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The Taliban have announced the start of their
spring offensive, pledging to launch large-scale attacks against
government strongholds backed by suicide and guerrilla attacks to
drive Afghanistan’s western-backed government from power. The
announcement of the formal start of ‘Operation Omari,’ named after
the late Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar,
The end of winter and the start of spring is a
sign of renewal, awakening, planting and life in many cultures
across the world. Because of this, the start of spring is a time for
several festivals and New Year celebrations throughout many
South-Central Asian cultures. The most famous of these is probably
Nowruz, which marks the first day of spring in the Persian calendar
and the start of the New Year.
Panama Papers revealed how a seemingly insular
regime has harnessed the tools of globalisation to ensure its
survival, writes James Denselow. Against the backdrop of recent
territorial gains, the cessation of hostilities and a peace process
in Geneva that is rumbling along,
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