France Defends Law Combatting 'Pernicious' Islamist Radicalism
New
Age Islam News Bureau
10
December 2020
France is not 'fostering anti-Muslim racism',
Macron said Photo: POOL / BENOIT TESSIER
------
•
No FIR, No Conversion, But Muslim Man Held For ‘Love Jihad’ Probe and Woman to
A Shelter at Meerut in UP
•
Khaleda, Tarique, Fakhrul, Mamunul, Babunagari Sued Over Anti-Sculpture Remarks
•
Malaysia Says Halal Issue Won't Affect Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-Out amid Concerns
Among Muslims
•
Pakistan: Court Orders Arzoo — A Teenage Christian Girl’s Purported Husband Be
Tried for Rape
•
U.S. Counterterrorism Chief Says Mozambique Militants Are Islamic State
Affiliate
•
NATO Accuses Taliban of Undermining Afghanistan Peace Process with Attacks
•
Total Dead In Syria War Reaches 387,000 In Slowest Annual Increase: Monitor
•
Iran, UN Confer on Latest Developments in Syria
Europe
•
France Defends Law Combatting 'Pernicious' Islamist Radicalism
•
Macron touts law to ‘free Muslims from radical Islamism’
•
Charlie Hebdo Attack: France Seeks Long Jail Terms In Paris Trial
•
Alleged Neo-Nazi Teenager Charged With Encouraging A 'Mass Casualty' Terror
Attack
•
Only Muslim School in Paris Closed Down Amid Claims of Islamophobia
•
Finnish minister to face no charges over push to bring home Islamic State
children
•
Erdogan in Azerbaijan to hail 'glorious' Karabakh victory
•
European Union will impose more sanctions for Turkish drilling in Mediterranean
•
EU to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling — draft statement
--------
India
•
No FIR, No Conversion, But Muslim Man Held For ‘Love Jihad’ Probe And Woman To A Shelter at Meerut in UP
•
Telangana State Waqf Board Forms Committees To Manage Mosques
•
45% People in 11 States Borrowed Money to Eat Since Lockdown, Dalits and
Muslims Went Hungrier: Survey
•
J&K’s GI-tagged saffron launched in Middle East; apples in stores too
•
Al-Badr trio killed, civilian hurt in Pulwama encounter
•
China, Pakistan behind farmers’ protest: Union minister Danve
--------
South
Asia
•
Khaleda, Tarique, Fakhrul, Mamunul, Babunagari Sued Over Anti-Sculpture Remarks
•
Sri Lanka Cremates Muslim Covid-19 Victims, Overriding The Families’ Objections
Against The Contentious Policy
•
Sculpture Fiasco: Taposh asks Hefazat leaders to stop and maintain peace or be
sent to Afghanistan
•
Hefajat has no intention of creating hostility with govt, it says
•
Naderi Discusses Peace Negotiations with US Diplomat
•
UK Vows to Stand ‘United in Fight against Corruption’ in Afghanistan
•
Taliban kill two Afghan soldiers in Ghazni: Ministry
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Malaysia Says Halal Issue Won't Affect Covid-19 Vaccine Roll-Out Amid Concerns
Among Muslims
•
Umno's unlikely romance with DAP in Perak could leave PM Muhyiddin jilted
•
No signs of PM Muhyiddin losing support, confidence vote not a priority:
Malaysian minister
--------
Pakistan
•
Pakistan: Court Orders Arzoo — A Teenage Christian Girl’s Purported Husband Be
Tried for Rape
•
PM dares opposition on no-trust motion against him
•
PM discusses Covid situation with Bill Gates
•
Marching orders for yet another officer for ‘defying’ CCPO
•
Pak lawmakers to resign en masse to paralyse govt: PDM chief Rehman
--------
Africa
•
U.S. Counterterrorism Chief Says Mozambique Militants Are Islamic State
Affiliate
•
Coronavirus: Morocco raises $3 bln with bonds to bolster COVID-19-hit economy
•
Akufo-Addo narrowly re-elected in Ghana presidential election
•
Ethiopia conflict 'spiraling out of control,' UN rights chief warns
--------
North
America
•
NATO Accuses Taliban of Undermining Afghanistan Peace Process with Attacks
•
Pakistan gets US presidential waiver to avoid sanctions
•
Florida man seeks plea deal after being charged with backing terror group ISIS
•
Member of Toronto 18 terror group is granted day parole in Quebec
--------
Arab
World
•
Total Dead In Syria War Reaches 387,000 In Slowest Annual Increase: Monitor
•
Lebanon’s PM-designate Hariri gives president new government line-up
•
Two bombs spark fire at Khabbaz oil field in Iraq's Kirkuk: Security sources
•
Arab Coalition destroys two bomb-laden boats belonging to Iran-backed Houthis
•
Bid to stop sales of f-35 jets to UAE fails in US Senate
•
Fighting to preserve Armenian culture, cuisine and crafts in crisis-hit Lebanon
•
Syria resolved to take back occupied Golan from Israel: Envoy
•
Egyptian forces kill, arrest Islamist fighters in Sinai
--------
Mideast
•
Iran, UN Confer on Latest Developments in Syria
•
President Rouhani: US Return to N. Deal Needs No Renegotiation
•
Iran Stresses Need for Permanent Solution to Karabakh Crisis
•
Speaker: EU’s Meddling in Iran’s Official Law “Astonishing”
•
Turkey’s Erdogan to discuss US tensions when Biden takes office
•
Iran announces sanctions against US envoy to Yemen, cites pivotal role in
humanitarian catastrophe
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/france-defends-law-combatting-pernicious/d/123719
--------
France
Defends Law Combatting 'Pernicious' Islamist Radicalism
Dec
9, 2020
France is not 'fostering anti-Muslim racism',
Macron said Photo: POOL / BENOIT TESSIER
------
PARIS:
The French government defended draft legislation clamping down on Islamist
radicalism on Wednesday as a "law of freedom" after a torrent of
criticism from Muslim countries and expressions of concern from the US.
President
Emmanuel Macron has pushed the legislation -- which would tighten rules on
issues ranging from religious-based education to polygamy -- after a spate of
attacks blamed on extremists.
"This
bill is not a text aimed against religions or against the Muslim religion in
particular," Prime Minister Jean Castex told reporters after the cabinet
approved a text to present to parliament.
"It
is the reverse - it is a law of freedom, it is a law of protection, it is a law
of emancipation against religious fundamentalism."
Castex
said the target of the bill "was the pernicious ideology that goes by the
name of Islamist radicalism".
But
the government's staunch defence of France's tradition of secularism, sealed in
a landmark 1905 law, has caused unease even among allies.
"There
can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not
harmful," said Sam Brownback, a US envoy for religious freedom.
"When
you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse."
The
law was in the pipeline before the October killing of Samuel Paty, a junior
high school teacher who was beheaded in the street after showing cartoons of
the Prophet Mohammed in a class.
But
the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media
campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill and prompted the
inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal
information on the internet.
Paty's
death came amid a spate of jihadist-inspired attacks in France this year,
including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo
satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in Nice.
The
legislation is one of two hugely controversial items of legislation the
government is pushing through parliament, the other a security bill that would
restrict publishing the faces of police that has met with fierce opposition
from activists.
Castex
said the new bill against extremism was needed after "ever more numerous
attacks" against France's principles "which affect our ability to
live serenely together".
"This
ideology aims to divide us from each other and spread hatred and violence in
society," said Castex. "This is what we call separatism," he
said, using a term repeatedly used by Macron to condemn how some communities
are seen as withdrawing from French society.
Castex
cited concerns about children being taken out of French schools to be given an
alternative education in underground Islamic facilities.
The
new legislation bans "clandestine schools that promote a radical Islamist
ideology," he said.
But
he emphasised that at the same time authorities were expanding the number of
primary school classes and housing available in the most affected areas.
Under
the legislation, doctors would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity
test on girls.
Polygamy
is already outlawed in France but the new law would also ban authorities from
issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants.
"It
is a text that seeks to protect all our citizens. It is a text in line with the
great tradition of the founders of our republic," said Castex.
Macron
has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries with some boycotting
French products after he said the right to blaspheme would always be guaranteed
in France and that Islam was "in crisis".
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an "open
provocation", while Egyptian scholars called Macron's views racist.
Macron
has also been forced on to the defensive by critical headlines in influential
English-language media such as the Financial Times and New York Times.
Muslims
in France -- often from former French colonies in north and west Africa as well
as the Middle East -- are estimated at nearly four million, about six percent
of the population, the biggest such community in Europe.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/france-defends-law-combatting-pernicious-islamist-radicalism/articleshow/79648650.cms
--------
No
FIR, No Conversion, But Muslim Man Held For ‘Love Jihad’ Probe and Woman to A
Shelter at Meerut in UP
Dec
10, 2020
Love Jihad
-----
MEERUT:
A Muslim man, 27, and a Hindu woman, 24, fell in love, eloped and started
living together. Their parents, while not supportive, didn’t press charges. The
woman had not been misled about the man’s religious identity. But now, under
pressure from right-wing groups against what they said was a case of “love
jihad”, police have been holding the man for questioning and have sent the
woman to a shelter.
But
they don’t know how an FIR could possibly be filed. “The woman said the man
hadn’t hidden his identity."
"So,
we called up her parents, who said they have disowned her but didn’t press
charges,” Kankerkheda SHO Tapeshwar Sagar told TOI on Wednesday.
An
Allahabad high court judgment had weeks ago upheld personal liberty in choosing
a partner, referring to interfaith marriages. And under The Uttar Pradesh
Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religious Ordinance, 2020, conversion
from one religion to another by “misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue
influence, coercion, allurement or marriage” is a criminal offence. But it’s a
difficult case to make for this couple, police added.
Yusuf
Ahmad and Anshu Singh (name changed) were colleagues at a call centre in
Bareilly. When they fell for each other, Anshu’s family was extremely unhappy.
They applied for marriage at the Arya Samaj Temple in Bareilly, but it didn’t
get processed. As family pressure kept mounting, they ran away to Meerut, where
Yusuf got a job and they put up at a rented house. This was four months ago.
When
their landlord came to know of Yusuf’s religious identity, he told Balraj
Dungar, the former west UP convener of Bajrang Dal. Dungar and other members of
right-wing outfits banded together at the Kankerkheda police station, demanding
action, on Tuesday.
“We
cannot allow right-wing groups to file a complaint for an FIR because they have
no legal stakes,” SHO Sagar said. But they have been holding Yusuf for
“investigation” since Tuesday. “If the woman’s parents file a complaint, it
will definitely be an offence under the new law,” Sagar added, referring to the
ordinance.
Dungar
insisted there was a conspiracy afoot. “This is nothing but love jihad,"
he said. But Anshu said she had never been misled: “I know about his faith and
still want to marry him. He never asked me to convert. On the contrary, he
wants to convert to Hinduism.” She has been sent away to Asha Women’s Centre, a
shelter in Meerut.
Meanwhile,
taking off from the police statement that only the family could file an
official complaint, the right-wing groups have got to work. Dungar said, “We
have sent a few activists to speak to the woman’s parents in Bareilly today
(Wednesday). We will try and convince them.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/no-fir-no-conversion-but-muslim-man-held-for-love-jihad-probe/articleshow/79648822.cms
--------
Khaleda,
Tarique, Fakhrul, Mamunul, Babunagari Sued Over Anti-Sculpture Remarks
December
9th, 2020
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son, acting
party chairman Tarique Rahman Syed Zakir Hossain/ Dhaka Tribune
------
The
court accepted the plaintiff's statement and said it would issue the order on
Thursday
A
defamation case has been filed against six people, including former prime
minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, for
allegedly aiding in making anti-sculpture remarks.
AB
Siddiqui, president of a pro-Awami league organization named Jananetri
Parishad, filed the case under Section 500, 501, 427, and 109 of the Penal Code
with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder on Wednesday.
The
court accepted the plaintiff's statement and said it would issue the order on
Thursday.
The
other accused in the case are Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, general secretary of
BNP; Junaid Ahmed Babungari, acting chief of Hefazat-e-Islam; Mamunul Haque,
joint secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam; and Faizul Karim, senior
nayeb-e-ameer of Islami Andolan Bangladesh.
According
to the case file, On November 13, Mamunul Haque said: “There will be no
sculptures in Bangladesh and we will not allow constructing a sculpture of the
Father of the Nation.”
On
November 27, Junaid Babungari said: "If the country follows the Medina
Charter, then there will be no sculpture in the country." He also
threatened to create a situation like the Shapla Chattar again.
Faizul
Haque said in a speech: "If any sculpture is constructed in Bangladesh, it
will be smashed and thrown into the Buriganga. If necessary, we will gather at
Shapla Chattar again.”
The
case file also stated that earlier, Khaleda Zia had said at a Hefazat-e-Islam
rally at Shapla Chattar that Sheikh Hasina will be brought down within 6am in
the morning.
Earlier
on Monday, two complaints were filed with a Dhaka court, alleging sedition for
speaking against the sculptures of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman against Babunagari, Mamunul, and Faizul.
President
of Muktijoddha Mancha Aminul Islam Bulbul and Executive President and founder
of Bangabandhu Foundation Advocate Moshiur Malek filed the cases with the same
court.
Following
which, Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder directed the Police Bureau of
Investigation (PBI) to probe the issue, and submit a report before it within
January 7, 2021.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/court/2020/12/09/khaleda-tarique-fakhrul-mamunul-babunagari-sued-over-anti-sculpture-remarks
--------
Malaysia
says halal issue won't affect Covid-19 vaccine roll-out amid concerns among
Muslims
Hazlin
Hassan
10
Dec 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR - The much-anticipated Covid-19 vaccine need not be halal in order to be
administered in Malaysia, said Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham
Abdullah, allaying concerns among local Muslims about the shots containing
substances forbidden by Islam.
"If
they can get the halal certification that would be better, but we do not
register a medicine based on halal status or not. We do register non-halal
medicine too," Dr Noor Hisham told The Straits Times.
Concerns
over whether the Covid-19 vaccine is permissible for use by Muslims have
surfaced as Malaysia signs deals with manufacturers to procure shipments.
The
Special Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Malaysian Islamic
Affairs met on Dec 3 to discuss whether the vaccine can be administered to
Muslims. Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said last week
that the decision would be announced after it has been presented to the King,
who oversees religious matters, for his consent.
Malaysian
pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga has said it is planning to build the world's
first halal vaccine facility by 2022.
Malaysia
inked a deal with Pfizer in November to supply 12.8 million doses of the
Covid-19 vaccine for 20 per cent of the population. It has also entered a pact
with the Covax Facility to cover another 10 per cent of the population.
The
country is also set to obtain the vaccine from China, which has raised
questions among Muslims over its halal status.
"Even
if there is an ingredient which is not permissible, the chemical transformation
process will make it clean and halal," said Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul
Abidin in a Facebook post after attending last week's Muzakarah committee
meeting.
Malaysia
recorded 959 new cases on Wednesday (Dec 9) and five deaths. This brought the
tally of confirmed cases to 76, 265, while fatalities totalled 393.
The
halal issue in Malaysia can be a sensitive one, and can sometimes raise racial
tensions.
While
Muslims are obligated to make sure the food they consume is halal, cases of
fake certificates or unhygienic production processes frequently make the
headlines in Malaysia.
Malaysia's
halal industry contributes to 7.8 per cent of the country's gross domestic
product.
As
the agency responsible for certifying if products are halal, the Department of
Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) has found itself at the centre of recent
furores fuelled by social media claims that certain certified restaurants
served pork.
Jakim
has had to play the role of myth-buster lately, after a viral video claiming
that halal-certified coffee shop chain OldTown White Coffee served pork, when
it was actually chicken.
While
Muslim Malays make up 60 per cent of the country's 32 million population, a
video released by Jakim last month revealed that nearly 70 per cent of halal
certificate applicants were not bumiputeras - a term used to jointly refer to
the Malay Muslim majority and indigenous tribes.
As
at Dec 2, a total of 6,403 applications for the halal certification have been
approved this year, out of 7,853. Of those that were successful, 67 per cent
were non-bumiputera applicants.
The
bulk of these were for products (62 per cent), and eateries (22 per cent).
OldTown
White Coffee is far from being the only victim of fake news regarding its halal
status. Jakim has had to post 99 statements this year, rebutting hoaxes and
inaccurate information.
It
also began a series on its Facebook page last week, debunking misinformation
over posers such as whether the earth is flat and whether Muslims are allowed
to play online battle game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
"Spreading
fake news is a serious matter. It is like an epidemic that must be handled
quickly, and firmly," Mr Bukhari Md Akhir, director of Jakim's Halal
Management Division, told ST.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/halal-issue-will-not-impede-malaysias-vaccine-roll-out-says-health-chief-amid-muslim
--------
Pakistan:
Court Orders Arzoo — A Teenage Christian Girl’s Purported Husband Be Tried for
Rape
Naeem
Sahoutara
09
Dec 2020
A
judicial magistrate on Wednesday invoked offence of rape against the main
suspect in a case pertaining to the alleged underage marriage of Arzoo — a
teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forcefully
converted and married to a Muslim man.
The
judge also ordered the registration of a case against Syed Ali Azhar, who is
the girl's purported husband, as well as against cleric Qazi Abdul Rasool
Naqshbandi, the justice of peace and facilitators and witnesses under Section 3
of the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013.
The
magistrate also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the absconding
suspects. The judge sent the matter to the district and sessions’ judge (South)
for initiating a trial.
During
the hearing, the judge ruled that the investigation officer in the case was at
liberty to determine the question of the issuance of sanad (certificate of
conversion of religion) in accordance with the Supreme Court’s judgment
(SCMR-474 of 2014), which was raised by the complainant’s counsel during the
course of the arguments.
Police
had booked Azhar, his brothers Syed Mohsin Ali and Syed Shariq Ali and their
friend Danish for allegedly kidnapping the teenage girl, forcibly converting
her and marrying her to a Muslim man.
Officials
had also booked cleric Qazi Abdul Rasool, Junaid Ali Siddiqui and Mehmood
Hassan for facilitating and solemnising the underage marriage of Arzoo Raja
with Azhar. They are all currently on interim pre-arrest bail while Azhar is in
police custody.
On
Wednesday, judicial magistrate (South) Muhammad Ali Dall pronounced his verdict
on the charge-sheet filed by the investigating officer after hearing arguments
from the state prosecutor, defence counsel Muhammad Nizar Tanoli and the
counsels for the complainant, Jibran Nasir and Asghar Narejo.
In
his 20-page order, the judge noted that from perusal of the material available
on record, it appeared that the "ingredients" of Section 376
(punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 3 of the
Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013 were "attracting" against
the suspect Syed Ali Azhar.
Section
3 states: “Whoever, being a male above eighteen years of age, contracts a child
marriage shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment, which may extend to two
years or with fine, which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees or with
both.”
Similarly,
the judge said that "ingredients" of Section 201 (causing
disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen
offender) of the PPC also "attracted" against Azhar.
He
further wrote that in view of the facts, it appeared that
"ingredients" of Section 4 (punishment for solemnising a child
marriage) of the Child Marriage Act was "attracting" against Qazi
Abdul Rasool Naqshbandi, who solemnised the couple’s marriage, Justice of Peace
Muhammad Azharuddin, witnesses Muhammad Danish, Habib, Mahmood Hassan and
Junaid Ali Siddiqui.
The
magistrate accepted the charge-sheet filed by the investigation officer and
took cognisance under Section 376 of the PPC and Section 3 of the SCMRA, 2013
against Azhar.
The
magistrate also took cognisance under the Section 4 of the SCMRA, 2013 against
the cleric Qazi Abdul Rasool Naqshbandi, Justice of Peace Muhammad Azharuddin,
Muhammad Danish, Habib, Mahmood Hassan and Junaid Ali Siddiqui.
The
judge further took cognisance under Section 201 of the PPC against Azhar.
However,
the judge noted that since no evidence for initiating trial is available
against the suspects Syed Shariq Ali and Danish, both were discharged from the
case accordingly for the time being.
“Let
the case be registered against Syed Ali Azhar, Qazi Abdul Rasool Naqshbandi,
Justice of Peace Muhammad Azharuddin, Mahmood Hassan and Junaid Ali Siddiqui.”
The magistrate sent the record of proceedings of the case to the District and
Sessions’ Judge (South) for initiating trial.
Meanwhile,
the court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconding
suspects, the Justice of Peace Muhammad Azharuddin and witnesses of the
marriage ceremony, Danish and Habib.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594881/underage-marriage-court-orders-arzoos-purported-husband-be-tried-for-rape
--------
U.S.
counterterrorism chief says Mozambique militants are Islamic State affiliate
8
December 2020
NAIROBI,
Dec 8 (Reuters) - The insurgency in northern Mozambique is a
"committed" affiliate of Islamic State and should be seen as a global
terrorism issue, the U.S. counterterrorism coordinator said on Tuesday,
pledging to support the government against the militant group.
Islamist
militants in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province - home to gas projects worth
$60 billion - are gaining ground. Violence spilled across the border into
Tanzania in October, prompting the two countries to launch joint military
operations.
"The
United States wants to be Mozambique's security partner of choice,"
Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales said in a call with journalists
after he visited Mozambique and neighbouring South Africa.
"Regardless
of the origins of these violent networks or individuals who participated in
them, what we're seeing today is a committed ISIS affiliate that embraces the
ISIS ideology, that embraces the ISIS tactics and procedures, and embraces the
ISIS vision of a caliphate with territorial control," said Sales.
It
was the clearest insight yet into Washington's perspective on the escalating
conflict in Mozambique.
In
recent years the United States has shifted its priorities away from
counterterrorism in favour of tackling what it sees as great power rivalry with
China and Russia on the African continent and elsewhere.
But
some analysts have warned that a wholesale retreat from helping weak states
tackle insurgencies is short-sighted.
Sales
said Washington could provide the Mozambican government with the capabilities
to investigate and prosecute crimes and respond to attacks.
"The
way to fight terrorists is not to send in a bunch of mercenaries to loot
natural resources and then abscond."
South
Africa has a key role to play as an economic and military power and a strong
democracy, Sales said, adding that he hoped the country would join the U.S.
effort to defeat the Mozambican insurgency.
The
insurgent group known as Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama declared allegiance to Islamic
State in 2019, but the exact nature of its ties with the jihadist organisation
was unclear.
https://news.trust.org/item/20201208193829-456v0/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
--------
NATO
Accuses Taliban of Undermining Afghanistan Peace Process with Attacks
BY
BRENDAN COLE
12/9/20
NATO
says an increase in attacks carried out by the Taliban threatens to derail
Afghanistan peace process talks whose terms have just been hammered out.
The
statement on Wednesday by the alliance comes after an agreement between the
Afghan government and the Taliban for a framework for peace talks in Qatar was
struck last week.
Last
month, the Pentagon's Sigar (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction)
warned of a 50 percent spike in violence from the Taliban violence within three
months and accused the group of targeting journalists.
Radio
Free Europe reported that the Taliban is carrying out targeted killings and
assassinations as well as staging mass casualty attacks against Afghan
government military targets. The outlet reported that the aim was to gain
leverage in the peace talks.
Amid
the backdrop of increased violence, NATO said it hoped the negotiations in Doha
would lead to an "enduring and comprehensive" Afghan peace agreement
aimed at ending nearly two decades of war.
It
praised the deal agreed by Kabul and the Taliban and the first meeting of the
leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation as
"important steps toward a comprehensive and lasting peace in
Afghanistan."
NATO
added that a negotiated political settlement is the "only hope for a
lasting peace" but said that "violence, especially driven by Taliban
attacks, continues to undermine the peace process and must end."
Under
a deal agreed in Doha in February, foreign forces were due to leave Afghanistan
by May 2021 in exchange for counter-terrorism guarantees from the Taliban. But
in November, acting defense secretary Christopher Miller announced that U.S.
troop numbers would be reduced to 2,500 by January, which was welcomed by the
Taliban.
Germany's
foreign minister, Heiko Maas has warned NATO must not withdraw troops from the
country too early for fear of jeopardising the peace talks. Critics fear that the
insurgents are biding their time for the exit of U.S. troops and want to take
the entire country by force.
Chairman
of the joint chiefs of staff, Mark Milley told a virtual conference last month
that there was a stalemate between the Taliban and the forces of the Kabul
government. He also admitted that the U.S. had achieved only a "modicum of
success" in nearly 20 years of trying to establish stable democracy in
Afghanistan, Military.com reported.
The
graphic below provided by Statista shows the expense of U.S. military
involvement in Afghanistan this century.
https://www.newsweek.com/afghanistan-taliban-peace-kabul-nato-1553534
--------
Total
dead in Syria war reaches 387,000 in slowest annual increase: Monitor
09
December 2020
The
overall death toll for Syria's civil war has crept up to 387,000 following the
least deadly of 10 years of conflict, a monitor said Wednesday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a wide network of sources
inside Syria, said the new figure included almost 117,000 civilians, among them
more than 22,000 children.
The
Observatory's previous tally was issued in January and stood at more than
380,000.
The
fighting, which erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government
protests, has largely abated this year as a ceasefire held in northwestern
Syria and attention turned to containing the coronavirus pandemic.
The
latest toll included more than 130,500 pro-government fighters, among them
foreigners.
More
than half of those were Syrian soldiers, while 1,703 were from the Lebanese
Shiite group Hezbollah whose members have been fighting in Syria since 2013.
The
conflict has claimed the lives of more than 57,000 non-jihadist rebel fighters.
It
has also killed more than 67,500 jihadists, mainly from the Islamic State group
and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group dominated by ex-members of Syria's
former Al-Qaeda affiliate.
More
than 12,500 Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fighters have been killed in
battles against IS and Turkish forces.
The
Observatory's toll does not include some 88,000 people it says died of torture
in government-run prisons, nor thousands who were abducted during the conflict
and are still missing.
After
turning the tide of the war with Russian and Iranian support since 2015, the
Syrian government now controls around two-thirds of the country.
Among
the regions still beyond its reach are the last rebel enclave of Idlib in the
northwest, Turkish-held areas along the northern border, and northeastern parts
of the country held by US-backed Kurdish forces.
The
war has forced more than half the country's pre-war population to flee their
homes.
Some
6.7 million Syrians remained displaced inside the country, while 5.5 million
are registered as refugees abroad, according to the United Nations.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/09/Total-dead-in-Syria-War-reaches-387-000-in-slowest-annual-increase-Monitor-
--------
Iran,
UN Confer on Latest Developments in Syria
2020-December-9
During
the conversation on Wednesday, Khaji and Pedersen reviewed the latest
developments in Syria, including the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
Pedersen
put forward a report on the outcomes of the fourth round of meetings of the
Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva last week.
Khaji
briefed Pederson about the latest developments in Syria, the Constitutional
Committee, and Idlib issues.
The
two sides also voiced support for the continuation of future meetings of the
Syrian Constitutional Committee.
The
Constitutional Committee's fifth round of the Syria talks is set to be held at
the United Nations' Geneva office on Jan. 25-29, 2021.
The
fourth session of Syria's Constitutional Committee was held on November 27 in
Geneva to hammer out the roots of the basic laws for a peaceful Syria.
In
his November meeting with Pedersen in Tehran, Khaji had said that the western
states are using the humanitarian issues in Syria to attain their political
goals.
During
the meeting, the two sides discussed the latest developments in Syria,
including the constitution committee, conference on refugees, Idlib and Eastern
Euphrates.
Khaji
lauded Pedersen for his efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in
Syria and continued meetings of the constitution committee, blasting certain
countries, specially the western states, for non-participation in the
conference on refugees.
“The
western states which claim to be supporting the humanitarian issues, have taken
hostage the humanitarian issues in Syria to attain their political goals and
have attempted to prevent holding the conference (on refugees),” he added.
Pedersen,
for his part, elaborated on the latest coordination with members of Syria’s
constitution committee about their next meeting, appreciating Iran’s efforts to
support the political process to resolve the crisis in Syria.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990919000866/Iran-UN-Cnfer-n-Laes-Develpmens-in-Syria
--------
Europe
Macron
touts law to ‘free Muslims from radical Islamism’
December
9, 2020
PARIS:
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday seeks his cabinet’s blessing for draft
legislation combatting “radical Islamism” after a spate of attacks, which
critics fear risks targeting all Muslims.
Macron
argues the legislation is needed to shore up France’s staunchly secular system
but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for
Europe’s largest Muslim community.
“The
enemy of the Republic is a political ideology called radical Islamism, which
aims to divide the French among themselves,” Prime Minister Jean Castex told
Wednesday’s edition of Le Monde.
He
argued that rather than targeting Muslims it aimed to “free Muslims from the
growing grip of radical Islamism”.
The
legislation will be discussed at a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace with
Castex announcing the outcome in the early afternoon.
But
the government’s staunch defence of the foundations of the French state that
date back to the French Revolution has caused unease even among allies, with the
US envoy on international religious freedom saying he was concerned by the
legislation.
“There
can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not harmful,”
Ambassador Sam Brownback told reporters.
“When
you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse,” he said.
‘Strengthen
republican values’
The
text was originally titled the “anti-separatism” bill, using a term Macron uses
to describe ultra-conservative Muslims withdrawing from mainstream society.
Following
criticism of that term, it is now called a “draft law to strengthen republican
values”, mostly secularism and freedom of expression.
The
law was in the pipeline before the murder in October of Samuel Paty, a junior
high school teacher who was attacked in the street and beheaded after showing
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a class.
But
the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media
campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill, prompted the
inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal
information on the internet.
Paty’s
death is one in a string of militant-inspired attacks in France this year
including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo
satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in the Mediterranean city
of Nice.
The
draft law sets out stricter criteria for authorising home schooling of children
over three years old in a bid to prevent parents taking their children out of
public schools and enrolling them in underground Islamic facilities.
Doctors,
meanwhile, would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity test on
girls.
Polygamy
is already outlawed in France, but the new law would also ban authorities from
issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants.
It
would also require city hall officials to interview couples separately prior to
their wedding to make sure that they were not forced into marriage.
‘Open
provocation’
Macron
has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries, with some boycotting
French products, after saying that the right to blaspheme would always be
guaranteed in France and that Islam was “in crisis”.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an “open provocation”,
while scholars at Egypt’s prestigious Sunni Islamic institution, Al-Azhar,
called Macron’s views “racist”.
Macron
has also been forced onto the defensive by critical headlines in influential
English-language media, such as the Financial Times and New York Times.
Muslims
in France – the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries
in north and west Africa as well as the Middle East – are estimated at nearly
four million, about 6% of the population.
Once,
as is expected, the cabinet backs the draft law, it heads to parliament at the
start of next year for what promises to be a heated debate.
France’s
state council, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future
laws, has already signalled that some parts of the bill, especially on
education, may clash with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the
French constitution.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/12/09/macron-touts-law-to-free-muslims-from-radical-islamism/
--------
Charlie
Hebdo attack: France seeks long jail terms in Paris trial
Dec
09, 2020
France's
anti-terror prosecutors have called for defendants on trial for a series of
militant Islamist attacks in Paris to be given long jail terms.
The
January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a policewoman and a Jewish
supermarket left 17 people dead.
Fourteen
people are appearing in court and three are being tried in absentia.
One
of those being tried in absentia is Hayat Boumeddiene, the fugitive partner of
Amedy Coulibaly who was killed after attacking the supermarket.
Two
brothers are also being sought.
Prosecutors
are seeking a life sentence for Ali Riza Polat, the main defendant, who is in
court.
All
three actual participants in the 7-9 January 2015 attacks were killed and the
defendants, who went on trial in early September, are accused of obtaining
weapons or providing logistical support. All 14 in the dock deny the charges
and verdicts are expected on 16 December.
Prosecutor
Julie Holveck told the court that all the defendants had "their share of
responsibility" for the deadly process that led up to the attacks and she
called for a "firm and balanced" response. It was not a question of
making the living pay for the crimes of the dead, she insisted.
"They
are the kingpin and backbone of this plot."
Who
has been singled out by prosecutors?
Ali
Riza Polat, described as Coulibaly's right-hand man, had a pivotal role in
preparing the attacks and had a "precise knowledge of the terrorist
plan", even if he disputed that, prosecutors allege. He has admitted
taking part in "scams" but denies any knowledge of the plot.
It
is unknown whether the three being tried in absentia are even alive, but
prosecutors say Hayat Boumeddiene should be given a 30-year sentence with a
minimum of 20 behind bars.
She
fled France for Syria via Turkey a week before the attacks. Prosecutors say she
took part in preparing the attacks and used a variety of methods to buy the
weapons. She was thought to have died in a US air strike last year but a female
jihadist told French security services she had escaped from a camp for militant
detainees late last year.
As
for the other two defendants being tried in absentia, prosecutors want Mohamed
Belhoucine, a close friend of Coulibaly, to be jailed for life with a minimum
tariff of 22 years behind bars for complicity in his attack on the Hyper Cacher
supermarket which left four people dead. Belhoucine is suspected of giving the
killer the most significant operational support as well as acting as his
religious mentor. Prosecutors want his younger brother, Mehdi, to face 20 years
in jail for helping Hayat Boumeddiene escape.
Of
the other defendants present in court, prosecutors want 11 to face heavy jail
terms of 13 to 20 years for helping the three killers.
Nezar
Mickaël Pastor Alwatik was with Coulibaly in jail and his DNA was found on two
pistols at his home, while Amar Ramdani and Saïd Makhlouf are alleged to have
provided weapons. The trio are described as being part of a support group based
in Lille in northern France.
Four
others, based in the Ardennes area of Belgium, should also face long sentences,
prosecutors say.
What
happened in January 2015?
On
7 January 2015, brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi stormed the Paris offices of
Charlie Hebdo in the Rue Nicolas-Appert before opening fire on its staff and
murdering 11 people including five of the satirical magazine's cartoonists.
A
police officer was murdered outside the building. The Kouachis were killed in a
shootout with police two days later.
On
8 January Coulibaly shot dead a woman police officer in the Paris suburb of
Montrouge.
The
next day he took hostages in Hyper Cacher, a kosher supermarket, killing an
employee and three customers. Coulibaly was eventually shot dead in a police
raid.
Charlie
Hebdo marked the start of the trial in September by reprinting controversial
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked protests in several Muslim
countries.
The
following month, teacher Samuel Paty was murdered near his school by a Chechen,
days after the teacher showed some of the cartoons to a class on free speech.
https://www.bbc.com/news/55231200?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
--------
Alleged
neo-Nazi teenager charged with encouraging a 'mass casualty' terror attack
10
Dec 2020
A
New South Wales teenager who allegedly expressed neo-Nazi and white supremacist
views is has been charged with encouraging a mass casualty terrorist attack,
with police claiming he accessed material online relating to bomb-making.
The
18-year-old from Albury on the NSW-Victoria border was arrested on Wednesday
morning by members of the NSW joint counter terrorism team, which is made up of
officers from the Australian federal police and the NSW police force.
The
arrest came as federal parliament’s powerful security committee launched an
inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia – including the
far right – after a referral from the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton.
AFP
assistant commissioner Scott Lee told reporters on Wednesday: “The male we’ve
arrested has an extremely rightwing ideology and is focused on neo-Nazi, white
supremacist and anti-Semitic material.”
Lee
alleged the man had been “accessing and engaging [with] extreme rightwing
material” including “bomb-making materials” which he had allegedly shared “to
urge others to commit terrorist acts and violence against community members”.
“The
decision to arrest today was made as a result of an escalation that we saw in
this male’s online behaviour which continued up until this morning, and that
was why we made the decision that we did,” the assistant commissioner said.
Police
said the man did not appear to have planned a specific attack and that his
activities were “only occurring in the online environment”. Lee said the
18-year-old was arrested after officers observed an “escalation” in the tone of
his social media posts.
“A
couple of days ago what we observed was an escalation in the tone which went to
a support of a mass casualty event, and potentially his involvement in that
event,” Lee alleged. “There was a post in the very early hours of this morning
which actually expressed support for a previous mass-casualty shooting that had
occurred internationally.”
Lee
said in a statement the investigation was ongoing “but we remain wary about the
speed with which lone actors can progress from online activities to ones that
impact the real world”.
The
federal police assistant commissioner said the previous shooting was “not
Christchurch related” but the teenager had allegedly “expressed support for the
ideology of the individual who committed that attack”.
NSW
police assistant commissioner Mark Walton alleged the teenager had expressed
views against “almost anyone that didn’t look like him”.
“More
specifically it’s non-whites, it’s immigrants, it’s people of the Jewish and
Islamic faith,” he told reporters.
Authorities
stressed on Wednesday that there was no ongoing threat to the community.
Separately,
Dutton has asked parliament’s joint committee on intelligence and security to
open an inquiry into “the nature and extent of, and threat posed by, extremist
movements”.
The
proposed terms of reference include “the motivations, objectives and capacity
for violence of extremist groups including, but not limited to, Islamist and
far-right extremist groups”. The inquiry would also consider whether that
threat had changed during the Covid pandemic.
Dutton’s
request came as the government faced a motion from Labor’s shadow home affairs
minister, Kristina Keneally, for an inquiry examining the threat of rightwing
extremism in Australia.
Keneally
said on Tuesday an inquiry should consider whether “our proscription laws to
list groups as terrorist organisations are fit for purpose and whether our
counter-terrorism programs and our preventing of radicalisation will work when
it comes to rightwing extremism”.
The
inquiry referred by Dutton increases the scope to include “Islamist” groups,
but the terms broadly align with those proposed by Labor. The inquiry may also
consider “the role of social media” in “allowing extremists to communicate and
organise”.
The
terms of reference include looking at “further steps the commonwealth could
take to disrupt and deter hate speech and establish thresholds to regulate the
use of symbols and insignia associated with terrorism and extremism, including
online”. The committee on Wednesday afternoon accepted Dutton’s referral.
A
report by the New Zealand royal commission into the Christchurch mosque
shooting was released earlier this week. It found the Australian shooter who
killed 51 Muslim worshipers last year was active in far-right groups in his home
country but escaped the attention of authorities.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/dec/09/alleged-neo-nazi-teenager-arrested-in-nsw-to-face-terror-charges?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
--------
Only
Muslim school in Paris closed down amid claims of Islamophobia
Dec
10, 2020
France
targets the capital’s only school catering to Muslims amid a wider crackdown on
the country’s 4.5 million Muslim population.
Paris’s
only Muslim school was shut down by French authorities while pressure continues
to increase on Europe’s largest Muslim community.
MHS
College and High School is a private secondary in Paris, originally established
in 2015. Although the school is officially secular and follows the national
curriculum, its students are predominantly Muslim.
One
of the school’s founders spoke to TRT World on the condition of anonymity
saying that “we are an open school to all cultures religion convictions
origins” adding that “we don’t teach any courses around religion.”
A
unique feature of the school, however, is that it allows its female students to
follow their religious convictions and wear the hijab if they wish, “because we
think that everybody should wear the clothes they want!” said the founder of
the MHS.
In
2004, France cracked down on Muslim girls’ right to wear the headscarf on
school premises, compelling many to take off their head-covering at the
entrance of the school gate.
Since
then, there have been few options in which a Muslim woman could receive an
education while still being able to practice her faith.
MHS
in Paris was one such unique operation which allowed this freedom.
In
a statement, the school called this latest decision to shut the school as
“arbitrary”, not least because the closure has left more than 110 students
without a placement in the middle of an academic year, as well 18 teachers and
support staff unemployed.
The
closure order came about after an inspection took place on November 17.
During
that inspection, students “found themselves surrounded by around forty
controllers, inspectors and ministerial agents and police officers.”
Authorities
claimed that the building’s safety standards were insufficient. The school
contends that it had carried out extensive renovation to meet legal
obligations. In addition, they explained the building is shared with other
institutions that are also working with children and “they were not asked to
shutdown. Only MHS was ordered to.”
The
school warned that the disruption to students' education will hamper their
progression at a time when the country is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic,
during which academic institutions are facing the heavy burden of trying to
teach in difficult circumstances.
The
abrupt closure at this inconvenient, mid-year time, has left some wondering
whether rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the country and recent statements by
the French President Emmanuel Macron singling out Muslims, has helped this
decision come to pass.
One
online user said that “France has now shut down the first and only Muslim
school in Paris @mhs_paris. This was a secular school that taught the national
curriculum, the difference was 90% of students were Muslims, and girls were
free to wear hijab, unlike other French schools where it's banned.”
Another
called the move an “absolute scandal” drawing attention to the more than seven
Jewish schools in Paris alone and at least twenty Catholic Schools which have
not been molested by the state.
So
far the school has appealed for “solidarity, responsible and peaceful support
in the face of this injustice."
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/only-muslim-school-in-paris-closed-down-amid-claims-of-islamophobia-42199
--------
Finnish
minister to face no charges over push to bring home Islamic State children
DECEMBER
9, 2020
HELSINKI
(Reuters) - Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto should not face charges
despite breaking the law in an effort to quickly bring to Finland children of
Finnish mothers who joined Islamic State, a parliamentary committee ruled on
Wednesday.
Like
other European countries, Finland has struggled with the question of what to do
with its citizens who joined the violent Islamist movement that seized swathes
of Syria and Iraq, and with their children who were born or taken there.
Many
Europeans and their children ended up in camps in Syria after the group was
defeated there two years ago. Fifteen children of Finnish women have been
brought to Finland so far.
Parliament’s
constitutional committee found that Haavisto, who had pushed for the children
to be brought to Finland quickly last year, had broken the law by trying to
replace an official who refused to act. But it said the breach did not meet a
threshold to press charges.
“I
want to express a feeling of relief,” Haavisto said after the ruling. “It was
clear all the time that helping the children in distress was also our legal
responsibility.”
Haavisto
says he pressed for quick action last year because winter was approaching and
conditions were deteriorating at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria where
the children were being held with their Finnish mothers.
The
Prosecutor General has been investigating whether Haavisto broke the law by
trying to replace the official.
While
decisions by the parliamentary committee are usually unanimous, members of
parliament from Haavisto’s Greens group filed a rare objection to the ruling
that censured him.
Parliament,
which is likely to follow the constitutional committee’s recommendation, will
vote on whether to charge Haavisto. No date for the decision has been set.
https://in.reuters.com/article/finland-foreign-minister-impeachment/finnish-minister-to-face-no-charges-over-push-to-bring-home-islamic-state-children-idINKBN28J29S
--------
Erdogan
in Azerbaijan to hail 'glorious' Karabakh victory
Dec
10, 2020
BAKU:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Azerbaijan Thursday to join
nationwide celebrations marking his close ally's decisive military victory
against Armenia in their conflict for control of disputed territory.
Azerbaijan's
army paraded military hardware and weapons seized from Armenia during the
six-week war through the capital Baku ahead of Erdogan's arrival to rehearse
for a large-scale victory parade on Thursday.
The
Turkish leader's visit to Azerbaijan was an opportunity to celebrate together
the "glorious victory" against Armenia for control of the mountainous
Nagorno-Karabakh region, Erdogan's office said ahead of his arrival.
Erdogan
was scheduled to hold talks with Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev and
preside over the military showcasing that is the culmination of nationwide
festivities for the victory.
Erdogan's
office said the visit would provide an opportunity for the "brotherly
countries" to strengthen ties and for talks on promoting Azerbaijan's
"rightful cause on international platforms".
Azerbaijan's
historic win against Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh last month was an
important geopolitical coup for Erdogan who has cemented Turkey's leading role
as a powerbroker in the ex-Soviet Caucasus region.
Turkey
backed Azerbaijan during the six weeks of fighting that erupted in late
September and left more than 5,000 people dead. Ankara was widely accused of
dispatching mercenaries from Syria to bolster Baku's army, but repeatedly
denied the charge.
"Azerbaijan
would not have been able to achieve military success in Karabakh without
Turkey's open political backing," analyst Elhan Shahinoglu of Baku-based
think-tank, Atlas, told AFP.
"If
not for Erdogan's support, Yerevan's ally Russia -- which competes with Ankara
for influence in the Caucasus -- would have pressured Baku to stop
fighting."
The
clashes were ended by a peace deal brokered by Moscow after Baku's army
overwhelmed separatist forces and drew closer to Nagorno-Karabakh's main city
Stepanakert.
The
deal spurred mass celebrations in Azerbaijan but was met with fury in Armenia,
where Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has faced large demonstrations calling for
his resignation.
The
deal saw Armenia cede control over parts of the enclave it lost during the
recent fighting and seven adjacent districts it had seized during a war in the
1990s.
But
the agreement leaves Nagorno-Karabakh's political status in limbo.
The
enclave will see its future guaranteed by nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers
deployed for a renewable five-year mandate and the truce will be monitored in
Azerbaijan by Turkish military.
Separatists
in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Baku in a war in the early 1990s that left
some 30,000 people dead and displaced tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis.
But
their claim of autonomy has not recognised internationally, even by Armenia.
Armenia
accused Turkey of direct involvement in the recent fighting -- including
sending foreign fighters to the battlefield -- allegations dismissed by both
Baku and Ankara.
Their
shared border has been closed since 1993 when the two countries cut diplomatic
ties.
Erdogan
in 2009 dismissed internationally mediated reconciliation efforts with Armenia
and said ties could only be restored after Armenian forces withdrew from
Nagorno-Karabakh.
The
two countries share a deep and mutual distrust over Armenia's efforts to
recognise as genocide the World War I massacres of some 1.5 million Armenians
in the Ottoman empire.
Turkey
has furiously rejected the genocide label.
Referred
to as "one nation, two states," Turkey's alliance with
Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan was forged following the Soviet Union's collapse in
1991 and has deepened under Erdogan's tenure.
Turkey
has helped Azerbaijan train and arm its military and serves as the main route
for energy exports to Europe, bypassing Russia.
Meanwhile,
Azerbaijan links Turkey with ex-Soviet Turkic nations in Central Asia and with
China.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/erdogan-in-azerbaijan-to-hail-glorious-karabakh-victory/articleshow/79656176.cms
--------
European
Union will impose more sanctions for Turkish drilling in Mediterranean
09
December 2020
The
European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies
responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to
a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on Thursday.
If
agreed, the EU will “prepare additional listings” on the basis of a sanctions
list already in place since 2019 and “if need be work on the extension” of its
scope, according to the draft statement seen by Reuters.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Negotiations
over the two-page statement are still ongoing and Greece and Cyprus, which
accuse Turkey of drilling for hydrocarbons off its continental shelf, believe
the sanctions do not go far enough, according to diplomats briefed on internal
discussions.
EU
leaders are considering whether to make good on a threat made in October to
sanction Turkey over the drilling for hydrocarbons off the coast of Cyprus and
off Greece.
On
Monday, EU foreign ministers said Turkey had failed to help end the row with
Greece and Cyprus over potential gas resources, but they left any decision on
retaliatory sanctions for the EU summit.
The
EU created a sanctions program last year to punish unauthorized exploration in
the eastern Mediterranean, freezing assets of people and companies accused of
planning or participating in activities in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone or
on its continental shelf.
So
far, only two senior officials of Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum
Corporation (TPAO) have been put on the sanctions list but Cyprus proposed a
list of more names earlier this year.
Cyprus’
internationally recognized government discovered offshore gas in 2011 but has been
at loggerheads with Turkey over maritime zones around the island, where it has
granted license to multinational companies for oil and gas research.
Turkey,
which does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus’ government, says it is
operating in waters on its own continental shelf or areas where Turkish
Cypriots have rights.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/09/European-Union-will-impose-more-sanctions-for-Turkish-drilling-in-Mediterranean
--------
EU
to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling — draft statement
December
09, 2020
BRUSSELS:
The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and
companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean,
according to a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on
Thursday.
If
agreed, the EU will “prepare additional listings” on the basis of a sanctions
list already in place since 2019 and “if need be, work on the extension” of its
scope, according to the draft statement seen by Reuters.
Such
sanctions would be among the more conservative measures available to EU
leaders, who vowed in October to use “all instruments” to pressure Turkey to
stop exploring for hydrocarbons off the coast of Cyprus and Greece.
France
had voiced support for “sectorial” sanctions on the Turkish economy. But
imposing them on a NATO ally and EU candidate country is seen by Germany, Spain
and Italy as a step too far that would put Turkey in the same camp as Russia,
which is viewed as hostile to the bloc.
The
hydrocarbons dispute is part of wider issues with Turkey including the divided
island of Cyprus and Turkey’s foreign policy in Libya and Syria, which the
United States and the EU say undermines Western goals.
However,
Turkey’s role as a host for Syrian migrants fleeing civil war who would
otherwise seek refuge in the EU limits European appetite to punish Ankara,
diplomats say.
The
draft statement also sought to delay retaliation, saying the European
Commission and the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell should prepare “options on
how to proceed” for the next EU summit in March.
“The
EU will seek to coordinate on these matters with the US,” the draft said,
something diplomats said was a recognition of hopes for closer foreign policy
ties with Washington once US President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.
Negotiations
over the two-page statement are still ongoing and Greece and Cyprus, which
accuse Turkey of drilling for hydrocarbons off its continental shelf, believe
the sanctions do not go far enough.
“We
welcome additional listings,” a Cypriot diplomat said. “We would like to see
preparations for targeted sectoral measures at a later stage, in February or
March, should Turkey’s behavior not change,” the envoy said.
The
EU created a sanctions program last year to punish unauthorized exploration in
the eastern Mediterranean, freezing assets of people and companies accused of
planning or participating in activities in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone or
on its continental shelf.
So
far, only senior officials of Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum
Corporation (TPAO) have been put on the sanctions list but Cyprus proposed a
list of more names earlier this year.
Cyprus’
internationally recognized government discovered offshore gas in 2011 but has
been at loggerheads with Turkey over maritime zones around the island, where it
has granted license to multinational companies for oil and gas research.
Turkey,
which does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus’ government, says it is
operating in waters on its own continental shelf or areas where Turkish
Cypriots have rights.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1774826/world
--------
India
Telangana
State Waqf Board Forms Committees To Manage Mosques
Dec
10, 2020
Hyderabad:
A board meeting headed by Telangana State Waqf Board (TSWB) chairman Mohammed
Saleem was held on Wednesday to chalk out a plan to develop and protect Waqf
properties across Telangana.
Mohammed
Saleem, chairman TSWB said that there were total 77 agendas were discussed in
the meeting for the development and safeguard of the Waqf properties in the
State. Twenty-three committees were constituted for managing mosques &
dargahs as well as six Mutawallis have been appointed.
“The
Board has come out with certain agendas unanimously in the meeting and Masajids
construction permission was given simultaneously. The Board also discuss over
the generating the income and cancelling the registeration of properties
executed on Waqf land,’’ clarified, Mohammed Saleem, chairman, TSWB.
The
Board resolved to construct the Toilets and Bathroom at Dargah Jahangir Peeran
and Dargah Yakoob Shaheed Warangal to provide facilities for the devotees. The
contractors, however, were asked not to harass the devotees and urged the
managements to maintain neat and clean inside the Mosques and Dargha.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/waqf-board-forms-committees-to-manage-mosques/articleshow/79651197.cms
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45%
People in 11 States Borrowed Money to Eat Since Lockdown, Dalits and Muslims
Went Hungrier: Survey
DECEMBER
09, 2020
Afirst-of-its-kind
survey on hunger has found that the period of Covid-19 and the restrictions
placed because of it has hit Dalits and Muslims much harder than the rest of
the population.
The
report also noted that the three farm acts, against which farmers have been
protesting for the past fortnight, endanger the entire procurement mechanism,
and hence, the PDS itself, which has been one of the few safety mechanisms for
the marginalised during this tough period. In other words, the three farm laws
are likely to exacerbate the worsening hunger situation in the country.
One
in four Dalits and one in four Muslims reported facing discrimination in
accessing food since the lockdown, a report compiled by the Hunger Watch, a
collective of the ‘Right to Food’ campaign and allied organisations, found in
its post-Covid hunger survey. One in ten people from the ‘general’ category
reported facing discrimination in accessing food.
The
survey also found that the quantity of food consumption decreased for about 74
per cent of the Dalits.
The
study also found that nearly 45 per cent people from these 11 states were so
affected financially that they had to borrow money to eat. This was an increase
from pre-lockdown levels. “The need to borrow money among Dalits was 23 percentage
points more than those in the ‘General’ category’,” the report noted.
‘Hunger
Watch’ also found that the quantity of food consumption decreased for about 74
per cent of the Dalits.
The
survey also found that till as late as in September-October this year, one in
four respondents, from the 11 states in which the survey was conducted, ‘often
went to bed without eating’.
About
56 per cent of the respondents never had to skip meals before lockdown. Of
them, one in seven had to either skip meals ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ in the
September-October period.
The
report was compiled on the basis of the feedback received from nearly 4000
respondents, from vulnerable and marginalised communities, from Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand,
Delhi, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
For
‘Hunger Watch: Situation of Hunger and Food Security in Post-Covid Times’ the
respondents’ situation in pre-lockdown (April-May) was compared to their
post-lockdown situation in September-October.
Of
these respondents, 43 per cent reported no income for the months of April-May
and the incomes of only 3 per cent had gone back to the pre-lockdown levels.
On
an average, the report found that, the quantity of food consumed by the people in
these 11 states had decreased by 66 per cent. Sharpest decrease in quantity of
food consumed was found in Jharkhand (82 per cent) followed by Delhi (81 per
cent) and Rajasthan (80 per cent). Over two-third of the respondents said that
their nutritional quality had worsened by as much as 90 per cent (Chhattisgarh)
in some places.
The
report noted that “the four labour codes disempower the informal sector workers
and make their access to wage employment even more precarious thereby affecting
their ability to buy food. The three farm Acts, as is being argued by the
farmers’ movements, endanger the entire procurement mechanism and hence the PDS
itself.”
Hunger
Watch in its report recommended setting up a universal public distribution
system that provides every individual with 10 kg grain, 1.5 kg pulses and 800
gm cooking oil for at least the next six months up to June next year and 200
days of employment per household under the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (NREGA), among other measures.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/45-people-in-11-states-borrowed-money-to-eat-since-lockdown-dalits-and-muslims-went-hungrier-survey-3160232.html
--------
J&K’s
GI-tagged saffron launched in Middle East; apples in stores too
Dec
10, 2020
NEW
DELHI: Jammu & Kashmir UT administration on Wednesday launched a GI-tagged
saffron in the UAE retail market following an agreement with super market
stores in Dubai.
A
geographical indication (GI) tag is a sign used on products that have a
specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due
to that origin.
Saffron
from Kashmir will be made available for retail in Al Maya Supper Market in
Dubai, said J&K principal secretary(agriculture and farmer welfare) Navin
Chouhdary.
The
decision was taken at the ongoing UAE-India Food Security Summit, 2020 with an
aim to promote horticulture produce of UT in the international market and tap
the Gulf market, said officials.
Kashmiri
saffron is cultivated by at least 42,000 families between Pampore, Pulwama,
Shopian and Srinagar, leading to annual production of estimated 8 MT annually,
even though its declined from 25 MT decades ago before pre-militancy era.
Efforts are on for a revival.
This
is the second such move in last year to take J&K produce to international
markets.
In
2019, after the abrogation of article 370 in J&K, the horticulture
department had entered into a similar agreement to sell Kashmir apples in UAE’s
main super markets.
On
Wednesday, the J&K administration roped in more international chains -
Choitram, Carrefour, Al Adil, Waitrose —that may allow producers from Kashmir
to take their apples internationally easily.
Catering
chains like such as Taj Hotels and Emirates are also among the planned buyers.
Consulate
general of India, Dr Aman Puri, said India is on radar for import of best
quality fruits and food products and formulation of trade agreements with UAE.
The
summit is likely to see more agreements on development of logistics and
integrated cold chains, infrastructure for fishing harbours, floriculture with
multi-national companies of UAE.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jks-gi-tagged-saffron-launched-in-middle-east-apples-in-stores-too/articleshow/79655819.cms
--------
Al-Badr
trio killed, civilian hurt in Pulwama encounter
Dec
9, 2020
SRINAGAR:
Three Al-Badr terrorists were killed, the police said, and a civilian was
injured in an anti-terror operation in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on
Wednesday. Meanwhile, six civilians were injured in Pattan area in north
Kashmir’s Baramulla district after terrorists lobbed a grenade at a vehicle
carrying Sashastra Seema Bal personnel, but the explosive missed the intended
target and burst on the roadside at Singhpora main market locality.
Early
morning, a joint team of Army’s 55RR, CRPF and J&K Police launched a
cordon-and-search operation in Pulwama’s Tiken village acting on intelligence
inputs about the presence of terrorists. “The terrorists, who were holed up in
a house, were given a chance to surrender but opened indiscriminate fire at the
search party. In the ensuing encounter, the house owner Zamir Sadiq Lone was
injured and the Al-Badr trio killed,” IGP (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar said.
The
slain ultras — identified as Mehraj-ud-Din Lone from Pulwama’s Arigam, Umer Ali
from Tral’s Dadsara, and Owais Farooq from Kadlabal Noorpora — were part of
groups involved in numerous terror crimes including planning and executing
several terror attacks on security personnel and establishments, IGP Kumar
said. Authorities temporarily snapped internet services in Pulwama during the
operation.
The
civilians injured in the Singhpora grenade attack — identified as Farman Ali
from UP, Tabasum from Doodipora Handwara in Kupwara, and Singhpora residents
Ghulam Mohammad Parray, Gulzar Ahmad Khan, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat and Zubair Ahmad
Dar — were hospitalised. Their condition was stated to be stable, police said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/al-badr-trio-killed-civilian-hurt-in-pulwama-encounter/articleshow/79649829.cms
--------
China,
Pakistan behind farmers’ protest: Union minister Danve
by
Susmita Pakrasi
Dec
10, 2020
Union
minister Raosaheb Danve on Wednesday claimed that China and Pakistan were
behind the ongoing protests by farmers, who are seeking repeal of three new
farm laws.
He
also alleged that Muslims were earlier misled over the Citizenship (Amendment)
Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), but as those efforts did
not succeed, now farmers were being told that they will face losses due to the
new laws.
Danve
was speaking at the inauguration of a health centre at Kolte Takli in Badnapur
taluka of Maharashtra’s Jalna district.
“The
agitation that is going on is not that of farmers. China and Pakistan have a
hand behind this. Muslims in this country were incited first. What was said (to
them)? That NRC is coming, CAA is coming and Muslims will have to leave this
country in six months. Did a single Muslim leave? “Those efforts didn’t succeed
and now farmers are being told that they will face losses. This is the
conspiracy of other countries,” Danve said.
The
minister, however, did not elaborate on what basis he claimed that the two
neighbouring countries are behind the farmers’ protests.
“The
government is buying wheat at Rs 24 and rice at Rs 34 per kg and giving it to
people at Rs 2 and Rs 3 per kg respectively. The government is spending Rs 1.75
lakh crore on the subsidy for this. The government is spending money for the
welfare of farmers,” the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs said.
“These
initiatives by the central government show that it is ready to spend money for
farmers, but others don’t like it,” the BJP leader claimed.
Danve
said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the prime minister of farmers and none of
his decisions would be against farmers.
The
Shiv Sena slammed Danve for dragging China and Pakistan in the farmers’ stir,
saying the BJPleaders are out of their senses.
Sena
spokesperson and former Union minister Arvind Sawant told PTI that the BJP
leaders are out of their senses because they lost power in Maharashtra.
“They
don’t know what they are speaking,” the Sena leader said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/china-pakistan-behind-farmers-protest-union-minister-danve/story-tOJWJn9H1SBNvPolwSW9yM.html
--------
South
Asia
Sri
Lanka Cremates Muslim Covid-19 Victims, Overriding The Families’ Objections
Against The Contentious Policy
December
9, 2020
COLOMBO:
Sri Lanka said Wednesday it would cremate the bodies of 19 Muslim coronavirus
victims, overriding the families’ objections against the contentious policy.
The
island nation has been experiencing a surge in cases since October, with the
number of infections increased more than eight-fold since then to over 29,300
and 142 dead.
Coronavirus
victims’ bodies are claimed by families and then cremated — a practice forbidden
under Islamic law — under the strict supervision of health authorities.
But
families of 19 Muslims killed by the virus have refused to claim the bodies
from a morgue in the capital Colombo, triggering the edict by Attorney-General
Dappula de Livera.
“Bodies
of Covid-19 victims not claimed by families can be cremated in terms of
quarantine regulations,” De Livera’s spokeswoman said, adding that the bodies
would be cremated this week.
Five
were cremated on Wednesday, police said.
The
policy has been challenged by Muslims, with 12 petitions filed by the minority
community and civil society groups in the Supreme Court.
But
the top court rejected the petitions last week, without giving reasons why it
made that decision.
The
Sri Lanka Muslim Council has said a majority of the country’s coronavirus
victims were Muslim.
A
council spokesman added that members of the community feared seeking medical
help if Covid-19 positive, as they did not want to be cremated.
The
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation last month urged Colombo to permit Muslims
to bury their family members “in line with their religious beliefs and
obligations”.
Sri
Lanka made Covid-19 cremations compulsory in April amid fears spread by
influential Buddhist monks — who support President Gotabaya Rajapaksa — that
burying bodies could contaminate groundwater and spread the disease.
The
World Health Organisation states both burials and cremations are permitted.
There
have been ongoing tensions between Muslims — who make up 10% of Sri Lanka’s 21
million population — and the majority Sinhalese who are mostly Buddhists, after
local jihadists were accused of being behind the deadly 2019 Easter bombings.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/12/09/sri-lanka-cremates-muslim-covid-19-victims-against-religious-beliefs/
--------
Sculpture
Fiasco: Taposh asks Hefazat leaders to stop and maintain peace or be sent to
Afghanistan
December
10th, 2020
The
Awami League leader says fundamentalism will be eradicated in the same way war
criminals faced justice and militancy have been exterminated
Dhaka
South City Corporation (DSSC) Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh has
sounded a warning to Islamist organization Hefazat-e-Islam chief Junaid
Babunagari, saying they will be sent to Afghanistan if they do not maintain
peace under the current government.
On
Wednesday, he said: “Be at peace under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.
Otherwise, in line with the slogan you once gave that ‘Bangla will become
Afghan’, you will be sent to Afghanistan.”
Taposh,
also member secretary of the Bangabandhu Awami Bar Council, made the remark at
a human chain organized on the Supreme Court premises to protest the recent
vandalism of a sculpture of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman in Kushtia, according to media reports.
He
said: “Under the leadership of the prime minister, we have now established a
nest of peace in Bangladesh. We are peace loving. We are beautifully engaged in
building a nation to move the country forward. So the people of the country
will not allow another ‘Bangla Bhai’ to take over the existing peace.”
Sounding
off the warning to Hefazat chief Babunagari, the DSCC mayor said: “Have you
forgotten the May 5 mayhem, when you thought that if Shapla Chattar was
occupied, Bangladesh would be occupied. As long as we are alive under the
leadership of Sheikh Hasina, no one will be able to occupy this Bangladesh.”
He
said fundamentalism will be eradicated in the same way that 1971 war criminals
have been brought to justice and militancy have been exterminated under the
valiant leadership of Sheikh Hasina, reports BSS.
Taposh,
also a leader of ruling Awami League, issued a stern warning against the
vandalism, saying: “They think they have won by breaking the sculpture.
Whenever anti-constitutional activities have taken place, democracy or the
spirit of the liberation war has been hurt and then we, the lawyers, have given
a strict answer and we are ready to do it again.”
He
said that conspiracy against Bangabandhu is not new. “Bangabandhu means
Bangladesh, he is our consciousness and ideal and it won’t be easy to hold
schemes against him for long,” he added.
Supreme
Court Bar Association President and Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said: “We
will bring all those who are involved in this heinous crime under the law…will
bring them to justice.”
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/12/10/sculpure-fiasco-taposh-asks-hefazat-leaders-to-stop-and-maintain-peace-or-be-sent-to-afghanistan
--------
Hefajat
has no intention of creating hostility with govt, it says
December
09, 2020
Hefajat-e-Islam
has said it has no intention of creating any hostility with the government.
"Islamophobic
groups" were persuading the government to engage in clashes with Alems,
the Qawmi madrasa-based organisation said in a statement issued last night.
In
the statement, Hefajat Secretary General Nur Hossain Kasemi called upon Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina and the concerned authorities not to allow any
conspiring group todestroythe peace and stability in the country.
He
said the evil forces centring the issue of sculptures were trying to create
chaos.
The
Hefajatsecretary general said that the religious freedom of the citizens has
been guaranteed in the constitution of Bangladesh.
Therefore,
it is the constitutional right and religious duty of the Alem community to give
a correct explanation of religion and to call for the avoidance of misguidance,
he said.
No
individual, organisation or the government has the legitimacy to interfere in
the performance of this duty by the Alems, he added.
Nur
Hossain demanded immediate withdrawal of the cases filed against Hefajat Amir
JunayedBabunagari, Joint Secretary General MamunulHaque and Senior Nayeb-e-Amir
of Islami Andolon Bangladesh Faizul Karim.
At
the same time, the Hefajatsecretary general demanded to stop creating obstacles
in waaz-mahfil and stop propaganda against the Alem-Ulama.
Nur
Hossain said: "On the issue of sculpture, Alem community has called for a
return from wrongdoing by explaining the provisions of Islam and has issued a
fatwa on Sharia in this regard."
He
also advised to find out a better way in light of Islam for the salvation and
peace of the departed soul of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to make his
memory memorable.
https://www.thedailystar.net/country/news/hefajat-has-no-intention-creating-hostility-govt-it-says-2008417
--------
Naderi
Discusses Peace Negotiations with US Diplomat
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
10
Dec 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi, State Minister for Peace and a member
of the negotiating team of the Islamic Republic, met with United States Chargé
d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ross Wilson in Kabul Wednesday.
The
State Minister for Peace spoke about the peace process in Afghanistan, said the
State Ministry for Peace in a statement.
“Both
sides discussed the recent developments of the Afghan peace negotiations in
Doha and the role of the High Council of National Reconciliation in
strengthening the national consensus and supporting the negotiations,” the
statement read.
Meanwhile,
in a separate meeting later that day, Naderi met with Diplomatic Representative
of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Sheherazade Hirji, discussing peace
process and the networks rule in Afghan peace process.
“Both
sides also discussed the use of the Aga Khan Development Network activities and
cultural innovations for inclusive public participation in the peace process,”
the statement read.
Doha
Talks Bear Result after Months of Struggle on Procedural Rule
After
two months of struggle on deciding upon the procedural rule for Afghan peace
talks, sources Monday morning confirmed a breakthrough that can potentially
lead to a peace deal between the Afghan and Taliban negotiators in Qatari
capital Doha.
https://www.khaama.com/naderi-discusses-peace-negotiations-with-us-diplomate-345534/
--------
UK
Vows to Stand ‘United in Fight against Corruption’ in Afghanistan
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
10
Dec 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The British Embassy in Kabul Wednesday – on occasion of the
International Anti-Corruption Day 2020 – vowed to stand “united in the fight
against corruption”, said the embassy in an emailed statement to Khaama Press.
“On
International Anti-Corruption Day, and every day, the UK stands alongside our
Afghan and international partners: united in the fight against corruption,” the
statement read.
Meanwhile,
the embassy praised local ArtLords who project various messages on peace and
prosperity, including anti-corruption, throughout the city, calling it
“eye-catching artworks”.
“I
have seen for myself the striking art pieces Artlords has created in Kabul and
across the country,” said the British Ambassador to Afghanistan Alison Blake.
“Its
work transforms forbidding and grey walls into bright, eye-catching artworks
promoting peace and community through creativity.”
Unveiling
UK’s new mural on the theme of anti-corruption and education, Blake said they
hope this will highlight the UK’s commitment to help eliminate corruption in
Afghanistan and to making sure that all children across the country receive the
education they deserve.
“All
Afghanistan’s citizens deserve access to quality public services,” the
ambassador added. “We see this as essential in building a more prosperous and
fairer Afghanistan, free from conflict, and with opportunity and promise.”
Over
the last six years, ArtLords completed nearly 2,000 murals in 24 provinces of
Afghanistan that raise awareness about key issues confronting the country such
as human rights, corruption, drugs and warlords, and public health.
https://www.khaama.com/uk-vows-to-stand-united-in-fight-against-corruption-in-afghanistan-34534/
--------
Taliban
kill two Afghan soldiers in Ghazni: Ministry
09
December 2020
Afghanistan’s
Defense Ministry says the country’s security troops have foiled a Taliban car
bomb attack on a military base in the province of Ghazni, adding that two
forces were killed in the ensuing clashes with the militants.
The
ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that a bomber tried to detonate his
car bomb at the base, but he was identified by the security forces and his
vehicle was destroyed before reaching its target.
According
to the statement, three security forces were also wounded in the clashes.
A
security source said the clashes began on Tuesday night and continued until the
early hours of Wednesday.
“First,
a car bomb exploded near the base and then a number of attackers clashed with
the security forces,” the source said.
No
group, including Taliban, has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The
incident comes while Afghanistan’s government and the Taliban militant group
reached a preliminary deal last week that sets out rules for further talks, the
first written agreement between the two sides since the US-led invasion of
2001.
Representatives
from the government in Kabul and those from the Taliban held the first round of
the much-awaited intra-Afghan negotiations in the Qatari capital of Doha on
September 12. The talks are also attended by politicians from Afghanistan,
international organizations and the United States.
The
intra-Afghan talks were set to take place in March, but were repeatedly delayed
over a prisoner exchange agreement made as part of a deal between the Taliban
and the United States.
Under
the deal, signed on February 28, the Taliban agreed to halt their attacks on
international forces in return for the US military’s phased withdrawal from
Afghanistan and the prisoner exchange with Kabul.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/09/640360/Taliban-Afghan-soldiers
--------
Southeast
Asia
Umno's
unlikely romance with DAP in Perak could leave PM Muhyiddin jilted
Shannon
Teoh
DEC
8, 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR - While all eyes were glued to the tabling of Malaysia's crucial budget
in early November, the seeds of what could be of greater consequence to the
nation's seemingly unending political intrigue were being sown up north.
Perak
Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu's ouster last Friday (Dec 4), following his
failure to win a confidence vote in the state assembly, took nearly six weeks
of delicate discussions between his own allies from the Umno state chapter with
counterparts from fierce opposition rivals Democratic Action Party (DAP).
"Up
until the day of the motion itself, we weren't sure if Umno would actually pull
the trigger," a source from the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition,
which includes DAP, told The Straits Times.
An
Umno lawmaker had tabled the motion, which saw 24 Perak opposition lawmakers
from PH and 24 Umno assemblymen voting against Datuk Seri Faizal, who hails
from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
Umno
had stewed in anger for months over the Bersatu deputy president's unilateral
approach to governing and his attempts to force a schism in the largest member
of his administration.
The
opposition's natural enmity to a sitting head of government was deepened by the
fact that Mr Faizal had defected from PH in March despite having been its chief
minister following the 2018 elections.
The
carefully orchestrated confidence vote that toppled Mr Faizal took a long
gestation period due to scepticism on both sides at biting the forbidden fruit.
After
all, they have spent decades demonising each other, a mutual strategy that has
led to much success.
Umno
accuses DAP of an anti-Malay Muslim agenda, while DAP points to endemic
corruption in Malaysia's longest-ruling party, which enjoyed six decades of
hegemony after independence in 1957.
But
after their overwhelming success in booting out Mr Faizal - who only secured 10
votes - PH strategists believe it could be the first of three potential phases
of cooperation between the unlikely couple who are the two largest parties not
just in the Perak legislature, but also the federal Parliament.
The
next problem is to set up a stable government as snap polls are undesirable
given that Malaysia is still in the midst of its worst wave of coronavirus
infections.
An
Umno-PH government - it is learnt the three parties in the opposition pact will
act en bloc - remains a dark-horse outcome, but it could even lead to an
electoral pact in Perak when expected polls are called after the pandemic
eases.
Should
these two boxes be ticked, it would have national ramifications, potentially
breaking up Tan Sri Muhyiddin's already shaky Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact that
only controls 112 seats in the 220-strong Parliament.
Just
as with Perak, Umno has been disgruntled at playing second fiddle to Bersatu at
federal level, even to the extent of flirting with backing opposition leader
Anwar Ibrahim to replace Bersatu chief Muhyiddin.
A
PH official told The Straits Times: "It would be nearly impossible to take
back federal government if PN enters the next election as a united alliance.
Whatever the damage, we would suffer for working with Umno. At least we have a
chance if the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition clashes with the rest of
PN."
Those
in Datuk Seri Anwar's camp also believe that the ouster of Mr Faizal, and more
so a possible deal with Umno to form government, could revive his hopes of a
similar outcome at federal level and end his 22-year wait to become prime
minister after being sacked as deputy premier in 1998.
It
will still require careful massaging of egos and public rhetoric.
"The
DAP's Howard Lee - a rising star in the opposition ranks and known among the
Malays for his thick Perak Malay accent and deep understanding of Malay culture
- was a key player in Ahmad Faizal's departure.
"In
the past few weeks, Mr Lee worked hard to deliver the shock result by
negotiating adroitly with various groups," wrote ISEAS-Yusof Ishak fellows
Faizal Musa and Norshahril Saat.
Umno,
led by president Zahid Hamidi, has twice been granted an audience by the Perak
Palace to present its claim to lead a new government. But the blow to their
deputy president has left Bersatu unwilling to back an Umno replacement.
Parti
Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) had initially said it would not be part of a new
government in a knee-jerk reaction to what it viewed as an act that endangered
the unity between itself, Umno and Bersatu.
It
later said it was open to discussions but underlined that the Muafakat Nasional
accord between the three parties must be upheld.
Umno
has 25 members in the 59-strong assemblymen, with Bersatu and PAS having five
and three respectively.
It
is understood that Umno has managed to add the support of one rebel Bersatu
representative and an independent assemblyman, and would inch past the 30-mark
for a simple majority if it can woo PAS back.
But
The Straits Times understands that Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Azlan Shah wants a
new chief minister to enjoy a large majority to ensure the stability of his
administration.
The
state has in the past dozen years seen narrow majorities result in at least
three mid-term changes of government.
This
large majority would be achieved if PH - in which DAP has 16 of 24 assemblymen
- were onboard.
Zahid
has said Umno is open to forming government with all parties while Perak DAP
chief Nga Kor Ming has repeatedly expressed a willingness to put aside
differences in the public interest.
Both
Zahid's camp in Umno and the Perak DAP have suffered backlash internally over
their courtship, leading Mr Nga to issue several explanations.
"Perak
DAP's readiness to cooperate with Umno proves... scaremongering that DAP is
'anti Malay or anti Islam' is completely untrue.
"It
must be stressed... the main principle is to form a multiracial government that
is clean, with integrity and guided by 'good governance'," said Mr Nga.
Already,
the newfound love between the two old foes has been contagious enough for
Umno’s Johor Chief Minister Hasni Muhammad to unprecedentedly hand opposition
assemblymen RM200,000 ($65,650) each for constituency spending, resulting in
the state budget being unanimously passed on Sunday.
This
is despite his government only holding 29 of the 56 seats in the assembly,
where Umno and DAP are the largest parties, with 14 members each.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/umnos-unlikely-romance-with-dap-in-perak-could-leave-pm-muhyiddin-jilted
--------
No
signs of PM Muhyiddin losing support, confidence vote not a priority: Malaysian
minister
By
Amir Yusof
10
Dec 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR: There are no signs that Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is
losing the support of the Members of Parliament (MPs), and hence tabling
confidence motions is presently not a priority for the government, said
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Takiyuddin
Hassan.
Mr
Takiyuddin was responding to a parliamentary question on Thursday (Dec 10) by
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim who asked if the 25 motions of no confidence
and two confidence motions filed on Mr Muhyiddin's position would be tabled,
debated and voted in parliament.
Mr
Takiyuddin outlined that while MPs are allowed to file these motions, Article
15(1) of the Standing Orders of parliament states that government business must
be prioritised over other business during a parliamentary sitting.
"Since
there are no signs that Pagoh MP (Mr Muhyiddin) has lost support, (and that)
the government believes that the motions of no confidence and confidence are
specific motions and (should be) based on the needs of the people, I am sure
this House knows they are not something that must be prioritised," said Mr
Takiyuddin.
He
explained that Mr Muhyiddin remained the rightful prime minister of Malaysia as
he was appointed by the king following due process in March, after attaining
the support of 114 MPs, more than half of the 222 federal parliamentarians.
Mr
Takiyuddin also noted that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had claimed in
September that he had the support of the majority of MPs to be the prime
minister.
However,
the de facto law minister pointed out that after Mr Anwar's audience with the
king in October, the palace released a statement highlighting that Mr Anwar
only presented the total number of MPs that supported his bid, but not a full
list identifying who the MPs were to strengthen his claim.
Mr
Muhyiddin, who pulled Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia out of Pakatan Harapan to
join forces with Barisan Nasional and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia to form the
federal government in late February, only commands a razor-thin majority in the
House.
In
October, he sought to declare a state of emergency as the number of COVID-19
cases in the country continued to rise.
The
proposed state of emergency would have suspended the parliament, which was due
to table and debate the 2021 budget in November and December. However, the king
had rejected the suggestion.
On
Nov 26, the budget was passed at the policy stage following a voice vote. Only
13 MPs stood up to protest the vote, short of the 15 required to enforce bloc
voting.
As
of Thursday, the budget allocations for each individual ministry that had been
put forward at the committee stage were also passed by either bloc vote or
voice vote.
Mr
Takiyuddin highlighted that this was another indication that Mr Muhyiddin still
garnered support of the majority of MPs.
He
noted that the opposition had earlier stated that if the 2021 national budget
did not pass, it would be a "reflection that the prime minister has lost
majority support".
But
the budget was passed on Nov 26 with a voice vote, with few disagreements from
the MPs, he said.
"This
is on the record in this House. Hence, there is no valid point to say that
there has been a reduction or loss in majority support for Pagoh (Mr
Muhyiddin)," he added.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/malaysia-muhyiddin-no-signs-losing-support-confidence-motions-13740822
--------
Pakistan
PM
dares opposition on no-trust motion against him
Abid
Mehdi
10
Dec 2020
SIALKOT:
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the Constitution stipulated a
no-confidence motion for the removal of the government and dared the opposition
to do so.
“If
the opposition wants to move a no-confidence motion, they should come and do so
in the assemblies,” he said, criticising the call for en masse resignations
from assemblies by Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Talking
to media here on Wednesday, Mr Khan said he did not backtrack from holding a
national dialogue to steer the country out of multiple crises.
“Parliament
is the best place for political dialogues and I’m ready to respond to all
questions [in the parliament]. Democracy will only work when there is a
debate.”
The
premier said the major challenge for the government was to steer the country
out of crises, adding his government had inherited `historic’ deficits in every
sector.
Mr
Khan said the opposition wanted quashing of corruption cases whenever the
government held dialogues with them, adding the cases against the opposition
leaders were registered during their own tenures.
“We
have no problem and the government is ready to hold talks on any issue but NRO
will not be discussed,” he said and added the [corruption] cases could not be
closed.
Earlier,
addressing a ceremony after inaugurating a private airline company AirSial, Mr
Khan was critical of the attitude of opposition parties and said those who had
criticised the government for not imposing a complete lockdown, were [now]
holding public gatherings.
“Now
during the second wave, people again need to adhere to the SOPs so that the
pandemic could be overcome,” he said.
Speaking
of the private airline, the premier appreciated the business community and said
Sialkot would become a business hub in the coming days. “AirSial will create
competition for other Pakistani airlines.”
He
was accompanied by federal ministers Hammad Azahar, Ghulam Sarwar, Adviser
Razak Dawood, SAPM Usman Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and
Special Assistant to CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan.
AirSial’s
third Airbus A320-200 will arrive at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi,
from the United States on Friday (tomorrow) and later the aircraft will be
flown to its base, Sialkot. The airline is to be operated by the Sialkot’s
business community. With current fleet of three Airbus A320-200, the airline would
operate flights to and from Sialkot, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.
Mr
Khan said Sialkot exporters were playing a pivotal role in strengthening the
national economy by earning foreign exchange to the tune of $2.5 billion
annually. He said there was no doubt to say that exporters set a unique example
of self-help by establishing several projects including international airport,
dry port trust, export processing zone and now AirSial airline.
The
premier spoke of initiating equal development in all parts of Pakistan for
ending poverty and unemployment.
He
said: “The time is ripe for equal development in neglected areas of the
country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab as well. Launching projects in
an area can never develop the country. The government is committed to removing
all hurdles in the way of national development.”
The
prime minister announced early establishment of an Austria-like
state-of-the-art international school and technology at Sialkot. He said it
would help innovate the industrial and engineering technology.
He
announced full support to promote small and medium enterprises, saying SMEs
were backbone of the economy of a country.
Mohammad
Asghar in Rawalpindi also contributed to this report
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594917/pm-dares-opposition-on-no-trust-motion-against-him
--------
PM
discusses Covid situation with Bill Gates
From
the Newspaper
10
Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan, during a telephone conversation with Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates on Wednesday, discussed the
Covid-19 situation and polio eradication efforts in Pakistan.
According
to an official press release, the prime minister informed Mr Gates about
Pakistan’s policy to contain the pandemic and mitigate its deleterious impact on
health and economy. Mr Khan spoke about Pakistan’s national coordinated efforts
being implemented through ‘smart lockdowns’ to save people from dying from the
infection and hunger. Noting the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the prime
minister underscored his government’s commitment to combat the second wave of
the pandemic through similar interventions. He, however, noted that
implementation of standard operating procedures was more challenging this time.
Prime
Minister Khan acknowledged the Foundation’s continued support for the Ehsaas
Programme, which would help the most vulnerable segments of Pakistan’s
population to benefit from its expertise in health, nutrition and financial
inclusion.
The
prime minister commended the Foundation’s strong advocacy for provision of safe
and effective Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries.
Mr
Khan reaffirmed that eradication of polio remained a key priority of the
government. While thanking the Foundation for its critical support in building
Pakistan’s emergency management capacity for polio eradication, he said that
anti-polio campaigns were being intensified across the country. Mr Khan said
that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and his
team would continue to collaborate with the Foundation for eradication of
polio.
Mr
Gates acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic while
stimulating economic growth.
The
prime minister and Mr Gates agreed to continue working together on the shared
objectives of eradicating polio and combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594919/pm-discusses-covid-situation-with-bill-gates
--------
Marching
orders for yet another officer for ‘defying’ CCPO
Asif
Chaudhry
10
Dec 2020
LAHORE:
Working under the command of Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh seems to
have become a ‘nightmare’ for the police officers as he has shown the door to
yet another one — SSP Investigation Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani — over a ‘petty
issue’.
Mr
Sheikh got upset during a meeting held late on Tuesday for an official matter
and then suddenly ‘ordered’ Mr Qaisrani to leave the venue saying, “Your
services are no more required to me”.
The
CCPO’s order was so sudden and unexpected that the SSP investigation and other
senior police officers for a moment couldn’t understand the gravity of the
situation, a senior official told Dawn. However, he said, the senior officers
were left red-faced when the CCPO repeated his order and Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani
obeyed the very next moment.
The
SSP Investigation brought the matter to the notice of the IGP and didn’t join
duty on Wednesday.
The
matter was the “arrest of PML-N workers in the wake of the Dec 13 public
meeting of the PDM in Lahore at Minar-i-Pakistan,” he said. During the meeting,
the CCPO assigned task to both operations and investigation police to arrest
the workers of the opposition party ahead of the scheduled public meeting. Mr
Qaisrani raised an objection to the proposal and said the prime duty of such
arrests was of the operations wing. He suggested to the CCPO to let the
investigation wing do its original work and this dissenting note irritated Mr
Sheikh and led to the unhappy incident.
The
official also linked the matter to an ‘action’ of Mr Qaisrani against two
divisional SPs of investigation wing posted in Lahore. He said Mr Qaisrani had
recently issued ‘letter of advice’ to these divisional SPs showing his
displeasure over some disparities and flaws in investigation of the cases they
handled. This action was later brought to the notice of the CCPO who called it
an unnecessary punishment to the SPs — the officers who were posted by him in
Lahore.
The
official said Mr Qaisrani had been shown the door almost two months after his
posting as Lahore SSP Investigation. Ironically, he was the choice of the CCPO.
Hardly
a week ago, Lahore DIG Investigation Shahzada Sultan was transferred by the
Punjab government following his differences with the CCPO.
Similarly,
he had surrendered the services of Crime Investigation Agency’s Asim Iftikhar
after heated argument with him at a meeting on Oct 15.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594968/marching-orders-for-yet-another-officer-for-defying-ccpo
--------
Pak
lawmakers to resign en masse to paralyse govt: PDM chief Rehman
Dec
9, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
The political crisis in Pakistan has deepened after an 11-party Opposition
alliance announced that the lawmakers will resign en masse by the end of this
month from parliament to paralyse the government and force Prime Minister Imran
Khan to call early snap polls.
The
decision was taken after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of
11 Opposition parties formed in September this year to overthrow Prime Minister
Khan's government, held a marathon meeting in Islamabad.
PDM
chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Tuesday night that a consensus was
reached on resigning from parliament.
"All
lawmakers will submit their resignation letter to their party chiefs by 31st
December," he said, flanked by PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz and PPP chief
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The
exact timing of stomping out of assemblies would be decided later, said Rehman.
Soon
after the election in 2018, he had urged the Opposition leaders not to take
oath to join parliament due to alleged rigging. But his idea was overruled by
others, chiefly by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the The Pakistani
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
It
is believed that en masse resignation is the only way to bring the government
on its knees and force it to call early elections.
The
PPP government in the Sindh province was considered as a hurdle as it was not
sure if that it would sacrifice its government to help the Opposition alliance.
The
leaders also agreed to go ahead with a rally in Lahore on December 13 as a show
of power to the government. It will be the sixth rally after similar gatherings
held in Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and Multan.
The
Opposition parties succeeded in attracting a huge number of people despite
hurdles created by the government.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan rejected the demand to step down or call early elections
and consistently advocated that Opposition was protesting to put pressure to
stop probes in corruption cases against their leaders.
Speaking
to a group of senior journalists and columnists on Tuesday, he said that
"by-election will be held on the vacant seats" and no concession
would be given to the protesting parties.
However,
experts and Opposition leaders argue that when hundreds of lawmakers resign
from the national and provincial assemblies, it would be virtually impossible
to avoid general elections.
"The
government will be forced to call general elections, otherwise the legitimacy
of the entire process will be questionable," said PML-N leader Ahsan
Iqbal, warning the more protests would follow in case elections were not held.
The
Opposition alliance has alleged that Khan was supported in elections by the
'establishment' and also failed to run the country and address chronic issues.
PML-N
chief Nawaz Sharif has directly named Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and
ISI head Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for meddling in political affairs.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-lawmakers-to-resign-en-masse-to-paralyse-govt-pdm-chief-rehman/articleshow/79640772.cms
--------
Africa
Coronavirus:
Morocco raises $3 bln with bonds to bolster COVID-19-hit economy
09
December 2020
Morocco
has raised $3 billion in a triple-tranche bond sale, it said on Wednesday, as
it seeks to bolster state finances hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
government sold bonds with maturities of seven, 12 and 30 years, raising $750
million, $1 billion and $1.25 billion from each tranche respectively, according
to a document issued by one of the banks leading the deal and reviewed by
Reuters.
The
debt sale, which offers coupons of 2.375 percent, 3 percent and 4 percent, was
managed by Barclays, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan and Natixis.
Demand
for the bond exceeded $13 billion, Morocco’s finance ministry said in a
statement, confirming earlier Reuters reporting on the $3 billion sale.
This
is the first dollar-denominated bond for Morocco in seven years and the second
this year after a sale in October of a dual-tranche bond worth 1 billion euros.
It also comes after Fitch in October cut the country’s credit rating to BB+
from BBB-.
The
pandemic has hit both Moroccan exports and demand, with the economy expected to
contract as much as 7 percent this year, according to the International
Monetary Fund.
The
government deficit this year will widen to 7.8 percent of gross domestic
product from 4.1 percent last year, the Fund has said.
Morocco’s
bonds come after a flurry of issuance by governments in the Middle East, who
have tapped foreign investors by record levels this year to contain widening
and attract yield-chasing investors amid low global rates.
Morocco’s
government debt is set to surge to 76.1 percent of GDP in 2020 from 65 percent
in 2019, the central bank has said.
Last
week, the World Bank approved a $400 million loan in support of Morocco’s
reforms to strengthen the safety net for poorer households.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/12/09/Coronavirus-Coronavirus-Morocco-raises-3bln-with-bonds-to-bolster-COVID-19-hit-economy
--------
Akufo-Addo
narrowly re-elected in Ghana presidential election
09
December 2020
Ghana's
President Nana Akufo-Addo has narrowly defeated his long-time rival John Mahama
to win a second term, the electoral commission announced Wednesday, sending
thousands of his supporters onto the streets to celebrate.
The
West African country is known for its stable democracy, but tensions rose over
Monday's presidential and legislative vote after Mahama claimed to have won a
parliamentary majority and warned Akufo-Addo against stealing the vote.
In
the presidential race, Akufo-Addo received 51.59 percent of the vote, beating
opposition leader and former president Mahama's 47.36 percent, the electoral
commission said.
The
announcement was greeted with chanting and dancing by a crowd of supporters in
the seaside capital Accra.
"Now
is the time, irrespective of political affiliations, to unite, join hands and
stand shoulder to shoulder," the 76-year-old president told excited
supporters honking vuvuzelas outside his Accra residence.
Observers
viewed polling as generally free and fair but police said five people were
killed and 19 injured in election-related violence.
The
political climate soured late Tuesday when Mahama accused his rival of showing
"credentials that are very undemocratic".
Mahama,
62, charged that Akufo-Addo had harnessed the military in a bid to sway the
outcome, a claim the government said was false.
"You
cannot use the military to try and overturn some of the results in
constituencies that we have won. We will resist any attempts to subvert the
sovereign will of the Ghanaian people," the former president said.
Mahama
– who has twice before lost to Akufo-Addo by a narrow marginr, the last time in
2016 – has yet to comment on the results.
The
full count of the 275 parliamentary seats has not been announced and are
expected to be very close between Akufo-Addo's center-right New Patriotic Party
(NPP) and Mahama's National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.
'Prosperous
and progressive'
Ghana
has recorded high levels of growth during Akufo-Addo's first term as he worked
to diversify an economy largely dependent on cocoa exports and more recently
oil and gold.
On
education in particular, he is considered to have done well, which matters in a
country where 18- to 35-year-olds account for more than half of all eligible
voters.
But
while Ghana has made large strides in recent years, many still live in extreme
poverty with scarce access to clean water or electricity.
"There
could be a tendency for an incumbent, who has just secured a second term, to
take it easy and relax," Akufo-Addo said.
"I
am of a different character. I give you my word that I will continue to work
very hard to build a prosperous and progressive Ghana, for which we
yearn."
Former
Ghanaian president John Kufuor was one of the first to congratulate Akufo-Addo,
saying on Twitter, "you deserve it."
Peace
pact
Ghana
has had seven peaceful transitions of power since the return of democracy more
than 30 years ago, as post-electoral grievances have always been pursued
through the courts – a rarity in the troubled region.
Hoping
to retain that reputation, Akufo-Addo and Mahama on Friday signed a symbolic
peace pact, which the 15-nation regional bloc ECOWAS urged "all political
parties and their leadership to respect."
The
European Union's chief observer Javier Nart said Wednesday that "Ghanaians
voted freely.”
"While
there were isolated violent incidents, both on election day and during the
campaign... fears of violence and vigilantism fortunately didn't materialise:
they were minor, isolated incidents, some of them tragic," he said.
Despite
the coronavirus pandemic, turnout was high, with 13,434,574 people voting – 79
percent of registered voters.
An
urgent task for the next government will be to limit mounting debt and control
rising inflation.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/09/640395/Ghana-presidential-election-result-Akufo-Addo
--------
Ethiopia
conflict 'spiraling out of control,' UN rights chief warns
09
December 2020
The
UN rights chief voiced deep concern Wednesday over the situation in Ethiopia's
northern region of Tigray and beyond, warning it was "spiraling out of
control."
"The
situation in Ethiopia is, I think, really worrying and volatile," Michelle
Bachelet told journalists in Geneva, adding that the conflict was having an
"appalling impact on civilians."
Thousands
have been killed in fighting that began November 4 between government forces
and those loyal to the leadership of the Tigray People's Liberation Front
(TPLF).
The
fighting was declared over on November 28, but Bachelet voiced alarm that
"in the Tigray region itself, fighting is reportedly continuing, in spite
of government claims to the contrary."
Bachelet
said her office had corroborated information about a range of "gross human
rights violations and abuses," including attacks on civilians, looting,
abductions and sexual violence.
"There
are reports of forced recruitment of Tigrayan youth to fight against their own
communities," she said.
The
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said blocked communication in the region
was making it particularly difficult to verify all of the allegations her
office was receiving.
"There
is an urgent need for independent monitoring of the human rights situation in
the Tigray region, for all necessary measures to protect civilians, and for
accountability for violations," she said.
Bachelet
also decried the "deeply distressing" obstacles to humanitarian
relief efforts in Tigray.
"In
spite of an agreement between the government and the UN, unfettered
humanitarian access has not been possible," she said, appealing to the
government to "ensure humanitarian access, and to ensure access to water,
electricity and other basic needs is restored."
Bachelet
also voiced concern about the situation beyond Tigray, pointing to
intercommunal violence in recent weeks in other parts of Ethiopia, with
reported fatalities.
And
she warned that Tigrayans in other parts of the country appeared to be facing
"ethnic profiling", including in the capital Addis Ababa.
"We
have reports of dismissals from jobs, including in the civil service,
harassment of Tigrayan journalists and hate speech against Tigrayans," she
said.
"Such
discriminatory actions are deeply unjust but are also fostering divisiveness
and sowing the seeds for further instability and conflict," she warned,
calling on the government to take "immediate measures to halt such
discrimination."
Ethiopian
PM makes first foreign trip since start of conflict
In
a separate development on Wednesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed began
a two-day visit to neighboring Kenya, his first official trip since launching
military operations against the leaders of the dissident Tigray region last
month.
As
skirmishes continued in the north of Ethiopia and aid agencies decried the lack
of humanitarian access, Abiy travelled south to the border town of Moyale where
he and his Kenyan counterpart, President Uhuru Kenyatta, presided over the
inauguration of a new border post promising a bonanza in cross-border trade.
The
remote market town lies roughly halfway between the Kenyan and Ethiopian
capitals -- which are 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) apart -- has no airport and
a population of fewer than 40,000.
The
two heads of state also presided over the ceremonial opening of a 500km stretch
of the highway connecting Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Periodically,
cross-border raids and violence between neighbouring communities has depressed
trade and uprooted civilians, as Kenyatta acknowledged.
"We
must also work together because we cannot establish economic victory if we are
consistently having security challenges," he said.
Soon
after Abiy took power in 2018, fighting between ethnic Somalis and Oromos in
Moyale killed 21 people, while earlier the same year thousands of Ethiopians
fled into Kenya for safety during another spate of violence, that time involving
the Ethiopian military.
Abiy
said such clashes were now in the past.
"This
artificial border... will be dismantled with the new infrastructure... (which)
will bring the two families together and tap the potential and opportunities of
business and economy," he said.
Abiy
made no mention of the crisis in Tigray during his visit to Moyale.
Abiy
and Kenyatta also travelled later Wednesday to the Kenyan island of Lamu to
inspect a new port that is under construction, also aimed at boosting regional
trade.
It
is unclear what the second day of Abiy's official visit will entail as no
formal program has been released.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/09/640380/Ethiopia-Tigray-UN
--------
North
America
Pakistan
gets US presidential waiver to avoid sanctions
Anwar
Iqbal
10
Dec 2020
WASHINGTON:
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has issued a presidential waiver for
Pakistan, exempting it from the sanctions that follow a country’s designation
as a violator of religious freedom.
On
Monday, Secretary Pompeo had designated Pakistan and nine others as Countries
of Particular Concern (CPC) for alleged continued violations of religious
freedom during 2019-20.
Pakistan
rejected the designation as an “arbitrary and selective assessment”, which was
“completely against the realities on the ground and raises serious doubts about
the credibility of the exercise”.
The
designations, slapped under the US International Religious Freedom Act of 1998,
automatically leads to strict economic sanctions against the alleged violator.
Islamabad
says India’s omission as a violator of religious freedom puts credibility of US
report into question
But
America’s Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel D.
Brownback told a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon that some of the designated
countries have been exempted from these sanctions.
“For
Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, the Secretary
issued a waiver for the presidential action requirement, determining that there
were important national interests of the United States requiring the exercise
of the waiver authority,” he said.
The
US Commission on International Religious Freedom, which recommends the
designations, had suggested also placing India on the violators’ list. But the
list issued on Monday did not include India.
Pakistan
pointed out that “the glaring omission of India, where the RSS-BJP regime and
their leaders openly disregard religious freedom and discriminate against
minorities communities in an institutional manner, is unfortunate and puts the
credibility of the US report into question”.
This
issue was also raised at the Tuesday afternoon briefing in Washington when a
journalist reminded Ambassador Brownback that the Modi government had enacted
discriminatory laws and openly targeted religious minorities and yet India was
not designated.
“There
were several recommendations made by the commission that the Secretary did not
follow, and this was one of them,” Ambassador Brownback replied. “We watch the
situation in India very closely. The Secretary traveled there, multiple times …
and is well aware of a lot of the communal violence that’s happening in India.”
Secretary
Pompeo, he said, was also aware of the statute enacted by and the issues
associated with the Modi government.
“He’s
raised it at the highest levels, but just decided at this point in time not to
place them on a CPC or a Special Watch List,” he added.
In
reply to another question, Ambassador Brownback said the designations followed
an extensive review of the situation in both India and Pakistan.
“We’ve
reviewed extensively the situation in Pakistan and India, and I’ve visited both
countries in this role. I’ve visited both countries … and we note the problems
that are taking place in our annual report in both Pakistan and India.”
Explaining
why the US treated India differently, he said: “Pakistan — a lot of their
actions are done by the government. In India, some of them are done by the
government and the law that was passed, and much of it is communal violence.
And then when that takes place, we try to determine whether there has been
effective police enforcement, judicial action after communal violence takes
place.”
He
claimed that “half of the world’s people that are locked up for apostasy or
blasphemy” were in Pakistani jails, which, he explained also was taken into
consideration while designating Pakistan.
Ambassador
Brownback said that Pakistan was also one of the source countries for forced
brides, mostly from religious minorities, being sent to China.
“Christians
and Hindu women (are) being marketed as concubines or forced brides into China
because there’s not effective support, and then there’s discrimination against
the religious minorities that make them more vulnerable,” he claimed.
The
US envoy for religious freedom said that not designating India as a country of
particular concern did not mean that they did not have these problems.
“The
violence (in India) is a problem. We will continue to raise those issues, but
those are some of the basis as to why Pakistan continues to be on the CPC list
and India is not.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1594935/pakistan-gets-us-presidential-waiver-to-avoid-sanctions
--------
Florida
man seeks plea deal after being charged with backing terror group ISIS
BY
JAY WEAVER
DECEMBER
08, 2020
A
Cuban-born man accused of supporting a foreign terrorist group by distributing
propaganda videos on social media is being held in a Miami federal lockup,
according to court records.
Jonathan
Guerra Blanco, 23, who lives near Fort Myers, was denied bail and charged this
past week in Miami with providing material support to ISIS, a spin-off of
al-Qaida that has gained notoriety through its Middle East conflicts and
decapitations of Western hostages. He was arrested in Miami in September while
visiting an undercover FBI operative.
Guerra,
a naturalized U.S. citizen who faces up to 20 years in prison on the single
terrorism charge, has an arraignment set for Jan. 7. His defense attorney, Ana
Davide, said Guerra plans to work out a plea deal with the prosecutors in the
counter-terrorism section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to limit his potential
punishment.
“After
reviewing the facts associated with this case and after numerous consultations
with the government, we expect to resolve this matter in a manner most
favorable to my client,” Davide told the Miami Herald Monday.
Over
the past year, Guerra was swept up in an FBI undercover operation that targeted
an ISIS suspect known as “Confederate A” who allegedly collaborated with him in
producing promotional and recruitment videos that were distributed on the
Islamist terrorist organization’s encrypted social platforms and networks,
including “IMN1” and “IMN2,” a criminal affidavit says. Guerra’s alias was “Abu
Zahraal-Andalusi.”
The
propaganda videos, graphics and instructional guides were designed to “incite
and equip primarily Spanish-speaking followers to conduct operational attacks
in support of ISIS,” according to the FBI affidavit. He was considered what
authorities call a “keyboard warrior” who uses internet expertise to drum up
support for ISIS recruits and missions. He was targeting Spanish language
countries in South America as well as Spain.
“While
IMN1 and IMN2 focus on producing Spanish-translated ISIS media, they also
coordinate translations into various other languages, including English, Dutch,
French, German and lndonesian.”
Deploying
three covert online employees and a confidential source, the FBI exchanged
information with Guerra about his developing videos and related media material
for the ISIS platforms. In their interactions, the affidavit says, Guerra held
himself out as the head of one of the group’s networks, IMN1, tried to recruit
the FBI’s online employees for contributing pro-ISIS content and revealed his
actual name to one of them after initially identifying himself as “Stefan
Smart.”
A
year ago, after an ISIS sympathizer was arrested in Spain, Guerra sent one of
the FBI online employees a network link to a graphic titled: “Jamas Nos
Capturaras.” Translated: “You Will Never Capture Us,” an apparent reference to
Guerra being free and operating IMN1. Guerra then released a video threatening
terrorist attacks against the Spanish National Police and the country’s subway
systems, according to the FBI affidavit. The pro-ISIS video, featuring Confederate
A wearing a black mask and dark sunglasses, was widely reported in the Spanish
media.
In
February of this year, Guerra produced and distributed an ISIS video titled
“Called to Islam” that featured a Spanish-language video “threatening
non-believers to convert to Islam.” Among the video footage were shots of the
Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and the Las Vegas Strip, along with clips of a
suicide bomber’s farewell address and a prisoner execution.
Guerra
also produced and released an instructional guide titled “Elabora una bomba en
la cocina de tu Mama,’‘ which, translated, means “How to make a bomb in the
kitchen of your mom.” It was previously published in the al-Qaida Arabian
Peninsula magazine, Inspire, the FBI affidavit says.
In
correspondence with one of the FBI online employees in June, Guerra said his
ISIS network’s goal was to “make the word of Allah ... the highest.”
In
another communication the following month, Guerra said: “I always strive to
please Allah. I don’t want to brag, but I dedicate my life to [jihad].”
According
to the FBI affidavit, Guerra also sent $572 in cryptocurrency to support
Confederate A’s missions for ISIS overseas. The money was sent in August from
his relative’s account with an address in Lehigh Acres, where Guerra lived
until his arrest.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article247673625.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
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Member
of Toronto 18 terror group is granted day parole in Quebec
Dec
09, 2020
A
convicted terrorist who was part of a group that plotted to blow up the Toronto
Stock Exchange and a Canadian military base has been granted day parole
following a hearing Tuesday at a penitentiary in the Eastern Townships.
“You
will not be sorry,” Shareef Abdelhaleem told the two Parole Board of Canada
members who granted him the release even though his case management team
advised against it.
“You
will never hear from me again.”
However,
Abdelhaleem will have to appear before the board in six months if he wants to
ask for full parole.
The
board agreed to release him to “closed day parole” — an apparent reference to a
halfway house run by Correctional Service Canada rather than by a community
group.
One
reason why his case management team did not recommend his release was that he
was rejected as a candidate at Résidence Emmanuel-Grégoire, a halfway house in
eastern Montreal. Abdelhaleem planned to study online courses there, but there
were concerns over whether his access to the internet could be monitored.
Although
he is from Ontario, Abdelhaleem hoped to reside in Montreal during his day
parole because a condition of his release would have required him to stay away
from Toronto, unless he got authorization from his parole officer.
As
one of the leaders of the home-grown terror group, Abdelhaleem was
initially incarcerated at the Special
Handling Unit, a super-maximum security penitentiary in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines,
60 kilometres north of Montreal. Four years ago, he was transferred to a medium-security
penitentiary in Cowansville, where he is now incarcerated.
Because
of the pandemic, the parole hearing was held through remote connections between
the penitentiary and the people who participated in it.
Abdelhaleem
admitted he was so nervous that he vomited 15 minutes before the hearing
started.
“If
I throw up again, please excuse me,” he said.
Abdelhaleem
was part of a group of 18 men based in and around Toronto who plotted to blow
up the TSE, CSIS headquarters on Front St. in Toronto and a Canadian military
base east of the city in November 2006. He was 30 at the time.
The
group, which came to be known as the Toronto 18, ran training camps with the
goal of preparing terrorists to storm Parliament in Ottawa. Abdelhaleem was not
part of the training camps.
While
the group was being investigated, a CSIS undercover agent posed as someone who
could supply chemicals to the group. Abdelhaleem and the group’s leader,
Zakaria Amara, arranged to buy three tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and
other chemicals that were to be used to make truck bombs. He told an undercover
agent he did not intend to go to prison “for something small.”
Amara
and Abdelhaleem were convicted of terror-related offences and received life
sentences.
Abdelhaleem
had met Amara at a mosque. The group objected to Canada’s military presence in
Afghanistan.
On
Tuesday, Abdelhaleem said he felt alienated and isolated in Toronto back then
while running a successful software company. He said he grew disillusioned with
consumerism and frustrated with world events, including a major oil spill. He
conceded he was immature at the time the group was being investigated.
“I
felt like my presence in life was insignificant. I felt like a grown pig whose
sole purpose was to consume,” he said. “I hated myself for going out and
spending $5,000 on a jacket.”
When
a parole board member asked why he took part in the plot to set off what could
have been three powerful bombs, he said: “It seemed like a very fast way to
change things. It’s definitely the wrong thing to do.
“At
the time, it was the answer to the question: How to make the world a better
place.”
He
admitted, as he has before, that part of his motive was financial: He planned
to short-sell stocks before the TSE was attacked, which presumably would have
disrupted Canada’s economy.
“I
don’t consider myself a very religious person. I’ll be honest with you. I was
conflicted with my identity,” he said. “I don’t participate in religious groups
here (at Cowansville). But I did attend a mosque (before joining the terrorist
group) to solve my existential problems.”
Abdelhaleem
said he feels his life sentence is too severe for a plot that was never carried
out, but added he has thought about the people who worked in the targeted
buildings and how they must have felt when details of the conspiracy were made
public.
“I
want to apologize to anyone who worked in those buildings. An apology is all I
can offer. There’s nothing I can do to make it up,” he said. “I feel like s–t.”
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/member-of-toronto-18-terror-group-is-granted-day-parole-in-quebec?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
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Arab
World
Lebanon’s
PM-designate Hariri gives president new government line-up
December
09, 2020
BEIRUT:
Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri presented President Michel
Aoun with a line-up of 18 ministers on Wednesday after months of wrangling that
blocked a deal on a new government.
Without
a credible government, there will be no bailout to save Lebanon from its
spiralling financial crisis, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned ahead
of his visit to Beirut later this month.
Former
colonial ruler France, which has led foreign efforts to help the country, had
sought to rally Lebanese leaders to tackle the meltdown but grew frustrated as it
got bogged down in fractious sectarian politics.
After
a meeting at the Baabda palace on Wednesday, Hariri said the president would
examine his list of “non-partisan, expert” ministers and that the “atmosphere
was positive.”
When
he was named premier for a fourth time in October, Hariri pledged to quickly
form a government that could revive the French roadmap. But old rifts still
plagued cabinet talks as the country hurtles toward what United Nations
agencies have warned will be a “social catastrophe.”
The
economic collapse has pushed at least half the population into poverty and
crashed the currency.
The
outgoing government quit after the massive explosion at Beirut port in August,
which killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of the capital.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1774851/middle-east
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Two
bombs spark fire at Khabbaz oil field in Iraq's Kirkuk: Security sources
09
December 2020
Two
wells in a small oilfield in northern Iraq were set ablaze by explosives in a
“terrorist attack” on Wednesday but overall production from the field was not
affected, the Oil Ministry and officials said Wednesday.
The
Oil Ministry gave no further details about the assailants behind the explosive
devices that targeted the wells in Khabbaz oilfield, 20 kilometer (12 miles)
southwest of Kirkuk.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Technical
teams isolated the two burning oil wells and there was no impact on output, two
sources from the state-run North Oil Company (NOC), who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said.
The
field produces about 25,000 barrels per day, oil officials said. The ministry
said production from the two wells that were targeted did not exceed 2,000 bpd.
The
ministry statement said a fire erupted at the two oil wells after explosive
devices were set off half an hour apart, with one going off at 1:30 a.m. (1030
GMT) and the second at 2:00 a.m (1100 GMT).
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/energy/2020/12/09/Oil-Two-bombs-spark-fire-at-Khabbaz-oil-field-in-Iraq-s-Kirkuk-Security-sources
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Arab
Coalition destroys two bomb-laden boats belonging to Iran-backed Houthis
Rawad
Taha
10
December 2020
The
Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government intercepted and destroyed a
bomb-laden boat belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which was
targeting maritime routes south of the Red Sea, the coalition spokesman Turki
al-Maliki said on Thursday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
boats represented a threat to regional and international security, maritime
routes and international trade,” al-Maliki said.
The
spokesman said the boats were launched from Hodeidah Governorate, which the
Houthi militia uses “as a base to launch ballistic missiles, drones,
booby-trapped remote-operated boats, as well as the random deployment of sea
mines in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and a violation
of the provisions of the Stockholm cease-fire agreement in Hodeidah.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/10/Arab-Coalition-destroys-two-bomb-laden-boats-belonging-to-Iran-backed-Houthis-
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Bid
to stop sales of f-35 jets to UAE fails in US Senate
10
December 2020
Democrats
on Wednesday failed to block a US sale of top-of-the-line F-35 jets and drones
to the United Arab Emirates.
Splitting
mostly along party lines, opponents of the $23 billion sale could not reach the
50 senators needed on procedural votes that would pave the way to blocking the
deal.
The
UAE, one of Washington’s closest Middle East allies, has long expressed
interest in acquiring the stealthy F-35 jets and was promised a chance to buy
them in a side deal when it agreed to normalize relations with Israel.
Because
of the qualitative military edge restriction, in the past the F-35 has been
denied to Arab states, while Israel has about 24 of the jets. Israel is
currently slated to purchase 50 of the fighters.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/12/10/UAE-government-Bid-to-stop-sales-of-f-35-jets-to-UAE-fails-in-US-Senate
--------
Fighting
to preserve Armenian culture, cuisine and crafts in crisis-hit Lebanon
Robert
McKelvey
09
December 2020
In
Lebanon, struggling workshops have been forced to shut down as customers are
less willing to spend what little money they have on handmade crafts. For
ethnic Armenian craftsmen, who are proud of their unique history and space in
Lebanon, their art is a dying breed.
“I
have a small shoe factory and I manufacture shoes for designers,” Raffi
Pamboukian told Al Arabiya English.
Pamboukian,
who has been in the business nearly 10 years, took over his father’s business.
“When
I was young, after school time, I used to come to my father’s factory and watch
what the workers [were] doing. The political crisis here is very bad here now.
Plus, we have the COVID-19 situation. Sometimes, you’re closing. Sometimes,
you’re locked down,” he said.
Lebanon
just exited another lockdown implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, and
such lockdowns can have devastating effects on those who cannot afford not to
work, like many in the Armenian traditional crafts community.
A
year-long economic crisis in Lebanon has been exacerbated by the novel
coronavirus.
The
small community in Lebanon is at risk of vanishing, and anti-government protests,
ongoing financial troubles and the widespread destruction caused by the August
4 Beirut port explosion have meant that artisans in Beirut’s Bourj Hammoud
neighborhood are now struggling more than ever.
“Legally,
we do not have a definition for ‘crafts’ in Lebanon, and that means that they
are not protected by the government,” explained Executive Director of NAHNOO
Mohammad Ayoub. “First, there are the products coming from foreign countries
which are cheaper, making them lose their market. Second, the materials that
they want to buy to do what they want to do have become very expensive.”
A
2019 assessment by NAHNOO – a youth-led NGO working toward a more inclusive
society through advocacy campaigns promoting good governance, public spaces and
cultural heritage – recommended policies that would help revive the vanishing
community.
“Some
people go to the Industry Ministry, [thinking that] maybe they’ll give them
some help and some protection, but most of the craftsmen don’t have the
criteria to register there,” he added. “Others are registered with the Ministry
of Social Affairs, and most of them are not even registered with anything.
That’s why the craftsmen in Bourj Hammoud are threatened.”
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Promoting
and supporting the gradually disappearing skills of Armenian traditional crafts
in Lebanon, Badguer is a cultural center and cafe housed in a pink 1930s house
in the Marash area of Beirut’s Bourj Hammoud quarter.
“Around
2005, I was planning to have the opportunity to create a local organization
that can present the original arts and crafts and cultural heritage of the
Armenian community in an interesting, vivid way,” said founder and manager Arpi
Mangassarian. “In 2011, I registered an NGO under Badguer, which means ‘image.’
It is the image of the community and the neighborhood.”
The
Badguer building, like many in the neighborhoods surrounding the port, was
heavily damaged in the explosion.
Fight
for survival
Every
sector in Lebanon today is struggling, but for those that have been
traditionally neglected, things are especially difficult.
“Arts
and crafts businesses keep taking hard blows from the economic and public
health crises in Lebanon. Restaurants and culinary activities are in a bad
situation,” said Mangassarian. “Market retail and local production are victims
of a disorganized, wild atmosphere where imports are not regulated. The local
industries cannot withstand the competition from imported goods, and all of
this has a negative impact on the community.”
Bourj
Hammoud has a majority Armenian population, with most of the streets being
named for various Armenian cities, mountains and rivers. Others – including
Marash – are named after cities and regions in modern-day Turkey that once were
heavily populated by Armenians. The municipality is home to a variety of
traditional handicrafts, including woodworking, jewelry and weaving.
Supported
by several different organizations and institutions – including INTERSOS,
UNIDO, and NAHNOO – and dedicated to preserving Armenian traditions, Badguer
frequently holds concerts, embroidery workshops and culinary experiences
focusing on traditional Armenian dishes, as well as hosting exhibitions by
local artists. Items produced by local artisans are also often displayed at the
venue in the hope that it will expand their customer base, while also serving
to educate others about Armenian handicrafts.
“We
believe that the happiness of a community is directly related to its freedom
and space for expression,” explained Mangassarian. “Badguer is a platform that
inspires our fellow countrymen, both young and elderly. The elderly find the
heritage and the old taste [of home]. The youth find a space for expression and
communication.”
After
already being forced to slow down activities in March, due to onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown in Lebanon, Badguer suffered yet
another setback when their building – along with many others across Beirut –
was severely damaged during the August 4 blast.
Trouble
back home
Meanwhile,
hostilities between Armenia and neighboring Azerbaijan over the long disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region reignited in September, the worst clashes since the
1994 ceasefire, causing alarm throughout the international community. Hundreds
have been killed over the last two months on both sides, including over 100
civilians.
“Armenians
around the world feel that the world hasn't changed since a century ago in
terms of the fate of small nations,” said Mangassarian. “Many tragedies of the
past may unfortunately still be repeated in the new, civilized world, as long
as the perpetrators of crimes against humanity are not brought to justice.”
With
repairs to damage done completed, Mangassarian hopes she and her team can raise
awareness for shops and businesses still in need. An artist-in-residency space
is also being set up on the venue’s second floor.
“It
is a driving force for new ways of interaction with the local communities,” she
said.
Following
the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman government in the aftermath of
World War I, large numbers of Armenians were dispersed to other countries
across the Middle East, including Lebanon.
“The
community started to organize, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage and
identity by living together and keeping alive the spiritual richness that they
brought with them,” explained Mangassarian. “All of this was impacted by the
lived experience of this historic tragedy in our motherland. However, it
carried the challenge to keep creating and expressing the love of life,
preservation and rebirth.
“For
an Armenian, their identity and cultural heritage is a safe domain where they
can feel at ease, at home in hope of a safe world,” she added. “Particularly in
Lebanon, where society is a mosaic of different communities and minorities,
Armenians will feel comfortable, but they are different from the others in
their history, culture and aspirations.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/12/09/Lebanon-crisis-Fighting-to-preserve-Armenian-culture-cuisine-and-crafts-in-crisis-hit-Lebanon
--------
Syria
resolved to take back occupied Golan from Israel: Envoy
10
December 2020
A
top Syrian diplomat has reiterated his country’s determination to retake the
occupied Golan Heights from the Israeli regime.
Bashar
al-Jaafari, the permanent ambassador of Syria to the United Nations, slammed
the US administration’s policies on the occupied Golan, and said they are no
different from the British colonialism.
He
pointed to the Israeli prime minister’s move to name an illegal settlement in
Golan after US President Donald Trump, and said the move is part of an
Israeli-American occupation.
“We
believe in the power and capability of our people in the occupied Golan to
confront Israel,” Jaafari said, speaking to the Lebanese TV channel al-Mayadeen
on Wednesday.
He
expressed the Damascus government’s support for Golan residents, stressing that
the Syrian government is resolved to use all the channels secured by the
international law in order to liberate the occupied territory of Golan.
The
top diplomat said his country has already submitted “very important” letters to
the UN and its Security Council on Tel Aviv’s moves in the occupied Golan
Heights, and that his country speaks the language of law and logic at the United
Nations.
In
1967, Israel waged a full-scale war against Arab territories during which it
occupied a large swathe of Syria’s Golan Heights and annexed it four years
later, a move never recognized by the international community.
Syria
has repeatedly reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, saying the
territory must be completely restored to its control.
In
March 2019, US President Donald Trump signed a decree recognizing Israeli
“sovereignty” over Golan during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Washington.
In
their latest unlawful move, Israeli forces have closed a number of the main
entrances to the villages in the occupied Golan Heights, barring the locals
from reaching their farms, where the Tel Aviv regime wants to set up wind
turbines.
Syria's
official news agency, SANA citing an unnamed local source, announced the news
on Monday, adding that crowds of locals in rural areas of Majdal Shams, Sheita
and Baqaatha, and Masada were gathering on the blocked roads leading to their
farms.
The
source added that Israeli soldiers were present in the areas in large numbers
and had already cut off the main roads there.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/10/640398/syria-occupied-golan-heights-jaafari
--------
Egyptian
forces kill, arrest Islamist fighters in Sinai
Dec
8, 2020
The
Egyptian military has reportedly killed dozens of Islamist fighters on the
Sinai Peninsula since September.
Egyptian
forces killed at least 40 of the fighters since Sept. 1, in addition to
destroying 440 hideouts and arms storage areas. They also destroyed 38
vehicles, dismantled 160 explosives, found weapons and arrested more than 20
suspected fighters, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Various
Islamist groups have been fighting the Egyptian state in the Sinai insurgency
since 2011. The Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda are among the groups operating
in the strategic territory that links the Middle East to Africa.
There
have been numerous incidents in Sinai recently. In November, IS claimed an
attack on an Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel in the northern part of the
peninsula. Egypt said it conducted successful attacks on IS in Sinai in
September.
Egyptian
security forces have also clashed with Islamist fighters in the greater Cairo
area this year.
Egypt
has one of the most powerful militaries in the region, in part because of
decades of US military aid. Egypt has a peace treaty with Israel, which is
located on the other side of Sinai.
Also
this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would continue to sell
weapons to Egypt, despite human rights concerns about President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi’s rule.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/12/egypt-sinai-peninsula-islamist-islamic-state-fighters.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
--------
Mideast
Egyptian
forces kill, arrest Islamist fighters in Sinai
Dec
8, 2020
The
Egyptian military has reportedly killed dozens of Islamist fighters on the
Sinai Peninsula since September.
Egyptian
forces killed at least 40 of the fighters since Sept. 1, in addition to
destroying 440 hideouts and arms storage areas. They also destroyed 38
vehicles, dismantled 160 explosives, found weapons and arrested more than 20
suspected fighters, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Various
Islamist groups have been fighting the Egyptian state in the Sinai insurgency
since 2011. The Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda are among the groups operating
in the strategic territory that links the Middle East to Africa.
There
have been numerous incidents in Sinai recently. In November, IS claimed an
attack on an Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel in the northern part of the
peninsula. Egypt said it conducted successful attacks on IS in Sinai in
September.
Egyptian
security forces have also clashed with Islamist fighters in the greater Cairo
area this year.
Egypt
has one of the most powerful militaries in the region, in part because of
decades of US military aid. Egypt has a peace treaty with Israel, which is
located on the other side of Sinai.
Also
this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would continue to sell
weapons to Egypt, despite human rights concerns about President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi’s rule.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/12/egypt-sinai-peninsula-islamist-islamic-state-fighters.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1798992_
--------
Iran
Stresses Need for Permanent Solution to Karabakh Crisis
2020-December-9
"During
the visit of the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Tehran,
views about Karabakh dispute, regional issues and bilateral relations were
exchanged," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh wrote on
his twitter page.
"Within
the framework of good neighborliness policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran
welcomes the progress made and the liberation of the occupied territories and
emphasizes the need for a permanent solution to the crisis politically,"
he added.
Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday met and
held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and President
Hassan Rouhani.
During
the meeting, Rouhani announced the country's readiness to play a role in
helping to strengthen the ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia and to
stabilize the region.
The
visit focuses on deepening Iran-Azerbaijan ties in the post-Karabakh-war
period, as well as reviewing the latest regional and international
developments.
Bayramov
is scheduled to meet with Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani as well.
Zarif
and his Azeri counterpart in a video conference late in November had underlined
the need for widening mutual cooperation.
During
the video conference, Zarif and Bayramov talked about the latest developments
in bilateral relations and post-war conditions in the Karabakh region.
While
emphasizing the further development and deepening of bilateral relations
regarding the cooperation of the two countries in international fora, the
Caspian Sea, reconstruction projects, on-the-implementation projects, the two
sides also discussed the operation of Khoda Afarin Dam, the Rasht-Astara
railway, the north-south, and east-west corridors, and the holding of the joint
economic commission of the two countries and other issues of interest.
The
two parties also called the borders of the two countries the borders of peace,
friendship, and cooperation and stressed its security.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990919000901/Iran-Sresses-Need-fr-Permanen-Slin-Karabakh-Crisis
--------
Speaker:
EU’s Meddling in Iran’s Official Law “Astonishing”
2020-December-9
“The
three European countries’ request from our government not to implement the law
was amazing, as these three states stress democracy and legal obligations,”
Qalibaf said on Tuesday in reference to the E3’s statement calling on Iran’s
government not to implement the strategic law for removal of sanctions and
preservation of Iranian nation’s right that has recently been ratified by the
parliament.
He
made the remarks in a meeting with Italian Ambassador in Iran Giuseppe Perrone
late on Tuesday.
Highlighting
Italy’s role as an active member of the European Union, he added that
Iran-Italy relations should not be influenced by US unilateral, inhuman and
illegal measures.
“While
the three European countries have not reacted to the recent terrorist attack in
Tehran which led to the martyrdom of the Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,
they are now saying that the Iranian government should not implement the
country's official law,” Qalibaf said, noting that the law is not in fact a
withdrawal from JCPOA, but within the framework of the deal and in accordance
with Articles 36 and 37, which allows Iran to reduce its obligations once other
parties do not fulfill their commitments.
Giuseppe
Perrone, for his part, hailed bilateral relations, saying that Italy is
determined to increase trade with Iran.
Iranian
Parliament Speaker Mohamamd Baqer Qalibaf on Wednesday December 2, notified the
government of the new law to adopt strategic measures to confront and remove
sanctions against the country.
Qalibaf
notified the government of the strategic plan to counter sanctions imposed
against the Islamic Republic in a letter.
The
strategic action plan to counter sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic
of Iran was approved by the Guardian Council on Wednesday.
The
Iranian parliamentarians in their last Tuesday meeting ratified the general
points of a bill to adopt strategic measures to remove sanctions against the
country and defend the nation’s interests.
The
lawmakers had last month given the green light to the single-urgency of the
strategic motion, but the plan turned into a double-urgency on Sunday after the
assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Iranian
nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and
machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran on
November 27.
The
nuclear scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby
hospital but he could not be saved.
The
bill requires the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to build a heavy
water reactor and bring a metal uranium production plant on line.
“The
AEOI is required to put into operation a uranium metal production plant in Isfahan
5 months after the adoption of this law,” an article of the bill said.
Also,
the article 5 of the bill states that the AEOI is required, in accordance with
paragraph 4 of the ‘Law on Appropriate and Reciprocal Action of the Government
of the Islamic Republic of Iran’, simultaneous with optimizing and launching
the 40-MW heavy water reactor in Arak, design a new 40-MW heavy water reactor
with the aim of producing stable radio-isotopes for use in hospitals based on a
timeline and inform the parliament of the timeline within one month after the
adoption of this law.
Under
the bill, the AEOI is required to start in two months after the approval of the
present bill to produce at least 120 kg of 20%-enriched uranium annually at
Fordow nuclear site and store it inside the country, increase the enrichment
capacity and production of enriched uranium to at least 500 kg per month, start
the installation of centrifuges, gas injection, enrichment, and storage of
materials up to proper purity levels within 3 months, via at least 1000 IR-2m
centrifuges in the underground part of Shahid Ahmadi Roshan facility in Natanz,
transfer any enrichment, research, and development operations of IR-6
centrifuges to the nuclear site of Shahid Ali Mohammadi in Fordow, and start enrichment
operation via at least 164 centrifuges and expand it to 1000 by the end of 20
March 2021 (end of the Iranian calendar year) and return the 40 megawatts Arak
heavy water reactor to its pre-JCPOA condition by reviving the heart
(calandria) of the reactor within 4 months from the date of the adoption of
this law.
Also,
the government is required to suspend the nuclear deal-based regulatory access
beyond the Additional Protocol within 2 months after the adoption of this law
based on the articles 36 and 37 of the nuclear deal.
Also,
after 3 months from the adoption of this law, if Iran's banking relations in
Europe and the amount of oil purchases by them from Iran is not back to normal
and to satisfactory conditions, the government is required to stop the
voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol.
Meantime,
if after 3 months from the adoption of this law, the nuclear deal parties
return to fulfill their undertakings, the government is required to submit a
proposal to the parliament for Iran's reciprocal action to return to the
nuclear deal undertakings, the bill said.
The
Iranian lawmakers will study the details of the bill after approval of its
generalities.
After
ratification of the generalities of the bill with 251 yes votes, Parliament
Speaker Ali Larijani said that the move sent this message to the enemies that
the one-way game has ended.
Also,
Rapporteur of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy
Commission Abolfazl Amouyee said that the bill pursues several goals, including
opening the locks on Iran’s nuclear industry and making the western states to
pay a price for imposing and supporting sanctions against Iran.
US
President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally
pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest
ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in
an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade, but to no avail since its
"so-called maximum pressure policy" has failed to push Tehran to the
negotiating table.
In
response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its
nuclear commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the
JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as
Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.
Tehran
has particularly been disappointed with failure of the three European
signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- to protect its
business interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.
On
January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments, and said it
would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry,
whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of
stockpiled uranium or research and development.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990919000191/Speaker-EU%E2%80%99s-Meddling-in-Iran%E2%80%99s-Official-Law-%E2%80%9CAsnishing%E2%80%9D
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Turkey’s
Erdogan to discuss US tensions when Biden takes office
09
December 2020
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss strained US relations with
President-elect Joe Biden when he takes office, playing down the possibility of
sanctions over Turkey’s purchase of Russian missile defense systems.
Bilateral
ties have been hit by Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense
systems, differences in policy on Syria and the detention of US consulate
employees and citizens in Turkey.
“We
don’t find the statements they (the US administration) make and the actions
they take regarding our arms procurements to be nice. We especially don’t find
their approach in northern Syria to be right,” Erdogan said.
Speaking
to reporters before traveling to Azerbaijan, he said that it was too early to
comment on the incoming US administration under Biden, who has criticized
Erdogan’s policies.
“Let
Mr Biden take office. Once he assumes office, we will surely sit down and
discuss certain things with Mr Biden. Just like we sat and talked in the US or
Turkey in the past, we will discuss these again,” he said.
Ankara’s
purchase last year of the S-400s from Moscow raised the prospect of US
sanctions early next year if Congress approves a defense spending bill
including language requiring the president to sanction Turkey. The House of
Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday.
“In
diplomacy, a path is found to these issues by talking and meeting. (...) I
believe we will manage this period very differently with the US,” Erdogan said,
playing down the prospect of sanctions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/09/Turkey-s-Erdogan-to-discuss-US-tensions-when-Biden-takes-office
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Iran
announces sanctions against US envoy to Yemen, cites pivotal role in
humanitarian catastrophe
09
December 2020
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry has announced sanctions against US Ambassador to Yemen
Christopher Henzel for his pivotal role in the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe
in the conflict-plagued, impoverished Arab country.
In
a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said that Tehran had put Henzel’s name
on its blacklist, highlighting his role in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
The
statement said the US envoy was involved in leading the destructive war,
massacre of innocent and oppressed people, arms, financial and political
support to the aggressor coalition, and the ongoing cruel and inhumane
sanctions in Yemen while he playing a role in a “sinister scenario” of the
disintegration of Yemen, as well as destructive measures to impede a political
settlement of the Yemeni crisis and the consequent persistence of the
humanitarian catastrophe in the country, which is described as the “greatest
tragedy of the century.”
The
ministry said that the US envoy was sanctioned based on a law titled
"Countering America’s Human Rights Violation and Adventurous and Terrorist
Actions” that was passed by the Iranian Parliament in 2017.
According
to sufficient evidence at hand, the US ambassador to Yemen has played an
instrumental role in organizing, financing, arming, directing and carrying out
the actions of the aggressor coalition in Yemen, the statement added,
highlighting his role in violating the fundamental principles of international
law, including international humanitarian law, and in imposition of illegal US
sanctions on the people of Yemen.
The
announcement came a day after the administration of outgoing US President
Donald Trump added the names of Iran’s ambassador to Yemen to the list of its
sanctions.
Hassan
Irloo, Iran’s new ambassador to Sana’a, had submitted his credentials to Yemeni
officials in early November, amid the United States’ ire at the progressive
course of the two countries’ relations.
In
October, US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus issued a raft of
meddlesome remarks on Iran-Yemen relations, which featured Irloo and her
accusations against him.
She
addressed Iran’s appointment of the official as its new envoy to the Arab
Peninsula country, claiming that the Islamic Republic had “smuggled” the
official into Sana’a.
This
is while Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh had previously
verified the appointment and Iran’s reputable news agencies widely reported on
the development.
The
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) echoed Ortagus’ accusation
back then that Irloo was “linked” to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC), without providing any proof.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/09/640386/Iran-sanctions-US-ambassador-to-Yemen-
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