‘Love Jihad’ Is A Matter of Concern, Says RSS Chief Bhagwat; Asks Functionaries to Work Towards Curbing the Cases Of ‘Love Jihad’
New Age Islam News Bureau
26 September 2023
RSS chief
Mohan Bhagwat. (Photo | ANI Twitter)
-----
India
·
Two arrested for raising ‘Jai
Shri Ram’ slogan inside mosque in Karnataka
·
Meet 12-year-old Mursalim
Sheikh, who made Indian Railways eat crow
·
US Ambassador in India defends
PoK visit of American envoy in Islamabad
·
Muslim leaders quit Janata Dal
(Secular) over party’s decision to join BJP-led NDA
·
Terrorists sponsor Canada
visas, woo youths into ranks
-----
Pakistan
·
3 Terrorists Killed In ‘Intelligence-Based
Operation’ In Khyber District: ISPR
·
Imran still in Attock Jail
despite orders to the contrary
·
Pakistan strongly condemns
desecration of Quran in The Hague
·
Cipher case: Special court
extends Imran, Qureshi judicial remand till Oct 10
·
IHC orders shifting under-trial
Imran to Adiala jail
·
FIA confirms authenticity of
May 9 riot footage
--------
South Asia
·
Formation of Ulema Council
Completed for All Provinces: Mujahid
·
Showdown On the Streets If PM
Sheikh Hasina Doesn't Quit: BNP Secretary General
·
Australia’s Far-Right Freedom
Party delegation meets with Muttaqi in Kabul
·
Qatar Emphasizes Need for
World's Engagement with Afghanistan
·
Muttaqi heads to Russia for
Moscow Format Meeting
-------
Mideast
·
Israel strikes Hamas post after
violent protest in Gaza: army
·
Condemnations pour in over
Israeli incursions into al-Aqsa
·
Armenian prime minister urges
active communication with Iran during 'difficult period for region'
·
Eight south Yemen fighters
killed in suspected Al-Qaeda attacks
·
Occupation Police Abduct a
Palestinian from the Al-Aqsa Mosque, While Hundreds of Settlers Invade It
·
Bahrain condemns storming of
Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremists
·
Saudi envoy to Palestine
welcomed by Palestinian Authority
-------
Arab World
·
Qatar’s Lusail City Named ‘Capital
of Islamic Culture’ For Year 2030
·
Saudi’s 1st Ambassador to
Palestine Welcomed by Palestinian Authority
·
Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO
Sign Deal for Cultural Programs, Heritage Fellowships
·
Several Government Officials
and Expats Among Those Arrested Over Corruption
·
Saudi Arabia condemns attack
that killed two Bahrain soldiers
·
Saudi Arabia affirms commitment
to nuclear energy at international conference
-------
Southeast Asia
·
New Mosque in Kuching to Use
English For Friday Sermons, Says Premier
·
Don’t normalise sexual
harassment, Nancy urges society
·
Singapore blows up 100kg
WWII-era bomb after thousands evacuated
·
Election Court nullifies Che
Alias Hamid's GE15 win of Kemaman Parliamentary seat
·
Kemaman PN rep win in GE15
annulled by Terengganu Election Court
·
Court strikes out application
for psych observation by murder accused
-------
Africa
·
Libya Orders Arrest of Eight
Officials After Flood, Storm Daniel Disaster Which Killed Thousands
·
APC explains why Tinubu’s
meeting with Biden was cancelled
·
Benin: Families mourn victims
of contraband fuel depot fire
-------
North America
·
Canadian Sikhs Stage Protests
Against Indian Government Over Murder
·
Trump opposes US request to
limit his comments on election case
·
Biden, US officials warn of
hunger for millions in a government shutdown
·
Lebanon forces arrest suspect
over shooting at US embassy
·
US-backed Kurdish forces impose
curfew in eastern Syria after new clashes with rival militia
·
CAIR Expresses Solidarity with
U.S., Canadian Sikh Community, Condemns Indian Government
------
Europe
·
Germany Has Once Again Become
‘Sick Man of Europe’
·
Thousands march against ruling
coalition in German city of Schweinfurt
·
Ukraine Says Russia Black Sea
Fleet Commander Killed; No Comment by Moscow
·
German police raid premises
across the country in connection with migrant smuggling
·
Hungary warns EU against
ditching Russian energy
·
EU state used Israeli spyware
on Russian journalists – editors
·
German police launch probe into
Nazi salutes at Oktoberfest
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/love-jihad-rss-bhagwat/d/130761
-----
‘Love Jihad’ Is A Matter of Concern,
Says RSS Chief Bhagwat; Asks Functionaries to Work Towards Curbing the Cases Of
‘Love Jihad’
RSS chief
Mohan Bhagwat. (Photo | ANI Twitter)
-----
26th September 2023
By Namita Bajpai Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
chief Mohan Bhagwat has asked the functionaries of his organisation to work
towards curbing the cases of ‘Love Jihad’ (the term given by right-wing groups
for interfaith relationships or marriages and religious conversions) which
according to him are on a rise in Uttar Pradesh.
Bhagwat, who was on a four-day state
visit that ended on Monday, held a meeting with RSS office-bearers of Awadh
Prant (region bordering Nepal) on the last day and asked them to reach out to
the people to prevent such cases.
According to sources in the RSS, Bhagwat
was of the opinion that religious conversions were “more profound in rural
areas” of the state. “We need to focus especially in areas where
anti-nationalist and anti-social elements are active,” Bhagwat reportedly told
the RSS workers at a meeting in Lucknow.
Bhagwat also discussed ‘Land Jihad’ (a
phrase given by the right wing for illegally grabbing land for constructing
religious institutes or structures) during the meeting with the RSS workers.
“Land Jihad is taking place in the rural
areas of the state, bordering Nepal. People are grabbing lands belonging to the
Hindu community to build mosques, Mazars and dargahs,” a RSS functionary
alleged. The RSS is already running public awareness programmes against such
activities. It has been decided to intensify the awareness activities, he
added.
As Lok Sabha elections are approaching,
the RSS chief also took stock of poll preparedness. According to sources,
Bhagwat stressed expanding the organisational activities, increasing the number
of Shakhas and reaching people belonging to various sections of society.
Recently, Bhagwat had adviced RSS
functionaries to rope in more Dalits to organisation’s posts and activities.
During the meeting, sources said
concerns were also raised over the recent remarks on Sanatan Dharam made by DMK
leader and Tamil Nadu chief minister’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin. Earlier,
Bhagwat, during his visit, had met state chief minister Yogi Adityanath and
discussed the inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya slated for January 2024 and
14 Lok Sabha seats which the BJP lost in the 2019 general assembly polls.
According to sources, the RSS is
planning a grand opening of the temple by holding religious ceremonies in
temples across the country. Bhagwat has also advised Adityanath to chart out a
plan to wrest the 14 parliamentary constituencies. The state sends 80 members
to Lok Sabha.
Plans for Ram Mandir
RSS is planning to hold religious
ceremonies in temples across the country for the grand opening of Ram Mandir.
The VHP and Bajrang Dal have planned to conduct numerous yatras. Bhagwat has
also advised CM Yogi Adityanath to chart out a plan to wrest 14 parliamentary
constituencies. Earlier, Bhagwat had met the CM and discussed the inauguration
of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya that is slated for January 2024.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/sep/26/love-jihad-is-a-matter-of-concern-says-bhagwat-2618300.html
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Supreme Court Slams UP Government Over
School Slapgate, Says ‘This Should Shock Conscience Of State’
"There
cannot be any religious abuse in a school", the Court said.
------
26.09.23
R. Balaji
The Supreme Court on Monday chided the
Uttar Pradesh government for trying to water down the case against the
schoolteacher who instigated pupils to slap a fellow Muslim student by avoiding
reference to the communal angle in the FIR.
“This is something very serious which we
cannot ignore…. Here the teacher is asking students to hit a classmate because
he belongs to a particular community,” Justice A.S. Oka, who headed the bench,
told additional solicitor-general K.M. Natraj, who appeared for the state
government.
“If the allegations are true, this
should shock the conscience of the State. If the allegation is correct, this
may be the worst kind of physical punishment imparted by a teacher, asking
other students to assault another boy.”
Justice Oka added: “There is a prima
facie failure on the part of the state to comply with the mandatory objectives
of the RTE (Right to Education) Act and Rules.”
The two-judge bench, which included
Justice Pankaj Mithal, questioned the state police’s failure to record the
allegation by the victim’s father that his son had been targeted because he
belonged to a particular community.
“Mr Natraj, we seriously object to the
manner in which the FIR is registered by the local police. If you see the first
complaint made by the father on the incident, he says that the teacher had made
objectionable statements against a particular community. But in the FIR these
allegations are not mentioned,” Justice Oka observed.
The bench cut short Natraj’s argument
that the incident — which occurred in Muzaffarnagar district last month — was
“something” that was being given a communal colour.
“Not just ‘something’, this is very serious.
The transcript of the video is there. If a teacher tells her students to hit
another student because he belongs to a certain community, what is the quality
and sensitivity of the education being imparted?” the bench asked.
It rejected the state government’s
argument that petitioner Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of the Mahatma, was
trying to politicise the matter by invoking the Father of the Nation.
“He should not come to the court saying
he is the grandson of the Mahatma and all such things,” Natraj had argued.
But advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing
for Tushar Gandhi, said he had come to the court as a social worker.
“In a case like this, the state should
not be concerned about the locus standi of the petitioner,” the bench said,
adding that if necessary, it would treat the matter as suo motu (where the
court has taken cognisance of the incident on its own).
Dissatisfied with the probe by the local
police, the bench directed that the case be monitored by a senior IPS officer,
who must report to the court in three weeks.
It wanted to know the steps taken to
counsel not just the victim but the other children whom the teacher had
instigated to beat him.
The teacher has been booked under the
Juvenile Justice Act besides penal code sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt)
and 503 (criminal intimidation).
The bench later passed a written order —
yet to be uploaded — which said: “The probe shall be supervised by a senior
police officer nominated by the state government to look into whether these two
offences deserve to be invoked. The IPS officer so invited shall submit a
report to this court.”
It said “this is a case where the
criminal law process was not set in motion and there was violation of
fundamental rights and RTE (Right to Education) Act”.
It added: “RTE Act clearly lays down
that free and compulsory education should be of satisfactory and equitable
quality and there should be norms and standards.
“We may note that there is a complete
bar on physical and mental harassment of children. If parents are also made to
bear the brunt, then it is the worst form, since here teachers directed other
students also.
“There cannot be any quality education
if a student is sought to be penalised only on the grounds that he belongs to a
particular community.
“We direct the state government to
ensure that proper counselling is extended to the victim by a professional
counsellor. Even to the students who were dictated to take part in the action.
The state will immediately do the needful.”
The order asked the state “what facilities
it will extend to the victim… for his quality education” and stressed that “the
state cannot expect the child to continue in the same school”.
It asked the state government to place
“a compliance report in relation to the victim of the offence” within three
weeks.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/supreme-court-slams-up-government-over-school-slapgate-says-this-should-shock-conscience-of-state/cid/1968954
------
Islam Is a Religion of Peace, No Space
for Intolerance: Pakistan Army Chief
Pakistan
Army chief General Asim Munir said there was no space for intolerance and
extremism in Islam | Photo: AP
------
Sep 25, 2023
Pakistan's powerful Army chief General
Asim Munir said on Monday that there is no space for intolerance and extremism
in Islam and society as he met members of the minority Christian community and
lauded their services for the welfare and defence of the country.
His comments assume significance in the
backdrop of the "Jaranwala incident" where a mob vandalised 22
churches and set scores of Christian houses on fire over allegations of
blasphemy. There were no casualties but it was one of the most destructive
attacks on Christians in the Muslim-majority country.
"Islam is a religion of peace and
there is no space for intolerance and extremism in Islam and society. No one
can be allowed to take law in his own hands in a civilised society,” Gen Munir
said during an interaction with a 14-member Christian community delegation led
by Dr Azad Marshall — Moderator and President Bishops (Church of Pakistan and
Bishop of Raiwind) at General Headquarters, Rawalpindi.
The army said in a statement that during
the meeting matters of mutual interest, religious and inter-faith harmony were
discussed.
Gen Munir "lauded the contributions
of the Pakistani Christian Community in national development, including
promotion of quality education, healthcare and philanthropic services and the
outstanding role played by them for the defence of the motherland."
He also expressed deep respect for
Christian community and stressed upon the need for promoting greater interfaith
harmony in society in order to follow Pakistan's founder M A Jinnah's true vision
of a united and progressive Pakistan.
The delegation acknowledged Pakistan
Army's efforts in combating terrorism and providing a secure environment to the
minorities in the country, and appreciated the Army chief's gesture as an
inspiration for Pakistani minorities to take greater and more active part in
nation building and in restoring their faith in a cohesive and tolerant
society, according to the statement.
Authorities have so far restored nine
churches out of 22 burnt down by the violent mob over blasphemy allegations.
According to the Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan fact-finding mission’s report, at least 24 churches and several
dozen smaller chapels as well as scores of houses were torched and looted in a
series of brutal mob-led attacks against the Christian community on August 16
in Jaranwala town, a city in Punjab province, on allegations of blasphemy
against a Christian man.
It said the mob attack on Christian
worship places, their residences, and the cemetery was part of a "larger
hate campaign against local Christians" and questioned the open
involvement of radical Islamists and the complicity of police in the incident.
Source: indiatoday.in
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pakistan-army-chief-asim-munir-islam-religion-peace-extremism-intolerance-2440461-2023-09-25
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Taliban Weighs Using US Mass
Surveillance Plan, Met with China's Huawei
Taliban
fighters stand guard while people wait to receive sacks of rice, as part of
humanitarian aid sent by China, at a distribution centre in Kabul, Afghanistan,
April 7, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
------
September 25, 2023
KABUL: The Taliban are creating a
large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve
repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an
interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as authorities seek to supplement
thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.
The Taliban administration — which has
publicly said it is focused on restoring security and clamping down on Da’ish,
which has claimed many major attacks in Afghan cities — has also consulted with
Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the
spokesman said.
Preventing attacks by international
militant groups - including prominent organisations such as Da’ish - is at the
heart of the interaction between the Taliban and many foreign nations,
including the US and China, according to readouts from those meetings. But some
analysts question the cash-strapped regime's ability to fund the program, and
rights groups have expressed concern that any resources will be used to
crackdown on protesters.
Details of how the Taliban intend to
expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the US plan, have not
been previously reported.
The mass camera rollout, which will
involve a focus on "important points" in Kabul and elsewhere, is part
of a new security strategy that will take four years to be fully implemented,
Ministry of Interior spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told Reuters.
"At the present we are working on a
Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is
taking) lots of time," he said. "We already have two maps, one which
was made by USA for the previous government and second by Turkey."
He did not detail when the Turkish plan
was made.
A US State Department spokesperson said
Washington was not "partnering" with the Taliban and has "made
clear to the Taliban that it is their responsibility to ensure that they give
no safe haven to terrorists."
A Turkish government spokesperson didn't
return a request for comment.
Qani said the Taliban had a "simple
chat" about the potential network with Huawei [RIC:RIC:HWT.UL] in August,
but no contracts or firm plans had been reached.
Bloomberg News reported in August that
Huawei had reached "verbal agreement" with the Taliban about a
contract to install a surveillance system, citing a person familiar with the
discussions.
Huawei told Reuters in September that
"no plan was discussed" during the meeting.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
said she was not aware of specific discussions but added: "China has
always supported the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan and
supported Chinese enterprises to carry out relevant practical
cooperation."
Electricity cuts, rights concerns
There are over 62,000 cameras in Kabul
and other cities that are monitored from a central control room, according to
the Taliban. The last major update to Kabul's camera system occurred in 2008,
according to the former government, which relied heavily on Western-led
international forces for security.
When NATO-led international forces were
gradually withdrawing in January 2021, then-vice president Amrullah Saleh said
his government would roll out a huge upgrade of Kabul's camera surveillance
system. He told reporters the $100 million plan was backed by the NATO
coalition.
"The arrangement we had planned in
early 2021 was different," Saleh told Reuters in September, adding that
the "infrastructure" for the 2021 plan had been destroyed.
It was not clear if the plan Saleh
referenced was similar to the ones that the Taliban say they have obtained, nor
if the administration would modify them.
Jonathan Schroden, an expert on
Afghanistan with the Center for Naval Analyses, said a surveillance system
would be "useful for the Taliban as it seeks to prevent groups like the
Da’ish ... from attacking Taliban members or government positions in
Kabul." The Taliban already closely monitor urban centres with security
force vehicles and regular checkpoints.
Rights advocates and opponents of the
regime are concerned enhanced surveillance might target civil society members
and protesters.
Though the Taliban rarely confirm
arrests, the Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 64 journalists have
been detained since the takeover. Protests against restrictions on women in
Kabul have been broken up forcefully by security forces, according to protesters,
videos and Reuters witnesses.
Implementing a mass surveillance system
"under the guise of 'national security' sets a template for the Taliban to
continue its draconian policies that violate fundamental rights," said
Matt Mahmoudi from Amnesty International.
The Taliban strongly denies that an
upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans. Qani said the
system was comparable with what other major cities utilize and that it would be
operated in line with Islamic Sharia law, which prevents recording in private
spaces.
The plan faces practical challenges,
security analysts say.
Intermittent daily power cuts in
Afghanistan mean cameras connected to the central grid are unlikely to provide
consistent feeds. Only 40% of Afghans have access to electricity, according to
the state-owned power provider.
The Taliban also have to find funding
after a massive economic contraction and the withdrawal of much aid following
their takeover.
The administration said in 2022 that it
has an annual budget of over $2 billion, of which defence spending is the
largest component, according to the Taliban army chief.
Militancy risks
The discussion with Huawei occurred
several months after China met with Pakistan and the Taliban's acting foreign
minister, after which the parties stressed cooperation on counter-terrorism.
Tackling militancy is also a key aspect of the 2020 troop-withdrawal deal the
United States struck with the Taliban.
China has publicly declared its concern
over the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an armed separatist
organisation in its western Xinjiang region. Security officials and UN reports
say ETIM likely has a small number of fighters in Afghanistan. ETIM couldn't be
reached for comment.
Da’ish has also threatened foreigners in
Afghanistan. Its fighters attacked a hotel popular with Chinese businesspeople
last year, which left several Chinese citizens wounded. A Russian diplomat was
also killed in one of its attacks.
The Taliban denies that militancy
threatens their rule and say Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks
elsewhere. They have publicly announced raids on Da’ish cells in Kabul.
Also read: Taliban rebuffs UN report
claiming presence of terror groups in Afghanistan
"Since early 2023, Taliban raids in
Afghanistan have removed at least eight key (Da’ish Afghanistan) leaders, some
responsible for external plotting," said US Special Representative for
Afghanistan Thomas West at a Sept. 12 public seminar.
A July UN monitoring report said there
were up to 6,000 Da’ish fighters and their family members in Afghanistan.
Analysts say urban surveillance will not fully address their presence.
The Afghan "home base"
locations of Da’ish fighters are in the eastern mountainous areas, said
Schroden. "So while cameras in the cities may help prevent attacks ...
they're unlikely to contribute much to their ultimate defeat."
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2437681/taliban-weighs-using-us-mass-surveillance-plan-met-with-chinas-huawei
--------
Iran Successfully Defuses 30 Bombs in Tehran,
Arrests 28 ISIS-Linked Suspects
Photo: Khaama Press
----
Fidel Rahmati
September 25, 2023
Iran’s intelligence ministry reported that
they have successfully thwarted an attempt to detonate 30 simultaneous bombs in
Tehran. Additionally, they have detained 28 individuals with suspected links to
ISIS, marking a significant security achievement in the region, Iran’s Tasnim
news agency reported on Sunday.
The Iranian intelligence ministry
revealed that some detained individuals have confirmed affiliations with ISIS.
In contrast, others have a documented history of involvement with extremist
groups in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Kurdistan region of Iraq,
according to the Iranian intelligence ministry reported by Reuters.
The Iranian intelligence ministry stated
that the coordinated attacks were designed to destabilize Iran, create a false
perception of instability, and instil fear. Furthermore, it was revealed that
these planned attacks were timed to coincide with the anniversary of last
year’s anti-regime protests, initially sparked by the tragic death of Mahsa
Amini.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian
Kurdish woman, tragically passed away on September 16, 2022, after being
arrested by Tehran’s morality police for purportedly violating strict women’s
dress regulations. Her death ignited widespread protests that eventually
evolved into demands for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.
ISIS has asserted responsibility for
multiple attacks in Iran, notably the 2017 twin bombings targeting Iran’s
parliament and the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic
Republic.
In a more recent incident, ISIS claimed
accountability for an assault on a Shia shrine in
October, resulting in the loss of 15
lives in the southwestern city of Shiraz, Reuters reported.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/iran-successfully-defuses-30-bombs-in-tehran-arrests-28-isis-linked-suspects/
-------
India
Two arrested for raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’
slogan inside mosque in Karnataka
By Coovercolly Indresh, Bengaluru
Sep 26, 2023
The incident occurred late on Sunday
night when two unknown individuals arrived on a motorcycle and entered the
MardhalaBadria Juma Masjid compound.
Two people were arrested for allegedly
raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans inside the premises of a mosque in Dakshina
Kannada district, Kabada police said on Monday.
According to police officers, the
incident occurred late on Sunday night ay 11pm, when two unknown individuals
arrived on a motorcycle and entered the MardhalaBadria Juma Masjid compound.
According to police officers, upon
receiving a complaint from the mosque’s head that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans were
raised, the police reviewed the CCTV footage and the two were arrested. The
accused were identified as Sachin Rai (26) and Keerthan Poojari (24) — both
residents of Kaikamba village in Kadaba taluk.
“The mosque is enclosed by a boundary
wall and has a gate at the junction of Kadaba-Mardhala road. On the night of
September 24, around 11 PM, the two entered the mosque compound and chanted
‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans, and also threatened not to allow Byaris (Muslims) to
live,” a senior police officer said.
The Moulvi of the mosque and its head,
who were in the office at the time, observed the two strangers departing the
mosque premises when they came out . Upon reviewing the mosque’s CCTV footage, it
was noted that a suspicious car had been driving along the road in front of the
mosque. Mosque committee member Mohammed Faizal told reporters that the area is
known for its harmonious coexistence between Hindu and Muslim communities, and
the two accused who cannot tolerate this unity conspired to incite communal
hatred and tensions.
“Soon after receiving complaint on
Monday, we registered a case under section 447 (criminal trespass), 504
(intentional insult), 506 (threatening with life), 295 (outraging religious
feelings by insulting) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and arrested the two
accused,” Kadaba sub inspector Abhinandan told HT. He said they are
investigating whether the accused is associated with any outfit. “Prima facie,
it is found that the accused did this act under the influence of alcohol and
has no previous crime record.”
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/two-arrested-for-raising-jai-shri-ram-slogan-inside-mosque-in-karnataka-101695671703485.html
-----
Meet 12-year-old Mursalim Sheikh, who
made Indian Railways eat crow
26.09.23
Soumya De Sarkar
In the David and Goliath genre, it does
not get any bigger.
On one side was the Indian Railways, the
mighty utility that literally keeps a large section of the world’s most
populous country moving.
On the other was Mursalim Sheikh, all of
12 years old, the son of a migrant worker and a bidi worker, from Malda.
We are happy to report that Mursalim has
won hands down — without taking recourse to the slingshot that the original
David wielded to fell the giant.
In defeat, the railways have been
gracious but not generous enough. The utility should have paid him more than
the Rs 1,500 that was offered as a token of appreciation, feel public figures
in Malda.
Forty-eight hours after denying that the
boy had saved the lives of hundreds of passengers travelling in a long-distance
train on Saturday, the railways said on Monday that the boy “has defined
bravery after he waved his red shirt to make the loco pilot of a speeding
passenger train stop the train from crossing” a rain-damaged portion.
In a media release issued by Sabyasachi
De, chief public relations officer, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), the
railways said: “NFR salutes the boy’s approach towards the society...”.
The same official had said over the
phone from Maligaon, the NFR headquarters in Assam, on Saturday: “Our men
spotted the damage under the track and informed concerned authorities who, in
turn, informed the driver. It was not the boy.”
On Sunday, contacted again, he had stuck
to his statement. “Whatever I have said is based on information gathered from
our sources,” he said over the phone.
On Monday, a senior railway official
visited Mursalim’s home and felicitated him.
On Saturday afternoon, the
Northeast-bound Kanchenjungha Express from Sealdah was approaching the Bhaluka
Road station of Malda. Mursalim, a resident of Jhangarpara village in the
Harishchandrapur-II block of the district, was walking along the tracks.
He noticed that the soil and pebbles had
been washed away from under the tracks. Hearing the train approaching, Mursalim
took off his red T-shirt and started waving it. The loco pilot noticed it and
pulled the emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt ahead of the damaged
portion.
Soon after, railway staff arrived and
carried out necessary repairs. The train then left for its destination.
Mursalim, a Class VI student, is the son
of Mohammad Ismail, a migrant worker, and Marjina Bibi, a bidi worker. Ismail
is in Gujarat now. Mursalim has a brother and a sister.
“We thank the railway authorities for
appreciating my son’s effort. We are a poor family and it would be great if
they could help him continue his education,” Marjina said on Monday.
On Saturday, as the news spread,
Trinamul leaders, including MLAs from Malda district, visited the boy’s home
and felicitated him. When the railways initially said their staff had averted
any untoward incident, Khagen Murmu, the BJP MP from Malda north, had tried to
control the damage.
Murmu arrived at the boy’s house on
Sunday and congratulated him for what he had done. The railways would
felicitate him, he said.
On Monday, Surendra Kumar, the
divisional railway manager of Katihar, came to Jhangarpara with Murmu. They
handed over a certificate and a cash award of Rs 1,500.
“It is good that they have finally
recognised the boy’s contribution towards saving the train. But Rs 1,500 is too
meagre a sum: they should have been generous and paid a substantial amount to
him, especially considering the economic condition of his family,” said Abdur
Rahim Boxi, the Malda district Trinamul president.
Residents of the village said that in
December 2019, when protests against the new citizenship regime had rocked
Bengal, the Bhaluka Road station was ransacked and torched.
“Some antisocials had vandalised the
station and brought a bad name to neighbouring villages. Mursalim’s feat has
helped our area shed its negative image,” said Hamimul Rehman, a resident of
the boy’s village.
On Monday, the chief public relations
officer who had initially denied that Mursalim had any role in the train
averting a mishap, said: “The boy was rewarded for his awareness of railway
safety. But it’s our men who passed the information ahead and stopped the
train.”
The media release issued in the name of
the same official does not make any such claim. It gives full credit to
Mursalim.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/meet-12-year-old-mursalim-sheikh-who-made-indian-railways-eat-crow/cid/1968947
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US Ambassador in India defends PoK visit
of American envoy in Islamabad
26th September 2023
New Delhi: The US Ambassador to India,
Eric Garcetti on Tuesday dismissed criticism of the American envoy in Islamabad
visiting Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) on the ground that a US delegation had
also visited Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 meeting in Srinagar.
India had raised strong objections to
the US Ambassador in Pakistan, Donald Blome’s recent visit to PoK, during which
he repeatedly referred to the region as AJK, the abbreviation for ‘Azad Jammu
and Kashmir’.
“The Quaid-e-Azam Memorial Dak Bungalow
symbolises the cultural and historical richness of Pakistan and was famously
visited by Jinnah in 1944. I’m honoured to visit it during my first trip to
AJK”, his official Twitter handle had tweeted.
Ambassador Garcetti when asked about
Blone’s PoK visit, said, “I know he has been there before, but our delegation
has also visited Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 meeting.”
Ambassador Garcetti’s remark appears to
indicate that the US is placing Jammu and Kashmir, which is a legitimate part
of Indian territory, as a disputed area as it is being deviously termed by
Pakistani propaganda.
Blome’s visit was the second
high-profile visit by a US diplomat to PoK, after US Congresswoman Illhan Omar
visited the region.
India had issued a strongly worded
statement at the time saying: “She visited a part of Jammu and Kashmir
illegally occupied by Pakistan. If such a politician wishes to practice her
narrow-minded politics at home that may be her business, but violating our
territorial integrity in its pursuit makes it ours.”
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/us-ambassador-in-india-defends-pok-visit-of-american-envoy-in-islamabad-2706160/
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Muslim leaders quit Janata Dal (Secular)
over party’s decision to join BJP-led NDA
26.09.23
K.M. Rakesh
Muslim leaders have started leaving
Janata Dal Secular, not too long ago known for its pro-minority advocacy,
following the party’s decision to join the BJP-led NDA.
A group of Muslim leaders including
former minister N.M. Nabi, JDS senior vice-president Syed Shafiullah, youth
wing president N.M. Noor and minority wing chief Nasser Hussain have already
resigned from the party.
“I organised a meeting of like-minded
JDS leaders yesterday (Sunday) to take stock of the situation. All the 25
leaders and members who attended the meeting expressed concern at the decision
to join the NDA,” Shafiullah told The Telegraph on Monday.
While there are no Muslims among the 19
JDS MLAs elected in the May state elections, B.M. Farooq is a lone member of
the legislative council (upper House) from the community. “I haven’t been able
to talk to Farooq. But the general trend is that all Muslim leaders will resign
if they haven’t already done so,” Shafiullah noted.
But he was noncommittal on the next
move, claiming leaders from several parties were in touch with them. “We have
been getting calls from Janata Dal United, Aam Aadmi Party and a few other
parties.”
A senior Congress functionary didn’t
rule out the possibility of JDS leaders being miffed at the alliance with BJP
heading their way. “I won’t rule out that possibility since we are the only
secular party in the state now,” said the leader, who declined to be named.
But he reminded those who want to join
the Congress not to nurse any major expectations in terms of positions. “Our
party leaders have already said that anyone wanting to join us must not expect
any big position and should go by the party’s decision on how to utilise them,”
he added.
State minister for housing B.Z. Zameer
Ahmed Khan reminded the contribution of Muslim voters to whatever the JDS has
achieved so far. He noted that even Kumaraswamy would have lost in the
Channapatna Assembly constituency had it not been for the Muslim voters.
Another JDS bigwig, former state
president C.M. Ibrahim, is likely to quit. He has been a close associate of
former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda since the 1970s.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/muslim-leaders-quit-janata-dal-secular-over-partys-decision-to-join-bjp-led-nda/cid/1968938
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Terrorists sponsor Canada visas, woo
youths into ranks
Sep 26, 2023
NEW DELHI: Slain terrorist Hardeep Singh
Nijjar and other pro-Khalistan elements in Canada have been building a local
'pro-Khalistan brigade' by sponsoring visas for gullible Punjab youths for
medium-skilled jobs, including religious duties in gurdwaras controlled by
them, and “offering shelter and low-scale jobs” with gurdwaras’ resources for
“sustenance” of illegal immigrants and Indian students, as per Indian
intelligence sources.
Many of these 'indebted' youths —
brought in to work as plumbers, truck drivers or do religious duties as
sewadars, pathis and ragis in the 30-plus gurdwaras controlled by pro-Khalistan
elements across Surrey, Brampton, Edmonton, etc — are sucked into the
separatist movement and used for organising anti-India protests and conducting
radical-religious congregations in Canada, said an officer.
Apart from the pro-Khalistan elements
based in Canada — primarily Nijjar, Moninder Singh Bual, Parminder Pangli and
Bhagat Singh Brar — the Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar, a political party in
Punjab, is said to charge Rs 1-2 lakh to issue a “letter” to the state’s youths
for seeking political asylum in Canada, falsely claiming that they are party
cadres being persecuted in India on religious grounds. These youths are
head-hunted for pro-Khalistan activities upon reaching Canada.
The human trafficking channel, which
remains undisrupted under the very nose of Canadian agencies, is essentially to
make up for the lack of support for the Khalistani cause among the local Indian
diaspora, claimed an officer in Indian security agencies. Agencies here link
Canada’s soft-pedalling of pro-Khalistani elements on its soil, to the rise in
their clout in gurdwaras across the country; a clout that has emboldened them
to now intimidate Hindu members of the local Indian diaspora and also threaten
defacement of their temples.
The “foot soldiers” of the Khalistan
brigade were used in recent years to mobilise support for the ‘Khalistan
Referendum’ campaign of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Nijjar, Bual and Bhagat Singh
Brar also formed an unholy nexus with gangsters in Punjab like Davinder
Bambhiagang, Arsh Dalla gang, Lakhbir Landa gang and brought these wanted
gangsters to Canada in lieu of using their operatives in Punjab for terror
attacks.
An officer said pro-Khalistan elements
have used the garb of ‘freedom of expression’, ‘political advocacy’ etc to
carry out separatist and terrorist activities on Canadian soil for 50 years.
“Kanishka bombing perpetuated by Khalistani extremists in 1985 was then one of
the biggest terror attacks in the world. However, due to apparent lackadaisical
approach of Canadian agencies, accused Talwinder Singh Parmar and aides went
scot-free. Ironically, Parmar is now a hero of Khalistanis in Canada with SFJ
naming its campaign centre after him,” noted an Indian intelligence official.
Links of Canada-based Khalistani
extremists have emerged in more than half of the terror cases reported from
Punjab. The multiple targeted killings of Sikhs, Hindus and Christians in
Punjab after 2016 have also been linked by investigations to Nijjar and his
allies. However, Canadian agencies are yet to start inquiry or investigation
against Nijjar or his friends Bhagat Singh Brar, Parry Dulai, Arsh Dalla,
Lakbir Landa, etc.
The role of Canada-based gangsters in
bringing drugs from Pakistan into Punjab, and using the proceeds to fund
Khalistan activities has emerged in several NIA investigations. Inter-gang
rivalries among gangsters from Punjab are common in Canada now. In 2022,
pro-India Sikh leader Ripudaman Singh Malik was killed in Surrey, with the
agencies here suspecting Nijjar’s role. However, the Canadian agencies only
charged two local criminals, who were not of Indian origin, in the case.
The human trafficking channel, which
remains undisrupted under the very nose of Canadian agencies, is essentially to
make up for the lack of support for the Khalistani cause among Sikhs based in
Canada, claimed an Indian intelligence officer.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/terrorists-sponsor-canada-visas-woo-youths-into-ranks/articleshow/103945119.cms
------
Pakistan
3 terrorists killed in
‘intelligence-based operation’ in Khyber district: ISPR
Iftikhar Shirazi
September 26, 2023
Three terrorists were killed by security
forces in an operation carried out in the Khyber district of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on the night of September 25/26,
security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general area
of Tirah, Khyber district, on the reported presence of terrorists.
During the operation, the ISPR said, an
intense exchange of fire took place between the Pakistani troops and
terrorists, which resulted in the killing of three terrorists, including
commander Kifayat, also known as Tor Adnan, “who was actively involved in
multiple terrorist activities against law enforcement agencies as well as the
killing of innocent civilians”.
It added that “sanitisation” of the area
is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.
“Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of
terrorism,” the ISPR said.
The development comes as security forces
continue counter-terror operations across Pakistan.
A soldier was martyred during an
exchange of fire with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan
district on Saturday.
On Thursday last week, eight terrorists
were killed by security forces during two separate IBOs in the Jani Khel
general area of Bannu district and North Waziristan’s general area of Datta Khel.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in
terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the
TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
A report released in July by the think
tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half
of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide
attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.
Source: dawn.com
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Imran still in Attock Jail despite
orders to the contrary
Amjad Iqbal | Malik Asad
September 26, 2023
• Legal team, jail officials at odds
over ex-PM’s shifting to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail
• IHC reserves order on plea seeking
in-camera proceedings of cipher case
• Jail officials don’t allow PTI chief
to be produced in court over ‘security concerns’
TAXILA / ISLAMABAD: Despite directions
from the Islamabad High Court, PTI Chairman Imran Khan was not shifted to
Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail until late on Monday, mainly due to two reasons;
security concerns and the absence of a written order.
However, one of his lawyers claimed that
the former prime minister had indeed been transferred to the Adiala Jail,
triggering confusion on social media platforms.
While hearing petitions seeking Mr
Khan’s transfer to Rawalpindi, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq observed that
under-trial prisoners (UTPs) of all the courts in the federal capital were kept
at Adiala and issued directions to shift Mr Khan to that prison.
The direction followed arguments by Mr
Khan’s counsel Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, who said the court had suspended Mr
Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case and the ex-PM was facing a trial in the
cipher case before a special court in Islamabad. As a UTP from the federal
territory, Mr Khan must be kept in Adiala Jail, he argued.
Justice Farooq remarked that pursuant to
suspension of the sentence, Mr Khan’s status had also changed.
Addressing AAG Barrister Munawar Iqbal
Duggal, he inquired about the status of other UTPs.
Mr Duggal replied that all UTPs of
Islamabad’s courts are kept in the Adiala Jail. Justice Farooq ordered that Mr
Khan shall be shifted to Adiala and further directed the jail administration to
provide all facilities to which he is entitled.
Mr Khan, however, could not be shifted
to Adiala Jail until going to print as Justice Farooq did not issue a written
order due to other engagements at the Federal Judicial Academy.
Later, Mr Khan’s lawyers, quoting
authorities, claimed the court’s directions had been implemented. Barrister
Naeem Panjhota, a prominent member of Mr Khan’s legal team, claimed that Mr
Khan had indeed been shifted to Adiala Jail.
However, the Attock Jail administration
refuted the claim, saying Mr Khan had not been shifted due to security reasons,
and they were still “hosting” him.
In his message on X, Mr Panjhota said he
had been informed that Imran Khan had been shifted to Adiala Jail but “it is
beyond understanding that Attock Jail [authorities] are also saying that they
have PTI chairman”.
Cipher case
Meanwhile, IHC Chief Justice Farooq
reserved verdict on an FIA application seeking in-camera proceedings of the
cipher case.
The application came up when the chief
justice was hearing a petition seeking post-arrest bail for Mr Khan in the
case.
FIA prosecutors argued that since the
cipher case had been registered under the Official Secrets Act, the hearing of
petitions related to this case should be held in-camera.
However, Mr Khan’s counsel argued that a
notification issued by the law ministry had cited security reasons for holding
the ex-premier’s trial inside the jail.
He requested the court to grant
post-arrest bail to Mr Khan.
According to the law ministry’s
notification, the judge of Special Court (Official Secrets Act) had requested
for conducting Mr Khan’s trial inside the prison due to security reasons.
The law ministry stated it had no
objection on the trial being conducted inside the jail.
Marriage case
A court in Islamabad had also summoned
Mr Khan in a case pertaining to his alleged ‘un-Islamic’ marriage to Bushra
Bibi, but Attock Jail officials expressed their inability to produce him,
citing security risks.
A contingent of Islamabad Police
comprising 13 vehicles, including an APC, scores of policemen and elite force
officials led by DSP Qasim Khan, arrived at Attock Jail in the morning, but
jail authorities did not hand over custody of Mr Khan to them.
In the evening, a helicopter was seen
hovering over the Attock Jail at low altitude, raising speculations that Mr
Khan would be shifted to Adiala Jail by air, but the helicopter was not seen
landing on jail premises.
Earlier, the superintendent of Attock
Jail, in a letter addressed to senior civil judge Qudrat Ullah, had expressed
apprehensions that potential security risks could arise during Mr Khan’s
journey to Islamabad.
Mr Khan was shifted to Attock Jail on
Aug 5, after being convicted in the Toshakhana case. His conviction also
resulted in him being barred from contesting elections for five years. On Aug
29, the IHC suspended his prison sentence, but he remains in custody due to the
cipher case.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1777938/imran-still-in-attock-jail-despite-orders-to-the-contrary
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Pakistan strongly condemns desecration
of Quran in The Hague
September 26, 2023
Pakistan has condemned in the strongest
terms the latest senseless and deeply offensive act of desecration of the Holy
Quran that took place in The Hague, the Netherlands in front of some embassies
of OIC member countries including Pakistan.
In a press release, the Foreign Office
spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said it is a deliberately provocative and
Islamophobic act that has hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world.
She said such acts cannot be condoned
under the guise of freedom of expression, opinion and protest.
The spokesperson said Pakistan believes
that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities. National governments
should actively prevent racist and Islamophobic acts, which incite religious
hatred.
It is important for the international
community to raise its voice against Islamophobia and work in concert to
promote interfaith harmony.
She said that was the spirit behind the
resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 to mark 15
March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
The spokesperson said Pakistan's
concerns have been conveyed to the Dutch authorities.
She further said we urge them to be
mindful of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and Muslims around the
world and take active steps to prevent such hateful and Islamophobic acts.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/25-09-2023/pakistan-strongly-condemns-desecration-of-quran-in-the-hague
-------
Cipher case: Special court extends
Imran, Qureshi judicial remand till Oct 10
By Arfa Feroz Zake
September 26, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A special court established
under the Official Secrets Act on Tuesday extended the judicial remand of
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and party’s vice chairman Shah
Mahmood Qureshi till October 10 in the cipher case.
Special court Judge Abual Hasnat
Zulqarnain conducted the hearing of the case at Attock jail.
PTI counsels including Barrister Salman
Safdar, Latif Khosa, Umer Niazi, and Naeem Panjutha appeared before the court.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team was also present in the court.
On the other hand, Qureshi was brought
to the Federal Judicial Complex handcuffed by a FIA team where the court staff
marked his attendance.
Later, the court extended his judicial
remand till Oct 10.
Last month, the FIA booked the PTI chief
and the party’s vice chairman under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly
misplacing and misusing classified document for vested political interests.
“Consequent upon the conclusion of the
enquiry No. 111/2023 dated 05.10.2022, registered in the CTW, FIA Islamabad, it
transpired that former prime minister namely Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former
foreign minister namely Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their other associates are
involved in communications of information contained in the secret classified
document (Cipher Telegram received from Parep. Washington dated 7th March, 2022
to Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the unauthorised person (i.e.
public at large) by twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and
personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security,”
read first information report (FIR) registered against the PTI leaders.
Subsequently, both leaders were arrested
in connection with the investigation into the case and a special court was
established under the Official Secrets Act to try the accused.
Speaking to the media, lawyer Khosa said
had the FIA submitted the challan in the court, the PTI chief would have been
granted bail today.
He also lamented that the law and
Constitution are being violated in the country.
Speaking about the arrest of PTI leaders
despite being granted bail by courts, the PTI chief’s counsel said court orders
are being violated by the authorities.
“Parvez Elahi has been granted bail many
times, but he is still under arrest,” he added.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1113591-cipher-case-special-court-extends-imran-qureshi-judicial-remand-till-oct-10
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IHC orders shifting under-trial Imran to
Adiala jail
By Asim Javed & Awais Yousafzai
& Khalid Iqbal & Mumtaz Alvi
September 26, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court
(IHC) Monday directed authorities to shift Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
Chairman Imran Khan to Adiala jail from Attock prison.
The order, issued during a hearing
concerning the prison amenities granted to the PTI chief, was passed on the
basis of a rule that trials of prisoners booked in Islamabad should be held in
the relevant prison.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC,
who was hearing the PTI petition, remarked that Khan is an under-trial prisoner
in the cipher case, which was registered in Islamabad.
“Why is an under-trial prisoner kept in
Attock jail instead of Adiala jail?” he asked.
Ordering to shift the PTI chairman, the
chief justice added, Khan was kept in custody at the Attock jail in the
Toshakhana case, which was suspended.
“If tomorrow, you transfer [him] to
Rahim Yar Khan, would the trial be held there?” he questioned, seeking a
response regarding the matter from AdditionalAttorney General Munawar Iqbal
Dogar.
During the hearing, Khan’s lawyer
Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat requested that his client be given the facility of
an exercise machine. Justice Farooq said it was mentioned that now the A and C
classes have been abolished in the jail.
“Now there are general and better
classes in the jail, and Imran Khan is entitled to the better class,” said
Barrister Salman Safdar, lawyer of the deposed prime minister.
“It is confirmed that the PTI chairman
is entitled to the better class, as he is the former prime minister and an educated
person,” the chief justice observed.
Justice Farooq maintained that Khan
should receive the facilities he is entitled to and that his rights should not
be violated.
Meanwhile, amid security concerns,
Ministry of Law and Justice issued “No Objection” to conduct jail trial of
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in cipher case.
Judge Special Court, Islamabad,
established under Official Secrets Act 1923, Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain will hear
the case in District Jail Attock on Tuesday (today).
Ministry of Law and Justice on Monday
issued a notification with “No Objection” to conduct the cipher case hearing on
Tuesday in District Jail Attock against PTI Chairman Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi on
request of Judge Special Court under Official Secrets Act 1923, Abdul Hasnat
Zulqarnain, due to security concerns.
Notification of the Ministry of Law and
Justice says, “In light of rules and orders of Hon’ble Lahore High Court,
Lahore, Volume III, Instructions to Criminal Courts Chapter-I, Practice in
trial of criminal cases Part A, General (3) read with section 352 of the Code
of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and on the request of Judge, Special Court
(Official Secrets Act, 1923), Islamabad, dated 25.09.2023, Law & Justice
Division has ‘No Objection’ on conducting trial of the accused, Mr. Imran Ahmed
Khan Niazi, due to security concerns, under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (Act
No. XIX of 1923) by the said Judge on 26th September, 2023”.
Copies of the notification have been
sent to Secretary Ministry of Interior, Secretary Law and Justice, Registrar
Islamabad High Court, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Chief Secretary Punjab, IG
Islamabad Police, IG Punjab Police, Judge Special Court and Superintendent
District Jail Attock.
Separately, the Attock Jail
superintendent did not present former prime minister Imran Khan in court in
illegal nikah case “due to security reason” on Monday. He stated that the
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman could not be produced in the court due
to security reasons.
During the previous hearing, Mufti
Saeed, who solemnised the nikah stated in the court that Imran Khan married
Bushra Bibi in her ‘Iddat’ period. “Iddat” is the period a woman must observe
after the death of her husband or after a divorce, during which she cannot
marry another man.
The PTI spokesman reacted strongly to
non-production of PTI chairman Imran Khan in courts, calling it a shameful
attempt to ‘destroy’ the party and make him a victim of cruel revenge as a
political prisoner.
He urged the Supreme Court to take
immediate notice of attempts by the state machinery to deprive Imran of
justice, adding in order to take hundreds of false cases to their logical
conclusion, the Supreme Court should make it possible for him to appear in the
courts and pursue the cases against him. He also welcomed noted journalist and
senior anchor Imran Riaz’ safe return and termed it encouraging.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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FIA confirms authenticity of May 9 riot
footage
September 25, 2023
LAHORE:The Federal Investigation Agency
(FIA) on Monday confirmed that the videos of the arson attacks and vandalism
that occurred on May 9 were indeed based on fact.
The FIA's report, which contains social
media and digital evidence, has been received by the Joint Investigation Team
(JIT) probing the riots that rocked the country.
Sources within the JIT revealed that
more than 400 social media links and footage related to the incidents were sent
to the FIA. However, the JIT officials stated they were awaiting the Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) report regarding the footage
shown on various television channels.
The PEMRA report is expected to be
received soon. Once it is received, the challans will be submitted to the
court, the JIT officials said.
It is pertinent to note that last week
the Punjab police had charged PTI chief Imran Khan and other nominated accused
individuals with 'criminal conspiracy' in all the cases registered in the
province related to the May 9 incidents.
These incidents included arson attacks
on the residence of the Lahore corps commander.
Officials have revealed that a total of
50 cases have been registered under anti-terrorism and other laws
Lahore Senior Superintendent of Police
(Investigation), Dr Anoosh Masood Chaudhry, had stated that the prosecution and
police have been waiting for the final reports from the FIA and PEMRA regarding
the videos and other evidence related to the planners and attackers of the May
9 incidents.
In addition, she mentioned that all
objections raised by the prosecution have been addressed in the challans of the
cases, which will be submitted to the courts of law after receiving the reports
from the FIA and PEMRA.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2437717/fia-confirms-authenticity-of-may-9-riot-footage
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South Asia
Formation of Ulema Council Completed for
All Provinces: Mujahid
September 25, 2023
The Islamic Emirate’s Spokesman,
Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the formation of the councils of Ulema (religious
scholars) for all provinces have been completed.
The Ulema councils have been appointed
by the Islamic Emirate’s leader, Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Mujahid said that the councils are
established to increase coordination between the people and the interim
government. He said the councils are composed of religious clerics and also
some tribal elders.
“It has been two days since the councils
have been completed. The latest council was the council of Ulema for Logar
province. The councils are important. They will work as a hub between the
people and government,” Mujahid said.
He said the councils are comprised of
religious clerics and some tribal elders.
“The formation of the Ulema council has
differences in various provinces. In some areas, there are tribal elders and
also the Ulema. But in some areas, if there are no tribal elders, it does not
mean that they will not be included. But their numbers will increase as there
are some names under assessment,” Mujahid said.
Political analysts gave various opinions
regarding the formation of the Ulema council.
“The influential tribal figures should
be included in it. It will have a positive impact on solving the issue and
managing affairs,” said Habibullah Janibdar, a political analyst.
“The line of their duty should be
announced nationwide, so the citizens understand what the difference is between
the duty of the Ulema council and the Ministry of Vice and Virtue and other
departments,” said Mohammad Afzal Habib Safi, a political analyst.
Earlier, Mujahid said that the councils
will share their views regarding women’s work and activities in the government,
based on Sharia.
The Islamic Emirate’s leader ordered the
establishment of Ulema councils in Jadi in 1401 (solar year).
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185246
-------
Showdown On the Streets If PM Sheikh
Hasina Doesn't Quit: BNP Secretary General
Sep 26, 2023
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul
Islam Alamgir yesterday threatened a "showdown on the streets" if
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina doesn't resign immediately.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
should resign immediately… The people of this country do not want to see you in
power anymore. Just one US visa policy has already caused enough headache [for
the government]," said Fakhrul.
He made these remarks while addressing a
rally as chief guest organised by BNP's Dhaka South unit in the Dholaikhal area
of the capital.
"This government will not listen
[to us] easily. They [the government] have to be defeated through movement and
democracy has to be restored in the country. We have to take this oath today.
And now there is only one goal, if they don't listen, there will be a showdown
on the streets," said Fakhrul.
The BNP rally in the capital's
Dholaikhal began around 2:30pm.
Hundreds of party leaders, supporters
and activists had already arrived at the rally venue around 1:30pm, wearing colourful
caps, carrying placards and posters, and chanting anti-government slogans.
Speaking at the rally, BNP Standing
Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the government ministers, MPs,
government officials, police officers -- all are facing visa restrictions. They
are in big trouble. Not only them, but their family members will not be able to
enjoy the assets they illegally amassed there.
"Khaleda Zia did not flee. She did
not violate the law. Then why is there a barrier to sending her abroad for better
treatment? ...... The reason is that the government fears Khaleda Zia's
popularity."
"If her treatment is not arranged,
the government and its officials will not find any way to escape if anything
happens to Khaleda Zia," he said.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/you-have-36-days-quit-ill-politics-3427971
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Australia’s Far-Right Freedom Party
delegation meets with Muttaqi in Kabul
Fidel Rahmati
September 25, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
caretaker government has announced a meeting between Amir Khan Muttaqi and a
representative of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, along with a
delegation, in Kabul.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, the acting Deputy
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban, wrote on his
social media platform X, Muttaqi, discussed Afghanistan with senior members of
the Freedom Party of Austria and a member of the European Union during this
meeting.
During the meeting, Muttaqi addressed
the Austrian delegation, stating, “I am pleased that you can see the situation
in Afghanistan up close, and it will become clear to you that the situation in
Afghanistan is very different from what is portrayed in the media.”
Since the Taliban took control of the
country, they have implemented oppressive policies that severely limit women’s
access to education and employment while restricting their participation in
social activities.
On the sidelines of this meeting, the
Muttaqi requested facilitation in consular services and the affairs of Afghan
citizens in Vienna, Austria.
However, the Ministry, citing a member
of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria named Johannes, said, “I regret that
the current central government of Afghanistan, which has ensured global
security and ended four decades of problems in Afghanistan, has not yet been
recognized.”
It should be noted that members of the
far-right Freedom Party of Austria have not made any statements regarding this
meeting.
Since August 2021, the Taliban’s current
regime has not gained recognition from the international community. However,
some neighbouring countries like Iran, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan have maintained
informal diplomatic relations with them.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/australias-far-right-freedom-party-delegation-meets-with-muttaqi-in-kabul/
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Qatar Emphasizes Need for World's
Engagement with Afghanistan
September 25, 2023
Naweed Samadi,
Majed Al-Ansari, spokesman for the
Foreign Ministry of Qatar, said that the complete isolation of Afghanistan did
not work, and the only way forward is engagement.
Speaking to Al-Monitor news agency
Al-Ansari said: “We fully understand that the situation in Afghanistan today is
not easy for the international community to engage with the current government,
but complete isolation is not the situation, it didn’t work, it will not work”
and “the only way forward is engagement.”
The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry
of Qatar said that his country is working to mediate in Afghanistan and the
rest of the world.
“Afghanistan is a very important topic
for Qatar. We are highly invested in that issue. We are working in mediating
between Afghanistan and the rest of the world basically. So, a lot of things to
be done,” he said.
Some political analysts said Qatar’s
role is important for resolving the current situation of Afghanistan.
“The issue of China and Taiwan is a
problem, and a mediator is needed. The issue of Saudi Arabia and Iran has a
problem, and a mediator is needed, similarly, Afghanistan's position from a
political and economic point of view and the challenges that Afghanistan's
politics face, it needs a mediator,” said Sayed Qaribullah Sadat, a political
analyst.
“Qatar can both pave the way and become
a good mediator in the current situation, because the political journey of the
Islamic Emirate started from Qatar,” said Mohammad Ajmal Zurmati, a political
analyst.
Majed Al-Ansari also said that in the
meeting between Qatar's Foreign Minister and the leader of the Islamic Emirate,
various issues were discussed, including women's right to work and education.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-185257
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Muttaqi heads to Russia for Moscow
Format Meeting
September 25, 2023
Fidel Rahmati
On Monday, a Taliban delegation, led by
their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, began their journey to Russia to
participate in the Moscow Format meeting.
The Moscow Format meeting is scheduled
for later this week in the Russian city of Kazan.
This diplomatic gathering aims to
convene Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries, which include Iran, China, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, alongside representatives
from several other countries.
The meeting holds significance as it
provides a platform for regional and international
stakeholders to discuss Afghanistan’s
future, stability, and regional cooperation in the wake of recent developments.
On Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov disclosed that the forthcoming Moscow Format meeting will have a
central focus on deliberations concerning strategies to tackle the various
challenges currently facing Afghanistan.
The meeting is expected to serve as a
platform for dialogue and cooperation among
participating nations to help stabilize
the situation in Afghanistan and promote peace and development in the region.
Lavrov emphasized that the upcoming
Moscow Format meeting will delve into potential actions neighbouring countries
can undertake to address the pressing issues confronting Afghanistan.
One of the paramount concerns voiced by
Afghan citizens pertains to the pervasive issues of poverty, restricted access
to education, and constraints on the rights and opportunities of girls and
women. The recent changes in the Afghan political landscape have exacerbated
these challenges.
Source: khaama.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/muttaqi-heads-to-russia-for-moscow-format-meeting/
--------
Mideast
Israel strikes Hamas post after violent
protest in Gaza: army
September 26, 2023
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: The
Israeli army said it hit on Monday a Hamas military post, in the latest in a
series of drone strikes on Gaza, after its troops were shot at during a violent
protest.
The latest strike comes amid daily
demonstrations at the border by Palestinians after Israel closed the Erez
crossing from Gaza.
Two protesters were wounded by “Israeli
bullets” in the clashes on Monday, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza
said in a statement.
The army meanwhile said a drone “struck
a military post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.”
The post was located near an area from
which assailants shot at soldiers “during a violent protest,” an army statement
said.
The “soldiers responded with live fire
toward an assailant... and hit him.”
Gaza has been rocked by daily protests
since Israeli authorities closed the Erez crossing, the only gateway for
pedestrians entering Israel from the coastal enclave.
The closure has prevented thousands of
workers from the impoverished enclave from entering Israel.
On Monday, protesters burned tires and
threw rocks at soldiers who responded with tear gas, an AFP journalist
reported.
Since September 13, seven Palestinians
have been killed and dozens wounded in violence at the border, according to
figures from the health ministry in Gaza.
Israel has imposed an air, land and sea
blockade on the Palestinian enclave ever since the Islamist group Hamas seized
control in 2007.
Armed conflict sporadically erupts
between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip.
In May, an exchange of Israeli air
strikes and Gaza rocket fire resulted in the deaths of 34 Palestinians and one
Israeli.
Source: arabnews.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380486/middle-east
--------
Condemnations pour in over Israeli
incursions into al-Aqsa
25 September 2023
Condemnations have poured in over the
“provocative” incursions of al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, by
Israeli settlers under the protection of the regime’s forces.
In a statement on Sunday, Egypt’s
foreign ministry said the incursions of al-Aqsa Mosque compound by settlers
under the protection of Israeli forces are “a new episode of a series of
escalatory measures that provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims around the
world.”
The ministry warned that such moves
could fuel violence and tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Cairo also urged the Israeli regime to
“stop such escalatory practices” that represent a “blatant violation of the
legal and historical status-quo of al-Quds city” and its holy sites.
It also urged “influential international
parties” to shoulder their responsibility to protect the sanctities of the
Palestinian nation and their legitimate rights, especially their right to
self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with East
al-Quds as its capital.
Jordan has denounced as a “blatant
violation of international law the continued incursions by Israeli extremist
settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister also
denounced “the repetition of provocative practices” by a number of “extremists”
under the protection of Israeli forces in a statement on Sunday.
The ministry said such Israeli actions
“undermine international peace efforts” and “contradict international
principles and norms” regarding the respect of religious sanctities.
The statement reiterated the kingdom’s
support for the “brotherly” Palestinian nation, and for efforts aimed at ending
the Israeli occupation and reaching “a fair and comprehensive solution to the
Palestinian cause that enables the Palestinian people to establish an
independent state on the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital.”
Also on Sunday, Qatar emphasized that
the incursions are “a blatant violation of international law.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry stressed that
the attempts to change the status quo of the al-Aqsa “is not an aggression on
Palestinians alone but on millions of Muslims around the world.”
Doha held Israel responsible for any
rise in violence, urging the international community to take immediate action
to stop such aggressions.
The statements came as hundreds of
settlers stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the eve of the so-called Jewish
holy day of Yom Kippur and provocatively performed rituals and Talmudic prayers
there.
In defiance of the condemnations,
Israeli setters continued their provocative actions on Monday, storming the
al-Aqsa Mosque compound once again under the protection of Israeli forces.
Israel also imposed restrictions at the
gates of al-Aqsa to prevent Muslim worshipers from entering the mosque.
In the meantime, Israeli forces attacked
a number of worshipers and drove them out of the mosque.
The Israeli raids and restrictions also
drew strong condemnation from the Arab Parliament on Monday.
The parliament stressed that the
incursions could increase violence and escalate the conflict.
Referring to the growing Israeli
violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza
Strip, the parliament described the Tel Aviv regime's practices as “crimes
against humanity.”
A Palestinian teenager has died of
injuries he sustained during an anti-Israel protest in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The parliament also held Israel
responsible for any increased tensions, calling on the United Nations and the
UN Security Council as well as international institutions to exert pressure on
Israel to “stop its crimes and repeated violations” against the Palestinians.
Israelis have been engaged in
provocative intrusions into the Mosque, one of the holiest Muslim sites in the
world located in the occupied city of al-Quds, in recent months in what many
believe is a plot to divide the Mosque and to turn parts of it to a Jewish
temple.
Non-Muslim worship at the compound is
prohibited according to an agreement between Israel and Jordan following the
regime’s seizure of East al-Quds in 1967.
Calls for the regular presence of Jewish
extremists in the al-Aqsa Mosque have increased in recent days concurrent with
holidays marking the Jewish New Year.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/09/25/711499/Condemnations-pour-in-over-Israeli-incursions-Aqsa-Mosque
-------
Armenian prime minister urges active
communication with Iran during 'difficult period for region'
26 September 2023
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
has stressed the need for "active communication" between his country
and Iran under the existing difficult regional conditions.
He made the remark while speaking in a
meeting with Iran's new ambassador to Yerevan, Mehdi Sobhani, on Monday.
Referring to his "reliable
dialogue" with Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, Pashinyan said it paves
the way for the consistent deepening of cooperation between the two countries,
his office said in a press release.
He also congratulated Sobhani on his appointment
to the new post, expressing hope that relations between the two countries would
continue to develop and strengthen during the ambassador's term of office.
Sobhani, for his part, once again
reaffirmed Iran's unequivocal support for Armenia's territorial integrity.
He expressed concern over the
humanitarian situation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, saying that the
security and rights of Armenians living in that region must be guaranteed.
The Iranian diplomat added that the
Islamic Republic is keen to develop relations with Armenia in all fields.
The two sides also discussed a host of
common issues, including the implementation of joint plans in such areas as
economy, trade, development of infrastructure, healthcare, education, science
and culture.
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region
in the Caucasus, which lies within Azerbaijan’s borders and is internationally
recognized as part of its territory, but is populated mostly by ethnic
Armenians.
Armenian authorities, who have been running
the region’s affairs without international recognition since the early 1990s,
declared on Wednesday that local “self-defense forces” had laid down their arms
and disbanded under a Russia-mediated ceasefire following the latest armed
clashes with Azeri forces. The truce halted Azerbaijan’s 24-hour offensive
against pro-Armenia forces to retake the territory.
Representatives from Azerbaijan and
separatists from Karabakh held their first direct peace talks in the city of
Yevlakh on Thursday as Baku claimed full control of the region.
Iran has consistently called on Armenia
and Azerbaijan to settle their dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region through
peaceful ways.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/09/25/711534/Iran-Armenia-Mehdi-Sobhani-Nikol-Pashinyan--reliable-dialogue-Raeisi-Nagorno-Karabakh-
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Eight south Yemen fighters killed in
suspected Al-Qaeda attacks
25 September, 2023
At least four armed Yemeni separatists
were killed Sunday evening in a suspected Al-Qaeda attack in the war-torn
country's south, hours after another attack killed four other security members.
Forces loyal to the Southern
Transitional Council (STC) are engaged in a campaign against Al-Qaeda elements
who have established a foothold in the south of the country.
The latest attacks follow an operation
by the UAE-backed Security Belt force in Abyan province, where separatist
forces have been targeted.
"The attack occurred while soldiers
were patrolling following up and pursuing terrorist elements in Wadi al-Rafd
outside Wadi Omran in the Mudiyah district... where extremist elements are
active," a military spokesman for the STC, Muhammad Al-Naqib, told
Reuters.
"It is clear that the terrorist elements
are being brought in by parties connected to the Houthi group, to try to
restore their influence, at least with the explosive devices they are planting
in more than one area in Abyan," Al-Naqib claimed.
Hours before that attack, four soldiers
from the Shabwa Defence Forces, which are affiliated to the STC, were killed
when an explosive device targeted an ambulance in Al-Musaina, west of the
Shabwa governorate.
The STC and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP) have been involved in a series of violent clashes over the
past year.
AQAP attacks have grown in frequency in
the south and the group has repeatedly targeted STC-aligned forces. In August
2022, the Security Belt launched a military operation to drive out the
extremist group.
Dozens of soldiers and militants have
been killed and wounded.
The UAE-backed STC is a separatist group
calling for the independence of southern Yemen, and a return to the situation
before 1990, when North Yemen and South Yemen were unified.
Yemen's current war erupted when the
internationally-recognised government was forced to flee to the south of the
country after Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa and most of
northern Yemen in 2014.
The conflict has left Yemen in the midst
of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing hundreds of thousands
and leaving much of the country in ruins.
Source: newarab.com
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https://www.newarab.com/news/yemen-eight-fighters-killed-suspected-al-qaeda-attacks
--------
Occupation Police Abduct a Palestinian
from the Al-Aqsa Mosque, While Hundreds of Settlers Invade It
SEP 25, 2023
Israeli occupation police abducted, on
Monday, a Palestinian young man from the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque
compound, in occupied Jerusalem, and restricted others, while allowing 351
illegal Israeli colonizers to invade the Islamic holy site.
Israeli occupation forces abducted, on
Monday morning, Palestinian photojournalist, Abdul Rahman Al-Alami, while he
was present in the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied
Jerusalem.
The settlers were allowed full access to
the mosque, in groups of 50 at a time, while Palestinian muslim worshipers were
restricted.
The groups of settlers toured the
courtyards, performing Talmudic rituals, and receiving explanations about the
alleged “temple”.
Israeli police denied access to
Palestinian citizens under 50, stopped and checked the identities of other
worshipers, and removed others from the holy site.
Since Sunday, the occupation authorities
have closed all streets and shops in occupied Jerusalem, for the Yom Kippur
holidays.
Source: imemc.org
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https://imemc.org/article/occupation-police-abduct-a-palestinian-from-the-al-aqsa-mosque-while-hundreds-of-settlers-invade-it/
-------
Bahrain condemns storming of Al-Aqsa
Mosque by Israeli extremists
25 Sep 2023
Manama, Sept. 25 (BNA): The Foreign
Affairs Ministry strongly condemned and denounced the storming of the Al-Aqsa
Mosque by a group of extremists under the protection of Israeli police.
In a statement it issued today, the
Foreign Affairs Ministry called for de-escalation and respect for the
historical context in Jerusalem in accordance with the rules of international
law, and to refrain from any provocative actions that would provoke the
feelings of Muslims and threaten security and stability.
Source: bna.bh
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https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDo5MY5qmaCXVWlDHVEMu6MM%3d
--------
Saudi envoy to Palestine welcomed by
Palestinian Authority
Sep 26, 2023
Palestinian media reports said Hussein
al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), welcomed the ambassador on Monday.
“We welcome His Excellency the
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the State of Palestine, who will
present his official credentials to His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas
within a few days,” the Palestinian official said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also
confirmed that Sudairi will visit Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian
Authority, on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The visit is a historic step to
consolidate and develop bilateral relations between the two countries and to
open more horizons for joint cooperation in all fields.”
On August 13, Sudairi, the kingdom’s
current ambassador to Jordan, was named as non-resident envoy to Palestine and
consul general in al-Quds. The Israeli regime back then rejected the idea of a
diplomatic base in al-Quds for Saudi Arabia’s envoy.
The regime claims al-Quds as its own
capital, a status recognized by the United States under then-President Donald
Trump in 2017 but not by other world countries. The Israeli regime's
authorities bar Palestinian diplomatic activity in the city.
The Saudi ambassador’s appointment came
amid reports that the Persian Gulf kingdom is considering the prospect of
establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime under US
pressure.
President Joe Biden has said a deal may be
on the way after a series of talks his national security adviser had with Saudi
officials in Jeddah aimed at fixing relations between Saudi Arabia and the
Israeli regime.
US officials have sought for months to
broker what would be a historic agreement between the two apparent adversaries
– through behind-the-scenes allies – but the Saudis have remained resistant so
far.
Saudi Arabia seems to be reluctant
toward normalization with the Israeli regime and is taking a cautious approach
to any public steps that could be seen as a normalization act.
US efforts have been complicated as the
Israeli regime has played down any prospect of giving significant ground to the
Palestinians as part of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had a Consulate General in
al-Quds, but it was closed with Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/206449/Saudi-envoy-to-Palestine-welcomed-by-Palestinian-Authority
--------
Arab World
Qatar’s Lusail City named ‘Capital of
Islamic Culture’ for year 2030
September 26, 2023
The city was named after one of the
rarest flowers in Qatar in an effort to reflect its unique identity.
A high-profile Islamic World conference
designated Qatar’s Lusail City as the ‘Capital of Islamic Culture’ for the year
2030 on Monday in recognition of its position as a “historical cultural
beacon”.
The major announcement came during a
conference in Doha organised by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization (ISESCO) with the attendance of officials from Muslim
nations, per a report by Doha’s state-news agency QNA.
“The selection of Lusail as the Capital
of Culture in the Islamic world is a recognition of the exceptional efforts and
success of the Ministry of Culture in Qatar during its tenure as the Capital of
Culture in the Islamic world,” QNA reported.
All you need to know about the upcoming
Doha Expo
The selection process is based on a
number of ISESCO principles that include the celebration of cultural histories
and the promotion of “cultural and civilisational dialogue”. The principles
were first adopted in 2017 by the Conference of Culture Ministers in the
Islamic World in Khartoum.
Cities that have earned the prestigious
designation stand out for their modern urban structures that simultaneously
preserve their cultural identity.
“Furthermore, they should contribute
significantly to the creative industries that play a pivotal role in achieving
economic development,” QNA added.
Next year’s culture capital is the
Azerbaijani city of Shusha, followed by Samarkand in Uzbekistan, the
Palestinian city of Hebron, and Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire in 2026. Then in 2027,
the Egyptian city of Siwa will take on the title.
A marriage of culture and modernity
The bustling city of Lusail was named
after one of the rarest flowers in Qatar to reflect its unique identity and
preserve the Gulf nation’s rich heritage while keeping pace with modernity.
“The city of Lusail is considered a
historical cultural beacon, and its name is derived from Qatar’s authentic
heritage and its cultural values,” QNA reported.
The city is home to four exclusive
islands, 19 multi-purpose residential areas, 22 world-class hotels, in addition
to a diverse offering of shops and restaurants. The Qatari city is also set to
become home to the brand new Lusail Museum in the coming years.
Lusail has witnessed a fast-paced
transformation in recent years with the emergence of distinguishable buildings,
most notably the iconic crescent-shaped Katara Towers and the Lusail Boulevard.
The major transformation occurred in the
lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first to ever take place in a Muslim
and Arab nation.
Throughout the tournament, Lusail became
a bustling hotspot for millions of football fans who flocked to Qatar for the
World Cup and hosted the iconic Lusail Stadium, in which Argentina’s Lionel
Messi was filmed being draped in a bisht by the Qatari leader after lifting the
trophy.
The major tournament had served as a
unique opportunity for Qatar to showcase the Arab culture and Muslim values to
the rest of the world, tearing down past misconceptions and stereotypes about
both the region and religion.
Lusail City previously earned the
sustainable rating by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS).
Source: dohanews.co
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https://dohanews.co/qatars-lusail-city-named-capital-of-islamic-culture-for-year-2030/
-------
Saudi’s 1st ambassador to Palestine
welcomed by Palestinian Authority
25 September 2023
The first Saudi ambassador to Palestine,
Nayef al-Sudairi, who arrived in the occupied territories on Monday, is to
present his credentials to President Mahmoud Abbas within days.
Palestinian media reports said Hussein
al-Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), welcomed the ambassador on Monday.
“We welcome His Excellency the
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the State of Palestine, who will
present his official credentials to His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas
within a few days,” the Palestinian official said.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also
confirmed that Sudairi will visit Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority,
on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The visit is a historic step to consolidate and
develop bilateral relations between the two countries and to open more horizons
for joint cooperation in all fields.”
On August 13, Sudairi, the kingdom’s
current ambassador to Jordan, was named as non-resident envoy to Palestine and
consul general in al-Quds. Israel back then rejected the idea of a diplomatic
base in al-Quds for Saudi Arabia’s envoy.
The regime claims al-Quds as its own
capital, a status recognized by the United States under then President Donald
Trump in 2017 but not by other world countries. Israeli authorities bar
Palestinian diplomatic activity in the city.
The Saudi ambassador’s appointment came
amid reports that the Persian Gulf kingdom is considering the prospect of
establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel under US pressure.
President Joe Biden has said a deal may
be on the way after a series of talks his national security adviser had with
Saudi officials in Jeddah aimed at fixing relations between Saudi Arabia and
Israel.
US officials have sought for months to
broker what would be a historic agreement between the two apparent adversaries
– through behind-the-scenes allies – but the Saudis have remained resistant so
far.
Saudi Arabia seems to be reluctant
toward normalization with Israel and is taking a cautious approach to any
public steps that could be seen as a normalization act.
US efforts have been complicated as the
Israeli regime has played down any prospect of giving significant ground to the
Palestinians as part of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had a Consulate General in
al-Quds, but it was closed with Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/09/25/711528/Saudi-ambassador-Palestine
--------
Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO sign deal
for cultural programs, heritage fellowships
September 25, 2023
RIYADH: Royal Commission for AlUla and
UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization officials recently
triggered the second phase of a cultural programs agreement signed in Paris in
2021.
The inking of the deal to activate the
next stage of the initiative came in coordination with a steering committee
represented by bodies including the RCU, UNESCO, the Saudi National Committee
for Education, Culture, and Science, and the Saudi permanent delegation to
UNESCO.
The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030
in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO.
(SPA)
Part two of the accord will focus mainly
on projects related to building an integrated cultural scheme and developing a
fellowship program in antiquities protection in cooperation with UNESCO and the
Al-Mamalek Institute. Both initiatives aim to preserve heritage, promote
education, nature, and creative arts.
The RCU UNESCO program will provide
technical support while concentrating on capacity building and promoting
international relations.
The fellowship program in antiquities
protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling
researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation,
management, and the exchange of knowledge.
It also aims to highlight cultural
heritage and creativity as drivers of AlUla’s sustainable development plan,
aligning with the AlUla vision and Saudi Vision 2030.
The two-year program will emphasize the
role of heritage and creativity in constructing sustainable sites and a
development model founded on cultural and social interaction in AlUla.
The fellowship program in antiquities
protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling
researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation,
management, and the exchange of knowledge.
The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030
in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. It
aims to enhance education, culture, and science to stimulate economic
opportunities, generate employment, and achieve comprehensive sustainable development.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380341/saudi-arabia
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Several government officials and expats
among those arrested over corruption
September 26, 2023
RIYADH — The Saudi Control and
Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) announced on Monday the arrest of several
security officers, government employees, and expatriates who were accused of
corruption charges. The authority is working to complete the legal procedures
before referring their cases to courts to prosecute them, it said in a
statement.
Those arrested included a criminal court
employee and a lawyer. They were caught red-handed while accepting a sum of
SR1.5 million in exchange for ratifying an acquittal ruling for a citizen in a
pending case. Two citizens were caught red-handed at the moment they received
SR1million in terms of the share of their brother, who is the judge examining
the case in the same court. The judge was also arrested.
A businessman was arrested for obtaining
bank financing worth more than SR100 million by submitting fictitious project
contracts with the help of an employee of the financing bank in exchange for
sums of money. The Nazaha statement said that director of the support services
department in one of the emirates was arrested for obtaining SR12 million from
a commercial entity belonging to one of his acquaintances in exchange for
awarding projects in an illegal manner.
The owner of a law firm was caught
red-handed when receiving SR180000 from the owner of a commercial entity. He
has a pending commercial case for SR11 million in exchange for issuing a report
in his favor from a law firm and legal consulting company that was appointed as
an expert by the judge overseeing the case. A citizen was also arrested at the
moment he received SR170000 from the lawyer. The money represents the share of
the owner of the law firm in exchange for issuing the report.
The statement revealed that an officer
with the rank of lieutenant colonel, who works as head of the Civil Defense
Direct Purchase Committee, was arrested for accepting SR509000 from an
expatriate, who works for a commercial entity, in exchange for issuing
certificates directly to the entity and facilitating the procedures for
disbursing financial dues. The expatriate was also detained.
Another expatriate, who works as a
doctor in a government hospital, was arrested for trying to smuggle a quantity
of medicines that are given free of charge to patients and are not intended for
sale. An employee, who was working at the Health Affairs Department, was
arrested after accepting SR71000 from two expatriate male and female doctors in
exchange for amending their medical classification in a way that did not match
their qualifications.
The Nazaha report said that an officer
with the rank of colonel, who works as director of the Operations and
Maintenance Department at the Ministry of Defense, was arrested for accepting
SR920000 as the value of a land registered in his name from a businessman in
exchange for completing the procedures for disbursing money for a project worth
SR5260500. Three non-commissioned officers in Public Security were arrested for
stealing SR877522 from safety deposit boxes at the police stations where they
work.
The statement noted that an expatriate
was arrested while offering a sum of money to an employee at the Customs
Authority in exchange for keeping with him an amount of SR267500 at the time of
departure from the Kingdom. A cashier at a government hospital was arrested for
stealing cash amounting to SR117571 from the safety deposit box. An expatriate
who works for a commercial entity contracting with the Ministry of Defense was
caught red-handed when he was handed over SR7,000 out of SR82,000 agreed upon
in exchange for overlooking violations in implementing the contract worth SR10
million.
A municipal employee and an expatriate
broker working in an engineering consulting office were also caught red-handed
when they received SR30000 out of the agreed upon SR60000 in exchange for
obtaining four building permits in an illegal manner. Another municipal
employee was arrested while receiving SR7000 in exchange for reopening an
illegal commercial store after it was closed. An expatriate who violated the
residency law was caught red-handed while paying SR50000 in exchange for
obtaining an expatriate’s ID (iqama) in an illegal manner.
An employee at the Ministry of Human
Resources and Social Development was arrested for requesting SR1500 from the
owner of a public services office in exchange for reducing a fine imposed on a
commercial entity from SR25000 to SR10000 in an illegal way. The Nazaha
statement said that an expatriate was caught red-handed when he handed over
SR2000 out of SR10000 to a security man in exchange for the release of three
residents detained pending a criminal case. Two security men working at the
Passport Department were arrested at a land port for receiving a sum of money
from an expatriate in exchange for carrying out fake entry and exit operations
for his wife.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed
two Bahrain soldiers
September 26, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry
on Tuesday condemned an attack on its territory that killed two Bahraini
military personnel near the southern border with Yemen.
The Saudi foreign ministry voiced its
“condemnation and denunciation” of a “treacherous attack on the defence force
of the sister Kingdom of Bahrain stationed on the southern border of the
kingdom, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of its brave soldiers and
the injury of others,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
“We express our deepest and sincerest
condolences to the leadership and people of the sisterly state of Bahrain, and
to the families of the heroic martyrs.”
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands by
the sisterly state of Bahrain and renews its stance of rejection to the
continued flow of weapons to the terrorist Houthi militia as well as calls to
ban arms export to Yemeni territories.”
Bahrain’s military command said a drone
attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed the two Bahraini soldiers — one an
officer — at Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday. The soldiers had been
patrolling the area.
The Houthis did not immediately
acknowledge carrying out the attack as efforts to strike a peace deal between
Riyadh and the rebels continue.
The military’s statement, carried by the
state-run Bahrain News Agency, said “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also
wounded in the strike, without elaborating.
“This terrorist attack was carried out
by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards
on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of
military operations between the warring sides in Yemen,” the statement said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia affirms commitment to
nuclear energy at international conference
September 25, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will sign up its
nuclear power program to a comprehensive international safeguards framework in
keeping with the Kingdom’s principles of transparency, reliability, and safety.
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince
Abdulaziz bin Salman made the announcement at the 67th General Conference of
the International Atomic Energy Agency in Austria, as he outlined his belief in
the positive contributions of the power source to energy security, as well as
its social and economic benefits.
He stressed the Kingdom is actively
working to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy in various fields in close
cooperation with the IAEA, adhering to international best practices and
experiences.
This includes Saudi Arabia’s National
Atomic Energy Project, which encompasses the construction of its first nuclear
power station.
“The Kingdom has recently taken the
decision to rescind its Small Quantities Protocol and to move to the
implementation of a full-scope Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement,” said the
minister.
He revealed that Saudi Arabia aims to
activate a regional cooperation center in partnership with the IAEA to enhance
its preparedness for nuclear emergencies.
During his address, Prince Abdulaziz
outlined that the center will work toward improving human capabilities in
radiological emergency preparedness and response, the Saudi Press Agency
reported.
The center will also address regulatory
aspects at national, regional, and international levels.
This initiative aligns with the
Kingdom’s commitment to global efforts to uphold the treaty on the
non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Prince Abdulaziz emphasized the
importance of countering nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, which
requires the full implementation of a resolution to establish a nuclear
weapons-free zone in the region.
Additionally, the energy minister
announced Saudi Arabia’s support for the “Rays of Hope” initiative by the IAEA,
contributing $2.5 million. This initiative focuses on using nuclear
technologies to combat cancer and save lives.
Furthermore, Prince Abdulaziz also
commended the IAEA and its member states on the upcoming inauguration of the
Nuclear Security Training Center in Seibersdorf, scheduled for October.
He highlighted the Kingdom’s role in
initiating the idea and providing financial support in collaboration with other
nations.
The minister praised the agency’s
commitment to neutrality and its efforts in addressing non-proliferation
concerns. He reaffirmed the fundamental right of states to utilize peaceful
nuclear technology, encompassing participation in the nuclear fuel cycle and
the commercial utilization of natural uranium resources, in alignment with
pertinent international treaties and agreements.
Prince Abdulaziz reiterated Saudi
Arabia’s backing for the IAEA in utilizing nuclear technology for the
improvement of humanity. He urged the international community to engage in
constructive cooperation for its advancement while strongly addressing any
instances of non-peaceful and unsafe utilization of nuclear technologies.
Source: arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
New mosque in Kuching to use English for
Friday sermons, says premier
26 Sep 2023
KUCHING, Sept 26 — English language will
be used as medium for Friday prayer sermons at a new mosque being developed at
Jalan SimpangTiga here, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
He said this will be similar to the
Al-Falah Mosque at Orchard Road in Singapore which has been using English in
conducting sermons for its congregation.
“Soon, we will build a new mosque near
tHe Spring. There is already a mosque there. We will redevelop the existing
mosque; the land next to it has been acquired for the purpose of expanding the
mosque.
“We will request the Islamic Religious
Department for the sermon during Friday prayers there to be conducted in
English. This will enable more people to understand the sermon especially
non-Malays who are Muslims and not fluent in Malay but more proficient in
English.
“In Singapore, there is a mosque not far
from Ascott Hotel where the sermon is in English,” he said when closing the
state-level Marhaban competition organised by Sarawak Malay National
Association (PKMS) at a hotel here last night.
Abang Johari also said the number of
Muslims in Sarawak has increased, with 2020 statistics from the Department of
Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) showing Muslims in Sarawak now comprise 34 per cent
of the population.
“Previously it was about 27 to 28 per
cent, now it is 34 per cent which means the numbers have increased. Some
converted to Islam due to marriage, some embraced Islam voluntarily because
they had studied the religion.
“The Islamic Information Centre at Jalan
Ong Tiang Swee has played an important role as those who want to learn more
about the religion can do so there,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Marhaban competition was
won by Kumpulan MarhabanPersatuanMelayu Limbang, with Suara KilauanMajma from
Kuching in second and Kumpulan Alhamra B, also from Kuching, placing third.
A total 15 teams took part in the
competition.
Abang Johari praised the effort by PKMS
in preserving the Marhaban, or ‘berzikir’, which is synonymous with the Malay
Muslim community in the state.
PKMS chairman Wan Ali TuankuMashi said
the Marhaban is traditionally held when celebrating newborns, ‘potong jambul
bayi’ events, circumcision ceremonies, and wedding receptions.
He added the Marhaban is also held
during ceremonies commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad. — Borneo Post
Online
Source: malaymail.com
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Don’t normalise sexual harassment, Nancy
urges society
26 Sep 2023
KUALA LUMPUR – Sexual harassment should
never be condoned, even as a joke, Women, Family and Community Development
Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri cautioned.
She said some perpetrators view their
actions as harmless and as something “normal”.
“This is worrying…at no point should
society allow for the normalisation of such behaviour.
“Such actions must never be condoned,
and it is important for us to continue being critical and publicise such
incidents,” she said at an anti-sexual harassment roadshow last night.
Nancy said statistics from police showed
a slight decrease in sexual harassment cases in 2022 with 477 cases, while in
2021 there were 506 cases.
90% of sexual harassment cases were
perpetrated against women, with 416 cases in 2022 and 446 cases in 2021.
“More worrying are sexual harassment
cases involving children. There were 35 such cases reported nationwide last
year,” she said.
She revealed that the states with the
highest number of sexual harassment cases were Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and
Sabah.
“Sadly, the number does not reflect the
actual situation in the country, as a number of cases are unreported.
“The reason for this is that some
parents are ashamed to report such incidents,” she said.
She warned that such incidents could
traumatise the child and leave long-term effects, especially when the
perpetrators are someone close to the family.
“This even includes the victim's father
or brother,” she said.
Need to overcome fear, embarrassment
Nancy said parents must educate their
children and must not be hesitant to report such incidents.
She said it is important for parents to
pay close attention to their children’s movements and also to understand any
changes in their body language.
“Parents must not let fear or
embarrassment prevent them from doing what is right.
“By doing so, they are only allowing
perpetrators to go free and look for their next victim,” she stressed.
Nancy said the Anti-Sexual Harassment
Act 2022, which has been enforced in stages from March 28, is expected to help
victims come forward to report such offences.
“The act reflects the government’s
concern and serious commitment to addressing and eliminating gender-based
discrimination, especially sexual harassment,” she said.
She stressed that there is an urgent
need for society to become more conscious and aware of anti-sexual harassment
matters and for victims to be brave in sharing such incidents with people they
trust.
She also urged non-governmental
organisations and the corporate sector to work together with the relevant
authorities and government agencies to combat sexual harassment. – The Vibes,
September 26, 2023
Source: thevibes.com
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Singapore blows up 100kg WWII-era bomb
after thousands evacuated
26 Sep 2023
SINGAPORE, Sept 26 ― Singapore army
specialists today detonated a 100-kilogramme (220-pound) World War II-era bomb
found at a construction site, causing a thunderous boom in the city-state after
authorities had evacuated thousands of residents.
More than 4,000 people were evacuated
from nearby residences for the controlled detonation, which local media
reported was the largest-ever exercise involving a WWII relic in Singapore.
The unexploded aerial bomb was
discovered last week where a condominium was being built in the city's
northeastern suburb of Bukit Timah, police said on Sunday.
A mushroom cloud rose in the distance on
Tuesday morning as bomb disposal experts carried out the first of a series of
explosions.
Before the detonation military officers
were seen setting up sandbags around the area where it would be detonated to
contain the blast, an AFP journalist said.
Soldiers carried the bomb on a net from
where it was found into the sandbagged area, where charges had been laid.
Surrounding streets were empty of cars
and a 200-metre (-yard) cordon set up around the site kept locals at bay as the
blast was triggered.
Police had warned residents not to be
alarmed by the loud explosion and to avoid the area.
The device likely contained around 47
kilograms of explosives, strong enough to destroy an apartment block, local
media reported.
Japanese planes first bombed Singapore,
then a British colony, on December 8, 1941, a day after Tokyo's attack on the
US Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii that pushed Washington into the
conflict.
The bombings intensified in January 1942
before Japanese troops landed on the island on February 8 and captured it after
a week of fighting that culminated in the surrender of Singapore's British
defenders.
There have been a few discoveries of
unexploded devices in the land-scarce city-state in recent years.
A projectile believed to be a war relic
was discovered in April 2021 by a construction worker outside a temple
construction site, prompting the evacuation of more than 100 people from nearby
shophouses, the Straits Times newspaper reported.
Another unexploded device was discovered
at a housing construction site in December 2020, according to the newspaper. ―
AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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Election Court nullifies Che Alias
Hamid's GE15 win of Kemaman Parliamentary seat
26 Sep 2023
PETALING JAYA: The Terengganu Election
Court has nullified the victory of Che Alias Hamid (pic), who had been declared
the winner of the Kemaman Parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election
(GE15).
In handing down the decision, Judge
Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis allowed the petition filed by Barisan Nasional's
Wan Mohamad Hisham Wan Abdul Jalil.
He had ruled that there had been
elements of inducement of voters during the campaigning period.
In handing down the decision, he said
the petitioner in the case had succeeded in proving that corruption had taken
place with the aim of influencing voters in GE15.
The court also ordered the respondent to
pay RM30,000 to the petitioner.
"I find corruption was committed
with the knowledge of the respondent. I declare the general election result for
Kemaman which was held on 19th November (last year) is void... The money given
was to induce votes. (If it was a state government's initiative) I considered
that after the election it could still happen, but it happened a few days
before the general election. All politicians should know the effect," said
Anselm.
"No doubt the state government
still existed during that time (because the GE and state election were held
separately) but that did not mean that the kind of programmes (fund
distribution) should be held so close to the GE date," he said on Tuesday (Sept
26).
Anselm said the programmes should be
held after or before the campaign period to avoid the elements of inducement.
The official programme said to be
organised by the Terengganu government included the Bantuani-Belia and i-Siswa
and contributions for the disabled and asnaf (tithe recipients).
The petitioner was represented by
lawyers Datuk Hafarizam Harun, Amin Othman, and Norhazira Abu Haiyan, while Che
Alias was represented by lawyers Saifuddin Othman and Wan Rohimi Wan Daud.
Meanwhile, Hafarizam, when met by
reporters after the proceedings, said the judge had called the lead counsel of
both parties into his chambers and informed them that should there be no
appeal, he would notify the Election Commission of today’s decision on Oct 3.
Prior to this, the Election Court
dismissed a petition filed by Barisan Nasional against Che Alias and retained
the PAS representative's GE15 victory.
In GE15, Che Alias won the seat by a
65,714 majority beating Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, PKR’s Hasuni Sudin
and Pejuang’s Rosli Ab. Ghani.
Source: thestar.com.my
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Kemaman PN rep win in GE15 annulled by
Terengganu Election Court
Rahmat Khairulrijal
September 26, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: The Terengganu Election
Court today annulled the victory of Kemaman member of parliament Che Alias
Hamid who represented Pas in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis
said the petitioner, voter Wan Mohamad Hisham Wan Abdul Jalil succeeded in
proving that corruption had taken place with the aim of influencing voters in
GE15.
The court also ordered the respondent to
pay RM30,000 to the petitioner.
Wan Mohd Hisham's lawyer Amin Othman
confirmed this when contacted.
He said the judge ruled that there was
an element of bribery at several official state government events through the
i-Belia and i-Siswa assistance funds that were distributed to voters during the
GE15 campaign period.
On Feb 12, Wan Mohd Hisham's petition
was struck out after the High Court accepted the preliminary objections raised
by the respondents in the case.
However, the Federal Court, on May 2,
overturned the lower court decision and ordered the case to be sent back to the
High Court for full hearing of the merits.
Tengku Maimun said the pleadings in both
election petitions were sufficient.
Che Alias won the seat with a
65,714-vote majority, beating Barisan Nasional's Datuk Seri Ahmad Said, PKR's
Hasuni Sudin and Pejuang's Rosli Ab Ghani.
Source: nst.com.my/
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Court strikes out application for psych
observation by murder accused
26 Sep 2023
SUNGAI BESAR – The magistrate’s court
here today dismissed an application by a man accused of murdering a pregnant
woman to be referred to a psychiatric hospital for observation.
Magistrate Siti Hajar Ali dismissed the
application by lawyer Muhammad NorTamrin, representing Muhammad Fakrul Aiman
Sajali, 20, on the grounds that it should be decided by the High Court.
“The court is of the opinion that this
application should be decided by the judge conducting this case which is the
High Court Judge and this court is aware that the requirements under Section
342 of the Criminal Procedure Code must be complied with.
“The court also thinks that dismissing
the application at this stage will not prejudice the rights of the accused. The
lawyer can at any time make the application before the High Court Judge who
will conduct the trial of this case later,” she said.
The court then set November 7 for
mention.
Muhammad Nor had applied for his client
to be sent for psychiatric observation when the case came up for mention on
August 3 and the court set today for the decision.
On June 1, Muhammad Fakrul Aiman was
charged with the murder of 21-year-old Nur Anisah Abdul Wahab in Jalan Sungai
Limau here, between 8.30pm on May 22 and 8am the following day.
The offence, under Section 302 of the
Penal Code, is punishable by the death penalty, if convicted. – Bernama,
September 26, 2023
Source: thevibes.com
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Africa
Libya orders arrest of eight officials
after flood, Storm Daniel disaster which killed thousands
25 September, 2023
Libya's prosecutor general has ordered
the arrest of eight officials as part of his inquiry into the recent flood
disaster that killed thousands, his office said on Monday.
The flash flood, which witnesses likened
to a tsunami, broke through two ageing dams on September 10 after a hurricane-strength
storm lashed the area around Derna, a port city in Libya's east.
The officials are suspected of "bad
management" and negligence, among other offences, a statement from the
prosecutor general's office said, adding that seven of them served currently or
previously in offices responsible for water resources and dam management.
"The mistakes that they made"
and their "negligence in the matter of disaster prevention"
contributed to the catastrophe, the statement charged.
Derna's mayor Abdulmonem al-Ghaithi,
sacked after the flood, is among the detainees.
Almost 3,900 people died in the
disaster, according to the latest official toll, and international aid groups
have said 10,000 or more people may be missing.
After opening a probe, Libya's prosecutor
general Al-Seddik al-Sur said more than a week ago that the two dams upstream
from Derna had been cracked since 1998.
But repairs begun by a Turkish company
in 2010 were suspended after a few months when Libya's 2011 revolution flared,
and the work never resumed, the prosecutor said, vowing to deal firmly with
those responsible.
According to his office, the
investigation is focused on a dam maintenance contract reached between the
Turkish firm and Libya's water department.
The 2011 NATO-backed revolt toppled
longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leading to more than a decade of start-stop
conflict in the oil-rich country.
Libya is now divided between an
internationally-recognised Tripoli-based administration in the west -- to which
Sur belongs - and another in the flood-struck east backed by military strongman
Khalifa Haftar.
Eastern forces years ago launched a
failed assault on the capital which ended in a 2020 ceasefire. Since then a
period of relative stability has held and allowed war-ravaged Libya to try to
rebuild.
After the flood, hundreds of protesters
rallied in Derna on September 18, accusing eastern authorities of neglect and
calling for "a speedy investigation and legal action" against those
responsible for the disaster.
Protesters later torched the home of
Derna's mayor, Ghaithi, and the eastern administration dissolved Derna's
municipal council.
The prosecutor general's statement said
the mayor is suspected of "abuse of power and bad management of funds
allocated to city development".
Politicians and analysts say the chaos
in Libya since 2011 has left much of its vital infrastructure dilapidated.
The first dam to collapse in the
disaster was the Abu Mansour dam, 13 kilometres (eight miles) from Derna, whose
reservoir held 22.5 million cubic metres (nearly 800 million cubic feet) of
water.
The deluge then broke Al Bilad, the
second dam, which had a capacity of 1.5 million cubic metres and is just a
kilometre from the coastal city.
The wall of water and debris swept
through the normally dry riverbed or wadi that cuts through the city centre.
Both dams were built by a Yugoslav
company in the 1970s, "not to collect water but to protect Derna from
floods", Sour said earlier.
In a 2021 report from the Libyan audit
bureau, officials criticised "procrastination" on resuming repair
work at the two dams.
In November 2022, engineer and academic
Abdel Wanis Ashour warned in a study that a "catastrophe" threatened
Derna if authorities did not carry out maintenance on the dams.
Source: newarab.com
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APC explains why Tinubu’s meeting with
Biden was cancelled
Taiwo Amodu
September 25, 2023
The All Progressives Congress (APC)
National Working Committee has explained why the speculated meeting between
President Bola Tinubu and the United States President, Joe Biden could not be
held during the recent meeting of the United Nation’s General Assembly (UNGA)
held in New York.
The APC clarification was on the heels
of media reports attributed to Phrank Shaibu, Media Aide to the Presidential
Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar who accused the
Tinubu administration of peddling falsehood.
National Publicity Secretary of the APC,
Felix Morka in a statement said there was no basis for interaction between the
two leaders having met at another world engagement, the G-20 Nations summit in
India, before gathering of world leaders in New York.
Also reacting to the return of fuel
subsidy, which the Tinubu administration said it has jettisoned having
dismissed it as a drain on the nation’s resources, Morka claimed that
government intervention was to ensure stability.
Morka further argued that the Tinubu
administration has no reason to peddle falsehood or indulge in propaganda as he
noted that “President Tinubu is committed to ensuring an inclusive, honest,
transparent and accountable governance system.”
The statement reads in part:” Shaibu’s
claim that fuel subsidy is back is not correct. The government’s intervention
to ensure some measure of price stability and predictability does not amount to
the return of the ruinous fuel subsidy of the recent past.
“Lifting the Visa ban on Nigerians by
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities should ordinarily make any
well-meaning Nigerian happy. Diplomatic rapprochement between Nigeria and UAE
authorities is ongoing and details of outcomes will soon be made public.
“The matter of the proposed meeting with
United States of America President Joe Biden does not even require elaboration.
Having met with President Tinubu on the sidelines of the G-20 Nations summit in
India, another meeting with President Biden during the United Nation’s General
Assembly (UNGA) had become unnecessary and was not even on President Tinubu’s
schedule, contrary to preliminary indications on the matter.
“Nigeria is facing pressing challenges
that require focused efforts and undivided attention. Issues such as economic
recovery, security of lives and property, infrastructure development, and
social welfare demand continuous, sustained and innovative efforts.
“President Tinubu is committed to
ensuring an inclusive, honest, transparent and accountable governance system.
We encourage citizens to actively participate in democratic processes,
ventilate their views, and contribute constructively to national conversations.
As the discerning people that we are, we remain confident that Nigerians will
continue to differentiate between genuine, constructive and
development-oriented criticisms and those driven by self-interest, mercenary
considerations and disruptive political agenda.
“While we urge Nigerians to ignore
purveyors of fake news and other inanities, it is obvious that Shaibu and his
likes will stop at nothing in their desperation to distort facts and give
oxygen to their politically knocked-out principal. But that can only worsen his
infamy in the light of the President’s determined commitment and strides to
improving the social and economic conditions for all Nigerians.
“The PDP and all its agents of
misinformation should know by now that no amount of sleazy propaganda,
muckraking, lies, half-truths, misrepresentations, misinformation or
disinformation will confer the presidency of Nigeria on their candidate.
“Nigerians have freely chosen our party,
the APC, and President Bola Tinubu, to continue to steer the ship of state. And
the President is making good his campaign promises to deliver purposeful
leadership to remake Nigeria, open the economy to rewarding investments,
promote inclusive growth, create jobs, secure lives and property and renew hope
for a vibrant future.”
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
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https://tribuneonlineng.com/apc-explains-why-tinubus-meeting-with-biden-was-cancelled/
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Benin: Families mourn victims of
contraband fuel depot fire
September 25, 2023
The mood in the Seme-Krake neighborhood
of Benin's capital Cotonou is still sombre as families mourn their dead who
perished in a fire which gutted a contraband fuel depot on Saturday.
There was still a heavy security
presence in the area on Sunday. One man said he had lost four family members in
the blaze.
"We don't know where the fire
started and there were a lot of people in the warehouse. I myself have four
members of my family who perished in the flames. My younger brother - same
father, same mother - and his eldest son, my brother's wife and my brother-in-law's
wife," said Antoine Djanta, a shopkeeper.
Benin is a major destination for
smuggled fuel from Neighboring Nigeria. Fire accidents at illegal refineries,
pipelines and fuel dumps are common in Nigeria too.
Many Beninese make a living from selling
contraband fuel.
A decision in May by Nigeria's
government to end a fuel subsidy caused a dramatic rise in prices, increasing
the appetite for smuggled fuel.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/09/25/benin-families-mourn-victims-of-contraband-fuel-depot-fire/
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North America
Canadian Sikhs Stage Protests Against
Indian Government Over Murder
26 Sep 2023
TORONTO, Sept 26 ― Canadian Sikhs staged
small protests outside India's diplomatic missions yesterday, a week after
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there may be a link between New Delhi and
the murder of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia.
Trudeau a week ago stood in parliament
to say that domestic intelligence agencies were actively pursuing credible
allegations tying New Delhi's agents to the shooting of Canadian citizen
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, in June.
About 100 protesters in Toronto burned
an Indian flag and struck a cardboard cut-out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi with a shoe. About 200 protesters also gathered outside the Vancouver
consulate.
In Ottawa, fewer than 100 people
gathered in front of the Indian High Commissioner's office (embassy) in the
capital. They waved yellow flags marked with the world “Khalistan”, a reference
to their support for making India's Punjab region an independent state for
Sikhs, a cause Nijjar campaigned for.
“We are really thankful to Justin
Trudeau... We want no stone left unturned to get to the bottom of this cowardly
act,” protester Reshma Singh Bolinas said in Ottawa. Canada should put pressure
on India to “stop the killing of innocent people in future.”
Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs ―
the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab ― and in
recent years there have been many demonstrations that have irked India.
India labelled Trudeau's allegations
“absurd”. It warned travelers last week that there were growing “anti-India
activities” in Canada, urging “utmost caution” but did not provide evidence or
details of specific incidents.
The allegations have put a spotlight on
Canada's Sikh community. Sikhs make up just 2% of India's 1.4 billion
population, but they are a majority in Punjab, a state of 30 million where
their religion was born 500 years ago.
“The Indian government used dirty
tactics and compromised the sovereignty of Canada,” said Kuljeet Sing, a
protester in Toronto and a member of the group Sikhs for Justice.
Canada's accusations have sparked
tit-for-tat retaliation, with each nation expelling diplomats and New Delhi
suspending visas for Canadians.
Some of the protesters in both Toronto
and Ottawa called for the expulsion of the Indian High Commissioner
(ambassador) to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, who earlier said authorities have
been informed of the protests and were providing security.
Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left
the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian
citizen. He has supported the formation of an independent Sikh homeland. India
designated him a “terrorist” in July 2020.
The Canadian government has amassed both
human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh
separatist leader, CBC News reported last week, citing unidentified sources.
The United States worked closely with
Canada on the intelligence pointing toward the possible involvement of Indian
agents in the murder of a Canadian citizen in June, a senior Canadian
government source told Reuters. ― Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/09/26/canadian-sikhs-stage-protests-against-indian-government-over-murder/92919
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Trump opposes US request to limit his
comments on election case
26 Sep 2023
WASHINGTON, Sept 26 ― Donald Trump
pushed back at US prosecutors' request to curb some of his public statements
about people involved in the federal court case accusing him of attempting to
subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The former US president's lawyers
sharply opposed the request from Special Counsel Jack Smith for a court order
limiting Trump’s out-of-court statements about potential witnesses in the case
and barring disparaging or intimidating remarks about the judge, prosecutors
and potential jurors.
Trump’s defence team said in a court
filing late yesterday that such restrictions would violate his free speech
rights as he runs for president as the clear front-runner for the Republican
nomination in 2024.
Trump had already publicly attacked
Smith’s request, arguing it was an attempt to limit his criticism of the
President Joe Biden, his likely opponent in the 2024 election.
“At bottom, the Proposed Gag Order is
nothing more than an obvious attempt by the Biden Administration to unlawfully
silence its most prominent political opponent,” Trump's lawyers wrote in the
filing.
Trump was indicted in August on four
felony counts for allegedly attempting to intervene in the counting of votes
and block the certification of the 2020 election, one of four criminal cases he
faces. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Smith’s office said in a court filing
this month that Trump threatened to undermine public confidence in the case and
influence potential jurors with “near daily” social media attacks on
prosecutors, US Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, and
residents of Washington, DC who will serve as jurors.
Prosecutors said Trump has a history of
inspiring his supporters to harass and threaten people he singles out for
public criticism.
Thousands of Trump supporters stormed
the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, fighting with police and sending lawmakers
fleeing for their lives, in a failed bid to overturn Trump's election defeat.
Trump continues to make the false claim that his loss was the result of fraud.
― Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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Biden, US officials warn of hunger for millions
in a government shutdown
26 Sep 2023
WASHINGTON, Sept 26 ― US President Joe
Biden and one of his top aides warned yesterday that a federal government
shutdown could cause widespread suffering, including a rapid loss of food
benefits for nearly seven million low-income women and children.
Biden told a meeting on Historically
Black Colleges and Universities that failure by Congress to fund the federal
government would have dire consequences for the Black community, including by
reducing nutritional benefits, inspections of hazardous waste sites and
enforcement of fair housing laws.
He said he and House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy had agreed a few months ago on spending levels for the government.
“We made a deal, we shook hands,” he
said. “Now a small group of extreme House Republicans .. don't want to live up
to that deal, and everyone in America could be faced with paying the price for
it.”
Asked if he had spoken with McCarthy,
Biden said, “I haven't.” He shook his head when asked when they would speak.
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
told reporters earlier that the “vast majority” of the seven million
participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC) programme would see an immediate reduction in benefits in
the days and weeks after a shutdown starts.
Nearly half of US newborns rely on WIC,
the USDA says.
A separate benefits program,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will continue as normal for
the month of October but could be affected afterward, he said.
More than 40 million Americans relied on
SNAP to make ends meet in 2022; inflation has put new pressure on household
budgets, with prices higher since the Covid-19 pandemic for goods from bread to
fresh vegetables and baby formula.
During a shutdown, farm service agencies
will also stop making loans to farmers during harvest time, and new homebuyers
will not be able to get loans in rural areas, Vilsack said. More than 50,000
Department of Agriculture workers will be furloughed, meaning they will not
receive a paycheck.
The Republican-controlled House of
Representatives may move to advance steep spending cuts this week that would
almost certainly be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate. While the
cuts would not become law, a failure by both chambers to agree could force a
partial shutdown of the US government by next Sunday.
House lawmakers on Tuesday were set to
take up four spending bills for the coming fiscal year that would also impose
new restrictions on abortion access, undo an US$11 billion (RM51.6 billion)
Biden administration climate initiative, and resume construction of the
Mexico-US border wall, a signature initiative of former President Donald Trump.
Biden has vowed to veto at least two of the bills.
Vilsack called Republican fiscal plans
“punitive” and “petty.” ― Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/09/26/biden-us-officials-warn-of-hunger-for-millions-in-a-government-shutdown/92930
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Lebanon forces arrest suspect over
shooting at US embassy
September 26, 2023
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s security forces on
Monday said they had arrested a man suspected of firing 15 bullets at the
American embassy building in Beirut last week.
A source named the suspect as
26-year-old Lebanon national Muhammad Mahdi Hussein Khalil, who works for a
delivery company. The source added that Khalil had previously been convicted of
opening fire on a Lebanese public security center.
According to the source, Khalil
confessed to shooting at the embassy compound in the Aukar suburb of Beirut,
and that the weapon used in the attack had been seized.
Surveillance cameras showed a lone man
dressed in black firing a Kalashnikov rifle before fleeing the scene on a
motorcycle.
“The shooter carried out his act after
previous disputes between him and embassy security over food deliveries,” the
source told Arab News.
There were no injuries caused by the
shooting late on Wednesday.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380491/middle-east
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US-backed Kurdish forces impose curfew
in eastern Syria after new clashes with rival militia
September 25, 2023
BEIRUT: US-backed Kurdish-led forces
imposed a curfew after clashes erupted again on Monday in eastern Syria, where
their fighters had battled for weeks with rival militiamen, Syrian media and
activists reported.
The fighting in a region where hundreds
of American troops are deployed has pointed to dangerous seams in a coalition
that has kept on a lid on the defeated Daesh for years.
The reports say the Syrian Democratic
Forces imposed the open-ended measure in several towns in Deir Ezzor province,
including the town of Ziban, close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are
based.
Hundreds of US troops have been there
since 2015 to help in the fight against Daesh.
The province is home to Syria’s largest
oil fields.
Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arab TV station, said
several fighters from the Kurdish-led forces were killed after gunmen took over
several parts of Ziban on Monday.
Britain-based opposition war monitor the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some of the fighters had crossed from
regime-held areas.
Local media in the province reported
that some Kurdish fighters had fled the area as the clashes intensified. There
were no further details.
The Kurdish-led forces have accused the
Syrian regime of inciting the violence by allowing the rival militiamen to
cross the Euphrates River.
The clashes first erupted in late August
when two weeks of fighting killed 25 Kurdish fighters, 29 members of tribal
groups and gunmen, as well as nine civilians, according to the Syrian
Democratic Forces .
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380431/middle-east
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CAIR Expresses Solidarity with U.S.,
Canadian Sikh Community, Condemns Indian Government
Ismail Allison
September 25, 2023
(WASHINGTON, DC, 9/25/2023) – The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil
liberties and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with the
American and Canadian Sikh communities after the FBI reportedly told some Sikh
activists that their lives were at risk due to threats from India’s far-right
government. That warning came after the killing of a high-profile Sikh activist
in Canada earlier this year.
Canadian officials say they have evidence
pointing to Indian government involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh
Nijjar, an advocate for an independent Sikh state who was shot outside a Sikh
temple in British Columbia in June.
“We express our solidarity with the Sikh
community in the United States and Canada, and we condemn the threat of deadly
violence coming from followers and members of India’s far-right government led
by Narendra Modi,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. “The
United States must do everything it can to protect the Sikh American community
and others from the threat of the Modi government.”
Awad noted that earlier this year, CAIR
similarly expressed solidarity with the Sikh community in North Carolina and
nationwide following vandalism targeting a temple in Charlotte, N.C. Awad also noted that many organizations
raised concerns about Prime Minister Modi’s government when the Biden
administration and U.S. Congress rolled out the red carpet for him in June.
Last week two leading U.S. Sikh organizations,
the Sikh Coalition and Sikh American Legal and Education Fund (SALDEF), both
raised significant concerns about the issue.
Source: cair.com
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------
Europe
Germany has once again become ‘Sick Man
of Europe’
26 September 2023
Germany, with its struggling economy,
could once again be called the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ if structural issues are
not addressed immediately.
Deutsche Bank CEO, Christian Sewing,
asserts Germany will, once again, become the sick man of Europe if structural
issues are not addressed immediately.
It is also true that there are structural
weaknesses that hold back our economy and prevent it from developing its great
potential.
We will become the sick man of Europe if
we do not address these structural issues now.
Christian Sewing, Deutsche Bank, CEO
The struggling German economy could once
again be called the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ if structural issues are not addressed
immediately.
The Deutsche Bank CEO believes that the
biggest task lies with banks. Sewing listed other issues that Germany is
facing.
They include high and unpredictable
energy costs, slow internet connections, outdated rail networks, digitalization
backlogs, and a lack of skilled workers, excessive bureaucracy and long
approval procedures.
The term “Sick Man of Europe” was first
used by economist Holger Schmieding to describe Europe's largest economy in
1998 as it was navigating challenges associated with its post-reunification
economy.
It saw a period of slow economic growth
and faced the uphill task of making the country competitive on the global
market.
The European economy is doing better
than the German economy Germany is the sick man of Europe in the moment.
There has been a decline in
manufacturing output, trend wise, since 2018. It's not a short term phenomenon.
That has to do with the automobile industry, which is the heart of the German
industry and many things hinge on that.
So we are on a declining trend and then
comes the war. Putin cut off the gas. Germany shut off, deliberately, its
nuclear power plants. And one wonders where the energy should come from.
Professor Hans Werner Sinn, University
of Munich
Eurozone interest rates have skyrocketed
amid high inflation and preposterous spending on its proxy war in Ukraine, the
EU is edging closer to a devastating recession.
As it tried to grapple with the challenges
of a post unification environment, the EU's largest economy continues to
grapple with challenges in its manufacturing sector as it suffers from higher
energy costs.
Germany officially slipped into a
technical recession in the first quarter of the year as GDP growth was revised
from zero to negative 0.3%. The Bundesbank announced that the economy was
likely to shrink this quarter thanks to slow private consumption and the
increasing weakness of the industry.
Germany's energy intensive sectors,
particularly manufacturing and automotive production, have borne the brunt of
the disruption of his gas supplies from Russia.
These industries constitute the bedrock
of Germany's economic might and any disruption in their operations has far
reaching consequences. .
Multiple crises are making it difficult
for the European Union to finance new projects. The crises include the conflict
in Ukraine, migration and energy supply shortages as well as rising energy
costs.
Some firms are contemplating relocating
the production facilities to a more energy stable region.
Germany had a big problem with, or had
already a big problem with skilled labor.
But now it's a shortage of overall
labor, even unskilled labor and this had started in the pandemic when many
people who were working in low paid jobs, they found different jobs in
different industries that that rose during the pandemic and but they are now
missing in other jobs and some people also left Germany.
Others came but they were not so well
integrated into labor markets. So in general, we have this shortage of labor in
Germany, and we also have problems with supply chains. There were a lot of
disruptions there are of course, the war in Ukraine.
Andreas Peichl, IFO Center for
Macroeconomics and Surveys
Earlier in September, a report by the
Spanish daily El Pais cited an analyst who believed that Germany is staring at
the end of its economic model.
According to experts, the German model
hinges on three ingredients, which include cost competitiveness, technological
leadership, and its industry and geopolitical stability.
But following the outbreak of the war in
Ukraine, all these factors are now gone. The severing of Russian gas, which
accounted for more than 50% of the gas consumed in Germany, has impacted the
electricity intensive industry, forcing businesses to restructure or close
plants.
Meanwhile, the IFO business climate
indicator for Germany declined for the fourth consecutive month to 85.7 in
August 2023, reaching the lowest level since October 2022.
But what is true is that we are
currently, economically, not in a good shape. We are probably in a recession
going into a deeper recession.
And there are a lot of worries about the
future, the economic future and also, there's a lot of uncertainty.
And one thing in Germany is the
inflation and rising prices has always been a big issue in the German history
and in the back in the minds of the people.
And so I think the rise in inflation in
the recent years is also something which is leading to these results.
Andreas Peichl, IFO Center for
Macroeconomics and Surveys
The significant deterioration in
business morale suggests that Europe's largest economy has not yet overcome its
challenges. Berlin's chances of reversing the situation, in the short term, are
low.
The broader repercussions of Germany's
deindustrialization and its aging workforce are looming, casting a shadow over
the European Union's economic strength and competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Berlin is planning to restore
a 19% sales tax on gas and heat deliveries from the end of this year. The move
will effectively end the current discount rate three months earlier than
planned.
The value added tax on natural gas was
cut from 19% to 7% last October to ease the pressure on consumers amid soaring
energy costs.
A recent report by the German economy
minister projected that gas prices in the EU's largest economy are likely to
soar and remain high until at least 2027 unless additional emergency measures
are taken.
Source: presstv.ir
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--------
Thousands march against ruling coalition
in German city of Schweinfurt
26 September 2023
Thousands of German demonstrators have
marched through the city of Schweinfurt to protest against the ruling
coalition's policies.
Demonstrators carried banners reading,
"Whoever is silent agrees!" and "If you can't do anything and
you don't know anything, you vote for all the green shit!"
Some of the activists had travelled on
construction equipment and tractors to take part in the protest.
"People are getting poorer and
poorer, no one has any more money in their wallets, and now something just has
to happen and the government just has to go," a protester said.
Another protester commented that the
Greens are 'actually all old parties', adding, "They all pursue the same
agenda."
"I can't stand this government here
anymore, I'm ashamed of this country. I love this country, but I'm ashamed of
this government," said another participant in the protest.
Police provided security at the rally,
which briefly suspended traffic. In some cases, police were forced to identify
individual demonstrators, suspecting them of causing offense and inciting hatred.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/09/26/711537/Schweinfurt-protest
--------
Ukraine Says Russia Black Sea Fleet
Commander Killed; No Comment by Moscow
September 26, 2023
(Reuters) - Ukraine's special forces
said on Monday they had killed Moscow's top admiral in Crimea along with 33
other officers in last week's missile attack on the headquarters of Russia's
Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not
immediately respond when asked by Reuters to confirm or deny that Admiral
Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia's most
senior navy officers, had been killed.
Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol,
however, were taking extra measures to address Ukraine's increased attacks on
Crimea, a critical region providing a platform from which Russia has launched
many of its air attacks on Ukraine in the 19-month-long war.
If confirmed, Sokolov's killing would be
one of Kyiv's most significant strikes on Crimea, which Russia seized and
annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
"After the strike on the
headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the
commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Another 105 occupiers were wounded.
The headquarters building cannot be restored," Ukraine's special forces
said on the Telegram messaging app.
It was not immediately clear how
Ukraine's Special Forces counted the dead and wounded in the attack.
Reuters could not independently verify
the report. Each side has at times exaggerated enemy losses in the war and says
little about its own losses.
In a statement after the attack, the
Russian defence ministry said one serviceman was missing, revising an earlier
statement that the man had been killed. Air defences had downed five missiles,
the ministry said.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks in
the Black Sea and on the Crimean Peninsula and started using missiles in
addition to assault drones. Kyiv has said that destroying the Russian Black Sea
fleet would significantly speed up the end of the war.
Earlier this month, Russia's defence
ministry said that Ukraine attacked a Black Sea naval shipyard with 10 cruise
missiles.
In a possible indication of how serious the
recent Ukrainian attacks on Sevastopol have been, the Russian-installed
governor of the city held a meeting on Monday to work out better defence and
attack warning systems for the city.
"We understand that we have moved
into a new situation that requires a systemic response," Russian agencies
cited the governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, as telling its government.
"Earlier, we and our military faced
attacks from unmanned vehicles ... Now everything has changed and we must be
prepared for this kind of threat."
Source:
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https://tolonews.com/index.php/world-185268
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German police raid premises across the
country in connection with migrant smuggling
September 26, 2023
BERLIN: More than 350 German federal
police searched premises across the country early Tuesday in connection with
the smuggling of migrants early on Tuesday.
The focus of the raids was on cities and
towns in northern and western Germany but also in Bavaria in the south, German
news agency DPA reported.
Police executed five arrest warrants,
three in the northern town of Stade and two in the western town of Gladbeck.
Inside the searched apartments and other buildings, police discovered many
migrants without residence permits, dpa reported.
The raids were ordered by federal police
at Frankfurt airport on suspicion of gang and commercial smuggling of
foreigners, German news agency DPA reported.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2380586/world
-------
Hungary warns EU against ditching
Russian energy
25 Sep, 2023
Rejecting Russian energy supplies isn’t
in the interests of the EU countries, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
said on Monday while addressing parliament.
According to Orban, Hungary is helpless
when it comes to resisting decisions made by the EU authorities on the import
of Russian oil and gas.
“Brussels has decided that the EU should
abandon Russian energy resources,” he said. “In my opinion, this is contrary to
the interests of the bloc, and the interests of Hungary as well, but we do not
have enough power to counteract this.”
The prime minister added that the
Hungarian government is only able to reduce the negative consequences of these
decisions for Budapest.
Hungary, which is around 85% dependent
on Russian gas, has repeatedly criticized the EU over its sanctions policy.
Budapest has strongly opposed calls to introduce restrictions on Russian gas
imports and has also vowed to oppose any curbs on Russia’s nuclear energy
industry.
The EU has banned imports of Russian
seaborne oil since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict and drastically
reduced shipments of pipeline gas from Moscow. The bloc has also adopted the
Western price limit on Russian seaborne crude of $60 per barrel.
Orban managed to secure an exemption
from the bloc’s sanctions on Russian crude oil imports. He has insisted that
Budapest supports a swift resolution to the conflict, but noted that it wants
to maintain economic relations with Russia, particularly in energy.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/business/583534-orban-eu-russia-energy-hungary/
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EU state used Israeli spyware on Russian
journalists – editors
25 Sep, 2023
An unnamed EU state used Israeli malware
to hack the mobile phone of Galina Timchenko, a Russian media editor based in
Latvia, Timchenko told The Guardian on Monday. Authorities in Riga have denied
any role in the incident.
Timchenko, who founded the Meduza news
site, in 2014, told The Guardian that she received a message from Apple earlier
this year informing her that her phone had been hacked prior to a meeting of
Russian media workers in Berlin. According to the newspaper, at least four
other Russian journalists – three of whom used Latvian SIM cards in their
phones – were similarly targeted.
Timchenko said that she initially
suspected that the Kremlin was behind the hack, but an investigation by the
University of Toronto and Access Now found that the likely culprit was an EU
state agency using Pegasus, a spyware program developed by Israel’s NSO Group.
Russia does not use Pegasus, while
agencies in multiple EU states – including Germany, Latvia, and Estonia – do.
Pegasus can be installed on a target’s
phone with or without the user clicking a false link. Once installed, Pegasus
grants the hacker the ability to read messages, look through photos, track the
person’s location, and even switch on the camera and microphone without the
knowledge of the phone’s owner. According to a list of NSO clients that leaked
in 2021, more than 50,000 politicians, journalists, activists, and business
figures were surveilled using the malware.
“It is likely that the hack was operated
by some European security service. We don’t know if it was Latvia or some other
country, but we have more [presence] in Latvia,” Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan
Kolpakov said.
The Latvian Embassy in Washington, DC
said that it is “not aware of any electronic surveillance measures being taken
against Ms. Timchenko,” while federal police in Germany, where the hack took
place, refused to comment.
Timchenko and Kolpakov told The Guardian
that they have reason to suspect Riga’s involvement, pointing to a dispute
between the Latvian state and TV Dozhd, another Russian opposition outlet, last
year. TV Dozhd was banned in Latvia and Lithuania after it broadcast a map of
Russia featuring Crimea as Russian territory, and after one of its presenters
referred to the Russian military as “our army.”
Source: rt.com
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German police launch probe into Nazi
salutes at Oktoberfest
25 Sep, 2023
German police and the state security
service (BfV) have launched an investigation into Nazi salutes seen in video
footage taken at a recent Oktoberfest celebration in the state of Saxony,
according to media reports on Monday.
A video that initially surfaced on
social media shows three men and a woman dressed in traditional Bavarian attire
repeatedly making Nazi salutes while in an Oktoberfest tent. According to the
Bild tabloid, one of the men made the gesture as many as 14 times over just 16
seconds.
The incident took place during
festivities in a small village in the state of Saxony in eastern Germany, the
media reports said. Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival, originated
in Bavaria in the 19th century but is now celebrated in other parts of Germany
as well.
A Nazi-era military march called
‘Erika’, which was used by the Third Reich for propaganda purposes, can be
heard playing in the background on the footage. The music itself is not banned
in Germany. The video has since gone viral on X (formerly Twitter) and has
drawn the attention of the German police.
A regional police office stated on
Monday that it had “secured” the footage and handed it over to the relevant
department. The statement also said that it would have been better if officers
had been called directly to the scene, adding that dealing with the issue
afterwards “results in unnecessary delays.”
Under the German Criminal Code, the “use
of symbols of unconstitutional organizations,” which includes the Nazi salute,
is punishable by up to three years behind bars or a fine. The identities of the
suspects have not been officially revealed.
A spokesman for the Saxony police,
Marcel Malchow, told Bild on Monday that the BfV, which is responsible for
investigating cases related to extremist and terrorist activities, would be
involved in the probe as well.
The organizers of the event in Saxony
insisted they had nothing to do with the incident. “We clearly distance
ourselves from such visitors, we just want to celebrate Oktoberfest as normal,”
one of them, Matthias Braune, told Bild. He did not comment on the organizers’
choice of music for the event.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/583536-german-probe-nazi-salutes-oktoberfest/
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