logo
EAM Jaishankar speaks to Qatar PM Al Thani, discusses bilateral agenda

EAM Jaishankar speaks to Qatar PM Al Thani, discusses bilateral agenda

India Gazette4 hours ago

New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar spoke to the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on Thursday and discussed the bilateral agenda between the two nations.
EAM Jaishankar, in a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Al Thani, appreciated his assessment of the regional situation.
EAM wrote on X, 'A warm call with PM & FM @MBA_AlThani_ of Qatar. Appreciated his assessment of the regional situation. Discussed our bilateral agenda.'
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1938258922692903393
Qatar's Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, played a key role in securing Iran's approval for the US-proposed ceasefire in the conflict with Israel, with Al Thani obtaining Tehran's agreement during a phone call with Iranian officials, as reported by Reuters, quoting an official briefed on the negotiation.
Al Thani's conversation followed Trump's communication with Qatar's Emir, in which the US President informed him that Israel had accepted the ceasefire proposal and requested Doha's assistance in convincing Tehran to agree to the deal, as reported by Reuters.
However, moments after the announcement, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a limited strike on an Iranian radar installation north of Tehran, following which Iran launched two ballistic missiles at Israel, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Trump expressed his strong disapproval of Israel and Iran 'violating the ceasefire', he announced, and said that the two countries have been fighting 'so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing.'
Shortly after, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in a statement noted that after a conversation between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has 'refrained' from further attacks on Iran.
The conflict between Iran and Israel began on June 13 when Israel launched a large-scale airstrike targeting Iranian military and nuclear facilities under 'Operation Rising Lion'. Iran responded by launching 'Operation True Promise 3', a campaign involving missile and drone attacks against Israel's infrastructure. (ANI)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How the new U.S. visa rules affect your online privacy
How the new U.S. visa rules affect your online privacy

The Hindu

time24 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

How the new U.S. visa rules affect your online privacy

The story so far: On June 23, the U.S. Embassy in India said in an X post, 'Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United States under U.S. law.' With that update, the process for securing certain types of U.S. visas — including for studying there — has become precarious. How does this affect students' visa applications? While social media vetting for U.S. visas has been in place since 2019, the new announcement signals that foreign students are set to face unprecedented levels of surveillance when travelling to the U.S. for study and/or work. Some of the social media accounts that users will now have to flag on their visa application and make public for inspection include Reddit, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter (now X), Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, apart from several Chinese social media platforms and other websites that users may submit independently (such as Threads, Bluesky, unlisted blogging spaces, or personal websites). This means that both personal and professional qualifications, posts, replies, uploaded photos/videos, past comments, tagged pictures/posts, status updates, and even 'liked' content will need to be made visible to U.S. government authorities, where possible. Why are U.S. immigration officers checking social media accounts? In light of pro-Palestinian student protests and anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) demonstrations across U.S. cities, officials likely want to make sure that Indian students coming into the country will not support such activities or express anti-Israeli views during the ongoing conflicts in West Asia. Vetting visa applicants' social media feeds also means that authorities can check if the individual's views align with those of the conservative Trump government that is in power. How long will social media accounts have to be left open? U.S. visa seekers are being asked to list all social media handles they have used in the last five years, and then make them public. Users can first carry out a social media audit to clean up their accounts and remove any sensitive or personal media before opening it up to the public. Minors should carry out this activity with the guidance of a trusted adult. Notifications, app alerts, messaging filters, and parental controls may need to be updated as well, to prevent disruption after the account goes public. No official guidance has been issued as to how long the accounts need to be left open. However, visa applicants who want to play it safe can keep their accounts publicly visible from the time they submit their application up to the time they pass their immigration checks after entering the U.S. However, visa applicants who are not comfortable with keeping all their social media accounts public should contact their relevant institutions or admissions officers in order to learn the latest policies and know when it is advisable to go private again. While deleting social media accounts entirely may sound like a way to avoid this hassle, remember that some tech companies keep even deleted accounts active for several weeks or months. These accounts of yours may still show up in search results when the vetting process begins, possibly jeopardising the visa application. What are the risks of making social media accounts public? Privacy, censorship, and security risks abound. First and foremost, many Indian students who apply for U.S. visas for academic study are usually minors in high-school. For them, keeping their social media accounts set to private is more than just a personal preference; it is crucial for their safety online. Many young users learning to navigate online spaces might post highly personal content or photos and videos across private accounts, secure in the knowledge that only people close to them can see their content. Now, however, those hoping to go to the U.S. for study will either have to make their accounts public or scrub personal content from their channels. The new requirement will also make U.S. visa applicants, and especially children, more vulnerable to digital security crimes such as bullying, hacking, sexual harassment, stalking, blackmail, identify theft, and doxxing. Increased levels of targeted advertising through accounts made public, including advertising aimed at kids, is another potential threat to consider. Is it legal to make visa applicants set their social media accounts to public? Privacy experts have slammed the U.S. government's new social media vetting requirements, likening the country's approach to that of an authoritarian regime. However, they note it is difficult to claim that privacy laws are being broken as visa applicants can choose to ignore the request, though they put their visa application at risk by doing so. Sophia Cope, Senior Staff Attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an American digital rights group, said there were many valid reasons for people to have private social media accounts, such as wanting to interact and share content only with trusted contacts. 'The U.S. government is endorsing the violation of a fundamental principle of privacy hygiene by asking those seeking student or exchange visas to set their social media accounts to 'public' for the purpose of visa vetting,' said Cope in response to The Hindu. 'Ascribing a nefarious intent and penalizing would-be students or visitors to the U.S. for keeping their online presence shielded from the general public or for not even being active on social media is an outrage. Moreover, government social media surveillance invades privacy and chills freedom of speech, and it is prone to errors and misinterpretation without ever having been proven effective at assessing security threats,' she explained. 'The U.S. must end this dangerous practice.'

Khamenei rebukes Trump for surrender remark, claims victory over US regime
Khamenei rebukes Trump for surrender remark, claims victory over US regime

Business Standard

time28 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

Khamenei rebukes Trump for surrender remark, claims victory over US regime

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sharply rebuked US President Donald Trump 's call for Iran's surrender. Taking to social media platform X, Khamenei wrote, 'The US president said, 'Iran must surrender.' Needless to say, this statement is too big to come out of his mouth." Khamenei claims 'victory' over US regime In his first public remarks since the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday (June 21), Khamenei declared victory and dismissed Trump's claims of a 'spectacular military success.' In a recorded video broadcast on Iranian state television on Thursday, Khamenei said Iran had triumphed over the US and downplayed the impact of the strikes on the country's nuclear infrastructure. The speech, lasting over 10 minutes, was later shared in part on X and was laced with warnings and threats directed at the US and Israel, Tehran's longstanding adversaries. 'My congratulations on our dear Iran's victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn't, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,' Khamenei said. Strikes downplayed, nuclear status not addressed Khamenei dismissed Trump's claim that the strikes had 'completely and fully obliterated Iran's nuclear programme' as exaggerated. Absent from the address was any reference to the condition of Iran's nuclear facilities or centrifuges following the extensive US and Israeli strikes. ALSO READ: Iran's key nuclear sites severely damaged by US strikes, confirms CIA 'Delivered slap to America's face', says Khamenei Khamenei also highlighted Iran's missile strike on the US Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, calling it a symbolic but significant response. 'The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US's face,' he said, warning that such actions could be repeated. 'Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price,' he added. Upcoming talks between US and Iran On Wednesday, Trump claimed that officials from Washington and Tehran would hold talks next week, sparking cautious optimism for long-term peace. However, Iran has not confirmed any such meeting, reported news agency the Associated Press. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff however said there has been both direct and indirect communication between the two sides. Talking to the reporters at Nato summit, Trump said the ceasefire was 'going very well' and reiterated that Iran would neither acquire a nuclear bomb nor be allowed to continue uranium enrichment. Iran, however, remains defiant. Its parliament has voted to fast-track a proposal that would effectively end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN watchdog that has monitored the country's nuclear programme for years. ALSO READ:

Where is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?  Iran's Supreme Leader resurfaces on TV, but questions linger over his whereabouts
Where is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?  Iran's Supreme Leader resurfaces on TV, but questions linger over his whereabouts

Mint

time30 minutes ago

  • Mint

Where is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? Iran's Supreme Leader resurfaces on TV, but questions linger over his whereabouts

On June 26, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his first address to the nation since the country's 12-day war with Israel ended with a ceasefire that the US President Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar brokered earlier this week. Khamenei, in a pre-recorded video message, downplayed reports of damage to the country's nuclear programme by US strikes and declared victory over both Israel and the United States. 'The Islamic republic slapped America in the face,' said Khamenei, 86. He said that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities did not do 'anything important' and that the United States only intervened to save Israel from being 'completely destroyed.' Khamenei has reportedly been hiding for nearly two weeks after Israel's strike on the country on June 13. Israel also eliminated Iran's senior military leadership and some scientists during the strikes. The Islamic Republic retaliated with missile strikes on Israel. The US said on Sunday that the country's military 'obliterated' Iran's main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. Iran attacked a US air base in neighbouring Qatar. Iranian officials claimed the attacks left 627 people dead and nearly 5,000 injured. Iran's retaliation targeted parts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and at least 14 people dead, according to reports. On Tuesday, however, Israel and Iran confirmed a ceasefire, hours after President Trump announced an imminent ceasefire between the two nations on Truth Social. In his address on Thursday, the ageing Iranian leader Khamenei sat flanked by an Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khamenei spoke while looking into the camera. But it was unclear exactly when the video was recorded. According to a Reuters investigation citing five sources with direct knowledge of succession planning, Khamenei has gone into hiding with his family and is being protected by the elite Vali-ye Amr unit of the Revolutionary Guards. While he is reportedly still being briefed on internal matters, a special three-member committee—appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago—is accelerating efforts to identify his successor, sources told Reuters. In the event of Khamenei's death, the ruling establishment aims to swiftly announce a new leader to maintain national stability. As the supreme leader, Khamenei has the last word on all major state matters. As the commander in chief of the armed forces, he would be expected to approve any military decision, including the attack on the American base or the ceasefire deal with Israel. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both suggested during the war that Khamenei was vulnerable and not immune from their strikes. During an interview with The New York Times on June 25, Mehdi Fazaeli, head of Khamenei's archives office, was asked about the Supreme Leader's well-being. "People are very worried about the Supreme Leader," the host said. Without offering a direct answer, Fazaeli said, "We all should be praying." He added that he received numerous inquiries from officials, and viewers had sent a flood of messages asking the same question. The interview was done before Khamenei's Janauary 26 televised address Fazaeli claimed that the people who are responsible for protecting the Supreme Leader are doing their job well, adding, "God willing, our people can celebrate victory next to their leader, God willing." Earlier, officials said that Khamenei had been hiding in a secure underground bunker and was avoiding all electronic communication to prevent assassination attempts. During the anti-US and anti-Israel protest last week, before the ceasefire, women were seen carrying portraits of Khamenei in their hands. Newspapers in Iran had voiced the concern about Khamenei whereabouts, too. "His days-long absence has made all of us who love him very worried," Mohsen Khalifeh, editor of Khaneman, a daily newspaper. The three-member panel of the top clerical body in Iran, appointed by Khamenei himself two years ago to identify his replacement, has accelerated its planning, according to news agency Reuters. According to an earlier in The New York Times, Khamenei has also picked replacements in his chain of military commands in case they are killed in Israeli strikes. The report, citing three Iranian officials familiar with Khamenei's emergency war plans, said that the Supreme Leader 'mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications to make it harder to find him'. 'He would be well advised to be cautious, despite the fragile ceasefire that the US President Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar brokered. Though President Trump reportedly told Israel not to kill Iran's supreme leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule it out,' wrote Kasra Naji, Special Correspondent, BBC Persian. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that his country's forces would have killed Khamenei if it had been possible during the recent 12-day war fought between both nations. 'I estimate that if Khamenei had been in our sights, we would have taken him out," Katz said in an interview with Israel's Kan public television. But Khamenei understood this, went underground to very great depths, and broke off contacts with the commanders who replaced those commanders who were eliminated, so it wasn't realistic in the end," Katz was quoted as saying. The Islamic republic slapped America in the face. Sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy, reducing a top oil exporter to a poor and struggling shadow of its former self, Naji said in the BBC report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had both suggested at various times during the air war that Khamenei's life could be in danger as regime change could be a result of the war that ended with the ceasefire on Tuesday. "It is difficult to estimate how much longer the Iranian regime can survive under such significant strain, but this looks like the beginning of the end,' Professor Lina Khatib, a visiting scholar at Harvard University was quoted as saying in the BBC report.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store