Iran is facing one of its biggest and most unprecedented shows of dissent following the death of Mahsa Amini…reports Asian Lite News
Iranian security forces have killed at least 326 people since nationwide protests erupted two months ago, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) group has claimed, media report said.
That figure includes 43 children and 25 women, the group said in an update to its death toll on Saturday – saying that its published number represented an “absolute minimum”, CNN reported.
Death tolls vary by opposition groups, international rights organisations, and journalists tracking the ongoing protests.
Iran is facing one of its biggest and most unprecedented shows of dissent following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman detained by the morality police allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly.
protests in Iran.(Photo:iranhr.net)
Public anger over her death has combined with a range of grievances against the Islamic Republic’s oppressive regime to fuel the demonstrations, which continue despite law makers urging the country’s judiciary to “show no leniency” to protesters, CNN reported.
Despite the threat of arrests – and harsher punishments for those involved – Iranian celebrities and athletes have stepped forward to support the anti-government protests in recent weeks.
IHRNGO has urged the international community to take “firm and timely action” over the rising death toll and reiterated the need to establish a mechanism to “hold the Islamic Republic authorities accountable for their gross violation of human rights”.
“Establishing an international investigation and accountability mechanism by the UN will both facilitate the process of holding the perpetrators accountable in the future and increase the cost of the continuous repression by the Islamic Republic,” IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said, CNN reported.
Since the start of the protests, deaths have been recorded across 22 provinces, according to the IHRNGO. Most were reported in Sistan and Baluchistan, Tehran, Mazandaran, Kurdistan, and Gilan provinces.
The Supreme Court on Friday had ordered the release of all the six life-term convicts in view of the Tamil Nadu government’s recommendation….reports Asian Lite News
The six convicts who were jailed in the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi have been released from prison on Saturday, officials said.
The Supreme Court on Friday had ordered the release of all the six life-term convicts in view of the Tamil Nadu government’s recommendation.
In May, the top court had ordered the release of A.G. Perarivalan, who was sentenced to life imprisonment over the 1991 assassination of the former Prime Minister.
On Friday, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and B.V. Nagarathna passed the order of releasing the convicts including S. Nalini and her husband Murugan a.k.a. Sri Haran.
It noted that the state government has recommended the release of all convicts, and also that the convicts have spent more than two decades in prison and that their conduct was satisfactory.
The others who were released from the prison on Saturday are Shanthan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran.
Nalini and Ravichandran are from Tamil Nadu while the four others are Sri Lankan nationals.
The Sri Lankan natives — Shanthan, Murugan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar were shifted to the Tiruchi rehabilitation camp of Sri Lankan refugees.
The Supreme Court in its order stated that the six convicts were in prison for the last three decades, and they did not create any issues in the prison.
S. Nalini who was on parole, was first taken to the Katpadi police station and then to Vellore central prison from where the formalities of her release were completed.
The other prisoners were in Puzhal and Madurai Central prison.
Nalini’s counsel Pugazhendi told media persons that it is yet to be decided whether she would stay in Tamil Nadu or shift to London where her daughter is staying.
The project, estimated at cost of 175.53 billion taka (1.72 billion U.S. dollars) will enable quick entry and exit of vehicles to and from Dhaka…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday virtually inaugurated the construction of a China-funded elevated expressway project.
she opened the construction work virtually for the 24-km Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway from her official residence, Xinhua reported.
The project, estimated at cost of 175.53 billion taka (1.72 billion U.S. dollars) will enable quick entry and exit of vehicles to and from Dhaka and facilitate transit trade with regional countries.
“The project will improve the transportation infrastructure of Bangladesh and promote its vital role in regional connectivity,” Xinhua quoted Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming as saying.
It echoes the purpose of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to promote infrastructural connectivity, and stands as another example of how Bangladesh’s Vision 2041 plan and the BRI integrate and benefit the peoples of both countries.
According to the Xinhua reports, Bangladesh has already signed a deals with the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) to build the elevated expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka to Ashuli.
The project will be implemented with Chinese financial assistance on a government-to-government basis.
The plans for improving 14.28 km of existing road and constructing toll stations, exit and entry ramps and other ancillary works have also been included in the elevated expressway project, which will be implemented in five years.
Upon completion, it will allow 40 million people from 30 districts in the country to enter and exit Dhaka quickly and easily, Xinhua reported.
More than 12,000 participate in Landmark Group’s flagship annual Beat Diabetes Walk at Safa Park in Dubai
More than 12,000 participate in Landmark Group’s flagship annual Beat Diabetes Walk at Safa Park in Dubai
Landmark Group’s flagship annual Beat Diabetes Walk succeeds in bringing together more than 12,000 individuals who joined its social impact campaign. The event, in its 13th edition, which was held two days prior to World Diabetes Day took place at Safa Park in Dubai from 7am to 2pm.
The day was inaugurated with the 3.8-km walk around the Dubai Water Canal led by Renuka Jagtiani, Chairwoman of Landmark Group. She was joined by Saeed Mohammed Hareb, Secretary General of the Council, Dubai Sports Council, Dr. Amer Al Zarooni, Acting CEO of Al Jalila Foundation and Dr. Hend Al Awadhi, Head of Health Promotion and Education at the DHA along with representatives from Emirates Diabetes & Endocrine Society and over 30 private and public sectors partners.
The event coincides with the Dubai Fitness Challenge and encourages residents to increase their daily physical activity. It also brought to life many activities for the entire family, including Human Foosball, Bungee Run, Obstacle Course, Giant Jenga, Bollywood & Zumba Dancing and Live Music. Participants also were able get free blood sugar testing and BMI testing conducted by Dubai Health Authority and had access as well as health and nutrition consultations. Participants this year were encouraged to dress up in blue to represent the cause.
More than 12,000 participate in Landmark Group’s flagship annual Beat Diabetes Walk at Safa Park in Dubai
The Group has also partnered this year again with STEPPI. For every 10,000 steps participants completed through the STEPPI app, Landmark will donate 10 AED towards the Beat Diabetes Fund, facilitated by Al Jalila Foundation, for the medical treatment of patients suffering from diabetes complications.
All proceeds from this charity event will be donated to Al Jalila Foundation, a UAE-based not-for-profit organization established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Last year, the Group became the first and only corporate from the GCC to join the WHO’s Global Diabetes Compact Forum.
Since the launch of the campaign in 2009, Landmark Group has partnered with various public, private, and non-profit organisations, and been supported by over 125,000 participants [including 30,000 children] across the GCC and beyond.
Earlier in September, Moragoda described the relationship between the two countries as “special” saying India’s security interests are “our own security interests”….reports Asian Lite News
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India, Milind Moragoda on Saturday met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and reviewed the bilateral ties between India and south Asian neighbour.
A post in the official Twitter handle of the Sri Lanka High Commission in India aread, “Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India @MilindaMoragoda met with the National Security Advisor of India Shri Ajit Kumar Doval today (12) in New Delhi and reviewed the current status of the relations between Sri Lanka and India.”
Both sides discussed the current status of bilateral ties.
Earlier in September, Moragoda described the relationship between the two countries as “special” saying India’s security interests are “our own security interests”.
Acknowledging India’s efforts to help Sri Lanka cope with its worst economic crisis, the High Commissioner told ANI that he is grateful for India’s support.
“India provided us help and assistance when nobody stepped up. India has not only helped us with funding but has also spoken to the IMF and other development partners, encouraging them to support us,” the High Commissioner said.
On the docking of a Chinese research ship at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port in August, the High Commissioner said the decision to allow the docking of the Chinese ship ‘Yuan Wang 5’ was taken at the level of “officials” at a chaotic time when former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa was fleeing civilian unrest in the island-nation.
Since the beginning of this year, India has extended aid worth USD 3.8 billion, including lines of credit, a currency swap and deferring of loan repayments to Sri Lanka, which is still grappling with its worst economic crisis amid political instability.
New Delhi has been at forefront of extending economic assistance to Sri Lanka as per their requirements and is one of the countries to have provided the maximum assistance in time of need.
Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka faced an escalating economic crisis after the government has defaulted on its foreign loans.A crippling economy led to shortages of food and fuel affecting a large number of the people in the island-nation. The economy in Lanka has been in a free fall since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Amid its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, widespread protests erupted across Sri Lanka forcing Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign as President. He was eventually replaced by Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Shehbaz: Imran Khan sold Toshakhana gifts in Dubai
Family sources said that the Prime Minister could stay in London for two more days…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday postponed his departure to Pakistan citing physical exhaustion, family sources said, as his hectic schedule during his stay in London took a toll on his health, according to a media report.
Shehbaz Sharif, who arrived in London a few days ago after attending the COP27 meeting in Egypt, was scheduled to leave for Pakistan on Friday, but he had extended his stay by one day, Geo News reported.
According to sources close to the Sharif family, Shehbaz Sharif developed fever before leaving for the airport on Saturday and his family advised him not to travel, so he extended his stay for a second time.
Family sources said that the Prime Minister could stay in London for two more days, Geo News reported.
Shehbaz Sharif held several meetings with PML-N supremo and his elder brother Nawaz Sharif during his stay in London. The meetings were mostly focused on the country’s politics and the appointment of a new Army chief.
Earlier on Friday, in a setback, Shehbaz Sharif’s request for an indefinite adjournment in the Daily Mail defamation case was denied by a court in the UK.
Justice Matthew Nicklin heard the case, according to British media, which also reported that the court denied more time to the applicant, whose hands are full with the PTI’s long march.
The PM’s counsels, in their reply to the court, said the Prime Minister was currently engaged in professional responsibilities and the court was requested that he be granted time to submit the answers.
To this, Justice Nicklin said that in his court, the Prime Minister and the common man are equal, as per media reports.
If Shehbaz Sharif and his son-in-law Ali Imran fail to respond to Daily Mail’s lawyers in court, they would have to pay the defendant all the cost of the legal proceedings.
In 2019, Shehbaz Sharif had served a legal notice on the British daily and its journalist David Rose for blaming him for misappropriating public funds.
“The article is gravely defamatory of Shehbaz Sharif, including false allegations that he misappropriated UK taxpayers’ money in the form of Department for International Development (DFID) aid intended for the victims of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif denies these allegations,” the legal notice said.
At a hearing in a London court, Justice Nicklin had ruled that Shehbaz Sharif’s lawyers will have to deposit 30,000 pounds by November 23 after his lawyers applied unilaterally to the court to withdraw the stay application in favour of the trial proceedings to go ahead, Geo News reported.
Farmers are switching to lavender plantation in Kashmir as traditional crops yield poor results. The Purple Revolution is offering attractive agri-tech start-up options in Jammu & Kashmir…. A special report by Arifa Mohiyudeen
Lavender adds vivacity to the serene beauty of Jammu & Kashmir and now the Union Territory is witnessing ‘Purple Revolution’, which will offer attractive start-up options.
Mr Jitendra Singh, Indian Minister for Science and Technology, had said those who have entered the lavender sector are making a fortune out of it. But a wider publicity and awareness about these new opportunities of livelihood rolled out in recent years is required.
“The pace of innovation in India has assumed global scale, but the change of mindset also needs to be encouraged at the same pace,” he said.
Farmers in Bhaderwah — located in Jammu division of the union territory —switched to Lavender plantation from traditionally growing maize and other grains, which did not fetch them much income.
Singh said several pathbreaking decisions like new guidelines for geospatial technology and relaxation in the regulations for developing drone are also enabling provisions for today’s agriculture entrepreneurs and agri-startups.
“Bhaderwah is the potential destination of agri-tech startups of the country,” the minister said. “Lavender Festival in the valley of Bhaderwah is the best example of the development of the present progressive government at the centre. Bhaderwah is the best place for lavender cultivation in terms of land and climate.”
Mr Jitendra Singh, Indian Minister for Science and Technology, inaugurating the Lavender Festival (File)
In 2010, these purple flowers were brought to the Jammu region from Kashmir, as part of the central government’s attempts to uplift the local farming community and attract start-ups and agriculturists from across the country.
This was done as part of the ‘Aroma Mission’ of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), under India’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
“Policy makers and agricultural scientists in India are working hard on improving livelihoods and creating more and better jobs, including for women and youth, improving food security for all, including access to safe and nutritious food and making agriculture and food more sustainable and more climate-smart, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Singh said.
A group of farmers from Bhaderwah region were selected for a trial programme where they were given 2-3 kanals of land for cultivating Lavender.
These initiatives, coupled with the enthusiasm of the farmers, has boosted Lavender plantations in the Bhaderwah region, a growth coined as the ‘Purple Revolution’. Currently, there are more than 200 acres of land dedicated to Lavender cultivation in the region, which is projected to double by the end of the year, reported The Print.
In the region, villages of Tipri and Lehrote have 80 per cent farmers growing Lavender.
Singh had inaugurated India’s first ‘Lavender Festival’ at Bhaderwah.
“Lavender is an avenue of employment generation and research opening many paradigms of development for the region,” Singh had said at the time.
The minister had also inaugurated six distillation units for extraction of Lavender oil.
Bhaderwah, which is also known as ‘Chhota Kashmir’, has a mild cold climate during summers that is ideal for Lavender. These flowers grow in temperate areas and are drought-resistant crops. A single Lavender plant bears flowers for 15 years, needs low maintenance and can be used from the second year of plantation, according to The Print.
Under the Centre’s ‘One District, One Product’ scheme, Lavender has been designated as the Doda brand product.
The Bhaderwah region witnessed a boom of Lavender flower production with the introduction of nurseries. With the establishment of nurseries, planting material became easily available for the farmers, compared to earlier when the plants were brought from Kashmir.
A party source said that Nawaz Sharif, if all remains well, will return in December to take back the reins of the party …reports Asian Lite News
PML-N leaders have expressed confidence that party supremo Nawaz Sharif will finally return to Pakistan in December to lead his party but say that the long-anticipated homecoming will not signal the governments intentions to concede on the issue of early elections, as demanded by the PTI.
A party source said that Nawaz Sharif, if all remains well, will return in December to take back the reins of the party but said that indications that he will return only close to elections to run an election campaign were not true “as his return does not in any way means that PML-N has agreed to any early elections”, reports The Express Tribune.
“The party will not concede on the matter of early elections, come what may. The PML-N, even if it loses its government, will not agree to this demand, and this was final,” he added.
Instead, he clarified that Nawaz Sharif’s return will mark the start of a mass contact drive, which would be followed by a workers’ convention and other activities to invigorate party workers and supporters.
He said that the party will try to fully utilise the remainder of the tenure to bring back the swing votes.
When asked how was his party sure that the new command of the establishment will accord them the same velvet-gloved treatment, as was being provided to them by the existing lot, the party source said that they were fully confident the new command will remain “apolitical”, not allowing either of the sides to derail democracy, “and will ask all the leading political parties to behave like one”.
The political turmoil is also taking a big toll on locals as unemployment and inequality have been on the rise because multiple and overlapping economic political crisis threaten labour market recovery worldwide….reports Hamza Ameer
Pakistan’s unstable political situation, which is growing worse by every passing day, has had a damaging and direct impact on the country’s worsening economy and is fast becoming a serious threat to the country’s national security.
The political crisis, protests, rallies, campaigns on ground and on social media targeting the current government as unreliable in terms of handling the funds for flood relief, investments and progressive development, coupled with rising inflation, driven by food, transport and energy prices; have pushed the ruling coalition government of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) towards losing its political capital, specifically in the Punjab province, which used to be the party’s stronghold.
In October, the Consumer Price Index rose by at least 26.56 per cent as compared to September’s 23.56 per cent. And with the current deteriorating political situation looming over Islamabad, business confidence is stated to have dropped to one of its lowest levels.
According to a survey, inflation remains the most cited problem of the business community at present in Pakistan.
Imran Khan.(Photo:Imran Khan/Instagram)
“The worsening economic condition was the number one issue, as national security is directly linked with it,” Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum stated while he spoke about the challenges Pakistan faces in view of its national security, interest and financial situation.
One of the main factors for the political instability in the country is former ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s long march and his demand of holding early elections in the country. This has put a big question mark on the current government’s time in power, making it even more difficult to carry out challenging structural reforms.
This also puts major questions over the persistence of the current political crisis, which may stay on for a longer time and create doubts in the minds of the business community and the financial market at large.
The political turmoil is also taking a big toll on locals as unemployment and inequality have been on the rise because multiple and overlapping economic political crisis threaten labour market recovery worldwide.
As per International Labour Organization Monitor on the “World of Work”, vacancies will decline, global employment growth will deteriorate significantly in the final quarter of 2022.
In the current time of economic development and global connectivity, it is clear that economics and politics are deeply linked and cannot be separated. Though most of the time, economics shape the destiny of a nation, in times of severe, prolonged multiple economic crises, politics moves to the driving seat, often triggering transformational change.
Unfortunately, in the case of Pakistan, political gains seem to have more importance over everything and the fight to regain or come into power by all means necessary, has more often then not further damaged, hurt and negatively impacted the country’s economic standing.
Experts warn that the relationship remained brittle despite the overt signs of improvement and Washington will be watching the situation in Pakistan with concern..writes Yaswant Raj
The US has been “concerned” by the violent turn politics has taken in Pakistan recently.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken “strongly condemned” the assassination attempt of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and urged all parties in Pakistan to “refrain from violence, harassment, and intimidation”.
Asked if President Joe Biden had been briefed on the incident, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated the same message.
Khan left office in April without once speaking with or meeting Biden — he never got a call from the American leader, for reasons that have remained unclear. And he returned the slight, with compound interest many times over, by falsely accusing the Biden administration of engineering his ouster.
Khan’s successor Shehbaz Sharif landed a brief — the briefest of brief — meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York in September at a traditional reception hosted by the American leader for visiting leaders of the UN member nations.
But there has been increased engagement between the two sides, and to much heartburn in India, the Biden administration has proposed a $450 million sustainment and maintenance package for Pakistan’s fleet of F-16s.
US President Joe Biden(instagram)
But experts warn that the relationship remained brittle despite the overt signs of improvement and Washington will be watching the situation in Pakistan with concern, with an eye on the safety of its nuclear weapons.
“We are concerned about what has happened in Pakistan in recent days,” Ned Price, the State Department Spokesperson, told reporters on Tuesday.
“All parties should never resort to violence. They should express their disagreements peacefully, using — employing universal rights — freedom of expression, freedom of assembly — but violence is never the answer. We’re deeply committed to Pakistan, which has a long history of and democratic identity,” he added.
Pakistan’s relationship with democracy has been quite tenuous actually — it has seen long spells of military dictatorships — Ayub Khan, Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf.
And its political leaders have always lived in the shadow of violence — former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged; his daughter and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated; military dictator and President Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq was killed when his Air Force plane exploded mid-air; and military dictator and President Pervez Musharraf survived multiple assassination attempts.
“Certainly Washington is concerned about the political turmoil in Pakistan, especially after the attempted assassination of Khan. Washington’s core interest in Pakistan has long been stability, and yet we’ve seen sustained volatility in the political sphere there, which is worrisome for the US,” said Michael Kugelman, Director of South Asia studies at Wilson Center, a leading US think-tank.
imran
But Washington will tread carefully on its messaging at this time, he added, as it was “dragged into the turmoil because of Khan’s baseless US conspiracy allegations, and Washington will want to avoid doing anything that could bolster the narrative of Khan and his supporters”.
Kugelman believes Khan’s ouster and the emergence of the Shehbaz Sharif government has created “healthier spaces” for the US to explore better opportunities in the relationship.
“I expect the administration to be careful in its public messaging on Pakistan, with no public commentary on the political turmoil there, while quietly pursuing new pathways for cooperation with Pakistan where they exist, particularly in less political spheres, like humanitarian assistance and public health,” he said.
Aparna Pande, a South Asia expert with the Hudson Institute, another leading US think-tank, said she believes there has really been no change in the way the US looks at from the Trump era to now.
“I have long maintained and continue to do so that there has been no change in US policy towards Pakistan since the Trump era and now under the Biden administration,” she said.
Shehbaz Sharif
“Diplomatic speak is not a reset in external relations. The US will maintain relations with a nuclear-armed country that has jihadis and is politically and economically unstable. That does not mean that relations have improved.”
The US has long been worried about the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
Biden recently called Pakistan “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” because it has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.
His predecessors havealso been equally unambiguous.
“We have huge … national-security interests in making sure that Pakistan is stable and that you don’t end up having a nuclear-armed militant state,” former President Barack Obama said at a news conference in 2009.
The US, he went on to say, could “make sure that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is secure — primarily, initially, because the Pakistan Army, I think, recognises the hazards of those weapons falling into the wrong hands”.
The Federation of American Scientists, which tracks nuclear weapons around the world among other things, says Pakistan currently has the sixth-largest arsenal with 165 nuclear warheads. And Pakistan has been growing the arsenal rapidly, according to reports.
