Two Cambodians returning from US, France test positive for Omicron
Two Cambodian nationals returning from the US and France have tested positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant…reports Asian Lite News
Two Cambodian nationals returning from the US and France have tested positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant, bringing the total number of such cases in the southeast Asian nation to four, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement on Sunday.
The two patients are a 47-year-old woman arriving in the kingdom on Thursday from the US, with a connecting flight in South Korea, and a 33-year-old woman taking a flight from France passing through Singapore before arriving in Cambodia on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.
Two Cambodians returning from US, France test positive for Omicron
“Upon landing at the Phnom Penh International Airport, the two women were given a rapid test which indicated that they were positive for Covid-19, and their samples were then sent to the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia for further testing,” the Ministry statement said.
“The results released by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia on December 18 showed that the two women were positive for the Omicron Covid-19 variant.”
The patients are currently being treated at a Covid-19 treatment facility in Phnom Penh.
The country reported the first case of the Omicron variant on December 14 — pregnant Cambodian woman returning from Ghana – and the second case on December 17 on an Iranian male tourist travelling to the kingdom from Kenya.
Civilian deaths mount as US secret unit pounds IS in Syria
A single top secret US strike cell launched tens of thousands of bombs and missiles against the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Syria, but in the process several civilians were killed…reports Asian Lite News
The strike cell “circumvented rules imposed to protect non-combatants, and alarmed its partners in the military and the CIA by killing people who had no role in the conflict: farmers trying to harvest, children in the street, families fleeing fighting, and villagers sheltering in buildings”, Xinhua news agency quoted the report by The New York Times as saying.
Based on interviews with multiple current and former military and intelligence officials, the report found that the unit was called Talon Anvil, it said.
Civilian deaths mount as US secret unit pounds IS in Syria
It worked in three shifts around the clock between 2014 and 2019, pinpointing targets for the US to hit: convoys, car bombs, command centers and squads of enemy fighters, the newspaper added.
According to the report, Talon Anvil was small, at times fewer than 20 people operating from anonymous rooms cluttered with flat screens, but played an outsize role in the 112,000 bombs and missiles launched against the IS, in part because it embraced a loose interpretation of the military’s rules of engagement.
Every year when the strike cell operated, the civilian casualty rate in Syria increased significantly, Larry Lewis, a former Pentagon and State Department adviser who co-authored a 2018 Defence Department report on civilian harm, was quoted as saying.
Lewis, who has viewed the Pentagon’s classified civilian casualty data for Syria, said the rate was 10 times that of similar operations he tracked in Afghanistan.
“It was much higher than I would have expected from a US unit,” said Lewis.
“The fact that it increased dramatically and steadily over a period of years shocked me.”
There are presently 900 American troops stationed in Syria’s northeastern region, to help the Kurdish YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to fight the IS terror group.
US forces were first dispatched in 2014-15 under former President Barack Obama to provide material support to local Arab and Kurdish fighters.
US must lift sanctions in exchange for 2015 nuclear agreement
The US must lift the sanctions it has imposed on Iran in exchange for its return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, Tehran’s chief negotiator said…reports Asian Lite News
One of the main goals of the Vienna talks was “to establish the conditions that the Americans must meet,” Ali Bagheri Kani, also Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, told the media in Vienna where the seventh round of negotiations aimed at implementing the deal is underway.
Once those conditions are agreed upon, the Americans will have the duty to implement them, and the core requirement is the lifting of “the iniquitous and illegal sanctions”, Xinhua news agency quoted the chief negotiator as saying.
US must lift sanctions in exchange for 2015 nuclear agreement
The positions of the parties in the talks are different on different issues, but during the last days the extension of the subjects open to the discussion has been reduced, Bagheri Kani noted.
Speaking of the “non-constructive comments” from three European parties to the talks, the Iranian chief negotiator said he was optimistic about the future of the negotiations.
However, the “hostile, illegal, destructive and even inhumane acts by some parties”, as well as the existing mistrust, do not allow for any naivety concerning the process ahead, he added.
The ongoing talks on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is being negotiated by EU officials and China, France, Germany, Russia, the US and Iran.
The goal of the JCPOA is to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, which the US withdrew from in 2018 under the administration of former President Donald Trump, unilaterally re-imposing sanctions on Iran.
Tehran has retaliated by gradually stopping implementing elements of the deal since May 2019.
The seventh round of talks started on November 29, lasting for five days, during which Iran submitted draft proposals for a restored 2015 nuclear agreement.
However, senior diplomats from the UK, France and Germany on December 3 voiced “disappointment and concern after thoroughly and carefully analysing Iranian proposed changes to the text negotiated during the previous six rounds”.
New Cold War Fear As West Boycotts China Winter Games
Acerbic relations between the two superpowers have recently been in flux as the United States under Joe Biden has raised the heat on China under Xi Jinping’s stewardship…reports Asian Lite News
Amid vaulting China-US one-upmanship and US President Joe Biden’s recriminations against Russia, East-West tensions spilling onto the turf of sports didn’t raise many eyebrows as Washington announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics, scheduled in Beijing from February 4-20 next year, triggering a swift response from China amid a Yuletide season rendered hot by geostrategic tensions.
Acerbic relations between the two superpowers have recently been in flux as the United States under Joe Biden has raised the heat on China under Xi Jinping’s stewardship.
New Cold War Fear As West Boycotts China Winter Games
Taiwan, Hong Kong, weaponization and the battle for one-upmanship in the South China Sea have littered the turf of bilateral ties between the two nations. Sports — recently being used as a weapon of attrition in international politics — is increasingly coming to the fore in the arena of inter-state confrontation.
The boycott doesn’t seem to be out of sync with what has been transpiring between the two nations — one of which always draws fire for calling itself the leader of the free world.
“It’s understandable as long as they are sending athletes,” said a former Chinese sports journalist, talking about the move that wouldn’t directly affect athletes.
Germany’s Thomas Bach, a 1976 Olympic fencing gold medallist, lost the opportunity to defend his Olympic title in 1980 after the Western Bloc boycotted the Moscow Games, added the journalist.
Bach, now the President of International Olympic Committee (IOC), has said that he chose to be politically neutral in the face of the boycott by Washington.
Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada have been doing the US’ bidding by announcing diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games by citing concerns over China’s human rights record.
What is important is that athletes are participating, the German official said.
Chinese mouthpiece Global Times had another take on the controversy. Calling the boycott a “US hijack”, it said Washington had turned it into a small ‘clique’ diplomatic tool.
Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a press conference that the US has been fabricating the biggest lie of the century about so-called “genocide” in China’s Xinjiang region, which has been “refuted” by facts.
“Based on ideological biases and lies, the US is trying to disturb the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The practice violates the principle of political neutrality enshrined in the Olympic Charter, runs counter to the Olympic motto of ‘together’ and stands on the opposite side of global athletes and sports fans,” Zhao said.
Quite unbeknownst of what was happening on the sports front, China had its eyes set on space from where three Chinese astronauts — called ‘taikonauts’ — delivered a lecture to schoolchildren who had their eyes fixed on the classroom screen.
Dressed in blue space suits, the trio demonstrated several interesting experiments, including those on surface tension and motion and how objects behave differently in space.
Back on earth, at a Chinese tea house in Anhui province in eastern China, people talked about Chinese-style democracy as steaming tea was poured into bowls. A Ukrainian man explained how the Chinese went about their business in the 100-year-old tea house, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Back in Ukraine, thousands of miles away, the threat of a Russian invasion was another factor playing in the minds of people as the Kremlin flexed its muscle over the territorial conflict.
From the tea house to the Crimean Peninsula — when China and Russia are there, can their brand of democracy be far behind.
Post the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and the takeover of the country by the Taliban, there is fear of a resurgence of jihadi forces across Arab states…reports Asian Lite News
The concerns were expressed at an extraordinary meeting of intelligence chiefs of 22 Arab states held in Cairo last month, reported al arabiya post.
There is apprehension that the renewed Islamic State-Taliban conflict in Afghanistan may trigger a spillover of the IS fighters to neighbouring countries or plot disturbances in the Middle East.
Arab states fear resurgence of jihadi forces
Arab intelligence is of the view that the Islamist State is already radicalising youth in the Arab world, including Lebanon, to export them to Syria, Iraq and other places where they are required to support local IS fighting groups, reported al Arabiya post.
The Arab Intelligence Forum, set up by Egypt this year as a “multilateral intelligence-sharing body”, in its meeting recognised that an Islamic State resurgence is a “reality, as attacks during the past weeks suggest”.
The intelligence chiefs shared information at the meeting of the growing IS-sponsored violence. It was reported that the IS launched several attacks in northern Iraq in early November and even captured a town for 24 hours.
Similarly, in eastern Syria, the IS conducted attacks, targeting soldiers and oil workers. Though the IS threat is limited in Lebanon, there are fears of an escalation in the coming months.
The Arab world is monitoring the situation, especially in Lebanon. This is a relatively recent phenomenon and the IS is learnt to have calculated that the political class in Beirut would find the interference convenient to pursue its brand of politics in the country, reported al Arabiya post.
Moreover, the authorities are worried about the IS radicalising convicts and under trials in Lebanese prisons, especially the Roumieh prison in east Beirut.
This prison is locally called the “operations room” of the IS because of the group’s easy access to the inmates. Recruitment from here has been happening since 2018. (ANI)
An Iranian official slammed fresh sanctions imposed by the US on Iranian governmental agencies and officials…reports Asian Lite News
“Even amid #ViennaTalks, the US cannot stop imposing sanctions against Iran,” Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, wrote on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday night, reported Xinhua news agency.
Iran FM
Earlier on Tuesday, the US Treasury Department announced it was freezing assets and banning US nationals from engaging in business with agencies and individuals from several countries, on grounds of alleged “repression and undermining of democracy.”
Among those sanctioned by Washington are the special units of Iran’s police, including its counter-terrorism force, two state prisons, and a number of officials and military commanders.
In his reaction, the foreign ministry spokesman wrote that the US “fails to understand that ‘maximum failure’ and a diplomatic breakthrough are mutually exclusive.”
The new sanctions, Khatibzadeh added, will not strengthen Washington’s negotiating position in the process of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The Vienna talks, which restarted on November 29 to revive JCPOA after a months-long hiatus, are scheduled to continue on Thursday.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has accused the US of seeking “a new crisis” in the region after the fall of the Islamic State (IS) militant group…reports Asian Lite News
“The US is very angry about the collapse of Daesh (the IS) in Syria and Iraq as well as the victory of the resistance front… and is looking for a new crisis,” Shamkhani said on Tuesday at a meeting with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Xinhua news agency reported.
Ali Shamkhani
The creation of a security crisis in Syria by the US and Israel could lead to dangerous consequences for the entire region, he warned.
The Iranian security official denounced continuous Israeli airstrikes against Syria, Palestine and Lebanon, saying “resistance” is the only means to confront Israel’s aggression.
Shamkhani pointed to the solidarity of Tehran-Damascus political and security relations and called for further development of trade ties between the two countries.
For his part, Mekdad thanked Iran for its support for the Syrian nation and government and said a new chapter in bilateral cooperation has opened up following the defeat of foreign-sponsored terrorist groups and the establishment of relative stability in the Arab country.
New round of nuke talks in Vienna likely to see “more flexibility”
The new round of Vienna talks, aimed at the restoration of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, is likely to see “more flexibility” from the involved parties…reports Asian Lite News
After six months of hiatus in the talks, Iran and the remaining parties to the deal, with the indirect involvement of the US, resumed their discussions to restore the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on November 29, reports Xinhua news agency.
New round of nuke talks in Vienna likely to see “more flexibility”
On December 3, diplomats from the European side of negotiations returned to their home countries for consultations on two proposals put forward by Iran, which reportedly insist on the priority of removal of all sanctions, which were imposed against Tehran by the administration of former US President Donald Trump after he withdrew from the deal in 2018.
The Iranian negotiation team has also announced that it has prepared a third document expounding on verification of lifting sanctions and the Islamic Republic’s demands for the US guarantee that the next administration would not abandon the deal again.
In response to a question about the demands of the Iranian negotiating team in these proposed documents, the country’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani stressed that “our emphasis is that within the framework of JCPOA, all issues related to our nuclear activities must continue”.
He added that any sanctions that violate JCPOA regulations and all sanctions related to the nuclear deal, or imposed and reinstated under the US “maximum pressure” campaign, must be lifted immediately.
Bagheri Kani said that Iran’s proposals are on the table, and the other side of the talks is supposed to provide “reasonable, documented and logical responses”.
Although some hurdles lie ahead of the progression of recent talks, the Iranian side and other parties have argued that it is still possible to reach an agreement in the talks.
Diako Hosseini, an Iranian researcher of international affairs, told the local Ebtekar daily on Sunday that “it was not expected that a dispute would be resolved in this round or the views would come closer to each other, but it will be possible for the views to come closer in future talks”.
Asked where the problem lies at the current negotiating table, the expert said it is in “the gap in expectations”.
“We had this gap in 2015 (negotiations) as well; and because of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA (in 2018) and its consequences, it is much deeper today. The doubling of sanctions against Iran with different labels has made things more complicated… In addition, Iran has made progress on its nuclear program and has reached an unprecedented stage.”
Hosseini, however, said “it is expected that in subsequent talks the positions (of negotiating parties) will gradually become more flexible and the parties will move away from the tenacious approach of the past. In the next round of talks, I think we will reach this understanding of the flexible points of the two sides’ positions”.
Iran expects 'practical steps' by West in nuke talks
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani has said that Washington should take the first step in revival of the 2015 nuclear deal since it was the one which left the deal…reports Asian Lite News
The Islamic Republic of Iran will not back down from its demands for the lifting of sanctions in the process of restoration of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Bagheri Kani said, according to the report.
Ali Bagheri Kani
He stressed that the proposals made by Iran to the P4 + 1 group, comprising the UK, China, France, Russia plus Germany, in the recent Vienna negotiations are “documented and logical,” and therefore can be a basis for negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.
Iran believes in the negotiations and is “optimistic” about the possible outcome, he said, adding that however, “unconstructive behavior by some signatories in the past and repeated breaches of their commitments” make Iranians to be more careful in their moves.
After six months of hiatus in the talks, Iran and the remaining parties to the deal, with the indirect involvement of the United States, resumed their discussions to restore the deal on Nov. 29.
On Friday, diplomats from the European side of negotiations returned to their capitals for consultations on two proposals put forward by Iran, which reportedly insist on the priority of removal of all sanctions, which were imposed against Tehran by the former administration in the White House after it withdrew from the deal in 2018.
Four nations, India, Israel, UAE and the US are expected to hold a meeting on infrastructure cooperation in Dubai, stated Israel Ambassador to India Naor Gilon on Saturday…reports Asian Lite News
Speaking to ANI, Gilon said, “I think that soon there will be a meeting at least of the 4 parties- UAE, India, Israel & US. As the foreign ministers agreed, so it’s supposed to be in Dubai. The idea is to create cooperation on infrastructure with private companies of the four countries.”
Naor Gilon
In view of the newly discovered COVID-19 variant Omicron, the ambassador said, “In Israel, the situation seems to be under control. There was a little bit of frightening at the beginning. The numbers are not rising…So I hope that a relief of the measures that we took including the closure of Israel border for tourism will soon open.”
Israel has decided to shut international borders for foreign tourists from Sunday. The idea is to stem the spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.
“The entry of foreign nationals into Israel is banned except for cases approved by a special committee,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement. (ANI)
