<p>The United States today backed<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-supplying-missiles-to-yemen-rebels-is-direct-military-aggression-saudi-crown-prince-salman-23661"> its ally Saudi Arabia over its strife with Iran accusing President Rouhani-led government </a>of supplying missiles to Yemini rebels.</p>

<p>&quot;By providing these types of weapons to the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-dozens-of-princes-ministers-arrested-in-massive-purge-23565">Huthi militias in Yemen, Iran&#39;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard</a> Corp&lrm;s is violating two UN resolutions simultaneously,&quot; US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement.</p>

<p>The US ambassador released information showing that the missile was an Iranian Qiam missile which is a short-range ballistic missile produced in Iran.</p>

<p>Haley said the missile was not present in Yemen before the conflict.</p>

<p>&quot;We encourage the United Nations and international partners to take necessary action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for these violations,&quot; Haley added.</p>

<p>&quot;The United States will not turn a blind eye to these serious violations of international law by the Iranian regime,&quot; Hailey asserted.</p>

<p>Earlier in the day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had accused Iran of &quot;military aggression&quot; against Saudi Arabia as relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia took a turn for the worse.</p>

<p>&quot;The involvement of Iran in supplying missiles to the Huthis is a direct military aggression by the Iranian regime,&quot; the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia had said on Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital Riyadh last Saturday. The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying the missile to Huthi in Yemen who are involved in a civil war. The Saudi-led coalition has launched thousands of air strikes against the Iran-allied Houthi movement that controls much of neighbouring Yemen. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The US administration led by President Trump has been pushing for tougher sanctions against Iran although the country is a signatory to the nuclear deal.</p>

<p>Last month President Trump had said he wouldn&#39;t certify the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as relations between the two countries hit a new low.</p>

<p>Trump also announced tough new sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while stopping short of declaring the army group a terrorist organization.&nbsp;</p>


US Ambassador Nikki Haley released information showing that the missile was an Iranian Qiam missile which is a short-range ballistic missile produced in Iran.

The United States today backed its ally Saudi Arabia over its strife with Iran accusing President Rouhani-led government of supplying missiles to Yemini rebels. "By providing these types of weapons to the Huthi militias in Yemen, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp‎s is violating two UN resolutions simultaneously," US Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement. The US ambassador released information showing that the missile was an Iranian Qiam missile which is a short-range ballistic missile produced in Iran. Haley said the missile was not present in Yemen before the conflict. "We encourage the United Nations and international partners to take necessary action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for these violations," Haley added. "The United States will not turn a blind eye to these serious violations of international law by the Iranian regime," Hailey asserted. Earlier in the day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had accused Iran of "military aggression" against Saudi Arabia as relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia took a turn for the worse. "The involvement of Iran in supplying missiles to the Huthis is a direct military aggression by the Iranian regime," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the crown prince as saying. Saudi Arabia had said on Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital Riyadh last Saturday. The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying the missile to Huthi in Yemen who are involved in a civil war. The Saudi-led coalition has launched thousands of air strikes against the Iran-allied Houthi movement that controls much of neighbouring Yemen. The US administration led by President Trump has been pushing for tougher sanctions against Iran although the country is a signatory to the nuclear deal. Last month President Trump had said he wouldn't certify the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran as relations between the two countries hit a new low. Trump also announced tough new sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while stopping short of declaring the army group a terrorist organization.

Iran violating UN resolution by providing missiles to Yemeni rebels: US

<p>A day after arresting top leaders <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-detained-in-corruption-inquiry-23544">including billionaire Al-Waleed bin </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-detained-in-corruption-inquiry-23544">Talalof</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-detained-in-corruption-inquiry-23544">, Saudi Arabia today </a>sealed its border with Yemen and slammed Iran over its alleged backing of rebels in Yemen&nbsp;who had reportedly carried out a missile attack on Riyadh.</p>

<p>In a bid to tighten his hold<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-are-returning-to-what-we-were-a-country-of-moderate-islam-saudi-crown-prince-22844"> over the country, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had launched</a> a massive anti-corruption drive on Saturday arresting princes, ministers and businessmen. The Prince also swiftly replaced the Saudi National Guard head, including the navy chief and the economy minister.</p>

<p>&quot;All those suspected... will have full access to legal resources, and the trials will be held in a timely and open manner,&quot; Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement.</p>

<p>&quot;A great deal of evidence has already been gathered, and detailed questioning has taken place,&quot; the statement added.</p>

<p>On Monday, Saudi&nbsp;Arabia and Iran were involved in a spat after the Saudi government accused Tehran of backing rebels in Yemen and said &nbsp;it reserved the &quot;right to respond&quot; to the missile attack on Riyadh at the weekend, calling it a &quot;blatant military aggression by the Iranian regime which may amount to an act of war.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saudi forces had intercepted a missile near Riyadh airport allegedly fired by Huthi rebels from Yemen. As a result, the Saudi coalition sealed off air, sea and land borders with&nbsp;Yemen on Monday.</p>

<p>Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir tweeted saying: &quot;Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of neighbouring countries and affect international peace and security. We will not allow any infringement on our national security.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;The kingdom reserves the right to respond in a timely manner to the hostile actions of the Iranian regime,&quot; the Saudi Arabian foreign minister said.</p>

<p>Iran, in turn, accused&nbsp;Saudi Arabia of &quot;war crimes&quot;, AFP reported.</p>

<p>In a statement, Saudi Arabia said its borders were being closed &quot;to fill the gaps in the inspection procedures which enable the continued smuggling of missiles and military equipment to the Huthi militias loyal to Iran in Yemen&quot;.</p>

<p>Despite the temporary closure of the air, sea and land ports, Saudi would protect &quot;the entry and exit of relief and humanitarian personnel&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;The coalition... affirms the kingdom&#39;s right to respond to Iran at the appropriate time and in the appropriate form,&quot; it added.</p>

<p>Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that eleven princes, four current ministers and dozens of ex-ministers were arrested in an unprecedented anti-corruption drive over a 2009 probe in which Jeddah was hit by floods.</p>

<p>Finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the crackdown &quot;heralds a new era and policy of transparency, clarity and accountability&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Saudi stock index was down 1.1 per cent in early trade, and Al Tayyar Travel plunged 10 per cent in the opening minutes.</p>

<p>Shares in Kingdom Holding, 95 per cent of which is owned by Prince Al-Waleed fell sharply on Monday as the news reverberated across the world.</p>


In a bid to tighten his hold over the country, crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had launched a massive anti-corruption drive arrested princes, ministers and businessmen

A day after arresting top leaders including billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talalof, Saudi Arabia today sealed its border with Yemen and slammed Iran over its alleged backing of rebels in Yemen who had reportedly carried out a missile attack on Riyadh. In a bid to tighten his hold over the country, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had launched a massive anti-corruption drive on Saturday arresting princes, ministers and businessmen. The Prince also swiftly replaced the Saudi National Guard head, including the navy chief and the economy minister. "All those suspected... will have full access to legal resources, and the trials will be held in a timely and open manner," Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement. "A great deal of evidence has already been gathered, and detailed questioning has taken place," the statement added. On Monday, Saudi Arabia and Iran were involved in a spat after the Saudi government accused Tehran of backing rebels in Yemen and said it reserved the "right to respond" to the missile attack on Riyadh at the weekend, calling it a "blatant military aggression by the Iranian regime which may amount to an act of war." Saudi forces had intercepted a missile near Riyadh airport allegedly fired by Huthi rebels from Yemen. As a result, the Saudi coalition sealed off air, sea and land borders with Yemen on Monday. Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir tweeted saying: "Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of neighbouring countries and affect international peace and security. We will not allow any infringement on our national security." "The kingdom reserves the right to respond in a timely manner to the hostile actions of the Iranian regime," the Saudi Arabian foreign minister said. Iran, in turn, accused Saudi Arabia of "war crimes", AFP reported. In a statement, Saudi Arabia said its borders were being closed "to fill the gaps in the inspection procedures which enable the continued smuggling of missiles and military equipment to the Huthi militias loyal to Iran in Yemen". Despite the temporary closure of the air, sea and land ports, Saudi would protect "the entry and exit of relief and humanitarian personnel". "The coalition... affirms the kingdom's right to respond to Iran at the appropriate time and in the appropriate form," it added. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that eleven princes, four current ministers and dozens of ex-ministers were arrested in an unprecedented anti-corruption drive over a 2009 probe in which Jeddah was hit by floods. Finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the crackdown "heralds a new era and policy of transparency, clarity and accountability". The Saudi stock index was down 1.1 per cent in early trade, and Al Tayyar Travel plunged 10 per cent in the opening minutes. Shares in Kingdom Holding, 95 per cent of which is owned by Prince Al-Waleed fell sharply on Monday as the news reverberated across the world.

After arresting top leaders, Saudi Arabia threatens Iran & seals border with Yemen

<p>Saudi Arabia pursued a sweeping purge of the kingdom&#39;s upper ranks on Sunday, saying it would freeze the accounts of dozens of princes, ministers and a tycoon arrested as the crown prince cements his hold on power.</p>

<p>Prominent billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal was among the princes arrested late Saturday, a government source told AFP, immediately after a new anti-corruption commission headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was established by royal decree.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-billionaire-prince-alwaleed-detained-in-corruption-inquiry-23544" target="_blank">Also read: Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed detained in corruption inquiry</a></p>

<p>Separately, the head of the Saudi National Guard, once a leading contender to the throne, as well as the navy chief and the economy minister were replaced in a series of high-profile sackings that sent shock waves through the kingdom.</p>

<p>The dramatic shake-up comes at a time of unprecedented social and economic transformation in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, as Prince Mohammed steps up his reform drive for a post-oil era.</p>

<p>Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that 11 princes, four current ministers and dozens of ex-ministers were arrested as the commission launched a probe into old cases such as floods that devastated the Red Sea city of Jeddah in 2009.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The government official gave AFP a list of 14 of the most high-profile names including Prince Al-Waleed, ranked among the richest men in the world.</p>

<p>The information ministry separately said the bank accounts of those arrested will be &quot;frozen&quot; and any assets related to the corruption cases will be registered as state property.</p>

<p>&quot;The suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen,&quot; attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement, adding that a number of investigations had been initiated.</p>

<p>&quot;A suspect&#39;s position or status does not influence the firm and fair application of justice.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&#39;A new era&#39;</strong><br />
Shares in Kingdom Holding, 95 percent of which is owned by Prince Al-Waleed, fell sharply as the Saudi stock exchange opened Sunday after reports of his arrest.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a statement Kingdom Holding said it was &quot;aware&quot; of Saturday&#39;s developments but insisted that it was &quot;business as usual&quot; after the chief executive of the company was assured of support from the government.</p>

<p>Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the crackdown &quot;heralds a new era and policy of transparency, clarity and accountability&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The kingdom&#39;s top council of clerics also lauded the anti-corruption efforts as &quot;important&quot;, essentially giving religious backing to the crackdown.</p>

<p>An aviation source told AFP that security forces had grounded private jets at airports, possibly to prevent high-profile figures from leaving the country.</p>

<p>There was fevered speculation on social media that the arrested figures were being held at Riyadh&#39;s Ritz Carlton, a palatial hotel originally planned as a palace for guests of the royal family.</p>

<p>The hotel appeared to be closed off to the public on Sunday and its website said the property was fully booked.</p>

<p>In another development, state television announced the death of Prince Mansour bin Moqren, the deputy governor of Asir province and son of a former crown prince, in a helicopter crash near the southern border with Yemen. It did not reveal the cause of the crash.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The purge comes less than two weeks after Prince Mohammed welcomed thousands of global business leaders to Riyadh for an investment summit, showcasing his reform drive that has shaken up the kingdom.</p>

<p>&quot;The breadth and scale of the arrests appears to be unprecedented in modern Saudi history,&quot; said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.</p>

<p>&quot;The reported detention of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal... would send shock waves through the domestic and international business community,&quot; Ulrichsen told AFP.</p>

<p><strong>Meteoric rise</strong><br />
The crackdown follows a wave of arrests of influential clerics and activists in September as the 32-year-old prince, often known as MBS, consolidates his hold on power.</p>

<p>Analysts said many of those detained were resistant to Prince Mohammed&#39;s aggressive foreign policy that includes the boycott of Gulf neighbour Qatar as well as some of his bold policy reforms, including privatising state assets and cutting subsidies.</p>

<p>The latest purge saw Prince Miteb bin Abdullah sacked as the head of the National Guard, an elite internal security force. His removal consolidates the crown prince&#39;s control of the kingdom&#39;s security institutions.</p>

<p>To analysts, Prince Mohammed&#39;s meteoric rise has seemed almost Shakespearean in its aggression and calculation. In June, he edged out a 58-year-old cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, to become heir to the throne.</p>

<p>Already viewed as the de facto ruler controlling all the major levers of government, from defence to the economy, the prince is widely seen to be stamping out traces of internal dissent before a formal transfer of power from his 81-year-old father King Salman.</p>

<p>At the same time, he has projected himself as a liberal reformer in the ultra-conservative kingdom with a series of bold moves including the decision allowing women to drive from next June.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The kingdom said it would freeze the accounts of the princes, ministers and one tycoon

Saudi Arabia pursued a sweeping purge of the kingdom's upper ranks on Sunday, saying it would freeze the accounts of dozens of princes, ministers and a tycoon arrested as the crown prince cements his hold on power. Prominent billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal was among the princes arrested late Saturday, a government source told AFP, immediately after a new anti-corruption commission headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was established by royal decree. Also read: Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed detained in corruption inquiry Separately, the head of the Saudi National Guard, once a leading contender to the throne, as well as the navy chief and the economy minister were replaced in a series of high-profile sackings that sent shock waves through the kingdom. The dramatic shake-up comes at a time of unprecedented social and economic transformation in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, as Prince Mohammed steps up his reform drive for a post-oil era. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that 11 princes, four current ministers and dozens of ex-ministers were arrested as the commission launched a probe into old cases such as floods that devastated the Red Sea city of Jeddah in 2009. The government official gave AFP a list of 14 of the most high-profile names including Prince Al-Waleed, ranked among the richest men in the world. The information ministry separately said the bank accounts of those arrested will be "frozen" and any assets related to the corruption cases will be registered as state property. "The suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen," attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement, adding that a number of investigations had been initiated. "A suspect's position or status does not influence the firm and fair application of justice." 'A new era' Shares in Kingdom Holding, 95 percent of which is owned by Prince Al-Waleed, fell sharply as the Saudi stock exchange opened Sunday after reports of his arrest. In a statement Kingdom Holding said it was "aware" of Saturday's developments but insisted that it was "business as usual" after the chief executive of the company was assured of support from the government. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said the crackdown "heralds a new era and policy of transparency, clarity and accountability". The kingdom's top council of clerics also lauded the anti-corruption efforts as "important", essentially giving religious backing to the crackdown. An aviation source told AFP that security forces had grounded private jets at airports, possibly to prevent high-profile figures from leaving the country. There was fevered speculation on social media that the arrested figures were being held at Riyadh's Ritz Carlton, a palatial hotel originally planned as a palace for guests of the royal family. The hotel appeared to be closed off to the public on Sunday and its website said the property was fully booked. In another development, state television announced the death of Prince Mansour bin Moqren, the deputy governor of Asir province and son of a former crown prince, in a helicopter crash near the southern border with Yemen. It did not reveal the cause of the crash. The purge comes less than two weeks after Prince Mohammed welcomed thousands of global business leaders to Riyadh for an investment summit, showcasing his reform drive that has shaken up the kingdom. "The breadth and scale of the arrests appears to be unprecedented in modern Saudi history," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. "The reported detention of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal... would send shock waves through the domestic and international business community," Ulrichsen told AFP. Meteoric rise The crackdown follows a wave of arrests of influential clerics and activists in September as the 32-year-old prince, often known as MBS, consolidates his hold on power. Analysts said many of those detained were resistant to Prince Mohammed's aggressive foreign policy that includes the boycott of Gulf neighbour Qatar as well as some of his bold policy reforms, including privatising state assets and cutting subsidies. The latest purge saw Prince Miteb bin Abdullah sacked as the head of the National Guard, an elite internal security force. His removal consolidates the crown prince's control of the kingdom's security institutions. To analysts, Prince Mohammed's meteoric rise has seemed almost Shakespearean in its aggression and calculation. In June, he edged out a 58-year-old cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, to become heir to the throne. Already viewed as the de facto ruler controlling all the major levers of government, from defence to the economy, the prince is widely seen to be stamping out traces of internal dissent before a formal transfer of power from his 81-year-old father King Salman. At the same time, he has projected himself as a liberal reformer in the ultra-conservative kingdom with a series of bold moves including the decision allowing women to drive from next June.

Saudi Arabia: Dozens of princes, ministers arrested in massive purge

<p>Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&#39;s air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital Riyadh on Saturday, state news agencies reported.</p>

<p>The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city and did not cause any casualties, said state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV.</p>

<p>Rocket fragments fell near the airport grounds, but air traffic carried on normally, the civil aviation authority said on its official Twitter account.</p>

<p>Residents of northern Riyadh reported hearing a single deafening explosion that rattled windows around 20:20 local time, followed by rumbling and sounds of low-flying aircraft.</p>

<p>&quot;We heard an enormous loud boom and went outside, then heard a low rumbling noise like thunder and six to 12 smaller explosions,&quot; one resident told Reuters.</p>

<p>The missile was fired into&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;territory from Yemen at 20:00 local time, the spokesman of aSaudi-led military coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.</p>

<p>Houthi-run Saba News in Yemen reported that the missile was a Burkan H2 and that the airport had been the target.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Saudi-led coalition has launched thousands of air strikes against the Iran-allied Houthi movement that controls much of neighbouring Yemen.</p>

<p>On Wednesday, witnesses said one such strike killed 26 people at a hotel and adjoining market in northern Yemen, although the coalition said on Saturday it had hit a legitimate target.</p>

<p>The Houthi and allied forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have fired dozens of missiles into&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;territory over the course of a 2-1/2 year war, including a ballistic missile shot down near Mecca in July.</p>

<p>The conflict has led to one of the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crises and killed at least 10,000 people.</p>


Residents of northern Riyadh reported hearing a single deafening explosion that rattled windows around 20:20 local time, followed by rumbling and sounds of low-flying aircraft.

Saudi Arabia's air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the capital Riyadh on Saturday, state news agencies reported. The missile was brought down near King Khaled Airport on the northern outskirts of the city and did not cause any casualties, said state-owned Al Ekhbariya TV. Rocket fragments fell near the airport grounds, but air traffic carried on normally, the civil aviation authority said on its official Twitter account. Residents of northern Riyadh reported hearing a single deafening explosion that rattled windows around 20:20 local time, followed by rumbling and sounds of low-flying aircraft. "We heard an enormous loud boom and went outside, then heard a low rumbling noise like thunder and six to 12 smaller explosions," one resident told Reuters. The missile was fired into Saudi territory from Yemen at 20:00 local time, the spokesman of aSaudi-led military coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA. Houthi-run Saba News in Yemen reported that the missile was a Burkan H2 and that the airport had been the target. The Saudi-led coalition has launched thousands of air strikes against the Iran-allied Houthi movement that controls much of neighbouring Yemen. On Wednesday, witnesses said one such strike killed 26 people at a hotel and adjoining market in northern Yemen, although the coalition said on Saturday it had hit a legitimate target. The Houthi and allied forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh have fired dozens of missiles into Saudi territory over the course of a 2-1/2 year war, including a ballistic missile shot down near Mecca in July. The conflict has led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and killed at least 10,000 people.

Saudi Arabia says it intercepts missile close to capital

<p>Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS in a recent Future Investment Summit, held on 24th October in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s capital, Riyadh, launched independent $500bn megacity - with &quot;separate regulation&quot; - along with the Red Sea coastline. It will be run entirely on alternative energy and be an innovation hub for the future.</p>

<p>This Future Investment Summit is an international event to attract investors into the kingdom. He issued a statement, &ldquo;Saudi Arabia would return&nbsp;to a moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world&quot;. He further said, &quot;We will end extremism very soon&quot;. These statements issued by MBS has a lot of repercussions.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Saudi has made moves to change its global image like allowing women to drive. The government has also revoked restrictions on the use of Skype and Whatsapp.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Saudi has made moves to change its global image like allowing women to drive. The government has also revoked restrictions on the use of Skype and Whatsapp." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>First, this statement is a reflection of his vision and Saudi&#39;s vision 2030 - a plan for social and economic reform as the kingdom prepares for a post-oil era. This is part of its attempt to shift from an oil-based economy to a modern one. It will reassure investors that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman&#39;s push to diversify its economy beyond oil is on track. In the recent months, Saudi has made moves to change its global image like allowing women to drive. The government has also revoked restrictions on the use of Skype and Whatsapp.</p>

<p>Secondly, these statements also show that the failure of the monarchy as it is trying to divert the citizens focus from diminishing resources of the kingdom. The end of these resources would be devastating for Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s economy.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Third, these statements are a clear challenge to the religious establishment of the regime. This shows the breaking of the alliance between House of Saud and the clergy, which maintains a stronghold in the Saudi system. The political system of Saudi is based on religious establishment.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Crown Prince is promoting modernisation plans to attract foreign investment and expand the economy beyond oil.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Saudi Arabia?s Crown Prince is promoting modernisation plans to attract foreign investment and expand the economy beyond oil." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Fourth, MBS talking of new age and change looks difficult without a cultural transformation in Saudi. Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s state religion is fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam, Wahhabism, where the Islamic Sharia law is practiced strictly. Infidelity and drug trafficking are punishable with beheading, and women still need to be accompanied by a male guardian. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to grant women driving rights.</p>

<p>His plans guarantee brighter future for Saudi&rsquo;s, as he is promoting modernisation plans to attract foreign investment and expand the economy beyond oil. He has announced unique social and economic reforms after coming to power. His projects provide a forward-looking image which is a game changer for the image of Saudi globally. His statement is very bold for a conservative country like Saudi Arabia where other religious practices are not allowed. Like, for example, churches are banned.</p>

<p>It would be great if he could change the guardianship system&nbsp;where women cannot marry, work, study, open bank account, apply for passport, travel or seek healthcare without the consent of their male guardians. A Saudi woman can never pass on her nationality to her children, who need a visa to enter the kingdom. Then only half of the population of Saudi Arabia can participate in the development of economy freely. Also, his cultural revolution will be successful.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The prince is moving rather too quickly with reforms which might not go too well with the religious establishment within Saudi.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The prince is moving rather too quickly with reforms which might not go too well with the religious establishment within Saudi." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>However, the success of these changes requires stability and security in the region. It will be comfortable in investing only if, there is&nbsp;stability and security in the region. This is only possible if the crisis in Yemen ends and the relations with Qatar resumes. Also, the prince is moving rather too quickly with reforms which might not go too well with the religious establishment within Saudi.</p>

<p>Democracy and citizen rights is a distant dream in this Gulf monarchy. Gender segregation is practiced in many places and women are marginalised in jobs. Monitors, including Amnesty International, says Saudi Arabia has in parallel stepped up its repression of peaceful rights activists. Saudi authorities last month arrested more than 20 activists, including two popular Muslim preachers, without disclosing any charges against them.</p>

<p>In such an environment, new age looks difficult. Changes in Saudi economy must be accompanied by cultural changes. The founding precepts of the country are not working anymore, as Saudi has a young population, maximum under the age of thirty.</p>

<p>Though a lot has changed under MBS and that is giving a modern, liberal image to Saudi Arabia internationally.</p>


Modernisation in Saudi Arabia seems impossible without cultural transformation

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS in a recent Future Investment Summit, held on 24th October in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, launched independent $500bn megacity - with "separate regulation" - along with the Red Sea coastline. It will be run entirely on alternative energy and be an innovation hub for the future. This Future Investment Summit is an international event to attract investors into the kingdom. He issued a statement, “Saudi Arabia would return to a moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world". He further said, "We will end extremism very soon". These statements issued by MBS has a lot of repercussions. Saudi has made moves to change its global image like allowing women to drive. The government has also revoked restrictions on the use of Skype and Whatsapp. × First, this statement is a reflection of his vision and Saudi's vision 2030 - a plan for social and economic reform as the kingdom prepares for a post-oil era. This is part of its attempt to shift from an oil-based economy to a modern one. It will reassure investors that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to diversify its economy beyond oil is on track. In the recent months, Saudi has made moves to change its global image like allowing women to drive. The government has also revoked restrictions on the use of Skype and Whatsapp. Secondly, these statements also show that the failure of the monarchy as it is trying to divert the citizens focus from diminishing resources of the kingdom. The end of these resources would be devastating for Saudi Arabia’s economy. Third, these statements are a clear challenge to the religious establishment of the regime. This shows the breaking of the alliance between House of Saud and the clergy, which maintains a stronghold in the Saudi system. The political system of Saudi is based on religious establishment. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince is promoting modernisation plans to attract foreign investment and expand the economy beyond oil. × Fourth, MBS talking of new age and change looks difficult without a cultural transformation in Saudi. Saudi Arabia’s state religion is fundamentalist form of Sunni Islam, Wahhabism, where the Islamic Sharia law is practiced strictly. Infidelity and drug trafficking are punishable with beheading, and women still need to be accompanied by a male guardian. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to grant women driving rights. His plans guarantee brighter future for Saudi’s, as he is promoting modernisation plans to attract foreign investment and expand the economy beyond oil. He has announced unique social and economic reforms after coming to power. His projects provide a forward-looking image which is a game changer for the image of Saudi globally. His statement is very bold for a conservative country like Saudi Arabia where other religious practices are not allowed. Like, for example, churches are banned. It would be great if he could change the guardianship system where women cannot marry, work, study, open bank account, apply for passport, travel or seek healthcare without the consent of their male guardians. A Saudi woman can never pass on her nationality to her children, who need a visa to enter the kingdom. Then only half of the population of Saudi Arabia can participate in the development of economy freely. Also, his cultural revolution will be successful. The prince is moving rather too quickly with reforms which might not go too well with the religious establishment within Saudi. × However, the success of these changes requires stability and security in the region. It will be comfortable in investing only if, there is stability and security in the region. This is only possible if the crisis in Yemen ends and the relations with Qatar resumes. Also, the prince is moving rather too quickly with reforms which might not go too well with the religious establishment within Saudi. Democracy and citizen rights is a distant dream in this Gulf monarchy. Gender segregation is practiced in many places and women are marginalised in jobs. Monitors, including Amnesty International, says Saudi Arabia has in parallel stepped up its repression of peaceful rights activists. Saudi authorities last month arrested more than 20 activists, including two popular Muslim preachers, without disclosing any charges against them. In such an environment, new age looks difficult. Changes in Saudi economy must be accompanied by cultural changes. The founding precepts of the country are not working anymore, as Saudi has a young population, maximum under the age of thirty. Though a lot has changed under MBS and that is giving a modern, liberal image to Saudi Arabia internationally.

Seeking foreign investment Saudi Arabia may modernise

<p>Saudi Arabia has become the first country to grant citizenship to a robot. The robot, Sophia, was created by&nbsp;David Hanson for Hanson Robotics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News of Sophia&rsquo;s citizenship was disclosed at a summit organised by Hong Kong-based company&nbsp;Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Wednesday.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;It is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship.&quot; Please welcome the newest Saudi: Sophia. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FII2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FII2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/bsv5LmKwlf">pic.twitter.com/bsv5LmKwlf</a></p>
&mdash; CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) <a href="https://twitter.com/CICSaudi/status/923212096552218624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&ldquo;I want to use my artificial intelligence to help humans live a better life,&rdquo;&nbsp;Sophia said.&nbsp;&ldquo;I strive to become an empathetic robot,&rdquo;&nbsp;the robot&nbsp;mentioned at&nbsp;the summit<i>.&nbsp;</i></p>

<p>&nbsp;&quot;Thank you to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am very honoured and proud of this unique distinction. It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship,&quot; Sophia told a panel at the summit after she was informed about her&nbsp;citizenship.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


News of Sophia?s citizenship was announced at the Future Investment Initiative --?'Thinking Machines: Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Robots' in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday

Saudi Arabia has become the first country to grant citizenship to a robot. The robot, Sophia, was created by David Hanson for Hanson Robotics. News of Sophia’s citizenship was disclosed at a summit organised by Hong Kong-based company Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Wednesday. "It is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship." Please welcome the newest Saudi: Sophia. #FII2017 pic.twitter.com/bsv5LmKwlf — CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) October 25, 2017 × “I want to use my artificial intelligence to help humans live a better life,” Sophia said. “I strive to become an empathetic robot,” the robot mentioned at the summit. "Thank you to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am very honoured and proud of this unique distinction. It is historic to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with citizenship," Sophia told a panel at the summit after she was informed about her citizenship.

Saudi Arabia becomes first country to grant citizenship to robot

<p>Scientists have discovered about 400 previously undocumented stone structures known as &#39;Gates&#39; in Saudi Arabia with the help of Google Earth imagery.</p>

<p>While Saudi Arabia is largely thought of as barren mountains and desert, it is&nbsp;also home to an immense number of archaeological sites that are&nbsp;yet to be identified, recorded and mapped, said David Kennedy, researcher at University of Western Australia.</p>

<p>&quot;You can not see them in any intelligible way at the ground level but once you get up a few hundred feet, or even higher through&nbsp;a satellite, they stand out beautifully,&quot; Kennedy said.&nbsp;The structures look like flat field gates from top in the images obtained from Google Earth.</p>

<p>&quot;I refer to them as Gates because when you view them from above they look like a simple field gate lying flat, two upright posts on the sides, connected by one or more long bars,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>They do not look like structures where people would have lived nor do they look like animal traps or for disposing of dead bodies. It is a mystery as to what their purpose would have been, researchers said.</p>

<p>Since 1997, Kennedy has flown in helicopters over Saudi Arabia&#39;s neighbour, Jordan, photographing tens of thousands of stone-built structures scattered over its lava field or &#39;harrat&#39;.</p>

<p>Shapes range from giant circles of stone that may be 400 metres across to kites that may have been used as animal traps, pendants used as funerary monuments, and many more.</p>

<p>Not much is known about the people who built the edifices, but they are thought to have constructed them 2,000 to 9,000 years ago,&nbsp;researchers said.</p>

<p>They are believed to be the ancestors of the modern-day Beduin in the region who describe them collectively as &#39;The Works of Old Men&#39;, they added.</p>


Scientists have discovered about 400 previously undocumented stone structures known as 'Gates' in Saudi Arabia with the help of Google Earth imagery.

Scientists have discovered about 400 previously undocumented stone structures known as 'Gates' in Saudi Arabia with the help of Google Earth imagery. While Saudi Arabia is largely thought of as barren mountains and desert, it is also home to an immense number of archaeological sites that are yet to be identified, recorded and mapped, said David Kennedy, researcher at University of Western Australia. "You can not see them in any intelligible way at the ground level but once you get up a few hundred feet, or even higher through a satellite, they stand out beautifully," Kennedy said. The structures look like flat field gates from top in the images obtained from Google Earth. "I refer to them as Gates because when you view them from above they look like a simple field gate lying flat, two upright posts on the sides, connected by one or more long bars," he said. They do not look like structures where people would have lived nor do they look like animal traps or for disposing of dead bodies. It is a mystery as to what their purpose would have been, researchers said. Since 1997, Kennedy has flown in helicopters over Saudi Arabia's neighbour, Jordan, photographing tens of thousands of stone-built structures scattered over its lava field or 'harrat'. Shapes range from giant circles of stone that may be 400 metres across to kites that may have been used as animal traps, pendants used as funerary monuments, and many more. Not much is known about the people who built the edifices, but they are thought to have constructed them 2,000 to 9,000 years ago, researchers said. They are believed to be the ancestors of the modern-day Beduin in the region who describe them collectively as 'The Works of Old Men', they added.

Hundreds of mysterious stone 'Gates' discovered in Saudi Arabia

<p>A gunman shot dead two Saudi guards and wounded three others at the gate of the royal palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Saturday, the interior ministry said.</p>

<p>Royal guards killed the gunman, identified by the ministry as a 28-year-old Saudi national armed with a Kalashnikov and three grenades.</p>

<p>&quot;An outpost of the royal guard came under fire by a person who got out of a Hyundai car,&quot; the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.</p>

<p>&quot;He was immediately dealt with and his cowardly act also resulted in the martyrdom&quot; of two royal guards, it added.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The US embassy in Saudi Arabia had earlier cautioned its citizens over reports of the attack.</p>

<p>&quot;Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when travelling through the area,&quot; the embassy said in a brief statement.</p>

<p>The warning comes after the Saudi police raided hideouts of a &quot;terror&quot; cell linked to the Islamic State group this week, killing two people and arresting five others, according to the national security agency.</p>

<p>The State Security Agency said police raided three hideouts in the capital Riyadh and exchanged gunfire at one of them, the SPA news agency reported on Thursday.</p>

<p>Since late 2014, IS has claimed a series of bombings and shootings against Shiites and security forces in the Sunni-majority kingdom.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led international coalition that has been battling the Sunni extremist group in Syria and Iraq.</p>


The gunman has been identified as a 28-year-old Saudi national armed with a Kalashnikov and three grenades

A gunman shot dead two Saudi guards and wounded three others at the gate of the royal palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on Saturday, the interior ministry said. Royal guards killed the gunman, identified by the ministry as a 28-year-old Saudi national armed with a Kalashnikov and three grenades. "An outpost of the royal guard came under fire by a person who got out of a Hyundai car," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. "He was immediately dealt with and his cowardly act also resulted in the martyrdom" of two royal guards, it added. The US embassy in Saudi Arabia had earlier cautioned its citizens over reports of the attack. "Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when travelling through the area," the embassy said in a brief statement. The warning comes after the Saudi police raided hideouts of a "terror" cell linked to the Islamic State group this week, killing two people and arresting five others, according to the national security agency. The State Security Agency said police raided three hideouts in the capital Riyadh and exchanged gunfire at one of them, the SPA news agency reported on Thursday. Since late 2014, IS has claimed a series of bombings and shootings against Shiites and security forces in the Sunni-majority kingdom. Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led international coalition that has been battling the Sunni extremist group in Syria and Iraq.

Gunman kills two guards at Saudi royal palace

<p>In an unexpected move that surprised everyone, including his own people, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has suddenly passed a royal decree, allowing women to drive. His stunning decision comes after years of the ban, which was justified using Islam as a pretext.</p>

<p>The Council of Senior Religious Scholars, which is close to the royal family and is crucial for shoring up its legitimacy, seems to have strongly supported the move, stressing that the decision was in the interest of Saudi society &ndash; this despite the fact these same religious leaders have opposed women&rsquo;s right to drive for decades, accusing any women who dare to take the wheel of having lost their virginity and integrity. Similarly, the official Saudi media portrayed the decree as a historic step &ndash; but presented it as a favour or a royal benevolence boosted upon women, not a legitimate right long overdue.</p>

<p>Despite the noise that accompanied the decree, this move is not some bold initiative to present a new religious interpretation of the issue. Theologically speaking, the ban has no basis in the Quran or Hadith, and should never have been imposed in the first place. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the region that banned women from driving cars, and its claims to religious and cultural legitimacy were baseless. The denial of this basic right was not only blatantly against the precepts of Islam, but has tainted the name of Islam in a country that flatters itself as the defender of the true faith.</p>

<p>So there are plenty of questions to answer. Why exactly was the decree finally issued &ndash; and why now? Is Saudi society ready to accept it? And what will be the social, political and religious implications at home and across the Middle East?</p>

<p><strong>Out of nowhere?</strong></p>

<p>It seems the decree was not previously discussed as a serious possibility, and there was no consultation or input from various sections of Saudi society. We also know that only a year ago, when the king&rsquo;s son Muhammad Bin Salman was asked about the possibility of lifting the ban, he replied&nbsp;that Saudi society was not yet ready to accept such a transformation.</p>

<p>Few stated that the decision came as a natural consequence of the gradual reform policy adopted by the previous king, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz&ndash; who allowed women to take part in the recent municipal elections and have some form of representation for the first time in the history of the kingdom.</p>

<p>But others saw the decision as a ploy to assert political authority over the religious establishment that has dominated the kingdom&rsquo;s politics for years. This is especially relevant given the aforementioned Muhammad bin Salman is predicted to imminently take over the kingdom from his frail, ill father.</p>

<p>In fact, a lot of Saudis believe that he is the prime mover behind the decision. He has already set out his plans for the kingdom under the brand Vision 2030 and is being presented as a king-in-waiting who will set the country on the road to modernity and civil liberty.</p>

<p><strong>In a pinch</strong></p>

<p>While the decree is a step in the right direction, many in the region and beyond believe that the decision is pure tokenism. Saudi women might now have the right to use a car, but they still don&rsquo;t have full employment rights and cannot travel without permission from a male guardian. They cannot pass their Saudi nationality to their children if they aren&rsquo;t married to a Saudi citizen, and still face the same restrictive code of female behaviour imposed on them by a patriarchal interpretation of the Islamic texts.</p>

<p>Ultimately, this is less an earnest emancipatory gesture than a useful political play, a distraction from the difficult situation into which the kingdom has lately fallen. Its reckless and erratic policies in Syria and Libya have isolated Saudi Arabia and called its credibility as regional hegemon into question &ndash; while its military coalition in Yemen faces mounting accusations of crimes committed during war.</p>

<p>The Saudi government&rsquo;s recent boycott of Qatar came with a heavy-handed crackdown on Saudi academics, human rights activists and moderate religious scholars (such as <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/7375dd7c-9796-11e7-b83c-9588e51488a0">Salman al-Ouda</a>, who not long ago advocated for ending the driving ban) who voiced opposition. The spectacle of critics being arrested and detained without compunction raised fears of a social and political backlash that could engulf both the kingdom and the region.</p>

<p><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84809/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />This is the real context for the decision to lift the ban. The question now is whether Saudi society, still very conservative and sensitive about women&rsquo;s issues, will accept or reject the change. For now, the biggest losers are undoubtedly Saudi religious scholars &ndash; legitimacy will now be questioned by millions of Muslims in the kingdom and beyond.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/saudi-decree-allowing-women-to-drive-cars-is-about-politics-not-religion-84809">original article</a>.</p>


Theologically speaking, the ban has no basis in the Quran or Hadith, and should never have been imposed in the first place.

In an unexpected move that surprised everyone, including his own people, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has suddenly passed a royal decree, allowing women to drive. His stunning decision comes after years of the ban, which was justified using Islam as a pretext. The Council of Senior Religious Scholars, which is close to the royal family and is crucial for shoring up its legitimacy, seems to have strongly supported the move, stressing that the decision was in the interest of Saudi society – this despite the fact these same religious leaders have opposed women’s right to drive for decades, accusing any women who dare to take the wheel of having lost their virginity and integrity. Similarly, the official Saudi media portrayed the decree as a historic step – but presented it as a favour or a royal benevolence boosted upon women, not a legitimate right long overdue. Despite the noise that accompanied the decree, this move is not some bold initiative to present a new religious interpretation of the issue. Theologically speaking, the ban has no basis in the Quran or Hadith, and should never have been imposed in the first place. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the region that banned women from driving cars, and its claims to religious and cultural legitimacy were baseless. The denial of this basic right was not only blatantly against the precepts of Islam, but has tainted the name of Islam in a country that flatters itself as the defender of the true faith. So there are plenty of questions to answer. Why exactly was the decree finally issued – and why now? Is Saudi society ready to accept it? And what will be the social, political and religious implications at home and across the Middle East? Out of nowhere? It seems the decree was not previously discussed as a serious possibility, and there was no consultation or input from various sections of Saudi society. We also know that only a year ago, when the king’s son Muhammad Bin Salman was asked about the possibility of lifting the ban, he replied that Saudi society was not yet ready to accept such a transformation. Few stated that the decision came as a natural consequence of the gradual reform policy adopted by the previous king, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz– who allowed women to take part in the recent municipal elections and have some form of representation for the first time in the history of the kingdom. But others saw the decision as a ploy to assert political authority over the religious establishment that has dominated the kingdom’s politics for years. This is especially relevant given the aforementioned Muhammad bin Salman is predicted to imminently take over the kingdom from his frail, ill father. In fact, a lot of Saudis believe that he is the prime mover behind the decision. He has already set out his plans for the kingdom under the brand Vision 2030 and is being presented as a king-in-waiting who will set the country on the road to modernity and civil liberty. In a pinch While the decree is a step in the right direction, many in the region and beyond believe that the decision is pure tokenism. Saudi women might now have the right to use a car, but they still don’t have full employment rights and cannot travel without permission from a male guardian. They cannot pass their Saudi nationality to their children if they aren’t married to a Saudi citizen, and still face the same restrictive code of female behaviour imposed on them by a patriarchal interpretation of the Islamic texts. Ultimately, this is less an earnest emancipatory gesture than a useful political play, a distraction from the difficult situation into which the kingdom has lately fallen. Its reckless and erratic policies in Syria and Libya have isolated Saudi Arabia and called its credibility as regional hegemon into question – while its military coalition in Yemen faces mounting accusations of crimes committed during war. The Saudi government’s recent boycott of Qatar came with a heavy-handed crackdown on Saudi academics, human rights activists and moderate religious scholars (such as Salman al-Ouda, who not long ago advocated for ending the driving ban) who voiced opposition. The spectacle of critics being arrested and detained without compunction raised fears of a social and political backlash that could engulf both the kingdom and the region. This is the real context for the decision to lift the ban. The question now is whether Saudi society, still very conservative and sensitive about women’s issues, will accept or reject the change. For now, the biggest losers are undoubtedly Saudi religious scholars – legitimacy will now be questioned by millions of Muslims in the kingdom and beyond. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Allowing women to drive cars is about politics, not religion

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-set-to-lift-ban-on-internet-calls-20440">&nbsp;The&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;government is&nbsp;lifting&nbsp;a&nbsp;ban&nbsp;on&nbsp;calls&nbsp;</a>made through online apps on Thursday but will monitor and&nbsp;censor&nbsp;them, a government spokesman said.</p>

<p>All online voice and video call services - such as Microsoft&#39;s&nbsp;Skype, Facebook&#39;s&nbsp;WhatsApp&nbsp;and Messenger, and Rakuten&#39;s Viber - that satisfy regulatory requirements were set to become accessible overnight.</p>

<p>However, on Thursday morning, Viber appeared to remain blocked inside the kingdom, and WhatsApp&nbsp;worked only when connected to a wireless network.</p>

<p>Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for telecoms regulator CITC, said on Arabiya TV on Wednesday that new regulations were aimed mainly at protecting users&#39; personal information and blocking content that violated the kingdom&#39;s laws.</p>

<p>Asked if the apps could be monitored by the authorities or companies, he said: &quot;Under no circumstances can the user use an application for video or voice calling without monitoring and censorship by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, whether the application is global or local.&quot;</p>

<p>It was unclear how the authorities can monitor apps such as&nbsp;WhatsApp, which says its messages are supported by end-to-end encryption, meaning the company cannot read customers&#39; messages even if approached by law enforcement agencies.</p>

<p>Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, which introduced blocks to internet communications from 2013, has along with its Gulf Arab neighbours been wary that such services could be used by activists and militants.</p>

<p>Gulf Arab states, except the island kingdom of Bahrain, were mostly spared the &quot;Arab Spring&quot; mass protests often organised over the Internet that roiled much of the region in 2011.</p>

<p>Lifting&nbsp;the&nbsp;ban&nbsp;represents part of the&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;government&#39;s broad reforms to diversify the economy partly in response to low oil prices, which have hit the country&rsquo;s finances.</p>

<p>Yet the policy reversal could squeeze&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&#39;s three main telecoms operators -&nbsp;SaudiTelecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;- which earn revenue from international phone&nbsp;calls&nbsp;made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom.</p>


All online voice and video call services - such as Microsoft's?Skype, Facebook's?WhatsApp?and Messenger, and Rakuten's Viber - that satisfy regulatory requirements were set to become accessible overnight.

The Saudi government is lifting a ban on calls made through online apps on Thursday but will monitor and censor them, a government spokesman said. All online voice and video call services - such as Microsoft's Skype, Facebook's WhatsApp and Messenger, and Rakuten's Viber - that satisfy regulatory requirements were set to become accessible overnight. However, on Thursday morning, Viber appeared to remain blocked inside the kingdom, and WhatsApp worked only when connected to a wireless network. Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for telecoms regulator CITC, said on Arabiya TV on Wednesday that new regulations were aimed mainly at protecting users' personal information and blocking content that violated the kingdom's laws. Asked if the apps could be monitored by the authorities or companies, he said: "Under no circumstances can the user use an application for video or voice calling without monitoring and censorship by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, whether the application is global or local." It was unclear how the authorities can monitor apps such as WhatsApp, which says its messages are supported by end-to-end encryption, meaning the company cannot read customers' messages even if approached by law enforcement agencies. Saudi Arabia, which introduced blocks to internet communications from 2013, has along with its Gulf Arab neighbours been wary that such services could be used by activists and militants. Gulf Arab states, except the island kingdom of Bahrain, were mostly spared the "Arab Spring" mass protests often organised over the Internet that roiled much of the region in 2011. Lifting the ban represents part of the Saudi government's broad reforms to diversify the economy partly in response to low oil prices, which have hit the country’s finances. Yet the policy reversal could squeeze Saudi Arabia's three main telecoms operators - SaudiTelecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain Saudi - which earn revenue from international phone calls made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom.

Saudi lifting ban on Skype, WhatsApp calls, but will censor them

<p>Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&nbsp;will remove its&nbsp;ban&nbsp;on&nbsp;internet&nbsp;phone&nbsp;calls&nbsp;on Thursday, a government spokesman said, in a bid to stimulate online business as the kingdom looks to boost non-oil revenue.</p>

<p>All online voice and video call services such as Microsoft&#39;s Skype and Facebook&#39;s WhatsApp that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (2100 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;lifting of the&nbsp;ban&nbsp;could pinch&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&#39;s three main telecoms operators -&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Telecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;- which earn substantial revenue from international phone and text&nbsp;calls&nbsp;made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom.</p>

<p>The policy reversal comes as part of the government&#39;s broad reform programme to diversify revenue sources as oil prices have hit the finances of the world&#39;s top exporter.</p>

<p>&quot;Digital transformation is one of the key kick-starters for the&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;economy, as it will incentivize the growth of&nbsp;internet-based businesses, especially in the media and entertainment industries,&quot; a separate statement from the information ministry said.</p>

<p>&quot;Access to VoIP (voice over&nbsp;internet&nbsp;protocol) will reduce operational costs and spur digital entrepreneurship &ndash; that&#39;s why it is such an important step in the Kingdom&#39;s&nbsp;internet&nbsp;regulation,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>The kingdom and its Gulf Arab neighbours have been concerned by the use of secure&nbsp;internet communication - which experts say is harder to monitor - especially by activists and militants.</p>

<p>Gulf Arab states, except the island kingdom of Bahrain, were mostly spared the &quot;Arab Spring&quot; mass protests often organised over the&nbsp;Internet&nbsp;which roiled much of the region in 2011.</p>

<p>They avoided the civil wars which largely followed but face deadly bombing attacks by Islamic State and militancy by fringes of their Shi&#39;ite Muslim populations they say is fuelled by Iran.</p>

<p>The authorities will continue to regulate the&nbsp;Internet&nbsp;in order to restrict content that violates the kingdom&#39;s laws such as extremist material, pornography and gambling sites, the information ministry added.</p>


All online voice and video call services such as Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's WhatsApp that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (2100 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia will remove its ban on internet phone calls on Thursday, a government spokesman said, in a bid to stimulate online business as the kingdom looks to boost non-oil revenue. All online voice and video call services such as Microsoft's Skype and Facebook's WhatsApp that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (2100 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday. The lifting of the ban could pinch Saudi Arabia's three main telecoms operators - Saudi Telecom Co (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) and Zain Saudi - which earn substantial revenue from international phone and text calls made by the millions of expatriates living in the kingdom. The policy reversal comes as part of the government's broad reform programme to diversify revenue sources as oil prices have hit the finances of the world's top exporter. "Digital transformation is one of the key kick-starters for the Saudi economy, as it will incentivize the growth of internet-based businesses, especially in the media and entertainment industries," a separate statement from the information ministry said. "Access to VoIP (voice over internet protocol) will reduce operational costs and spur digital entrepreneurship – that's why it is such an important step in the Kingdom's internet regulation," it said. The kingdom and its Gulf Arab neighbours have been concerned by the use of secure internet communication - which experts say is harder to monitor - especially by activists and militants. Gulf Arab states, except the island kingdom of Bahrain, were mostly spared the "Arab Spring" mass protests often organised over the Internet which roiled much of the region in 2011. They avoided the civil wars which largely followed but face deadly bombing attacks by Islamic State and militancy by fringes of their Shi'ite Muslim populations they say is fuelled by Iran. The authorities will continue to regulate the Internet in order to restrict content that violates the kingdom's laws such as extremist material, pornography and gambling sites, the information ministry added.

Saudi Arabia set to lift ban on internet calls

<p>Global image messaging service Snapchat has scrubbed Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia at the request of Saudi authorities, the company said on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate,&quot; a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The request to block Al Jazeera&#39;s Snapchat presence in the kingdom was made before the weekend, the company told AFP.</p>

<p>According to Snap Inc., the Saudi ministry of culture and information found Al Jazeera&#39;s Discover Publisher Story channel to be in violation of local laws.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5 in the region&#39;s worst diplomatic crisis in years.</p>

<p>They sealed the emirate&#39;s only land border, ordered its citizens to leave and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping.</p>

<p>They also demanded that it close broadcasting giant Al-Jazeera.</p>

<p>Until now, Al Jazeera&#39;s Snapchat channel can still be viewed in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia, with its bulging youth population, is among the world&#39;s top users of social media per capita. The internet represents a limited space for freedom of expression in the conservative kingdom.</p>


"We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said.?

Global image messaging service Snapchat has scrubbed Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera from its app in Saudi Arabia at the request of Saudi authorities, the company said on Monday. "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," a spokesman for parent company Snap Inc. said. The request to block Al Jazeera's Snapchat presence in the kingdom was made before the weekend, the company told AFP. According to Snap Inc., the Saudi ministry of culture and information found Al Jazeera's Discover Publisher Story channel to be in violation of local laws. Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have been boycotting Qatar since June 5 in the region's worst diplomatic crisis in years. They sealed the emirate's only land border, ordered its citizens to leave and closed their airspace and waters to Qatari flights and shipping. They also demanded that it close broadcasting giant Al-Jazeera. Until now, Al Jazeera's Snapchat channel can still be viewed in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Saudi Arabia, with its bulging youth population, is among the world's top users of social media per capita. The internet represents a limited space for freedom of expression in the conservative kingdom.

Snapchat scrubs Al-Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

<p>Invoking history in the everyday politics of a post-colonial state is an insane thing to do. On almost every occasion it is done, the objective is to create or expand fissures among communities for mean gains. Manipulators interpret history partially or irrationally.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s an absurd thing to live in the past, ignoring the realities and the established universal values of today. Unfortunately, all these negatives are being manifested in present day&rsquo;s Myanmar and especially in its western Rakhine State, which is also known as Arakan, in the form of an utterly irrational citizenship rule created by 1960s military dictator.</p>

<p>The Myanmar citizenship rule is in complete contrast with all international norms and conventions of the citizenship. And this citizenship rule makes an unprecedented cut off line that needs to date back to the 19th century as the criterion for citizenship, turning most Rohingya ethnic people of Rakhine State illegal immigrant.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>The Myanmar citizenship rule is in complete contrast with all international norms and conventions of the citizenship.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The Myanmar citizenship rule is in complete contrast with all international norms and conventions of the citizenship." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Now, Rohingyas are fleeing Arakan again like the seventies. Already about half of their close to 3 million population are refugees in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Indonesia from the past exodus. The poor civilians of this highly persecuted and discriminated community are again on the run following the crack down on them by the Myanmar army. Accused of indulging in acts of political militancy by some elements of this desperate community, the usual Myanmar over reaction is brutal and cruel.</p>

<p>However, to understand the context of the crisis, it is imperative to revisit a bit of history and geography. Arakan rather has more geographical contiguity with Chittagong of Bangladesh in the north than the Bamar (the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar who constitute about 66 per cent&nbsp;of the country&rsquo;s population)&nbsp;hinterland in southern and central Myanmar. Rakhine State is a coastal province, elongated like a tail from north to south. The state is separated from rest of Myanmar by Arakan Mountains located on the east of the state. The mountains also run parallel from north to south to the coastal plains of the state.</p>

<p>There are two major ethnic groups living in Arakan. One is the Rakhine, after whom the state is named, and the other is the Rohingya. The Rakhine are culturally and linguistically close to the Bamar and Rohingya to the Bengali. Racially also, these two ethnicities are different. Rakhines are Mongoloid, Rohingyas are Caucasoid &ndash; Austro Asiatic mixed like most people of the eastern part of Indian sub- continent.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Separatist armed movements were waged by the Rohingyas in northern Arakan in the 1950s and 1960s which Burmese army quelled with brute force.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Separatist armed movements were waged by the Rohingyas in northern Arakan in the 1950s and 1960s which Burmese army quelled with brute force. " target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Historically, both the people lived and&nbsp;moved freely around this Chittagong-Arakan coastal plains and adjacent hills. There are about 200000 Rakhines too in the Chittagong Hill District of Bandarban and some in the southern Bangladeshi district of Patuakhali. Rakhines are also known as Mogh or Marma in Bangladesh. For the most part of the history, there were independent Mogh/ Rakhine kingdoms in Arakan which sometimes expanded up to Chittagong. There were early Bengali/ Rohingya courtiers and royal poets in Arakan courts. In the 18th century, forces of Bamar kingdoms crossed Arakan mountains, invaded and annexed Arakan. But it didn&rsquo;t last long as within a few decades the British gained Arakan and later the entire Burma and kept Arakan annexed to its Burmese dominion.</p>

<p>During British period there was a wave of Bengalis moving into Arakan for work, and under British patronage, they merged with old Rohingyas.&nbsp;In the World War II, the Rohingyas sided with the British whereas the Rakhines generally sided with the Japanese. Around the time of independence of Burma, there were communal tensions and riots between Rohingyas and Rakhines. Rohingyas wanted the Muslim majority of northern Arakan which had the border with Chittagong to merge with East Pakistan. Separatist armed movements were waged by the Rohingyas in northern Arakan in the 1950s and 1960s which Burmese army quelled with brute force. The same happened in the 1970s which met the same fate. The armed movement found resurgence since the 1990s and some elements are still continuing that.</p>

<p>Interestingly, there were separatist movements&nbsp;from the Rakhine side also against the Burmese. At least two groups operated in the 1960s and 1970s and some remnants still exist although at the marginal level. Burma or the present Myanmar is ethnically quite diverse a country. There are several dozens of ethnic groups other than the dominant Bamars. Some of these ethnicities are sizable and they form a majority in their own areas e.g. Kachin, Karen Shan etc. A long military rule, hegemony of the Bamar community and lack of channels for political expressions have led to the&nbsp;number of armed separatist movements in Myanmar many of which still persists. &nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>A long military rule, hegemony of the Bamar community and lack of channels for political expressions have led to the&nbsp;number of armed separatist movements in Myanmar.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A long military rule, hegemony of the Bamar community and lack of channels for political expressions have led to the?number of armed separatist movements in Myanmar." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>For the most part of its post-colonial history, Myanmar leadership has been self-secluded, secretive and regressive. Like the Pakistani army, Myanmar army captured the polity of the country right after its independence and continued to be at the helm till date. They haven&rsquo;t allowed much modern liberals thoughts of rights, democracy or institutions to enter their domain of imposed nominal socialism. Inside, they kept the Burmese society orthodox,&nbsp;stagnant and economically under developed.</p>

<p>The Buddhist monks of Myanmar, like their Sri Lankan counter parts, espouse a kind of religious nationalism. They are quite aggressive and violence-inciting and receives patronage from Myanmar army and political forces. It&rsquo;s a huge irony in light of fundamental non-violent tenets of Buddhism. The difference between Myanmar and other nations of south Asia is quite stark. Myanmar expelled its sizable Indian population right after its independence. It also had anti-Muslim turned anti-South Asian riots in the central part of it in recent past.</p>

<p>Aung San Suu Kyi, after decades of struggle, has only attained a limited political power. And despite the criticism of her in the Rohingya episode for remaining silent, it has to be understood that Suu Kyi&#39;s hands are actually tied. The Myanmar army has clearly taken the side of the Rakhine, who are ethnically and communally close to the Bamars, and they won&rsquo;t allow Suu Kyi much leeway in this. However, Suu Khi should at least have taken a middle stand and put some indirect pressure on the military. Then the international community could have done more.</p>

<p>The Rohingyas are politically quite disorganised and the high degree of persecution has suppressed their natural political expressions. Due to this oppression, some Islamist militants have found their way into this community. And that, in turn, has become more of a reason for the Myanmar army to conduct heavy handed crack down at the cost of high civilian causality.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Despite the criticism of her in the Rohingya episode for remaining silent, it has to be understood that Suu Kyi&#39;s hands are actually tied.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Despite the criticism of her in the Rohingya episode for remaining silent, it has to be understood that Suu Kyi's hands are actually tied. " target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Geopolitically, it seems no country is interested to do much for the Rohingyas as yet. Bangladesh doesn&#39;t have enough strength to do much on its own- be it diplomatic or military.&nbsp;Bangladesh has close relations with China, but China has even closer relations with Myanmar. Despite the overt bonhomie with Hasina government, the BJP government&nbsp;in India has hardly any empathy towards Muslim sufferings anywhere in the world. Nehruvian principle based foreign policy is a thing of past for India.</p>

<p>The foreign policy is now narrow nationalistic interest based and the current Indian government&nbsp;will easily sacrifice Rohingyas for a little strategic leverage with Myanmar. The Indian government has already declared that it will deport the 40 thousand Rohingyas from neighbouring Myanmar, about 0.33 or one-thirtieths of the entire Rohingya refugee and that too against its own home ministry policy of giving shelter to persecuted communities and defying UNHCR measures.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Apart from Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken in sizable numbers of Rohingya refugees and Turkey is quite vocal against Myanmar atrocities against Rohingyas. But the Islamic world itself is in chaos and Islamic solidarity is in decline.&nbsp;Trump&rsquo;s US is no more reliable for anything good and many will probably count only on the EU and UK in the west on this matter. UN has been the lone consistent international voice for these distressed people. ASEAN countries certainly have some influence on Myanmar although not as much as China.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Bengalis are culturally close to the Rohingyas, and there is internal pressure on Bangladesh government to do something, but the government&nbsp;as of now has been careful not to antagonise Myanmar despite the atrocities and tried to solve the matter bilaterally with very limited success.&nbsp;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Bengalis are culturally close to the Rohingyas, and there is internal pressure on Bangladesh government to do something, but the government?as of now has been careful not to antagonise Myanmar despite the atrocities and tried to solve the matter bilaterally with very limited success.?" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Bangladesh is in a difficult dilemma at this point. Bengalis are culturally close to the Rohingyas, and there is internal pressure on Bangladesh government to do something, but the government&nbsp;as of now has been careful not to antagonise Myanmar despite the atrocities and tried to solve the matter bilaterally with very limited success.&nbsp;It seems now that only a Bangladesh, Turkey, Saudi Arabia led diplomatic drive including measures like sanctions on Myanmar, if necessary, and with help from ASEAN countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and perhaps the EU and UN is the only way forward. Bangladesh has to be careful while taking the help of the Islamic world in not giving in to any demand of Islamic radicals to operate in Arakan from its soil. That can have serious ramifications for Bangladesh, Arakan and even the entire sub-region.</p>

<p>But the big question is to what extent these countries will be ready to coordinate with each other and invest in this crisis? Can China be pressurised substantially to put pressure on Myanmar in turn? As of now, it appears that there isn&rsquo;t&nbsp;much hope for the destitute and internationally abandoned Rohingyas - the most persecuted community in the world as declared by the UN. Humanity continues to be humiliated in that wretched land.</p>


There isn?t?much hope for the destitute and internationally abandoned Rohingyas - the most persecuted community in the world as declared by the UN.

Invoking history in the everyday politics of a post-colonial state is an insane thing to do. On almost every occasion it is done, the objective is to create or expand fissures among communities for mean gains. Manipulators interpret history partially or irrationally. It’s an absurd thing to live in the past, ignoring the realities and the established universal values of today. Unfortunately, all these negatives are being manifested in present day’s Myanmar and especially in its western Rakhine State, which is also known as Arakan, in the form of an utterly irrational citizenship rule created by 1960s military dictator. The Myanmar citizenship rule is in complete contrast with all international norms and conventions of the citizenship. And this citizenship rule makes an unprecedented cut off line that needs to date back to the 19th century as the criterion for citizenship, turning most Rohingya ethnic people of Rakhine State illegal immigrant. The Myanmar citizenship rule is in complete contrast with all international norms and conventions of the citizenship. × Now, Rohingyas are fleeing Arakan again like the seventies. Already about half of their close to 3 million population are refugees in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Indonesia from the past exodus. The poor civilians of this highly persecuted and discriminated community are again on the run following the crack down on them by the Myanmar army. Accused of indulging in acts of political militancy by some elements of this desperate community, the usual Myanmar over reaction is brutal and cruel. However, to understand the context of the crisis, it is imperative to revisit a bit of history and geography. Arakan rather has more geographical contiguity with Chittagong of Bangladesh in the north than the Bamar (the dominant ethnic group in Myanmar who constitute about 66 per cent of the country’s population) hinterland in southern and central Myanmar. Rakhine State is a coastal province, elongated like a tail from north to south. The state is separated from rest of Myanmar by Arakan Mountains located on the east of the state. The mountains also run parallel from north to south to the coastal plains of the state. There are two major ethnic groups living in Arakan. One is the Rakhine, after whom the state is named, and the other is the Rohingya. The Rakhine are culturally and linguistically close to the Bamar and Rohingya to the Bengali. Racially also, these two ethnicities are different. Rakhines are Mongoloid, Rohingyas are Caucasoid – Austro Asiatic mixed like most people of the eastern part of Indian sub- continent. Separatist armed movements were waged by the Rohingyas in northern Arakan in the 1950s and 1960s which Burmese army quelled with brute force. × Historically, both the people lived and moved freely around this Chittagong-Arakan coastal plains and adjacent hills. There are about 200000 Rakhines too in the Chittagong Hill District of Bandarban and some in the southern Bangladeshi district of Patuakhali. Rakhines are also known as Mogh or Marma in Bangladesh. For the most part of the history, there were independent Mogh/ Rakhine kingdoms in Arakan which sometimes expanded up to Chittagong. There were early Bengali/ Rohingya courtiers and royal poets in Arakan courts. In the 18th century, forces of Bamar kingdoms crossed Arakan mountains, invaded and annexed Arakan. But it didn’t last long as within a few decades the British gained Arakan and later the entire Burma and kept Arakan annexed to its Burmese dominion. During British period there was a wave of Bengalis moving into Arakan for work, and under British patronage, they merged with old Rohingyas. In the World War II, the Rohingyas sided with the British whereas the Rakhines generally sided with the Japanese. Around the time of independence of Burma, there were communal tensions and riots between Rohingyas and Rakhines. Rohingyas wanted the Muslim majority of northern Arakan which had the border with Chittagong to merge with East Pakistan. Separatist armed movements were waged by the Rohingyas in northern Arakan in the 1950s and 1960s which Burmese army quelled with brute force. The same happened in the 1970s which met the same fate. The armed movement found resurgence since the 1990s and some elements are still continuing that. Interestingly, there were separatist movements from the Rakhine side also against the Burmese. At least two groups operated in the 1960s and 1970s and some remnants still exist although at the marginal level. Burma or the present Myanmar is ethnically quite diverse a country. There are several dozens of ethnic groups other than the dominant Bamars. Some of these ethnicities are sizable and they form a majority in their own areas e.g. Kachin, Karen Shan etc. A long military rule, hegemony of the Bamar community and lack of channels for political expressions have led to the number of armed separatist movements in Myanmar many of which still persists. A long military rule, hegemony of the Bamar community and lack of channels for political expressions have led to the number of armed separatist movements in Myanmar. × For the most part of its post-colonial history, Myanmar leadership has been self-secluded, secretive and regressive. Like the Pakistani army, Myanmar army captured the polity of the country right after its independence and continued to be at the helm till date. They haven’t allowed much modern liberals thoughts of rights, democracy or institutions to enter their domain of imposed nominal socialism. Inside, they kept the Burmese society orthodox, stagnant and economically under developed. The Buddhist monks of Myanmar, like their Sri Lankan counter parts, espouse a kind of religious nationalism. They are quite aggressive and violence-inciting and receives patronage from Myanmar army and political forces. It’s a huge irony in light of fundamental non-violent tenets of Buddhism. The difference between Myanmar and other nations of south Asia is quite stark. Myanmar expelled its sizable Indian population right after its independence. It also had anti-Muslim turned anti-South Asian riots in the central part of it in recent past. Aung San Suu Kyi, after decades of struggle, has only attained a limited political power. And despite the criticism of her in the Rohingya episode for remaining silent, it has to be understood that Suu Kyi's hands are actually tied. The Myanmar army has clearly taken the side of the Rakhine, who are ethnically and communally close to the Bamars, and they won’t allow Suu Kyi much leeway in this. However, Suu Khi should at least have taken a middle stand and put some indirect pressure on the military. Then the international community could have done more. The Rohingyas are politically quite disorganised and the high degree of persecution has suppressed their natural political expressions. Due to this oppression, some Islamist militants have found their way into this community. And that, in turn, has become more of a reason for the Myanmar army to conduct heavy handed crack down at the cost of high civilian causality. Despite the criticism of her in the Rohingya episode for remaining silent, it has to be understood that Suu Kyi's hands are actually tied. × Geopolitically, it seems no country is interested to do much for the Rohingyas as yet. Bangladesh doesn't have enough strength to do much on its own- be it diplomatic or military. Bangladesh has close relations with China, but China has even closer relations with Myanmar. Despite the overt bonhomie with Hasina government, the BJP government in India has hardly any empathy towards Muslim sufferings anywhere in the world. Nehruvian principle based foreign policy is a thing of past for India. The foreign policy is now narrow nationalistic interest based and the current Indian government will easily sacrifice Rohingyas for a little strategic leverage with Myanmar. The Indian government has already declared that it will deport the 40 thousand Rohingyas from neighbouring Myanmar, about 0.33 or one-thirtieths of the entire Rohingya refugee and that too against its own home ministry policy of giving shelter to persecuted communities and defying UNHCR measures. Apart from Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken in sizable numbers of Rohingya refugees and Turkey is quite vocal against Myanmar atrocities against Rohingyas. But the Islamic world itself is in chaos and Islamic solidarity is in decline. Trump’s US is no more reliable for anything good and many will probably count only on the EU and UK in the west on this matter. UN has been the lone consistent international voice for these distressed people. ASEAN countries certainly have some influence on Myanmar although not as much as China. Bengalis are culturally close to the Rohingyas, and there is internal pressure on Bangladesh government to do something, but the government as of now has been careful not to antagonise Myanmar despite the atrocities and tried to solve the matter bilaterally with very limited success. × Bangladesh is in a difficult dilemma at this point. Bengalis are culturally close to the Rohingyas, and there is internal pressure on Bangladesh government to do something, but the government as of now has been careful not to antagonise Myanmar despite the atrocities and tried to solve the matter bilaterally with very limited success. It seems now that only a Bangladesh, Turkey, Saudi Arabia led diplomatic drive including measures like sanctions on Myanmar, if necessary, and with help from ASEAN countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and perhaps the EU and UN is the only way forward. Bangladesh has to be careful while taking the help of the Islamic world in not giving in to any demand of Islamic radicals to operate in Arakan from its soil. That can have serious ramifications for Bangladesh, Arakan and even the entire sub-region. But the big question is to what extent these countries will be ready to coordinate with each other and invest in this crisis? Can China be pressurised substantially to put pressure on Myanmar in turn? As of now, it appears that there isn’t much hope for the destitute and internationally abandoned Rohingyas - the most persecuted community in the world as declared by the UN. Humanity continues to be humiliated in that wretched land.

No country for a Rohingya

<p>As this year&rsquo;s hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, draws to a close on Monday. As pilgrims from across the Muslim world begin their journeys back to their home countries, friends, relatives, and fellow countrymen in India and elsewhere can all breathe a sigh of relief. This year&rsquo;s hajj will have concluded with no major loss of life. This is no minor feat.</p>

<p>Every year Saudi Arabia hosts over 2 million pilgrims. And each year, the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars, deploying a small army of medical professionals, traffic experts, and security assets to manage what is easily the world&rsquo;s largest gathering and, arguably, its most ambitious and successful experiment in public health and crowd control.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>The twin tragedies of 2015&rsquo;s hajj season, a construction collapse at the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca and the horrific stampede at the Jamrat Bridge, where perhaps as many as 2,400 were trampled to death, represent major setbacks in an otherwise stellar record of progress. In recent years, Muslims and international observers have become accustomed to a seemingly never-ending string of hajj-related panics ranging from SARS and Swine Flu to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola.</p>

<p>In reality, however, each of these panics has turned out to be non-events. Vaccinations now required in order to obtain pilgrimage visas have decreased the risk of hajj-related meningitis, polio, and yellow fever infections. And setting aside 2015&rsquo;s terrible loss of life, in living memory, the hajj has been remarkably free of catastrophic casualties. Thus, while many have justifiably complained about the tragic events of 2015 or even the wholesale bulldozing and redevelopment of Mecca, making way for gaudy towers, shopping malls, and luxury hotels, to be fair, there is also much to be praised.</p>

<p>To better understand the Saudi monarchy&rsquo;s record of hosting the hajj, we need only to compare it to the colonial-era pilgrimage that they inherited. From the 1860s until even after India and Pakistan gained their independence from the British Empire in 1947, Indian pilgrims endured nearly a century of hajj-related tragedies and scandals. While the advent of industrial steam shipping increased oceanic travel and global commerce, it also had the unintended consequence of globalising epidemic cholera. British steam enabled cholera to leap beyond its previous endemic range in the Ganges Delta.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Freed from the rhythms of sailing with the monsoon cycle, the costs of transport and the length of passage for Indian Ocean pilgrims were reduced drastically. While previous generations of pilgrims were confined mainly to elite officials, wealthy merchants, and scholars, the steamship made the hajj accessible to ordinary Muslims of modest means.</p>

<p>During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. As the surviving pilgrims returned home, they carried cholera in their wake, setting in motion a global pandemic with outbreaks across Egypt, the ports of the Mediterranean, Europe, and even as far away as New York City. The severity of the pandemic focused international attention on cholera prevention for the remainder of the century.</p>

<p>In 1866, an international sanitary conference was held in Istanbul in order to discuss how best to protect Europe from future outbreaks of what was then known as &ldquo;Asiatic cholera.&rdquo; Despite British claims to the contrary, the expert international opinion concluded that cholera was endemic in India&rsquo;s Ganges Valley and nowhere else. As for cholera&rsquo;s mode of transmission, the delegates blamed the unsanitary conditions of Hindu pilgrimage centers within India, as well as the hajj, which they argued was the second stage by which cholera was spread from the subcontinent to Europe.</p>

<p>Between 1831 and World War I, cholera spread from India to Mecca on at least forty separate occasions, ensuring that global outbreaks of cholera were a perennial threat. And in India itself, between 1865 and 1947, at least 23 million Indians died of this dreaded disease.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage&rsquo;s public health responsibilities.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage?s public health responsibilities." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>As the relative affordability of the steamship-era hajj made the journey possible for ordinary pilgrims, European colonial administrators and even Muslim officials in India, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire identified cholera as a disease of poverty, blaming its spread on a &ldquo;dangerous class&rdquo; of so-called &ldquo;pauper pilgrims.&rdquo; In essence, international opinion blamed the victims of cholera. In the midst of repeated waves of failed monsoons, drought, and famine, late-nineteenth-century India became fertile ground for the incubation of cholera, malaria, plague, and a host of other epidemic diseases. As historians and ordinary Indians know all too well, these events were no mere accidents of nature, nor were they the fault of poor Muslim pilgrims. Rather, they were man-made catastrophes, born out of the British Raj&rsquo;s unjust rule.</p>

<p>For decades, millions of Muslim men, women, and children crowded into the holds of slow-moving steamers bound for Mecca. Sea sick, clinging to their belongings, and often deprived of clean water and sanitary facilities, hajj pilgrims endured weeks of misery from Bombay or Calcutta to Arabia. The claustrophobic spaces below decks provided the perfect environment for cholera&rsquo;s incubation and spread from one victim to another. As cholera&rsquo;s regular presence on pilgrimage steamers became increasingly predictable, bravely enduring discomfort and facing down an unimaginably horrific death became a normal part of ordinary Muslims&rsquo; hajj experience.</p>

<p>In 1882, the Ottoman Empire opened the Kamaran Island quarantine station just off the coast of Yemen. From 1882 until 1956, pilgrimage vessels arriving from the Indian Ocean were forced to stop on this barren patch of earth jutting out of the Red Sea. Over the years, the Kamaran Island quarantine station became a symbol of the suffering, intimidation, and humiliation endured by colonial-era pilgrims stigmatised as cholera carriers, rather than victims. At the same time, the people of Yemen suffered right alongside India. Ports cities like Aden and Hudaydah found themselves trapped in a kind of epidemiological buffer zone between India and Mecca, victimised by repeated outbreaks of disease in the process.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia?s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen. " target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>With the Ottoman Empire&rsquo;s collapse during World War One, the Ottoman quarantine system and the public health of the hajj became a ward of Britain and the other European colonial powers. This was the hajj that the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inherited when it conquered Mecca in 1925. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage&rsquo;s public health responsibilities. Since the &ldquo;decolonisation&rdquo; of the hajj in 1957, Saudi Arabia has worked hard to rehabilitate the pilgrimage&rsquo;s image. And while there have been notable setbacks, like 2015&rsquo;s stampede, over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj.</p>

<p>That said, the hajj is a time for Muslims to reflect on the unity of the faith, regardless of language, class, nationality or even sectarian difference. As Indian hajjis return home safely, the suffering of past pilgrims is especially poignant this year. For although the pilgrimage itself appears to have been free from any major crises, sadly cholera is once again bringing unimaginable horrors to the Arabian Peninsula. And while cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.</p>

<p>Yemen has been rocked by repeated waves of civil war and multiple insurgencies since 2011. And over the last two years, it has been devastated by fighting between a Saudi-led military coalition and the country&rsquo;s Houthi rebels (with limited support from Iran). With the complicity of its American and British arms suppliers, Saudi Arabia and its anti-Houthi coalition have repeatedly bombed civilians, closed Yemeni airspace, and imposed a blockade to starve rebel-held areas into submission. In the crossfire, ordinary Yemeni men, women, and children are teetering on the brink of total famine. More than 20 million Yemenis are in need of immediate emergency aid.</p>

<p>Partly due to the total collapse of the country&rsquo;s infrastructure and partly due to the overwhelming malnourishment of the population, Yemen is now home to the world&rsquo;s worst cholera epidemic. It is a man-made tragedy of such horrifying dimensions that they invite comparisons to the callousness and carelessness of a bygone era of colonial oppression, the depths of which perhaps only India can truly comprehend.</p>


While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia?s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen.

As this year’s hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, draws to a close on Monday. As pilgrims from across the Muslim world begin their journeys back to their home countries, friends, relatives, and fellow countrymen in India and elsewhere can all breathe a sigh of relief. This year’s hajj will have concluded with no major loss of life. This is no minor feat. Every year Saudi Arabia hosts over 2 million pilgrims. And each year, the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars, deploying a small army of medical professionals, traffic experts, and security assets to manage what is easily the world’s largest gathering and, arguably, its most ambitious and successful experiment in public health and crowd control. Over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj. × The twin tragedies of 2015’s hajj season, a construction collapse at the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca and the horrific stampede at the Jamrat Bridge, where perhaps as many as 2,400 were trampled to death, represent major setbacks in an otherwise stellar record of progress. In recent years, Muslims and international observers have become accustomed to a seemingly never-ending string of hajj-related panics ranging from SARS and Swine Flu to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola. In reality, however, each of these panics has turned out to be non-events. Vaccinations now required in order to obtain pilgrimage visas have decreased the risk of hajj-related meningitis, polio, and yellow fever infections. And setting aside 2015’s terrible loss of life, in living memory, the hajj has been remarkably free of catastrophic casualties. Thus, while many have justifiably complained about the tragic events of 2015 or even the wholesale bulldozing and redevelopment of Mecca, making way for gaudy towers, shopping malls, and luxury hotels, to be fair, there is also much to be praised. To better understand the Saudi monarchy’s record of hosting the hajj, we need only to compare it to the colonial-era pilgrimage that they inherited. From the 1860s until even after India and Pakistan gained their independence from the British Empire in 1947, Indian pilgrims endured nearly a century of hajj-related tragedies and scandals. While the advent of industrial steam shipping increased oceanic travel and global commerce, it also had the unintended consequence of globalising epidemic cholera. British steam enabled cholera to leap beyond its previous endemic range in the Ganges Delta. During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. × Freed from the rhythms of sailing with the monsoon cycle, the costs of transport and the length of passage for Indian Ocean pilgrims were reduced drastically. While previous generations of pilgrims were confined mainly to elite officials, wealthy merchants, and scholars, the steamship made the hajj accessible to ordinary Muslims of modest means. During the 1865 hajj season, cholera struck Mecca, killing an estimated 15,000 pilgrims. As the surviving pilgrims returned home, they carried cholera in their wake, setting in motion a global pandemic with outbreaks across Egypt, the ports of the Mediterranean, Europe, and even as far away as New York City. The severity of the pandemic focused international attention on cholera prevention for the remainder of the century. In 1866, an international sanitary conference was held in Istanbul in order to discuss how best to protect Europe from future outbreaks of what was then known as “Asiatic cholera.” Despite British claims to the contrary, the expert international opinion concluded that cholera was endemic in India’s Ganges Valley and nowhere else. As for cholera’s mode of transmission, the delegates blamed the unsanitary conditions of Hindu pilgrimage centers within India, as well as the hajj, which they argued was the second stage by which cholera was spread from the subcontinent to Europe. Between 1831 and World War I, cholera spread from India to Mecca on at least forty separate occasions, ensuring that global outbreaks of cholera were a perennial threat. And in India itself, between 1865 and 1947, at least 23 million Indians died of this dreaded disease. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage’s public health responsibilities. × As the relative affordability of the steamship-era hajj made the journey possible for ordinary pilgrims, European colonial administrators and even Muslim officials in India, Egypt, and the Ottoman Empire identified cholera as a disease of poverty, blaming its spread on a “dangerous class” of so-called “pauper pilgrims.” In essence, international opinion blamed the victims of cholera. In the midst of repeated waves of failed monsoons, drought, and famine, late-nineteenth-century India became fertile ground for the incubation of cholera, malaria, plague, and a host of other epidemic diseases. As historians and ordinary Indians know all too well, these events were no mere accidents of nature, nor were they the fault of poor Muslim pilgrims. Rather, they were man-made catastrophes, born out of the British Raj’s unjust rule. For decades, millions of Muslim men, women, and children crowded into the holds of slow-moving steamers bound for Mecca. Sea sick, clinging to their belongings, and often deprived of clean water and sanitary facilities, hajj pilgrims endured weeks of misery from Bombay or Calcutta to Arabia. The claustrophobic spaces below decks provided the perfect environment for cholera’s incubation and spread from one victim to another. As cholera’s regular presence on pilgrimage steamers became increasingly predictable, bravely enduring discomfort and facing down an unimaginably horrific death became a normal part of ordinary Muslims’ hajj experience. In 1882, the Ottoman Empire opened the Kamaran Island quarantine station just off the coast of Yemen. From 1882 until 1956, pilgrimage vessels arriving from the Indian Ocean were forced to stop on this barren patch of earth jutting out of the Red Sea. Over the years, the Kamaran Island quarantine station became a symbol of the suffering, intimidation, and humiliation endured by colonial-era pilgrims stigmatised as cholera carriers, rather than victims. At the same time, the people of Yemen suffered right alongside India. Ports cities like Aden and Hudaydah found themselves trapped in a kind of epidemiological buffer zone between India and Mecca, victimised by repeated outbreaks of disease in the process. While cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen. × With the Ottoman Empire’s collapse during World War One, the Ottoman quarantine system and the public health of the hajj became a ward of Britain and the other European colonial powers. This was the hajj that the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia inherited when it conquered Mecca in 1925. In 1951, the fledgling Saudi state created the Ministry of the Hajj and in 1957 the World Health Organisation finally recognised Saudi Arabia as capable of undertaking full control of the pilgrimage’s public health responsibilities. Since the “decolonisation” of the hajj in 1957, Saudi Arabia has worked hard to rehabilitate the pilgrimage’s image. And while there have been notable setbacks, like 2015’s stampede, over the half a century since 1957, Saudi authorities deserve great credit for their steady management of the health, safety, and security of the hajj. That said, the hajj is a time for Muslims to reflect on the unity of the faith, regardless of language, class, nationality or even sectarian difference. As Indian hajjis return home safely, the suffering of past pilgrims is especially poignant this year. For although the pilgrimage itself appears to have been free from any major crises, sadly cholera is once again bringing unimaginable horrors to the Arabian Peninsula. And while cholera is nowhere to be found in the gleaming hotels of Mecca, it now afflicts over 500,000 victims in Saudi Arabia’s impoverished southern neighbor, Yemen. Yemen has been rocked by repeated waves of civil war and multiple insurgencies since 2011. And over the last two years, it has been devastated by fighting between a Saudi-led military coalition and the country’s Houthi rebels (with limited support from Iran). With the complicity of its American and British arms suppliers, Saudi Arabia and its anti-Houthi coalition have repeatedly bombed civilians, closed Yemeni airspace, and imposed a blockade to starve rebel-held areas into submission. In the crossfire, ordinary Yemeni men, women, and children are teetering on the brink of total famine. More than 20 million Yemenis are in need of immediate emergency aid. Partly due to the total collapse of the country’s infrastructure and partly due to the overwhelming malnourishment of the population, Yemen is now home to the world’s worst cholera epidemic. It is a man-made tragedy of such horrifying dimensions that they invite comparisons to the callousness and carelessness of a bygone era of colonial oppression, the depths of which perhaps only India can truly comprehend.

Hajj in a time of Cholera: Remembering India?s colonial past and Yemen?s tragic present

<p>The Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in the holiest city for Muslims is due to start from 30th August this year. It is reported that nearly two&nbsp;million Muslims from across the globe will be converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. The Hajj is a religious duty for those who can afford financially and physically.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mina is preparing for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj2017?src=hash">#Hajj2017</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> <a href="https://t.co/SF5lHo6X51">pic.twitter.com/SF5lHo6X51</a></p>
&mdash; Captain ??? ????? &trade; (@ansari_captain) <a href="https://twitter.com/ansari_captain/status/901050110590631941">August 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Saudi&nbsp;Arabia, every year, comes out with a number of people they can accommodate&nbsp;from every country depending on the number of Muslims in the area.</p>

<p>Indonesia is the world&#39;s most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the Hajj. According to this division, Indonesia ranks up highest in terms of Muslims arriving for Hajj in Mecca followed by Pakistan and India in second and third positions.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">One of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> 2017 oldest pilgrims, 104-year-old Mariah Marghani Muhammad of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Indonesia?src=hash">#Indonesia</a> greeted upon landing in Jeddah <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaudiWelcomesTheWorld?src=hash">#SaudiWelcomesTheWorld</a> <a href="https://t.co/YEdhB2owGP">pic.twitter.com/YEdhB2owGP</a></p>
&mdash; CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) <a href="https://twitter.com/CICSaudi/status/901543841316188160">August 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Subhan Allah ?<br />
The arrival of Indonesian Hajj group at Madinah Airport. Hajis reciting salawat while they are waiting at immigration. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hajj?src=hash">#Hajj</a> <a href="https://t.co/LcB7xuvQne">pic.twitter.com/LcB7xuvQne</a></p>
&mdash; Wasim Bari???? ???? (@wasim_dr) <a href="https://twitter.com/wasim_dr/status/900721744553660417">August 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>As reported by AFP, a 47-year-old woman named Eni from Indonesia said, &quot;I&#39;m so excited because many people dream of coming to this place.&nbsp;We feel more religious when we leave this place.&quot;</p>

<p>Eni&#39;s compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the Hajj every day. Eni is, however, oblivious to any of this and she continues to study the Koran in&nbsp;distressing heat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She said, &quot;After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him.&quot; She referred to the Prophet Mohammed in this statement before returning&nbsp;to reading the Islam&#39;s holy book.</p>

<p>Hajj, according to Islam, is one of the five pillars of the religion.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of Hajj and Umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs said to AFP, &quot;This year we expect around two million pilgrims.&quot;</p>

<p>In a turn of events, this year will see the return of&nbsp;pilgrims from Shiite Iran, a regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. This, when the entire Gulf region is clouded in a political crisis with an increase in violence in the area because of the&nbsp;Islamic State group jihadists.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Last year, pilgrims from Iran had not attended following a deadly&nbsp;Mecca stampede&nbsp;that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims. It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic Republic of Iran among the dead.</p>

<p>After the disaster, Iran came out against&nbsp;Saudi Arabia&#39;s organisation of the Hajj. It resulted in the severing of diplomatic relations between the two. The two countries have now moved past it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking on the incident,&nbsp;Slimane Zeghidour, author of &quot;La vie quotidienne &agrave; La Mecque: De Mahomet &agrave; nos jours&quot; (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today) said,&nbsp;&quot;To politicise an event like this does no good.&quot;</p>

<p>For&nbsp;author Zeghidour, going on the Hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether. &quot;The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages&quot; of the ritual.</p>

<p>He said,&nbsp;&quot;It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn&#39;t have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature. Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home.&quot;</p>

<p>But this is not the only occasion on which Saudi Arabia has been accused of politicising the Hajj. For almost three months, there ensued a political crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Saudi boycotting the latter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the wake of making amends, Saudi Arabia has announced relaxing certain restrictions for Hajj pilgrims from Qatar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Saudi Arabia relaxes certain restrictions imposed on Hajj pilgrims from Qatar

The Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in the holiest city for Muslims is due to start from 30th August this year. It is reported that nearly two million Muslims from across the globe will be converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. The Hajj is a religious duty for those who can afford financially and physically. Mina is preparing for #Hajj2017 #Hajj pic.twitter.com/SF5lHo6X51 — Captain ??? ????? ™ (@ansari_captain) August 25, 2017 × Saudi Arabia, every year, comes out with a number of people they can accommodate from every country depending on the number of Muslims in the area. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the Hajj. According to this division, Indonesia ranks up highest in terms of Muslims arriving for Hajj in Mecca followed by Pakistan and India in second and third positions. One of #Hajj 2017 oldest pilgrims, 104-year-old Mariah Marghani Muhammad of #Indonesia greeted upon landing in Jeddah #SaudiWelcomesTheWorld pic.twitter.com/YEdhB2owGP — CIC Saudi Arabia (@CICSaudi) August 26, 2017 × Subhan Allah ? The arrival of Indonesian Hajj group at Madinah Airport. Hajis reciting salawat while they are waiting at immigration. #Hajj pic.twitter.com/LcB7xuvQne — Wasim Bari???? ???? (@wasim_dr) August 24, 2017 × As reported by AFP, a 47-year-old woman named Eni from Indonesia said, "I'm so excited because many people dream of coming to this place. We feel more religious when we leave this place." Eni's compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the Hajj every day. Eni is, however, oblivious to any of this and she continues to study the Koran in distressing heat. She said, "After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him." She referred to the Prophet Mohammed in this statement before returning to reading the Islam's holy book. Hajj, according to Islam, is one of the five pillars of the religion. Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of Hajj and Umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs said to AFP, "This year we expect around two million pilgrims." In a turn of events, this year will see the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, a regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. This, when the entire Gulf region is clouded in a political crisis with an increase in violence in the area because of the Islamic State group jihadists. Last year, pilgrims from Iran had not attended following a deadly Mecca stampede that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims. It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the Hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic Republic of Iran among the dead. After the disaster, Iran came out against Saudi Arabia's organisation of the Hajj. It resulted in the severing of diplomatic relations between the two. The two countries have now moved past it. Speaking on the incident, Slimane Zeghidour, author of "La vie quotidienne à La Mecque: De Mahomet à nos jours" (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today) said, "To politicise an event like this does no good." For author Zeghidour, going on the Hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether. "The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages" of the ritual. He said, "It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn't have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature. Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home." But this is not the only occasion on which Saudi Arabia has been accused of politicising the Hajj. For almost three months, there ensued a political crisis between Saudi Arabia and Qatar with Saudi boycotting the latter. In the wake of making amends, Saudi Arabia has announced relaxing certain restrictions for Hajj pilgrims from Qatar. (WION)

Two million pilgrims converge on Mecca for hajj

<p>Iran and Saudi Arabia will soon exchange diplomatic visits, Tehran said, in a possible sign of tensions easing after the archrivals cut ties last year.</p>

<p>Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told local media the visits would take place after this year`s hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which is due to start at the beginning of September.</p>

<p>&quot;Visas have been delivered for the two sides. The final steps need to be completed so our diplomats can go inspect our embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia and for Saudi diplomats to come inspect their embassy and consulate,&quot; Zarif told news agency ISNA.</p>

<p>It would be the first exchange of diplomats between the two countries since they cut ties in January 2016, after Iranians stormed Saudi Arabia`s embassy in Tehran in response to the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.</p>

<p>There have been signs of a thaw in relations in recent months, including an agreement to allow Iranians to participate in this year`s hajj, a pilgrimage that Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetimes if they are able to do so.</p>

<p>Iranians were unable to attend the hajj last year after talks on security and logistics fell apart.</p>

<p>Relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been at their worst in years, with the countries trading frequent accusations of meddling and supporting different sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen.</p>

<p>Zarif urged Riyadh to reconsider its foreign policy.</p>

<p>&quot;Saudi Arabia`s behaviour goes against its own interests. We want security and stability throughout the region and insist on the need to fight against the dangers that threaten us all,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Saudi Arabia has not benefitted from two years of war and horrific acts against the Yemeni people, on the contrary,&quot; he said. &quot;It`s the same in Syria or in Bahrain. We hope they will choose another path.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told local media the diplomatic visits would take place after this year`s hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which is due to start at the beginning of September

Iran and Saudi Arabia will soon exchange diplomatic visits, Tehran said, in a possible sign of tensions easing after the archrivals cut ties last year. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told local media the visits would take place after this year`s hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which is due to start at the beginning of September. "Visas have been delivered for the two sides. The final steps need to be completed so our diplomats can go inspect our embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia and for Saudi diplomats to come inspect their embassy and consulate," Zarif told news agency ISNA. It would be the first exchange of diplomats between the two countries since they cut ties in January 2016, after Iranians stormed Saudi Arabia`s embassy in Tehran in response to the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. There have been signs of a thaw in relations in recent months, including an agreement to allow Iranians to participate in this year`s hajj, a pilgrimage that Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetimes if they are able to do so. Iranians were unable to attend the hajj last year after talks on security and logistics fell apart. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been at their worst in years, with the countries trading frequent accusations of meddling and supporting different sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Zarif urged Riyadh to reconsider its foreign policy. "Saudi Arabia`s behaviour goes against its own interests. We want security and stability throughout the region and insist on the need to fight against the dangers that threaten us all," he said. "Saudi Arabia has not benefitted from two years of war and horrific acts against the Yemeni people, on the contrary," he said. "It`s the same in Syria or in Bahrain. We hope they will choose another path."

Iran, Saudi Arabia set to restore ties

<p>Sarahah app, which has been trending all over the social media for a week now, derived its name from the Arabic word meaning &quot;honesty&quot;. The app was created by Saudi Arabian developer Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq a month before, but it became popular recently.</p>

<p>The &quot;honesty&quot; app has already earned great recognition in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, BBC reports.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The app enables people to leave a message on anyone&#39;s Saraha profile anonymously, also providing an option of tagging the sender&#39;s identity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The person receiving the messages can either flag the messages, delete them, reply or favourite them. The messages are received in the person&#39;s inbox.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the creator, the constructive feedback received from anonymous sources will help the receiver in self-development.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, it is quite certain that the app is encouraging cyberbullying by allowing people to respond under anonymity. &nbsp;Instances have shown people responding in an utter insensitive way without considering the consequences of the harsh messages.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sarahah has become a useful platform for haters who do not hesitate in responding with severe comments.</p>

<p>The developers are planning to upgrade the app by enhancing the privacy setting of the app. The upgraded features will restrict the audience only to the people you share your profile with and also allowing only logged in profile to comment on your profile. The new feature will also let you block the sender of obscene messages.</p>

<p>Within a month Sarahah has surpassed the popularity of long going apps such as YouTube and Instagram by leading the App Store&#39;s number 1 spot.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The app enables people to leave a message on anyone's Saraha profile anonymously, also providing an option of tagging the sender's identity.

Sarahah app, which has been trending all over the social media for a week now, derived its name from the Arabic word meaning "honesty". The app was created by Saudi Arabian developer Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq a month before, but it became popular recently. The "honesty" app has already earned great recognition in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, BBC reports. The app enables people to leave a message on anyone's Saraha profile anonymously, also providing an option of tagging the sender's identity. The person receiving the messages can either flag the messages, delete them, reply or favourite them. The messages are received in the person's inbox. According to the creator, the constructive feedback received from anonymous sources will help the receiver in self-development. However, it is quite certain that the app is encouraging cyberbullying by allowing people to respond under anonymity. Instances have shown people responding in an utter insensitive way without considering the consequences of the harsh messages. Sarahah has become a useful platform for haters who do not hesitate in responding with severe comments. The developers are planning to upgrade the app by enhancing the privacy setting of the app. The upgraded features will restrict the audience only to the people you share your profile with and also allowing only logged in profile to comment on your profile. The new feature will also let you block the sender of obscene messages. Within a month Sarahah has surpassed the popularity of long going apps such as YouTube and Instagram by leading the App Store's number 1 spot.

Sarahah: "Honesty" or "Cyberbullying" App?

<p>A group of Twitter users will be indicted in Saudi Arabia on charges of harming public order for threatening the &quot;safety and moderate ideology of society&quot; through extremism, according to a statement on state news agency SPA.</p>

<p>The country&#39;s chief prosecutor summoned the Twitter users on Sunday, the statement said, without naming them or specifying how many were accused.</p>

<p>A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information had earlier tweeted that a radical Sunni cleric, Ali al-Rabieei, had been referred to a &quot;publication crimes&quot; committee for unspecified violations.</p>

<p>Ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether Rabieei was among the group.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to muffle political dissent in recent years, using tough new cybercrime laws to sentence offenders to prison terms for online posts deemed insulting to rulers or threatening to public order.</p>

<p>In a separate statement, Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah al-Muajab said he respected freedom of opinion but asserted his office&#39;s power to pursue cases against those who promote hatred or sectarianism, or mislead public opinion.</p>

<p>Rabieei&#39;s tweets largely consist of broadsides against Shi&#39;ites, a minority group in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia. One tweet refers to the core Shi&#39;ite belief that the prophet&#39;s son-in-law was his rightful successor as &quot;one of the Jew&#39;s tricks.&quot;</p>

<p>He issued a statement on Twitter declaring his commitment to publication laws, &quot;if they are not contrary to the Quran, the Sunna, or statements made by senior scholars Bin Baz, Bin Uthaymin or the Council of Senior Scholars.&quot;</p>

<p>Religious scholars from the official Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam, like those named by Rabieei, hold influential semi-legal roles in the kingdom. The Quran and the Sunna, or sayings of the prophet, are the country&#39;s constitution.</p>

<p>Many members of the state-employed clergy have long taught that Shi&#39;ism is heretical. Last year, Saudi Arabia&#39;s grand mufti, the kingdom&#39;s top religious authority, said the leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia&#39;s regional Shi&#39;ite rival, were not Muslims.</p>

<p>But as the kingdom&#39;s Shi&#39;ites have come under attack by Islamic State jihadists since 2013, authorities have also made efforts to curb open incitement and sectarianism, including arrests for anti-Shi&#39;ite social media posts.</p>


A group of Twitter users will be indicted in Saudi Arabia on charges of harming public order for threatening the 'safety and moderate ideology of society' through extremism

A group of Twitter users will be indicted in Saudi Arabia on charges of harming public order for threatening the "safety and moderate ideology of society" through extremism, according to a statement on state news agency SPA. The country's chief prosecutor summoned the Twitter users on Sunday, the statement said, without naming them or specifying how many were accused. A spokesman for the Ministry of Culture and Information had earlier tweeted that a radical Sunni cleric, Ali al-Rabieei, had been referred to a "publication crimes" committee for unspecified violations. Ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether Rabieei was among the group. Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to muffle political dissent in recent years, using tough new cybercrime laws to sentence offenders to prison terms for online posts deemed insulting to rulers or threatening to public order. In a separate statement, Public Prosecutor Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah al-Muajab said he respected freedom of opinion but asserted his office's power to pursue cases against those who promote hatred or sectarianism, or mislead public opinion. Rabieei's tweets largely consist of broadsides against Shi'ites, a minority group in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia. One tweet refers to the core Shi'ite belief that the prophet's son-in-law was his rightful successor as "one of the Jew's tricks." He issued a statement on Twitter declaring his commitment to publication laws, "if they are not contrary to the Quran, the Sunna, or statements made by senior scholars Bin Baz, Bin Uthaymin or the Council of Senior Scholars." Religious scholars from the official Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam, like those named by Rabieei, hold influential semi-legal roles in the kingdom. The Quran and the Sunna, or sayings of the prophet, are the country's constitution. Many members of the state-employed clergy have long taught that Shi'ism is heretical. Last year, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti, the kingdom's top religious authority, said the leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional Shi'ite rival, were not Muslims. But as the kingdom's Shi'ites have come under attack by Islamic State jihadists since 2013, authorities have also made efforts to curb open incitement and sectarianism, including arrests for anti-Shi'ite social media posts.

Saudi Arabia to prosecute Twitter users for harming society's ideology

<p>The four Arab countries that have cut ties with Qatar said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands.</p>

<p>The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates met in the Bahraini capital, Manama, to discuss the crisis that has raised tensions across the region.</p>

<p>The Saudi-led bloc cut ties with the Gulf state on June 5, accusing it of backing militant groups and cosying up to their arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies.</p>

<p>Diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait and backed by Western powers have failed to end the dispute, in which the four states have severed travel and communications with Qatar.</p>

<p>&quot;The four countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar with the condition that it announces its sincere willingness to stop funding terrorism and extremism and its commitment to not interfere in other countries&#39; foreign affairs and respond to the 13 demands,&quot; Bahrain&#39;s foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, told a joint news conference after the meeting.</p>

<p>They announced no new economic sanctions on the Gulf state.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain previously issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which include curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its relations with Gulf enemy Iran.</p>

<p>Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Qatar was not serious in tackling the countries&#39; demands.</p>

<p>&quot;We are ready to talk with Qatar on the implementation of the demands, on the implementation of the principles, if Qatar is serious, but it has been clear that it is not,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The four countries have also listed &quot;six principles&quot; they want Qatar to adopt.</p>

<p>Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani dismissed Sunday&#39;s statement from the four countries and said sanctions were violating international laws.</p>

<p>&quot;There isn&#39;t a clear vision (from Manama&#39;s meeting), there is only a stubborn policy from the blockading countries and refusal to admit that these are illegal actions,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed told Al Jazeera TV channel.</p>

<p>Earlier on Sunday, al-Hayat newspaper said, citing unidentified Gulf sources, that the four countries &quot;are expected to impose sanctions that will gradually affect the Qatari economy.&quot;</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia has closed its land border with Qatar, while all four countries have cut air and sea links with Doha, demanding the gas-exporting country take several measures to show it was changing its policies.</p>

<p>Turkey and Iran have stepped in to provide fresh produce, poultry and dairy products to Qatar instead of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Oman providing alternative ports to those in the UAE.</p>

<p>The four Arab countries added 18 groups and individuals they say are linked to Qatar to their &quot;terrorist&quot; lists last week.</p>


Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have listed 'six principles' they want Qatar to adopt

The four Arab countries that have cut ties with Qatar said on Sunday they were ready for talks to tackle the dispute if Doha showed willingness to deal with their demands. The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates met in the Bahraini capital, Manama, to discuss the crisis that has raised tensions across the region. The Saudi-led bloc cut ties with the Gulf state on June 5, accusing it of backing militant groups and cosying up to their arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies. Diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait and backed by Western powers have failed to end the dispute, in which the four states have severed travel and communications with Qatar. "The four countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar with the condition that it announces its sincere willingness to stop funding terrorism and extremism and its commitment to not interfere in other countries' foreign affairs and respond to the 13 demands," Bahrain's foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, told a joint news conference after the meeting. They announced no new economic sanctions on the Gulf state. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain previously issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which include curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its relations with Gulf enemy Iran. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Qatar was not serious in tackling the countries' demands. "We are ready to talk with Qatar on the implementation of the demands, on the implementation of the principles, if Qatar is serious, but it has been clear that it is not," he said. The four countries have also listed "six principles" they want Qatar to adopt. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani dismissed Sunday's statement from the four countries and said sanctions were violating international laws. "There isn't a clear vision (from Manama's meeting), there is only a stubborn policy from the blockading countries and refusal to admit that these are illegal actions," Sheikh Mohammed told Al Jazeera TV channel. Earlier on Sunday, al-Hayat newspaper said, citing unidentified Gulf sources, that the four countries "are expected to impose sanctions that will gradually affect the Qatari economy." Saudi Arabia has closed its land border with Qatar, while all four countries have cut air and sea links with Doha, demanding the gas-exporting country take several measures to show it was changing its policies. Turkey and Iran have stepped in to provide fresh produce, poultry and dairy products to Qatar instead of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Oman providing alternative ports to those in the UAE. The four Arab countries added 18 groups and individuals they say are linked to Qatar to their "terrorist" lists last week.

Four Arab countries ready to talk with Qatar, with conditions

<p>Saudi Arabia&#39;s King Salman issued a decree Thursday setting up a new security agency for the oil-rich kingdom which will be overseen by him directly, the SPA news agency said.</p>

<p>The new agency, which will be headed by intelligence chief General Abdel Aziz bin Mohammed al-Houeiriny, would manage several departments of the interior ministry, the state-run SPA said.</p>

<p>The department of intelligence and the units tasked with fighting terrorism would work under the authority of the new agency.</p>

<p>King Salman also issued a series of royal decrees on Thursday, including one sacking the head of the royal guard, General Hamad al-Awhaly, and replacing him with General Suheil al-Mutiri.</p>

<p>He also appointed Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Qweiz as the new head of the Saudi stock exchange.</p>

<p>The latest decisions come nearly a month after King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, 31, as his successor.</p>


The new agency will be overseen directly by Saudi Arabia's King Salman

Saudi Arabia's King Salman issued a decree Thursday setting up a new security agency for the oil-rich kingdom which will be overseen by him directly, the SPA news agency said. The new agency, which will be headed by intelligence chief General Abdel Aziz bin Mohammed al-Houeiriny, would manage several departments of the interior ministry, the state-run SPA said. The department of intelligence and the units tasked with fighting terrorism would work under the authority of the new agency. King Salman also issued a series of royal decrees on Thursday, including one sacking the head of the royal guard, General Hamad al-Awhaly, and replacing him with General Suheil al-Mutiri. He also appointed Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Qweiz as the new head of the Saudi stock exchange. The latest decisions come nearly a month after King Salman ousted his nephew as crown prince and installed his son Mohammed bin Salman, 31, as his successor.

Saudi Arabia sets up state security agency

<p>At least 10 Indians have been killed in a fire which engulfed a house in the Saudi Arabian city of Najran.&nbsp;Reports say the fire broke out in a windowless house.</p>

<p>External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a tweet said: &quot;I am aware of the fire tragedy in Najran in which we have lost 10 Indian nationals and six injured are in the hospital.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Firefighters put out a blaze in an old house where there is no ventilation (windows) resulting in the death of 11 residents and injuring six others due to smoke inhalation,&quot; the civil defence directorate said in a tweet.</p>

<p>The Najran governor has ordered a probe into the incident, the Arab News reported.</p>

<p>The Indians&nbsp;were mainly migrant workers, BBC reported.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our Consul General is in touch with the Governor of Najran. He is updating me on regular basis. /3</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/885189018597511170">July 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have spoken to Consul General Jeddah. Najran is 900 Kms from Jeddah. Our staff is rushing by the first flight available. /2</p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/885188290684493824">July 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am aware of the fire tragedy in Najran in which we have lost 10 Indian nationals and six injured are in the hospital. /1 <a href="https://t.co/feOTqPnn2E">https://t.co/feOTqPnn2E</a></p>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/885187527484690433">July 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>In 2015, 11 people died in a blaze at a residential block housing workers for the oil giant Saudi Aramco in&nbsp;Khobar.</p>


Sushma Swaraj in a tweet said India was sending medical staff as soon as possible

At least 10 Indians have been killed in a fire which engulfed a house in the Saudi Arabian city of Najran. Reports say the fire broke out in a windowless house. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a tweet said: "I am aware of the fire tragedy in Najran in which we have lost 10 Indian nationals and six injured are in the hospital." "Firefighters put out a blaze in an old house where there is no ventilation (windows) resulting in the death of 11 residents and injuring six others due to smoke inhalation," the civil defence directorate said in a tweet. The Najran governor has ordered a probe into the incident, the Arab News reported. The Indians were mainly migrant workers, BBC reported. Our Consul General is in touch with the Governor of Najran. He is updating me on regular basis. /3 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 12, 2017 × I have spoken to Consul General Jeddah. Najran is 900 Kms from Jeddah. Our staff is rushing by the first flight available. /2 — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 12, 2017 × I am aware of the fire tragedy in Najran in which we have lost 10 Indian nationals and six injured are in the hospital. /1 https://t.co/feOTqPnn2E — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) July 12, 2017 × In 2015, 11 people died in a blaze at a residential block housing workers for the oil giant Saudi Aramco in Khobar.

10 Indians killed as house catches fire in Saudi Arabia

<p>The United States and&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;signed an agreement on Tuesday aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states&#39; arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies.</p>

<p>Tillerson said the agreement signed with his&nbsp;Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, had been under discussion for weeks.</p>

<p>&quot;The agreement which we both have signed on behalf of our governments represents weeks of intensive discussions between experts and reinvigorates the spirit of the Riyadh summit,&quot; Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Sheikh Mohammed.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;President Donald Trump met representatives of Arab states during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May.</p>

<p>&quot;The memorandum lays out a series of steps that each country will take in coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter terrorism activities globally,&quot; Tillerson added.</p>

<p>The four Arab states boycotting&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;said later on Tuesday that sanctions would remain in place until it met their demands and that they would keep a close eye on the tiny Gulf monarchy&#39;s efforts to fight terrorism funding.</p>

<p>In a joint statement released in their state media, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said they appreciated US&nbsp;efforts in fighting terrorism but that they would closely monitor&nbsp;Qatar&#39;s behaviour.</p>

<p>Sheikh Mohammed said the agreement was not linked to the crisis with the four Arab countries, which the United States fears could impact its military and counter-terrorism operations and increase Iran&#39;s influence in the region.</p>

<p>Tehran has sent food supplies to&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;and allows the country&#39;s carrier to fly through its airspace.</p>

<p>Qatar&nbsp;denies it supports militant organisations and says the boycott is part of a campaign to rein in its independent foreign policy.</p>

<p>&quot;Today, the state of&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;was the first to sign the executive programme with the United States to fight terrorism financing,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed told the news conference.</p>

<p>Tillerson said the agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable through their commitments.</p>

<p>&quot;Together the United States and&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information and will do more to keep the region ... safe,&quot; Tillerson said.</p>

<p>Egypt later said at a meeting of the US-led coalition against Islamic State in Washington that the coalition should not include member states that supported terrorism, like&nbsp;Qatar.</p>

<p>A US&nbsp;official who had knowledge of the deliberations at the meeting later said &quot;the other working group countries dismissed the Egyptian demand&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Terrorism is a global problem that requires a global response - and we all have work to do,&rdquo; the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.</p>

<p><strong>Diplomacy</strong></p>

<p>Accompanied by Kuwaiti mediators, Tillerson flew to Doha on Tuesday for talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, over the crisis. He said he was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials from the four Arab countries.</p>

<p>On Monday, he and British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill met with officials from Kuwait in order to patch up the row among the Western-allied countries.</p>

<p>Following those discussions, the United States, Britain and Kuwait urged all parties to resolve their dispute quickly through dialogue, Kuwait state news agency KUNA reported.</p>

<p>Kuwait&#39;s ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, expressed &quot;bitterness&quot; on Tuesday over what he described as an unprecedented rift in the Gulf, but said he intended to push ahead with mediation efforts.</p>

<p>Foreign ministers from the four Arab states leading the boycott of&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;will meet with Tillerson in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Wednesday.</p>

<p>Coming from some of the most influential powers in the dispute, the plea for a negotiated solution may be aimed at an earlier refusal by&nbsp;Qatar&#39;s adversaries to discuss renewing ties with Doha until it first acquiesced to a list of demands. They include closing the Al Jazeera TV channel, shutting a Turkish military base in&nbsp;Qatar&nbsp;and downgrading ties with Iran.</p>

<p>Qatar&nbsp;hosts Udeid Air Base, the largest US&nbsp;military facility in the Middle East, from which US-led coalition aircraft stage sorties against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.</p>

<p>US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Saudi Arabia in the dispute.</p>


Accompanied by Kuwaiti mediators, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson flew to Doha on Tuesday for talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, over the crisis. He said he was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials from the four Arab countries

The United States and Qatar signed an agreement on Tuesday aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states' arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies. Tillerson said the agreement signed with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, had been under discussion for weeks. "The agreement which we both have signed on behalf of our governments represents weeks of intensive discussions between experts and reinvigorates the spirit of the Riyadh summit," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Sheikh Mohammed. US President Donald Trump met representatives of Arab states during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May. "The memorandum lays out a series of steps that each country will take in coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter terrorism activities globally," Tillerson added. The four Arab states boycotting Qatar said later on Tuesday that sanctions would remain in place until it met their demands and that they would keep a close eye on the tiny Gulf monarchy's efforts to fight terrorism funding. In a joint statement released in their state media, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said they appreciated US efforts in fighting terrorism but that they would closely monitor Qatar's behaviour. Sheikh Mohammed said the agreement was not linked to the crisis with the four Arab countries, which the United States fears could impact its military and counter-terrorism operations and increase Iran's influence in the region. Tehran has sent food supplies to Qatar and allows the country's carrier to fly through its airspace. Qatar denies it supports militant organisations and says the boycott is part of a campaign to rein in its independent foreign policy. "Today, the state of Qatar was the first to sign the executive programme with the United States to fight terrorism financing," Sheikh Mohammed told the news conference. Tillerson said the agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable through their commitments. "Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information and will do more to keep the region ... safe," Tillerson said. Egypt later said at a meeting of the US-led coalition against Islamic State in Washington that the coalition should not include member states that supported terrorism, like Qatar. A US official who had knowledge of the deliberations at the meeting later said "the other working group countries dismissed the Egyptian demand". "Terrorism is a global problem that requires a global response - and we all have work to do,” the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. Diplomacy Accompanied by Kuwaiti mediators, Tillerson flew to Doha on Tuesday for talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, over the crisis. He said he was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials from the four Arab countries. On Monday, he and British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill met with officials from Kuwait in order to patch up the row among the Western-allied countries. Following those discussions, the United States, Britain and Kuwait urged all parties to resolve their dispute quickly through dialogue, Kuwait state news agency KUNA reported. Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, expressed "bitterness" on Tuesday over what he described as an unprecedented rift in the Gulf, but said he intended to push ahead with mediation efforts. Foreign ministers from the four Arab states leading the boycott of Qatar will meet with Tillerson in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Wednesday. Coming from some of the most influential powers in the dispute, the plea for a negotiated solution may be aimed at an earlier refusal by Qatar's adversaries to discuss renewing ties with Doha until it first acquiesced to a list of demands. They include closing the Al Jazeera TV channel, shutting a Turkish military base in Qatar and downgrading ties with Iran. Qatar hosts Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, from which US-led coalition aircraft stage sorties against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Saudi Arabia in the dispute.

US, Qatar sign accord on combating terrorism financing

<p>The G-20 (Group of 20)&nbsp;is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial&nbsp;issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance.</p>

<p>G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than&nbsp;80 per cent of the global economic&nbsp;output.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Around two-third&nbsp;of the global population lives in G-20 member countries.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community.</p>

<p>In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders&rsquo; Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions.&nbsp;Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global&nbsp;economic recovery.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>How it works</strong><br />
Each year in December&nbsp;a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a &ldquo;troika&rdquo; (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes &ndash; often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year &ndash; are coordinated by the respective host country.</p>

<p><strong>Members of G20</strong><br />
The twenty members of the forum are :</p>

<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Argentina</li>
				<li>Australia</li>
				<li>Brazil</li>
				<li>Canada</li>
				<li>China</li>
				<li>France</li>
				<li>Germany</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>India</li>
				<li>Indonesia</li>
				<li>Italy</li>
				<li>Japan</li>
				<li>Republic of Korea</li>
				<li>Mexico</li>
				<li>Russia</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Saudi Arabia</li>
				<li>South Africa</li>
				<li>Turkey</li>
				<li>The United Kingdom</li>
				<li>The united States</li>
				<li>The European Union</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/1-20170707014700.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017.</p>

<p>Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>India and G20</strong></p>

<p>India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. &nbsp;</p>

<p>For instance, India enacted the&nbsp;National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India.</p>

<p>G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


G20 is an international informal forum where India has made the mark of an emerging economy which aspires to take the world along with it towards development

The G-20 (Group of 20) is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance. G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than 80 per cent of the global economic output. Around two-third of the global population lives in G-20 member countries. The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community. In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders’ Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions. Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global economic recovery. How it works Each year in December a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a “troika” (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat. The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes – often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year – are coordinated by the respective host country. Members of G20 The twenty members of the forum are : Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Republic of Korea Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey The United Kingdom The united States The European Union The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others) × At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017. Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit. India and G20 India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. For instance, India enacted the National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India. G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.

All you need to know about G-20

<p>In a move that signals that the ongoing diplomatic standoff involving Qatar and other Arab states will only worsen, the four Arab states led by Saudi Arabia pledged new political, economic and legal steps against Qatar declaring the earlier set of 13 demands as void.</p>

<p>The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha. They said that Qatar&#39;s refusal to comply with the initial set of 13 demands is proof that the gas-rich nation has links with terror groups.</p>

<p>However, the anti-Qatar coalition led by Saudi Arabia did not elaborate as to when the new measures will come into force.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The four Aarb states condemned Doha&#39;s response as &quot;negative&quot; and lacking in content, Reuters reported.</p>

<p>The United States has expressed concern that the ongoing dispute between Qatar and the Arab states could drag for months or possibly even intensify.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking about the rift between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, &quot;We remain very concerned about that ongoing situation between Qatar and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;We&#39;ve become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify,&quot; she added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to a report, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is planning to visit Kuwait which is acting as a mediator in the dispute. US defence secretary Jim Mattis had a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart stressing the &quot;importance of de-escalating tensions&quot;, Reuters quoted the Pentagon as saying. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Mattis also reaffirmed America&#39;s startegic security partnership with Qatar. Qatar is one of the important allies of US in the fight against the Islamic State as it hosts the largest US air force base in the entire region from where anti-IS raids are launched. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The rift started last month in June when the four Arab states broke diplomatic ties with the gas-rch nation, which is also a close US-ally in West Asia, alleging that it has links with terror groups.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha

In a move that signals that the ongoing diplomatic standoff involving Qatar and other Arab states will only worsen, the four Arab states led by Saudi Arabia pledged new political, economic and legal steps against Qatar declaring the earlier set of 13 demands as void. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE met in Cairo and discussed the new set of measures against Doha. They said that Qatar's refusal to comply with the initial set of 13 demands is proof that the gas-rich nation has links with terror groups. However, the anti-Qatar coalition led by Saudi Arabia did not elaborate as to when the new measures will come into force. The four Aarb states condemned Doha's response as "negative" and lacking in content, Reuters reported. The United States has expressed concern that the ongoing dispute between Qatar and the Arab states could drag for months or possibly even intensify. Speaking about the rift between Qatar on one side and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on the other, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, "We remain very concerned about that ongoing situation between Qatar and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries." "We've become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks. It could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify," she added. According to a report, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson is planning to visit Kuwait which is acting as a mediator in the dispute. US defence secretary Jim Mattis had a phone conversation with his Qatari counterpart stressing the "importance of de-escalating tensions", Reuters quoted the Pentagon as saying. Mattis also reaffirmed America's startegic security partnership with Qatar. Qatar is one of the important allies of US in the fight against the Islamic State as it hosts the largest US air force base in the entire region from where anti-IS raids are launched. The rift started last month in June when the four Arab states broke diplomatic ties with the gas-rch nation, which is also a close US-ally in West Asia, alleging that it has links with terror groups.

US fears rift involving Qatar & Arab states could intensify

<p>Qatar&#39;s foreign minister called for &quot;dialogue&quot; on Wednesday to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis, accusing Arab states that have cut ties with Qatar of trying to undermine the nation&#39;s sovereignty.</p>

<p>&quot;Qatar continues to call for dialogue,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Chatham House think tank in London, as the Arab states held talks in Egypt to discuss their next move.</p>

<p>&quot;We welcome any serious efforts to resolve our differences with our neighbours,&quot; he said, adding: &quot;We don&#39;t accept intervention in our own affairs&quot;.</p>

<p>He accused Saudi Arabia and its regional allies of &quot;demanding that we must surrender our sovereignty as the price for ending the siege&quot;.</p>

<p>A group of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia has severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food. They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.</p>

<p>The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world&#39;s largest energy exporters and key Western allies who host US military bases.</p>

<p>Energy-rich Qatar has been defiant throughout the crisis, insisting it can weather action taken against it.&nbsp;</p>


Its foreign minister accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of demanding that 'we must surrender our sovereignty as the price for ending the siege'

Qatar's foreign minister called for "dialogue" on Wednesday to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis, accusing Arab states that have cut ties with Qatar of trying to undermine the nation's sovereignty. "Qatar continues to call for dialogue," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Chatham House think tank in London, as the Arab states held talks in Egypt to discuss their next move. "We welcome any serious efforts to resolve our differences with our neighbours," he said, adding: "We don't accept intervention in our own affairs". He accused Saudi Arabia and its regional allies of "demanding that we must surrender our sovereignty as the price for ending the siege". A group of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia has severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food. They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions. The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and key Western allies who host US military bases. Energy-rich Qatar has been defiant throughout the crisis, insisting it can weather action taken against it.

Qatar calls for 'dialogue' to resolve Gulf crisis

<p>Saudi Arabia and its allies said early Monday they had decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade.</p>

<p>With the deadline expiring at midnight Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.</p>

<p>The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.</p>

<p>The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar&#39;s announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Monday.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.</p>

<p>They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.</p>

<p>On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply.</p>

<p>Riyadh&#39;s demands include ending Doha&#39;s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.</p>

<p>The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar&#39;s response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait.</p>

<p>Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands.</p>

<p>&quot;The list of demands is made to be rejected,&quot; Qatar&#39;s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome.</p>

<p>&quot;The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle,&quot; he said, adding: &quot;We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.&quot;</p>


On June 22, Qatar was?presented with a list of 13 demands and was given 10 days to comply

Saudi Arabia and its allies said early Monday they had decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade. With the deadline expiring at midnight Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands. The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency. The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades. They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied. On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply. Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate. The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait. Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands. "The list of demands is made to be rejected," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome. "The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle," he said, adding: "We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue."

Saudi Arabia and allies extend Qatar deadline by 48 hours

<p>Four Arab states currently boycotting Qatar for allegedly supporting terorrism have sent the country a lot of 13 demands, according to one of the countres&#39; officials who spoke to Reuters.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;boycott, launched on June 5, entails each of the&nbsp;countries&nbsp;cutting economic, diplomatic and travel ties with Doha The four nations who made the list of demands include&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahain.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>The list of demands</strong></p>

<p>Reuters reports that the four nations demand that Qatar:</p>

<p>Close the TV station&nbsp;Al Jazeera.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reduce&nbsp;their ties with Iran.</p>

<p>Close&nbsp;a Turkish military base in Qatar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Declare that it is cutting off ties with terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Must also surrender anybody designated as a terorrist on its territory.</p>

<p>Must stop interfering in the four countries&#39; domestic and foreign affairs&nbsp;</p>

<p>Stop&nbsp;giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries</p>

<p>Pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies, he added</p>

<p>More, if Qatar does agree to meet this list of demands, the four countries will monitor compliance with monthly reports in the first year, then&nbsp;three-month reports in the following year, then annual reports in the next decade, said an official to Reuters without offering further clarification.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Qatar&#39;s response</strong></p>

<p>Qatar has denied that they are guilty of what the four Arab nations accuse them of: Funding terorrism, creating regional instability &nbsp;and warming up to revolutionary theocracy Iran.</p>

<p>Earlier this week the foreign minister said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they first lifted their measures. Reuters was not able to reach him for comment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What if Qatar says no?</strong></p>

<p>The countries give Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes &quot;void&quot;, the official said without elaborating. This suggests that the&nbsp;offer to end the dispute in return for meeting the thirteen demands may&nbsp;no longer be on the table.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>How are others responding?</b></p>

<p>Donald Trump has called Qatar a &quot;high level sponsor of terrorism&quot;, but also offered to mediate to help these parties resolve their differences. Days after Trump plainly said&nbsp;Qatar sponsors terrorism, the US sold them $12 billion in weapons.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="videos-block">
<div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6EPg809ckWQ"></iframe></div>
</div>

<div class="media-description">
<p>The US accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism and then turns around and sells F-15 fighters, and continues to use the Al Udeid Air Base. Clearly politics is all very well but nothing can halt the business of America. WION brings you this report (WION)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>Turkey has so far taken Qatar&#39;s side. It has launched ships carrying aid in the form of food to Qatar, and yesterday sent a small a small group soldiers and even armoured vehicles. Turkey&#39;s president Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia&#39;s leaders in an effort to calm the regional tension.&nbsp;</p>


The concessions are not just numerous but large, and if Qatar agrees their compliance will be monitored closely for ten years

Four Arab states currently boycotting Qatar for allegedly supporting terorrism have sent the country a lot of 13 demands, according to one of the countres' officials who spoke to Reuters. The boycott, launched on June 5, entails each of the countries cutting economic, diplomatic and travel ties with Doha The four nations who made the list of demands include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahain. The list of demands Reuters reports that the four nations demand that Qatar: Close the TV station Al Jazeera. Reduce their ties with Iran. Close a Turkish military base in Qatar. Declare that it is cutting off ties with terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham. Must also surrender anybody designated as a terorrist on its territory. Must stop interfering in the four countries' domestic and foreign affairs Stop giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries Pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies, he added More, if Qatar does agree to meet this list of demands, the four countries will monitor compliance with monthly reports in the first year, then three-month reports in the following year, then annual reports in the next decade, said an official to Reuters without offering further clarification. Qatar's response Qatar has denied that they are guilty of what the four Arab nations accuse them of: Funding terorrism, creating regional instability and warming up to revolutionary theocracy Iran. Earlier this week the foreign minister said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they first lifted their measures. Reuters was not able to reach him for comment. What if Qatar says no? The countries give Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes "void", the official said without elaborating. This suggests that the offer to end the dispute in return for meeting the thirteen demands may no longer be on the table. How are others responding? Donald Trump has called Qatar a "high level sponsor of terrorism", but also offered to mediate to help these parties resolve their differences. Days after Trump plainly said Qatar sponsors terrorism, the US sold them $12 billion in weapons. The US accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism and then turns around and sells F-15 fighters, and continues to use the Al Udeid Air Base. Clearly politics is all very well but nothing can halt the business of America. WION brings you this report (WION) × Turkey has so far taken Qatar's side. It has launched ships carrying aid in the form of food to Qatar, and yesterday sent a small a small group soldiers and even armoured vehicles. Turkey's president Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia's leaders in an effort to calm the regional tension.

Arab states send Qatar 13 demands to end crisis, official says

<p>Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it captured three Iranian Revolutionary Guards aboard an explosive-laden boat heading to an oil platform in the Gulf, further ratcheting up tensions in the region.</p>

<p>Iran said the three people detained were fishermen.</p>

<p>The Saudi statement came three days after it said the incident occurred in the Marjan oil field, and two days after Iran accused the Saudis of shooting one of its fishermen in the Gulf waters which divide their two countries.</p>

<p>Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were already strained but escalated after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies cut ties with Qatar two weeks ago.</p>

<p>They accuse Doha of supporting extremist groups, including some backed by Iran, &quot;that aim to destabilise the region&quot;.</p>

<p>Last week, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for a permanent mechanism in the Gulf to resolve crises like the diplomatic and economic isolation of Qatar.</p>

<p>The three guards &quot;are now being questioned by Saudi authorities,&quot; the information and culture ministry said in its statement.</p>

<p>&quot;It is clear this was intended to be a terrorist act in Saudi territorial waters designed to cause severe damage to people and property,&quot; the ministry said.</p>

<p>In Iran, Majid Aghababaie, head of border affairs at the interior ministry, said the three &nbsp;detained were fishermen from the southern Iranian port of Bushehr.</p>

<p>&quot;There is no proof that they are military personnel,&quot; he said, in remarks carried by the ILNA news agency.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia has said it seized weapons from a boat captured in the Marjan field at about 8:30 pm on Friday.</p>

<p>It said the navy fired warning shots when three small boats entered Saudi territorial waters and headed at high speed towards the platforms.</p>

<p>That statement made no mention of explosives and did not detail what type of weapons were found, though it said they were for &quot;subversive purposes&quot;.</p>

<p><strong>Iraq, Sudan leaders visiting</strong></p>

<p>That statement also made no mention of arrests but said the boats bore &quot;red and white flags&quot;. Two of the boats got away, it said.</p>

<p>On Saturday, Iran accused the Saudi coastguard of killing one of its fishermen after two fishing boats may have strayed into Saudi waters.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Shiite-dominated Iran of interfering in Arab countries, and has suggested it is linked to instability in the kingdom&#39;s east, where minority Shiites live.</p>

<p>Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guard Corps in turn has accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in June 7 attacks in Tehran, when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.</p>

<p>Seventeen people were killed in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia&#39;s announcement of the Guards&#39; capture coincided with visits to the kingdom by Iraq&#39;s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and Sudan&#39;s President Omar al-Bashir.</p>

<p>Saudi Arabia has been trying to cement its ties throughout the Muslim world against the backdrop of higher tensions with its Iranian rival.</p>


Iran said the three people detained were fishermen

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it captured three Iranian Revolutionary Guards aboard an explosive-laden boat heading to an oil platform in the Gulf, further ratcheting up tensions in the region. Iran said the three people detained were fishermen. The Saudi statement came three days after it said the incident occurred in the Marjan oil field, and two days after Iran accused the Saudis of shooting one of its fishermen in the Gulf waters which divide their two countries. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran were already strained but escalated after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies cut ties with Qatar two weeks ago. They accuse Doha of supporting extremist groups, including some backed by Iran, "that aim to destabilise the region". Last week, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for a permanent mechanism in the Gulf to resolve crises like the diplomatic and economic isolation of Qatar. The three guards "are now being questioned by Saudi authorities," the information and culture ministry said in its statement. "It is clear this was intended to be a terrorist act in Saudi territorial waters designed to cause severe damage to people and property," the ministry said. In Iran, Majid Aghababaie, head of border affairs at the interior ministry, said the three detained were fishermen from the southern Iranian port of Bushehr. "There is no proof that they are military personnel," he said, in remarks carried by the ILNA news agency. Saudi Arabia has said it seized weapons from a boat captured in the Marjan field at about 8:30 pm on Friday. It said the navy fired warning shots when three small boats entered Saudi territorial waters and headed at high speed towards the platforms. That statement made no mention of explosives and did not detail what type of weapons were found, though it said they were for "subversive purposes". Iraq, Sudan leaders visiting That statement also made no mention of arrests but said the boats bore "red and white flags". Two of the boats got away, it said. On Saturday, Iran accused the Saudi coastguard of killing one of its fishermen after two fishing boats may have strayed into Saudi waters. Saudi Arabia regularly accuses Shiite-dominated Iran of interfering in Arab countries, and has suggested it is linked to instability in the kingdom's east, where minority Shiites live. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps in turn has accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in June 7 attacks in Tehran, when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Seventeen people were killed in the attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Saudi Arabia's announcement of the Guards' capture coincided with visits to the kingdom by Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. Saudi Arabia has been trying to cement its ties throughout the Muslim world against the backdrop of higher tensions with its Iranian rival.

Saudi says 3 Iran Revolutionary Guards caught on explosive-laden boat

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>By Tridivesh Singh Maini &amp;&nbsp;Sandeep Sachdeva*</p>

<p><strong>How should New Delhi react to Doha&rsquo;s isolation?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives suspended all diplomatic ties with Qatar, stating that the country was fomenting, extremism and radicalism. The Saudi Arabian state run press agency said &quot;Qatar is harboring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region&quot;. Doha was of course quick to deny all such allegations. Significantly, the move came exactly two weeks after US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s visit to Saudi Arabia.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>While Saudi Arabia and other countries accused Qatar of supporting extremist terrorist &nbsp;organizations like Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Daesh, Al Qaeda and Hamas.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While Saudi Arabia and other countries accused Qatar of supporting extremist terrorist ?organizations like Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Daesh, Al Qaeda and Hamas." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>The Saudi Kingdom and other GCC countries, not only created a blockade like situation, by closing the border and denying air and sea route to Qatar, but also urged &quot;all brotherly countries and companies to do the same&quot;.</p>

<p>While Saudi Arabia and other countries accused Qatar of supporting extremist terrorist &nbsp;organisations, such as&nbsp;Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Daesh, Al Qaeda and Hamas. While most analysts point to external factors for the decision to sideline Qatar, it is also a result of rivalry between the Saudis and Qatar. The former has thought of itself for long as the undisputed leader of the Islamic World, while off late Qatar by taking an independent foreign policy stance, while also differing on a number of foreign policy issues has sought to distinguish itself. Significantly, the Taliban had set up an office in Afghanistan, which was later shut down. Qatar has also sought to play a role in reconciliation taks between Taliban and Afghanistan.</p>

<p>On June 14, 2017, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, a senior counterterrorism adviser to Qatar&rsquo;s foreign minister said &ldquo;Qatar hosted the Taliban reconciliation talks with the Afghan government on the request from the United States but now U.S. President Donald Trump along with a number of Arab regimes has accused Doha of supporting extremist groups,&rdquo; &nbsp;Apart from this, Doha has also maintained a manageable relationship with Iran.</p>

<p><strong>What has been the role of major powers in this issue?</strong></p>

<p>All major powers are taking sides in accordance with their interests. The US, seems to be fueling tension in the region instead of diffusing it. On the very first day, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on a state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united. However, Tillerson&rsquo;s assurances came under doubt after Presidents Trump sided with Saudis, and lambasted Qatar for fomenting terror stating, &ldquo;The time had come to call on Qatar to end it&rsquo;s funding&hellip;&hellip;and it&rsquo;s extremist ideology&rdquo;. Later, US President Donald Trump realised that Qatar hosts the biggest US military Base in the region, and spoke over telephone with Qatar&#39;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, expressing readiness to participate in the efforts to resolve the crisis in the GCC. More recently, the US not only finalised arm deal of worth 12 billion US dollars but also sent US Navy vessels to Doha to take part in a joint military exercise with the Qatari Emiri Navy.</p>

<p>Turkey&#39;s parliament has approved a legislation allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar.</p>

<p>Though Russia has taken a neutral position from the start of the conflict, it sympathises with Qatar rather than with Saudi Arabia and its allies, because the investment authority of Qatar has made significant investments in different sectors, during difficult economic time.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Sushma Swaraj categorically stated that, &ldquo;There is no challenge arising out of this for us. This is an internal matter of GCC (Gulf Coordination Council). Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Sushma Swaraj categorically stated that, ?There is no challenge arising out of this for us. This is an internal matter of GCC (Gulf Coordination Council). Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Indian stake in Qatar&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>More than 650,000 Indians are living in Qatar. Almost half of the Indians (3,00000) are from Kerala. Kerala CM &nbsp;Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the central government and sought its intervention for ensuring the safety of these Indians.India&rsquo;s Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj categorically stated that, &ldquo;There is no challenge arising out of this for us. This is an internal matter of GCC (Gulf Coordination Council). Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there.&quot;</p>

<p>It is estimated, that expats from Arab nations, send back remittance of well over 60 billion US dollars to India annually. A large number of these resident are in Qatar, on contract to work for the FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the country in 2022. If one were to look beyond remittances and the diaspora factor, India has strong economic connections with Qatar in the economic sphere. They include:</p>

<p><strong>Energy</strong></p>

<p>Qatar has the world&#39;s third-largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran,&nbsp;and is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for 66 per cent of the total imports in 2015-16. It is worth noting that last year India renegotiated the gas price formula and saved around 20000 crore rupees.</p>

<p><strong>Investment</strong></p>

<p>Qatar has a sovereign wealth fund of around 300 billion US dollars, which is managed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). It has significant investments in India across the board such as Qatar Foundation Endowment picked up 5 per cent&nbsp;stake in Bharti Airtel &nbsp;with an investment of US$ 1.26 billion in July 2013. In July 2013, Qatar Investment Authority decided to invest US$300 million in India&rsquo;s real estate sector. QIA invested US$ 150 million in India&rsquo;s e-commerce major Flipkart. At the same time, Indian companies have invested US$ 100 million in different joint ventures across the different sectors. Qatar Airways and QIA are planning to invest in Airlines sector of India. India has been engaging with QIA and other state-owned and private entities in Qatar to draw investment for PM Modi&rsquo;s flagship program &lsquo;Make in India&rsquo;.</p>

<p><strong>Trade</strong></p>

<p>According to the Indian embassy in Doha, &ldquo;The bilateral trade had touched nearly US$17 billion in 2013-14, with India&#39;s exports amounting to nearly US$1.0 billion.&rdquo; India mainly exports iron or steel, plastic &amp; articles thereof, construction material, electrical and electronic items, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, rubber, spices and cereals to Qatar.</p>

<p>Apart from it, Qatar hosts many Indian companies. There are a total of 26, 100 per cent&nbsp;Indian owned companies working in Qatar in various fields such as infrastructure, contracting, information technology, gold trade, and food items trade. Nearly 6,500 Qatari-Indian companies in joint venture partnerships are working practically in all fields in the country. Many Indian companies such as L&amp;T, Dodsal, Punj Lloyd, Shapoorji Pallonji, Voltas, Tata motors, Simplex, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Aptech and NIIT have set up offices in Qatar and have secured major contracts/business.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run, which it should seek to leverage for economic and strategic purposes.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run, which it should seek to leverage for economic and strategic purposes." target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p><strong>Indian strategy</strong></p>

<p>New Delhi needs to take care of its national interests as other countries are doing. While in the short run, India could face significant economic challenges, with lay offs of sections of Indian workers being a significant possibility. Yet, New Delhi needs to think out of the box, and ensure that its relationship with Qatar is not viewed from the prism of Saudi Arabia and other countries. New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run, which it should seek to leverage for economic and strategic purposes.</p>

<p>*Sandeep Sachdeva is an Independent Policy Analyst.</p>


New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run

By Tridivesh Singh Maini & Sandeep Sachdeva* How should New Delhi react to Doha’s isolation? On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives suspended all diplomatic ties with Qatar, stating that the country was fomenting, extremism and radicalism. The Saudi Arabian state run press agency said "Qatar is harboring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region". Doha was of course quick to deny all such allegations. Significantly, the move came exactly two weeks after US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. While Saudi Arabia and other countries accused Qatar of supporting extremist terrorist organizations like Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Daesh, Al Qaeda and Hamas. × The Saudi Kingdom and other GCC countries, not only created a blockade like situation, by closing the border and denying air and sea route to Qatar, but also urged "all brotherly countries and companies to do the same". While Saudi Arabia and other countries accused Qatar of supporting extremist terrorist organisations, such as Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, Daesh, Al Qaeda and Hamas. While most analysts point to external factors for the decision to sideline Qatar, it is also a result of rivalry between the Saudis and Qatar. The former has thought of itself for long as the undisputed leader of the Islamic World, while off late Qatar by taking an independent foreign policy stance, while also differing on a number of foreign policy issues has sought to distinguish itself. Significantly, the Taliban had set up an office in Afghanistan, which was later shut down. Qatar has also sought to play a role in reconciliation taks between Taliban and Afghanistan. On June 14, 2017, Mutlaq al-Qahtani, a senior counterterrorism adviser to Qatar’s foreign minister said “Qatar hosted the Taliban reconciliation talks with the Afghan government on the request from the United States but now U.S. President Donald Trump along with a number of Arab regimes has accused Doha of supporting extremist groups,” Apart from this, Doha has also maintained a manageable relationship with Iran. What has been the role of major powers in this issue? All major powers are taking sides in accordance with their interests. The US, seems to be fueling tension in the region instead of diffusing it. On the very first day, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on a state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united. However, Tillerson’s assurances came under doubt after Presidents Trump sided with Saudis, and lambasted Qatar for fomenting terror stating, “The time had come to call on Qatar to end it’s funding……and it’s extremist ideology”. Later, US President Donald Trump realised that Qatar hosts the biggest US military Base in the region, and spoke over telephone with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, expressing readiness to participate in the efforts to resolve the crisis in the GCC. More recently, the US not only finalised arm deal of worth 12 billion US dollars but also sent US Navy vessels to Doha to take part in a joint military exercise with the Qatari Emiri Navy. Turkey's parliament has approved a legislation allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar. Though Russia has taken a neutral position from the start of the conflict, it sympathises with Qatar rather than with Saudi Arabia and its allies, because the investment authority of Qatar has made significant investments in different sectors, during difficult economic time. Sushma Swaraj categorically stated that, “There is no challenge arising out of this for us. This is an internal matter of GCC (Gulf Coordination Council). Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there. × Indian stake in Qatar More than 650,000 Indians are living in Qatar. Almost half of the Indians (3,00000) are from Kerala. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to the central government and sought its intervention for ensuring the safety of these Indians.India’s Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj categorically stated that, “There is no challenge arising out of this for us. This is an internal matter of GCC (Gulf Coordination Council). Our only concern is about Indians there. We are trying to find out if any Indians are stuck there." It is estimated, that expats from Arab nations, send back remittance of well over 60 billion US dollars to India annually. A large number of these resident are in Qatar, on contract to work for the FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the country in 2022. If one were to look beyond remittances and the diaspora factor, India has strong economic connections with Qatar in the economic sphere. They include: Energy Qatar has the world's third-largest gas reserves after Russia and Iran, and is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for 66 per cent of the total imports in 2015-16. It is worth noting that last year India renegotiated the gas price formula and saved around 20000 crore rupees. Investment Qatar has a sovereign wealth fund of around 300 billion US dollars, which is managed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). It has significant investments in India across the board such as Qatar Foundation Endowment picked up 5 per cent stake in Bharti Airtel with an investment of US$ 1.26 billion in July 2013. In July 2013, Qatar Investment Authority decided to invest US$300 million in India’s real estate sector. QIA invested US$ 150 million in India’s e-commerce major Flipkart. At the same time, Indian companies have invested US$ 100 million in different joint ventures across the different sectors. Qatar Airways and QIA are planning to invest in Airlines sector of India. India has been engaging with QIA and other state-owned and private entities in Qatar to draw investment for PM Modi’s flagship program ‘Make in India’. Trade According to the Indian embassy in Doha, “The bilateral trade had touched nearly US$17 billion in 2013-14, with India's exports amounting to nearly US$1.0 billion.” India mainly exports iron or steel, plastic & articles thereof, construction material, electrical and electronic items, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, rubber, spices and cereals to Qatar. Apart from it, Qatar hosts many Indian companies. There are a total of 26, 100 per cent Indian owned companies working in Qatar in various fields such as infrastructure, contracting, information technology, gold trade, and food items trade. Nearly 6,500 Qatari-Indian companies in joint venture partnerships are working practically in all fields in the country. Many Indian companies such as L&T, Dodsal, Punj Lloyd, Shapoorji Pallonji, Voltas, Tata motors, Simplex, TCS, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Aptech and NIIT have set up offices in Qatar and have secured major contracts/business. New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run, which it should seek to leverage for economic and strategic purposes. × Indian strategy New Delhi needs to take care of its national interests as other countries are doing. While in the short run, India could face significant economic challenges, with lay offs of sections of Indian workers being a significant possibility. Yet, New Delhi needs to think out of the box, and ensure that its relationship with Qatar is not viewed from the prism of Saudi Arabia and other countries. New Delhi needs to look at the isolation of Qatar as an opportunity in the long run, which it should seek to leverage for economic and strategic purposes. *Sandeep Sachdeva is an Independent Policy Analyst.

Deserted by neighbours, Qatar is still a big hope for India

<p>Iranian forces killed two suspected members of an armed group and arrested five others in the southeastern province of&nbsp;Sistan-Baluchestan.</p>

<p>&quot;A group of seven terrorists who wanted to attack a barracks in Chabahar (in Sistan-Baluchestan province) was dismantled. Five people, including two nationals from a neighbouring country, were arrested and two others were killed. Unfortunately, an intelligence agent was also killed,&quot; official news agency IRNA quoted Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying.</p>

<p>The minister also accused Saudi Arabia of fomenting trouble by sponsoring terrorist groups in Iran.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tensions between the two regional rivals has seen a spike after the twin attacks on parliament and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on June 7.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif,&nbsp;said, &quot;We have intelligence that Saudi Arabia is actively engaged in promoting terrorist groups operating on the eastern side of Iran in Baluchistan.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sistan-Baluchistan is the south-eastern province of Iran, sharing borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The province has been repeatedly attacked by Sunni militants. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Iranian forces also arrested five on suspicions of belonging to an armed group in Sistan-Baluchestan province

Iranian forces killed two suspected members of an armed group and arrested five others in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. "A group of seven terrorists who wanted to attack a barracks in Chabahar (in Sistan-Baluchestan province) was dismantled. Five people, including two nationals from a neighbouring country, were arrested and two others were killed. Unfortunately, an intelligence agent was also killed," official news agency IRNA quoted Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying. The minister also accused Saudi Arabia of fomenting trouble by sponsoring terrorist groups in Iran. Tensions between the two regional rivals has seen a spike after the twin attacks on parliament and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on June 7. Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said, "We have intelligence that Saudi Arabia is actively engaged in promoting terrorist groups operating on the eastern side of Iran in Baluchistan." Sistan-Baluchistan is the south-eastern province of Iran, sharing borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The province has been repeatedly attacked by Sunni militants.

Iranian forces kill two suspected members of armed group

<p>The current spat between Qatar and the three Gulf countries, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (the latter does not form a part of the Gulf States) has brought Qatar in the limelight regarding Islamic extremism, terrorism, and funding terrorist groups. Qatar has however denied these allegations. There are a few facts about Qatar the world does not know.</p>

<p><strong>1. GDP and economic sectors</strong><br />
Qatar has the world&#39;s highest GDP per capita i.e. $129,726. Since Qatar is largely dependent on oil and gas revenue, fluctuations in oil prices result in a dampened outlook.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Nonetheless, growth in manufacturing, construction&nbsp;and financial services have lifted the non-oil sectors to just over half of Qatar&rsquo;s nominal GDP.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>2. Population</strong><br />
According to an independent survey conducted by Priya DSouza Consultancy, only 12.10 per cent of the population of Qatar is formed by the Qatari nationals, 88 per cent of the population is immigrants, chief among who are Indians. Indians alone comprise 25 per cent of the total population.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/table%202-20170614070626.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Only 12.10 per cent of the population of Qatar is formed by the Qatari nationals, rest 88 per cent is immigrants (WION Web Team)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>In fact, Qataris have been a minority in their own country for a long time. In 1970, the Qatari population was 40 per cent, and as we can see in the graphic below, it has been on a steady decline since.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/table%201-20170614070211.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>In 1970, the Qatari population was 40 per cent (WION Web Team)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>3. Heavy subsidies</strong></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/market-20170614065603.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>The Qatari government provides free health care, education and electricity, as well as guaranteed access to high-paying jobs in the public sector (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>The Qatari government provides free health care, education and electricity, as well as guaranteed access to high-paying jobs in the public sector, subsidised fuel, interest-free housing loans and stipends for education abroad.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, not all immigrants enjoy&nbsp;these privileges, such as the daily labourers whose living conditions are&nbsp;nowhere close that of a Qatari national.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>4. Emir Family</strong></p>

<p>EMIR means the person who gives orders. It was the name of any group leader and over the years it has become the name of the governor or the sons of the&nbsp;governor.</p>

<p><strong>Sheikh Tamim</strong> bin Hamad Al Thani is the eighth and current Emir of Qatar. He is the fourth son of the previous Emir,<strong> </strong>Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.&nbsp;The Al-Thani family is the&nbsp;descendant of the ancient Tamim tribe of central Arabia who&nbsp;arrived in the Arabian Peninsula in the mid-18th century.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/tamim-20170614070012.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the eighth and current Emir of Qatar. He is the fourth son of the previous Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong>Education</strong></p>

<p>The current Emir, Sheikh Tamim studied in&nbsp;Britain&rsquo;s Sherborne School (International College) in 1997. He then attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 1998. In 2005, Sheikh Tamim founded Qatar Sport Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain FC among other investments. In 2006, he chaired the organising committee of the 15th Asian Games in Doha.</p>

<p>His mother Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned is the second of three wives of The Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Marhaba reports that she serves as Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), a private non-profit organisation founded in 1995. Sheikha Mozah is the driving force behind Education City and Al Jazeera<strong> </strong>Children&rsquo;s Channel.</p>

<p><strong>5. Al-Jazeera</strong></p>

<p>Al-Jazeera is the influential pan-Arab and international TV broadcaster, which is owned by the government (that comprises largely of the Emir family) and has raised Qatar&#39;s media profile, reported BBC in June 2017. It can be outspoken on subjects deemed as sensitive in the region but avoids criticism of Qatar and its Gulf allies, specifically Saudi Arabia. It has faced curbs in several Arab countries where it has ruffled feathers.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/al%20jazeera-20170614065426.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Al-Jazeera is the influential pan-Arab and international TV broadcaster owned by the government (Zee News Network)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>There is little or no critical reporting of domestic or foreign policy affairs. The government also filters the material available to the 2.2 million people online in the country, blocking material deemed offensive to Islam, pornographic content and online privacy resources.</p>

<p><strong>6. Tourism</strong><br />
Qatar government has been increasingly showing interest in tourism. Doha is a world class city in the making, and with 2022 FIFA World Cup coming to the country, infrastructure is being set up to attract tourists. Using the internet expansively, the commercial bank of Qatar has reached out to the world with its website lifeinqatar.com. Similar efforts have been done by the tourism department independently of the bank, in form of visitqatar.qa.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/tourism-20170614070136.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Qatar government has been increasingly showing interest in tourism. Doha is a world class city in making (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p><strong>7. Status of Women in Society</strong></p>

<p>Women in Qatar lead fairly liberal lives in comparison to other Muslim states. Women don&rsquo;t need to wear the Abaya (a long black robe which covers the clothes worn underneath) or Hijab (head scarf). The general rule is that when in public a woman&#39;s clothing should cover the shoulders, upper arms and knees. Women have access to schooling and employment and have the right to drive and travel outside the country. Education is considered to be empowering in Qatar.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/qatar%20women-20170614065939.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Women in Qatar lead fairly liberal lives in comparison to other Muslim states. (AFP)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>To provide women with more access to public services, some department stores, malls, parks, and museums designate &quot;family days&quot; during which men are allowed entry only if they accompany their families.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Complied by Deepali Mittal)</p>


There are a few facts about Qatar the world does not know

The current spat between Qatar and the three Gulf countries, Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt (the latter does not form a part of the Gulf States) has brought Qatar in the limelight regarding Islamic extremism, terrorism, and funding terrorist groups. Qatar has however denied these allegations. There are a few facts about Qatar the world does not know. 1. GDP and economic sectors Qatar has the world's highest GDP per capita i.e. $129,726. Since Qatar is largely dependent on oil and gas revenue, fluctuations in oil prices result in a dampened outlook. Nonetheless, growth in manufacturing, construction and financial services have lifted the non-oil sectors to just over half of Qatar’s nominal GDP. 2. Population According to an independent survey conducted by Priya DSouza Consultancy, only 12.10 per cent of the population of Qatar is formed by the Qatari nationals, 88 per cent of the population is immigrants, chief among who are Indians. Indians alone comprise 25 per cent of the total population. Only 12.10 per cent of the population of Qatar is formed by the Qatari nationals, rest 88 per cent is immigrants (WION Web Team) × In fact, Qataris have been a minority in their own country for a long time. In 1970, the Qatari population was 40 per cent, and as we can see in the graphic below, it has been on a steady decline since. In 1970, the Qatari population was 40 per cent (WION Web Team) × 3. Heavy subsidies The Qatari government provides free health care, education and electricity, as well as guaranteed access to high-paying jobs in the public sector (AFP) × The Qatari government provides free health care, education and electricity, as well as guaranteed access to high-paying jobs in the public sector, subsidised fuel, interest-free housing loans and stipends for education abroad. However, not all immigrants enjoy these privileges, such as the daily labourers whose living conditions are nowhere close that of a Qatari national. 4. Emir Family EMIR means the person who gives orders. It was the name of any group leader and over the years it has become the name of the governor or the sons of the governor. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the eighth and current Emir of Qatar. He is the fourth son of the previous Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The Al-Thani family is the descendant of the ancient Tamim tribe of central Arabia who arrived in the Arabian Peninsula in the mid-18th century. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the eighth and current Emir of Qatar. He is the fourth son of the previous Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. (AFP) × Education The current Emir, Sheikh Tamim studied in Britain’s Sherborne School (International College) in 1997. He then attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in 1998. In 2005, Sheikh Tamim founded Qatar Sport Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain FC among other investments. In 2006, he chaired the organising committee of the 15th Asian Games in Doha. His mother Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned is the second of three wives of The Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Marhaba reports that she serves as Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), a private non-profit organisation founded in 1995. Sheikha Mozah is the driving force behind Education City and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. 5. Al-Jazeera Al-Jazeera is the influential pan-Arab and international TV broadcaster, which is owned by the government (that comprises largely of the Emir family) and has raised Qatar's media profile, reported BBC in June 2017. It can be outspoken on subjects deemed as sensitive in the region but avoids criticism of Qatar and its Gulf allies, specifically Saudi Arabia. It has faced curbs in several Arab countries where it has ruffled feathers. Al-Jazeera is the influential pan-Arab and international TV broadcaster owned by the government (Zee News Network) × There is little or no critical reporting of domestic or foreign policy affairs. The government also filters the material available to the 2.2 million people online in the country, blocking material deemed offensive to Islam, pornographic content and online privacy resources. 6. Tourism Qatar government has been increasingly showing interest in tourism. Doha is a world class city in the making, and with 2022 FIFA World Cup coming to the country, infrastructure is being set up to attract tourists. Using the internet expansively, the commercial bank of Qatar has reached out to the world with its website lifeinqatar.com. Similar efforts have been done by the tourism department independently of the bank, in form of visitqatar.qa. Qatar government has been increasingly showing interest in tourism. Doha is a world class city in making (AFP) × 7. Status of Women in Society Women in Qatar lead fairly liberal lives in comparison to other Muslim states. Women don’t need to wear the Abaya (a long black robe which covers the clothes worn underneath) or Hijab (head scarf). The general rule is that when in public a woman's clothing should cover the shoulders, upper arms and knees. Women have access to schooling and employment and have the right to drive and travel outside the country. Education is considered to be empowering in Qatar. Women in Qatar lead fairly liberal lives in comparison to other Muslim states. (AFP) × To provide women with more access to public services, some department stores, malls, parks, and museums designate "family days" during which men are allowed entry only if they accompany their families. (Complied by Deepali Mittal)

Qatar: A giant with world's highest GDP

saudi-arabia

Saudi Arabia, News on Saudi Arabia, stories on Saudi Arabia, articles on Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia stories at Wion, Saudi Arabia news, Saudi Arabia latest news

saudi arabia