Iran calls on Muslims to halt Israeli atrocities

In a statement issued on the occasion of Nakba Day, which commemorates the illegal Zionist regime of Israel, Iran's Foreign Ministry noted that the only option to ensure Palestinian rights is for governments and Muslim nations to embrace resistance against the occupiers.

Any compromise with the Islamic Ummah's sworn foes, according to Foreign Ministry, supports the apartheid Zionist regime's heinous deeds and human rights violations.

The full text of the statement is as follows:

“May 14, 1948, the Nakba Day, is reminiscent of occupation, massacre and displacement of the true owners of the Palestinian land at the hands of Zionist occupiers and usurpers, and the onset of a trend of systematic violations of the Palestinian nation’s natural and basic rights.

Since that date, the criminal Zionists — backed by some Western powers — have usurped the holy land of Palestine with the forceful use of weapons and through carnage and plunder, laying the foundation for lasting insecurity and instability in the West Asia region, a situation that continues to this day.

The anniversary of the Nakba Day once again reminds the world’s governments and nations of their human and legal duty of defending the Palestinian people’s rights and puts on display the failure of international institutions and organizations to resolve one of the longest-running humanitarian and political crises in the world.

This comes especially at a time when the usurper Zionist regime has started a new round of desecrations of Palestine’s religious sites, Islamic sanctities and al-Quds as well as slaughter of the defenseless Palestinian people, which has, of course, been met with a crushing response from Palestine’s popular resistance and Intifada, with God’s grace.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes addressing the issue of Palestine, as the foremost and principal issue of the Muslim world, and considers attempts by global Zionism to drive the issue into oblivion is doomed to failure.

As shown by history, any compromise with the sworn enemies of the Islamic Ummah encourages the apartheid Zionist government’s inhumane acts and violations of human rights. Muslim nations and leaders should know that the only way to realize the Palestinian people’s rights is maintaining Islamic unity and convergence and the world’s freedom-seeking governments and Muslim nations’ support for the resistance against occupiers and bullying powers.

The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that just and lasting peace will not be established in West Asia unless through the resolution of the fundamental issues in this crisis, including ending the organized occupation of Palestine, securing a return of refugees, deciding Palestine’s future through a referendum participated by all of its true owners, and finally, the formation of a unified Palestinian government, with Quds al-Sharif as its capital.

While expressing its full solidarity with the Palestinian people’s ideal cause and paying tribute to the martyrs and fighters on the path to freedom and the Muslims’ First Qibla, the Islamic Republic of Iran invites all governments and international bodies to shoulder their human and legal duties vis-à-vis the oppressed Palestinian people and prevent a continuation of occupation and crimes by the regime occupying al-Quds and the spread of this regime’s racist policies in occupied Palestine.”

 

US Defense Secretary succeeds in establishing contact with Russian Defense Minister, finally

It is beyond comprehension that United States sponsoring tons of lethal arms wants a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Has the superpower realized it can’t defeat Russia or it is an attempt to recoup energy before making the final attempt to cause ‘substantial damage’ to Russia?

Another point of view is that Joe Biden has exhausted all the limits available to him regarding sale of arms to Ukraine. It may be recalled that Sen. Rand Paul hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly US$40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. 

Yet another point hardly being discussed is that the United States has lost the edge, because some European countries have started making gas payment in Russian ruble, having realized that no other source of supply is available, at least in the short term.

According to the latest reports, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu on Friday, marking the first time the two have spoken since before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine began.

Austin “urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a readout of the call.

Last time Austin had spoken with Shoygu on February 18, 2022, less than a week before Russia’s invasion began.

A month into the invasion, Kirby acknowledged that Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley had unsuccessfully tried to engage with his counterparts. The Washington Post was the first to report the dilemma.  

“There are vehicles, we still have military-to-military communications with the Russians,” Kirby told Fox News. “But at the senior levels, where we think it’s really important particularly right now, that’s not happening. It is not happening because the Russians don’t seem to be interested.” 

A senior US defense official told reporters that the call was initiated by Austin and lasted about an hour, with the tone characterized as “professional.” 

It was unclear what changed on the Russian side to engage in the call, but Austin hopes it “will serve as a springboard for future conversations,” according to the official.

However, Austin “continues to have concerns about what’s going on in Ukraine,” and the call itself “didn’t specifically solve any acute issues or lead to a direct change in what the Russians are doing and what they’re saying,” the official said.

Whereas Austin and Milley have had a hard time speaking with their Russian counterparts, the two have remained close with their Ukrainian counterparts.

Austin has held multiple conversations with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov throughout the invasion, and the two most recently spoke on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Milley spoke with Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to a readout of the call, the two “continued to exchange perspectives and assessments of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

 

Naftali Bennett from one crisis to another

Lately a cartoon described the condition being faced by Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, swimming in shark-filled waters, but he is not aware that there are more than a dozen sharks trailing him behind his back. 

The cartoon aptly illustrated where Bennett’s government stands right now, after resolving its coalition crisis with the Ra’am (United Arab List) Party.

That crisis was a reminder of how difficult it is to survive with a slim majority in the Knesset of 60 to 59 on a good day. It also demonstrated how sensitive the coalition is to any issue that could provoke controversy.

Mansour Abbas leading Ra’am into the coalition was celebrated worldwide as a historic breakthrough for Israel. Along with the Abraham Accords, an Arab party joining the coalition was seen internationally as Israel successfully entering a new era of mutually beneficial strategic cooperation with the Arab world despite the conflict with the Palestinians remaining unresolved.

Abbas enthusiastically and optimistically told The Jerusalem Post at an October 2021 press conference at the Knesset, where he presented the government’s massive new allocations to the Arab sector, that it would now become natural for Arab parties to join every Israeli governing coalition forever.

That historic breakthrough was nearly lost, due to Temple Mount violence and the lack of honest reporting about it. Like countless times in the past, violence on the Temple Mount that was exaggerated and fanned by fake news threatened to derail the sensitive fabric of life in the Holy Land.

Reports in the Arab world that made it look as though Israel was purposely trying to kill Muslims at prayer at the Aqsa Mosque nearly made it impossible for Abbas to climb down from the Mount and back into the coalition.

Even when Abbas was finally ready to end the crisis, another incident magnified in the international Arabic media around the world got in the way. Wednesday’s incident in Jenin in which Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead – and the bad press Israel got in its aftermath – could have forced Abbas to continue to freeze his party’s membership in the coalition, vote for a bill that would initiate an election and perhaps even torpedo Bennett’s government.

Abbas canceled a press conference he had scheduled in Kafr Kassem, called Abu Akleh a martyr and said he would insist on an international investigation of the incident. He would have carried on his protest of the incident longer and scored more points with his constituents, if he had had time.

But Abbas had to announce how his party would vote on the Likud’s Knesset dissolution bill in the afternoon and could not wait. His speech about “giving the coalition another chance” could have been written the day he began what was essentially a fake crisis that he initiated to look like the defender of al-Aqsa while the Knesset was on recess.

Abbas knows that he needs as much time as he can get in the coalition for his constituents to be able to see with their own eyes – or at least with their pocketbooks – the positive results of him joining.

What made it easier for Abbas to justify unfreezing Ra’am’s membership in the coalition was the foolishly unruly behavior of the opposition.

He spoke immediately after opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu blasted him in a speech in the Knesset plenum that was supposed to be about Theodor Herzl.

Netanyahu picked yet another fight with Abbas, even though Ra’am could be a very easy coalition partner for him in the future. Every time Netanyahu calls Abbas “a terror supporter” or pretends he did not negotiate Ra’am building a bond with the Likud, Bennett’s coalition gets stronger.

The most right-wing MK in the Knesset, Itamar Ben-Gvir, helped strengthen the coalition even more by crashing Abbas’s press conference in the Knesset. Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid said later that the public prefers Abbas in the coalition over Ben-Gvir.

Then there was the opposition’s most uncouth MK, David Amsalem, who shocked MKs in both the coalition and opposition three times on Wednesday.

First he started an unnecessary fight with Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, threatening the former Jerusalem police chief. Then he insisted on responding in the plenum to a consensus bill proposed by deaf MK Shirley Pinto that would require government offices to speak to deaf people via text messages. The bill passed 40-0, but Amsalem still had to speak against it.

Finally, Amsalem left a live interview with Channel 12 to cast the deciding vote on a bill. Meretz MK Yair Golan was on the same program, and the two had paired off to leave the coalition and opposition with the same balance in the plenum. But Amsalem left Golan as he was speaking next to him and raced up to vote.

It was less noticed by the coalition, but another MK who embarrassed herself was former coalition chairwoman Idit Silman. She claimed in a TV interview that one of the reasons she defected to the opposition was that the government had built a “Reform Kotel.”

She knows full well that no progress has been made on implementing the Western Wall agreement, that the family prayer site is not intended only for Reform Jews, that Reform is not a slur, and that while Bennett did build what he called the “Ezrat Israel,” it was when he was Jerusalem affairs minister under Netanyahu in 2014.

Silman said in the Knesset cafeteria that she thinks her bolting the coalition will prevent the site’s renovation. She said that since she left, the coalition has had to go “rightward” – yamina in Hebrew. But the coalition’s cooperation with the Joint List that came as the result of her departure has proven that the opposite is true.

Now that the fight with Abbas is over, there are plenty of challenges that await the coalition.

The sharks approaching Bennett include Jerusalem Day celebrations in two weeks, next month’s visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel, attempts to pass next year’s state budget that will begin on June 16, wavering Yamina MK Nir Orbach’s demand to hook up unauthorized outposts to the national electricity grid, and the pregnancy of New Hope faction head Sharren Haskel.

Haskel is due at the end of July, around the same time the Knesset will leave for its next recess. If she gives birth early, she may have to bring her newborn into the plenum to vote, as Pinto did six days after the birth of her child in December.

Jerusalem Day will be the first challenge. Opposition officials said they intend to exploit the holiday to anger Ra’am again, but they said they do have limits.

“We won’t cause a security crisis to cause a political crisis with Ra’am, but we will call for people to go on the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day, of course,” a Likud spokesman said.

The spokesman said he did not think Netanyahu would ascend the Temple Mount, but acknowledged that it would not be the first time such a controversial step was taken by the head of the opposition from the Likud.

“It’s clear to everyone that the next crisis with Ra’am is only a matter of time,” the spokesman said. “This past week was not ideal for the opposition, but we won’t give up. They have dozens of bills in the pipeline that we stopped. They aren’t even trying to pass them. Even some they put on the agenda they took back. This doesn’t look like a government that can last very long. It can last a few weeks, but it is bound to end soon.”

In the weeks ahead, the coalition intends to continue the strategy that worked this week. Uncontroversial socioeconomic legislation will be advanced. Bills that do not have a consensus will have to wait.

Coalition bills will be put on the agenda only if a majority is obtained for them well in advance. Opposition bills will be passed by the coalition if they make sense and do not cost money, as eight were on Wednesday.

De facto coalition chairman Boaz Toporovsky said he intends to proceed with caution, knowing full well that there are plenty of sharks ready to attack. But he was not afraid of exulting about the opposition backing down from bringing the Knesset dissolution bill to a vote.

“The opposition surrendered and pulled back the bill,” Toporovsky said. “Another political spin crashed. They are scared. They know they have no majority, neither in the Knesset nor in the public. I recommend that all our doubters wait patiently and watch our government be strong and function. The unified coalition will continue to come to the Knesset and work hard for the entire Israeli public.”

Courtesy: The Jerusalem Post

Looming Baby Formula Shortage in United States

According to media reports, the baby formula shortage has intensified in the United States. The retail information provider reported that out-of-stock (OOS) rates continue to climb nationwide, rose to 43% during the week ended May 08, 2022. This is up from the 30 to 40 percent readings in April.

“Unfortunately, baby formula out-of-stock levels have continued to soar since the beginning of April and we see no indication of a slowdown,” Ben Reich, CEO of Datasembly, told The Epoch Times. “Baby formula out-of-stock levels have reached 43% nationwide and continue demonstrating higher out-of-stock levels than other categories.”

Data as of May 01, 2022 show that nine states have OOS rates above 50%, including Tennessee (54.7%), Delaware (54.5%), Texas (52%), Montana (51%), and Nevada (51%). Jurisdictions with the lowest OOS rates were Colorado (26.3%), New Mexico (29%), and Indiana (29.7%).

Across the United States, multiple retailers including CVS, Kroger, Target, and Walgreens, have applied limits on purchases of infant formula.

Last month, CVS limited in-store and online purchases of baby formula to three per order. Kroger installed a limit of four products per customer. Target and Walgreens have maintained restrictions for several weeks.

Media reports suggest that some parents are responding to the shortages by producing their own, watering down current supplies, and rationing formula.

The FDA has discouraged parents from making formula at home due to “very serious health concerns” for babies.

“The potential problems associated with errors in selecting and combining the ingredients for the formula are very serious and range from severe nutritional imbalances to unsafe products that can harm infants,” the agency noted.

Health experts warn that too much water for infants under six months could trigger seizures and brain swelling and dilute the calories.

As of 2018, four companies control close to 90% of the market: Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestlé, and Perrigo.

Beginning of crisis

Earlier this year, Abbott Laboratories, a leading baby formula maker, recalled products sold under the Alimentum, EleCare, and Similac brands that were produced at a Michigan facility. Four children had become sick with bacterial infections, resulting in two deaths. This prompted public health authorities to encourage shoppers to avoid buying formulas tied to the plant, although Abbott doesn’t believe there is a link between these illnesses and its formulas.

In addition to Abbott’s recall, the baby formula shortage has been exacerbated by global supply chain snafus, the shifts in pandemic-related consumer patterns, and soaring price inflation worldwide.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 public health crisis, many parents hoarded containers of baby formula much in the same way consumers accumulated large amounts of toilet paper and paper towels.

In 2021, manufacturers noticed that demand had been sliding. They responded by curbing production. Today, infant formula demand is surging once again as shortage fears grow and breastfeeding rates fall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one-quarter of babies born in 2018 were breastfed exclusively in their first six months.

In recent years, the prevalence of breastmilk substitutes has been a source of controversy among public health experts.

“The promotion of commercial milk formulas should have been terminated decades ago,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety Department, in a statement last month. “The fact that formula milk companies are now employing even more powerful and insidious marketing techniques to drive up their sales is inexcusable and must be stopped.”

The global formula milk industry is now worth US$55 billion.

Meanwhile, Abbott announced that it will work closely with the FDA to restart operations within two weeks. The company projects that it could take six to eight weeks to get its products back on store shelves.

Life and Death

The US government has been scrambling to resolve the issue. President Joe Biden met with infant formula manufacturers and retailers on May 12, 2022 to gather updates on intensifying shortages across the country.

Following the meeting, the president announced additional steps to address the issue to get more infant formula on store shelves faster, including reducing red tape and boosting supply through increased imports. In addition, he urged the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to tighten down on any infant formula price gouging.

Earlier, more than 100 House Republicans urged the administration and the FDA in a letter to release data on the nationwide shortages and provide specific details on how they plan to address the issue.

“This issue is a matter of life and death, and it is time this administration treats it with the appropriate urgency it deserves,” the 106 Republican lawmakers wrote.

Rep. Elise Stefanik says this is an example of Biden’s “failed leadership,” adding that the FDA didn’t have a plan to figure out how to address the supply chain crisis aspect of baby formula manufacturing.

“But it even goes back earlier than that, as a result of just the labor shortage in this country, the lack of accessing basic materials that are part of the manufacturing process,” she told the host of NTD’s “Capitol Report,” Steve Lance. “But what’s really struck me is the sheer incompetence of Joe Biden and House Democrats and frankly, failure to address any aspect of this.”

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said, “We are doing everything in our power to ensure there is adequate product available where and when they need it.”

 

US$40 billion Ukraine aid package faces delay

According to reports, Sen. Rand Paul hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly US$40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. 

Paul objected to a deal offered by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that would have set up votes on Thursday afternoon on the funding and on an amendment from Paul, who wanted to include language in the bill to expand an Afghanistan Inspector General role to include oversight of the Ukraine funds. 

Paul blocked the votes because he wants his language inserted into the text of the bill instead of having to take his chance with an amendment vote, which could be blocked. The stalemate will delay the Senate’s passage of the Ukraine package until at least next week, and potentially beyond. 

“I think they’re going to have to go through the long way,” Paul told The Hill about what comes next after the floor standoff. 

The roadblock comes after senators and staff haggled privately for hours on Thursday to try to find a path toward passing the Ukraine aid before they wrapped up their work for the week. Senators were also eager to avoid making changes to the bill, which would require it to go back to the House for a second vote. 

Though, senators say they were told during closed-door lunches to hang around, by mid-afternoon members of leadership and senators were spotted leaving the Capitol. 

Schumer and McConnell then appeared on the Senate floor to try to set up votes on the Ukraine aid. Under the Senate’s rules any one senator can try to quickly set up a vote or pass a bill, but it only takes one senator to object. 

Under the deal offered by Schumer and McConnell, the Senate would have first voted on stand-alone legislation from Sen. John Kennedy to establish a Special Inspector General for the Ukraine aid. 

After that the Senate would have taken up the US$40 billion in Ukraine assistance, with a vote on Paul’s amendment. To get included in the Ukraine assistance, Paul’s proposal would have needed 60 votes. 

“There is now only one thing holding us back, the junior senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add, at the last minute, his own changes directly into the bill … He is not even asking for an amendment. He is simply saying my way or the highway,” Schumer said. 

“I’m offering to hold a vote on his amendment, even though I disagree with it. Let the chamber speak its will. Let both sides of the aisle have input and for heaven’s sake, let Ukraine funding get done ASAP,” Schumer added. 

McConnell had signaled that he wanted to get the Ukraine package passed on Thursday. He added that while he understood that Paul wanted to change the bill that the “simple way to solve this” was to have a vote on Paul’s amendment and then a vote on the Ukraine aid, as Schumer offered. 

“Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion, and they need help right now,” McConnell said. 

Paul, however, warned about the pace of spending, arguing that “we cannot save Ukraine by dooming the US economy.” 

“Americans are feeling the pain from inflation and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can,” Paul said. 

 

Fifty years of Nepal-Bangladesh relations

Nepal and Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations on April 8, 2022. Nepal was the seventh country to recognize Bangladesh as an independent country in 1972. 

During Bangladesh’s Liberation War, Nepalese political leaders provided ideological and material support for a free Bangladesh.

With Nepal recognizing Bangladesh’s independence, the then Pakistani leadership broke off its relationship with the former. The Bangladesh government has always regarded Nepalese politicians highly for their contribution to the independence of Bangladesh.

Since establishing diplomatic ties, the two countries have enjoyed excellent relations and supported each other on various international and regional political and economic forums. Nepal and Bangladesh began their official trade with the opening of the Kakarvitta-Phulbari-Banglabandha transit route in 1997.

Bangladesh welcomed Nepal to use the Mongla Port facilities for its third country trade as well as rail corridor transit via Rohanpur for easy and cost-effective bilateral trade. In 1978, the two countries established a Joint-Economic Commission (JEC) at the Finance Ministry level to enhance bilateral trade and investments. Foreign office consultations mechanism was also established in July 2012 in Dhaka at the Foreign Secretary level to discuss and review bilateral ties.

Power is the key to strengthening ties in the days to come, due to the huge energy requirements of Bangladesh for its rapidly growing industries. Bangladesh could invest in Nepal’s hydropower and import surplus energy from Nepal, as the latter has the potential to generate 43,000 MW, whereas Bangladesh’s requirements in 2035 will be 35,000 MW.

Dhaka has already formulated a strategic energy policy to import 10,000 MW from Nepal. Last year, the Bangladesh Power Development Board requested the Indian Ministry of Energy to permit Bangladesh to import 450 MW of hydro power from Nepal. India has given a positive response towards the proposal and soon the cross-border power trade may begin.

The first Nepal-Bangladesh Business Forum was jointly hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy led by the then Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams and the Asian Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA) in Kathmandu some years back. AIDIA facilitated field visits of various hydropower sites for business leaders. AIDIA played a key role in bringing FNCCI-FBCCI onto one table for signing an MoU on January 24, 2016.

The government of Nepal aims at signing the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) with Bangladesh to secure the US$ one billion FDI from the Bangladesh government, and another US$2 billion from the private sector which will help generate and export power to Bangladesh from Nepal. It will enable Nepal to be a net energy exporting country in South Asia and help reduce its trade deficit with Bangladesh and improve its foreign currency reserves.

To take the bilateral relationship forward and create a strong bond, the two countries are reviewing the last five decades of their experience to formulate active policies in the field of hydropower, trade, infrastructure development, and more. Nepal aims at learning from the rapid rise of Bangladesh and harnessing the potentials in bilateral engagements.

For instance, Bangladeshi conglomerate Summit Power invested in West Bengal for power generation and another company Summit Alliance Port Limited is operating the inland waterways terminals in Kolkata and Kalughat. Likewise, Pran RFL has been establishing food processing plants in some states of Nepal, but has not been able in exploiting the opportunities Bangladesh offers due to our weak economic strategies. Therefore, the government is encouraging and supporting the private sector of Nepal to engage with Bangladeshi companies.

 

Black Sea agri-bulk exports fall 35% in April 2022 due to Ukraine war

Assessing the impact of the conflict on exports S&P Global Market Intelligence said total seaborne agri-bulk shipments from the Black Sea region in April fell 35% year-on-year to 4million tons.

Shipments of corn and barley from the Black Sea area were hard hit, down 76% to 891,000 tons, and down 82% to 65,000 tons respectively. However, wheat shipments were reported to be up 44% at 3million tons.

S&P noted that Black Sea agri-bulk shipments declined to almost all import regions and territories in April including North Africa, Middle East, Northwestern Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Southeast Asia and West Africa. The only region to see a rise in shipments was the Mediterranean, with an increase in agri-bulk exports from the Black Sea region of 15% to 1.2m tons

A report issued this week by insurers Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) highlighted that the biggest impact of the war on shipping so far had been on vessels trading to the Black Sea and Russia, with Ukraine’s major ports, including Odessa closed by a Russian blockade. The insurer noted that Ukraine moves 70% of its exports by sea and some 99% of its grain exports are moved by ship.

With the war in Ukraine increasingly looking to be a drawn out conflict there could be further negative impact on agri-bulk exports.

Pranay Shukla, Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence said, “There could also be further significant downside risks to the Black Sea agri-bulk forecast for this year depending on how long the war extends and if Ukraine can manage its exports from Romania and Poland, while upside risks could arise from Russian wheat exports on expected strong domestic wheat harvest.”

S&P currently forecasts that agri-bulk shipments from the Black Sea region will decline 37% year-on-year to 11.2, tons in the second quarter of 2022, and by 20%YoY to 83.9 million tons for the full year in 2022.

“The insurance industry is likely to see a number of claims under specialist war policies from vessels damaged or lost to sea mines, rocket attacks and bombings in conflict zones,” explained Justus Heinrich, Global Product Leader, Marine Hull, at AGCS. Insurers may also receive claims under marine war policies from vessels and cargo blocked or trapped in Ukrainian ports and coastal waters.

 

United States condemns killing of journalist during Israeli military raid

The United States government on Wednesday condemned the killing of a journalist during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to determine who is accountable. 

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the death of Shireen Abu Akleh represented “an affront to media freedom everywhere.”

White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed Price’s comments, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration strongly condemns the killing of the journalist. Jean-Pierre did not say whether President Joe Biden planned to call Abu Akleh’s family.   

Abu Akleh was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in Jenin, a city administered by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Israel has launched an investigation into Abu Akleh’s death and called for participation of the Palestinian Authority, which has refused. The Palestinian health ministry blamed the Israeli military for the journalist’s death.

Israeli Army Chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said that the army could not yet determine whether Abu Akleh was hit by Israeli or Palestinian gunfire. The Associated Press reported, walking back an earlier statement from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the journalist’s death likely came from gunfire from armed Palestinians. 

The Israeli Defense Forces said it was conducting counter terrorism operations in the West Bank city when tens of Palestinian gunmen fired at and hurled explosive devices toward the soldiers and soldiers responded with gunfire. There were no injuries among Israeli forces, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Abu Akleh, 51, was a veteran Middle East journalist who reported for Al Jazeera’s Arabic language channel. She was reportedly shot in the head.

Al Jazeera reported that another one of their journalists, Ali al-Samoudi, was wounded by a bullet in the back at the scene and is in stable condition.

Al-Samoudi told Al Jazeera that there were no Palestinian fighters present when the journalists were shot. 

“We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming,” al-Samoudi told the Qatari-based news outlet. 

“The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.”

Abu Akleh’s death comes amid an escalation in Israeli counterterrorism operations in response to a series of attacks made by Palestinians, with at least 18 Israelis and 30 Palestinians killed in recent weeks.

 

Humiliating Russia will not bring peace, says French President

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against humiliating Russia for its military offensive in Ukraine, if and when any peace deal is agreed upon.

Speaking to reporters in the French city of Strasbourg, Macron said, once the war ends, Moscow and Kyiv will eventually have to sit down and negotiate peace terms. Therefore, any further tensions will only serve to the detriment of the situation.

"We will have a peace to build tomorrow, let us never forget that," Macron said, "I mentioned this earlier. We will have to do this with Ukraine and Russia around the table. The end of the discussion and the negotiation will be set by Ukraine and Russia."

However, Macron says this will not be done in denial, or in exclusion of each other, nor even in humiliation.

In what may come as a blow to the government in Kyiv, Macron also said it would take decades for Ukraine to join the European Union. 

"I am saying this in all honesty; honesty that we owe to the Ukrainians," Macron said, "we can have an accelerated process... to accept candidate status for Ukraine but we know that given our standards and the criteria, it would probably take decades for Ukraine to really join the European Union."

Ukraine had been seeking a quick route to EU membership and Macron’s remarks will come as another setback for Kyiv, which has also been refused membership in NATO. 

The French leader laid out his vision of a broader club of European nations that would allow for deeper cooperation between non-EU countries.

Under this new wider political community, nations like Ukraine and even the United Kingdom could be included, Macron explained. 

The French President whose country currently holds the EU’s presidency said a new organization would try and achieve objectives beyond the scope of the EU.

"The European Union, given the level of its integration and ambition, cannot be in the short term the only means of structuring the European continent," he pointed out.

The initiative was immediately supported by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was standing alongside the French President. 

Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian chief negotiator said that peace talks with Ukraine had not stopped and were being held remotely. 

Moscow has accused Kyiv of stalling the talks and using reports of atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine to undermine the negotiations. Russia denies targeting civilians in what it calls its special military operation.

Asked when-in-person talks might be held with Ukrainian negotiators, Medinsky said, "We need more specifics on hand in order to meet in person."

Since March 29, Ukraine and Russia have not held face-to-face peace talks, but have been meeting via video conferences. 

Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that there was a risk the peace process could collapse.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls Moscow's actions a special military operation in the face of NATO's eastward expansion on Russian borders. Putin has also previously claimed the special military operation is designed to disarm Ukraine, defend Russian speakers from persecution and prevent the United States and its allies from using the country to threaten Russian security. 

Ukraine dismissed Moscow’s claims of persecution and denied any threat to Russia from Ukraine or Western countries.

Meanwhile, during his address at the Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square to mark Russia’s victory over Germany in the Second World War, Putin said Russia’s military operation in Ukraine was a preemptive move against future aggression. 

Putin praised the achievement of the Soviet people during World War II and further addressed the Kremlin's reasons for the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. 

Putin insisted Russia had to act because of a security threat in the eastern Donbass region and added “we saw the military infrastructure unfolding in Ukraine; hundreds of foreign advisers starting their work; there were regular deliveries of the most modern weapons from NATO countries. The danger grew every day,” the president explained.

“Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression – this was a forced, timely, and the only right decision by a sovereign, strong and independent country,” he added, referring to the launch of the military operation.

“Despite all the disagreements in international relations, Russia has always advocated the creation of a system of equal and indivisible security,” Putin continued. 

The Russian leader highlighted Moscow’s attempts to engage in dialogue on security guarantees with Washington late last year, which the latter failed to address. 

Experts say providing those guarantees could have, in essence, prevented a war, had the White House responded to reassure Russia and address its security concerns. 

“NATO countries didn’t want to hear us, which means that, in fact, they harbored completely different plans, and we saw it,” Putin added. 

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has resurrected a World War II act to accelerate weapons shipments to Ukraine for its battle against Russian forces.

Weapons sent under this act are separate from the nearly US$4 billion in military aid that the US has already sent to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s military operation in February, and from the US$33 billion worth of military aid that the president recently asked Congress to approve.

He also signaled that he is ready to make a political concession in Congress to win quick approval of a request for another US$33 billion in funds to send more weapons to Ukraine.

Biden said he is ready to drop funding for the Covid-19 pandemic for Americans and just get the money for weapons to Ukraine through.

Some Democrats have expressed disappointment the COVID-19 aid would be considered separately.

Senior Senate Democrat Dick Durbin told reporters, "It would have been so much better for us to protect the United States as well as worked to protect Ukraine,"

Asked if separating Ukraine aid hurts prospects for COVID-19 aid, Durbin said, "It doesn't help. Putting those two together would have been positive."

The act, which passed Congress last month with 417-10 votes in the House and flew with flying colors in the Senate, suspends limitations on the number of weapons and other military supplies Biden can send to Ukraine or other Eastern European countries.

However, it does stipulate that Kyiv must subsequently pay for whatever it receives. Kyiv’s ability to later repay the US has been under the spotlight, considering Zelensky had recently asked the US and the EU for US$7 billion per month to keep the country’s economy afloat. 

Critics have accused the US and its NATO allies of prolonging the war and suffering of Ukrainians by sending weapons, instead of backing the peace process to end the war. 

Even the unprecedented sanctions imposed against Russia have been questioned as the measures have failed to end the conflict. 

Experts argue Washington triggered the war and is trying to ensure the fighting stays at an impasse in a bit to confront Russia’s rising economy and military strength as well as its growing ties with other EU nations.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden was not happy with leaks to American news outlets in which US intelligence took credit for helping Ukraine target a Russian ship and Russian generals in Ukraine.

"The president was displeased with the leaks… and he did not feel they were constructive," she said.

The American news reports do not indicate how many Russian generals had been killed in Ukraine using the US intelligence to locate their whereabouts.

India trying to lure Bangladesh

According to an article by Abhinav Singh, India’s eastern neighbour, Bangladesh in clear words and through its firm actions has sent a message to both China and Pakistan that despite their best efforts to turn Dhaka against New Delhi, the Sheikh Hasina administration is standing ever so stronger with the Narendra Modi government.

With access to Chittagong port, Bangladesh and India put the final nail in the coffin of China’s ‘String of Pearls’

Reportedly, in what comes as a major development, India has now gained access to the crucial Chittagong Port after it was offered by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the north-eastern Indian states of Assam and Tripura for trade and uninterrupted commerce.

The announcement came after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the Bangladeshi PM for a brief meeting in Dhaka lately. During the meeting, Hasina told Jaishankar that enhanced connectivity through the Chittagong Port was needed for mutual benefit which would particularly benefit India’s north-eastern region.

She said, “If the connectivity is increased, the Indian north-eastern states -like Assam and Tripura- can have access to the seaport in Chattogram.”

New Delhi invites Hasina

Returning the favour and thanking Hasina for the reception, Jaishankar on PM Modi’s behalf, extended the invitation to Hasina to visit India. He said, “I conveyed (her) that we look forward to her visit to India at a time of her convenience.”

The EAM also took to Twitter to remark, “Thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her warm reception. Conveyed personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Our bilateral relations are moving from strength to strength under the guidance of the two leaders.”

It is pertinent to note that the Chittagong Port is the main seaport of Bangladesh located in the port city of Chittagong on the banks of the Karnaphuli River. The port handles 80% of Bangladesh’s export-import trade and has been used by India, Nepal, and Bhutan for trans-shipment.

China’s string of pearls strategy

As reported extensively by TFI, when it comes to the maritime tussle between India and China, the past one decade has been all about the “String of Pearls”– Beijing’s strategy of jeopardizing India’s interests in her own vicinity by building naval bases in the strategically located points of the Indian Ocean Region.

The Dragon has been concentrating on the Strait of Malacca, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives and the Strait of Hormuz in order to checkmate India in the area of its traditional influence, viz. the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Hambantota and Gwadar Ports

It was under this strategy that China usurped control over Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port and Pakistan’s Gwadar port. Thus, Bangladesh and its strategically important ports also appeared to be the next target for Beijing.

However, New Delhi, in recent times has upped its bilateral engagement with Bangladesh and managed to outpace China. As reported by TFI last year, Gowher Rizvi, international affairs advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had remarked that Dhaka was more interested in joining the “Indo-Pacific relationship”, rather than being a part of Beijing’s neo-colonial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Gowher had said, “India is our most important partner and you cannot conceive of anything different. It would be suicidal to think differently.”

Gowher also pointed out that China had a role to play in Bangladesh’s growth story but it didn’t come at the expense of New Delhi. “China has a role in Bangladesh. They are an important part of our many development projects. But this is not in any way at the expense of our relationship with India.”

New Delhi extending credit line to Dhaka

Moreover, in December last year, India extended a US$500 million line of credit to Bangladesh, under which Dhaka will soon import Indian defence equipment. China sells substandard defence equipment in the name of cutting-edge defence technology to Bangladesh. By extending the credit line, India is aiming to nullify China’s control and bring the Eastern neighbour closer to its corner.

With India gaining access to the Chittagong Port, China’s evil ambition of surrounding India has been dealt a cruel blow. In fact, New Delhi is on a red-hot form currently regarding its foreign policy. It has already sorted Nepal and Sri Lanka despite China’s desperate attempts to breed chaos. Similarly, the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh are at their highest in recent history.

 

Israel plans 4,000 new settler units

Defying international law, Israel plans to build around four thousand new settlement units in two areas across the occupied Palestinian West Bank. 

The regime’s announcement of approving the planning and building of 3,988 settler units has alarmed human rights organizations and the international community. 

An official with the Tel Aviv regime claims there is a "growing need" for settlements as the Israeli settlers increase in occupied Palestine in the latest bid to deprive the Palestinian natives from their land.

More than half a million Israeli settlers live in the occupied Palestinian territories, “with many more even wanting to move there”, the Israeli official added.

The regime’s Planning Council for the occupied West Bank is set to give its final approval for building 2,536 new settler units and approve plans for an additional 1,452 settlement units.

The 2,536 settlement units are said to include 761 units for the Beitar Illit settlement, 534 units for Shvuet Rachel, 364 for Dolev, 168 for Neria, 156 for Kiryat Arba, 136 for Givat Ze'ev, 114 for Ma'aleh Michmash, 106 for Tal Menashe, 92 for Zofim, 64 for Revava and 40 for Efrat.

Meanwhile, the 1,452 settlement units include 500 units for the Elkana settlement, 286 units for Kedumim, 192 for Sha'are Tikvah, 170 for Immanuel, and 110 for Mevo Horon, 90 for Dolev, 56 for Negahot, 32 for Nokdim and 16 for Ma'aleh Adumim.

Regime officials say initial intentions were to advance plans for close to 6,000 settler units but were told to cut around 1,800 to 2,000.

Qatar has been among the latest country to condemn the motion calling on the international community to act urgently to prevent the occupation authorities from approving the plans and forcing them to stop their settlement policies in the Palestinian territories.

Israel has reportedly told its top ally the United States that this measure would likely shore up Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's fragile coalition ahead of the return of the Knesset from the summer session.

Israeli settlements and their expansion in the occupied territories are illegal under international law, yet the regime continues to violate the UN charter.

This comes on the backdrop of an Israeli decision last week to uphold an expulsion order that would force at least 1,000 Palestinians out of their ancestral homes in the occupied southern West Bank where they have been residing for decades.

According to a publication by Doctors without Borders In the occupied West Bank “systematic repression and discrimination by Israeli authorities against Palestinians continue, with home demolitions, forced relocations, and violence on the rise.”

“For many people, such experiences have long-term consequences, particularly when they come on top of pre-existing trauma from previous episodes of violence.” the international medical NGO added. 

Joe Biden running out of money for Ukraine

The Biden administration has reached the end of its presidential drawdown authority funding, with about US$100 million left, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said Monday.   

Between President Biden’s Friday announcement of a US$150 million assistance package to Ukraine and the remaining US$100 million, the United States will be able to provide weapons and equipment to Ukraine until “about the third week of this month,” Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters. 

“We’re going to be working that in real time with the Ukrainians, that will get us to about the third week of this month, is what we’re pretty much anticipating,” Kirby said. 

Biden last week warned that the latest round of military assistance for Ukraine — a US$150 million package to include artillery munitions, radars and other equipment — would nearly exhaust the military assistance that Congress has so far approved for the administration to deliver to Ukraine.  

At the time, he pressed Congress to quickly approve the US$33 billion the White House has asked for in additional security, economic and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv — about US$5 billion of which would go to additional presidential drawdown authority funding.  

Kirby on Monday echoed that thinking and said the administration continues “to urge Congress to pass the president’s supplemental request as soon as possible so that we can continue to provide aid to Ukraine uninterrupted.” 

Kirby said the drawdown authority allows the United States to get weapons and equipment “off our shelves — we already own it, it’s already ours — and get it right to Ukraine.” 

“We think with what we got left that’ll get us through most of this month and in terms of future packages and future material, but that’s why we’re urging Congress to act quickly,” he added. 

Congress is drafting legislation to meet the administration’s request — which has bipartisan support — but the process of approving such a bill may be complicated due to a desire by some to link it to a separate administration ask for more COVID-19 pandemic assistance.   

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Iran

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an unannounced visit to Iran on Sunday and met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi. 

This is the second time that Assad visits Tehran since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011.

According to the Leader's office, Ayatollah Khamenei told Assad, who was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation, that Syria has won an international war. "Syria's credibility is much greater today than in the past," the Leader noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the resistance of the Syrian people and establishment and their victory in an international war promoted Syria's charisma and pride.

More than 100 countries, calling themselves friends of Syria, backed the opponents which were poised to overthrow the Syrian government. Some of these countries backed terrorist groups, which were active in Syria under different names.

Highlighting Syria's great military and political achievements, the Leader said today’s Syria is not comparable to the Syria before the war.

Today the president of Syria and the Syrian people are proud of the nations of the region, Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Leader added, “Some leaders of our and your neighboring countries meet and greet with the leaders of the Zionist regime and drink coffee together, but the people of these countries take to the streets on Quds Day and chant anti-Zionist slogans, and this is the reality of the region today.”

Pointing to several factors influencing the resistance and victory of Syria in the international war, the Leader told Assad, “One of the most important factors is your high morale and with this spirit, God willing, you can rebuild the ruins of the war because you have a great job ahead of you.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also commemorated the memory of the legendary commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, saying, “The great martyr had a special liking towards Syria and literally sacrificed his life for the country. His behavior in Syria was no different from his behavior in the eight-year Sacred Defense of Iran.”

General Soleimani was very influential in defeating terrorists in Syria through his unique commandership.

Ayatollah Khamenei said General Soleimani and other prominent members of the IRGC, including martyr Hossein Hamedani, really worked hard and viewed the issue of Syria as a “sacred duty and obligation”.

“This bond between Iran and Syria is vital for both countries and we should not let it weaken. On the contrary, we should strengthen it as much as possible,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.

The Leader also referring to expression of friendship and love of certain countries that were on the front line against Syria in previous years, suggesting Iran and Syria must clarify the path to future “with the benefit of hindsight.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also praised the morale and vivacity of the Syrian president as the basis for doing great things.

During the meeting, which was also attended by President Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, Assad thanked the position of Iran toward the Syria war and thanked the Iranian people and government for supporting his country in times of need.

The Syrian president pointed out that the ruins of the war in his country can be rebuilt, but if the foundations and principles had been destroyed, they could not be restored.

“The adherences of the Iranian nation to the principles of Imam Khomeini, which continued with your efforts, paved the way for the great victories of the Iranian nation and the people of the region, especially the Palestinian people,” Assad told Ayatollah Khamenei.

The Syrian president added that some people think that Iran's support for the Resistance Front is of military nature but the most important support and assistance of the Islamic Republic is to breathe the spirit of resistance and continuing it.

In conclusion, the Syrian president stressed that what has made the Zionist regime unable to rule the region is the strategic relations between Iran and Syria, which must continue with strength. Raisi said parts of Syria still under foreign occupation must be liberated

Speaking in a separate meeting with the Syrian President before noon on Sunday, President Raisi said, “What we are witnessing today in Western Asia, which is the result of the resistance of nations against domineering powers and aggressors, is what the Leader of the Islamic Revolution had predicted.”

Commemorating the martyrs of the resistance from Syria and Iran, including General Soleimani, and appreciating the bravery of the Islamic world’s fighters against terrorism, the president called Assad one of the figures of the Resistance Front “like his father.”

Referring to the political and security developments in the region in the last decade, Raisi emphasized, “The warriors of the resistance have proven that they are a reliable force for establishing stability and security in the region, including in Syria.”

Emphasizing the need for all countries to respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the president stated that Iran stood by the Syrian people and government when some Arab and non-Arab leaders in the region were betting on the time of the fall of the Syrian government.

Raisi went on to say that the bravery demonstrated by the Syrian Army, national defense forces and Resistance fighters in the region, especially Hezbollah, played a key role in uprooting Daesh and other terrorist groups that threatened the security of the entire region.

Raisi also expressed regret that important parts of the Syrian territory are still occupied by foreign forces, suggesting, “The whole of the Syrian land must be liberated from foreign occupiers. This occupation should not be subject to the passage of time, and the occupying forces and their mercenaries should be expelled.”

Referring to repeated aggressions of Israeli forces, the president stressed that the threats of the Israeli regime in the region should be addressed by “strengthening and diversifying the deterrence equations.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raisi referred to the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the two countries, emphasizing, “The serious will and desire of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to improve the level of cooperation and relations with Damascus, especially in economic and trade fields.”

For his part, Syrian president stressed the role of Iran in the fight against terrorism in the region, noting that his country is ready for broader coordination with Iran in security, political and economic fields.

The Syrian president added, “In the years of resistance and confrontation with Western and Takfiri aggressions, Iran was the only country that stood by us from the beginning.”

He described the relations between Syria and Iran as “strategic” and stated that developments in the region after a decade of war against the axis of resistance, have shown that resistance is effective and vibrant.

“We have shown that by working closely with the countries of the region, we can defeat the United States and the hegemons who claim to be superpowers, and today we are witnessing the collapse of the role of the United States in the Western Asia region,” Assad stated, adding that the world is witnessing the declining role of the United States in the region.

Elsewhere in the conversation, the Syrian president said, “Experience has shown that the coordination and interaction of countries in the region on various issues, including the Palestinian issue, has been very effective, and the success of the Palestinian resistance has shown that compromise by some Arab states has backfired.”

Thanking Iran’s support for the Syrian people in the war on terrorism, Assad said, “The Syrian people and government are grateful to the Iranian people and consider themselves committed and indebted to Iran.”