India’s Ruling BJP Removes Official over 'Anti-Islam' Tweet Likening the Kaaba to an Ice Cube in a Glass of Whiskey, Muslims Demanding He Be Arrested
New Age Islam News Bureau
18 July 2022
FILE - Muslims rally to
condemn a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member for comments about Prophet
Mohammad they perceived as insulting, in Kolkata, India, June 14, 2022. In a
separate case of alleged blasphemy, the BJP removed one of its social media
officials from his post.
-----
• The Taliban Destroys “ISIS Kharijites” Hideout in
Northern Afghanistan
• Islam in China Must Be Chinese In Orientation:
President Xi Jinping
• High Unemployment Rate among British Muslims Not Due
To Cultural, Religious Practices: Study
• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Pushes Violence; Rift
within Coalition Government
India
• After LoC, Pakistani drone sighted near Samba border
in J&K
• Gurgaon Probes Reports of Manesar Slum Dwellers
Leaving Days after Mahapanchayat Call to Boycott Muslim Shopkeepers
• Hyderabad: Get ready for another Muslim matrimonial
conclave
--------
South Asia
• University Lecturer Allegedly Tortured to Death in
Southeastern Afghanistan
• Sirajuddin Haqqani, Acting Interior Minister Asks
World To Recognize Islamic Emirate
• Stop illegal entry of Rohingyas in Bangladesh
• Heat Exhaustion in a Car’s Airless Trunk Kills an
Afghan Migrant on the Way to Iran
• Gunmen Shoot a Newly Returned Man from Iran Dead in
Northern Afghanistan
• UN Senior Official Markus Potzel Calls for Afghan
Girls’ Education
--------
Southeast Asia
• Deviationist teachings committee safeguards sanctity
of Islam, says Idris
• Saifuddin stays mum over Tajuddin’s position as
ambassador
• Cops arrest man who allegedly insulted Islam in
Puchong
--------
Europe
• Next round of Syrian peace talks scheduled for
Geneva put on hold: UN envoy
• UAE President's France trip to boost ties, focus on
energy
• UK considered suicidal Afghan ‘fine’ for Rwanda
deportation: Documents
• Swedish Supreme Court stops extradition of senior
FETO terrorist
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistani Sikh Leadership Demands Extension of
Pilgrimage Duration, Meets PM Shehbaz Sharif
• Imran Khan demands fresh general elections in
Pakistan after impressive show in Punjab by-polls
• Sharif will be reduced to 'Prime Minister of
Islamabad': PTI leader post victory in Pak's Punjab by polls
• Afghan refugees turn F-6 children’s park into ‘tent
village’
• Raza Rabbani blames PTI for increased establishment
role in govt affairs
• Security forces neutralise two more terrorists as
body of Omer Javed recovered
--------
North America
• US Will Not Leave Vacuum in Mideast to Russia,
China: Biden
• US Terms Imran’s Claim Disturbing, Looks Ahead To
Strong Ties
• Jamal Khashoggi’s US lawyer detained in UAE
• US President Biden meets Iraqi PM, agrees to
strengthen coordination on ISIS issue
• Biden pledges $1.45 billion per year in assistance
to Jordan
--------
Arab World
• Muslim World League Welcomes Jeddah Summit Outcomes
• Islamic State Group Ex-Bastion in Syria Hosts Jackie
Chan Film Shoot
• Facing Drought, Iraq Asks Turkey to Release More
Water along Tigris, Euphrates Rivers
• US, GCC nations release joint statement following
Jeddah summit
• Saudi FM Prince Faisal holds press conference at end
of Jeddah summit
• Over 100,000 young Saudis to benefit from training
agreement with IBM
• UAE President receives Iraqi PM, Kuwaiti Crown
Prince at GCC summit
• 26 Daesh/ISIS suspects arrested in Iraq raids
--------
Mideast
• Israeli Minister Foresees Direct Pilgrim Flights To
Saudi Arabia Next Year
• Iran Accuses US of Stoking 'Iranophobia' After
Biden's Mideast Tour
• Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis say they will not extend
truce despite Saudi pledge
• Iran ‘capable of making N-bomb’, says Ayatollah
Khamenei’s aide
• Iran's Human Rights Chief Urges UK to Release
Imprisoned Citizen
• Supreme Leader Pardons, Commutes Sentences of Over
2,200 Iranian Prisoners
• Iranian, Turkish FMs Discuss Ties Ahead of Erdogan
Visit
• Iran imposes sanctions on 61 Americans as nuclear
talks hit impasse
• Khamenei adviser says Iran ready for regional
dialogue after Biden's Middle East tour
--------
Africa
• Presidency to Nigerians: Ignore Online Toxic Reports
on APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket
• Sudan troops deploy ahead of pro-democracy protests
• Curfew declared in two Sudan towns after deadly
clashes
• Libya’s NOC continues to do its job according to the
law, it says
• Suicide car bombing kills 3, wounds 14 in Somalia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-bjp-tweet-kaaba-muslims/d/127508
--------
India’s Ruling BJP Removes Official over 'Anti-Islam'
Tweet Likening the Kaaba to an Ice Cube in a Glass of Whiskey, Muslims
Demanding He Be Arrested
FILE - Muslims rally to
condemn a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member for comments about Prophet
Mohammad they perceived as insulting, in Kolkata, India, June 14, 2022. In a
separate case of alleged blasphemy, the BJP removed one of its social media
officials from his post.
----
July 17, 2022
Shaikh Azizur Rahman
India’s ruling Bhartiya Janata Party has removed its
social media head in the northern state of Haryana for an allegedly anti-Islam
tweet five years ago, but Indian Muslims are demanding that Arun Yadav be
arrested.
In the 2017 tweet, Yadav likened the Kaaba, the Muslim
shrine in Mecca’s Great Mosque, to an ice cube in a glass of whiskey.
In the first week of July, when some online activists
and Muslim leaders called attention to the five-year-old tweet and demanded
legal action against Yadav, the BJP removed him on July 7.
“Arun Yadav’s abusive comment targeting the Kaaba hurt
the religious sentiment of all Muslims. The community across the country
demanded that he is arrested and tried in court for his dirty depiction of
Islam's holiest place,” Syed Azharuddin, a Muslim leader in the southern state
of Telangana, told VOA.
“But to our disappointment, the government is showing
no sign it will act against Yadav,” he said.
Before Narendra Modi became India’s prime minister in
2014, his party set up social media wings, known as information technology or
IT cells, across the country, aiming to propagate its ideology and political
messages, and to expand popular support.
These cells have in recent years been blamed for
spreading propaganda against opposition party leaders. Social media
fact-checkers have frequently exposed fake news materials, allegedly spread by
the BJP’s IT cell network.
Online activists and Muslim community leaders have
long accused the cells of spreading Islamophobia on social media platforms. By
posting aggressive anti-Islam or anti-Muslim content, many BJP IT cell workers,
including top executives, aim to improve their political profiles within the
party, Muslim community leaders said.
“Many from the BJP IT cell frequently post anti-Muslim
content that is liked by the leaders and followers of the Hindu nationalist
party. Such posts abuse the Prophet Muhammad, Kaaba Sharif [Holy Kaaba] etc.,
and insult the religious beliefs of Muslims. Yet, to gain popularity among a
good number of Hindu community members, those like Arun Yadav post content
abusing and attacking Muslims,” the president of Tipu Sultan Party, a political
party, Shaikh Sadeque, told VOA.
Yadav’s firing was just a BJP action, nothing was done
by the government for the “blasphemous” post, Sadeque said.
“The Indian government also did not act against BJP
spokesperson Nupur Sharma for abuses she aimed at the Prophet Muhammad. The
government does not want to take action against any BJP leader for any of their
anti-Muslim statements or comments, so, they keep posting such abusive content
fearlessly.”
BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma allegedly insulted
Muhammad in a May television appearance, sparking international condemnation.
She was suspended from the party.
VOA sought a reaction from the BJP IT cell following
the allegation against Yadav but emails sent to the cell’s national head, Amit
Malviya, have remained unanswered.
There are hundreds of past instances of social media
users being arrested in India for hurting religious sentiments. Perhaps the
most sensational among them is the recent arrest of journalist and fact-checker
Mohammed Zubair. Police accused him of insulting Hindu beliefs in a 2018 tweet.
“Zubair was arrested for a tweet carrying a screen
grab of a movie scene which showed a hotel signboard repainted from ‘Honeymoon
Hotel’ to ‘Hanuman Hotel.’ The tweet of Yadav was certainly more abusive. Yet
he has not been arrested,” Muslim leader Azharuddin said. Hanuman refers to a
monkey god revered by Hindus.
The BJP routinely uses anti-Muslim propaganda to
polarize the Hindu society and to unite Hindus by identifying Muslims as “the
other, an outsider, an enemy,” New Delhi-based Muslim leader Zafarul Islam Khan
told VOA.
“They can go on doing this because, under the current
dispensation, they enjoy full immunity. The victims [Muslims] have no recourse
— the government, bureaucracy and police do not listen to them,” Khan said.
“Even courts are not keen to listen to the victims or
are not taking the matters seriously. The victims find no one around to turn to
for justice.”
Activists say the BJP and other Hindu right-wing
organizations, including the RSS, or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, work in
tandem, attacking the religious minorities and making them appear as threats to
the majority community or the Hindus. The RSS is also known as the ruling party’s
ideological guide.
Delhi University teacher Apoorvanand said the “life
breath of the RSS and BJP is anti-Muslim and anti-Christian prejudice and
hatred.”
“To keep it alive and make it part of the lives of
Hindus they have to keep creating images of Muslims which look abhorrent to
Hindus. They have to manufacture stories and events which paint Muslims as
horrible creatures, their living practices as ugly, unclean, backward,
conservative… and Muslims as a collective always conspiring against Hindus,” Apoorvanand
told VOA.
“By keeping Hindus fed with this hatred the RSS and
BJP want to turn them into their unquestioning followers as if it is only the
RSS/BJP which can protect them from Muslims and keep Muslims in their place,”
he said.
Source: VOA News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.voanews.com/a/india-ruling-bjp-removes-official-over-anti-islam-tweet/6662360.html
--------
The Taliban Destroys “ISIS Kharijites” Hideout in
Northern Afghanistan
Photo: Khaama Press
----
By Saqalain Eqbal
17 Jul 2022
According to the Taliban senior official, the group’s
Special Forces’ operation in northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, discovered
and destroyed an ISIS hideout, killing at least three ISIS militants and
arresting five others.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban,
announced in a Twitter thread that an operation by the Taliban’s Special Forces
on Saturday night, in Kunduz province’s Qanjogha area targeted an ISIS hideout.
He stated that the group behind launching missiles at
the neighbouring countries, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were targeted and
destroyed, calling them “Kharijites”.
One of the captured Daesh members confessed in a video
released by the Taliban to have launched rockets into Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
While the detainee alleged that the National
Resistance Front provided the equipment for ISIS, the Resistance Front is yet
to respond to the allegation.
The destructive equipment and vehicles of the ISIS
group were also confiscated by the Taliban security officials.
Earlier, the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
reported that five rockets were launched from Afghan soil, and landed in the
Uzbek territory, in proximity to the Afghan-Uzbek border town, Termez.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.khaama.com/the-taliban-destroys-a-kharijites-hideout-in-northern-afghanistan-47383/
--------
Islam In China Must Be Chinese In Orientation: President
Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi
Jinping (AP/File)
----
July 17, 2022
President Xi Jinping has asked officials to step up
efforts to uphold the principle that Islam in China must be Chinese in
orientation and religions in the country should adapt to the socialist society
being pursued by the ruling Communist Party of China.
Xi visited the volatile Xinjiang region, where the
Chinese security forces for the last several years have made efforts to control
protests by Uygur Muslims over settlements from Han Chinese from outside the
province.
During his four-day tour of the region which started
on July 12, Xi met with officials. He stressed fostering a strong sense of
community for the Chinese nation, promoting exchanges, interactions and
integration among different ethnic groups, the official media reported.
Xi underlined the need to improve the governance
capacity of religious affairs and realise the healthy development of religions.
Enhanced efforts should be made to uphold the
principle that Islam in China must be Chinese in orientation, and to adapt
religions to socialist society, he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua
news agency.
The normal religious needs of believers should be
ensured and they should be united closely around the party and the government,
Xi added.
In the past few years, the president has been
advocating the “sinicization” of Islam which broadly means bringing it in tune
with the policies of the ruling Communist Party.
Stressing the importance of cultural identity, Xi
called for educating and guiding people of all ethnic groups to strengthen
their identification with the motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture,
the Communist Party of China (CPC) and socialism with Chinese characteristics.
China has been battling allegations of mass
incarcerations of Uygur Muslims in camps, which Beijing describes as
de-radicalisation and education centres.
China accuses the separatist East Turkistan Islamic
Movement (ETIM) which is active in the region of carrying out numerous
terrorist attacks.
Beijing also downplays western allegations of massive
human rights violations against Uygur Muslims and refutes the US and the EU
allegations of genocide against Muslims in the province.
Recently, UN Human Rights Council chief Michelle
Bachelet visited Xinjiang after a long drawn-out negotiation process with
Beijing to look into the allegations of the internment of over a million Uygur
Muslims of different ages as part of China’s crackdown on Islamist militants.
At the end of her visit to Xinjiang on May 28,
Bachelet said she raised questions and concerns over the application of
counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation measures and their broad application,
particularly their impact on the rights of Uygurs and other predominantly
Muslim minorities.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
High Unemployment Rate among British Muslims Not Due
To Cultural, Religious Practices: Study
The high unemployment rate
among Muslims in the UK cannot be explained by sociocultural attitudes, a study
has found. (@elondonmosque)
-----
July 17, 2022
LONDON: The high unemployment rate among Muslims in
the UK cannot be explained by sociocultural attitudes, such as commitment to
traditionalism, a study has found.
Published in the peer-reviewed Ethnic and Racial
Studies journal, the research confirmed the existence of a “Muslim penalty” in
the employment market that discriminates against them and poses a significant
barrier to them accessing work.
It rejected previous suggestions that high
unemployment was due to cultural and religious practices.
Muslim men and women were found to have a
significantly greater likelihood of unemployment than their respective white
British Christian counterparts after adjustments were made for factors such as
age, area of residence, education, and whether they have children.
After taking into consideration factors like
religiosity, gender attitudes, and civic participation, the author found that
they had only a minor effect.
“The findings offer evidence against the view that
Muslims’ poor employment outcomes in Britain are due to their so-called
sociocultural attitudes,” the author of the research, supported by the Economic
and Social Research Council, told the Guardian newspaper.
Samir Sweida-Metwally, a doctoral researcher at the
University of Bristol, added: “In challenging this narrative, which
problematizes Muslims and their faith, the study lends support to the
overwhelming evidence from field experiments that shows anti-Muslim
discrimination towards Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim to be a
significant barrier to them accessing work.”
The researcher’s paper uses 10 years of data from the
UK Household Longitudinal study, an annual survey of about 100,000 people from
40,000 households that collects information, mainly through face-to-face
interviews on people’s socio-economic situation.
Participants were asked questions including how strong
their religious beliefs are, whether they are members of social organisations,
and whether they agree with statements such as: “Husband should earn, wife
should stay at home,” and “Family life suffers if mother works full-time.” This
enabled Sweida-Metwally to establish whether specific attitudes were associated
with a higher risk of unemployment.
“Sociocultural variables such as gender attitudes,
language proficiency, and the extent of inter and intra-ethnic social ties are
not a convincing source of the unexplained ethno-religious differences in
labour market participation and unemployment among Muslim men and women,” he
said.
Another finding of interest was that country of origin
or “perceived ‘Muslimness’” might be important. While white British Muslims did
not display a significantly different risk of unemployment and inactivity from
white British Christians, Arab men of no religion were among those with the
highest likelihood of unemployment or inactivity.
“This might suggest that perceived ‘Muslimness’ is
more important for predicting religious disadvantage among men than actual
attachment to the faith,” Sweida-Metwally wrote.
“This means that an understanding that Islamophobia is
multidimensional, and relates to colour, religion, culture and country of
origin, with any one dimension of difference being ‘enough’ for someone
inclined to be prejudiced, is essential to any strategy seeking to attenuate
these inequalities,” he added.
With regards to men, the study found that those of
black Caribbean ethnicity had the highest risk of unemployment. Among women,
Muslims displayed the greatest risk of unemployment, with Pakistani women
exhibiting the highest risk of unemployment.
“Overall, the evidence indicates support for the
thesis that there is both a religious (Muslim) and colour (Black) penalty at
play in the British labour market. Confirming previous research, religion is a
much better predictor of unemployment and inactivity for women, whereas for men
both colour and religion are important,” Sweida-Metwally said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2123961/world
--------
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Pushes Violence; Rift
Within Coalition Government
Casualties of security
personnel almost doubled in June as compared to the May figures. (AP file)
-----
Jul 17, 2022
By Shishir Gupta
The Pakistan government held a series of secret peace
talks with the anti-Pakistan insurgent group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
in June after months of intense fighting. TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, who
had been leading the peace talks for the group, revealed that former
director-general of ISI and Corps Commander Peshawar (Gen) Faiz Hameed has been
representing the Shehbaz Sharif government. The TTP also declared an indefinite
ceasefire with the Pakistani government.
The casualties of security personnel and terrorists,
however, indicate the talks have floundered, without any final conclusion, and
there is a strong probability that, if the talks fail, violence will escalate
further.
Data shows in June itself, Pakistan recorded 102
terrorism-linked fatalities as against 66 in May, a sharp jump of 54.54 per
cent. More importantly, casualties of security personnel almost doubled - from
26 to 51 - and terrorist fatalities recorded an over two-fold increase - from
13 to 31. Civilian fatalities, however, fell slightly from 27 in May to 20 in
June.
Additionally, the rift within the ruling alliance,
bitterness between Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and the government,
and the dire economic situation are shaping up to further destabilise the
system.
On June 10, the federal budget with an outlay of PKR.
9.5 trillion was presented, in which loan repayment and debt servicing at PKR
3.9 trillion and the defence outlay of PKR 1.53 trillion were the two largest
components. Dissatisfied with the provisions in the budget, the IMF demanded
the removal of all subsidies and plans for a surplus of PKR 800 billion in
order to move ahead with IMF’s USD six billion extended fund facility.
Meanwhile, petroleum prices and the electricity tariff have been revised
upwards to remove various subsidies, sparking second-order inflation, which was
already in double digits at 13.5 per cent.
Pakistani political and military leaders also made an
outreach to the international community.
Sharif travelled to Ankara in Turkey to enhance
bilateral economic, defence and trade relations, and foreign minister Bilawal
Bhutto visited the US and Iran to canvass for their support and cooperation.
From June 9 to 12, chief of Army Staff General Qamar
Javed Bajwa visited Beijing, China, to attend the Pakisatn-China Joint Military
Cooperation Committee meeting and then travelled to Paris on June 13-17 to
attend the Eurosatory Defence Exhibition.
In an embarrassment to Pakistan, Canadian
Parliamentarian Tom Kmiec alleged that General Bajwa was instrumental in
toppling two governments and the army under his command had indulged in human
right violations and supported various terrorist outfits.
No breakthrough in talks with TTP
The TTP has said there won’t be a dissolution of or
surrender by the group even if the peace talks with the Pakistan government
succeed. Mehsud asserted that the TTP won’t back down from its demand for the
reversal of the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with
neighbouring province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Our demands are clear and especially the end of FATA
merger (into KP) is our primary demand, which we cannot back down from,” he
said.
The TTP emir also said the Afghan Taliban is not
merely a facilitator of the peace talks but also a mediator.
Chinese nationals targeted
Chinese nationals are under increasing threat. Since
July 19, 2007, when the first attack targeting Chinese nationals took place, at
least 14 attacks directly targeting Chinese nationals have been recorded, resulting
in 77 fatalities. The dead include 13 Chinese nationals, 13 Pakistani security
personnel, 41 Pakistani civilians and 10 attackers.
Another, 54 persons, including six Chinese nationals,
have been injured in these attacks. At least 66 Pakistani nationals (including
civilians and Security Force personnel) have been killed in attacks not
directly targeting Chinese nationals, but targeting Pakistani nationals
associated with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects, during this
period.
Chasm within the ruling alliance
With disparate parties comprising the present ruling
alliance, sharp differences have begun to emerge. On June 27, some leaders of
the allied parties criticised government decisions in the National Assembly,
claiming that the allies were not being taken on board in important matters. In
order to assuage their grievances, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted an
informal dinner to listen to their grievances.
On June 18, during an interaction with the party’s
office bearers and workers, Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari
declared, “The next government (at the Centre) will be the Pakistan Peoples
Party’s.”
Referring to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz he
argued, “They (Sharifs) listen to us only when they need us.”
However, on June 7, Asif Ali Zardari had announced
that his party would cooperate with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz candidates
in the 20-seat by-elections for the Punjab Assembly, scheduled to be held on
July 17.
Imran Khan's warning
On June 1, PTI chairman Imran Khan warned that the
country would descend into civil war, if elections were not announced at an
early date.
Meanwhile, on June 7, Sharif underlined that
"political stability" was a must to revive the economy. He indicated
the coalition government’s intent to govern the balance 15 months of the
National Assembly’s tenure, instead of seeking an early election.
Source: Hindustan Time
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
After LoC, Pakistani drone sighted near Samba border
in J&K
Jul 18, 2022
JAMMU: After the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch,
another drone movement was detected by locals on Saturday night near the
International Border (IB) in Samba district of J&K, police sources said.
“Late Saturday night, some villagers from Mangu Chak
village in Samba informed the police of having spotted a drone in the area.
Following the information, security forces, including local police, launched a
massive search operation in the area to rule out any air-dropping of arms and
ammunition, or drug consignment,” a police officer said on Sunday.
On Saturday, alert Army troops had fired some rounds
on spotting a drone near the LoC in Poonch district of J&K and forced it to
return to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) side.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Gurgaon Probes Reports of Manesar Slum Dwellers
Leaving Days after Mahapanchayat Call to Boycott Muslim Shopkeepers
By Pavneet Singh Chadha | Gurgaon
July 17, 2022
The Gurgaon administration is looking into reports
that several residents of a slum in IMT Manesar have left for their hometowns,
days after a Panchayat in the area called for an economic boycott of Muslim
shopkeepers and issued an ultimatum to the administration to conduct an enquiry
to evict “illegal immigrants”.
According to locals and neighbours at the slum in
sector 1 IMT Manesar, most of those who left are scrap dealers or rag pickers.
On Saturday, the slum cluster, with over 50 shanties, was largely vacant, with
scrap material and people’s belongings lying around. “The matter has come to my
knowledge and we are examining it,” Gurgaon deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav
said.
Satpal, who rents jhuggis in the slum, said, “I
received information that at least 20-25 shanties that I had rented to scrap
dealers have been vacated this week and the families have gone back to their
village in Assam. After the panchayat was held, they felt scared and anxious.”
Bimla Yadav, who lives in a house adjacent to the slum
cluster, said, “Some families left for their home in Assam due to fear.”
Locals also claimed some people had been making rounds
of the cluster with a copy of a memorandum that Panchayat members had submitted
to the district administration, claiming that a drive to check ID cards and
documents of people had been initiated and those found staying illegally would
be evicted. “People here are poor and not educated. They got worried and packed
up their belongings,” said Bhat Chand, a local.
Mohit Yadav, who was among the people who had
organised the Panchayat, claimed at least 400 people have vacated the slums in
sector 1 IMT Manesar. “We had only asked for police verification of documents.
Many people have been staying illegally here. We do not know if they are
Rohingya or Bangladeshis. We did not threaten or ask anyone to leave. The fact
that they left on their own suggests they were staying here illegally,” claimed
Yadav.
Police, however, denied reports of people leaving due
to threats. Manbir Singh, DCP Manesar, said, “We’ve not received any such
reports. People may have left of their own accord.”
On July 3, the panchayat held in Manesar had urged the
gathering to form village-level committees to enforce an economic boycott in
their respective villages in Manesar region.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hyderabad: Get ready for another Muslim matrimonial
conclave
Sameer Khan
17th July 2022
Hyderabad: Did you miss Siasat Matri’s first Muslim
matrimonial conclave that has helped many prospective brides and grooms in
finalizing their alliances? Nothing to worry about as another conclave is going
to be arranged soon.
During the first conclave that was held on Sunday,
June 19 at Siasat Office, Abids, one-to-one meetings were arranged between
family members of prospective brides and grooms.
Invite-only Muslim matrimonial conclave
Before inviting family members of the prospective
brides and grooms, Siasat Matri had analyzed the expectations that were
specified by them while registering on the website.
Based on the expectations, the one-to-one meetings
were arranged under the supervision of the Siasat Matri team.
In the next conclave too, the parents of the
prospective brides and grooms will be invited after careful analysis of the
profiles.
Success rate of Muslim matrimonial conclave
As the expectations are being analyzed before inviting
them to the conclave, the rate of success has increased significantly.
So, what are you waiting for, register on the website
(click here) and then select one of the Membership Plans (click here to know
membership plans).
Video matrimonial series
Apart from Siasat Matri’s conclave, the profiles will
be showcased (Only after taking consent) in the episode of the video
matrimonial series.
Following is the next episode of the series which is
going to be released at 3 pm today.
Siasat Matri’s video matrimonial series and conclave
are ensuring that the prospective brides and grooms find their life partners
easily.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-get-ready-for-another-muslim-matrimonial-conclave-2371399/
--------
South Asia
University Lecturer Allegedly Tortured to Death in
Southeastern Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal
17 Jul 2022
Mumtaz Sherzai, a lecturer at Khost University in the
province of Khost in southeast Afghanistan, has reportedly been found dead
after going missing for a few days.
Local sources state that after Professor Sherzai went
missing for a few days, his body was discovered on Saturday, July 16, bearing
obvious signs of torture.
The professor’s death is thought to have been caused
by beatings and torture, as evidenced by the professor’s body’s torture marks.
The lecturer’s family and relatives told the media
that although he was the only breadwinner and main source of income for the
family, professor Sherzai had no personal animosity against anyone.
Moreover, according to sources, the professor is
survived by his wife and their 3-year-old daughter.
The Taliban government’s officials have not spoken to
the media about the enigmatic death of this professor.
Nearly a month ago, armed robbers killed Nematullah
Wali, another university professor, by stabbing him to death in the eastern
Afghan city of Jalalabad.
They took the professor’s phone and cash after which
they killed him.
The passing of Professor Sherzai comes as Afghanistan
experiences a brain drain problem, which analysts claim has an impact on the
Taliban’s ability to rule the country.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sirajuddin Haqqani, Acting Interior Minister Asks
World To Recognize Islamic Emirate
Jul 18, 2022
Sirajuddin Haqqani, acting Interior Minister, during
his visit to Khost province asked the international community to recognize the
Islamic Emirate.
“Based on international principles and our Islamic and
national traditions they should recognize the Islamic Emirate, but if they
don’t recognize it, I assure our people that Afghans are not without resolve.
They (Afghans) have fought for 20 years without foreign resources, and with
their faith and zeal, they will fight against the economic situation with the
strength of their arms,” he said.
Haqqani said that the Islamic Emirate is ready to
start economic and diplomatic relations with the world.
“I want to say that it is in their best interest to
create diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, they need us and we need them, if
tomorrow they need us in any matter, then based on what principles they will
talk to me,” Haqqani said.
The acting Interior Minister added that the Islamic
Emirate has proven in practice that Afghanistan's territory has not been used
against any country.
Meanwhile, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy for
Afghanistan peace, in an interview with “Talks at GS” said that the Islamic
Emirate has not fulfilled the Doha agreement commitments.
“It is not in our interest for it (Afghanistan) to be
a failed state, that’s why although it will have ... costs one would have to
look among choices that you make, whether we should be looking at a grand
bargain with the Taliban, that if they did this and that, we will do this, this
is the unfinished part of the Doha agreement that I signed on behalf of the
United States. There were things that they committed themselves too, and things
that we committed ourselves too in return, parts of it were implemented and
parts are not,” he said.
Source: Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-178974
--------
Stop
illegal entry of Rohingyas in Bangladesh
Jul
18, 2022
Dhaka
has requested Delhi to stop the illegal entry of Myanmar nationals into
Bangladesh from India.
This
issue was raised at the director general-level conference between Border Guard
Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force (BSF) of India, which began in Dhaka
yesterday.
The
development comes following intelligence reports that Rohingyas living in India
are sneaking into the country with the help of brokers.
Some
of them were detained by law enforcers and sent to the transitional camps in
Cox's Bazar.
Though
there is no official record of the numbers of Rohingyas entering so far, this
newspaper quoting officials reported in May that some 500 of them may have
entered Bangladesh from India over the last month.
The
new inflow creates an additional burden for the country already hosting nearly
one million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
Fruitful
discussions were held on preventing the illegal entry of Myanmar nationals into
Bangladesh from India at the conference held at BGB headquarters in Pilkhana,
said a press release issued by the border guards yesterday.
Besides,
the killing of Bangladeshi nationals on the border topped the list of issues
discussed at the meeting.
According
to human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), five people were shot
dead on the border by BSF from January to June of this year. Besides, four
people were wounded while six were abducted during the period.
Last
year, 16 people were shot dead, one was tortured to death and another died of a
heart attack after being chased by the Indian border guards.
Meanwhile,
nine were injured and three were abducted by BSF during this time, ASK
statistics show.
Illegal
trespass; smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition and gold; prevention of
various border crimes including trafficking of women and children were also
discussed at the conference.
Also
on the agenda were the protection of border riverbanks, exchange of immediate
information regarding activities of various armed extremist-terrorist groups;
taking joint initiatives to implement the Coordinated Border Management Plan
(CBMP), the release added.
BGB
Director General (DG) Major General Shakil Ahmed led a 20-member Bangladesh
delegation at the conference which included top BGB officials and
representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, and foreign and home
ministries.
Source:
The Daily Star
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/stop-illegal-entry-rohingyas-bangladesh-3072926
--------
Heat
Exhaustion in a Car’s Airless Trunk Kills an Afghan Migrant on the Way to Iran
By
Saqalain Eqbal
17
Jul 2022
According
to local sources in the province of Ghazni in southeast Afghanistan, a resident
of Ghazni’s Jaghatu district died in agony from heat exhaustion and a lack of
oxygen in the car’s trunk while allegedly being trafficked to Iran.
Zabihullah
Yaqoubi, according to sources, risked his life to travel to Iran in quest of
employment and sought to smuggle himself into one of the country’s cities,
escaping poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan.
Sources
stated that he was originally from and lived in Ghazni province’s Dara Turkman
area in the Jaghatu district.
After
the Taliban took over, the labor market in the country encountered several
challenges, and a sizable population fled to neighboring countries in search of
work, where they experience additional difficulties including the risk of being
forcibly deported.
With
the increasing pressure of the Iranian security forces, according to the
reports, over 1,200 Afghans have returned or were forcibly deported to
Afghanistan.
Turkey,
which is considered a safe third country for Afghan nationals, also deported
numerous undocumented Afghans in different regions of Turkey back to
Afghanistan, in chartered flights.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Gunmen
Shoot a Newly Returned Man from Iran Dead in Northern Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
17
Jul 2022
According
to local sources in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan, unidentified
assailants shot and killed a man in the district of Almar, which is located
about 35 kilometers from the provincial capital.
The
incident, according to sources occurred in Halwa Khor village of the said
district on Saturday night, July 16.
The
Taliban’s director of Information and Culture for the Faryab province,
Shamsullah Mohammadi, confirmed the veracity of this information to the media and
stated that the respective department is currently conducting an investigation.
He
also told the media that the motive of the crime is unknown but is the subject
of the ongoing investigation.
The
victim, whose name was Bukharuddin, had just returned from Iran three days ago
and was gunned down last night while he was on the way to visit a relative,
according to the source.
Reports
of people being killed by armed individuals and groups have sharply increased
since the Taliban took control.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UN
Senior Official Markus Potzel Calls for Afghan Girls’ Education
By
Saqalain Eqbal
17
Jul 2022
Markus
Potzel, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for
Afghanistan, stressed the importance of secondary education for Afghan girls
and emphasized that everyone should have access to it.
On
Saturday, July 16, during a visit to Nangarhar, Markus Potzel, the new deputy
of the UN Mission in Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban should reconsider
their stance on the matter of girls’ education if international aid to
Afghanistan is to continue.
“Girls
should go to school and even above grade six and should enjoy the same
educational opportunities as boys,” Potzel said.
He
has also mentioned the $100 million Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, which will
help the country’s crippled economy.
The
director of Nangarhar’s information and culture department, Qari Noor Mohammad
Hanif, said that the UN official had been to the province and had promised to
assist in addressing the Taliban’s challenges, particularly with regard to
unfreezing Afghan assets.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/un-senior-official-markus-potzel-calls-for-afghan-girls-education-47382/
--------
Southeast Asia
Deviationist
teachings committee safeguards sanctity of Islam, says Idris
17
Jul 2022
BALING:
The national-level Steering Committee on Addressing Deviationist Teachings
(Japas) under the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (Jakim) plays a role
in safeguarding the sanctity of Islam from being insulted or ridiculed by
irresponsible parties.
Minister
in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad (pic)
said the committee, which is chaired by him,comprised the National Security
Council (NSC), Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), Malaysian Communications and
Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the State Islamic Religious Department.
He
said the committee played a crucial role in ensuring the faith of Muslims was
not distorted by the actions of some who ridiculed and insulted Islam.
"When
we receive a report (on persons insulting Islam), we will act and will contact
them because we do not want them to deviate from the true teachings of Islam.
Muslims have to remember, if they make a mockery of Islam, it concerns their
faith.
"If
it s due to their ignorance , we (Japas) will advise them, but if they are
still stubborn, then action will be taken," he told a press conference
after presenting flood relief donations at Sekolah Menengah Agama (SMA) Arab
Yayasan Khairiah near here Sunday (July 17).
Idris
said this when asked on the action of a Muslim who was alleged to have insulted
Islam during a performance at a comedy club in Kuala Lumpur recently.
In
another development, he said a total of RM1.3mil had been donated by the
Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) to help residents affected
by the floods and the water surge phenomenon that hit Baling last July 4.
Source:
The Star
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saifuddin
stays mum over Tajuddin’s position as ambassador
July
17, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has remained reticent over Tajuddin
Abdul Rahman’s purported appointment as ambassador to Indonesia, days after
Tajuddin’s name was omitted from a list of new heads of missions.
Saifuddin
said it was not Wisma Putra’s practice to reveal the identity of envoys until
they have received their appointment letters from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“The
names will only be revealed on the day that, meaning if His Majesty hands over
appointment letters to five (envoys), then it is five, if 10, then 10,”
Saifuddin said, according to Malaysiakini.
Saifuddin
said the ministry does not issue statements on “who will soon be an
ambassador”.
On
Tuesday, the King presented letters of appointment to four new Malaysian
ambassadors: Lim Jay Jin (South Korea), Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany (Japan), Wan
Zaidi Wan Abdullah (Saudi Arabia) and Khairi Omar (Iran).
Tajuddin’s
purported appointment had come under heavy criticism from former diplomats,
civil society and others.
Tajuddin’s
absence from the ceremony came in the wake of an FMT report that Putrajaya had
dropped him as an envoy to the republic. A high-level government source told
FMT that Putrajaya had a “change of heart”.
However,
the Malaysian Insight reported that the appointment was “still on track” and
that the appointment letter had merely been delayed.
The
following day Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that Tajuddin would
clarify his status.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Cops
arrest man who allegedly insulted Islam in Puchong
July
17, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Serdang police have arrested a man, aged 39, for allegedly insulting
Islam in a TikTok video clip that went viral on social media.
He
was picked up at his house in Bukit Kuchai, Puchong, about noon today.
He
was believed to have been assaulted as well, based on a 28-second-long video
clip on Facebook that showed him with a bloodied face. People can be heard
berating him for allegedly insulting their faith on the video clip.
According
to Serdang police chief AA Anbalagan, the case has been been classified under
Section 298A of the Penal Code for insulting religion, and Section 233 of the
Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) for sharing or disseminating false,
offensive and threatening content.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Next
round of Syrian peace talks scheduled for Geneva put on hold: UN envoy
Peter
Kenny
16.07.2022
GENEVA
The
UN special envoy for Syria on Saturday said that the next session of the
Syrian-led and UN-facilitated talks scheduled for July 25-29 in Geneva "is
no longer possible."
While
Geir Pedersen said he regrets that holding the ninth session of the
“Constitutional Committee’s Small Body” to find a constitution for the war-torn
country will not take place.
He
did not give any specific reasons.
"The
Special Envoy stresses the importance of all the stakeholders in this conflict
protecting and firewalling the Syrian political process from their differences
elsewhere in the world and encourages them to engage in constructive diplomacy
on Syria," he said in a statement.
On
Tuesday, the UN Security Council agreed to extend its mandate for badly-needed
cross-border aid deliveries into Syria for six months following Russia's
blocking of a one-year stay.
The
12-0 vote came after Russia vetoed a UN resolution four days earlier that would
have extended cross-border deliveries from Türkiye for one year.
The
resolution nixed by Moscow last week included a one-year extension for aid
deliveries from Türkiye's Cilvegozu border crossing to Bab al-Hawa in northwest
Syria.
Russia
had sought a six-month extension with the option of another six months.
On
June 30, Pedersen addressed the UN Security Council on the process he is
driving and said the constitutional talks "if approached the right way,
could contribute to a political settlement to implement resolution 2254,"
which calls for a cease-fire and political settlement in Syria.
'Real
challenges'
The
constitutional drafting body has representatives of both the Syrian regime and
the opposition and civil society members.
"I
told the committee members at the conclusion of the Eighth Session that I
appreciated the tone and substantive nature of the dialogue in the room,"
Pedersen told the UN Security Council.
"But
I was also honest with them that I saw real challenges," Pedersen noted.
"These
relate to the pace of work and the inability of the members to identify and
conclude areas of initial provisional agreement – even on points where there
was potential consensus in the room," he added.
Established
in 2019 with the support of the UN, the Syrian Constitutional Committee
consists of two structures – large and small.
The
large structure includes all the committee members, and there are three groups:
the regime, the opposition delegation, and civil society representatives.
The
large 150-person structure must approve the drafts prepared by the 45-person
editorial board, and at least 75% of the members must support a decision for it
to be adopted.
The
Syrian civil war began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on
pro-democracy protesters.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UAE
President's France trip to boost ties, focus on energy
17
July ,2022
United
Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan landed in Paris
Sunday, on his first overseas state visit and with energy and transport deals
on the agenda.
He
is due to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday at the Elysee
Palace.
The
UAE president's visit comes after Joe Biden's first Middle East tour as
president, including a visit to Saudi Arabia at a time when Western powers
remain desperate for both Riyadh and the UAE to increase oil output to tame
elevated energy prices stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A
key facet of the trip is likely to be the unveiling of “guarantees given by the
UAE on quantities of hydrocarbon supplies to France”, a presidential advisor at
the Elysee told AFP, referring to diesel supplies.
Dominated
by hydrocarbons, UAE exports to France in 2019 reached 1.5 billion euros, much
of it refined petroleum products, but the Emirates does not currently supply
diesel to the country.
France
is seeking “to diversify its sources of supply in the context of the conflict
in Ukraine,” the Elysee source added.
MOUs
and contracts are also expected to be signed in the transport and waste
treatment sectors during the three-day visit.
Relations
between the two countries have grown considerably in recent years. The UAE is
home to the only foreign branch of the Louvre museum, and in December it signed
a record 14-billion-euro contract for 80 Rafale warplanes.
The
UAE is home to the largest French and Francophone expatriate community in the
Gulf region.
The
UAE's de facto ruler for years, Sheikh Mohamed, also known as MBZ, took office
in May following the death of his half-brother, the long-ailing Sheikh Khalifa.
The
visit to France “has of course a very symbolic dimension and illustrates...
Macron and MBZ's good personal relations,” said Anne Gadel, a member of the
North Africa Middle East Observatory at the Fondation Jean Jaures in Paris.
“This
trip will be marked by energy issues in a context where European countries are
worried about growing inflation driven by high energy prices”, she added.
Both
European powers and the US have sought to press Gulf countries into upping oil
output.
In
opting for France -- rather than the US -- as his first foreign destination as
president, the UAE's Sheikh Mohamed could be sending “a signal... to the US...
meaning: we are not in a hurry to respond to the US' demands at all costs,”
Gadel said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
UK
considered suicidal Afghan ‘fine’ for Rwanda deportation: Documents
July
17, 2022
LONDON:
The UK Home Office has been accused of “denying reality” after it claimed that
suicidal asylum seekers were “fine” with the prospect of being deported to
Rwanda.
Documents
seen by The Observer suggest that one Afghan man at Colnbrook Immigration
Removal Centre at Heathrow had tried to kill himself twice in detention to
avoid being deported to Rwanda, and threatened to do so again, but that officials
had said afterward that he was prepared to go.
After
attempting suicide on June 20 by hanging, having previously tried to poison
himself and asking for a doctor, the documents show that he was moved to an
isolated area of the center away from other asylum seekers after saying he
would throw himself off a balcony.
“(The
detainee) stated that he does not care why he is in detention or CSU (care and
separation unit), he only cares about his mental health and his children,” the
documents read.
A
following section marked “Home Office comments,” however, made no reference to
the incidents, saying: “The DET (detention engagement team) officer conveyed to
him that he had been served with the paperwork and was due to be removed to
Rwanda. He was fine with going there or Afghanistan provided we assist him with
his mental health issues.”
Clare
Moseley, founder of the charity Care4Calais, which has helped 125 people facing
deportation to Rwanda, said: “It is deeply shocking that the Home Office is
saying that someone who is suffering extreme mental anguish due to fear over
their future and that of their children is fine with being forcibly removed to
Rwanda, when the extent of their distress so clearly demonstrates the opposite.
The Home Office is denying reality.”
Moseley
added that several asylum seekers issued with deportation notices and in
detention had not been given adequate access to medical services.
The
policy of deporting people to Rwanda, championed by UK Home Secretary Priti
Patel, was dealt a setback on June 14 when the first flight to the country
carrying asylum seekers was scrapped after an intervention from the European
Court of Human Rights.
Plans
for a second flight were put on hold last week after the start of the
Conservative Party leadership contest.
The
policy remains popular with Conservative voters, so much so that all five
remaining leadership contenders have pledged to pursue it. The UK exiting the
ECHR has also become a topic of discussion within the party.
A
judicial review hearing into the policy scheduled for this week has been pushed
back to September as a result of the leadership contest, with the Home Office
set to release dozens of asylum seekers as a result of their deportations no
longer being imminent. According to Moseley, 46 have been released so far, with
79 still being held.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2123811/world
--------
Swedish
Supreme Court stops extradition of senior FETO terrorist
Kemal
Karadağ
17.07.2022
A
member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) that Sweden's Supreme
Court had blocked from being extradited to Türkiye was found to be one of the
terror group's ringleaders.
Just
weeks after Sweden signed an agreement with Türkiye allowing Stockholm to join
NATO as long as it take steps to address Ankara's terrorism concerns, Swedish
media reports had recently emerged that the court blocked the FETO member's
extradition, who was identified as Yilmaz Aytan, a so-called covert imam
running the terror group's schools in Afghanistan.
Since
2018, Aytan has had a permanent residence permit in Sweden, where he filed for
asylum to escape efforts launched against the terror group. He has since been
granted refugee status, according to Swedish media.
Sweden,
along with Finland, formally applied to join NATO last month, a decision
spurred by Russia's war on Ukraine.
FETO
and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated a defeated coup attempt in
Türkiye on July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.
Ankara
also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the
state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the
military, police and judiciary.
Authorities
in Türkiye have uncovered that Aytan is a user of the organization's encrypted
communication app ByLock and is among the top members of the terrorist
organization.
Türkiye's
Justice Ministry has filed a request with Sweden to extradite Aytan for the
crime of "forming/leading an armed terrorist organization."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistani
Sikh leadership demands extension of pilgrimage duration, meets PM Shehbaz
Sharif
Jul
18, 2022
AMRITSAR:
The demand of doing away with the US $20 service fee charged by the Pakistan
government from every Indian devotee going on a day long piligrmage to Gurdwara
Darbar Sahib, Kartapur Sahib, Pakistan, is now being raised from within
Pakistan.
The
issue has been taken up by Pakistani Sikh leadership which is also pursuing the
Pakistan government to extend the duration of the current pilgrimage from the
existing dawn to dusk to twenty-four hour yatra.
Ramesh
Singh Arora, member, Provincial Assembly, Pakistan told TOI on Sunday that he
had held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and urged him to
consider scrapping the service fee and increasing the yatra duration to 24
hours.
Notably,
the Pakistan government charges a US $20 service fee from every Indian devotee
visiting through Kartarpur corridor from India for a day-long visit to
Kartarpur Sahib where Sikh’s first master Guru Nanak Dev spent the last 18
years of his life.
“Yatree
sanu kehnday ny ki tusi mattha takken day ve US $ lande ho, jo ki bara bura
lagda hai (we feel bad when pilgrims say that we charge US $ 20 for paying
obeisance)," said Ramesh, who is also the chairman of the standing
committee on Human Rights and Minorities Affairs, Pakistan.
He
said the Sikh leadership of Pakistan had also urged PM Sharif to extend the
duration of Indian Sikh pilgrims arriving at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through
Kartarpur Corridor, since the Indian devotees miss significant religious
rituals of amrit vela (early morning time) and sandhya vela (evening time).
Ramesh
said that they have over fifty rooms and dormitories to accommodate devotees
from India at Kartarpur Sahib and if need arises, they would make extra
arrangements to meet any number of devotees from India.
Presently,
around 300 pilgrims visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib via Kartarpur Corridor which
was inaugurated on November 9, 2019.
“I
have also extended an invitation to the prime minister to visit Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib, and Gurdwara Nankana Sahib to celebrate parkash utsav
(birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev on November 8,” said Ramesh Singh, adding
that the prime minister gave a patient hearing and assured consideration of
their demands.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan demands fresh general elections in Pakistan after impressive show in
Punjab by-polls
Jul
18, 2022
LAHORE:
Imran Khan has demanded fresh general elections in Pakistan after his Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf party registered an impressive electoral victory in the crucial
Punjab assembly by-polls, dealing a major blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
whose son Hamza Shehbaz is all set to lose his post as chief minister.
The
election for the chief minister will be held on July 22 on the Supreme Court's
order and PTI-PMLQ joint candidate Chaudhary Parvez Elahi is likely to be the
new chief minister of the politically crucial province Punjab.
According
to unofficial results so far, the PTI has won 16 seats while Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) of Sharif just three. An independent candidate also won.
PTI
chairman Khan in a tweet on Sunday thanked party workers and voters of Punjab
for defeating, what he called, not just PML-N candidates, but the entire state
machinery, especially harassment by police and a “totally biased” Election
Commission of Pakistan.
He
also thanked the PTI allies — PML-Q, Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) and
Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
“The
only way forward from here is to hold fair and free elections under a credible
ECP. Any other path will only lead to greater political uncertainty and further
economic chaos,” Khan, who was ousted as prime minister in April after he lost
a confidence vote in Parliament, said.
PTI
party's senior leader Asad Umar said Khan would announce the party strategy
after a meeting of the core committee on Monday.
He
said now the PML-N is left with only one option and that is "immediately
calling for fresh general elections."
The
ruling PML-N of the Sharifs has accepted its defeat and even congratulated PTI
Chairman Khan for a 'landslide victory' in the by-polls.
"We
respect the mandate of the people. Now we ask the PTI-PMLQ to form the
government in Punjab," the Prime Minister's spokesperson Malik Ahmad Khan
told PTI.
To
a question about whether Prime Minister Shehbaz would dissolve the National
Assembly to call early general elections, he said: "The PML-N leadership
will decide about it in consultation with its allies.”
PML-N
vice president Maryam Nawaz also accepted her party's defeat. "We should
accept our defeat with an open heart," the daughter of PML-N supreme
leader Nawaz Sharif said in a tweet.
She
said that in politics, victory and defeat are a part of the game. "We will
see our weaknesses and remove them," she said.
"Tehreek-e-Insaf
is winning at least 15 seats. But it is very important for all our people on
duty at all polling stations not to leave their place until the official
results are obtained from the returning officers,” Khan said in a tweet.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sharif
will be reduced to 'Prime Minister of Islamabad': PTI leader post victory in
Pak's Punjab by polls
Jul
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
After the landslide victory of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan-led
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the Punjab by-polls on Sunday, party's
secretary general Asad Umar said that with the ouster of Hamza Shehbaz as the
current Punjab CM on July 22, PM Shehbaz Sharif would be reduced to the
"prime minister of Islamabad".
It
was a massive win for PTI in the by-elections on 20 Punjab Assembly seats. PTI
candidates secured victory in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, and Khushab
provincial assembly seats while the party took the lead by a clear majority in
15 constituencies of the province.
After
PTI's win, while speaking with local media, the PTI secretary general Asad Umar
urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to call snap elections, reported Dawn.
Notably,
the current Chief Minister of Punjab is PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz. The defeat of
the PML-N has prompted a series of reactions from rival PTI.
Umar
said that PML-Q leader Parvez Elahi will become the Punjab CM on July 22.
Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz called for
introspection within the party coalition, media reports said.
The
likely victory of the PTI proved that the people of Pakistan had rejected the
"decisions taken behind closed doors", he added.
Umar
said the PTI chairman had called a meeting of the core committee on Monday
(today) where decisions will be taken regarding the future strategy, as per the
media reports.
While
the race for Punjab was still on, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
Vice-President Maryam Nawaz had conceded defeat after the PTI took the lead in
the majority of the 20 provincial assembly constituencies which were up for
grabs.
She
said that defeat should be accepted with an open heart. "The PML-N should
accept the results of the bypolls with an open heart and concede to the
decision of the masses," Maryam said, reported Geo TV.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Afghan
refugees turn F-6 children’s park into ‘tent village’
Kashif
Abbasi
July
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Owing to the negligence of authorities concerned, Afghan refugees have taken
over a children park in Islamabad and are living there after pitching tents.
F-6’s
newly-renovated children park has become a makeshift campground for the Afghan
refugees mostly belonging to the Hazara community, who fled their country
following the takeover of Kabul by Taliban.
Initially,
the refugees camped outside the National Press Club and later started living in
the red zone near Parliament House. However, police and administration managed
to remove them from the high security zone.
The
refugees then again established their camps outside the press club. However,
those belonging to the Hazara community set up their camps in the children park
across the road. Nearly 700 Afghan refugees, most of them women and children,
have been sheltering in the park for the last few weeks.
Protesters
say they are helpless, cannot return to homeland; CDA to seek local admin,
police’s help to get area vacated
“We
are living in a public park but we are helpless and shelterless and have no
idea where we should go?” said Surya Mosawai, a university graduate from Herat.
She
said the refugees had been facing lots of difficulties but no one, including
developed countries and other champions of human rights, were paying any heed
to their issues.
“Do
you think we are living in this park by choice. No. We don’t want to live here
but we have no other option. We have been demanding the international community
and developed countries, including the United State of America, to provide us
citizenship as we can’t go back to our country because of the Taliban,” she
said.
Another
refugee, Bakar Ahmed, said: “The United Nations High Commission for Refugees
should help us.”
He
said if developed countries were not ready to accept them, Pakistan should give
them asylum.
It
may be noted that Pakistan has already been providing shelters to more than 1.3
million Afghan refugees for decades.
Najma
Nowrozi, another refugee, said camped life was highly tough as refugees had to
go to nearby mosques for using washrooms.
“Even,
we are facing shortage of water,” she said and added that some well-off local
people had provided them two plastic tanks for storing water. It is a blessing
for us but the water is insufficient,” she said, adding: “We are helpless and
hopeless.”
Some
of the refugees said there was a public toilet near their camps but they had to
pay to the operator of the toilet for using it. Similarly, they said, they had
to pay to shopkeepers for charging their mobile phones.
The
park was recently renovated and restored by the Capital Development Authority
(CDA) by spending millions of rupees. However, due to negligence of the civic
agency, the same has been taken over by the refugees.
“We
are not against refugees, they are our brethren. But we are against setting up
of camps in a public park. The CDA and police should remove them from the
park,” said Liaquat Khan, a local. Another local resident, Shabbir Ali, said
unregulated camps posed a security threat to the locals. He raised questions
over the efficiency of the CDA which is the custodian of the public parks.
“These
camps should be shifted to some other place as people of the area have been
deprived of their right to visit the park as it has been taken over by the
refugees,” he said.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1700246/afghan-refugees-turn-f-6-childrens-park-into-tent-village?preview
--------
Raza
Rabbani blames PTI for increased establishment role in govt affairs
Ikram
Junaidi
July
18, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
While holding the previous PTI government responsible for “an increased role”
of the establishment in government’s affairs, PPP leader and former Senate
Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said that the civilian space ceded to the military
during previous government’s tenure was “unprecedented”.
In
a statement released on Sunday, the PPP leader said that historically,
civil-military relations have been heavily tilted towards the military, but the
PTI government “was a government of the establishment, for the establishment
and by the establishment”.
He
claimed that during the PTI-led government, Parliament was controlled by
“others” rather than the Senate chairman and the National Assembly speaker.
“Motions,
questions and other tools of parliamentary oversight were vetted by ‘the
others’ rather than parliament’s staff,” Mr Rabbani alleged.
He
claimed that members’ presence in Parliament during voting on vital issues was
ensured by the establishment.
“Crucial
decisions pertaining to or discussions on national security and foreign policy
were taken outside Parliament,” he added.
The
establishment had a role in all major decisions and there was a greater
militarisation of civilian institutions, Mr Rabbani alleged.
He
also said that the PTI-led coalition government was kept intact by the
establishment.
He
said that during the previous government, 25 autonomous or semi-autonomous
bodies and organisations were headed by retired or serving officers of the
armed forces.
While
emphasising the need to address this disequilibrium, Mr Rabbani proposed three
actions.
“Firstly,
all political parties should agree on a second Charter of Democracy. Secondly,
all institutions functioning under or through the Constitution should respect
the trichotomy of power as envisaged in the Constitution. Thirdly, an economic
agenda [should be chalked out]. This will require an intra-institutional
dialogue and Parliament should assume its role and set this process into
motion,” Mr Rabbani said
This
statement came a day after PTI Chairman Imran Khan deplored the imbalance in
civil-military relations and blamed previous the PPP and PML-N governments for
ceding space to the army to `save their skin` in corruption cases.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Security
forces neutralise two more terrorists as body of Omer Javed recovered
July
17, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Security forces have neutralised two more terrorists during recovery operation
for the abducted civilian Mr Omer Javed who was abducted along with Lt. Col.
Laeeq Shaheed by the BLA terrorists.
“On
16 July 22, during ongoing recovery operation linked with abduction of Mr Omer
Javed and apprehending perpetrators of abduction, in Warchoom, Ziarat, another
terrorists hideout has been identified and cleared by security forces,” says a
press release issued by the ISPR.
“During
exchange of fire, two terrorists have been killed and arms and ammunition have
been recovered. After clearance of hideout, entire area was sanitized. During
search of the area, unfortunately, Dead body of Mr Omer Javed Shaheed has been
found in a nearby Nullah, five Kilometers from Warchoom towards Khalifat
Mountains. As per assessment, terrorists had killed Mr Omer Javed immediately
after abduction,” the statement said.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North America
US
will not leave vacuum in Mideast to Russia, China: Biden
Abdel-Jabbar
Abu Ras
16.07.2022
US
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the US will not leave any vacuum in the
Middle East region to Russia, China, or Iran.
“We
will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia, or Iran,”
Biden said at an Arab-American summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
“We
will seek to build on this moment with active, principled, American
leadership,” he added.
The
summit brought together Biden with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council
members, as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.
Biden
is set to conclude his four-day trip to the Middle East region later Saturday
that included Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the West Bank.
The
trip was seen as a US attempt to assert leadership in the Middle East against
China and Russia amid the Russian war in Ukraine.
Addressing
the summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the meeting was held
"at a time when the world is witnessing great challenges."
He
also called on regional rival Iran to be “cooperative and not to interfere in
regional affairs."
Earlier
Saturday, Washington and Riyadh called in a joint statement for deterring
Iran’s interference in the region and for preventing Tehran from acquiring a
nuclear weapon.
Before
the start of the summit, Biden held separate meetings with Egyptian President
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President of
the United Arab Emirates President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-will-not-leave-vacuum-in-mideast-to-russia-china-biden/2638462
--------
US terms Imran’s claim
disturbing, looks ahead to strong ties
Anwar
Iqbal
July
18, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s conspiracy claims are ‘very disturbing,’
says a US State Department official while underlining Washington’s desire to
rebuild a strong partnership with Pakistan.
Addressing
a convention of Pakistani physicians in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Director
Pakistan Desk Neil W. Hop described US-Pakistan relations as “a partnership we
cannot do without”.
“We
have to work with Pakistan in tackling global affairs. It is a partnership that
is essential for us,” he said.
Mr
Hop said that a Pakistani delegation would visit Washington on July 25 for the
largest ever health talks between the two countries.
Pakistan’s
Ambassador Masood Khan said that the US-Pakistan relations had already
stabilised and were “poised to become even better” in the near future.
A
former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Jalil Abbas Jilani, however,
acknowledged that relations were passing through a difficult phase and
suggested “the revival of structured high-level dialogue” to keep the
partnership on track.
Ambassador
Khan suggested strong commercial ties between the two countries, reminding
American investors that “Pakistan has a large and vibrant Middle class and
offers great opportunities for investment.”
Responding
to a question about former prime minister Imran Khan’s claim of alleged US
interference in Pakistan’s domestic politics, Hop said: “It’s very disturbing.
There’s absolutely no truth in those allegations. We support a strong,
democratic setup in Pakistan. We have no interests in its domestic politics.”
Jilani
said the entire episode was very tragic, adding that he has had personal
relations with the US official, Donald Lu, implicated in this alleged
conspiracy. “He has positive feelings for Pakistan and has rejected involvement
in any conspiracy,” he said.
Hop
too called Lu a thorough “professional who cannot make such statements.”
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1700280/us-terms-imrans-claim-disturbing-looks-ahead-to-strong-ties
--------
Jamal
Khashoggi’s US lawyer detained in UAE
July
18, 2022
ABU
DHABI: United Arab Emirates authorities have detained Asim Ghafoor, a US
citizen and civil rights attorney who previously served as a lawyer for slain
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said US-based rights group DAWN, of whose board
Ghafoor is a member.
A
UAE government official confirmed Ghafoor was arrested while transiting through
Dubai airport on July 14 on charges related to an in absentia conviction for
money laundering pursuant to evidence heard by Emirati courts.
A
US administration official had told reporters on Saturday that the United
States was aware, but could not say whether President Joe Biden would raise the
issue in bilateral talks with the UAE president on the sidelines of an Arab
summit in Saudi Arabia.
“There’s
no indication that it has anything to do with the Khashoggi issue,” the
official added.
Saudi
journalist Khashoggi was killed in 2018 at Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate in
an operation that US intelligence accuses Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman of approving. The prince denies involvement.
Democracy
for the Arab World Now (DAWN) said in a statement on Friday that Ghafoor, a
civil rights attorney based in Virginia, was en route to Istanbul to attend a
family wedding.
The
Emirati official said the UAE has granted a request by the US embassy to
conduct a consular visit and that since the original trial was held in
absentia, Ghafoor is permitted to request a retrial.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1700288/jamal-khashoggis-us-lawyer-detained-in-uae
--------
US
President Biden meets Iraqi PM, agrees to strengthen coordination on ISIS issue
16
July ,2022
US
President Joe Biden met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on
Saturday ahead of the Jeddah Security and Development Summit hosted by Saudi
Arabia.
During
the meeting, Biden and al-Kadhimi agreed on strengthening security and military
institutions in Iraq and voiced the importance of combating corruption and
supporting Iraq’s economy, according to a joint statement.
Biden
also reaffirmed the significance of a “stable and unified Iraq which includes
the Kurdistan region,” and said a “strong Iraq” is an essential factor to
achieve stability in the region.
Highlighting
the strong partnership between the two countries, Biden and al-Kadhimi agreed
on strengthening security coordination to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in
Iraq.
During
the meeting which also tackled Iraq’s political situation that is currently
mired by political disagreements among parties hindering the parliament from
electing a president and forming a government, the two leaders voiced the
importance of forming a new Iraqi government that meets the expectations of the
Iraqi people.
Prior
to their meeting, Biden reaffirmed he wanted to support Iraq’s democracy,
saying “I want the press and you to know we want to be (as) helpful as we can
in doing that.”
Al-Kadhimi
spoke about the “strategic, friendly relationship” between the US and Iraq, and
he thanked the US for providing support to combat terrorist groups.
An
estimated 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq to support the country’s fight against
ISIS.
Biden
is in Jeddah attending a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The
leaders of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan are also attending.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Biden
pledges $1.45 billion per year in assistance to Jordan
Abdel-Jabbar
Abu Ras
16.07.2022
US
President Joe Biden pledged on Saturday to provide Jordan with $1.45 billion in
assistance per year.
The
pledge was made in a joint statement issued following a meeting between Biden
and Jordanian King Abdullah II on the sideline of a US-Arab summit in the Saudi
city of Jeddah.
The
statement said Biden announced his intention to sign a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) for assistance for Jordan with a value of $1.45 billion per
year beginning in 2023 and ending in 2029.
"The
MOU is designed to address Jordan's extraordinary needs, supports King Abdullah
II's economic reform program, and ensure the long-term strength of the close
partnership between the United States and Jordan,” the statement said.
“The
MOU represents a major US political commitment to Jordan’s stability and the
durability of the partnership,” it added.
According
to the statement, both leaders "highlighted the strong defense partnership
between the two countries, and reiterated commitment to their partnership in
the fight against terrorism."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/biden-pledges-145-billion-per-year-in-assistance-to-jordan/2638496
--------
Arab World
Muslim
World League welcomes Jeddah Summit outcomes
July
17, 2022
RIYADH
— The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the outcomes of the Jeddah Summit for
Security and Development, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia with the
participation of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq,
and the United States of America.
MWL
Secretary General and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr.
Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa praised the outcomes of the summit, which
focused on partnership in promoting peace and prosperity in the region.
Dr.
Al-Issa congratulated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the
success of the Jeddah Summit for Security and Development, praising the wise
efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown
Prince. He stressed that this great success reaffirms the status of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia on the regional and international arenas, and its deserved
leading role in achieving peace and prosperity in the region and the world. —
SPA
Source:
Saudi Gazette
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Islamic
State group ex-bastion in Syria hosts Jackie Chan film shoot
17
Jul 2022
"Home
Operation" is inspired by China's 2015 evacuation of Chinese and other
foreign citizens from the war in Yemen, an operation that was seen as a
landmark for Beijing.
Yemen
was deemed too dangerous a venue to shoot and some scenes of the film, which is
also backed by an Emirati production company, are being shot in Syria, although
the script only mentions a fictional country called "Poman".
The
ruins of Hajar al-Aswad on Thursday filled with a motley crew of actors in
Yemeni tribal attire, Syrian extras in uniform and polo-wearing Chinese film
crew members.
Jackie
Chan is the main producer, although there are no plans for him to visit Syria.
The
film pitches itself as a blockbuster that will glorify the role of the Chinese
authorities in a heroic evacuation.
Speaking
to reporters as his crew installed their equipment and tanks in hastily altered
livery moved into position, director Yinxi Song confirmed the film's propaganda
credentials.
"It
takes the perspective of diplomats who are Communist Party members, who braved
a hail of bullets in a war-torn country and safely brought all Chinese
compatriots onto the country's warship unscathed," he said.
The
ambassador of China, one of few countries to have maintained good diplomatic
relations with the regime of Syria President Bashar al-Assad, was present to
launch the Syria shoot, which is expected to last several days.
A
red banner in three languages was unfurled for the small ceremony and another
that read "Peace & Love" was propped up on the front of a tank.
'Low-cost
studio'
Hajar
al-Aswad, which means "black rock" in Arabic, was once a densely
populated Damascus suburb that lies next to the Palestinian refugee camp of
Yarmuk.
Both
areas became major hotspots in the Syrian civil conflict that erupted in 2011
and were at least partially controlled at one point by the Islamic State group.
The
reconquest of both neighbourhoods by Syrian pro-government forces in May 2018
marked the moment the regime brought the entire capital Damascus back under its
control.
Swathes
of Hajar al-Aswad were completely levelled, however, turning the neighbourhood
into a sinister sprawl of grey, gutted buildings.
A
few residents have returned to the least damaged parts of Hajar al-Aswad,
leaving the rest completely uninhabited.
"The
war-ravaged areas in Syria have turned into a movie studio. These areas attract
film producers," said director Rawad Shahin, who is part of Home
Operation's Syria crew.
"Building
studios similar to these areas is very expensive, so these areas are considered
as low-cost studios," he said.
The
production team says it plans to use several other locations to film in Syria,
where productions from Iran and Russia, both allies of Assad, have also been
shot.
Syria
is targeted by a raft of international sanctions and is also littered with
unexploded ordnance which last year made it the world's most lethal country for
landmine kills.
Chinese
navy vessels carrying out anti-piracy patrols were diverted to Yemen in 2015 to
evacuate what officials at the time said were hundreds of people from 10
different countries stranded by the escalating conflict.
Source:
Ahram
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/471616.aspx
--------
Facing
Drought, Iraq Asks Turkey to Release More Water along Tigris, Euphrates Rivers
16
July ,2022
Iraq
on Saturday asked Ankara to increase the flow of water downstream along the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as both countries face droughts and tensions over
resource management.
Baghdad
regularly complains that dams constructed in neighboring countries impact its
river levels.
Water
Minister Mehdi al-Hamdani and the Turkish president’s special representative
for Iraq, Veysel Eroglu, discussed “quantities of water arriving in Iraq
through the Tigris and Euphrates” from Turkey, an Iraqi statement said.
Hamdani
asked Turkey via videoconference “to re-examine the amounts of water released,
in order to allow Iraq to overcome the current water shortage,” it added.
Eroglu
said he would pass on the request to water authorities in Ankara to “increase
the amounts of water released in the coming days, according to (Turkey’s)
available reserves,” according to the Iraqi statement.
Both
sides agreed that an Iraqi “technical delegation” would visit Turkey and
allowed to “evaluate Turkish dam reserves on site.”
The
UN classifies Iraq “as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world” to
climate change, having already witnessed record low rainfall and high
temperatures in recent years.
The
issue of managing water resources has raised tensions between Baghdad and
Ankara.
On
Tuesday, Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq, Ali Riza Guney, sparked anger by accusing
Iraqis of “squandering” water resources, calling on Twitter for “immediate
measures to reduce the waste” including “the modernization of irrigation
systems.”
Hamdani
responded that Ankara was assuming “the right to reduce Iraq’s water quota.”
Iraq
has seen three years of successive droughts and has halved cultivated
agricultural areas for its 42 million inhabitants.
“Water
reserves have dropped 60 percent compared to last year,” a government official
said this Wednesday, Iraq’s INA news agency reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US, GCC nations release joint statement following Jeddah summit
16
July ,2022
The
US and Gulf Cooperation Council countries released a joint statement on
Saturday following the meeting of GCC leaders with US President Joe Biden in
Jeddah.
The
GCC leaders highlighted the historic partnership with the US and reaffirmed
their keenness to build on the achievements of Saturday’s summit and previous
summits to strengthen cooperation in all fields.
During
the meeting which addressed global challenges and regional affairs, the leaders
reaffirmed their commitment to guarantee the region’s security and stability
and voiced their support of all diplomatic efforts which aim to reduce regional
tensions.
They
also discussed strengthening their regional cooperation on the levels of
security, intelligence and defence and boosting their efforts to guarantee the
safety of naval passages.
“The
GCC welcomes the US’… reaffirmation that it will always work with the GCC to
deter and confront all external threats against the [GCC’s] security and
against vital maritime passages particularly the straits of Hormuz and Bab
al-Mandeb,” the statement said.
“The
leaders reaffirmed their keenness to develop cooperation and coordination to
develop defence capabilities [and confront] threats posed by drones, missiles
and the armament of terrorist militias and armed groups.”
They
also voiced their support for efforts which guarantee that the Gulf remains
free of mass destruction weapons meaning preventing Iran from developing a
nuclear weapon.
“The
leaders also welcomed establishing Combined Task Force 153 and Combined Task
Force 59 which strengthen defence coordination between GCC countries and the US
Central Command [and help] detect naval threats,” the statement said.
Highlighting
their commitment to enhance cooperation, the US president and the GCC leaders
reiterated that they will enhance their coordination to support efforts aimed
at helping with the recovery of the international economy and at addressing the
negative economic repercussions which resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and
the war in Ukraine.
“The
US welcomed the Arab Coordination Group’s decision to provide at least $10
billion to help with the response to food security challenges regionally and
internationally,” the statement said, adding that GCC leaders also welcomed the
US’ decision to provide $1 billion in near- and long-term food security
assistance for the Middle East and North Africa region.
The
leaders also praised the efforts of OPEC+ to achieve the stability of global
oil markets in a manner that serves the interests of both producers and
consumers and welcomed OPEC+ recent decision to increase production in July and
August.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
FM Prince Faisal holds press conference at end of Jeddah summit
16
July ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday he was not aware of any discussions
on a Gulf-Israeli defense alliance and that the Kingdom was not involved in
such talks.
Prince
Faisal bin Farhan told reporters after the Jeddah Security and Development
Summit that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers had
nothing to do with establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and was not a
precursor to further steps.
“The
issue of overflights is a decision we took based on our commitments to the
international protocols and also in the interest in providing connectivity
between countries in the world. We hope that it will make some travelers’ lives
easier. It’s not in any way a precursor to any further steps,” the Kingdom’s
foreign minister said.
Any
form of military or technical cooperation was neither discussed nor proposed at
the recently concluded Jeddah Summit.
On
Iran, the Saudi official said the Kingdom’s hand is extended to it, adding that
although talks with Tehran have been positive, they have not achieved any
results.
On
Yemen, the foreign minister said the Kingdom continues to work to reach a
comprehensive ceasefire in the war-torn country, adding that the Iran-backed
Houthi militia must “realize that Yemen’s interest lies in peace and
stability.”
He
added that one of the reasons the conflict is ongoing in Yemen is Iranian
weapons.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
Over
100,000 young Saudis to benefit from training agreement with IBM
16
July ,2022
A
new agreement between IBM and Saudi Arabia’s IT authority will upskill 100,000
young Saudis in the digital sector, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on
Saturday.
The
MoU to implement eight initiatives seeks to “bolster the Kingdom’s position as
a hub of technology and innovation in the Middle East and North Africa region,”
according to SPA.
The
agreement was signed during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia,
between the Kingdom’s Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and
Partnerships, Issam al-Thukair, and Fahad Alanazi, General Manager, IBM Saudi
Arabia.
The
agreement is expected to tie in with Saudi Arabia’s investment-focused route to
the fourth industrial revolution.
Areas
covered under training will include artificial intelligence and machine
learning, cybersecurity and joint research, innovation accelerators, a policy laboratory,
and IBM’s cloud and open technology centers for software interoperability, SPA
reported.
“Our
collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
will help identify, co-create, and co-develop innovative applications to provide
the Kingdom with access to advanced technology aligned to its Saudi Vision 2030
objectives,” Fahad Alanazi, General Manager, IBM Saudi Arabia, was quoted as
saying.
Artificial
intelligence projects are reportedly expected to be implemented within entities
operating in the public sector to reach 66 projects.
Within
five years, the agreement will also enable 100 workshops with government
agencies on design thinking, and train 600 public sector employees in the
accelerator established.
The
two sides will also work together to conduct “many joint research and studies
over the years,” according to the SPA report, which is expected to accelerate
the growth of the digital economy.
Saudi
Arabia and the US will cooperate on a range of future industries including 5G
networks, enhanced cybersecurity, and space exploration, in addition to public
health, the two countries announced on Friday.
Biden,
who arrived in the Kingdom earlier in the evening, met with King Salman at Al
Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah before the Crown Prince headed a meeting with the
US president and officials from both countries.
Speaking
to reporters following his meetings, Biden said he had good discussions on
ensuring global energy security and adequate oil supplies during his meetings
with King Salman and the Crown Prince.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
UAE
President receives Iraqi PM, Kuwaiti Crown Prince at GCC summit
16
July ,2022
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Mustafa al-Kadhimi,
Iraq’s Prime Minister, and Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Crown
Prince of Kuwait, on Saturday on the sidelines of the Jeddah Security and
Development Summit taking place in Saudi Arabia.
During
the meeting with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohamed and al-Kadhimi discussed
ways to enhance bilateral relations to serve the interests of their countries,
as well as advancing their cooperation and coordination across several
developmental, economic and investment sectors, state news agency WAM reported.
They
also exchanged views on a number of regional and global issues of mutual
concern.
In
their meeting, the Kuwaiti Crown Prince conveyed to Sheikh Mohamed his wishes
for more progress and prosperity for the UAE and its people.
Sheikh
Mohamed and Sheikh Mishal discussed UAE-Kuwait relations and ways to enhance
them to serve the interests of their countries and peoples, as well as support
joint work among GCC countries.
They
also exchanged views on several issues of mutual concern.
The
meetings come on the sidelines of a summit of the countries that make up the
Gulf Co-operation Council in addition to Iraq, Jordan and Egypt, known as the
GCC+3.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
26 Daesh/ISIS suspects
arrested in Iraq raids
17.07.2022
BAGHDAD
Iraqi
security forces captured 26 suspected members of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist
groups in security swoops across Iraq, according to authorities on Sunday.
Seven
Daesh/ISIS suspects were arrested in an ambush in the northern Kirkuk province
on Saturday, the Iraqi National Security Service said in a statement.
Security
forces also nabbed 12 suspects in the western Anbar province and seven others
in Salahuddin in northern Iraq.
All
the suspects were transferred to judicial authorities for investigation, the
statement said.
In
2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all of its
territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terror group
in 2014.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/26-daesh-isis-suspects-arrested-in-iraq-raids/2638880
--------
Mideast
Israeli minister foresees direct pilgrim flights to Saudi Arabia next year
17
July ,2022
An
Israeli official said on Saturday he expected members of the country’s Muslim minority
to be able to fly directly to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage by next year after
the kingdom signaled new openness as it hosted US President Joe Biden.
On
Friday, Riyadh said its airspace would be open to all carriers - a de facto
extension of flyover rights for Israeli planes, which previously had a Saudi
corridor only for Gulf destinations, to include various Asia routes too.
Esawi
Freij, Israel’s regional cooperation minister, said the Saudi decision showed
US-encouraged efforts to move the countries toward more normal ties “are at a
very advanced stage” that may “turn the dream into reality” for Muslims like
himself.
“I
believe that, in a year, the Muslim Israeli citizen will be able to fly from
Ben Gurion (airport near Tel Aviv) to Jeddah and from there to Mecca to fulfill
his pilgrimage duty,” Freij told public broadcaster Kan.
He
declined to say on what this prediction was based.
There
was no immediate comment from Riyadh.
Last
week, Freij said he had asked Saudi Arabia to allow direct Tel Aviv-Jeddah
flights for Muslim pilgrims. A US official told Reuters on Thursday that such
permission was in the works.
Saudi
Arabia has long admitted Muslim pilgrims from Israel, but they must travel
through third countries. That ends up costing around $11,500 for a week-long
stay, Freij said. Pilgrims from neighboring Arab countries pay around half
that.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
accuses US of stoking 'Iranophobia' after Biden's Mideast tour
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
17.07.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
Iran
has accused the United States of stoking tension in the Middle East region by
resorting to "Iranophobia" following President Joe Biden's regional
tour.
In
a statement on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani dismissed
claims and accusations against Iran made during Biden's maiden regional trip.
He
said joint statements made during Biden’s visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia
were "in line with the US policy of inciting sedition and tension" in
the region.
On
the second leg of his regional tour in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on
Saturday, Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman addressed a regional
summit, which was followed by a joint statement.
The
two sides "underscored the need to further deter Iran’s interference in
the internal affairs of other countries, its support for terrorism through its
armed proxies, and its efforts to destabilize the security and stability of the
region."
They
also stressed the "importance of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear
weapon," according to the statement.
Taking
strong exception to the statement, Kanaani said the US was the "first
country to use a nuclear bomb,” has "continued its interference in
regional countries,” and "sold weapons" to governments in the region.
He
also referred to the "blind and unlimited support" of the US
government to Israel, holding Washington equally responsible for the
"continued occupation" of Palestine.
On
the first leg of his tour to Israel, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair
Lapid issued a joint declaration, reaffirming their resolve to prevent Iran
from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“The
United States stresses that integral to this pledge is the commitment never to
allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all
elements of its national power to ensure that outcome,” read the statement
dubbed “Jerusalem Declaration.”
Kanaani
said Iran's nuclear program is in line with the "framework of international
laws and regulations,” claiming that Israel possesses the "largest nuclear
arsenal in the region.”
He
further said Iran welcomes dialogue with its neighbors and intra-regional
initiatives.
Tensions
between Iran and the US are again running high in the wake of Biden's maiden
visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia, which has seen both sides exchange verbal
volleys.
The
two sides are currently engaged in indirect talks in Doha to revive the 2015
nuclear accord, mediated by the European Union, but breakthrough remains
elusive amid key disagreements on security and economic issues.
On
Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry updated its list of designated US
officials per a 2017 parliamentary law that calls for "countering US human
rights violations and terrorist actions.”
The
61 newly designated individuals include former US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo, former US presidential candidate, and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani among
others.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
--------
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthis say they will not extend truce despite Saudi pledge
17
July ,2022
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthi militia, slamming US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi
Arabia, said they would not agree to extend a truce in the seven-year war.
“We
reject any outcomes for the American president’s visit to the region that touch
the sovereignty, security and stability of Yemen, the Houthi ruling political
council said in a statement on Saturday.
After
Biden met with officials in his trip there this week, the White House in a
statement said that Saudi Arabia had committed to extending and strengthening a
UN-mediated truce in Yemen and will engage in talks to end the war that’s
roiled the Arabian Gulf and triggered a humanitarian crisis.
All
sides in the seven-year-old war agreed to a two-month truce in April, renewing
the arrangement for a further two months in June. The White House statement
suggested the fragile cease-fire will once again be extended.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
‘capable of making N-bomb’, says Ayatollah Khamenei’s aide
July
18, 2022
DUBAI:
Iran is technically capable of making a nuclear bomb but has not decided
whether to build one, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei told Qatar’s al Jazeera TV on Sunday.
Kamal
Kharrazi spoke a day after US President Joe Biden ended his four-day trip to
Israel and Saudi Arabia, vowing to stop Iran from “acquiring a nuclear weapon”.
Kharrazi’s
comments were a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear
weapons, which it has long denied seeking.
“In
a few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce
90% enriched uranium ... Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb
but there has been no decision by Iran to build one,” Kharrazi said.
Iran
is already enriching to up to 60 per cent, far above a cap of 3.67pc under
Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Uranium enriched to 90pc is
suitable for a nuclear bomb.
In
2018, former US President Donald Trump ditched the nuclear pact, under which
Iran curbed its uranium enrichment work, a potential pathway to nuclear
weapons, in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
In
reaction to Washington’s withdrawal and its reimposition of harsh sanctions,
Tehran started violating the pact’s nuclear restrictions.
Last
year, Iran’s intelligence minister said Western pressure could push Tehran to
seek nuclear weapons, the development of which Khamenei banned in a fatwa, or
religious decree, in the early 2000s.
Iran
says it is refining uranium only for civilian energy uses, and has said its
breaches of the international deal are reversible if the United States lifts
sanctions and rejoins the agreement.
The
broad outline of a revived deal was essentially agreed in March after 11 months
of indirect talks between Tehran and Biden’s administration in Vienna.
But
talks then broke down over obstacles, including Tehran’s demand that Washington
should give guarantees that no US president will abandon the deal, the same way
Trump did.
Biden
cannot promise this because the nuclear deal is a non-binding political
understanding, not a legally-binding treaty.
“The
United States has not provided guarantees on preserving the nuclear deal and
this ruins the possibility of any agreement,” Kharrazi said.
Israel,
which Iran does not recognise, has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear sites
if diplomacy fails to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Kharrazi
said Iran would never negotiate its ballistic missile programme and regional
policy, as demanded by the West and its allies in the Middle East.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1700287/iran-capable-of-making-n-bomb-says-ayatollah-khameneis-aide
--------
Iran's
Human Rights Chief Urges UK to Release Imprisoned Citizen
2022-July-17
Qaribabadi
criticized the UK government's opposition to the return of Richard John, a
Christian Iranian citizen who is imprisoned in the UK, and stated, "This
Iranian citizen in the British prison does not enjoy favorable conditions in
prison and is also deprived of receiving medical and health services."
"The
Iran's Foreign Ministry has so far made follow-ups to improve the conditions of
Richard John and return him to Iran, but the British side has not taken any
action in this regard," he said.
He
stated that in order to be released from prison and return to Iran, the
Christian Iranian citizen even revoked his British citizenship years ago, but
the British Ministry of Justice opposed this request on the pretext that his
release could be dangerous for the lives of British citizens.
Referring
to the unfavorable situation of the Christian Iranian citizen in the British
prison, the inhumane treatment of him in prison, as well as the recent goodwill
of Iran in the release of two convicted Iranians with dual citizenship, he
asked the British government to adhere to its human rights obligations and to
release this Iranian citizen and return him to Iran as soon as possible.
Richard
John, a Christian Iranian citizen imprisoned in the British prison, has been in
jail for about 20 years, but he has not gone on leave even for a single day,
even to treat his illness. UK authorities have been opposed to sending him to a
protected specialized hospital.
In
February, Qaribabadi stated Iran has a total of 3,800 prisoners abroad,
expressing concern that some of the inmates are serving their jail terms in
inappropriate conditions.
He
added a number of Iranians are in overseas prisons for their offenses or due to
injustice or on political and groundless pretexts, including for circumventing
illegal sanctions, and that they need to be protected.
Recently,
Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian judiciary employee who has been in solitary
confinement in Sweden since 2019, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court
in Sweden.
On
the sidelines of a conference on the US’s human rights violations in Tehran in
late June, Qaribabadi stressed that Iran is following up the case of the
Iranians taken hostages by the United States over “false accusations” of
bypassing sanctions imposed on the country.
“The
United States is one of the main violators of human rights at home and abroad,
and human rights for the United States are merely a tool to exert political
pressure on independent countries to achieve its foreign policy goals,” he
continued.
“The
US is the biggest enemy of humanity. Now’s the time for the international
community to hold the US accountable for its crimes,” the official added.
Qaribabadi
denounced international organizations for failure to take practical measures
against the United States’ arbitrary measures, saying they lost their clout
because they have become “politicized”.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Supreme Leader Pardons,
Commutes Sentences of Over 2,200 Iranian Prisoners
2022-July-17
Ayatollah
Khamenei issued the approval on Sunday on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and Eid
Al-Ghadir, two highly important Muslim feasts.
Back
in May, the leader agreed with granting clemency to 1,542 convicts of different
Iranian courts. He issued the approval on the occasion of the Eid Al-Fitr which
marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Iran's
Constitution grants the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or commute the
sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the judiciary. The
clemency, however, does not apply to all types of convicts, including those who
have been found guilty of armed fight against the country, armed or organized
drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery and
embezzlement.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iranian,
Turkish FMs Discuss Ties Ahead of Erdogan Visit
2022-July-17
Amirabdollahian
and Cavusoglu discussed on Saturday issues related to political ties between
the two countries, as well as the upcoming official visit to Tehran by Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan,
heading a high-ranking delegation of Turkish political and economic officials,
is set to arrive in the Iranian capital on Monday afternoon.
His
visit takes place upon an official invitation by President Seyed Ebrahim
Rayeesi.
Erdogan
will attend a joint meeting with Rayeesi and their Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin on Tuesday evening, which will take place within the framework of the
Astana peace process aimed at resolving the years-long crisis in Syria.
In
late June, Amirabdollahian visited Ankara upon an invitation by Cavusoglu, and
held talks with his Turkish counterpart and President Erdogan. The Iranian
diplomat reaffirmed Tehran's determination to expand relations with Ankara more
than ever before.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010426000169/Iranian-Trkish-FMs-Discss-Ties-Ahead-f-Erdgan-Visi
--------
Iran
imposes sanctions on 61 Americans as nuclear talks hit impasse
16
July ,2022
Iran
said on Saturday it had imposed sanctions on 61 more Americans, including
former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, for backing an Iranian dissident group,
as months of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal are at an impasse.
Others
blacklisted by Iran’s Foreign Ministry for voicing support for the exiled
dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) included former President Donald
Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House national security adviser
John Bolton, Iranian state media reported.
The
sanctions, issued against dozens of Americans in the past on various grounds,
let Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran, but the apparent
absence of such assets means the steps will likely be symbolic.
Giuliani,
Pompeo and Bolton have been widely reported to have taken part in MEK events
and voiced support for the group.
In
January Iran imposed sanctions on 51 Americans, and it blacklisted 24 more
Americans in April in its latest sanctions moves.
Iran’s
indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact began
in November in Vienna and continued in Qatar in June. But the negotiations have
faced a months-long impasse.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Khamenei adviser says Iran ready for regional dialogue after Biden's Middle
East tour
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
17.07.2022
TEHRAN
A
senior Iranian official and adviser to the country's supreme leader has expressed
Tehran's readiness for dialogue with regional countries to resolve disputes.
Kamal
Kharrazi, who is also a former Iranian foreign minister, in an interview with
Al Jazeera, said Iran is ready to hold dialogue with key regional players,
including Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar.
The
remarks came after US President Joe Biden's maiden visit to the Middle East,
which took him to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
On
the second leg of his tour in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on Friday, Biden
and Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman addressed a regional summit, which
was followed by a hard-hitting statement against Iran.
In
the joint communique, the two sides "underscored the need to further deter
Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of other countries, its support for
terrorism through its armed proxies, and its efforts to destabilize the
security and stability of the region".
Kharrazi,
a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the only
solution to regional crises is the formation of a regional forum with the
participation of important countries.
He
also dismissed the idea of "Middle East NATO" as "trivial"
and said it was "out of agenda," seconding Saudi Arabia’s Foreign
Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
Kharrazi
further said that Iran welcomes the top Saudi diplomat's statement wherein he
expressed his country's readiness to extend a hand of friendship toward Iran.
Faisal
on Saturday said the kingdom's hand of friendship is extended toward Iran,
while adding that the ongoing talks between the two regional adversaries in
Baghdad have been "positive" but without any significant
breakthrough.
“We
are keen on finding a path to normal relations with neighboring Iran, and this
is fundamentally linked to getting understandings that address sources of
concern regarding Iranian activities, not only in Saudi Arabia, but with all
countries in the region,” the top Saudi diplomat told reporters after the
Jeddah summit.
Kharrazi
also reiterated what other Iranian officials have said in recent weeks about
the Israeli “threat” to Iran and the region, vowing Iran's appropriate
response.
"Targeting
our security from neighboring countries will be dealt with a response from us
to these countries and a direct response to Israel. We have held extensive
drills targeting Israel's depth in case our sensitive facilities are
targeted," the official said.
On
the ongoing talks between Tehran and Washington in Doha, mediated by the EU,
Kharrazi said the US has been unwilling to give "guarantees" which
can "freeze any possible agreement."
He
also referred to the UN nuclear agency's recent resolution against Iran, saying
if the agency acts fairly and independently, "it would be easy to resolve
disputes."
The
senior Iranian official ruled out any negotiations over Iran's missile
development program and regional activities, which have been bones of
contention between Iran and the Western powers for many years.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
Presidency
to Nigerians: Ignore online toxic reports on APC Muslim-Muslim ticket
16
July 2022
The
Presidency says no classified report against the All Progressives Congress
(APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election by the
Department of State Service (DSS) has been submitted to President Muhammadu
Buhari.
The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an online newspaper, Peoples Gazette,
on Friday quoted the DSS report frowning at APC presidential candidate’s (Bola
Tinubu) decision to nominate a fellow Muslim as vice-presidential candidate for
the 2023 presidential election.
The
online newspaper also quoted the report as describing Tinubu’s decision as a
recipe for renewed sectarian crises that could destabilise Nigeria.
It
further reported that a classified report was sent to President Buhari by the
DSS, highlighting the security implications of the choice of former Gov. Kashim
Shettima as vice-presidential running mate to Tinubu.
”The
document, which got to the president by way of the National Security Adviser
(NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), said Tinubu should consider security
implications of his selection before making it public,” the newspaper reported.
However,
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s media aide, in a statement on Friday in
Abuja, described the online report as fake and meant to sow division and chaos
on the choice of Shettima.
Shehu,
therefore, advised Nigerians to always ignore what he described as toxic
reports, calling the online newspaper as a ”deadly virus”.
The
statement read in part: ”We wish to advise well-meaning Nigerians to ignore a
laughably puerile report by an apparently pirate online newspaper seeking to sow
division and chaos on the choice of former Governor Kashim Shettima as the
running mate of our Party’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Source:
Guardian Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sudan
troops deploy ahead of pro-democracy protests
17
July ,2022
Sudanese
police and soldiers deployed in large numbers Sunday across the capital
Khartoum, ahead of mass protests planned by pro-democracy groups against coup
leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Security
forces erected road blocks on bridges crossing the Nile river linking Khartoum
to its suburbs, AFP reporters said.
Undeterred,
protesters vowed to take to the streets in large numbers following a period of
relative calm over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha which ended early last
week.
The
demonstrators oppose Burhan’s October power-grab and are also highlighting
heavy fighting in Sudan’s southern Blue Nile state, about 450 kilometers (280
miles) south of Khartoum.
Sudan’s
latest coup derailed a transition to civilian rule, sparking near-weekly
protests and a crackdown by security forces that has left at least 114 killed,
according to pro-democracy medics.
Nine
were killed on June 30, the medics said, when tens of thousands had gathered
and their deaths reinvigorated the movement.
On
July 4, Burhan vowed in a surprise move to make way for a civilian government.
But
the country’s main civilian umbrella group rejected the move as a “ruse”.
Protesters have continued to press the army chief to resign.
They
accuse the military leadership now in power and the ex-rebel leaders who signed
a 2020 peace deal of exacerbating ethnic tensions for personal gain.
In
Blue Nile on Sunday, witnesses reported troops deployed in the town of
Al-Roseires, after at least 33 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in
violence between rival ethnic groups, according to the health ministry.
Guerrillas
in Blue Nile battled former strongman president Omar al-Bashir during Sudan’s
1983-2005 civil war, picking up weapons again in 2011.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Curfew
declared in two Sudan towns after deadly clashes
16
July ,2022
Sudanese
authorities have declared an overnight curfew in two towns in southeastern Blue
Nile state, close to the border with Ethiopia, after several days of tribal
clashes that they said had left 31 people dead and 39 injured.
Clashes
spread in several towns from Wednesday after the killing of a farmer, before
security forces made arrests and brought the situation under control, a
statement from Blue Nile state’s regional government said.
The
statement said 16 shops had been destroyed and a night curfew was declared in
the towns of Damazin and Roseires.
There
have been sporadic outbreaks of violence in several regions of Sudan including
eastern coastal regions and western Darfur, despite a nationwide peace deal
signed by some groups in 2020.
The
most powerful faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, a group
active in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, did not sign the deal.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Libya’s
NOC continues to do its job according to the law, it says
17
July ,2022
Libya’s
National Oil Corp (NOC) is continuing to do its job according to the law, it
said on its Facebook page on Sunday, days after the Government of National
Unity (GNU) sought to replace the head of NOC and its board of directors.
NOC
said it will not comply with any “illegal” sacking measures from an “outgoing”
government.
GNU’s
decision on Tuesday to replace Mustafa Sanalla has aggravated Libya’s political
crisis and threatens to pull NOC into the factional infighting that it has
mostly avoided during
years
of conflict.
Sanalla
says that Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah does not have the authority to
sack him because the GNU’s mandate had expired. Dbeibah rejects that, saying
his term will end only with an election.
In
its Facebook post on Sunday, NOC said its headquarters is “occupied and
surrounded by armed vehicles.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Suicide
car bombing kills 3, wounds 14 in Somalia
Mohammed
Dhaysane
17.07.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least three people were killed and more than 14 others wounded when a suicide
car bomb blast rocked the town of Jowhar on Sunday, officials said.
A
police officer in Jowhar told Anadolu Agency that it was a suicide car bomb
attack that targeted Nur Dob hotel, killing at least three people and wounding
more than 14 others, including the health minister of Hirshabelle state.
The
blast also destroyed many nearby buildings and businesses, he added.
Somali
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre condemned the attack and sent his condolences
to the victims’ families.
Jowhar
is the administrative center of Hirshabelle state and is located 90 kilometers
(55 miles) north of the national capital Mogadishu.
Eyewitnesses
told Anadolu Agency that the explosion had affected nearby buildings and was
one of the largest they had heard lately in the Horn of Africa country that has
suffered major attacks in recent years.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/suicide-car-bombing-kills-3-wounds-14-in-somalia/2638792
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-bjp-tweet-kaaba-muslims/d/127508