The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 committee, which is entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring sanctions on terrorist groups such as ISIL and Al Qaida, has added Abdul Rehman Makki to its sanctioned list. Recognized as an chief planner for the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Makki’s addition to the list was facilitated by China’s removal of a “technical hold” that had been placed in June 2022. This action occurred when India and the United States attempted to get Makki on the global terror blacklist.
UNSC 1267 Committee and the Inclusion of Abdul Rehman Makki
In a significant development, the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee known as the “1267 Committee” included Abdul Rehman Makki, an integral part of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in their sanctions list. This listing came into effect following China’s decision to lift the “technical hold” that it had implemented in June 2022, blocking India and the US’s initiative to place Makki on the international terror blacklist.
IT Amendment Rules 2022 and Their Implications
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) introduced amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, presenting a draft rule [Rule 3(1)(b)(v)] under which social media platforms are obliged to remove content flagged as false by the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact check unit. The goal is to legally oblige intermediaries to deter users from publishing specific categories of harmful or illegal content. As such, the intermediary’s responsibility extends beyond a mere ceremonial duty.
Amendments in Windfall Tax Policy
In sync with the declining international oil prices, the Government has reduced the windfall profit tax on domestically-produced crude oil, and exports of diesel and Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). Windfall taxes are specifically designed to levy charges on profits a company garners from external, unforeseen events. These profits cannot be credited to any specific action taken by the company, like a business expansion or an investment strategy, but are rather unexpected gains. The government taxes windfall profits made by oil producers on prices above a USD 75 per barrel threshold. The tax on fuel exports is determined by the profit margin that refiners amass from foreign shipments.
Resumption of Talks between Saudi Arabia and Houthi Rebels
During Yemen’s longest ever pause in violence, lasting over nine months, Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels have resumed back-channel discussions as part of an informal ceasefire. The Houthi movement can be attributed to the “Believing Youth”, a revivalist group founded by Hussein al-Houthi and his father, Badr al-Din al-Houthi in the early 1990s. Originating from the Zaydi sect, the oldest branch of the Shia Muslim community, the group gradually turned political, protesting against the “corrupt” regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen and his support for the US’ war on terror. The rapid growth of Houthi influence in Yemen sparked concerns in Saudi Arabia, which perceived them as Iranian proxies, triggering a Saudi military response in March 2015.