Ayodhya Mosque to Be Square-Shaped Like Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, As Hinted by Architect SM Akhtar
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 September 2020
The mosque to come up in Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case may be square-shaped like the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca
----
• Kuwait Likely to Be Next Arab State to Normalize
Ties with Israel: Trump
• London Councillor, Kamaljit Chana, Told Zeinab
Alipourbabaie ‘I Do Not Like Muslims’ At Major UK Engineering Firm
• Zalmay Khalilzad Said Escalating War Throughout Afghanistan
Is “Regrettable”
• ‘Political Paralysis,’ Lebanon’s Patriarch Points at
Shia Leaders For Cabinet Delay
• Jewish Settlers Enter, Pray At Al Aqsa In Jerusalem
Despite Coronavirus Lockdown
• Sudan, US Delegates to Meet Over Terrorism List with
UAE Officials
• Opposition Parties in Pakistan Launch Alliance to
Oust PM Imran Khan
• Muhyiddin Says PN Will Be More Responsive to Islamic
Groups
India
• Ayodhya Mosque to Be Square-Shaped Like Kaaba Sharif
in Mecca, As Hinted by Architect SM Akhtar
• Won’t change programme on Muslims: Channel to SC
• Pained by NDTV’s 2008 Show on Hindu Terror: Suresh
Chavhanke Tells SC
• 'Love Jihad' Curse to Society, Says Rajya Sabha MP
Vinay Tendulkar
• NIA interrogates alleged al Qaeda terrorists for ten
hours in Kolkata
• Hazratbal Shrine, 19th Century Temple & Church
Among 7 Sites To Get Facelift In Srinagar
--------
North America
• Kuwait Likely to Be Next Arab State to Normalize
Ties with Israel: Trump
• US Says All UN Sanctions on Iran Restored, Security
Council Opposes Move
• Trump is a target of Iran for ‘life’ for Soleimani
killing: Supreme leader Rep.
• Trump awards Kuwait emir with Legion of Merit
--------
Europe
• London Councillor, Kamaljit Chana, Told Zeinab
Alipourbabaie ‘I Do Not Like Muslims’ At Major UK Engineering Firm
• France urges Turkey to reopen 'responsible dialogue'
• French Christian group allegedly backs Syrian regime
• Let’s give diplomacy a chance: Erdogan tells Greece
• Turkey, France close friends no matter conditions:
envoy
--------
South Asia
• Zalmay Khalilzad Said Escalating War Throughout Afghanistan
Is “Regrettable”
• Kunduz Airstrikes against Taliban Harm Civilians
• OIC, a new emerging Muslim alliance and Bangladesh
• More than 30 Taliban fighters killed in Afghan
airstrikes, says defense ministry
--------
Arab world
• ‘Political Paralysis,’ Lebanon’s Patriarch Points at
Shia Leaders For Cabinet Delay
• Lebanon’s largest Christian party offers proposal to
resolve dispute over new cabinet
• Yemen’s Houthis launch projectile towards Saudi
Arabia’s Jazan, 5 civilians injured
• US military deploys more troops, armoured vehicles
to oil-rich eastern Syria
• UN warns of 'war crimes' in Turkish-occupied areas
in northern Syria
--------
Mideast
• Jewish Settlers Enter, Pray At Al Aqsa In Jerusalem
Despite Coronavirus Lockdown
• Houthis Are ‘Threat’ To Yemen, Saudi Arabia, And the
Entire Region
• Iran Issues Stern Warning to US to Avoid Illegal
Practice of UNSC's Lifted Sanctions
• IRGC Commander: Iran Able to Set Fire to All US
Bases in Region
• Iranian Spokesman Labels US as Rogue State
• Iran: Trump or Biden, No Change in US Enmity towards
Iran
• US set to sanction more than 24 people; groups
linked to Iran’s weapons program
--------
Africa
• Sudan, US Delegates to Meet Over Terrorism List with
UAE Officials
• Libya’s Sarraj plan to step down upsets Turkey, says
Erdogan
• Libya’s Haftar says he will lift oil blockade, while
GNA agrees on fair revenue share
• Russia sends 400 war criminal mercenaries to Libya
• Nigerian forces kill 16 Boko Haram terrorists
• Somalia’s president appoints new prime minister
--------
Pakistan
• Opposition Parties in Pakistan Launch Alliance to
Oust PM Imran Khan
• Muslim World League launches urgent relief campaign
for Pakistan flood victims
• Pakistan tells India to respect diplomatic norms
• MQM-P plans march on Thursday for ‘rights of urban
Sindh’
--------
Southeast Asia
• Muhyiddin Says PN Will Be More Responsive to Islamic
Groups
• After DAP suggests he gives way to Shafie for PM
post, Anwar says he can get the numbers
• Syed Saddiq announces scholarship entry into
Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ayodhya-mosque-be-square-shaped/d/122907
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Ayodhya Mosque to Be Square-Shaped Like Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, As Hinted by Architect SM Akhtar
20 September 2020
The mosque to come up in
Ayodhya pursuant to the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case may
be square-shaped like the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca
----
The mosque to come up in Ayodhya pursuant to the
Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case may be square-shaped like the
Kaaba Sharif in Mecca and will not be named after any emperor or king.
Secretary and spokesperson of the Indo-Islamic
Cultural Foundation (IICF) Athar Hussain told PTI on Sunday, "A mosque
measuring 15,000 square feet will be built in Dhannipur village. It will be of
the same size as that of the Babri mosque. The shape of the mosque may be
completely different from that of other mosques. It may be square-shaped like
the Kaaba Sharif in Mecca, as hinted by architect SM Akhtar."
To a question on whether the mosque will have no domes
or minarets like the Kaaba Sharif, Hussain said it could be a possibility.
He said the architect has been given a free hand in
this regard.
"The mosque will not be named Babri Masjid. It
will not be named after any king or emperor. My personal opinion is that it
should be called the Dhannipur Masjid," Hussain said.
He also informed that the trust is making its portal
so that people can donate for the mosque and the museum, hospital and research
centre which will be built inside the complex. Write-ups by national and
international Islamic scholars will also appear on the portal.
He said some work on the portal is yet to be completed
and hence, donation is yet to begin.
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has formed
the IICF, a trust, for the construction of the mosque on a five-acre plot.
The state government has allotted the five-acre plot
in Ayodhya's Dhannipur for the construction of the mosque on the directive of
the apex court.
After a protracted legal tussle, the Supreme Court, on
November 9 last year, ruled in favour of the construction of a Ram temple at
the disputed site in Ayodhya and directed the Centre to allot an alternative
five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque at a
"prominent" place in the holy town in Uttar Pradesh.
The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December
6, 1992 by "kar sevaks", who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood
at the same site.
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-ayodhya-mosque-to-be-square-shaped-like-meccas-kaaba-officials/360619
--------
Kuwait Likely to Be Next Arab State to Normalize Ties
with Israel: Trump
19 September 2020
US President Donald Trump
says Kuwait will likely be the third Persian Gulf Arab state to normalize its
diplomatic ties with Israel
------
US President Donald Trump says Kuwait will likely be
the third Persian Gulf Arab state to normalize its diplomatic ties with the
occupying Israeli regime under his auspices.
During a signing ceremony at the White House on
Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain officially normalized their
relations with Israel. They became only the third and fourth Arab states to
ever establish formal ties with the occupying regime after Egypt and Jordan.
At the White House, Trump claimed “five or six” more
Arab countries were poised to agree to normalize relations with Israel.
The deals were widely censured by Palestinians as a
betrayal of their cause, a sentiment echoed by regional players Iran and Turkey
and Muslim authorities throughout the region.
Trump announced the likely normalization of bilateral
ties between Kuwait and Israel at a White House press briefing Friday hours
after meeting with the son of Kuwait’s ruling emir.
The White House said the president had awarded the US
Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad
al-Sabah, adding that it was the first time the honor has been given since
1991.
The White House praised the ailing 91-year-old emir as
a "friend and partner to the United States" who offered his country's
"indispensable" support to the US government in pursuit of its
foreign policy and military agenda in the Persian Gulf.
The Kuwaiti emir visited the United States in July to complete
medical treatment after having undergone surgery that month.
The emir's eldest son, Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad
al-Jaber al-Sabah, accepted the award on behalf of his father at a private
ceremony with Trump on Friday.
Trump’s remarks were a stark contrast from what the
Kuwaiti government had said last month. A local newspaper cited a Kuwaiti
official as saying that the Persian Gulf state would “be the last” to sign a
normalization agreement with Israel.
“Our stance on ‘Israel’ has not changed following the
UAE normalization agreement, and we will be the last to normalize relations,”
the al-Qabas newspaper cited the unnamed senior official as stating.
“The Kuwaiti position is consistent with its
decades-old foreign policy approach in support of the Palestinian cause, as it
is the premier Arab issue,” it added, quoting the official.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/19/634541/US-Trump-Kuwait-Israel-
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London Councillor, Kamaljit Chana, Told Zeinab
Alipourbabaie ‘I Do Not Like Muslims’ At Major UK Engineering Firm
September 20, 2020
Kamaljit Chana was
disciplined for his treatment of Zeinab Alipourbabaie
------
LONDON: An engineer at major UK engineering firm Dyson
has won claims for religious discrimination and her unfair dismissal after her
manager told her: “I do not like Muslims.”
Zeinab Alipourbabaie was a senior electrical engineer
at Dyson, founded by British billionaire James Dyson.
The 39-year-old Iranian resigned from her position in
2018 after a campaign of harassment, bullying and discrimination by a senior
project manager, Kamaljit Chana, who also serves as a councillor for the
Conservative Party in Harrow, London, The Sunday Times reported.
A Bristol employment tribunal found that in a 2017
meeting, Chana, who is Sikh, told Alipourbabaie that “Muslims and violent,” and
“Pakistani men are grooming our girls.”
He also repeatedly excluded her from meetings and
emails, criticized her unfairly to senior leadership and advised against her
promotion, the tribunal was told.
She was recommended for promotion three times by her
line manager without result.
The court ruled that her 2018 resignation amounted to
constructive unfair dismissal due to Chana’s behavior.
The judgment gave an account of Chana’s first tirade
against Alipourbabaie, in which he “asked if she was a Muslim.” When she
replied that she came from a Muslim family, he said that “he did not like
Muslims...
“Mr Chana talked about 9/11 and said his family did
not take flights anymore because they were scared…He went on to say Pakistani
men are grooming our girls.”
Alipourbabaie, originally from Tehran, said Chana’s
behavior “had a huge impact” on her life.
“I couldn’t sleep. It was like getting hit by a car or
having an accident. Something I had no control over but [that] hit me hard,”
she said.
Leaving her job put her British residency in doubt,
though she later found new work at a major car manufacturer.
She hailed the British judicial system in a statement,
saying: “Yes, it’s terrible what Kam did to me, it’s terrible what HR did to
me, but it’s good that I’m in a good country with a justice system that I
trust.”
Dyson said Alipourbabaie’s allegations were
investigated fully and disciplinary action was taken against Chana, who was
found to have acted inappropriately.
The UK’s Conservative Party has previously faced
allegations of Islamophobia from members of the party, including other
councilors.
In March, the Muslim Council of Britain submitted a
dossier of over 300 allegations of Islamophobia to the UK government’s Equalities
and Human Rights Commission.
The Conservative Party said it would investigate
Chana’s case if it received a complaint.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1737301/world
--------
Zalmay Khalilzad Said Escalating War Throughout
Afghanistan Is “Regrettable”
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
21 Sep 2020
KABUL, Afghanistan – The United States Special
Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said escalating
war throughout the country is “regrettable”, calling for all sides to reduce
violence in Afghanistan amid ongoing peace negotiations.
While security threats and violence throughout the
country have escalated more recently, Khalilzad called for “all sides” of the
negotiations to reduce violence.
War Escalation ‘Regrettable’, Says Peace Envoy
“Over the last few days, there has been a clear rise
in violence in Afghanistan,” he said in a tweet late Sunday. “This escalation
is regrettable as Afghans, including many civilians, are losing their lives.”
“Given the recent start of Afghanistan Peace Negotiations,
it is imperative all sides reduce violence significantly,” he added.
The United States Special Representative for
Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said “spoilers” are desperately
trying to “disrupt” the ongoing peace process that determines the future of
Afghanistan, as terrorists targeted First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in
Kabul Wednesday.
“As peace talks near, spoilers are becoming more
desperate in their attempt to disrupt this historic opportunity (peace
process),” Khalilzad said in a tweet thread.
“Today’s attack on @AmrullahSaleh‘s convoy is the latest example.”
He believes anti-government groups are crossing lines
just to cause hindrance to any progress the country is reaching to, saying past
experiences have thought Afghans not to fall for such a “trap”.
“History has shown that when the opportunity for peace
is close, spoilers will go to no end to try and stop it,” he said. “Afghans are not falling for their trap.”
“Afghans know a successful peace process is the only
antidote to the country’s protracted conflict,” he added.” Their widespread
yearning for peace will be for the two negotiating teams and their leaders’ to
satisfy.”
Khalilzad’s remark came hours after a roadside bomb
targeted First Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday, disrupting relative
peaceful morning for residents and the convoy.
While Saleh escaped the attack with miner injures, at
least 10 civilians were confirmed dead and further 15 wounded.
The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack,
holding to its pledge of not launching attacks in urban areas.
In a video footage Khaama Press reached to, Saleh –
with bandages on his left hand, said his convoy was attacked when he was
traveling to office.
“I am fine but some of my guards have been wounded. My
son, who was in the car with me, and I are both fine,” he said. “I have some
burns on my face and hand.”
https://www.khaama.com/war-escalation-regrettable-says-peace-envoy-34534/
--------
‘Political paralysis,’ Lebanon’s Patriarch points at
Shia leaders for cabinet delay
20 September 2020
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch took a swipe at leaders
of the Shia Muslim community on Sunday for making demands he said were blocking
the formation of a new government and causing political paralysis in a nation
in deep crisis.
Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai did not mention Shia
directly but asked how one sect can demand “a certain ministry.” Shia
politicians have said they must name the finance minister.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Sunday’s sermon adds to tensions in a nation facing
its worst crisis since a civil war ended in 1990 and where power is
traditionally shared out between Muslims and Christians.
France has been pushing Lebanon to form a new cabinet
fast. But a deadline of September 15 that politicians told Paris they would
meet has been missed amid a row over appointments, notably the finance
minister, a post Shia controlled for years.
Shia politicians say they must choose some posts
because rivals are trying to use “foreign leverage” to push them aside.
“In what capacity does a sect demand a certain
ministry as if it is its own, and obstruct the formation of the government,
until it achieves its goals, and so causes political paralysis?” the patriarch
of Lebanon’s biggest Christian community said.
He said the Taif agreement, a pact that ended the
1975-1990 civil war, did not hand specific ministries to specific sects.
Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib, a Sunni
Muslim, wants to appoint specialists and shake up the leadership of ministries.
The main Shia groups - the Amal Movement and the
heavily armed, Iranian-backed Hezbollah - want to select the figures to fill
several posts, including the finance minister, a vital position as Lebanon navigates
through its economic crisis.
A French roadmap for Lebanon includes the swift
resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund, a first step to
helping deal with a mountain of debt and fix Lebanon’s broken banking sector.
But it first needs a government.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/-Political-paralysis-Lebanon-s-Patriarch-points-at-Shia-leaders-for-cabinet-delay
--------
Jewish settlers enter, pray at Al Aqsa in Jerusalem
despite coronavirus lockdown
Emily Judd
20 September 2020
Jewish settlers entered the Al Aqsa compound on
Sunday, according to witnesses, despite the site closing on Friday after Israel
implemented a strict coronavirus lockdown.
The group prayed around Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa compound,
which houses six mosques including the ancient Dome of the Rock, in
commemoration of the Jewish New Year, known as Rosh Hashanah.
Described as “religious settlers,” the individuals
were “heavily guarded by Israeli police” and “performed rituals and provocative
tours,” according to the Palestine News and Info Agency, which is linked to the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The controversial visit comes after the Israeli
government ordered a second coronavirus lockdown on Friday, ordering all
residents to stay within 1,000 meters of their homes for three weeks.
Al Aqsa’s religious authorities announced Friday it
would close for three weeks. However witnesses reported Jewish worshippers on
the site on Sunday morning.
Known in Islam as Haram al-Sharif (translated as The
Noble Sanctuary), the site is called the Temple Mount in the religion of
Judaism.
In ancient times, a Jewish temple - built and
destroyed twice - stood in the area.
While most Jewish worshippers pray at the Western Wall
in Jerusalem, many right-wing religious Jewish people have insisted on praying
inside the Al Aqsa compound in recent years, causing uproar within the local
and international Muslim community who say the action violates the status quo.
Jordan, which maintains custodianship of Al Aqsa, condemned
“continuous Israeli violations” at the space earlier this month after Israeli
authorities installed loudspeakers on the premises.
Al Arabiya English reached out to the Israeli Prime
Minister's office for comment on the matter and was directed to the Israeli
police department, which had not responded at the time of publication.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/Jewish-worshippers-enter-pray-at-Al-Aqsa-in-Jerusalem-despite-coronavirus-lockdown
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Sudan, US delegates to meet over terrorism list with
UAE officials
20 September 2020
A delegation from Sudan’s sovereign council will meet
with delegates from the United States and the United Arab Emirates to discuss
removing Sudan from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, the council said in
a statement on Sunday.
The council’s chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan will be
heading to the UAE on Sunday for a two-day visit, where he will meet with
officials from the UAE to discuss the latest developments in Sudan and the region.
Al-Burhan will also meet with a team of officials from
the US administration for talks on removing Sudan from the terrorism list.
The US sanctioned Sudan over its alleged support for
militant groups and the civil war in Darfur, during Omar al-Bashir’s rule.
Trade sanctions were lifted in 2017 but Sudan remains
on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, which prevents it from accessing
badly needed funding from international lenders.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/Sudan-US-delegates-to-meet-over-terrorism-list-with-UAE-officials-
--------
Opposition parties in Pakistan launch alliance to oust
PM Imran Khan
Sep 21, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Demanding Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan's immediate resignation, the country's major Opposition parties have
launched an alliance to hold a countrywide protest movement to oust his
government.
A 26-point joint resolution was adopted on Sunday by
the All Parties Conference (APC), which was hosted by the Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) and attended by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and several other parties.
At a joint press conference after the end of the
multi-party meeting, JUI-F chief Mualana Fazl ur Rehman read out the resolution
and said that the Opposition parties have agreed to launch an alliance named
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to organise countrywide protests against the
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from October.
The resolution alleged that the Khan government has
been granted "fake stability by the same establishment" that
interfered with the elections to bring the incumbent rulers to power.
In an obvious reference to the powerful Pakistan Army,
the resolution expressed "extreme concern" over the increasing
interference of the establishment in the internal affairs of the country and
regarded it as a "danger to the nation's stability and institutions".
According to the resolution, the protests would start
in phases. In the first phase, the Opposition parties will hold joint rallies
in all four provinces in October. The second phase will begin in December
during which the Opposition will hold huge rallies across the country.
Finally, a "decisive" long march towards
Islamabad would start in January next year to oust the government.
The forum also demanded that elections be held again
in a transparent manner and that electoral reforms should be passed in order to
ensure free and fair polls.
Terming the Parliament a "rubber stamp", the
PDM declared that the opposition will not cooperate with the government in the
legislative process.
The Opposition will also enlist lawyers, traders,
farmers, students, media as well as members of the civil society in its
movement. In order to oust the government, opposition parties will use "every
legal and constitutional option in and out of parliament, which include moving
no-confidence motions and collective resignations from assemblies at an
appropriate time," the resolution stated.
The joint resolution, JUI-F chief Rehman said, has
also rejected any attempt to introduce a presidential form of government in the
country and pledged to strengthen the parliamentary system of the country.
Earlier, addressing the multi-party conference through
a video link from London, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said the struggle
of the Opposition parties was not against Khan but against those who brought an
"inefficient" man to power.
The 70-year-old PML-N supremo has been living in
London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him
permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment.
On Friday, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talked
to him over phone and invited him to virtually attend the conference.
Sharif staged a political comeback by criticising the
country's powerful military establishment for allegedly supporting Khan.
"Our struggle is not against Imran Khan. Today,
our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated
elections (of 2018) to bring an inefficient man like him into power and thus
destroyed the country,” he said.
He asked the Pakistan Army to stay away from politics
and follow the Constitution and vision of the country's father ‘Quaid-e-Azam'
Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
"If change is not brought, it will bring
irreversible loss to this country...We have made this country a joke in our own
eyes and internationally as well," Sharif said.
The Pakistan Army has ruled the country for more than
half of its 70 plus years of existence and has wielded considerable power in
the matters of security and foreign policy.
Before Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari also
addressed the conference through a video-link and criticised the government,
which he said was using the tactics to suppress the Opposition.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/opposition-parties-in-pakistan-launch-alliance-to-oust-pm-imran-khan/articleshow/78228009.cms
--------
Muhyiddin says PN will be more responsive to Islamic
groups
September 19, 2020
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in a
meeting with leaders of Islamic organisations today assured them that the
Perikatan Nasional government will be more sensitive and responsive to their
concerns.
Muhyiddin said some Islamic NGO leaders have expressed
their worries over major challenges faced by Muslims in Malaysia and around the
world, especially on new developments in the way of life and thinking, which
are seen as a threat to Muslim beliefs and moral values.
These challenges include the influence of western
liberalism and secular ideologies which do not see religion as something
important in human life, but instead uphold personal freedom to the extent of
going against Islamic laws and teachings, he said.
“I too, have the same stance on the importance of
giving priority to efforts in upholding the sanctity of Islam, empowering
institutions that contribute to the progress of Muslims and strengthening the
unity of the ummah,” he said in a special meeting with Islamic NGO leaders
organised by Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia here.
Muhyiddin said the influence of the ideologies had
created various forms of movements at the international level as well as in
Malaysia, which demanded the implementation and enforcement of Islamic laws to
be reviewed.
This includes movements demanding that parts of the
Islamic law be repealed and practices that clearly deviate from Islamic laws
such as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and deviant teachings be
allowed, he said.
According to him, the developments have created
anxiety among Muslims in Malaysia causing several Islamic NGO leaders to rise
in defence of the religious faith and the position of Islam as the religion of
the Federation.
However, in an effort to protect and defend the
sanctity of Islam and the purity of the faith, Muhyiddin reminded not to take
extreme approaches that could cause unrest in this plural society nation.
“The government will not compromise with any form of
extremist practices that could threaten racial harmony, public order and
national security, and firm actions based on the law will be taken against
those who spread extremist practices and beliefs regardless of religion,” he
said.
Muhyiddin hoped that the Malaysian Islamic Charity
Council established in 2009 could be mobilised again by the new Yadim
leadership in helping the government to strengthen dakwah and tarbiyyah efforts
in the country.
MAIM was established with the consent of the then Yang
di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, to be the platform to coordinate
Islamic NGOs in Malaysia.
Yadim president Nasrudin Hassan presented a resolution
from Islamic NGOs to Muhyiddin.
Muhyiddin said he was confident that the resolution
handed over to him symbolised the concerns and commitments of Islamic NGO
leaders in strengthening Islamic teachings and developing the ummah.
“InsyaAllah, I will review and give due attention to
the recommendations that have been submitted,” he said.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/09/19/muhyiddin-says-pn-will-be-more-responsive-to-islamic-groups/
--------
India
Won’t change programme on Muslims: Channel to SC
Sep 21, 2020
NEW DELHI: Sudarshan TV hardened its stand on Sunday
by refusing to carry out any change in its controversial programme ‘Bindas Bol’
which alleged that Muslims were “infiltrating UPSC” and gave a bald assurance
to the Supreme Court that it would strictly adhere to the programme code
mandated by law.
In response, the channel gave no details about changes
it would carry out, except for reiterating its earlier stand that it would
scrupulously stick to the programme code as enshrined in law. It also said it
had no ill-will against any community and that it was not against any Muslim
candidate entering the civil services. It said the theme of the programme was
the terror-linked funds received by Zakat Foundation, which met the civil
services coaching expenses of Muslim students. It also clarified that it did
not mean to project that all funds received by Zakat Foundation were terror
linked.
Referring to the judges’ objection to stereotyping of
a community with beards, green T-shirt and skull caps, the channel extracted
two programmes shown by NDTV in 2008 and 2010 titled ‘Hindu Terror: Myth or
Fact’ and ‘Is Saffron Terror Real’. The channel said in the first programme, “a
Hindu saint is shown with ‘tilak’ and ‘chillum’ and also a trishul”. In the
second programme, “a Hindu gathering was shown in saffron clothes”.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/wont-change-programme-on-muslims-channel-to-sc/articleshow/78225307.cms
--------
Pained by NDTV’s 2008 Show on Hindu Terror: Suresh
Chavhanke Tells SC
Murali Krishnan
Sep 20, 2020
Television news channel Sudarshan News filed a fresh
affidavit in the Supreme Court on Sunday stating that it will comply with all
laws while airing the remaining episodes of the controversial programme Bindas
Bol relating to the entry of Muslims in civil services and prayed that the
September 15 injunction on the telecast of remaining episodes be lifted.
The affidavit filed by Editor-in-Chief of the channel,
Suresh Chavhanke reiterated it earlier stance that the channel does not harbour
any ill-will against any particular community and reaffirmed its commitment to
abide by the Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Rules which
prescribes the permissible limit of TV content.
“I will strictly comply with all laws while airing the
remaining episodes of ‘Bindas Bol’ program series on the subject of UPSC Jihad.
The respondent (Chavhanke) further states that he we will abide and comply by
the programme code and directions of the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting strictly,” the affidavit filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar
Jain said.
Interestingly, Chavhanke, in his affidavit highlighted
two shows aired by another NDTV, one in September 2008 titled “Hindu Terror:
Myth or Fact” and another in 2010 titled “Is Saffron Threat Real?” which he
submitted “pained” and “shocked” him.
“The deponent (Chavhanke ) was shocked and pained when
on September 17, 2008 NDTV (English News Channel) had broadcast a programme
anchored by Ms. Barkha Dutt titled as “‘Hindu’ Terror: Myth or fact.” In this
programme just adjacent to the programme caption i.e. “‘Hindu’ Terror: Myth or
fact?”, a Hindu Saint was shown with ‘Tilak’ and ‘Chillam’ and also a ‘Trishul’
(one of most scared symbols for Hindus and associated with most revered deity
of the Hindus, ‘Lord Shiva’)”, the affidavit said.
The Supreme Court had on September 18 ordered
Sudarshan News to file an affidavit giving details of what changes it proposed
to make regarding Bindas Bol so as to convince the court to lift the injunction
imposed on September 15.
The injunction was imposed after a lawyer, Firoz Iqbal
Khan approached the top court alleging that the programme contained statements
which were derogatory about the entry of Muslims in the civil services and was
in violation of the programme code.
The Noida-based news channel had earlier filed an
affidavit on September 16 claiming Bindas Bol is only intended to highlight the
alleged dubious sources of foreign funding received by an organization, Zakat
Foundation which supports and provides coaching for civil service aspirants.
The channel had said that it does not oppose selection of any meritorious
candidate to UPSC and its intention was only to highlight anti-national
activities.
The Supreme Court, during the hearing of the case on
September 18, said that it will not stand in the way of media discussing
dubious funding of NGOs or issues concerning national security. But targeting
an entire community on the basis of dubious funding of one organization is not
acceptable, the court added taking exception to certain visuals aired in the
first 4 episodes of Bindas Bol which the bench said were “very hurtful” and
stereotyped Muslim community.
Meanwhile, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA)
also filed an affidavit before the apex court asking the court to pass
directions to ensure that the Code of Ethics laid down by NBA for
self-regulation of TV news channels should be given the force of law by
including it under the Programme Code.
This would make the Code of Ethics binding on all TV
broadcasters irrespective of whether or not the broadcaster is a member of NBA,
the affidavit filed on September 19 added.
The Programme Code under Rule 6 of the Cable TV Rules
regulates TV content by laying down what is not permissible to be carried in a
cable service. The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995 along
with Cable TV Rules and the Programme Code regulate television content.
Besides, the NBA which is a private association of 26
news channels has also framed a code of conduct for self-regulation of media.
It can hold inquiry against broadcasters for violation of the code and can
impose fine of up to Rs 1 lakh. But the same is applicable only to its members
and many broadcasters including Sudarshan News are not members of NBA.
The Supreme Court had taken a grim view of NBA’s
functioning on September 18 calling it “toothless”.
“NBA says they have a committee headed by a retired
Supreme Court judge. They can impose a maximum fine of 1 lakh. This shows how
toothless you are,” justice DY Chandrachud who was heading the bench said,
underscoring that a fine of Rs 1 lakh will not have any impact on a news
channel.
Justice Chandrachud also pointed out that the NBA’s
jurisdiction extends only to those broadcasters which are its members.
The court had, therefore, asked NBA to come up with
concrete suggestions on strengthening its self-regulation mechanism.
“The court should grant recognition to the independent
self-regulatory mechanism, so that complaints against all news broadcasters,
whether members or not, may be entertained by NBA and the orders passed by it
would be binding on all news broadcasters,” NBA said in its affidavit.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pained-by-ndtv-s-2008-show-on-hindu-terror-suresh-chavhanke-tells-sc/story-ctjqz9p033A6rk65qxK0AM.html
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'Love Jihad' curse to society, says Rajya Sabha MP
Vinay Tendulkar
21st September 2020
PANAJI: Goa BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Vinay
Tendulkar on Sunday termed "Love Jihaad" a curse to the society.
"This is very critical issue which has cursed our
society from quite a long time but is coming out in open now. We have lost
plenty of our sisters and daughters to #loveJihaad. Everyone is free to choose
their partners, but we must scrutinize their background. #LoveTrap," the
former Goa BJP chief said on Twitter.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/sep/21/love-jihad-curse-to-society-saysrajya-sabha-mp-vinay-tendulkar-2199668.html
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NIA interrogates alleged al Qaeda terrorists for ten
hours in Kolkata
Edited by Sohini Sarkar
Sep 20, 2020
Officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on
Sunday interrogated the six alleged al-Qaeda terrorists, arrested the day
before from Bengal’s Murshidabad district, for more than ten hours at the
agency’s office at Salt Lake in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata.
The agency has plans to fly the suspects to Delhi on
Monday evening. Before that they will be questioned by a team of the Special
Task Force (STF) of the Kolkata Police, officers aware of the developments
said.
An officer from the state CID questioned the suspects
on Sunday evening.
Officials aware of the developments also said that
bank accounts of two of the suspects showed deposits that did not match their
income. Efforts were being made to find out if the arrested men were members of
a common social media group. It is also being probed whether they had recruited
people from other districts, especially Birbhum, where gelatin sticks stolen
from stone quarries have been smuggled in large quantities in recent years.
The arrested men were examined by doctors from a local
hospital on Sunday since they are in transit police remand.
Significantly, the arrests were made five days after a
NIA court in Kolkata ordered a seven-year jail sentence and fine for two men
connected with the 2014 IED blast at Khagragarh in Burdwan district where the
banned terrorist organization Jamat-ul-Mujaheedin of Bangladesh (JMB) was
operating a cell.
On Saturday, NIA teams conducted simultaneous raids at
several locations at Ernakulum in Kerala and Murshidabad and arrested nine men
suspected to be associated with a Pakistan sponsored module of al-Qaeda.
The three men arrested in Kerala were identified as
Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas and Mosaraf Hossen. Those arrested in Murshidabad
are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal
and Atitur Rehman.
The NIA said that it got to know about an inter-state
module of al-Qaeda operatives at various locations in India including West
Bengal and Kerala. The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks in
Delhi and at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people,
the agency said in a statement.
According to the NIA, incriminating material including
digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms,
a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making
home-made explosive devices were seized from the possession of the arrested
men.
“As per preliminary investigation, these individuals
were radicalised by Pakistan-based al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were
motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National
Capital Region. For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fund
raising and a few members of gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to
procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist
attacks in various parts of the country,” said a NIA statement.
On September 15, a NIA court in Kolkata ordered a
seven-year jail sentence for two men in the 2014 Khagragarh blast case.
Mustafizzur Rehman alias Saqib alias Tuhin was arrested in December, 2018 and
convicted under Section 120B and 125 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 18,
18A, 18B, 19 and 20 of the UA (P) Act.
The second convict, Kadar Kazi alias Kador was arrested
in January 2019. He was convicted under Section 120B and 125 of the IPC and
Section 18 and 20 of the UA (P) Act.
On October 2, 2014, the IED went off accidentally when
it was being assembled by JMB members who had taken the house on rent to carry out
operations. Two people died in the blast while a third suffered injuries. The
case was initially probed by the state police before NIA took over the case.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-interrogates-alleged-al-qaeda-terrorists-for-ten-hours-in-kolkata/story-ct5RlNSFoHEfBu7kVvMNxN.html
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Hazratbal shrine, 19th century temple & church
among 7 sites to get facelift in Srinagar
Sep 20, 2020
NEW DELHI: The Jammu and Kashmir administration is
spending Rs 6 crore to revamp seven historical sites, including the Hazratbal
shrine, 19th Century Raghunath temple and St Luke’s Church, as part of its
heritage revitalisation project under the smart city mission.
“Srinagar is among the heritage cities in India.
Restoration and conservation of historical shrines is an important component of
the smart city project. Restoration work will cover sites of all faiths,”
Srinagar DM Shahid Choudhary told TOI.
The administration had tied up with the Indian
National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage to plan the renovation and prepare
a detailed project report. It is eyeing December as the deadline to finish work
on all the sites.
While the Hazratbal shrine is getting a facelift with
a new pathway constructed at its approach, Gurdwara Damdama Sahib is being entirely
reconstructed. According to the DM, “The smart city board has approved
reconstruction of the gurdwara which was demolished to pave way for the
Srinagar-Baramulla highway last December.”
There are also ambitious plans to revive the beauty of
the Raghunath temple, built by first Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1835,
which has been lying abandoned for three decades. The temple will get a new
corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) roof, distinctive maharaja bricks (handmade
bricks used in traditional construction system) and devri stone (a type of
limestone) cladding.
St Luke’s Church which was established in 1896 will
also get wooden flooring, deodar wood cladding, linseed oil work and brick
footpath. “The church will have a khatamband ceiling,” said a district
official. In khatamband, wood is joined together in geometrical shapes to form
a ceiling.
Imambara Hassanabad — built several times over the
centuries as it kept witnessing fire incidents — is also part of the project.
"The site, which is named after Baba Hassan, a prominent 16th century
saint, has been damaged several times. It is a rare example of Indo-Iranian
architecture,” said the official.
Khanqah-e-Moula (a mosque in old city), Khanqah
Naqshband Saheb (a shrine) and Jama Masjid will also go through restoration
works, he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hazratbal-shrine-19th-century-temple-church-among-7-sites-to-get-facelift-under-jk-smart-city-mission/articleshow/78222766.cms
--------
North America
US says all UN sanctions on Iran restored, Security
Council opposes move
20 September 2020
The Trump administration declared Saturday that all UN
sanctions against Iran have been restored, a move most of the rest of the world
rejects as illegal and sets the stage for an ugly showdown at the world body
ahead of its annual General Assembly.
The administration said that its triggering of the
“snapback” mechanism in the UN Security Council resolution that enshrined the
2015 Iran nuclear deal had taken effect at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. That is 30 days
after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the council that Iran was in
“significant non-performance” with its obligations under the accord, known as
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
“The United States took this decisive action because,
in addition to Iran’s failure to perform its JCPOA commitments, the Security
Council failed to extend the UN arms embargo on Iran, which had been in place
for 13 years,” Pompeo said in a statement released at precisely 8 p.m.
“In accordance with our rights ... we initiated the
snapback process to restore virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions,
including the arms embargo,” he said. “The world will be safer as a result.”
The White House plans to issue an executive order on
Monday spelling out how the US will enforce the restored sanctions, and the
State and Treasury departments are expected to outline how foreign individuals
and businesses will be penalized for violations.
“The United States expects all UN, member states to
fully comply with their obligations to implement these measures,” Pompeo said.
“If UN, member states fail to fulfill their obligations to implement these
sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to
impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the
benefits of UN-prohibited activity.”
But the US move faces stiff opposition from the other
members of the Security Council who have vowed to ignore it. They say the US lost
legal standing to invoke snapback when President Donald Trump withdrew from the
nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed American sanctions on Iran. The US argues it
retains the right to do it as an original participant in the deal and a member
of the council.
Even before the US declaration, fellow Security
Council members said the declaration had no legal force, calling into question
the ability to enforce snapback.
Snapback means that international sanctions eased or
lifted by the nuclear deal are reimposed and must be enforced by UN member
states, including hitting Iran with penalties for uranium enrichment to any
level, ballistic missile activity and buying or selling conventional weapons.
Those bans were either removed or set to expire under
the terms of the deal in which Iran was granted billions of dollars in
sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
China and Russia have been particularly adamant in
rejecting the US position, but US allies have not been shy either. In a letter
sent Friday to the president of the Security Council, Britain, France and
Germany — the three European participants who remain committed to the deal —
said the US announcement “is incapable of having legal effect and so cannot
bring in to effect the procedure.”
“It flows from this that any decisions and actions
which would be taken based on this procedure or on its possible outcome would
also be incapable of having any legal effect,” they wrote. Thus, the three
countries said, the sanctions relief provided by the nuclear deal will remain
in place.
US officials have talked tough about their intentions
to ensure the sanctions are enforced, but it remains unclear how the
administration will respond to being ignored, particularly by its European
allies, which have pledged to keep the nuclear deal alive. A wholesale
rejection of the US position could push the administration, which has already
withdrawn from multiple UN agencies, organizations and treaties, further away
from the international community.
In the midst of a heated campaign for reelection,
Trump plans to address Iran in a speech to the General Assembly’s annual
high-level meeting on Tuesday. Officials say he will also touch on his
brokering of agreements for Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to
normalize relations in part to solidify a regional bulwark against Iran.
And, as he seeks to demonstrate statesmanlike
credentials ahead of the election, Trump has injected another element of
uncertainty into the mix by threatening to retaliate “1,000 times” harder
against Iran if it attacks US personnel overseas.
Iran earlier Saturday warned that it may still strike
US interests to avenge the death of a top Iranian general in an American
airstrike earlier this year. But the head of the country’s Revolutionary Guard
Corps mocked a report that it was plotting to assassinate the US ambassador to
South Africa, saying Iran’s response would target people directly or indirectly
involved in the general’s death.
Amid uncertainty over that, the other 14 members of
the Security Council and all but about five of the UN’s 195 member states say
the US lost its legal standing to act on sanctions when Trump withdrew from the
nuclear accord more than two years ago.
Pompeo traveled to the United Nations on Aug. 20 to
formally notify the Security Council that the US was triggering snapback
because Iran is not complying with the nuclear deal. He dismissed suggestions
that the administration was engaged in anything legally questionable or even
controversial.
He has said the snapback mechanism was the “one thing
that the previous administration got right” in the nuclear deal that Trump has
denounced as the worst deal ever negotiated. Yet, aside from Israel and the
Gulf Arab states, almost no country in the world agrees with the US.
Trump administration officials have been attacking the
2015 nuclear deal for years. They say it is fatally flawed because certain
restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activity gradually expire and will allow the
country to eventually develop atomic weapons.
The immediate concern of the US has been the
indefinite extension of the arms embargo that would otherwise expire on Oct.
18. The Security Council rejected a US effort to extend the embargo in a
lopsided vote which saw the United States get support from only one country,
the Dominican Republic.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/US-says-all-UN-sanctions-on-Iran-restored-but-world-yawns
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Trump is a target of Iran for ‘life’ for Soleimani
killing: Supreme leader Rep.
Yaghoub Fazeli
20 September 2020
US President Donald Trump will be a target of the
Iranian military “for the rest of his life” for his involvement in the killing
of General Qassem Soleimani, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader warned
on Sunday.
As “the killer of Soleimani,” Trump will for the rest
of his “dirty and disgraceful” life be a target of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of state-run
newspaper Kayhan, wrote in the paper.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Trump will remain a target irrespective of whether he
is president or not, Shariatmadari, a close associate of Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his representative in Kayhan, said.
On Saturday, the head of the IRGC Hossein Salami
threatened to go after everyone who had a role in the death of Soleimani.
Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force – the overseas
arms of the IRGC – was killed in a US airstrike at Baghdad’s international
airport on January 3.
He was considered the second most important figure in
the Iranian regime after Khamenei.
Iran retaliated days later by launching a ballistic
missile attack on military bases in Iraq hosting US troops.
However, Tehran has stressed its revenge for
Soleimani’s death is “not over.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/Trump-is-a-target-for-life-for-Soleimani-killing-Supreme-leader-representative
--------
Trump awards Kuwait emir with Legion of Merit
Michael Hernandez
18.09.2020
WASHINGTON
President Donald Trump awarded Friday Kuwaiti Emir
Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, 91, the prestigious Legion of Merit, a top US
honor.
Al-Sabah's eldest son received the honor in his
father's stead during a private ceremony as the Kuwaiti leader is currently ill
and in the US receiving treatment. It is unclear which illness he is suffering
from, but multiple reports said he is being treated at Minnesota's Mayo Clinic.
The White House said the emir "has been a truly
unwavering friend and partner to the United States," pointing to Kuwait's
support in a series of US military campaigns in the region, including the most
recent US-led operations to defeat Daesh.
"His tireless mediation of disputes in the Middle
East has bridged divides under the most challenging circumstances. The President
is very pleased to award this honor to his dear friend, the Amir," the
White House said in a statement.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-awards-kuwait-emir-with-legion-of-merit/1978384
--------
Europe
France urges Turkey to reopen 'responsible dialogue'
Jeyhun Aliyev
19.09.2020
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on
Turkey to reopen a "responsible dialogue" on the Eastern
Mediterranean.
"In Ajaccio, we sent a clear message to Turkey:
let's reopen a responsible dialogue, in good faith, without naivety. This call
is now also that of the European Parliament. It seems to have been heard. Let's
move on," Macron said in a tweet in Turkish.
Turkey on Friday accused Macron of adding fuel to the
fire in the Eastern Mediterranean and making it harder to solve problems.
In an exclusive interview with Britain's Channel 4
News, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the French president is trying
to take on the role of Napoleon who died two centuries ago but Macron is not
strong enough for this.
Akar said Macron is trying to have some roles in the
Eastern Mediterranean to obscure his problems in France.
He stressed that Turkey defends its rights and
interests, reminding that it has approximately 2,000 kilometers (around 1,242 miles)
of coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean.
With regard to the EU's attitude on the issue, Akar
said the EU does not contribute to the solution and has become a part of the
deadlock.
He said the EU does not have any authority to set or
change rules or draw borders in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Tensions have recently escalated over the issue of
energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece has disputed Turkey's energy exploration in the
region, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near
the Turkish coast.
Turkey -- the country with the longest coastline on
the Mediterranean -- has sent out drill ships, with military escort, to explore
for energy on its continental shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus have rights in the region.
To reduce tensions, Turkey has called for dialogue to
ensure the fair sharing of the region’s resources.
Meanwhile, Turkish and Greek military delegations have
held technical meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss ways to
reduce the risk of an incident amid rising tensions in the Eastern
Mediterranean.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-urges-turkey-to-reopen-responsible-dialogue/1978615
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French Christian group allegedly backs Syrian regime
Alaattin Dogru
18.09.2020
PARIS
A France-based Christian group has allegedly been
supporting a militia in Syria loyal to the Bashar al-Assad regime and accused
of war crimes in the western Hama province, local media reported.
Though claiming to have come to the aid of the
Christians in Syria without intervening in the conflict, SOS Chretiens d'Orient
(Christians of the Middle East) has backed militias known by the Assad regime
as the Mhardeh National Defense Forces (MNDF) since 2013, according to French
news website Mediapart.
The group is considered a "partner organization
in national defense" by the French Ministry of Defense.
False advertising
Local businessman Simon al-Wakeel, who heads the MNDF,
is accused of various war crimes during the civil war and can be seen in a
YouTube video clad in a regime uniform thanking SOS.
The MNDF started as a people's movement but became a
militia with al-Wakeel footing the bill. It has taken part in regime attacks on
Hama and Idlib in 2019.
According to the Syrian Human Rights Network, they
sold items they looted from the villages they entered in the Christian village
of Skelbiye, close to Mhardeh.
SOS, which refers to al-Wakeel as "Monsieur
Simon," has established a humanitarian aid center in Mhardeh as a
"symbol of Syrian resistance against international terrorism."
The organization has also praised Mhardeh's combat
prowess, saying the group had been surrounded by opposition groups -- a claim
rejected by experts.
Another video recorded in 2016 by the group aiming to
project itself as having only humanitarian intent in Syria shows Alexandre
Goodarzy, one of its leading figures, handing out blankets and food to regime
militias. Goodarzy has also been known for his poses brandishing Kalashnikov
rifles in the war-torn country.
Massacre
According to a report by Syrian rights group
Pro-Justice, 25 civilians were killed in a 2012 bombing that targeted their
homes in Halfaya -- a mere kilometer (0.6 miles) from Mhardeh -- on al-Wakeel's
orders.
SOS is also accused of withholding information on how
it spent the donations it collected for the war in Syria.
Between 2016 and 2019, it is estimated that the
donations collected for Monsieur Simon and Mhardeh amounted to €48,900
($58,000), while documents belonging to the organization claim that militia
fighters were provided coffee, tea and cigarettes to make their lives easier.
Since the eruption of the bloody civil war in Syria in
2011, thousands of people died and millions fled the country or were displaced
from their hometowns. Various terrorist groups such as the YPG/PKK and
Daesh/ISIS took advantage of the instability and chaos that has ensued since
the conflict erupted to realize their terror activities. It has also led to one
of the biggest refugee crises in history.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/french-christian-group-allegedly-backs-syrian-regime/1978289
--------
Let’s give diplomacy a chance: Erdogan tells Greece
Handan Kazancı
18.09.2020
The Turkish president on Friday said Ankara is ready
for talks with neighboring Greece over recent tension in Eastern Mediterranean.
"Let's give diplomacy a chance, put forward a
positive approach in diplomacy, let Greece meet our approach in a positive
direction and we take a step accordingly," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told
reporters after the Friday prayers in Istanbul.
"We also told them this: We're always ready to
meet if there is goodwill, we can meet whether we have a meeting in a third
country or through video conferencing, but we can do that."
He said that Turkey has no "trouble" meeting
with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, but what is essential is
"what to discuss and on what grounds to meet."
Turkey's energy exploration vessel Oruc Reis will
return to the mission in the Eastern Mediterranean after maintenance work is
over, Erdogan said.
However, he added: "If we returned Oruc Reis to
the port for maintenance, it also means something. Why did we do it? This is a
meaningful approach."
Returning the Oruc Reis to a Turkish port does not
mean "our seismic survey is stopped," the Turkish president also
said.
Last weekend, Turkey returned the Oruc Reis, a
research ship exploring energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, to an Antalya port
for restocking and maintenance work.
Tensions have recently escalated over the energy
exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Greece, Southern Cyprus and other EU members have
tried to block Turkey's energy exploration, claiming it is searching in Greek
waters, using a maximalist view of Athens' maritime territory based on small
islands near the Turkish coast.
Turkey – the country with the longest coastline on the
Mediterranean – says this view is illegal and makes no sense and has sent out
drill ships, with military escort, to explore for energy on its continental
shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have
rights in the region.
It has repeatedly urged negotiations with no
preconditions to lay out fair sharing of the region's resources.
Meanwhile, Turkish and Greek military delegations have
held technical meetings at NATO headquarters to discuss ways to reduce the risk
of an incident amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The last
talks were held on Thursday.
Answering a question whether a maritime boundaries
deal is possible with Egypt, Erdogan said there is no obstacle for Turkey-Egypt
intelligence talks, but also said Cairo's agreement with Athens has
"upset" Turkey.
Last month, Egypt announced that it signed a bilateral
agreement with Greece on the "delimitation of maritime jurisdictions"
between the two countries.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the deal,
asserting that Greece and Egypt share no sea borders and that the deal is
"null and void."
Coronavirus rules to be tightened
As of Thursday, 298,039 people tested positive for
coronavirus across Turkey, with the total death toll standing at 7,315.
Turkey has seen a rise in daily COVID-19 infections
recently. "We need to tighten the coronavirus measures again,"
Erdogan said.
On the vaccine work, the president said Turkey expects
"positive signs" for a possible vaccine against COVID-19 in the new
year.
Since first appearing in China last December, the
novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.
More than 30 million people have been infected
globally, with nearly 947,00 deaths and 20.55 million recoveries, according to
figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.
The US, India and Brazil are currently the worst-hit
countries.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/-let-s-give-diplomacy-a-chance-erdogan-tells-greece/1977894
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Turkey, France close friends no matter conditions:
envoy
Yusuf Ozcan
18.09.2020
PARIS
Turkey and France remain close friends, despite
disagreements and circumstances, a Turkish diplomat said Thursday.
“We need to accept that we had better days in the
past. However, the process we are going through today is cyclical. There are,
of course, serious disagreements today between the two nations, but it would be
exaggerating to speak of an irrevocable point between Turkey and France,”
Ismail Hakki Musa told the France 24 TV channel during a live broadcast.
“No matter the conditions, the Turkish and French
nations are close friends,” Musa said.
Noting that dialogue is still possible between the two
countries, he added that it is natural to have different ideas.
Musa said France wanted to stand with Greece for its
own reasons, but “it would be better not to stand with a side that cannot get
along well in the region, and an opposite attitude will only contribute to a
rise of tensions.”
Recalling that Turkey submitted the notice of its
continental shelf delimitation to the UN Security Council, of which France is a
permanent member, in 2004, Musa said Turkey’s Oruc Reis seismic research vessel
carries out activities within that area.
He also reminded that the Greek Cypriot administration
signed agreements with Egypt, Lebanon and Israel between 2003 and 2018 and
Greece signed an agreement with Egypt that violates Turkey’s continental shelf.
Musa said those countries also started drilling
activities in the Eastern Mediterranean in 2011 and added that Turkey’s
warnings and calls for dialogue that such activities cannot be carried out in an
area where the delimitation is not determined were left unattended.
“In the end, Turkey had no choice but to initiate its
own drilling activities in 2018. The deal reached with Libya should also be
seen from this angle, as we cannot sit back and watch when activities violating
our sovereignty rights in our continental shelf are being conducted,” he said.
Turkish officials have decried France’s interference
in the Eastern Mediterranean dispute, pointing out that it has no territory in
the region. Commentators have argued that President Emmanuel Macron is trying
to distract from his political failures.
- Eastern Mediterranean
Greece has disputed Turkey's current energy
exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, trying to box in Turkish maritime territory
based on small islands near the Turkish coast.
Turkey -- the country with the longest coastline on
the Mediterranean -- has sent out drill ships to explore for energy on its
continental shelf, saying that both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the region.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-france-close-friends-no-matter-conditionsenvoy/1977306
--------
South Asia
Kunduz Airstrikes against Taliban Harm Civilians
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
20 Sep 2020
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan – At least 20 killed, including
civilians, and further 15 wounded during two separate airstrikes carried by the
Afghan Defense Forces against the Taliban in Khan Abad district of Kunduz,
local authorities confirmed.
Ismatullah Muradi, spokesman for the Kunduz Governor,
told Khaama Press Afghan Defense Forces carried airstrikes against the Taliban
hideouts in Sayed Riza Village of Nekpai Valley in Khan Abad district.
The second airstrike was carried, while local
residents were dispatched at the area to remove the bodies, he said.
At least 20, including civilians, killed and further
15 wounded during the twin-airstrikes.
While the areas is mainly dominated by the Taliban
insurgents, security forces were not able to get more details on the victims.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense denied civilians
casualties in a statement, saying the Taliban were their main target.
According to the statement, at least 30 Taliban
insurgents killed during the airstrikes.
Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, claimed all
23 killed are civilians, and no Taliban fighter has been killed.
https://www.khaama.com/kunduz-airstrikes-against-taliban-harm-civilians-234534/
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OIC, a new emerging Muslim alliance and Bangladesh
20 September, 2020
As the geopolitical fault lines in Asia begin to
shift, Dhaka has found itself in a unique position. The realignment of ties in
the Muslim world as signalled by the recent rift in Saudi-Pakistan ties has
opened new doors for the Muslim-majority nations in South and South-East
Asia. The Organization of Islamic
Countries (OIC), which has long served as the primary bloc for Muslim-majority
countries under the implicit leadership of Saudi Arabia, is now being
challenged by rising powers. The proposed bloc, led by Turkey, Qatar, Iran and
Malaysia, has offered an alternative to the dominion of the Gulf-countries.
While the new bloc came into formation at the Kuala
Lumpur Summit in 2019, the recent fallout in Saudi-Pak relations may bolster
its role in the Muslim world, provided Pakistan joins its ranks. At the
inaugural summit, Pakistan withdrew at the last moment, buckling to pressure
from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, the Pakistani foreign minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi’s recent rebuke of the Saudis and the OIC on their lack of
action on the issue of Kashmir may change the dynamics. Shah Mahmood Qureshi
warned that if the OIC failed to meet Pakistan’s expectation to convene a
meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, he would be “compelled to ask
Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are
ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed
Kashmiris.” This statement was seen as a veiled reference to the alternative
bloc formed in Kuala Lumpur and it prompted Riyadh to immediately demand
repayment of $1 billion of a $6.2 billion package announced in November 2018,
when Islamabad was struggling with a rapidly expanding trade deficit and
declining foreign reserves. This move has the potential to tilt Pakistan towards
the Turkey-Malaysia bloc. Pakistan will certainly raise the prominence of the
new bloc and will present a real threat to the dominance of OIC and the Gulf
countries in the Muslim world.
Enter - Bangladesh. Historically, Dhaka has maintained
strong ties with its fellow Muslim nations since joining OIC in 1974 under the
leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The relationship was formed
based on Muslim solidarity and development cooperation. The newly independent
nation desperately needed the support of the wealthy states in the bloc to get
out of poverty. The recognition of Bangladesh by the OIC opened doors to export
manpower, which, to date, forms the bulk of Bangladesh’s economy. Member-states
of OIC have also assisted Bangladesh by providing diplomatic support in times
of crisis. In the backdrop of OIC, Bangladesh has also developed individual
friendly ties to these Muslim nations thanks to Bangladeshi diplomats and
policymakers’ impressive diplomatic skills. While strong ties with the OIC
member states have helped Bangladesh throughout its existence, they have also
led to the conundrum that the country may face in the coming months.
The prospect of an alternative bloc means that
Bangladeshi diplomats will need to be vigilant when formulating foreign
policies. While Bangladesh depends on the remittance that flows from the Gulf
States, it cannot ignore the opportunities that the new bloc may present. Dhaka
needs to be cognizant of the fact that as the Gulf States move towards
indigenization and automation of labour, the demand for cheap foreign labour
may soon evaporate. At the same time, the fast-growing economies and the large
populations of the Turkey-Malaysia bloc nations can significantly aid the
export-oriented economy of Bangladesh. At the summit in 2019, economic
cooperation between the Muslim countries was prioritised to decrease reliance
on the Western states. While the prospect of an economic community arising from
this bloc may be slim and far-fetched, Dhaka can still be an economic beneficiary
if it develops close ties with the participating countries through the bloc.
Bangladesh can also be a beneficiary of the increasing diplomatic prowess that
some of the Turkey-Malaysia bloc countries hold. The fast-economic growth
coupled with a large Muslim population and the boost in its reputation that
Bangladesh has gained over the last decade may allow Dhaka to have a leadership
role in the new bloc. Such an opportunity may be enticing for the political
leadership in Bangladesh
The South Asian nation can approach the rift in two
possible ways – to align itself with one of the blocs, or to choose
multi-alignment, i.e. maintain a relationship with both the blocs and utilize
the benefits as per its strategic needs. Both options have their pros and cons,
and policymakers in Bangladesh need to decide wisely. In the event of alignment
with OIC, Bangladesh can continue reaping the benefits of the manpower export
agreements that it has in place with the Gulf States. The country may also be
the lucrative beneficiary of military and defence cooperation contracts if
Pakistani troops are withdrawn from Saudi Arabia. As the United Nations plans
to gradually Africanize its peacekeeping forces in Africa, a defence
cooperation contract with the Kingdom can be greatly beneficial for the
Bangladeshi armed forces. In terms of foreign relations and diplomatic
strength, Bangladesh could move closer to the United States and other Western
nations if it chooses to ally with Saudi-led OIC along with other Gulf
countries. However, such a move may harm the close economic ties Bangladesh has
developed with China. The recent rapprochement with Israel by the Gulf States
may also contradict the long-standing policy of support for the Palestinian
cause that commands popular support in Bangladesh.
Officially, Bangladesh has maintained a foreign policy
of friendliness towards all and malice to none and it has succeeded in abiding
by it. It can continue to the same path and act as a mediator between OIC and
the proposed-alternative bloc. However,
as the world moves towards complex multi-polarity, Dhaka needs to re-evaluate
its foreign policy to achieve the best possible outcome. Policymakers in Bangladesh may be in for a
tough decision in the coming years.
http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/253494
--------
More than 30 Taliban fighters killed in Afghan
airstrikes, says defense ministry
19 September 2020
The Afghan air force conducted multiple strikes on
Taliban positions Saturday that killed more than 30 insurgent fighters, officials
said, as President Ashraf Ghani once again called for a ceasefire.
The Taliban claimed the strike had killed nearly two
dozen civilians including women and children in the latest mass-casualty
incident in Afghanistan that came even as peace talks were under way in Qatar.
“This morning, Taliban fighters attacked (Afghan army)
positions in ... Khan Abad district in Kunduz province,” the Defense Ministry
said in a statement on Twitter.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The military “intercepted the attack in accordance
with ‘active defense’ procedures,” the statement added, noting that more than
30 Taliban fighters including two commanders were killed.
In a statement, the Taliban denied its fighters were
hit and said 23 civilians had been killed.
The defense ministry said it was aware of the claim
and would investigate.
Local hospital director Mohammad Naeem Mangal told AFP
that three dead and three wounded civilians had been brought to the facility.
The attack came shortly before Ghani once again called
for a humanitarian ceasefire “to protect our people, prevent violence and
terrorist incidents and to achieve a dignified and lasting peace.”
The insurgents have so far ignored such requests,
though they have unilaterally called two short, separate truces this year in
the run-up to peace talks, which opened a week ago in Doha.
Talks have progressed slowly so far, with the two
sides still undecided about an agenda.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/19/More-than-30-Taliban-fighters-killed-in-Afghan-air-strikes-says-defense-ministry
--------
Arab world
Lebanon’s largest Christian party offers proposal to
resolve dispute over new cabinet
19 September 2020
A party founded by Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun
made a proposal to end a dispute that has blocked the formation of a new
cabinet and threatened a French drive to lift the country out of its worst
crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The proposal, put forward on Saturday, involved handing
major ministries to smaller sectarian groups in a country where power is shared
between Muslims and Christians.
There was no immediate comment from Shia Muslim
groups, which have insisted they choose who fills several posts. But a
political source familiar with the thinking of dominant Shi’ite groups said the
idea was unlikely to work.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Lebanon’s efforts to swiftly form a new government
have run into the sand over how to pick ministers in a country where political
loyalties mostly follow sectarian religious lines.
A September 15 deadline agreed with France to name a
cabinet has passed. Paris, which is leading an international push to haul
Lebanon back from economic collapse, has voiced exasperation and told Beirut to
act “without delay.”
The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), the
party founded by President Michel Aoun and allied to Hezbollah, proposed
“undertaking an experiment to distribute the so-called sovereign ministries to
smaller sects, specifically to the Druze, Alawites, Armenians and Christian
minorities.”
The statement was issued after Gebran Bassil, FPM head
and son-in-law of the president, chaired a meeting of the party’s political
leadership. Bassil is a Maronite, Lebanon’s largest Christian community.
Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib, a Sunni Muslim
under Lebanon’s sectarian system of power sharing, wants to shake up the
leadership of ministries, some of which have been controlled by the same factions
for years.
Lebanon’s main Shia groups - the Amal Movement and the
heavily armed, Iranian-backed Hezbollah - want to select the figures to fill a
number of positions, including the finance minister, a top position often
called a “sovereign” ministry.
An FPM official said the party had not discussed the
idea about distributing ministries with Hezbollah or Amal. “We are proposing an
exit strategy for those who are stuck up a tree without a ladder,” the official
told Reuters.
With the nation buried under a mountain of debt and
with its banks paralyzed, the finance minister will play a crucial role as
Lebanon seeks to restart stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund,
one of the first steps on France’s roadmap.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/19/Lebanon-s-largest-Christian-party-offers-proposal-to-resolve-dispute-over-new-cabinet
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Yemen’s Houthis launch projectile towards Saudi
Arabia’s Jazan, 5 civilians injured
Tuqa Khalid
20 September 2020
Iran-backed Houthi militia launched a military
projectile from inside Yemen towards a border village in Jazan Region in Saudi
Arabia, injuring five civilians, state news agency SPA reported on Friday.
The spokesman for the Civil Defense Directorate in the
Jazan region, Colonel Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ghamdi, stated that they received a
report of the fall of a military projectile launched by the Houthis towards one
of the border villages in al-Harth governorate in the Jazan region, SPA stated.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The projectile damaged three civilian vehicles and
injured five civilians. Their injuries were minor, mainly due to shrapnel
flying. They were all taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, SPA
added.
The Houthis have in recent weeks increased aerial
attacks towards civilian areas in the Kingdom, mainly through explosive-laden
drones. The Arab Coalition has succeeded in intercepting and destroying most of
them.
Cross-border attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi forces
have escalated since late May, when a truce prompted by the coronavirus
pandemic expired. In late June, missiles reached the Saudi capital Riyadh.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/20/Yemen-s-Houthis-launch-projectile-towards-Saudi-Arabia-s-Jazan-5-civilians-injured
--------
US military deploys more troops, armoured vehicles to
oil-rich eastern Syria
19 September 2020
The US military has sent a new convoy of military
vehicles and troops to oil-rich eastern Syria amid rising tensions with Russian
forces in the region, and as Washington seeks to loot crude resources in the
war-torn country.
Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the US Central
Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement on Friday that the United States “has
deployed Sentinel radar, increased the frequency of US fighter patrols over US
forces, and deployed Bradley Fighting Vehicles to augment US forces” in the
area.
Without mentioning Russia, Urban added that the moves
were meant “to help ensure the safety and security” of the US-led military
coalition purportedly formed to fight the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
He asserted that the US “does not seek conflict with
any other nation in Syria, but will defend coalition forces if necessary.”
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
also said six Bradley Fighting Vehicles arrived in Syria early on Friday from
Kuwait, and that their deployment along with the forces manning the radar
equipment will add an additional 100 personnel to the 500 American forces
operating in eastern Syria.
The official went on to say that the actions are “a
clear signal to Russia and other parties” to avoid what he termed as
“unprofessional, unsafe and provocative actions in northeast Syria.”
Senior US officials have on occasions complained about
Washington’s policies in Syria, arguing that the approaches of President Donald
Trump’s administration have stuck American troops fighting a 'forgotten war'
and guarding oil and gas resources there, while Russian troops are making
advances and help the Damascus government recover after nearly a decade of
militancy.
“It's a clusterf**k in Syria,” one top US intelligence
official, who requested anonymity, told American weekly news magazine Newsweek
earlier this month. “We don't have a strategy.”
Malcolm Nance, a former US Navy intelligence and
counter-terrorism specialist, also compared the situation to another bloody
quagmire for the Pentagon, and said the presence of US troops on the Syrian
soil is a political game with little payoff.
“A few special forces supported by artillery and armor
units are very much akin to 2002 in Afghanistan. It is now a forgotten war,”
Nance said.
Moreover, Russian and Syrian joint coordination
committees on the repatriation of Syrian refugees have denounced the presence
of US troops on the Syrian soil, stating that such an illegal military
deployment stokes new tensions in the Middle East.
The committees, in a statement released on September
3, cited the unlawful presence of US forces and militants affiliated with the
so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as one of the serious matters of
concern in northeastern Syria, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported at
the time.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/19/634515/US-military-deploys-more-troops,-armored-vehicles-to-oil-rich-eastern-Syria
--------
UN warns of 'war crimes' in Turkish-occupied areas in
northern Syria
19 September 2020
The United Nations has urged Turkey to launch an
immediate and independent investigation into war crimes and other violations of
international law committed in the northern part of Syria, which are under the
control of Turkish occupation forces and allied militant groups.
Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights, said on Friday that the situation in those areas of Syria was grim,
with violence and criminality rife.
Bachelet's UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said in a
statement it had noted an “alarming pattern in recent months of grave
violations,” having documented increased killings, kidnappings, unlawful
transfers of people, seizures of land and properties and forcible evictions.
The victims include people perceived to be allied with
opposing parties or as being critical of the actions of the Turkish-affiliated
armed groups, her office added.
“People living in these areas, whose rights have been
violated, are entitled to protection and a remedy. In this regard, I urge
Turkey to immediately launch an impartial, transparent and independent
investigation into the incidents we have verified, account for the fate of
those detained and abducted by the affiliated armed groups, and hold
accountable those responsible for what may, in some instances, amount to crimes
under international law, including war crimes,”
Bachelet said.
“This is all the more vital given that we have
received disturbing reports that some detainees and abductees have allegedly
been transferred to Turkey following their detention in Syria by affiliated
armed groups,” she pointed out.
Earlier this week, a panel of United Nations war
crimes investigators called on Turkey to rein in allied militants in northern
Syria, who may have committed a range of war crimes against civilians,
including hostage-taking, rape and torture.
In a report covering the first half of the current
year and published on Tuesday, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said
militants of the so-called Syrian National Army, also known as the Free Syrian
Army, detain civilians and transfer them to Turkey for prosecution, adding that
such acts could amount to the war crime of unlawful deportation.
The panel warned that assassinations and rapes of
civilians were on the rise in war-ravaged Syria.
Ankara has been providing support to militants
operating to topple the Damascus government since early 2011.
Last year, Turkey seized control of the border town of
Ras al-Ain after it launched a cross-border invasion of northeastern Syria with
the help of its allied armed groups to push Kurdish militants affiliated with
the so-called People’s Protection Units (YPG) away from border areas.
Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist
organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/19/634507/UN-warns-of--war-crimes--in-Turkish-controlled-areas-in-northern-Syria
--------
Mideast
Houthis are ‘threat’ to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the
entire region
September 21, 2020
JEDDAH: Houthi militias in Yemen are continuing to
break international humanitarian law by targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia.
In its latest attacks on Saudi terrority, the group
launched a projectile at a village in the southern Jazan region on Saturday.
Five people were injured and property was damaged.
The Iran-backed militia has attacked Saudi Arabia’s
territory, killing and injuring civilians in the process, since the start of
the war in 2015, often to international condemnation.
“The Kingdom has tackled many Houthi attacks, which
included ballistic missiles and drones that were originally intended to target
civilians,” political analyst and international relations expert Dr. Hamdan
Al-Shehri told Arab News. “If it wasn’t for the Kingdom’s instant response they
would have caused very big damage.”
Al-Shehri said that a group like the Houthis were not
expected to act differently, other than be violent and destructive. He pointed
the finger at the international community for its silence as well as countries
that have lifted an arms ban on Iran.
“The recently apprehended Houthi cell in Yemen
smuggling Iranian weapons has admitted to receiving training in Iran, evidence
of Iran’s continued involvement in Yemen. Therefore, this makes the US
unilateral proclamation to reinforce UN sanctions against Iran the right thing
to do now.”
Al-Shehri added that the militia was an organization
whose activities would still endanger the lives of Yemeni civilians even if
they did not harm neighboring countries. “They use cities as a shield and
launch their rockets from inside Sanaa, among civilians.”
He said that the international community, as part of
its responsibility to maintain global peace and security, was required to spare
Yemenis the agony and scourge of war by implementing UN Security Council
Resolution 2216 and bring the Houthis back to the negotiation table for an
inclusive political solution.
“The Houthis are a threat to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and
the entire region as long as weapons remain in their hands,” Al-Shehri said.
The attack in Jazan was condemned by Egypt, Jordan and
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The OIC secretary-general, Yousef Al-Othaimeen,
affirmed the organization’s standing and solidarity with the Kingdom in all the
measures it took to protect its borders, citizens, and residents on its
territory.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1737491/saudi-arabia
--------
Iran Issues Stern Warning to US to Avoid Illegal
Practice of UNSC's Lifted Sanctions
Sep 20, 2020
“The US Secretary of State knows himself that his
claim about revival of the UN Security Council sanctions is baseless and void
and has no legal effect, and therefore, in his familiar method, he has
threatened and intimidated countries to impose national extraterritorial
sanctions against them, which is the best evidence of the US acknowledgment of
its failure at the Security Council,” the statement said.
“As the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly
emphasized, the US regime is the greatest threat to world peace and security;
the reality that the US openly intimidates and threatenes the world and does
not care about the Security Council resolutions has never been as evident as
today,” it added.
The statement noted that when the US left the nuclear
deal in 2018, it hoped to make Iran surrender or collapse under maximum
pressures, but it failed as Washington is more isolated than ever and has now
resorted to bullying and blackmailing the international community.
“The current US regime's approach is a major threat to
the international peace and security and an unprecedented threat to the UN and
the UN Security Council. This time, the US Secretary of State is not only
mocking all the principles of international law and the UN Charter, but he is
also openly challenging the international community, changing his government's
bullying and rogue attitude from a behind-the-scene action to a blatantly overt
move,” it added.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes that if the
US, directly or with the cooperation of a number of its allies, makes any move
in line with these threats, it will face a serious reaction and should account
for all its dangerous consequences,” the statement warned in conclusion.
In relevant remarks earlier today, Iranian Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh blasted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's
bullying remarks to force other states to accompany Washington's sanctions
against Tehran, and said the US has proved to be a rogue state defying
international rules and laws.
“Pompeo is after another bullying. I believe that
these are the most bitter days and hours for the US. The US has opted to stand
on the wrong side of the history and has forgotten its responsibilities,”
Khatibzadeh told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.
“Tehran’s message to Washington is clear; return to
the international community and your undertakings and stop insurgence and
bullying. Then the international community will receive you back,” he added.
Khatibzadeh said that the era of air, sea and ground
piracy has ended.
Elsewhere, he described the nuclear deal as a
negotiated, summed up, signed and sealed agreement, and said, “Any measure
which seeks to break the seal, means the end of the nuclear deal and we expect
all countries to remain committed to the principles of the international
relations and legal undertakings.”
Khatibzadeh warned of Iran’s harsh reaction to
measures outside the norms and laws.
The US unilaterally proclaimed on Saturday that UN
sanctions against Iran are back in force and promised to punish those who
violate them, in a move that risks increasing Washington’s isolation but also
international tensions.
“Today, the United States welcomes the return of
virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of
Iran,” Pompeo said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on
Thursday that the US is not a participant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA) to use the trigger mechanism, and urged Pompeo to read UNSC
Resolution 2231.
“Wrong again, @SecPompeo,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter
page, adding, "Nothing new happens on 9/20. Just READ Res.2231."
He reminded that "Bolton, who convinced the boss
to order you to cease US participation” even acknowledged that the process is
not "simple", automatic or snappy. But intentionally "complex
& lengthy" and that the US is not a participant.
An Iranian MP had also on Tuesday declared preparation
of the parliament to approve the triple-urgency bill to take measures against
activation of trigger mechanism.
“The Europeans are playing a hypocritical game about
the US attempts to activate the trigger mechanism and their declared policies
are different from what they do,” Nasrollah Pejmanfar said, addressing an open
session of the parliament.
He noted that the parliament should study the bad cop
and good cop game launched by the US and the Europeans against Iran more
thoroughly.
“The parliament has prepared a triple-urgency bill in
this regard to adopt appropriate actions against the Europeans and Americans’
mischievous collaboration,” Pejmanfar said.
Pompeo claimed that Washington delivered a letter to
the UN for snapback invocation against Iran to bring back sanctions in 30 days.
Commenting on restoration of sanctions against Iran,
Pompeo added, "We are confident that the trigger mechanism will be
implemented against Iran".
This is while, France, Germany and the United Kingdom
(E3) announced in a statement that they will not support the US snapback
mechanism which is incompatible with the current efforts to support JCPOA.
US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the
historic deal, unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and
unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in
defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade,
but to no avail since its "so-called maximum pressure policy" has
failed to push Tehran to the negotiating table.
In response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so
far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times in compliance with
Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures
will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual
trade from the US sanctions.
Tehran has particularly been disappointed with failure
of the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany
-- to protect its business interests under the deal after the United States'
withdrawal.
On January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its
commitments, and said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on
its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium
enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development.
Now the US has stepped up attempts aimed at extending
the UN arms ban on Iran that is set to expire as part of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been endorsed by Security
Council Resolution 2231.
The US first sought to extend the Iran's arms embargo
in a fresh UNSC resolution in contradiction to the contents of the Resolution
2231 in two attempts within a month, but failed.
The United Nations Security Council resoundingly
rejected last month the second US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran, which
is due to expire in October.
The resolution needed support from nine of 15 votes to
pass. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while
the US and the Dominican Republic were the only “yes” votes.
The United States has become isolated over Iran at the
Security Council following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the
multilateral Iran nuclear deal 2018.
Iran had said that the US resolution would fail to
gain the required support at the Security Council, pointing out that Washington
has no legal right to invoke a snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions
against Tehran under the 2015 nuclear deal that the US unilaterally left in May
2018.
In relevant remarks in August, Zarif said it is by no
means justifiable for the US to use Dispute Resolution Mechanism with regard to
UNSC Resolution 2231.
"US recourse to Dispute Resolution Mechanism in
2231 has NO LEG TO STAND ON," Zarif wrote on his Twitter page late Sunday.
"AmbJohnBolton has repeated today what he said on
May 8, 2018, while National Security Advisor in the Trump administration,"
he noted, adding, "At least he is consistent—a trait notably absent in
this US administration."
Zarif' tweet came in reaction to former US National
Security Advisor John Bolton's article in Wall Street Journal where he
criticized US' decision to trigger ‘snapback mechanism’ against Iran, saying,
"The agreement [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]’s backers argue that
Washington, having withdrawn from the deal, has no standing to invoke its
provisions. They’re right. It’s too cute by half to say we’re in the nuclear
deal for purposes we want but not for those we don’t."
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990630000562
--------
IRGC Commander: Iran Able to Set Fire to All US Bases
in Region
Sep 20, 2020
“If the Americans want to fight against us, they should
be in the region. They cannot fight against us from outside the region and when
they are deployed in the region, they are within the range of our bullets
everywhere and we are able to set fire to all their interests and bases in the
region and occupy them. We can swipe the region,” General Salami said in an
interview with the state TV on Saturday night.
General Salami also referred to the assassination of
former IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, and said
that when the US assassinated Iran's great General Soleimani, the whole world
protested at their terror attack.
He noted that the harsh revenge of the Iranian nation
is yet to be fulfilled and this will be materialized only in the form of the
annihilation of the hegemonic powers.
Referring to the outstanding and brilliant character
of martyred general Soleimani, he outlined his unrivaled role in fortifying the
wave of resistance and defeating the US, Britain and Israeli regime's policies.
General Salami said that his martyrdom indeed injected
a new life into the body of resistance in a way that youngsters all across the
Islamic world are now after revenging his assassination.
He also pointed to the US President's recent threats
to strike Iran “1000 times greater in force” following a false report by the US
media on alleged Iran plan to assassinate a US diplomat.
General Salami said that Iran is serious about taking
Martyr Soleimani’s revenge as it will target those behind the assassination,
but reiterated that Tehran will act faily in taking this revenge and would not
target those that have not been involved in the attack.
"Iran will target those who have had a direct or
indirect role in the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Soleimani," he
stressed, reminding that the US ambassador to South Africa neither has been
involved in the attack nor is a counterweight for the martyred Iranian General.
Referring to the Iranian forces' January attack on the
US airbase in Ein Al-Assad in Iraq just few days after the assassination of
General Soleimani, the commander said the IRGC proved that it is not afraid of
the US.
Through such attack in retaliation for the
assassination of top IRGC commander, the Iranian nation imposed its will on the
enemy, General Salami said, stressing that the Islamic Republic was not after
taking a toll in the missile strike since the soldiers deployed at the base had
not been involved in the terror attack.
"The US political system should pay for General
Soleimani's martyrdom because Washington hegemony should be shattered," he
noted.
Meanwhile, killing of several soldiers or an
ambassador in a part of the world is no justice, he said, stressing that there
is no US official as important and worthy as General Soleimani.
However, the US should know that it will taste tough
revenge, he warned, stating that the US officials have been caught in a
dilemma, and will be defeated whether they leave the region or stay here.
When the IRGC targeted their airbases in Anbar, it had
already prepared hundreds of missiles that no power, including the US forces,
could resist against to reciprocate any US response to the Ein al-Assad attack,
he concluded.
All IRGC members as well as Basij forces are ready to
sacrifice themselves for the great nation of Iran and will defend the dignity,
prosperity, security and peace of the nation to the last drop of their blood,
he said.
Iran is not intimated by any bluffs and threats and
will do the necessary things if sees its rights in the nuclear deal are
violated, IRGC commander said.
He highlighted that the Iranian nation can curb
political, economic and psychological pressures, adding that the enemies want
to intimidate and create fear in Iranians whereas if the US opts for pulling
the trigger, no bullets will certainly come out because America is absolutely
isolated and Iran will strongly defend itself as this is a matter of politics
and the Americans will certainly fail in this arena, too.
The commander also pointed to the US futile efforts to
extend arms embargo on Iran, and said the US as a superpower has undoubtedly
lost its political influence.
Even the Europeans did not follow the US [policies],
and this shows that Washington is on its way to collapse, he added.
"The animosity of hegemonic powers against Iran
was due to the fact that victory of the Islamic revolution in the country put
their interests in danger," General Salami added.
The IRGC commander also referred to the normalization
deals underway between some Arab states and the Zionist regime, saying that
such moves only add to the hatred of the regional nations for the Israeli
regime.
The normalization deals which served as part of the
election campaign by Donald Trump put ropes around the necks of some Arab
states in the absolute absence of Palestinians, he added.
General Salami had also on Saturday morning warned
that Iran is resolved to retaliate for the US assassination of Geberal
Soleimani, and said that all collaborators in the terrorist act are potential
targets.
“Mr. Trump, Do not doubt about our revenge because it
is completely destined and serious,” General Salami said, addressing IRGC
commanders and officials in Tehran.
Iran will take revenge in a fair manner, he added,
noting, “This is why we did not target your soldiers at Ein al Assad.”
“We will target those who have had a direct or
indirect role in the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” General
Salami said.
“Do you think that we will target a female ambassador
in ransom for the blood of our martyr,” asked Salami, referring to US media
allegations that Iran had plotted to assassinate US ambassador to South Africa
in revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani.
“Americans should know that we will target anyone who
has had a role in the cowardly assassination of General Soleimani and this is a
serious warning,” he said.
“You are threatening us with an attack 1000-times
greater in force, while being stranded in your internal problems, but when we
targeted Ain al Asad, we were assuming that you would respond and had then made
hundreds of missiles ready to destroy targets in case you would respond,”
General Salami said.
He underlined that the US is given a crushing
retaliation if it even damages “one hair” of an Iranian national.
“These are serious warnings. We do not engage in a war
of words, but we leave everything to the field of action,” General Salami said.
He added that today the US has lost its past military
power and has been isolated in the world.
In relevant remarks last Tuesday, Iranian Government
Spokesman Ali Rabiyee said the US has made the biggest strategic mistake by
assassinating General Soleimani, and underlined once again that Tehran will
give a strong response to the terror attack.
“The assassination of our martyred General who was the
General of peace in the region and symbol of fight against terrorism is a stain
(on the face of the US) that cannot be cleaned,” Rabiyee told reporters in a
press conference in Tehran.
He referred to the recent remarks by US President
Donald Trump on his twitter page that has threatened to strike Iran “1000 times
greater in magnitude” following a false report of the American media on alleged
Iran plan to assassinate a US diplomat, and said, “I regret that the president
of a country which claims to be able to manage the world and establish global
order makes rapid, ordered and distorted opinion based on such a weak basis.”
“The US has made its biggest strategic mistake and it
cannot conceal its crime through such moves. Anyway, any strategic mistake by
the US will face Iran’s firm response,” Rabiyee said.
Iran on Monday strongly rejected a report released by
the US media claiming that the country was weighing plans to kill the American
ambassador to South Africa to take revenge for Washington’s assassination of
General Soleimeni.
“Such baseless remarks are part of the Trump
administration’s counter-intelligence campaign against Iran. The US regime’s
resort to allegations and lies against Iran on the threshold of the US
presidential election and concurrent with its pressures to use the UN Security
Council mechanisms with the aim of increasing pressure on the Iranian nation
was predictable,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
He also blasted the US media for releasing an ordered,
biased and targeted report against Iran, advising the American officials to
give up resorting to repeated and worn-out methods to spread an anti-Iran
atmosphere on the international scene.
Khatibzadeh described Iran as a responsible member of
the international society which has proved its commitment to the international
diplomatic principles and norms, saying that it is the US and the current
regime in the White House that has implemented tens of assassination plots and
military interventions in other countries in recent years, an instance of which
was the assassination of General Soleimani in Iraq.
“As repeatedly said before, the Islamic Republic of
Iran will continue legally pursuing the criminal and cowardly assassination of
General Soleimani internationally at all levels and will neither forgive nor
forget the terrorist act,” he stressed.
His remarks came in response to a report by Politico
citing the US officials as claiming that the “Iranian government is weighing an
assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa” in
retaliation for the assassination of General Soleimeni.
Meantime, a spokesman for South Africa’s Foreign
Ministry said the US official’s allegation took Pretoria by surprise.
“We only became aware of this report this morning,”
Lunga Ngqengelele said by phone on Monday.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Minister Naledi Pandor may issue a statement later, he added.
Lieutenant General Soleimani was assassinated in a US
drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in Iraq on January 3.
The airstrike also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq's
Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred
in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the
airport.
Five Iranian and five Iraqi military men were martyred
by the missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport.
On January 8, the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy
ballistic missile attacks on US Ein Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near
the border with Syria and a US operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the
US assassination of General Soleimani.
Ein Al-Assad is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m
altitude from sea levels, which is the main and the largest US airbase in Iraq.
Early reports said the radar systems and missile defense shields in Ein
Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the Iranian missiles. Unofficial
reports said the US army's central radar systems at Ein Al-Assad had been
jammed by electronic warfare.
The second IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military
base near Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan Region in the second leg of
"Martyr Soleimani" reprisal operation.
Iraq said the attacks had not taken any toll from its
army men stationed at these two bases. The US army had blocked entrance into
Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the Iraqi army.
It was the first direct attack on the US army ever
since world war two.
The IRGC officials said none of the missiles had been
intercepted.
Meantime, Iran announced in late June that it had
issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of the US and other countries who have
been involved in the assassination of the martyred General Soleimani.
"36 individuals who have been involved or ordered
the assassination of Hajj Qassem, including the political and military
officials of the US and other governments, have been identified and arrest
warrants have been issued for them by the judiciary officials and red alerts
have also been issued for them via the Interpol," Prosecutor-General of
Tehran Ali Alqasi Mehr said.
He said that the prosecuted individuals are accused of
murder and terrorist action, adding that US President Donald Trump stands at
the top of the list and will be prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency
after his term ends.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990630000215
--------
Iranian Spokesman Labels US as Rogue State
Sep 20, 2020
“Pompeo is after another bullying. I believe that
these are the most bitter days and hours for the US. The US has opted to stand
on the wrong side of the history and has forgotten its responsibilities,”
Khatibzadeh told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.
“Tehran’s message to Washington is clear; return to
the international community and your undertakings and stop insurgence and
bullying. Then the international community will receive you back,” he added.
Khatibzadeh said that the era of air, sea and ground
piracy has ended.
Elsewhere, he described the nuclear deal as a
negotiated, summed up, signed and sealed agreement, and said, “Any measure
which seeks to break the seal, means the end of the nuclear deal and we expect
all countries to remain committed to the principles of the international
relations and legal undertakings.”
Khatibzadeh warned of Iran’s harsh reaction to
measures outside the norms and laws.
The US unilaterally proclaimed on Saturday that UN
sanctions against Iran are back in force and promised to punish those who
violate them, in a move that risks increasing Washington’s isolation but also
international tensions.
“Today, the United States welcomes the return of
virtually all previously terminated UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic of
Iran,” Pompeo said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on
Thursday that the US is not a participant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA) to use the trigger mechanism, and urged Pompeo to read UNSC
Resolution 2231.
“Wrong again, @SecPompeo,” Zarif wrote on his Twitter
page, adding, "Nothing new happens on 9/20. Just READ Res.2231."
He reminded that "Bolton, who convinced the boss
to order you to cease US participation” even acknowledged that the process is
not "simple", automatic or snappy. But intentionally "complex
& lengthy" and that the US is not a participant.
An Iranian MP had also on Tuesday declared preparation
of the parliament to approve the triple-urgency bill to take measures against
activation of trigger mechanism.
“The Europeans are playing a hypocritical game about
the US attempts to activate the trigger mechanism and their declared policies
are different from what they do,” Nasrollah Pejmanfar said, addressing an open
session of the parliament.
He noted that the parliament should study the bad cop
and good cop game launched by the US and the Europeans against Iran more
thoroughly.
“The parliament has prepared a triple-urgency bill in
this regard to adopt appropriate actions against the Europeans and Americans’
mischievous collaboration,” Pejmanfar said.
Pompeo claimed that Washington delivered a letter to
the UN for snapback invocation against Iran to bring back sanctions in 30 days.
Commenting on restoration of sanctions against Iran,
Pompeo added, "We are confident that the trigger mechanism will be
implemented against Iran".
This is while, France, Germany and the United Kingdom
(E3) announced in a statement that they will not support the US snapback
mechanism which is incompatible with the current efforts to support JCPOA.
US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the
historic deal, unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and
unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in
defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade,
but to no avail since its "so-called maximum pressure policy" has
failed to push Tehran to the negotiating table.
In response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so
far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times in compliance with Articles
26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be
reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade
from the US sanctions.
Tehran has particularly been disappointed with failure
of the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany
-- to protect its business interests under the deal after the United States'
withdrawal.
On January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its
commitments, and said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on
its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium
enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development.
Now the US has stepped up attempts aimed at extending
the UN arms ban on Iran that is set to expire as part of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been endorsed by Security
Council Resolution 2231.
The US first sought to extend the Iran's arms embargo
in a fresh UNSC resolution in contradiction to the contents of the Resolution
2231 in two attempts within a month, but failed.
The United Nations Security Council resoundingly
rejected last month the second US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran, which
is due to expire in October.
The resolution needed support from nine of 15 votes to
pass. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while
the US and the Dominican Republic were the only “yes” votes.
The United States has become isolated over Iran at the
Security Council following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the
multilateral Iran nuclear deal 2018.
Iran had said that the US resolution would fail to
gain the required support at the Security Council, pointing out that Washington
has no legal right to invoke a snapback mechanism to reinstate sanctions
against Tehran under the 2015 nuclear deal that the US unilaterally left in May
2018.
In relevant remarks in August, Zarif said it is by no
means justifiable for the US to use Dispute Resolution Mechanism with regard to
UNSC Resolution 2231.
"US recourse to Dispute Resolution Mechanism in
2231 has NO LEG TO STAND ON," Zarif wrote on his Twitter page late Sunday.
"AmbJohnBolton has repeated today what he said on
May 8, 2018, while National Security Advisor in the Trump administration,"
he noted, adding, "At least he is consistent—a trait notably absent in
this US administration."
Zarif' tweet came in reaction to former US National
Security Advisor John Bolton's article in Wall Street Journal where he
criticized US' decision to trigger ‘snapback mechanism’ against Iran, saying,
"The agreement [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]’s backers argue that
Washington, having withdrawn from the deal, has no standing to invoke its
provisions. They’re right. It’s too cute by half to say we’re in the nuclear
deal for purposes we want but not for those we don’t."
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990630000360
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Iran: Trump or Biden, No Change in US Enmity towards
Iran
Sep 20, 2020
“America has a deep-rooted enmity against the Iranian
nation and whether Trump is elected or Biden, it will not have any impact on
the US’ main policy to strike the Iranian nation,” Qalibaf said on Sunday.
“The enemy did not achieve its goals due to the
Iranian nation’s resistance and might,” he said in reference to the recent US
policies and measures against Iran at the UN Security Council.
“However, we should not be content with these legal
and political defeats of the US and must not forget that our oppressive enemy
will advance step by step to form a new sanctions regime if we neglect,” the
speaker noted.
“Experience shows that whenever we acted passively
against US hostile polices, more pressure has been imposed on the people’s
livelihoods, so it is necessary to prevent such pressures by taking more
active, smart, and effective measures,” Qalibaf said.
In relevant remarks last week, Head of Iran’s Civil
Defense Organization Gholamreza Jalali said his country has chosen "active
resistance" to ward off the enemy's “all-out pressure" strategy.
"The enemy’s main strategy is still all-out
pressure except for a military war, and the approach of the Supreme Leader is
focused on active resistance,” Jalali said.
“Public awareness and education, reassuring and
alerting officials against threats are among the key principles of the Civil
Defense Week program in 2020,” he noted, adding, “Our general approach is to
support the government against the enemy’s all-out pressure.”
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990630000629
--------
US set to sanction more than 24 people; groups linked
to Iran’s weapons program
20 September 2020
The United States on Monday will sanction more than
two dozen people and entities involved in Iran’s nuclear, missile and
conventional arms programs, a senior US official said, putting teeth behind UN
sanctions on Tehran that Washington argues have resumed despite the opposition
of allies and adversaries.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official
said Iran could have enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of
the year and that Tehran has resumed long-range missile cooperation with
nuclear-armed North Korea. He did not provide detailed evidence regarding
either assertion.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The new sanctions fit into US President Donald Trump’s
effort to limit Iran’s regional influence and come a week after US-brokered
deals for the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize ties with Israel,
pacts that may coalesce a wider coalition against Iran while appealing to
pro-Israel US voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The new sanctions also put European allies, China and
Russia on notice that while their inclination may be to ignore the US drive to
maintain the UN sanctions on Iran, companies based in their nations would feel
the bite for violating them.
A major part of the new US push is an executive order
targeting those who buy or sell Iran conventional arms that was previously
reported by Reuters and will also be unveiled by the Trump administration on
Monday, the official said.
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) September 20,
2020
The Trump administration suspects Iran of seeking
nuclear weapons - something Tehran denies - and Monday’s punitive steps are the
latest in a series seeking to stymie Iran’s atomic program, which US ally
Israel views as an existential threat.
“Iran is clearly doing everything it can to keep in
existence a virtual turnkey capability to get back into the weaponization
business at a moment’s notice should it choose to do so,” the US official told
Reuters.
The official argued Iran wants a nuclear weapons
capability and the means to deliver it despite the 2015 deal that sought to
prevent this by restraining Iran’s atomic program in return for access to the
world market.
In May 2018, Trump abandoned that agreement to the
dismay of the other parties - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - and
restored US sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
Iran, in turn, has gradually breached the central
limits in that deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), including on the size of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium as well
as the level of purity to which it was allowed to enrich uranium.
“Because of Iran’s provocative nuclear escalation, it
could have sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon by the end of this
year,” the official said without elaborating except to say this was based on
“the totality” of information available to the United States, including from
the IAEA.
The Vienna-based agency has said Iran only began
significantly breaching the 2015 deal’s limits after the US withdrawal and it
is still enriching uranium only up to 4.5%, well below the 20% it had achieved
before that agreement, let alone the roughly 90% purity that is considered
weapons-grade, suitable for an atomic bomb.
“Iran and North Korea have resumed cooperation on a
long-range missile project, including the transfer of critical parts,” he
added, declining to say when such joint work first began, stopped, and then
started again.
Asked to comment on the impending new US sanctions and
the US official’s other statements, a spokesman for Iran’s mission to the
United Nations dismissed them as propaganda and said they would further isolate
the United States.
“The US’ ‘maximum pressure’ show, which includes new
propaganda measures almost every week, has clearly failed miserably, and
announcing new measures will not change this fact,” the mission’s spokesman,
Alireza Miryousefi, told Reuters in an email.
“The entire world understands that these are a part of
(the) next US election campaign, and they are ignoring the US’ preposterous
claims at the UN today. It will only make (the) US more isolated in world
affairs,” he said.
The White House declined comment in advance of
Monday’s announcements.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/20/US-set-to-sanction-more-than-24-people-groups-linked-to-Iran-s-weapons-program
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Africa
Libya’s Sarraj plan to step down upsets Turkey, says
Erdogan
18 September 2020
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Turkey was
upset by news that Libya’s UN recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, an
ally, wants toquit next month and Ankara may hold talks with his government on
the issue in the coming week.
Sarraj announced on Wednesday his intention to step
down by the end of October. The move could feed political tensions in Tripoli
amid new efforts to find a political solution to the country’s conflict.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app
“A development like this, hearing such news, has been
upsetting for us,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul, adding that Turkish
delegations may hold talks with Sarraj’s government in the coming week.
“With these meetings, God willing we will turn this
issue towards the direction it needs to go,” he said.
Sarraj is head of the Government of National Accord
(GNA), based in Tripoli, while eastern Libya and much of the south is
controlled by Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA). His departure could
lead to infighting among senior GNA figures.
Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos
since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator
Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarraj's Tripoli-based GNA has battled against a rival
administration in eastern Libya led by General Khalifa Haftar, whose offensive
against the capital was repelled earlier this year.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/09/18/Libya-s-Sarraj-plan-to-step-down-upsets-Turkey-says-Erdogan
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Libya’s Haftar says he will lift oil blockade, while
GNA agrees on fair revenue share
18 September 2020
Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar announced on
Friday he would lift for one month his blockade of oil output and said he had
agreed with the rival Tripoli government on “fair distribution” of energy
revenue.
A resumption of oil exports after the eight-month
blockade would relieve mounting financial pressure for both sides in the Libyan
conflict and could remove a major obstacle towards a political settlement, but
it is not yet clear if the declared agreement has wider support.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app
“We are ready to open oil fields, to secure the future
of Libya, for one month,” Haftar said in a statement distributed by his
spokesman after a brief televised broadcast in which he announced that it had
“been decided” to resume oil production.
National Oil Corporation (NOC), which operates Libya’s
energy sector, also said overnight it would not lift force majeure on exports
until the LNA withdrew fighters from its facilities.
Libya and many of its state institutions have been
split for years between the internationally recognized Government of National
Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east.
However, both of those camps have internal fractures
that have widened since June when Haftar’s 14-month offensive to capture
Tripoli collapsed and he was forced to retreat to the central coastal city of
Sirte.
In Tripoli, the GNA’s deputy prime minister, Ahmed
Maiteeg, issued a statement immediately after Haftar’s speech also saying it
“had been decided” to resume oil production and adding this would involve a new
committee to oversee revenue distribution.
The committee would coordinate between the two sides
to prepare a budget and transfer funds to cover payments and deal with the
public debt, he said.
Prior to the blockade, Libya was producing around 1.2
million barrels per day, compared with just over 100,000 bpd now.
GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said on Wednesday
he planned to step down by the end of October and analysts have said this would
lead to political jockeying among other senior figures in Tripoli to succeed
him.
However, neither Haftar nor Maiteeg addressed the
presence of LNA and allied foreign forces in oil production and export
facilities, which NOC has said must be withdrawn to ensure the safety of its
staff before it will resume output.
Oil price rise
News of the possible resumption of Libyan oil exports
pushed benchmark Brent oil prices into negative territory on Friday, and they
were down 0.7percent, or 32 cents, at $42.98 a barrel by 1242 GMT.
A sustained return of Libyan oil exports to an oil
market that’s already grappling with worsening demand outlook, is likely to
weigh on oil prices further, and may push the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to reevaluate their policy on oil
production cuts.
However, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said
overnight it would not lift force majeure on exports until oil facilities were
demilitarized.
In place since the start of the year, force majeure
was briefly lifted in July before being reimposed.
NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah’s comment, published on
NOC’s website, comes after Turkey and Russia -- the main power brokers in
Libya’s war -- appeared to moved closer in meetings in Ankara this week to an
agreement on a ceasefire and political bargaining process.
“In light of the current chaos and non-organized
negotiations, force majeure can’t be lifted,” Sanallah said in a statement.
The NOC chairman expressed regret over what he called
the “politicizing of the oil sector” and use of it as a “bargaining chip” to
achieve political gains.
Libya’s oil output has already been almost entirely
halted this year by a blockade on exports since January by the LNA.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on
Friday he was upset that Sarraj was stepping down and would hold talks on the
issue with the GNA later this month.
Turkey and Russia have moved forward in their own
talks on Libya towards cementing a ceasefire and finding a political solution,
Ankara’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
Talks on a political settlement have also advanced in
Switzerland with support from the United Nations, and in Morocco between the
two rival parliamentary assemblies in east and west Libya.
Ankara and Moscow back opposing sides. Russia supports
the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar, while Turkey
backs Libya’s UN recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
Sanallah said separate negotiations carried out by NOC
in coordination with the head of the presidential council and the international
community include an initiative that include safe operation of oil fields and
ports, and pushing all “foreign mercenaries” out of them.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/energy/2020/09/18/Libya-s-Haftar-says-army-decides-to-resume-oil-output-but-NOC-wants-demilitarization
--------
Russia sends 400 war criminal mercenaries to Libya
Mohamad Misto and Ethem Emre Ozcan
19.09.2020
Russia sent 400 pro-regime militias from Syria’s
northeastern Qamisli region to Libya to fight for warlord Khalifa Haftar in
exchange for money.
Russia continues to strengthen the ranks of the putschist
Khalifa Haftar -- who relies on foreign fighters -- with mercenaries from
Syria, according to local sources.
At least 400 "Shabiha" militants from the
local militia forces, established by the Assad regime in Qamisli, were sent to
eastern Libya by Russia.
The war criminal militants, who joined Haftar's side
in Libya, had arrived at the Russian Khmeimim Air Base in Syria's Latakia
province from the Qamishli airport the previous day.
Russia monthly pays each mercenary sent from Syria to
Libya around $1,500-2,000.
Last month, Russia reached an agreement in Qamishli in
the regime-controlled area with 1,000 people aged between 20 and 45, who are
also expected to be sent to Libya soon.
It is estimated that the number of mercenaries sent by
Russia to fight for Haftar from various provinces of Syria has exceeded 5,000
so far.
Foreign warriors in Haftar's ranks include Russian
mercenaries, “Janjaweed" militias brought from Sudan, as well as armed
rebels from Chad.
- Shabiha
The local militia group Shabiha, currently also backed
by Iran, was founded by the Assad regime to suppress the peaceful
demonstrations which began in 2011.
In the third so-called parliamentary elections held in
July without the participation of the public, the Assad regime also brought the
war criminal Shabiha into the parliament.
The UN has reported war crimes committed by the
Shabiha, including the use of chemical weapons, rape, torture, targeting of
civilian settlements, and deployment of terrorist organizations.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/russia-sends-400-war-criminal-mercenaries-to-libya/1978990
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Nigerian forces kill 16 Boko Haram terrorists
Adam Abu-bashal
19.09.2020
ABUJA, Nigeria
Nigerian troops killed 16 members of the Boko Haram terror
group in the northeast, a top defense official said Friday.
Defense Ministry spokesman John Enenche said
terrorists were killed while others fled with wounds sustained during an air
operation in Kassa Kura in Maiduguri Town.
Enenche said troops arrested 11 terrorists and a cache
of ammunition belonging to the terror group was seized.
Boko Haram launched a bloody insurgency in 2009 in
northeastern Nigeria but later spread its atrocities to neighboring Niger, Chad
and Cameroon, prompting a military response.
More than 30,000 people have been killed and nearly 3
million displaced in a decade of Boko Haram's violence in Nigeria, according to
the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Violence by Boko Haram has affected 26 million people
in the Lake Chad region and displaced 2.6 million others, according to the UN
Refugee Agency.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/nigerian-forces-kill-16-boko-haram-terrorists-/1978446
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Somalia’s president appoints new prime minister
Mohammed Dhaysane
18.09.2020
GAROWE, Somalia
Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo appointed Mohamed
Hussein Roble as the country's new prime minister early Friday, hours after
regional leaders agreed on a revised model for presidential and parliamentary
elections.
The Somali presidency made the announcement on
Twitter.
The president wishes him to perform his duties
effectively and efficiently, it added in the statement.
Roble is a humanitarian worker and newcomer to
Somalia's political landscape.
He will replace former Prime Minister Hassan Ali
Khayre, who was voted out of office by parliament in July.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-s-president-appoints-new-prime-minister/1977274
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Pakistan
Muslim World League launches urgent relief campaign
for Pakistan flood victims
September 19, 2020
ISLAMABAD: The Muslim World League (MWL) has sent
urgent relief assistance to help flood-affected people in a number of areas of
Pakistan, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The campaign got underway in a number of regions in
Pakistan, under the supervision of the head of the National Disaster Management
Authority of Pakistan (NDMA), Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal, and with the
participation of Saudi ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, and a
number of Pakistani officials.
Lt. Gen. Afzal praised the efforts of the MWL, “which
is considered one of the best relief organizations operating in Pakistan,” and
said the aid will help alleviate the suffering of those affected by the
disastrous torrents and floods that struck Pakistan.
MWL regional director Saad Al-Harthi said that the
program aims, in its first phase, to distribute food baskets to the most needy
segments of those affected in the areas hit by torrential rains and floods.
He added that “this response comes within the
humanitarian association’s efforts to support the needy around the world,
following direct coordination with the relevant government agencies in each
country.”
Al-Harthi also said that the program is part of the
numerous programs and projects in the fields of development and relief that MWL
is implementing in Pakistan.
He added that the “association’s relief, support and
developmental activities are not differentiated by religion, ethnicity or
otherwise, but rather to provide services to all those in need, and that this
represents Islam’s guidance in its great human dimensions.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1736951/world
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Pakistan tells India to respect diplomatic norms
21 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday said it had rejected
nomination of Jayant Khobragade as India’s new charge d’affaires in Pakistan as
he was too senior for the position at a time when the bilateral ties had been
lowered.
In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Zahid
Hafeez Chaudhri said leaking misleading information and twisting facts was not
only contrary to diplomatic norms but was also not helpful in the conduct of
diplomatic relations. “The news in certain sections of Indian media, quoting
sources in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, regarding assignment visa
for senior Indian diplomat Jayant Khobragade proposed as charge d’affaires at
the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, is misleading,” said the FO spokesman.
Since August 5, 2019, following India’s illegal and
unilateral actions in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),
Pakistan took a number of steps, including the downgrading of diplomatic
relations with India. The purpose of downgrading the relations was to register
Pakistan’s strong protest and condemnation of India’s illegal, inhuman and
unacceptable actions in IIOJK.
He said Pakistan believed that by proposing a senior
diplomat, who had already served as ambassador in another position, India was
trying to circumvent the effect of downgrading of diplomatic relations, which
was obviously not in line with Pakistan’s decision.
However, keeping in view the diplomatic norms, he
said, Pakistan had counselled India to nominate an officer with seniority
commensurate with Pakistan’s decision of downgrading the diplomatic relations.
As for the veiled threats in Indian media that the
issue of grant of assignment visa to Mr Khobragade will “further destabilise”
India-Pakistan relations, Mr Chaudhri said it must be clear that the relations
between India and Pakistan were inextricably linked to the resolution of the
Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant Security Council
resolutions.
“A just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir
dispute is critical for durable peace and stability in South Asia. Accordingly,
India is once again reminded of its international obligations with regard to
the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. India must listen to the voices of the Kashmiri
people and the world community,” the spokesman concluded.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1580791/pakistan-tells-india-to-respect-diplomatic-norms
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MQM-P plans march on Thursday for ‘rights of urban
Sindh’
21 Sep 2020
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)
on Sunday announced that it would launch a province-wide protest campaign from
Thursday (Sept 24) for the “rights of urban Sindh”, saying it would also
support all other parties planning to take out rallies for the rights of
Karachi and other urban areas of the province.
The MQM-P had earlier announced that it would stage a
big rally on Sept 22, but on Sunday it said that the date of the event was
changed and now the party would take out the rally on Sept 24.
“The [Sept 24] rally of the MQM-Pakistan will be the
beginning of a struggle for the rights of Karachi,” MQM-P convener Dr Khalid
Maqbool Siddiqui told a press conference here.
Accompanied by senior leaders Amir Khan, Kanwar
Naveed, IT & Telecom Minister Aminul Haque and others, he said that there
was a dire need for creating new provinces in Pakistan in view of increasing
population and people not getting their due rights.
“The strongest case for creation of a new province is
of Sindh. Creation of a ‘South Sindh’ or ‘Urban Sindh’ province is a
constitutional demand of the people of urban areas of Sindh,” he said, adding
that the MQM-P fully acknowledged the identity and rights of Pakhtuns,
Kashmiris, Bengalis and others living in urban parts of Sindh.
Lashing out at the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party
(PPP), he said it had been ruling over Sindh for the last 13 years on the basis
of “artificial majority”.
He said that the PPP government had snatched the right
of employment from the people of urban Sindh as it gave only four per cent
jobs, instead of 40pc as per the rural-urban job quota, to the youths of urban
Sindh.
Dr Siddiqui said that 90pc government jobs of urban
Sindh had been given to the people of other provinces and rural Sindh on the
basis of fake domiciles.
He criticised the policy of nationalisation and
urban-rural quota imposed by the government of then prime minister Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto in Sindh, and said that educational institutions were ruined under a
conspiracy.
“The biggest metropolitan city has become a big
village. The height of racism can be gauged from the fact that this government
had not appointed even a single Urdu-speaking administrator in Karachi,
Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah,” he claimed.
He said that the banners regarding Sept 24 rally hung
in different parts of the city were forcibly removed. He said that authorities
must announce if they had imposed a ban on MQM-P.
In the wake of Jamaat-i-Islami’s planned rally on Sept
27, Dr Siddiqui said that his party would support all other parties taking out
rallies and marches for the rights of Karachi.
He said that MQM-P’s ‘Karachi March’ will be the
beginning of a struggle to get the rights of the urban Sindh. “We will take out
a march in Hyderabad on October 4 and in Mirpurkhas on October 11 for the
rights of the urban areas of Sindh,” he added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1580758/mqm-p-plans-march-on-thursday-for-rights-of-urban-sindh
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Southeast Asia
After DAP suggests he gives way to Shafie for PM post,
Anwar says he can get the numbers
20 Sep 2020
BY JULIA CHAN
KOTA KINABALU, Sept 20 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
insisted that he has enough support within Pakatan Harapan to become prime
minister should they win back Putrajaya.
He was responding to earlier reports quoting DAP’s Lim
Guan Eng that Anwar should give way to Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri
Shafie Apdal should he not get the support.
“He gave his opinions, that’s ok... he suggested I
could give way if I don’t get the votes, and my answer is I can, God willing,”
he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/20/after-dap-suggests-he-gives-way-to-shafie-for-pm-post-anwar-says-he-can-get/1905000
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Syed Saddiq announces scholarship entry into
Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
20 Sep 2020
BY KENNETH TEE
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul
Rahman revealed today he has been offered a scholarship placement at the
prestigious Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of
Singapore for a Senior Fellowship programme.
Taking to Facebook, he also announced his admittance
into the School’s Senior Fellowship in Public Service Programme which will
commence tomorrow.
“Alhamdulillah!”
“I have obtained a placement and scholarship at the
National University of Singapore for the Lee Kuan Yew Senior Fellowship in
Public Service.
“I’ve been keeping this news to myself from the month
of June, but since classes start tomorrow online, why not share the good news
with my friends,” the former youth and sports minister said in a Facebook
posting.
Syed Saddiq said as a youth, there was still much for
him to learn to further improve on his capabilities to serve the community.
He also pointed out how he had to skip his masters in
University of Oxford twice due to his involvement in politics.
“Finally, I get a chance to sharpen my Public Policy
skills while serving fellow Malaysians.
Thank you for giving me this chance to study while
serving Malaysia,” he added.
According to the School’s webpage, Part 1 of the
Senior Fellowship programme will run for three weeks from September 21 until
October 9 before resuming Part 2 for another three weeks from March 22 until
April 9 next year.
On the same webpage, the executive programme boasts a
rigorous curriculum that focuses on developing leadership and governance competencies
of participants, equipping them with the tools to take on challenges at a
global level.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/20/syed-saddiq-announces-scholarship-entry-into-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-school/1905013
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ayodhya-mosque-be-square-shaped/d/122907