TEHRAN: Iran announced Thursday the closure of a Tehran-based French research institute in protest against cartoons of the Islamic republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
“The ministry is ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran as a first step,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement, a day after Tehran had warned Paris of consequences.
Iran has been shaken by over three months of protests triggered by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, an Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.
Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday published the caricatures of Khamenei in support of the protests, in a special edition to mark the anniversary of the deadly 2015 attack on its Paris office which left 12 people dead.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted in response that “the insulting and indecent act of a French publication in publishing cartoons against the religious and political authority will not go without an effective and decisive response.”
Iran’s foreign ministry also summoned French ambassador Nicolas Roche.
IFRI, affiliated to the French foreign ministry, is a historical and archaeological institute founded in 1983 after the merger of the French Archaeological Delegation in Iran and the French Institute of Iranology in Tehran.
Located in the center of Tehran, it had been closed for many years but was reopened under the 2013-2021 presidency of the moderate president Hassan Rouhani as a sign of warming bilateral relations.
Iran closes French institute to protest Khamenei cartoons
https://arab.news/4pa9q
Iran closes French institute to protest Khamenei cartoons
- Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday published the caricatures of Khamenei in support of the protests
- Iran’s foreign ministry also summoned French ambassador Nicolas Roche
Iran, Pakistan seek ways to complete gas pipeline project
- Both countries signed agreement to construct the pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s Balochistan, Sindh
- Tehran says has invested $2 bln to construct pipeline, but work on Pakistan side has been held up due to fears of US sanctions
KARACHI: Iran and Pakistan are looking at ways to complete a long-delayed gas pipeline project between the two countries, Iran’s Consul General to Pakistan, Hassan Nourian, said on Monday.
“We see political determination from Pakistan to complete the project,” he told reporters in the southern city of Karachi.
The countries signed an agreement to construct the pipeline from Iran’s South Fars gas field to Pakistan’s Balochistan and Sindh provinces in 2010, but work on Pakistan’s portion has been held up due to fears of US sanctions.
The 1,900 kilometer (1,180 mile) pipeline was meant to supply 750 million to one billion cubic feet per day of natural gas for 25 years to meet Pakistan’s rising energy needs.
Tehran says it has invested $2 billion to construct the pipeline on its territory. Pakistan, however, did not begin construction, citing international sanctions on Iran as the reason.
In 2014, Islamabad asked for a 10-year extension to build the pipeline, which expires in September this year. Iran can take Pakistan to international court, industry watchers have said.
Faced with potential legal action, Pakistan’s caretaker administration this year gave the go ahead in principal to commence plans to build an 80km segment of the pipeline.
In March, Islamabad said it would seek a US sanctions waiver for the pipeline. The US, however, said it did not support the project and cautioned about the risk of sanctions in doing business with Tehran.
Nourian on Monday said the pipeline did not come under international restrictions, and that the two countries were discussing the issue.
He did not answer a question about the potential for Iran to take legal action against Pakistan if it did not complete its side of the pipeline this year.
Pakistan, whose domestic and industrial users rely on natural gas for heating and energy needs, is in dire need for cheap gas with its own reserves dwindling fast and LNG deals making supplies expensive amidst high inflation.
Iran has the world’s second-largest gas reserves after Russia, according to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy, but sanctions by the West, political turmoil and construction delays have slowed its development as an exporter.
Muslim group issues UK Labour Party leader with demands over Gaza
- Muslim Vote group calls for ‘real action’ to regain trust
- Support for Labour in recent local elections fell in areas with high Muslim populations
LONDON: Pro-Palestinian activists have presented a list of 18 demands to the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party and said they will not vote for the party at the next general election if he does not fulfill them.
The Muslim Vote, a campaign to get Muslim voters to back pro-Palestine candidates, has called for Sir Keir Starmer to promise to cut military ties with Israel, implement a travel ban on Israeli politicians involved in the war in Gaza and impose sanctions on companies operating in occupied territories.
The group told Starmer he must commit to “real action” and deliver on its requests if he was “serious” about his pledge to rebuild trust with those angered by his stance on the conflict in Gaza, The Telegraph reported.
Supporters would vote for the Green Party or Liberal Democrats if he could not commit to their demands, it said.
Labour’s campaign chief Pat McFadden acknowledged that Starmer’s approach to the conflict had cost the party votes at last week’s local elections. Support for Labour dropped dramatically in areas with a high Muslim populations, including Oldham in Greater Manchester, where the party lost overall control of the council in a shock defeat.
After the result, Starmer said he was determined to regain the trust of those who abandoned Labour as a result of his stance on the Gaza war but did not make any concrete pledges on the matter.
The Muslim Vote challenged Starmer with committing to the 18 demands and implementing them should he become the next prime minister.
They include removing the definition of extremism introduced by Secretary of State for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove and issuing guidance that allows Muslims to pray at school.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt retain top spots in MENA travel preferences: Wego study
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Egypt remain dominant destinations among Middle East and North Africa travelers in 2024, retaining top spots in international preferences, according to a study.
Singapore-based travel booking app Wego ranked Egypt as the top destination for tourists from the region between January and April, followed by the Kingdom, with India consistently holding the third spot since 2016.
Saudi Arabia’s second spot on the wish list is a clear indication of the Kingdom’s progress as a global tourist destination, aligning with its National Tourism Strategy aiming to attract 150 million visitors by 2030.
“We are excited to see Egypt emerge as the leading destination for travelers in the MENA region during Q1 2024. According to Wego's data, Egypt stands out as a favored choice among travelers seeking unique cultural experiences and diverse attractions,” said Mamoun Hmedan, chief business officer at Wego.
He added: “Meanwhile, the United Kingdom retains its position as the preferred European destination for Middle Eastern travelers.”
Among Middle East destinations, the top three — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and UAE —maintained their positions from 2023. Egypt and the Kingdom, in particular, have consistently held the top two spots since Wego began tracking customer trends over a decade ago.
The study utilized traveler searches and hotel booking data from its website as the foundation for its findings.
The report further revealed that the UAE ranked as the fourth favorite destination, followed by Pakistan, Kuwait, and Turkiye.
Meanwhile, China dropped one spot, reaching the 27th top destination among MENA travelers.
The UK remains the top European destination from the Middle East, holding the first spot for 10 of the last 11 years, briefly overtaken during the pandemic. Italy has notably surged from fourth to second.
Italy, a top global tourist spot, consistently ranks in the top ten European destinations for Middle East travelers.
This year marks Italy’s debut in the top three. Joint investments between Saudi Arabia and Italy in late 2023, along with direct flights by ITA Airways to Riyadh and Jeddah, signify growing ties.
Countries farther from the Gulf region, such as Morocco, Indonesia, and the US experienced the most decline among top destinations.
This trend continued in 2024, with Malaysia, the Philippines, and the US dropping out of the global top 10, while Kuwait, Pakistan, and Jordan, which entered the top ten last year, remain preferred destinations for MENA travelers.
Closing Bell: TASI edges down to close at 12,372 points
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Monday, losing 0.61 points, to close at 12,372.50.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR7.36 billion ($1.96 billion) as 116 stocks advanced, while 110 retreated.
Similarly, the MSCI Tadawul Index decreased by 2.63 points, or 0.17 percent, to close at 1,549.13.
On the other hand, the parallel market, Nomu, increased, gaining 0.85 points, to close at 26,791. This comes as 20 stocks advanced while as many as 39 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance Co. as its share price surged by 10 percent to SR275.
Other top performers included the Mediterranean and Gulf Insurance and Reinsurance Co. and Al-Rajhi Company for Cooperative Insurance, whose share prices soared by 9.97 percent and 9.93 percent, to stand at SR33.10 and SR148.40 respectively.
The worst performer was Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co., whose share price dropped by 4.46 percent to SR334.4.
Saudi Cable Co. as well as Gulf Insurance Group, did not perform well, as their share prices dropped by 3.55 percent and 3.01 percent to stand at SR76 and SR33.85, respectively.
On the announcements front, Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance Co’s profits surged to SR359 million, during the first quarter of 2024, up 91 percent from SR189 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
According to Al-Ekhbariya, net investment income reached SR158 million in the first quarter compared to SR102 million in the same quarter of the previous year, marking a 54 percent increase.
Insurance revenues for the current quarter amounted to SR4.37 million, compared to SR3.75 million in the same quarter of the previous year, reflecting a significant increase of 16.63 percent.
This growth is primarily attributed to operational expansion and an increase in the number of insured individuals, as reported by the channel.
Al-Rajhi Company for Cooperative Insurance also announced its interim financial results for the period ending March 31 with revenues increasing to SR1.4 million from to SR865,298 during the similar quarter of the previous year.
This marked an increase of 50.6 percent attributed the increase to a growth in overall business volume, according to a Tadawul statement.
Similarly, net profit after zakat attributable to shareholders for the current quarter amounted to SR111,376, compared to SR61,282 during the similar quarter in previous year, an increase of 81.7 percent.
According to the company, the improvement stemmed from increased net insurance service results, rising to SR113,229 from SR97,616 in the previous year, a 16 percent surge due to business growth.
King Salman academy to host Arabic education forum in Seoul
- Scholars, teachers, linguistic experts will attend May 9 and 10
- Discussions on curricula, teaching methods and Arab culture
RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language is partnering with the Korean Association of Arabic Language and Literature and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies to host an international conference in Seoul, South Korea.
The conference, titled “Challenges and Prospects of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature,” is set for May 9 and 10, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Participants will discuss key issues involving Arabic-language education globally and explore new approaches in response to evolving trends and needs.
The event will involve scholars, researchers and language experts; and will help promote Arab culture, the SPA reported.
The conference will focus six key areas related to teaching Arabic as a second language in Korea: modern methodologies, teaching materials, evaluation techniques, instructional strategies, and the current state of Arabic-language learning in Korea.
By bringing together experts and academics from Saudi Arabia, Korea and other regions, the conference is designed to assist Arabic-language teachers and non-native speakers.
The King Salman academy is also set to launch its upcoming international conference on computational linguistics.
