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Palestine, Kashmir conflicts take stage at UN where Ukraine dominated

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Addressing hostilities thousands of kilometres apart and sharing little more than their decades of longevity, Palestine’s Abbas and Pakistan’s Sharif deliver similar messages at UN General Assembly, accusing their powerful neighbour of brutality.

Two of the world’s most persistent conflicts have punctuated debate at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), as the annual gathering of world leaders deviated from the dominating issue of the war in Ukraine.

Addressing hostilities thousands of kilometres apart and sharing little more than their decades of longevity, leaders of Palestine and Pakistan nonetheless delivered similar messages on Friday, accusing a neighbour –– Israel and India ––of brutality and urging world leaders to do more.

“Our confidence in achieving a peace based on justice and international law is waning,” Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas said. “Do you want to kill what remains of hope in our souls?”

With Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank in its 55th year and no substantial peace talks in 13 years, it was stark if perhaps unsurprisingly pessimistic assessment. Israel’s prime minister backed a two-state solution to the conflict in his own speech a day earlier — but there is almost no prospect for one in the near term.

READ MORE: Voiceless no more: The Russell Tribunal on Kashmir

Sharif accuses India of its own colonial ambitions

Speaking to the UNGA after Palestine’s president, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan similarly addressed a 75-years-old conflict, accusing India of a “relentless campaign of repression” in India-administered Kashmir.

Kashmir has been claimed by both sides since British rule of the subcontinent ended 75 years ago and Pakistan and India were born.

Rebels in the India-administered portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India calls the Himalayan region an “integral part” of its nation and is against holding an UN-backed plebiscite there. Pakistan sees Kashmir as an unfinished business of partition and its “jugular vein.”

Sharif urged world leaders and the UN to “play their rightful role” in resolving the fight and said India “must take credible steps” too.

“At the heart of this longstanding dispute lies the denial of the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination,” Sharif said, outlining what he called India’s “relentless campaign of repression” and “serial brutalisation” of Kashmiris.

Sharif accused India of its own colonial ambitions by trying to change Kashmir’s demographics from majority Muslim to majority Hindu.

India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, might provide a rebuttal to Sharif when he gets his turn at the rostrum on Saturday.

READ MORE: Palestine slams Liz Truss’ ‘review’ of Israel embassy site

Debate shifts from Ukraine

After days of world leaders returning again and again to Ukraine, Sharif and Abbas provided a reminder of the other conflicts facing the international community.

Throughout the first three days and 104 leaders’ speeches, many criticised how Russia had managed to block UN action on Ukraine because of the veto it wields as a permanent member of the Security Council.

Abbas shifted the attention to the power of Israel and its allies, which he said meant no matter how many hundreds of resolutions passed, none would be implemented.

“Do you know who is protecting Israel from being held accountable? The United Nations,” he said in a speech more than three times the 15-minute limit leaders are asked to respect.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Joshua Lavine, issued a statement calling Abbas’ speech “a lie-filled rant.”

READ MORE: Lapid calls for ‘two-state solution’ to end Israel-Palestine conflict

Source: TRT World 

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Hilmy appointed as new defense chief

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Major General Ibrahim Hilmy has been appointed as the new Chief of Defense Force.

The appointment was made President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the Commander in Chief of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), on Thursday.

He was presented with his letter of appointment in a ceremony held at the President’s Office on Thursday morning.

The president also appointed Brigadier General Ahmed Ghiyas as the Vice Chief of Defense Force.

Hilmy, who had been serving as Vice Chief of Defense Force, was promoted to the position of the Chief of Defense Force following the outgoing Chief of Defense Force, Lieutenant General Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef’s retirement on Wednesday.

Abdul Raheem had received an honorable discharge from military service upon reaching 60 years of age.

He served for 39 years.

Source(s): sun.mv

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Fenaka awards Addu power plant project to Dongfeng Electric

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Fenaka Corporation on Thursday has contracted China’s Dongfeng Electric International for the development of a 30-megawatt power plant in Addu City to resolve the upper-southern city’s electricity shortage.

After the contract signing, Fenaka Corporation’s Managing Director Muaz Mohamed Rasheed said Addu City has been dealing with insufficient electrical output for years.

While highlighting efforts by preceding administrations to resolve the issue, Muaz said the new power plant project is poised to resolve the city’s power inefficiency permanently for the next 25 years.

The state-of-the-art power plant will have a 30-megawatt power output capacity, Muaz said.

“Addu City’s prevailing electricity issues will be permanently fixed with this new plant, which we intend to develop through various phases,” he commented.

Under the first phase, the contractor will install two 9.8-megawatt genset and two more 5.8-megawatt genset. The plan will feature potential to increase the output to 50-megawatt, Muaz said.

“The project will facilitate electricity services to the adjoined islands of Addu City, it would also provide the service to Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo once the islands are connected to the mainland via a bridge,” Muaz added.

Muaz also noted it was a contractor-financed initiative, requiring Fenaka Corporation to repay the project value within 12 years. He added the initiative’s funding has been secured without a negative impact to the corporation’s revenue.

While Fenaka has contracted Dongfeng Electric to resolve Addu City’s power shortage, electricity outages are common in various islands tehse days, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier said the power generators in several islands were in poor condition. He further promised the current government has been working to resolve the issue nationwide as well.

Source(s): sun.mv

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President urges votes for Male’ City’s progress, harmony, and safety

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President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has urging the public to shape Male’ City’s future by casting their votes for progress, harmony, and safety in the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for April 21.

Speaking at a political gathering hosted by the Progressive Congress Coalition, President Dr. Muizzu emphasised the need for addressing the housing challenges of Male’ as a key priority over the next five years. He underscored the importance of enacting legislation akin to those seen in developed cities worldwide to tackle the issue effectively, stressing the necessity of a cooperative Parliament to achieve the goal.

Additionally, President Dr. Muizzu highlighted the potential hindrance to government initiatives posed by a Parliament composed of members from divergent political ideologies. He emphasised the crucial role of a supportive Parliament in fulfilling developmental objectives aligned with public interests.

Furthermore, President Dr. Muizzu expressed hope that the election would mark a turning point in Male’s history, urging support and votes for PPM-PNC candidates committed to advancing the agenda of development, peace, and security. He also emphasised the importance of enacting and amending laws to foster youth prosperity, asserting his dedication to fulfilling campaign pledges through the election of aligned parliamentary members.

Source(s): PsmNews

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