What Is Now Happening In Bangladesh Is What Mughal Ruler Babur's Army Did In Ayodhya And Sambhal: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
New Age Islam News Bureau
5 December 2024
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 43rd Ramayan Mela in Ayodhya(HT Photo)
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India
· Hindu Mahasabha Calls For Boycott Of Bangladeshi Muslims Visiting Bengal
· ‘Politics To Get Muslim Votes’: BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi Over Sambhal Visit Attempt
· Soldier shot at in South Kashmir’s Tral
· Jammu and Kashmir: Security breach lens on most secure jail and alleged links with LoC militant handlers
· More BSF boots for Jammu: Bid to nip militants’ winter infiltration in the bud
· Off-duty Army jawan shot at by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama
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Europe
· Manchester United Drops LGBT Rainbow Jacket After Muslim Star Player Refuses to Wear It
· German activist fined for ‘incitement’ after being knifed allegedly by Islamist
· Moment of big opportunity and high risk for Marine Le Pen
· French parliament votes no confidence in Macron’s PM
· Ukrainian APC destroyed by bomber drone in trick strike (MOD VIDEO)
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Mideast
· Palestinians accuse Israeli forces of raiding West Bank hospital
· Israel PM announces body of hostage recovered from Gaza in ‘special operation’
· Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says
· Lebanon says Israel-Hezbollah war death toll at 4,047
· Israeli settlers raid West Bank towns
· Macron says Syria’s Assad cannot be an agent of Iran while acting against security of Israel and stability of Lebanon
· Top IRGC Cmdr.: Iran’s Islamic Revolution at its peak despite hostilities
· A reconstruction of Al-Nouri mosque is being done using the same old bricks that it was originally constructed with
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North America
· Trump's FBI Nominee Targeted In Iran-Backed Hack, Reports Say
· Trump's defence nominee hits out after reports he could be dropped
· Slim majority for Republicans after Democrats flip final House seat
· UN orders Venezuela not to destroy election vote tallies
· US Election Boosts Arab, Muslim Voter Activism – OpEd
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Arab World
· Second Riyadh Dog Festival Focuses On Arabian Saluki
· Saudi Manuscripts Exhibition displays 1,200 years of human heritage in Riyadh
· French President Emmanuel Macron visits Saudi Arabia’s historic AlUla Valley
· KSrelief volunteers aim to combat blindness in Ivory Coast
· ‘Simsimiyya’: Saudi, Egyptian musical instrument joins UNESCO’s intangible heritage list
· Saudi finance minister meets Croatian counterpart in Riyadh
· Saudi Arabia launches second phase of air bridge to Lebanon
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Africa
· National Chief Imam Prays For Peaceful Elections And Bawumia’s Leadership
· Tinubu Can Fix Nigeria, He Is Our Messiah – Lawmaker, Abejide
· Nigerians Must Ignore Naysayers And False Information – Onanuga Reveals What He Saw At
· Police Blame Lakurawa Terrorists For Zamfara Explosions
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Pakistan
· After Islamabad Protest Fiasco, PTI Extends 'Olive Branch' To All Political Parties
· PML-Q not in favour of PTI ban, urges talks with opposition party
· Unlikely for PTI to give protest call again, believes Rana Sanaullah
· In letter to PM, KP CM decries mistreatment post PTI protest
· Kurram clashes: PTI decides against attending APC summoned by KP governor
· SC admits challenge to ban on student unions
· Jirga reaches Kurram, medicines supplied through copter
· Bilawal rushes to meet Fazl after warnings on seminary bill delay
· Five terrorists shot dead in Lakki, says ISPR
· SHC grants former president protective bail in three cases
· Dar briefs diplomats on situation caused by PTI protest, reaffirms Red Zone’s security
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South Asia
· Mass Uprising: Amu, Qamrul Shown Arrested In Genocide Case
· Afghanistan and China Advance Disease Control Talks
· Over 700 escaped prisoners still at large
· $220M Cement Factory Construction Begins in Jabal Saraj
· New Food and Beverage Production Company Launched in Farah
· DABS Officials Engage Turkmenistan on Advancing Regional Energy Projects
· World Bank describes Afghanistan’s economic future as ‘Uncertain’ and Challenging
· Austria donates €5 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
· Over 90% of Afghanistan’s districts face limited access to humanitarian aid: UN Report
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Southeast Asia
· Najib: Illogical That Two Saudi Princes Would Join Jho Low's Criminal Conspiracy To Give Me RM60m; Donation Was Not 1MDB Money
· No official proposal from BRICS countries regarding de-dollarisation - Tengku Zafrul
· Najib: If I had wanted to cheat or steal, ‘insanely stupid’ for me to bring 1MDB money back to Malaysia
· Najib: I never made any meals for Jho Low when he visited my house; but here’s why I trusted this ‘slightly pudgy young man’
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/happening-bangladesh-mughal-army-ayodhya/d/133929
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What Is Now Happening In Bangladesh Is What Mughal Ruler Babur's Army Did In Ayodhya And Sambhal: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
ByHT News Desk
Dec 05, 2024
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 43rd Ramayan Mela in Ayodhya(HT Photo)
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The Uttar Pradesh CM said that those who created difficulties within the society managed to succeed, adding that their genes remain the same to this day.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that what is now happening in Bangladesh is the same as what Mughal ruler Babur's army did in Ayodhya and Sambhal.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 43rd Ramayan Mela in Ayodhya, the BJP leader said that Lord Ram united the whole society.
"Had we given importance to unity and not let the strategy of the nation's enemies succeed in creating social animosity, this country would have never become a slave. Our pilgrimages would not have become impure. A handful of invaders would not have dared to invade us and would be crushed by India's brave soldiers," Adityanath said.
Yogi said that those who created difficulties within the society managed to succeed, adding that their genes remain the same to this day. In an apparent jibe at the opposition, he said "those who indulge in caste-based politics to shatter the social fabric are still active".
"... 500 years ago, a general of Babur committed certain deeds in Ayodhya, similar acts in Sambhal, and what is happening today in Bangladesh. The nature and DNA of all three are the same," CM Yogi said.
And, he said, if someone believes otherwise, then they are mistaken.
"Divisive elements are there already, tearing apart the social fabric, breaking social unity, and making full arrangements 'aapko kaatne aur katwaane ka'," he said.
Many such divisive forces have bought properties across the world, the chief minister said. He said that when a crisis happens in India, those forces flee to their places in other countries and leave behind the citizens here to "suffer and die".
However, CM Yogi's remark is drawing ire from the opposition. Congress MP Tariq Anwar told PTI that a chief minister cannot speak such language. "It is shocking to see such a senior leader of BJP and CM of Uttar Pradesh speaking such language to divide the society."
Sambhal was embroiled in violence over an issue that erupted last month, on a court-ordered survey of a local mosque. The incident led to the death of four Muslim men.
The Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) survey was prompted by a plea filed in a local court, which claimed that the mosque was originally built on the site of a Harihar temple.
Earlier in the day, Sambhal district magistrate Rajender Pensiya said that over 400 people had been identified in connection with the incident, and 32 had been arrested.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has been facing intense situations since the Sheikh Hasina-led government was toppled in August after student protests. Now, protests have been taking place in Dhaka over the alleged atrocities on Hindus and other religious minorities, with people demanding the release of the arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Source:hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/same-dna-uttar-pradesh-cm-yogi-adityanath-compares-ayodhya-sambhal-bangladesh-row-101733390155869.html
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UP: 'Makan Wapas Lo' Protest In Moradabad Housing Society Over Sale Of Flat To Muslim Doctor
By HT News Desk
Dec 05, 2024
The previous owner of the house, Dr Ashok Bajaj, sold the property to Dr Ikra Chaudhary, according to a news agency PTI report.(X/@YouthAgnstHate)
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Residents fear “there will be a disturbance in the demographic structure of the society” if anyone from any other community resides there.
The sale of a house to a doctor belonging to the Muslim community sparked protests at a posh society in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad on Thursday, with locals raising ‘makan wapas lo’ slogans for the person who sold the flat.
The incident occurred at TDI City society, where residents fear “there will be a disturbance in the demographic structure of the society” if anyone from any other community resides there.
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According to a news agency PTI report, the previous owner of the house, Dr Ashok Bajaj, sold the property to Dr Ikra Chaudhary.
Residents staged a demonstration at the colony gate holding banners 'Dr Ashok Bajaj Apna Makan Wapas lo' [take your house back].
Both, the buyer and the seller, were not available for comments.
‘It’s a Hindu society'
"This is a Hindu society, where over 400 Hindu families live. We don't want anyone from the other communities to reside here," the report quoted a protester as saying, adding that the house is near a temple.
Source:hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/up-house-sale-to-muslim-doctor-sparks-protests-at-hindu-tdi-city-society-moradabad-101733388400177.html
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Germany’s appeasement of Islamists has got to stop
5th December 2024
What was Berlin’s chief of police thinking, when she warned Jews and gay people to hide their identities in certain parts of the city?
In an interview last month in the Berliner Zeitung, Barbara Slowik said: ‘There are areas of the city, we need to be perfectly honest here, where I would advise people who wear a kippah or are openly gay or lesbian to be more careful.’ She also said that while she didn’t want to blame any one group for this, ‘there are certain neighbourhoods where the majority of people of Arab origin live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups… and are openly hostile towards Jews’.
The interview has since caused a huge stir in Germany. Sigmount A Königsberg, a leading Jewish-community activist, praised Slowik for ‘so correctly and clearly’ naming the main perpetrators of anti-Semitism in modern Germany. Berlin’s CDU mayor, Kai Wegner, also backed his police chief: ‘She addresses the problems openly, as I expect from her.’ But there has been plenty of outrage, too. The left-liberal Taz newspaper slammed Slowik’s ‘alarmism’ as a gift to right-wingers and conservatives. There is nothing ‘brave’, it argued, in giving voice to what it characterised as anti-Muslim prejudice.
Slowik’s intervention echoes a similarly bleak warning, made several years ago, by the German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein. In 2019, he said that he wouldn’t advise Jews to wear the kippah ‘everywhere, all the time’ when out in public. His remarks caused widespread shock and outrage, with many arguing that Germans must never allow there to be ‘no-go areas’ for Jews.
It’s a damning indictment of the German state that now, five years later, the woman whose primary task it is to ensure the safety of Berlin’s streets, is also advising Jews – and now gay people, too – to hide who they are.
In truth, things have got considerably worse since 2019. The Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 in Israel opened the floodgates to open anti-Semitism in Germany. Within hours of the massacres, people in Berlin’s Neukölln and other areas were seen celebrating and cheering. By December 2023, the police had registered over 1,100 anti-Semitic offences – these included an arson attack against a synagogue and other violent threats. As a result, Israel’s National Security Council issued a travel warning for its citizens travelling to Germany. ‘People should avoid outward displays of their Jewish identity or Israeli citizenship’, the warning said.
If Slowik’s words can be called ‘brave’, then that is only because they mark a change to the usual denialism that characterises the German political class’s attitude to Muslim anti-Semitism. For far too long, the threats emanating from militant Islamism among certain migrant communities have been downplayed or ignored in mainstream and elite circles. Any mention of this has long been considered insulting to migrant communities – or pandering to the right-populist Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Police statistics have also served to obscure the truth. Any case of anti-Semitism in which the perpetrator is unknown is recorded as a case of ‘far right’ crime. That’s why, for years, German elites have been able to claim that anti-Semitism is a problem limited mainly to the right. Even in the immediate aftermath of the 7 October attack, many commentators and academics were still very coy about acknowledging Muslim anti-Semitism – it ‘is widespread throughout German society and is not just a problem for Muslims’, one academic researcher insisted in an interview on 26 October last year.
The Berlin police chief’s remarks show that this denialism is now totally unsustainable. Still, telling Jews and gays to hide their identity is a cowardly response to the problem. As one Jewish journalist argues, it sanctions a form of victim-blaming, allowing the authorities to evade responsibility for guaranteeing the safety of its minority citizens. It also runs counter to everything the German state claims to stand for. Modern Germany, and the city of Berlin in particular, claim to be proud of their thriving gay and Jewish communities. A recent government-led campaign encouraging the ‘visibility’ of Jewish life in Germany looks like a sick joke in light of Slowik’s warning.
It would however be wrong to blame only Slowik and the police – or even just Germany’s migration policies – for the current mess. The real problem is the government’s fundamental lack of clarity about what values it stands for. Germany’s official policies for dealing with anti-Semitism have too often appeared weak, contradictory and self-righteous. German politicians are comfortable in condemning the anti-Semitism of the far right and Germany’s Nazi past. But they are much more nervous when it comes to taking a clear stand against the identitarian, Islamist and Israelophobic forms anti-Semitism takes today.
The German elites’ vacillation over Israel is especially poisonous. Instead of unequivocally acknowledging Israel’s right to defend itself against the deadly attacks from anti-Semitic forces like Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has regularly accused Israel of ‘escalating’ the conflict. In doing so, she gives cover to those who portray Israel as the aggressor – or worse.
Standing up for Israel should not be confused with censoring or silencing those on the Palestinian side, however. Government attempts to shut down ‘pro-Palestinian’ or ‘anti-Zionist’ voices have proven to be counterproductive. On the one hand, the police are unable to guarantee the safety of Jews on Berlin’s streets. On the other, police power is being used to ban pro-Palestine demonstrations and gatherings. In April, the former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, was banned from attending a pro-Palestine event in Berlin. The event was also forcefully shut down by Berlin’s police, only hours after it had started. Seeking to solve a political problem by banning conferences and curtailing free speech is a strategy that is doomed to fail. The April event left the German state looking authoritarian and insincere in its claim to support Western freedoms. It has also allowed some of Germany’s worst anti-Semites to present themselves as victims.
After Slowik’s interview, Berlin’s mayor promised to do his best to address the problems she raised. ‘We will continue to take decisive action against anti-Semitism, hostility towards Israel, homophobia and all forms of crime’, he said. We can only hope that he was being sincere.
Source:spiked-online.com
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https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/12/05/germanys-appeasement-of-islamists-has-got-to-stop/
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Amnesty says Israel carrying out ‘genocide’ in Gaza
December 05, 2024
“There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent,” Agnes Callamard. (AP/File)
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THE HAGUE: Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of “committing genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying a new report was a “wake-up call” for the international community.
The London-based rights organization said its findings were based on “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from Gazans.
“Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them,” Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.
“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now,” she added.
The Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack inside southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a deadly Israeli military offensive as Israeli officials vowed to crush the militants.
Israel has repeatedly and forcefully denied allegations of genocide, accusing Hamas of using the Palestinian people as human shields.
“There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent,” Callamard told AFP at a press conference in The Hague.
The 300-page report points to incidents where there “was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives.”
It cites 15 air strikes in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and April 20, which killed 334 civilians including 141 children, for which the group found “no evidence that any of these strikes were directed at a military objective.”
In addition to tens of thousands of deaths and physical and psychological trauma, the report also points to the conditions on the ground, where it said Palestinians are subjected to “malnutrition, hunger and diseases” and exposed to a “slow, calculated death.”
“States that transfer arms to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and are at risk of becoming complicit,” Callamard added during the press conference.
Since the start of the war, at least 44,532 people have been killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
Amnesty International has also announced that it will publish a report on the crimes committed by Hamas during the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages during the attack, some of whom were already dead. Of those, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli army says are dead.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581850/middle-east
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Supreme Court reluctant to overturn Tennessee transgender law
5 Dec, 2024
Bernd Debusmann Jr
The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has an opportunity to weigh in on the issue of transgender medical care.
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A majority of US Supreme Court justices appear reluctant to lift Tennessee's ban on hormone therapy and puberty blockers for children under 18.
The high court heard arguments about the transgender law on Wednesday and its decision, expected next year, could impact similar laws in 25 other states.
Three Tennessee transgender teenagers, their parents and a doctor have argued that the 2023 ban violates a US constitutional guarantee of equal protection, saying it discriminates based on sex.
The hearing was the first time that the current court, which has a conservative majority, openly discussed a significant battle in the US "culture wars".
The Biden administration and US medical groups argue that the law prohibits transgender individuals from accessing drugs and therapies that are available to other adolescents with medical need. They also say it hinders parents' rights to seek needed care for their children.
During hours of oral arguments on Wednesday, five of the Supreme Court's nine justices expressed doubts on the legal challenge to the ban and the arguments made by lawyers for the families and the administration.
Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether judges should decide what he described as a medical issue - saying such questions are traditionally left up to state lawmakers.
"The constitution leaves that question to the people's representatives, rather than to nine people, none of whom is a doctor," he said.
The court's three liberal justices appeared to be firmly on the side of the Tennessee families.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, compared the law to legislation prohibiting interracial marriages that was struck down in the 1960s.
"The laws here operate in the same way," she said. "The question of 'can you marry this other person' depended upon what your race was."
"I take your law to be doing basically the same thing," she added.
Tennessee's solicitor general, J Matthew Rice, pushed back and repeatedly argued that the law does not discriminate based on gender.
Mr Rice argued that the law is designed "to protect minors from risky, unproven medical interventions".
In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that federal law prohibits discrimination against transgender employees.
Earlier this year, the court also upheld an Idaho ban against transgender medical treatments involving children, but it did not express an opinion on the constitutionality of the statute.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3wepv7jyvdo
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India
Hindu Mahasabha calls for boycott of Bangladeshi Muslims visiting Bengal
05 December, 2024
Kolkata: The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha on Wednesday condemned the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and called for a boycott of Bangladeshi Muslims visiting West Bengal.accommodation to Bangladeshi citizens until until the country apologises for the alleged desecration of the Indian flag. Speaking to reporters, Goswami said, "We appeal to all to refrain from renting rooms, providing hotel accommodation, or selling goods to Bangladeshi Muslims visiting India for medical treatment or other purposes. This stand will continue until the neighbouring country officially apologises for the acts of its extremist groups who have insulted our national flag." Goswami, however, made it clear that the organisation does not label all Bangladeshi Muslims as extremists. "We are not saying that all Muslims from Bangladesh are bad or terrorists. However, we cannot ignore that the heinous acts of genocide and the desecration of the Indian flag are fueled by Islamic fundamentalists," he noted.Goswami further reminded the neighbouring country of its historical debt to India, stating, "The very existence of an independent Bangladesh on the world map is the result of the ultimate sacrifice made by Indian soldiers. The crimson red in Bangladesh's national flag symbolises the blood of those soldiers. Bangladeshi citizens must return home and confront their extremist elements to protect the image of Islam and uphold humanity." The Hindu community in Bangladesh, the country's largest minority, finds itself at a critical juncture following unprecedented violence and political upheavaChinmoy Krishna Das, who served as a spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday while en route to Chattogram to attend a rally.He was denied bail and sent to jail on Tuesday by a court in the neighbouring country. Historically, Hindus made up approximately 22 per cent of Bangladesh's population during the 1971 Liberation War. The Hindu population, once a substantial demographic in Bangladesh, has experienced a significant decline in recent decades, with the minority community now comprising only around 8 per cent of the country's total population. This drop is largely attributed to a combination of socio-political marginalisation, exodus and sporadic violence over the years.
Source:deccanherald.com
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https://www.deccanherald.com/india/west-bengal/hindu-mahasabha-calls-for-boycott-of-bangladeshi-muslims-visiting-bengal-3303914
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‘Politics to get Muslim votes’: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi over Sambhal visit attempt
Dec 04, 2024
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of enacting a drama over his visit to Sambhal to “appease” the party's Muslim vote bank. The Uttar Pradesh police stopped Gandhi at the Delhi-UP border today, preventing him from visiting the violence-hit city in the BJP-ruled state.
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his attempted Sambhal visit.
"Both Akhilesh and Rahul are trying to do politics to get Muslim votes. They are enacting a drama. The decline of SP and Congress is certain. SP will become 'Samaptawadi Party' and there will be Congress-mukt Bharat," Maurya said.
He said Sambhal violence – in which four people died on November 24 – was a fallout of Samajwadi Party MLA and MP's rivalry.
BJP's national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Gandhi wanted to visit Sambhal without giving prior intimation to authorities. He said the Congress and the Samajwadi Party were fighting for Muslim votes.
"Rahul Gandhi had gone there without taking his partner in the INDI Alliance with him just to grab media attention. There is a conflict going on between the two parties,” Trivedi said in an apparent reference to the Congress and the Samajwadi party.
Trivedi said Gandhi did not try to visit Sambhal out of “any sympathy” but to grab media attention and get a “better photo-op” than the leaders of his party’s ally Samajwadi Party.
He said Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, was required to give a prior intimation to the authorities about his visit because he has been the “highest level of security” after the prime minister.
"Rahul Gandhi has Z-plus ASL security. ASL means advanced security liaison. This is the highest level of security after the prime minister's. Only the Home Minister and the Defence Minister have this security besides him (Gandhi),” he said.
"If you honestly wanted to go there (Sambhal) and he had some sympathy, he would have given an intimation (to the authorities) in advance…You did not have any intention to go there. You just did a formality and then returned,” he added.
He said the two parties wanted to capture their core vote.
“This so-called yatra of the Congress was motivated by mutual competition among the parties in the INDI alliance to capture and get hold of the core vote. The core vote for which INDI Alliance constituents came together. Nowhere any sympathy for people is visible in it,” the BJP Rajya Sabha MP added.
Rahul Gandhi, whose convoy returned from the Ghazipur border, said the authorities had infringed upon his right as the Leader of the Opposition.
The Sambhal violence erupted during a survey ordered by a local court to ascertain the presence of remnants of a Hindu temple inside a Mughal-era mosque.
Source:hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/politics-to-get-muslim-votes-bjp-slams-rahul-gandhi-over-sambhal-visit-attempt-101733314018830.html
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Soldier shot at in South Kashmir’s Tral
December 5, 2024
by Bashaarat Masood
A soldier was injured when suspected militants shot at him in south Kashmir’s Tral.
The soldier, identified as Delair Mushtaq Sofi, a resident of Khanagund village in Tral, had come home on leave when some suspected militants fired at him Wednesday evening. The soldier was shot in the leg and was immediately rushed to hospital for treatment.
According to police sources, Sofi is an army man with Territorial Army and is currently posted at Pattan in north Kashmir.
Wednesday’s attack is the second militant attack on a local soldier in the past two months. On October 8, a rifleman of the Territorial Army was killed by the militants after he was abducted during a search operation in south Kashmir’s Kokernag.
Source:indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/off-duty-army-jawan-shot-terrorists-j-k-pulwama-9706758/
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Jammu and Kashmir: Security breach lens on most secure jail and alleged links with LoC militant handlers
Muzaffar Raina
05.12.24
Jammu and Kashmir police’s twin counter-insurgency intelligence wings on Wednesday raided Srinagar’s Central Jail to investigate a security breach at the Union Territory’s biggest and most secure prison and the alleged links of some inmates with militant handlers across the LoC.
The police said the Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) and the State Investigation Agency (SIA) conducted a joint raid on the Central Jail in connection with a “terror-linked case”.
The jail had been in the news for the wrong reasons on multiple occasions in the past but Wednesday’s raid suggested the government’s much-publicised hard line has not succeeded in curbing such activities at its most secure jail.
A police spokesman said the searches were conducted in pursuance of a warrant issued by the court of the special judge designated under the NIA Act.
The spokesman said the case pertained to a larger conspiracy hatched by militant organisations in Jammu and Kashmir and across the LoC to create “new terror modules” through misuse of social media applications.
“Youths of Kashmir are lured by varied ways and means including radicalisation/ instigation/ provocation, etc, with the intention to make the youths indulge in unlawful and terrorist activities and also to join terrorist ranks for furthering the activities of these terrorist organisations,” a statement said.
The spokesman said banned militant organisations were operating at the behest of Pakistani agencies and in connivance with overground workers, supporters, facilitators and sympathisers in Kashmir.
The spokesman said that during the investigation of the case, it emerged that mobile phones and other devices had been used in the Central Jail “for communicating with active terrorists and passing on directions so received from the handlers sitting across for furtherance of terrorist activities”.
“As such, the searches were conducted in different blocks/ barracks of the Central Jail at Srinagar wherein incriminating materials such as SIM cards, mobile phones and other digital devices having a bearing on the investigation of the case have
been recovered and seized,” he said.
The police said the investigating agency was also looking into “how these digital communication devices reached the jail premises”.
“Facilitators/ collaborators in this act will also become the subject of investigation,” the spokesman said.
The police said the operation was aimed at uncovering “crucial evidence” to curb illicit activities and prevent the misuse of communication devices inside security zones, including jails, and “dismantling the terror ecosystem in the UT”.
Security forces and intelligence agencies have ramped up their operations across Jammu and Kashmir after a spate of militant attacks.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-security-breach-lens-on-most-secure-jail-and-alleged-links-with-loc-militant-handlers/cid/2068295
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More BSF boots for Jammu: Bid to nip militants’ winter infiltration in the bud
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui
05.12.24
The Border Security Force has deployed additional personnel along the Line of Control with Pakistan, especially in the Jammu region that witnessed a surge in militant attacks this year, following intelligence inputs pointing to the possibility of infiltration by terrorists during winter, sources in the force said on Tuesday.
“Nearly 3,000 additional personnel have been deployed in the Jammu region following specific intelligence received by the force to thwart infiltration attempts by militants which tend to increase during the winter. These personnel were earlier deployed in Maoist-hit areas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha,” said a BSF official in Delhi.
Jammu, which has become the new infiltration hotspot along the India-Pakistan border, had been relatively terror-free over the past two decades until 2021 when the region witnessed a spike in militant attacks. The recent surge in terrorist attacks in the Jammu region has left the Centre red-faced as it is being seen as a setback for the government’s claim of normality in “Naya Kashmir” since the abrogation of Article 370.
Over 50 security personnel have been killed in militant attacks in the Jammu division since 2021. “Security agencies had found at least 15-20 vulnerable points in the Jammu region, which have been plugged. The anti-infiltration grid along the LoC is now very strong and the security forces are well prepared to impede infiltration,” the BSF official said.
Unlike Kashmir, which is relatively flat, Jammu is rugged and mountainous. The Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu are more conducive for militants because of their proximity to the Line of Control, the mountainous landscape and thick forests.
Heavy snowfall in December and January makes infiltration routes via mountain passes in north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Kupwara districts difficult. Pakistan-based terrorists then shift their focus to the international border, using the relatively lower terrain in Jammu to attempt infiltration. “The focus is on strengthening surveillance and response capabilities along the international border,” said a security official in the home ministry.
A series of terror attacks were reported in Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda districts of Jammu this year that have killed more than 40 people, including 18 security personnel and village defence guards.
In September, the Centre approved the recommendations of a committee that suggested upgrading fencing and other security infrastructure on the “vulnerable” stretches along the 3,323km India-Pakistan border. The panel was set up to determine the vulnerability of guarding structures along the border, which runs through Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu, to check infiltration.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/border-security-force-deploys-additional-personnel-along-line-of-control-with-pakistan-especially-in-jammu/cid/2068291
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Off-duty Army jawan shot at by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama
04.12.24
An off-duty Army jawan was injured after being shot by terrorists in the Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday, officials said.
Delhair Mushtaq, a resident of Aripal area in Tral, sustained two bullet injuries on the legs. The incident occurred near his house at Sofigund, they said.
Mushtaq was rushed to a hospital where his condition is stated to be stable, they said.
The soldier was on leave and had come home to spend time with his family. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the assailants, the officials said.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/off-duty-army-jawan-shot-at-by-terrorists-in-jammu-and-kashmirs-pulwama/cid/2068261
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Europe
Manchester United Drops LGBT Rainbow Jacket After Muslim Star Player Refuses to Wear It
4 DECEMBER 2024
Manchester United have been plunged into chaos after a devout Muslim star player refused to wear a rainbow jacket to show support for the LGBTQ+ community – leaving his teammates divided.
Red Devils players have previously worn a Pride-themed jersey to warm up ahead of games, over the past two years, to show support for the LGBTQ+ community as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign.
And the club planned to walk-out in a rainbow jacket prior to their clash against Everton on Sunday only for Moroccan star Noussair Mazraoui to refuse, the Athletic has now reported.
The outlet claims that Mazraoui, who is a devout Muslim, told his colleagues that he would not be wearing the jacket and cited his religious faith as his reasoning.
United decided that no player would wear the tracksuit, so Mazraoui would not be singled out publicly – with the decision reportedly just taken hours before kick-off on Sunday.
His move comes after England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi defied a Football Association reprimand by writing a religious message on his rainbow-coloured captain’s armband last night – and Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy has now twice refused to wear the rainbow armband. …
In a statement today, Manchester United said the club “welcomes fans from all backgrounds, including members of the LGBTQ+ community”, adding: “We are strongly committed to the principles of diversity and inclusion.
“We demonstrate these principles through a range of activities, including support for our Rainbow Devils supporters’ club, and campaigns to celebrate our LGBTQ+ fans and combat all forms of discrimination.
“Players are entitled to hold their own individual opinions, particularly in relation to their faith, and these may sometimes differ from the club’s position.”
United’s LGBT fan group Rainbow Devils this morning issued a response, saying it was “disappointed” in the summer signing.
Source:dailysceptic.org
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https://dailysceptic.org/2024/12/04/manchester-united-drops-lgbt-rainbow-jacket-after-muslim-star-player-refuses-to-wear-it/
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German activist fined for ‘incitement’ after being knifed allegedly by Islamist
4 December 2024
Michael Stürzenberger, a German activist and critic of political Islam, has been sentenced to pay a €3,600 fine for “incitement of the people” by a court in Hamburg.
The penalty on November 25 came six months after he was almost knifed to death, allegedly by an Afghan Islamist.
Stürzenberger confirmed the verdict on his Instagram account.
He has been expressing his alarm over what he has referred to as the dangers of political Islam for more than a decade.
He is the chairman of the citizens’ movement Pax Europa, whose mission is to inform the public about what it sees as the existential dangers the spread of political Islam creates for democratic societies in Germany and Europe.
On 31 May 2024, during an open-air event in the centre of Mannheim, Stürzenberger was attacked with a knife, allegedly by Sulaiman Ataee, an Afghan immigrant.
He was stabbed multiple times and had to undergo emergency surgery. Several bystanders were also targeted and Ataee allegedly also stabbed a police officer in the head and neck. The officer, Rouven Laur, later died of his injuries.
According to the state prosecutor on November 6, the alleged assailant had shown sympathy for the terror organisation Islamic State. Ataee’s neighbours have told German media he had been calling for a Muslim caliphate and lectured children about Islam. He is currently in custody awaiting trial.
Stürzenberger has since left the hospital but is still suffering from the after-effects of the assault.
The judges in Hamburg ruled that Stürzenberger had defamed refugees and Muslims during a protest in city in October 2020. A lower court had previously sentenced him to six months in prison. That was later reduced to four months’ probation on appeal, which was then replaced with the financial penalty of 120 daily payments of €30.
Stürzenberger told German news site Deutschland Kurier on November 29 that while at the protest he and his colleagues had informed interested passers-by about political Islam. “We draw a clear distinction between the dangers of political Islam and the many normal Muslims here who hold our democratic values in high esteem,” he said.
The prosecution had focused on six “pointedly put” remarks, which had led to the conviction for “incitement of the people”.
Stürzenberger has said that he believed most asylum seekers coming into Germany were not politically persecuted. He also alleged that many criminals in Germany were “Muslims from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Northern Africa” and said it was the programme of political Islam “to get women under control”.
Brussels Signal reached out to Stürzenberger and Pax Europa for additional commentary but had received no reply at the time of writing.
The Hamburg verdict has been met with stern criticism from many commentators. Among them, Dieter Arnold, an MP for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Bavaria, called it “a disgrace for the German justice system”.
Source:brusselssignal.eu
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https://brusselssignal.eu/2024/12/german-activist-fined-for-incitement-after-being-knifed-allegedly-by-islamist/
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Moment of big opportunity and high risk for Marine Le Pen
5 December 2024
Paul Kirby
Backing the collapse of Michel Barnier's French government is a high-stakes moment for Marine Le Pen.
It could lead to her best chance of power yet as head of France’s far-right National Rally.
"I'm not calling for Emmanuel Macron's resignation," she said, but she made it perfectly clear he was responsible for France's political deadlock and "pressure on the president will become stronger and stronger".
Before she had decided to push for Barnier's downfall, she said she wasn’t "the master of the clocks" - the one who dictated the agenda.
But that may well be exactly what she now becomes, by bringing down Emmanuel Macron’s second government since he beat her to the presidency for a second time in 2022.
As his presidency looks ever weaker, it is Le Pen who appears to have the upper hand.
However, this situation is not without immense risks for her too.
Le Pen has played a waiting game for years as National Rally’s leader. She may be tantalisingly close to power now - but she is having to make big choices.
Pushing for a no-confidence vote "comes as a considerable risk because people are now wondering if she’s really acting in the interests of the country or her own, personal interests," says Prof Armin Steinbach of HEC business school in Paris.
“What is obvious is that it’s not about Barnier... it’s about her trying to overthrow and weaken Macron, obviously for her personal ambitions to herself become the next president,” he told the BBC.
Le Pen has long sought to “normalise” National Rally (RN) in the eyes of the French people, rebranding it six years ago from her father’s old National Front.
Jump back a few months to France’s snap parliamentary elections when RN came first with 32% of the vote. Her mission appeared almost complete, even if it could only manage third place in the run-off round.
Now in the dying days of 2024, she is taking a gamble on whether French voters will see her as acting in the national interest in bringing down a weakened government because she objects to its 2025 budget that aims to bring down France’s budget deficit from 6% of national output, or GDP.
Barnier had already agreed to several of her demands on social security - but Le Pen decided it was not enough.
There are real economic risks for France, as well as real political risks for Le Pen in backing a left-sponsored vote of no confidence.
After only three months in the job, Barnier has appealed to MPs to act in France’s greater interest, but Le Pen’s party leader Jordan Bardella has accused him of adopting a “strategy of fear”.
Le Pen’s colleagues are sensing Macron’s potential downfall.
RN adviser Philippe Olivier told Le Monde the president was “a fallen republican monarch, advancing with his shirt open and a rope around his neck up to the next dissolution [of parliament]”.
It was Macron’s surprise decision to call an early parliamentary election in June that has left France in the political deadlock it finds itself now.
Le Pen’s argument is that Barnier didn’t include enough of her demands in his budget, while Barnier said his budget wasn’t “aimed to please” - and he accused her of "trying to get into a kind of bidding war" during their negotiations.
The RN leader could end up plunging France “into the great political and financial unknown”, in the words of Le Figaro deputy editor Vincent Trémolet de Villers.
She won’t want to be labelled as the politician who pushed France into economic turbulence when in her eyes it is Macron who is to blame for France’s economic state.
“It’s a result of seven years of amateurism and a spectacular drift in our public finances,” she has said.
There are plenty of French voters who want Macron gone before his term ends in 2027. Recent polls suggest at least 62% of the electorate think the president should resign if the Barnier government falls.
National Rally would arguably be in line with the broader electorate if it pushed for that, even if Le Pen has not yet done so.
But the RN leader has other issues going on behind the scenes which her critics believe might be influencing her judgement.
On 31 March, a French court will rule in a long-running trial against her and other party figures on allegations of misuse of European Parliament funding.
Prosecutors want her to go to jail and face a five-year ban in public office.
If that were to happen, her hopes of winning the presidency would be dashed.
For Marine Le Pen this moment really could be now or never.
Three times she has run for the top job. If she does get to run a fourth time in the coming months she is in with a strong chance of winning.
Jordan Bardella is already considered more popular than Le Pen both within National Rally and beyond, and if Macron does see out his term, the 29-year-old party chief would be favourite to run in 2027.
No French government has fallen after a no-confidence vote since 1962.
Get this wrong and Le Pen may not be forgiven next time France goes to the ballot box.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86w9n705z8o
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French parliament votes no confidence in Macron’s PM
4 Dec, 2024
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, as lawmakers on both the left and the right united to oust him.
A no-confidence motion requires 288 votes in the National Assembly. Wednesday evening’s motion received 331 votes, with the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) and the right-wing National Rally (RN) uniting in opposition to the minority cabinet imposed by President Emmanuel Macron.
“I don’t consider it a victory,” RN’s Marine Le Pen told TF1 after the vote. “We made the choice we made to protect the French people.”
“It was not done lightly,” Le Pen added. “There was no other solution.”
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of NPF’s largest party, said that the outcome was “inevitable” and called for Macron’s resignation.
“Even with a Barnier every three months, Macron will not last three years,” he said on X. The French president has ruled out resigning, however.
Macron appointed Barnier in September, drawing the ire of NPF. The left-wing coalition had won the most seats in the parliament in this summer’s snap elections, as part of a pact with the president to sideline RN. But Macron then turned around and snubbed NPF in favor of a minority cabinet that relied on the tacit support of RN.
Things came to a head over the social security budget proposal, in which Barnier tried to cut spending by €40 billion ($41.87 billion) and to raise €20 billion in taxes to deal with a massive deficit. RN threatened a no-confidence vote unless the cabinet made a number of concessions to its “red lines.”
Le Pen accused the prime minister of being “extremely closed-minded and sectarian” in the budget talks and gave Barnier a deadline to meet RN’s demands, which Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin rejected.
There have been almost 150 no-confidence motions since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958. Prior to Wednesday, only one government had ever been ousted – Georges Pompidou’s, in October 1962.
Barnier is likely to stay on as a caretaker PM until Macron can appoint a replacement. It took the French president nearly two months to do so after July’s parliamentary election. Another vote is not an option, because the French constitution forbids it until at least a year has passed.
Source:.rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/608739-france-confidence-vote-barnier/
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Ukrainian APC destroyed by bomber drone in trick strike (MOD VIDEO)
4 Dec, 2024
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a new video reportedly showing the destruction of a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier (APC) by a bomber drone.
The thermal video, reportedly taken by the bomber drone itself, was captured at the Vremevka Ledge, a string of villages in the west of Donetsk People’s Republic. The area saw active combat during the ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive last year. In recent weeks, it has seen a new uptick in fighting, with the Russian military advancing at multiple locations.
The video shows the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier, apparently an old Vietnam War-era US-made M113 or a similar vehicle, poorly concealed in shrubbery. It had apparently sustained a hit offscreen, likely by an FPV kamikaze drone, before the bomber UAV finished it off. The APC is missing its engine cover, its anti-drone netting is torn, and its supports are visibly bent.
The bomber drops what appears to be a hand grenade right into the half-open top hatch of the APC, prompting the troops inside to attempt to evacuate.
The munition, however, goes off, causing a massive blast and fire inside the APC, likely triggering extra ammo kept inside. The footage ends with a flyover of the destroyed vehicle, with the corpses of its occupants visible from the opened rear ramp.
Bomber drones have been actively used by both sides of the conflict, with such UAVs deployed to strike stationary or abandoned vehicles, fixed positions, groups of soldiers, and so on. The bomber drones commonly carry a handful of small munitions, such as hand grenades, modified ammo for automatic grenade launchers, or homemade explosive devices. Heavier models can carry mortar and land mines, engineering munitions and other heavier explosives.
Source:.rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/608738-ukrainian-apc-bomber-drone/
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Mideast
Palestinians accuse Israeli forces of raiding West Bank hospital
December 04, 2024
NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: The Palestinian health ministry in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday condemned a raid by Israeli forces on a hospital in Nablus and the arrest of an injured patient.
Israeli authorities confirmed the raid on Wednesday evening in which they apprehended a Palestinian injured in an Israeli strike the day before.
The health ministry in a statement called the raid “a flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions that stipulate the protection of treatment centers and patients.”
The detained Palestinian is from near Tubas in the northern West Bank, where he was targeted in an Israeli strike on Tuesday that the Israeli military said killed three other Palestinians.
Medical sources confirmed the man’s identity to AFP and that he was injured in the strike.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military, the Shin Bet security service and the Israeli police announced that they had arrested the man at a hospital in Nablus.
They accused him of being “the third member of a terrorist cell that carried out the shooting attack” at Mehola junction in August in which an Israeli was killed. They also accused him of planning to carry out further attacks and posing “an imminent threat to Israeli civilians.”
The Palestinian health ministry called on “international institutions” and the Red Cross to “intervene immediately to stop the occupation’s attacks on treatment centers and staff, demanding immediate protection for the health system and all its components.”
The Israeli organizations said: “The security forces will continue to operate wherever necessary to thwart terrorism in the area and to maintain the safety of Israeli civilians.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581840/middle-east
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Israel PM announces body of hostage recovered from Gaza in ‘special operation’
December 04, 2024
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a statement Wednesday that the body of a hostage had been recovered from the Gaza Strip.
“In a special operation, the body of hostage Itay Svirsky, who was kidnapped on October 7 (2023) from kibbutz Beeri and murdered in captivity by Hamas terrorists in January 2024, was brought back,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office.
The body of Svirsky, who was 38 when he was kidnapped during Hamas’s surprise attack, was recovered in an operation by the Shin Bet internal security agency, aided by the military, both organizations confirmed in a joint statement.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a campaign group for relatives of those abducted to Gaza, welcomed the return of Svirsky’s body while demanding the immediate release of the remaining hostages.
“The families continue to wait for their loved ones after 425 days of captivity. Many hostages remain alive but in grave danger, requiring immediate release for urgent medical care and rehabilitation. Others must be returned for dignified burial,” it said.
Separately on Wednesday, the Israeli military released a statement on its investigation into the deaths of six hostages, whose bodies were recovered in August.
The military said they were likely executed by their captors as Israel struck near their location in February.
“According to the most plausible scenario, the terrorists shot the hostages close to the time of the strike,” the military said.
During the October 7, 2023 attack, militants kidnapped 251 people, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli military.
Svirsky’s is the 38th body of a hostage to be brought back from the Gaze Strip.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581819/middle-east
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Israeli strikes on a Gaza tent camp kill at least 21 people, hospital says
December 04, 2024
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli aircraft struck a sprawling tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to a local health official, setting off fires in the coastal tent city that Israel has designated a humanitarian zone but which has been repeatedly targeted.
The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants “involved in terrorist activities” in the area, without providing additional details, and said it took precautions to minimize harm to civilians.
The strikes were the latest deadly assault in the war-wracked Gaza Strip, where Israel’s offensive against Hamas is nearly 14 months old and showing no end in sight, despite international efforts to revive negotiations toward a ceasefire.
The Biden administration has pledged to make a new push to get a ceasefire for Gaza after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to end more than a year of cross-border fighting. And President-elect Donald Trump demanded in a social media post this week the release of hostages held by Hamas before he is sworn into office in January.
The strike Wednesday in Muwasi, a desolate area with few public services that holds hundreds of thousands of displaced people, also wounded at least 28 people, according to Atif Al-Hout, the director of Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.
An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted at least 15 bodies, but he said reaching a precise number was difficult because many of the dead were dismembered, some without heads or badly burned.
Videos and photos shared widely on social media showed flames and a column of black smoke rising into the night sky, as well as twisted metal tent frames and shredded fabric. Palestinian men searched through the still-burning wreckage, shouting “Over here guys!” Further away, civilians stood at a distance, observing the destruction.
The military said the strikes had set off secondary explosions, indicating explosives present in the area had detonated. It was not possible to independently confirm the Israeli claims, and the strikes could also have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the camp.
The strikes followed earlier Israeli attacks on other parts of the Gaza Strip that killed eight people, four of them children, according to Palestinian medics. The military said it had struck “terrorist targets” in a series of strikes.
On Wednesday, Israel said its forces recovered the body of one hostage who was captured alive during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, yet who Israel believes was killed by his captors. Israel believes about a third of the remaining 100 hostages are dead.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581814/middle-east
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Lebanon says Israel-Hezbollah war death toll at 4,047
NAJIA HOUSSARI
December 04, 2024
BEIRUT: The death toll in Lebanon in more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has reached 4,047, most of them since violence escalated in September, Lebanese Minister of Public Health Firass Abiad said on Wednesday.
A week after a ceasefire took effect he said that “until now ... we have recorded 4,047 dead and 16,638 wounded.”
He said 316 children and 790 women were among those killed.
Most of the deaths occurred after Sept. 15, he said, adding that “we believe the real number may be higher” because of unrecorded deaths.
During the fighting, according to Abiad, there were “67 attacks on hospitals, including 40 hospitals that were directly targeted,” killing 16 people.
“Seven of these hospitals are still closed,” the minister said.
“There were 238 attacks on emergency response organizations, with 206 dead,” he said, adding that 256 emergency vehicles, including fire trucks and ambulances were also targeted.
The Lebanese army at noon on Wednesday redeployed in the border town of Shebaa after withdrawing from the area following the Israeli army incursion on Oct. 1 during the war between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army established positions in its previous locations in Shebaa, extending to the public school south of the town.
The redeployment, however, did not include border posts, such as Birkat Al-Naqar and the Kfarchouba Heights, pending the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.
The Israeli army is expected to evacuate the areas it infiltrated within a 60-day timeframe, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.
This step is the first phase of the agreement, focusing on security and border arrangements between Lebanon and Israel.
The five-party committee responsible for monitoring the ceasefire in Lebanon is expected to hold its first meeting within the next 24 hours, under the leadership of US General Jasper Jeffers.
The venue for the meeting, whether in Ras Al-Naqoura or the UNIFIL headquarters in the town of Naqoura, has not yet been announced.
In addition to the US representative, the committee includes representatives from France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL.
The French military delegation representative is expected to arrive in Beirut within hours.
A military source said that the Lebanese army had appointed Brig. Gen. Edgar Lowndes, commander of the South Litani Sector, to represent Lebanon on the committee.
The US military delegation inspected the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and held a meeting with the UNIFIL commander.
The invading Israeli forces, meanwhile, continued to demolish residential buildings and facilities in the towns they entered.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV reported that “an armored force supported by Merkava tanks was observed advancing into neighborhoods within the town of Yaroun, coinciding with the movement of an Israeli force inside Maroun Al-Ras and intermittent machine-gun fire toward the city of Bint Jbeil.”
Residents of towns near the border area heard loud explosions, suspected to be caused by the rigging and detonation of explosives in dozens of buildings in Khiam as part of Israel’s scorched-earth policy.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army renewed for the sixth time its warning to residents of more than 50 border towns against trying to return to their homes “until further notice.”
Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works Ali Hamieh said on Wednesday that several international airlines that suspended their flights to Lebanon during the war had sought permission to resume flights to and from Beirut, and approvals were being granted on the same day.
The minister said he expected most flights by Arab and foreign companies to return to a regular schedule by the middle of this month in time for Christmas and New Year.
Hamieh said that Lebanon’s seaports had continued to operate “diligently during and after the war, and we are still committed to the same principle of providing prompt service to all traders across the nation.”
The minister indicated that ministry teams were trying to reopen all roads blocked by debris resulting from the destruction of buildings.
He said teams were still active in Nabatieh and the southern regions, and work had begun in the southern suburbs of Beirut, as well as in the Baalbek-Hermel area and Western Bekaa.
He said that nearly all roads in Lebanon are now accessible.
The minister said that the Masnaa Border Crossing between Lebanon and Syria was now open, and work was underway on the crossings in the northern part of the country. A series of Israeli airstrikes struck the Masnaa Border Crossing, resulting in craters that hindered the passage of vehicles.
Consequently, the movement was limited to foot traffic under the surveillance of Israeli reconnaissance aircraft, which the Israelis justified by claiming the action was to prevent weapons being smuggled to Hezbollah.
Former Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, meanwhile, urged Hezbollah to explore its future role and how to engage with the president — who will be elected on Jan. 9 — and the new government.
Hezbollah, he said, should also find ways to address its weapons after evaluating the fall-out from the war in support of Gaza, and its impact on the south, Lebanon, its people and institutions, Gaza, Palestine, Syria, and Iran.
Suleiman said: “We call on the authorities, politicians, citizens, and civil society organizations to speak out — without flattery or shame — and tell Hezbollah and its supporters that Lebanon does not want war, nor does it want to offer support.
“Tell Hezbollah that you wish to preserve the youth of Lebanon by ending brain drain, martyrdom, disability, or death caused by their inability to access medical care or meet basic needs such as tuition fees, housing costs, or even just adequate nutrition.”
Suleiman called on the incoming president to “establish a national dialogue entity focused on creating a timetable for Hezbollah to disarm and dissolve its armed factions within a maximum of one year.
“This process should occur through a national strategy, agreement, solution, or a Cabinet decree.
“If an agreement cannot be reached, the president must return to Parliament with a constitutional message and decide on the next course of action to fulfill his duties.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581809/middle-east
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Israeli settlers raid West Bank towns
December 04, 2024
HUWARA, Palestinian Territories: Israeli settlers on Wednesday wounded a Palestinian and set buildings on fire while raiding two villages in the occupied West Bank after a nearby settlement outpost was evicted by Israeli forces, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
“Israeli civilians entered the village of Beit Furik” east of the Palestinian city of Nablus, the Israeli army said, adding that they “set property on fire, and hurled stones.”
Local authorities told AFP the attacks took place early on Wednesday morning.
The army said that the settlers reacted after Israeli forces “acted against illegal construction by Israeli civilians adjacent to the town of Beit Furik” on Tuesday night, triggering clashes during which the settlers injured two policemen with stones.
Nahi Hanani, deputy head of the Beit Furik council, told AFP that dozens of settlers attacked the village “setting fire to a truck in front of one house and another vehicle,” early on Wednesday.
“They also set fire to a grocery shop in the village and another house was slightly damaged,” he said.
The army said the Israelis also “set property on fire and threw stones” in Huwara, a town to the south of Nablus.
Rana Abu Hania, spokeswoman for Huwara’s town hall, confirmed to AFP that one resident was injured when settlers attacked the town early on Wednesday.
“They burned two cars and the house of one citizen... The army also demolished a used car lot,” said Abu Hania.
Yusef Awadi, a resident of Huwara, told AFP that settlers burned his brother’s house Wednesday morning.
“They set fire to the Jeep and to the car outside... They entered the house, set it on fire, and then left,” the 66-year-old said, adding that his brother Tayseer was hospitalized.
“He was hit on the head and... was transferred to Rafidia Hospital,” Awadi told AFP, adding that had his brother’s family not been awake, “they would have all burned with the house.”
In a joint statement, the Israeli army and police said that eight suspects were arrested in the investigation into the Beit Furik and Huwara attacks, “for assaulting security forces, engaging in friction, and causing damage to property.”
The army said that there were also clashes between the Israeli army and “about 20 Israelis” in Rujeib, a town closer to Nablus, on Tuesday evening.
The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians as well as 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.
Violence in the occupied Palestinian territory has soared since the war in Gaza erupted on October 7 last year after Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 788 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Ramallah-based health ministry.
Palestinian attacks on Israelis have also killed at least 24 people in the West Bank in the same period, according to Israeli official figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2581804/middle-east
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Macron says Syria’s Assad cannot be an agent of Iran while acting against security of Israel and stability of Lebanon
ANNAHAR
December 04, 2024
In an exclusive interview with Annahar and Randa Takieddine, French President Emmanuel Macron said recent events show that Syria’s future requires more than normalization with Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom he said cannot be an agent of Iran and act against the security of Israel and the stability of Lebanon.
You are making a state visit to Saudi Arabia. What are your expectations in bilateral terms, having recently received a Saudi business delegation, the minister of investment, and the director of Saudi Aramco?
This will be my third visit to Saudi Arabia. The prime minister and crown prince have also visited Paris several times, and we are in regular contact. This state visit is particularly important, however, as it will enhance our relations to a strategic partnership. It comes at a particular time in which Saudi Arabia is swiftly transforming, opening up and diversifying its economy. For France, this will be an opportunity to show our support for Saudi Vision 2030 and the international events Riyadh will be hosting.
I will also be visiting AlUla, which is the jewel of our cultural cooperation. This visit also comes at a critical time of multiple regional and international crises. It will therefore be an opportunity to take initiatives together to foster peace, security and international prosperity. Our two countries have a major role in this respect and can also strengthen ties between this part of the world and Europe, in the spirit of the ambition shown by the recent EU-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.
Saudi Arabia has an important role in the region. What are your expectations for its involvement in Lebanon and the region? If there is a ceasefire, what role do you think you and Saudi Arabia can play in Lebanon and Gaza?
Strengthening our political dialogue is one of our goals. France and Saudi Arabia share the same commitment to regional security and stability and will work together to find lasting political solutions to crises. That will be at the heart of our discussions with the crown prince. Our efforts to achieve a de-escalation in regional conflicts are aligned, particularly in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan.
We and Saudi Arabia are both convinced that a ceasefire is needed in Gaza that enables the liberation of the hostages, including our two nationals, and of course protects the people of Gaza who are in an unacceptable situation of distress, while allowing humanitarian aid to be delivered. We have been calling for this ceasefire since November, and we have been waiting too long. It must come now, it must be permanent, and it must re-open the prospect of a two-state solution. I welcome the work by Saudi Arabia and its Arab partners in defining an Arab vision for peace, updating the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 and sketching out a pathway out of the crisis. A credible framework needs to be worked on jointly to achieve a Palestinian state and guarantee Israel’s security. The UN Security Council and everyone who has a role to play must shoulder their responsibilities.
We will not stop calling for the ceasefire in Lebanon. It is essential for all parties — and this goes for both Hezbollah and Israel — to fulfill their obligations. The international community must continue its efforts to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are essential to this agreement and to the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty, in line with the conference we held in Paris on Oct. 24 this year.
Saudi Arabia contributes to Lebanon’s stability and has a role to play in bringing an end to the political crisis. At this crucial time for Lebanon’s future, it is important for us to discuss the reconstruction of the country, as well as the political prospects of the upcoming Jan. 9 session of the Lebanese Parliament with the aim of electing a president. All Lebanese actors must contribute to the solution. Hezbollah must facilitate consensus and foster Lebanese unity.
When will France recognize the Palestinian state?
It is urgent to preserve the two-state solution and the viability of a Palestinian state in the context of increased settlement-building, the measures taken against UNRWA and growing pro-annexation discourse. It is absolutely necessary to offer Palestinians real hope of a better life in an independent state and thus cut short any source of legitimacy for Hamas, which has nothing to offer but violence and destruction. The two peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, must be offered a response to their legitimate aspirations, otherwise the region cannot hope for lasting stability.
The recognition of the Palestinian state must contribute to speeding up the two-state solution, and France is ready. In that spirit, we supported Palestine’s accession to the UN as a fully-fledged member. We have voted for all UN General Assembly resolutions in this regard. For it to happen, recognition must take place in a context that enables a lasting end to the crisis. Alongside Saudi Arabia, we will co-chair a conference to give renewed political momentum to the two-state solution and will work on this in Paris.
Will resuming dialogue with Bashar Assad enable the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to Syria and control of the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent Iran from rearming Hezbollah?
Recent events have clearly shown that Syria’s future needs far more than normalization with Bashar Assad. The Syrian people need unity and hope. Dialogue with the regime is not an end in itself. The fighting in recent months has pushed many refugees, along with a million displaced Lebanese people, onto the roads toward Syria, but the question remains fully open. The Syrian regime must create an environment that enables the safe return of Syrians to their country. I have discussed this recently with my European and Arab counterparts. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is talking about it with the Syrian regime, which must provide answers. Assad cannot be Iran’s agent and undermine Israel’s security and Lebanon’s stability.
What role will France play during this ceasefire? Do you think displaced persons will be able to return to the bombarded southern villages? What role can Saudi Arabia play in the implementation of this ceasefire?
France has always stood with Lebanon and the Lebanese people and does so, once again, at this critical moment. The ceasefire agreement follows months of joint diplomatic efforts with the US, and France is contributing to the monitoring mechanism. On Oct. 24, we laid the groundwork for its implementation by holding a conference that raised €1 billion ($1.05 billion) for Lebanon, including €800 million for displaced persons and €200 million for the Lebanese Armed Forces. This effort needs to continue, and France has already decided to deploy additional engineering and mine clearance assets to support the Lebanese army. I will send our army and foreign ministers to Lebanon very soon to work on all these points. Lebanon’s reconstruction will of course be another one of our priorities and will require a sustained international effort.
Will you continue talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite France’s recognition of the International Criminal Court’s decisions? Could France’s independent judiciary itself execute the arrest warrant?
We have always supported international justice. France will fulfill its obligations under international law, in this case and all others. The judiciary’s decisions are totally independent.
France talks to everyone, and that is what enables it to play a role in the region. We must be clear-sighted: The region’s crises cannot be resolved without dialogue with the Israeli authorities.
Source:arabnews.com
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Top IRGC Cmdr.: Iran’s Islamic Revolution at its peak despite hostilities
Dec 4, 2024
Fadavi made the remark on Wednesday evening in a ceremony in the city of Gahru, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, to honor the martyrs of the city.
He said that enemies of Iran have in the past decades attempted to block the progress of the Islamic Republic, but their measures have made Islamic Iran stronger.
The military commander said that the US and its allies have also confessed that they have achieved no victory against Iran despite their continuous hostility towards the country.
Source:en.irna.ir
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A reconstruction of Al-Nouri mosque is being done using the same old bricks that it was originally constructed with
Dec 4, 2024
The archaeological committee supervising the reconstruction of the Al-Nouri Mosque in the city of Mosul confirmed today, Wednesday, that the construction of the mosque's minaret is continuing using old materials and the same original pieces of bricks from the minaret that were blown up by ISIS terrorist gangs in 2017.
The head of the committee, archaeologist Abdullah Mahmoud, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The construction work on the minaret of the Al-Nuri Mosque has been completely completed, and all that remains are the interior tiles and some finishes such as electrical work, windows and doors."
Mahmoud added, "We preserved the archaeological and heritage character of the minaret by using the original pieces of brick and the same mortar materials used previously. We also preserved its tilt and fine details such as the geometric decorations implemented on the body of the minaret. The return of the minaret is the return of the spirit to Mosul because it expresses the city's identity."
In turn, UNESCO site engineer Mustafa Khaled Al-Diwani told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "The reconstruction of the Al-Nour Mosque by UNESCO was carried out in cooperation with the Inspectorate of Heritage and Antiquities and the Sunni Endowment in Nineveh, and now we are witnessing the completion of the construction work inside the minaret completely."
Al-Diwani added, "The documented artifacts that were obtained from within the site were included, which are approximately 25 thousand artifacts from the body of the minaret, and we used a mixture of ancient and modern methods in rebuilding the minaret with a new foundation that preserves the architectural heritage identity of the minaret."
Source:ina.iq
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North America
Trump's FBI nominee targeted in Iran-backed hack, reports say
5 Dec, 2024
James FitzGerald
US President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI was reportedly one of the targets of a recent cyberattack backed by Iran.
The FBI informed Kash Patel that his communications had been targeted, two people familiar with the matter told CBS News, the BBC's partner network in the US. It is not clear whether the alleged hacking attempt was successful or how much information might have been breached.
The news follows warnings from US officials of Iran-based hackings on Trump allies since the summer. Prosecutors charged three Iranians in September in connection with a cyberattack on Trump's 2024 election campaign.
Iran has previously denied similar allegations.
In a statement to US news outlets that did not specifically acknowledge the reports, a Trump spokesperson said: "Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration's efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump's policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI director."
The FBI declined to comment on the alleged hacking.
Officials have previously accused Iran of making repeated efforts to target people close to Trump, who ordered a deadly drone strike on top Iranian commander Gen Qasem Soleimani in 2020, during his first stint in the White House.
In September, US authorities charged three members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with hacking Trump's presidential campaign. The trio were accused of leaking stolen material to the rival Democratic campaign.
The scale or consequences were not clear following the fresh hacking attempt of Patel, which was first reported by the news website Semafor.
Source:bbc.com
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Trump's defence nominee hits out after reports he could be dropped
5 Dec, 2024
Christal Hayes & Nadine Yousif
Donald Trump's embattled nominee for defence secretary says he still has the president-elect's backing after reports suggested his nomination may be in jeopardy over allegations of misconduct.
Trump is considering replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the BBC's partner CBS News reported, after Hegseth's nomination came under intense scrutiny.
Since Trump nominated the former Fox News host, questions about Hegseth's qualifications have been raised - and a past sexual assault allegation has surfaced.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing, and was never arrested or charged.
Hegseth, on Wednesday, did not address the DeSantis reports directly and told reporters that Trump had told him to "keep going, keep fighting".
He spent most of the day in closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill, seeking to quell concerns and shore up support in the Senate.
“I spoke to the president this morning. (Trump) supports me fully. We’re not going anywhere,” Hegseth told the BBC, stopping to speak outside the Senate chamber.
In a post on X on Wednesday morning, Hegseth accused "the Left" of trying to smear him with "fake" stories.
But his nomination is also the subject of growing scrutiny by members of his own party - including US senators who have the power to confirm or deny his appointment when asked to vote on it.
"I think some of these articles are very disturbing," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS on Tuesday. "He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is going to be difficult."
"The president gets the benefit of the doubt with his nominees," fellow Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota told the BBC. "But we still have a role to play. We’ll ask him questions and we’ll go from there.”
Other Republicans signalled that they supported Hegseth despite the controversies.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida said he believed Hegseth would receive a Senate confirmation. He told reporters that Hegseth was "somebody that's clearly smart, and he's somebody that clearly wants to make changes."
DeSantis, who was elected Florida governor in 2018, did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Trump declined to say whether DeSantis was under consideration for the post.
DeSantis ran against Trump in the Republican primary, and before dropping out, he was considered by some to be "Trump 2.0" - a Republican who could deliver Trump's populist agenda without the baggage.
The latest speculation - first reported by the Wall Street Journal - comes as Hegseth meets members of Congress this week to discuss the job and drum up support.
Jasmine Crockett, a House Democrat from Texas and vocal Trump critic, does not view DeSantis as a better choice.
Like Hegseth, Crockett says DeSantis will "continue the culture war issues" he battled as Florida governor that could hinder the military's "problem with recruitment".
A graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, Hegseth was an infantry platoon leader in Guantanamo Bay and Iraq, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
In nominating Hegseth, who is also a former Fox News TV host, Trump highlighted the former soldier's education, and his military experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - our military will be great again, and America will never back down," Trump wrote.
But even as a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 44-year-old does not have the extensive experience typical for the cabinet position. He also would be the second-youngest person to serve in the office.
In addition, since his nomination, a police report detailing accusations of an alleged sexual assault in 2017 has surfaced.
The woman quoted in the complaint said that Hegseth, then a Fox host, took her phone and blocked the door to a hotel room while at a Republican conference in California.
Hegseth denies any wrongdoing, saying the encounter was consensual.
In an interview published Wednesday, conservative journalist Megyn Kelly asked Hegseth if he had assaulted a woman in Monterey, California, in 2017.
"Absolutely not," he replied.
His mother, Penelope Hegseth, defended her son on the Fox and Friends programme on Wednesday morning after the New York Times published details of an email she wrote to him in 2018, accusing him of routinely mistreating women.
"I wrote that in haste. I wrote that with deep emotions," she said of the email, adding that her son and his first wife were "going through a very difficult divorce".
"He's redeemed, forgiven, changed. I think we all are after seven years," she said.
In addition to the accusations, some of Hegseth's past comments about how he might change the defence department have also raised eyebrows.
On a recent podcast, Hegseth said the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff - the top military leader in the US - should be fired, along with any military leader "involved in any of the DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] woke [expletive]".
He also has argued that women should not serve in combat roles because this practice had not made the military "more effective" or "more lethal".
"As we think about his comments that talk about DEI, it's yet another disqualifying attribute that he has," Representative Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told the BBC.
There is increasing scepticism about Hegseth's chances of getting enough votes to be confirmed by the Senate, CBS reports.
At least four Republican senators would be likely to vote against him if they voted today, two sources told the news outlet.
Republicans are expected to have a three-seat majority in the Senate, with 53 out of 100 senators, which must confirm cabinet-level positions in Trump's new team. Losing four Republican votes would be enough to sink Hegseth's nomination, provided Democrats and independents also vote against him.
Hegseth is not Trump's first controversial nomination before he returns to the White House.
Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who Trump nominated for US attorney general, also faced scrutiny over allegations of sexual misconduct - which he denied - that were the subject of a congressional report.
Gaetz eventually withdrew his nomination in late November, saying that the controversy against him "was unfairly becoming a distraction" from the work of the incoming Trump administration.
Source:bbc.com
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Slim majority for Republicans after Democrats flip final House seat
5 Dec, 2024
Republicans will hold a narrow majority in the US House of Representatives next year, after Democrats won the final uncalled race in California on Tuesday.
A slender win for Democratic candidate Adam Gray in California's 13th congressional district leaves his party on 215 seats in the lower chamber of Congress, compared with the Republicans' 220.
The trifecta of House, Senate and presidency - last achieved at the start of Donald Trump's first term in 2017 - will give the president-elect significant power to enact his agenda on the economy, immigration and other key issues.
But with a narrow House majority Republicans could still struggle to secure enough votes for some actions.
A majority is achieved in the 435-seat chamber when a party wins 218 seats - which the Republicans surpassed.
The final congressional race to be called in the country was in California's Central Valley - nearly a month after America went to the polls on 5 November. It is not unusual for some contests to take days or weeks to be called.
The race ended in victory for Gray over the Republican incumbent John Duarte, by a margin of fewer than 200 votes, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.
Gray said it showed the area was "ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the Valley's people ahead of partisan politics".
In the presidential contest, Trump beat Kamala Harris in all seven closely watched swing states - handing him a decisive advantage as he mounted a comeback unmatched by any previously defeated president in modern times.
Trump has vowed swift action in his first 100 days in office, including the start of mass deportations of unlawful migrants in the US.
And with the next mid-term elections set for 2026, the president-elect is expected to enjoy at least two years of limited congressional oversight.
The election results also leave Democrats with less leverage to challenge policies they disagree with, though narrow margins mean Republicans in the Senate could still struggle to secure enough votes for some actions.
The House majority could be further eaten away with Trump's selection of a number of Republican lawmakers for key jobs in his incoming administration- notable Elise Stefanik and Michael Waltz.
There is already one vacancy after the resignation of Trump ally Matt Gaetz from the House.
Gaetz left Congress after being lined up to be the next attorney general - only to withdraw after days of debate over whether a committee should release a report on sexual misconduct allegations against him. He denied wrongdoing.
Source:bbc.com
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UN orders Venezuela not to destroy election vote tallies
5 Dec, 2024
Vanessa Buschschlüter
The United Nations' Human Rights Committee has ordered Venezuela "to refrain from destroying" the voting tallies from July's presidential election.
The voting tallies - a detailed official breakdown of the votes from each polling station - have been at the centre of the dispute over who won the election.
The government-aligned National Electoral Council (CNE) declared the incumbent, President Nicolás Maduro, the winner but failed to provide the voting tallies to back up its claim.
The opposition, which with the help of accredited election witnesses collected and published more than 80% of the voting tallies, says these prove that its candidate, Edmundo González, was the overwhelming winner.
The Human Rights Committee - a UN body made up of 18 independent experts - said it was investigating allegations of electoral fraud following a complaint brought by a law firm on behalf of a Venezuelan voter.
As part of that investigation, the committee demanded that the Venezuelan state preserve the detailed voting data from the presidential election on 28 July.
There has been huge pressure on the CNE - which is stacked with government loyalists - to release the voting tallies.
But more than four months on from the election, it still has not done so, blaming an alleged computer hack on election night for its unprecedented failure to provide the data within 30 days of the election date.
In contrast, the opposition quickly uploaded the voting tallies it had gathered onto a website.
Independent observers and media, including the New York Times and CNN, say those tallies suggest that Edmundo González won the election with 67% of the votes compared to Maduro's 30%.
But Nicolás Maduro has dismissed the tallies published by the opposition as "fraudulent" and maintains that he is the election winner.
He is ploughing ahead with preparations for 10 January, when he says he will be sworn in to his third consecutive term in office.
This has pitted him against a growing number of countries, including the United States, Italy, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Uruguay, which have recognised González as the president-elect of Venezuela.
IHR Legal, the international law firm which brought the complaint before the UN Human Rights Committee, said the case was "pioneering" and "historic" and could lead to the committee "confirming that Nicolás Maduro is not the president-elect of Venezuela".
Source:bbc.com
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US Election Boosts Arab, Muslim Voter Activism – OpEd
December 5, 2024
By Ray Hanania
Donald Trump was last month elected for a second term as US president, winning not only all of the nation’s seven swing states but also a clear majority of the popular vote. Many Arab American voters are believed to have supported Trump, with the remainder split between Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein.
Although Trump could easily have won without their support, Arab and Muslim voters formed a key constituency for the president-elect and helped fuel his return to the White House.
Even before incumbent President Joe Biden stumbled during his debate with Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, two growing movements led by Arab and Muslim Americans raised the specter that Biden could not defeat the former president, a prospect the mainstream American media largely rejected at the time. The Abandon Biden movement and the Uncommitted National Movement energized voters to make their concerns about the Biden administration’s unconditional support of Israel’s genocide in Gaza a catalyst for change.
Although the mainstream news media pretty much ignored the protests led by Abandon Biden and Uncommitted, their frustrations with Biden’s policies and, later, Harris’ failure to take their anger over Gaza seriously helped set the stage for the Democratic Party’s defeat on Nov. 5.
The formation of Abandon Biden and Uncommitted helped to energize Arab and Muslim communities to vote in a way that had not been seen since Arab American Institute President Jim Zogby and the Rev. Jesse Jackson elevated the Arab voice at the Democratic National Conventions in 1984 and 1988.
Arabs and Muslims are traditionally conservative constituents who embrace issues such as family values, oppose the promotion of gay, lesbian and transgender rights in schools and place a high value on religion in education, which would seemingly align them with the Republican Party. However, over the past several decades, Arab Americans have often gravitated toward the Democrats, who have been more liberal in their rhetoric about Arab and Palestinian rights and in opposing Islamophobia.
Biden sought to reenforce those allegiances in the wake of Trump’s first term in office, citing his rival’s rhetoric of “banning” Muslim immigration into the US. Although Trump did often cite his “Muslim ban,” it was a limited and exaggerated phrase that targeted immigrants who came from seven Muslim-majority nations where war and conflict undermined the immigration vetting process.
During his campaign ahead of the 2020 election, many Arab and Muslim Americans responded keenly to Biden. He even released a comprehensive policy document titled “Joe Biden and the Arab American Community: A Plan for Partnership.” This plan outlined several commitments aimed at addressing the concerns of Arab Americans and fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.
After his election victory, Biden ended Trump’s so-called Muslim ban and named more than two dozen Arab Americans to various positions in the White House and the State Department.
Among the appointments was Maher Bitar, who was named senior director for intelligence programs at the National Security Council. Bitar had previously served as director for Israel and Palestinian affairs during the Obama administration and as general counsel for the House Intelligence Committee. He was joined by Hady Amr as deputy assistant secretary for Israeli and Palestinian affairs within the State Department, Gwen Graham as assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs at the Department of Education and Ismael Ahmed, who was nominated to serve on the National Council on the Arts.
Despite their positions in government, however, most of these appointees were prohibited from speaking publicly, particularly after the Gaza conflict exploded on Oct. 7, 2023. And while Biden has continually expressed support for the two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, he has not taken any significant steps to implement a plan in the face of the growing extremism in Israel’s government.
The Abandon Biden and Uncommitted movements deserve recognition for energizing Arab and Muslim voters, as revealed by an October YouGov poll commissioned by Arab News. It indicated that 87 percent of Arab Americans planned to vote in the election, with a slight 2 percent preference for Trump over Harris. That difference appeared to be sustained throughout the remainder of the election campaign.Global development impact investing
Despite being marginalized by many media pundits, Arab and Muslim Americans increased their engagement and that had a positive impact in growing their voter base. It is now also helping to fuel candidacies in local elections across the country. Many Arab and Muslim Americans are declaring their candidacies for elections not only in Michigan, but also in Illinois, Texas, Florida, New York and California.
While Arab and Muslims may not have been the tipping point that gave Trump his big election win, they certainly created an environment that energized voter activism in their communities.
Source:eurasiareview.com
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Arab World
Second Riyadh Dog Festival focuses on Arabian Saluki
SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI
December 04, 2024
RIYADH: The Riyadh Dog Festival returns for its second year with a range of activities and competitions to draw an international crowd of dog lovers, with a spotlight on the Arabian Saluki breed.
The festival, part of Riyadh Season 2024, began on Dec. 2 and is scheduled to run until Dec. 7, featuring more than 1,000 dogs in various activities, according to the General Entertainment Authority.
It will host several competitions, including five main categories: Saluki races, agility dog races, working dog races, a dog beauty contest, and K9 shows.
Attendee Sara Abdulrahman brought her white miniature poodle Cloud, who struck a pose in his colorfully dyed ears and paws.
Abdulrahman told Arab News she attended the event to see what the festival had to offer.
“I want to see what they (Riyadh Season) have prepped for Saudi Arabia and who will win the competition. I also came to get a change of scenery and take a walk with Cloud.”
Wanting her pet to have a different look, Abdulrahman found a pet salon in the Kingdom that dyes animals’ coats with natural ingredients.
“I wanted a different look for my poodle. They are all usually white or brown so I wanted something new and stylish.”
Abdulrahman is one of the many visitors who attended the festival with their pets.
The event spotlights the Saluki breed with a specialized museum. The Saluki is one of the oldest purebred dogs in the world and is believed to have originated in the Middle East.
The museum includes an educational exhibit about the breed’s history and regional significance.
Other attractions at the festival include a Cat Lounge, with different breeds of cats visitors can feed and play with, and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and classic car display featuring decked-out motorcycles and vintage vehicles.
Additional activities include dog fashion shows, grooming demonstrations, a dog park, and a sheepdog demonstration.
The event offers comprehensive facilities and services, including a dedicated dog club, diverse restaurants and cafes, retail shops, and fully equipped health clinics to ensure proper care for participating dogs.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi Manuscripts Exhibition displays 1,200 years of human heritage in Riyadh
December 04, 2024
RIYADH: The Saudi Manuscripts Exhibition is being held in Riyadh until Dec. 7, with a display of human heritage spanning more than 1,200 years.
Blending historical diversity with modernity, the exhibition underscores Saudi Arabia’s commitment to preserving global cultural heritage and promoting intercultural dialogue, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Organized by the Libraries Commission, the exhibition is a global focal point for dialogue and innovation, bringing together visitors and researchers through 22 workshops and 30 panel discussions.
These sessions highlight the latest techniques in manuscript preservation and restoration, fostering collaboration among global experts.
The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives is also participating in the exhibition to show off Saudi heritage and highlight the Kingdom’s efforts to preserve, maintain, digitize and make manuscripts more accessible.
With more than 2,000 rare manuscripts on display — including records from the cultural and intellectual history of the Arabian Peninsula, ancient copies of the Qur’an, scientific, medical and astronomy texts, and manuscripts from the First Saudi State — the exhibition exemplifies the richness and universality of human heritage.
It aims to highlight the Kingdom’s prominent role in preserving and safeguarding cultural heritage while promoting awareness of its civilizational value.
Moreover, it underlines the commission’s efforts to use technology to preserve manuscripts and establish connections with specialized international institutions.
The exhibition has attracted a large number of visitors, immersing them in a rich cultural and civilizational legacy, SPA reported.
Among the exhibition’s highlights is The Title of Glory in the History of Najd, a manuscript that is more than 100 years old, preserved by the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh.
Another featured piece, Explanation of the Chapters of Hippocrates, is presented using hologram technology, enabling visitors to explore its chapters interactively and learn about its significant content.
The exhibition underscores Saudi Arabia’s efforts to make its historical and intellectual heritage accessible to the public while using cutting-edge technology to enhance engagement and understanding.
Source:arabnews.com
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French President Emmanuel Macron visits Saudi Arabia’s historic AlUla Valley
December 04, 2024
RIYADH: French President Emmanuel Macron visited the historic AlUla Valley on Wednesday as part of his state visit to Saudi Arabia.
Accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Macron began his tour at Hegra, the ancient Nabataean city known for its spectacular stone-carved landmarks, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Hegra, also known as Mada’in Salih, was Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Macron was guided through the most prominent monuments and archaeological sites in the area.
The tour included a visit to Qasr Al-Farid (Lonely Castle), which is the largest Nabataean mausoleum in the area, carved into a massive standalone rock formation.
Macron also visited the spectacular Qasr Al-Bint, home to 31 tombs dated from the year nought to A.D. 58 and carved with monsters, eagles, animals and human faces.
The party then viewed Al-Diwan, a site that resembles an open-air theater set amid Hegra’s natural landscape and surrounded by columns and stonewalls adorned with intricate designs.
The French president was joined on the tour by Prince Salman bin Sultan, the Madinah governor, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the minister of culture and governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), and Majid Al-Qasabi, the minister of commerce.
On Tuesday, Macron visited the historic At-Turaif district in Diriyah, northwest of Riyadh, where he attended a horse show and toured the Diriyah Museum.
Source:arabnews.com
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KSrelief volunteers aim to combat blindness in Ivory Coast
December 05, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief’s Noor Saudi volunteer project to combat blindness and its causes was implemented in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, last month.
During the campaign, which ran for a week, KSrelief's volunteer medical team examined 4,000 cases, performed 406 specialized eye surgeries, and distributed 1,154 pairs of eyeglasses.
The initiative is one of the humanitarian and relief projects carried out by the aid agency to support the medical sector and assist low-income patients suffering from eye diseases in various countries.
Source:arabnews.com
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‘Simsimiyya’: Saudi, Egyptian musical instrument joins UNESCO’s intangible heritage list
December 05, 2024
RIYADH: Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi minister of culture and chairman of the Heritage Preservation Society, has announced the success of including the Simsimiyya musical instrument in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
Saudi Arabia supported on Wednesday an Egyptian request to inscribe the Simsimiyya on UNESCO’s list during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Simsimiyya is part of Saudi culture in coastal towns, and is used to play traditional music at weddings and festivals alongside songs narrating stories of sailors and social life near the sea, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Simsimiyya, which is made from a wooden box or bowl lyre with strings, is also famous in Egypt.
It is the latest Saudi cultural element to be added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. Other elements were Saudi Khawlani coffee beans, the art of engraving on metals, the Harees dish, Arabic calligraphy, and the palm tree.
Simsimiyya has passed down through the generations in Saudi Arabia and become part of the Kingdom’s artistic identity and collective memory, and is still played at cultural and social events, SPA reported.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi finance minister meets Croatian counterpart in Riyadh
December 04, 2024
Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan met with his Croatian counterpart Marko Primorac at the Zakat, Tax and Customs Conference in Riyadh on Wednesday.
They discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation as well as prominent topics related to global economy and finance, the Saudi minister wrote on X.
He also met separately with his Indonesian counterpart, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Indian Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, to discuss bilateral relations.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia launches second phase of air bridge to Lebanon
RASHID HASSAN
December 04, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has launched the second phase of an air bridge to Lebanon to help alleviate the suffering of people displaced by deadly Israeli strikes.
Nasser Al-Nafe, a spokesman for the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, told Arab News that this initiative continues the Kingdom’s humanitarian role in alleviating the suffering of those affected around the world.
He said the second phase was launched in accordance with the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to KSrelief, providing humanitarian aid to those affected and displaced in Lebanon.
Al-Nafe said that the initiative includes sending 27 planes carrying essential supplies such as food, shelter materials, medical aid, baby formula, personal care items and winter supplies, including blankets.
The mission, coordinated with relevant Lebanese authorities, will distribute aid to displaced families in shelters in various regions of Lebanon, helping to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Continuing these efforts, KSrelief also announced the second phase of an aid initiative focused on various food, shelter and health projects to meet the needs of Lebanese families.
These efforts will be carried out in collaboration with international and UN humanitarian organizations and local community institutions in Lebanon.
This initiative is expected to provide support to more than 1.6 million people.
KSrelief emphasizes the need to intensify humanitarian efforts in Lebanon, including supporting medical centers for emergency services and covering part of operational costs.
Among the key facilities supported are the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, the Tripoli Governmental Hospital in northern Lebanon, and primary healthcare centers in the most hard-hit areas of Lebanon.
KSrelief also supports health and child programs across Lebanon in collaboration with local and international institutions, benefiting hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens and refugees.
Additionally, the Saudi aid agency is working to increase the production capacity of bakeries in regions with high numbers of displaced people and to cover winter clothing needs for thousands of Lebanese families.
Source:arabnews.com
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Africa
National Chief Imam prays for peaceful elections and Bawumia’s leadership
Dec - 04 - 2024
The Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, joined the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, and a gathering of Imams, Zongo Chiefs, and other community leaders in Accra for a special prayer and thanksgiving session.
The event, held on Tuesday, centred on prayers for the nation’s peace and stability as Ghana heads to the polls on December 7.
Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu led the prayers, invoking verses from the Qur'an to seek God’s favour for Ghana, particularly for a peaceful electoral process. The National Chief Imam emphasised the importance of unity and prayed for continued harmony in the country.
The session was also an opportunity for stakeholders to collectively pray for the nation’s stability during and after the elections.
In a significant part of the event, Sheikh Osman led prayers for Dr Bawumia, asking for divine guidance and blessings for the Vice President’s leadership journey.
The National Chief Imam’s prayer session was filled with Qur’anic recitations, calling for strength, wisdom, and success for Dr Bawumia as he prepares for the crucial election.
The gathering, attended by Zongo leaders and key members of the Muslim community, reinforced the role of faith and unity in ensuring a peaceful electoral process.
Source:graphic.com.gh
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Tinubu Can Fix Nigeria, He Is Our Messiah – Lawmaker, Abejide
5 December 2024
By Justina Otio
A member of the House of Representatives for Yagba Federal Constituency, Hon Leke Abejide, has said that President Bola Tinubu is the messiah Nigeria needs.
He insisted that Tinubu is capable of fixing the country and Nigeria will begin to see the effect of the present administration by 2026.
The lawmaker stated this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“By the time we get to 2026, they will see this country, everybody will be praising the President. He is the messiah that Nigeria needs now and he can fix Nigeria,” the lawmaker said
Abeji faulted the previous administration for the country’s economic crisis.
He said everything went down completely, faulting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under Godwin Emefiele for minting excess currency.
“At the twilight of the last administration, even for you to get N1,000 in your pocket, was it easy? You know how much was printed by the CBN. How can the economy survive like that? Who will take you seriously?
“Things are getting better. This exchange rate issue will be fixed with time. It is better we go to reality than hiding,” he added
Speaking further, Abejide claimed that Tinubu’s controversial tax reform bills will reduce Nigeria’s borrowing.
“If you look at this tax bill and see the structuring that is taking place there, it shows that this level of borrowing in Nigeria will reduce in the near future.
“We will not be borrowing money to finance the budget as much as we are doing now and we will be able to finance the infrastructure,” he added.
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/12/05/tinubu-can-fix-nigeria-he-is-our-messiah-lawmaker-abejide/
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Nigerians Must Ignore Naysayers And False Information – Onanuga Reveals What He Saw At Port Harcourt Refinery
5 December 2024
By Oladipo Abiola
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has confirmed that the Port Harcourt Refinery is back in operation.
Onanuga, in a post shared via his X account early on Thursday, said he and some others visited the refine on Wednesday to get first-hand information on its operations following reports that the facility is not back in production as its management announced to Nigerians.
Naija News recalls the refinery resumed crude oil processing on November 26 after several years of being moribund.
However, some Nigerians who were doubtful about the refinery’s operation questioned the reported revitalization based on the concerns raised by some stakeholders.
However, the presidential media aide said after the visit, he can fully confirm that the Port Harcourt Refinery is up and running, urging Nigerians to ignore the false information making rounds about the facility.
Onanuga confirmed that he and others in the delegation were given a guided tour of the Port Harcourt Refinery by Managing Director Ibrahim Onoja, and they were satisfied with what they saw.
According to him, though the refinery is not working at 100% capacity, it is functioning at 70% installed capacity, with plans to ramp up production soon.
“I was part of a fact-finding team that visited the 60,000 barrels daily Port Harcourt Refining Complex on Wednesday. I will now share our findings. Our mission was to verify the rumours circulating about the refinery’s state, and I am pleased to report that we were satisfied with what we saw.
“Our team, guided by the refinery’s Managing Director Ibrahim Onoja, toured the entire complex, from the computerised control room to the loading bay and every section in between. We asked pointed questions and received satisfactory answers, dispelling our doubts and misconceptions.
“Nigerians must ignore naysayers and false information about the refinery’s operations. While it is not currently running at 100%, it is functioning at 70% installed capacity, with plans to increase production shortly. Furthermore, the refinery receives regular crude supplies, contrary to claims that it lacks crude to refine.
“During our visit, we confirmed that the refinery produces petroleum products, including kerosene, low-pour fuel oil, LPG, diesel, and gasoline. The latter is blended with other products to make the petrol we use in our cars. We even tested samples of the products,” he said.
The presidential media aide added that old machinery and equipment at the refinery have been replaced with new ones which match up to current international standards.
He again assured that the refinery is back to life and Nigerians must ignore naysayers spreading lies and doubts about its operations.
“The refinery’s recent overhaul has transformed it into a modern facility. We saw upgraded and replaced parts, including part of the 300km new pipelines. Some parts the company had not changed in 27 years have been replaced with new ones, bringing the refinery up to 21st-century standards.
“The revamping work has indeed brought the refinery back to life. What was once a 20th-century refinery has been transformed into a state-of-the-art facility.
We also visited the co-located second Port Harcourt refinery, commissioned in 1989. Workers were busy dismantling old, rusty parts and replacing them with new ones. Although officials declined to provide a timeline for its completion, there was an air of confidence that it would soon be operational, joining its 60,000 barrels a day counterpart.
“My curiosity has been satisfied. I commend NNPC Limited and the refinery team for reviving this dead asset, which was on the verge of becoming a museum piece.
“Our fact-finding mission has buried the various doubts and lies about the Port Harcourt Refinery Complex,” he concluded.
Source:naijanews.com
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Police Blame Lakurawa Terrorists For Zamfara Explosions
4 December 2024
By Oladipo Abiola
The Police Command in Zamfara says the Lakurawa terrorist group is responsible for the recent explosions that rocked two villages in Dansadau district, Maru Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Dalijan, made the submission on Wednesday.
According to him, one person died, while three others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the explosion caused by a bomb planted under the bridge by the Lakurawa terrorists.
Naija News understands the explosion occurred around 8 am on Wednesday after a commercial driver conveying passengers to Dansadau town ran into an explosive device suspected to be planted by the terrorists.
The Police chief, however, vowed that the security forces would dislodge all the terrorists.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with Daily Trust, Dalijan said: “Yes, there was an explosion along Dansadau road this morning and it was a bomb planted under a bridge. The motorist stepped on it and and it exploded killing one person and injured three others.
“Preliminary investigations indicated that it was remnant of Lakurawa terrorists that were being pressed by the soldiers to leave Nigeria that planted the explosive. The terrorists are now trying to find their way to Birnin-Gwari forest en-route Zamfara state. They are facing serious pressure from the Nigerian security to leave the country.
“By the grace of God, we will get them and deal with them decisively. All we need from the public is useful information about the movement of these terrorists.”
Source:naijanews.com
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Pakistan
After Islamabad protest fiasco, PTI extends 'olive branch' to all political parties
By Web Desk
December 04, 2024
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has expressed willingness to hold negotiations with all major political parties following the party’s much-hyped protest in Islamabad, which failed to achieve its objectives including securing the release of party founder Imran Khan.
"We are ready to hold talks with all political parties," the PTI chief said while speaking to journalists in Abbottabad on Wednesday.
His remarks came as the PTI and coalition government trade blames for the violence during the much-protest that left four law enforcers dead in Islamabad last month.
The former ruling party has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 were arrested. However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters and said that four law enforcers including three Rangers personnel and a policeman were martyred during the protest.
The PML-N-led federal government has time and again asked the PTI to "sit across the table and talk", but its founder turned the offer, stating that the party will only hold talks with those wielding real power.
Talking to the media today, Barrister Gohar also ruled out the notion of Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder, joining politics, saying that she had "no intention" of doing so. "She [Bushra] attended the protest as an ordinary worker," he added.
Furthermore, the PTI chairman said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur did not utilise KP government resources during the demonstration.
In response to a question, he claimed that at least 5,000 PTI workers were "still missing", adding that they were gathering data of them at district levels.
He also lambasted the authorities for "firing" on protesters, saying that no government shoots at its own civilians.
Gohar added that the KP government would announce compensation, including jobs, for the families of "martyrs". "Our struggle is for restoration of democracy and Imran’s release," he added.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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PML-Q not in favour of PTI ban, urges talks with opposition party
December 04, 2024
After the ruling coalition and opposition PTI trade blames over violence during the last month's protest in Islamabad, Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has voiced opposition against imposing a ban on the opposition party.
“PTI is a political party and a ban should not be imposed on it,” Hussain said while talking to the media on Wednesday.
Hussain's party Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is a coalition partner of the PML-N-led governments in Centre and Punjab.
The provincial minister also called for holding talks with Imran's party.
In the same breath, he also called for accountability of rioters who desecrated martyrs monuments during the May 9 protests last year — a reference to the violent protests broke out in the country following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan in a corruption case.
The PML-Q leader also slammed the PTI's nine-year rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying “not a single hospital was built” in the province and urged Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to “focus on the progress and development of the province instead of protests”.
The provincial also touched on the speculation of governor's rule in KP, saying: “Only talks of governor’s rule is going on in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
The violence during the PTI's "do-or-die" protest in Islamabad fueled speculations that the government was mulling tough measures including imposing a ban on the opposition party.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah had confirmed that the matter of banning PTI was discussed in the federal cabinet meeting but the consensus could not be evolved.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had also clarified that the Centre has no intention of imposing governor's rule in KP where PTI-led government is in power.
Similarly, Balochistan Assembly passed a resolution seeking a ban on the Imran Khan-led party after four law enforcers including three Rangers personnel and policeman were left dead in the protest.
"Once again, it [the former ruling party] is carrying out violent actions," the resolution stated, adding that the PTI's "anarchist agenda" has affected the country's system and every sector, including the judiciary, media and the economy.
The former ruling party's much-hyped protest in Islamabad, aimed at securing the release of PTI founder Imran Khan, who has been behind bars for more than a year, culminated in PTI's hasty retreat after the government's midnight crackdown on the protesters.
The Imran Khan-founded party has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 were arrested.
However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters and said that four law enforcers were martyred during the protest.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Unlikely for PTI to give protest call again, believes Rana Sanaullah
By Web Desk
December 05, 2024
Adviser to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah Khan has claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will not be able to stage another protest in Islamabad any time soon, adding that the party will possibly never be able to do so.
The adviser's remarks came hours after the former ruling party extended an olive branch, as party's chairman Gohar Ali Khan said that the PTI is ready to hold talks with all political parties.
The Imran Khan-led party and coalition government have been trading blames for the violence during the PTI's much-hyped "do or die" protest in Islamabad last month.
The former ruling party has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 others were arrested. However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters and said that four law enforcers including three Rangers personnel and a policeman were martyred during the protest that was launched by the PTI on November 24.
The former ruling party incited approximately 15,000 to 20,000 armed individuals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to join their protest in Islamabad, the 69-year-old veteran politician said while speaking on Geo News’ programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath" on Wednesday.
He added that during the protests, over 250 law enforcers were wounded in gunfire by PTI supporters. Such violent acts necessitate accountability for those who cause harm to society, said Rana.
The PML-N stalwart also admonished the PTI for its poor planning, saying: “There was no proper arrangement for protesters, making it difficult for them to stay."
Rana claimed that after the debacle that the PTI witnessed at D-Chowk, the Imran Khan-led party will not be able to launch a protest again soon, adding that the party perhaps would "never be able to give a protest call again."
Responding to a query about PTI's allegations of ethnic targeting of Pashtuns by the government, he clarified that the government was not against Pakhtuns.
“The PML-N government was and remains open to dialogue. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif even extended an invitation of negotiations, but they rejected it.”
Source:thenews.com.pk
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In letter to PM, KP CM decries mistreatment post PTI protest
By Abubakar Saddiq
December 05, 2024
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in a letter on Tuesday, drew Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's attention to the alleged mistreatment of PTI's workers from KP after their protest in Islamabad in November.
The allegations include "rounding up and filing of unfounded FIRs." in the aftermath of the "do-or-die" protest.
The chief minister's move comes more than a week after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf formally called off its much-touted protest in Islamabad on November 27.
The former ruling party's much-hyped protest in Islamabad that was launched on November 24, aimed at securing PTI founder Imran Khan's release who has been behind bars for more than a year, culminated in PTI's hasty retreat after the government's midnight crackdown on the protesters.
The Imran Khan-founded party has since claimed that at least 12 of its workers were killed and 1,000 others were arrested. However, the government has categorically denied using live ammunition against the protesters and said that four law enforcers including three Rangers personnel and two policemen were martyred during the protest.
In this letter that surfaced earlier today, the chief minister expressed his concerns, highlighting the unwarranted Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) cases against the poor residents of the province.
“I hope this message finds you well. I wish to bring to your attention a matter of concern regarding the treatment of Pashtun labourers In Islamabad, particularly in relation to the arbitrary rounding up and the filing of unfounded ATA FIRs against them,” the chief minister wrote in a letter.
“These individuals, who are primarily involved in low-paying jobs, have been unfairly targeted in the aftermath of the recent incidents involving peaceful political protests organised by the PTI, the chief minister added.
He recalled that in October this year Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi had to travel to Peshawar and seek the assistance of a political party Jirga in the province to de-escalate tensions following an unfortunate incident involving the 'Pashtun Adalat Jirga’.
“The situation was resolved through a collective effort, transcending political lines,” he added.
In a federation like Pakistan, Gandapur said, it is essential that political matters are addressed through peaceful and constructive dialogue, rather than through a “majoritarian lens”.
He urged the premier to review the situation and take immediate action to “quash the bogus FIRs and release those who have been unjustly detained”.
The incumbent government led by the PML-N, since the protest called by the PTI founder in the beginning of November, spun into action to deter the protesters from reaching and entering the federal capital.
Apart from deploying a large number of riot policemen, the administration blocked several roads within the federal capital and various routes leading to the city with shipping containers.
However, despite these measures, the convoys of PTI cohorts managed to enter Islamabad and reach even D-Chowk in the Red Zone, where sensitive government buildings, including the parliament, are located.
The whole "final call" saga eventually fizzled out with protesters making hasty retreat from the federal capital after the government's operation against the demonstrators.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1258251-in-letter-to-pm-kp-cm-decries-mistreatment-post-pti-protest
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Kurram clashes: PTI decides against attending APC summoned by KP governor
By Web Desk
December 04, 2024
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided not to attend the all-parties conference (APC) convened by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi over the deadly tribal clashes in Kurram district.
A spokesperson for KP Governor House has confirmed that the all-parties conference, summoned to ensure sustainable peace in the province, would be held tomorrow (Thursday) at 10am.
"The PPP [Pakistan Peoples Party] has no mandate in KP [...] it wants to hold a lifeless exhibitory meeting to portray itself as democratic party," the former ruling party said in a statement issued a day before the APC.
It added that the PPP was "actively supporting" the government's nefarious agenda of banning PTI, alleging that the party was also involved in "rounding up" its workers and supporters in Sindh.
Separately, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said that the decision was taken over the PPP's "silence on massacre of unarmed and peaceful civilians" — referring to the party’s allegations of "straight firing" on protesters in Islamabad.
Addressing a press conference, Governor Kundi said that at least 16 political parties have confirmed their participation in the conference over Kurram clashes.
The recent episode of clashes triggered by ambush on two separate convoys under police escort, resulting in 52 deaths on November 21. Subsequently, clashes between the warring clans escalated despite efforts to broker a ceasefire.
The violence has claimed at least 133 lives and injured 186 others.
Finally, the ceasefire was reached between two warring tribes on December 1, the deputy commissioner had confirmed. "Armed tribesmen were removed from the firing posts while police and forces have been deployed [in the region]," the DC had said in a statement.
KP Governor — in today’s presser — said that they will issue a declaration of the all-parties conference and put demands before the Centre.
Giving further details, he said that a representative of the jirga would be nominated, who according to him, would meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and the corps commander Peshawar.
"We have to work for the establishment of law and order in the province," he said, adding that they would not allow any "terrorist political group" to capture the province.
He also castigated the former ruling party for "neglecting" the Kurram clashes and focusing on the Islamabad march. "The people of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan have totally rejected the PTI’s agitational politics due to its negative politicking and kept a distance from it," he said.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1258173-kurram-clashes-pti-decides-against-attending-apc-summoned-by-kp-governor
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SC admits challenge to ban on student unions
Nasir Iqbal
December 5, 2024
• Ban was legitimised by Supreme Court through 1993 verdict
• Bench allows PTI to refile petition against Elections Act tweaks
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s constitutional bench has admitted for hearing petitions challenging the decades-long ban on student unions in educational institutions — a restriction often blamed for the leadership crisis in the country’s political landscape.
The ban was legitimised by the SC itself in a 1993 verdict in the M. Ismail Qureshi vs Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba secretary general M. Owais Qasim case. In its ruling, the apex court prohibited student groups from affiliating with mainstream parties and barred students from holding positions in university statutory bodies, which would have allowed them to participate in policymaking alongside the university administration.
The two petitions were filed by IJT, represented by Barrister Zafarullah Khan, and a student leader from LUMS Hamza Khawaja, through Barrister Umer Ijaz Gilani. Initially, the registrar’s office returned the pleas with objections. However, after removing the objections, the constitutional bench, a few days ago, ordered fixing of the petitions for a regular hearing.
The bench had during the hearing sought assistance from the attorney general’s office regarding the current legal position and status of student union activities in the country. Consequently, the bench issued notices to the law ministry, Higher Education Commission (HEC), and provincial governments, directing them to submit their responses at the next hearing.
Invoking the SC’s original jurisdiction under Article 184(3), the petitioners urged the court to revisit the 1993 verdict banning student politics under the pretext of curbing campus violence. The identical petitions also requested the court to declare that the affidavit, which the respondents have compelled students to sign, prohibiting them from “indulging in politics”, is of no legal effect for being vague.
The petitions also asked the court to declare that the fundamental right of students “to form associations or unions” secured under Article 17(1) cannot be curtailed except through a law enacted by a competent legislature and that students should enjoy their right to form associations and unions.
The petitioners claimed the ban on student politics is a violation of the constitutional right to form associations guaranteed by Article 17, arguing that such a ban has nothing to do with the prevailing circumstances where campus violence has reportedly declined.
They argued that since the 1993 verdict, constitutional amendments have lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years, how a university student, who is legally entitled to vote, can be barred from unionising or participating in other forms of political association.
The petitioners argued that campus politics was one of the core institutions for nurturing democratic values and cultivating future leadership. They pleaded that the matter held significant public importance as the ban affects students across the country.
Moreover, the petitioners in this case hail from diverse academic institutions and represent a spectrum of political beliefs, further highlighting the broader relevance of this issue to the general student public. Given the ban was implemented by the Supreme Court, they said, there exists no recourse elsewhere, as decisions rendered by the apex court carry binding authority over all subordinate judicial bodies, including the high courts.
Amendments to Elections Act
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Bench on Wednesday postponed hearing on PTI’s challenges to the retrospective implementation of amendments to the Elections Act 2017.
This came after PTI Secretary General and senior counsel Salman Akram Raja informed the court of his intent to refile the petition, as the original was submitted before President Asif Ali Zardari had assented to the law.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail expressed disappointment and said the petitioners should not have wasted the court’s time if they intended to refile. However, the bench permitted the petition to be refiled.
The original petition was filed on August 7, after both houses of parliament passed the Elections (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2024. The PTI had described the bill as an attack on the Supreme Court and vowed to challenge its provisions.
The petition also requested the apex court to restrain the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from reallocating seats reserved for women and non-Muslims to other parties and to nullify the amended law.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1876827/sc-admits-challenge-to-ban-on-student-unions
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Jirga reaches Kurram, medicines supplied through copter
Dawn Report
December 5, 2024
KURRAM / PESHAWAR: While a peace jirga comprising representatives from all the tribal districts and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reached Kurram district to hold talks with both warring groups in the Sadda and Parachinar areas, the provincial government on Wednesday supplied life-saving medicines to the volatile district through helicopter.
According to Umar Farooq, a jirga member, the 125-member team reached Kurram on Tuesday evening and spent the night at the residence of former MNA Munir Orakzai after it was advised not to travel to Sadda and Parachinar during the night.
He said jirga members also tried to go to Sadda and Parachinar on Wednesday, but the Bagan tribesmen stopped them from continuing their journey.
However, the jirga members used alternative routes to reach Sadda, Mr Farooq said, adding that they held negotiations with the representatives of one group and would now go to Parachinar to meet the other side.
He told the media that they had come to Kurram on behalf of the entire Pashtun community and would make every effort to establish peace in coordination with the representatives of the two groups.
A ceasefire was enforced by the district administration after armed clashes between the two sides left 133 people, including women and children, dead.
Despite the ceasefire, transportation routes and the Afghan border remain closed, causing immense problems for residents in the district.
Meanwhile, the KP government provided its helicopter for supply of medicines to the restive district. The helicopter airlifted life-saving medicines worth Rs6.3 million on Wednesday.
A statement issued from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat read that the decision, to supply medicines via helicopter, was taken due to shortage of medicines and road blockage in the district. It read the government supplied two consignments on Wednesday, adding that the CM’s adviser and the provincial health secretary were monitoring the distribution of medicines.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur emphasised that the availability of essential medicines must be ensured at all times and instructed that air deliveries should remain operational until the ground connectivity was fully restored. “The provincial government is committed to utilising all available resources to ensure the uninterrupted supply of medicines to the area,” the statement quoted the chief minister as saying.
In a separate development, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram announced that the party will not attend the multi-party conference (MPC) called by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.
“The decision has been made because innocent and peaceful citizens were killed [in Islamabad] and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was supporting it. PPP also played role in passing the resolution against PTI in Balochistan Assembly,” he said.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1876814/jirga-reaches-kurram-medicines-supplied-through-copter
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Bilawal rushes to meet Fazl after warnings on seminary bill delay
Kalbe Ali
December 5, 2024
ISLAMABAD: After stern warnings from the JUI-F leadership over delays in the enactment of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 by the president, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari rushed to meet JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday.
While Mr Bhutto-Zardari did not comment publicly, senior JUI-F members told the media that they had been assured that President Asif Ali Zardari would sign the bill soon. However, they noted that some powers were opposing the amended act, which had already been passed by both houses.
The two-hour meeting between the top leaders of JUI-F and PPP concluded around 8:30pm.
According to sources, the JUI-F delegation, which included Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Haji Ghulam Ali, Maulana Lutfur Rehman and Maulana Asad Mahmood, expressed serious concern over the delay in the signing of the madressah registration bill, which had been approved by the Senate in October this year.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Maulana Haideri expressed disappointment over the president’s delay in signing the bill. “The president is delaying the signing of the bill, but the question is: can the president object to it and not sign it?” he asked.
He emphasised that the president represents the federation and is not affiliated with any political party, though it was acknowledged that he is from the PPP.
“The PPP assured today (Wednesday) that the president will sign the bill for madressah registration,” Maulana Haideri said, adding that obstacles in the bill’s enactment were coming from somewhere else, without naming any person or authority.
The bill in question was part of an agreement between JUI-F and the government in support of the 26th Amendment. The Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 extends the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and includes provisions for the registration of ‘Deeni Madaris’ under the relevant deputy commissioner office.
The bill specifies that a madressah with more than one campus needs only one registration, and every madressah must submit an annual report of its educational activities to the registrar. Additionally, each madressah must have its accounts audited by an auditor and submit the audit report to the registrar. The bill also states that no madressah should teach or publish literature that promotes militancy, sectarianism, or religious hatred.
In October 2019, the PTI-led government transferred the registration of seminaries to the education departments.
After more than five years of deliberations involving the government, interior ministry, security agencies, provinces and NGOs, the federal government accepted the demand of religious groups that seminaries be regulated under the education departments, viewing them as educational institutes.
Authorities had initially proposed that seminaries fall under the regulation of the interior ministry and provincial home departments. The decision by the PTI-led government in 2019 was welcomed by the joint body of religious seminaries, representing all four mainstream Islamic sects in the country.
However, due to political differences with the PTI government, seminaries affiliated with the JUI-F rejected the idea of placing madressahs under the education department and opposed incorporating conventional education into religious seminaries.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1876815/bilawal-rushes-to-meet-fazl-after-warnings-on-seminary-bill-delay
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Five terrorists shot dead in Lakki, says ISPR
Dawn Report
December 5, 2024
PESHAWAR/SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Five terrorists were killed and two others wounded in an exchange of fire with security forces in Lakki Marwat district on Wednesday, according to the military’s media wing.
A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) after receiving reports about the presence of terrorists in the area.
The security forces surrounded their hideout during the operation. Five of them lost their lives in the exchange of fire, while two terrorists were injured.
“A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji found in the area, as security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country,” the ISPR said.
TTP leader shot dead
A local commander of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was shot dead by unidentified persons in the Birmal Tehsil area of Lower South Waziristan, on Wednesday.
According to sources, Mehmood Wazir was wanted by police in different cases, including attacks on police, civilians and security forces.
A loud explosion was heard in Birmal Tehsil late on Wednesday night, followed by heavy gunfire.
Sources said Mehmood Wazir’s killing could have been the result of squabbles within the banned TTP. His funeral was held in Darabalai, his native village.
Attack foiled
Security forces foiled an attack near a post of the Frontier Constabulary in Nandron area of Birmal on Wednesday. The militants escaped due to heavy firing by the security forces.
Wazir tribesmen have called upon the government to take action to improve the law and order situation in both parts of Waziristan.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1876826/five-terrorists-shot-dead-in-lakki-says-ispr
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SHC grants former president protective bail in three cases
Ishaq Tanoli
December 5, 2024
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted protective/transitory bail to former president Dr Arif Alvi in three cases registered in Punjab.
The SHC directed him to furnish a solvent surety of Rs50,000 and appear before trial courts within 20 days.
Citing secretary of home department, inspector general of police, interior ministry and Federal Investigation Agency as respondents, the former president through his lawyer petitioned the SHC and stated that he belonged to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and on Nov 24, the PTI had engaged in a peaceful protest, but party workers were subjected to torture.
His counsel Ali Tahir argued that instead of holding the responsible officials accountable, the authorities retaliated by filing multiple FIRs against the petitioner and other party leaders and workers.
He also contended that the petitioner had been nominated in three cases registered at as many police stations in Rawalpindi, Mianwali and Taxila under multiple provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The petitioner sought 20-day protective bail to surrender before the trial courts and avail legal remedies provided under the law.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon in its order said that 20-day protective/transitory bail was being granted without prejudice to the merits of the cases.
It also said that its order would cease to have its effect on Dec 23.
Source:dawn.com
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Dar briefs diplomats on situation caused by PTI protest, reaffirms Red Zone’s security
December 4, 2024
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday briefed members of the diplomatic corps on the recent clashes between PTI protesters and the authorities in Islamabad, reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensure the security of Islamabad’s Red Zone.
Several lives were lost in the three days of PTI-led protests in Islamabad, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said. The PTI claimed that 12 of its supporters were killed during the protest.
The clashes ended following a hasty retreat of the party’s top leadership and supporters from the Red Zone in the early hours of November 26. The late-night retreat by the PTI leadership, including Bushra Bibi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, came after the latter was heard telling the protesters “to go home, have dinner and return tomorrow”.
“Our priority has always been to take care of the Red Zone, which has the Parliament, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, key federal institutions but most importantly, the diplomatic corps,” Dar said while speaking to the members of the diplomatic corps on Wednesday.
“We make sure that … the Red Zone is free from any protests or violence.”
The deputy prime minister said that to achieve this goal, the government had enacted the ‘Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024’. This barred demonstrations in the Red Zone and mandated permission from a magistrate for any public gatherings.
Dar informed the diplomats that PTI had chosen to hold a protest on November 24, which coincided with the planned visit of the Belarusian president.
“It is surprising that a political party chooses to protest on a date when some foreign dignitaries are visiting Pakistan,” he said.
“A couple of months ago, on October 14, the Chinese Prime Minister was coming for a bilateral visit,” Dar continued. “On the 15th and 16th, we had the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) multilateral summit. The Heads of Government meeting was scheduled in Pakistan ages ago and they chose October 14 for the same purpose.”
Deeming the coinciding of PTI protests with foreign visits “mala fide”, the minister brought attention to the PTI’s 2014 sit-in at D Chowk, which led to the postponement of the Chinese president’s visit.
“You are very dear to us and your security is very dear to us,” Dar said, addressing diplomats. “We enacted a law … that bars protest in the Red Zone. If you want to do any peaceful protest, there is a procedure. You have to apply to a district magistrate, get permission and hold your ‘peaceful rally’.”
“However, they have a history of not being peaceful,” Dar added.
The deputy prime minister said that the Islamabad High Court had barred the PTI from holding any protest gathering in the Red Zone. “The business community of this area went to the court … and the court, on the writ petition … stated that they (the PTI) could not hold the rally and that the government should engage with them.”
Following the court ruling, the government tasked Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to engage with the PTI but the efforts remained unsuccessful. “They were insistent, law or no law, we will come to the Red Zone,” he said.
Dar emphasised that freedom and human rights should not be exercised in ways that could endanger the lives and property of both Pakistanis and the diplomatic corps.
The deputy prime minister highlighted that the government had shown restraint, as law enforcement agencies were “only equipped with water cannons and tear gas, not live ammunition”.
According to Dar, the police and Rangers were deployed in two tiers, with the army as a third line of defence to protect the Diplomatic Enclave, Parliament House, the Prime Minister’s House and other important buildings.
Dar also questioned the legality of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government using public resources to stage a march on the federal capital, asserting that they did not have the right to do so.
Imran demands impartial probe into protesters’ killing
In a post on Imran Khan’s official X account — which he does not personally have access to — issued the content of his talk with journalists on Tuesday, where he demanded the Supreme Court form an impartial judicial commission to investigate the “massacre of innocent and peaceful citizens.”
“I have demanded from the Supreme Court to form an impartial judicial commission to investigate the massacre of innocent and peaceful citizens and to give severe punishment to those who ordered the massacre and those involved in it,” he was quoted as saying.
Khan said the PTI would not stay quiet on the matter and would continue to raise its voice on the issue.
“The data of hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi regarding the martyrs and injured should be made public as soon as possible and CCTV footage of all hospitals and Safe City should be preserved so that evidence cannot be lost like on May 9,” he said.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1876678/dar-briefs-diplomats-on-situation-caused-by-pti-protest-reaffirms-red-zones-security
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South Asia
Mass Uprising: Amu, Qamrul shown arrested in genocide case
Dec 5, 2024
Former Awami League ministers Amir Hossain Amu and Qamrul Islam have been shown arrested in a case filed at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) over their involvement in crimes against humanity and genocide during the July uprising.
The three-member ICT bench, led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mazumder, sent the two to jail after they were produced before it yesterday.
The court also asked the authorities concerned to bring Amu and Qamrul before it on December 17.
The AL leaders, who were arrested earlier in other cases, were brought to the court from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj around 10:20am.
Qamrul was dressed in a khaki shirt, black trousers, and black glasses, while Amu wore a white Panjabi and pajama. They were produced before the court around 11:40am.
As state prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim read the allegations against Amu to the tribunal, he stated that the accused, as the coordinator of the 14-party alliance, had decided to impose a curfew and issue shoot-on-sight orders to suppress the student movement.
Amu remained silent, but he shook his head as the charges were read.
Qamrul has been charged with ordering the indiscriminate shooting of students and ordinary people in the capital's New Market area, which led to numerous fatalities. The killings were carried out by Chhatra League, Jubo League, and law enforcement agencies.
As the prosecutor detailed the charges, Qamrul smiled faintly.
Briefing journalists after the court proceedings, prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim said, "Today [yesterday] is a significant and remarkable day for all of us. Qamrul Islam was the very person who formed this tribunal. Now, he is here to face trial for his crimes."
Then Hasina-led AL government constituted the ICT in March 2010 to try the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
Prosecutor Monawar yesterday said they told the tribunal that both Amu and Qamrul were present at the meeting that decided to issue the shoot-at-sight order. "The following day, many innocent students and civilians were shot dead, and many others injured across the country."
According to the prosecutor, the ICT has already issued arrest warrants for about 70 high-profile individuals, including former ministers, judges, bureaucrats, an army major general, and law enforcement officials, in a case filed over committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the July uprising.
However, only about 25 of them have been arrested so far.
DB police arrested Amu in the capital on November 6.
Qamrul was detained on November 18 before being shown arrested in the murder case of one Abdul Wadud.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/mass-uprising-amu-qamrul-shown-arrested-genocide-case-3767976
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Afghanistan and China Advance Disease Control Talks
2024-12-04
KABUL (BNA): During an official visit to China, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, the Acting Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan, engaged in discussions with China’s Deputy Director for Disease Control and Prevention on managing diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, polio, and other health issues.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the meeting highlighted key topics, including disease surveillance, disaster management, capacity building for Afghan healthcare workers, and the collection of health-related data. Both sides emphasized enhancing mutual health cooperation.
Additionally, Jalali visited China’s Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) and its National Influenza Center to observe their operations and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/afghanistan-and-china-advance-disease-control-talks/
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Over 700 escaped prisoners still at large
Dec 5, 2024
More than 700 inmates, including death row convicts and militants, remain at large around three months after they escaped from different prisons during and after the July-August mass uprising.
More than 2,200 prisoners escaped on and after August 5, and around 1,500 have so far been rearrested, said Brig Gen Syed Mohammad Motaher Hossain, inspector general of prisons, during a press briefing at Prisons Headquarters yesterday.
The escaped prisoners include 70 militants, death row convicts, and individuals accused in sensational cases, he said, adding that efforts to recapture them are underway, he added.
In response to a query, Motaher identified 17 out of 69 prisons across the country as at risk of collapse since these are very old with vulnerable infrastructure.
The government is aware of this issue, and the process of rebuilding some of these prisons is already underway, he said.
Since August 5, as many as 174 prisoners linked to militant outfits, including JMB, and 11 top criminals have been released on bail, the IG prisons said in response to another query
"The release of prisoners is entirely under the jurisdiction of the court," he said.
Motaher said they have implemented a series of reformative measures to improve conditions at prisons, including better meals with higher protein levels to ensure better nutrition, better medical services and security.
High-risk prisoners are kept in specialised cells equipped with mobile phone jammers. Officials search those cells regularly, he said, adding that CCTV cameras have been installed in some cells to monitor illegal activities.
The prison authorities are going to deploy dog squads in some prisons to prevent the entry of drugs, he added.
The prisons chief said they are going to change their logo, as it contains a boat symbol, following demands from different quarters and the general public.
Responding to a query about the attack on a former lawmaker inmate at BSMMU under jail custody, the IG prisons said the incident occurred due to security lapses. However, there were prison guards present, and due to their intervention, the incident did not escalate further.
"We have taken an important initiative to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. We are planning for a Central Prisons Hospital. If it is built, prisoners will be treated there, and we will not need to send them to government hospitals," he said.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/over-700-escaped-prisoners-still-large-3768306
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$220M Cement Factory Construction Begins in Jabal Saraj
2024-12-05
KABUL(BNA): The construction of a new cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, marks a significant milestone in reducing Afghanistan’s dependency on imported cement. This factory, being developed with an investment of $220 million by Al-Falah Al-Alami Company, is set to transform the country’s industrial landscape.
Mawlawi Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, shared this development on his X account, stating that the Jabal Saraj Cement Factory will have the capacity to produce 5,000 tons of cement daily.
According to statistics, Afghanistan’s annual cement demand is approximately seven million tons. The factory is expected to significantly contribute to fulfilling this demand, alongside other local cement production facilities, moving Afghanistan closer to self-sufficiency in this sector.
The factory is being constructed on a 600-jerib site and will create employment opportunities for around 5,000 people. All raw materials required for cement production will be sourced locally, further boosting Afghanistan’s economy.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/220m-cement-factory-construction-begins-in-jabal-saraj/
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New Food and Beverage Production Company Launched in Farah
2024-12-04
FARAH (BNA): A new food and beverage production company named Delchasb was inaugurated in Farah province by a national trader, with an investment of $220,000.
At the opening ceremony, Hafiz Shams-ul-Haq Ajmal, the Head of the Farah Industry and Commerce Department, highlighted the substantial facilities provided for national traders in the fields of investment and raw materials. He encouraged entrepreneurs to take advantage of these opportunities and acquire production company licenses. Ajmal noted that Farah is home to approximately 40 manufacturing factories, each employing around 50 workers. He also urged companies to focus on maintaining product quality and adhering to environmental standards.
Jawad Ghafoori, a national trader and the head of Delchasb, stated that the company, established with a $220,000 investment, has the capacity to produce 2,500 packages of mineral water and beverages daily. Currently, the company employs 40 young workers.
Ghafoori called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to provide support in areas such as electricity, tax reductions, marketing assistance, and ensuring security for investors and national traders.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/new-food-and-beverage-production-company-launched-in-farah/
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DABS Officials Engage Turkmenistan on Advancing Regional Energy Projects
2024-12-04
KABUL(BNA): Dr. Abdul Bari Omar, CEO of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), along with his delegation, has traveled to Turkmenistan, where they met with key officials, including Dovletdurdy Elyasov, the head of Turkmenistan’s Electricity Company, Murad Artikov, the head of the TAP project, and other senior officials.
According to a statement from DABS, the discussions focused on the progress of the TAP project and several other bilateral initiatives aimed at enhancing regional cooperation.
During the meeting, Dr. Omar underscored the importance of expanding economic relations between the two neighboring countries and expressed appreciation for Turkmenistan’s continued support to Afghanistan in various sectors.
As part of this visit, the two countries are expected to finalize an electricity purchase agreement for 2025, further solidifying their economic collaboration.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/dabs-officials-engage-turkmenistan-on-advancing-regional-energy-projects/
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World Bank describes Afghanistan’s economic future as ‘Uncertain’ and Challenging
By Fidel Rahmati
December 5, 2024
The World Bank, in its latest report titled “Renewing Development in Afghanistan,” has warned about the economic future of the country, highlighting that Afghanistan’s economic outlook is facing many challenges.
The report, published on Wednesday, December 4, shows a modest 2.7% growth in Afghanistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, this growth is insufficient to compensate for the economic losses the country has suffered.
The World Bank has stated that Afghanistan’s economic outlook is “uncertain” and faces numerous challenges. These include significant financial constraints, trade imbalances, and limited capacity for public investment.
Among the major challenges highlighted in the report are “financial limitations, trade imbalances, and the limited capacity for public investment.” These issues are undermining the country’s ability to build a strong economic foundation.
The World Bank emphasizes the importance of women’s participation in the economy as one of the key factors influencing Afghanistan’s economic growth. The report suggests that empowering women could significantly contribute to economic development.
Farid Hadad, the World Bank’s country director for Afghanistan, stated that “Afghanistan’s long-term growth depends on harnessing the considerable potential of the domestic private sector and improving the overall trade environment.”
Hadad further emphasized that the long-term growth prospects for Afghanistan rely on “more investments, access to financing for small businesses, and support for skilled women entrepreneurs.”
The World Bank’s report outlines both the challenges and the potential pathways for Afghanistan’s economic recovery. While there is moderate growth, significant efforts will be needed to address the underlying structural issues in the economy.
To ensure sustained development, the focus must be on increasing investment, improving the business environment, and ensuring greater participation of women in the economy. The success of Afghanistan’s long-term economic recovery will largely depend on these factors.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/world-bank-describes-afghanistans-economic-future-as-uncertain-and-challenging/
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Austria donates €5 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
December 5, 2024
The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the country has allocated €5 million to Afghanistan’s humanitarian fund. The funds are aimed at supporting critical relief efforts in the country.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, while highlighting ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war, stated, “We must not forget the people of Afghanistan.” His comments reflect the growing concern over global humanitarian crises.
According to reports, Austria’s aid is directed towards humanitarian organizations such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Red Cross. The primary focus of this support is to assist women and girls in Afghanistan, as well as to help prevent migration to Europe.
While Austria announces its €5 million donation, Russia also sent 28 tons of food aid to Afghanistan today. This gesture comes amid the ongoing humanitarian challenges in the country and just before the winter season.
Austria’s contribution to Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs highlights the importance of continued international support for the country, especially in light of the severe challenges facing vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls. As global attention remains divided across various conflicts, it is vital that Afghanistan does not lose its place on the international aid agenda.
With winter approaching, the situation in Afghanistan is becoming even more critical. The combined efforts of countries like Austria and Russia, as well as international humanitarian organizations, will be key in alleviating the suffering of the Afghan people.
However, sustained support and long-term solutions are necessary to address the root causes of the crisis and bring lasting peace and stability to the region.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/austria-donates-e5-million-in-humanitarian-aid-to-afghanistan/
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Over 90% of Afghanistan’s districts face limited access to humanitarian aid: UN Report
By Fidel Rahmati
December 5, 2024
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released a new report highlighting the restricted access of aid to those in need in Afghanistan. According to the report, more than 90% of districts in the country have “limited” access to humanitarian assistance.
The OCHA report, published on Wednesday, December 4, shows that only 2.4% of districts in Afghanistan have “greater access” to aid, while the rest of the country faces either “very limited” or “relatively limited” access to humanitarian support.
The report indicates that in 50.6% of Afghanistan’s districts, humanitarian organizations face “severely limited” access, while in 46.8% of districts, access is “relatively limited.” This highlights the challenges faced by aid organizations in reaching vulnerable populations across the country.
The findings reveal that people in 203 districts face significant barriers to receiving aid, while those in 188 districts experience relative limitations. This emphasizes the widespread challenges in delivering humanitarian support to those most in need.
Out of all districts in Afghanistan, only 10 have “satisfactory” access to humanitarian organizations and teams, which underscores the ongoing difficulties in delivering aid across the country.
The report attributes these access limitations to “Taliban interference in the aid process” and also to the physical environment and the displacement of aid organizations, staff, and supplies. These factors continue to complicate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid.
The report from OCHA paints a grim picture of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. With over 90% of districts facing restricted access to aid, the challenges for both local populations and international aid agencies remain enormous. The interference by the Taliban and logistical difficulties further exacerbate these challenges.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/over-90-of-afghanistans-districts-face-limited-access-to-humanitarian-aid-un-report/
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Southeast Asia
Najib: Illogical that two Saudi princes would join Jho Low's criminal conspiracy to give me RM60m; donation was not 1MDB money
By Ida Lim
05 Dec 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today insisted that the RM60 million which entered his personal AmIslamic bank account in 2011 was not stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and channelled through two Saudi princes to him.
Najib, 71, said it would not be logical that two Saudi princes would take part in a criminal scheme by Low Taek Jho – a Malaysian fugitive better known as Jho Low – to steal money from 1MDB.
Instead, Najib said the RM60,629,839.93 – which he received in two batches of US$10 million in February and June 2011 from the two Saudi princes – was a donation and financial support that the late Saudi Ruler King Abdullah had promised to him.
“These funds were a donation gifted by King Abdullah and were transferred through the Riyad Bank account held in the joint names of HRH Prince Faisal bin Turki Al-Saud and HRH Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,” Najib testified from the witness stand in his own defence in his 1MDB trial.
Asked to respond to the prosecution’s allegation that 1MDB’s money went through Low’s Good Star Limited and then to the two Saudi princes’ Riyad Bank joint account before RM60 million reached him, Najib said: “This allegation is utterly absurd and defies logic.”
“I cannot understand why two princes, HRH Prince Faisal bin Turki Al-Saud and HRH Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, would conspire with Jho Low to use their joint account to purportedly commit a criminal act to facilitate the misappropriation of funds to me for which these two princes would receive only US$4.5 million.
“Such a suggestion is beyond ridiculous and reflects the prosecution’s desperation to construct a narrative that has no basis in reality,” he said.
Najib rubbished the idea that the two princes would join in such a scheme to defraud 1MDB of its money.
“I cannot fathom the ludicrousness of the prosecution’s claim that two Saudi princes, who are by no means short of money, would agree to such a scheme and tarnish their own reputations by participating in a criminal conspiracy with Jho Low.
“The notion that these two princes, prominent members of the Saudi royal family with immense resources, would willingly involve themselves in such a scheme defies all common sense and logic,” he added.
Najib accused the prosecution of making the claim without any credible supporting evidence.
Najib said that the prosecution should have produced bank statements from Riyad Bank to prove that the RM60 million did not come from legitimate sources linked to King Abdullah, if the prosecution’s claim is true.
Asked by defence lawyer Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, Najib said that the fact that the money came from the joint account of the two princes made him “believe” that it was a “genuine donation”.
Najib said he was never alerted that the RM60 million did not come from a purported donation from the Saudi government.
When referred to the two banking documents on the two transfers of US$10 million (totalling US$20 million or RM60 million) on February 24, 2011 and June 14, 2011 to him, Najib confirmed that the documents showed Prince Faisal’s name as the ordering customer with an address at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and with the ordering customer being Riyad Bank in Saudi Arabia, and the beneficiary customer being AmPrivate Banking-MR, Malaysia.
Asked to explain Prince Faisal’s relationship to King Abdullah since Najib had said the RM60 million was a donation gifted by the Saudi ruler, Najib said Prince Faisal is “part of the Saudi royal family”.
Najib said he did tell 1MDB investigators that he believed the RM60 million came from King Abdullah and the Saudi government.
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/12/05/najib-illogical-that-two-saudi-princes-would-join-jho-lows-criminal-conspiracy-to-give-me-rm60m-donation-was-not-1mdb-money/158933
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No official proposal from BRICS countries regarding de-dollarisation - Tengku Zafrul
BERNAMA
05-12- 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: There has been no official proposal agreed upon by BRICS member countries regarding de-dollarisation in trade matters, said Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
He said that Malaysia, as a partner country in BRICS, is aware of the current situation, particularly about the threat made by United States President-elect Donald Trump, who had proposed imposing a 100 per cent tariff on BRICS countries if they pursued the use of a new currency.
“Although one of the topics that were discussed during BRICS meetings in the past was related to reducing dependence on traditional trade currencies such as the US dollar, there has been no official proposal agreed upon for de-dollarisation as of now,” said Tengku Zafrul during the Minister’s Question Time session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Young Syefura Othman (PH-Bentong) about Malaysia’s stance as a BRICS partner regarding the potential 100 per cent tariff increase by Trump.
Tengku Zafrul said that Malaysia views BRICS as an increasingly important platform for presenting views and positions on regional economic issues through dialogue, forums, or discussions that are non-binding.
At the same time, he acknowledged that there is a high level of interdependence in the trade and economic relations between Malaysia and the US, especially in the semiconductor supply chain, where US companies are key investors in Malaysia.
This complementary trade relationship can be seen in current statistics, where in 2023, the US was Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner, while Malaysia was the 19th-largest trading partner of the US.
“Therefore, any move to impose a 100 per cent tariff would only harm both parties, who are mutually dependent on efforts to prevent disruptions in the global supply chain,” said Tengku Zafrul.
He further stated that Malaysia, which is still not an official member of BRICS, would continue to closely monitor developments that could also impact the country, considering that the US dollar still plays a significant role in the global financial system.
“The use of other currencies by Malaysia in trade and investment matters needs to be carefully examined by the government, and any decision on this matter should be based on the national interest and aligned with the country’s current policies,” he added.
Source:thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/no-official-proposal-from-brics-countries-regarding-de-dollarisation-tengku-zafrul-PJ13384586
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Najib: If I had wanted to cheat or steal, ‘insanely stupid’ for me to bring 1MDB money back to Malaysia
By Ida Lim
05 Dec 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today pointed out that it would have been “insanely stupid” for him to send 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) money out of Malaysia and bring it back into the country into his own personal local bank account, if he had really intended to cheat or steal from the government-owned company.
Testifying in his trial over 1MDB’s stolen funds of over RM2 billion, Najib today insisted that the billions in ringgit which entered his AmIslamic bank account were donations from the late Saudi ruler King Abdullah.
Lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah suggested that Najib would have been “terribly naive or a fool” if he was involved in the plot to defraud 1MDB, as the company’s funds were taken out of Malaysia and the money had travelled the world into various bank accounts only to be brought back to Najib’s AmIslamic bank account.
Najib replied that he had received money in his personal AmIslamic bank account which he said was opened specifically to receive King Abdullah’s donation, and that he had issued cheques to spend the donated funds.
“I did that because I wanted to spend the donation in a transparent manner. And if you noticed, I issued cheques, I didn’t withdraw cash. I issued cheques to the recipients because it will be on record that the monies issued were for the purposes as deemed in the donation letters.
“If I wanted to steal money, I would not have brought them back. I would have opened offshore accounts, and as you know, in the Panama Papers, I have not been named at all. And I do not have any offshore accounts.
“So I could not be so insanely stupid if I wanted to cheat or steal, why would I bring the money back to Malaysia and tell authorities about it, inform Bank Negara I have an account, that would be bordering on insanity,” he told Shafee.
Shafee then asked: “Or suicidal?”
Najib replied: “Yeah, whatever it is, if I wanted to steal. So my purpose was really to make sure that I would do justice to King Abdullah’s good intention when he wanted to help me, this is what I wanted to do, and it would be on record that I did what he wanted me to do.”
Shafee then asked: “If you are the criminal that you have been painted to be, according to the prosecution’s narrative, and being a finance minister, you know everything about finance, could this money somehow or other be brought back in cash.”
Najib replied: “Oh yes, it wouldn’t have been difficult to bring back in the form of cash. It might have been physically troublesome, but it could be done if I wanted to bring it back in the form of cash.”
Earlier today, Najib listed several points to support his claim that he trusted that money that came to his account was King Abdullah’s donation.
He included the fact that he had opened his AmIslamic account in Malaysia and that it was designated to receive King Abdullah’s and Saudi Arabia’s donations; his disclosure to AmBank’s then managing director Cheah Tek Kuang that the account’s opening was to receive Saudi donations; and that he had received four letters from a Saudi prince which promised the donations and that AmBank had used those supporting documents to process the money entering his accounts.
Najib also said he was transparent with the spending of the funds by issuing the cheques and using them for political and corporate social responsibility (CSR) purposes.
Apart from RM60 million and RM90 million in 2011 and 2012, Najib also said he had also later received US$681 million (RM2.08 billion) – which he believed was “another generous contribution from King Abdullah to me” and which he is now facing nine money laundering charges for in the 1MDB trial.
Najib said he had after the 2013 general elections returned US$620 million out of the US$681 million (which resulted in another five money laundering charges in the 1MDB trial), and had tried to get approval from Bank Negara Malaysia’s then governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz for the transfer and that he later proceeded with the transfer as he understood that approval was not required for sending the funds back to the same account.
In this trial, Najib faces 25 charges, including four counts of abusing his power in three roles – as prime minister, finance minister, and 1MDB’s board of advisers chairman – for personal financial benefit amounting to RM2.27 billion. He also faces 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2 billion in 1MDB funds.
Najib’s 1MDB trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes tomorrow morning.
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/12/05/najib-if-i-had-wanted-to-cheat-or-steal-insanely-stupid-for-me-to-bring-1mdb-money-back-to-malaysia/158965
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Najib: I never made any meals for Jho Low when he visited my house; but here’s why I trusted this ‘slightly pudgy young man’
By Ida Lim
05 Dec 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said he had never made any food for the “slightly pudgy young man” Low Taek Jho – the Malaysian fugitive better known as Jho Low and alleged to be his “mirror image” and alter ego in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) matters.
Najib today confirmed that Low had gone to his city house at Jalan Langgak Duta here in the past, but sought to clarify their relationship.
“While I do not deny that on certain occasions Jho Low was present at my residence in Langgak Duta, it is important to understand the context of my interactions with him during that time,” he said while testifying in his own defence at the 1MDB trial in which he is charged with misappropriating RM2 billion from the sovereign investment fund.
Najib was explaining why he had placed his confidence and trust in Low, whom he said projected a compelling image of being a “highly capable and well-connected individual” with ties to Malaysian royalty and the royal families of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Unfortunately, my trust in Jho Low has been exploited, and I am now being falsely implicated as complicit in his wrongdoing simply because of his presence at my residence and the purported close connection with me – something which was over-sensationalised particularly since Datuk Shahrol, 1MDB’s CEO, himself had visited Jho Low at his residence, so did Jasmine Loo and Joanna Yu too.”
Najib was referring to 1MDB’s former CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, 1MDB’s then in-house lawyer Jasmine Loo and AmBank’s then relationship manager Joanna Yu who was in charge of handling Najib’s AmIslamic private bank accounts.
“For the record I never prepared any meals for Jho Low!” Najib said.
Source:malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/12/05/najib-i-never-made-any-meals-for-jho-low-when-he-visited-my-house-but-heres-why-i-trusted-this-slightly-pudgy-young-man/158947
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/happening-bangladesh-mughal-army-ayodhya/d/133929