Pakistan
Ulema Oppose Capital Administration’s Request for Approved Sermons, Azaan at
Uniform Timings
People
Want Old Pakistan Back, Says Abbasi
U.K.
Far-Right Extremist Sets Himself on Fire as He Attacks Synagogue
'Serious
Problem' With Media Portrayal of Muslims And Islam, Study Claims
ISIS
Re-Emerges in Southern Libya to Pledge Allegiance to Baghdadi
US
Has Given Lebanese Armed Forces A Pass with Hezbollah — Conditioning Aid Is
Necessary
Hasina
Slams Proposal to Annex Rakhine to Bangladesh
Urs
of Sufi Saint in Srinagar Draws People from All Faiths
Rohingya
Repatriation: Malaysia to work with Bangladesh
Pakistan
Ulema
Oppose Capital Administration’s Request for Approved Sermons, Azaan at Uniform
Timings
People
Want Old Pakistan Back, Says Abbasi
PBC
asked to request CJP for suo motu hearing over judge’s video
Opposition
set to submit no-trust motion against Sanjrani today
Pakistan
to issue on arrival visas to Qatari nationals
Thai
police seize 51 Pakistani Christian asylum seekers
--------
Europe
U.K.
Far-Right Extremist Sets Himself on Fire as He Attacks Synagogue
'Serious
Problem' With Media Portrayal of Muslims And Islam, Study Claims
US
Call for Syria Troops Divides German Coalition
Government
rejected military plan to bring home suspected Isis supporter Lisa Smith
Conservatives:
Members see Islam as 'threat to British life', poll suggests
Berlin
rejects Washington’s call for deploying ground forces to Syria
Relations
with Croatia play great importance: Turkey
Balkans'
peace 'extremely important' for Turkey
--------
Africa
ISIS
Re-Emerges in Southern Libya to Pledge Allegiance to Baghdadi
8,000
Children Recruited By Boko Haram: UN
Libya's
Haftar promotes officer wanted for war crimes
Sudan’s
top general says military council will be dissolved
Jihadist
attack in Mozambique kills seven
Boko
Haram kills at least five soldiers in northeast Nigeria - sources
Sudanese
say US pressure was key to reaching transition deal
Tunisia
presidential candidate charged with money laundering
Police
arraign Nigerian senator for assaulting woman
--------
North America
US
Has Given Lebanese Armed Forces A Pass with Hezbollah — Conditioning Aid Is
Necessary
Bolton:
US to keep raising pressure until Iran abandons nuclear arms program
Vice
President Pence: US does not seek war with Iran, but will not back down
Pence
says US action has cut off Iran’s ability to support terrorism
--------
South Asia
Hasina
Slams Proposal to Annex Rakhine to Bangladesh
Intra-Afghan
Dialogue Participants Including Taliban Agree On Adoption of Softer Approach to
Help Peace Process
Islamic
State says it carried out attack at Shi'ite mosque in central Afghanistan
Afghan
airstrikes kill 25 militants in southern province
UN
expert still barred from Myanmar
Uzbek
militant among 5 killed in Afghan Special Forces raid in Faryab
Intra-Afghan
peace meeting concludes in Doha
Afghan
talks: Rival sides agree on 'road map for peace'
--------
India
Urs
of Sufi Saint in Srinagar Draws People from All Faiths
Muslim
Group in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh Defies Prohibitory Orders to Hold Protest Meet
against Lynching
Tiktok
Removes Users Who Posted Video on Jharkhand Lynching
--------
Southeast Asia
Rohingya
Repatriation: Malaysia to work with Bangladesh
NU,
Muhammadiyah For Nobel, Guardians Of Pluralism
Indonesian
Muslim Delegation Visits Israeli Diamond Exchange
Muslim
preacher Wan Ji bound for prison as judge rejects sedition appeal, ups sentence
--------
Arab World
Top
Saudi Clerics Snub Council of Supreme Scholars Sessions over Corruption: Report
Russian-led
assault in Syria leaves over 500 civilians’ dead: rights groups, rescuers
Iraqi
paramilitary forces kill two Islamic State terrorists in Nineveh
Iraq
begins operation to clear ISIS militants from Syria border
Egyptian
politicians arrested, accused of working with Muslim Brotherhood
Iraqi
Forces Cleanse Tens of Regions along Western Borders with Syria
Iraqi
Hashd al-Sha’abi forces launch second phase of op along Syria border
--------
Mideast
UAE
Says Reducing Number of Troops in Yemen In Strategy Shift Towards 'Peace'
Israel's
Arrest Campaign Cannot Sap Palestinian Nation’s Will: Hamas
Want
To Support Victims Of Torture? Put the Squeeze On Iran
Radio
Station in War-Torn Yemen Raises $132,000 for Hezbollah
Houthis
kill 10 in attacks in Hodeida, Yemen officials say
Yemen:
Houthis Commit 18,000 Human Rights Violations in 6 Months
Arab
Coalition intercepts, destroys Houthi drone targeting Saudi Arabia
Turkey
orders arrest of 176 military personnel over suspected Gulen links
UAE
official says redistribution of troops in Yemen is for ‘tactical reasons’
Iran
summons Nigeria chargé d'affaires over Zakzaky situation
Israel
says it shot down drone that crossed from Gaza
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/pakistan-ulema-oppose-capital-administration’s-request-for-approved-sermons,-azaan-at-uniform-timings/d/119130
--------
Pakistan
Ulema Oppose Capital Administration’s Request for Approved Sermons, Azaan at
Uniform Timings
Munawer
Azeem
July
09, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
The administration once more attempted to have all mosques and imambargahs in
the capital deliver written or approved sermons on Fridays and deliver the
Azaan at the same time, but was opposed by ulema.
Capital
administration officials told Dawn that officers from the administration,
including Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Asif Rahim, met with ulema from
various sects to discuss matters related to approved sermons and the Azaan.
The
meeting aimed to standardise sermons delivered at all places of worship, they
said. The ulema were told that written or approved sermons would maintain
religious and sectarian harmony in the capital and avoid religious hatred.
However,
the officials said the administration failed to convince the ulema during the
meeting and the idea of delivering written sermons was largely opposed, the
officials said. The ulema expressed concern at the possibility of having their
sermons approved by the administration.
After
failing to persuade the ulema, the administration asked them to deliver sermons
on approved topics, to which they agreed. Officials said ulema were also given
the aforementioned topics.
They
said the administration had approached the International Islamic University
Islamabad earlier and sought help in this regard. The university suggested 35
topics, including the five pillars of Islam, the prophets, Ahle Bait and
fundamental rights, which have been divided into more than a hundred
sub-topics.
The
ulema also opposed the request to deliver the Azaan at the same time across the
capital, as different sects have different timings for some prayers.
The
administration asked ulema to register all places of worship and seminaries
with the Directorate of Industries and Labour as soon as possible. Once
registered the administration will be able to monitor all their activities,
officials said, including details of donations and funds received and spent.
The
ulema told the administration they would discuss the matter internally to reach
a decision and will prepare a joint strategy, which the administration will be
informed of.
Officials
said the ulema also asked the administration to hold a convention and invite
ulema from all sects and from all over the country to discuss these issues.
It
was decided that the convention would be held next month, after the ulema’s
internal meetings have concluded.
The
administration also tried, unsuccessfully, to have approved or written sermons
delivered during Friday prayers last year, and was opposed by ulema.
When
contacted, Dr Rahim, who is also the deputy director of the Auqaf department,
said the aforementioned meeting was an internal meeting with ulema and that he
did not know why such hype was created around it.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1492874/ulema-oppose-capital-administrations-request-for-approved-sermons-azaan-at-uniform-timings
--------
People
Want Old Pakistan Back, Says Abbasi
July
09, 2019
TAXILA:
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Monday that people had
rejected ‘new Pakistan’ and they wanted their old Pakistan back.
Speaking
at a workers’ convention of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he said
that an unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities caused by the
wrong policies of the government had made the life of people miserable.
Mr
Abbasi said the country was passing through the worst economic crisis. “There
is uncertainty everywhere. The prime minister holds a begging bowl wherever he
goes. The people want to know what is happening in this country, why the
economy is becoming weak day by day, electricity, natural gas and edible items
are going out of reach of the people,” he said.
The
former prime minister said the present government, which had been brought into
power through rigged elections, could not bring about a positive change in the
country.
He
said the rulers were trying to make people silent as was done by the dictators
in the past.
Mr
Abbasi said the government, which was unable to ensure justice, could not
establish a state like Madina.
Former
interior minister Ahsan Iqbal said that this crowded convention was an ample
proof that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif was living in the hearts of the
people. The PML-N existed from Gwadar to Gilgit, he added.
He
said Mr Sharif had protected the country from an evil eye. “We are here to
deliver the message of Nawaz Sharif.”
He
said the PML-N was being victimised and its leaders were sent behind bars
because it launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and brought
development projects worth Rs29 billion to make Pakistan an Asian tiger.
“A
conspiracy has been hatched against Pakistan by its enemies which I had
predicted in 2017,” he said.
He
alleged that the government wanted to create differences between the people and
the armed forces by making a task force of defence forces personnel.
PML-N
information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said the incumbent government had sent
Nawaz Sharif behind bars because it was afraid of him.
She
said Nawaz Sharif made Pakistan a nuclear power, built 1,600km motorway,
10,000km roads, set up electricity projects and much more as he never believed
in hollow slogans and lip-service.
Former
minister Sheikh Aftab, MNAs Malik Sohail and Jahangir Khanzada, MPA Sardar
Iftikhar and former chairman of the Attock Municipal Corporation Nasir Mehmood
also spoke on the occasion.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1492944
--------
U.K.
Far-Right Extremist Sets Himself on Fire as He Attacks Synagogue
JULY
8, 2019
A
London criminal court handed a far-right extremist that tried to set a synagogue
on fire a hospital order without limit of time on Friday, CNN reported.
On
July 21, 2018, Tristan Morgan set the 18th century synagogue in the city of
Exeter on fire.
A
clip released by the Devon & Cornwall Police on Twitter shows the
52-year-old man breaking a window with a hammer, then pouring something from a
tank inside the building, before igniting it. The blast of the fire was so
powerful that it backfired against Morgan himself, causing severe burns.
The
52-year-old chose to attack the synagogue, the third oldest in England, on the
day of Tisha Be' Av, which commemorates the destruction of the two temples in
Jerusalem and other tragedies of Jewish history.
"Please
tell me that synagogue is burning to the ground. If not, it's poor preparation,"
Morgan said as he was put in a police van, according to the BBC.
The
British public broadcasting company also pointed out that Morgan had previously
admitted arson and two terrorism-related charges, for encouraging terrorism by
publishing a song entitled White Man to live-streaming website Soundcloud and
possessing a copy of the White Resistance Manual.
"Morgan
is clearly very unwell and following multiple detailed medical assessments, it
is clear that a hospital order is appropriate. I would like to thank our
partners and local residents who have given such tremendous support to the
synagogue," police superintendent Matt Lawler commented according to a
Tweet by the Devon & Cornwall Police.
According
to a statement by the police, the President of the Synagogue, Richard Halsey
thanked the local police for "their brilliant response" and for
"their thorough investigation and support since the traumatic events of
last year."
"In
particular we wish to highlight how the community of Exeter has come together
to demonstrate the genuine positivity in our city. We live in a wonderful place
that has demonstrated tolerance and support for each other at times of need,
and the whole Jewish community sincerely appreciates the support we have had
from all faiths here in Exeter," Halsey added.
The
community was able to start again holding the services in the synagogue in
October and it re-dedicated it in April.
Following
the attack, solidarity to the Jewish community was expressed by several
representatives of Exeter religious institutions, including the Exeter
Cathedral and the Exeter Mosque.
https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/UK-far-right-extremist-sets-himself-on-fire-as-he-attacks-synagogue-594913
--------
'Serious
Problem' With Media Portrayal of Muslims And Islam, Study Claims
09/07/2019
By
Nadine White
Sections
of the British media have a “serious problem” in the way they portray Islam and
Muslims, a study has claimed.
Some
59% of reports published towards the end of last year associated Muslims with
“negative behaviour”, research by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM)
suggested.
The
project, run by the Muslim Council of Britain, said it analysed 10,931
published articles and broadcast reports between October to December 2018 by
most major national titles and news television programmes.
More
than a third of the articles that were checked “misrepresented or generalised”
about Muslims, according to the report.
CfMM
director Rizwana Hamid said the findings - to be presented to parliament on
Tuesday - showed there was “no doubt about the seriousness of Islamophobia
within sections of British media”.
The
report claimed 37% of religious and “right-leaning” publications and 14% of Sky
News broadcasts analysed were “very biased”.
Analyst
Faisal Hanif, a former BBC researcher and Times reporter who co-wrote the
report, said the overall picture was “mixed” despite “many examples” of
misrepresentation.
He
said the media can be an “effective balance” against misreporting and
prejudices and also have a bigger impact on issues than those in power.
But
this was in contrast to the “constant drip feed of misinformation seen in
rolling news coverage, particularly concerning suspected ‘terror’ attacks and
the misreporting of Muslim beliefs, actions and ideas”, he said.
He
added: “Of particular concern is what can only be reasonably interpreted as a
deliberate attempt by some online news platforms, in particular, to associate
Muslims and/or Islam with anything negative.”
ITV
regional channels that were checked were said to have “no biased content”.
Daily
Mail Australia had the “highest proportion of articles” analysed as being “very
biased” (37%), followed by Christian Today (35%) and The Spectator (29%), the
findings suggested.
The
most recurring theme in the reports was terrorism, the CfMM said.
In
one example, the report warned “repeated” use of an image of Westminster Bridge
terrorist Khalid Masood pictured next to the Kaaba in Makkah - Islam’s holiest
site and a place of pilgrimage - “subconsciously links Muslim practice to
terror and terrorism”.
The
report also claimed drama “proportionately misrepresented Muslims and Islam the
most” as it hit out at award-winning television series Bodyguard.
The
most watched BBC drama in a decade “pandered to stereotypes of Muslim women who
wear the hijab as oppressed or subservient”, according to the CfMM.
The
research also raised the example of a storyline in EastEnders - where mother
Chloe reacts to news her son had been given a copy of the Koran by his foster
parents.
The
report said: “Chloe’s reaction of looking on in horror when the Qur’an is
mentioned could be there to show how some people react to the Qur’an but it can
also be interpreted as her finding the Muslim holy book as something to be
feared.”
The
centre monitors all main British media outlets including 31 websites and five
broadcasters using 50 key words in various forms.
Factors
including generalisation and misrepresentation are considered during the
analysis, with imagery and headlines also assessed.
It
hopes its findings will serve as a “valuable resource for journalists and
editors” and help to bring “greater accuracy and balance in media coverage”.
The
BBC, Sky News, Daily Mail Australia, Christian Today and The Spectator have all
been contacted for comment.
This
report comes as concerns around Islamophobia in Britain continue to intensify.
On
Monday Hope Not Hate published a YouGov poll of Conservative party members
which reveal that 60% believe that ‘Islam is generally a threat to Western
civilisation’.
Just
17% of Conservative members agreed that Islam was ‘generally compatible with
Western civilisation’, while a shocking 54% thought that Islam was also
‘generally a threat to the British way of life’.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/serious-problem-with-media-portrayal-of-muslims-and-islam-reports_uk_5d237bcee4b04c4814182ea0
--------
ISIS
Re-Emerges in Southern Libya to Pledge Allegiance to Baghdadi
8
July, 2019
ISIS
re-emerged in southern Libya, pledging its allegiance to the terrorist group’s
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Dozens
of masked gunmen appeared in a video released by ISIS media to renew their
allegiance, vowing to carry out reprisals against the Libyan National Army
(LNA).
They
announced that they will continue combating the LNA, threatening to launch more
terrorist attacks against it.
Local
sources suspected that the video was shot in a remote desert region in southern
Libya where dozens of ISIS gunmen, led by Mahmoud al-Baraasi, are located.
Barassi, known as Abu Musab al-Libi, is the former founder of the ISIS affiliate
in the eastern city of Benghazi.
In
May, ISIS had claimed responsibility for an attack on an oilfield in the town
of Zillah, some 650 kilometers southeast of the capital Tripoli. The attack was
seen as an escalation against LNA-held regions in the South.
The
terrorists also launched major attacks in Tripoli in 2018, but they have since
retreated to the desert in the South after they lost their former stronghold of
Sirte in late 2016.
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1802896/isis-re-emerges-southern-libya-pledge-allegiance-baghdadi
--------
US
Has Given Lebanese Armed Forces A Pass with Hezbollah — Conditioning Aid Is
Necessary
07/05/19
American
diplomats have been quietly mediating a resolution to the Israeli-Lebanese
maritime border dispute, an important step to avoiding another war between
these two countries. However, even if American mediators can resolve the
dispute, Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon keeps alive the possibility
of a devastating war.
In
any future war with Israel, Hezbollah will likely rely on its growing arsenal
of roughly 120,000 missiles and rockets that likely can overwhelm Israel’s air
defenses. Both of us have participated in trips to the Israel-Lebanon border
with the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) that
demonstrated the next war between Israel and Hezbollah will yield unprecedented
destruction on both sides.
Hezbollah’s
ability to launch missiles against Israel has significantly improved since
their last war in 2006. In the initial phases of another war in Lebanon, Israel
will be forced to quickly destroy these missile sites, bringing itself into
direct contact with troops from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). These troops
are distinct from Hezbollah, but their uncertain position and sheer proximity
is a complicating factor since the United States has been providing aid to the
LAF. Should fighting break out, the United States could find itself funding
both sides of a major war involving our closest ally in the region.
The
United States has provided the LAF with $1.7 billion since 2006, hoping
substantial military aid would decrease Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon.
During the 2006 conflict, the LAF demonstrably distanced itself from Hezbollah.
In recent years, however, multiple factors indicate that ties between Hezbollah
and the LAF are growing dangerously close. In their joint fight against ISIS on
Lebanon’s northern border, the parties coordinated military operations and
deployments, and shared intelligence.
In
southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah’s influence is most pronounced, the LAF has
ignored its obligation to enforce U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which
calls for the “disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon” other than the LAF.
Despite increased LAF troop deployments to southern Lebanon in recent years,
Hezbollah’s military capacity has continued growing there unchecked – including
its development of offensive cross-border tunnels into Israel.
Political
ties between Hezbollah and the LAF have grown alarmingly close as well. In 2018,
Hezbollah won its first majority in the Lebanese parliament. Lebanese President
Michel Aoun remains a loyal ally of Hezbollah and has repeatedly hailed
Hezbollah’s “major” and “essential” role in Lebanon’s defense apparatus.
Likewise, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has referred to the
LAF as a “partner” and “pillar” of defense against Israel. Hezbollah’s growing
partnership with the LAF has alarmed many Lebanese political leaders,
especially moderates who seek to free their country’s future from the grip of
Iranian influence.
One
of us argued in a February op-ed that American policymakers should revisit
their decision to fund the LAF, given its growing connections with Hezbollah.
Unless the United States begins to recognize the dangerous implications of its
current policy, the Trump administration will likely continue this funding
without placing appropriate checks on the LAF’s actions. Maintaining the
current policy endangers U.S. national security and that of our ally Israel.
Members
of Congress from both parties recently introduced the Countering Hezbollah in
Lebanon’s Military Act of 2019. By setting conditions on 20 percent – rather
than all – of U.S. aid to the LAF and Lebanese government, the bill seeks to
pressure Beirut to distance itself from Hezbollah without compromising or
eliminating American influence and leverage.
This
bill is a welcome step in the right direction. Congress should also consider
imposing additional conditions on the U.S. military aid package, including
demands that the LAF attempt to restrict Iranian arms channels to Hezbollah.
For
too long, the United States has given the LAF a free pass to expand its
dangerous and enabling relationship with Hezbollah, a terrorist group that has
served as a destabilizing force in the Middle East. If the trend continues,
American taxpayers can expect more of their dollars to flow to an active and
willing partner of Hezbollah.
The
LAF could serve as an effective ally against terror, and they undoubtedly
demonstrated their military capabilities in the fight against ISIS. To protect
U.S. interests in the Middle East, however, a critical reexamination of our
relationship with the LAF ought to take place. Conditioning the aid that the
U.S. provides to the LAF is a necessary first step in the process.
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/451466-us-has-given-lebanese-armed-forces-a-pass-with-hezbollah
--------
Hasina
slams proposal to annex Rakhine to Bangladesh
SM
Najmus Sakib
08.07.2019
Bangladeshi
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday criticized a proposal put forward by a
U.S. congressman of annexing Rakhine state of Myanmar to Bangladesh.
“Why
they want the Rakhine State to attach to us. Every state is sovereign […] the
U.S. congressman showed his audacity by placing such proposal,” Hasina said in
a press conference in the capital Dhaka, aired live on state-run BTV.
On
June 13, U.S. Congressman Bradley Sherman placed the proposal of bringing
Rakhine state of Myanmar under Bangladesh in a hearing on the State Department’s
budget for South Asia.
The
Bangladeshi prime minister said her country has provided shelter to Rohingya
people on humanitarian ground.
“Despite
the pressure of huge Myanmar nationals [Rohingya] in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh,
we are still upholding friendly relationship with Myanmar,” she added.
Persecuted
people
The
Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced
heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in
2012.
According
to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and
children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces
launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.
Since
then, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state
forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency
(OIDA).
More
than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others
were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya:
The Untold Experience."
Some
18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and
over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it
added.
The
UN has also documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and
young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state
forces.
In
a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes
against humanity.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/hasina-slams-proposal-to-annex-rakhine-to-bangladesh-/1526300
--------
Urs
of Sufi saint in Srinagar draws people from all faiths
Jul
8, 2019
Reverberating
with the verses of Holy Quran, the shrine of Hazrat Qazi Mir Syed Mohideen
Kamali, located in Nowhatta area of Srinagar city became the abode of peace and
tranquility as people cutting across religious lines came to attend the urs of
holy saint. Devotees offered nightlong prayers to the saint and prayed for the
fulfillment of their wishes. As a part of the celebration, Sufi scholars and
Imams, the worship leader of a Mosque threw light on the life, religious
services, teachings and spiritual strength of the saint, who devoted his entire
life to serve humanity. With its eclectic emphasis on tolerance and peaceful
coexistence, Sufism has been guiding the life of Kashmiris for nearly 700
years. Forming an integral part of people ethos for the last several centuries,
even today the Sufi traditions play an important role in their lives and
connote them with an understanding of the world in all its spiritual
dimensions. The teachings of Sufi saints still reverberate in every nook and
corner of the state and continue to inspire people to live in peace and
harmony. Saint Hazrat Qazi Mir Syed Mohideen Kamali was also one among these
Sufi saints whose message of oneness and brotherhood is still preached by the
residents here. The holy celebration clearly indicates that the lesson of love
and compassion that was once propagated by the Sufi saints is still having its
roots deeply embedded in the culture and traditions of Jammu & Kashmir.
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/video-urs-of-sufi-saint-in-srinagar-draws-people-from-all-faiths-2769829
--------
Rohingya
Repatriation: Malaysia to work with Bangladesh
July
08, 2019
Malaysia
said it would work together with Bangladesh to ensure quick repatriation of the
Rohingya as well as accountability for the persecutions committed against the
Muslim minority group in Myanmar.
Malaysia’s
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, who held a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign
Minister AK Abdul Momen at the state guest house, Padma, yesterday evening made
the assurance.
“He
[Saifuddin] said Malaysia would work together with us in repatriation of the
Rohingyas and on the question of accountability,” Momen told reporters after
the meeting.
The
Malaysian minister arrived in Bangladesh on a three-day visit. He visited the
Rohingya camps in Kutupalong and a Malaysian-run field hospital for the
refugees there.
Saifuddin
told reporters that Malaysia would ask Asean Coordination Centre for
Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) to prepare a comprehensive report on the
preparedness of the Myanmar government for the repatriation of the Rohingyas by
the end of this year.
A
recent report of AHA was seriously criticised as it had no input from the
refugees and had almost entirely disregarded the Myanmar government’s
atrocities that led to mass displacement of the Rohingyas. It did not even use
the term “Rohingya”, denying the group’s self-identity.
said
Malaysia too was critical of the report and that it would ask AHA to prepare
another report incorporating opinions of the Rohingyas.
“We
both agreed that the repatriation of the Rohingya should occur as soon as
possible,” he said.
Malaysia,
as a member of Asean, would convince Myanmar in this regard and facilitate the
repatriation.
“We
are trying our level best to convince Asean and Myanmar,” Saifuddin said.
About
one million Rohingyas, including the 741,000 who fled military atrocities in
Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Bangladesh since August, 2017, live in refugee camps
in Cox’s Bazar, putting huge economic and environmental pressure on Bangladesh.
Saifuddin
said, “They [the Rohingyas] want to go back to Myanmar, but they want it to be
safe and dignified.”
The
two ministers talked about reopening the Malaysian labour market for
Bangladeshis. The market has been suspended since last September following
allegations of monopoly and charging high recruitment fees by a syndicate of 10
Bangladeshi recruiting agencies and their lobbyists in Kuala Lumpur.
“We
are working to improve the recruitment plan and salaries,” Saifuddin said,
thanking the Bangladeshi workers for their hard work in the Southeast Asian
country, home to some eight lakh Bangladeshis.
Minister
Momen said Malaysia was preparing a comprehensive plan for labour recruitment
from Bangladesh.
“We
hope it will be open by August,” he said without elaborating.
He
said the Malaysian prime minister might visit Bangladesh towards the end of the
year or early next year.
The
ministers also talked about a possible free-trade agreement between Bangladesh
and Malaysia.
Bangladesh
and Malaysia had substantial trade and investment ties with the 2018 two-way
trade valued at $2.37 billion, an increase of 35.4 percent from $1.75 billion
in 2017, according to Malaysian foreign ministry.
https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/news/rohingya-refugee-camps-landslides-kill-one-displace-thousands-1768129
--------
Pakistan
PBC
asked to request CJP for suo motu hearing over judge’s video
Nasir
Iqbal
July
09, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
Against the backdrop of the alleged video scandal, the Pakistan Bar Council
(PBC) — the top supervisory body of lawyers in the country — was on Monday
asked to consider requesting Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa
to initiate suo motu hearing against accountability court judge Mohammad Arshad
Malik on alleged misconduct.
In
a letter addressed to all 22 members of the PBC, Advocate Raheel Kamran Sheikh
also proposed to the council to hold an immediate meeting in which a request be
made to the CJP for initiating the suo motu action to be heard by a larger
bench. He said the PBC should apply to join and assist the court if such
proceedings opened.
Such
events, the letter feared, had questioned the very integrity and credibility of
the country’s judicial system by allegedly painting as if the institution of
the judiciary was weak, vulnerable and amenable to control.
Alternatively,
the PBC can also file a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court, seeking a
directive for initiating an appropriate legal action against the accountability
judge, the letter suggested.
Judge
Malik became the focus of a controversy when on Saturday Pakistan Muslim
Leader-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz claimed that he had confessed that he
had been pressurised and blackmailed to convict former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference.
During
her media interaction, the video containing the judge’s purported confession
during his conversation with a ‘sympathiser’ of the PML-N was also screened at
the party’s provincial headquarters in Lahore’s Model Town.
In
response, Judge Malik himself issued a press statement denying the allegations
of being blackmailed and also terming the alleged video clip fabricated.
The
judge also demanded legal action against those behind the move, adding that the
video was not only contrary to facts, but also an attempt to hatch a conspiracy
to present conversations made on different occasions by twisting them out of
context.
The
letter also suggested to the PBC that any petition instituted before the apex
court by the council should also include in its prayer a request for holding an
independent and impartial inquiry or investigation, without any further loss of
time, to ascertain genuineness or otherwise of the video of the alleged
conversation of the accountability court judge.
The
letter stated that the events that have unfolded since the July 6 press
conference had put the integrity and credibility of the judicial system on
trial and the same had been accused of being weak, vulnerable and amenable to
control.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1492946/pbc-asked-to-request-cjp-for-suo-motu-hearing-over-judges-video
--------
Opposition
set to submit no-trust motion against Sanjrani today
Iftikhar
A. KhanU
July
09, 2019
ISLAMABAD:
With the leadership of the two main opposition parties behind bars on
corruption charges, the opposition in the Senate is set to submit a no-trust
motion against Sadiq Sanjrani, the chairman, on Tuesday (today) as a first step
towards mounting pressure on the PTI-led coalition government.
The
submission of the motion will precede a meeting of senators belonging to the
opposition to thrash out a strategy for the no-confidence motion. The meeting
will be chaired by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Raja Zafarul
Haq, who had lost to Sanjrani in last year’s polls for the office of Senate
chairman.
The
decision to convene the meeting was taken after National Party (NP) leader Mir
Hasil Khan Bijenjo called on Raja Zafarul Haq on Monday.
Talking
to reporters after meeting Mr Haq, the NP leader said: “We discussed a strategy
for the no-confidence motion.”
Mr
Bizenjo said the strategy would also be discussed at a meeting of opposition
senators at Parliament House on Tuesday.
He
said senators from the opposition would put their signatures on the no-trust
motion and then it would be submitted to the Senate Secretariat.
In
reply to a question, he said a decision on the opposition’s candidate for
Senate chairman would be taken on Thursday (July 11) at a meeting of the Rahbar
committee. “So far neither I am a candidate nor has anybody proposed my name.”
In
reply to a question whether Tuesday’s meeting had been convened to check the
available number of opposition senators, he said: “We want to ensure that a
large number of members support the motion.”
Although
a final decision on the opposition’s candidate is to be taken on Thursday,
sources in the PML-N claimed that the party had been given the right to name
the opposition’s nominee for the slot.
Other
sources, however, say that the opposition’s candidate would be from
Balochistan. Sadiq Sanjrani is the first-ever Senate chairman from Balochistan.
A
decision to remove the chairman of the upper house was made at a multi-party
conference (MPC) on June 26.
The
PML-N is still a majority party in the Senate. Interestingly, the N-League had
offered to assist the PPP in getting Raza Rabbani re-elected as Senate
chairman, but the latter opted to join hands with the PTI.
A
majority of 53 votes is required to remove the Senate chairman. Currently, the
PPP, PML-N, National Party and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) have 46 members,
while there are 29 independents. The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) has
two members, while the Awami National Party (ANP), Balochistan Awami Party
(BAP) and PML-Functional have one member each.
The
ruling PTI has 14 members, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) five and
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) has two senators.
Rules
for removal
Section
11 of rules of procedure and conduct of business in the Senate-2012 explains
the process for removal of the chairman and the deputy chairman from office.
Section
reads: “(1) Not less than one-fourth of the total membership of the house may
give to the secretary notice in writing of a motion for leave to move a
resolution under Article 61, read with paragraph (c) of clause (7) of Article
53 of the Constitution, for removal from office of the chairman or the deputy
chairman and the secretary shall forthwith circulate the notice to the members.
The chairman or, as the case may be, the deputy chairman shall not preside over
a sitting of the Senate in which a resolution for his removal from office is
fixed for consideration. Voting on the resolution shall be by secret ballot,
which shall be held in such manner as the presiding officer may direct. The
chairman or, as the case may be, deputy chairman shall stand removed from his
office on the resolution being passed by a majority of the total membership of
the Senate.”
Sadiq
Sanjrani, the incumbent, was elected with the support of the PPP and Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf on March 12 last year by bagging 57 votes against 46 by Raja
Zafarul Haq of the PML-N.
The
Senate’s decorum was interrupted briefly as counting for the chairman’s
election about to close, with observers in the galleries erupting in cheers for
PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari — crediting him with engineering Sanjrani’s
victory — as soon as Sanjrani crossed the 52-vote mark.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1492947/opposition-set-to-submit-no-trust-motion-against-sanjrani-today
--------
Pakistan
to issue on arrival visas to Qatari nationals
Jul
09, 2019
Pakistan
will issue a visa on arrival to Qatari passport holders, the Qatar Ministry of
Foreign Affairs announced on Monday.
“Pakistani
authorities have decided to grant all Qatari passport holders immediate entry
visas (tourist/visit) for one or several trips and for a period of 30 days
which is extendable for an additional 30 days,” stated a press release by Qatar
MOFA.
However,
those seeking a Pakistani visa will have to produce documents including a valid
passport for at least six months, a round trip ticket and a cash equivalent of
$1500 or a valid credit card.
The
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Pakistan (PTI) government had announced of easing travel
restrictions to revive tourism by offering visas on arrival to visitors from 50
countries and electronic visas to 175 nationalities in January 2019.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/07/08/pakistan-to-issue-on-arrival-visas-to-qatari-nationals/
--------
Thai
police seize 51 Pakistani Christian asylum seekers
July
9, 2019
Thai
authorities in Bangkok have arrested 51 Pakistani Christian asylum seekers in
an incident that has reignited fears among the city’s Christian refugees of
another immigration crackdown on illegal immigrants.
According
to eyewitnesses, immigration authorities arriving in two police vans pulled up
outside a low-rent apartment building in Bearing Soi 7 in eastern Bangkok where
several Pakistani Christian families had been hiding out after having
overstayed their tourist visas to Thailand.
Likely
acting on a tipoff from a disgruntled local, immigration police knocked on
selected doors around 7 a.m. on July 8. When the fearful residents failed to
respond, officers battered the doors down with hammers.
They
then proceeded to round up entire families and take them to Bangkok’s notorious
Immigration Detention Center where inmates languish, often indefinitely, in
squalid and overcrowded cells.
“They
took everyone — men, women, old people, young children,” a Pakistani Christian
asylum seeker who was privy to the incident via a phone connection told
ucanews.com. “They even took sick old people who can’t walk anymore.”
When
several Christian asylum seekers seemed reluctant to leave the apartments,
immigration officers allegedly manhandled them, including mothers in front of
their crying children.
“The
officers roughed up some people, even women,” a Pakistani Christian told
ucanews.com. “They took some of my friends. I’m very concerned about them.”
As
evidence of the incident, Pakistani Christians showed off images, taken by
mobile phones, of plywood doors bashed in and numerous Pakistani refugees,
including a distraught elderly woman, being taken away in police vans.
The
incident has raised fears among Pakistani Christians in Bangkok that local
authorities might be launching another crackdown on people staying illegally in
the country, including asylum seekers with no proper refugee status.
Hundreds
of Pakistani Christians who have fled their homeland in fear of their lives
remain in legal limbo in Bangkok.
They
arrived in the country on tourist visas that have long since expired. Thai
authorities, who refuse to accept them as genuine refugees, consider them to be
illegal immigrants.
As
a result, Pakistani Christians, along with other persecuted minorities from
other countries, are routinely arrested and detained at overcrowded immigration
detention centers in prison-like conditions.
To
avoid that fate, Pakistani Christian asylum seekers spend their time hiding
from the authorities in small low-rent apartments. They say they cannot or will
not return to Pakistan because they would be certain to be persecuted, and
possibly killed, owing to their religious beliefs.
Christians,
who account for less than 2 percent of the predominantly Muslim country’s
population, are widely considered to be among the most persecuted minorities in
the region.
Christians
in Pakistan, where a conservative form of Islam dominates, face various forms
of discrimination. Numerous Christians and other religious minorities have been
jailed and murdered over accusations of blaspheming against Islam.
“We
can’t go back but we can’t stay here either,” a Pakistani Christian asylum
seeker said. “Thailand does not want us.”
These
asylum seekers say their only hope lies in being accepted as refugees by a
third country. The process of doing so, however, can take several years.
In
the meantime, they do their best to stay out of sight by hiding in small
apartments. They venture outside, briefly and periodically, only after sunset
to do their shopping at local convenience stores.
Unable
to work legally, most Pakistani Christians make ends meet on handouts provided
by Christian charities.
The
51 seized Pakistani Christians will likely be detained in spartan surroundings
with little hygiene or medical care, possibly for months or even years. As
their mobile phones have been taken, they cannot be contacted from the outside.
Their
plight has set nerves on edge among other asylum seekers who continue hiding
around the Thai capital.
“My
wife is especially worried. She is very worried,” said a young Pakistani
Catholic man from Lahore whose wife is pregnant with the couple’s second child.
“We are desperate to get out of Thailand, but all we can do is wait [until we
are accepted by a third country].”
Other
Pakistani Christians must now look for new places to hide, if only temporarily.
It’s against the law in Thailand to rent apartments to illegal immigrants and
some landlords send asylum seekers packing on the first sight of trouble.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/thai-police-seize-51-pakistani-christian-asylum-seekers/85590
--------
Europe
US
Call for Syria Troops Divides German Coalition
July
7, 2019
Discord
broke out in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition Sunday, after
the United States urged the country to send ground troops to Syria as
Washington looks to withdraw from the region.
"We
want ground troops from Germany to partly replace our soldiers" in the
area as part of the anti-Islamic State coalition, U.S. special representative
on Syria James Jeffrey had told German media including Die Welt newspaper.
Jeffrey,
who was visiting Berlin for Syria talks, added that he expects an answer this
month.
Last
year U.S. President Donald Trump declared victory against IS and ordered the
withdrawal of all 2,000 American troops from Syria.
A
small number have remained in northeastern Syria, an area not controlled by the
regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and Washington is pushing for increased
military support from other members of the international coalition against IS.
"We
are looking for volunteers who want to take part here and among other coalition
partners," Jeffrey said.
A
clear rejection of the American request came from Merkel's junior coalition
partners, the Social Democrats (SPD).
"There
will be no German ground troops in Syria with us," tweeted a member of the
interim SPD leadership, Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel.
"I
don't see people wanting that among our coalition partners" in Merkel's
centre-right CDU, he added.
But
deputy conservative parliamentary leader Johann Wadephul told news agency DPA
that Germany should "not reflexively reject" the US call for troops.
"Our
security, not the Americans', is being decided in this region," added
Wadephul, seen as a candidate to succeed Ursula von der Leyen as defense
minister if she is confirmed as European Commission chief.
Syria's
war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started
in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.
'This
isn't a banana republic'
Washington
has two goals in northeastern Syria: to support the US-backed Kurdish forces
that expelled IS from northern Syria as they are increasingly threatened by
Turkey, and to prevent a potential IS resurgence in the war-torn country.
The
US is hoping Europe will help, pressuring Britain, France and now Germany,
which has so far deployed surveillance aircraft and other non-combat military
support in Syria.
However
Germany's history makes military spending and foreign adventures controversial.
Berlin
sent soldiers to fight abroad for the first time since World War II in 1994,
and much of the political spectrum and the public remains suspicious of such
deployments.
As
well as the SPD, the ecologist Greens, liberal Free Democrats and Left party
all urged Merkel to reject the US request for troops.
The
US appeal comes after Trump has repeatedly urged Berlin to increase its defence
spending, last month calling Germany "delinquent" over its contributions
to NATO's budget.
But
such criticisms have more often hardened resistance to forking out more on the
military rather than loosening the country's purse strings.
Former
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told business newspaper Handelsblatt on Saturday
that Trump wanted "vassals" rather than allies.
"I'd
have liked the federal government to tell him once or twice that it's none of
his business" how much Germany spends on defense, Schroeder said.
"This
isn't a banana republic here!"
https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/us-call-syria-troops-divides-german-coalition
--------
Government
rejected military plan to bring home suspected Isis supporter Lisa Smith
Jul
6, 2019
The
Government rejected a plan from the Defence Forces to bring Irish-born
suspected Islamic State supporter Lisa Smith home from Syria two months ago
through co-operation with foreign intelligence agencies.
The
plan, which was drawn up by the Directorate of Military Intelligence, also
known as J2, was presented to Minister of State for Defence Paul Kehoe in late
April.
It
involved requesting US military intelligence personnel extract Ms Smith (37)
and her two-year-old child from the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria. She would
then have been brought south to the Jordanian border where Irish officials
would have escorted her back to Ireland.
US
military intelligence officials had provisionally agreed to assist their Irish
counterparts in the operation. However, the plan was rejected by the
Government.
Since
then the Garda and the Department of Foreign Affairs have taken the lead in
plans to secure Ms Smith’s safe passage home.
There
is significant dissatisfaction within J2 and the higher levels of the Defence
Forces with the Government’s decision. Intelligence officers believed their
experience placed them in the best position to bring the former solider home
safely and discreetly.
Shared
intelligence
The
Garda is the primary intelligence agency for the State but J2 has more
experience operating in conflict zones and has established relationships with
other forces including US and British intelligence agencies.
Despite
not being a member of Nato, Irish military intelligence enjoys a close working
relationship with its US counterparts.
Requests
for assistance or information are common amongst the intelligence agencies of
friendly western countries, sources say.
Such
arrangements often operate on an informal, quid pro quo basis with agencies
sharing information and resources as long as it does not jeopardise their own
country’s interests.
The
Department of Defence referred queries about the plan to the Department of
Foreign Affairs, which declined to comment. The Defence Forces did not respond
to queries.
‘Turf
wars’
The
Garda and Defence Forces have been carrying out separate enquires as to whether
Ms Smith, who left for Isis-controlled territory in Syria about five years ago,
poses a threat if she returns to Ireland.
There
is a long-standing rivalry between military and Garda intelligence, former
deputy director of J2 Michael C Murphy told The Irish Times.
“When
you have a number of intelligence agencies it is historical and normal that
there are turf wars.”
Full
report at:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/government-rejected-military-plan-to-bring-home-suspected-isis-supporter-lisa-smith-1.3948120
--------
Conservatives:
Members see Islam as 'threat to British life', poll suggests
Jul
9, 2019
More
than half of Conservative members questioned for a new poll believe Islam is a
threat to British life.
YouGov
was commissioned by Channel 4's Dispatches programme to carry out a survey
among the members who will decide whether Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson becomes
the next Tory leader.
Of
the 892 members questioned, 56% said Islam threatened British values.
The
party's chairman Brandon Lewis said the poll was "hardly
representative" and questioned the methodology used.
In
a series of tweets, he suggested there was a "danger" in relying on
the responses of fewer than 900 people when the party membership was about
180,000.
The
Conservative Party has been criticised for its response to allegations of
Islamophobia among party members,
Its
former chair Sayeeda Warsi, one of the party's most outspoken critics, said the
findings of the poll were "disturbing" and pointed to a "lurch
to the right" at grass-roots level.
The
Equality and Human Rights Commission is currently considering a formal
complaint submitted by the Muslim Council of Britain, which details examples of
Islamophobic comments made by party members and activists.
Channel
4's Dispatches, broadcast on Monday night, highlighted further comments made on
social media by people claiming to be Conservative members.
A
party spokesman said: "Those people making these posts that we have found
to be members of the party have been suspended pending investigation.
"Discrimination
or abuse of any kind is wrong and will not be tolerated."
During
the Conservative leadership campaign, both candidates have condemned all forms
of racism and discrimination.
Jeremy
Hunt has committed to holding a specific independent inquiry into the extent of
Islamophobia in the Conservative Party if he becomes leader.
Boris
Johnson told the Conservative Home website he would hold a general, independent
investigation into all types of prejudice and discrimination.
Full
report at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48912065
--------
Berlin
rejects Washington’s call for deploying ground forces to Syria
Jul
8, 2019
Germany
has rejected a call by the United States to deploy ground troops in Syria, a
stance that will most likely anger US President Donald Trump who wants the
European country to commit to a bigger military role in the Middle East.
German
government spokesman Steffen Seibert made the comment during a regular press
briefing in Berlin on Monday, a day after US special representative on Syria
James Jeffrey told reporters in Berlin about Washington's call on Berlin about
the Syria deployment.
“When
I say the government envisages sticking to the current measures in” the
anti-Daesh “(military) coalition, this includes no ground troops, as is well
known,” Seibert said.
Jeffrey,
who was on a visit to the German capital for Syria talks, said Sunday that he
expected an answer this month but apparently Germany didn't need that long to
reject the call.
The
US and its allies, including Germany, have been bombarding what they call Daesh
positions inside Syria since September 2014, without any authorization from the
Damascus government or a UN mandate.
Germany
has so far deployed surveillance aircraft and other non-combat military support
in Syria, but it does not have ground troops in the Arab country, unlike the US
which has deployed some 2,000 forces there.
The
request by the US comes after Trump's announcement last year that he was
withdrawing most of American troops from Syria.
Jeffrey
said Sunday that Washington wanted “ground troops from Germany to partially
replace our soldiers.”
He
added that the German ground troops, if ever deployed, might not necessarily
need to engage in combat and could rather ease the burden on the remaining US
forces by helping with air support, logistics, training and technical
assistance.
Nevertheless,
he said combat should not be ruled out since ground troops would need to be
prepared to defend themselves.
Any
change in the mandate requires approval by the German parliament – the
Bundestag – where Chancellor Angela Merkel would be likely to face opposition
even from parts of her fragile coalition government.
The
Social Democrats, the junior partner of Merkel's governing coalition, are
highly likely to oppose any prospect of deploying ground troops to the Arab
country.
Trump
has time and again urged Berlin to boost its defense spending as on e of the
key members of the NATO military alliance. Last month, the American president
called Germany "delinquent" over its contributions to NATO's budget.
Trump
has urged all member states to spend 2 percent of their GDP on their military
or forget about help from the US, which account for a whopping 22 percent of
the military alliance's annual budget.
Daesh
has been almost purged from entire territories it used to control in Syria and
neighboring Iraq. However, sporadic attacks by the group are still reported in
the two countries.
The
US-led airstrikes against the purported Daesh positions have on many occasions
resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of
countering terrorism.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600462/Germany-US-ground-troops-Syria-Trump-Merkel-NATO
--------
Relations
with Croatia play great importance: Turkey
Muhammed
Boztepe
08.07.2019
Relations
between Croatia and Turkey have great importance for regional peace and
stability, said Turkey's Interior Minister on Monday.
Suleyman
Soylu made the remarks in Croatia's capital Zagreb while meeting with Davor
Bozinovic, his Croatian counterpart.
Speaking
to reporters, Soylu stressed the importance of good Turkish-Croatian relations
for regional peace and stability.
After
their face-to-face meeting, Soylu and Bozinovic signed a pact on cooperation
between the two nation’s police academies.
Bozinovic
hailed the pact as a joint effort, stressing bilateral cooperation in research
and security, adding that experts will pay mutual visits towards this end.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/relations-with-croatia-play-great-importance-turkey-/1526347
--------
Balkans'
peace 'extremely important' for Turkey
Diyar
Guldogan
08.07.2019
Balkans'
peace, stability and welfare are "extremely important" for Turkey,
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, ahead of his visit to Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
"Balkans'
peace, stability, tranquility and welfare are extremely important for us. Our
country does have the luxury to monitor developments in this geography,"
Erdogan told reporters at Istanbul Airport.
Erdogan
will attend the two-day South East European Countries Cooperation Process
(SEECP) Summit in the capital Sarajevo.
"Turkey,
within the framework of the importance it attaches to the peace, stability and
welfare in the Balkans, has effectively contributed to the SEECP, the only
regional cooperation platform that encompasses all the countries in the
Balkans, since its foundation," according to a presidential statement.
Erdogan
said Turkey contributes to the regional stability not only through bilateral
ways but also through diversified cooperation platforms.
"Within
the scope of Sarajevo summit, we will hopefully handle cooperation activities
in Balkans particularly in the areas of economy, trade, transportation and
infrastructure investments," he added.
During
his visit, Erdogan will also hold bilateral meetings with members of the Bosnia
and Herzegovina Presidential Council and with other participating leaders.
He
will also meet with Turkish soldiers -- deployed as part of the Turkish
Military Representative to the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Operation ALTHEA, in Butmir.
On
Tuesday, Erdogan will commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Srebrenica
genocide.
The
Srebrenica genocide took place on July 11, 1995 and saw over 8,000 Bosnian
Muslims massacred by Bosnian-Serb forces under President Slobodan Milosevic and
General Ratko Mladic.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/balkans-peace-extremely-important-for-turkey/1525964
--------
Africa
8,000
children recruited by Boko Haram: UN
Abu
'Adnan
08.07.2019
At
least 8,000 children have been recruited by the Boko Haram terrorist movement
across the Lake Chad region in Central Africa since it launched its violent
campaign in 2009, the UN said in a statement on Monday.
Sylvester
Tunde Atere, national project officer of the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes
(UNODC), said in a statement that the children were used by the group in
combatant and noncombatant roles.
"Recruitment
and exploitation have a long-lasting impact on children’s lives," the
statement said.
"Today,
rehabilitating and reintegrating these children pose significant challenges,
not only in view of their number, but also due to the intense and lasting
traumatic effects," it added.
The
UNODC accused Daesh-affiliated Boko Haram of raping or forcing teenage girls
into marriage.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/8-000-children-recruited-by-boko-haram-un/1526122
--------
Libya's
Haftar promotes officer wanted for war crimes
Mohamed
Sabry Emam Muhammed
08.07.2019
TRIPOLI
East
Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar has promoted an officer wanted by
the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, according to local
Libyan sources.
Army
Major Mahmoud al-Werfalli was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, the
sources said Monday on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
Observers
see the move as defiance by Haftar to the ICC, which issued an arrest warrant
in 2017 for al-Werfalli amid allegations that he had committed war crimes in
Libya.
In
an earlier video that surfaced online, al-Werfalli can be seen executing 10
people in Benghazi after the eastern city was rocked by a deadly bombing.
Last
year, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) demanded al-Werfalli’s immediate
extradition.
In
early April, Haftar, who commands forces loyal to a rival government based in
eastern Libya, launched a wide-ranging campaign to take the capital Tripoli
from the UN-recognized Government of National Accord.
His
forces, however, have failed to achieve their primary objective, although they
have captured several strategic towns and cities in the vicinity.
Libya
has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led
to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more
than four decades in power.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libyas-haftar-promotes-officer-wanted-for-war-crimes/1526036
--------
Sudan’s
top general says military council will be dissolved
8
July 2019
Sudan’s
top general says the ruling military council will be dissolved after the
formation of a new power-sharing body that will rule the country.
The
military and pro-democracy leaders agreed last week on a joint sovereign
council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are
organized. A military leader will head the council for the first 21 months
followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.
General
Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, said in TV comments late
Sunday the army could withdraw from governing the country after the end of the
first 21 months.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/07/08/Sudan-s-top-general-says-military-council-will-be-dissolved.html
--------
Jihadist
attack in Mozambique kills seven
06/07
Seven
people, including a police officer, were killed in northern Mozambique in an
attack claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, local sources reported on
Saturday.
One
police officer and six civilians, including two children, were killed in the
attack, which took place on Wednesday evening in the village of Lidjungo,
Nangade district, AFP was told by a local official based in Cabo Delgado
province in northern Mozambique, without giving details of how the attackers
operated.
Since
October 2017, Islamist militants have targeted isolated communities in Cabo
Delgado province, a gas-rich and predominantly Muslim province, killing more
than 250 people and forcing thousands more to leave their homes despite a
strong police and military presence in this region bordering Tanzania.
According
to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activities, the Islamic state
group issued a statement on Friday evening, stating its involvement in the
Wednesday attack. This is the second time he has claimed an attack in northern
Mozambique.
“Caliphate
soldiers attacked Mozambican army barracks in the Nangade region of northern
Mozambique two days ago,” according to a SITE translation. The group claimed to
have encountered the soldiers “killing and wounding a number of them and forcing
others to flee”.
The
EI had already claimed its involvement in an attack in northern Mozambique on 3
June in the village of Metubi, 150 km east of Nangade.
Police
and authorities have a policy of not commenting on insurgent activities, even
if the attacks are confirmed by the local population.
Full
report at:
https://www.africanews.com/2019/07/06/jihadist-attack-in-mozambique-kills-seven/
--------
Boko
Haram kills at least five soldiers in northeast Nigeria - sources
JULY
7, 2019
MAIDUGURI,
Nigeria (Reuters) - Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram ambushed Nigerian
soldiers in the northeast of the country, killing at least five and injuring
more than a dozen, sources told Reuters on Sunday.
The
sources said the death toll could increase as a number of soldiers were still
missing after the attack on Thursday in Damboa, in Borno state in northeastern
Nigeria.
The
soldiers had gone to the area to clear a Boko Haram camp, but were ambushed,
the sources said.
Boko
Haram militants have killed thousands and displaced millions in Nigeria during
the group’s decade-long insurgency against the government.
The
general commanding officer, Brigadier General Bulama Biu, confirmed a
confrontation between troops and Boko Haram, but said there was “no casualty on
the part of troops.”
Full
report at:
https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1U2097-OZATP
--------
Sudanese
say US pressure was key to reaching transition deal
8
July 2019
The
power-sharing agreement reached between Sudan’s military and pro-democracy protesters
last week came after the United States and its Arab allies applied intense
pressure on both sides amid fears a prolonged crisis could tip the country into
civil war, activists and officials said.
The
agreement, which raised hopes of a democratic transition following the military
overthrow of long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April, was announced days
after the protesters held mass marches through Khartoum and other areas.
But
those familiar with the negotiations say the main breakthrough happened at a
secret meeting the day before the protests, when diplomats from the US,
Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates pressed the two sides to
accept proposals from the African Union and Ethiopia.
“It
was a tense but crucial meeting. It melted the ice,” a leading activist said on
condition of anonymity to discuss the back-room negotiations. “The meeting was
the cornerstone of Friday’s deal.”
The
two sides agreed on a jointly run sovereign council that will rule for a little
over three years while elections are organized. A military leader will head the
council for the first 21 months followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.
They
also agreed on an independent Sudanese investigation into security forces’
crackdown on the protests last month. The military also agreed to restore the
internet after a weekslong blackout.
The
deal appears to be on track, with the two sides expected to formally sign it
this week.
Two
leading activists, a Sudanese military official and two Egyptian officials
described intense US efforts to broker a deal after veteran diplomat Donald
Booth was appointed special envoy in mid-June. They spoke on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the talks.
State
Department officials declined to comment on US efforts to broker the deal,
saying only that Washington welcomes the agreement and commends the AU and
Ethiopia for their mediation efforts.
Two
Egyptian officials with direct knowledge of Booth’s meetings in Cairo last
month said the US urged President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to back the AU and
Ethiopian proposal and “pressure” Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the
ruling military council, to respond positively.
“We
received a direct message from the White House: Facilitate a deal between the
military and the protesters,” one of the officials said.
The
Sudanese military official says the generals received the same message.
“The
Americans demanded a deal as soon as possible,” he said.
The
US and its allies also put pressure on the protesters, who are represented by a
coalition known as the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change. The
activists say the US and Arab countries reached out to individual factions.
Protest leaders gave in when it appeared the coalition was at risk of
fracturing.
The
efforts culminated in a secret meeting on July 29 at the home of a Sudanese
businessman that was attended by protest leaders as well as al-Burhan and Gen.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by the nickname Hemedti, who is seen by many as a
powerful figure on the military council.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/07/08/Iran-will-only-discuss-issues-in-current-nuclear-deal-not-take-part-in-new-deal.html
--------
Tunisia
presidential candidate charged with money laundering
9
July 2019
Tunisian
media magnate and would-be presidential candidate Nabil Karoui has been charged
with money laundering, had his assets frozen and slapped with a travel ban, a
judicial source said Monday.
Karoui
and his brother, Ghazi Karoui, have been under investigation since 2017 after
anti-corruption watchdog I-Watch submitted a dossier accusing him of tax fraud,
said Sofiene Sliti, spokesman for the judiciary department for financial cases.
“After
an inquiry into the complaint filed by I-Watch and having summoned and heard
the two men... the judge decided 10 days ago to charge Nabil Karoui and Ghazi
Karoui with money laundering,” he told AFP.
The
judge also decided to freeze their assets and ban them from travelling abroad,
Sliti said, ruling out any political motives for the rulings.
But
Nabil Karoui’s recently-formed political party, Heart of Tunisia, condemned the
decision as a “vain attempt to damage the party and its president and to
question his growing popularity.”
The
brothers in 2002 launched Karoui & Karoui, an international media and
advertising company.
Nabil
Karoui was an active supporter of President Beji Caid Essebsi’s election in
2014 but has become a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.
In
May, Karoui, who has also founded a major private television channel, Nessma,
said he would run for the presidency in November polls to succeed Essebsi.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2019/07/09/Tunisia-presidential-candidate-charged-with-money-laundering.html
--------
Police
arraign Nigerian senator for assaulting woman
08.07.2019
A
Nigerian senator was arraigned on charges of criminal assault on Monday, days
after footage emerged of him slapping a woman in a store.
Opposition
Senator Elisha Abbo has been in the news since last week when he was seen in
footage assaulting a woman at a sex toy shop in the capital Abuja for
interceding in an argument he was having with the shop owner.
"The
senator is being arraigned for criminal assault at a magistrate court here in
Abuja," Bala Ciroma, police chief for Abuja, told Anadolu Agency by
telephone on Monday.
Abbo
was grilled for hours last Thursday and was later detained following the outcry
that greeted the footage. He has since apologized for the action.
But
various women groups have rejected his apologies and insisted that he must face
charges.
If
convicted, Abbo faces at least six months in prison or a fine.
"If
it gets to that stage, the terms to be served or the fine don't really matter.
What matters is the fact that he would become a convict and that comes with
grievous political consequences," Adams Ishola, a lawyer, told Anadolu
Agency.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/police-arraign-nigerian-senator-for-assaulting-woman/1526355
--------
North America
Bolton:
US to keep raising pressure until Iran abandons nuclear arms program
8
July 2019
The
United States will keep increasing pressure on Iran until it abandons its
pursuit of nuclear weapons and ceases its violent activities in the Middle East,
John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, said on Monday.
“We
will continue to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime until it abandons
its nuclear weapons program and ends its violent activities across the Middle
East, including conducting and supporting terrorism around the world,” Bolton
said in a speech.
Iran
denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Earlier
on Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence said that the United States is willing
to talk to Iran about its nuclear program and does not seek war, but said
President Donald Trump’s administration is prepared to protect US interests and
lives.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/07/08/Bolton-US-to-keep-raising-pressure-until-Iran-abandons-nuclear-arms-program.html
--------
Vice
President Pence: US does not seek war with Iran, but will not back down
8
July 2019
US
Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday that the United States is willing to
talk to Iran about its nuclear program and does not seek war, but said
President Donald Trump’s administration is prepared to protect US interests and
lives.
“Iran
should not confuse American restraint with a lack of American resolve,” Pence
said in prepared remarks to a conference of the Christians United for Israel
advocacy group.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/07/08/Vice-President-Pence-US-does-not-seek-war-with-Iran-but-will-not-back-down.html
--------
Pence
says US action has cut off Iran’s ability to support terrorism
July
08, 2019
WASHINGTON:
The United States will not waver from its course of maximum pressure against
Iran, Vice President Mike Pence said Monday, as tensions rise and the
US-brokered nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers appears to be
unraveling with the Trump administration’s pullout.
Pence’s
assertion to a pro-Israel Christian organization that the US “will never allow
Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon” came on the same day that Iran began enriching
uranium to 4.5 percent , breaking the limit set in the 2015 agreement sealed
under President Barack Obama.
The
speech, amplified in later remarks to the group by the Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, also comes as the other
partners in the agreement must decide how to respond to Iran’s announcement.
President Donald Trump discussed the issue by phone Monday with French
President Emmanuel Macron.
Echoing
comments made repeatedly by Trump, Pence said the international accord simply
delayed Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon by “roughly a decade” and gave
away billions in economic relief that Iran could then use to wage terrorist
attacks.
Since
Trump withdrew from that deal more than a year ago, his administration has
reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran and designated its Revolutionary Guard
a foreign terrorist group.
“Iran
must choose between caring for its people and continuing to fund its proxies
who spread violence and terrorism throughout the region and breathe out
murderous hatred against Israel,” Pence said.
Pence
said the US’s actions have succeeded in “cutting off” Iran’s ability to support
terrorism in the Middle East, but he also charged that Iran had increased its
“malign activity and violence in the region” over the past several months.
Tensions
in the region have risen in recent weeks after oil tankers were attacked near
the Strait of Hormuz and Iran downed an unmanned US military surveillance
drone. The downing of the drone nearly led to a US military strike against
Iran; it was called off at the last minute by Trump.
Instead,
the US military’s cyberforces launched a retaliatory strike against Iranian
military computer systems that controlled the country’s rocket and missile
launchers.
The
US has sent thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52
bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East.
“Let
me be clear,” Pence said. “Iran should not confuse American restraint with a
lack of American resolve.”
Iran
has long maintained it was enriching uranium for peaceful reasons. While
enriched uranium at the 3.67 percent level is enough for peaceful pursuits, it
isn’t close to the weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. At 4.5 percent, the
enriched uranium is enough to help power Iran’s Bushehr reactor, the country’s
only nuclear power plant.
Iran
has been trying to gain European help in bypassing US sanctions, which have
targeted oil sales and top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. The remaining signatories to the deal include Britain, France,
Germany, China and Russia.
“We
hope for the best, but the United States of America and our military are
prepared to protect our interests and to protect our personnel and citizens in
the region,” Pence said.
Later
Monday, Bolton, the White House national security adviser and a longtime
advocate of tough measures against Iran, devoted a large portion of his speech
at the same summit to Iran, noting that the that the administration has
expanded sanctions to cover metals and the petrochemical sector.
“As
we pressure the Iranian regime, we will also continue to stand with the
long-suffering Iranian people, who as President Trump has said, are the
“rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land,” Bolton said.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1522686/middle-east
--------
South Asia
Intra-Afghan
dialogue participants including Taliban agree on adoption of softer approach to
help peace process
09
Jul 2019
The
participants of intra-Afghan talks including Taliban have agreed to adopt a
softer approach in a bid to help the reconciliation process.
Germany
and Qatar co-hosted the conference in a bid to help the Afghan peace process.
The
participants of the conference issued a joint declaration after concluding the
two-day talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar late on Monday.
Steps
for establishment of environment of trust for peace
The
joint declaration states that the conflicting parties shall avoid threats,
revenges and conflicting words, shall use soft terminologies and words during
their official gatherings and shall not fuel the conflict and revenge.
Furthermore,
the declaration states that the aged, disabled and ill inmates should be
released unconditionally in a bid to create a trustable environment for peace.
The
declaration also states that the parties involved in the conflict must ensure
security of public institutions, such as schools, Religious Madrasas,
hospitals, markets, water dams and other working locations.
The
participants have made particular emphasis on respecting the security of
educational institutions including schools, universities and other educational
institutes.
Meanwhile,
the declaration states that the parties involved in the conflict must respect
and protect the dignity of people, their life and property and to minimize the
civilian casualties to Zero.
The
participants of the dialogue also emphasized on assurances regarding women’s
rights in political, social, economic, educational and cultural affairs in the
framework of Islamic values.
Road-map
for peace:
In
the meantime, the declaration states that the dialogue participants agree on a
roadmap for peace based on specific conditions which includes
institutionalizing Islamic system in the country for the implementation of
comprehensive peace.
The
dialogue participants also emphasized on simultaneous launch of peace process
with the accomplishment of all terms and conditions set forth and monitoring
and observation of the peace agreement.
Furthermore,
the declaration emphasizes on reform in preservation of fundamental
institutions, defensive and other national entities which belongs to all
Afghans, repatriation of immigrants and return of IDPs.
Meanwhile,
the dialogue participants have called for international and donors’ support
post peace agreement based on the new cooperation and relations and assurances
on zero interference from the neighboring and regional countries in
Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/intra-afghan-dialogue-participants-including-taliban-agree-on-adoption-of-softer-approach-to-help-peace-process-03863/
--------
Islamic
State says it carried out attack at Shi'ite mosque in central Afghanistan
JULY
6, 2019
KABUL
(Reuters) - Islamic State fighters claimed responsibility on Saturday for a
deadly overnight attack in a mosque in central province of Ghazni in
Afghanistan.
At
least two people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries as a bomb planted
by the hardline Islamist militants inside the Mohammadiya mosque, used by
Shi’ites, went off on Friday night, said Aref Noori, a provincial government
spokesman.
Islamic
State frequently targets Afghanistan’s Shi’ite minority, which it calls
“apostates”. The militant group said 40 people were injured in the explosion.
The
explosive device was planted ahead of the Friday prayers, government officials
said.
Ghazni
has recently been the scene of heavy clashes between government forces and
Taliban militants.
While
Afghanistan’s wars have mostly been fought among Sunni Muslims, there have been
increasing numbers of attacks on Shi’ite targets in recent years.
Islamic
State increasingly claims responsibility for attacks on civilian targets even
as talks for peace between U.S. officials and the Taliban to end the Afghan war
intensify.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/islamic-state-says-it-carried-out-attack-at-shiite-mosque-in-central-afghanistan-idUSKCN1U109O
--------
Afghan
airstrikes kill 25 militants in southern province
2019-07-06
KANDAHAR,
Afghanistan, July 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 25 militants have been confirmed
dead as fighting aircraft pounded Taliban hideout in Marof district of the
southern Kandahar province, provincial police chief Tawdin Khan said Saturday.
According
to the official, the air raids, launched by the NATO-led Resolute Support
mission's fighters in the early hours of Saturday, killed 25 insurgents on the
spot.
Taliban
militants who have intensified their activities in the country are yet to make
a comment.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/06/c_138204424.htm
--------
UN
expert still barred from Myanmar
July
9, 2019
A
United Nations human rights expert who is visiting Thailand and Malaysia to
investigate the killing and mistreatment of Muslim Rohingya is still barred
from visiting the nation where they come from.
Myanmar
has since December 2017 banned Yanghee Lee, who is the U.N. special rapporteur
on human rights in the country.
In
that time more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees have joined several hundred
thousand others who were already living in camps in Bangladesh, and some have
made it to various countries in the
region or to developed Western nations.
In
a July 5 statement, Lee said that despite Myanmar authorities not allowing her
entry, she would continue to "reach out and seek to engage" with the
government there in order to provide assistance on human rights issues.
She
is visiting Thailand and Malaysia from July 8-18 to speak to Rohingya refugees
with personal accounts of atrocities committed my Myanmar's military and
extremist Buddhist vigilantes.
Matthew
Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights, said barring U.N. and other rights
investigators puts Myanmar in the same category as pariahs such as dictatorial
regimes and war criminals.
He
said this sent a message to international prosecutors, who deal with war crimes
and crimes against humanity, that the government of Myanmar is engaged in a
"crude attempt to cover up the truth."
"Domestically,
the government wants people to believe that the special rapporteur is biased
and untrustworthy, and that’s part of their strategy to maintain control over
hearts and minds as well as political power,” Smith told ucanews.com.
He
said the current government of former pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi
mirrors past military regimes in this regard.
Khin
Zaw Win, from a think tank group called Tampadipa based in the country's
commercial hub Yangon, said Suu Kyi's government shared the army's attitudes
and tactics in its dealings with the U.N.
In
October, Lee is scheduled to present her findings to the U.N. General Assembly
in New York from her visits to Thailand and Malaysia, along with making
specific recommendations.
Lee
told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on July 2 that fragrant rights
violations during so-called counter-insurgency operations would continue in
Myanmar while a climate of impunity prevails.
She
said it remains Myanmar’s responsibility to bring about all necessary
conditions for the return of more than one million Rohingya who have fled the
Buddhist-majority nation
Lee
called on the U.N. Security Council to put aside differences so that Myanmar
could be referred to the International Criminal Court or to an independent
tribunal for the hearing of charges in relation to atrocities against Rohingya.
Full
report at:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/un-expert-still-barred-from-myanmar/85585
--------
Uzbek
militant among 5 killed in Afghan Special Forces raid in Faryab
09
Jul 2019
The
Afghan Special Forces killed 5 Taliban militants including an Uzbek national in
northern Faryab province.
The
209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Special Forces conducted the raid
in Tukli area of Khwaja Namoosi district.
The
statement further added that the Special Forces killed 5 Taliban militants
including an Uzbek national who was sighting in Taliban ranks.
Furthermore,
the 209th Shaheen Corps said the Special Forces also arrested a key Taliban
commander Nabiullah during the same operation.
The
Special Forces confiscated three weapons during the operation, the 209th
Shaheen Corps added.
Full
report at:
https://www.khaama.com/uzbek-militant-among-5-killed-in-afghan-special-forces-raid-in-faryab-03865/
--------
Intra-Afghan
peace meeting concludes in Doha
Jul
9, 2019
Wary
representatives of Afghan society met Taliban officials in Qatar on Monday
(July 8) for a second day of talks, with bloody insurgent attacks back home
casting a pall over efforts to end Afghanistan's years of war.
The
Taliban on Sunday (July 7) detonated a car bomb outside a government security
compound in central Afghanistan killing 14 people and wounding 180, including
scores of children.
The
attack came at the onset of a two-day meeting between Afghan citizens and the
militants, meant to open the way to a peace process that should build on a
hoped-for deal between the United States and the Taliban to end the longest
ever US war.
"It
is very hard to sit across from those men who are waging a war against innocent
Afghans, but it is also a test of our commitment to peace," said a senior
Afghan official involved in the talks.
The
Taliban and US officials are trying to strike a deal on a Taliban demand for
the withdrawal of US and other foreign forces and a US demand that the Taliban
not let Afghanistan be used as a base for terrorism.
"We
think the gap between the US and Taliban is narrow now. We hope both sides will
reach an agreement this month about the outstanding issues," said Qatar's
lead mediator Mutlaq Bin Majid Al-Qahtani.
US-Taliban
talks, the seventh since last year, are set to continue on Tuesday in Doha, as
US officials look to clinch a deal by September ahead of an expected Afghan
presidential election.
But
the Taliban have refused to negotiate with the US-backed Afghan government,
denouncing it as a US puppet.
So
while the 60-member delegation of Afghan representatives in Qatar includes
officials, they are not there in their government capacity.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/09/600490/IntraAfghan-peace-meeting-concludes-in-Doha
--------
Afghan
talks: Rival sides agree on 'road map for peace'
by
Shereena Qazi
Jul
9, 2019
Doha,
Qatar - Two-day peace talks, attended by Afghan delegates and Taliban
representatives in the Qatari capital of Doha, have ended with both sides
calling to reduce civilian casualties to "zero" amid the rising death
toll in the war-torn country.
The
so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, sponsored by Qatar and Germany, between Afghan
politicians, civil society members, including women, and the Taliban is seen as
a substantive step towards peace in Afghanistan.
"…
Committed to respect and protect the dignity of people, their life and property
and to minimise the civilian casualties to zero," a joint statement
released at the end of the talks in Doha said late on Monday.
The
statement also pledged to guarantee the security of public institutions.
"Ensuring
the security of public institutions, such as schools, religious madrassas,
hospitals, markets, water dams and other working locations," the statement
said.
Qari
Din Mohammad Hanif, a member of the Taliban delegation, said the group of
Afghan delegates which also included members from the Afghan government, was on
the same page on civilian casualties.
"Afghan
people will be protected, we have always wanted this, they are never the
target," he told Al Jazeera.
"We
have all agreed to the fact that the civilians should not be affected, war
continues, but our aim is to reduce civilian casualties to zero."
Direct
US-Taliban talks
The
assurances came a day after at least 18 people were killed and more than 180
wounded, including scores of children, in a car bomb attack claimed by the
Taliban which has been running a bloody armed rebellion since it was removed from
power in 2001.
The
so-called intra-Afghan meetings, which follow six days of direct United
States-Taliban talks, also in Doha, saw the participation of about 50 Afghan
politicians and activists, including 10 female delegates.
The
gathering was organised in a bid to initiate direct dialogue between the rival
sides that have been at constant war with each other since the US-led invasion
in the wake of September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.
The
talks were also aimed at sustaining peace after the expected withdrawal of
US-led NATO troops.
US
special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has held several rounds of
talks with the Taliban in Doha to ink a peace deal with the armed group, which
wields considerable influence in the country.
The
Taliban, which has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Western-backed
Kabul government, agreed to join the meeting on the condition that the
attendees do so in a personal capacity.
The
armed group consider Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's administration a puppet
regime, which has also been excluded from the direct US-Taliban talks.
Details
of joint statement
Following
the press briefing on Monday, several delegates and diplomats differed on
details of the joint statement.
Some
said the statement was not an agreement but recommendations for peace, while
others said it is "a call for peace and stability" or "a road
map for peace".
"We
can't call it a peace agreement, it is just a call for reduction of civilian
casualties and protection of public places and institutions," Anwar-ul-haq
Ahadi, a former minister of finance, told Al Jazeera.
"It
is a first step in the right direction in reducing hostilities and an important
one. This was more than what I expected from these talks."
Markus
Potzel, Germany’s Afghanistan envoy who co-hosted the talks with Qatar, said
the joint statement contained an "appeal and promise to reduce violence in
Afghanistan'.
Sher
Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's chief negotiator, said it was a
"conference where everybody was expressing his or her views regarding
peace in Afghanistan".
He
defended Sunday's car bomb attack in Ghazni saying it was a "fight for
freedom" against "foreign occupation".
"Our
target is not civilians, those who were killed in the attack were intelligence
forces, only nearby houses were affected by the blast which injured
civilians."
The
US-Taliban talks are set to resume on Tuesday, which are aimed at hammering out
details of a framework agreement reached in January.
Full
report at:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/afghan-peace-talks-rival-sides-agree-roadmap-peace-190709012150435.html
--------
India
Muslim
group in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh defies prohibitory orders to hold protest meet
against lynching
Sanjoy
Dey
Jul
08, 2019
The
Ramgarh district administration in Jharkhand said it will take legal action
after hundreds of Muslims gathered at a school on Monday to protest mob
lynchings in the state.
“Videography
of the meeting was done. The process of lodging FIR will be initiated soon,”
Ramgarh superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar said after the group met at
Chitarpur High School in Ramgarh district, around 50-km east of state capital
Ranchi.
A
section of Muslims from Chitarpur block had sought permission for a rally from
Idgah ground to Main Road from the administration. Earlier, the administration
had given permission with certain condition.
However,
the permission was cancelled on Sunday evening in the wake of recent violence
following rallies by Muslims against lynchings in state.
On
Friday, a joint group of Muslim organizations, which took out a protest rally
in the state capital Ranchi against the recent lynching of a young man named
Tabrez Ansari in Saraikela, vandalized a bus of Central Institute of Psychiatry
(CIP) in the heart Ranchi.
The
Ramgarh administration had also invoked prohibitory orders under Section 144 of
the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) on the route of the rally and banned all
kinds of protest activities such as demonstration, meeting and rally.
In
the prohibition order, it was mentioned that Ramgarh had been sensitive to the
issues like mob lynching and communal clash. It further said, “It was found
some unscrupulous elements trying to disturb the peace and harmony of the
society during such rallies in other parts of the state.”
“We
were denied permission for the rally, which we followed. But, we were given
permission for a meeting after our request on Sunday night,” the chief speaker
at the meeting Sahjada Anwar, said.
Ramgarh
police chief Prabhat Kumar, however, said no such permission was given to them.
“The community members had requested permission for the meeting after dropping
the idea of rally. But, we did not give any permission for such a programme. We
felt the meeting was a violation of administrative order and legal action will
be taken accordingly,” the SP said.
Anwar,
who is also an All India Congress Committee (AICC) member and fought assembly
elections twice from Ramgarh assembly constituency, claimed, “It was a peaceful
meeting that requested the government to implement Supreme Court directives
against mob lynching.”
He
said the Supreme Court had directed every state including Jharkhand to review
the cases of mob lynching every three months by the home secretary and director
general of police and constitution of a task force for preventing such
incidents. “But, nothing was done in the state in this regard,” he said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/muslim-group-in-jharkhand-s-ramgarh-defies-prohibitory-orders-to-hold-protest-meet-against-lynching/story-dnA5DMvpfxAqNrJnvB7EWM.html
--------
TikTok
removes users who posted video on Jharkhand lynching
Jul
09, 2019
By
Safoora
NEW
DELHI: A day after the Mumbai Police registered a complaint against a group of
TikTok users for posting controversial videos related to the mob lynching of
Muslim youth Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, the Chinese short video-messaging app
on Tuesday said it has removed the users from its platform.
Shiv
Sena activist Ramesh Solanki had filed a complaint against the TikTok group
named “Team 07” — that has nearly 4 crore followers — at the Mumbai Police’s
cyber cell.
The
members of the group– Faisal Shaikh, Hasnain Khan, Faiz Baloch, Adnan Shaikh
and Sadhan Faroqui – uploaded a video supporting Ansari that was heavily
criticized on social media for spreading hate speech.
“The
video in question, which has violated our Community Guidelines, is no longer
available on TikTok. Such irresponsible acts will not be tolerated on our
platform, hence we have suspended three user accounts and are cooperating with
law enforcement agencies,” the company said in a statement.
The
three user accounts that has been removed belong to Hasnain Khan, Faisal Shaikh
and Sadhan Faroqui.
Solanki,
in his complaint, said the video shows how “the public at large may have killed
Tabrez, but if tomorrow, his progeny exercises revenge then he mustn’t be a
called a ‘Muslim Terrorist'”.
The
Jharkhand High Court on Monday sought a report from the state government on the
mob lynching of Ansari in Seraikela-Kharsawan district on June 17 and the
violence that took place in Ranchi during an agitation to protest the tragedy.
Full
report at:
https://www.siasat.com/news/tiktok-removes-users-who-posted-video-jharkhand-lynching-1541104/
--------
Southeast Asia
NU,
Muhammadiyah for Nobel, guardians of pluralism
July
9, 2019
Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah are nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for
their role in promoting religious tolerance and pluralism in the country and
region. The Jakarta Post’s Riyadi Suparno interviewed Indonesian Ambassador to
Norway Todung Mulya Lubis, the man behind the nomination of the country’s
two-largest Islamic groups, to learn about his efforts and views about their
chance of winning the prestigious prize.
What’s
your main reason for orchestrating the nomination of the NU and Muhammadiyah
for the Nobel Peace Prize?
I’ve
seen radicalism, fundamentalism and sectarianism enter Indonesia and spread,
seemingly getting stronger. I don’t want to imagine Indonesia becoming another
Syria or Libya one day because we have all this potential to become a great
nation. The nightmare could come true if we let it grow or if we did nothing to
stop it.
Just
look at the 212 Movement demonstrations in Jakarta. The capital was not like
the Jakarta we once knew. It looked more like Riyadh, where people wear white
Arabic attire.
We
have to do something. The state cannot do it alone, therefore it needs
partners. And the right companions would be the NU and Muhammadiyah. If we
encourage the NU and Muhammadiyah to remain the guardians of pluralism, we will
be safe.
However,
if we let radical groups penetrate the NU and Muhammadiyah, it will be
dangerous because they have thousands of schools, boarding schools and
universities. If their curriculum, teaching materials, books and textbooks are
filled with radical teachings, such as easily labeling others as kafir
(infidels) or declaring other people’s blood halal, it would be dangerous. This
will eventually destroy our pluralism.
Although
I don’t always agree with the NU and Muhammadiyah 100 percent, I can say that
they play an important role in protecting our pluralism. Therefore, I’m
fighting for their nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Who
supports the nomination of the NU and Muhammadiyah for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Those
who can nominate a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize are Nobel Peace Prize
winners, professors or academics of social sciences, international court
justices, legislators or high-ranking government officials and the Nobel Peace
Prize committee.
Around
40 people have signed for the nomination of the NU and Muhammadiyah. They
include Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra, Catholic
priest Franz Magnis-Suseno and many more renowned scholars from Australia,
Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United States and Britain. We have also
former Nobel Peace Prize winners. This is the first time that an Indonesian or
Indonesian institution has registered as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Do
you think people outside Indonesia, especially here in Norway where the Noble
Peace Prize committee is located, know the NU and Muhammadiyah? What are their
chances of winning the prize?
I
understand that people here are not familiar with the NU or Muhammadiyah.
That’s why I brought along representatives of the NU and Muhammadiyah here to
speak.
I
also understand that we have many competitors. But winning is not everything.
Mahatma Gandhi was nominated nine times and he never won the Nobel Prize. But
because of his nominations, his non-violence teachings spread to many parts of the
world. The European Union was nominated 10 times before it won.
We
have nominated the NU and Muhammadiyah. If they don’t win, it’s OK. We can
nominate them again in the future. What’s more important is our efforts to
encourage the NU and Muhammadiyah to maintain their role as the guardians of
pluralism in Indonesia.
If
they win, then they will gain appreciation. They would have a moral obligation
to remain the guardians of pluralism and spread Islamic teachings of pluralism
to a wider audience.
If
they are not known outside of Indonesia, why do you think the Nobel Peace Prize
committee should give the prize to the NU and Muhammadiyah? How can the prize
also benefit people outside Indonesia?
The
world should not look at Islam from the Middle East only but also from
Indonesia as we have the largest Muslim population. They should know that we
promote a more moderate, tolerant and peaceful Islam. They have to understand
that. And they have to help us keep our Islam this way.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2019/07/09/nu-muhammadiyah-for-nobel-guardians-of-pluralism.html
--------
Indonesian
Muslim Delegation Visits Israeli Diamond Exchange
JULY
8, 2019
A
delegation from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce came to Israel to visit the Israeli Diamond
Exchange over the weekend.
The
seven Indonesian representatives were given a tour and met with senior
officials from the Israeli Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan. The Israeli Export
Institute was responsible for the meeting.
The
meeting was led by vice president of the Indonesian Trade Organization Mufti
Hassan who met with Yoram Dvash, president of the Israeli Diamond Exchange.
Dvash
said, “This visit is part of a very important trend of strengthening the ties
of Muslim companies and businessmen with the State of Israel and with
Israelis.”
The
two parties met to discuss cooperation and the establishment of trade relations
between the two countries.
In
2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was time for Israel and
Indonesia to establish diplomatic ties. However, the Republic of Indonesia said
they will not consider normalization with Israel until the Palestinian people
have full independence.
Indonesia
is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and says one of
their main goals while on the council is to “deal with the Palestinian issue.”
Full
report at:
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Indonesian-Muslim-delegation-visits-Israeli-Diamond-Exchange-594977
--------
Muslim
preacher Wan Ji bound for prison as judge rejects sedition appeal, ups sentence
09
July 2019
BY
G. PRAKASH
KUALA
LUMPUR, July — The High Court in Shah Alam rejected today independent Muslim
preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin’s appeal against his conviction for making seditious
remarks against the Sultan of Selangor seven years ago.
Malay
daily Sinar Harian reported that High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman also
increased Wan Ji’s original prison sentence from nine months to a year.
Halim
said Wan Ji’s remarks were clearly insulting to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
“After
taking into consideration the seriousness of the case, the court extends the
jail sentence meted out by the Sessions Court to a year
“As
stated in the charge, this is an extreme act, and we must remember the
principle of the Rukun Negara which is loyalty to king and country.
“Although
as citizens we are given a lot of freedom, it has limits and is subject to laws
and norms,” Halim said in his judgment.
Wan
Ji, 37, through his lawyer, Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin, sought for a stay of the
sentence pending further appeal but the judge said this must come via a formal
application for him to decide.
In
April last year, the Sessions Court sentenced Wan Ji to nine months’ jail over
his Facebook posts in 2012.
He
was charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, which is punishable by
a fine not exceeding RM5,000, a prison term of up to three years, or both.
Wan
Ji, a former member of the Selangor PAS Ulama wing, had reportedly questioned
the status of the sultan as the head of religion.
Full
report at:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2019/07/09/muslim-preacher-wan-ji-bound-for-prison-as-judge-rejects-sedition-appeal-up/1769655
--------
Arab World
Top
Saudi clerics snub Council of Supreme Scholars sessions over corruption: Report
Jul
8, 2019
Three
members of Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority have reportedly been
refusing to attend the council’s sessions in a show of strong protest against
“systematic moral corruption” in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Exiled
academic and political dissident Saeed bin Nasser al-Ghamedi wrote in a post
published on his official Twitter page on Monday that the three members of the
Council of Senior Scholars have declined to take part in the council’s meetings
after they were barred from making mention of systematic moral corruption in
the country.
Even
though Ghamedi did not name the three Saudi scholars, he did not rule out
possible issuance of an order to prevent the trio from attending sessions of
the Council for unknown reasons.
Saudi
Arabia has stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution and conviction
of peaceful dissident writers and human rights campaigners.
Saudi
officials have also intensified crackdown in the country's Shia-populated
Eastern Province.
Eastern
Province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011.
Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of
political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination
against the oil-rich region.
The
protests have been met with a heavy-handed crackdown by the regime, with regime
forces increasing security measures across the province.
Over
the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target
activism.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600475/Top-Saudi-clerics-snub-Council-of-Supreme-Scholars-sessions-over-corruption-Report
--------
Russian-led
assault in Syria leaves over 500 civilians’ dead: rights groups, rescuers
Suleiman
Al-Khalidi
JULY
7, 2019
AMMAN
(Reuters) - At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people
injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern
Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday.
Russian
jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts
of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the
biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his
enemies since last summer.
The
Syrian Network for Human Rights,(SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs
various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks
carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another
2,117 people have been injured.
“The
Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with
a record number of medical facilities bombed,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of
SNHR, told Reuters.
Russia
and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas
with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition
areas say are meant to paralyze every-day life.
Moscow
says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al Qaeda
militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses
rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.
Last
month U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military
operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks
along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in
populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.
Residents
and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and
towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have
been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border
with Turkey.
“Whole
villages and towns have been emptied,” said Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman
Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib
province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015.
On
Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in
western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a
civilian quarter, the civil defense group and witnesses said.
The
heads of 11 major global humanitarian organizations warned at the end of last
month that Idlib stood at the brink of disaster, with 3 million civilian lives
at risk, including 1 million children.
“Too
many have died already” and “even wars have laws” they declared, in the face of
multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools
and markets,” the U.N.-endorsed statement said.
Last
Thursday an aerial strike on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be
bombed durng the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical
access, according to aid groups.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-casualties/russian-led-assault-in-syria-leaves-over-500-civilians-dead-rights-groups-rescuers-idUSKCN1U200Q
--------
Iraqi
paramilitary forces kill two Islamic State terrorists in Nineveh
by Mohammed Ebraheem
Jul
7, 2019
Baghdad
(IraqiNews.com) – An Iraqi paramilitary force said on Sunday that its personnel
killed two Islamic State terrorists during a military operation in Nineveh
province.
In
a press statement carried by Al Sumaria News TV channel, the pro-government
Popular Mobilization Forces said its fighters “killed two militants of the
Islamic State terrorist group” in al-Ba’aj district in Nineveh province as part
of a wide-scale military operation, which was launched earlier in the day on
the country’s border with Syria.
The
Joint Operations Command had launched the “Victory Will” operation on Sunday
morning to pursue Islamic State remnants, who are still at large in Nineveh,
Salahuddin and Anbar provinces.
Iraq
declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017
with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which
was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.
Full
report at:
https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/iraqi-paramilitary-forces-kill-two-islamic-state-terrorists-in-nineveh/
--------
Iraq
begins operation to clear ISIS militants from Syria border
July
7, 2019
Iraq's
security and paramilitary forces on Sunday launched a military operation along
the border with Syria to clear the area of ISIS militants that have remained
since the group's territorial defeat, the military said in a statement.
Although
Iraq declared victory against ISIS in July 2017, the extremists have launched
an insurgency and have carried out deadly attacks in the country.
The
military said the operation that began at sunrise was being carried out by
Iraqi troops and members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces that largely
consist of Iran-backed militias.
It
said the operation will last several days and was the first phase of the Will
of Victory Operation securing the western province of Anbar and the central and
northern regions of Salahuddin and Nineveh.
"We
press on the hands of our heroic forces that will achieve victory with the will
of its heroes against the gangs of Daesh," said Iraqi Prime Minister Adel
Abdul-Mahdi using an Arabic acronym to refer to ISIS. "May God protect you
and make you victorious."
ISIS
once held large parts of Syria and Iraq where it declared a caliphate in 2014.
The extremists lost in March the last territory they controlled in Syria.
Anger
in Sunni areas of Iraq laid the groundwork for ISIS to rise in 2014, when they
captured the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The group's leader Abu Bakr Al
Baghdadi would deliver a sermon from the pulpit of the Al Nuri Mosque in the
city in which he declared a self-proclaimed Islamic state.
The
de facto state attracted thousands of foreign fighters and even through the
group no longer controls any territory, it retains sleeper cells in both Iraq
and Syria. Al Baghdadi is yet to be captured and made a rare appearance on
camera in April. It was his first propaganda video appearance in almost five
years.
Full
report at:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/iraq-begins-operation-to-clear-isis-militants-from-syria-border-1.883541
--------
Egyptian
politicians arrested, accused of working with Muslim Brotherhood
July
7, 2019
CAIRO
— The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced that it had arrested several
politicians and journalists suspected of planning to form a terrorist cell it
named as Amal in cooperation with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is designated
as a terror group by the Egyptian government. The Amal ("Hope")
Alliance is a nascent coaltion of liberal and leftist groups.
In
a June 25 statement, the ministry explained the case also involves the owners
of 19 Egyptian real estate, development and service companies affiliated with
the Brotherhood and with a combined capital of 259 million Egyptian pounds
(about $15 million), which it alleges is intended to finance demonstrations
against the Egyptian government.
The
defendants include Zyad al-Elemy, a former leader of the Egyptian Democratic
Party and a 2012 member of parliament, and Hassan Barbari, the executive
director of the Egyptian Labor Relations Forum, an international human rights
organization.
The
arrests included two politically active journalists, among others. Hossam
Mo’nis is the former leader of the presidential campaign of the 2014
presidential candidate Hamdine Sabah and Hisham Fouad is a leader in the
Revolutionary Socialists movement in Egypt.
Bahi
al-Din Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute For Human Rights Studies, said
that these accusations are baseless. Hassan tweeted June 25 that the defendants
were seeking to establish a political coalition of leftist and liberal forces
to rein in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for 2020.
“[Egypt’s
President] Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is trying to abort the Amal Alliance, which
includes the Civil Democratic Movement, the 25-30 Alliance and the Conservative
Party as well as several liberal and leftist public figures. The alliance was
supposed to be announced within days at a press conference,” Hassan said.
The
Civil Democratic Movement also denounced the arrests. Its June 26 statement
read, “Politicians are being apprehended for their freedom of thought and are
facing fabricated accusations for having the mere intention of running for
elections, which is a new political crime. The Civil Democratic Movement has
nothing to do with the Muslim Brotherhood and everything that has been said in
this context is baseless.”
One
of the human rights lawyers who attended the interrogations with the defendants
but declined to be identified said the questions included the defendants' ties
to the companies mentioned in the Interior Ministry statement. The lawyer told
Al-Monitor that the defendants were asked their opinion of the revolutions of
Jan. 25 and June 30 and their positions on the constitutional amendments
allowing Sisi to remain in power, the Egyptian-Saudi Tiran and Sanafir Islands
deal and Sisi's performance as president, all issues irrelevant to the charges.
Medhat
al-Zahid, the head of the leftist Socialist Popular Alliance Party, told
Al-Monitor that despite the Interior Ministry’s claims, the Amal Alliance
“seeks to build a political coalition that includes a 25-30 parliamentary bloc,
the parties of the Civil Democratic Movement and youth groups, in order to run
in the parliamentary elections.”
Zahid,
who was involved in the effort's planning meetings, added, “The new alliance
was designed to become a guarantee for the people, the state and security and
to open new doors for change against the policies harming the nation.”
A
parliamentarian and member of the 25-30 Alliance told Al-Monitor on condition
of anonymity that the Egyptian security apparatus got in touch with the
founders of the alliance and asked them not to contact former interim vice
president and founder of the Dustour Party Mohamed ElBaradei or to try to get
him to join.
Full
report at:
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/07/muslim-brotherhood-cell-terrorist-parliament-egypt-sisi.html
--------
Iraqi
Forces Cleanse Tens of Regions Along Western Borders with Syria
Jul
08, 2019
The
Command Headquarters of the Joint Iraqi Operations in a statement on Sunday
reported that the massive joint military operation of the Iraqi forces (named
Eradeh al-Nasr) started with the partnership of Hashd al-Sha'abi (popular
forces) and tribal forces in the regions stretching among the Salahuddin,
Nineveh and al-Anbar provinces towards the border with Syria.
The
Arabic-language al-Ma'aloumeh News Website quoted Hashd al-Sha'abi forces as
saying that the first phase of the operation covered Nineveh province from
three directions, and has already resulted in cleaning up more than 28 towns
and villages.
The
commander of headquarters of al-Jazireh Operations, meantime, reported that
during the clean-up operations in Salahuddin at least 16 hideouts were cleaned
up and bombs and military equipment of the terrorists were destroyed, while 15
regions were also cleansed.
Meantime,
the Arabic-language website of the Russian Sputnik news agency quoted joint
military operations command of Eradeh al-Nasr as saying that during the
operation a 10-square-kilometer area behind Iraq's border with Syria has been
cleansed and a military base of the ISIL terrorists was also destroyed in Nineveh
province.
In
a relevant development in late June, a prominent Iraqi security expert warned
of the US plot to transfer the ISIL terrorists to the bordering areas with
Syria in collaboration with the two countries' tribes.
Al-Ma'aloumeh
news website quoted Hossein al-Kanani as saying that the US attempts to
transfer the ISIL terrorists to the bordering areas of Iraq and Syria and build
safe shelters for them through coordination with a number of tribal leaders in
the region.
He
referred to the recent attempts by US Ambassador to Baghdad Matthew Tueller to
meet the Iraqi tribal leaders, and said other goals are also pursued by the
measure, including targeting the Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi popular forces) and
Iraqi security forces in these regions and cutting Tehran-Baghdad-Damascus-Beirut
connections by taking control over the Iraqi-Syrian borders.
Meantime,
a senior official in al-Qiyarah region in the Southern parts of Nineveh
province said that the ISIL terrorists have increased their operations in the
desert areas in the Western parts of the region under the nose of the US planes
and drones that fly over the same regions.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980417000702
--------
Iraqi
Hashd al-Sha’abi forces launch second phase of op along Syria border
Jul
8, 2019
Iraqi
fighters from pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have launched the
second phase of a military operation to purge the vast desert in the country’s
western province of Anbar along the border with Syria of Daesh terrorist group
members.
The
media bureau of the voluntary forces – better known by the Arabic name Hashd
al-Sha’abi –announced in a statement on Monday that the fighters and Iraqi army
troopers, backed by military aircraft, mounted an offensive to flush out
remaining Daesh terrorists in al-Jazeera region.
The
forces added that Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters and government forces were now
heading towards al-‘Awinah area.
The
media bureau of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command later stated that government
troops had destroyed two militant hideouts and as many vehicles rigged with
explosives.
Iraq's
army and the voluntary forces began the first phase of the Will of Victory
Operation early on Sunday, the military said in a statement, adding that the
operation would last several days and was aimed at securing the province of
Anbar and the central and northern regions of Salahuddin and Nineveh.
"We
press on the hands of our heroic forces that will achieve victory with the will
of its heroes against the gangs of Daesh," said Iraqi Prime Minister Adel
Abdul-Mahdi.
"May
God protect you and make you victorious," he added.
Former
Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared the end of military operations
against Daesh in the country on December 9, 2017.
On
July 10 that year, he had formally declared victory over Daesh in Mosul, which
served as the terrorists’ main urban stronghold in Iraq.
In
the run-up to Mosul's liberation, Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd
al-Sha’abi fighters had made sweeping gains against Daesh.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600450/Iraqi-Hashd-alShaabi-forces-launch-second-phase-of-op-to-secure-desert-near-Syria-border
--------
Mideast
UAE
says reducing number of troops in Yemen in strategy shift towards 'peace'
Jul
8, 2019
The
United Arab Emirates says it is reducing the number of its troops fighting as
part of a Saudi-led military coalition which presses ahead with a years-long
atrocious military aggression against the impoverished Yemen.
A
senior Emirati official during a press briefing in Dubai on Monday claimed that
the withdrawal took place because Abu Dhabi was shifting from a military
strategy to a peace plan in Yemen.
"We
do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in (the Red
Sea city of) Hudaydah and reasons that are tactical" in other parts of the
country, he said.
"It
is very much to do with moving from what I would call a military-first strategy
to a peace-first strategy, and this is I think what we are doing," the
official added.
Meanwhile,
an official from Yemen's former Saudi-backed government told AFP that UAE
troops had "totally vacated" the military base in Khokha, located
about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the Yemeni city Hudaydah.
He
went on to say that the UAE had withdrawn part of its heavy artillery from
Khokha but was still overseeing the military situation in Yemen's west coast.
The
Yemeni official also said Emirati troops vacated a military post in Sarwah,
west of Marib province, and pulled back the Patriot missile system that was
previously deployed in the area.
Western
diplomatic sources said in late June that the UAE was scaling back its military
presence in Yemen as worsening US-Iran tensions “threatened security closer to
home.”
Saudi
Arabia has been leading a coalition of its vassal states in waging war on Yemen
since March 2015 to reinstall former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who
resigned from presidency and fled to Riyadh in January 2015 amid popular outcry
over corruption and mismanagement of the economy. Houthi Ansarullah fighters
then took over state matters to prevent the country from descending into chaos.
But
Hadi, who initially fled to Saudi Arabia, started to reclaim a right to power
when Riyadh agreed to form the coalition to drive out the Houthis, whom the
Saudi regime accuses of being “Iranian-backed.”
That
war has been unsuccessful to this day, and reports have revealed cracks in the
coalition in the form of differences between Hadi and the UAE, which has
reportedly gained oversized influence in southern Yemen.
Tensions
between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi — yet to play out in full display — could have
major consequences for the Saudi-led coalition, which has for more than four
years been fighting a war it hoped to finish in a matter of weeks.
In
May,the UAE reportedly deployed dozens of southern separatists on the Yemeni
island of Socotra in the Arabian Sea as divisions grew in the Saudi-led
coalition over Abu Dhabi’s military build-up on the strategic island.
Citing
sources close to Hadi, the Middle East Eye news website earlier said in a
report that Hadi was angry at Emirati
forces for acting “like an occupation power” in Yemen.
The
US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit
conflict-research organization, estimates that the Saudi-led war has claimed
the lives of over 60,000 Yemenis since January 2016.
The
war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying
hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in
dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme
levels of hunger.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600457/Yemen-UAE-Saudi-Arabia-Hodydah-Hadi
--------
Israel's
arrest campaign cannot sap Palestinian nation’s will: Hamas
Jul
8, 2019
The
Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, has condemned the Tel Aviv regime’s
campaign of arrest against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and
Jerusalem al-Quds, describing the move as a desperate attempt to break the will
of the Palestinian nation.
The
movement said in a press statement on Monday that Hamas fighters and leaders
will continue to remain a pioneer in defending the Palestinian nation and its
national cause, stressing that most of the movement’s leaders have spent tens
of years in Israeli jails and have even lost their children in the course of
resistance against the occupying regime of Israel.
Hamas
then called on Palestinians from all walks of life to confront the Occupation
and its arbitrary policies against the Palestinian nation through solid
national unity.
Earlier
in the day, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) said Israeli forces had
detained 27 Palestinians in various parts of the West Bank and Jerusalem
al-Quds.
Israeli
troopers conducted large-scale raids across the northern West Bank city of
Jenin, detaining 13 former prisoners.
Israeli
forces rounded up five Palestinians after storming their houses in the East
Jerusalem al-Quds neighborhood of al-Isawiyah.
The
other Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank cities of Qalqilyah,
Ramallah, Bethlehem and al-Khalil besides the towns of Silwad, Biddu, Tuqu’,
al- Khadr and al- Dhahiriyah.
More
than 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly held at Israeli jails. Hundreds of the
inmates have apparently been incarcerated under the practice of administrative
detention, a policy under which Palestinian inmates are kept in Israeli
detention facilities without trial or charge.
Some
Palestinian prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to
eleven years.
Palestinian
inmates regularly stage hunger strikes in protest at the administrative
detention policy and their harsh prison conditions in Israeli jails.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600460/Israeli-arrest-campaign-cannot-sap-Palestinian-nations-will-Hamas
--------
Want
to support victims of torture? Put the squeeze on Iran
07/06/19
June
26 marked the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, commemorated
on the anniversary of the implementation of the United Nations Convention
against Torture. For many imprisoned Iranians, it was yet another day of
torture by the country’s repressive regime, which has never signed the
Convention. If free democracies want to walk the walk in opposing torture, they
should increase economic and political pressure on Tehran to stop this barbaric
practice.
The
Iranian authorities employ a grotesque menagerie of physical and psychological
torture methods. They inflict bodily harm through beating; burning; cutting;
electrocution; placement into stress positions; sleep deprivation; denial of
medical care; and rape, including “virginity” and “sodomy” tests. And they
torment victims’ minds through prolonged solitary confinement, mock executions,
threats of rape, and claims that family members are being tortured nearby.
Torture,
which pervades the judicial process from beginning to end, serves many purposes
for the Iranian regime. It deters Iranians from protesting for their rights in
the first place. As one student who feared attending demonstrations remarked,
“Before, you might be afraid that they would take you to jail for the day. Now,
you are afraid that they will beat you and cut you.”
Additionally,
Iranian courts routinely accept coerced confessions, incentivizing torture to
secure convictions — and sometimes death sentences — for crimes real or
imagined. Last September, the regime executed three young Kurdish Iranians. UN
human rights monitors claimed the three were compelled to “confess” after being
beaten, put in stress positions, and threatened with rape. Just two months ago,
Tehran executed two 17-year-old boys after reportedly flogging them until they
“confessed.”
Not
content with using torture to aid prosecutions, the regime employs it to punish
the convicted, including by executing them. Capital-punishment methods include
stoning, throwing them from a height to their deaths, and even hanging from
cranes — a punishment in which, as Vice reports, “the condemned is slowly
lifted from the ground by his neck and left to dangle in the noose” and
consequently “[i]t can take more than 20 minutes to die.” Punishments for
lesser crimes include blinding, amputation, and flogging.
The
U.S. and other Western countries should act against Iran’s use of torture not
only out of commitment to human rights, but because the regime is using this
tactic against Americans and other Westerners. Tehran held American journalist
Jason Rezaian hostage for two-and-a-half years, subjecting him to solitary
confinement, sleep deprivation, and a lack of medical care. Former U.S. marine
Amir Hekmati was whipped, tasered, hit with batons, put in stress positions,
sleep deprived, and force-fed and then deprived of addictive medication so that
he would suffer the effects of withdrawal.
Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British aid worker held hostage since 2016, is serving a
five-year sentence on spurious charges of seeking to overthrow the regime. She
spent months in solitary confinement — and the authorities extorted 6,000
British pounds from her family by threatening to send her back into solitary. Her
husband said that her treatment amounts to “psychological torture.” She and her
husband recently engaged in a hunger strike to demand her release.
Unfortunately,
however, while the U.S. and European Union issued routine annual statements on
June 26 condemning the use of torture, both have failed to follow up on their
words with action.
In
practice, the EU has chosen money over human lives. The 2015 nuclear deal paved
the way for European companies to do business with Iran. European governments
are so desperate not to rock the boat that they have not sanctioned even one
new Iranian official for human rights abuses since the pact was finalized —
even after the imprisonment of European citizens like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
— including 40 individuals and entities already sanctioned by the U.S.
Instead,
they are sprinting to grease trade with Iran by injecting a credit line of
several million euros into a new mechanism, known as INSTEX, designed to
facilitate transactions while avoiding U.S. sanctions. Such trade could
generate billions of dollars for the regime, including its torture-happy
judicial system.
The
U.S., to its credit, has increased economic pressure on the regime, restoring
and increasing sanctions to deter European trade. Yet while the Trump administration
touts its “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, it hasn’t sanctioned many of the
regime’s human rights abusers — including more than 60 officials sanctioned
years ago by the EU. And it hasn’t included an end to all violations of human
rights in its 12 requirements for a new deal.
The
Europeans and Americans can still reverse their ignominious course and do more
to stand up for victims of Iranian torture. The Europeans should terminate
Instex and work with the U.S. to harmonize and expand their human-rights
sanctions lists. They should also join the U.S. in demanding a new deal with
Iran that would lift sanctions only in exchange for Tehran ceasing the totality
of its malign behavior, including torture and other violations of the Iranian
people’s human rights.
Full
report at:
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/451823-want-to-support-victims-of-torture-put-the-squeeze-on-iran
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Radio
Station in War-Torn Yemen Raises $132,000 for Hezbollah
By
Mohammed Hatem
July
6, 2019
A
fundraising campaign on a Yemeni radio station affiliated with Iran-backed
Houthi rebels has collected 73.5 million Yemeni rials for the Lebanese militant
group Hezbollah.
The
campaign on the Sam FM station solicited donations from listeners in the Arab
world’s poorest nation from May 25 to July 5, reported the rebel-held Saba news
agency. It was the radio’s third fundraising campaign and the first for
Hezbollah. Saba cited the value of the funds as equaling $132,000, likely using
a black market rate for the currency.
Full
report at:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-06/radio-station-in-war-torn-yemen-raises-132-000-for-hezbollah
--------
Houthis
kill 10 in attacks in Hodeida, Yemen officials say
07.07.2019
Yemeni
officials and witnesses say rebel attacks have killed at least 10
pro-government forces in the key port city of Hodeida.
They
say the clashes, which flared up Wednesday, wounded at least seven civilians
when shells hit their residential areas in the contested Red Sea city.
The
officials demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief
reporters. Witnesses asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Yemen's
internationally recognized government accused the Houthi rebels of using U.N.
facilities in Hodeida to attack its forces. It says the attack killed at least
10 troops, and wounded 20 others.
The
Houthis claimed in May to have completed the long-delayed redeployment of their
forces from Hodeida ports under a December cease-fire agreement. Yemen's
internationally recognized government has accused the Houthis of handing the
ports over to allied fighters.
Full
report at:
https://www.dailysabah.com/mideast/2019/07/07/houthis-kill-10-in-attacks-in-hodeida-yemen-officials-say
--------
Yemen:
Houthis Commit 18,000 Human Rights Violations in 6 Months
6
July, 2019
Houthis'
violations of human rights had escalated this year in Sanaa and other areas
under their control, confirmed security and human rights sources in Sanaa.
They
said militias committed about 18,000 violations over the past six months, basing
their information on reports from state facilities.
The
violations varied between killings, kidnappings, house raids, confiscation of
properties, and arbitrary arrests at the checkpoints deployed in streets and
roads between the provinces.
Human
rights organizations expressed their deep concern over the Houthi escalation
against civilians and innocent people, especially women and children.
They
asserted that such actions oppose human rights and constitute a flagrant
violation of international conventions and laws, as well as the customs and
traditions of the Yemeni society.
Sam
Organization for Rights and Liberties issued last week a report documenting
violations of arbitrary detention and psychological and physical torture of
women in Yemen.
The
organization said Houthis had formed a women's security apparatus, tasked with
breaking into homes, arresting, and luring women in order to gather
information.
President
of SAM Organization Tawfiq al-Humaidi indicated that while women hold a special
status in Yemen, they lost that with Houthis’ control over Sanaa and other
cities and are being subjected to gross violations of human rights, norms, and
values.
The
report pointed out that women detentions included deserted places - used for
interrogation and psychological torture, homes of citizens who were forced to
leave, and police departments controlled by Houthis.
Female
detainees were subjected to severe torture and cruel treatment, prompting them
to try to commit suicide.
The
report contained testimonies of victims, their relatives, and eyewitnesses who
have spoken of serious violations in Houthi militias prisons, including police
and military prisons.
The
coup militias fabricate charges and evidence such as pictures and videos during
the abduction period in secret prisons before being transferred to public
prisons for torture and extortion.
Yemen’s
Organization for Combating Human Trafficking (YOCHT) asserted that 120 women
from Sanaa were arrested, most of which were detained in the criminal
investigation facilities in Sanaa. The organization based its accusations on
reports it received from within the Yemeni capital.
The
actual number of Houthi violations against women in their areas of control is
much more than the declared figures because most Yemeni families refrain from
reporting any violation so that they are not slandered, according to the head
of The Association of Yemeni Abductee Mothers Amat al-Salam al-Haj.
Haj
told Asharq Al-Awsat that the number of kidnappings and imprisonment of women
and children escalated this year, accusing Houthis of systematically and
physically torturing women, defaming many of them, and accusing them of
unethical charges contrary to Yemeni custom and traditions.
Houthi
militias arrested hundreds through its secret security force, known as
“preventative security”, including leaders of the Popular Congress Party and a
number of figures affiliated with the group in Sanaa, Dhamar, and Ibb on
charges of “treason and treachery”, according to human rights sources.
Full
report at:
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1800416/yemen-houthis-commit-18000-human-rights-violations-6-months
--------
Arab
Coalition intercepts, destroys Houthi drone targeting Saudi Arabia
9
July 2019
The
Arab Coalition said on Monday that its forces intercepted and destroyed a drone
launched by the Houthi militia toward Saudi Arabia.
The
spokesperson of the Arab Coalition, Col. Turki al-Maliki, said that the drone
failed to reach its target inside Saudi Arabia.
“The
attempts of the Houthi militia to continue targeting civilians and public
facilities will be constantly confronted and neutralized in accordance with
international humanitarian law and its customary rules,” al-Maliki said in a
statement.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/07/09/Coalition-intercepts-destroys-drone-launched-by-Houthi-toward-Saudi-Arabia.html
--------
Turkey
orders arrest of 176 military personnel over suspected Gulen links
9
July 2019
Turkey
has ordered the arrest of 176 serving military personnel over suspected links
to the network which Ankara says was behind an attempted coup three years ago,
the Istanbul chief prosecutors' office said on Tuesday.
Among
those facing arrest were a colonel, two lieutenant colonels, five majors, seven
captains and 100 lieutenants in an operation encompassing the army, air force
and navy, the statement said.
Ankara
says US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen masterminded the failed putsch on
July 15, 2016. He has denied any involvement.
In
the three-year purge since the coup attempt, more than 77,000 people have been
jailed pending trial and about 150,000 civil servants, military personnel and
others have been sacked or suspended from their jobs.
Turkey's
Western allies and rights groups have criticized the scale of the crackdown,
saying President Tayyip Erdogan has used the abortive coup as a pretext to
quash dissent.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2019/07/09/Turkey-orders-arrest-of-176-military-personnel-over-suspected-Gulen-links.html
--------
UAE
official says redistribution of troops in Yemen is for ‘tactical reasons’
9
July 2019
An
official from the United Arab Emirates has said that that they have begun a
plan regarding the redistribution of its troops in Yemen for “strategic and tactical”
reasons and that the move was coordinated with coalition partner Saudi Arabia.
The
agency quoted the official as saying the UAE was moving from “military first
strategy to a peace first strategy.”
“Our
discussion over our redeployment has been ongoing for over a year and it has
been heightened after the signing of the Stockholm agreement in December,” the
official told reporters in Dubai according to Reuters.
“It
makes a lot of sense for us to redeploy away from Hodeidah. By connection,
Assab in Eritrea has also been affected because it was a staging ground for our
operations in Hodeidah,” the official said, adding that troop movements in
other areas of Yemen are “tactical and based on our needs.”
UAE-based
newspaper The National said the Emirati official did not provide details
regarding the redistribution of troops in Yemen but said that their troop
numbers were “definitely down” and there had been a movement of equipment.
Asked
by Reuters regarding the UAE’s decision to redistribute troops, the spokesman
for the Arab Coalition said member countries played different roles and
contributed whatever capabilities they could.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2019/07/09/UAE-official-says-redistribution-of-troops-in-Yemen-is-for-tactical-reasons-.html
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Iran
summons Nigeria chargé d'affaires over Zakzaky situation
Jul
8, 2019
Iran’s
Foreign Ministry says it has summoned Nigeria’s chargé d'affaires to the
country to express concern over reports of Nigerian Muslim leader Sheikh
Ibrahim al-Zakzaky’s deteriorating health condition.
Ministry
Spokesman Abbas Mousavi announced the summoning on Monday, describing Zakzaki
as a “eruditely and distinguished figure.”
“We
hope that the efforts that are being taken [towards bettering Mr. Zakzaky’s
condition] yield result and he recovers his health,” Moussavi said.
The
66-year-old leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has been in detention
since December 2015 following a crackdown by Nigerian forces against the
African nation’s Muslim community.
He
has reportedly sustained serious injury resulting from brutal treatment by
security forces that has cost him his left eye.
The
crackdown also took the lives of three of his sons and 300 of his followers.
In
2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from
jail following a trial.
However,
he was charged in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly,
disruption of public peace, and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/07/08/600481/Iran-Nigerian-Muslim-leader-Zakzaky-charg-daffaires-summoned
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Israel
says it shot down drone that crossed from Gaza
July
09, 2019
JERUSALEM:
Israel’s military said it had shot down a drone that crossed into its territory
from the Gaza Strip.
The
military says it recovered the downed drone and took it in for examination
Monday.
There
was no comment from Gaza. Its Hamas leaders are known to have developed a drone
program with Iranian help.
The
drones are typically used for reconnaissance along the Israeli-Gaza border and
it was unclear if they have potential to carry out attacks. The incident comes
amid low-level tensions along the border as Israel and Gaza are still trying to
maintain an informal long-term truce between them.
Recent
protests have included Palestinian youths launching incendiary balloons toward
Israeli farmland.
Others
have approached the heavily guarded fence at several locations and clashed with
Israeli troops.
In
another development, an Israeli court has ruled that the Palestinian Authority
should be held responsible for 17 anti-Israeli attacks committed by
Palestinians between 1996 and 2002.
The
ruling came in response to a complaint filed on behalf of victims demanding 1
billion shekels (€250 million, $280 million) in compensation, according to a
Justice Ministry statement.
The
amount is to be decided by the court at a later date, it said.
The
Palestinian Authority refused to participate in the case at Israel’s Jerusalem
district court and it is unclear how the judgment would be enforced.
Late
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Marwan Barghouti, serving five life
sentences in an Israeli jail for allegedly organizing a series of killings of
Israelis, were also held responsible by the court.
“It
is a historic victory that finds that the Palestinian Authority is responsible
for attacks during the second intifada,” said lawyer Nitzana Darshan-Leitner of
Israeli NGO Shourat Hadin, which represented the victims and wages legal
battles worldwide against what it calls “Israel’s enemies.”
The
second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, lasted from 2000 to 2005.
Full
report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1522846/middle-east
--------
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