31 May 2021 (daily Dawn)

Journalist bodies and human rights organisations on Monday condemned the move to take veteran journalist and TV show host Hamid Mir "off air".

Mir told BBC Urdu he had been informed by the Geo News management that he would "not go on air on Monday" to host his five-days-a-week show Capital Talk.

Although there was no official comment from Geo News, sources from the channel's management confirmed to Dawn.com that Mir has been sent on forced leave for some time.

The TV channel's administration had earlier confirmed the same to BBC Urdu, which quoted officials as saying that Mir would not host his talk show from Monday (today) and that "he has been sent on leave for some time".

The management said Mir was still associated with the Jang Media Group; another anchorperson has reportedly been asked to host the programme in place of Mir for now.

Mir, the longtime host of the popular Capital Talk, had just days earlier delivered a fiery speech in Islamabad calling for accountability for repeated assaults on journalists in the country. He was speaking at a protest against the recent attack on journalist and You Tuber Asad Ali Toor.

"The management asked me to either explain or refute the speech outside the [National] Press Club," Mir told BBC Urdu, adding that he asked in return "Who is asking you for this?"

"I told them if they arrest the persons who attacked Asad Toor then I am ready to appologise, let alone issue an explanation," the journalist said.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, meanwhile, without addressing Mir or Geo, tweeted in the evening that the government had nothing to do with the internal decisions of organisations.

"Broadcasters themselves decide which programme they have to broadcast and what its team will be," said Chaudhry, adding that all institutions were responsible for devising their policies under Article 19 of the Constitution.

Beijing, 31 May 2021 (Xinhua News)

China will support couples who wish to have a third child, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held on Monday.

Implementing the policy and its relevant supporting measures will help improve China's population structure, actively respond to the aging population, and preserve the country's human resource advantages, the meeting said.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, chaired the meeting to hear reports on major policy measures to actively address the aging of the population during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

The meeting reviewed a decision on improving birth policies to promote long-term balanced population growth.

China has a large population, and the aging of its population has been increasing in extent in recent years, the meeting said.

According to the latest census data, Chinese people aged 60 or above accounted for 18.7 percent of the country's total population in 2020, 5.44 percentage points higher than that in 2010.

China's increasing elderly population will reduce supply in the labor force while increasing the burden on families' elderly care and the pressure on the supply of basic public services, said Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics.

Islamabad, 27 May 2021 (Daily Dawn)

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Volkan Bozkir said on Thursday that it was Pakistan's duty to bring the issue of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute to the United Nations platform with more vigour.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi after their meeting today, the UNGA president lamented what he said was a lack of large political will for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute compared to the Palestinian issue which had more will behind it.

"I think it is the duty, especially Pakistan's, to bring this [issue] to the United Nation platform more strongly," said Bozkir, adding that he agreed that the Palestinian issue and the Kashmir issue were of the same age.

He called on all parties to refrain from changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir and said a solution was to be found through peaceful means in accordance with the UN charter and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions as agreed in the Simla Agreement between Pakistan and India.

Istanbul, 28 May 2021 (Anadolu News)

Turkey is set to open a brand new radio spire on one of the highest hills towering over the metropolis Istanbul on Saturday.

The Camlica TV Radio Tower replaced most of the previous steel communication towers critics said were an eyesore on the city's skyline and had harmful electromagnetic effects on human health.

Situated in the coastal Uskudar district on the city's Asian side, the Camlica Tower features observation decks and restaurants for visitors.

At 369 meters (1,211 feet) high with its tip standing 583.5 m above sea level, it is the highest point in Istanbul.

"Thanks to the Camlica Tower, our country has broken new ground in the field of broadcasting. For the first time in the world, 100 FM radio broadcasts can be aired from a communication tower at the same time," said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu.

Stating that Istanbul residents have lived under the shadow of streel antennae for years, Karaismailogu underlined the government's success in constructing the tower.​​​​​​​

Doha, 27 May 2021

Qatar Museums today announced the re-opening of a number its museumsand restaurants to the wider community from Friday, 28 May, in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health. The reopening aligns with the Ministry’s resumption of public activity in Qatar, based on milestones reached in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Museums and galleries to re-open include :

National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ),

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and

Doha Fire Station.

Opening timings will be from Saturday to Thursday: 9am – 7pm and Friday: 1.30pm – 7pm.

Qatar Museums’ playgrounds, libraries, and parks will also re-open. The Museum of Islamic Art will remain closed.

Museum gift shops will offer limited service during museum opening hours. From Saturday to Thursday NMoQ ‘s JIWAN Restaurant will be open at limited capacity for lunch and afternoon tea.

The NMoQ gift shops will also be open. During the first phase of re-opening, public programs, exhibitions and group tours will remain suspended.

In keeping with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health, a limited number of visitors and staff will be allowed inside each museum.

Visitors will be required to reserve tickets in advance on the Qatar Museums website.

Upon arrival at the museum, ticket holders must present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app.

Each person will also be checked for a normal temperature reading at the entrance.

Visitorse 12 years of age and above, will be required to bring and wear a mask. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the location encouraging visitors to keep their hands clean.

Signage reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from other visitors will also be visible on site. In addition, interactive features at each museum such as touchscreens will be temporarily removed, and gallery guides will be offered online only.

Afghanistan, 26 May 2021

In a press release of Wednesday from the Spokesperson of Taleban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan), has warned regional countries on various media outlets reports that the United States wants to stay in our neighbourhood after withdrawing from Afghanistan in order to carry out operations in our country. Talebans said that due to the sensitivity of the issue, Islamic Emirate wants to clarify its position in advance and share it with all.

Istanbul, 25 May 2021 (Anadolu News)

A historic island near Istanbul on Thursday will host a ceremony remembering a “black stain” in Turkish history, the 61st anniversary of the 1960 military coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the island of Yassiada – now Democracy and Freedom Island – on Thursday to attend the ceremony, before meeting with provincial heads of Turkey’s Justice and Development (AK) Party.

The island in the Sea of Marmara is notorious for jails and trials in the wake of the 1960 military coup. In 2013, with a renewed focus on learning lessons from that era’s dark history, it was renamed Democracy and Freedom Island.

The island is where Adnan Menderes, Turkey's first democratically elected prime minister, along with leading Democratic Party (DP) members were arrested after the May 27, 1960 coup and later jailed and tried.

After a biased and illegal trial on the island, Menderes, President Celal Bayar, Foreign Minister Fatin Rustu Zorlu, and Finance Minister Hasan Polatkan were sentenced to death. Bayar later received clemency from the sentence.

In May 2020, Erdogan inaugurated Democracy and Freedom Island to mark the 60th anniversary of the military coup.

The island, leaving its dark history behind, has been converted into a congress center and open-air museum and is available for daily visits.

Doha, 25 May 2021

Suhail Shaheen, a Taleban leader has told that both sides leadership has agreed during Eid Al Fitar holidays to resume their talks and accelerate  the negotiation process upon return of Afghan government's negotiating team members from Kabul.

He said that a meeting was held in Doha during Eid Holidays between Mullah Bradar, the head of the Taleban Political Office and Deputy Amir for Political Affairs accompanied with a few members of Taleban negotiating team and Afghan government's senior team members Mr. Rahimi and Ms. F. Gilani

On Sunday, National Security Adviser of Pakistan Dr. Moeed Yusuf and his counterpart from the United States of America Jake Sullivan met in Geneva.  Associated Press of Pakistan, Official News Agency of Pakistan reported that both sides had a positive conversation on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to advance practical cooperation on these issues, a joint statement issued here on Monday said.

On Monday, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson responding to media queries stated that there was no U.S. military or air base in Pakistan; nor was any such proposal envisaged. Any speculation on this account was baseless and irresponsible and should be avoided.

The Spokesperson added that Pakistan and the U.S. have a framework of cooperation in terms of Air Lines of Communication (ALOC) and Ground Lines of Communication (GLOC) in place since 2001. No new agreement has been made in this regard.​

Beijing, 23 May 2021 (Xinhua News)

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Global Health Summit via video in Beijing on Friday, 21st May 2021. President Xi announced China's continued support for global solidarity against COVID-19, and announced the following:

China will provide an additional 3 billion US dollars in international aid over the next three years to support Covid-19 response and economic and social recovery in other developing countries.

Having already supplied 300 million doses of vaccines to the world, China will provide still more vaccines to the best of its ability.

China supports its vaccine companies in transferring technologies to other developing countries and carrying out joint production with them.

Having announced support for waiving intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines, China also supports the World Trade Organization and other international institutions in making an early decision on this matter.

China proposes setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation for vaccine-developing and producing countries, companies and other stakeholders to explore ways of promoting fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world.

President Xi stressed on  look after of public health on top priority, he said 'we must put people and their lives first'; to follow science-based policies and ensure a coordinated and systemic response; we must stick together and promote solidarity and cooperation; to uphold fairness and equity as we strive to close the immunization gap; and we must address both the symptoms and root causes as we improve the governance system.

In his closing remarks, he said that the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca said, “We are all waves of the same sea.” Let us join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder with each other to firmly advance international cooperation against COVID-19, build a global community of health for all, and work for a healthier and brighter future for humanity.

Doha, 23 May 2021 (Qatar Tribune)

By Ashraf Siddiqui

Outgoing Ambassador of South Korea to Qatar HE Chang-Mo Kim has praised Qatar for its achievements in economy, diplomacy, sports and culture sectors in these difficult times and challenging situations.

Talking to Qatar Tribune in an exclusive interview, the ambassador said Qatar’s economy in general became more self-sufficient and resilient, especially after the three-and-a-half-year blockade.
“In infrastructure area, Qatar has earned several milestone achievements, especially in preparation for the 2022 Qatar World Cup as it further upgraded itself, introduced world-class stadiums, metros and additional expressways, among others,” he said.

“Qatar is also making continuous efforts to make Doha the hub of the region in terms of education by accommodating more prominent universities in Education City and opening Katara to a variety of cultural events from all over the world,” the envoy added.

Talking about the role of Qatar towards regional and world body, ambassador Kim said that, during his three-year tenure in Doha, he has been very much impressed with the Qatar government’s efforts to extend its helping hands not only to neighbouring countries but also to others far away.

“Even during the difficult times of blockade and COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar did not stop providing humanitarian assistance to countries,” he noted.
Regarding Qatar’s role in the diplomatic field, the outgoing Korean envoy said that under the wise leadership of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar carried out prudent diplomacy without making any country adversary and successfully overcame the difficulties caused by the blockade.
On his stay in Qatar, the envoy expressed surprise that he has already completed a three-year term in Doha.

He said that although the COVID-19 pandemic has had its severe impact on movements, in retrospect, he feels lucky to witness several exchanges of visits at the highest diplomatic level during his tenure.

He said he had an opportunity to accompany HH the Amir to Korea and attended the historic summit between the leaders of the two countries in January 2019, adding that after six months, the Prime Minister of Korea visited Qatar.

“In October the same year, a Korean delegation headed by the Minister of Trade, industry and Energy visited Qatar and held the 5th High-Level Strategic Cooperation Committee after two years’ delay. As a result, our two countries adopted nine memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to strengthen our bilateral cooperation in various areas,” the envoy said.

He expressed hope that the MoUs would provide strong basis for the bilateral relations between Korea and Qatar in the future. “It should also be noted that our bilateral economic relations stand strong and vibrant. Korea remains one of the major trading partners of Qatar and one of the largest importers of Qatari LNG. Qatar is one of the largest foreign construction markets for Korean companies as well,” he said.

Talking about his favorite local cuisines and places in Qatar, ambassador Kim said he likes healthy Arabic dishes such as majboos, lamb chops, humus, etc, adding that his favourite restaurants with Middle Eastern flavours are Al Mourjan, Al Khaima and Yasmine Palace, to name a few.