney General that he had raised a white flag in the case before the court.

The AGP agreed that he was giving assurance on behalf of the state institution that Farhad would be recovered.

“You (AGP) have waived a white flag before the court. This matter would have gotten worse if you wouldn’t have surrendered on behalf of the institution,” remarked Justice Kayani who ordered the recovery of Farhad by Friday.

The Interior Ministry’s Secretary and Inspector General of Islamabad Police were also present during Tuesday’s hearing.

It is pertinent to mention that during the previous hearing, Justice Kayani had expressed his anger against the intelligence agencies, after the petitioner, wife of Ahmed Farhad Shah, told the court of an exchange of calls and messages she had with an ISI official, who was forcing her to withdraw the case from the court if she wanted to see her husband released.

Justice Kayani had summoned the Secretary Interior and Secretary Defence to come up with a written response and had ordered the IG Police to record the statement of the ISI station commander in Islamabad under Section 166 for criminal proceedings.

Justice Kayani had warned that he would even summon the ministers – and even the Prime Minister – if Farhad was not recovered. Kayani had denounced the role of intelligence agencies in ongoing forced abductions.

“This country will either be run as per the law or the ways of agencies,” Justice Kayani remarked.

However, despite the court’s summon, the Secretary Defence did not appear before the court, while the ISI Station Commander’s statement was also not recorded by the investigation officer.

Tuesday’s developments have given an interesting turn to the ongoing rivalry between the judiciary and Pakistani establishment as the country’s judges are now ready to call out and hold accountable senior commanders, ministers and even the country’s premier over what they call a constant undermining of the judicial system.

–IANS

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