17 soldiers killed in Taliban attacks
Kabul: At least 17 soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded after Taliban militants attacked military camps in two Afghan northern provinces early on Wednesday, sources said.
In northern Kunduz province, five Afghan army soldiers were killed and six others wounded when clashes occurred in Talawka, a locality, 15 km north of the provincial capital Kunduz city along a road linking the city to bordering town of Shir Khan, Xinhua news agency reported. (ians)
Anti-racism activists jailed
Jakarta: An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced three Papuan pro-independence activists to nearly yearlong jail terms on treason charges for organizing anti-racism protests last year, despite calls from rights groups and politicians to drop the charges and release them.
Judges in the Balikpapan District Court in East Kalimantan province read out the verdicts in three separate trials, which were held remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Four other defendants were due to hear their verdicts later on Wednesday.
The judges ordered the period of detention that the men had already served to be deducted from the sentences, meaning they will walk free within several weeks. (AP)
Lanka to launch tourism campaign
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) is planning to launch a long-awaited multi-million-dollar global tourism promotion campaign in January 2021 if tourism does not bounce back to the pre-COVID level in two years, local media reported on Wednesday.
Currently, the final terms of references (TOR) of the five-year campaign are being reviewed by an appointed Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), which is likely to be completed within this month, the Mirror Business quoted the SLTPB as saying. (IANS)
US hits Syria with new sanctions
Washington: The Trump administration on Wednesday ramped up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his inner circle with a raft of new economic and travel sanctions for human rights abuses and blocking a settlement of the country’s conflict.
The State Department and the Treasury said 39 Syrian individuals, including Assad and his wife, had been designated for the new sanctions. Others include members of the extended Assad family, senior military leaders and business executives. (AP)