Sudden Turkey -Saudi Arabia face off



Lutfe Ali Mahabbat, Contributing Correspondent, Barta24.com
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Saudi Arabia and Turkey, two important countries in the Middle East, have suddenly faced dramatic polarization. Saudi Arabia has imposed an "unofficial embargo" on Turkish imports. As a result of the confrontation between the two influential countries in the Middle East, there is a hint of renewed tension in the whole region.

The Saudi-Turkish conflict is not new in Middle East geopolitics. The monarchy, originally called Saudi Arabia, was formed in a revolt against British Ottoman sultanate with British support. As a result, the two countries, though Sunni-minded Muslim countries, carry an ancient history of political conflict.

The three countries are also involved in the recent internal ideological crisis in the Middle East. On the one hand, the countries and governments of Shiite Islam led by Iran, on the other hand, Salafi Islamist Saudi Arabia and on the third hand, the hardliner Sunni Turkey are working to expand their political, economic, military and geo-strategic dominance.

Apparently, the war in the Middle East is in the Saudi-Iranian equation, but in the end, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East has turned into a triangle, with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey at three corners. Turkey is now involved in Saudi Arabia's strategic war on Iran. However, Turkey and Iran are already hostile to the Azerbaijan-Armenia issue in Syria and the Caucasus.

As a result, no one is in a position to unite against anyone. The three sides have come to the place of mutual war. Ideologically, politically, economically, militarily and strategically, each country is now in conflict with the other two.

Although the Iran-Saudi animosity spread to the military, the Saudi-Turkish conflict was hidden. But this time it has touched the economic field. In fact, Western-backed Saudi Arabia has adopted a strategy of shutting down the country's market to punish Turkey. But Saudi Arabia, which is dependent on Western powers, is moving cautiously and strategically against a militarily strong Turkey. Avoiding direct confrontation, the Saudi administration has called the move against Turkey an "unofficial embargo."

Experts on the Middle East said the Saudi government is pushing for a boycott of Turkish products. This campaign has become increasingly popular. Even the Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) of the Saudi government has announced a ban on imports of all types of meat, fish, eggs and milk and dairy products from Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Commerce also confirmed Saudi Arabia's decision. The government has informed the country's export companies of the Saudi decision.

The international media has been reporting on the 'Turkish boycott' campaign across Saudi Arabia for the past few months. Under the umbrella of the government, various organizations have been calling on the people to boycott everything Turkey has done in response to the "continued hostility against the Saudi leadership, the country and the Saudi people." Somewhere the slogan has been given, 'No investment in Turkey, no imports from Turkey and no tourism in Turkey.'

Saudi chambers, businesses and chain supermarkets are responding to the Turkish boycott. In addition to Akhayam, Saudi Arabia's largest supermarket, Danube, Tamimi and Panda Chain Shop said in a statement that they would not sell any products made in Turkey once their current stock ran out.

Meanwhile, large hoardings are being put up in Saudi Arabian shops urging people not to buy Turkish products. At the same time, there has been a massive campaign on social media on the hash tag 'Boycott-Turkish Products' for the last one month. As a result, Turkish goods are being emptied from store shelves, and many buyers are reluctant to reach out to the rest.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries have accused Turkey of "running internal problems" in the Middle East. As a result, Arab countries now see Turkey, like Iran, as a threat to Middle East security. They allege that Turkey is supporting terrorist militias, inciting extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. This is threatening the security of Arab countries. In addition, relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey have soured since the assassination of journalist Jamal Khasogi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey, the latest manifestation of which has been the unofficial imposition of "unofficial sanctions" on Saudi-imposed Turkey.

   

We are ashamed to look at the development of Bangladesh: Pakistan PM



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised the economic progress of Bangladesh and said that they are ashamed to look at the development of Bangladesh.

According to a report by Pakistan-based media Dawn on Thursday (April 25), Shahbaz Sharif said this in a view exchange meeting with business representatives at the Sindh Chief Minister's residence in Karachi on Wednesday (April 24).

He said that before independence, Bangladesh i.e. East Pakistan at that time was considered a burden to the country. But they have made tremendous progress in the growth of industrialization.

Shahbaz Sharif said, I was very young when...we were told that it was a burden on our shoulders. Today you all know where that burden has reached (in terms of economic growth). And now when we look at them, we feel ashamed.

Currently, Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan in almost all indicators of the socio-economic sector.

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Mass arrests could not stop anti-Israel protests at American universities



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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US universities have erupted in protest over Israel's military operation in the Palestinian-besieged Gaza. This pro-Palestinian movement is being suppressed even after mass arrests. Rather, as the days go by, the protests are spreading.

The news agency Reuters reported that police made mass arrests at Atlanta's Emory University amid protests. A graduation ceremony at the University of Southern California was canceled due to the protests.

Emory University officials said protesters not affiliated with the college entered campus grounds early Thursday morning. When they refused to leave, the police used chemical spray to disperse them.

According to CBS News, about 108 people were arrested at Emerson College in the city on Wednesday night local time. Earlier in the evening, 93 people were taken into police custody from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

Anti-Israel protests have spread to dozens of US universities within a week of starting at New York's Columbia University.

Meanwhile, a clash between protesters and police took place at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Later, authorities said that 34 people were arrested from there. These new arrests came after massive arrests of protesters at Columbia, Yale and New York universities.

Students gathered Wednesday (April 24) to protest at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park. At this time they were stopped by the riot police. Protesters were told to leave within 10 minutes by an announcement from a police helicopter. However, the students who remained at the scene were arrested for trespassing.

The protests at the University of Southern California were reportedly peaceful at first. Later the tension spread with the presence of the police. Protesters threw water bottles at the police when they tried to arrest a woman. At this time, they kept shouting slogans - 'Let him go'. Besides, they surrounded the police officers and shouted slogans like 'I want the liberation of Palestine'.

It should be noted that on October 7, the Palestinian independence organization Hamas entered Israeli territory and carried out an ambush. 1200 people were killed. Because of this, since that day, the Israeli forces continue to attack Gaza indiscriminately. 34 thousand 305 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip in the attack that lasted for more than six months. Apart from this, there is a severe humanitarian crisis due to lack of food, water and medical equipment.

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Iran is cracking down on women who don't wear Hijab



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Iran is cracking down on women and girls who don't wear Hijab. The country has started a new campaign named 'Noor' from last April 13. Since then, the implementation of the Hijab law has started to become stricter.

Iran has strict laws on wearing the Hijab. Strict action is taken against those who break this law.

Some videos of women being assaulted have gone viral on social media. In them, it is seen that women who go out without Hijab are forcibly picked up in cars by the members of the 'Morality Police'.

A video shows a mother and daughter walking through Tehran's busiest square in the capital. At that time, they were surrounded by five female and two male members of the police. When they tried to evade arrest, they were violently beaten and taken into a car.

Dina Ghalibaf, a female student at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University, wrote on the micro-blogging site X that she was barred from boarding the metro. When she insisted, she was taken to a room. She claimed that she was beaten and sexually harassed there.

The student was arrested a day after making such a post and taken to Evin prison.

British newspaper The Guardian spoke to some of those arrested. One of them told the media that eight members of the police surrounded her last Saturday. At that time, she was called "prostitute", "naked American prostitute" and insulted her. Apart from this, the young woman claimed that men also touched her during the arrest.



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Boeing incurs huge losses after door open incident



Special Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Boeing lost a huge amount of money due to the opening of the doors of the Boeing aircraft of Alaska Airlines in mid-air. US aircraft manufacturer Boeing reported a loss of US dollar 343 million in the first quarter of this year (January-March).

An unused door on an Alaska Airlines Boeing Max 9 collapsed moments after takeoff from Portland, Oregon last January. Although the Alaska Airlines plane was able to land safely in this incident, questions about Boeing's safety have been raised around the world.

As a result, Boeing reduced the production of the aircraft according to their target. As a result, Boeing is forced to pay huge losses in the first quarter of this year.

After the Alaska Airlines incident, the United States Aviation Agency ordered the grounding of 171 Boeing Max 737 aircraft. In the wake of the incident, Boeing's chief immediately admitted the mistake and promised to fix the problem with 100% transparency. But even this did not save the end. Boeing's CEO was eventually forced to resign.

In order not to cut the heat of this incident, a former Boeing engineer recently talked about the manufacturing defects of the Dreamliner 787. He recommended grounding all Dreamliner aircraft worldwide. In this incident, the safety of Boeing was questioned again.

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