Darul Uloom Haqqania Seminary, Pakistan's 'University Of Jihad' Proud Of Taliban Alumni
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 November 2020
In this picture taken on October 19, 2020 Islamic
seminary students gather in the premises of the hostel at the Darul Uloom
Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak
------
• Tehrik-i-Labbaik Pakistan Clash With Pakistani
Police In French Cartoon Protests
• Saudi Arabia Uses ‘Sports-washing’ To Enhance Human
Rights Image: Rights Groups
• 70 Taliban Commanders Killed In Helmand And Kandahar
By Afghan Forces
• Trump Reportedly Asked For His Options To Attack
Iran Nuclear Sites Last Week
• Right-Wing Israeli Protesters Taunt EU Envoys In
Sensitive East Jerusalem Area
• For The First Time Since Independence Bihar Ruling
Coalition Without A Single Elected Muslim
• Umno Leader Suggests Bringing Opposition Parties
Into Govt To Stabilise Malaysian Politics
• UN-Led Libya Talks End Without Agreeing On Interim
Government
Pakistan
• Darul Uloom Haqqania Seminary, Pakistan's
'University Of Jihad' Proud Of Taliban Alumni
• Tehrik-i-Labbaik Pakistan Clash With Pakistani
Police In French Cartoon Protests
• Under Pressure To Recognize Israel But Islamabad
Would Never Establish Relations With The Zionists, Says Imran
• India doesn't qualify for UNSC membership, Pakistan
says in General Assembly debate
• Lyari gangsters being used by RAW for sectarian
killings: CTD
• PTI emerges as single largest party in GB after
polls
------
Arab world
• Saudi Arabia Uses ‘Sports-washing’ To Enhance Human
Rights Image: Rights Groups
• Bahraini ministers to pay first official visit to
Israel for tripartite meeting
• Senate chief blasts Trump troop withdrawal plans in
Iraq, Afghanistan
• Iraq executes 21 people convicted of ‘terrorism’:
Authorities
• Qatar slams normalization with Tel Aviv, calls for
‘unity’ against Israeli occupation
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South Asia
• 70 Taliban Commanders Killed In Helmand And Kandahar
By Afghan Forces
• Taliban prisoners released in hope for peace:
Abdullah
• Taliban Defeated in Khandahar Province: MoD
• 1,100 Taliban fighters killed amid clashes in 25
days, Afghanistan says
------
North America
• Trump Reportedly Asked For His Options To Attack
Iran Nuclear Sites Last Week
• Pompeo says Europe, US need to work together to
address Turkey's Erdogan's actions
• US sending delegation to Bahrain, Israel for first
Manama to Tel Aviv direct flight
--------
Mideast
• Right-Wing Israeli Protesters Taunt EU Envoys In
Sensitive East Jerusalem Area
• No place for Takfiri terrorists close to Iran
borders: Ayatollah Khamenei's advisor
• Israel's new settlement plan for occupied Quds draws
more intl. condemnation
• Commander: Iranian Armed Forces Manufacture Military
Products Based on Threats
• UNRWA warns budget crisis could spell ‘disaster’ in
Gaza, cause insecurity in Lebanon
• Turkey to send peacekeeping troops to Azerbaijan to
monitor Karabakh truce
------
India
• For The First Time Since Independence Bihar Ruling
Coalition Without A Single Elected Muslim
• Alwar Hindu Youth First Non-Muslim In Nation To Top
Islamic Studies Entrance Exam
• Muted Chinese Reply To Pakistan's India Allegations
Of Supporting Terrorist Activities
• India mounts diplomatic offensive against Pakistan
dossier
• Branded Indian spy, Kanpur man returns home after 28
years in Pakistan
• Mehbooba Mufti alleges Centre driving out
Gujjar-Bakerwals from J&K
-----
Southeast Asia
• Umno Leader Suggests Bringing Opposition Parties
Into Govt To Stabilise Malaysian Politics
• Halve pay of MPs with positions in GLCs, says Wan
Azizah
• Azhar mulling request to let ministers speak during
question time
• A radical Islamic leader flouts Indonesia’s virus
rules on his return from exile.
------
Africa
• UN-Led Libya Talks End Without Agreeing On Interim
Government
• Ethiopia carries out air strikes in Tigray region as
surrender ultimatum ends
• Ugandan opposition figure blasts police brutality
--------
Europe
• France’s Macron Meets US Secretary Pompeo After
Congratulating Biden On Election Win
• Dutch prosecution: Suspect in Saudi embassy shooting
in Hague had 'terrorist motive'
• Russia's Putin orders ministry to conclude agreement
to build Navy base in Sudan
• Turkey: EU 'disconnected' from realities in Cyprus
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/darul-uloom-haqqania-seminary-pakistan/d/123494
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Darul Uloom Haqqania Seminary, Pakistan's 'University
Of Jihad' Proud Of Taliban Alumni
Nov 16, 2020
In this picture taken on October 19, 2020 Islamic
seminary students gather in the premises of the hostel at the Darul Uloom
Haqqania seminary in Akora Khattak
------
AKORA KHATTAK, Pakistan: Maulana Yousaf Shah cracks a
wide smile as he rattles off a list of former students turned Taliban leaders,
reveling in their victories over superpowers on Afghanistan's battlefields
after graduating from Pakistan's "university of jihad".
The Darul Uloom Haqqania seminary has churned out a
who's who of Taliban top brass -- including many now on the hardline group's
negotiating team holding talks with the Kabul government to end a 20-year war.
"Russia was broken into pieces by the students
and graduates of Darul Uloom Haqqania and America was also sent packing,"
beamed Shah, an influential cleric at the seminary that critics have dubbed the
"university of jihad".
"We are proud."
The sprawling campus in Pakistan's Akora Khattak,
about 60 kilometres (35 miles) east of Peshawar, is home to roughly 4,000
students who are fed, clothed and educated for free.
It has sat at the crossroads of regional militant
violence for years, educating many Pakistanis and Afghan refugees -- some of
whom returned home to wage war against the Russians and Americans or preach
jihad.
Despite its infamy in some quarters, it has enjoyed
state support in Pakistan, where mainstream political parties are heavily
boosted by links with religious factions.
This month, Darul Uloom Haqqania's leaders boasted of
backing the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan in a video posted online --
outraging the Kabul government, which is battling a surge in violence across
the county as the US prepares to withdraw troops.
Seminaries like Haqqania "give birth to radical
jihadism, produce Taliban and are threatening our country", Sediq Sediqqi,
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's spokesman, told AFP, demanding their closure.
Afghanistan's leaders argue that Pakistan's approval
for the madrassas is proof that it backs the Taliban.
Shah scoffed at the notion the madrassa encouraged
violence, but he defended the right to target foreign troops.
"If someone armed enters your house and you are
threatened... then definitely you will raise a gun," Shah said.
The seminary's late leader Sami-ul-Haq boasted of
advising the Taliban's founder Mullah Omar -- earning him the moniker "the
father of the Taliban".
Haq later sent students to fight for the movement when
it issued a call to arms during its rise to power in the 1990s.
The Haqqani network, the Taliban's ultra-violent
faction, is named after the madrassa where its leader once taught and
subsequent leaders studied.
Some Pakistani extremists who later attacked their own
country have also been linked to the seminary, including the suicide bomber who
assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
"The Haqqania madrassa sits at the heart of one
of the most important and influential hardline Sunni clerical networks,"
said analyst Michael Semple.
"There's an expectation that large proportions of
the Afghan graduates will move seamlessly into accepting positions of
responsibility in (Taliban) structures."
Semple however dismissed notions the madrassa served
as a "terrorist factory" where students received combat training or
had a hand in militant groups' strategic decisions.
Rather, like elite Western universities feeding new
talent into corporate boardrooms and political parties, Haqqania's contribution
to insurgencies rests in the bonds forged in its classrooms.
Graduates insisted they received no military training
at Haqqania and were not obliged to join the fight in Afghanistan, but admitted
jihad was discussed openly, including in "special lectures" by Afghan
instructors.
"Any student who wanted to go for jihad could go
during his vacations," said cleric Sardar Ali Haqqani, who graduated from
the seminary in 2009.
Hardline madrassas received a major boost and an
influx of cash during the 1980s when they served as de facto supply lines to
the anti-Soviet jihad backed by the US and Saudi Arabia, and have remained
close to Pakistan's security establishment ever since.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party has also
lavished the Haqqania seminary with millions of dollars in return for its
political support.
Madrassas have long served as vital lifelines for
millions of impoverished children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where social
services are chronically underfunded.
Government officials and activists have warned of an
over-reliance on madrassas, claiming students are brainwashed by hardline
clerics who prize rote learning of the Koran over core subjects such as maths
and science.
Even the Pakistan military -- which has been routinely
accused of supporting the Taliban -- has admitted that madrassas have injected
further uncertainty into the region.
"Will they become [clerics] or will they become
terrorists?" asked Pakistan military chief Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2017 of
the estimated 2.5 million students enrolled at the tens of thousands of
madrassas across Pakistan.
Others wonder what an insurgent victory in Afghanistan
would mean for hardline seminaries, fearing the return of a Taliban government
in Kabul could inspire a new wave of violence in Pakistan.
"Now when the Americans pull out of Afghanistan,
we're going to be saddled with a huge problem, because it is essentially their
victory," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a leading anti-extremist activist in
Pakistan.
"Their victory is going to make them
bolder."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistans-university-of-jihad-proud-of-taliban-alumni/articleshow/79245682.cms
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Tehrik-i-Labbaik Pakistan Clash With Pakistani Police
In French Cartoon Protests
November 16, 2020
By Asif Shahzad
Supporters of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, a religious
political party, block a main road during an anti-France rally in Islamabad, on
Monday, November 16, 2020. AP/PTI
----
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Thousands of
supporters of a hardline Islamist party clashed with police on the main road
into Pakistan’s capital city on Monday following protests over the recent use
of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in France, and several people were injured.
The protesters from the Tehrik-i-Labbaik Pakistan
(TLP) party that has made blasphemy its rallying cry are demanding that the
government severs diplomatic ties with France and expels its ambassador, police
and party officials said.
The government has yet to respond to their demands.
Police blocked the demonstrators as they attempted to
enter Islamabad. Some chanted that the only punishment for a blasphemer was
beheading, police official Tauqeer Shah said.
The protesters attacked the police with bricks, stones
and sticks, he added.
“Several of our officers were injured,” he said,
adding that nearly 2,000 protesters had camped at the main entrance to the
city, refusing to leave.
“We want the government to expel the French ambassador
immediately,” the TLP’s vice president Zaheer-ul-Hasan said in a video
statement. He added that scores of protesters were injured in the clashes.
Protests broke out in several Muslim countries over
France’s response to a deadly attack last month on a teacher who showed
cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad to pupils during a civics lesson. For
Muslims, depictions of the Prophet are blasphemous.
In the knife attack, an 18-year-old man of Chechen
origin beheaded the teacher, Samuel Paty.
French officials said the beheading was an assault on
the core French value of freedom of expression.
After satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo re-published
the cartoons in September, French President Emmanuel Macron said the freedom to
blaspheme went hand in hand with the freedom of belief in France.
In Pakistan and other Muslim-majority countries,
people accused France’s government of being Islamophobic and needlessly
provoking believers. Pakistan has condemned the re-printing of the cartoons.
There is a history of violent reaction to alleged
incidents of blasphemy in Pakistan, where insulting the Prophet Mohammad
carries a mandatory death penalty.
Members of the TLP party also camped for several days
at the same entrance to Islamabad in 2017 to demand that a small change in
local law be deemed blasphemous. In ensuing clashes, at least six protesters
and one member of the police were killed and more than 150 injured.
Islamabad’s administration on Monday blocked most of
the main roads into the city as well as mobile phone signals to prevent
protesters from regrouping, a move that paralysed the capital.
“We’re trying our best to clear the route,” the
capital’s deputy commissioner Hamza Shafaat tweeted.
Later in the day, paramilitary forces tried to
disperse the protesters, but were forced to back away.
https://in.reuters.com/article/france-security-pakistan-protests/islamists-clash-with-pakistani-police-in-french-cartoon-protests-idINKBN27W22M
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Saudi Arabia Uses ‘Sports-washing’ To Enhance Human
Rights Image: Rights Groups
16 November 2020
Aramco’s President & CEO Amin Nasser (R) presents
the award of Aramco Saudi Ladies International Golf to the winner, Emily Kristine
Pedersen, from Denmark, in Saudi Arabia, November, 15, 2020.
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Rights groups have denounced Riyadh for using the
first-ever women’s golf tournament in Saudi Arabia to “sportswash” the
tarnished human rights image of the highly conservative country.
On Sunday, Emily Pedersen from Denmark finally managed
to secure the $150,000 winner’s check in the inaugural Saudi Ladies
International at the King Abdullah Economic City close to the western city of
Jeddah.
However, the widely publicized event, according to
Amnesty International and other rights groups, was in fact a “sportswashing”
exercise designed to soften the Arab kingdom’s austere image.
The term “sportswash,” credited to 2015’s Sports or
Rights campaign, is generally used when corrupt and tyrannical regimes make use
of a high-profile sports event as a means to launder their reputation and/or
gloss over their miserable records on human rights.
According to the rights groups, the golf event glossed
over the Arab kingdom’s poor human rights record and the imprisonment of a
number of female activists who have called for reforms.
For the past few years, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad
bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, has been apparently seeking to bring
about social reforms. Part of the flamboyant reforms is his push for investment
in glitzy sports and entertainment events in an attempt to enhance the image of
Saudi Arabia.
Back in March, the regime hosted the world's richest
horse race, after staging the Italian and Spanish football Super Cups in 2019.
Saudi Arabia already hosts the Dakar Rally, a 12-day
marathon through the Arabian Desert, and the all-electric Formula E series, as
well as a series of boxing, golf, and tennis events.
Earlier this month, Riyadh announced that it would
host a Formula One Grand Prix for the first time next year.
“Saudi citizens and residents should enjoy top-notch
entertainment and sporting events, but they also should enjoy basic rights such
as free expression and peaceful assembly,” said Michael Page, deputy Middle
East director at Human Rights Watch.
“So, when Hollywood A-listers, international athletes,
and other global celebrities take government money to perform in Saudi Arabia
while staying silent on the government's atrocious rights record, they are
boosting the kingdom's strategy of whitewashing Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman's abuses.”
Despite the ostentatious efforts in holding
high-profile sports events and pushing through the so-called reforms, the Saudi
regime has faced intense diplomatic fallout over the gruesome murder of
dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based Washington Post columnist,
which took place in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in early
October 2018.
The ill-fated journalist is widely believed to be
killed inside the consulate and his body was disposed of in a
yet-to-be-disclosed location after being chopped to pieces. A report by the CIA
showed that Mohammad bin Salman ordered the gruesome killing.
Riyadh, however, has spurned all the allegations
linking the killing to bin Salman and instead claimed that the murder was
carried out by a “rogue” group.
Saudi Arabia has also been heavily condemned by the
international community and right groups for its brutal campaign along with its
allies against Yemen.
The full-fledged war on Yemen, which began in March
2015, according to some estimates, has so far killed 100,000 people. The United
Nations has warned that more than 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of
humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.
The Riyadh regime has also stepped up what appears to
be politically-motivated arrests, prosecution, and conviction of peaceful
dissident writers and human rights campaigners, particularly of the Shia
minority in Eastern Province.
The Shia-majority province has been the scene of
peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters have been demanding
reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end
to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-rich region.
The protests have been met with a heavy-handed
crackdown by the regime.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638741/Saudi-Arabia-sportswashing
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70 Taliban commanders killed in Helmand and Kandahar
by Afghan forces
Edited by Deepali Sharma
Nov 16, 2020
At least 70 Taliban commanders were killed in Helmand
and Kandahar by Afghan forces in operations carried out in retaliation to the
attacks started by the group more than a month ago. According to Kabul’s
ministry of interior affairs, 152 pakistani fighters were also killed in the
operations in the Helmand region.
The ministry released the list of commanders killed in
the operations on Sunday, according to which 20 of them belonged to different
parts of Helmand and were heading groups of 45 to 100 associates.
It said 10 of the commanders killed belonged to
Uruzgan, Kandahar and Ghazni and had come to aid the fight in Helmand. Forty of
the commanders were killed in the Kandahar region, as per the data of the
ministry.
Interior ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said 54
bodies of fighters were transported to Helmand, 65 across Durand Line, 35 to
Farah province, 13 were taken to Zabul as well as 13 to Uruzgan province.
The Afghan forces also warded off Taliban attacks in
Helmand, Kandahar and other provinces in the south through their active defense
mechanism, the spokesperson said.
Though the strikes in parts of Kandahar, Helmand and
south were ongoing, Arian said that the Taliban forces in the southern
provinces have been defeated.
Chief of Army Staff Gen. Mohammad Yasin Zia led the
southern war. The spokesperson added that the clashes that have been going on
over a month have claimed the lives of 134 civilians and wounded 289 others in
the last 25 days.
The Taliban has rubbished the government’s claims of
casualties.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/70-taliban-commanders-killed-in-helmand-and-kandahar-by-afghan-forces/story-mUYihXOLHzh3g2c8sU3kyL.html
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Trump reportedly asked for his options to attack Iran
nuclear sites last week
17 November 2020
Lame-duck US President Donald Trump reportedly asked
his advisers last week about the options he could have to attack Iran's nuclear
sites.
“A range of senior advisers dissuaded the president
from moving ahead with a military strike,” The New York Times reported Monday
as the president was still refusing to accept the outcome of the 2020
presidential election.
Vice president Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo and others reportedly told the outgoing president that such action could
spiral out of control.
White House officials have not yet responded to the
report.
Iran has time and again maintained that its nuclear
program is peaceful.
Trump has unilaterally withdrawn Washington from the
internationally back nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed sanctions.
The Islamic Republic has asserted that it stands ready
to defend its interests in the face of any US aggression.
The Times report further read: “A strike on Iran may not play well to his
base, which is largely opposed to a deeper American conflict in the Middle
East, but it could poison relations with Tehran so that it would be much harder
for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear accord,
as he has promised to do.”
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/17/638755/Trump-asked-for-his-options-to-attack-Iran-last-week
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Right-wing Israeli protesters taunt EU envoys in
sensitive east Jerusalem area
16 November 2020
EU diplomats were taunted by right-wing Israeli
protesters on Monday during a visit to a sensitive east Jerusalem area where
the Israeli government plans to build a new settler neighborhood.
Several European Union envoys who had travelled to
Givat Hamatos in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to protest the planned
construction of new Jewish settler homes were called “anti-Semites” by shouting
protesters.
“EU shame on you,” protesters shouted as diplomats
tried to speak.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
EU representative in the Palestinian Territories Sven
Kuhn von Burgsdorff said the aim of the visit was to “demonstrate our
disagreement” with the Israeli plans.
Earlier this year, Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build 2,000 homes for Jews in Givat
Hamatos and 1,000 homes for Arabs in the adjacent mainly Palestinian
neighborhood of Beit Safafa.
Last week, the Israel Land Authority issued tenders to
build more than 1,200 mainly residential units in Givat Hamatos.
Watchdogs have warned that Israel was stepping up
efforts to expand settlements before US President Donald Trump leaves office.
The Trump administration has broken with decades of
bipartisan US practice by not opposing Jewish settlement activity in
Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
President-elect Joe Biden has said his administration
will restore US opposition to the settlements which are considered illegal
under international law and that many governments view as an obstacle to peace.
Von Burgsdorff said “the four years of Mr. Trump have
severely compromised the possibility of reaching a two-state solution.”
“Our hope is that with the US President-Elect taking
up office... this very important process can be revitalized,” he added.
The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital
of their future state.
Most of the international community believes Jewish
settlement expansion in east Jerusalem threatens the peace process by cutting
the city off from Bethlehem, thereby disrupting the continuity of the
Palestinian territories.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday
condemned an “escalating and intensive assault plan for the next 10 weeks in a
race against time to create a new fait accompli before Donald Trump leaves the
White House.”
UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov called on
Israel to “reverse” its plans in Givat Hamatos, saying the project would
“significantly damage prospects for a future
contiguous Palestinian State and for achieving a negotiated two-state solution.”
Israel took control of east Jerusalem during the 1967
Six Day War, before annexing it in a move not recognized by most of the
international community.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/16/Right-wing-Israeli-protesters-taunt-EU-envoys-in-sensitive-east-Jerusalem-area
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For The First Time Since Independence Bihar Ruling
Coalition Without A Single Elected Muslim
Nalin Verma
17.11.20
Bihar has for the first time since Independence got a
ruling coalition without a single MLA from its largest minority community.
None of the four parties in the National Democratic
Alliance — the BJP, Janata Dal United, Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular and
Vikassheel Insan Party — has a single MLA from among Muslims, who make up over
16 per cent of the state's population.
Of these four, the JDU alone had fielded Muslim
candidates, all 11 of whom lost.
Nitish Kumar, who on Monday took oath as chief
minister for the seventh time and who flaunts his “socialist-secular”
credentials, will therefore have to form a council of ministers without a
single Muslim member elected directly by the people.
He has, of course, the option of engaging in the
“tokenism” of appointing a Muslim minister and then nominating them to the
state legislative council.
All the non-NDA parties or combines that have won
seats — apart from the Lok Janshakti Party — have their share of Muslim MLAs.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal has 8 Muslims among its 75 MLAs, the Congress has 4
out of 19, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM has 5 out of 5, and the Left parties have 1
out of 16. The Bahujan Samaj Party’s lone MLA is a Muslim.
Veteran socialist leader Shivanand Tiwary, who has
worked with both Lalu Prasad and Nitish for over 40 years, put in perspective
the loss of the JDU’s Muslim candidates despite their party’s origin and
upbringing in Bihar’s socialist tradition.
He referred to developments at some of the joint
campaign meetings held by Nitish and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the
Seemanchal and Mithila areas.
“Nitish remained a silent spectator to Modi shouting
‘Jai Sri Ram’ and demonstrating his ‘victory’ in (amending) Article 370 in
Jammu and Kashmir to polarise the voters on communal lines from the dais,” he
said.
“Faced with anger and anti-incumbency, Nitish’s JDU
banked on the benefits of the polarisation that the speeches by the Prime
Minister and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath delivered. Obviously, the
minorities found the BJP and the JDU to be on the same page and didn’t vote for
his candidates.”
Yet the JDU is in no way similar to the BJP in terms
of origin, growth or larger ideology. Abdul Ghafoor, who was Bihar chief
minister in the 1970s, was one of the founders of the Samata Party, from which
the JDU was born in 1999.
Socialist stalwart George Fernandes, a Christian from
Mangalore, had been chief of Samata and later the JDU. When Samata struck an
alliance with the BJP in 1996, it had recorded its reservations about the BJP’s
agenda of repealing Article 370, introducing a uniform civil code and building
a Ram temple on the disputed plot in Ayodhya.
Muslims have held key ministerial and other
constitutional posts ever since the first Assembly elections in Bihar in 1952,
whether under the rule of the Congress, Samyukta Socialist Party, Janata Party,
Janata Dal or the RJD — even under the
BJP-JDU alliance headed by Nitish until the latest election.
From a larger perspective, the community has played a
key role in Bihar’s history over the centuries. The road leading to Patna
airport is named Peer Ali Marg after a hero of the 1857 revolt.
Socialist revolutionary Taqi Rahim was the right-hand
man of Jayaprakash Narayan who led the 1970s movement from Bihar that led to
Indira Gandhi’s Congress losing power at the Centre in the post-Emergency 1977
election.
Muslims have presided over both Houses in Bihar.
Ghulam Sarwar was Speaker of the Assembly during Lalu Prasad’s first term as
chief minister and Jabir Hussein was chairperson of the legislative council
during the later years of RJD rule.
“While Nitish is on the verge of creating history by
logging the longest tenure as Bihar chief minister after Sri Krishna Sinha, he
will also go down in history as the one who led a coalition without a single
Muslim MLA,” Shivanand said.
“He (Nitish) has actually achieved the larger goal of
the RSS to relegate the minorities to second-class citizens and deny them
representation in political governance.”
When Nitish led the Mahagathbandhan of the JDU, RJD
and the Congress to power in 2015, his cabinet had the prominent Muslim face,
Abdul Bari Siddiqui, from the RJD as finance minister.
After Nitish returned to the BJP in 2017, he had
Khurshid Feroz, a JDU lawmaker from Sikta, in his council of ministers.
Khurshid was known for chanting "Jai Sri Ram" and donning saffron.
Nitish has also had to accept the BJP central
leadership's decision of replacing Sushil Kumar Modi with Tarkishore Prasad and
Renu Devi as deputy chief ministers.
Sushil, one of the last stalwarts from the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee-L.K. Advani era, had stuck with Nitish throughout his career as BJP-JDU
chief minister -- even at the cost of angering the Hindutva hardliners in his
own party.
Tarkishore represents the politics of polarisation and
is the MLA from Katihar, which has a large Muslim population and borders
election-bound Bengal.
“Nitish’s oft-repeated motto of observing the triple
Cs -- that is, a policy of no compromise with communalism, crime or corruption
-- now sounds like a joke,” D.M. Diwakar, social economist and professor at the
AN Sinha Institute of Social Sciences, said.
"The results of this election have proved beyond
doubt that the BJP, which bears the signature of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,
has thoroughly subsumed Nitish’s JDU.”
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/bihar-alliance-without-a-single-elected-muslim/cid/1797699
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Umno leader suggests bringing opposition parties into
govt to stabilise Malaysian politics
NOV 16, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR - A top leader of Malaysia's ruling
coalition Umno has proposed a "grand coalition" that includes current
opposition parties, to rule the country together as a means to bring stability
to the country's politics.
Tan Sri Annuar Musa, secretary-general of Umno-led
Barisan Nasional (BN), said parties in the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN)
coalition should reach out across the political divide to bring in other
opposition groups, including one led by former premier Mahathir Mohamad.
In a Facebook post titled "Malaysia needs a grand
coalition", Mr Annuar wrote: "For too long our politics have centred
around two or three personalities, and not on policy struggles. Many times our
national politics have be dragged down to defend or fight against an
individual. Enough is enough."
He added: "I would like to organise the formation
of a Grand Coalition involving at least 12,13 political parties."
Mr Annuar said that just as Umno and its two allies in
PN - Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and
Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) - are forming a Muslim tripartite front called
Mufakat Nasional, other parties should be brought into the government.
It isn't clear if Mr Annuar is floating his own
proposal or whether he has the backing of Umno or Muafakat to raise the idea.
His thoughts appeared to dovetail with those of Tun Dr
Mahathir, who on Sunday (Nov 15) said that to survive the Covid-19 and economic
crises, politicians should work towards a "unity government".
"If we want to reduce politics, we must put aside
party matters, we must prioritise the country," he told The Malaysian
Insight online news. It wasn't the first time that Dr Mahathir has raised the
issue of a "unity government" involving both sides of the political
divide.
Dr Mahathir has been seen in recent pictures meeting
with his former bitter nemesis, Umno adviser Razaleigh Hamzah. This has raised
speculation that the two veteran politicians are planning something together.
Last month, just hours after opposition leader Anwar
Ibrahim met the Malaysian King to claim he has the numbers to form a new
government, Tengku Razaleigh raise eyebrows by meeting Sultan Abdullah Ahmad
Shah privately.
PM Muhyiddin has a wafer thin majority of 113 MPs
supporting him in the 222-strong Parliament.
BN is the biggest coalition in PN and comprises four
political parties. BN is led by Umno, with 39 MPs, with its other members being
the Malaysian Chinese Association (two MPs), the Malaysian Indian Congress (one
MP) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (one MP).
Mr Annuar in his Facebook posting suggested that the
government should consider working with parties that do not support Pakatan
Harapan (PH), which is led by Datuk Seri Anwar.
"Those parties which are not part of, or that
reject PH can be brought in," he wrote. "What is important is we
leave behind politics linked to personalities, and we boost politics that unite
the ummah (Muslims), prioritises stability, national endurance and the needs of
the people," Mr Annuar wrote.
He mentioned as possible partners Dr Mahathir's Parti
Pejuang Tanah Air (four MPs), Parti Warisan Sabah (eight MPs), youth party Muda
(one MP) and several non-Muslim parties that have no Parliament seats.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/umno-leader-mulls-bringing-in-opposition-parties-into-govt-to-stabilise-malaysian
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UN-led Libya talks end without agreeing on interim
government
16 November 2020
Libya’s rival sides wrapped up a week of UN-brokered
talks without agreeing on a transitional government that would lead the county
to an election in December next year, the top UN official for Libya said
Monday.
The political forum, which concluded late Sunday in
Tunisia, was the latest effort to end the chaos that engulfed the oil-rich
North African nation after the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moammar
Gaddafi.
The main goal of the gathering was to draw a roadmap
for presidential and parliamentary elections. The participants agreed to hold
the vote on Dec. 24, 2021 but failed to name a transitional administration to
lead the war-torn country.
UN acting envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams told
reporters in Tunisia that the 75-member forum did not discuss names during
their week-long talks. The Libyan rivals would meet again, online and within a
week, to agree on a mechanism to name the next government, she said.
The UN had selected 75 delegates from Libya to take part
in the week-long forum at a luxury hotel in the Mediterranean town of Gammarth,
just outside the capital of Tunis. Williams said on Sunday night that she was
“very pleased with the outcome” of the gathering.
The talks took place amid heavy international pressure
after the warring sides agreed to an UN-brokered cease-fire agreement last
month in Geneva.
Libya is split between the Government of National
Accord (GNA) in the capital, Tripoli, and the Libyan National Army (LNA) based
in the east. The two sides are backed by an array of local militias, as well as
regional and foreign powers.
The LNA, led by commander Khalifa Haftar, launched an
offensive in April 2019 to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed in
June, when the Tripoli-allied militias, with heavy Turkish support, pushed
Hifter’s forces away from Tripoli.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/11/16/UN-led-Libya-talks-end-without-agreeing-on-interim-government-
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Pakistan
Under Pressure To Recognize Israel But Islamabad Would
Never Establish Relations With The Zionists, Says Imran
Nov 17, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said
that his government is under pressure to recognize Israel, insisting that
Islamabad would never establish relations with the "Zionists".
Khan revealed this during an interview with a private
television, where he stated that after the recognition of Israel by Arab
countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, Islamabad is
also being asked to recognize Israel, something that his government has
rejected till now.
"I have no second thought about recognizing
Israel unless there is a just settlement, which satisfies Palestines," he
said.
When asked to name the countries, which have insisted
on Islamabad to recognize Israel, Khan refrained from pin pointing and opted to
be silent on the question.
"There are things we cannot say. We have good
relations with them," he said.
Khan reiterated that founding father of Pakistan
Quaid-e-Azad Muhammad Ali Jinnah had refused to recognize Israel, adding:
"Islamabad would continue to follow in Jinnah's footsteps vis-a-vis
Palestine."
Khan said Israel has a strong influence in the US,
which he said is "another country pressurizing him to recognize
Israel".
"The pressure is because of Israel's deep impact
(influence) in the US. This influence was in fact extraordinary during the (US
President Donald) Trump stint," he said.
The recent recognition of Israel by the UAE and
Bahrain has resulted in diplomatic economic relations with Tel Aviv, while many
other Arab countries are also considering normalization of relations with
Israel.
Pakistan being an externally economic dependent
country, recognition of Israel and establishment of economic ties can be a
major support for Islamabad.
However, Khan has said that Islamabad would regain its
economic strength and stand on its feet first, on its own.
Khan said US President-elect Jo Biden's approach on
the issue of Israel needs to be seen, stating that "Afghanistan is not the
real issue, but Israel is".
"Afghanistan is not the real issue. The real
issue is Israel. It is to be seen how Biden deals with that. Whether he changes
Trump's policies about Israel or continues with them".
"I am not sure about Biden's policy on Israel,
Iran and Kashmir but I am sure there will be no change in Washington's Afghan
policy. The Democrats too want to pull out of Afghanistan," he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/under-pressure-to-recognize-israel-says-imran/articleshow/79256022.cms
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India doesn't qualify for UNSC membership, Pakistan
says in General Assembly debate
APP 17 Nov 2020
Pakistan has reaffirmed its opposition to adding new
permanent members to the UN Security Council (UNSC), adding that India does not
qualify for a seat on the 15-member body.
India — along with Brazil, Germany and Japan — has
been campaigning for a permeant UNSC membership.
Speaking to the UN General Assembly (GA) on Monday,
Pakistan's Permanent Representative Ambassador Munir Akram, in an apparent reference
to India, said one country has waged 20 wars since independence and fomented
terrorism and instability across the region, especially in Pakistan.
“We have clear and ample evidence of this
state-sponsored terrorism,” the Pakistani envoy told the 193-member GA, which
is debating reforms aimed at making the UN body more representative,
responsive, democratic and transparent.
“It stands in violation of UNSC resolutions in
occupied Kashmir,” Akram said, adding that it had deployed 900,000 troops to
crush the Kashmiri people’s legitimate freedom struggle. In addition, settlers
from outside Jammu and Kashmir were being brought in to transform the region's
demography, he said.
“It threatens aggression against Pakistan and resorts
to daily artillery and small arms fire targeting innocent civilians on our side
of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
“This country has no qualification for a UNSC
membership — permanent or even non-permanent,” the Pakistani envoy added.
Full-scale negotiations to reform the council began in
the General Assembly in February 2009 on several key areas. These include the
question of veto, regional representation, membership, the working methods of
the council and its relationship with the GA.
Despite a general agreement on enlarging the council,
member states remain sharply divided over the details.
The G-4 countries have shown no flexibility in their
campaign to expand the council by 10 seats, with six additional permanent and
four non-permanent members.
On the other hand, the Italy and Pakistan-led Uniting
for Consensus (UfC) group firmly opposes any additional permanent members,
saying that such a move will not make the body more effective and will also
undermine the fundamental principle of democracy that is based on periodic
elections.
The UNSC currently comprises of five permanent members
— Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — and 10 non-permanent
members.
In his remarks, the Pakistan envoy said the UfC’s
proposal reflected the most suitable basis for an agreement on comprehensive
reforms.
“If it is approved, it will obtain the largest
possible support in the GA and the essential ratification of all the five
permanent members."
The UfC proposal, he said, was also flexible and
through variable arrangements, could accommodate the aspirations and interests
of a majority of the UN membership, including African and other regional groups
such as the Arab Group and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
"The UfC looks at Africa’s collective desire for
representation differently; its absence is a historical injustice. Africa is
seeking a larger number of non-permanent and two empowered permanent seats for
the continent.
“The UfC is prepared to explore with the African Group
how their regional approach could be adapted to enable all regions to be able
to select their own candidates for membership in an expanded Security Council.”
Ambassador Akram added: “The UNSC reform must be part
of a broader revival of the multilateral system as it was conceived under the
Charter.
“At the same time, the balance between the council and
the GA, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and other UN organs must be
restored to reinvigorate the entire multilateral system," he said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1590871/india-doesnt-qualify-for-unsc-membership-pakistan-says-in-general-assembly-debate
--------
Lyari gangsters being used by RAW for sectarian
killings: CTD
Imtiaz Ali
17 Nov 2020
KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD)
claimed on Monday that the remnants of the Lyari gang war were being used by a
foreign intelligence network to trigger sectarian violence in the metropolis.
Speaking at a press conference at his office, CTD DIG
Omar Shahid Hamid said that a new pattern of “contract killings” had emerged
during interrogation of three held suspects, identified as Mudassir Javed,
Haris alias Langra and Abu Sufyan, who were allegedly involved in a recent
attempt on the life of Mufti Amin aka Mufti Abdullah in Jamshed Quarters.
“The held suspects belong to a group led by Lyari
gangster Zahid alias Shooter, who lives in the UAE and works for Indian
intelligence agency, RAW,” he said.
Police arrest two suspects from Lyari’s Kakri Ground
on Sunday night
Apart from Zahid Shooter, another Lyari gangster,
Haji, provided funds to members of his gang for carrying out targeted killings
in order to create a sense of insecurity and instigate sectarian violence.
The officer revealed that a CTD team led by Raja Umar
Khattab arrested Haris and Sufyan from Kakri Ground on Sunday night. Their
third accomplice, Mudassir Javed, was arrested from the crime scene with the
help of area people soon after the botched assassination attempt on Oct 21, he
added.
‘Hired assassins’
He believed that it was a local network comprising
members of old Lyari gangs, who now worked as hired assassins having
“international links”.
“This is a serious issue as certain elements belonging
to” a transport app and online food delivery company “are also involved in
transferring money and weapons,” the DIG alleged.
“A new chapter of contract killings has started in the
city and now we will focus on its foreign branches with the help of the federal
government,” he said.
To a question as to why a less-known figure like Mufti
Abdullah was targeted, he said there could be two possible aspects.
He said Mufti Abdullah was a soft target whose recce
was carried out by the held suspects. Besides, the attempt on his life took
place 10 days after the targeted killing of another prominent Deobandi scholar
and head of Jamia Farooqia, Dr Maulana Adil Khan.
“It might have triggered fears of a new wave of
targeted killings of Deobandi ulema ... or possibility of spreading sectarian
chaos,” he said.
He added the CTD team was working on the killing of
Maulana Adil with the help of federal institutions as investigators had
obtained some technical evidence and some suspects were also detained for
interrogation.
The DIG denied reports that the attempt on Mufti
Abdullah’s life was motivated by some monetary dispute. “No such thing has
emerged during the investigation. The held suspects are professional killers
and their ringleader, Zahid Shooter, had also remained involved in killings in
Lyari before [fleeing] to Iran and later moving to the UAE.
“We have evidence that Zahid Shooter is being
protected by a foreign hostile agency,” he disclosed.
CTD official Khattab said that held Mudassir had tried
to misguide investigators that they targeted Mufti Abdullah for a Rs1 million
dispute.
‘Hit list’
DIG Hamid revealed that the held suspects had a hit
list that was provided to them by their foreign operators.
He, however, said it was not advisable to share with
the media names of those on the hit list.
He said that not only religious figures but the names
of other personalities were also included in the list.
Mr Khattab said that the suspects did recce of their
potential targets. The CTD had informed such personalities about threats and
security had been provided to them, he added.
The CTD in a press release said that the held suspects
were involved in at least 12 criminal cases in the metropolis.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1590746/lyari-gangsters-being-used-by-raw-for-sectarian-killings-ctd
--------
PTI emerges as single largest party in GB after polls
Jamil Nagri
17 Nov 2020
GILGIT: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has emerged
as the single largest party in the elections for the Gilgit-Baltistan
Legislative Assembly by securing 10 seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples
Party (PPP) which got three seats and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
two seats.
Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) won one seat. Seven
seats of the GBLA have been won by independent candidates.
According to unofficial results, PPP’s candidate Amjad
Hussain won the GBLA-01 (Gilgit) seat by securing 11,178 votes. Independent
candidate Sultan Raees was runner-up with 8,356 votes.
In GBLA-02 (Gilgit-II) constituency, PTI’s Fatehullah
Khan was declared winner with a lead of only two votes after the recounting of
votes. He received 6,696 votes against 6,694 bagged by PPP’s Jameel Ahmed.
Earlier, PPP’s Jameel Ahmed was declared winner with
8,817 votes against 8,200 secured by PTI candidate Fatehullah Khan. But the
recounting of votes turned the tables.
GBLA-04 (Nagar-I) constituency was won by PPP’s Ajmad
Hussain who got 5,716 votes, trailed by Islami Tehreek Pakistan’s candidate
Mohammad Ayub with 5,061 votes.
Independent candidate Javed Manwa won GBLA-05
(Nagar-II) constituency by securing 2,570 votes. MWM’s Rizwan Ali, who got
1,850 votes, came on second position.
In GBLA-06 (Hunza) constituency, PTI’s Ubaidullah Baig
was declared winner with 6,600 votes. Independent candidate Noor Mohammad was
runner-up with 3,910 votes.
PTI candidate Zakariya Khan won GBLA-07 (Skardu-I)
constituency by securing 5,290 votes against 4,114 votes received by PPP’s Syed
Mehdi Shah.
In GBLA-08 (Skardu-II) constituency, MWM candidate
Mohammad Kazim was declared winner with 7,534 votes, trailed by PPP’s Mohammad
Ali Shah who received 7,146 votes.
Independent candidate Mohammad Salim won GBLA-09
(Skardu-III) constituency after securing 6,865 votes. PTI’s Muhammad Nashad was
runner-up with 5,236 votes.
In GBLA-10 (Skardu-IV) constituency, independent
candidate Raja Nasir Khan was declared with 5,124 votes. PTI’s Wazir Hassan
came on the second position with 3,668 votes.
PTI’s Amjad Ali Zaidi won GBLA-11 (Kharmang-I)
constituency after getting 5,872 votes. Independent candidate Iqbal Hussain was
runner-up with 2,659 votes.
In GBLA-12 constituency, PTI’s candidate Raja Azam
Khan was declared winner with 10,674 votes, trailed by PPP’s Imran Nadeem who
got 8,886 votes.
PTI’s Khalid Khursheed secured 4,836 votes and won
GBLA-13 (Astore-I) constituency after defeating PPP’s Abdul Hameed who got
3,117 votes.
In GBLA-14 (Astore-II) constituency, PTI’s Shamul Haq
was declared winner with 5,354 votes, trailed by PPP’s Muzaffar Ali who got
3,479 votes.
PTI’s Shamul Haq secured 5,354 votes and won GBLA-14
(Astore-II) constituency after defeating PPP’s Muzaffar Ali who got 3,479
votes.
In GBLA-15 (Diamer-I) constituency, independent
candidate Haji Shah Baig was declared winner with 2,713 votes.
PML-N candidate Muhammad Anwar won GBLA-16 (Diamer-II)
constituency by securing 4,813 votes against independent candidate Ataullah who
received 4,314 votes.
In GBLA-17 Diamer-III constituency, PTI candidate Haji
Hyder Ali was declared winner. He received 5,389 votes against 5,162 secured by
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) candidate Rehmat Khaliq.
In GBLA-18 (Diamer-IV) constituency, PTI candidate
Haji Gulbar Khan was declared winner with 6,793 votes. Independent candidate
Kifayatur Rehman was runner-up with 5,986 votes.
Independent candidate Nawaz Khan Naji with the support
of BNF (Naji group) won GBLA-19 (Ghizer-I) constituency by securing 6,208
votes.
In GBLA-20 (Ghizer-II) constituency, PTI candidate
Nazeer Ahmed was declared winner with 5,582 votes. PML-Q candidate Akbar Khan,
who received 3,815 votes, came on the second position.
PML-N’s Ghulam Mohammad won GBLA-21 (Ghizer-III)
constituency after securing 1,911 votes. He defeated PTI’s Raja Jahanzeb who
got 1,750 votes.
In GBLA-22 (Ghanche-I) constituency, independent
candidate Mushtaq Hussain grabbed victory by securing 6,051 votes. PTI’s
Ibrahim Sanai with 4,945 votes came on the second position.
In GBLA-23 (Ghanche-II) constituency, independent
candidate Abdul Hameed was declared winner with 3,666 votes. PTI’s Amna Bibi
Ansari was runner-up with 3,296 votes.
PPP’s Mohammad Ismail won the GBLA-24 (Ghanche-III)
seat by securing 6,206 votes. He defeated PTI’s Shams Uddin who got 5,361
votes.
The election for GBLA-03 (Gilgit) will be held on Nov
22. The election in this constituency was postponed after the death of PTI
candidate Jaffar Shah, who was the president for the party’s GB chapter.
Observers believe that independent candidates will
play a decisive role in formation of the government in the region.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1590761/pti-emerges-as-single-largest-party-in-gb-after-polls
--------
Arab world
Bahraini ministers to pay first official visit to
Israel for tripartite meeting
16 November 2020
Two Bahraini ministers are set to make the first
official visit by ministers from the tiny island to Israel in order to attend a
tripartite meeting with Israeli and US officials.
Israel’s Walla news site reported on Sunday that
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani and Minister of
Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Bin Rashid Al Zayani will pay a visit to
Israel later this week.
They are expected to attend a meeting with Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in
Jerusalem al-Quds on Wednesday.
Israel’s foreign minster Gabi Ashkenazi will also
participate in the meeting.
According to Israeli sources, the parties are due to
sign an aviation agreement for direct flights between Tel Aviv and Manama
during the meeting.
They will also discuss opening embassies and
exchanging ambassadors.
On September 11, US President Donald Trump announced
that Bahrain was following the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in normalizing ties
with Israel.
Four days later, Netanyahu signed agreements with
Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain's
Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani during an official ceremony hosted by
Trump at the White House.
Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the
occupied West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital, have
condemned the deals as a betrayal of their cause against the Israeli
occupation.
Bahrain’s main opposition group, the al-Wefaq National
Islamic Society, has denounced the deal as an “ultimate betrayal of Islam and
Arabs and a departure from the Islamic, Arab and national consensus.”
It has said the Israel-Bahrain agreement is void of
any legitimacy whatsoever.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638697/Bahraini-ministers-official-visit-Israel
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Senate chief blasts Trump troop withdrawal plans in
Iraq, Afghanistan
17 November 2020
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warned
President Donald Trump Monday against accelerating troop reductions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, saying it would give extremists a "big propaganda
victory."
Addressing reports that Trump plans to announce within
days sharp cuts to US forces in both countries, the Republican Senate chief
said the US would be "abandoning" partners.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
He added that the move would leave room for the
Taliban to take control of Afghanistan and the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda
to rebuild.
"The consequences of a premature US exit would
likely be even worse than president Obama's withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011,
which fueled the rise of ISIS and a new round of global terrorism," McConnell
said on the Senate floor.
"It would be reminiscent of the humiliating
America departure from Saigon in 1975."
McConnell spoke after media reports said the Pentagon
had received directives to prepare to bring back another 2,000 US forces from
Afghanistan and 500 from Iraq before Trump steps down on January 20.
That would leave only about 2,500 troops in each
country, fewer than US military officials have said is enough to ensure
stability.
Before he was fired on November 9, defense secretary
Mark Esper had insisted on keeping 4,500 troops in Afghanistan until the
Taliban reduced its attacks on the Afghan government to show a commitment to
peace talks.
The Pentagon did not confirm the reports, which said
Trump could announce the withdrawals this week.
Trump entered office nearly four years ago pledging to
end US wars abroad.
He has appeared determined to get close to that before
he steps down, following his November 3 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
He said last month he wanted US troops home "by
Christmas" and his National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien refined that
to mean the Afghan presence would fall to 2,500 as early as January.
McConnell, normally a close political ally of Trump,
warned a rapid withdrawal would "delight the people who would wish us
harm."
"The spectacle of US troops abandoning facilities
and equipment, leaving the field in Afghanistan to the Taliban and ISIS, would
be broadcast around the world as a symbol of US defeat and humiliation, and a
victory for Islamic extremism," he said.
"It would hand a weakened and scattered Al-Qaeda
a big, big propaganda victory and a renewed safe haven for plotting attacks
against America."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/17/Senate-chief-blasts-Trump-troop-withdrawal-plans-in-Iraq-Afghanistan
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Iraq executes 21 people convicted of ‘terrorism’:
Authorities
16 November 2020
Iraq executed 21 men convicted of “terrorism” Monday
at the notorious Nasiriyah prison in the country’s south, medical and police
sources said.
The Iraqi men from various provinces had all been
convicted under a 2005 Counter-Terrorism Law, which carries the death penalty,
but there were no details on their specific crimes.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
They were hanged in Nasiriyah prison in Dhi Qar
province, the only one in Iraq that carries out capital punishment.
Since declaring ISIS defeated in late 2017, Iraq has
condemned hundreds of its own citizens to death for membership in the extremist
faction.
But only a small proportion have been carried out, as
they must be approved by the country’s president, currently Barham Saleh.
Police sources confirmed to AFP that Saleh had signed
off on Monday’s executions.
Iraq’s courts have also tried dozens of foreign
nationals for alleged ISIS membership, condemning 11 French citizens and one
Belgian national to death.
Those sentences have not been carried out.
Iraq ranks fifth among countries that carry out death
sentences, according to Amnesty International, which documented 100 executions
in the country in 2019.
Amnesty and other advocacy groups have criticized
Iraq’s justice system, charging it carries out speedy trials and does not allow
the accused a proper defence.
They have also condemned cramped conditions and
alleged torture in Iraq’s prisons.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/16/Iraq-executes-21-people-convicted-of-terrorism-Authorities
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Qatar slams normalization with Tel Aviv, calls for
‘unity’ against Israeli occupation
16 November 2020
Qatar’s foreign minister has scolded the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan for normalizing their relations with Tel Aviv,
calling for a “united front” against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territories.
“I think it’s better to have a united (Arab) front to
put the interests of the Palestinians (first) to end the (Israeli) occupation,”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the online Global Security Forum
on Monday.
The Qatari diplomat said division is not in the interest
of concerted Arab efforts to get the Israelis to negotiate with the
Palestinians and put an end to the decades-long occupation of Palestine.
In the past few months, Israel has signed US-brokered
normalization deals with the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, and some other countries
in the Arab world are also expected to follow suit.
The normalization deals, however, have drawn
widespread condemnation from Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the
occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
They say the deals ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause,
calling out the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan for betraying their cause.
In his Monday remarks, the Qatari foreign minister
said for the states who established ties with Israel, “it is up to them at the
end of the day to decide what is best for their countries.”
Sheikh Mohammed said Doha maintains some relations
with Israel, but that is only limited to matters concerning the Palestinians
such as humanitarian needs or development projects.
Qatar has already been tipped by Israeli officials as
among Arab and other Muslim-majority countries that could establish formal ties
with Israel.
UAE officials claim the country remains committed to
Palestinian statehood, and that its deal with Israel had stopped further
annexation of lands Palestinians seek for a state.
Until this year, Israel had only current formal
relations with just two Arab states - its neighbors Egypt and Jordan -
established under peace deals reached decades ago.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638750/Qatar-normalization-relations-Israel
--------
South Asia
Taliban prisoners released in hope for peace: Abdullah
Syed Azam
16th November 2020
Kabul: Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan’s
High Council for National Reconciliation, said that Taliban prisoners were
released by the government in the hope for ending the war and reducing violence
in the country, but the expectations from the move were not met.
Addressing the Herat Security Dialogue on Saturday,
Abdullah said the Afghan government will never shut the doors for peace,
reports TOLO News.
“The release of the Taliban’s prisoners was done with
the hope that they will end the war with the start of the talks or at least
agree on a humanitarian ceasefire,” said Abdullah.
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC)
has said that over 7,600 civilians were killed and wounded in conflicts in
Afghanistan so far this year.
“From the figure, 2,342 were killed. Among those
killed are 253 women and 452 children,” said Naeem Nazari, the deputy of the
Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).
At the same event, families of war victims criticized
the absence of their representatives in the peace process.
At the security dialogue, speakers held talks on the
solutions that could help end the war in Afghanistan.
“We want to raise the shortcomings and the leakages
that the Afghan peace has got over the past four decades,” said Davood
Muradian, chairman of Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS).
Violence has remained high in various parts of the
country amidst ongoing efforts to move the peace process forward.
Intra-Afghan talks between the Afghan government and
the Taliban in Doha have also stalled.
https://www.siasat.com/taliban-prisoners-released-in-hope-for-peace-abdullah-2-2024153/
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Taliban Defeated in Khandahar Province: MoD
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
16 Nov 2020
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – The Ministry of Defense said
Monday that Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have “defeated”
the Taliban in several districts of Kandahar province in south Afghanistan,
killing more than 100 militants during the battle.
“Taliban have been defeated in Panjwae, Zherai and
Maiwand districts of Kandahar province,” said the MoD in a tweet.
According to authorities, more than 100 Taliban
militants, including “deputy shadow governor of Taliban for Kandahar,” have
been killed.
“Tens of others [Taliban] were wounded in these
districts,” the tweet added.
The Taliban did not immediately comment on the
incident.
After the battle, security forces were dispatched at
different locations to clear areas of possible mines and explosive devices
placed by the Taliban.
“ANDSA are now clearing the public roads from the IEDs
which were placed by Taliban,” said MoD in a statement. “Unfortunately, some
gardens of the residents of these districts were damaged as a result of
Taliban’s violence.”
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-defeated-in-khandahar-province-mod-235345/
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1,100 Taliban fighters killed amid clashes in 25 days,
Afghanistan says
NOV 15, 2020
Afghanistan issued a list of at least 1,100 insurgents
killed in ongoing clashes during the past 25 days, on Sunday amid stalled peace
talks with the Taliban.
According to the Interior Ministry, scores of key
Taliban commanders and foreign militants have been killed by Afghan forces in
this period in response to assaults by the insurgents, particularly in the
restive southern Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
The ministry's spokesman Tariq Arian told a press
conference that among the insurgents killed in counterterrorism operations, at
least 152 were from Pakistan.
"Seventy Taliban commanders have been killed in
Helmand and Kandahar in Afghan forces' operations in the past 25 days," he
said, adding that each militant commander led dozens of strong groups of
fighters. The ministry did not share figures on casualties sustained by the
Afghan security forces in this period.
The Taliban have yet to comment on the statement.
The move came over two months since landmark
intra-Afghan peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban were
launched in the Qatari capital, Doha. The two sides are yet to reach an
agreement on the agenda of the negotiations and a conflict resolution mechanism
before the formal resumption of talks.
Meanwhile, German envoy to Afghanistan Potzel Markus
underlined the urgency of the peace parley as he met top Afghan officials in
Kabul.
"As always pleased to meet HE Ambassador
@PotzelMarkus, Germany's Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan.
We exchanged views on #AfghanPeaceProcess, talks in Doha, regional peace
diplomacy & Germany's role in the peace process," tweeted Abdullah
Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, after
meeting Markus.
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/1100-taliban-fighters-killed-amid-clashes-in-25-days-afghanistan-says
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North America
Pompeo says Europe, US need to work together to
address Turkey's Erdogan's actions
17 November 2020
The US administration and Europe need to work jointly
on addressing actions led by Turkey in the Middle East over the past few
months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told French daily newspaper Le Figaro.
"France's president Emmanuel Macron and I agree
that Turkey's recent actions have been very aggressive," Pompeo said,
citing Turkey's recent support to Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
with Armenia as well as military moves in Libya and the Mediterranean.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
"Europe and the US must work together to convince
Erdogan such actions are not in the interest of his people," Pompeo said,
referring to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Pompeo said increased use of Turkey's military capability
was a concern, but he did not say whether the country, which hosts US military
forces at its Incirlik Air Base, should stay in or quit the North Atlantic
Alliance.
Pompeo told Le Figaro the US administration had still
work to do to maintain pressure on Iran.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/17/Pompeo-says-Europe-US-need-to-work-together-to-address-Turkey-s-Erdogan-s-actions
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US sending delegation to Bahrain, Israel for first
Manama to Tel Aviv direct flight
17 November 2020
President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Avi
Berkowitz, will lead a US delegation to Bahrain and Israel this week to discuss
expanded economic cooperation between the two countries, a senior White House
official said on Monday.
Berkowitz, part of a team led by Trump senior adviser
Jared Kushner to help negotiate the Bahrain-Israel deal, will join Bahraini
officials on the first-ever direct commercial flight from Bahrain to Israel.
The flight on Wednesday will depart Manama and arrive
in Tel Aviv, where the US and Bahraini delegations will participate in meetings
with senior Israeli officials.
The Trump administration has helped broker
normalization deals between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and
Sudan.
Trump national security adviser Robert O'Brien told
the Global Security Forum on Monday that he hoped the incoming administration
of Democrat Joe Biden, should he be certified as winner of the Nov. 3
presidential election, would pursue more such deals between Israel and Arab
nations.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/11/17/US-sending-delegation-to-Bahrain-Israel-for-first-Manama-to-Tel-Aviv-direct-flight
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Mideast
No place for Takfiri terrorists close to Iran borders:
Ayatollah Khamenei's advisor
16 November 2020
A senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says there is no place for Takfiri terrorists
close to Iran’s northern borders, reacting to reports denoting the transfer of
terrorists from Syria to South Caucasus during the latest round of armed
conflicts between the Republic of Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia.
“There is no place for Wahhabi and Takfiri terrorists
among people of Azerbaijan who are known for their love for Prophet Mohammad
(PBUH)’s progeny, and track records of such groups are very bleak,” Ali Akbar
Velayati said on Monday in an address to a webinar held to discuss Ayatollah
Khamenei’s views on the disputed Karabakh region.
“The people of Azerbaijan are capable of liberating
their land and the presence of Wahhabi terrorists in north of Iran’s borders
[with Azerbaijan] will be fruitless,” he added.
The South Caucasus enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is
internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is populated and
controlled by ethnic Armenians.
For years, the two former soviet republics have been
locked in a conflict over the region. Though a ceasefire was agreed in 1994,
Baku and Yerevan continue to accuse each other of shooting attacks around the
disputed area.
The fresh Karabakh escalation began on September 27.
It has been rated the worst fighting to plague Karabakh since 1992, when
Armenians invaded the region and forced Azeris into a retreat.
Some reports have emerged about the deployment of
terrorists from Syria and Iraq to the conflict zone near the Iranian border.
Noting that the need to maintain security in the South
Caucasus region is undeniable, Velayati said, “The remarks made by the Leader
of the Islamic Revolution on the situation in Caucasus delineate the positions
of the Islamic Republic of Iran on this region and lay out strategic
principles, which should be completely fulfilled.”
Speaking at a televised address on the occasion of the
birth anniversary of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on November 3, Ayatollah
Khamenei referred to the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave as
“a bitter incident and a threat to the security of the region.”
“This military conflict must end as soon as possible.
Of course, all the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan occupied by
Armenia must be liberated and returned to Azerbaijan,” while the security of
Armenians must be preserved and international borders must be respected by the
warring sides, the Leader said.
“Terrorists who, based on reliable reports, have
entered the region should avoid approaching the Iranian border, and if they do
approach the border, they will definitely be dealt with decisively,” the Leader
warned.
Velayati, who is also the secretary general of the
World Assembly of Islamic Awakening, added that the security of Iran is closely
intertwined with security and peace in neighboring countries, saying, "We
believe that national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be
maintained in the absence of security and calm in neighboring countries."
Reaffirming Ayatollah Khamenei’s stance on Karabakh
that all Armenian-held territories should be returned to Azerbaijan, Velayati
hailed the restoration of the lands to Baku as a “great success."
He noted that Iran has common borders with Azerbaijan,
Armenia and parts of Azerbaijan's territory in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic,
saying, “Therefore, it is rational for Iran to seriously engage in the issue as
a neighbor both to the Azerbaijan Republic and Armenia."
The leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed
a statement late on November 9 to end the war in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
region. The ceasefire agreement came into effect overnight.
“The Aghdam region and the territories held by the
Armenian Party in the Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be
returned to the Azerbaijani Party until November 20, 2020,” the ceasefire
agreement said.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has agreed
that his country returns the Kalbajar region to the Republic of Azerbaijan by
November 15, 2020, and the Lachin region by December 1, 2020, while leaving
behind the Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will ensure the connection of
Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and at the same time will not affect Shusha city,
which was recently retaken by Azerbaijani forces.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier
this month warned about the transfer of Daesh remnants to the Nagorno-Karabakh
region, saying the Islamic Republic will not tolerate the presence of Takfiri
terrorists near its borders.
Zarif said Iran was almost sure about the presence of
terrorist elements in the Karabakh clashes, stressing that the situation was
not in any side's interest.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638716/Karabakh-Velayati-Khamenei-advisor-Takfiri-terrorists-Azerbaijan-Armenia-occupied-territories
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Israel's new settlement plan for occupied Quds draws
more intl. condemnation
17 November 2020
Israel’s plans to build more than 1,200 new settler
units in occupied Palestinian territories have drawn further international
condemnation, with the Arab League calling it a “dangerous” move that needs to
be addressed properly.
In a statement released on Monday, Saeed Abu Ail, the
Arab League’s assistant secretary-general for Palestine affairs and occupied
Arab territories, urged the international community to express their outright
rejection of the Tel Aviv regime’s contentious decision.
He called for greater pressure on Israeli officials in
order to force them into abandoning such projects, which are being implemented
in defiance of the international community’s will, international law as well as
relevant United Nations resolutions.
Abu Ali highlighted that settlement expansion projects
imperil the viability of a so-called two-state solution to the long-standing
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel’s housing ministry announced on the weekend
that it had opened up tenders for 1,257 new settler units in the settlement of
Givat Hamatos in occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
The new construction would further cut off access for
the Palestinians to Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, which they seek as
the capital of their future state.
The senior Arab League official also denounced a
planned visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the occupied West Bank,
terming it as “an attempt to consolidate [Israeli] settlements and annexation.”
Abu Ali stressed that the visit constitutes a
precedent, as all US secretaries of state have abstained from committing such
an act.
Such a move confirms that President Donald Trump’s
administration is resolved to advance its policies and projects irrespective of
international law and UN resolutions, he said.
The plan also substantiates the fact that Washington
and the Tel Aviv regime are partners in crime when it comes to settlement
construction, annexation and Judaization of occupied Palestinian territories,
Abu Ali added.
France condemns new Israeli settlement plan
Separately, France on Monday censured the Israeli
announcement, which was made despite the blatant illegality of such a project.
“France condemns the announcements relating to the
construction of 1,257 homes in the Israeli settlement of Givat Hamatos, in East
Jerusalem (al-Quds). The expansion of this settlement is a direct challenge to
the viability of a future Palestinian state, as the EU has repeatedly
reaffirmed,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stressed that Israel violates
international law with its settlement policy, in addition to jeopardizing the
chances of a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Settlement activity is illegal under international
law and undermines, on the ground, the two-state solution. France calls on the
Israeli authorities to reverse this decision,” the statement added.
The French Foreign Ministry also called for an end to
any unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution based on
internationally agreed parameters, which it said is the only way to achieve a
just and lasting peace in the region.
Egypt joins chorus of condemnations
Moreover, Ahmed Hafez, spokesperson for the Egyptian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement that Cairo is concerned that
Israeli regime’s settlement expansion policies will undermine chances of a
“two-state solution”, isolate East Jerusalem al-Quds from its Palestinian
environs, and obstruct efforts to end the stalemate in the Palestinian issue.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
Since Trump took office in December 2016, Israel has
stepped up its settlement construction activities in defiance of United Nations
Security Council Resolution 2334, which pronounced settlements in the West Bank
and East Jerusalem al-Quds “a flagrant violation under international law.”
All Israeli settlements are illegal under
international law as they are built on occupied land.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/17/638762/Israel-s-new-settlement-plans-for-occupied-al-Quds-draw-more-international-condemnation
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Commander: Iranian Armed Forces Manufacture Military
Products Based on Threats
2020-November-16
“Today, we do not depend on foreign states for the
production of the main defense products in the military sphere and our
operational officials and experts design defensive products appropriate to
(enemy) threats by monitoring the threats and analyzing the needs and we enjoy
high power in designing and building these products,” General Nozari said in an
interview with the Persian-language Mizan news agency on Monday.
Elsewhere, he described security, territorial
integrity and independence of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the Armed Forces’
redline.
“Under the Islamic Republic’s doctrine, we do not make
aggression against any country but we defend our country’s security
decisively,” Nozari said.
Iran has made good progress in production of different
military equipment and weapons in the past few decades despite sanctions and
has even declared preparedness to export them to the friendly states.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
said on Monday that given the expiration of the arms embargoes against his
country, Iran will be entitled to supply the friendly states’ defensive needs.
“Iran is a responsible government and is not (only) after
selling weapons but it is after defensive cooperation and of course, given the
removal of the arms restrictions on Iran, the country is entitled to meet other
countries’ legitimate needs,” Khatibzadeh told reporters in a video conference
in Tehran.
“We are not under any restriction within the framework
of the international rules and regulations to provide other countries’ defense
needs and we do not compromise on this right and will use this right,” he
added.
His comments came after Iranian Defense Minister
Brigadier General Amir Hatami in a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart General
Juma Anad Saadoun in Tehran on Saturday underlined his country’s preparedness
to supply the Armed Forces in Iraq with needed weapons and military equipment.
“Thanks to its abundant capacities and infrastructures
which are the fruits of the cruel sanctions era after the victory of the
Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s defense ministry is ready to
provide the Iraqi Armed Forces’ needs to strengthen Iraq’s defense power,”
General Hatami said in the meeting.
Earlier this month, Iranian Army Airborne Commander
General Yousef Qorbani announced that the Iraqi Army has demanded Iran to sell
and mount its indigenous night vision systems on the Arab country’s helicopters.
“The Iraqi airborne officials visited Iran recently
and we also decided to pay a reciprocal visit and the Iraqi side was highly
interested in purchasing (helicopter) parts from Iran and wanted the Iran-made
night vision systems to be mounted on their helicopters,” General Qorbani said.
He noted that Iran is now able to produce 500
helicopter parts, adding that the first indigenously developed helicopter will
be manufactured in the country soon.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990826000941/Cmmander-Iranian-Armed-Frces-Manfacre-Miliary-Prdcs-Based-n-Threas
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UNRWA warns budget crisis could spell ‘disaster’ in
Gaza, cause insecurity in Lebanon
16 November 2020
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has
warned that the “worst financial crisis” it has ever experienced could spell
“disaster” in the besieged Gaza Strip and cause insecurity in Lebanon.
“It is in the interest of no one to see schools
suddenly suspended... health services being suspended (in Gaza), at a time when
people are hit by the (coronavirus) pandemic,” said Philippe Lazzarini, the
chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, on Sunday, adding, “It would
be a total disaster.”
UNRWA was originally established in 1949 to protect
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war
mainly through providing them with humanitarian aid. It was initially set up as
a temporary agency, but has continued to support the Palestinian refugees for
the better part of six decades.
It currently supports an estimated 5.7 million
Palestinians with refugee status across the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank,
Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, providing them with health care, education, and
social services. Most are descendants of the roughly 700,000 Palestinians who
were driven out of their homes or fled the 1948 war, which led to the creation
of Israel.
Back in 2018, the administration of US President
Donald Trump decided to cancel all the US funding to UNRWA, as part of a policy
to impose maximum pressure on the Palestinians to satisfy Israeli interests and
Zionist constituencies in the United States.
Before Trump's cuts, the US had been providing UNRWA
$300 million a year, roughly a third of its core annual budget..
Last week, Lazzarini warned that it had to raise $70 million
by the end of the month to be able to pay full salaries for the months of
November and December. Some 28,000 staffers of the agency across the West Bank,
East Jerusalem al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Jordan will be affected by
the shortfall. Most of the staffers are refugees themselves.
With some 13,000 people on staff, UNRWA is the main
employer, after local authorities, in the Gaza Strip, which is home to about
two million people. The situation is particularly critical in the besieged
enclave where the unemployment rate is over 50 percent.
“This population is entirely dependent on
international assistance,” Lazzarini said, warning that the suspension of the
agency’s program could have a “devastating” economic and security impact.
He also expressed fear that “the same could very
easily happen with the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,” where some 475,000
Palestinian refugees have registered with the UN refugee agency.
Of the registered refugees in Lebanon, about 180,000
reside in the small Arab country, which itself suffers from a struggling
economy with soaring unemployment and poverty rates.
While the situation is dire across Lebanon, Lazzarini
said, “it is even worse for the Palestinian refugees,” whose work is restricted
in Lebanon. He said some 80-90 percent of these refugees rely on UNRWA for
assistance.
The head of UNRWA says suspension of the agency's aid
programs could lead to a “new source of insecurity” for Lebanon.
“We are at a time when people expect UNRWA to deliver
more,” Lazzarini said. It “is also the time where the organization is facing
its worst financial crisis,” he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638722/UNRWA-shortfall-Gaza-Lebanon
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Turkey to send peacekeeping troops to Azerbaijan to
monitor Karabakh truce
16 November 2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked for
parliamentary authorization for the deployment of peacekeeping troops to
Azerbaijan, in the wake of an agreement with Russia to jointly monitor a
ceasefire that has brought weeks of fierce fighting to an end in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
The president’s office sent a request to the
parliament on Monday for the deployment of a mission to "establish a joint
center with Russia and to carry out the center’s activities.”
The parliament is expected to consider this issue in
the next few days, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.
The request followed two days of talks in the Turkish
capital Ankara with Russian officials about how the two states intend to
jointly implement the Russian-brokered ceasefire signed last week.
The deployment, which would be active for one year,
"will be for the benefit and welfare of the people in the region,"
the motion said.
Russia, an ally to Armenia, will also be sending 1,960
peacekeepers as well as armored personnel carriers and other military equipment
to monitor the truce deal. The deployment has already got underway.
The Russian-brokered ceasefire states that a
"peacekeeping center is being deployed to control the ceasefire" but
does not specify its formal role.
The center, according to the agreement, is located on
Azerbaijani territory.
Reacting to the news of Turkey seeking to deploy
troops to Azerbaijan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, "As for
the agreements to create a joint monitoring center on the Azerbaijani
territory, this is a result of the Russian-Turkish bilateral arrangement."
The comments appeared to reflect a shift in tone from
Peskov's remarks last week when he said there had been "no discussion of
joint peacekeeping forces" and that the recent joint statement by Russia,
Armenia, and Azerbaijan made no mention of Turkey in any manner.
Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of
Azerbaijan, but it has been held by ethnic Armenian separatists backed by
Armenia since 1992, when they broke from Azerbaijan in a war that killed some
30,000 people.
The latest fighting, the worst in decades, started in
late September and came to an end last week after Moscow brokered the ceasefire
that leaves Baku largely in control of the territory.
The deal has provoked anger in Armenia, resulting in
protests and demands from the opposition for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to
step down.
In his latest remarks about the truce deal, Pashinyan
admitted responsibility for the events in Karabakh, and called for a dialog
between the people, the military, and the government for a full understanding
of the situation.
"I am the top official who bears responsibility
for what happened. There can be no discrepancy on this. I understand that I
should face the trial of our people. However, in this case the judge — the
people — should be aware of all the circumstances, we need dialog with the
military, the opposition, and the government", Pashinyan told an online
press conference.
Pashinyan has made it clear that he has no intention
to resign following failures in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
But the opposition seems to be uncompromising on the
issue.
"Pashinyan has declined all our public calls and
proposals for meetings. Prosperous Armenia has this to say: a meeting with
Pashinyan can only take place if it is to discuss his resignation without any
unrest," Opposition party Prosperous Armenia said Monday on Facebook.
Under the new deal, Armenia has roughly until the end
of November to return Kalbajar, the Aghdam district and the Lachin district to
Azerbaijan.
Armenia was to begin handing over disputed territories
to Azerbaijan on Sunday.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/16/638704/Karabakh-conflict-Turkeyb-peacekeeping-Russia-Armenia-
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India
Alwar Hindu youth first non-Muslim in nation to top
Islamic Studies entrance exam
Nov 17, 2020
JAIPUR: Shubham Yadav (21) from Alwar has become the
first non-Muslim in the country to top in the Central University Common
Entrance Test in Islamic Studies.
A philosophy graduate from Delhi University, Shubham
wanted to understand the religion in depth.
“There are so many misconceptions about Islam and I
believe this is one of the most misunderstood religion. We read so many world
leaders talking about it which made me think about taking it up in my
post-graduation. Personally, I just want to study it to be a bridge between two
communities at the time of so much polarisation,” said Shubham.
Dreaming to become a civil servant, Shubham said that
Islamic Studies will be helpful for UPSC preparations. Shubham’s father is a
businessman and mother a housewife. He said his father supported his decision
to study the subject.
One major concern his parents have is security as he
will be studying in Kashmir. “Out of 14 central universities in the country,
colleges in Kashmir are the only ones offering the course in Islamic Studies.
So, I will be there for two years. I have been to Kashmir and people over there
are friendly. I don’t think we must make any misconception towards a
community,” said Shubham.
In Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit
University, there are many Muslims doing PhD. Shastri Kosalendra Das, head of
the department in the university, this is a welcome step. “People willing to
take a look into other religions without any prejudices is a positive move.
Many other community students are studying Sanskrit in the university. This can
help in bridging the gap between the two communities,” said Das.
In Rajasthan University, there are two assistant
professors in Urdu department who are Hindus. Rashmi Jain, an associate
professor in Rajasthan University, said that whether it is for jobs or just
interest of students, but now-a-days there is dilution of boundaries in
education on the basis of communities.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/alwar-hindu-youth-first-non-muslim-in-nation-to-top-islamic-studies-entrance-exam/articleshow/79252130.cms
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Muted Chinese Reply To Pakistan's India Allegations Of
Supporting Terrorist Activities
Nov 17, 2020
NEW DELHI: Islamabad’s allegation that India is
supporting terrorist activities in Pakistan evoked a muted response from China
with the foreign ministry saying Beijing opposes all forms of terrorism. China
also called on the international community and “regional countries in
particular” to carry out counter-terrorism cooperation and safeguard collective
security.
However, China said CPEC, as a major pioneering
project of the BRI, was important not only to the common development of China
and Pakistan, but also to regional connectivity and common prosperity. CPEC
passes through Gilgit-Baltistan which, as the Indian government says, is
illegally occupied by Pakistan.
Asked about Pakistan’s allegation of heavy firing by
India along the Line of Control (LoC) resulting in four deaths, spokesperson
Zhao Lijian urged Pakistan and India to exercise restraint, resolve differences
through dialogues and work together to safeguard regional peace and stability.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/muted-chinese-reply-to-pakistans-india-allegations/articleshow/79253819.cms
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India mounts diplomatic offensive against Pakistan
dossier
Nov 17, 2020
NEW DELHI: Foreign minister S Jaishankar hit out at
Pakistan as being an “egregious example of state-sponsored cross-border
terrorism” even as the government aims to robustly counter Pakistan’s latest
“terror dossier” gambit.
Indian missions, particularly in the immediate
neighbourhood, P5 countries and OIC countries, have mounted diplomatic moves to
counter Pakistan’s latest effort to paint the terror tag on India.
On Sunday, the MEA issued a spirited statement against
a press conference by Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. On
Monday, Jaishankar, addressing the Deccan Dialogue at the Indian School of Business
in Hyderabad, said, “We have, in our immediate neighbourhood, a particularly
egregious example of state-sponsored crossborder terrorism. The world is
gradually becoming aware of the global nature of international terrorism. Our
relentless efforts have kept it in spotlight, bringing out related aspects like
terror finance, radicalisation and cyber recruitment.”
According to Indian diplomatic sources, the Pakistan
government has been trying to push the “dossier” to audiences in Bangladesh.
Similar activities have been reported by Indian missions in other neighbouring
countries.
Spokesperson of the Afghan foreign ministry Gran Hewad
refuted Pakistan’s charges that India used Afghan soil to launch terror attacks
inside Pakistan. “The allegation is baseless. We propose a UN commission to
probe the root causes of terrorism in Afghanistan and to examine Pakistan
claims,” the spokesperson said.
Tilak Devasher, member of the National Security
Advisory Board, tweeted, “Pakistan is back to playing ‘dossier-dossier’. Just
as Pakistani foreign minister on November 14 revealed a dossier with
‘irrefutable evidence’ of Indian role in terrorism, Pakistan had handed over
three similar dossiers with 'proof' to UN secretary general in October 2015.
What happened to those?”
Officials said Pakistan was trying to push the
“Islamophobia” narrative in the UN, which they said was a thinly veiled attack
against India, to claim that India’s diplomatic campaign against
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism was little more than an anti-Islamic stand.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-mounts-diplomatic-offensive-against-pakistan-dossier/articleshow/79253927.cms
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Branded Indian spy, Kanpur man returns home after 28
years in Pakistan
Haidar Naqvi
Nov 16, 2020
Seventy-year-old Shamsuddin finally made it back to
Kanpur and his family on Monday after 28 years in Pakistan. He spent eight of
these years in a Pakistani prison after being branded an Indian spy but was
later acquitted of the charge. His return set off Diwali-like celebrations in
Kanpur’s congested Kanghi Mohal locality.
Shamsuddin was quarantined in Amritsar after he was
released from a Pakistan jail on October 26. An Uttar Pradesh police team
brought him to Kanpur on Monday afternoon and he was handed over to his family
after brief questioning, circle officer (Sisamau) Tripurari Pandey said.
As he stepped into the narrow lane, his sister
Shabeena fainted. His daughters Azra and Uzma cried on seeing him after a long
time. There were hundreds to welcome Shamsuddin, who was choked with emotion.
“I suffered a lot in that prison. My freedom is the
best Diwali gift I could ask for,” he said. A shoemaker by profession,
Shamsuddin had left India in 1992 after a tiff with some relatives and went to
Pakistan on a 90-day visa.
After sometime, he sent his family back to Kanpur and
stayed on in Pakistan. In 2012, he was arrested on charges of spying and then
spent eight years in a Pakistan prison. He was exonerated of the charge and
released from Ladi jail in Karachi on October 26.
He entered India via the Attari border, but since the
rules required him to complete a 14-day quarantine, he was kept in Amritsar.
After completing all the formalities, a UP police team
reached Amritsar on November 14 and brought him back on Monday morning.
“My country is the best; the Muhajirs (Indian
immigrants) are not treated well (in Pakistan). I made a huge mistake by going
there. The Indians are like enemies to them,” he said.
On his return, the policemen gave him sweets and
garlanded him. He started sobbing and said this was the most memorable Diwali
for him. His sister Shabeena said the prayers of the family were finally
answered and everyone was elated to have him back.
His brother Fahim thanked the central government for
help. The family, he said, had lost all hope of seeing him ever again at one
stage. His two daughters, who were three and four years old when they last saw
him, did not leave their father’s side after his return. His wife, Azra, who
has not been keeping well, could not stop crying.
“I cannot explain what I am feeling on seeing him
alive. I am going to take such care of him that he forgets all the suffering he
underwent,” said Azra.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/branded-indian-spy-kanpur-man-returns-home-after-28-years-in-pakistan/story-9i0Aap47OXEvpDrWnnXSFL.html
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Mehbooba Mufti alleges Centre driving out
Gujjar-Bakerwals from J&K
Ashiq Hussain | Edited
by Abhinav Sahay
Nov 16, 2020
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday accused central
government of driving out Muslim nomads - Gujjars and Bakerwals- from their
homes with an intention to elicit an extreme reaction from this community and
to settle outsiders here.
Mufti made the comments after visiting Anantnag in
south Kashmir where the administration has been issuing eviction notices for
the past few weeks and demolished dozens of structures. She met the families of
those whose houses were demolished.
The administration says that it was an
anti-encroachment drive meant to retrieve forest and state land.
Mufti said that Gujjars and Bakerwals are the
protectors of the forests and their ancestors have lived here for hundreds of
years.
“The central government has started an illegal process
by which our people living here–-nomads, Gujjars and Bakerwals-- whose
ancestors have lived here are being pushed out. They finished our domicile law
and want to bring people here from across the country but they want to chase
away the locals from here,” Mufti said.
Tribal activists say that some of the structures which
the administration was demolishing are temporary (Kothas) which the nomads use
during their annual migration in summers and winters along with their
livestock. For half of the year, these structures, made of mud and wood and
partially underground, remain empty till the nomads return.
Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, Kuldeep Krishan Sidha
said that they have launched the drive to remove illegal encroachers and the
drive is being monitored by the high court.
“Whatever illegal encroachment we saw on paper we have
removed that. No nomad was affected. We did not bring down any Kotha. This
action has affected those who have constructed concrete structures in forest
areas,” he said.
Mufti said that this was not only happening in Kashmir
but even in Jammu’s Bathindi, Sujwa and Chatta areas.
“Wherever, there is a Muslim population or Gujjars and
Bakerwals, who are the actual protectors of these forests, they are being
evicted. Where will they and their children go in these winters?,” she said.
Mufti questioned whether the central government’s
intention was to hand over the land to their capitalist friends. “You have
already given 24,000 kanal land to industries, that land is forest land which
is our resource and now you are evicting them (nomads),” she said.
“To whom do you want to hand over our land, air, water
and beautiful forests? They want to give everything to their big capitalist
friends who give them funds; Railways, Air-India, now, do you want to put
J&K’s land also on sale,” she said.
She said that Gujjars and Bakerwals are very loyal and
peace loving people. “I think the central government is deliberately pushing
them out. They have never participated or opted for violence. They have always
opted for peace but I think they are being forcefully evicted to force them for
extreme reaction,” she alleged.
She cautioned the government of consequences if it did
not stop. “I want to tell the central government, which is controlling the
administration here that these nomads should not be disturbed, else you will
have to face its dangerous consequences,” she said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mehbooba-mufti-alleges-centre-driving-out-gujjar-bakerwals-from-j-k/story-NKQLgJ9FZYBc8jEUR0UJUN.html
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Southeast Asia
Halve pay of MPs with positions in GLCs, says Wan Azizah
Minderjeet Kaur
November 17, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR: MPs who hold positions in
government-linked companies (GLCs) should have their salaries halved with the
balance channelled to the nation’s Covid-19 fund, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
(PH-Pandan) said today.
The former deputy prime minister said they should set
an example by doing this, and also suggested that the prime minister, ministers
and deputy ministers take a 10% pay cut until the end of next year.
“I propose for the allowances and chairman’s fees of
any MP chairing GLCs and GLICs (government-linked investment companies) be
reduced by 50% and the money channelled to the Covid-19 fund.
“These MPs are already receiving salaries,” she said
during the debate on the 2021 budget proposals in the Dewan Rakyat.
Wan Azizah also proposed that all MPs get equal
allocation of funds.
The Perikatan Nasional government had launched the
Covid-19 fund in March to help those directly affected by the pandemic.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/11/17/halve-pay-of-mps-with-positions-in-glcs-says-wan-azizah/
--------
Azhar mulling request to let ministers speak during question time
Minderjeet Kaur
November 17, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun
will consider a request for ministers to reply to questions orally during the
Ministers’ Question Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Before this, Azhar had ruled that the ministers’
replies would be uploaded to the Parliament website, after Dewan Rakyat
sittings were cut short to four hours to limit the risk of Covid-19 infections.
In the Dewan Rakyat today, Azhar, responding to a
request from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka), said he will discuss the matter
with the respective political party whips.
Khoo had said the public would like to hear replies
from ministers, especially on matters affecting the people.
“Now the questions (for the ministers) are read
without replies. The speaker could consider allowing the ministers to reply to
the questions in one or one-and-half minutes, at least,” he said.
Ministers’ Question Time was first introduced in 2016,
allowing MPs to pose questions to ministers on current issues.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/11/17/azhar-mulling-request-to-let-ministers-speak-during-question-time/
--------
A radical Islamic leader flouts Indonesia’s virus
rules on his return from exile.
Nov 17, 2020
A radical Islamic chief returned to Indonesia final
week from self-imposed exile in Saudi Arabia to unfold his concept of a
“ethical revolution.” However well being consultants fear that he’s doing extra
to unfold the coronavirus.
The cleric, Rizieq Shihab, and his backers have held
gatherings after his arrival Tuesday that attracted hundreds of individuals,
together with a chaotic welcome at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Worldwide Airport
that clogged airport roads and the worldwide terminal.
The occasions ignored social-distancing necessities
and limits on the scale of gatherings. Additionally they demonstrated the affect
of Mr. Rizieq, the founding father of the Islamic Defenders Entrance, which was
as soon as finest recognized for raiding bars and smashing alcohol bottles.
Mr. Rizieq, who claims to be a descendant of Muhammad,
has maintained a big following regardless of fleeing the nation in 2017 whereas
facing a pornography charge over salacious textual content messages with a girl
who was not his spouse. The cost has since been dropped.
Mr. Rizieq hosted a marriage for his daughter Saturday
that drew about 10,000 visitors. The federal government’s coronavirus job
power, slightly than ordering that the marriage be canceled, donated 20,000
masks and gallons of hand sanitizer for the occasion.
On Monday, two high-ranking police chiefs had been
fired for his or her mishandling of the occasions. Mr. Rizieq was fined about
$3,500 on Sunday for flouting coronavirus rules on the marriage ceremony — a
token quantity for him and his group.
The police additionally introduced that they might
query Jakarta’s governor, Anies Baswedan, an ally of Mr. Rizieq, about his
position in permitting the marriage to happen. The 2 met final week after the
cleric’s return.
“I wish to emphasize that the protection of the folks
is the very best regulation,” Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, mentioned in
a press release launched after the chiefs’ firings had been introduced.
“Throughout this pandemic we now have selected social restrictions, together
with the dispersal of crowds.”
Mr. Rizieq, who apparently left Saudi Arabia as a
result of the federal government didn’t prolong his residence allow, mentioned
he deliberate to journey round Indonesia selling his concepts of strict
adherence to Islam. The likelihood that he might draw giant crowds was one
other concern for well being consultants.
Indonesia, which has the world’s fourth-largest
inhabitants, stories almost half one million circumstances and greater than
15,000 deaths, the worst report in East Asia.
On Friday, it hit a brand new day by day excessive of
5,444 circumstances.
However well being consultants say that Indonesia’s
testing is simply too restricted and that it’s lacking much more circumstances
of the virus than it finds.
Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist on the College of
Indonesia, says the whole might be 10 to twenty occasions increased than the
official quantity, placing it at 5 million to 10 million circumstances.
Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at
Australia’s Griffith College, estimated that the whole is no less than thrice
increased, about 1.5 million circumstances.
“We’re already experiencing a silent outbreak in the
neighborhood,” Dr. Budiman mentioned. “We are going to face a significant issue
when probably the most weak get this virus.”
https://unfoldtimes.com/a-radical-islamic-leader-flouts-indonesias-virus-rules-on-his-return-from-exile/
--------
Africa
Ethiopia carries out air strikes in Tigray region as surrender ultimatum ends
17 November 2020
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed warned on Tuesday
that a three-day deadline for rebel regional forces to surrender has expired,
paving the way for a final push on Mekelle, the capital of the northern region
of Tigray.
Tigrayan forces fired rockets into the neighboring
nation of Eritrea this weekend, escalating a conflict in which hundreds of
people have been killed on both sides, and threatens to destabilize other parts
of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. More than 25,000 refugees have fled into
Sudan.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The prime minister’s warning came after government
forces carried out “precision led and surgical air operations” outside Makelle,
a government emergency task-force said, and ground forces pushed forwards.
“The three-day ultimatum given to Tigray Special Forces
and the militia to surrender to the national defense ... have ended today,”
Abiy said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“Following the expiration of this deadline, the final
critical act of law enforcement will be done in the coming days.”
There was no immediate comment from Tigray’s leaders.
With communications mainly down and media barred, Reuters could not
independently verify assertions made by any side.
Tigrayan forces might seek to dig in as the military
advanced into the more mountainous terrain towards Mekelle, said Matt Bryden,
founder of Nairobi-based regional think-tank Sahan.
“I would guess as they (the Ethiopian army) enter the
highlands, heavier fighting is likely to start,” he said.
The government did not say when the latest air strikes
outside Mekelle took place but diplomats and military sources told Reuters they
came mid-morning on Monday.
The strikes were based on “information received of
specific critical TPLF (Tigray’s ruling party) targets,” the task-force said,
adding that no civilian targets were attacked.
Tigrayan leaders had accused the government of
targeting a sugar factory and a dam.
A convoy of four buses and several cars, carrying
about 400 foreigners from Mekelle, is expected to arrive in the capital on
Wednesday, five diplomatic sources said.
Another convoy carrying about 200 passengers, mainly
workers for international organizations, reached the capital late on Monday,
the sources said.
The United Nations, the African Union and various
countries are pressing for talks, but Abiy has resisted, saying the government
would only negotiate when it restored the rule of law in Tigray.
On Monday, Abiy sent his foreign minister to Uganda
and Kenya, to explain what the government describes as an internal conflict to
leaders of those countries.
Ethiopian officials say the visits do not mean
negotiations are starting.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country, has
long been a diplomatic heavyweight and staunch Western ally in a region roiled
by conflict and militancy.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/17/Ethiopia-carries-out-air-strikes-in-Tigray-region-as-surrender-ultimatum-ends-
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Ugandan opposition figure blasts police brutality
Hassan Isilow
16.11.2020
Ugandan opposition figure Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly
known as Bobi Wine, has accused President Yoweri Museveni of using police to
intimidate his supporters during the ongoing election campaigns.
“Gen. Museveni and his pathetic hypocrisy. In every
town, our people (supporters) are brutalized, teargased and arrested for
gathering to wave at us,’’ Kyagulanyi wrote on Twitter.
Kyagulanyi, 38, a pop star-turned-politician, is seen
by many as the new face of Uganda's opposition, viewed as a major threat to
Museveni, 76, in power since 1986.
Kyagulanyi joined politics less than five years ago
after he was elected to become a member of the parliament in a by-election for
Kyadondo East constituency. He has now grown his support base across the
landlocked East African nation.
On Sunday, he posted photos on Twitter showing how
police fired tear gas canisters at crowds of his supporters in Mbale city, some
200 kilometers east of capital Kampala.
He also claimed that police had directly thrown a tear
gas canister into his car.
“The crime of the people was waving at me, and
marching with me peacefully towards our designated venue for the election
campaign,” he wrote.
Local broadcaster NTV-Uganda showed footage of police
firing tear gas canisters at crowds who gathered to wave at Kyagulanyi in both
Sironko district and Mbale city.
He has been promising to change the lives of youth,
downtrodden and those living in slums. The National Unity Platform leader has
also pledged to fix the country’s ailing economy, health services, and
education sector.
Police Spokesperson, CP Fred Enanga told a televised
briefing in Kampala on Monday that the police is not partisan, but are
enforcing guidelines drawn by the Electoral Commission.
He said candidates are not allowed to address crowds
of more than 200 people in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19. He also said
candidates were not allowed to have large motorcades.
Uganda will hold general elections on Jan. 14, with 11
presidential candidates in the race.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/ugandan-opposition-figure-blasts-police-brutality-/2045762
--------
Europe
France’s Macron meets US Secretary Pompeo after congratulating Biden on election win
16 November 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron faced the potentially
uncomfortable position Monday of meeting US President Donald Trump’s top
diplomat, having already congratulated President-elect Joe Biden for his
election victory.
Neither side said much in advance about US Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo’s low-profile visit to Paris, the starting point of a
seven-country tour of Europe and the Middle East.
Macron’s office described Pompeo’s planned stop Monday
at the presidential Elysee Palace as a “courtesy” visit.
No press conference was scheduled, seemingly ruling
out the likelihood of journalists getting to ask Pompeo or Macron about their
conflicting visions of the US election outcome.
Pompeo has not accepted Trump’s election defeat.
Macron has already spoken by phone with Biden to congratulate him.
Pompeo’s trip is aimed at shoring up the priorities of
Trump’s outgoing administration. From Paris, he was expected to travel to
Turkey. The trip will also include visits to Israeli settlements in the West
Bank that have been avoided by previous secretaries of state.
Before the scheduled meetings with Macron and his
foreign minister, Pompeo laid a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers at a
memorial to victims of terrorism at a Paris landmark, the Hotel des Invalides.
The ceremony lasted about a minute.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/16/France-s-Macron-meets-US-Secretary-Pompeo-after-congratulating-Biden-on-election-win
--------
Dutch prosecution: Suspect in Saudi embassy shooting
in Hague had 'terrorist motive'
Tuqa Khalid
16 November 2020
A man suspected of firing a gun at Saudi Arabia's
embassy in The Hague last week had a "terrorist motive," Dutch public
prosecution said on Monday.
The 40-year-old suspect was held on Thursday last week
hours after the incident, in which nobody was hurt.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The man is suspected of carrying out violence against
the embassy building, trying to kill the caretaker of the building and making
threats, all "with a terrorist aim", the Public Prosecution office
said in a statement.
"The terrorist intent is evident from the fact
that the suspect appeared to want to impose his will on the embassy through his
actions," the statement added, without giving further details.
Judges extended the suspect's detention for another 14
days at a hearing on Monday.
Dutch police had found on Thursday last week several
bullet casings outside the embassy and bullet holes in the window of the
building, they said.
At the time of the incident the Saudi embassy
confirmed none of its staff were hurt, and said it had urged Saudi citizens in
the Netherlands to "exercise caution."
The day before the shooting at the embassy, an attack
on a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah hit an Armistice Day commemoration at which
diplomats from France, Greece, Italy, Britain and the United States were in
attendance.
At least two people were wounded.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/11/16/Dutch-prosecution-Suspect-in-Saudi-embassy-shooting-in-Hague-had-terrorist-motive-
--------
Russia's Putin orders ministry to conclude agreement
to build Navy base in Sudan
Tuqa Khalid
16 November 2020
Russia's President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ministry
of Defense to conclude the agreement with Sudan on setting up a Russian Navy
logistics base in the African country, state news agency TASS reported on Monday.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin had approved
on November 11 a draft agreement on establishing a naval logistics base in
Sudan and gave instructions to submit a proposal to the president on signing
the document, according to TASS.
According to the agreement, the Russian Navy's
logistics facility in Sudan "meets the goals of maintaining peace and
stability in the region, is defensive and is not aimed against other
countries," TASS reported.
The base "can be used for carrying out repairs
and replenishing supplies and for the crewmembers of Russian naval ships to
have a rest," and the deal stipulates that "a maximum of four
warships may stay at the naval logistics base, including naval ships with the
nuclear propulsion system on condition of observing nuclear and environmental
safety norms," according to TASS.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/16/Russia-s-Putin-orders-ministry-to-conclude-agreement-to-build-Navy-base-in-Sudan
--------
Turkey: EU 'disconnected' from realities in Cyprus
Dilan Pamuk
16.11.2020
Turkey on Monday criticized the European Union’s
stance on the divided island of Cyprus which has seen an erratic peace process
over the past several years.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said EU foreign
policy chief Joseph Borrell’s statement "revealed how disconnected the EU
is from the realities on the Island."
Borrell on Sunday expressed regret over the opening of
the coastline of Maras in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The
abandoned town was opened for public after 46 years. Before this, entry to the
area was forbidden to anyone except Turkish army personnel stationed in the
TRNC.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek
Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's
intervention as a guarantor power.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent
years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of
guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.
Stating that the EU turns a blind eye toward the
wishes of Turkish Cypriots, Aksoy said: “A fair, lasting and sustainable
settlement is only possible if it is based on the will of the two peoples who
are the co-owners of the Island.”
“Being used to ignoring the existence and rights of the
Turkish Cypriots, the EU now dares to rule out the Turkish Cypriot people’s
will toward a settlement,” he said.
Noting the EU's double standards, he said the Greek
Cypriot administration was given membership in the bloc despite its rejection
of the 2004 UN settlement plan, while promises made to the Turkish Cypriot side
have been long forgotten.
He went on to say that the federal solution model with
two regions had been tried for more than 50 years, and was failing.
“If the EU wishes to contribute to the settlement of
the Cyprus issue, first and foremost, it should acknowledge the existence and
the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, and fulfill its commitments made in
2004,” Aksoy added.
In 2004, the UN led a referendum on the reunification
of the island; it was approved by a majority of Turkish Cypriots, but
overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday
called for a two-state solution of the island, saying: “There are two peoples
and two separate states in Cyprus."
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-eu-disconnected-from-realities-in-cyprus/2045702
--------
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