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Iraqi forces carry out major anti-IS offensive

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Post date 9 November 2020
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The first day of the several-day operation resulted in the seizure of 14 roadside bombs, rocket launchers, and 10 mortar rounds as well as finding two tunnels used by the IS militants in the mountains…reports Asian Lite News

Iraqi security forces have launched a major offensive against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a mountainous area in Salahudin province, the military said.

Iraqi forces, backed by the US-led coalition and Iraqi aircraft, began the offensive on Sunday in the mountain ranges of Makhoul and Khanogah, Xinhua news agency quoted the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying in a statement.

The forces conducted a series of airstrikes on the IS positions, Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces said in a separate statement.

JOC spokesman Tahsin al-Khafaji told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the security forces “pursued a new tactic through setting up towers and thermal cameras for surveillance to prevent the extremist militants from returning to the areas”.

The mountains and vast rural areas in Salahudin province have witnessed intense IS activities during the past months, despite repeated military operations to hunt them down.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.

However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.

Also read:Thousands gather in Iraqi street on anti-govt protest anniversary

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French FM affirms ‘deep respect’ for Islam

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Post date 9 November 2020
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Le Drian’s visit on Sunday came in a bid to ease the recent tensions sparked by French cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, which were criticized as offensive by many Muslim states and organizations…reports Asian Lite News

Visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has expressed his country’s “deep respect” for Islam following talks with top Egyptian officials, including President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Le Drian’s visit on Sunday came in a bid to ease the recent tensions sparked by French cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, which were criticized as offensive by many Muslim states and organizations, including Cairo-based Al-Azhar, the top Islamic institution in Egypt and the Sunni Muslim world, reports Xinhua news agencu.

During his talks with Sisi, the Minister stressed “France’s respect for all religions and their principles and values”, said the Egyptian presidency in a statement.

Le Drian added that Paris is looking forward to enhancing cooperation and consultation with Cairo “to combat the spreading phenomenon of intolerance and extremist ideology”.

For his part, the Egyptian President affirmed the urgent need for all efforts to consolidate the values of coexistence and tolerance among all religions.

Sisi also urged for extending bridges of understanding and brotherhood and avoiding offending religious symbols, “expressing complete rejection of all forms of terrorist acts or linking any religion to acts of violence and extremism”, according to the statement.

Later in the day, the French ForeignMinister held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, where they agreed to intensify joint counterterrorism efforts.

“I’ve emphasized, and I emphasize here, the deep respect that we have for Islam. This is the message I carry and will convey when I meet with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar,” Le Drian said in a press conference following the meeting.

“The Muslims in France are part of the French history and identity,” he continued,

“We fight terrorism, we fight misrepresentation of religion and we fight extremism.”

Shoukry said that the talks addressed joint efforts between Egypt, France and international partners in combating and eliminating terrorism and condemning all terrorist and criminal activities.

“I surely affirmed the complete separation between such criminal acts and Islam or any religion. These acts aim at undermining stability and achieving political goals,” he told reporters.

Also read:Indian Muslim Body Condemns France Attack

-Top News UK News

Asian Lite Daily Digital – November 9, 2020 – Biden Begins Healing Mission

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Post date 9 November 2020
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Biden Begins Healing Mission; Harris Inspires ‘Every Little Girl’; Portrait of a Stutter As President; Will Biden go soft on China?; We Will Miss ‘Chacha Ki Comedy’; Thejaswi In Nitish Out, Say Exit Polls – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital – click here to read the full edition

-Top News Arab News

Asian Lite Daily Digital – November 9, 2020 – Biden Begins Healing Mission

Post author By Newsdesk
Post date 9 November 2020
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Erdogan stays quiet on Biden’s victory

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Post date 8 November 2020
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey stands to lose more than most other countries from Biden’s victory as he is expected to toughen the US stance against President Tayyip Erdogan…reports Asian Lite News

Turkey gave an impassive first reaction on Sunday to Joe Biden’s presidential win. Arab news reports

Vice President Fuat Oktay said it would not change relations between the old allies although Ankara will keep pressing Washington on Syria and other policy differences.

Turkey stands to lose more than most other countries from Biden’s victory as he is expected to toughen the US stance against President Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign military interventions and closer cooperation with Russia.

Another major stumbling block is Washington’s refusal to extradite US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in 2016.

Last Month, the United States has demanded that Turkey pull back an energy research ship that it has sent back to waters contested with Greece, calling the move a “calculated provocation.”

In a strongly worded statement, the State Department said the US “deplores” the decision by Turkey that came just after tensions with Greece had subsided, reports Arab News

“We urge Turkey to end this calculated provocation and immediately begin exploratory talks with Greece,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

“Turkey’s announcement unilaterally raises tensions in the region and deliberately complicates the resumption of crucial exploratory talks between our NATO allies Greece and Turkey,” she said.

Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez announced the return to its seismic survey vessel, the Oruc Reis, to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to resume its activities.

Donmez said on his Twitter account that the vessel raised the anchor to “take the X-ray of the Mediterranean” following the completion of its maintenance works, reports Xinhua news agency.

Also read:SPECIAL: Medical Tourism in Turkey

-Top News Arab News

Hope Mission set to reach Mars orbit on Feb 9, 2021

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Post date 8 November 2020
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The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation, today announced the successful completion of TCM3 – its third and last major trajectory correction maneuver.

Mars Hope’s arrival and Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) will mean the United Arab Emirates will become the fifth nation to reach the Red planet.

With 189 million kilometers remaining, the Hope Probe will reach its planned orbit around Mars on February 9, 2021. It has already covered 60 percent of its journey, equivalent to 290 million kilometers in 111 days since its launch on July 20.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The Hope Probe mission is the culmination of a 50-year journey, which began in 1971. It also marks the beginning of another 50 years that will bring about major achievements based in the fields of science, knowledge and innovation. Our nation does not have the word impossible in its dictionary and our leadership will not settle for anything less than the first place.”

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai had tweeted earlier today: “The Hope probe has completed its last trajectory correction maneuver after travelling 290 million km into space in 111 days. We officially announce Hope probe will arrive to Mars on Feb. 9, 2021 at 7:42pm UAE timing. We will celebrate the arrival of the first Arab mission to Mars.”

He affirmed that the UAE’s arrival at Mars as the fifth country in the world is a historic achievement and places great responsibility on future generations to continue the march of progress.

The Dubai ruler praised the EMM team’s efforts and said: “I want to thank you for your efforts, perseverance, determination and dedication in prioritizing the success of this project despite the unusual circumstances the world is going through. You are achieving this mission with success that far exceeds expectations. We will celebrate together – by God’s will – on February 9, when the Hope Probe reaches its orbit.”

Also Read: Emirates Post Launches Stamps on Hope Probe

Also Read: Hope Probe completes 100 Mn Kilo Metres

-Top News Arab News

Palestine congratulates Biden, expects change

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Post date 8 November 2020
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden in a statement that indicated the Palestinian leadership would drop its three-year political boycott of the White House, reports Arab News.

“I congratulate President-elect Joe Biden on his victory as President of the United States of America for the coming period, and I congratulate his elected Vice President Kamala Harris,” the Arab news quoted Abbas as saying in a statement issued from his office in Ramallah.

It added: “I look forward to working with the President-elect and his administration to strengthen the Palestinian-American relations and to achieve freedom, independence, justice and dignity for our people, as well as to work for peace, stability and security for all in our region and the world.”

The Palestinians have been holding out for a change of US president for three years, hoping for a chance to hit the reset button on relations with Washington.

Also Read: Palestine to take legal action against Israeli settlers

Also Read: Palestine denounces Sudan-Israel normalisation

-Top News India News

India, China Frontline Troops to Exercise Restraint

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Post date 8 November 2020
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Do we need another Mountain Strike Corps against Chinese aggression on Indian border (IANS)

The military talks between India and China at Chushul in eastern Ladakh to resolve the border dispute ended in a stalemate but both countries have agreed to continue the dialogue to push for a peaceful settlement, the MoD said on Sunday.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement that both countries agreed to continue the dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels and take forward the discussions, push for a settlement of other outstanding issues, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

The ministry pointed out that “the two sides had a candid, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.”

Do we need another Mountain Strike Corps against Chinese aggression on Indian border (IANS)

The Ministry further said that both the countries also agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure their frontline troops exercised restraint and avoided misunderstanding and miscalculations.

“They also agreed to have another round of meeting soon,” the Ministry said.

Since the talks ended in a deadlock and no thining of troops will happen, soldiers of both the countries deployed in the area will remain exposed to minus 20 degrees Celsius temperatures.

The 8th Corps Commander-level talks between both the countries began at 9.30 am and ended at 7 pm on Friday. It was for the first time that Lieutenant General PGK Menon led the Indian military delegates.

Earlier, he had attended two such talks but the delegation was led by then Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who was transferred last month to the Indian Military Academy (IMA) where he would be in charge of training the future generations of Army officers.

Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary Navin Srivastava was also part of the delegation.

While the talks were on, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Friday claimed that the situation on the Line of Actual Control remains tense and a war with China cannot be ruled out.

He had said: “In the overall security calculus, border confrontations, transgressions, unprovoked tactical military actions spiralling into a larger conflict therefore cannot be discounted.”

General Rawat said that the situation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh remained tense. But he pointed out that India’s posturing is unambiguous and “will not accept any shift in the Line of Actual Control”.

He also said that China’s People’s Liberation Army is facing unanticipated consequences for its misadventure in Ladakh because of the firm responses by Indian forces.

Both the countries’ military top commanders met seven times in a bid to resolve the six-month standoff. The seventh meeting took place on October 12 but that too ended in a deadlock.

On August 30, India had occupied critical mountain heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari, and Tabletop that were unmanned till now. India has also made some deployments near Blacktop. The movement was carried out after the Chinese tried to make a provocative military move.

Now, the dominance at these 13 peaks allows India to dominate Spangur Gap under the Chinese control and also the Moldo garrison on the Chinese side.

India and China are engaged in a seven-month-long standoff at the LAC. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.

Italy rolls out new Covid 19 relief package

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Post date 8 November 2020
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A staff member measures a visitor's temperature at Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy, on Sept. 4, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

The new decree “allocates further resources to support businesses and employees that are directly or indirectly affected by restrictions imposed” to contain the pandemic, the government said in a statement on Saturday….reports Asian Lite News

The Italian government announced that it has issued a new decree to increase aid to families and businesses struck by the latest anti-coronavirus restrictions, which were imposed in the wake of a second wave of the pandemic.

On November 4, the government imposed a nationwide curfew, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., as the pandemic surged in Italy, reports Xinhua news agency.

It also closed shopping malls on weekends and holidays, curtailed the operating hours of bars and restaurants to 5 a.m.-6 p.m., and shut down museums, theatres, concert venues, movie theaters, and betting venues.

Rome, Aug. 18, 2020 (Xinhua) — Restaurant staff wait for customers in Rome, Italy, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting/IANS)

The new measure builds on a 5.4-billion-euro aid package included in a previous October 28 decree, which was aimed at hard-hit businesses such as bars, restaurants, gyms and hotels, seasonal workers, and employees in the sports and entertainment sectors.

The new decree, which covers November and December, increases grants for businesses and employees, suspends taxes and social security contributions, provides a babysitting bonus to families in areas where elementary schools have been shut down, and increases funds for public transportation.

The government’s statement however, did not give an overall figure for the new aid package.

The new measure came as the Ministry of Health on Saturday reported 39,811 new infections in a 24-hour span in Italy, with 25,109 patients hospitalized and 2,634 in the ICU.

The country’s overall coronavirus caseload and the death toll currently stood at 902,490 and 41,063, respectively.

Also read:Italy tightens Covid restrictions after spike in cases

-Top News USA

Biden calls Harris ‘South Asian’ not Indian

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Post date 8 November 2020
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US President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.

Race categorisations recognised by the US government do not include “South Asian”, while Asian Indian is listed officially for people of Indian descent…reports Arul Louis

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.

While praising his running mate Kamala Harris as “a fantastic Vice President”, US President-elect Joe Biden avoided calling her “Indian” and instead referred to her as “South Asian”.

“I will be honoured to be serving with a fantastic Vice President, Kamala Harris, who will make history as the first woman, first Black woman, first woman of South Asian descent, and first daughter of immigrants ever elected to national office in this country,” he said at a victory rally in his home state of Delaware on Saturday night.

Race categorisations recognised by the US government do not include “South Asian”, while Asian Indian is listed officially for people of Indian descent.

People of Indian descent also officially come under the broad category of Asians that includes people from across the continent, but there is no “South Asian”.

South Asian in common and academic use includes Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Maldivians, Bhutanese and Nepalese, and it is preferred by some “progressive” Indians in the US who seek an identity that they see as more inclusive than Indian and perhaps more “politically correct”.

Sometimes in common usage “South Asian”, is used to refer to someone whose national identity cannot be ascertained but has the physical or other characteristics common in the region.

Harris spoke of her mother Shyamala Harris Gopalan coming to the US as a 19-year-old from India but did not anything about her Indian legacy or use words like “chithi” (younger maternal aunt in Tamil) that she mentioned while accepting her nomination as the Democratic Party’s Vice-Presidential candidate.

She said her mother “maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment, but she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible” for her daughter to become Vice President.

Harris’s mother was active in the civil rights movement which created equality of opportunity.

The Vice President-elect said she was remembering her among the ranks of women who fought for equality.

“I am thinking about her and about the generations of women, Black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American women who throughout our nation’s history have paved the way for this moment tonight. Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality and liberty and justice for all.”

When the event at which Biden spoke after her ended, they brought their families to the stage at the open-air event.

Her family reflected the diversity of America with people of Asian Indian, African American and Jamaican descent, and her White Jewish husband Douglas Emhoff and his two daughters from an earlier marriage.

Harris introduced her niece Meena’s two young daughters to Biden.

Also read:Trump will lose special privileges on Twitter