Maldives votes in run-off
On September 30, voters in the Maldives are casting their ballots in a presidential run-off that could determine the fate of the Indian Ocean archipelago’s nascent democracy.This election is also said to determine Maldives’ ties with China and India.
The September 30 election pits President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who has championed an India-first policy, against the mayor of the capital, Mohamed Muizzu, whose opposition coalition sought closer ties with China and oversaw a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent while in power from 2013-18.
Muizzu emerged as the surprise frontrunner during the first round of voting on September 8, taking some 46 percent of the ballots cast. Solih – hurt by low voter turnout and a split within his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) – won 39 percent.
But with the incumbent leader seeking to galvanise voters with additional pledges of handouts, including housing and wage hikes, observers say the outcome of September 30 run-off looks too close to call.
A.J. Akbar
Chennai, Tamilnadu
IAEA resolution to deal with Palestine as a state
The General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has adopted a resolution to consider Palestine as a state. This resolution is a great blow the usurper state of Israel. This came as the IAEA’s members voted on a draft-resolution to officially adopt the designation of “State of Palestine.”IAEA voted with an overwhelming majority of 92 countries, on the Egyptian draft-resolution to officially adopt the designation of “State of Palestine,” and grant it more privileges and rights.
The Palestinian National Council has rightly said that the overwhelming vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency was a clear condemnation of the Israeli occupation policy of expansion and illegal annexation in violation of international laws.
Meanwhile, the head of the Palestinian National Council, Rawhi Fattouh, welcomed the decision of the Anglican Church in South Africa to declare Israel an “apartheid state.”
“This decision is a victory for our Palestinian cause, and expresses the extent of injustice and racial discrimination against the Palestinian people, especially the storming of Islamic and Christian places of worship, the attacks on Christian clergy, and the operations of repression committed by the fascist occupation government,” Fatouh said.
Fathul Bari
Marrakesh, Morocco
ICJ hearings on Assad regime crimes to begin on October 10
On September 28, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that it will start hearings on the case of the Syrian regime’s crimes against Syrians. The ICJ said that it will hold public hearings in the case concerning the Application of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.The hearings will commence on 10 October 2023, at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Previously, the ICJ announced that Canada and the Netherlands filed a complaint against the Syrian Arab Republic.Canada and the Netherlands, in their application, contended that: “Syria has committed countless violations of international law, beginning at least in 2011, with its violent repression of civilian demonstrations, and continuing as the situation in Syria devolved into a protracted armed conflict.”
Hamdan Hashmi
New Delhi
World Deaf Day
World Deaf Day is observed on the last Sunday of September. Some hearing-impaired people have done exceptionally well in life. The symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven, who turned deaf, and paintings of Indian painter and sculptor Satish Gujral, brother of the former PM I.K. Gujral, who designed the Belgium embassy in New Delhi, which is considered to be one of the finest pieces of architecture of the 20th century, shows one can overcome such physical challenges with strong will. He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan.
T.S. Karthik,
27/120 Halls Rd Kilpauk Chennai