Author: Sheji Halima

Imprisonment

Jakarta, June 28, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has called for a 12-year prison sentence for former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo on charges of extortion and corruption.

Limpo is also to pay a fine of 500 million rupiah (approximately 30,600 U.S. dollars).

During the trial on Friday, prosecutor Meyer Simanjuntak revealed that Limpo is also required to repay 44.27 billion rupiah (about 2.71 million U.S. dollars) and 30,000 U.S. dollars; he allegedly received between 2020 and 2023.

This sum was amassed with the involvement of his secretary-general and a director.

Limpo, served as the agriculture minister from 2019 to 2023, was accused of misappropriating 20 per cent of the ministry’s budget for personal and family expenses, as well as for donations to his political party.

Simanjuntak said that Limpo was found guilty of violating the Anti-Corruption Law in conjunction with the Criminal Code. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Appointment

Moscow, June 28, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Moscow is anticipating difficult relations with the European Union given the politicians put forward to lead the bloc over the years ahead, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Kaja Kallas, the Estonian prime minister penciled in to head the bloc’s foreign policy unit, had not till date stood out through her diplomatic skills, Peskov said, according to reports by Russian news agencies.

He described Kallas as “well known to Russia for her absolutely unacceptable and sometimes extremely Russophobic remarks.”

Peskov was similarly critical of Ursula von der Leyen, who has been put forward for a second term as European Commission president.

“The prospects for the relationship between Moscow and Brussels are poor,” Peskov said, adding that a normalisation of relations could not be expected.

Relations between the two deteriorated following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The EU recently passed its 14th package of sanctions targeting Russia and its leaders. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima sheji

Sanctions

Washington, June 28, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Response to Iran’s continued nuclear escalations, the United States has imposed sanctions on three United Arab Emirates shipping companies involved in the Iranian petroleum and petrochemical trade.

The Department of State also identified 11 vessels that were transporting petroleum or petrochemical products as blocked property.

The targeted companies are, Sea Route Ship Management FZE, Almanac Ship Management LLC, and Al Anchor Ship Management FZE.

Over the past month, Iran has announced steps to further expand its nuclear programme in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose.

“Iran’s actions to increase its enrichment capacity are more concerned in Iran’s continued failure to cooperate with the IAEA and statements by Iranian officials suggesting potential changes to Iran’s nuclear doctrine,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

He said Washington remains committed to never letting Iran obtain a nuclear weapon, and is prepared to use all elements of national power to ensure that outcome.

Earlier this month, the leaders of the G7 had called on Iran to stop its escalation of its nuclear programme. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Laundering

Ankara, June 28, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) The global financial crime watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has removed Türkiye from its “grey list” of countries that requires special scrutiny, the country’s Finance and Treasury Ministry said on Friday.

“As a result of the steps taken in the right direction, Türkiye has been removed from the grey list,” said the ministry in a statement.

The result will further enhance confidence in the country’s financial system and support Türkiye’s efforts to achieve the objectives of its economic program, it added.

The ministry stressed that in this regard, the administrative and technical capabilities of Financial Crimes Investigation Board and other relevant institutions will be further enhanced, legal and administrative regulations will be promptly implemented as needed.

“With this development, international investors’ confidence in our country’s financial system has become even stronger,” Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on the social media platform X.

“The decision will have extremely positive consequences for both our financial sector and our real sector,” he added.

Türkiye was placed on the FATF grey list in 2021 due to concerns about money laundering and terrorist financing in the country. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Fertility

Kuala Lumpur, June 28, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Malaysia’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell below replacement level, declining from 2.1 children per woman in 2010 to 1.6 in 2022, an official told the country’s parliament on friday.

Among the reasons for the decrease are linked to marriage age decisions and infertility issues, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Nancy Shukri said in a parliamentary reply on the country’s fertility trends.

“The TFR for all major ethnic groups in Malaysia shows a declining trend, between 2010 and 2022, the TFR for Malays decreased from 2.6 children to 2.0 children, Chinese (from 1.5 children to 0.8 children), and Indians (from 1.7 children to 1.1 children),” she said.

“The TFR for the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups has been below replacement levels since 2003 and 2005, respectively,” she added.

Nancy said the ministry’s National Population and Family Development Board have implemented various initiatives to address infertility issues.

“These initiatives include offering affordable fertility treatment services for sub fertility since 1979.

She said that all married couples are eligible for treatment, and as of 2023, over 6,000 successful pregnancies had been recorded.

Nancy added that a men’s health and wellness clinic offering health screening tests, sexual issue counseling, healthy lifestyle practices, and medication to improve male fertility to address increasing male infertility issues had also been established. (Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Hardliners

Tehran, June 28, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  has kicked off the country’s presidential election on Friday, as Iranians decide whether to continue the country’s hardline conservative course or take a more moderate stance.

Casting his vote in the capital Tehran, Khamenei urged the nation to participate in the vote to “prove the correctness and honesty of the system of the Islamic Republic.”

Some 61 million voters in Iran are eligible to elect a successor to hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

The election comes amid a severe economic crisis, tensions with the West and frustrations among the public with the enforcement of state power and the government, especially among the younger population.

The candidates seen as having the best chances to win the election are the hardliner Saeed Jalili, a former negotiator in nuclear talks with Western powers; parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf; and former health minister and reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian.

During the campaign, Pezeshkian criticised the government’s strict policy on women wearing headscarves, but also expressed his loyalty to Khamenei and praised the attack launched on Israel with drones and missiles in April.

While, leading voices from the reformist camp have pledged their support for him, and he may stand a good chance of winning if he reaches a second round.

The cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi is also still in the running.

In spite of the title of president, Raisi was only number two in Iran’s power structure as Khamenei functions as the head of state and has the final say in all strategic matters.

He is also commander-in-chief of Iran’s armed forces.

The Guardian Council, an extremely conservative supervisory body, had only authorised six candidates for the election.

Earlier in the week, two conservative hardliner candidates withdrew their nominations in an effort to unite support among hard-line voters heading to the polls.

Many Iranians, especially young people, have however lost faith in major political change at home.

The death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in autumn 2022 sparked nationwide protests against the Islamic system of rule, but the protests were quashed long ago with harsh punishments for demonstrators.

If none of the candidates secures an absolute majority, a runoff vote will take place on July 5.

The first results from the first round are expected on Saturday. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Heat

Cairo, June 28, 2024 (dpa/NAN) Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it shortened the traditional Friday prayers due to intense heat, until the end of the summer.

In many countries, Muslims perform the Friday noon prayers, which include a religious sermon, in open-air arenas inside and outside the mosques.

The UAE has directed all the preachers across the country to limit the Friday prayers to 10 minutes until early October to ensure the safety of worshippers.

In Saudi Arabia, Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina are being limited to 15 minutes, to take into account worshippers praying in outer, un-shaded areas, the Presidency of Religious Affairs said.

Meanwhile in Iraq, influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has urged preachers to “adhere to simple prayers” in order to keep the Friday sermon short, so that worshippers avoid intense heat.

Intense heatwaves has affected people across the Middle East in recent weeks.

More than 1,300 Muslim pilgrims died in the annual Hajj pilgrimage that ended earlier in June amid the extreme heat. (dpa/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Japan’s Kobayashi Pharma probes dietary supplements deaths

Deaths

Tokyo, June 28, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Japanese drug maker Kobayashi Pharmaceutical firm said that it is looking into the 76 more deaths linked to the consumption of its red yeast rice dietary supplements.

Local media reported on Friday.

The scandal-hit company previously confirmed in March that five people had died after taking the “beni-koji choleste help” supplements, and recalled the products.

However, on Friday it corrected the figure to four, saying one did not use the supplements, Kyodo News reported.

Meanwhile, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Keizo Takemi revealed the drugmaker has failed to report to the government appropriately.

Referring to the surge in the number of cases, Takemi said it was “extremely regrettable” that the company had not chosen to report to the ministry the updated number of suspected deaths since March.

Takemi told reporters that the ministry will be directly involved in the investigating process and provide updates to the public, saying, “We cannot leave Kobayashi Pharmaceutical alone to handle it anymore.”

The health ministry has asked Kobayashi Pharmaceutical to formulate and submit a plan by Saturday to investigate the 76 deaths that remained under suspicion as health hazards to the families and medical institutions.(Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Voting begins for Iran’s 14th presidential election

Election

Tehran, June 28, 2024 (Xinhua/NAN) Voting for Iran’s 14th presidential election started at 8 a.m. (0430 GMT) on Friday, after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in May.

“We start the elections” for the country’s 14th presidential elections, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said in a televised address.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei cast the first ballot at a polling station, and made a brief speech calling for the unity of the Iranian people during the election.

The voting will be held at close to 59,000 polling stations in more than 95 states, and over 61 million people are eligible to vote in the election, according to authorities.

Iran’s 14th presidential election, initially set for 2025, was rescheduled following Raisi’s unexpected death.

Initially, six candidates were qualified to enter the race, namely; Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the current vice president; Alireza Zakani, the mayor of Tehran; Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the parliamentary speaker.

Others were Saeed Jalili, the former top negotiator for nuclear talks; Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a former interior minister and justice minister; and Masoud Pezeshkian, a former health minister.

Later on, Hashemi and Zakani two principlist candidates, withdrew from the race in favor of Qalibaf and Jalili, who are also in the principlists’ camp.(Xinhua/NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji

Scholz restates support for von der Leyen 2nd term

Support

Brussels, June 27, 2024 (dpa/NAN) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday reaffirmed his support for Ursula von der Leyen to be nominated for a second term at the helm of the European Commission.

“Our intention is that the political platform that has supported Mrs von der Leyen in the past should continue to do so in the future,” said Scholz,

While referring to an agreement between the centre-right European People’s Party, the centre-left Socialists and Democrats of which his own Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is a member and the centrist Renew Europe group in the European Parliament.

Von der Leyen is a member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is affiliated to the EPP and is the principal domestic opponent of Scholz’s SPD.

“We are now discussing this with our good friends in Europe,” Scholz said, expressing hope that the European Parliament would support the EU leaders’ nominee. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Halima Sheji