Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing to discuss a variety of issues ranging from regional security to economic cooperation.

This was the first meeting of the two leaders since Khan’s visit to China in October 2019, said a statement from the Pakistani premier’s office.

Khan traveled to China on Thursday to attend the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Both leaders, the statement said, acknowledged that a “peaceful and stable” Afghanistan would promote economic development and connectivity in the region, urging the international community to promptly assist the Afghan people and avert a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the war-torn country.

“The two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of Pakistan-China bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, in a warm and cordial atmosphere,” it further said.

“The All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China has withstood the tests of times and the two nations firmly stood side by side in realizing their visions and shared aspirations of peace, stability, development and prosperity,” the statement added.

Khan lauded China’s continued support and assistance for Pakistan’s socioeconomic development, “which has greatly benefitted from the high-quality development of the multibillion-dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.”

He also welcomed increased Chinese investments in CPEC’s Phase-II, which is centered on industrialization and improving people’s livelihoods.

Sharing his views with President Xi on growing polarization in the world, Khan said the developments “threatened unraveling of global developmental gains, and posed serious risks to the developing countries.”

He stressed that “insurmountable” challenges such as climate change, health pandemics, and growing inequalities could only be tackled though “cooperation of all nations in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

Khan said “atrocities being perpetrated” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, along with the “persecution of minorities in India” pose a “threat to regional peace and stability,” the statement added.

Rapid “militarization” of India is undermining regional stability, he added.

Khan said the partnership between Pakistan and China is “an anchor for peace and stability in the region,” thanking Beijing for its “unwavering” support to Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support to China on all issues of its “core interest,” and renewed his invitation to Xi to visit Pakistan, the statement concluded.

Foreign ministers’ meeting

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss the “evolving situation” in the region and beyond, in particular the “grave humanitarian situation” in Afghanistan.

“On Afghanistan, both sides appreciated the important role played by the meeting of the six neighboring countries in evolving regional consensus and looked forwarded to its third meeting to be held in China,” read a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

“It was agreed to maintain closer coordination to promote the shared objectives of peace, stability and development in Afghanistan and regional connectivity.”

Qureshi said the Pakistani premier’s “face-to-face meetings with the Chinese leadership would provide fresh momentum to the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership, add new avenues to practical cooperation, (and) spur high-quality development of CPEC.”

He also briefed Wang on the “gross human rights violations” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, and “systemic assaults on the freedoms of minorities in India,” the statement added./aa

The occupancy rate in Europe's natural gas storage facilities fell to 37.5% in January 2021 from 52% in January 2022, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.

In January 2021, there were approximately 60 billion cubic meters of gas in all of the natural gas storages across Europe, and the occupancy rate was recorded as 52%.

In the same period of this year, this amount decreased by 18 billion cubic meters to 42 billion cubic meters, and the occupancy rate of the storages decreased to 37.5%.

Italy has the most natural gas in Europe with 10 billion cubic meters (47% occupancy rate in storage). Germany follows Italy with 8.7 billion cubic meters (35% occupancy rate in storage) and France with 4.4 billion cubic meters (33% occupancy rate in storage).

Regarding the natural gas storage occupancy rate, Portugal led Europe with 80% (200 million cubic meters). The UK followed with 75% (750 million cubic meters).

Currently, the occupancy rate of storage in Europe stands at 36.6%.

Increase in demand and cold winter were effective in the decrease

The colder-than-expected winter season and the increase in energy demand have led to more use of natural gas in storage. The decrease in the amount of natural gas sent by Russia to Europe via Ukraine and the decrease in production from hydroelectric power plants were also influential in decreasing gas in the storages.

Experts state that there may be difficulties in natural gas supply due to the tension between Russia and Ukraine. European and US officials are worried that in case of war between the two countries, Russia, which supplies 40% of Europe's gas, will respond to the sanctions by closing the valves.

Russia supplies natural gas to Europe through its energy giant, Gazprom, either through long-term contracts or on one-off trading agreements on the spot market.

Experts contend that Russia is using the contentious Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, the construction of which has been completed despite encountering various obstacles and deemed undesirable by many European countries, to gain leverage in Europe, showing its necessity to transmit much-needed gas to Europe./aa

Mental health services for Yemenis in the war-torn country is “very limited", the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

"In Yemen, access to mental health services is very limited whilst the country is bombarded by conflict," the UN agency said in a statement.

According to Yemeni and UN reports, the mental health cases have increased in conflict-ravaged Yemen due to the ongoing fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels and difficult living conditions there.

WHO said Japan has provided diagnostic psychological kits to hospitals in Yemen in an effort to address the shortage of mental health services in the Arab country.

"Twenty three diagnostic psychological kits were provided to 15 governorate hospitals and 8 kits to the National Mental Health Programme," it added.

The eight-year conflict in Yemen has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country, or about 30 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

More than 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates./aa

The YPG/PKK terror group has kidnapped two journalists working for a media outlet close to the Kurdish National Council in Syria, according to local sources on Sunday.

YPG/PKK terrorists raided the houses of Sabri Fahri and Baver Molla Ahmet in Qamishli city in northeastern Syria overnight and took them to an unknown location, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

The two journalists work for ARK News outlet based in Erbil in northern Iraq.

According to the sources, the order to hold the two journalists was issued by Mahmut Ris, a commander in the PKK terror group in Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.

On Saturday, the PKK terrorist group banned the Kurdish Rudaw TV in areas under its control in northeastern Syria.

During its over 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants./aa

A roadside bomb targeted a military convoy carrying logistics for the US-led coalition against the Daesh/ISIS terror group in southern Iraq, according to a local security official on Sunday.

No injuries were reported in the attack that occurred on a highway in the southern al-Diwaniya province, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

A military vehicle sustained limited damage in the blast.

According to the source, Iraqi authorities have launched an investigation into the attack.

Recent months saw a spate of attacks on coalition convoys in central and southern Iraq.

Washington accuses Iran-backed Iraqi groups of being behind the attacks against US-led coalition forces in Iraq./aa

Uyghur Turks in the US protested the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in front of the White House on Saturday.

Uyghur Turks criticized the Chinese government and accused it of carrying out “genocide" in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Demonstrators carried East Turkestan flags and chanted "Freedom to East Turkestan" and "Boycott China's genocide Olympics.”

Protestors also criticized the US International Olympic Committee and media outlets such as the NBC network that is broadcasting the Games in the US.

They demanded that the International Criminal Court investigate genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghur people.

- China's practices in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Violations against the identity and culture of Uyghur Turks in China have been criticized by the international community in recent years.

Many Uyghur Turks are kept against their will in places that Beijing calls "vocational training centers" and the international community defines as "re-education camps".

Beijing does not provide information on how many camps there are in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, how many people there are and how many have returned to social life.

While the UN and other international organizations have reiterated their calls for the camps to be opened for scrutiny, China has so far allowed a few of the camps it designated itself to be partially viewed by a small number of foreign diplomats and journalists.

Chinese authorities are refusing UN officials' requests to freely investigate the region for direct information./aa

The new body, called the Forum of Islam in France, is being introduced Saturday by the French Interior Ministry. Supporters say it will keep the country — and its 5 million Muslims — safe and free of foreign influence.

The French government on Saturday forged ahead with efforts to reshape Islam in France and rid it of extremism, introducing a new body made up of clergy and laymen — and women — to help lead the largest Muslim community in western Europe.

With France bloodied by past Islamic extremist attacks, having hundreds of citizens who went to fight with jihadists in Syria in past years and thousands of French troops now fighting extremists in Africa, few disagree that radicalization is a danger. But critics also see the efforts as a political ploy to lure right-wing voters to President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party ahead of April’s presidential election.

The new body, called the Forum of Islam in France, is being introduced Saturday by the French Interior Ministry. Supporters say it will keep the country — and its 5 million Muslims — safe and free of foreign influence, and ensure that Muslim practices in France adhere to the country’s cherished value of secularism in public life.

Its critics, including many Muslims who consider the religion a part of their French identity, say the government’s latest initiative is another step in an institutionalized discrimination process that holds the whole community responsible for violent attacks of a few and serves as another barrier in their public lives.

The new body will include imams, influential figures from civil society, prominent intellectuals and business leaders. All of its members are hand-picked by the government, and women will make up at least a quarter of its members, according to French media reports.

It replaces the French Council of Muslim Faith, a group set up in 2003 by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, then interior minister. The Council served as an interlocutor between the government and religious leaders. It is being dissolved this month by Macron’s government because, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, it was no longer fulfilling its role in the Muslim community and French society as it was reeling from attacks in recent years that killed hundreds.

“We want to launch a revolution by putting an end to (foreign influence) on Islam,” Darmanin said in a recent interview with Le Parisien daily. “Islam is not a religion of foreigners in France, but a French religion that should not depend on foreign money and any authorities abroad.”

In his project, Macron envisions measures like training imams in France instead of bringing them in from Turkey, Morocco or Algeria — a plan many in the Muslim community approve of.

Muslims are divided over the project. Some believers visiting the Grand Mosque of Paris for Friday prayers cautiously welcomed the idea while others worry it’s going too far in trying to control their faith, or say that the government has singled out Islamic institutions but would not dare suggesting such changes to Christian ones.

Muslims in France have long complained of stigmatism in daily life, from being singled out by police for ID checks to discrimination in job searches. Whenever extremist violence hits, by foreign-born attackers or by French-born youth, France’s own Muslims come under suspicion and pressure to denounce violence.

Islam is the second religion in France, with no single leader and multiple strains represented, from moderate to Salafist with a rigorous interpretation of the religion to outright radical upstarts.

Last year the French parliament approved a law to strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs. The government says it was needed to safeguard France from radical Islamists and to promote respect for secularism and women’s rights. The law, which raised concern in parts of the Muslim world, has been used to shut down multiple mosques and community groups./agencies

Muslim experts and politicians encouraged the community in a webinar Saturday to come together and consider why the group has been marginalized and has become untouchable in current-day Indian politics.

The All India Majlis Tameer-e-Millat, an organization working on socio-economic causes of Muslims, organized the meeting on “The role of Muslims in the politics of the country.”

Former MP Mohammad Adeeb said today, Muslims have no status in politics.

“Every party is maintaining distance from Muslims because they fear that they would get fewer votes in elections and suffer politically if the Muslims stay close to their party,” he said.

Adeeb said there are 126 seats in which Muslims can play a crucial role in forthcoming provincial elections in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. But every party wants to save itself from Muslims.

Elections in the country’s biggest state are set for later this month.

Voting will be held in seven phases from Feb. 10 to March 7.

Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Adityanath is known for his hateful rhetoric against Muslims.

The President of Maulana Azad University, Akhtarul Wasey, said Muslims should think about their present situation.

He said Muslims are as much responsible as others for the state of affairs.

“Muslims should focus more on education and self-employment to move forward,” he said. “Muslims should not run away from politics, but participate openly in it, but they should not think that politics is everything.”

Tasleem Rehmani, President of the Muslim Political Council of India, said: "The biggest thing is that we (Muslims) do not have any data of our own community. We do not even know what our educational, political, social status is. We should make a roadmap by collecting our data so that we can move forward.

"It is important that we then entrust the task of the growth of the community to our youth."

Senior journalist MA Majid said the biggest issue for Muslims today is that they have to prove their loyalty to the country.

"The reason for this is that Muslim leadership has been destroyed and it is not being allowed to grow," he said./aa

Nigeria's Kwara state on Tuesday reaffirmed its stance of allowing Muslim girls to wear the hijab in public schools, saying it will not tolerate any form of religious bigotry at educational institutions. 

In a statement, the State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa'adatu Modibbo-Kawu, said the government met with Muslim and Christian leaders over the headscarf issue in the state.

“The policy statement of the Kwara state government allowing willing Muslim schoolgirls to wear the hijab in all public schools, including grant-aided ones, is binding,” said Modibbo-Kawu.

“This conforms to the judicial pronouncements of the courts of law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Calling on both Muslim and Christian leaders to allow peace to reign in the state, she said: "There is freedom of religion in Nigeria. Thus, our Muslim children can wear the hijab in schools."

Headscarf debate

The government announced last year that it would take a decision so that Muslim female students can wear the hijab in all schools in Kwara.

While Muslims welcomed the decision, Christians opposed it.

After Muslim and Christian religious leaders failed to reach an agreement over the use of the hijab by female Muslim students attending schools, 10 public schools in Kwara were temporarily closed on March 8, 2021.

At least five people were injured in a clash that broke out between the two groups because a female Muslim student was prevented from entering one of the schools that was reopened on March 17./aa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and first lady Emine Erdogan tested positive for the omicron variant of coronavirus.

"The results of the COVID-19 test that I had with my wife, after having mild symptoms today, were positive. Thankfully, we are going through a mild one," Erdogan said on Twitter, adding that they will be working from home.

"Hopefully, we will overcome this disease as soon as possible together ... We look forward to your prayers," the first lady said in a separate tweet.

Leaders both from within and outside Turkey wished Erdogan and the first lady a speedy recovery. Those who sent messages include Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo.

Separately, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called Erdogan to wish them a quick recovery. During the conversation, the two leaders exchanged views on various aspects of the Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood and friendship./aa