Australia delivers Abrams tanks to Ukraine for war with Russia
Australia, one of the largest non-NATO contributors to Ukraine, has been supplying aid, ammunition and defence equipment since Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022.
Ukraine has taken possession of most of the 49 tanks given by Australia, and the rest will be delivered in coming months, said Defence Minister Richard Marles.
'The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine's ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion,' Marles said in a statement.
Russia hands Ukraine bodies of 1,000 soldiers
The tanks formed part of the A$1.5 billion ($980 million) that Canberra has provided Ukraine in the conflict, the government said.
Australia has also banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia, and has sanctioned about 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.
Australia's centre-left Labor government this year labeled Russia as the aggressor in the conflict and called for the war to be resolved on Kyiv's terms.
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Express Tribune
an hour ago
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Tehran says air defence systems restored after Israel conflict
A satellite overview shows the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Facility, along with damage from recent airstrikes, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, near Qom, Iran, June 24, 2025. Maxar Photo:REUTERS Listen to article Iran has replaced air defences damaged during last month's conflict with Israel, Iran's Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army's deputy for operations. During the conflict in June, Israel's air force dominated Iran's airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country's air defences while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory. "Some of our air defences were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure," Mousavi said. Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defence system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defence systems to Iran in past weeks. Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defences in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack. Earlier today, Iran, Britain, France and Germany could hold talks next week on Tehran's nuclear programme, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran. "The principle of talks has been agreed upon, but consultations are continuing on the time and place of the talks. The country in which the talks could be held next week has not been finalised," Tasnim reported, quoting a source informed on the matter. Read: Iran says 'no specific date' for US nuclear talks The report on possible talks comes a few days after the foreign ministers of the so-called E3 nations, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago. The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the United States withdrew in 2018 - that lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme. The E3 have said they would restore UN sanctions on Tehran via the so-called "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the US before the Israel-Iran air war do not resume or fail to produce concrete results. "If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground," Araqchi said earlier this week. The snapback mechanism can be used to restore UN sanctions before the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the deal expires on October 18. Prior to the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation. Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely meant for civilian purposes.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Afghan women, trapped between recognition & repression
By Abdur Razzaq | Abdur Razzaq is a Peshawar-based radio and print journalist. He tweets @TheAbdurRazzaq All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer facebook twitter whatsup linkded email Zarghuna Safai*, a 20-year-old resident of Kabul, was a second-semester student at a local medical institute when the Taliban barred women and girls from studying in medical training centres across Afghanistan. She had enrolled to pursue a diploma in midwifery, a profession she chose with a clear goal: to serve Afghan communities, particularly women and children, who are increasingly vulnerable in a country grappling with a deteriorating healthcare system. 'The rates of maternal and infant mortality are alarmingly high,' she said, 'and without skilled female medical professionals, those numbers will only continue to rise.' But her ambitions were abruptly cut short when the Taliban's Ministry of Health ordered all medical institutions to shut their doors to female students. Safai recalls the day the news broke and how quickly her dreams unravelled. 'When the institute closed to women, I and many of my classmates felt hopeless. Some of us are now struggling with mental health issues, constantly worried about our future, which feels more uncertain than ever,' she said. This ban was formalised in December 2024, when the Taliban government officially prohibited women's enrolment in medical training programs such as midwifery, nursing, dentistry and medical laboratory sciences. The move added another layer to a string of systematic restrictions aimed at erasing women from public life in Afghanistan. These developments come at a time when the Taliban are seeking international legitimacy. In a controversial diplomatic move, Russia became the first country to officially recognise the Taliban government. Breaking the diplomatic ranks On July 3, 2025, the Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported that Moscow had formally recognised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — the name the Taliban use for their regime. That same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko accepted the diplomatic credentials of Gul Hassan, the Taliban's newly appointed ambassador to Russia. The decision sparked widespread outrage among Afghan women both inside the country and in the diaspora. Many view it as a betrayal of justice and a step that could embolden the Taliban to further tighten their grip on Afghan society, especially its women. Talking about the diplomatic development, Shinkai Karokhail, a veteran Afghan women's rights activist currently based in Canada, expressed deep concern over the consequences of Russia's recognition. 'The Taliban are already politically isolated on the global stage. For them, this recognition is a major diplomatic victory,' she said. 'But for Afghan women, who are already living under extreme restrictions, it is a devastating blow.' Karokhail believes Russia's move could have a ripple effect across the region. 'After Moscow, other regional powers might be tempted to follow suit and establish formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban, ignoring the regime's repressive policies and human rights violations,' she warned. She also pointed out the potential economic fallout. 'Many Western countries that provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan — including aid for education, health, agriculture, and food security — may now reconsider or reduce their support,' she said. 'Russia and China, even if they increase their engagement, do not have the capacity to replace this aid. The Afghan people will suffer, especially women and children.' The international community has so far withheld recognition of the Taliban regime due to its failure to form an inclusive government, its systematic repression of women, and its continued violation of international human rights obligations. Russia's move has broken the international consensus and weakened the leverage the global community had in pressuring the Taliban to change. The Taliban regime remains unrecognised by the [wider] international community because of its non-inclusive governance, severe restrictions on women's rights and the ban on girls' education,' Karokhail emphasised. 'By officially legitimising the Taliban, Russia has broken that global consensus, posing yet another threat to the future of Afghan women,' the veteran women's rights activist lamented. Seeds of a long-term crisis Since the Taliban's return to power on August 15, 2021, following the withdrawal of United States and NATO forces, the regime has steadily rolled back women's rights. In September 2021, girls were barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Later, universities were declared off-limits to women, followed by a ban on female employment in both public institutions and NGOs. The Taliban have justified these bans by citing their interpretation of Islamic law, a claim widely disputed by Islamic scholars across the Muslim world. The consequences of these policies extend far beyond gender discrimination. A United Nations report estimates that the economic cost of excluding women from the workforce is approximately $1 billion annually, nearly five per cent of Afghanistan's total GDP. The country now ranks 177th out of 177 on the Georgetown Institute's Women, Peace and Security Index, making it the worst place in the world to be a woman. For Afghan women like Shamla Niazai, a journalist now living in exile, Russia's decision is especially heartbreaking. 'By refusing to recognise their government, the international community was applying pressure on the Taliban to safeguard the rights of women and to allow them access to education and employment,' she said. 'That pressure gave hope to Afghan women. A hope that has now been shattered by Russia's decision.' Niazai warned that the long-term effects of bans on girls' and women's education would be catastrophic for public health. 'If these bans continue, Afghanistan will not have enough trained female doctors, nurses, or paramedics. That means more women and children will die from preventable causes,' she said. She also raised concerns about forced migration. 'Many families, even those with limited means, will try to leave the country so their daughters can get an education. If the Taliban will not change their policies, people will leave — not just for opportunity, but for survival.' Silenced, unemployed The media landscape in Afghanistan has also been deeply impacted. After the fall of Kabul, many independent news outlets either shut down or drastically scaled back their operations. Female journalists have been among the worst hit. Mujda Azizi, a Kabul-based reporter, lost her job soon after the Taliban takeover due to funding cuts and the regime's repressive media policies. 'It wasn't just a job for me. It was how I supported my entire family,' she said. 'Now, only a handful of women remain in media organisations, and most of us cannot find work.' Her experience is echoed by others. Kashmala Ahmadzai*, another journalist still living in Afghanistan, said women's mobility has been severely curtailed. 'Under the previous government, we could go shopping, visit tourist spots or go to beauty salons. That's all gone now,' she said. 'We're confined to our homes. Our public existence is vanishing.' According to the Afghan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), 255 of the country's 665 media outlets have closed since August 2021. This has left over 7,000 media professionals unemployed, including more than 2,000 women. A 2024 survey by the AIJU found that around 4,808 media professionals are still working in Afghanistan — including 744 women — but under increasingly difficult conditions. Despite the emergence of 40 new media outlets under the Taliban, most are subject to intense censorship, financial limitations and restrictive cultural policies. Ahmadzai also noted that since the Taliban banned girls' education, cases of early-age marriages have risen across the country. 'These are girls who should be in school, developing their minds and dreams. Instead, they're being married off — and that will have a lasting impact on their mental health and their future.' A wider shift in the making? On July 4, just one day after Russia announced its recognition of the Taliban, the Chinese government publicly welcomed the decision. Observers believe this may be the start of a broader shift in regional diplomacy. Sher Hasan, a Moscow-based Afghan political analyst, said that Russia has maintained informal relations with the Taliban for years. 'Even when United States and NATO troops were stationed in Afghanistan, Russia kept its channels open,' he said. 'Moscow viewed Western presence in the region as a security threat — one that could escalate drug trafficking and militant activity in its neighbouring states.' Now, as both Russia and the Taliban face international sanctions, Hasan believes they are seeking to strengthen bilateral ties as a strategy to mitigate shared vulnerabilities. 'They see mutual benefit, especially in combating drug trade and cross-border militancy,' he said. The elusiveness of wider acceptance However, recognition by a few regional powers is unlikely to prompt widespread acceptance. 'Unless Western nations — particularly the United States — change their stance, Pakistan and many others are unlikely to move toward recognition,' Hasan added. Karokhail echoed this point, urging regional actors to remember their international responsibilities. 'Yes, countries have national interests,' she said. 'But they have also signed human rights conventions and treaties. They have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that Afghanistan doesn't become a black hole for human dignity.' For their part, the Taliban insist that girls' education in Afghanistan is a domestic matter and that human rights are being upheld under 'Sharia and national law'. In public statements, the regime has claimed that the media is free and that women's rights are being protected — assertions widely contradicted by reports from inside the country. As Afghan women face increasing restrictions, loss of livelihoods, and isolation from the world, many continue to speak out at great personal risk, hoping their voices will still reach those in power. *Names have been changed to ensure safety of sources
Express Tribune
17 hours ago
- Express Tribune
The Ukraine question
Listen to article It seems President Donald Trump's personal vibes with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have hit snags. The equation that he wanted to strike with his country's conventional adversary by making peace is apparently on the rocks. The change of heart is evident as the White House is now once again contemplating to woo Kyiv at the cost of alienating Moscow, and the decision to arm the West's allied-ally engaged in an existential war with Kremlin will go a long way in redefining a new Cold War when multilateralism is on the rise. Thus, NATO's stance to threaten BRICS countries with economic coercion if they did not prevail over Putin to make peace over Ukraine hints at depreciation of American influence, and the beginning of a new era of confrontational politics. The carrot and stick policy that Trump wants to make use of in the form of sanctions and tariffs over its allies, and major trading partners, seems myopic. It is surprising that over the last six months Washington has changed its goal-post several times on the issues of slapping tariffs on China, Canada, India, Brazil and Britain. And now engaging NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for pushing the envelope in terms of a quid pro quo geopolitical peace over Ukraine is literally confusing. Either Trump has given up on his initiative to befriend Putin, or he has become a victim of politics of convenience at home and is toeing the traditional American policy of confronting Russia, as it suits the mighty military businesses. It is current history that President Zelenskyy was grilled at The Oval and pushed to strike a deal with Putin, and now it's back to square one wherein the yesteryears' Evil Empire is being reincarnated. Trump shall be better advised to put off for a while his impulsive mindset, and engage with the world at large in a manner that befits global leadership. Hoping Russia to come to terms "within 50 days" when it is strategically better placed over Ukraine is wishful thinking, and is taking the US nowhere near a logical solution. Rather this brinkmanship is costing it its leadership.
