16-11-2020 The Asian Independent

8 16-11-2020 to 30-11-2020 ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Dubai-based Indian couple hosts
'drive-by wedding ceremony'
Dubai : In the wake of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a
Dubai-based Indian couple hosted a 'drive-by wedding ceremony'
for their loved ones outside their residence, according to a
media report. Hailing from Kerala, Muhammed Jazem and
Almas Ahmed first had their 'nikah' ceremony, after which they
stood under a flower arch outside their home in Jumeirah for a
socially distanced wedding reception, reports Khaleej Times.
Close family members and friends who could not be part of
the 'nikah' stopped their cars outside the couple's home for less
than two minutes as they wished them well and clicked some
photos. "The rules were simple and we communicated them to
our guests through a video invitation," Khaleej Times quoted
Jazem as saying. "We asked our guests to stop only for a few
moments, give us their best wishes, take a picture and then they
could drive away. We instructed them not to step out of the car,
to keep moving to avoid traffic, and not pull over," he added.
Jazem, an aeronautical engineer with Emirates Airline, further
said their parents and many of their relatives are elderly, which
is why they "did not want to have a big event".
Although the Dubai government has given the green signal to
host socially distanced ceremonies, the couple decided to stick to
their drive-by reception plan.
Iran denies report of killing
Al Qaeda leader in Tehran
Tehran : Iran's Foreign Ministry has denied a media report
about the recent killing of
an Al Qaeda leader in the
capital Tehran. On
November 13, the New
York Times reported that Al
Qaida's second-in-command
Muhammad al-Masri
was killed by the Israeli
operatives in Tehran in
August, reports Xinhua
news agency.
The newspaper report cited US intelligence officials as saying
that al-Masri, accused of being one of the masterminds of two
deadly 1998 attacks on American embassies in Africa, was
gunned down by two assassins on motorcycles on August 7.
But in a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the story by the western media is a
"scenario and fabricated information created by the US and
Israel". The western media report is "a false accusation" levelled
by the US officials against Iran, and the Islamic republic "strongly
denies the presence of terrorist members in the country", he
added. "In order to dodge responsibility for the criminal activities
of this group and other terrorist groups in the region,
Washington and Tel Aviv from time to time try to paint Iran as
being tied to these groups through weaving lies and leaking fabricated
information to the media."
United Nations : United Nations
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
on Saturday called on all countries to
stop building new coal power plants in
his video message to the East Asia
Summit 2020. "To reach carbon neutrality
by 2050, I am calling for all
countries to stop building new coal
power plants and for partners to stop
financing them," said the Secretary-
General.
"Countries also need to put a price
on carbon and end subsidies for fossil
fuels. Our response to the Covid-19
crisis must be aligned with the Paris
Agreement and Sustainable
Haryana Ratna Award given to
Ambala man by NRIs in Canada
Toronto : The Haryana Association of
North America (HANA) has conferred its
annual Haryana Ratan Award on Ambala
man Sandeep Goel, who is the CEO of
ICICI Bank in Canada.
HANA President Kuldeep Sharma and
Indian Consul General Apurva Srivastava
presented the award to Goel at the second
annual gala of the largest organization of
the Haryana diaspora in North America at
Marriott Hotel in Brampton.
"The aim of HANA is to connect the
Haryana diaspora with their roots, keep our
traditions alive, promote business relations
with Haryana and honour top Haryanvi
achievers in North America," said Kuldeep
Sharma who comes from Faridabad and is
one of the top hoteliers in Canada.
Accepting the award, Goel said: "It is a
matter of great pride for me and my entire
family to receive this recognition from the
community given how close I am to
Haryana. I was born in Ambala city and
though my upbringing took place in Delhi
I am deeply connected to my place of birth
as I spent two months of summer break
each year in different parts of Haryana. My
marriage to my wife Bindu who is also a
proud Haryanvi further deepened my connection
with the state."
Describing Haryana as the place of
Mahabharata, Goel urged the Haryana
diaspora to follow the principles of life
enshrined in the Gita while adapting to life
Development Goals. In all these
efforts, you can count on the support
of the United Nations system," the UN
chief added. Guterres noted that
efforts must be made to "use the
Covid-19 recovery effort to build
green climate-resilient economies and
work towards carbon neutrality by
2050," the Xinhua news agency
reported. "This will, incidentally, also
drive the job creation that will reduce
inequality and address the air pollution
that is choking many Asian cities.
I commend the recent decisions of
China, Japan and the Republic of
Korea committing to net zero emissions,"
the Secretary-General added.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a
regional forum held annually by leaders
of, initially, 16 countries in the
East Asian, Southeast Asian, South
Asian and Oceanian regions, based on
the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism.
Membership expanded to 18 countries
including Russia and the United States
in 2011. Since its establishment,
ASEAN has held the central role and
leadership in the forum. EAS meetings
are held after the annual ASEAN leaders'
meetings, and plays an important
role in the regional architecture of
Asia-Pacific.
in North America.
"Adapt to the new life and new opportunities,
but don't forget your roots."
He said Haryana must be promoted as a
religious tourist destination because of its
connection with the Mahabharata.
Haryana's arts and crafts also have a big
market potential in North America, he said.
"Because of their novelty, Haryana arts
and crafts will appeal to people in North
America. We should leverage technology
and use celebrity endorsements to promote
these products here," said Goel.
Consul General Srivastava highlighted
Haryana as the biggest hub of automobile
manufacturing in India.
She said the Indian Consulate General
will extend all support to promote their traditional
crafts and the state as a tourist destination
in Canada.
LEBANON IMPOSES
nationwide LOCKDOWN
Beirut : Restaurants, bars, cafes, gyms and
malls have closed their doors as Lebanon entered
a two-week lockdown to restrict the spread of
Covid-19.
As per the lockdown which came into force on
Saturday, police was deployed in most areas of
the country, issuing tickets for people who violate
the restrictions, reports Xinhua news agency.
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab urged
the country's citizens to commit to lockdown
measures while prioritizing people's health over
the economy. "Lockdown is not the solution but it
is an opportunity to raise the country's health sector
preparedness given the dramatic increase in
coronavirus infections over the past weeks," Diab
said. Lebanon's number of Covid-19 infections
surpassed 100,000 while the death toll is
approaching 800. The country has been fighting
against the virus since February 21.
UN chief urges all countries to stop building new coal power plants