Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed the deal to release Israeli hostages during the virtual G20 Summit while expressing concerns that the conflict could spill over into the wider region.
A temporary pause in the Israeli air and land campaign and a hostage deal has been agreed by Israel and Hamas after six weeks of brutal bombardment of the enclave that has left more than 14,000 Palestinians dead.
About 50 hostages will be released in exchange of 150 Palestinians in Israel. All are women and children.
“We believe that terrorism is unacceptable to all of us,” Mr Modi said. “Death of civilians be it anywhere is condemnable. We welcome the release of the hostages today and we hope that all the hostages will be released. Timely and continuous humanitarian aid is also important.”
Mr Modi addressed leaders of the G20 nations including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the summit.
While acknowledging the hostage release, the Indian Prime Minister said: “It is also important to be certain that the war between Israel and Hamas doesn’t take the shape of a regional conflict. What we are witnessing today, one family has the power that we can work towards peace and can raise the voice against terrorism and violence and for humanity.”
The Group of 20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US – and the EU.
The group focuses mainly on the global economy, financial stability, climate change, mitigation and sustainable development.
New Delhi, which holds the presidency until November 30, had organised the two-day G20 Leaders' Summit in Delhi in September – the most powerful gathering that India has ever hosted, attended by world leaders.
India has handed over next year's G20 presidency to Brazil, but Mr Modi suggested reconvening the leaders’ summit virtually for the remaining period.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also participated in the summit – the first time he had faced the Indian Prime Minister since he accused New Delhi of playing a role in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, triggering a diplomatic row between the two countries.
New Delhi had dismissed the claim as “absurd” and in ensuing diplomatic tension temporarily closed visa services.
New Delhi restored e-visas for Canadian nationals on Wednesday, before the summit.
In his opening speech, Mr Modi hailed the African Union becoming a G20 member during India’s presidency.
The African bloc of 55 member states will have the same status as the EU.
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
