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“The riches of Africa were never gone; they were taken.” How and by who...?
That’s a powerful statement, and it captures a core truth about Africa’s history and present challenges.
Africa’s wealth — in gold, diamonds, minerals, oil, and other resources — has been abundant for millennia.
Yet, much of this wealth never stayed in Africa because it was systematically extracted and exploited by external forces, primarily European colonial powers and, more recently, multinational corporations.

How the riches were taken:
Colonial Conquest and Exploitation
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries — the “Scramble for Africa” — European powers invaded and divided Africa with little regard for its people or borders. Colonial regimes:

Controlled land, mines, and labor forces

Extracted vast amounts of raw materials (gold, diamonds, rubber, copper, oil)

Enforced forced labor, taxation, and monopolies to enrich European economies

Built infrastructure (railways, ports) mainly to export resources, not to develop local economies

Slave Trade and Human Capital Theft
For centuries before formal colonization, millions of Africans were forcibly taken via the transatlantic slave trade:

Africa lost a significant portion of its young, able population

The continent’s demographic and economic development was deeply disrupted

The wealth generated by slave labor fueled Western economies

Post-Colonial Neo-Colonialism
Even after independence, many African nations faced continued economic control through:

Unequal trade agreements favoring foreign companies

Structural adjustment programs imposed by the IMF and World Bank, forcing austerity and privatization

Multinational corporations extracting resources with minimal benefits to local communities

Corrupt elites sometimes collaborating with foreign interests

Illicit Financial Flows and Tax Evasion

Hundreds of billions of dollars leave Africa annually through illegal channels, tax dodging, and corrupt deals

This capital flight drains resources needed for development and poverty reduction

Who took Africa’s riches?
European Colonial Powers: Britain, France, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Spain

Slave Traders: European and Arab traders who ran the transatlantic and trans-Saharan slave trades

Multinational Corporations: Mining, oil, and agricultural companies headquartered mostly in Western countries and increasingly China

Foreign Governments and Financial Institutions: IMF, World Bank, and foreign investors influencing policies and economies

Local Elites and Corrupt Officials: Sometimes complicit in siphoning wealth for personal gain

The Legacy Today-
-Africa remains incredibly rich in natural resources but faces:

-Poverty and underdevelopment in many regions

-Economic dependency and weak industrialization

-Struggles to regain control over resources and fair trade

-Movements for debt cancellation, resource sovereignty, and economic justice

-Quote for Reflection
“Africa’s wealth was never stolen by chance — it was taken by design.”
— Voices for Justice

Is time running out for Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu?

Wherever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks, trouble seems to be looming.

Criticism of his government’s war on Gaza is mounting, with charges of genocide and war crimes coming from both foreign leaders and former Israeli prime ministers.

Internationally, Israel is looking increasingly isolated, as images of the starvation it is inflicting on Gaza flood global media.

Domestically, Netanyahu faces deep criticism of a war many believe he is only prolonging to stay in power.

Legally, the prosecution in his corruption trial has begun its cross-examination of him, while politically, he is facing a possible collapse of his governing coalition.

Netanyahu has never seemed so embattled in his career, but is this really the end for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister?

Here’s what we know....
Just how unpopular is Netanyahu with the Israeli public?
Very, and it’s growing.

Netanyahu has long been accused of manipulating the war in Gaza for his political ends, an accusation that gained new momentum since March, when Israel broke the ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas, further endangering the captives held in Gaza.

In late May, a poll for Channel 12 television showed a majority of Israelis thought Netanyahu cared more about retaining his grip on power than returning the captives.

Most of the protests held in Israel have focused on the captives taken during the Hamas-led assault of October 7, 2023, and how extending the war for political motivations endangers them.

But recently, a small but significant number of Israelis have also protested against the intense suffering their government is inflicting upon the people of Gaza. In addition to an open letter from the country’s academics denouncing Israel’s devastation of Gaza, a growing number of photographs of Palestinian children are being held by demonstrators as part of wider Saturday night protests against the war in Tel Aviv.

Even members of the military are growing unhappy with the war in Gaza.

As reports of reservists refusing to fight increased, open letters by current and former officers in various divisions appeared, calling for an end to the war.

What political criticism of Netanyahu has there been?
Two of Israel’s former prime ministers have recently publicly criticised Netanyahu.

Ehud Barak, a former general and prime minister from 1999 to 2001, said in Time magazine that Netanyahu must choose between a deal brokered by United States President Donald Trump to free the captives and end the war, or continuing with his politically motivated “war of deception”.

Ehud Olmert, prime minister from 2006 to 2009, wrote in Haaretz that Israel was guilty of having committed war crimes in Gaza and that: “This is now a private political war.”

“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a pastime, and does not engage in mass population displacement,” former general and leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, told local radio station Reshet Bet.

He was referring to the stated plans of far-right ministers like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to expel Palestinians from Gaza in order for Israelis to settle it.

Olmert added on Tuesday that Trump should tell Netanyahu that “enough is enough”.

What is the threat to Netanyahu’s coalition?
For years, Israel has been divided over the conscription of its ultra-Orthodox youth, who were exempt from military service if they were full-time students in religious schools or yeshivas.

In June 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the exception could no longer apply, fulfilling a longstanding demand by secular Israelis who protested against the double standard.

But the leaders of the two ultra-Orthodox parties in the ruling coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), are threatening to collapse the government unless it passes legislation that would override the Supreme Court decision.

It is unclear whether elections would result in a parliament more sympathetic to the ultra-Orthodox, but recent developments, like plans to increase the number of conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox students, have pushed the issue to the fore.

How internationally isolated has Israel become?
Arab and European leaders have become increasingly vocal in their criticisms of Netanyahu and the war.

However, for now at least, he still has the vital support of the US and President Donald Trump.

In early May, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League slammed Netanyahu after he suggested that expelled Palestinians would be able to settle in Saudi territory.

Later the same month, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, who had all previously supported Israel’s war on Gaza, issued a statement describing the level of human suffering in the enclave as “intolerable”.

Spain and Ireland, which, along with Norway, recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, have also called for action to be taken against Israel and the Netanyahu government.

The UK, along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, also announced on Tuesday that they would impose sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.

How long Netanyahu will keep Trump’s support, however, is not clear, as speculation that the mercurial US president may be tiring of Netanyahu is widespread and growing.

And his legal problems?
Netanyahu has been embroiled in multiple corruption investigations since 2019. If he is found guilty, he faces jail, possibly up to 10 years.

His trial, which began in 2020, has faced numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the war on Gaza, which he is accused of extending and at times exacerbating precisely to avoid his trial.

Critics also say he is extending the war to avoid being held accountable for his government’s failings during the October 7 attack.

So, is time up for Benjamin Netanyahu?
Controversy and scandal have followed Netanyahu throughout his political career, and opposition to his rule is growing within Israel and parts of the West, yet he may still survive, observers say.

However, to do so, Netanyahu must retain US support for his government while sustaining a war that Trump appears to want ended.

“I don’t know if Netanyahu can come back from this,” one of his former aides, Mitchell Barak, told Al Jazeera in May.

“There’s a lot of talk about Netanyahu being at the end of his line … They’ve been saying that for years, and he’s still here … but I can’t see any more magic tricks that are available to him.”

Opinion - Netanyahu’s West Bank miscalculation is uniting the Arab world on Palestine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long thrived on regional fragmentation, most recently cutting normalization deals, known as the Abraham Accords, with Arab states while sidelining the Palestinian issue. But that strategy is collapsing.

In a historic miscalculation, Netanyahu’s refusal to allow Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers to visit the West Bank has provoked outrage and accelerated Arab unity behind the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

To be clear, Hamas bears full responsibility for its brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel that ignited the Gaza War. Hamas’s continued rejection of U.S.-backed cease-fire proposals has prolonged the problem. At the same time, Netanyahu’s response — marked by the indiscriminate killing of civilians and disregard for international law — has further isolated Israel on the world stage.

Prince Faisal’s visit would have marked the first official Saudi stop in Palestinian territory since 1967. Coordinated by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the delegation aimed to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and send a clear diplomatic message that the Palestinian cause is a central priority for the Arab and Muslim world. Instead, Netanyahu’s government denied the group entry, labeling the trip “provocative.”

The message received in the region was very different: Israeli leadership is so entrenched in its rejection of Palestinian statehood that it would rather slam doors on long-standing Arab allies such as Egypt and Jordan than allow symbolic gestures of solidarity. Palestinian officials called the move dangerous and unprecedented. Countries like the UAE — recently aligned with Netanyahu under the Abraham Accords — joined the delegation, underscoring a notable shift in Arab consensus.

This is not an isolated diplomatic fallout. It’s a turning point — and Saudi Arabia is leading the change. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman embodies the heart and pulse of the Middle East. His government, once rumored to be nearing normalization with Israel, has taken a firm stance: no recognition without Palestinian statehood.

Not only did the prince push the blocked West Bank visit, but Saudi Arabia is now co-chairing a high-level international conference with France in June to revive the two-state solution.

This French-Saudi coordination is not merely symbolic — it reflects the emergence of a serious diplomatic front pushing for global recognition of Palestine. French President Emmanuel Macron has called such recognition both a moral duty and a political necessity. The upcoming summit, supported by Arab League consensus and broader international momentum, could see a growing number of countries moving in that direction. Recent recognitions of Palestine by Norway, Spain and Ireland may be just the beginning.

The Arab world has come full circle. Where once there was hesitancy, fragmentation and quiet diplomacy, now there is relative cohesion and conviction. The Palestinian issue is back at the forefront — not because of an intifada or pressure from Western capitals, but because of regional realignment rooted in shared values and strategic recalibration. Netanyahu, who once claimed victory in separating Israel’s relations with Arab states from the Palestinian question, now faces a wall of Arab opposition.

Across Arab capitals, young people are increasingly vocal and engaged. They see the horrific images from Gaza in real time. Their identification with the Palestinian cause is not inherited but lived. Their message to governments is clear: Enough symbolism, take action.

Bin Salman has made clear that normalization with Israel is off the table without meaningful progress on Palestinian statehood. The Saudi calculus is realistic and strategic: Long-term regional stability depends on resolving the Palestinian question, not ignoring it.

This realignment is reshaping the global conversation, and Washington must take note. In this new era, Arab states are not waiting for U.S. mediation or Israeli approval — they are leading with their own initiatives, backed by global partners. Whether the Trump administration supports these moves or not, the facts on the ground are shifting.

Netanyahu’s defiance is isolating Israel at a time when it needs allies. Refusing entry to foreign ministers attempting peaceful diplomacy doesn’t project strength — it reveals fear. And in the process, it is galvanizing exactly what Netanyahu sought to avoid.

A few years ago, the regional narrative focused on normalization. Today, it’s about liberation. The next few months will be critical. If the French-Saudi summit catalyzes broader international recognition of Palestine, Netanyahu’s strategy will be seen not as visionary but as the catalyst for a historic reversal.

Arab leaders are no longer divided or deferring. They are vocal, aligned and following bin Salman’s lead. The road to lasting peace runs through a two-state solution, which begins with recognition of a Palestinian state.

Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace and security, not endless conflict. The world should help deliver this.

Israel’s Military Export Breaks Record! Arab Countries Emerge One Of Top Importers, Europe Stays No.1 Market

Russia’s arms exports have collapsed by 92% amid its war in Ukraine. However, not all countries suffer plummeting defense exports due to war.

Israel has sold more weapons to other countries in 2024 than ever, even as it fought on multiple fronts in the longest war in its history.

The country fought in Gaza and conducted air strikes and special military operations in Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen. Tel Aviv also faced global isolation and mounting international pressure to end its war in Gaza.

However, despite the war on multiple fronts and increasing diplomatic isolation, the country witnessed record arms sales.

In 2024, Israel’s defense exports reached a record US$14.8 billion, breaking the previous high of US$13 billion in 2023, according to new data from Israel’s Defense Ministry. The country recorded a healthy 13% year-on-year growth in weapons sales, clearly establishing that its defense exports are insulated from its rising criticism and isolation at the global stage due to its ongoing war in Gaza and allegations of human rights abuse and even genocide.

“This is the highest figure ever recorded and the fourth consecutive year in which a new record was set for Israel’s defense exports,” the Israeli defense ministry said.

Israel’s rising arms sales amid its longest war are in stark contrast to Russia, where defense exports have been shattered amid the war in Ukraine. The data shows that Israel might have expanded into some former Russian arms export markets.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) calculated that Russian arms exports decreased by half in the period from 2019 to 2023 compared with the previous five-year period.

Other estimates have painted an even starker picture. According to The Jamestown Foundation, Russia’s arms exports dropped by 92 percent from 2021 to 2024 due to redirected resources for Ukraine, sanctions, inflation, and funding issues.

As Russia loses its legacy defense export markets in Asia, from India to Arab countries, Israel has stepped up to fill the vacuum.

The Markets For Israeli Weapons
According to the data, Europe is the largest market for Israeli arms exports, accounting for as much as 54% of Israel’s defense exports. In 2023, Europe accounted for 35% of Israeli arms exports.

In 2024, European states bought nearly US$8 billion worth of Israeli military products, compared to US$4.6 billion in 2023, according to the Ministry of Defense.

Here again, Russia’s war in Ukraine might have helped the Israeli defense industry, as Europe is boosting its defense spending and looking to replenish its diminishing military stockpiles.

Israel’s historic deal with Germany for the Arrow 3 air defense system contributed a major chunk of these arms sales. The Israel Aerospace Industries signed a US$3.8 billion agreement with Germany for the Arrow 3 missile defense system, marking the largest defense deal in Israeli history.

Notably, Israeli arms sales to Europe increased despite the fact that many European countries are openly criticizing Israel’s campaign in Gaza, now in its 20th month. Israeli firms were excluded from several major European defense exhibitions last year.

Besides, some countries have also halted previously signed defense contracts.

Earlier this week, Spain’s Defense Ministry said it had canceled a US$325 million deal for anti-tank missiles built by a subsidiary of Israel’s government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems as part of a “gradual disconnection of Israeli technology,” the New York Times reported.

Previously, Spain had also canceled a US$6.6 million ammunition deal with Elbit Systems.

However, despite these setbacks, Europe remains an important market for Israeli weapons.

Notably, Israel is the second-largest arms exporter to the UK and Germany. According to SIPRI, during the period from 2020 to 2024, Israel supplied 13% of Germany’s arms imports and nearly 7% of the UK’s arms imports.

After Europe, Asia Pacific was the biggest market for Israeli weapons at 23%.

In Asia, India is a big market for Israeli weapons. According to the SIPRI database, India was the world’s second-largest arms importer in the period from 2020 to 2024, behind Ukraine. And Israel was the third-largest arms exporter to India after Russia and France.

Israel supplied 13 % of all Indian arms imports during this period.

Israel is also the second-largest arms exporter to the Philippines, supplying 27% of its weapons needs.

However, the biggest surprise was the rising Israeli arms sales in the Arab countries.

Israeli Arms In Arab Countries
As much as 12% of Israeli arms exports went to Arab countries, particularly the countries that normalized relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. In 2023, the share of these countries in Israeli arms exports was a mere 3 %.

Combined arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan reached US$1.8 billion, equivalent to 12 percent of Israel’s total arms exports.

Among them, Morocco signed a deal for Elbit’s ATMOS howitzers, valued at US$229 million. It had previously purchased the PULS rocket system and, according to reports, acquired IAI’s Barak MX system and a reconnaissance satellite.

North America accounted for 9%, Latin America for 1%, and Africa for 1%. These figures have stayed relatively stable in recent years.

Israeli Air Defense Systems & Missiles Top Performers
According to Israel’s defense ministry, nearly half (48 percent) of Israel’s arms exports consist of air defense systems, missiles, and rockets, up from 36% in 2023. Exports of satellite and space systems also saw a jump, increasing from 2% of 2023 deals to 8% of 2024 deals.

Vehicles and armored personnel carriers accounted for 9% of Israel’s defense export in 2024, manned aircraft and avionics for 8%, observation and optronics for 6%, intelligence, information and cyber systems for 4%, ammunition and armaments for 3%, weapon stations and launchers for 2%, C4I and communication systems for another 2%, drones and UAVs for 1%, and maritime systems and platforms for additional 1%.

War In Gaza Boosting Israeli Exports
Unlike Russia, where arms exports have collapsed due to the ongoing war, in Israel, the ongoing war seems to be helping the country’s arms exports.

“The unprecedented operational achievements, along with the combat experience gained by Israeli developments during the war, created high demand for Israeli technology among many countries,” the ministry said.

“Notably in a difficult and complex year of war, Israel is breaking an all-time record in defense exports,” said Defense Minister Israel Katz in remarks provided by the ministry.

“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of the IDF and the defense industries against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the ayatollah regime in Iran, and in other arenas where we operate against Israel’s enemies,” he said.

“The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner to it,” Katz added.

While Israeli arms sales have almost doubled in the last five years, globally, Israel’s share in the international arms market is relatively small.

According to the latest SIPRI report, Israel has a 3.1% share of the global arms market for the period from 2020 to 2024, with India, the United States, and the Philippines being the three largest markets for Israeli arms.

India-Pak War: China’s Military Satellites Helped Pakistan To Attack India; Delhi Works To Bridge The ‘Big Gap’ With Beijing (Part 1)

It is no news that China supported Pakistan with military hardware during the recent military confrontation with India. However, less discussed has been the support the constellation of Chinese satellites provided in terms of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) to Islamabad, and how New Delhi countered it by mobilizing all its military and civilian assets in space.

The Indian military is taking incremental steps to build its own constellation of 52 satellites over the next five years, aiming to enhance its capability to spy from space. However, the ambitious plan hit a speed bump as the attempt to position the NVS-02 satellite in its intended orbit was not achieved due to a failure in the satellite’s onboard thrusters.

Launched on January 29, 2025, aboard the GSLV-Mk 2 rocket, this mission marked ISRO’s 100th launch from the Sriharikota spaceport.

The satellite is a crucial component of India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system, which aims to provide accurate positioning services across India and extend up to 1500 km beyond its borders.

“We pulled all the resources (civilian and military space assets) and gave them to the armed forces. We were virtually looking at each other all the time. We had gaps, but we were much better,” a source familiar with the matter told the EurAsian Times about the space-based reconnaissance during the Indo-Pak war. The source admitted that India has gaps, and its space capabilities in comparison to China are currently inadequate.

In fact, the purported “kill chain” achieved by Pakistan with the help of Chinese space assets has been cited as the reason behind the alleged downing of India’s fighter jets. The official conceded that China is far ahead when it comes to space assets.

“They have 4-5 times more assets than us. The Chinese have 7 geo-stationary satellites. They are able to see all the time. But the resolution is lower. They are critical for their maritime security,” the official added.

China’s space architecture includes multiple layers of infrastructure, ranging from low-Earth orbit satellites to ground control stations, all of which are interconnected to form a resilient network.

The Chinese can see all the time, but their satellites have limitations of bandwidth, duty cycle, and orbit configuration. However, despite its space assets, China was unable to help Pakistan pinpoint key Indian assets, such as the S-400 Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile System.

According to comprehensive databases, such as the one published by Keep Track, China is associated with approximately 5,330 satellites in orbit. The United States leads with about 11,655 satellites, and Russia follows with around 7,187 satellites.

Here, satellites include objects launched for commercial, scientific, military, and joint international purposes—even if they involve non-government actors—and sometimes even defunct spacecraft that are still tracked in orbit. In comparison, India has 218 satellites.

It is challenging to pinpoint precise details about the military reconnaissance satellites China operates; however, open-source information suggests that China has approximately 30 to 40 active reconnaissance satellites.

Most of these are from the Yaogan series, specifically designed to provide imaging and other forms of signals intelligence for China’s military. As many satellites have dual use and certain assets are kept secret by the Chinese government, the total number of military satellites could be higher.

The Yaogan series— including the launch of Yaogan-41 indicates a continuing expansion in capability and numbers for China.

Yaogan-41 Ensures No One Escapes China’s Spy Satellites
The remote sensing satellite Yaogan-41 was launched into geostationary orbit (GEO) on December 15, 2023. The satellite is expected to allow continuous surveillance of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as Taiwan and Mainland China.

According to the Chinese government, Yaogan-41 is a civilian high-altitude optical remote-sensing satellite intended for crop yield estimation, environmental management, weather forecasting, and disaster prevention.

However, Western analysts observe that alongside other Chinese surveillance satellites, Yaogan-41 purportedly gives China an unprecedented ability to identify and track objects as small as cars throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region, putting the US and other countries’ naval and air forces in the region at risk.

The majority of surveillance satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit, as it is easier and cheaper to put satellites into LEO. Also, satellites in LEO produce sharper resolution as it is closer to Earth. However, the major drawback of LEO satellites is a lack of continuity, which is important for surveillance.

A satellite in LEO takes less than two hours to orbit the Earth. So, it can only oversee a given spot on Earth for a few minutes. Also, due to orbital mechanics, it may take hours or days for that satellite to revisit the same spot again. However, a constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) can help reduce the revisit time.

On the other hand, satellites in GEO orbit are at the same rate as the Earth. This means that they view the Earth as if it is stationary. Only GEO provides a satellite, like Yaogan-41, with a continuous view of the same place. An added advantage is that a GEO satellite from its altitude of 36,000 km can see almost half of Earth’s surface.

The Yaogan satellites also play a crucial role in supporting China’s missile forces, providing the data needed for accurate targeting of long-range ballistic and cruise missiles.

There are several geosynchronous satellites, but they are primarily dedicated to weather forecasting and utilize low-resolution remote sensing systems for tracking large cloud formations and storms. Only China and India operate high-resolution optical GEO satellites; however, India’s system features a multi-spectral payload, unlike its Chinese counterparts, which carry a visible light optical imager.

India’s Baby Steps To Space
India had woken up to the strategic importance of space assets in warfare during the Kargil War when the US’s denial of GPS left its soldiers high and dry as they were trying to push the Pakistani insurgents from their entrenched positions. However, work has been going at a snail’s pace.

“It has been only in the last couple of years that India has awakened to the military implications of space, and the Indian armed forces have started claiming ownership of it. IAF has realized the utilisation of Kautilaya (an indigenously developed Electronic Intelligence system),” the official added.

India established the Defense Space Agency in 2019, which is slated to evolve into a fully fledged Space Command. The IAF has envisioned India having over 100 military satellites, both large and small, within the next seven to eight years, with active participation from the private sector.

To keep pace with global developments, the IAF is gradually expanding its mission scope from offensive and defensive counter-air operations to operations in the space domain. As part of this transition, the existing Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) will evolve into the Integrated Air and Space Command and Control System (IASCCS).

The government, on its part, has been shortening the launch time for military satellites. The DRDO’s project Kautilya added to India’s space surveillance capability.

The 436-kg satellite, placed in a 749-km orbit, helps the Indian armed forces pinpoint the location of enemy radars by detecting the electromagnetic signals they emit. In the making for about eight years, it carries instrumentation capable of detecting, locating, and characterising electromagnetic signals, specifically of military radars.

India’s premier intelligence-gathering satellite, EMISAT, has taken a good look at the positions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in occupied Tibet.

India also has an ELINT satellite, launched in 2019, which underscored its usefulness by passing over the PLA position in Tibet near Arunachal Pradesh. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched 29 satellites, including EMISAT, from the US, Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland. This was the first time the Indian space agency launched these satellites in three different orbits.

The launch of the electronic spy satellite was a significant achievement for India; China has already been using ELINT satellites in triplets, as a single satellite will not be enough to pinpoint a target.

At least three of them are required to receive electronic transmissions from a target on the ground and locate it through triangulation. A typical ELINT satellite constellation consists of three satellites in orbit, flying in a triangular formation with an orbit inclination of 63.4 degrees.

The recent launch failure to place NVS-02 in its designated orbit is a setback for India’s NAVIC navigation system. China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System is central to China’s space architecture.

“India Lost 120 Aircraft, Pakistan Winning”! How Islamabad Lied During The 1971 War Before “Bitter Facts” Shocked Pak- TRUE or FALSE? (Part 1)

“The only thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history,” is a famous quote by German philosopher Georg Hegel.

In somewhat similar vein, another German philosopher who was contemporary with Hegel – Karl Marx – warned us that “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second time as a farce.”

Though written almost two centuries ago, both these quotes ring equally true in today’s world as well, more so in the case of Pakistan. This country seems almost hell bent on repeating its past mistakes to the detriment of its future.

While ‘Narrative Warfare’ has its place in modern hybrid warfare, and can act as a morale booster despite battlefield losses, it can also create a ‘fog of war,’ so blinding that one literally becomes the victim of its own propaganda, and fails to learn critical lessons, until it’s too late and ‘all is lost.’

It’s tragic enough to repeat this mistake once, but it becomes a farce when one insists on repeating this mistake again and again.

As Karl Marx warned us: “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second time as a farce.” But as Marx’s fellow countryman and a contemporary of his, Hegel warned us that despite the costs of not learning the correct lessons from history, “the only thing we learn from history,” is that “we learn nothing from history.”

German Invincibility And Two Back-To-Back World War Defeats
Ironically enough, the warnings of Marx and Hegel were not heeded even in their own country, Germany.

Germany was convincingly routed in the First World War. However, instead of soul-searching and learning the right lessons, Germany sought to come to terms with its defeat through myth-making.

Now, this myth-making is remembered as the “Stab-in-the-back” myth. In the aftermath of the humiliating 1918 defeat, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory was promulgated and widely believed by the German masses.

It sought to make sense of the German defeat by propounding that Germany could never be defeated.

According to this theory (and belief system), Germany was defeated not on the battlefield, but was instead betrayed by certain citizens on the home front – especially Jews, Communists, and revolutionary socialists.

Further, it claimed that the German race is invincible and can never be defeated on the battlefield. The defeat in the First World War has hurt German pride, and this myth of German invincibility and the “Stab-in-the-back” theory helped a defeated people come to terms with their loss.

The “Stab-in-the-back” theory was an integral part of Nazi propaganda. This myth-making, or constructing alternative facts/history, not only led Germany into another defeat, this time even more devastating and humiliating than the first time, but also created conditions for the worst genocide of our times – the mass killings of Jews, Romanians, Poles and Communists at the hands of Nazis.

However, what is surprising is the sway this myth of German invincibility held over the German masses even until the last days of the Second World War, when both the Eastern and Western fronts had collapsed and the Soviet Red Army was knocking on the doors of Berlin.

Germans failed to see the reality until it was too late, and all was lost. The German homeland was now divided into two halves, East Germany and West Germany.

Myth-Making In Pakistani National Psyche And The 1965 War
The myth of German invincibility had striking parallels in the Pakistani national psyche in the 1960s. Over 800 years of history were narrated in a selective manner to suit a particular agenda.

Missing from this selective history in Pakistan was the reality of India at the eve of British invasion in 18th century when most of the Indian hinterland was under Maratha sway and most of the Pakistani Punjab, Multan, Sindh, and Kashmir, right up till the borders of Tibet in the East and Afghanistan in the West was under the Sikh kingdom.

In the first week of June 1965, a high-ranking Pakistan Army officer wrote an article in the Dawn newspaper recommending that the Pakistani strategy should “obviously be to go for a knock-out in the Mohamed Ali Clay style,” a reference to the American boxer, often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

British Army historian Brian Cloughley writes in his book – A History of the Pakistan Army: Wars and Insurrections – that an official military directive from that time stated, “as a general rule, Hindu morale would not stand more than a couple of hard blows delivered at the right time and place.”

Wars fought 1000 years ago in West Asia were cited as evidence of an impending Pakistan victory. “Hus ke liya hai Pakistan, ladh ke lenge Hindustan” (We achieved Pakistan, laughing, we will take India fighting) was the war cry in Pakistan.

Believing in their absolute invincibility, Pakistan, like Nazi Germany, became a victim of its own propaganda and launched ‘Operation Gibraltar,’ named for a famous Moorish military victory in Medieval Spain. Pakistani war-fighting units were named after legendary warriors of the Islamic past – Suleiman, Salahuddin, and so on.

As it happened, Pakistani plans came to naught. During the 1965 war, even though Pakistan had the element of surprise, India was able to occupy nearly four times more land than Pakistan.

India was able to occupy 1920 sq miles of Pakistani territory, most of it in the fertile plains of Punjab and the strategic Haji Pir Pass in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). In comparison, Pakistan was able to occupy roughly 540 sq miles of Indian territory, most of it in the barren no-man’s lands of Rajasthan, though Pakistan had the advantage in the Chumb sector.

However, as India agreed to establish the status quo ante after the ceasefire, in Pakistan, the 1965 war was always taught and remembered as a victory. This myth-making was considered essential by the Pakistani defense establishment to maintain the morale of the society.

Though, as Marx had warned, this failure to learn from history led to Pakistan’s catastrophic defeat in the 1971 war, the humiliating surrender of 93,000 soldiers, and the loss of the country’s eastern half, which became a separate country in Bangladesh.

1971 War Amid Plethora Of Pakistani Lies
The importance Pakistan has always placed on winning the narrative war, even at the expense of battlefield victories, is best exemplified by a critical analysis of The Dawn’s front pages during the 13-day 1971 war.

The Dawn is widely regarded as Pakistan’s most respected newspaper internationally.

A critical analysis of these front pages from the newspaper’s war days reveals how the Pakistani people were kept in the dark about the actual battlefield situation until it was too late, and everything was lost.

In fact, reading these articles, any person would have believed that Pakistan was headed for a grand victory over India. These newspaper clippings also reveal Pakistan’s mastery of a hybrid ‘Narrative Warfare’ from an early era.

On December 4, 1971, the Dawn reported that “West Pakistan attacked at 7 points”. Then it says, “It’s Now all-out war.” Further, the newspaper reports that in response to the Indian attack, “PAF bombed 7 Indian airfields including Agra.” It created an impression that India was the aggressor.

How Britain’s biggest companies are preparing for a Third World War. (Part 2) Continue reading...

In the case of a major British supermarket, how might executives plan for, say, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan?

The first question is how involved the UK expects to be, says Crump. But if Britain, as might be expected, sides with the US at least in diplomatic terms, “we’re not buying anything from China”.

That immediately has implications for a company’s supply chains – are there any parts of the supply chain that would be crippled without Chinese products?

But as the recent cyber attack on Marks & Spencer has demonstrated, attacks on critical digital infrastructure are also a major risk to supermarkets in the event of a war with China or Russia.

“If you look at a retailer, the vulnerability is not necessarily whether or not they can transport stuff to the shop, even in a war zone,” says Crump. “The problem becomes when you can’t operate your systems.

“If you can’t take money at the point of sale, or if you have no idea where your stock is because your computer system has been taken down, you’ve got major problems and you can’t operate your business.”

Workforce gaps
In a scenario where Britain becomes involved in a war itself, Crump says employers may also suddenly find themselves with gaps in their workforces.

He believes things would need to get “very bad indeed” for the Government to impose conscription, which applied to men aged 18-41 during the Second World War.

But he points out that the calling up of British armed forces reservists would be very likely, along with the potential mobilisation of what is known as the “strategic reserve” – those among the country’s 1.8 million veterans who are still fit to serve.

There are around 32,000 volunteer reservists and an undisclosed number of regular reserves, former regular members of the armed forces who are still liable to be called up.

“There’s a big pool of people we don’t tap at the moment who are already trained,” explains Crump.

“But there would be consequences if the entire reserve was called forward, which would have to happen if we entered a reasonably sized conflict. It would certainly cause disruptions.

“The medical services are hugely integrated with the NHS, for example, and we saw the effects of them being called forward with Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Food supplies
The sort of supermarket chaos that erupted during the Covid-19 pandemic would also return with a vengeance if a significant conflict broke out.

During that crisis, grocers had to limit how many packs of loo rolls and cans of chopped tomatoes shoppers were allowed to take home, among other items, because of supply chain problems.

“If we’re in a conflict, that sort of supply chain activity would increase,” notes Crump.

“So you don’t necessarily have rationing imposed, but there might be issues with food production, delivery, payment and getting things to the right place.

“In a world where we don’t have our own independent supply chains, we’re reliant on a lot of very interconnected moving parts that have been enabled by this period of peace.

“We’ve never been in a conflict during a time where we’ve had ‘just in time’ systems.”

Spanish blackouts: A dry run
Crump brings up the recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal. British grocers initially thought their food supplies would be completely unaffected because truck loads of tomatoes had already made their way out of the country when the problem struck.

But the vehicles were electronically locked, to prevent illegal migrants attempting to clamber inside when they cross the English Channel and could only be unlocked from Spain – where the power cuts had taken down computer systems and telecoms.

“People in Spain couldn’t get online, so we had locked trucks full of tomatoes sitting here that we couldn’t open because of technology,” Crump says.

“No one had ever thought, ‘But what happens if all of Spain goes off the grid?’ And I’m sure the answer would have been, ‘That’ll never happen’ anyway.”

This tendency towards “normalcy bias” is what Crump tries to steer his clients away from.

While it isn’t inevitable that war will break out, or that there will be another pandemic, humans tend to assume that things will revert to whatever the status quo has been in their lifetimes, he says. This can mean we fail to take the threat of unlikely scenarios seriously enough, or use outdated ways of thinking to solve new problems.

“We’ve had this long period of peace and prosperity. And, of course, business leaders have grown up in that. Military leaders have grown up in it. Politicians have grown up in it. And so it’s very hard when that starts to change.

“People have grown up in a world of rules. And I think people are still trying to find ways in which the game is still being played by those old rules.”

Unsurprisingly, given his line of work, Crump believes businesses must get more comfortable contemplating the unthinkable.

“Go back a decade and most executives did not want to have a crisis because a crisis is bad for your career, so they didn’t want to do a test exercise – because you might fail,” Crump adds.

“But the whole point is that you can fail in an exercise, because it’s not real life.”

At least, not yet.

As the U.S. tries to make headway on a plan to end the war in Ukraine, European allies are moving to defend the country—and their continent—from Russia in the future.
Discussions indicate that a coalition of the willing could provide a “presence on the ground, in the air, and at sea, as well as air defense.” This support is not set in stone. Right now, however, there’s a way Europe can show it’s serious: intensify its economic sanctions against Russia.

The first step is putting an end to Russian shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which have been soaring. Last year, the European Union imported a record 16.5 million metric tons of LNG from Russia. Most of it was destined for one country: Germany.

Although Germany ostensibly bans imports of Russian LNG, its national energy company in 2024 bought 58 cargoes of gas through the French port at Dunkirk alone—a sixfold increase over the prior year. Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands are also major depots.

Greed is Good- Why not call for balance trade. Spain and Europe is now a consumer entity.
Spain’s prime minister has called for Europe to forge closer ties with Beijing during Donald Trump’s assault on global trade.
Speaking after a meeting with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, in Beijing on Friday, Pedro Sanchez said: “Spain sees China as a partner of the EU.”

Spain is seeking to position itself as a mediator between China and the EU and attract Chinese investment, effectively rejecting US warnings that a pivot to China would be “cutting your own throat”.

But tensions remain in Brussels over how approach to Beijing, which some European leaders argue is flooding the world with goods due to over-investment with manufacturing. Top EU leaders are planning a visit to the Chinese capital in July for a face-to-face summit with President Xi.

Spain China knows the truth and now getting scared of economic crisis within China will create "Uprising" ...
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the European Union on Friday to join hands with Beijing in resisting "unilateral bullying", in reference to swingeing tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

As he met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday, state news agency Xinhua said Xi had stressed the need for cooperation between the bloc and China in weathering Beijing's mounting trade war with Washington.

"China and Europe should fulfil their international responsibilities... and jointly resist unilateral bullying practices," Xi said.

This, he stressed, would not only "safeguard their own legitimate rights and interests, but also... safeguard international fairness and justice."

Spain will pursue closer trade ties with China in the interests of its citizens and of the EU, its agriculture minister Luis Planas said on Wednesday, rejecting a U.S. warning that moving closer to the Asian country would be "cutting your own throat".

"We have excellent trade relations with China which we intend to not only continue having, but expanding," Planas told reporters from Ho Chi Minh City, where he was accompanying Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on a trip to Vietnam and, on Friday, China.

Planas had been asked about earlier comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who criticised Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo's suggestion that Europe should more closely align with China.

"That would be cutting your own throat," Bessent told a banking event in Washington, adding that China would continue to produce too many goods and dump them on markets elsewhere.

Spain on Thursday was one of the few major economies to offer up a concrete solution to help weather the impact of new U.S. tariffs, offering its companies a financial package of loans and direct aid worth 14.1 billion euros ($15.66 billion).

Spain, which like other European Union members was hit by U.S. tariffs of 20% imposed on imports from the bloc, is the world's top exporter of olive oil and sells important quantities of auto parts, steel and chemicals to the United States.
Sanchez described Trump's actions as "terrible news for the world", "unintelligent" and "a return to 19th-century protectionism". "This tariff attack by the U.S. administration makes no distinction between friends and enemies, it doesn't discriminate based on ideology or trade balance; it's against everyone and everything," he said. Sanchez also stressed Europe's need to find new trading partners elsewhere.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are really not a country with self confidence. Not surprised they are very scared of China because has agents in all European countries. Bush meat people.
Sir John Major has warned that democracy is under threat as the United States steps back from its leading role in the world.

The former prime minister told the BBC that US President Donald Trump's policy of American "isolation" was creating a power vacuum that would embolden nations like Russia and China.

Sir John, who was PM from 1990 to 1997, said the gains made since the collapse of the Soviet Union were now being reversed - and that there was "no doubt" Russia would invade elsewhere before long.

He said that "ugly nationalism" growing concurrently was making for a "very unsettled time".

https://afriprime.net/post...
German TkMS “Wins” Massive Indian AIP Submarine Deal; Defense Ministry Rejects Navantia’s ‘Unproven’ Tech:
It appears that German firm TkMS has won the ‘much anticipated’ Indian AIP submarine contract. The proposal of the L&T in partnership with Spanish Navantia was rejected by New Delhi as it was not compliant with Indian Navy requirements. The L&T and its partner had showcased the functioning of its critical Air Independent Propulsion system in Spain to the Indian Navy

A Russian-flagged cargo vessel has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, per Russia's foreign ministry.
The Ursa Major ship went down after an explosion in the engine room, the ministry said.
It comes after Ukraine said Moscow had sent four ships to Russian military bases in Syria.

A Russian-flagged cargo vessel has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea after an explosion in its engine room, Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Fourteen crew members were rescued, but two were missing, the ministry's situation and crisis unit said in a Telegram post.

The ministry said the vessel, the Ursa Major, was owned by SK-YUG LLC, a Russian shipping company also known as SC South that has been sanctioned by the US.
Spain's Maritime Rescue agency told Business Insider that it had received a distress alert call from the Ursa Major last night.

It said the ship was 57 nautical miles off the coast of Almeria in southern Spain in bad weather conditions.

Israel will close its Ireland embassy over Gaza tensions as Palestinian Islamic jihadist death toll nears 45,000.
Israel said Sunday it will close its embassy in Ireland as relations deteriorated over the war in Gaza, where Palestinian medical officials said new Israeli airstrikes killed over 46 Hamas jihadists.

The decision to close the embassy came in response to what Israel’s foreign minister has described as Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies.” In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced, along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia, it would recognize a Palestinian state.

The Irish Cabinet last week decided to formally intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel.

“We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized,” said Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, Micheal Martin.

A map shown during the draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup has been criticised by Ukraine as an "unacceptable error" after it appeared to exclude Crimea as part of the country.
The graphic - showing countries that cannot be drawn to play each other for geopolitical reasons - highlighted Ukraine but did not include the peninsula that is internationally recognised to be part of it.

Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014 and just a handful of countries recognise the peninsula as Russian territory.
Ukraine Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy said that the nation expects "a public apology".
Writing on X, Tykhy said that Fifa had not only "acted against international law" but had also "supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine".

He added a "fixed" version of the map to his post...

Among the countries that cannot play each other are Ukraine and Belarus, Spain and Gibraltar and Kosovo versus either Bosnia and Herzegovina or

Russia is threatening to strike Kyiv with a “massive” new missile in revenge for the use of Western weapons against its territory.

Vladimir Putin’s armed forces are preparing to fire RS-26 intercontinental ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital.

Western nations including the United States shut their embassies on Thursday in anticipation of a large-scale air strike. The joint closure, also involving Italy, Spain and Greece, marked the gravest expression of concern from foreign embassies since the early days of the war.

On Wednesday, British Storm Shadow missiles hit a command post in the Kursk region in their first use against the Russian mainland. US-made ATACMS hit an ammunition dump in neighbouring Bryansk the day before.

The RS-26 has not been used in combat before, according to Western missile experts. It is said to fly at five times the speed of sound, making it harder for Kyiv’s US-supplied Patriot missile systems to shoot down.

Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel's attacks in Gaza constitute 'genocide'
WE NEED REVOLUTION AGAINST CHURCHES WITH #666 AGENTS AS LEADERS.
#666agentsingovts #666agentsinUN #666agentsinEU
Christians are intimidated, assaulted, raped in thousands across Europeans countries by Islamic extremists, killed over 500,000 in Africa by Islamic extremists while Christian Churches are quiet and embracing LGBTQ+ even replacing crucifix with LGBTQ+ flag in many churches. Does it mean Christianity- Christians are now led by #666 in disguise. The governmets of Britain, Scotland, Ireland, Spain who went to Africa and South America many years killing people, taking their huiman rights and force them to follow Chritianity are now the ones using their security to silence Christians and even persecute them just for saying Hamas is a terror organisation. Who's for Christ...Who's antichrist?

Spain's king stood his ground under a mud barrage. What will the iconic moment mean for his reign?
Mud splattered the cheek of Spain's monarch as survivors of catastrophic floods unleashed their fury in a barrage of muck and mire. Felipe VI took it, literally, on the chin, and his determination to stay and speak to the enraged crowd could redefine his reign.

It instantly became an iconic moment. But what it will mean remains to be seen.

Spain’s royals, prime minister and the Valencian regional president were greeted by a crowd hurling mud and other debris on Sunday when they tried to visit Paiporta, where over 60 people perished in last week's floods. The deluge has killed over 200 people in Spain and shattered communities.

It was the officials' first visit to the devastated area.
Sticky brown globs hit Felipe on the face and all over his black jacket, while Queen Letizia's hands were streaked with the mud that, nearly a week after the floods, still coats street after......

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Saturday that he would be asking for assistance from the European Union's Solidarity Fund following the deadly floods this week that killed more than 200 people. Rescuers were still searching for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings on Saturday, four days after the monstrous flash floods that swept away everything in their path in the east of Spain. An unknown number of people remain missing.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a project to possibly supply Turkey with Eurofighter jets was an effort being driven by Britain and was in the early stages.

"It is something that will continue to develop, but is now being driven forward from there (Britain)," he said when asked about potential movement on the issue at a press conference in Istanbul with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

Asked about the subject, a British government spokesperson said, "We continue to make progress on the potential export of Eurofighter Typhoon to Türkiye, an important NATO ally.

"When considering any potential export of Eurofighter, we work closely with the governments of Germany, Italy and Spain, in line with the commitments each nation has made to support the others’ exports,"

Turkey has been conducting technical works aimed at accelerating its planned purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, a defence ministry official said on Thursday.

Ankara said last year it was in talks with Eurofighter consortium members Britain and Spain to buy Typhoons, though Germany objected the idea. Since then, it has complained of a lack of progress on the issue over Berlin's reluctance.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of United Nations general assembly.
"Technical level works for the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon jets are under way. The works are aimed at accelerating the process. No conditions have been raised in these works,"
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by companies Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

The 16 EU countries contributing to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon believe its rules of engagement need to be more effective, the Italian defence ministry said on Wednesday, although that hinged on Israel stopping its operations.

The countries, including Spain, Italy and France, contribute more than a third of some 10,000 troops to UNIFIL and the recent incidents have alarmed European governments.

Their defence ministers spoke by video call on Wednesday to assess the situation, discuss how to improve force protection and look at options should a ceasefire materialise, including troop numbers and equipment, diplomats said.

"It was also strongly expressed that the rules of engagement need to be revised to allow UNIFIL to operate more effectively and safely," an Italian defence ministry statement said, without going into detail.

It added that the 16 had shown a willingness to exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel so that no further incidents occur

The leaders of nine southern European Union countries on Friday pledged support for Lebanon’s armed forces to reassert control over the country’s southern territory in hopes of bringing peace to an area plagued by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a joint declaration, the leaders of the so-called MED9 — Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Portugal and Croatia — said they would “continue advocating for further support to Lebanon and its people, including to the Lebanese Armed Forces which are called to play a critical stabilizing role”

“The unfolding situation in the Middle East is gravely alarming,” the declaration said. “In light of the reverberations of the Gaza conflict on the wider region, we express our extreme concern with the escalation of the military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah”
Macron didn't specify what form that support would take, but said an Oct. 24 conference in the French capital would aim to ramp up aid deliveries to Leb

Venezuelan former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said on Friday that he intended to travel back to his country on Jan. 10 to take office as "elected president".

Gonzalez attended a business event in Spain and, in his first public speech since arriving there after being forced to leave Venezuela, told the audience that he was president-elect and that his stay in Spain was temporary.

"I am going to return to Venezuela as soon as possible, when we restore democracy in our country ... I am going on Jan. 10 to take office as elected president," he told reporters.

The opposition says the election outcome was rigged in favour of the incumbent, Nicolas Maduro, and that in reality he lost heavily to Gonzalez.

Gonzalez fled to Spain on Sept. 9, a week after Venezuelan authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes.

He told Reuters he had sought diplomatic refuge after being told Maduro's security forces were coming for him.

EU countries on Friday gave a definitive green light to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite strong opposition led by Germany and fears it will spark a trade war with Beijing.

The European Commission—which provisionally approved the step in June after an inquiry found that Beijing's state aid to auto manufacturers was unfair—

Some 10 member states, including France, Italy, and Poland, supported imposing the tariffs of up to 35.3 percent, coming on top of existing duties of 10 percent.

Only five, including Germany and Hungary, voted against, while 12 abstained, including Spain and Sweden.

Although the tariffs did not win support from a majority of states, the opposition was not enough to block them — which would have required at least 15 states representing 65 percent of the bloc's population.

That leaves the choice on moving ahead in the hands of the European Commission, which "can be expected to decide in line with its proposal," an EU diplom

European, Muslim countries meet in Spain eyeing schedule for Palestinian statehood
Spain, hosting a high-level meeting on Friday of several Muslim and European countries on ways to end the Gaza war, called for a clear schedule for the international community to implement a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"We meet to make another push for the end of the war in Gaza, for a way out of the unending spiral of violence between the Palestinians, the Israelis... That way is clear. The implementation of the two-state solution is the only way," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

In attendance were from Norway and Slovenia, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza that includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.
"we will be delighted to see Israel at any table where peace and the two-state solution are discussed".

China's carrot-and-stick tactics on EU nations start to pay off
Beijing, as a vote on EU duties on China-made electric vehicles looms, employed a carrot-and-stick approach to deal with the 27-strong bloc, threatening trade retaliation while cajoling key EU states

The potential blow of counter-tariffs on EU goods will fall mostly on states such as Spain, France and Italy that have voiced support for the EV duties, with pork, dairy and brandy exports to the world's second-biggest economy at stake.

European Union members such as Germany, Finland and Sweden that have not pushed for the tariffs would feel less impact

China's tactics appear to be working.
Spanish Pedro Sanchez wrapped up a China visit this week by sitting in a Chinese EV and saying it was an "honour". He then unexpectedly urged the EU to reconsider its position.
As a sweetener, a Chinese company agreed to build a $1 billion plant in Spain to make machinery used for hydrogen production, backing for Spain's green a