China pledges ‘support’ for Iran says FM Wang

China pledges ‘support’ for Iran says FM Wang
Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China, arrives to the United Nations Security Council in New York City. (File/AFP)
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Updated 25 September 2024
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China pledges ‘support’ for Iran says FM Wang

China pledges ‘support’ for Iran says FM Wang
  • Wang met President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly
  • The top diplomat promised China would “always be a trustworthy partner”

BEIJING: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi pledged to support Iran in safeguarding its security against “external forces” in a meeting with the country’s new president in New York, Beijing’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Wang met President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, Beijing said, as Israel launched more strikes against Tehran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The top diplomat promised China would “always be a trustworthy partner.”
“China will continue to support Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, and national dignity,” Wang said on Tuesday, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Beijing also opposed “external forces interfering in Iran’s internal affairs and imposing sanctions or pressure,” he added.
Conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant movement backed by Iran, has intensified in recent weeks.
Lebanon said Israeli strikes killed at least 558 people on Monday — the deadliest day of violence in the country since its 1975-90 civil war.
Iran, regarded by Israel as its archenemy, is an influential player in the Middle East, supporting armed groups in the region including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
China is a close partner of Iran, its largest trade partner, and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil.
Both countries have often faced Western pressure in the form of sanctions, most recently because of their stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise

Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise
Updated 8 sec ago
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Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise

Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise
  • Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East are spreading
  • Dozens of airlines have canceled services to and from the region

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.
Below are some of the airlines that have canceled services to and from the region:
AEGEAN AIRLINES
The Greek airline has canceled flights to and from Beirut until March 29 and to and from Tel Aviv until Dec. 10. From Dec. 11, some flights to and from Tel Aviv will operate as normal.
AIR ALGERIE
The Algerian airline has suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
AIRBALTIC
Latvia’s airBaltic has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Dec. 21.
AIR FRANCE-KLM
Air France has extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Dec. 31 and Paris-Beirut flights until Jan. 5.
KLM has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year at least.
The group’s low-cost unit Transavia has canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.
AIR INDIA
The Indian flag carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
BULGARIA AIR
The Bulgarian carrier has canceled flights to and from Israel until Dec. 23.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.
CORENDON AIRLINES
The Turkish airline canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until January.
DELTA AIR LINES
The US carrier has paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.
EASYJET
EasyJet will not rush to resume flights to Tel Aviv after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, its incoming CEO said on Nov. 27. The UK budget airline had previously suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March.
EGYPTAIR
The Egyptian carrier in September said it had suspended flights to Beirut until “the situation stabilizes.”
EMIRATES
UAE’s state-owned airline has canceled flights to Beirut until Dec. 31 and to Baghdad until Dec. 14.
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES
The Ethiopian carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.
FLYDUBAI
Flights to Beirut are currently suspended, a flydubai spokesperson said on Nov. 28.
IAG
IAG-owned British Airways has suspended flights to Tel Aviv until the end of March 2025.
IAG’s low-cost airline Iberia Express has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 30, while Vueling has canceled operations to Tel Aviv and to Amman until at least early 2025.
IRAN AIR
The Iranian airline has canceled Beirut flights until further notice.
IRAQI AIRWAYS
The Iraqi national carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.
 ITA AIRWAYS
The Italian carrier has extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 12.
LOT
The Polish carrier has canceled flights to Tel Aviv until Dec. 9. Its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.
LUFTHANSA GROUP
The German airline group has extended the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv until Jan. 31.
Flights for Tehran are canceled until Jan. 31, 2025, and to Beirut until Feb. 28.
SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.
PEGASUS
The Turkish airline has canceled flights to Beirut until Jan 1.
QATAR AIRWAYS
The Qatari airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Lebanon.
RYANAIR
Europe’s biggest budget airline does not plan on resuming operations to Israel until March 31 at the earliest, while a decision to resume operations to and from Jordan from December is under discussion, a Ryanair spokesperson said on Nov. 27.
SUNDAIR
The German airline canceled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Feb. 28, from Bremen until March 26 and from Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.
TAROM
Romania’s flag carrier has suspended Beirut flights until Dec. 20.
UNITED AIRLINES
The Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC
The UK carrier has suspended Tel Aviv flights until end-March.
WIZZ AIR
The Hungary-based airline has suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14.


Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit

Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit
Updated 19 min 14 sec ago
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Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit

Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit
  • Taiwan president referred to Taiwan’s indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands’ first settlers
  • Lai Ching-te: ‘We are like family. We are also close partners who support each other’

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies.
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island’s leaders, has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year.
Arriving in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, Lai referred to Taiwan’s indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands’ first settlers.
“Taiwan and the Marshall Islands share a traditional Austronesia culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy,” he said, in livestreamed remarks as he met President Hilda Heine.
“We are like family. We are also close partners who support each other,” he added.
Austronesian tribes farmed on Taiwan thousands of years before Han settlers from China arrived in the 17th century.
Heine said the Pacific Island nation, which has a defense and funding compact with the United States, and receives significant aid for climate change projects and infrastructure from Taiwan, would deepen ties.
“Your government and people are very close and dear to our hearts,” she said.
“Your state visit also signifies a bilateral relationship that is mature, one that has withstood the test of time and one that I am confident will continue to grow,” she added.
Later addressing parliament, Lai offered financial support for the national airline to upgrade its aging fleet.
“Taiwan will be happy to provide preferential loans to the Marshall Islands to purchase new aircraft for Air Marshall Islands to improve local air services,” he said.
Lai had a two-day US stopover in Hawaii which started on Saturday.
From the Marshall Islands he goes to Tuvalu for a brief trip, then a one-night stopover in the US territory of Guam before going to Palau.
Lai arrives back in Taipei late on Friday.


Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case

Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case
Updated 26 min 5 sec ago
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Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case

Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case
  • Property developer Truong My Lan was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion

HANOI: A court in Vietnam on Tuesday upheld a death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan after rejecting her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement and bribery, state media reported.

Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, was sentenced to death in April for her role in a financial fraud worth more than $12 billion, Vietnam’s biggest on record.

She was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) — which prosecutors said she controlled — and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion.

In her official handwritten appeal of more than five pages seen by AFP, Lan said the death sentence was “too severe and harsh,” asking the court to consider a more “lenient and humane approach.”

On Tuesday, Lan sat in the front row of the courtroom, waiting to hear if her life would be spared. Next to her was her husband, who is appealing a nine-year sentence for violating banking regulations.

The month-long appeal was attended by more 100 lawyers, according to state media.

Tens of thousands of people who invested their savings in SCB lost money, shocking the communist nation and prompting rare protests from the victims.

According to Vietnamese law, Lan could escape the death penalty if she proactively returns three-quarters of the embezzled assets and is judged to have cooperated sufficiently with authorities.

But prosecutors have argued she has not met the conditions, and emphasized her crime’s consequences were “huge and without precedent.”

Lan, who founded real estate development group Van Thinh Phat, told the court in Ho Chi Minh City “the quickest way” to repay the stolen funds would be “to liquidate SCB, and sell our assets to repay SBV (State Bank of Vietnam) and the people.”

“I feel pained due to the waste of national resources,” Lan said last week, adding she felt “very embarrassed to be charged with this crime.”

Lan owned just five percent of shares in SCB on paper, but at her trial, the court concluded that she effectively controlled more than 90 percent through family, friends and staff.

The State Bank said in April that it pumped funds into SCB to stabilize it, without revealing how much.

Among the assets that Lan and Van Thinh Phat own are a shopping mall, a harbor and luxurious housing complexes in business hub Ho Chi Minh City.

During her first trial in April, Lan was found guilty of embezzling $12.5 billion, but prosecutors said the total damages caused by the scam amounted to $27 billion — equivalent to around six percent of the country’s 2023 GDP.

Lan and dozens of defendants, including senior central bank officials were arrested as part of a national corruption crackdown dubbed the “burning furnace” that has swept up numerous officials and members of Vietnam’s business elite.

A total of 47 other defendants have requested reduced sentences at the appeal.

Last month, Lan was convicted of money laundering and jailed for life in a separate case.


Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
Updated 03 December 2024
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Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
  • Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists
  • The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India

SRINAGAR: Uber launched a water transport hailing service on scenic Dal Lake in the Indian-administered Kashmir region on Monday, offering rides on boats popular with tourists.
Users of the service can book trips on the lake’s traditional wooden Shikara boats if they make reservations at least 12 hours and up to 15 days in advance, Uber officials said.
The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India.
Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated and canopied, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists.
Uber will match customers with Shikara operators but will not charge a fee on rides booked through its app. All of the boat ticket paid by passengers would go to the Shikara operator, it said.
“Uber Shikara is our humble attempt to blend technology and tradition to give a seamless experience to travelers for their Shikara ride,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia.
Shikara operators were divided on Uber’s entry to their sector, with some saying it would boost their business now that tourists can book rides well in advance, while others insisted it would make little difference.
“It will boost our business. There will be fixed rates, no cheating, and no scope for bargaining,” said Wali Mohammad Bhatt, president of the Shikara Owners Association.
Shikara operator Shabir Ahmed was skeptical, saying operators would not be impacted.
“We have our own customer base,” he said.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan. The part under India’s control — the country’s only Muslim-majority region — has been roiled by violence for decades as militants have fought security forces. 
However, violence has fallen in recent years and the Kashmir Valley — called the Switzerland of India — has seen a gradual rise in the number of tourists.


UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
Updated 03 December 2024
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UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
  • The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement

LONDON: Britain’s cybersecurity chief warned on Tuesday of a rise in hostile activity in the country’s cyberspace, with the number of incidents handled by officials rising by 16 percent in 2024 compared to a year ago.
“Hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity,” the National Cyber Security Center’s Richard Horne will say in a speech later on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the government agency.
“Actors are increasingly using our technology dependence against us, seeking to cause maximum disruption and destruction.”
The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement.
Of those, 347 involved some level of data exfiltration — the intentional, unauthorized, covert transfer of data from a computer or other device — while 20 involved ransomware, said the NCSC, which is part of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency.
The team issued 542 bespoke notifications informing organizations of a cyber incident impacting them and providing advice on mitigation, more than double the 258 notifications issued last year.
In its annual review published alongside the statement, the NCSC said ransomware attacks posed “the most immediate and disruptive” threat to critical infrastructure like energy, water, transportation, health and telecommunications.
The review also warned of the potential of hackers to exploit AI to create more advanced cyberattacks.
“We believe the severity of the risk facing the UK is being widely underestimated,” Horne is set to say in his speech.
“There is no room for complacency about the severity of state-led threats or the volume of the threat posed by cyber criminals.”