Latest news with #CentralAsia
Free Malaysia Today
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia's withdrawal from Cafa Nations Cup disrupts tournament plans
FAM said Harimau Malaya were pulling out of the Cafa Nations Cup 2025 following recent changes to the tournament schedule now falling slightly outside the official Fifa international window. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Central Asian Football Association said the Football Association of Malaysia's decision to pull out of next month's Cafa Nations Cup 2025 has disrupted the tournament, particularly given the advanced stage of planning and preparations. Cafa said Malaysia's participation at the Aug 29-Sept 8 tournament in Tajikistan was confirmed well in advance, with FAM also fully aware of the tournament dates and schedule. 'Those dates have never been changed from the beginning,' it said in a statement. It said that while FAM was concerned about the restricted release of players from club duties as the competition does not fully fall within the Fifa international match calendar, the final registration of players, selected from a preliminary list of 35, can be submitted on a match-by-match basis. 'This allows for maximum flexibility, including the possibility of key players joining the team for subsequent matches,' it said. Earlier today, FAM said Harimau Malaya were pulling out of the Cafa Nations Cup following recent changes to the tournament schedule now falling slightly outside the official Fifa international window. It said this had brought about 'significant challenges' that affect player availability, logistics, and overall performance readiness. 'The latest tournament dates, which were updated after the official draw, now fall outside the official Fifa calendar. This means clubs are not obligated to release players. 'For Malaysia, with key players based in countries like Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Japan, this presents a major obstacle to assembling a full-strength squad,' FAM said. Malaysia were to open their Group B campaign against Tajikistan on Aug 29, followed by Iran on Sept 1, and Afghanistan on Sept 4, with all three matches taking place in Dushanbe. Group A will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, featuring four other teams – hosts Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Oman. In a separate statement, Harimau Malaya coach Peter Cklamovski said getting the squad's foreign-based players to Tajikistan in time to perform at the level required was not realistic under the current window. 'Then there's the impact on logistics, recovery, and budget. I would never want to compromise our players' wellbeing or go into a tournament not at full-strength,' he said. 'Beyond player release challenges, the long-haul travel, compressed match schedule, and increased operational cost, especially under Fifa's 72-hour mandatory recovery rule, added further strain to our ability to compete with quality and consistency.' He said the national team will instead regroup for a full training camp in Kuala Lumpur in September which will serve as a key step in their preparation for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Malaysia will continue their remaining 2027 Asian Cup Group F qualifiers against Laos in Vientiane on Oct 9 and Kuala Lumpur on Oct 14, before meeting Nepal in Kathmandu on Nov 18 and Vietnam away in March next year. Malaysia currently top the four-team Group F with three wins from as many matches.
France 24
a day ago
- Climate
- France 24
Tajikistan's apricot farmers grapple with climate change
This is one of the world's most exposed regions to the effects of climate change and its poor, rural farming communities are particularly vulnerable. Kuziev is one of more than 100,000 people employed in Tajikistan's apricot industry, a historic occupation across the mountains and valleys in the north of the landlocked country. Ten percent of all the world's orchards are located here, according to United Nations data. But mild winters, melting glaciers, late frosts and water scarcity all pose challenges to cultivation in Tajikistan's apricot capital of Isfara. "Last year, some land turned desert-like due to lack of water and the soil cracked into pieces," Kuziev told AFP. "The apricot trees dried up because they weren't watered," the 72-year-old farmer said, standing in front of stubby apricot trees swaying in the wind. The fruit is "especially vulnerable" to climate change, according to the World Bank, due to "escalating temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events". Water shortages At street markets in Isfara, vendors sell buckets of fresh apricots next to piles of glistening red cherries, while on roadsides dried fruits are sold from giant sandbags. Tajikistan classifies the fruit as a "strategic product" with the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. "Apricot cultivation in northern Tajikistan is very important economically and socially... It creates jobs and improves the standard of living of the population," Muminjon Makhmajonov, deputy director of Isfara Food, a major dried fruit producer, told AFP. So important is the furry orange fruit to the local economy that a giant monument to it has been erected in the middle of Isfara city. But chronic water shortages and shrinking levels in the Isfara river -- shared by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan -- are disrupting both the industry and a way of life. "The effects of climate change and the melting of the glaciers are already being felt. In spring the water level in the Isfara river is low," Bakhtior Jalilov, the city's chief agriculture specialist, told AFP. Facing water shortages every spring, Kuziev has previously sacrificed wheat crops to "save the essentials -- the apricot trees". A lack of water is not the only problem faced by farmers. Paradoxically, bouts of heavy rainfall are also an issue, causing the fruit to grow with thorns or spots on its skin, which reduces its market value. Frosts "We are sad when it rains a lot because it spoils the product," said Muborak Isoeva, 61, who sells apricots in the neighbouring village of Kulkand. Drastic temperature swings pose another problem. The devastation of Turkey's 2025 apricot harvest by cold weather has worried Tajikistan's farmers. "When the temperature rises or falls sharply, even for a day or two, you won't get the harvest you want," Makhmajonov said. He buys supplies in the markets around Isfara, where small-scale farmers sell apricots grown in their gardens to make a living. Whereas before locals had no idea of the concept of a late frost, "over the last 20 years, the trees have frozen over five or six times during or after blooming", city specialist Jalilov said. Adaptation Producers and the local administration are trying to adapt. Orchards are being planted more intensively, while some 1,500 hectares of soil on low-yielding plots of land has been regenerated over the last five years. Some are switching to growing plums, more resilient to the changing climate. "Unlike apricots, plums bloom a little later and tolerate heat and cold better... so when the apricot harvest is poor, we can still export prunes," said Isfara Food's Makhmajonov. He has installed a water-efficient drip irrigation system to grow the sweet purple fruit. But not everybody has that option. Water fees were hiked 150 percent last year -- something Tajikistan said was necessary to improve infrastructure and balance usage from the river across the three countries. With an average national salary of just $260 a month, adaptation is both costly and complex for family farmers, who have for decades relied on the fruit to boost their incomes. "Regardless of their standard of living or social status, if they need money, they could go and sell them at the market," Makhmajonov said. Climate change is now making that safety net look increasingly fragile.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump promised to be a ‘peacemaker' president. He launched nearly as many airstrikes in five months as Biden did in four years
In his inaugural address, Donald Trump said his 'proudest legacy' as president will be that of a 'peacemaker.' 'Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable,' the president said in his remarks on January 20. But six months later, Trump has already launched nearly as many airstrikes on foreign nations as Joe Biden did within four years, with analysts asking whether the president's plan to end so-called 'forever wars' involves overwhelming firepower to stop them from happening in the first place. Since Trump returned to the White House, the United States has carried out at least 529 bombings in more than 240 locations in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), an international data collection nonprofit. His predecessor's administration launched 555. 'Trump's preference for engagement begs the question: Does this contradict his promise to end America's wars — or are the foreign strikes how he wishes to keep that promise?' ACLED president Clionadh Raleigh said in a statement. 'The recent airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites have been framed as a major turning point in U.S. foreign policy. But if you take a step back, they don't stand out — they fit.' Donald Trump's administration has carried out more than 500 bombings since taking office in January (REUTERS) 'All of President Trump's decisive actions have been overwhelmingly popular and resulted in greater peace,' White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Independent. 'Operation Midnight Hammer successfully obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities, and [the Department of Defense's] successful strikes against ISIS and other malign groups killed terrorists want to do harm to Americans,' she added. 'Anyone who sympathizes with evil terrorists and wants them to live should look inward,' she said. A majority of the U.S. military's airstrikes thus far have targeted Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in an effort to stop their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea launched in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza. The administration struck Yemen at least 474 times within three months, ACLED found. The Biden administration launched 294 attacks in Yemen within roughly 12 months. Trump's airstrikes in Yemen have reportedly killed as many civilians within the eight-week bombing campaign as in the previous two decades of U.S. attacks targeting militants in the country, according to nonprofit watchdog Airwars. At least 224 civilians were killed during the campaign between March and May, compared to 258 deaths between 2002 and 2024, that report found. The administration also launched 44 airstrikes in Somalia to target Islamic State operatives, according to ACLED. Trump first ordered the airstrikes in February, marking the first attacks in the African nation in his second term. 'The U.S. military is moving faster, hitting harder, and doing so with fewer constraints,' according to Raleigh. 'Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and now Iran are all familiar terrain, but this isn't about geography — it's about frequency.' Targeted airstrikes don't appear to be a last-resort measure under the Trump administration but 'the first move,' Raleigh added. 'While Trump has repeatedly promised to end America's 'forever wars,' he has rarely elaborated on how,' Raleigh said. 'These early months suggest the plan may be to use overwhelming firepower to end fights before they begin, or before they drag on.' Throughout his campaign, the president accused Biden and, later, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris of leading the United States into World War III. 'These are wars that will never end with him,' Trump said of Biden during a presidential debate in June 2024. 'We're closer to World War III than anybody can imagine.' A majority of the U.S. military's airstrikes thus far have targeted Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen (pictured) in an effort to stop attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea launched in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza (Houthi Media Center via Getty Images) Receiving the endorsement of now-intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard last year, Trump said the pair was 'uniting forces to end the endless foreign wars.' 'I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war,' Gabbard said at the time. 'We cannot be prosperous unless we are at peace.' Trump — vocal about his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize, and nominated for the honor by at least four of his allies — also promised his administration would bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza. On Monday, the president laid out prospective steps to pressure Russia to end its war, including sending more weapons to Ukraine and threatening economic sanctions in Moscow if there is no peace agreement within 50 days. 'I felt we had a deal about four times,' Trump said. 'But it just kept going on and on.' His administration has also failed to broker a ceasefire in Gaza as Palestinians face threats of famine and Israeli airstrikes continue to bombard the strip. A tentative Trump-backed plan to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into an area controlled by Israel's military close to the Gaza-Egypt border has also threatened to derail ceasefire talks. The Independent has requested comment Department of Defense.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump promised to be a ‘peacemaker' president. He launched nearly as many airstrikes in five months as Biden did in four years
In his inaugural address, Donald Trump said his 'proudest legacy' as president will be that of a 'peacemaker.' 'Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent and totally unpredictable,' the president said in his remarks on January 20. But six months later, Trump has already launched nearly as many airstrikes on foreign nations as Joe Biden did within four years, with analysts asking whether the president's plan to end so-called 'forever wars' involves overwhelming firepower to stop them from happening in the first place. Since Trump returned to the White House, the United States has carried out at least 529 bombings in more than 240 locations in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), an international data collection nonprofit. His predecessor's administration launched 555. 'Trump's preference for engagement begs the question: Does this contradict his promise to end America's wars — or are the foreign strikes how he wishes to keep that promise?' ACLED president Clionadh Raleigh said in a statement. 'The recent airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites have been framed as a major turning point in U.S. foreign policy. But if you take a step back, they don't stand out — they fit.' 'All of President Trump's decisive actions have been overwhelmingly popular and resulted in greater peace,' White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Independent. ' Operation Midnight Hammer successfully obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities, and [the Department of Defense's] successful strikes against ISIS and other malign groups killed terrorists want to do harm to Americans,' she added. 'Anyone who sympathizes with evil terrorists and wants them to live should look inward,' she said. A majority of the U.S. military's airstrikes thus far have targeted Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in an effort to stop their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea launched in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza. The administration struck Yemen at least 474 times within three months, ACLED found. The Biden administration launched 294 attacks in Yemen within roughly 12 months. Trump's airstrikes in Yemen have reportedly killed as many civilians within the eight-week bombing campaign as in the previous two decades of U.S. attacks targeting militants in the country, according to nonprofit watchdog Airwars. At least 224 civilians were killed during the campaign between March and May, compared to 258 deaths between 2002 and 2024, that report found. The administration also launched 44 airstrikes in Somalia to target Islamic State operatives, according to ACLED. Trump first ordered the airstrikes in February, marking the first attacks in the African nation in his second term. 'The U.S. military is moving faster, hitting harder, and doing so with fewer constraints,' according to Raleigh. 'Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and now Iran are all familiar terrain, but this isn't about geography — it's about frequency.' Targeted airstrikes don't appear to be a last-resort measure under the Trump administration but 'the first move,' Raleigh added. 'While Trump has repeatedly promised to end America's 'forever wars,' he has rarely elaborated on how,' Raleigh said. 'These early months suggest the plan may be to use overwhelming firepower to end fights before they begin, or before they drag on.' Throughout his campaign, the president accused Biden and, later, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris of leading the United States into World War III. 'These are wars that will never end with him,' Trump said of Biden during a presidential debate in June 2024. 'We're closer to World War III than anybody can imagine.' Receiving the endorsement of now-intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard last year, Trump said the pair was 'uniting forces to end the endless foreign wars.' 'I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war,' Gabbard said at the time. 'We cannot be prosperous unless we are at peace.' Trump — vocal about his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize, and nominated for the honor by at least four of his allies — also promised his administration would bring an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and Israel's war in Gaza. On Monday, the president laid out prospective steps to pressure Russia to end its war, including sending more weapons to Ukraine and threatening economic sanctions in Moscow if there is no peace agreement within 50 days. 'I felt we had a deal about four times,' Trump said. 'But it just kept going on and on.' His administration has also failed to broker a ceasefire in Gaza as Palestinians face threats of famine and Israeli airstrikes continue to bombard the strip. A tentative Trump-backed plan to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into an area controlled by Israel's military close to the Gaza-Egypt border has also threatened to derail ceasefire talks. The Independent
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Health
- Times of Oman
More than 14 million children unvaccinated in 2024: report
New York: More than 14 million children remained completely unvaccinated in 2024, the UN said on Tuesday. In Europe and Central Asia, average childhood vaccination rates stagnated or fell by 1%, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF said in a joint report. Officials warned that widespread misinformation and severe international aid cuts are widening coverage gaps, putting millions of children at risk. Preventable diseases rising in Europe In Europe, cases of whooping cough tripled to nearly 300,000 in 2024, while measles infections doubled to over 125,000, WHO said, amid falling vaccine coverage. Meanwhile, just nine countries — Nigeria, India, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Angola — accounted for over half of the world's unvaccinated children. "Millions of children remain without protection against preventable diseases," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "That should worry us all." Measles cases surge across US The health report comes at a time when, 25 years after the WHO had declared measles eliminated from the United States, the country is having its worst year for the disease. The US has now had 1,288 measles cases in 2025 as the vaccine-preventable illness spreads, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week.
