Modi promised the world that India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, would share its therapeutic solutions with the global community…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses on the occasion of Word Youth Skill Day via video conferencing from New Delhi on July 15, 2020. (Photo: IANS/PIB)
For the second time in a week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tore into the outdated structures of the United Nations, turning the mirror on the global body and urging it to fix its internal crisis so that it could reflect the world as it exists today rather than as it was in the 1940s.
“For how long will India be kept out of the decision making structures of the United Nations?” Modi questioned the UN.
“When we were strong, we were never a threat to the world, when we were weak, we were never a burden to the world”, he said.
Modi promised the world that India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, would share its therapeutic solutions with the global community.
“India is proud of the fact that it is one of the founding members of the United Nations. On this historic occasion, I have come to this global platform to share the sentiments of 1.3 billion people of India,” he said.
“The world of 1945 was significantly different from today’s world. The global situation, sources, resources, problems, solutions. All were quite different. And as a result, the form and the composition of the United Nations was established with the aim of global welfare, but in accordance with the prevailing situation of those times.”
“Today, we are in a completely different era. In the 21st century, the requirements and challenges of our present as well as our future are vastly different from those of the past.”
“Therefore, the international community today is faced with a very important question whether the character of the institution constituted in the prevailing circumstances of 1945 is relevant, even today, with the changing times,” Modi said.
A list of 38 new areas in England, including the entire city of London, has been added to a coronavirus “watch list” due to recent spike in the number of confirmd cases, the media reported on Saturday.
The new figure has increased the total number of areas on the list to 92 places , including all 33 London boroughs, the Metro newspaper reported.
Four areas — Leeds, Stockport, Wigan, Blackpool — have been escalated to the “areas of intervention” on list.
Meanwhile, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees have been added to “areas of enhanced support”, which means they could placed under a local lockdown.
Corby, Northampton, Peterborough and Stoke-on-Trent have been removed from the watch list.
Currently, there are around 17 million Britons living under some kind of restrictions due to the pandemic.
The development comes as scientists have warned the UK’s ‘R’ rate, which measures how quickly Covid-19 is spreading, is up once again from last week, reports the Metro newspaper.
According to data released the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on Friday, showed the estimate for ‘R’ for the whole of the UK was between 1.2 and 1.5.
On Friday, the UK registered another single-day case recorded.
With 6,874 new cases, the overall tally has increased to 425,766, while the death toll stood at 42,025.
United Nations: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses at the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at United Nations on Sep 27, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
In a tweet, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti decried Khan’s attacks as “warmongering and obfuscation”…reports Arul Louis
United Nations: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses at the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at United Nations on Sep 27, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
The Indian delegate at the United Nations General Assembly session on Friday walked out in protest when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan began attacking India in his speech at the high-level meeting.
First Secretary Mijito Vinito, who was sitting on the second seat in the first row of the Assembly chamber, stood up and left as soon as Khan turned on India by focusing on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In a tweet, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti decried Khan’s attacks as “warmongering and obfuscation”.
Khan’s pre-recorded speech was screened at the General Assembly chamber during the annual meeting stymied this year by the Covid-19 precautions.
A new element tucked into Khan’s 34-minute speech, more than a third of which was devoted to India, was a call for the Security Council to send its peacekeeping force to Kashmir by drawing a parallel to East Timor, now known as Timor-Leste.
“The Security Council must prevent a disaster conflict (in Kashmir) and secure the implementation of its own resolutions, as it did in the case of East Timor,” Khan said.
Mijito Vinito, a first secretary in India’s United Nations Mission replies to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s attacks on India in his speech at the High-Level session of the UN General Assembly on Friday, September 25, 2020. (Photo: UN/IANS)
The Security Council authorised international intervention and sent peacekeepers in the aftermath of the Indonesian invasion of the former Portuguese colony, but a parallel would require such a force to clear Pakistanis in Kashmir in defiance of its resolution demanding their withdrawal.
Khan also declared a thinly veiled support for the attacks on India by the militants.
“The government and the people of Pakistan are committed to standing by and supporting the Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their legitimate struggle for self-determination,” he said.
To preemptively deny the involvement in any Pakistan-sponsored attacks on India, Khan said, “We have consistently sensitised the world community about a false flag operation.”
Khan alleged, “India is playing a dangerous game of upping the ante against Pakistan in a nuclearised environment.”
In his tweet, Tirumurti said, “PM of Pakistan’s statement a new diplomatic low at 75th UN General Assembly. Another litany of vicious falsehood, personal attacks, warmongering and obfuscation of Pakistan’s persecution of its own minorities and of its cross-border terrorism. Befitting Right of Reply awaits.”
At the start of his speech with religious platitudes, Khan declared his commitment to an even more stringent theocratic state before accusing India of moving away from secularism.
“We envisage Naya Pakistan to be modelled on the principles of the state of Medina, established by the Holy Prophet Mohammed,” he declared.
Later, the premier of the Islamic republic, which constitutionally denies full citizenship rights to non-Muslims as well as Muslims of the Ahmadiyya sect, asserted that India is giving up on the secularism of Mahatma Gandhi and is moving towards a “Hindutva” state.
“The secularism of Gandhi and Nehru has been replaced by the dream of creating a Hindu Rashtra,” he asserted.
Khan’s attacks on the RSS is to try to build up support for his cause, which has so far seen only Turkish support, by linking it to Nazism as his attacks on India have not found any backing.
Khan was silent on the persecution of the Uighur minority in China, Pakistan’s patron, and Beijing’s verified creation of camps for internment of the Muslim minority and campaign to eradicate their cultural and religious identity.
But he claimed that according to “reports”, there were camps in India filled with Muslims.
He also accused India of changing the demography of Kashmir and suppressing its cultural identity.
He invoked the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir and said the Council should enforce them.
However, the main resolution on Kashmir — No. 47 — demands that Pakistan should withdraw its troops and personnel from Kashmir.
Sajjad Raja, Chairman of the National Equality Party JKGBL.
Chairman of the National Equality Party JKGBL, Sajjad Raja exposed the human rights violations imposed by Pakistan in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The activist’s voice stuttered while appealing before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to stop Pakistan from treating the PoK residents like animals.
Prof Sajjad Raja, while making an intervention during the 45th Session of the UNHRC in Geneva said that the POK election Act 2020 has taken away all constitutional, civil and political rights of the citizens of the POK region.
“We the people of Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir plead this august council to stop Pakistan from treating us like animals. The Azad Kashmir elections Act 2020 has taken away all of political, civil and constitutional, rights. Our activities opposing accession to Pakistan have been declared anti-state in flagrant violations of United Nations Resolutions,” said Raja, He further said, “We are treated as traitors in our own home simply for defending it. By declaring our political activities illegal, this act gives the Pakistan Army a free hand to assassinate our people through targeted killings and enforce disappearances.”
Raja said that Pakistan is “brainwashing” the young minds on both sides of the border in Jammu and Kashmir, thus, “making them cannon fodder in the proxy war with India.” He also submitted before the council that Pak continues to run terror camps in the area.
Speaking on the recent claim of Pakistan on Gilgit Baltistan, Raja said, “Pakistan is now trying to declare disputed territory of Gilgit Baltistan as its province, thus, depriving our people of their land and their identity and culture. Pakistan’s revisionist moves would throw the whole world into a brutal war.”
He concluded the statement by expressing the hope that the grievance of the people be heard and begging the peace loving world to help them break away the chains.
Now more than 3 million Uyghurs are detained in concentration camps because of their ethnic identity. Millions more are literal slaves in factories across China. Yes, the Chinese regime has once again normalized and glorified slavery in the modern age …. A special report by Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs
My people, the Uyghurs, have lived in Central Asia for over 2000 years. Since the Chinese Communist government’s occupation in 1949, the government has relentlessly destroyed Uyghur culture and religion.
Now more than three million Uyghurs are detained in concentration camps because of their ethnic identity. Millions more are literal slaves in factories across China. Yes, the Chinese regime has once again normalized and glorified slavery in the modern age. Much of the world’s cotton comes with a cost much higher than what the literal price might indicate. Because much of the world’s cotton comes complicit with active genocide. It is hard to see beauty when the strands that make up the picture come from the blood, sweat, tears, and death of the Uyghur people.
September this year marks two years of my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas’s abduction by the Chinese government. She was taken because of my activism here in America. It pains me to even think that a medical doctor is held in a labor facility forced to make these products for these globally renowned companies. This just begs the question: who is the buyer of my sister’s slave labour?
Every time I look at one of these complicit brands, and each time I see their logo, I am stabbed in the heart as I wonder if my sister, a retired medical doctor who was thrown into the camps, was forced to make these products. My sister was taken 2 years ago this week. Since then I have had no word of why she was detained, where she is being held, or her condition. She is in China’s concentration camps, and quite likely being forced to make your clothing. Just two months ago, the U.S. Customs and Border Control seized thirteen tons of human hair that had been produced from Uyghur slaves. Thirteen tons…how many lives does this represent? Is this my sister’s hair?
Should China be rewarded with hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games while committing genocide racial motivations? The US government and civil society must let companies know that backing the 2022 Olympics is more than being a bystander to China’s genocide, its supporting it. This should lead some global companies to retreat from sponsoring Beijing 2022. The dignity of the international community and the principles of the IOC are being tested. While undermining the rule of law and international norms, China is the last country in the world fit to carry on the Olympic legacy and host the international games.
China blames faith of Uyghur Muslims for concentration camps in Xinjiang. (source:uyghurcongress.org)
The IOC must acknowledge that moving forward with Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is complicit with genocide. The IOC claims it received assurances from Chinese government authorities “that the principles of the Olympic Charter will be respected in the context of the Games”. Should we believe the killer’s testimony in spite of the evidence against him? Sadly, we are going to see a repeat of the 1936 Munich Olympics when Adolf Hitler announced the opening of the Olympic games while running a holocaust if there is not tangible action to stop it. Chinese officials carry out genocide while they hide their money in overseas investments. Uyghurs should not merely become human collateral for short-term politics and economic benefits for some countries!
During this pandemic that was brought to the world by the totalitarian Chinese regime, China’s actions to deny, keep quiet, misinform, punish whistleblowers, and create a security crackdown, are what made this virus from Wuhan a global pandemic today. This has resulted in increased attention on China and their actions to conceal, deceive, and bribe in order to avoid any responsibility, however, requests for transparency have been continually met with threats and so-called wolf diplomacy approaches from China. At present, China is testing medications and vaccines on Uyghurs in East Turkistan and they are being used as guinea pigs to test treatments.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (Xinhua/Ju Peng, Wang Ye/IANS)
And now, Disney released its live-action version of Mulan. The beloved Disney movie first hired Chinese actress Liu Yifei, who made comments in August of last year supporting Hong Kong’s police amid criticism of their use of force against pro-democracy demonstrators. And recently, it came as a massive shock when the end credits of the film include a thank you to the Turpan Public Security Bureau (PSB), the entity that is directly responsible for the mass detention of Uyghurs in concentration camps, as well as numerous other genocidal crimes. They also thank the publicity departments of Turpan and “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”, which are the committees responsible for producing state propaganda about the Uyghurs. In other words, those responsible for disguising the PRC’s genocidal crimes. This is blatantly normalizing genocide.
Halal organ transplants advertised from a Chinese hospital in Arabic come from my people! During the first coronavirus outbreak, Chinese hospitals advertised performing double-lung transplants. In airports in China there are special lanes opened through airport security for organ transport. While the world has essentially ignored for years the reports that prisoners of conscience such as Falun Gong and others were used to harvest organs from, the implementation of mass mandatory DNA testing for all Uyghurs in East Turkistan adds another disturbing layer to our nightmare.
Quake-affected people have a meal at a temporary settlement in Jinghe County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Jing/IANS)
China is concurrently waging its unrelenting war on religion, silencing the call to prayer, and in East Turkistan, forbidding Uyghurs from fasting during Ramadan, outlawing Muslim names for children, and even forcing Uyghurs to drink alcohol and eat pork to pass a test confirming they are not religious. They are even rewriting the Bible and the Holy Qur’an.
Our religion is being stigmatized and our ethnicity is being demonized. China outlawed all normal religious practices as “illegal religious activities”. The Mosques have been turned into karaoke bars and restaurants. The CCP has sent party cadres to live with families and “supervise” them under the euphemistically descriptive term, “double relative program”. For many of these women whose husbands are in the camps, the cadre may even sleep in their bed. This leaves them subject to sexual abuse. Many are forced into marriages with Han Chinese men. This is nothing short of government-sponsored mass rape. And most appalling of all, women are forcibly having contraceptive devices inserted, receive forced abortions, and are being forcibly sterilized. This is genocide. Where is the feminist outcry over these women’s rights?
500,000 Uyghur children have also become the main target of China’s policy of assimilation and social engineering. The Chinese government is eradicating Uyghur ethnic identity by targeting the younger generation. While parents are in the camps, Uyghur children are taken away, held hostage in Chinese government-run orphanages. They are indoctrinated, forced to abandon their Uyghur identity and swear loyalty to the CCP, and must recognize Xi Jinping as God. They are separated from their parents, and for many who may be granted brief visits, the young children do not recognize them.
More leaked documents show that children have even been asked to inform on others for religious behaviour or may even denounce them. From these atrocities to the mere separation itself, it is clear that the effects on young, developing minds are catastrophic, and the Chinese government’s willingness to do this is evil. There are three sets of leaked documents which are hard evidence of China’s crimes.
As China continues to threaten countries all around the world while they spread propaganda, bully, and manipulate, while changing the rule of law, the western democracies must hold China accountable.
Chinese authorities have made it blatantly clear to the world that they do not have a moral bottom line. Religious groups are targeted because they offer a moral alternative to the worship of the CCP, and thus are considered a threat. A country which believes that imprisoning 3 million people and forcing millions more to live in a dystopian hell is acceptable policy cannot be trusted by anyone. Look at what just happened in Hong Kong and recently what they did to India. We especially need the voices of those living in free societies to end complicity in these crimes against humanity not only to save the rest of the Uyghurs, but we are warning you to help yourself and save your society, save your country from this evil regime’s incursion.
A parent sharing their woes with BBC journalist John Sudworth (TV Grab)
Just look at our people and what they are facing today and imagine your future if you don’t take action. I am reminding you today that we, as responsible global citizens, should act upon our humanity to hold this evil government to account. I ask that India take its rightful place as a true leader by leading the charge against the demonic murderers who are running the Chinese regime. Truth and justice must prevail. We all have seen history play out. Our action to prevent “never again” is already late, what holds the international community back from preventing this massive genocide?
Dubai: Prithvi Shaw of Delhi Capitals is man of the match during match 7 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 25th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Prithvi Shaw’s 64 and a clinical bowling performance led by South African duo Kagiso Rabada (3/26) and Anrich Nortje (2/21) helped Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 44 runs in their IPL encounter on Friday.
Chasing a target of 176, CSK hardly ever looked capable of reaching the score and were restricted to 131/7 at the end of 20 overs. This is the three-time champions’ second consecutive defeat this season.
This is the first time since 2010 that DC have started an IPL season with two consecutive victories. They are on top of the table now with four points.
DC’s Axar Patel continued his successful run against Shane Watson, dismissing the veteran Australian in the fifth over while he was on 14 off 16 balls. Watson’s opening partner Murali Vijay (10) also struggled to get runs on board and succumbed to Nortje in the next over.
CSK captain MS Dhoni again decided to stay in the lower middle order and it was 23-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad who came in at no. 4. Gaikwad’s innings was short-lived as he was run out for 5.
Dubai: Ravindra Jadeja of Chennai Superkings congratulating Kagiso Rabada of Delhi Capitals during match 7 of season 13, Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 25th September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Faf du Plessis and Kedar Jadhav managed to temporarily stem the flow of wickets and put up 54 runs for the fourth wicket. But the run rate was never what it needed to be and by the time Jadhav fell, CSK were 98/4 in the 16th over. Du Plessis, Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran’s efforts in the end proved too little too late.
Earlier, DC openers Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan started patiently before dictating the flow of the game throughout the first half of the innings. After the openers’ dismissals, Rishabh Pant (37 not out) and captain Shreyas Iyer (26) added 58 for the third wicket to help DC to 175/3.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 175/3 off 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 64, Rishabh Pant 37 not out; Piyush Chawla 2/33) vs Chennai Super Kings 131/7 off 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 43, Kedar Jadhav 26; Kagiso Rabada 3/26), DC win by 44 runs.
After a successful move to raise funds for victims of Amphan, one of the finest Indian singers in Europe Sanjoy Dey and his organisation NEOM is now raising funds for one of the most vulnerable people of this time – the idol makers in India who have lost their job for this lockdown – reports Arundhati Mukherjee for Asian Lite
One of the finest singers, composer and music director Sanjoy Dey, has already earned respect and recognition from the UK and Europe audience. During this tragic time of global pandemic, he has taken up this exemplary initiative to aid the idol makers of West Bengal, India. Restriction in small and big religious festivals in India and abroad, especially that of Ganapati Puja and upcoming Durga Puja this year has resulted in severe loss of business for the idol makers in India. Survival of the artists, and thereby this exclusive art, is at stake.
Artiste Sanjoy Dey has come forward and arranged for a digital concert on 26th of September, 2020 in association with his organisation Robi Bharoti and Sahayogi Seva – NEOM. The event will start at 4:30pm BST. ‘An Evening with Sanjoy Dey’ is being presented by one of the prominent music production company of India, Srinivas Music. Funds raised from this charity event will go to support the idol makers of India during this difficult time.
Dey has always been involved and led charity events as such. His organisation NEOM had successfully raised funds for the victims of Amphan cyclone of West Bengal, earlier this year, through a mega concert. Artistes from all around the globe including UK, UAE, India and Bangladesh had taken part in that unique mega concert.
Rabindra Bharati University alumni, Sanjoy Dey has earned the RD Burman Award for his contribution in Indian music. He has performed in the celebrated NABC conference in 2000 in Baltimore. Apart from NEOM – New Era of Music, and Robi-Bharati, he also has established Sanjoy academy, Robika and Wave to introduce and nurture Indian music in the in UK. His work with the new generation of BAME community, specially the kids demands credits.
Iraqi authorities have said that flights to Iran will be suspended for 15 days over coronavirus concerns.
A statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Transport on Thursday said that the flights will remain suspended from Friday to October 9, in response to an official request from the Iranian Aviation Authority, reports Xinhua news agency.
The decision includes “all direct flights from local airports to the airports of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after the announcement of detecting coronavirus cases in some Iranian areas”, the statement said.
On September 19, the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, decided not to receive pilgrims from any country for the religious events in Iraq, including the major Shia ritual of Arbaeen, in an attempt to contain the increasing number of Covid-19 case.
Earlier in the day, the Iraqi Health Ministry said that the total number of infections in the country has reached 337,106.
Saudi Arabia mulls restarting the Umra pilgrimage from Ocober 4. As per the new structure, each pilgrim will be given three hours to perform Umrah, starting and ending in the triage areas around Makkah.
This time schedule is applicable during the first stage of the resumption of Umrah services, according to Arab News.
The first stage is scheduled will be operated through the I’tamarna app.
The plan is to have triage areas around the holy city, allowing 6,000 pilgrims to perform Umrah each day at six different times, with each group of 1,000 pilgrims being given three hours.
The Turkish National Security Council has said that Ankara is primarily in favour of dialogue on every platform to discuss fair sharing of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The Council held a meeting on Thursday after Turkey and Greece recently agreed to resume exploratory talks on the Eastern Mediterranean to defuse the tensions that flared up over the exploration activities by a Turkish vessel in the area, reports Xinhua news agency.
Turkey will not make concessions in the protection of its rights and interests on the land, sea and air, the Council said in a written statement issued after the meeting.
Tensions heightened between Turkey and Greece over energy explorations in the Eastern Mediterranean waters in recent weeks.
Greece considers Turkey’s natural gas exploration in the region a violation of international law.
The Turkish government, on the other hand, believes the waters belong to the Turkish continental shelf.
In August, Turkey dispatched Oruc Reis, a seismic survey vessel, and two auxiliary navy vessels to the disputed region near the Greek island of Meis, also known as Kastellorizo, where Greece claims lies within its continental shelf.
On September 13, Greece welcomed the return of the Turkish vessel to Antalya, while expressing the willingness to enter dialogue with Ankara to de-escalate the recent tensions.
