India’s new Hajj policy promotes women’s pilgrimage, abolishes VIP quota

Muslim Indian pilgrims wait at Jeddah airport prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah. (File/AFP)
Muslim Indian pilgrims wait at Jeddah airport prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah. (File/AFP)
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Updated 07 February 2023

India’s new Hajj policy promotes women’s pilgrimage, abolishes VIP quota

Muslim Indian pilgrims wait at Jeddah airport prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah. (File/AFP)
  • 500 spots in India’s annual Hajj quota previously reserved for VIPs
  • New policy allows women pilgrims to embark on Hajj individually

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities have abolished the VIP quota for pilgrims and allowed single women to apply as well, in a step they said on Tuesday was aimed at making the country’s pilgrimage policy more inclusive.

With more than 200 million Indians professing Islam, the Hindu-majority South Asian nation has the world’s largest Muslim-minority population. Every year, more than 150,000 Indian Muslims embark on Hajj, a spiritual journey and one of the five pillars of Islam.

While some of them need to wait years for their turn, there were 500 reserve spots set aside annually for top government officials — a practice that was stopped on Monday under the new Hajj policy released by the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

The new policy also increased the number of pilgrimage embarkation points from 10 to 25, and waived application fees.

A.P. Abdullakutty, chairman of the Haj Committee of India, a statutory body of the Indian government that organizes Islamic pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, said: “In front of Allah everyone is the same therefore there is no need to have special quotas.”

The policy also allows women to apply individually.

“So far the policy was that women above 45 can travel in groups of four without a male companion, but this time a single woman can also apply,” Abdullakutty added.

A total of 175,000 pilgrims from India will embark on Hajj this year, with the journey of 80 percent of them being handled by the committee, and the remaining 20 percent by private operators.

S. Muawari Begum, vice chairperson of the Hajj committee, told Arab News the new policy was “people friendly and more inclusive toward women.”

India’s civil society saw the move also as a step for India in becoming more accepting of women’s independence.

“To be independent is a different thing and the society accepting the independence of a woman is a different thing,” Jamila Nishat, a women’s rights activist based in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, said.

“This is a good step. This is a step to accept the independence of women.”


Slovenian foreign minister calls for permanent UN Security Council seats for Arabs and Africans

Slovenian foreign minister calls for permanent UN Security Council seats for Arabs and Africans
Updated 07 June 2023

Slovenian foreign minister calls for permanent UN Security Council seats for Arabs and Africans

Slovenian foreign minister calls for permanent UN Security Council seats for Arabs and Africans
  • Tanja Fajon told Arab News the council is faced with too many African and Arab issues for these groups not to be granted their own place at the table
  • Slovenia was elected by the General Assembly on Tuesday as non-permanent member of the council, along with Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, and Sierra Leone

NEW YORK CITY: Any negotiations about UN Security Council reforms must include discussions about permanent seats for the African Union and the Arab League, Slovenia’s deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs told Arab News on Tuesday.

Tanja Fajon was speaking at the UN headquarters in New York following a General Assembly vote that elected her country as one of five new non-permanent members of the council, the UN body tasked with maintaining global peace and security.

She said one of her country’s priorities is to work on making the UN a more effective organization.

“Just the pure fact that we have 80 percent of the agenda” in the Security Council on African issues without the continent having a permanent seat there is “an important message” that speaks to the necessity of “finding compromises” and taking steps to “reform the council to make it more effective.”

Discussions and debates at the UN have intensified in recent months, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine, about the need for significant reforms of the council to take into account the changing needs of global governance in terms of peace and security, including growing calls from the Global South for a more effective presence at the table.

Potential reforms could include increases in the numbers of permanent and non-permanent members to help better address the complex and evolving challenges to international peace and security.

In addition to the many challenges in Africa that are on the council’s agenda, there are several significant Arab issues in which little progress has been made in recent years, with some facing stalemate, including Syria, Yemen and the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Asked by Arab News whether this might mean that in addition to the African Union, the Arab League deserves a permanent Security Council seat, and whether she would advocate for such a move when Slovenia’s tenure as a non-permanent member begins in January 2024, Fajon said: “Yes, if we talk about enlargement we have to speak about enlargement in both categories.” She added that “this is something where we have to find compromise.”

She reiterated that her country is determined to pursue reforms of the UN’s most powerful body and added: “We have good expertise and know how to move ahead (and we) will continue to even strengthen the dialogue with our partners.

“We have to make this organization more effective. I am aware of the challenges. I spoke with many colleagues on the need for the reform. So we will work in that regard to find compromises on how to reform the Security Council to make it more effective.”

Slovenia, which is a member of the EU and NATO received 153 votes in the General Assembly, comfortably defeating Belarus, which received 38 votes in the secret ballot. They were competing for the council seat allotted to Eastern Europe.

The other countries elected to serve a two-year council term were Guyana (which received 191 votes), Sierra Leone (188), Algeria (184) and South Korea (180). Their terms will begin on Jan. 1, replacing Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the UAE, whose two-year terms end on Dec. 31.

Asked whether Slovenia, as a member of NATO, would be influenced in the Security Council by the position of the US, Fajon said: “Let me put it simply: Give us a chance to prove that we are capable of working with everyone, that we are very self confident with our foreign policy, and that we will work hard to understand everyone and (their) needs.”

She added that in her role as foreign minister she met in the past year with more than 150 representatives of world governments, and Slovenians “have enough self confidence and we have a strong diplomacy network that we will do what we believe is best, not only for Slovenia and our region but for the world.”


Hundreds of thousands at risk from Ukraine dam crisis: UN

Hundreds of thousands at risk from Ukraine dam crisis: UN
Updated 07 June 2023

Hundreds of thousands at risk from Ukraine dam crisis: UN

Hundreds of thousands at risk from Ukraine dam crisis: UN
  • Crimea, which reportedly receives water from the Kakhovka reservoir, would also be impacted

GENEVA: The UN warned Tuesday that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could spark an environmental disaster and have dire humanitarian consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.
An attack on the major Russian-held dam in southern Ukraine unleashed a torrent of water that flooded a small city, inundated two dozen villages and sparked the evacuation of 17,000 people.
But the United Nations cautioned that the environmental and humanitarian consequences of the attack, for which Moscow and Kyiv traded blame, were likely to be much more far-reaching.
“We are gravely concerned about the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, ... and the severe humanitarian impact on hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the front line,” the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said.
Pointing to reports from Ukrainian authorities that nearly 40 towns and villages were fully or partially flooded, the agency highlighted that “thousands have lost their homes overnight,” while thousands more have lost access to water, food and basic services.
“The impact is also expected to be severe in the Russian-controlled areas,” it warned.
Crimea, which reportedly receives water from the Kakhovka reservoir, would also be impacted.
While the scope and impact of the destruction of the dam and the depletion of the Kakhovka Reservoir were still being assessed, OCHA warned they were “projected to have severe and longer-term consequences on the humanitarian situation in the area.”
Among other things, it cautioned, “flooding and fast-moving water can move mines and explosive ordnance to new areas which previously had been assessed as safe, thus putting more people in danger.”
OCHA said emergency humanitarian response efforts were underway to provide urgent assistance to more than 16,000 people, including water supplies.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration meanwhile lamented the severe damage to vital infrastructure and warned of “an environmental disaster looming.”
“This attack has put thousands of lives at risk, caused severe environmental damage and led to further serious strain on response services in a country already dealing with the humanitarian fallout of more than a year of war,” IOM chief Antonio Vitorino said in the statement.
The agency said its initial assessment of the situation indicated that drinking water and food were the priority immediate needs, and said it was rushing in clean water supplies to areas receiving evacuated people.
“Given the effect on water supplies and the likelihood of flooding, waterborne diseases pose a serious threat,” it warned.

 


Prepare for new global status quo as marginalized voices ‘must be heard,’ says Sierra Leone’s foreign minister

Prepare for new global status quo as marginalized voices ‘must be heard,’ says Sierra Leone’s foreign minister
Updated 07 June 2023

Prepare for new global status quo as marginalized voices ‘must be heard,’ says Sierra Leone’s foreign minister

Prepare for new global status quo as marginalized voices ‘must be heard,’ says Sierra Leone’s foreign minister
  • After his country was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, David Francis told Arab News that 2024 will be ‘a defining year’ for council reforms
  • He said the solidarity of the Global South should not be underestimated and there is a consensus in favor of ensuring the council is fit for purpose to address historic injustices

NEW YORK CITY: The world needs to be prepared for a new status quo, in which all nations have a voice, to emerge after the war in Ukraine ends, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister told Arab News on Tuesday.

David Francis said that “for the first time, those who have been marginalized, excluded, underrepresented or unrepresented in the permanent and non-permanent category of the UN Security Council are now saying ‘Our voice must be heard.’”

He was speaking at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday after the organization’s General Assembly elected his country a non-permanent member of the Security Council, the world body tasked with maintaining international peace and security. Sierra Leone was elected alongside Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana and the Republic of Korea to serve two-year tenures that will begin on Jan. 1, 2024.

The Security Council has 15 members, five of which, known as the P5, are permanent: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. Each of them holds the power to veto any council resolution or decision.

The remaining 10, non-permanent members are elected by the 193-member General Assembly in a way that reflects the geographical distribution of member states by region.

Calls have intensified recently for Security Council reforms to ensure the positions of nations in the Global South are better represented and empower them to play a more significant role in efforts to solve their problems.

Francis said that 2024 will be “a defining year for the reform of the Security Council,” and the P5 are showing real commitment to the greater inclusion of regions that have long been sidelined, including Africa.

There are still question marks, however, over whether the five permanent members are truly open to the idea of a permanent seat for the African Union on the council and whether, short of that, reforms would have any significant meaning at all.

Asked by Arab News about these concerns, Francis said: “Well, things happened in the world: The Ukraine crisis, the prevailing geopolitics, and the emergence of the Global South solidarity is very important.

“We should not underestimate the Western countries themselves, but (also the) Russian Federation. In my discussions with European foreign ministers — the UK foreign secretary, the US deputy secretary of state, the French, (and) I’m just back from China; I had the same discussion with the Chinese foreign minister and a telephone conversation with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister — there’s a general consensus that now is the time to reform the Security Council to make it fit for purpose to address the issue of the historic injustice and underrepresentation of regions such as Africa. So I am confident that we will make that move.”

The five newly elected council members will replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the UAE, whose two-year terms end on Dec. 31, and join existing non-permanent members Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.


Britain says China has closed unofficial police stations in UK

Britain says China has closed unofficial police stations in UK
Updated 07 June 2023

Britain says China has closed unofficial police stations in UK

Britain says China has closed unofficial police stations in UK
  • The British government has said it was aware of about 100 such stations around the world

LONDON: British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said on Tuesday China had closed reported “police service stations” at sites across the UK, and that an investigation had not revealed any illegal activity by the Chinese state at these sites.
Britain has previously said reports of undeclared police stations in the country were “extremely concerning” and that any intimidation on British soil of foreign nationals by China or other states was unacceptable.
China has denied operating any such stations and issued a statement contesting Tugendhat’s remarks via its embassy in London, saying the accusations of running police posts in the UK were a “complete political lie.”
British police have investigated claims made by the non-governmental human rights organization Safeguard Defenders that such police stations were operating at three British sites, Tugendhat said in a written statement to parliament.
“I can confirm that they have not, to date, identified any evidence of illegal activity on behalf of the Chinese state across these sites,” he said.
“We assess that police and public scrutiny have had a suppressive impact on any administrative functions these sites may have had.”
The Chinese government has previously said there are centers outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.
US federal agents arrested two New York residents in April for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in the Chinatown district of Manhattan. China had said it firmly opposed what it called “the US’s slanders and smears.”
The British government has said it was aware of about 100 such stations around the world.
“The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office have told the Chinese Embassy that any functions related to such ‘police service stations’ in the UK are unacceptable and that they must not operate in any form,” Tugendhat said.
“The Chinese Embassy have subsequently responded that all such stations have closed permanently. Any further allegations will be swiftly investigated in line with UK law.”
Asked about Tugendhat’s statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London said in a statement translated from Mandarin by Reuters:
“There is simply no existence of so-called ‘overseas police posts.’ The facts have proven that the so-called ‘overseas police posts’ is a complete political lie, and politicians who speculate on this topic are purely in political manipulations.
“The Chinese government urges the UK government to stop spreading false information, to stop generating hype and slandering China.”

 


US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project -Washington Post

US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project -Washington Post
Updated 06 June 2023

US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project -Washington Post

US had intelligence of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream project -Washington Post
  • White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that investigations into the Nord Stream attack were active

WASHINGTON: The United States learned of a Ukrainian plan to attack the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines three months before they were damaged last September by underwater explosions, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing leaked information posted online.
The CIA learned last June, through a European spy agency, that a six-person team of Ukrainian special operations forces intended to blow up the Russia-to-Germany project, the newspaper reported.
The intelligence reporting was shared online on Discord, purportedly by Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who was arrested in April and charged in relation to the leak of sensitive US documents. The Washington Post said it obtained a copy from one of Teixeira’s online friends.
The intelligence report was based on information provided by a person in Ukraine, the Washington Post said, adding the CIA shared it with Germany and other European countries in June 2022.
The Post said officials in multiple countries had confirmed that the intelligence summary posted on Discord accurately stated what the European service told the CIA.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday that investigations into the Nord Stream attack were active.
“The last thing that we’re going to want to do from this podium is get ahead of those investigations,” Kirby said when asked about The Post’s reporting on the matter.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 put Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas in the political spotlight. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines hastened the region’s switch to other energy suppliers.
Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom to pump 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas a year to Germany.
The Post said it agreed to withhold the name of the European intelligence agency as well as some aspects of the suspected plan at the request of government officials, citing risks to sources and operations.
The CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm the intelligence cited by the Washington Post.
Several underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipelines that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea in September 2022.
The blasts occurred in the economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries said the explosions were deliberate, but have yet to determine who was responsible. Those countries and Germany are investigating.
Washington and NATO called the incident “an act of sabotage.” Moscow blamed the West, accusing investigators of dragging their feet and trying to conceal who was behind the attack.