Category: Asia News

Categories
-Top News Asia News UAE News

UAE endorses Abraham Accords peace agreement

It also directed the initiation of constitutional procedures to issue a Federal Decree ratifying the peace accord…reports Asian Lite News

The UAE Cabinet, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a Resolution to endorse the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement and full diplomatic relations between the UAE and the State of Israel.

It also directed the initiation of constitutional procedures to issue a Federal Decree ratifying the peace accord.

The Cabinet expressed its confidence that the agreement will form a tributary of peace and stability that supports the aspirations of the peoples of the region and enhances its relentless pursuance to achieve prosperity and progress as it paves the way towards boosting the economic, cultural and knowledge relations and taking advantage of the opportunities and potentials of the two sides to contribute to shaping a brighter future based on understanding, cooperation and mutual respect.

The agreement is an integrated framework for building positive relations between the two countries at various levels, in a way that contributes to laying the foundations of peace and security in the region as well as stimulating cooperation in the economic and scientific fields.

The agreement, in its essence, is based on providing the space for constructive cooperation to create more opportunities for growth and development. It also addresses the existing challenges in the Middle East based on cooperation that guarantees the fulfilment of the aspirations of peoples and individuals, for a decent life and a secure future.

Also read:UAE, Israel discuss agricultural, investment cooperation

Categories
-Top News Asia News UAE News

UAE, Israel discuss agricultural, investment cooperation

During the visit, which is part of the recently signed peace accord between the UAE and Israel, both sides discussed ways of reinforcing the cooperation and strategic partnership in agriculture and technology….reports Asian Lite News

An Emirati delegation, led by Khadim Abdulla Aldarei, Co-Founder and the Vice Chairman of Al Dahra Holding, has visited Israel upon an invitation from Netafim, one of Israel’s leading companies in the field of innovative irrigation solutions and advanced agriculture, under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel.

During the visit, which is part of the recently signed peace accord between the UAE and Israel, both sides discussed ways of reinforcing the cooperation and strategic partnership in agriculture and technology.

The Emirati delegation first visited Alon Schuster, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel, to discuss available investment opportunities and ways of strengthening their commercial and agricultural cooperation, in addition to various topics related to food security.

The delegation also met several officials at the Volcani Centre, the agricultural research centre of Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture, and was briefed about the latest solutions and innovations in irrigation and agriculture.

The delegation also met with officials from Netafim and other companies operating in the sectors of dairy production, digital agriculture, atmospheric water generator, post-harvest technologies, pollination techniques, hydroponics and fish farming, fertilisers, and fresh products and olive oil.

At the end of the visit, four Memorandums of Understanding, MoUs, were signed between the two countries. The first was signed with Netafim to inaugurate its regional office in the UAE while the second MoU was signed with Grapa Varieties to promote cooperation in new types of fresh produce with copyrights.

The MoU will create further cooperation opportunities between the two sides, especially in countries where Grapa operates.

The third MoU was signed with the Volcani Centre to facilitate the launch of studies on the effects of salinity on agricultural production.

The Al Dahra Agriculture Company signed a fourth MoU with WaterGen, which develops advanced technologies in the field of water generation from the air.

Also read:Israel, UAE to operate weekly passenger flights

Categories
-Top News Asia News EU News

EU hails new Armenia-Azerbaijan ceasefire

“The EU strongly condemns all such attacks irrespective of their origin.”said Borrell…Reports Asian Lite News

The European Union (EU) welcomed the new ceasefire reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the conflict-ridden Nagorno-Karabakh region, but denounced any violation of the latest humanitarian truce.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell, the bloc welcomed the joint announcement of the ceasefire was made by Armenia and Azerbaijan following the mediation efforts by French President Emmanuel Macron, in coordination with the other OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, reports Xinhua news agency.

But it “deplores that, unfortunately, violations continue, with reported fighting in and around Nagorno Karabakh”, said the statement.

“This leads to more civilian suffering. It aggravates the conflict between States and respective societies, rendering the healing of wounds even more difficult,” said Borrell,

“The EU strongly condemns all such attacks irrespective of their origin.”

  • (160405) — NAGORNO-KARABAKH, April 5, 2016 (Xinhua) — Houses damaged in recent conflicts are seen in Azerbaijan’s Gapanli village bordering Nagorno-Karabakh region, on April 5, 2016. The Armenian and Azerbaijani Defense Ministries both confirmed Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region is currently being prepared. (Xinhua/Tofik Babayev)(dh)

The EU official said he spoke to the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan “to impress upon them that the ceasefire should be unconditional and strictly respected”.

Azerbaijan and Armenia traded accusations of violating the new ceasefire on Sunday, hours after they agreed for the second time to halt fighting in the disputed region.

Following trilateral negotiations between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia that lasted for over two hours in Moscow, the first ceasefire was enforced in the region on October 11.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but mostly governed by the Republic of Artsakh, a de facto independent state with an Armenian ethnic majority.

The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, April 2016 and this July.

Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over the region in 1988-94, eventually declaring a ceasefire.

However, a settlement was never reached.

Also read:Azerbaijan, Armenia Agree on Ceasefire

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Bahrain, Israel sign key deals building friendly ties

An agreement on visa exemption for nationals of both countries was also included…Reports Asian Lite News

Bahrain and Israel signed a series of key agreements covering bilateral relations, agriculture, trade, civil aviation, telecommunications and financial services, state Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

Among the historic deals signed in Bahrain’s capital Manama was a Joint Communique on Establishment of Diplomatic, Peaceful and Friendly Relations between the two countries, BNA said on Sunday.

An agreement on visa exemption for nationals of both countries was also included, it added.

Present at the signing ceremony were Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben Shabbat and its Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US and Israeli delegations arrived in Manama earlier in the day and held meetings with senior Bahraini officials.

The move comes after a US-brokered normalization deal between Bahrain and Israel was signed at the White House on Septemb er 15.

Also read:Bahrain Records Hottest September Since 1902

Categories
Asia News Politics

Egypt’s Senate members take oath

The first five-year term of the Senate will end in 2025…Reports Asian Lite News

Egypts Senate members took the constitutional oath during the opening procedural session of the Upper House of Parliament.

The opening session was held at the headquarters of the Shura Council here on Sunday, the Al Ahram newspaper said in a report.

According to Egypt’s amended constitution in 2019, a 300-seat Senate is elected, with 100 members to be elected via the individual candidacy system. another 100 through party lists and the remaining 100 to be appointed by the President .

The first five-year term of the Senate will end in 2025.

Sunday’s development came after the month-long Senate elections concluded on September. 16

Pro-government Mostaqbal Watan (Future of Homeland) Party candidates won the majority (around 70 per cent) of 200 open seats, followed by the People’s Republican Party (six seats), Al-Wafd (six seats), and independents (six seats).

The political parties of El-Tagammu, the Congress, Modern Egypt, Reform and Development, Guardians of the Nation, the National Movement, and the Egyptian Social Democratic Party took the remaining seats.

The list of appointed members was announced on Saturday.

Also read:Egypt censures Israeli approval of West Bank settlements

Categories
-Top News Asia News UAE News

Israel, UAE to operate weekly passenger flights

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)

Additionally, some 10 cargo flights could be operated per week under the deal….Reports Asian Lite News

Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to operate 28 commercial flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi or Dubai per week, Israel’s transportation ministry said in a statement.

The agreement also allows an unlimited number of charter flights to the smaller Ramon Airport outside Israel’s southern resort city of Eilat, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

Additionally, some 10 cargo flights could be operated per week under the deal.

The flights in the new route are expected to begin in a few weeks, according to the ministry.

The agreement comes after a US-brokered normalization deal between the UAE and Israel was signed at the White House on September 15.

Also read:UAE takes part in UNESCO meeting

Categories
-Top News Asia News USA

Pompeo warns of arms trade sanctions on Iran

Under Security Council Resolution 2231 which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, the arms embargo against Iran expires on October 18…Reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said that arms sales to Iran would breach UN resolutions and result in sanctions, after Tehran said the longstanding UN embargo on arms trade with the Islamic republic had expired.

“The United States is prepared to use its domestic authorities to sanction any individual or entity that materially contributes to the supply, sale, or transfer of conventional arms to or from Iran,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“Every nation that seeks peace and stability in the Middle East and supports the fight against terrorism should refrain from any arms transactions with Iran.”Pompeo added.

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)

US President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to invoke the “snapback” mechanism to restore all pre-2015 UN sanctions against Iran after its failed and isolated attempt at the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo against Tehran.

However, the overwhelming majority of Security Council members asserted that the US has no right to invoke the “snapback” mechanism as the country is no longer a participant after its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018.

Indonesia’s UN ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country held the Security Council presidency for the month of August, said that he was “is not in the position” to take further action as there was no consensus among council members over the issue.

Under Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, the arms embargo against Iran expires on October 18.

Also read:Iran sanctions to be back on Sep 20: Pompeo

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Egypt censures Israeli approval of West Bank settlements

Israel has approved 2,166 new homes in settlements in the West Bank, for the first time since it halted its annexation plan for the occupied territory…Reports Asian Lite News

Egypt called Israel’s plans to build nearly 5,000 new settlements in the West Bank as a violation of international law.Arab News Reports

Israel’s actions “aggravate the lack of trust between relevant bodies and undermine chances of launching constructive dialogue with the Palestinian side,” Egypt’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

Israeli police are also a “serious threat” to a two-state solution, the statement added.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Nayef Al-Hajjraf also deplored Israeli authorities’ earlier approval of the construction of thousands of housing units in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel has approved 2,166 new homes in settlements in the West Bank, for the first time since it halted its annexation plan for the occupied territory.

The Israeli Civil Administration’s Higher Planning Committee in the West Bank said in a statement on Wednesday that it gave final a approval for the construction of 1,313 housing units in several settlements, reports Xinhua news agency.

An additional 853 units received an initial green light but have not yet been given final approval.

The move marks the first time Israel has approved new housing units in the settlements since it signed a peace deal with the United Arab Emirates.

As part of the deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to suspend his controversial plan to annex portions of the West Bank

Also read:Israel to partially lift lockdown measures

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Iran, Ukraine to negotiate on crashed plane disputes

The new round of talks, between Baharvand and his Ukrainian counterpart, will focus on technical, judicial, and legal aspects of the incident…Reports Asian Lite News

A new round of talks between Iran and Ukraine will begin on Monday in Tehran to discuss the remaining issues regarding the crashed Ukrainian passenger plane over the Iranian space earlier this year.

The talks will last three days, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Mohsen Baharvand was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

The new round of talks, between Baharvand and his Ukrainian counterpart, will focus on technical, judicial, and legal aspects of the incident, the report said.

“We will try to conclude the negotiations (over the issue) in the shortest time possible,” he pointed out.

The Ukraine passenger plane was hit by Iranian missiles after taking off in Tehran on January 8, killing all 176 people on board.

Iran said that its forces “accidentally” shot the plane down.

On July 24, an international team in Paris completed preliminary investigative analysis of the data extracted from the black boxes of the plane.

On August 22, head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Touraj Dehqani Zangeneh announced Iran’s readiness to pay compensations pertaining to the Ukrainian passenger plane.

Also read:Iran to buy arms from the world as UN embargo ends

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Lebanon: Thousands gather to mark year of anti-govt protests

Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis in its history…Reports Asian Lite News

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Beirut to mark the first anniversary of the protests against the Lebanese government and the current ruling class.

On Saturday, the participants waved the Lebanese flag and chanted slogans against the ruling political class which, according to the demonstrators, adopted policies that led to the economic collapse and an alarming public debt of over $90 billion, reports Xinhua news agency.

The protesters demanded the overhaul of the country’s entire political system and the formation of an independent government capable of implementing structural reforms to save the country from further deterioration.

Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis in its history.

Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic and the August 4 Port of Beirut explosions have exacerbated the economic situation, driving thousands of companies out of business while leaving thousands of people unemployed.

Figures released by the World Bank showed that over 50 per cent of the Lebanese people have become “poor”.

Iynoting that most of the citizens were being paid with the Lebanese pound which has weakened by 80 per cent at least.

Also read:Lebanon: Former PM Hariri calls to restore French plan