Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years….reports Asian Lite News
Former Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett, also leader of the pro-settler party of Yamina, announced that he has accepted a coalition deal with centrist Yair Lapid to form “the government of change” to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Bennett said in a statement on Sunday that he and Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, will work to put together a coalition government following the March 23 elections, reports Xinhua news agency.
“I intend to do all I can to form a unity government with my friend Yair Lapid to rescue the county from the tailspin and return Israel to its course,” he added.
Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years.
Lapid has till Wednesday to form a new government, otherwise there will be new elections – the fifth in the past two years with all previous four of them having failed to produce a clear majority.
Lapid’s centrist party came in second in the elections on March 23, behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.
After the March elections, Netanyahu had failed to form a government, so President Reuven Rivlin appointed Lapid to do so.
He has until Wednesday to form a new coalition government.
Bennett and Lapid have agreed to rotate as Prime Ministers, with Bennett serving first, according to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news.
Lapid is trying to ensure the support of several small parties that are far apart on the political spectrum, in order to form a minority government that would be acceptable to Arab deputies.
They are united above all by their rejection of Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption.
However, the smaller parties have widely diverging political goals.
If Lapid succeeds, it would end bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, in office since 2009, as well as from 1996 to 1999.
Citing people familiar with the development, Saudi Newspaper said that the travel ban will be lifted from 11 countries starting 1 am on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News
Excluding Pakistan, Saudi Arabia has allowed people from 11 countries to travel to the middle eastern country as it lifted travel ban from Sunday that was imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19, Gulf News reported.
Citing people familiar with the development, Saudi Newspaper said that the travel ban will be lifted from 11 countries starting 1 am on Sunday (local time). The travellers from these countries will, however, be required to go through institutional quarantine.
Travelers from the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Japan, will be allowed entry from Sunday.
“Due to stability in the epidemiological scene and effective pandemic-controlling efforts in those countries, Saudi Arabia has decided to allow travelers coming from the 11 countries, starting from Sunday 1 am, Gulf News reported quoting an official source at the Saudi Interior Ministry.
International passengers coming into Saudi Arabia are all required to undergo a seven-day mandatory quarantine period at their own expense, starting from the day of arrival, at one of the kingdom’s quarantine facilities the publication reported.
On the seventh day, they must take a PCR test, after which they will be allowed to leave quarantine if its comes back negative.
In February, Saudi Arabia temporarily halted flights with several countries, exempting Saudis, diplomats and health workers from the ban.
The 20 countries on the ban list were Argentina, the UAE, France, Germany, the US, Indonesia, India, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the UK, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, the Swiss Confederation, Lebanon, and Egypt. (ANI)
This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah…reports Asian Lite News
After a ten-years of suspension, Kuwait on Sunday announced the resumption of visas, including in family and business categories for Pakistani citizens.
This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, reported The Express Tribune.
It further reported that Kuwait had banned work visas for Pakistan in 2011 and despite attempts by previous governments the restrictions could not be lifted.
In March 2017, the then government had also announced the lifting of the ban by Kuwait during the visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the oil-rich country. However, the decision was never implemented.
The interior minister said that Pakistani families and the business community faced enormous problems with the ban on Kuwaiti visa, adding that Pakistani labour played a very important role in Kuwait’s early development, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that the restoration of work visa will create new employment opportunities for Pakistanis, adding that it would also boost trade between the two countries. (ANI)
Besides topping several global and Arab indices in different fields including smart government, telecommunication, education, health and digital solutions, reports Asian Lite News
The Digital Transformation in the UAE Report 2020 released by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has revealed the many first and the efforts made by the Emirate in making it the hub of digital transformation globally.
Besides topping several global and Arab indices in different fields including smart government, telecommunication, education, health and digital solutions, the UAE has also emerged as the leader in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the Arab region.
Commenting on the report, Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director-General of TDRA and Head of Digital Government, said, “The achievements highlighted by this report are fruits of accumulated efforts and vision of the wise leadership to set the UAE as a leading model for future foresight and happiness on basis of technology, advanced science and digital transformation. I appreciate the efforts of federal and local government entities, which worked as one team in harmony to serve the UAE’s objective of digitalising government services.”
In the health sector, UAE has been ranked first in the number of accredited medical facilities index. Accredited medical facilities which met required standards (including IT management and employment in healthcare services) reached 88.33 percent. It has been ranked 12th in health infrastructure.
In the economic sector, UAE has been ranked first in several indices, including public-private partnership and its impact on technology development, use of virtual professional networks, and government purchase of advanced technology products.
UAE has also been ranked first in the Arab region for its readiness in future index, IMD’s digital competitiveness index, and market value of information and media technology index.
With regard to capacity building, the UAE has been ranked fourth globally in the legal framework’s adaptability to digital business models, second in ICT usage, big data usage and analysis, and government future orientation.
The report also reveals on the achievements of federal and local governments in the field of digital transformation. The initiatives by the UAE includes orientation to paperless government, digital service platforms, and digital connection among government entities through the Federal Network (FedNet), UAE Pass and Government Service Bus (GSB). The initiatives also reveal the optimistic strategies approved by the government to enter the age of the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence and big data analysis.
“In the UAE, we are determined to save no efforts to enhance the due position of the UAE since the start of the Union and under directions of our wise leadership. Today, we achieved many top ranks, particularly in digital transformation, under the directions of our leadership and with the help of our national cadres. We prepare for the next fifty years to make more achievements,” said Al Mansoori.
UAE tops mobile phone network coverage
The UAE has been ranked first globally in mobile broadband internet subscriptions, mobile phone network coverage, mobile broadband subscriptions, and wireless broadband. The report referred to a set of leading initiatives related to information society and digital economy, including the E-Health Information System ‘Wareed”, robotic pharmacy, eService integration, and Human Resources Management Information System (Bayanati).
In the economic and security sectors, the UAE has made significant achievements, including the development of “Start your business in 15 minutes”, the police station in your phone, and the Hassantuk project.
The report highlighted the UAE’s smart platform for big data and transition to IPV6. The UAE is the first country at the regional level to apply IPV6, the federal network “FedNet” and the digital identity “UAE PASS”.
The report reviewed achievements made at the level of local governments of the seven emirates of the UAE, highlighting the large volume of work that has been achieved in terms of digital transformation of public services. These achievements enhance the UAE’s orientation towards a new brighter future in the era of the 4th industrial revolution, artificial intelligence, space and the digital knowledge society.
Forty years to the top
The report states the story of digital transformation in the UAE, which started in the early 1980s with the establishment of the Public Information Authority. That authority was responsible for the automation of government processes and the introduction of computer in federal government work. The report highlighted some achievements in the digital world till 2021, the year of the UAE golden jubilee and preparation for the next fifty years.
Juhi Chawla alleges that actions of regulatory agencies reveal an utter derogation of their own statutory duty in order to advance private interests…reports Asian Lite News
A law suit filed by actress Juhi Chawla in the Delhi High Court on the health risks associated with the 5G telecom technology has said that there has been a complete sell-out by the regulatory agencies in order to advance private interests.
The suit documents said that the regulatory agencies have been tasked to protect the health and life of the public, but whose actions reveal an utter derogation of their own statutory duty in order to advance private interests, this sell-out naturally being on account of extraneous considerations provided by private interests.
The suit addressed the “dire and palpable risks to the public at large which an indiscriminate and admittedly untested rollout of the 5G cellular telecommunications technology entails”.
“In other words, no one party/individual can be allowed to profit at the expense of health, safety and life of others,” the suit said.
The suit pointed out that Brussels in Belgium, while recognising the health hazards, became the first major city in the world to actually halt any further steps in the 5G rollout.
It also pointed out that insurance companies like Lloyds of London and Swiss Re have refused since 2001 to cover the risk of telecom providers against lawsuits relating even to injury related to radiation, much less death.
In the suit, Chawla along with Veeresh Malik and Teena Vachani argued that until and unless the 5G technology is “certified safe”, its rollout should not be permitted, seeking directions from the court in this matter.
Chawla said if the telecommunication industry’s plans for 5G come to fruition, “no person, no animal, no bird, no insect and no plant on Earth will be able to avoid exposure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to levels of RF radiation that are 10x to 100x times greater than what exists today”.
These 5G plans threaten to provoke serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to all of the Earth’s ecosystems, she said.
The country also termed the recently unveiled US policy on the North “just trickery,…reports Asian Lite News
North Korea on Monday slammed the United States for lifting all restrictions on South Korean missiles as a “stark reminder” of Washington’s hostile approach to Pyongyang.
The country also termed the recently unveiled US policy on the North “just trickery,” Yonhap News Agency reported.
The first reaction of North Korea comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden agreed at their May 21 summit to use diplomacy to resolve the North’s nuclear standoff and to terminate all “missile guideline” restrictions on the flight range and warhead weight of South Korean missiles.
As per the news agency, North’s criticism appeared to be restrained as it was couched in a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) article under the name of an international affairs critic, rather than official government statements.
“The US, doggedly branding the measures taken by the DPRK for self-defence as violation of UN ‘resolutions,’ grants its allies unlimited right to missile development. It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue,” the article stated.
“The termination step is a stark reminder of the US hostile policy toward the DPRK and its shameful double-dealing,” it said. “Lots of countries now view the US key DPRK policy, namely ‘pragmatic approach’ and ‘maximum flexibility’ produced by the Biden administration with much effort as just trickery.”
DPRK is the acronym of the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In the summit, the two countries reaffirmed the belief that diplomacy and dialogue are essential for achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea has yet to respond to the call for dialogue, as per NHK World. (ANI)
US Navy warships sailing through the South China Sea (Photo twitter@USNavy)
The sources said the American officials were not sure of the destination of the Iranian naval vessels, but they believe “they may be ultimately headed for Venezuela.”…reports Asian Lite News
US national security officials are reportedly monitoring two Iranian ships which are believed to be headed to Venezuela, according to a news report.
The Politico, citing three people familiar with the matter, said “an Iranian frigate and the Makran, a former oil tanker that was converted to a floating forward staging base, have been heading south along the east coast of Africa.”
The newspaper said the move could be perceived as “provocative” amid tense US-Iranian relations, the Arab News reported.
The sources said the American officials were not sure of the destination of the Iranian naval vessels, but they believe “they may be ultimately headed for Venezuela.”
Three weeks ago, a US Coast Guard ship had fired warning shots during a close encounter with vessels belonging to the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in the Strait of Hormuz.
Six US Navy vessels escorting the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine, encountered 13 IRGCN fast attack boats while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Iranian boats approached the US formation at high speed, closing in as close as 150 yards (about 137 metres).
The US Coast Guard Cutter Maui fired about 30 warning shots from a machine gun before the Iranian boats left, Kirby added.
That was the second such encounter in two weeks.
In April, a US Navy patrol ship fired warning shots as IRGCN vessels approached to an “unnecessarily close range” in international waters of the northern Persian Gulf.
The incident came days after the US Navy seized an illicit shipment of weapons, including thousands of small arms and dozens of anti-tank guided missiles, from a stateless dhow in the North Arabian Sea.
Though US-Russia relations are on rough patch, the White House had confirmed that it was moving ahead with the summit between the two leaders….reports Asian Lite News
President Joe Biden will press his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to respect human rights when the two leaders meet on June 16 in Geneva, according to reports.
“I’m meeting with President Putin in a couple weeks in Geneva making it clear we will not, we will not stand by and let him abuse those rights,” Biden was quoted as saying during a speech honouring the US holiday Memorial Day.
Though US-Russia relations are on rough patch, the White House had confirmed that it was moving ahead with the summit between the two leaders.
Last week, Microsoft flagged a cyberattack on US government agencies by Nobelium, the group behind last year’s SolarWind hack that originated from Russia. However, Moscow said it had nothing to do with the attack.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had earlier informed that Biden and Putin will discuss “the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship.”
Earlier this month, the White House said that President Biden believed that his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will be a good step forward in the US-Russia relationship to de-escalate tensions and have stable relations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov(Twitter)
“There is not a meeting with the President locked in yet. Obviously, the President, our President invited him to participate in that meeting because he thinks it would be a good step forward in the relationship to de-escalate, to ensure we have a more stable relationship moving forward, but there is no meeting to confirm at this point in time,” she said.
Last month, Biden held a phone call with Putin, where he had voiced his concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.
He had reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues between the United States and Russia.
The conversation came in the backdrop of Washington imposing sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals for their alleged interference in the 2020 US presidential election and the purported hacking of US software supply chain networks.
Meanwhile, Russia has continued to refute all accusations of its engagement in US elections meddling and cyberattacks. (with inputs from ANI)
The report was published on Sunday by Denmark’s national broadcaster DR News, in collaboration with Swedish, Norwegian, German and French media…reports Asian Lite News
Danish Defense Intelligence Service (FE) has given the US National Security Agency (NSA) open internet access to spy on senior politicians of neighbouring countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a media report said.
The report was published on Sunday by Denmark’s national broadcaster DR News, in collaboration with Swedish, Norwegian, German and French media, Xinhua news agency reported.
The media outlets found out some “startling conclusions” in a secret internal investigation on the FE dubbed as “Operation Dunhammer” which was concluded in May 2015.
A significant conclusion in the Dunhammer report, according to DR News, is that the NSA has purposefully obtained data and thus been able to clandestinely spy on targeted heads of state, as well as neighbouring Scandinavian leaders, top politicians, and high-ranking officials in Germany, Sweden, Norway, and France.
Danish Minister of Defence Trine Bramsen responded to the report by sending an email to DR News, saying that the government will not “enter into speculation about any intelligence matters from the press or others… Systematic wiretapping of close allies is unacceptable”.
However, the governments of Norway and Sweden are pressing Denmark and demanding immediate answers about the alleged NSA espionage through Danish cables.
“We demand to be fully informed about matters concerning Swedish citizens, companies and interests. And then we have to see how the answer sounds from a political side in Denmark,” Swedish Minister of Defence Peter Hultqvist told state broadcaster SVT on Sunday.
However, according to DR News’ report, the information about the NSA’s espionage through cooperation with the FE should already have been known by the Defence Minister as details were included in a four-volume statement that Bramsen received from the FE in August 2020.
In the statement, the FE was accused of obtaining and passing on information about Danish citizens, according to local media.
Bramsen has harshly criticized the failure by the FE’s management to follow up on or investigate further signs of espionage within the area of the Ministry of Defence.
There are indications that the FE has “initiated operational activities in violation of Danish law”, he said.
The ratio of households owning guns is up from 32 per cent in 2016…reports Asian Lite News
Gun sales in the US have continued amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests, and about a fifth of all Americans who bought arms last year were first-time owners, a media report said.
The New York Times report on Sunday quoted research data from Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center as saying that 39 per cent of American households own guns, and of the new owners, half were women, a fifth were Black and a fifth were Hispanic.
The ratio of households owning guns is up from 32 per cent in 2016, The New York Times said, quoting the General Social Survey, a public opinion poll conducted by a research center at the University of Chicago.
“While gun sales have been climbing for decades, they often spike in election years and after high-profile crimes, Americans have been on an unusual, prolonged buying spree fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic, the protests last summer and the fears they both stoked,” said the report.
In March last year, the report added, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998.
And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks, it said.
“There was a surge in purchasing unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Garen J. Wintemute, a gun researcher at the University of California, Davis, was quoted as saying.
“Usually it slows down. But this just kept going.”
Gun. (File Photo: IANS)
With the pandemic accelerating the trend of rising gun sales, the pace has continued this year.
Americans bought more than 2.3 million guns in January, the highest since last July, and overall in the first quarter, sales jumped 18 per cent, compared to the first quarter of 2020, said The Trace, a news outlet that tracks gun sales.
Meanwhile, shooting incidents with four or more fatalities in the US in 2021 have reached 17, compared to the whole year number of 23 in 2020, and 36 in 2019, according to Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit research group.
Broadening the scope to include gun violence injuries, the GVA counted 610 incidents in which at least four people were shot last year, compared with 417 in 2019 and 336 in 2018.
Under the GVA definition, there have been 231 mass casualty shootings in the US so far in 2021, more than one per day.
