- Passengers wait to check in at Ben Gurion International Airport near central Israeli city of Tel Aviv
According to the data released on Thursday, only 9,900 tourists visited Israel in the first two months this year, while the figure was 652,400 in the same period of 2020….reports Asian Lite News
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a 98.5 per cent drop in foreign tourist arrivals to Israel during the first two months of 2021, according to data released by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics.
According to the data released on Thursday, only 9,900 tourists visited Israel in the first two months this year, while the figure was 652,400 in the same period of 2020.
The pandemic broke out in the country in February 2020.
– Passengers wait to check in at Ben Gurion International Airport near central Israeli city of Tel Aviv
The number of Israelis who went abroad in January and February of 2021 was only 46,000, dropping by 95.4 pe rcent from 995,200 in the same months of the previous year.
On January 26 this year, the country imposed a ban on incoming and outgoing passenger flights to prevent the spread of new coronavirus variants.
The US is “quite disappointed” with Tehran’s response.
Zarif’s remarks came after Wendy Sherman, US President Joe Biden’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, called for a new “stronger” deal with Iran…reports Asian Lite News
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated that the 2015 nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not renegotiable.
In a series od tweets on Thursday, Zarif said: “JCPOA cannot be renegotiated, period.
“If 2021 is not 2015, it’s not 1945 either. So let’s change UN Charter and remove the veto so often abused by US.
“Let’s stop posturing, which we both did 2003-2012 to no avail, and get down to implementing JCPOA which we both actually signed on to.”
Zarif’s remarks came after Wendy Sherman, US President Joe Biden’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, called for a new “stronger” deal with Iran.
On Tuesday while speaking to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the “JCPOA is by no means renegotiable, and the only way to protect and revive it is to remove sanctions by the US”.
Iran’s gradual retreat from its nuclear obligations is due to the US’ 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as the “inability” of the UK, France and Germany to fulfil their nuclear commitments, he said.
As a result of the US’ unilateral 2018 exit from the nuclear agreement, Iran has surpassed JCPOA-stipulated limits on its uranium enrichment level and on its stockpiles of heavy water and low-enriched uranium.
The Islamic Republic has also lifted JCPOA limitations on its nuclear research and development activities.
In December 2020, the country’s Parliament passed the law of “Iran’s Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions” which obliges the government to further reduce the obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal unless the US lifts sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
They highlighted the importance of reaching a binding legal agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that would meet the interests of the three countries…reports Asian Lite News
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Sudanese counterpart Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi stressed that Ethiopia’s possible second phase filling of the Nile dam unilaterally would pose a direct threat to water security of the two nations.
The remarks came during the two Ministers meeting here on Tuesday, where they tackled a number of issues of common interest, according to a joint press statement.
They highlighted the importance of reaching a binding legal agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that would meet the interests of the three countries, preserve the water rights of Egypt and Sudan, and limit the damages of the project to the two downstream countries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Shoukry and his Sudanese counterpart also stressed that they have political will and a serious desire to achieve this goal at the earliest possible opportunity, urging Ethiopia to show goodwill and engage in an effective negotiation process.
GERD negotiations
They also expressed appreciation for the efforts made by South Africa during its presidency of the African Union in guiding the path of the GERD negotiations.
The two Ministers affirmed that their countries adhered to the proposal made by Sudan and supported by Egypt on developing the negotiation mechanism sponsored by the African Union through the formation of an international quartet led and managed by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the current chair of the African Union.
Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of the Nile water.
Sudan has recently been raising similar concerns over the $4 billion dam.
Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD, with a total capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, have been fruitless, including the early ones hosted by Washington and the recent ones by the African Union.
Iran has already ruled out informal talks with US, EU on reviving nuclear deal.
Iran’s gradual retreat from its nuclear obligations is due to the US’ 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as the “inability” of the UK, France and Germany to fulfil their nuclear commitments,said Rouhani…reports Asian Lite News
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged the US to lift sanctions to save the nuclear deal, which is also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“JCPOA is by no means renegotiable, and the only way to protect and revive it is to remove sanctions by the US,” Xinhua news agency quoted quoted Rouhani as saying on Tuesday while speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron on the phone.
Iran’s gradual retreat from its nuclear obligations is due to the US’ 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as the “inability” of the UK, France and Germany to fulfil their nuclear commitments, Rouhani said.
He stressed that Iran will re-embrace its obligations immediately if other parties of the deal adhere to their undertakings.
Joe Biden
Tehran’s recent suspension of the voluntary implementation of the additional protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is within the framework of the law passed by the Iranian Parliament, he said.
In the meantime, “our cooperation with the IAEA continues and we have never left the JCPOA”, he stressed.
On February 23, Iran stopped implementation of the voluntary measures including the IAEA additional protocol, as envisaged in the JCPOA, which are beyond safeguard agreement.
“The re-establishment of an Irish presence in Tehran is a concrete sign of our commitment to deepen dialogue with all relevant partners, including Iran, on this issue,”said Coveney…reports Asian Lite News
Ireland will re-establish its diplomatic presence in Iran following the closure of its embassy in Tehran in 2012, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney announced.
“A Diplomatic Mission will be established this year, to be headed at Charge d’Affaires level, with a commitment to re-open an Irish Embassy in 2023,” Coveney said in a statement posted on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
He said that the decision is part of the government’s efforts to double Ireland’s global impact by 2025 under a Global Ireland strategy.
“As an elected member of the Security Council, it is particularly important that we have the ability to engage in more depth on the range of Middle East issues on the Security Council’s agenda,” he said.
The minister added that Ireland has a particular responsibility to play a constructive and impactful role on the nuclear non-proliferation agenda as a facilitator of Resolution 2231 for the next two years on the Security Council.
JCPOA
Resolution 2231 is a resolution passed by the UN Security Council on July 20, 2015, which endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the nuclear program of Iran.
“Ireland is fully committed to the success of that agreement, and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
“The re-establishment of an Irish presence in Tehran is a concrete sign of our commitment to deepen dialogue with all relevant partners, including Iran, on this issue,” Coveney said.
Ireland closed its embassy in Tehran in 2012 due to the impact of the financial crisis, according to the background information attached to the statement.
Ireland took up its seat as an elected member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term starting from January 1, 2021.
The UN Security Council has five permanent members, namely China, the US, Russia, the UK and France.
The Council also has ten non-permanent members which are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms starting on January 1, with five replaced each year.
The main difference between a permanent member and a non-permanent member is that the former has a veto power while the latter does not.
Ireland joined the UN in 1955 and will serve as Presidency of the UN Security Council in September 2021, according to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.
Three female employees of a local TV channel Enikass were shot dead and one other staffer was injured in the attack that took place in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital…reports Asian Lite News
The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a shooting attack that killed three female media workers in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Three female employees of a local TV channel Enikass were shot dead and one other staffer was injured in the attack that took place in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital, on Tuesday evening.
The IS claimed in an online Arabic language statement that their fighters were behind the shooting in the province, where the group emerged in early 2015.
The mountainous province, 120 km east of Kabul, has been the scene of clashes between security forces and IS militants from time to time.
One female TV anchor of Enikass and her driver were killed in a similar incident in December 2020.
Seven media persons were killed in 2020 amid the deteriorating security situation, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), an independent media safety group.
Myanmar is currently seeing some of its biggest and bloodiest protests in years against a military coup
U Wunna Maung Lwin was appointed as the Foreign Minister by the State Administration Council, chaired by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing….reports Asian Lite News
Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin attended an informal meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), a state-media report said on Wednesday.
U Wunna Maung Lwin apprised the virtual meeting on Tuesday of voting irregularities in the November 2020 general elections, five roadmaps put forward by the military-run State Administration Council, and the review of electoral voting lists by the Union Election Commission, among others, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.
U Wunna Maung Lwin was appointed as the Foreign Minister by the State Administration Council, chaired by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
A one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar and state power was transferred to Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing after President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained by the military on February 1.
Myanmar protestors flood streets in Mandalay despite army crack down
ASEAN offers assistance
The coup was staged as the military alleged massive voting fraud in the 2020 general elections, which saw Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy win a majority of seats in both houses of parliament.
Asean foreign ministers said in a statement on Tuesday that the regional bloc is ready to assist Myanmar in a positive, peaceful and constructive manner.
ASEAN, founded in 1967, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- Protesters destory a crane truck in downtown Beirut, Lebanon
Pandemic-hit economy has impacted livelihoods of millions in Lebanon
Protests were held on Tuesday in the capital Beirut and other major cities including Tripoli and Sidon…reports Asian Lite News
Protests erupted across Lebanon against the unprecedented collapse of the currency which slipped to a new low of 10,000 Lebanese pounds per $1.
Protests were held on Tuesday in the capital Beirut and other major cities including Tripoli and Sidon, as well as some villages and towns in southern Lebanon.
The protesters blocked some of the roads and highways, set tires on fires, and chanted slogans calling for the formation of a government capable of introducing reforms to save the country from further collapse.
Some angry protesters in the eastern town of Chtoura forced local currency exchange dealers to close their shops.
Due to the continued political instability and raging Covid-19 pandemic, Lebanon has been suffering from an economic crisis, as demonstrated by a sharp decline in the price of the Lebanese pound and a remarkable increase in poverty and unemployment.
Turkey’s addition to Pakistan’s defence and military level manufacturing, would also open gateway for Istanbul to be part of the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, that Pakistan develops with China…reports Hamza Ameer
Turkey and Pakistan are on the verge of signing a defence agreement, opening doors for Islamabad to become the co-manufacturer of missiles and fighter jets.
The claim was made in a report by Bloomberg that officials from both countries held meetings over the past couple of months where prospects of manufacturing and developing military hardware have been discussed.
“Officials from both sides have confirmed that the meetings did take place in January but did not comment on whether any deal was reached between the two countries on when another such meeting will take place,” claimed the Bloomberg report.
Turkey’s addition to Pakistan’s defence and military level manufacturing, would also open gateway for Istanbul to be part of the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, that Pakistan develops with China. Turkey would also be able to collaborate on defence projects with Pakistan in the coming days.
“Ankara sees Islamabad as a strategic ally and a potential partner in developing its Siper-long-range missile-defence project and TF-X fighter jets,” told Turkish officials to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity.
“Pakistani Defence Secretary Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain met with top Turkish officials including Defence Minister Hulusi Akar in December, and discussed defence industry cooperation,” read Bloomberg quoting the sources.
Pakistan has been cozing up with Turkey in the past with relations being taken from friendly countries to a driving force to represent the Muslim World, focused on fighting what they call Islamophobia and its concept being used against Muslims and religion by the world.
However, Pakistan’s attempt to ally with Turkey and Malaysia for the same was negated by Saudi Arabia, who saw the alliance as a direct confrontational challenge to the already existing Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Now, with the defence relations being extended between Pakistan and Turkey, analysts said that it may have an impact on Pakistan’s relations with the United States in the coming future.
Iran has already ruled out informal talks with US, EU on reviving nuclear deal.
Iran has not answered any of the IAEA’s questions relating to the possible presence of nuclear material at three other locations either…reports Asian Lite News
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it was deeply concerned about unreported nuclear material in Iran.
The presence of multiple uranium particles of anthropogenic origin is a clear indication that nuclear material and/or equipment contaminated by nuclear material has been present at a location not declared by Iran, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said a virtual meeting on Monday.
“In the absence of a technically credible explanation from Iran, the agency is deeply concerned that undeclared nuclear material may have been present at this undeclared location and that such nuclear material remains unreported by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement,” Xinhua news agency quoted Grossi as saying.
Iran has not answered any of the IAEA’s questions relating to the possible presence of nuclear material at three other locations either, he added.
Compliance with the Iranian law
Grossi told reporters after the meeting that his agency has lost the additional protocol and “the transparency measures specific to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)”.
“To give you an example, if I wanted to go to a place which is part of a declared site, of which I have doubt, I cannot… It is a huge loss.”
He emphasised that the agreement he reached with Iran on February 21 is “a temporary technical understanding and that it is compatible with Iranian law”.
“It is to enable the agency to resume its full verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA if and when Iran resumes its implementation of those commitments,” he said.
He told reporters that US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have both indicated that “their aspiration is to return to the JCPOA”, and are “looking into means and ways to do it”, noting it is important to give more time to diplomacy and consultations.
“This is going to take time,” he said. “I hope they will agree and we are going to be supporting them.”
The P5+1 countries (China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, plus Germany) negotiated the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program in 2015, before Washington under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018.
As a result of the US’ unilateral exit, Iran has surpassed JCPOA-stipulated limits on its uranium enrichment level and on its stockpiles of heavy water and low-enriched uranium.
The Islamic Republic has also lifted JCPOA limitations on its nuclear research and development activities.
