2 injured as fire erupts at Kuwait's largest oil field
Burgan is among the world’s largest producing fields, ranked second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field….reports Asian Lite News
Two workers were injured after a fire erupted at Kuwait’s largest oil field on Monday, the country’s state-run news agency reported.
The injured workers were in stable condition and receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, according to the state-run KUNA news agency, citing Qusai al-Amer, the Kuwait Oil Company spokesman.
The blaze at the Great Burgan Field in the southeastern desert of Kuwait, which produces over 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, did not impact production, the report said.
Burgan is among the world’s largest producing fields, ranked second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field.
Kuwait has the world’s sixth-largest known oil reserves. Most of the country’s production comes from a single field, Burgan.
Earlier this month, Kuwait government had announced that citizens who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be banned from travelling abroad.
The restriction will come into force from May 22, Xinhua news agency reported.
The government last week announced that pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and children under 16 are not subject to the curb.
Meanwhile, the previous decree of banning non-Kuwaitis from entering the country will continue.
The government has decided to extend the partial curfew, running from 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time, until the end of Ramadan.
Arrivals from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka will be suspended for all incoming passengers on national and foreign carriers, as well as those carrying transit passengers, starting from 23:59 on Wednesday, 12th May, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced it will bar entry of travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka from May 12 amid a sudden surge in COVID-19 infections in these countries.
According to General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), the entry from these four countries will be suspended for all incoming passengers on national and foreign carriers, as well as those carrying transit passengers, starting from 23:59 on Wednesday, 12th May, 2021, the state news agency WAM reported.
“Flights between the four countries will continue to allow the transport of passengers from the UAE to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka,” the NCEMA said.
“This decision also includes extending the suspension of entry for travellers who were in these four countries in the 14-day period prior to arrival in the UAE,” it added.
Flights between these countries and the UAE will continue to operate, allowing the transportation of passengers from the UAE to those countries. It will also allow the transfer of some exempted groups from the four aforementioned countries to the UAE, with strict enforcement of precautionary measures.
These groups include UAE citizens, diplomats appointed by the UAE in these countries, official delegations, businessmen’s chartered flights, and those holding golden residency visa, provided that they undertake preventive measures that include quarantine for 10 days and a PCR test at the airport, as well as on the fourth and eighth days following the entry into the country.
Moreover, the validity of PCR test period has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours prior to travel from accredited laboratories that issue test results carrying a QR code.
The authority also confirmed that it is required for those coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka through other countries to stay in those countries for at least 14 days before being allowed to enter the UAE.
However, Cargo flights will continue to operate between the UAE and these countries.
The authority called upon all travellers affected by the decision to follow up with the relevant airlines to change or reschedule their flights and to ensure their safe return to their final destinations without delay.
The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced 1,507 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the country to 537,524.
According to the ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and receiving the necessary care.
The ministry also announced two deaths due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 1,615.
The ministry called on all members of the society to cooperate with health authorities, adhere to the instructions and physical distance to ensure the health and safety of all. It also noted that an additional 1,476 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 517,805.
Meanwhile, the UAE has announced that 40,414 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered during the past 24 hours.
The total number of doses provided up to today stands at 11,186,348 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 113.10 doses per 100 people.
The Foreign Minister Marise Payne also discussed the handling of alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops…reports Asian Lite News
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Monday met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul to discuss the withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country.
The Foreign Minister said in a statement that in meetings in the Afghan capital she also discussed the handling of alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops, reports dpa news agency.
Payne, who is also Australia’s Minister for Women, said she met Afghanistan’s Minister for Women’s Affairs Hasina Safi, the head of the country’s National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah, and the commander of the US and NATO forces in the country, US General Austin Scott Miller.
Ashraf Ghani
“During these meetings, we discussed the sacrifices made by the Afghan people, as well as those international military forces killed or wounded, including those Australians who made the ultimate sacrifice and the many who still bear the impacts of their service in Afghanistan both physical and mental,” Payne said.
The Minister said that with the departure of Australian troops from the country, the Australia-Afghanistan relationship is “beginning a new chapter,” pledging to “continue our close friendship, and support our shared aspiration of peace, stability and prosperity”.
Payne’s visit to Kabul, which according to Australian media was unannounced, followed explosions near a school in the Afghan capital over the weekend which killed more than 50 people, many of them teenage girls leaving class.
“I expressed our deepest condolences for the cowardly terrorist attack on teenage girls at school,” Payne said in a tweet after meeting Ghani.
Out of 232, 93 cast their votes in favour of Oli, while 124 voted against the motion. A total of 15 lawmakers remained neutral….reports Asian Lite News
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Monday lost the vote of confidence in the Parliament with 93 lawmakers voting in favour of the motion, 124 against it, while 15 remained neutral.
Oli needed 136 votes to win the trust vote in the 271-strong House of Representatives. Of the 232 lawmakers present in the House on Monday, 93 cast their votes in favour of Oli, while 124 voted against the motion. A total of 15 lawmakers remained neutral.
As many as 28 lawmakers from his own party CPN-UML were absent in the voting.
The Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), which control 61 and 49 votes, respectively, voted against Oli’s trust motion.
The Janata Samajbadi Party, which has 32 votes, however, was divided. While the Mahantha Thakur-led faction stayed neutral, the Upendra Yadav-led group voted against Oli.
Earlier, Oli had urged the disgruntled faction of the party to not take any decision in haste.
“I would like to draw the attention of all the lawmakers to the fact that it is not necessary to rush into any improper decision. Let’s sit down together, discuss and solve any problems,” he tweeted.
Oli was elected the Prime Minister in February 2018 with the support Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) whose chairman is Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda.
But the party merger was scrapped by the Supreme Court in March.
Two former Prime Ministers, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, are leading the dissatisfaction camp inside the party.
The paper titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons suggested that World War Three would be fought with biological weapons…reports Asian Lite News
A document written by Chinese scientists and health officials before the pandemic in 2015 states that SARS coronaviruses were a “new era of genetic weapons” that could be “artificially manipulated into an emerging human disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed, reported Weekend Australian.
The paper titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons suggested that World War Three would be fought with biological weapons. The document revealed that Chinese military scientists were discussing the weaponisation of SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic. The report by Weekend Australian was published in news.com.au.
Peter Jennings, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told news.com.au that the document is as close to a “smoking gun” as we’ve got.
“I think this is significant because it clearly shows that Chinese scientists were thinking about military application for different strains of the coronavirus and thinking about how it could be deployed,” Jennings said.
“It begins to firm up the possibility that what we have here is the accidental release of a pathogen for military use,” Jennings added.
He also said that the document may explain why China has been so reluctant for outside investigations into the origins of COVID-19.
“If this was a case of transmission from a wet market it would be in China’s interest to co-operate … we’ve had the opposite of that.”
Robert Potter, a cyber security specialist who analyses leaked Chinese government documents, was asked by The Australian to verify the paper. He says the document definitely isn’t fake, reported news.com.au.
“We reached a high confidence conclusion that it was genuine … It’s not fake but it’s up to someone else to interpret how serious it is,” Potter said.
“It emerged in the last few years … they (China) will almost certainly try to remove it now it’s been covered.”
Bangladesh emphasizes wearing masks to contain COVID-19
Potter further stated that it isn’t unusual to see Chinese research papers discussing areas that they’re behind on and need to make progress in.
“It’s a really interesting article to show what their scientific researchers are thinking,” he added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been caused by a coronavirus named SARS-Co V-2 which emerged in December 2019. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, several of which cause respiratory diseases in humans – ranging from a common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began there have been over 157 million cases of COVID-19 and 3.28 million deaths worldwide, according to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University. (ANI)
Tehran, May. 27, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the opening session of Iran's new parliament in Tehran, Iran, on May 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz/IANS)
Tehran had not previously confirmed the meetings but Iraqi President Barham Salih said his country had hosted several rounds of talks between the two countries’ representatives….reports Asian Lite News
Iranian authorities have confirmed reports that direct talks had taken place with Saudi Arabia on Monday.
“There have been talks and they have been about bilateral and regional issues,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told a press conference.
He said it was too early to talk about results, but said that “it is well known that we have always welcomed talks with the Saudis in any form and at any level”, reports dpa news agency.
Saudi and Iranian officials have met at least twice in Iraq in recent weeks, according to media reports.
Tehran had not previously confirmed the meetings but Iraqi President Barham Salih said his country had hosted several rounds of talks between the two countries’ representatives.
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran view each other as arch-enemies and have been competing for decades for economic and political primacy in the region.
The two countries severed diplomatic relations in 2016 and are currently facing off in multiple proxy conflicts, including in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has been leading a military alliance supporting the Yemeni government in its fight against the Iran-linked Houthi rebels.
However, Saudi and Iranian officials have softened their language recently, and said they are prepared for reconciliation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told state television that Riyadh seeks positive and special relations with Iran if Tehran ended negative behaviours.
Iran followed by saying it hoped for constructive dialogue to resolve differences between the countries, in a marked change of tone compared to past years.
The US and its allied nations invaded the Taliban regime in Afghanistan over the country providing shelter to former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the alleged architect of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001….reports Asian Lite News
Afghans, as victims of the so-called US-led war on terror, would continue to suffer after the withdrawal of the American troops, according to a political analyst.
“The people of Afghanistan as the victims of the so-called US-led war on terror had suffered in the war during the 20-year-old presence of the huge military and would continue to suffer even after the troops’ pull out as the militants are still very much active in the country,” analyst Nazari Pariani told Xinhua news agency.
The US and its allied nations invaded the Taliban regime in Afghanistan over the country providing shelter to former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the alleged architect of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.
The US dethroned the Taliban reign but it neither diminished the group nor the Al Qaeda, Pariani said.
Taliban
He described the US forces withdrawal at this stage as irresponsible when the militants are still active and fighting continues, saying “first phase of war ends with the troops’ pull out and the next phase of war would be more catastrophic” and the Afghans won’t embrace peace in the near future.
The renowned political expert, who is also the editor-in-chief of the popular newspaper Mandegar, doubts US President Joe Biden’s remarks that Washington has achieved its goal which was punishing bin Laden and smashing Al Qaeda network, which, he said, didn’t need costly war and launching military invasion in a poor country like Afghanistan.
“Killing Osama and destroying terror groups were small objectives which never required launching such a costly and longest war in the US history,” he told Xinhua.
“Fighting has been continuing and Al Qaeda and like minded groups are active in Afghanistan and the brutal war claims Afghans’ lives every day.”
Pariani said the merciless killing of civilians and Taliban attacks on government forces in several provinces demonstrate the outcome of the troops pull-out from Afghanistan.
Regarding the capability of Afghan security and defence forces, the analyst said: “The security forces would continue to defend the government against Taliban attacks and the armed group would continue to resist.
“The victims are ordinary people, and the scenario would be continuing after US forces withdrawal.”
Security Council strongly condemns Afghan terror attack
About intra-Afghan talks, the political observer said that “the prospect seems uncertain and the talks for peace in Afghanistan at the upcoming conference in Turkey would face deadlock as it previously faced in Doha”.
“No desired outcome is foreseen in the ongoing peace process and Afghans won’t reach a peace agreement over the next six months.”
Washington formally started its forces pull-out from May 1 in Afghanistan and the process, according to the US administration, would be completed by September 11.
Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesperson, said that all Mujahideen have been instructed to halt all operations “against the enemy” countrywide….reports Asian Lite News
Two days after a deadly bombing outside a school in Kabul claimed the lives of over 60 students, the Taliban on Monday announced that they would observe a three-day ceasefire for the festival of Eid.
Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesperson, said that all Mujahideen have been instructed to halt all operations “against the enemy” countrywide.
“In order that the Mujahideen again provide a peaceful and secure atmosphere to our compatriots during Eid-ul-Fitr so that they may celebrate this joyous occasion with…,” he tweeted.
Taliban attack at the peak in Afghanistan
“…a greater peace of mind, all Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are instructed to halt all offensive operations against the enemy countrywide from the first till the third day of Eid,” he said in another tweet.
However, Naeem instructed the Mujahideen to stand ready to robustly protect and defend themselves and their territory if the ‘enemy’ conducts any assault or attack.
“The Mujahideen must not visit enemy areas nor permit entrance of enemy personnel into Mujahideen controlled areas,” he further said.
This comes after at least three explosions that took place near Sayed-ul-Shuhada High School in the west of Kabul on Saturday afternoon. As many as 63 people, all students, were killed in a Kabul school bombing and 150 more were wounded, TOLO News reported citing sources and relatives of victims.
Ashraf Ghani
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday condemned the terrorist attack on a school in Kabul and called for a national day of mourning in wake of the incident.
Taking to Twitter, Deputy Interior Minister Sediq Sediqqi said that Ghani has asked the Taliban to abandon the killings of innocent Afghans.
“President Ghani condemns the Kabul terrorist attack with the strongest words, termed a despicable crime against humanity. Calls for a national day of mourning, and asks the Taliban to abandon the killings of innocent Afghans,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban has denied any involvement in the incident.
Taliban
“We condemn in strongest terms the killing of civilians in Dashti Barchi, Kabul, as a result of incessant explosions and call for a neutral and transparent investigation,” another Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a tweet.
Amid the ongoing drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan, the war-torn country has seen a spike in the incidents of violence in recent weeks, leading to casualties of Afghan security forces and civilians.
Over 1,000 Taliban terrorists have been killed and wounded in several encounters with the Afghan security forces during this period in Kandahar, Helmand, Farah, Herat and Baghlan provinces, said General Yasin Zia, the Afghan Chief of Army Staff. (ANI)
The vaccines were administered on Saturday at the Panadura Health Office in Kalutara District, in the outskirts of capital Colombo…reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry has started administering the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against Covid-19 to citizens, soon after the World Health Organization (WHO) approved it for emergency use worldwide.
The vaccines were administered on Saturday at the Panadura Health Office in Kalutara District, in the outskirts of capital Colombo, an area which has reported a rising number of Covid-19 cases in recent days, reports Xinhua news agency.
Speaking at the launch of the vaccination drive, State Minister of Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Channa Jayasumana thanked the Chinese government for sending the Sinopharm vaccines and said this would add to the efforts of the Sri Lankan government to inoculate at least 70 per cent of its population against the virus by the end of the year.
“Today is a very special day for the Panadura MoH office. We want to thank the Chinese government as well as the WHO for approving the Sinopharm under emergency use. Today we began administering the Sinopharm in the Panadura area and want to thank President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for approving to start this program from the Kalutara district,” Jayasumana said.
Sri Lanka vaccination against Covid 19
State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid Disease Control Sudharshani Fernandopulle, also said at the launch that with the WHO and the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) approving the Sinopharm vaccine under emergency use in Sri Lanka, authorities will now look to get more vaccines from China to vaccinate the local population.
“Today we began administering the Sinopharm vaccine in the Panadura Health office for locals above the age of 30 years and below the age of 60 years. From tomorrow (Sunday) we will also identify the areas which have reported the highest number of Covid-19 patients in recent days and will begin to administer the Sinopharm vaccines in those areas as well,” Fernandopulle said.
She said some of the areas worst affected by the virus were Colombo, Kalutara, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Kandy, and Matale, and authorities were making arrangements to vaccinate the people in these areas as soon as possible.
The Sinopharm vaccines arrived in Sri Lanka last month, under a special grant by the Chinese government to the Health Ministry.
Sri Lanka has so far reported 123,234 confirmed coronavirus cases and 786 deaths.
The Secretariat of the federal parliament conducted the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for lawmakers ahead of the key vote, with tests returned positive for 18 of them…reports Asian Lite News
At least 26 members of the House of Representatives in Nepal have tested positive for coronavirus, just ahead of a key vote on Monday on a motion of confidence called by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The Secretariat of the federal parliament conducted the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for lawmakers ahead of the key vote, with tests returned positive for 18 of them, while eight others were already infected amid the second wave of the pandemic raging in Nepal, said Gopal Nath Yogi, secretary at the House of Representatives.
“We have reports that 26 members of the House of Representatives have tested positive for coronavirus,” Yogi told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.
“Two of them are ministers.”
There are four ministers in the Oli cabinet who have tested positive, but two are not MPs.
The House of Representatives, which has 271 members at present, will be voting on the motion of confidence on Monday which will decide the fate of the Oli government.
Oli is currently leading a minority government as his former partner the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) has withdrawn its support to him.
Oli needs 136 votes to stay in his premiership.
“We are yet to decide on the voting arrangements to those who have tested positive,” said Yogi.
“The meeting of the Business Advisory Committee led by Speaker Agni Sapkota will decide on the matter on Sunday.”
Nepal on Saturday recorded 8,287 new Covid-19 infections through PCR tests and 131 positives through antigen tests, and 53 more patients lost their lives in the past 24 hours.
Nepal’s overall caseload and death toll currently stood at 385,890 and 3,632.
