‘Khula’ A Right But Court Must Process It, Not Muftis: Telangana HC Strikes Down Sharia Council Divorce
New Age Islam News Bureau
26 June 2025
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, Justice B.R. Madhusudhan Rao, Telangana High Court
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· ‘Khula’ A Right But Court Must Process It, Not Muftis: Telangana HC Strikes Down Sharia Council Divorce
· Delhi University To Drop Courses On Pakistan, China, Islam From MA Pol. Science
· Bengal School Ends 20-Year Practice Of Separate Meals For Hindus, Muslims
· No Evidence That Viral Video Shows Islamist Group Killing Christians In Nigeria
· Resistance Committees In Palestine Call For Global, Arab, Islamic Action To Stop Crime Of Genocide
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India
· 'No Provocative Slogans, Display Of Weapons': Yogi Adityanath's Directives For Kanwar Yatra, Muharram
· Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi Slams Police For Questioning Teenagers Over Anti-Israel Graffiti
· FIR Filed Against Karnataka BJP For Comparing Indira Gandhi To Hitler; Congress Protests
· Discussions should conclude soon: CM Omar Abdullah on J&K statehood demand
· Four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists trapped in J&K forest, gunfight on amid rain and fog
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Africa
· 17 Soldiers, Several Terrorists Killed In Fierce Gun Battle
· Uganda's Museveni breaks African silence on Israel-Iran war
· Heavy police presence in Nairobi ahead of anniversary protests
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Mideast
· Israeli Occupation installs fire alarms in Ibrahimi Mosque as Hebron Endowment warns of "illegal interference"
· Trump says US and Iranian officials will talk next week
· ‘It was obliterated’: Trump rejects doubts over Iran nuclear site attack
· Israel assassinates money changer, monitors others for allegedly transferring money to Hezbollah
· Qatari emir visits Joint Operations Command, briefed on Iranian missile interception
· Trump sees ‘progress’ on Gaza, raising hopes for ceasefire
· Israeli media says air force is working to intercept a drone launched from Yemen
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North America
· Socialist Zohran Mamdani On Track To Become NYC Mayor, Shocking US Establishment
· CAIR Condemns Racist Incident Targeting Nevada Latino Landscaper
· CAIR Welcomes Congressional Letter Calling for Action Against Uyghur Forced Labour
· CAIR Calls Trump’s ‘Went to a Mosque, Gonna Throw Some Rocks’ Video Anti-Muslim and Anti-Iranian Incitement
· Muslim Child Killed in Anti-Palestinian Hate Crime
· CIA director says Iran's nuclear sites 'severely damaged'
· Trump says Netanyahu’s corruption trial should be ‘cancelled’
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Europe
· Volunteer Mosque Worker 'Encouraged' Far-Right Violence As Riots Swept Hanley
· Beeston unites to restore Al-Madina Mosque in inspiring community clean up
· Green light for mosque at former Blackburn nursery despite concerns
· Mosque plans for Abergavenny to go ahead following Cabinet review
· Man arrested for racial offence after rats released near mosque
· Azerbaijani Delegation Meets With Reps Of Various Religious Denominations In Germany
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South Asia
· Islamic Values Essential For Overcoming Societal Issues And Achieving Prosperity: Maldives President
· EU Envoy Hopes For Restoration Of Democracy In Bangladesh: Khosru
· Funding cuts deepen education crisis for Rohingya children in Bangladesh: HRW
· Hefazat demands justice for Shapla Chattar, July killings ahead of polls
· Hanafi seeking strong relations with Turkiye
· UNODC: 27,000 at high-risk drug use in Afghanistan, including women and children under 15
· More than 30,000 Afghan refugees returned from Iran in one day
· Over 100 Afghan migrants released from Pakistani jail
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Arab World
· Saudi Students’ Experiments Launched To International Space Station
· Saudi UN envoy demands global action to protect children in conflict zones, condemns Gaza violence
· Franco-Saudi Music Week Unites Cultures In Jeddah
· Muharram begins on Thursday: Saudi Supreme Court
· Henry Jackson Society hosts talks with secretary-general of the Muslim World League in London
· Head of Iran’s Hajj organization commends Saudi Arabia for quality services
· New climate study to shield the Two Holy Mosques from extreme weather
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Southeast Asia
· Malaysia Boosts Islamic NGO Empowerment In Southeast Asia
· ‘Do you want a dictator?’: Anwar defends judiciary’s independence, disagrees with ‘some’ DNAA rulings
· AGC appeals Syed Saddiq’s acquittal, seeks Federal Court review on Armada funds case
· KLIA Customs thwart RM5.56m cannabis smuggling, seize 56.81kg of drugs
· PAS distances itself from leader’s racial remarks on landmark promotion of Chinese lieutenant-general
· Sultan Mizan graces groundbreaking of UiTM Bukit Besi Mosque
· Kota MADANI smart city model for Malaysia urban development
· National-level Maal Hijrah celebration to take place at MITEC this Friday
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/khula-sharia-council-divorce-muftis-telangana/d/135996
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‘Khula’ A Right But Court Must Process It, Not Muftis: Telangana HC Strikes Down Sharia Council Divorce
Jun 26, 2025
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, Justice B.R. Madhusudhan Rao, Telangana High Court
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HYDERABAD: In a significant ruling, Telangana high court has clarified that 'khula' - a form of divorce initiated by Muslim women under Islamic law - is a legitimate right, but must be legally processed only through courts, and not by religious bodies. This ensures legal clarity and enforceability of the divorce, the HC said.
A division bench comprising justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and B R Madhusudhan Rao on Tuesday upheld a family court's Feb 2024 ruling in a case where a homemaker had obtained 'khula' from her husband, a businessman. The HC ruled that while 'khula' was indeed a recognised form of divorce under Muslim personal law, religious bodies such as a mufti or sharia council could not issue binding divorce certificates. Only courts, or a qazi officially appointed under the law, had the legal power to declare the end of a marriage, it said.
The HC ruling comes close on the heels of a Supreme Court judgment in April this year, which reaffirmed that while a Muslim woman had the right to seek 'khula', it was ultimately the courts, specifically family courts, that had the authority to grant or validate the divorce. The apex court also clarified that while a wife could initiate the process of 'khula', the husband could challenge it in court.
In the present case, the husband had challenged the 'khulanama' (divorce certificate) obtained by his wife, arguing that it was granted by a religious body, Sada-e-Haq Sharai Council, which he claimed had no legal authority. The family court, however, upheld divorce, noting proper legal procedures had been followed. The husband filed an appeal against the verdict, but the HC dismissed it.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/khula-a-right-but-only-courts-can-issue-it-telangana-high-court/articleshow/122081533.cms
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Delhi University To Drop Courses On Pakistan, China, Islam From MA Pol. Science
26 June 2025
Delhi University | Photo: PTI
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Delhi University (DU) is facing backlash from faculty members over a proposed revision to its MA Political Science syllabus that may see the removal of key courses related to Pakistan, China, Islam, and political violence.
Courses such as ‘Pakistan and the World’, ‘China’s Role in the Contemporary World’, ‘Islam and International Relations’, ‘Pakistan: State and Society’, and ‘Religious Nationalism and Political Violence’ are reportedly set to be dropped or replaced, sparking criticism from academics who argue that these topics are vital to understanding contemporary geopolitics.
The proposed changes come in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. University Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh told ANI that department heads were instructed to remove any perceived "unnecessary glorification" of Pakistan from academic materials.
Faculty Pushes Back Over Academic Freedom
The move has drawn strong criticism from within the university. Dr. Monami Sinha, a member of DU’s Standing Committee on Academic Matters, warned that removing these subjects could seriously undermine students’ understanding of key geopolitical players, according to HT.
"It is imperative to study Pakistan in detail. Pedagogically, we need to foster scholarship on Pakistan, as it remains one of India's persistent foreign policy concerns," Dr. Sinha said, adding that China’s growing role in the Global South also demands thorough academic attention.
Abha Dev, Secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), condemned the proposed syllabus revisions, calling them a threat to academic autonomy. “These forced changes are retrograde and politically motivated. The dumbing down of courses based on ideology, rather than scholarly inquiry, will hurt academic standards and students’ critical understanding,” she said to HT.
While DU administration maintains that the revisions are in line with national priorities and academic "rationalization," faculty members argue that such decisions should stem from scholarly debate, not political pressure.
Source: outlookindia.com
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https://www.outlookindia.com/national/du-to-drop-courses-on-pakistan-china-islam-from-ma-pol-science-draws-flak
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Bengal school ends 20-year practice of separate meals for Hindus, Muslims
Jun 25, 2025
The incident has been happening at Kishoriganj Manmohanpur Primary School for several years
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At a government-run school in West Bengal, all the students had the same midday meal together for the first time in two decades on Wednesday.
The reason? An outcry over a years-long practice where separate meals were being cooked and served to students of different religions.
The two-decade-long practice of separate midday meals for Hindu and Muslim students ended on Wednesday following widespread outrage and media scrutiny. The incident happened at Kishoriganj Manmohanpur Primary School in the Nadan Ghat area of Purba Bardhaman district.
As the practice triggered an outcry, the school authorities convened a meeting with the parents of the students this week. During the meeting, the teachers and the parents unanimously agreed to end the discriminatory practice.
The teachers said the practice would not be allowed to continue under any circumstances.
Even though the practice has been going on for several years, the students attend classes together and sit on the same benches.
While Hindu students were served food cooked by a Hindu cook, Muslim students were given meals prepared by a person of their community. Separate sets of plates, bowls, spoons, as well as different gas stoves and ovens, were used for the two groups.
Previously, the headmaster of the school expressed his helplessness.
"I also don't want this issue. It has doubled our expenditure. I want to improve the school further. I want to feed the children well. But I have nothing to do here. I have no authority to change the existing practice," he told India Today.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/west-bengal/story/west-bengal-school-separate-midday-meals-hindu-muslim-students-controversy-2746038-2025-06-25
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No evidence that viral video shows Islamist group killing Christians in Nigeria
26 June 2025
A video doing the rounds on social media in Nigeria shows a large crowd running away from a house while gunshots can be heard in the background.
The video is captioned: “TERRIFYING: Christians are being hunted like animals in Nigeria. An Islamist group invaded a Christian village and started shooting everyone in sight. They are killing Christians on Eid and offering them as human sacrifices.”
Nigeria faces a persistent threat from Islamist groups, primarily Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
Iswap was blamed for the June 2022 attack on the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state where gunmen opened fire on worshippers, killing at least 40 people.
Over the years, Boko Haram has also been blamed for attacks on churches and mosques.
Eid al-Adha means “festival of the sacrifice” and is a religious holiday that marks the end of the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca for Muslims. In 2025, the holiday was on 6 June, the same day the circulating video was taken, according to the posts.
The same claim was found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But does the video show an Islamist group attacking a “Christian village” on 6 June? We checked.
No truth to the claim
Africa Check broke the video into keyframes and ran them through a Google reverse image search. This led us to several instances where the video was posted with the claim that the incident took place in the northern state of Plateau a few days before 6 June.
One Instagram post, dated 7 June, claimed that the attack took place in the Bassa local government area of Plateau a few days earlier. The post said the video showed a vigilante group opening fire on unarmed citizens who were protesting against killings in their communities allegedly perpetrated by Fulani militias.
The Fulani are a widely dispersed group of mainly Muslim cattle herders scattered across West Africa. In Nigeria, Fulani have been accused of attacking communities, kidnapping, robbery and murder. But some Fulani communities, in turn, accuse the media of stereotyping them.
We found two Facebook posts with the same video that corroborated the claim in the Instagram post and said it was taken on 4 June.
A youth leader in the Irigwe community in Plateau state, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, confirmed the incident to the media but said it occurred on 3 June.
In recent years, the Irigwe community has been plagued with insecurity, deadly attacks, widespread displacement and property destruction.
While this may not be enough proof that the video is from an incident in Plateau state, it does prove that the video doesn’t show Christians being killed by an Islamist group on Eid al-Adha on 6 June.
The same video was here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
Source: africacheck.org
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/meta-programme-fact-checks/no-evidence-viral-video-shows-islamist-group-killing
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Resistance committees in Palestine call for global, Arab, Islamic action to stop crime of genocide
25 Jun 2025
The Resistance Committees in Palestine called on Wednesday for a global, Arab, and Islamic popular action from all free people in this complacent world to stop the crime of genocide and starvation, lift the siege on the Palestinian people, and resume the entry of humanitarian and relief aid through United Nations agencies to the Gaza Strip.
The committees said in a press statement "The Nazi Zionist enemy is committing massacres, slaughters, and deliberate and systematic murders against our people waiting for aid near the Zionist-American control points. The number of martyrs among our starving people has reached more than 500 since the opening of these centers, which are now being used as traps, snares, and ambushes to kill more innocent people."
They added that the systematic crimes and massacres against those waiting for aid are being committed by Nazi Zionists, with American approval, cover, and participation, amid international hypocrisy and Arab silence that only knows how to condemn, denounce, and denounce, without taking effective action to stop the Zionist holocaust in Gaza.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3505925.htm
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India
'No Provocative Slogans, Display Of Weapons': Yogi Adityanath's Directives For Kanwar Yatra, Muharram
26.06.25
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials to ensure robust law and order, communal harmony, and appropriate public amenities during the upcoming festivals in Uttar Pradesh.
The meeting involved extensive discussions with all police commissioners, divisional commissioners, district magistrates, and senior superintendents of police across the state.
The chief minister issued clear instructions that all religious events must be conducted with devotion, safety, and social harmony, and the administrative machinery must work with full sensitivity and alertness.
Adityanath noted that the sacred Hindu month of Shravan will be observed from July 11 to August 9, during which traditional Kanwar Yatra, Shravani Shivratri, Nag Panchami, and Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated. Additionally, Jagannath Rath Yatra is expected between June 27 and July 8, and Muharram between June 27 and July 7.
"This entire period is highly sensitive in terms of law and order, healthcare, sanitation, education, and disaster management. Hence, all related departments and district administrations must work with coordination and accountability," Adityanath said, according to an official statement.
The chief minister gave special directives for the peaceful and dignified conduct of the Kanwar Yatra, describing it as a symbol of faith, discipline, and enthusiasm.
"Districts bordering Uttarakhand, as well as Ghaziabad, Meerut, Bareilly, Ayodhya, Prayagraj, Kashi, Barabanki, and Basti, must exercise special vigilance. Inter-state coordination must be maintained at all times.
"The sound levels of DJs, drums, and music along the yatra route must strictly follow prescribed norms. Loud and jarring sounds, provocative slogans, and route deviations from tradition will not be acceptable under any circumstances. The height of DJs used in tazia, rath, or kanwar processions must also remain within specified limits," he said.
The chief minister firmly stated that cutting down trees, removing slums, or displacing poor people for any procession is "completely unacceptable".
He further emphasised that "display of weapons" and "politicisation of religious symbols" during religious events are disruptive to communal harmony and must be strictly prohibited.
"Entry of prohibited animals along the procession routes should be restricted. Social media should be closely monitored, and drone surveillance should be ensured wherever necessary. Prompt rebuttals and dissemination of accurate information must be carried out to counter fake news and rumours," Adityanath said.
As the Kanwar Yatra sees participation in large numbers, with potential threats of miscreants blending in under disguise, the chief minister directed all districts to stay alert.
At the level of police stations, circles, and outposts, local administration must stay in constant dialogue with kanwar associations and conduct prior assessments of all arrangements, he said.
Adityanath reiterated that while the religious sentiments of devotees are of utmost importance, no mischief-maker should be allowed any opportunity.
Prioritising pilgrims' convenience, Adityanath instructed that non-vegetarian food or similar items should not be sold in the open along the kanwar routes. Cleanliness, sanitation, street lighting, drinking water, toilets, and basic medical facilities must be ensured on the yatra paths, he added.
Damaged electric poles and hanging wires must be immediately repaired, he said. Organisations setting up camps must be verified, and public convenience centres must be operated with their cooperation, he said, according to the statement.
Every Monday during Shravan, large crowds of devotees gather at Shiva temples across the state. The Panchayati Raj and Urban Development Departments have been instructed to ensure cleanliness, drainage, and traffic management in and around temples in villages, towns, and cities in advance. The ban on plastic must also be strictly enforced, Adityanath said.
To curb overcharging of food items along the kanwar routes, prices must be fixed, and each vendor must display their name, as done in previous years, he said.
The chief minister expressed concern over complaints of overpricing of fertilisers as well, and directed district magistrates to conduct surprise inspections and take the strictest action against violators.
Regarding Muharram, the chief minister issued clear instructions that all necessary preparations must be made in advance, learning from incidents of previous years. Events should be conducted peacefully on traditional routes in coordination with peace committees and organising bodies, he said.
The chief minister also addressed the sensitive issue of conspiracies to incite caste-based conflict and stated unequivocally that certain disruptive elements have recently attempted to spread caste hatred in the state.
"Incidents in Kaushambi, Etawah, and Auraiya are proof of this," he said. Issuing a stern warning, he asserted, "Such malicious attempts are against the interests of the state and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. These conspiracies must be exposed immediately, the culprits publicly identified, and the strictest action taken against them." He directed the administration to act swiftly and within the law, without waiting for specific instructions from the government.
On the matter of grievance redressal, Adityanath reviewed applications received via the CM Helpline and the IGRS portal, and noted that the performance of some districts was not satisfactory and warned them to improve their functioning or be prepared to face accountability.
The chief minister also mentioned the 'School Pairing Policy', stating that in the interest of teachers, students, and parents, certain Basic Education Council schools are being paired.
This process must be transparent, inclusive, and aligned with local needs. The DMs must ensure that this is implemented smoothly and effectively, he said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/no-provocative-slogans-display-of-weapons-yogi-adityanaths-directives-for-kanwar-yatra-muharram/cid/2109926
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Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi slams police for questioning teenagers over anti-Israel graffiti
Muzaffar Raina
26.06.25
Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Wednesday rallied in support of three teenage girls who were questioned and counselled by police for their purported anti-Israel actions, saying it is not the girls who needed such schooling but those who were trying to “suppress” them.
On Tuesday, the police said they received information about graffiti resembling a foreign flag (Israel) painted on the road outside the main entrance of Imambara Zadibal.
“Acting swiftly, a police team reached the location and ensured immediate removal of the graffiti to maintain communal harmony and public order,” a statement said.
The probe later found the involvement of three local teenage girls. “Given their age and the sensitivity of the act, their parents were called to the police station and the minors were counselled in their presence,” a spokesman said.
“They were sensitised about the implications of such actions and the need to uphold communal harmony and responsible civic behaviour,” he added.
Mehdi wrote on X: “When teenage girls protest a genocide, they don’t need counselling, those stopping them need it. The only communal harmony being disrupted here is ours, us Kashmiris....”
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/srinagar-mp-aga-ruhullah-mehdi-slams-police-for-questioning-teenagers-over-anti-israel-graffiti-prnt/cid/2109824
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FIR Filed Against Karnataka BJP For Comparing Indira Gandhi To Hitler; Congress Protests
Jun 26, 2025
NEW DELHI: An FIR has been filed against the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party after a controversial post that allegedly drew parallels between former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Adolf Hitler, PTI confirmed on Thursday.
The case stems from a complaint filed by KPCC general secretary S Manohar at High Grounds police station on June 25, according to police officials.
Manohar's complaint stated that BJP's official 'X' account (@BJP4Karnataka) posted content at 3:54 pm on Wednesday with the caption "INDIRA NOT EQUALS INDIA, INDIRA = HITLER", alongside a 38-second video about the Emergency period in India.
The complainant noted that the post, which was subsequently removed, contained a graphic where Indira Gandhi's image was altered to appear similar to Hitler.
The complainant asserted that the content was defamatory towards the former prime minister and was intended to provoke societal unrest and create discord between religious and community groups.
"Based on the complaint received, we have registered a case under sections 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway," a senior police officer said.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/controversial-post-fir-filed-against-karnataka-bjp-for-comparing-indira-gandhi-to-hitler-congress-protests/articleshow/122088317.cms
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Discussions should conclude soon: CM Omar Abdullah on J&K statehood demand
26 Jun 2025
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that discussions on restoring statehood to the Union Territory should be concluded soon so that people can get what they have been demanding.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a special national integration camp organised by the Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh NCC Directorate here, Abdullah also lauded the sanctioning of several projects for the Union Territory.
"Let there be discussions, it is a good thing. But we would want the discussions to conclude soon and that we get what we are demanding," he said.
Welcoming the sanctioning of several projects for Jammu and Kashmir, including tunnels, costing Rs 10,600 crore, the chief minister said these projects will give a huge boost to the Union Territory.
"There was a demand for a Mughal Road tunnel for long, since the road was completed in 2008-09. People wanted the road to remain open throughout the year. Similarly, there was a long-pending demand for a tunnel on the Sadhna pass to connect Tangdhar that has been approved. Many other projects have been approved," the chief minister said, adding that Rs 10,600 crore is not a nominal amount.
"Now, we will have to try for some more tunnels, like in Gurez, which have been left out," he said.
The National Conference leader said the youngsters who associate themselves with the National Cadet Corps (NCC) benefit immensely.
"It inculcates discipline, self-awareness, self-confidence and patriotism, as well as develop some relationships that benefit them lifelong," he said.
Abdullah said these youngsters can achieve a lot in their young age.
"Ten NCC cadets scaled the highest mountain peak in the world, two of them were from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- a boy from the Kathua area of Jammu and a girl from Ladakh. This is a huge achievement. Sitting atop the highest mountain peak in the world at the age of 18 shows the discipline and self-confidence they acquire after joining the NCC," he said.
"I want more youngsters to join the NCC. I hope they enjoy their time here and when they return home, they tell their friends, neighbours and relatives to visit Kashmir on vacations," the chief minister said.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Jun/26/discussions-should-conclude-soon-cm-omar-abdullah-on-jk-statehood-demand
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Four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists trapped in J&K forest, gunfight on amid rain and fog
26.06.25
Four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists being tracked for a year are trapped in a forested area in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district with security forces attempting to neutralise them in rain and fog, officials said on Thursday.
The encounter broke out when a joint search party of the army and police launched a search operation, based on a specific intelligence, in remote Bihali area of Basantgarh in the district this morning. Reinforcements have been rushed in and a massive search operation is going on despite bad weather.
“Contact was established with the terrorists around 8.30 am... they are believed to be four in number and we have been tracking (this group) for the last one year,” Inspector General of Police, Jammu range, Bhim Sen Tuti told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He said a search operation was going on despite foggy conditions and the real picture would emerge once the weather improves.
Officials added that the trapped terrorists are members of the Pakistan-based JeM and were found hiding near Karoor nallah by the joint search party led by the army’s para commandos.
Earlier in the morning, Jammu-based White Knight Corps of Army said in a post on X, “Based on specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by Indian Army and J&K Police in the Bihali area of Basantgarh. Contact has been established with terrorists. The operation is currently in progress.” The operation, codenamed Operation Bihali, comes a week ahead of the start of the annual Amarnath yatra in the Kashmir Himalayas.
Besides, security forces conducted a search operation in Purmandal area of Samba district late Wednesday night following reports of suspicious activity. However, the operation concluded peacefully after nothing was found on the ground, officials said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/four-jaish-e-mohammad-terrorists-trapped-in-jk-forest-encounter-on-amid-rain-and-fog/cid/2109934
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Africa
17 Soldiers, Several Terrorists Killed In Fierce Gun Battle
June 25, 2025
By Oladipo Abiola
The Nigerian Army has confirmed a fierce battle between its troops and some terrorists in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, troops foiled a deadly attack by terrorists in Niger State and engaged the criminals in a fierce battle.
Anele said the encounter occurred on Tuesday in the Bangi community, Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.
He explained that the terrorists had attempted a night-time transit towards Kwatankoro forest, but their movement and actions were effectively disrupted by troops who engaged them in a fierce firefight that lasted over three hours.
The Army statement disclosed that, unfortunately, seventeen soldiers lost their lives during the encounter, while ten others sustained various degrees of injury and are currently receiving treatment in a medical facility.
Naija News reports that, according to the statement, the troops also inflicted heavy casualties on the terrorists, though the exact number of terrorists killed could not be ascertained.
“In a deliberate joint operation, troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Air Component of the Nigerian Air Force, successfully thwarted an attempted incursion by terrorists into Bangi community in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State on 24 June 2025.
“The operation, which was based on credible intelligence, led to troops engaging about 300 armed bandits in Kwanar Dutse Forest. The criminals had attempted a night-time transit towards Kwatankoro Forest, where they were reportedly planning coordinated attacks on surrounding communities or looking for a safe haven to evade the pressure from our operations in Zamfara State. However, their movement and actions were effectively disrupted by troops who engaged them in a fierce firefight that lasted over three hours.
“Sequel to the ground engagement by the Nigerian Army troops, the Nigerian Air Force conducted precision airstrikes on the terrorists’ withdrawal routes, delivering accurate heavy bombardments on identified terrorists’ locations. Although the exact number of casualties could not be ascertained, multiple blood trails along their escape routes presumably indicate significant enemy losses. Further operation is ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the damage inflicted on the terrorists.
“Regrettably, seventeen brave and gallant soldiers paid the supreme price during the encounter, while ten others sustained varying degrees of injury. The wounded personnel have been evacuated to a military medical facility, where they are receiving treatment and are in stable condition,” the statement said.
The acting Army spokesperson conveyed the condolences of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Oluwafemi Oluyede, to the families of the lost soldiers.
He assured the resolve of the Nigerian Military and all other security agencies in the country to end all forms of insecurity in Nigeria.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Oluwafemi Oluyede, has extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our great country, Nigeria. The Chief of Army Staff also directed the military medical teams to ensure the best possible care for the injured troops. The relevant Nigerian Army departments have also been tasked to engage with the families of all our gallant warriors who have undoubtedly performed their duty, most admirably.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in its mission to secure all communities and protect the lives and property of all our citizens across the nation. The sanctity of our freedom shall not be mortgaged and the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, other security agencies and of course, the great people of our nation will continue to work tirelessly to see an end to terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality plaguing our society.
“Members of the public are hereby encouraged to continue to support the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts by providing timely information to security agencies by any means possible,” the statement concluded.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/06/25/17-soldiers-several-terrorists-killed-in-fierce-gun-battle/
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Uganda's Museveni breaks African silence on Israel-Iran war
June 26, 2025
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has publicly blamed Iran, Israel, and Western powers for fueling the Israel-Iran conflict, outlining his position in a five-page letter released Tuesday, June 24, as diplomatic tensions continue to rise.
Museveni, who also chairs the influential Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), is one of the first African leaders to comment publicly on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East since Israel first launched a missile strike on Iranian military targets on June 12th.
Responding to an alleged criticism by the Iranian Ambassador to Uganda concerning the President's silence on the conflict, Museveni took to X to share the lengthy letter addressing the situation.
”In our long history of resistance, we abhor chauvinism of identity (race, tribe, religion, etc) or gender (looking down upon women) […] With that outlook, we have noticed and told most of the concerned actors, the following mistake – makers”, Museveni said.
In the letter, the President names four actors that he claims are responsible for the conflict.
Both Iran and Israel are among the listed perpetrators. Museveni said Iran had failed to recognise Israel, and blamed Israel for refusing to implement the two-state solution.
Museveni also said ”Western Imperialists” – particularly the U.S Central Intelligence Agency - were responsible for the overthrow of Iran’s former leader Mohammad Mosaddegh, leading to the establishment of Iran’s current theocratic government:
”It is them that created that huge resentment that produced these clerics who have their own mistaken positions”, he said.
Lastly, Museveni urged foreign ”interventionists” to draw back the use of force in the Middle East, arguing that military involvement only provokes further escalation.
As the 2024-2027 Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Museveni’s comments carry substantial weight. The NAM organisation has 121 members, including all African states apart from Sudan, and has historically upheld neutrality in conflicts involving superpowers like the U.S and Russia.
Source: africanews.com
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Heavy police presence in Nairobi ahead of anniversary protests
June 25, 2025
A heavy police presence in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday, ahead of protests planned to mark the anniversary of last year’s anti-tax demonstrations that left 60 people dead and 20 still missing.
Police in riot gear barricaded parliament and the Prime Minister's office and deployed what appeared to be tear gas.
They are hoping to avoid the same violent scenes that last year saw demonstrators storm parliament and burn part of the building as lawmakers fled. Watchdogs say police had opened fire on the protestors and the military was deployed.
Young Kenyans have used social media to plan Wednesday's protests in remembrance of those who died last year. Businesses in the capital remained closed, despite a government spokesman saying it would be a normal working day.
The government spokesperson, Isaac Mwaura, on Monday said there would be no protests, and that Wednesday was a “normal working day.”
But businesses in Nairobi on Wednesday remained closed and police limited the movement of vehicles into the central business district. Hundreds of Kenyans were on the streets early in the morning, chanting anti-government slogans as police hurled tear gas cannisters at some of the crowds.
Public anger
Kenyan youth are still angry with the current administration, due to corruption, the rising cost of living and police brutality. The recent death of a blogger in police custody and the close-range shooting of a civilian during the protests that followed have only exacerbated public anger.
Wangechi Kahuria, the executive director for the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, an NGO that tracked the killings during protests, said that Kenyans should be “allowed to mourn and go back home.”
Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja on Tuesday said no unauthorized persons would be allowed inside protected zones such as Parliament and the statehouse.
Local media on Wednesday published the names and photos of some of those who died during last year’s protests. The headline in a major newspaper, The Standard, read “A luta Continua," which means “The struggle continues” in Portuguese and was the slogan of rebels during Mozambique's struggle for independence from colonial rule.
Political analyst Herman Manyora called the protesters “heroes” who paid the ultimate price and should be remembered.
“The authorities should work with the demonstrators to ensure a good commemoration,” he said.
Manyora, however, warned that the protesters remain unhappy with the authorities because the “government has been intransigent and has hardened the resolve of the young people to keep fighting.”
'Incompetence and corruption'
During last year’s protests, President Ruto dissolved the Cabinet that had been accused of incompetence and corruption but maintained most of his previous ministers in his new Cabinet despite concerns.
A finance bill proposing high taxes that had been passed by Parliament was withdrawn, but later in the year, more taxes were introduced through legislative amendments.
President Ruto appointed opposition party members to the Cabinet last year and in March he signed a political pact with his election rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2025/06/25/heavy-police-presence-in-nairobi-ahead-of-anniversary-protests/
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Mideast
Israeli Occupation installs fire alarms in Ibrahimi Mosque as Hebron Endowment warns of "illegal interference"
25 Jun 2025
Israeli occupation authorities have installed fire alarm systems inside the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, exploiting a 12-day security closure—a move condemned by the Hebron Endowment as an "unlawful violation" of its jurisdiction.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the General Administration of the Hebron Endowment, affiliated with the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, said: "The Israeli authorities installed fire alarms throughout the Ibrahimi Mosque compound, taking advantage of the closure imposed under the pretext of security concerns."
The administration deemed this measure "a blatant violation and illegal interference in the authority of the Ministry of Awqaf, the sole entity responsible for managing the mosque," according to the Anadolu Agency.
The Hebron Endowment emphasized that this step "comes amid ongoing Israeli obstruction of the Palestinian firefighting system project, following their recent unjustified locking of electrical control panels."
On June 11, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf reported that Israeli occupation forces had padlocked electrical panels inside the Ibrahimi Mosque, risking power cuts to vital lighting systems.
The endowment called for urgent intervention to halt these repeated violations against the Ibrahimi Mosque, which reopened earlier today after a 12-day closure citing "security reasons."
Located in the old city of Hebron—under full Israeli control—the Ibrahimi Mosque is surrounded by roughly 400 Zionist settlers guarded by some 1,500 Israeli occupation soldiers.
In 1994, Israel divided the mosque, allocating 63% for Jewish worship and 37% for Muslims, following a massacre by a Jewish settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshippers. The Jewish section includes the prayer hall.
Source: saba.ye
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Trump says US and Iranian officials will talk next week
June 25, 2025
THE HAGUE, Netherlands: US President Donald Trump asserted on Wednesday that US and Iranian officials will talk next week, giving rise to cautious hope for longer-term peace even as Tehran insisted it will not give up its nuclear program.
Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire that took hold Tuesday on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a NATO summit that he wasn’t particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that US strikes had destroyed its nuclear program. Earlier in the day, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack.
“We may sign an agreement, I don’t know,” Trump said. “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done.”
Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries. A sixth round of negotiations between the US and Iran had been scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was canceled when Israel attacked Iran.
Earlier, Trump said the ceasefire was going “very well,” and added that Iran was “not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich.”
Iran has insisted, however, that it will not give up its nuclear program. In a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, its parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN watchdog that has monitored the program for years.
Ahead of the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticized the IAEA for having “refused to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities” that the US carried out on Sunday.
“For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace,” Qalibaf told lawmakers.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he had written to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities. Among other things, Iran claims to have moved its highly enriched uranium ahead of the US strikes, and Grossi said his inspectors need to re-assess the country’s stockpiles.
“We need to return,” he said. “We need to engage.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country was part of the 2015 deal with Iran that restricted its nuclear program but began unraveling after Trump pulled the US out in his first term, said he hoped Tehran would come back to the table.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program was peaceful, and US intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons, which it has never acknowledged.
The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said its assessment was that the US and Israeli strikes have “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.” It did not give evidence to back up its claim.
The US strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said “completely and fully obliterated” the country’s nuclear program. When asked about a US intelligence report that found Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months, Trump scoffed and said it would at least take “years” to rebuild.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that the strikes by US B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had caused significant damage.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” he told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, while refusing to go into detail.
He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, noting that the bill before parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. He also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program.
“Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances,” he said.
Witkoff said on Fox News late on Tuesday that Israel and the US had achieved their objective of “the total destruction of the enrichment capacity” in Iran, and Iran’s prerequisite for talks — that Israel end its campaign — had been fulfilled.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “No one’s shooting at each other. It’s over.”
Source: arabnews.com
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‘It was obliterated’: Trump rejects doubts over Iran nuclear site attack
AGENCIES
June 25, 2025
THE HAGUE: President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed doubts about the damage caused to Iran’s nuclear program by US bomb strikes, and insisted that Tehran’s uranium enrichment facilities had been “completely and fully obliterated.”
Trump also said he believed the war between Iran and Israel was finished, as both sides were keen to end the fight. “I dealt with both and they’re both tired, exhausted,” he said.
Questions over the effectiveness of the strikes on Iran’s underground nuclear plant at Fordow emerged after a leaked preliminary US intelligence assessment, widely reported in US media, suggested that they had inflicted a marginal and temporary setback.
“This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop,” Trump said. “They’re not going to be building bombs for a long time,” he said, and the strikes had set the program back by “decades.”
He also rejected suggestions that before the strikes Iran had moved its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, which can be developed into fuel for a nuclear bomb.
Trump said the US had not given up its maximum pressure on Iran, but signaled a potential easing of restrictions on selling Iranian oil to China to help the country rebuild.
“They’re going to need money to put that country back into shape. We want to see that happen,” he said, a day after suggesting that China could continue to purchase Iranian oil. Talks with Iran were planned for next week, he said. “We may sign an agreement. I don’t know.”
The president was speaking at a NATO summit in The Hague, at which national leaders committed to spending 5 percent of their GDP on defense by 2035. The move follows years of complaints by Trump that the US pays a disproportionate amount to support the alliance.
He said: “We had a great victory here,” and he hoped the additional funds would be spent on military hardware made in the US.
The new spending target is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of GDP, although it will be measured differently.
Countries pledged to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense such as troops and weapons, and 1.5 percent on broader defense-related measures such as cybersecurity, protecting pipelines and adapting roads and bridges to handle heavy military vehicles.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel assassinates money changer, monitors others for allegedly transferring money to Hezbollah
NAJIA HOUSSARI
June 25, 2025
BEIRUT: The Israeli army on Wednesday claimed that Lebanese Haytham Abdullah Bakri, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in the town of Kfar Dajjal in the Nabatiyeh governorate in southern Lebanon, was “the head of a currency exchange who operated with Hezbollah to transfer funds for Hezbollah terrorist activities.”
In a social media post, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said: “The ‘Al-Sadiq’ Currency Exchange, managed by Bakri, serves as a funds storage and transfer mechanism for Hezbollah, for funds originating from the Iranian Quds Force.”
Adraee also posted photos of five other exchange centers in Lebanon that he accused of being companies that also finance Hezbollah, in what appeared to be a threat that they could be targeted similarly to Bakri.
The documented establishments include Al-Insaf Exchange under the management of Ali Hassan Shamas, and a currency house operated by Hassan Mohammed Hussein Ayyash.
The intelligence imagery also shows Yara Exchange, run by Mohammed Badr Barbir, alongside another operation managed by Ramez Mektef. Additionally, surveillance targeted Maliha Exchange, which operates under Hussein Shaheen’s management.
The post displayed photographs of these shops pinpointed on a map stretching from Beirut to Chtoura in the Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Adraee said that “these funds are used for military purposes including purchasing weapons, manufacturing means, and providing salaries to operatives, and are diverted for terrorist purposes and to finance the continuation of Hezbollah's terrorist activities.”
The Israeli forces announced the killing of Behnam Shahriari in Iran last weekend, identifying him as the head of Quds Force Unit 190 responsible for channeling hundreds of millions of dollars every year to Iranian proxy organizations. Israeli officials claim Shahriari oversaw sophisticated money transfer operations that funneled Quds Force resources to Hezbollah through a network of currency exchange firms spanning Turkey, Iraq, the UAE, and Lebanon. The killings of Shahriari and Bakri allegedly disrupted critical Iranian financing channels to the Lebanese militant group.
Dr. Louis Hobeika, an economic analyst, said to Arab News that Lebanon’s Central Bank monitors all international transfers, automatically freezing transactions above $10,000 to verify their purpose, origin, and destination.
“Money exchange operators in Lebanon operate under regulatory oversight without special exemptions based on transaction volume,” Hobeika said. “Yet Lebanon harbors financial channels that evade state monitoring and control. Legal and illegal operations sometimes blur together — a pattern visible beyond banking, including customs enforcement where contraband interdiction remains incomplete pending better scanning technology.”
Hobeika described Lebanon’s Syrian frontier as equally challenging, noting that financial flows previously moved through coordinated arrangements under Bashar Al-Assad’s government but now rely on individual smuggling operations.
Israel has repeatedly targeted Hezbollah’s Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial network, which it accuses of bankrolling the organization’s activities. During last year’s Israel-Hezbollah confrontations before November, Israeli airstrikes hit several branches of the institution, which operates a parallel banking system outside Lebanon’s regulated financial sector.
The Lebanese Ministry of Interior and Municipalities officially licensed the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association in 1987, describing its objective as “assisting individuals by providing short-term loans to help address certain social challenges.”
Following the ceasefire agreement reached at the end of November, the Israeli army placed Beirut International Airport under surveillance, blocking an Iranian plane from landing to “prevent the transfer of funds and weapons to Hezbollah.”
This measure coincided with a period in which Hezbollah faced a severe economic crisis, struggling to secure the funds needed to pay its members’ salaries and to provide shelter for thousands of families displaced by Israel’s systematic destruction of villages along the southern border, as well as hundreds of residential buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
In February, Hezbollah called on the government to “revoke its decision to prevent (the) Iranian plane from landing at Beirut Airport and to take serious measures to stop the Israeli enemy from imposing its orders and violating national sovereignty.”
Iran is estimated to provide Hezbollah with up to $700 million a year, according to a US State Department report issued in 2022.
In a 2016 speech, the former secretary-general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah, said: “Our budget, salaries, expenses, food, water, weapons, and missiles are provided by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He also confirmed in a 2021 speech that Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association has provided $3.7 billion in loans to 1.8 million people in Lebanon since its founding in the 1980s, with approximately 300,000 individuals obtaining loans during that period.
In May, the US State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hezbollah’s financial networks operating in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
Source: arabnews.com
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Qatari emir visits Joint Operations Command, briefed on Iranian missile interception
June 25, 2025
LONDON: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited the Joint Operations Command of the armed forces in the Al-Mazrouah area on Wednesday.
Sheikh Tamim toured the headquarters to review the systems utilized for monitoring as well as command and control, Qatar News Agency reported.
During the visit, a briefing was provided regarding the interception of a missile attack targeting Al-Udeid Air Base, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched on Monday evening.
The Joint Operations Command highlighted the precautionary measures implemented by the armed forces, emphasizing their efficiency and readiness to defend Qatar.
Sheikh Tamim expressed his gratitude and appreciation to everyone working in the military and security sectors. He was accompanied by Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, Qatar’s deputy prime minister and minister of state for defense affairs, along with several senior military and security commanders.
Source: arabnews.com
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Trump sees ‘progress’ on Gaza, raising hopes for ceasefire
June 25, 2025
JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “great progress” was being made to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as a new ceasefire push began more than 20 months since the start of the conflict.
“I think great progress is being made on Gaza,” Trump told reporters ahead of a NATO summit in the Netherlands, adding that his special envoy Steve Witkoff had told him “Gaza is very close.”
He linked his optimism about imminent “very good news” for the Gaza Strip to a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday between Israel and Hamas backer Iran to end their 12-day war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also suggested that Israel’s blitz of Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities, as well as its security forces linked to overseas militant groups, could help end the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu faces growing calls from opposition politicians, relatives of hostages being held in Gaza and even members of his ruling coalition to bring an end to the fighting, triggered by Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
In one of the war’s deadliest incidents for the Israeli army, it said seven of its soldiers were killed on Tuesday in southern Gaza.
Key mediator Qatar announced Tuesday that it would launch a new push for a ceasefire, with Hamas on Wednesday saying talks had “intensified.”
“Our communications with the brother mediators in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have intensified in recent hours,” Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu told AFP.
He cautioned, however, that the group had “not yet received any new proposals” to end the war.
The Israeli government declined to comment on any new ceasefire talks beyond saying that efforts to return Israeli hostages in Gaza were ongoing “on the battlefield and via negotiations.”
Israel sent forces into Gaza to root out Iran-linked Hamas and rescue hostages after the Hamas attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 56,156 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
The latest Israeli military losses led to rare criticism of the war effort by the leader of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a partner in Netanyahu’s coalition government.
“I still don’t understand why we are fighting there... Soldiers are getting killed all the time,” lawmaker Moshe Gafni told a hearing in the Israeli parliament on Wednesday.
The slain soldiers were from the Israeli combat engineering corps and were conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza when their vehicle was targeted with an explosive device, according to a military statement.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main group representing relatives of those held in Gaza, endorsed Gafni’s criticism of the war.
“On this difficult morning, Gafni tells it like it is... The war in Gaza has run its course, it is being conducted with no clear purpose and no concrete plan,” the group said in a statement.
Of the 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the Hamas attack, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Rights groups say Gaza and its population of more than two million face famine-like conditions due to Israeli restrictions, with near-daily deaths of people queuing for food aid.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said Wednesday that Israeli fire killed at least another 20 people, including six who were waiting for aid.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that a crowd of aid-seekers was hit by Israeli “bullets and tank shells” in an area of central Gaza where Palestinians have gathered each night in the hope of collecting rations.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “not aware of any incident this morning with casualties in the central Gaza Strip.”
The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the “weaponization of food” in Gaza and slammed a US- and Israeli-backed foundation that has largely replaced established humanitarian organizations there.
The privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was brought into the Palestinian territory at the end of May but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes, deaths and neutrality concerns.
The GHF has denied responsibility for deaths near its aid points.
The Gaza health ministry says that since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near aid centers while seeking scarce supplies.
The civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed 46 people waiting for aid on Tuesday.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli media says air force is working to intercept a drone launched from Yemen
June 25, 2025
DUBAI: Israeli media said on Wednesday that the country’s air force is working to intercept a drone launched from Yemen.
N12 and Israel Hayom, which carried the report, did not cite a source.
Source: arabnews.com
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North America
Socialist Zohran Mamdani On Track To Become NYC Mayor, Shocking US Establishment
Jun 25, 2025
TOI correspondent from Washington: Zohran Mamdani, a Uganda-born Indian-American is on track to become the next mayor of New York City, potentially signaling a sharp left turn in urban America at a time the right-wing MAGA has swept the country's heartland and captured Washington DC.
In a shock result on Tuesday, Mamdani, 33, took down front-runner former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and several other Democratic candidates in the primary, putting the self-described Democratic Socialist on course to become the Big Apple's first Muslim and Indian-American Mayor.
Final and formal results of the election won't be officially confirmed until July 1 because of the city's ranked choice voting system which will involve several rounds of counting. With 91 percent of the votes counted, Mamdani leads with 43.5 percent, or 428,995 votes, while Cuomo received 36.4 percent, or 358,740 votes, according to the Associated Press. Counting will go on till a candidate reaches the 50 per cent mark while eliminating lower ranked contenders.
Mamdani, who was born is Kampala, Uganda, is the son of Indian film-maker Mira Nair and Indian-Ugandan intellectual Mahmood Mamdani, a postcolonial studies professor at Columbia University. His parents gave him the middle name Kwame, after the Pan-African hero and the socialist President of Ghana around the 1960s.
In an electrifying campaign that had a unique outreach to immigrants from the Indian subcontinent using Bollywood themes, including riffs from the movie Deewar and Roti Kapda aur Makaan, Mamdani plugged for populist ideas like free public buses, free child care, rent freezes, taxing the wealthy, and city-owned grocery stores for affordable food to surge ahead in a race that was watched closely across the country.
"I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive, Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things I believe in... We have won because New Yorkers have stood up for a city that they can afford." Mamdani, a three-term state legislator, said in his victory speech, pledging to use his mayoral power in the world's richest city to reject Trump's fascism.
Mamdani's surge, powered by backing from liberal- progressive federal lawmakers like Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasia-Cortex (AOC), has larger political implications for American polity, including potentially moving the Democratic Party further to the left despite Trump's demonisation of "radical left" as "lunatics." Cuomo was backed by the Clintons among others in the Democratic establishment.
"Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani and his thousands of grassroots supporters for their extraordinary campaign. You took on the political, economic and media Establishment and you beat them. Now it's on to victory in the general election," Sanders, a spry 83 year old Senator who is spurring the leftist surge in urban America, along with his understudy AOC, said.
"A New Political Star Emerges Out of a Fractured Democratic Party," read the NYT headline on his victory, characterising it as a "generational and ideological break with the party’s mainstream."
"Mamdani’s success in one of the first major Democratic primaries since President Trump returned to the White House reverberated across the country and offered a potential road map for Democrats searching for a path back to power," the paper said.
The Republican right, including many Hindu-Americans were agitated about his victory because he has been a critic of the BJP in India, among other things comparing PM Narendra Modi to Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. In one interview, he spoke of his Gujarati Muslim legacy and claimed there were hardly anyone of his heritage in Gujarat now -- even though Modi has a large following of Bohra Muslims in the state.
Trump's MAGA constituency also seized on past interviews of his mother Mira Nair in which she spoke of Mamdani being born in Uganda and raised as an Indian in America, and how thinks of himself as an Ugandan and an Indian, not American. One MAGA lawmaker, referring to his slogan like "globalize the intifada," called him a a “Hamas Terrorist sympathizer.”
Mamdani is the second Muslim of Indian heritage to become the chief executive of a major western city, after Sadiq Khan, who has Lucknow origins and has been Mayor of London since 2016.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/socialist-pio-mamdani-on-track-to-become-nyc-mayor-shocking-us-establishment/articleshow/122073783.cms
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CAIR Condemns Racist Incident Targeting Nevada Latino Landscaper
June 25, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a reported incident in which a Nevada Latino landscaper was allegedly followed and insulted while on the job in a gated Las Vegas community.
Video shows a man telling the landscaper, “Get out of my neighborhood” and “You have to leave.”
“We condemn this apparently bias-motivated incident and urge community leaders to speak out against the rising bigotry nationwide that inevitably results in the targeting of members of minority communities,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.
Hooper noted that earlier this year, CAIR welcomed the introduction of a hate crime reporting hotline in Nevada. Last year, CAIR condemned racist vandalism near Flamingo and Torrey Pines, Nevada.
He said CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-racist-incident-targeting-nevada-latino-landscaper/
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CAIR Welcomes Congressional Letter Calling for Action Against Uyghur Forced Labor
June 25, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a letter by Senators Pete Ricketts, Jeff Merkley, John Curtis, and Chris Coons calling for action against the Chinese government’s use of Uyghur forced labor.
In a bipartisan letter to Christopher Pratt, Chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), the senators urged measures to prevent China from avoiding the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFPLA).
“We thank Senators Ricketts, Merkley, Curtis, and Coons for their principled stand against tyranny and slavery,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw. “The Chinese communist government must be held accountable for its oppression of Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic minorities, and it cannot be allowed to profit off of their crimes.”
He noted that CAIR has previously called for action against the enslavement of Uyghurs by the Chinese government.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-congressional-letter-calling-for-action-against-uyghur-forced-labor/
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CAIR Calls Trump’s ‘Went to a Mosque, Gonna Throw Some Rocks’ Video Anti-Muslim and Anti-Iranian Incitement
June 25, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called President Trump’s post celebrating the U.S. bombing of Iran with a music video featuring the 1980s Islamophobic parody song “Bomb Iran” a dangerous form of anti-Muslim and anti-Iranian American incitement.
The Truth Social video glorifies violence against Muslims and Iranians, with lyrics that include:
“Went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks…
“Old Uncle Sam’s getting pretty hot, time to turn Iran into a parking lot.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR also called Trump’s embrace of anti-Islam extremist Geert Wilders unacceptable. Trump said today he was “not upset” by the anti-Islam views of Wilders, while meeting at the recent NATO summit.
CAIR also said President Trump’s remarks about Iranian “supercells,” a confused reference where Trump mixed up the term “sleeper cells” with a meteorological term for violent thunderstorms, risks inciting paranoia and violence against Iranian Americans
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“President Trump’s glorification of violence against Muslims and Iranians using a song about attacking mosques and turning Iran into a parking lot is a dangerous and bigoted act that risks inciting violence. So does embracing anti-Islam lunatic Geert Wilders and fearmongering about ‘supercells.’ All Americans must reject the bigotry expressed in this video and reaffirm respect for religious freedom and safety for everyone in our nation.”
McCaw noted that Trump also said today he was “not upset” by the anti-Islam views of Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, while meeting at the recent NATO summit.
On Saturday, CAIR condemned President Trump’s attack on Iran as an “illegal and unjustified act of war” that prioritizes the wishes of Benjamin Netanyahu over the American people and threatens to drag our nation into a wider war in the region.
This latest rhetoric comes amid rising anti-Muslim incidents across the country. CAIR has documented a significant spike in Islamophobia over the last two years.
In 2024, CAIR offices nationwide received a total of 8,658 complaints – the highest number ever recorded since the organization’s first civil rights report in 1996. This marks a 7.4 percent increase from the 8,061 complaints received in 2023, signaling a worsening climate of Islamophobia. Additional CAIR research has shown how this wave of dehumanizing bias has specifically impacted university students and employees.
According to CAIR’s 2025 civil rights report, “Unconstitutional Crackdowns,” the organization received 8,658 incoming complaints in 2024, marking the highest number of complaints CAIR has recorded since it began publishing civil rights data in 1996. CAIR also found incidents targeting Islamic places of worship rose sharply, with 40 documented attacks or threats against mosques in 2024.
CAIR is urging all members of the public to report any incidents of anti-Muslim bias or hate to local authorities and to CAIR’s civil rights department.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-trumps-went-to-a-mosque-gonna-throw-some-rocks-video-anti-muslim-and-anti-iranian-incitement/
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Muslim Child Killed in Anti-Palestinian Hate Crime
June 25, 2025
The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, will join the family of Wadee Alfayoumi, community members, officials, interfaith leaders, and advocates at a public unveiling and dedication ceremony for the newly installed Wadee Monument in memory of Wadee Alfayoumi—an innocent six-year-old boy brutally murdered in an anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim hate crime in Plainfield, IL in October 2023.
WHAT: Wadee Monument Dedication Ceremony
WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2025
8:00 a.m. – WADEE WOD (Workout of the Day – optional fitness tribute at fitness pad NW of playground)
10:00 a.m. – Program begins
WHERE: Van Horn Woods East Playground
Press parking: 17200 NE Frontage Rd, Plainfield, IL 60586
General public parking: 17201 S Lily Cache Rd, Plainfield, IL 60586
Walk to: Van Horn Woods East Playground
LIVESTREAM: https://www.facebook.com/cairchicago
WHO (Scheduled speakers):
Sheikh Hassan Aly (Opening Prayer)
Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director, CAIR-Chicago
Pastor Fran Leeman
Professor Jane Ramsey
Village of Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis
Social workers Bonnie McPhilips & Brittany Gruver, Will County Sheriff’s Dept.
Trisha Mathias (Wadee’s teacher)
Soha Khatib, Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)
WHY:
The event follows the recent conviction of Wadee’s killer who was found guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and a hate crime. Wadee’s tragic murder sent shockwaves through the nation and galvanized public outcry. The ceremony reaffirms the community’s commitment to peace, remembrance, and justice against bigotry.
SEE—CAIR’s Civil Rights Report Shows Islamophobia Complaints at All-Time High, Viewpoint Discrimination Key Factor
“This monument acts as a memorial to the beautiful life of Wadee, a statement against the anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate that took his young life, and a testament that he will never be forgotten,” said Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago.
SEE—AP NEWS: Jury finds Illinois landlord guilty of murder, hate crime in 2023 attack on Palestinian American boy
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-chicago-wadee-alfayoumis-family-community-to-dedicate-monument-honoring-muslim-child-killed-in-anti-palestinian-hate-crime/
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CIA director says Iran's nuclear sites 'severely damaged'
Jun 26, 2025
Brandon Drenon
The head of the CIA has said US strikes "severely damaged" Iran's nuclear facilities and set them back years, diverging from a leaked intelligence report that angered President Donald Trump by downplaying the raid's impact.
John Ratcliffe, the US spy agency's director, said key sites had been destroyed, though he stopped short of declaring that Iran's nuclear programme had been eliminated outright.
It comes a day after a leaked preliminary assessment from a Pentagon intelligence agency suggested core components of Iran's nuclear programme remained intact after the US bombings.
Trump again maintained the raid had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities.
The Republican president took to social media on Wednesday to post that the "fake news" media had "lied and totally misrepresented the facts, none of which they had".
He said US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and other military officials would hold an "interesting and irrefutable" news conference on Thursday at the Pentagon "in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots".
It came as Israel and Iran seemed for a second day to be honouring a fragile ceasefire that Trump helped negotiate this week on the 12th day of the war.
Speaking at The Hague, where he attended a Nato summit on Wednesday, Trump said of the strikes: "It was very severe. It was obliteration."
He also said he would probably seek a commitment from Iran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks next week. Iran has not acknowledged any such negotiations.
But US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told US network NBC there has been direct and indirect communication between the countries.
The statement from Ratcliffe, who was appointed by Trump, said the CIA's information included "new intelligence from an historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years".
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has also come out in support of Trump's assessment on the damage to Iranian nuclear facilities.
"If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordo, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do," she wrote on X.
The US operation involved 125 military aircraft, targeting the three main Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday.
New satellite images show six craters clustered around two entry points at Fordo, with similar craters spotted at Isfahan - but it is unclear if the nuclear facilities located deep underground were wiped out.
A report from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency was leaked to US media on Tuesday, estimating that the US bombing had set back Iran's nuclear programme "only a few months".
The US defence secretary said that assessment was made with "low confidence".
Officials familiar with the evaluation cautioned it was an early assessment that could change as more information emerges. The US has 18 intelligence agencies, which sometimes produce conflicting reports based on their mission and area of expertise.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday that there was a chance Tehran had moved much of its highly enriched uranium elsewhere as it came under attack.
But Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera on Wednesday: "Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure." He did not elaborate.
A report by the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission said the strike on Fordo "destroyed the site's critical infrastructure".
The damage across all the sites, the report said, has pushed Iran's timeline for nuclear weapons back by "many years".
Yet Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the chairman of the Iranian parliament, said shortly after the US strikes that "no irreversible damage was sustained" at Fordo.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful. US intelligence agencies have previously said Tehran was not actively building atomic weapons.
Source: bbc.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yk942y437o
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Trump says Netanyahu’s corruption trial should be ‘cancelled’
26 Jun, 2025
US President Donald Trump has called for an end to the corruption trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days after Israel and Iran reached a ceasefire.
Trump showered his Middle Eastern ally with praise in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday evening. “Bibi Netanyahu was a WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel,” he wrote.
He hailed Netanyahu’s leadership during Israel’s conflict with Iran and slammed the allegations against him as “politically motivated.”
“Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me,” the US president wrote. “Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State.”
Netanyahu, whose trial began in 2020, denies any wrongdoing in three separate cases involving charges of corruption and influence peddling. He is Israel’s first sitting prime minister to take the stand as a criminal defendant. Under Israeli law, Netanyahu is not required to resign unless convicted by the Supreme Court.
Netanyahu has praised Trump’s support for Israel and his “historic” decision to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22. The ceasefire, which ended nearly two weeks of open hostilities between Iran and Israel, took effect on Tuesday and has so far been upheld.
Source: rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/620549-trump-defends-bibi-netanyahu/
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Europe
Volunteer mosque worker 'encouraged' far-right violence as riots swept Hanley
Thomas Cooper
26 Jun 2025
A volunteer mosque worker has avoided jail for his part in supporting far-right agitators as a riot rocked Hanley. Ryan Corden's case has been branded 'strange' after he acted 'out of character'.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard 35-year-old Corden gives up his own time to do building work at the Town Road mosque. But on August 3 last year, he became embroiled in the anarchy that gripped the city centre, encouraging rioters as they resisted law enforcement.
Much of the unrest centred on the Town Road mosque where Corden has helped out. Now he has narrowly escaped prison after an Islamic leader came to his defence.
Prosecutor David Bennett told the court that Corden followed along with far-right protesters from 11am until 2pm, hurling abuse at officers while trying to break the police line.
He said Corden had riled fellow agitators and fuelled disorder throughout the day, adding: “He could be seen throughout the duration of the riot, often on the front line encouraging the actions of others. He was involved in four significant incidents throughout the day.
“At 11.34am, he was seen pushing others into the police line. As the group became agitated, police bodycam footage captured the defendant putting his arms behind the backs of two other men and pushing them forward in an attempt to break the police line.
“He was then seen on Broad Street as the protest group moved towards Hanley’s centre. Footage shows the defendant motioning with his arms to get other protesters to sit down in the road to block police. He did so himself for around 30 seconds, before getting up to film.
“At 1.50pm, police bodycam showed the defendant pushing into police shields in an attempt to prevent officers moving forward. Footage at 2.30pm showed the defendant hurling abuse towards officers.
The court heard police bodycam footage captured Corden shouting ‘we’re fighting for our country, you should be too’ at riot officers.
Corden was later quizzed by police on September 27, where he admitted to being the individual captured in the footage - but denied acting in a threatening manner or attempting to fuel disorder. He claimed he protested peacefully, adding he ‘stayed out of curiosity’.
The defendant, of Willowbrook Walk, Norton, went on to plead guilty to one charge of disorder.
Scott Ashdown, mitigating, said: “While his attendance may be seen as prolonged, he spent that time mostly as an onlooker. He did push others towards police, but others were behind him pushing him too. That conduct was fleeting and the police line held.
“When he was at the front, he was pushed there. He threw his hands up in the air to indicate to officers that he had no intention of causing harm. It is quite clear that the majority of his comments were either absent threats or mere observations.
“His actions should not be considered to have any racist undertones. His actions were primarily a reflection of his dissatisfaction towards police, not particular ethnic or religious groups. He is someone who is inclusive - he has actually done much volunteer work at the Town Road mosque.
“He recognises that his actions could have caused harm to those who were being subjected to prejudice. He is genuinely remorseful for his participation.”
Judge Graeme Smith handed Corden a two-year suspended sentence, along with 25 days of rehabilitation work and 240 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £350 in damages.
Judge Smith said: “Everyone is entitled to express their opinion or to protest. That is what you say you were doing. But that does not grant the licence for disorder.
“Although you were involved, I have the reference given by Farooq Faraj of Town Road Islamic Centre. He says this was out of character for you and commends your volunteer work, which you still do. I accept you may not have acted from a place of religious hostility.
“Yours is an unusual case. In most other cases, I have not given suspended sentences due to the seriousness of the offending. But I accept your motivations were somewhat different. I have just been convinced to give you a suspended sentence, which is rare in these cases."
Source: stokesentinel.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/volunteer-mosque-worker-encouraged-far-10276036
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Beeston unites to restore Al-Madina Mosque in inspiring community clean up
26 June 2025
More than 30 volunteers of all ages came together on Saturday (21 June 2025) for a powerful community clean up of the Al-Madina Mosque in Beeston — an initiative led by ISSE Ltd and Cross Flatts FC.
The project focused on removing graffiti from the mosque walls and clearing the overgrown garden, but it also delivered something much deeper: a moment of community healing, pride, and faith-led unity.
The mosque had recently been defaced with graffiti, including near areas where Janazah (funeral) prayers take place — causing visible distress to local worshippers. Thanks to the volunteers’ hard work, the building has been restored to a more peaceful and dignified state.
Volunteers worked throughout the afternoon — cleaning, painting, gardening, and supporting one another with generosity and good spirit.
A huge ‘well done’ goes to: Jonir Ali, Kutub Zilanee, Babor Qureshi, Moshoud Ali, Rezaul Hoque, Abdul Hasnath, Dr Mujahidy, and Tawfiq Wahab, who were among the many who gave their time and energy.
Organisers also extended heartfelt thanks to Chairman Mohammed Giash Uddin and the Al-Madina Mosque Management Committee for granting permission and showing continued support for community-led action.
Donations of paint, brushes, snacks and bottled water were made by local families and businesses, reflecting the shared commitment across generations and cultures in South Leeds.
This event is part of a wider summer programme by ISSE Ltd, a Beeston-based nonprofit focused on youth development, civic responsibility, and interfaith community empowerment.
Source: southleedslife.com
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https://southleedslife.com/beeston-unites-to-restore-al-madina-mosque-in-inspiring-community-clean-up/
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Green light for mosque at former Blackburn nursery despite concerns
Bill Jacobs
26 JUN 2025
A second slimmed-down proposal to turn a vacant former Blackburn nursery into a mosque and madrassah has been approved despite concerns from neighbours over parking.
In November The Muslim Welfare Institute’s original plan to convert the building in Emerald Street, Roe Lee, was turned down.
Blackburn with Darwen Council rejected the scheme on grounds of parking, road safety, noise and nuisance.
In March a new backdated planning application was submitted which dropped the original proposal for a single-storey extension to house ablution and toilet facilities and cut the mosque opening hours from 04:30 to 23:00, seven days a week to 07.30 to 23.00 so as not to include dawn prayers.
That proposal has now been granted planning permission with eight conditions by the authority despite three objections from nearby residents concerned about parking problems.
The site was originally constructed as the Gatehouse for the adjacent Vale Mill.
An officer’s report recommending approval said: “The application site is a commercial building within Blackburn, previously used as a nursery. The site comprises of a two-storey building, rear play area and strip of land for off-street vehicle parking.
“The nursery use appears to have vacated some time in 2022. Prior to that use the building was used as offices.
“The submission documents state that the site has been in use as a place of worship and education centre since January 2024.
“This application seeks part-retrospective consent to change the use of the building to form a place of worship and Islamic education centre.
“A prayer hall, ablution area and supporting functions would be provided on the ground floor with three classrooms above.
“A car park would be formed to the rear of the building for five vehicles with two further spaces provided adjacent to the main entrance.
“Conditions have been advised to control opening hours and ensure that the development is operated in accordance with the mitigation measures detailed, which essentially involve ensuring that windows to the prayer room remain closed during use and the windows to the western elevation of the classrooms also remain closed during use.
“Subject to appropriate conditions, the proposals would be acceptable in principle and in terms of design and visual amenity, safeguarding amenity, parking and highways.
“There is a positive presumption in favour of approving the development and there are no material reasons to object to the application.”
A supporting statement from the Urban Future Planning Consultancy Ltd said: “The proposal would put the site to effective use.
“The site was considered appropriate for a children’s nursery school in terms of highway safety, accessibility and amenity and operated for three decades as such.
“It would generate a similar number of comings and goings.
“The applicant no longer seeks to extend the premises.
“Moreover, the revised scheme has significantly reduced the proposed operating hours.”
Source: lancs.live
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/green-light-mosque-former-blackburn-31927027
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Mosque plans for Abergavenny to go ahead following Cabinet review
25th June 2025
Monmouthshire County Council's Cabinet has confirmed its decision regarding the lease of the former Abergavenny Library, which has been awarded to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association (MMCA).
In a press release, the council said this decision was made following a comprehensive evaluation process, and marks a significant step towards enhancing community services and inclusivity within the county.
The Former Abergavenny Library, which was closed in 2014/15, has been utilised for various services over the years. In late 2024, the Cabinet declared the asset surplus and approved for the building to be marketed for let.
In statement they said the review of the Cabinet’s decision, which was mandated after the decision was called in for a special meeting by three opposition councillors, was a thorough process.
“After thoroughly evaluating the received tenders, the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association’s (MMCA) proposal was selected as the highest scoring applicant,” they said.
“The MMCA, a not-for-profit group, plans to transform the former library into Monmouthshire's first mosque and community centre.”
This initiative aims to address the growing needs of the muslim population in Monmouthshire, providing a space for educational, social, economic, and recreational activities. The project aligns with the Council's Community and Corporate Plan, promoting inclusivity and interfaith dialogue.
Monmouthshire County Council says it is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all its residents.
Community members were recognised at last week's Nation of Sanctuary Awards, hosted by the Wales Refugee Council in Cardiff. Abergavenny Town of Sanctuary received the Nation of Sanctuary Award, recognising its exceptional dedication to supporting sanctuary seekers and refugees in Wales. This award highlights the commitment that the group has demonstrated since its establishment in 2016.
Monmouthshire County Council's Leader, Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, said: "As a council, we are committed to working with our community groups to ensure that all residents of Monmouthshire feel at home.”
“After the tender process, I am excited to see how the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association settles into their new building. I look forward to the community events that will bring the residents of Abergavenny together to celebrate and learn about each other's religions and cultures."
Monmouthshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Ben Callard, said: "I am very pleased that the Cabinet can confirm the lease being awarded to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association.”
“Providing the association with a stable building for them to use as a place of worship and community gatherings is essential to the council's aims of creating a diverse and welcoming county."
"I look forward to seeing the developments over the next months and years as they embed further into the Abergavenny community."
Despite opposition from some members of the community and local officials, the latest news from County Hall means that the MMCA’s committee can continue their preparations for the MMCA to move into the building.
The future of the building and a base for the muslim community in Monmouthshire has, for now, been sealed in the historic library building.
Source: abergavennychronicle.com
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https://www.abergavennychronicle.com/news/mosque-plans-for-abergavenny-to-go-ahead-following-cabinet-review-806580
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Man arrested for racial offence after rats released near mosque
By Daniel Sheridan
25th Jun 2025
Officers from South Yorkshire Police were called to Grimesthorpe Road in Burngreave at just after 8.15pm on Monday June 23.
It was reported a man had stopped at the side of the road and released three rats from the boot of a vehicle, police said.
An investigation is ongoing and a 66-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a racially or religiously aggravated public order offence.
He has since been released on police bail as enquiries continue.
Inspector Alec Gibbons, of the North East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "We understand this reported incident has caused concern locally and I'd like to reassure you that we are working hard to understand the full circumstances of what took place.
"We have acted quickly to make an arrest and our enquiries will continue over the coming days. I'd urge anyone who has information which has not yet been reported to police to contact us online or by calling 101."
Anyone with information which may help the investigation should quote incident number 874 of June 23, 2025 when getting in touch. You can report online here:
Source: yorkshirepost.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/man-arrested-for-racial-offence-after-rats-released-near-mosque-5195206
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Azerbaijani delegation meets with reps of various religious denominations in Germany
25 June 2025
On June 24, 2025, a delegation led by Ramin M?mm?dov, Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations of Azerbaijan, held talks with Abdassamad El-Yezidi, Chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Azernews reports.
During the meeting, M?mm?dov highlighted the efforts under President Ilham Aliyev’s leadership to preserve national-spiritual and multicultural values in Azerbaijan and to ensure freedom of religious belief. He spoke about Azerbaijan’s initiatives to promote global peace and security, develop interfaith dialogue, and address pressing global issues such as Islamophobia and xenophobia. Emphasis was placed on Azerbaijan’s experience in advocating Islamic solidarity.
Abdassamad El-Yezidi noted the increasing trends of Islamophobia and attempts to discredit Islam, emphasizing the necessity of strengthening unity and mutual support. He praised Azerbaijan’s stance on these issues.
In a separate meeting with Daniel Botman, Executive Director of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, the importance of Azerbaijan’s active role in promoting tolerance and interreligious dialogue was discussed. The significance of Baku hosting international conferences and forums on these topics was also underlined. The parties acknowledged the value of high-level reciprocal visits and meetings to further strengthen bilateral relations.
The Azerbaijani delegation also visited the Syriac Orthodox Mor Yaqub Dasruq Church in Germany. During the visit, members were briefed on the church’s history. Chairman M?mm?dov spoke about the state’s care for religious, cultural, and historical monuments in Azerbaijan, noting ongoing efforts to preserve, repair, and restore places of worship belonging to various religious confessions in the country.
Source: azernews.az
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https://www.azernews.az/nation/243740.html
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South Asia
Islamic Values Essential For Overcoming Societal Issues And Achieving Prosperity: Maldives President
25 June 2025
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu stated that holding firmly onto the Rope of Allah is essential for addressing societal challenges and achieving lasting prosperity. He made these remarks in a special address marking the advent of the Islamic New Year 1447 AH.
On such occasions, he emphasised, the people of the Maldives must remain steadfast in their belief that the safety and well-being of the nation are deeply connected to its commitment to Islam.
Describing the Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Hijrah from Mecca to Medina, as guided by Allah, as a historic event rich with lessons for the Islamic Ummah, President Dr Muizzu noted that the Prophet’s actions during this journey offer key examples of principles that must be upheld for success, whether as individuals, as a nation, or as part of the wider Ummah.
In his address, the President referred to key events on the night of the Hijrah, including Ali (Radi Allahu Anhu) sleeping in the Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) bed, the three-day stay in the Cave of Thawr south of Makkah, and the role of Amir ibn Fuhayrah in concealing their tracks. He stated that these moments serve as powerful examples of the importance of tawakkul – trust in Allah – and vigilance, particularly in the face of deceit and adversity.
He also drew attention to the roles played by Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr, who acted as an informant, and Asma binth Abu Bakr, who delivered food and supplies during the stay in the Cave of Thawr. Their contributions, he stated, reflect the vital role that young people and women play in the success of society. He added that the story of the Hijrah also demonstrates the value of seeking assistance from trustworthy and capable non-Muslims in areas where their expertise or experience may be lacking.
The President further noted that this year coincides with trying times, during which it is essential to seek guidance from Allah and to pray for the unity and protection of the Islamic Ummah. He stated that, while several countries in the Middle East have recently endured the hardships of war, the sincere prayers of the Maldivian people are with their Muslim brothers and sisters. He also offered prayers for the safety and peace of the people of Palestine, and for the protection and stability of all Muslim nations in the region.
President Dr Muizzu concluded his address with a prayer for the protection of the Islamic Ummah from the devious schemes of its enemies, asking Allah to grant victory to Muslim nations, to bestow honour upon the Maldives, and to preserve its Islamic faith, independence, and prosperity.
Source: presidency.gov.mv
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/34068
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EU envoy hopes for restoration of democracy in Bangladesh: Khosru
Jun 26, 2025
European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller has conveyed to the BNP his hope that democratic order will soon be restored in Bangladesh through a free, fair and credible national election.
The EU envoy expressed this hope during a meeting today with BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury at the party chairperson's office in Gulshan.
BNP Organising Secretary Shama Obaed was also present at the meeting.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Khosru said, "The first thing that was discussed was the election. The election is being held in February, so everyone is relieved and satisfied, and they hope that we will move towards elections soon and the country will return to democratic order."
Like other foreign friends, he said the EU is waiting for an elected government so that they can decide their future actions and make the short-term and long-term decisions they have.
"Because they feel comfortable working with an elected government, we have had detailed discussions about these," Khosru said.
Besides, he said, the problems and rights of workers in Bangladesh were also discussed at the meeting.
Khosru said the EU wants to cooperate with the future parliament so that its activities can be conducted independently, properly, and with accountability.
He said they also talked about the transparency and independence of the judiciary. "They support the BNP's proposal to establish a separate secretariat for the independent functioning of the judiciary and they are willing to provide funding for it."
The BNP leader said the European Union wants to be a partner in the development of Bangladesh in the future.
Apart from their aid and loans, he said they are thinking about providing funds in different other ways. "They are thinking about new ways of funding. They want to cooperate with the next government economically and be a development partner of Bangladesh. This is a good sign."
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/eu-envoy-hopes-restoration-democracy-bangladesh-khosru-3926171
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Funding cuts deepen education crisis for Rohingya children in Bangladesh: HRW
Jun 26, 2025
A sharp reduction in foreign aid has deepened the education crisis for nearly half a million Rohingya children living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released today.
With the United States and other major donors slashing humanitarian funding, thousands of learning centres operated by aid organisations have been forced to shut down, leaving over 300,000 school-age children without access to education. On June 3, Unicef suspended its support for many of these centres due to funding shortfalls.
The only remaining educational options are community-led schools established by the Rohingya themselves. While widely seen as offering higher-quality instruction, these schools lack formal recognition from the Bangladesh government and receive no international funding. As a result, they must charge tuition fees -- ranging from 50 cents to $5 per month -- posing a financial burden many families cannot afford.
"The US and other donor governments are abandoning education for Rohingya children after the previous Bangladesh government long blocked it," said Bill Van Esveld, Associate Children's Rights Director at HRW. "The interim government must support inclusive education, while donors should back the Rohingya community's efforts to avoid a lost generation."
Interviews conducted by HRW with over 75 individuals -- including refugee students, teachers, and humanitarian experts -- highlighted growing concerns about children's vulnerability to violence, trafficking, and forced labour as education options disappear. Between January and March 2025, at least 51 child abductions were reported in the Cox's Bazar camps.
Community-led schools, often staffed by Rohingya who have completed secondary education, face challenges due to the lack of certification. Students fear that even after completing class 12, their achievements will go unrecognised.
HRW urged the interim Bangladesh government to grant official recognition to these schools and called on international donors to support them financially. It also encouraged the inclusion of Rohingya educators in education planning and decision-making processes.
Bangladesh currently does not allow Rohingya children to attend schools outside the camps, a policy HRW says violates international human rights laws, which guarantee the right to education without discrimination.
"Education is a lifeline for refugee children," Van Esveld said. "It's time for Bangladesh and its partners to support that right -- not obstruct it."
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/funding-cuts-deepen-education-crisis-rohingya-children-bangladesh-hrw-3926106
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Hefazat demands justice for Shapla Chattar, July killings ahead of polls
Jun 25, 2025
Hefazat-e-Islam Joint Secretary General Azizul Haque Islamabadi today demanded justice for all killings, including the Shapla Chattar and the July uprising incidents, before the upcoming national elections.
In a statement, he said one of the key demands of the July uprising was structural reform.
"The desired future of Bangladesh lies in dismantling and rebuilding the existing state structure that breeds fascism and autocracy. The July mass uprising has created a pivotal moment for this transformation. There will be no compromise when it comes to justice for the killings and the issue of reform," said the statement issued by Hefazat's Office Secretary Afsar Mahmud.
"Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus must stand with the people of Bangladesh and accelerate the fundamental tasks of restructuring the state. True greatness lies in dedicating oneself to the greater national interest, rather than pursuing narrow personal gains," the statement read.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/hefazat-demands-justice-shapla-chattar-july-killings-ahead-polls-3925566
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Hanafi seeking strong relations with Turkiye
June 25, 2025
KABUL: Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, emphasized on efforts to further strengthen relations with Turkiye.
Arg in a statement said Tuesday that Mawlavi Hanafi made the remarks during a meeting with Shaikh Saniullah Farahmand, the IEA’s newly appointed Ambassador to Turkiye.
Hanafi highlighted the deep religious, historical, and cultural ties between Afghanistan and Turkey as two friendly Muslim nations, urging the embassy officials to work in accordance with the Islamic Emirate’s policies to further strengthen bilateral relations, according to the statement.
The deputy PM also instructed the embassy staff to actively serve Afghan nationals residing in Turkiye. Farahmand assured Hanafi that he would make every effort to enhance cooperation between the two countries and provide dedicated support to Afghan migrants and citizens in Turkiye. The Kabul Times
Source: thekabultimes.com
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UNODC: 27,000 at high-risk drug use in Afghanistan, including women and children under 15
By Fidel Rahmati
June 26, 2025
A new UNODC report reveals 27,000 Afghans engaged in high-risk drug use, facing poverty, lack of education, homelessness, and serious social and health consequences.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has released a new report that sheds light on the troubling scale of high-risk drug use in Afghanistan. The study paints a stark picture of addiction’s impact, showing widespread social and economic vulnerabilities across the country.
The report was officially released on 26 June 2025 in Kabul. It estimates that around 27,000 people, including 2,670 women and 2,150 children under 15, are engaged in high-risk drug use, with nearly half lacking formal education and one in five living without shelter.
Findings highlight a troubling shift from traditional cannabis and opium use toward heroin and methamphetamine. These substances pose greater health risks, leading to addiction, overdose, infectious diseases, and isolation among vulnerable groups.
The report also stated that the Drug injection was also prevalent, with approximately 8% of respondents reporting injecting drugs and over 75% admitting to sharing needles. Limited access to sterile equipment has increased the danger of HIV and hepatitis infections.
Although over half of respondents had received some form of treatment, access to quality care remains inadequate, especially outside urban areas. Women and youth face even greater obstacles to accessing help due to stigma and lack of specialized services.
Oliver Stolpe, UNODC Regional Representative, emphasized that these findings can support the international community and Afghanistan in tackling the country’s evolving drug crisis through data-driven solutions.
“Access to treatment remains a major barrier, especially in rural areas. Women and youth remain disproportionately underserved,” said Oliver Stolpe, UNODC Regional Representative for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan (ROCA). “This study provides critical evidence to help Afghanistan and the international community respond to a shifting and increasingly complex drug use landscape.”, he added.
The UNODC report underscores the urgent need for targeted, evidence-based policies that enhance prevention, treatment, and support for people affected by addiction. Greater investment in rural and urban healthcare infrastructure will be key to reaching those most at risk.
This study reflects the commitment of UNODC, UNDP, and local stakeholders to improving the well-being of communities across Afghanistan. Addressing these deep-rooted challenges will require sustained national and international cooperation to build resilience and promote long-term recovery.
Source: khaama.com
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More than 30,000 Afghan refugees returned from Iran in one day
By Fidel Rahmati
June 26, 2025
More than 30,000 Afghan migrants returned from Iran in one day, driven by deportations and harsh policies, facing severe hardship upon arrival.
Taliban-controlled media reported that more than 30,000 Afghan refugees returned home from Iran yesterday, crossing into Herat after a sharp increase in deportations.
The Bakhtar News Agency, under Taliban oversight, cited local officials who confirmed that the returning Afghans had faced increasing pressure in Iran before deciding to leave.
This surge in returns follows heightened tensions between Iran and Afghanistan, prompting Iranian authorities to tighten migration policies and forcibly deport thousands of Afghans.
In a related development, more than 100 Afghan refugees were also released from Pakistani jails and sent back home after diplomatic negotiations between the two countries.
Afghan officials noted that most returnees face dire conditions inside Afghanistan, including lack of stable work, rising poverty, and insecurity across several provinces.
The situation for Afghan refugees in neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan has worsened considerably in recent months due to stricter immigration measures and police crackdowns. Many Afghans are forced to return without any clear prospects for jobs or shelter.
These deportations come at a troubling time for the region as Iran and Israel have exchanged hostilities over the past 12 days, intensifying security fears and forcing Iran to harden its borders. The instability has had a direct impact on Afghan refugees caught in the middle.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis remains dire in Afghanistan. The economy continues to struggle under international isolation and the lack of employment opportunities, making it extremely difficult for returning refugees to reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives.
Source: khaama.com
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Over 100 Afghan migrants released from Pakistani jail
By Fidel Rahmati
June 26, 2025
More than 100 Afghan migrants have been released from a Pakistani jail, allowing them to return home and rejoin their families after days of detention.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations announced on Thursday, June 26, that 104 Afghan migrants detained in Pakistan have been released and returned home. The migrants crossed into Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak border post.
According to the ministry’s statement, many of these individuals held valid legal documents but were still imprisoned for periods ranging from one to ten days. Some reported harsh treatment despite having legal status to live or work in Pakistan.
The deportation of Afghan refugees from both Pakistan and Iran has intensified in recent months. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repeatedly raised concerns over these forced returns, warning they could worsen Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
Reports from Pakistani media and international monitors highlight that even Afghans with proper legal papers face increasing harassment and arrests. Pakistan’s caretaker government previously set deadlines for undocumented Afghans to leave, but enforcement has expanded indiscriminately.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has announced that the third phase of its forced deportation drive, targeting Afghan refugees without legal status, will begin on June 30. Authorities plan to remove tens of thousands more individuals, intensifying pressure on vulnerable communities already facing difficult humanitarian and legal circumstances. Human rights organizations have expressed serious concern, warning that these forced returns could put Afghan refugees at risk due to ongoing instability and poverty in Afghanistan.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other international agencies have urged Pakistan to halt these deportations, emphasizing the need for safe, dignified, and voluntary repatriation. Advocacy groups stress that many refugees are fleeing persecution, and forced removals could worsen the humanitarian crisis across the region. They continue to call for regional dialogue and international cooperation to protect refugees’ rights and futures.
Source: khaama.com
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Arab World
Saudi students’ experiments launched to International Space Station
June 25, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi students’ winning entries from the “Space Madak” competition were launched to the International Space Station on Wednesday morning, the Saudi Space Agency announced.
The launch was part of an international mission that lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States.
Ten experiments designed by students from Saudi Arabia and across the Arab world were included in the launch — a landmark event that reflects the Kingdom’s push to advance scientific innovation and empower young talents in the space industry.
The “Space Madak” competition was set up to support and encourage those who are fascinated by space science and technology and are eager to learn how to turn their ideas into practical scientific applications in the microgravity environment aboard the ISS.
The competition, an initiative by the agency in partnership with the Misk Foundation and the Ilmi Science Discovery and Innovation Center, consisted of three categories: “Art: Bezel of Inspiration,” open to ages 6-11; “Agriculture: Bezel of Growth,” open to ages 12-14; and “Engineering: Bezel of Innovation,” open to ages 15-18.
More than 80,000 students participated from across the Arab world.
At the launch of the competition in February last year, Rayyanah Barnawi, the first female Saudi astronaut and supervisor of the competition, said that it was bound to expand the horizons of ambitious young minds and fuel their creativity.
The competition presented a “unique opportunity for students in the Arab world to participate in a journey of discovery and innovation,” she said.
Barnawi was selected by the agency to join Axiom Mission 2 in May 2023, and with fellow Saudi astronaut Ali Al-Qarni, conducted 14 experiments on the ISS — 11 on research in a microgravity environment focused on human health, cell sciences, and cloud seeding, and three interactive educational experiments with students in the Kingdom.
The achievement by the students is a reflection of the Saudi Space Agency’s efforts to fortify the Kingdom’s presence in international space programs and to promote an environment that supports a knowledge-based economy, in accordance with Vision 2030 goals of preparing a generation capable of becoming active contributors in the future of the space sector.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi UN envoy demands global action to protect children in conflict zones, condemns Gaza violence
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
June 25, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, called on Wednesday for urgent international action to protect children in conflict zones, warning that failure to do so would undermine efforts to build more stable and prosperous societies.
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting convened to discuss the effects of armed conflicts on youngsters, Alwasil emphasized the importance of protecting children, describing it as a legal obligation and moral responsibility, particularly in nations affected by prolonged violence.
During the session, UN officials detailed an unprecedented surge in the number of grave violations against children during armed conflicts worldwide.
The meeting followed the publication of a devastating annual report by the UN secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba. It documented 41,370 grave violations against children during 2024, a 25 percent increase compared with the previous year, and the highest number since the UN’s Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism was established in 2005.
The verified abuses of children spanned 25 countries and included killings, maiming, recruitment, abductions, sexual violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of access to humanitarian assistance.
“This year marked a devastating new record,” Gamba told council members. “Behind these numbers are the shattered stories, dreams and futures of over 22,000 children.”
She cited a sharp increase in “compounded violations,” in which children were abducted, recruited and sexually abused, often simultaneously, in the context of deteriorating humanitarian crises.
Israel was responsible for the highest number of violations by a single country against children in 2024, the report stated.
Alwasil said: “As we approach the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1612, which established mechanisms for monitoring violations against children in armed conflict, the international community must focus on two priorities: We must break the cycle of violence and create an environment that rejects extremism and fosters resilience.”
The envoy expressed appreciation for Gamba’s work, and emphasized the Kingdom’s commitment to the application of international legal instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its optional protocols. He stressed the shared responsibility of all parties for the protection of children and for efforts to address the root causes of armed violence.
Turning to the crisis in Gaza in particular, Alwasil sharply rebuked Israeli authorities over their military operations in the territory.
“What is happening in Gaza now is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and humanitarian values,” he said.
“Civilians live under constant bombardment and a suffocating blockade, facing systematic aggression by Israeli armed forces. This has led to the deaths of 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.”
The war has deprived more than 1 million children in Gaza of basic necessities, including food and medicine, Alwasil said. He called for immediate international action to end the conflict, protect vulnerable populations and hold accountable those responsible for violations.
“The Kingdom affirms that the protection of children in areas of armed conflict is a legal duty that cannot be shirked, and a moral responsibility that cannot be ignored,” he concluded.
“Saudi Arabia supports all UN efforts aimed at protecting civilians, and enhancing international cooperation to respond to the suffering of children affected by war, wherever they may be.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Franco-Saudi music week unites cultures in Jeddah
NADA HAMEED AND AFSHAN AZIZ
June 25, 2025
JEDDAH: A week-long music festival is celebrating the rich artistic ties between France and Saudi Arabia through a series of talks, musical performances and jam sessions in Jeddah.
Having kicked off on World Music Day – June 21 – the Music Week in Jeddah: A Franco-Saudi Celebration runs until June 27 and is hosted by the French Embassy and consulate in Jeddah in partnership with the Alliance Francaise, Art Jameel, Call of Culture, Music Home, Sout Albalad and Siddharta Lounge.
One of the featured events was a DJ session by French artist SONGE at Siddharta Lounge by Buddha Bar on Tuesday. She told Arab News that through her music she aims “to break boundaries and create inclusive spaces where diverse voices and energies can connect.”
GUITARRAMA, the Ninth Artistic Music and Music Education Forum, hosted at Music Home on Monday, brought together a number of artists and experts.
It was spearheaded by Anouar Kablaoui, instructor at Music Home Higher Institute and founder of the forum.
Kablaoui said: “This ninth edition explores how the guitar, a traditionally Western instrument, is being reimagined within Arabic musical aesthetics, jazz vocabularies and local creative industries.”
The forum also featured Saudi jazz guitarist Aqeel Hussein, who reflected on his personal journey with jazz, beginning at an American university and continuing with his efforts to bring the genre into the Saudi musical landscape since 2004.
“This forum was an opportunity to share my story and the passion that drives me to keep performing and educating through jazz. It’s about showing how music can evolve when it crosses borders, while staying true to its roots,” Hussein told Arab News.
A performance by the student band Zakharef, formed by students of the University of Business and Technology, captured the spirit of the night. The band’s musical debut was a tribute to the Hijazi heritage and the historical charm of Jeddah’s Al-Balad, forming an emotional and lasting moment for both the performers and the audience.
Hayy Jameel is set to host an open jam session with French-Moroccan artist Karimouche on Thursday in collaboration with Hayy Sounds.
The performance promises a dynamic fusion of Eastern melodies, hip-hop, spoken word and beatbox — blending tradition and modernity in a truly global dialogue of sound.
Karimouche, the stage name of French Moroccan artist Karima Amarouche, told Arab News: “It’s an honor for me to participate in the emancipation of women in music here.”
She is known for fusing rap, spoken word, and North African rhythms in songs that explore themes of identity and resistance. She revealed that her Hayy Jameel performance will feature songs from both her latest album “Folies Berberes” and earlier works.
She also shared how her collaboration with Saudi artist Roaa Lam began: “I saw her on Instagram. I listened and thought, ‘Wow, I love this artist. She’s amazing’.”
Karimouche is deeply committed to working with women in music, both in France and abroad. “It’s important for me. There’s a sense of female solidarity. It’s an honor for me to participate in the emancipation of women in music here, and to witness the growing freedom year after year. God willing, I hope to return every year.”
Reflecting on her time in Saudi Arabia so far, she said: “The music scene here is very rich. The collaboration with the all-female band Siham in Riyadh was magical. We created new pieces together and blended our styles. Now, the same is happening here with Roaa.”
Kosh spoke to Arab News about how he imitates instruments with his unique style of beatboxing.
He explained that his journey began in childhood: “When I was a kid, I played with toy cars and made sounds … that evolved into beatboxing.”
Over the years, his talents have taken him to major venues, including the Montreux Festival in France. He now mixes beatboxing with humor, spoken word and live music.
Roaa Lam, the Saudi oud player, told Arab News about how she perceives oud and music: “For me, it’s not composition — it’s emotional storytelling”
Representing Saudi Arabia in the international collaboration, Lam is a self-taught oud player, singer, and composer who brings authenticity and deep emotion to her music.
“I compose music and collaborate with other artists,” she said.
Lam spoke about one of her most meaningful projects: A piece called Kurd Al-Tha’alib (Kurd of the Foxes), which she composed using field recordings of women’s voices in a public garden in Jeddah, before their neighborhood was demolished.
“I used the musical mode ‘Kurd’ and named the piece after the neighborhood that was called Al-Tha’alib before it was torn down,” she said.
The piece was performed at the Feminist Festival in Berlin — a milestone in her growing international presence.
She also reflected on her musical journey: “I’ve been playing oud for about six years. I taught myself. I never studied in a music school — it’s all self-expression. That’s what music is to me.”
Music Week in Jeddah is a creative crossroads. Through the voices of artists, the festival highlights the richness of cultural exchange and the transformative power of music to build empathy, connection and beauty.
As Karimouche put it: “My heart is full. The people here are respectful, kind and creative. I’ve learned so much from the Saudi artists.”
The celebration will conclude on Friday with an energetic Open Mic Night at Hayy Jameel, hosted by Slow Moe and spotlighting the emerging Saudi rap scene. This finale aims to showcase the voices of local youth and their growing impact on the global hip-hop scene.
Reflecting on the celebrations, Larry Lamartiniere, managing director of Alliance Francaise de Djeddah, said: “Alliance Francaise de Djeddah is thrilled to celebrate La fete de la musique alongside its partners. It is an event that transcends borders and brings people together through the universal language of music.”
Mohammed Nehad, consul general of France in Jeddah, said the event is a “powerful symbol of the deepening friendship and cultural cooperation between France and Saudi Arabia,” adding that he hopes it will continue to “energize the local cultural scene in Jeddah.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Muharram begins on Thursday: Saudi Supreme Court
June 25, 2025
RIYADH: Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, will start on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court announced on Wednesday.
The announcement came after the crescent moon was sighted in the Kingdom on Wednesday evening.
The sighting of the crescent marks the start of the Islamic year 1447, a reference to the amount of years that have passed since Prophet Muhammad migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
Source: arabnews.com
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Henry Jackson Society hosts talks with secretary-general of the Muslim World League in London
ARAB NEWS
June 25, 2025
RIYADH: The Henry Jackson Society hosted a dialogue with Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general and chairman of the Muslim World League, at its headquarters in London.
The meeting touched on Islam’s message of dialogue, promoting understanding and coexistence among countries and peoples, particularly among the diverse communities in multicultural societies.
Al-Issa commended the British Muslim community for its respect for the law, its commitment to social cohesion, and its active engagement in the United Kingdom.
He said that this positive impact has been well documented in reports issued by the Muslim World League and affirmed by senior British officials during official meetings.
He noted that the British Muslim community ranks among the four largest in Europe and, more recently, the most prominent among Muslim minorities in Western countries, distinguished not only by its population size but also by its growing presence in senior government positions.
The discussion underscored the important influence of a mindful family, quality education, and accountable media in cultivating awareness, reinforcing sound thinking, and combating harmful, misleading, and extremist ideologies.
He noted that during a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace, he conveyed the greetings and appreciation of Muslim scholars and intellectuals affiliated with the Muslim World League.
Al-Issa commended the British monarch’s thoughtful and sincere perspective on Islam, particularly in light of increasing Islamophobia and hostile campaigns driven by ideological extremism.
Al-Issa said that Islam is best represented through its message of moderation, conveyed by its leading official institutions.
The Muslim World League is the voice of Muslim communities worldwide and was the sponsor of the historic “Makkah Document” — a pivotal contemporary Islamic charter endorsed by more than 1,200 leading muftis and scholars.
At a March 2023 conference in London, British Muslims described the document as a foundational religious charter, reflecting the scholarly consensus of the Islamic world under the MWL umbrella, and carrying profound significance because it was issued from Makkah, the spiritual heart of Islam and home of the Kaaba.
The secretary-general of the MWL said in a statement that “the Organization of Islamic Cooperation serves as a voice for Islam from the standpoint of the Islamic nations.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Head of Iran’s Hajj organization commends Saudi Arabia for quality services
June 25, 2025
RIYADH: The head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Alireza Bayat, has commended Saudi Arabia for its organization and the facilities provided to pilgrims during the Hajj season 2025.
He said Iranian pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the quality of services upon completing the Hajj rituals and complimented the efficiency of the Saudi authorities in operating air transport, crowd management at the holy sites and healthcare services.
Bayat added the Kingdom had become a role model when serving Muslim worshippers and pilgrims at the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
Source: arabnews.com
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New climate study to shield the Two Holy Mosques from extreme weather
June 25, 2025
RIYADH: The Regional Centre for Climate Change has launched an advanced scientific study to analyze the effects of climate change on urban environments in Makkah and Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The study seeks sustainable solutions for extreme weather phenomena while supporting quality-of-life improvements in these religiously significant regions with unique urban planning requirements.
These include analyzing climate effects on urban infrastructure and studying extreme weather patterns through modern climate modeling techniques. The initiative also uses data to optimize urban planning and propose resilience solutions to ensure visitor safety and comfort at the Two Holy Mosques.
Ayman Salem Ghulam, the CEO of the Saudi National Center for Meteorology and general supervisor of the RCCC, said that this research is a fundamental pillar supporting adaptation strategies to climate variables for the Two Holy Mosques.
He said that the centers are committed to providing scientific solutions to enhance future projects’ efficiency at both holy cities.
Mazen Assiri, executive director of RCCC detailed the methodology, saying that the integrated scientific approach analyzes weather phenomena affecting urban environments, incorporating international best practices to deliver outputs that align with national development requirements.
He said that to ensure comprehensive solutions, the center held workshops with government and research entities, performed field studies in central Makkah and Madinah, and analyzed practical implementation pathways.
This initiative aligns with the RCCC’s mission to advance specialized climate knowledge and data-driven decision-making. It directly supports environmental sustainability in major developmental projects throughout the Kingdom, particularly those accommodating millions of pilgrims annually.
The study reinforces national efforts to address climate challenges in strategically vital regions while enhancing institutional cooperation in climate resilience planning.
Source: arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia boosts Islamic NGO empowerment in Southeast Asia
Bernama
2025-06-25
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has reiterated its dedication to strengthening non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and dakwah institutions across Southeast Asia.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar emphasised the importance of regional collaboration in education, social development, and economic empowerment.
Speaking at the Mahabbah ceremony of the MADANI SEA Leadership Programme (MSEALP), Mohd Na’im highlighted Malaysia’s role as ASEAN Chair in fostering Islamic community development.
“The Prime Minister’s Department of Religious Affairs remains committed to empowering NGOs and dakwah institutions in Southeast Asia,“ he said.
Key initiatives include the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) sponsoring 100 Cambodian students for higher education in Malaysia.
The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) is also actively involved in regional halal programme development and dakwah efforts under the MABIMS framework.
“This year, JAKIM is coordinating the World Mosque Congress and the Southeast Asian Islamic Youth Gathering with ABIM,“ Mohd Na’im added.
Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) continues to lead dakwah activities at regional and international levels.
The minister also announced plans for goodwill visits to Southeast Asian nations to enhance Islamic affairs cooperation.
He described MSEALP as a “laboratory for tomorrow’s leadership,“ focusing on collaboration rather than competition.
Source: thesun.my
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‘Do you want a dictator?’: Anwar defends judiciary’s independence, disagrees with ‘some’ DNAA rulings
26 Jun 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today defended the independence of the judiciary and dismissed allegations that he had interfered in recent court decisions involving politicians.
However, he said he “strongly” disagrees with “some” of the decisions to grant a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) in corruption cases, while stressing that such rulings were made by the courts.
“Do you want me to be a dictator?” he asked during a keynote speech at the launch of the Asean Madani Leadership Program Symposium civil society here.
Source: malaymail.com
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AGC appeals Syed Saddiq’s acquittal, seeks Federal Court review on Armada funds case
26 Jun 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — The prosecution has filed its appeal against the Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision yesterday to acquit Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
In a brief statement today, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) confirmed it had filed the appeal at the Federal Court.
“After examining and considering the Court of Appeal’s decision, this department has filed a notice of appeal today to appeal against that decision for discharge and acquittal,” it said.
The AGC said this appeal process is part of the judicial system which allows for review of decisions from the lower courts.
“This is a normal practice in the country’s legal process and does not reflect any prejudice against anyone,” it said.
The AGC said the filing of the appeal is aimed at ensuring the Federal Court would be able to look at and make a final decision on legal issues that arose from the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Previously, the High Court in November 2023 had found Syed Saddiq guilty of four charges (one count of abetting criminal breach of trust, one count of dishonest misappropriation of property, and two counts of money laundering) in relation of money belonging or linked to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s youth wing (Armada).
The High Court had sentenced Syed Saddiq to a total of seven years’ jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 million fine.
Yesterday, Syed Saddiq won his appeal at the Court of Appeal, which set aside both his conviction and sentence.
Source: malaymail.com
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KLIA Customs thwart RM5.56m cannabis smuggling, seize 56.81kg of drugs
26 Jun 2025
SEPANG, June 26 — The Royal Malaysian Customs Department at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (JKDM LTAKL) foiled an attempt to smuggle over 56.81 kilogrammes of cannabis flowers, estimated to be worth RM5.56 million.
This followed the seizure of the cannabis flowers in operations conducted at several air cargo terminal operators in the KLIA Free Trade Zone last April and May.
JKDM LTAKL Director Zulkifli Muhammad said a total of 19 parcels, which were later found to contain substances suspected of being cannabis flowers, were seized during the operations.
“The drugs were believed to be smuggled into the country and then out to various countries using air courier services,” he said in a statement today.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which provides the death penalty or life imprisonment and at least 12 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death, upon conviction.
In another development, Zulkifli said his team also foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.54 million white cigarettes of various brands, estimated to be worth RM154,000, with unpaid duties and taxes amounting to RM1.03 million, in a raid in Klang, Selangor, last May 9.
He said the contraband was seized from two lorries following information and intelligence gathering by his team.
“The syndicate’s modus operandi is to use bonded lorries to distribute the smuggled cigarettes, and the cigarette deliveries are carried out at night to avoid detection by the authorities,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 135(1)(e) of the Customs Act 1967, which iprovides a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the goods or RM100,000, whichever is higher, and not more than 20 times the value of the goods or RM500,000, whichever is higher, or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both, upon conviction. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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PAS distances itself from leader’s racial remarks on landmark promotion of Chinese lieutenant-general
26 Jun 2025
By Malay Mail
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — PAS today said it does not support a social media post by one of its leaders that questioned the appointment of Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng as a Lieutenant General in the Malaysian Armed Forces.
In a press statement, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the post was the personal opinion of the individual involved and “entirely contrary” to PAS’ policies and values.
“The appointment of Datuk Johnny Lim is a historic event that should be celebrated by all Malaysians, not questioned, much less belittled simply because of his ethnic background,” he said.
Takiyuddin said PAS has long-standing commitment to Malaysia’s multiracial society and warned members against making divisive remarks.
“Racism or racial prejudice in any form has no place in PAS,” he added.
He also called on its members to adhere to its constitution and official decisions, stating that disciplinary action may be taken against those who violate its principles.
Takiyuddin also highlighted that the party had recently amended its constitution to open membership for all Malaysians regardless of race or religion, which he said reflects its support for national unity.
The post in question was made by Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad, who speculated that Malaysia’s 50th prime minister in 2058 could be a Chinese individual, framing the scenario as a possible outcome of Johnny’s promotion.
The post has since been deleted.
Zaharudin, who is the son-in-law of PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, came under fire from several quarters, including PKR youth chief Kamil Munim and DAP’s Lim Guan Eng.
Johnny’s promotion marked a historic milestone, as he became the first Malaysian Chinese officer to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the armed forces.
Source: malaymail.com
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Sultan Mizan graces groundbreaking of UiTM Bukit Besi Mosque
Bernama
2025-06-26
DUNGUN: Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, today officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a mosque at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Bukit Besi Campus.
Also in attendance were the Yang Dipertuan Muda of Terengganu Tengku Muhammad Ismail and Tengku Sri Setia Mahkota Raja Tengku Datuk Seri Muhammad Mu’az.
Their Highnesses were received by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, State Secretary Datuk Zulkifli Ali and other dignitaries.
UiTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahib said the mosque, to be named Pusat Hidayah, will be developed in three phases, with the first phase estimated to cost RM2 million.
He said the waqf-based project is funded through public contributions, with RM2 million raised since 2018. Phase one will include a prayer hall and an imam’s room, with subsequent phases to follow once more funds are secured.
“Construction on the 0.61-hectare site is expected to begin soon and phase one is targeted for completion in 2027,” he told reporters after the ceremony.
The mosque, which can accommodate 1,500 worshippers, will serve 774 UiTM students and residents of Kampung Besol, as the nearest mosque is five kilometres away.
In the interim, the student hostel lobby, surrounding recreation areas and landscaped spaces are being used for prayers.
Once fully completed, the mosque will also serve as a centre for religious learning, community service, and the promotion of positive values among students and nearby residents.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/sultan-mizan-graces-groundbreaking-of-uitm-bukit-besi-mosque-HD14356890
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Kota MADANI smart city model for Malaysia urban development
Bernama
2025-06-26
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has suggested that the Kota MADANI smart city initiative serve as a blueprint for urban development nationwide. He highlighted the need for a balanced approach that prioritises public welfare over commercial interests.
Speaking at the launch of the Kota MADANI project in Putrajaya’s Precinct 19, Anwar urged state governments and local authorities to take charge of urban planning instead of relying solely on developers. “Do not simply submit to the developers. We are the ones who do the planning; the developers are just part of the process to provide input for improvement,“ he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that urban development must integrate cultural values, humanity, and quality of life. He warned against profit-driven proposals that neglect long-term community benefits. “Do not let projects be decided solely by developers, because if so, they will naturally provide views and recommendations that are profit-driven,“ he added.
The Kota MADANI project aims to showcase sustainable, people-first urban planning, setting a benchmark for future developments in Malaysia.
Anwar emphasised that developers must meet the needs of the people, even though, in reality, no developer would undertake a RM4 billion project (the cost of Kota MADANI) without considering profit.
He said the project could be expedited as it involved government-owned land and the Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS).
“The Cabinet meeting yesterday was still discussing Kota MADANI because if we look at it in detail, the first is the needs of civil servants. We want them to work in comfort and to have housing security.
“Some have criticised... why launch a new project when many old ones are left incomplete,“ he said.
Anwar explained that older projects were also being completed progressively, currently reaching 96 to 98 per cent completion, and that new developments like Kota MADANI were necessary to meet the urgent needs of the people, including today’s civil servants.
“But for upcoming (Kota MADANI) projects – the first phase involves 3,000 units – I’ve already told Fadlun (Putrajaya Corporation president Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud) to hurry up, don’t take four or five more years. The civil servants are impatient, and so is the Prime Minister,“ he said.
Kota MADANI will feature 10,000 high-density residential units capable of accommodating over 30,000 residents, along with vertical schools and various public amenities.
The development will integrate artificial intelligence (AI), smart digital infrastructure, and green mobility systems.
Planned public facilities include Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions, schools, health clinics, fire and police stations, a mosque, and financial institutions — all designed with local cultural elements to preserve architectural heritage.
The first phase of development is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Also present at the event were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/kota-madani-smart-city-model-for-malaysia-urban-development-DD14354124
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National-level Maal Hijrah celebration to take place at MITEC this Friday
Bernama
2025-06-25
KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) will host the National Maal Hijrah 1447H/2025M celebration at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) here this Friday.
JAKIM director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee said His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, the King and Queen of Malaysia are expected to grace the event, which carries the theme Membangun Ummah MADANI (Developing a MADANI Ummah).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail are also scheduled to attend the ceremony, which will begin at 9.30 am and is expected to draw around 8,000 guests. These include Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, heads of government departments and agencies, foreign dignitaries and members of the public.
“This year’s celebration aims to highlight the importance of drawing lessons from the Hijrah in building a progressive Muslim community,” Sirajuddin said in a statement today.
He added that a MADANI ummah embodies the principle of inclusivity in developing a civilised society, not only in terms of physical development, but also in nurturing spiritually excellent human capital.
The highlight of the event will be a Royal Address by His Majesty, as well as the presentation of the National and International Tokoh Maal Hijrah Awards to individuals who have made significant contributions to Islamic development and the advancement of the ummah.
In conjunction with the celebration, a special prayer ceremony to mark the end and beginning of the Islamic year will take place at 6.30 pm this Thursday at Masjid Negara (National Mosque).
The ceremony will be attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, with prayers led by the Grand Imam Ehsan Mohd Hosni. A special tausiyyah (religious lecture) will also be delivered by Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Izhar Ariff Mohd Kashim from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
“May this year’s Maal Hijrah celebration bring renewed hope and unity to Muslims in Malaysia and around the world, in the spirit of togetherness exemplified by Prophet Muhammad SAW in Madinah,” said Sirajuddin.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/national-level-maal-hijrah-celebration-to-take-place-at-mitec-this-friday-LC14348737
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/khula-sharia-council-divorce-muftis-telangana/d/135996