In a major development, the Saudi Ministry of Defence has said that women in Saudi Arabia can now take up arms and join the military. Saudi women can join the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Air Defence, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services, Gulf News reported.
The move comes under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative, introducing reforms allowing Saudi women to advance in various fields. Now, women will be able to do jobs that were previously limited to men only.
Saudi students walk at the exhibition to guide job seekers at Glowork Women’s Career Fair in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 2 October 2018. [REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser]
The plan to allow women into the military was first announced in 2019, the same year when the Saudi kingdom said it would allow women to leave the country without permission from a male relative.
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The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced that men and women in the kingdom can now apply for positions in the military through their unified admission portal. According to the ministry, Saudi women would be recruited as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.
To join the armed forces, a woman must be between the age of 21 and 40, be 155 centimetres tall or above, and cannot be a government employee.
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A Saudi woman must also hold an independent national identity card, have at least a high school education, and cannot be married to a non-Saudi, reported Gulf news.
For male citizens wanting to join the armed forces, they must be between the ages of 17 and 40 and be a minimum of 160 centimetres tall.
Prime Minister Imran Khan led-government on Sunday increased the price of petrol by up to ₹1.23 per litre.
“The federal government increased the price of petrol by up to ₹1.23 per litre for the next 15 days of February 2021,” ARY News reported citing Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance.
Prime Minister Imran Khan approved ₹1.23 per litre increase on petrol and ₹1.31 per litre on diesel.
Meanwhile, the price of kerosene oil is increased up to ₹1.61 per litre while the rate of light diesel was jacked up to ₹1.36 per litre.
Photo Credit: Reuters
According to ARY News, the new petroleum prices from February 1 will be – petrol: ₹50.89, diesel: ₹52.79, kerosene oil: ₹36.47, and light diesel: ₹36.03.
The United States intends to revoke the terrorist designation for Yemen’s Houthi movement in response to the country’s humanitarian crisis, reversing one of the most criticised last-minute decisions of the Trump administration.
The United Nations describes Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis [File: Essa Ahmed/AFP]
The reversal, confirmed by a State Department official on Friday, comes a day after President Joe Biden declared a halt to US support for the Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen, widely seen as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” the official said.
In a statement, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed the decision.
Just days before his term in office ended on January 20, then-US President Donald Trump designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organisation” – effectively barring US citizens and entities from interacting financially with the group.
The United Nations describes Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with 80 percent of its 24 million people in need, and it warned the Trump administration that the designation would push millions in Yemen into a large-scale famine.
The State Department official has also stressed that the latest action has “nothing to do” with the US view of the Houthis and their “reprehensible conduct”, and repeated Washington’s commitment to helping Saudi Arabia to defend its territory against further such attacks.
The Trump administration exempted aid groups, the United Nations, the Red Cross and the export of agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices from its designation, but UN officials and aid groups said the carve-outs were not enough and called for the decision to be revoked.
Yemen’s civil war pits the internationally recognised government against the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement.
The United Nations estimates that 80 percent of Yemen’s 24 million people are in need due to the Saudi-led operation in the country [File: Ali Owidha/Reuters]
The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including large numbers of civilians, and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 on the side of the government and enjoyed the backing of the Trump administration, with the war increasingly seen as a proxy conflict between the US and Iran.
But the mounting civilian death toll and growing humanitarian calamity fuelled bipartisan demands for an end to US support for Riyadh.
Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2021 published in January that the parties to Yemen’s armed conflict continued to violate the laws of war in 2020, including committing new war crimes.
HRW reported that the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as Houthi forces, launched mortars, rockets, and missiles into heavily populated areas.
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday it had freed two soldiers in an intelligence operation inside Pakistan’s territory.
“A successful operation was carried out last Tuesday night to rescue two kidnapped border guards who were taken as hostages by Jaish ul-Adl organization two and a half years ago,” the IRGC said in a statement.
According to the statement, the soldiers were successfully transferred back to Iran.
On Oct. 16, 2018, Jaish ul-Adl organization kidnapped 12 IRGC guards to Pakistani territory in the city of Merkava in Sistan and Baluchestan Province on the border between the two countries.
Military officials formed a joint committee between Tehran and Islamabad to free the kidnapped guards.
Five of the soldiers were released on Nov. 15, 2018, and four Iranian soldiers were rescued by the Pakistani army on March 21, 2019.
Jaish ul-Adl organization, which Tehran declared a terrorist organization, is waging an armed struggle against the Iranian government, saying it defends the rights of Balochi people in Iran.
Riyadh: Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that no COVID-19 cases have been recorded since the start of the pandemic among pilgrims and worshipers at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
File Photo | Arab News
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, said this can be attributed to the precautionary measures that have been put in place and enhanced as the health crisis progressed.
He was speaking during a seminar about the successful efforts of the Kingdom to manage the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah throughout the pandemic. The session was part of the 20th Scientific Forum for Hajj, Umrah, and Visit Research. Al-Sudais highlighted the services that have been provided to reduce the health risks at the mosques, Islam’s holiest sites, as well as the directive, scientific, informational, technical, social and voluntary efforts, which were enhanced by the presidency.
This “resulted in making the two holy mosques among the most healthy and compliant places for infection control in the world,” he said, adding that it is imperative that everyone continues to adhere to all precautionary measures, and ignore unsubstantiated rumors. During the same session, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh Benten said that thanks to the concerted efforts of government and private agencies, Saudi Arabia has been able to cope well with the pandemic, and has “mobilized all its energies and capabilities to serve Islam, Muslims and all those who want to come to the Kingdom.”
Since the start of the pandemic, he said, the ministry has facilitated Umrah for more than 100,000 pilgrims in Madinah and more than 600,000 in Makkah, despite the health crisis and the temporary closure of both mosques. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also developed executive plans to allow the annual Hajj pilgrimage to take place last year on a limited scale.
“We were able to expect not to see the random crowding that used to happen in previous years in the holy sites,” said Benten. This year, he said there will be specific standards set for services to pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, whether they are performing Umrah or Hajj rituals.
Meanwhile, imams at mosques in various regions of the Kingdom said they will use this Friday’s sermon to highlight the need for all people to adhere to COVID-19 precautionary measures and health protocols, and to provide education and guidance about the threats and dangers the virus poses to health and safety.
Islamabad: Pakistan will send a special plane to China on Sunday to bring back the first batch of the 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine that Beijing has promised to provide to its close ally.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), during a meeting here on the strategy of vaccine administration, said on Saturday that the country is geared up for the vaccination programme.
“The forum was apprised that a special plane will fly to China tomorrow (Sunday) for transportation of the first tranche of vaccine,” according to a statement from the NCOC.
The move comes after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on January 21, following a call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, had announced that China will provide 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan by January 31.
He said that Beijing had asked Islamabad to send an airplane to get the vaccines. Pakistan has approved two foreign anti-COVID vaccines as of now, including the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, for emergency use in the country.
All necessary measures have been put in place for vaccine storage at Islamabad and distribute the vaccine to various federating units particularly to Sindh and Balochistan provinces, the statement said.
The vaccine nerve centre has been established at the NCOC with provincial and district level vaccine administration across the country for vaccination in a systematic manner, it said. Pakistan plans to provide vaccines to frontline health workers and elderly people in the first phase.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 543,214 after 2,179 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of National Health Services.
Another 65 patients died in this period, taking the number of COVID-19 deaths to 11,623 while some 2,111 patients were in a critical condition. Also, 498,152 people have recovered so far, which means that the number of active patients was 33,439. The authorities performed 41,435 tests in the last one day. It showed that the positivity rate was 5.25 percent. (PTI)
Says it is safe for patients of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease
Srinagar: The World Health Organisation has advised pregnant women not to go for COVID-19 vaccine but saying it is safe for people from ailments like hypertension, diabetes and asthma.
The advisory has come as lot of people across the world have shown their reluctance to take COVID-19 vaccine shots fearing they might develop complications.
According to news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the WHO has advised that pregnant women should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“While pregnancy puts women at a higher risk of severe COVID-19, the use of this vaccine in pregnant women is currently not recommended, unless they are at risk of high exposure (e.g. health workers),” the WHO says.
“The vaccine can be offered to a breastfeeding woman who is part of a group recommended for vaccination (e.g. health workers); discontinuing breastfeeding after vaccination is currently not recommended,” it says.
However it says that COVID-19 vaccine is effective in people with known medical conditions associated with increased risk of severe diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.
Many doctors and nurses are reluctant to take the vaccine, which has become a major concern not only in Kashmir but across the world.
“We have received very poor response at SKIMS Soura where many employees have shown reluctance to take the vaccine. It has put the authorities in a tight spot to remove fears among doctors and other paramedics staff,” a senior official told news agency KINS.
A doctor in one of the hospitals said he was ready to get the vaccine before the vaccination drive but was scared because of all the negative news of the vaccine coming in from different states. “This vaccine may have side effects on some people. After waiting for a little, I will get the vaccine when the overall vaccine results are good,” the doctor said.
A nurse at SMHS Hospital Srinagar said she had heard that those who have an infection should not get the vaccine done. “I want to get the vaccine, but I have a fear in my mind. The question I have is what will happen in the future after getting the vaccine, will there be a problem.” (KINS)
The Palestinian leadership on Wednesday welcomed the new US administration’s intention to reopen the offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington, closed under former president Donald Trump.
“We welcome the contents of the speech of the US administration’s representative to the (UN) Security Council yesterday,” Jibril Rajoub, a senior official in the ruling Fatah party, told AFP.
“The opening of the east Jerusalem consulate, the reopening of the PLO office in Washington, and the new US administration’s commitment to the two-state solution are welcome positive indicators,” he said.
On Tuesday, Washington’s interim UN envoy Richard Mills said that newly sworn-in US President Joe Biden intended to “restore credible US engagement with Palestinians as well as Israelis.”
Biden intended to “restore US assistance programmes that support economic development and humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and to take steps to re-open diplomatic missions that were closed by the last US administration,” he added.
Under Trump, the US had stopped supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and closed the Palestinians’ liaison office in Washington.
At the same time, the White House stepped up its support of Israel, recognising Jerusalem as its capital and declaring settlements should not be considered breach of international law.
“We expect that the new administration will raise a red card to the Israeli unilateral expansionist steps on the ground, dictating realities to undermine any possibility for the emergence of a Palestinian independent sovereign state,” Rajoub said.
Also on Wednesday, the Arab League’s assistant secretary-general, Hossam Zaki, announced that member states’ foreign ministers would meet in Cairo on February 8 to discuss Palestinian matters.
With more than one lakh people have died with COVID-19 in the UK, the toll has risen by an average of over 1,000 per day for the past seven days.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he took “full responsibility” for the government’s actions, saying they truly did everything they could. He said he is deeply sorry for every life lost.
Aii total of 100,162 deaths have been recorded in the UK, the first European nation to pass the landmark. Mr Johnson told at the Downing Street news conference that it was hard to compute the sorrow contained in this grim statistic. The UK is the fifth country to pass 100,000 deaths, coming after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.
Schools are shut and have moved online, disrupting the lives of students and working parents alike. All but essential shops are closed. In England, socializing, even outdoors, is banned, except in pairs for exercise.(KINS)
Jeddah: The Saudi city of Madinah has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as among the world’s healthiest cities.
The holy city gained the accreditation after a visiting WHO team said that it met all the global standards required to be a healthy city.
Madinah is believed to be the first city with a population of more than 2 million to be recognized under the organization’s healthy cities program.
A total of 22 government, community, charity and volunteer agencies helped prepare for the WHO accreditation.
The city’s integrated program included a strategic partnership with Taibah University to record government requirements on an electronic platform for the organization’s review.
The WHO also recommended that the university provide training to other national city agencies interested in taking part in the healthy cities program.
Fast Facts:
• Madinah is believed to be the first city with a population of more than 2 million to be recognized under the organization’s healthy cities program.
• A total of 22 government, community, charity and volunteer agencies helped prepare for the WHO accreditation.
A committee chaired by the university’s president, Dr. Abdul Aziz Assarani, supervised 100 members representing the 22 government, civil, charity and volunteer agencies.
Criteria included meeting goals set by the Madinah Region Strategy Project and the launch of a “Humanizing Cities” program.
According to WHO, “a healthy city is one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and developing to their maximum potential.”
