The curriculum for study is also getting ready and in principle it has been decided that in the initial weeks of opening there will be no uniform and attendance…reports Asian Lite News.
With the Kerala government deciding to reopen all the schools in the state from November 1, it is thinking of distributing free homeopathic preventive tablets before that as a precautionary measure as Covid continues to rage in the state.
Educational institutions in the state closed in the third week of March 2020.
The final year classes in colleges are all set to resume from next week.
The daily Covid positive cases in Kerala appear to have increased yet again, after 12,161 people turned positive on Wednesday after 90,394 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, while the daily test positivity rate also went up to 13.45 per cent.
Students
The plan to distribute preventive tablets has been discussed between Education Minister V. Sivankutty and Health Minister Veena George.
“More discussions on this will be there and we are confident of ensuring that we will be able to provide these preventive tablets to all our school children before they come to the school. These tablets will be provided free of cost to the children at their homes,” said Sivankutty.
The curriculum for study is also getting ready and in principle it has been decided that in the initial weeks of opening there will be no uniform and attendance.
Minister for General Education & Labour, Government of Kerala (Wikipedia)
The curriculum for study in the first few weeks will be more of a welcoming back and would centre around well being and such issues, with the regular curriculum being kept in abeyance for a while.
More decisions on the exact nature of classes will be made by an experts committee which is preparing the road map for it. Initially there will be only 25 per cent student strength in a class, with students coming to school in turns.
Guidelines are also being readied on how many children can travel in a school bus and other vehicles.
In the Western diplomatic toolkit, Quad is at the forefront due to the assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific from military expansion and stealth economic takeover, ‘strategic trap’ to shackle nations under Chinese ‘BRI’ orbit…writes Asanga Abeyagoonasekera
Alliance gives new meaning to political boundaries on physical maps empowering coalitions with political preferences to work together. President Biden does “not seek a new Cold War”, clearly expressing at the UNGA and many other leaders are with Biden, including Indian Prime Minister Modi, where the world divided into two rigid blocks will only limit progress and prosperity to many nations. In reality, Cold War structures will resurrect when the rules-based order is threatened, and robust partnerships are required to maintain the security balance.
President Biden established a more structured alliance, the AUKUS, a week before the first-ever in-person Quad Summit in Washington DC on September 24. AUKUS, the security alliance, will enhance the capability of the US, the UK and Australia on deterrence, an expansion of underwater warfare capabilities of the nuclear-powered submarine fleet to Australia for extended patrols. With more military capacity in Indo-Pacific and substantial naval presence, the like-minded nations in the new security alliance will deter China’s aggressiveness in the South China Sea and the surrounding waters. Many like-minded nations with democratic values who subscribe to Free and Open Indo-pacific (FOIP) norms will be part of the AUKUS security structure in the future. While the security alliances are usually heavily structured, the primary informal structure with a non-militaristic space will be the Quad which is more informal. Michael J. Green from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) argues, “It’s like a dimmer, not an off-on switche It’s a flexible tool, including who joins. It’s flexible for a Korea or a New Zealand or the UK. If they decide they’re upset with China, they can send a frigate to the next exercise.” The flexibility of the Quad made it easier for nations like Singapore to join military exercises a few years ago with the Quad and many other nations to follow bilateral or trilateral naval exercises to enhance the value of a critical Quad goal, to maintain a free and open Indo Pacific (FOIP).
In the Western diplomatic toolkit, Quad is at the forefront due to the assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific from military expansion and stealth economic takeover, ‘strategic trap’ to shackle nations under Chinese ‘BRI’ orbit. “The Quad has come together due to china’s assertive behavioure and economic dependence of some countries”, explains ORF scholar Druva Jaishankar. The Quad is a non-security arrangement due to India’s appeal to leave security out of its core agenda. Focused more on securing supply-chain security, semiconductors and vaccine diplomacy was the primary focus. China was not mentioned during the summit due to the Biden administration’s idea of Quad to project a positive vision towards a vaccine, climate change, critical technologies and not a grouping to contain China.
However, Raja C. Mohan from ISAS Singapore observed, “China’s peaceful rise has not been peaceful, a concern to many nations… having bitten once [by China] people are finding alternatives.” China’s assertiveness with military expanse, the concern of human rights and coercive economic practices with stealth takeover of strategic assets promoting alternative governance structures with more militaristic regimes such as in Sri Lanka would alter the core agenda of the Quad. India, which preferred a non-military configuration for the Quad, would perhaps be forced to bring insecurity to the Quad agenda in the future to defend and protect the regional balance due to China in its immediate neighborhood.
Quad, initiated in post-Asian Tsunami in 2004, has been at the forefront during the pandemic to “play the role of a force for global good”. Explains Prime Minister Modi, “I’m confident that our cooperation under Quad will ensure prosperity and peace in the Indo-Pacific and in the world.”
Quad’s informal arrangement will allow other non-Quad nations to join and support the norms and values of democracy and international law in the future. The countries that have been direct victims of China’s aggressiveness will join the Quad to deter China in the future. The informal structure of Quad to protect and bring democratic nations together, to give protection to nations that have become victims of China’s “debt trap”, such as Sri Lanka. It will also be a balancing counterweight to Chinese expansion. The “strategic trap” is visible in Sri Lanka from its long term 99 years leased out strategic infrastructure. The Hambanthota port and Colombo Port City were the best examples of strategic expanse. While accepting and expanding the Chinese loans, Sri Lanka rejected substantial grants such as the US MCC. Recently at Carnegie Endowment, the Sri Lankan Foreign secretary explained the rejection of the US MCC grant of $480m by the government was due to “democracy and people’s power” that scrapped the project, defending that there was no China hand behind. The foreign secretary has forgotten the concocted Presidential expert commission report projecting a national security threat.
Chinese sphere of influence has now enlarged into Sri Lanka’s democratic space, where the Sri Lankan regime defends Chinese human rights in Xinjiang, clear signs of reciprocal arrangements to receive assistance from China to defend the grave human rights concerns in Sri Lanka raised by the UN High Commissioner at the 48th UNHRC session a few weeks ago. The recent expression of Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage was “we wish to remain neutral in our foreign policy”, which contravenes with the Chinese bandwagoning foreign policy posture taken by the same regime. Colombage further explained that Chinese warship arrivals are far less than India and Japanese warship arrivals to Sri Lanka, where 563 warships have visited since 2009ehinting a less significance of Chinese presence and interest from the volume of warship arrivals. Unfortunately, the ill-logical view does not capture the broader strategic danger to the Island nation and its neighbour India.
India will have two concerns with Chinese aggression and the strategic takeover of its neighbouring nations. First, to strengthen its external alliance structure, such as from Quad to bring in nations like Sri Lanka towards the norms and values of the international system rather than allowing drift from a Quasi-democracy to military control autocratic regime. This drift towards China will pose a direct threat to India’s security. While economic practices and standards are also part of Quad dialogue, supply chain security shows groups intention to work together in the economic arena where China’s place in the world economy would limit how far the Quad could achieve success in bringing standards to economic practices. Biden administration’s focus on the B3W (Build Back Better World) initiative will complement the economic infrastructure standards and supply chain security in the coming years.
Biden administration will focus more on Quad and the G-7, the two core organizing bodies that will centre on the global international system to achieve tangible results. India has a strong position and voice in both of these platforms than any South Asian nation. As mentioned by PM Modi, India is a “natural ally for the G7 countries in the fight againstauthoritarianism, terrorism and violent extremism, disinformation, and economic coercion, among other threats”.
Second, to partner and support security alliances, a more formal structure such as AUKUS will be of India’s interest since the mini-lateral compliments India’s vision towards achieving a rules-based Indo-Pacific. ORF scholar Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan aptly capture “AUKUS is an important development because it signifies the capability augmentation of one of India’s closest strategic partners, with whom it has just started a 2+2 ministerial dialogue. A strong and capable Australia is in India’s interests, that of the Quad and the broader Indo-Pacific region”.
These mini-lateral platforms will crisscross the Indian Ocean, where Sri Lanka, an important maritime nation located geo-strategically in the Indian Ocean, will be a crucial maritime partner to consider, unfortunately in the present context drifting towards Chinese orbit. Nations like Sri Lanka are essential due to their open access to the Indian ocean, where naval exercises and maritime security will be primary drivers for sustaining the mini lateral military arrangements. Sri Lanka’s security trilateral signed by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime with India and Maldives is a mini lateral in the right direction and will benefit Sri Lanka. India would require a two-pronged strategy to its northern borders and its South, the Indian Ocean. India, the only nation among the Quad nations that share a physical geographical border with China, is more vulnerable than the other Quad partners for confrontation, just like in the past. India’s challenges from its western flank, from Af-Pak, will grow with the Chinese footprint expanding in Afghanistan. From India’s South, the security balance of the Indian Ocean will be of primary interest where Sri Lanka, Maldives and other literals cannot be ignored.
The efforts of mini lateral democratic alliances such as Quad should focus more on targeted nations like Sri Lanka by the Chinese “debt and strategic trap”. Sri Lankan regime seeping away from democratic norms to a militarized rule has drifted from the Indo-Pacific configuration, a geographical flashpoint in India’s vicinity. The Quad should actively engage and seek commitment from nations like Sri Lanka, pulling towards the norms and values of a rules-based order. The country-specific strategic push from the Quad will assist Sri Lanka to recalibrate its foreign policy towards a more balanced and progressive path with international norms and values.
(Asanga Abeyagoonasekera is a geopolitical analyst, strategic advisor on security from Sri Lanka)
Metropolitan Premium Properties, a full-service real estate agency specializing in selling luxury properties, is marketing the most expensive luxury penthouse currently in Dubai…reports Asian Lite News
A top-floor five-bed penthouse triplex at the Atlantis The Royal Resort & Residences is selling for a jaw-dropping AED 180,000,000 (USD 49mn), the ultra-luxurious 25,000 sqft property has six bathrooms, an expansive outdoor deck with its own infinity pool and offers its occupants views of the Palm and the sea. There’s also a private lounge and beach, as well as access to five-star amenities.
Penthouse Master Bedroom
Metropolitan Premium Properties has seen strong demand for luxury properties from overseas investors. Last year, 30% of the transactions were from international clients, primarily from the CIS, the UK and other parts of Europe including France, Germany and Austria and this trend has continued into this year as well. One of the group’s biggest transactions was two penthouses located in the W Residence, Palm Jumeirah, which sold for AED 102 million to the same buyer in addition to a Royal Atlantis Garden Villa for AED 44 million and one in IL PRIMO Downtown for AED 42 million to a European buyer.
NIKITA KUZNETSOV, PARTNER METROPOLITAN GROUP AND CEO OF METROPOLITAN PREMIUM PROPERTIES: “Dubai has some of the most luxurious properties in the world and continues to offer its residents an unmatched lifestyle. The city emerged as one of the safest and more open cities in the world which gave residents and investors confidence in the real estate market. The people who are buying are choosing Dubai due to the high levels of safety and security the country offers, especially for high-net-worth individuals.
“Currently, we are continuing to see strong demand for luxury properties from overseas investors. Sales of properties over AED 5M accounted for 15% of the total sales in the first six months with the average sales price of high-end property increasing from AED 5M to AED 10M. We have also witnessed a spike in the number of transactions for villas and townhouses, with a notable interest and high demand for waterfront/shoreline property,” he added.
Built and operated by Kerzner, Atlantis The Royal Dubai is located on the crescent of The Palm is made up of 231 luxury apartments, 693 hotel rooms and 102 suites and is destined to become an iconic, world-renowned address.
The Residences will have expansive living and entertainment spaces with balconies or lushly landscaped terraces. All Residences offer unique uninterrupted views towards the sea or across the waters of The Palm towards the Dubai skyline.
Designed by KPF architects, the property features luxurious interior options by Sybille De Margerie who has commissioned talented artists to create unique works in materials ranging from leather, metal and porcelain to glass and gold leaf.
Known for his “misleading” speeches in congregations and social media, Ibrahim gained notoriety after claiming Antarctica was a continent hidden by global superpowers…reports Sumi Khan
Two cases have been filed against arrested controversial Islamic orator Mufti Kazi Ibrahim under the Digital Security Act and for fraud, and he has been sent to police custody for questioning.
He is also accused of being behind the assassination of progressive popular Islamic preacher Maulana Shaikh Nurul Islam Faruqi in 2014. In a case of murder against six presenters, including Ibrahim, of Islamist programmes, organised by Jamaat-e-Islami and paid by Pakistan, on different private Bangladesh television channels, it was alleged that Ibrahim of the Zakir Naik-run Peace TV had threatened to kill Faruqi in 2012.
Known for his “misleading” speeches in congregations and social media, Ibrahim gained notoriety after claiming Antarctica was a continent hidden by global superpowers, and that side-effects of the Covid vaccine are that men are developing feminine voices, while women are growing beards.
Detective Branch’s Deputy Commissioner, Cyber, Special and Serious Crime unit, Shariful Islam told IANS that police had sought 10 days custody of Ibrahim, who was arrested from his Mohammadpur residence for interrogation and presented before court on Wednesday. However, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sufian Md Noman only granted two days, while rejecting the preacher’s bail plea.
Another Dhaka court has granted the police two days to interrogate Ibrahim in custody.
Z.M. Rana filed the fraud case at Mohammadpur police station on Tuesday night while a Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer filed a DSA case on Wednesday, Mohammadpur police station officer in charge, M. Abdul Latif said.
Before being detained on Tuesday, Ibrahim in Facebook Live said some plainclothesmen were knocking at his door to take him away.
Ibrahim, besides being a Peace TV anchor, is one of the key players behind the establishment of ‘Peace International Schools’, which came under the police’s scanner for involvement in militant activities.
In 2016, police shut down one such school in Dhaka’s Lalmatia, founded in 2011 by Abdullah Zaman, who was its Managing Director, and Ibrahim, its Principal.
PIS had two campuses in Dhaka’s Lalmatia and Uttara. Later, the Uttara campus was renamed “Leader’s School”.
Peace School, Peace School and College, and Peace Islamic School were established countrywide and which used to misguide people by their name, while preaching radical Islam and instigating students to commit militant activities.
Throughout the 89-minute speech at the Labour Party conference, Sir Keir Starmer was heckled repeatedly by angry Labour activists waving red cards and interrupting speech, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday said his party will never again go into an election without a “serious plan for government.”
In a first speech addressing full Labour conference since becoming party leader 17 months ago, Sir Keir said the country faced a “big moment” that “demands leadership” – and as prime minister he would provide it, according to a BBC report.
Sir Keir set out new policies on mental health, education and housing, but it was also a highly personal speech about his own background and values.
In an 89-minute speech, the Labour leader got a standing ovation, but was heckled by some left-wingers.
Sir Keir told those barracking him in the Brighton Centre that he was about “changing lives” not “shouting slogans”, to cheers from other delegates.
With the party having lost four general elections in a row, the last one by the biggest margin since the 1930s, Sir Keir attempted to distance himself from the policies of ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn.
While he did not mention his more left-wing predecessor by name, he said: “We will never under my leadership go into an election with a manifesto that is not a serious plan for government.”
“It will not take another election defeat for the Labour party to become an alternative government in which you can trust. That’s why it has been so important to get our own house in order this week and we have done that,” he said.
After a week dominated by rows with the left, Sir Keir urged activists to come together to beat the Conservatives, at a time when energy bills are rising, petrol supplies are running short and the economy is recovering from the pandemic.
He said it will be Labour’s national mission over the next decade, “to fit out every home that needs it, to make sure it is warm, well-insulated and costs less to heat and we will create thousands of jobs in the process.”
“I can also pledge that we will also introduce a Clean Air Act and everything we do in government will have to meet a “net zero” test to ensure that the prosperity we enjoy does not come at the cost of the climate,” he said.
Sir Keir described his parents as “the two rocks of my life”, saying his father, a toolmaker, had given him a “deep respect for the dignity of work”, the BBC reported.
He contrasted his life with that of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he described as a “trickster”, a “trivial man” and a “showman with nothing left to show.”
“It’s easy to comfort yourself that your opponents are bad people. But I don’t think Boris Johnson is a bad man. I think he is a trivial man. I think he’s a showman with nothing left to show. I think he’s a trickster who has performed his one trick,” he said.
Sir Keir slammed Johnson’s address to the United Nations last week on “clearing up the mess.”
He said: “Let me quote what the Prime Minister said to the United Nations last week: “We believe that someone else will clear up the mess we make because that is what someone else has always done”.
He told Johnson to “either get a grip or get out of the way and let us clear up this mess.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was “immensely proud” of the scheme, but that it was the right time for it to close…reports Asian Lite News.
The UK’s furlough scheme is closing on Thursday, but some badly-hit sectors are saying support should continue, the BBC reported.
The scheme, which was introduced in March 2020, helped pay the wages of 11.6 million workers after Covid-19 forced large parts of the economy to close.
At the end of July it was still supporting the incomes of around 1.6m workers the latest HMRC figures show.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was “immensely proud” of the scheme, but that it was the right time for it to close.
Meanwhile, the British businesses buoyed by the UK’s economic recovery have returned £1.3 billion in furlough cash, according to new statistics.
Figures released last week showed that firms who have overclaimed or decided they no longer need payments received through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme handed back £300 million in the last three months.
In total, they have repaid £1.3 billion to HMRC since July 2020 through adjustments to claims and the voluntary disclosure service, which will continue into 2022.
“This Government stepped in to help when people needed it most, supporting nearly 12 million jobs through furlough. This worked, nearly 2 million fewer people are now expected to be out of work in the UK than previously feared,” Sunak said.
“Now with our recovery underway it is heartening to see that £1.3 billion in furlough grants have been returned as the economy recovers.”
Oscar-winner AR Rahman’s all-women ensemble’s exclusive video is released…reports Asian Lite News
Expo 2020 Dubai has released an exclusive video showing the Firdaus Orchestra performing for the first time, capturing the talent and creativity of Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman’s pioneering all-women ensemble.
Expo 2020
With just a week to go before doors open to the world’s biggest cultural gathering, the footage highlights the artistic prowess of the 50 musicians from across the Arab world, as they prepare to debut a fusion of styles and genres at Expo 2020 next month.
Starting from 23 October, the concerts will also feature works composed by A.R. Rahman for the orchestra’s inaugural performance on the global stage.
Celebrating the region’s culture and diversity, Expo 2020’s in-house orchestra – which has appointed Yasmina Sabbah as its conductor – is made up of musicians of 23 nationalities and ages ranging from 16 to 51, demonstrating how music is accessible to and for everyone.
A statement is written and released by leaders of the previous government, political leaders, and other politicians but the names of none of them has been disclosed…reports Asian Lite News
A number of former Afghan officials, who fled the country along with President Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban takeover last month, have announced the continuation of the Afghan government in exile.
A statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Switzerland read that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the only legitimate government of Afghanistan that is elected by the votes of the people and no other government can replace a legitimate one, Khaama News reported.
The statement read that Afghanistan has been occupied by external factors and based on the historic responsibility of the Afghan government after consultations with the elders of the country, they decided to announce the government in exile.
Ahmad Massoud
“After the escape of Ashraf Ghani and his rupture with Afghan politics, his first vice-president (Amrullah Saleh) will be leading the country,” the statement said.
The statement also said that the three powers of the government namely executive, judicial, and legislative will be activated soon and they have been busy consulting in this regard., as per the report.
The statement has also announced their support to the resistance front – the anti-Taliban front led by Ahmad Masoud – and has added that all the embassies and consulates of Afghanistan will be functional as normal.
The statement is written and released by leaders of the previous government, political leaders, and other politicians but the names of none of them has been disclosed.
Seven key recommendations have been put forward to feed into global discussions at the Youth4Climate Summit this week in Milan…reports Asian Lite News.
More than 2,000 young leaders and youth-led organisations from across the Commonwealth are urging governments to respect the needs and contributions of the world’s most vulnerable groups in the lead up to the global climate talks in Glasgow in November.
The Commonwealth Youth Statement on Climate Change, released on Wednesday, appeals to governments to include youth, women, the elderly and people with disabilities in decision making on climate change-related policies.
Noting that 1.5 billion people in the Commonwealth are under the age of 30, young people called on the leaders to ensure additional, predictable finance for youth-led climate action, as well as adequate social protections for vulnerable groups to cope with the climate crisis.
“We demand an end to climate inaction. Our generation will have to deal with more frequent and severe climate impacts than ever, making us one of the groups most vulnerable to its impacts,” said the statement.
Seven key recommendations have been put forward to feed into global discussions at the Youth4Climate Summit this week in Milan.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland welcomed the proposals, saying: “Young people are the true heroes in the fight against climate change. They have demonstrated a tremendous capacity to grasp the reality of the climate crisis and mobilise crucial support for climate action across groups, sectors and nations.
“Without the contributions and innovations of young people from all Commonwealth regions, the world would not have achieved the progress it has today on climate action. We need them at the table so that their voices can be heard as discussions continue on the development of effective climate policies and strategies.”
Pan-Commonwealth coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN), Leneka Rhoden said: “Never in history have young people been empowered with the social and technological tools to effect change, as we are today. We are equipped with the platform to launch projects that can help in securing our environment, our people, and our future.”
Commonwealth youth also propose capacity-building programmes to enhance youth-led ‘green’ and ‘blue’ enterprises, focusing on climate and ocean action, particularly in post-pandemic recovery efforts.
Highlighting the economic opportunities the ‘blue economy’ and renewable energy sector can offer local communities and youth, the statement calls for further commitments to ocean protection and an inclusive and equitable transition to clean energy.
Agriculture experts warned that China’s organic fertiliser importation would create an agricultural disaster in the island nation….reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lanka banned import of organic fertilisers manufactured in China after state agriculture authorities detected harmful bacteria in them for the second time.
Director General (DG) of Agriculture, Ajantha De Silva, on Wednesday urged the government to cancel the fertiliser contract with China and insisted that he would never allow organic fertiliser with harmful bacteria to enter the country.
Sri Lanka was to import 99,000 metric tonnes of organic fertiliser at a cost of $63 million from China’s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co Ltd.
On September 17, agriculture scientists in Sri Lanka found that China manufactured organic fertilisers contained a microorganism identified as ‘Erwinia’.
Agriculture experts warned that China’s organic fertiliser importation would create an agricultural disaster in the island nation. The Agriculture Ministry too confirmed this later but the Minister alleged that the samples which came to Sri Lanka could have been tampered.
Subsequently, fresh samples of China’s organic fertiliers were brought to Sri Lanka and the DG Agriculture told the media that the new samples too were infected with bacteria.
De Silva said though the presence of Erwinia could not be confirmed, the presence of harmful bacteria in this new sample was confirmed.
Subsequently, the Agriculture Ministry stated that it would halt the importation of Chinese organic fertilisers.
With an ambitious plan to go full organic, Sri Lanka has stopped importing chemical fertilisers and induced the farmers to make their own organic fertiliser.
The hasty decision has created chaos as rice farmers who were to start the biggest Maha season in September were without fertiliser. Economists, however, opined that the government decision to stop chemical fertiliser was a result of forex shortages and a lack of dollar reserves for imports.
