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Iran’s China envoy vows ‘special’ Hormuz treatment for ‘friendly’ countries
Iran’s ambassador to China says ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be charged new fees but added that China and other “friendly” countries would be granted “special considerations”.
An initial deal signed by Iran and the United States last month to halt hostilities stipulated that commercial ships would transit the key waterway free of charge for 60 days, but it remained unclear what policies will be in place after that period.
While negotiations on a permanent settlement are ongoing, the US has said Iran will not be permitted to charge tolls or fees for vessels transiting the strait under any final agreement.
Speaking to the World Peace Forum in Beijing on Saturday, Ambassador Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Iran was working in “collaboration and cooperation” with Oman on “new arrangements” for the strait.
“As a country where the Hormuz is part of its territorial waters, we will definitely charge service fees,” Fazli said in translated remarks while insisting that such fees would not be a “toll”.
“These new arrangements will be concerning guaranteeing the security of passage through the Straits of Hormuz, supervision of the passage of the vessels … and also guaranteeing and dealing with the environmental consequences of the massive number of ships,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
Iran’s NourNews agency also quoted him as saying that “special considerations” would be applied to China and other friendly nations in determining the level and type of service fees for vessels passing through the waterway.
In peacetime, one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas was shipped through the strait, which was all but closed by Iran during the war launched by the US and Israel in late February, sending energy prices soaring.
In April, the US imposed a corresponding naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports in a bid to stem Iranian oil exports.
Fazli stressed that the strait has become a “security” issue since the four-month war waged by the US and Iran.
Fazli added that new arrangements concerning the Strait of Hormuz would be made in cooperation and partnership with Oman.
Iran and Oman, which sit on both sides of the strait, have established a joint committee to determine how this strategic waterway will be managed.
[Aljazeera]
People living on the northern Pacific coast of Mexico are bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Polo, which is forecast to make landfall later on Monday or early on Tuesday.
The category three storm, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (185 km/h), is expected to move over the state of Baja California Sur, a region popular with tourists and home to the resort destination of Los Cabos.
Meteorologists at the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) have warned of heavy rainfall which could lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.
Residents on Sunday stocked up on essentials such as drinking water and food as the storm approached.
The NHC warned of the storm surge Hurricane Polo could unleash, which it said could be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
In Cabo San Lucas, famous for its natural rock arch, the authorities restricted access to the beaches. Some restaurants also closed in the town, which acts as a base for sport fishers and whale watchers.
The regional government of Baja California Sur has ordered schools to remain closed on Monday as a preventive measure.
Governor Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío said temporary shelters had been opened should residents need to be evacuated.
The federal authorities have also deployed thousands of members of the navy and the army along with specialised machinery.
Polo has been slowly moving towards Mexico’s coast line.
Meteorologists said it was being fuelled by extremely warm waters caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon.
(BBC)
Like every year, Pushpraj Rimal, a tour planner and taxi driver in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, was looking forward to September for his business to boom.
But what he got instead was a series of cancellations by tourists after catastrophic floods last month killed more than 1,450 people and destroyed key highways, deeply impacting the Himalayan nation heavily dependent on tourism.
“It is still a lockdown kind of situation,” the 42-year-old told Al Jazeera nearly a month after the disaster.
Pushpraj, who speaks Nepali and Hindi, works on commission for several hotels and trekking companies in Kathmandu and the scenic town of Pokhara, known for its lake nestled in the Annapurna mountain range. Pokhara also serves as a base for Himalayan trekkers.
Nepal’s tourist season peaks after the monsoon ends in August and the skies are clearer. Tourism attracts thousands of international travellers, accounting for nearly 8 percent of Nepal’s gross domestic product and employs more than 1 million people.
Last year, Nepal saw more than 1.15 million tourists visiting the country, nearly a third of them during the September-November season.
But the floods this year, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border in the north, have pushed tourists away from the unaffected areas as well.
“I had rented two cars for two months, but I have done one fourth of the business I usually do in a season. Tourists generally start pouring in from September, but most of them have cancelled this year,” he said.
“I will get no commissions from the hotels or trek organisers, nor has the taxi business worked well. … I am now waiting for the season to end.”
Rimal has two children, Hema, 14, and Rahul, 12, whom he had promised a tablet this Dussain, a prominent Hindu festival that usually falls in October. “But it seems impossible now. I will have to break their hearts and my promise to them for the very first time.”
(Aljazeera)
World javelin leader Rumesh Tharanga lived up to his reputation to win Sri Lanka a highly anticipated gold medal, beating wet weather and track conditions at the Asia Games in Nagoya Japan a little while ago.
He took the lead with a massive 88.33 metres effort in his penultimate throw before sealing the contest with 88.55 metres throw.
He beat a strong field inclusive of reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan. (Reemus Fernando)
Mexico’s Pacific coast braces for Hurricane Polo
Washout against Afghanistan sends India into semi-finals
‘Still a lockdown’: Deadly floods hit Nepal tourism as peak season begins
Tharanga wins highly anticipated Asian Games gold
Tharanga on cusp of Asian Games Gold
Rain threat looms over lopsided India vs Afghanistan quarter-final
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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