Iran Eludes Concluding Arrangements for its Pilgrims Once Again

The Iranian delegation in charge of discussing Hajj arrangements for Iranians with Saudi Arabia failed to attend a meeting which was scheduled to take place in the city of Jeddah yesterday. The final agreement that would have allowed 63,000 Iranians to perform the Hajj pilgrimage was due to be signed at this meeting.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that officials at the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah waited for the arrival of the Iranian delegation led by Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation yesterday, in order to conclude the meeting that took place on Wednesday. However, the delegation disappeared and did not attend at all.

According to informed sources, the Iranian delegation used the pretext of wanting to perform Umrah and travelling to Makkah from Jeddah, which is at a distance of around 70 km from Makkah, for scheduling the meeting at noon – immediately after the delegation was due to return from the Umrah trip. However, the meeting did not take place. It is well known that the journey from Jeddah to the Holy Mosque in Mecca does not take more than 45 minutes, and that it takes about two, or three hours in the event of overcrowding, to perform Umrah.

At an earlier meeting held a few months ago in Jeddah, Iran declined to sign the agreement. It later changed its mind and sent a delegation to discuss arrangements for its citizens to perform the Hajj which resulted in a meeting between the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation delegation in Jeddah on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the two sides reached a tentative agreement regarding consular services, issuing visas and air transport, and decided to defer final decision making on other arrangements concerning transportation and accommodation to Thursday but this did not happen.

Iran Eludes Concluding Arrangements for its Pilgrims Once Again

Roche Boosted by Trial Success with Blood Cancer Drug

Roche got a big boost on Friday following a successful clinical trial testing its new blood cancer drug, Gazyva, thus bracing visions for a new medicine that will be pivotal as the Swiss company fights the threat of biosimilar competition.

Gazyva proved to be considerably better than its older drug Rituxan at building blocks infront of the progression of disease, delaying its advancement in people with previously untreated follicular lymphoma, according to Roche.

Clinical trials with the new drug are vital in deciding how well the Swiss drug-maker is placed to fend off inexpensive competition from so-called biosimilar copies of Rituxan, which are likely to hit the market in the next couple of years.

ZKB analyst Michael Nawrath, said in a note that “Gazyva has long been considered as superior to Rituxan.” The latter added that follicular lymphoma was a much bigger indication than previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia, for which Gazyva is already agreed upon in more than 70 countries.

“The U.S. approval of Gayzva for previously treated follicular lymphoma (in February) didn’t lead to a breakthrough in sales, but the approval as a first-line treatment will,” said Nawrath.

Vontobel analyst, Stefan Schneider, said that replacing Rituxan with Gazyva plays a role in protecting Roche’s CD20 franchise revenues from biosimilar erosion”.

Follicular lymphoma is considered incurable and relapse is common. It is estimated that more than 75,000 people are diagnosed with this most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year worldwide, Roche said.

Roche Boosted by Trial Success with Blood Cancer Drug

Push for Encryption Law Falters despite Apple Case Spotlight

Following a rampage that left 14 people dead in San Bernardino, key U.S. lawmakers promised to pursue a law demanding technology companies to grant law enforcement agencies a “back door” to encrypted communications and electronic devices, such as the iPhone used by one of the shooters.

However today, only few months after the incident, almost all of the support has vanished, and the push for legislation is gone, as stated by sources in congressional offices, the administration and the tech sector.

It seems that the draft legislation that Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein had circulated weeks ago will not be introduced this year, and even if it were, would stand no chance of advancing, the sources said.

One of the major problems is the lack of White House support for legislation in spite of a high-profile court showdown between the Justice Department and Apple Inc over the suspect iPhone, according to Congressional and Obama Administration officials and outside observers.

The Justice Department made unsuccessful pressure for years, trying to find a way to reveal suspects who “go dark,” or avoid being recognized through coded communications in locked devices.

For instance, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation took Apple to court in February in an attempt to open the iPhone in its investigation of the San Bernardino killings, the cause gained traction in Washington.

The dull support of the push for legislation shows the inflexibility of the debate over digital surveillance and encryption, which has been raging in one form or another since the 1990s.

Backed by civil liberties groups, Tech companies hold tight on their views that building law enforcement access into devices, especially mobile phones, would destabilize security for users and everyone involved, including the U.S. government itself.

The public seems to be in split on whether the government should have access to all digital data, according to polls, however law enforcement agencies stress on the vital need to monitor phone calls, text messages, and emails.

Many reached a mutual agreement that the Congress should decide the issue, rather than the courts, as a result of the legal battle between Apple and the FBI; however the consensus was fleeting.

The CIA and NSA were uncertain, fearing that any new law would break their own work through interfering with their encryption efforts, stated several current and former intelligence officials.

Meanwhile, tech companies have pushed encryption efforts in the wake of the Apple case. Nevertheless, the court showdown ended with a whimper when the FBI said it had found a way to get into the phone, and subsequently acknowledged privately it had found nothing important.

FBI’s Battle

Following San Bernardino attack, Burr insisted on the importance of passing encryption legislation, otherwise, the latter expected terrorist attacks to take place more frequently.

James Comey, FBI Director, told the Senate Intelligence Committee soon after that encryption was “overwhelmingly affecting” the investigation of illegal cases, such as murders, drug trafficking and child pornography.

A week later, the Justice Department persuaded a judge to issue a sweeping order demanding Apple write software to open an iPhone used by San Bernardino suspect Sayeed Farook, who died in a shootout with law enforcement.

Apple fought back, arguing, among other things, that only Congressional legislation could authorize what the court was demanding. Many saw the Justice Department’s move as a way to bring pressure on Congress to act.

Push for Encryption Law Falters despite Apple Case Spotlight

Norwegian Refugee Council Says up to 50,000 Civilians Trapped in Fallujah

London- Ever since State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki asked the militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces to join the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Fallujah from ISIS, international organizations began to shout out loud over the fate of residents after sporadic shelling put their lives at risk.

As the militias approached the besieged city, the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross made urgent appeals to save civilians and open humanitarian corridors.

The Norwegian Refugee Council in Iraq estimated in a new report issued on the situation of Fallujah that up to 50,000 civilians are believed to be trapped inside.

According to the report, 36 families arrived on Wednesday from Fallujah’s suburbs to safer areas. They are in a state of fear and shock because of the shelling and the violent clashes taking place there.

Initial reports from inside Fallujah say that around half of the population have escaped towards al-Azrakiyeh neighborhood. They are in very bad circumstances and are seeking hard to leave the area safely.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Media and Communications Officer at the NRC Elias Abu Ata said: “Only one family was able to escape from Fallujah last week.”

“As for the second family, which arrived from the city’s suburbs and its members escaped barefoot, it took different roads” to reach its destination.

“Because of the heavy shelling, it is impossible to send aid workers to help the civilians get out of there, particularly that the roads leading to Fallujah are very dangerous,” he said.

“The families are our priority,” Ata said when asked about fears that extremists will infiltrate the displacement camps where the families have taken refuge.

According to the NRC, the humanitarian situation in the city is desperate. Iraqi forces are now converging on it from three different directions.

“There are thousands trapped in Fallujah with intense fighting raging on their doorsteps,” said NRC’s Country Director in Iraq Nasr Muflahi.

“Families who have been suffering food and medical shortages over the last months now risk being caught in the crossfire and it is absolutely vital that they are granted safe routes out of there so that we can assist them. All parties to this conflict have to provide safe exits for civilians,” he said.

Becky Bakr Abdulla of the NRC, who is on the ground in Iraq, met some of the families who escaped and are staying in displacement camps in Amiryiat Al Fallujah, 30 kilometers away.

Their testimonies reveal the real nightmare of the people trying to survive inside the warzone.

“One woman told me that she and her family escaped under the dark of night,” recalled Bakr Abdulla.

“They took off their slippers to make less noise. They hid in big drainage pipes, before running to the border raising white flags made of cloth,” she added.

Norwegian Refugee Council Says up to 50,000 Civilians Trapped in Fallujah

ShareTheMeal App to Feed Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon during Ramadan

New York-The World Food Program, one of the United Nations agencies, launched on Thursday the Arabic Version of an app to feed Syrian refugee children during the Holy month of Ramadan.

Smartphone users in the Arab world can help provide food to Syrian refugees in Lebanon by just a click on the ShareTheMeal app.

WFP said in a statement that the launch of the app on May 26 coincides with the arrival of the Holy month of Ramadan observed by Muslims around the world to help feed Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.

With ShareTheMeal, users can do good whenever they want and wherever they are. With a donation as small as 50 cents, WFP can provide a child with nutritious food for a whole day.

“Every cultural and religious tradition in the world teaches us to care for the less privileged and to share what we have,” said WFP Lebanon Country Director and Representative, Dominik Heinrich. “The launch of the app in Arabic provides people in the Arabic speaking world with an easy way to do good deeds and share meals during the holy month of Ramadan, the month of generosity and giving.”

Since the launch of the English version of the app last year, more than 500,000 users worldwide have provided the equivalent of more than 5.6 million daily food rations to the poorest and hungriest around the world.

The app has received several awards for its design and innovative character, including by Google who named it as one of the Best Apps of 2015.

Syrian refugee families in Lebanon receive food assistance through electronic vouchers or “e-cards.”

Money raised through ShareTheMeal’s current fundraising goal will cover the rations for a full year for 1,400 Syrian children aged 3-4 years living in Beirut. The children’s parents will receive funds transferred to their regular WFP e-cards, allowing them to buy the foods they want in local shops, which also supports host communities and the economy.

The Arabic version of the app comes as ShareTheMeal plans to further increase and diversify access to the app by entering on a new market. It also reinforces its mission to accelerate efforts to reach a zero-hunger future by engaging as many smartphone users as possible.

With the launch in Arabic speaking countries, an estimation of 117 million smartphone users will be able to download ShareTheMeal from app stores and donate to feed hungry children.

“More people in the Arab world are using smartphones, with estimates that there will be more than 300 million users by 2020,” said Sebastian Stricker, Head of ShareTheMeal.

“We made sure that the ShareTheMeal app is ready before the Holy month of Ramadan, a time when people are looking for ways to help those in need such as Syrian refugee children,” he added.

ShareTheMeal App to Feed Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon during Ramadan

EU Governments Agree New Roaming Rules for Netflix, Amazon

Online European subscribers to video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Video and Sky will enjoy access the services when visiting other countries within the European Union under proposals approved by member states on Thursday.

EU executive, the European Commission (EC), presented the law last December in an effort to create a single market for such online services across the 28-member bloc. The proposal on portability of digital content will become law after it is approved by the European Parliament.

Thus, consequently subscribers to services such as Sky TV Now, ProSiebenSat.1MaxDome TV in Germany or Netflix in France, will have access to contents which have paid for despite being temporarily in another country within the EU.

“This means that citizens who are in another member state for purposes such as holidays or business trips can enjoy for example music, films, games or sporting events just like at home,” said Henk Kamp, Minister for Economic Affairs in the Netherlands, which holds the rotating EU presidency and managed the proposal.

What constitutes “temporarily” was left open, but member states specified that it is a “limited amount of time”.

The EC hopes that the proposal will enter into force in 2017, the same year that roaming charges for using mobile phones in other countries within the EU will be abolished.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that public television broadcasters are not affected by the new rules, the Council of the EU said.

EU Governments Agree New Roaming Rules for Netflix, Amazon

Turkish Writer Quits UNESCO to Protest Damage to Heritage, Rights Abuse

Turkey’s goodwill ambassador to the UN cultural agency UNESCO resigned on Thursday, accusing it of hypocrisy in overlooking the damage of major big parts of a heritage site throughout clashes between the Turkish army and militants in his country’s mainly Kurdish southeast.

The city of Diyarbakir’s Sur district was registered as an UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2015 with Roman-era basalt walls surrounding historic churches, synagogues, mosques and houses. However few weeks later, a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) ceasefire failed and an armed campaign reignited.

Sur witnessed some of the severest fighting and has been under military lockdown since December.

“As the demolition of history is taking place in Sur, hypocrisy dominated the (Istanbul) World Humanitarian Summit,” said Livaneli, in tendering his resignation from United Nations cultural agency on Thursday, accusing the government of violating human rights.

“To pontificate on peace while remaining silent against such violations is a contradiction of the fundamental ideals of UNESCO,” he added. Noting that the latter had held the goodwill post to promote UNESCO values since 1996.

This week’s U.N. humanitarian summit in Istanbul, to be the 1st of its kind having 55 heads of state and government, in hope to raise funds and political will to tackle the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two, with 130 million people displaced by war and natural disasters.

Large areas of Sur on the banks of the Tigris River have been bulldozed, along with historic monuments that bear battle scars.

Works including “Bliss” by Livaneli have been translated into at least 37 languages. He is also one of Turkey’s most popular singers.

A leftist, he served for three years as a lawmaker in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) before quitting in 2005 to protest party’s “authoritarian” politics

Turkish Writer Quits UNESCO to Protest Damage to Heritage, Rights Abuse