India checks Maoist rebel offer of suspending armed struggle
Maoist rebels in India are suspending their armed struggle and are ready for talks, they said in a statement, though authorities said Wednesday they were still verifying its authenticity.New Delhi has launched an all-out offensive to crush the decades-long conflict, vowing to wipe out the Maoist rebellion by March 2026, with recent fighting concentrated in the battleground state of Chhattisgarh.The rebels have offered to engage in talks before, including in February when they called for a ceasefire — an offer rejected by authorities.In a statement issued Tuesday to reporters — via intermediaries who have handled Maoist proclaimations before — the Communist Party of India (Maoist) said it would suspend its fight.”We are ready to start dialogue”, the letter read, adding they had decided “to suspend armed struggle”.The rebels rarely issue statements directly via email or messaging apps, as they fear being tracked by the security forces.Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said authorities were still examining the statement, which was dated August 15.”Only after the authenticity of the letter is verified, a decision will be taken,” Sharma told reporters.The Maoist statement said they had shifted their position due to the “changed world order and national situation, and because of the continuous appeals” from New Delhi.India is waging an intense campaign against the last remnants of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the Himalayan foothills where the Maoist-inspired insurgency began nearly six decades ago.More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have been killed since a handful of villagers rose against their feudal landlords in 1967.The rebel spokesman, Abhay, who uses only one name, said in the statement the group was “committed” to peace initiatives.In recent months, the government has repeatedly warned it intends to stamp out the Maoists. On Monday, security forces killed a senior commander, who had a bounty on his head of about $113,000.The group’s chief, Nambala Keshav Rao, known as Basavaraju, was killed in May along with 26 guerrillas during a firefight with government troops.At its peak in the mid-2000s, the movement counted 15,000 to 20,000 fighters and controlled nearly a third of India, but the rebellion has been dramatically weakened in recent years.
Lower shipments to US, China weigh on Singapore August exports
Singapore’s exports slid again in August according to official figures out Wednesday, as shipments to its biggest markets — the US and China — keep dropping.Relations between the world’s two biggest economies have been wracked by trade tensions that saw them impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each other, wreaking havoc on global supply chains.As Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, Singapore depends heavily on trade, making it particularly exposed to global slowdowns — even though it only faces a 10 percent baseline tariff from US President Donald Trump’s measures.Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports shrank by 11.3 percent August 2025, faster than the revised 4.7 percent fall in July 2025, the government’s Enterprise Singapore body said.Exports to the United States tumbled nearly 29 percent in August, extending a 42.8 percent decline in July, with sharp falls in both electronic and non-electronic shipments.Exports of food preparations such as sauces to the US fell by 97.1 percent, while specialised machinery shipments plunged by 71.3 percent and disk media products tanked by 60 percent.Exports to China shrank by 21.5 percent, steeper than the 12.3 percent decrease in July, with shipments of specialised machinery falling by nearly 42 percent and integrated circuits shrinking by 36.8 percent.Exports to China of non-monetary gold, or gold used for industrial purposes, plunged by 96.1 percent.The decline in Singapore’s August exports “reflected a range of factors, notably the disruption to world trade and export supply chains caused by steep new US tariff measures,” Rajiv Biswas, chief executive of risk analytics firm Asia Pacific Economics, told AFP.China’s softer economic growth and weaker retail sales in the third quarter of this year were reflected in the country importing less from Singapore, Biswas added.Singapore last month raised its 2025 economic growth forecast to 1.5 – 2.5 percent, from zero – 2.0 percent, but warned the outlook for the rest of the year remains clouded by global uncertainty, in part due to US tariffs.
Inside the hunt for the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s killing
Authorities have shared their most detailed account yet of the investigation set off by the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which concluded with a suspect surrendering to police. Here are key details Utah County prosecutor Jeffrey Gray released about the case centering on 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson:- ‘Sniper positions’ -When a lone gunshot rang out during Kirk’s outdoor event on September 10, a Utah Valley University police officer believed the weapon to be a rifle “because of its sound,” Gray said, and began looking for “potential sniper positions.” About 160 yards (150 meters) away, the officer spotted a roof area “as a potential shooting position.”There, he found “impressions in the gravel” consistent with the body of a “person in a prone shooting position.”Security surveillance footage confirmed that an individual dressed in dark clothing was on the roof at approximately 12:15 pm local time, Gray said.That revelation marked the start of a 33-hour manhunt.- The attack -The apparent suspect entered campus at 11:51 am local time, wearing a black shirt with an American flag in the center, a dark baseball cap and large sunglasses, Gray said.His appearance gave few clues, but the suspect’s posture appeared to indicate that he was hiding something.”The suspect keeps his head down. He is seen walking with an unusual gait, with very little bending in his right leg, consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants,” Gray said.Security cameras also caught the suspect descending from the roof immediately after the shooting and fleeing campus on foot.A rifle with a scope was found in the woods nearby, wrapped in a towel.”The rifle contained one spent round and three unspent rounds,” Gray said. The unspent rounds were engraved with enigmatic messages: “hey fascist catch” followed by arrow symbols believed to be a video game cheat code, the famed anti-fascist song “oh, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, ciao, ciao” and “if you read this, you are gay, lmao.”Robinson’s DNA was discovered on the gun’s trigger, the shell casing, two cartridges and the towel, authorities said.That’s not all the evidence that identified him.- A parent knows -The next day, Tyler Robinson’s mother saw footage of the shooter on the news and thought he resembled her son.But when she called, “he said he was at home sick,” like he had been the day before, Gray said.Robinson’s father also recognized “that the rifle that police suspected the shooter used matched a rifle that was given to his son as a gift.”Robinson’s mother told investigators her son had recently “become more political and had started to lean more to the left” to embrace gay and trans rights, Gray said.”She stated that Robinson began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders. This resulted in several discussions with family members, but especially between Robinson and his father, who have very different political views.”Robinson described his father as becoming “hardcore MAGA” since Trump returned to the White House, Gray said, referring to the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement.When his parents reached him by phone, Robinson hinted at being the shooter, saying he didn’t want to go to prison, and that he was ready to take his own life. Robinson’s parents worked to convince him to surrender.- A hidden note -After the shooting, Robinson exchanged messages with his roommate.”Drop what you’re doing. Look under my keyboard,” Robinson wrote.There, a note read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.”Excerpts of that conversation, per court documents:Roommate: “What you’re joking, right?”Robinson: “I am still okay, my love, but I’m stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn’t be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.”Roommate: “You weren’t the one who did it, right?”Robinson: “I am, I am, I’m sorry.”Roommate: “Why?”Robinson: “Why did I do it? I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence.” Robinson told the roommate he’d been planning the shooting for a bit over a week before adding:”I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpa’s rifle. How the f will I explain losing it to my old man?” Robinson then adds later: “Delete this exchange…I’m going to turn myself in willingly.”Thirty-three hours after the shooting, Robinson did just that.
Guinea PM says new constitution would bring ‘dynamic of change’Wed, 17 Sep 2025 05:45:16 GMT
Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah believes voters in junta-led Guinea desire a “dynamic of change” which he says a new constitution being voted on Sunday would provide, but the opposition has called for a boycott of the referendum.Four years after a coup overthrew elected president Alpha Conde, Guinea’s 6.7 million voters are being asked whether …
Junta accused of coveting power in crucial Guinea referendumWed, 17 Sep 2025 05:41:54 GMT
Four years after the military seized power, Guineans will finally vote on a new draft constitution that would pave the way for elections but also permit the country’s junta leader to run for president, in a referendum boycotted by the opposition.The Sunday vote, which Guineans and the international community have been awaiting for years, opens …
Sri Lanka to ban predatory pet fish to protect ecosystems
Sri Lanka will ban four species of predatory ornamental fish including Piranhas that have escaped into rivers and lakes, devastating native species and threatening fragile freshwater ecosystems, the fisheries minister said Wednesday.”We want to protect our inland water bodies from invasive species,” Ramalingam Chandrasekar said, adding it was aimed at protecting the livelihoods of fishermen on the island nation.The import, sale and transportation of Redline Snakehead, Knife Fish, Alligator Gar and Piranha, imported from Southeast Asia, will be banned from Saturday, the minister said in a statement.Snakeheads, which can grow to over three feet (one metre), were rapidly multiplying in a lake in the northwestern part of the island, threatening the native species.Officials believe they may have been released into the Deduru Oya lake by owners who could no longer care for them.The fisheries ministry has organised a competition for anglers to catch Snakeheads, coinciding with the ban on Saturday.Sri Lankans are not used to consuming Snakehead fish which is a voracious predator, eating smaller native fish and amphibians and disrupting the ecological balance. Pet owners rearing the four species have been asked to notify the authorities and hand them over so the fish can be confined to state-run aquariums.






