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Showing posts from March, 2020

Saudi official urges Muslims to delay hajj plans over virus

Source link source https://iranians.global/saudi-official-urges-muslims-to-delay-hajj-plans-over-virus/

Rep. Huffman among members of Congress calling to end Iran sanctions amid COVID-19 crisis – KRCRTV.COM

Source link Rep. Huffman among members of Congress calling to end Iran sanctions amid COVID-19 crisis  KRCRTV.COM source https://iranians.global/rep-huffman-among-members-of-congress-calling-to-end-iran-sanctions-amid-covid-19-crisis-krcrtv-com/

Afghanistan braces for coronavirus surge as migrants pour back from Iran | Global development

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Source link More than 130,000 Afghans have fled the coronavirus outbreak convulsing Iran to return home to Afghanistan amid fears they are bringing new infections with them to the conflict-ridden and impoverished country. The huge spike in Afghans crossing the porous border from Iran, in one of the biggest cross-border movements of the pandemic, has led to mounting fears in the humanitarian community over the potential impact of new infections carried from Iran, one of the countries worst affected by the virus. With the Afghan ministry of health warning that some 16 million people could become infected and tens of thousands could die, experts say the wave of returning labourers and refugees, who are then dispersing throughout the country, is threatening an already complex health and security situation. According to a joint situation report from the World Health Organization and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at the weekend, while only 174 Afghans are c

Facing skepticism, officials ‘reexamine’ guidance against wearing masks – WPEC

Source link Facing skepticism, officials ‘reexamine’ guidance against wearing masks  WPEC source https://iranians.global/facing-skepticism-officials-reexamine-guidance-against-wearing-masks-wpec/

HSBC, Standard Chartered shares fall

Source link source https://iranians.global/hsbc-standard-chartered-shares-fall/

Human Rights Watch Worried for Health and Safety of Migrants in Persian Gulf Region | Voice of America

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Source link AMMAN – Human Rights Watch is expressing concern for the fate of millions of migrant workers in the Persian Gulf region, as host countries lock down, and employers withhold wages or consider layoffs amid strict coronavirus containment measures that are leading in some cases to deportations and confinement.    Advocacy groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say they are worried for the health and safety of foreign migrants working in construction, the service sector and managerial positions in the oil-rich Gulf region.  Those from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal make up about 10 percent of all migrants worldwide, they say, and even before the COVID-19 outbreak, often faced appalling work and housing conditions.  So far, Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have reported more that 3,300 coronavirus cases. Gulf migrant researcher Hiba Zayadin at Human Rights Watch tells VOA that cramped accomm

A Better Way to Deter Iran in Iraq

Source link The fear that World War III would begin after the January killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani always was overwrought. But a crisis provoked by Iran is never far off, even during a pandemic. After a series of rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq, the Pentagon reportedly is drawing up plans to eliminate Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia in the country. President Trump hasn’t announced a policy change as his advisers debate whether the U.S. should do more to deter Tehran’s proxies. … source https://iranians.global/a-better-way-to-deter-iran-in-iraq/

There’s just no helping Iran’s evil regime

Source link Progressives in Congress — Sen. Bernie Sanders, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, etc. — want to lift sanctions on Iran to combat the virus outbreak. That sounds compassionate, but it isn’t even close to reality. “Rather than continue to pile on sanctions in the Iranian people’s hour of need, we urge you to substantially suspend” them to help fight the virus, said the lawmakers. Yet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notes that America is already “doing everything” it can to “facilitate humanitarian assistance” and ensure “financial transactions connected to that” take place. There’s no sanction on medicines or humanitarian aid, he adds. “They’ve got a terrible problem there” in Iran, and America truly would like to help. Tehran’s response? It’s rejecting aid. Last week, French-based Doctors Without Borders said it was sending a 50-bed inflatable hospital, and France was offering more aid. Yet Iran huffed that it didn’t need the help and besides, the French group

Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR

Source link source https://iranians.global/coronavirus-live-updates-npr-3/

Iran reports 141 new virus deaths, raising total to 2,898

Source link source https://iranians.global/iran-reports-141-new-virus-deaths-raising-total-to-2898/

Iran reports 141 new virus deaths, raising total to 2,898 » Manila Bulletin News

Source link Published March 31, 2020, 6:06 PM By Agence France-Presse Iran on Tuesday said 141 more have died from the novel coronavirus, raising the official toll in one of the world’s worst-affected countries to 2,898. A file photo taken on March 13, 2020 shows Iranian Firefighters disinfect streets in the capital Tehran in a bid to halt the wild spread of coronavirus.(Photo by – / AFP) Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 3,111 new infections have been confirmed over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 44,606. He said 3,703 of those hospitalized are in a critical condition and 14,656 have recovered. Tags: ncov source https://iranians.global/iran-reports-141-new-virus-deaths-raising-total-to-2898-manila-bulletin-news/

Europe’s trade system with Iran finally makes first deal

Source link BERLIN (AP) — European countries trying to keep Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers alive said Tuesday that a system they set up to enable trade with Tehran has finally concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods. Britain, France and Germany conceived the complex barter-type system dubbed INSTEX, which aims to protect companies doing business with Iran from American sanctions, in January 2019. The move came months after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal that Tehran struck with world powers in 2015 and reimposed sanctions. Since then, officials have struggled to get the system up and running. On Tuesday, however, Germany’s foreign ministry said the three European countries “confirm that INSTEX has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran.” “These goods are now in Iran,” it said in a statement that gave details neither of th

U.S. Extends Sanctions Waivers On Iran’s Nuclear Program

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Source link The U.S. government has extended for another 60 days sanction waivers that allow Russian, Chinese, and European countries to continue nonproliferation work at Iranian nuclear sites. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo approved the waiver extensions on March 30 but maintained that the decision restricts Iran’s atomic work. “Iran’s continued expansion of nuclear activities is unacceptable. The regime’s nuclear extortion is among the greatest threats to international peace and security,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement . President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from a landmark nuclear deal with Iran that included signatories Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China, saw U.S. sanctions reimposed on Tehran, crippling its economy, which is mostly reliant on oil exports. The deal, brokered in 2015, envisioned sanctions relief if Iran curbed its nuclear ambitions. Since withdrawing from the deal, Washington has pursued a “maximum p

Karabakh elections to escalate regional tensions

Source link ANKARA  Iran on Tuesday warned that Armenia’s attempt to hold elections in the occupied Upper Karabakh region would escalate tensions and disputes in the region. “We believe whatever measure that further complicates the path to the settlement of disputes between our two neighboring states, namely the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, must be avoided,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement. Underlining Iran’s opposition to any measure further escalating tensions and disputes in the region, the spokesman stressed the necessity for a “peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the international principles and law”. The so-called presidential and parliamentary elections are set to be held on Tuesday in Upper Karabakh – also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, a region illegally occupied by Armenia. Azerbaijan and Armenia, two former Soviet republics, fought a war over the disputed region in 1988-1994. The t

Minister Claims Iran Will Soon Reach An ‘Achievement’ In Fight Against Coronavirus

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Source link Iran is set to declare an “achievement” in fighting the novel coronavirus that will place it “at the top of the world rankings”, the Islamic Republic Minister of Health claimed on Monday, March 30. Without any elaboration, Saeed Namaki reiterated that Iran had reached a “bright point” in containing the deadly virus and it will soon become the world’s leading country in combatting Covid-19. A day earlier, the Islamic Republic President Hassan Rouhani had also boasted that, compared with the Covid-19 death toll in other countries, Iran has managed to limit its number of the coronavirus victims to an “admissible” level. Critics say Iran’s response to the pandemic has been haphazard and chaotic. Iran is one of the countries worst-hit by the virus, and experts, journalists as well as ordinary people have been skeptical about the official figures released by the Islamic regime that keeps a tight lid on local and foreign media. Based on the data exclusively collected for Ra

‘Welcomed’ pardon for Bahai prisoner sentenced to death

Source link An execution date was not announced, but the judge ordered that it be carried out in public. Natalie Mobini, director of the Office of External Affairs for the Australian Bahai Community, said then the charges were baseless. “The charge of spying relates solely to the location of the Bahai World Centre, which has been located in the Holy Land since the 19th century, long before the creation of Israel. “Furthermore, Bahai teachings forbid proselytising. An individual’s decision about whether to become a Bahai is entirely up to them. “Mr Haydara has not committed any crime, let alone one that warrants the death penalty.” Loading On March 22, the grim news came that the Court of Appeals in Sanaa had upheld the death sentence. Haydara was not allowed to attend court. In response, Amnesty International’s Middle East research director Lynn Maalouf said , “this decision, taken in Hamed Haydara’s absence, is only the latest development in what has been a flagrantly flawed

500 Internal Server Error

Source link The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request. Please contact the server administrator at root@localhost to inform them of the time this error occurred, and the actions you performed just before this error. More information about this error may be available in the server error log. source https://iranians.global/500-internal-server-error/

Babak Dadbakhsh sentence was increased to 25 years imprisonment – Hrana

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Source link Home > Prisoners > Babak Dadbakhsh sentence was increased to 25 years imprisonment Posted on: 31st March, 2020 Editor: T X Translator: Source: Branch 28 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Moghiseh sentenced Babak Dadbakhsh to 17 years in prison for the charges of “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God (Moharebeh)”. He did not request an appeal because his public defender convinced him to accept his sentence. On March 29, 2020, he was summoned and informed that there was a mistake in his verdict and his new sentence is 25 years in prison . Babak Dadbaksh was arrested by the security police on October 28, 2018, in Tehran and was transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center. Babak Dadbakhsh was charged with “corruption on earth” and “waging war against God (Moharebeh)” by the Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Salavati. During his detention, he was held in various prisons such

‘Peace in Iraq’ is best remaining hope for country’s Christians

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Source link NEW YORK — For 25 years, Stephen Rasche served as an international lawyer — traveling the world for commercial work. But in 2015, at the request of Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda, he made the decision to relocate to Erbil, Iraq — where now serves as Vice Chancellor at the Catholic University in Erbil and Director of the Institute for Ancient and Threatened Christianity — in an effort to wake up his fellow Christians to pay attention to the plight of region’s Christians who were on the verge of extinction. In his new book, The Disappearing People: The Tragic Fate of Christians in the Middle East , Rasche chronicles the dramatic decline of Christians in the Middle East, many of whom feel abandoned by their counterparts in the Western world, and the policy decisions that have led to their current predicament. Released to coincide with the Lenten season, in his interview with Crux , Rasche describes how 2,000 years of history risks being lost if Christians are completely drive

Crammed in filthy cells, political prisoners fear infection

Source link source https://iranians.global/crammed-in-filthy-cells-political-prisoners-fear-infection/

‘Welcomed’ pardon for Bahai prisoner sentenced to death

Source link An execution date was not announced, but the judge ordered that it be carried out in public. Natalie Mobini, director of the Office of External Affairs for the Australian Bahai Community, said then the charges were baseless. “The charge of spying relates solely to the location of the Bahai World Centre, which has been located in the Holy Land since the 19th century, long before the creation of Israel. “Furthermore, Bahai teachings forbid proselytising. An individual’s decision about whether to become a Bahai is entirely up to them. “Mr Haydara has not committed any crime, let alone one that warrants the death penalty.” Loading On March 22, the grim news came that the Court of Appeals in Sanaa had upheld the death sentence. Haydara was not allowed to attend court. In response, Amnesty International’s Middle East research director Lynn Maalouf said , “this decision, taken in Hamed Haydara’s absence, is only the latest development in what has been a flagrantly flawed

US extends Iran nuclear cooperation sanctions waivers | News

Source link The United States has allowed companies from Russia, China and Europe to continue their work at Iranian nuclear facilities without being subject to American sanctions, the US State Department announced on Monday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the waiver extensions but couched the decision as one that continues restrictions on Iran’s atomic work. More: Current and former officials familiar with the matter said Pompeo had opposed extending the waivers, which are among the few remaining components of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the administration had not cancelled. However, the officials told The Associated Press news agency (AP) that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had prevailed in an internal debate on the subject last week. Mnuchin reportedly argued that the coronavirus pandemic made eliminating the waivers unpalatable at a time when the administration was being criticised for refusing to ease sanctions to deal with the outbreak, which has hit Ir

Haftmaywa – Persian New Year

source https://iranians.global/haftmaywa-persian-new-year/

Why India Should Keep a Close Watch on Emerging Problems in the Gulf States

Source link Key Points India will need to keep a close watch on developments in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries even as it contends with the coronavirus outbreak at home. Lower oil prices have enabled India to augment its strategic reserves and enabled it to come up with a stimulus package to counter the impending economic slowdown as a consequence of the lockdown imposed in a number of cities. Indian workers in the Gulf have contributed a large chunk of India’s remittances and their safety cannot be overlooked. It remains to be seen how India will react if the Gulf countries send the labour force home. Any layoffs of Indian workers as a result of the slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the drop in oil prices, will have an impact on the Indian states that many Gulf workers come from. Policies will need to be put in place to rehabilitate those workers if they are forced to return to India. It is not an immediate necessity, but it will need to be addresse

Covid-19 Factoid: France and Iran face similar fight, Germany stands out

Source link The number of Covid-19 positive cases in India stands at 1,071, and globally the tally has crossed 735,000. The US registered more than 20,000 cases in a day, taking the tally to over 140,000. The US is followed by Italy, a tad below 100,000-cases mark. Spain has overtaken China to become the third most affected country from coronavirus, going by the number of cases registered. On an average, around 20 cases are being registered and at least two people are losing their lives almost every minute due to coronavirus across the globe. There is a rapid dissemination of information flowing around the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are few data trends that you need to know to be up to speed. #1. Challenging time ahead for France and Iran Both France and Iran have more than 40,000 Covid-19 cases registered so far. While around 30,000 cases in France are still active, out of which more than 12 per cent of the cases are in critical condition, highest among all countries. Simil

Two U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Are Patrolling Near Iran. Is That Too Many?

Source link The U.S. Navy has deployed two of its precious nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf as part of a wider surge in forces the Pentagon hopes will deter attacks by Iran. But keeping two of the fleet’s 11 flattops in the Gulf could strain the fleet. It’s happened before, David Larter noted at Defense News . For two years starting in 2010, the Navy kept two carriers in the Middle East in order to keep up the pressure on Iran ahead of negotiations that ultimately led to Pres. Barack Obama’s 2015 deal with Tehran to limit the latter’s nuclear-weapons program. The administration of Pres. Donald Trump canceled the nuclear deal, a decision that incentivized Iran to continue work on atomic weaponry and directly led to the current tension. U.S. forces and Iranian proxies periodically have exchanged blows since Jan. 3, 2020, when an American drone assassinated Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qasem Soleimani while the general was traveling near Baghdad. An

Here’s what coronavirus-hit Iran might do to create havoc in the region

Source link Iran by its own accounting is the fifth-ranked among nations in coronavirus fatalities. Outside experts say the rate is likely much higher.The confluence of hard-hitting sanctions on the country and Iran’s floundering theocracy frustrated an adequate response to the pandemic, according to most accounts, but the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, knows who to blame: Genies. And Americans. Khamenei’s March 22 speech marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, has spooked regime watchers inside and outside the country. He blamed the pandemic on the demons identified in the Quran as “Jinn,” known as genies in Western lore, and the American intelligence services working in tandem. “We have jinn and human enemies that help each other,” he said, according to a translation by Maryam Sinaiee, a British-Iranian political analyst writing for Radio Farda, the U.S. government’s Persian language news service. “The intelligence services of many countries work together against u

U.S. Military Leaves Iraqi Bases Amidst Coronavirus and Iranian Threats

Source link The U.S.-led counterterrorism coalition denied that its decision to withdraw from an Iraqi base was “related to recent attacks against Iraqi bases hosting Coalition troops, or the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Iraq” in a Monday statement. Operation Inherent Resolve has handed over three of its bases to the Iraqi government over the past two weeks. The task force’s withdrawal comes as Iraq faces a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, and tensions between U.S. forces and Iranian-backed local militias continue to rise. But the U.S.-led coalition says that the moves are part of an unrelated transfer of responsibility to Iraqi authorities. “As a result of the success of [Iraqi Security Forces] in their fight against ISIS, the Coalition is repositioning troops from a few smaller bases,” a spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve stated on March 20. “These bases remain under Iraqi control and we will continue our advising partnership for the permanent defeat of [ISI