Ghazwa-e-Hind case: NIA raids in four states
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 November 2023
The
office of the National Investigation Agency in New Delhi. (File Photo | AFP)
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· Ghazwa-e-Hind case: NIA raids in four states
· Israel ‘paralyzed’ after failing to eliminate resistance: Islamic Jihad envoy
· Pakistani troops neutralise 8 Islamist insurgents amid increasing hostilities
· Student wearing 'Allah' necklace attacked in school in Germany
· Kano: Sharia court to review amputation sentence; grants 147 offenders bail
· OIC rights group meets in Jeddah to tackle ‘scourge’ of racism
· Biden offers apology to Muslim-American leaders for questioning Hamas death toll: report
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India
· As India's election nears, Hindu-Muslim tensions play out online
· After 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, India Has Weaponised Economic Transactions for Mass Surveillance
· U.P. govt. gives 15 days time to stores across State for removing halal-certified items
· ‘BJP is lying’: AsaduddinOwaisi slams saffron party on claims of religion-based reservations for Muslims
· Minarets, mosque &Kalupur station’s road to redevelopment
· Indian envoy Sandhu heckled by Pro-Khalistani group during Gurupurab celebration in New York
· More Malice, no Justice: Dalit boy assaulted, forced to drink urine & his eyebrows shaved by assailants in Uttar Pradesh
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Mideast
· Israeli forces detain dozens of Palestinians in surging West Bank violence
· Hamas says it seeks to extend Gaza truce after end of four days
· Hamas releases third group of hostages as part of truce deal, while Netanyahu visits Gaza
· Israel and Hamas raised concerns over lists of those set to be released Monday – official
· Elon Musk to meet Israeli President, Gaza hostage families on November 27
· President Raeisi: U.S. accomplice in Israel’s crimes, cannot make decisions for people of Gaza
· Israel’s Mossad hosts Qatari counterparts on Gaza talks, says official
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Pakistan
· Motorcyclists hold pro-Hamas rally in Karachi
· £190m, Al-Qadir Trust cases: 4 NAB teams grill Imran in Adiala jail for 9 hours
· Kabul to be engaged diplomatically on repatriation of illegal foreigners
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Europe
· 'An attempt at radical empathy': Irish writer Paul Lynch wins Booker Prize with dystopian novel ‘Prophet Song’
· Spain PM stands by Gaza comments that angered Israel
· Tens of thousands march against antisemitism in London including UK ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson
· Nostra Aetate revisited: do papal overtures to Muslims compromise the Church’s relationship with Jews?
· "I Abhor Antisemitism, Doesn't Matter Whether You're Elon Musk": UK PM
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Africa
· Stop using internet for “yahoo yahoo”, Islamic group tells youths
· “Nigeria’s large Muslim population poised to drive growth in Islamic Finance”- NGX
· Tens of thousands of Moroccans in pro-Palestinian demo
· Over 1,000 Imams hold prayers for Tinubu, Kwankwaso in Kano
· Goodness Adaoyiche
· Sierra Leone declares nationwide curfew after gunmen attack military barracks
· Olanipekun seeks help for poor Nigerians
· ECOWAS condemns plot to disrupt peace in Sierra Leone
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Arab World
· Saudi FM attends Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Spain to discuss Gaza war
· Yemeni forces fire ballistic missiles toward US destroyer in Gulf of Aden: CENTCOM
· Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi sends letter to WFP Director in response to program’s decision to stop aid to Yemen
· German special envoy for Middle East lauds Saudi Arabia’s Gaza aid effort
· Saudi aid convoys enter Gaza as Israel’s siege worsens humanitarian crisis
· Saudi interior minister receives Iranian ambassador
· Riyadh hosts 12th General Assembly of Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation on Monday
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North America
· Tanker in Middle East safe from attackers after US Navy responds, officials say
· US President Joe Biden hopes for extension of Israel-Hamas truce as more hostages released
· 4-year-old American girl among 17 hostages released during Israeli-Hamas prisoner exchange
· Three men of Palestinian descent attending holiday gathering shot, injured near University of Vermont
· New York City protesters disrupt Black Friday shopping to support Palestinians in Gaza
· Biden, Netanyahu agree to continue working to secure release of all hostages
· Joe Biden to miss COP28 climate summit in Dubai: US official
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Southeast Asia
· Anwar: Thai PM thanks Malaysia for assisting in safe release of captive Thai nationals by Hamas
· Saifuddin Nasution rebukes claims that Islam threatened, Malays sidelined under unity govt
· Monaco’s Prince Albert II visits Islamic Arts Musuem Malaysia
· MAIWP distributes over RM700,000 in zakat funds to 170,000 asnaf
· Indonesian VP urges Slovak Muslims to promote moderate Islam
· China’s top diplomat to visit UN for Israel-Hamas talks
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South Asia
· India has taken position against people of Bangladesh by supporting Hasina: Rizvi
· Turkey delivers 500-ton humanitarian aid to Herat earthquake victims
· 11th Herat Security Conference Commences in Tajikistan
· Over 320,000 Electronic IDs distributed across Afghanistan
· PM Hassan’s Absence in Cabinet Meeting Raises Questions
· Afghanistan Not Invited to COP28: Official
· Reactions Continue Against Deportation of Afghans by Pakistan
· Muttaqi Seeks Global Support for Lifting Sanctions on Afghanistan
· WFP Needs $27 Million to Continue Aid Programs in Afghanistan
· Bangladesh delegation to focus on funding cost of climate change at COP28
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Ghazwa-e-Hind
case: NIA raids in four states
27th
November 2023
The
office of the National Investigation Agency in New Delhi. (File Photo | AFP)
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NEW
DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted raids at
multiple locations across four states in connection with the Ghazwa-e-Hind
module case, officials said. The raids were conducted at the premises of
suspects in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, Gir Somnath district of Gujarat,
Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and Kozhikode district of Kerala.
The case
was registered last year by the Phulwarisharif police in the Patna district of
Bihar, following the arrest of Marghoob Ahmad Danish alias “Tahir” who was the
administrator of the WhatsApp group ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, created by a Pakistani
national identified as Zain. Later it was transferred to the NIA, which had
earlier this year filed a chargesheet against Marghoob under the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act.
According
to NIA officials, Sunday’s raids revealed links of the suspects with
Pakistan-based handlers. “These suspects were in contact with the handlers, and
were involved in propagating the radical, anti-India idea of Ghazwa-e-Hind,” an
official said. Marghoob had added many from India and countries like Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Yemen, to the group.
The
WhatsApp group was being operated by Pakistan-based suspects and was aimed at
radicalising impressionable youth to establish Ghazwa-e-Hind over the territory
of India. “Marghoob was trying to motivate the group members with an ulterior
objective of raising sleeper cells for carrying out terrorist activities across
India,” the NIA official said.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Israel
‘paralyzed’ after failing to eliminate resistance: Islamic Jihad envoy
27
November 2023
Nasser
Abu-Sharif, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement’s envoy to Tehran
(Photo by IQNA news agency)
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The
Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement’s envoy to Tehran says Israel has
has failed to achieve “any of its goals” after the brutal aggression on the
besieged Gaza Strip, mainly eliminating the resistance forces in Gaza.
“The
main goal of the Zionist regime was to destroy the resistance forces, but,
despite all the brutality and crimes [it committed] and unprecedented support
it received from the arrogant powers, it could not achieve anything,” Nasser
Abu-Sharif said in an interview with ISNA.
He noted
that the aggression that began on October 7 has even inflicted heavy casualties
and losses on the regime and hit its economy, and “the regime is completely
paralyzed now.”
His
remarks come as Israel was forced to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas
resistance movement based on the terms of the group.
Abu-Sharif
described the four-day ceasefire which took effect on Friday as “an opportunity
to deliver aid, water, food and medicine to women and children in Gaza and
provide shelter to the displaced people.”
The
envoy noted that the Israeli aggression has exposed “the reality and cruelty”
of the Western countries that support the occupying regime.
The West
“doesn’t respect international laws, moral rules and freedom.”
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Abu-Sharif praised and appreciated Iran’s stance on the
situation in Gaza, referring to the remarks made by President Ebrahim Raeisi in
the emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that was
held in Riyadh earlier this month.
The
Iranian president was addressing the joint emergency meeting of the Arab League
and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
However,
the envoy slammed some Arab regimes for their failure to take practical steps
in support of Palestinians.
“Unfortunately,
countries that have ties with the Zionist regime and share a border with Gaza,
such as Egypt, could not adopt a serious stance.”
Abu-Sharif
downplayed statements made by some Arab countries in which they condemned
Israel’s onslaught, stressing that “practical steps are more important.”
He
further said that Arab regimes can’t allow even “a glass of water” to enter
Gaza without Israel’s permission, describing all ties with Israel as “a stab in
the back of the Palestinian nation.”
He urged
countries that maintain ties with Tel Aviv to “completely cut their relations”
with the occupying regime.
Israel
launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement
Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity
in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and
devastation against Palestinians.
Tel Aviv
has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal
strip into a humanitarian crisis.
Nearly
15,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in the
Israeli strikes.
Source: presstv.ir
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Pakistani
troops neutralise 8 Islamist insurgents amid increasing hostilities
November
27, 2023
The
Pakistani military says eight Islamist militants were killed in a shootout in
the country’s dangerous northwestern border region.
This
comes amid an uptick in bloodshed, which Islamabad attributes to militants
operating from bases in Afghanistan.
The
exchange of fire took place in the district of South Waziristan, a hilly
territory near the Afghan border that has long served as a base for Islamist
militants affiliated with al-Qaeda.
A
military statement on Monday regarding the overnight incident said, “Arms and
ammunition were recovered from the militants’ hideout.”
In
recent weeks, deadly clashes between the Pakistani army and militants have
escalated, with repeated attacks on security personnel.
Pakistan
accuses the Afghan Taliban leadership of being too indulgent towards militants
who are purportedly hiding in Afghanistan and carrying out cross-border
assaults. Kabul disputes the accusation.
Pakistan
has expelled hundreds of thousands of unregistered Afghan refugees due to
rising tensions between the countries.
Source: dailypost.ng
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Student
wearing 'Allah' necklace attacked in school in Germany
26.11.2023
A
15-year-old student was attacked in a school in Germany for wearing a necklace
that said “Allah,” authorities said Saturday.
The
incident was the latest in a string of Islamophobic attacks since the
escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict last month.
German
police said the attack took place in a high school in Wilhelmstadt, Berlin on
Friday afternoon, and they are currently investigating.
At least
five classmates attacked the student in the school bathroom, ripped the
necklace off her neck, and physically assaulted her, police said.
A
teacher provided initial medical assistance to the victim, who was subsequently
taken to the hospital, according to the statement.
A police
spokeswoman told public radio RBB that they are investigating whether the
attack was a “religiously motivated” crime.
Germany’s
Muslim communities reported a surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes in recent weeks,
triggered by the propaganda of far-right politicians and biased media coverage
of the Gaza conflict.
With a
population of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim
population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 5.3
million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.
Source: aa.com.tr
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Kano:
Sharia court to review amputation sentence; grants 147 offenders bail
NOVEMBER
27, 2023
Sharia
Court
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The Kano
Grand Kadi, Tijjani Ibrahim-Yakasai, has set up a committee to review the case
of a long-term convict awaiting amputation for 18 years in custody.
Mr
Ibrahim-Yakasai also granted bail to 147 offenders with minor offences in two
prisons in Kano.
On
Monday, this was disclosed in a statement by the Nigerian Correctional Service
Kano command’s spokesman, SC MusbahuKofar-Nasarawa.
He said
the decision was to decongest and free those languishing in the Kano prisons.
According
to him, the committee comprises six judges headed by an Upper Sharia Court
judge, Ibrahim Sarki-Yola.
“A Kano
Shari’a Court had earlier ordered the amputation of a convict’s left leg and
right hand in its judgment for committing theft,” said Mr Ibrahim-Yakasai. “The
committee will review the case for staying 18 years in Kano Correctional Centre
without executing the sentence.”
Mr
Ibrahim-Yakasai urged the released inmates to behave well and shun any
misconduct that may lead to recalling them to prison.
On his
part, the Kano command prison controller, Suleiman Mohammed-Inuwa, thanked the
grand Kadi for decongesting the facilities.
Source: gazettengr.com
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OIC
rights group meets in Jeddah to tackle ‘scourge’ of racism
November
26, 2023
JEDDAH:
Addressing violations of human rights is top of the agenda for the 22nd regular
session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Independent Permanent
Human Rights Commission, which kicked off on Sunday and will continue for five
days at the organization’s headquarters in Jeddah.
The
session is being held under the theme “Reforms for a Better Future,” and is
organized in cooperation with the Saudi Human Rights Commission.
Among
those attending the opening day were HalabintMazyad Al-Tuwaijri, the
commission’s president; YalmazTunc, Turkiye’s minister of justice; Mohammed
Lawal Sulaiman, IPHRC chairperson; and Noura Al-Rashoud, IPHRC executive
director.
Representatives
of member states, observer states, and experts from international and regional
organizations were also present.
Yousef
Al-Dobeay, OIC assistant secretary-general for political affairs, inaugurated
the session with a speech that discussed “Elimination of Racial Discrimination:
An Islamic and Human Rights Perspective.”
The
address focused on ways to address the growing problem of discrimination,
including contemporary aspects racial intolerance.
Al-Dobeay
said that both the organization and the international community recognize the
valuable contribution of the commission in promoting and protecting human
rights independently, neutrally, and objectively.
“The
commission has played a significant role in providing consistent
recommendations to member states on various issues to ensure global human
rights compliance and basic freedoms with Islamic values,” he said.
Al-Dobeay
highlighted the severe consequences of racial discrimination on individuals and
communities, saying that intolerance perpetuates social inequality, limits
opportunities for social and employment progress, undermines mental and
physical well-being, and can contribute to social conflicts and a weakened
sense of belonging.
“The
OIC, along with its member states, remains at the forefront of anti-racism
efforts, actively contributing to setting standard measures that have helped
combat this scourge,” he added.
Sulaiman
told Arab News that the IPHRC “is set to tell the Muslim world that Islam also
has great respect for human rights.”
He said
that the session will discuss “the issue of racial discrimination, to show that
as far as Islam is concerned, whether you are white or black, you are the
same.”
Referring
to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Sulaiman said: “We strongly condemn
the actions taken against the Palestinians. Our daily prayers are dedicated to
imploring Almighty Allah to safeguard them, and to provide protection against
those responsible for inflicting such hardship.
“We are
deeply distressed by the current events and have unequivocally expressed our
disapproval. Our statement has been widely circulated and is endorsed by all
members of the independent OIC. It is universally acknowledged within the OIC
that the situation in Gaza is regrettable, and we urge the UN to take immediate
measures to halt these distressing events.”
The
opening session discussed Islamic and institutional standards for eliminating
racial discrimination, while the second session focused on international
efforts and strategies to combat racial discrimination and its contemporary
aspects. A third session highlighted the role of media and national experiences
in eliminating racial discrimination.
This was
followed by an open discussion among commission members, OIC member states,
observer states, and their national human rights institutions, along with the
responses of the main speakers.
In the
coming week, closed meetings will be held for working groups, including civil,
political, economic, social, and cultural rights in the member states. There
will also be discussions on human rights violations in Palestine, and in Jammu
and Kashmir.
Additionally,
regular meetings of its four working groups related to Palestine, women and
children’s rights, Islamophobia and Muslim communities, and the right to
development, will be held.
The 22nd
session will conclude with decisions aimed at developing an action plan for the
IPHRC, along with a workshop on “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human
Rights: Challenges and Opportunities” to generate recommendations for member
states to improve their human rights policies and programs.
Source: arabnews.com
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Biden
offers apology to Muslim-American leaders for questioning Hamas death toll:
report
November
26, 2023
President
Joe Biden reportedly issued an apology to several prominent Muslim-American
leaders after openly questioning the accuracy of the death toll figures from
Gaza.
During a
press conference on October 25, President Biden openly questioned the number of
causalities in Gaza, which are reported by the Hamas government.
"I
have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many
people are killed," Biden said. "I’m sure innocents have been killed,
and it’s a price of waging war."
Biden met
with five Muslim American leaders the day after his October 25 comments about
reported Gaza deaths.
During
the meeting, Biden listened to the leaders describe people they knew who were
directly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East.
"I’m
sorry. I’m disappointed in myself," Biden told the group, according to the
Washington Post.
The
Muslim-American leaders who met with Biden urged him to show more empathy to
the Palestinians and Biden allegedly hugged one of the participants at the end
of the meeting.
According
to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 14,000
Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in
the weeks-old war.
Israel
has suffered more than 1,200 fatalities, most of those being civilians, who
were killed when the Hamas terror group fired a sneak attack on Israel on
October 7, according to officials.
Not only
has Biden faced criticism and pressure from his own administration on the
strategy taken in Gaza, some prominent Democrats have also publicly disagreed
with the president’s response to the war.
Biden
has endorsed US support for Israel following the October 7 attack, but he also
has pushed for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza
Strip and for hostages held by Hamas to get released.
"For
weeks, I’ve been advocating to pause the fighting for two purposes: to increase
the assistance getting into the Gaza civilians who need help and to facilitate
release of hostages," Biden said on Sunday. "We know that innocent
children in Gaza are suffering greatly as well."
Beginning
on Friday, Hamas and Israel agreed to pause fighting for four days as a
hostage-for-prisoner deal takes place to free roughly 50 hostages in return for
the temporary peace and dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
Source: foxnews.com
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-offers-apology-muslim-american-leaders-questioning-hamas-death-toll
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India
As India's election nears, Hindu-Muslim tensions play out online
27.11.23
Hours after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, a WhatsApp message purporting to list the names of 17 Indian Hindus killed or wounded in the assault went viral in India, drawing horrified reactions. But the list was fake - none were hurt.
In the following weeks, hundreds of messages referencing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group spread rapidly on Indian social media accounts, said fact-checkers and researchers documenting online disinformation about India's Muslim minority.
Many of those messages warned Hindus that their safety could be at risk from Muslims if the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) loses power in next year's election.
"Every local and global incident is used to convey the message that Muslims are evil, that Hindus need to be afraid," said Bharat Nayak, an independent fact-checker in the east Indian state of Jharkhand.
"When there isn't a current incident, past incidents are recycled with doctored images and videos, to say: if Hindus are to stay safe, vote for BJP," Nayak, who tracks disinformation and hate speech on viral WhatsApp messages, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Islamophobic and antisemitic hate speech have surged worldwide since Oct. 7, with millions of abusive posts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X - formerly Twitter, according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue think-tank, and the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit.
In India, Muslims make up about 14 per cent of the nation's 1.4 billion Hindu-majority population. With a general election due by May 2024, and several state elections this month, disinformation and hate speech targeting them are on the rise, fact-checkers and tech experts said.
"Conflicts, elections will always spawn these kinds of narratives (and) the nature of this conflict is an opportunity to grind a Hindu versus Muslim axe," said Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
"It is being weaponised by state actors to rally the bases with divisive rhetoric and sensationalist misinformation," said Jones, who studies misinformation.
Asked to comment, Tom Vadakkan, a national spokesperson for the BJP, said: "The BJP and the government do not encourage any hate speech against any community or person."
Speaking during a visit to the White House in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "there is no space for any discrimination".
Religious strife
India has a long history of communal clashes. During the BJP's rule over the past decade, party members and allies have been accused by human rights groups of inflammatory speech against Muslims that incites violence on the ground.
Hashtags including #coronajihad and #lovejihad have gone viral in recent years, and been used to falsely accuse Muslims of deliberately spreading the coronavirus and forcefully converting and marrying Hindu women.
Deadly clashes have broken out over false rumours on WhatsApp and Facebook of Muslim gangs kidnapping children.
The BJP, which is widely forecast to win a third term in 2024, has launched a national campaign to woo Muslim voters. A senior Muslim party leader told Reuters this month that Hindu-Muslim violence only makes headlines now because political rivals use it to target the party.
Elections often lead to an increase in anti-Muslim hate speech, researchers have found, with such incidents averaging more than one a day in the first half of 2023, mostly in states with upcoming elections, according to Hindutva Watch, a Washington-based group monitoring attacks on minorities.
Fact-checking organisation BOOM Live showed there was a surge in misinformation before polls in southern Karnataka state in May, which the opposition Congress party went on to win.
"Disinformation targeting Muslims has become more vitriolic and aggressive, with most of the false claims reinforcing negative stereotypes," said Karen Rebelo, deputy editor at Boom.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram, has said it has added more fact-checkers in India, "making it the country with the most third-party fact-checking partners globally across Meta."
"We have a comprehensive strategy in place for elections, which includes detecting and removing hate speech and content that incites violence, reducing the spread of misinformation ... (and) partnering with election authorities to action content that violates local law," a Meta spokesperson said.
Video sharing platform YouTube removes "violative content as quickly as possible when flagged to our attention," the company said, adding that its team monitors trends in "risky forms of content" and addresses them before they become larger issues.
The X social media platform did not respond to a request for comment.
Takedown requests
With its young population, India is among the biggest markets for social media platforms, with more than 300 million users on Facebook, and about 500 million each on YouTube and on WhatsApp.
Social media firms have frequently clashed with Indian authorities over content moderation.
Modi's government banned the short-form video app TikTok in 2020 over security concerns, and has tightened social media regulation, requiring the swift removal of posts deemed to be harmful, and demanding traceability of information.
Meta received nearly 64,000 content removal requests from the Indian government in the second half of 2022, its data shows, more than a quarter of all requests.
Google's YouTube removed more than 2 million videos in India in April-June of this year, more than in any other country.
But government officials mainly target posts by dissidents and human rights campaigners including Muslim activists, not harmful content spread by BJP leaders or their allies, said Jayshree Bajoria, associate director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, a global non-profit.
"BJP leaders or BJP supporters who make hateful comments against Muslims or other minorities, inciting violence, are not held accountable," Bajoria said.
The information technology ministry and the home affairs ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
After Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents in 2019 showing the platform's struggles monitoring hate speech in countries including India, Meta agreed to conduct an independent human rights impact assessment.
Meta has not released the full report, despite calls from human rights groups to do so.
Meta has "clear policies against hate speech and removes hateful content that targets anyone based on their religion, nationality, ethnicity or caste," the spokesperson said.
'Amplifying bias'
It is not just in India: social media companies failed to act on 89% of posts containing anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobic content reported to them, the Center for Countering Digital Hatred (CCDH), a British non-profit, said in a report last year.
Platforms similarly failed to act on anti-Semitism, anti-Black racism, and misogynist abuse, CCDH found.
"The platforms seem more intent on shutting down Muslim users than shutting down hate speech," said S.Q. Masood, a minority rights activist in the Indian city of Hyderabad, who has filed two complaints about hate speech on social media.
When nearly 300 people were killed in a train accident in eastern Odisha state in June, Boom and Alt News documented at least a dozen false allegations about the incident - from the station master being Muslim and in hiding, to there being a mosque near the track.
"These messages go viral because there is support for these narratives in society," said Kiran Garimella, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information in New Jersey, who studies misinformation on WhatsApp.
"These platforms just make it easy to amplify the biases."
Source: telegraphindia.com
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After 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, India Has Weaponised Economic Transactions for Mass Surveillance
Srinivas Kodali
India is rapidly digitising. There are good things and bad, speed-bumps on the way and caveats to be mindful of. The weekly column Terminal focuses on all that is connected and is not – on digital issues, policy, ideas and themes dominating the conversation in India and the world.
Fifteen years after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, we remember the collective horror and loss that the nation suffered that day. But that day also marks the beginning of a chain of events that has pushed India towards a surveillance state. India’s war on terror has come at the cost of democratic institutions.
The Indian government is in a constant state of war, an economic war that it has waged against its own population, forcing them to forgo their democratic rights for national security. It is not very different from what the US did after 9/11, where it forced biometrics on the people and weaponised its hold on the global economy.
The US forced the international banking industry to cooperate with its global surveillance measures in the fight against terrorism. This agenda was extended through multilateral bodies like the Financial Action Task Force.
The Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which became active in 2005 and was amended later in 2009, brought a regime of anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT). The FATF’s Mutual Evaluation Report of India (MER) in 2010 details the emerging landscape of economic regulators and financial intelligence organisations set up to address issues of counter-terrorism.
The PMLA and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) went through further amendments in 2012 to address the issues raised in the 2010 MER report. One direct consequence of this regime has been the usage of these laws against non-profit organisations, as a shadow report compiled by civil society groups and released ahead of the upcoming MER says.
The AML/CFT regime forced the ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) procedures on citizens, powered by Aadhaar. It prompted them to link all bank accounts and a host of economic transactions regulated by the RBI, SEBI and insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) under the PMLA. While the Supreme Court of India in Puttaswamy vs Union of India restricted Aadhaar linking only to bank accounts, it was virtually overturned through the PMLA rules and the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020.
While KYC laws and regulations existed even before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, what changed is the centralisation of this information through digitisation. Paper-based KYC was a decentralised form of information storage, where only the local branch office maintained the details. With digital KYC powered by Aadhaar, there is a centralisation of financial information at bodies like the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
The FIU’s FINNet portal has details of KYC formats for economic transactions by banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, brokerage firms, exchange houses, money transfer services, casinos and a host of other institutions, including the postal department. All this information is shared with other law enforcement agencies.
While it may seem like the centralisation of transactional information is not dangerous, it needs to be seen contextually of existing payment instruments like FASTag and upcoming ones like the National Common Mobility Card. FASTag allows vehicle drivers to pay road tolls through a cashless mechanism but also allows the government to track the individual’s movements. Choosing not to use FASTag and instead paying with cash will require the individual to pay twice the toll. A voluntary system that was meant to improve toll traffic has now been weaponised and forced on every vehicle.
The National Common Mobility Card is a new unified and centralised payment system that can be used on any metro or bus service. Common mobility cards exist in other countries but what is different here is to get the card, one has to carry out a KYC process. This links identity to payments, allowing the state to monitor people’s travel movements. The private sector, which will issue these payment instruments, is happy to crawl when asked to bend for national security.
If a KYC-linked payment instrument is made mandatory for travel, it will help create mass surveillance. A level of surveillance already exists with FASTag and Digi Yatra for road and air travel, while a similar system is planned for railways. The surveillance of travel patterns of the entire population of a billion people will require a huge amount of resources.
A KYC-enabled SBI RuPay National Common Mobility Card. Photo: By arrangement
A cashless society is seen as a utopian society where payment hurdles are removed through instruments like the UPI. But in reality, it is also creating a police state – with all monetary transactions recorded and shared with law enforcement agencies. These agencies are using their newly acquired powers to freeze the bank accounts of people for merely receiving payments from unknown people who may be involved in cybercrime offences. The US weaponised AML/CFT systems to block access to US banks for any bank or organisation that is financing terrorists. This model is being applied in India to cyber fraud.
The UPI specification itself is being modified without being disclosed to allow sharing of phone numbers through transactions. UPI specifications track the geo-location of the payment transaction, revealing more information about the nature of payment and its location. This also allows the surveillance state to track an individual based on his economic transactions.
Financial surveillance is not limited to counter-terrorism financing but extends to tax surveillance. As I write this, my PAN card has been blocked for not linking it to Aadhaar, for not caving in to the state’s carrot and stick strategies that have been forced on the population relentlessly for more than 15 years. The cancellation of 11.5 crore PAN cards is yet another weaponisation of this economic instrument.
These provisions of AML/CFT KYC norms are visible in a host of payment instruments, banking instruments and infrastructures that have emerged post-2008, including Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems, Direct Benefit Transfer, Aadhaar Payments Bridge, UPI, FASTag, National Common Mobility Card, Account Aggregators, Public Credit Registry and several other financial information systems. These infrastructures that have been built with close cooperation with the Indian software industry have helped the private sector reap profits and created surveillance instruments for the state.
These economic instruments provide no privacy or anonymity. They pose a direct threat to civil liberties due to the increased ability of the surveillance state to track all forms of monetary spending. While the US similarly weaponised its control over the global economy, it did not weaponise these systems against its own citizens. As a foreigner, I can travel within the US without disclosing my identity to the transit agency. But in India, I might not be able to do that in the near future. The tragedy in India is that an external threat to security has seen the state weaponise all forms of governance systems against its own citizens.
The US-India strategic cooperation after the Mumbai attacks pushed for a series of changes in how India surveils its own population. This cooperation is being further extended through the US-India digital development partnership, which will help export these models and surveillance solutions to other low and middle-income countries even as they continue to undermine our democratic systems.
Source: thewire.in
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https://thewire.in/rights/26-11-mumbai-attacks-india-weaponise-economic-transactions-mass-surveillance
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U.P. govt. gives 15 days time to stores across State for removing halal-certified items
November 26, 2023
The Uttar Pradesh government has given outlet chains, retailers and department stores 15 days to withdraw any halal-certified food items from their shelves. It has also directed 92 State-based manufacturers, which were getting halal certification from non-certified organisations for their goods, to recall their products within U.P. or repackage them.
The State on November 18 banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of halal-certified food products. In the aftermath, it investigated roughly 500 establishments across different districts and 97 places in the state in search of halal-certified products and seized roughly 2,500 kg of halal-certified products till now.
The government has also transferred the case registered at Hazratganj police station against four firms for alleged irregularities in halal certification of products to the Special Task Force (STF) of U.P. police.
The FIR was registered under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 298 (intent to wound religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha (BJYM) office-bearer who alleged that some companies certified certain products as halal to increase the sales among people from a certain community for monetary gains, and this amounts to forgery and cheating.
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/up-govt-gives-15-days-time-to-stores-across-state-for-removing-halal-certified-items/article67577167.ece
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‘BJP is lying’: AsaduddinOwaisi slams saffron party on claims of religion-based reservations for Muslims
27 Nov 2023
AsaduddinOwaisi has spoken out against the BJP's view on Muslim reservations. This concerns Telangana. The BJP, led by Amit Shah. has promised to end Muslim reservations. This is if the BJP wins the next election. Owaisi disputes the BJP's assertions. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president states that these reservations don't rely on religion.
"BJP is lying. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the reservation being given to Muslims is not on the basis of religion," Owaisi told ANI.
Owaisiemphasises that the reservations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are grounded in empirical data showcasing the social and educational challenges faced by certain Muslim communities. This allocation, according to a report by the late PS Krishnan, is meant for specific backward classes within the Muslim population, excluding the upper caste.
The debate intensifies as Owaisi questions the BJP's reluctance towards the advancement of the Muslim community. He points out that enabling Muslims to become professionals like doctors and engineers is in the national interest.
“Why does BJP hate it for Muslims to become doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, pursue MBA or PhD..." he asked.
Meanwhile, the BJP's election manifesto for Telangana, unveiled by Shah in Hyderabad, includes implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and abolishing religion-based reservations. During his campaign in Chevella, Shah labelled the Muslim reservations in Telangana as unconstitutional and proposed reallocating these benefits to SCs, STs and OBCs.
In response to allegations of AIMIM's support for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in the elections, Owaisi clarifies that his party is contesting independently, with candidates fielded against the BRS in several constituencies. He advocates for K. Chandrashekar Rao, also known as 'Mamu', as the chief minister, except in constituencies where AIMIM has fielded candidates.
Owaisicriticises Congress
Owaisi also criticises the Congress for its objection to the ongoing RythuBandu scheme, a welfare initiative for farmers in Telangana. The Election Commission of India's order to halt the scheme's disbursements, following the Congress's protest, is seen as anti-farmer by Owaisi.
“Sudden objection from the Congress party clearly implies that they do not want the farmers to benefit...You made it halt, this is sending out a wrong message across Telangana..." he told ANI.
Source: livemint.com
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https://www.livemint.com/news/india/bjp-is-lying-asaduddin-owaisi-slams-saffron-party-on-claims-of-religion-based-reservations-for-muslims-11701074254592.html
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Minarets, mosque &Kalupur station’s road to redevelopment
SohiniGhosh ,Rijit Banerjee
November 27, 2023
Hazrat Malik Sarangsha Baba Dargah, ahmedabad, indianexpressHazrat Malik Sarangsha Baba Dargah near Kalupur Railway station in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)
Few know the Ahmedabad railway station by its name. But Kalupur can only mean the railway station for any Amdavadi. Even fewer people know that it got this name from Malik Kalu or Haji Kalu, a nobleman in Sultan Mahmud Begada’s court who was condemned to the gallows for giving asylum to the murderer of a trooper.
The Kalupur station is among the city’s busiest areas and has at least three heritage structures in its vicinity dating back to the 15th century, including the mausoleum built in memory of Malik Kalu, known as the Hazrat Kalu Shaheed dargah, the shaking minarets of Sidi Bashir mosque to the north, and the shaking minarets towards the south of the station on the Sarangpur end.
While the minarets have survived over the years, the Hazrat Kalu Shaheed dargah, located south of the station and around 800 m from the shaking minarets, is facing eviction by the Rail Land Development Authority, which claims it is an “unauthorised” structure.
Even as the mujawar (caretaker) of the dargah, Sabirhusen Malek, claims the structure is over 500 years old and that it is suspected to have existed since the era of Mahmud Begada in the 15th century, he admits there is no documentary evidence of it, except for the signature yellow sandstone with which all of Ahmedabad’s ancient architecture is built.
Documented history indicates that Kalupur derived its name from a nobleman in Mahmud Begada’s court, referred to as Malik Kalu or Haji Kalu. He, however, saw a fall from grace.
In A History of Gujarat, where ManekshahSorabshah Commissariat, a history professor at Gujarat College in 1938, dwells upon the period between 1297-98 to 1573, notes Haji Kalu’s dishonourable execution after falling victim to deceit. It states, “He (Haji Kalu) and another noble, in 1466, gave asylum to Baha-ul-Mulk who had killed a trooper, and who persuaded two of his retainers to go to the Sultan and say that they were guilty of the murder, and they were executed. When Mahmud came to know of the true facts, he ordered Malik Kalu and the other noble (Malik Haji Imad-ul-Mulk) to be executed… while Baha-ul-Muik, the real culprit escaped.”
JultaMinara Sidi Bashir Mosque, ahmedabad, indian express
JultaMinara Sidi Bashir Mosque near Kalupur Railway station in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)What has stood the test of time reasonably are two minarets towering at around 100 ft, around 500 m away from the Kalupur railway station. Situated north of the railway station, the minarets are known as the Sidi Bashir Masjid Shaking Minarets. Shaking one minaret causes vibration in the other even as the passage between them remains still. The minarets, Ahmedabad’s tallest, continue to pique interest for their unique design and engineering.
The mosque supposedly gets its name from Sidi Bashir, an African-origin slave who was in the service of Sultan Begada. Sir TC Hope, a British bureaucrat posted in Ahmedabad for several years in the second half of the 19th century, ascribed the construction of the mosque either to Sidi Bashir or to Malik Sarang, a noble of the court of Mahmud Begada, who founded the adjoining quarter of the city, called Sarangpur after him.
According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s heritage records, the mosque and its pair of minarets are believed to have been built by Malik Sarang in 1452.
James Burgess, in his The Muhammadan Architecture of Ahmadabad, published in 1905, notes that the mosque was destroyed in 1753, when the Marathas clashed with then “Muhammadan deputy viceroy JawanMard Khan Bibi”. Painting the scene of Kalupur from the early 1900s, Burgess writes, “One angle of the tomb with two pillars has fallen, and the rest of it, supported by thirty pillars, is occupied by faqirs and grass dealers, who have divided it up by mud walls, cook in it, and keep it in disorder. It stands on a piece of Government waste ground in the railway suburb, measuring 2027 square yards…at the south end of the Railway station platform, stand the two largest and loftiest minarets at Ahmadabad. They are apparently about 95 or 100 feet in height. All traces of the mosque to which these magnificent towers belonged have vanished and its very designation is lost. They narrowly escaped removal to make room for the railway, and at a later date it was proposed to incorporate them in a new station to be designed in the Muhammadan style.”
While the shaking minarets have heritage status and the railway authorities are leaving them untouched, the authorities refuse to confer such status on the dargah unless they are shown the requisite paperwork.
Meanwhile, in a breather for the dargah, the Gujarat High Court earlier this month directed the railway authorities not to proceed with the eviction notice issued to the shrine.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/kalupur-railway-stations-road-to-redevelopment-9043286/
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Indian envoy Sandhu heckled by Pro-Khalistani group during Gurupurab celebration in New York
Nov 27, 2023
NEW DELHI: Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the Indian ambassador to the United States, was mobbed and heckled by a group of pro-Khalistani elements on his visit to a gurdwara in New York. He had joined the local Sangat to celebrate Gurpurab at Guru Nanak Darbar in Long Island.
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Sandhu being confronted by pro-Khalistani elements at the gurdwara. The video captures individuals making statements about designated terrorists Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The ambassador left the premises in his vehicle, while a lone protester raised the Khalistani flag outside the gurdwara.
Taking to social media, Sandhu said, "Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab-listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak's everlasting message of togetherness, unity and equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all." He, however, has not mentioned about the unpleasant experience.
— rpsinghkhalsa (@rpsinghkhalsa)
This incident is part of a rising trend of pro-Khalistani activities, with similar disruptions occurring in countries such as Canada, the UK, Australia and the US. In July, Khalistan extremists conducted an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco, prompting India to request evidence from US authorities under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
This marks the second incident within two months involving the heckling of an Indian envoy by pro-Khalistan elements. In September, Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Vikram Doraiswami faced a similar situation when he was prevented from entering a Gurdwara in Glasgow, Scotland.
India has raised concerns about the security of its diplomats and premises with relevant authorities in the countries reporting these incidents. Recent discussions on India-US security cooperation revealed shared inputs about the nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists, and others. The ministry of external affairs emphasised that such information is taken seriously as it affects the security interests of both countries, and necessary follow-up actions are being pursued.
Earlier, the Financial Times had reported that American officials successfully foiled a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist, within the United States. The publication, relying on information from "several individuals knowledgeable about the situation," revealed that Washington had alerted New Delhi about potential involvement in the conspiracy. However, the report did not provide details regarding whether an actual attempt had been made on Pannun's life or the extent of progress in the alleged plot.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indian-envoy-sandhu-heckled-by-pro-khalistani-group-during-gurupurab-celebration-in-new-york/articleshow/105525769.cms
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More Malice, no Justice: Dalit boy assaulted, forced to drink urine & his eyebrows shaved by assailants in Uttar Pradesh
27th November 2023
Now, a teenage Dalit boy was reportedly assaulted, forced to drink urine and his eyebrows shaved by casteist elements at his village under Sujanganj police station in Uttar Pradesh, Nov 23, 2023.
The police sent the victim for medical examination and registered an FIR on Friday, Nov 24.
The assailants, reportedly two persons, have filed a counter-complaint with the police claiming that the boy sexually harassed a girl in their family.
A report quoting IANS cited the victim's father as saying in the complaint lodged with the police that his son was returning home from the Aami area when some people caught hold of him and thrashed him. The complaint added that they forced him to consume soil and urine and shaved off his eyebrows. The accused called him on the spot and allowed him to take his son home after warning them to not report this to the police.
The victim's father also alleged that he had contacted the Sujanganj police on Thursday evening itself but his complaint was not registered following which he had to meet the Jaunpur SP for the same.
Recently, Gujarat reported a case of a tribal woman living in Vyara town of Tapi district being allegedly kidnapped, thrashed, tonsured, and left half naked on a roadside by her lover’s family.
On Nov 14, 2023, two Dalit youths were abused and thrashed by a gang in Tamil Nadu's Vellore when one of the victims accelerated his two-wheeler while halting briefly near a railway gate.
Also, it may be recalled that in a horrific incident of casteism in Tamil Nadu's Vengaivayal, human excrement was discovered in the lone overhead tank supplying potable water to the village dominated by the Dalit community. So far, but for rhetorics, the state government has failed to ensure justice for the Dalit victims.
Further, all these are not isolated incidents. Many cases go unreported due to intimidation or fear of reporting to the police.
Systemic dehumanization and casteism rear its head whenever reports of horrific incidents come out in the media. If not, the social evils that are embedded in the system lie dormant. The victims would be forced to run from pillar to post. Where should they go for justice? People in power alone can answer.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/nov/27/more-malice-no-justice-dalit-boy-assaulted-forced-to-drink-urine--his-eyebrows-shaved-by-assailants-in-uttar-pradesh-2636600.html
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Mideast
Israeli forces detain dozens of Palestinians in surging West Bank violence
27 November 2023
Israeli military forces launched a new arrest campaign across the West Bank in the early hours of Monday and arrested dozens of Palestinians in multiple raids, in what aid agencies describe as “deteriorating conditions” since the war began in Gaza on October 7.
Palestinian media outlets, citing local sources speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that Israeli forces stormed KafrNi'ma town, located 13 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Ramallah, and the town of Bani Na'im in the early hours of Monday morning, and arrested at least 50 Palestinians.
Six Palestinians were also detained in the northern West Bank village of Jaba’, while five others were rounded up throughout the Nablus governorate, including Askar and Balata refugee camps, the reports said.
The reports also added that, in the village of al-Asakra, located 4.5 kilometers southeast of Bethlehem, the regime’s forces arrested a Palestinian, identified as Muhammad Ali Asakrah, after raiding and searching his father’s house.
Similar raids were also reported in the city of Beitunia and the Al-Arroub refugee camp.
Local sources told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA that Israeli troops stormed the al-Arroub camp late on Sunday, forcing shop owners to close their shops.
Confrontations then broke out between the camp residents and Israeli forces, with the latter firing live bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.
Israeli forces launch raids on various cities of the West Bank almost on a daily basis under the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians. The raids usually lead to violent confrontations with residents.
Since the war broke out in the Gaza Strip on October 7, Israel has intensified its raids and arrest campaigns throughout the occupied territories.
“Conditions in the West Bank have deteriorated sharply in the weeks since the October 7 attack [in Gaza], mostly in an acceleration of pre-existing trends,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned in a statement on Friday.
According to OCHA Israeli soldiers and, in some cases, settlers have killed 216 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October, bringing the total killed in 2023 to date to 426, far more than the 170 killed in 2022, the year the UN declared the deadliest since 2006.
Palestinian Prisoner rights group Addameer also reported that before October 7, there were about 5,200 Palestinians in Israeli custody. However, after Operation al-Aqsa Strom followed by Israel’s bombardment campaign against the besieged enclave, the number of Palestinians arrested skyrocketed and 3,000 more were arrested.
Of those arrested after the war erupted in Gaza 145 are children, 95 are women and 37 are journalists. Addameer said that most of the detained journalists were subjected to administrative detention, which means they are held indefinitely behind bars without facing trial or charges.
The prisoner’s rights group highlights that the detainees are subjected to physical violence and medical negligence in prisons.
Israeli forces gun down three Palestinian youths in raids across the occupied West Bank.
The arrests also come amid a 4-day truce between Israel and Hamas after seven weeks of fighting.
As part of the temporary truce which went into effect on Friday, Israel and Hamas began exchanging Palestinian prisoners with Israeli prisoners of war who are held captive in Gaza by resistance groups after the events of October 7.
Over the course of the temporary truce, Hamas is set to release at least 50 Israeli hostages and Israel 150 Palestinians.
On Sunday, Israel and Hamas completed the third day of swaps. So far three batches of Palestinian prisoners, each including 39 individuals, were freed.
Hamas has also handed over 39 Israeli captives and a number of foreign nationals since Friday.
Source: presstv.ir
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Hamas says it seeks to extend Gaza truce after end of four days
27 November 2023
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it seeks to extend a four-day truce with the Israeli regime after it expires on Monday.
"We are seeking to extend the four-day truce with Israel if serious efforts are made [by the regime] to increase the number of Palestinian detainees released from Israeli prisons," the group said in a brief statement carried by the Palestinian Information Center on Sunday.
The truce took effect on Friday after a night of intense Israeli bombardment, requiring the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in the regime's jails. It mandated the release of 50 Israeli captives in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
So far following the deal, the regime has released three 39-strong batches of Palestinian prisoners. In return, Hamas has freed nearly 40 Israeli captives and a number of foreign nationals.
Israel releases a third batch of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for more than a dozen captives freed by Hamas.
Following the statement, a member of Hamas' Political Bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed the movement's seriousness about extending the truce into a "comprehensive prisoner exchange deal," the agency reported.
"We were concerned from day one about the return of detained women and children to their families," he said, adding, "We will strive with full diligence to secure the release of more civilian detainees."
He added that once the movement makes sure about the possibility of securing the freedom of more Palestinian detainees, it will inform concerned parties about extension of the truce.
"We want to stop the aggression against our people and [make sure about] the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," the official said.
After the truce entered into force, Ziyad Nakhalah, the secretary general of the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad resistance movement, said the Israeli regime agreed to the truce because it failed to achieve its stated goals in the Gaza war and also due to its "losses on the battlefield."
"Had it not been for the losses on the battlefield, the Zionist regime would not have agreed to the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners," Nakhalah added in a televised address.
Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad Nakhalah has said that Israel failed to achieve its stated goals in the Gaza war as a four-day truce took effect in the besieged territory after seven weeks of massacres.
He said the resistance would "force the Zionist enemy to exchange all the prisoners on a wider scale."
"The rest of the enemy's prisoners, including officers and soldiers, will not be released without the release of the rest of our prisoners, and this issue is related to the end of the war and aggression," Nakhala asserted.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/27/715348/Palestine-Israel-Hamas-truce-deal-Gaza-war
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Hamas releases third group of hostages as part of truce deal, while Netanyahu visits Gaza
27.11.23
The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third set of releases under a four-day truce that the US said it hoped would be extended.
Some hostages were handed over directly to Israel, while others left through Egypt. Israel's army said one was airlifted to a hospital. US President Joe Biden said the elderly woman was “very sick and was in need of immediate medical help".
Hundreds of Israelis draped in flags cheered and sang as freed hostages, waving, arrived at an air force base. They were being flown to hospitals.
The hostages ranged in age from 4 to 84 and included Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl and dual citizen whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct 7.
“What she endured was unthinkable,” Biden said of the first American freed under the truce. He did not know her condition. He did not have updates on other American hostages and said his goal was to extend the cease-fire deal as long as possible.
In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Separately, Hamas said it released a Russian hostage “in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin". The Russian-Israeli citizen was the first male hostage to be freed.
Israel's prison service later said it had begun the process of releasing 39 Palestinian prisoners. A convoy of vehicles was seen leaving Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank.
A fourth exchange is expected on Monday - the last day of the cease-fire during which a total of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be freed. All are women and minors.
International mediators led by the US, Egypt and Qatar are trying to extend the cease-fire that began Friday.
Ahead of the latest release, Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip, where he spoke with troops. “We are making every effort to return our hostages, and at the end of the day we will return every one,” he said, adding that “we are continuing until the end, until victory. Nothing will stop us.” It was not immediately clear where he went inside Gaza.
A BREAK IN THE FIGHTING
The cease-fire agreement has brought the first significant pause in seven weeks of war, marked by the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence in decades and vast destruction and displacement across the Gaza Strip.
More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed, roughly two thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The war has claimed the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians killed by Hamas in the initial attack.
Hamas and other militant groups seized around 240 people during the incursion into southern Israel that ignited the war. Fifty-eight have been released, one was freed by Israeli forces and two were found dead inside Gaza.
Families from the southern Israeli town of Kfar Aza embraced, cried, and applauded at the news that hostages from their town had arrived in Israel. More than 70 members of the kibbutz of around 700 people were killed and 18 were kidnapped.
Pressure from hostages' families has sharpened the dilemma facing Israel's leaders, who seek to eliminate Hamas as a military and governing power while returning all the captives.
Israel has said the truce can be extended by an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed, but has vowed to quickly resume its offensive once it ends. The US said it is working with all sides on the possibility that the deal gets extended to additional hostages.
HAMAS COMMANDER KILLED
Hamas announced the death of Ahmed al-Ghandour, who was in charge of northern Gaza and a member of its top military council. He is the highest-ranking militant known to have been killed in the fighting. Israel's military confirmed the death.
Al-Ghandour, believed to have been around 56 years old, had survived at least three Israeli attempts on his life and was involved in a cross-border attack in 2006 in which Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier, according to the Counter Extremism Project, an advocacy group based in Washington.
Hamas said he was killed along with three other senior militants, including Ayman Siam, who Israel says was in charge of Hamas' rocket-firing unit. The Israeli military mentioned both men in a Nov 16 statement, saying it had targeted an underground complex where Hamas leaders were hiding.
The Israeli military claims to have killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence, including several mid-ranking commanders it has identified by name.
AID AND RESPITE IN GAZA
The pause has given some respite to Gaza's 2.3 million people, still reeling from relentless Israeli bombardment that has driven three-quarters of the population from their homes and levelled residential areas. Rocket fire from Gaza militants into Israel also went silent.
War-weary Palestinians in northern Gaza, where the offensive has focused, returned to the streets. Entire city blocks in and around Gaza City have been gutted by airstrikes.
Hundreds of thousands of people from the north have sought refuge in the south. Palestinians who have tried to return to the north to see if their homes are intact have been turned back by Israeli troops.
“They open fire on anyone approaching from the south,” said Rami Hazarein, who fled from Gaza City last month.
The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians not to return to the north or approach within a kilometre (around a half-mile) of the border fence. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said Israeli forces opened fire Sunday on two farmers in central Gaza, killing one and wounding the other. An Israeli military spokesperson said they weren't aware of the incident.
The United Nations said the truce has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war, though it still hasn't reached prewar levels. It was able to deliver fuel for the first time since the war began, and to reach areas in the north for the first time in a month.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 50 Egyptian aid trucks crossed through checkpoints to reach Gaza City and northern areas Sunday.
HOSTAGES FOR PRISONERS
The freed hostages have mostly stayed out of the public eye. Hospitals said their physical condition has largely been good. Little is publicly known about the conditions of their captivity.
Eyal Nouri, the nephew of Adina Moshe, 72, who was freed on Friday, said his aunt “had to adjust to the sunlight” because she had been in darkness for weeks.
Many Palestinians view prisoners held by Israel, including those implicated in attacks, as heroes resisting occupation.
The war has been accompanied by a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Palestinian health authorities said Sunday that five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin that began the day before. The toll in the West Bank is now 239 since the war began.
The Israeli army has conducted frequent military raids and arrested hundreds of Palestinians since the start of the war, mostly people it suspects of being Hamas members.
Concerns remain over a wider conflict. Syrian state media reported that Israeli missile strikes put Damascus International Airport out of service. It said other positions around Syria's capital were hit but made no mention of casualties.
Israel has attacked airports in Damascus and Aleppo several times since the beginning of the war with Hamas. It does not usually acknowledge its airstrikes on Syria, but when it does, it says it is targeting Iranian-backed groups.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Israel and Hamas raised concerns over lists of those set to be released Monday – official
November 27, 2023
DUBAI: Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners set to be released on Monday, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The official added that Qatari mediators are working with Israel and Hamas to resolve issues and avoid delays.
“There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to resolve it and avoid delays,” the official said.
In the previous three days of the truce Israel submitted the names of Palestinian women and teenagers it would release from jail and Hamas would submit the names of Israeli civilian hostages it would release at least 12 hours ahead of the release.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2415931/middle-east
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Elon Musk to meet Israeli President, Gaza hostage families on November 27
November 27, 2023
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, accused by civil rights groups of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on his X social media platform, will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday along with Israelis whose relatives have been held by Hamas in Gaza.
Mr. Herzog's office announced the meeting on Sunday night, saying, "In their meeting, the President will emphasise the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online."
Mr. Musk, a billionaire who also runs Tesla and SpaceX, did not respond to requests for comment through spokespeople for Tesla and X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mr. Musk's visit coincides with a four-day truce in an Israeli war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza during which 40 of the 240 hostages Israel says have been held by Hamas have returned to Israel.
Israel's Channel 12 said Mr. Musk would also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. There was no immediate comment from his office.
Mr. Netanyahu met Mr. Musk in California on September 18 and urged him to strike a balance between protecting free expression and fighting hate speech after weeks of controversy over antisemitic content on X.
Mr. Musk responded by saying he was against antisemitism and against anything that "promotes hate and conflict," repeating his previous statements that X would not promote hate speech.
During that visit, before the war, about 200 people protested efforts by Mr. Netanyahu's right-wing government to curb the powers of Israeli courts. They gathered outside Tesla's California factory, where the meeting took place.
Then on November 15 Mr. Musk agreed with a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people were stoking hatred against white people, saying the user who referenced the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory was speaking "the actual truth."
The White House condemned what it called an "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate" that "runs against our core values as Americans."
Major U.S. companies including Walt Disney, Warner Bros Discovery and NBCUniversal parent Comcast paused their advertisements on his social media site.
The "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory holds that Jewish people and leftists are engineering the ethnic and cultural replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants that will lead to a "white genocide."
Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen in the United States and worldwide, including during the now seven-week-old war between Israel and Hamas.
Following the outbreak of war, antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by nearly 400% from the year-earlier period, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism.
Mr. Musk has said X should be a platform for people to post diverse viewpoints, but the company will limit the distribution of certain posts that may violate its policies, calling the approach "freedom of speech, not reach."
Mr. Musk is developing an artificial intelligence startup xAI, and Israel is considered a world leader in the field, thanks to burgeoning computing and robotics industries.
Israel's almost $500 billion economy, previously on track for growth to top 3% this year with low unemployment, is now estimated at around 2% with slow growth expected in 2024 as long as the war continues.
After an initial 6% tumble the outset of the war, the shekel has gained 8% against the dollar and is now at pre-war levels. Helped mainly by local investors, stock prices have also recovered from a steep drop last month.
Source: thehindu.com
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President Raeisi: U.S. accomplice in Israel’s crimes, cannot make decisions for people of Gaza
26 November 2023
Iran's President Ebrahim Raeisi says as an accomplice in the Israeli regime’s crimes against the people of the Gaza Strip, the United States has no right to be part of any decision-making process for Palestinians in the besieged territory.
The Iranian president made the remark in a Sunday phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the conversation, Raeisi stressed that the US is "the killer of the people of Gaza" and any intervention by Americans in determining the future course of developments in the Palestinian territory "would mean continuation of this country's crimes against Palestinians."
Noting that Americans are accomplice in "the Zionist regime's horrendous crimes and massacre of the oppressed people of Gaza," Iran's president said the US has no credit in the public opinion of nations.
The US is planning transfer of $320 million worth of precision bombs to Israel amid the regime
"Americans have no right to intervene in any decision-making [process] for the people of Gaza and any step they take in this regard is doomed to fail," Raeisi said.
He added, “The people of Gaza must [have the right to] make decisions about the future of Gaza through Hamas as the legitimate and legal government of this territory, which has been elected through people’s votes.”
The Hamas resistance movement was elected by the people of Gaza to form the government through a popular vote in 2006, which was held a year after the Israeli regime was forced to withdraw from the territory.
Following the regime's recent devastating war on Gaza, some American officials have suggested that after the war, the territory should not be ruled by the movement.
Nearly 15,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's latest act of aggression against Gaza, which was launched through unwavering military and political support of the US.
Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian made the remark in an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president touched on the country's ties with Turkey, calling those relations "friendly, historical, and based on good neighborliness as well as religious values and common interests of the two nations."
Raeisi also described further expansion of the two countries' cooperation and relations in various political, economic, and cultural fields as important, saying relations between Tehran and Ankara could serve as a "model of interaction" among Muslim countries.
For his part, Erdogan described bilateral relations as "favorable and constructive," calling for their promotion to a "premium and exceptional" level.
The Turkish head of state also indicated Ankara's readiness to hold a meeting of the two countries' Supreme Economic Cooperation Council.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/26/715342/Iran-United-States-Gaza-future-Israel-war-Raeisi
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Israel’s Mossad hosts Qatari counterparts on Gaza talks, says official
27 Nov 2023
JERUSALEM, Nov 27 — Israel’s Mossad intelligence service is hosting its Qatari counterparts to confer on the recovery of hostages held by Hamas and other elements of a Gaza truce that was mediated by Doha, an Israeli security official said yesterday.
Qatari intelligence officers arrived on Saturday for an indefinite stay in Israel, the official said, adding that cooperation between the agencies is “traditionally close”, despite the lack of formal relations between the countries.
Qatar’s international media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Qatari delegation travelled to Israel on Saturday to discuss a possible extension to the truce, another official told Reuters on Saturday, but it was unclear if intelligence officials were involved in the talks.
The second official said on Sunday that a handful of Qataris remained working in Israel “to strengthen coordination during the operations and to ensure the process ran smoothly, while coordinating with the operations room in Doha.”
Gas-rich Gulf state Qatar hosts several top Hamas officials and the group’s political office. Qatar also has cordial relations with Iran, Israel’s arch-foe, which backs Hamas. — Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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Pakistan
Motorcyclists hold pro-Hamas rally in Karachi
2023-11-27
KARACHI: Thousands of young bikers took out a rally from the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Teen-Talwar in Clifton area, here on Sunday, to express camaraderie with the people of Gaza.
The rally was organised by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Youth Wing. The participants, carrying Palestinian flags and placards, chanted slogans in the favour of Hamas and against Israel and its allies.
JI Karachi Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while addressing the rally said that Hamas — the governing authority of Gaza — has divided the world into two parts: the people of conscience and hypocrite governments.
The people of conscience are on the same page from Pakistan to the United States as millions of people have demonstrated on Sunday in the US against Israel and in the favour of Hamas, he said.
Highlighting the hypocrisy of Muslim rulers, he said that except for a handful of Muslim majority countries including Iran, Yemen, Hezbollah regime, Turkey and Qatar, the ‘Muslim block’ in the world played a very shameful role, despite having over 7.5 million strong armies, and other resources.
He said Abu Obaida, Ismael Hania and other leaders of Hamas are the real heroes of the Muslim world.
He said alleged that the civil and military leadership in Pakistan did nothing for Gaza, except a lip service. On the other hand, the political leadership was favouring the two-state solution, which was tantamount to betraying the ideology of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah regarding ‘one Palestine’.
There are no two states, there is only one state that is Palestine, he said adding Israel has nothing to do Palestine, as it is illegal occupier of its lands.
Comparing Musharraf’s handing over Dr Aafia Siddiqui to the United States and Hamas’ conduct for freeing Palestinians from Israeli jails, he asked the rulers to learn a lesson from it.
Source: brecorder.com
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£190m, Al-Qadir Trust cases: 4 NAB teams grill Imran in Adiala jail for 9 hours
November 27, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi, interrogated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala jail in £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK, and Al-Qadir University Trust cases, on Sunday.
According to sources, four different teams separately interrogated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman for over nine hours. The teams grilled him about different documents and asked him various questions, added the sources.
The first team, comprising one assistant director of NAB Rawalpindi and a member of the Combined Investigation Team of NAB, visited Adiala jail and interrogated Imran Khan for around two-and-a-half hours. After that, a two-member team asked former premier questions about £190m and Al-Qadir University Trust cases.
The PTI chairman is set to appear in different courts of Islamabad on November 28 and 30 in separate cases.
Judge AbualHasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain of the Official Secrets Act Special Court has ordered Imran Khan to appear before the court on Nov 28 in cipher case.
Also, his appeal against conviction in Toshakhana criminal case is scheduled for hearing on Nov 30. An Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri will hear his appeal.
However, it is doubtful that former premier will be produced in Islamabad courts on April 28 and 30 for open trial, though his jail trial had been declared null and void by the IHC.
The 71-year-old cricketer-turned politician has been languishing in jail since August 5 following his three-year conviction in Toshakhana case. On August 29, the IHC had suspended his sentence and ordered for his release. However, a trial court directed the authorities to rearrest Khan, this time in the cipher case, and begin trial in jail.
Online adds: PTI Chairman Imran Khan would be brought to the Judicial Complex on Tuesday [tomorrow] for hearing of cipher case. The police, administration and other departments concerned would hold a meeting on Monday to finalise the security plan for him.
Sources said the Special Branch of the police and other relevant departments had started collecting classified information which would help them in planning security for the former premier.
Police sources said there were three routes to bring Imran Khan to Judicial Complex: one is Peshawar Road, the second is Islamabad Expressway and the third is Murree Road.
According to sources, Peshawar Road would be the preferred option to bring Imran Khan from jail to the Judicial Complex. The Red Zone is likely to be partially sealed on Tuesday besides important installations in and around the area.
Sources said that the Judicial Complex would be surrounded by the police and paramilitary forces.
Important points and roads leading to the Judicial Complex were likely to be sealed. Troops are also likely to be deployed near important places of the capital like Faizabad Zero Point, Srinagar Highway and Red Zone
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Kabul to be engaged diplomatically on repatriation of illegal foreigners
November 27, 2023
PESHAWAR: Authorities have decided to engage Kabul and other foreign missions diplomatically to stress importance of seamless repatriation of illegal foreigners, according to documents.
The documents showed that participants of a meeting decided to assure Afghan embassy in the federal capital and other foreign missions about Pakistan’s all out support to repatriation of illegal foreigners with dignity and respect.
“It was also decided that the complaints and allegations of maltreatment or deportation of legal foreigners may be scrutinised to determine the facts on case to case basis and the outcome should be shared with the ministry of foreign affairs for briefing international community whenever required,” said the documents.
The meeting, held on Saturday in the federal capital, decided that voluntary repatriation should be facilitated with full motivation alongside planned deportation in consultation with the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Meeting decides to scrutinise complaints about deportation of legal immigrants
Officials said that instances of deportation of Afghan nationals possessing Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) were reported, which was not part of the current phase of illegal foreigners repatriation plan (IFRP). They termed it the reason for holding the meeting.
They said that Afghan border authorities had halted intake of deportees on the pretext that they were in possession of valid documents, which permitted their stay in Pakistan.
The meeting decided to take an undertaking about non-possession of PoR and ACC from the deportees at the time of generating Nadra manifest at transit points, said the documents. The undertaking could be in the form of endorsement of finger thumb impression against the picture on the manifest so that it could be provided as evidence whenever challenged.
A senior official said that the Nadra manifest, generated at the transit point, was not backed with PoR and ACC data besides blocked Computerised National Identity Cards. He added that the verification process of PoR and ACC holders was not wholesome across the board which created problems for deportation at the border.
He also suggested that the control rooms of ministry of interior and those in provinces, with active and manned foreigner nationals’ security dashboard, should be approached telephonically for verification of PoR and ACC holders.
Another official said that following the concerns expressed by Afghan side on deportation of PoR and ACC holders, halting the deportation process was not advisable instead alternate crossing points might be utilised for the purpose.
Officials said that Afghan government was desirous that consultation should be made with its consulates during the deportation process for verification of the nationality of the deportees.
Others, however, said that those illegal foreigners, who were denied identification by foreign missions including the Afghan embassy, would face hardships arrest and confinement to jails under the laws.
Source: dawn.com
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Europe
'An attempt at radical empathy': Irish writer Paul Lynch wins Booker Prize with dystopian novel ‘Prophet Song’
27th November 2023
LONDON: Irish writer Paul Lynch won the Booker Prize for fiction on Sunday with what judges called a “soul-shattering” novel about a woman’s struggle to protect her family as Ireland collapses into totalitarianism and war.
“Prophet Song,” set in a dystopian fictional version of Dublin, was awarded the 50,000-pound ($63,000) literary prize at a ceremony in London. Canadian writer EsiEdugyan, who chaired the judging panel, said the book is “a triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave” in which Lynch “pulls off feats of language that are stunning to witness.”
Lynch, 46, had been the bookies’ favorite to win the prestigious prize, which usually brings a big boost in sales. His book beat five other finalists from Ireland, the UK, the US and Canada, chosen from 163 novels submitted by publishers.
“This was not an easy book to write,” Lynch said after being handed the Booker trophy. “The rational part of me believed I was dooming my career by writing this novel, though I had to write the book anyway. We do not have a choice in such matters.”
Lynch has called “Prophet Song,” his fifth novel, an attempt at “radical empathy” that tries to plunge readers into the experience of living in a collapsing society.
“I was trying to see into the modern chaos,” he told the Booker website. “The unrest in Western democracies. The problem of Syria — the implosion of an entire nation, the scale of its refugee crisis and the West’s indifference. … I wanted to deepen the reader’s immersion to such a degree that by the end of the book, they would not just know, but feel this problem for themselves.”
The five prize judges met to pick the winner on Saturday, less than 48 hours after far-right violence erupted in Dublin following a stabbing attack on a group of children. Edugyan said that immediate events didn’t directly influence the choice of winner.
Lynch said he was “astonished” by the riots “and at the same time I recognized the truth that this kind of energy is always there under the surface.”
He said “Prophet Song” — written over four years starting in 2018 — “is a counterfactual novel. It’s not a prophetic statement.”
“I wrote the book to articulate the message that the things that are happening in this book are occurring timelessly throughout the ages and maybe we need to deepen our own responses to that,” he told reporters.
The other finalists were Irish writer Paul Murray’s “The Bee Sting;” American novelist Paul Harding’s “This Other Eden;” Canadian author Sarah Bernstein’s “Study for Obedience;” US writer Jonathan Escoffery’s “If I Survive You;” and British author Chetna Maroo’s “Western Lane.”
Edugyan said the choice of winner wasn’t unanimous, but the six-hour judges’ meeting wasn’t acrimonious.
“We all ultimately felt that this was the book that we wanted to present to the world and that this was truly a masterful work of fiction,” she said.
Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is open to English-language novels from any country published in the UK and Ireland. and has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. Previous winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel.
Four Irish novelists and one from Northern Ireland have previously won the prize.
“It is with immense pleasure that I bring the Booker home to Ireland,” Lynch said. Asked what he planned to do with the prize money, he said it would help him make payments on his tracker mortgage, which have soared along with inflation.
Lynch received his trophy from last year’s winner, Sri Lankan author ShehanKarunatilaka, during a ceremony at Old Billingsgate, a grand former Victorian fish market in central London.
The evening included a speech from Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman who was jailed in Tehran for almost six years until 2022 on allegations of plotting the overthrow of Iran’s government — a charge that she, her supporters and rights groups denied.
She talked about the books that sustained her in prison, recalling how inmates ran an underground library and circulated copies of Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” set in an oppressive American theocracy.
“Books helped me to take refuge into the world of others when I was incapable of making one of my own,” Zaghari-Ratcliffe said. “They salvaged me by being one of the very few tools I had, together with imagination, to escape the Evin (prison) walls without physically moving.”
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/nov/27/an-attempt-at-radical-empathy-irish-writer-paul-lynch-wins-booker-prize-with-dystopian-novel-prophet-2636602.html
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Spain PM stands by Gaza comments that angered Israel
ovember 27, 2023
MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday defended comments he made about the Israeli offensive in Gaza which angered Israel, saying “it was a question of being humane”.
Visiting the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Friday with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Sanchez said the “indiscriminate killings of innocent civilians” in the Palestinian territory was “completely unacceptable”.
Both leaders called for a permanent ceasefire in the Palestinian territory, with the Belgian premier also denouncing the destruction in the Gaza Strip as “unacceptable”.
The Israeli foreign ministry swiftly summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium for a “harsh rebuke” over comments by the two countries’ leaders, accusing them of supporting Hamas.
Condemning the Hamas raid on Israel and at the same condemning the “indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza, is not a question of political parties nor of ideology, it is a question of being humane,” Sanchez told a gathering of his Socialist party in Madrid to applause from the audience.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public television on Friday he had called in the Israeli ambassador to lodge a formal protest against the Israeli government’s allegations.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792893/spain-pm-stands-by-gaza-comments-that-angered-israel
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Tens of thousands march against antisemitism in London including UK ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson
November 27, 2023
Tens of thousands of people including former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gathered in London on Sunday for a march against antisemitism, a day after large crowds turned out for a pro-Palestinian rally.
Johnson was joined by U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and other senior government officials at the march to express solidarity with the Jewish community. Organizers billed it as the largest gathering against antisemitism in London for almost a century.
Marchers waved Israeli flags and Union Jacks, and held placards reading “Never Again Is Now” and “Zero Tolerance for Antisemites.”
Sunday’s march was organised amid concerns about rising tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“Anything which is associated with the Jewish religion now feel that they’re under attack and they have to look after themselves, have their own security,” said Malcolm Canning, 75, from London. “I never thought this would get to this stage in this country. And it’s very, very upsetting to see it.”
Police detained Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, the former leader of the far-right English Defence League, at the march. Mr. Yaxley-Lennon, more widely known by his alias Tommy Robinson, was among crowds of counterprotesters who clashed with police during an Armistice Day march in London earlier this month.
Police said that he refused to leave after he was warned about concerns that his presence would cause “harassment, alarm and distress to others.”
Gideon Falter, the chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said that the rally came after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests that had made the capital a “no-go zone for Jews.”
He said that antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have surged since the war began, and condemned what he called “appalling” placards seen at the protests — including ones “showing a Star of David thrown in the bin with a caption that says ‘please keep the world clean.’”
On Saturday, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched to demand a permanent cease-fire in the war.
Police said the majority protested peacefully, but 18 people were arrested for offenses including suspicion of inciting racial hatred.
The Stop the War coalition, which organised Saturday’s rally, stressed that those taking part oppose racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.
During the Nov. 11 Armistice Day demonstration in London, pro-Palestinian protesters marched peacefully. But far-right counter-protesters whom police described as soccer “hooligans” clashed with officers trying to prevent them from attacking the march.
Organisers of Sunday’s march said that it was the largest gathering of its kind since 1936, when hundreds of thousands of people blocked a planned march by the British Union of Fascists through a Jewish neighbourhood.
Source: thehindu.com
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Nostra Aetate revisited: do papal overtures to Muslims compromise the Church’s relationship with Jews?
November 26, 2023
ROME – When Pope Francis was elected in 2013, the forecast among those invested in Jewish-Catholic dialogue generally was rosy. The new pope brought considerable background to the relationship, given that Argentina has the largest Jewish population in Latin America and the sixth largest outside Israel – indeed, the first kosher McDonalds outside Israel was located in a Buenos Aires shopping centre.
As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future pontiff cultivated close relations with Jews, most prominently Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, with whom he co-authored the book On Heaven and Earth.
Since his election that outreach has continued, featuring visits to Israel in 2014 and the Roman synagogue in 2016, as well as regular audiences and meetings with Jewish leaders in the Vatican and frequent statements of concern about anti-Semitism, most recently in an interview with Italian television on 1 November.
“Unfortunately, anti-Semitism remains hidden. You can see it, for example, in young people, here and there,” Pope Francis said. “It is not always enough to see the Holocaust they committed in the Second World War, these six million killed, enslaved… I won’t be able to explain it and I have no explanations; it’s a fact that I see and I don’t like.”
And yet, the fact of the matter is that Pope Francis long has had a Jewish problem, and it’s come to the fore anew amid the current war in Gaza.
To some extent, the issue is political, having to do with the instinctive sympathy history’s first pope from the developing world feels for the Palestinian cause.
On that 2014 trip to the Holy Land, for instance, Pope Francis made an impromptu stop to pray at the separation wall in Bethlehem, under a piece of graffiti that read “Free Palestine,” in what many Israelis regarded as a bit of agitprop.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas immediately promised to create a postage stamp commemorating the moment, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the pontiff to make an unscheduled visit the next day to a memorial for Israeli victims of terrorism.
In June 2015, the Vatican signed its first-ever treaty with what it officially recognized as the “State of Palestine,” another move that irritated many Israelis.
The fact that Pope Francis delayed meeting a group of family members of Israeli hostages, an encounter originally requested in October but denied on the grounds that he was too busy with the Synod on Synodality, until he could also see on the same day a group of relatives of people from Gaza affected by the war, created the latest frisson in terms of his perceived pro-Palestinian tilt.
There’s also a theological dimension to the angst Pope Francis has generated in Jewish circles, including his frequently disparaging references to the “Pharisees.”
Such vocabulary led to a 2017 accusation by Italian Rabbi Giuseppe Laras, the former Chief Rabbi of Milan and President Emeritus of the Italian Rabbinical Assembly, who accused the pontiff of indirectly promoting a revival of Marcionism, an ancient heresy that contrasted the spiteful and vindictive God of Judaism with the loving and merciful God of Christianity.
“One need think only of the law of ‘an eye for an eye’ recently evoked by the pope carelessly and mistakenly…[recalling] anti-Judaism on the Christian side,” Laras wrote.
In a similar vein, controversy erupted after an August 2021 comment by Pope Francis to the effect that the Jewish Torah does not “give life.”
“It does not offer the fulfillment of the promise because it is not capable of being able to fulfill it,” the Pope said, adding, “those who seek life need to look to the promise and to its fulfillment in Christ.”
At the time, Rabbi RasonArussi, Chair of the Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for dialogue with the Holy See, and Rabbi David Sandmel, Vice-Chair of the New York-based International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, both wrote letters to the Vatican seeking clarification, forcing Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, the Vatican’s top official for relations with Judaism, to scramble to put out the fire.
It’s not that anyone suspects Pope Francis of repudiating the theological advances in Catholic understanding since 1965’s Nostra Aetate, the document of the Second Vatican Council on relations with Judaism. It’s rather that appropriating those insights, and translating them into both his rhetoric and his pastoral agenda, sometimes just don’t seem that much of a priority.
Moreover, there’s a perception that Pope Francis’s campaign to build bridges with Islam sometimes comes at the expense of solidarity with Jews.
That point recently was voiced by Lucetta Scaraffia, former editor of a women’s insert to the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, who complained about the Pope’s budding relationship with the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo despite what she described as his tendency to make anti-Semitic remarks “every two minutes”.
These three sources of tension – the politics of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the theological approach to Judaism, and the inter-faith balancing act vis-à-vis Islam — are all coming to a head amid the current conflagration.
The criticism of the Pope’s response to the Gaza war started almost immediately. In mid-October, for example, the French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut, the son of a Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz, asserted that Pope Francis “is now totally discredited” for his failure to clearly face the reality of Islamic-inspired terrorism, and “represents a catastrophe for the Church and for Europe.”
This past week, a public statement from the Council of the Assembly of Rabbis in Italy reflected frustration in Jewish circles after the Pontiff essentially accused both sides in the Gaza conflict of “terrorism.”
In so doing, the rabbis asserted, Pope Francis placed “innocent people torn from their families on the same level as people detained often for very serious acts of terrorism.”
The rabbis wondered aloud what the point has been of decades of Jewish-Catholic dialogue when, in a time of need, what Jews get from the Pope isn’t solidarity but “diplomatic acrobatics, balancing acts and icy equidistance, which is certainly distance but is not fair.”
Aides to the Pope quickly dismissed the criticism, but it’s unlikely to disappear just because senior Vatican diplomats describe it as unwarranted.
The letter from the rabbis followed an earlier plea from a group of Jewish leaders in Catholic-Jewish dialogue, asking that the pope act as “a beacon of moral and conceptual clarity amid an ocean of disinformation, distortion and deceit” by distinguishing Hamas’s attacks “from the civilian casualties” of Israel’s war, which they described as a “war of self-defence.”
Among the signatories to that letter was Rabbi David Meyer, who teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, sponsored by Pope Francis’s own Jesuit order.
It also followed a stinging essay in late October by the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, after Pope Francis called for prayer for peace but without directly condemning the Hamas attacks that launched the war.
“Prayer can become an alibi for unburdening one’s conscience, for establishing inappropriate equidistance, for erasing moral evaluations,” Di Segni wrote.
To be clear, not that there’s no good news on the Jewish-Catholic front. In late October, for instance, the World Jewish Congress opened a “representative office to the Holy See” in Rome.
In general, an enormous infrastructure of dialogue has been built up over the almost 60 years since the issuance of Nostra Aetate and it’s deeply unlikely simply to crumble overnight, especially given that both sides in the Catholic-Jewish relationship have keen motives for not allowing that to happen.
Yet equally, it’s impossible to ignore the signs of growing tension.
Recently an Italian Jew named Vittorio Mascarini, who leads a Zionist organization in Italy, wrote in the Jewish News Syndicate: “If it continues to maintain its ambiguous position, the Holy See risks its entire relationship with Israel and world Jewry.”
The war in Gaza has already taken an enormous toll. For Pope Francis, who clearly aspires to be a peace-maker, it undoubtedly would be especially agonizing should his relationship with Jews and Judaism end up being among the casualties.
Source: catholicherald.co.uk
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https://catholicherald.co.uk/nostra-aetate-revisited-do-papal-overtures-to-muslims-compromise-the-churchs-relationship-with-jews/
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"I Abhor Antisemitism, Doesn't Matter Whether You're Elon Musk": UK PM
November 27, 2023
Rishi Sunak said he condemns antisemitism "in all its forms," in a careful criticism of Elon Musk that stopped short of the full-throated condemnation by US President Joe Biden and others who have accused the tech entrepreneur of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on his X social media platform
"I don't tend to get in the business of scrutinizing what every single person says who I've interacted with. Of course I abhor antisemitism," UK PM Sunak said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Sunday, when asked about his views on Musk. "It doesn't matter whether you're Elon Musk or you're someone on the street who's shouting abuse at someone who happens to be walking past you, that's wrong in all its forms. Antisemitism in all its forms is completely and utterly wrong."
Mr Musk triggered a backlash this month when he agreed with a post on X, formerly Twitter, that falsely claimed Jewish people are stoking hatred against White people, saying the user was speaking "the actual truth." Firms including Disney, Apple and Warner Bros withdrew advertising spending. Biden's office condemned the "abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms."
UK PM Sunak has been dragged into the furor because he chose to share a stage with Musk at the UK's AI Safety Summit in early November. The premier interviewed the tech entrepreneur for nearly an hour, discussing how technology could make paid work redundant - though without generating any particular controversy.
Still, the event raised eyebrows at the time, and Musk's subsequent remarks on X have led to questions about UK PM Sunak's judgment.
In his weekly Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons last week, the UK PM was asked by an opposition Labour Party lawmaker to condemn Mr Musk. He declined to do so, instead turning the question into an opportunity to attack the MP's record and accusing him of not understanding "the importance of technology sectors and companies to the growth of our economy."
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, attended a march against antisemitism in central London. The Israel-Hamas conflict has exacerbated community tensions and led to a spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. Pro-Palestinian marches have also taken place regularly since Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Antisemitism is "kind of like an old spore of a virus that lurks beneath the floorboards of Western civilization, our collective memory, and it comes out from time to time," Johnson told GB News on Sunday. "We're seeing a flare up, and we need to call it out."
Speaking to Bloomberg, Rishi Sunak said incidents of antisemitism in recent weeks were "unacceptable" and that the police are under orders to bring people to justice. "We've been unequivocal from the start of this situation, that it is not acceptable in our society," he said.
Mr Musk is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Israel on Monday, the nation's Channel 12 TV said Sunday. He has denied being anti-Semitic in a post on X.
Source: ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/i-abhor-antisemitism-doesnt-matter-whether-elon-musk-uk-pm-rishi-sunak-4608806#pfrom=home-ndtvworld_uk
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Africa
Stop using internet for “yahoo yahoo”, Islamic group tells youths
November 26, 2023
A religious organization, Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society has trained Muslim youths in Osun state on positive use of the internet rather than for fraud, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’.
The group trained 30 selected Muslim youths, who in turn are expected to train others in their respective schools and communities to use the internet to earn livelihood legally.
Addressing the trainees before the training program in Osogbo on Sunday, the National missioner of the group, UstazFuhad Adeyemi said that it is time to take drastic steps towards fighting fraudulent use of the internet rather than just complaining.
His words, “Our mission is to strengthen our young ones on the use of the internet. Enlighten them on the negative effects of Yahoo Yahoo, we can not continue to complain without being pragmatic. What do we do as an organization and leaders, that is why we created this program. Instead of doing something illegal, they should use the same system, the same platform to do things legally with no extra funds, and the entire world will be proud of them.
“We want them to make good use of the Internet, what they have been using negatively, we want to turn it into positive that will be beneficial for the country and their family.
“The number is about 30. We carefully selected the students from schools among their colleagues. So they can later go back and train their colleagues.
“We want the trainees to know that tomorrow starts today so that they should make the best use of their time. Very soon, many people will regret using the internet for fraud, we don’t all of them to be caught on the web.
“With the support of the McArthur Foundation, we are doing it in seven other states, including Lagos, Kebbi, Sokoto, FCT, Kogi, Kaduna, and Kwara. Some states are collaborating to make sure we extend it to other youths and where we cannot find such collaboration, we train those within our capability”.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/11/stop-using-internet-for-yahoo-yahoo-islamic-group-tells-youths/
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“Nigeria’s large Muslim population poised to drive growth in Islamic Finance”- NGX
27.11.23
The Nigerian Exchange Limited has said that with about 53% of the Muslim population Islamic Finance is Poised for significant growth in Nigeria.
Mr Jude Chiemeka, the Executive Director, Capital Markets, NGX, stated this at a workshop on the issuance of Islamic Finance instruments.
In a bid to further deepen the capital market in Nigeria through the issuance of Islamic Finance instruments, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) collaborated on a capacity-building workshop for Issuers and Investors.
The workshop aimed to educate stakeholders on contemporary issues and practices of Islamic finance in different jurisdictions and furnish them with case studies and success stories.
Themed “Economic Growth and Business Development Opportunities Through the Islamic Capital Markets,” participants were able to gain more understanding of how Islamic finance can drive inclusive growth and sustainable business practices in Nigeria.
What Chiemeka said
Mr. Jude Chiemeka, the Executive Director, Capital Markets, NGX, whilst delivering the opening remarks underpinned the potential of Islamic Finance in Nigeria.
Chiemeka said: “With Nigeria having a significant Muslim population of about 53% of the country’s over 200 million population, the long-term potential of Islamic finance in Nigeria is indeed significant.
It has increased access to banking services for underserved Muslim populations, promoted access to finance for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its risk-sharing characteristics, and provided suitable financing options for infrastructure projects through Sukuk, which can spur economic development and attract private sector investment.”
“According to Fitch Ratings, the size of the Nigerian Islamic finance industry is estimated at $2.9 billion at end-2022, with outstanding sukuk being the largest segment at 57%, followed by Islamic banks at 42% (total assets), and the remaining 1% between Islamic funds (total assets) and takaful (total contributions),” he added.
Delivering a presentation on applying Islamic Finance to Nigeria’s economy, Mr Syed Faiq Najeeb, Senior Islamic Finance Specialist, IsDBI said Islamic finance in Nigeria can take the form of partnership and solidarity-based models.
He noted that since Islamic finance is focused on real economic-activity-based financing and investment like infrastructure and real estate financing with strong principles of governance, ethics, and fairness, it portends great opportunities for value creation as players may have fewer competitors.
According to Najeeb, its risk-sharing, profit-sharing, loss-absorbing mechanisms and absence of zero-sum games can help drive sustainable economic growth.
The Head, of Secondary Markets, NGX, Mr Kazeem Alimi expressed confidence in the learning by participants saying that,
Source: nairametrics.com
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https://nairametrics.com/2023/11/27/nigerias-large-muslim-population-poised-to-drive-growth-in-islamic-finance-ngx/
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Tens of thousands of Moroccans in pro-Palestinian demo
November 27, 2023
CASABLANCA, Morocco: Tens of thousands of Moroccans demonstrated Sunday in the country’s commercial capital Casablanca, calling for a permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the suspension of diplomatic ties with Israel.
The fledgling rapprochement between the North African country and Israel had made steady progress since 2020 when the two governments normalized relations, but that has been thrown into reverse by the deadly conflict in the Palestinian territory.
Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain all established diplomatic ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020, which were negotiated under the administration of former US president Donald Trump.
An AFP journalist reported Sunday that demonstrators in Casablanca waved Palestinian flags and demanded that Rabat suspend ties with Israel.
“It is not a truce that we need, but a permanent cease-fire” to give a chance “for peace, for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state, with its capital in Jerusalem,” socialist MP Nabila Mounib told AFP on Sunday.
She said she hoped to see “the return of all those exiled in the Palestinian diaspora” and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Hassan Bahadou of the anti-normalization alliance of leftist parties and Islamists that organized the protest said: “We also condemn the silence of negligent Arab regimes allied with the Zionist entity (Israel).”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations had declined in recent years in Morocco, but have surged since the Gaza war broke out.
Moroccan cardiologist SafaeAbderazzak told AFP she was demonstrating “to condemn the Israeli aggression against our Palestinian brothers and against our fellow doctors who are being tortured and martyred in Gaza.”
A four-day truce came into effect on Friday in Gaza, seven weeks after the outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel, sparked by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on October 7.
The Hamas raids into southern Israel killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Another 240 people were taken into Gaza as hostages.
In reprisal, Israel began bombarding the densely populated Palestinian enclave. The Hamas-run health ministry says that nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the territory since October 7.
As part of the truce, 39 Israelis and 19 foreign and dual-national hostages have been released since Friday by Hamas, in exchange for the liberation of 117 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2415781/middle-east
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Over 1,000 Imams hold prayers for Tinubu, Kwankwaso in Kano
Goodness Adaoyiche
November 27, 2023
No fewer than 1,000 Islamic clerics have offered special prayers for President Bola Tinubu and the NNPP National Leader, Senator RabiuKwankwaso.
HonourableAbdulmuminKofa (NNPP-Kiru/Bebeji), who hosted the Ulamas at Kiru, for the success of Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State at the Supreme Court.
It was learnt that the Islamic clerics also prayed for peace, progress and political stability in the country.
This is contained in a statement issued by the lawmaker’s media aide, Malam Sani Paki, on Monday.
“During the prayer session, the clerics recited the holy Qur’an 1,101 times and prayed for peace, progress and political stability in the country,” the statement said.
In his brief remarks at the event, Kofa said his relationship with Tinubu is no secret, it stated.
He explained that Kwankwaso is his mentor and would continue to support and promote harmonious relationship between Tinubu and Kwankwaso.
Kofa said the NNPP is a very promising party and still opened to collaboration, alliance and merger with the APC and even with the PDP, LP or any other party that showed interest, so long as it is for the good of Nigerians.
He also promised to deploy his modest political network to reach out to gladiators in Kano politics towards resolving all resolvable issues and to de-escalate the current tension in the state as a result of the Kano governorship seat.
Also, after the prayer session, the legislator hosted 5,000 primary school kids across his constituency, as he often does, and provided them with school kits.
According to the statement, Kofa assured the pupils of the good plans of the federal and state governments, especially on free education and school feeding programme.
Source: politicsnigeria.com
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Sierra Leone declares nationwide curfew after gunmen attack military barracks
NOVEMBER 27, 2023
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio declared a nationwide curfew Sunday after gunmen attacked the military's main and largest barracks in the West African nation's capital, raising fears of a breakdown of order amid a surge of coups in the region.
The unidentified gunmen attacked the military armory within the Wilberforce barracks in the capital, Freetown, early morning, Bio said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that they were driven back by security forces and “calm has been restored.”
“As the combined team of our Security Forces continue to root out the remnant of the fleeing renegades, a nationwide curfew has been declared and citizens are encouraged to stay indoors,” he wrote.
The country's Ministry of Information and Education also said in a statement the government and security forces are “in control” of the situation.
No details have been immediately given about the gunmen or the reason for the attack.
Videos online, that went viral, reportedly showed soldiers patrolling Freetwon's empty streets and captured the loud blasts of gunshots.
West Africa's regional economic bloc of ECOWAS — of which Sioerra Leon is a member — described the incident as a plot “to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order” in the country. “ECOWAS reiterates its zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government,” the bloc said in a statement.
Sierra Leon's president was reelected for a second term in June in a disputed vote in which the main opposition party the electoral commission of conspiring with his party to rig the results.
It was the country’s fifth presidential election since the end of a brutal 11-year civil war — more than two decades ago — which left tens of thousands dead and destroyed the country’s economy.
Bio continues to face criticism because of debilitating economic conditions. Nearly 60% of Sierra Leone’s population of more than seven million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/26/sierra-leone-declares-nationwide-curfew-after-gunmen-attack-military-barracks/
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Olanipekun seeks help for poor Nigerians
27th November 2023
Abiodun Nejo
A legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has called on the wealthy and well-to-do Nigerians to come to the aid of the vast majority of Nigerians who are poor in the interest of humanity and peace.
Olanipekun, who said that about 70 per cent of Nigerians were ‘rudderless and poverty-stricken’, said that showing kindness to them by meeting them at their need points would better their lives and contribute largely to addressing the issue of transferred aggression.
He said that the noise, anger and distress of the hungry people would not let those who are okay be at peace, adding, “There is transferred aggression by the common people in Nigeria against people who feel they are okay and that is what the country has to address. We have to address it.
“In a situation where we have almost 70 per cent of rudderless people, who are poverty-stricken, another 20 per cent out of the remaining 30 per cent are losing their jobs, a fragment of 10 per cent who think they are okay cannot be okay. That is why we have to show sympathy and we have to lift people,” he said.
The senior advocate, spoke at Ikere Ekiti, his hometown, on Saturday during the 27th Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme, 4th Empowerment Programme of Wole Olanipekun Foundation and distribution of palliatives.
The foundation, at the event graced by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, and the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, gave out scholarships to 250 students comprising secondary schools and university/law school students, youth empowerment to 100 beneficiaries, 100 aged and widows grants and palliatives to 600 beneficiaries.
It has over the years, given scholarships to over 2,500 students, while 400 youth entrepreneurs and 400 widows and aged had as well benefitted in addition to 600 palliatives beneficiaries.
While harping on the need to add value to humanity, Olanipekun said, “We have a lot of people in this country today that are hungry, a lot of people that are thirsty, a lot of people that are naked, a lot of people that are poverty-stricken.”
He added that there were also “a lot of people that are aimless, a lot of people that are roaming the streets, a lot of people that are jobless, a lot of people that cannot make ends meet and a lot of people looking at their last meal”
The senior advocate said that the essence of the programme was “to add value to humanity. That is the essence of living. We have to help ourselves. One thing that tickles me about life is that it is always good to impact meaningfully positively on lives, humanity, on your fellow human beings”.
The Senate Leader, Bamidele, who chaired the occasion, lauded Olanipekun for his dedication to his community and Ekiti State, describing him as “a celebrated citizen of Nigeria and a hero of Nigeria with a good heart and strength of character”.
Bamidele noted that Olanipekun’s integrity and consistency as a role model have brought different personalities to him at all times.
Governor Oyebanji, described Olanipekun, as a very hard-working man, ready to share what
humanity has blessed him with others.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/olanipekun-seeks-help-for-poor-nigerians/
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ECOWAS condemns plot to disrupt peace in Sierra Leone
27th November 2023
The Economic Community of West African States has condemned the plot by some individuals to disturb the peace of Sierra Leonians.
In a statement on Sunday, ECOWAS said, “The bloc has learnt, with utter disgust, a plot by certain individuals to acquire arms and disturb the peace and constitutional order in Sierra Leone.
“ECOWAS condemns this act and calls for the arrest and prosecution of everyone involved in the illegality.
“The bloc has always maintained its zero-tolerance for unconstitutional change of government.
“We want to reaffirm our commitment to supporting the government and the people of Sierra Leone’s quest to deepen democracy and good governance by consolidating peace and security so as to foster socio-economic development.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Sierra Leonean government declared a 24-hour nationwide curfew after unidentified gunmen attacked a military barracks and attempted to break into an armoury in Freetown, the capital city.
The curfew order was contained in a statement by Chernor Bah, information and civic education minister on Sunday According to Bah, President Julius Bio declared a nationwide curfew following the security breach at the military barracks in Freetown.
The minister quoted Bio as reaffirming the government’s determination to protect democracy and peace, adding that security forces were in control of the situation.
“In the early hours of Sunday, some unidentified individuals attempted to break into the military armoury at the Wilberforce barracks. They have been rebuffed.
“A nationwide curfew has been declared with immediate effect. We strongly advise citizens to stay indoors.”
The minister recalled that Bio addressed the nation in the early hours of Sunday during which he alerted Sierra Leoneans to the security breach in Freetown.
“Some unidentified individuals attacked the military armoury. However, they were repelled by our gallant security forces and calm has been restored.
“As the combined team of our security forces continues to route out the remnant of the fleeing renegades, a nationwide curfew has been declared and citizens are encouraged to stay indoors.
“The peace of our beloved nation is priceless; we shall continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability.
“We remain resolute in our determination to protect democracy in Sierra Leone and I urge all Sierra Leoneans to unite towards this collective responsibility.” Bio said during the broadcast.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone’s civil aviation authority on Sunday urged airlines to reschedule flights, adding that the country’s airspace remains open.
The aviation authority said in a statement that passengers should be placed on the next available flights after the curfew is lifted, Reuters reports.
Gunfire was heard in some neighbourhoods of Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown on Sunday afternoon following an attempt by unidentified gunmen to break into a military armoury.
“The public is assured that the government and our state security forces are in control,” information minister Chernor Bah, said in the statement.
“To enable the security forces to continue the process of apprehending the suspects, a nationwide curfew has been declared with immediate effect across the country. We strongly advise citizens to stay indoors,” the statement added.
The political situation in Sierra Leone has been tense since President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected in June, a result rejected by the main opposition candidate.
Sierra Leone’s interior minister David Taluva told Reuters that the retreating assailants had attacked a police barracks after running out of ammunition, and had seized more arms from the police office.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/ecowas-condemns-plot-to-disrupt-peace-in-sierra-leone/
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Arab World
Saudi FM attends Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Spain to discuss Gaza war
November 27, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday arrived in the Spanish city of Barcelona for the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.
The ministerial committee headed by Prince Faisal will consider ways to end the conflict in Gaza as soon as possible.
The foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Indonesia also recently met with top diplomats from China, Russia, the UK, and France.
The ministerial committee previously called for an immediate stop to “military escalation” in Gaza to allow for a political process to move forward with the goal of negotiating a lasting peace.
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israel should be held “accountable for the blatant violations and crimes in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2415976/saudi-arabia
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Yemeni forces fire ballistic missiles toward US destroyer in Gulf of Aden: CENTCOM
27 November 2023
The US military says Yemeni Armed Forces have fired two ballistic missiles in the direction of USS Mason, an Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, in the Gulf of Aden.
In a statement, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the destroyer was targeted early Monday morning local time after it aided the tanker ship Central Park that had been seized in the Gulf of Aden.
“The missiles landed in the Gulf of Aden approximately ten nautical miles from the ships,” the statement added.
“There was no damage or reported injuries from either vessel during this incident,” it claimed.
The Central Park was carrying phosphoric acid and had an international crew of 22, The Associated Press reported. It sent a distress signal prompting the US aircraft USS Mason to respond.
The tanker ship sails under the Liberian flag and is managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire EyalOfer's Zodiac Group.
An Israeli tanker has been seized off the coast of the Yemeni port city of Aden.
Earlier this month, the Yemeni Armed Forces seized a vehicle transport ship also linked to Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen.
They have threatened to attack Israeli ships in the waters off Yemen and launched drone and missile strikes targeting the occupied territories in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel waged a war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance group conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left vast swathes of the coastal enclave in ruins.
It has also imposed a “complete siege” on the coastal sliver, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/27/715354/Yemen-ballistic-missiles-US-destroyer-Aden-Gulf
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Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi sends letter to WFP Director in response to program’s decision to stop aid to Yemen
[26/November/2023]
SANA'A November 26. 2023 (Saba) - Member of the Supreme Political Council, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, sent a letter to the Director of the World Food Program, David Beasley, in response to the program’s decision to stop humanitarian aid to Yemen.
In the letter, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi expressed his deep regret over the program’s decision to stop humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, which constitutes a serious threat to the food and humanitarian security of Yemen.
He considered the Food Program stopping aid to Yemen as behavior that conflicts with its moral and humanitarian duties and amounts to a crime against humanity. He said, "Yemen is not just statistical data and numbers. It is a country living in a nightmare of destruction, poverty, and death."
He added, "Children are dying of hunger, and mothers are searching for a living to feed their exhausted children, and all of this is the result of the illegal aggression and siege against our people and our country for more than eight and a half years."
The senior political member called on the Food Program to reconsider the decision to stop humanitarian aid, reverse it and take the necessary measures to ensure the continued provision of humanitarian aid to deserving Yemenis without interruption or reduction.
He pointed out that reducing aid will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and increase the suffering of millions of Yemenis. He said, “As you know, Yemen is suffering from the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, as more than 20 million people suffer from acute food insecurity, including more than 12.” One million people are on the brink of famine.
He added, "The decision has been justified as a result of the funding constraints faced by the Food Programme, but we believe that there are other options that can be taken to avoid stopping humanitarian aid. It is possible, for example, to convert in-kind aid to cash, this will save operating expenses, and will allow the beneficiaries to use the aid to purchase the food they need.”
He stated that the Food Program can ask donor countries to increase funding, which will allow it to provide humanitarian aid to Yemen without the need to reduce or stop it.
In the letter, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi touched on the results of his meeting with the Regional Director of the World Food Programme, Corinne Fleischer, and the program’s resident representative, Richard Ragan, who explained the program’s intention to reduce humanitarian aid to Yemen.
He pointed out that during the meeting, the categorical rejection of agreeing to reduce humanitarian aid was emphasized, because it is a commitment from the World Food Program to the deserving beneficiaries.
He said, "During our meeting with the Regional Directorate of the Food Program and the Program's Resident Representative, we emphasized that the right thing is for humanitarian aid to increase, not to reduce it, as the United Nations announced that Yemen is witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world."
He stated that it was pointed out that the program’s decision to reduce the aid allocated to Yemen resulted from the fact that it was transferring it to Ukraine at the request of the United States, at the expense of the needy Yemeni people, and it was emphasized that the current beneficiaries of the relief were registered in accordance with the standards of the United Nations and the Food Programme, the state of aggression and siege still exists.
He added, "We also confirmed that the Food Program or other organizations did not work to empower the beneficiary and improve his situation such that the criteria for eligibility for assistance no longer apply to him, and that the problem of middle-income people who were relying on salaries has not yet been resolved by disbursing salaries, and that some of them are included in the program's lists."
Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi indicated his emphasis during the meeting that registering or removing a beneficiary is not a state of mind but is subject to standards, and that it is not possible to agree to reduce aid as it is a commitment from the Food Program to the deserving beneficiaries, and the program must invite everyone who wants to reduce its assistance and negotiate with them, and if the beneficiaries agree by excluding them, they sign deportation.
He added, "During the meeting, we reaffirmed that the program's delivery of cash aid instead of in-kind will save it the cost of logistical work, deal profits, rent, and other expenses. Thus, it will add new aid delivered to the beneficiaries, and thus it will not need to be reduced."
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3283768.htm
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German special envoy for Middle East lauds Saudi Arabia’s Gaza aid effort
November 26, 2023
RIYADH: German special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, DeikePotzel, has lauded Saudi Arabia for its Gaza aid efforts.
During a visit to Riyadh on Sunday, she also highlighted Germany’s humanitarian contribution.
Potzel told Arab News: “I would like to use this opportunity to appreciate very much the commitment of Saudi Arabia. It is really wonderful to see how much aid has gone in from Saudi Arabia, it’s an enormous commitment.
“I was very glad to see our colleagues from (the Saudi aid agency) KSrelief today. I’m very much appreciating what they are doing to help people in Gaza.”
While in Riyadh, the ambassador held talks with Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and KSrelief general supervisor, to discuss aid initiatives for the people of Palestine.
The Kingdom has stepped up its humanitarian support for Gaza with food, medical, and shelter aid, and on Sunday morning, 20 planes carrying supplies arrived at Al-Arish International Airport in Egypt.
Potzel said that during the meeting, they had “compared notes of what each of us are doing,” adding that Al-Rabeeah had recently visited the airport and the Rafah border crossing.
“We were talking very much about the bottlenecks still for aid to get in and to see what we can jointly do and what our joint main points are,” she said.
Potzel pointed out that one of her key aims was “to find ways to bring more aid to Gaza,” adding that Germany remained “committed to helping the people in Gaza in terms of humanitarian assistance.”
Potzel was appointed to her role by Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs AnnalenaBaerbock who has herself made three visits to the region since Oct. 7.
During a press conference in Amman on Oct. 19, Baerbock said: “We are increasing our support for Palestinians, who have also become the victims of this terrorist attack by Hamas (on Israel). The German government has decided to increase our humanitarian assistance for the civilian population in Gaza by 50 million euros ($54.7 million) with immediate effect.”
The minister added that the funding would be used to support international organizations such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and UNRWA to provide food supplied for people in Gaza.
“Our message is clear; we will not abandon innocent Palestinian mothers, fathers, and children,” Baerbock added. She noted that Germany had spent more than 160 million euros this year on humanitarian support for Gaza.
Potzel pointed out that the current most pressing issue on the ground in Gaza was the need to send in more supplies.
“That means water supplies must be running, and for that we also need fuel to get in, and for that we have been pushing for a long time. Also to get the desalinization plants running again, to get the water pump running in the wells. It’s a very broad portfolio (of objectives),” the special envoy said.
She also highlighted the urgent need for medical equipment and medicines in Gaza and said that the German government was working to provide assistance for medical supplies funding for Jordan.
In addition, Potzel noted that Germany was working with its Egyptian partners to provide 1.5 million euros of medical supplies to Egypt to treat patients arriving in the country from Gaza.
“We are very much advocating for humanitarian pauses so we are very happy to see now that some of the hostages are being released and that there is a pause so more aid can go in and more people are safe to go and get the aid.
“We are providing funding for the UN organizations, for the Red Crescent societies, for them to deliver to the people in Gaza,” she added.
Following her visit to Riyadh, Potzel was due to move on to Israel for talks in Tel Aviv.
She said: “We will talk (in Israel) about other border crossings to be used. So far, it is only Rafah, and we want to talk to Israel and keep talking to them about opening other crossings and also the issue of fuel and how to bring in more fuel, and other issues in order provide more aid to get in.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi aid convoys enter Gaza as Israel’s siege worsens humanitarian crisis
November 26, 2023
RAFAH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief sent aid convoys carrying food, medical and shelter aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Sunday.
On Sunday morning, 20 planes carrying the supplies arrived in Al-Arish airport in Egypt. The aid was then transferred to several trucks in a bid to unload them at the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.
The United Nations said the truce between Israel and Hamas has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. It was also able to fuel for the first time since the war began, and to reach areas in the north for the first time in a month.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi interior minister receives Iranian ambassador
November 26, 2023
RIYADH — Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Saud Bin Naif received the Iranian Ambassador to the Kingdom Dr. Alireza Enayati, on Sunday at his office in the Ministry.
The meeting covered various topics of mutual interest.
The reception was attended by Dr. Hisham Al-Faleh, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, and Mohammed Al-Muhanna, undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Security Affairs, along with several officials from the Ministry.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Riyadh hosts 12th General Assembly of Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation on Monday
November 26, 2023
RIYADH — Riyadh is set to host the 12th General Assembly of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation on Monday, bringing together dignitaries, representatives, and National Olympic Committee members from the 57 Islamic countries.
The agenda includes discussions on the extraordinary General Assembly's minutes, the Secretary-General's report spanning from March to November 2023, financial and administrative reports, bylaws amendments, the potential extension of the Board of Directors' term, and plans for hosting the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in 2025 and the 7th in 2029, along with the Union's strategic road map.
Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, at the helm of the Federation since 2019, has overseen a period marked by diverse sports events and notable developments.
A significant milestone was the successful hosting of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Sports Games in the Turkish city of Konya last year. The upcoming General Assembly follows the last assembly held in March of this year in Jeddah.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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North America
Tanker in Middle East safe from attackers after US Navy responds, officials say
ovember 27, 2023
WASHINGTON/RIYADH: A US Navy warship responded to a distress call from a commercial tanker in the Gulf of Aden that had been seized by armed individuals and the vessel is now safe, US officials said on Sunday.
The tanker, which had been carrying a cargo of phosphoric acid, was identified as the Central Park by the vessel’s company. The officials did not identify the attackers.
In a statement, the US military said the USS Mason, with help from allied ships, demanded that the commercial ship be released by the attackers. Five armed individuals tried to escape on a fast boat but were chased by the US warship and they eventually surrendered.
The statement added that two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi controlled parts of Yemen towards the general direction of the Mason and Central Park, but they landed about 10 nautical miles away from them and there was no damage or injuries.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since a brutal war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas broke out on Oct. 7.
It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels.
Central Park, a small chemical tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company owned by Israel’s Ofer family.
The Liberian-flagged vessel was built in 2015 and is owned by Clumvez Shipping Inc, LSEG data showed.
Zodiac Maritime said in a statement that Central Park, which is carrying a full cargo of phosphoric acid, was involved in a suspected piracy incident while crossing international waters, approximately 54 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia.
Phosphoric acid is mostly used for fertilisers. “Our priority is the safety of our 22 crew onboard. The Turkish captained vessel has a multinational crew consisting of a crew of Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals,” the statement added.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials. Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said on Sunday it was aware of a possible attack in southwest Aden and called on other vessels to exercise caution.
The US has blamed Iran for unclaimed attacks on several vessels in the region in the past few years. Tehran has denied involvement.
A container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a US defence official said on Saturday.
Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has rained bombs on Gaza, killing about 14,000 people, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.
Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel early on Sunday after a second release of hostages held by Hamas following an initial delay caused by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza.
Source: brecorder.com
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US President Joe Biden hopes for extension of Israel-Hamas truce as more hostages released
27.11.23
U.S. President Joe Biden said he hoped the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas can go on as long as hostages are being released, after the militant group freed 17 more people, including a 4-year-old Israeli-American girl.
Hamas said it wanted to extend the pause in fighting, which will enter its fourth day and final agreed day on Monday, if serious efforts were made to increase the number of Palestinian detainees released by Israel.
Thirty-nine teenage Palestinian prisoners were released by Israel on Sunday, taking the total since the truce began to 117.
Hamas said it had handed over 13 Israelis, three Thais and one with Russian citizenship, and the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed it had successfully transferred them from Gaza on Sunday.
Biden said the 4-year-old hostage, Abigail Edan, had witnessed her parents being killed by Hamas fighters during their Oct. 7 rampage into Israel and had been held since then.
"What she endured is unthinkable," Biden said at a news conference in the U.S.
Abigail was on her way to the hospital for checks, Israel's Channel 13 said. Her grandfather, Carmel Edan, told Reuters he "simply could not believe" she had been returned, thanking Biden "for all the help he's offered us."
The four-day truce agreed last week is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza.
In response to that attack, Israel has bombarded the enclave and mounted a ground offensive in the north. Some 14,800 Palestinians have been killed, Gaza health authorities say, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he spoke to Biden about the hostage release, adding he would welcome extending the temporary truce if it meant that on every additional day 10 captives would be freed. However, Netanyahu said he also told Biden that, at the end of the truce, "we will return with full force to achieve our goals: The elimination of Hamas, ensuring that Gaza does not return to what it was; and of course the release of all our hostages."
'CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FREE'
Palestinians gave the freed prisoners a jubilant reception in Ramallah, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Omar Abdullah Al Hajj, 17, one of the detainees released Sunday, said he'd been kept in the dark about what was happening in the outside world.
"I can't believe I'm free now but my joy is incomplete because we still have our brothers who remain in prison, and then there is all the news about Gaza that I am having to learn about now," he told Reuters.
he latest three Thai hostages released were in good health, Thailand's prime minister said. Efforts to free the remaining 15 Thais held would continue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Sunday's hostage release follows the liberation of 13 Israelis and four foreigners on Saturday. Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday, the first day of the truce. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could ultimately go free.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States are pressing for the truce to be extended but it is not clear whether that will happen.
Clashes and recriminations have threatened to torpedo the existing deal.
The killing of a Palestinian farmer in the central Gaza Strip had earlier added to those concerns. The farmer was killed when targeted by Israeli forces east of Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
Violence has also flared in the West Bank, where Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians, including two minors and at least one gunman, late on Saturday and early Sunday, medics and local sources said.
IMMENSE RELIEF
The deal survived an earlier threat when Hamas' armed wing said on Saturday it was delaying hostage releases until Israel met all truce conditions, including committing to let aid trucks into northern Gaza.
Qatari diplomats are now on site in Gaza to supervise the entry and delivery of their country's aid, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said.
A U.N. official who took part in a humanitarian convoy to northern Gaza said on Sunday aid groups were on track to deliver the biggest shipment in over a month, describing thin, gaunt residents slaking their thirst as soon as water arrived.
"People are so desperate and you can see in adults' eyes they haven't eaten," the U.N. children's agency's James Elder told Reuters by video link from southern Gaza after returning from Gaza City.
Even as the aid deliveries flowed north, Elder said he saw hundreds of Gazans heading in the other direction, fearing the renewal of Israeli bombardments if the four-day truce is not prolonged.
"People are so terrified that this pause won't be continued," he said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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4-year-old American girl among 17 hostages released during Israeli-Hamas prisoner exchange
JEFF MASON
27 November, 2023
Nantucket, Massachusetts: A 4-year-old American girl captured after seeing her parents slain by Hamas fighters who stormed southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7 was among 17 hostages released on Sunday as part of an Israeli-Hamas prisoner exchange, President Joe Biden said.
Abigail Edan, who turned four while in captivity, became the third person with U.S. citizenship freed by Hamas during seven weeks of bloodshed between the Iranian-backed Palestinian militia that controls the Gaza Strip and the Israeli military.
Relatives told CBS News last week the toddler, in the event that she were released, would go to stay with family members in Israel who have already taken in her two older siblings.
Abigail, a dual Israeli citizen, was freed as part of a deal to swap 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails over a four-day truce period.
It was the first halt in the conflict since Hamas launched its surprise cross-border raid on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Hamas characterizes its armed activities as resistance against Israeli occupation.
In response, Israel vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Israeli-occupied Gaza, bombarding the crowded coastal enclave and mounting a ground offensive in the north. Palestinian health authorities say Israel has killed some 14,800 people, roughly 40% of them children.
Biden said the toddler had witnessed Hamas fighters killing her parents during the Oct. 7 raid and had been held captive since then.
“What she endured is unthinkable,” the president told a news conference.
“We hoped and prayed today would come,” Liz Hirsh Naftali and Noa Naftali, Edan’s great aunt and cousin, said in a statement, thanking Biden and the Qatari government for their work in getting Abigail released. “There are no words to express our relief and gratitude that Abigail is safe and coming home.”
Biden spoke with members of the girl’s family in the United States and Israel after her release, the White House said in a statement.
FROM CAPTIVITY TO RELATIVES IN ISRAEL
Noa Naftali had said in a CBS News interview last week that if Abigail were released she would go to stay with an aunt, uncle and grandparents living in Israel.
Her siblings were already there, Noa Naftali said, and the family can provide “the love and support that they need after losing their parents.”
Abigail was on her way to a hospital for medical examination, Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Sunday.
Her grandfather, Carmel Edan, told Reuters he “simply could not believe” she had been returned, thanking Biden “for all the help he’s offered us.”
According to Noa Naftali, Abigail had been held captive in Gaza with neighbors also taken from the Kfar Aza kibbutz, where the toddler, her parents and her siblings lived.
Abigail’s mother was killed in front of the girl and her two older siblings, Noa Naftali said, adding that Abigail then ran outside to her father, who picked her up but was “gunned down while holding her.”
Abigail “crawled out from underneath him and went over to the neighbors, who took her in, and they were also taken hostage — a mother, a 10-year-old, an 8-year old and a 4-year old who goes to preschool with Abigail,” Noa Naftali said.
She told CBS that Abigail’s older siblings, aged 6 and 10, escaped by locking themselves inside a closet for 14 hours.
Hamas said it handed over 17 hostages on Sunday, including Abigail and four other foreign nationals, and Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners in return.
Two other Americans with dual Israeli citizenship, Judith Tai Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were freed by Hamas on Oct 20, becoming the first captives whose release by Hamas was confirmed by both sides in the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call with Biden on Sunday thanked him for his “tireless efforts to help broker and fully implement” the deal to release hostages, according to a White House readout of the call.
The two leaders agreed to continue working to secure the release of all hostages, the White House said, and would “remain in close contact over the coming days.”
Biden said he expects Hamas to release other U.S. hostages as well, and that he wants the pause in the fighting to be extended as long as prisoners are being released.
“We will not stop working until every hostage is returned to their loved ones,” Biden said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Nantucket; Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan and Moira Warburton in Washington and Jason Lange in Buffalo, NY; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by David Goodman, Alexander Smith, Mark Porter, Josie Kao and Lincoln Feast)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.
Source: theprint.in
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Three men of Palestinian descent attending holiday gathering shot, injured near University of Vermont
27th November 2023
Three young men of Palestinian descent who were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering were shot and injured — one seriously — near the University of Vermont, police said Sunday. Authorities said the attack may have been a hate crime.
Police are searching for the shooting suspect after the attack, which occurred at about 6:25 p.m. Saturday near the UVM campus, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said.
Two of the men are in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Murad said Sunday. The three, all age 20, were visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives and were walking when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun.
“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said in a news release. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”
Murad said all three men are of Palestinian descent and expressed deepest sympathies for the men and their families. Two are US citizens and one is a legal resident. Two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.
Murad said there is no additional information to suggest a motive.
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven,” he said in a news release.
He added, “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”
Earlier Sunday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement saying that the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”
It said a man shouted and harassed the victims, who were conversing in Arabic, then proceeded to shoot them.
The FBI said it is aware of the shootings.
“If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,” Sarah Ruane, an FBI spokesperson based in Albany, New York, said in a statement.
The White House said that President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting and will continue to receive updates as law enforcement gathers more information.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that it has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or people responsible for the shootings.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding provided a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it described as being from the families of the victims.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” it said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the startling rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia in America.”
“No one should ever be targeted for their ethnicity or religious affiliation in our country,” the New York Democrat said in the statement posted on X. “We will not let hatred win.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the shooting.
“It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation,” Sanders said in a statement.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said that any indication that the shooting could have been motivated by hate is “chilling.”
Gov. Phil Scott called it a tragedy, calling on the state’s residents to unite and “not let this incident incite more hate or divisiveness.”
The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas war, released a statement saying it was “appalled by the shooting.”
“We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said Sunday. “We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”
The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization for Jewish people worldwide, also said via X it was “horrified” by the attack and urged “law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime.”
Demonstrations have been widespread and tensions are escalating in the U.S. as the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war. A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed more hostages and Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners, all young men. It’s the third exchange under a four-day truce deal.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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New York City protesters disrupt Black Friday shopping to support Palestinians in Gaza
27 November 2023
Dozens of protesters gathered near Macy's megastore in Manhattan, disrupting Black Friday shopping to show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The New York Police Department arrested over 30 people during the pro-Palestine demonstration.
Protesters chanted slogans denouncing Israel and held signs with messages such as "Palestine will be free," "Kids deserve to grow up," "Free Palestine by any means necessary," and "Democracy in apartheid Israel is a lie."
They also carried other signs reading, "The 'WAR ON TERROR' ended with 432,000 civilian deaths, 38 mil people displaced. Not again. Never again. US money and support out of Israel."
A protester was also holding a name list reading, "Names of children ages 0-4 killed by Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip from October 7 to 26, 2023."
Thousands of protesters across various parts of the world have called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
"They restrict the livelihood. The fact that Israel can turn off water, food, fuel, or electricity go in, the fact that even just the possibility that they can do that [is horrible]. They control the amount of food that gets into Gaza," said a protester identified as Nadine.
"They control who and what gets in and out of Gaza to the point that they openly said that they have put Palestinians on a diet," she added.
Protesters also addressed passing customers, chanting, "Why are you shopping? Bombs are dropping."
Source: presstv.ir
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Biden, Netanyahu agree to continue working to secure release of all hostages
Rabia İclalTuran
27.11.2023
US President Joe Biden held a phone call Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which they pledged to “continue working to secure the release of all hostages” being held by the Palestinian group Hamas, noting their “work is not yet done.”
Biden welcomed the release of hostages by Hamas over the past three days, including 4-year-old American girl AvigailIdan, according to a White House readout of the phone call.
Biden and Netanyahu also discussed the humanitarian pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas and the surge in "much needed additional humanitarian assistance" into Gaza and Netanyahu thanked the president for his "tireless efforts" to help broker and fully implement the hostage deal, according to the White House.
“The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days," the statement said.
A four-day humanitarian pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.
In the first two days of the pause, Hamas and Israel exchanged 41 Israelis and foreigners for 78 Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Under the agreement, the hostages and prisoners will be released in batches during the course of four days.
Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.
It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
Source: aa.com.tr
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Joe Biden to miss COP28 climate summit in Dubai: US official
November 27, 2023
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will miss the latest UN climate summit in Dubai, after two years of attending the talks in hopes of highlighting US leadership, a US official said Sunday.
Some 70,000 people including national leaders and Pope Francis are expected at COP28 as it opens Thursday, in what could be the largest United Nations climate summit ever.
Schedules released by the White House for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris showed neither heading to Dubai this week.
Biden’s engagements include a trip to Colorado to highlight US investment in wind energy, a meeting with the president of Angola and the lighting of the national Christmas tree.
A US official confirmed that Biden was not planning to attend COP28 this week or during a second window close to the end of the talks on December 12.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration was still discussing whether to send a top-level official to Dubai.
John Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state and senator, will be leading day-to-day negotiations for the United States.
The official did not give a reason for Biden’s decision. But Biden has been focused for more than a month on the war between Israel and Hamas and is also looking to highlight his domestic agenda with less than a year to the US presidential election.
Until Biden, it was not customary for the US president to attend each COP summit.
Biden in 2021 traveled to Glasgow to vow that the United States would again take a global leadership role on climate after his predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris climate accord.
Trump, who is seeking the White House again, is a climate skeptic who says that action is too costly to the United States.
Biden again made a brief trip last year to COP27 in Sharm Eel-Sheikh, Egypt.
Biden has put a high priority on climate domestically, with the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, his signature legislative achievement, channeling billions of dollars to the green economy including through incentives for electric cars.
Ahead of COP28, Kerry held extended talks with his Chinese counterpart, XieZhenhua, with the two negotiators promising that their countries, the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters, would work together for progress in Dubai.
Source: arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
Anwar: Thai PM thanks Malaysia for assisting in safe release of captive Thai nationals by Hamas
November 27, 2023
BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his Thai counterpart, SretthaThavisin, thanked Malaysia for assistance in the safe release of Thai nationals held captive by Hamas.
Anwar said that Srettha expressed his gratitude during their bilateral meeting today at the Sadao Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine Complex in southern Thailand.
"Prime Minister Srettha has expressed his appreciation to Malaysia for our help to secure the release of its hostages held by Hamas during the outbreak of the recent Palestine-Israel conflict.
"I told him we have tried our best to help but it was the wisdom of Hamas, with the help of Mesir for opening their border that secured the safe release of the Thai nationals," Anwar said in a press conference at the Bukit KayuHitam Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex here today.
Today, Thai media reported that three more hostages from the country were released by Hamas, bringing the total number to 17 since the hostage exchanges between Hamas and Israel began two days ago.
Earlier, Anwar had a one-day working visit to Thailand today to discuss bilateral cooperation with his counterpart, under the invitation of Sretta.
Source: nst.com.my
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Saifuddin Nasution rebukes claims that Islam threatened, Malays sidelined under unity govt
26 Nov 2023
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 26 — PartiKeadilan Rakyat (PKR) secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail rebuked claims that Islam was under threat and Malays left behind under the Unity Government’s administration.
Saifuddin also chided the action of some who issued opposing statements every time a government agenda or announcement is made and that touched on aspects that were secular, liberal or Zionist.
“Is the country’s Muslim community barred from performing their prayers (solat, carrying out obligations under Zakat, or haj pilgrimage...not a single aspect is forbidden. If Muslims are stopped or barred from carrying out their fardhu obligations, than we can say Islam has come under threat.
“We talk about agendas under Madani, they talk about secular aspects. We talk about ending poverty, they say cannot because there is the instrument of Zakat. We talk about good governance, they say it is a liberal agenda...,” he said.
Saifuddin said this when winding up the 2023 PKR National Annual Congress at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here today, in support of the policy speech by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday in relation to claims that Islam was under threat under the Unity Government’s administration.
Anwar had urged Muslim leaders under the Unity Government to explain to the people about claims that Islam was threathened under the Unity Government’s administration.
As for the Coldplay concert in the capital that had raised various differing perception among the community, Saifuddin affirmed that a number of concerts were also held during the previous government’s administration, among them the Billie Eilish concert from the United States.
“When a concert is organised during our tenure, (they say Anwar) is not fit to be a leader, he is eligible to be a liberal, bankrupt and ‘imansetipisbawang’. Believe me, in every aspect that we are managing, there is not a moment that we ignore the welfare and wellbeing of the people. Our priority and concern is to safeguard the welfare of the people who are the most vulnerable group,” he said.
In another development, Saifuddin said the PKR leadership at the grassroots fully accept and support the political decisions made by Anwar who is also the PKR President who formed the Unity Government through a coalition with other parties.
He added that it was the feedback that he had received during his nationwide visit (with the exception of Melaka) before the PKR Congress.
Saifuddin said among feedback received included requests for PKR ministers to go down to the ground to meet the members and leaders at the grassroots, especially when attending programmes or functions in any part of the country.
“Sometimes we overlook some details, there are states we go down and meet the members and leaders according to the schedule or programmes lined up by ministry officials and after the programme we go back whereas party members, branches and state leaders wait for our visit.
“This is a reminder for myself and others, after this we have to change our approach to prevent such instances that may hurt the feelings of the members,” he said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Monaco’s Prince Albert II visits Islamic Arts Musuem Malaysia
26-11- 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Prince Albert II of Monaco today visited the National Islamic Arts Museum, here as part of his four-day inaugural state visit to Malaysia.
Prince Albert II arrived at the museum at about 5.10pm and was greeted by the museum’s representative Rashidah Salim.
The Prince, accompanied by museum curator Zulkifli Ishak, spent approximately two hours marveling at various arts, designs, and cultural artifacts of the Islamic world housed at the museum, which is the largest museum of Islamic arts in Southeast Asia
Also present were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, Isabelle Berro-Amadei and Human Resource Minister V Sivakumar, as the minister-in-attendance.
Prince Albert II, arrived here today to begin his four-day inaugural state visit to Malaysia which is being hosted by the Yang di-PertuanAgong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
Earlier today, Prince Albert II inaugurated the city-state’s first honorary Consulate Office in Malaysia and tomorrow, he is scheduled to attend a state welcoming ceremony and have an audience with Al-Sultan Abdullah at Istana Negara.
The King will also host a state banquet in honour of Prince Albert II and his delegation.
According to Wisma Putra, the visit by Prince Albert II will provide an excellent opportunity for the Principality of Monaco and Malaysia to further strengthen relations between the two countries, with prospects of future collaboration in various fields, which is supported at the highest level of the country’s leadership. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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MAIWP distributes over RM700,000 in zakat funds to 170,000 asnaf
27-11- 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) has disbursed RM733,262,510 in zakat funds, which benefitted approximately 170,000 destitute and poor individuals as of October this year.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr MohdNa’im Mokhtar said currently, State Islamic Religious Councils (MAIN) and Zakat Management Agencies (AMZ) are using the kifayah limit method in determining the type and amount of aid distributed to all eligible asnaf groups (tithe recipients).
“By identifying clear target groups and utilising this kifayah limit method, systematic distribution can be carried out more effectively. Any issues related to collection and distribution will constantly be scrutinised and discussed by all MAIN/AMZ through two main mechanisms.
“These mechanisms are through the State Zakat Management Council (MPZN) managed by secretariats appointed by the respective MAIN/AMZ and the Coordination Meeting for Zakat Programmes with MAIN/AMZ, managed by the Department of Endowment, Zakat and Haj (JAWHAR),” he said.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk MohdHisamudin Yahaya at the Dewan Negara today regarding the government’s efforts to alleviate the burden of the needy, particularly the destitute and poor asnaf, amidst the uncertain economic conditions and rising prices of goods.
MohdNa’im said that in the Federal Territories, MAIWP offers 38 assistance schemes covering the welfare cluster, medical cluster, education cluster, protection/housing cluster, economic cluster, as well as dakwah and ummah development cluster.
In response to MohdHisamudin’s original question about the government’s effort to prevent overlapping of zakat distribution to target groups, MohdNa’im said MAIN or AMZ would conduct cross-checks between the data of asnaf and aid beneficiaries.
He said that the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) is currently developing the Central Database Hub (PADU), which would allow MAIN or AMZ to perform real-time or near real-time data checks to expedite the distribution of zakat.
JAWHAR, together with MAIN/AMZ, welcomes this initiative and is preparing relevant data assets in line with DOSM requirements, he added.
He also said that the strategic collaboration between federal agencies and MAIN or AMZ coordinated by JAWHAR had facilitated data sharing among agencies, thus helping to prevent overlapping in the distribution of zakat to asnaf.–Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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Indonesian VP urges Slovak Muslims to promote moderate Islam
November 27, 2023
Bratislava, Slovakia (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has encouraged the Muslim community in Slovakia to promote moderate and tolerant Islam in Europe.
During a meeting with the Islamic Foundation in Slovakia and some local Islamic figures in Bratislava on Sunday, Amin said that religious moderation is the right viewpoint to implement in religious life to offer benefits to society without ignoring religious teachings.
“Religious moderation involves adopting viewpoints, attitudes, and religious practices that protect human dignity and provide public benefits without being reductive or neglecting religious teachings,” he remarked.
Amin also underlined the importance of implementing religious moderation by adapting to local wisdom and diversity.
“Religious moderation must be reflected in religious behavior that is accommodating to local wisdom and the context of diversity, as well as developments in times that are dynamic and changing very quickly,” he remarked.
He affirmed that religious moderation is essential for fostering inclusivity in inter-religious life.
“Inclusive and moderate religious expression is essential, for example, through inter-religious and intercultural dialogue for tolerance between religious believers, respecting religious freedom, and strengthening social ethics and universal values in preventing potential interfaith conflicts,” he stated.
Amin informed the Islamic Foundation in Slovakia that Indonesia is a pluralistic country with diverse religions and ethnicities. It upholds the principle of equal status for all citizens and complies with applicable laws.
“We also have the motto of national life Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) as well as the ideology and state foundation of Pancasila,” he remarked.
Director of the Islamic Foundation in Slovakia, Mohamad Safwan Hasna, and some officials of the foundation attended the meeting.
Source: antaranews.com
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China’s top diplomat to visit UN for Israel-Hamas talks
November 27, 2023
BEIJING: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will visit New York this week to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
“As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on November 29,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Wang Yi will preside over the meeting, he added.
Hamas militants poured across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s Hamas government.
China said last week it welcomed a truce between Israel-Hamas, which began Friday and led to dozens of hostages being freed and the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners.
The deal entered its final 24 hours on Monday.
Beijing hoped this week’s UN talks would achieve “a cease-fire and an end to the fighting” and make “contributions to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Wang Wenbin said.
China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “international peace conference” to resolve the fighting.
Source: arabnews.com
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South Asia
India has taken position against people of Bangladesh by supporting Hasina: Rizvi
Nov 27, 2023
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday alleged that India has taken a position against the people of Bangladesh by supporting Sheikh Hasina's "authoritarian" government.
"The Indian government and their politicians should understand why the people of Bangladesh have burst into anger against them. By supporting an authoritarian government, they [India] have taken a stance against the people of Bangladesh," he said.
Speaking at a rally after a sudden procession in the capital's Banani area, the BNP leader also said India, as a close neighbour, should support what the people of Bangladesh want.
Rizvi made the remarks as an Indian media outlet published a report on the growing anti-Indian sentiments in Bangladesh.
The BNP senior joint secretary general also criticised India for border killing and various unresolved bilateral issues.
He also said the current Bangladesh government has got nothing from India though it has generously given everything the neighboring country needs.
Rizvi along with some BNP leaders and workers brought out a procession around 7:00am at Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani in support of the 48-hour blockade enforced by the opposition parties from 6:00am today.
The procession ended through a brief rally near the Banani field amid the opposition's various anti-government slogans.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Turkey delivers 500-ton humanitarian aid to Herat earthquake victims
Fidel Rahmati
November 26, 2023
The Afghanistan Red Crescent has announced that another 500-ton aid shipment from Turkey has been delivered to the earthquake-stricken province of Herat, coinciding with the presence of the Turkish ambassador, who handed it over to local officials in the province.
On Sunday, the Afghanistan Red Crescent reported that 508 tons of Turkish aid materials had reached the province of Herat through the Torghundi port.
According to the organization, these aid deliveries were handed over to government officials in Herat province in the presence of the Turkish ambassador, acting on behalf of the Turkish government.
The provided assistance includes essential items such as food, clothing, spices, hygiene products, blankets, and tents.
During the handover ceremony, the Taliban officials announced that out of these aid packages, 300 tons would be distributed to the earthquake victims in Herat, while the remaining 200 tons would be allocated to recent returnees from neighbouring countries.
Turkey has previously contributed humanitarian aid to the people of Herat following the devastating earthquake. This marks the eighth aid shipment from Turkey to assist the earthquake-affected residents of Herat.
These aid deliveries from Turkey to Afghanistan come as recent reports state that Turkey plans to strengthen its friendly relations with Afghanistan through its TİKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency), Maarif, and the Turkish Red Crescent. They also plan to provide specialized medical care for Afghans shortly.
The ongoing support from Turkey underscores their commitment to assisting Afghanistan during times of crisis and their efforts to enhance ties and humanitarian assistance with Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
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11th Herat Security Conference Commences in Tajikistan
Fidel Rahmati
November 27, 2023
The 11th Herat Security Conference began on Monday with the participation of many figures, experts, and policymakers in the capital of Tajikistan. This conference is being held for two days, and participants will discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The 11th round of Herat Security Talks, titled “Revisiting Afghanistan, Different Solutions,” has commenced.
In the 11th round of Herat Security Talks, foreign guests from various countries were invited alongside domestic experts. Some National Resistance Front and Ismail Khan members are also present at this conference.
As mentioned in their statement, the Institute for Strategic Studies has convened global experts, policymakers, and representatives from various nations to address the Afghanistan crisis.
In their press release, the Institute for Strategic Studies announced its assembly of international experts, policymakers, and delegates from diverse countries to deliberate on Afghanistan’s critical situation.
This conference has been held in the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for the past two years since the Taliban came to power. Before that, it used to be held in the city of Herat.
In this session, Dr RanginDadfarSpanta called on the United States and NATO to take responsibility for the consequences of their withdrawal from Afghanistan. He urged international cooperation to address the current situation in Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
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Over 320,000 Electronic IDs distributed across Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
November 27, 2023
The National Statistics and Information Authority of Afghanistan has announced the issuing and distributing of over 320,000 electronic identity cards.
This department announced on Sunday, through a statement, that they have distributed electronic IDs for 320,146 Afghan citizens only during November.
According to this department, the highest number of electronic IDs has been distributed to the citizens in the city of Kabul.
Based on the statistics provided by this department, 64,000 electronic IDs have been distributed in Kabul alone.
Previously, the head of the National Statistics Authority had assured that efforts were being made to expedite the issuance of electronic IDs following the plan and to address the issues faced by applicants.
This comes as citizens had previously complained about delays in the distribution of electronic IDs and had called for the authorities’ attention.
Source: khaama.com
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PM Hassan’s Absence in Cabinet Meeting Raises Questions
November 26, 2023
TOLOnews’ findings show that there has been no news about any cabinet meeting under the Prime Minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund within nearly the past two months.
However, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Zabiullah Mujahid, stressed that Mullah Hassan Akhund was present in weekly cabinet meetings.
“We have the cabinet meeting every Monday as usual in the capital, Kabul. The PM is holding it. The meeting took place in Kandahar, but the rest of the meetings will be in Kabul and the Prime Minister will be present,” he said.
The Islamic Emirate's Prime Minister left Kandahar on July 17, 2023, and returned to Kabul after two months of rest and medical treatment.
However, TOLOnews went through the X page of Arg, a high profile governmental page which shares the news from the office of the PM. There has been no official meeting of Mohammad Hassan Akhund announced over the past nearly two months, according to the page.
Some political analysts meanwhile called the presence of the PM in the cabinet meeting important for solving the ongoing challenges of the country.
“The cabinet meetings should be held based on plan and procedures every morning in which the PM should be present to lead it,” said Mohammad Saleem Paigeer, political analyst.
“The cabinet meetings usually discuss national and important matters. The ministers and the Prime Minister were all present,” said Wahid Faqiri, political analyst.
This comes as on November 3 the Islamic Emirate’s Prime Minister in a video message appeared to the media to criticize Pakistan’s “unilateral decision” for deporting the Afghan refugees.
Also, the latest cabinet meetings were chaired by the Islamic Emirate’s leader
MawlawiHibatullah Akhundzada on the 20 and 21 of November in Kandahar.
Source: tolonews.com
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Afghanistan Not Invited to COP28: Official
Naveed Samadi
November 26, 2023
A senior official of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) said that they have not been invited to the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference which is due to be kicked off on Thursday in Dubai city of the UAE.
The head of the climate change department of NEPA, Rohullah Amin, said that the issues of climate change should not be politicized.
“We have had several meetings with the international partners through the Foreign Ministry and we paid attention, but unfortunately, the UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) due to political observations has not yet sent an invitation to Afghanistan,” he said.
Amin said that Afghanistan is one of the most affected countries to climate changes.
“The climate change does not belong to one particular country, it belongs to a vast area of the world, thus the Islamic Emirate should be invited,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman.
Analysts said that if the issue of climate change and its effects are not addressed properly, it can cause serious damage to the citizens.
“The decreased economy and also the lowered capacity that we have to reduce the level of the climate change causes us to not be able to properly act regarding the climate changes,” said Sayed Mohammad SulaimanKhail, analyst of environmental issues.
This comes as the International Crisis Group (ICG) has said in a report that there have been discussions about the presence of a delegation from Kabul to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).
In this report, Afghanistan is mentioned as a country that is struggling with environmental challenges. The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) is scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates at the end of November.
Source: tolonews.com
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Reactions Continue Against Deportation of Afghans by Pakistan
November 26, 2023
The International Federation of Human Rights Defenders in a statement called on the international community and non-government human rights organizations to prevent the expulsion of Afghan refugees by Pakistan.
The organization in an open letter urged the prevention of deporting the civil rights activists, former military officials and some other individuals, whom are at risk in Afghanistan.
It also expressed criticism over delays in the issuance of visas for the Afghans and slow processing in asylum cases by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
"The UNHCR is not committed to its responsibilities," said Ehsan Khan, an Afghan refugee.
This comes as the Consul of the Islamic Emirate in Karachi, Abdul JabarTakhari, said that efforts are underway to alleviate the challenges faced by the Afghans who possess legal documents.
"We have tried to make contact with the Sindh government to address the challenges of those Afghans who hold [PoR] cards," Takhari noted.
Meanwhile, the Afghan refugees who had been deported by Pakistan said they are concerned about the arrival of winter season.
Bibi Nazo is living with 10 members of her family in a tent in Kabul.
She called for help.
"They were keeping the Afghans in a prison while our children were at home. We have faced severe difficulties," she said.
"They have only helped me with 10,000 Afs at the border, while I have 13 family members,' said Abdullah, a deportee.
The Pakistani government has announced a new policy, which calls for over 1.73 million Afghan refugees to leave the country.
Source: tolonews.com
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Muttaqi Seeks Global Support for Lifting Sanctions on Afghanistan
2023-11-26
KABUL (BNA): Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate, has urged the United Nations and the international community to focus on resolving critical issues such as economic sanctions and unblocking the frozen assets of Afghanistan.
According to a statement released by the ministry, Mr. Muttaqi discussed these matters with Roza Otunbayeva, the special representative of the UN Secretary-General to Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, on Sunday.
The meeting covered issues such as the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, assistance from the Islamic Emirate to returnees, the UN’s latest assessment of Afghanistan, and other significant issues.
Mr. Muttaqi emphasized that the war in Afghanistan has completely over, calling for UN and global recognition and support for the achievements of the Islamic Emirate in security, economy, governance, drug control, and more.
He urged international organizations to seek solutions to critical issues like economic constraints, frozen assets, and attracting foundational aid to Afghanistan.
Muttaqi asserted that Afghanistan has legitimate and qualified channels to interact with global issues, urging countries and organizations to cooperate through established and official means, bolstering existing mechanisms rather than establishing parallel structures.
Roza Otunbayeva praised the Islamic Emirate’s efforts in assisting the earthquake victims in Herat and the repatriation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan.
She expressed UNAMA’s commitment to contribute in areas such as drug control, support for farmers and returnees, job creation, and providing humanitarian aid.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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WFP Needs $27 Million to Continue Aid Programs in Afghanistan
2023-11-26
KABUL (BNA): The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that it needs $27 million to continue its programs in Afghanistan, which are mostly focused on supporting the Afghan returnees.
The organization has stated that $27.5 million is needed to help the forced returnees from Pakistan. With this amount of money, the organization will help the returnees start anew as a harsh winter looms in the country.
The WFP expects to provide humanitarian assistance to one million people and has helped a quarter of this number so far. Last month, Pakistan set a deadline for hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in that country to leave.
Recently, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked Pakistan to suspend deporting Afghan immigrants and refugees during the winter season. Other international organizations have also made similar requests to Pakistan, but Pakistan has ignored these requests.
It should be noted that Hsiao Wei Li, the country director of the World Food Program for Afghanistan, who recently visited the border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan, said that the returning families reach Afghanistan while tired and hungry.
WFP also expressed concern that the cold winter in Afghanistan would worsen the situation of these repatriates.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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Bangladesh delegation to focus on funding cost of climate change at COP28
November 26, 2023
DHAKA: Bangladesh will focus efforts on funding the cost of climate change at the upcoming climate conference in Dubai, a member of the official delegation told Arab News on Sunday.
The South Asian country is one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change, despite producing only around 0.56 percent of global emissions.
Bangladesh faces severe and increasing climatic risks, with the average tropical cyclones costing the country about $1 billion annually, according to the World Bank.
At the UN COP28 Climate Change Conference that begins on Thursday, Bangladeshi officials will focus on climate funding in the hope of getting initiatives up and running by the end of this year’s talks.
“At least we want the Loss and Damage Fund to be able to start operating,” Ziaul Haque, Environment Department director at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, told Arab News on Sunday.
The fund established at COP27 in Egypt was aimed at providing financial support for poor countries that had been hit hard by the warming planet, such as those experiencing rising sea levels, extreme heat waves, and crop failures, to allow the vulnerable nations to rebuild physical and social infrastructure.
However, a year after the breakthrough, the fund has yet to get off the ground as countries struggle to reach a consensus on its details, such as who will pay and where the fund will be located.
“We are expecting that these issues will be addressed during this COP, get approval and get adopted,” Haque said.
“Very soon, we will make an assessment to calculate our overall losses every year due to climate change impacts. This assessment will include the losses from cyclones, livelihood changes, losses of arable lands, costs of internal migration, etc. A (national) project has been approved in this regard and (is) expected to begin the work in this fiscal year.”
Bangladesh, along with other countries in South Asia, has experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years that has caused large-scale damage. Environmentalists have warned that climate change could lead to more disasters.
For countries like Bangladesh, justice is at the heart of the COP28 talks.
“It’s a matter of justice, because we have not done (anything) but we are being hugely impacted,” Dr. Rashed Al-Mahmud Titumir, who chairs the Department of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka, told Arab News.
“We had huge losses and damages … and we need to adapt and make a transition to green energy. For this, we need technology and finance.
“Every year, the amount of our loss and damage is rising … The global actors should display more action. Without any action, we can’t gain anything. They have been talking about building a fund, predictable finance, additional finance, but nothing is done.”
Source: arabnews.com
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ghazwa-e-hind-case-nia-states/d/131194