You are here

  • Home
  • Japan eyes sanctions against groups in UAE for aiding Russia

Japan eyes sanctions against groups in UAE for aiding Russia

Japan eyes sanctions against groups in UAE for aiding Russia
Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on Friday said Japan is considering imposing sanctions against organizations in several countries, including the United Arab Emirates. (ANJ)
Short Url

https://arab.news/6hw39

Updated 14 June 2024
Arab News Japan
Follow

Japan eyes sanctions against groups in UAE for aiding Russia

Japan eyes sanctions against groups in UAE for aiding Russia
  • “I think it is important to rigorously respond to attempts to circumvent sanctions against Russia,” Kamikawa stated
  • Kamikawa said the new sanctions package against Russia is being drawn up and Japan will make an announcement soon
Updated 14 June 2024
Arab News Japan
Follow

TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko on Friday said Japan is considering imposing sanctions against organizations in several countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
Following a decision by the United States to reimpose sanctions on over 300 firms and individuals in countries such as China, South Africa, and Turkiye for aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine, Kamikawa said Japan would follow suit.
“I think it is important to rigorously respond to attempts to circumvent sanctions against Russia,” Kamikawa stated. “Japan conveyed to the (G7) leaders that we are considering new sanctions packages, including against organizations in third countries, namely the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.”
“We are considering sanctions against targeted organizations in these countries that are engaged in contravening sanctions. We are not specifically targeting any specific state in this way.”
Kamikawa said the new sanctions package against Russia is being drawn up and Japan will make an announcement soon.
When asked about imposing sanctions against Israel for its mass killings in Gaza, its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and the annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights, Kamikawa was evasive in her answer.
“Regarding the critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, we are deeply concerned about it,” she responded. “I have been urging Israeli Foreign Minister Katz repeatedly to abide by international law, including international humanitarian law, and to bring about a sustainable ceasefire, as well as improving the humanitarian situation.”
“To reduce tensions, improve the humanitarian situation and realize a two-state solution, we are going to continue to make tenacious and active diplomatic efforts going forward.”

Topics: UAE Japan Kamikawa Yoko sanctions

Related

Tighter asylum deportation rules take effect in Japan
World
Tighter asylum deportation rules take effect in Japan
Japan, US, South Korean coast guards hold 1st joint drill
World
Japan, US, South Korean coast guards hold 1st joint drill

Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed

Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed
Updated 4 sec ago
Follow

Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed

Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed
Updated 4 sec ago
LONDON: The managing director of Harrods said Thursday that the London department store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted by late owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Michael Ward said it is clear Al Fayed “presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct.”
Five women have told the BBC they were raped by Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, and several others allege acts of assault and physical violence. Lawyers for the alleged victims say they have been retained by 37 women and the list is growing.
Ward said he was “not aware of his (Al Fayed’s) criminality and abuse” during the four years he worked for the Harrod’s owner, though “rumors of his behavior circulated in the public domain.”
Al Fayed owned Harrods for a quarter century before selling it 2010 to a company owned by the state of Qatar through its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.
“We failed our colleagues and for that we are deeply sorry,” Ward said in a statement. He said Harrods had set up a “settlement process” for Al Fayed’s victims.
“This was a shameful period in the business’ history,” the statement said. “However, the Harrods of today is unrecognizable to Harrods under his ownership.”
London’s Metropolitan Police say they were made aware of allegations in the past and had questioned Al Fayed in 2008 over the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old, but prosecutors at the time did not take the cases forward.
Al Fayed’s family has not commented.
Egypt-born businessman Al Fayed moved to Britain in the 1960s and bought Harrods, an upmarket retail emporium in London’s tony Knightsbridge district, in the mid-1980s
He became a well-known figure through his ownership of the store and the London soccer team Fulham. He was often in the headlines after his son Dodi was killed alongside Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Al Fayed spent years promoting the conspiracy theory that the royal family had arranged the accident because they did not approve of Diana dating an Egyptian.
An inquest concluded that Diana and Dodi died because of the reckless actions of their driver — an employee of the Ritz Hotel in Paris owned by Al Fayed — and paparazzi chasing the couple. Separate inquiries in the UK and France also concluded there was no conspiracy.

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says
Updated 11 min 3 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says

World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says
Updated 11 min 3 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: Countries around the world, including leading Arab nations, those in the G7 and the European Union, want a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Asked about Israel’s rejection of a US-backed Lebanon ceasefire proposal, Blinken told MSNBC: “The world is speaking clearly for virtually all of the key countries in Europe and in the region on the need for the ceasefire.”
He added that he would be meeting with Israeli officials in New York later on Thursday.

Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions

Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions
Updated 26 September 2024
Reuters
Follow

Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions

Britain announces fresh Russia sanctions
  • Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports
Updated 26 September 2024
Reuters

LONDON: Britain said on Thursday it had sanctioned five new ships and two other shipping entities under its Russian sanctions regime.
Earlier this month Britain slapped sanctions on 10 further ships in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of vessels which it says use illicit practices to avoid Western restrictions on Russian oil.
Russia rejects Western pressure to limit its oil exports, and in the past year there has been a growth in the number of tankers transporting cargoes that are not regulated or insured by conventional Western providers.

Topics: UK Russia

Related

Zelensky alleges Russian plot on nuclear plants in defiant UN address
World
Zelensky alleges Russian plot on nuclear plants in defiant UN address
Zelensky alleges Russian plot on nuclear plants in defiant UN address
World
Zelensky alleges Russian plot on nuclear plants in defiant UN address

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination
Updated 26 September 2024
AP
Follow

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination

Taliban say it’s absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination
  • The Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces, and most jobs
Updated 26 September 2024
AP

KABUL: The Taliban said Thursday it was absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls.
Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands are set to start legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a UN convention on women, to which Afghanistan is a party.
The countries launched the initiative on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is taking place in New York until Monday.
Despite promising more moderate rule after they seized power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces and most jobs. In August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry issued laws banning women’s bare faces and prohibiting them from raising their voices in public.
More than 20 countries expressed their support Thursday for the proposed legal action against the Taliban.
“We condemn the gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, particularly the gender-based discrimination against women and girls,” the countries said.
“Afghanistan is responsible under international law for its ongoing gross and systematic violation of numerous obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,” they added.
The countries said they did not politically recognize the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of the Afghan population.
“Afghanistan’s failure to fulfill its human rights treaty obligations is a key obstacle to normalization of relations,” they said.
The Taliban’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said human rights were protected in Afghanistan and that nobody faced discrimination.
“Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to spread propaganda against Afghanistan through the mouths of several fugitive (Afghan) women and misrepresent the situation,” he said on social media platform X.
“It is absurd to accuse the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of violating human rights and gender discrimination,” he added.
The Taliban reject all criticism of their policies, especially those affecting women and girls, describing it as interference. They maintain that their actions are in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged other countries to register their support for the four countries’ legal action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moved forward.
“The announcement by Germany, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands may mark the beginning of a path to justice for the Taliban’s egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls,” said Abbasi.

Topics: Taliban Afghan

Related

Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Lifestyle
Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
At UN open debate, Saudi FM says violators of international law must be held accountable without favor
Saudi Arabia
At UN open debate, Saudi FM says violators of international law must be held accountable without favor

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU
Updated 26 September 2024
AFP
Follow

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU

UK’s Starmer aims to ‘reset’ relationship with EU
  • Late on Wednesday, Starmer — in New York for the UN General Assembly — posted a photo of himself and von der Leyen
Updated 26 September 2024
AFP

LONDON: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that he will meet EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels next week as part of his plans to “reset” UK relations with the EU after Brexit.
The UK’s departure from the European Union after five decades of membership in 2020 has had an effect on trade and security cooperation, prompting calls for a rethink on future ties.
Late on Wednesday, Starmer — in New York for the UN General Assembly — posted a photo of himself and von der Leyen.
“I want to reset our relationship with the EU and make Brexit work for the British people,” he wrote on X, adding that he was “looking forward” to starting discussions with von der Leyen.
The visit will be Starmer’s first to Brussels since becoming prime minister in July and follows bilateral meetings with European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
As well as taking the UK out of the European customs union and single market, Brexit ended the free movement of EU citizens to live and work in Britain.
The EU has proposed a youth mobility scheme for 18-30-year-olds as part of a potential deal with the UK.
Reports have suggested Starmer, who voted in a 2016 referendum to remain in the EU, will try to water down the proposals to avoid anything that could be seen as the reintroduction of free movement.
Starmer, who was also Labour’s Brexit spokesman while the party was in opposition, pledged earlier this month that the “reset” would not mean reversing Brexit, which remains a political toxic subject in the UK.
“I want to be ambitious about what we can achieve within the EU reset,” he said.
“That does not mean going back into the EU, that does not mean going back into the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. So they are the red lines within that framework.”

Topics: UK Starmer EU

Related

Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Lifestyle
Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Saudi deputy FM receives Ambassador of Palestine to Kingdom
Saudi Arabia
Saudi deputy FM receives Ambassador of Palestine to Kingdom

Latest updates

Israeli strike on south Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah leader -security source
Israeli strike on south Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah leader -security source
Saudi Arabia, UAE drive expansion of GCC retail sector in GCC: industry report 
Saudi Arabia, UAE drive expansion of GCC retail sector in GCC: industry report 
Harrods apologizes to women who say they were abused by former owner Mohamed Al Fayed
Managing director of Harrods said the store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted.
World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says
World wants ceasefire along Israel-Lebanon border, US’s Blinken says
Saudi Arabia starts process on 4,500 MW-renewable energy projects
Saudi Arabia starts process on 4,500 MW-renewable energy projects

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.