PM Takes Dig At Pakistan, Says A Country Supplying ‘Aatank’ (Terror) Is Struggling For ‘Aata’ (Flour) Now
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 April 2024
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. (Image/PTI)
-----
·
PM Takes
Dig At Pakistan, Says A Country Supplying ‘Aatank’ (Terror) Is Struggling For
‘Aata’ (Flour)Now
·
Hindu Mob
Lynches Two Muslims Over Bangladesh Temple Fire
·
Number Of
Unofficial Mosques In Rome Used As Breeding Grounds For Islamic Extremists
Doubles In Ten Years
·
Indonesian
Police Bust 8 Members Of Jihadist Group Jemaah Islamiyah, Known For Its Ties To
Al-Qaeda
·
Million-Man
March Crowds In Capital Sana'a In March "Our Battle Continues Until Gaza
Wins"
-----
India
·
‘Deliberate
Acts to Offend’: Allahabad HC Refuses To Quash Case Against Muslim Man For
Insulting Shivalinga
·
Bangladeshi
Immigrants Arrested For Illegally Obtaining Indian Ids In Bengaluru
·
'Delhi
still finds ways to punish Kashmiris': J&K's voice the only protection in
these grim times
·
Indian
embassy advises Indians to reschedule non-essential travel as UAE reels through
historic floods
----
South
Asia
·
Taliban
Special Advisor To Mullah Hebatullah Killed In Pakistan
·
Labour
Migration To Malaysia: UN Experts Decry Appalling State Of Bangladeshis
·
No
political cases filed against BNP activists: PM
·
Myanmar's
fled security personnel cleared to repatriate on Apr 22: FM
·
Afghanistan
faces bleak economic prospects: World Bank
·
Create
right conditions for Rohingya repatriation: G7
---
Europe
·
French
Police Arrest Man After Threatening To Blow Himself Up At Iran Consulate
·
Hundreds
of students take to streets in Milan in support of Palestine
·
Italy
urges clear G7 message for de-escalation in Mideast
·
London
Cops Apologize For Implying Jewish Man’s Kippa ‘Provoked’ Anti-Israel Crowd
·
‘We’re
not like the Nazis’: Netanyahu said to chide German FM on Gaza ‘famine’ remark
----
Southeast
Asia
·
Fighting
Flares At Myanmar-Thai Border As Rebels Target Stranded Junta Troops
·
Religious
Minister Calls For Calm In Malaysia’s Israel Boycott
·
Musicians
hold peaceful demonstration demanding end to Gaza genocide
·
Govt
procures SAR 159 million banknotes for Hajj pilgrims' allowance
----
Arab
World
·
Saudi
Universities Participate In Geneva’s International Exhibition Of Inventions
·
Saudi
Officials Reveal Details Of Highly-Anticipated ‘Zarqa Al-Yamama’ Opera
·
Saudi
Heritage Commission Celebrates the World Heritage Day in Thee Ain Historic
Village
·
Yemenis,
Jordanians reiterate support for Palestinians in Gaza
·
Saudi
Arabia takes part in 3rd annual international Camel Parade in Paris
·
Comprehensive
Services in 51 Languages Offered to Visitors of Grand Mosque of Makkah
-----
Pakistan
·
Group Of
‘Well-Wishers Of Pakistan’ In The Making To Resolve ‘Rift Between IK,
Establishment’
·
Elements
misusing Afghan trade for smuggling have inside help, PM told
·
Judges’
proposals sought to end ‘meddling’
·
Court
orders checkup of Imran, Bushra
·
Al-Qadir
Trust case hearing: Adiala jail authorities remove wooden walls in courtroom
·
Pakistan,
Indonesia, Malaysia express disappointment over UN failure to admit Palestine's
membership
----
Mideast
·
"Israeli
Weapons Are Toys That Our Children Play With": Iran's FM
·
Iraqi Resistance
Strikes ‘Vital’ Israeli Target In EilatAfter Strike On PMU Base
·
'Irresponsible,
Unconstructive': Iran Slams US Veto Of Palestinian Bid For Full UN Membership
·
Syria
condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership resolution
·
Over
14,000 kids killed in Israel’s war on Gaza: UNICEF spokesman
·
Punitive
op against Israel untied country: Pres. Raeisi
·
Tulkarm
Brigade commander killed by Israeli forces in raid on refugee camp
·
Iraqi
State of Law Coalition rules out Parliament Presidency resolution, calls on Sunni
parties to compromise
·
Israeli
airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians,
including 6 children
------
Africa
·
Al-Sunni
Affirms That Libya Still Maintains Its Position Regarding The Just Cause Of The
Palestinian People
·
Gowon Hints
On How Boko Haram Can Be Eliminated
·
ECOWAS To
Spend $25 Million To Fight Terrorism In Nigeria, Others
·
UN warns
hundreds of thousands of Sudanese under ‘immediate danger’
·
Tunisian
Jewish pilgrimage scaled back amid terror attack, Gaza war security concerns
·
Sudan war
fuelled by weapons from foreign actors in violation of sanctions - UN
----
North
America
·
US
Sanctions Ally Of Israeli Minister, Entities Backing ‘Extremist’ Settlers
·
US
military strategy in Mideast tested as Iran-Israel warfare comes out of shadows
·
CAIR:
Giving Netanyahu $17 Billion in Unconditional Funding Could Mark ‘Point of No
Return’ for President Biden’s Relationship with American Muslims
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/modi-pakistan-terror-aatank/d/132173
-----
PM Takes Dig At Pakistan, Says A Country Supplying ‘Aatank’
(Terror) Is Struggling For ‘Aata’ (Flour) Now
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. (Image/PTI)
-----
19th April 2024
Neha Khan
Damoh: Taking a dig at Pakistan without naming it,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said a country which was a supplier of
‘Aatank’ (terror) is struggling for ‘Aata’ (flour) these days.
Addressing an election rally at Damoh in Madhya
Pradesh, he said India, which once bought most of its arms from overseas, was
now exporting high-tech weapons to other countries, and referred to providing
BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
Citing the prevailing situation in the world, he
pitched for a strong and stable government at the Centre, on a day when the the
2024 Lok Sabha polls, being held in seven phases, kicked off with voting in
more than 100 seats.
“There are many countries in the world whose condition
has worsened. Many are getting bankrupt. Even one of our neighbours, which was
a supplier of ‘aatank’ (terrorism), is now struggling for supply of ‘aata’
(flour),” Modi said, targeting Pakistan.
The PM asserted his government works with the
principle of “Rashtra Pratham” (nation first) and never succumbs to pressure
from any quarter or bows before anyone.
Defending India’s move to purchase oil from Russia in
face of international pressure after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,
he said “To ensure that the people of the country get cheap oil and farmers get
adequate fertilisers, we have taken this decision in the national interest.”
“We have seen in the last 10 years how a stable
government works in the interest of the people. During the COVID-19 crisis,
there was chaos world over, but a strong BJP government brought back its
citizens from all over the globe,” he said.
The BJP’s star campaigner emphasised the next five
years are crucial for making the country a big global power.
The PM said when war clouds are hovering in different
parts of the world, there is a need for a government which is capable of
tackling any exigencies, comments coming in the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine
war, conflict in West Asia and rising Iran-Israel tension.
He said India has become self-reliant in the defence
sector and is in the process of exporting weapons worth Rs 21,000 crore to
other countries this year.
Modi underscored that while he is delivering a speech
here (in Damoh), India is exporting the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles
system to the Philippines.
The PM accused the opposition of weakening the
country’s defence sector and said they are guided by their own vested interest
even when it comes to purchase of weapons for the defence forces.
He slammed the Congress for creating hurdles in the
procurement of French-made Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, and
said had the opposition party been in power, Tejas planes could not have taken
to the skies.
The BJP, in its manifesto, has promised that every
individual above 70 years of age will be brought within the ambit of the
Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana, ensuring free treatment to them up to Rs 5
lakh, Modi maintained.
The PM asserted his government was committed to the
welfare of the poor and pointed out that the Centre has extended the free
ration scheme for five more years for nearly 80 crore beneficiaries.
Modi praised Iqbal Ansari, a former litigant in the
Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, for accepting the invitation to attend the
January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and slammed the
opposition for boycotting the event.
The BJP has fielded Rahul Lodhi from the Damoh Lok
Sabha seat and state party president Vishnu Dutt Sharma from the Khajuraho
constituency. Both these seats will vote in the second phase of elections on
April 26.
Source:
siasat.com
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click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.siasat.com/pm-takes-dig-at-pakistan-says-a-country-supplying-aatank-is-struggling-for-aata-now-3011703/
------
Hindu Mob Lynches Two Muslims Over Bangladesh Temple
Fire
Activists wearing masks
depicting Hindu goddess Kali hold placards during a protest against religious
violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh, in Dhaka on Nov. 4, 2021.
(Photo: AFP)
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April 19, 2024
Tension of a possible sectarian riot between Muslims
and Hindus prevailed in the central Bangladeshi district of Faridpur after alleged
mob lynching of two Muslims by Hindu villagers over an arson attack on a temple
on April 18.
The local administration deployed additional security
forces to quell possible violence stemming from the lynching, according to
police and local community leaders.
Siblings Ashraful Khan, 20, and Arshadul Khan, 18,
both of them construction workers, died after they were held hostage and beaten
by a mob in Krishnanagar, a Hindu-majority village in Modhukhali of Faridpur,
confirmed RebekaParvin, a local police officer.
The deceased were working as masons in a primary
school near the temple dedicated to Hindu goddess Kali.
Since the incident, two local union councils which
cover dozens of local villages, home to about 50,000 people, have been covered
in a security blanket, said Zahidul Hasan, chairman of Nowapara union council,
a local government body.
“The entire area is covered in a security blanket with
almost all high local government officials present,” Hasan told UCA News after
attending weekly Muslim prayer in a mosque on April 19.
He said the security forces were on high alert to
avoid any riot-like situation as fear spread that local Muslims might attack
Hindus following Friday prayers.
In the past, several attacks targeting Hindus in
Bangladesh took place after Muslim gatherings at mosques for Friday prayers
turned into frenzied mobs.
The latest incident took place a day before the
national election kicked off in neighboring Hindu-majority India, about 150
kilometers from Faridpur.
Religiously charged political violence and deaths are
common both in Muslim-majority Bangladesh and India during the election period.
The news of the temple arson attack angered local
Hindus and a mob of over a thousand people held up the masons working at the
primary school, said Shah Asaduzzaman, chairman of the local Dumain union
council.
The mob held all four Muslim workers hostage for two
hours and beat them up before they were rescued.
Eleven policemen were injured in clashes with the mob,
police sources said, adding that police fired blank shots to disperse the mob.
The two siblings were pronounced dead when they were
rushed to a hospital in a critical condition.
Over 90 percent of Bangladesh’s estimated 172 million
people are Muslims. Hindus make up the largest religious minority group
accounting for about eight percent.
Hindu groups routinely allege various forms of
persecution including harassment, hate speeches, and violence by Muslims.
Source:
ucanews.com
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/mob-lynches-two-muslims-over-bangladesh-temple-fire/104850
------
Number Of Unofficial Mosques In Rome Used As Breeding
Grounds For Islamic Extremists Doubles In Ten Years
FILE - Muslims during prayer
at a Rome mosque. (Credit: Shutterstock)
------
APRIL 19, 2024
THOMAS BROOKE
The number of unofficial mosques in the Italian
capital of Rome being monitored by Italy’s counter-terror agency has nearly
doubled in the last 10 years as prayer sites preaching fundamental Islamic
teachings encroach on Italian society.
According to a new report by Italy’s interior
ministry, a total of 53 unofficial Muslim prayer sites, located in basements
and garages across the city, have been identified and are under surveillance
for Islamist activity.
This figure has risen from the 30 unofficial mosques
flagged a decade ago.
“These hidden places of worship are where
radicalization lurks and where, camouflaged among the faithful, those lone
wolves who have too often become martyrs of the holy war,” writes Italian news
outlet ll Tempo.
The dossier revealed there could be over 100 regular
meeting points for Muslims across the city that are not registered as official
places of worship, with fears over the nature of such rendezvous amid the
rising threat of Islamic terror in Europe.
According to the report, the unofficial prayer sites
located in warehouses and residential apartments, are categorized by
intelligence agencies into three levels of terror threat: no risk, medium risk,
and increased risk.
Currently, over half of the sites are constantly
monitored because they are considered medium or high risk.
Anti-terror operations in Italy often include
surveillance of the dark web for Islamist propaganda and communications,
wiretaps on suspicious premises, and the review of texts and speeches being
preached by imams in the unofficial mosques.
In a recent documentary published by Italian news
program Fuori dal Coro, undercover journalists visited some of these unofficial
prayer sites located around the country during the month-long celebration of
Ramadan to evaluate the nature of the preachings and the content being shared.
In the film titled, “Immigrants and Violence, The
Muslims Who Hate Italy,” one journalist frequented one such location in the Via
Padova area of Milan where one visitor to the mosque boasted how “it is written
in the Quran that we are going to kick the Jews out.”
It isn’t just the Jews these radical Islamists are
targeting, however. When asked whether Muslims would soon conquer the Western
world, the man replied, “Yes, yes. The first place will be Italy because Italy
is very close to Islam. Italy has a good heart.”
“Just look at the churches, a few elderly people, five
here, five there,” he added, contrasting the demise in church congregations
with the exponential rise in Muslim prayer sites across the country.
There have been several instances recently where
terror suspects have been detained in Italy, including last October when an
Egyptian and an Italian citizen of Egyptian descent where accused of being
members of the Islamic State.
More recently on April 8, Italian authorities detained
Tajikistan national, IlkhomiSayrakhmonzoda, a suspected member of the Islamic
State splinter group ISPK as he attempted to enter the country from the
Netherlands.
The man was wanted by Interpol for suspected
involvement in the planning of terror attacks on European soil. His intended
business in Italy remains unknown.
Source:
rmx.news
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://rmx.news/italy/number-of-unofficial-mosques-in-rome-being-used-as-breeding-grounds-for-islamic-extremists-doubles-in-ten-years/
-----
Indonesian Police Bust 8 Members Of Jihadist Group
Jemaah Islamiyah, Known For Its Ties To Al-Qaeda
Police personnel arrested
eight members of jihadist group Jemaah Islamiyah. (Image: AP Photo)
------
APRIL 20, 2024
Indonesia’s elite counterterrorism police arrested
eight suspected militants in recent days believed to be part of a new cell
linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda-linked group, authorities said
Saturday.
Police conducted raids in Central Sulawesi province
between Tuesday and Thursday, said AgusNugroho, the provincial police chief,
adding that five suspects were arrested in the city of Palu, two in Sigi, and
one in Poso which is a known extremist hotbed.
Two laptops, several cellular phones and documents,
including jihadist books were seized and suspects were being interrogated,
Nugroho said.
National Police spokesperson TrunoyudoWisnuAndiko said
the arrests were the result of information obtained from 59 suspected militants
detained in Oct. 2023.
“(The eight) all actively participate in organization
activities, particularly in military-style training and collecting funds for
alleged plans of terror acts,” Andiko told reporters at the National Police
headquarters in the capital, Jakarta. He added that convicted leaders of the
group and veteran fighters in Afghanistan were recruiting and training new
members.
Jemaah Islamiyah is responsible for several attacks
inside Indonesia, namely, the 2002 bombing s on the resort island of Bali that
killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. A court banned the group in 2008
and constant counterterrorism crackdowns, supported by the United States and
Australia, have weakened it further.
Last year, police arrested a total of 142 suspected
militants, including four women, and fatally shot two others on southern
Sumatra island.
Militant attacks on foreigners in Indonesia have been
largely replaced in recent years by smaller, less deadly strikes targeting the
government, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces, and people militants
consider to be infidels, inspired by Islamic State group tactics abroad.
Source:
news18.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.news18.com/world/indonesian-police-bust-8-members-of-jihadist-group-jemaah-islamiyah-known-for-its-ties-to-al-qaeda-8859779.html
------
Million-Man March Crowds In Capital Sana'a In March
"Our Battle Continues Until Gaza Wins"
Sana'a, witnessed on Friday
a major mass march
-----
[19/April/2024]
SANA'A April 19. 2024 (Saba) - The capital, Sana'a,
witnessed on Friday a major mass march in the march of "Our battle
continues until Gaza wins."
The million-strong crowds that came out under heavy
rain raised slogans confirming the resumption of the alarm and marches in
support of the Palestinian people in light of the continued Zionist and American
arrogance.
The crowds stressed that the Yemeni people are present
and fully prepared to fight the battle of "the promised conquest and holy
jihad" and confront the evil trio "America, Britain and the Zionist
entity."
It praised the legendary steadfastness of the
Palestinian people and their valiant resistance in Gaza and Palestine, who are
writing the most wonderful heroic epics in the face of the Zionist entity
supported by America and Britain.
The crowds expressed deep regret for the lax Arab
position towards the unprecedented war of extermination and siege to the
brothers in Gaza, without any Arab or Islamic position rising to the level of
the genocide, abuse and starvation to which the brothers are subjected.
The masses called on the countries and peoples of the
Arab and Islamic nation to assume responsibility and carry out their duties
towards the oppressed and aggrieved people of Palestine. They praised the
steadfastness and steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance factions in
resisting the occupation despite the difficulties and challenges they face.
The crowds affirmed Yemen's firm and principled
position in supporting and supporting the Palestinian people and their just
cause based on their religious, national and humanitarian duty, and continuing
to hold marches, events and activities in support of the Palestinian people, as
well as continuing to carry out military operations in the Red Sea, the Arabian
Sea and the Indian Ocean.
A statement issued by the march announced the
resumption of mobilization activities and marches in support of the Palestinian
people and rejecting the Zionist aggression and siege on Gaza, condemning the
crimes of genocide and rejecting the starvation of the Palestinian people.
The statement affirmed Yemen's firm position in the
face of injustice and tyranny to which the nation is exposed, and to continue
to intensify general popular mobilization activities, and to stand by the
vulnerable in Gaza and all Palestinian territories, and not to abandon their
support, no matter how great the volume of pressure and events.
It praised the heroic jihadist operations of jihad and
resistance movements in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq, expressing condolences to
Commander Ismail Haniyeh on the martyrdom of a number of his sons and
grandchildren.
The statement of the march "Our battle continues
until Gaza wins" noted the cohesion and cohesion between the leaders of
the mujahideen factions in Palestine with their people and their resistance.
It congratulated the Iranian people and leadership for
the successful and strong military response to the Zionist enemy, which proved
the equation of response against the Zionist rule of aggression and established
the rules of engagement in favor of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the axis of
jihad and resistance.
The statement expressed condemnation of the positions
of some Arab regimes in support of the Zionist enemy entity. He called on the
free people of the nation to have more awareness and insight to support the
Palestinian people.
He blessed the Yemeni armed forces for their jihadist
support operation in support of the Palestinian people, which was one of the
blessings that prompted a number of hostile Western naval vessels to withdraw
from the Red Sea.
The statement called on the Yemeni naval and air
forces to continue targeting ships associated with the Zionist entity until the
aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in Gaza is lifted.
Source:
saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3322228.htm
---
India
‘Deliberate Acts to Offend’: Allahabad HC Refuses To
Quash Case Against Muslim Man For Insulting Shivalinga
APRIL 19, 2024
Salil Tiwari
The Allahabad High Court (HC) on Friday refused to
quash a case against a Muslim man accused of posting derogatory remarks along
with photos of a Shivalinga on social media platforms, calling his actions “a
deliberate attempt to inflict harm and offend the religious sensibilities of
others”.
A bench of Justice Prashant Kumar said, “Such actions
cannot be excused as mere expressions of opinion, but must be recognised for
what they are: deliberate acts of religious vilification…as a deliberate
attempt to insult and hurt the sentiments of a particular community.”
In June 2022, a First Information Report (FIR) was
registered under Sections 153-A, 295-A of the IPC and Section 6 of the
Information Technology (Amendment) Act at Chharra police station in Aligarh,
Uttar Pradesh. The trial court took cognisance of the posts and derogatory
remarks and issued summons to the man in January 2023. He moved a plea under
Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before the high court,
seeking quashing the order as well as proceedings.
INNOCUOUS STATEMENT, SAYS DEFENCE; OUTRAGEOUS, SAYS
GOVT
His counsel argued that he was falsely implicated as
his social media account was hacked. Moreover, the counsel contended that even
if it were assumed that the comment had been posted, it still did not
constitute any offence. “The comment is rather an innocuous statement made
without intending to hurt religious feelings of any community,” his counsel
argued.
The government opposed the plea, stating the comment
was outrageous and had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindu community. The
high court held that the claim of hacking of his account related to the
disputed question of fact, which could not be adjudicated in an application
under Section 482, CrPC.
Regarding the defence of freedom of speech taken by
the man, the court said that in India, freedom of speech is not absolute,
rather it comes with responsibilities, foremost among them being the obligation
to respect the sentiments and beliefs of others. The court said that his
actions, which demonstrated a blatant disregard for religious sentiments, could
not be viewed as mere inadvertence but a deliberate affront to the cherished
values of country’s pluralistic society.
“By making a mockery of a community’s beliefs and
comparing them to mundane objects, the accused has displayed a callous disregard
for the deeply held beliefs and sentiments of millions,” the high court held.
FREEDOM NOT ABSOLUTE, NOT A CASE OF HYPERSENSITIVITY,
SAYS HC
The court asserted that it is for the judiciary to
send a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated and will be met
with appropriate legal consequences.
Further, the court outlined Article 51A of the Indian
Constitution, which states fundamental duties of every citizen. This article
underscores the obligation of citizens to foster an environment of mutual
understanding and respect for diverse religious beliefs and identities, the HC
said.
The court held that his actions of promoting enmity
between different groups on the basis of religion and causing disharmony within
society, contravened the spirit of this constitutional provision. Concluding
the matter, the court held that this matter was not a case of hypersensitivity,
rather “a matter concerning the sanctity and reverence attached to religious
symbols by individuals who hold them divine”.
The court opined that it could not be said in the
present matter that prima facie, no offence was made out against the man. It
also did not fell under the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court under
which the inherent powers granted under Section 482 CrPC could be exercised.
Hence, the court dismissed the man’s petition,
clarifying that any observation made in the order would not come in the way of
the trial and the trial court would proceed purely on merits.
Stay updated with live coverage of 2024 Lok Sabha
Election, Tamil Nadu Election 2024, West Bengal Election 2024, Arunachal
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Source:
news18.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.news18.com/india/deliberate-acts-to-offend-allahabad-hc-refuses-to-quash-case-against-muslim-man-for-insulting-shivalinga-8858773.html
----
Bangladeshi immigrants arrested for illegally
obtaining Indian IDs in Bengaluru
Apr 20, 2024
The Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police conducted
a raid and arrested four Bangladeshi immigrants for fraudulently obtaining
Indian documents.
Shamim Ahmed, Mohammad Abdullah, Noor Jahan, and
Haroon Mohammad, identified as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, were
residing in a rented house in the city's Bannerghatta Road.
They had presented counterfeit rental documents and
proof of residence to obtain Indian identity cards such as Aadhaar card, PAN
card, and ration card.
Four locals identified as Mubarak, Muneer, Hussain,
and Naheem, have helped the accused to fabricate these documents.
A case has been filed against the four people for
aiding Bangladeshi illegal immigrants in obtaining Indian identity documents,
including passports, through fraudulent means.
Source:
indiatoday.in
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/4-bangladeshi-immigrants-illegally-obtain-indian-ids-in-bengaluru-arrested-2529511-2024-04-20
---
'Delhi still finds ways to punish Kashmiris':
J&K's voice the only protection in these grim times
20.04.24
Spring is the most magical time of the year in
Kashmir. The harsh bitter winter begrudgingly gives way to a Valley in full
bloom. A season that always heralds hope and symbolises new beginnings.
But it’s not quite the same this year. An ominous
shadow hangs over the only Muslim-majority state in India. With the looming
general elections, there is a palpable yet sullen sense of unease and dreadful
anticipation about what fate awaits us if the BJP wins a third successive term.
The last time it rode into power with a brute majority, J&K bore the brunt
of the first (but certainly not the last) act of constitutional harakiri to
whet the insatiable appetite of the ruling party’s rabid right-wing voters who
lauded it as a masterstroke and comeuppance for Kashmiri Muslims.
The abomination and betrayal was not only celebrated
but condoned in no less than the temple of democracy. All of India erupted into
rapturous celebration. We Kashmiris, caged like animals, watched helplessly as
the Government of India gutted whatever little remained of J&K’s autonomy —
a constitutional guarantee that laid the foundation for the state’s accession.
J&K went from being a semi-autonomous state with its own constitution, flag
and residuary powers to a dismembered/cleaved federally controlled Union Territory.
In one fell swoop, both territory and trust were bludgeoned.
On a personal level, I find the current situation
quite baffling. It took Mufti sahab decades to earn acceptability and
recognition among his own people. As a staunch nationalist, he cast his lot
with the Congress because he had great faith in India and the idea of India. It
was also precisely why Kashmiris viewed him as an outcast and a pariah for a
long time. A fierce social boycott engineered by his political opponent ensued.
Along with fellow Congressmen, he faced a barrage of slurs and abuses. Albeit
with grace and stoicism. Congress became a euphemism for gutter worms. ‘Yeh
Congress gandinaalikekeedehain’, ‘Muftiyankaberkashirnyaber.’
Eight years after we lost him I feel like I have been
teleported to a parallel universe. My mother, the last serving chief minister
of Jammu & Kashmir, was booked not too long ago under PSA, an anti-terror
law, for over a year because she was seen as a threat to the country’s national
interest and sovereignty. This despite the fact that PDP’s manifesto pushes for
a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in line with a broad-based consensus
amongst its key stakeholders well within the Indian constitutional framework.
In BJP’s political lexicon, she is now an “anti-national”.
The GoI’s plans of normalising the revocation of
J&K’s special status were going as per plan except that Ms Mufti threw a
spanner in the works for them. Unlike other Kashmiri political parties, she
refused to toe their line of shifting the goalposts from special status to
statehood and elections. But her choice to speak truth to power has come at a
steep price. The party she and Mufti sahab assiduously built with their sweat
and tears has been splintered into pieces by the ruling dispensation. All
because she dares to defy them. As ironic as it may sound in a political
landscape dominated by men she is the only man left standing.
At the time of writing this piece, my phone blinked
with the distressing news of Jama Masjid being locked up yet again on the occasion
of Juma tulvida — the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan. Disillusioned
Kashmiris who look towards their faith to derive strength and solace are now
being deprived of even the constitutional right to practise their religion.
Five years after disrobing us of what was rightfully ours, Delhi still finds
ways to punish Kashmiris.
Ever since the illegal abrogation of Article 370,
every edict and farmaan issued hundreds of kilometres away in New Delhi has
dispossessed and disempowered the people of Jammu and Kashmir. This includes
Ladakh as well where thousands are currently protesting against Delhi’s empty
promises of granting them the Sixth Schedule and statehood.
Our special identity, land, resources and jobs are all
under grave threat.
In these distressing circumstances, Kashmir’s
much-vilified mainstream leaders rendered impotent have a colossal task ahead.
As despondent and bleak/grim things may seem, I believe our voice still
matters. It is in fact the only form of protection against the current onslaught
on our very existence.
The importance of these elections cannot be stated
enough. Jammu and Kashmir needs bold courageous voices to represent them in
Parliament. An audacious voice that will speak fearlessly about the illegal
abrogation of Article 370, release of detainees languishing in jails since 2019
under anti-terror laws in J&K and across India, the need to protect our
fragile ecology instead of the current dispensation’s ruse of development to
pillage our resources only to barter the benefits amongst its chosen crony
capitalists. A voice that won’t bend to Delhi’s will.
Source:
telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/elections/lok-sabha-election-2024/jammu-and-kashmirs-voice-the-only-protection-in-these-grim-times-mehbooba-muftis-daughter/cid/2014469
----
Indian embassy advises Indians to reschedule
non-essential travel as UAE reels through historic floods
April 19, 2024
The Indian embassy in the UAE on Friday advised the
inbound Indian passengers travelling to or transiting through Dubai
International Airport to reschedule non-essential travel till operations
normalise after the city witnessed unprecedented rains this week.
The United Arab Emirates is trying to recover from the
record-setting rains this week which has caused massive flooding in Dubai and
surrounding areas.
The embassy in the advisory said while the UAE
authorities were working round the clock to ensure normalisation of operations,
the airport authorities have advised that passengers may travel to the airport
“only after” final confirmation from the respective airlines regarding the
departure date and time of flights.
Due to disruption caused by unprecedented weather
conditions in the UAE earlier this week, Dubai International Airport has
temporarily limited the number of inbound flights, the advisory said.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for
international travel, hoped to be back on a normal schedule within 24 hours.
“Inbound Indian passengers travelling to or transiting
through Dubai International Airport are advised to reschedule non-essential
travel till operations normalise,” the statement said.
“To assist Indian nationals at the Dubai International
Airport, the Consulate General of India in Dubai has operationalised emergency
helpline numbers which have been functional since April 17,” the statement
said.
Source:
indianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-embassy-advises-indians-to-reschedule-non-essential-travel-9279402/
--
South
Asia
Taliban Special Advisor To Mullah Hebatullah Killed In
Pakistan
Fidel Rahmati
April 19, 2024
Mullah Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, Taliban Special
Advisor to Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada and the head of a Taliban jihadist
school in Kandahar Killed in Quetta City, Pakistan, on Thursday, April 18th.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson,
confirmed the killing of Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada, a member of the
Taliban’s supervision department.
According to reports, Akhundzada had gone to a village
in Qaetta, Pakistan, to visit his family during the Eid al-Fitr days when he
was killed by unknown assailants.
Zabihullah Mujahid expressed condolences for Mohammad
Omar Jan Akhundzada’s death in a note posted on his social media account on
Friday, April 19th.
The Taliban spokesperson and other officials of the
group have not provided any explanation on how Mohammad Omar Jan Akhundzada was
killed and by whom.
The Taliban has condemned the killing of Mohammad Omar
Jan Akhundzada, calling his death a “great crime.”
Some Taliban members mourned Omar Jan Akhundzada’s
killing, sharing his body photos on the X network without details. Photos
showed no gunshot wounds to his head and face. No one has claimed
responsibility yet. Akhundzada was appointed as special advisor to Mullah
Hibatullah Akhundzada in March 2022. He wielded influence among religious
scholars in Kandahar and was part of the Taliban leader’s inner circle. Mullah
Hibatullah consults trusted individuals in Kandahar on key matters, often
bypassing the Kabul cabinet and Taliban ministries in decision-making.
So far, no individual or group has claimed
responsibility for his killing.
The Afghan National Radio Television, under Taliban
control, reported that Mr. Akhundzada was a member of the Taliban’s oversight
department and a teacher at a jihadist school in Kandahar.
However, according to reports, Mohammad Omar Jan
Akhundzada was an advisor to Hibtullah Akhundzada and he led a Taliban jihadist
school in Kandahar.
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/senior-taliban-special-advisor-killed-in-pakistan/
---
Labour Migration To Malaysia: UN experts decry
appalling state of Bangladeshis
Apr 20, 2024
UN experts yesterday expressed dismay about the
situation of Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia despite going there through the
official labour migration process for a better future.
"The situation of Bangladeshi migrants who have
lived in Malaysia for several months or longer is unsustainable and
undignified," the experts said, according to a statement of the UN Human
Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) issued today.
The experts noted that many migrants find on arrival
in Malaysia that they do not have employment as promised and are often forced
into overstaying their visas.
Consequently, these migrants risk arrest, detention,
ill-treatment and deportation, they added.
They also expressed concern that large sums of money
were being generated through the fraudulent recruitment of migrant workers by
criminal networks operating in Malaysia and Bangladesh.
They said migrants are being obliged to pay exorbitant
recruitment fees by some fake recruitment companies which pushes them into debt
bondage.
"We received reports that certain high-level
officials in both governments are involved in this business or condoning it.
This is unacceptable and needs to end," the experts said.
The independent experts who made the statements have
previously engaged with the governments of Malaysia and Bangladesh on these
issues.
The panel of experts include TomoyaObokata, Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences;
SiobhánMullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women
and children; GehadMadi, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants and
Robert McCorquodale (Chair-Rapporteur), Fernanda Hopenhaym (vice-chair),
PichamonYeophantong, DamilolaOlawuyi, ElzbietaKarska of the Working Group on
business and human rights.
Since the end of 2022, more than 400,000 Bangladeshis
have gone to Malaysia for jobs under a syndicate of 100 Bangladeshi recruiting
agencies selected by the Malaysian government.
However, according to media report, a significant
portion of them are facing joblessness, underpayment or no payment.
According to the independent researchers and migrants
who talked to this newspaper, each of the migrants paid around Tk 500,000 for a
job in Malaysia.
In total, there are around 800,000 Bangladeshis in
Malaysia.
"Malaysia needs to take urgent measures to
address the dire humanitarian situation of migrants and protect them from
exploitation, criminalisation and other human rights abuses," the UN
experts said.
"Perpetrators of these exploitative recruitments
must be held accountable," they said, adding that so far action taken
against these private businesses and fraudulent recruitment companies have been
wholly insufficient, both in Bangladesh and Malaysia.
"Meanwhile, vulnerable migrants have been
criminalised and some have faced severe reprisals for reporting the
exploitation suffered," they said.
They urged Malaysia and Bangladesh to investigate and
address the situation thoroughly.
"Malaysia must govern labour migration more
effectively by adopting adequate safeguards," the experts said, urging the
country to fulfil its obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business
and Human Rights to protect migrant workers against human rights abuses by
businesses operating in Malaysia and ensure that these businesses respect human
rights.
Malaysia must also step up efforts to identify,
protect and assist victims of exploitation, enforce existing legal protections
against trafficking in persons and uphold the country's international human
rights obligations, they said.
Source:
thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/labour-migration-malaysia-un-experts-decry-appalling-state-bangladeshis-3590801
---
No political cases filed against BNP activists: PM
Apr 20, 2024
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday that there
are no political cases filed against BNP leaders and activists.
"The cases against them [BNP] are related to
different crimes. They committed offences. So, legal action is being taken
against them," she said.
The premier made the remarks while addressing an event
arranged in GonoBhaban to exchange views with the central committee members of
Bangladesh Krishak League on the occasion of its 52nd founding anniversary.
She said the cases should be disposed of quickly to
ensure punishment for these crimes.
The PM said the cases were filed for crimes like
arson, murder, corruption, arms smuggling, and grenade attacks.
Talking about the violence before the recently held
12th parliamentary election, Hasina said they committed the October 28 incident
and killed a mother and her child by setting fire to trains to thwart the
polls.
"So, should cases not be filed against those who
committed these things?" she said.
Refuting the claim that 60 lakh BNP leaders and
workers are in jail, the prime minister said that the country's jails cannot
accommodate so many people.
"If so many BNP men are detained in jails, it
means all who are now in jails are their men, and there are no other criminals
anymore there."
Recalling the horrific violence and torture of Awami
League leaders and activists during the BNP regimes, the PM said her government
did not go to take revenge but instead devoted its merit and power to
developing the country and working for its people.
"It is lucky for them that we are in power. They
still have scope to talk [raise voice], as we are not revengeful like them.
They talk all day using the loudspeaker, and then they say they don't get scope
to speak."
Source:
thedailystar.net
Please
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/no-political-cases-filed-against-bnp-activists-pm-3590816
----
Myanmar's fled security personnel cleared to
repatriate on Apr 22: FM
Apr 19, 2024
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud today said that Dhaka
had given clearance to Myanmar authority to return their security personnel who
took shelter in Bangladesh on April 22.
"We gave our clearance for April 22. We are not
sure whether they could take back their citizens on that day ... It would
depend on the weather condition and their internal situation," he told
reporters after an event at the foreign ministry this afternoon.
The foreign minister said it has been decided that the
fled Myanmar security personnel will go back by ship to be sent by the Myanmar
authority.
Till today, Hasan said 285 Myanmar's border guards and
army personnel have fled to Bangladesh amid the ongoing conflict inside Myanmar
between the ruling authority and different armed groups.
Rebel factions in Arakan state have engaged in clashes
with Myanmar's military junta since February last primarily over the control of
a border camp.
Persistent gunfire, mortar shells, and rocket
explosions have marked the ongoing conflict.
Bangladesh played a critical role in sheltering over a
million Rohingyas who fled their home in Rakhine and took refuge in Bangladesh
to evade persecution, particularly after a 2017 army crackdown but the current
crisis visibly has little to do with the Rohingyas.
Earlier, the foreign minister unveiled covers of books
- Bangabandhu's "Unfinished Autobiography" and "Prison
Diary" translated into Asomiya language, "Zero Hour" written by
poet and researcher of Assam Rita Chowdhury based on Bangladesh Liberation War
and "BhubanJora Sheikh Hasina's Asankhani" written by EkusheyPadak
winner journalist Zafar Wazed.
Source:
thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/make-friend-happy-we-cannot-antagonise-others-3590191
---
Afghanistan faces bleak economic prospects: World Bank
Fidel Rahmati
April 20, 2024
The World Bank paints a bleak economic picture of
Afghanistan due to the absence of GDP growth and decreasing external financing
avenues for off-budget expenditures.
Afghanistan experienced a severe economic downturn,
with a 20.7 percent contraction in GDP in 2021, followed by a further 6.2
percent contraction in 2022, according to a World Bank report.
Despite some resilience in rural areas from the
agricultural and subsistence economy, the country faced challenges such as
higher prices, reduced demand, lower employment, and disruptions to services,
affecting the entire nation.
The proportion of households unable to afford basic
food needs doubled from 16 percent to 36 percent during this period, indicating
a worsening economic situation, as reported by the World Bank.
Concerns about the policies of the Taliban
administration particularly restrictions on women and girls, prompted the
international community, including the World Bank, to adjust its approach to
supporting Afghanistan.
Initially, support focused on humanitarian aid,
transitioning later to off-budget assistance for basic service delivery and
livelihoods, in response to the changing situation in Afghanistan.
Despite efforts by the Taliban to increase domestic
revenues, overall economic activity remained depressed, unemployment remained
high, and the banking sector faced challenges due to constraints on
international transfers and concerns about liquidity.
The World Bank warns that Afghanistan’s economic
outlook remains uncertain, with the threat of stagnation looming until at least
2025, which could exacerbate poverty and unemployment while increasing food
insecurity.
To achieve sustainable development, Afghanistan must
leverage its comparative advantages, particularly in agriculture and extractive
sectors, according to the World Bank. Agriculture, in particular, holds
potential for job creation and poverty reduction.
Looking ahead, Afghanistan needs strategic planning and
investment in key sectors to stimulate economic growth, create employment
opportunities, and improve livelihoods, as outlined by the World Bank.
Source:
khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-faces-bleak-economic-prospects-world-bank/
----
Create right conditions for Rohingya repatriation: G7
Apr 20, 2024
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7)
countries have stressed the need to create conditions for the voluntary, safe,
dignified, and sustainable return of all Rohingya refugees and displaced
persons to Myanmar.
They also called for justice and accountability for
atrocities committed against Rohingyas and other ethnic communities in Myanmar.
They, in a joint statement, also reiterated their call
on all states to prevent or cease the flow of arms and other dual-use
materials, including jet fuel, into Myanmar.
They urged the Myanmar military to immediately cease
any violence, release all prisoners arbitrarily detained including the
democratically elected leaders and establish an inclusive dialogue with all
stakeholders to restore the path towards a meaningful and durable democratic
process.
"We also reiterate our call on the Myanmar
military to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, to desist
from any form of forced labour and to allow prompt, safe and unhindered
humanitarian access to all displaced persons and people in need," said the
G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the
European Union in their statement issued by the US Department of State on
Friday.
They will continue to support Asean's efforts to
promote a credible and inclusive process to achieve the swift implementation of
the Five-Point Consensus.
"We highlight the importance of a comprehensive
implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 2669 (2022) and
support the UN's further engagement in the crisis, including through the
leadership of the newly appointed UN Special Envoy on Myanmar and through the
designation of a Resident Coordinator in country," said the G7 countries,
noting that accountability for serious crimes committed in Myanmar remains
essential.
The G7 countries reiterated their strong condemnation
of the military coup in Myanmar and reaffirm our support and solidarity with
the people of Myanmar in their quest for peace, freedom, and democracy.
The continuing attacks by the military destroying
civilian infrastructure (including homes, schools, places of worship and
hospitals), the repeated and serious violations of human rights and the
alarming humanitarian situation – which particularly affect those in most
vulnerable situations, including children, women and members of minority
religious and ethnic groups – are unacceptable.
"We also condemn the recent implementation of the
2010 conscription law by the military regime," they said.
The forced recruitment of young people can only lead
to further violence and trigger a massive exodus to neighbouring countries,
according to the joint statement.
Source:
thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/create-right-conditions-rohingya-repatriation-g7-3590911
----
Europe
French police arrest man after threatening to blow
himself up at Iran consulate
19 April 2024
French police have arrested a man who had reportedly
threatened to blow himself up at the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in
the capital, Paris.
The man was reported by a French police source to have
been seen entering the consulate at about 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) on
Friday while carrying what appeared to be a grenade and explosive vest.
Police were prompted to cordon off the Iranian
consulate and asked the public to avoid the area.
French television channel BFM said the man later left
the consulate and was then arrested, adding that the suspect had been carrying
replica grenades.
Iran's Tasnim news agency cited diplomatic information
provided to the outlet as saying that the man, ??who was an Iranian national
with a mental disorder, entered the consular section of the Islamic Republic of
Iran’s Embassy in Paris by pretending that he had explosives on him.
Having disrupted the process of providing services to
applicants, the man was finally convinced to leave the diplomatic building
before being arrested by police.
The man, previously tried and convicted in court for
attempted arson near the Iranian consulate, was identified as the same
individual involved in the incident last September.
The members of the consular section of the Iranian
Embassy in Paris are in perfect health and there was no damage to the consular
section.
Source:
presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/19/723983/French-police-arrest-man-Iran-consulate
----
Hundreds of students take to streets in Milan in
support of Palestine
20 April 2024
Hundreds of young people took to the streets in Milan
on Friday calling to stop the Israeli war in Gaza and the environmental damage
associated with it.
Footage shows protesters entering KFC fast food
restaurant chanting 'Free, free Palestine' and holding banners reading 'Free
Palestine. Climate = justice'.
Then protesters marched to Eni petrol station, where
they lighted flares and displayed a banner reading 'Boycott tour, stop
genocide' following the company getting a gas exploration license in Israel.
Similar actions were carried out outside a McDonald's restaurant.
According to the local media, the protest was
organized by the 'Fridays for Future' international activist movement and was
held on the day of the Global Climate Strike.
The Global Climate Strike Day was called by Fridays for
Future on April 19 and planned to be held in some countries, including the US
and Germany.
KFC, McDonald’s, and other Western fast food chains
are reportedly boycotted across the Arab countries over expressing support for
Israel or alleged financial ties or investments to Israel.
The protest comes as fighting continues in Gaza in the
seventh month of the conflict.
Source:
presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/20/724008/students-protest-Milan-Palestine-Israeli-war-Gaza-
----
Italy urges clear G7 message for de-escalation in
Mideast
BarisSeckin
19.04.2024
Italy’s foreign minister on Friday urged fellow G7
countries to deliver a clear message for de-escalation in the Middle East.
“This morning we decided to tackle the Iran issue
immediately. I wanted there to be a clear message from the G7,” Foreign
Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters at the end of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting
in Capri, Italy, hours after news of another apparent Israeli attack on Iran,
continuing a tit-for-tat cycle.
He added: “We call on all parties to make a positive
contribution.”
He also called all parties to avoid escalation in the
Middle East.
Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated last
weekend after Tehran launched a drone and missile attack in response to an
April 1 airstrike on its consulate in Syria, which killed seven Iranian
military officers, including two top-ranking commanders.
In retaliation, Israel reportedly carried out a
“limited strike” inside Iran early Friday morning, which according to Israeli
media reports “was meant to send a signal rather than cause damage.”
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack,
and there has been no official comment by the authorities.
Iranian authorities also downplayed the reports, and
said the sound of explosions heard in the city of Isfahan was the result of
Iranian air defense systems firing at “suspicious objects.”
Source:
.aa.com.tr
Please
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/italy-urges-clear-g7-message-for-de-escalation-in-mideast/3196988
---
London cops apologize for implying Jewish man’s kippa
‘provoked’ anti-Israel crowd
20.04.2024
A video of a London police officer telling a man
wearing a kippa that he’s too “openly Jewish” to approach an anti-Israel march
safely has gradually escalated into a full-blown media blunder for the
Metropolitan Police.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist on Thursday
apologized for the “openly Jewish” remark, but in the same statement also
invited fresh criticism by criticizing pro-Israel individuals for being
“provocative.”
Following a further torrent of criticism, the police
on Friday deleted the earlier statement from its X account and issued a new
one, in which the force apologized for the wording of some of the previous
apology and clarified that “being Jewish is not a provocation.”
The video from the April 13 incident shows an officer
blocking Gideon Falter, head of the Campaign Against Antisemitism watchdog,
from crossing a street with many people carrying Palestinian flags, telling him
“If I can ask [you] to stay there please.”
In response, Falter told the officer, “I don’t want to
stay here, I want to leave.”
“Well in that case sir, when the crowd is gone I’ll
happily escort you out,” the officer said, while continuing to prevent Falter
from getting around him. “I don’t want anybody antagonizing anybody.”
“At the moment sir, you are quite openly Jewish. This
is a pro-Palestinian march. I’m not accusing you of anything, but I am worried
about the reaction to your presence,” the officer added.
Later in the video, another officer is seen telling
Falter that if he did not agree to be escorted from the area, he would be
arrested.
The weekly marches of tens of thousands of people
through the UK capital have seen calls for an “intifada” or uprising, as well
as chants that advocate the destruction of Israel, such as, “We don’t want two
states, Palestine ’48.”
In the since-deleted statement by the Metropolitan
Police, Twist said the footage of Falter being blocked will “further dent the
confidence of many Jewish Londoners which is the opposite of what any of us
want.” He added: “The use of the term ‘openly Jewish’ by one of our officers is
hugely regrettable. It’s absolutely not the basis on which we make decisions,
it was a poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have
caused offense to many. We apologize.”
But the statement courted fresh controversy with a
paragraph that read: “In recent weeks we’ve seen a new trend emerge, with those
opposed to the main protests appearing along the route to express their views.
The fact that those who do this often film themselves while doing so suggests
they must know that their presence is provocative, that they’re inviting a
response and that they’re increasing the likelihood of an altercation.”
Many critics called out the police over the paragraph,
including Falter’s group, which on X accused the force of “victim blaming.”
Police then issued a new statement, which said that the previous one had “been
removed. We apologize for the offense it caused.”
The new statement reiterated the apology for the
“openly Jewish” remark, adding: “We have reflected on the strength of the
response to our previous statement. In an effort to make a point about the
policing of protest we caused further offense. This was never our intention.”
“Being Jewish is not a provocation. Jewish Londoners
must be able to feel safe in this city. Our commitment to protecting the public
extends to all communities across London. It’s important that our public
statements reflect that more clearly than they did today,” the statement added.
Commenting on the earlier statement, Stephen Pollard,
editor-at-large of The Jewish Chronicle, said it “effectively blames Jews for
having the audacity to stand at the side while marchers call for intifada and
chant ‘From the River to the Sea’ — a call for the elimination of Israel and
its Jews.”
Following the new statement, Pollard wrote on X: “The
Met have lost it. Completely. They have now apologized for their previous
apology — which wasn’t an apology but a statement of what they actually think
and do. So as things are tonight the Met is apologizing for how it intends to
carry on behaving.”
Major demonstrations have taken place in London on
most Saturdays since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, sparked by Hamas’s
October 7 massacre in which thousands of terrorists rampaged through southern
Israel, murdering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians slaughtered amid brutal
atrocities and sexual assault, and kidnapping 253 to Gaza, half of whom remain
in captivity.
Falter, the activist against antisemitism whom a
police officer blocked from approaching anti-Israel protesters, was walking
nearby while carrying a bag containing his prayer shawl when he came across the
march, the London-based Daily Telegraph reported.
In an interview, Falter said that he “was identifiable
as a Jew but was otherwise like any other Londoner.”
“I was not part of any protest or counter-protest and
was not wearing any stickers or carrying any signs, flags or the like. I was
exercising my right to walk around my home city as a Jewish Londoner. A year
ago, that would not have been controversial. But now, it is,” he said.
Falter also claimed that the police “believes that
being openly Jewish will antagonize the anti-Israel marchers and that Jews need
protection, which the police cannot guarantee.”
In March, the United Kingdom’s counterterrorism
commissioner warned that the streets of central London have become “a no-go
zone for Jews every weekend” because of the weekly demonstrations. Commissioner
Robin Simcox added that the charged atmosphere since the October 7 onslaught
has also led to “skyrocketing” Jewish bigotry in the UK.
In January, workers and shoppers at a family-owned
kosher supermarket in Golders Green fended off a knife-wielding attacker who
asked them, “Do you support Israel or Palestine?”
There have also been numerous reports of antisemitic
attacks on people hanging posters of hostages kidnapped by Gaza terror groups,
and while speaking Hebrew on the streets of London as well.
The UK Jewish security group CST said in February that
it had recorded an all-time high in antisemitic incidents last year, with the
number after October 7 exceeding all previous totals in the 40 years the group
has been tracking antisemitism in Britain.
The previous record for antisemitic incidents in
Britain was in 2021, fueled by a rise in violence amid an 11-day war between
Israel and Hamas that year.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/london-cops-apologize-for-implying-that-activists-kippa-provoked-anti-israel-crowd/
---
‘We’re not like the Nazis’: Netanyahu said to chide
German FM on Gaza ‘famine’ remark
19 April 2024
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly bickered
with Germany’s foreign minister regarding the humanitarian situation in the
Gaza Strip, with the premier telling her, “We’re not like the Nazis.”
The Wednesday conversation apparently turned
contentious when German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs AnnalenaBaerbock
asserted that Israel was “driving Gaza toward famine.”
In the exchange reported by Channel 13, Baerbock
offered to show Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer “photos of
hungry [Gazan] children on my phone.” Netanyahu responded to the gesture,
telling the German official, “Come and see the pictures of the markets in Gaza,
the beaches in Gaza, there’s no famine there.”
The report came amid photos circulating on social
media showing stocked market stalls and Gazans enjoying a hot day on the beach,
after the Israel Defense Forces withdrew all of its maneuvering ground forces
from the Strip two weeks ago, prompting displaced Palestinians to attempt to
return to their homes.
Baerbock reportedly recommended that Israel stop
circulating the photos of life supposedly returning to normal in the
Palestinian enclave “as they don’t portray the real situation in Gaza. There is
hunger in Gaza.”
At this point, Netanyahu was said to have raised his
voice and insisted conditions in Gaza were improving: “It’s real. It’s reality.
It’s not like what the Nazis staged, we’re not like the Nazis who produced fake
images of a manufactured reality.”
Netanyahu was likely referring to the Theresienstadt
“model” ghetto set up by the Nazis during World War Two to deceive
international observers as to the conditions Jews were living in.
According to the Channel 13 report, the German foreign
minister responded, “Are you saying that our doctors in the field in Gaza
aren’t telling the truth? Are you saying that the international media is
lying?”
On Friday, Germany said it complained to Netanyahu’s
staff after what it described as a “distorted” account of a row was leaked to
the press.
Asked about the report after a G7 foreign ministers’
meeting on the Italian island of Capri, Baerbock said that “we are not
reporting on confidential discussions.”
“The German ambassador was in contact with the prime
minister’s staff and made it clear what we think of such distorting
publications,” she said. “Regret was expressed to us regarding the publication,
whose source is unclear.”
Germany’s ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert tweeted
that “key points” in the media accounts were“wrong and misleading,” but did not
specify what was the issue.
Baerbock and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron
arrived in Israel on Tuesday in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel
overnight Saturday-Sunday, in which it launched some 350 attack drones and
missiles at the country.
Germany urged Israel to show restraint in the
aftermath of the attack, warning that any additional direct hostilities with
Iran could send the Middle East spiraling into an all-out war.
“Everyone must now act prudently and responsibly,”
Baerbock said after meeting with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials before
departing Israel for a Group of Seven meeting that she said would discuss Iran
sanctions.
“A spiraling escalation would serve no one, not
Israel’s security, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas,
not the suffering population of Gaza, not the many people in Iran who are
themselves suffering under the regime, and not the third countries in the
region who simply want to live in peace,” she continued.
During a Wednesday cabinet meeting, Netanyahu told the
members that both Baerbock and Cameron had “all kinds of suggestions and
advice.” While it was appreciated, Israel would nevertheless “make our own
decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend
itself.”
Netanyahu’s office said earlier that during his
meetings with the German and British foreign ministers, the prime minister
“reiterated that Israel would maintain its right to self-defense.”
The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7
massacre, when Hamas-led terrorists burst through the border and killed some
1,200 people, most of them civilians, rampaging through communities in southern
Israel and mowing down partygoers at a music festival. The terrorists also
kidnapped some 253 people to Gaza, where around 129 are still held hostage.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
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---
Southeast
Asia
Fighting flares at Myanmar-Thai border as rebels
target stranded junta troops
20 Apr 2024
MAE SOT (Thailand), April 20 ? Fighting raged at Myanmar's
eastern frontier with Thailand today, witnesses, media and Thailand's
government said, forcing about 200 civilians to flee as rebels pressed to flush
out junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing.
Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized
the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of the frontier on April
11, dealing a big blow to a well-equipped military that is struggling to govern
and is now facing a critical test of its battlefield credibility.
Three witnesses on the Thai and Myanmar sides of the
border said they heard explosions and heavy machine gun fire near a strategic
bridge from late on Friday that continued into early Saturday.
Several Thai media outlets said about 200 people had
crossed the border to seek temporary refuge in Thailand.
Thai broadcaster NBT in a post on social media
platform X said resistance forces used 40-milimetre machine guns and dropped 20
bombs from drones to target an estimated 200 junta soldiers who had retreated
from a coordinated rebel assault on Myawaddy and army posts since April 5.
Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and a
Myanmar junta spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
Thai Prime Minister SretthaThavisin said he was
closely monitoring the unrest and his country was ready to provide humanitarian
assistance if necessary.
“I do not desire to see any such clashes have any
impact on the territorial integrity of Thailand and we are ready to protect our
borders and the safety of our people,” he said on X. He made no mention of
refugees.
Big setback
Myanmar's military is facing its biggest challenge
since first taking control of the former British colony in 1962, caught up in
multiple, low-intensity conflicts and grappling to stabilise an economy that
has crumbled since a 2021 coup against Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's
government.
The country is locked in a civil war between the
military on one side and, on the other, a loose alliance of established ethnic
minority armies and a resistance movement born out of the junta's bloody
crackdown on anti-coup protests.
The capture of Myawaddy and surrounding army outposts
is a significant setback for a junta that has been squeezed by Western
sanctions, with the town a key tax revenue source and conduit for more than
US$1 billion of annual border trade.
The Khaosod newspaper in a post on X showed a video of
Myanmar civilians, many of them women and children, being marshalled by Thai
soldiers at an entry point to Thailand.
Thailand had on Friday said no refugees had entered
the country and it was discussing with aid agencies about increasing
humanitarian relief to civilians on the Myanmar side. ? Reuters
Source:
malaymail.com
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---
Religious Minister calls for calm in Malaysia’s Israel
boycott
20-04- 2024
PETALING JAYA: Religious Affairs Minister, Datuk Na’im
Mokhtar, has urged for moderation in the ongoing boycott of brands linked to
Israel.
While expressing support for the Palestinian cause, he
cautioned against “excessive and extreme” actions that could disrupt national
unity, according to Free Malaysia Today.
Na’im’s call come after reports of harassment and
threats targeting customers of certain fast-food chains.
This includes a recently reported incident in Kuantan
involving a family threatened with violence at McDonald’s outlet leading to the
arrest of five individuals.
Moreover, a Starbucks outlet in Tawau was also
reportedly vandalised with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
Condemning the plight of Palestinians, Na’im also
highlighted the need for Malaysians to remain ethical and maintain social
harmony despite the boycott movement.
He encouraged Malaysians to seek guidance from state
Islamic authorities to ensure their actions align with Islamic teachings and
promote societal peace.
Source:
thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local_news/religious-minister-calls-for-calm-in-malaysia-s-israel-boycott-AF12353164
----
Musicians hold peaceful demonstration demanding end to
Gaza genocide
April 20, 2024
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Coalition of Indonesian
Musicians for Gaza held a peaceful demonstration demanding an end to the acts
of genocide carried out by Israel.
The action, initiated by the Commission for Missing
Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and supported by Indonesian artists,
was held in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta, Friday (Apr 19).
Human rights activist FatiaMaulidiyanti stated that
the victims most affected by the war taking place in Gaza were children and
women, and they needed help.
"Anything we can do, just a click, or just voice
our opinion, is important," Maulidiyanti remarked.
She said that people need to participate in politics
to be able to voice their opinions and stop all conflicts that occur throughout
the world.
Meanwhile, artist Bella Fawzi remarked that before
today's action, she and several Indonesian musicians had created a
collaborative song titled "Tanah Para Nabi" (Land of the Prophets).
Related news: Indonesia airdrops aid in Gaza with
Jordan's help
She said that the song can now be heard on digital
music platforms while adding that all royalties from the song will be donated
directly to Palestine.
"We will give all royalties from the Land of the
Prophets to the NGO Friends of Palestine Indonesia to be allocated directly to
Palestine," Bella remarked.
Musician ChikiFawzi expressed hope that people would
continue to work together to speak out about what is taking place in Palestine
and relentlessly assert that the US is not right in supporting Israel.
Moreover, a man, on grounds of anonymity and active in
the Palestine Post, stated that what has happened in Gaza since October 2023
had been taking place since 1948, and genocide must be opposed.
He also said that as information is now open and
nothing can be covered up, it is currently difficult to form public opinion.
Source:
antaranews.com
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---
Govt procures SAR 159 million banknotes for Hajj
pilgrims' allowance
April 20, 2024
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Hajj Fund Management
Agency (BPKH) distributed over SAR 159 million (US$40.96 million) Saudi riyal
banknotes to cover the living cost of over 200 thousand Hajj pilgrims departing
for Saudi Arabia during this year's Hajj season.
"We hope it will be useful for all Indonesian
pilgrims' comfort, safety, and smoothness while performing their Hajj
rituals," BPKH executive board official Sulistyowati noted as per her
statement received here on Saturday.
She explained that 750 riyals (US$199) in cash would
be disbursed to each of the 213,320 Hajj pilgrims under the regular program at
their final embarkation or the transit point before their embarkation.
Only Hajj pilgrims under the regular program will
receive the riyal cash, she stated.
"The (cash for meeting the) living cost will be
distributed to Hajj pilgrims according to the Religious Affairs Ministry
schedule, which is before the departure of the first Hajj flight group on May
12, 2024," the agency official stated.
She said the BPKH is legally obliged to provide and
manage Hajj operational funds equal to two folds the total Hajj management cost
in one year as well as to procure the riyal banknotes for living costs
allowance in Saudi Arabia.
While finalizing the Hajj cost borne by individual
pilgrims for this year's Hajj season, the government and the parliament had
considered the cost of living component of pilgrims during their stay in the
Holy Land.
Sulistyowati stated that the government and the
parliament agreed on covering the living cost of pilgrims, regional Hajj
officers, and Hajj guide groups in Saudi riyal banknotes.
The agency is collaborating with state-owned Bank
Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) to procure the banknotes, the official remarked.
Meanwhile, the Religious Affairs Ministry's Director
of Hajj Fund Management and Integrated Hajj Information System, Ramadhan
Harisman, reiterated the government's readiness to organize this year's Hajj by
providing riyal banknotes for pilgrims.
"The need for banknotes is an inevitability. The
(money to cover the) living cost is handed over by pilgrims when they pay off
their Hajj fees and will be returned by them in cash at their embarkation
point," Harisman stated.
"We also want to realize safety and comfort for
Hajj pilgrims by ensuring they hold cash money," he added.
Source:
antaranews.com
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---
Arab
World
Saudi universities participate in Geneva’s
International Exhibition of Inventions
April 19, 2024
RIYADH: Mohammed Al-Sudairi, the Saudi deputy minister
of education for universities, research and innovation, opened the Kingdom’s
pavilion at the 49th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.
Some 26 Saudi Arabian universities are taking part at
the event — including 19 government universities, two independents and five
private bodies — and a total of 113 inventions have been produced, in
scientific, theoretical, medical, and biological specializations, the Saudi
Press Agency reported.
Among the universities taking part is Qassim
University, which is showcasing a display that highlights innovations and
several inventions.
Abdulaziz bin Bani Alharbi, a faculty member at
Qassim’s College of Agriculture and Food, said that the college was showcasing
a patent registered with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property: a
method for desalinating salt water using a halophyte plant.
He said the invention involved introducing water and
placing the plant in a closed system that allowed the collection of water from
the plant after the transpiration process.
Alharbi added that gas exchange followed and then
desalination to obtain salt-free water.
Fahad Alminderej, a faculty member at the College of
Science, said his group had obtained a patent for extracting materials from
date waste, and was then using them in pharmaceutical manufacturing in an
innovative manner. This patent had also been registered with the Saudi
Authority for Intellectual Property.
Abdullah Almohaimeed, the head of the Innovation
Center and Intellectual Property at the university, said that Qassim was
participating in the exhibition as part of the Ministry of Education’s
initiative to enhance the international presence of Saudi universities, in line
with national objectives.
He added that the university’s participation aimed to
highlight its role in supporting the innovation system and entrepreneurship, as
well as showcase many inventions.
The exhibition, which is taking place until April 21,
is displaying more than 1,000 inventions from over 40 countries. Some 800
exhibitors are featured at the event and 30,000 visitors are expected to
attend, in addition to 650 journalists.
It is the world’s largest annual event devoted
exclusively to invention.
Source:
arabnews.com
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click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2495821/saudi-arabia
---
Saudi officials reveal details of highly-anticipated
‘Zarqa Al-Yamama’ opera
April 19, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi officials on Thursday revealed details
of performances of “Zarqa Al-Yamama,” the first Saudi opera and the largest to
be performed in the Arabic language.
The opera opens on April 25 and will run until May 4
at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh, the Theater and Performing Arts
Commission announced at a press conference.
Sultan Al-Bazei, the CEO of the commission, said: “The
‘Zarqa Al-Yamama’ opera represents a new phase for Saudi culture, in which the
most famous stories of our narrative and cultural heritage are embodied on the
theater stages with qualitative works according to the highest international
standards.”
He added that the new production is the result of
years of work, and all its details were developed with great care and hard
work.
He expressed appreciation for the follow-up and
attention given by Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who
is also the chairman of the board of directors of the Theater and Performing
Arts Commission.
Prince Badr announced the launch of the opera on Feb.
16 at a ceremony in London, which was attended by the Saudi and international
creatives participating in the opera’s production.
Al-Bazei said that “Zarqaa Al-Yamama” derives its
story, spirit and language from the cultures of the Arabian Peninsula.
The opera “in some way embodies a bloody tragedy,
depicting ancient history and at the same time symbolizing the sorrows of the
contemporary man in the world, without being devoid of the specter of hope that
heralds a bright and prosperous tomorrow,” Al-Bazei explained.
He added that the first Saudi opera will include
prominent names in the Saudi music scene, most notably the author of the text,
Saleh Zamanan, and the participation of a number of Saudi artists in the show.
Al-Bazei said the Dresden Sinfoniker Orchestra will
perform the musical pieces of the opera, and the Czech Philharmonic Choir will
accompany the events of the story with distinctive vocals, while Swiss director
Daniele FinziPasca will undertake the task of directing all the details of the
opera.
International operatic composer Lee Bradshaw put
together the tunes for this epic story, drawing inspiration from some
traditional elements to create a contemporary framework.
The commission announced during the press conference
the main partners are the Roshan Group and the King Fahd Cultural Center.
It also honored other official partners including
Banque Saudi Fransi, Saudi Signs Media and Genesis Motor, and sponsors
including Nova and Spirit of Saudi Arabia, and hospitality partners Bateel and
Ramada by Wyndham.
Through the opera, the Theater and Performing Arts
Commission aims to strengthen the Saudi cultural sector, highlight national
talent, and reproduce and revive famous works and stories inherited from the
Arabian Peninsula in a contemporary and creative form.
It also aims to enhance international cultural
exchange, as one of the goals of the National Strategy for Culture derived from
the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Source:
arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2495776/saudi-arabia
---
Saudi Heritage Commission Celebrates the World
Heritage Day in Thee Ain Historic Village
19 Apr, 2024
The Saudi Heritage Commission and the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry in Al-Makhwah Governorate of Al-Baha Region organized a
celebration today for World Heritage Day at Thee Ain Historic Village, graced
by the presence of Al-Makhwah's Governor Ghalab bin Ghaleb Abu Khashaym.
The festivities included captivating sound and light
shows projected onto the facades of 58 heritage houses in the village, a folk
performance, a heritage council, and the traditional preparation of Saudi
coffee.
Thee Ain Historic Village is renowned for its
authentic heritage, rich history, and breathtaking beauty, leaving a lasting
impression on visitors. According to the United Nations Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website, the village dates back
to the end of the 10th century AH, making it over 400 years old. It stands as
one of the most significant heritage villages in the Kingdom, featuring 58
stone-built palaces situated atop a mountain of white marble. Additionally, the
village is home to a mosque where obligatory and Friday prayers are held.
Source:
alriyadhdaily.com
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https://alriyadhdaily.com/article/790e49139bfd44fa9eef49c24b42ce17
----
Yemenis, Jordanians reiterate support for Palestinians
in Gaza
19 April 2024
People in Yemen and Jordan held rallies in solidarity
with Palestinians in Gaza, where a genocidal Israeli war since last October has
killed more than 34,000 people.
Despite heavy rainfall, Yemenis demonstrated in the
capital, Sana’a on Friday, under the slogan “Our battle will continue until
Gaza is victorious.”
Similar rallies were also held in the province of
Sa’ada in northwestern Yemen.
The protesters were carrying the Yemeni and
Palestinian flags, as well as banners condemning the US-backed Israeli
atrocities.
They were also chanting slogans in support of the
Palestinian resistance factions, and slamming Israel and its staunch ally, the
US as “criminals.”
The protesters also slammed some Arab regimes over
their failure to take practical steps in support of the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, they reaffirmed their support for Yemen’s
pro-Palestine attacks that hit Israeli targets and ships, as well as the
British and American warships.
In solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged
Gaza Strip, the Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships in the Red Sea with
owners linked to Israel or those going to and from ports in the occupied
territories.
The US and the UK have also been carrying out numerous
attacks against Yemen as means of trying to pressure the country into stopping
a series of operations that it has been conducting in support of Gazans.
Yemen has been conducting operations against the
British and American warships that have been dispatched to the Red Sea to
confront the Yemeni strikes.
Also on Friday, crowds of people gathered near the
Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to express their support for
the Palestinians.
They also reiterated their call on their government to
cut ties with the Israeli regime.
"From here, from Amman, we say that the Jordanian
people, with all their political sensitivities, groups, and political powers,
stand behind this valiant resistance that has restored the nation’s true
spirit, and declare their rejection of all forms of normalization with this
Zionist entity, whether through diplomatic relations or commercial,"
Reuters quoted Imad al-Malhi, one of the protesters, as saying.
Since the onset of the Israeli war on Gaza, many
countries, including the US and Israel’s other Western allies, have seen
rallies in support of the Palestinians.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa
Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli intensified
violence against Palestinians.
Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity
to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.
Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime
has killed at least 34,012 Palestinians and injured nearly 76,833 others.
Source:
presstv.ir
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---
Saudi Arabia takes part in 3rd annual international
Camel Parade in Paris
April 20, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is taking part in a special Camel
Parade in France on Saturday, in celebration of the UN’s designation of 2024 as
International Year of Camelids.
The event in Paris has been organized by the French
Federation for the Development of Camelids in France and Europe, under the
umbrella of the International Camel Organization, and is sponsored by the Saudi
Ministry of Culture and the Kingdom’s Camel Club.
This is the third year in which the event has taken
place. The event was first held in
January 2019 and repeated in 2022.
The participants in the parade of camels, llamas,
alpacas and other members of the camelid family of creatures are expected to
include more than 50 representatives of camel-related organizations from more
than 30 countries, along with camel breeders, government officials, others with
an interest in the animals, and entertainers from various branches of the
performing arts.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, the countries that will
be represented include the US, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Canada, India,
Morocco, Tanzania, Peru, Algeria, the Czech Republic, Pakistan, Tunisia,
Austria, Spain, Burundi, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Mauritania, France, Sudan, Chad, Angola, the UK and Uganda.
Saudi representatives will highlight the role of the
Kingdom in promoting the value of camels as a cultural symbol that has been
associated with Saudi society since ancient times and “still enjoys great
prestige,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
On Friday, the eve of the parade, public discussions
took place at the Chateau de Janvry’s historical center about cultural heritage
associated with camels around the world and the specific contributions by
participating countries to the annual event in Paris.
The parade will be followed by a reception for invited
guests, including representatives of the participating countries, international
organizations, academia, research centers and the private sector, the SPA
reported.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization named 2024 as
International Year of Camelids to honor and promote the sector and highlight
the important role it plays in efforts to achieve food security and economic
growth in many countries.
Source:
arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2495986/saudi-arabia
---
Comprehensive Services in 51 Languages Offered to
Visitors of Grand Mosque of Makkah
19 Apr, 2024
The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of
the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque offers a wide range of services in 51
languages to assist visitors to the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
A dedicated team of 74 translators, comprising both
genders, are stationed at key arrival points throughout the day. These
locations include King Fahd Gate, King Abdulaziz Gate, King Abdulaziz Gate
(Ajyad), Bab Al Salam, Ajyad Bridge, Al-Safa, Third Saudi Expansion, and
Entrance to Al-Masaa.
This encompasses access to scheduled information, enabling
visitors to easily find prayer times, current lessons and lectures, and
museum/exhibition visiting hours. Additionally, the service provides cultural
and historical insights about the Grand Mosque, along with relevant contact
numbers. Dedicated information centers serve as a central hub for inquiries
regarding all Grand Mosque services, translation services, and live broadcasts.
The authority is actively developing additional
resources to further enhance visitor experience. These initiatives include the
distribution of headphones, enabling visitors to access live broadcasts of
sermons and lessons. Furthermore, the authority is collaborating with service
providers within the Grand Mosque to equip them with verbal translation skills,
allowing them to assist visitors in multiple languages. Designated FM radio
channels also broadcast sermons and lessons, maximizing accessibility for
non-Arabic speakers.
The general
authority's commitment to comprehensive support in 51 languages ensures a
welcoming and informative experience for visitors from all over the world. This
fosters a deeper understanding of the Grand Mosque's significance and enriches
their overall visit.
Source:
alriyadhdaily.com
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https://alriyadhdaily.com/article/71014475ec7a4013935b09b32bc3b446
---
Pakistan
Group of ‘Well-wishers of Pakistan’ in the making to
resolve ‘rift between IK, Establishment’
April 20, 2024
Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: A group of “well-wishers of Pakistan” is
joining hands to evolve a strategy not only to resolve the growing rift between
Imran Khan and the military establishment but also make the political parties
sit together for greater good of people and the country.
The group includes some senior “neutral” politicians
and a retired general. One of them confided to The News that so far at least
three “well-wishers of Pakistan” are in contact with one another, some others
may join, to discuss the strategy for national cohesion and political
stability.
These three include two former federal ministers and a
well-known retired three star general. All the three are known faces. At this
stage these “well-wishers of Pakistan” are not keen to disclose their names but
they are discussing how they can use their connections both within the military
and in politics to bring an end to politics of enmity and hatred. One major
concern of the group is to resolve the rift between Imran Khan and the military
establishment. Talking about the rifts, the source said that there is a
conflict between Imran Khan and the military establishment, PTI and the ruling
coalition parties also don’t talk to each other whereas IHC’s six judges letter
also showed a divide within the judiciary. It is said that the current
situation is not good for the country, which needs political stability as well
as respect for all the institutions.
“Once we finalise our strategy, we may share our
thoughts with the media,” the source said, indicating that it may not take
long.
From the views expressed in TV talk shows during
recent months by these “well-wishers of Pakistan, it can be assessed that their
main focus will possibly be to resolve the differences between Imran Khan/PTI
and the military establishment. There has been no direct interaction between Imran
Khan/PTI and the military establishment since Nov 2022. Imran Khan and other
leaders of the PTI have been frustratingly seeking a direct contact with the
military establishment but it did not happen as yet. There have been some
unconfirmed reports about some indirect contacts but the ground realities
remain unchanged for both Imran Khan and his party.
A few weeks back former secretary defence Lt-General
(R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi had claimed that the military establishment had
contacted Imran Khan but there was no outcome. Talking to The News, the retired
general had said it was in his knowledge that the military establishment had
indirectly contacted Imran Khan.
He said the message for Imran Khan was to admit that
he had planned the May 9 attacks, apologise for the same and assure that he
would never repeat any such act in future. Lodhi added that Imran Khan replied
he never planned the May 9 attacks, condemned those involved in arson and
hooliganism and said he would ensure those who were involved in these incidents
were removed from the PTI.
Source:
thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1180339-group-of-well-wishers-of-pakistan-in-the-making-to-resolve-rift-between-ik-establishment
---
Elements misusing Afghan trade for smuggling have
inside help, PM told
April 20, 2024
Syed Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was
apprised on Friday that government officials were facilitating elements
involved in the misuse of Afghan Transit Trade for smuggling.
During a meeting chaired by the PM on smuggling, a
committee report was presented, according to the Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO). “The committee identified the elements involved in the misuse of Afghan
Transit Trade for smuggling and the officers facilitating them,” the report
stated.
The PM was informed that a list of smugglers,
hoarders, and their facilitating officers had been forwarded to law
enforcement agencies and provincial governments.
Consequently, the PM directed the removal of the
identified officers from their respective posts and the initiation of
disciplinary proceedings against them.
Shehbaz orders removal of officers found involved,
accelerating anti-smuggling drive
During the meeting, the prime minister paid tribute to
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir for his full cooperation with
the government in its endeavour against smuggling.
The report of the investigation committee, headed by
A.D. Khawaja, was presented at the meeting.
Calling for punishment to smugglers and drug dealers,
the prime minister asked the law ministry to carry out legislation immediately
for this purpose.
The PM emphasised more effective and swift monitoring
of the sale and smuggling of Afghan Transit Trade goods in the country, calling
for a third-party audit of the monitoring system.
PM Shehbaz ordered the complete elimination of sugar
smuggling and immediate release of funds to examine the prevalence of drug
consumption. The meeting was apprised of smuggling, misuse of Afghan Transit
Trade, drugs, sugar, wheat, fertiliser, petroleum products, and illegal
weapons.
The meeting was informed that law enforcement agencies
raided a godown of smuggling goods a couple of days ago in Mastung, seizing
goods worth over Rs10 billion.
Later, an EU delegation led by Ambassador Riina Kionka
paid a courtesy call on PM Shehbaz. The prime minister appreciated the EU’s
continued support through the GSP Plus scheme and expressed interest in
engaging with the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy through the European Investment
Bank.
The EU ambassador briefed the PM on cooperation
initiatives, including ongoing dialogues on migration and mobility issues, and
facilitating European businesses in Pakistan. Progress on the resumption of
flights from Pakistan to EU countries was also discussed.
Source:
dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1828498
---
Judges’ proposals sought to end ‘meddling’
April 20, 2024
Malik Asad
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court administration has
sought suggestions from the judges of IHC and subordinate judiciary by April 25
to counter the alleged meddling of intelligence agencies in judicial affairs.
Sources in the judicial bureaucracy told Dawn that in
compliance with the Supreme Court order passed in the suomotu proceedings
initiated on a letter of six IHC judges, the administration sought suggestions,
proposals from the judges to counter external interference in judicial matters.
In its April 3 order, the SC had asked the Pakistan
Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, high courts and the federal
government to suggest institutional response and mechanism to address issues
like the ones raised in the letter [of IHC judges] and ensure that such issues
do not arise in future.
The IHC registrar’s office sought the judges’ proposal
by April 25, the deadline initially set by the apex court. The administration
would then submit a consolidated report to the SC, the sources said.
In their letter, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice
Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Justice Babar Sattar, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan,
Justice Arbab Mohammad Tahir and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz had hinted at the
alleged involvement of ISI in judicial matters.
Source:
dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1828500
---
Court orders checkup of Imran, Bushra
April 20, 2024
Khalid Iqbal
ISLAMABAD. An accountability court Friday accepted
requests for a medical examination of the PTI founder chairman Imran Khan and
his wife Bushra Bibi and directed Bushra Bibi’s endoscopy in a private hospital
within two days.
Imran has claimed that Bushra Bibi has been given food
mixed with toilet cleaner.
During the hearing of £190 million NCA case at the
Adiala Jail, Imran told Judge Nasir Javed Rana that additional walls had been
erected in the courtroom, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a closed court.
The judge directed the jail administration to remove
the additional barriers immediately and adjourned the hearing for an hour. The
jail administration obeyed the order and removed the additional barriers within
no time.
Later, the defence lawyers filed an application
regarding the difficulties to the media during the hearing of the case on which
the judge called the media representatives and Imran Khan to the rostrum and
inquired about the problems.
The media persons replied that there were difficulties
in listening to the court proceedings on which the judge directed the jail
administration to take action.
Imran said Shaukat Khanum Hospital Chief Medical
Officer Dr Asim Yousaf had recommended Bushra Bibi’s tests at the Shifa
International Hospital but the jail administration was adamant on conducting
the test at the PIMS.
The court advised Imran to refrain from holding “press
conferences” during the hearings, to which he responded that his statements
were misquoted and he engaged with journalists to clarify them. He also
requested that the court allow him a 10-minute interaction with the media after
the hearings. Later, the court adjourned the hearing until April 23.
Source:
thenews.com.pk
Please
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1180332-court-orders-checkup-of-imran-bushra
----
Al-Qadir Trust case hearing: Adiala jail authorities
remove wooden walls in courtroom
2024-04-20
RAWALPINDI:
Adiala jail authorities on Friday removed wooden walls erected to restrict
media access to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and
his wife during the hearing of Al-Qadir Trust case following the directions of
the Accountability Court.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana, while
hearing the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam commonly known as the
Al-Qadir Trust case, ordered Adiala jail authorities to immediately remove the
wooden walls in the Adiala jail courtroom.
Until the wall has not been removed the hearing will
not proceed further, the judge further remarked.
At the start of the hearing, Khan came to the rostrum
and told the judge that authorities had set up additional walls in the
courtroom.
This is not an environment like an open court, he
said.
The judge told Khan to first tell us whether a medical
check up of Bushra Bibi had been carried out or not.
Dr Asim Yousaf had advised conducting medical tests on
his wife from Shifa International Hospital but jail authorities are insisting
on conducting the test from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS,
he told the court.
The judge said that on humanitarian grounds, the court
is issuing an order for conducting a medical test of Bushra Bibi from a private
hospital.
Khan further alleged that toilet cleaner was mixed in
his wife's food.
The health condition of his wife is deteriorating day
by day, he said.
The court after issuing an order for the removal of an
additional wall from the courtroom took an hour’s break.
The jail authorities removed some additional walls
from the courtroom during the break.
The PTI lawyer filed an application regarding
difficulties faced by the media before the court after it resumed hearings
following the break.
The judge asked media persons and Khan to come to the
rostrum.
The judge asked media persons about the difficulties
they faced during the hearing. Media persons informed the court that they were
facing problems during the coverage of the hearing.
The judge asked jail authorities to take measures to
solve the problems of media persons.
The judge asked Khan not to address the press
conference during the hearing. Khan told the court that he talked to media
persons as he wanted to explain any false statement attributed to him outside
the jail.
The judge asked Khan that taking care of court decorum
is mandatory, therefore, talk to media persons after the hearing.
Khan informed the court that jail authorities direct
media persons to leave the courtroom after the hearing. The court allowed Khan
to talk to media persons for 10 minutes after the hearing.
The court also approved Khan and his wife's plea
seeking to conduct a medical check-up from a private hospital.
According to the written order as per frequent verbal
as well as written requests made by the defence side for medical check-ups,
necessary medical tests and medical treatment of Bushra Bibi accused, the jail
administration was directed accordingly to the same effect but it could not
comply with the court orders for one reason or the other.
It says that there is a controversy between the
parties regarding the observance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for
medical treatment of jail inmates. Be that as it may, Superintendent Central
Jail, Rawalpindi is directed to get Bushra Bibi medically checked up from
Al-Shifa Hospital Islamabad immediately till April 22under the supervision of
Dr Asim Yousaf from Shaukat Khanum Hospital and doctors from Central Jail,
Rawalpindi, as purportedly she is suffering from serious stomach disorder.
The order further says that Imran Khan also wants to
get himself medically checked up under the supervision of the same Dr Asim
Yousaf. The Superintendent Central Jail, Rawalpindi is directed to get him also
medically checked up accordingly under the supervision of the said Dr Asim
Yousaf and the doctors from the jail. The superintendent jail is directed to
submit a compliance report to the same effect prior to the next hearing to be
held on April 23.
Source:
brecorder.com
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----
Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia express disappointment
over UN failure to admit Palestine's membership
Islamuddin Sajid
19.04.2024
Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia have expressed
disappointment over the UN Security Council's failure to admit Palestine's full
membership at the United Nations.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch said Islamabad is "deeply disappointed" at the result of
Thursday’s debate at the Council and its inability to reach a consensus and
recommend Palestine’s membership of the UN to the General Assembly.
"We regret the U.S. decision to veto the draft
resolution granting full membership of the UN to Palestine," she told
reporters in Islamabad.
She added that the time has come for admission of the
Palestine to the UN.
"This will be a step towards correcting the
historic injustice suffered by the Palestinian people for over 75 years. It
will affirm their right to self-determination. The people of Palestine have an
inherent right to live in a sovereign, independent and contiguous Palestinian
State within the 4 June 1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its capital,"
she said.
Indonesia also expressed "deep regrets" over
the failure of council to adopt a resolution on the full UN membership of
Palestine, due to a veto casted by the US.
"Progress towards Palestine's full membership at
the UN has been stalled since obtaining an observer status in 2012, despite an
overwhelming support by the majority of UN member states.This veto once again
betrayed the shared aspiration to build lasting peace in the Middle East,"
said the Foreign Ministry on X.
Malaysia also expressed deep concerns over the US
action to veto Palestinian resolution in the council.
"The exercise of a veto on this crucial matter
has called into question the genuine desire on the part of the council member
exercising it to realise the inalienable rights of the Palestinians, including
their right to self-determination from the decades of the Israel's illegal and
belligerent occupation of the Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, Gaza and
East Jerusalem since 1947," said the Foreign Ministry in statement, posted
on X.
The resolution was blocked with a vote of 12 in favor
and two abstentions, including the UK and Switzerland.
Source:
aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistan-indonesia-malaysia-express-disappointment-over-un-failure-to-admit-palestines-membership-/3196899
---
Mideast
"Israeli Weapons Are Toys That Our Children Play
With": Iran's FM
Apr 20, 2024
TEHRAN, Apr. 20 (MNA) – Iran's foreign minister on
Friday didn't confirm that Israel was behind the recent attack on his country
and described the weapons that were used as more like children's toys.
"What happened last night was not a strike,"
the foreign minister, Hossein Amir-abdollahian, said in an interview with NBC
News' Tom Llamas. "They were more like toys that our children play with –
not drones."
Amir-abdollahian, who spoke to NBC News in New York
where he was attending a UN Security Council session, said Iran was not
planning to respond unless Israel launches a significant attack.
"As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel
against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions,"
he said.
"If Israel takes a decisive action against my
country and this is proven to us," he said, "our response will be
immediate and to the maximum and will cause them to regret it."
Amir-abdollahian said the attack was intended to be
"a warning." "We could have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv," he
said. "We could have also targeted all the economic ports of Israel."
"But our red lines was civilians," he added.
"We only had a military purpose."
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched a
missile and drone operation dubbed 'True Promise' against the Zionist regime on
the night of April 13 in response to an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate
on April 1.
Iran’s anti-Israel operation was conducted by Shahed
131/136 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), KheibarShekan ballistic missiles, Emad
ballistic missiles, and Paveh cruise missiles.
Source:
mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/214108/Israeli-weapons-are-toys-that-our-children-play-with
---
Iraqi resistance strikes ‘vital’ Israeli target in
Eilat after strike on PMU base
20 April 2024
Fighters from the Iraqi anti-terror resistance groups
have launched a drone strike against a strategic target in the southernmost
part of the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories in response to the attack on a
military base housing a coalition of anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU).
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of
anti-terror fighters, in a statement published on its Telegram channel, claimed
responsibility for the attack on the “vital” site in the port of Eilat, which
lies at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on Saturday morning.
It said the drone strike was carried out in
continuation of the second phase of the struggle against the occupying Israeli
regime, in support of Palestinians in Gaza, and in retaliation for the
massacres that the usurping Zionist entity is perpetrating against ordinary
people in the besieged territory.
The group noted that the strike also came in reprisal
for grave violation of Iraqi sovereignty and in response to the aggression on
Hashd al-Sha’abi camps.
Earlier, at least one person was killed and eight
others wounded after a military base housing Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters came
under an airstrike in Iraq’s central province of Babylon.
Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news
channel reported that the “aerial assault” targeted the Calso military base
south of Baghdad overnight, and hit the main entrance to the base and an office
belonging to Hashd al-Sha’abi.
The report added that the attack was most likely
carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles.
An unnamed Iraqi military source stated that three
Iraqi military personnel had been wounded in the strike.
In a statement, Hashd al-Sha’abi said an “explosion”
had inflicted “material losses” and casualties, without specifying the number
of wounded.
The group confirmed that its premises on the military
base had been hit and that investigators had been sent to the site.
Responding to questions from AFP, two security sources
would not identify who was responsible, or say whether it had been a drone
strike.
“The explosion hit equipment, weapons and vehicles,”
an Interior Ministry official said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Shortly after the explosion, the US military said its
forces were not behind the reported strike in Iraq.
“The United States has not conducted air strikes in
Iraq today,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on social media platform X,
adding that reports that American forces had carried out a strike were “not
true.”
Separately, the US-led military coalition, purportedly
formed to fight the Daesh terrorist group, announced in a statement that it did
not participate or strike locations in Iraq.
The explosion on the Iraqi military base comes as the
Islamic Resistance in Iraq vowed to proceed with its retaliatory operations
until Israel stops its genocide in Gaza.
The coalition has been staging many such attacks on
Israeli targets since the occupying regime launched a genocidal war on Gaza in
early October.
Israel launched its atrocious onslaught against the
Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship since
Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation
al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping regime on October 7.
At least 34,012 Palestinians have been killed, most of
them women and children, and another 76,833 individuals have sustained
injuries. More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during
the war as well.
Source:
presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/20/724006/Iraqi-resistance-strikes-%E2%80%98vital%E2%80%99-Israeli-target-in-Eilat-after-strike-on-PMU-base
---
'Irresponsible, unconstructive': Iran slams US veto of
Palestinian bid for full UN membership
19 April 2024
The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry has
strongly condemned the "irresponsible and unconstructive" US veto of
a Palestinian request to the United Nations Security Council for full UN
membership, blocking the world body’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
"Washington's move disclosed the hypocritical
nature of the US foreign policy and the isolation of this country's position in
the international community more than ever before," Nasser Kan'ani said on
Friday.
The vote at the 15-member UN Security Council on
Thursday on the statehood was put forward by Algeria, which represents Arab
nations on the Security Council.
While 12 Council members voted yes, the US predictably
cast its veto against the bid. Meanwhile, the UK and Switzerland abstained.
Kan'ani said the US provides "unilateral and
unlimited" support for Israel in the political, economic, military, legal
and international fields.
He added that Washington's ineffective support for the
Tel Aviv regime is at the expense of the American people and at the cost of
sacrificing regional and international peace and security over the past seven
decades.
The US support for the Israeli regime has disgraced it
in the world public opinion and proved that the country is not a neutral player
and a responsible actor in the international community, the Iranian spokesman
emphasized.
He once again reaffirmed the Palestinian people's
"legitimate and undeniable" right to form an independent state with
al-Quds as its capital across the historical land of Palestine "from the
river to the sea."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the
will of the resilient and heroic people of Palestine will ultimately overcome
the will of the enemies of the Palestinian people, especially the fake,
apartheid and criminal Israeli regime," Kan'ani pointed out.
Palestine is currently a non-member observer state. An
application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the Security
Council and then at least two-thirds of the UN General Assembly.
Washington’s veto came amid the Israeli regime’s war
on the Gaza Strip that has increased sympathy towards Palestinians and
international calls for the recognition of the State of Palestine.
Since the start of the offensive on October 7, the Tel
Aviv regime has killed at least 34,012 Palestinians, mostly women and children,
and injured nearly 76,833 others.
Source:
presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/19/723977/Iran-Palestine-UN-Security-Council-US-Israel-Nasser-Kan-ani-membership-veto-
----
Syria condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership
resolution
20 April 2024
Syria has condemned the United States after it vetoed
a resolution backing full UN membership for Palestine.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also in a statement on
Friday condemned the US veto, saying that it showed Washington’s blind bias in
favor of the Israeli regime.
The Foreign Ministry stressed that hindering the
establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State would only
prolong insecurity and instability in the Middle East.
It said the insecurity originally arose from Israel’s
ongoing occupation of Arab lands and its perpetration of the most crimes of
aggression against the Palestinian people.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser
Kan'ani Friday described the US move as "irresponsible" and
"unconstructive.”
Kan'ani said the US action exposed the hypocritical
nature of its foreign policy and its isolated position in the world.
The US was the only nation in the 15-member UN
Security Council to vote against the resolution on Thursday.
Britain and Switzerland abstained, while the remaining
12 council members voted in favor.
The US action has drawn condemnation from many
countries, especially in the Muslim world.
Palestine is currently a non-member observer state. An
application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the Security
Council and then at least two-thirds of the UN General Assembly.
Washington’s veto came amid the Israeli regime’s war
on the Gaza Strip that has increased sympathy towards Palestinians and
international calls for the recognition of the State of Palestine.
Since the start of the offensive on October 7, the Tel
Aviv regime has killed at least 34,012 Palestinians, mostly women and children,
and injured nearly 76,833 others.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/20/723999/Syria-condemns-US-veto-of-Palestine-membership-resolution
----
Over 14,000 kids killed in Israel’s war on Gaza:
UNICEF spokesman
19 April 2024
A spokesman for the United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says more than 14,000 Palestinian children
have so far been killed in Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
“Reports are now that more than 14,000 girls and boys
have been killed in Gaza. Perhaps we should say that slowly. Fourteen thousand.
Perhaps we should do something,” James Elder said in a post on social media
platform X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday.
He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and
warned against an expected invasion of the southern city of Rafah, where nearly
more than half of Gaza's population of 2.4 have sought shelter from Israeli
strikes elsewhere in Gaza.
“Surely that 'something' is not a military offensive
in Rafah. Ceasefire. Now,” Elder said.
His social media post came in response to another post
by an American journalist, who works for The New York Times, in which she
referred to a CNN report on an Israeli strike that killed eight children while
they were playing football.
“Every 10 min a child is killed or injured in Gaza,
per reporter Jeremy Diamond,” Anne Barnard said in her post.
Israel launched its brutal US-backed war on the Gaza
Strip on October 7 after the Hamas resistance movement carried out its historic
operation against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s
intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime
has killed at least 34,012 Palestinians and injured nearly 76,833 others.
Source:
presstv.ir
Please
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/19/723985/UNICEF-spokesman-kids-killed-Israel-war-Gaza-
---
Punitive op against Israel untied country: Pres.
Raeisi
Apr 19, 2024
TEHRAN, Apr. 19 (MNA) – The Iranian president
described the retaliatory attack on Israel known as True Promise Operation as
becoming a factor that brought together different political groups in support
of their country.
President Ebrahim Raeisi made the remarks in the city
of Damaghan, in Semnan Province on the second day of his visit to the northern
province on Friday.
He called the reprisal attack on Israeli regime in the
occupied lands dubbed the True Promise Operation as a unifying factor that was
supported by all political currents inside the country.
The president said that, "All political groups
and currents believe that the attack on Israel was a necessity, unifying factor
and great honor for the country."
Raeisi noted that the enemies tried to divide the
country over the past years by imposing sanctions and putting different
pressures on the nation, but the country came out victorious and defeated all
the foreign plots.
He said that the country's economy is making progress
despite all the foreign pressures which could be seen in the boost in the
production section.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched
the operation late last Saturday in response to a deadly attack by the regime
against the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital on
April 1.
The Israeli attack had resulted in the martyrdom of
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force,
his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five of their accompanying
officers.
Source:
mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/214081/Punitive-op-against-Israel-untied-country-Pres-Raeisi
---
Tulkarm Brigade commander killed by Israeli forces in
raid on refugee camp
19 April 2024
The commander of a Palestinian resistance group
affiliated with Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Gaza-based Islamic
Jihad movement, has been killed in violent clashes with the Israeli regime’s
forces in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian media reports said on Friday that Muhammad
SamerJaber, the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade, and a number of resistance
fighters had been killed during the occupation’s aggression on the Nour Shams
refugee camp in the east of the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm.
Jaber, known as Abu Shujaa, was killed by live bullets
after violent clashes broke out between Palestinian resistance fighters and the
occupation army during the latter’s storming of Nour Shams, which also resulted
in the injury of four Israeli forces, two of whom were in serious condition.
The Tulkarm Brigade leader had survived many attempts
on his life in the past and was wanted by the Israeli military.
“Without fear of any threat, if they assassinate me or
any human being, the situation will remain unchanged until the land is
liberated. By assassinating, they offer us a gift. It’s difficult for the camp
to be broken. Every day they assassinate leaders, and they increase our
strength and determination,” Jaber said in a viral video on resistance social
media networks.
Salim Faisal Ghanem, 30, was also killed by Israeli
troops in the camp earlier in the day. He was the brother of Amer and Ahmed
Ghanem, who were killed by the Israeli occupation army in a raid on the camp in
October 2023.
Ahmed Abu Fahim, known as Abu Adham, was another
Palestinian fighter killed in the Israeli raid.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the
Israeli occupation army launched Thursday evening a large-scale 17-hour-long
onslaught against the Nour Shams refugee camp, triggering confrontations and
causing extensive destruction.
The Israeli forces, accompanied by two bulldozers,
stormed and imposed a strict siege on the camp, deploying military vehicles on
all routes leading to the camp.
“Israeli bulldozers deliberately destroyed main
streets, alleyways, water and wastewater networks on their way to and inside
the camp, and tore down walls, stores and parts of houses in the camp,” the
news agency said.
Reports by WAFA also stressed that the Israeli
soldiers broke into Palestinian houses and carried out search before dragging
the occupants to a single room and interrogating them.
“They turned some houses into military outposts,
deployed snipers and prevented ambulances from entering the camp to evacuate
patients,” the news agency added.
The Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank comes
amid the regime’s month-long genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged
Gaza Strip.
Israel launched the brutal campaign in the coastal
territory on October 7. The death toll from the regime’s relentless attacks now
tops 34,000, mostly women and children.
Figures also show more than 14,500 of Gaza’s 1.1
million children have been killed since that October day. Thousands more are
missing, presumed buried under the rubble.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 466
people in the West Bank have since been killed by Israeli forces or settlers.
Source:
presstv.ir
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----
Iraqi State of Law Coalition rules out Parliament
Presidency resolution, calls on Sunni parties to compromise
2024-04-19
Shafaq News / On Friday, deputy of the State of Law
Coalition Firas Al-Muslimawi ruled out holding a session to elect the Speaker
of Parliament during the upcoming week, indicating that resolving the position
requires dialogue and concessions from Sunni parties.
Al-Muslimawi stated, "The Sunni disagreement
persists, and the political blocs have not yet agreed on a candidate for the
position of Speaker of Parliament."
He explained that "resolving the position of the
Speaker of Parliament requires dialogue, Sunni parties making concessions, and
reaching an agreement on the mechanism for selecting the Speaker of the
Council." He pointed out that "these three steps could be the
solution to electing a new Speaker of Parliament."
Al-Muslimawi added, "The Coordination Framework
bloc has conditions or criteria for choosing a candidate for the position of
Speaker of the Council. The candidate must be patriotic, not affiliated with
foreign agendas, moderate, not accused of corruption, and must have prior
political experience and expertise."
He continued, "The withdrawal of MP Shaalan
al-Karim from running for the presidency of the council did not affect the
political scene, as the Taqaddum Party submitted a request to the Presidency of
the Council to amend the internal regulations of the council and add a
paragraph to Article 12 to open the door for nominations for the presidency of
the council." He noted that "this indicates the Taqaddum Party's
intention to nominate a new candidate for the position instead of
al-Karim."
The MP concluded his statement by saying, "Acting
Speaker of Parliament Mohsen al-Mandalawi has referred the Taqaddum Party's
request to the Legal Committee to consider amendments to the internal
regulations in one package, and there has been no response from the committee
regarding setting a date to amend the council's internal regulations." He
added that "after completing the amendments, they will be voted on within
the council."
On Thursday, the State of Law coalition, led by former
prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, affirmed the imminent vote by the Parliament on
Salem Al-Issaoui, a deputy from Al-Anbar governorate, for the position of Parliament
speaker.
Coalition member Thaer al-Jubouri told Shafaq News
Agency, "Shaalan al-Karim withdrew his candidacy for parliament presidency
after realizing the difficulty of gaining the council's confidence due to veto
from deputies and different political blocs."
Al-Jubouri stated, "Al-Karim's withdrawal
announcement will expedite the resolution of the new parliament speaker's
election crisis. With this step, Salem Al-Issawi is very close to obtaining the
deputies' confidence in the coming days, and we await the leaders of blocs to
agree on setting the election session date soon."
On Wednesday, Mohammed Al-Alawi, a leader in the
Taqaddum Party, one of the prominent Sunni blocs in Iraq, said, "So far,
there have been no developments regarding the election of a new speaker for the
Parliament. We do not believe there is a replacement for Al-Halbousi now. His
return to his position is possible, and there is a legal and political
possibility to achieve this."
Al-Alawi revealed that "some parties within the
Coordination Framework proposed Al-Halbousi's return to the presidency of the
parliament, and his return would be through legal and judicial
frameworks."
"If Al-Halbousi does not return, we do not
believe there will be a replacement for him, and we expect the position of the
Parliament's president to remain vacant until the next parliamentary elections.
Everyone understands the difficulty of electing any replacement during the
upcoming period."
The Federal Supreme Court, the highest judicial
authority in Iraq, decided on November 14, 2023, to end the membership of
Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. Then, the Iraqi Parliament officially
terminated his membership on November 21, 2023.
The decisions came after a lawsuit against him by
Deputy Laith Al-Dulaimi. The lawsuit accused Al-Halbousi of forging
Al-Dulaimi's resignation from Parliament membership, leading to the Federal
Supreme Court's decision to end both memberships.
On January 13, the Iraqi Parliament held an
extraordinary session to choose the new Speaker. The first round of voting
ended with the victory of the Taqadum" party's Shaalan al-Karim with 152
votes out of 314. MP Salem Al-Issawi followed him with 97 votes, MP Mahmoud
Al-Mashhadani with 48 votes, MP AmerAbduljabbar with six votes, and MP Talal
Al-Zobaie with one vote.
However, due to verbal altercations inside the council
hall, the session was adjourned without completing the election process, and no
other session was held.
Since then, the political blocs have been unable to
agree on a replacement for him, with each side wanting to nominate someone from
their group.
Some lawmakers believe that these differences between
the political parties will leave the position of Parliament speaker vacant
until the end of the current parliamentary term, and there is no indication
that this crisis will be resolved soon.
Despite some parties indicating that the issue would
be resolved after Eid al-Fitr, the Iraqi Parliament has failed several times to
choose a successor to al-Halbousi.
The National Wisdom Movement's Head, Ammar al-Hakim, a
prominent part of the Framework, anticipated the election of a new Speaker of
the Iraqi Parliament "soon" to replace the ousted al-Halbousi.
Al-Hakim stated, "There are still some unresolved
political issues, and we all hope they can be addressed, including the election
of a new Speaker of Parliament soon."
Source:
shafaq.com
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https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Iraqi-State-of-Law-Coalition-rules-out-Parliament-Presidency-resolution-calls-on-Sunni-parties-to-compromise
----
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills
at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
April 20, 2024
RAFAH, Gaza Strip: An Israeli airstrike on a house in
Gaza’s southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children,
hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month
offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Israel’s war against the Islamic militant group Hamas
has led to a dramatic escalation of tensions in an already volatile Middle
East.
The strike late Friday hit a residential building in
the western Tel Sultan neighborhood of the city of Rafah, according to Gaza’s
civil defense. The bodies of the six children, two women and a man were taken
to Rafah’s Abu Yousef Al-Najjar hospital, the hospital’s records showed.
At the hospital, relatives cried and hugged the bodies
of the children, wrapped in white shrouds, as others comforted them.
The fatalities included Abdel-Fattah SobhiRadwan, his
wife Najlaa Ahmed Aweidah and their three children, his brother-in-law Ahmed
Barhoum said. Barhoum also lost his wife, RawanRadwan, and their 5-year-old
daughter Alaa.
“This is a world devoid of all human values and
morals,” Barhoum told The Associated Press Saturday morning, crying as he
cradled and gently rocked the body of Alaa in his arms. “They bombed a house
full of displaced people, women and children. There were no martyrs but women
and children.”
No victims were registered from a second overnight
strike in the city.
Rafah, which lies on the border with Egypt, currently
hosts more than half of Gaza’s total population of about 2.3 million people,
the vast majority of whom have been displaced by fighting further north in the
territory.
Despite calls for restraint from the international
community, including Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, the Israeli
government has insisted for months that it intends to push a ground offensive
into the city, where it says many of the remaining Hamas militants are holed
up.
Such a ground operation has not materialized so far,
but the Israeli military has repeatedly carried out airstrikes on and around
the city.
The war was sparked by an unprecedented raid into
southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups on Oct. 7 that left about
1,200 people dead, the vast majority of them civilians, and saw about 250
people kidnapped and taken into Gaza. Israel says about 130 hostages remain in
Gaza, although more than 30 have been confirmed to now be dead, either killed
on Oct. 7 or having died in captivity.
The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday the bodies of
37 people killed by Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the
past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 68 wounded, it said. The latest figures
bring the overall Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war to at least
34,049, and the number of wounded to 76,901, the ministry said. Although the
Hamas-run health authorities do not differentiate between combatants and
civilians in their count, they say at least two thirds have been children and
women.
The war has sent regional tensions spiraling, leading
to a dramatic eruption of violence between Israel and its archenemy Iran that
threatened to escalate into a full-blown war.
On Friday, both Iran and Israel played down an
apparent Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central
Iran, indicating the two sides were pulling back from what could have become an
all-out conflict. Over the past several weeks, an alleged Israeli strike killed
two Iranian generals at an Iranian consulate in Syria and was followed by an
unprecedented Iranian missile barrage on Israel.
Israel has also faced off with the Hezbollah militant
group, an Iranian proxy operating from Lebanon, with the two sides there
frequently trading rocket and drone attacks across the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also joined the fray, launching strikes
against merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in what they say is
a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
Tension has also been high in the occupied West Bank,
where an Israeli military raid Friday in the Nur Shams refugee camp killed at
least four Palestinians, including three militants, according to the Israeli military,
Palestinian health officials and a militant group.
Palestinian health authorities said one of those
killed was a 15-year-old boy shot dead by Israeli fire. The Islamic Jihad
militant group confirmed the deaths of three members, including one who it said
was a local military commander. The Israeli military said four Israeli soldiers
were slightly wounded in the operation.
Saraya Al-Quds, the military arm of Islamic Jihad,
said its fighters had engaged in heavy gunbattles Saturday morning with Israeli
forces in the town of Tulkarem, adjacent to Nur Shams. No further details were
immediately available. Residents in Tulkarem went went on a general strike
Saturday to protest the attack on Nur Shams, with shops, restaurants and
government offices all closed.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel, more
than 460 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank,
Palestinian health officials say. Israel stages frequent raids into towns and
cities in the volatile territory. The dead have included militants, but also
stone-throwers and bystanders. Some have also been killed in attacks by Israeli
settlers.
Source:
arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2496136/middle-east
----
Africa
Al-Sunni affirms that Libya still maintains its
position regarding the just cause of the Palestinian people.
2024-04-19
New York, April 19, 2024 (LANA) - Libya’s Permanent
Representative to the United Nations, Al-Tahir Al-Sunni, affirmed that Libya
was, and will continue to be in its position regarding the just cause of the
Palestinian people, their right to self-determination, the return of refugees,
and the establishment of their independent state with Holy Jerusalem as its
capital.
He said in his speech before the UN Security Council
during a session discussing a Palestinian application for full membership in
the United Nations. Libya does not allow condemning the resistance of the
Palestinian people and trying to describe them as terrorists at a time when
Israeli and far-right terrorism are silent and justified under the pretext of
self-defense.
He added that the State of Palestine has met all the
conditions for full membership in the United Nations, and that the
establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state is a natural, historical and
legal right mandated by international law and international humanitarian law.
He said that the Israeli occupation also described
this council as a multilateral supporter of terrorism, forgetting that it is
the same council that granted its entity full membership in 1948, which we and
many countries around the world consider to be nominal membership. Because it
is, in fact, morally deficient membership in the atrocities committed by the
occupation over seven decades.
Al-Sunni
continued, “If this entity does not recognize this organization, then it must
withdraw from it. So why does it talk to us and participate in these sessions
unless it recognizes it?”
He pointed out that the decision submitted by Algeria
on behalf of the Arab and Islamic countries regarding granting Palestine full
membership in the United Nations comes at a time when 140 countries around the
world recognize the State of Palestine, meaning approximately 75 percent of the
world’s population.
He added, “For those who are still maneuvering and
trying to twist the facts, we repeat that it is not possible to reduce the current
crisis to the date of October 7, and to forget the violations and massacres
that were committed for more than seven decades in all of the occupied
territories.
Al-Sunni
confirmed that Libya adds its voice to the Arab group in its request to
activate Chapter Seven and intervene to impose a ceasefire and bring in
humanitarian aid immediately, adding that we know that this will not happen in
a time of double standards.
Al-Sunni said in conclusion, I address our brothers in
Palestine and our people in Gaza that Libya is with you and that what we are
doing today is the least possible in response to your sacrifices. It is an
attempt on our part to awaken those who are in their slumber because, like you,
we have lost confidence in the international community, calling on the
countries of the world to convey to their people that the human conscience is
still alive, and it will stand in the face of this aggression against Palestine
and all of humanity.
Source:
lana.gov.ly
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https://lana.gov.ly/post.php?id=305722&lang=en
---
Gowon Hints On How Boko Haram Can Be Eliminated
20 April 2024
Former Military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, has
emphasized that Boko Haram poses a significant danger to Nigeria’s stability.
According to Gowon, understanding the impact of the
terrorist sect first would help in ending their threat to the nation.
Naija News reports that Gowon made these remarks at an
event in Abuja where two books authored by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Russia,
Professor Abdullahi Y. Shehu, were unveiled.
Gowon said: “Boko Haram has been a threat, perhaps the
major threat to the peace and development of Nigeria after the civil war.
“Boko Haram has indeed created a serious problem.
After the Civil War, l remember saying, I hope that we will not experience what
we went through during that period again. Unfortunately, Boko Haram appeared.”
“Understanding the debilitating impact and the
deleterious effect of the insurgency on Nigeria is critical to developing
innovative solutions to the problem.
“This also applies to the other security challenges
that continue to undermine the stability and progress of Nigeria, including
recent incidences of banditry, kidnapping, farmers/herders problem and other
violent conflicts as well as other forms being experienced in Nigeria today,”
Daily Post quoted the former Military Head of State saying.
Source:
naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/04/20/gowon-hints-on-how-boko-haram-can-be-eliminated/
---
ECOWAS To Spend $25 Million To Fight Terrorism In
Nigeria, Others
19 April 2024
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
has allocated the sum of 25 million dollars to fight terrorism in Nigeria,
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in 2024.
The ECOWAS Commissioner, Human Development and Social
Affairs, Prof. FatouSarr, disclosed this during a news conference at the
commission’s headquarters, on Friday in Abuja.
She said that four million dollars of the amount was
dedicated to humanitarian action to curb the devastating consequences of
terrorism, and mitigate the fallout of natural disasters in the sub-region.
Speaking further, Sarr stated that humanitarian
actions are essential due to the multiple crises and displacements within the
community.
According to her, “In 2024, ECOWAS has released 9
million dollars for internally displaced people, refugees, asylum seekers, as
well as for the communities that welcome them (i.e all 15 countries).
“ECOWAS has allocated one million dollars for
stabilization in Nigeria, that is, victims of terrorism, displaced people,
injured people, rehabilitation and strengthening community resilience.
“Out of a fund of 25 million dollars intended for the
fight against terrorism in Nigeria, Burkina, Mali and Niger, ECOWAS has
reserved 4 million dollars for humanitarian actions.”
Speaking further she explained that in 2023 alone,
ECOWAS provided support of over 12. 6 million dollars to four million out of
the 8.5 million victims of violent conflicts and disasters across West Africa.
She said that the Republic of Guinea, while under
sanctions in January, received 600,000 dollars, of which 100,000 was allocated
to fire disaster, and 499,390 dollars for floods in the country.
Sarr said the commission also carried out programmes
for the development and promotion of young people within the subregion under
three key intervention areas, namely, volunteerism, sports and economic
integration.
Source:
naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2024/04/19/ecowas-to-spend-25-million-to-fight-terrorism-in-nigeria-others/
---
UN warns hundreds of thousands of Sudanese under
‘immediate danger’
20 April 2024
Top United Nations officials have warned the Security
Council that about 800,000 individuals residing around a town in Darfur are
currently facing an alarming and imminent threat.
Rosemary DiCarlo, the political affairs chief of the
UN, on Friday informed the Security Council consisting of 15 members that
confrontations between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the
Sudanese army (SAF)-aligned individuals within the Joint Protection Forces were
approaching El Fasher, the main city of North Darfur.
“Fighting in El Fasher could unleash bloody
intercommunal strife throughout Darfur,” DiCarlo said, echoing a warning by UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday.
A year ago, conflict broke out in Sudan between the
SAF and the RSF, which led to the world’s biggest displacement crisis.
The UN has reported that approximately 25 million
individuals, accounting for half of Sudan’s population, are in need of
assistance, with around 8 million having been displaced from their homes.
“The violence poses an extreme and immediate danger to
the 800,000 civilians who reside in El Fasher,” said EdemWosornu, a director
for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“And it risks triggering further violence in other
parts of Darfur – where more than 9 million people are in dire need of
humanitarian assistance,” she said.
El-Fasher serves as a central location for
humanitarian efforts in Darfur, a region that accommodates approximately 25% of
Sudan’s total population of 48 million people.
The town had remained largely unscathed by the
conflict, providing shelter to a significant influx of displaced individuals.
However, starting from mid-April, there have been accounts of bombings and
confrontations in the neighboring villages.
“Since then, there have been continuing reports of
clashes in the eastern and northern parts of the city, resulting in more than
36,000 people displaced,” said Wosornu, noting that Doctors Without Borders has
treated more than 100 casualties in recent days.
DiCarlo condemned the “wholly man-made” “crisis of
epic proportions” that the country is currently facing. The crisis emerged
after a year of civil war between the SAF led by General Abdel Fattah al Burhan
and the RSF commanded by General Mohamed HamdanDaglo.
“The warring parties have ignored repeated calls to
cease their hostilities... Instead, they have stepped up preparations for
further fighting, with both the SAF and the RSF continuing their campaigns to
recruit civilians,” DiCarlo said.
Last month, a global authority on food security
supported by the United Nations emphasized the urgency of taking immediate
measures to prevent a devastating hunger crisis in Sudan, which could result in
widespread loss of life and the complete collapse of livelihoods.
Source:
presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/04/20/724007/UN-warns-less-than-a-million-Sudanese-under-%E2%80%98immediate-danger%E2%80%99
----
Tunisian Jewish pilgrimage scaled back amid terror
attack, Gaza war security concerns
20 April 2024
TUNIS, Tunisia — The annual Jewish pilgrimage on
Tunisia’s island of Djerba will be limited amid security concerns sparked by
the war in Gaza and a deadly attack last year, organizers said Friday.
The pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s
oldest, usually involves days-long festivities in the presence of thousands of
pilgrims. It marks the Lag B’Omer festival, which begins 33 days after the
start of Passover.
But this year’s pilgrimage on the resort island, set
for May 24 to 26, is expected to draw fewer visitors amid the backdrop of the
war between Israel and Hamas, and last year’s terror attack in which five
people were killed.
“The pilgrimage is not canceled,” an organizer told
AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. But “everything will take place inside
the synagogue.”
The organizer said the pilgrimage will be limited to
prayers inside the synagogue, and the lighting of candles.
“Given the current international context, security
will also be tightened after what happened last year,” the organizer added.
Last May 9, a policeman shot dead three police
officers and two pilgrims during the festival that resumed in 2022 after a
two-year suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been at least two attacks on synagogues in
Tunisia since October 7, when thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded southern
Israel from Gaza, murdering some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage. In
addition, Tunisian President Kais Saied has a history of making antisemitic
statements.
This year’s pilgrimage will not include activities
such as the open-air parade carrying the synagogue’s menorah.
Organizers say more than 5,000 people, mostly from
abroad, joined last year’s pilgrimage. Up to 8,000 pilgrims attended in
previous years.
The Ghriba pilgrimage also saw a suicide bombing in
2002 that killed 21 people and was claimed by Al-Qaeda.
The pilgrimage is at the heart of Jewish tradition in
Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live — mainly on
Djerba.
According to the Djerba community, Jews have lived
there since at least the dawn of the first millennium CE, making it one of the
oldest Jewish communities in the world.
The history of Jews in Tunisia dates back to Roman
times, before the Muslim conquest of North Africa.
For centuries, the community prospered under various
rulers, with occasional episodes of persecution – including by France’s fascist
Vichy rule during World War II, and then for a period under direct Nazi
occupation. In 1948, when the State of Israel was founded, the community
numbered 110,000.
It dwindled rapidly in the 1950s, as Jews emigrated en
masse to France or Israel, leaving only 20,000 behind. Thousands more left the
country in 1967 after anti-Jewish riots erupted during the Six Day War.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/tunisian-jewish-pilgrimage-scaled-back-amid-terror-attack-gaza-war-security-concerns/
---
Sudan war fuelled by weapons from foreign actors in
violation of sanctions - UN
20 April 2024
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for
Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary Anne DiCarlo briefed the Security
Council on the situation in Sudan on Friday (Apr. 19).
The war in Sudan has sparked “a crisis of epic
proportions” fuelled by weapons from foreign supporters who continue to flout
U.N. sanctions, DiCarlo added.
“If the parties have been able to sustain their
confrontation, it is in no small part thanks to the material support they
receive from outside the Sudan," she said.
"These external actors continue to flout the
sanctions regime imposed by the Council to support a political settlement,
thereby fuelling the conflict. This is illegal, it is immoral and it must
stop.”
The sanctions regime imposed on Sudan by the
resolution 1591 mentions parties in the conflict in Darfur which broke in the
early 2000s. It includes an embargo on arms and ammunition as well as assets
freezes.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chair of the African Union panel
on Sudan and high representative for its Silence the Guns in Africa initiative,
called external interference “a major factor compounding both the efforts to
negotiate a cease-fire and to stop the war.”
Humanitarian catastrophe
Neither DiCarlo nor Chambas named any of the foreign
supporters.
Reports have alleged Saudi Arabia; the UAE and Egypt
are involved in the continuation of the war.
Despite peace efforts on the continent and outside,
the conflict still rages.
The nation's representative in New York advocated
Sudanese solutions to the war.
“We call for the following: to not instrumentalize the
conflict in Sudan and impose solutions from the outside, because this damages
the conflict resolution process and compromises Sudan's ability to take
ownership of this process," Al-HarithIdriss al-Harith Mohamed told the
Council.
The U.N. political chief painted a dire picture of the
conflict's impact — over 14,000 dead, tens of thousands wounded and a looming
famine with 25 million people in need of life-saving assistance, and over 8.6
million forced to flee their homes."
Sudan plunged into chaos on April 15th last year when
simmering tensions between its military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and
the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke
out into street battles.
Since then, the generals have not met.
The Arab-dominated RSF has carried out brutal attacks
in Darfur on ethnic African civilians, especially the Masalit community, and
has taken control of most of the vast region.
Its newest target appears to be El Fasher, the capital
of North Darfur. EdemWosornu, the U.N. humanitarian office’s director of
operations, said RSF-affiliated militias attacked and burned villages west of
El Fasher on April 13.
Source:
africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/04/20/sudan-war-fuelled-by-weapons-from-foreign-actors-in-violation-of-sanctions-un/
---
North
America
US sanctions ally of Israeli minister, entities
backing ‘extremist’ settlers
April 19, 2024
WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday imposed
sanctions on an ally of Israel’s far-right national security minister and two
entities that raised money for Israeli men accused of settler violence, the
latest actions aimed against those Washington blames for an escalation of
violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The sanctions, in addition to those already imposed on
five settlers and two unauthorized outposts already this year, are the latest
sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
The moves on Friday, which freeze any US assets held
by those targeted and generally bar Americans from dealing with them, hit two
organizations that launched fundraising campaigns to support settlers accused
of violence and targeted by previous sanctions, the Department of the Treasury
said in a statement.
The Biden administration’s moves against Israeli
settlers have upset right-wing members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition who
support the expansion of Jewish settlements and ultimately the annexation of
the West Bank, where Palestinians envisage a future state.
They come as the complex relationship between
Washington and its ally Israel is tested by the war in Gaza and as the Biden administration
urges Israel to show restraint in responding to retaliatory strikes by Iran.
Washington sanctioned Ben-Zion Gopstein, founder and
leader of the right-wing group Lehava, which opposes Jewish assimilation with
non-Jews and agitates against Arabs in the name of religion and national
security. Gopstein has said Lehava has 5,000 members.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said
members of the group had engaged in “destabilizing violence affecting the West
Bank.”
“Under Gopstein’s leadership, Lehava and its members
have been involved in acts or threats of violence against Palestinians, often
targeting sensitive or volatile areas,” Miller said in a statement, warning of
additional steps if Israel does not take measures to prevent extremist attacks
amid an escalation of violence in the West Bank in recent days.
The European Union also said on Friday it had agreed
to take sanctions against Lehava and other groups linked to violent settlers.
A spokesperson for Israel’s embassy in Washington did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gopstein, the most prominent Israeli figure targeted
by US sanctions, is a close associate of and has family ties to National
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who himself lives in a West Bank settlement.
Ben-Gvir, like Gopstein, was a disciple of the late
Meir Kahane, an ultranationalist rabbi whose Kach movement was listed by
Washington as a specially designated global terrorist organization.
Ben-Gvir on Friday slammed what he called harassment
against Lehava and “our dear settlers who have never engaged in terrorism or
hurt anyone,” labeling the allegations against them a “blood libel” by
Palestinian groups and anarchists.
“I call on Western countries to stop cooperating with
these antisemites and end this campaign of persecution against the pioneering
Zionist settlers,” Ben-Gvir said in a statement released by his office.
CROWDFUNDING
Since the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has occupied
the West Bank of the Jordan River, which Palestinians want as the core of an
independent state. It has built Jewish settlements there that most countries
deem illegal. Israel disputes this and cites historical and Biblical ties to
the land.
The Biden administration in February said settlements
were inconsistent with international law, signaling a return to long-standing
US policy on the issue that had been reversed by the previous administration of
Donald Trump.
One entity targeted on Friday, Mount Hebron Fund,
launched an online fundraising campaign that raised $140,000 for settler Yinon
Levi, the Treasury said, after he was sanctioned on Feb. 1 for leading a group
of settlers that assaulted Palestinian and Bedouin civilians, burned their
fields and destroyed their property.
It said the second entity, ShlomAsiraich, raised $31,000
on a crowdfunding website for David Chai Chasdai, who the United States
sanctioned for initiating and leading a riot that included setting vehicles and
buildings on fire and causing damage to property in the Palestinian town of
Hawara, resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian.
“These types of enforcement actions against entities
helping violent settlers evade US sanctions are what give sanctions teeth,”
said Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, director of research for Israel-Palestine at
Democracy for the Arab World Now, a human rights group that has highlighted
efforts by supporters to evade sanctions against settlers.
Source:
arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2495896/world
----
US military strategy in Mideast tested as Iran-Israel
warfare comes out of shadows
20.04.2024
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US military’s success
helping Israel stop a massive wave of Iranian missiles and drones last weekend
might suggest Washington is well prepared militarily for whatever comes next as
Iran and Israel move from shadow warfare to direct confrontation.
But current and former US officials say US forces are
not positioned for a major, sustained Middle East conflict and the Pentagon may
have to revisit assumptions about military needs in the region if the crisis
deepens.
“I don’t think we have all the forces that we would
want to support Israel if there was a direct war between them and Iran,” said
Michael Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle
East under the Trump administration.
Though Tehran has indicated it had no plans to
retaliate for an apparent Israeli strike on Friday, the tit-for-tat attacks
have raised fears of an unpredictable regional war that the United States has
sought to prevent.
In the months since the October 7 attack by Hamas
terrorists triggered a war in Gaza that has ignited unrest throughout the
Middle East, the United States has rushed thousands of US service members to a
region that had seen a steadily declining US presence over years.
But many of those new US troops are on warships and
aircraft that move in and out of the region, and are only temporarily deployed.
That US strategy to rely on surge forces could be
tested now that Iran and Israel have apparently broken the taboo of open
military strikes against each other.
“What it means for the US military is that I think we
have to revisit this idea of what are the necessary, sustainable (military)
capabilities that we have to maintain in the region,” said Joseph Votel, a
retired four-star Army general who led US troops in the Middle East.
Sustained focus
Votel and other former officials said the US
military’s success in helping to down Iran’s drones and missiles last Saturday
was presumably aided by detailed US intelligence that allowed the Pentagon to
anticipate the timing and targets of Iran’s attack.
“I think the bigger concern is our ability to be
responsive over a sustained period of time,” Votel said.
US officials say Iran does not appear to want an
all-out war with Israel, and Tehran has played down Friday’s alleged strike.
Still, experts warn the situation is unpredictable, particularly as long as the
Israel-Hamas war rages.
US Army General Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the current
head of Central Command, told lawmakers last month that he had requested more
troops than the Pentagon had sent to his region, which US President Joe Biden’s
administration has said is a lower priority than the challenge from China, for
example.
In written testimony to the House Armed Services
Committee, Kurilla said a dangerous shortfall in US intelligence assets,
targeting expertise and linguists “contributes to gaps and seams in our ability
to detect and disrupt plots, increasing freedom of movement” for violent
extremist organizations.
Although Kurilla’s comments appeared more focused on
Afghanistan, some intelligence shortfalls have already affected US strategy
since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
For example, a lack of detail about Houthi weapons
stockpiles before the Iran-backed group started attacking commercial shipping
in the Red Sea has made it hard to determine the effect of months of strikes on
the group’s arsenal of missiles and drones, said officials.
Still, sending more US troops to the Middle East and
bolstering intelligence assets longer-term could prove difficult, officials
say.
“Troops are spread around Europe (and) those that
aren’t are going through overdue maintenance cycles,” one US official said,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
“And Asia is supposed to be the focus.”
Another official said it was still unclear whether the
US military was prepared to pull forces from Asia or Europe, despite the
increase in tensions.
Prior to October, the last time the United States
surged thousands of troops into the Middle East was under former US president
Donald Trump, during a series of escalatory actions that culminated in the US
killing of Iran’s IRGC Quds Force head Qassem Soleimani, and a retaliatory
missile attack by Tehran on a US base in Iraq.
The first US official noted that the surge of troops
in 2019 and 2020 was possible because, unlike today, Washington did not have to
dedicate so many personnel and resources to Europe — a new reality following
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Mulroy said the United States should strengthen its
position in the Middle East without abandoning its China-first focus.
“We need to deploy forces based on the current threat
environment. And the current trend…is obviously a potential for a broader nation-on-nation
conflict in the Middle East,” Mulroy said.
Source:
timesofisrael.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-strategy-in-mideast-tested-as-iran-israel-warfare-comes-out-of-shadows/
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CAIR: Giving Netanyahu $17 Billion in Unconditional
Funding Could Mark ‘Point of No Return’ for President Biden’s Relationship with
American Muslims
Ismail Allison
April 19, 2024
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today
said that if President Biden fulfills his pledge to sign the House Republicans’
unconditional $17.2 billion foreign aid package for the Israeli government, his
decision could represent a “point of no return” for what remains of his
administration’s relationship with the American Muslim community and the many
other Americans opposed to the genocide in Gaza.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director
Robert S. McCaw said:
“If President Biden signs a bill giving Benjamin
Netanyahu’s government another $17 billion in unconditional military funding,
that heartless decision could mark the point of no return for what remains of
the White House’s relationship with the American Muslim community and other
Americans opposed to the genocide in Gaza.
“Our nation should not send another penny to the
Israeli government while it starves and slaughters the people of Gaza, and any
money we send to anyone overseas should—at the very least—include strict human
rights conditions. Pouring billions more into the Netanyahu government’s hands
while Gaza bleeds from a genocide that has claimed over 34,000 lives would be a
betrayal that the American people will not forget.”
In response to the announcement of the House
Republicans’ unconditional Israel aid package, President Biden stated on
Wednesday that he would “sign this into law immediately.”
With the House of Representatives positioning itself
to approve the package on Saturday, the Senate, after a one-week break will
deliberate on the legislation when it reconvenes on April 29th, coinciding with
the start of the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) 9th Annual
National Muslim Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. CAIR encourages all eligible
members of the American Muslim community to register and participate in this
advocacy event.
If approved, the Israel aid package would still have a
provision prohibiting any U.S. funds from this package from being allocated to
the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides aid to Palestinians.
CAIR notes that this new aid package would offer $9.2 billion in humanitarian
assistance, including for emergency food and shelter.
In December, Democrats in the Senate adopted an aid
package for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel that would have supplied Israel with
over $14 billion in military aid but failed to gain traction or approval in the
House.
McCaw noted a special State Department panel advised
Secretary of State Antony Blinken months ago to disqualify several Israeli
military and police units from receiving U.S. aid. This recommendation came
after the panel reviewed allegations of serious human rights abuses, including
reports of interrogators engaging in torture and rape. Blinken has so far
ignored these recommendations.
Last night, CAIR condemned the Biden administration’s
veto of a U.N. resolution that could have resulted in full United Nations
membership for the State of Palestine. The Security Council voted 12 in favor,
with the United States opposed and two nations abstaining. According to
recently leaked State Department cables reported by The Intercept, the White
House privately messaged opposition to Palestinian statehood to U.N. Security
Council members, contradicting Biden’s stated commitment to a two-state
solution.
Source:
cair.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-giving-netanyahu-17-billion-in-unconditional-funding-could-mark-point-of-no-return-for-president-bidens-relationship-with-american-muslims/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/modi-pakistan-terror-aatank/d/132173