India Team in War-Ravaged Afghanistan to Deepen Engagement with Taliban Regime
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 March 2024
Representational image.
File Photo
-----
·
India Team In War-Ravaged Afghanistan To Deepen
Engagement With Taliban Regime
·
Afghan Ministry Of Higher Education Conducts Master’s
Exam For 51,000 Religious Scholars
·
Google Fires Staffer Who 'Refused To Build
Technology That Powers Genocide', Apartheid Or Surveillance’ in Palestine
·
Hamas Urges International Inquiry Into
Allegation About Sexual Violations Committed By Its Fighters During Oct. 7
Attack
·
UK Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Israel Activist
Spray-Paints, Slashes Historic Portrait Of Balfour
-----
India
·
BJP Leader Naqvi: 'Action Of A Few Can't Dent
The Image Of India As A Heaven For Muslims
·
Manipur: Muslim CSOs Condemn Assault Of Two
Muslims In Moreh
·
Sufi Khanqah Association Writes To CM Yogi Over
‘Delay In Construction’ Of Dhannipur Mosque
·
Month after Ram temple, BJP reinforces Muslim
outreach bid through Hazratbal shrine project
·
Citizens have right to criticise revocation of Article
370, says Supreme Court
·
India deports Myanmar nationals who fled
fighting between junta and rebels
·
India urged to cease military ties with Israel
amid Gaza genocide
------
South
Asia
·
Ministry of Economy Announces Plans for Afghan
Economic Growth
·
PM Sheikh Hasina Keen to Create More Scope For
Women In Every Sector: Minister
----
North
America
·
New Jersey Muslim Group Seeks to Ban
Politicians Who Support Israel Response to Terror Attacks
·
US Hypocrisy and deception… Fake humanitarian
aid to Gaza and weapons for Zionist enemy
·
Canada To Resume Funding UN Agency For
Palestinians
·
Blinken Agrees To Full Review Of US Afghanistan
Withdrawal Documents: McCaul
·
'Biden's legacy is genocide', protesters say
while blocking his way to US Capitol
----
Mideast
·
UNRWA Report Says Israel Coerced Some Agency
Employees To Falsely Admit Hamas Links
·
Ruler Of Dubai Pardons 691 Inmates Of Different
Nationalities Ahead Of Ramadan
·
Protesters march in Syria against
Al-Qaeda-linked group as a prominent militant is released
·
Gaza airdrop ends in deaths for five
Palestinian refugees; 10 injured
·
Lebanese border region dotted with ghost towns
as residents flee Israeli bombardment
·
Children fall to hunger in Gaza as Israeli
siege cuts off supplies
----
Europe
·
License To Kill: UK Ramps Up Arms Sales To
Israel Despite Growing Outcry
·
Calling Pro-Palestine Protesters Extremists Is
‘Outrageous’: UK Govt Adviser
·
Britain to join US, other partners in opening
maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza
----
Africa
·
Bandits Killed Muslim Worshippers At Mosque
During Friday Prayer In Northwestern Nigeria
·
UN Security Council Adopts Resolution For
Immediate Cease-Fire In Sudan
·
7,000 died in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger
terrorist attacks – ECOWAS
·
Troops ready to deal with security threats
during Ramadan — DHQ
·
DSS Wishes Christians, Muslim Faithful Peaceful
Lent, Ramadan
------
Pakistan
·
Armed Forces Will Support People Of
Balochistan: COAS Munir
·
PTI leaders not denied permission to meet
Imran, IHC told
·
Govt all set to take tough decisions to steer
country out of economic crisis: PM
·
Mushahid demands Imran’s release
·
Saylani founder says IMF loan death warrant for
country
·
Former SC judge accused of harming judiciary’s
reputation
----
Southeast
Asia
·
Thousands Rally Outside US Embassy In Jakarta To
Express Support For Gaza\
·
Ramadan: Mosques, Govt Agencies To Ensure Only
Accredited Preachers To Hold Talks, Says Religious Affairs Minister
·
NGOs, individuals urged to send Ramadan
contributions to three locations in KL
·
Indonesia will utilize opportunity to send aid
to Gaza by air
-----
Arab
World
·
Saudi Arabia Calls For Protection Of
Palestinian Women Against Israel's 'War Machine'
·
Suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels sets
off explosions ahead of a ship in Gulf of Aden
·
Saudi foreign minister, Blinken hold phone call
on Gaza situation
·
Saudi fund chief receives Islamic Development
Bank official
Compiled by New Age
Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-afghanistan-taliban-war-ravaged/d/131883
-----
India
Team In War-Ravaged Afghanistan To Deepen Engagement With Taliban Regime
Representational image.
File Photo
-----
09.03.24
Anita
Joshua
An
external affairs ministry delegation is visiting Afghanistan as part of an
Indian effort to deepen its engagement with the Taliban regime, without
official diplomatic relations, to protect the substantial stakes New Delhi has
in the war-ravaged country.
Joint
secretary (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) J.P. Singh, the team leader, met
Afghan foreign minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and former President Hamid
Karzai on Thursday and interacted with an Afghan business delegation on Friday.
While
India initially kept the visit under wraps, the Afghan foreign ministry put out
posts on X about it and issued a statement on Thursday.
The
Afghan side said Singh and Muttaqi had discussed economic and transit matters.
Singh was quoted as saying that India was interested in expanding its economic
and political relations with Afghanistan and in increasing trade through the
Chabahar Port, developed by India in Iran.
Muttaqi
urged India to facilitate visas for Afghan businesspersons, patients and
students. The business leaders who met Singh and his delegation on Friday
repeated the request and told the diplomat about the difficulties they face in
conducting trade with India via Chabahar.
Asked
about the visit at the weekly briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir
Jaiswal said the delegation had met senior members of the Afghan government,
Karzai, officials of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and
Afghan businessmen.
“The
delegation held discussions on India’s humanitarian assistance to the people of
Afghanistan and also discussed (the) use of Chabahar port by Afghan traders,”
Jaiswal said.
“India
has historical and civilisational ties with the Afghan people and these
longstanding linkages will continue to guide our approach.”
Jaiswal
sidestepped questions on whether this was a precursor to opening up the Indian
embassy or the consulates in Afghanistan.
New
Delhi withdrew all Indian personnel from Afghanistan in mid-August 2021
following the Taliban takeover. But it opened its technical mission in Kabul in
June 2022 to facilitate and coordinate the humanitarian assistance and also
oversee the Indian projects in the country.
While
India does not appear too keen to rush to recognise the Taliban regime,
officials say that New Delhi cannot afford to not engage with it given India’s
stakes in Afghanistan. Also, with personnel on the ground, channels of
communication need to be maintained.
New
Delhi appears to be also looking to exploit Afghanistan’s tensions with
Pakistan, hoping the Taliban rulers will not pander to Islamabad’s desire to
use their country to bolster its strategic depth against India.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/india-team-in-war-ravaged-afghanistan-to-deepen-engagement-with-taliban-regime/cid/2005642
------
Afghan
Ministry Of Higher Education Conducts Master’s Exam For 51,000 Religious
Scholars
Photo: Khaama Press
------
Fidel
Rahmati
March 9,
2024
The
Ministry of Higher Education under the caretaker government has announced that
51,000 religious scholars across seven zones in Afghanistan have taken the
master’s examination.
This
move is part of a broader initiative to standardize and recognize the
qualifications of religious scholars throughout the country. The national
television, operated under the control of the Taliban, reported that Neda
Mohammad Nadim, the acting minister of this department, travelled to Kandahar
on Friday to oversee the examination process, marking the commencement of exams
across all zones in the province.
Nadim
assured participants of the examination’s full transparency, emphasizing that
this process would officially document the credentials of the scholars. This
step is seen as a crucial measure in ensuring the integrity and recognition of
religious scholarship within Afghanistan’s educational framework. The Media Centre
of the Taliban in Kandahar also released a statement, noting that 7,396
religious scholars in the province had participated in the evaluation for their
master’s credentials.
The
examination, held on Friday, at Kandahar University and the provincial military
command, was organized by the Ministry of Higher Education.
However,
amidst these developments, the Taliban’s restrictive policies have led to
significant setbacks in the realm of education, particularly affecting women
and girls. A stark manifestation of these policies is the banning of girls’
education beyond the sixth grade. This ban has been a point of international
criticism, highlighting a significant regression in women’s rights and access
to education in Afghanistan.
Furthermore,
the restrictive approach extends to higher education, with universities being
closed to women. This move not only limits the professional and personal
development of women but also significantly hampers the country’s progress by
excluding half of the population from contributing to its socio-economic
development. These policies have drawn widespread condemnation from the
international community, calling for immediate actions to restore educational
access and rights for all, especially women and girls, in Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-ministry-of-higher-education-conducts-masters-exam-for-51000-religious-scholars/
----
Google
Fires Staffer Who 'Refused To Build Technology That Powers Genocide', Apartheid
Or Surveillance’ in Palestine
Project Nimbus includes an over $1 billion contract between Google and
Amazon, and the Israeli government and military, to provide Tel Aviv with cloud
computing services. / Photo: AA
------
Mar 9,
2024
Google
has fired an engineer who staged a pro-Palestinian protest during a company
keynote address in New York City, according to a report.
“I
refuse to build technology that powers genocide, apartheid or
surveillance," the Google Cloud employee can be heard shouting in a video
that has since gone viral online.
The
employee staged the protest as Google Israel chief Barak Regev was addressing
an industry conference on Monday.
"Project
Nimbus puts Palestinian community members in danger," he yelled as
security escorted him out of the area. "No cloud apartheid."
A Google
spokesperson told media that the employee was terminated for "interfering
with an official company-sponsored event.”
"This
behaviour is not okay, regardless of the issue, and the employee was terminated
for violating our policies," Google spokesperson said without specifying
which policies the former employee violated.
This
week, over 600 Google employees penned an internal letter to Google's marketing
leadership demanding the tech company drop its sponsorship of the Mind the Tech
forum where Regev spoke, according to the tech-focused Wired news website. The
gathering is an event meant to highlight advances within the Israeli tech
industry.
"Please
withdraw from Mind the Tech, issue an apology, and stand with Googlers and
customers who are despairing over the overwhelming loss of life in Gaza; we
need Google to do better," the letter said.
Project
Nimbus
Project
Nimbus has long been decried by pro-Palestinian advocates, including those
within Google's ranks. It includes an over $1 billion contract between Google
and Amazon, and the Israeli government and military, to provide Tel Aviv with
cloud computing services.
A 2021
open letter from Google and Amazon employees published in the Guardian decried
the contract, saying it "will make the systematic discrimination and
displacement carried out by the Israeli military and government even crueler
and deadlier for Palestinians."
"This
technology allows for further surveillance of and unlawful data collection on
Palestinians, and facilitates expansion of Israel's illegal settlements on
Palestinian land," said the letter, which was signed by 90 workers at
Google and over 300 at Amazon at the time.
"We
cannot look the other way, as the products we build are used to deny
Palestinians their basic rights, force Palestinians out of their homes and
attack Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," it added.
Those
voices appear to have grown within the company amid Israel's ongoing war on
Gaza.
Israel
ongoing war on besieged Gaza has killed more than 30,800 people and wounded
nearly 73,000 others in Gaza amid mass destruction and acute shortages of
necessities.
Israel
has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its
population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of
starvation.
About 85
percent of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute
shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave's
infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel
stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an
interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take
measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in
Gaza.
Source: trtworld.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/google-fires-staffer-who-refused-to-build-technology-that-powers-genocide-17284740
-----
Hamas Urges
International Inquiry Into Allegation About Sexual Violations Committed By Its
Fighters During Oct. 7 Attack
Photo:
aa.com
-----
Anadolu
Staff
09.03.2024
Hamas
urged "a neutral international commission of inquiry" on Friday to
look into allegations about its fighters committing sexual violations during
the group's cross-border attack on Israeli locations around the Gaza Strip on
Oct. 7.
The
Palestinian resistance group rejected accusations by a UN Special envoy that
its fighters sexually assaulted Israeli women during the cross-border attack.
Pramila
Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said in a
report Monday that there are “reasonable grounds to believe” sexual violence,
including rape and gang rape, occurred during the Hamas attack.
Basem
Naim, a member of the group's political bureau in Gaza, reiterated Hamas'
rejection of Patten's report and stressed that the report came after Israel
failed to prove any such allegations.
The
group also affirmed its willingness to fully cooperate with the inquiry
commission and to respect its outcomes.
Hamas'
statement came as the UN Security Council is set to convene Monday to discuss
Patten's report, according to the Times of Israel news website.
UN
experts expressed alarm last month about “credible allegations” of egregious
human rights violations that Palestinian women and girls continue to face in
Gaza and the West Bank.
Israel
has launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by
Hamas on Oct. 7. The offensive has killed more than 30,800 victims and injured
nearly 73,000 amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Israel
has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its
population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of
starvation.
About
85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute shortages
of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure
has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel
is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an
interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take
measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in
Gaza.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-urges-international-inquiry-into-allegation-about-sexual-violations-committed-by-its-fighters-during-oct-7-attack/3159745
----
UK Pro-Palestinian,
Anti-Israel Activist Spray-Paints, Slashes Historic Portrait Of Balfour
A combination of image grabs taken from a video released by a protest
group called Palestine Action on March 8, 2024 shows an activist spraying red
paint and then slashing a painting of Lord Arthur James Balfour at Trinity
College in Cambridge.(Photo by Handout / Palestine Action / AFP)
------
8 March
2024
LONDON —
A pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel UK protest group on Friday said one of its
activists had “ruined” a portrait on display of Arthur Balfour, the British
politician whose declaration helped lead to Israel’s creation.
Police
confirmed officers had received an online report of criminal damage to a
painting at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College, in eastern England.
Palestine
Action, which describes itself as a direct-action network of groups and
individuals, said it was responsible for damaging the 1914 painting of the
statesman.
It
posted video footage online of the activist spraying the artwork with red paint
from a canister and then slashing the surface of the framed painting multiple
times.
The
group said the targeted artwork was a portrait of Balfour — the UK’s foreign
secretary in the early 20th century — by Hungarian-born artist Philip de
Laszlo.
“Palestine
Action spray and slash a historic painting of Lord Balfour in Trinity College,
University of Cambridge,” it wrote on X, alongside the 11-second video of the
vandalism.
The post
accused Balfour of beginning “the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by promising
the land away — which the British never had the right to do.”
The
Balfour Declaration was a 67-word letter in 1917 from Britain’s then-foreign
secretary to Lionel Rothschild, a prominent British Zionist, supporting the
creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
The
document is credited with eventually helping to spur the creation of Israel in
1948 under a United Nations plan to partition British Mandate Palestine between
the Jews and the Arabs.
The plan
was accepted by the Jews and rejected by the Arabs, with several Arab nations
invading the nascent Israel. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were displaced
in the subsequent war.
Trinity
College said it “regrets the damage caused to a portrait of Arthur James
Balfour during public opening hours.”
“The
police have been informed,” it added, noting “support” was being made available
to any member of the college community impacted.
Cambridgeshire
Police said officers were “attending the scene to secure evidence and progress
the investigation,” a statement added, noting that no arrests had been made.
Palestine
Action has been involved in large-scale pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests
in London over recent months, in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The
demonstrations have been heavily criticized by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s
ruling Conservatives, and others, for being intimidating to Jewish people and
encouraging antisemitism.
Members
of Palestine Action sprayed a building in central London on a march route with
red paint during at least one protest in October.
They
have also staged other “direct action” stunts at the sites of UK companies that
the group claims are complicit in providing finance and military parts to
Israel.
The war
erupted after Hamas terrorists burst across the border from Gaza into Israel on
October 7, killing some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking
another 253 hostages. Israel resolved to destroy Hamas, which governs Gaza and
avowedly seeks to destroy Israel. Hamas claims 30,000 people have been killed
in Gaza since October 7, an unverifiable figure that Israel says includes over
13,000 members of Hamas and other terror groups.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-pro-palestinian-activists-slash-spray-paint-historic-portrait-of-balfour/
----
India
BJP
Leader Naqvi: 'Action Of A Few Can't Dent The Image Of India As A Heaven For
Muslims
Mar 08,
2024
Former
Union minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday reacted to the
video of a Delhi cop kicking Muslims offering Namaz on the street and said the
cruelty of a few can't dent the image of India -- India was, is and will always
remain heaven. The former minister's post on X came as he was tagged by a
social media user on a photo of the incident that took place in Delhi's
Inderlok.
The
video of the incident went viral with the Delhi Police immediately suspending
Manoj Kumar Tomar who was seen shoving and kicking people who were in the
middle of their prayer. The incident led to a protest in Inderlok as the local
people blocked the road and demanded action against the cop. DCP North Mk Meena
said cops were deployed to maintain the law and order of the area and the
locals were told that the cop was suspended. Paramilitary personnel have also
been deployed in the area.
"The
announcements about the action against the officer were made from the local
mosque. The locals are with us and they have helped police ensure peace in the
area," the DCP said.
In the evening,
namaz was offered inside the mosque amid heavy deployment of police personnel.
A local
told PTI that the prayer is held inside the mosque but on Friday many outsiders
were offering namaz and they were not aware of the designated place for
prayers.
Congress
and several opposition leaders questioned the Delhi Police over the inhuman
action caught on camera. Suspended BSP MP Danish Ali said the incident was a
result of the communal atmosphere in the country. "Never had I imagined
that one day when people of one community would be praying on the road in
India, flowers would be showered on them and people of another community would
be kicked," Danish wrote on X demanding that the cop gets arrested.
"This
is sickening to watch. How is the man harming anyone by simply offering
prayers? This is how insensitive and de-humanised the Delhi police force has
become under Amit Shah. Is this #amritkaal!" Congress spokesperson Shama
Mohamed wrote.
"In
Sajdah, praying, yet facing brutality. This footage of police beating Namazni
in Delhi's Inderlok during Jumah Namaz is deeply distressing and unacceptable.
@DelhiPolice must take action against this misconduct and ensure justice
prevails. Such actions by law enforcement sow seeds of fear, not safety,"
National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said in a post.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ls-polls-in-tripura-cong-fields-state-chief-ashish-saha-against-ex-cm-biplab-deb-101709962585854.html
----
Manipur:
Muslim CSOs Condemn Assault Of Two Muslims In Moreh
9 MAR
2024
The
United Committee Kairang, Khomidok, Khabeisoi and the All Manipur Meitei Pangal
Club’s Organisation (AMMPCO) on Friday strongly condemned the brutal assault on
two Muslims in Moreh allegedly by Kukis for providing stones for construction
of Manipur Commando barrack at border town Moreh.
President
of the committee, FM Manawar Ali told the media at the community hall of
Kairang in Imphal East on Friday that the committee was formed with a motto
‘Peace, Integrity and development’ and has been working for the welfare of the
society.
He
informed that on Thursday, two Muslims were brutally assaulted at Moreh
reportedly by Kuki volunteers. It would be better if the Kuki volunteers take
prior information from the Muslim CSOs before they were brutally assaulted, he
added.
He
appealed to all the communities to cooperate with each other as any
misunderstanding among the communities could create further tension in the
state.
He
further appealed to the state government to take stringent action against those
Kuki volunteers who are involved while assaulting the two muslims.
Spokesperson
of the committee, MdKasim Ali said with the coming of Ramzan month from March
12, he appealed to all the Muslims to avoid using intoxicants, drugs and others
including gambling.
The
committee has been supporting the state government’s initiatives ‘War on Drugs’
and if any individuals among the community are found disobeying the appeal,
stringent action will be taken by the committee in consultation with the
community leaders, he added.
Meanwhile,
AMMPCO president HayaturRahamanYumkhaibam alias Akuba told media at its head
office located at Hatta, Imphal East that AMMPCO will assume the incident was
conducted not by Kuki volunteers but by armed Kuki militants.
He said
the two individuals were just doing their duties as drivers and appealed not to
repeat similar incidents in the near future.
AMMPCO
demanded proper investigation in connection with the incident and that the
culprits should be booked immediately. The organisation is ready to launch
various forms of agitation if the government failed to book the culprits
involved in the incident, he added.
In the
present crisis, Meitei Pangal and Naga have been trying to bring peace;
however, both the communities are victimised sometimes, said Hayatur.
He said
one should take initiative to bring peace as it will be hard to bring back
normalcy by the government alone.
Government
should take necessary steps to stop pointing guns at innocent people and AMMPCO
will be supporting if the government takes the said initiatives, said Hayatur.
Source: ifp.co.in
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.ifp.co.in/manipur/manipur-muslim-csos-condemn-assault-of-two-muslims-in-moreh
---
Sufi
Khanqah AssociationWrites To CM Yogi Over ‘Delay In Construction’ Of Dhannipur
Mosque
Mar 08,
2024
LUCKNOW
The Sufi Khanqah Association, in a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath,
voiced concern over the “delay in construction of Dhannipur mosque by the Indo
Islamic Cultural Trust (IICT).”
Alleging
that the trust altered the mosque’s plans and map over the last three years,
the association had also communicated its grievances to various prominent
figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on November 16, 2023. In
response, the Prime Minister’s Office acknowledged the matter and forwarded it
to the UP government.
“The
association has requested authorities to expedite the mosque’s construction in
a specific timeline,” stated Zahid Khan Warsi, vice-president, Sufi Khanqah
Association. He accused trust members of engaging in political maneuvering and
fundraising activities abroad and doing nothing for the construction of the
mosque.
He also
requested the divisional commissioner of Ayodhya to promptly approve the
mosque’s map.
The Sufi
Khanqah Association pleaded authorities to address the concerns of the Muslim
community, and at the same time, also preserve the rich culture and religious
heritage associated with Dhannipur’s sacred sites.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/sufi-khanqah-assn-writes-to-cm-yogi-over-delay-in-construction-of-dhannipur-mosque-101709914386756.html
----
Month
after Ram temple, BJP reinforces Muslim outreach bid through Hazratbal shrine
project
SANYA
DHINGRA and HEENA FATIMA
08
March, 2024
New
Delhi: In his first visit to the Kashmir valley after the abrogation of Article
370 in August 2019, and just weeks after the inauguration of the Ram temple in
Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday inaugurated the integrated
developmental project of the Hazratbal shrine — also called Madina Sani (second
Medina).
Coming
weeks before the Lok Sabha election, the inauguration of the developmental
project of one of the most important Muslim shrines in the country is steeped
in political symbolism. Situated on the left bank of Kashmir’s famous Dal Lake,
the Hazratbal shrine is believed to preserve ‘Moi-e-Muqqadas’ (the sacred hair
of Prophet Muhammad’s beard).
For most
commentators, the move is symbolic of the BJP’s consistent outreach to the
Muslim community — in line with its political slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka
Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”. This is particularly crucial as the party seeks to
expand its voter base among Muslims from the estimated 8-9 percent in the
upcoming elections through several campaigns and outreach programmes targeted
specifically at the Muslim community.
“The
messaging is pretty clear. On 22 January, there was the Ram temple inauguration
in Ayodhya for the majority community, now this is for the minority community,”
says Faizan Mustafa, former vice-chancellor of NALSAR University of Law,
Hyderabad. “It is in line with the BJP’s stated policy that there will be
appeasement for none, but justice for all.”
The move
carries both electoral and diplomatic messages, Mustafa argues.
“Modi is
arguably the most popular Indian prime minister in the Muslim world
internationally, so this messaging has important diplomatic significance; but
it also has domestic significance, given that a sizable section of Muslims has
started seeing the BJP and Modi differently,” he says. “Through triple talaq,
welfare schemes, etc., they have developed a constituency among Muslims, and
this messaging is important for them.”
The move
is in line with an increasingly evident, new model of “inclusive Hindutva”, wherein
the top BJP-RSS leadership is being projected as being “moderate” towards
Muslims, even as their affiliated outfits continue to practise radical,
exclusive Hindutva politics.
“This
has to be seen as an attempt by the BJP to create an interesting political
equilibrium wherein there is both radical Hindutva and inclusive politics,”
argues political scientist Hilal Ahmed.
“The
immediate context of the expansion of the NDA also needs to be kept in mind —
Nitish Kumar, BJD, Chandrababu Naidu are all coming back to the NDA fold, so
the BJP has to cater to this NDA configuration even as it does not destabilise
the Hindutva vote.”
Ahmed
adds that one needs to remember that this is part of the party’s Sufi outreach.
Last
year, the BJP’s minority morcha launched a year-long Muslim outreach programme
called the “Sufi Samvad” with a special focus on the Muslim-dominated districts
in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala and Telangana.
Sufis,
who belong to the Barelvi sect of Islam, are widely seen by the BJP-RSS as
closer to the indigenous culture of India, as they pray at various dargahs
spread across the country, and are seen to be a mix of pagan and Abrahamic
traditions, as opposed to the more orthodox, monotheistic sects within Islam.
The Hazratbal shrine, for instance, is an outcome of a very particular kind of
Islam that emerged in India, so its invocation has to be seen in that context
of a preference for an “Indian Islam”, Ahmed says.
In
January this year, Modi and Union Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani met a
nine-member delegation of Sufi clerics from shrines across India, and discussed
with them a plan to develop a Sufi corridor which would link all the Sufi
shrines in India, and would attract pilgrims from across the world.
The BJP
and the RSS have traditionally batted for a more “Indianized” version of Islam.
In fact,
the 1951 manifesto of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh said, “Jana Sangh considers them
(Muslims) flesh of our flesh, the blood of our blood. …It looks forward to
their disassociating foreign ways from the tenets of their religion. They are
welcome to worship the Islamic way. They are expected to live the Bharatiya
way.”
“This is
a huge message to the Muslim community
through J&K,” says Yaser Jilani, national media incharge of the BJP.
“The Prime Minister has sent out a message of Kashmiriyat through this
inauguration…and the images of this event will stun the world.”
He adds,
“The Opposition is so shocked that it doesn’t know how to respond given that it
has always predicated its politics on the lie that the BJP is anti-Muslim.”
Yet,
several Muslim organisations have decried the inauguration Thursday as mere
political posturing by the BJP.
It is
very difficult to trust PM Modi given the controversies surrounding mosques and
hate crimes, says Firoz Ahmad, president of the All India Muslim
Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), who terms the inauguration as “politically
motivated”.
“What
has he (Modi) done to the entire country? Now you think that you can change the
situation by going there, then it cannot happen,” he adds.
Source: theprint.in
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://theprint.in/politics/month-after-ram-temple-bjp-reinforces-muslim-outreach-bid-through-hazratbal-shrine-project/1992403/
----
Citizens
have right to criticise revocation of Article 370, says Supreme Court
08
March, 2024
The
Supreme Court on March 7 quashed an FIR accusing a college professor in
Maharashtra of spreading enmity and disharmony by terming the abrogation of
Article 370 a “black day” and wishing “happy independence” to the people of
Pakistan in a WhatsApp group of faculty and parents.
The
court’s judgment, delivered by a bench of justices, emphasizes the constitutional
guarantee of free speech and expression as enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the
Indian Constitution. The verdict underscores the vital role of dissent and
public discourse in a democratic society, even on matters as sensitive as
constitutional amendments.
The
legal challenge was initiated by a group of activists, scholars, and citizens
who argued that their right to express dissent and critique the government’s
decision was being curtailed by stringent measures. The government, in defense,
had cited national security concerns and the need to maintain public order in
the region as justifications for imposing restrictions on speech.
The
court, while acknowledging the importance of national security, maintained that
any restrictions on freedom of expression must adhere to the principles of
reasonableness and proportionality. The justices clarified that criticism of
governmental actions, including the revocation of Article 370, is an integral
part of the democratic process and must be safeguarded.
The
judgment also delves into the broader implications of stifling dissent, noting
that a healthy democracy thrives on open debate, diverse opinions, and the
ability of citizens to question and challenge decisions made by their elected
representatives. The court’s decision sends a strong message about the
resilience of democratic values in the face of divisive issues and reinforces
the judiciary’s commitment to upholding constitutional rights.
While
the ruling establishes the right to criticize the revocation of Article 370, it
does not undermine the government’s authority to take necessary measures to
ensure public safety and order. The court explicitly mentions that any
restrictions on freedom of expression should be imposed only when absolutely
necessary and should be temporary in nature.
This
judgment is likely to have far-reaching implications not only for the ongoing
discourse surrounding Article 370 but also for the broader landscape of free
speech and dissent in India. It underscores the delicate balance between
national security imperatives and the preservation of democratic principles,
emphasizing that the two are not mutually exclusive. ( With Agency Inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/citizens-have-right-to-criticise-revocation-of-article-370-says-supreme-court/
----
India
deports Myanmar nationals who fled fighting between junta and rebels
08
March, 2024
India
has begun deporting dozens of Myanmar nationals who had fled a recent surge in
fighting between the ruling junta and rebels in a border region, a top state
official said.
"First
batch of Myanmar nationals who entered India illegally deported today," N
Biren Singh, chief minister of Manipur state which borders Myanmar, said in a
post on social media platform X, without providing specific numbers.
A
confidential government order seen by AFP news agency said 77 Myanmar
nationals, including 51 women and five children, were to be repatriated between
March 8 and 11.
"Although
India is not signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it has given shelter
& aid to those fleeing the crisis in Myanmar on humanitarian grounds with a
systematic approach," Singh said.
Thousands
of civilians have fled the fighting in Myanmar, crossing into India's remote
northeastern state of Manipur.
Singh
posted a video showing the Myanmar nationals, mostly women and children, being
sent away.
The
deportation comes a month after the Indian government called for an immediate
end to a free movement border agreement with Myanmar that allowed residents
living in border zones to venture a short distance into their neighbouring
nation's territory without a visa.
India is
also erecting a 1,643-kilometre-long (1,020-mile) fence along the porous border
with Myanmar through remote jungles and snow-capped Himalayan peaks.
Many in
the border zones, including Manipur, share close cultural and religious ties
with people in Myanmar.
More
than 200 people have been killed since last May in Manipur in clashes between
the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and mainly Christian Kuki community.
Many of
those who have fled to India from Myanmar share ethnic ties with the Kukis.
Parts of
Myanmar near the Indian border have seen frequent clashes since Arakan Army
(AA) fighters attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had
largely held since a 2021 military coup.
Hundreds
of soldiers were among those who had fled Myanmar and crossed over to India to
escape the fighting.
Source: trtworld.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.trtworld.com/asia/india-deports-myanmar-nationals-who-fled-fighting-between-junta-and-rebels-17280280
----
India
urged to cease military ties with Israel amid Gaza genocide
09 March
2024
A human
rights group has urged India to cease its military ties with Israel amid the
occupying regime’s “ongoing genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
In a
statement released on Friday, the Human Rights Forum (HRF) lamented India’s
deepening economic and military ties with Israel, drawing attention to India’s
sexagenarian multi-billionaire Gautam Adani’s recent sale of Hermes-900 killer
drones to Israel.
The
Indian government should cease all ties with Israel that implicate it in the
“ongoing genocide” in Gaza, the group said, referring to a recent report of the
sale of more than 20 Hermes-900 medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs by
Adani’s defense company.
“The
Human Rights Forum strongly condemns Adani’s recent agreements with Israel that
include the sending of advanced drones with the clear potential to be deployed
in aid of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” the group said.
A report
published on February 12 by The Wire found out that the Adani-Elbit Advanced
Systems India Ltd, in which the Adani Group has a controlling stake,
manufactured and made the delivery of the UAVs to Israel, alleging that it
would potentially be used in Gaza.
“Israeli
drone and surveillance technology targets populated areas, schools, hospitals,
and even individual homes,” the report by HRF alleged.
Located
in Hyderabad, the Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India Ltd is a joint venture
between Adani Defense and Aerospace and Israel’s Elbit Systems, and is India’s
first private UAV manufacturing complex and the only Hermes-900 production
facility outside Israel.
The HRF
described the partnership with the Israeli military as “Adani’s greed amidst
the genocide in Gaza.”
“While
several countries have withdrawn support to Israel in the face of its inhuman
carnage of Palestinians, Adani continues to profit from it, lining its pocket
with blood money,” the statement read.
Adani
also operates the Haifa Port situated in the northern area, which was occupied
by Israel after Zionist settlements started pouring in after the British
Mandate of Palestine, along with a local company after it completed its
purchase last year in January for $1.03 billion.
In
December 2023, the Indian government endorsed a plea for a ceasefire, yet
declined to support South Africa’s argument at the International Court of
Justice (ICJ), saying Israel had been committing genocide.
“Such
performative political signaling by India is repulsive,” the statement added.
Ever
since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in India in 2014, New Delhi
has seen unprecedented record highs in the strengthening of relationships with
Israel, while experts have described the relationship between Modi and Israel’s
Benjamin Netanyahu as “deep” and “intimate”.
Modi
also shares a close relationship with Adani, which dates back to 2002, when he
was Gujarat’s chief minister and Adani was a businessman situated in the state,
and their rise has appeared to happen in tandem since.
Adani
has long been accused by business analysts of benefiting from his powerful
political connections, especially through Modi.
New
Delhi is Israel’s largest defense buyer in the world and has imported military
hardware worth $2.9 billion from Israel over the last decade.
“Israel
is one of the biggest suppliers of military hardware to India which has borrowed
this ‘drone tactic’ from Israel to thwart the recent farmers’ protests,” the
statement said.
“We
demand that the Indian government cancel, with immediate effect, all such deals
with Israel. We are daily witness to the deliberate slaughter of Palestinians,
many of them women and children,” it read.
“Shamefully,
India has till date not rescinded existing business deals with Israel nor has
it outrightly and clearly condemned Israel for its inhumanity against the
Palestinians.”
Indian
companies are renowned for engaging in the joint production of various Israeli
arms in facilities located throughout India, along with others exporting
various technologies from the apartheid Israeli regime.
The
Indian government has additionally consented to dispatch numerous Indian
laborers to Israel to help alleviate a labor shortage the regime has been
facing, after it revoked work permits of tens of thousands of Palestinian
workers following the October 7 Al-Aqsa Storm operation on Israel.
“We are
opposed to India’s fast-tracking of Israeli recruitment of Indian migrant
workers to replace outlawed Palestinian labor,” HRF said.
“Apart
from being complicit with Israel, this also reneges on its own responsibility
to provide safe, secure and decently paid jobs to our own underemployed and
unemployed poor,” the statement added.
Arundhati
Roy, an Indian novelist and activist, stated on Thursday that while the US
persists in supplying weapons and financial assistance to support Israel’s
genocide, India is exporting its abundant surplus of unemployed poor to replace
the Palestinian workers who are no longer granted work permits to enter Israel.
“US
money and Indian poverty combine to oil Israel’s genocidal war machine. What a
terrible, unthinkable, shame,” Roy said at the meeting of Working People
Against Apartheid and Genocide in Gaza, at the Press Club in New Delhi, India,
on March 7.
Human
rights monitors have also observed that the Israeli military genocide in Gaza
has been exploited by extremist Hindutva factions in India to fuel an increase
in hate speech and crimes targeting Muslims.
According
to a study published in February, the India Hate Lab based in Washington DC
revealed that one-fifth of hate speech directed at Indian Muslims from October
7 to December 31, 2023, made mention of the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/09/721541/Human-rights-group-slams-Indian-government-for-its-failure-to-sever-ties-with-Israel
---
South
Asia
Ministry
of Economy Announces Plans for Afghan Economic Growth
Bibi
Amina Hakimi
March 8,
2024
Din
Mohammad Hanif, the acting Minister of Economy, at the opening of the
Afghanistan-Iran joint exhibition, said that the Islamic Emirate has plans for
economic growth.
The
Afghanistan-Iran joint exhibition was inaugurated yesterday (Thursday, March 7)
for four days in Kabul.
The
Acting Minister of Economy said: "The Economic Deputy of the PM's Office
is working on a five-year developmental strategic plan, and its secretariat is
under the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and is now being
completed."
According
to Hanif, out of 94 booths in the exhibition, thirty are dedicated to Iranian
business people.
Several
participants are pleased with the holding of this exhibition and find it
beneficial in facilitating connections between business people of the two countries.
"This
exhibition can impact us by allowing us to establish connections with Afghan
businessmen and build trust to create a common market,” Mohammad Mohsen
Kolahdooz, a participant said.
"The
fact that we are currently at this level with Iran, participating together in
an exhibition, is pleasing because it has a positive impact," Soraya
Yaqubi, another participant said.
The
deputy ambassador of Iran’s embassy in Kabul Ghulam RizaNajari, said that his
country is striving to expand trade with Afghanistan and assured that it is
seriously addressing the issues Afghan business people face in obtaining
Iranian visas.
"We
cooperate in various sectors, especially in the economy. I hope that alongside
the exchange of government and state-level delegations between the two
countries, we will witness an increase in economic cooperation and
exchanges," Ghulam RizaNajari said.
"We
face many problems at customs and in logistic services in trading with the
people of Afghanistan. The costs of fuel and logistics here are very high, and
if we cannot reduce costs elsewhere, trade in Afghanistan becomes
difficult," Jalali, the representative of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce,
Industries, Mines and Agriculture for Afghanistan said.
Earlier,
a joint exhibition aimed at developing trade relations between Afghanistan and
Turkmenistan was held for three days.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-187740
-----
PMSheikh
HasinaKeen To Create More Scope For Women In Every Sector: Minister
Mar 8, 2024
State
Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina is keen to create more scope for women in every sector.
"This
is her agenda. One shouldn't just consider it as an 'opportunity' for women to
work in power sector or engineering profession. This is women's 'right',"
he said while speaking as the chief guest at a function celebrating
International Women's Day.
Nasrul
said there is no question of comparison between men and women.
"Those
who will come with appropriate skills will get the chance. We will ensure equal
opportunity for women and men," he said.
The
junior minister endorsed the ShoktiKonna initiative through a video message for
the applications campaign in October 2023.
Charge
d'Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Dr Bernd
Spanier addressed the audience stating that under the EU Global gateway
Strategy, and through a Team Europe approach, the EU is committed to supporting
gender equality in the energy sector, and more generally, to making energy and
power more inclusive.
"To
this end, we need everybody on board. We need all the ideas," he said.
In a
significant stride towards empowering young women in the fields of engineering
and STEM, the ShoktiKonna initiative celebrated the graduation of its second
cohort on International Women's Day, heralding a new era of female leadership
in Bangladesh's green energy transition.
The
event was held at the Sheraton Banani, Dhaka, marking a momentous occasion in
the journey towards gender equality in the energy sector.
Devtale
Partners in collaboration with the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh,
GIZ, the World Bank, and USAID, organised the programme.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/environment/natural-resources/energy/news/pm-keen-create-more-scope-women-every-sector-nasrul-3562166
---
North
America
New
Jersey Muslim Group Seeks to Ban Politicians Who Support Israel Response to
Terror Attacks
Robert Walker
March 8,
2024
NEWARK,
NJ – The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-NJ), announced the release of a civic engagement guide for mosques,
emphasizing the importance of welcoming only public officials who support a
Gaza ceasefire to speak during Ramadan events.
This
initiative responds to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the reluctance of some
public officials to support calls for a ceasefire in Palestine. The guide,
titled “Harnessing Our Collective Power: A Guide to Civic Engagement in our
Mosques,” aims to encourage mosques to engage with elected officials who align
with the community’s values, particularly in light of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ramadan,
a significant period in the Islamic calendar for reflection and community,
traditionally sees elected officials connecting with Muslim voters. However,
with the conflict in Gaza persisting for five months and impacting access to
essential services for Palestinians, the Muslim community in New Jersey is
expressing dissatisfaction with representatives’ stance on the issue.
CAIR-NJ
reports a stark contrast in support, noting that only three of New Jersey’s
twelve congressmembers have publicly advocated for a ceasefire. The community’s
frustration is further fueled by the personal losses experienced by Palestinian
Muslims in New Jersey, with over 1,000 family members killed since October.
SelaedinMaksut,
CAIR-NJ Executive Director, criticized the continuing support from officials
for Israel’s aggressive policies against Palestinians. Maksut emphasized the
community’s determination to use their collective power to make their demands
known, insisting on the sanctity of their worship spaces and community
gatherings.
CAIR
also released a Ramadan toolkit at the national level, offering resources to
support Muslim community members during the fasting month, including templates
for workplace and school accommodations and advocacy materials promoting
recognition of Eid and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The
organization remains committed to its mission of protecting civil rights,
enhancing understanding of Islam, promoting justice, and empowering American
Muslims.
Source: shorenewsnetwork.com/
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2024/03/08/new-jersey-muslim-group-seeks-to-ban-politicians-who-support-israel-response-to-terror-attacks/
---
US
Hypocrisy and deception… Fake humanitarian aid to Gaza and weapons for Zionist
enemy
[08/March/2024]
CAPITALS
March 08. 2024 (Saba) - Deception, lying, hypocrisy and deception are still the
masters of the American position. On the same day that the Zionists Joe Biden claimed
that he would drop humanitarian aid over Gaza, the coordinator of strategic
policies at the US National Security Council, John Kirby, announced that his
country is in talks with the Zionist enemy entity about handing over new
weapons, and that it will continue to support Israel's "right" to
self-defense.
Last
Saturday, the United States carried out its first airdrop of aid to the Gaza
Strip, where more than 35,000 meals were parachuted down by three military
aircraft.
U.S.
Central Command said the operation was carried out jointly with the Jordanian
armed forces; U.S. officials say the landing was the first of its kind for a
U.S. aircraft since the war in Gaza began.
The
Biden administration's talk about aid to the Gaza Strip via air reflects the
hypocrisy of this administration, and its attempts to anesthetize American
public opinion regarding the ongoing war of extermination in Gaza and direct
American involvement in it, as if it were not the one who supported the
aggression and caused this killing and mass destruction for about five months,
as if it was not the one who sought to prevent food from the residents of Gaza.
In the
face of this disgusting American action, a leading source in the Palestinian
resistance confirmed that "American planes dropping some aid from the air
is a smokescreen and does not contribute to alleviating the severe humanitarian
crisis in the Gaza Strip."
He
pointed out that "the continuation of the suffocating siege on the people
of Gaza will lead to the explosion of negotiations on the ceasefire."
He
continued: "The policy of starvation practiced by the Zionist enemy
against civilians will not achieve any significant achievement, and the battle
continues until the lifting of the siege and the entry of aid."
The
government's media office in Gaza said that US air aid to Gaza was a show,
propaganda and useless action.
"There
are countries that have carried out airdrops of aid and have good intentions,
and there are countries that have carried out landings with malicious and circumvention
intentions, such as the United States of America and others, where they are
actually participating in the war, supplying the enemy with weapons and giving
him the green light to commit more massacres," he said.
He
stressed that "the operations of airdropping aid and turning a blind eye
to its entry from land crossings comes in the context of circumventing radical
solutions to the problem by following show, propaganda and useless methods, as
well as to twist the arm of reality, the field and the truth, and in line with
the policy of the Zionist enemy to promote the policy of starvation, buy time
in favor of the enemy and extend the famine to inflict the greatest possible
damage to people and citizens."
The
government media office in Gaza held the US administration, the international
community and the Zionist enemy fully responsible for the genocidal war waged
by the Zionist enemy against civilians, children and women, as well as holding
them responsible for famine and promoting the policy of starvation, and holding
them responsible for 19 types of crimes against humanity committed by the enemy
in the Gaza Strip.
In turn.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) confirmed that
"US Vice President Kamala Harris' statements yesterday on Gaza and her
lamentation over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in it reflect the
hypocrisy of the US administration, and its attempts to anesthetize American
public opinion regarding the ongoing Zionist genocide war in Gaza, and the
direct American involvement in it."
The
front said in a press statement: "The whole world knows perfectly well
that the US administration is a major cause of the unprecedented humanitarian
catastrophe and the war of starvation against our people in the Gaza Strip, as
it is the one who participates with the Zionist entity in the aggression, and
supports it with various types of weapons that bomb the Strip, and mobilizes
all its capabilities in defending the Zionist entity."
It
added: "The US administration has prevented the Security Council three
times from adopting a ceasefire resolution, and it is the only one capable of
forcing the Zionist enemy to stop the aggression, but it insists on
participating in the bombing, slaughter, starvation and siege of the people of
Gaza."
Sheikh
Nabil Qaouk, a member of the Central Council of the Lebanese Hezbollah, said
that the landing of US aid over the skies of Gaza does not cover the crime and
shame of America, and all the world's aid will not be able to wash the blood
that stains the face of the American administration, because it is responsible
for killing and wounding more than a hundred thousand Palestinians in Gaza.
Sheikh
Qaouk said that "the weapon of starvation is intended to force the
Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip, and this is a crime against humanity and
a violation of all international resolutions and laws." He pointed out
that Israel is neither held accountable nor punished, and has increased the
siege and starvation on the Gaza Strip after the decision of the International
Court of Justice.
Qaouk
pointed out that the ongoing genocide in Gaza exposed the American charlatanism
and hypocrisy, because America is the one that sends all weapons on a daily
basis to kill the people of Gaza, and it is the one that uses until today the
veto in the Security Council to prevent the issuance of a ceasefire resolution
in Gaza, and it is primarily responsible for the suffering and genocide in
Gaza.
America's
criminal attitudes remain the only constant reality that cannot be covered by
fake sieves and humanitarian aid. This action by America is a manifestation of
beautifying its ugly face to ride the wave of humanity, as it is the one who
made the crisis and is also a spearhead in the scene for financing the war and
sending generals and soldiers to participate in the Zionist entity in its
crimes against the people of Gaza.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3311375.htm
---
Canada
to resume funding UN agency for Palestinians
Mar 9,
2024
Canada
announced on Friday it will resume funding for the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees, more than a month after suspending it in line with about 15 other
countries.
UNRWA
has been at the center of controversy since Israel accused 12 of its employees
in January of involvement in the October 7 attack carried out by the
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
"I'm
announcing that Canada's funding for UNRWA will resume," Minister of
International Development Ahmed Hussen told reporters.
"We're
resuming funding to UNRWA because of the dire humanitarian situation on the
ground," he explained, noting that Canada was the first G7 nation to
resume funding.
About 15
countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan, suspended funding
to UNRWA at the end of January. The moves slashed the agency's funds by $450
million -- more than half of the funds received in 2023.
After
the accusations, the UN fired the accused employees who were still alive and
launched an internal investigation.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also tasked an independent group with
evaluating UNRWA and its neutrality.
Canada
has reviewed the investigation's interim report and "we were reassured by
the contents," Hussen said.
He also
announced that Ottawa will partner with Jordan and the World Food Programme to
conduct airdrops in Gaza to deliver desperately needed food and other
essentials.
"We're
looking at a serious risk of mass starvation in parts of Gaza, particularly in
the north," he warned.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/world/israels-attack-on-palestine/news/canada-resume-funding-un-agency-palestinians-3562481
--
Blinken
agrees to full review of US Afghanistan withdrawal documents: McCaul
Fidel
Rahmati
March 8,
2024
The
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives in
the United States says that Antony Blinken has agreed to his request to provide
all classified documents related to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
According
to the Daily Mail, Michael McCaul has stated that with the Secretary of State’s
agreement to provide documents on the Afghanistan withdrawal, the hearing on
the accusation of his contempt of Congress is currently being postponed.
Michael
McCaul, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of
Representatives in the United States, has said that these documents will
provide important information for investigations into the withdrawal of U.S.
forces from Afghanistan.
The
Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives in
the United States said that he had a good phone conversation with Blinken last
night and he assured him that the documents would be provided to the committee
today.
These
documents include transcripts of interviews with officials and American
personnel involved in planning and managing the withdrawal of American troops
from Afghanistan and are part of the State Department’s reviews after the chaotic
departure of American forces from Kabul.
Michael
McCaul, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of
Representatives in the United States, had asked the State Department of this
country to provide a set of government documents on the withdrawal of its
forces from Afghanistan to this committee last year. However, the U.S.
Secretary of State had not agreed to provide some of these documents.
Following
that, McCaul had threatened Blinken last week that if he did not present these
documents to the committee, on Thursday, the hearing on the accusation of
contempt of Congress against the Secretary of State, which is considered a
crime, would be held.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/blinken-agrees-to-full-review-of-us-afghanistan-withdrawal-documents-mccaul/
----
'Biden's
legacy is genocide', protesters say while blocking his way to US Capitol
08 March
2024
President
Joe Biden’s State of the Union address has sparked protests across the United
States, with demonstrators gathering outside of the US Capitol building,
calling on him to stop funding Israel's genocide in Gaza.
Protesters
gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue – the arterial road that connects the White House
to the seat of the US legislature in Washington, DC – just minutes before the
annual presidential speech to both houses of Congress on Thursday.
According
to reports, the President’s convoy was forced to take a longer route to get
from the White House to the Capitol building, to avoid the protests.
Protest
organizers said people forced Biden to reroute and arrive late to give his
speech at the Capitol.
Protesters
near the Capitol laid out a huge Palestinian flag across the avenue’s asphalt
and held banners that said “Biden’s legacy is genocide."
"When
Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” protesters
chanted.
"I
feel like they’re killing with my hands with my tax dollars,” said one
protester.
Jay
Saper, an organizer said that “the majority of Americans want a full,
permanent, lasting cease-fire” in Gaza.
“It’s
important for our elected officials to actually answer to the people, as
opposed to answering to a [foreign] government that’s actively carrying out
genocide by continuing to send and pledge money and weapons to them.”
Ahead of
the speech, protesters also gathered near the White House, calling on Biden to
push for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and stop arming Israel.
“We are
here today because enough is enough," said Ahmad Abuznaid, executive
director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
The
Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group (CAIR) said the speech was
Biden's "best and perhaps last chance" to announce steps to reduce
Palestinian suffering in Gaza.
A huge
Palestinian flag also hung from the balcony of a congressional office building,
while protesters were chanting "Ceasefire now" on street corners.
Demonstrators
held banners read; “The People Demand: Stop Arming Israel.”
In
Boston and Los Angeles, protesters blocked traffic. Police arrested more than
50 protesters in Boston, according to one activist group and a local media
report.
Palestinian
American human rights lawyer HuwaidaArraf said the protesters in Washington, DC
"know the State of the Union, the State of the Union is genocide."
“We will
not accept a president who claims to be fighting for democracy while ignoring
the majority of people he represents.”
Biden
has been facing mounting pressure to stop providing Israel with bombs, missiles
and ammunition since the regime launched its military offensive against Gaza in
early October. The regime's forces have so far killed more than 30,878
Palestinians, mostly children and women, in the besieged territory.
Five
months into the war in Gaza, the Biden administration has repeatedly bypassed
Congress to greenlight an emergency weapons sale to Israel.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/08/721517/Joe-Biden-State-of-the-Union-address-Gaza-protests
-----
Mideast
UNRWA
report says Israel coerced some agency employees to falsely admit Hamas links
March 9,
2024
The U.N.
agency for Palestinian refugees said some employees released into Gaza from
Israeli detention reported having been pressured by Israeli authorities into
falsely stating that the agency has Hamas links and that staff took part in the
Oct. 7 attacks.
The
assertions are contained in a report by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency
(UNRWA) reviewed by Reuters and dated February 2024 which detailed allegations
of mistreatment in Israeli detention made by unidentified Palestinians,
including several working for UNRWA.
UNRWA
communications director Juliette Touma said the agency planned to hand the
information in the 11-page, unpublished report to agencies inside and outside
the U.N. specialised in documenting potential human rights abuses.
“When
the war comes to an end there needs to be a series of inquiries to look into
all violations of human rights,” she said.
The
document said several UNRWA Palestinian staffers had been detained by the
Israeli army, and added that the ill-treatment and abuse they said they had
experienced included severe physical beatings, waterboarding, and threats of
harm to family members.
“Agency
staff members have been subject to threats and coercion by the Israeli
authorities while in detention, and pressured to make false statements against
the Agency, including that the Agency has affiliations with Hamas and that
UNRWA staff members took part in the 7 October 2023 atrocities,” the report
says.
UNRWA
declined a Reuters request to see transcripts of its interviews containing
allegations of coerced false confessions.
In
addition to the alleged abuse endured by UNRWA staff members, Palestinian
detainees more broadly described allegations of abuse, including beatings,
humiliation, threats, dog attacks, sexual violence, and deaths of detainees
denied medical treatment, the UNRWA report said. – Reuters
Source: ariananews.af
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.ariananews.af/unrwa-report-says-israel-coerced-some-agency-employees-to-falsely-admit-hamas-links/
---
Ruler Of
DubaiPardons 691 Inmates Of Different Nationalities Ahead Of Ramadan
March 8,
2024
His
Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister
and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the release of 691 prisoners of different
nationalities from Dubai’s correctional and punitive establishments, ahead of
the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Chancellor
Essam Issa Al Humaidan, Attorney General of Dubai, said the pardon reflects
Sheikh Mohammed’s keenness to reunite the pardoned individuals with their
families during the Holy Month. The pardon gives the released prisoners an
opportunity to get a fresh start in life and reintegrate into the community, he
added.
Dubai
Public Prosecution, in collaboration with Dubai Police, has already commenced
the legal procedures to implement Sheikh Mohammed’s order, said Al Humaidan.
Source: gulftoday.ae
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.gulftoday.ae/news/2024/03/08/mohammed-pardons-691-inmates-of-different-nationalities-ahead-of-ramadan
--
Protesters
march in Syria against Al-Qaeda-linked group as a prominent militant is
released
March
09, 2024
IDLIB: A
powerful Al-Qaeda-linked group that dominates much of northwestern Syria
released on Friday one of its founders after he spent months in jail on
suspicion of having links with forces outside the country.
The
release appears to be a move by the militant group’s top leader to appease the
public, as many have been protesting over the past week, demanding he leave and
asking that the detainees be released.
On
Friday, hundreds marched in a show of defiance against the militant chief, Abu
Mohammed Al-Golani, who runs the Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group.
The
protests took place in the city of Idlib, the capital of the province with the same
name, and surrounding towns and villages.
“Al-Golani,
we don’t want you,” chanted some of the protesters in Idlib.
The
Al-Qaeda-linked group has crushed several rival groups in the enclave over the
past few years and violently suppressed any protests against it.
But
public anger against the militants’ wrongdoings has escalated.
The
released militant is one of the group’s co-founders, Maysara Al-Jubouri, better
known as Abu Maria Al-Qahtani. He had been jailed since August over misuse of
social media.
The
group said he was released after an investigation proved he was innocent.
Earlier
in the week, the militant group released 420 detainees from its jails,
following similar demonstrations sparked by the recent death of a member of a
rebel faction, allegedly while being tortured in a jail run by the
Al-Qaea-linked group.
There
have been allegations that the jails run by Al-Golani targeted the group’s own
members suspected of allegedly having provided intelligence to the US-led
coalition, which over the years led to the killing of top Al-Qaeda commanders
in drone strikes in different parts of Syria.
During a
rally on Tuesday night in the town of DaretAzzeh, Al-Qaeda-linked extremists
opened fire at the protesters but no casualties were reported.
Public
sentiment against Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham’s leader has been rising since it
arrested several senior members of the group, previously known as Nusra Front.
The
group has sought to distance itself from Al-Qaeda over the past years.
Al-Jubouri,
an Iraqi citizen, had been a longtime Al-Qaeda member who fought against US
forces in Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
In 2011,
he was one of several Al-Qaeda figures who moved to Syria, months after the
country’s ongoing deadly conflict began.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473586/middle-east
----
Gaza
airdrop ends in deaths for five Palestinian refugees; 10 injured
March
09, 2024
GAZA
STRIP: A humanitarian airdrop in the north of the Palestinian territory on
Friday killed five people and wounded ten others, a medic at Gaza’s largest
hospital said.
The
casualties were taken to Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, the emergency room’s
head nurse, Mohammed Al-Sheikh, told AFP.
Sheikh
said the deadly airdrop occurred north of the coastal Al-Shati refugee camp.
A
witness from the camp said he and his brother followed the parachuted aid in
the hope of getting “a bag of flour.”
“Then,
all of a sudden, the parachute didn’t open and fell down like a rocket on the
roof of one of the houses,” said Mohammed Al-Ghoul.
“Ten
minutes later I saw people transferring three martyrs and others injured, who
were staying on the roof of the house where the aid packages fell,” the
50-year-old told AFP.
The
United States and Jordan are among the countries to have carried out airdrops
in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are facing dire
conditions after more than five months of war.
Both
Jordan’s military and a US defense official denied that aircraft from either
country caused the fatalities.
The
airdrop was also carried out in partnership with Belgium, Egypt, France and the
Netherlands
“The
technical defect that caused some parachutes carrying aid not to open and to
fall freely to the ground during the airdrop on Gaza on Friday was not from a
Jordanian aircraft,” the source said.
“The
four Jordanian aircraft that carried out the airdrop in partnership with five other
countries carried out its mission without any glitches.”
Referring
to the five killed on Friday, the government media office in Hamas-run Gaza
said airdrops were “futile” and “not the best way for aid to enter.”
As an
alternative to the airdrops, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on
Friday said a maritime corridor could open this Sunday, though crucial details
of the planned operation remained unclear.
Von der
Leyen said “an initial pilot operation” would be launched on Friday, and the United
Arab Emirates had helped activate the corridor “by securing the first of many
shipments of goods to the people of Gaza.”
Her
announcement came after US President Joe Biden, in Thursday’s annual State of
the Union address, said the US military would establish a “temporary pier” off
Gaza’s coast to bring in aid.
But the
United Nations said airdrops or a proposed maritime aid corridor cannot be a
substitute for land deliveries, urging more trucks to be permitted to reach
Gaza through more border crossings.
Michael
Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said Washington’s
“absurd” pier proposal would not “prevent starvation and famine by any
definition.”
British
foreign minister David Cameron said “we need 500 trucks a day or more going
into Gaza,” but the past five days have averaged just 123.
“That
needs to be fixed now,” he told BBC radio, also calling on Israel to ensure the
“full resumption” of water and electricity supplies.
The
situation is particularly acute in Gaza’s north, where desperate residents have
swarmed the aid trucks which do make it in to the territory.
On
February 29, more than 100 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces opened
fire on crowds scrambling for aid from a convoy in north Gaza, according to
Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel’s
military said Friday its initial investigation found troops “fired precisely”
at suspects who posed a threat to them.
Roughly
1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah, in Gaza’s far south, but
there, too, they are not safe.
Hamas’s
unprecedented October attack on southern Israel resulted in about 1,160 deaths,
most of them civilians, according to Israeli official figures.
Israel
has responded with a relentless offensive that the health ministry in Hamas-run
Gaza said has killed at least 30,878 people, mostly women and children.
Hamas
militants took about 250 hostages, some of whom were released during a
week-long truce in November. Israel believes 99 hostages remain alive in Gaza
and that 31 have died.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473576/middle-east
-----
Lebanese
border region dotted with ghost towns as residents flee Israeli bombardment
March
08, 2024
NAJIA
HOUSSARI
BEIRUT:
Towns along the Lebanese border with Israel are becoming deserted as residents
flee the Israeli bombardment, a local man told Arab News on Friday, as two more
civilians were hurt in a blast that damaged a property in the village of
Baraachit.
“After
five months of daily confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, 90
percent of the border towns have become empty, while 100 percent of the
residents in other adjacent towns have completely fled the area,” the person
said.
“The
weapons used by the Israeli enemy have become more destructive, meaning that
bombed buildings are being destroyed, which makes it more difficult to tell if
there are any residents living there, or to even find them due to their
scattered body parts,” said the resident of Nabatieh, itself a target for the
attacks.
Hezbollah
said on Friday that four of its members were killed earlier in the week when
the house they were in was hit by an Israeli shell. The victims were identified
as Ali Amin Marji, Fadel Abbas Kaoud and Hadi Mahmoud Hijazi.
Another
member, Fadi Mahmoud Daoui, was killed in a similar attack on Aitaroun on
Thursday night, the group said.
Meanwhile,
Hezbollah conducted artillery strikes on Israeli military sites in Shtula,
Western Galilee and, according to Israeli media sources, “in the vicinity of
Al-Rahib.”
According
to figures from Information International, as of Tuesday, 290 people —
including 228 Hezbollah members and cadres — had been killed in Lebanon as a
result of the fighting.
Most of
the deaths were reported in villages and towns in the south and Bekaa regions,
including nine each in Ayta Al-Shaab and KafrKila, seven in both Markaba and
Aitaroun, and six each in Khirbet Selm and Taybeh.
The
deadliest week for Hezbollah so far was Oct. 22-28, when 28 of its members were
killed, followed by Feb. 11-17, which saw 20 fatalities, the data showed.
Israel’s
Channel 13 reported on Friday that the Israeli army was planning to invade
Lebanon by land, but analysts said there was still the possibility of a
political solution to the conflict.
Hezbollah’s
Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said: “It has been spread all over
the media that Israel threatened to attack with a deadline of March 15. If
Israel attacks, we will take it down with its supporters. We will pay it in the
same coin: assault for assault, fight for fight.
“We are
prepared for any day on which Israel chooses to expand its battle. We are on
the lookout. We will win.”
The head
of Hezbollah’s Shariah Council, Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek, said during his Friday
sermon in Baalbek that the group would “keep striking until the war on Gaza and
the attacks on Lebanon end.”
Hezbollah
would “prevent the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and the killing of
innocent people and civilians,” he said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473451/middle-east
----
Children
fall to hunger in Gaza as Israeli siege cuts off supplies
March
09, 2024
It’s not
just Israeli bombs that have killed children in war-ravaged Gaza — now some are
dying of hunger.
Officials
have been warning for months that Israel’s siege and offensive were pushing the
Palestinian territory into famine.
Hunger
is most acute in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by Israeli forces and
has suffered long cutoffs of food supplies. At least 20 people have died from
malnutrition and dehydration at the north’s Kamal Adwan and Shifa hospitals,
according to the Health Ministry. Most of the dead are children.
Particularly
vulnerable children are also beginning to succumb in the south, where access to
aid is more regular.
At the
Emirati Hospital in Rafah, 16 premature babies have died of
malnutrition-related causes over the past five weeks, one of the senior doctors
said.
Israel-Palestine
Conflict
Joe
Biden says ‘very dangerous’ if no Gaza ceasefire by Ramadan
Probe
says Israel PM Netanyahu bears 'responsibility' for deadly 2021 stampede
China
calls war in Gaza 'a disgrace to civilisation'
“The
child deaths we feared are here,” Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s Middle East chief, said
in a statement earlier this week.
Israel’s
bombardment and ground assaults have already wreaked a high toll among
children, who along with women make up three-quarters of the more than 30,800
Palestinians killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Malnutrition
is generally slow to bring death, striking children and the elderly first.
Underfed mothers have difficulty breastfeeding children. Diarrheal diseases,
rampant in Gaza due to lack of clean water and sanitation, leave many unable to
retain any of the calories they ingest, said Anuradha Narayan, a UNICEF child
nutrition expert. Malnutrition weakens immune systems, sometimes leading to
death from other diseases.
Israel
largely shut off entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies after
launching its assault on Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern
Israel. It has allowed only a trickle of aid trucks through two crossings in the
south.
Israel
has blamed the burgeoning hunger in Gaza on U.N. agencies, saying they fail to
distribute supplies piling up at Gaza crossings. UNRWA, the largest U.N. agency
in Gaza, says Israel restricts some goods and imposes cumbersome inspections
that slow entry.
U.N.
officials said aids are snatched off trucks by hungry Palestinians on route to
drop-off points.
With
alarm growing, Israel bent to the U.S. and international pressure, saying this
week it will open crossings for aid directly into northern Gaza and allow sea
shipments.
Conditions
in the north, largely under Israeli control for months, have become desperate.
Meat,
milk, vegetables and fruit are nearly impossible to find, said the residents.
The few items in shops are random and sold at hugely inflated prices.
Most
people eat a weed that crops up in empty lots, known as “khubaiza.” Fatima
Shaheen, a 70-year-old who lives with her two sons and their children in
northern Gaza, said boiled khubaiza is their main meal, and her family has also
ground up food meant for rabbits to use as flour.
“We are
dying for a piece of bread,” she said.
Source: thehindu.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/children-fall-to-hunger-in-gaza-as-israeli-siege-cuts-off-supplies/article67931399.ece
----
Europe
License
to kill: UK ramps up arms sales to Israel despite growing outcry
09 March
2024
Reza
Javadi
A
notable development last week further established the British government’s
complicity in the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza as the UK high court dismissed
a case calling for an immediate halt to British arms exports to Israel despite
the massive outcry.
Although
the UK arms export criteria prohibit licensing if there is a "clear
risk" of a weapon being used in serious violations of international
humanitarian law (IHL), the court overlooked these standards by rejecting the
legal challenge mounted by the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq and
the UK-based Global Legal Action Network (Glan) in December.
ShawanJabarin,
Al-Haq's general director, understandably slammed the legal verdict.
“The
government’s decision to continue supplying Israel with weapons to continue its
military aggression against men, women and children in Gaza is effectively
arming Israel to completely decimate the Gaza Strip, reducing Gaza’s vital
civilian infrastructure to rubble.”
In their
effort to challenge the court's decision, these organizations sought a judicial
review of the Rishi Sunak government's export licenses for the sale of British
armaments, which are being utilized in Israel’s Gaza genocide daily.
The
legal challenge shed light on the government's license for the sale of British
arms to the Israeli regime across various categories, including components for
military radars, targeting equipment, combat aircraft, and naval vessels.
Campaign
Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) research reveals that since 2015, the UK has
licensed approximately £472 million in "standard" arms exports to the
Israeli regime, along with 58 unlimited value "open" licenses,
lacking transparency and permitting unlimited quantities.
The UK
High Court’s dismissal comes on the heels of the International Court of
Justice's (ICJ) recent order for Israel to take measures to stop its genocidal
war against Palestinians in Gaza.
The
ICJ's interim ruling on South Africa's genocide case against Israel stated that
the regime is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza, triggering
global pressure on governments across the world to halt their arms sales and
military aid to Tel Aviv.
Siobhán
Allen, a Glan lawyer, said the court’s decision that it is not arguable that
the government got its risk assessment wrong is difficult to reconcile with the
ICJ interim ruling.
"We
will be asking for a hearing to review this decision and are confident that the
court will see it differently and Al Haq’s claim can proceed,” Allen was quoted
as saying.
According to multiple reports, the British
government has ramped up arms exports to the Israeli regime in recent months to
meet the growing demand amid the genocidal war on Gaza.
Sunak
government is following in the footsteps of Washington, which has pledged 14.3
billion of military assistance to the Israeli regime, ignoring calls to end the
arms exports.
Growing
concern over UK's arm aids to Israel
Concerns
have been raised by British parliamentarians and human rights groups regarding
the UK's arms sale to Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which just
completed five months.
More
than 30,800 Palestinian civilians have been killed since October 7, including
over 14,000 children and nearly 9,000 women. The civilian infrastructure also
lies in complete ruins.
Some
Members of the British parliament have expressed worry over the violation of
international humanitarian law through their government’s arms exports to the
regime.
The
Scottish National Party (SNP) has urged the Sunak government to put an
immediate end to export licenses to the Benjamin Netanyahu regime and refrain
from granting new ones.
Human
rights groups in the UK have specifically called on the Sunak government to
halt arms transfers to Israel, citing concerns about potential "war
crimes" against Palestinians.
In
December, a letter from a consortium of rights groups highlighted the UK's
contribution of approximately 15 percent of components in the F-35 stealth
bomber aircraft used in Gaza.
“The UK
provides approximately 15 percent of the components in the F-35 stealth bomber
aircraft currently being used in Gaza, including the rear fuselage and active
interceptor system, ejector seats, aircraft tires, refueling probe,
laser-targeting system, and the fan propulsion system,” the letter read, adding
that UK-supplied components had been utilized by the Israeli regime in previous
wars, notably during the 2008-09 Gaza War.
Citing a
2014 review by former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, the letter noted the
commitment to suspend existing licenses for equipment and parts used by the
Israeli military "if significant hostilities resumed in Gaza."
It also
referenced international and UK laws, including Articles 6 and 7 of the
International Arms Trade Treaty, as well as the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing
Criteria, requiring the government to halt arms transfers if a substantial risk
of serious violations of international humanitarian law or human rights
legislation exists.
The
letter documented "unlawful" attacks by Israeli forces on various
civilian targets since October 7, including medical facilities, residential
buildings, evacuation convoys, bakeries, water and electricity infrastructure,
schools, and UN facilities sheltering displaced Palestinians.
The
letter asserted that intentional or reckless attacks against the civilian
population and objects constitute "war crimes".
“The
Israeli military has also used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza, a densely
populated area, which puts civilians at unnecessary risk and is unlawful,” it
noted with concern.
‘UK
government’s words do not match its actions’
The UK
government's claims of not providing lethal or military equipment to Israel
since the start of the regime's war on Gaza are contradicted by a January
affidavit filed at the UK High Court.
The
Department for Business and Trade identified 28 current licenses and 28 pending
applications for exporting equipment "most likely to be used by the
[Israeli occupation forces] in offensive operations in Gaza".
Eight
rights groups, including the Campaign Against the Arms Trade and War on Want,
pointed to a discrepancy between the government's public stance and the court
document, urging clarification on how it ensures weapons licensed for export
have not reached Tel Aviv since October 7.
The
rights groups highlighted concerns about transparency and the British
government's clear disregard for mounting evidence of serious violations.
"The
government's publicly-stated position on weapon licenses to Israel is difficult
to reconcile with what the government had admitted in litigation," the
groups said in a letter sent to the government on Wednesday.
“War on
Want & other UK orgs are deeply concerned by the UK government's refusal to
halt arms transfers to Israel - despite the clear risk that these arms are
being used by Israel in its plausible genocide of the Palestinian people,” the
UK-based War on Want charity and human rights group tweeted last week,
attaching their joint letter.
“Israel
is deepening the humanitarian crisis caused by its siege of the Gaza Strip, by
targeting bakeries, water pipes and electricity networks — a form of collective
punishment of the Palestinian people, prohibited under international law. UN
human rights experts have warned that Palestinians are at risk of genocide,”
the group wrote on its official website.
The UK
government, obligated to suspend licenses for arms exports under certain
conditions, insists it can revoke, suspend, or amend licenses if inconsistent
with criteria. However, the rights groups say it is "flagrantly ignoring
the mounting evidence of serious violations".
Which
countries banned arms exports to Israel?
The
recent UK high court ruling follows a Dutch court's decision to ban sales of
F-35 parts to Israel, acknowledging a "clear risk" of their use in
humanitarian law violations.
Dutch
humanitarian organizations Oxfam Novib, PAX Netherlands Peace Movement
Foundation, and The Rights Forum filed the lawsuit against the government,
echoing concerns raised in the ICJ regarding South Africa's apartheid case
against the Israeli regime.
“It is
undeniable that there is a clear risk the exported F-35 parts are used in
serious violations of international humanitarian law,” the court ruling stated.
Meanwhile,
Italy and Spain's foreign ministers declared this month that their countries
ceased arms exports to the Israeli regime in the wake of the Israeli war on
Gaza.
Responding
to calls from Democratic Party leader EllySchlein, Italy's Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani announced the suspension of all weapon shipments to Israel since
the outbreak of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza in early October.
Spain's
foreign minister also confirmed no arms sales to Israel since early October,
imposing an embargo on weapon sales.
However,
a report revealed Spain exported ammunition worth $1.1 million to Israel in
November, saying the material was being for tests or demonstrations and
corresponded to licenses granted before October 7.
In
Belgium, a regional government suspended two licenses for gunpowder export to
the Israeli regime on February 6, citing the ICJ's interim ruling that
suggested Israel may be "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza.
Furthermore,
Japanese company Itochu Corporation announced the end of its partnership with
Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems in February.
CFO
Tsuyoshi Hachimura mentioned considerations of the ICJ's order and Japanese
government support for the UN court, leading to the suspension of new
activities related to the memorandum of understanding and its planned
termination by February's end.
“Taking
into consideration the International Court of Justice’s order on January 26,
and that the Japanese government supports the role of the court, we have
already suspended new activities related to the MOU, and plan to end the MOU by
the end of February,” Hachimura said.
As War
on Want writes in its statement: “There is a clear risk that UK arms are being
used to carry out serious violations of international law. The UK government
must immediately end the UK arms trade with Israel and ensure it is not
complicit in war crimes.”
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/09/721533/license-kill-uk-ramps-up-arms-sales-israel-despite-icj-ruling
---
Calling
pro-Palestine protesters extremists is ‘outrageous’: UK govt adviser
March
08, 2024
LONDON:
Labeling protesters on pro-Palestinian marches in the UK extremists is
divisive, “outrageous” and dangerous, a government adviser has warned.
Demonstrations
against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza have drawn hundreds of thousands of
people to the streets of London and other major cities in the UK since Oct. 7
last year.
They
have drawn criticism from senior Conservative politicians, including former
Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who called them “hate marches.”
However,
Dame Sara Khan, who is conducting a review into British social coherence and
the resilience of democracy, told The Guardian that politicians need to be wary
of using divisive rhetoric.
“I think
it’s really important that we don’t conflate those protesters, somehow saying
or portraying them as somehow as being all extremists,” Khan said.
“What
I’ve been really uncomfortable with over the last couple of weeks is the kind
of argument that they’re all Islamist extremists on these demonstrations. I
think that’s actually outrageous.
“Some
are not even pro-Palestinian people, just anti-war. There are clearly Jewish
people there, there’s a whole range of people there, and to try to frame these
demonstrations as Islamist extremism is completely far-fetched and untrue.”
Last
week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that pro-Palestine protests had
“descended into intimidation, threats, and planned acts of violence.”
This
week, the government’s commissioner for counter-extremism, Robin Simcox, wrote
in the Daily Telegraph: “We will not have become an authoritarian state if
London is no longer permitted to be turned into a no-go zone for Jews every
weekend.”
However,
the government’s independent terrorist legislation reviewer, Jonathan Hall KC,
warned: “When you’re thinking about something as important as the right to
protest, there doesn’t seem to be a solid enough basis for curtailing that
because I think we can all think of causes very personal to us that we would
want to protest an awful lot and that will make some people very, very unhappy
indeed.”
The
government is expected to announce a new definition of extremism next week,
which will inform what organizations it is allowed to work with.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473381/world
---
Britain
to join US, other partners in opening maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza
BurakBir
08.03.2024
Britain
will join the US and other international partners to open a maritime corridor
to "deliver aid directly to Gaza," the foreign secretary announced
Friday.
"Alongside
the US, the UK and partners have announced we will open a maritime corridor to
deliver aid directly to Gaza," said David Cameron, stressing that the 2
million people in the besieged Palestinian enclave are in "desperate
humanitarian need."
On
Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US is
working to open up a maritime corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to the
strip, and President Joe Biden later said they would set up a floating pier off
the coast of the enclave.
Italy
also said it will join an initiative to create a humanitarian maritime
corridor.
"We
continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to
get aid to those who need it," added Cameron.
Grant
Shapps, the British defense secretary, also said they are working with allies
to open the corridor in a bid to "accelerate" the delivery.
"Our
Armed Forces in the region are already supporting aid deliveries by land &
air and we will continue to do all we can to get aid to those in need," he
added on X.
Israel
has waged a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border
incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli
bombardment has killed over 30,800 people and injured more than 72,000 others
with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The
Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid
acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's
infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel
stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim
ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to
guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/britain-to-join-us-other-partners-in-opening-maritime-corridor-to-deliver-aid-to-gaza/3159123
---
Africa
Bandits
Killed Muslim Worshippers At Mosque During Friday Prayer In Northwestern
Nigeria
Ibrahim
Garba Shuaibu
09.03.2024
Bandits
attacked hundreds of Muslims performing Friday prayer at a rural mosque in
northwestern Nigeria, according to community leaders.
The
attack occurred in AnguwarMakera in the Kwasakwasa Community in the BirninGwari
local government area as Muslims gathered for the prayer service at 2 p.m.
local time.
Residents
and community leaders confirmed the deaths and said many sustained various
injuries.
Community
leader Malam Muhammad Hudu said the bandits opened fire and the faithful were
forced to run when they were observing the last section of the prayer.
Police
spokesman Mansur Hassan confirmed the attack but declined to provide details.
The
attack comes days after bandits abducted nine people in the
AngwarKanawaBirninGwari community of the state.
And 280
students and their teachers were abducted Thursday by bandits who invaded Local
Education Authority Primary School in Kaduna state.
President
Bola Tinubu condemned the abductions involving very vulnerable victims,
internally displaced persons in Borno State and students in Kaduna State.
Tinubu
directed security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims
and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of the abominable
acts, his spokesman AjuriNgelale said in a statement to Anadolu.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/muslim-worshippers-killed-at-mosque-during-friday-prayer-in-northwestern-nigeria/3159774
---
UN
Security Council adopts resolution for immediate cease-fire in Sudan
MerveAydogan
09.03.2024
The UN
Security Council (UNSC) adopted a draft resolution Friday that demands an
immediate cease-fire in Sudan during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The
resolution, presented by the UK, was voted on during a UNSC session and was
approved with 14 votes of the 15-member Council and one abstention.
"We
have no illusions as to the true intentions of Western countries," said
Russia's Deputy Permanent Representative for Political Affairs, Anna
Evstigneeva.
Evstigneeva
accused members of a "double standard" regarding Gaza, "where a
massacre is taking place, where over five months more than 30,000 people have
died."
She
noted that it is time for diplomacy in Sudan.
Resolution
of cease-fire in Sudan
The
resolution demands an urgent cessation of hostilities throughout Ramadan in
Sudan, and encouraged efforts toward a resolution through dialogue.
It
further demands full humanitarian aid access and urges parties to fulfill their
obligations under international humanitarian law.
Sudan
has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan,
who is the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid
Support Forces.
At least
12,260 people have been killed and more than 33,000 injured in the conflict
that started last April, according to UN figures.
A
humanitarian crisis continues to worsen as nearly 6.8 million people have fled
their homes seeking safety in Sudan and neighboring countries.
Several
cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabia and US mediators have failed to
end the violence.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/un-security-council-adopts-resolution-for-immediate-cease-fire-in-sudan/3159739
--
7,000
died in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger terrorist attacks – ECOWAS
9th
March 2024
Gift
Habib
The
Economic Community of West African States recorded over 3,500 terrorist attacks
in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Republic in 2023 which resulted in nearly
7,000 deaths.
The
Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS Commission,
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musa, disclosed this during the weekly press briefing of
the ECOWAS Commission on Friday in Abuja.
Fatau
noted that nearly 2,000 attacks were recorded in Burkina Faso, over 1,044 in
Mali, and 500 in Niger Republic, noting that the regional bloc would establish
a terrorism force to address the challenge.
He
explained, “The whole geographical area of West Africa is rich in human and
natural resources. However, our geographic area is an area of immense
vulnerability.
THE
LOUNGE: What Would You Do If Your Mother-In-Law Takes Over Your Kitchen0:00 /
0:00
“Particularly
the Sahel countries; in 2023 alone, over 3,500 terrorist attacks were recorded.
This includes close to 2,000 in Burkina Faso, over 1,044 in Mali, and 500 in
Niger Republic. These incidents resulted in close to 7,000 fatalities in the
three Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
“In the
three Sahel countries, a total of 4.8 million people faced food insecurity, 2.4
million people were internally displaced and close to 9,000 schools remain
closed in the region. Burkina Faso has already taken over from Afghanistan.”
The
15-nation bloc ECOWAS, formed in 1975 to
promote economic integration in member states,
has struggled in recent years to reverse a wave of military takeovers in
the region, including Mali in 2020 and 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Niger
last year.
The exit
of three countries from ECOWAS threatened the African Continental Free Trade
Area aimed at accelerating intra-African trade and boosting the continent’s
trading position in the global market.
Earlier,
ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions on the countries. The sanctions were,
however, lifted last week following the intervention of Nigeria’s ex-military
head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
The
President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said the decisions were taken
in the interest of unity and security in the African sub-region.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://punchng.com/7000-died-in-burkina-faso-mali-niger-terrorist-attacks-ecowas/
----
Troops
ready to deal with security threats during Ramadan — DHQ
8th
March 2024
Solomon
Odeniyi
The
Defence Headquarters has said troops deployed nationwide are prepared to
address any threats, especially as the Muslim faithful begins the Ramadan
period.
The
DHQ’s assurance coincides with a statement from the Department of State
Services which felicitates Christians for Lent and Muslims for the approaching
Ramadan, and urged citizens to remain vigilant, particularly against the threat
of Improvised Explosives.
The
statement partly read, “The general public is urged to stay informed about
potential threats; avoid crowded or suspicious areas and report to relevant
security agencies any strange objects, activities, and movements of hostile
elements.
“In the
same vein, the Service calls for tolerance, bonds of brotherhood, dialogue, and
peaceful coexistence among the populace.”
The DHQ,
in a statement on Friday by the Director Media Operation, Maj. Gen. Buba
Edward, said troops are prepared and capable of handling the security threats
during the period.
“Even as
Ramadan is about to commence, troops are ready as a formidable force for the
threats and know how to deal with them,” the statement partly read.
Buba
also vowed that the troops would not relent until terrorists were defeated on
the battlefield.
He said,
“The military will continue to defeat the terrorist and their cohorts on the
battlefield and dislodge them from the safe havens across the country.
“The
armed forces is a force of stability seeking to bring stability wherever it may
be needed across the country. Accordingly, we are committed and remain strong
in our mission of defending the country and protecting the citizens. ”
Speaking
on the achievement of troops during the week, Buba said over 210 terrorists
were killed and 142 arrested.
“It is
against this background that, during the week under review, troops neutralised
210 and arrested 142 of them. Troops also arrested 66 perpetrators of oil theft
and rescued 46 kidnapped hostages. Furthermore, troops recovered 243 assorted
weapons and 5,453 assorted ammunition, ” the statement added.
He also
said in the South-South region denied oil theft an estimated sum of N2.2bn.
Buba
added that troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and discovered and
destroyed 63 dugout pits, 46 boats and 120 storage tanks.
“Other
items recovered include 100 cooking ovens, 3 outboard engines, 11 pumping
machines, 23 vehicles, 2 tricycles, 6 mobile phones, one generator, and 81
illegal refining sites. Troops recovered 1,932,245 litres of stolen crude oil,
432,150 litres of illegally refined AGO, and 3,500 litres of DPK,” he added.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://punchng.com/troops-ready-to-deal-with-security-threats-during-ramadan-dhq/
----
DSS
Wishes Christians, Muslim Faithful Peaceful Lent, Ramadan
March 8,
2024
March
08, (THEWILL)- The Department of State Services (DSS), has felicitated with
Christian and Muslim faithful, on their Lent and coming Ramadan seasons,
respectively.
Spokesperson
of the Service in a statement on Friday, however, urged worshippers to promote
understanding, compassion and respect for one another during and after the
exercises.
While
appealing to stakeholders, including the media to refrain from economic
exploitation, sabotage or profiteering during “these important obligations”,
the service, however, urged the public to remain vigilant against public
dangers especially Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Afunanya,
who urged the general public to stay informed about potential threats,
cautioned against crowded or suspicious areas.
He
called for a prompt report to relevant security agencies, any strange objects,
activities and movements of “hostile elements.”
The
statement reads: “The Department of State Services (DSS), wishes to identify
with the Christian and Muslim faithful at their Lent and coming Ramadan seasons
respectively. Accordingly, the Management extends its heartfelt felicitations
for peace, unity and harmony to adherents of these faiths.
“The DSS
recognises the significance of these sacred rites and enjoins worshippers to
promote understanding, compassion and respect for one another during and after
the exercises.
“It
appeals to stakeholders to refrain from economic exploitation, sabotage or
profiteering during these important obligations. This is more so that illegal
practices such as price gouging or unethical marketing tactics are ungodly;
violate fairness and can undermine the true essence of the holy events.
“As
believers, it is incumbent upon us to uphold good standards and ensure that
everyone can observe the religious duties with ease and dignity.
“Furthermore,
the Service encourages clerics and religious leaders to uphold empathy as well
as prioritise cooperation and conflict prevention beyond the periods under
reference.
“Similarly,
the media is encouraged to utilise their platforms to foster informed and
accurate engagements that (can) enhance the achievement of national security
objectives and interests.
“Likewise,
residents are advised to remain vigilant against public dangers, especially
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Also, the general public is urged to stay
informed about potential threats; avoid crowded or suspicious areas and report
to relevant security agencies any strange objects, activities and movements of
hostile elements.
“In the
same vein, the Service calls for tolerance, bonds of brotherhood, dialogue and
peaceful coexistence among the populace.
“Overall,
the Service recommits to the provision of strategic intelligence to other
sister agencies in order to achieve a safe and secure country.
“As we
undertake these spiritual journeys in the Lenten and Ramadan periods, let us
remember to love and share the values that unite us. Let us reaffirm our
commitment to the values of mercy, tolerance, forgiveness, being our brother’s
keepers among others and by these, advance a more inclusive and equitable
society for us all.”
Source: thewillnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://thewillnews.com/dss-wishes-christians-muslim-faithful-peaceful-lent-ramadan/
----
Pakistan
Armed
forces will support people of Balochistan: COAS Munir
March 9,
2024
QUETTA:
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said that armed forces and
law enforcement agencies will fully support the people of Balochistan for peace
and prosperity in the province as the success of Balochistan is the success of
Pakistan.
According
to a statement issued here on Friday by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR),
the military’s media wing, Gen Munir said: “The people of Pakistan are proud of
the brave people of Balochistan who have stood tall against all odds”.
The COAS
said this during his visit to the Awaran district of Balochistan where he was
briefed on the security situation of the province.
Gen
Munir was informed about the efforts being made by the army in the
socio-economic development and agriculture potential of Balochistan.
“Armed
Forces of Pakistan and law-enforcement agencies will continue to render their
services in support of the people of Balochistan for peace and prosperity,” the
general said.
During
the visit, the army chief interacted with the local elders, farmers and
families of martyrs and assured them of the army’s unstinting support for their
security and welfare while paying rich tribute to the sacrifices rendered by
martyrs.
The ISPR
said that while interacting with the notables and farmers of Awaran, the army
chief emphasised the importance of agriculture and the army’s commitment to the
Green Pakistan Initiative.
“Farmers
will be provided with all kinds of agricultural facilities, including provision
of easy agricultural loans, seeds, fertilisers, solar tube-wells and guidance
by agriculture experts so that they can cultivate their lands and become
partners in the progress and development of Pakistan,” Gen Munir said.
Later
on, the army chief inaugurated the Cadet College of Awaran and interacted with
faculty members and students.
He also
appreciated the establishment of another Cadet College in Balochistan for the
people of the area.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1820167/armed-forces-will-support-people-of-balochistan-coas-munir
------
PTI
leaders not denied permission to meet Imran, IHC told
March 9,
2024
Malik
Asad
ISLAMABAD:
The Superintendent of Adiala Jail informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on
Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders have not been denied
permission to meet former prime minister Imran Khan, but measures are being
taken to avoid any sabotage activities.
In
response to a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the
Superintendent Jail, Asad Javed Warraich, for denying access to PTI leaders
Omar Ayub, Asad Qaiser and others to meet Imran Khan, the jail authorities
informed the IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan that recently some terrorists
were arrested near the jail along with some explosive material which they
planned to use to attack the jail premises.
Justice
Khan directed the jail authorities that visitors could meet Mr Khan with his
prior consent.
As per
the report submitted by the jail authorities, the officials placed for the
supervision of visitors have been kept at a distance from where they can only
see but cannot hear what is being discussed. Such scheme of supervision is
allowed as per Rule 556 of the Pakistan Prison Rules, 1978.
The
report claimed that orders of the IHC are being strictly adhered to and lawyers
of Mr Khan were never restrained and they will never be restrained from
carrying requisite stationery. However, the report said, it would be subject to
scrutiny before taking it inside the premises.
The
court adjourned further hearing of the case till March 15.
MWM
leader allowed to meet Imran
In a
related development, IHC Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz allowed MWM leader Allama
Raja Nasir Abbas to meet Mr Khan on March 11 and asked the jail authorities to
share with him the timing of the meeting.
The same
court also sought a report from jail authorities on a petition seeking
permission for PTI leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi to meet Imran Khan in Adiala
Jail.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1820180/pti-leaders-not-denied-permission-to-meet-imran-ihc-told
----
Govt all
set to take tough decisions to steer country out of economic crisis: PM
March
08, 2024
Prime
Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif says the government is all set to take tough
decisions to steer the country out of economic crisis.
Addressing
a cheque distribution ceremony in Muzaffarabad among the affected people by
torrential rains and snowfall today, he said the government is fully committed
to tap huge potential of natural and agriculture resources, stop smuggling,
power theft, and losses of the State Owned Entities.
The
Prime Minister said the country's tax collection target for the current fiscal
year is 1.2 trillion which is not up to the true potential due to tax evasion.
He said
tax evasion is one of the biggest challenges that would be resolved to increase
country's resources.
He said
even the salaries of the employees are being paid with the borrowed money.
The
Prime Minister said this is the right time to take tough and important
decisions to resolve all key challenges, the country is facing.
As regards
the losses of SOEs, the Prime Minister informed that the SOEs are incurring
losses of hundreds of billions rupees as the loss of only Pakistan
International Airlines is around 825 billion rupees. Similarly power theft
annually incurs 500 billion rupees.
He
called for setting aside all the differences in the larger national interest.
Talking
about the losses and damages occurred due to recent rains, snowfalls and land
sliding in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister expressed his grief and
sorrow over the loss of eight precious lives and prayed for early recovery of
those injured in the incidents.
He said
that the government of Pakistan always stood with its Kashmiri brothers and
sisters in the hour of need.
The
Prime Minister said Jammu and Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and it
would not leave alone the people of Kashmir in this hour of difficulty.
He said
two million rupees each would be distributed among the families of the deceased
and 500,000 rupees each to those injured in the recent incidents. Similarly,
700,000 rupees each would be given to those whose houses were completely
damaged while 350,000 rupees would be given to those whose houses were partly
damaged.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.radio.gov.pk/08-03-2024/pm-announces-compensation-package-for-rain-hit-people-of-ajk
---
Mushahid
demands Imran’s release
March
09, 2024
ISLAMABD:
Calls
for political reconciliation and the release of all political prisoner,
including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan reverberated in the
Senate session on Friday, where several lawmakers, who would retire later this
month, stressed the need for an end to bitter rivalries.
Moreover,
the Senate Secretariat issued the production orders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) Senator Ijaz Chaudhry on Friday following a ruling given by the Deputy
Senate Chairman Mirza Afridi. Senator Chaudhary would cast his vote in the
presidential election at the Parliament House on Saturday (today).
The
issue was raised by Mushahid Hussain Sayed of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N). He called for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and the
allocation of reserved seats to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
In a
speech just days before his retirement on the completion of six-year term,
Sayed recalled that he had also advocated for the release of former president
Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani during the rule
of late dictator General Pervez Musharraf.
Even
today, I, first of all, demand that Imran Khan be released. He is a political
prisoner,” he said, urging the new coalition government to take the country out
of current economic challenges by bringing all political parties on one page.
Stressing
the need for a “healing touch” and political dialogue to overcome all the
differences, Sayed suggested to the new government to award general amnesty to
all political prisoners. “And the reserved seats that the PTI deserves, it is
their right and they should get it; they should not be deprived of it.”
Syed
Muzzafar Hussain Shah called for empowering the Senate by giving it rights to
manage financial matters of the country. He also suggested that the prime
minister should be elected by both the houses of parliament. Tahir Bizinjo and
Shafiq Tarar demanded also urged the resolution of all major issue.
Leader
of the House Ishaq Dar urged the political parties to sign a ‘Charter of
Economy’ to get the country out of the current financial trap. Expressing his
dismay at the ruckus in the National Assembly in recent days, Dar urged
political parties to work towards “reconciliation”.
Stating
that he was a “big believer of reconciliation”, Dar recalled Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif’s call for national reconciliation. “A charter of democracy and
a charter of economy are the need of time,” the PML-N stalwart asserted.
“There
is also some unfinished agenda of that [Charter of Democracy signed in 2006],
including the [formation of a] Truth and Reconciliation Commission [and] a
constitutional court, absolutely needs to be implemented,” he added.
"We
should avoid personal vengeance against each other and take the country forward
collectively," said the Senator, adding that all political parties should
work together to get Pakistan's name included in G-20 countries.
Senator
Raza Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), in his farewell speech, said
that it was not appropriate to talk about the country, whose financial
sovereignty was mortgaged with the international financial institutions.
He said
it is also inappropriate to comment on a hybrid system over the parliament and
internal politics of the country. He also urged all political parties to have a
grand national dialogue to get the country part of international financial
institution and hybrid political system
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2458833/mushahid-demands-imrans-release
---
Saylani
founder says IMF loan death warrant for country
2024-03-09
KARACHI:
Founder and Chairman of Saylani Welfare International Trust, Maulana Muhammad
Bashir Farooq Qadri, has said that Pakistan's agreement with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) is like a death warrant as it should be rescinded at once
to ensure the survival of middle-income people who don't seek support from
anyone due to their self-esteem.
The
Saylani Trust's founder was speaking at a dinner reception held for the
President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), Farrukh
Rehman, and other ICAP members.
He feared
that incidents of arson and looting, as commonly seen in famine-stricken
backward African countries, could happen in Pakistan if these free meal
services were not available to serve hundreds of thousands of deprived people.
He told
the audience that Saylani's charitable work had been continuing in 63 different
sections of life.
The ICAP
President said on the occasion that he had been fully aware of the Saylani's
charitable work for long.
He
appreciated that Saylani's welfare activities cover a vast number of areas from
meal service to conducting professional courses for deserving students through
its School of Business and Islamic Leadership.
He
advised Saylani to launch a programme to produce technicians in the field of
accountancy as such professionals were required all over the world who could
manage accounts on a scientific and professional basis.
K-Electric
CEO, Monis Abdullah Alvi, said the free meal services of Saylani and other
dedicated charities had been a lot to further the cause of poverty alleviation
in society.
He
suggested that a comprehensive programme had to be launched for the uplift and
rehabilitation of the downtrodden people in the country.
K-Electric
CFO and member of Saylani Managing Committee, Aamir Ghaziani, appreciated
Saylani's welfare works in different spheres of life.
Senior
financial analyst, Ashfaq Tola, offered the fullest assistance to Saylani for
its data analytics training programme.
Source: brecorder.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40292752/saylani-founder-says-imf-loan-death-warrant-for-country
----
Former
SC judge accused of harming judiciary’s reputation
2024-03-09
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) stated that the number of instances of
misconduct committed by SayyedMazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, a former judge of the
Supreme Court, has damaged the reputation of the judiciary.
The SJC,
headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is also chairman of the
SJC, and comprises two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court – Justice Sardar
Tariq Masood, and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah –, and Lahore High Court (LHC)
Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief
Justice Naeem Afghan, on Friday, released its order on the complaints against
the ex-judge.
The
Council recommendations authored by Justice Faez, stated that Justice Naqvi was
guilty of misconduct and should have been removed from the office of judge.
“The number of instances of misconduct committed by Justice Naqvi has damaged
the reputation of the judiciary.”
SJC
finds ex-SC judge Naqvi guilty of misconduct
The
Council opined; “When the SJC commenced hearing of the complaints, and
throughout, we referred to SayyedMazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi as Justice Naqvi,
however, as he should have been removed, for having committed serious
misconduct, the honorific Justice or Judge should not henceforth be used with
SayyedMazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi’s name.”
The
order said Justice Naqvi did not disclose the covered area of the house (100
Saint John’s Park) which was constructed, and the amount spent on it. He also
did not disclose from where he got the money to raise the substantial
construction, and did not come forward to testify. Therefore, the said
allegation stands established.
It noted
that Justice Naqvi was administered oath on March 16, 2020, by Chief Justice
Gulzar Ahmed and within a period of less than two years he got four properties
(three in Islamabad and one in Rawalpindi), respectively on August 7, 2020,
October 7, 2021, September 12, 2022, and October 5, 2022, while serving as a
judge of the Supreme Court. The organidation (Supreme Court Employees
Cooperative Housing Society Ltd) from which he got the four properties was set
up for providing housing to its members.
Justice
Naqvi did not explain why he obtained four properties; surely he could not
reside in all of them. A judge of the Supreme Court should not want to deprive
others, which would be the result of Justice Naqvi’s actions.
“There
were 10 allegations framed by the Council. However, found that the allegations
Nos 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 stand established. We are constrained to conclude that
Justice Naqvi violated his oath of office which required him to abide by the
Code of Conduct by violating a number of the provisions of the Code.”
It noted
that Justice Naqvi’s conduct was also not free from impropriety expected of a
judge in his official and private affairs, and as such he also violated Article
III of the Code of Conduct. He was involved to his personal advantage in the
suit filed by Chaudhry Muhammad Shahbaz and had knowingly deprived minors of
their valuable property, and so violated Article-VI of the Code.
By
receiving substantial unexplained gifts, Justice Naqvi violated Article-VI of
the Code; the gifts including receiving Rs50 million, his sons receiving two
commercial plots and two residential plots at a nominal price and his daughter
receiving UK pounds 5,000, said the SJC.
Source: brecorder.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40292767/former-sc-judge-accused-of-harming-judiciarys-reputation
---
Southeast
Asia
Thousands
rally outside US Embassy in Jakarta to express support for Gaza
09 March 2024
Thousands
of Muslims rallied outside the US Embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta
on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of the start of the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan.
More
than 3,000 protesters, mostly wearing traditional Palestinian scarves, marched
to a major street outside the embassy which was under heavy police guard,
carrying Palestinian flags and banners.
They
halted traffic along the way as they chanted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great,”
and “Save Palestinians.”
The
demonstration was organized by more than a dozen Islamic groups, which
denounced US support for Israel and demanded the US push Israel to open more
aid routes into Gaza as hunger worsens.
Indonesia,
the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, does not have formal
diplomatic relations with Israel and there is no Israeli embassy in the
country.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/03/09/721534/rally-US-embassy-Jakarta-Gaza-solidarity-Ramadan-
----
Ramadan:
Mosques, govt agencies to ensure only accredited preachers to hold talks, says
religious affairs minister
08 Mar
2024
PUTRAJAYA,
March 8 — The management of mosques and government agencies planning to hold
religious and learning programmes during the Ramadan month must ensure that the
invited preachers are accredited, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk MohdNa’im Mokhtar.
He said
the matter was emphasised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who wanted
the tazkirah (lecture) or knowledge delivered by the speaker to achieve the set
goals.
He also
said that the knowledge programmes such as takzirah before Zuhur prayer in
Ramadan, which was inspired by the prime minister last year, will also continue
this time.
“I
invite the community to choose speakers with credentials so that we can ensure
that the content of the talks delivered in the month of Ramadan in mosques,
surau or social media platforms, contains the basics of true Islamic
teachings,” he said in a press conference after launching the Ihya Ramadan
programme today
Previously,
the prime minister reportedly said that he wanted all ministries and government
departments to organise religious knowledge programmes in their respective
workplace to enliven the spirit of Ramadan.
Earlier,
MohdNa’im, in his speech, asked the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia
(Jakim) to coordinate spiritual and community programmes with the department’s
cadre officers in various ministries and departments.
“We must
enliven the Ramadan programmes in all ministries and departments with this
strategic collaboration. This matter is very important so that we can all
appreciate the noble values contained in the Madrasah Ramadan,” he said. —
Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/03/08/ramadan-mosques-govt-agencies-to-ensure-only-accredited-preachers-to-hold-talks-says-religious-affairs-minister/122303
----
NGOs,
individuals urged to send Ramadan contributions to three locations in KL
09-03-
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has set three locations where
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals can send their donations,
including food, during Ramadan.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said
the three locations are AnjungKembara at the Kuala Lumpur Transit Centre for
the Homeless, Medan Tuanku Homeless Service Centre er and Chow Kit Community
Learning Centre.
“This is
part of an initiative to control food quality and maintain cleanliness in Kuala
Lumpur,“ he told reporters after participating in an operation to help the
homeless in the city centre here early today.
Dr
Zaliha said 10 NGOs will be working with DBKL to facilitate the distribution of
food at the Medan Tuanku Homeless Service Centre and the Chow Kit Community Learning
Center, while another 16 NGOs will assist the National Welfare Foundation (YKN)
at AnjungKembara.
“We
can’t stop the NGOs that want to help. All we are asking is for their
cooperation to liaise with the Community Development and Urban Wellbeing Department
at DBKL,“ she said.
Regarding
today’s operation which started at 1 am, Dr Zaliha said a total of 150 homeless
people were rounded up and brought to the Medan Tuanku Homeless Service Center
by 2.30 am and expected the number to increase before the operation ended at 4
am.
Based on
observations made last Feb 14, there were 414 homeless people in five hotspot
locations in the city, she said, adding that the homeless were brought to Medan
Tuanku to record their demographic data, as well as to identify the best
solution to help them.
The data
will also be used as a reference by the ministry and its agencies when
reviewing the requirements of existing policies or regulations, she said.
The
operation involved 203 personnel from DBKL, the Royal Malaysia Police, the
National Security Council, YKN, the Malaysian Immigration Department, the
National Registration Department, the National Anti-Drug Agency and the Social
Welfare Department. – Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://thesun.my/home_news/ngos-individuals-urged-to-send-ramadan-contributions-to-three-locations-in-kl-DL12195226
-----
Indonesia
will utilize opportunity to send aid to Gaza by air
March 8,
2024
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that the Indonesian government
will soon use the opportunity to distribute humanitarian aid to Palestinians in
Gaza by air.
Jokowi
made the statement after monitoring the simulation of delivering aid by air
held at the Iswahjudi Airbase, Magetan District, East Java, on Friday.
“Indonesia
is one of the countries that has been given the opportunity to provide
assistance to Gaza, to the people of Palestine by air because, by land, it is
already difficult,” he said in a statement from the Presidential Secretariat.
President
Jokowi stated that the aid would be delivered by using Hercules aircraft.
During
Friday’s simulation event, several Hercules aircraft and helicopters airdropped
boxes from a certain height.
"Earlier,
we first tried to see what it would be like using Hercules aircraft, and we
will immediately bring aid to Gaza and drop it from the air using our Hercules
aircraft. This has been simulated, and I see the results are good," he
said.
The
president highlighted Indonesia’s commitment to continuing to support the
people of Palestine. Through the assistance, Indonesia is hoping to be able to
ease the burden of people in Gaza.
Earlier,
in December 2023, the Indonesian government promised to increase its
contribution by threefold to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in 2024.
The
Indonesian government sent the first batch of humanitarian assistance to Gaza
on November 4, 2023.
The
assistance, weighing 51.8 tons, comprised aid from various parties. From the
total, seven tons are humanitarian assistance managed by the Ministry of
Health.
The
assistance comprised medical equipment, hygiene kit, food, and other logistics.
On
November 20, 2023, the government then sent another batch of humanitarian
assistance that included medicines and hospital equipment worth Rp31.9 billion
(around US$2.04 million).
Source: antaranews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://en.antaranews.com/news/308001/indonesia-will-utilize-opportunity-to-send-aid-to-gaza-by-air
-----
Arab
World
Saudi
Arabia calls for protection of Palestinian women against Israel's 'war machine'
Mar 09,
2024
Mohamad
Ali Harisi
As the
world celebrates International Women's Day, Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip
are facing the hardships of Israel's “war machine”, Saudi Vice Minister of
Foreign Affairs Waleed El Khereiji said in Riyadh on Friday.
The
Saudi official called for the immediate protection of women and children in the
Palestinian territory, where about 30,800 people have been killed in Israeli
strikes since the war erupted on October 7, according to Gaza health
authorities.
“International
Women's Day arrives amid difficult circumstances faced by Palestinian women in
the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli violations of international law and
the failure of the international community to stop the bloodshed,” Mr El
Khereiji said at a gathering focused on celebrating the achievements of women
from Gulf countries.
“We
condemn and denounce in the strongest terms the violations and illegal
practices that Palestinian women and the Palestinian people are subjected to at
the hands of the Israeli war machine.
“We
appreciate and praise the pivotal role of Palestinian women and their great
sacrifices.”
The UN
says that an estimated 9,000 women have been killed in Gaza.
“This
figure is likely an underestimate, as many more women are reported to be dead
under the rubble,” the UN said in a report released earlier this month.
“While
this war spares no one, UN Women data shows that it kills and injures women in
unprecedented ways.
“Roughly
37 mothers are killed every day, leaving their families devastated and their
children with diminished protection.”
About
four out of five women in Gaza have reported that their families eat half or
less of the food they used to before the war began, with women being
responsible for sourcing food though usually eating last and the least,
according to the UN.
The
latest round of Gaza truce negotiations ended on Thursday without a
breakthrough, with the remaining members of the Hamas delegation leaving Egypt
for consultations with the group’s leadership in Qatar.
“We
affirm our position on ending the war, an immediate ceasefire, and ensuring the
protection of civilians, Palestinian women and Palestinian children,” said Mr
El Khereiji.
Source: thenationalnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2024/03/08/on-womens-day-saudi-calls-to-protect-palestinian-women-against-israels-war-machine/
--
Suspected
attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels sets off explosions ahead of a ship in Gulf of
Aden
09.03.24
An
attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Friday set off explosions ahead of a
Singapore-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said.
The
attack targeted the bulk carrier Propel Fortune, which continued on its way,
according to the United States military's Central Command.
“The
missiles did not impact the vessel,” Central Command said. “There were no
injuries or damages reported.”
The
Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack. A statement
from Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree was delayed on Friday
night over “urgent military developments in the theatre of military
operations”, according to the rebel-controlled SABA news agency. He was
scheduled to speak on Saturday.
Friday's
explosions came after a Houthi missile struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of
Aden on Wednesday, killing three of its crew members and forcing survivors to
abandon the vessel.
It was
the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over
Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis describe the attacks as
trying to pressure Israel into stopping the war, but their targets increasingly
have little or nothing to do with the conflict.
Other
recent Houthi actions include an attack in February on a fertilizer-carrying
cargo ship, the Rubymar, which sank on Saturday after drifting for several
days, and the downing of an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.
The US
also conducted airstrikes Friday that it said destroyed two Houthi
truck-mounted anti-ship missiles in Yemen. The rebels similarly did not
directly acknowledge any destruction from those strikes.
The
Houthis have held Yemen's capital, Sanaa, since 2014. They've battled a
Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a long-stalemated war there. Since the US
began its airstrike campaign in January, the Houthis have acknowledged the
killing of at least 22 of its fighters. One civilian has also been reported
killed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/suspected-attack-by-yemens-houthi-rebels-sets-off-explosions-ahead-of-ship-in-gulf-of-aden/cid/2005710
---
Saudi
foreign minister, Blinken hold phone call on Gaza situation
March
08, 2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call
from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.
During
the call, they discussed regional and international issues of common concern,
most notably the developments in the Gaza Strip, and the efforts made to deal
with security and humanitarian repercussions of Israeli actions in the enclave.
Blinken
was also set to meet with Turkish foreign minister HakanFidan in Washington on
Friday.
Ahead of
the meeting, he said it was up to Hamas to agree to a ceasefire that would
allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and pave the way for talks on an
“enduring resolution” to the conflict.
Source:
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473421/saudi-arabia
----
Saudi
fund chief receives Islamic Development Bank official
March
08, 2024
RIYADH:
Sultan Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development and his deputy Faisal
Al-Kahtani received on Friday in Riyadh the Islamic Development Bank Group’s
Vice President Mansur Muhtar and his accompanying delegation.
During
their meeting, the officials discussed financing and support for social
infrastructure in developing countries, the SFD announced on X.
The
visit included a tour of the SFD’s exhibition, which showcases its projects in
developing countries that have improved the lives of local people.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2473566/saudi-arabia
---
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-afghanistan-taliban-war-ravaged/d/131883