New Age Islam News Bureau
16
Jul 2020
• Muslim World
League, Emirates Fatwa Council to Discuss Post-Corona Fiqh Issues
• Stop
Broadcast of Film on Prophet Muhammad: Maharashtra Home Minister to Centre
• Human Rights
NGO Calls on Minister to Revoke Order for Authorities to Go After Transgender
Persons in Malaysia
• Afghan
Civilian Casualties High as 1st Phase of US-Taliban Deal Ends
• Speaker’s
Advisor: General Soleimani in Possession of Video, Audio Files of US-ISIL Talks
• Tunisian PM
Resigns Triggering Political Crisis Amid Economic Fallout and Coronavirus
• Trump,
Western Diplomats Take to Twitter to Urge Iran Against Executing Protesters
• Big Increase
Of Palestinian Terrorist Members, Supporters In Germany
---------
Pakistan
• Female Pakistani
Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Fashionable Beard Styles
• Pakistan:
Eight soldiers killed, five wounded in attack on convoy
• Militant
Ambush Kills 3 Pakistani Troops in Baluchistan
• IHC
dismisses plea for contempt proceedings against journalist
• Ali Zaidi
asks Bilawal to disclose ‘unverified, hand-written’ will of Benazir
• Pakistan
stands by Turkey against FETO threat
--------
Arab World
• Muslim World
League, Emirates Fatwa Council to Discuss Post-Corona Fiqh Issues
• Saudi
Arabia, US Blacklist Targets in Turkey, Syria For Terrorist Financing Of ISIS
• 28 Hezbollah
missile launch sites detected in civilian areas, highlighting its 'human
shield' tactic in Lebanon
• Maronite
patriarch implicitly criticizes Hezbollah for Lebanon's isolation
• ‘Lebanon has
become a police state:’ Authorities bow to Turkish pressure, sue TV host
• Saudi Arabia
launches ‘World Defense Show’ to deepen military partnerships in 2022
• New Projects
Aim to Share Saudi Human-Rights Successes with The World
--------
India
• Stop
Broadcast of Film on Prophet Muhammad: Maharashtra Home Minister to Centre
• New
Hyderabad Secretariat to Have A Beautiful Modern MosqueIn Lieu Of The Old
Mosque That Was Demolished
• Delhi Police
Affidavit Shows Muslims Bore Brunt of Riots, Silent on Who Targeted Them and
Why
• Pak arrests
govt employee, claims he is RAW agent
• Dubai
hospital waives Rs 1.52 crore bill of Telangana Covid-19 patient, volunteers
help him return to Hyderabad
--------
Southeast Asia
• Human Rights
NGO Calls on Minister to Revoke Order for Authorities to Go After Transgender
Persons in Malaysia
• Indonesian
Ulema Council Says That Processing Qurbani Meat Before Distribution Is Allowed
• Kedah
Chinese associations to hand memo to MB over temple, shrine demolition
• Strong
rebukes for Malaysian minister’s anti-trans stance
• Thai move to
legalize same-sex unions faces opposition
--------
South Asia
• Afghan
Civilian Casualties High as 1st Phase of US-Taliban Deal Ends
• NDS vows to
launch retaliatory attacks against Taliban after deadly Samangan attack
• NATO
Secretary General reacts to increased violence led by Taliban
• Kabul Police
defuse remote-controlled bomb in Kabul city
• Afghan forces
kill, wound at least 68 Taliban militants in the North: Shahen Corps
--------
Mideast
• Speaker’s
Advisor: General Soleimani in Possession of Video, Audio Files of US-ISIL Talks
• Ray Al-Youm:
Ansarullah’s Missile Strikes on Tel Aviv Likely
• Coronavirus
resurgence sidelines Israel’s plans to annex part of occupied West Bank
• Putin
stresses futility of sanctions pressure against Iran in phone talk with Merkel
• Iran turned
tables, proved America to blame in JCPOA case: Rouhani
• Iran’s
Ghaani: Fire on US navy ship was ‘divine punishment’ for Washington’s ‘crimes’
--------
Africa
• Tunisian PM Resigns
Triggering Political Crisis Amid Economic Fallout and Coronavirus
• Libya: 225
bodies unearthed from mass graves in 40 days
• Sudan
submits Nile Dam draft agreement to African Union
• Turkey sends
mercenaries, militants of different nationalities to Libya: Reports
• Gunmen on
motorcycles kill 7 villagers in Mali
• Police
Rescue Soldiers From Boko Haram After Attack In Borno
• Boko Haram
Terrorists Attack Maiduguri, Kill Several Residents
• Somalia
hails Turkish resolve in foiling 2016 coup bid
--------
North America
• Trump, Western
Diplomats Take to Twitter to Urge Iran Against Executing Protesters
• US general
warns Iran of cost of malign actions in Gulf, reminds of Soleimani killing
• Fire on US
warship still burning as Iran warns of ‘tough days’ for America, Israel
--------
Europe
• Big Increase
OfPalestinian Terrorist Members, Supporters In Germany
• Why We Need
To Stay Alert To The Terror Threat As The UK Reopens
• Azerbaijan President:
Armenia Is ‘Fascist State'
• UK stands in
solidarity with Turkey on coup anniversary
• UK defense
chief: Turkish use of drones 'game-changing'
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/female-pakistani-lawmaker-seeks-ban/d/122388
--------
Female
Pakistani Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Fashionable Beard Styles
Jul 16, 2020
A member of
the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, has tabled a resolution in
the Punjab Assembly seeking a crackdown on barbers “for acting against
Prophet’s traditions.“ (Photo: AFP)
------
A female
Pakistani lawmaker has called for a ban on trimming beards into fashionable
styles, terming it a grave sin.
RukhsanaKausar,
a member of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, tabled a
resolution in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday seeking a crackdown on barbers
“for acting against the Prophet’s traditions.“
“The beard is
a sunnah [tradition] of the Islamic prophet Mohammad and therefore, legislation
should be made to hand strict punishment to those who shape beards in
fashionable styles,” it said.
The resolution
further said that any kind of styling of a beard is a grave sin and an insult
to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet.
“When I see
youngsters on the streets and in the markets with different styles of beard in
the name of fashion, I feel hurt, because that is against the teachings of
Islam,” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, the
move drew sharp criticism on social media.
“Want to ride
time machine. Go to Pakistan, will take you 1400 years back. Punjab Assembly
tables a resolution to declare trimming or designing of beard illegal &
punishable, bcoz Beard is Sunnatnabwi so it should not be designed or
crafted,”ArifAajakia, a human rights activist posted.
Farooq Tariq,
a general secretary of the Pakistan KisanRabita Committee, a network of peasant
organizations, urged the PML-N to explain whether or not it was supporting its
member’s resolution.
“PMLN MPA
RukhsnaKausar resolution at PA to ban trimming of beard, on same path of religious
fanatics; PMLN must explain, is it official resolution of PMLN?,” Tariqi
tweeted.
In recent
weeks, activists have expressed alarm over increasing Islamization in society.
On June 13,
Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the
“Holy Quran to be taught in universities and higher education institutions”
across the country with Urdu translation.
On June 9, the
Punjab Assembly approved an amendment to the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Act
2015 subjecting all textbooks to approval by the Muttahida Ulema Board, a body
of Islamic clerics.
A week
earlier, the governor of Punjab made the awarding of degrees in all public
universities conditional to passing an exam based on the reading of the Urdu
translation of the Quran.
In October
2019, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police detained four barbers for styling customers'
beards despite an unofficial ‘ban' imposed by a local traders' union which had
termed such beards "un-Islamic".
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistan-lawmaker-seeks-ban-on-sinful-beard-styles/88796
--------
Muslim World
League, Emirates Fatwa Council to discuss Post-Corona Fiqh issues
July 16, 2020
The Muslim
World League, in cooperation with the Emirates Fatwa Council, will organize the
international virtual conference titled “Emergency Fiqh: Features of the
Post-Corona
------
MAKKAH: The
Muslim World League, in cooperation with the Emirates Fatwa Council, will
organize the international virtual conference titled “Emergency Fiqh: Features
of the Post-Corona
Pandemic Fiqh”
on July 18-19.
The
participants will study the issues affected by the pandemic and come up with
jurisprudence to achieve their desired goals, taking into consideration the
current situation and the Shariah, given the possibility the pandemic will
persist for a long time and have an intensified impact in many fields. The
sessions will conclude by discussing the efforts exerted by Muslim countries to
deal with the pandemic.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1705361/saudi-arabia
--------
Stop Broadcast
of Film on Prophet Muhammad: Maharashtra Home Minister to Centre
July 15, 2020
Anil Deshmukh
has sought the ban on the film under the Information Technology Act to ensure
the law and order situation is not affected in the state, said an official
statement issued on Wednesday.(ANI)
-----
Maharashtra
Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has written to the Centre demanding a ban on the
broadcast of the film Muhammad: The Messenger of God on digital platforms
following a complaint by a city-based organisation in this regard.
Deshmukh has sought
the ban on the film under the Information Technology Act to ensure the law and
order situation is not affected in the state, said an official statement issued
on Wednesday.
The
organisation, Raza Academy, had submitted the complaint to the state’s cyber
cell, seeking a ban on the films broadcast on digital platforms, it said.
The statement
does not specify details of the Academy’s complaint.
Following
this, Deshmukh wrote a letter to the central government seeking a ban on the
films broadcast under the provisions of the IT Act to ensure the law and order
situation is not affected in the state, the statement said.
The film is to
be broadcast on July 21, it said.
The home
minister has demanded that instructions be issued to prevent broadcast of the
film on digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and
WhatsApp among others.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/stop-broadcast-of-film-on-prophet-muhammad-maharashtra-home-minister-to-centre-6507666/
--------
Human rights
NGO calls on minister to revoke order for authorities to go after transgender
persons in Malaysia
BY KENNETH TEE
15 Jul 2020
Datuk Seri
Zulkifli Mohamad speaks at the Tuanku Mizan Mosque in Putrajaya March 12, 2020.
— Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
-----
KUALA LUMPUR,
July 15 — The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has backed those
questioning minister Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad for giving Islamic authorities
a “full licence” to arrest and “educate” the transgender community.
In condemning
Zulkifli’s remark, ICJ commissioner AmbigaSreenevasan also called on the
minister to rescind the order immediately and to take steps to ensure non-discrimination
and equal protection of all persons in Malaysia, including the lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.
“This
unacceptable transphobic and homophobic attack from a government official
highlights the societal prejudices and the lack of legal protections against
discrimination faced by transgender persons in Malaysia.
“Instead of
ensuring that the human rights and dignity of all persons are respected and
protected, the minister, through his statement, is going the complete opposite
direction by advocating state action against persons belonging to sexual
orientation and gender identity minorities,” the prominent rights lawyer said
in a statement issued by ICJ.
Ambiga went as
far as to point out that Zulkifli was legitimising harassment, discrimination
and violence against transgender people all the while increasing violations of
their human rights.
The ICJ also
cited existing legislation across the country where a “male” who “poses” as a
woman or wears the clothing of a “woman” may be subjected to criminal liability
under state-level religious enactments.
Other forms of
legislation including the criminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual
relations as “unnatural offences” in both secular civil law and religious
state-level laws which carried heavy penalties in the form of fines,
imprisonment and corporal punishment in the form of caning.
“The ICJ
stressed that these laws served to institutionalize systemic discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, while also
creating barriers for LGBT people when seeking justice.
“They provide
state authorities with expansive power to police gender identities, expressions
and sexual orientations of people,” the statement added.
It also
expressed concern over Zulkifli’s statement requiring members of the
transgender community to undergo religious conversion therapy.
Conversion
therapy, which consists of psychological treatment or spiritual counselling to
change a person’s sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to
heterosexual, is widely seen by the medical and scientific community as
potentially harmful and a form of pseudoscience.
The practice
is opposed and has been legally challenged, or even banned, in countries such
as Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, Israel, Lebanon, Malta, South
Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
ICJ then
called upon the government to abide by its obligations under international law
and follow through with its commitment to human rights by ensuring everyone
including the transgender community were able to freely enjoy legal protections
against any form of prejudice, harassment, and violations of their human
rights.
On July 10,
Zulkifli had announced on Facebook that he was empowering Jawi to arrest
transgender persons and “educate” them so that they “return to the right path”.
Zulkifli’s
remark appeared to be in response to risqué photos on social media by cosmetics
entrepreneur Nur Sajat, which prompted the ire of some Muslim hardliners.
This led calls
for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to take action on the transgender
businessperson.
Transgender
rights group Justice for Sisters (JFS) had also lambasted the minister, saying
the remark will have hampered the religious affairs minister’s previous efforts
in engaging with trans persons when he was a mufti.
In 2018, when
he was then Federal Territories mufti, Zulkifli had called on religious
authorities to revisit a fatwa, or Islamic edict declaring transgenderism as
un-Islamic, adding that the phenomenon is not inherently wrong.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/15/human-rights-ngo-calls-on-minister-to-revoke-order-for-authorities-to-go-af/1884834
--------
Afghan
Civilian Casualties High as 1st Phase of US-Taliban Deal Ends
By Ayesha
Tanzeem
July 14, 2020
ISLAMABAD,
PAKISTAN - Nearly 3,000 civilians, around 16 per day, have been killed or
wounded in the conflict in Afghanistan in the first six months of this year,
according to the country’s official human rights body.
The
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) issued its report
Tuesday in Kabul, indicating that the civilian casualties, while still high,
have dropped by 11 percent compared to the same period last year.
The greatest
reduction was among children, 630 wounded or killed this year compared to 951
last year, or a drop of around 33 percent.
The AIHRC has
placed most of the blame on the Taliban, accusing it of being responsible of
nearly half of all casualties, even as the report said the “figures indicate a
24 percent reduction in civilian casualties caused by Taliban attacks” this
year compared to 2019.
While the
militant group insists it does not target civilians, most of its attacks cause
civilian casualties. An attack Monday on an intelligence agency’s complex in
Samangan province killed 11 intelligence officials but wounded nearly 50
civilians in the process. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the
attack.
Tuesday also
marked the end of the first phase of a hallmark agreement reached in February
between the Taliban and the United States that was seen as the beginning of the
end of the longest American war.
As per the
agreement, the U.S. and its NATO allies have reduced their number of troops in
Afghanistan and vacated five military bases. The deal calls for a complete
withdrawal of foreign forces from the country in 14 months from the signing
date, which was Feb. 29.
However, the
second part of the deal, the start of negotiations between the militants and
other Afghan factions, including the Afghan government, has been stalled. One
of the reasons given by Afghan officials is the high level of violence
perpetrated by the Taliban.
Addressing an
international conference on Afghanistan’s peace process last week, the man
tasked with leading the country’s negotiations for its future, Abdullah
Abdullah, criticized the Taliban for keeping the level of violence so high,
calling it an obstacle to progress in the peace process.
Meanwhile, the
militant group blames the delay on the slow pace of prisoner exchange. The
U.S.-Taliban deal, titled the “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan,”
says the government is supposed to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners in
exchange for up to 1,000 of their security personnel held by the
militants.
On Monday,
Taliban’s Doha-based spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, tweeted that another 25
soldiers and policemen were released by the Taliban, indicating that slowly,
the two sides are moving toward a resolution of the prisoner release issue.
So far, the
Afghan government has released more than 4,000 prisoners. Still the last set of
prisoners has caused a dispute because the government said the prisoners were
accused of serious crimes. They have asked the Taliban for an alternate set of
names. So far, the militants seem to have refused.
“As regards
the release of the prisoners, it is of utmost importance that those prisoners
who are to be released, must be in accordance with the list of the Islamic
Emirate as decided upon in Doha,” Shaheen tweeted Monday.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/afghan-civilian-casualties-high-1st-phase-us-taliban-deal-ends?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
--------
Speaker’s
Advisor: General Soleimani in Possession of Video, Audio Files of US-ISIL Talks
Jul 15, 2020
“He (General
Soleimani) told me that he was in possession of footages which show that 5
American logistical planes landed at Mosul airport which was under the ISIL
occupation at the time and the US generals got off the plane and entered Mosul
airport. They negotiated with the ISIL leaders for 5 hours,” Amir Abdollahian
quoted martyred General Soleimani as saying.
“General Soleimani
said that he had the audio file of the talks and that he would release it
whenever he deemed proper,” he added.
Amir
Abdollahian also warned of the US attempts to prolong its military presence in
Iraq within the framework of the NATO missions, and said Iran gave an initial
warning to the Americans by missile strikes on Ein al-Assad base in Iraq after
assassination of General Soleimani.
“They should
know that ultimate expulsion of the Americans from Iraq is their destiny
waiting for them,” he underlined.
Lieutenant
General Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike on Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq on January 3.
The airstrike
also martyred Deputy Commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu
Mahdi al-Muhandis. The two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted
their vehicle on the road to the airport.
Five Iranian
and five Iraqi military men were martyred by the missiles fired by the US drone
at Baghdad International Airport.
On January 8,
the IRGC Aerospace Force started heavy ballistic missile attacks on US Ein
Al-Assad airbase in Southwestern Iraq near the border with Syria and a US
operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the US assassination of General
Soleimani.
Ein Al-Assad
is an airbase with a 4km runway at 188m altitude from sea levels, which is the
main and the largest US airbase in Iraq. Early reports said the radar systems
and missile defense shields in Ein Al-Assad failed to operate and intercept the
Iranian missiles. Unofficial reports said the US army's central radar systems
at Ein Al-Assad had been jammed by electronic warfare.
The second
IRGC reprisal attack targeted a US military base near Erbil airport in Iraqi
Kurdistan Region in the second leg of "Martyr Soleimani" reprisal
operation.
Iraq said the
attacks had not taken any toll from its army men stationed at these two bases.
The US army had blocked entrance into Ein Al-Assad to everyone, including the
Iraqi army.
It was the
first direct attack on the US army ever since world war two.
The IRGC officials
said none of the missiles had been intercepted.
Meantime, Iran
announced in late June that it had issued arrest warrants for 36 officials of
the US and other countries who have been involved in the assassination of the
martyred General Soleimani.
"36
individuals who have been involved or ordered the assassination of Hajj Qassem,
including the political and military officials of the US and other governments,
have been identified and arrest warrants have been issued for them by the
judiciary officials and red alerts have also been issued for them via the
Interpol," Prosecutor-General of Tehran Ali AlqasiMehr said.
He said that
the prosecuted individuals are accused of murder and terrorist action, adding
that US President Donald Trump stands at the top of the list and will be
prosecuted as soon as he stands down presidency after his term ends.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990425000785
--------
Tunisian PM
resigns triggering political crisis amid economic fallout and coronavirus
15 July 2020
Tunisian Prime
Minister Elyes Fakhfakh stepped down on Wednesday, plunging the country into a
political crisis as it tries to weather the economic fallout of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Fakhfakh
presented his resignation to President Kais Saied, a government statement said.
Political sources told Reuters Saied had asked him to do so as momentum grew in
parliament to oust the prime minister over an alleged conflict of interest.
Saied must now
choose a new candidate for prime minister, but parliament is deeply fragmented
among rival parties and a failure to build another coalition would trigger an
election.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The collapse
of Fakhfakh’s government less than five months after it was formed will further
delay urgent economic reforms and complicate efforts to handle any new surge in
coronavirus cases after Tunisia brought a first wave under control.
Western
countries have hailed Tunisia for its comparatively successful transition to
democracy since the 2011 revolution that ended decades of autocratic rule
despite periodic crises, but many Tunisians are deeply frustrated.
Since the
revolution, the economy has stagnated, living standards have declined and
public services have decayed while political parties often seemed more focused
on staying in office than addressing a long list of problems.
Deep
ideological splits in Fakhfakh’s government had made it harder to agree on the
urgent economic reforms demanded by foreign lenders to bring Tunisia’s fiscal
deficit and public debt into a more sustainable trajectory.
The pandemic
has worsened those problems. Tunisia now expects the economy to shrink by 6.5
percent this year and forecasts a deficit equivalent to 7 percent of gross
domestic product. It has asked four countries to delay debt repayments.
In poorer
parts of the country, protests have been building to demand more jobs and state
aid to help them cope with the economic fallout, sometimes blockading exports
by state industries.
MounaKariem, a
law professor, said Saied would now have 10 days to name a new candidate for
prime minister who would have a month to form a government.
The last
parliamentary election in October led to a chamber in which no party held more
than a quarter of the seats, complicating efforts to form a stable government.
The biggest
party, the moderate Islamist Ennahda, failed in its own attempt to build a
coalition late last year and though it joined Fakhfakh’s government it has
since been tussling for influence with President Saied.
Fakhfakh’s
resignation came as Ennahda sought signatures for a vote of no confidence in
the government. If that process had succeeded then it would have given Ennahda,
rather than Saied, the right to nominate a new prime minister.
Ennahda’s push
for a confidence vote was triggered by a report that Fakhfakh was guilty of a
conflict of interest by owning shares in companies that had received state
contracts. He denies any wrongdoing.
Two opposition
parties, media mogul Nabil Karoui’s Heart of Tunisia and the conservative
Karama, joined Ennahda in seeking the vote of confidence in Fakhfakh. By the
time he had resigned, they had gathered 105 of the 109 signatures needed to
trigger the vote.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/15/Tunisian-Prime-Minister-Fakhfakh-resigns-political-sources-say.html
--------
Trump, Western
diplomats take to Twitter to urge Iran against executing protesters
15 July 2020
US President
Donald Trump joined on Wednesday a Twitter campaign launched by Iranians to
protest against the regime's decision to go forward with the execution of three
young men who took part in Iran’s November 2019 protests.
Iranians had
launched a hashtag on Twitter on Tuesday against the Iranian judiciary’s
decision to uphold the death sentences of Amirhossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and
Mohammad Rajabi – three protesters who were arrested and sentenced to death
following Iran’s anti-government protests last November.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Iranians in
and out of Iran used a Persian hashtag that read "do not execute"
which became a global trending topic with over four million tweets.
Twitter is
banned in Iran, but many Iranians access the social media platform using
virtual private networks (VPNs).
“Three
individuals were sentenced to death in Iran for participating in protests. The
execution is expected momentarily. Executing these three people sends a
terrible signal to the world and should not be done! #StopExecutionsInIran,”
Trump tweeted.
The US
president also tweeted the same message in Persian using the viral “do not
execute” hashtag.
Tensions
between Washington and Tehran have been escalating since Trump withdrew in 2018
from the Iran nuclear deal, and reimposed sanctions on the Iranian regime, and
they reached unprecedented heights after the US airstrike which killed Qassem
Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
The US had in
the past issued statements condemning the arrest of protesters in Iran. Under
Trump’s administration, Washington imposed in May sanctions on Iran’s Interior
Minister AbdolrezaRahmaniFazli for his role in the crackdown on protesters in
November 2019.
Protests broke
out across Iran last November after the government introduced gasoline
rationing and price hikes. Thousands were arrested and about 1,500 Iranians
were killed by security forces, according to a Reuters report.
West urges
against executions
Senior Western
diplomats also urged the Iranian regime against execution the three young
protesters.
“Iran’s
continued violation of human rights and use of capital punishment remain of
deep concern … call on authorities to review the cases,” Denmark’s Foreign
Minister Jeppe Kofod tweeted.
“Sweden
strongly opposes the use of the death penalty … deeply concerned about recently
reconfirmed death sentences of three protesters in Iran,” Swedish Foreign
Minister Ann Linde tweeted.
An
Iranian-born MP in New Zealand, GolrizGhahraman, took to Twitter to condemn
Tehran’s decision: “The Iranian regime has committed countless crimes against
humanity against our people- tortured & executed so many young, vibrant
activists- and yet more rise to fight for freedom and democracy. Now Iranians
fight to stop the latest executions.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/Trump-joins-do-not-execute-Twitter-campaign-against-executing-protesters-in-Iran.html
--------
Big increase
of Palestinian terrorist members, supporters in Germany
JULY 15, 2020
The number of
members and supporters of the US and EU-designated terrorist organization the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has dramatically increased
in Germany, The Jerusalem Post can report.
According to a
review of the newly released German domestic intelligence service report, the
number of PFLP members rose from 100 in 2018 to 120 in 2019. The intelligence
report was released on Friday and covers the period of 2019.
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The report
noted that there are 120 PFLP “members/supporters in Germany.” An exact
breakdown of members and supporters was not outlined. It is unclear what caused
the 20% increase; the document provided no explanation.
The Post has
observed PFLP activity at the annual al-Quds march in Berlin that calls for the
destruction of the Jewish state. The founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. created the al-Quds (Jerusalem) global rally.
Writing in the
Post in May, Jonathan Spyer, director of the Middle East Center for Reporting
and Analysis, noted that “This growing PFLP-Iran connection is not a new
revelation. It has been well reported in recent years.”
The PFLP was
founded in 1967 and is animated by a Marxist-Leninist doctrine coupled with
radical Arab nationalism.
The German
intelligence officials wrote that the “PFLP rejects Israel’s existence” and
“propagates an armed struggled” against Israel. According to the report, the
terrorist group cooperates with other foreign terrorist jihadi political
movements such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
The report
said that the PFLP has carried out terrorist attacks resulting in victims. “And
here the PFLP reveals its antisemitic character” by targeting Jewish Israelis,
wrote the intelligence officials. It denies this antisemitism to the outside
world.
The PFLP is
not active as a terrorist group in Germany, noted the report. However, it is
unclear from the report if the PFLP members and supporters use Germany as a
financial pipeline to send money to the group and other terrorist entities in
the Middle East.
“The
supporters active here spread anti-Israel propaganda in particular and try to
generate political support. The PFLP also maintains contacts with German
left-wing extremism, especially with the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany
(MLPD) and the anti-imperialist spectrum,” wrote the authors.
In 2014, two
PFLP members murdered four rabbis and a police officer in a Jerusalem
synagogue.
While the EU
and the US have labeled the PFLP a terrorist entity, Germany refuses to ban the
group. The Post first reported in April that the German government issued a
four-year travel ban against Khaled Barakat, a senior member of the PFLP who
allegedly supports terrorism and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
movement against the Jewish state.
Barakat has
also provided material aid to the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah. PFLP
members and supporters are highly active in the German BDS campaign against
Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/international/big-increase-of-palestinian-terrorist-supporters-from-pflp-in-germany-635078?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan:
Eight soldiers killed, five wounded in attack on convoy
14 Jul 2020
At least eight
soldiers have been killed and five wounded after a group of unidentified gunmen
opened fire on a security forces convoy in the southwestern Pakistani district
of Panjgur, the country’s military said.
In Tuesday's
incident, three vehicles were targeted in the Gichak area, about 400km south of
the Balochistan provincial capital Quetta, a brief statement by the military
said.
No group has
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistani
forces have been fighting an ethnic Baloch armed separatist movement in the region
for more than a decade.
Armed
separatist groups have waged a guerilla campaign in Balochistan, the country’s
largest but least populated province, for years, targeting security forces,
government installations and projects associated with the $60bn China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor.
On June 29,
four Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) gunmen stormed the country’s main stock
exchange in the southern city of Karachi, killing three private security guards
and a policeman.
Violence by
Baloch armed groups has increased in the last year, with security forces among
targets.
Separatist
groups have demanded independence for ethnically Baloch areas of Balochistan,
accusing the Pakistani government of extracting the province’s rich natural
resources while not investing in the people of the province.
Balochistan’s
districts regularly rank near the bottom of Pakistan’s human development
indicator rankings, and rights activists say those espousing separatist
politics are routinely subjected to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial
killings.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/pakistan-soldiers-killed-wounded-attack-convoy-200714125153094.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
--------
Militant
Ambush Kills 3 Pakistani Troops in Baluchistan
By Ayaz Gul
July 14, 2020
ISLAMABAD -
Suspected separatist militants in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province
Tuesday ambushed a military convoy, killing at least three soldiers and
injuring eight others.
The army’s
media wing said in a brief statement that the “terrorist fire raid” targeted a
"routine patrolling party" in the remote Panjgur district.
The statement
said the injured soldiers have been evacuated to a military hospital in the
provincial capital, Quetta, where five of them were in “critical” condition.
A militant
group known as the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) took responsibility for the
deadly ambush, saying it killed more than 20 Pakistani security forces.
The BLF and
several other armed groups, which claim to be fighting for Baluchistan’s
independence from Pakistan, often issue inflated claims about attacks on
government installations and security forces.
The Pakistani
province is at the center of a China-funded multi-billion-dollar infrastructure
development project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. It
is an extension of Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative.
Militants have
lately also targeted projects related to CPEC, which is building power plants
and roads in Pakistan, as well as a major port and an airport in Baluchistan.
Late last
month, armed men linked to the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is
also designated as a global terrorist group by the United States, attacked
Pakistan's main stock exchange in the southern port city of Karachi.
The ensuing
gunfight with security forces resulted in the deaths of the assailants as well
as three security guards and a police officer.
Pakistan
accused rival India of being behind the attack, charges New Delhi rejected.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/militant-ambush-kills-3-pakistani-troops-baluchistan?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
--------
IHC dismisses
plea for contempt proceedings against journalist
16 Jul, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
While the Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu notice of the alleged
contemptuous tweet by a journalist, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in an
identical matter observed that dignity of judges is not “so frail and
vulnerable so as to be harmed by a tweet on the social media”.
The Supreme Court
bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice MushirAlam and Justice
Ijazul Ahsan at the outset of the proceedings issued notices to the attorney
general, journalist Mateeullah Jan and president of the Supreme Court of Bar
Association. The bench put off the hearing till next week.
For his part,
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah upheld the objections of the court office and
dismissed a petition for contempt proceedings against the same journalist over
his alleged defamatory tweet.
Although the
court termed the tweet “inappropriate and unwanted content”, it expressed
displeasure that the matter had been highlighted through litigation.
SC takes suo
motu notice of Mateeullah Jan’s alleged contemptuous tweet
“It was indeed
not appropriate for the petitioner, who is an enrolled advocate, to have
further propagated an inappropriate and unwanted content by filing the instant
petition. Only a few (persons) would have read it on the social media platform,
but by entertaining this petition this court would be facilitating its
propagation,” Justice Minallah noted.
“The judgments
of a judge and the latter’s conduct is the measure of his or her integrity and
independence. If contempt proceedings were to be initiated on the basis of a
message uploaded on one of the social media platforms then it would open
floodgates of petitions because of the number of allegedly contemptuous
content,” he added.
“The integrity
and independence of the Honourable Judges, regarding whom the alleged tweet has
been attributed, is beyond doubt.”
Advocate Adnan
Iqbal had said in his petition that through his tweet Mr Jan had attempted to
use the social media platform to scandalise the apex court. He had prayed for
the initiation of proceedings against the journalist under the Contempt of
Court Ordinance, 2003.
The petitioner
had attached a document with his petition, said to be an image of the tweet
uploaded by the respondent on his Twitter account.
Discussing the
social media and how it tries to influence the judiciary, the court said: “Its
impact on the administration of justice, particularly the right to a fair trial
of an accused, could be profound. The abuse of social media platforms in a
politically polarised society entails the risk of harming institutions and
individuals. Fake, false, malicious and misguided propaganda, cyber-bullying or
cyber-stalking, (and) targeting the judiciary and its members on social media
platforms have become a common phenomenon.”
“The privacy
of judges is not protected and messages, photos and videos relating to their
personal lives or family matters are also uploaded in flagrant violation of the
right to privacy,” it added.
“Fake, false
and fabricated information and propaganda about judges and the administration
of justice are resorted to in order to get the desired verdicts. Motives are
imputed when a verdict is not of liking.
“It definitely
creates an intense challenge for an independent judge and the judiciary. But
the dignity of a judge or a court is not dependent on resorting to the law of
contempt,” the court order added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1569265/ihc-dismisses-plea-for-contempt-proceedings-against-journalist
--------
Ali Zaidi asks
Bilawal to disclose ‘unverified, hand-written’ will of Benazir
16 Jul, 2020
Federal
Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi on Wednesday asked Pakistan
People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to make the will of his
deceased mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, public.
“One
“unverified” secret hand written statement of BB shaheed, presented as her
will, was suffice enough for them to fool the nation, take over People’s Party,
win the elections and destroy the land of Lal Shahbaz for 12+ yrs. Time to
disclose all,” he tweeted.
Zaidi and PPP
leaders have locked horns in the wake of the release of Uzair Baloch’s JIT
report.
On July 11, he
tweeted a video of Lyari gang war head Uzair Baloch’s friend Habib Jan Baloch
and said: “Crime & politics have gone hand in hand. Mafia Don Asif
Zardari& his henchman Qadir Patel exposed yet again by Habib Jan who was
once, in the middle of it all.”
Prior to that,
he had shared a clip from PPP leader Nabil Gabol’s 2016 interview. “Dig a
little and you’ll find a lot of evidence! Here is @Nabilgabol on July 31st,
2016 live on ARY openly stating that Sindh Police is refusing to sign the Uzair
Baloch JIT reports,” he wrote in Twitter post.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/07/15/ali-zaidi-asks-bilawal-to-disclose-unverified-hand-written-will-of-benazir/
--------
Pakistan
stands by Turkey against FETO threat
16 Jul, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan continues to stand by Turkey
and is taking all possible steps to support Turkey’s efforts to address the
threat posed by Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (FETO).
In his message
addressed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the premier, on behalf of
the government and people of Pakistan, expressed solidarity with Turkey on its
‘Democracy and National Unity Day’ marked on July 15 to honour the martyrs of
2016.
“Four years
ago, on this day, the Turkish people displayed their characteristic resilience
and legendary bravery to defy the forces of darkness targeting Turkey’s peace
and stability as well as its democratic institutions,” PM Imran said.
The saga of
human courage and determination witnessed on 15 July 2016 was indeed an
inspiration for millions across the globe and would be remembered in the annals
of history, he added.
“Symbolising
the same spirit that motivated our forefathers not to hesitate from making any
sacrifice for their Turkish brethren a century ago, there was spontaneous
outburst of support and solidarity for Turkey on 15 July 2016,” he said.
He recalled
that the entire Pakistani nation spoke with one voice against the attempt to
undermine Turkey’s peace, democracy and march towards prosperity, saying: “We
join the people of Turkey in honouring the martyrs and supporting their
families”.
“As has been
the tradition of our two nations, we will always be shoulder-to-shoulder
supporting each other.”
PM Imran conveyed
prayers and best wishes to President Erdogan and the people of Turkey on their
“determinedly march towards peace and prosperity, and ever greater glory”.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/07/15/pakistan-stands-by-turkey-against-feto-threat/
--------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia,
US blacklist targets in Turkey, Syria for terrorist financing of ISIS
15 July 2020
Saudi Arabia
added six entities, including money transfer businesses, to an ISIS funding
blacklist, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
SPA said the
list was established in consultation with the United States and Gulf neighbors.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The US
Treasurey Department said in its statement that the Terrorist Financing
Targeting Center (TFTC) blacklisted three entities and an individual in Turkey
and Syria.
The Treasury
accused money services businesses, which include al Haram Exchange, Tawasul
Company, and al-Khalidi Exchange, of having "played a vital role in
transferring funds to support Syria-based ISIS fighters and ... provided
hundreds of thousands of dollars of liquidity to ISIS leadership."
Abd-al-Rahman
‘Ali Husayn al-Ahmad al-Rawi, selected by ISIS in 2017 to serve as a senior
financial facilitator, was also blacklisted, the Treasury said, accusing him of
being one of a few that have provided ISIS "significant financial
facilitation" into and out of Syria.
The TFTC also
blacklisted Afghanistan-based Nejaat Social Welfare Organization and its
director, Sayed Habib Ahmad Khan, accusing the organization of being used as a
cover company to support the activities of the Afghan affiliate of ISIS, known
as ISIS Khorasan (ISIS-K).
"The TFTC
has brought the US and its Gulf partners closer together to confront shared
regional threats and build the lasting capacity to target terrorist financial
networks wherever they operate," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in
a statement.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/07/15/Saudi-Arabia-blacklists-six-names-entities-for-financing-ISIS-State-Security.html
--------
28 Hezbollah
missile launch sites detected in civilian areas, highlighting its 'human
shield' tactic in Lebanon
Jul 15, 2020
Hezbollah is
continuing to bolster its cache of weapons by storing them in more urban,
densely-populated locations throughout Lebanon, a new study has revealed.
According to a
report released this week by the Israel-based Alma Center, 28 new depots have
been determined, with the highest concentration in the capital city of Beirut,
the Beqaa Valley, and southern Lebanon.
The 28 sites
are connected explicitly to the launch, storage, and production of the
terrorist group's medium-range Fateh 110 / M 600 missiles. However, the report
underscores that these particular missiles are part of Hezbollah's
"missile precision project," and their "improved models" –
referred to as "D' Al-Ficar"--have a 435-mile destruction range,
compared to their traditional missiles that could hit a maximum 186 miles.
Most
significantly, ALMA claims that the locations – which include command and
control launch capabilities, bunkers and missile assembly lines – are disguised
in routine civilian areas, nestled in and around hospitals, personal
residences, golf clubs, offices, soccer fields, churches, schools, and
restaurants.
It's a tactic
deemed the "human shield," which has long been associated with
Hezbollah's operating procedures.
"Hezbollah
plans to launch these weapons toward civilian targets and population
concentrations in Israel from within or adjacent to residential buildings.
Hezbollah believes that this tactic will grant it immunity against IDF's
attacks," the reports states, referring to the Israeli Defense Force.
"As part of its modus operandi, Hezbollah stores its weapons in civilian structures
and in the proximity of densely populated areas throughout Lebanon."
The
researchers' highlight that the "human shield" tactic has two main
implications. The first is centered on "incapacitating players, who
discriminate between combatants and non-combatants in armed conflicts, such as
Israel, and preventing them from adequate retaliation\attacks, minimized in
order to not harm innocent civilians as required by international law."
The second,
the report continues, is about "forcefully limiting the civilians' freedom
of movement by preventing them from leaving combat zones and directly
endangering their lives," which is said to be "enforced through
checkpoints in various locations in Lebanon, particularly in the South and near
the Shiite concentration in Beirut, which prohibits civilians from freely
leaving the area."
And it's a
tried and true technique.
"It is
not surprising at all that Hezbollah has embedded rocket launchers in civilian
areas, even in Beirut. Hezbollah is cynically using Lebanese civilians as human
shields against Israeli retaliation," Josh Lipowsky, senior research
analyst, Counter Extremism Project, told Fox News. "It has long used
Lebanese civilian structures to shield its arsenals. During the 2006 war with
Israel, Human Rights Watch and U.N. humanitarian relief coordinator Jan Egeland
both acknowledged that Hezbollah was blending among Lebanese civilians to
decrease its own military losses."
He also
emphasized that Hezbollah's goals are two-fold.
"By
embedding its weaponry into civilian areas, it wants to decrease the likelihood
of Israeli airstrikes against it by using human shields. Hezbollah also wants
to draw Israeli soldiers into Lebanon on the ground to use the urban landscape
as camouflage for snipers and anti-tank missile launchers so it can more easily
pick off the Israeli military," Lipowsky surmised. "Hezbollah
continues to demonstrate that it views the Lebanese people as nothing more than
the sacrificial pawns in its chess game with Israel."
Defense
analysts noted that the exposure of more than a dozen sensitive sites is hardly
a surprise, given that the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based outfit has been steadily
building its capabilities.
"Hezbollah
currently has an arsenal of around 130,000 missiles. Most of the missiles are
locally produced, short-range missiles and rockets. Some of the missiles have
been and still are delivered from Iran via three ways--first, taken to Syria by
air and then moved to Lebanon by land; second, taken to Lebanon by air; third,
via land through Iraq, Syria and then Lebanon," noted Ashkan Safaei
Hakimi, an Israel correspondent at the U.K-based outlet Iran International.
"The greatest strength of Hezbollah, besides its vast missile arsenal, is
the support they receive from Iran."
Raphael
Marcus, a research fellow in the Department of War Studies, King's College
London and author of the book "Israel's Long War with Hezbollah: Military
Innovation and Adaptation Under Fire," observed that reports such as the
Alma investigation are also Israel signaling and publicly warning Hezbollah
that it is aware of the group's enhanced military capabilities.
"Last
August, there were unexplained explosions in Beirut in Hezbollah's Dahiyeh
stronghold, which were attributed to Israel's secretive effort to counter
Hezbollah's expanding precision missile arsenal," he said. "Of
course, we also saw Hezbollah operating militarily within civilian areas in
Beirut during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, and there have been Israeli
intelligence reports leaked to the press for years about the locations of known
Hezbollah military facilities in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa where
Hezbollah stores missiles."
Moreover,
Hezbollah's second-in-command,SheikhNaimQassem, told Iranian news agency Tasnim
this week that their movement "has greatly developed its defense
capabilities in the past years, and the Tel Aviv regime is well aware of this
fact."
Miguel
Miranda, an expert analyst in military technology across the Middle East and
Asia, emphasized that there are three additional types of rockets and missiles
that should be of most concern to regional stability, namely Israel.
There is the
Fadjr 3/5, best described as "large diameter rockets" of two
calibers, 240mm and 333mm, and if equipped with a GPS navigation kit, they
become scary accurate missiles. Second, the Fateh-110 – Iranian-made ballistic
missiles and proven to be effective at ranges exceeding 150 miles.
"These
are extremely dangerous. And then the Zelzal, another class of Iranian large
diameter rocket artillery with an effective range between 90 and 125 miles.
Because of their size, any deliveries to Hezbollah needs to be overland, from
bases in Syria," Miranda explained. "Hezbollah has limited manpower,
but they know how to fight 'asymmetric' campaigns that render large
conventional forces ineffective."
And because of
the sheer size and variety of Hezbollah's weaponry stash, conjectured
U.S.-based defense analyst, John Wood, it presents a massive threat.
"Its
degradation is the best one could hope for hence, the almost weekly Israeli air
and missile attacks in Lebanon and Syria," he pointed out. "And as
Syria moves ever closer to Russia and accommodation with both Israel, as well
as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, Hezbollah becomes even more important to
Iran."
Hakimi also
stressed that the financial crisis currently crippling Lebanon is forcing
Hezbollah to change some of its ways, relying more on internal production
rather than external.
"They
have also been trying to produce precise missiles in Lebanon after almost all
missile shipments from Iran were destroyed by alleged Israeli attacks in
Syria," he said. "There are also reports that the terror group is now
more dependent on its network of money laundering and trafficking to support
itself financially."
Lipowsky also
detected some operational changes as its role in neighboring Syria has been
drawn down as the protracted civil war dwindles, bringing the homefront – and
Iraq – back into sharper focus.
"Since
Hezbollah has largely withdrawn its fighters from Syria, it has focused on
regrouping its forces in Lebanon. Hezbollah has continued to build its deadly
arsenal of rockets and medium-range missiles while embedding these weapons
around Lebanon. Hezbollah's expansion into Iraq overseeing the Iranian-sponsored
militias there is further proof of its flourishing role as Iran's trusted
enforcer in the region," he surmised. "While the Hezbollah leadership
openly declares its allegiance to Iran and the support it receives from Iran,
the Iranian regime can deny direct responsibility for any Hezbollah action
while remaining confident that Hezbollah will work to exert Iran's influence
throughout the region. We that now in Iraq with Hezbollah's new position
overseeing the Iranian-sponsored militias, and we see that in Lebanon, where
Hezbollah and its allies dominate the Lebanese government and promote Iranian
positions."
According to
Marcus, Hezbollah knows that its most significant military asset is its rocket
and missile stockpile and the group's ability to target Israel's civilian home
front.
"Rocket
fire against Israel's towns and cities cause the economy to grind to a halt and
terrorize the civilian population and causes severe pressure against the
Israeli government. While Israel developed an innovative solution with its Iron
Dome short-range missile defense system, Hezbollah has also learned that with
an expanded arsenal, it will attempt to saturate Iron Dome's
capabilities," he said. "In a future war, Hezbollah's also hopes to
use precision missiles to target sensitive sites and critical installations in
Israel in order to deliver a sharp blow that will impact Israel's ability to
declare a clear victory."
https://www.foxnews.com/world/28-new-hezbollah-missile-launch-sites-detected-in-civilians-areas-highlighting-its-human-shield-tactic?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
--------
Maronite
patriarch implicitly criticizes Hezbollah for Lebanon's isolation
15 July 2020
Lebanon's top
church official reprimanded the country’s political elite on Wednesday, calling
on them to pledge allegiance to Lebanon first and foremost as he indirectly
criticized the Iran-backed Hezbollah for its participation in neighboring wars.
“Being neutral
means committing to common Arab causes, without taking part in political or
military conflicts,” Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai said after meeting
President Michel Aoun.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Days after he
criticized Hezbollah and its allies for isolating Lebanon from its “brothers
and friends,” Rai told Aoun that all Lebanese sides should pledge allegiance to
Lebanon.
Rai indirectly
spoke out against Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement during two
consecutive church sermons last week and the week before, calling for Lebanon
to implement the dissociation policy.
On Wednesday,
Rai met with Aoun and the two reportedly discussed the dissociation policy and
need for Lebanon to distance itself from regional and international axes.
Hezbollah has
openly participated in the Syrian war alongside the Assad regime in the
yearslong war and has military advisers and commanders present in Iraq and
Yemen working with Shia proxies and militias.
But Rai was
quick to add that Israel was not an issue Lebanon would or should agree on with
the international community.
Being neutral
also means having a “strong state and a strong army,” Rai added.
Asked if he
was speaking directly about Hezbollah, he said: “On the contrary, I told the
president I mean everyone.”
Pompeo
US Secretary
of State Pompeo said Wednesday that the Lebanese people wanted a government
that was responsive to the people and “not subject to influence from designated
terrorist group Hezbollah.”
“They want
basic economic activity restored, they want taxes to be collected in a fair
way,” Pompeo said during a briefing with journalists.
The top US
diplomat said that when a Lebanese government “shows up that will do that and
do that well, I am very confident that countries from all across the world and
the [International Monetary Fund] will show up to provide them with the
financing they need to execute a reform plan.”
Washington’s
position on Lebanon has been “pretty clear and is bipartisan.”
Prime Minister
Hassan Diab’s government has failed to implement reforms demanded by the
international community and the IMF in order to unlock economic and financial
aid. Diab previously said that his government had fulfilled “97 percent” of its
goals.
He formed a
government, purely made up of Hezbollah and its allies at the beginning of the
year.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/Maronite-patriarch-implicitly-criticizes-Hezbollah-for-Lebanon-s-isolation.html
--------
‘Lebanon has
become a police state:’ Authorities bow to Turkish pressure, sue TV host
15 July 2020
Turkish
pressure may have led to Lebanese authorities prosecuting a TV show host for
calling Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “an obnoxious Ottoman.”
The host,
Armenian-Lebanese Nishan der-Haroutounian, is accused of harming Turkish-Lebanese
relations after Ankara sent a formal letter to Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry, a
lawyer for the host told Al Arabiya English.
While the
complaint filed by a Lebanese lawyer against Al-Jadeed TV host Nishan
der-Haroutounian was initially not accepted when presented to the general
prosecutor, Turkish pressure may have convinced the general prosecutor to
accept the complaint to press charges, Ayman Raad, der-Haroutounian’s lawyer
told Al Arabiya English.
Freedom of
expression has recently regressed in Lebanon, with the head of the Beirut
Lawyers Bar Melhem Khalaf saying yesterday at a press conference “Lebanon has
become a police state.” Khalaf continued that the bar would not allow “the
Lebanese institutions to fall under the grip of the police state.”
This incident
comes on the heels of another Hezbollah-linked judge issuing a ban on local
Lebanese and foreign media reporting on comments or speeches made by US
Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea.
Raad said he
is “very worried” about where freedom of expression is headed in Lebanon,
especially in his role as a member of the Lawyers Committee for Defending
Protesters.
The Turkish
Embassy in Lebanon sent a letter to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry saying the
host had exceeded the limits of free expression and demanded that Lebanese
media display the requisite respect for Turkey’s president and people, regional
outlet al-Monitor reported.
Der-Haroutounian,
the host of a program on Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV, received a complaint for
“insulting Turkey” before the Court of Publications Chamber in Beirut,
al-Monitor reported.
YeghiaTashjian,
a Lebanon-based regional analyst and researcher said the move was “largely
symbolic.”
The TV show
host’s lawyer told Al Arabiya English that he didn’t believe the complaint had
any legal basis, but der-Haroutounian is set to appear in court in October.
Der-Haroutounian
had called Erdogan “an obnoxious Ottoman,” and a viewer who called into the
show on June 10 made derogatory comments about the host’s Armenian roots after
der-Haroutounian’s anti-Erdogan comments.
“I am at
complete liberty to call Erdogan and his regime obnoxious. A million and a half
Armenians were killed,” der-Haroutounian responded.
During the
1915 Armenian genocide, some 1.5 million ethnic Armenians living in the former
Ottoman Empire were killed.
While there
are no solid figures on how many ethnic Armenians reside in Lebanon today, most
estimates put the number around 150,000, or roughly 4 percent of Lebanon’s
population.
After the
show, a group claiming ancestry from Turkey’s southeastern province Mardin
protested outside the station, chanting anti-Armenian slogans, al-Monitor
reported.
Lebanese
pro-Turkish activist Mounir Hassan also posted a video online calling
der-Haroutounian an “idiotic dog” and “gay.”
“We and our
Turkish and Ottoman ancestors are proud of the massacre that our Ottoman
ancestors carried out against the Armenians, because you deserve it,” Hassan
said, al-Monitor reported, on the video that went viral.
While freedom
of expression has regressed in Lebanon over the last year, foreign governments
have not typically meddled in the state’s media in this manner.
Since October
2019 when nationwide anti-government protests kicked off, more than 60 people
have been called into interrogation for social media posts since nationwide
anti-government demonstrations began on October 17, Human Rights Watch found.
However, Raad said this number is likely to be over 100 as not everyone who is
called in reports their case or requests help.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/-Lebanon-has-become-a-police-state-Authorities-bow-to-Turkish-pressure-sue-TV-host.html
--------
Saudi Arabia
launches ‘World Defense Show’ to deepen military partnerships in 2022
16 July 2020
Saudi Arabia
launched its first fully integrated defense show to take place in March 2022,
the Kingdom’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) said on
Wednesday.
The “World
Defense Show” which is scheduled to take place in Riyadh between 6-9 March
2022, is meant to “cement Saudi Arabia’s position at the heart of the global
defense industry and strengthen relationships with existing and potential
industry partners,” GAMI said in a statement.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“Saudi Arabia
is an ideal host for a defense show of this scale given its strategic location
at the center of three continents and global supply chains, as well as its
status as one of the world’s largest defense markets,” GAMI added.
According to
the Saudi authority the show will help the Kingdom achieve its vision to
localize 50 percent of its military expenditure by 2030, “especially by
promoting further collaboration with governments and defense manufacturers
around the world.”
The show will
focus on “interoperability across air, land, sea, security innovative defense
technologies and satellite defense systems,” state news agency SPA reported.
GAMI’s
Governor, Ahmad al-Ohali said: “There is no better place than Saudi Arabia to
organize a defense event at this scale. A G20 country, the Kingdom is one of
the world’s biggest defense spenders with a strategic location at the center of
three continents, making it an ideal hub for defense trade and innovation.”
The CEO of the
event, Shaun Ormrod said: “Through [the] World Defense Show we will demonstrate
why Saudi Arabia is critical to the defense industry’s future. The platform
will enable access to dedicated programs that support Saudi Arabia’s local
businesses, it will leverage investment opportunities and encourage a new
generation to aspire to work in the defense industry.”
The Kingdom’s
Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, aims to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from a dependence on oil.
Part of that plan aims to develop the national defense industrial sector.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/07/16/Saudi-Arabia-launches-its-first-fully-integrated-defense-show-in-March-2022-GAMI.html
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New projects
aim to share Saudi human-rights successes with the world
July 16, 2020
RIYADH: The
Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) has launched three international
initiatives to highlight the success of recent reforms implemented by the
Kingdom, and enhance its cooperation with other organizations working in the
field.
“(Saudi
Arabia) has witnessed historic transformations and qualitative moves in human
rights, as more than 70 reform decisions in the field were issued under the
directives of King Salman and under the direct leadership and tireless
follow-up of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” said Awwad Al-Awwad, the
president of the HRC.
He described
the reforms as a success story, and said the commission will work to highlight
the achievements around the world.
At the forefront
of this effort is the launch of the HRC’s International Communication Program,
as part of which representatives of civil-society institutions will be invited
to participate in commission meetings and international human-rights events. In
addition, young national leaders will be trained to enhance the representation
of the Kingdom in human-rights organizations worldwide.
The HRC
considers that the program presents an important opportunity to educate and
inform international partners and the public about the unprecedented steps
Saudi Arabia is taking to meet international standards of human rights and its
achievements to that end. It also provides a mechanism that will enable the
country to develop its relationship with the international community and highlight
developments and reforms.
Al-Awwad also
announced the launch of the HRC International Platform, which will focus on
sharing English-language information and data reflecting the progress made in
safeguarding human rights in the Kingdom. This will include direct interaction
with the public on social media.
The third new
initiative is a monthly, English-language newsletter featuring information
about the latest human-rights reforms and developments in Saudi Arabia,
including efforts being made to promote and protect them. A mailing list has also
been created that includes more than 500 prominent human-rights campaigners
around the world. The newsletter and other HRC publications will be sent to
them to enhance communication and interaction, and keep them informed of
human-rights initiatives in the Kingdom.
Al-Awwad said
that the new initiatives are designed to reveal the true state of human rights
in the Kingdom, which has undergone unprecedented development at all levels in
the past few years. They will also improve communication and encourage positive
relationships with human-rights campaigners and organizations in other
countries, he added, in an effort to correct misconceptions that have formed
for many reasons, not least the absence until now of accurate information.
The HRC has
already produced the first issue of its newsletter, which highlighted the
Kingdom’s improved ranking in the latest edition of the US State Department’s
annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which was published in June. It praised
the efforts being made by Saudi authorities to crack down on human trafficking
through a series of reforms, the most recent of which was the launch of the
national referral mechanism. This was strengthened by a Saudi-international
training partnership, organized through the International Organization for
Migration and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and a Saudi-US partnership to
combat human trafficking.
The newsletter
also reported on the Kingdom’s efforts to tackle terrorism, which undermines
and threatens human rights. In addition, it included information about penal
reforms, and the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish flogging as a punishment
in ta’zir cases — in which, under Sharia, punishment is at the discretion of
the judge or ruler — and replace it with imprisonment and/or a fine.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1705366/saudi-arabia
--------
India
New Hyderabad
Secretariat to Have A Beautiful Modern Mosque In Lieu Of The Old Mosque That
Was Demolished
Jul 16, 2020
Hyderabad: The
state government on Wednesday informed the high court that it would construct a
beautiful modern mosque in the new secretariat in lieu of the old mosque in the
old secretariat complex that was already demolished.
State’s
special counsel HarenderPershad told this to Justice A Abhishek Reddy who was
hearing a writ petition filed by M Zakeer Hussain Javid representing two
mosques that were built inside the secretariat.
The judge
directed the state counsel to file the assurance in the form of a memo. tnn
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/new-sectt-to-have-modern-mosque/articleshow/76988244.cms
--------
Delhi Police
Affidavit Shows Muslims Bore Brunt of Riots, Silent on Who Targeted Them and
Why
Siddharth
Varadarajan
Jul 16, 2020
New Delhi: A
Delhi Police affidavit giving the most detailed government account yet of the
communal violence which shook the capital’s north-east district in February
this year has provided for the first time an official break-up by religion of
the victims.
And though the
Sangh parivar rumour-mill has consistently described the riots as ‘anti-Hindu’,
the data makes it clear that Muslims bore the brunt of what was essentially
targeted, organised violence.
The list of
the dead provided in an annexure to the affidavit submitted to the Delhi high
court on July 13 establishes that 77% of the civilians killed – 40 out of 52 –
were Muslim while the remaining 23%, or 12, were Hindu. The 53rd victim was a
policeman, head constable Ratan Lal, who died of gunshot wounds, and even if he
is included in the list of Hindus, Muslims still make up three-quarters of
those killed.
A separate
annexure provides a Hindu-Muslim break-up of houses and shops destroyed. Here,
even though its tabulation establishes that Muslims suffered greater losses,
the Delhi Police appear to have deliberately undercounted the extent to which
they were targeted.
For houses
damaged, the police give the total number as 185, comprising 14 Hindu houses,
50 Muslim ones and zero ‘unknown’. This suggests that just 27% of the homes
damaged or destroyed belonged to Muslims. But when the area-wise breakup is
correctly added, the Muslim total rises from 50 to 90, i.e 48.6%. But even this
is a gross undercount as the police has withheld the breakup for Khajuri Khas –
where the single largest number of houses were destroyed (54) – and Karawal
Nagar (23). Both are Hindu majority areas with Muslim pockets within them and
it was the residents of those pockets who bore the brunt of the mobs. Assuming
many if not most of the 41.6% houses belonging to the ‘unknown’ category are in
fact Muslim houses, then it could be that 85-90% of the brunt was borne by
Muslims.
But even here,
the police numbers seem an undercount. On March 3, the Eidgah relief camp had around a thousand displaced Muslim men,
women and children, mostly the poorest amongst those whose homes were damaged
or destroyed. Even at 5 members to a family, that is 200 households. Many
others had moved in with relatives or left Delhi.
The same
pattern of undercounting is evident when it comes to the break-up of damage to
shops. Again, the police are not able to add up the Hindu and Muslim columns
properly.
Going by the
neighbourhood-wise breakup, 14% of shops damaged belonged to Hindus and 53.4%
to Muslims. But Khajuri Khas and Karawal Nagar have no religion-wise breakup,
so “unknown” is 32.4%. Again, assuming the bulk of the ‘unknowns’ are Muslim,
given the two localities and contemporary media reports, Muslims appear to have
been the target for 80-85% of the attacks on shops and businesses.
However, the
Delhi Police makes no note of the evidence of this targeting that is hiding in
plain sight in its annexures because it runs counter to the thrust of its
affidavit – that the riots were a conspiracy by the anti-Citizenship
(Amendment) Act protesters to “execute a secessionist movement in the country
by propagating an armed rebellion” in which “the anti-government feeling of
Muslims, will be used at an appropriate time to destabilise the government.”
The Delhi
police filed this affidavit in response to a clutch of petitions filed by Harsh
Mander, Shaikh Mujtaba Farooq, Rahul Roy, Brinda Karat and others demanding,
inter alia, that FIRs be registered against BJP politicians like Kapil Mishra
and Anurag Thakur for inflammatory speeches in the run up to the February
violence. “It is submitted that during the investigations conducted so far in
all the aforesaid matter related to North-East Delhi riots no actionable
evidence has surfaced yet indicating any role being played by [these] persons
instigating and/or participating in the riots,” the police said.
Number of
‘temples damaged’ rises from two to six
Most curious
of all is the figure of six for “temples damaged” and 13 for mosques,
considering that in a reply to an RTI query last month, the Delhi Police itself
gave the number of mosques/madrasas damaged as 11 and temples as only two. How
the figure of two has now grown to six is not clear.
The targeted
mob attacks on mosques, dargahs and madrasas during the riot had been widely
documented in the media. Scroll.in provided details with photographs of 15 such
places that had been burnt. On February 25, The Wire‘s reporters were witness
to the burning of a mosque in Ashok Nagar and the planting of a Hanuman flag on
top of its minaret. In contrast, there have been no reports of any Hindu temple
sustaining serious damage.
While mobs
pelted stones at the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Shiv Vihar and a Hanuman temple
near the Rajdhani School which had been taken over by a mob was also briefly
targeted, not even the pro-Hindutva media which devoted a lot of space to
describing the violence as the ‘anti-Hindu Delhi riots’ has alleged that
temples had been systematically targeted or damaged. One right-wing portal did
claim that a Muslim mob had climbed atop a Shiv Mandir in Chand Bagh to throw
stones but this was debunked by none other than the priest of the temple.
In a separate
list of 473 civilians injured, the police have listed the name and father’s
name of each of them. Though religion is not mentioned, going by the names,
Hindus account for 216, or 45%, while Muslims account for 257, or 55%.
A total of 108
police personnel were also injured.
Police play up
violence against Hindus in affidavit
Though the
data contained in the annexures of the Delhi Police affidavit makes it clear
that Muslim lives, homes, shops and places of worship bore the brunt of the
violence seen across north-east Delhi in February, it is hard to reconcile that
data with the affidavit’s structure and contents – which give no indication
whatsoever that there had been any targeting of Muslims.
Curiously, the
only individual victims it describes all happen to be Hindu. After stating that
473 civilians were injured in the riots, the affidavit says:
“It is
shocking to note the following:
“Contrary to
what circulated in public domain the head constable Shri Ratan LaI has died due
to bullet injuries sustained by use of firearm…
“An
Intelligence Bureau officer Sh. Ankit Sharma was stabbed multiple times and his
body was dumped in a large drain (nala). His dead body was found.
“A person was
burnt alive and his body was found on the first floor of the building.
Investigation have revealed that prior to being burnt he was brutally
assaulted.”
The last case
is a reference to the widely reported murder of a Hindu sweetshop employee,
Dilbar Negi. Why Delhi Police felt the need to highlight his killing in the
affidavit, or that of Ankit Sharma, over others that were also brutal is not
clear.
The
affidavit’s narrative speaks broadly of battles between mobs – those opposed to
the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, who had conspired to launch riots, versus
those opposed to their sit-down protest. But while the police, in its affidavit
and various chargesheets, always describes the violence by those opposed to the
CAA (read: Muslims) as ‘pre-planned’, it offers no explanation for why the
(presumably spontaneous) violence by the “other side” ended up being so much
deadlier – as evidenced by its data.
https://thewire.in/communalism/delhi-police-affidavit-shows-muslims-bore-brunt-of-riots-silent-on-who-targeted-them-and-why
--------
Pak arrests
govt employee, claims he is RAW agent
Jul 16, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a government employee on
Wednesday, claiming that he was a RAW agent and involved in targeted killings
and bombings in the southern port city of Karachi.
The suspect,
Zafar Khan, officials said, was a member of the Karachi fire brigade. FIA
officials alleged Khan had spent 14 months in India where he had received
training in the making of bombs and the use of weapons.
The FIA also
claimed that they had also arrested two members of a money exchange company who
were allegedly part of a RAW sleeper cell. "The two suspects were sending
money to anti-state elements through hawala and hundi," FIA officials
claimed.
"Information
about others involved has been sent to all airports in the country," the
investigators said, adding that laptops, phones and guns were recovered from
them. "A case has been registered against the suspects and an
investigation is underway," officials added.
Similar claims
had been made by FIA officials in May this year after they arrested a police
special branch assistant sub-inspector. Then, too, they had alleged he had been
working for RAW and was a member of the MuttahidaQaumi Movement’s London group.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pak-arrests-govt-employee-claims-he-is-raw-agent/articleshow/76989530.cms
--------
Dubai hospital
waives Rs 1.52 crore bill of Telangana Covid-19 patient, volunteers help him
return to Hyderabad
Srinivasa Rao
Apparasu
Jul 15, 2020
A hospital in
Dubai waived the bill of Rs 1.52 crore in Indian currency of a Covid-19 patient
from Telangana on humanitarian grounds and discharged him from hospital after
80 days of treatment without charging him a penny.
According to E
Chitti Babu, senior official of the NRI cell in the Telangana government,
42-year old Odnala Rajesh, a native of Venugumatla village in Gollapallimandal
of Jagitial district, landed in Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad
in the early hours of Wednesday.
“We, along
with his family members received him in the airport. We granted him permission
to a 14-day home quarantine and sent him to his native village,” Chitti Babu
told HT.
Rajesh’s wife
Laxmi is a washerwoman by profession and also works as an agriculture labourer
on daily wages. His daughter Mounika (18) is a student of B. Com student and
his son Madhu (16) is studying in Class 12 (Intermediate).
Rajesh who had
been to Dubai as a construction worker a couple of years ago, was admitted to Dubai
Hospital in Dubai on April 23 with fever and cough and he tested positive
later. After 80 days of treatment, he recovered from Covid-19 and was
discharged on Monday.
“The hospital
authorities handed over a bill of 7,62,555 Dirhams (Rs 1.52 crore) to Rajesh,
but he had no money to pay the amount. A local Telugu NRI Gundelli Narasimha
came to the rescue of Rajesh,” Chitti Babu said.
Narasimha,
president of the Gulf Workers Protection Society in Dubai who had been
monitoring Rajesh’s health right from the beginning brought the matter to the
attention of Sumanth Reddy, a volunteer in Indian Consulate in Dubai.
Reddy, along
with another social worker Ashok Kotecha of BAPS Swaminarayan Trust, requested
Harjeet Singh, Consul (Labour) of Indian Consulate in Dubai to help the poor
worker. Singh wrote a letter to Dubai Hospital management asking them to waive
the bill on humanitarian grounds and they responded positively and waived the
bill and discharged the patient.
Kotecha
provided free flight tickets to Rajesh and his escort DyavaraKankaiah and paid
Rs 10,000 for pocket expenses. “Both of them reached Hyderabad in the early
hours of Wednesday,” Chitti Babu said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dubai-hospital-waives-rs-1-52-crore-bill-of-telangana-covid-19-patient-volunteers-help-him-return-to-hyderabad/story-LQDlmBXT6Omt3IDubqssWO.html
--------
Southeast Asia
Indonesian
Ulema Council Says That Processing Qurbani Meat Before Distribution Is Allowed
DyaningPangestika
July 15, 2020
The Indonesian
Ulema Council (MUI) announced recently that processing qurban (sacrificial
cattle) meat prior to distribution is allowed due to health concerns amid the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In a written
statement received by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, MUI fatwa commission
secretary AsrorunNiamSholeh said meat sacrificed on IdulAdha (Day of Sacrifice)
could be processed into canned food, or cooked into rendang (slow-cooked meat
in coconut milk and spices).
He explained
that the cattle meat was traditionally distributed immediately after the animal
was slaughtered so that people in need could receive it as soon as possible.
But given the
current situation, he said processing the meat before distributing it was
safer, especially for people affected by COVID-19.
“Since it may
be difficult for these people to cook it themselves, it is permissible to
distribute the meat through cooked food or other processed foods,” he said.
If there is an
abundance of meat during IdulAdha, the meat can also be preserved and distributed
at a later time as stipulated in MUI Fatwa No. 37/2019.
The Religious
Affairs Ministry recently banned the public celebration of IdulAdha in areas
considered “unsafe from COVID-19” by their respective regional administrations.
Indonesia’s
second-largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, also encouraged Muslims to convert
their qurban to sadaqah (alms) to help those who had been hit hard by the
pandemic, or to do both if they could afford it, as Muhammadiyah acknowledged
that the health crisis had caused social and economic problems that had forced
many into poverty.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/07/15/processing-qurban-meat-before-distribution-is-allowed-mui.html
--------
Kedah Chinese
associations to hand memo to MB over temple, shrine demolition
Predeep
Nambiar
July 14, 2020
ALOR SETAR:
The Kedah Chinese Assembly Hall today resolved to hand over a memorandum to the
menteribesar concerning Chinese places of worship, after a rise in “clear-out”
and demolition notices from local authorities.
Assembly
president Cheng Lai Hock said the memorandum contained five proposals to the
state government, including a pause on enforcement action against non-Muslim
places of worship.
Cheng said the
state government would also be urged to help legalise shrines and temples which
were considered illegal.
Recently, the
managements of about 10 Chinese places of worship said they had received
notices from the AlorSetar City Council to clear out.
“The
legalisation should be allowed, so long as the said places do not jeopardise
safety of the people and cause traffic congestion.
“We are also
asking the state to ensure that all future development approvals be given only
if developers allocate spaces for non-Muslim places of worship.
“Overall, we
want a ‘status quo’ on all existing places of worship and hope that local
authorities will defer enforcement action for the time being,” he told FMT.
Cheng said the
local authorities should also simplify the application process of the
establishment of places of worship and allow the conversion of land or building
use for religious purposes.
He said the
proposals were derived from a meeting with representatives of Chinese-related
religious associations and temples last night.
“We will now
seek a meeting with the menteribesar to submit our memorandum,” he said.
He said state
executive councillor for Chinese and Siamese affairs Dr Robert Ling was also
present yesterday, along with opposition political leaders including DAP’s Tan
Kok Yew and PKR’s Simon Ooi.
The assembly
hall is the umbrella body for 250 Kedah Chinese associations and has about
3,000 members.
Recently,
Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state government would not
tolerate illegal structures, as they were “disorderly”.
He said this
following the city council’s demolition of a 78-year-old Hindu shrine across
the AlorSetar railway station early in the morning on July 9.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/07/14/kedah-chinese-associations-to-hand-memo-to-mb-over-temple-shrine-demolition/
--------
Strong rebukes
for Malaysian minister’s anti-trans stance
July 16, 2020
Zulkifli
Mohamad Al-Bakri, Malaysia’s religious affairs minister, stated July 10 that
federal religious police have “full license” to arrest trans people and subject
them to religious education to “return to the right path”.
In response,
the Muslim human rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) urged him to drop his
calls to “rehabilitate” trans people but instead should remember how Islam teaches its adherents
kindness, compassion and not to discriminate, shame or act violently,
regardless of people’s backgrounds, gender or identities.
AzrulMohdKhalib,
chief executive of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, said that the
minister’s words had sent a terrible signal, which may cause an escalation of
harmful and discriminating actions
against the trans community.
The trans
advocacy group Justice for Sisters agreed, stating:
“His statement
will increase discrimination, violence and mistreatment of transgender women
with impunity by enforcement officers of the Islamic Departments as well as
members of the public. We are already observing questions and concerns over
personal security, safety and well-being by transgender persons across the
country since the release of the statement.”
This is the
full statement of Justice for Sisters:
What Trans
People Need is the License to Be Respected as Human
Justice for
Sisters is deeply concerned with and disappointed by Dr Zulkifli Mohamad’s
irresponsible and degrading statement about trans people in the media
yesterday. In the statement, he gives full license to the Federal Territory
Islamic Department (JAWI) to arrest and counsel or educate transgender people
so that they ‘return to the right path’. His statement will increase
discrimination, violence and mistreatment of transgender women with impunity by
enforcement officers of the Islamic Departments as well as members of the
public. We are already observing questions and concerns over personal security,
safety and well-being by transgender persons across the country since the
release of the statement.
These concerns
are not unfounded. There are many documented evidence and reports of
mistreatment and human rights violations by the Islamic Departments against
transgender people. The Study on Discrimination against Transgender Persons in
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor revealed that 39 of 69 trans women interviewees (57%)
had experienced arbitrary arrest based on gender identity, while many others
have had hostile interactions with law enforcement agencies. These numbers are
alarming as they suggest trans women are disproportionately targeted and
arrested based on their gender identity. The study also documents the impact of
hostile encounters with the enforcement agencies, which include anxiety, trauma,
depression amongst others. Four persons shared that they have had suicidal
thoughts, and one person had attempted suicide as a result of the encounters.
Meanwhile, I
am Scared to be a Woman, a Human Rights Watch report documents the multiple
forms of aggression and violence experienced by trans women during arrest and
detention as well their impact on the employment and interpersonal
relationships of trans women.
The human
rights violations documented in these reports have yet to be investigated and
no one has been held accountable. This license to arrest is essentially a
license to discriminate, promote hate and violate the rights of trans women in
Malaysia with impunity. It is a license enjoyed by the state actors who are
free to conduct arrests and corrective therapies as they please, often without
accountability, even while they restricted trans people from their right to
self-expression and identity, freedom of movement, and access to redress and
justice. This hostile environment makes it even more challenging for
transgender people to report human rights violations.
We are also
deeply disturbed by the government’s perception of transgender people as less
than human and as undeserving of respect and dignity. We emphasize that
transgender persons are autonomous human beings and equal members of society
with rights as affirmed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and
other UN treaties as well as international human rights laws.
The notion
that gender identity and transgender persons can be rehabilitated, changed or
‘returned to the right path’ through counseling is completely false and
unscientific. It subjects transgender persons, non-binary and gender
non-conforming persons to so much harm and human rights violations. In fact,
these corrective or conversion therapies, including those that use spiritual
and religious methods have been rejected by medical and human rights bodies
globally due to its harmful impact, including depression, suicidal ideation and
attempts and self harm, among others. We reiterate that these practices are
forms of torture given the magnitude of harm it has on the individual and their
loved ones.
While the
government may claim that they have seen many transgender women who have
changed themselves or ‘returned to the right path’, we must analyze the factors
and circumstances that contribute to these changes. We respect everyone’s right
to self-determination, self-expression and the choices that they make. However,
it is important to note that these individuals’ decisions to change are often
made in order to access opportunities, services, and simply to be tolerated in
society.
Given the
discrimination, violence and marginalization that they faced throughout their
lives, some transgender people cannot imagine they could be accepted without
condition and therefore subject themselves to society’s conditions just to get
by. We believe that trans people know their own needs and do not need uninvited
interventions from others to correct them. We should listen to them tell us
what they want.
The Born Free
and Equal handbook by the United Nations outlines the five steps that a state
can take to fulfill its state obligation in relation to the human rights of
LGBTIQ persons. This includes 1) protect LGBTI persons from violence 2) prevent
torture and ill treatment of LGBTI persons, including conversion therapy 3)
repeal laws that criminalize LGBTI persons 4) prohibit discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex
characteristics 5) safeguard freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and
association for LGBTI persons.
In addition,
the Malaysian government has received multiple recommendations through the UN
process, namely the CEDAW review and the UPR to repeal discriminatory laws and
to ensure protection against violence and discrimination, amongst others. It is
time for the government to implement the recommendations to ensure nobody is
left behind and all persons in Malaysia are able to enjoy and exercise their
human rights.
Dr Zulkifli in
his former capacity as the Mufti of the Federal Territory has engaged trans
people on numerous occasions. In these engagements, trans people have shared
their lived experiences. These include challenges that they have faced due to
the harmful assumptions that transgender persons and their gender identity can
be changed. These further compound the challenges they have faced because of the
lack of gender recognition and the numerous laws and fatwas that restrict them.
Given his
engagements with transgender persons, we call for Dr Zulkifli to reflect on his
statements and the harm it will cause transgender persons. We recommend that he
withdraws his statement to prevent harm against transgender persons.
Justice for
Sisters urges government to fulfill its obligations to protect, respect and
fulfill the rights of all persons, and end of forms of impunity, discrimination
and violence against trans people.
https://76crimes.com/2020/07/15/strong-rebukes-for-malaysian-ministers-anti-trans-stance/
--------
Thai move to
legalize same-sex unions faces opposition
July 16, 2020
Conservative
Muslim groups in Thailand have opposed a new bill that aims to allow same-sex
couples to register their unions officially and adopt children.
The newly
drafted Marriage Equality Bill is seen as a watershed for members of Thailand's
LGBTQ community. If passed by parliament, Thailand will become the first
country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex unions.
"We fully
oppose the Civil Partnership Bill," a group called Muslims for Peace wrote
in a social media post on its Facebook page, calling on local Muslims to do
likewise.
"We
believe that it will cause inevitable damage to society," it added.
"It will also cause national unrest [because newly granted privileges to
LGBTQ people] will deepen inequality and injustice."
The post was
later deleted in response to criticisms, but several Thai Muslims have spoken
out against same-sex marriages, arguing that such unions violated Islam's
tenets.
Although many
of Thailand's 3 million Muslims, in a 69 million country, tend to be socially
liberal, especially in Bangkok, a more conservative form of Islam dominates
around the countryside.
In Thailand's
three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces, where a separatist insurgency has
claimed thousands of lives over the years, gays, lesbians and transgender
people aren't at liberty to live openly, according to members of the local
LGBTQ community.
"My
mother accepts me the way I am, but my father has disowned me," said a
transwoman who lives in Bangkok but comes from a prominent family in the
Muslim-majority province of Narathiwat in southern Thailand, bordering
Malaysia.
"In
Bangkok, I can dress any way I want, but at home, I can't dress up as a woman
because people might abuse me verbally or even attack me physically," she
told a UCA News reporter.
Even in some
more tolerant Muslim communities elsewhere in Thailand, many locals have adopted
a live-and-let-live attitude towards members of the LGBTQ community yet they
draw the line at marriage, according to some local Muslims.
"If
there's a law that goes against Islamic teachings, we will oppose it," the
Thai Muslim Student Association told a local online publication. "However,
we will respect the law and will not do anything to violate or overturn
it," the group added.
"Although
the same-sex marriage bill contradicts with our faith, we respect different
opinions and faiths since each party has different standards of morality,"
it said.
Ironically,
the proposed bill has also drawn opposition from some members of Thailand's
LGBTQ community who argue that it does not go far enough in guaranteeing equal
rights.
TanwarinSukkhapisit,
a transgender woman and a parliament member for an opposition party, has
slammed the government's bill as divisive and unjust because it retains some
legal distinctions between same-sex couples and male-female ones.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/thai-move-to-legalize-same-sex-unions-faces-opposition/88795
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South Asia
NDS vows to
launch retaliatory attacks against Taliban after deadly Samangan attack
15 Jul 2020
The National
Directorate of Security (NDS), the intelligence department of Afghanistan,
vowed to launch retaliatory attacks against Taliban following the deadly attack
in northern Samangan province.
“The Taliban
terrorist group has once again committed crimes with the cooperation of foreign
terrorist groups that oppose peace and stability in Afghanistan and do not
adhere to any of the values of Islam. The Taliban terrorist group has
intensified its attacks on civilians and public infrastructures since the start
of negotiations and the signing of the peace agreement. These terrorist groups
deviated from their international obligations, ignored the goodwill of the
Afghan government, and carried out an offensive attack at 11:00 AM on July
13,2020 on NDS and Municipality in Samangan province, in which a large number
of civilians, municipal employees and national security officers were injured
and martyred,” NDS said in a statement.
“By accepting
the responsibility for this crime, the Taliban terrorist group has show once
again that it does not adhere to the human rights standards and international
obligations,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, NDS
said “In response to the suicide attack in Samangan province, NDS has put all
its operational forces and combat units on stand-by position and will launch
retaliatory attacks as soon as possible to suppress the Taliban terrorists’
mercenary and foreign terrorist grouips.”
The Taliban
terrorist group is not only, not fulfilling its obligations under the peace
agreement, but has also increased its offensive and terrorist attacks after the
agreement. The group plans and carries out attacks with the cooperation of
foreign terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda network, NDS said, adding that
“NDS pledges that it will spare no effort to retaliate the bloodshed of the
wounded and martyrs of this incident. It also appreciates the sacrifices of all
its members.”
The statement
also added that NDS assures the citizens of Afghanistan that it will not allow
any terrorist group to undermine the values and achievements of the Islamic of
Republic of Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/nds-vows-to-launch-retaliatory-attacks-against-taliban-after-deadly-samangan-attack-08963/
--------
NATO Secretary
General reacts to increased violence led by Taliban
15 Jul 2020
The NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to increased violence led by Taliban
during the recent weeks, warning that the the violence led by Taliban attacks
undermines confidence in the peace process.
“The level of
violence in #Afghanistan, driven by Taliban attacks, undermines confidence in
the peace process. We call on all sides to rapidly start intra-Afghan talks.
#NATO Allies will continue to consult on our military presence to support peace
process,” Stoltenberg said in a Twitter post.
Meanwhile, the
alliance issued a statement, emphasizing that “An Afghan-owned and led peace
process aimed at finding a political resolution that ends decades of conflict
is the only way to deliver sustainable peace to the Afghan people and to ensure
Afghanistan’s long-term security and stability. NATO and its partners are
committed to contributing to an environment conducive to this outcome. We call
on all sides to rapidly resolve the remaining issues still precluding the start
of inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations.”
The statement
further added “The current level of violence – driven especially by Taliban
attacks against Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, remains
unacceptably high, causing instability and undermining confidence in the peace
process. During the 2018 and 2020 Eid al-Fitr ceasefires and the period of
reduced violence leading up to the signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement and
the issuance of the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration, all sides demonstrated
the political will and capacity to stop the fighting. Given the impact of
COVID-19, we echo the call of the United Nations for the Taliban to agree to a
humanitarian ceasefire that applies to all sides. Both sides must also urgently
resolve issues related to prisoner releases.”
“The military
presence of the Alliance and its partners in the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan
is conditions-based. We will continue to consult and, if conditions allow, to
adjust our military presence to support the peace process, initiated by the
U.S.-Taliban agreement and the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration. We urge the
Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban to fulfill
their commitments, including entering into intra-Afghan negotiations and
ensuring terrorists never again find safe haven on Afghan soil. Recent heinous
attacks targeting civilians, including women, children, civil society members,
religious figures, and health care workers throughout Afghanistan underscore
the urgency of fulfilling these critical commitments,” the statement added.
NATO also
added “NATO reaffirms its longstanding commitment to Afghanistan, the Afghan
people, and the Afghan security forces through the Resolute Support Mission. We
expect intra-Afghan negotiations to lead to an enduring and comprehensive peace
agreement that puts an end to violence, safeguards the human rights of all
Afghans, including women and children, upholds the rule of law, and ensures
that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists.”
https://www.khaama.com/nato-secretary-general-reacts-to-increased-violence-led-by-taliban-08962/
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Kabul Police
defuse remote-controlled bomb in Kabul city
15 Jul 2020
The Kabul
Police forces seized a remote-controlled bomb and thwarted militants’ bid to
carry out another explosion in the city.
The Kabul
Police Headquarters in a statement said the Kabul Police forces discovered and
seized the remote-controlled bomb during an operation in Fazel Beg area located
in the 5th district of the city.
The statement
further added that the militants had planted the bomb on a roadside which was
seized by the police forces before the militants could carry out another bloody
attack.
According to
Kabul Police Headquarters, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team of the Afghan
National Police defused the bomb and prevented another deadly attack in the
capital.
The anti-government
armed militants including Taliban have not commented in this regard so far.
https://www.khaama.com/kabul-police-defuse-remote-controlled-bomb-in-kabul-city-08961/
--------
Afghan forces
kill, wound at least 68 Taliban militants in the North: Shahen Corps
14 Jul 2020
The Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel killed or wounded at
least 68 Taliban militants in northern parts of the country in the past 24
hours.
The 209th
Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Afghan forces killed at least 32 Taliban
militants by laying ambushes and directly engaging the Taliban militants in
Balkh, Faryab and Samagan provinces.
The statement
further added that the security forces also wounded at least 36 Taliban
militants during the same clashes.
The security
forces also destroyed large amounts of weapons, munitions and several vehicles
during the operations, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.
The Taliban
group has not commented regarding the incidents so far.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-kill-wound-at-least-68-taliban-militants-in-the-north-shahen-corps-08960/
--------
Mideast
Ray Al-Youm:
Ansarullah’s Missile Strikes on Tel Aviv Likely
Jul 15, 2020
The
Arabic-language al-Ray al-Youm newspaper underlined that the recent comments by
Yemeni official General Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim to attack targets in Saudi
Arabia are not nothing new but his threats to target Tel Aviv are even more
important.
“Ansarullah is
moving along the same path already taken by the Lebanese Hezbollah and it
materializes most of its threats,” it added.
The Arab paper
noted that Yemen’s offensives against Israel could come through air raids on
the Port of Eilat on the Red Sea as Yemeni missiles and drones can now reach
the Saudi port of Yanba’a whose distance from Eilat is less than tens of
kilometers.
A second
possibility is targeting the Israeli ships at the entrance of Bab al-Mandab by
using marine missiles or speed boats, it added.
General
Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim had warned earlier this week that “the Yemeni Armed
Forces are in possession of extensive intelligence on a large number of vital
and key points in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Tel Aviv and farther areas”.
Also, on
Tuesday, Head of the Ansarullah movement’s negotiating team Mohammad
Abdul-Salam warned the Saudi officials that they should wait for more missile
and drone attacks against the country’s key positions.
“Hey Salman!
You deserve death. Missiles will come to you while they cannot be tracked,”
Abdul-Salam wrote on his twitter page.
“They always
and every moment bring you breaking news that the (Yemeni) missiles are fired
from their bases like a volcano,” he added.
Abdul-Salam
expressed confidence that God will help the Yemenis defeat the Saudi government
and its leader.
Yemeni forces
targeted Saudi Arabia's strategic military sites, including military bases, and
an oil facility, by a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones and
ballistic missiles.
Spokesman for
Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Monday that
"Tadaween military camp in Marib was targeted during a meeting of Saudi
military commanders with mercenaries, killing and injuring dozens of them.”
"Other
military sites were targeted in Abha, Jizan, and Najran airports,” he added.
General Saree
also said that a giant oil facility in the industrial zone in Jizan was
accurately targeted.
He added that
the military operation executed with undisclosed highly accurate ballistic
missiles, and a large number of drones
“Our
determination in the legitimate defense of Yemen until freedom and independence
are achieved,” General Saree stressed.
According to
previous reports on Sunday, four ballistic Yemeni missiles and seven drones
laden with explosives hit designated targets in the city of Khamis Mushait in
the Southwestern province of Asir and Abha, the capital city of Asir.
The reports
added that King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait and the Abha International
Airport were targeted during the retaliatory assault.
The Saudi-led
coalition, however, claimed on Monday it had intercepted and destroyed the
rockets and drones. The coalition did not report any casualties.
The attack
came after Saudi fighter jets pounded the Washhah district in Hajjah on Sunday,
leaving ten civilians dead and two others injured.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990425000321
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Coronavirus
resurgence sidelines Israel’s plans to annex part of occupied West Bank
15 July 2020
A coronavirus
resurgence in Israel and divisions within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
government have sidelined its plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank,
officials said.
Although the
conservative Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, his centrist coalition
partner, agreed the government could begin moving on annexation as of July 1,
there has been “close to zero” cabinet-level discussion on the issue, one
senior minister told Reuters.
And with no
agreement with Washington yet on the modalities of the move under a peace
proposal announced by President Donald Trump, any step soon to extend Israeli
sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank seems
unlikely.
For more
coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
The
Palestinians have rejected the Trump plan. European and Arab powers have warned
of diplomatic blowback if Israel unilaterally annexes land Palestinians seek
for a state.
Netanyahu,
meanwhile, is preoccupied with new coronavirus transmissions that aides said
could necessitate renewed lockdowns. Unemployment has hit a record 21 percent
and anti-government protests have turned increasingly violent.
A poll by the
non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute on Tuesday found only 29.5 percent of
the public trust Netanyahu’s handling of the crisis.
There has been
open opposition from Gantz’s Blue and White party, which makes it hard to
persuade Washington that any annexations would enjoy sweeping Israeli support.
“It’s a matter
of right plan, wrong time,” a senior Blue and White minister said. “We are in
the middle of the biggest crisis Israel has seen in decades...and it would be
irresponsible and insensitive to tend to anything else at the moment.”
Gantz has
predicted the crisis could last until late 2021.
Another
official, who requested anonymity, said more than a week had passed since
Israeli delegates last spoke to US envoys on annexation under the Trump
blueprint, which envisages Israeli sovereignty over up to 30 percent of West
Bank land.
Asked for
comment, Netanyahu’s office said it had “no updates at this time.”
Several
ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud party want the move implemented now. Some
privately voice concern that Trump’s attention will drift as the November
presidential election approaches, and that presumptive Democratic candidate Joe
Biden has come out against annexation.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/07/15/Coronavirus-resurgence-sidelines-Israel-s-plans-to-annex-part-of-occupied-West-Bank.html
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Putin stresses
futility of sanctions pressure against Iran in phone talk with Merkel
15 July 2020
Russian
President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel say there is
"no point" in sanctions pressure against Iran, the Kremlin says, amid
US efforts to kill the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.
"When
discussing Iran, the Russian president emphasized the futility of sanctions
pressure on Tehran and the relevance of efforts to maintain the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program, as approved by UN
Security Council Resolution 2231," the Kremlin's press office said on
Wednesday, Sputnik news agency reported.
According to
the press office, the two politicians discussed "a number of pressing
issues" with regards to bilateral ties, including the coronavirus
response, and efforts to maintain the Iran deal, known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA was
signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the United States,
Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany -- in July 2015. Under the
deal, Iran was required to limit certain aspects of its nuclear program in
exchange for a lifting of sanctions against the country and the ending of the
UN arms embargo.
However, the
administration of US President Donald Trump unilaterally left the agreement in
May 2018, reintroducing sanctions against Tehran.
In opposition
to the US policy line on Iran, the Europeans initially pledged commitment to
the survival of the JCPOA, but Iran says they failed in practice to shield
Tehran's interests in the face of US pressures and its so-called maximum
pressure campaign.
The US is now
seeking to extend an arms embargo on Iran beyond the October 2020 expiration
date set out under the JCPOA.
Iran has taken
a swipe at the US for its attempts to trigger a “snapback” of all UN sanctions
against the country, arguing Washington is no longer a party to the JCPOA.
On the fifth
anniversary of the conclusion of the JCPOA, Iran urged the European parties to
the 2015 nuclear deal to live up to their obligations under the agreement,
which has been the target of the US’ “illegal” and “destructive” moves,
stressing Tehran’s resolve to take “decisive” action against any “irresponsible
behavior” undermining the UN-endorsed document.
The Iranian
Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the JCPOA is "an
important achievement of multilateral diplomacy, which has been strongly
supported by the international community," but it is in "serious
danger."
The ministry
called on the international community to prevent the historic deal from
becoming yet another victim of Washington’s “unilateral and unlawful” approach
by ensuring “the balanced implementation” of the accord by all parties.
The Iranian
Foreign Ministry also warned the remaining signatories against involvement in
US conspiracies, particularly attempts to destroy and weaken the UN’s arms
embargo system.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/15/629689/Putin-Merkel-reject-US-sanctions-pressure-againstIran-
--------
Iran turned
tables, proved America to blame in JCPOA case: Rouhani
15 July 2020
Iran’s
President Hassan Rouhani says the country maneuvered with political skill
following the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal to prove
that “American lawbreakers” are to blame for any shortfalls with regard to the
agreement.
Speaking on
the fifth anniversary of the conclusion of the Iran deal on Wednesday, Rouhani
said Iran diplomatically engaged six world powers to prove that it is a
peace-seeking country and that the securitization of its nuclear program long
attempted by the US and Israel is baseless.
“Since the
beginning [of the diplomatic engagement], an evil triangle of Zionism,
reactionism, and hard-liners in America were opposed [to diplomacy with Iran],”
the Iranian president said, detailing attempts by the deal’s opponents to throw
a wrench into the works as it was being negotiated and after its conclusion.
“America’s
current regime was delusional, and with hard-liners at the helm, it was unable
to foresee the consequences of its actions,” he said, a reference to the US
President Donald Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the Iran deal
in 2018 with intense lobbying by Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The deal,
named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was reached on July 14,
2015 between Iran and a group of countries then known as the P5+1 — which
included the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany.
In May 2018,
Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the JCPOA and re-imposed the
sanctions that had been lifted under the deal. He also imposed secondary
sanctions on third parties that sought to do business with Iran, effectively
targeting the European parties to the deal.
Verified by
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran remained fully compliant
with the JCPOA for an entire year, waiting for the co-signatories to honor
their commitments and offset the impacts of the US withdrawal.
But, as the
European parties continued to renege on their obligations, the Islamic Republic
moved to scale down its commitment to the deal in a gradual format and based on
the provisions of the deal itself that addressed a party’s legal rights in case
of non-performance by other parties.
President
Rouhani said the US had wanted to elicit a sudden Iranian withdrawal and then
blame the deal’s failure on Tehran.
“Their
objective was for Iran to be recorded in history as the party that broke the
deal, meaning that America would do something and then Iran would put the
entire JCPOA aside and withdraw from it, and they would say later that it was
Iran that left the deal,” the Iranian president said.
“Iran’s
artfulness and adroitness, since 2018, when America trampled on [its]
political, moral, and legal obligations, was in not allowing the [American]
plot to materialize and proving to the world that the main party to blame is
the lawbreakers in America,” President Rouhani said.
President
Rouhani said the United States’ own allies and a large part of the American
nation now acknowledge that the US’s withdrawal from the Iran deal worked to
the disadvantage of the American people and America’s friends.
On Tuesday,
the European Union (EU) pledged to do everything possible” to preserve the
landmark nuclear deal with Iran over the objections of Washington.
“We should not
assume that an opportunity will arise again in the future for the international
community to address Iran’s nuclear program in such a comprehensive manner,” he
added.
Western
countries had formerly accused Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program.
Tehran long denied the allegation and ultimately negotiated with the six
countries to prove it has a civilian program only. The JCPOA was the
culmination of those negotiations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/15/629660/Iran-deal-JCPOA-Rouhani-US
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Iran’s Ghaani:
Fire on US navy ship was ‘divine punishment’ for Washington’s ‘crimes’
15 July 2020
The fire which
blazed aboard the US warship docked off San Diego was “divine punishment” for
Washington’s “crimes,” Iran’s Quds Force commander EsmailGhaani said on
Tuesday.
At least 21
individuals were injured in the fire which broke-out on Monday aboard the USS
Bonhomme Richard. A US Navy spokesman told Reuters there was no immediate
evidence of foul play.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“What has
happened in America today, especially the warship incident, is the result of
the actions, behavior and crimes of the US government,” Ghaani said in a rare
statement carried by the semi-official Fars news agency.
Ghaani stopped
short of claiming responsibility for the fire, saying: “This incident is an
answer to your crimes, which has come about at the hands of your own elements…
God punishes you using your own hands.”
“It is a
divine promise that oppressors and criminals will suffer divine punishment,” he
said, adding that “difficult times” await both the US and Israel.
The Iranian
commander said the US should not “waste time” looking for culprits, adding:
“This is the fire that they have lit themselves.”
Ghaani was
appointed as the head of the Quds Force – the overseas arm of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – in January.
His
predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a US airstrike at Baghdad’s
international airport on January 3.
Ghaani rarely
makes any media appearances or issues statements. This has been the case both
before and after his appointment as the head of the Quds Force.
Following the
fire at the USS Bonhomme Richard, some Iranian pro-regime accounts on social
media as well as some state-run media outlets have been hinting at an Iranian
involvement, which some Iran watchers view as a desperate attempt to “save
face” following recent explosions and fires in Iran, some of which occurred at
and around highly sensitive nuclear and military sites.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/Iran-s-Ghaani-Fire-on-US-navy-ship-was-divine-punishment-for-Washington-s-crimes-.html
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Africa
Libya: 225
bodies unearthed from mass graves in 40 days
Walid
Abdullah
15.07.2020
TRIPOLI
The Libyan
army announced Wednesday that a total of 225 bodies have been unearthed from
mass graves in the south of the capital Tripoli and in the city of Tarhuna and
its surrounding areas in 40 days.
The corpses
were found in areas liberated from eastern Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar's
militia, according to a statement by the press office of the government-led
Operation Volcano of Rage.
The statement
said that since the liberation of Tarhuna from Haftar’s militias, an agency has
taken the necessary measures to find mass graves and unearth the corpses.
At the
beginning of July, the press office reported that the number of bodies found
between June 5 and June 28 totaled 208.
On June 5, the
Libyan army liberated Tarhuna, which was being used as an operation and supply
center by militias loyal to Haftar.
Hundreds of
corpses were found in the city hospital, a container belonging to the hospital
and a water well near the city.
The most
tragic part in Tarhuna came to light when mass graves were excavated as part of
investigations opened by the Libyan government.
Since April
2019, Haftar's illegitimate forces have launched attacks on the capital Tripoli
and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths,
including those of women and children.
However, the
Libyan government has recently achieved significant victories, pushing Haftar’s
forces out of Tripoli and Tarhuna.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-225-bodies-unearthed-from-mass-graves-in-40-days/1910824
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Sudan submits
Nile Dam draft agreement to African Union
Jeyhun
Aliyev
15.07.2020
Sudan’s
Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources said Tuesday that it submitted a
"balanced and fair" draft agreement on the Nile dam to the African
Union.
"Sudan
delivered its final report on the course of the Hidase Dam negotiations to the African
Union's current president, South Africa," the ministry statement said,
referring to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile.
The statement
said the report also includes evaluations that provide limited progress on
controversial issues and offer solutions to pending issues.
No agreement
was reached in tripartite negotiations held between July 3 and July 13 at the
initiative of the African Union on the filling and operation of the GERD, which
Ethiopia has built on the Nile River, which caused a political crisis between
the country, Egypt and Sudan.
Ethiopia has
announced that although there was progress in the negotiations, no agreement
was reached but added that the negotiations are expected to continue.
Sudanese
Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasir Abbas said disagreements continue
regarding the amount of water to be left to the Roseires Dam in Sudan, the
operation of the GERD, and on how it will be filled during drought periods.
Ethiopia
started building the GERD in 2011 on the Blue Nile, a tributary of the Nile
River, near the border with Sudan.
Construction
of the 147-meter (482-foot) high, 1.8-kilometer (1.1-mile) long project is
expected to be completed by 2023.
With a
reservoir capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, the hydroelectric dam will
produce 6,475 megawatts for Ethiopia’s domestic and industrial use as well as
for export to neighboring countries.
Tensions
escalated between Egypt and Ethiopia when the former complained to the UN
Security Council on May 1 after Addis Ababa announced a plan to begin the
first-phase filling of its $5 billion hydro dam on the Nile.
Ethiopia
countered the complaint, saying it was not obliged to inform Egypt on the issue
as it was provided in the 2015 trilateral Declaration of Principles. According
to the declaration, negotiations on the dam will be done in parallel with its
construction.
Ethiopia hopes
to retain 4.9 billion cubic meters of water during this rainy season in July
and August as part of the first-phase filling, and the volume would be enough
to test two turbines in mid-2021.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/sudan-submits-nile-dam-draft-agreement-to-african-union/1910785
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Turkey sends
mercenaries, militants of different nationalities to Libya: Reports
13 July 2020
Turkey has
sent mercenaries of different nationalities to Libya to fight alongside the
Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj, unnamed sources
told Al Arabiya.
The latest
Turkish plane arrived in the Libyan city of Misrata on Monday carrying 356
mercenaries from Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Sudan, according to the sources.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It was
followed by another plane arriving from Turkey carrying 126 other fighters.
Turkey had
reportedly transferred about 1,400 Tunisian fighters affiliated with extremist
organizations from Syria’s Aleppo and Idlib to Libya in the past few days, Al
Arabiya cited sources as saying. As of mid-June, some 13,000 Syrian mercenaries
had been sent to Libya by Turkey.
Libyan and
Turkish passenger planes had transported the Tunisian fighters in batches to
the Turkey’s Gaziantep and Istanbul before flying them to Misrata in
northwestern Libya.
The head of
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – a UK-based war monitor – confirmed
the reports to Al Arabiya in an interview, adding that “Ankara sends militants
to Libya, not just mercenaries.”
This comes as
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu rejected a ceasefire in Libya on
Monday.
Libya has been
mired in conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, but since 2019,
fighting between the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar and the
GNA has escalated as foreign involvement has intensified.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/13/Turkey-sends-mercenaries-militants-of-different-nationalities-to-Libya-Reports.html
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Gunmen on
motorcycles kill 7 villagers in Mali
15 July 2020
Gunmen on
motorcycles have killed seven people in attacks on two villages in central
Mali, an area plagued by Takfiri attacks and intercommunal violence, a local
mayor says.
The victims of
Tuesday's raids were farmers from the Dogon community who were working their
fields at the time, Ali Dolo, mayor of the rural Sangha area which covers the
villages, said Wednesday.
He told AFP
that the assailants were the same men who have attacked other villages in past
months.
At least four
other people were killed in June and another dozen in April in similar attacks
in the Sangha area, which lies about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the town of
Bandiagara.
Central Mali
has witnessed a surge in violence since 2015 linked to a Takfiri insurgency and
also deadly clashes between the ethnic communities of Fulani, nomadic herders,
and Dogon traditional hunters.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/15/629671/Mali-villagers
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Police Rescue
Soldiers From Boko Haram After Attack In Borno
JUL 14, 2020
The Nigeria
Police Counter-terrorism operatives have rescued two soldiers earlier abducted
by Boko Haram fighters in Borno State.
PRNigeria
gathered that the terrorists had killed some security personnel and abducted
others after an attack on soldiers on a patrol.
This comes
after Nigerian troops repelled an attempt by terrorists to seize an army
barrack in Maiduguri on Monday.
According to a
situation report sighted by PRNigeria, it disclosed that “At 14.30 Hrs of July
13, 20120, an army patrol team was attacked by Boko Haram along Auno Road and
killed two soldiers and kidnapped others while carting away two of the
military’s gun truck, AK 47 rifles and unspecified numbers of ammunition.
“Counter-Terrorism
Unit of the Nigerian Police on pin down point (operation), at the area went
after the terrorists. After a gun battle recovered one gun-truck, rifles and
rescued two soldiers alive.
“All exhibits
handed over to the Commissioner of Police Command."
Meanwhile, in
another development, Nigerian troops have thwarted an attempt by Boko Haram
terrorists to seize an army barracks in Maiduguri.
PRNigeria
learnt that the terrorists had attempted to seize the 333 Artillery Barracks of
the Nigerian Army but were resisted after heavy exchanges of fire that lasted
for about two hours between Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
http://saharareporters.com/2020/07/14/police-rescue-soldiers-boko-haram-after-attack-borno?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
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Boko Haram
Terrorists Attack Maiduguri, Kill Several Residents
JUL 14, 2020
Boko Haram
terrorists on Monday night attacked Gomari area of Maiduguri, capital of Borno
State, multiple sources told SaharaReporters.
A security
source disclosed that the insurgents came into the village around 11:05pm,
shooting sporadically and killing several persons.
“Gomari, near
Airport Road is presently under attack, they have started burning buildings and
killing civilians trying to flee.”
Increased
attacks by insurgents have been recorded in the area in recent times.
The terrorists
have made several attempts to overrun a military base located within the area
lately also.
http://saharareporters.com/2020/07/14/boko-haram-terrorists-attack-maiduguri-kill-several-residents?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
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Somalia hails
Turkish resolve in foiling 2016 coup bid
Felix Tih
15.07.2020
Somalia’s
president on Wednesday joined world leaders in marking the fourth anniversary
of Turkey’s defeated July 15, 2016 coup.
In a tweet,
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo hailed the “selflessness” and “deep
resolve” of Turkish citizens in protecting their country.
Addressing
“our brotherly Republic of Turkey” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the
tweet said “we join you in prayers and remembrance of the selflessness of your
martyrs and the deep resolve of your courageous citizens to protect your
Republic. Our thoughts are with you.”
Turkey marks
July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day with events nationwide to
commemorate those who laid down their lives to foil the coup attempt
orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based
leader Fetullah Gulen.
The defeated
coup left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also
accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state
through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military,
police, and the judiciary.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somalia-hails-turkish-resolve-in-foiling-2016-coup-bid/1911747
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North America
US
general warns Iran of cost of malign actions in Gulf, reminds of Soleimani
killing
15
July 2020
US
Central Command chief General Kenneth McKenzie warned Iran on Tuesday of the
“high cost of any malign activities” in the Gulf, bringing up the “events of
January,” when the US killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
The
US has “established a posture… designed to deter Iran from acting either
indirectly or directly against United States, partner, or coalition forces (in
the Gulf),” McKenzie said during a special briefing via telephone.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
He
stressed that Tehran understands the capabilities of the US as a “global
power,” adding: “I would argue that after the events of January, Iran is newly
sensitive to our will and our willingness to employ those forces should we be
threatened by their malign activities.”
“So
we are postured and we will continue to be postured in the region, working
closely with all our partners, all our friends in the region, to ensure that
we’re ready and Iran sees very clearly what would be the – what would be the
high cost of any malign activity on their part.”
Tensions
between Washington and Tehran, which have been increasing since 2018 when US
President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, reached historic
heights in January when the US killed Soleimani, the former commander of the
Quds Force, the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in an
airstrike in Baghdad.
Asked
about whether the Iranian regime was truly "deterred" by the killing
of Soleimani or whether it was waiting out the upcoming UN arms embargo vote or
the US presidential election to make its move, McKenzie said that Washington
has clearly established "red lines" for Tehran that might "not
have been visible" to the regime before.
He
added that it's highly likely the UN's vote on whether or not to extend the
arms embargo against Tehran is a factor in the regime's calculation, but said:
"But to be honest with you, it’s very hard to know and understand exactly
what Iran’s thinking is, and I would say that’s even been more manifest after
the death of Qassem Soleimani. I think it’s been harder for them to come to
decisions and harder for them to decide on a clear path forward."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/US-general-warns-Iran-of-cost-of-malign-actions-in-Gulf-reminds-of-Soleimani-killing.html
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Fire
on US warship still burning as Iran warns of ‘tough days’ for America, Israel
16
July 2020
US
firefighters are still battling the blaze through a fourth day from the air,
land and water to save an American warship off California's coast as the number
of sailors and civilians injured in the blaze has risen.
Helicopters
have made more than 1,500 water drops to tame the flame onboard the USS
Bonhomme Richard, which has been burning since Sunday morning at US Naval Base
San Diego, the US Navy said in a statement on Wednesday.
Scores
of American sailors and civilians have been injured in the massive fire and a
large explosion accompanying it.
The
cause of the fire is still unknown, but some reports said it broke out in a
part of the ship where cardboard boxes were stored.
The
origins of the massive blast that shook the ship some two hours after the blaze
remain unknown as well.
“Going
forward, the Navy will do a thorough investigation of the incident, to assess
the cause of the fire [and] damage to the ship,” said Sobeck, the commander of
USN Expeditionary Strike Group Three.
“But
right now ... my focus and our focus remains putting the fire out and keeping
our ship base safe.”
Asked
whether the ship might be burned beyond repair, Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck said
he was "hopeful" it could be spared.
The
22-year-old USS Bonhomme Richard, the Navy’s nine big-deck amphibious assault
warships, is designed to carry US Marine Corps attack helicopters and ground
troops into battle. The vessel was stationed in Japan for years before being
transferred back to San Diego for a major overhaul in 2018.
Iran:
Tough days await America, Israel
As
the US warship is still engulfed in flames, a top commander of Iran’s Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the incident has been the result of the US
government’s own crimes.
Brigadier
General EsmailQa’ani, commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC urged the
Americans “not to waste their time looking for a culprit or leveling
accusations against others” over what happened to the navy ship off San Diego.
“This
is a fire they (Americans) have lit themselves,” he said.
“This
incident is a response to your crimes, which has come about at the hands of
your own elements. God uses your own hands to punish you.”
What
is unfolding in the US today, especially the warship incident “is the [direct]
result of the US administration’s [own] action, behavior, and atrocities,” the
general noted.
Qa’ani,
who was assigned to the Quds Force after the US assassinated his predecessor
top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in a
Trump-authorized drone strike in Baghdad in January, said both the United
States and its regional ally Israel were to wade into serious hardship and
adversity.
Qa’ani
warned that “very hard days and severe incidents” lie ahead for the US and the
Zionist regime, adding, “The US army has become weary and exhausted, and its
equipment has turned into scrap metal.”
“You
are still experiencing your halcyon days. You have very tough days and
occurrences ahead of you,” General Soleimani’s noted.
Washington
has to accept its dire conditions and stop oppressing the humanity and its own
people, Qa’ani said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/16/629714/Fire-US-warship-burning-Iran-warn-tough-days-America-Israel
--------
Europe
Why
we need to stay alert to the terror threat as the UK reopens
July
14, 2020
The
UK has faced a persistent threat from terrorism over the past decade, with
recent attacks focusing on busy public spaces. In June 2020, this threat was
highlighted once again by an attack in a public park in Reading. This was the
first reported terrorist event in the UK since the beginning of the pandemic.
Until
recently, the coronavirus had reduced opportunities for terrorism. The lockdown
had seen UK high streets and public spaces almost deserted, with most
non-essential businesses forced to close, lowering the number of potential
terrorist targets.
However,
lockdown and social distancing measures are now being relaxed, and the
government is promoting greater use of open public spaces to try to kickstart
the economy while keeping transmission of the virus low. Earlier this month, it
announced new laws to relax outdoor drinking and dining rules. Bars, cafes,
restaurants and entertainment venues can apply more easily for “pavement
licences” to place tables and chairs in public spaces outside their premises.
While
this response is likely to benefit businesses and the economy, there’s a real
risk these new outdoor arrangements may become attractive targets for
terrorists. The UK’s recovery strategy mentions redesigning public spaces to
make them “secure”, but only focuses on the risk of the virus itself. Security
also needs to take into consideration the threat posed by terrorism.
Rather
than relying on improvised explosive devices or firearms, recent terror attacks
have often been “low-tech”, requiring very little planning and featuring
weapons that are easily accessible. For example, vehicles were used as weapons
by driving them into crowded spaces in attacks in London, Barcelona, Berlin and
Nice over the past few years.
The
challenges of disrupting terrorist plots involving vehicles are considerable.
Vehicles are common, inexpensive to obtain and easy to manoeuvre towards
crowds. This attack method is likely to pose the greatest threat during the
COVID-19 recovery.
Protecting
public spaces
The
government’s new strategy highlights that the risk of infection outside is
significantly lower than inside, which encourages people to use outdoor public
spaces more. It’s too early to know exactly what public spaces surrounding
businesses will look like, but it’s clear businesses will be making greater use
of the open space around them.
For
instance, shops have implemented queuing systems outside to prevent too many
customers entering at the same time. And bars, cafes and restaurants will
expand outside of their premises and use public spaces to set up tables and
chairs for serving food and drink, supported by the government’s relaxing of
planning restrictions.
As
well as being able to more easily get a pavement licence, “pubs and restaurants
will be able to use car parks and terraces as dining and drinking areas, using
their existing seating licenses,” the government advice states. It adds:
“Proposed planning freedoms will mean that outdoor markets, pop-up car-boot
sales or summer fairs will not need a planning application, which will
transform the way people shop and socialise.”
As
alfresco dining and shopping areas become the norm, businesses, local
authorities and security professionals need to plan carefully how these areas
can be protected from terrorist threats. The location of tables and chairs,
their direction and positioning, and the length of queues all need to be
considered and appropriately managed. What additional protection might be
needed – if any – will also need to be contemplated, and this should form part
of a business’s overall risk assessment.
Police
counter terrorism security advisers may recommend that local authorities and
businesses introduce hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM) measures to protect
spaces where tables, chairs and queues are likely to be. HVM measures are
structures that are specifically designed to stop vehicle-based attacks. Traditional
examples include bollards and security barriers.
However,
local authorities and security professionals can get creative in how they
protect areas too. Street furniture such as artwork, benches, cycle racks or
planters can all be used as HVM measures, as can trees, landscaping, water
features or ditches. However, landscaping may not be suitable for some urban
public spaces due to development restrictions.
Policymakers,
security professionals and local authorities will need to work with businesses to
manage this security challenge. Crucially, it’s important that businesses and
local authorities know where to go to obtain protective security advice. The
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and police counter
terrorism security advisers are two key sources that should be consulted.
The
terrorist threat has not dissipated during the pandemic. Public spaces remain
an attractive target. The current UK terrorism threat level is substantial,
meaning an attack is likely. While it’s acknowledged that any protective
security needs to be proportionate to the threats faced, and carefully planned
to avoid unnecessarily alarming the public, a balanced approach that takes all
risks into account is needed.
https://theconversation.com/why-we-need-to-stay-alert-to-the-terror-threat-as-the-uk-reopens-141623?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1361246_
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Azerbaijan
president: Armenia is ‘fascist state'
Ruslan
Rehimov
16.07.2020
The
president of Azerbaijan described Armenia as a "fascist state"
Wednesday because of its recent attack on Azerbaijan's civilian settlements
where one civilian was killed.
“Armenian
forces could not enter Azerbaijan in one centimeter of soil and will never be
able to do this,” Ilham Aliyev said during a Cabinet meeting.
Stressing
Armenia started clashes at the border Monday and attacked an Azerbaijan
position in the Tovuz region, he said, “If we wanted to, we could control most
of the land in that region of Armenia today. But we had no such purpose.”
He
said the Armenian army opened fire on civilian settlements of Azerbaijan and a
76-year-old civilian was killed.
"This
reveals again that Armenia is a fascist state," he said and emphasized
Azerbaijan is determined to ensure territorial integrity and will not take a
step back in Upper-Karabakh.
Aliyev
thanks Turkey, Turkish president, for support
The
whole world saw again that people of Turkey and Azerbaijan are real brothers,
said Aliyev as he thanked Turkey for its support and Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.
Aliyev
criticized Foreign Minister Elmar Memmedyarov, who did not give an adequate
response when clashes began at the border.
A
total of 11 Azerbaijani soldiers have been martyred, including high-ranking
officers, and another four wounded in fighting with Armenian forces since
Sunday.
Nearly
100 Armenian soldiers have been killed during the period, according to
KerimVeliyev, Azerbaijan's deputy defense minister. Azerbaijan earlier stated
that Armenia hides its casualties.
On
Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Armenian attack,
adding that Turkey will not hesitate to stand against any kind of attacks
against Azerbaijan.
Upper
Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of
Azerbaijan, has been illegally occupied since 1991 through Armenian military
aggression.
Four
UN Security Council resolutions and two UN General Assembly resolutions as well
as decisions by many international organizations refer to this fact and demand
the withdrawal of occupational Armenian forces from Upper Karabakh and seven
other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/azerbaijan-president-armenia-is-fascist-state/1912041
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UK
stands in solidarity with Turkey on coup anniversary
Ahmet
GürhanKartal
16.07.2020
LONDON
The
UK continues to stand in solidarity with Turkey on the fourth anniversary of a
defeated coup, a British minister said Wednesday.
“Four
years on from the failed coup in Turkey, the UK continues to stand in
solidarity with Turkey & in support of democracy,” Minister for European
Neighbourhood and the Americas, Wendy Morton, wrote on Twitter.
“Today
we remember those who sadly lost their lives & their families,” she said.
Morton’s
statement came on the day Turkey marked Democracy and National Unity Day with
events nationwide to commemorate those who lost their lives beating back the
putschists.
The
Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen
are accused of orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people martyred
and nearly 2,200 injured July 15, 2016.
Ankara
also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the
state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the
military, police and judiciary.
Britain
was one of the first countries to express solidarity with Turkey after the coup
attempt.
Alan
Duncan, then-minister who was responsible of Europe and the Americas was the
first European politician to visit Turkey following the bloody coup attempt.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-stands-in-solidarity-with-turkey-on-coup-anniversary/1912052
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UK
defense chief: Turkish use of drones 'game-changing'
Karim
El-Bar
15.07.2020
LONDON
Britain’s
defense secretary on Wednesday stressed the “game-changing” role of Turkish
drones in modern warfare in the Middle East and North Africa.
“We
need to look at the lessons of others. Look how Turkey has been operating in
Libya where it has used Bayraktar TB-2 UAVs since mid-2019,” Ben Wallace told a
virtual gathering of the Air and Space Power Conference.
“Those
UAVs have conducted intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and targeting
operations against frontlines, supply lines and logistics bases.”
“In
July last year they struck the Libyan National Army-controlled Jufrah Airfield
destroying several command and control nodes as well as two transport
aircraft,” he added, referring to a force under Khalifa Haftar, a renegade
warlord fighting Libya’s UN-recognized government.
Last
year, Turkey and Libya signed a pact on defense cooperation.
On
Turkey’s counter terrorism operations in northern Syria, he underlined the
success of lightly armed drones used there.
“Or
consider Turkey’s involvement in Syria and its use of electronic warfare,
lightly armed drones, and smart ammunition to stop tanks, armored cars, and air
defense systems in their tracks,” he said.
“According
to reports, the Assad regime suffered heavy losses ‘3,000 soldiers, 151 tanks,
eight helicopters, three drones, three fighter jets vehicles and trucks, eight
aerial defense systems and one headquarters among other military equipment and
facilities’,” he said.
“Even
if only half of these claims are true, the implications are game-changing.”
Also
at the conference, Wallace announced that the UK had signed a £65 million
($81.8 million) contract to build the UK’s first three Protector drones.
They
will enter service by mid-2024 and will be the first British-operated system
capable of strike missions anywhere in the world.
They
have enhanced range and endurance and will replace the UK’s current stock of
Reaper drones.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-defense-chief-turkish-use-of-drones-game-changing/1911719
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