politicodiary

Strange manner in which a boat carrying Syrian migrants was capsized in sea is raising questions whether the Lebanese Navy did it so to prevent in surge in migrant numbers? Picture for representation only Harried Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinians looking for a better future find themselves caught in the crossfire of power and rejection as their illegal attempts to escape their country’s misery through sea routes, invariably lands them on their death bed. A similar incident was reported where 80 Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians, while should have been brought to shore, met in an altercation with the Lebanese navy, only to go down more than five kilometres from the northern port of Tripoli. According to the Lebanese Navy, some 30 people lost their lives. That same night, some seven bodies were recovered (including a child), while 48 survivors were also pulled from the Mediterranean Sea. The bodies had sunk deep down on the bed of the sea and were recovered by a submarine. Ci...

An exiled Iranian group has sought help from the American judiciary to bring President Ebrahim Raisia to trial for his active participation in political massacre of 1988. There is trouble brewing inside the power pockets of Iran as an exile group has now announced a New York lawsuit against the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisia little before he is to attend the UN General Assembly. There is a challenge been placed on the table for the US authorities. Only when things were looking as they were going to stabilize for the nuclear deal, skeletons from the closet are coming out to stall the process. There are mixed opinions over whether the deal should at all go through. The exiled group is called the National Council of Resistance of Iran that has accused Raisia for having played a key role in the massacre and inhuman killing of about 30,000 political prisoners. Under the Geneva Convention, political prisoners are to be treated fairly and they have the right to decent hygienic means ...

Photo courtesy: The New York Times After a two-year break, children were just getting ready to go back to school when Philippines has been hit with another disaster. A terrible storm has devastated life, stopped transportation, curtailed movement and lead to close down of schools, again. The archipelago is said to be hit by frequent storms in the year, but this one has been a little too much, owing to the devastating effects of Covid-19 induced lockdowns and mutation troubles. The tropical storm has affected northern Philippines more severely this time. This has been termed as the Storm Ma-on. On instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos (Jr), classes were suspended for public schools and government work mostly in the densely populated capital region and also in the six outlying provinces as a precautionary measure. It is worth noting that millions of children would again be left homebound after a chance to enjoy face-to-face classes. The provincial capital Tuguegarao was dren...

  MENA companies are looking at more agile work models now, moving away from conventional working styles. This is being seen as one of the fastest growing economies in the world that is supportive of freelance work. Independent consultants are ruling the roost, and this is making more sense as companies in MENA look at reducing costs which has become a possibility amidst global boost in remote working styles. So, companies are choosing integrated freelancers making use of distributed and virtual workforce. This is helping them make use of skilled talent, prevention in increased cost in training also leading to reduction in office footprint. A talent on demand platform has generated a report which confirms this trend. The Outsized company, MD Vikram Malhotra shares, “Prior to the onset of the pandemic, enterprises were struggling to find the right talent to meet their needs and skilled talent found it difficult to find the right opportunities with blue-chip clients due to a ve...

In a completely shocking and bizarre incident a Saudi woman has been sentenced to imprisonment as many years as her actual age of 34 years. Apparently, the lady is a PhD student at the University of Leeds (UK) and was returning home when she was booked for creating religious disharmony. The individual is Salma al-Shehab, who has been accused of retweeting views of dissidents and activists on Twitter. The ruling which initially meant three years imprisonment was later changed to 34 years, leading to a outcry amongst human rights organisations. Quite a few Middle Eastern nations have had issues with free speech, especially those that goes against the religious sentiments of the country. This has been termed as the longest sentence ever awarded to a peaceful activist by the Kingdom. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom said: "Shehab's religious identity as a Shi'a Muslim is believed to have been a factor in her arrest and harsh sentencing."...

  World truce is in order and the Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is the one who is wishing to make this happen as he plans to submit a written proposal to the UN to create a commission for the same. His recommended participants include three world leaders- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pope Francis and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Its heart warming to see the Indian PM being seen as a calm and tactful negotiator who has sensible solutions to world problems, up his sleeves, and all in the right manner of speaking. The intend is for this commission to focus on world truce to be achieved in the next five years, encouraging the US, China and Russia to be a part of the whole peace keeping process. The proposal would also entail stopping occurrence of war. Taking to twitter, the Mexican President said, “I will make the proposal in writing, I will present it to the UN. I have been saying it and I hope the media will help us to spread it. Because they do...

A happy innings comes to an end.... Japanese designer Issey Miyake said his final farewell to life as he breath his last this week. The non-conventional designer is known for ‘democratizing fashion through simple construction, experimenting with different materials and treatments. ’ True to the Japanese spirit, the designer lived till the ripe age of 84years and collapsed due to his fight with liver cancer. Miyake was famous for his polyester pleating techniques which make silhouettes smart and flawless, despite many wears. He was also appreciated for bringing design and technology together in the most sustainable manner. Notes and messages have been flowing on twitter and Instagram from designers across the globe who continue to appreciate and applaud his incredible sense in “to combine creativity with a pure sense of reality.” A rare designer, he was all for celebration of the body just the way it is and nothing on that account. He remains an inspiration in the right sense of t...

North Korea is on the side of Russia and it’s making it evident as it offers support in the form of offering 100,000 troops to help defeat Ukraine. Right now, Ukraine is receiving great support from the rest of the world. But Russia is hell bent to annex it as its own territory and deny Ukraine its sovereignty. Apparently, the North Korean help comes in time when they are confirming they have better counter-battery warfare experience. Most of these are volunteers who have decided to go to Ukraine. The ones’ most disunited are the ones which are coming to Russia’s aid as of now. This includes in some proportion Turkey, Iran and now North Korea. Effective counter-battery warfare has come to be seen at increased importance to the Russian military following the US decision to donate a dozen HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) to Ukraine,  military magazine 1945 reported. A military expert told Insider's Sinéad Baker last month, that the long-range, hig...

Prisoners of conscience is a reality in Egypt, a country that has been chosen as the venue for the COP27 Summit. But environmentalists and human rights activists are wondering how these aspects can be ignored and the country favored to be the venue? There is gross violation of human rights ongoing for years where thousands of prisoners of conscience are awaiting justice, locked up in prisons in inhuman living conditions. According to a report filed by the Amnesty International in January 2021, ‘prison officials in Egypt have subjected prisoners of conscience and others held for political reasons to torture, cruel and inhuman conditions of detention and are deliberately denying them health care to punish dissent, Amnesty International said in a new damning report today highlighting how prison authorities’ callousness has led or contributed to deaths in custody and irreparable harm to prisoners’ health’. Many activists are now of the belief that this event would lead to a convenient ...

Ruchika Kamboj has done India proud as she holds the top position as an Indian representative in the United Nations. Earlier she tweeted: “It is my deepest honour to serve my country in this new position.” Kamboj has a crucial role to play at the Security Council as India has a precarious balancing act to do as a neutral party towards Russia, without taking any sides. As the Indian envoy, she will have to deal with the intense pressure the country is facing from all sides over its independent stand on Ukraine, neither backing Russia nor unequivocally condemning it, and having to frequently reiterate the position in speeches and votes at the UN. Kamboj is scheduled to preside over the Security Council in December. On Security Council reforms, an important issue for  India , she has special expertise having been a member of the team of G4 made up of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan that work together on expanding the Council's permanent membership. Kamboj has been former High...