'All Military Bases Ready for Mission': India Warns Pakistan of Fierce Response to Future Threats
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 May 2025
Pakistani projectiles identified by the Indian Army as ‘likely long-range rockets’
The Telegraph
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· 'All Military Bases Ready for Mission': India Warns Pakistan of Fierce Response to Future Threats
· 'Talks with Pakistan Only On PoK, Terror': PM Modi in First Address Since Operation Sindoor
· Islamic State Fighters Who Returned to UK Must Face Justice, Committee Says
· Boko Haram Terrorists Kill Scores of Nigerian Soldiers in Fresh Attack in Borno
· Population Of Occupied Palestinian Territories Grows Tenfold Since Nakba, Despite Israeli Atrocities: Palestinian Bureau Of Statistics
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India
· Posters of Pahalgam terror attack suspects surface; Rs 20 lakh bounty announced
· Islam Not Just Our Faith but Integral to Our Army’s Training, Says Pakistan General
· Operation Keller: Gun Battle inJammu andKashmir's Shopian, Three Terrorists Killed
· Waqf Protests: Supreme Court Dismisses Plea for SIT Probe into Murshidabad Violence
· Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair alleges life threat, files police complaint
· Elderly Muslim farmer assaulted, forced to chant Jai Shri Ram in UP; two arrested
· In Assam, 50 arrested since Pahalgam for posts police say ‘pro-Pakistan’
· Belagavi tense after religious book found burnt, say police
· Brotherhood Among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs Commendable: On Poonch Visit, Omar Meets Families Ravaged By Shelling
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Europe
· Crates Full Of Nazi Documents Found In Argentine Court's Basement
· Daghestani authorities demolish 19th century Chechen mosque
· Top UK Special Forces general oversaw blocking of Afghan 'war-crime' witnesses to Britain
· Western Europe’s plans ended in ‘complete fiasco’ – Moscow
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Africa
· Troops Neutralize ISWAP/Boko Haram Insurgents in Sambisa Forest
· 49 white South Africans head to US under Trump refugee offer
· 2025 Hajj: Don’t Tarnish Nigeria’s Image, Ogun Islamic Leaders Warn Pilgrims
· Nigerian Navy Dismantles Six Illegal Refineries In Delta
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Mideast
· Israel’s West Bank Land Registration Is A Tool For Annexation, NGO Says
· Al-Aqsa Mosque Preacher: Bringing Offerings Into Al-Aqsa Mosque Must Be Confronted With All Force
· Quds Governorate Condemns Settlers' Attempt to Slaughter Lamb in Al-Aqsa Mosque
· Syria warns Kurds against delay in integrating into state
· Trump signals possible sanctions relief for Syria
· UN chief welcomes release of US Israeli hostage by Hamas
· UN says found 225 arms caches since Israel-Hezbollah truce
· Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM
· Islamic Action Front in Lebanon: Resistance most effective option to restore honour, liberate land from Zionists
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South Asia
· IEA’s Development Programs Created Hope for People, Shiite Scholars
· The Role Of Islamic Rites In Strengthening Religious Identity
· Claim of marrying a woman after forcibly converting her religion is misleading: BanglaFact
· Uzbek Farm Aid Arrives in Northern Afghanistan
· Jamaat’s registration appeal hearing adjourned until tomorrow
· NCP clarifies stance on controversial slogans at protests
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Arab World
· Saudi Cabinet Welcomes Upcoming Visit By US President Trump
· Americans living in Saudi Arabia reflect on their ‘home away from home’
· Riyadh International Industry Week 2025 begins in Saudi capital
· Trump heads for Saudi Arabia on major Middle East tour
· Jusoor exhibition in Kosovo offers a window to Saudi heritage
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North America
· Muslim-Centred EPIC City Now Under DOJ Investigation, Sen. Cornyn Says
· Toronto Police Seek Two Suspects After Vehicle Vandalized with Anti-Muslim Slurs InEtobicoke
· CAIR Calls on Trump to Rescind Appointment of Anti-Muslim Bigot Jeanine Pirro as Interim U.S. attorney for D.C.
· US-Israeli Hostage Reunites with Family After Being Freed ByHamas
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Southeast Asia
· Perlis Ruler Calls for Strengthening of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah Teachings
· Home Minister Backs MACC’s ‘25-Hour’ Probe into Its Rogue Officers Nabbed In Citizenship Scam, Vows No Interference
· FRU truck crash: Sand lorry driver detained, tested negative for drugs
· MCMC removes over 40,000 fake and scam content items from online platforms
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/military-bases-mission-india-pakistan/d/135522
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'All Military Bases Ready for Mission': India Warns Pakistan of Fierce Response to Future Threats
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui
13.05.25
Pakistani projectiles identified by the Indian Army as ‘likely long-range rockets’
The Telegraph
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India on Monday said all its military bases were fully functional and ready for any future missions if the need arose.
“All our military bases, systems continue to remain fully operational and ready to undertake any future missions should the need arise,” Air Marshal A.K. Bharti said during a media conference.
Bharti was accompanied by Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai of the army and Vice-Admiral A.N. Pramod of the navy.
Bharti iterated that India’s confrontation was aimed strictly at terrorist elements and underscored that the Pakistani military’s decision to side with and support terrorist groups escalated the situation.
“Our fight was with terrorists and their support infrastructure, not with the Pakistani military. However, it is a pity that the Pakistan military chose to side with the terrorists and made it their own fight, which compelled us to respond in kind. They are themselves responsible for their losses and the damage caused to them,” the Air Marshal said.
He said the Pakistani attacks, involving fighter jets, drones and missiles, were thwarted by the combined might of the integrated air command and control, Akash missiles and other indigenous systems.
“We have targeted the length and breadth of the adversary,” he said before showing footage of the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi on fire
following a huge explosion. Another video showed extensive damage to the runway of the Rahim Yar Khan airbase in Pakistan’s Punjab.
The army released a video titled “Destroy the Enemy in the Sky” showing the debris of what appeared to be a PL-15 air-to-air missile, which is of Chinese origin and was used by Pakistan, and also wreckage of some Turkish drones. These were destroyed by the air defence systems during Operation Sindoor launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Lauding India’s multi-layered integrated air defence system that protected military and civilian infrastructure, Bharti said: “Our battle-proven systems stood the test of time and took them head on. Another highlight has been the stellar performance of the indigenous air defence system, the Akash system. It was impenetrable for the enemy.”
The Indian armed forces minimised the damage to both civilian and military infrastructure in the country as no enemy aircraft was allowed to come within hundreds of kilometres of the Indian territory, Bharti said.
Vice-Admiral Pramod said India was maintaining round-the-clock surveillance. “Effectively using multiple sensors and inputs, we are maintaining continuous surveillance to degrade or neutralise threats as they emerge or manifest to ensure targeting at extended ranges. All these are conducted under the umbrella of a comprehensive and effective layered fleet air defence mechanism that caters to all threats, be it drones, high-speed missiles or aircraft, both fighters as well as surveillance aircraft,” he said.
Fighter jets of the IAF targeted Pakistan Air Force’s bases, including Rafiqui, Murid and Chaklala, to counter the neighbour’s drone and missile attacks targeting civilian areas and military infrastructure along India’s western sector.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop firing and military action on land, air and sea with immediate effect from 5pm on Saturday. However, Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement within hours. On Sunday, India said Pakistan had been “put on notice”, warning of a fierce and punitive response to any violations of the understanding.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/all-bases-ready-for-mission-india-warns-pakistan-of-fierce-response-to-future-threats-prnt/cid/2099588
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'Talks with Pakistan only on PoK, terror': PM Modi in first address since Operation Sindoor
Rajesh Kumar Thakur
12 May 2025
Operation Sindoor halted, not ended; PM Modi says India will monitor Pakistan’s promise to avoid future terror and military acts before continuing suspension.(Photo | PTI)
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NEW DELHI: India has zero tolerance for terror and will not fall prey to nuclear blackmail, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first address since the launch of Operation Sindoor.
In the televised address, he emphasised that India will only hold talks with Pakistan on the issues of terrorism and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
He termed Operation Sindoor as India’s new official policy against terror and informed that it has only been halted and not concluded.
India will monitor to see if Pakistan keeps his promise of halting terrorist attacks and military actions in future, the PM underlined.
“India will no longer see terrorist leaders and the governments sheltering them as separate entities,” PM asserted.
He said that it is not an era of war, but not an era of terrorism either.
“India’s position is very clear. Terror and talk cannot go together; terror and trade cannot go together. And water and blood also cannot flow together,” the PM said during his address, referring to the Indus Water Treaty abeyance.
PM Modi said that it was Pakistan, which moved for ceasefire, and India had only considered it since it had succeeded in dismantling the terror infrastructure in Pakistan.
"The terrorists dared to wipe the Sindoor from the foreheads of our sisters, that is why India destroyed the very headquarters of terror in Pakistan,” PM said.
He said that Operation Sindoor sent shockwaves through Pakistan, leaving their leadership in dismay.
"Instead of supporting India’s fight against terrorism, Pakistan retaliated by launching attacks on our religious sites, schools, civilian, and military establishments,” PM Modi added.
He said that the world watched as Pakistan missiles and drones were effortlessly neutralised by India’s advanced, robust defence systems.
“While Pakistan targeted India’s borders, India responded strategically, delivering a precise blow to their core infrastructure,” the Prime Minister asserted.
Cautioning Pakistan, the PM strongly said that the way Pakistan is encouraging terrorism will one day destroy the nation itself.
“If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” he stressed.
He added that India had given the armed forces full freedom to eliminate the terrorists and that locations like Bahawalpur and Muridke-based terrorists’ bases were destroyed as they were thriving as universities of terror.
“These locations were linked with major terror attacks in the world including 9/11 attacks of US, the London Tube bombings and decades of terrorists’ incidents in India,” PM said.
“Zero tolerance against terrorism is the guarantee of a better world,” PM remarked, repeating once again that India has suspended retaliatory action against Pakistan’s terrors and military installations.
Highlighting the use of ‘Shakti’ (power) for ‘shanti’ (peace), PM Modi said that India follows it; however, sometimes it has to use power for peace as well.
Confirming massive damages inflicted to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, PM said that India reduced terrorists’ strongholds to ruins, compelling Pakistan to assure that no terrorist activities or military actions would take place from their side.
“After careful consideration, we decided to temporarily suspend our operations against Pakistan’s terrors’ hubs and military establishments. However, we remain vigilant and will closely monitor their actions in the future also,” PM asserted.
PM Modi in his address also urged the nation to stay united in the fight against terrorism and saluted the armed forces, paramilitary, BSF, intelligence agencies, and citizens for standing together.
Issuing a warning against terrorist organisations, the PM said that all terrorist organisations now fully understand the consequence of attempting to harm the dignity of the nation’s women.
“The Operation Sindoor is not just a name but a reflection of the emotions of millions of Indians,” he said, adding that terrorists would have never imagined that India would make such a bold move after they committed terror attack in Pahalgam.
“When a nation stands united with ‘Nation First’ as its guiding principle, it takes firm decisions and achieves impactful results,” he said.
He made it clear that India will retaliate on its own terms, targeting terror hubs at their roots whenever any such attempt to target India is made.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/May/12/talks-with-pakistan-only-on-pok-terror-pm-modi-in-first-address-since-operation-sindoor
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Islamic State fighters who returned to UK must face justice, committee says
May 13, 2025
Islamic State was responsible for widespread campaigns of terror, murder and rape across Syria and Iraq, often targeted against minority religious groups (Photo: Al-Furqan Media/AFP/Getty)
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Fighters with the so-called Islamic State (IS) group who returned to the UK must face justice, a committee of MPs and peers has said.
More than 400 people who fought for IS are believed to have returned after travelling to the Middle East, and none of them have been successfully prosecuted for their crimes, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) said.
It is calling on the Government to take steps to ensure they can be tried in British courts, rather than in Iraq or Syria where the crimes took place.
Ministers have previously said any such crimes are “best investigated and prosecuted under local laws”, according to the committee.
But the parliamentarians said this was unlikely to happen in the Middle Eastern countries where IS operated.
“Where the UK has jurisdiction over international crimes, the UK should seek to investigate and prosecute such crimes,” the committee’s latest report said.
The UK courts face a “key barrier” to exercising justice on war crimes and genocide, the committee said, as it is not possible to prosecute people for these crimes unless they are UK nationals, residents, or “subject to service personnel laws”.
The committee said the Crime and Policing Bill currently making its way through Parliament must be used to amend the law, and ensure anyone suspected to have committed genocide or war crimes can face justice in the UK.
It also called for better co-operation between the Crown Prosecution Service and specialist police officers involved in investigating genocide, to ensure evidence is not lost.
Lord Alton of Liverpool, chairman of the JCHR, said: “This is not something the UK can simply wash its hands of because it happened overseas. We know that British nationals committed the most horrendous crimes in Iraq and Syria under the Daesh regime and we have a duty to see them brought to justice.
“To date, no Daesh fighters have been successfully prosecuted for international crimes in the UK and we find this unacceptable.”
He added: “We want to see more action from the Government in identifying the perpetrators, some of whom may have returned to Britain, others likely detained in camps in Syria. This will require better co-ordination from law enforcement and criminal justice, and also the removal of barriers preventing some prosecutions.”
IS, also known as Daesh, which once held large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, was responsible for widespread campaigns of terror, murder and rape often targeted against minority religious groups like the Yazidis.
Estimates suggest 5,000 Yazidis were killed and more than 200,000 displaced from their homes by the terrorist group.
The report also calls for greater transparency about how the Government uses its power to strip British people of their citizenship because of links with IS.
Shamima Begum, who travelled to IS-held territory a decade ago, aged 15, is the most high profile example of the state’s use of this power.
But the report said the UK “uses deprivation of citizenship orders more than almost any country in the world”, and ministers must account for this.
More must also be done to repatriate children held in camps in north-east Syria, the committee said, where conditions are “deplorable”, according to Lord Alton.
He added: “It is in the UK’s interest to ensure they do not become a new generation of the radicalised and they must be brought home.”
Source: inews.co.uk
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https://inews.co.uk/news/islamic-state-fighters-who-returned-to-uk-must-face-justice-committee-says-3690362?ITO=newsnow
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Boko Haram Terrorists Kill Scores Of Nigerian Soldiers In Fresh Attack In Borno
May 12, 2025
By Richard Ogunsile
An undetermined number of soldiers have reportedly been killed following an assault on a Nigerian Army base in Borno State by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
Naija News learnt that the terrorists attacked the 153 Task Force Battalion base in the Marte Local Government Area on Saturday night, forcing the troops to retreat.
Reports indicate that during the assault, the assailants set fire to armoured vehicles and seized ammunition.
A Major in the Army informed SaharaReporters that communication with the base has been lost since the attack, raising fears of significant casualties among our personnel.
The 153rd Task Force Battalion has faced numerous confrontations with Boko Haram, including ambushes and the recapture of key areas such as Marte.
This incident follows a recent attack in which 22 soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed at a military installation in Malam-Fatori, located in the Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
For more than ten years, Nigeria has been embroiled in a violent conflict with insurgent factions primarily active in the North East region of the country.
The most notable of these groups is Boko Haram, which originated in the early 2000s but escalated its violent activities around 2009, initiating a campaign of terror characterised by bombings, mass kidnappings, and assaults on both civilian and military targets.
Despite numerous assertions from former President Muhammadu Buhari that the terrorists had been ‘technically defeated,’ insurgent operations have continued, frequently resulting in fatal outcomes.
Naija News reports that the insurgency has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions, leading to one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally.
Entire communities have been destroyed, forcing survivors into overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, where they often face limited access to food, healthcare, and security.
Over time, various splinter groups of Boko Haram, including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have emerged, complicating counterinsurgency efforts and perpetuating the cycle of violence.
Despite receiving regional and international assistance, including support from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), the threat continues to pose a significant challenge to Nigeria’s national stability and human security.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/05/12/just-in-boko-haram-terrorists-kill-scores-of-nigerian-soldiers-in-fresh-attack-in-borno/
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Population Of Occupied Palestinian Territories Grows Tenfold Since Nakba, Despite Israeli Atrocities: Palestinian Bureau Of Statistics
May 12, 2025
A Palestinian girl smiles while playing near her tent at a makeshift displacement camp set up amid building rubble in Gaza City, May 12, 2025. (AFP)
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LONDON: The population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories has increased tenfold since 1948, the year in which the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” displaced almost a million Palestinians from their homes to neighbouring Arab countries, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said that 957,000 people out of a population of 1.4 million were displaced by Israeli militias, many of them to other countries, some to Gaza and the West Bank, during the establishment of modern-day Israel 77 years ago this month.
The remainder, about 450,000, were already in Gaza and the West Bank, where the population now stands at 5.5 million. This represents more than a tenfold increase since the Nakba, which Palestinians commemorate on May 15 each year.
Ola Awad, the president of the bureau, said: “The atrocities of Zionist forces (in 1948) also included more than 70 massacres in which more than 15,000 Palestinians were martyred.”
According to the bureau’s statistics, Israeli forces destroyed 531 Palestinian towns and villages during the Nakba. A further 200,000 people were displaced from the occupied territories to neighboring countries by the Six-Day War in June 1967, which led to the occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and the Syrian Golan Heights.
Awad said the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has reduced the Palestinian population in the occupied territories by 10 percent, as more than 52,000 people have been killed and thousands displaced.
The statistics bureau said that since 1948, an estimated 154,000 people have been killed in the occupied territories or Arab countries as a result of Israeli attacks or armed clashes. The majority were Palestinian, but some were citizens of other Arab countries. Nearly 34 percent of them lived Gaza and were killed in the past two years.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600452/middle-east
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India
Posters of Pahalgam terror attack suspects surface; Rs 20 lakh bounty announced
May 13, 2025
NEW DELHI: The Jammu and Kashmir Police released photographs of three individuals suspected of being involved in the Pahalgam terror incident on April 22.
The authorities have offered a reward of Rs 20 lakh to encourage public cooperation in apprehending these suspects, aiming to expedite the ongoing investigation process.
Earlier, the sketches of three suspected terrorists, who were recognised as Adil Hussain Thoker, a resident of Anantnag, and two Pakistani nationals - Ali Bhai aka Talha Bhai and Hashim Musa aka Suleiman.
At least 26 people, including 25 tourists and a Nepali, were killed when terrorists opened fire in the Baisaran meadow, which is around six kilometres from Pahalgam town. The horrific incident is the deadliest attack in the Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama carnage in 2019.
The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) affiliate, The Resistance Front (TRF), took responsibility for the attack in Pahalgam. In response to Pahalgam attack, India initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking nine terrorist installations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Later, Pakistan conducted strikes on Indian military installations and civilian regions near the international boundaries. India countered Pakistan's unprovoked hostility by successfully targeting 11 of their strategic airbases, significantly reducing their offensive capabilities.
Following several days of confrontation along the Line of Control (LoC), both nations agreed to a ceasefire on May 10. India clarified its position, stating that whilst military operations would cease, there would be no diplomatic discussions with Islamabad.
After the ceasefire, the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan held talks on Monday where they decided to continue the ceasefire and avoid initiating any "aggressive and inimical action against each other"."
Talks between DGMOs (of India and Pakistan) were held at 5pm, May 12, 2025. Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against each other were discussed," ANI reported citing Indian Army.
"It was also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas," it added.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/posters-of-pahalgam-terror-attack-suspects-surface-rs-20-lakh-bounty-announced/articleshow/121129845.cms
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Islam not just our faith but integral to our army’s training, says Pakistan general
May 13, 2025
The Pakistan army has never made any bones of its Islamic underpinnings, proudly bearing the motto ‘Iman, Taqwa, Jihad fiSabilillah’ (faith, piety, struggle in the name of God) as it goes about its business.
So, it was hardly a surprise when Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said at a press briefing on Sunday that Islam was not just integral to the faith of individual soldiers but was part of the army’s training. He was responding to a question whether the name of Pakistan army’s operation, ‘Bunyanum Marsoos’, and early morning attacks on Indian civilians and military establishments were guided by the path shown by Allah.
His clear admission of Islamabad’s remorseless support for jihad literally eliminates any difference between the jihadis in uniform and those without, like Lashkare-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammed which have been waging a war against India for decades by infiltrating terrorists into Kashmir and elsewhere, targeting civilians and armed forces. “Islam is part of not only the belief of each one of us but part of our training. It is part of our faith, it is what drives us,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
Elaborating on the army’s motto, he said, “We have an army chief who has a strong belief in it. The leadership and his belief and commitment translates into different operations.” On Pakistan army naming its operation ‘Bunyanum Marsoos’, he said those who fight for Allah are like a “steel wall”.
Lt Gen Sharif was recently in the news for more than his professional duty. His jihadi associations were all over social media with his father Mahmood Sultan Bashiruddin, a former scientist with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, linked to extremist organisations and even being associated with Osama bin Laden.
In contrast, at a press briefing in New Delhi, director general of air operations Air Marshal A K Bharti reminded the adversary of a befitting reply for any transgression from the pause in hostilities agreed upon by the two countries.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/islam-not-just-our-faith-but-integral-to-our-armys-training-says-pakistan-general/articleshow/121124237.cms
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Operation Keller: Gun Battle inJammu andKashmir's Shopian, Three Terrorists Killed
13.05.25
The Indian Army, based on intelligence inputs of a Rashtriya Rifles unit, launched a counter-terrorism operation in the general area of Shoekal Keller in Shopian, Jammu & Kashmir, on Tuesday.
The operation, known as Operation Keller, was initiated based on specific intelligence received about the presence of terrorists in the region.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the region. They said the search operation turned into a gunbattle after the terrorists fired upon the forces who retaliated.
In the exchange of fire, armed forces eliminated three hardcore terrorists. The identities of the terrorists are yet to be confirmed.
Military officials confirmed that the operation is still ongoing, as security forces continue to search the area for any other possible threats. Reinforcements have been deployed to ensure the safety of civilians in the vicinity and to maintain a strict watch over the area.
The successful operation comes as part of ongoing efforts by the Indian Army and security forces to combat terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the volatile regions of Shopian and Pulwama.
‘Future terror will be act of war’
On May 10, top government sources said any future act of terror in India will be considered an "act of war" against the country and will be responded to accordingly.
With this decision, the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to draw red lines against terror incidents and makes clear its intention to respond to the perpetrators and conspirators, in what is seen as a message to Pakistan -- a country linked to various terrorist groups involved in targeting Indians.
The decision came amid the conflict with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which had left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/operation-keller-gun-battle-in-jammu-and-kashmirs-shopian-three-terrorists-killed/cid/2099687
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Waqf protests: Supreme Court dismisses plea for SIT probe into Murshidabad violence
13.05.25
Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking special investigation team (SIT) into the communal violence that erupted in West Bengal's Murshidabad following protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act: Bar and Bench
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/supreme-court-dismisses-plea-for-sit-probe-into-murshidabad-violence/cid/2099668
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Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair alleges life threat, files police complaint
13.05.25
Fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair said that he has filed a police complaint following a threat after his home address and mobile number were allegedly leaked on a social media platform.
However, no FIR has been registered yet, police said.
In a post on 'X' on Monday night, he alleged that people have leaked his home address and mobile number and have threatened to send pork to his address.
"There are already life threats against me. This isn't the first time. The same person in 2023 had sent pork to my address and shared the shipping address on Twitter. I have filed a complaint before @DCPEASTBCP (DCP East). Trust that @CPBlr @DgpKarnataka takes this threat seriously at least this time," he said in his post.
He further claimed that when he filed a similar complaint last time, the FIR was closed after a few months.
He also shared the handles which leaked his personal address and mobile number and said, "There's a threat to me and my family staying at that address." A senior police officer said, "We have received a complaint from him in this regard. But no FIR has been registered yet. The complaint will be transferred to R T Nagar police station jurisdiction because he stays there."
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/alt-news-co-founder-mohammad-zubair-alleges-life-threat-files-police-complaint/cid/2099636
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Elderly Muslim farmer assaulted, forced to chant Jai Shri Ram in UP; two arrested
May 13, 2025
An 80-year-old Muslim farmer, Mohammed Israel, was brutally assaulted and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by two men in Amarpur Garhi village, located in Deoband town of Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.
The incident occurred on May 11 and led to the immediate arrest of the accused.
According to reports, Israel was watering his fields when two young men, identified as Akash and Ahvi, approached him. After asking his name and discovering his religious identity, they allegedly forced him to chant the Hindu religious slogan. When he resisted, the men began beating him with sticks and later escalated the assault by attacking him with a shovel.
The elderly farmer sustained serious injuries and was left profusely bleeding. Nearby locals, hearing his cries for help, rushed to his aid and rescued him.
Police arrested the two accused on the same day. Authorities stated that there was no personal enmity between the attackers and the victim, and that the violence appeared to be driven by religious hatred in the heat of the moment.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the accused under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. These include Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), Section 351(1) (criminal intimidation), Section 196(1) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc.), and Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).
The incident has sparked outrage in the local community and raised concerns over rising hate crimes targeting minorities in the region. Mohammed Israel is currently recovering from his injuries. — With Agencies Inputs
Source: muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/elderly-muslim-farmer-assaulted-forced-to-chant-jai-shri-ram-in-up-two-arrested/
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In Assam, 50 arrested since Pahalgam for posts police say ‘pro-Pakistan’
by Sukrita Baruah
May 13, 2025
The number of those arrested by Assam Police as part of the state’s crackdown on what it calls “Pakistan sympathisers” in the wake of the Pahalgam attack has touched 50 — from students held after complaints by ABVP members to a 25-year-old traced and arrested from Telangana over a Facebook post.
The first of these arrests was made on April 24, when AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was picked up by police under section 152 of the BNS for statements in a political rally allegedly suggesting that the attack was a “conspiracy” by the central government.
Section 152, which pertains to “acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”, has been invoked in many of the cases. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has also said that district administrators were given the power to invoke the National Security Act against “repeat offenders”.
Uploading regular updates on X after every few arrests, Sarma has referred to the accused as “traitors defending Pakistan on Indian soil”. The 50 arrests have been made across 21 districts, and include one woman. Five of the arrests were made after Operation Sindoor had commenced.
The highest number of arrests, 7, is from the Cachar district in the Bengali-majority Barak Valley. SP Numal Mahatta, said a social media monitoring cell in his office is tracking social media posts.
“While some of the posts have been detected by this cell, the Cyberdome in the Assam police headquarters is also alerting. There are also three cyber police outposts in Assam: one in Guwahati, one in Dibrugarh and one here in Cachar, which we are observing closely,” he said.
Several social media users have also tagged Assam Police, flagging posts and comments on social media or highlighting screenshots. One such post was on Facebook by an individual named Ajibor Rahman. After police were tagged under a post by him on April 24, he was arrested by Barpeta police 10 days later, from Lakshmipur, Telangana.
“He had made statements which were derogatory and hurt religious sentiments. We identified him as a 25-30-year-old resident of Barpeta who was in Telangana for his livelihood. We sent a team to Telangana and arrested him. We have identified and arrested four such people so far and are on the lookout for more such posts,” said Barpeta SP Sushanta Biswa Sarma.
Accused have been identified through other means as well. Two students in the Barak Valley — one studying Computer Science in Assam University Silchar, and another, aged 20, studying in SS College, Hailakandi — were arrested following complaints filed by the ABVP. One was over a Facebook post, and the other over a comment. “The moment our members found out about these posts, they went to the police and filed formal complaints,” said Tushar Bhomik, Joint Organising Secretary, ABVP Assam.
Others on the list of 50 include 25-year-old Jabir Hussain from Hailakandi, a reporter with a local Bengali newspaper, and Anil Bania, an activist with the Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti, the youth wing of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti. The sole woman on the list, Dimple Borah, is a former journalist who runs a crafts business in Guwahati.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/in-assam-50-arrested-since-pahalgam-for-posts-police-say-pro-pakistan-9999378/
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Belagavi tense after religious book found burnt, say police
May 13, 2025
The Belagavi police on Monday launched a search for unknown persons after a religious book was found partially burnt near a mosque in Santibasthawad village, around 10 kilometres from the city.
Belagavi police commissioner Iada Martin Marbanian said that the elders from the mosque in Santibasthawad on Monday found the burnt pages of Quran in an agricultural field adjacent to their place of worship. “After the incident, several people from various mosques in Belagavi taluk held protests in their respective places,” he said.
He further said that the protestors, mainly from Santibasthawad, Peeranwadi, Machche and nearby areas, attempted to march into Belagavi city to submit a memorandum to the district administration. However, they were stopped en route and permitted to demonstrate along the Belagavi-Goa state highway, near the Visvesvarayya Technological University (VTU), where traffic was disrupted for over two hours, he said.
Amid the tensions in the area, Martin appealed to religious leaders and elders to cooperate in identifying those responsible and to avoid actions that could disturb public order.
Besides, some people of the community across Belagavi city congregated at Rani Channamma Circle demanding swift action against the perpetrators. Leaders of the community, who did not wish to be named, told reporters that the book was missing ahead of morning prayers and was later discovered burnt nearby.
“The act was likely by some anti-social elements for political gain. We will organise a statewide protest if the accused are not booked within two days,” they said while urging public to maintain peace.
Responding to the protests, Belagavi North Congress MLA Asif (Raju) Sait visited the demonstrators and urged restraint. “Belagavi witnessed no communal clashes after the Congress government came to power. By cooperating with the police, help the government defeat the plans of anti-social elements,” he said.
Belagavi district in charge minister Satish Jarkiholi also called for peace and assured that action would be taken.
The Belagavi police commissioner said that investigation to identify those behind the incident has been launched and security has been stepped up in sensitive areas to prevent any further unrest.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/belagavi-tense-after-religious-book-found-burnt-say-police-101747079010765.html
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Brotherhood among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs commendable: On Poonch visit, Omar meets families ravaged by shelling
by Arun Sharma
May 13, 2025
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday visited Poonch, the district worst affected by Pakistani troops’ cross-border shelling last week.
As many as 13 civilians, including children, were killed and around 40 were injured in the shelling in Poonch.
Abdullah visited the injured in the Poonch district hospital and enquired about their treatment. He also visited the Zia-ul-Uloom and Anwar-ul-Uloom religious institutions, where one teacher was killed and several students were injured.
Later, he met with the families who lost their loved ones in the shelling. “Words fall short in the face of such grief. I offered my heartfelt condolences and assured them that they are not alone — the entire administration and I stand with them,” he said.
He also convened a meeting of local legislators and prominent citizens from all communities and acknowledged the grief and suffering caused by the cross-border shelling. “The brotherhood among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and others during this crisis is truly commendable. May the Almighty continue to bless this unity,” he said.
Lauding the efforts of the civil administration and the police, Abdullah said, “This situation was not of our making. Our neighbouring country chose to target innocent civilians on our side of the border. This is both deeply saddening and unacceptable.”
He announced Rs 10 lakh for each of the families of those killed in the shelling. He said it was “not a measure of the value of life, but a step to help them cope during this difficult time”.
On the expanding threat of cross-border shelling, the Chief Minister said that “for the first time, even the old quarters of Jammu have been affected. We are now forced to contemplate building bunkers in the city — something previously unimaginable”.
He stressed the need for immediate reforms in preparedness, saying, “We must learn from this experience and rectify our shortcomings. Strengthening hospital infrastructure is essential.”
Outlining future preparedness, he said, “May we never face such a situation again, but if we do, we must be better prepared.”
“We plan to establish critical infrastructure, including fixed and mobile bunkers; reinforce ambulance services; and improve evacuation mechanisms in border areas through mock drills and practical assessments,” he said.
Meanwhile, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tribute to BSF personnel Deepak Chingakham at a wreath-laying ceremony in Jammu.
“I salute the brave son of Mother India, BSF’s Constable Deepak Chingakham, who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. We share the grief of family and stand in solidarity,” said Sinha in a post on X.
Later, the mortal remains of the BSF constable were sent to his native Manipur.
He was among eight BSF personnel, including Sub-Inspector Md Imtiyaz, who were injured in the cross-border firing along the International Border in the R S Pura sector of Jammu district on Friday. SI Imtiyaz, who led the BSF border outpost from the front, died the same day and his mortal remains were sent to his native village in Bihar on Saturday.
Constable Deepak Chingakham succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, officials said.
Rifleman Sunil Kumar of the Army, who also died in R S Pura, was cremated with full military honours in Samba district’s Purmandal area on Saturday.
L-G Sinha also visited the family of Zakir Hussain, a resident of Kheri village, who was killed during firing by Pakistan. Offering his condolences, he assured the family of all assistance and support from the administration.
He also visited the shelter at Sahib Bandgi Ashram in Jammu and met families displaced due to the cross-border shelling.
Two days after India and Pakistan came to a ceasefire understanding, the Jammu airport was thrown open to air traffic on Sunday.
However, for now, officials said the airport will have just one flight coming from Delhi at around 7.45 pm. The same flight will return to Delhi at 8 pm, they said.
Barring five border districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch, the administration has decided to reopen schools and colleges across other parts of Jammu province on Monday.
Source: indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/brotherhood-among-hindus-muslims-sikhs-commendable-on-poonch-visit-omar-meets-families-ravaged-by-shelling-9999339/
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Europe
Crates full of Nazi documents found in Argentine court's basement
13 May 2025
Crates containing documents from Nazi Germany have been rediscovered in the basement of Argentina's Supreme Court.
The unusual find was made as workers were clearing the building's basement ahead of its archives being moved to a newly created museum.
The documents were sent by the German embassy in Tokyo and arrived in Argentina on 20 June 1941 inside 83 diplomatic pouches aboard a Japanese steamship, according to information gathered by court officials.
They ended up in the Supreme Court that same year after they were confiscated by Argentine customs officials who had opened five pouches at random and found Nazi propaganda material inside.
They were rediscovered last week by workers who were intrigued by a number of wooden champagne crates they stumbled upon while moving archival material from the Supreme Court's basement.
"Upon opening one of the boxes, we identified material intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during [World War Two]," the court said about the find.
The crates were quickly moved to a secure office in the building and court officials alerted the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum to their existence and asked for its help in creating an inventory of all their contents.
Photos published by the court show the experts sifting through black-and-white photos and membership booklets bearing swastikas on their covers.
Historians hope the documents will yield clues to the Nazis' financial networks and their international ties.
In a statement, Argentina's Supreme Court revealed the information it had managed to piece together so far.
It said the documents, which arrived in Argentina on board the Nan-a-Maru steamship from Tokyo in June 1941, had been declared as "personal effects" by the German embassy in Buenos Aires at the time.
However, Argentine custom officials were suspicious because of the size of the shipment and alerted the Argentine foreign minister, fearing it could contain material which could endanger Argentina's neutral stance in World War Two at the time.
Five of the pouches were opened at random and found to contain postcards, photographs and Nazi propaganda material.
The German embassy in Buenos Aires requested that the pouches be sent back to its embassy in Tokyo - from where they had been sent in the first place - but an Argentine judge ordered in September 1941 that all of the 83 pouches be seized.
Argentina's Supreme Court was tasked with the decision as to what to do with them next but it appears no decision was made before 1944 - when Argentina broke relations with the Axis powers - explaining how the crates ended up gathering dust in the court's basement for decades.
After the end of World War Two, Argentina - under the leadership of Juan Perón - became a place of refuge for a number of high-ranking Nazis, including Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.
In 2000, President Fernando de la Rúa officially apologised for his country's role in harbouring Nazi war criminals.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w3jlqlp27
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Daghestani authorities demolish 19th century Chechen mosque
by Elizaveta Chukharova
12 May 2025
A historic Chechen mosque has been demolished in the Daghestania village of Leninaul, despite earlier assurances from local officials that the building would be preserved.
The news was reported by local residents in a video statement posted on the Instagram page Auh_media.
The footage shows three men standing in front of the demolished structure and construction equipment. According to them, the building was a neighbourhood mosque constructed by Chechens from the village of Akhtash-Aukh in the 19th century. They cite records from Tsarist-era censuses, which list four functioning mosques in the area at the time, including the one in question.
‘We repeatedly appealed to various authorities, asking them to preserve this mosque as part of our historical memory. On 7 May, we held a meeting where it was agreed that the demolition would be postponed. But by the morning of 8 May, a tractor had arrived and the mosque was torn down’, one of the men in the video says.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media. Chechen opposition blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who shared the video on his Telegram channel, criticised the silence of Chechen officials.
‘The situation is heated. Neither [Chechen Head Ramzan] Kadyrov nor any of his subordinates intervene or comment on what is happening in any way,’ Abdurakhmanov emphasised.
As of Monday morning, there has been no public comments from key figures in Chechnya — including Kadyrov, state MP Adam Delimkhanov, human rights defender Mansur Soltaev, or the Minister for National Policy, Akhmed Dudaev.
The village of Akhtash-Aukh, from which the men in the video hail, was historically part of the Aukh District — a territory predominantly inhabited by Akkin Chechens in Daghestan. The district was abolished in 1944 following the Stalin-era deportation of the Chechen and Ingush peoples. The land was redistributed among neighbouring districts and resettled by Laks and Avars. Although Vainakh peoples were officially rehabilitated in 1957 and allowed to return, the issue of restoring the Aukh District has remained unresolved for decades.
In 2019, the government of Daghestan approved a new programme for the restoration of the Aukh District, which would last for several years. The programme envisaged the construction of new housing estates for Daghestani settlers from Laksky District to vacate houses previously owned by Chechens.
However, in March 2024, residents of the Gamiyakh village in the Novolaksky District expressed dissatisfaction with the ‘seizure of land’ intended for the restoration of the Aukh District and demanded that all transactions with plots of land be suspended until the resettlement programme was completed. They accused the authorities of attempting to distribute the land plots ‘quietly and on their day off’.
In November 2024, Chechen elders from Leninaul asked Kadyrov to help resolve the land conflict.
The request occurred against the backdrop of the active distribution of disputed land to participants of the full-scale Russian invasion in Ukraine, which, according to representatives of the ‘Public Council of Aukh’, disproportionately benefits the Avars.
On 23 February 2025 — the anniversary of the Stalinist deportation — commemorative rallies were held in both Daghestan and Chechnya. During one such event, Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov reiterated demands for federal and regional authorities to return land and housing in the former Aukh district to the descendants of those who were deported.
Source: media.org
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https://oc-media.org/daghestani-authorities-demolish-19th-century-chechen-mosque/
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Top UK Special Forces general oversaw blocking of Afghan 'war-crime' witnesses to Britain
13 May 2025
A top general who failed to report evidence of alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan later oversaw the rejection of hundreds of UK resettlement applications from Afghan commandos who served with the elite regiment, BBC Panorama can reveal.
Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins led UK Special Forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan at a time when alleged war crimes were committed. He later appointed a UKSF officer under his command, who had also served in Afghanistan, to assess the Afghan commando applications after special forces headquarters was given a controversial veto over them.
Thousands of applications from individuals with credible evidence of service with Afghan Special Forces, including the units known as the Triples, were then rejected, leaving many of the former commandos at the mercy of the Taliban.
The rejections are controversial because they came at a time when a judge-led public inquiry in the UK had begun investigating the SAS for alleged war crimes on operations on which the Triples were present.
If the Afghan commandos were in the UK, they could be called as witnesses - but the inquiry has no power to compel testimony from foreign nationals who are overseas.
Some of those denied visas were subsequently tortured and killed by the Taliban, according to former colleagues, family members and lawyers.
According to internal emails and testimony from within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), obtained by Panorama, the UK Special Forces officer appointed by Gen Jenkins stood over civil service caseworkers from the resettlement scheme and instructed them to reject the Triples applications, one after another, on what sources described as spurious grounds.
A senior government source close to the process told the BBC that the UK Special Forces officer "would never have acted without direction", adding that "everything would have gone through Gwyn Jenkins".
At the time, in 2021-22, Gen Jenkins was the head of all UK Special Forces. He is now the chief strategic adviser to the Defence Secretary John Healey and is tipped to take over as First Sea Lord - the head of the Royal Navy.
Gen Jenkins was made aware of allegations that the SAS was committing extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan, but he failed to report the allegations to military police - Panorama has previously revealed - despite a legal obligation to do so. The suspected unlawful killings continued.
Panorama has now heard eyewitness testimony from veterans who served in UK Special Forces detailing alleged war crimes stretching over more than a decade and involving the SBS as well as the SAS.
Gen Jenkins did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on this story. The MoD responded on his behalf. It said in a statement that there is no evidence it has tried to prevent former Afghan troops giving evidence to the Inquiry and that "anyone can provide evidence… no matter where in the world they are".
The MoD added that it was "fully committed to delivering on our pledge to relocate and resettle eligible Afghans and their families to the UK".
"Each resettlement application is decided on its own merits against the criteria outlined in the ARAP [Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy] and immigration rules," the statement said.
The rejections of the Triples applications left caseworkers from the ARAP scheme questioning the validity of the process, given that many of the applications contained compelling evidence of service alongside British special forces.
One applicant was rejected even though they had submitted photos of themselves serving alongside Gen Jenkins.
Hundreds of rejections have since been overturned following a government review.
A letter obtained by Panorama shows that concerns were raised among cabinet ministers in January 2024 over the existence of the UK Special Forces' veto over the Triples applications.
The then Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer wrote to senior Conservatives to say the role of UKSF in denying the applications was "deeply inappropriate" and "a significant conflict of interest, that should be obvious to all".
He had been compelled to write, he added, because he had been shown evidence "that 5 members of these units have been killed having been rejected for resettlement".
Mr Mercer, who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan before becoming an MP, went on to warn that the role of UKSF in the process had a "very high chance of being exposed by the Afghan Inquiry", which could "lead to serious questions of all those Ministers involved in the process".
The Triples units - so-called because their designations were CF 333 and ATF 444 - were set up, trained, and paid by UK Special Forces and supported the SAS and SBS on operations targeting Taliban leaders in Afghanistan.
When the country fell to the Taliban in 2021, they were judged to be in grave danger of reprisal and were entitled to apply for resettlement to the UK.
But, according to MoD documents obtained by Panorama, thousands of ARAP applications containing credible evidence of service alongside UK Special Forces were subsequently rejected.
BBC Panorama first revealed last year that it had been UK Special Forces - the very force that trained and served with the Triples - that rejected them.
"We heard some of our Triples were already killed by the Taliban," said Jumakhan Joya, a former Afghan special forces commanding officer. "Some of them are in jail in a Taliban prison. Some of them have already been disabled by the Taliban. They're breaking their hands, their legs, their head," he said.
Mr Joya told the BBC he believed that the existence of the public inquiry was the "only reason" their applications had been vetoed.
The rejections and reported reprisals have outraged some former members of British special forces. "What's happened is horrendous. It is a betrayal and it shames us all," one former UK Special Forces officer told Panorama.
Asked by Panorama about the government's rejection of Triples' applications, Bruce Houlder KC, who as a former director of service prosecutions was responsible for bringing charges against members of the armed forces, said the government must have known the Triples would have "highly relevant" evidence that would be "much easier to obtain" if they were in the UK.
"I can't think of any fair reason why we should exclude people from their right to live in this country, which is extended to others, simply because they might be in possession of information which would embarrass special forces," Mr Houlder said.
"If that is the reason, it's disreputable and it can't be supported in any way."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3q5xl9wqwo
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Western Europe’s plans ended in ‘complete fiasco’ – Moscow
13 May, 2025
Ukraine’s European backers have failed to defeat or weaken Russia, yet still want to prolong the conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Grushko has said.
The diplomat argued that Britain, France, and Germany were not actually interested in achieving peace between Moscow and Kiev.
“These countries continue aiming to drag out the conflict. Stripping away the diplomatic language that cloaks their political actions, their primary objectives are Russia’s defeat on the battlefield, its international isolation, economic strangulation, and regime change. All of these efforts have ended in a complete fiasco,” Grushko told the news agency TASS on Monday.
Grushko added that the ultimate goal of the EU was to “weaken Russia as much as possible.”
The German government has threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia if Moscow refuses to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and backed by the EU. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed “the language of ultimatums” as unacceptable.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to hold direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions in Türkiye on May 15. Vladimir Zelensky has stated he was ready to meet Putin on Thursday, but only if Moscow first agrees to a truce.
The previous round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations broke down in the spring of 2022 when both sides accused each other of making unrealistic demands. Putin said at the time that Kiev’s negotiators initially agreed to some of Moscow’s terms before abruptly leaving the talks.
Moscow has opposed Ukraine’s 30-day truce demand on the grounds that it would use the window to rearm and regroup its military. Putin has also insisted that Kiev must halt its mobilization drive and stop receiving weapons from abroad.
Putin has maintained that Ukraine must abandon its plans to join NATO and renounce its claims to Crimea and four other regions that voted in 2022 to join Russia.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/617447-grushko-eu-complete-fiasco/
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Africa
Troops Neutralize ISWAP/Boko Haram Insurgents In Sambisa Forest
May 12, 2025
By Udeze Ekene
Members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram have been neutralized in the Sambisa forest by Nigerian troops.
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai neutralized the terrorists on Sunday, during an operation in Ladin Buttu, which is one of the key terrorist enclaves.
In a statement on Monday, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, Captain Reuben Kovangiya, said troops engaged the insurgents in a fierce battle, leveraging their superior firepower and dexterity to neutralize several terrorists.
Captain Kobagiya stated that the troops also recovered weapons and other ordnance.
“Further operations in the area revealed signs of blood on the terrorists’ withdrawal routes, indicating that those who escaped suffered gunshot wounds.
“Ladin Buttu is a strategic location for the insurgents, allowing them to coordinate logistics and move within the forest,” it read.
Operations Hadin Kai leadership commended the troops for their bravery and tactical prowess, noting that the exploit aligns with the recent operational directives of the Chief of Army Staff for invigorating offensive operations on all fronts.
Naija News reported that Plateau State House of Representatives member, Yusuf Gadgi, called for increased action against terrorist groups to ensure the security of the nation.
Gudagi made the call last Tuesday on the floor of the Green Chamber during a motion on terrorist attacks on Giwa Barracks in Borno State.
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker noted that allowing terrorist groups to invade military formations and cart away with military weapons would undermine successes recorded in the fight against insurgency.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/05/12/troops-neutralize-iswap-boko-haram-insurgents-in-sambisa-forest/
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49 white South Africans head to US under Trump refugee offer
May 12, 2025
A group of 49 white South Africans departed their homeland Sunday for the United States on a private charter plane, having been offered refugee status by the Trump administration under a new program announced in February.
The group, which included families and small children, was due to arrive at Dulles International Airport outside Washington on Monday morning local time, according to Collen Msibi, a spokesperson for South Africa's transport ministry.
They are the first Afrikaners — a white minority group in South Africa — to be relocated after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 7, accusing South Africa's Black-led government of racial discrimination against them and announcing a program to offer them relocation to America.
The South African government said it is “completely false” that Afrikaners are being persecuted.
The Trump administration has fast-tracked its applications while pausing other refugee programs, halting arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, most of sub-Saharan Africa and other countries in a move being challenged in court.
Refugee groups have questioned why the white South Africans are being prioritised ahead of people from countries wracked by war and natural disasters. Vetting for refugee status in the U.S. often takes years.
The Trump administration says the South African government is pursuing racist, anti-white policies through affirmative action laws and a new land expropriation law it says targets Afrikaners' land. The government says those claims are based on misinformation and there is no racism against Afrikaners and no land has been expropriated, although the contentious law has been passed and is the focus of criticism in South Africa.
South Africa also denies U.S. claims that Afrikaners are being targeted in racially motivated attacks in some rural communities. Instead, the South African government said Afrikaners, who are the descendants of Dutch and French colonial settlers, are "amongst the most economically privileged" in the country.
The first Afrikaner refugees were traveling on a flight operated by the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based charter company Omni Air International, Msibi said. They would fly to Dakar, Senegal and stop there to refuel before heading for Dulles.
They departed from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, where they were accompanied by police officers and airport officials when they checked in. Msibi said they would have to be vetted by police to ensure there were no criminal cases or outstanding warrants against them before being allowed to leave.
The South African government said there was no justification for them being relocated but said it wouldn't stop them and respected their freedom of choice.
They are expected to be greeted at Dulles by a U.S. government delegation, including the deputy secretary of state and officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, whose refugee office has organised their resettlement.
The flight will be the first in a “much larger-scale relocation effort,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told reporters on Friday. Miller said that what was happening to Afrikaners in South Africa "fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created.”
“This is persecution based on a protected characteristic — in this case, race. This is race-based persecution,” he said.
The HHS Office for Refugee Resettlement was ready to offer them support, including with housing, furniture and other household items, and expenses like groceries, clothing, diapers and more, a document obtained by The Associated Press said. The document said the relocation of Afrikaners was "a stated priority of the Administration.”
There are around 2.7 million Afrikaners among South Africa’s population of 62 million, which is more than 80% Black. They are only one part of the country's white minority.
Many in South Africa are puzzled by claims that Afrikaners are persecuted and meet the requirements to be relocated as refugees.
They are part of South Africa’s everyday multi-racial life, with many successful business leaders and some serving in government as Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers. Their language is widely spoken and recognised as an official language, and churches and other institutions reflecting Afrikaner culture hold prominence in almost every city and town.
The Trump administration has criticised South Africa on several fronts. Trump's February executive order cut all U.S. funding to South Africa over what it said was its anti-white stance and also accused it of pursuing an anti-American foreign policy. It cited South Africa's ties with Iran and its move to lodge a genocide case against U.S. ally Israel over the war in Gaza as examples of it taking "aggressive positions towards the United States."
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.africanews.com/2025/05/12/49-white-south-africans-head-to-us-under-trump-refugee-offer/
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2025 Hajj: Don’t tarnish Nigeria’s image, Ogun Islamic leaders warn pilgrims
12th May 2025
The League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State has urged the 2025 Hajj pilgrims from the state to conduct themselves with utmost integrity and discipline while in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, cautioning them against any behaviour that could tarnish the image of Ogun State or Nigeria.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday and signed by the League’s Secretary General, Alhaji Tajudeen Adewunmi, the President General, Shaykh Sikirullahi Babalola, said: “Hajj pilgrimage is a sacred act of devotion that requires deep spiritual consciousness, moral integrity, and complete submission to the will of Allah.”
He therefore charged the pilgrims to shun all distractions and actions that could invalidate their spiritual exercise.
Addressing journalists in Abeokuta through the statement, Shaykh Babalola appealed to the pilgrims to strictly adhere to the guidelines set by the Saudi Hajj authorities, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, and the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
“Disobedience or noncompliance can disrupt not only your own Hajj but that of others,” he warned.
The revered Islamic cleric reminded the pilgrims of their duty to uphold the values of Islam in their conduct and interactions.
“Look after one another. Help the elderly, the sick, and the weak. Islam teaches us brotherhood, and this journey is an opportunity to practice it.
“Avoid distractions such as excessive photo-taking or idle activities. Let every moment be filled with dhikr (remembrance of Allah), du’a, recitation of the Qur’an, and reflection,” he said.
Shaykh Babalola also emphasised the importance of representing the country and the state with pride and discipline.
“Every pilgrim is not just a religious traveller; you are a representative of Nigeria, and more specifically, of Ogun State. People from all over the world will interact with you. The way you talk, behave and respond to challenges will reflect directly on our country and our faith. Therefore, be exemplary in all you do.”
He continued: “Respect local laws and customs, show courtesy to fellow pilgrims regardless of their nationality, and let your integrity shine. This is especially crucial in a time when the world is watching the conduct of Muslims globally. Do not engage in any illegal, aggressive, or disgraceful acts that may tarnish our image. Let the story they tell of Ogun State pilgrims be one of discipline, decency, and devotion.”
He further encouraged the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to uphold the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and compassion.
“The Board must avoid favouritism, negligence, or any form of personal gain. Their conduct must reflect the nobility of Islam and the trust reposed in them,” Babalola stressed.
On enduring the trials of the pilgrimage, he advised: “Hajj involves crowds, long queues, travel delays, and physical discomfort.
“Endure these trials with sabr (patience). Do not allow frustration to lead you into arguments or complaints.
“Avoid foul speech, gossip, or any form of obscenity. Speak only what is good. Allah is watching every word, and every deed will be accounted for.”
He further reminded them: “The Ihram symbolizes purity. Maintain personal hygiene, wear your garments properly, and observe modesty in public conduct.”
Babalola urged the pilgrims to use the opportunity of the Hajj to pray for the continued growth, development, and peace of Ogun State and Nigeria.
He commended Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, NAHCON, and other facilitators for their efforts toward ensuring a seamless and successful Hajj operation.
Meanwhile, the first batch of 428 Ogun State pilgrims reportedly arrived at the Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah at 12:45 a.m. on Monday.
They had departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Sunday evening.
Upon arrival, the pilgrims were reminded to abide by the rules of the Hajj and remain worthy ambassadors of both Ogun State and Nigeria.
Source: punchng.com
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Nigerian Navy Dismantles Six Illegal Refineries In Delta
May 12, 2025
By Richard Ogunsile
The Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos of the Nigerian Navy has reported the deactivation of six illegal refining sites located in the Obodo Omadina Community within the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The Commanding Officer, Navy Capt Ikenna Okoloagu, made this announcement to journalists on Monday in Warri, Delta State.
Okoloagu explained that the deactivation of these illegal sites occurred during three distinct operations, which were initiated based on reliable intelligence.
He noted that these successful operations were carried out as part of Operation Delta Sanity II, and were aligned with the Strategic Directives set forth by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, aimed at eliminating all forms of illegality within the nation’s territorial waters.
“On April 21, 2025, following credible intelligence, FOB ESCRAVOS personnel discovered and deactivated two illegal refining sites at Obodo Omadino.
“The sites contained approximately 1,900 litres of stolen crude oil stored in two ovens and 10 dug-out pits. “Building on this success, two additional illegal refining sites were uncovered and dismantled in the same area on May 4.
“During this operation, approximately 3,710 litres of stolen crude oil and 330 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, stored in 11 dug-out pits and 5 polythene sacks were seized.
“Similarly, on May 11, the Base identified and destroyed another two illegal refining sites at Obodo Omadino.
“The site contained an estimated 3,050 litres of stolen crude oil and 675 litres of illegally refined AGO, concealed within an oven, seven dug-out pits, and nine polythene sacks,” Okoloagu said.
According to Okoloagu, the combined efforts of the three operations resulted in the closure of six illegal refining sites.
He noted that around 8,660 litres of stolen crude oil and 1,005 litres of unlawfully refined AGO were confiscated during these operations.
The commanding officer further reported that these products were contained in three ovens, 28 dug-out pits, and 14 plastic sacks.
Okoloagu cautioned offenders to cease their illegal activities and reiterated the Base’s dedication to thwarting the actions of economic saboteurs.
Source: naijanews.com
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Mideast
Israel’s West Bank land registration is a tool for annexation, NGO says
May 12, 2025
RAMALLAH: An Israeli rights group has denounced a government decision to launch extensive land registration for parts of the occupied West Bank, saying it could help advance annexation of the Palestinian territory.
“It is a tool for annexation,” said Yonatan Mizrachi of the Settlement Watch project at Israeli nongovernmental organization Peace Now.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has no comprehensive land registry, with some areas unregistered or residents holding deeds from before the Israeli occupation.
The Israeli security Cabinet on Sunday decided to initiate a land registration process in the West Bank’s Area C, which covers more than 60 percent of the territory and is under full Israeli control.
Though the process would likely take “years” according to Mizrachi, he said that Palestinians in Area C could lose land if Israeli authorities do not accept their claim to it.
This might lead to “a massive land theft,” Peace Now said, adding that the process could result “in the transfer of ownership of the vast majority of Area C to the (Israeli) state.”
“The Palestinians will have no practical way to realize their ownership rights,” the anti-settlement group said.
Some Israeli ministers have advocated the annexation of the West Bank, home to around 3 million Palestinians as well as some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who lives in a settlement, has said that 2025 would be the year Israel extends its sovereignty over parts of the West Bank.
To Mizrachi, the government’s decision was primarily “about ... the places where they want to expand settlements,” including in areas considered state land.
He mentioned remarks by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who praised the move in the official statement announcing it.
Katz said that launching land registration “is a revolutionary decision that brings justice to Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria,” the biblical name that the Israeli government uses to refer to the West Bank.
The process will lead to the “strengthening, establishment and expansion” of settlements, Katz was quoted as saying.
He also said it would block “attempts to seize land” by the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank but not Area C.
Mohammed Abu Al-Rob, director of the Palestinian Authority’s communication center, said that the decision was “a dangerous escalation of Israel’s illegal policies aimed at entrenching its occupation and advancing de facto annexation.”
Area C is “an inseparable part” of the rest of the Palestinian territories, he said.
Abu Al-Rob called on the international community to “reject this unlawful decision and to take immediate, concrete action to thwart its implementation.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600484/middle-east
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Al-Aqsa Mosque Preacher: Bringing offerings into Al-Aqsa Mosque must be confronted with all force
12 May 2025
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, condemned the attempt by extremist settlers to bring offerings into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, considering it a provocative act that crossed red lines.
In media statements on Monday, Sabri praised the mosque guards and worshipers for confronting this "vile" attempt, which was intended only to provoke the feelings of Muslims.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3480171.htm
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Quds Governorate Condemns Settlers' Attempt to Slaughter Lamb in Al-Aqsa Mosque
12 May 2025
In a statement issued on Monday, the Quds Governorate condemned the attempt to slaughter a lamb inside Al-Aqsa Mosque by Zionist settlers, which it considers a dangerous development that cannot be tolerated.
The Governorate warned of an attempt by a group of extremist settlers this morning to smuggle a small lamb into Al-Aqsa Mosque for the purpose of slaughtering it within its courtyards, in a criminal attempt to violate the sanctity of the holiest site for Muslims after Mecca and Medina.
It stated that three settlers managed to smuggle a lamb hidden in a cloth bag through the Al-Ghawanmeh Gate in an attempt to slaughter the lamb according to Talmudic rituals.
It emphasized that this development constitutes a dangerous crossing of all red lines, adding: "If the slaughtering operation were carried out inside Al-Aqsa, no one can predict the repercussions arising from this criminal act."
The Governorate held the enemy authorities fully responsible for this serious crime and called for an immediate halt to settler attacks. It warned that continued collusion with these extremist groups and attempts to impose a fait accompli at Al-Aqsa Mosque could lead to dire consequences.
The Governorate called on the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations to take urgent and serious action to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and thwart the enemy's plans to transform it into a synagogue as part of the plan for temporal and spatial division.
The Quds Governorate saluted the vigilance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque guards and their thwarting of the entry of the Eucharist despite the harassment, deportation, arrest, and attacks they face from the settler-led enemy police. It called for continued vigilance and vigilance against any new attempts by extremists against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Quds.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3479981.htm
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Syria warns Kurds against delay in integrating into state
May 12, 2025
ANKARA: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani has warned that postponing the implementation of an agreement between Syria’s new administration and Kurdish-led forces in the northeast would “prolong the chaos” in the country.
His remarks came as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, announced it was disbanding, an announcement the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control swaths of north and northeast Syria, have not yet commented on.
The PKK’s move is “a pivotal moment” for regional stability, Al-Shaibani told a news conference in Ankara with his Turkish and Jordanian counterparts.
Syria is “implementing the national accord with the Syrian Democratic Forces and incorporating all areas under central state control,” he said.
In March, Syria’s President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement to integrate the civil and military institutions of the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast into the national government.
The deal, agreed three months after the overthrow of President Bashar Assad, is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.
“This process is complicated and sensitive, but it is necessary,” Al-Shaibani said, adding that “delaying the implementation of this agreement will prolong the chaos, open the door to foreign interference, and fuel separatist tendencies.”
“Our goal is not dominance but unification,” he said.
“We are keen on implementing this agreement, and we hope that the other side is seriously committed to implementing this agreement,” he added.
The SDF, the Kurdish administration’s de facto army, controls most of the oil and gas fields in Syria. The force maintains that it is independent from the PKK, but it is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, which Ankara views as a PKK offshoot.
After years of marginalization and repression under the Assad dynasty, the Kurds took advantage of the government forces’ withdrawal during the civil war, which erupted in 2011, to establish a semi-autonomous administration.
With US backing, the SDF played a key role in the fight against Daesh, which was defeated in its last Syrian territorial stronghold in 2019.
Al-Shaibani emphasized that “the unity of Syrian territory is non-negotiable, as Syria is an indivisible, unified state, sovereign over its land and will remain so.”
“The rights of Kurdish citizens will be preserved and guaranteed on an equal footing with the rest of the Syrian people,” he added.
Syria’s Kurds have criticized a temporary constitutional declaration announced in March and said the new government failed to reflect the country’s diversity.
In February, Abdi said an initial call for the PKK to lay down weapons and disband did not concern his forces.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2600479/middle-east
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Trump signals possible sanctions relief for Syria
May 12, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Monday he was considering offering sanctions relief to Syria as it seeks to rebuild after a grinding decade-plus civil war.
“We are going to have to make a decision on the sanctions, which we may very well relieve. We may take them off of Syria because we want to give them a fresh start,” Trump told journalists at the White House prior to departing on a trip to the Middle East.
Syria’s authorities, who toppled longtime president Bashar Assad in December, are working to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and economy after almost 14 years of devastating conflict.
The new government has been pushing for Assad-era sanctions to be removed to revive the country’s battered economy and support reconstruction.
Syria’s foreign ministry welcomed Trump’s remarks and said it “considers them an encouraging step toward ending the suffering of the Syrian people.”
The foreign ministry statement said Assad-era sanctions “directly target the Syrian people and hinder the recovery and reconstruction process.”
Syrians “look forward to the full lifting of sanctions as part of steps that support peace and prosperity in Syria and the region, and open the possibility for constructive international cooperation,” the statement added.
Some countries have said they would wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights are respected before lifting sanctions, opting instead for targeted and temporary exemptions.
A February United Nations Development Programme report estimated that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to return to the economic level it had before its devastating civil war, and called for massive investment to accelerate the process.
Source: arabnews.com
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UN chief welcomes release of US Israeli hostage by Hamas
CASPAR WEBB
May 12, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the release of Edan Alexander, a US Israeli dual national who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
The militant group said on Sunday it would release Alexander, 21, as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire with Israel.
Alexander was believed to be the last living US hostage held in Gaza.
Guterres “is profoundly relieved that Mr. Alexander has been freed and is now returning to his family and loved ones after this harrowing ordeal,” the secretary-general’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said on Monday.
“The secretary-general renews his urgent call for an immediate permanent ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages. Hostages must be treated humanely and with dignity,” he added.
Alexander’s parents, who live in the US, traveled to Israel for the handover, and said they were grateful to the administration of US President Donald Trump for securing their son’s release.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Sunday that Hamas had agreed to release Alexander as a gesture of goodwill to the president, who is making a high-profile visit to Saudi Arabia this week.
Alexander, an Israeli soldier who grew up in New Jersey, was abducted from his military base during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In his statement, Guterres called on all parties to “immediately ensure the rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian relief, including the delivery of critical services, for all civilians in need.
“Aid is not negotiable,” he added.
The secretary-general praised the “sustained efforts” of mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
All parties must “build on today’s release to reach a comprehensive agreement that will ensure the release of all hostages, an end to the hostilities, the provision of humanitarian aid and the long-overdue alleviation of the human suffering in Gaza,” he added.
Hamas had been in direct contact with the US government over the release, said Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior leader of the militant group in Gaza.
He added that Hamas is ready to “immediately start intensive negotiations” to secure a long-term truce with Israel.
The militant group said in a statement: “The Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas’ military wing) released the captured Israeli soldier, Edan Alexander, a US citizen, a short while ago, following contacts with the US administration.
“This comes as part of the efforts being made by mediators to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid and relief to reach our people in the Gaza Strip.”
Source: arabnews.com
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UN says found 225 arms caches since Israel-Hezbollah truce
May 12, 2025
BEIRUT: The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Monday that since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah it had uncovered more than 225 weapons caches in the south and referred them to the army.
The November truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group, including two months of all-out war.
Under the deal, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River and Israel was to pull all its forces from south Lebanon, however it has kept troops in five areas it deems “strategic.”
The Lebanese army has been deploying in the area as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there.
Since the November 27 truce began, “peacekeepers have found over 225 weapons caches and referred them” to the Lebanese army, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said in a statement.
UNIFIL also has a seat on the ceasefire monitoring committee, alongside truce brokers France and the United States, and the Israeli and Lebanese governments.
“With UNIFIL support,” Lebanon’s army has “redeployed to more than 120 permanent positions south of the Litani,” the peacekeeping force said.
“Full (army) deployment is hindered by the presence of Israeli forces in Lebanese territory,” it added.
Israel’s military still carries out regular strikes in Lebanon, saying it is targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure.
The ceasefire deal was based on a UN Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and that calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.
President Joseph Aoun said last month the Lebanese army was now deployed in more than 85 percent of the south and that the sole obstacle to full control across the frontier area was “Israel’s occupation of five border positions.”
Lebanese authorities have vowed to implement a state monopoly on bearing arms, though Aoun has said disarming Hezbollah is a “delicate” matter that requires dialogue.
Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanon, was heavily weakened in its latest war with Israel.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM
May 12, 2025
THE HAGUE: Israel has asked the International Criminal Court to dismiss its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant while ICC judges reconsider complex jurisdictional questions.
In a 14-page document dated May 9 but posted on the ICC website on Monday, Israel argued the warrants issued in November were null and void while judges weigh a previous Israeli challenge to the ICC’s jurisdiction in the case.
In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICC found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza.
The court also issued a war crimes warrant against top Hamas commander Mohammed Deif over the October 7 attacks that sparked the conflict. The case against Deif was dropped in February after his death.
Israel, not one of the ICC’s 125 members, challenged the court’s jurisdiction but judges on the ICC’s “Pre-Trial Chamber” dismissed the bid and issued the arrest warrants.
But last month, the ICC’s Appeals Chamber ruled the Pre-Trial Chamber was wrong to dismiss the challenge and ordered it to look again in detail at Israel’s arguments.
Israel says now that the arrest warrants should not stay in place while this complex and lengthy process is ongoing.
“Unless and until the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled on the substance of the jurisdiction challenge... the prerequisite jurisdictional finding does not exist,” Israel argued.
“It follows that the arrest warrants issued on 21 November 2024 must be withdrawn or vacated pending the Pre-Trial Chamber’s determination of Israel’s jurisdictional challenge.”
Israel and its allies reacted furiously to the warrants issued on November 21, Netanyahu describing it as an “anti-Semitic decision” and then US president Joe Biden slamming it as “outrageous.”
Technically, any member of the ICC is required to arrest Netanyahu if he travels there, although the court has no independent power to enforce warrants.
Israel argued in its submission that Netanyahu could theoretically be arrested while the court was still weighing whether it had jurisdiction in the case.
“Depriving persons of their liberty on the basis of an arrest warrant issued in the absence of the necessary legal pre-conditions is an egregious violation of fundamental human rights and of the rule of law,” Israel argued.
Allowing the warrants to stay in place during the deliberations “is unlawful and undermines the legitimacy of the court,” said Israel.
Source: arabnews.com
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Islamic Action Front in Lebanon: Resistance most effective option to restore honour, liberate land from Zionists
12 May 2025
The Islamic Action Front in Lebanon condemned the horrific, heinous massacres and atrocities committed by the criminal Zionist enemy against our people and brothers in honorable Gaza, not least the new massacre today against the Fatima School in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, which the enemy bombed with brutal and wanton brutality, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of displaced people sheltering there, most of whom were women and children."
In a statement issued on Monday, the Front stated that "the criminal Zionist enemy has begun targeting shelter schools and tents for displaced people on a daily and deliberate basis, aiming to inflict the largest possible number of victims, wounded, and martyrs, without deterrence, and without accountability or oversight."
While condemning "the continued policy of starvation and thirst imposed on the honorable Gaza Strip, which demonstrates to the entire world the enemy's fossilized, criminal, and brutal mentality, devoid of any human or moral conscience," the Front emphasized that "the ultimate goal of the Zionist enemy is the surrender of the Gaza Strip and all mujahideen and resistance fighters and the surrender of their weapons, so that it can easily slaughter them without anyone in the world lifting a finger."
The Front emphasized that "the choice of resistance, its approach, and what the mujahideen are doing in honorable Gaza is the shortest and most effective option for restoring dignity and liberating the land, honor, people, sanctities, and holy sites from the clutches of the criminal, usurping Zionist occupiers."
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3480186.htm
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South Asia
IEA’s development programs created hope for people, Shiite scholars
May 13, 2025
KABUL: A number of Shiite scholars and influential figures met with Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate for Administrative Affairs, saying that the IEA’s development programs created hope for the people, according to a statement from Arg Monday.
Highlighting the efforts and sacrifices made by the authorities and the development work carried out under the Islamic Emirate’s rule in the country, the scholars noted that these sincere efforts have instilled great hope among the people of Afghanistan.
They expressed hope that the implementation of development projects across the country would create job opportunities for the people and prevent the migration of youth to foreign countries.
According to the statement, they shared some social challenges and issues with the deputy PM and asked the Islamic Emirate’s authorities to pay attention in the ground.
Meanwhile, Hanafi stated: “The Islamic Emirate is committed to serving the people and will spare no efforts in improving their welfare and resolving their challenges.”
He emphasized that the relevant officials are striving to implement development projects in all regions of the country in a fair manner so that the Afghan people benefit from them, and the country is guided toward progress and development. The Kabul Times Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/ieas-development-programs-created-hope-for-people-shiite-scholars/
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The role of Islamic rites in strengthening religious identity
May 13, 2025
Islamic rites—Sha‘â’ir Islâmiyyah—are the outward expressions of Islamic belief that serve as vital pillars in preserving and strengthening a Muslim’s religious identity.
These rites include, but are not limited to, the five daily prayers (salâh), fasting in the month of Ramadan (sawm), the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), the call to prayer (adhân), recitation of the Qur’an, modest dress, and greeting others with as-salâmu ‘alaykum.
Beyond their spiritual dimension, these acts play a crucial role in nurturing a sense of belonging, loyalty to Islamic teachings, and resistance against cultural assimilation and religious deviation.
In the context of Afghanistan, where Islam is deeply rooted in the culture and lifestyle of the people, the importance of preserving Islamic rites takes on a broader social and political dimension.
The observance of Islamic rites acts as a daily reminder of one’s faith and moral obligations.
For instance, prayer performed five times a day reconnects the believer with their Creator and reinforces submission to divine authority.
Fasting builds empathy, discipline, and spiritual clarity. Wearing modest attire serves as a public declaration of Islamic values.
Collectively, these practices distinguish the Muslim identity in a world increasingly dominated by secular trends.
When a Muslim observes these rites openly and sincerely, their identity becomes rooted in something greater than nationality or ethnicity—it is rooted in the religion of Islam.
This internal and external display of faith provides both personal spiritual security and societal recognition of religious commitment.
One of the unique aspects of Islamic rites is their ability to unify Muslims across cultures, languages, and national boundaries.
When Muslims across the world fast in Ramadan or perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, they do so under the same rules, with the same intentions, and towards the same spiritual goals.
These rites, therefore, are not just religious obligations—they are symbols of universal Islamic brotherhood (ukhuwwah).
In a country like Afghanistan, with its diverse ethnic composition, the Islamic rites play a unifying role far beyond what any political or cultural system can achieve.
They serve as a common thread that binds the people together in faith and purpose, regardless of their background.
In today’s globalized world, Muslims face increasing exposure to ideologies, lifestyles, and behaviors that are often in conflict with Islamic teachings.
The consistent practice of Islamic rites acts as a shield against such external influences.
Whether it is the influence of immodest fashion, materialism, or the normalization of moral relativism, adherence to Islamic practices reminds Muslims of their unique moral code and worldview.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has taken various steps to strengthen religious identity among its citizens, particularly the youth.
By encouraging public prayer, Qur’an recitation competitions, modest dress codes, and the celebration of Islamic festivals, the leadership aims to root future generations in their Islamic values and prevent cultural drift.
According to the teachings of Islam, preserving and promoting Islamic rites is not only the responsibility of individuals but also of the Islamic state.
The leader of the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly called upon government institutions, educational bodies, and the media to support the propagation of Islamic symbols and values. He has emphasized that the stability of any Islamic society is directly linked to how strongly its people uphold the sha‘â’ir of Islam. Moreover, intelligence, security, and cultural institutions are tasked with ensuring that Islamic rites are respected in both public and private life. This includes the protection of mosques, enforcement of Islamic dress codes, and the promotion of Islamic education. Islamic rites serve as essential tools for strengthening the religious identity of Muslims. They connect the individual to Allah, unify the community, protect against moral corruption, and distinguish Islamic society from others. In Afghanistan, the commitment of the Islamic Emirate to preserve and promote these rites reflects a broader vision of religious revival and national unity. By fostering a society anchored in Islamic principles, the Afghan people are not only preserving their faith but also building a resilient identity capable of facing the challenges of the modern world.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/the-role-of-islamic-rites-in-strengthening-religious-identity/
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Claim of marrying a woman after forcibly converting her religion is misleading: BanglaFact
12 May 2025
DHAKA, May 12, 2025 (BSS) - BanglaFact, fact-checking wing of Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB), has debunked a recent viral video claim that a woman was forcibly converted to Islam and married.
An investigation of BanglaFact marked the claim as misleading.
The investigation revealed that the claim, involving a Hindu woman named Monisha Rani Pal who changed her religion, is not a recent incident.
In fact, she voluntarily converted to Islam in 2022 due to a romantic relationship and after conversion, she took the name Rodela Jannat.
According to the affidavit signed during the conversion, she was approximately 20 years old and converted to Islam of her own free will.
BanglaFact confirmed that the reports of forcibly conversion and marriage in this case are misleading and baseless.
BanglaFact in a recent report noted that it observed an increase in anti-Bangladesh narratives in certain Indian media outlets, alongside the spread of rumors and false claims across both mainstream and social media platforms.
The organization continues its efforts to combat misinformation, fake news, and propaganda related to Bangladesh.
Source: bssnews.net
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https://www.bssnews.net/fact-check/272109
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Uzbek Farm Aid Arrives in Northern Afghanistan
2025-05-12
BALKH(BNA): The government of Uzbekistan has handed over a new package of agricultural aid to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The handover took place at the Hairatan border crossing in Balkh Province, underscoring the growing cooperation between the two neighboring Muslim countries.
The donated aid includes 20 metric tons of improved rice seeds, 5 tons of cotton seeds, and 1.3 tons of assorted vegetable seeds. The Ministry stated that the seeds are intended for research and demonstration purposes and will be distributed to the provincial departments of agriculture in Jawzjan, Kunduz, Takhar, Balkh, Samangan, and Baghlan.
The initiative follows a recent official visit by Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture to Uzbekistan, during which Uzbek officials committed to enhancing agricultural cooperation. The Ministry noted that additional assistance, including modern farming machinery and equipment, is expected in the near future.
Officials described the aid as part of a broader effort to strengthen Afghanistan’s agricultural sector by improving access to high-quality seeds and modern tools. They expressed confidence that the assistance will significantly boost agricultural productivity and self-sufficiency in the targeted provinces, in line with the Islamic Emirate’s policy of revitalizing the national economy and supporting rural livelihoods through sustainable farming.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/uzbek-farm-aid-arrives-in-northern-afghanistan/
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Jamaat’s registration appeal hearing adjourned until tomorrow
May 13, 2025
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today adjourned until tomorrow the hearing on Jamaat-e-Islami's appeal against a High Court verdict that scrapped its registration with the Election Commission as a political party.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, passed the adjournment order after concluding today's hearing.
Barrister Ehsan A Siddiq, accompanied by Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, appeared for Jamaat during the hearing.
On May 7, the apex court bench fixed today for resuming hearing of the appeal following a prayer from Jamaat's lawyer Shishir Manir.
The HC on August 1, 2013, scrapped Jamaat's registration with the EC as a political party following a writ petition.
Maulana Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri, secretary general of the Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, along with 24 others, filed the petition on January 25, 2009, seeking its order declaring Jamaat's registration illegal.
The EC scrapped Jamaat's registration in October 2018, ahead of the 11th national election.
Jamaat then filed the appeal with the Appellate Division challenging the HC judgment.
The Appellate Division started hearing the appeal on December 3 last year.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/appellate-division-adjourns-jamaats-appeal-hearing-party-registration-until-tomorrow-3893586
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NCP clarifies stance on controversial slogans at protests
May 13, 2025
The National Citizen Party (NCP) yesterday expressed concern over controversial slogans chanted during recent "anti-fascist" student protests, clarifying that none of its members were involved in chanting anything that undermined Bangladesh's historic struggles.
In a statement signed by Saleh Uddin Sifat, joint member secretary of the party, NCP said, "While people from diverse political affiliations spontaneously joined the ongoing movement demanding the ban of Awami League, the inclusion of party-based trials under the International Crimes Tribunal Act, and the declaration of the July Proclamation, a particular group deliberately used slogans against Bangladesh's historical legacy."
The party said such slogans disrupted the possibility of renewed national unity following the July uprising. It also deemed any attempt to link the NCP to these actions as "entirely unnecessary and unwanted".
"We unequivocally assert that no NCP member raised party-centric or anti-struggle slogans during the movement," the statement read.
"Those responsible must be held accountable," it added.
The party also noted that its slogans and speeches consistently reflected the spirit of the people's struggles of 1947, 1971, and 2024.
NCP also said recognising the people's historical movements -- in 1947, 1971 and 2024 -- must be a prerequisite for political participation in Bangladesh.
Referring to those accused of collaborating in the 1971 genocide, the party urged them to clarify their political stance and contribute to national consensus and the fulfilment of the 2024 uprising's aspirations.
"The forces that stood with citizens during the fall of the 'fascist' regime must now embrace a pro-Bangladesh role in rebuilding the nation," added the statement.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Arab World
Saudi Cabinet welcomes upcoming visit by US President Trump
May 12, 2025
RIYADH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chaired the weekly Cabinet session in Riyadh on Monday, where ministers welcomed the upcoming official visit of US President Donald Trump to the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Cabinet expressed optimism that the visit would serve to deepen the strategic partnership between Riyadh and Washington across various sectors in line with shared interests and long-term visions, SPA added.
In a statement to SPA, Minister of State, Cabinet Member for Shura Council Affairs, and Acting Minister of Media Essam bin Saad bin Saeed said the Cabinet reiterated its strong condemnation of the Israeli occupation authorities’ incursion into the Gaza Strip and Palestinian territories.
It also denounced ongoing violations of international humanitarian law by Israeli forces, and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
Ministers also welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Pakistan and India last week, affirming the Kingdom’s continued commitment to working with international partners to support efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace between the two South Asian neighbors.
The Cabinet said that Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Munich Security Conference Leaders’ Meeting in the fourth quarter of 2025 reflects its commitment to multilateralism and to advancing global peace, security, and stability.
The Cabinet also hailed Saudi Arabia’s election as the Arab Group’s representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization Council.
During the session, the Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Ministry of Energy and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security for cooperation in the energy sector.
The Cabinet further authorized the Minister of Education, or a deputy, to negotiate and sign an MoU with the US focused on cooperation in the field of education and training.
In the field of health regulation, the Cabinet approved an MoU between the Saudi Food and Drug Authority and the Chinese National Medical Products Administration to enhance cooperation in the regulation of drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics.
It also approved an MoU between the Saudi Presidency of State Security and Oman’s General Secretariat for Communications and Coordination concerning the combatting of terrorism and its financing.
Source: arabnews.com
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Americans living in Saudi Arabia reflect on their ‘home away from home’
RASHID HASSAN
TAMARA ABAOLSAUD
May 12, 2025
RIYADH: Americans living in Saudi Arabia have found a home away from home, as people-to-people ties reflect the enduring relationship between the two countries.
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region, four expats spoke to Arab News about their experiences of living in the Kingdom.
Maria Cometti, who is the cofounder of DQ Living magazine and lives in Riyadh, said: “For me, the safety, economic opportunity and strong moral fabric of society are among the greatest benefits of living in Saudi Arabia.
“As a parent, our top priority is our family’s health and safety … it’s foundational. Healthcare here is also affordable, which makes a big difference.
“As an American married to a Saudi, I am especially grateful for the strong ties between our two countries.”
Hana Nemec, an executive who moved to the Kingdom in 2015 at the age of 24, said that when she arrived the female employment rate was under 20 percent, which “often made me the only woman in meetings and led to some seating arrangement questions and cultural blunders on my part.”
At the end of last year, the figure had risen to more than 36 percent, surpassing the Vision 2030 goal of 30 percent 10 years ahead of schedule.
“I’m pleasantly surprised every single day since I came to Saudi Arabia by the people, their infectious hospitality and their dedication to working hand in hand to achieve Vision 2030 goals,” Nemec said.
“Personally, it has been emotional to witness the incredible changes in Saudi Arabia since Vision 2030 was announced due to the profound impact it’s made on my life.”
As the Kingdom continues to open up to business and overseas investment, it is creating new job opportunities for foreigners and locals alike.
American Sameer Shams said: “I have lived in Riyadh for more than 15 years and enjoyed the rich culture, safety, modern infrastructure and affordable living with unique experiences. Saudi Arabia (offers) excellent career opportunities, particularly in growing sectors.”
He said he had seen how the US-Saudi relationship, historically rooted in oil and defense, had evolved toward technology, AI and renewable energy, a development that could be seen through events like the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh.
“Such events have attracted top business leaders and strengthened people-to-people ties through collaborative initiatives in sustainable development, finance and innovation,” he said.
“The transformation in Saudi Arabia is tangible and impactful, offering new opportunities for both citizens and expatriates. The Kingdom’s trajectory toward modernization is evident. Having witnessed these shifts firsthand, I see the current era in Saudi Arabia as a time of great promise and positive change.”
Daniel Talbot, who is studying applied technology in water desalination at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, said: “I began pursuing my degree in 2024 but already view it (Saudi Arabia) as home.
“It’s where my family and I have chosen to plant roots over the next four to five years while I pursue my master’s and Ph.D.”
Being part of a community of colleagues, many of whom he now calls friends, has made Talbot feel at home and he praised the compassion and generosity of the Saudi people.
“I believe the Saudi people represent the future of the Middle East and I feel honored to play even a small role in that journey.
“With clear vision and ambitious goals, I see the Kingdom not only reshaping its own future but also positioning itself as a global leader in several industries.”
Talbot attributed much of the country’s success to Vision 2030, calling it “one of the most ambitious national strategies of our time.”
Talbot said that one of the best things about moving to Saudi Arabia was the proximity to the Red Sea.
“The stillness and natural scenery have brought tranquil and restful moments for my family, whether it’s a picnic at sunset or simply enjoying a quiet evening under the stars near our home. The Red Sea, with its clear waters and vibrant marine life, has been refreshing.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Riyadh International Industry Week 2025 begins in Saudi capital
RASHID HASSAN
May 12, 2025
RIYADH: The Riyadh International Industry Week 2025 kicked off on Monday at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, with the participation of more than 524 exhibitors from 20 countries.
In his opening remarks, Abdulaziz Al-Ahmadi, deputy minister of industrial development, expressed hope the event will be a platform for launching qualitative industrial partnerships that contribute to opening new horizons for globally competitive Saudi industries.
“Riyadh International Industry Week is a key enabler for promoting growth in the industrial sector and creating qualitative partnerships between various sectors hosted by the exhibition,” Al-Ahmadi said.
The week connects more than 524 exhibitors and leaders in the regional and international industrial sector, and embodies the Kingdom’s prestigious position in the industrial sector at the regional and global levels, the minister continued.
He pointed out that the partnership between the public and private sectors forms the cornerstone of achieving industrial development in Saudi Arabia.
“Government agencies, within the industry and mineral resources system, and the government system as a whole, are working to build genuine partnerships with the private sector, under the continuous supervision of the Saudi leadership.
“The necessary programs, enablers, and initiatives are being provided to support this growth, such as the Standard Incentives Program, the Industrial Sector Competitiveness Program, and the Factories of the Future Program,” said Al-Ahmadi.
He continued that, to enhance the competitiveness of local factories, attract entrepreneurs, and provide experts with development mechanisms, the National Industry Strategy has identified 15 industrial enablers in the Kingdom, categorized under four enabling axes: building and strengthening supply chains with global standards, developing the country’s industrial business environment, promoting international trade, and fostering a culture of innovation and knowledge in the industrial sector through talent development and enhancement.
The National Industry Strategy encompasses over 136 initiatives, including initiatives specific to industrial goods and enabling initiatives for the industrial sector. Additionally, the strategy includes a comprehensive set of key performance indicators to monitor performance and make data-based decisions, he added.
Among them are initiatives specific to industrial goods, such as those aimed at ensuring the availability and competitiveness of petrochemicals.
“We look forward to increasing cooperation between primary and downstream petrochemical companies to develop businesses, create new opportunities, and lead this targeted transformation to ensure the integration of supply chains and maximize added value,” said Al-Ahmadi.
Speaking at the opening session Prince Saud bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, chairman of Riyadh Exhibition Co., said: “Riyadh International Industry Week complements the efforts of the Ministry of Industry to highlight investment opportunities and enhance the Kingdom’s position as a regional industrial hub. This aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and increase the industrial sector’s contribution to the national GDP, a step that fosters sustainable development and reinforces the Kingdom’s standing as a leading industrial powerhouse.”
The exhibition hosts more than 524 local and international companies from 20 countries. Alongside the exhibition, the forum features several dialogue sessions and will welcome over 50 local and international speakers, including industry experts and executives, to discuss key topics related to manufacturing, supply chains, and digital transformation in the industrial sector.
Exhibitors are showcasing cutting-edge innovations shaping the future of industry in the Kingdom and the region, in addition to holding a series of workshops.
“I am pleased to announce the strategic alliance between Riyadh Exhibitions Co. and Messe Dusseldorf, through which three of Messe Dusseldorf’s largest global exhibitions will be held in Riyadh,” said Prince Saud.
“In this context, I am also delighted to announce that the Saudi Smart Manufacturing Exhibition will now become part of the Saudi Industrial Transformation Exhibition 2025, which will take place from Dec. 1-3, 2025 under the patronage of the Ministry of Industry and in collaboration with Hannover Messe International. This move aims to further develop the unified identity of industrial transformation exhibitions and expand their focus in line with the future direction of the national industry,” he said.
“I highly value the trust and confidence shown by our sponsors and participants from across the globe in this edition,” he added.
The event will run from May 12-15, bringing together over 48,000 industrial products and advanced technologies under one roof, alongside national pavilions representing seven major industrial nations.
The event includes several specialized industrial exhibitions: the Saudi Plastics and Petrochemicals Exhibition and the Saudi Print and Pack Exhibition, both marking their 20th editions and serving as platforms to showcase the latest innovations and sustainable solutions in manufacturing, printing, and packaging.
In addition, the Saudi Iron and Metal Industries Exhibition and the Saudi Machinery and Heavy Equipment Exhibition, now in their third editions, spotlight advancements in engineering industries and heavy equipment.
Source: arabnews.com
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Trump heads for Saudi Arabia on major Middle East tour
May 12, 2025
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, US: US President Donald Trump on Monday left for Saudi Arabia on what he called a “historic” tour of the Middle East that will mix urgent diplomacy on Gaza with huge business deals.
Air Force One took off on a journey that will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — and possibly talks in Turkiye on the Ukraine war.
Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza will hang heavy over the first major tour of Trump’s second term — but in one sign of progress, US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander was handed over to the Red Cross just as the president boarded his plane.
“It’s big news,” Trump said at the White House shortly before departing. “He’s coming home to his parents, which is really great news. They thought he was dead.”
Trump has in recent weeks seemed to cool on his efforts to end the Gaza war — despite boasting before taking office that he would be able to bring the conflict to a swift end.
He has also been increasingly at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Gaza, as well as over strikes on Yemen’s Houthis and on how to handle Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump said there were “very good things happening” on talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear ambitions — though he added that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
The US president said that he hoped for more developments on Gaza during his trip to the Gulf, noting that his tour involved “three primary countries” in the region.
“I hope that we’re going to have other hostages released too,” he said when asked if he expected further progress toward a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas asked Trump to “continue efforts” to end the war after freeing hostage Alexander, while Netanyahu said he would send mediators to Qatar on Tuesday for further negotiations.
Qatar has played a key role as a middleman in talks on ending the war.
Trump said he could change his plans and fly to Istanbul on Thursday if talks between Russia and Ukraine happen there and make progress.
“I don’t know where I’m going to be at that particular point, I’ll be someplace in the Middle East. But I would, if I thought it would be helpful,” Trump told reporters Monday.
Trump added that he thought both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin could attend — raising the prospect of a landmark summit.
Trump’s Middle East tour will start in Saudi Arabia — the same place he began his debut overseas trip in his first term in 2017, and memorably posed over a glowing orb with the leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
But on that occasion he also visited Israel, whereas this time it is not on the itinerary.
His decision to once more bypass traditional Western allies to visit the Gulf states underscores their pivotal geopolitical role — as well as his own business ties there.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jusoor exhibition in Kosovo offers a window to Saudi heritage
May 12, 2025
RIYADH: The sixth Jusoor exhibition, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Pristina, Kosovo, offered visitors an immersive experience of the Kingdom’s heritage.
The event featured the aroma of incense, the flavor of authentic Saudi coffee, a traditional Najdi majlis and an interactive photo booth, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
At the Saudi coffee section, visitors savored traditional Saudi hospitality with each sip, complemented by the soothing aroma of incense.
The Najdi majlis stood out with its unique architectural design, reflecting the rich heritage of Najd and serving as a dedicated space for hosting guests and VIPs.
The photo booth captivated visitors by offering an immersive cultural experience. Guests could wear traditional Saudi attire and pose against backdrops depicting the Kingdom’s historical and Islamic landmarks, including AlUla, Diriyah and the Two Holy Mosques.
Saudi Ambassador to Albania and Non-Resident Ambassador to Kosovo Faisal bin Ghazi Hifzi also toured the exhibition’s pavilions and associated events, highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural and religious dimensions.
He said the diverse components reflect Saudi identity and highlight the Kingdom’s efforts in serving Islam and Muslims. The content also promoted the values of tolerance and moderation through interactive displays blending authenticity with modernity.
The ambassador praised the exhibition’s outstanding organization and rich content. He commended its noble message in showcasing the Kingdom’s culture and civilizational contributions, as well as its efforts in serving Islam and promoting the values of moderation.
He highlighted the role of the ministry in organizing distinguished exhibitions abroad, which enhance Saudi Arabia’s presence in international forums and build ties with people around the world.
Source: arabnews.com
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North America
Muslim-Centred EPIC City Now Under DOJ Investigation, Sen. Cornyn Says
May 12, 2025
JOSEPHINE, Texas - The Department of Justice is investigating a proposed Dallas-area community centered around a mosque, according to Senator John Cornyn.
Several Texas officials have brought up concerns about the planned community in Josephine, claiming the group behind the community is trying to create a Muslim-exclusive community that would make residents follow Islamic law.
Cornyn requested a DOJ investigation into EPIC City last month, bringing up concerns that the community could discriminate based on faith.
DOJ Investigation into EPIC City
Senator Cornyn announced that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is opening the investigation.
What they're saying:
"Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no place in the Lone Star State. Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted, and I know under the Trump administration, they will be," Cornyn said in a statement.
The other side:
EPIC City and Community Capital Partners Inc. (CCP) hired high-profile attorney Dan Cogdell in April to represent them in Texas investigations over the financial and free housing laws and whether the mosque has conducted illegal funerals.
Cogdell called the investigations a result of "racial profiling."
The lawyer says the developers have "done nothing illegal and we will cooperate fully with all investigations-regardless of how misguided and unnecessary they are."
Cogdell says none of the investigations would be happening if the community was planned around a church or temple.
"These folks are US Citizens, law-abiding and Texans," he said.
Cogdell called claims from some, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, that EPIC is trying to enforce Sharia law "dangerous."
EPIC City is a planned development near Josephine, Texas, in Collin and Hunt counties about 40 miles northeast of Dallas.
According to the development’s website, it will feature a new mosque, single- and multifamily homes, a community college, schools, businesses, a school and parks.
Developers told Collin County commissioners that the development was still in the planning stage, and they weren't ready to apply for permits.
The development sold out its first phase of development, around 500 lots, within six months. Developers are still accepting investors for the second phase of the development.
"The vision for EPIC City is simple," CCP President Imran Chaudhary said. "We want to build an inclusive community, one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony."
EPIC Ranches is another development near EPIC City that offers larger plot sizes of up to an acre and townhome sites that are about a half mile away from EPIC City.
In addition to Cornyn, EPIC City has drawn the attention of Governor Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas leaders.
EPIC City has drawn the attention of Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and other Texas leaders.
The developers and East Plano Islamic Center have also been targeted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality who sent a letter to CCP about the permits required to create a municipal utility district.
Gov. Greg Abbott has also asked the Texas Rangers to investigate the mosque and related businesses.
In a post about EPIC City on social media, Abbott commented "Sharia law is not allowed in Texas."
The mosque was also sent a letter from the Texas Funeral Service Commission and has drawn the attention of the Texas Workforce Commission.
Source: fox26houston.com
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Toronto police seek two suspects after vehicle vandalized with anti-Muslim slurs in Etobicoke
May 12, 2025
Two suspects are wanted after a vehicle was “extensively” vandalized with paint and anti-Muslim slurs and damaged with a sledgehammer in Etobicoke last month, Toronto police say.
At around 3:35 a.m. on April 26, officers responded to a mischief call near Steeles Avenue West and Martin Grove Road, investigators said in a news release.
The victim’s vehicle was vandalized while it was parked in the driveway, officials said, adding the vehicle’s video camera captured footage of the two suspects.
Police suspect the incident was a “hate-motivated offence,” and the hate crime unit is investigating it as mischief over $5,000, officials said.
The first suspect is described as a male, wearing a baseball hat, surgical mask, a dark coloured jacket, dark coloured pants, boots and gloves at the time of the incident.
The second suspect is described as a male with a moustache, wearing sunglasses, a dark-coloured and hooded sweater, a red or orange jacket, light-coloured pants, running shoes and gloves at the time of the incident. He is believed to be armed with a sledgehammer, police added.
The suspect’s vehicle is described as an older-model and dark-coloured Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Source: thestar.com
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CAIR Calls on Trump to Rescind Appointment of Anti-Muslim Bigot Jeanine Pirro as Interim U.S. attorney for D.C.
May 12, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on President Trump to rescind his nomination of anti-Muslim Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be interim U.S. attorney for D.C., considered one of the most important federal law enforcement roles in the nation.
In a profile of Pirro, Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative states in part:
“Pirro has also used her show to promote misinformation about Muslims and Islam by advancing anti-Muslim tropes such as the belief that Islam is uniquely tied to terrorism…
“On March 9, 2019, Pirro questioned Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar’s patriotism, suggesting that Rep. Omar’s decision to wear a hijab signaled her opposition to the Constitution. Pirro stated, ‘Think about it. Omar wears a hijab…Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to sharia law which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?’
“Pirro was widely condemned for her comments on Rep. Omar and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) called for a boycott of Fox News. A number of corporate advertisers pulled their ads from Pirro’s show, with one stating, ‘We absolutely condemn Ms. Pirro’s comments, which are offensive and completely contrary to our values.’ Although Pirro never explicitly apologized for her comments, Fox News elected to suspend Pirro for three weeks and issued its own condemnation of her comments.”
In a statement, CAIR said:
“Appointing an infamous anti-Muslim bigot like Jeanine Pirro to one of the nation’s top federal law enforcement posts calls into question the application of equal justice to members of minority communities. We urge President Trump to rescind her appointment and instead nominate someone without such a clear history of bigotry and bias.”
Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
Source: cair.com
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US-Israeli Hostage Reunites with Family After Being Freed ByHamas
May 13, 2025
Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander has been reunited with his family in Israel after being held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 19 months.
The 21-year-old had been serving in the Israeli army on the border of Gaza when he was captured by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023.
On Monday, Israel paused its military operations in Gaza for a few hours to facilitate the transfer. A senior Hamas official told the BBC the release was intended as a goodwill gesture and as part of efforts to reach a new ceasefire deal ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East on Tuesday.
Mr Alexander is thought to be the last US citizen held by Hamas who was still alive.
President Trump offered "congratulations" to his family on his release.
Television pictures show Edan Alexander smiling as he embraces his parents and siblings at an Israeli military base.
In a statement, his family thanked the US president but also urged the Israeli government and negotiators to continue working to free the 58 remaining hostages.
Mr Alexander is the first hostage to be freed by Hamas since Israel restarted its military offensive on 18 March, after a two-month ceasefire came to an end.
On Monday, he was seen with masked Hamas fighters as they handed him over to Red Cross workers in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
He was then transferred to Israeli authorities in Gaza before being reunited with his family in southern Israel. The Israeli military said it provided a "safe corridor" for Mr Alexander's release.
A video shared on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's X account showed Yael Alexander speaking to her son over the phone.
"You are strong. You are protected. You are home," she said in the video.
Netanyahu called Mr Alexander's return a "very moving moment" - and thanked Trump for his support.
The release had been made possible because of military pressure on Hamas and "the political pressure exerted by President Trump", Netanyahu said.
He added that Israel intended to continue with plans to intensify its military actions in Gaza and that there would be no ceasefire.
Hamas had earlier said Mr Alexander's release was intended to facilitate a deal for the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Israel has blocked the entry of all food, medication and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza for 70 days, which aid agencies say amounts to a policy of starvation and could be a war crime, and renewed its aerial bombardment and other military operations there in mid-March.
Hamas has previously said it will only agree to a deal that includes the end of the war. This has been repeatedly rejected by Netanyahu.
Trump is due to arrive in the Middle East on Tuesday, and Israel has vowed to expand its military offensive against Hamas if no deal is reached by the end of his visit.
Israeli officials have said the plans for their expanded offensive include seizing all of Gaza indefinitely, forcibly displacing Palestinians to the south, and taking over aid distribution with private companies despite opposition from the UN and its humanitarian partners, who say they will not co-operate because it appears to "weaponise" aid.
Israel is due to send representatives to Qatar on Tuesday to discuss a proposal on further hostage releases.
Qatar and Egypt said that Mr Alexander's release was an encouraging sign of potential new truce talks.
Born in Tel Aviv but raised in New Jersey, Mr Alexander had been serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border when he was captured by Hamas militants during the 7 October 2003 attack.
About 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. Some 58 hostages remain, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive.
Five of the captives held in Gaza are believed to have US citizenship. Mr Alexander is thought to be the last American still alive.
Israel's military campaign has killed 52,829 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including 2,720 Palestinians killed since March.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gr2qvzn0no
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Southeast Asia
Perlis ruler calls for strengthening of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah teachings
Bernama
12-05- 2025
KANGAR: The Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, has called on all quarters to continue strengthening the teachings of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah in the state, which are firmly rooted in the Quran and Sunnah.
His Royal Highness said support must be given to the organisation of knowledge-based programmes and beneficial activities to uphold the true teachings of Islam, and at the same time reject superstitions and deviant practices that contradict the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“Let us prosper this state by strengthening all that is good so more people may benefit,” said Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin when officiating the closing ceremony of the 10th edition of the “Perkampungan Sunnah” programme here last night.
Also in attendance were the Raja Perempuan of Perlis Tuanku Tengku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid, the Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail and the Raja Puan Muda of Perlis Tuanku Dr Hajah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil.
Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin also reaffirmed Perlis’ position as a stronghold of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah teachings, which rejects the misuse of religious terms such as ‘seeking blessings’, ‘sacredness’ and dreams of seeing the Prophet.
The programme, themed “Mengangkat Kebijaksanaan, Meruntuh Kedangkalan”, was held from May 9 until yesterday and featured nearly 60 speakers from Malaysia and abroad, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Source: thesun.my
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Home minister backs MACC’s ‘25-hour’ probe into its rogue officers nabbed in citizenship scam, vows no interference
13 May 2025
PUTRAJAYA, May 13 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has voiced his full support for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in carrying out its duties following the arrest of two Home Ministry (KDN) officers in an anti-graft operation, dubbed Op Outlander, recently.
Saifuddin even said he would refrain from further comment, stressing his trust in the integrity of the investigation process.
“MACC has ‘25 hours a day’ to go in and investigate. Let them do their job according to their responsibilities,” he told a press conference after the KDN monthly assembly here today.
Saifuddin reiterated that this stance has been a consistent principle of his since the beginning of his tenure.
On May 8, MACC confirmed the arrest of two KDN officers and one civilian in an operation conducted in Putrajaya. The arrests were linked to an investigation into alleged corruption involving the fast-tracking of citizenship status confirmation (PTW) applications.
On another development, Saifuddin emphasised that legal action against individuals facing criminal charges, including foreigners, will be carried out in accordance with Malaysian law.
Referring to former Goldman Sachs partner Tim Leissner from the United States, Saifuddin noted that legal proceedings have already begun under the Financial Monetary Act, and an Interpol Red Notice has been issued.
“If there is an allegation against someone, we act in accordance with the rule of law. We are a sovereign nation. Since he (Leissner) is a foreign national, we will use the appropriate legal channels like we always did,” he said.
On May 7, The Wall Street Journal reported that Malaysia had filed an extradition request for Leissner in connection with his role in the 1MDB scandal.
The Malaysian Government submitted the request to the United States Department of Justice in August 2024.
Interpol placed Leissner on its Red Notice list last November, effectively alerting member countries to detain him if located. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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FRU truck crash: Sand lorry driver detained, tested negative for drugs
Bernama
13-05- 2025
TELUK INTAN: The driver of a sand-laden lorry involved in the accident that claimed the lives of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel on Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam has been detained for further investigation.
Hilir Perak district police chief ACP Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin said the driver, in his 40s, who escaped unhurt, was detained this morning under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
“The driver tested negative for drugs. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident and to gather more information,” he told reporters at the Teluk Intan Hospital Forensic Department here today.
Nine members of the FRU were killed, while two others sustained injuries, when a lorry carrying sand collided with an FRU truck transporting 15 personnel on Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam at 8.50 am.
In the incident, eight victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while another died while receiving treatment at Teluk Intan Hospital.
According to Bakri, the seriously injured victims were still being treated in the Red Zone of Teluk Intan Hospital.
“The victims involved were seven Muslim personnel and two non-Muslim members of the FRU, all in their 40s,” he said.
He added that the identities of all the victims would be released after the post-mortem.
Bakri said the post-mortem would be conducted at 2 pm, and funeral prayers for the Muslim victims would be held at the surau of the Hilir Perak District Police Headquarters before the bodies were taken to the Sungai Senam Ipoh Police Station for the final rites.
He urged those with any information on the accident to come forward to assist in the investigation.
Meanwhile, Bakri clarified that the death toll from the accident was nine, not 10, as reported on social media.
He said the cause of the accident was still under investigation.
In an earlier statement, Bakri said preliminary investigations suggested that a steering wheel failure was believed to have caused the accident.
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/fru-truck-crash-sand-lorry-driver-detained-tested-negative-for-drugs-KC14072329
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MCMC removes over 40,000 fake and scam content items from online platforms
Bernama
13-05- 2025
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Communications, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), removed 10,493 pieces of fake content and 30,427 scam-related items circulating on online platforms between January and April 15 this year.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the statistics show that the public can no longer afford to passively read and accept information without first verifying and identifying the content.
“Today, most of us obtain information directly from the internet, and that in itself is not wrong. In line with technological advancement, we are adapting to progress.
“However, consuming and accepting information online requires today’s society to be more digitally literate. This means not all information received via today’s technologies can be accepted at face value,” she said during the 2025 Communications Ministry-level “Let’s Read Together” programme held here today.
Also present were Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj and deputy editor-in-chief (economic news service) Azlina Aziz.
Teo said that to ensure accurate information dissemination, the MADANI Government is prioritising safe internet usage among children through the implementation of the Safe Internet Campaign this year.
“MCMC is stepping up the Safe Internet Campaign rollout to both primary and secondary schools, as well as all public universities nationwide by the end of the year.
“This campaign aims to raise awareness among students on the risks and challenges of the digital space,” she said, adding that the campaign has already been implemented in nine schools as of May 1.
On the “Let’s Read Together” programme, she said reading is not merely a leisure activity but a way to sharpen the mind, develop empathy and train critical thinking. A reading society, she added, leads to citizens who are knowledgeable, aware of issues, and grounded in values.
“In our country, which comprises various races and cultures, reading must be at the core of nation-building. Reading about the culture, traditions and beliefs of others helps us understand the meaning of diversity and cultivate mutual respect.
“Through reading, we can also shape a strong national identity and nurture mutual respect among different communities,” she said.
She also praised the BERNAMA Digital Library for actively promoting reading culture through initiatives like physical and electronic book lending under its Library Usage Promotion activities.
“I urge everyone to nourish our minds through reading because it is through reading that we form critical and rational thinking, and ultimately nurture a knowledgeable and innovative citizenry.
“Reading helps prevent people from being easily misled by the negative content that spreads in the digital space,” she added.
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/mcmc-removes-over-40000-fake-and-scam-content-items-from-online-platforms-BC14071880
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