KABUL // Afghanistan's parliament announced this week it will open an inquiry into Pakistan's rocket fire into Afghan border towns that killed dozens and left hundreds homeless.
The Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament, next week plans to send a 12-member delegation to Kunar and Nangarhar, two of the provinces hardest hit by the barrage, to assess the damage and identify victims in need of assistance.
Pakistan has fired more than 700 rockets and mortar shells into eastern Afghanistan in the past six weeks, Afghan officials say, killing at least 40 people and displacing hundreds more.
Pakistan has yet to give an official explanation for the salvos, but officials have hinted the rockets are aimed at keeping Afghanistan-based militants at bay.
"To this day, there are still mortars being fired from Pakistan into Afghanistan," said Hajji Sakhi, a member of parliament from Kunar who will be a part of next week's delegation.
Sahar Gul, a displaced resident from Kunar, said in a phone interview on Thursday that mortars were still being fired, landing in areas that had not yet seen any rocket fire.
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, announced this week he would not respond with military force, sparking protests in Kunar's provincial capital of Asadabad.
"We need to be able to defend ourselves," said another MP from Kunar, Saleh Mohammed Saleh.
Tensions have long existed at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border - a 2,500-kilometre stretch that divides ethnic Pashtuns on either side - but never have the countries officially been at war.
Both nations are plagued by violence and Taliban insurgencies, and fighters are believed to easily slip back and forth over the rugged and mainly unguarded border.
Pakistan's military operations against some of the Pakistani Taliban's traditional strongholds near its border are believed to have pushed some of the militants into Kunar and the remote, north-eastern province of Nuristan.
There, Nato-led troops maintain a minimal presence and the Afghan government is similarly weak.
At least 12 Afghan Border Police (ABP) were killed in militant attacks on eastern border villages and outposts since June, according to the Afghan interior ministry.
Pakistan says Afghanistan-based fighters have killed 55 of its army and police in cross-border attacks in recent weeks.
"The Pakistani military is retaliating against militants who attack Pakistan from Afghanistan," said Ramiullah Yusufzai, editor-in-chief of Pakistan's News International, a newspaper in Peshawar. "And who escape back over the border every time."
But others warn that if Afghanistan fires back, it could open-up a new front in the war in Afghanistan.
Last year 2,777 civilians were killed in the conflict, a 15 per cent increase from 2009, the United Nations has said.
This year is already shaping up to be one of the most deadly of the war.
"If we respond with force, the result will be very clear," one former MP from Nangarhar, Farooq Meranei, said. "The fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan will begin."
There are some 150,000 foreign troops now battling Taliban militants in Afghanistan, but western politicians are eyeing up exit strategies.
Nearly all international troops are set to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and Nato has remained tight-lipped about the skirmishes at the border.
Mr Meranei accused international troops of turning a blind eye to the shelling.
"Afghanistan's security should be guaranteed by the international community," said Mr Meranei. "Nato is still in Afghanistan, they have to help us."
Others say the bombardment is Pakistan's way of derailing efforts to secure a peace agreement between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban.
Pakistan has a long history of interfering in Afghan affairs, and some analysts say it's Pakistan's way of reminding Afghanistan of its regional and military might.
"Pakistan has always tried to destabilise Afghanistan," Noor Al Haq Ulumi, a former Afghan general in the communist-era army, said.
"They want to show the world that the Afghan government is weak and that it is unable to protect Afghans," he said.
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England's all-time record goalscorers:
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
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Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
New Zealand
Penalties: Barrett (7)
British & Irish Lions
Tries: Faletau, Murray
Penalties: Farrell (4)
Conversions: Farrell
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
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Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
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Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
UAE - India ties
The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China
Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion
The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India
Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015
His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016
Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017
Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars