UP CM Yogi Adityanath Asks India's Muslims Will They Accept Their Ancestors Were Lord Ram Devotees
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 January 2025
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath@swatantrabjp on X via PTI Photo
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· UP CM Yogi Adityanath Asks India's Muslims Will They Accept Their Ancestors Were Lord Ram Devotees
· The Point Of A Penal Law When Triple Talaq Had Itself Been Declared Void: How Many FIRs Lodged, SC Asks Centre
· Suella Braverman, Former Home Secretary, Says The UK Could Become 'The First Islamist Nation With Nuclear Weapons'
· No Group Can Bring Sharia Through Backdoor, Says Ogun State Government
· Kabul Clerics Call For Inclusive Government, Criticize Kandahar-Centric Taliban Rule
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India
· Hopes demolished, polls 'futile': Delhi residents recount impact of bulldozer action
· 3 booked in Kushinagar for forging papers showing govt land as mosque property
· Implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand undemocratic, unconstitutional: All India Muslim Personal Law Board
· Muslim man beaten to death in Haryana over cattle smuggling suspicion
· Stampede breaks out at Maha Kumbh in UP’s Prayagraj, over 15 feared dead
· Supreme Court seeks Centre’s stand on ex-Muslims’ succession rights
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Europe
· Preacher to appeal after arrest for criticising Islam
· Muslim Charities Still Being Debanked Despite Farage Furore
· Minister spoken to over attending Muslim Council event
· Oxford mosque attempted murder: Jury shown CCTV footage
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Africa
· Paramilitary attacks displace thousands in North Darfur
· Thousands Of Citizens Rally In Niger, Burkina Faso To Celebrate ECOWAS Exit
· APC Knocks El-Rufai Over Attack On Tinubu’s Govt
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South Asia
· Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s supreme leader ‘unfazed’ by the West’s threats
· US Aid Suspension Shuts Down 50 Aid Groups In Afghanistan
· National Food and Drug Board Meeting Focuses on Quality Control in Afghanistan
· Drug addicts treatment great achievement of the Islamic Emirate
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Mideast
· The Discovery Of Brutal Mass Graves In Syria Reveals Assad’s Legacy Of Horror
· Indonesia Plans To Build 100 Mosques In Gaza Strip
· Awqaf Ministry honors new, distinguished Qatar Imams and preachers in Mosques
· Opening of Islamic Sciences School in Hajjah
· Enemy forces demolish mosque inside Jenin camp
· Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports
· More than 376,000 return to north Gaza since Monday: UN
· Israel frees nine Lebanese prisoners, PM seeks release of nine more
· Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza
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Pakistan
· PTI Warns Of Agitation, Says Call For Talks Misconstrued As Weakness
· KP govt renews pledge for full enforcement of Kurram peace accord
· Govt decides to give fuming PTI a little more leeway
· Three terrorists killed in Bannu operation, says ISPR
· KP health department steps up mpox screening at airport
· KP Assembly rejects Centre’s panel on ex-Fata uplift schemes
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Arab World
· Saudi Cabinet Discusses Syria, Lebanon And Kingdom’s Success At WEF
· Saudi Sustainable Fashion Leaders Honored At Riyadh Awards Ceremony
· Riyadh forum highlights healthcare model progress
· Sustainable finance key to driving climate adaptation, panel told
· Saudi pavilion draws crowds at Cairo book fair
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North America
· Montreal Mosque Tour Gives Students Insight Into Islamic Culture Amid Muslim Awareness Week
· SoCal Muslim community on guard amid Trump administration's immigration policy changes
· Mysterious New Jersey drones were 'not the enemy' - White House
· Life sentence for hitman who killed suspect in 1985 Air India bombings
· Trump puts USAID staff on leave
· Kremlin responds to Carlson’s claim US attempted to kill Putin
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Southeast Asia
· Reconstruction Of Gaza: Malaysia To Build School, Hospital And Mosque - PM Anwar
· Miri landslide: Sarawak to bring KL experts for rescue effort if needed, Uggah says
· Sabah MACC nabs former director of state govt agency over alleged RM110,000 in bribes
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-muslims-lord-ram-devotees-up-cm/d/134470
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UP CM Yogi Adityanath Asks India's Muslims Will They Accept Their Ancestors Were Lord Ram Devotees
Namita Bajpai
28 Jan 2025
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath@swatantrabjp on X via PTI Photo
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LUCKNOW: Challenging the country’s largest minority community to accept that Lord Ram was their ancestor, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday, sought to know if Muslims would ever be able to acknowledge that their ancestors were Lord Ram devotees.
Citing the example of Indonesian President PrabowoSubianto, the Republic Day chief guest, who during his visit to India claimed that his DNA was Indian and that Lord Ram was considered an ancestor in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world.
CM Yogi was responding to bevy of questions at a private TV channel’s conclave, here, on Tuesday. Highlighting Indonesia’s strong cultural ties to India, noting that despite being a Muslim-majority country, Indonesia honours its Indian heritage, with traditions like Ramlila, a national airline named Garuda, and Lord Ganapati featured on its currency.
“Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. They take pride in their Indian DNA and ancestry considering Lord Ram as their ancestor, their national airline is named after Garuda, the vahan (carriage) of Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganapati is part of their currency and Ramlila is their national festival,” said the CM.
He added that the Indonesian President's name is inspired by Sanskrit asking: "Would a significant portion of India’s population, often viewed only as a 'vote bank,' accept Lord Ram as their ancestor, despite getting benefitted from the land and its resources?"
The CM shared his views on several issues, including the rights of minorities, electricity theft, the Waqf Act, appeasement politics, and preparations for Mahakumbh-2025.
On the changes to the Waqf Act, CM Yogi said that the proposed amendments were a necessity of the times. “It will be implemented in the next session.” He said that the goal of such changes was to ensure transparency and justice in society. "Just as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was implemented to benefit minorities of neighbouring countries, the amended Waqf Bill will also be enforced," he remarked.
CM Yogi pointed out the discrepancies in Waqf land claims in Uttar Pradesh. “Waqf has no land of its own; it’s all revenue land. Waqf had claimed 1.27 lakh properties in the state, but upon investigation, only 7,000 were found to be valid,” he claimed.
Yogi stressed that public property belonged to the Revenue Department and should serve public or administrative purposes.
Addressing the ongoing dispute surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, he asserted the significance of historical evidence in ancient scriptures. He referred to mentions of Sambhal in Puranas and Ain-e-Akbari, stating that the latter records how Mir Baqi demolished a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s Harihar form to construct the mosque.
“We are not looking for temples everywhere, but where historical evidence exists, it is important to bring the truth to light,” CM Yogi said.
Responding to remarks by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, the Chief Minister pointed out that Indian scriptures offer clear evidence of the significance of Sambhal. “The Puranas, written over 3,500 to 5,000 years ago, mention the place of Lord Vishnu’s 10th incarnation in future. Islam came into existence only 1,400 years ago, and we have no issue with it. However, the historical facts cannot be ignored,” he added.
“The excavations reveal evidence of an ancient city mentioned in the Puranas. These findings align with the traditional beliefs of the people. If such truths are emerging, I believe everyone should have the courage to accept them,” he remarked.
Taking a strong stance on electricity theft in Sambhal, the Chief Minister highlighted its adverse impact on the state's power sector. He said that Sambhal, with a population of just three lakhs, incurred electricity theft worth Rs 200 crore monthly. Temporary substations were even set up atop mosques to facilitate the theft.
Source:newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Jan/28/yogi-asks-indias-largest-minority-if-it-will-accept-lord-ram-as-ancestor
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The Point Of A Penal Law When Triple Talaq Had Itself Been Declared Void: How Many FIRs Lodged, SC Asks Centre
January 29, 2025
KrishnadasRajagopal
The utterance of triple talaq was declared “null and void” by a Constitution Bench in a majority judgment in August 2017. File | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 29, 2025) ordered the Centre to collect the total number of criminal cases registered against Muslim men under a law which penalises declaration of triple or instant talaq.
The utterance of triple talaq was declared “null and void” by a Constitution Bench in a majority judgment in August 2017. The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 came into force with retrospective effect from September 19, 2018. The law held triple talaq to be a non-bailable offence punishable with three years’ imprisonment.
Need for state action was felt in triple talaq law, Centre tells Supreme Court
The court questioned the point of a penal law when the practice of divorce by triple talaq had itself been declared void.
“The relationship as a husband and wife continues… What you have criminalised then is the process?” Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appealing for the Centre.
The Bench, also comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar, directed the Centre to produce on record the number of First Information Reports (FIRs) registered and chargesheets filed against Muslim men under the 2019 Act. The court said it specifically wanted data on the number of FIRs lodged in the rural areas of the country.
Five years after Supreme Court’s triple talaq verdict, petitioners living life as ‘half-divorcees’
Advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for the petitioners who have challenged the constitutionality of the 2019 Act, said the law endeavoured to penalise even a threat of divorce.
Mr. Mehta said ‘criminal intimidation’ was basically a threat. “Yet it is an offence under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code… It is not the threat, but the consequences of the threat that really matters,” he argued.
Mr. Pasha responded that Section 506 IPC did not, however, criminalise an ineffectual threat made by a husband to his wife to divorce her.
The Solicitor General explained the law was brought to counter the abandonment of Muslim women by their husbands.
“This is the minimum required to be done to protect women. It was a deterrent. The effect of triple talaq was instantaneous, irrevocable… You say ‘talaq’ to your wife, and the very next moment, she is not your wife. She is thrown out of your life, out of your house,” Mr. Mehta expressed strongly.
But Mr. Pasha interjected to point out that the practice of triple talaq ceased to have any legal effect ever since the Supreme Court declared it “manifestly arbitrary” in the Shayara Bano case in 2017.
Chief Justice Khanna, after the hearing, orally remarked that not a single advocate present in the courtroom would say triple talaq was a good thing. But the Chief Justice indicated that criminalising a practice after it was declared void would raise doubts.
The court fixed the next hearing in the week commencing on March 17.
The petitioners include Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, which argued that the 2019 Act made triple talaq a non-bailable offence when desertion of a wife by a husband was not considered an offence in India. At best, desertion was a ground for divorce. The organisation said the Act was both “disproportionate and excessive”.
It argued the law has made the declaration of triple talaq an offence graver than other crimes like rioting, kidnapping, death by negligence, concealment of birth by secret disposal of body, bigamy, bribery, food adulteration, etc.
Another petition by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul, one of the biggest religious organisations of the Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics in Kerala, claimed the sole objective of the new law was “to punish Muslim husbands”.
Source:thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/how-many-firs-lodged-against-muslim-men-under-anti-triple-talaq-law-sc-asks-centre/article69153917.ece
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Suella Braverman, Former Home Secretary, Says The UK Could Become 'The First Islamist Nation With Nuclear Weapons'
By Kevin Schofield andKate Nicholson
28/01/2025
Suella Braverman VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Suella Braverman has suggested that the UK could become “the first Islamist nation with nuclear weapons”.
The former home secretary said Britain could “fall into the hands of Muslim fundamentalism” and become like Iran.
She made the incendiary comments in a speech to the right-wing Heritage Foundation think-tank in Washington.
Braverman said: “Vice-president JD Vance said at the National Conservatism conference, at which I also spoke in the summer, that the UK was going to be the first Islamist nation with nuclear weapons. I don’t think he was joking.
“Is it an impossibility that 20 years from now it will be the UK, not China or Russia, that will emerge as the greatest strategic threat to the USA?
“Born out of a broken relationship and weak leadership. What happens if the UK falls into the hands of Muslim fundamentalism, our legal system gets substituted for Sharia Law and our nuclear capabilities vest in a regime not too dissimilar to that of Iran today?
“Regardless of whether one thinks that is a realistic outcome, which I do not, should we not have the courage to ask these questions?”
Elsewhere in her speech, Braverman also claimed Keir Starmer “could not be more at odds” with Donald Trump – even though the US president praised his UK counterpart at the weekend.
Trump told reporters on Saturday that he thought Starmer “is a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far”, adding: “I like him a lot.”
The pair also enjoyed a friendly 45 minute phone conversation on Sunday - although they did avoid talking about the many areas where they do not agree.
However, Braverman claimed the UK-US relationship now “lies in tatters”.
She said: “Under Keir Starmer, the UK is now more likely than ever to worship at the altar of punitive net zero policies, bend the knee at the cross of a distorted notion of human rights and submit to the will of supranational institutions rather than sticking up for the UK’s national security and long-term allies.”
Source:huffingtonpost.co.uk
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https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/suella-braverman-says-the-uk-could-become-the-first-islamist-nation-with-nuclear-weapons_uk_67990ac6e4b0f8946ae28c4a
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No Group Can Bring Sharia Through Backdoor, Says Ogun State Government
January 29, 2025
Ogun State Government has warned against any attempt to establish a Sharia Court in the state.
The government, in a statement signed by Governor DapoAbiodun, said Sharia Courts could not be legally constituted by individuals or groups without legal backing.
The government was reacting to a notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in the state.
The statement said Ogun State only recognised courts established through the legal framework of the Nigerian Constitution, adding that a Sharia Court did not form part of the legal framework operating in the state.
It reads: “Ogun State Government has noted the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in Ogun State.
“No Sharia Court is authorised to operate within Ogun State. The courts that are legally empowered to adjudicate disputes arising within Ogun State are those established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by state laws, which are: Magistrates’ Courts, High Court, Customary Courts, Customary Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.
“No law operating in Ogun State has established a Sharia Court, and Sharia law does not form part of the legal framework by which Ogun State Government administers and governs society.
“Ogun State Government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practise the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognises the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.
“However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorised assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing. Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/no-group-can-bring-sharia-through-backdoor-says-abiodun/#google_vignette
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Kabul clerics call for inclusive Government, criticize Kandahar-Centric Taliban Rule
ByFidel Rahmati
January 28, 2025
The Council for the Protection of Jihadi Values held a meeting in Kabul where they strongly criticized the Taliban for monopolizing power, particularly by the Kandahari faction, and called for an inclusive government.
A council member stated that in addition to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, 12 Taliban cabinet ministers are from Kandahar province, highlighting a concentration of power.
Mahmoud Hassan, the former head of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Panjshir, warned the Taliban during the conference that the current situation they have created is uncontrollable and urged for immediate reforms.
The council emphasized that the monopolization of power by the Kandahari Taliban faction is unjust and discriminatory. They demanded that other provinces and ethnic groups be represented in governance.
Mahmoud Hassan urged the Taliban to end the concentration of power in Kandahar and include representatives from all provinces and ethnic groups to ensure fairness and justice.
He labeled the concentration of power as a form of prejudice, stating that such discrimination has no place in religion and called for returning power to the people by forming an inclusive government.
The council member also highlighted the significant contributions of past influential jihadi leaders, such as Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Mawlawi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi, Mawlawi Yunus Khalis, Mawlawi Jalaluddin Haqqani, Ahmad Shah Massoud, Burhanuddin Rabbani, Abdul Ali Mazari, Mohammad Mohaqiq, and Ismail Khan, stating that they were “mujahideen who worked hard and were deeply rooted in their people and nation. He urged the Taliban to recognize their legacy and involve such leaders in governance.
The council called on the Taliban to bring reforms and end the mistreatment of people, such as the rude behavior of officials towards citizens. They warned that failing to implement reforms and share power equitably could have dire consequences for the Taliban.
Since regaining power in Afghanistan, the Taliban have faced severe criticism for their lack of an inclusive government, systematic violation of human rights, and oppressive policies. Banning women and girls from education has not only drawn widespread condemnation but also deepened the divide between the Taliban and Afghanistan’s society.
The exclusionary policies and suppression of fundamental rights continue to alienate large segments of the population, jeopardizing the country’s stability. An inclusive government, respect for human rights, and equitable participation of all ethnic groups and genders are essential for Afghanistan’s progress and long-term peace.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/kabul-clerics-call-for-inclusive-government-criticize-kandahar-centric-taliban-rule/
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India
Hopes demolished, polls 'futile': Delhi residents recount impact of bulldozer action
Amiya Kumar Kushwaha
29.01.25
The upcoming Delhi election and the promises being rattled off by the political parties hold no value for the victims of the multiple demolition drives whose lives have turned into a daily struggle for survival amid rising inflation.
“A poor man has to earn and feed himself but the government’s job seems to be to stoke inflation,” said Ashu Khan, whose bike repairing shop was razed in the demolition drive in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri in 2022.
Khan said he had no expectations from the political parties but if they were serious about doing something, they should shield the poor from demolition drives and inflation.
He said the bulldozer action had changed his life forever. “I rented out my shop because I can’t afford to rebuild it. I have to take care of my wife and two children along with my widowed mother and sister-in-law and her three kids,” Khan said.
“Once I used to provide jobs to people in my bike repair shop but now I am the one who has to take instructions from others,” he added.
Agencies of the Delhi and central governments had conducted several demolition drives in Jahangirpuri, Jangpura, Tughlaqabad and Kasturba Nagar to clear alleged encroachments.
The Supreme Court had stayed the demolition drive in Jahangirpuri but Tughlaqabad failed to get any such breather. In Kasturba Nagar, scores of houses were demolished before the Supreme Court ordered a seven-day stay on the drive to help residents vacate their homes. Delhi High Court had halted the drive in Jangpura in September last year.
Mohd Zahid, 35, who had a welding shop in Jahangirpuri, teared up as he recalled how the authorities took awayhis belongings.
“Now I have to work as a daily wage,” Zahid said.
“During elections, political parties come seeking votes but forget us once the polls are over,” Zahid said, adding that the parties should focus on addressing their grievances instead of using them as vote bank.
Surjit Kaur, a resident of Kasturba Nagar, said: “Seeing the ruins of my house, I can imagine how my ancestors felt when they were forced to leave their homes during Partition.”
For Vikram Singh and his wife Priya Chouhan, residents of Kasturba Nagar, watching their house being bulldozed was a traumatic experience.
“My house was demolished and now I am forced to live in a rented house, strugglingto adjust in a small space,” Priya said.
“We went to meet our local leaders. We also metofficials. But no one listens to our grievances. No one did anything to address our issues. We have lost all hope,”she said.
In May 2023, the Archaeological Survey of India carried out a demolition drive in south Delhi’s Tughlaqabad to remove unauthorised construction and thousands of people were rendered homeless. Several chose to relocate to rented accommodations nearby.
“They decided to stayin rented houses because shifting may disrupt theirchildren’s education andfinding a new job isn’t easy either,” said Madhavi Kotwal Samson, founder, director and managing trustee of NGO Action Beyond Help AndSupport.
The fear of displacement was palpable among the residents of Madrasi Camp near Old Barapullah Bridge in south Delhi’s Jangpura.
“We thank Delhi High Court for staying the eviction notice. We have been living here for a long time. We don’t want to leave this place. Starting a new life from scratch in a new place is very difficult,” Shivu Mondal, a resident of the cluster, said.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/hopes-demolished-delhi-polls-futile-residents-recount-impact-of-bulldozer-action/cid/2080189
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3 booked in Kushinagar for forging papers showing govt land as mosque property
January 29, 2025
A case has been registered against three members of the Madni Masjid Committee in Hata town of Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district on charges of forgery of documents showing government land as mosque property, police said.
An inquiry conducted by the district administration found that a portion of the mosque is built on the land in question, it is learnt.
The FIR further alleged that the accused were involved in anti-national activities and religious conversions by misleading, enticing, and luring people of other faiths. The construction of the mosque was being undertaken to serve these purposes, it was alleged.
The FIR was filed against Sakir Ali, Jafar, Zakir, and an unidentified mosque committee member on the complaint of a local resident.
Construction at the mosque was halted last month following a court directive and the Hata Nagar Palika had also sent a letter to the committee seeking an explanation for the construction on government land and provide approved map of the building, said a district administration official.
The committee is yet to respond to the letter.
According to the police, the complainant, Ram Bachan Singh, alleged that government land was encroached upon to build what is to become Asia’s largest mosque.
The district administration had formed a committee to measure the mosque’s land after examining the revenue records.
Circle Officer Kundan Singh said the inquiry revealed that nearly 250 square metres of the land on which the mosque is being built belongs to the government.
The mosque compound, built over two decades ago in Gandhi Nagar ward of the town, also houses a madrasa.
Hata Station House Officer (SHO) Sushil Kumar Shukla said the forged documents were submitted in a court where the matter is pending.
The case was registered under Sections 319 (2) (cheating by impersonation), 318 (4) (cheating involving valuable security), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 336 (3) (forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall be used for the purpose of cheating), 340 (2) (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document or electronic record which he knows or has reason to believe to be a forged document or electronic record) and 329 (3) (criminal trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
When contacted, the mosque members declined to comment.
Tipu Khan, who lives near the mosque, said the committee members were avoiding speaking to anyone since the FIR was lodged.
Gandhi Nagar corporator Manish Rungta said that Ram Bachan Singh, a member of a right-wing Hindu organisation, raised the issue when the mosque committee began constructing the fifth floor.
Singh could not be contacted.
Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Yogeshwar Singh and Hath Nagar Palika Executive Officer Menu also did not speak on the issue.
Source:indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/3-booked-in-kushinagar-for-forging-papers-showing-govt-land-as-mosque-property-9804579/
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Implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand undemocratic, unconstitutional: All India Muslim Personal Law Board
Jan 28, 2025
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has strongly condemned the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand, describing it as “deeply unfortunate and harmful to the country.”
Muslim Personal Law Board and other Muslim organisations would launch a nationwide movement against the implementation of UCC in Uttarakhand and the “violation of democratic and ethical values” by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf, AIMPLB said in a press release.
In a statement issued by Vaquar Uddin Latifi, Office Secretary of the AIMPLB, the organisation voiced its distress over these developments.Assam food
“The UCC law in Uttarakhand is undemocratic, unconstitutional and an assault on the fundamental rights of citizens. Therefore, it is absolutely unacceptable to us. The Constitution of the country guarantees all citizens, including Muslims, the freedom to practice their religious beliefs and follow religious teachings. Muslim personal law is an integral part of Islam, which is protected under the Shariat Application Act, 1937,” the statement added.
AIMPLB in its release said that no state has a right to implement a Uniform Civil Code. The AIMPLB had decided in its Bengaluru meeting that this law will be challenged in court. Last July, in a joint press conference, leaders of Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Dalits, and Adivasi communities made it clear that they would never accept the UCC under any circumstances, the statement said.
“We appeal to the Muslims and other citizens of Uttarakhand not to get panicked and not to compromise on their religious and laws. We will oppose this at every level within the democratic framework,” the press release said.
The AIMPLB press release also said that the Muslim Personal Law Board and all Muslim organisations have repeatedly clarified that they will never allow manipulation and usurp of Waqf properties.
“Muslim leaders have said that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Waqf has violated all democratic and ethical values and supressed constitutional rights. The recommendation to approve the bill, ignoring the views and sentiments of millions of people, as well as rejecting the proposals from opposition members, is unreasonable, undemocratic, and an infringement on the rights of Muslims,” the statement read.
The Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 has been completely rejected by Muslims. The JPC has shown “blatant disregard for parliamentary rules and boundaries, conducting its proceedings while disregarding all democratic values and traditions,” the statement said.
The Muslim Personal Law Board and all Muslim organisations presented their position to the JPC both in writing and verbally, and Muslims also sent emails opposing the bill in millions. On the initiative of the Board, 36.6 million emails were sent, and other Muslim organisations also submitted their opinions to JPC opposing the Bill, it said.
In the Bengaluru meeting, all Muslim organizations jointly made it clear that they will not allow anyone to plan to seize or destroy their places of worship and other Waqf properties. The government should not test the patience of Muslims and should refrain from leading the country toward autocracy. The attempt to seize minority properties is sheer oppression, which no justice-loving people can accept, the AIMPLB said.Assam food
“We regret that the NDA’s allied parties have failed to uphold their responsibilities and supported the BJP’s communal agenda. We appeal to the secular opposition parties to unite and strongly oppose this bill if it is presented in the Parliament. We demand that the government to withdraw this controversial amendment bill and retain the previous law. Otherwise, Muslims will have no option but to come on the street. To save Waqf properties, we will use all democratic and constitutional means, including a nationwide agitation movement. If needed we may come on the streets or go to jail for this cause, we will not hesitate to do so,” AIMPLB said in the release.
Source:thenewsmill.com
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https://thenewsmill.com/2025/01/implementation-of-ucc-in-uttarakhand-undemocratic-unconstitutional-all-india-muslim-personal-law-board/
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Muslim man beaten to death in Haryana over cattle smuggling suspicion
January 28, 2025
On January 25, 2025, a 28-year-old Muslim man named Yusuf was beaten to death by a mob in Palwal, Haryana, on suspicion of cow smuggling. His companion, also severely injured, remains in critical condition.
The two were reportedly transporting a cow and its calf when they were intercepted by a group of self-styled cow vigilantes, who accused them of smuggling the animals for slaughter. The mob violently attacked them, and Yusuf succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
The incident has sparked outrage, raising concerns about rising mob violence, particularly in connection with cow protection laws in Haryana.
The state’s stringent Cow Protection and Cow Promotion Bill mandates harsh penalties for cow slaughter, fueling tensions between communities. Local leaders and activists have condemned the violence, calling for justice.
Kaleem Khan, a regional social worker, described the attack as “inhumane” and stressed the importance of following legal procedures rather than resorting to vigilante justice.
Haryana police have filed a murder case against 10 individuals, though no arrests have been made yet. Amit Sharma, a senior police official, emphasized the need for law enforcement to handle such cases, stating that mob lynching is unacceptable. He assured that those responsible would be held accountable.
The attack has highlighted the dangers of vigilante justice and its negative impact on community relations in the region. Locals in Palwal, like shopkeeper Arvind Gupta, expressed fear over growing divisions and tension.
Human rights organizations have voiced concern over the misuse of cow protection laws to justify violence, urging the authorities to ensure that justice is carried out through legal channels.
The Haryana government has not yet issued an official statement, but the case is expected to prompt discussions on balancing the enforcement of strict laws with preventing violence.
The family of Yusuf, demanding justice, expressed their grief, with a relative, Abdul Qadir, stating that Yusuf did not deserve to die in such a manner.
The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by vigilantism and the need for efforts to foster peace and unity in a region marked by religious tensions. — With Agencies Inputs
Source:muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/muslim-man-beaten-to-death-in-haryana-over-cattle-smuggling-suspicion/
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Stampede breaks out at Maha Kumbh in UP’s Prayagraj, over 15 feared dead
January 29, 2025
A “stampede-like situation” occurred early Wednesday at the Maha Kumbh pilgrimage in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, as thousands of devotees rushed to take a holy bath on Mauni Amavasya.
Officer on Special Duty for the Mela, Akanksha Rana, confirmed injuries after a barrier broke at the Sangam, though the exact number remains unknown. Distressed families gathered outside a makeshift hospital searching for missing relatives, while rescuers assisted the injured and police struggled to control the crowd. Several casualties were feared.
News agency AFP quoted a doctor saying that 15 people had died in the stampede so far.
Mint couldn’t verify this number, however. Local reports suggested that at least 14 bodies have been brought to the Swaroop Rani Medical College. Around 70 people are feared injured, they said.
The stampede-like situation happened after some barriers in the area broke, leading to injuries, officials told news agency ANI.
“On the Sangam routes, a stampede-like situation arose after some barriers broke. Some people have been injured. They are under treatment. It is not a serious situation,” Special Executive Officer Akanksha Rana told news agency ANI earlier.
Many pilgrims decided to leave early. “My family got scared, so we’re leaving,” said attendee Sanjay Nishad. Malti Pandey, a 42-year-old devotee, described the chaos, recalling how the crowd surged, crushing people.
Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expressed sorrow over the tragedy, calling it a result of mismanagement. He urged the Uttar Pradesh government to act swiftly, suggesting air ambulances for the seriously injured and quick arrangements to identify and return the deceased to their families.
With numerous injuries reported and panic spreading, authorities are working to restore order and provide medical aid. The incident has raised concerns over crowd management at the massive religious gathering. — With Agencies Inputs
Source:muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/stampede-breaks-out-at-maha-kumbh-in-prayagraj-over-15-feared-dead/
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Supreme Court seeks Centre’s stand on ex-Muslims’ succession rights
Jan 28, 2025
Can a person born as Muslim be governed by the Indian Succession Act, a secular law, instead of Shariat, if he/she quits Islam?
A day after the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) came into effect in Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to spell out its stand on the contentious issue raised in a petition filed by Safiya PM, a resident of Alappuzha in Kerala.
“The petitioner lady is a born Muslim. She says she does not believe in the Shariat law and considers it regressive,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice KV Viswanathan, noting that the petition raised an interesting question.
“This will run across faiths. You will have to file a counter affidavit, the bench told Mehta, who sought three weeks to take instructions and file the Centre’s response.
Granting four weeks to the Centre to spell out its stand, the bench posted the matter for hearing in the week commencing May 5.
Petitioner Safiya PM – general secretary of ‘Ex-Muslims of Kerala’ — contended that being a non-believer Muslim woman, she wanted to be governed by the secular Indian succession law to deal with her ancestral property rights, instead of Shariat.
The Supreme Court had on April 29, 2024, asked the Centre and the Kerala Government to respond to her petition. It had also asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to appoint a law officer to assist it.
“We cannot give a declaration on personal laws like this to parties. You can challenge the Sharia law provision and we will deal with it then. How can we direct that a non-believer be governed by the Indian Succession Act? This cannot be done under Article 32,” a bench led by the then CJI DY Chandrachud had told the petitioner’s counsel even as it issued notices to the Centre and the Kerala Government on her Safiya’s petition.
Maintaining that she has not officially left Islam, Safiya said she was a non-believer and wanted the enforcement of her fundamental right to religion under Article 25. She asserted that the fundamental right to religion under Article 25 must include “the right not to believe” also.
She has sought a declaration that “the persons who do not want to be governed by the Muslim Personal Law must be allowed to be governed by the secular law of the country i.e. the Indian Succession Act, 1925, both in the case of intestate and testamentary succession”.
Safiya submitted that Muslim women were entitled to one-third share in property under the Shariat law. Her counsel said a declaration that the petitioner was not governed by the Muslim Personal Law has to come from the court; otherwise her father will not be able to give more than one-third of the property.
“My brother is suffering from Down syndrome and will be able to get two-third of the property,” the lawyer said.
For a Hindu, the fact whether one is a believer or a non-believer, is immaterial, and they are governed by the succession law, the court had noted.
“There is no provision for me to get such a declaration as needed under Section 3 of the Shariat Act [Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937],” her counsel had pointed out.
The bench had allowed Safiya to amend her petition suitably to challenge the Indian succession law and other provisions that excluded Muslims.
“The fundamental right of religion under Article 25 of the Constitution must include the right to believe or not to believe, as per the judgment in Indian Young Lawyers Assn v State of Kerala (Sabarimala case)...To have meaning for that right, the person who leaves her faith should not incur any disability or a disqualification in matters of inheritance or other important civil rights,” the petitioner submitted.
“As per the Sharia law, the person who leaves her faith in Islam will be ousted from her community and thereafter not entitled to any inheritance right in her parental property. Further, the petitioner is apprehensive about the application of the law in the case of her lineal descendant, her only daughter, if the petitioner officially leaves the religion,” she contended.
Source:tribuneindia.com
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https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/supreme-court-seeks-centres-stand-on-ex-muslims-succession-rights/
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Europe
Preacher to appeal after arrest for criticising Islam
28 January 2025
In a concerning setback to the right to free speech, the High Court has rejected the appeal of a Christian preacher who was arrested outside Southwark Cathedral for displaying placards which protested Islam in the wake of the London Bridge, Westminster, and Manchester Arena terrorist attacks.
Ian Sleeper, 58, was arrested outside Southwark Cathedral on 23 June 2017 under controversial section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 for causing “harassment, alarm and distress”, for displaying a sign which read: “Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus is love and hope.”
The arrest was captured on police body cam footage. Sleeper was held in a police cell for 13 hours.
Weeks earlier, on 7 June 2017, on London Bridge and at Borough Market, which is adjacent to Southwark Cathedral where Sleeper was protesting, Islamic terrorist attacks had taken place, killing eight people and injuring 48.
Mr Sleeper was later released without charge. He then sued the police for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment. He failed in his original action against the police but was given permission to appeal.
However, in a concerning judgment for free speech, the High Court has now confirmed that the arrest was lawful: in his ruling Justice Sweeting rejected the idea, often expressed by Christians, that you can ‘hate the sin but love the sinner.’
Mr Sleeper, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, will now appeal Mr Justice Sweeting’s ruling.
Section 5 Public Order Act
Section 5 of the Public Order Act is a controversial law which has long been criticised by free speech campaigners because it has been used to stifle speech and debate on the grounds that a listener may be offended or feel insulted.
Ten years ago, the Reform Section 5 campaign, which was led by Rowan Atkinson and backed by a broad cross-section of people and groups including Christian organisations and the National Secular Society, led to a change in the law in 2015 which was meant to protect people engaging in speech that could offend people’s feelings.
Unfortunately, Sleeper’s judgment shows how ineffective the change has been and how free speech is seriously undermined in the United Kingdom.
Pro-Hamas protests in London
The appeal came after months of antisemitic and pro-Hamas protests in London following the October 7 2023 attacks.
Monuments have been desecrated, people wearing poppies have been intimidated, and multiple calls for Jihad and violence have been made, without interference from the police.
Protestors have held signs calling for the genocide of Jews in Israel, but the police have repeatedly taken no action.
On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2023 and 2024, there were reportedly hundreds of thousands of protestors marching against Israel and in support of Hamas on the streets of London.
Sleeper’s case has shown that some religions and philosophical beliefs are favoured over others, or treated more leniently than others, by the Metropolitan Police. His treatment provides a clear example of ‘two tier’ policing.
The Judgment
In the judgment, the Judge suggested there was a potential risk to public order as a result of the sentiments expressed by the signs (despite there being no evidence of this, rather a mere assertion by the police): “The circumstances were very different from those that confronted the police in this case where they were concerned with a risk to public order in the febrile atmosphere that followed major terrorist incidents and where they had to make a decision on the spot.”
Source:christianconcern.com
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https://christianconcern.com/news/preacher-to-appeal-after-arrest-for-criticising-islam/
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Muslim charities still being debanked despite Farage furore
29 January 2025
Muslim charities say they are still having their bank accounts closed without warning or explanation and face difficulties opening an account despite the political backlash after Nigel Farage's high-profile debanking.
It means charities face obstacles in carrying out their work, with some even being blocked from providing humanitarian aid and life-saving operations, according to a report from the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF).
It found 68% of Muslim charities reported difficulties opening bank accounts, 42% experienced a complete withdrawal of banking services and 42% also had significant challenges with transferring funds.
This delayed payments which damaged humanitarian work, the report said.
Real-life harms were outlined by charities anonymously interviewed for the research.
One charity running a hospital in a conflict zone was not able to pay doctors and nurses for two months. Another supporting Syrian refugee children with cancer in Turkey had a payment delayed for a year, "severely" impacting the timely delivery of care to the children. A third received an eviction notice from a shelter because a payment had not arrived.
But even when debanking did not directly halt a project, it damaged 44% of respondent charities' relationships with partners, they said. Delays in sending funds or having their account closed led to a breakdown in trust, the MCF added.
While anonymous, the report included testimony from charities.
Real-world harms
One told the report author of danger to staff when payments didn't go through.
"Our charity was operating within an area in the Middle East, payments were getting held up by banks," it said. "Because of these delays, local vendors would come to our field offices demanding payment at gunpoint, putting the lives of our workers at risk."
While Muslim charities make up a small number of the UK charities sector, Muslims donate more than any other faith group, according to surveys.
Having no bank account means charities are in breach of the law, the MCF said.
There is no legal recourse, however, for charities who have been debanked. In the UK there is no legal right to a bank account.
Charities have to defend themselves even if there's no wrongdoing, often without knowing why an account is closed or a transaction hasn't gone through, according to the report.
Why are Muslim charities being hit?
Five issues converged to make debanking a particular problem for Muslim charities, according to the MCF: alleged Islamophobia, "highly common" names of charity workers being on a terrorist list, risk-averse banking, operating in high-risk areas like Syria, and the challenges faced by charities more broadly - difficulty complying with or understanding banks' due diligence requests.
"Evidence suggests that structural Islamophobia plays a role, with Muslim-led charities often unfairly targeted by banks for perceived risks without concrete evidence of wrongdoing," the report, lead-authored and researched by Abdulsami Arjumand, said.
Among the recommendations laid out is for bank staff to undergo anti-racism training, to "improve decision-making" and "avoid stereotyping or perpetuating racial and Islamophobic biases".
Banks are risk-averse in their operations and have been terminating and restricting relationships with clients perceived as posing a higher risk of money laundering or terrorist financing.
This has disproportionately affected charities, Mr Arjumand's report said, particularly those working in or with Muslim communities.
Responding to the study, banking lobby group UK Finance said any decision to restrict access to or close an account, is only taken after careful consideration and based solely on the need to comply with regulatory obligations.
"We want the process of opening and managing a bank account to be as clear and straightforward as possible and welcome engagement from charity organisations," said the body's managing director of commercial finance David Raw.
"Having read this report, we have contacted the Muslim Charities Forum to discuss the issues they are facing, as this is an important part of enhancing services," Mr Raw said.
"We have ongoing and regular engagement with the wider charity sector, humanitarian organisations, and regulators on access to banking matters. With their support, we recently launched a new guide for voluntary organisations to help with opening and managing bank accounts," he added.
How can this still be happening after the Farage furore?
Unlike countries such as Belgium, France and Italy, there is no legal right to a bank account in the UK. Banks do not have to provide services to everyone who wants them.
The Muslim charities' research echoes a point made by finance regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in their investigation of debanking.
"An important question for policymakers is whether all individuals, businesses and organisations should have the right to an account, as is the case in some other countries," it said in its September 2023 report on bank account access and closures.
The comments and report came after the highly publicised debanking of Reform leader Nigel Farage. His account with exclusive bank Coutts was closed after the lender deemed him a reputational risk and said he had alleged links to Russia.
"The time is also right for a debate on how we balance access to bank accounts with the threat of financial crime, as well as firms' reasonable risk and commercial appetites," the FCA said in their 2023 publication.
It pointed out that anti-discrimination measures in the payment accounts regulations don't apply to charities and political parties.
After the debanking of Mr Farage the political reaction from the previous Conservative government was strong. It committed to bringing in "tougher rules to stamp out debanking". No legislative changes were made.
The Treasury, however, told Sky News it was committed to new laws to prevent debanking.
"Banking services fulfil a vital role in the lives of millions of people and businesses across the UK, and the government is committed to bringing forward legislation to enhance customer protections in cases where their bank account is terminated by their provider," a Treasury spokesperson said.
"Further details will be set out in due course."
With the changes it's understood customers will have to receive detailed and specific explanations when their account is closed and generally have more notice of closures.
But government stopped short of acceding to the MCF's recommendation of establishing a legal right to a basic bank account for charities.
Methodology
Nineteen charities responded to the MCF's call for survey participants, a response rate described as "low", which demonstrates charities' concerns about coming forward to talk about debanking.
Despite promises of strict anonymity, most charities feared the reputational damage of being associated with debanking, which the report said, can result in further banking difficulties.
As well as being carried out by the MCF, the research was supported by the University of Aberdeen.
Responding to the MCF report, the FCA said, "We know that some groups can face challenges accessing bank accounts. We recently set out clear expectations on account access and have been actively engaging with the sector to ensure that these are being met."
"Smaller charities will benefit from the protections of the consumer duty. We continue to monitor data on account access."
Source:.sky.com
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https://news.sky.com/story/muslim-charities-still-being-debanked-despite-farage-furore-13293103
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Minister spoken to over attending Muslim Council event
29 January 2025
A minister has been spoken to for attending a Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) event, despite a government ban on engagement with the group.
Labour's leadership "reminded" Sir Stephen Timms of his "duty to uphold collective responsibility" after he attended an MCB annual leadership dinner last week.
Sir Stephen was one of four Labour MPs to attend alongside backbenchers Afzal Khan, Naz Shah and Abtisam Mohamed.
In 2009, the Labour government severed ties with the MCB after a senior figure reportedly backed Hamas. Links resumed in 2010 when the MCB condemned violence, but recent Conservative and Labour governments have refused any official engagement.
Sir Stephen has been approached for comment.
Sir Stephen's appearance at the event prompted questions from Conservative MP Nick Timothy about the government's stance on the group.
Timothy said the government's policy on the MCB was "a complete mess".
On Tuesday, the prime minister's official spokesman said the government's policy on the group "has not changed".
He said: "The minister has been reminded of his duty to uphold collective responsibility."
Under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, Sir Stephen acted as Labour's faith envoy, responsible for the party's engagement with a range of faith groups, and he continues to work closely with such organisations.
In 2010, he was stabbed twice during a constituency surgery by a 21-year-old Islamist radical.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23n73pnkr5o
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Oxford mosque attempted murder: Jury shown CCTV footage
28th January
By Toby Oliver
A jury has been shown CCTV footage around an Oxford mosque before and after an alleged stabbing.
Kane Khan was said to have been stabbed outside Oxford Central Mosque, off Manzil Way, on March 13 last year.
It is alleged that Hassan Hussain, 25, was wielding the knife. Mr Khan was hospitalised after running back inside the mosque gates to seek help.
Hussain, of Nye Bevan Close, Oxford, is on trial at Oxford Crown charged with one count each of attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and possession an imitation firearm.
Two other men are also on trial - Shahroz Khan, 24, of Mortimer Road, and Bilal Khan, 25, of Abingdon Road – charged with one count each of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
On Monday, January 27, the jury was shown CCTV footage of movements in and outside the on the day of the incident.
Shahroz Khan could be seen walking around inside the prayer room and in the car park.
According to prosecutor Paul Cavin KC, he was making regular, short phone calls to Bilal Khan.
Later in the footage, Mr Khan could be seen walking outside the mosque gates, holding his stomach.
The evidence stopped as there were some discrepancies in the time stamps of some of the CCTV footage.
Judge Ian Pringle told the jury: “There are concerns about the timeline. It's an important element. We have been asked sort it out so hopefully we will be able to proceed tomorrow.”
The judge added that the prosecution case is set to conclude by the end of tomorrow (Tuesday).
Source:thisisoxfordshire.co.uk
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Africa
Paramilitary attacks displace thousands in North Darfur
January 28, 2025
PORT SUDAN: Thousands of families fled their homes in Sudan’s North Darfur state over two days, the UN’s migration agency said on Tuesday, amid intensified attacks by paramilitary forces.
“Between 25 and 27 January 2025, an estimated 3,960 households were displaced from various villages across El-Fasher locality,” the International Organization for Migration said.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces — at war with the army since April 2023 — have captured every state capital in the vast western region of Darfur except for North Darfur capital El-Fasher, which they have besieged since May.
In its latest attempt to capture the city, the RSF last week issued an ultimatum demanding that army forces and their allies leave the city.
The IOM said the displacement occurred due to RSF attacks, which included reported incidents of “looting and burning of personal property.”
Army and allied forces have repeatedly repelled attacks by the paramilitary forces, who local activists said launched intense artillery shelling on residential neighborhoods in the city.
On Friday, a drone attack on the city’s only functioning hospital, which local monitors blamed on the RSF, killed 70 people, drawing condemnation from the UN.
Nearly 1.7 million people are displaced in North Darfur state alone, according to the UN, with an estimated two million experiencing extreme food insecurity and 320,000 in famine.
In the area around El-Fasher, famine has already taken hold in three displacement camps — Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al-Salam — and is expected to expand to five more areas including the city itself by May, according to a UN-backed assessment.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2588178/middle-east
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Thousands Of Citizens Rally In Niger, Burkina Faso To Celebrate ECOWAS Exit
29 January 2025
By EnioluwaAdeniyi
Thousands of citizens took to the streets of Niger and Burkina Faso on Tuesday, rallying in support of their countries’ official withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which takes effect on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
The withdrawal, which includes Mali, has left ECOWAS facing an uncertain future as the region experiences a deepening political divide.
In Niamey, Niger’s capital, thousands of demonstrators, led by members of the military junta, gathered at a central square before marching toward the National Assembly.
Protesters chanted anti-ECOWAS slogans, while others directed their anger at French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders of neighbouring countries, such as Benin, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast, with whom Niger’s relations have deteriorated.
“On January 28, 2024, we announced our exit from ECOWAS with immediate effect. Many thought it was a joke, that we were going to go back on our decision.
“This is ending today; there is nothing left between ECOWAS and us,” said IbroAmadouBacharou, Private Chief of Staff to General AbdourahamaneTiani, Niger’s junta leader.
In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, a massive crowd, including Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo and several government officials, gathered at the Nation Square to celebrate the move.
Protesters waved flags of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Russia, while banners read:
“Long live AES, down with ECOWAS!” “Goodbye hand-tied ECOWAS, long live free AES!”
Ouedraogo addressed the crowd, likening the break from ECOWAS to a battle against imperialism:
“To cut the cord of imperialism… this will not be done by the tender hands of a midwife, but by an axe,” he declared.
With their departure from ECOWAS, the three Sahelian nations—Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—have formed a new bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The AES nations have expressed their preference for partnerships with Russia, Turkey, and Iran, moving away from traditional Western allies like France.
In a further push toward independence, the three countries have announced the launch of a common passport and the creation of a 5,000-strong unified army to combat jihadist insurgencies in the region.
The three countries had initially announced their “immediate withdrawal” from ECOWAS in January 2024, citing grievances over what they described as the bloc’s allegiance to France and its failure to effectively support their fight against insurgency.
However, under ECOWAS regulations, a one-year notice period was required for the withdrawal to take effect, which officially expires today.
While ECOWAS had attempted diplomatic negotiations to convince the juntas to reconsider their decision, those efforts failed.
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/01/29/thousands-of-citizens-rally-in-niger-burkina-faso-to-celebrate-ecowas-exit/
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APC Knocks El-Rufai Over Attack On Tinubu’s Govt
29 January 2025
By Rachel OkporuFadoju
The ruling All Progressives Congress has berated former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the APC of poor leadership and encouraging opposition parties to set aside their differences and form a united front ahead of the 2027 election.
Naija News reported that El-Rufai, on Monday, while speaking at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed to live up to its promises to the citizens.
The former Kaduna governor said the gap between and the party was widening. He noted that the ruling party deviated from its founding mission and would not be able to deliver on its promises to the people.
He further said that the hardship in the country was a product of illiterates and semi-illiterates occupying positions of authority.
In response, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, in an interview with Punch, said El-Rufai is entitled to his opinion, stressing his remark is not the current state of the ruling party.
Ibrahim said El-Rufai would have channelled his concerns and observations to the party leadership instead of always seeking to denigrate it in public.
He said, “The beauty of democracy is that it gives people the right to express their own opinion. El-Rufai, as an individual, party member, former governor, ex-minister, and a well-respected politician, is entitled to his opinion. But that is not to say that is exactly what is happening in the APC.
“It’s all a question of views, perspectives and circumstances surrounding issues. I wouldn’t want to go deep into the internal issues of the party, and the position of El-Rufa today with regards to the party. But I can assure you, the APC is a listening party. The APC, under the leadership of Dr AbdullahiGanduje, gives people the chance to ventilate their views.
“If there is any grouse or any misunderstanding, he always gives people the chance to come and talk. So, El-Rufai knows best how to channel this complaint, and if there are certain things he wants done to sanitise what he feels is going wrong, he knows what to do. I can assure you, the party will give him the listening ear.”
Source:naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/01/29/apc-knocks-el-rufai-over-attack-on-tinubus-govt/
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s supreme leader ‘unfazed’ by the West’s threats
January 28, 2025
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada says he is not concerned about any threats, and that Eastern and Western powers cannot harm the ruling system in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for students at a jihadi school in Kandahar, Akhundzada emphasized that those who stand against the enemies of Islam will not suffer harm.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate also added that Muslims should not be influenced by the warnings of the West. He emphasized that "the infidels" will never accept the appearance, character, or beliefs of Muslims.
He stated that the Islamic Emirate will make every effort to preserve the system, and nothing will stop them because this system was not given for free nor out of kindness but is the result of their struggles.
This comes after the top prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said last week he will seek arrest warrants against senior leaders of the Islamic Emirate government in Afghanistan over the “persecution of women and girls”.
Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to suspect Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani bore criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity on gender grounds.
ICC judges will now decide whether to issue the warrants.
The Islamic Emirate has however strongly condemned the accusations, stating they are "baseless" and politically motivated.
Source:ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/islamic-emirate-of-afghanistans-supreme-leader-unfazed-by-the-wests-threats/
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US aid suspension shuts down 50 aid groups in Afghanistan
ByFidel Rahmati
January 29, 2025
The Taliban’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Abdul Latif Nazari, announced that the suspension of U.S. aid has led to the shutdown of 50 international humanitarian organizations in 28 Afghanistan’s provinces.
Nazari urged the international community to separate humanitarian assistance from political matters, emphasizing that the people of Afghanistan should not suffer due to political decisions.
Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he suspended all foreign aid, including financial support to Afghanistan, for three months. This decision has destabilized Afghanistan’s already fragile economy, leading to a sharp decline in the value of the Afghanistan’s currency.
Despite previous claims by Taliban officials that their government is not dependent on foreign assistance, the sudden halt of U.S. aid has revealed their financial vulnerabilities. Nazari had previously dismissed Trump’s threats, stating that the Taliban’s governance is fully independent and unaffected by external pressures.
The aid suspension has led to significant fluctuations in Afghanistan’s currency market. Within a week, the Afghanistan’s currency lost nearly 10 rupees against the U.S. dollar. In response, Taliban authorities cracked down on currency traders, forcing them to sell dollars at controlled rates.
The Taliban-controlled central bank has sold millions of dollars in recent days to maintain the value of the currency. However, economic experts argue that without sustained financial support, stabilizing the currency will remain a major challenge.
The suspension of U.S. aid has intensified Afghanistan’s economic crisis, leaving millions vulnerable. While the Taliban insists on economic independence, the reliance on foreign assistance remains evident. If international aid does not resume or alternative financial solutions are not found, Afghanistan’s economic collapse could deepen, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/us-aid-suspension-shuts-down-aid-groups-in-afghanistan/
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National Food and Drug Board Meeting Focuses on Quality Control in Afghanistan
2025-01-28
KABUL(BNA): A meeting of the National Food and Drug Board was convened today, Tuesday under the chairmanship of Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Administrative Prime Minister.
According to the media office of the Prime Minister’s office, the meeting emphasized the need for stringent measures to ensure the safety and quality of food and medicinal products. Key topics of discussion included:Strategies to curb the illegal importation of medicines and food items.Measures to prevent the production of substandard food within the country.The implementation of mandatory labeling for product supplements.The necessity of quality control decomposition documents for laboratories.
Participants also explored the importance of strengthening pharmaceutical and food quality control laboratories and discussed training programs for laboratory assistants.
At the conclusion of the meeting, relevant departments were mandated to enhance monitoring of the production and supply chains for spices and foodstuffs, both in urban centers and provincial areas.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/national-food-and-drug-board-meeting-focuses-on-quality-control-in-afghanistan/
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Drug addicts treatment great achievement of the Islamic Emirate
January 29, 2025
Thousands of drug addicts have been treated over the past three and a half years since the reestablishment of the Islamic Emirate in August 2021. The latest report from the country’s western province of Herat said that the Counter-Narcotics Directorate in the past two years, has treated nearly 20,000 addicts in the province. According to a statement from the local government’s Directorate of Counter-Narcotics, the addicts, who come from various provinces of the country, have returned to normal life after completing their treatment period at the specialized addiction rehabilitation centers of the Herat province. The recovered individuals have pledged that they will never return to drugs again as Mohammad Asif, a 50-year-old man who has become addicted in an Iranian prison and is now under treatment at the specialized addiction treatment hospital in Herat, said he was formerly a pilot for the Afghan Air Force and spent 18 years in an Iranian prison. Asif was quoted by the private TOLOnews as saying: “During Doctor Najibullah’s era, I trained as a pilot in Tajikistan and had 25 international flights in Afghanistan. But a tragedy led me to the Islamic Republic, where I spent a long time in Iranian prisons. The prison caused me to become addicted to drugs.” Many people at the specialized addiction treatment hospital in Herat have had their lives darkened by drugs, like Mohammad Asif. They had been distanced from their families and society due to addiction. “I am a sports champion in Taekwondo, having won medals for Afghanistan from Russia, Pakistan, Bosnia, and Iran. I am a medalist for Afghanistan, bringing medals from four foreign countries,” Abdul Karim, an addict undergoing treatment, told the TV channel. “There are many people here who are educated and literate, but drugs have done something that threw them into corners. Drugs distanced them from their families, relatives, and society,” said Nematullah, another addict under treatment. Hayatullah Rouhani, the director of the Herat Counter-Narcotics Police, said: “Approximately 20,000 addicts have been treated in Herat, who were previously hospitalized in various camps and clinics. It’s been about 16 months since we established a state-run drug addict rehabilitation hospital here, where they are now being treated.” According to local officials in Herat, most of the addicts treated in Herat became addicted in Iran. After returning to the country, they were gathered by the Herat Counter-Narcotics Directorate and treated in the hospital. Not only in the western provinces, but in other parts of the country, such as Badakhshan in the country’s north, over 1,200 drug addicts have been treated a few weeks ago. Local officials in the province said that over the past ten months, they have collected 1,200 drug addicts, including women and children from the provincial center and districts and referred them to rehabilitation centers. mad Nasimi, head of data collection for the counter-narcotics department of Badakhshan police headquarters, said: “In the past ten months, we have collected about 1,200 people from the center and districts and referred them to rehabilitation hospitals. Currently, over 200 others are still undergoing treatment in these hospitals.” Some individuals undergoing treatment are urging the caretaker government officials to not only prevent the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics but also to create employment opportunities for them. “Our demand is for narcotics to be completely eradicated. If drugs remain available in the market, we will return to using them,” said Hamidullah, one of the individuals under treatment. “We ask the Islamic Emirate to stop the trafficking of narcotics and to create job opportunities for us. If there is no work, we will turn to addiction again,” said Mohammad Hashim, another addict. According to information from the counter-narcotics department of the Badakhshan police headquarters, there are currently four government-run drug rehabilitation centers and two private counselingcenters operating in the province. More than 200 drug addicts are being treated in these centers. This is the biggest achievement of the Islamic Emirate to treat thousands of addicts who have been forgotten by the previous governments and abandoned in different vicinities of the capital Kabul and other provinces of the country. The Kabul city is now cleared of drug addicts while hundreds of addicts had gathered under the Pule-Sukhta bridge west of the capital smoking various types of drugs such as hashish, heroin, crystal, etc. All around the bridge has now been cleaned and planted flowers, thanks to the efforts of the Kabul Municipality. Inam Hashemi
Source:thekabultimes.com
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Mideast
The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror
January 29, 2025
DAMASCUS, Syria: The charred remains of at least 26 victims of the Bashar Assad government were located Tuesday by Syrian civil defense workers in two separate basements in rural Damascus.
The discovery adds to the growing tally of mass graves unearthed since the fall of the Assad government in December. The remains, which are believed to include men, women and children, showed evidence of gunshot wounds and burning.
Members of Syria’s White Helmets, a volunteer civil defense group, exhumed the fragmented, weathered skeletal remains from the basement of two properties in the town of Sbeneh, southwest of the capital. Wearing hazmat suits, they carefully logged and coded each set of remains before placing them into body bags, which were then loaded onto trucks for transport.
Since Nov. 28, the White Helmets have uncovered “more than 780 bodies, most of unknown identity,” Abed Al-Rahman Mawwas, a member of the rescue service, told The Associated Press. He said many were found in shallow graves uncovered by locals or dug up by animals. The bodies are transferred to forensics doctors to determine their identities, time of death and cause of death, as well as to match them with possible family members.
“Of course, this takes years of work,” he said.
Mohammad Al-Herafe, a resident of one of the buildings where remains were uncovered, said the stench of decomposing bodies was overwhelming when his family returned to Sbeneh in 2016 after fleeing because of fighting in the area during the country’s uprising-turned-civil war that began in 2011.
He said they found the bodies in the basement but chose not to report it out of fear of government reprisals. “We could not tell the regime about it because we know that the regime did this.”
The Assad government, which ruled Syria for over two decades, employed airstrikes on civilian areas, torture, executions and mass imprisonment, to maintain control over Syria and suppress opposition groups during the country’s 13-year civil war.
Ammar Al-Salmo, another Civil Defense member dispatched to the second basement site, said further investigation is needed to identify the victims.
“We need testimonies from residents and others who might know who stayed behind when the fighting intensified in 2013,” he told the AP.
Mohammad Shebat, who lived in the second building where bodies were found, said he left the neighborhood in 2012 and returned in 2020 when he and his neighbors discovered the bodies and demanded their removal. But no one cooperated, he said.
Shebat believes the victims were civilians who fled the nearby Al-Assalineighborhood when the fighting escalated and the Assad government imposed a siege in 2013. He said forces of the former government used to “trap people in basements, burn them with tires and leave their bodies.”
“There are several basements like this, full of skeletons,” he said.
In a report released Monday, the United Nations Syria Commission of Inquiry said that mass graves can be used as evidence to uncover the fates of thousands of missing detainees.
The report, spanning 14 years of investigations and drawing on over 2,000 witness testimonies, including more than 550 survivors of torture, detailed how detainees in Syria’s notorious prisons “suffering from torture injuries, malnutrition, disease and illness, were left to die slowly, in agonizing pain, or were taken away to be executed.”
Assad’s fall on Dec. 8 drove hundreds of families to scour prisons and morgues in desperate search of loved ones. While many were freed after years of imprisonment, thousands remain missing, their fates still unknown.
The UN commission has said that forensic exhumations of mass graves, as well as safeguarding evidence, archives and crime sites, may offer grieving families a chance to learn the truth.
The commission was established in 2011 by the Human Rights Council to investigate Syria’s alleged violations of international human rights law.
The UN report documented brutal methods of torture by the former government, including “severe beatings, electric shocks, burning, pulling out nails, damaging teeth, rape, sexual violence including mutilation, prolonged stress positions, deliberate neglect and denial of medical care, exacerbating wounds and psychological torture.”
“For Syrians who did not find their loved ones among the freed, this evidence, alongside testimonies of freed detainees, may be their best hope to uncover the truth about missing relatives,” said Commissioner Lynn Welchman.
Source:arabnews.com
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Indonesia plans to build 100 mosques in Gaza Strip
28 Jan 2025
The Indonesian Mosque Council announced that it “plans to build 100 mosques in the Gaza Strip in Palestine, in response to the urgent need of the people of Gaza, especially with the approach of the holy month of Ramadan.”
According to what was reported by the Palestinian Information Center today, Tuesday, the former Indonesian Vice President, Muhammad JusufKalla, who currently holds the position of Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Management Council, pointed out “the importance of informing the Indonesian community about the situation in Gaza, and that more than a thousand mosques in Gaza have been destroyed by the Israeli occupation within a year and a half.”
He said: “As a first step, the Indonesian Mosque Council will build ten semi-permanent mosques, with the total number reaching 100 mosques.”
He expressed his “hope that worshipers in Indonesia will contribute their zakat and charity, ranging from 5-10 percent of their financial capabilities, to support the construction of mosques in Gaza.”
He added: “We have coordinated with the relevant authorities in Gaza and will determine how to implement the construction process.”
Yousef encouraged worshippers in Indonesia to participate in this program, given the extensive destruction of homes and mosques in Gaza due to the ongoing conflict.
Source:saba.ye/
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Awqaf Ministry honors new, distinguished Qatar Imams and preachers in Mosques
28 Jan 2025
Doha: The Departments of Mosques and Religious Guidance at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs held on Tuesday a ceremony to honor graduates of the new Qatar Imams' training course, participants in the "Role of Family in Islam" course, and outstanding imams and preachers in the country's mosques.
The ceremony was attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) HE Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Da'wah and Mosques Affairs, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Kuwari, and Assistant Undersecretary for Islamic Affairs, Khalid bin Shaheen Al Ghanem.
The event celebrated a group of newly graduated Qatari imams who completed a comprehensive religious training program, enhancing their preaching and educational skills, and preparing them to lead in serving the community and spreading Islamic values.
The ceremony also honored those who participated in the "Role of the Family in Islam" course, which focused on promoting family values and equipping preachers with the knowledge and skills needed to strengthen the family's role in building a cohesive society. Additionally, outstanding imams and preachers from mosques across the country were recognized.
In his speech, Assistant Undersecretary for Da'wah and Mosques Affairs, Mohammed bin Hamad Al Kuwari, praised the efforts of the imams, preachers, and religious leaders, highlighting their key role in guiding the community and promoting values of moderation based on the teachings of Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He stated that today, they honor distinguished Qatar preachers who completed the 'Role of the Family in Islam' course, the new graduates from Qatar Imams' training course, and the exceptional imams and preachers who have excelled in their academic and practical paths. The role of an imam goes beyond delivering sermons and leading prayers; it is a role that includes education, guidance, and reform, contributing to the development of values and ethics."
Al Kuwari emphasized that the achievements of new imams reflect their dedication and commitment, showing that the pursuit of knowledge is an ongoing journey that requires determination and will. He added that they serve as role models for the youth, exemplifying the noble values of our faith.
In turn, preacher Ahmed Jaber Al Dosari, speaking on behalf of the honorees, expressed that the "Role of the Family in Islam" course, which focused on enhancing family values and developing Qatar preachers in religious, skill-based, and educational areas, taught participants about the crucial role of family in building a strong and cohesive society, and how to balance upbringing of future generations in line with Islamic values.
He added that they carry a great responsibility, both within their families and as imams and preachers in their community. He also encouraged everyone to continue seeking knowledge, to lead by example in both words and actions, and to work diligently in service to the Islamic faith and the nation.
At the end of the ceremony, HE Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al Thani distributed certificates of appreciation to imams, preachers, and religious leaders, recognizing their significant contributions to religion and society.
The ceremony honored 33 newly graduated Qatar imams, 32 participants in the "Role of the Family in Islam" course, and 69 distinguished imams and preachers. Three instructors who led the "Role of the Family in Islam" course and five instructors who conducted Qatar Imams' training program were also honored.
Source:thepeninsulaqatar.com
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Opening of Islamic Sciences School in Hajjah
28 Jan 2025
Hajjah (Saba) - The Director of the Kahlan Afar District in Hajjah Governorate, BasemHamidan, opened the first phase of the Islamic Sciences School for the Holy Quran project, as a community initiative.
The project, valued at 19 million riyals in the first phase, consists of four classrooms and a hall, while the second phase includes a hall, administration, and a ground tank.
Source:saba.ye
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Enemy forces demolish mosque inside Jenin camp
28 Jan 2025
Al-Quds - Saba: The Zionist enemy forces demolished a mosque in Jenin refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank.
Local sources said that the enemy forces demolished the "Hamza" mosque in Jenin camp, coinciding with the storming of homes in the area.
Source:saba.ye
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Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports
January 28, 2025
DAMASCUS: Russia and Syria will hold further talks regarding Russian military bases in Syria, Russia’s news agencies reported late on Tuesday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as telling journalists after his talks with Syrian officials.
“This issue requires additional negotiations,” TASS news agency cited Bogdanov as saying. Bogdanov is heading Russia’s delegation to Damascus for the first time since Moscow’s ally President Bashar Assad was toppled.
He added that so far there have been no changes to the presence of Russian military bases in the country.
Source:arabnews.com
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More than 376,000 return to north Gaza since Monday: UN
January 28, 2025
UNITED NATIONS: More than 376,000 Palestinians displaced by the war between Israel and Hamas have returned to northern Gaza, the UN’s humanitarian body OCHA said Tuesday.
“Over 376,000 people are estimated to have returned to their places of origin in northern Gaza, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the two main roads along the Netzarim corridor” that leads into the north, OCHA said in a humanitarian update.
Many Palestinians said they were happy to return, even though their homes in northern Gaza are likely damaged or destroyed. Others said the feeling was bittersweet, as nearly everyone has friends or relatives killed by Israel during the 15-month war against Hamas.
“This is our homeland and we have to go back,” said one displaced woman, Ola Saleh.
The ceasefire is aimed at ending the war and releasing dozens of hostages and hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned or detained by Israel.
Source:arabnews.com
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Israel frees nine Lebanese prisoners, PM seeks release of nine more
January 28, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Tuesday that Israel had freed nine Lebanese prisoners under the terms of a more than six-week-old ceasefire and urged the release of another nine.
Israeli forces had been due to withdraw from southern Lebanon by Sunday under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah but that deadline was extended until February 18.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Mikati thanked the International Committee of the Red Cross for its role in the release of the nine prisoners of war freed by Israel so far.
He also asked the ICRC to work for the release of “nine other Lebanese still held in Israel.”
Mikati had already appealed to the United States on Sunday to use its influence with its ally to secure the release of Lebanese detained by Israel during the war.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ICRC welcomed the release of the first batch of Lebanese prisoners.
The ICRC “remains ready to fulfil its role as a neutral intermediary in facilitating the release, transfer and repatriation of individuals detained in connection with the conflict,” a spokesperson said.
A source close to Hezbollah told AFP on Monday that seven of its fighters had been captured during the war.
Israeli forces have also detained a number of Lebanese since Sunday who were attempting to return to their homes in the south without waiting for the army to complete its delayed withdrawal.
Forces killed 24 returning residents on Sunday and another two on Monday, Lebanese authorities said.
On Tuesday, Israeli fire wounded a Lebanese soldier who was deploying to the south in accordance with the ceasefire, along with three civilians, an army statement said.
An Israeli air strike also wounded 14 people in the southern city of Nabatiyeh Al-Fawqa on Tuesday, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Source:arabnews.com
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Jordan launches air corridor for life-saving medicines into Gaza
January 28, 2025
GAZA STRIP: Jordan’s air force launched on Tuesday the biggest air bridge so far to bring urgent medical supplies to Gaza under a US-sponsored deal to step up deliveries following a ceasefire, officials said.
The operation involves 16 helicopter flights a day that will at first deliver at least 160 tons of life-saving medical supplies over a week to hospitals and medical centers, army officials said.
Under an agreement sponsored by the US, Israel had allowed Jordan to deliver aid to a designated location near Israel’s Kissufim border crossing with the devastated Gaza Strip.
A helicopter pad in a spot that lies in a central area connecting the northern and southern parts of the enclave would help facilitate speedier deliveries, according to aid officials.
UN agencies led by the World Food Programme would then deliver them directly to medical centers and hospitals.
“More aid is needed for the Palestinian people in Gaza. There is a terrifying state of destruction. There is a terrifying state of suffering that the Palestinian people are living,” Jordan’s Minister of State for Communications Mohamed Momani told reporters at an air base where Black Hawk helicopters were taking off. Throughout the 15-month war, the UN has described its humanitarian operation as opportunistic — facing problems with Israel’s military operations, access restrictions by Israel, and more recently looting by Gazan armed gangs.
Since an agreement on a ceasefire, Jordan has sent seven overland convoys with at least 540 trucks through a corridor across the Israeli-occupied West Bank to Gaza, officials said.
“In this air corridor we deliver that urgent aid that could be damaged by their transport on trucks,” Brig. Gen. Mustafa Al-Hayari said.
The staunch US ally has arranged at least 147 convoys comprising 5,569 trucks since the conflict and also spearheaded 391 air drops by its air force alongside a coalition of Western and Arab countries.
King Abdullah has been lobbying Washington to push Israel to expand the aid corridor from Jordan to allow large volumes of aid to quickly cross.
The monarch has said Israel is to blame for delaying aid by hurdles and delaying tactics that have worsened the humanitarian plight of over 2 million people who live in the enclave. Israel denies it impedes aid flows.
Source:arabnews.com
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Pakistan
PTI warns of agitation, says call for talks misconstrued as weakness
By Web Desk
January 28, 2025
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) desire to hold dialogue with the government was misconstrued as its weakness, former ruling party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter President Junaid Akbar said on Tuesday, warning of taking to streets against the incumbent rulers.
His remarks came hours after the former ruling party skipped today’s fourth round of talks with the coalition government. While the ruling alliance says that the ongoing negotiation process with the PTI has “practically” ended since the PTI skipped the crucial meeting.
The PTI and the PML-N-led coalition government entered the negotiation in December last year to defuse political temperature in the country.
After weeks of negotiation, the dialogue process hit a snag as the Khan-founded party called off the dialogue with the ruling coalition for not forming the judicial commissions to probe the May 9, 2023 violent protests and a crackdown on party protesters in Islamabad on November 26 last year.
Speaking on Geo News programme “Capital Talk” today, Akbar, who was recently elected Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman unopposed, said although they were trying to make the negotiation with the government successful, he did not see it happening.
He hinted at rising political heat in the country as the former ruling party was once again shifting to the “agitation mode”.
When asked if his new position in PTI suggests that there would be no negotiations with the government and the matters would be solved on the streets, Akbar replied, “Yes, definitely.”
He revealed that the “homoeopathic leadership” of the Imran Khan-founded party would be sidelined after the reorganisation of the former ruling party, slated to be held in May this year.
Hinting at a large-scale reshuffle in the party’s hierarchy, the PTI leader said that “hardliners” would be appointed to key positions in the Khan-founded party.
He further said that they would bring changes in the provincial cabinet, adding that two new members would be inducted in Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led cabinet.
Shedding light on the party's future plans, the PTI leader said that they had multiple options, including staging protests at the district level on February 8 against alleged rigging in the last year's general election and a demonstration at Islamabad’s D-Chowk.
The PTI leader said that they would not engage with anyone when they take to the streets this time.
Responding to a question related to alleged political victimisation and "conspiracies" being hatched by the federal government, he said that attempts were being made to create a forward block in the former ruling party.
“We also know that who is in contact with whom,” he added.
The PTI leader said: “They [the government] failed to change the loyalties of PTI’s supporters.” He further said that those who quit the party, had joined the PTI on the directives of “someone else”.
To another query, he said that the PTI founder would be released during the current year.
The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens of cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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KP govt renews pledge for full enforcement of Kurram peace accord
By Syed Yasir Shah
January 28, 2025
KOHAT: A senior official of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has emphasised the continuation of peace efforts in violence-hit Kurram district and vowed that the authorities would ensure full implementation of the peace accord signed between warring tribes.
"Implementation on the peace agreement will be possible with the cooperation of both parties [following the truce called on January 1]," said KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry while addressing a jirga organised at the Commissioner's House for the establishment of peace in Kurram on Tuesday.
Chaudhry added that lasting peace and safe commuting were crucial for Kurram and surrendering arms was inevitable for the restoration of the rule of law in the restive region.
The chief secretary further said that "extremists" were trying to inject hatred among the parties, and urged both sides to help the government identify the anti-peace elements.
Reiterating the government's pledge to restore peace, the provincial government's top official said that the authorities would make all-out efforts for the implementation of the peace treaty and would take strict action against violators.
Meanwhile, the district administration resumed the process of destroying bunkers in Lower Kurram and confirmed that two more bunkers were demolished in the Balish Khel and Khar Kali areas.
In a fresh statement, the administration said 10 bunkers have been demolished in Lower Kurram so far and steps were being taken to ensure full implementation of the accord.
The authorities have continued dispatching aid convoys carrying essential goods to affected areas of the crisis-hit district which saw multiple attacks on relief convoys despite the signing of the peace agreement.
A convoy of 120 vehicles carrying essential food supplies and daily-use items had reached Parachinar and other surrounding areas a day ago.
Earlier, miscreants opened fire on oil tankers in the Bagan area of Lower Kurram, however, no damage was reported and the vehicles safely arrived at the Alizai area in Upper Kurram, The News reported citing sources, adding that three separate convoys carried essentials from the Thall town in Hangu to Kurram district.
The first convoy consisted of 62 small vehicles, followed by a second convoy of 58 trucks. The third convoy, carrying five oil tankers, was also dispatched to Kurram for the first time after roadblocks were lifted.
It was the first time in weeks that fuel supplies reached Parachinar following the prolonged closure of routes. Due to the fuel shortage, locals were forced to travel on foot for miles.
Following the incidents, members of the peace jirga decided to devise a strategy to take action against those responsible for violating the accord.
The region has been gripped by tension, particularly after an attack on a convoy travelling from Peshawar to Parachinar on November 21, 2024, which resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people, including women and children.
The Kurram region has been wracked by tribal violence for decades, but around 140 people have been killed since a fresh bout of fighting broke out in November.
As feuding tribes have battled with machine guns and heavy weapons, the remote and mountainous region bordering Afghanistan has been largely cut off from the outside world.
The months-long blockade of roads has left residents of Parachinar and surrounding areas in dire need of essential supplies.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Govt decides to give fuming PTI a little more leeway
Syed Irfan Raza
January 29, 2025
• Dialogue committee to continue working till Jan 31 as speaker says ‘doors still open’ for talks
• PTI woos JUI-F again to put up a joint front; Asad Qaiser and Kamran Murtaza tasked with making sure there are no misunderstandings this time around
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to give one more chance to the PTI to rejoin the dialogue after the opposition party did not turn up for the fourth round of talks on Tuesday, in which the government had promised to share its response to its charter of demands.
Senator Irfan Siddiqui, the spokesperson for the government negotiation team, said they would wait for the PTI until the end of the month.
“Following the meeting of the committee, which was skipped by the PTI, we (the government) sat together and decided… we will wait till Jan 31, the deadline given by the PTI for the fulfilment of their demands.”
He said the talks were “practically” at an end after the opposition party skipped the fourth round, adding that they would approach the prime minister for the dissolution of the body since he had formed this committee for talks.
Asked if the government had shared its response with the meeting, the PML-N senator said that the PTI would have found the response quite satisfactory had they attended the meeting on Tuesday. The senator said their response was quite close to the fulfilment of their demands. “More flexibility could have been shown by the government had the PTI not left the dialogue process,” he added.
“If they can approach the speaker by their deadline of January 31 or if they think this door should be opened again…then they can contact the speaker and our committee will still sit down and talk to them before the 31st, or even after that date we can continue this process,” he added.
Senator Siddiqui said the government “took this process forward with a lot of patience” and the onus was now on the other side to approach the NA speaker to restart this process.
In reply to a question about the government’s response to the PTI demands, he said their response was still unannounced. “…we won’t share publicly since it had been decided that this was a committee-to-committee matter and they (PTI) didn’t join,” he said, adding that PTI could have shared their disagreements in the meeting. The PML-N senator added that the committee would consider its next plan of action if the PTI reconsidered its decision.
Meanwhile, NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq said his doors remained open and expressed hopes that the opposition would hold talks to find a way forward.
“The committee met today. We waited for about 45 minutes for our friends in the opposition to come. We messaged the secretary to leader of the opposition who said ‘it seems like they won’t be coming to the meeting’,” he added.
“My doors remain open. I again express hopes for the government and the opposition to hold talks to find a way forward,” he said, adding, “In negotiations, you don’t put forward conditions first — you sit (for talks) and negotiate, where decisions are made on what is accepted and what isn’t, whether there is an alternate proposal.”
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told media persons the government team had come to the meeting with an answer to the PTI’s demands. “We had prepared for the talks; I wish they had come,” he said, noting that the talks are within the ambit of the constitution.
But later in the day, a scathing post on PTI founder Imran Khan’s official X account said the government was avoiding the formation of judicial commissions and that the PTI could not move forward without action on this demand.
“The fact is that when we came for negotiations for the sake of the country, they ran away in a panic as soon as they heard the demand of the commission because their intentions were flawed,” the tweet said.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad that the party had already made it clear that it was not sitting down for talks for “hi hello or photo sessions”, adding that the government had still not announced the commissions as demanded.
PTI, JUI-F meet again
Meanwhile, the PTI stepped up its efforts to form a joint opposition front and called on the JUI-F leadership to join hands.
Both sides had decided to come on a single platform against the government earlier as well, but things did not move forward and the PTI started negotiating with the government to defuse tensions.
A delegation of PTI, led by Omer Ayub, visited the residence of JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman and held initial consultations regarding the appointment of the chief election commissioner and two commission members.
“The government has not fulfilled any of the demands placed by us for the talks,” Mr Ayub said after the meeting.
“Neither the commission to probe November 26 and May 9 incidents has been formed, nor did the government release our workers and office bearers in accordance with the law. We have not been allowed to meet our leader Imran Khan without interference…” he said.
“It was during the negotiations that I was arrested outside Adiala jail, whereas the police recently raided the seminary of MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the chief of the Sunni Ittehad Council,” the PTI leader claimed.
JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza said the strained relations between the two parties that existed before the 26th amendment had been buried.
He added that a two-member committee, comprising himself and Asad Qaiser, had been established to ensure a smooth working relation. between the two parties.
Source:dawn.com
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Three terrorists killed in Bannu operation, says ISPR
Ghulam MursalinMarwat | Saleem Shahid
January 29, 2025
• Two soldiers martyred, five attackers neutralised as Qila Abdullah attack repulsed
• Levies official gunned down in Turbat
LAKKI MARWAT / QUETTA: Three terrorists were killed and nine others injured in an intelligence-based operation in Janikhel town of Bannu district, the army’s media wing said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the operation was launched following reports of the presence of ‘khwarij’ (an official term used for banned outfits) in the area. It added that security forces effectively engaged the location, neutralising three terrorists and injuring nine others in the exchange of fire.
The ISPR said a sanitisation operation was underway to eliminate any remaining militants, with security forces determined to eradicate terrorism from the country.
Earlier, a Frontier Constabulary soldier was martyred when militants attacked an FC post in the Baran Dam area of Bannu district late on Monday night.
An official source confirmed the attack, stating that the assailants used both light and heavy weapons in an attempt to breach the post. The FC personnel effectively engaged the attackers, and the fire exchange continued for some time.
The source said that a successful retaliation by the FC personnel forced the assailants to flee. Five FC personnel were injured during the gun battle and were shifted to a hospital.
Two soldiers martyred
Meanwhile, two soldiers were martyred and five terrorists, including two suicide bombers, were killed in a heavy gun battle between security forces and khwarij during an armed attack on a Frontier Corps security check post in the Gulistan area of Qila Abdullah, a district of Balochistan bordering Afghanistan, the ISPR said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ISPR said that during the night of Jan 27-28, khwarij attempted to attack a security post in the general area of Gulistan in Qila Abdullah. However, it added, the attempt was thwarted by Pakistani troops, which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post’s boundary wall.
The statement said in the ensuing firefight, all five terrorists, including two suicide bombers, were neutralised.
During the intense exchange of fire, two soldiers — Naik Tahir Khan (age 39, resident of Tank district) and Lance Naik Tahir Iqbal (age 26, resident of Karak district) — sacrificed their lives.
Levies official shot dead
In a separate incident, unknown armed men gunned down a Levies Force official in Kalatak Bazaar area of Turbat, police said on Tuesday.
The Levies official, identified as Ghulam Jan, was targeted while he was on his way home. He sustained multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot.
Police said it appeared to be a case of target killing. No group has claimed responsibility for the murder.
Source:dawn.com
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KP health department steps up mpox screening at airport
Ashfaq Yusufzai
January 29, 2025
PESHAWAR: Health department has stepped up screening at Bacha Khan International Airport after detection of first mpox case of the current year in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The first mpox case of the current year was detected in Pakistan when a Dubai-based driver was suspected during screening by staffers of Border Health Services on Friday last and subsequently tested positive for the zoonotic ailment at Public Health Reference Laboratory (PHRL). Another suspected patient was also tested on Sunday but he was negative and sent home.
The deputy director of public health, Dr Mussawir Manzoor, told Dawn that the patient was isolated at Services Hospital under strict observation and would only be discharged once his sample emerged negative. “As per the protocol of WHO’s International Health Regulations, we have also identified six co-passengers of the patients and our staff at district level examined them and found them asymptomatic,” he said.
He said that those passengers, including two from Peshawar and one each from Bannu, Charsadda, Hangu and Swat, were being constantly monitored for two weeks and anyone showing symptoms would be tested. The patient had lesions only on face, therefore, chances of his coming to contact with other passengers were less and they were low-risk, he added.
“However, we cannot ignore and will adhere to the standard protocol,” said Dr Mussawir. He said that every day on average 1,200 people arriving at the airport were being screened to ensure that none of the suspected persons went untested and endanger the lives of people.
He said that the sample of the positive patient had been sent to National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, for genetic sequencing, the result of which was awaited.
Dr Mussawir said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had so far recorded 10 mpox cases, including two in 2023, seven in 2024 and one in the current year. “Most of them have been working in Middle East. Our staff at the airport is according more attention to the passengers from Middle East,” he added.
Public Health Reference Laboratory at Khyber Medical University in Peshawar has been a big boost for health department where tests are conducted promptly than National Institute of Health, Islamabad, where it takes longer to make the results available because it is receiving samples from the whole country.
“Better surveillance and rapid diagnosis have helped us to prevent the infection from spreading to the community as all 10 cases reported so far were detected during screening. They were tested positive at PHRL,” he said. The suspected patients were sent to Services Hospital where they were isolated and tested, he said.
Dr Mussawir said that each and every patient was handled as per his/her history. Health department has also alerted its staff in all districts to send samples from suspected patients to PHRL for free testing.
“An advisory prepared by NIH has also been shared with district health officers and medical superintendents regarding the case identification and management.
It is because of the strong system of screening at the airport that the infection has been contained,“ he said.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1888276/kp-health-department-steps-up-mpox-screening-at-airport
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KP Assembly rejects Centre’s panel on ex-Fata uplift schemes
Mohammad Ashfaq
January 29, 2025
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday rejected the steering committee formed by the federal government to carry out development schemes under the Accelerated Implementation Programme in the merged tribal districts (formerly Fata).
The development came through a joint resolution, which was approved by the majority of MPAs during a session chaired by Deputy Speaker Suraiya Bibi.
Opposition members opposed the motion, declaring the federal government move a good step as the funds released by the federal government for the merged areas have never been utilized there.
PTI lawmaker Ajmal Khan moved the resolution, which was supported by other members, including Anwar Zaib, Shafiullah, Fazal Shakoor, Abdul Ghani and Aurangzaib Khan.
The federal government constituted a steering committee for the utilisation of its funds in tribal districts under the AIP.
The committee comprises the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, provincial governor, four MNAs and two MPAs from merged tribal areas, secretary of the Finance Division, additional chief secretary of the province, chief economist of the Planning Commission, additional secretary (planning and development), and any co-opted member by the committee chairman.
Raising objections to the resolution, the opposition members insisted that the funds released by the federal government for the development of merged areas had always been utilised in the constituencies of the chief ministers.
They added that since the merger of Fata with KP, the successive PTI governments had not released enough development funds for the underdeveloped tribal region.
While presenting the resolution, MPA Ajmal Khan said that the federal government’s act of constituting a committee for the recommendation and identification of development schemes in merged districts was unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic.
He said that the move was also against the agreements and recommendations presented under the National Finance Commission.
“The provincial autonomy has been granted to all provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendments, but the formation of this steering committee is against the spirit of the Constitution,” he said.
The lawmaker said after the merger of Fata, only KP could intervene in the administrative, development and financial affairs of those areas.
He, however, said that in violation of the Constitution, the federal government had formed a steering committee to serve its interest and achieve its goals in the merged areas, an act of interfering in the provincial government’s affairs.
Mr Ajmal said that it was the federal government’s responsibility to treat all provinces without discrimination.
He, however, said the federal government had not fulfilled its pledges made with the people of merged areas that it would release Rs1 trillion in one decade and three per cent share of the NFC Award for the uplift of merged tribal districts.
“Owing to denial of promised funds, proper development activities couldn’t be seen in the merged areas. Through this resolution, this house demands of the federal government to withdraw the notification for the constitution of the steering committee as the act is unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic,” he said.
The lawmaker also warned through the resolution that if the federal government didn’t withdraw, then the provincial government would challenge it at all available forums.
On a point of order, lawmaker of the opposition ANP Nisar Baaz said that the funds meant for the merged areas had been utilised on the development of settled districts in violation of the commitments made with the tribal people prior to mergers of their region with KP.
“Funds for merged districts have been spent in the Malakand Division during the previous PTI government as the then chief minister, Mehmood Khan, belonged to that area,” he said.
Mr Nisar said that the provincial government had excluded opposition lawmakers from committees tasked with recommending and identifying development schemes and included non-elected people in them.
The house also passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendments) Bill, 2025, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Laws (Amendments) Bill, 2025.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1888283/kp-assembly-rejects-centres-panel-on-ex-fata-uplift-schemes
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Arab World
Saudi Cabinet discusses Syria, Lebanon and Kingdom’s success at WEF
January 28, 2025
RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday discussed the outcomes of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visits to Syria and Lebanon last week.
The prince met newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut and the new Syrian ruler, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Damascus.
The Cabinet session in Riyadh was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who briefed members on his telephone conversation with new US President Donald Trump last Wednesday, and his meeting with Italian Prime Minister GiorgiaMeloni on Sunday during her visit to AlUla.
After the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said Saudi diplomacy supports Syria and Lebanon, and the efforts to restore their rightful positions within the Arab and international communities.
Cabinet members also praised the work of the Kingdom’s delegation at the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos last week. Several Saudi ministers and business leaders attended the event, at which the Kingdom hosted a Saudi House pavilion to showcase the nation’s transformation and help forge connections with government and business stakeholders.
The Cabinet said that the announcement by Saudi Arabia that it will regularly host WEF meetings in Riyadh beginning in 2026 reaffirms the country’s leadership role as a global center for international dialogue, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi sustainable fashion leaders honored at Riyadh awards ceremony
NADA ALTURKI
January 28, 2025
RIYADH: Leaders in sustainable fashion in Saudi Arabia were honored at an awards ceremony in Riyadh on Monday.
Preowned luxury marketplace AMUSED, upcycling startupDarah, and sustainable makeup brand Asteri were the three winners of the inaugural Middle East Kering Generation Award.
The event was hosted by the French corporation that owns brands including Gucci and Balenciaga, in partnership with the Saudi Fashion Commission.
RawanAlderaibi, CEO of Darah, spoke to Arab News about how she quit her corporate job to pursue her passion for fashion, before realizing that there was practically no secondhand market in Saudi Arabia.
“After exploring the idea further, I was led to an entrepreneurial incubator, developed the idea even further and came up with the idea of Darah — the circular model, where we start by reselling secondhand items … and upcycle some of the items into something more creative that makes people feel more unique and they only have one piece,” she said.
Darah buys clothing items by the kilogram: items in good conduction are sold as is, and the ones with some damage or issues are upcycled.
This idea has brought the startup some success and they now plan to expand into a recycling and local production factory.
AMUSED is a platform that connects buyers and sellers of previously owned, authenticated luxury items in Saudi Arabia. Mindful that fashion is the second-largest polluting industry in the world, AMUSED aims to create a more circular economy to break away from the make-use-dispose model that has dominated the fashion culture.
Sara Teymoor, co-founder of AMUSED, told Arab News: “It’s been five years of hard work creating this business and to receive the recognition for sustainability to us entrepreneurs is invaluable to our confidence and also to the connections, the mentorship and the opportunity that this award will bring us.
“We have a green field for fashion here in Saudi and we are now able to start with sustainability in mind. That is just priceless for our economy here in fashion and paving the way for our future generations.”
The third winner, Asteri, is one of the fastest growing makeup brands in the Middle East, designed specifically for the Arab woman. The company prides itself on its desert-proof, clean, and vegan products that also have sustainable and refillable packaging, certified by global nonprofit B Lab.
BurakCakmak, the commission’s CEO, told Arab News: “I think for all of the winners, we’ve identified that there is a component of localized engagement, which is critical because we want to make sure that what is selected is going to succeed in the region.
“All of these three businesses were very much relevant to the Saudi context, and it was somewhat linked to Saudi lifestyle or culture or the environment, but also they were bringing something that doesn’t exist in the region, and different than what we are seeing necessarily in the rest of the world.”
The three winners will take a week-long trip to Paris, where they will have the opportunity to engage in exclusive mentoring sessions with Kering’s Sustainability teams.
Cakmak added: “I think Saudi has proven to the world that it’s the biggest growth opportunity as a market for many sectors when it comes to fashion and creativity.
“It’s also offering a lot of opportunities. We’ve seen in the past few years, as the Fashion Commission, the potential of the industry and the talent that exists, as well as a lot of the startups going into business in the country.
“We are very keen to engage the right partners who can help us in that journey and be able to bring the right perspective and the right support to a growing, prospering economy.”
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2588149/saudi-arabia
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Riyadh forum highlights healthcare model progress
January 28, 2025
RIYADH: The second Model of Care Forum was inaugurated in Riyadh on Tuesday under the patronage of Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel.
The two-day event, held under the theme “Care and Impact,” was attended by Assistant Minister of Health Mohammed Al-Abdulaali.
The forum’s scientific program began with the participation of more than 25 local and international speakers, 80 exhibitors and over 1,500 healthcare professionals from across the Kingdom.
Al-Abdulaali highlighted the significant achievements of the modern healthcare model in Saudi Arabia, implemented through 20 health clusters, delivering integrated and sustainable care based on innovative, world-class practices.
“The Model of Care is confidently and clearly progressing through health clusters, extending its impact to encompass public healthcare providers alongside the private sector and other entities across the healthcare system,” he said.
Al-Abdulaali concluded his speech by welcoming all attendees and international speakers to witness the success stories achieved in Saudi Arabia through the implementation of the Model of Care across the 20 health clusters.
Discussions at the forum will revolve around the modern healthcare model, care systems and pathways such as palliative care, emergency care, outpatient care, maternal and child care, chronic disease care, preventive care systems, and their role in achieving health excellence.
The forum includes an accompanying exhibition showcasing success stories from the implementation of healthcare model initiatives across the Kingdom.
Source:arabnews.com
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Sustainable finance key to driving climate adaptation, panel told
GHADI JOUDAH
January 28, 2025
MANAMA: The use of environmental sukuk and other debt instruments is surging in the Kingdom, with total issuances exceeding SR8 billion ($2 billion), a Capital Market Authority official has said.
Abdullah Al-Moqbel, director of the authority’s sustainability department, was speaking on Tuesday during a panel discussion titled “Climate Risk and Financial Disclosure: Harmonizing New Frameworks and Implementation” at the Sustainability Forum Middle East in Manama, Bahrain.
He highlighted the critical role of sustainable finance in facilitating the transition toward climate adaptation and sustainable development.
Al-Moqbel added: “Sustainable finance is a key driver and the main engine for developing sustainability practices among all economies. It will be even more critical during the transition phase.”
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration with stakeholders in advancing corporate sustainability strategies.
“In Saudi Arabia, we are working on implementing a corporate sustainability strategy. Within this effort, we have a platform that facilitates multi-sided communication with various partners,” Al-Moqbel said.
Market participants and listed companies are key partners in this process, and their engagement is crucial for enhancing the quality of initiatives, he added.
Ultimately, corporate entities, not regulators, will implement the strategy, Al-Moqbel said.
Meanwhile, Alya Al-Omran, head of capital markets supervision at the Central Bank of Bahrain, shared her country’s approach to sustainability in the financial sector.
“We have issued our ESG module, and the way we introduced this new module to our licensees and listed companies is by mandating them,” she said.
Al-Omran said that the adoption of the rules in Bahrain is mandatory.
“Maybe it is a very new way of introducing such rules, as it is a relatively new concept here, but we chose to do it this way to kindly force companies to adopt sustainability and integrate it into their operations,” Al-Omran added.
Mohammad Essa, head of the corporate governance section at the Securities and Commodities Authority in the UAE, discussed the emirates’ efforts to promote green bonds and sustainable finance.
Essa said that the UAE issued regulations in 2023 regarding green and sustainability-related bonds.
“To support this initiative, we have also exempted companies planning to list these bonds or sukuk on the financial market from the registration fees imposed by the authority.”
This initiative could increase the number of bonds and sukuk listed on the local financial market, he added.
“As of the latest figures at the end of 2023, we reached $14 billion in green bonds and sukuk issued by the authority. Of course, this number has increased currently,” said Essa.
While progress in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE is evident, Al-Moqbel acknowledged the global disparity in sustainable finance adoption.
“Although green issuance worldwide has surpassed $850 billion, it represents just 3 percent of total conventional bond issuances,” he said.
Despite this, the compound annual growth rate for green financial products is double that of conventional bonds, underscoring the promising future of such instruments, Al-Moqbel added.
Recognizing this potential, the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority is taking proactive regulatory steps to support and expand the market for sustainable finance in the Kingdom.
“We are currently drafting guidelines for issuing green, social and sustainability-linked sukuk and debt instruments in the Saudi market,” Al-Moqbel said.
These guidelines, expected to be voluntary, aim to help companies comply with disclosure requirements and align with international principles, such as those set by the International Capital Market Association.
The overarching goal is to increase the issuance of these financial products in local and regional markets, said Al-Moqbel.
He also addressed the need to raise awareness among local and regional investors.
“Most of the demand for these products currently comes from international investors. Raising awareness is essential to trigger interest from local and regional investors,” he said.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi pavilion draws crowds at Cairo book fair
January 28, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the 56th Cairo International Book Fair has attracted significant visitor numbers since opening on Jan. 23.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs’ corner at the pavilion is showcasing its efforts to serve Muslims in line with Vision 2030, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A highlight of the corner is the daily distribution of hundreds of copies of the Holy Qur’an, printed in various sizes by the King Fahd complex in Madinah.
Visitors have been captivated by interactive displays detailing advanced Qur’an printing technologies, reflecting the Kingdom’s dedication to preserving and spreading the Holy Qur’an globally, the SPA reported.
The ministry’s corner also features rare historical Islamic manuscripts, highlighting works of jurists, linguists and scholars.
A 3D virtual Hajj and Umrah app offers a step-by-step guide to sacred rituals, while digital services like the Rushd and Correct Quotation apps enhance the visitor experience.
Many attendees have praised the ministry’s efforts, expressing gratitude for Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting Muslims, according to the SPA.
The fair, organized by the Egyptian General Book Organization, is hosting 1,345 publishers from 80 countries. It runs until Feb. 5.
Source:arabnews.com
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North America
Montreal mosque tour gives students insight into Islamic culture amid Muslim Awareness Week
By Adriana Gentile
January 28, 2025
Getting to know each other: that’s the goal of Muslim Awareness Week.
It comes as the province marks eight years since the deadly Quebec City mosque attack in 2017, when six Muslim men were killed and many more worshippers were injured as a gunman opened fire during evening prayers.
“On the 30th of January, we felt a massive wave of solidarity towards the Muslim community, and unfortunately, that didn’t last very long. So, Muslim Awareness Week is an initiative that is in its seventh edition this year,” explained said Jawad Kanani, the administrator and board member of Muslim Awareness Week.
“It allows people from different ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, colors, and beliefs to come together and build a bridge with the Muslim community. It also allows us to showcase what our accomplishments, aspirations, and contributions to this society are.”
On Tuesday, a mosque tour was organized at Montreal’s Lebanese Islamic Center as part of Muslim Awareness Week, giving architecture students in Montreal an opportunity to learn about Islamic architecture and its importance.
“As a board member, I’m extremely proud to see that Muslim Awareness Week has partnered with McGill architecture students in order to have the Lebanese Islamic Center visited this afternoon. I think it’s very important for future architects and architects to come and visit our places of worship and these places that are very central in our day-to-day life so that they can understand the needs of Muslims living in Quebec,” said Kanani.
This visit is an educational approach for architecture students at McGill University, who will soon have to design a mosque in school.
“I think it’s been really important these past few weeks just to go around and actually get to experience the culture a little bit for ourselves as much as we can,” explained Nikki Apostolidis, an architecture student at McGill University.
“I think it’s extremely important. I think we’ve been really kind of learning about the culture and seeing how many people actually practice in the city. And seeing how many mosques there actually are has been really kind of eye-opening, just because they’re so hidden sometimes. So, I think it’s really important to learn just about our people and everybody that actually lives in Montreal. It’s not just kind of our small community, it’s actually much bigger,” she added.
“What I took away from today, at least, is that this cultural center seems to be one of the larger ones we’ve seen, or at least the most active with as many people. It seems like people genuinely enjoy the spaces they have. And I think one of the most important things is that they’re kind of open to having everybody experience their culture.
“Like, we’ve never been shunned away or been told we can’t be here or can’t do anything. So, I think at least to me, it’s been very eye-opening to just, like, they have embraced us and we’ve embraced them, and it’s kind of been nice to just learn about it and not have any ideas coming into it or preconceptions.”
Oscar Lallier, an architecture student at McGill University says, “I feel like we still need to bridge different cultures together all around the world. And our part as architects is to design spaces, but spaces for everybody as well. And so some of these spaces are, I feel like, under-designed or under-valued.”
Lucas Azar, an architecture student at McGill University adds, “It was important for us to be curious and also to actually get to know the needs and traditions in a way of something we really do not know and we’re not accustomed to doing some religious buildings in architecture school usually. So it was a unique experience to be able to kind of learn through architecture what also the Muslim community is about in Montreal.”
“I’m coming at it from an architecture student kind of point of view, but getting to know how every custom or every faith has their own architectural tradition. It’s not something that you can, I feel, really—let’s say—avoid. You have to go and talk to these people and kind of learn how the buildings function, how their needs are maybe different from other communities. So, being able to be here and talk to the people that use this center every week, I think it’s invaluable to know how to design our own building afterward,” added Azar.
“Muslims in Quebec and around the world, wherever they settle, are very much active and present members of society. And they need infrastructure that actually meets their religious and cultural needs. It’s very important to highlight that Islam and culture go hand in hand,” said Kanani.
We can see these cultural variances when you visit one center after another. I think this experience will allow future architects to actually be able to meet the needs of Muslims in the upcoming years when they come to design such buildings for us.”
“Well, I think we have all positive things. And I wish they will have, like, you know, and the real Muslims, they are good people, peaceful people, people who love others, people who are really human. For them, everyone is a brother and sister. We don’t say ‘us’ and that’s it. No, it’s ‘us’ and the others,” said Ali Shibli, who helps manage Montreal’s Lebanese Islamic Center.
Kanani spoke about how Muslim Awareness Week helps foster understanding around different communities.
“I think one of the key points here is that I believe ignorance is what actually breeds fear. And fear is what took over the person who committed the act on the 29th of January. So, I believe that when we come together and understand each other, we become much more tolerant towards one another,” he said.
“On the other hand, I actually encourage and urge Islamic leaders and those responsible for mosques to open up their doors and invite people, like their neighbors or the non-Muslim population, to come and see the beauty within these four walls. I think by opening up our doors and having doors of dialogue and understanding, we can clearly become a much more structured, powerful, tolerant, and also a very inclusive society.”
Kanani also speaks about the importance of having these important conversations.
“I think these conversations are long overdue but more and more, barriers have been created between certain minorities, not necessarily just with Muslims. And it’s very important not to let this trend go on for too long.”
“Getting to know each other, I can maybe shed some light on the activities that Muslim Awareness Week is organizing throughout the week. We have many, many partners, so we have a wide range of activities that can meet all kinds of people from all walks of life, be it from a food experience to a blood donation to a piece of art. So, there are many ways for us to get together,” explained Kanani.
“The amazing part is, no matter which of these activities you partake in, the conclusion is that a Quebecer or a Muslim Quebecer, at the end of the day, has the same struggles living here.”
Source:citynews.ca
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https://montreal.citynews.ca/2025/01/28/mosque-tour-muslim-awareness-week/
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SoCal Muslim community on guard amid Trump administration's immigration policy changes
January 29, 2025
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The Muslim community is closely monitoring changes in immigration policy underway by the Trump administration.
Amr Shabaik, the legal director of the Council on American Islamic Relations with the Greater LA office (CAIR-LA), said among those on their radar so far was the executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for some. That was temporarily blocked Thursday by a federal judge.
One change already in effect ended a long-standing policy that once blocked immigration arrests in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and places of worship.
"That has caused some concerns in terms of - can we see ICE raids coming to our local mosques and religious centers, religious schools? Things of that nature. Then another one that has been on folks' radar is the one deemed to be protecting the U.S. from foreign terrorists," Shabaik said.
The concern being - if the Trump administration doesn't agree with certain ideological, political or religious beliefs, that individual or group may be classified as a terrorist.
Shabaik said this executive order could be setting up another version of the so-called "Muslim ban" seen just one week into Trump's first term in office which denied Muslim communities visas and migration.
Civil rights leaders are watching closely to see whether the administration targets demonstrators who have advocated for Palestinians. Several took place on university campuses like UCLA, USC, UCI and Chapman University.
"There is some real concern that they're going to use some of these executives orders, especially when they were talking about protecting the U.S. from foreign terrorists, to try to intimidate and crack down on student speech and student protest, student advocacy," Shabaik said. "We know just from our experiences a lot of these students are American citizens and engaging in the First Amendment - protected rights and even if they're not American citizens the Constitution still applies to them."
CAIR-LA estimates there are about half a million Muslims in the Southern California region coming from diverse backgrounds. According to the U.S. Religion Census, in 2020, there were an estimated 36,000 Muslims in Orange County and 143,000 Muslims in L.A. County.
CAIR-LA is joining nationwide efforts to inform this community through educational events, online and on social media.
"We want folks to obviously be aware of what's happening. We don't want folks to be scared even though that's what the Trump administration is trying to do. We want folks to be informed of their rights and to know of what's happening around the country and in their local areas," Shabaik said.
Source:abc7.com
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https://abc7.com/post/socal-muslim-community-guard-amid-trump-administrations-immigration-policy-changes/15842224/
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Mysterious New Jersey drones were 'not the enemy' - White House
January 29, 2025
The mysterious drones that lit up skies across the US late last year were authorised by federal regulators and "not the enemy," the White House has announced.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had approved the drones for research and many also belonged to people in the area, President Donald Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at her first White House briefing on Tuesday.
The drones were spotted in New Jersey and other nearby states in November and December and led to rampant online speculation about their origins and intentions.
Authorities never provided definitive answers about the sightings, saying only that they were not a danger to the public or national security.
"In time, it got worse due to curiosity," Ms Leavitt said of the online rumours. "This was not the enemy."
The statement, made at Ms Leavitt's first official press conference for the Trump White House, is the most definitive statement yet that there was nothing nefarious about the phenomenon.
The previous Biden administration had also concluded there was likely no national security threat invovled.
Last December, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it received more than 5,000 drone sighting tips from concerned citizens.
Even former Maryland governor Larry Hogan reported that he saw dozens of drones over his home. New York's governor touted the state's drone detecting technology to worried residents.
The FAA then temporarily restricted drone flights over 22 cities through January.
The previous Biden administration had previously confirmed that residents had spotted drones as well as manned aircraft, but officials had stressed there was "no foreign involvement".
The FAA regulates drone use and flights in the US. Nationally, more than one million drones are registered for use, according to the agency. About 409,000 are registered for commercial use, while about 385,000 are used recreationally.
In mid December, four federal agencies declared the investigators had "not identified anything anomalous" about the reports.
The sightings, they said, were actually a combination of lawful drones from hobbyists and law enforcement, as well as planes, helicopters and "stars mistakenly reported as drones".
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3nx1kd9q1o
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Life sentence for hitman who killed suspect in 1985 Air India bombings
January 29, 2025
A hitman who was one of two people who shot and killed a man acquitted in the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight has been jailed for life in Canada without the possibility of parole for 20 years.
Tanner Fox, 24, was sentenced on Tuesday by a British Columbia Supreme Court judge.
Fox and Jose Lopez pleaded guilty in October to the second-degree murder of Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik in 2022. Lopez will be sentenced on Friday.
The sentencing came after an emotional morning, in which Malik's relatives begged Fox to reveal who hired him to carry out the murder.
"We plead with you to reveal the names of the people who hired you," said Malik's daughter-in-law Sundeep Kaur Dhaliwal, according to reporters inside the New Westminster courtroom.
The two men entered their guilty pleas on the eve of their trial for first-degree murder.
Malik was shot several times in his car outside his family business in Surrey, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the morning of 14 July 2022. Police found a burnt-out vehicle nearby.
Prosecutor Matthew Stacey told the court that Fox and Lopez planned a "deliberate killing" of Malik.
"They were financially compensated for killing him," he added.
The killing happened more than a decade after Malik was acquitted in the devastating double bomb attack - Canada's deadliest terrorist attack in history.
On 23 June 1985, Air India flight 182 from Canada to India blew up off the Irish coast, killing all 329 people on board, most of them Canadian citizens visiting relatives in India.
About the same time, a second bomb exploded prematurely in Japan, killing two baggage handlers
The bombings - widely believed to have been carried out by Canadian-based Sikhs in retaliation for India's deadly 1984 storming of the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion - remain Canada's deadliest terror attack.
Following a two-year trial, Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were both acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings, after a judge ruled that testimony against them was not credible.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Fox and Lopez were contracted to kill Malik, but the evidence did not establish who had hired them.
Malik's family has urged them to co-operate with police to bring to justice whoever had directed the killing.
In her testimony to court on Tuesday, Malik's daughter-in-law said the lack of answers has left the family afraid for their safety.
"This fear and anxiety comes from not knowing who hired you," she told Fox. "Are we next?"
According to Fox's lawyer, the 24-year-old was born in Thailand and was adopted at age three by parents in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
"It's impossible to say where he went awry, went wrong in his youth that took him to this horrible offence," lawyer Richard Fowler has said.
In court, Fox stood up to apologise for his actions.
"I'm sorry for all the pain and hurt that I've caused," he said.
Source:bbc.com
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Trump puts USAID staff on leave
29 Jan, 2025
The Trump administration has placed approximately 60 senior career officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on administrative leave, allegedly to suppress dissent regarding significant changes to US foreign aid policies, according to an internal memo.
The action follows President Donald Trump’s executive order initiating a 90-day suspension of most foreign aid to conduct a comprehensive spending review. An internal memo from USAID’s new leadership, obtained by Reuters and AP on Monday, stated that certain agency actions “appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people.”
“As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice while we complete our analysis of these actions,” acting USAID Administrator Jason Gray wrote in the memo.
Critics within the agency, cited by Reuters, described the atmosphere at USAID as having a “massive chilling effect” and suggested that the move aims to silence those seeking waivers for what they consider “essential” programs. According to the Financial Times, several US diplomats have requested exemptions for alleged “critical” Ukraine-related projects.
The 90-day pause in foreign aid has led to program halts and staff layoffs globally. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has exempted only emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze. The US, as the world’s largest donor, disbursed approximately $72 billion in various forms of assistance to foreign governments and international institutions in fiscal year 2023.
Washington accounts for over 42% of all aid tracked by the United Nations. Despite Rubio’s assurances that essential life-saving aid would not be affected, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi announced inevitable expenditure cuts and operational freezes. President Trump and his supporters maintain that these measures fulfill his campaign promise to reduce bureaucracy and government waste.
Source:rt.com
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Kremlin responds to Carlson’s claim US attempted to kill Putin
28 Jan, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin is well protected from any potential threats, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. He was responding to a claim by American journalist Tucker Carlson that the administration of former US President Joe Biden planned to assassinate the Russian leader.
On Monday, Carlson told journalist Matt Taibbi that former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “was pushing so hard for a real war, trying to kill Putin, for example… The Biden administration did [it], they tried to kill Putin.”
The conservative journalist did not provide any details of the alleged plot. However, he denounced the purported plan as “insane,” considering the power vacuum it would create in Russia and the potential for Moscow’s vast nuclear arsenal to end up in the wrong hands.
Asked to comment on Carlson’s remarks on Tuesday, Peskov would neither confirm nor deny US attempts to target Putin, nor reveal any knowledge of such plans by officials in Washington in the past. “Russian security services continuously take all necessary measures to ensure public safety and the safety of those under state protection. First and foremost, the head of state,” he told reporters.
US officials have never acknowledged having plans to assassinate any Russian or Soviet leaders. However, Newsweek reported in September 2022 that US officials had considered the option of a “decapitation strike” if Russia used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, something Moscow has said it has no plans to do.
The Russian president has reportedly been the target of multiple assassination plots dating back to the early 2000s.
In 2012, the Russian and Ukrainian security services arrested a group of extremists in Odessa for allegedly preparing a bomb attack on Putin, who then served as prime minister. The incident came at a time when Moscow and Kiev enjoyed relatively friendly ties, prior to the Western-backed coup in Kiev.
The most recent known incident occurred in May 2023, after the start of the Ukraine conflict, when Moscow accused Kiev of launching a drone attack on the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Putin. According to Russian officials, the president was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack.
Source:rt.com
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Southeast Asia
Reconstruction Of Gaza: Malaysia To Build School, Hospital And Mosque - PM Anwar
29/01/2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will build a school, hospital and mosque as an initial effort to assist in the reconstruction of Gaza, Palestine, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the reconstruction would be jointly carried out in collaboration with the people and private sector. "This is a part of our efforts, the sacrifices of the communities and the people. MAnwar said the reconstruction of Gaza would involve joint efforts by the Japanese and Malaysian governments, which intend to establish and launch funds through the East Asia programme. On Jan 18, Anwar was reported to have said that the reconstruction of Gaza, which was almost entirely destroyed due to Israeli attacks since October 2023, is estimated to cost over US$1 trillion, He said that such a substantial amount is required because key facilities such as mosques, schools, hospitals and homes have been demolished. Anwar also said that Japan had invited Malaysia to co-chair the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD), focusing on Gaza's reconstruction. Meanwhile, Anwar posted on Facebook that the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza, following the atrocities that claimed more than 46,000 lives and left over two million Palestinians homeless, should be welcomed with plans for Gaza’s recovery. "Let us offer prayers and hopes that Allah SWT continues to provide protection for Gaza and Palestine as well as bless every effort and sacrifice we make in giving them new hope, Insya-Allah,” he said. Previously, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed AbdulrahmanJassim Al Thani, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that mediation efforts involving Qatar, Egypt and the United States succeeded in achieving a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as well as a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. The agreement, which came into effect on Jan 19, among others stipulates that Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees. -- BERNAMA
Source:bernama.com
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Miri landslide: Sarawak to bring KL experts for rescue effort if needed, Uggah says
29 Jan 2025
KUCHING, Jan 29 — The Sarawak government is currently assessing the need for expert assistance from Kuala Lumpur as the search-and-rescue operation continues at the site of the KampungLereng Bukit landslide in Miri today.
Sarawak Deputy Premier and State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman, Datuk Amar Douglas UggahEmbas, confirmed that the operation to locate missing victims is ongoing.
“We are evaluating the situation, and if necessary, we may call in experts from Kuala Lumpur.
“On behalf of the GPS government, I extend our deepest condolences to the victims who lost their lives in this tragedy,” he told reporters when met during the Sarawak-Level Chinese New Year Celebration 2025 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
At the time of writing, at least one person was killed while four others were missing after heavy rain triggered a landslide at KampungLereng Bukit in Miri early this morning.
Uggah acknowledged that landslides continue to pose a significant challenge in Sarawak, revealing that the state government spent over RM60 million last year on the repair of damaged roads, slopes, and bridges.
He urged residents living near hill slopes to remain vigilant and called on local councils to assess the safety of these areas.
Meanwhile, in response to ongoing floods across the state, 16 temporary evacuation centres (PPS) have been activated, including in Bintulu, Serian, Kuching, and Sibu.
Uggah noted that the flood situation this year was not as serious compared to previous years, with some flood-prone areas remaining unaffected due to completed mitigation projects.
Nonetheless, he cautioned residents in high-risk areas to stay on standby and evacuate when instructed by authorities.
“Our disaster response teams are in full force, ensuring that preparations and support services for evacuees are in place.
“I hope those in flood-prone areas will cooperate and evacuate when necessary to ensure their safety,” he said.
He added that all relevant agencies, including the police, Civil Defence Force (APM), Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), and the Welfare Department, have been on high alert for months to ensure that adequate food and resources are available for flood victims.
Regarding the need for additional funding, Uggah expressed confidence that Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari TunOpeng would continue to support disaster relief efforts.
“The Premier is always generous in situations where assistance is needed. Our priority is to ensure that our disaster response teams remain efficient and quick to act.
“With modern technology, we can now communicate instantly through WhatsApp groups dedicated to the State Disaster Management Committee and Public Works Department, allowing for faster coordination,” he said. — The Borneo Post
Source:malaymail.com
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Sabah MACC nabs former director of state govt agency over alleged RM110,000 in bribes
29 Jan 2025
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 29 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Sabah has detained a former director of a state government agency for allegedly soliciting and receiving bribes worth approximately RM110,000.
The suspect, a man in his 50s, was detained at 2.30 pm on Monday when he came to the MACC office in Kota Kinabalu to provide a statement.
A source revealed that the suspect allegedly demanded bribes last year from companies awarded supply contracts by his department, not only for himself but also for his subordinates.
The bribes reportedly included cash and goods including laptops, tablets, smartphones, gym equipment and car accessories.
Sabah MACC Director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrest, stating the case was being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
“The suspect will be released on MACC bail after his statement is recorded. All items linked to the case have been confiscated,” he said. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-muslims-lord-ram-devotees-up-cm/d/134470