Kabul [Afghanistan] (TIP): Afghanistan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has announced the planned deployment of 2,000 Afghan workers to Qatar, offering legal employment opportunities amid growing unemployment and an influx of returning refugees, Khaama Press reported.
According to a statement issued by the Taliban-run ministry on Wednesday, July 23, and posted on its official X account, “Qatar has allocated an additional 1,300 job opportunities for Afghan workers,” bringing the total to 2,000 laborers set to be deployed in the upcoming phases.
Khaama Press reported that the initiative marks the beginning of a broader program aimed at facilitating the legal deployment of Afghan workers abroad. The ministry noted that the number of job opportunities is expected to rise significantly in the future.
Coordination has already taken place between Kabul and Qatari officials to implement the labor deployment in stages. Khaama Press cited the ministry as saying that registration centers and application criteria will be announced soon for Afghan citizens interested in applying.
Afghanistan is currently grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis, including widespread poverty, food insecurity, and the collapse of public services. The crisis has been compounded by the large-scale return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries, especially Pakistan and Iran, where many had sought work and shelter.
With limited employment prospects at home, thousands of returnees and local residents are struggling to support their families. Khaama Press highlighted that the lack of formal work programs has left many Afghans in economic distress, exacerbating the country’s instability.
As the program rolls out, Afghan authorities say it could ease some of the burden on the domestic labor market, while also offering hope to job seekers seeking legal and safe employment abroad, Khaama Press added.
Yet even as Afghanistan looks outward for employment solutions, its global mobility remains severely limited. Afghanistan’s passport has been ranked the least powerful in the world in 2025, offering visa-free access to just 26 countries, reflecting the country’s deepening global isolation, as reported by Khaama Press.
According to the Henley Passport Index for 2025, Afghanistan was ranked 106th, at the bottom of the global list, making it the most restricted passport worldwide.
The annual index, based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), ranks passports according to the number of destinations their holders can enter without a visa.
Khaama Press reported that Afghanistan’s travel freedom continues to shrink. In 2024, the country ranked 104th.
The two-rank drop in 2025 highlights a further erosion in the country’s global mobility, leaving Afghan citizens increasingly cut off from the rest of the world. (ANI)
Tag: Iran
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Afghanistan to send 2,000 workers to Qatar amid rising joblessness, refugee return
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India stands ‘isolated’ over abstention on Gaza ceasefire in the UNGA, says Congress
NEW DELHI (TIP): Expressing concern over the flare-up in West Asia after the escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict, the Congress on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, urged the Union Government to work with partner countries to ensure an immediate ceasefire in the region. “India should work with partners to bring an immediate halt to hostilities as any escalation can destabilize the entire region,” Congress Working Committee member Anand Sharma, who heads the party’s foreign affairs department, told The Hindu.
Mr. Sharma, who was part of the Narendra Modi government’s diplomatic outreach in Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack, mounted a scathing criticism of India’s abstention from a UN vote on a motion for the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations in Gaza. “It is a humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded in Gaza, where people are facing collective retribution for their identity. It is indefensible that the land of Mahatma Gandhi doesn’t stand for peace,” Mr. Sharma said.
As Israel ends ceasefire, India expresses concern over Gaza, humanitarian situation, release of hostages
In fact, the abstention at the UN was cited as yet another example of “weak diplomacy” by India. Congress general secretary (organization) and Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Alappuzha seat, K.C. Venugopal, said India stood isolated among multilateral fora such as BRICS — a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and SCO or Shanghai Cooperation Organization because of its stance.
“India has always stood for peace, justice, and human dignity. But today, India stands alone as the only country in South Asia, BRICS, and SCO to abstain on a UNGA resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said on X last Saturday (June 14, 2025).
Terming India’s stance “shameful and disappointing” in an X post the same day, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Wayanad, said, “60,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed already, an entire population is being confined and starved to death, and we are refusing to take a stand”.
“Cold-blooded murder”: Priyanka Gandhi slams Israel, says its actions show humanity means nothing to them
“This is a tragic reversal of our anti-colonial legacy. In fact, not only are we standing silent as Mr. (Benjamin) Netanyahu annihilates an entire nation, we are cheering on as his government attacks Iran and assassinates its leadership in flagrant violation of its sovereignty and complete contravention of all international norms,” Ms. Vadra added. Pawan Khera, who heads the party’s media and publicity wing, countered criticism from some quarters that Kerala’s politics may determine the position of some of their MPs from the State. “Congress’s position on Israel-Gaza and Iran-Israel stems from our own legacy of anti-colonial solidarity, non-alignment, and a firm commitment to human rights and international law,” Mr. Khera said.
Stressing on the role India can play in the Iran-Israel conflict, he said, “Instead of seeing this moment as a strategic conundrum, India could see it as an opportunity — to act as a moral bridge between the warring sides, both of which happen to be our allies. That is what our legacy allows us to do, and what global leadership demands.”
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Kremlin warns US against Iran strike, cautions of major escalation
MOSCOW (TIP): Washington would be making a serious mistake by launching an attack on Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, warning that direct US involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict would further destabilize the region, as reported by RT.
Tensions have escalated since last week after Israel launched a large-scale bombing campaign against Iran, alleging that Tehran was on the verge of producing a nuclear bomb. Iran denied the allegations and responded with multiple drone and missile strikes. The exchange of hostilities between the two nations has continued, stoking fears of a wider regional war. Commenting on the possible US strike, Peskov said, “Moscow believes it is a wrong move. This is a step that is bound to lead to further escalation, a major escalation, and would only complicate the situation in the region,” RT reported. He further cautioned, “Such conflicts are capable of setting the entire region on fire.” Peskov reiterated Russia’s willingness to help mediate and resolve the crisis, while calling any notion of regime change in Iran by the US or Israel “unacceptable.”
When asked about this possibility, Peskov echoed President Vladimir Putin’s long-held position: “We believe that it is unacceptable to have such conversations, and even more so to take such actions,” RT reported.
Peskov said President Putin has maintained communication with both Tehran and Tel Aviv since the conflict began and has a “complete picture” of the situation. He added that while there is currently “little ground” for talks, Moscow remains actively engaged.
Putin, addressing a late-night Q&A with journalists on Wednesday, revealed that Moscow had proposed several compromise frameworks to all involved parties — including the US, Israel, and Iran, as reported by RT. He suggested that a possible settlement could include mutual security guarantees that preserve Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology and Israel’s right to security.
(Source: ANI) -
Trump wraps up Mideast tour with a visit to interfaith place of worship
President Donald Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates Thursday, May 15, for the last leg of his first major foreign trip.
ABU DHABI (TIP): U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up a Mideast tour in the United Arab Emirates with a breakfast for business leaders and a visit to an interfaith place of worship named for the Abraham Accords he negotiated. As part of the accords, the UAE and some other countries in the Middle East recognized Israel. Mr. Trump then left Abu Dhabi after his visit to the Abrahamic Family House .
During his visit to the region, violence flared in the West Bank, with more than 120 people being killed in Gaza.
Trump says the U.S. and Iran have ‘sort of’ agreed on the terms for a nuclear deal
President Donald Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates Thursday , May 15, for the last leg of his first major foreign trip. Air Force One was given a fighter jet escort into the country’s airspace, just as Saudi Arabia and Qatar offered on the first stops of his Mideast trip.
Mr. Trump was greeted by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and later headed to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — among the largest mosques in the world. He also attended a state dinner at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi. The U.S. President walked out of the palace with Sheik Mohammed after dinner. They shook hands, and then Mr. Trump stepped into his limousine.
(Source: AP) -
Pakistan’s military actions will be met with a ‘very, very firm response’: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar warns Pakistan of “firm response”; meets with Iranian and Saudi counterparts in New Delhi
NEW DELHI (TIP): Pakistan’s military actions will be met with a “very, very firm response”, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday, May 8. Mr Jaishankar conveyed this to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi during the 20th India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting held in New Delhi. He also hosted Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al – Jubeir before meeting the Iranian delegation.
“Our response was targeted and measured. It is not our intention to escalate this situation. However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
Mr. Araghchi had earlier called for de-escalation of tension between India and Pakistan. Mr. Jaishankar described the April 22 Pahalgam attack as a “particularly barbaric terrorist attack”.
Earlier, in a sign of quick-footed diplomacy, Mr. Al Jubeir arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, May 7 night. His arrival coincided with the arrival of the Iranian Foreign Minister who was here for a day-long visit in the backdrop of India hitting terror targets inside Pakistan on Wednesday, May 7.
“A good meeting with Adel Al Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia this morning. Shared India’s perspective on firmly countering terrorism,” said the External Affairs Minister after meeting with Mr. Al Jubeir. Official sources said. India did not seek mediation from either Saudi Arabia or Iran.
India had briefed a number of foreign envoys about its findings into the Pahalgam attack and Saudi Arabia was among those countries whose envoys were kept informed by the Indian officials. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had also spoken to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan after India assured action following the Pahalgam terror attack.
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How India flexed its global power muscles in 2024
India’s foreign policy in 2024 showcased a bold stance, with India asserting its influence not only in its immediate neighbourhood but also on the global stage. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in December highlighted a decade-long shift toward prioritizing economic diplomacy, a trend that continued to define India’s strategic engagements this year.
As per Jaishankar, India’s foreign policy today is based on three principles. “Active engagement with countries, nation’s interests first under any circumstance and humanitarian approach with ethics”.
Here’s how India flexed its global power muscles in 2024:
India stares down China
It took India and China 21 rounds of Corp Commander-level talks on disengagement to end the military impasse that plagued the relationship for five years. While military disengagement had been achieved earlier at four points, the same remained elusive in Depsang and Demchok, the two friction points.
China maintained that the impasse in these areas were legacy issues that predated the 2020 standoff and should not be allowed to block resumption of normal bilateral exchanges. However, India too steadfastly maintained there couldn’t be any progress in ties till the time disengagement is completed in the remaining areas, calling it an essential basis for peace in the border areas.
Patient and persevering diplomacy helped clinch the disengagement agreement with China, Jaishankar said.
Both the countries agreed to return to the patrolling agreements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that were in place before the Galwan clashes in 2020 after several negotiations.
Chabahar port powerplay
India’s agreement with Iran in May to manage the strategic Chabahar Port for the next decade marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time India assumed management of a port overseas and that too amid Iran’s tensions with the US and Israel. This move underscores Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on using strategic ports to bolster regional connectivity and influence.
Chabahar port is a vital link in India’s efforts to enhance connectivity with Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the broader Eurasian region. It also serves as a counterbalance to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and China’s expansive Belt and Road Initiative.
The pact with Iran was signed despite the looming threat of US sanctions. Although the sanctions were never imposed, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed concerns raised by the US about the “potential risk” to companies involved in the India-Iran joint venture. Jaishankar stressed that India would “work at” explaining Chabahar’s importance as a project serving the region’s broader interests.
Maldives comes back
India’s relationship with Maldives faced turbulence after Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China and anti-India stance, assumed office as president. Mere hours after his swearing-in, Muizzu demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed to operate three aviation platforms gifted by India. Following negotiations, the Indian military personnel were replaced with civilian operators.
Tensions escalated further when three Maldivian deputy ministers made controversial remarks about India and Prime Minister Modi on social media. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry swiftly distanced itself from the comments, leading to the suspension of the three junior ministers.
Amid these strained ties, President Muizzu made his first bilateral visit to India in October, as Maldives grappled with an economic crisis. The financial challenges facing his country were likely a key topic in discussions with India. Before the visit, Muizzu adopted a conciliatory tone, stating that he has never opposed India and acknowledging that New Delhi was aware of Maldives’ financial difficulties and willing to assist.
Sri Lanka sides with India
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his inaugural foreign visit since taking office in September assured Prime Minister Modi that Sri Lanka would not permit its territory to be “used in any way that is detrimental to the interest of India.
The assurance from Sri Lankan president came at a crucial point as China is intensifying its presence in the Indian Ocean region, particularly targeting Indian interests.
China’s control over Hambantota Port, acquired through Sri Lanka’s debt default, has enabled Beijing to station vessels like the Yuan Wang 5, a 25,000-tonne satellite and missile tracking ship. This development concerns India due to Sri Lanka’s geographical proximity.
Despite India’s initial objections in August 2022, Sri Lanka eventually permitted Chinese vessels to dock for ‘replenishment’ at Hambantota. Meanwhile, Chinese surveillance vessels keep on patrolling the Indian Ocean region and using the Hambantota port.
China secured a 99-year lease on Hambantota port after Sri Lanka struggled with loan repayments. The $1.7 billion project, with phase one completed in 2010, required annual payments of $100 million, which Colombo failed to meet.
The Canadian challenge
India in October this year expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced withdrawing its high commissioner and other targeted officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa’s allegations linking the envoy to a probe into the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a major downturn in already frosty ties between the two nations. India’s decision to recall High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats came shortly after the Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheelers was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Wheelers was bluntly told that baseless “targeting” of the Indian envoy and other officials was “completely unacceptable”.
India is not neutral in Russia-Ukraine war
Despite opposition of the West, India has managed to find a middle way on the Russia-Ukraine conflict while also constantly underlining its strong relations with Russia. During the BRICS summit in October, when Prime Minister Modi visited Russia, President Vladimir Putin remarked that he believed Modi would understand his comments without translation, highlighting the strong relationship between the two nations. Modi responded with a hearty laugh. India’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been shaped by its steadfast commitment to peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. This year, Modi visited Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reaffirming India’s stance. During the meeting, Modi emphasized that India has never been neutral in the conflict but has consistently sided with peace.
India’s role in the conflict has drawn international attention. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after her meeting with Zelenskyy, pointed out the potential roles India and China could play in resolving the crisis. Following his visit to Kyiv, Modi telephoned Putin to share his perspectives. Apart from the BRICS summit visit, Modi visited Russia in July, holding extensive talks with President Putin. While India has not proposed a peace formula like those of Brazil or China, it has maintained contact with all stakeholders, advocating for negotiations and emphasizing the importance of Russia’s involvement in peace summits for a sustainable resolution to the conflict.
Diplomatic win in Qatar
In a significant diplomatic win for India in February, eight former Indian Navy personnel, who were initially sentenced to death in Qatar on charges of spying, were released, marking a crucial turn of events in a case that had garnered international attention and led Modi critics to make it a test case for his global diplomatic clout.
India’s diplomatic efforts led to the commutation of the capital punishment to extended prison terms for the eight veterans, who had been facing severe charges in Qatar. This decision came after sustained diplomatic intervention by India, showcasing the effectiveness of bilateral engagements in resolving complex legal matters. Expressing gratitude for the release of the Indian nationals, the Indian government welcomed the decision made by the Amir of the State of Qatar to facilitate their return. The swift resolution of this sensitive issue underscores the significance of diplomatic dialogue and cooperation between nations in addressing challenges faced by their citizens abroad. -
Landmark events that made headlines in 2024
From national politics and international affairs to environmental concerns and advances in science and technology, here are the top issues that captured everyone’s attention this year
The year 2024 has been a whirlwind of significant events across the globe, spanning politics, science, technology, culture, and natural phenomena. From breakthroughs in artificial intelligence to groundbreaking diplomatic agreements, here’s an in-depth look at the events that shaped the world in 2024.
Iran-Israel Conflict
On April 14, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards Israel in retaliation for an Israeli attack on its consulate that occurred in Damascus, Syria, on April 2. This attack became the immediate cause of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
Although Iran and Israel have a long history of bitter conflict and covert military actions against each other, this was the first time Iran has launched a direct attack of this scale aimed at targets within Israel.
Heatwaves
Higher daily peak temperatures and longer, more intense heatwaves are becoming increasingly common worldwide. This summer, India also experienced the impact of more frequent heatwaves, which have had devastating effects on human health and the environment.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)- A heatwave is a period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season in the North-Western parts of India. Heatwaves typically occur between March and June, and in some rare cases even extend till July. The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people living in these regions as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death.
Misuse of Deepfakes
In the General Elections of 2024, the widespread misuse of deepfakes significantly complicated the battle against misinformation. A deepfake video featuring actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan purportedly endorsing a particular political party went viral during the elections. Earlier, a video that supposedly shows actress Rashmika Mandanna entering an elevator sparked a major controversy online. What initially appeared to be genuine was, in fact, a deepfake of the actress. The original video featured a British Indian girl, whose face was morphed to replace Mandanna’s.
Deepfakes constitute fake content — often in the form of videos but also other media formats such as pictures or audio — created using powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tools. It is an amalgamation of the words “deep learning” and “fake” and it means fabricated videos generated from existing face-swapping techniques and technology.
They are called deepfakes because they use deep learning technology, a branch of machine learning that applies neural net simulation to massive data sets, to create fake content. It employs a branch of artificial intelligence where if a computer is fed enough data, it can generate fakes that behave much like a real person.
Bangladesh Political Upheaval
The political upheaval in Bangladesh in August 2024 resulted in the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. This event is considered a significant turning point in Bangladesh’s history and has introduced new dynamics in regional politics.
India and Bangladesh share a unique relationship rooted in a common cultural heritage, shared principles, and values. However, recent regime changes in Bangladesh are affecting this relationship, particularly with the rising concern over atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh, which has become a significant challenge in their bilateral relations.
India-Canada Diplomatic Row
In mid-October 2024, the sharp escalation of the diplomatic row between India and Canada, a first-of-its-kind situation in India’s diplomatic relations with the West, raised concerns about potential ripple effects in a range of areas, including trade and people-to-people ties.
Notably, the diplomatic tension between India and Canada escalated on October 14, when India ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats while also announcing its decision to withdraw the Indian High Commissioner to Canada and “other targeted diplomats,” citing security concerns after Ottawa identified them as “persons of interest” in its investigation into the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The bilateral ties between India and Canada are long-standing and significant. Canada is home to a high percentage of Sikhs. However, the two countries’ bilateral relations have been affected by various issues, such as Khalistani separatism and Canada’s position on human rights in India. These issues have led to increased tensions and have impacted diplomatic interactions.
Political Upheaval in Syria
The Syrian civil war saw major developments in December this year. The government of President Bashar al-Assad, who has ruled the Middle Eastern country since 2000, faced sudden and intense attacks from the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On December 8, the group reached the capital, Damascus, and celebrated the fall of Assad’s regime.
Notably, New Delhi was preparing to revive its political and economic ties with Damascus late last month. On November 29, India and Syria held Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi. India has been a keen developmental partner for Syria and is also actively involved in the capacity-building of the Syrian youth
The Syrian civil war began around the “Arab Spring” of 2010, dubbed so as many countries in the Middle East and North Africa saw uprisings against authoritarian governments that had been in power for decades. Foreign governments, such as the United States and Russia, also engaged with the conflict based on their respective strategic interests.
The Arab Spring also echoed in street protests in Syria. But Assad put it down with force unleashing a harsh crackdown on those opposing the regime. This set off a civil war, with the US backing the rebels while Russia, Iran and Hezbollah backing Assad.
One Nation, One Election Debate
The discussion on simultaneous elections has been a prominent topic throughout the year. Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, along with the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2024. This has reignited the debate over “One Nation One Election” (ONOE). Some believe that simultaneous elections would benefit the citizens, while others argue that it would undermine the basic structure of the Constitution of India.
Notably, the high-level committee headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind has recommended that the government take a “one-time transitory measure”, which would require the Union government to identify an “appointed date” immediately after a Lok Sabha election and all state assemblies that go to poll after the said date would have their terms expire with the Parliament.
Simultaneous elections, popularly referred to as “One Nation, One Election”, means holding elections to Lok Sabha, all state Legislative Assemblies, and urban and rural local bodies (municipalities and panchayats) at the same time. Currently, all these elections are held independently of one another, following timelines dictated by the terms of every individual elected body.
Trump comes back to power
Donald Trump won the election in the US to become the 47th President of the United States of America. Trump got 312 electoral college votes, while his rival, Kamala Harris from the Democratic Party could manage only 226. Trump’s victory in the US is likely to ensure the revival of ‘America First’ as well as America pulling back from several international organisations, which Trump thinks drain American taxpayers’ money.
PM Modi gets third consecutive term
In India, Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the general elections for the third consecutive term, defeating the alliance, dubbed INDIA. The election victory of PM Modi is slated to propel India towards strategic autonomy, meaning India will be able to make decisions that are best suited to its national interests, regardless of what major powers in the world want India to do.
South Korean President imposes emergency, impeached
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” on December 3, accusing the opposition of controlling the parliament; however, within some hours, it was lifted. Following this, the South Korean leader was impeached by the parliament. Notably, the president had survived the first vote after members of his ruling People Power Party boycotted the vote.
German chancellor loses confidence vote
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote in the Bundestag, the German federal parliament. Scholz got only 207 in the 733-seat lower house against 394 voting against him while 116 abstained. The no confidence vote followed after the chancellor fired his finance minister in a long-running dispute over how to revitalise Germany’s stagnant economy. This saw Scholz’s three-party government collapsing in Germany.
Labour Party wins in the UK
UK’s Labour Party won the election in the UK on July 5TH, which dramatically reshaped the political landscape in the country. Keir Starmer became the Prime Minister defeating the Conservative Party’s Rishi Sunak, ending the Tories’ 14-year continued control of the British parliament.
India-China reach border consensus
In October, both India and China confirmed that they reached an agreement to end the standoff between both the Asian giants. After the Galwan clash in 2020, the agreement melted the ice as relations between both countries stooped to very low. In December, China and India reached a six-point consensus to address border issues during crucial talks between National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Vladimir Putin gets presidency again
In Russia, Vladimir Putin cemented his position by winning the election. Putin will leave Josef Stalin behind if he completes his current six-year term. Putin got 87 per cent of the total votes polled.
Five nations join BRICS
Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates joined BRICS in 2024. This will see a major portion of the world get represented in one of the most prominent non-western groups.
Bitcoin’s meteoric rise
Bitcoin’s meteoric rise to over $100,000 is reminiscent of previous post-election surges. Notably, the cryptocurrency had already hit $81,000 shortly after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections earlier this year. Historically, Bitcoin’s price has shown a pattern of significant gains following the US presidential elections, which often coincide with its halving cycles – events that reduce its supply and drive up prices.
Pakistan general election
Pakistan also went to the polling booths in 2024, in February, to elect members of the 16th National Assembly. But the election was anything but fair. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, was not allowed to contest the elections, due to which its leaders appeared as independent candidates on the ballot.
Despite this and alleged rigging by the military, PTI-backed independents defied the odds and emerged as the largest bloc. However, they were not allowed to form the government, and a last-minute coalition of PML-N, PPP, MQM and others was given the green light.
Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic Disqualification
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris 2024 Olympics after being found 100 grams overweight for the women’s 50kg category just before her gold medal bout. After defeating top contenders, including defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki, Phogat was on the cusp of gold, only to see her dreams shattered at the mandatory weigh-in.
This disqualification ended her bid to become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic gold in wrestling. Despite an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the decision stood, leaving India reeling from a missed Olympic medal. A dejected Phogat soon announced her retirement, marking a tragic conclusion to her career.
India’s Triumph in the T20 World Cup
India clinched their second T20 World Cup title after a 17-year hiatus, defeating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final. Captain Rohit Sharma made history by becoming the first-ever captain to win 50 T20Is, further solidifying his legacy in the sport.
Expansion of Cricket in the United States
The 2024 T20 World Cup featured matches in the United States, including a high-profile India vs. Pakistan game held at a pop-up stadium in Long Island. This initiative was part of the ICC’s broader strategy to globalize cricket and tap into new markets, marking a pivotal moment in the sport’s history.
Typhoon Yagi (Enteng)
In early September, Typhoon Yagi struck parts of East Asia, leading to approximately 844 deaths. The typhoon brought torrential rains and strong winds, causing severe flooding and landslides.
Enga Landslide in Papua New Guinea
On May 24, a catastrophic landslide in the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea resulted in a tragic loss of life, with estimates ranging from 670 to over 2,000 fatalities. The disaster buried entire villages, making rescue operations challenging. -
Women’s rights under threat in Bangladesh amid growing radicalism, intolerance
Dhaka (TIP): Bangladesh is not going to become another Iran or Afghanistan, as far as the rights of women are concerned. Nevertheless, it’s women who are bearing the brunt of the recent political upheaval in the country.
The radical elements which have the support of the present interim government seem to be on a mission to muffle the freedom that women have had until now.
“I have never covered my head or face with a scarf and never will. I am a woman and enjoy being one, why should anyone object to what I wear? Things have changed for the worse. A woman wearing western clothes is often subject to cat calls, threatened or looked down upon,’’ Naseem Rahat Bano*, a writer in Dhaka told TNIE.”
“We will not give in to the radicals who seem to be getting comfortable inside our once tolerant country,” added Bano. She is most comfortable wearing western dresses and enjoys having a glass of wine while socializing.
It is not just older women but even teenage girls who are now being sermonized and admonished.
“My teenage daughter is under peer pressure to cover up as she fears being bullied and trolled. When we are at home she is fine, but the world has changed outside though we are optimistic that this would not be a permanent feature,’’ said Bano.
There is a lot of concern and fear, which is also experienced by men who support women for the choices they make.
“I am ok with whatever the women in my family want to wear but get extremely worried when they are out of the house and fear their being bullied, scoffed at and even attacked in public. Our country has gone offtrack. Our history is being denied, Pakistan has become a friend from being a foe and India is viewed as an enemy even though it has been a supporter all through,’’ said Rafik who works with a publishing house in Dhaka.
Interestingly, when there was a regime change, the narrative was against the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. Four months since then, the narrative appears to be changing yet again but in her favour.
Whether the situation on the ground changes or remains the same is yet to be seen, but until then women like Bano will continue resisting the radical forces to protect their rights which include the freedom to wear what they want. (AFP) -
Pakistani man charged for plotting to kill Donald Trump
NEW YORK (TIP): A Pakistani citizen has been charged in an elaborate plot that reads like a spy thriller to assassinate Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, who announced the charges against Asif Merchant on Tuesday, August 5, indicated that the target was Trump, but did not name him.
“For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani,” he said. Trump was the US President who ordered the killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020, which points the assassination plot towards Trump. According to court documents, others may also have been intended victims because of the mention of targets in the plural.
Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) Chief Christopher Wray said, “This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook.”
The alleged plotter, who is also known as Asif Raza Merchant, told officials that he has two wives, one each in Pakistan and in Iran, as well as children in both countries.
In the complaint filed in the Federal court in Brooklyn, the plot reads like a spy thriller with an elaborate scheme to burglarize the home of a target, creating diversions with protests and rallies, and killing the politician. It also included a show of bonding between Merchant, 46, and the undercover officers he thought were professional killers.
The court papers said the plot involved multiple elements: stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; planning protests, and killing a politician or government official.
Merchant made up code names for each element in the plot: “tee-shirt” for protests, “flannel shirt” for stealing documents, “fleece jacket” for the assassination, and “yarn-dye” for their meetings. To entice the person, he contacted first and who informed officials, Merchant told him that he has an uncle in the “yarn-dyed” business in Pakistan and he could go into business with them.He asked the government source he thought was an assassin for hire to explain how the target would die in different scenarios.
The revelation about this plot comes less than a month after the July 13 failed assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. However, there does not seem to be a connection between the plot by Merchant and that attempt, which officials have said was carried out by a lone wolf, a person unconnected to any group or organization.
The plot failed because Merchant tried to recruit FBI agents for the assassination attempt.
“Fortunately, the assassins Merchant tried to hire were undercover FBI agents,” said Christie Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director of the New York FBI Field Office.
He was arrested on July 12 as he was getting ready to catch a flight out of the country.
Merchant arrived in the US in April from Pakistan after spending time in Iran, according to the version of the plot in court papers.
He contacted a person he thought could help him and that person reported it to law enforcement and became a confidential source. In mid-June, Merchant met with people he thought were hitmen, but were undercover US law enforcement officers (the UCs) in New York.
He told them he wanted them to steal documents, arrange protests at political rallies, and kill a “political person”.
The plot would have to be carried out after he left the country and in either the last week of August or the first week of September they would be told who the target was, Merchant told the undercover officers. He received $5,000 from overseas and made a down payment to the undercover agents.
According to the court papers, one of the agents said after getting the money, “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” to which Merchant responded: “Yes, absolutely.”
Political violence is a constant worry in the US.
Last week, a man was arrested in Virginia for allegedly threatening to kill the Democratic Party presidential nominee Kamala Harris. “Kamala Harris needs to be put on fire alive. I will do it personally if no one else does… I want her to suffer a slow agonizing death,” Frank Lucio Carillo posted on a right-wing social media site, according to the FBI complaint in a Federal court. He also allegedly threatened President Joe Biden and FBI Chief Wray.
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Calls for revenge echo at Haniyeh’s funeral; Tehran vows ‘punishment’
TEHERAN (TIP): Iran held a funeral ceremony on August 1 with calls for revenge after the killing in Tehran of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in a strike blamed on Israel.
Thousands of mourners paid respects to Haniyeh as the Israeli military confirmed that an air strike in Gaza last month killed the Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led prayers for Haniyeh ahead of his burial in Qatar, having earlier threatened a “harsh punishment” for his killing.
In Tehran’s city center, crowds, including women shrouded in black, carried posters of Haniyeh and Palestinian flags in a procession and ceremony that began at Tehran University.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced the day before that Haniyeh and a bodyguard were killed in a pre-dawn strike on Wednesday, July 31, on their accommodation in Tehran.
It came just hours after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in a retaliatory strike in the south of Lebanon’s capital Beirut, raising fears of a wider regional conflict as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues.
Senior Iranian officials including President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief, General Hossein Salami, attended the ceremony for Haniyeh, state TV showed. Qatar-based Haniyeh had been visiting Tehran for Mr. Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony on Tuesday. Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s foreign relations chief, vowed during the funeral ceremony that Haniyeh’s message will live on and “we will pursue Israel until it is uprooted from the land of Palestine”.
Mr. Pezeshkian later told Mr. Hayya that Iran “will continue to support with firmer determination on the Axis of Resistance”, Iran-aligned regional groups that include Hamas, the official IRNA news agency said.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, “It is our duty to respond at the right time and in the right place.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the strikes in Tehran and Beirut represented a “dangerous escalation”.
All efforts, he said, should be “leading to a ceasefire” in Gaza and the release of hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said Wednesday, March 31, that a ceasefire in Gaza was still the “imperative”, with White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby later adding that the twin killings “don’t help” regional tensions.
The killings come with regional tensions already inflamed by the war in Gaza, a conflict that has drawn in Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
One of those groups, Yemen’s Huthi rebels, “declared three days of mourning” for Haniyeh, with political leader Mahdi al-Mashat expressing “condolences to the Palestinian people and Hamas” over his killing, according to the group’s Saba news agency.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, meanwhile, spoke by phone after the attack with his acting Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri to discuss “the latest developments in the region”.
The UN Security Council also convened an emergency meeting Wednesday, March 31 at Iran’s request to discuss the strike, with Tehran’s envoy Amir Saeid Iravani urging members to take “immediate action to ensure accountability for these violations of international law”.
Hamas has for months been indirectly negotiating a truce and hostage-prisoner exchange deal with Israel, with Egypt, Qatar and the United States facilitating the talks.
Analysts told AFP that Haniyeh was a moderating influence within the Islamist group, and that while he would be replaced, the dynamics within Hamas could change.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack that ignited war in Gaza.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 39,445 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
The prime minister of key ceasefire broker Qatar said Haniyeh’s killing had thrown the whole mediation process into doubt. “How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said in a post on social media site X.
(Source: AFP) -
Netanyahu meets with Biden, Harris to narrow gaps on Gaza war ceasefire deal
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Thursday, July 25, to discuss the war in Gaza — and the possibility of securing a cease-fire deal — with U.S. President Joe Biden and likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, an AP report says.
Mr. Netanyahu’s first White House visit since 2020 comes at a time of growing pressure in Israel and the U.S. to find an endgame to the nine-month war that’s left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza and some 1,200 dead in Israel. Dozens of Israeli hostages are still languishing in Hamas captivity. Mr. Biden reiterated in their Oval Office meeting his calls for Israel and Hamas to quickly agree to a ceasefire deal that would bring home the remaining hostages, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby. White House officials say the negotiations are in the closing stages, but there are issues that need to be resolved.
“The gaps are closable,” Mr. Kirby said. He added, “But it’s going to require, as it always does, some leadership, some compromise.”
Mr. Netanyahu, last at the White House when former President Donald Trump was in office, is headed to Florida on Friday to meet with the Republican presidential nominee.
The conservative Likud Party leader Netanyahu and centrist Democrat Biden have had ups-and-downs over the years. Mr. Netanyahu, in what will likely be his last White House meeting with Mr. Biden, reflected on the roughly 40 years they’ve known each other and thanked the president for his service.
“From a proud Jewish Zionist to a proud Irish American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Biden at the start of their meeting.
A U.S.-backed proposal to release remaining hostages in Gaza over three phases is something that would be a legacy-affirming achievement for Mr. Biden, who abandoned his reelection bid and endorsed Ms. Harris. It could also be a boon for Ms. Harris in her bid to succeed him.
Following their talks, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu met with the families of American hostages.
For Ms. Harris, the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu is an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the mettle to serve as commander in chief. She’s being scrutinized by those on the political left who say Mr. Biden hasn’t done enough to force Mr. Netanyahu to end the war and by Republicans looking to brand her as insufficient in her support for Israel. A senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said there is “no daylight between the president and vice president” on Israel. Ms. Harris’ last one-on-one engagement with Mr. Netanyahu was in March 2021, but she’s taken part in more than 20 calls between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu is trying to navigate his own delicate political moment. He faces pressure from the families of hostages demanding a cease-fire agreement to bring their loved ones home and from far-right members of his governing coalition who demand he resist any deal that could keep Israeli forces from eliminating Hamas.
Mr. Netanyahu, in a fiery address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, offered a robust defense of Israel’s conduct during the war and lashed out against accusations by the International Criminal Court of Israeli war crimes. He made the case that Israel, in its fight against Iran-backed Hamas, was effectively keeping “Americans boots off the ground while protecting our shared interests in the Middle East.”
“Remember this: Our enemies are your enemies,” Netanyahu said. “Our fight, it’s your fight. And our victory will be your victory. ”
(Agencies) -
India advises citizens against travel to Israel and Iran amid rising tensions between the two countries
NEW DELHI (TIP): India on Friday, April 12, asked its citizens not to travel to Iran or Israel amid escalating tensions between the two countries following a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria 11 days ago.
Iran blamed Israel for the strike and there have been fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israel soon.
In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also urged the Indians residing in Iran and Israel to exercise utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to minimum.
“In view of the prevailing situation in the region, all Indians are advised not to travel to Iran or Israel till further notice,” it said.“All those who are currently residing in Iran or Israel are requested to get in touch with Indian Embassies there and register themselves,” the MEA said. “They are also requested to observe utmost precautions about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum,” it added.
(Source: PTI) -
An expanding Gaza war, with no endgame in sight
As the Gaza conflict reverberates across the region, West Asia could sleepwalk into Armageddon
“Targeted killings serve no useful purpose: while the deceased leaders are quickly replaced, the assassinations increase mutual hostility and escalate tensions. The worrying possibility is that Mr. Netanyahu might not be averse to a regional conflagration: following the political and military failures that facilitated Hamas’s October 7 attacks and with no military success to speak of so far, now, with the Supreme Court rejecting his judicial reforms proposals, the Prime Minister faces the imminent prospect of resignation, arrest and imprisonment. Could a desperate Netanyahu not wish to seize this opportunity to obliterate all Palestinian resistance, eliminate Hezbollah as a fighting force, and debilitate Iran as a threat?”
By Talmiz Ahmad With the Gaza war having reached its three-month mark, it has spread dangerously to Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and even Iran. On January 2, an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in Beirut, killed Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of the Hamas leadership located abroad. The next day, two explosions in Kerman, at the mausoleum of General Qassem Soleimani, former head of the Al Quds Force, killed 95 people who had gathered at the shrine to mourn on the fourth anniversary of his assassination. Though the Islamic State has claimed responsibility, many Iranians suspect it to be Israeli’s hand.
And, on January 4, the United States announced the targeted killing of the head of an Iran-affiliated militia in Baghdad that has been attacking American targets since the beginning of the Gaza war. These attacks have occurred amidst the ongoing skirmishes in the Red Sea’s waters over the last several weeks, with the Houthis targeting commercial shipping with drones and missiles and inviting strong U.S. retaliation. The Houthis have demanded that humanitarian assistance be provided urgently to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza.
These attacks have escalated tensions in the already volatile region that is reeling from the death and destruction wreaked by Israel in Gaza since early October. Over the last three months, over 22,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, while nearly two million have been displaced, the largest displacement of Palestinians in history. An extraordinary humanitarian catastrophe faces the two-million strong Palestinian community in Gaza.
Netanyahu could pursue escalation
Israeli troops have also expanded their military operations to the West Bank: nearly 300 Palestinians have been killed, several thousand taken into detention, and numerous homes destroyed. Israeli cabinet Ministers have complemented the violence of their soldiers by calling for the cleansing of Gaza of Palestinians and the resettlement of the enclave with Jewish settlers.
The major concern at present is that a desperate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might pursue the escalation trajectory as, despite the mass killings in Gaza, Israel has very little to show for its efforts: though committed to the destruction of the Hamas war machine and of the movement itself, no prominent Hamas leader has been apprehended in Gaza, while Hamas continues to inflict damage on Israeli soldiers in the ground fighting. A few thousand women and children have been detained by Israeli security to reveal the location of Hamas leaders, with no apparent success so far.
There are concerns that al-Arouri’s killing was carried out to proclaim some success in the war on Hamas. Saleh al-Arouri, by all accounts, was a soft target. Though he has been a prominent presence in the Hamas leadership, in recent years he had been located in Beirut and was principally liaising with Hezbollah and Iran. Most reports suggest that he had no involvement with the planning or execution of the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Peace is distant
Targeted killings serve no useful purpose: while the deceased leaders are quickly replaced, the assassinations increase mutual hostility and escalate tensions. The worrying possibility is that Mr. Netanyahu might not be averse to a regional conflagration: following the political and military failures that facilitated Hamas’s October 7 attacks and with no military success to speak of so far, now, with the Supreme Court rejecting his judicial reforms proposals, the Prime Minister faces the imminent prospect of resignation, arrest and imprisonment. Could a desperate Netanyahu not wish to seize this opportunity to obliterate all Palestinian resistance, eliminate Hezbollah as a fighting force, and debilitate Iran as a threat?
The reason why this prospect is even being raised is because, through the three-month war in Gaza, no major player has exhibited a vision or a strategy regarding the endgame and the “day after” the cessation of hostilities. Beyond bellicose claims relating to the extermination of Hamas and ethnic cleansing of the occupied territories, Israel has shown no clarity about its war aims or the management of Gaza after the war. Certainly, there is no mention of a longer-term peace process. Thus, mass killings in Gaza and provocative targeted assassinations in the neighborhood have become ends in themselves.
A role for Saudi Arabia
The U.S. has been in search of a policy from day one. Beyond its total political and military support for Israel, the Biden administration has shed crocodile tears over humanitarian concerns, but achieved nothing on the ground. The region’s already discredited hegemon appears incapable of insisting on a peace process — obviously, the clout of Israel’s right-wing supporters in Washington have paralyzed the government and lulled it into somnolence.
The Arab states have exhibited neither voice nor leadership so far: beyond pointless conferences and resolutions, there is no sign of a consensual and forceful approach to the broader Palestine issue or even concerns about regional security.
The principal responsibility for ushering in peace now rests on Saudi Arabia. It alone has the regional and global standing to insist that its views be deferred to. Having shrugged off its subordination to U.S. diktat, it has been confidently pursuing an independent foreign policy that resonates positively with the world’s leading powers. Palestinian interests and regional peace require robust and pro-active Saudi initiatives, which have been missing so far.
This is the time when West Asian rulers and their people should be on the same side to serve the region’s interests. Failing that, they will be swept away in the tidal wave of regional conflict they have done nothing to prevent.
(The author is a former Indian diplomat)
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India beat Iran to defend men’s Asian Kabaddi Championships title
The Indian men’s kabaddi team beat Iran 42-32 in a high-voltage final to defend its Asian Championships title on June 30.
It was India’s eighth title in the continental championships. Iran started aggressively, but the Indians were up to their tasks. Captain Pawan Sehrawat helped India inflict the first All-Out with two touch points and gave his side a 10-4 lead.
India kept building pressure on the Iranians and produced another All-Out. India were leading 23-11 at half time. Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Chiyaneh tried to lead his side make a comeback but they ended up conceding another All-Out to trail 14-33. India maintained their stranglehold and sealed the issue. -
G7 countries call for world without nuclear weapons
- G7 favors stiffening sanctions against Russia
HIROSHIMA (TIP): Leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations called on Friday, May 19, for a “world without nuclear weapons”, urging Russia, Iran, China and North Korea to cease nuclear escalation and embrace non-proliferation, a statement released by the White House showed.
Russia’s nuclear rhetoric and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus “are dangerous and unacceptable,” and Russia should return to full implementation of New START treaty, the leaders said in the statement. The leaders also agreed on Friday to stiffen sanctions against Russia, while a draft communique to be issued after their talks in the Japanese city of Hiroshima stressed the need to reduce reliance on trade with China.
G7 leaders said they had ensured that Ukraine had the budget support it needs for this year and early 2024. “Today we are taking new steps to ensure that Russia’s illegal aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine fails,” they said in a statement. A French government plane took Zelenskyy to the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia and will later take him to the G7 summit in Hiroshima, a source familiar with the matter said.
Ukraine wants its allies to be bolder in imposing sanctions on Russia, including by targeting banks that provide financial services to serving soldiers, a senior adviser said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government wanted pragmatic measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia. G7 members are prepared to build “constructive and stable relations” with China while acting in their national interests, according to a draft version of their communique.
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Saudi, Iran restore ties, say they seek Mideast stability
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (TIP): Long-time Mideast rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia took another significant step toward reconciliation April 6, formally restoring diplomatic ties after a seven-year rift, affirming the need for regional stability and agreeing to pursue economic cooperation.
The agreement was reached in Beijing during a meeting between the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, a month after China had brokered an initial reconciliation agreement between the two regional powerhouses.
The latest understanding further lowers the chance of armed conflict between the rivals, both directly and in proxy conflicts around the region. It could bolster efforts by diplomats to end a long war in Yemen, a conflict in which both Iran and Saudi Arabia are deeply entrenched.
April 6 announcement also represents another diplomatic victory for the Chinese as Gulf Arab states perceive the United States slowly withdrawing from the wider region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian laid out details of Thursday’s agreement in a tweet, after his talks with Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
The minister wrote that Thursday marked the beginning of “official diplomatic relations … economic and commercial cooperation, the reopening of embassies and consulates general, and the emphasis on stability, stable security and development of the region.” Amirabdollahian said that the issues are “agreed upon and on the common agenda.”
The official Iranian news agency, IRNA, said that in addition to reopening embassies in the two capitals, diplomatic missions would start operating in two other major cities — Mashhad in Iran and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The report said both sides also agreed to study the prospects of resuming flights and official and private visits between the two nations, in addition to how to facilitate the visa process for their people.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the two foreign ministers signed a joint statement and expressed their determination to improve ties in line with their talks in Beijing last month.
Thursday’s talks in Beijing marked the first formal meeting of senior diplomats from the two nations since 2016, when the kingdom broke ties with Iran after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts there. Saudi Arabia had executed a prominent Shiite cleric with 46 others days earlier, triggering the demonstrations.
The warming of ties shows that “regional countries have the will and ability to take the lead” in maintaining peace, Mao said at the briefing.
She said China is ready to support both sides in fostering good relations, urging the international community to help the Middle Eastern countries resolve their differences.
“The colonial hegemonic tactics of stirring up contradictions, creating estrangement and division should be rejected by the people all over the world,” she said. (AP)
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Ukraine War, Chinese Protest, Imran Khan’s Ouster; top global Events in 2022
The year 2022 has been a tumultuous one, with many uprisings, new faces coming to prominence and dictators losing hold of power. It has been a year of economic shockers, from the West to the East. Needless to say, it has been a year of clashes and of new alliances.
This year saw a significant rise of leaders like Ukraine President Zelensky, French President Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. On the other hand, prominent international leaders, considered to have clout, including former US President Trump and Brazilian President Bolsonaro lost their power.
There were several prominent events which shaped 2022 in their own ways. To name a few, the Ukraine War, Sri Lankan Economic crisis and the unprecedented protests in China defined the year in their unusual ways.
UKRAINE WAR
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began earlier this year in February, has entered its 300th day this month, proving to be a tough challenge for both Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began a blitzkrieg assault on Kyiv taking over the eastern and southern part of the country, is now facing challenge to keep the war going amid reports of ailing health and internal strife.
So far, over 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine. For the Ukrainians, this winter is going to be tough with Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plans and consecutive Russian missile attacks. However, the war has shaped the hero out of Ukraine’s President Zelensky, who not only stood against the Russian aggression, but also managed to forge a western unity.
SRI LANKAN CRISIS
The Sri Lanka protests which started in April had led to the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and two-time President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Sri Lankan crisis, which started as a protest in Colombo, spread across the country with the people demanding reforms in the government.
Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected President through a parliamentary vote, in which the Rajapaksas’ party backed him in July. The government blamed the Covid pandemic, which badly affected Sri Lanka’s tourist trade, and later led to a shortage of fuel and foreign dollars. However, many experts blame President Rajapaksa’s poor economic mismanagement.
The country continues to remain under crisis with Colombo anticipating the IMF loan to secure the country’s economy.
OUSTER OF IMRAN KHAN
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who came to power in 2018, is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament earlier this year.
Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership, which he alleged was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of his independent foreign policy decisions on Russia, China, and Afghanistan.
Since he lost the vote in Parliament, Khan has mobilized mass rallies across the country, whipping up crowds with claims that he was a victim of a conspiracy by his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and the United States.
IRAN PROTESTS
Iran has been rattled by protests over opposition to the mandatory hijab law as thousands of common citizens have taken to the streets.
Iran has been rocked by protests since September 16, with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the morality police. The protests have since morphed into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy installed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
So far, the country’s police have arrested renowned actresses, footballers, actors and influencers for supporting the protests. It has also executed two protestors for participation in the protests.
RARE PROTEST IN CHINA
China saw two major developments this year- Xi Jinping becoming President for the third time and rare protests weeks after against tough anti-Covid restrictions.
In November, thousands of people took to the streets in several major cities across China, including Beijing and Shanghai, to call for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms, in a wave of protests not seen since pro-democracy rallies in 1989 were crushed.
Despite heavy crackdown, surveillance and censorship, the protests expanded into calls for broader political freedom and left a major negative impact on the reputation of Xi and the Party.
US MIDTERM ELECTIONS
The midterm elections in the US, which is usually seen as a mandate against the ruling government, failed to make a Republican sweep as the Democrats gained razor-thin control of the Senate, while the Republicans got a narrow margin against the dems in the House of Representatives.
However, the misterms was special in the sense that it rained down on the ambitions of former President Donald Trump, who was looking forward to run for the second term, his “Make America Great Again” movement and the broader Republican agenda.
A silver lining which came out of the midterm elections for the Republicans has been the victory of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is seen as the possible challenger to Trump and a possible source of revival for the GOP.
Surging inflation, ongoing strikes, economic crisis and war in Europe: the new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces these major challenges. Sunak came to Power after his predecessor Truss resigned after just 44 days in power.
After 12 years in power, the Conservative party is more divided than ever. Earlier this year, Boris Johnson had resigned as PM in July after losing the confidence of some 60 ministers.
Sunak has become the fifth Tory prime minister since 2016 — following David Cameron, Theresa May, Johnson and Truss. The challenges continue to mount for Sunak, who hopes to get his country out of the economic and political mess.
BOLSONARO’S EXIT
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, lost election in October in a nail-biting presidential vote count against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Almost from the start of his controversial mandate in 2019, Bolsonaro racked up accusations and investigations for everything from spreading disinformation to crimes against humanity. He survived more than 150 impeachment bids — a record.
Most of these were over his flawed management of the coronavirus pandemic, which claimed the lives of more than 685,000 people in Brazil — the world’s second-highest toll after the United States.
On January 1, 2023, Bolsonaro’s arch-rival, leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will take over the reins once more and Bolsonaro loses his presidential immunity.
COP27 SUMMIT
The UN COP27 climate summit in Egypt had some success and some failures. While the summit achieved a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries cope with devastating climate impacts, the talks stalled on key issues and failed to secure commitments to stop greenhouse gas emissions.
Though the participating nations agreed to contribute to the cost of the harm an overheated planet causes to developing nations, but they concluded the talks without doing anything more to address the burning of fossil fuels, which is the primary cause of these catastrophes.
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Jay Mandal
More worried today than in last 50 years
(As told by Jay Mandal to Priyanka Khanna)
Asked to put my thoughts together about India, my home country, and global affairs – I simply could not get myself to see the silver lining.
Those who know me, know that I am rarely downcast. And when I managed to circumvent the world on a rickety bicycle, traversing the length and breadth of 154 countries back in 1970s and 1980s, I developed a deep sense of hopefulness for the human race. So often I had no place to sleep in the 17 years that I rode my cycle solo but somehow, I always found food and water to sustain me even in God forsaken places.
And I did grow more hopeful than most people when I was helped by perfect strangers on countless occasions, survived accidents, even facing wild elephants in southern Africa that few feel were survivable, besides facing the full fury of nature during my cycling days. So, when I ended my tour and began covering Indian and global affairs from my base in New York, I did so through my lenses and with the heart of a survivor.
But after spending the year 2021 waiting for the promised recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2022 made me truly sad. Starting from revelations of how deep corruption is steeped in the State where I come from – West Bengal – to Russia’s war on Ukraine, the state of women in Afghanistan, Iran and so many other places, to the lack of specific actions against Climate Change – which is already a reality and not a possibility – left me wondering if I have seen any similarly bad phase while chronologizing global and Indian affairs over the last five decades.
I have covered the UN and the White House here in the US just as well as I have witnessed history in the making at 7 Racecourse in Lutyens’ Delhi for half-a-century, but I haven’t heard so much collective bad news from all corners of the world in such a short time.
What bewilders me more is that the pandemic showed us the importance of working together swiftly to contain a contagious pathogen. Yet, the hope that coming out of 2020 we will learn lessons and work more closely together seems dashed. Yes, there is a lot of good that is happening as well but on the whole I feel this year we had more misses than hits.
Beyond the more obvious attention-grabbing headlines, this year saw collapse of entire economies right at India’s southern Island Nation of Sri Lanka as well as global tensions raising over Algeria, Belarus, Morocco, Turkey, Taiwan, South China Sea, Korean peninsula, Gaza, Iran’s nuclear programme, the opening up of Arctic routes, the escalation of tensions in India’s own backyard with Pakistan and China and of course the ongoing global trade wars.
While India has actually done very well on many fronts in 2022, did well on Sri Lanka front, is now on at the helms of the influential G20 and is set to become the most populous country in the world in 2023, I am entering 2023 worrisome and apprehensive. My only hope really is that this too shall pass so I end by wishing for more consensuses in Indian and global affairs.
(Jay Mandal is a Veteran photo-journalist and world Traveler)
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CIFF MARKS 18TH EDITION
By Mabel PaisFeaturing
- SHAUNAK SEN’S All That Breathes
- GEETA GANDBHIR & SAM POLLARD’S Lowndes County And The Road To Black Power
- NEHAL VYAS’S Dapaan
- SOHIL VAIDYA’S Murmurs Of The Jungle
- SHRUTIMAN DEORI’S My Courtyard (Ne Sotal)
- KAVITA PILLAI’s Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn)
The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) for its 18th edition presents feature and short films and documentaries. The festival takes place in person from September 15-18 at venues in Camden and Rockland, Maine, and online from September 15-25 for audiences across North America.
A program of the Points North Institute, CIFF remains widely recognized as a major platform championing the next generation of nonfiction storytellers and one of the hottest documentary and industry festivals on the festival and awards calendars. This year’s edition is the most international and formally adventurous to date and includes 34 features and 37 short films from over 41 countries. Over 60% of the entire program is directed or co-directed by BIPOC filmmakers and this is the 6th consecutive program the festival has reached gender parity within the program and across all competitions. Nearly half of the feature program will be US or North American premieres, including several new titles fresh from Venice, Locarno, and TIFF premieres, alongside award-winning films from Sundance, Rotterdam, Cannes, and Visions du Reel.
This year’s program celebrates the diversity of voices and forms in documentary and cinematic nonfiction,” says Ben Fowlie, Executive and Artistic Director of the Points North Institute, and Founder of the Camden International Film Festival. “These films help us make sense of an ever-changing world, and do everything we expect from great art – they ask provocative questions and interrogate the form. This year’s program emphasizes the international that represents the ‘I’ in CIFF, and reminds us time and again of the limitless creative potential and potency of the documentary form. Just as we have been for each of the past seventeen years, we are grateful to the filmmakers who have made these works of art and shared these stories.”
CIFF 2022 FEATURES
5 DREAMERS AND THE HORSE
Dirs: Aren Malakyan & Vahagn Khachatryan | Armenia, Georgia, Germany |
US Premiere
A COMPASSIONATE SPY
Dir: Steve James | USA, United Kingdom
AFTER SHERMAN
Dir: Jon-Sesrie Goff | USA
ALL OF OUR HEARTBEATS ARE CONNECTED THROUGH EXPLODING STARS
Dir: Jennifer Rainsford | US Premiere
ALL THAT BREATHES
Dir: Shaunak Sen | India, USA, UK
BURIAL
Dir: Emilija Škarnulytė | Lithuania, Norway | US Premiere
COWBOY POETS
Dir: Mike Day | UK, Scotland, US | World Premiere
CROWS ARE WHITE
Dir: Ahsen Nadeem | Japan, Ireland, USA
DAY AFTER…
Dir: Kamar Ahmad Simon | Bangladesh, France, Norway
DESCENDANT
Dir: Margaret Brown | USA
DETOURS
Dir: Ekaterina Selenkina | Russia, Netherlands | US Premiere
DOS ESTACIONES
Dir: Juan Pablo González | México, with France, USA
EAMI
Dir: Paz Encina | Paraguay, Argentina, Mexico, USA, Germany, France, The Netherlands | North American Premiere
FORAGERS
Dir: Jumana Manna | Palestine | North American Premiere
GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE
Dir: Jacquelyn Mills | Canada
Dir: Carlos Pardo Ros | Spain | North American Premiere
HERBARIA
Dir: Leandro Listorti | Argentina, Germany | North American Premiere
I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE
Dir: Reid Davenport | USA
IN HER HANDS
Dirs: Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen | USA, Afghanistan | US Premiere
IT IS NIGHT IN AMERICA (É Noite na América)
Dir: Ana Vaz | Italy, Brazil, France | North American Premiere
LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER
Dirs: Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Pollard | USA
MATTER OUT OF PLACE
Dir: Nikolaus Geyrhalter | Austria | North American Premiere
MY IMAGINARY COUNTRY (Mi País Imaginario)
Dir: Patricio Gúzman | Chile, France | Sneak Preview
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
Dir: Jason Kohn | USA
POLARIS
Dir: Ainara Vera | Greenland, France | North American Premiere
REWIND & PLAY
Alain Gomis | France, Germany
All That Breathes. (Photo: pointsnorthinstitute.org) Dir: Chris Smith | USA
SUBJECT
Dir: Jennifer Tiexiera, Camilla Hall | USA
TERRANOVA
Dirs: Alejandro Alonso & Alejandro Pérez | Cuba | North American Premiere
THE AFTERLIGHT
Dir: Charlie Shackleton | UK
THE TERRITORY
Dir: Alex Pritz | Brazil, Denmark, USA
THIS MUCH WE KNOW
Dir: Lily Frances Henderson | USA | World Premiere
WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND (LO QUE DEJAMOS ATRÁS)
Dir: Iliana Sosa | USA, Mexico
CIFF 2022 SHORTS
ARALKUM
Dirs: Daniel Asadi Faezi, Mila Zhluktenko | Germany, Uzbekistan |
North American Premiere
THE ARK
Dir: Amira Louadah | Algeria, France | North American Premiere
THE ARTISTS
Dirs: Noah David Smith, Elizabeth L. Smith | USA | World Premiere
BELONGINGS
Dir: Alex Coppola | USA
BIGGER ON THE INSIDE
Dir: Angelo Madsen Minax | USA | Sneak Preview
BRAVE
Wilmarc Val | France | US Premiere
CALL ME JONATHAN
Dir: Bárbara Lago | Argentina | US Premiere
CONGRESS OF IDLING PERSONS
Dir: Bassem Saad | Lebanon, Germany
CONSTANT
Dir: Beny Wagner, Sasha Litvintseva | Germany, United Kingdom
DAPAAN
Dapaan. (Photo: pointsnorthinstitute.org) Dir: Nehal Vyas | USA
DEERFOOT OF THE DIAMOND
Dir: Lance Edmands | USA | World Premiere
ECHOLOCATION
Dir: Nadia Shihab | USA
EVERYTHING WRONG AND NOWHERE TO GO
Dir: Sindha Agha | USA, United Kingdom | World Premiere
THE FAMILY STATEMENT
Dir: Grace Harper, Kate Stonehill | USA
FIRE IN THE SEA
Dir: Sebastián Zanzottera | Argentina | North American Premiere
THE FLAGMAKERS
Dirs: Cynthia Wade, Sharon Liese | USA | World Premiere
LA FRONTIÉRE (THE BORDER)
Dirs: Katy Haas, Megan Ruffe | USA, Canada | Sneak Preview
HANDBOOK
Dir: Pavel Mozhar | Germany, Belarus
IRANI BAG
Dir: Maryam Tafakory | Iran, Singapore, United Kingdom
LA FRONTIÉRE
Dirs: Katy Haas & Megan Ruffe | USA | work in progress
LIFE WITHOUT DREAMS
Dir: Jessica Bardsley | USA, France
LUNGTA
Dir: Alexandra Cuesta | Mexico, Ecuador | North American Premiere
MASKS
Dir: Olivier Smolders | Belgium | North American Premiere
MOUNE
Dir: Maxime Jean-Baptiste | Belgium, French Guiana, France
MURMURS OF THE JUNGLE
Dir: Sohil Vaidya | India
MY COURTYARD (NE SOTAL)
Dir: Shrutiman Deori | India | North American Premiere
NAZARBAZI
Dir: Maryam Tafakory | Iran
ONE SURVIVES BY HIDING
Dir: Esy Casey | USA, Philippines
PACAMAN
Dir: Dalissa Montes de Oca | Dominican Republic
PARADISO, XXXI, 108
Dir: Kamal Aljafari | Palestine, Germany | North American Premiere
SEASICK
Dir: João Vieira Torres | Brazil, France | North American Premiere
SOLASTALGIA
Dir: Violeta Mora | Cuba, Honduras | North American Premiere
SOMEBODY’S HERO
Dir: Morgan Myer | USA
THE SOWER OF STARS (EL SEMBRADOR DE ESTRELLAS)
Dir: Lois Patiño | Spain | US Premiere
SUBTOTALS
Dir: Mohammadreza Farzad | Poland, Germany, Iran | North American Premier
SWERVE
Dir: Lynne Sachs | USA
UNSINKABLE SHIP
Dir: Lamia Lazrak, Josie Colt | USA | North American Premier
WECKUWAPOK (THE APPROACHING DAWN)
Dirs: Jacob Bearchum, Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Chris Newell, Roger Paul, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector, and Lauren Stevens | USA
WECKUWAPASIHIT (THOSE TO COME) Weckuwapasihtit (Those Yet to Come)
Weckuwapok (The Approaching Dawn) (Photo: pointsnorthinstitute.org) Dir: Geo Neptune, Brianna Smith | USA
WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Dir: Nathan Truesdell | USA
TICKETS
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POINTS NORTH INSTITUTE
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(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality.)
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Death toll from Pakistan floods reaches 1,186
Islamabad (TIP): The death toll from flash floods triggered by record monsoon rains across much of Pakistan reached 1,186 on September 1, as authorities scrambled to provide relief materials to tens of thousands of affected people. Record monsoon rains in the last three decades triggered floods which inundated one third of the country, including most of Balochistan and Sindh provinces.
“So far 1,186 people have died and 4,896 injured while 5,063 kms of roads damaged, 1,172,549 houses partially or completely destroyed and 733,488 livestock killed,” said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the main body dealing with calamities.
On Thursday, the army said that some 50,000 people have been evacuated since rescue efforts began.
Foreign Office spokesperson AsimIftikhar Ahmed said that more than 33 million people have been affected due to “colossal scale of devastation”.
During a media briefing here, he said Pakistan mounted coordinated rescue and relief operations mobilising all possible resources but the sheer scale of the calamity “stretched our resources and capacities to the limit, thus necessitating support from the international community”.
The cash-strapped Pakistan government on Tuesday teamed up with the United Nations to issue a flash appeal for USD 160 million to deal with the disaster in the country that has become the “ground zero” of global warming.
“The Flash Appeal launch was well attended by Member States both in Islamabad and Geneva, Heads of UN agencies in Pakistan, representatives of international organizations, among others. Participants offered condolences and expressions of solidarity, and assured continued support for Pakistan,” the spokesman said.
He also said that Pakistan faced a “climate-induced calamity” because the monsoons were not ordinary, “as the UNSG termed them ‘monsoons on steroid’.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be visiting Pakistan on September 9-10 on an important visit to “express solidarity and international community’s support for Pakistan at this difficult time,” he said.
Talking about the outpouring of relief supplies, he said till last night, Pakistan received flood relief goods through 21 flights notably from Turkey, UAE and China.
He said a large number of countries and international organisations pledged to support and are extending cash or in-kind assistance including Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, EU, France, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkiye, the UAE, United Kingdom, the United States, Uzbekistan, along with various international organisations including World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other UN Agencies. He said Pakistan on Wednesday signed the Green Framework Engagement Agreement with Denmark in Copenhagen, which marks the first step in creating stronger collaboration in areas such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a just and sustainable green transition.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while addressing lawmakers of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz asked them to visit the flood victims with relief goods. The prime minister said that he had never seen such a calamity before. “Water has wreaked havoc everywhere,” he said.
He also asked Finance Minister Miftah Ismail to devise a plan to give relief to the flood-affected people with electricity bills. Army chief General Qamar JavedBajwa visited the Rohjan area of Punjab and met flood victims whom he assured that the Pakistan Army will help them to overcome their problems in these difficult times, the army said.
He also directed ground troops to “take this responsibility as a noble cause and spare no effort to lessen the burden of flood-affected brothers and sisters”.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Prime Minister Sharif would visit Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday and announce a relief package for the flood victims.
Separately, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) said in a statement that more than three million children were in need of humanitarian assistance in Pakistan and at increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition due to flooding.
“These floods have already taken a devastating toll on children and families, and the situation could become even worse,” the statement quoted Unicef representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil as saying.
To add to worries, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rain in September, saying that La Nina conditions — responsible for recent spells of flood-triggering deluge in the country — would persist in September but become less intense.
“Tendency for normal to above normal precipitation is likely over the country during September,” the Met Office said, predicting above-normal rainfall in northeastern Punjab and Sindh. (PTI)
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Modi has externalized his domestic agenda of spreading Islamophobia in India
Right now, India’s global reputation as a viable Democracy and a Secular nation is under scrutiny as it has descended into a major milestone of steep descent into darkness of bigotry and Islamophobia. Modi that is known to invoke values of pluralism abroad, has remained silent as Indian democracy is humiliated with international backlash. It looks like Modi has successfully externalized his domestic agenda of targeting minorities, especially the 205 million Muslims with impunity and hate speeches, and with official sanctions. Prime example is Anurag Thakur who was elevated from a Junior Minister to Independent Minister after he made a remark in Jan 2020 targeting Muslims for protesting against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors of the country)”
By Dave Makkar For the first time in the 75 years history of Independent India, the government headed by BJP’s Modi is on the biggest diplomatic firefighting mission of apology to 15 Majority-Muslim nations and 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the derogatory remarks made on Prophet Mohammed by leaders of the ruling BJP. This time it was not just Indian Muslims speaking out and protesting on the streets all across India but on June 5, 2022 the governments of Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Turkey, Maldives, Iraq, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Pakistan and Malaysia issued stinging statements condemning the comments. Some countries are demanding written apologies besides calling the Indian Ambassadors to register their protest. In some countries, there were massive street protests, and in Qatar, “Boycott India” campaign was also trending on social media.
Dinner to be hosted by Deputy Emir of Qatar for India’s VP Venkaiah Naidu was cancelled. VP Naidu was on a 3-day state visit to Qatar. Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Al Muraikhi warned in a statement that “insulting remarks would lead to incitement of religious hatred and offend more than 2 billion Muslims around the world.”
In response to this diplomatic row, the Indian embassy in Doha released a statement insisting that the comments were made by “fringe elements” and “do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India”.
The 57-member OIC . condemned the remarks and said it came in a “context of intensifying hatred and abuse toward Islam in India and systematic practices against Muslims.” OIC also urged the United Nations to take necessary measures to ensure that the rights of minorities are protected in India. The Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a halt to any sort of violence, especially the one based on perceived religious differences and hatred, amidst protests in India over the controversial remarks against the Prophet by two now-suspended BJP leaders.
This gigantic diplomatic backlash comes on the heels of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken naming India while releasing the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report (USCIRF) on June 2, 2022. Blinken said: “in India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we have seen rising attacks on people and places of worship.” Rashad Hussain, the Ambassador-at-Large for IRF called out the Indian government officials, who he said are “ignoring or even supporting rising attacks on people and places of worship.” The report also mentioned several Hindu extremist leaders; like Yati Narasinghanand, Maa Annapurna Bharti, Swami Paramatmananda, and BJP’s UP CM Yogi Adityanath, a close ally of PM Modi.
USCIRF has recommended U.S. Government to designate India as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA); Impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ or entities’ assets and/or barring their entry into the United States.
“Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors of the country)”: Anurag Thakur, Sports Minister of India. Right now, India’s global reputation as a viable Democracy and a Secular nation is under scrutiny as it has descended into a major milestone of steep descent into darkness of bigotry and Islamophobia. Modi that is known to invoke values of pluralism abroad, has remained silent as Indian democracy is humiliated with international backlash. It looks like Modi has successfully externalized his domestic agenda of targeting minorities, especially the 205 million Muslims with impunity and hate speeches, and with official sanctions. Prime example is Anurag Thakur who was elevated from a Junior Minister to Independent Minister after he made a remark in Jan 2020 targeting Muslims for protesting against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko (Shoot the traitors of the country)”
After assuming power in 2014, Modi has been allowing rather encouraging without punishment; Islamophobic remarks by members of his government, his Party BJP, state governments under BJP, Hindu organizations, Media & educational institutions. In all the BJP ruled states Muslims & Christians are openly being denied basic human rights, right to justice as well as right to worship. Muslims, especially male and female student leaders & activists are maliciously prosecuted under the directions from BJP ruled states or Modi’s central government. They are beaten & lynched in broad daylight. Muslim Houses are demolished in (Israeli style) Collective Punishment for valid protests termed as riots or turned into riots by BJP or RSS or other Hindu organizations or as unauthorized structures even if they are there for 30-40 years & some have government documents. Hindu owned houses with similar or worst status in the same vicinity are left untouched. On social media, female Muslim journalists, activist and social workers have been ferociously trolled and issued threats of the worst kind, including rape. Muslim women have been put up for sale in fake auctions. Islamophobic memes and hashtags, taunting and tainting Muslims in India has become the norm.
Also, since 2014, Islamic structures including Mosques are being targeted under the excuse that they were built 5-9 centuries ago after demolishing Hindu Temples. UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar etc. are being disputed as built on Hindu temples. BJP ruled Karnataka that is referred as “Silicon Valley of India” has gone one step further and started doing surveys of Christian Churches also to establish if they were built after demolishing Hindu temples. Whereas “The 1991 Act says that a mosque, temple, church or any place of public worship in existence on August 15, 1947, will retain the same religious character that it had on that day – irrespective of its history – and cannot be changed by the courts or the government”.
Fringe elements? Home Minister Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of UP Yogi Adityanath. Modi’s government has maintained a studied silence or at the most has always blamed “fringe elements” for such actions. They do not hesitate even to include their own National Spokesperson currently Chairman of Tourism Department, “Sambit Patra as Fringe Element”. All this appears to have emboldened ordinary Hindus to beat Muslims in public, go online and tarnish Muslims with impunity. They publicly cry about being the victim and think they are entitled to revenge for what happened from 7th to 17th century. This itself constitutes a grave danger to the protection of human rights and may lead to further prejudice and marginalization, which will create a cycle of violence and hate against Indian Muslims including public lynching.
Role of Indian Media in spreading Islamophobia in India:
The Godi Media of India Prime Time debates in India since 2014 have become a platform to encourage Hindu hate mongers to speak ill about other religions. The anchors encourage hatemongering and allow BJP or RSS or other Hindu organizations spokesperson to speak rubbish that is corrupting the moral and social fiber of the society and can incite violence against believers of other religions.
These media houses are called as Modi’s Godi (lapdog), bikau (saleable), dalal (agent) and bharkau (inflammatory) Media This is how a major section of India’s mainstream media is labelled by most Indians, especially Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus, opposition parties, as well as ½ a dozen national media — all because of their brazen support for the ruling party BJP, its ideological parent RSS and the government.
Their journalists and anchors routinely engage in spreading hatred towards the country’s 205 million Muslim population and Islam, thus nourishing Islamophobia. They also demonstrate a clear bias against the country’s low-caste Hindus, the poor, and less privileged and weaker sections of society. They openly favor the rich and powerful that owns or finance their channels. Shamelessly they promote Hindutva & Hindu Rashtra– an ideology that seeks to establish the hegemony of Hindus and the Hindu way of life — spearheaded by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its ruling political front Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Any criticism of the BJP is narrated as “anti-nationalist” and any individual challenging or demanding answers from the party is labelled “anti-Indian”.
Here is Media ranking in descending order in spreading Islamophobia in India:
Republic TV- co-founded and majority-owner Arnab Goswami is the channel’s editor and news anchor. Known for opinionated reporting in favor of BJP & RSS and their Hindutva-Hindu Rashtra agenda including uncritically reproducing government narratives, avoiding criticism of BJP/RSS figures, and presenting their political opponents in a negative light. He shamelessly shows his bias. He is the King; “No one can beat him in spreading hatred against Muslims and fake news”. On top of that no one can match him in shouting contest.
CNN News 18 owned by Poster Boy of Gangster Capitalism, billionaire Mukesh Ambani. A supporter & 2nd top financier of Modi, RSS, Hindu Rashtra; owns 65 channels: English, Hindi and 14 regional language news, business, entertainment, music, movies, youth, Kids, factual entertainment and shopping channels. Its star news anchor Amish Devgan is a Clone of Republic TV’s Arnab in shouting and arrogance, and routinely indulges in Muslim bashing and spreading fake news.
Aaj Tak – Owned by Arun Purie’s India Today Group, Aaj Tak has three of the worst Islamophobic anchors in the Indian media — Anjana Om Kashyap, Rohit Sardana and Sweta Singh. They are notorious for their vitriolic attacks against Muslims and spreading communal hatred. They routinely indulge in Muslim bashing, while show deferential surrender to anything the BJP does.
India Today (English) Also owned by Purie’s India Today Group with main anchors Rajdeep Sardesai and Rahul Kanwal. Rajdeep is mildly anti-BJP and a bit critical of Modi. Rahul Kanwal in 2020 became a full-time supporter of Modi, BJP & RSS and its ideology after a punishment for being openly critical of Modi.
Wion (World is One News) – operated by Essel Group, owns nearly two dozen Zee channels (some of them merged with Sony TV in Feb. 2022). Its chairman Subhash Chandra was a BJP supported Rajya Sabha MP till June 11, 2022. He has been promoting its Hindutva aka Hindu Rashtra agenda and anti-Muslim tirades. His star prime time news anchor Sudhir Chaudhary was jailed for demanding bribes for not publishing news; is also the editor-in-chief. He is the Hindi version of Republic TV’s Arnab as he openly supports the BJP, RSS and Modi.
Times Now- owned by Pro BJP/RSS Sahu Jain family of Times of India News paper’s Group. Rahul Shivshankar Editor in Chief, Navika Kumar Gp Editor; openly support BJP and RSS by promoting its Hindutva aka Hindu Rashtra and anti-Muslim agenda
India TV – Founder Rajat Sharma and his wife Ritu Dhawan. Rajat was a member of ABVP (Student Wing of RSS) & very close friend of late Arun Jaitley, the most corrupt Modi’s BJP Finance Minister in the history of India. He openly supports BJP and RSS by promoting its Hindutva aka Hindu Rashtra and anti-Muslim agenda.
ABP News – Owned Pro BJP Aveek Sarkar of Anandabazar Patrika Group. It used to be neutral, but it turned pro-BJP a couple of years ago. after the Modi government objected to criticism of the BJP and Baba Ramdev by its star journalists Punya Prasoon Vajpayee and Abhisar Sharma. Both were fired and Rubika Liyaquat joined to replace them to became the commander-in-chief of its news anchors. A Muslim, with angry rhetoric against Muslim leaders and do not allow any criticism of Modi or BJP or RSS or their policies.
Republic Bharat — This sister channel of Republic TV is funded by the BJP and RSS. Its anchor Sucherita Kukreti, a female version of Arnab Goswami in shouting and spitting the venom of hatred against Muslims.
Sudarshan News — Its chairman, Suresh Chavhanke, knowingly disseminates anti-Muslim content and manufactures fake news with communal overtones, which has earned him titles such as “bigot” and “dangerous”. He was a long-term RSS volunteer and associated with ABVP. And prefers that the news programs over his channel be viewed as opinionated campaigns.
News Nation – Deepak Chaurasia, the consulting editor of this channel, which is owned by News Nation Network, is known as a “puppet” of Modi. He always makes fun of all the political parties except the BJP and its allies. He is notorious for his over-the-top coverage of news issues and for being uncritical of the BJP government.
News24 (India) – Owner B.A.G. Films and Media, promoters are Anurradha Prasad, sister of BJP Union Minister R S Prasad, along with her husband, Pro BJP Congress politician Rajeev Shukla.
Ethnic Indian media in USA
Unfortunately, 97% of the Ethnic Indian media in USA are like their counterparts in India. Their anchors are no less than Arnab Goswami or Amish Devgan or Sudhir Chowdhary or Navika Kumar or Anjana Om Kashyap etc. when it comes to spreading Islamophobia and fake news while promoting BJP & RSS’s Hindutva & Hindu Rashtra agenda in USA.
A glance over the few important Islamophobic incidents in last 31/2 years that has led to the unprecedented international outcry against India for the Islamophobic comments made by ruling party BJP’s 2 senior leaders about Prophet Muhammad.
June 2018, Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochar was fired from JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai after he tweeted that followers of Islam had “terrorized” Hindus for 2,000 years.
Sep. 2018 in a public meeting, India’s Home (Interior) Minister Amit Shah compared the illegal Bangladeshi Muslims migrants with “Termites”.
April 2019 Home (Interior) Minister Amit Shah in an election rally again said, “Infiltrators are like termites in the soil of Bengal.” “A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will pick up infiltrators one by one and throw them into the Bay of Bengal,” referring to illegal Muslim immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.
April 2019, BJP’s Communal & a Criminal Hindu Priest CM Adityanath Yogi of UP the most populous state of India, spoke about a “green virus” in an election speech in reference to Muslim voters who he said were being wooed by opposition parties. In another election speech he referred Muslims as the “Taliban”
April 2019, BJP MLA Mayankeshwar Singh from UP’s Siddharthnagar in an election speech threatened Muslims with bodily harm for effectively just existing. “If Hindus in Hindustan wake up the beard will be pulled and made into a choti (a tightened braid). If you have to live in Hindustan you have to say ‘Radhe’ (chant Hindu God’s name), else, like those who went to Pakistan during the partition, you can go too… you have no use here,”
Dec 2019, PM Modi made a Islamophobic remark targeting Muslims protesting over Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA); “those indulging in arson “can be identified by their clothes”.
Feb. 2020, Modi’s Junior Minister Anurag Thakur while leading a pro CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) rally called a slogan, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalo ko (Shoot the traitors of the country)” targeting the ongoing Muslim women’s 24X7 sit in protest against CAA & NRC at Shaheen Bagh, Delhi. After Thakur’s rally, the city saw deadly communal riots which left 53 dead and 700 injured – majority of them Muslims. Shaheen Bagh protest (Dec 15, 2019 to March 24, 2020) was a peaceful sit-in protest in Delhi lead by women only. Anurag Thakur was rewarded and elevated to a Minister with independent charge in July 2021.
Nov. 9, 2019, Travesty of justice in Babri Masjid vs Ram Janma Bhumi; in a unanimous verdict the Supreme Court of India under CJ Ranjan Gogoi who was retiring on Nov. 17, 2019; awarded the land of disputed Babri Masjid to Hindus. However, the court added that the demolition of the Babri mosque was against the rule of law but do not propose any prosecution for those responsible for the demolition; basically acquitting all the 49 accused high ranking leaders of instigating the mob. Babri Masjid was built in 1528-29 and demolished by the Hindu mob under the top leadership of BJP, RSS, VHP & other militant Hindu organization in 1992. It led to riots in different parts of India that killed nearly 2,000 people. All the Hindu organizations led by BJP had started instigating the Hindus from 1989 to demolish the Mosque by making them believe that the land is the “Birthplace of Lord Ram”. On the other hand, Hindu scriptures say that “Kan Kan mei Vyape hein Ram” meaning “Lord Rama permeates every atom of this universe”. Ever since the Modi-led BJP came to power in 2014, India has seen deepening social and religious divisions. The demand for Ram Janam Bhumi became louder and clearer. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi was rewarded by Modi regime in March 2020 by making him Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) member after awarding a verdict in favor of Hindus in Dec 2019.
April 2020, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya landed in a row for a tweet he had posted in 2015 with an “objectionable and disrespectful” comment about Arab Women. “95 percent Arab women never had orgasms in last few hundred years: Tarek Fatah.” Prominent businesspeople, lawyers and commentators in Dubai and Kuwait condemned his remarks. He deleted the tweet.
April 2020, When Indians living in Dubai began posting anti-Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi as a supper spreader of Covid, Princess Hend Al Qassimi warned that “anyone that is openly racist and discriminatory in the UAE will be fined and made to leave”. Under Modi’s Home Minister Amit Shah, attendees of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi were accused of spreading the Covid-19 virus. Criminal cases were registered against several attendees including foreign nationals in the courts across India. in August 2020, the Bombay HC quashed three FIRs against 35 petitioners – 29 of them foreign nationals. The court observed: “A political government tries to find the scapegoat when there is pandemic or calamity and the circumstances show that there is probability that these foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats. Some of the charge sheeted Muslims neither attended the Delhi congregation nor were they inclined to the Tablighi ideology, as evidenced in the case of eight charge sheeted individuals, whose case was dismissed by the Delhi’s Saket district court on 25 August 2020. The SC CJ Sharad Bobde observed “evasiveness” in that the Government of India’s affidavit filed in response to petitions challenging the discriminatory and communal coverage of the Tablighi Jamaat incident by some sections of the media. He termed it as “unnecessary, nonsensical” averments. On 16 December 2020, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of a Delhi Court, Arun Kumar Garg, acquitted the 36 foreign nationals from 14 countries of all the charges levelled against them.
August 2021, BJP leader and Supreme Court lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay made anti Muslim slogans including calling for Muslims to be murdered, in a rally in favor of the uniform civil code, at Jantar Mantar, Delhi.
Sep. 2021, BJP’s UP CM Adityanath Yogi in a public rally said that prior to his government’s formation in 2017, the ration (subsidized food grains) meant for the poor would get ‘digested’ by those who utter “Abba Jaan” as a communal reference to Muslims. In several parts of India, Muslims use the phrase “Abba Jaan” to refer to their fathers or as an endearment.
Oct. 2021, Uttarakhand BJP president Mandan Kaushik told the media, “Our party line is clear that no [religious] conversion [from Hinduism] will be tolerated.”
November 2021,BJP Leader Ashwini Upadhyay was featured on a panel on the imaginary bogey of ‘thook jihad (spit jihad).’ where he said, these thook (spitting) jihadis are either being taught all this by their parents or at their madrassas (schools).” He even suggested that Muslim men may be mixing other body fluids in the food they prepare for sale to Hindus.
December 2021, Upadhyay was a notable BJP presence at the now-notorious Dharma Sansad which took place at Haridwar. Known Islamophobic Militant Hindu Priest Yati Narsinghanand called Muslims “demons”, threatened to “eliminate” them and said he is striving to create an India “free of Islam”.
Swami Prabodhanand Giri said the country now belongs to Hindus. “This is why, like in Myanmar, the police here, the politicians here, the army and every Hindu must pick up weapons, and we will have to conduct this cleanliness drive,” he said while referring to Muslims. “There is no solution apart from this.”
Maa Annapurna Bharti, alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, “Nothing is possible without weapons. If you want to eliminate their population then kill them. Even if 100 of us are ready to kill 20 lakhs of them (Muslims), then we will be victorious, and go to jail.”
Suresh Chavhanke, owner of Militant Hindu channel “Sudarhan News”, administered an oath to turn India into a Hindu-first country. “We make a resolution until our last breath: We will make India a Hindu nation, and keep it a Hindu-only nation,” he said. “We will fight and die if required, we will kill as well.” He then tweeted a video of the oath to his half a million followers.
The event concluded with an oath-taking which called for the “protection” of the Hindu religion against all those who might pose a threat to it ‘by any means necessary.
Feb. 2022, BJP MLA from UP’s Dumariganj, in a video said, “Since I became an MLA, they (the Muslims) have stopped wearing skull caps. If you vote for me again, they will start wearing tilaks.” Again on February 15, 2022 panel on India TV, he interrupted a Muslim panelist to hurl religious slurs and abuses against him, threatening to feed pig’s milk (derogatory for Muslims) to the panelist, whom he described as a “b*****d dog and an illegitimate child of Hindus”. He was seen in another video threatening Muslims and accused all Hindus who did not vote for him of being Muslims. He said, “Any Hindu who doesn’t vote for me has Miyan (Muslim) blood in his veins. He’s a traitor. He is a b*****d son of Jaichand. He’s a sinner son of his father…I am warning you this time…traitors of Hindu religion will be destroyed.” Further he goes on to threaten Muslims by saying, “Listen Muslims, if any Hindu is insulted and if you look at any Hindu girl, then I’ll get you beaten so much and cut so much…that…”. The latter part of his warning drowns out amidst ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants.
April 2022, Bihar BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul said that Muslims should be set ablaze just as Hindus burn Ravana effigies during the festival of Dussehra. Earlier in Feb 2022, he had also said that Muslims living in India should be stripped of “Voting Rights” and treated as second-class citizens.
May 2022, 3 BJP MLA’s K.G. Bopaiah, Appachuranjan and Suja Kushalappa from BJP ruled Karnataka state Assembly were present at the “Arms training camp’ organized by the anti-Islam militant Hindu “Bajrang Dal”. A viral video on social media showed youths, appearing to be minors, in possession of airguns, trishuls (Tridents) and other weapons.
May 2022 in BJP ruled MP, a 65-year-old Hindu with cognitive disabilities Bhawarlal Jain, was beaten to death by a BJP worker Dinesh Kushwaha suspecting him to be a Muslim.
NEW DELHI, INDIA – JANUARY 21: BJP candidate from New Delhi Constituency Nupur Sharma arrives at Jamnagar House to file her nominations for the upcoming Delhi Assembly Elections 2015 on January 21, 2015 in New Delhi, India. Polling in Delhi will be held on February 7 and the counting of votes will take place on February 10. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) May 27, 2022, BJP National Spokesperson & SC Lawyer Nupur Sharma’s made derogatory and insulting comments against Prophet Mohammad during a debate on Times Now with Anchor Navika Kumar on the dispute over the Gyanvapi mosque. Pro BJP Navika Kumar allowed Sharma to make insulting remarks about the prophet and his marriage. The party’s Delhi media head, Naveen Kumar Jindal, subsequently tweeted another offensive comment about Prophet Muhammad, the most revered figure in Islam. This has incensed Indian Muslims and a week later outraged more than a dozen Islamic nations.
Hindus claim that the Gyanvapi Mosque in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi is built on the ruins of a grand 16th Century Hindu shrine – destroyed in 1669 by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb – and some are now seeking a court’s permission to pray within the mosque complex.
May 27, 2022, Former Karnataka Deputy CM and at present BJP MLA Eshwarappa issued a statement to media that 36,000 temples were destroyed to build mosques over them. He stated that all of them would be reclaimed by Hindus legally.
June 5, 2022, repeat offender for Islamophobic comments including calling for genocide & derogatory comments against the Father of the Nation, Mahatama Gandhi; Maa Annapurna Bharti alias Shakun Pandey inked a letter “with her blood” to India’s President Kovind, asking him to take action against Friday Muslim prayers, which she claims are an “anti-Hindu congregation”. She said, “Friday is not a day for prayers. Instead, it is a day for terrorism. The Friday congregations by Muslims are not for worship but for the genocide of non-Muslims, loot, arson and sexual harassment. Hence, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha demands that on Fridays, the entry of Muslims in small mosques should be restricted only to 10 Muslims while 25 Muslims should be allowed in bigger ones.
If all the above Islamophobic actions were done by the “Fringe Elements” then who is promoting and supporting “Islamophobia” in India? The answer is not difficult to find. It is India’s internationally known Hinduwadi and domestically known as Hindu Heart Throb aka Hindu Hriday Samrat aka Hindu King aka Prime Minister Narendra Modi…!! Under parliamentary system fashioned after the Westminster system the prime minister is the presiding and actual head of the government and head/owner of all the departments and executive power. The head of the state, the president in India, holds a largely ceremonial position, although often with reserve powers. In case of current President Kovind, it is a well-known fact that he only speaks the language of PM Modi.
Poster Boys of Gangster Capitalism of India. L to R: Rattan Tata, Mukesh Ambani, and Gautam Adani The next question is who is financing Islamophobia and Modi that is representing each and every Hindu organization that wants to make India a “Hindu Rashtra” ? The answer is the gangster capitalist of India that is supporting Modi. The current top 3 Poster Boys of Gangster Capitalism of India are Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani, and Rattan Tata. Their net worth under Modi’s 8 years rule has gone up by 175% to 350% and now they own all the major industries, including defense and service sector of India.
“Modi’s eminence is due to the surrounding flatness of India”.
Unfortunately, here the flatness means; illiterate, communal & criminal Modi’s high reputation is only because of the terribly low morals, ethics, honesty and talents left in India these days. Since 2014, India under Modi has become a sad story. Over 60% Indians are gladly willing to pay Islamophobic Tax, even if it begets them unemployment, poverty, hunger and even starvation! No one can save a nation in death wish mode.
(Compiled by Devendra Makkar from various internet sources & writings of prominent journalists)
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Israel successfully tests new laser missile defense system
Jerusalem (TIP): Israel’s new laser missile defense system has successfully intercepted mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles in recent tests, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said April 14. The Israeli-made laser system, designed to complement a series of aerial defense systems such as the costly Iron Dome deployed by Israel, will be operational “as soon as possible,” Gantz said. The goal is to deploy the laser systems around Israel’s borders over the next decade, Gantz added.
The tests took place last month in the Negev Desert. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in February that Israel would begin using the system within a year, sending a message to archenemy Iran.
Gantz said the laser system would be part of “an efficient, inexpensive, and innovative protection umbrella.” Israel has already developed or deployed a series of systems meant to intercept everything from long-range missiles to rockets launched from just a few kilometers (miles) away.
It has also outfitted its tanks with a missile-defense system.
Little is known about the laser system’s effectiveness, but it is expected to be deployed on land, in the air and at sea.
The announcement came near the anniversary of the 11-day Israel-Gaza war, in which Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel. Israel said its Iron Dome defense system has been a great success, with a 90 per cent interception rate against incoming rocket fire.
But officials say the system is expensive to deploy, and the new laser defense will be much more cost-effective.
The Defense Ministry released a short video showing what it said were successful interceptions of rockets, mortars and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The video, which was highly edited and includes music, appeared to show a laser beam coming out of a ground station, hitting the targets and smashing them into small pieces.
Thursday’s announcement came as talks on restoring Iran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers have stalled.
Israel opposes the deal, saying it does not do enough to curb Iran’s nuclear programme or its military activities across the region, and Israeli officials have said they will unilaterally do what’s necessary to protect the country. AP
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The world in 2022: Another year of living dangerously
On the brink of a new year, the world faces a daunting array of challenges: the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, humanitarian crises, mass migration, and trans-national terrorism. There is the risk of new inter-state conflicts, exacerbated by the breakdown of the rules-based international order, and the spread of lethal autonomous weapons. All in all, for most people on Earth – and a handful in space – 2022 will be another year of living dangerously.
Middle East
Events in the Middle East will make global headlines again in 2022 – but for positive as well as negative reasons. A cause for optimism is football’s World Cup, which kicks off in Qatar in November. It’s the first time an Arab or a Muslim country has hosted the tournament. It is expected to provide a major fillip for the Gulf region in terms of future business and tourism – and, possibly, more open, progressive forms of governance.
But the choice of Qatar, overshadowed by allegations of corruption, was controversial from the start. Its human rights record will come under increased scrutiny. Its treatment of low-paid migrant workers is another flashpoint. The Guardian revealed that at least 6,500 workers have died since Qatar got the nod from Fifa in 2010, killed while building seven new stadiums, roads and hotels, and a new airport.
Concerns will also persist about Qatar’s illiberal attitude to free speech and women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in a country where it remains dangerous to openly criticise the government and where homosexuality is illegal. But analysts suggest most fans will not focus on these issues, which could make Qatar 2022 the most successful example of “sports-washing” to date.
More familiar subjects will otherwise dominate the regional agenda. Foremost is the question of whether Israel and/or the US will take new military and/or economic steps to curb Iran’s attempts, which Tehran denies, to acquire capability to build nuclear weapons. Israel has been threatening air strikes if slow-moving talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal fail. Even football fans could not ignore a war in the Gulf.
Attention will focus on Turkey’s authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose neo-Islamist AKP party will mark 20 years in power in 2022. Erdogan’s rule has grown increasingly oppressive at home, while his aggressive foreign policy, rows with the EU and US, on-off collusion with Russia over Syria and chronic economic mismanagement could have unpredictable consequences.
Other hotspots are likely to be Lebanon – tottering on the verge of becoming a failed state like war-torn Yemen – and ever-chaotic Libya. Close attention should also be paid to Palestine, where the unpopular president, Mahmoud Abbas’s postponement of elections, Israeli settler violence and West Bank land-grabs, and the lack of an active peace process all loom large.
Asia Pacific
The eyes of the world will be on China at the beginning and the end of the year, and quite possibly in the intervening period as well. The Winter Olympics open in Beijing in February. But the crucial question, for sports fans, of who tops the medals table may be overshadowed by diplomatic boycotts by the US, UK and other countries in protest at China’s serial human rights abuses. They fear the Games may become a Chinese Communist party propaganda exercise.
The CCP’s 20th national congress, due towards the end of the year, will be the other headline-grabber. President Xi Jinping is hoping to secure an unprecedented third five-year term, which, if achieved, would confirm his position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. There will also be jostling for senior positions in the Politburo and Politburo standing committee. It will not necessarily all go Xi’s way.
Western analysts differ sharply over how secure Xi’s position truly is. A slowing economy, a debt crisis, an ageing population, huge environmental and climate-related challenges, and US-led attempts to “contain” China by signing up neighbouring countries are all putting pressure on Xi. Yet, as matters stand, 2022 is likely to see ongoing, bullish attempts to expand China’s global economic and geopolitical influence. A military attack on Taiwan, which Xi has vowed to re-conquer by any or all means, could change everything.
India, China’s biggest regional competitor, may continue to punch below its weight on the world stage. In what could be a symbolically important moment, its total population could soon match or exceed China’s 1.41 billion, according to some estimates. Yet at the same time, Indian birth rates and average family sizes are falling. Not so symbolic, and more dangerous, are unresolved Himalayan border disputes between these two giant neighbours, which led to violence in 2020-21 and reflect a broader deterioration in bilateral relations.
The popularity of Narendra Modi, India’s authoritarian prime minister, has taken a dive of late, due to the pandemic and a sluggish economy. He was forced into an embarrassing U-turn on farm “reform” and is accused of using terrorism laws to silence critics. His BJP party will try to regain lost ground in a string of state elections in 2022. Modi’s policy of stronger ties with the west, exemplified by the Quad alliance (India, the US, Japan, Australia), will likely be reinforced, adding to China’s discomfort.
Elsewhere in Asia, violent repression in Myanmar and the desperate plight of the Afghan people following the Taliban takeover will likely provoke more western hand-wringing than concrete action. Afghanistan totters on the brink of disaster. “We’re looking at 23 million people marching towards starvation,” says David Beasley of the World Food Programme. “The next six months are going to be catastrophic.”
North Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship may bring a showdown as Kim Jong-un’s paranoid regime sends mixed signals about war and peace. The Philippines will elect a new president; the foul-mouthed incumbent, Rodrigo Duterte, is limited to a single term. Unfortunately this is not the case with Scott Morrison, who will seek re-election as Australia’s prime minister.
Europe
It will be a critical year for Europe as the EU and national leaders grapple with tense internal and external divisions, the social and economic impact of the unending pandemic, migration and the newly reinforced challenges, post-Cop26, posed by net zero emissions targets.
More fundamentally, Europe must decide whether it wants to be taken seriously as a global actor, or will surrender its international influence to China, the US and malign regimes such as Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
The tone may be set by spring elections in France and Hungary, where rightwing populist forces are again pushing divisive agendas. Viktor Orbán, the authoritarian Hungarian leader who has made a mockery of the EU over rule of law, democracy and free speech issues, will face a united opposition for the first time. His fate will be watched closely in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and other EU member states where reactionary far-right parties flourish.
Emmanuel Macron, the neo-Gaullist centrist who came from nowhere in 2017, will ask French voters for a second term in preference to his avowedly racist, Islamophobic rivals, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour. Polls put him ahead, although he also faces what could be a strong challenge from the centre-right Republicans, whose candidate, Valérie Pécresse, is the first woman to lead the conservatives. With the left in disarray, the election could radicalise France in reactionary ways. Elections are also due in Sweden, Serbia and Austria.
Germany’s new SPD-led coalition government will come under close scrutiny as it attempts to do things differently after the long years of Angela Merkel’s reign. Despite some conciliatory pledges, friction will be hard to avoid with the European Commission, led by Merkel ally Ursula von der Leyen, and with France and other southern EU members over budgetary policy and debt. France assumes the EU presidency in January and Macron will try to advance his ideas about common defence and security policy – what he calls “strategic autonomy”.
Macron’s belief that Europe must stand up for itself in a hostile world will be put to the test on a range of fronts, notably Ukraine. Analysts suggest rising Russian military pressure, including a large border troop build-up and a threat to deploy nuclear missiles, could lead to renewed conflict early in the year as Nato hangs back.
Other trigger issues include Belarus’s weaponising of migration (and the continuing absence of a humane pan-European migration policy) and brewing separatist trouble in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Balkans. The EU is planning a China summit, but there is no consensus over how to balance business and human rights. In isolated, increasingly impoverished Britain, Brexit buyers’ remorse looks certain to intensify.
Relations with the US, which takes a dim view of European autonomy but appears ambivalent over Ukraine, may prove tense at times. Nato, its credibility damaged post-Afghanistan, faces a difficult year as it seeks a new secretary-general. Smart money says a woman could get the top job for the first time. The former UK prime minister Theresa May has been mentioned – but the French will not want a Brit.
South America
The struggle to defeat Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s notorious rightwing president, in national elections due in October looks set to produce an epic battle with international ramifications. Inside Brazil, Bolsonaro has been widely condemned for his lethally negligent handling of the Covid pandemic. Over half a million Brazilians have died, more than in any country bar the US. Beyond Brazil, Bolsonaro is reviled for his climate change denial and the accelerated destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
Opinion polls show that, should he stand, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former president who was jailed and then cleared on corruption charges, would easily beat Bolsonaro. But that assumes a fair fight. Concern is growing that American supporters of Donald Trump are coaching the Bolsonaro camp on how to steal an election or mount a coup to overturn the result, as Trump tried and failed to do in Washington a year ago. Fears grow that Trump-style electoral subversion may find more emulators around the world.
Surveys in Europe suggest support for rightwing populist-nationalist politicians is waning, but that may not be the case in South America, outside Brazil, and other parts of the developing world in 2022. Populism feeds off the gap between corrupt “elites” and so-called “ordinary people”, and in many poorer countries, that gap, measured in wealth and power, is growing. In Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela, supposed champions of the people have become their oppressors, and this phenomenon looks set to continue. In Chile, the presidential election’s first round produced strong support for José Antonio Kast, a hard-right Pinochet apologist, though he was ultimately defeated by Gabriel Boric, a leftist former student leader, who will become the country’s youngest leader after storming to a resounding victory in a run-off.
Argentina’s president, Alberto Fernández, faces a different kind of problem in what looks like a tough year ahead, after elections in which his Peronists, one of the world’s oldest populist parties, lost their majority in Congress for the first time in nearly 40 years. Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, will face ongoing tensions with the US over trade, drugs and migration from Central America. But at least he no longer has to put up with Trump’s insults – for now.
North America
All eyes will be on the campaign for November’s mid-term elections when the Democrats will attempt to fend off a Republican bid to re-take control of the Senate and House of Representatives. The results will inevitably be viewed as a referendum on Joe Biden’s presidency. If the GOP does well in the battleground states, Donald Trump – who still falsely claims to have won the 2020 election – will almost certainly decide to run for a second term in 2024.
Certain issues will have nationwide resonance: in particular, progress (or otherwise) in stemming the pandemic and ongoing anti-vax resistance; the economy, with prices and interest rates set to rise; and divisive social issues such as migration, race and abortion rights, with the supreme court predicted to overrule or seriously weaken provisions of the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision.
The Democrats’ biggest problem in 2022 may be internal party divisions. The split between so-called progressives and moderates, especially in the Senate, undermined Biden’s signature social care and infrastructure spending bills, which were watered down. Some of the focus will be on Biden himself: whether he will run again in 2024, his age (he will be 80 in November), his mental agility and his ability to deliver his agenda. His mid-December minus-7 approval rating may prove hard to turn around.
Also under the microscope is Kamala Harris, the vice-president, who is said to be unsettled and under-performing – at least by those with an interest is destabilising the White House. Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary who sought the Democratic nomination in 2020, is a man to watch, as a possible replacement for Harris or even for Biden, should the president settle for one term.
Concern has grown, meanwhile, over whether the mid-terms will be free and fair, given extraordinary efforts by Republican state legislators to make it harder to vote and even harder for opponents to win gerrymandered congressional districts and precincts with in-built GOP majorities. One survey estimates Republicans will flip at least five House seats thanks to redrawn, absurdly distorted voting maps. This could be enough to assure a Republican House majority before voting even begins.
Pressure from would-be Central American migrants on the southern US border will likely be a running story in 2022 – a problem Harris, who was tasked with dealing with it, has fumbled so far. She and Biden are accused of continuing Trump’s harsh policies. Belief in Biden’s competence has also been undermined by the chaotic Afghan withdrawal, which felt to many like a Vietnam-scale humiliation.
Another big foreign policy setback or overseas conflagration – such as a Russian land-grab in Ukraine, direct Chinese aggression against Taiwan or an Israel-Iran conflict – has potential to suck in US forces and wreck Biden’s presidency.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to push new policy initiatives on affordable childcare and housing after winning re-election in September. But in 2021’s snap election his Liberals attracted the smallest share of the popular vote of any winning party in history, suggesting the Trudeau magic is wearing thin. Disputes swirl over alleged corruption, pandemic management, trade with the US and carbon reduction policy.
Africa
As befits this giant continent, some of 2022’s biggest themes will play out across Africa. Among the most striking is the fraught question of whether Africans, still largely unvaccinated, will pay a huge, avoidable price for the developed world’s monopolising of vaccines, its reluctance to distribute surpluses and share patents – and from the pandemic’s myriad, knock-on health and economic impacts.
This question in turn raises another: will such selfishness rebound on the wealthy north, as former UK prime minister Gordon Brown has repeatedly warned? The sudden spread of Omicron, first identified in South Africa, suggests more Covid variants could emerge in 2022. Yet once again, the response of developed countries may be to focus on domestic protection, not international cooperation. The course of the global pandemic in 2022 – both in terms of the threat to health and economic prosperity – is ultimately unknowable. But in many African countries, with relatively young populations less vulnerable to severe Covid harms, the bigger problem may be the negative impact on management of other diseases.
It’s estimated 25 million people in Africa will live with HIV-Aids in 2022. Malaria claims almost 400,000 lives in a typical year. Treatment of these diseases, and others such as TB and diabetes, may deteriorate further as a result of Covid-related strains on healthcare systems.
Replacing the Middle East, Africa has become the new ground zero for international terrorism, at least in the view of many analysts. This trend looks set to continue in 2022. The countries of the Sahel, in particular, have seen an upsurge of radical Islamist groups, mostly home-grown, yet often professing allegiance to global networks such as al-Qaida and Islamic State.
Source: Theguardian.com
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Most significant events in 2021
One good thing can be said about 2021: it wasn’t as tumultuous as 2020, which put in a claim to be the worst year ever. That, however, may be damning with faint praise. Yes, the past twelve months did bring some good news. Indeed, for a moment in early summer it seemed that COVID-19 was in the rearview mirror. However, it isn’t. And 2021 brought other bad news. So here are my top ten world events in 2021. You may want to read what follows closely. Several of these stories will continue into 2022 and beyond.
The AUKUS Deal Debuts
On September 15, President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson jointly announced a new trilateral security partnership named AUKUS. The most significant part of the deal was the U.S. pledge to provide Australia with technology to build eight nuclear-powered (but not nuclear-armed) submarines. The only other country to receive similar access to U.S. technology is the United Kingdom. The statement announcing the pact justified it as necessary to “preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific.” Although none of the three leaders mentioned China by name, AUKUS was widely seen as a response to growing Chinese assertiveness. Not surprisingly, Beijing denounced the pact as “extremely irresponsible” and “polarizing.” But China wasn’t the only country unhappy with deal. France fumed because AUKUS terminated a $37 billion agreement it struck with Australia in 2016 to build a dozen diesel-electric powered submarines. As a result, Paris recalled its ambassadors to Canberra and Washington, a move without precedent in bilateral relations with either country.Migration Crises Test Rich Countries
The downturn in international migration flows in 2020 triggered by COVID-19 continued into 2021. That didn’t translate, however, into the end of migration crises. A case in point was the southern U.S. border. By October, the number of people entering the United States illegally had hit 1.7 million over the prior year, the highest number since 1960. COVID-19, economic hardship, and political and natural events—the assassination of Haiti’s president and a subsequent earthquake sent thousands of Haitians abroad—drove the surge. But so too did the expectation that the Biden administration would be more welcoming than the Trump administration. To stem the inflow of migrants the Biden administration continued many of its predecessor’s harsh anti-immigration policies. Where it didn’t, the Supreme Court ordered it to. The European Union saw a 70 percent rise compared to 2020 in the number people entering illegally, with critics arguing that the EU was failing its duty to help migrants. A surge in migrants crossing the English Channel from France triggered a diplomatic row between Paris and London.Iran’s Nuclear Program Advances
The year began with optimism that the Iran nuclear deal might be revived three years after President Donald Trump quit the agreement. Joe Biden came to office calling Trump’s Iran policy a “self-inflicted disaster” and pledging to return to the deal if Iran returned to compliance. Making that happen was easier said than done, however. In February the Biden administration accepted an invitation from the European Union to rejoin negotiations. Diplomatic jockeying between Tehran and Washington delayed the start of talks until April. An explosion at an Iranian nuclear facility in mid-April, likely the result of Israeli sabotage, prompted Iran to announce it had begun enriching uranium to 60 percent, a level that has no civilian use though it is below the threshold required for a weapon. Five more rounds of negotiations took place before Iran’s presidential election in June, which saw hardliner Ebrahim Raisi emerge victorious. He immediately dampened speculation that an agreement was near, saying “that the situation in Iran has changed through the people’s vote.” Negotiations finally resumed in late November, but Iran walked away from the concessions it made in earlier rounds and restated its initial demand that the United States lift all the sanctions the Trump administration imposed. As 2021 came to a close, the talks were on the verge of collapse, with Iran by some estimates just a month away from acquiring weapons-grade uranium and the Biden administration facing the question of what to do should diplomacy fail.The Taliban Return to Power
The U.S. war in Afghanistan ended as it started twenty years earlier: with the Taliban in power. In 2020, President Donald Trump struck a deal with the Taliban that required withdrawing all U.S. troops by May 1, 2021. Two weeks before that deadline, President Joe Biden ordered that a complete U.S. withdrawal be concluded by no later than September 11, 2021—the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. As the withdrawal proceeded, the Afghanistan national army collapsed and the Taliban overran the country. Kabul fell on August 15, trapping thousands of foreigners in the capital city. The United States launched a massive effort to evacuate stranded Americans by August 31, a deadline set by the Taliban. The U.S. withdrawal ended on August 30, leaving behind more than one hundred U.S. citizens and as many as 300,000 Afghans who may have qualified for expedited U.S. visas. Biden called the withdrawal an “extraordinary success.” Most Americans disagreed and his public approval ratings hit new lows. Allied dignitaries called the withdrawal “imbecilic” and a “debacle” among other things. The United States spent more than $2.3 trillion on Afghanistan over two decades, or roughly $300 million a day for twenty years. More than 2,500 U.S. service members and 4,000 U.S. civilian contractors died in Afghanistan. The number of Afghans who lost their lives likely topped 170,000. Despite claiming to be different, the new Taliban government so far has looked and acted just like the one that horrified the world twenty years ago and a massive humanitarian crisis looms.Joe Biden Becomes President
“America is back.” Joe Biden made that point repeatedly in 2021. He moved quickly upon taking office to fulfill his promise to strengthen relations with America’s allies. He returned the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, renewed New START for five years, sought to revive the Iran nuclear deal, and ended U.S. support for offensive military operations in Yemen. These moves away from former President Donald Trump’s America First policies drew applause overseas; initial polls showed a sharp improvement in the U.S. image abroad. As the year progressed, however, many foreign capitals openly wondered just how different, and how sustainable, Biden’s foreign policies were. On critical issues like China and trade, Biden’s policies differed from his predecessor’s more in tone than in substance. Biden also alarmed many allies, especially in Europe, with his penchant for unilateral action. He canceled the Keystone XL pipeline, withdrew from Afghanistan, supported a waiver for intellectual property rights for vaccines, and created AUKUS without significant consultations with critical partners. The bungled Afghanistan withdrawal, the clumsy AUKUS rollout, and the slow pace of announcing ambassadors also raised doubts about the Biden administration’s competence, which had been presumed to be its strength. With Biden’s approval rating sinking at home and the odds improving that Republicans will retake one or both houses of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections, U.S. allies have to entertain the thought that Trump and America First might return to the White House in 2025.
United States Capitol attack
On January 6, 2021, a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.[note 1][28] They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize then President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated, while rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property and occupied the building for several hours. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months. -
AS I SEE IT -“Our Nation Is like None Other; President Trump Is like None Other; Our Election Was like None Other; and 2020 Civil War Continues, As China Grabs Lands and Assets.”
By Ravi Batra The Presidential Election on November 3, 2020 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, in a perverse way, was somewhat akin to 9/11 – albeit, the conflict was internal – as our Republic was convulsing, our divisions deep
and open, and the very fabric of our nation laid bare and in conflict. Despite being the
preeminent nation of laws in human history, Law & Order was unwelcome to too many of our neighbors and fellow Americans. And a nation that was inhabited by those who abandoned a society encrusted with landed gentry for one that defined “fate” and “destiny” on the wings of “merit” alone – and called it the American Dream – was now seriously flirting with Communism’s more appealing sibling, Socialism – where all get what they need and want, by just taking it from those who got ahead. Sweet and Godly “compassion,” however, is not Socialism. Thrown in the dustbin created by hubris, these new American Leaders, like the Evil Queen in “Snow White” askin
g the “mirror,” “who is the fairest of them all,” these new Leaders – elected or community loud mouths – fancy themselves “perfect,” and issue mandates for removal of Monuments – even of George Washington; my favorite, Thomas Jefferson; the scoundrel, Alexander Hamilton; and even Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator. And then there are folks who have no chance like General Robert E. Lee, who honorably accepted defeat in our great Civil War, or John Newtown, a slave-trader, who found God, became a Preacher, authored “Amazing Grace,” and helped cause slavery to be outlawed in Great Britain. Amazing Grace today defines hope itself. You need not be a devout Christian to know that Judas, who in a singular act of betrayal, gave up Jesus to the Romans and caused Him to be crucified, and, later became the well-loved “Saint Jude” – the Saint, who helps you find things you lost. Indeed, we are lost – in materiality, ego and self, which Mother Nature, heated up by global warming, is ready to eradicate humanity to save the planet – which many leaders fight about what started the fire, when every firefighter knows first “put out the fire,” then look for arsonists. I know that hubris comes easily to the ignorant or the wicked. For our cherished Republic, a gift from Founders like Ben Franklin, either do harm; both together, are an existential threat – which about eighty (80) million Biden Voters and seventy-four (74) million Trump Voters have tasted together. It is now the American Spring, in full blossom – in ways similar to the Arab Spring, and yet, in answer to it.
President Donald J. Trump at a MAGA Rally The Great Disrupter – has achieved much good, from Criminal Justice Reform to kick-starting Middle East Peace to Warp Speed Vaccine for a battle-weary population, and our fiscal house anemic and bleeding jobs and souls. But his cadre of disruption-amplifiers, from Steve Bannon, Steve Miller, and our own Rudy Giuliani, are headed for positions – personal and policy – that are more distant from “honor” and “truth,” but closer to the always sought-after “loyalty,” which weaves a path to the ever-attractive “consolidated power” – the very concept, and a goal – our cherished and honorable Founders deemed un-American, as it devalues American Exceptionalism – built, as it is, on the genius of purposefully separating “power,” by constitutional design, at every turn, and then again for benefits of redundancy – so as to deny “tyranny” a residence in these united States of America (“united,” being the humble lower case, yet more powerful, as an “adjective” always is over the proud and useless “noun.” Our original name was lower-case; our current, a noun).
To not concede the election, and to even block the Biden Transition from full access to government resources, as federal law mandates, is pure Trumpian joy to his base. By that simple statement, we have upon us a new Civil War, where slavery is not the bone of contention – for there can be no proponents of that economic model, even as slavery was not originally racist, but an aftermath of victory in war: pillage & plunder. As slaves could be of the same race. It is later, about 500 years ago that slave-trading, like Blood Diamonds, became an evil enterprise in, and with, Africa. Indeed, the bronze door knocker to my office in Manhattan is of William Wilberforce – the enlightened soul who successfully campaigned to abolish the African Slave Trade in England, supported as he was, by John Newton. Sadly, not a single person has recognized that Great Abolitionist door-knocker in my office..
This 2020 Civil War – is about Law & Order, and keeping the American Dream. They say, “[p]olitics makes strange bedfellows.” Well, no one can truly argue that Joe Biden is against Law & Order, or isn’t a great supporter of the American Dream, even as New York State Attorney General Tish James and New York County District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. appear to not only argue, but are in court dealing with President Trump, for his actions as a civilian. Of course, POTUS’ Attorney General Bill Barr has until 11:59a.m. January 20, 2021 to do likewise to President Barack Obama and inter alia, then-Vice President Joe Biden, for their official acts, etc. We are in a Twilight Zone, in more ways that desirable.
President-elect Joe Biden at a campaign rally There is no doubt that Joe Biden will be sworn in on January 20, 2021, and Kamala Harris, as an African-American woman (and situationally, also Indian-American) as our President and Vice President, respectively. The world leadership has collectively let go and breathe deeply – independent of Eric garner and George Floyd who made that act famous, as each came loaded with baggage – as normalcy, defined by centuries of wisdom embedded in protocols, will re-emerge, an state secrets will again separate policy errors from policymakers, and leave public “respect,” at maximum strength as a calibrated tool, all the way to public “insult,” leaving “private insult” to be candidly used, with the percussion effect of a table smacked in anger for emphasis. But, I write to issue a “Surgeon General’s Warning” to the body politic here at home, and across the world: Donald J. Trump may have come down the escalator almost alone on June 15, 2015 to throw his hat in the ring to be POTUS 45, but on January 20, 2021 he takes with him almost 75 million Trump Voters, and 88.9 million Twitter followers. Poetically, I note that Trump-the-POTUS has 32.8 million Twitter followers. All prior Presidents over last 50 years or more, have largely remained silent and kept quiet after leaving the White House, and declining, in the main, to opine on their successor.
“Normalcy,” at Least Political and Geopolitical, Is Now Consigned to History.
Well I hate to say this, but President-Elect Joe Biden and leaders across the world, buckle up!
As Donald J. Trump, to the great delight of his large and effusive base, will not go quietly into the night and instead, will opine even more freely on matters big and small, public and private. Republicans, let alone Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy, also are not free to go back to “normalcy,” as Trump “owns” the Republican party’s base.
We are now blessed with an activated citizenry, which makes governance more transparent, and responsive. That, used to be good. It still will be, not because we, as Americans are better than other human beings, but because we live in a nation that our Founders created with an architectural design that exceeds the Pyramids, Parthenon, Colosseum, Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal. America is designed to harness competing and ambition-driven energy for self-gain, and turn it into enhancing the public good. Pure alchemy.
Politicians who wish to be shepherds of quiet and distracted sheep, as before, will have to be on top of their game, to figure out where the public wants to go, and then get there first, so as to lead. Perhaps, Lincoln’s Gettysburg recipe, Government of, by and for the people, will finally pay dividends to the most elusive of that trilogy: “for the people.”
The lab of global suffering -The Wuhan Lab The great battle upon us is: Can Americans be safe without the Police, and can the merit-based American Dream co-exist with Socialism? And, in addition, another battle rages: Social Media, be it Big Tech or individual users, will they destroy representative democracy, as they did the media, and render it into merely Mob Rule, aka direct democracy – the one that killed the great Socrates in Athens for being a “nag” and asking the question, “why.” And, then, there is yet another battle that will render the above two irrelevant: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Mao, a mastermind and globally under-estimated, created a 100 year plan, that included their “Golan Heights” (well before Golda Meir, born in Kyiv, seized it in 1973, and Bibi Netanyahu recently renamed, Trump Heights), with the secret 1949 Karachi Agreement land acquisition, the size of which would leave one breathless; followed up, by swallowing Tibet in 1958, etc.; and reviving Chinese’s Ming Dynasty’s Tribute System – as opposed to Western Nations’ Feudalism – is Commercial favoritism and tributes paid to China, the superior nation. Their OBOR, BRI, and inter alia, AIIB, has weaponized money-giving into land-grabbing in exchange for non-payment of debt – converting unpaid loans to seizure of land and assets that a traditional war could not achieve for China. Having weaponized debt, they weaponized reefs, as in Mischief Reef, and since late last year, they weaponized Viruses by lab-engineering them to bypass human auto-immune system with a “master key,’ the spike glycoprotein, a Trojan Horse, and gave it a deceptively harmless name of coronavirus or Covid-19, and used it to start an undeclared war against us, and the rest of the world.
Unleashing this Virus is a crime against humanity. It’s like a Bond movie, where they are playing for the world. Well, sadly and infuriatingly, 250,000 Americans have died, and more will in CCP’s Undeclared War on all of us. And yet, we do nothing, other than try to find a vaccine and accuse each other of not fighting the virus correctly. Leaving China unpunished and worse, un-stopped. I tried, and failed, to get Trump as president to cancel China’s debt here, as well as globally, just to offset, in part, the damage and injury China caused. War reparations can only occur – if we are willing to stand up – or will we profit our way into slavery, Ming Style?
The recent election was a fraud on the Voters. They were told we are fighting “an invisible enemy” (or “we were not fighting the Virus correctly”) No we are not. The virus is invisible; the enemy isn’t. Indeed, look at any map – from 1949 – and all of us can all find it. Show me a current map issued by China, aside from its breathless growth, partially, illegally, it is hard to miss.Hat tip to Marcus Aurelius: Neville Chamberlain Was an Honorable and Reasonable Man.
Finally, Neville Chamberlain was the epitome of normal leadership, and saw in Hitler, our own mistakes that created the disastrous Weimar Republic and gave birth to the Third Reich. He dealt with him, in a calibrated way. He lost. Churchill begged FDR to get involved, joined up with Stalin, no angel, and faced Hitler down. Chairman Mao, and his hand-picked successors, an unbroken line of the faithful High Priests of Maoism, with President Xi Jinping being an exceptional leader worthy of not only rejuvenating the Ming Tribute system, but a reincarnation of Chairman Mao in a Brooks Brothers Business Suit.
POTUS Must Do More.
President Trump – will you ignore the Trademarks given to you and the lovely Ivanka – and use your remaining days as America’s fiduciary and defend us – as FDR did after Pearl harbor – when we have now suffered more deaths than 100 Pearl Harbors?
Wolf Warriors Stay at Home and Safe, While Virus Kills Relentlessly.
President-Elect Joe Biden – will you stand up and defend us from the Wolf Warriors that stay comfortably at home, as their Virus does its damage unrelentingly, including, Denmark’s recent discovery of a mutant strain, Cluster 5, which the WHO says is drug resistant. That means the current vaccines – Pfizer’s and Moderna’s 95% effective – are not effective against it.
We are on the precipice of an Armageddon, death-by-virus and starvation-by-lockdown, while China seizes property and assets in exchange of “debt” for “equity.” Exactly what we didn’t teach the Russians after the Berlin Wall came down, which our CPAs and Attorneys know so well to keep the capital markets robust for capitalism to work, China created a different system, just as they are creating at every level, including, making our use of sanction-capacity as a punishment irrelevant. Just ask Russia, Iran and China how they do business, and settle the business accounts outside of “SWIFT”.
n God We Trust Time to heal – may be premature – unless, President Biden can assure 74 million Trumpers that Law & Order is necessary for Public Safety, which is even more important than Public Health, and that the American Dream – meritocracy – is what our cherished separated-powers regime aimed to achieve in perpetuity. And, then, and only them, will E Pluribus Unum be a fact, instead of a slogan.
(The author is an eminent attorney based in New York. He can be reached at ravi@ravibatralaw.com Twitter @RaviBatra)
