Category: World

Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed countries like India and China for not doing enough on climate change.

Highlights

• “Walked out of Paris Accord as we were treeted unfairly”: Donald Trump
• He has repeatedly blamed India for not doing enough on climate change
• Trump denounced Joe Biden’s plans to tackle climate change

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump referred to what he called the “filthy air” in India, China and Russia as he defended his decision to pull out of the Paris accord and denounced Democrat rival Joe Biden’s plans to tackle climate change in a presidential debate today.
“Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia.

Look at India. The air is filthy. I walked out of the Paris Accord as we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly,” he said during the second and final debate ahead of the November 3 US polls.

“I will not sacrifice millions of jobs… thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It is very unfair,” he said at the televised debate in which the two candidates avoided shaking hands due to safety risks.

Joe Biden retorted that climate change is “an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it.”

“We’re going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years,” he said.

Trump’s remarks come days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper visit New Delhi for talks on building the growing US-India partnership.

This is the second time that Trump has made a critical reference to India during a debate. At the first presidential debate, Trump questioned India’s coronavirus data. “When you talk about numbers you don’t know how many people died in China, you don’t know how many people died in Russia, you don’t know how many people died in India. They don’t exactly give you a straight count,” he had said.

The US Presidents remarks drew sharp reactions in India, with some urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give a strong rebuttal to Trump’s statements. Opposition leaders like Congress’s Kapil Sibal seized the comments to take a swipe at PM Modi’s well-known bonhomie with President Trump.

Trump : Fruits of Friendship

1) Questions India’s COVID death toll

2) Says India sends dirt up into the air
India “ air is filthy “

3) Called India “ tariff king “

The result of “Howdy Modi “ !

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) October 23, 2020

“Look at India, it’s filthy!” I hope you’re listening @narendramodi. “Ab ki bar Trump sarkar.”

— Aatish Taseer (@AatishTaseer) October 23, 2020

Political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla urged PM Modi to give a strong response to the US President. “Remember how our IRON LADY Martyr Indira Gandhi ji took on the US and showed Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon their place,” he tweeted.

As an individual, I use my OWN resources in my fights for the rights of my fellow citizens, something that I wish, political parties with resources would do, instead of individuals like me.
I don't speak or associate myself with any politcal organisation. I use my OWN reserves! pic.twitter.com/Li98FppPPH

— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) August 14, 2019

Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, while expressing regret over the “unfortunate comments” made by the US leader, reminded him that India stands committed to climate change goals.

What an unfortunate comment to make about India, @realDonaldTrump .
Reminder: India stands committed to climate change goals, US chose to withdraw, much against the wishes of many Americans. Thank you.

— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) October 23, 2020

In 2017, Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a global agreement in which President Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama had played a key role. The Paris climate accord aims to cap global warming “well below” two degrees Celsius.

The US President has repeatedly blamed countries like India and China for not doing enough on climate change.

India is the fourth highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, accounting for 7 per cent of global emissions in 2017, according to the projection by the Global Carbon Project published in December, 2018.

The top four emitters in 2017, which covered 58 per cent of global emissions, were China (27 per cent), the US (15 per cent), the European Union (10 per cent) and India (7 per cent), it said.

With inputs from NDTV

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a press release)

China has now displaced the U.S. to become the largest economy in the world. Measured by the more refined yardstick that both the IMF and CIA now judge to be the single best metric for comparing national economies, the IMF Report shows that China’s economy is one-sixth larger than America’s ($24.2 trillion versus the U.S.’s $20.8 trillion). Why can’t we admit reality? What does this mean?

By: Graham Allison

This week, the IMF presented its 2020 World Economic Outlook providing an overview of the global economy and the challenges ahead. The most inconvenient fact in the Report is one Americans don’t want to hear—and even when they read it, refuse to accept: China has now displaced the U.S. to become the largest economy in the world. Measured by the more refined yardstick that both the IMF and CIA now judge to be the single best metric for comparing national economies, the IMF Report shows that China’s economy is one-sixth larger than America’s ($24.2 trillion versus the U.S.’s $20.8 trillion).

Despite this unambiguous statement from the two most authoritative sources, most of the mainstream press—with the exception of The Economist—continue reporting that the U.S. economy is No. 1. So, what’s going on?

Obviously, measuring the size of a nation’s economy is more complicated than it might appear. In addition to collecting data, it requires selecting a proper yardstick. Traditionally, economists have used a metric called MER (market exchange rates) to calculate GDP. The U.S. economy is taken as the baseline—reflecting the fact that when this method was developed in the years after World War II, the U.S. accounted for almost half of global GDP. For other nations’ economies, this method adds up all goods and services produced by their economy in their own currency and then converts that total into U.S. dollars at the current “market exchange rate.” For 2020, the value of all goods and services produced in China is projected to be 102 trillion yuan. Converted to U.S. dollars at a market rate of 7 yuan to 1 dollar, China will have an MER GDP of $14.6 trillion versus the U.S. GDP of $20.8 trillion.

But this comparison assumes that 7 yuan buy the same amount of goods in China as $1 does in the U.S. And obviously, that’s not the case. To make this point easier to understand, The Economist Magazine created the “Big Mac Index” from which the graph at the top of this piece is derived. As this index shows, for 21 yuan, a Chinese consumer can buy an entire Big Mac in Beijing. If he converted those yuan at the current exchange rate, he would have $3, which will only buy half a Big Mac in the U.S. In other words, when buying most products from burgers and smartphones, to missiles and naval bases, the Chinese get almost twice as much bang for each buck.

Recognizing this reality, over the past decade, the CIA and the IMF have developed a more appropriate yardstick for comparing national economies, which is called PPP (purchasing power parity). As the IMF Report explains, PPP “eliminates differences in price levels between economies” and thus compares national economies in terms of how much each nation can buy with its own currency at the prices items sell for there. While MER answers how much Chinese would get at American prices, PPP answers how much Chinese do get at Chinese prices.

If the Chinese converted their yuan to dollars, bought Big Macs in the U.S., and took them home on the plane to China to consume them, comparing the Chinese and U.S. economies using the MER yardstick would be appropriate. But instead, they buy them at one of the 3300 McDonald’s locations in their home country where they cost half what Americans pay.

Explaining its decision to switch from MER to PPP in its annual assessment of national economies—which is available online in the CIA Factbook—the CIA noted that “GDP at the official exchange rate [MER GDP] substantially understates the actual level of China’s output vis-a-vis the rest of the world.” Thus, in its view, PPP “provides the best available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and wellbeing between economies.” The IMF adds further that “market rates are more volatile and using them can produce quite large swings in aggregate measures of growth even when growth rates in individual countries are stable.”

In sum, while the yardstick most Americans are accustomed to still shows that the Chinese economy is one-third smaller than the U.S., when one recognizes the fact that $1 buys nearly twice as much in China than in the U.S., the Chinese economy today is one-sixth larger than the U.S. economy.

So what? If this were simply a contest for bragging rights, picking a measuring rod that allows Americans to feel better about ourselves has a certain logic. But in the real world, a nation’s GDP is the substructure of its global power. Over the past generation, as China has created the largest economy in the world, it has displaced the U.S. as the largest trading partner of nearly every major nation (just last year adding Germany to that list). It has become the manufacturing workshop of the world, including for face masks and other protective equipment as we are now seeing in the coronavirus crisis. Thanks to double-digit growth in its defense budget, its military forces have steadily shifted the seesaw of power in potential regional conflicts, in particular over Taiwan. And this year, China will surpass the U.S. in R&D spending, leading the U.S. to a “tipping point in R&D” and future competitiveness.

For the U.S. to meet the China challenge, Americans must wake up to the ugly fact: China has already passed us in the race to be the No. 1 economy in the world. Moreover, in 2020, China will be the only major economy that records positive growth: the only economy that will be bigger at the end of the year than it was when the year began. The consequences for American security are not difficult to predict. Diverging economic growth will embolden an ever more assertive geopolitical player on the world stage.

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Graham T. Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the former director of Harvard’s Belfer Center and the author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

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With inputs from Agencies

Hong Kong: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on troops to “put all (their) minds and energy on preparing for war” in a visit to a military base in the southern province of Guangdong on Tuesday, according to state news agency Xinhua.

During an inspection of the People’s Liberation Army Marine Corps in Chaozhou City, Xinhua said Xi told the soldiers to “maintain a state of high alert” and called on them to be “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable.”

The main purpose of Xi’s visit to Guangdong was to deliver a speech Wednesday commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, which was established in 1980 to attract foreign capital and played a vital role in helping China’s economy become the second-largest in the world.

But the military visit comes as tensions between China and the United States remain at their highest point in decades, with disagreements over Taiwan and the coronavirus pandemic creating sharp divisions between Washington and Beijing.

The White House notified US Congress Monday that it was planning to move ahead with the sale of three advanced weapon systems to Taiwan, according to a congressional aide, including the advanced High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

In response, Beijing increased military drills around Taiwan. Almost 40 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line between the mainland and Taiwan on September 18-19 — one of several sorties the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen called a “threat of force.”

In a speech to the RAND Corporation on September 16, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said China “cannot match the United States” in terms of naval power and labeled Beijing a “malign influence.”

“(China and Russia) are using predatory economics, political subversion, and military force in an attempt to shift the balance of power in their favor, and often at the expense of others,” he told the audience.

In early October, Esper announced his “Battle Force 2045” plan, which calls for an expanded and modernized US Navy of 500 manned and unmanned vessels by 2045.

Armenia and Azerbaijan were due to hold their first high-level talks on Friday after nearly two weeks of clashes over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, with hopes rising that a ceasefire could be brokered in Moscow.

France, which along with Russia and the United States is part of a group mediating the two countries’ long conflict, said there was a chance of a breakthrough but it was far from certain.

“We are moving towards a truce tonight or tomorrow but it’s still fragile,” President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement to AFP.

Armenian and Azerbaijani defense officials said heavy clashes continued overnight and reported further civilian deaths, after Putin announced the meeting in Moscow late Thursday and appealed for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly said there would be no halt to fighting until Armenian troops withdraw and vowed to continue the intervention until his army captured all of Karabakh.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday the two countries’ top diplomats would hold talks in Moscow from 12:00 p.m. GMT.

Renewed fighting over Karabakh — an ethnic Armenian region of Azerbaijan that broke from Baku’s control in a devastating war in the early 1990s — has claimed some 400 lives and forced thousands of people from their homes.

Fledgling mediation efforts

The heavy clashes erupted late last month, with both sides blaming the other for the biggest outbreak in violence since a 1994 ceasefire left the status of Karabakh in limbo.

The region’s declaration of independence has not been recognized by any country — even Armenia — and the international community regards it as part of Azerbaijan.

The Kremlin said late on Thursday that following a series of calls with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Aliyev, Putin had invited their foreign ministers to Moscow and called for an end to hostilities “in order to exchange dead bodies and prisoners.”

Previous diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the decades-old stalemate have faltered.

Putin’s announcement of talks in Moscow came shortly after international mediators from France, Russia and the United States launched their first efforts to resolve the fighting in Geneva.

The countries make up the “Minsk Group” that has sought a solution to the Karabakh conflict for decades but have failed to stop sporadic outbreaks of fighting.

The negotiations in Geneva went ahead without Armenia, which refused to participate if the fighting was ongoing, and there were no public statements following the closed-door talks.

Mounting civilian toll

Pashinyan on Friday said his country was “ready for the resumption of the peace process,” while Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin during a visit to Yerevan said Russia was prepared to help bring about peace.

Since the fighting restarted both sides have accused the other of shelling areas populated by civilians and thousands of people have been displaced by the clashes.

The administrative center of the disputed region, Stepanakert, is dotted with wide craters and unexploded ordnance following days of shelling.

Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Thursday of hitting the iconic Ghazanchetsots (Holy Savior) Cathedral leaving a gaping whole in its roof and several journalists injured.

BREAKING: We just got back from the church in #Shushi 20 kilometer from #Stepanakert. The church got hit some hours ago, terrible destruction inside. Thank god, the kids plus parents who were in the basement hiding didnt got injured. #KarabakhWar @BILD pic.twitter.com/SalupTprqP

— Paul Ronzheimer (@ronzheimer) October 8, 2020

Armenia’s rights ombudsman Artak Beglaryan told AFP this week that the renewed fighting has displaced around half of Karabakh’s 140,000 residents and forced some 90% of its women and children from their homes.

Dozens of civilians have been confirmed killed and the Armenian side has acknowledged 350 military deaths, while Azerbaijan has not admitted to any fatalities among its troops.

Turkey’s strong backing for Azerbaijan has sown fears in the West that the conflict could spiral into a full-blown war embroiling Ankara with Moscow, which has a military treaty with Armenia.

Putin and Macron are among the world leaders to denounce the reported deployment of pro-Turkish fighters from Syria and Libya to Karabakh and Iran this week warned of “terrorists” who had joined the conflict from abroad.

With inputs from the Moscow Times

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Iran is also discussing a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline to China along the CPEC via Pakistan Administrated Kashmir

By: Arhama Siddiqa

It is no secret that despite international sanctions, Iran is known for leaving Western powers at a loss, sometimes by making what are considered to be outrageous statements, on other occasions with similarly outrageous actions. In July, the New York Times ran a story on its front page about a leaked document underlining a strategic partnership between China and Iran. According to the document in question, the $400 billion deal will encompass investments in energy, infrastructure and telecommunications, as well as deepening military cooperation which would include joint research and weapons development, and intelligence sharing.

There has been no official confirmation from Beijing as yet. This is not surprising, as China keeps its economic cards close to its chest. According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif, however, Tehran has been negotiating the “25-year accord with China with confidence and conviction.” He explained that talks have been ongoing since President Xi Jinping’s 2016 visit to Tehran. In return, added Zarif, China will get a guaranteed supply of Iranian oil at a premium price for the next quarter of a century.

As anticipated, there were tremors across the board internationally at this news, and rightly so. This deal ushers in a lifeline for Iran’s economy while also strengthening China’s economic footprint in the Middle East.

Moreover, it has regional and international consequences, with an immediate impact on the neighbour of both Iran and China, and Beijing’s “time-tested” friend, Pakistan. Apart from anything else, the deal provides windows of opportunity for Pakistan to rebuild its ties with Iran, something that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has been trying to forge since it came to power in 2018. Iran is one of the few countries that has been vocal on the Kashmir issue and has stood by Pakistan despite the fact that Islamabad has been inclined overtly towards the Saudi Arabian camp.

Better relations will pave the way for increased border security for both Pakistan and Iran. Even though incidents on the border are usually resolved through dialogue, there tends to be an air of resentment in the aftermath. Iran blames Pakistan for providing refuge to Iranian militant groups such as Jaish Ul-Adl, while Pakistan points to Baloch separatists who carry out similar attacks from bases in Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan province. In April 2019, both countries announced the formation of a Rapid Reaction Force to counter the threats from militants. In January this year, during the 23rd Pak-Iran Joint Border Commission meeting, they signed an agreement, the objective of which is to address border issues which include smuggling, human trafficking and all acts of a terrorist nature.

Increased security between Iran and Pakistan will be welcomed by China, whose integral economic interests necessitate a peaceful Pak-Iran border. At the moment, this applies particularly to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China’s partnership with Iran will also come under the BRI with the aim of connecting Central Asia and Afghanistan with Europe via the CPEC. The Iranians have on many occasions expressed their desire to be part of the CPEC, either through a bilateral or trilateral arrangement.

For Pakistan, the corridor seeks to fill the energy and infrastructure voids in the country. Khan has only recently reaffirmed the importance that Pakistan attaches to the CPEC by saying that his country’s economic future is intertwined with China. There is no doubt that Iran’s formal incorporation into the BRI will be instrumental in easing Pakistan’s energy crisis. The former has the capacity to export 3000 MW of electricity to Pakistan at low rates. Correspondingly, the Iran Pipeline — delayed primarily by construction delays on the Pakistani side — can now be expedited. Iran completed its part of the pipeline in 2011. The China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau (CPPB) showcased its desire to work on the remaining part of the IP from Gwadar to the Iranian border in 2016. Through its planned partnership with China, Iran is also discussing a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline to China along the CPEC. If this materialises it will have a host of benefits for all three countries.

The Iran-China deal will boost trade between Pakistan and Iran. The two countries have already discussed how potential bilateral trade could amount to $5 billion. With a China-Iran understanding in place, Pakistan can use China’s banks to facilitate commerce with Iran. It should also be noted that if there is no reduction in US sanctions on Iran in the future, Pak-Iran business can take place in the form of barter-trade in which both countries can build on their respective comparative advantages, namely in agriculture and energy.

In July, China dropped India from the Chabahar to Zahedan rail project citing delayed finances as the reason. However, it is believed that India’s leanings towards the United States was the real reason. Regardless of the reason why, India’s exit has left Delhi without a strategic vantage point and lever of influence into Afghanistan and Central Asia. India’s decampment also provides a security buffer for the CPEC, since Delhi has made its opposition to the project abundantly clear on several occasions. All this undoubtedly plays to Pakistan’s advantage. Another thing which Pakistan can benefit from is the proposed sharing of intelligence, which is an important component of the China-Iran deal.

One pivotal question is whether, in the aftermath of Chinese investment, the port of Gwadar in Pakistan will lose its significance. The short answer is no. In terms of natural depth, geographical placement and utility, Gwadar holds the trump card over Iran’s Chabahar. This is not to dismiss the latter’s importance, though, as the two ports invariably complement each other. The two countries have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Sister Ports so that further confluence is likely. This seems more plausible given that the China-Iran deal envisages an upgrade of bilateral and regional affiliation and engagements with neighbouring countries which implies that both ports will benefit from Chinese investment.

The question remains whether Pakistan can turn this deal to its advantage. Islamabad must also be cognisant of the impending challenges it faces, primarily in the form of a severe backlash from the Saudi, UAE, Israeli, Indian and American camps. Moreover, Pakistan needs to set its own house in order soon if it wants to embody the CPEC in a timely fashion. Apart from avoiding a complete financial crisis, this also includes streamlining bureaucratic hurdles and maintaining a civilian-military equilibrium. If all trials and tribulations are met and dispelled, and if the China-Iran deal materialises, it will most definitely be nothing short of a game-changer in terms of economic development, not only for the three countries, but also for the region as a whole.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Kashmir Today and Kashmir Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

With inputs from the Middle East Monitor

About Author:

Arhama Siddiqa

Arhama Siddiqa is currently working as a Research Fellow at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). She graduated from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in 2013 with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Political Science and Economics and went on to complete an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick in 2014.

In 2017 she was awarded the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship, during which she was based at Conciliation Resources in the United Kingdom.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Abu Dhabi: An Indian woman’s Covid-19 suffering and resulting near-death experience has healed after she gave birth to a boy here.

Asfia Samreen delivered the baby in September, after having contracted the virus in May, Gulf News reported.

“Congratulations to Asfia Samreen, who after a long and difficult battle with Covid-19 in the final trimester of her pregnancy, delivered a healthy baby boy,” the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) announced on its social media platforms on Wednesday.

It was a miraculous recovery for the Indian homemaker after a series of problems starting with her expired medical insurance, the much-needed protection during the pregnancy. Her husband, an electrical engineer, could not get his family’s medical insurance renewed as his employer was going through a financial crisis, reported WAM.

“This was all possible thanks to Samreen’s perseverance, and the hard work, dedication and care of the medical teams at both Corniche Hospital and Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC),” Abu Dhabi’s public health provider added.

Samreen was in the 24th week of her pregnancy when she tested positive on May 6. She was admitted to Cornich Hospital, the capital’s premier public maternity hospital, on May 7.

“At one point, the doctors had thought of inducing an early delivery of the baby as they were not sure of saving my life,” Samreen said.

Saleema Wani, senior obstetrician and gynaecology consultant at Corniche Hospital, said Samreen was gravely unwell.

“She was in critical condition. We had to discuss with the family whether to induce an early delivery. We agreed to let the pregnancy progress normally,” Wani said.

Samreen was eventually moved to SSMC as her condition worsened, and remained unconscious for five days. She finally regained consciousness on May 18, and was discharged in the first week of June.

According to the WAM report, she had to pay for regular check-ups at a private hospital, adding to the financial burden on her husband who was not getting a regular salary because of the crisis at the workplace. He was struggling to take care of the five-member family, including three children aged 7, 6 and 3.

During a regular check-up, the doctor asked Samreen to test for Covid-19 for having some symptoms and she was shocked to get a positive result on May 6. Subsequently, her husband also tested positive for the disease, added the woman from the south Indian city of Hyderabad.

On May 7, Samreen suffered from multiple ailments and got admitted to the Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Although she did not have a medical insurance, the hospital under SEHA, offered her all necessary treatment.

“I had severe cough, diarrhea and breathing problems and could not speak at all. They immediately put an oxygen mask on me. I was conscious but I had no idea about what was going on,” Samreen said.

“Only one thing I clearly remember is the love and care of Saleema Wani and a team of nurses. They comforted and supported me and instilled confidence and hope in me.”

Later, they told her that she was continuously asking to meet her husband but it was impossible, as he was also a Covid patient. He was asymptomatic and hence quarantined at home.

Samreen says she still feels the painful sufferings of Covid. “Apparently it severely affected my lungs. I had a high fever as well.”(KINS)

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has died at the age of 91 after ruling the Gulf state for 14 years, officials announced Tuesday.

Sabah has battled health issues in recent years and is widely respected for working to mediate conflict in the region. When a political rift led to an embargo of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, Sabah tried unsuccessfully to broker a resolution.

He also led donor conferences for Syria that led to pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars.

“With sincere sadness, Kuwait, its people, the people of the Arab and Muslim world, and the people of the world offer their condolences for the death of Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God forgive him,” said Minister of Royal Court Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah on state TV.

Sabah was born in 1929 around the time of the formation of the modern Kuwaiti state, and is a member of the country’s royal family. For 40 years, he served as foreign minister, later becoming prime minister before he was named the country’s monarch.

On August 6, the Emir traveled to the United States for medical treatment after he underwent surgery that his office described as successful. Officials did not disclose his condition.

Several countries and leaders paid tribute to Sabah following the news of his death.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply moved” by the emir’s passing.

Guterres said he was an extraordinary symbol of “wisdom and generosity,” a messenger of peace and a bridge builder.

The Secretary-General added that Sabah was always in the “first line of mobilizing the international community in acts of solidarity with those in need.”

“We wish only to mention the achievements of His Highness the late Emir who dedicated his life to bringing peace and stability to the region,” the US Embassy in Kuwait said in a tweet.

In the region, Saudi Arabia’s King and Crown Prince also mourned the emir’s death in a statement, according to state media.

“Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman received with great sadness and great sorrow the news of the death of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,” Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

Jordan has declared 40 days of mourning. “Today we lost a great brother and a wise leader who loves Jordan,” the Jordanian monarch, King Abdullah, tweeted. “(He) did not hesitate in his benevolent endeavors to make every effort to unite the Arab ranks.”

A spokesman for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also issued a statement eulogizing the Kuwaiti head of state and calling him “a great leader.”

Lebanese President Michel Aoun also hailed the Emir as a “great brother to Lebanon, and an example of chivalry, moderation and wisdom.”

With inputs from CNN

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In his UN General Assembly speech, Pakistani leader also denounces India’s moves to cement control of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan On Friday, repeated his claims about India’s revocation of Article 370 and 35 A – terming them illegal, in his UN General Assembly (UNGA) address. Repeating his claims on ‘RSS’ Hindutva’, Khan commented on India’s new domicile law for Kashmir – calling it a ‘war crime’. As Khan began his speech, Indian delegate Mijito Vinito walked out of the hall in New York.

Terming India as a country sponsoring ‘Islamophobia’, he claimed that India had regarded Muslims as ‘propellers of COVID-19 virus’ and alleged that they were denied medical attention. Commenting on Assam’s NRC, he fearmongered that 2 million Muslims had been ‘stripped off their citizenship’. India’s Permanent Representative to UN – Tirumurti has vowed a ‘befitting right of reply’ to Khan’s ‘litany of vicious falsehood’.

#WATCH Indian delegate at the UN General Assembly Hall walked out when Pakistan PM Imran Khan began his speech. pic.twitter.com/LP6Si6Ry7f

— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2020

Khan also spoke about Pakistan’s coronavirus response and called for debt relief for poor nations amid the pandemic [Aamir Qureshi/AFP]

Prime Minister Imran Khan warned India against carrying out any misadventure, saying “it will be met by a nation that is ready to fight till the end for its freedom” as he addressed the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session via video link on Friday.

“While the Nazis’ hate was directed at the Jews, the RSS directs it at the Muslims, and to a lesser extent, the Christians,” he said, adding that the extremist ideologists believe that India is exclusively for Hindus and others are not equal citizens.

“The secularism of Gandhi and Nehru has been replaced by the dream of creating a Hindu Rashtra, by subjugating, even cleansing India’s 200 million Muslims and other minorities,” he said.

PM Imran spoke about the RSS’s attempt to destroy the Babri Masjid and the massacre of 2,000 Muslims in the Gujarat riots. “And this was [Gujarat massacre] under the watch of chief minister Modi,” he said.

PM of Pakistan statement a new diplomatic low – at 75th UN General Assembly. Another litany of vicious falsehood, personal attacks, war mongering and obfuscation of Pakistan’s persecution of its own minorities & of its cross-border terrorism. Befitting Right of Reply awaits.

— Amb T S Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) September 25, 2020

India’s targeting of minorities ‘unprecedented in history’

The premier spoke about India’s discriminatory policies for Muslims during the pandemic, saying that the government blamed the minority group for spreading the coronavirus and they were denied medical treatment on many occasions.

“Last February, Muslims faced target killings with police complicity in Delhi,” he said.

Referring to it as something that was “unprecedented in history”, PM Imran said that the Hindutva ideology sought to persecute 300 million Muslims, Christians and Sikhs.

PM Imran then spoke about India’s August 5 attempt to annex occupied Kashmir, adding that this was against the commitments India had made to the people of Kashmir and the world.

“About 13,000 Kashmiri youth were incarcerated and thousands tortured [since the August 5 move],” he said. “Indian occupation forces have used brute force including pellet guns against peaceful protesters,” he added.

“The Kashmiri media and those daring to raise their voices are being systematically harassed through draconian laws,” he said, drawing the world’s attention to the Indian forces’ brutal act of killing hundreds of Kashmiris in fake encounters and refusing to hand over their bodies back to their relatives.

India playing a ‘dangerous game’, says PM Imran

He called on the international community to prosecute the Indian civil and military personnel for their “crimes against humanity” in occupied Kashmir.

PM Imran said that India was attempting to obliterate the distinct Kashmiri identity by altering the area’s demography, to escape the plebiscite which is in line with the UN resolutions.

“This action is in violation of the UN charter, [Security] Council resolutions and international law, particularly the 4th Geneva Convention,” he said. “Changing the demographic structure of an occupied territory is a war crime.”

The prime minister praised the people of Kashmir, saying that “generation after generation of Kashmiris have laid down their lives to rid themselves of Indian occupation” and that they will never submit before the Indian state as their struggle was indigenous.

“The government of Pakistan is committed to stand by its Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their legitimate struggle for self-determination,” he said.

PM Imran warned that India was playing ” a dangerous game” by upping the military ante against Pakistan to divert the world’s attention in a nuclearised environment.

He said that if the fascist RSS-led Indian government decides to commit any misadventure against Pakistan, it will be met by a nation that is ready to fight till the end for its freedom.

PM Imran said that durable peace in South Asia will not be possible till the issued of occupied Kashmir is not resolved on the basis of international legitimacy, confirming the world’s concern that Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint.

PM praises Pakistan’s smart lockdown policy
Speaking about his government’s smart lockdown policy, the prime minister said that Pakistan opened up the agriculture and construction sector.

He credited the government’s Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme and other policies towards steering Pakistan out of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the prime minister cautioned that Pakistan was not yet “out of the woods”.

“We are not yet out of the woods like no country is out of the woods yet,” he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prime minister spoke out against the flow of illicit financing from developing countries to the developed ones. He said that these “stolen resources” that flow from the developing countries to the developed ones end up weakening the economy and promoting poverty in third world countries.

“If this policy continues, it will accentuate the difference between the rich and the poor,” said PM Imran, adding that rich countries lacked the political will to “curb this criminal activity”.

“Eventually, it will spark off a bigger global crisis, a far bigger global crisis than the migration crisis poses,” he said, adding that rich states cannot talk about human rights when they provide protection to money launderers and their ill-gotten wealth.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that there are robust anti-money laundering regimes, adding that he calls upon the UN “to take the lead in efforts to build a global framework, to stem the illicit financial flows and ensure speedy repatriation of stolen wealth”.

“It is important to realise that the aid that flows from the rich to the developing world is minuscule compared to the massive outflows by our corrupt elites,” he said.

PM Imran calls for world to observe an international day to combat Islamophobia
The premier also touched upon the issue of Islamophobia during his speech, condemning the rising incidences of the burning of the Holy Quran and the publication of blasphemous material against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“Muslims continue to be targeted with impunity in many countries,” he said. “Our shrines are being destroyed, our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) insulted, the Holy Quran burnt, and all this in the name of freedom of speech.”

PM Imran on climate change

The prime minister said that Pakistan’s contribution to carbon emission was very low when one considered many countries in the world but it was one of the countries most affected by climate change.

The prime minister said that his government has launched an “extremely ambitious” plan to combat climate change by planting 10 billion trees over the next three years.

He called on world leaders to abide by the provisions of the Paris agreement on climate change. “Commitments made through the Paris agreement must be fulfilled, in particular, the commitment to mobilise $100billion annually as climate finance,” he said.

Saudi Arabia will reopen the pilgrimage to residents, and then visitors from select countries. Authorities said it will return to its full capacity only after the threat of the virus has been eliminated.

Saudis and foreign residents can make pilgrimage from Oct. 4, while Muslims abroad will be allowed entry as of Nov. 1

Saudi Arabia will gradually lift a coronavirus-related travel ban for the Umrah pilgrimage starting early next month, its official news agency said early Wednesday.

The decision to allow the resumption of Umrah, or the minor pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims, came after a nearly six-month hiatus.

As of Oct. 4, Saudis and foreign residents of the Kingdom will be allowed to perform Umrah at the Masjid al-Haram, or Grand Mosque, in Mecca at a 30% capacity or 6,000 people per day, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing a source in the Interior Ministry.

Meanwhile, as of Oct. 18, the kingdom will allow 15,000 pilgrims per day to perform Umrah and prayers at Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, or the Prophet’s Mosque, in Medina will also be allowed to resume.

The agency said both local and international worshippers coming for Umrah and worship will be accepted as of Nov. 1, while the Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi will be opened for worship at full capacity by taking COVID-19 protective measures.

“An official source at the Ministry of Interior affirms the Kingdom’s keenness to enable the pilgrims from inside and outside the Kingdom to perform the rituals in a safe and healthy manner fulfilling the preventative requirements and spatial distancing in order to ensure human safety,” SPA said on Twitter in English.

Due to the pandemic, the Hajj pilgrimage this year was limited to those living in Saudi Arabia, and pilgrims from abroad were not accepted.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 188 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China in December, with the US, India and Brazil being the hardest-hit areas in the world.

More than 31.45 million cases have been reported worldwide. The death toll has exceeded 967,300, while recoveries have surpassed 21.58 million, according to data compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

With inputs from AA News

PTI

Indian government continue to face a difficult challenge of border security, says Barrack Obama-era diplomat Alyssa Ayres

Pakistan has used terrorist groups to change the status quo in Jammu and Kashmir, which has undermined every peace effort and impacted human rights negatively, a Barrack Obama-era diplomat has told US lawmakers.

Alyssa Ayres, US South Asia expert | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

In a statement to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation, Alyssa Ayres, senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank, on Monday said the situation is complex and tragic in Kashmir

The committee will schedule a hearing on “Stemming a Receding Tide: Human Rights and Democratic Values in Asia” on Tuesday.

There is documented history of Pakistan-based terrorists active in Indian-administered Kashmir, and Kashmiris and the Indian government continue to face a difficult challenge of border security and terrorism in this region, Ms. Aryes said.

“Terrorism has undermined every effort at peace in the last two decades and continues to create insecurity. I would also like to acknowledge the longstanding suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits, a Hindu community driven from their Kashmiri homeland in the early years of the insurgency at the beginning of the 1990s, she said.

Ms. Ayres said the Indian government revoked Article 370 last year to tackle terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The move was followed by deployment of additional troops, statewide communications and internet shutdown and several Kashmiri leaders were placed in detention.

More than a year on, it is hard to see improvements on that front, she said adding that the impact on democracy and human rights has been negative.

With inputs from The Hindu

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)