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The National
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
South-East Asian countries are broadly siding with Iran in its conflict with Israel. This isn't surprising
While some western leaders have been shredding what little remains of the rules-based international order by bizarrely insisting that the appropriate way to respond to Israel's illegal attacks on Iran is to state that 'Israel does have the right to defend itself', there is a different view in South-East Asia. The leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei have all condemned the aggression of the Israeli government, while Singapore has called for an immediate ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was typically straightforward. 'We must stand up for the rights of our friends, including Iran, which has been wronged,' he said on Sunday. 'We defend Iran's right to retaliate in order to uphold its national dignity.' Referring to that retaliation, he said: 'Many European nations criticised and express outrage against Iran. But when Israel launched its attacks, they remained silent. I do not share that view.' His government would continue 'to uphold the principle of defending the rights and sovereignty of all nations,' he added. Brunei is a signatory – as is the UAE - to the joint statement by 21 Arab and Islamic countries which states their 'categorical rejection and condemnation of Israel's recent attacks on the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 13th of June 2025 … while emphasising the necessity of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, adhering to the principles of good neighbourliness, and the peaceful settlement of disputes'. Asked about the Israel-Iran conflict on Monday, the head of Indonesia's Presidential Communication Office said: 'In every conflict, Indonesia's stance is always the same: condemning military aggression, encouraging de-escalation and ceasefire, and calling for a resolution through diplomacy and international law.' The stance in Jakarta is unsurprising. Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi paid a state visit to Indonesia in 2023, and earlier this week local media quoted the Iranian ambassador as saying that a reciprocal invitation was being issued to President Prabowo Subianto. 'If Prabowo accepts [Iranian] President Masoud Pezeshkian's invitation, we can arrange the perfect time for their meeting,' he told them, a little precipitously, some may think, given the current circumstances. Mr Prabowo also appeared to speak for Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday, when the two appeared before reporters at Parliament House, Singapore, after a bilateral meeting this week, and said: 'We emphasise the importance of peaceful solution negotiations, and we call for an immediate ceasefire.' If the Israeli government wasn't a pariah before, it is now Only last month Mr Prabowo said that: "Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognises Palestine, Indonesia is ready to recognise Israel and open the diplomatic relationship." Don't expect much more of that kind of talk in the region for now. The words 'valid for all countries except Israel' are unlikely to disappear from Malaysian passports any time soon. As it is, international sporting events have already been stripped from Malaysia and Indonesia over the past few years after prominent politicians objected to Israelis taking part. Singapore's leadership probably keeps as quiet as possible about the city-state's long and close ties to Israel, which have caused protests this year and last. In fact, all countries in the region with significant Muslim minorities, and that includes Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines, need to tread carefully on the Israel-Iran conflict – which may be why their governments appear to have said or done little or nothing thus far. The reason for that is opinion among the region's about 250 million Muslims is, broadly speaking, pretty black and white: the government of Israel is – yet again – the aggressor, and Iran has the right to fight back. From my own experiences at conferences involving South-East Asian countries, I would suggest, however, it's important to note that the friendliness is with Iran as a state and as a fellow Muslim country. It's not about approval of the Islamic Republic per se, nor its activities interfering in other states in the Middle East. First of all, distance matters. Iran's support of the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon is in a faraway neighbourhood. Second, the South-East Asian view would be that all of that, including Iran's domestic political set-up, is none of their business. The principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states applies, and Iran does not seek to intervene in South-East Asian states. This is also why the fact that Iran is Shiite, a form of Islam that is a tiny minority and not exactly encouraged in the overwhelmingly Sunni region, is not an issue. That is seen as an internal matter for Iran, and doesn't need to affect relations between states. Seen from South-East Asia, Iran is a state which has for centuries been an important part of the Islamic world. There is no reason at all why it should not be treated warmly as part of the 'friends with all' approach common in the region. The US and its allies may regard it as 'the principal source of regional instability and terror', as the recent G7 statement put it, but that doesn't persuade people in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta or Mindanao. After all, even if Tehran managed to achieve the nuclear bomb that it has always denied trying to build, it is highly unlikely that it would ever be pointed towards South-East Asia. And, in any case, I have heard pointed out many times: Israel has a nuclear bomb – why shouldn't Iran? The latter is simply not viewed as any kind of threat at all. Support for Israel, on the other hand, has always been low to the point of unmeasurable among the Muslim masses in South-East Asia, even if some elites were open to co-operation on security matters, for instance. Now it is hard to find anyone who isn't troubled by Israel's constant flouting of international law and complete disregard for civilian life. Iran has sometimes been said in the last few days to have 'no friends'. But if Tehran looks east, it will find hundreds of millions who are, at the least, well-disposed towards them. And in the current conflict, there's little doubt about whose side they are on.
Zawya
11 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan targets 50% renewable energy in 2033
Jordan is pushing ahead with plans to expand its reliance on solar power and other renewable energy sources to 50 percent in 2033, an official has said. Renewable energy currently accounts for around 27 percent of the total energy mix in the Arab countries after it was negligible a decade ago, said Amani Azzam, secretary general of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. Azzam, quoted by Al-Ghad and other local newspapers on Friday, said Jordan is facing real challenges in its power sector given its heavy reliance on gas imports. 'We are working hard to tackle these challenges…we have drawn up an ambitious strategy to expand renewable energy sources from 27 percent to 50 percent in 2033,' she said. Jordan has awarded several renewable energy projects to foreign companies over the past two years and is pursuing an ambitious project to develop a key desert gas field to ensure at least 60 percent of its energy needs. (Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon) (
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Iran will defend itself in Israel conflict with ‘full force', official says
Iran has warned that any intervention by the United States in its conflict with Israel would risk an 'all-out war', as the regional rivals traded missile fire for a sixth day. After President Donald Trump hinted at greater US involvement in the conflict and sent warplanes to the region, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday pledged that Iran would defend itself with 'all force'. Here are some key takeaways from an exclusive interview the Iranian official gave to Al Jazeera. Baghaei said Iran is 'under an attack by a genocidal regime', adding it will defend itself with 'full force' against Israel's 'war of aggression'. He said Iran is 'for the time being' focused on targeting Israeli sites only, and Tehran trusts its neighbours would not allow the US to use their territory for attacks against it. 'Right now, we focus on defending ourselves from attacks from Israel, and that is why we have been very careful, very responsible, very calculated in our response to these attacks. We have targeted military bases, security bases inside the occupied lands, so for the time being, we are focused on that,' he said. 'We have very good relations with Arab countries, and they are very cognisant of the fact that Israel has been trying to drag others into the war … We are sure our Arab countries hosting US bases would not allow their territory to be used against their Muslim neighbours,' he added. 'I trust that the understanding between Iran and our neighbouring countries would not allow any third party to abuse their territory,' he said. According to Baghaei, 'diplomacy never ends'. But he said Tehran no longer trusts Washington. 'We were in the middle of [nuclear] negotiations [with the US], and all of a sudden, Israel started attacking Iran. And no one can imagine in our region, not only in Iran, that Israel started this war without a prior green light from the US,' he said. 'So I think what is at stake is the credibility of a country that is supposed to be a global power. What is at stake is the international law that has been almost annihilated because of all the atrocities committed in occupied Palestine and in Syria and elsewhere,' he noted. Baghaei said Iran is in contact with other countries, including Russia, because it is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. 'We expect everyone that has leeway, that has a mandate under the UN Security Council, to act to help achieve a resolution in condemnation of this attack,' he said. Israel has said its attacks on Iran came to stop Tehran from building nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied that it seeks nuclear bombs and that its nuclear programme is peaceful. Baghaei argued: 'Where are the IAEA's violation reports? The true criminals bomb inspected facilities.' 'Our nuclear programme has been part and parcel of our right under the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty]. So we have not done anything wrong under international law. Our nuclear programme started in the 1950s and it has continued for the past five decades completely peacefully,' he said. He accused Israel of attacking a 'peaceful installation' in Iran and questioned why members of the NPT allowed the attack to happen. 'This is completely banned under international law. This is completely criminal. And in accordance with Article 573 of [the UN convention on nuclear safety, as adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency] IAEA … the threat of attack against a country's peaceful installation constitutes a threat to peace and security,' he noted. 'Now, we are witnessing a serious breach of peace … so I think the international community must make Israel and its supporters accountable for what they have done in their aggression against Iran.'
Zawya
04-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Oman: A vision for a sustainable digital future
Digital transformation is a crucial catalyst for a country's development. Its adoption across various sectors enables nations to achieve significant improvements in productivity, efficiency and innovation. The Sultanate of Oman is a country that has made significant strides towards creating a digitally empowered society and economy. Aligning with Oman Vision 2040, the country's digital transformation aims to build a sustainable knowledge society and increase the contribution of the digital economy to its GDP, improve government services and empower the workforce. The country is now poised to unlock new opportunities, enhance efficiency and improve the quality of life for its citizens and residents. Many international agencies have acknowledged and honoured Oman for this transformative journey to modernise its economy and society. In this context is Oman's improvement 2024 ranking in the Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index (GEMS) with a score of 72 per cent, up from 66 per cent in 2023. The report released by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia covers 17 Arab countries and assesses digital government performance across three key dimensions – service availability and development, service uptake and satisfaction, and government outreach and engagement. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led the index with scores of 96 per cent and 95 per cent, respectively, reflecting strong progress in national digital transformation. The index covers a wide range of sectors, including health, education, transportation, finance, justice, trade, tourism and social affairs. In a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), 'underpinned by its Vision 2040, Oman has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda aiming at reducing its reliance on hydrocarbons and creating a more sustainable, more inclusive and knowledge-based economy.' Oman Vision 2040 aims to elevate the country's ranking to be among the top 20 countries globally in developing electronic services and improving its global standing in e-government development and ease of doing business indicators. The IMF eLibrary report that took stock of the state of digital transformation in Oman highlights the recent launch of the country's National Digital Economy Programme also known as "Tahweel" that aims to provide a strategic direction for the development of the digital economy and increase its contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from its current level estimated at 2 per cent to 10 per cent by 2040. The Tahweel programme plays a crucial role in enhancing participation and enabling individuals, citizens, residents and private sector institutions to contribute effectively to developing government services by submitting reports, complaints and suggestions. In addition, this programme aims to advance Oman's global ranking in various digital economy indicators identified in Vision 2040, such as the e-government development index and the network readiness index. However, the IMF report suggests that while Oman has progressed well on many aspects of digitalisation, such as Internet penetration and 4G and 5G population coverage, it still needs to deploy additional investments and efforts to match its GCC peers on several other aspects. 'Further efforts are particularly needed to raise Internet connection speed, increase the prevalence of advanced ICT skills among the population, usher in digital innovation and promote e-commerce. The analyses indicate that enhanced digitalisation, can, in turn, engender substantial gains," the report suggests. A report by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology stated that government entities in Oman have made remarkable progress in implementing digital transformation requirements. According to the report, the Tahweel programme has achieved an overall performance rate of 73 per cent by the end of November 2024, a significant increase from 53 per cent in 2023. Government institutions demonstrated an average performance of 77 per cent in meeting digital transformation requirements, while governorates averaged 71 per cent. BLURB Oman is now poised to unlock new opportunities, enhance efficiency and improve the quality of life for its citizens and residents. Many international agencies have acknowledged and honoured Oman for this transformative journey to modernise its economy and society 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Times of Oman
03-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
More Than 51,000 students registered at Higher Education Admission Centre
Muscat: As many as 51,027 students were registered in the Higher Education Admission Center (HEAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. The number included 25,706 males and 25,321 females. The figures reflect the number of students who applied to the HEAC until the end of the first stage of registration for students to contest seats in government higher education institutions, internal scholarships, private sector grants, external scholarships and grants from Arab countries for the academic year 2025/2026. The applicants will be given an opportunity to change their study preferences during a 'Choice Modification' period that follows the announcement of results of the General Education Diploma (GED) exams in July 2025. The Higher Education Admission Center announced that the outcome of the first sorting will be made public during the first week of July 2025. These results are based on students' performance in the first semester and their current placing of the programmes of their preference. The aim is to enable the students to amend their choices and make the most appropriate decision in consultation with their parents. The 'Choice Modification' period plays a significant role in a student's admission, because registration during this stage becomes final ahead of the 'First Round Sorting'. This stage is followed by procedures like personal interviews, admission tests and medical tests, in accordance with the requirements of the academic programmes. -ONA
