BJP to Light Diyas At 1,200 Dargahs and Mosques Ahead Of The Consecration Ceremony Of Ram Temple
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 January 2024
The
consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be held on January 22.
(PTI photo)
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·
BJP To
Light Diyas At 1,200 Dargahs and Mosques Ahead Of The Consecration Ceremony Of
Ram Temple
·
26/11
Terror Attacks Mastermind Hafiz Saeed In Pakistan Custody Serving 78-Year Jail
Term, Says UNSC
·
Saudi
Arabia ‘Can’t Live With Israel’ Without Independent Palestine: Saudi Envoy To
UK
·
19,000
People Including 800 Women Imprisoned in Afghan Jails: Officials
·
Even An
Indefinite War Won't Annihilate Resistance: Islamic Jihad
-----
India
·
From
Barabanki To Muzaffarnagar, Mosques Razed To Make Roads
·
Aligarh
Muslim University Cannot Be Minority Institution, Centre Tells SC
·
Farooq
Abdullah Raises Concerns Over Rising Muslim Hatred Amid Maldivian Controversy
·
Without
Muslim votes, BJP can't form govt: AIUDF MP
·
2 Men
Planned ISIS-Inspired Module At Aligarh Muslim University, Arrested
·
India says
large-scale civilian deaths in Hamas-Israel conflict unacceptable
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Europe
·
Russian
national in California pleads guilty to funneling money to 'jihad' fundraiser
supporting terror group
·
Gabriel
Attal, Macron's PM pick, became popular for this tough rule for Muslims
·
ICC says
probing journalist deaths in Gaza
·
San
Francisco supervisors approve resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on 8-3
vote
·
UK’s
Cameron says he’s worried Israel may have breached international law in Gaza
·
Weapons
planned to be given to Ukraine sent to Israel, says Kyiv's ambassador
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Arab World
·
King
Salman leads Saudi cabinet in rejection of Israel’s actions in Gaza
·
Saudi
crown prince, Canada’s Trudeau discuss regional developments
·
Saudi
project clears 725 Houthi mines in Yemen
·
Entrepreneurs
invited to shape future of Hajj and Umrah services
·
Deal
signed to fund education centre for international Hajj and Umrah pilgrims
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South Asia
·
Religious
Scholar Constructs Township to Earthquake Survivors of Herat Province
·
Scholars
Play a Fundamental Role in Preserving National Unity: Hanafi
·
PM Pays
Homage To Bangabandhu On His Homecoming Day
·
BNP to
continue street agitation until demands are met: Rizvi
·
Islamic
State Claims Second Attack In Afghan Capital In A Week
·
Afghanistan
Humanitarian Needs in 2024 Require $3.06 Billion: OCHA
·
National
Procurement Commission Approves 24 Projects Worth 10 Billion Afghanis
·
Fire at
Rohingya camp: 1,500 children lost access to education, says UNICEF
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Mideast
·
Israel
approves plan to build 700 new settler units in occupied al-Quds
·
Leader Of
The Islamic Revolution In Iran Says Steadfastness Of Gazans Has Made US,
Zionist Entity Enemy Helpless
·
Blinken-Netanyahu
meeting tense over Gaza war: Israeli media
·
Iraq’s
anti-terror Kata’ib Hezbollah warns US, Israel against attacks on Lebanon,
Yemen
·
West
Bank-based resistance group announces 'expanded' anti-Israeli operation
·
Jordan
king to host El-Sisi, Abbas for Gaza talks: palace
·
Lebanon’s
Hezbollah denies Israel’s claim for killing senior Hezbollah commander
·
Egypt
reiterates opposition to displacement of Palestinians in Gaza
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North America
·
Muslim
Groups Call For Canada To Support Israeli War Crimes Investigation
·
US media
coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza biased in favor of Israel: Analysis
·
American
rabbis disrupt UN meeting, demand Biden stops blocking peace in Gaza
·
CAIR-SFBA
Applauds San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Passing Gaza Ceasefire
Resolution
·
US, UK
forces shoot down drones, missiles fired by Houthis in Red Sea
------
Pakistan
·
Imran Khan
Arrested In Connection With Attack On Pakistan Army Headquarters On May 9
·
PTI
candidate goes missing after arriving at Islamabad airport from abroad
·
PTI’s
Parvez Elahi, Ammar Yasir lose appeals against ROs’ decisions
·
PM assures
support to UNICEF for youth employment
·
Three cops
among four martyred in late night attack in Kohat
·
PTI reacts
strongly to verdict against lifelong disqualification
------
Southeast Asia
·
Indonesia
Is One Of World’s Largest Democracies, But It’s Weaponising Defamation Laws To
Smother Dissent
·
Religious Affairs
Minister Rejects Actor RosyamNor’sBrothel Proposal For Foreigners
·
Marsudi to
speak at ICJ regarding Israel's alleged Gaza genocide
------
Africa
·
Five
Countries Support South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel
·
Islamic
council demands LG appointment for Ekiti Muslims
·
Tinubu
reacts to death of prominent Islamic leader
·
Tunisian
group accuses authorities of mass expulsions of migrants from sub-Saharan
Africa
·
85
abducted as bandits return to Kaduna-Abuja expressway
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
------
BJP To Light Diyas At 1,200 Dargahs and
Mosques Ahead Of The Consecration Ceremony Of Ram Temple
The
consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be held on January 22.
(PTI photo)
------
Jan 9, 2024
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)
minority wing on Tuesday announced a plan to light Diyas (earthen lamps) in
1,200 Dargahs and mosques across the country ahead of the consecration ceremony
of the idol of Lord Ram inside the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
The program, named 'Deepotsav', will be
held from January 12 to 22.
BJP minority wing convenor Yaser Jilani
said, "We have identified 1,200 small/big mosques, dargah and other Muslim
religious places across the country where we will light diyas. Thirty-six
places (dargahs and famous mosques) have been identified in Delhi, which
includes the Jama Masjid and Nizamuddin Dargah."
On December 30, during his visit to
Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to light diyas in their
houses on January 22, saying "that day should be Diwali across
India". He also asked people to launch cleanliness drives at pilgrimage
sites and temples across the country from January 14 and January 22.
BJP leaders have said this move was
aimed at bringing together individuals from diverse religions, cultures, and
ethnicities and bolster the spirit of communal harmony in the country.
State presidents of the BJP's minority
wing of all the states have been instructed to organise 'Deepotsav' and spread
the message of brotherhood. "Our only aim is to become part of this mega
ceremony," said Jilani.
Jilani underscored that Islam says other
religions must be respected.
"The 'PranPratishtha'
(consecration) ceremony of Lord Ram is the biggest event of the century. The
entire nation is celebrating the construction of the Ram Temple. Different
programs are being organised, and we are also doing our bit," he said.
"Our religion, Islam, says that if
you respect your religion, then you must respect other religions too. We
believe in brotherhood and harmony as it represents the real ethos of India,
and we all are symbols of these values," said the BJP leader.
Yaser Jilani also slammed All India
United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badaruddin Ajmal on Tuesday for urging
members of the Muslim community to stay indoors between January 20-25. Jilani
said the AIUDF chief had a "demonic mindset" and was creating hurdles
by making such announcements.
"Some people like Badruddin Ajmal
and others who have a demonic mindset and are trying to create hurdles by
urging Muslims to stay indoors for five to seven days (during the Ram Temple
consecration ceremony week) should be given a message that India is a
democratic country which takes along people from all the communities and
believes in 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and 'Sabka Vishwas'," Jilani said.
The gates of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya
will be open to the public after January 22 following the 'pranpratishtha'
ceremony of the idol of Ram Lalla.
Source: indiatoday.in
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the full text of the
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/ram-mandir-ayodhya-inauguration-bjp-minority-wing-light-diyas-mosques-dargahs-2486468-2024-01-09
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26/11 Terror Attacks Mastermind Hafiz
Saeed In Pakistan Custody Serving 78-Year Jail Term, Says UNSC
The 26/11
Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed
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Jan 10, 2024
NEW YORK: The 26/11 Mumbai terror
attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of Pakistan and serving a
78-year imprisonment sentence, the United Nations said in updated information.
As a result of his conviction in seven
terror financing cases, Saeed has been serving his sentence since February 12,
2020.
The Security Council Committee amended a
few names in its lists of people and organisations last month that are subject
to the travel ban, arms embargo, and asset freeze last month, targeting Da'esh
and ISIL.
The Date on which the narrative summary
about Hafiz Saeed became available on the Committee's website was March 9,
2009, whereas it was updated on December 19, 2023.
"Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was listed on
10 December 2008 pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1822 (2008) as
being associated with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (QDe.118) and Al Qaida (QDe.004) for
"participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or
perpetrating of acts of activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of,
on behalf or in support of" both entities," the UN stated as the
reason for his listing.
"In accordance with paragraph 13 of
resolution 1822 (2008) and subsequent related resolutions, the ISIL (Da'esh)
and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee makes accessible a narrative summary of
reasons for the listing for individuals, groups, undertakings and entities
included in the ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," according to
the UN.
Hafiz Saeed is the leader and chief of
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). As an overall leader, Saeed played a key role in LeT's
operational and fundraising activities.
Earlier in December, Pakistan received
India's request for the extradition of 26/11 attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed,
according to Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch.
But she said that no bilateral
extradition treaty exists between India and Pakistan.
In a statement, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch had
said, "Pakistan has received a request from the Indian authorities,
seeking extradition of Hafiz Saeed in a so-called money laundering case."
Following that, the ministry of external
affairs spokesperson said India has conveyed a request to the Pakistan
government regarding the extradition of Hafiz Saeed to India for facing trial
in a particular case.
Addressing a weekly briefing, the
spokesperson had said, "The person in question (Hafiz Saeed) is wanted in
numerous cases in India. He is also a UN-proscribed terrorist. In this regard,
we have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents, to the
government of Pakistan to extradite him to India to face trial in a particular
case.
Notably, Saeed, who is a UN-proscribed
terrorist is the founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He was the
mastermind of the deadly 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and is wanted in India in
numerous cases.
Muhammad Hafiz Saeed, who has been in
jail since July 17, 2019, for other charges, was sentenced in April 2022 by a
special anti-terrorism court in Lahore, Pakistan, to a jail term of 33 years
for "financing terrorism."
Despite being designated a terrorist by
the UN and EU in the 2000s, Saeed was neither charged nor extradited over
nearly two decades. Saeed was designated as a terrorist by the United Nations
Security Council in December 2008.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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the full text of the
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26/11-terror-attacks-mastermind-hafiz-saeed-in-pakistan-custody-serving-78-year-jail-term-says-unsc/articleshowprint/106684087.cms
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Saudi Arabia ‘Can’t Live With Israel’
Without Independent Palestine: Saudi Envoy To UK
The Saudi
ambassador to the UK warns against a "blind spot towards Israel"
-----
January 09, 2024
LONDON: Saudi Arabia “can’t live with
Israel” without the creation of an independent Palestinian state, the Kingdom’s
ambassador to the UK has said.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s “Today”
program, Prince Khalid bin Bandar said Saudi Arabia was “close” to a
normalization deal with Israel before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but any
agreement was contingent upon the creation of an independent Palestine.
And despite the ensuing violence and the
“deplorable” casualty rate in Gaza, the Kingdom still believes in normalization
with Israel “that doesn’t come at the cost of the Palestinian people,” he
added.
Prince Khalid refuted claims that the
Oct. 7 Hamas attack was designed to spoil Arab normalization with Israel.
“This conflict goes back almost 100
years — that’s the reason this conflict happened, not because of Saudi Arabia
and its normalization talks with Israel. We can’t live with Israel without a
Palestinian state,” he said.
“We were close to normalization,
therefore close to a Palestinian state — one doesn’t come without the other.”
Prince Khalid said Palestinian interests
are the foremost concern of Saudi negotiations with Israel, adding: “It’s the
interests of the Palestinian people that are the most important. This isn’t a
Saudi-Israeli peace plan, this is a Palestinian-Israeli peace plan.”
Asked if Hamas could play a role in a
future Palestinian state, he said: “It requires a lot of thought, a lot of
work. If you look at Ireland today, many of the members of its largest party
would’ve been recognized as terrorists 40 years ago here in the UK.
“So there’s always room for change if
you have optimism and hope. But when there’s a conflict, the first thing you
have to recognize is that both sides have lost.
“And when both sides lose, both sides
are then willing to compromise. And if there’s no compromise, there’s no
solution.”
But Israel’s government, which Prince
Khalid described as suffering from an “extreme, absolutist perspective,” is
failing to work on achieving compromise, he warned.
“They’re saying things that if any other
government official in any other country said, not only would they be
criticized, they’d also be roundly condemned. And in most sensible governments,
they’d be asked to leave the government,” he said.
As part of its immediate plans to end
the violence in Gaza, Saudi Arabia “absolutely” supports an immediate
ceasefire, Prince Khalid added, commenting on the Kingdom’s potential
involvement in a future administration of the enclave.
“We don’t have a perfect, immediate
solution,” he said. “We’re stuck at a stage where the international community
hasn’t yet agreed on a ceasefire. And until we can get everybody working on a
ceasefire together, it’s difficult to decide what the method is.
“Definitely, I think something has to be
in Gaza. I think that the Palestinian Authority has a lot of resources in its
hands to be able to move in. But almost certainly, it will require
international involvement.
“How it’s made up, where it comes from —
that has to be in discussion with the Palestinians, the international
community, and without question, you can’t do it without the Israelis accepting
it. The big stopping point to this is Israel, not everyone else.”
The risk of radicalization among Gazan
civilians also presents a long-term issue, Prince Khalid said.
He condemned the “unprecedented level of
the violence that has been carried out by both sides, but in particular by
what’s meant to be a responsible state in Israel over the last three months.”
Prince Khalid described the casualty
figures among civilians in Gaza as “deplorable — absolutely deplorable.”
He added: “What’s that going to create?
It’s going to create a lack of hope among not just the Palestinian people … but
all kinds of people. All (of them) see a failure of humanity because no one has
done anything to stop it.
“Normally when there’s a conflict like
this, the world really begins to step into action and begins to try. Efforts
are being made, but it’s not enough. How many more people have to die before we
get anywhere?”
Prince Khalid urged the UK to moderate
its position on the conflict because “nuance and perception is important.”
A “blind spot” toward Israel by Britain
and other countries is a “real problem” and stands in the way of lasting peace
for the Palestinians, he said.
“If anyone else had done what the
Israelis are doing today, you would’ve seen them cut off from the international
community, you would’ve seen people talking about sanctions, you would’ve seen
all sorts of things,” he added. “It’s difficult for anyone with any sense to look
at what’s happening and say it’s justified.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2438751/middle-east
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19,000 People Including 800 Women
Imprisoned in Afghan Jails: Officials
Photo: Khaama press
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January 09, 2024
The deputy head of the Office of the
Prison Administration said that around 19,000 people, including 800 women, are
currently held in prisons across Afghanistan for various crimes.
In an interview with RTA, the country’s
national TV channel, Habibullah Badar stated that there is no private,
unofficial prisons in the country. He also denied the reports about detainees
facing “torture” in the prison, saying that there is no torture and
mistreatment of prisoners.
“There are total of 19,000 detainees in
various provinces and districts of the country. Many of them are under
investigation. 800 of them are women,” Badar said.
Badar also claimed that there are no
political detainees in the country’s prisons. However, he, said that some
foreign nationals have been detained on various charges.
“We have prisons across Afghanistan. The
surveillance houses belong to the intelligence directorate. No one can prove
that there are private prisons in the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, some political and military
analysts urged the interim government to launch educational training for the
detainees.
“Education is a very important issue for
the detainees. The detainees should also be provided with various skills,” said
Zahorullah Zahir, a political analyst.
“There should be many craft fields for
the detainees, so that they become better after the prison term,” said Ahmad
Khan Andar, a military analyst.
This comes as last December, the US
Department of State urged its citizens to refrain from traveling to Afghanistan
“due to terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping and crime.”
“US citizens should not travel to
Afghanistan for any reason,” the State department said in statement.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186892
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Even An Indefinite War Won't Annihilate
Resistance: Islamic Jihad
Photo: en.Mehr News
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09 January 2024
The Palestinian resistance movement of
Islamic Jihad says the Israeli regime will never be able to realize its goal of
eliminating resistance groups from the Gaza Strip no matter how much it
prolongs its ongoing war against the Palestinian territory.
"The enemy's declared goal of
annihilating the resistance will not be achieved, even if the war continues
indefinitely," Abu Hamza, a spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, the armed
wing of the Islamic Jihad, said in a video message on Tuesday.
The regime began the war on October 7
following an operation staged by Gaza's resistance groups against the occupied
territories, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm.
Around 23,210 people, most of them women
and children, have died in the brutal military onslaught so far.
Defense for Children International (DCI)
names 2023 the year of genocide against Palestinian children.
Aside from trying to eliminate Gaza's
resistance movements, the regime has been seeking to bring about forced
displacement of the territory's 2.3-million-strong population to neighboring
countries.
Arab countries have previously warned
that an influx of Palestinian refugees fleeing the war would be unacceptable/
Abu Hamza, however, asserted, "The
Palestinian people and their resistance are stronger and greater than the
desperate attempts at liquidation."
The spokesman said Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on whose orders the war is being waged, was
"selling illusions and mirages" to Israeli settlers by promising them
"imminent return" to Gaza, from which the Israeli military withdrew
in 2005.
"...in the end, Netanyahu will have
no choice but to submit to what the battlefield dictates and go, reluctantly
and submissively, to his resounding historical defeat...," Abu Hamza
remarked.
"Perhaps the most significant
achievement of the enemy's army is its expertise in destroying stone and humans
with tons of American explosives, which exposed the hypocrisy of the world and
those who claim to believe in human rights," he noted.
The United States, Israel's biggest
ally, has been providing the regime with unbridled military support since the
onset of the war, arming Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 tons of military
hardware.
Washington has also torpedoed the
prospect of cessation of the Israeli aggression by stonewalling ratification of
all United Nations Security Council resolutions that have called for the
realization of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The Palestinian official, meanwhile,
said the resistance's achievements were "far greater" than what has
been caught on camera by its fighters.
Enumerating the resistance's most recent
gains, Abu Hamza announced that the resistance's fighters had downed an Israeli
"intelligence aircraft" and gleaned important information from it.
He also said the fighters had managed to
launch several attacks against hostile vehicles and kill an Israeli special
force member.
Source: presstv.ir
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the full text of the
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/09/717922/Palestine-Israel-Islamic-Jihad-Gaza-war
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India
From Barabanki To Muzaffarnagar, Mosques Razed To Make Roads
10 JAN 2024
The entire episode surrounding the
proposed demolition of Sunehri Bagh Masjid has drawn public ire over the last
couple of weeks. After a publicly issued New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC)
notice, which sought public opinion on the proposed demolition of the Grade III
Heritage building, hundreds of people responded to oppose it.
The 150-year-old mosque, which is
located on a roundabout of Sunehri Bagh Road, Motilal Nehru Marg, and Kamraj
Marg, has been marked for causing traffic problems in the area. This has led to
the proposal being connected to other instances where mosques were razed or
proposed to be demolished under the pretext of anti-encroachment drives.
Outlook looks at a few other instances
where mosques were demolished or proposed to be demolished owing to the
historically and religiously significant structures being considered as
roadblocks
Shahi Masjid
In January 2023, Shahi Masjid, a
16th-century mosque situated on GT Road in Uttar Pradesh‘s Saidabad, Prayagraj,
was demolished by the authorities for the widening of the highway. The Mosque’s
Imam, Md. Babul Hussain, said that the matter was listed in the lower court for
January 16, 2023, but was razed down before it could reach the court. It was
listed in the lower court after the Allahabad High Court had dismissed the
petition to stay the proposal for the demolition.
Barabanki Mosque
At the peak of the pandemic in 2021, the
Masjid Garib Nawaz Al Maroof was demolished by the Barabanki district
administration in Uttar Pradesh on the grounds of it being an ‘illegal
structure’.
“The action was taken as per court
order. There was no mosque. It was an illegal structure where anti-social
elements were staying,” Dr Adarsh Singh, the Barabanki District Magistrate had
said on being asked about the demolition. Eight members of the mosque committee
were charged for ‘fraudulently registering’ the mosque with the Waqf Board.
Jamia Masjid, Bangalore
In October 2017, in a bid to decrease
traffic congestion in the locality, members of the Shia Community gave their
nod to demolish a compound wall of the Jamia Masjid in addition to land
donation to ease the much-discussed situation in Bengaluru.
“We have decided to donate over 1,000
sqft of land for road widening, and also around 4,000 sqft from the graveyard
area. The sole purpose behind this is the convenience of city dwellers. We all
know how dangerous the traffic gets, and to ease the traffic, we have taken
this step,” the committee president Mir Ali had told ANI at the time.
Muzaffarnagar Mosque
In November 2022, a 300-year-old mosque
was razed to the ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar because it blocked the
709 AD Panipat-Khatima highway in Sherpur. The Muzaffarnagar SDM had claimed
that the razing was carried out to expand the highwya and the locals had failed
to move the structure by the stipulated period.
Source: outlookindia.com
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the full text of the
https://www.outlookindia.com/national/from-barabanki-to-muzzafarnagar-mosques-razed-to-make-roads-news-342050
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Aligarh Muslim University cannot be
minority institution, Centre tells SC
Jan 10, 2024
The government said that AMU is not and
cannot be a university of any particular religion or religious denomination.
Aligarh Muslim University cannot be a
minority institution given its "national character", the Centre on
Tuesday told the Supreme Court, which began hearing the hugely disputed
question of the minority status of AMU.
It said AMU is not and cannot be a
university of any particular religion or religious denomination as any
university which has been declared an institution of national importance cannot
be a minority institution.
In his written submissions filed before
the apex court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the university has always
been an institution of national importance, even in the pre-independence era.
The university was founded in 1875.
"Therefore, as per the submission
of the Union of India, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is an institution of
a national character. A survey of the documents surrounding the establishment
of the Aligarh Muslim University and even the then existing legislative
position enunciates that the AMU was always an institution having a national
character," the document said.
While referring to debates in the
Constituent Assembly, it said, it is clear that a university which was and is
clearly an institution of national importance, has to be a non-minority
university.
"It is submitted that owing to the
obviously secular ethos and nature of the nation and the Constitution,
considering the fact that AMU is an institution of educational 'national
character' it cannot be considered to be a minority institution irrespective of
the question whether it was established and administered by the minority at the
time of inception or not," Mehta said.
The top law officer said AMU is not a
university dominantly functioning as a Muslim university as it is not
established and administered by the minority.
"Aligarh Muslim University is not
and cannot be a University of any particular religion or religious denomination
as any University which is declared by the Constitution of India to be of
national importance should, by definition, cannot be a minority
institution," Mehta said in his written submissions.
On the impact of declaring AMU as a
"minority institution", he said a minority educational institution is
not required to implement the reservation policy under section 3 of the Central
Educational Institution (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 (as amended in
2012).
"Despite being an institution of
national importance with other institutes of national importance, Aligarh
Muslim University would have a separate admission procedure," the document
said.
Mehta said the resultant effect of the
said exemption would be "drastic" as AMU is an extremely old and
large institute with vast properties and an enormous amount of students
studying in various courses.
"It is submitted that a large
national institute like Aligarh Muslim University ought to maintain its secular
origins and serve the larger interest of the nation first," he said.
Mehta said AMU is ranked ninth among
universities and autonomous institutions in India by the Ministry of
Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework-2023, and the National
Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the
University Grants Commission, has graded the varsity at 'A '.
"The case of Aligarh Muslim
University and Banaras Hindu University is sui generis (unique) case since the
framers of the Constitution chose to place these two Universities in List I as
a part of Entry 63, though the subject of education is otherwise in the State
List (at the time of independence). This exhibits the national character of the
University and its stand," it said.
Referring to the AMU Act, the solicitor
general said, throughout the process of amendments to the law, the
understanding of the character of AMU being national and non-minority has been
clear.
"Therefore, the mere omission of
the word 'establish' from the preamble and addition of 'established by the
Muslims of India' in definition of University section 2(l) of the Aligarh
Muslim (University) Act cannot change the historical fact that the Aligarh
Muslim University was established by efforts of a large number of people
including the State which had no religion and by an Act of the Indian
Legislative Council, which did not provide for a predominant minority character
to the University," he said.
The issue of AMU's minority status has
been caught in a legal maze for the last several decades.
A five-judge constitution bench had in
the S AzeezBasha versus Union of India case in 1967 held that since the Aligarh
Muslim University was a central university, it cannot be considered a minority
institution.
However, the fabled institution
established in 1875 got back its minority status when Parliament passed the AMU
(Amendment) Act in 1981.
In January 2006, the Allahabad High
Court struck down the provision of the 1981 law by which the university was
accorded the minority status.
The Congress-led UPA government at the
Centre moved in appeal against the Allahabad High Court order. The university
also filed a separate petition against it.
The NDA government spearheaded by the
BJP told the Supreme Court in 2016 that it will withdraw the appeal filed by
the erstwhile UPA dispensation. It had cited the apex court's 1967 judgement in
the S AzeezBasha case to claim that AMU was not a minority institution since it
was a central university funded by the government.
A seven-judge constitution bench headed
by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud commenced hearing the matter on Tuesday. The
arguments remained inconclusive and will resume on Wednesday.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Farooq Abdullah Raises Concerns Over
Rising Muslim Hatred Amid Maldivian Controversy
January 10, 2024
Muskan Menghani
National Conference (NC) patriarch
Farooq Abdullah weighed in on the controversy surrounding derogatory remarks by
Maldivian ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Abdullah suggested
that the ‘rising hatred’ against Muslims in India may be a factor behind the
situation. He expressed bewilderment over the Maldivian leaders’ reaction,
considering India’s historical support and intervention to prevent foreign
occupation.
Abdullah highlighted India’s
longstanding solidarity with the Maldives and emphasized the need for
diplomatic solutions amid increasing Chinese influence in the region. He
proposed that India and China could restore their previous friendship, as seen
during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru when the Panchsheel Agreement was established.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) leader Sharad Pawar supported PM Modi, stating that it is unacceptable
for a leader from another country to make derogatory remarks against the Indian
Prime Minister. Pawar emphasized the need to respect the PM’s post globally.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
claimed that PM Modi tends to take things personally since assuming office in
2014. Kharge stressed the importance of maintaining good relations with
neighboring countries and adapting to changing times.
The controversy erupted following
disparaging remarks by Maldivian officials about PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep
and his call to develop the region for beach tourism. New Delhi responded by
summoning the Maldivian envoy to register a strong protest, leading to
cancellations of planned visits to the Maldives.”
Source: newsx.com
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-----
Without Muslim votes, BJP can't form
govt: AIUDF MP
Hemant Waje
January 10, 2024
All India United Democratic Front
president Badruddin Ajmal claimed that without Muslim votes, the Bharatiya
Janata Party can't win the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and form the government
at the Centre.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday
evening in Goalpara, Ajmal, flanked by party leaders, said, "Union
Minister Giriraj Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS Chief Mohan
Bhagwat also said that we should go to Muslim areas, visit mosques and madrasas
and bring at least 10 percent of the votes so that we can form the government;
otherwise, we cannot."
"If they will (muslims) come along,
then we will welcome them," Lok Sabha MP said.
He further said that they have advised
their party members and supporters not to vote for the BJP in the upcoming
elections.
"We have already directed our party
members and supporters and advised them that not a single vote goes to the
BJP," he added.
In November, Ajmal said that his party
had given away 11 seats to the Congress to fight against the Bharatiya Janata
Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He had also said that his party will
contest three seats in Assam in the elections.
"We will contest in 3 out of 14 Lok
Sabha seats in Assam. We will contest in Dhubri, Nagaon and Karimganj seats and
we have given away other 11 seats to the Congress to fight against the BJP.
AIUDF will support INDIA bloc," Ajmal had said.
Meanwhile, amid talks between the INDIA
partners to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for the forthcoming Lok Sabha
elections, BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday arrived in Guwahati to
chair key party meetings in the state.
According to sources, the BJP national
chief will preside over the state executive and core committee meetings of the
party's Assam unit, with an eye on the coming elections.
BJP has nine MPs from the state. Assam
has 14 Lok Sabha seats with Congress having three MPs, AIUDF one and one seat
represented by an independent candidate.
Source: rediff.com
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-----
2 Men Planned ISIS-Inspired Module At
Aligarh Muslim University, Arrested
January 09, 2024
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: Two men, aged 22
and 25, who allegedly planned to set up an ISIS-inspired module at the Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU) are in custody, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad
has said.
Amas Ahmed alias Faraz Ahmed of
Prayagraj, a former student of the AMU, was arrested by an Anti-Terrorist Squad
(ATS) team in Aligarh on Monday, while Abdul Samad Malik of Sambhal, who was
pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) programme at the university, surrendered
in court.
The ATS said they had taken an oath
inspired by the ideology of the ISIS terror group and were carrying out an
anti-national conspiracy to establish a "caliphate". Both of them
carried a reward of ₹
25,000 each.
In a statement issued here on Monday,
Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said an FIR was
registered in this case last year and seven people were arrested in November
after the ATS received information about the conspiracy.
Last November, the ATS arrested three
people accused of being associated with the Aligarh module of ISIS. They were
Abdullah Arsalan, Maaz bin Tariq and Wajihuddin, the ATS said.
A few days later, Rakib Imam Ansari,
Naved Siddiqui, Mohammad Noman and Mohammad Nazim were arrested by the ATS in
connection with the case, according to the statement.
Source: ndtv.com
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India says large-scale civilian deaths
in Hamas-Israel conflict unacceptable
10th January 2024
United Nations: Reiterating its zero
tolerance for terrorism, India has said that the widespread deaths of civilians
caught in the Hamas-Israel conflict is “clearly unacceptable” and called for
dialogue and diplomacy to resolve it.
“There can be no justification for
terrorism and hostage-taking,” India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj
told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
“India has a zero-tolerance approach to
terrorism,” she said.
“Our thoughts are with those who have
been taken as hostage and we demand their immediate and unconditional release,”
she added.
Kamboj was speaking on Tuesday at a
meeting of the UN General Assembly called under its resolution that requires
permanent members, who use their vetoes in the Security Council to explain
their action.
Unlike other delegates, she did not take
the podium for her address and instead spoke from India’s seat in the chamber
away from the spotlight.
Straddling a fine diplomatic line in the
Hamas-Israel conflict, she did not name either of them while speaking of its
toll, but emphasised opposition to terrorism of which Hamas has been accused.
The conflict “has led to the large-scale
loss of civilian lives, especially women and children, and has resulted in an
alarming humanitarian crisis,” she said.
“This is clearly unacceptable, and we
have strongly condemned the death of civilians.”
“A peaceful resolution of the conflict
through dialogue in diplomacy is the only way forward,” she added, while reaffirming
India’s unwavering support for a two-state solution that envisages Palestine
and Israel as independent nations side-by-side in peace.
Kamboj, who advocated for continued
humanitarian assistance “for the affected population,” said that India has so
far provided 70 tonne of humanitarian aid, including 16.5 tonne of medicine and
medical supplies to the people of Palestine and $5 million, half of it in
December to the UN Relief and Works Agency that works among the Palestinians.
The meeting followed up the US’ veto of
an amendment proposed by Russia to a Security Council resolution on Gaza last
month.
Although Russia’s amendment last month
calling for a “suspension of hostilities” was vetoed, the resolution that
instead called for steps “to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation
of hostilities” passed with 13 votes in the 15-member Security Council while
the US and Russia abstained.
The US in lockstep with Israel has
opposed demands for a ceasefire or even a temporary truce.
Several countries opposed the veto
privilege of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Kenya’s delegate said, “The veto stands
as one of the world’s greatest anti-democratic symbols” and is a “frequent
assertion of impunity in the face of international law”.
He added that the African nations are
for abolishing the veto or extending it in a reformed Security Council to all
permanent members added to it.
Mexico’s delegate advocated for an
initiative taken by her country and France for permanent members to voluntarily
limit the use of vetoes in situations of mass atrocities.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday, the
representatives of Israel and Palestine have traded charges about the scale of
atrocities committed, while the US defended its veto.
Source: siasat.com
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------
Europe
Russian national in California pleads
guilty to funneling money to 'jihad' fundraiser supporting terror group
January 9, 2024
Danielle Wallace
A Russian national living in California
has pleaded guilty to funneling tens of thousands of dollars to a
"jihad" fundraiser supporting a known terror group.
The Justice Department announced that
Murat Kurashev, 36, a Russian national who resided in Sacramento, pleaded
guilty on Monday to attempting to provide material support to a designated
foreign terrorist organization. The FBI arrested Kurashev after a federal grand
jury handed down the single-count indictment on Feb. 18, 2021.
According to court documents, Kurashev
attempted to provide financial support to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is
designated by the Secretary of State as a foreign terrorist organization that
engages in terrorism in Syria.
Between July 2020 and February 2021,
Kurashev was accused of using money transfer services to send approximately
$13,000 to two known couriers for an HTS fundraiser. Federal prosecutors say
records obtained from the money transfer services documented multiple
transactions from Kurashev to the couriers in Turkey, usually in increments of
$1000.
The couriers retrieved the funds often
within 24 hours of transfer, prosecutors said. Surveillance footage from money
transfer businesses captured Kurashev during some of the transactions,
according to the DOJ. Prosecutors said social media and encrypted mobile
messaging discussions between Kurashev and the fundraiser made clear that
Kurashev was fully aware of the fundraiser’s violent extremist ideology and
participation and work on behalf of HTS.
Kurashev stated that he wished he could
join the fight in Syria as a mujahideen and regretted that he could only
provide financial support. As their conversations showed, Kurashev and the
fundraiser believed that providing money in support of the HTS fighters
"was tantamount to being engaged in violent jihad," U.S. Attorney
Phillip A. Talbert's office said.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Syria
A Syrian fighter affiliated with the
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group operates the remote for a pickup-mounted rocket
launcher firing at Syrian government forces' positions in the northwest of
Aleppo province on Jan. 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
According to court documents, Kurashev
followed the fundraiser’s online presence and various social media accounts,
which included solicitations for money to purchase military equipment, boots,
clothing, firearms, and, in one case, a motorcycle. Forensic analysis of
Kurashev’s Apple iCloud account revealed it to be replete with violent
extremist content, including a video depicting HTS fighters, according to the
Justice Department.
Kurashev is scheduled to be sentenced by
U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on March 18, 2024. He faces a maximum
statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham support
Syrian fighters affiliated with the
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group inspect a pickup-mounted rocket launcher before
firing at Syrian government forces' positions in the northwest of Aleppo
province on Jan. 1, 2024. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, an American think tank in Washington, D.C., Hay’at
Tahrir al-Sham, HTS or the "Organization for the Liberation of the Levant,"
traces its beginnings to the outset of the Syrian civil war and has remained a
dangerous opposition force throughout the duration of the conflict.
In May 2018, HTS was added to the State
Department’s existing designation of its predecessor, the al-Qaeda affiliate
Jabhat al-Nusra, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The think tank says that
HTS retains a Salafi-jihadist ideology despite a public split from al-Qaeda in
2017.
Source: foxnews.com
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-----
Gabriel Attal, Macron's PM pick, became
popular for this tough rule for Muslims
Jan 09, 2024
MallikaSoni
Gabriel Attal is France’s first openly
gay prime minister and was chosen for the post after his predecessor Elisabeth
Borne resigned,
Emmanuel Macron appointed 34-year-old
education minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister, his office
announced in a statement. Gabriel Attal rose to prominence as the government
spokesman and education minister. He is also France’s first openly gay prime
minister and was chosen for the post after his predecessor Elisabeth Borne
resigned following political turmoil over an immigration law which allows the
government to deport foreigners.
Gabriel Attal's political career
At 34, Gabriel Attal is France's
youngest post-war prime minister. This record was previously held by Laurent
Fabius, who was 37 when he was named prime minister by Francois Mitterrand in
1984. Gabriel Attal is France's first openly gay prime minister and was outed
by an old school associate in 2018. At the time, he was in a relationship with
Stephane Sejourne, Emmanuel Macron's former political adviser.
How Gabriel Attal became a household
name in France?
Gabriel Attal joined the Socialist Party
when he was 17. He became popular after being named government spokesman during
the pandemic. After this, he was named a junior minister in the finance
ministry and then education minister in 2023. He has become popular and has
been appreciated as Emmanuel Macron's savviest cabinet ministers and a smooth
communicator.
Gabriel Attal's ban on abayas
Gabriel Attal's first move following his
appointment as education minister last year was to ban the Muslim abaya dress
in state schools. This gained him a lot of popularity among many conservative
voters.
When Gabriel Attal talked about bullying
on national TV
In a popular TV show recently, Gabriel
Attal told the story of how he was bullied in middle school by a former
classmate. He recounted how a blog was created to rate classmates' physiques
and he was shamed.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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ICC says probing journalist deaths in
Gaza
2024-01-10
THE HAGUE: The International Criminal
Court confirmed Tuesday that it is investigating potential crimes against
journalists since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, where
dozens of reporters have been killed.
Media advocacy group Reporters Without
Borders (RSF) said in November that it had filed a complaint with the
Hague-based ICC alleging war crimes over the deaths of journalists trying to
cover the conflict.
“The office of prosecutor Karim Khan has
assured the organisation that crimes against journalists are included in its
investigation into Palestine,” the NGO announced on Monday.
The court confirmed the statement,
saying: “The ICC Office of the Prosecutor’s investigation into the situation in
the State of Palestine concerns crimes committed within the Court’s
jurisdiction since 13 June 2014.”
At least 79 journalists and media
professionals, the vast majority Palestinian, have been killed since the war
began three months ago, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists.
On Sunday, broadcaster Al Jazeera said
two of its Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip were killed in an Israeli
strike on their car.
Hamza Wael Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuria,
who also worked as a video stringer for AFP and other news organisations, were
killed in what Al Jazeera called a “targeted killing”.
The Israeli army said it had struck “a
terrorist who operated an aircraft that posed a threat” and was “aware of the
reports that during the strike, two other suspects who were in the same
vehicle”.
After the latest deaths, the United Nations’s
rights office said Monday that it was “very concerned by (the) high death toll
of media workers in Gaza”.
The Gaza war broke out after Hamas
gunmen launched their October 7 attack that resulted in about 1,140 deaths in
Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel has responded with relentless
bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza that have killed at least 23,210
people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s
health ministry.
Source: brecorder.com
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San Francisco supervisors approve
resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on 8-3 vote
January 10, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO: Supervisors in San
Francisco approved a resolution calling for an extended ceasefire in Gaza that
condemns Hamas as well as the Israeli government and also urges the Biden
administration to press for the release of all hostages and delivery of
humanitarian aid.
Ceasefire advocates in the audience
erupted into cheers and chants of “Free Palestine” after the 8-3 vote Tuesday
on a last-minute compromise proposed by Aaron Peskin, president of the Board of
Supervisors. It is more succinct than the original resolution.
Peskin, who is Jewish, acknowledged that
no resolution would receive the board’s unanimous support and lamented that
they could not use the opportunity to bridge San Franciscans on both sides of
the issue.
“I don’t know that there’s any way to
successfully do that,” he said, “given how deep the divisions and the hurt and
the horror and the pain are.”
San Francisco joins dozens of other US
cities in approving a resolution that has no legal authority but reflects pressure
on local governments to speak up on the Israel-Hamas war, now entering its
fourth month following a deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants.
Oakland, another Bay Area city that is
politically liberal like San Francisco, unanimously approved a permanent
ceasefire resolution in November after rejecting an amendment that would have
added an explicit condemnation of Hamas.
But Berkeley, another San Francisco Bay
Area city that is overwhelmingly liberal and inclined to side with oppressed
peoples, declined to consider a resolution, with Mayor Jesse Arreguín said in a
statement that such resolutions “fan the flames of hatred.”
The resolution approved by San Francisco
condemns the Hamas attack as well as actions by the Israeli government led by
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It condemns rhetoric and attacks that are
antisemitic, anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic or xenophobic.
The original resolution introduced by
Supervisor Dean Preston in December, who is also Jewish, included the same
sentiments but also had more detail of calls for a ceasefire. His bill
co-sponsor was Hillary Ronen, a supervisor whose father served in the Israeli
Defense Forces.
Neither version went far enough in
explicitly condemning atrocities committed by Hamas, said Supervisor Matt
Dorsey, who voted no. “To do otherwise, in my view, would send a dangerous and
unthinkable message that terrorism works,” he said.
Ceasefire supporters in the audience
booed when he brought up documentation by Hamas militants of rape, brutality
and mutilation against women in their attack, prompting Peskin to admonish the
crowd to “chill out and let everybody speak.”
Supervisors said the issue has sparked
an avalanche of calls and emails to their offices.
Ceasefire supporters, which include
Palestinians and Jewish people, have called the resolution a common-sense stand
against genocide and a declaration of the value of Palestinian lives.
Opponents, including people who are Jewish, have said such resolutions are
one-sided and stoke antisemitism.
In an interview before the vote, Preston
acknowledged that the initial board reaction to the ceasefire resolution was
mixed with supervisors resistant to taking up what has become a politically
loaded issue. But momentum grew as the war continued, he said.
He also said local politicians should
speak up because they have constituents who are affected and those people can’t
necessarily make their voices heard in Congress.
“Everyone is feeling this locally, the
pain and the grief and loss,” he said. “It is a major issue not just in the
daily lives of people in the Middle East, but in the daily lives of people in
our city.”
Source: arabnews.com
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------
UK’s Cameron says he’s worried Israel
may have breached international law in Gaza
January 09, 2024
LONDON: Britain’s foreign minister David
Cameron said on Tuesday he was worried that Israel might have breached
international law in Gaza, and that the advice he had received so far was that
Israel was compliant but there were questions to answer.
Asked during a question-and-answer
session with lawmakers if Israel could be vulnerable to a challenge at the
International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague over whether their actions were
proportionate, Cameron said the stance was “close to that.”
Britain has backed Israel’s right to
defend itself against Hamas attacks but also called on its military to show
restraint and act within international law in its offensive in Gaza that has
laid waste to much of the Palestinian enclave.
Cameron did not directly answer
lawmakers about whether he had received legal advice that Israel might have
broken international law, but said some incidents had raised questions over
whether there had been breaches.
“Am I worried that Israel has taken
action that might be in breach of international law, because this particular
premises has been bombed, or whatever? Yes, of course,” Cameron said as he took
questions from parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
Cameron said that there was always a
“question mark” over whether a given incident broke international law, which
lawyers would examine and then advise him over.
“The advice has been so far, that they
(Israel) have the commitment, the capability and the compliance (with
international law), but on lots of occasions that is under question.”
Amid growing international concern over the
huge Palestinian death toll from the Israeli assault, as well as a deepening
humanitarian crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged
Israeli leaders to do more to avoid further harm to non-combatants and to
protect civilian infrastructure.
Source: arabnews.com
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------
Weapons planned to be given to Ukraine
sent to Israel, says Kyiv's ambassador
GamzeTurkogluOguz
10.01.2024
Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have
affected arms aid by Western countries to Ukraine and perceptions on the
ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, said Ukraine's Ambassador to Türkiye VasylBodnar.
"International media has turned its
attention to this direction, so there are those who think that the war in
Ukraine has ended," Bodnar said.
Bodnar met with Turkish journalists at
the Ukrainian Embassy in the capital, Ankara, to make evaluations on the
Russia-Ukraine war, Israel's attacks on Gaza, the Black Sea grain deal, defense
cooperation with Türkiye, and prisoner exchange.
The ambassador said the weapons planned
to be given to Ukraine were sent to Israel, and the internal political dynamics
in Western countries are a factor affecting aid.
He cited the upcoming presidential
election in the US, the attitude of the governments of Hungary and Slovakia,
and the blockades imposed by farmers on Ukrainian trucks at the border gates in
Poland among these dynamics.
Evaluating the new route used by
Ukrainian cargo ships after the Black Sea grain deal was not extended by
Russia, Bodnar said more than 500 ships have passed through this corridor since
September and added the ships sailing from Odessa Port alone carried 14 million
tons of food during this period.
Last July, Moscow withdrew from the
Black Sea grain initiative, saying that the Russian part of the agreement had
not been implemented. It sought the loosening of banking restrictions and the
ability to ship its own fertilizer before returning to the deal.
The agreement, initially signed in July
2022 in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming
grain exports from the three Ukrainian ports halted due to the war, which began
in February 2022.
Bodnar pointed out that it is
"advantageous" to transport not only food but also other materials
through the new corridor, which is an initiative of Ukraine.
He added the region was cleared of mines
to create this new corridor and insurance was purchased for the ships from a
British company.
The transportation, he said, continues
on the Danube River without halt, adding that the annual cargo volume carried
by the ships departing from the three ports is 6 million tons. He also said the
products are mostly delivered to Europe via railway.
Black Sea grain can be revived under
'appropriate conditions'
Bodnar, who pointed out the importance
of Türkiye in the operation of the new corridor, said the Black Sea grain deal
can be revived "if appropriate conditions are met."
The ambassador cited allowing Ukrainian
ships free passage and carrying materials other than food as these conditions.
He said the World Food Program, one of
the largest suppliers of Ukrainian wheat, has warehouses in countries such as
Spain and Egypt, as well as Türkiye. "Fixing the wheat price is the
success of Türkiye and Ukraine."
Turning to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine
war, Bodnar said Russia wishes to return to the Soviet Union period, when its
"war crimes" committed in countries such as Moldova, Chechnya and
Syria went unpunished.
He argued that Russia's aim was to
restore the balance of the Slavic population by invading Ukraine, as the Slavic
population was gradually decreasing.
Regarding a possible cease-fire and
peace with Russia, he underlined: "We will not discuss any issue with
Russia unless it removes its army from Ukrainian territory."
Recalling the Maidan events of 2014,
Bodnar said that if Ukraine says it is making peace with Russia, this could
lead to a major division and problems in Ukrainian society.
He argued that Russia was renewing its
defense industry to continue the war, as he added that Ukraine recently
obtained information that Russia is producing unmanned marine vehicles and
shared this information with Turkish authorities.
About the 1936 Montreux Convention –
which gives Türkiye the authority to restrict the passage of naval vessels
through the Turkish Straits during times of war, Bodnar said: "It is a
great help for us that Russian ships cannot go in and out the Black Sea."
"We can protect Odesa since the
straits are closed," he added.
'Ukraine should stand as a lesson to
other countries'
Bodnar said Russia thinks it is fighting
the West and NATO, not Ukraine, and that the discourse that "it is cheaper
to help Ukraine than to fight ourselves" is observed in the West.
Emphasizing that Kyiv is aware of the
existence of different ideas in Western countries regarding aid to Ukraine,
Bodnar said Ukraine has started to expand its weapons production capacity for
this reason.
He stressed the importance of a country
producing its own weapons, saying: "Ukraine should stand as a lesson to
other countries."
Regarding the cooperation between
Türkiye and Ukraine, the ambassador said Ukraine expects the bilateral foreign
trade volume to be near $8 billion annually and later to exceed it after the
approval of the free trade agreement.
Saying that Ukraine supplies engines for
Türkiye's unmanned aerial vehicle and helicopter projects, Bodnar added that he
cannot give further information about the factory that Türkiye's defense
company Baykar plans to open in Ukraine due to security reasons.
About the release of Azov commanders to
Ukraine last year, the ambassador said Türkiye played an important role in this
regard, and negotiations at the leadership level for a new agreement on
prisoner exchange are continuing.
The Azov Battalion commanders, who were
included in a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, were in Türkiye for
security purposes.
"We are at a disadvantage. We only
have prisoners of war. In Russia, there are prisoners of war, political
prisoners and children," Bodnar added.
Türkiye, internationally praised for its
unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has time and again called on
Kyiv and Moscow to end the fighting through negotiations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
repeatedly stressed his wish to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and his
Ukrainian counterpart VolodymyrZelenskyy together in Türkiye for formal
discussions to end the conflict.
Source: aa.com.tr
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------
Arab World
King Salman leads Saudi cabinet in
rejection of Israel’s actions in Gaza
January 09, 2024
King Salman presided over the Saudi
cabinet session on Tuesday in Riyadh during which the council of ministers
rejected Israel’s statements concerning the displacement of Palestinians, the
reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, and the construction of settlements.
The cabinet underscored the significance
of international community efforts to activate accountability mechanisms
against Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law.
Additionally, the council of ministers
engaged in discussions regarding initiatives aimed at securing the stability of
the oil market.
The cabinet expressed commendation for
the dedication demonstrated by oil-producing countries (OPEC) in their
commitment to stabilizing the market.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi crown prince, Canada’s Trudeau
discuss regional developments
January 09, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman received a phone call from the Canadian prime minister on Tuesday, Saudi
Press Agency reported.
The crown prince and Justin Trudeau
discussed relations between the Kingdom and Canada and ways to enhance them,
SPA added.
They also spoke about regional
developments and efforts made regarding them to achieve security and stability.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi project clears 725 Houthi mines in
Yemen
January 09, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam
dismantled 725 mines in Yemen, planted by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, in
the first week of January.
Overseen by Saudi Arabia’s aid agency
KSrelief, the project’s teams destroyed 596 unexploded ordnance, 126 anti-tank
mines, two anti-personnel mines, and one explosive device.
The explosives, which were planted
indiscriminately by the Houthis across Yemen, poses a threat to civilians
including children, women and the elderly.
Project Masam is one of several
initiatives undertaken by Saudi Arabia on the orders of King Salman to help the
Yemeni people, clearing routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s
citizens.
The demining operations took place in
Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and
Saada.
A total of 427,534 mines have been
cleared since the start of the initiative in 2018, according to Ousama
Al-Gosaibi, the project’s managing director.
The project trains local demining
engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to
Yemenis injured by the devices.
Meanwhile, KSrelief launched training
and empowerment courses in Yemen’s Hadramout governorate as part of a project
to help girls return to school.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education is
working with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization to implement the project.
The beneficiaries were trained to sew
and embroidery, and manufacture food and pastry, among other courses to develop
their skills.
The project aims to empower girls by supplying
essential resources to 21 schools, conducting training for 350 teachers and
mentors, setting up 64 classrooms in displacement camps, supporting 280 female
heads of families, and launching 14 awareness campaigns.
Source: arabnews.com
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Entrepreneurs invited to shape future of
Hajj and Umrah services
January 09, 2024
JEDDAH: The second day of the third Hajj
and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition focused on empowering pilgrimage
services through small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurship.
Under the patronage of King Salman,
Deputy Makkah Gov. Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the
conference in Jeddah on Monday.
The four-day event is organized by the
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in partnership with the Pilgrim Experience Program,
one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030.
A panel discussion, moderated by Amr
Al-Maddah, deputy minister for Hajj and Umrah services, included speakers such
as Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and the governor of the Small
and Medium Enterprises General Authority, Sami Al-Husseini.
The discussion highlighted the
importance of entrepreneurs and innovators in enhancing the experience of
pilgrims.
One major initiative mentioned was the
Nusuk app, which aims to be the premier application for pilgrim services
through the Guests of God Service Program.
Al-Rabiah encouraged aspiring
entrepreneurs to collaborate with the app and proposed various services that
could be integrated, such as personal assistant services, tourist guides,
mobile medical services, childcare services and more.
“We welcome those aspiring to create a
separate application or collaborate with us in services. The goal is to support
entrepreneurs in providing outstanding services. The opportunities are amazing.
Any innovator with a service who wants to add it to the Nusuk app is welcome,”
he said.
Al-Rabiah added: “We are delighted to
provide the opportunity for those who want to put their services on the
platform, as well as to offer all the incentives and programs that will support
entrepreneurs in presenting all possibilities.”
Al-Husseini highlighted the role of SMEs
in filling gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic and announced the launch of the
Artificial Intelligence Challenge in Umrah. The scheme aims to provide new job
opportunities, improve the Umrah experience and build a sustainable innovative
channel for the Hajj and Umrah sector.
The challenge was launched by Monsha’at
in partnership with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, giving entrepreneurs from
the Kingdom, Pakistan and Indonesia the chance to take part.
The panel discussion at the conference
also highlighted Monsha’at’s work, including organizing six events for
entrepreneurs and SMEs from more than 40 countries. The number of projects
supported by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and its partners has exceeded
2,200, including projects in initiation, qualification, or data provision
stages.
Abdullah Al-Haqbani, VP for strategy and
business support at the National Information Technology Development Program,
discussed the program’s objectives in developing the IT sector and making the
Kingdom a regional and international center for investment and technological
innovation.
To motivate innovators, the Ministry of
Hajj and Umrah announced an award for the best projects in the service of
pilgrims, with the first prize worth SR1 million.
The evaluation will be based on services
launched on the Nusuk platform, the number of beneficiaries, and the impact on
pilgrims and the Umrah experience. Winners will be announced next year during
the fourth edition of the conference.
Al-Rabiah said: “It is an opportunity
for entrepreneurs to carry out their projects. Based on the evaluation of the
work a year from now, the results will be announced at the next Hajj
conference. We look forward to seeing your creativity and excellence.”
A second panel discussion, “Envisioning
the Future Growth of Holy Cities and Sites,” involved discussion on the
challenges and opportunities in developing the holy cities of Makkah and
Madinah, as well as holy sites.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah aims to
accommodate 30 million pilgrims by 2030 and 15 million visitors next year. This
involves addressing infrastructure challenges and improving reception gates at
entry points into the Kingdom.
AbdulfattahMashat, vice minister of Hajj
and Umrah, told the panel: “The targeted number is very significant, and there
will be significant challenges, including the infrastructure specific to Makkah
and Madinah, as well as the reception gates at the entry points to the Kingdom
in the cities of Makkah and Jeddah.
“The Kingdom has dedicated all its
material and intellectual capabilities to its development by providing
distinguished services for the Guests of God.”
More than 81 speakers from both the
public and private sectors, as well as high-level delegations from more than 70
countries, are taking part in the conference.
Source: arabnews.com
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Deal signed to fund education center for
international Hajj and Umrah pilgrims
January 09, 2024
NADA HAMEED
JEDDAH: A memorandum of understanding
has been signed with the aim of financing a specialist center to raise
awareness of the guests of God of available services.
The signing, between the Ministry of
Hajj and Umrah and the Guests of God Service Program with the General Authority
of Awqaf, took place at the third Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and
Exhibition in Jeddah.
The event, under the patronage of King
Salman, was inaugurated by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, the deputy
governor of Makkah. The four-day conference is organized by the ministry in
partnership with the Pilgrim Experience Program, part of Vision 2030.
The planned center will focus on raising
the awareness of pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors of the services
provided by government agencies and private and nonprofit sectors.
Another agreement was signed between the
Umm Al-Qura for Development and Construction Co. and the General Authority of
Awqaf, aiming to establish a hotel wings project worth SR2.5 billion ($666.6
million).
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq
Al-Rabiah said pilgrims from 67 countries utilized the Nusuk app for Hajj
reservations last year, adding: “The ministry aims to enhance the digital
experience by offering comprehensive services through the application, including
visa issuance, Hajj and Umrah bookings and guidance materials.”
He emphasized the priority placed on
pilgrims’ health and safety by the Kingdom and the ministry, as well as the aim
of attracting greater numbers year on year.
Al-Rabiah announced the hosting of more
than 13.5 million Muslims who performed the Umrah rituals during 2023. The
minister emphasized that countries without Hajj missions utilized Nusuk to
directly serve pilgrims.
The platform served 67 countries last
year, he said, expanding to 126 for the current Hajj season of 2024. Pilgrims
could easily and transparently choose their packages and services and obtain
their Hajj visa directly without intermediaries, he added.
Al-Rabiah highlighted the ongoing
development of the infrastructure of the holy sites through projects exceeding
SR5 billion, saying 150,000 new air conditioning units would be installed to
address challenges posed by weather conditions.
Makkah Mayor MusadAldaood said towers
erected on holy sites to replace tents would be put to the test during this
year’s Hajj. The Makkah municipality was dedicated to maintaining pilgrims’
health by regularly spraying the 160,000 tents and 90,000 sanitary facilities
with pesticides at the end of each Hajj season, ensuring a clean and safe environment
for the next pilgrims.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed
Elkhereiji highlighted the use of technology to tackle obstacles and enhance
efficiency. He said the KSA Visa application initiative aimed to help pilgrims
obtain their visas electronically without the need to visit the embassy.
Electronic visas contributed to
addressing security and health challenges, he added, with necessary precautions
taken to deal with fake visas in conjunction with the authorities.
President of the General Authority of
Civil Aviation Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said a supervisory committee had been
formed to improve coordination among various agencies and ensure smooth
transportation. This aimed to facilitate the movement of pilgrims between their
accommodation and airports, avoiding overcrowding and ensuring safe
transportation of luggage.
Al-Duailej said over a million bottles
of Zamzam holy water were shipped to pilgrims’ countries last year. He urged
Hajj agencies and agents worldwide to coordinate in advance to schedule flights
and select safe aircraft and carriers to ensure pilgrims had comfortable and
secure journeys.
Source: arabnews.com
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------
South Asia
Religious Scholar Constructs Township to
Earthquake Survivors of Herat Province
2024-01-09
KABUL (BNA) According to local
officials, the Iqra Township, built with financial assistance from Islamic
scholar Abdul-SamadQazizada for earthquake sufferers in Herat’s Zinda Jan
region, has been inaugurated.
Qazizada told Bakhtar News Agency that
these houses were built with the assistance of generous persons for the support
of people affected by deadly earthquake in Herat.
These houses consist of two rooms, a corridor,
a kitchen, and a bathroom. In addition, a mosque and a water reservoir have
been built in the township at a total cost of 30 million Afghanis.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Fazl-al-Rahman Ansari,
Imam of Guzargah Mosque in Zinda Jan district, encourages people to make sure
their donations get to the right people and encourages others to make similar
contributions for the help of Herat earthquake survivors.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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-----
Scholars Play a Fundamental Role in
Preserving National Unity: Hanafi
2024-01-09
KABUL (BNA): Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi,
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, in a meeting said that
scholars have an important role in strengthening the government and maintaining
unity among various groups in the country.
According to a statement issued by the
Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi made these
statements at a meeting with Sheikh Khairullah, the head of the Ulema Council
of Jowzjan province.
Sheikh Khairullah briefed Deputy Prime
Minister on the province’s social, economic, educational, and cultural
conditions.
During the meeting, Sheikh Khairullah
stated that local officials in Jowzjan are working actively to safeguard public
safety and provide fundamental amenities to the public.
He emphasized the attention of the
Islamic Emirate in all areas, especially in education, and urged the leadership
to focus on establishing schools, institutes, and orphanages in remote areas of
the province.
Additionally, he requested more
attention to creating job opportunities for the youth and addressing the issues
of the mujahideen.
Mr. Hanafi emphasized that scholars play
a crucial role in strengthening the system and unity among various classes of
the people. He urged the country’s scholars and elders to not to hesitate their
efforts in promoting national unity.
He also added that the Islamic Emirate
officials are committed to ensuring security and providing facilities for the
people, and they will address the proposed suggestions considering the
available resources.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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-----
PM pays homage to Bangabandhu on his
homecoming day
Jan 10, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid
rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his
historic homecoming day.
She paid homage to the great leader by
placing a wreath at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of
Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi this morning.
Bangabandhu's younger daughter and prime
minister's younger sister Sheikh Rehana was present at that time.
After laying the wreath, the prime
minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to
the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh's independence.
Flanked by central leaders of Bangladesh
Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, the president of the party, placed another wreath
at the portrait of Bangabandhu on behalf of her party.
Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader of
the nation and supreme commander of the country's Liberation War, returned to
the sacred soil of independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi on January
10 in 1972, after 290 days of confinement in Pakistan jail.
Since then, the nation is observing the
day as the homecoming day of the Father of the Nation.
Source: thedailystar.net
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-----
BNP to continue street agitation until
demands are met: Rizvi
Jan 9, 2024
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul
Kabir Rizvi today said though the government was complacent with a one-party
election, the people spontaneously boycotted the polls.
Talking to reporters while conducting a
mass campaign in the city's Kamalapur area, he also said BNP would continue
agitation on the streets until the restoration of people's voting rights.
He said only those who belong to the
ruling party and their cohorts were there in the election race. "It was
seen that they stamped ballots themselves, fought each other in different
places, indulged in violence, and killed and injured each other in the empty
polling stations in the absence of voters."
Rizvi said BNP and its allies have
congratulated the country's people at all levels as they boycotted polls,
braving all threats and intimidation by the government.
"We would like to unequivocally say
that we are on the streets, with the people, and we'll be there on the streets
until the people's right to vote is restored. Of course, we'll bring back the
people's voting rights," he said.
Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and
workers conducted the mass contact by distributing leaflets near Kamalapur
Railway Station, demanding the resignation of the current government, holding a
fresh election under a non-party neutral government and the release of BNP
leaders and workers, including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir.
Earlier on Monday, BNP announced a
two-day mass contact programme on Tuesday and Wednesday to drum up public
support in favour of the party's demand for a fresh election under a non-party
polls-time government to establish a legitimate and accountable government.
Source: thedailystar.net
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----
Islamic State claims second attack in
Afghan capital in a week
10th January 2024
The Islamic State group has claimed
responsibility for a blast targeting a vehicle in eastern Kabul that killed at
least three people, the second deadly attack by the group in Afghanistan in a
week.
Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran
said three people were killed and four wounded by a bomb hidden in a cart near
a minivan in eastern Kabul on Tuesday.
He told AFP Wednesday that police had
detained a suspect who had confessed his involvement.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed
responsibility on its Telegram channel, saying it had "detonated an
explosive device on a vehicle transporting employees of the Pul-e-Charki
prison", killing nearly 10 people.
The attack is the second in recent days,
with IS claiming responsibility for an explosion on a bus Sunday that killed at
least five people in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood -- an enclave of the
historically persecuted Shiite Hazara community.
The regional chapter of IS has
repeatedly targeted Shiites, who they consider heretics, carrying out multiple
attacks against the community in recent months.
In November, at least seven people were
killed in another explosion on a bus in Dasht-e-Barchi that was also claimed by
IS.
The number of bomb blasts and suicide
attacks in Afghanistan has declined dramatically since the Taliban ended their
insurgency after seizing power in August 2021, ousting the US-backed
government.
A number of armed groups -- including IS
-- remain a threat, however.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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-----
Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs in 2024
Require $3.06 Billion: OCHA
January 09, 2024
The United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that of the 23.7 million
people in need of life-saving assistance, “humanitarian partners have
prioritized 17.3 million people to receive well-coordinated multi-sectoral
assistance in 2024, for which US$3.06 billion is required.”
According to the report released by
OCHA, the 23.7 million people–more than half of Afghanistan’s population–will
require humanitarian assistance to survive in 2024 as the country continues to
reel from decades of war and grapple with climate-induced crises, recurrent
natural disasters, entrenched poverty, and barriers to women’s participation in
public life.
“Key priorities include food aid, safe
drinking water, healthcare, education, and addressing acute water, sanitation,
and hygiene (WASH) needs,” the report said. “The protection of vulnerable
groups, especially women, children and those living with disabilities, remains
paramount.”
TOLOnews interviewed Alam Bibi, 55, who
collects discarded bottles of water, and metal, in the capital of Kabul.
Alam Bibi said that she is forced to do
so in a bid to make ends meet for her family of 10 members.
“I don’t have a home. Some people give
10 or 5 Afs. My son is small and my husband is old,” she said.
Nearly half of all Afghans live in
poverty, with rates particularly high among women, OCHA said, adding that
despite low-level economic stabilization in 2023, 65 percent of families still
experienced an economic shock.
“We call on the government to provide us
with work opportunities, so we can get over this poverty and economic
hardship,” said Abdul Wasi, a resident of Kabul.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy (MoE)
said that they have long-term programs to counter poverty in the country.
“Focus on the national projects, which
cause work opportunities and reduce poverty rate and cause enduring economic
stability is the core attention of the Ministry of Economy,” he said.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186893
----
National Procurement Commission Approves
24 Projects Worth 10 Billion Afghanis
2024-01-09
KABUL (BNA) The National Procurement
Commission, chaired by Deputy Minister of Economy Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
Akhund, has given its approval to 24 different projects valued at approximately
10 billion Afghanis during its regular meeting today, Tuesday.
According to a press release by the
Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, a total of 27 projects were presented for
discussion at the meeting. Out of these, 24 projects received approval, while
the remaining 3 projects were assigned to the National Procurement Department
and respective ministries for contract evaluation.
The approved projects primarily involve
the Ministries of National Defense, Interior Affairs, Communications and
Information Technology, Public Health, Water and Energy, Da Afghan
BreshnaSherkat, and Kabul Municipality.
Some of the notable approved projects
include the construction of the Paranda Panjshir micro-hydroelectric dam, the
completion of the Tori dam in Zabul province, and the basic construction of
essential roads within Kabul city.
Additionally, the projects aim to
provide electricity to citizens in various provinces, enhance internet services
in remote areas, and undertake various other initiatives.
The Implementation of these projects is
expected to create job opportunities for thousands of Afghan citizens.
The National Procurement Commission’s
approval of these projects reflects the government’s commitment to fostering
infrastructure development and improving essential services across Afghanistan.
The undertaking of these initiatives is
anticipated to contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the
country.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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Fire at Rohingya camp: 1,500 children
lost access to education, says UNICEF
Jan 9, 2024
UNICEF has offered its deepest
sympathies to 5,000 Rohingya refugees, including 3,500 children, who lost their
homes in the fire that broke out in Camp 5 of the Cox's Bazar refugee camps on
Sunday.
"While we are thankful that no
deaths have been reported, at least 1,500 children lost access to education
when 20 of their learning facilities were destroyed in the fire," UNICEF
Representative in Bangladesh Sheldon Yett said today.
As they assess the full extent of the
damage, UNICEF and partners will construct temporary tents to enable children
to learn whilst classrooms are reconstructed.
"UNICEF and partners worked through
the night to protect and support traumatised children and their families. Let
us remember, these children have already escaped violence and trauma,"
Yett said.
So, there is an urgent imperative to
work closely with local authorities, UN agencies and partners to provide the
most vulnerable with shelter and respond to their basic needs so that all
affected children are safe, healthy, and protected, said the UN agency
representative.
Associate Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General Florencia Soto Niño has said their colleagues at the UN
refugee agency and their partners are responding in the aftermath of the fire
that took place in the Cox's Bazar refugee camp.
They say that nearly 800 shelters are
feared to have been destroyed in the fire, and around 120 facilities, including
learning spaces, mosques, and health-care centres were also destroyed or
damaged.
Refugees displaced by the fire are now
staying within the camp's community centres and are being provided with
emergency food assistance.
"The Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR,
in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and
other partners, are supporting the Rohingya refugees who lost their shelters
and belongings," said the associate spokesperson.
The cause of the fire is so far unknown.
Source: thedailystar.net
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-----
Mideast
Israel approves plan to build 700 new
settler units in occupied al-Quds
09 January 2024
Israeli authorities have approved a
project to build about 700 new settler units in occupied East al-Quds despite
the international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime’s land grab policies in
the occupied Palestinian territories.
IrAmim, an Israeli watchdog group that
tracks settlements, said in a statement on Tuesday that the regime had
published its approval of the GivatShaked settlement plan for 695 housing units
on lands in the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Safafa.
“This joins a spate of settlement
advancements in East al-Quds since October 7, including several plan approvals
and publication of tenders,” it said in a statement.
The regime in recent months has also
stepped up demolishing the homes of Palestinians “suspected of carrying out
attacks” on Israelis.
The latest approval comes as the Israeli
regime and extremist settlers have stepped up violent attacks on Palestinians
and settlement activities.
Israel has ramped up its aggression against
Palestinians across the West Bank since October 7, when it launched a genocidal
war against the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been
killed and thousands of others injured by Israeli settlers or troops across the
occupied territory since the onset of the war.
Israel’s war to “root out” Palestinian
resistance movement Hamas in the aftermath of the latter’s October 7 Operation
Al-Aqsa Storm, which killed more than 23,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip, is no
longer confined to the besieged territory.
While all eyes are on Gaza, the Israeli
regime has been tightening its grip on the occupied West Bank, carrying out
deadly attacks and raids on residential areas and hospitals.
Palestinians in the West Bank are now
facing death and widespread displacement.
In the most recent indent of violence on
Tuesday, Israeli forces killed three more Palestinians during a fresh raid on
the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm.
Tension hangs in the air in an occupied
West Bank village nestled amid rolling hills and olive groves. Out of nowhere,
a deafening roar of helicopter blades resonates there, exacerbating tensions.
The victims, all in their 20s, were
killed after the regime’s troops raided their house in the Aktaba suburb of the
city.
A video footage has emerged showing
Israeli forces driving a military vehicle over a Palestinian victim after he
was injured.
The Palestinian Red Crescent says
Israeli troops prevented their vehicles from reaching the victims. They also
kidnapped an injured Palestinian.
A general strike had been announced in
Tulkarm on Tuesday. Another Palestinian was also shot dead by Israeli
occupation forces north of Ramallah.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed some
340 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7. They have also abducted more
than 4,500 Palestinians since then.
Haniyeh says Israel has failed to
achieve any of its goals in its genocidal war on Gaza, but instead revealed its
“bloodthirsty and murderous” image to the entire world. .
Emboldened by the US’s all-out support,
Israel in recent years stepped up its illegal settlement construction
activities in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334,
which pronounced settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds “a flagrant
violation under international law.”
Much of the international community
regards the Israeli settler units in the occupied lands as illegal.
Source: presstv.ir
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-----
Leader Of The Islamic Revolution In Iran
Says Steadfastness Of Gazans Has Made US, Zionist Entity Enemy Helpless
[10/January/2024]
TEHRAN January 10. 2024 (Saba) - Leader
of the Islamic Revolution in Iran Sayyed Ali Khamenei has confirmed that the steadfastness
of the people of Gaza has made America and the Zionist entity enemy helpless.
Khamenei's statement came during his
receiving around two thousand people from Qom governorate on Tuesday coinciding
with the anniversary of the historic uprising on January 9, 1978 against the
Shah’s regime, according to Tasnim International News Agency.
He pointed to the necessity of popular
presence and participation in all events, saying "Look at Gaza today...
the role of the popular presence and the steadfastness of the people in a major
incident, that is, a small group, approximately two million people in a small
spot on the earth, made America in all its greatness and the Zionist entity,
commenting on America being helpless...this is the influence and power of
popular presence and participation."
He added expectations began to gradually
appear in the Gaza issue, saying from the beginning, observers in the world
expected, whether here or elsewhere, saying what would win in this case was the
Palestinian resistance, and that what would lose was the evil, accursed Zionist
entity.
Sayyed Khamenei said this will not be
forgotten. Everyone will understand that the patience of these people and the
steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance forced this entity to retreat.
He added the Zionist entity has not
achieved any of its goals after nearly a hundred days of its crimes. What does
failure mean? This is what failure means. He said we would eliminate Hamas, but
they failed. He said we would move the people of Gaza, but they failed. He said
we would stop resistance activities, but they failed.
He continued the resistance is alive,
active, and ready, while that entity, tired, humiliated, remorseful, and
criminal, received a slap on its forehead.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3294952.htm
-----
Blinken-Netanyahu meeting tense over
Gaza war: Israeli media
Jan 10, 2024
TEHRAN, Jan. 10 (MNA) – A meeting between visiting US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken and Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was tense over the
Gaza war, according to a report by Channel 12 of the Zionist regime.
The Palestinian news agency Sama has
cited the Israeli Channel 12 report that Netanyahu's office did not issue a
statement on the Blinken meeting shows that there is a dispute between Tel Aviv
and Washington over the continued onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
Hours before the arrival of Blinken to
Tel Aviv, the Israeli media reported about tensions between the two sides after
the administration of US President Joe Biden urged the Zionist regime to allow
the residents of the northern Gaza to return to their homes.
KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting
Organization also hinted about such difference, saying the regime is against
the US call to allow Gazans to return to their homes.
According to a US media report, Blinken
discussed the issue with Israeli officials, who on the other hand remained
discontented, arguing that it was not possible before progress on talks on the return of Israeli
captives held in Gaza.
The top US diplomat is on his 4th trip
to West Asia since Israel launched its brutal onslaught on the besieged Gaza
Strip under the pretext of the October 7th Al-Aqsa Flood operation by the
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
A high-ranking American official, who
asked not to be named, also told NBC on Monday that Blinken, after traveling to
several Arab countries, was carrying the message to Israel that it is necessary
for the regime to end its military operation in Gaza as soon as possible.
External pressures on the Zionist regime
to stop its brutal attacks keep intensifying amid the global public outrage
over genocide in Gaza. These pressures coincide with the regime’s inability to
achieve its predetermined goals and heavy losses resistance fighters have
inflicted upon invading Israeli troops.
Source: mehrnews.com
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----
Iraq’s anti-terror Kata’ib Hezbollah
warns US, Israel against attacks on Lebanon, Yemen
09 January 2024
Iraq’s anti-terror group Kata’ib
Hezbollah has underscored the unity of the resistance front in the face of
US-Israeli plots in West Asia, warning against any attacks on Yemen, Lebanon
and other Muslim countries across the region.
Jafar al-Hussaini, spokesman for Kata'ib
Hezbollah movement, made the remark in an interview with Lebanon's al-Mayadeen
television network on Tuesday as he pointed to the enhanced unity and cohesion
among the Axis of Resistance in the wake of October 7 Operation al-Aqsa Storm,
the largest military operation by Palestinian resistance groups against Israel
in decades.
“After the al-Aqsa Storm, the
Zionist-American enemy will no longer be able to fight alone against a country
or a group. The Axis of Resistance is very coherent and has a clear vision and
a clear role,” Hussaini said.
“If the enemy thinks of any foolishness
against Lebanon, the Iraqis will be present on the field in numbers and
equipment,” he added. “We will not allow Israel or others to attack any country
from the Axis of Resistance or Islamic countries. In case of any attack on
Yemen, the attacks on Americans and their allies will be unlimited.”
Referring to the months-long resistance
of Palestinians against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the spokesman for
Kata'ib Hezbollah warned that the
anti-terror Iraqi group would continue with its strikes on the occupied
territories.
“What is important for us now is to stop
the occupying regime's massacres against our brothers in Palestine and to lift
their siege. The destruction of the enemy’s strongholds and interests in the
region will not stop if the aggression does not stop in Gaza,” Hussaini said.
The spokesman also pointed to the major
Iraqi resistance group’s combat readiness and its support for Palestinians in
the besieged territory since the Israeli aggression started more than three
months ago.
“After the Al-Aqsa storm, the
relationship with the Palestinian resistance deepened. The capabilities of the
Islamic resistance in Iraq are far beyond the imagination of the enemy,” he
said.
“Iraq’s Islamic Resistance has targeted
critical targets in the occupying regime with drones. The resistance used a
cruise missile that was built for the first time and hit a vital target in
Haifa,” he added, pointing to the weekend Iraqi attacks on the port city in the
northwestern part of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Iraqi resistance fighters strike
Israeli and American targets across the Arab country and neighboring Syria in
support of Gaza.
During his interview with al-Mayadeen,
Hussaini also announced the expansion of the resistance front to other areas
across the region and the world.
“During the coming years and decade, the
scope of this axis will expand and reach East Asia and some Caucasus
countries,” he said. “Our battle with the Americans continues and will not stop
after the end of al-Aqsa Storm.”
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza
on October 7 after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out the
surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to
the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
The relentless military campaign has
killed more than 23,000 people, most of them children and women. Nearly 59,000
Palestinians have also been wounded.
The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a
“complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and
water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
Source: presstv.ir
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-----
West Bank-based resistance group
announces 'expanded' anti-Israeli operation
09 January 2024
A Palestinian resistance group, based in
the occupied West Bank, has announced launching an "expanded
operation" against the Israeli regime following the latter's assassination
of the group's fighters.
The Cradle online news magazine reported
the development, citing a Tuesday statement by the group in question, which it
identified as the Tulkarm Brigade.
An umbrella organization of resistance
fighters with different political affiliations, the brigade hails from the city
of Tulkarm in northwestern West Bank.
"We announce the start of an
expanded operation for all brigades and groups from now until further
notice," the statement said.
The announcement came a day after
Israeli forces assassinated three Palestinian young men in a violent raid on a
Tulkarm suburb.
Israeli forces assassinate three
Palestinian youths in a raid on a suburb of the occupied West Bank city of
Tulkarm.
The official Palestinian WAFA news
agency identified the victims as 22-year-old Youssef Ali al-Khouli, 23-year-old
Ahed Salman Musa, and 24-year-old Tariq Amjad Shaheen.
Describing the raid, WAFA said the
regime's special forces attacked the Aktaba suburb of Tulkarm, while
accompanied by a high number of Israeli troops.
The forces "fired heavily at a
vehicle parked in the neighborhood, before surrounding a house there and
assassinating the three young men inside," the report said.
It added that the body of one of the
martyrs was run over by an Israeli military vehicle before the regime's
soldiers withdrew from the area.
After targeting the victims, the
invading Israeli forces prevented the Red Crescent staff from reaching the area
by pointing their guns at the organization's vehicles.
Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinian
resistance fighters engaged in intense clashes with Israeli troops in Tulkarm
as part of the retaliatory operation that has been announced by Tulkarm
Brigade.
The clashes erupted near the Nour Shams
and Tulkarm refugee camps in the city when the Israeli army stormed the city at
midnight on Monday following the triple assassinations.
During the confrontation, resistance
fighters prevented Israeli forces from fully entering either camp.
"[Our] strikes against the enemy
forces continue," Tulkarm Brigade added through the Tuesday statement.
The occupying regime has escalated its
violent raids across the West Bank since October 7 when it started a brutal
military onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
Nearly 340 Palestinians have been killed
across the occupied territory as a result of the escalation.
On the other hand, the regime's
genocidal war on the besieged Gaza has so far killed around 23,200
Palestinians, most of them women and children, while leaving nearly 59,000
others injured.
Source: presstv.ir
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-----
Jordan king to host El-Sisi, Abbas for
Gaza talks: palace
January 09, 2024
AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II will
host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian leader Mahmud
Abbas on Wednesday for talks on “dangerous developments” in war-torn Gaza, the
royal palace said.
The meeting will be held in the Red Sea
resort of Aqaba as part of “Jordan’s efforts to coordinate Arab positions to
push for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ensure the uninterrupted delivery
of humanitarian aid,” a statement said.
Their talks would also focus on “the
situation in the West Bank,” which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
King Abdullah, in a meeting Sunday with
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, called on the United States to press
Israel for an “immediate ceasefire” and to put an end to the humanitarian
crisis brought by the Gaza war.
Aid organizations have warned of the
dire situation in the Palestinian territory, where war erupted after Hamas
gunmen launched an unprecedented October 7 attack that resulted in about 1,140
deaths in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel has responded with relentless
bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza that have killed at least 23,210
people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s
health ministry.
On Sunday, King Abdullah had also warned
Blinken against “the catastrophic repercussions of continuation of the
aggression against Gaza, underlining the necessity of ending the tragic
humanitarian crisis” there, the palace said.
In Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Blinken urged
Israel to spare the lives of Palestinian civilians in the conflict.
The “daily toll on civilians in Gaza,
particularly children, is far too high,” Blinken said.
He also called on Israel to “stop taking
steps that undercut Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves effectively.”
Blinken is on a tour aimed at ending the
possible spillover of the Israel-Hamas war into the region and preventing what
he called an “endless cycle of violence.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2438901/middle-east
-----
Lebanon’s Hezbollah denies Israel’s
claim for killing senior Hezbollah commander
January 09, 2024
JERUSALEM: Israel said it killed the
southern Lebanon commander of Hezbollah’s aerial unit in an air strike on
Tuesday, hours after it said he led an attack on an army headquarters base in
northern Israel.
Hezbollah later denied those claims,
saying “the commander was never subjected to any assassination attempt as the
enemy claimed,” in a statement on Tuesday.
Israeli military chief spokesperson Rear
Admiral Daniel Hagari said Ali Hussein Barji had led dozens of drone attacks on
Israel, as Israel and Hezbollah have been waging their deadliest hostilities in
17 years.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2438941/middle-east
-----
Egypt reiterates opposition to
displacement of Palestinians in Gaza
January 09, 2024
CAIRO: Egypt’s Foreign Minister
SamehShoukry on Tuesday reiterated his country’s opposition to any attempts at
forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
He was addressing a joint press
conference with visiting German counterpart AnnalenaBaerbock.
The ministers had earlier discussed the
deteriorating situation in Gaza, the possibility of a ceasefire, the full and
sustainable introduction of aid, and maritime security in the Red Sea.
They discussed ways to deal with the
situation in a way that preserved the unity of the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank.
Shoukry said the continued Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories was one of the main causes of
instability.
He said the focus must be on a ceasefire
and the delivery of aid to civilians, and added: “We condemn the targeting of
journalists in Gaza, in light of the international silence regarding this
issue.”
Shoukry said that Egypt and Germany were
on the same page regarding peace in the Middle East, which could not be
achieved without a two-state solution.
Baerbock spoke of her opposition to any
attempts to displace the Palestinians, and added: “Gaza and the West Bank
belong to the Palestinians, and they should not be expelled from their country.
“More Israeli crossings must be opened
to deliver more aid that people need in Gaza without any obstacles.”
Baerbock said that the aid was insufficient
for about 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and added: “We can work
together to prevent disruption of its access.”
She stressed that the current situation
could not continue in Gaza, and that “we must work together to reach peace.”
Egypt played a pivotal role in
delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, she added.
Shoukry welcomed Baerbock and praised
cooperation between the two countries in various fields, along with their close
coordination in regional and international matters and issues of common
interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2438706/middle-east
----
North America
Muslim groups call for Canada to support
Israeli war crimes investigation
Barry Ellsworth
10.01.2024
Muslim organizations issued a call
Tuesday for Canada to support an investigation into alleged Israeli war
crimes.
The appeal came in the form of a letter
under the umbrella of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) to Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau.
“250 Canadian civil society groups and
community organizations are issuing a joint open letter to the Prime Minister,
asking Canada to back the proceedings at the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) regarding Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip,” the NCCM said in a post on
X.
Five countries – South Africa,
Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti – have asked the court to look into
alleged Israeli war crimes. The NCCM and signatory organizations to the letter
want Canada to add its voice.
“Canada must support an impartial
investigation into possible war crimes committed in Gaza,” the NCCM post said.
“Canada must support accountability. It is time to recognize ICJ jurisdiction
on this issue.”
Israel has pounded Gaza since a
cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least
23,210 Palestinians and injuring 59,167 others, according to local health
authorities.
“Thousands upon thousands of civilians,
including children, have been killed by the bombardment and invasion by the
military of Israel,” the letter to Trudeau states. “This is why you must
support the latest case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which holds
states accountable according to international law, that looks into the mass
violence in Gaza.”
Israel unleashed its military might on
Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
US media coverage of Israel’s war on
Gaza biased in favor of Israel: Analysis
09 January 2024
A new analysis has revealed that there
is “systematic bias in favor of Israel” in Western media’s coverage of the
ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, stressing that some of the news agencies are
“dehumanizing Palestinians” and “legitimizing” the occupying regime’s crimes in
the besieged territory.
According to an Intercept analysis of
major media coverage on Tuesday, leading American newspapers, which play an
influential role in shaping US views of the Israeli war on Gaza, are paying
little attention to Israel’s brutal war and blockade in Gaza.
The Intercept further noted that it has
gathered more than 1,000 articles from the New York Times, the Washington Post,
and the Los Angeles Times about Israel’s war on Gaza, and tallied up the usages
of certain key terms and the context in which they were used.
The tallies reveal a flagrant imbalance
in the way Israeli figures are covered versus Palestinians, with usages that
favor Israeli narratives over Palestinian ones.
The Intercept went on to say that the
print media outlets are disproportionately emphasizing Israeli deaths in the
war, even as Palestinian deaths far outpaced Israeli deaths.
Defense for Children International (DCI)
names 2023 the year of genocide against Palestinian children.
Highly emotive terms for the killing of
civilians like “slaughter,” “massacre,” and “horrific” were used to describe
the killings of Israelis, but not Palestinians, it added.
Despite Israel’s war on Gaza being
perhaps the deadliest war for children in modern history, there is scant
mention of the word “children” and related terms in the headlines of articles
surveyed by The Intercept.
The Intercept also noted that the word
“journalists” and its iterations such as “reporters” and “photojournalists”
only appear in nine headlines out of over 1,100 articles studied.
In order to obtain this data, the
Intercept explained that it has searched for all articles that contained
relevant words such as “Palestinian,” “Gaza,” “Israelis.”
In reaction to the survey, Arwa Damon, a
former CNN correspondent and now a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic
Council, a Washington, DC, think-tank, said these “double standards” reflect a
broader tendency of Western media organizations to portray Muslims and Arabs as
“less than human.”
Some experts and journalists also said
that this bias in favor of Israelis is “irreparably damaging” the credibility
of news agencies considered “mainstream” in the eyes of Arabs and others.
The United Nations sounds the alarm
about the high number of journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza
on October 7 after Hamas carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm
against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities
against Palestinians.
The relentless military campaign has
killed more than 23,000 people, most of them children and women. Nearly 59,000
Palestinians have also been wounded.
According to the latest figures, nearly
110 journalists have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli
regime launched its military aggression against the territory.
The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a
“complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and
water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
Source: presstv.ir
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----
American rabbis disrupt UN meeting,
demand Biden stops blocking peace in Gaza
January 10, 2024
NEW YORK: Dozens of American rabbis
disrupted a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday to demand
that Washington stops preventing the UN Security Council from taking urgent
action in support of an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
During their protest — led by the
organization Rabbis 4 Ceasefire and co-organized by Jews for Racial and
Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow — the 36 rabbis, who
came from several states, sang, prayed, recited excerpts from the UN Declaration
of Human Rights and staged a memorial service. They carried banners that read
“Biden: The World Says Ceasefire” and called on the US president to “stop
vetoing peace.”
After they were escorted from the
premises by security staff, they held a press conference outside the UN. Rabbi
Alissa Wise, the founder of Rabbis 4 Ceasefire, said they have been watching in
horror as the US government has “single-handedly blocked efforts to stop
Israel’s bombing and starvation of Gaza.”
She added: “We know there is no military
solution to this violence. We’re praying here because the UN is where
meaningful, diplomatic action to stop the violence can take place, and because
prayer is how we, as rabbis, know how to express our fears, dreams, hopes and
despair.”
Rabbi Abby Stein, a member of Jews For
Racial and Economic Justice, said the UN was created in the aftermath of the
Second World War and the Nazi Holocaust that targeted Jewish people, with the
intention of ensuring that such an atrocity would never happen again.
“I am here as a Jew, as an ordained
rabbi, as the granddaughter of three Holocaust survivors, to urge the UN to
follow through on this noble mission,” she said. “‘Never again’ means never
again for anyone.”
Rabbi Elliot Kukla said: “The US is
defending the indefensible at a General Assembly, using its veto power to
single-handedly block the UN from taking meaningful action for a ceasefire.
“I am here as a rabbi because Jewish
tradition demands that we do everything in our power to save lives, which means
getting humanitarian assistance to Palestinians who are being displaced, are
starving and have nowhere safe to shelter as bombs rain down.
“Our government refuses to represent
this overwhelmingly popular demand; we came here directly to represent ourselves
and our Jewish values.”
Tuesday’s meeting came after the US
vetoed a proposal by Russia to amend a Security Council resolution to include a
call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Dec. 22, the council adopted a
resolution, drafted by the UAE, calling for increased aid to the Gaza Strip,
including urgent steps including safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian
access to the territory. The US abstained from the vote among the 15-member
council but did not use its power of veto and so the resolution was adopted.
Russia had proposed an amendment to the
resolution calling for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
The US vetoed this proposed change.
A General Assembly resolution dictates
that whenever a member of the Security Council uses its power of veto, it
triggers a meeting and debate in the assembly to scrutinize and discuss the
move.
Robert Wood, the US deputy permanent
representative to the UN, said that although the US had abstained from voting,
it had nonetheless worked “in good faith” to help forge a strong resolution.
“This work supports the direct diplomacy
the US is engaged in to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to help get
hostages out of Gaza,” he added.
Alluding to the Russian amendment, Wood
accused Moscow of putting forward ideas that were “disconnected from the
situation on the ground.”
He said it was “deeply troubling that so
many member states seem to have stopped talking about the plight of the more
than 100 hostages being held by Hamas and other groups. The United States remains
committed to bringing all of the hostages home. Every single one.”
He added: “It is also striking that even
as we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all
like to see, we hear very few demands of the initiator of this conflict — Hamas
— to stop hiding behind civilians, lay down its arms and surrender.
“This would have been over if Hamas’s
leaders had done that. It would be good if there was a strong international
voice pressing Hamas’s leaders to do what is necessary to end the conflict that
they set in motion on Oct. 7.”
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of
the State of Palestine to the UN, said he stood before the General Assembly
“representing a people being slaughtered, with families killed in their
entirety, men and women shot in the streets, thousands abducted, tortured and
humiliated, children killed, amputated, orphaned — scarred for life.”
It is incomprehensible, he added, that
the Security Council is still being prevented from calling for an immediate
humanitarian ceasefire even though 153 member states in the General Assembly,
and the UN’s secretary-general, had called for exactly that.
Israel’s “war of atrocities” is without
precedent in modern history, Mansour said. “This is not about Israeli security,
this is about Palestine’s destruction,” he continued. “The interests and
objectives of this extremist Israeli government are clear, and incompatible
with the interests and objectives of any country that supports international
law and peace”
He asked: “How can you reconcile
opposing the atrocities and vetoing a call to end the war that is leading to
their commission?”
Called for “this schizophrenia” to stop,
he added: “Don’t call for peace and spread fire. If you want peace, start with
a ceasefire. Now.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad
Erdan, denounced the calls for a ceasefire while Israeli hostages are still
held captive.
“How morally bankrupt has this body
become?” ha asked. He said that “despite the UN’s moral rot,” the citizens of
Israel are resilient, with the faith, hope and unbreakable resolve to defend
themselves.
He accused the UN of ignoring the
Israeli victims of the conflict, caring only about Gazans, and becoming “an
accomplice to terrorists,” and said the organization had lost the justification
for its existence.
The UN “has been obsessed only with the
well-being of people in Gaza,” those who put Hamas in power and supported the
group’s atrocities, Erdan said, adding: “You ignore all Israeli victims.”
Russia’s deputy permanent representative
to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, said that when Washington it used its veto in the
Security Council on Dec. 22, it was guilty of playing an “unscrupulous game” in
its attempts to protect Israel over its actions in Gaza.
She said that through the use of
blackmail and arm-twisting, the US had given Israel a license to carry on
killing Palestinians and its blessing to “the ongoing extermination of the
Gazans,” which was why Moscow had proposed its amendment.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2438966/world
-----
CAIR-SFBA Applauds San Francisco Board
of Supervisors on Passing Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
Ibrahim Hooper
January 9, 2024
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the
Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim
civil rights and advocacy organization, today applauded the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors (BoS) for its principled stand in passing a comprehensive Gaza
ceasefire resolution.
The resolution, championed by District 5
Supervisor Dean Preston and District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen and amended by
District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, calls for an immediate and enduring
ceasefire in Gaza, the provision of essential humanitarian assistance, and the
release of all hostages. It also takes a firm stand against the rise of
antisemitism, anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia, reflecting
the city’s commitment to promoting peace, justice, and human rights.
On Dec. 5, in one of the largest public
turnouts for a BoS meeting, over 2,500 community members rallied in support of
the resolution, demonstrating the deep connections many San Franciscans have to
Gaza and the region. The resolution is a response to the severe humanitarian crisis
in Gaza, where the ongoing assault has led to extreme loss of life—over 23,000
people, the majority women and children; widespread displacement—over 80
percent of Gaza residents; and immense suffering, with famine and plague taking
hold across the strip.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive
Director Zahra Billoo said:
“The passing of this resolution is an
important acknowledgment of the dire situation in Gaza and reflects the
collective conscience of our diverse community in San Francisco. It not only calls
for immediate action by Congress and the Biden administration to alleviate the
suffering but also addresses the concerning rise in hateful rhetoric and
attacks within our own city. This resolution is a testament to the power of
community advocacy and the role of local governance in influencing global
issues.”
With the adoption of this resolution,
San Francisco joins Richmond, Oakland, Cudahy, Davis, and Long Beach, as well
as numerous other cities nationwide, that have already passed ceasefire resolutions.
Tonight, the Santa Cruz City Council will vote on a similar ceasefire
resolution, while community activists in Brentwood, San Bruno, and Union City
are mobilizing for the inclusion of ceasefire resolutions in the agendas of
their upcoming council meetings.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR,
America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission
is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice,
and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
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----
US, UK forces shoot down drones,
missiles fired by Houthis in Red Sea
10th January 2024
Washington: Houthi rebels from Yemen
launched 18 drones over the southern Red Sea, according to US military’s
Central Command (CENTCOM), marking the armed group’s 26th attack on
international trade channels in the previous seven weeks, reported Al Jazeera.
CENTCOM said that two anti-ship cruise
missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile were also downed.
CENTCOM was working in cooperation with
UK forces.
“Iranian-backed Houthis launched a
complex attack of Iranian-designed one-way attack UAVs… anti-ship cruise
missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Huthi-controlled areas of
Yemen into the Southern Red Sea,” the US Central Command said in a statement on
Wednesday, as per Al Jazeera.
Since taking over the Galaxy Leader, a
truck carrier travelling from Turkey to India, on November 19, the Houthis have
carried out 26 attacks on Red Sea shipping channels.
The Houthi rebels, who are an
Iran-aligned group, started the strikes in retaliation for Israel’s Gaza
conflict.
Four destroyers, including one from the
UK, and fighter fighters from the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier
participated in the operation, Al Jazeera reported citing CENTCOM.
The Houthis have said that they will not
stop attacking until Israel ends the hostilities in Gaza.
Yemen’s Houthis have launched several
drone and missile attacks at Israel, with most intercepted, since the war
started.
The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7,
after thousands of Hamas terrorists crossed the border and killed scores of
Israelis.
The Houthis claim solidarity with Gaza,
reporting over 20,900 killed.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council in
New York is scheduled to vote on January 10 on a draft resolution that the US
has submitted, reported Al Jazeera. The resolution denounces the attacks on
merchant ships in the Red Sea and calls for an immediate cessation of such
acts, along with the release of the Galaxy Leader and its crew.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/us-uk-forces-shoot-down-drones-missiles-fired-by-houthis-in-red-sea-2953069/
-----
Pakistan
Imran Khan arrested in connection with
attack on Pakistan Army Headquarters on May 9
Jan 09, 2024
Khan attended the court's proceedings
via video link as he could not be produced in the court by Adiala jail
authorities owing to security concerns.
Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan
was on Tuesday arrested in a case related to the attack on the Pakistan Army
headquarters in Rawalpindi on May 9 last year, soon after his release warrant
was issued in the cipher case.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in
Rawalpindi had summoned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who is
already behind bars in cipher and graft cases, in May 9 cases on Tuesday.
However, Khan attended the court's proceedings via video link as he could not
be produced in the court by Adiala jail authorities owing to security concerns.
Judge Ijaz Asif of the Anti-Terrorism
Court Rawalpindi conducted hearings of at least 12 cases linked with the May 9
riots against Khan and others.
During the proceedings, police chief of
the Royal Artillery Bazar Police Station, which is in the vicinity of the
General Headquarters (GHQ), informed the court that Khan was arrested in the
GHQ attack case as he was nominated in the case.
Police also requested for 71-year-old
Khan's physical remand but the judge turned down the plea and asked police to
meet him at the jail for probe.
On Monday, the special court formed to
hear cases under the Official Secrets Act had issued his release orders in the
cipher case.
Judge Abul HasnatZulqarnain issued the
release order of Khan, stating that the former premier’s bail had been approved
and he shall be released if not wanted in any other case.
Despite having the release order, Khan
remains behind bars due to being arrested in the Toshakhna and 190 million
pound Al-Qadir Trust scandal.
On May 9, 2023, violent protests erupted
after the arrest of Khan by paramilitary Rangers in Islamabad. Over 20 military
installations and state buildings, including the army headquarters in
Rawalpindi, were damaged or torched in the violent protests that followed
Khan's arrest in a corruption case.
The party ran into trouble after the May
9 violence by its supporters. Hundreds of rioters were arrested in the days
after the attack and booked on various charges.
Khan and several of his party leaders
have been facing numerous cases since the ouster of the party from power in April
2022 and later in the wake of the May 9 violence.
Khan’s opponent alleged that he was
behind the violence, a charge he denied.
He was ousted through a vote of
no-confidence in April 2022. He was incarcerated on August 5 last year, after
an Islamabad court sentenced him to three years in jail in the Toshakhana case.
He was lodged in the Attock District Jail to serve his prison term.
Later, his sentence was suspended by the
Islamabad High Court, but then he was arrested in the cipher case and remained
in the Attock jail on judicial remand. He was later shifted to Adiala jail.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/imran-khan-arrested-connection-attack-pakistan-army-headquarters-may-9-101704803437800.html
-----
PTI candidate goes missing after
arriving at Islamabad airport from abroad
January 10, 2024
Malik Asad
ISLAMABAD: As a potential candidate of
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) went ‘missing’ from Islamabad International
Airport after his arrival from abroad on Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court
(IHC) issued direction to trace him with the help of CCTV footage.
Abdullah Mumtaz Kahloon had filed
nomination papers to contest election from PP-76 Sargodha. He was allegedly
picked up from the airport despite securing a protective bail from Islamabad
High Court (IHC) in a case registered against him in Sargodha.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up
the petition against his ‘arrest’ despite the court orders.
His counsel Babar Awan told the court
that Kahloon had obtained protective bail and was scheduled to appear before
the high court.
He said his client landed at the
Islamabad airport where some unknown persons wearing tracksuits took him into
custody from the immigration counter.
After hearing preliminary arguments,
Justice Farooq adjourned further hearing for the same day and issued notice to
the federation.
Later, Additional Attorney General
Barrister Munawar Iqbal Duggal appeared before the court and said Kahloon had
escaped from the immigration counter.
Justice Farooq remarked that a
petitioner could not escape once the court had granted him bail. He pointed out
that there was a system in place at every airport and it was not possible for
an individual to dodge various checks. He directed the FIA to examine the CCTV
footage and sought a report on Wednesday.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1804585/pti-candidate-goes-missing-after-arriving-at-islamabad-airport-from-abroad
----
PTI’s Parvez Elahi, Ammar Yasir lose
appeals against ROs’ decisions
January 10, 2024
Nabeel Anwar Dhakku
CHAKWAL: The embattled Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) got a blow in Talagang’s NA-59 and PP-23 constituencies
after its president, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, and his front man in the area Hafiz
Ammar Yasir lost their appeals against the decisions of returning officers
(ROs).
Hafiz Ammar Yasir’s appeal was dismissed
by the appellate tribunal of the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench on
Tuesday while the appeals of Parvez Elahi and his wife, Qaisra Elahi, were
dismissed on Monday evening.
“We would file an appeal before the
larger bench of the LHC as our appeals were rejected unfairly,” Advocate Sardar
Abdul Raziq Khan, the counsel for Mr Elahi, his wife and Mr Yasir, told Dawn on
Tuesday.
Mr Elahi, who won NA-59 in the last
general elections, had submitted his nomination papers for the same constituency
and also for PP-23 for the upcoming general elections. His wife had also filed
nomination papers for both constituencies while Hafiz Ammar Yasir, who won
PP-23 in last general elections, submitted his papers for the same
constituency.
Counsel to approach larger bench of LHC
for relief
The nomination papers of all three
candidates had been rejected by the returning officers after objections were
levelled against them.
According to the decisions of the
returning officers, copies of which are available with Dawn, the nomination
papers were rejected on various grounds.
In the case of Mr Elahi, as many as 19
objections were filed against his nomination papers by an objector named Feyaz
Shabbir Abidi, who was represented by Advocate Malik Irfan before the returning
officer.
Hafiz Ammar Yasir
Some of the objections filed against Mr
Elahi included concealing shares in a flour mill located in Lahore, failing to
provide information regarding jewellery items and weapons, not disclosing
assets of his wife which she had mentioned in her nomination papers, filing
unattested papers, failing to mention separate bank accounts for the two
constituencies for his electioneering expenses and concealing a plot measuring
10 marlas in Phalia.
The appellate tribunal’s judge, Justice
Chaudhry Abdul Aziz, upheld the decision of Returning Officer Bilal bin Abdul
Aziz.
Mr Elahi’s lieutenant in Talagang,
former provincial minister Hafiz Ammar Yasir, who had been declared a
proclaimed offender, is still in Saudi Arabia and is facing many criminal
cases.
Scores of objections were levelled
against him as well, including concealment of assets, unattested nomination
papers, forged affidavit, property tax defaulter and fugitive from law.
Objections were also raised against
Parvez Elahi’s wife Qaisra, who was accused of concealing assets, failing to
mention separate bank accounts for both constituencies and not disclosing the
real value of her gold jewellery.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1804582/ptis-parvez-elahi-ammar-yasir-lose-appeals-against-ros-decisions
-----
PM assures support to UNICEF for youth
employment
January 09, 2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq
Kakar has asked United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
to formulate a new and effective strategy for the education of out-of-school
children in Pakistan.
Talking to the UNICEF Representative in
Pakistan Abdullah Fadil in Islamabad today, he noted that illiteracy can
significantly be reduced in the country by providing access to the latest
information with the help of tablets to the students of backward areas of the
country. He extended support to the UNICEF's initiatives of introducing
technology in the education sector in the backward areas of the country.
The Prime Minister assured to provide
all possible facilities for the UNICEF's projects aimed at generating
employment opportunities for the youth.
The Prime Minister was appreciative of
UNICEF's initiatives for the education sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir despite
severe criticism from India.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar described the role
of UNICEF in Pakistan's anti-polio campaign as of special importance. He said
due to the mutual cooperation of the government of Pakistan and organizations
like UNICEF, a positive change is being seen in the public attitude towards
anti-polio in the country.
The Prime Minister was informed that
projects worth about one billion dollars have been executed under the UNICEF in
humanitarian aid, clean water and food supply, education, health and other
sectors over the last five years.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/09-01-2024/caretaker-pm-asks-unicef-to-formulate-new-strategy-for-education-of-out-of-school-children-in-pakistan
----
Three cops among four martyred in late
night attack in Kohat
January 10, 2024
KOHAT:Three cops among four were
martyred in a late Tuesday night attack on a police checkpost in Kohat,
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
Express News reported that assailants
opened fire at a checkpost situated near the Lachi toll plaza along the Indus
Highway.
The martyred cops were identified as
lance head constables Amjad and Junaid, and head constable Waqar. The fourth
victim was identified as Noor Muhammad, a resident of LakkiMarwat.
Security personnel claimed to have
cordoned off the area with the help of a heavy contingent, while a search for
the attackers was still on.
This is the third attack in three days
targeting police personnel in K-P.
A day earlier at least two policemen
deployed for polio duty in the Teri Ram area of Bannu district were martyred
while three others injured during a gunfight with unidentified armed men.
One of the three attackers was killed,
the other was taken into custody in an injured condition while the third
managed to escape.
According to details, the policemen were
on polio duty within the remits of Meeryan police station when three
unidentified attackers riding a motorcycle opened fire at them. As the police
retaliated, one of the attackers got injured, while the other two hid in a
house nearby.
Bannu Deputy Superintendent of Police
Qasim Ali Khan and District Police Officer Syed Iftikhar Shah reached the spot
along with a heavy contingent of police force, surrounded the area, and started
a search operation.
Read Dawar's convoy escapes attack in
North Waziristan
“The operation against the terrorists
hiding in the house lasted for almost six-and-a-half hours,” the DSP said.
Two days ago, on January 8, five
policemen were martyred while 27 people injured in a blast near a police van in
the Mamund tehsil of K-P’s Bajaur district.
According to a senior government
official in Bajaur, “A police truck transporting around 25 policemen for
anti-polio drive duties was targeted by an improvised explosive device.”
According to details, 22 of the injured
were shifted to the Khar District Headquarters Hospital from where 10 of them,
who were seriously wounded, were referred to a Peshawar medical facility.
The polio campaign in the area was
suspended due to the blast while rescue teams in Mohmand and Lower Dir
districts were put on alert.
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
claimed responsibility for the attack.
K-P’s year-round menace
As per the Counter-Terrorism Department
(CTD), 560 acts of terrorism were reported in the tribal areas of K-P in 2023.
Moreover, 99 cases of extortion were reported this year compared to 55 last
year.
A further breakdown of the data obtained
from the CTD shows that there have been 209 attacks on security personnel this
year compared to 124 last year; 243 attacks on police this year compared to 118
last year; 167 policemen and officers have attained martyrdom in terrorist
attacks this year, compared to 83 last year; and 101 soldiers and officers have
attained martyrdom this year, compared to 96 last year.
According to the CTD, DI Khan topped the
list of districts hit by terrorism with 86 events, followed by Khyber with 72,
North Waziristan with 78, Peshawar with 52, North Waziristan with 48, Bannu
with 36, and Bajaur with 33.
The data shows that terrorism incidents
have increased in areas near the Afghan border, as only 16 attacks were
reported in Malakand, Swat, and Dir, which do not border Afghanistan.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2452768/three-cops-among-four-martyred-in-late-night-attack-in-kohat
-----
PTI reacts strongly to verdict against
lifelong disqualification
2024-01-10
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) on Tuesday said that all attempts were being made to reopen the doors of
politics and loot and plunder for the “national criminal Panama Sharif under
the infamous London Plan” but the people of the country were adamant to stamp
this criminal with lifelong disqualification through their power of votes on
February 8.
Reacting to the issue of minimizing the
period of disqualification of “Jati Umra’s fugitive under the London plan,” a
PTI spokesman said that those who converted Panama Sharif’s ineligibility into
eligibility should verily become his election agents, but they should present
the real owners of Avenfield properties and the sources of money used for their
purchase before the nation.
He said the lawlessness and mayhem had
been created in the country aimed at expelling PTI from politics through state
coercion and operation, which hurt the constitution and its spirit the most.
He contended that most parts of the
constitution had been held in abeyance under a notorious “London Plan”,
whereas, some of its parts were being tampered with legislations and court
decisions.
He pointed out that the constitution and
the accountability system were being compromised to open the doors of power and
politics for the country’s biggest criminal and fugitive in order to start a
new series of loot and plunder in the country.
He highlighted that the person who had
yet to present any proof regarding his London properties since April 2016 to
date and could not submit even a receipt in support of his claims, the entire
constitutional scheme was distorted to give him “another NRO”.
He lamented that legalizing this
criminal’s attacks on the courts and the shameful acts of conspiracy and
violence against the judges through engineered justice was despicable.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40282904/pti-reacts-strongly-to-verdict-against-lifelong-disqualification
----
Southeast Asia
Indonesia is one of world’s largest
democracies, but it’s weaponising defamation laws to smother dissent
09th January 2024
Two former coordinators of one of
Indonesia’s most prominent human rights organisations have escaped conviction
in a defamation case brought by a powerful government minister. While their
astonishing acquittal is welcome, the case marked a bleak new low for freedom
of expression in one of the world’s largest democracies.
Haris Azhar and FatiaMaulidiyanti, who
had coordinated the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence
(KontraS), were accused of defamation by Coordinating Minister for Maritime
Affairs and Investment, LuhutBinsarPandjaitan.
Luhut’s statements made it clear the
case was expressly intended to create a chilling effect and smother civil
society's criticism of the government.
So what is the case about, and why is it
so important?
A messy web of mining interests
The case related to a 2021 YouTube video
in which Haris and Fatia discussed a report published jointly by a group of
Indonesian civil society organisations. In the video, the pair mentioned that
Luhut was “implicated” or “involved” (bermain) in mining in Wabu Block, in the
Intan Jaya district of what is now Central Papua Province.
The details are a bit complicated, but a
key part of the dispute centred on this point about mining.
In 2016, Australian mining firm West
Wits Mining reported to the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) that its Indonesian
subsidiary Madinah Quarataa’in had entered into an agreement with another
company, Tobacom Del Mandiri. They wanted to develop the Derewo River Gold
Project in Intan Jaya.
Tobacom Del Mandiri is owned by another
major Indonesian firm, Toba Sejahtra. Luhut has acknowledged he holds 99% of
shares in Toba Sejahtra.
Representatives from both Indonesian
companies have since said the partnership did not go ahead. But given his stock
portfolio, the activists had a relatively firm basis for implying Luhut was
“involved” in mining in Papua. Luhut objected to this.
He also objected to Haris and Fatia
referring to him as a “villain” (penjahat) and “Lord Luhut”, a favourite
moniker of Indonesians online. He got the nickname because President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo has entrusted him to oversee a seemingly endless list of
strategic projects.
Haris and Fatia were charged with
defamation under the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions (commonly
known as the ITE law). Unlike in Australia, defamation is a criminal offence in
Indonesia. They also faced secondary fake news charges and defamation charges
under the Criminal Code.
Making an example of activism
Under Jokowi, there has been a dramatic
escalation in abuse of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law to target
activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and ordinary citizens.
According to Indonesian digital rights
organisation SAFEnet, 89 people were reported under the law between January and
October 2023.
Public anger over the arbitrary way the
law has been applied led the government to publish guidelines for law enforcers
on its implementation.
According to the guidelines, defamation
charges should not be brought when assertions are based on analysis, opinion or
facts.
Luhut reported Haris and Fatia to the
police just three months after these guidelines were published.
The trial ran from April 2023 through to
January 8, 2024. During the trial, Luhut complained that being called names was
“deeply hurtful”.
Delivering the court’s decision, Judge
Muhammad DjohanArifin said the YouTube conversation between Haris and Fatia
constituted opinion and analysis of a civil society study and their use of the
word “lord” was not defamatory.
Prosecutors have said they will consider
appealing the decision.
Luhut claimed he reported the activists
to defend his reputation. Other statements he made during the trial left no
doubt as to his real motivations.
Luhut said he wants the case to serve as
a “lesson.”
The prosecution concluded its sentencing
demand with a quote from a minor politician, Teddy Gusnaidi, stating: “If using
the label ‘activist’ means you are immune from prosecution, criminals will form
NGOs (non-government organisations) to avoid consequences for their crimes.”
Luhut also claimed that he wanted to
conduct an “audit” of all non-government organisations in Indonesia to
determine where they get their funding.
This is disingenuous.
Indonesian civil society organisations
already need government approval to receive donor funds, and most openly
publish their list of donors in their public annual reports.
The government also regularly subjects
foreign donors to interrogation from everyone from police to intelligence
agencies, about their planned activities.
Increasingly authoritarian tactics
Appealing to nationalistic sensibilities
and raising questions about civil society organisations like this is a classic
technique of authoritarian governments. It undermines organisations critical of
government and redirects focus from the issues at hand.
Legal attacks like the one against Haris
and Fatia are designed to wear civil society down. Fronting up in court every
week is time-consuming, emotionally draining, and takes activists away from
their work.
Further, the use of judicial harassment
to target activists, in contrast to cruder tactics such as cyberattacks or
physical violence, is designed to lend an air of legitimacy to government
repression.
Luhut has made it clear that the goal of
the case against Haris and Fatia is to silence dissent. He appears to be
succeeding.
There is already evidence that abuse of
the Electronic Information and Transactions Law is having a chilling effect on
Indonesian society, with a 2022 survey finding that 62.9% of Indonesians were
afraid of openly expressing their opinions.
Indonesian pro-democracy groups have
long been willing to speak out against the state, even under the most
challenging conditions. Yet repeated charges and arrests will eventually result
in self-censorship and behavioural change.
In the face of mounting pressure, the government
finally passed a revised version of the law on December 5, 2023.
Activists have complained that, like
other regressive laws enacted in Indonesia over recent years, deliberations on
the revision were conducted largely behind closed doors.
The revised law does include some
improvements, including that statements made in the public interest or to
defend oneself cannot be prosecuted. The maximum sentence for defamation has
also been decreased to two years, yet it remains longer than provisions on defamation
in the new Criminal Code, which will come into force in 2026.
Activists have argued for a complete
dropping of criminal charges for online defamation. Given they have proven such
an effective tool for smothering dissent, there was never any chance legislators
were going to simply give up this weapon.
Haris and Fatia may be the
highest-profile Indonesians charged under the Electronic Information and
Transactions Law, but they will not be the last.The Conversation
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/jan/09/indonesia-is-one-of-worlds-largest-democracies-but-its-weaponising-defamation-laws-to-smother-dis-2649458.html
----
Religious affairs minister rejects actor
RosyamNor’s brothel proposal for foreigners
09 Jan 2024
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 — The proposal to open
brothels for foreigners as a measure to reduce rape cases in the country, as
suggested by an actor, is not acceptable at all, said Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk MohdNa’im Mokhtar.
MohdNa’im said the proposal contradicts
both civil and shariah law, and is clearly against the principles of Islamic
teachings and Maqasid al-Shariah.
He said under the Syariah Criminal
Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997 [Act 559], there are several provisions
related to prostitution, including Subsection 21, which pertains to
prostitution; Section 22, which addresses procurers (individuals acting as
intermediaries between a woman and a man for any purpose contrary to shariah
law); and Section 23, which deals with extramarital sex.
In addition, the Syariah Criminal
Offences (Federal Territories) Act 1997 prescribes penalties for anyone who
organises, encourages, or promotes others to commit any vice as stipulated
under Section 35 of Act 559.
“The proposal must be opposed by every
sector of society,” MohdNa’im said in a statement today.
Popular local actor Datuk Rosyam Nor,
had earlier in the podcast “HitamPutihKehidupan” uploaded to TikTok Suhan
Channel, suggested that prostitution dens should be available for the
“convenience” of male foreigners, particularly those who have left their wives
behind in their home countries.
In response, MohdNa’im said the proposal
has sparked controversy in the community, considering that prostitution is
illegal in Malaysia.
“The public is advised not to issue any
statement that may cause polemics or issues that are against the teachings of
Islam,” he said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/01/09/religious-affairs-minister-rejects-actor-rosyam-nors-brothel-proposal-for-foreigners/111428
-----
Marsudi to speak at ICJ regarding
Israel's alleged Gaza genocide
January 10, 2024
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Foreign
Affairs Minister RetnoMarsudi will deliver oral statements before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) on February 19 in a proceeding instituted
by South Africa concerning Israel's alleged genocide committed in Gaza.
Marsudi will attend the proceeding to
urge the international court to provide an advisory opinion as requested by the
United Nations General Assembly, according to the Indonesian Foreign Affairs
Ministry.
"Morally and politically, Indonesia
fully supports South Africa's initiative to push the ICJ to react to the
alleged genocide in Gaza," the ministry's spokesperson, Lalu Muhammad
Iqbal, noted in a short message in Jakarta on Tuesday.
However, he remarked that Indonesia
cannot join in the lawsuit, as it is not a party to the 1948 Genocide
Convention.
On December 30, 2022, the UN General
Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal status and
consequences arising from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.
An advisory opinion is a legal opinion
provided by the ICJ at the request of a UN agency or a country. The opinion is
not legally binding in nature, but it can result in significant political and
legal impacts.
UN agencies and bodies, including the UN
Security Council, can request for an advisory opinion from the ICJ on any legal
matter.
The proceeding pushed by South Africa is
scheduled to take place in Den Haag, the Netherlands, in February this year.
Earlier, Malaysia and Turkey warmly
welcomed South Africa's move to initiate legal proceedings against Israel at
the ICJ pertaining to the alleged violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) has also stated its support for South Africa's initiative.
Meanwhile, the United States viewed
South Africa's move as a pointless, meritless, and counterproductive measure.
Source: en.antaranews.com
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/302769/marsudi-to-speak-at-icj-regarding-israels-alleged-gaza-genocide
----
Africa
Five countries support South Africa's
genocide case against Israel
January 10, 2024
The International Court of Justice is
scheduled to commence the hearing of the case in which South Africa accuses
Israel of committing genocide in Gaza starting this Thursday.
Currently, five countries, among which
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, along with Jordan, Turkey, and
Malaysia, have openly expressed their support for the case, while only Israel
and the United States have opposed it.
South Africa filed a complaint at the
end of December, alleging that Israel committed genocide during the Gaza
conflict. The complaint advocates for an end to the severe military campaign,
which has resulted in the deaths of over 23,000 Palestinians, including nearly
10,000 children.
The initial hearing at the International
Court of Justice, in The Hague, will address the genocide case involving South
Africa and Israel. This development is particularly significant as the global
community calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Most other nations have either remained
silent or provided unclear stances. In a video statement, John Kirby, the
spokesperson for the White House National Security Agency, characterised the
case as meritless.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/09/five-countries-support-south-africas-genocide-case-against-israel/
-----
Islamic council demands LG appointment
for Ekiti Muslims
10th January 2024
AbiodunNejo
The Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs,
Ekiti State has urged the Ekiti State Government to appoint Muslims into
political offices in the 38 local government areas and local council
development areas in the state.
The SCIA, which lauded Governor
BiodunOyebanji for the appointment of Muslims at the state level, however,
noted the non-inclusion of Muslims in the chairmanship positions in the
recently inaugurated 38 LGAs and LCDAs in the state.
This was contained in a communique
issued on Tuesday at the end of the group’s meeting in Ado Ekiti.
In the communique signed by its
President, Dr Hammed Bakare, and Secretary, AlhajiMurainaJegede, the Ekiti SCIA called “for the appointment of
Muslims as secretaries and supervisory councillors to the local government
councils.”
The apex Islamic organisation urged the
state government “to also ensure that necessary Islamic structures are liaised
with and made use of while sharing dividends of democracy as against using only
political platforms that put the interest of Muslim faithful in jeopardy. Using
political structures for sharing makes the Muslim Ummah to be at the mercy of
the politicians.”
The SCIA said there was a shortage of
Islamic and Arabic teachers in primary, secondary and model schools in the
state and urged the government to recruit more teachers to fill the identified
gaps.
The body also charged its Education
Committee to liaise with appropriate government education authorities “to
ensure that Muslim female students in secondary, unity and model schools are
allowed to use Hijab as prescribed for ladies under the tenets of the Islamic
religion”.
The SCIA, however, assured Oyebanji of
the Muslim community’s support just as it expressed satisfaction with the
performance of President Bola Tinubu, assuring the country’s leader of “the
continued support and prayers of the Muslim Ummah in Ekiti State towards the
success of his government”.
Among Muslim leaders at the meeting are
the Grand Imam and President General, League of Imams and Alfas, South-West,
Edo and Delta states, Sheikh
JamiuKewulere Bello; the Secretary to the State Government, Dr HabibatAdubiaro;
and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tertiary Institution; Dr
AbdulHakeemAbdulAzeez.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/islamic-council-demands-lg-appointment-for-ekiti-muslims/
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Tinubu reacts to death of prominent
Islamic leader
Goodness Adaoyiche
January 10, 2024
President Bola Tinubu has mourned the
passing of a prominent Islamic cleric and Baba Adinni of Lagos and chairman of
the Executive Council of Lagos Central Mosque, Shaykh Abdul-AfisAṣamu
Abou.
Shaykh Abou died on Tuesday at the age
of 101.
According to presidential spokesperson,
AjuriNgelale, President Tinubu received the news of the passing of Sheikh Abou
with a heavy heart.
In a statement on Wednesday, Tinubu
condoled with the deceased’s family, the Muslim community in Lagos, as well as
the Lagos State Government over this very sad loss.
The president also celebrated the
inspiring legacy of service, duty, and sacrifice of Baba, adding that his
extraordinary contributions to the Muslim Ummah, Lagos State, and beyond.
“Baba dedicated his life to the service of
the people. He lived a full life guided by the highest and noblest moral codes.
He was a fine example for all of us. He will be sorely missed. We should take
solace in Baba’s legacy and uphold his values of honesty, dignity, and
sacrifice,” he said.
President Tinubu prayed that Almighty
Allah grant Baba the highest station in Al-Jannah Firdaus.
Source: politicsnigeria.com
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https://politicsnigeria.com/tinubu-reacts-to-death-of-prominent-islamic-leader/
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Tunisian group accuses authorities of
mass expulsions of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa
January 10, 2024
Migration activists are sounding the
alarm this week about mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia, where
authorities are seeing more migrants arrive for attempted Mediterranean
crossings from the North African nation to Europe.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and
Social Rights on Monday accused the government of waging a campaign of
repression against migrants at the expense of humanitarian concerns, "to
satisfy European blackmail and ensure a steady stream of financial and
logistical support."
It said in a statement that witness
accounts indicated the situation had become particularly dire around Tunisia's
borders with Libya and Algeria as well as around the country's second most
populous city, Sfax, a common stopover point for migrants aiming to cross the
Mediterranean.
The nongovernmental organization said
that migrants in Sfax, which is 117 miles (188 kilometers) from the Italian
Island of Lampedusa, regularly experience arbitrary arrests and violence. Many
have their property destroyed.
Such treatment hasn't been limited to
migrants who enter Tunisia without authorization and has extended to refugees,
students, and workers, the group said.
It said it had received frequent reports
of mass expulsions across the Algerian and Libyan borders. In Algeria, that has
included migrants being deported into the desert regardless of weather
conditions. In war-torn Libya, deportations often lead to migrants ending up in
detention centers run by armed groups.
Tunisian officials have said small
groups of migrants have been pushed back across the country's desert borders
but disputed reports of systemic abuse and expulsions.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and
Social Rights implored the government to end the deportations, provide migrants
safe haven and update laws to allow those without papers to obtain some sort of
legal status.
"Sovereignty is not achieved by
intimidating vulnerable groups and resorting to outdated laws and
discriminatory circulars, but rather by initiating national policies that
guarantee dignity, rights and freedoms for all humans," it said.
Tunisia faces increased scrutiny over
how it deals with migrants. More than 97,000 people crossed the Mediterranean
from Tunisia to Italy in 2023, according to UNHCR. Tunisian migration groups
estimate there are between 20,000 and 50,000 sub-Saharan migrants in the
country.
Tunisian authorities receive financial
assistance from Europe to help police borders. The country brokered a $1
billion euro ($1.1 billion) aid agreement in July that included a pledge of 105
million euros ($110 million) earmarked for migration.
Despite the aid, President Kais Saied
has insisted that Tunisia will not become Europe's "border guard" or
accept migrants that European politicians, including ascendant right-wing
leaders, don't want.
Saied last year faced allegations of
racism after calling the presence of sub-Saharan African migrants part of a
"criminal plan to change the demographic makeup of the country."
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/09/tunisian-group-accuses-authorities-of-mass-expulsions-of-migrants-from-sub-saharan-africa/
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85 abducted as bandits return to
Kaduna-Abuja expressway
10th January 2024
JuweOluwafemi and Godwin Isenyo
No fewer than 85 persons, comprising
both travellers and residents, were said to have been abducted by terrorists at
Katari along the Kaduna – Abuja highways near Katari, in the Kachia Local
Government Area of Kaduna State.
It was also gathered that more than four
residents were killed by the hoodlums.
The breakdown of those abducted by the
bloodthirsty terrorists indicated that between Thursday and Sunday, January 7,
2024, a total of 85 persons were abducted.
The Kaduna State Police Command
confirmed that there was a bandit attack on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway at
Dogon Fili near Katari.
However, the command was silent on the
abduction of the travellers along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.
The
Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, stated that security
operatives battled the terrorists before they fled in different directions.
The police spokesman noted that in the
process, some travellers were caught in the crossfire, and they sustained
varying degrees of gunshot injury.
He gave the names of those hit by
bullets to include: JibrinTasiu (27), JummaiAbubakar (20 ); ZafiraAbubakar (11 ) and; AbdulKarimNurudeen (two), Chinedu
Jerry Moneke (37) and Ayo James ( 42).
He said those injured were rushed to the
hospital for medical attention.
The statement was titled, “Security
operatives engaged bandits in a fierce battle along the Kaduna-Abuja
Expressway.”
He said, “There was a heavy gun duel
along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway between security operatives and bandits on
the 6th January 2024 at 2330 hours or thereabouts.
“The incident occurred when the bandits
in their large numbers attempted to cross the said expressway at Dogon fili area
heading towards Jere axis and were engaged in a fierce shootout by the
well-alerted security agents, who dislodged the hoodlums and ensured a lot of
them only escaped but with gunshot wounds.
“Hence, the Police Command is calling on
the public around that axis to be on the watch for any person or persons
nursing suspected bullet injuries and report the same to the closest Police
station or any security outfit.
“In the course of the battle, commuters
plying the highway were caught in a crossfire, of six persons sustained varying
degrees of bullet injury.”
The police described the incident as “an
unfortunate isolated incident in a long time as the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway has
since been fortified for the use of commuters thus.”
However, our correspondents who visited
the area on Tuesday, gathered that over
30 travellers were abducted.
It was learnt that 55 other persons were picked up by another
set of hoodlums in the three communities of Badoko, Dudumishini and Kwakware
villages, all in Katari.
The District Head of Bishini,
comprising Katari, Doka, Ariko,
Kworotsho and other villages, Yohana Sarki, told The PUNCH that despite the
huge presence of the military along the highways, villages under his domain
were being attacked everyday.
Sarki said, “The government is doing its
best, but they need to deploy more security operatives.
“Yesterday, we found two lifeless bodies
lying, and I had to order the vigilantes to evacuate the bodies. They are
trying. I am calling on the government to equip our vigilantes in order to
complement the efforts of other security agencies.”
Recounting his ordeal, a resident who is
also a leader in the village, told The PUNCH that those attacking Katari and
its environs were foreigners who spoke the Fulani language.
He said, “What happened on Sunday,
January 7, 2024, for instance, was that bandits blocked the major highway. We
were told that some travellers travelling to Abuja and other places were
abducted. I could not, as a matter of fact, ascertain the number of those
abducted.
“But before then, the bandits in their
huge numbers had attacked some villages around the Katari general area and
abducted several locals, and about four others were killed.
“At Dudumishini village, the bandits
abducted no fewer than 30 residents while some escaped. There are no fewer than
25 people with the hoodlums now and also at Kwakwarevillage, about 35 were
picked by the terrorists while some escaped, leaving about 30 with them. All
these happened a few days to when the incident on Sunday occurred.”
The Chief Imam of the Katari Central
Mosque, Suleiman Mohammed, equally confirmed the Sunday attack to The PUNCH.
He said, “Precisely 9.30 pm on Sunday,
7, 2024, I was home when I heard gunshots all over. I later got to know that
bandits in their large numbers and bearing dangerous weapons struck. They
blocked the entire Kaduna-Abuja highways around the Katari axis, and some
travellers along the road from Abuja were taken away while some escaped.
“Eyewitnesses told us that several
travellers, in the range of 30, were taken away by the bandits. That was what I
was told. They might be more than that.”
When asked if the terrorists had called
to demand ransom, the cleric said: “Normally, the bandits don’t call to demand
for those abducted along the road. They contact individual homes to demand
ransom. Those abducted were travellers, not residents.
“Assuming they kidnapped residents, they
would call us within two or three days to demand ransom.”
Source: punchng.com
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the full text of the
https://punchng.com/85-abducted-as-bandits-return-to-kaduna-abuja-expressway/
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