Pakistan army chief asks Iran to tighten border security, stop terror attacks

Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa
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Updated 13 May 2020
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Pakistan army chief asks Iran to tighten border security, stop terror attacks

  • Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday linked the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Pakistan with the forced sending of pilgrims back from Iran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top commander has asked Tehran to tighten its borders in a bid to curb terrorist attacks on Pakistani security forces by militants allegedly operating from Iran.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa called his Iranian counterpart, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bagheri, and discussed an array of issues including border fencing, improvement of border terminals and the killing of Pakistani security personnel near the Pakistan-Iranian border, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Monday.
“The COAS said that Pakistan has started fencing the border but will require mutual bilateral cooperation to ensure border security and stem smuggling activity which is also used by terrorists and Narco traffickers for covering their movement,” the ISPR added.
Bajwa contacted Bagheri in the wake of an attack on a Frontier Corps patrol team in the Buleda area of Kech district last Friday in which six Pakistani security personnel lost their lives.
The attack, which took place about 14 km from the Iranian border, was claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army.
“The recent terrorist attack on Pak security forces resulting in shahadat of six security personnel near the Pak-Iran border also came under discussion. Both commanders resolved to enhance security measures on either side of the border,” the ISPR said.
The Pakistani army chief reiterated the “country’s desire for regional peace and stability based on mutual respect, non-interference and equality,” the military’s media wing added in its statement.
Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on April 29 approved 3 billion rupees ($18.6 million) in additional funds for the fencing of its border with Iran. The Senate of Pakistan was informed by the Frontier Constabulary of Balochistan on May 10 last year that the country had started fencing certain areas of the border which were hotspots for smuggling and militant movement.
The 900-km border begins at the Koh-i-Malik Salih mountain and ends at Gwadar Bay in the Gulf of Oman.

FASTFACT

Fencing of Pakistan-Iranian border underway to curb militancy: Foreign office spokesperson.

“The work on the Pak-Iran border fencing has been underway for the last few months for effective border management and to curb smuggling and militant activities,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson, Aisha Farooqui, told Arab News on Tuesday.
She added that there was no need for a No Objection Certificate from the foreign office for this as it was primarily the decision of the institutions responsible for border management and security.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday also linked the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Pakistan with the forced sending of pilgrims back from Iran.
During a National Assembly session, he said that Iran had pushed around 5,000 Pakistani nationals through the border in Balochistan despite Islamabad’s request to wait until COVID-19 quarantine facilities were ready for them.
“Fencing the Pak-Iran border is very important as it is very difficult to patrol such a long stretch. It can only prove successful in curbing smuggling, narcotics and terrorists’ infiltration if Iran also reciprocates the efforts,” senior defense analyst, Lt. Gen. (retired) Amjad Shoaib, told Arab News.
He added that insurgent and militant activities had increased due to a heavy Indian presence in Chabahar.
“The need for border fencing was increased after the heavy presence of Indians in Chabahar, which resulted in an increase in insurgent activities as they have training camps there.
“Iran used to accuse Pakistan for infiltration of Jandullah from its side which was effectively eliminated by Pakistan, but Iran has not controlled insurgents and militants from using its soil for terrorist activities inside Pakistan,” Shoaib said.


Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after ‘alarming’ blood test: attorney

Updated 9 sec ago
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Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after ‘alarming’ blood test: attorney

  • Lawyer: Harvey Weinstein will remain at the hospital ‘until his condition stabilizes’
  • Weinstein had previously been hospitalized in September for emergency heart surgery before being reincarcerated
NEW YORK: Former Hollywood movie producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein was hospitalized after an “alarming blood test result,” his lawyer said late Monday.
Weinstein’s attorney Imran Ansari said via email that the 72-year-old was taken to a New York hospital for “emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention.”
He will remain at the hospital “until his condition stabilizes,” his lawyer added.
US media reported in October that Weinstein was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.
The disgraced producer, who is currently serving a prison sentence at the notorious Rikers Island prison, “has been suffering from a lack of adequate medical care and enduring deplorable and inhumane conditions,” Ansari said.
In the same email, Weinstein’s spokesman Juda Engelmayer said his client “is suffering from a number of illnesses, including leukemia” and “has been deprived the medical attention that someone in his medical state deserves, prisoner or not.”
“In many ways, this mistreatment constitutes cruel and unusual punishment,” Engelmayer added.
Weinstein had previously been hospitalized in September for emergency heart surgery before being reincarcerated.
The co-founder of Miramax Films is due to be retried in New York in 2025, after an appeals court last year reversed the ruling of his 2020 sentence for raping an actress, Jessica Mann, and sexually assaulting a production assistant, Mimi Haleyi.
The trial was due to begin in November, but has since been delayed.
Weinstein has appeared in court several times due to the proceedings, most recently in October, during which he arrived in a wheelchair, pale and visibly diminished.
Prosecutors in New York, meanwhile, have since charged him in a separate sexual assault case from 2006, to which Weinstein pleaded not guilty and attorneys requested a separate trial.
The next hearing in the case is set for January 29, during which a new trial date will be set for all charges.
Although Weinstein’s conviction in New York was overturned, he remains incarcerated for a separate 16-year prison sentenced issued in 2023 by a court in Los Angeles for additional rape and sexual assault charges.
In 2017, the allegations against Weinstein helped launch the #MeToo movement, a watershed moment for women fighting sexual misconduct.
More than 80 women accused him of harassment, sexual assault or rape, including prominent actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.
Weinstein has claimed that any sexual relations in question were consensual.

Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise

Updated 7 min 47 sec ago
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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

Updated 26 min 53 sec ago
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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

Updated 33 min 44 sec ago
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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

Updated 03 December 2024
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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.