by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
Suresh Prabhu
New Delhi : Saudi Arabia’s permission for overflight of Air India’s new service between New Delhi and Tel Aviv has shown “a new image of India”, Commerce and Industries and Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Friday.
While addressing the CII northern region annual conference on ‘New India: Translating Aspirations into Reality’, Prabhu said: “There is the need to ensure that India makes progress and realises its true potential. I will give an example of this, Today… Saudi Arabia has allowed (flight operations) from Delhi to Tel Aviv over the airspace of Saudi Arabia.
“It has never happened that Saudi Arabia’s airspace could have been used for landing into Israel. What this shows is the new image of India.”
On Thursday, Air India operated its inaugural flight linking New Delhi operated with a 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“From 1st April, the flight will operate thrice-a-week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and will cover the distance in around seven hours – making it the fastest air-connectivity from India to Israel,” the airline said in a statement.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : The US State Department has approved the sale of an estimated $670 million in anti-tank missiles to Saudi Arabia, just hours after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met US Defence Chief James Mattis.
A statement from the State Department on Thursday confirmed approval of “TOW 2B (BGM-71F-Series) missiles for an estimated cost of $670 million” to the Kingdom. Congress was notified of the proposed sale and lawmakers have 30 days to try to stop it, the New York Times said.
The proposed package included up to 6,700 missiles made by Raytheon Missile Systems as well as spare parts for American-made tanks and helicopters that Saudi Arabia already owns.
The statement said the sale “will support US foreign policy and national security objectives by improving the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East”.
The proposed sale is bound to be questioned by Congress where the Senate this week rejected a bipartisan effort to halt US military support for the bombing campaign in Yemen.
The Trump administration strenuously protested the effort and sent Pentagon and State Department officials to Capitol Hill last week to lobby against its passage.
In the end, the administration prevailed and lawmakers from both parties shelved the measure for further debate by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to the Times.
Hours earlier, Prince Mohammed met Mattis, who characterized Saudi Arabia as “part of the solution” in Yemen, which has been ripped apart by civil war.
He said Saudi Arabia supported the government in Yemen’s capital Sana, which is recognized by the UN. “We are going to end this war. That is the bottom line,” Mattis said.
“And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen but also security for the nations in the peninsula.”
Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Mattis did not bring up the mounting civilian casualties in Yemen during his discussion with Prince Mohammed.
Instead, she said, the Defence Secretary discussed the continued cooperation between the US and Saudi Arabia through additional training and military education.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Dubai : The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a high-level delegation from Saudi Arabia on Thursday discussed ways of strengthening cooperation in the air transport sector.
Both sides discussed the mechanisms of registration and licensing of drones and helipads and the tools of supervision and management by the GCAA.
Saif Mohammed Al-Suwaidi, GCAA Director-General, said the meeting also covered global best practices and recommendations “that contribute to raising the level of aviation safety”.
“The leading position of the two countries and the large size of their aviation industry require cooperation for continuous development of the region and the world,” he added.
The GCAA is the federal authority that manages and regulates the UAE’s airspace and the aviation sector in order to serve the public in a dynamic and thriving aviation environment.
—IANS/WAM
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that women are “absolutely” equal to men as he is set to arrive in the US on Monday during which he will meet President Donald Trump and tour a number of American cities.
On Sunday, CBS News programme “60 Minutes” aired an episode about the prince and where he hopes to take Saudi Arabia.
When asked if women were equal to men, the Crown Prince said: “Absolutely. We are all human beings and there is no difference.”
He acknowledged that Saudi Arabia has been dominated by an “ultraconservative interpretation of Islam” that was wary of non-Muslims, deprived women of basic rights and constricted social life, the New York Times reported.
“We were victims, especially my generation that suffered from this a great deal,” he said about conservatism that spread through the kingdom after 1979.
Bin Salman’s rise to power has been accompanied by an easing of restrictions on women’s dress and an expansion of their role in the work force. He said the government was working on policies to ensure equal pay.
The kingdom had also allowed women to drive in an order which will go into force from June.
However, women in Saudi Arabia are still bound by so-called guardianship laws that give male relatives control over aspects of their lives.
Talking about his drive against corruption, he defended the recent jailing of over 380 princes, businessmen and former government ministers in the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh as “extremely necessary.”
There were accusations of abuse by relatives and associates of the detained. They said that many detainees were subjected to “coercive tactics” and “physical abuse” to get them to sign assets over to the state.
The Saudi government, however, denied that any abuse took place.
The Crown Prince, who has been criticized for lavish personal expenses at a time when he is preaching fiscal responsibility, defended his private spending as “his business”.
In recent years, he bought a yacht for a half-billion dollars, a French chateau for over $300 million and a painting for $450 million, the New York Times reported.
“As far as my private expenses are concerned, I’m a rich person and not a poor person,” he said. “I’m not Gandhi or Mandela.”
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
By Mahmut Geldi,
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers has approved the launch of a national nuclear program, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
According to the SPA, the council — chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz — stressed that the proposed nuclear program would be devoted exclusively to “peaceful purposes” and overseen by international regulatory bodies.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih announced plans earlier to sign agreements for the construction of two nuclear power stations next year.
—AA
