TOKYO: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, awarded the UAE Military Medal of the First Class to Dr. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Masahito Goto, former Director General of Air Systems at the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA), for his dedicated efforts in enhancing military cooperation and consolidating relations between the UAE and Japan.
According to the UAE Embassy in Tokyo, Shihab Al Faheem, UAE Ambassador to Japan, presented the Medal to Dr. Goto during his reception at the UAE Embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday in the presence of Major General Staff Pilot Ibrahim Al Alawi, Air Force and Air Defense Commander.
The Ambassador, in his address, wished Dr. Goto success in his future endeavors and lauded his pivotal role in fostering friendly relations between the UAE and Japan.
Goto expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, praising the level of progress witnessed in bilateral relations between the two countries.
He also extended his sincere thanks to all parties in the UAE, especially the Armed Forces, for their warm and generous gesture in honoring him with this Medal.
Japanese former official awarded UAE Military Medal
https://arab.news/p4qgu
Japanese former official awarded UAE Military Medal
- Shihab Al Faheem, UAE Ambassador to Japan, presented the Medal to Dr. Goto
- Goto expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Pro-Israel professor at Columbia barred from campus after harassing and intimidating other employees
Pro-Israel professor at Columbia barred from campus after harassing and intimidating other employees
- Chang said the university has “consistently and continually” respected Davidai’s right to express his views but that the restrictions were a “direct result” of his conduct on Oct. 7
NEW YORK: An outspoken pro-Israel professor at Columbia University has been temporarily barred from campus, a university spokesperson said Wednesday.
Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at the Manhattan university’s business school, had his campus access restricted effective Tuesday after repeatedly harassing and intimidating other employees, according to university spokesperson Ben Chang.
Davidai, an Israeli citizen, has been among the most prominent campus critics of pro-Palestinian protests, saying that school officials have not done enough to crack down on the demonstrations, which he views as antisemitic.
He also helped lead pro-Israel counterprotests at Columbia last spring. On X, formerly Twitter, where he has more than 100,000 followers, he has accused pro-Palestinian student groups of supporting terrorism.
Chang said the university has “consistently and continually” respected Davidai’s right to express his views but that the restrictions were a “direct result” of his conduct on Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which sparked the region’s latest conflict.
“His freedom of speech has not been limited and is not being limited now,” he wrote in a statement. “Columbia, however, does not tolerate threats of intimidation, harassment, or other threatening behavior by its employees.”
Davidai didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment, but said on X that the ban was in response to social media videos in which he confronted university officials during pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
“He has now retaliated and had me suspended from campus,” Davidai wrote in his Tuesday post, referring to Cas Holloway, the university’s chief operating officer. The post also linked to a video on Instagram that has since been taken down.
“I don’t care about my future. It’s never been about me. I care about @Columbia’s future,” Davidai wrote in another post on X. “I care about what this acceptance of anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American terrorism means for the students on campus. ”
Chang stressed that Davidai, who is not teaching this semester, has not been suspended from his faculty post and that his compensation has not been affected by the disciplinary action.
But he will need to complete a training program on the university’s policies governing employee conduct before having his campus access reinstated, he added.
“Education, training, access restrictions and other measures are available and used by the University when faculty and other employees violate University policy,” Chang said. “As in other cases, our expectation is that Assistant Professor Davidai will successfully complete the training and promptly return to campus.”
Donald Trump calls himself ‘father of IVF’ at all-women town hall
- According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week, 49 percent of women who are registered to vote support Harris, while 40 percent support Trump
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump called himself the “father of IVF” at a town hall for women voters on Wednesday, as the Republican presidential candidate tries to convince the crucial voting bloc they can trust him on reproductive issues.
Trump, who is trailing Democrat Kamala Harris in popularity among women voters ahead of the Nov. 5 US election, suggested he was eager to discuss the issue at an all-women event hosted by Fox News in Georgia. The state is among a handful likely to decide the election.
“I want to talk about IVF. I’m the father of IVF, so I want to hear this question,” Trump said.
Hearing that some women were concerned about possible restrictions on fertility treatments, Trump touted his party’s support for the procedure, even though some conservative Republicans do not support in vitro fertilization.
Senate Republicans blocked Democratic-led legislation designed to protect IVF access twice in recent months, with some Republicans arguing the legislation is unnecessary as IVF access is not in danger.
“We really are the party for IVF,” Trump said. “We want fertilization that is all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them.”
IVF emerged as a hot-button issue in the election after the conservative Alabama Supreme Court ruled in February that embryos are children. That ruling left it unclear how to legally store, transport and use embryos, prompting some IVF patients to consider moving their frozen embryos out of the state.
Republicans nationwide scrambled to contain the backlash from the decision, while Democrats warned more reproductive rights could be under threat.
Trump’s campaign described his “father of IVF” comment as a joke.
“It was a joke President Trump made in jest when he was enthusiastically answering a question about IVF as he strongly supports widespread access to fertility treatments for women and families,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
Harris, when asked about Trump’s comments, warned against being “distracted by his choice of words.”
“The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America on this issue,” Harris told reporters.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week, 49 percent of women who are registered to vote support Harris, while 40 percent support Trump.
Polls also show Americans broadly trust Democrats more than Republicans on reproductive rights.
Trump, who as president appointed three of the justices who made up the majority that ended constitutional protection for abortion, has said the matter should now be decided by individual states.
He also has said he would support making IVF free of charge, though he has not detailed how he would do so.
‘ENEMY FROM WITHIN’
At times during the town hall, Trump returned to the dark language that has been a hallmark of many of his campaign stops.
Trump warned of the danger posed by an “enemy from within” — a phrase he has used before — and he called his opponents “evil.”
“They’re really very different, and it is the enemy from within, and they’re dangerous,” Trump said, while discussing his political foes.
Trump was responding to a comment from Fox host Harris Faulkner, who noted that Harris had criticized an interview Trump gave to Fox News on Sunday, during which he had called Democrats the enemy from within.
During that interview, Trump suggested that the National Guard or army could be deployed to handle “radical-left lunatics.”
As he is out of office, Trump has no authority to order such a deployment though he repeatedly expressed interest in using the military to quell civilian protesters during his 2017-to-2021 term, according to former advisers.
UK’s UN envoy calls for immediate ceasefire, humanitarian action in Gaza
- UK urged immediate action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, violence in Lebanon
LONDON: The UK urged immediate action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza during a meeting at the UN on Wednesday.
Barbara Woodward, Britain’s permanent representative to the UN, said at a Security Council session that the UK supported the call for the emergency meeting, with a focus on urgent steps needed to alleviate the suffering of civilians in the region.
“The situation in northern Gaza is harrowing,” she said.
“Approximately 400,000 Gazans have been ordered to evacuate the north and move southward to the IDF-designated humanitarian zone. Many of these people will already have been displaced, some many times over, and are desperately searching for refuge.
“But there are no safe places in Gaza. Just this week we saw horrifying images following the Israeli strike on Al-Aqsa Hospital, inside the IDF-designated humanitarian zone,” she added.
Woodward highlighted the severe challenges faced by those attempting to flee, including intimidation, traveling in active conflict zones and the threat of airstrikes. Those who remain face dire conditions, with extreme hunger and little access to healthcare or basic services.
The representative pointed to the lack of food aid delivered to northern Gaza in the first half of October, criticizing the Israeli authorities for blocking or delaying the majority of humanitarian efforts. With aid levels expected to be the lowest since the conflict began, the UK envoy described the situation as “unconscionable,” especially with a second winter approaching for Gaza’s population, which has been left with diminished resilience and resources.
She called on Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and ensure that aid reaches all areas of Gaza, expressing concern about legislative efforts to undermine UNRWA, a key player in the humanitarian response.
In a broader appeal, she demanded that civilians in northern Gaza be allowed to return to their communities and rebuild, warning against any forcible transfers or reductions in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
Woodward also highlighted the need for an immediate ceasefire to bring an end to the conflict and called on Hamas to release the 101 hostages still in captivity.
Beyond Gaza, she reiterated the UK’s call for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, urging all parties to avoid civilian casualties and ensure the safety of UNIFIL personnel. In the West Bank, the UK envoy urged the Israeli government to crack down on settler violence and halt the expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian land.
To support accountability, the UK recently imposed further sanctions on three illegal settler outposts and four organizations linked to human rights abuses against Palestinians.
“The Palestinian people, the Israeli people and the region as a whole deserve a better reality than the daily cycle of violence and fear to which they have become accustomed. But there is a path to peace, one which would see a safe and secure Palestinian state, beside a safe and secure Israel,” Woodward said.
“We urge the parties to be courageous and to take the path toward peace and a better future for their people.”
Israeli booths, equipment barred from defense show in France
- The decision comes as tensions are rising between Israel and France
- “The French government informed Euronaval of its decision to approve the participation of Israeli delegations at Euronaval 2024, without any stand,” said the organizers
PARIS: Israeli delegations taking part in the major Euronaval defense show in France next month will not be permitted to set up any stand or exhibit hardware following a decision by the French government, organizers said on Wednesday.
The decision comes as tensions are rising between Israel and France following comments by President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the civilian casualties in the Israeli campaigns against Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The French leader last week insisted that stopping the export of weapons used by Israel in both operations was the only way to halt the two conflicts.
“The French government informed Euronaval of its decision to approve the participation of Israeli delegations at Euronaval 2024, without any stand or exhibition of equipment,” said the organizers of the show which is due to start on November 4 in Paris.
Euronaval, a biennial event that attracts naval defense exhibitors from around the world, said seven Israeli companies are affected by the decision.
“In accordance with the French government’s decision, Israeli companies and citizens who wish to attend will be welcomed at the show under the conditions listed above,” it added.
At the end of May, the presence of Israeli defense manufacturers at the Eurosatory land defense and security exhibition was banned by the government, before finally being authorized by the French courts.
Philippines prepares for debut at Saudi Arabia’s largest halal expo
- Delegation representing not only food industry, but also wellness, travel, construction
- Philippines’ central bank to promote Islamic banking opportunities in the country
MANILA: Philippine finance, tourism and food industry representatives are preparing for the country’s debut at the Middle East’s largest halal exhibition, which will take place in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The annual Saudi International Halal Expo will be held in Riyadh on Oct. 28-30, providing a platform to stakeholders from all over the world to see and showcase the latest innovations, research and development in the global halal market.
Led by the Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine delegation and exhibitors will range from fruit, food and beverage, and supplement sectors to tourism, travel and finance. They will showcase their products and projects under “Halal-friendly Philippines” — a government umbrella brand promoting the country as a halal market hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
“This is the first time that we are participating,” Aleem Guiapal, DTI Halal Industry Development program manager, told Arab News. “It is about building relationships and to strengthen our presence in ASEAN and GCC countries.”
The predominantly Catholic Philippines — where Muslims constitute about 10 percent of the almost 120 million population — has been making efforts to tap into the global halal market, which is estimated to be worth more than $7 trillion.
By increasing its presence and doubling the number of its halal-certified products and services, the Philippine government plans to raise $4 billion in investments and generate about 120,000 jobs by 2028.
Guiapal said that the Filipino halal market’s strength is in agricultural products such as coconut oil, fruits, nutraceutical foods, baked goods, supplements and wellness items, but there will also be construction companies joining the country’s delegation at the Riyadh fair.
“Because if we want halal-friendly tourism or hotels, the contractors also ought to know how suitable their hotels would be,” he said.
Part of the Philippines’ strategy to revive its tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on expanding its halal tourism portfolio and developing halal-friendly properties.
The Southeast Asian country is also developing Islamic financial services and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank, will also be part of its delegation.
The aim is to pitch in “opportunities for Islamic banks to open their Islamic banking operation in the Philippines,” BSP officer Winnie Claire Jamoner-Carbonel told Arab News.
“We want them to know that a lot has happened in the Philippines in Islamic banking and we want them to know that there is a market that no one serves ... so they could take a chunk of that market.”
