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The US government has imposed sanctionsagainst two South African registered companies for trading in oil from Iran.

Last year, US President Donald Trump intensified sanctions on Irans oil exports after withdrawing his country from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with six world powers.

Late on Wednesday, the US state department announced that it will impose sanctions on a South African registered company SPI International Proprietary and its only active director Hossein Tavakkoli for violating these sanction. The company is registered in Tshwane, but the 52-year old Tavakkoli is an Iranian citizen.

The US government also sanctioned the South African registered company Main Street 1095, and an Iranian entity called the Armed Forces Social Security Investment Company, which both had links to SPI International.

Another Iranian national Reza Semnani, the only active director of Main Street 1095, has also been sanctioned. Main Street 1095 and SPI are registered at the same address in Tshwane.

The US government also issued sanctions against two Chinese companies for trading in Iranian oil.

Continued here:
US government blacklists two South African companies for trading oil with Iran - Fin24

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A total of 195 stranded Indians from coronavirus-hit Iran arrived in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer by a special plane on Wednesday evening.

The passengers were screened at the airport and shifted to the Indian Army quarantine facility at Jaisalmer Military Station.

Indian Army chief General M.M. Naravane was also on a two-day visit to the Jaisalmer Military Station from March 17 to ensure that all the emergency facilities are available at the quarantine base.

With the arrival of this batch of evacuees, the total number of quarantined people housed at Jaisalmer Military Station quarantine base rose to 484.

Along with the Indian Army chief, Lieutenant General C.P. Mohanty, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command reviewed the quarantine base that has a capacity of 1,000 persons.

The Indian Army has confirmed that all the quarantined persons are stable and are making full use of the facilities.

Women and men have been kept in different barracks as per their age groups.

A dedicated team of medical staff has been placed at the Centre to monitor the residents.

All rooms have been provided with TVs and provision for indoor and outdoor sports has also been made for their recreation.

The Centre has been totally isolated and troops have been deployed round the clock for its security.

The Indian Army Chief lauded the efforts put in by the Southern Command and specifically the Konark Corps for helping the Civil Administration in taking care of the evacuated Indian nationals.

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

More here:
Another Batch of 195 Stranded Indians in Iran Brought Back: COVID-19 - The Weather Channel

Iranian state media masquerade as legitimate while violating international law by using physical and psychological torture to extract forced confessions from political prisoners, according to a new report. The US should sanction Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-controlled news wires and go after individuals who were involved in forced confessions, argues the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.The case for sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Irans state-run media highlights Irans involvement in Torture TV according to Toby Dershowitz, who co-authored the report with Talia Katz in February.Iran has a state-controlled media arm called the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. It is a propaganda organ of the clerical regime, the writers note. IRIB has around 20 television channels and also runs English-language channels such as Press TV. It has a near monopoly on media in Iran. There are other media linked to the IRGC, including Fars News and Tasnim.While IRIB attempts to portray Iran abroad as a moderate and tolerant country, the reality is quite different, the report asserts.One of the ways Irans media are linked to human rights abuses of the regime is through forced confessions. For the victims' families, broadcasts of forced confessions are often the last time they see their loved ones alive.Some Iranians, such as member of parliament Mahmoud Sadeghi, have pushed for a ban on these kinds of confessions. Sadeghi is also known for speaking out about the Iranian regimes failed response to the coronavirus.The FDD study examines 12 forced confessions, including Iranians who were sentenced to death and executed. These include Kaveh Sharifi, a member of the Kurdish community who stood up against anti-Sunni statements of Irans Shiite preachers. He was arrested in 2009, charged with waging war against God, and a forced confession was aired in August 2016. He was murdered by the regime after the confession.Iran has also aired forced confessions of US citizens. Xiyue Wang was arrested in 2016 and a confession aired in 2017. IRIB Channel 2 ran a six-minute program that included his confession, the FDD report notes. Wang spoke English when he appeared on the program. He did not say anything explicitly self-incriminating, the report notes. He was released in December 2019 and returned to the US. He was one of the lucky ones.Iran has abused and tortured women who dare to protest the regimes policies. Maryam and Matin Amiri protested against compulsory laws that force women to cover their hair. They posted videos online in August 2019. They were arrested for not covering their hair, and Fars News aired a 14-minute documentary in which the women confessed. The video noted that any sort of collaboration or collusion with the enemies of the regime toward committing crimes against national or foreign security is criminalized. They were sentenced to 15 years in prison after periods of solitary confinement and forced confessions.The FDD report argues for sanctions by the US against Fars News and Tasnim and also sanctions against individuals linked to IRIB. The report also advocates the halt of equipment sales to the broadcaster and also to penalize those who do business with IRIB or its international bureaus.The United States should not grant IRIB journalists access to press galleries of the US government, the report concludes.

Read more here:
US told to sanction Irans IRGC-controlled media for using torture - The Jerusalem Post

The Covid-19 pandemic has infected over 218,000 people globally and has not discriminated on the basis of political class or ranking.

Elected officials, cabinet members, clerics and vice presidents from Australia to Iran to the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Here is a rundown of confirmed Covid-19 cases of policymakers and public officials across the globe.

Iran

The country has highest number of cases after China and Italy (+17,000), and is seeing a number of clerics and officials test positive. Some have died, while others are still hospitalised or in quarantine.

1- Ayatollah Hashem Bathayi Golpayegani, member of the Assembly of Experts, died this month

2- Hossein Sheikholeslam, advisor to Irans foreign minister, died this month

3- Hadi Khosroshahi, a prominent cleric and former ambassador to the Vatican, died this month

4- Seyyed Mohammad Mir Mohammadi, member of the Expediency Council, died this month

5- Mohammad Ali Ramezani, member of Parliament, died this month

6- Mojtaba Pourkhanali, an agriculture ministry official, died this month

7- Mojtaba Fazeli, an adviser to a senior cleric, died this month

8- Ali Akbar Velayati, top adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, tested positive

9- Eshaq Jahangiri, Vice President, tested positive

10- Ali Asghar Mounesan, minister of cultural heritage, tested positive

11- Reza Rahmani, minister of industry, tested positive

12- Massoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President, tested positive

13- Mojtaba Zolnour, member of Parliament, tested positive

14- Mahmoud Sadeghi, member of Parliament, tested positive

15- Iraj Harirchi, deputy health minister, tested positive

16- Morteza Rahmanzadeh, mayor of a Tehran district, tested positive

17- Mohamad Reza Ghadir, head of Covid-19 management in Qom, tested positive

18- Mahmoud Sadeghi, member of the parliament, tested positive

19- Mojtaba Zonnour, head of Iran's parliamentary security and foreign relations commission, tested positive

20- Grand ayatollah Musa Shobairi Zanjani, tested positive

Medical staff push a patient on a gurney to a waiting medical helicopter at the Emile Muller hospital in Mulhouse, eastern France. AFP

An Indian man shows his stamped hand, indicating that the person is under 'home quarantine', in Mumbai, India. EPA

Judie Shape, centre, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, but isn't showing symptoms, presses her hand against her window after a visit through the window and on the phone with her daughter Lori Spencer, left, and her son-in-law Michael Spencer, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland. AP Photo

A single worshipper wearing a surgical mask sits on a pew in Westminster Cathedral in central London. AFP

People confined at their homes sing and dance from their windows to bolster themselves up during a lockdown in Madrid. AFP

A person walks on the deserted Passerelle du Palais de Justice in Lyon, central eastern France as a strict lockdown comes into in effect. AFP

Soldiers stand guard on road leading to a quarantine faciltity for people returning from Iran via the Pakistan-Iran border town of Taftan, in Sukkur in southern Sindh province. AFP

A passenger wearing protective clothing uses a self check-in machine at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul. AFP

Workers cheer themselves after loading travellers onto buses outside the New China International Exhibition Centre, near Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing. AFP

A nurse wearing a facemask walks outside the entrance of Sri Lanka's Infectious Diseases Hospital near Colombo. AFP

People queue for groceries at a supermarket in Singapore. AFP

A medical worker tests a person for the coronavirus at a drive-through facility primarily for first responders and medical personnel in San Antonio. AP Photo

A robot, developed by a start-up firm Asimov Robotics, holds a tray with face masks and sanitiser after the two robots were launched to spread awareness about the coronavirus, in Kochi, India, March 17, 2020. Reuters

Brazil

In South America, Brazil has currently the highest number of cases (509). Following a trip to the United States and a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida, at his Mar-a-Lago resort, 16 members of the Brazilian delegation have tested positive, according to Bloomberg. The countrys President Jair Bolsonaro said he had tested negative, despite initial reports saying he had the virus. These names have tested positive:

1- David Alcolumbre, Head of Brazil Senate, tested positive

2- Nestor Forster, Brazils top US diplomat, tested positive

3- Augusto Heleno, National Security Minister, tested positive

4- Fabio Wajngarten, press secretary for the President, tested positive

5- Bento Albuquerque , Minister of Mines and Energy, tested positive

Argentina's Ambassador to Venezuela Eduardo Porreti tested positive for coronavirus.

In the United States, Florida has seen most cases of public officials infected with the virus. The positive cases of lawmakers are:

1- Miami mayor Francis Suarez, tested positive

2- Diaz Balart, Congressman, tested positive

3- Ben McAdams, Congressman from Utah, tested positive

In Canada, the spouse of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife, Sophie Grgoire Trudeau, has tested positive.

In Europe, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tested positive for the coronavirus as the country went into lockdown. The countrys Minister of Equality and the Minister of Regional Affairs also tested positive. Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias stirred controversy on Saturday when he attended a Cabinet meeting, despite his partner being infected with the virus.

The first public figure in Ukraine to test positive was member of parliament Serhiy Shakhov. On Wednesday, he initially denied that he tested positive, but hours later admitted he had the disease.

British Junior Health Minister Nadine Dorres tested positive, as well as French Culture Minister Franck Riester.

Friedrich Merz, a candidate for chairman of Angela Merkel's conservative party CDU, is infected by the virus.

Out of every European country, Italy has been worst impacted by the outbreak, where it has killed nearly 2,978 people - nearly as much as in China. Italian MP Claudio Pedrazzini was the country's first parliamentarian to be diagnosed. Nicola Zingaretti, the leader of Italian governing coalitions Democratic Party also tested positive.

In Asia, Philippines senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Fernndez Zubiri, tested positive for the disease, local media reported.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton also tested positive.

Updated: March 19, 2020 12:07 PM

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Coronavirus: from Iran to Brazil, a growing list of politicians test positive - The National

Japan will ask travelers from Europe as well as Egypt and Iran to self-quarantine for 14 days after their arrival in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday.

The temporary measure from Saturday to the end of April will target all travelers from 38 countries, Abe told a meeting of a government task force on the coronavirus.

During the two-week period, visitors from the targeted countries will be asked not to use public transportation in Japan.

The Foreign Ministry will invalidate visas already issued to people from the 38 countries, also covering the period from Saturday to the end of April.

From Thursday, Japan also strengthened its border controls by imposing an entry ban on people coming from parts of Spain, Switzerland and Italy as well as all of Iceland.

Foreign travelers who have been to the areas within 14 days of arrival in Japan will be refused entry for the time being, Abe said without elaborating.

Given the situation of the spread of infection, we decided we would need to further enhance quarantine for 38 nations, including European countries under the Schengen agreement, Abe said at the Cabinet-level meeting.

Foreign and Japanese travelers coming from the countries will be urged to stay at places designated by a quarantine officer for 14 days and to refrain from using public transportation. There will be no specific enforcement measures.

Countries under the Schengen agreement are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Other countries subject to quarantine are Andorra, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Ireland, Monaco, Romania, San Marino, the United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

Japan is scrambling to prevent a surge in domestic infections with the Tokyo Olympics roughly four months away. The viral outbreak has led countries around the world to impose travel restrictions, casting a pall over the global economy.

The latest steps mirror those already taken for travelers from China and South Korea, both hit hard by the pandemic.

As the number of cases has topped 200,000 globally, Abe called on Japanese citizens to exercise caution if they plan to go overseas, issuing a Level 1 warning, the lowest, for the rest of the world.

For Iceland and parts of some regions in Italy, Spain and Switzerland, which are subject to the entry ban, Japan has already warned its citizens to avoid all travel by raising the alert to Level 3.

The ban covers the northern Italian regions of Valle dAosta, Trentino-Alto Adige, Fruili-Venezia Giulia and Liguria. Also included are the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Basel-Stadt, along with the Spanish provinces of Madrid and La Rioja as well as Navarre and the Basque Country.

The focus of the outbreak that began in China in December has shifted to Europe, triggering unprecedented steps by the European Union, which promotes the free movement of goods and people. The United States has already restricted travel from the continent.

EU leaders agreed Tuesday to impose a 30-day restriction on nonessential travel to the bloc to limit the spread of the virus. Italy, hit by the largest number of infections after China, has already imposed a nationwide lockdown.

French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered people in France to stay at home for up to 15 days.

COVID-19 has infected more than 71,000 people and killed over 3,330 across Europe, the majority in hard-hit Italy, Spain and France.

The World Health Organization called for bold action to be taken against the pandemic on the continent, the outbreaks new epicenter.

In Japan, the government has called for the scaling back or cancellation of major events, as well as school closures.

Everything from soccer matches and concerts have been affected, while the spring sumo tournament is being held behind closed doors.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has also urged residents to refrain from joining parties at parks during the cherry blossom season.

The Foreign Ministry has detailed its recent steps in English on its website: http://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page6e_000199.html.

Link:
Japan to ask all travelers arriving from Europe, Egypt and Iran to self-quarantine - The Japan Times