Campaign intensifies to free renowned Saudi women's-rights activist and UBC alumna Loujain al-Hathloul

 The #StudentsForLoujain movement wants the Canadian government to ramp up pressure on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia's ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been employing many public-relations tactics to persuade the world that he's not a bloodthirsty dictator.He's befriended White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump. In addition, the Saudi strongman has backed off criticizing the State of Israel.

MBS, as he's known, has even plastered his face on billboards in the U.K., purporting that he's opening Saudi Arabia to the world.
But the world will never forget how Washington Post columnist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, a fierce critic of MBS, was executed and dismembered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
And in 2019, Saudi authorities escalated their repressive tactics at home, according to Amnesty International, cracking down on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.
"They harassed, arbitrarily detained and prosecuted dozens of government critics, human rights defenders, including women’s rights activists, members of the Shi’a minority and family members of activists. Shi’a activists and religious clerics remained on trial before a counter-terror court for expressing dissent," Amnesty International stated in its country report on Saudi Arabia.
"The authorities used the death penalty extensively, carrying out scores of executions for a range of crimes, including drug offences."
#StudentsForLoujain campaign launched
Now, a former University of British Columbia student is caught up in the horrific Saudi legal system. And students in Canada are trying to free her.Loujain al-Hathloul, 31, could face 20 years in jail, according to the Guardian.She's being tried in terrorism court—yes, terrorism court—reportedly for "defying the country's ban on women driving and for campaigning for an end to the male guardianship system, which makes women second-class citizens".Driving while female is still a crime in that country, regardless of what you're being told by public relations consultants on MBS's payroll.Her relatives have told the Guardian that she's been sexually assaulted and tortured. That won't come as a surprise to Canadians who are familiar with the story of William Sampson.He was a Canadian and former member of the Seaforth Highlanders in Vancouver who was subjected to similar abuse at the hands of Saudi prison guards. This was after being sentenced to death for a bomb blast that was actually done not by him, but by opponents of the Saudi regime.
Sampson died prematurely of a heart attack in his early 50s, no doubt a result of what he endured at the hands of this vicious and despicable regime.
MBS's charm offensive in the West should be seen for what it is—a disgusting attempt to cover up his continuing assault on freedom and his stained reputation as one of the worst human-rights abusers in the world.The proof is on display in the execution of Khashoggi, the imprisonment and likely torture of writer Raif Badawi, and the trial and abuse of al-Hathloul, who should be seen as a national hero for her bravery.
Students across Canada are campaigning for al-Hathloul's freedom by trying to pressure Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne to escalate efforts to liberate her from this tyrannical treatment.
"As a member of our student community, Ms. Al-Hathloul is the embodiment of the values of equity, equality, and justice that we strive to uphold," UBC student associations stated in their letter to the minister.
"Loujain has been a bold and courageous champion for women's rights," they continued. "As an advocate, she has stood up for women's rights to operate vehicles and for opposing laws around male guardianship."
They're using the hashtag #StudentsForLoujain.
The Concordia Student Union, Capilano Students' Union, University of Victoria Students' Society, Camosun College Student Society, Douglas Students Union, Emily Carr Students Union, Justice Institute Students' Union, and several others have joined the campaign.
You can participate too by writing to the foreign affairs minister or by making your views known over social media.
The world has largely turned a blind eye to Saudi Arabia's war crimes in Yemen, done with the complicity of the United States. That's been documented by Human Rights Watch.
Everyone knows what a ghastly human being MBS is. If he's truly interested in conducting some genuine public relations that makes a real difference in the world, he'll step in and stop the persecution of Loujain al-Hathloul.
That's the very least he could do to convince the world that he's not an utterly irredeemable thug.
https://www.straight.com/news/campaign-intensifies-to-free-renowned-saudi-womens-rights-activist-and-ubc-alumna-loujain-al

Russia needs to protect borders given risks of smoldering regional conflicts - Putin

Russian President ordered to pay serious attention to information security, fight against extremism, corruption and economic crimes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to effectively protect its state border given the risks of smoldering conflicts in neighboring countries.
"We need to ensure a more effective protection of the state border, moreover given the risks of smoldering regional conflicts near our borders," Putin highlighted during a visit to the Foreign Intelligence Service’s headquarters.
Putin ordered to pay serious attention to information security, fight against extremism, corruption and economic crimes.
In their turn, staff members of the Federal Protective Service should continue effectively ensuring security of state facilities and vital events, while the Main Directorate of Special Programs should handle "a broad range of tasks on boosting stability of work of key state bodies and communications systems in any and even the most challenging situation," he said.
Russia’s intelligence services should continue a resolute struggle against terrorism, which has made it possible to significantly cut the number of such crimes, Russian President noted. According to Putin, the number of terrorism-related crimes in Russia over the past years has significantly decreased. Just two such crimes were registered in the past 11 months of this year compared with 36 in 2015.
"A huge everyday dangerous and hard work and its new quality are behind this statistics. The staff of the Federal Security Service and other services under the auspices of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee should continue acting in the same resolute and consistent way," he stated.
Putin also compared the current situation not only with the mid-1990s and early 2000s, but also with 2010, when some 779 terrorism-related crimes were recorded in Russia.
The Russian people "have a score to settle with" international terrorism, Putin noted. "We remember everyone who died defending Russia against this harsh enemy, which our country faced at the most challenging time of its history," the president stated.
https://tass.com/politics/1237609

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy guides China's actions as responsible country amid pandemic

 In the special year of 2020 shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, China has fulfilled its responsibilities as a major country in the world while safeguarding its national interests and dignity.

This has been achieved under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The thought consists of 10 principles including building a global community of shared future to safeguard world peace and promote common development, pursuing peaceful development on the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and steering reform of the global governance system to promote greater equity and justice.

The key principles also include pursuing major-country diplomacy with distinctive Chinese features to accomplish the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative under the principles of extensive consultation and joint contribution to benefit all, and upholding China's sovereignty, national security, and development interests as the core and non-negotiable position.

UPHOLDING COOPERATION TO AID ANTI-VIRUS FIGHT

Over the past year, President Xi Jinping has engaged in intensive head of state diplomacy.

He held more than 80 meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, and attended over 20 important diplomatic events, including "cloud diplomacy" through the innovative virtual platform.

Xi proposed enhancing solidarity, following the guidance of science, giving full play to the leading role of the World Health Organization (WHO), and launching a joint international response to beat the pandemic.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the government has worked closely with the WHO and the international community in an open, transparent, science-based and responsible manner.

China organized its largest global humanitarian campaign since 1949, providing anti-virus assistance to over 150 countries and nine international organizations and sent 36 medical teams to 34 countries in need.

China has joined COVAX, a global initiative backed by the WHO, to ensure effective and equitable global access to vaccines.

Xi promised on various occasions to make China's COVID-19 vaccines a "global public good."

ADVANCING OPENING-UP TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

As the world's second-largest economy, China has deepened reform and opening-up across the board and actively pursued mutually beneficial cooperation to provide impetus and confidence for the world to cope with the deepest recession since World War II.

China is expected to become the only major economy to register positive growth this year.

Xi said in order to promote global recovery, the international community must close ranks and jointly respond to this crisis and meet the test, and keep global economy open.

China practiced what it preached. Over the past year, it continued to open up to the world.

In the first eight months this year, China's trade with Belt and Road partners reached 5.86 trillion yuan (about 896 billion U.S. dollars), and Chinese companies made 30 percent more non-financial direct investment in the partner countries year-on-year.

The third China International Import Expo was attended by over 3,600 companies from more than 150 countries and regions, sharing with the world the benefits and opportunities generated by the country's economic recovery and opening-up.

UPHOLDING MULTILATERALISM TO FACILITATE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE REFORM

As the world is caught up in headwinds and setbacks in global governance, Xi has expounded on China's perspectives on global governance while attending major multilateral meetings and put forward China's proposals on tackling global challenges.

"History teaches us that multilateralism, equity and justice can keep war and conflict at bay, while unilateralism and power politics will inflate dispute and confrontation," Xi said.

At various virtual meetings, Xi urged the G20 members and BRICS countries to safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, calling the United Nations "the core institution for addressing international affairs through cooperation."

Xi has also called for forging broader consensus and stronger synergy in building a clean and beautiful world where man and nature coexist in harmony.

Supporting international cooperation on climate change, China promised that it will strive to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, demonstrating its readiness to contribute to global ecological preservation.

Actions to promote the Xi-proposed vision of a community with a shared future for mankind have been well underway, and China's proposals for building communities with a shared future in various fields including cyberspace, ocean and health have been warmly received.

Afghanistan: Challenges For Joe Biden Administration – Analysis

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra
The incoming Joe Biden’s administration will have lesser options in dealing with the Afghan insurgency. It cannot choose to go offensive, despite the fact that the peace table has not registered any notable progress thus far and insurgency continues unabated.
Considering the protracted nature of insurgency and squandering of American resources, will power and popular support after almost two decades of military entanglement, the new administration will not choose an unsuccessful strategy of the outgoing Trump administration which sought to address the Afghan situation by adopting an offensive gesture soon after assuming office through measures like increasing the number of American troops and resuming drone strikes – a strategy which was later discarded and Washington was forced to open direct talks with the Taliban in view of unremitting insurgency in many pockets of the country and mounting civilian as well as troops’ casualties. Thus, the Biden administration has no alternative except throwing its complete weight behind the peace process.
Ironically, even while the peace talks are very much on between the American and Taliban representatives with a temporary pause until January 5, 2021, the supporting conditions are far from being attained. The Biden administration will have the challenge to handle the existing lacunas with dexterity and enlist support from other regional stakeholders in the process. The administration cannot hope for a hasty yet successful peace process considering the fact that the Taliban cannot be viewed as the only Afghan stakeholder in the process. 

 Challenge of Regional Cooperation
The American efforts at shaping the contours of the Afghan peace efforts excluding the influence of geopolitical rivals like Iran and Russia fell squarely with its geopolitical ambitions of using Afghanistan as a bridge to the resource-rich Central Asian region and becoming a predominant player in energy politics. The Trump administration heavily relied on a containment policy toward Iran and Russia by reversing the nuclear deal with Iran and imposing multiple sanctions on both Iran and Russia on various ambiguous grounds. However, the divergences of geopolitical interests drove these regional powers to maintain contacts with and embolden the Afghan Taliban to move flexibly and negotiate from a position of strength. The Biden administration may soon realize that the internal political dynamics ran in favor of the Taliban and the US could only acquire a predominant position in the Afghan scenario by turning the tide of external dynamics by bringing in the influence of Russia, Iran, China and Pakistan to the Afghan peace efforts.
Besides, while the US Afghan peace interlocutor Zalmay Kalilzad is seeking guarantees from the Taliban that the group would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a launching-pad for terror operations, this assurance from the Taliban cannot guarantee the end of insurgency by various other militant groups operating within Afghanistan. According to the statistics put out by a Pentagon report in the first half of 2019, there are as many as 20 prominent militant organizations active in Afghanistan Thus, inclusion of Afghan government and support from regional powers in the peace talks would go a long way in addressing such a gloomy scenario.
Inclusion of Afghan Government
The Biden administration will have the challenge to persuade the Taliban and enlist the inclusion of the internationally recognized Afghan government in the peace process which has been sidelined in the entire gamut of the process due to the Taliban’s insistence that it is merely an American puppet and the insurgent group’s territorial control and far-reaching influence has restricted the leeway of the external powers in nudging the Taliban from its firm position. Exclusion of the Afghan government from the peace process not only indicates cornering of the present political institutions representing the country’s fledgling democratic multi-ethnic structure, the Taliban’s intentions remain unclear as to whether the group would work with others to take whatever socio-economic and political gains have been accrued all these years ahead. Exclusion of the Afghan government from the peace process so far means that the process is gravitating toward the Taliban’s agenda which largely remains unclear.
Addressing Pakistan’s Double Game
Another challenge would be to ensure continued and perceptible support from Pakistan in the peace process. The outgoing Trump administration’s experiments with tightening of screws over Pakistan to end its double game (it was committed to fighting terrorism on the one hand by joining the War on Terror whereas it threw its weight various insurgent groups on the other) were not effective as there was a surge in the incidents of terror attacks propped up by Pakistan as a retaliatory response to US action as well as to demonstrate its influence over the insurgents in Afghanistan.
For example, after Kabul ambulance bombing death toll reached beyond hundred, the head of Afghanistan’s intelligence service, National Directorate of Security (NDS) Masoom Stanekzai stated that these actions were deadly attempts by the Pakistani backers of the insurgency to show they could not be sidelined. Neither the Obama’s policy of aiding Pakistan nor did the Trump’s strategy of withdrawing aid work to attain success in Afghanistan in the past. Laxity on fighting terrorism on its soil and failure to meet the counter-terrorism standards set by FATF led to the chances of blacklisting of Pakistan by the watchdog which it narrowly escaped this year. Pakistan would use its influence over the Afghan Taliban as a way to gain strategic depth against India and may prefer an unstable Afghanistan to see its interests served.
Challenge of Democratic Deficit
Continuing insurgency by different militant groups including the Taliban has not only targeted foreign troops and Afghan government, rights of civilians and role of civil society organizations have been indiscriminately compromised too. Mina Mangal, a prominent Afghan journalist, an advocate of women’s rights to education and work as well as a cultural adviser to the lower chamber of Afghanistan’s national parliament was assassinated indicating the macabre dimension of insurgency as well as the fragility of the peace process. Meanwhile, Afghan women’s rights activists continue to complain that they have not been represented in the peace process and fear that any American deal with the Taliban would jeopardize their freedom.
The new administration will also have the challenge to work on the structure and nature of the political system that would ensue with the Taliban joining the mainstream political process which so far remains vague. For instance, Jalaluddin Shinwari, the deputy minister of justice under the Taliban government in the late 1990s, and who still maintains contact with its leaders, maintains the viewpoint that the modern insurgency will not settle for anything less than the return of the Emirate, and has a fundamental distaste for democracy. The US as the oldest democracy with vibrant civil society groups will have the pressures to address the questions of democracy and pluralism during the peace process.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/20122020-afghanistan-challenges-for-joe-biden-administration-analysis/

#Pakistan - Total active Covid-19 cases reach 40,553 as 2,615 more test positive

 

* Punjab's tally witnesses another spike with 722 new infections, 46 deaths

* Nearly 3,000 more recoveries reported across country.

The national tally of total active Covid-19 cases in Pakistan on Sunday reached 40,553 with 2,615 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 2,904 people recovered from coronavirus.
Eighty corona patients, 68 of whom were under treatment in hospital and 12 in their respective homes or quarantines died on Saturday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab followed by the Sindh. It added that out of the total 80 deaths during last 24 hours 44 patients died on ventilators. No Covid-affected person was on ventilator in Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) while 272 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 46 percent, ICT 44 percent, Peshawar 26 percent and Lahore 33 percent.
The oxygen beds were also occupied in four major areas as in Rawalpindi 40 percent, Abbottabad 41 percent, Peshawar58 percent and Multan 38 percent. Some 37,206 tests were conducted across the country on Sunday, including 10,372 in Sindh, 14,622 in Punjab, 5,488 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,403 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 428 in Balochistan, 412 in GB, and 481 in AJK.
Around 407,405 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 86 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 457,288 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 7,961, Balochistan 17,909, GB 4,822, ICT 36,117, KP 54,948, Punjab 131,428 and Sindh 204,103.
About 9,330 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion, including 3,319 Sindh among 13 of them died in hospital and Four out of hospital on Saturday, 3,604 in Punjab 41 of them died in hospital and Five out of hospital on Saturday, 1,536 in KP 12 of them died in hospital and Three out of hospital on Saturday, 389 in ICT One of them died in hospital on Saturday, 179 in Balochistan, 99 in GB and 204 in AJK where One of them died in hospital on Saturday.
A total of 6,301,341 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 615 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 2,891 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country. Three restaurants in Karachi’s Pearl Continental Hotel were sealed Saturday night for violating the government’s coronavirus SOPs. For restaurants, the SOPs include maintaining social distance between patrons, outdoor dining, wearing masks and closing at 10pm. The three restaurants did not close on time. The restaurants are Chandani Restaurant, Tai Pan and Sakura.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/704363/total-active-covid-19-cases-reach-40553-as-2615-more-test-positive/

Women rally to save #Pakistan’s taboo-busting ‘Oprah show’

Alia Waheed @AliaWaheed
Crowdfunder allows Kanwal Ahmed to keep sharing advice on sex, violence… and cooking.
A social media star has been dubbed Pakistan’s Kickstarter Oprah after her groundbreaking digital talk show in which women talk about taboo issues such as marital rape, cyberbullying and femicide was saved by fans.
Filming started this week on the new series of Conversations With Kanwal, in which presenter Kanwal Ahmed, 31, sheds light on issues that are rarely talked about within families, let alone in the public arena, after fans raised more than five million rupees (around £23,000) in less than a week using the online crowdfunding platform.
It was a remarkable achievement as the majority of fans were women living in Pakistan, where fewer than 30% are employed, so are often financially dependent on their spouses and don’t have their own bank accounts.
Ahmed’s journey towards becoming the nation’s favourite agony aunt began seven years ago when she launched Soul Sisters Pakistan (SSP), a women-only forum, where users could discuss taboo subjects such as domestic violence without fear of retribution. It also gave women the freedom to talk about anything from sex and relationships to Netflix and cooking tips. In a religiously and socially conservative nation such as Pakistan, where a selfie can result in an “honour killing”, SSP has become a lifeline for members or “Soulies” as they call themselves. The idea for the forum came about when Ahmed was working as a bridal make-up artist and found herself often dishing out advice to young women on everything from sex to handling in-laws.
“Many women don’t have anywhere to get information about sex and relationships and for many, their first experience of both may be on their wedding night,” said Ahmed. “It’s considered an act of shame to talk about something as intimate as sex.
“It’s ironic, because the word marriage is on everyone’s mind when a girl turns 18, but sex, body rights, contraception are hardly ever discussed with her. We grow up with biology books stapled to hide the reproduction section.”
SSP has more than 250,000 very active and vocal members, the majority of whom are aged between 18 and 35 and it was important to Kanwal that SSP should be an inclusive space for women of all backgrounds, including religious minorities, she said.
Any platform that unites such a diverse range of women will face controversy and many conservatives have accused Ahmed of promoting “promiscuity” and “wild behaviour”.
“SSP hosts a very diverse audience and the kinds of topics we discuss include those that are often considered shameful, so the SSP community routinely gets targeted for ‘leading women astray’,” said Ahmed. “When you try to challenge problematic norms, the backlash will occur. But it doesn’t mean we will back down. We only keep fighting harder.” Two years ago, Ahmed was selected as a community leader by Facebook in recognition of her efforts to use the social network to help others. She used its grant to launch Conversations with Kanwal on YouTube. “I wanted the things we championed for in the group to be talked about outside of it too, and hence within society at large. It was empowering for women to watch these stories and know they were not alone. Watching the struggles gave them strength and the happy endings gave them hope.” While the grant sustained the series for two seasons, it wasn’t enough to keep the show going, but despite hitting 30 million views – matched only by the most popular soap operas – most mainstream channels refused to touch the format because it was deemed too controversial, while others found it too hardhitting and wanted Ahmed to add a “beauty segment,” or comedy skit.
Like her Soulies, Ahmed turned to SSP for advice and launched a Kickstarter campaign. Donations flooded in, from a few rupees to thousands of dollars.
“Financial independence is not considered a birthright for those who identify as women. Many women either open a joint account with a male counterpart or only deal in cash, which is why it’s such a big deal,” said Ahmed. “It truly is a show that is powered by the people.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/20/women-rally-to-save-pakistans-taboo-busting-oprah-show

Pakistan: Government Urged To Review Christmas Guidelines

 By Kamran Chaudhry

Church leaders are urging the Pakistan government to revise coronavirus guidelines for Christmas events regarding the prohibition of carpets in churches. 

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Dec. 16 issued guidelines that prohibited carpets or mats in churches, touching Christmas trees, traditional gift exchange and recommended minimal travel during Christmas holidays.

“With the Covid-19 pandemic in full rage, the safest thing that can be done during this Christmas holiday is to stay home. There should be limited in-person contacts during holiday preparations and celebrations,” it states.

“In such events, prevention of importation of the virus from one household to other and other places like shopping malls and churches is an essential element in avoiding or minimizing the occurrence of infection and of serious outbreaks in these settings and beyond. Precautions are required by the public, especially the Christian community to protect themselves and prevent transmission.”

“There are no pews in our church. The faithful have been praying cross-legged for decades. It is Pashtun culture to sit for dining and praying. It will be impossible for them to sit on a freezing floor. We cannot arrange so many benches in one week,” he told UCA News.

The majority of churches constructed during the British era are equipped with pews. Originally meant for British Army officers and their families, they later became part of the local community. However, the later churches simply use carpets.

Churches already display banners for precautions from the virus. Caritas Pakistan has conducted awareness sessions and distributed masks and food for Covid-affected families in churches around the country. A notification of 10 guidelines, posted near the entrance of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore, bans cake cutting inside churches or feasts in church compounds.

In his Christmas message, Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore urged all to pray for an end to the outbreak.

“The advent season has spread happiness and hope for good days amid dangers of the pandemic. Let us pray that this Christmas becomes the feast of recovery of public health. May employment opportunities open, a culture of peace begin and our country come out of the present crisis,” he said. 

According to Lutheran Bishop Jimmy Mathew of Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, almost all Pentecostal churches in Northern Province are carpeted with no benches.

“We are discouraging large gatherings and Christmas fairs in church compounds. Christmas carol services scheduled in the last week of December have been canceled,” he said.

“We agreed to open our doors for ventilation during Christmas Masses despite the winter season. However, a common strategy won’t work. The government should enforce SOPs [standard operating procedures] as per the nature of the district.”

According to the National Command and Operations Centre, the virus claimed 1,073 lives in Pakistan in the first 17 days of December.

The number of Covid-19 cases reached 451,494 after 2,972 new infections were detected in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of National Health Services said. The number of deaths in Pakistan has reached 9,164, it said, adding that 84 people had died in the previous 24 hours.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/20122020-pakistan-government-urged-to-review-christmas-guidelines/

Father Tariq Mehmood, parish priest of St. John Vianney Church in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is disturbed by the latest guidelines.