AMMAN, May 25, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II (C) reviews the Royal Guard of Honor during the ceremony of the 73rd anniversary of the Independence of Jordan in Amman, Jordan, May 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh/IANS)
The King asked him to continue as a caretaker premier until a successor was named following the November 10 general elections…Reports Asian Lite News
Jordan’s King Abdullah has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Omar Razzazs Cabinet, but asked him to continue as a caretaker premier until a successor was named following the November 10 general elections, according to a Royal Court statement.
Replying to Razzaz’s resignation, the monarch in a letter on Saturday thanked the outgoing premier and his ministerial team for “undertaking your duties and diligently assuming your responsibilities throughout your tenure, especially during the extraordinary circumstances imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic”, The Jordan Times reported.
“Despite the Cabinet’s efforts in setting plans and programmes and implementing priorities, it is important to learn from the mistakes that marked aspects of the response to Covid-19, a challenge unlike the world has seen in decades, with methods to address it being refined day by day, based on the latest developments.
“As I hereby accept your resignation, I entrust you and the Cabinet to continue as caretaker government, until a new Prime Minister is selected and a new Cabinet is formed, and I stress the importance of working diligently during this period, because dealing with Covid-19 requires focused and persistent action, with ongoing measures being taken without delay,” he added in the letter.
In his resignation letter, Razzaz outlined his Cabinet’s achievements since he became the Prime Minister in 2018.
He also said that the pandemic had impact on his cabinet’s priorities for this year, with safeguarding public health and well-being becoming the main goal.
The development came almost after a week the country’s Parliament was dissolved ahead of the November elections.
The House of Representatives or the lower House comprises 130 seats, of which 115 members are elected by an open list proportional representation from 23 constituencies of between three and nine seats in size and 15 seats reserved for women.
Nine of the 115 proportional representation seats are reserved for the Christian minority, with another three reserved for the Chechen and Circassian minorities.
State institutions and places of worship would close, but health centers and delivery services would be exempted…Reports Asian Lite News
Lebanon is to announce lockdown in 111 villages and towns for a week after a series of record novel coronavirus daily infection rates, the interior ministry said Friday.Arab News Reports
The move came after widespread objections to a nationwide lockdown in August, as the country faces its worst economic crisis in decades.
From early Sunday and for eight days in the villages listed, residents were to “remain at home,” and “wear a mask covering their mouth and nose if forced to go out,” the ministry said in a statement.
State institutions and places of worship would close, but health centers and delivery services would be exempted, it added.
The head of a major Beirut public hospital battling Covid-19, Firass Abiad, welcomed the new district-by-district approach. “This will help identify hotspots and (implement) a more focused approach to restrictive measures. This can be a good alternative to the unpopular total lockdown,” he said on Twitter.
Cases have spiked in the aftermath of a massive explosion at the Beirut port on August 4 that killed more than 190 people and overwhelmed the capital’s health services, with thousands of wounded.
The country has recorded 40,868 Covid-19 cases since February, including 374 deaths.Authorities fear that a major spike would overwhelm the country’s fragile health sector.
“We expect that Turkey from now on abstains from unilateral actions. In case of such renewed actions by Ankara the EU will use all its instruments and options available” said Ursula von der Leyen…Reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) has said it could impose sanctions on Turkey over “provocations and pressures” in a row with Greece over energy resources and maritime borders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Ankara to “abstain from unilateral actions” in the eastern Mediterranean. She spoke early on Friday during a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
Earlier, Turkey and Greece set up a military hotline to try to reduce the risk of clashes in the region.
Tensions rose earlier this year when Turkey sent a ship into a disputed area to search for potentially rich oil and gas deposits.
Von der Leyen told reporters that the EU wanted “a positive and constructive relationship with Turkey and this would be also be very much in Ankara’s interest”.
“But it will only work if the provocations and pressures stop,” she said. “We therefore expect that Turkey from now on abstains from unilateral actions. In case of such renewed actions by Ankara the EU will use all its instruments and options available. We have a toolbox that we can apply immediately.”
After their late-night meeting, EU members agreed to review Turkey’s behaviour in December and impose sanctions if “provocations” had not stopped.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, posting on Twitter after the meeting, said: “The EU issues a clear threat of sanctions against Turkey should it continue to violate international law.”
European Council President Charles Michel said the EU was offering Turkey closer relations on trade and other areas but holding out the threat of sanctions if tensions in the Mediterranean did not de-escalate.
The European Union and Turkey have long held a fragile relationship.
Turkey has been a long-term candidate for membership of the EU but efforts have stalled. EU leaders have criticised Turkey’s record on human rights and the rule of law, in particular in the wake of the 2016 failed military coup.
Despite the strains, Turkey remains an important partner for the EU. Turkey hosts millions of migrants and struck a deal with the EU that limited the numbers arriving in Greece.
Greece and Turkey are both Nato members, but have a history of border disputes and competing claims over maritime rights.
Tensions flared in August when Ankara sent the research ship into an area south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo which is claimed by Greece, Turkey and Cyprus.
To maximise the global benefits of cooperation, the UAE, the US, and Israel are committed to exploring collective activities in multilateral settings in coordination with financial institutions…Reports Asian Lite News
The United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and the State of Israel have affirmed the importance of establishing a joint strategic vision for energy partnership.
Recognising that energy collaboration can be a step toward a more stable, integrated, and prosperous Middle East, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Cabinet Member and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz, have agreed to the following joint statement supporting the development of a strategic vision for an energy partnership that drives innovation and prosperity:
“The United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, and the State of Israel, acknowledging the benefits of focusing on pragmatic steps that have tangible outcomes, agree to encourage greater coordination in the energy sector, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, oil, natural gas resources and related technologies, and water desalination technologies. Together, our dynamic economies will look to leverage world-leading research and development capacities to meet the needs of current and future generations. We will also seek to find solutions to the energy challenges faced by the Palestinian people through the development of energy resources, technologies, and related infrastructure.
“To maximise the global benefits of cooperation, the UAE, the US, and Israel are committed to exploring collective activities in multilateral settings in coordination with financial institutions and the private sector to enhance international investment in research and development and the rapid adoption of new energy technologies.”
Jerusalem, Sept. 13, 2020 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a briefing on COVID-19 pandemic in Israel at his office in Jerusalem, on Sept. 13, 2020. Israel will reimpose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, beginning on Friday, to slow a rapid resurgence of coronavirus infections, the government decided on Sunday. (Yoav Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
The Government struggled to get the necessary votes after critics accused it of trying to stifle protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…Reports Asian Lite News
Israel’s parliament has handed the government the power to ban mass protests during the country’s second nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
Demonstrators will be confined to groups of up to 20 people and must stay within 1 km (0.6 miles) of their homes.
The law should have been part of a range of measures passed on Friday.
But the government struggled to get the necessary votes after critics accused it of trying to stifle protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, BBC reported.
(140311) — ANKARA, March 11, 2014 (Xinhua) — Turkish policemen stand guard as students protest in Ankara, capital of Turkey, March 11, 2014. Mass protests rallied on Tuesday in several cities in Turkey following the death of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who had been in coma for 269 days due to a head injury by a tear gas canister during the Gezi Park protests in last June. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
For weeks, thousands of people have gathered outside his official residence in Jerusalem to demand he resign over corruption allegations and his handling of the pandemic. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.
The protests have continued despite a dramatic resurgence of Covid-19.
Israel currently has the world’s highest infection rate per capita, with the daily number of new cases exceeding 8,000 last week despite the second lockdown.
Since the start of the pandemic more than 237,000 cases and 1,528 deaths have been reported in the country, which has a population of nine million.
The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, has died aged 91. Sheikh Sabah was the ruler of Kuwait since 2006 .Reports Arab News
He was admitted to hospital in July and underwent surgery, before travelling to the US for further treatment.
His death brought an outpouring of grief and condolences from both the Gulf, the region and beyond.
He served as Kuwait’s foreign minister from 1963 for four decades after holding a number of other governmental posts.He then became prime minister in 2003.
The leader was widely respected for his leadership, diplomacy and as a mediator in the region.
He helped steer the country through the devastating invasion by Iraq in 1990 and a number of other crises in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmanwere among the region’s leaders to offer their condolences to Kuwait and Sheikh Sabah’s family.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sheikh Sabah “was an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge-builder.”
Donald Trump awarded the US Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Sheikh Sabah – the first time the honor has been given since 1991.
Kuwait announced 40 days of mourning to remember Sheikh Sabah
Saudi Arabia busted a terrorist cell whose members got military and field training inside sites belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday citing the spokesman for the Presidency of State Security. The cell was discovered last week during security monitoring according to SPA, report.
The spokesperson also said that a total of 10 members of the cell were arrested, three of them received training in Iran. The cell was formed between October and December 2017, the spokesperson added.
According to the spokesperson, their training took place in two locations and included field exercises and making explosives. The security operation seized a large number of weapons, explosives, chemicals, and electronic devices and equipment from a house and a farm.
The Arab coalition forces to Restore the Legitimate Government in Yemen said that 15 Saudi prisoners are to be released by Houthis on Sunday, adding that the prisoner swap is in line with the Stockholm agreement.
The official spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Col. Turki Al-Maliki said in a press conference here on Sunday that the Yemeni government will release 681 prisoners, and the Houthi militia will release 400, according to the Saudi Gazette.
“Fifteen Saudi prisoner of war will be released by Houthi militia as part of the Yemen prisoner exchange agreement,” Al-Maliki added. Al-Maliki said Yemeni prisoner exchange agreement also includes the release of four Sudanese.
Al-Maliki described the prisoner swap as ‘purely humanitarian’. The Coalition called on the Houthi militia not to undermine the efforts of the United Nation special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths.
Last week while visiting my sister-in-law Jenny and her husband John at their home in Suffolk the talk turned to sport as it often does. Both Jenny and John have a keen interest in sport, and it is always enjoyable to talk to them about sports. What surprised me was when Jenny asked me about IPL. The first match of the IPL was about to be played and that Jenny and John living in the depths of Suffolk should be interested in this tournament showed how IPL has taken over this quintessential English game of cricket.
Indeed, so powerful is it that a domestic Indian cricket tournament means more to international cricket than a World Cup. Estimates suggest that IPL generates $600 million (£464.5 million) of revenue, 30 per cent more than the 2019 World Cup held in England did. The result of this is that IPL takes precedence over the World Cup. The Twenty20 World Cup was due to start next month but with the IPL originally scheduled for the summer but postponed due to Covid and moved to the UAE, it was IPL which took precedence.
There is a great irony here and also a very Indian story. The twenty over game was an English invention that the Indians shunned. The then secretary of the Indian board initially refused to take part in the first T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 snorting in derision, “What next, five overs a side cricket match?”
India reluctantly send a side to South Africa with its greatest star Sachin Tendulkar dropping out. But led by rookie captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni it unexpectedly won the tournament. The T20 triumph in South Africa triggered a revolution not only in India but also world cricket.
Abu Dhabi: Mumbai Indians players celebrates the wicket of Eoin Morgan of Kolkata Knight Riders during match 5 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on the 23rd September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
Now sponsors cannot get enough of IPL. Last month IPL lost its tournament sponsor, Vivo, but soon Dream11, an online gaming company stepped in. Online fantasy cricket is the nearest India has to legal gambling in India and it can make a lot of money for IPL as cricket exploits India’s digital explosion. In 2012 India was said to have had 30 million smartphones in India. It could rise to 829 million by 2022.
120-150 million viewers in India are expecting to watch this year’s IPL matches, with companies paying $60,000 for 30 seconds of advertising time on Star Sports.
Credit must also be given to the organisers. 1,500 people have been locked down in Mumbai and the United Arab Emirates, whose three grounds in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, is where the cricket is being played. With IPL impossible in India UAE’s venues, all easily accessible by road for teams sealed in hotels and buses, made absolute sense.
Abu Dhabi: Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals appeals unsuccessfully during match 4 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on the 22nd September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
The economic power of IPL keeps confounding most experts. In 2008 when the IPL had its first season broadcast rights were sold for ten years to Sony-World Sports Group for $ 1.5 billion. In September 2017, the IPL rights were sold to Star India for five years for Rs 16,347 crores which was more than the worth of all the other T-20 leagues which have mushroomed in the wake of the IPL in the last decade.
But while these figures are impressive the IPL story is best told in the impact it has had on the world of cricket and why India once the pariah of the cricket world is now the place cricketers cannot keep away from. The pre-IPL world revolved round an English summer. The moment the English cricket season started in late April cricket all over the world effectively ceased. Such was the power of the English game that cricketers from all over the world came to play in England. India was a bit player in this English summer garden party. Unlike West Indians and Pakistanis not many Indians played county cricket.
When IPL was launched in 2008 English cricket unable to believe that the Indians could match their cricket expertise scoffed at it. Its efforts to beat IPL proved a disaster and English cricket has long bowed to the power of IPL. So, despite the fact that IPL overlaps with the English cricket season their best players are allowed to miss part of the season to take part in this great Indian gold mine. Two centuries ago, British came to India to make money and found an empire. Now their cricketers are willing to miss part of their cherished season to make the sort of money they could never make anywhere else.
Abu Dhabi: Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore brings up his fifty during match 3 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 21st September 2020. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)
What the IPL has also developed are bonds between Indians and foreigners. This can be seen when IPL matches are played as during the match earlier this week between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. At a crucial stage in the match the outcome seemed to hinge on whether KKR’s two great foreign stars could turn the match around. They were Eoin Morgan, captain of the England limited over cricket team and one of the best batsman in this format, and the West Indian Andre Russell widely regarded as one of the greatest T20 players. They threatened to do so but were snuffed out by Jasprit Bumrah India’s great pace bowler who took both their wickets in one over. Patrick Cummings, the most expensive overseas star of IPL ever, who is principally a bowler, smashed a few sixes but by then Mumbai Indians had done enough to win. This show cased the IPL wonderfully well. An Englishman, a Jamaican, an Australian on one side and an Indian on the other all performing on the same stage with the Indian winning.
True, this is very specialised form of the game that will never match the complexity or provide the drama and game within game conflict almost mirroring real life that a five-day Test can. Tests will always be seen as the highest benchmark of the game. Yet, IPL is cricket turned into a Bollywood show, Indian tamasha presented to the world in such an enticing manner that Jenny and John are gripped by it.
For the first time a major team sport is not controlled by the west, and IPL is the ultimate expression of modern Indian soft power. It may not be as powerful an Indian soft power tool as yoga, but it took yoga a long time to reach its present position of eminence. That IPL has risen so far so quickly is testimony to the inventive powers of modern Indians.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Addresses General Debate, 75th Session
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reminded the international community that the fates of people across the globe were intertwined amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as she called on world leaders to ensure that any proven vaccine is made accessible to all at the same time.
She made the remarks during her address to the 75th UN General Assembly via video link on Saturday, reports bdnews24.
Expressing hope over the availability of a vaccine soon, Hasina said: “It is imperative to treat the vaccine as a ‘global public good’. We need to ensure the timely availability of this vaccine to all countries at the same time.”
Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical industry has the capacity to mass-produce a vaccine, if given the “technical know-how and patents”, she said.
Describing the pandemic as an “unprecedented crisis”, Hasina paid tribute to all frontline fighters, including health workers and public servants who are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of the affected countries and people.
Sheikh Hasina.
She also reiterated Bangladesh’s ‘unflinching commitment’ to multi-lateralism as embodied in the UN Charter.
“The pandemic has indeed aggravated existing global challenges. It has also reinforced the indispensability of multi-lateralism,” bdnews24 quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
With the assembly taking place on a digital platform for the first time in the UN’s history, Hasina also reflected on her personal memories of the General Assembly Hall.
“This General Assembly Hall evokes deep emotions in me. From this very hall in 1974, my father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered a speech for the first time in Bangla as the head of government of a newly independent country.”
Refugees in the Kutupalong Rohingya Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in July, 2018. (Photo: UN/IANS)
In her address, the premier also urged the international community to step up the efforts to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
“Bangladesh provided temporary shelter to over 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. More than three years have elapsed.
“Regrettably, not a single Rohingya could be repatriated. The problem was created by Myanmar and its solution must be found in Myanmar. I request the international community to play a more effective role for a solution to the crisis,” she added.
