36 Years After 72, all Muslims, Were Killed In UP, All 39 Accused Acquitted; Carnage Had Taken Place On May 23, 1987
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 April 2023
THE HASHIMPURA MASSACRE WAS MASS MURDER INCIDENT OF
MUSLIMS, WHICH TOOK PLACE ON 22 MAY 1987 NEAR MEERUT IN UTTAR PRADESH, DURING
THE 1987 VIOLENCE. [PHOTO: HERITAGETIMESIN/ PRAVEEN JAIN]
----------
• Gujarat Court Acquits 26 People Accused Of Gangrape
and murder of over a dozen Muslims During The 2002 Riots
• British Library in London Hosts 'Open Iftar' For
Interfaith Unity In Ramadan
• Donald Trump’s Son-In-Law, Jared Kushner's Firm
Received $200 Millions From UAE, Qatar: Report
• General Bajwa Put Pressure On Me To Restore Ties With
India: Imran Khan
India
• Same-Sex Marriage Against Quran: Jamiat's Plea In SC
• Muslim Cattle Trader, Idrees Pasha, Beaten To Death By Cow Vigilantes, About
150km From Bangalore
• Right-Wing Leader Kajal Singhala’s Hate Speech
Rouses Communal Tension In Gujarat’s Una
• Northeast Delhi riots: Court frames charges against
5 for setting mosque on fire
• Ramzan: Hyderabad hotels no longer cover up to avoid
gaze of fasting Muslims
• NCP Muslim Leader Syed Abdul Qadir Maulana Joins K
Chandrasekhar Rao In Big Maharashtra Joining
--------
Europe
• London’s Police Call On More Muslims To Join Service
Amid Negative Criticism
• Over 1,000 Afghans trapped in Pakistan awaiting UK
travel, report finds
• Over 50% Of Swedes Support Ban On Quran Burning
--------
North America
• Argentina sends humanitarian donations to Türkiye:
Foreign Ministry
--------
Pakistan
• Commerce Ministry Terms Rumours Of Pak-Israel Trade
‘Sheer Propaganda’
• Pakistan Says ‘Terrorists’ Operating From Iran Kill
Four Soldiers
• Militant attacks drop by 36pc in country as death
toll stays same
• Pakistan to place order for Russian oil next month:
Minister
• Three killed as mild earthquake hits Pakistan's
Balochistan province
• LHC to take up Imran’s plea seeking dismissal of 121
cases tomorrow
--------
Mideast
• Hamas: Ben-Gvir’s ‘Private Militia’ Plan Lays Bare
Israel’s Racist, Fascist Nature
• British cities hold Palestine rallies, demand
closure of Israeli arms factories in UK
• Spokesman: Iran Reserves Right to Retaliate Israeli
Regime's Terrorist Attacks
• Iranian, Saudi FMs Fix Meeting for Coming Days
• Israel says it downed unidentified aircraft that
appeared to come from Syria
• Israeli army kills suspected assailant after West
Bank car ramming
• General strike held in occupied territories over
Israeli killing of Palestinian near al-Aqsa Mosque
--------
South Asia
• Taliban Intelligence Arrests Perpetrator of
Afghanistan’s Balkh Explosions
• Two Children Killed in Afghanistan Mortar Mine Blast
• Unemployment, poverty forces hundreds of Afghans to
flee abroad
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysian Foreign Ministry Condemns Repeated Vile
Attacks Against Quran In Denmark
• Experts: Higher spending this Ramadan, but only
because cost of living has increased
--------
Arab World
• Car Bombing Hits Syria’s Capital, No Deaths
Reported: State Media
• Saudi Arabia, UAE, Other OPEC+ Oil Producers
Announce Voluntary Output Cuts
• Five Syrian Soldiers Wounded InIsraeli Air Strike
Near Homs: SANA
• Syria foreign minister makes first Egypt visit in over
10 years
• Saudi ministry advises Umrah pilgrims not to carry
large sums of cash, warns of fraud
• Etidal finds 6m extremist posts on Telegram in three
months
• Jordan’s crown prince arrives in Saudi Arabia
--------
Africa
• Jordan King Says Muslims Have ‘Duty To Deter Israeli
Escalation’ In Jerusalem
• Algeria Rejects Foreign Military Intervention In
Region For ‘Fighting Terrorism’
• Focus Your Sermons On How To Reform Practice Of Islam
– UNILAG Imam Tells Islamic Clerics
• Libya rejects UN report on violations of migrant
rights
• Burkina Faso expels correspondents of French
newspapers: Reports
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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36 Years After 72, all Muslims, Were Killed In UP, All
39 Accused Acquitted; Carnage Had Taken Place On May 23, 1987
TNN | Apr 3, 2023
THE HASHIMPURA MASSACRE WAS MASS MURDER INCIDENT OF
MUSLIMS, WHICH TOOK PLACE ON 22 MAY 1987 NEAR MEERUT IN UTTAR PRADESH, DURING
THE 1987 VIOLENCE. [PHOTO: HERITAGETIMESIN/ PRAVEEN JAIN]
------------
MEERUT: More than three decades - and 900 hearings -
after the massacre in which 72 people, all Muslims, were killed at Malyana on
the outskirts of Meerut, a local court has acquitted all the 39 accused.
Sachin Mohan, additional district counsel, told TOI,
"The court of additional district judge (court 6) Lakhvinder Singh Sood on
Friday let off 39 accused as the prosecution could not produce enough evidence
to prove their involvement in the case."
There were a total of 93 accused, of which 23 had died
in the last 36 years of trial and 31 "could not be traced".
The carnage had taken place on May 23, 1987, when
hundreds of locals accompanied by a huge contingent of the Provincial Armed
Constabulary, had entered Malyana, with guns and swords. All five entry points
of the locality were allegedly blocked, and the massacre followed, claiming 72
lives. According to eyewitnesses, "death was raining from all sides and no
one was spared, including children and women."
"One burning child was thrown on a rickshaw while
the charred body of a young woman clutching her two children was found inside
her burnt dwelling. Eleven members of a single family were shot and thrown into
a well," a witness told TOI on Sunday.
Alauddin Siddiqui, the lawyer from the aggrieved side,
said, "It is an abrupt decision at a time when proceedings were still on.
Hearing on the 34 post-mortems had not taken place and the accused had not been
examined under Section 313 of CrPC (power of court to examine accused to
explain evidence adduced against him). We will appeal in the HC."
Additional district counsel Mohan refuted the charges,
saying, "There were several reasons spelled out for the acquittal. First,
police had not conducted an identification parade of the accused. Secondly,
police had allegedly put 93 random names from the voter list, including those
who had died years prior to the carnage. Then, no weapon was recovered from the
site."
Survivor: Was carnage a figment of imagination?
Many residents of Malyana termed the verdict of a
local court in Meerut acquitting all 39 accused in the 1987 massacre as "a
big setback". Mohd Yaqub, 63, one of the survivors who had filed the FIR
in the case, said, "I could not sleep the whole night after hearing news
of the verdict. It has broken our resolve to fight. The macabre dance of death
occurred right in front of our eyes. Entire families were wiped out. Yet, we
have to keep our faith in the judiciary. Was this carnage a figment of our
imagination?"
Residents recalled that tension had been brewing in
the area for several weeks before the massacre. On April 14, 1987, during the
local Nauchandi fair, a cop on duty was struck by a firecracker after which he
allegedly opened fire and two Muslims were killed. Another incident near the
Hashimpura crossing in Meerut added fuel to the fire when an altercation over
film songs being played at a religious function led to a clash between Hindu
and Muslim groups that snowballed into arson, looting and rioting.
Then, on May 22, 1987, a day before the Malyana
carnage, another massacre took place in which 42 Muslims were rounded up by
personnel from the PAC from the Hashimpura area in Meerut, taken to Upper Ganga
canal at Muradnagar in Ghaziabad, shot and thrown into the water body.
The verdict in the Hashimpura massacre was delivered
by a Delhi court in 2018, leading to the conviction of 16 ex-PAC men.
But in the Malyana verdict, the role of the PAC men
has not even been mentioned, Yaqub, who filed the original complaint, said.
"I was one of those who were rounded up and
mercilessly beaten as the massacre was still on in which without any
provocation, the PAC men began attacking houses while the mob indulged in
looting and rioting," he said, adding that his ribs were broken and he was
in intense pain. "I was made to sign the police complaint and didn't even
know what was written in it. It was quite later I came to know 93 Hindus had
been named in the FIR and there was no mention of PAC personnel at all,"
he said.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Gujarat Court Acquits 26 People Accused Of Gangrape
and murder of over a dozen Muslims During The 2002 Riots
03.04.23,
The acquittals come eight months after 11 lifers,
convicted of gang-raping a pregnant Bilkis Bano and killing seven members of
her family during the 2002 violence, had their sentences remitted by the
Gujarat government and were released.
File Photo
--------------
A Gujarat court has acquitted for want of evidence all
the 26 people accused in connection with a gang rape and the murder of over a
dozen Muslims in separate incidents in Kalol during the 2002 riots.
The witness accounts contained contradictions and
failed to support the prosecution’s arguments, additional sessions judge
LeelabhaiChudasama said on Friday while delivering the verdict in Halol,
Panchmahal district.
The acquittals come eight months after 11 lifers,
convicted of gang-raping a pregnant Bilkis Bano and killing seven members of
her family during the 2002 violence, had their sentences remitted by the
Gujarat government and were released. The matter is before the Supreme
Court.
Of the 39 accused in the Kalol atrocities, 13 had died
during the two-decade pendency of the case.
On March 1, 2002, more than 2,000 people from two
communities had clashed with sharp weapons and inflammable objects in Kalol
city, Gandhinagar district, according to the FIR.
They vandalised and burnt down shops. A man injured in
police firing was being taken to hospital when the vehicle was torched and he
was burnt alive.
Another man was attacked and killed while he was
coming out of a mosque and his body was burnt inside the mosque. In another
incident, 38 people fleeing Delol village and coming towards Kalol were
attacked, and 11 of them were burnt alive. A woman was gang-raped while she and
others were trying to escape, the FIR says. The prosecution examined 190
witnesses and furnished 334 documents.
Source: TelegraphIndia
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original story:
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British Library in London Hosts 'Open Iftar' For
Interfaith Unity In Ramadan
APR 02, 2023
Mass iftar program held in British Library, London,
U.K., March 31, 2023. (AA Photo)
--------------
The British Library in London organized an Open Iftar
event on Friday, which is a community gathering during the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan where people of different backgrounds and faiths come together to break
their fast.
These events are typically arranged by Muslim
communities to promote interfaith dialogue and foster understanding and unity
among communities.
People gathered for the fast-breaking meal at one of
the world's largest libraries as part of the event hosted by the Ramadan Tent
Project, an award-winning charity founded in 2013.
After the call to prayer was called, Muslims broke
their fast at the library which was followed by a congregational prayer.
Councillor Nasim Ali, mayor of Camden, and Jerry
Shillito, head of operations at the British Library, were among the attendees.
The project organized a fast-breaking meal last week
in London at the famous Victoria and Albert Museum and Chelsea's stadium,
Stamford Bridge.
Open Iftar returned to the British Library to mark
Ramadan, according to Omar Salha, founder of the Ramadan Tent Project.
Two of the four original copies of the Magna Carta are
kept at the British Library.
Ramadan began on March 23 and will continue through
April 21 – the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the
month.
The Ramadan Tent Project was started to bring
communities together and spread the spirit of the holy month through various
initiatives.
The Project said earlier it will hold iftar events in
10 cities across the U.K. during the holy month.
Source:DailySabah
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Donald Trump’s Son-In-Law, Jared Kushner's Firm
Received $200 Millions From UAE, Qatar: Report
01 April 2023
Then-senior adviser Jared Kushner, with Saudi
officials, including Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, at a meeting at the
White House in 2018. (File photo)
-----------------
Former US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared
Kushner's private equity firm, Affinity Partners, has received $200 million
from a UAE wealth fund, and a similar amount from a Qatari entity.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Kushner
received hundreds of millions from the two Persian Gulf Arab countries for his
firm.
According to people with knowledge of the matter, the
two Arab states joined Saudi Arabia in backing the venture launched by Kushner
as he left the White House.
The oil and gas-rich Persian Gulf monarchies' payments
to Kushner reflect the continued efforts by Trump's close allies and relatives
to cash in from the close ties they built with the wealthy Arab states during
his presidency and the desire of leaders in the region to remain on good terms
with Kushner as his father-in-law seeks the presidency again.
The Times reported that two sources with knowledge
about the transactions said the Emiratis invested more than $200 million with
Kushner’s firm, Affinity Partners.
According to the two people with knowledge of that
deal, a Qatari entity invested a similar sum with the firm.
The money given by the UAE came through a sovereign
wealth fund, but the identity of the Qatari investor is unclear.
However, top Emirati officials are also said to have
close ties with Kushner, which were forged during the Trump administration.
In 2018, during the Trump presidency, a Qatar-linked
company helped bail out Kushner’s infamous debt-ridden building in midtown
Manhattan, 666 Fifth Avenue.
US top-ranking officials and politicians from both
parties often benefit financially from deals abroad after leaving government
service, particularly in the Middle East.
Despite few laws or ethics guidelines prohibiting
Americans from profiting from the wealth of the Arab countries, the sheer
enormity and timing of the investments in Kushner’s firm have raised eyebrows
in Washington.
To put it in perspective, the investments are not
especially large coming from energy-rich countries whose sovereign wealth funds
manage hundreds of billions of dollars in assets. And they are far smaller than
the commitment made earlier by the main Saudi sovereign wealth fund, a $650
billion entity known as the Public Investment Fund, which, as The New York
Times has reported, invested $2 billion with Kushner in 2021. Affinity Partners
has confirmed that the Public Investment Fund was backing it without giving
details on the amount. Updated disclosures are likely to show that Affinity
Partners now manages roughly $3 billion, according to a person familiar with
the matter.
However, investments in Kushner's firm were made
despite the panel that screens investments for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund
voting unanimously against investing in Kushner's company, citing the
"inexperience" of its management, an asset management fee that
"seems excessive," and other “unsatisfactory” aspects of the new
company.
Meanwhile, the lucrative money ties between the Saudi
leadership and Kushner raise legal and ethical concerns, particularly if Trump
becomes president again.
The Republican former president had created close ties
with the Saudi rulers during his tenure at the White House and aligned his
administration’s Mideast policy more closely with the kingdom. Kushner
facilitated the undertakings by cultivating a personal friendship with the
Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud,
the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
As president, Trump's first official visit abroad,
which had been arranged by Kushner, was to Riyadh. During the trip, Trump
unveiled a multi-billion dollar arms deal, which had also been negotiated by
Kushner.
Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), who in
2022 was chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, opened an
investigation into whether Kushner had traded on his government position to
secure the Saudi investment in his venture.
Maloney wrote to Kushner asking, "whether your
personal financial interests improperly influenced US foreign policy during the
administration of your father-in-law, former President Trump." Kushner
denied any wrongdoing.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/01/700797/US-Kushner-UAE-Qatar-Investment-Trump-son-in-law
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General Bajwa put pressure on me to restore ties with
India: Imran Khan
Apr 2, 2023
Pakistan former prime minister Imran Khan
-----------
NEW DELHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman
Imran Khan has said former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had pressurised him to
restore friendship with India, the media reported.
Bajwa wanted friendship with India and put pressure on
him for this, Khan was quoted as saying by The News.
Bajwa said something one day and retracted it the next
day. His accountability should be initiated within the army, he said.
Answering a question about the general elections, the
PTI chairman said if the elections were not held in 90 days, there would be no
Constitution left in the country and then he would take direct action.
Earlier this month, Pakistan again denied it was
holding any "backchannel" talks with bordering India but reiterated
its desire for a peaceful neighbourhood, The Express Tribune reported.
"At this stage, there is no back channel (talks)
between Pakistan and India," said Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch while responding to a question at a weekly briefing, The Express Tribune
reported.
Relations between the two neighbouring countries have
remained at a standstill for the last many years.
Pakistan had not only downgraded diplomatic ties but
suspended bilateral trade with India.
However, there was a chance of a possible thaw in ties
when two countries engaged in backchannel talks in 2021. The secret meetings
between senior security officials of Pakistan and India in the UAE led to the
renewal of ceasefire understanding along the Line of Control (LoC) in February
2021, The Express Tribune reported.
The next move was to restore bilateral trade but the
process came to a halt when the government of then premier Khan turned down the
decision to import sugar and cotton from India.
Some reports later claimed that backchannel talks even
discussed the possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
Same-sex
marriage against Quran: Jamiat's plea in SC
Apr
3, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Sunday moved the Supreme Court protesting against
petitions seeking legalization of same-sex marriage, terming it anti-Quran, and
put its weight behind the Union government to remind the judiciary to not transgress
into legislative domain by normalizing a western concept that hits at the basic
structure of marriage, procreation and family.
The
SC on March 13 had said the petitions seeking validation of same-sex marriage
raise a "seminal issue" and used its powers under Article 145(3) of
the Constitution to refer it to a five-judge bench to adjudicate the
constitutionality of the claim by petitioners belonging to LGBTQIA+ community.
Jamiat,
in its petition filed through advocate MR Shamshad, said, "Islam's prohibition
of homosexuality has been categorical from the dawn of the religion. From the
primary religious text, the Holy Quran, to the embargos placed through the
teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, the primary legislator, and to the
interpretations available in thework on the Islamic teachings on gender
relations and sexuality; the position of Islam with respect to the prohibition
on homosexuality is undisputed and established."
It
said genderis one of the crucial factors in Islamic law relating to maintenance,
inheritance, guardianship, custody, etc. "Theologically, the rulings with
respect to the dress code, prayer to even mannerisms differ according to
gender. These distinctions are crucial to Islam to such an extent that Prophet
Muhammad had cursed men who purposely imitate women and women who purposely
imitate men," it added.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Muslim
Cattle Trader, Idrees Pasha, Beaten To
Death By Cow Vigilantes, About 150km From Bangalore
K.M.
Rakesh | Bangalore
03.04.23
A
Muslim cattle trader has been beaten to death allegedly by cow vigilantes in
BJP-ruled Karnataka, weeks after a state minister described the May 10 Assembly
elections as a “battle between cow protectors and cow slaughterers”.
Idrees
Pasha, 38, was on Saturday morning found dead on a roadside in Sathanur village
of Ramanagara district, about 150km from Bangalore, local police said.
The
police, who have registered a murder case, said a group of five vigilantes had
allegedly stopped Pasha’s cattle-laden truck in Sathanur on Friday night and
assaulted its three occupants.
Syed
Zaheer, one of Pasha’s two companions who survived the alleged attack, said the
vigilantes refused to let the truck go even after Pasha told them he had papers
to prove he had bought the animals at a cattle market. He said the assailants
asked the trio to “go to Pakistan”.
Zaheer
has in the FIR named the leader of the attackers as Puneet Kerehalli, a
well-known local cow vigilante, police sources said. All five are in hiding.
According
to Zaheer, the truck had left Mandya around 9pm on Friday with the cattle. It
was intercepted by the vigilantes some 130km away in Sathanur, around 11.40pm.
The
other survivor has been identified as Irfan. The truck is in police custody.
The
discovery of Pasha’s body led to local people blocking the road and demanding
immediate arrests.
The
accused have been booked on charges of murder, wrongful restraint, and
intentional insult to provoke breach of peace.
The
incident comes at a time the RSS-BJP has been accused of trying to polarise
voters ahead of the state polls, with its leaders making incendiary comments
and highlighting divisive issues such as “love jihad”, conversions, and a ban
on Muslim vendors at temple festivals.
In
February-end, state animal husbandry minister Prabhu Chavan had declared: “This
election is a battle between cow protectors and cow slaughterers…. The Congress
and its leaders are more interested in slaughtering our cows and culture.”
While
attacks by cow vigilantes on people buying, selling or transporting cattle have
been concentrated in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, they
have been witnessed in other parts of Karnataka too.
Such
vigilantism has received a boost with the state government enacting a stringent
cattle slaughter law, first as an ordinance and later as an act, since 2020.
The
earlier 1964 law prohibited the slaughter of cows, she buffaloes and calves of
both species and either gender. But the new law bans the slaughter of oxen and
bulls as well, while allowing the slaughter of buffaloes of both genders if
certified as at least 15 years old.
Source:
TelegraphIndia
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Right-Wing
Leader Kajal Singhala’s Hate Speech Rouses Communal Tension In Gujarat’s Una
2nd
April 2023
Right-wing
leader Kajal Singhala alias Kajal Hindusthani made an Islamophobic hate speech
targetting Muslim women by listing out the ‘benefits’ of marrying into a Hindu
household.
Speaking
at a recently concluded Ram Navami event organised by the Bajrang Dal and
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, she said that
Muslim women will gain a lot of freedom if married to a Hindu man.
“I
appeal to my Muslim sisters that if you get married to a Hindu man, there will
be no co-wives to handle as well as you will not be treated as a child-bearing
machine,” she said.
Amid
slogans and cheers, she added, “You (Muslim women) will be protected by Hindu
men of the family. No one can force or have incest with you.”
Kajal
remarked on the burqa by saying Muslim women are free to wear any attire if
converted to Hinduism. “You do not need to wear a burqa at 45-degree celsius
heat,” she said.
On
bearing children, Kajal said they won’t be labeled as terrorists. “After
marrying a Hindu man, your children will not be called ‘terrorists’.
Throughout
the speech, the crowd cheered her.
Communal
tension gripped Una town in the Gir Somnath district following the hate speech
by Kajal Hindustani
Markets
remained shut while police are monitoring the circulation of rumours on social
media over the last few days and efforts are being made to defuse tension by
engaging leaders from both communities.
The
town has been on edge since one Kajal Hindustani targeted Muslims at a Hindu
Sammelanorganised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday, police said.
Police
and local political leaders on Saturday called a meeting of the peace committee
with representatives from both communities and appealed to them to work towards
normalising the situation, Superintendent of Police SripalSheshma said.
An
FIR will be registered against Hindustani if the aggrieved community lodges a
police complaint against her, he said.
“On
Ram Navami (March 30), Kajal Hindustani said inappropriate things regarding a
community during her speech at an event that caused (communal) tension in Una.
We called a Shanti Samiti (peace committee) meeting of people from both
communities,” the SP said.
The
police and local leaders listened to the grievances of representatives of the
two communities and resolved their issues, he said, adding that the situation
is peaceful and law and order is under control.
Even
during the meeting, a few people from the two sides started hurling accusations
at each other, which further caused tension, but the matter was resolved.
“We
have informed members of the Muslim community that we will accept their
complaint and take strict action,” Sheshma said.
Shopkeepers
have been requested to open shutters while police personnel have been deployed
at fixed points and patrolling intensified, he said.
Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Una, Kalu Rathod, who was part of the meeting, said
representatives from both sides heard each other out, shook hands and assured
that nothing untoward will take place in the area.
Source:Siasat
Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Northeast
Delhi riots: Court frames charges against 5 for setting mosque on fire
April
2, 2023
A
Delhi court framed charges against five men for allegedly setting a mosque on
fire during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
Additional
Sessions Judge PulastyaPramachala of Karkardooma Courts framed charges of
rioting and unlawful assembly against Ankit, Rohit, Sachin, Rahul Kumar and
Saurabh Sharma.
The
court perused the statement of witnesses to state that “Rohit was instigating
other members of the mob, to set the mosque and other houses of Muslims in the
gali on fire and that accused Saurabh was setting the mosque on fire, while
Ankit was taking out articles from the mosque damaging the same”.
The
court also observed that the absence of conducting a test identification parade
(TIP) cannot be used by the accused for seeking discharge, and the judge said
such identification through video could not be termed as illegal or
inadmissible in evidence.
The
court charged the five accused persons under IPC sections 147 (rioting ), 148
(rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), 427 (punishment for committing mischief
and thereby causing loss or damage to the amount of Rs 50 or upwards), 435
(Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount
of one hundred or (in case of agricultural produce) ten rupees), 436 (Mischief
by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 149 (every
member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of
common object), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant)
and 450 (house-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment
for life).
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Ramzan:
Hyderabad hotels no longer cover up to avoid gaze of fasting Muslims
Mir
Alamgir
3rd
April 2023
Hyderabad:
Once upon a time the restaurants in the city, out of respect for those who fast
in Ramzan, would help put up curtains to ensure that ‘rozedars‘ don’t get a
look of people eating while they pass by.
As
time passed, however, the practice of putting curtains or screens to cover the
view of the people eating inside restaurants during the fasting hours in Ramzan
has waned away.
Earlier,
before Ramzan would begin, all restaurants and eateries would put up big cloth
curtains. “Motive was to give a safe space to people who visit during fasting
hours and eat sometime. Not all fast during Ramzan because of health-related
issues, so such people would feel shy from visiting the hotel and eating. At
home, one cannot expect families to cook food for one or two people,” said Syed
Naseer of Al Madina Hotel, Falaknuma.
The
other reason for putting curtains or screens at restaurants was to avoid
hurting the sentiments of the pious who fast during the holy month of Ramzan.
“Generally, it was to respect the religious beliefs of those fasting during
Ramzan. In Muslim localities, all hotels preferred to put curtains or screens
in Ramzan. The practice now has gone over a period of time,” said Moin Khan, a
hotel owner at Misrigunj.
The
practice of putting curtains was not restricted to any particular area or
restaurant/hotel. “It was a uniform protocol. Sincerely adhered to by all hotel
managements in Ramzan,” recalls Syed Mujeeb, an old-timer from Charminar. The
curtain was removed after sunset when people break their fast for the day. The
next morning the curtains would be put back.
Source:Siasat
Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-hotels-no-longer-use-curtains-to-cover-food-during-ramzan-2556872/
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NCP
Muslim Leader Syed Abdul Qadir Maulana Joins K Chandrasekhar Rao In Big
Maharashtra Joining
Apr
3, 2023
HYDERABAD:
NCP vice president and prominent Maharashtra Muslim leader Syed Abdul Qadir
Maulana joined the BRS in the presence of party president and Telangana CM K
Chandrasekhar Rao at Pragati Bhavan on Sunday. CM KCR welcomed him into the
party by offering the party's pink scarf.
Qadir
Maulana had contested on NCP ticket from Aurangabad central assembly
constituency in 2019 elections. He wields significant influence in Aurangabad
and will give a boost to BRS’ Maharashtra plans, party sources said.
Meanwhile,
a delegation of farmers from Maharashtra visited Kondapochamma, Mallannasagar
projects and other places in Gajwel. BRS president and chief minister KCR had
appealed to them to visit Kaleshwaram project, integrated vegetable and meat
markets.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
London’s
police call on more Muslims to join service amid negative criticism
SARAH
GLUBB
April
03, 2023
LONDON:
Police in the British capital are calling on Muslims to join the service to
increase diversity in an effort to regain public trust and confidence amid
damning reports of racism in the force.
“The
overall aim is to have a more representative police service in line with the
diverse nature of London,” Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe told Arab News.
Boothe,
who is also head of the Metropolitan Police Outreach Recruitment program and
the program director for the London Race Action Plan, was speaking on the
sidelines of an iftar event during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that was
attended by community and faith leaders and government representatives.
He
said the aim of the event, which was held at New Scotland Yard in collaboration
with Algebra Consulting, a company focused on serving economic and cultural
sectors within the Muslim Community in London, was to encourage more people
from diverse backgrounds to consider a career in policing to bring about
change.
Boothe
said his outreach role is about trying to get more women and people from
underrepresented groups to ensure the Met is able to provide a service to all
sections of the community.
“My
team works across the 32 London boroughs, looking to engage with partners and
looking to inform people of the opportunities to join the Metropolitan Police
Service as…we need to be more representative in terms of gender and ethnicity,”
he added.
The
London Race Action Plan, Boothe said, focuses on recruitment and people’s
progression within the organization to give them opportunities to get to the
highest levels and become strategic influencers.
It
also aims to address police officers using their powers disproportionately
against any section of the community, achieve more community engagement and
ensure that victims of crimes are given the right level of service.
“We
need to be reaching out to as many different minority media outlets so that
they can spread the word so others will be aware of it,” he said. “All too
often in the past, we’ve been going to traditional media, which doesn’t have
the (same) range.”
The
event follows a government report investigating the Met’s culture and standards
of behavior, which found severe institutional failings across the organization
that will require radical reform to resolve.
Public
trust in the police has fallen from a high point of 89 percent in 2016 to 66
percent in 2022, while public confidence in the Met has fallen from 70 percent
in 2016 and 2017 to 45 percent in 2022, the report issued on March 7 said.
People
from Black and mixed ethnic groups have lower trust and confidence, scoring 10
to 20 percent lower than average on trust and 5 to 10 percent lower on
confidence, it said, adding: “Met officers are 82 percent White and 71 percent
male, and the majority do not live in the city.”
Detective
Sgt. Zak Hullemuth, chair and vice president of the National Association of
Muslim Police, said the association supports Muslims coming into the Met and
guides them on how to be part of “the family” while still practicing their
religion.
Hullemuth
said the association tries to ensure that every police station has a prayer
room equipped with all the facilities and accommodates those fasting during the
Muslim holy month.
“Even
when we detain or arrest someone, we give them the opportunity to pray, a
prayer mat, and if it’s in Ramadan, we give them the opportunity to fast,” he
said.
“We’ve
got a big police family. We’ve got about 1,500 Muslim police officers in just
the Met in London, so we promote that quite a lot,” he added.
Hullemuth
explained that London’s diverse community constitutes about 46.6 percent, and
Muslims make up 15 percent of that.
“It’s
important to have a role in the Met so that you can serve your community as
well,” he said.
Turning
to the criticism, he said: “We have to acknowledge we have got some problems,
but at the same time, the fact that we are talking about it, that’s a good
sign, and to resolve the problems with the Met and the trust and confidence,
you need to be in it to change it.”
Grace
Bernard-Broadreck, outreach team lead for the west area at the Met, said by
working with Algebra Consulting, one of their 32 community outreach fund
partners, they are trying to build community trust and confidence where it is
low, access Muslim community areas, and work with faith and key community
leaders.
“We
need to have some difficult discussions because we know that there are issues,
and that’s where when we work for the community, they’re able to hold us
accountable in terms of where we could improve as an organization,” she said.
“We
are recruiting, we’re looking for more women to join the organization, we’re
also looking for people from underrepresented groups so that we can have people
that are representative of London,” Bernard-Broadreck added.
Claire
Maynard, outreach lead for the central-east basic command unit at the
Metropolitan Police, said attendees at the iftar expressed “an overwhelming
sense of gratitude” that the Met “opened their doors” and demonstrated that
they “can share a space together and recognize the great opportunity that this
faith festival Ramadan brings.”
She
added: “London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and I think
different faiths, cultures, and languages bring so much diversity and
understanding and we can only learn from that and have a more cohesive
society.”
Waleed
Jahangir, director of Algebra Consulting, stressed the importance of community
outreach and engagement with the police to change the negativity and drive
diversity.
“We
won’t deny it, every organization has issues, and the Metropolitan Police also
has its fair share,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280326/world
--------
Over
1,000 Afghans trapped in Pakistan awaiting UK travel, report finds
April
03, 2023
LONDON:
More than 1,000 Afghans eligible to come to the UK for resettlement remain
stuck in Pakistan, a report by The Independent has said.
The
asylum seekers, mainly people who served alongside UK forces in Afghanistan and
their families, have been stranded since the UK ceased chartering special Royal
Air Force flights to evacuate Afghans from Pakistan in November, according to
joint research with Lighthouse Reports.
Those
left could face up to a year before they can travel on commercial flights due
to a lack of safe housing in the UK and severe Home Office backlogs in
processing asylum seekers. Whilst in Pakistan, they are left in legal limbo,
with limited rights, sources of income and no access to education.
Among
those stranded are former interpreters, medics and embassy employees, as well
as at least 500 children.
There
are also at least 4,600 people still stuck in Afghanistan, whilst the UK
government has come in for criticism after it recently emerged that a former
Afghan pilot, who had served alongside the British Army, had been threatened
with deportation to Rwanda.
Johnny
Mercer, the UK’s minister for veterans’ affairs, recently told MPs in the House
of Commons: “The flow of people (from Afghanistan) to whom we have
responsibility is not working as we would like at the moment.”
Armed
Forces Minister James Heappey, meanwhile, admitted that 63 people stranded in
Pakistan had been there over a year — with some having been there over 500
days.
Those
identified are eligible to travel to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and
Assistance Policy, but the number of those traveling since November has
plummeted, with just 56 in total between December and February 2023, down from
an average of 385 per month between January and November 2022.
One
former interpreter, trapped in Pakistan for over a year, said: “This is my sin
that I worked with British forces. I am like a prisoner and we are not safe in
Pakistan.
“I
don’t know what I am doing. I have anxiety. If they (the UK government) don’t
give me an answer in two months I will run away from this place. I will go
illegally to European countries to get to safety.”
Another
man, a doctor whose father also worked as an interpreter for the British Army,
is hoping to join his parents, currently living in a hotel in the UK.
“I’m
all day long in one room; you could say it’s like being in jail, but without
any crime. I am a professional doctor. I want to work. I am young. England
needs doctors, but unfortunately I’m still here,” he told The Independent.
A
former British Embassy worker and father of five, who was told he would have to
source his own accommodation if he traveled to the UK, told The Independent:
“Unfortunately I have no relatives in the UK. It’s impossible for me to arrange
accommodation there. But they haven’t given us any alternative.”
Shadow
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This is a fundamental breach of our
national obligation. Ministers must sort out the many failings in their Afghan
scheme, and honour the UK’s promise of safety, freedom, and a chance to
contribute to Britain.”
His
Labour colleague Dan Jarvis MP, who served as a soldier in Afghanistan, said:
“The government’s failure to get a grip on ARAP means we now find ourselves in
a farcical situation, where people who risked their lives in support of our
mission and have been promised safe passage to the UK are having to do the
legwork and embark on a house-hunting mission if they want to get here.”
Maj.
Gen. Charlie Herbert, who also served three tours in Afghanistan, added: “It’s
heartbreaking to think of how they have been treated — many over several years
— and to leave them and their families languishing indefinitely in cheap hotels
in Islamabad with little confidence of onward movement to the UK is utterly
disgraceful.”
Sarah
Magill, managing director of the Free From Fear charity, said: “We should have
rolled out the red carpet for these brave people who served alongside our
troops; instead we are locking them up like battery hens. We must not delay
their evacuation a moment longer.”
A
UK government spokesperson said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to those
interpreters and other staff eligible under the ARAP scheme who worked for, or
with, UK forces in Afghanistan. The UK government has made a commitment to
relocate eligible Afghans and their families to the UK under the ARAP scheme,
and will honour this.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280321/world
--------
Over
50% of Swedes support ban on Quran burning
Atilla
Altuntas
02.04.2023
STOCKHOLM
Some
51% of Swedes support a ban on the burning of the Quran and other holy
scriptures, a survey revealed on Saturday.
While
34% say burning holy scriptures is freedom of speech and expression, 15% did
not comment, according to the poll by major research company Sipo.
The
survey was conducted on March 14-16 with the involvement of 1,370 responders.
Meanwhile,
public broadcaster SVT said provocative incidents by Danish far-right
politician Rasmus Paludan against the Muslim holy book cost the country’s
treasury some 88 million Swedish krona ($8.5 million).
Rasmus
Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party StramKurs, surrounded
and protected by the police, set the Quran on fire in Sweden's capital
Stockholm in front of the Turkish Embassy in January.
Following
a long rant in which he verbally attacked Islam and immigration in Sweden, he
shouted: "If you don't think there should be freedom of expression, you
have to live somewhere else."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/over-50-of-swedes-support-ban-on-quran-burning/2861756
--------
North America
Argentina
sends humanitarian donations to Türkiye: Foreign Ministry
Bala
Chambers
01.04.2023
BUENOS
AIRES
Argentina
sent humanitarian donations Friday to Türkiye to help with relief efforts
following devastating earthquakes that hit in February, the Foreign Ministry
said in a statement.
Mattresses,
sheets, blankets and wellington boots provided by the Ministry of Social
Development left from the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires for
Türkiye.
The
Foreign Ministry said the aim is to help the humanitarian and health needs that
the population in Türkiye has been experiencing since the earthquakes struck
Feb 6.
Foreign
Minister Santiago Cafiero gave instructions to authorities to oversee and
organize the shipment for the Turkish people, according to the statement.
Türkiye's
Embassy in Buenos Aires thanked Argentina for "its generous donation of
humanitarian aid directed to our regions affected by the earthquake.”
"We
will always remember your solidarity and friendship," it wrote on Twitter.
The
Foreign Ministry underscored the work by Turkish Airlines, which it said has
assumed the financial costs of the operation and will be transferring it to the
Turkish Disaster Management Authority, or AFAD.
The
embassy has also been coordinating solidarity efforts for those wishing to
donate -- asking for winter garments, sleeping bags, food items and toiletries
which have been taken to the Ezeiza Airport and flown to Türkiye on Turkish
Airlines.
The
7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes struck 11 provinces in southern Türkiye last
month, claiming more than 50,000 lives.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Commerce
ministry terms rumours of Pak-Israel trade ‘sheer propaganda’
Tahir
Sherani
April
2, 2023
The
Ministry of Commerce on Sunday termed rumours regarding trade between Pakistan
and Israel as “sheer propaganda” after the “misrepresentation of a statement”
issued by the American Jewish Congress (AJC), an association of the Jewish
community based in the US.
“The
rumours about beginning of Pakistan-Israel trade is sheer propaganda affer
(sic) the press release of AJC which was misrepresented,” the ministry said in
a statement. “However, neither we have any trade relations with Israel nor we
intend to develop any.”
Pakistan
does not have diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, and believes in a “two-state
solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions as
well as international law, with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif
(Jerusalem) as the capital of Palestine”.
The
statement by the commerce ministry comes after FishelBenkhald, a Jewish
Pakistani, tweeted on March 28 that he “exported [the] first batch of Pakistan
food products to [the] Israel market.
“Congratulations
to me as a Pakistani. I exported first batch of Pakistani food products to
Israel market,” Benkhald wrote. “Dates, dry fruits, and a single container of
spice.”
In
his tweet, he tagged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Imran
Khan, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif, and other PML-N leaders including Maryam Nawaz, Ahsan Iqbal and Miftah
Ismail.
Subsequently,
the AJC released a statement on March 30, saying: “This week, the first
shipment of Pakistan-origin food products was offloaded in Israel, in a
transaction that involved Pakistani-Jewish businessman FishelBenkhald, based in
Pakistan’s business hub of Karachi, and three Israeli businessmen from
Jerusalem and Haifa.
“We
welcome this small step that can have wider implications for Israeli and
Pakistani economies and for the region at large,” the statement said.
The
same day, Voice of America ran a story headlined “Rare Trade Occurs Between
Pakistan, Israel”.
Members
of the opposition PTI seized on the development, with Farrukh Habib demanding
answers from the Foreign Office, commenting if it was part of the “London Plan”
— a phrase coined by party chief Imran Khan.
“Under
which deal is this trade being done after the regime change? Why is the
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government silent on this,” Habib asked on
April 1.
That
same day, Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Interfaith Harmony and the
Middle East Tahir Ashrafi — who was also a part of the Imran Khan government —
told state media that Benkhald was permitted to go to Israel by the PTI
government.
Talking
to APP, he said the Pakistani-Jewish businessman exported some goods including
dates, dry fruit, and spices to an Arab friendly country and later on, managed
to dispatch them to Israel.
Dispelling
the impression that trade ties were being established between Pakistan and
Israel, he was quoted as saying: “As per reports, neither the Ministry of
Commerce, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs furnished Fishel any no-objection
certificate (NOC).”
Separately,
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told Independent Urdu that the incumbent
government did not permit anyone to engage in any trade activities with Israel.
“We
will conduct an investigation into this,” he said. “Now we are receiving
information that in the previous regime, Imran Khan had given similar
permission to someone but nothing of this sort has come up to our notice,
information, or inquiry right now.”
Today’s
the Ministry of Commerce’s clarification said: “Even in their press release
(AJC) nowhere mentioned about official trade between Pak-Israel.”
It
added: “A Jewish Pakistani FishelBenkhald has sent food samples to three
businessmen in Jerusalem and Haifa through UAE in personal capacity who he met
in foreign countries during food exhibitions.
“Nevertheless,
it was not supported by the Pakistan government and no banking or official
channel was involved either.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Says ‘Terrorists’ Operating From Iran Kill Four Soldiers
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
2, 2023
Pakistan’s
army said on Saturday that four of its soldiers were killed by a group
operating from Iran.
“A
group of terrorists operating from the Iranian side attacked a routine border
patrol of Pakistani security forces operating along the Pakistan-Iran Border,”
the army said in a statement.
The
incident occurred in the Kech district of the province of Baluchistan, which
shares a long, unrest border with Afghanistan and Iran.
According
to the statement, four soldiers were killed in the attack, including Sher
Ahmed, Muhammad Asghar, Muhammad Irfan, and Abdur Rasheed.
No
group has taken responsibility for the attack.
The
statement also added that Pakistani authorities had informed Iran of the
attack, hoping to ” prevent such incidents in future.”
This
is the second attack; a similar incident happened in January, killing four
Pakistani security soldiers across the Pakistan-Iran border in Balochistan.
Insurgent
ethnic Baluch nationalist groups operating on both sides of the border have
fought for decades for a more significant share of regional resources.
The
Balochistan Liberation Army took responsibility for the attack and claimed to
be fighting for the independence of Balochistan, which is rich in minerals,
water and natural resources.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-says-terrorists-operating-from-iran-kill-four-soldiers/
--------
Militant
attacks drop by 36pc in country as death toll stays same
Ikram
Junaidi
April
3, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan witnessed a rather peaceful March with the number of militant attacks
declining as compared to February. However, the number of deaths remained
almost the same, according to an Islamabad-based think tank.
In
its report, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) stated
that in March there was a 36 per cent decline in militant attacks as compared
to February.
The
number of attacks stood at 37 in which 57 people lost their lives and 72 others
were injured. In February, 59 people were killed in 58 attacks while 134 were
wounded.
The
report also recorded a decline in suicide bombing in March, as only one such
attack was reported, compared to three in February.
Study
finds surge in number of casualties in KP, Balochistan during March
According
to the province-wise data, Balochistan witnessed a 50pc decline in the number
of militant attacks in March, but the death toll increased. The militants
carried out 11 attacks in March, killing 28 people and injuring 35.
The
lone suicide attack in March was also reported from the Bolan area of the
province where 10 people lost their lives. The attack was separately claimed by
the militant Islamic State group and a new outfit Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan.
The
most significant improvement in the security situation was observed in KP’s
tribal districts. Six militant attacks were recorded in March against 16 in
February, while the number of deaths declined from 16 to five.
Mainland
KP witnessed a rise in militancy with 16 reported attacks in which 21 people
were killed and 30 injured. In February, 13 attacks were recorded, killing six
people and leaving eight wounded.
During
March, no militant attack was reported in Punjab, while three people were
killed in four attacks reported from Sindh. In February, 10 people were killed
and 18 others injured in three attacks in Sindh.
No
militant activity was reported from Punjab, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
and Gilgit-Baltistan in March.
Foiled
bids
Also
in March, security forces conducted at least 25 operations and successfully foiled
several attacks. In Chaman a huge cache of arms and ammunition including 10
suicide vests, 15 anti-tank mines, IEDs, was seized from a compound.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745627/militant-attacks-drop-by-36pc-in-country-as-death-toll-stays-same
--------
Pakistan
to place order for Russian oil next month: Minister
Apr
3, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Cash-strapped Pakistan plans to place its first order for Russian crude oil
next month and it will take about four weeks for the commodity to reach the
country, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik said.
Pakistan,
which is currently grappling with high external debt and a weak local currency,
is desperate to purchase cheap crude at discounted rates from Russia.
Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar last year said that the country was considering buying
discounted Russian oil, pointing out that neighbour India had been purchasing
oil from Moscow and Islamabad also had a right to explore the possibility, Dawn
news reported.
Subsequently,
Malik travelled to Moscow for talks on issues including oil and gas supplies
after which the government announced that it would purchase discounted crude
oil, petrol, and diesel from Russia.
In
December last year, Russia refused to provide Pakistan with a 30 per cent
discount on its crude oil after the Pakistani delegation asked for a reduction in
price.
A
Russian delegation in January arrived here for talks to finalise the deal,
during which the two sides decided to address all technical issues — insurance,
transportation and payment mechanism — to sign an agreement by late March.
“After
consensus on the technical specifications achieved, the oil and gas trade
transaction will be structured in a way it has a mutual economic benefit for
both countries,” a joint statement issued by the two sides during the three-day
meeting then stated.
In
an interview on the Geo News programme Jirga on Saturday night, Malik said that
a number of agreements with Russia had been reached and Pakistan would place an
order next month.
“However,
it will take some time for the oil to reach Pakistan … nearly 26 to 27 days,”
he stated, revealing that the commodity would arrive in the country via sea.
Malik
also clarified that Russia had assured the government that it was giving
Pakistan a discount as much as any other neighbouring country was receiving.
Talking
about the government's decision regarding separate gas tariffs for the rich and
the poor, the minister said that the mechanism was devised on the orders of
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz
Sharif.
“So
we divided the country into the population of the rich and the poor … so if a
poor woman is using a unit of gas she will give one-fourth of the bills that a
woman in F-7 or Gulberg is paying,” he said.
“In
Pakistan, 60 per cent of the population is poor and for them, we have either
reduced the gas tariff or kept it the same as was in the past.”
The
same, he went on to say, was the case with the petroleum subsidy. “Under it,
the rich will pay Rs 300 for petrol and the poor will pay Rs 200 for the
commodity.”
Cash-strapped
Pakistan has been struggling hard to revive the USD 6.5 billion derailed IMF
bailout package that the Washington-based global lender approved in 2019.
Although,
its missteps, like the petrol subsidy and attempts to borrow directly from
commercial banks, have further complicated matters for the cash-starved
country, resulting in sky-high inflation.
A
conservative internal assessment of the Finance Ministry on Friday suggested
around 34 per cent inflation rate in March. The ministry said that a “potential
reason for rising price level is political and economic uncertainty”.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Three
killed as mild earthquake hits Pakistan's Balochistan province
Apr
1, 2023
KARACHI:
A mild 3.5 magnitude quake hit Pakistan's Balochistan province, killing three
people and injuring five others when their mud-walled houses collapsed,
authorities have said. The epicentre of the earthquake that hit the province on
Friday was 60 km northwest of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
The
three children were killed in Chaman, a town bordering Iran, when their
mud-walled house collapsed after the earthquake.
"They
were aged between 12 and 8 years and included two girls," according to the
spokesperson for the Balochistan Chief Minister
Two
mud-walled houses collapsed after the earthquake. Rescue operations were
continuing to see if they were any other casualties, injuries or damages, the
spokesperson said.
"Until
now five people have also been taken to hospital for treatment after being
injured," the spokesperson added.
Earthquakes
are common in Pakistan.
Nine
persons were killed and 150 others sustained injuries after a powerful 6.8
earthquake jolted parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 21.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
LHC
to take up Imran’s plea seeking dismissal of 121 cases tomorrow
Rana
Bilal
April
2, 2023
Ex-prime
minister Imran Khan’s petition seeking the dismissal of 121 cases registered
against him has been fixed before the Lahore High Court (LHC) for tomorrow
(Monday).
A
two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi will take up the petition.
The
plea, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, named both Imran and the PTI
as petitioners. It said that the government was “misusing” the criminal justice
system to stop the PTI chief from participating in the upcoming elections.
The
PTI chairman has stated on multiple occasions that more than 100 cases have
been filed against him. He told the LHC the same on March 24 while seeking
protective bail in five cases registered against him in Islamabad.
The
petition named the federation of Pakistan, the province of Punjab, Punjab
Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment
director general, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana
Sanaullah, Punjab caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi, the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) as respondents.
The
petition stated that the purpose of the “false accusations” was “patently mala
fide, to disqualify, arrest, or convict” Imran and “eliminate him from the
political arena by any means necessary”.
According
to the petition, the “extraordinary nature of the attack” on fundamental rights
violated the rights of “one of the largest political parties in the country”,
including their rights to “life and liberty, fair trial, dignity and privacy of
home, movement, assembly, association, speech, and equal treatment” as
guaranteed under the Constitution.
It
said the criminal cases against Imran were “one of a whole host of tools of
persecution designed to silence him, suppress his support, and deny his fundamental
rights.”
The
petition argued that since Imran and the PTI were the current government’s
electoral rivals, “there is no doubt that the state machinery […] is out to
completely stall the public life and personal liberty” of the PTI chief.
It
also said that a person was entitled under the Constitution to defend
themselves in a fair trial but “overwhelming” Imran with cases and refusing his
requests for consolidating the hearings curtailed his right to a free trial and
rendered him incapable of defending himself.
The
petition said that 31 cases were registered against Imran in Islamabad, 30 in
Lahore, 14 in Faisalabad, 10 in Rawalpindi, six in Bhakkar, five in Bahawalpur,
four each in Rahim Yar Khan and Attock, three each in Sheikhupura and Jhelum,
two each in Chakwal and Gujranwala and one each in Quetta, Karachi, Wazirabad,
Narowal, Multan, Bahawalnagar and Mianwali.
Similarly,
the petition said Imran, the PTI and the party’s supporters were being
prevented from exercising their right to contest elections and their freedom of
speech was also being curtailed. It argued that while the petitioners were
“being targeted and persecuted with the full might of the state”, their
political rivals were freely conducting public gatherings and getting media
coverage.
The
petition urged the court to declare that the “unprecedented repeated abuse of
state machinery to register criminal cases against the petitioner, including
the lodging of FIRs amounting to 121 […] are illegal, unlawful and is a grave
violation of the petitioners’ rights under inter alia Articles 4, 9, 10-A, 15,
16, 17, 19 and 25 of the Constitution and the same be ‘quashed’ in the interest
of justice”.
It
also called on the court to direct the respondents to provide a comprehensive
report containing the details of the various FIRs and criminal proceedings
against the petitioners and to direct that no coercive action is taken against
them under the petition is decided.
The
plea also urged the court to declare that the actions of the respondents
amounted to violating the fundamental rights of the petitioners and to restrain
them from initiating any criminal proceedings against the petitioners without
“prior notice and/or an opportunity of being heard in the presence of his
counsel”.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1744998/lhc-to-take-up-imrans-plea-seeking-dismissal-of-121-cases-tomorrow
--------
Mideast
Hamas:
Ben-Gvir’s ‘private militia’ plan lays bare Israel’s racist, fascist nature
03
April 2023
The
Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has denounced Israeli plans for a
controversial “national guard” sought by far-right national security minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir, saying the plan attests to the racist nature of the occupying
Tel Aviv regime.
“Formation
of a private and terrorist militia is a fairly dangerous move, and shows that
Zionists are treading the path towards further escalation of animosity against
the Palestinian nation,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said in a statement.
He
added that the decision demonstrates that “racism” and “fascism” constitute an
integral part of all behaviors and policies of the Tel Aviv regime.
“The
step also shows that the notion of ethnic cleansing still exists in the Zionist
regime’s policies against the Palestinian nation,” Qassem said.
On
Sunday, the Israeli cabinet (Knesset) authorized setting up a so-called
"national guard", which human rights groups and Palestinians say will
create “a private, armed militia” for Ben-Gvir.
Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the Knesset approved the
establishment of the force, but that a committee comprised of Israel’s existing
security agencies would determine the guard’s authorities and whether it would
be subordinate to the police or take orders directly from Ben-Gvir, as he
demands. The committee has 90 days to make its recommendations.
A
statement from Ben-Gvir’s office said the guard, which would operate under his
ministry, would deal with “emergency scenarios, nationalistic crime, terror,
and strengthening sovereignty.”
Israeli
opposition figures have accused Ben-Gvir of wanting a new force to crack down
on massive demonstrations against the controversial judicial overhaul plan.
Opposition
leader Yair Lapid called the decision an “extremist fantasy of delusional
people” and slammed a separate decision to cut budgets from other ministries
“to fund Ben-Gvir’s private militia”.
“The
priorities of the administration are ridiculous and despicable. The only thing
that keeps it busy is running over democracy and promoting extreme fantasies of
delusional people,” Lapid said on Twitter.
Israeli
police chief Inspector-General Yaacov Shabtai also questioned the need for the
force and warned that any separation of it from the police hierarchy “could
prove most costly and even harm the security of the citizenry.”
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
British
cities hold Palestine rallies, demand closure of Israeli arms factories in UK
02
April 2023
British
pro-Palestinian activists have held rallies across the UK, with protesters
calling for closure of Israeli weapons factories there.
Activists
protesting outside an Israeli arms factory in Leicester issued a 30-day
eviction notice before they take public action, rejecting the regime’s bloody
crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people.
The
Palestine Action activists handed a notice on Saturday under the authority of
The Court (of Public Opinion) to Leicester’s Israeli arms factory, UAV Tactical
Systems owned by Elbit Systems, which is Israel’s largest arms firm.
The
group posted a video on its Twitter account showing a notice that provides 30
days before the site will be met by mass action on May 1st if it is not
vacated, as the people of Leicester and groups and individuals from across
Britain convene to force the Israeli weapons factory to close.
The
site, jointly owned by Israel’s biggest weapons company Elbit Systems and by
France’s Thales, manufactures drones for the British military based upon
Israel’s Hermes drones, and also exports arms in large volumes directly to
Israel.
Behind
locked doors, the drones that are assembled by Elbit have been tested on the
captive population of the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Research
shows their military drone equipment is exported to the colonizers of Palestine
to murder, displace, and oppress people across the world,” Palestine Action
explains on its website.
The
group points out that Elbit provides 85% of Israel’s military drone fleet, many
of which are armed.
Similar
rallies were held in Glasgow and Brighton, with protesters holding banners,
flares, flags and leaflets outlining the Tel Aviv regime's criminal actions.
According
to the group of activists, Palestine Action’s “siege” will be the group’s first
“open” action, publicly declared and open to all people willing and able to
stand against Israel’s British manufacturing of drones.
Earlier
last week, the activists shut down ADS Group, representatives and advocates of
the world’s largest arms dealers which are deeply complicit in the crimes
committed by the Israeli company Elbit weapons against the Palestinians.
The
premises and operations of the ADS Group, whose business is the promotion of
companies such as Elbit Systems within government and at arms fairs, and acts
to facilitate the business of Israel’s largest weapons company and promote them
with lobbying, were locked off in London.
Pro-Palestinian
campaigners in the UK have shown their support to the Palestinian people in
face of Israeli crimes against humanity numerous times.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/04/02/700824/Laying-siege-Israel-arm-trade-Shut-Elbit-down
--------
Spokesman:
Iran Reserves Right to Retaliate Israeli Regime's Terrorist Attacks
2023-April-3
Kana'ani
made the remarks in reaction to martyrdom of two Iranian military advisers in
Israeli regime's attack in suburban region of Damascus in Syria.
Kana'ani
considered it as part of the costs Iran has paid in its struggle in the fight against
Takfiri terrorism and the terrorists' backers, including the fake Israeli
regime.
By
continuing its aggression against Syria, the Israeli regime is violating the
country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international
regulations and laws, Kana'ani said, describing these attacks as aimed at
continuation of strengthening terrorism.
In
addition to the political and legal pursuit of such aggressive and criminal
actions, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its right to respond to the
state terrorism of the fake Israeli regime at the due time and place, he
stressed.
The
spokesman further stressed that "It is obvious, the blood of these great
martyrs will not go in vain".
Known
as one of the main backers of terrorist groups that have battled the government
of President Bashar al-Assad since foreign-backed insurgency erupted in Syria
in early 2011, the Israeli regime frequently violate Syrian sovereignty and
target military positions.
The
targets usually include residential buildings. military positions especially
those of the Hezbollah resistance movement, which has played a key role in
helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists, are
also frequently hit by Israeli strikes.
Israel
largely remains silent about the attacks. Damascus has repeatedly complained to
the UN over Israeli assaults, urging the Security Council to take action
against Tel Aviv’s crimes. The calls have, however, fallen on deaf ears.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian,
Saudi FMs Fix Meeting for Coming Days
2023-April-3
During
his phone talk Faisal, Amir Abdollahian voiced his satisfaction with the
positive trend of relations between the two countries and emphasized the
resolve of the Islamic Republic of Iran to develop and expand its
neighborliness policy.
It
was the third telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and
Saudi Arabia after the recent agreement between the two countries's security
officials in Beijing and agreement to restore bilateral diplomatic relations
and reopen the two embassies and consulates of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Amir
Abdullahian and Faisal bin Farhan had agreed to meet in the month of Ramadan in
the second phone call.
In
their telephone conversation today, the two foreign ministers discussed the
latest state of the recent agreement between the two countries and the meeting
of the foreign ministers.
In
the conversation, the Saudi foreign minister emphasized the need for continuous
contacts and meetings between officials of the two countries and called the
current process of actions taken by the two countries positive and
satisfactory.
In
the conversation, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to
meet each other in the coming days.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14020113000380/Iranian-Sadi-FMs-Fix-Meeing-fr-Cming-Days
--------
Israel
says it downed unidentified aircraft that appeared to come from Syria
03
April ,2023
The
Israeli army said it downed an unidentified aircraft on Sunday that appeared to
have crossed into its territory from Syria, as tensions simmer between the two
countries.
The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement the aircraft it downed did not
pose a threat at any stage.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
army kills suspected assailant after West Bank car ramming
01
April ,2023
A
suspected assailant was shot dead by Israeli soldiers after injuring three
young men with his car in the southern West Bank on Saturday, the army and
medics said.
The
army said a “terrorist” had conducted a “ramming attack adjacent to the town of
Beit Ummar” before being neutralized, with a spokesperson confirming to AFP the
presumed assailant’s death.
Magen
David Adom medics said the three men were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem with
serious, moderate and light wounds.
There
were no immediate details on the suspected assailant.
The
latest violence comes less than 24 hours after an Arab Israeli allegedly
snatched a gun from a police officer and fired it in a scuffle at Jerusalem’s
Al-Aqsa mosque compound, before being shot dead.
The
Saturday deaths bring an end to the relative lull in violence since the start
of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan some 10 days ago.
Since
the start of the year, the conflict has claimed the lives of 88 Palestinians,
including militants and civilians, and one Arab Israeli.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
General
strike held in occupied territories over Israeli killing of Palestinian near
al-Aqsa Mosque
02
April 2023
A
general strike has been held across towns and cities in the occupied
Palestinian territories following the Israeli regime’s killing of a Palestinian
youth near the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds on
the second Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Palestinian
media said the strike, organized by the Higher Follow-up Committee for the Arab
Masses in Israel, spread inside the occupied Palestinian territories on Sunday
in response to the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Muhammad al-Osibi by the
Israeli occupation forces near the Chain Gate, one of the entrances to the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
“The
committee called for the organization of struggle vigils in various Arab towns
this evening in response to the crime, after it organized vigils in a number of
Arab towns yesterday evening,” Palestine’s official Wafa news agency said.
The
news agency stressed that the committee plans to turn Osibi’s funeral in his
hometown of Hura in the occupied Negev into a mass demonstration against “all
policies of occupation, oppression and racial discrimination.”
Palestine’s
Shehab news agency shared photos of the all-out strike across various towns and
cities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli
forces opened fire at Osibi on Friday evening as he tried to protect a
Palestinian girl who was being prevented by the occupation troops from entering
the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and assaulted at the Chain Gate.
After
the shooting, the Israeli military closed the doors of al-Aqsa Mosque and
mobilized a large number of its forces in the courtyards of the holy site and
imposed restrictions in the Old City.
Thousands
of Muslim worshipers crossed Israeli military checkpoints deployed early on
Friday morning before arriving at al-Aqsa Mosque for the second Friday prayers
of Ramadan.
Since
the start of the holy month, the Israeli regime has imposed strict restrictions
on the entry and exit of Palestinians to and from the gates of the al-Aqsa
Mosque. Footage from some of the gates showed Palestinians scuffling with
Israeli forces who blocked the gates. A number of Palestinians were arrested at
the scene.
Amid
heightened tensions with Palestinian worshipers, Israeli settlers also press
ahead with their frequent incursions and provocative rituals at the holy site.
Hardline
Israeli legislators and settlers regularly storm the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in
the occupied city, a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians. Such mass
settler break-ins almost always take place at the behest of Tel Aviv-backed
temple groups and under the auspices of the Israeli police in al-Quds.
The
al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses
both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Taliban
Intelligence Arrests Perpetrator of Afghanistan’s Balkh Explosions
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
2, 2023
The
Intelligence Department has announced the arrest of one of the perpetrators
involved in several deadly attacks in the Balkh province of Afghanistan,
including the assassination of Mohammad Dawood Muzamal, governor of Balkh, on
Sunday.
The
department aired the “confessions” of a young person saying he was involved in
at least five attacks, including the governor of Balkh, Tebyancentre and
several Shiite centres in Mazar-e-Sharif.
According
to the statement released by the Taliban intelligence department, the
perpetrator is from the Saighan district of Bamyan and was working for Daesh in
the north of Afghanistan.
The
statement said that he had cooperated in the attack on the former governor of
the Taliban in Balkh, Mohammad Dawood Muzmal, Tebyan Cultural Center and
several others.
Earlier
last month, a blast tore through the Taliban governor’s office in northern
Balkh province, killing him and two others.
The
Tebyan Cultural Center was targeted last month during a journalists’ gathering
for an award event, leaving at least three people dead and more than 30 others
injured.
The
accused also confessed that he had contributed to a suicide bomb attack in a
mosque in Seh-Dokan and the explosion of a minibus carrying Hazara in
Mazar-e-Sharif last year, which killed more than 39 and injured 103 in both
explosions.
ISIS
has claimed responsibility for all the attacks.
The
accused also said he had recently plotted to attack several targets in Balkh
and Faryab provinces. However, he was arrested by the Taliban intelligence
forces before carrying out the plans.
It
is unknown under what conditions the accused person confessed; however,
according to the released video by the Taliban intelligence, several wounds on
his face show he was beaten and then confessed.
ISI-K
is the main rival of the Taliban-led government, targeting Taliban officials,
ordinary people and foreigners.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-intelligence-arrests-perpetrator-of-afghanistans-balkh-explosions/
--------
Two
Children Killed in Afghanistan Mortar Mine Blast
By
Fidel Rahmati
April
2, 2023
Two
children were killed when the unexploded device from a past war exploded in the
eastern province of Wardak in Afghanistan on Saturday, according to local
sources.
The
explosion caused by a mortar mine of past wars resulted in the death of two
children in Sayedabad district on Saturday evening while the children were
playing with it, Yusuf Israr, the provincial police spokesperson, said.
A
similar incident occurred Friday evening in the Sarkhakan area of the Shah Joi
district of Zabul province, resulting in one child’s death and three others’
injuries.
Meanwhile,
according to local sources, another blast that happened on Tuesday, March 28,
caused the death of two children and injured four others in the northern Jawzjan
province.
Recently,
the incidence of unexploded devices from past wars has increased in several
parts of the country, resulting in the death and hurt of men and women,
including children.
The
presence and existence of unexploded devices and the remnant in war-torn
Afghanistan pose significant threats to people’s lives, particularly children.
Since
last November, international bodies have contributed to support demining in the
country, including Australia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the United
States, the UK, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/two-children-killed-in-afghanistan-mortar-mine-blast/
--------
Unemployment,
poverty forces hundreds of Afghans to flee abroad
Apr
3, 2023
KABUL:
Poverty and high rates of unemployment in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule
have been pushing the natives to flee the country and move abroad in order to
find jobs for survival, TOLOnews reported.The country's citizens said that they
are forced to migrate to find jobs abroad to feed their families, illegally.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the humanitarian
crisis in the country has increased manifold. People are forced to live
miserably under strict restrictions under the Taliban.
Lamenting
over the poor situation of the country and its economic slump, a resident of
Herat, Abdul Khaliq said, "I have been deported 16 times since 1391 (solar
year) up to now... we are vulnerable and struggling with problems and we need
to go out."
According
to TOLOnews, Nadir, a resident of Baghlan, along with his family of five
members, is seeking to illegally cross the border to Iran.
"If
a piece of bread could be found in Afghanistan, why would we go to other
countries, why would we displace ourselves and go on this tough and dangerous
path?" Nadir said.
"My
mother has become a cripple and I left school to earn some money to treat
her," said Tahir, son of Nadir.
However,
Khalil Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban's minister for refugees and repatriation,
has claimed that human traffickers incite their victims to flee the nation.
Since
the Taliban-led government took control of power in Afghanistan, the group has
been slammed for their suppression policy by several National and international
organisations.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
Southeast Asia
Malaysian
Foreign Ministry Condemns Repeated Vile Attacks Against Quran In Denmark
01
Apr 2023
PUTRAJAYA,
April 1 — Malaysia condemns in the strongest terms the repeated vile attacks
against the Holy Quran in Denmark in the latest incident which happened on
Friday.
The
Malaysian Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) said that a similar attack was carried
out on March 24, stressing that such hateful crime against Islam’s holy book
carried out during the holy month of Ramadhan is a blatant disregard for the
sensitivities of Muslims around the world.
“We
call upon the Government of Denmark not to classify this heinous crime as freedom
of expression, and to take immediate action against the perpetrators for
spreading hatred and incitement to violence,” said Wisma Putra via Twitter.
According
to media reports, recent months have seen several acts of Quran burning, or
attempts to do so, by Islamophobic figures or groups in northern Europe and
Nordic countries.
Source:
MalayMail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Experts:
Higher spending this Ramadan, but only because cost of living has increased
By
Asha Suraya
March
31, 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: A recent statement by a retired economics professor that Malaysians are
expected to spend astronomically this Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri has left
other experts at odds with one another.
While
some agree with the statement, they said this was mainly due to increases in
the cost of living.
A
representative from Nusantara Muslim Consumer Association (PPMN) told the New
Straits Times that food prices had increased from last year.
"Last
year, RM50 could last for a week, but today people would need about
RM150," she said.
The
PPMN representative's views were echoed by Federation of Malaysian Consumer
Associations (Fomca) deputy secretary-general Nur AsyikinAminuddin, who also
warned that food prices were expected to increase further, until Hari Raya, due
to shortages in raw materials.
However,
she said consumers might also be overspending due to impulse-buying.
She
advised the people to take less money to Ramadan bazaars to avoid overspending.
"In
fact, they should not use e-wallets at the bazaars. This is because if they use
e-wallets, they may not notice how much they are spending.
"RM10
to RM20 is enough for iftar food per family," she added.
They
were commenting on a recent statement by economic expert, Professor Emeritus Dr
BarjoyaiBardai, who said people are expected to spend as much as RM10 billion
this Ramadan, including RM70 million a day at bazaars.
The
retired professor had said the amount took into account the entire Muslim
population of the country, which is estimated to be around 7.5 million Muslim
families who roughly spend between RM20 and RM30 each day for breaking of fast.
However,
he had said the amount did not take into account Muslim families who are able
to spend and enjoy breaking of fast at hotel buffets that are far more
expensive.
One
expert, however, went completely against what Barjoyai said, saying that people
will spend less at Ramadan bazaars this year.
Universiti
Sains Islam Malaysia's Professor Dr NuradliRidzwan Shah Mohd Dali said his
conclusion was based on a "small survey" he had conducted.
He
said most consumers only spent an average of RM11 to RM20 per family, and not
up to RM30 as Barjoyai had estimated.
Source:NST
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Arab World
Car
bombing hits Syria’s capital, no deaths reported: State media
03
April ,2023
A
car bombing rocked the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday evening, state media
said, with no deaths reported and no side claiming responsibility for the
attack.
“An
explosive device detonated in a civilian car, setting it alight without causing
casualties,” said state news agency SANA, quoting a police source.
The
interior ministry said, “two people were slightly injured” in the blast that
targeted a pick-up truck, adding that “investigations are ongoing.”
It
was not immediately clear who was responsible for the rare car bombing attack
in the Syrian capital, or who the target was.
The
attack took place in an area home to United Nations headquarters, several
embassies, and restaurants, according to an AFP correspondent in Damascus.
On
February 27, a Syrian officer who worked “in developing weapons” was killed in
a car bombing in the Damascus countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights war monitor.
Sunday’s
attack comes amid increased Israeli air strikes on Syria.
Two
Iran-affiliated fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike in Syria Sunday,
according to the British-based monitor with a wide range of sources in Syria,
with SANA reporting five Syrian soldiers wounded.
The
air strike near the western Syrian city of Homs was Israel’s third since early
Thursday, after the capital Damascus was targeted that morning and early
Friday.
The
Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful
anti-government protests and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that pulled
in foreign powers and global extremists.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia, UAE, other OPEC+ oil producers announce voluntary output cuts
02
April ,2023
Saudi
Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers on Sunday announced voluntary cuts to
their production, with Riyadh saying it would cut output by 500,000 barrels per
day (bpd) from May until the end of 2023, state media reported.
Russia’s
deputy prime minister also said Moscow would extend a voluntary cut of 500,000
bpd until the end of 2023. The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and
Algeria said they would voluntarily cut output over the same time period.
The
UAE is to cut oil production voluntarily by 144,000 barrels per day from May
until the end of 2023, the energy minister said on Sunday.
Kuwait
announced a cut of 128,000 bpd, while Iraq said it would cut output by 211,000
bpd, and Oman announced a cut of 40,000 bpd. Algeria said it would cut its
output by 48,000 bpd.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Five
Syrian soldiers wounded in Israeli air strike near Homs: SANA
02
April ,2023
Five
Syrian soldiers were wounded in an Israeli air strike near the western city of
Homs early Sunday, Syria’s state news agency SANA said.
The
strike was Israel’s third in recent days after Damascus was targeted on the
nights of March 30 and 31, according to the agency.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“Today
at around 00:35 (2135 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an air assault from
northeast of Beirut targeting positions in the city of Homs and its province,”
SANA reported on Sunday, citing a military source.
Syria’s
air defense intercepted several missiles, but five soldiers were wounded and
some material damage was reported, the source added.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the
strikes targeted several military positions of Syrian government forces and
pro-Iran groups in Homs.
The
NGO said explosions rocked the city and a fire broke out in a research center,
with ambulances heading to the scene of the attack.
Observatory
director Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP that in addition to the five wounded Syrian
soldiers, several Iranian-affiliated fighters in the research center had been
killed in the strikes.
An
officer from Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards was killed in Israeli strikes
in Syria on March 31, a website affiliated with the Guards said.
Israel
has conducted seven air strikes in Syria this month, according to the
Observatory, which has an extensive network of sources in the country.
While
Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has
repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in
the war-torn country.
Last
month, an Israeli air strike killed 15 people in a Damascus district that
houses state security agencies, the Observatory said at the time.
Last
week, an Israeli missile strike destroyed a suspected arms depot used by
Iran-backed militias at Syria’s Aleppo airport, the war monitor said.
On
March 7, three people were killed in an Israeli strike on the same airport that
put it out of service. It reopened three days later.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Syria
foreign minister makes first Egypt visit in over 10 years
01
April ,2023
Syria’s
foreign minister met his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Saturday, the first
such visit in more than a decade and the latest sign of Arab states mending
ties with President Bashar al-Assad.
Faisal
Mekdad was embraced by Sameh Shoukry as he arrived at the Egyptian foreign
ministry, the first official trip since before the uprising and conflict that
began in Syria in 2011.
President
Assad was shunned by many Western and Arab states due to the war in Syria,
which splintered the country and left hundreds of thousands of people dead.
In
2011, Syria was suspended from the Arab League and many Arab states pulled
their envoys out of Damascus.
Some
countries are questioning the possible rehabilitation of ties with Assad,
citing his government’s actions during the conflict and the need to see
progress towards a political solution in Syria.
Egypt’s
foreign ministry published pictures of the two ministers in a closed meeting
before a wider discussion.
Syrian
state news agency SANA reported that the talks were aimed at strengthening
relations between the two states.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
ministry advises Umrah pilgrims not to carry large sums of cash, warns of fraud
01
April ,2023
Saudi
Arabian authorities have advised Umrah pilgrims not to bring large sums of cash
and expensive items when traveling to the Kingdom to perform the lesser
pilgrimage.
In
a post on Twitter, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah advised pilgrims traveling to
Saudi Arabia not to bring gold bullion, precious stones and valuable precious
metal in general and to carry a maximum of $16,000 (SAR 60,000) in cash.
The
government authority also urged worshipers to download bank apps from official
sites, not to share bank account details or transfer money to unknown parties,
and to ignore text messages from unknown sources.
It
advised pilgrims to notify the ministry or the relevant authorities if they
suspect fraud or fall victims to it.
Earlier
in March, the ministry had urged Muslims to only perform Umrah once during the
holy month of Ramadan to reduce crowding and ensure a smooth and easy journey
for pilgrims at the sites.
Muslims
from around the world can apply to perform the pilgrimage through the Nusuk app
and organize their entire trip – from applying for an eVisa to booking accommodation
and flights – on the platform.
Umrah
is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the
year, except during Hajj.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Etidal
finds 6m extremist posts on Telegram in three months
April
02, 2023
RIYADH:
More than six million extremist posts and nearly 2,000 host channels have been
removed from the social media platform Telegram since the start of the year due
to monitoring by the Saudi-based Global Center for Combating Extremist
Ideology.
The
center, also known as Etidal, said that the deleted channels belonged to three
terrorist organizations, Daesh, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and Al-Qaeda. The content
included audio, videos and PDF files in Arabic.
Etidal
found 2,773,902 items on 477 channels referencing Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham,
1,807,215 items on 1,040 channels sympathetic to Daesh and 1,423,101 items on
323 channels with links to Al-Qaeda.
It
said that over the course of just one day - Jan. 9 - 451,911 items with an
extremist nature were either shared or referred. It found 101 channels related
to extremist activity were created in one day towards the end of March, Etidal
added.
The
center began collaborating with Telegram in February 2022 to monitor and
identify extremist content posted in Arabic. It has since helped identify and
remove 21,026,169 items of an extremist nature and close 8,664 related
channels.
The
cooperation aims to protect Telegram users from ideological influences and
extremist content.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280041/saudi-arabia
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Jordan’s
crown prince arrives in Saudi Arabia
April
02, 2023
RIYADH:
Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah arrived in Jeddah on Sunday.
Dressed
in an ihram, the crown prince will perform Umrah during his stay in the
Kingdom.
He
was greeted on arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport by the deputy
governor of the Makkah region, Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, and other
officials.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2280006/saudi-arabia
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Africa
Jordan
king says Muslims have ‘duty to deter Israeli escalation’ in Jerusalem
April
2, 2023
AMMAN,
Jordan — Jordan’s King Abdullah II expressed on Sunday a commitment to
“safeguard” Jerusalem’s holy sites, in a meeting in Amman with Muslim and
Christian religious leaders from the city.
A
statement from the royal court said the king told the delegation, led by
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, that Jordan “will always be with
you.”
“It
is the duty of every Muslim to deter Israeli escalations against… holy sites in
Jerusalem,” the king said, according to the statement.
The
king touted a longtime commitment to preserving “peace and harmony” at
Jerusalem’s flashpoint Temple Mount site, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque
compound or the Noble Sanctuary, Islam’s third holiest site. The Temple Mount
is revered by Jews as the historic location of the two Jewish Temples, making
it Judaism’s holiest site.
Jordan
views itself as a custodian of the Temple Mount — a status Israel does not
recognize, though it acknowledged the kingdom’s “special role” at the site in
the countries’ peace treaty. Jordan in 1994 became the second Arab country to
recognize and sign a peace treaty with neighboring Israel, after Egypt.
Many
Palestinians reject the notion that the Temple Mount is holy to Jews, having
accused Israel and Zionists for around a century of plotting to destroy the
mosque and replace it with a Jewish temple — a move that is not supported by
mainstream Israeli society.
Israel
captured the Temple Mount and Jerusalem’s Old City from Jordan in the 1967 Six
Day War, almost two decades after Amman conquered it during the War of
Independence in 1948. However, Israel allowed the Jordanian Waqf to continue to
maintain religious authority atop the mount.
Under
an arrangement that has prevailed for decades under Jordan’s custodianship,
Jews and other non-Muslims are permitted to visit the Temple Mount during
certain hours but may not pray there. In recent years, Jewish religious
nationalists, including members of the new governing coalition like far-right
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have increasingly visited the site
and demanded equal prayer rights for Jews there, infuriating the Palestinians
and Muslims around the world.
In
January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a previously unannounced visit
to Amman to meet with King Abdullah II, in a sit-down where he reportedly
promised that this status quo on the Temple Mount would be preserved.
In
his remarks on Sunday, Abdullah also hailed “Jerusalemites’… efforts to
safeguard” the holy sites and “stressed the need to stop the displacement of
Christians, as well as the repeated attacks on churches, religious figures and
Christian property in Jerusalem,” according to the statement.
Christian
places of worship in Jerusalem have seen a wave of attacks in recent months,
some of them blamed on Jewish extremists.
Churches
in Jerusalem appealed to the government on Friday to ensure Christians are able
to worship freely during Easter and its run-up, expressing concern at mounting
violence and acts of desecration over the past year.
Jerusalem’s
Catholic Christian community marked Palm Sunday with masses attending religious
processions in the Old City.
The
Jordanian king’s remarks followed tensions with the Israeli government over a
far-right minister’s remarks denying the existence of the Palestinian people
and fears of a flare-up of violence during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan,
which began on March 23.
During
Sunday’s meeting the Jordanian king “called on the international community to
take a stand against the exclusionary and racist statements made recently by
some Israeli officials”, the statement said.
Last
month, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the far-right Religious Zionism
party caused an international outcry after saying in a speech at a conference
in Paris that the Palestinian people are an “invention” while standing behind a
map of “Greater Israel” that includes modern-day Jordan.
Tensions
with Jordan flared and the kingdom summoned the Israeli envoy in protest, with
Amman panning the “reckless incitement and a violation of international norms.”
The
Israeli Foreign Ministry sought to tamp down the backlash, tweeting that
“Israel is committed to the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan” and that “there
has been no change in the position of the State of Israel, which recognizes the
territorial integrity of the Hashemite Kingdom,” in both Hebrew and English.
Source:
TimesOfIsrael
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Algeria rejects foreign military intervention in region for ‘fighting
terrorism’
Hassan
Jibril
02.04.2023
ALGIERS,
Algeria
Algeria’s
army chief, Lt. Gen. Said Chengriha, on Sunday reiterated his country’s
rejection of any foreign military intervention in the region under the claim of
combating terrorism.
"Algeria
rejects any form of foreign intervention in the region under the pretext of
combating terrorism because it is an approach that has proven to be a complete
failure," Chengriha said in a speech during a military meeting.
The
army chief, however, did not provide any details about parties seeking military
intervention in the region.
"Algeria's
will is to give a new dynamism to efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel and
Sahara region," Chengriha said.
Algeria
maintains that countries of the region have a responsibility to fight terrorism
by themselves.
Algeria
opposed France’s military intervention in its neighbor Mali in 2013. Paris
ended its military presence there in August 2022.
Algeria
also formed the Group of Field Countries, which includes Mali, Niger, and
Mauritania, to coordinate military, security, and intelligence efforts to
combat terrorism, provided that each country fights inside its own territory
without forming joint forces or seeking foreign intervention.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Focus
your sermons on how to reform practice of Islam – UNILAG Imam tells Islamic
clerics
April
2, 2023
By
Musliudeen Adebayo
The
Chief Imam of the University of Lagos, Professor Ismail Musa, has enjoined
Muslim clerics and preachers to focus their sermons on reforming the practice
of Islam.
Musa
who doubles as the Head of the Department of Religious Studies, University of
Lagos, made this disclosure while delivering a lecture at the 30th Ramadan
lecture organised by the Muslim Community of the University of Ibadan on
Saturday.
The
event was attended by Barrister Ahmed Raji (SAN), who was represented by Hon.
SaheedAlaran, Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria
(MUSWEN), Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, Dr. Rahman Adeniran
Tella, wife of former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Professor Hamdalat
Olaniyan, Mrs. RomokeAyinde, and Chief Imam, University of Ibadan, Professor
Abdulrahman Oloyede.
Musa,
who lamented that Muslims are currently lagging in the areas of education,
research and technology, enjoined the clerics to focus on how to address the
deplorable condition of Muslims, especially in the areas of education and
research.
He
said Muslims should not just sit down and lament the problem confronting them,
and insisted that they should take individual and collective actions to address
the issue of illiteracy and poverty among them.
He
added that it is important to create awareness about integrated early childhood
education to address the problem of out-of-school children in the country.
He
said, “Our sermons and mass education programmes should focus on reforming the
practice of Islam, we should emphasise, in addition reforming our deplorable
condition, especially in education and research endeavours.
“As
a long-term measure, it is crucial that awareness is generated about integrated
early childhood education.
“The
lecture is a wake up call for the entire Muslim community that the resources
God has domiciled in the Quran and Hadith have not been making use of them, so
the lecture called our attention to the need to utilise the resources, because
the purpose of giving us those resources is for us to achieve excellence in all
aspects of life.
“So,
we should not just sit down and start lamenting, we have to take individual and
collective actions to ensure that Muslim community that Allah says it is
single, we have to make it single.
“Development
is a product of quality of education and research, we have large population of
Muslims here and there but that population is not bringing out the dividends
that should accrue to such a population.
“So,
we are saying that we should focus on education, quality education, and we
should focus on research, research that will be beneficial, not research that
will have side effects.
Source:
DailyPost Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Libya
rejects UN report on violations of migrant rights
MoatazWanees
02.04.2023
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Libya’s
Tripoli-based government has rejected a UN report about violations of migrant
rights in the war-torn country.
A
report by a UN fact-finding mission cited evidence on crimes against humanity
committed against migrants in Libya, including women being forced into sex
slavery.
The
UN mission said its investigators collected nearly 2,800 items of information
documenting numerous cases of abuse against migrants, including arbitrary
detention, murder, torture, rape, enslavement, sexual slavery, extrajudicial
killings, and enforced disappearances.
In
a statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry called on the UN mission to present
its information about the victims of violence and sex slavery to the
authorities.
The
ministry said the UN report casts doubts on the ability of the Libyan institutions
to deal with the issue professionally.
“The
situation in the detention centers where migrants are held requires
international support, and not to leave the Libyan government alone on this
issue,” it added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-rejects-un-report-on-violations-of-migrant-rights/2861787
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Burkina
Faso expels correspondents of French newspapers: Reports
Faruk
Zorlu
02.04.2023
Burkina
Faso has expelled reporters of French newspapers Le Monde and Liberation,
French media reported on Sunday.
Sophie
Douce from Le Monde Afrique and Agnes Faivre from Liberation were ordered by
the Burkinabe authorities to leave the capital Ouagadougou on Saturday,
according to Le Monde.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/36-years-muslims-killed-acquitted-carnage/d/129480
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