Hodeidah has witnessed a shaky ceasefire between the government forces and the Houthis since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018….reports Asian Lite News
At least 23 fighters from both Yemeni army and Houthi militia were killed in clashes in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, a local government military source said.
“The clashes erupted after the Houthis attempted to infiltrate to the army positions in the liberated areas in the district of Al-Durayhimi in the southern part of the port city, but the army fought back, killing at least 21 rebels and forced them to retreat,” the source told Xinhua news agency on Monday.
He added that two soldiers were killed in the fight.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that fighters of the militia group have killed “dozens” of the government forces in the fighting in al-Durayhimi district in the last 24 hours without providing more details.
Military vehicles seen deployed in Aden, Yemen. (File Photo)
Hodeidah has witnessed a shaky ceasefire between the government forces and the Houthis since they reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.
Part of the port city is under the control of the Houthis, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern outskirts.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The UN is trying to end the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the Arab country to the brink of famine.
The CBI statement came after Germany on Saturday blamed Iran for the failure of the EU-initiated payment system….reports Asian Lite News
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) said that the European Union (EU)-initiated payment system did not work because its operation was under the influence of US sanctions.
The system, known also as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), is a mechanism set up by France, Germany and the UK in January 2019 to facilitate trade with Iran by skirting the US anti-Tehran sanctions, reports Xinhua news agency.
The INSTEX channel was basically designed to save the Iranian nuclear deal, internationally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after the US pullout in 2018, the CBI said in its Twitter account on Sunday.
But the mechanism failed to work because Europeans did not have the courage to exercise their national and independent economic power, the Bank added.
The European countries found no way to finance the INSTEX channel either, it added.
The CBI statement came after Germany on Saturday blamed Iran for the failure of the EU-initiated payment system.
Over the nine days since the start of the second round of talks, the two sides have held four meetings, including Sunday evening’s meeting, at the working group level….reports Asian Lite News
Negotiators representing the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group met in Doha and discussed the agenda of the second round of peace talks, a top official said.
The meeting on Sunday came cafter days of delay, TOLO News reported citing Afghan government negotiator Nader Nadery as saying.
Over the nine days since the start of the second round of talks, the two sides have held four meetings, including Sunday evening’s meeting, at the working group level.
But the two sides are yet finalise the final agenda that will pave the way for formal talks.
The second round, which began on January 5 after a three-week break, will focus on a ceasefire and reduction in violence in the war-torn country, TOLO News reported.
The peace negotiations, which formally kicked-off in September 2020, witnessed a breakthrough last month after the two sides agreed on procedural rules for the talks.
They also confirmed to have exchanged their lists about the agenda of the peace talks.
According to TOLO News, in its draft of demands, the Afghan government’s team has added ceasefire, preservation of national sovereignty, media freedom and the prohibition of activity by foreign fighters in the war-torn country.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s demands include an Islamic government structure, establishment of an Islamic council, and ensuring women’s rights and the rights of all citizens based on Islamic principles.
The number of homebound patients as of January 13 was 1.7 times that of the previous week amid a third wave of the pandemic across the country….reports Asian Lite News
The number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients with serious symptoms in Japan has topped 970, marking a record high since the onset of the pandemic in the country, authorities said.
Meanwhile, the number of patients recuperating at home reached 30,208 this week, Xinhua news agency quoted the Health Ministry as saying on Sunday.
The number of homebound patients as of January 13 was 1.7 times that of the previous week amid a third wave of the pandemic across the country.
On Sunday, 5,759 new Covid-19 cases and 49 deaths were reported across Japan, which increased the country’s overall infection tally and fatalities to 330,683 and 4,304, respectively.
Tokyo confirmed an additional 1,592 infections with five new deaths, the metropolitan government said.
Currently, 19 prefectures have reached the bed occupancy situation at Stage 4, the worst level on the government’s four-level scale, up eight from last week.
Tokyo has the highest number of homebound patients of 8,518, up over 3,000 compared to a week earlier.
The situation poses a challenging task to health authorities in terms of keeping a check on homebound patients in case a sudden deterioration in their conditions occurs, according to local media reports.
An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that the jets struck Hamas military targets, including a tunnels…reports Asian Lite News
The Israeli military said on Monday that its warplanes struck sites belonging to the Hamas in the Gaza Strip after two rockets were fired from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that the jets struck Hamas military targets, including a tunnels, reports Xinhua news agency.
The two rockets fired earlier from the Gaza Strip fell in the sea before reaching Israel, according to the Israeli military.
There were no reports of injuries on both sides.
It was not immediately clear which group in Gaza fired the rockets but the spokesperson said that Israel considers Hamas “responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip and emanating from it”.
Hamas “will bear the consequences for terror activity against Israeli civilians”, the Israeli military warned.
The army said it was “ready to continue operating as necessary against attempts to harm Israeli civilians or sovereignty”.
Sporadic rocket and gunshot attacks from Gaza have decreased over the past months amid the the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Gaza and Israel.
Hamas says Israel violates its truce obligations to ease a crippling blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.
The Bangladesh government has so far rolled out 23 bailout packages announced at different times since March 2020 to absorb the economic shock from the raging Covid-19 pandemic….reports Sumi Khan.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved two new schemes worth Tk 2,700 crore aimed at improving the living conditions of rural marginalised people, according to a Finance Ministry statement.
The government has not yet decided on the interest rates for the loans to be provided through all these organisations and agencies.
But the beneficiaries will get the loans at a reduced rate, an official at the Ministry said.
Before releasing the funds, the Finance Division will discuss and review their existing rates and fix it.
The implementation of the new packages will begin soon, the Finance Ministrystatement said.
The total amount of financial assistance now stands at Tk 124,053 crore, 4.44 per cent of the country’s GDP.
The approval of the new schemes comes following recommendations from various stakeholders during a series of dialogue organised recently by the Ministry on overall aspects of the stimulus packages.
At the discussions, business leaders, government officials and representatives from banks, development partners and agencies suggested expanding the credit coverage through government and semi-government agencies related to the cottage industry and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
They also recommended steps to improve the living standards of marginal people and expand the social safety coverage for the poor, added the statement.
Under the first package involving Tk 1,500 crore, the government will give loans to micro and cottage entrepreneurs through various government and semi-government agencies like the SME Foundation, the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) and Bangladesh NGO Foundation to infuse dynamism into the rural economy amid the pandemic.
Of the amount, Tk 300 crore will be provided to the SME Foundation for expanding its operations for the cottage industry and SMEs alongside helping the female entrepreneurs.
The SME foundation will disburse loans among the small businesses and entrepreneurs hit hard due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, according to Finance Ministry officials.
Besides, BSCIC will get Tk 100 crore under the package. The state-run corporation, established to support small initiatives across the country, will provide loans to small entrepreneurs and industrial units set up in the BSCIC estates under its existing credit programmes.
The package also includes financial support for business initiatives by women who suffered due to the economic slowdown.
Joyeeta Foundation, a government initiative to support women’s ventures and empower women financially, will get Tk 50 crore. Apart from the loans, the foundation will provide training to women entrepreneurs.
The NGO Foundation will get Tk 50 crore for providing small loans through NGOs.
Besides, Social Development Foundation, Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation, and Bangladesh Palli Development Board will get Tk 300 crore each and Small Farmers Development Foundation Tk 100 crore.
In March 2020, the government announced a Tk 20,000-crore stimulus package for the cottage, micro, small and medium enterprise (CMSME) sector after the pandemic hit the country.
However, the disbursement rate of the loans was low compared to that for the large industrial and service sectors.
Faridpur, July 20, 2020 (Xinhua) — Photo shows flood-affected houses in Faridpur, Bangladesh, July 19, 2020. Floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills have worsened again in parts of Bangladesh, including central Faridpur district, some 101 kilometers away from the capital Dhaka. (Xinhua/IANS)
Under the Tk 1,200-crore package, all disadvantaged elderly people, widows and female divorcees in 150 poverty-stricken upazilas of the country will get cash assistance.
The beneficiaries will get an allowance of Tk 500 a month. The package will be implemented in fiscal 2021-2022.
The amount is likely to increase by 5 per cent from the next budget as the Finance Ministry has already made a decision in this regard, said an official of the ministry.
However, the government is yet to finalise the number of beneficiaries.
It started giving the cash incentives to all those who fall under the beneficiary groups in 112 poverty-stricken upazilas after the pandemic hit the country.
Three people whose samples were sent to Hong Kong for testing via gene sequencing have been confirmed to have contracted the mutated variant….reports Asian Lite News
Nepal’s Health Ministry has confirmed the detection of cases of the new coronavirus variant, which was first discovered in the UK late last year.
Three people whose samples were sent to Hong Kong for testing via gene sequencing have been confirmed to have contracted the mutated variant.
A 28-year-old woman and two men aged 32 and 67, were found to have been infected.
The woman and the 32-year-old man have already tested negative, while the 67-year-old, although still infected, is asymptomatic, the Ministry said.
Six people who had recently returned from the UK had tested positive for Covid-19 and it was suspected that the three whose samples s-gene target had come out negative were carrying the new variant.
The Nepal government, upon verification of the presence of the new variant, has urged people to adopt safety measures until a vaccine is available.
Nepal has so far reported 267,322 confirmed coronavirus ases and 1,959 deaths.
The Seoul High Court gave Lee, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., the prison term for bribing Park and her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to win government support for a smooth transition of managerial power at the tech giant…reports Asian Lite News
A Seoul court on Monday sentenced Lee Jae-yong, heir apparent of South Korea’s biggest family-run conglomerate the Samsung Group, to two years and a half in prison for corruption charges, including a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye.
The Seoul High Court gave Lee, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., the prison term for bribing Park and her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to win government support for a smooth transition of managerial power at the tech giant, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Park was later impeached and ousted for corruption and abuse of power.
Lee, who was present at the hearing on Monday, was taken into custody immediately after the verdict was handed down, less than three years after he was released on a suspended sentence.
The 52-year-old Lee was charged in February 2017 with giving 29.8 billion won ($27.4 million) worth of bribes and promising to give more.
He made the speech in the Diet or Parliament as it began its regular session, which will continue through June 16…reports Asian Lite News
In his first-ever policy speech since taking office last September, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday outlined his determination to contain the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
He made the speech in the Diet or Parliament as it began its regular session, which will continue through June 16, Xinhua news agency reported.
Suga vowed to tackle the surging infection cases and restore normal life “as soon as possible”.
“To protect the lives and health of the Japanese people… I will get the situation back to normal as soon as possible,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister had declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures in a bid to stem the unabated resurgence, and has so far expanded it to seven more prefectures including Osaka and Aichi.
“What is important is to provide necessary medical services to people in need. We will exhaust all measures to safeguard the medical system,” said the Japanese leader.
“We are all ready to deploy the Self-Defense Forces’ medical team if requested by Governors,” he added.
As of Monday, the country’s overall Covid-19 infection tally and fatalities stood at 330,683 and 4,304, respectively.
In his speech, he also pledged to go ahead with preparations to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer in the face of growing public opposition amid the resurgence.
“We will press ahead with preparations, with determination of building watertight anti-infection measures and holding an event that can bring hope and courage to the world,” Suga said of the Olympics.
Rumours ran wild recently that the Tokyo Olympic Games would be postponed to 2032, immediately causing a stir among athletes who had planned to compete at the showpiece event in less than 200 days.
Both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 organising committee had moved swiftly to deny such accusations, dismissing all such reports concerning the cancellation of the Games as “fake news”.
They reaffirmed their commitment to hosting the already-delayed Tokyo 2020 Games this summer.
While addressing the Die, Suga called South Korea “an important neighbour” when he touched on diplomacy polices, adding bilateral relations were in a very severe situation.
Earlier this month, a South Korean court ordered Japan’s government to pay damages to the South Korean victims who were forced into sex slavery for the Imperial Japan’s military brothels during World War II.
Japan maintained that the case should be dropped given the sovereign immunity that allows a state to be immune from civil suit in foreign courts, but the South Korean court said it cannot be applied to the case as the illegal acts were crimes against humanity committed deliberately, systematically and widely by the Imperial Japan.
“To bring relations back to an even keel, we strongly demand the South Korean side take appropriate steps,” said the Japanese leader.
Suga also touched on Japan’s relationship with the US, expressing hope that he will be able to meet American President-elect Joe Biden as soon as possible.
The death toll from a strong earthquake and floods that hit Indonesia has increased to 96, with nearly 70,000 people currently displaced, the National Disaster Management Agency said on Monday.
A total of 81 people were killed after the 6.2-magnitude quake and the 5.9-magnitude aftershock struck West Sulawesi province on January 14 and January 15, respectively, agency spokesman Raditya Jati said.
Meanwhile, 15 people were killed in South Kalimantan as floods have hit the province since January 14, reports Xinhua news agency.
The quakes have forced about 28,000 people to take shelter in 25 evacuation centre in West Sulawesi province’s city of Mamuju and Majene district, while the floods caused nearly 40,000 others to take shelter in South Kalimantan province, Jati said.
The number of houses damaged by the quakes rose to 1,150 units in the district, and five school buildings were also destroyed there, he said.
The assessment of risks of the quakes in the city and the district was still going on, Jati said.
Fearing the possibility of further spread of Covid-19 among the evacuees, rapid tests will be conducted and shelters for the displaced people will be separated from each other, according to the agency’s head Doni Monardo.
“There will be antigen tests to ensure that the evacuees have not been infected by the Covid-19 virus,” Monardo said.
Meanwhile, in South Kalimantan province, the floods have inundated nearly 25,000 houses, Jati said.
An emergency status has been declared there since January 14 and the risk assessment has been undertaken, he added.
