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Nationwide night curfew extended in Fiji

The Prime Minister stressed that the capacity restrictions on sporting events and large public gatherings will also remain…reports Asian Lite News

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on Monday announced that an ongoing night curfew will continue to remain in effect as the island nation was still battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking in Parliament, Bainimarama said that the curfew from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. will remain for the foreseeable future as the fight against the health crisis is not over, reports Xinhua news agency.

He warned citizens not to downplay the pandemic and detract from reality, saying that every Fijian has a role to play when it comes to keeping the island nation free from the virus.

The Prime Minister stressed that the capacity restrictions on sporting events and large public gatherings will also remain.

The nightclubs which have been granted approval to operate as venues where people can eat and share drinks with friends must play by the rules, he said, adding that there should be no
dancing and no loud music at these venues and if the rules are broken, they will be shut down.

Fiji, which now has 46 COVID-19 cases overall, reported its first confirmed infection on March 19 this year, and two people have died till date.

Since earlier this year, the country has closed its borders for foreigners and allowed strictly controlled repatriation flights in recent months.

Also read:China urges US to resume dialogue

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No state of emergency in Cambodia

Cambodia detected the country’s first-ever community transmission of the virus on November 28 among several members of the same family living in capital Phnom Penh and the northwest Siem Reap province…reports Asian Lite News

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that there the country will not declare a state of emergency although he had already drafted the request amid a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As the head of the government, I would like to confirm that there will be no request (to King Norodom Sihamoni) to put the country in the state of emergency wholly or partially,” Xinhua news agency quoted the Prime Minister as saying on a Facebook post.

He also added that there would be no lockdown in the capital city.

“I would like to appeal to the people to keep calm, not to panic, and to work with the government to fight against Covid-19 based on the guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health,” the Prime Minister further said in the social media post


Cambodia detected the country’s first-ever community transmission of the virus on November 28 among several members of the same family living in capital Phnom Penh and the northwest Siem Reap province.

According to a Ministry of Health’s statement on Monday, at least 32 Phnom Penh residents have been tested positive for the virus so far.

To stem the virus, the country has closed down schools, museums, cinemas, and arts performing venues nationwide and banned mass gatherings and weddings in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap province.

Cambodia has so far reported 348 confirmed cases, with no deaths.

Also read:China urges US to resume dialogue

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China urges US to resume dialogue

Wang made the remarks in Beijing at a meeting with a delegation of board of directors of the US-China Business Council held via video link…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday urged joint efforts between Beijing and the US to ensure “a stable transition” of bilateral relations against disruptions of all kinds, and striving to resume dialogue, bring ties back on track and rebuild mutual trust.

Wang made the remarks in Beijing at a meeting with a delegation of board of directors of the US-China Business Council held via video link, reports Xinhua news agency.

Noting that China and the US share broad common interests and room for cooperation, Wang said the countries, as the two biggest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, should enhance dialogue and cooperation to contribute more to sustained peace and prosperity of mankind.

Saying the future of China-US relations hinges on the correct choices made by Washington and the joint efforts of the two sides, Wang put forward five proposals for promoting the sound and stable development of ties.

The proposals are to perceive China in a strategically correct way; strengthening communication and dialogue; expanding mutually beneficial cooperation; managing disputes and differences; and increasing public support for bilateral ties.

  • Washington, Oct. 2, 2020 (Xinhua) — File photo taken on Sept. 3, 2020 shows U.S. President Donald Trump participating in a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the United States. Trump said early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for COVID-19, after a close aide had contracted the virus. (Xinhua/Liu Jie/IANS)

Wang’s remarks came months after Chinese and US trade negotiators held phone talks in August over implementing the phase one agreement between the two economic giants.

The call on August 25 between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin came after a planned six-month review of the deal set for August 15 was delayed to an unspecified date, and US President Donald Trump subsequently claimed he postponed the talks, said a CNBC News report.

Tensions between the world’s two largest economies have escalated over the last two years.

The Trump administration has levied tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese goods, to which Beijing has responded with duties of its own.

In January, the countries reached a phase one agreement on trade that called for increased Chinese purchases of US goods and greater access to the Chinese financial market.

However, bilateral tensions have only increased in the months since, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Also read:US Commission Report Reveals China Planned Galwan Clashes

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Iranian scientist killed by satellite controlled equipment

IRAN NUKE SCIENTIST Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

President Hassan Rouhani has blamed Israel for the scientist’s killing, adding that the assassination would not slow down the Iran’s nuclear programme…reports Asian Lite News

Satellite equipment was used in the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last last month, the spokesman for the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said.

Addressing a commemoration ceremony on Sunday for the scientist, who was also a professor of physics at Imam Hussein University of Tehran, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said: “Advanced electronic instruments guided by satellite were used in the assassination of Fakhrizadeh,” Press TV reported.

Fakhrizadeh, head of the Iranian Defence Ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research and dubbed the “father of the Iranian bomb”, was targeted in a terrorist attack in the city of Absard on November 27.

President Hassan Rouhani has blamed Israel for the scientist’s killing, adding that the assassination would not slow down the Iran’s nuclear programme.

Rouhani also said Iran would retaliate over the killing at a time of its choosing.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also called for the “punishing” of the perpetrators of the attack “and those who commanded it”.

Last week, the Iranian administration said the Intelligence Ministry had identified the individuals involved in the assassination.

Also read:Iran set to increase oil production and exports

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Iran set to increase oil production and exports

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that Tehran is ready to rapidly increase oil production and exports.

Iran’s operational capacity as well as its experience makes it possible for an immediate increase in production and sales, Rouhani was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Xinhua news agency.

The 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), enabled Iran to export more than 2 million barrels of oil before the US unilateral sanctions against Tehran in 2018, the President said

“The Iranian Ministry of Petroleum is tasked to take all necessary measures to prepare oil industry’s facilities for the production and sales levels, proportionate to the available capacity, within the next three months,” he added.

Iran has reduced its commitments under the JCPOA agreement in response to the US’ withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

In reaction to the US’ withdrawal and in response to Europe’s sluggishness in facilitating Iran’s banking transactions and oil exports, Tehran has been gradually moving away from its nuclear commitments since May 2019.

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Pak Man Kills Christian woman on rejection

The police said that, as per the preliminary investigation, the murder appears to have been carried out of personal resentment…reports Asian Lite News

A Pakistani Christian girl has been killed after her parents rejected a marriage proposal sent by a Muslim man, police said on Sunday.

Officers from the Koral Police Station in Rawalpindi claimed to have arrested an accused named Faizan, whereas raids were being carried out to arrest the prime suspect, Shehzad, reports The Express tribune.

Shehzad’s mother is also said to have sent her son’s proposal for the victim Sonia, but her parents refused as she was to marry another man, identified as Faizan.

According to police, on the day of the incident, the girl was travelling with Faizan on the highway, when Shehzad opened fire on her.

The police said that, as per the preliminary investigation, the murder appears to have been carried out of personal resentment.

However, the deputy inspector general (DIG) of police said the police were investigating all aspects.

Last month, a young Christian girl, Arzoo Raja, was reportedly abducted, forced to convert and marry a 44-year-old Muslim man in Karachi.

Also read:UAE suspends visas to Pak, 12 other countries

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Lebanon seeks int’l negotiation in border dispute with Israel

Lebanon President Michel Aoun. (File Photo: IANS)

In a separate statement on December 2, the President had said that the difficulties of the demarcation of maritime borders with Israel can be solved “through in-depth research based on international rights, articles of the law of the sea and all the legal texts thereof”…reports Asian Lite News

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the country will not hesitate to resort to international arbitration if the it fails to reach a fair agreement with Israel on maritime border demarcation.

Aoun made the remarks on Saturday, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a separate statement on December 2, the President had said that the difficulties of the demarcation of maritime borders with Israel can be solved “through in-depth research based on international rights, articles of the law of the sea and all the legal texts thereof”.

“Lebanon maintains its sovereignty over its land and waters, and wants the maritime demarcation negotiations to succeed to enhance stability in the south, and enable the investment in natural resources, such as gas and oil,” he had said.

The indirect talks, brokered by the US and the UN aimed to demarcate the maritime borders with Israel which are rich with hydrocarbon energy sources, started on October 14.

The next round of indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over the maritime border demarcation has been postponed following Tel Aviv’s rejection of Beirut’s demands.

Lebanon and Israel this month said they had agreed to begin the negotiations in what Washington hailed as a “historic” agreement.

The announcement came weeks after Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first Arab nations to establish relations with Israel since Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Also read:Lebanon voices hope for Israel border talks

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Iran’s COVID-19 death toll crosses 50K

People wearing masks walk in downtown Tehran, Iran

The ministry’s spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said at daily briefing on Saturday that 12,151 new COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in the past 24 hours with 321 new fatalities. Of the newly infected, 1,562 had to be hospitalized..reports Asian Lite News

The COVID-19 epidemic has claimed 50,016 lives in Iran, with the total cases to 1,028,986 in the country, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

The ministry’s spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said at daily briefing on Saturday that 12,151 new COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in the past 24 hours with 321 new fatalities. Of the newly infected, 1,562 had to be hospitalized, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of Saturday, 719,708 COVID-19 patients have recovered or been released from Iranian hospitals, but 5,817 others are currently in critical condition, she added.

Iran’s President Hasan Rouhani reported on the same day a significant decrease in COVID-19 infection levels across the country, after restrictions announced two weeks ago.

“Compared to the 160 red zones we had two weeks ago, we have now reduced them to 64 red zones with the efforts and observance from the people,” Rouhani said in an online meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus.

However, he warned that seven counties are in the state of ultrared where the infection rate is rising, according to reports.

The president also noted the decrease in the daily death toll in the country, from nearly 500 lives lost every day at the end of November to around 350 in the last few days.

“Very good work has been done during this period of restrictions, which have had positive effects, and all of this has been obtained thanks to the cooperation of the people,” he said.

Rouhani stressed that wherever the situation turn back to red alert conditions, restrictions will be reinforced.

Iran imposed restrictions on November 21 as part of the government’s measures to contain a new surge of the coronavirus epidemic and the restrictions were extended on Friday for two more weeks in the red high-risk areas.

Also read:Iran approves law reducing nuke inspections

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Iran approves law reducing nuke inspections

Iran Parliament

The SNSC therefore called on all internal Iranian parties to end “fruitless quarrels”, and warned it will not allow national interests to be endangered by “political games”…reports Asian lite News

The Iranian Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has endorsed a Parliament-ratified “Strategic Action to Lift Embargoes” law, intended to reduce international monitoring of the country’s nuclear program if embargoes were not lifted in the next two months.

“The aforementioned law does not create a specific issue that damages national interests,” Xinhua news agency quoted a statement by the SNSC as saying following the endorsement on Saturday.

What is contrary to national interests and is a matter of concern, the statement said, are controversies that “undermine the dignity and status of the country’s legal institutions and damage national unity and cohesion”.

The SNSC therefore called on all internal Iranian parties to end “fruitless quarrels”, and warned it will not allow national interests to be endangered by “political games”.

  • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

The organ underlined that its secretariat has not been involved in the making of the law.

All procedures, it further said, have taken place in accordance with Parliament’s regulations and customary norms.

On December 1, the Iranian Parliament passed the bill, which urges the administration of President Hassan Rouhani to take several steps to increase the country’s nuclear activities for civil purposes, and may decrease international monitoring of these activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA).

The law mandates the government to halt the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol document in two months, in case signatory states of the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement do not “normalize banking relations and completely remove barriers for exporting Iran’s oil”.

Iran has reduced its commitments under the agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in response to the US’ withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

In reaction to the US’ withdrawal and in response to Europe’s sluggishness in facilitating Iran’s banking transactions and oil exports, Tehran has been gradually moving away from its nuclear commitments since May 2019.

Also read:US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran entity

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US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran entity

In a statement on Thursday, the Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Shahid Meisami Group and its director Mehran Babri…reports Asian Lite News

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against an Iranian entity and its director allegedly related to Iran’s chemical weapons research.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Shahid Meisami Group and its director Mehran Babri.

The Shahid Meisami Group is “involved in Iran’s chemical weapons research and is subordinate to the Iranian Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, also known as SPND”, the statement said.

The US had designated SPND in 2014 in connection with the Iranian regime’s proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) or their means of delivery.

The Group “has been responsible for numerous SPND projects, the cost of which totalled in the millions of US dollars”, the statement said.

These projects include testing and producing chemical agents and optimising them for effectiveness and toxicity for use as incapacitation agents, it added.

Before being appointed the head of Shahid Meisami Group, Babri had worked at Iran’s Defence Chemical Research Lab, according to the Treasury Department.

“Iran’s development of weapons of mass destruction is a threat to the security of its neighbours and the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The US will continue to counter any efforts by the Iranian regime to develop chemical weapons that may be used by the regime or its proxy groups to advance their malign agenda,” he added.

Thursday’s designation came days after the killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last week near the capital city Tehran.

  • IRAN NUKE SCIENTIST Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

Iran on Tuesday reiterated that it would punish the “perpetrators and commanders” in this assassination.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month threatened that Washington would impose more sanctions against Iran in the coming weeks and months.

In May 2018, President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reimposed harsh sanctions against Tehran.

In response, Iran has gradually dropped some of its JCPOA commitments since May 2019.

Also read:India to press for Iran, Venezuela Oil as Trump leaves