Kabul to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners if violence eases: Ghani spokesman
Kabul: (AFP) The Taliban on Wednesday rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer to release 1,500 insurgent prisoners ahead of peace talks, saying it wanted 5,000 captives freed before opening negotiations.
Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen told AFP the prisoners should be released "as a trust-building measure" before intra-Afghan talks.
Any changes amounted to a violation of the deal struck between the insurgents and Washington in Doha last month, he added.
Although Kabul was not a signatory to the deal, it stated that up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by Afghan authorities would be released, prompting an angry reaction from Ghani.
Shaheen's announcement came hours after Ghani issued a decree saying the government would release 1,500 captives starting Saturday -- but only if the insurgents cut violence.
Another 3,500 prisoners would be released after talks started, a spokesman said on Twitter.
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Moscow court slaps Google with $20 decillion fine over Russian channel block on YouTube
Moscow: A Moscow court has issued an unprecedented $20 decillion fine against Google, following its block on Russian state-affiliated channels like Tsargrad TV on platforms including YouTube. The amount, a figure surpassing the global GDP, has drawn worldwide attention as it highlights ongoing tensions over content censorship.
This legal dispute began when Google blocked Tsargrad TV, a pro-government channel, four years ago, later extending restrictions to other Russian state-linked media. Russia’s invocation of Article 13.41 of its Administrative Offences Code, which prohibits unauthorised restrictions on legal content, led to the court-imposed penalty of 100,000 roubles per day, doubling every 24 hours that Google did not comply. The fine eventually ballooned to 2 undecillion roubles, equivalent to $20 decillion.
In response, Google halted operations in Russia, declaring bankruptcy amid unmanageable legal demands. Following this, Russian authorities seized $100 million in assets from the company, reportedly allocating the funds to military support.
