Frequent clashes between Myanmar security forces and Buddhist rebels in Rakhine state have spread alarm among thousands of Rohingya refugees living in no-man’s-land on the country’s border with Bangladesh, as concerns grow over the intensified fighting.

More than 730,000 members of the mostly Muslim minority have fled Myanmar to escape a brutal military-led crackdown that started in 2017. Most of the Rohingya have taken shelter in sprawling refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh but some have been living in limbo on the border, unwilling to enter the settlements or return home.

They are now caught on the sidelines of fighting between Myanmar troops and the Arakan Army, an armed group seeking more autonomy for western Rakhine state’s Buddhist-majority population.

“Heavy fighting is going on between the government troops and Arakan Army inside Myanmar,” Rohingya leader Dil Mohammad told AFP news agency.

Thousands flee clashes between Buddhist group and Myanmar army

“The situation is very tense,” he said, adding that the security build-up and daily gunfire had created “panic”.

Myanmar soldiers last week set up security camps and bunkers along the border after fighting saw 13 police killed.

Some of the fortifications are directly adjacent to a border fence running alongside a stream and overlooking shacks erected by an estimated 4,500 displaced Rohingya living in the narrow strip of land.

Refugee community leader Nur Alam said gunfire could frequently be heard after dark on the other side of the border.

“Every night it is close by. The Myanmar border guard have set up 10 new posts near our camp. It’s very intimidating,” he told AFP.

Last week, an Arakan Army spokesperson outside Myanmar told Reuters news agency that the group attacked the security forces in response to a broad military offensive in the north of Rakhine state that also targeted civilians.

UN appeal

Meanwhile, the United Nations said in a statement on Wednesday it was “deeply concerned” about the situation in the area.

‘Myanmar wants to drive out all Muslims’: Q&A with Kyaw Hla Aung

“Mr Ostby further appeals to all sides to intensify efforts to find a peaceful solution to the situation and to ensure humanitarian access to all people affected by the violence,” the statement added.

A Bangladesh official said they were aware of the border tensions.

“We will talk to the relevant authorities to discuss what to do,” local administrator Kamal Hossain said.

Rohingya in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have suffered decades of persecution. Impoverished western Rakhine state, in particular, is scarred by deep ethnic and religious hatred.

A report by UN investigators in August last year found that Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and said the commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted under international laws.

Myanmar has denied any wrongdoing, saying it was defending itself against Rohingya fighters who attacked police posts.

Aljazeera

Nasheman News :  India and Norway agreed to work in close cooperation on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ocean economy following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg here on Tuesday.

“The Sustainable Development Goals match India’s growth targets,” Modi said in a joint address to the media with Solberg following the meeting.

“And it is a matter of happiness for us that both countries are cooperating with the Norway-India Partnership Initiative on the issue of mother and child health,” he said,

Referring to Solberg inaugurating Norway’s new green Embassy here on Monday, he said that she has contributed significantly to global efforts to achieve the SDGs.

Modi also recalled his meeting with Solberg at the G20 Summit in 2017 during which the latter gifted him a football.

“It was not a football game of goals, but a symbol of Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. 

“Prime Minister Solberg has given a lot of encouragement to global efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.”

Stating that trade and investment form an important part of the India-Norway bilateral relationship, Modi said that Norway’s Government Pension Fund has made a portfolio investment of around $12 billion in India.

“I believe Norwegian companies will benefit from India’s immense potential in both portfolio investment and foreign direct investment in the days to come,” he said.

“Under the Sagarmala programme in particular, there are many opportunities for Norwegian companies in ship-building, ports and port-led development in India.”

Sagarmala is a programme for the comprehensive development of India’s coastline and maritime sector. 

According to a joint statement issued following the meeting, the two sides signed the terms of reference for the establishment of a Dialogue on Trade and Investment, which would give impetus to business cooperation and encourage participation of Norwegian companies in the flagship programmes of India.

“The two leaders recognised that all countries benefit from open and predictable trade rules,” it stated. 

“They acknowledged that a conclusion of the free trade negotiations between EFTA (European Free Trade Association) and India is a priority for both governments.” 

Modi also stressed on the importance of the ocean economy for India.

Stating that 15 per cent of India’s population lives in coastal areas, he said these people’s lives are directly linked to the ocean economy.

Referring to Norway’s immense experience in the ocean economy, he said that 70 per cent of that country’s exports is in the maritime industry.

He said that the agreement on bilateral ocean dialogue signed between the two sides following the talks will give new direction to cooperation in all sectors in this area. 

According to the joint statement, under this agreement, a joint task force on Blue Economy was also established in order to promote multi-sectoral cooperation in various aspects of Blue Economy.

Modi also said that India and Norway have strong cooperation at international fora.

“We work with close cooperation and coordination on issues like UN Security Council reforms, multilateral export control regimes and fighting terrorism,” he said.

According to the joint statement, the two sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed to cooperate in combating international terrorism. 

“They also urged the international community to work towards early finalisation of the (India-initiated) Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism mooted by India at the UN,” it stated. 

On her part, Solberg said that the world will not be able to achieve the SDGs if India is not on board.

Referring to her personal interest in women’s empowerment, she said that India has been working hard in this area. 

Solberg said both India and Norway have agreed to increase cooperation in ocean economy.

“It will create more jobs and more medicine,” she said.

She also said that both sides discussed cooperation in the areas of energy, climate change and environment. 

This was the first meeting between Modi and Solberg after the first ever India-Nordic Summit in Stockholm, Sweden, in April last year. 

Earlier in the day, Solberg was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary during the course of which the two leaders discussed expanding bilateral cooperation across all areas.

Solberg arrived here on Monday on her first visit to India. 

Nasheman News : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday strongly rejected Washington’s calls for his country to protect US-backed Kurdish militias in Syria and said statements made by US National Security Adviser John Bolton asking for the same were “unacceptable”.

At the start of his visit to Israel and Turkey over the weekend, Bolton said that the American forces would remain in Syria until the last remnants of the Islamic State were defeated and Turkey provided guarantees that it would not strike Kurdish forces allied with the US. 

The top US official was currently in Turkey and held meetings with his counterpart Ibrahim Kalin and others, Efe news reported. 

Speaking to Justice and Development Party (AKP) party members in Ankara, Erdogan decried Bolton’s statement as a “serious error”. 

“It is impossible for us to accept Bolton’s message,” he said in a live televised speech. “They are terrorists, for this reason, they cannot tell us ‘don’t touch those Kurds.’ Whatever happens, if they are terrorists, we will do whatever it takes. This is what John Bolton got very wrong.” 

Erdogan added that the Americans did not know who the YPG and other Kurdish groups were. “If the US evaluates them as ‘Kurdish brothers’ then they are in a serious delusion,” he said.

Turkey has drawn up plans to launch a military incursion into areas of northeastern Syria to clear the region of the militias such as the YPG, one of the main cogs in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) umbrella group, which united Kurdish and local Arab units and was backed by American forces in the fight against the Islamic State. 

While the US Army — which has deployed some 2,000 ground troops to the region, where they equip and train the SDF — regards the YPG as a solid fighting partner in the regional battle against the extremists, Ankara views them as a terrorist group inextricably linked to the PKK, Kurdish separatists that fought a decades-long insurgency in eastern Turkey. 

“The terrorist organizations of the PKK and the PYD (the political arm of the YPG) can never represent my Kurdish brothers,” Erdogan said, adding that his Army was ready to launch an operation in northern Syria to clear the region of the militias. 

Turkey wants to push the Kurdish forces to the east of the Euphrates River. 

SDF forces retain control of the key city of Manbij, a predominantly-Arab settlement to the west of the major river.

Turkish-backed Syrian militias captured a tranche of northern Syria from the IS in its first major incursion into the territory in 2016. Then, in 2018, Turkey and its allies took Afrin province, located in far northwestern Syria, from Kurdish militias. 

The YPG-led SDF have spearheaded the battle on the ground against the IS and were currently routing out insurgents from their last major settlement, Hajin, in the country’s sparsely-populated east. 

[Nasheman news] New York While scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, did you ever feel that everyone else is living their life better than you? Such social media behaviours are linked with major depressive disorder (MDD), said researchers.

In a study of over 500 millennials who actively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat, the team from the Texas State University identified five key social media factors associated with MDD. 

Individuals who were more likely to compare themselves to others better off than they were, those who indicated that they would be more bothered by being tagged in unflattering pictures and those less likely to post pictures of themselves along with other people were more likely to meet the criteria for MDD. 

The study, reported in the Journal of Applied Biobehavioural Research, also found that participants following over 300 Twitter accounts were less likely to have MDD. Participating in negative social media behaviours is also associated with a higher likelihood of having MDD. 

“While the study highlights social media behaviours that are associated with major depression, it is important to recognise that social media use can offer many positive benefits, including fostering social support,” said Krista Howard, from the Texas State University. 

“The key is for individuals to develop an awareness of how they currently use social media and to determine what changes could be made in their social media use to reduce the behaviours associated with psychological distress. 

“Some changes could include reducing the time spent on social media, unfollowing individuals or groups that cause distress, or limiting online social comparisons,” Howard said.

[Nasheman news] Dubai Following the expulsion of USACA a couple of years ago, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday welcomed USA Cricket as its newest member.

According to an ICC statement, USA Cricket’s application to become the 93rd Associate Member in accordance with the ICC Constitution was approved by ICC Members following the Membership Committee’s recommendation to the ICC Board late last year and is implemented with immediate effect.

As a Member of the ICC, USA Cricket is now eligible to receive funding in accordance with the ICC Development Funding Policy and can sanction domestic and international cricket in the United States.

Welcoming the new body, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “This is the culmination of a great deal of hard work and I would like to congratulate the Chair of USA Cricket, Paraag Marathe, and the Board, on this important milestone and wish them all the very best for the future.”

USA Cricket Board Chair Paraag Marathe said: “USA Cricket was established to bring together the cricket community in the United States, develop the game and unlock the sport’s undoubted potential for growth. Today’s confirmation that it is the ICC’s newest member is a significant staging post on that journey.”

[Nasheman news] Nassau (Bahamas) The great Indian poker hope of winning the Rs 36 crore stake at Bahamas has folded. All the eight Indians and several Indian-origin players have been busted out of the tournament organised by online leader Pokerstars.

The last Indian-origin person fighting for the top slot, Ajay Chabra, bowed out on Tuesday evening on day three as only 38 players were left in the fray from the original 1,039 who had entered the Rs 25,000 buy-in tournament in Bahamas — taking the prize pool to $26,45 million. 

Six others, apart from the winner would get over a million each. The money would be paid in descending amounts to players who ranked up to 181.

The leader, after day three play, was Scott Baumstein of the US who had amassed $4.24 million chips. But there could still be a lot of changes in the run up to the final minute of the game over the next two days.

According to Aditya Agarwal, brand ambassador of Pokerstars, it takes a cool mental state to reach the top level in a five-day tournament. Agarwal, whose job is to promote poker in India said there was a lot of scepticism about the game since many associated it with other games of chance. 

But he said the world over, it is recognised as a game of skill and hopefully India’s highest court would have the opportunity to rule on this at some stage.

He said the Supreme Court had already declared rummy to be a game of skill and it was only a matter of time before that happens on poker too. The matter would be seen in the light of how it’s treated in most of the countries where it’s played. He said the Calcutta and Karnataka High Courts have already deemed poker to be a game of skill – and therefore, legal. 

He said there were many poker rooms in both the states and its popularity would only grow. Goa and Sikkim have legal casinos which also host poker games.

Agarwal, who is a celebrated player in India, started off on poker at age of 15 in college, where he learned the game from other students. He took coaching classes in the beginning and was mentored by expert players, with the result that he has made good money over the years, playing in several tournaments. He has shifted to Goa since one year to be able to play more consistently, but is also online almost every day.

He said it was very easy for Indians to play online, as Pokerstars and other companies offer great opportunity for everyone. 

Money can be transferred to the site through credit cards or other payment methods and the gaming company deducts 30 per cent on winnings when a player wants to withdraw, providing tax deduction certificate on regular basis.

[nasheman news] Dakar Egyptian international footballer Mohamed Salah has won the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year award for the second year in a row.

The Liverpool forward beat his club teammate Sadio Mane of Senegal and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plays for Gabon, to win the award for the continent’s best player, reports Efe.

“I have dreamt of winning this award since I was a child and now I have done so twice in a row,” Salah said at a ceremony here on Tuesday.

“I’m proud to win it twice, I must thank my family and my teammates, and I dedicate this award to my country, Egypt”, he said.

The 26-year-old scored 44 goals for Liverpool last season as he led the team to the Champions League final.

Although he started this campaign slowly following the summer’s World Cup, at which he scored twice for Egypt, he has notched 16 goals in 29 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool so far this season.

Along with Salah, Mane and Aubameyang, Atletico Madrid’s Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey was named in the Team of the Year.

That quartet were joined by Manchester United’s Ivorian central defender Eric Bailly, Liverpool and Guinea midfielder Naby Keita, Manchester City’s Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez and Tottenham Hotspur’s Serge Aurier, who represents Côte d’Ivoire.

Nasheman News : Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Monday said India and Pakistan are ‘big countries’ to decrease tension among themselves without any help from other nations.

“Both Pakistan and India are big enough countries to make sure they can also decrease tensions without any help from outside,” Solberg said during a press briefing at Norway Embassy here.

Solberg is in India on an official three-day visit to deliver the inaugural address in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fourth edition of the major foreign policy event ‘Raisina Dialogue’, to be held from January 8-10, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Solberg further stated her country is ready to mediate between India and Pakistan if the Asian neighbours are ready for it.

“We and other countries can say that we can help mediating if there is a possibility. But it has to be partner-driven. It has to be those who are party to the conflict,” she added.

Speaking on bringing a solution to the Kashmir issue, Solberg said she doe snot support the military approach to bring peace in the strife-torn valley.

“I believe in peaceful solutions. You can have victory through military solutions but you will have underlying activities. It is not just in Kashmir but in all places in the world. We see it in Syria,” she noted.

Solberg also inaugurated a new green compound. The embassy has obtained a green rating for integrated the habitat.

According to the embassy sources, the building is adapted to the local climate and takes into consideration Indian environmental concerns. The new compound is constructed with wells for rainwater harvesting.

“Geothermal wells are used for cooling by circulating water in 30 wells sunk 100 meters into the earth. Water is heated using solar panels, which produce 200 kWh energy per day. This is equivalent to powering a 40 W bulb for almost 7 months,” sources in the embassy said.

“As a green embassy, I hope it can serve as an inspiration for our shared efforts to achieve the green transition and the Sustainable Development Goals. I look forward to seeing our partnership bear more fruits, in business, politics and development,” Solberg said.

Rahaf Alqunun, 18, has appealed for asylum saying she was abused by her family and fears death if repatriated.

A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport who says she is fleeing domestic abuse barricaded herself in a hotel room on Monday to prevent her deportation by Thai authorities.

An immigration official later said she would not be forced to leave the Southeast Asian nation because of concerns for her well-being. 

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, 18, said she fled Kuwait while her family was visiting the Gulf country and had planned to travel on from Thailand to Australia to seek asylum. She said she was detained after leaving her plane in Bangkok and told she would be sent back to Kuwait.

Alqunun shared photos of herself on Twitter in the room where she has been held since her arrival the previous day, as officials and police gathered outside the door to take her to a plane to return her to Kuwait.

A Thai court rejected an attempt to block her deportation, but hours later the country’s immigration chief reversed plans to expel Alqunun citing concerns for her safety.

“The flight this morning was via Kuwait Airlines to send her back to Saudi Arabia. If she does not want to leave, we will not force her,” chief of immigration police Surachate Hakparn told reporters.

Surachate also said he would meet officials from the UN’s refugee agency later in the day to discuss her asylum plans.

Passport seized

Alqunun appealed for the UNHCR to help her. “I’m not leaving my room until I see UNHCR,” she said in a video posted on Twitter. “I want asylum.”

Rights group Amnesty International released a statement on Monday saying the arbitrary confiscation of a passport “violates the right to freedom of movement”.

The group also said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has requested access to Rahaf, which the Thai authorities have yet to provide.

“The Thai authorities are bound by the general prohibition not to transfer persons to any place where they would face a real risk of serious human rights abuses. Rahaf is entitled to fair and effective safeguards against any deportation and to international protection,” Samah Hadid, Amnesty’s Middle East director of campaigns, said in the statement.

Alqunun was detained after she got off her flight in Bangkok. She said she had originally planned to spend a few days in Thailand, a popular destination for medical treatment, so her actions would not create suspicion when she left Kuwait.

“When I landed at the airport, someone came and said he would process the [Thai] visa but he took my passport. He came back with what seemed to be airport security and said that my parents objected and said I must return to Saudi Arabia via Kuwait Airways,” she told the Reuters news agency.

Her claim her passport had been seized was backed by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Alqunun told the AFP news agency on Sunday that her male guardian had reported her for travelling “without his permission”.

‘Losing hope’

She said she was trying to flee her family, whom she accused of subjecting her to physical and psychological abuse.

Alqunun said she was certain she would be jailed if she were sent back.

“My family is strict and locked me in a room for six months just for cutting my hair,” she said.

“I’m sure 100 percent they will kill me as soon as I get out of the Saudi jail,” she said, adding she was “scared” and “losing hope”.

The UNHCR said according to the principle of non-refoulement, asylum seekers cannot be returned to their country of origin if they fear their life is under threat.

Georg Schmidt, the German ambassador to Thailand, wrote on Twitter he had “great concern” for Alqunun and was in touch with the Thai authorities and the embassies of other countries about her situation.

“Saudi women fleeing their families can face severe violence from relatives, deprivation of liberty and other serious harm if returned against their will,” Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at HRW, also said in a statement.

“Thai authorities should immediately halt any deportation, and either allow her to continue her travel to Australia or permit her to remain in Thailand to seek protection as a refugee.”

Another Saudi woman, Dina Ali Lasloom, was stopped in transit in the Philippines in April 2017 when she attempted to flee her family.

An airline security official told activists that Lasloom was heard “screaming and begging for help” as men carried her “with duct tape on her mouth, feet and hands” at the airport.

There was no immediate comment by the Saudi embassy in Thailand and officials in Riyadh.

Aljazeera

Nasheman News : Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have finalised a $6.2 billion support package to help Islamabad address its balance of payments challenge, the media reported on Saturday.

The package involves $3.2 billion worth of oil supplies on deferred payment, besides a $3 billion cash deposit. It is expected to be announced by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his visit to the country starting Sunday, Dawn reported. 

According to a government official, the package was finalised on Thursday evening and was similar to that given by Saudi Arabia. 

With this, Pakistan would get a total saving of about $7.9 billion on oil and gas imports from the two countries, accounting for more than 60 per cent of annual oil import bill of about $12-13 billion, he said. 

This included about $3.2 billion each of oil supplies on deferred payments from the UAE and Saudi Arabia and about $1.5 billion trade finance from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC).

The total financing support from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including the ITFC’s trade finance, would be around $14 billion when cash deposits of $3 billion each from the two countries were also included, the official said.

This is in addition to a deep-conversion oil refinery to be set up by Parco — a joint venture of Pakistan and Abu Dhabi — worth $5-6 billion and an expected petro-chemical complex by Saudi Arabia.

The government also started backchannel discussions with Qatar for some relief in terms of reduction in LNG prices or a relaxed payment schedule, but that was at an early stage, the daily said.

Pakistan has already received $2 billion in cash deposit from Saudi Arabia at an interest rate of 3.18 per cent while the third tranche of $1 billion was due in the first week of February. The Saudi oil facility would also start rolling out this month with an average $274 million per month.

The daily said that with support from Qatar, Pakistan was expecting about $9 billion cushion in total oil and gas import bill.