Hindus Should Give Up Halal Meat, Eat Only Jhatka: Union Minister Giriraj Singh
New Age Islam News Bureau
18 December 2023
Union Minister Giriraj Singh
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· Hindus Should Give Up Halal Meat, Eat Only Jhatka: Union Minister Giriraj Singh
·
‘Modi Taught a Lesson During
2002 Gujarat Riots to Not Repeat the Act’: Home Minister
·
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni
Sparks Controversy with Remarks on Islamic Culture, Its Compatibility Issues
with Europe
·
Jakim Lifts Ban on Non-Islamic
Festive Greetings on Display Products
·
Riyadh Theatre Festival Honours
Works of Saudi Playwright Mohammed Al-Othaim
-----
India
·
Pro-Palestine Slogans Heard at
Kolkata Queer Pride Walk
·
'Muslim Mahapanchayat'
Scheduled to Be Held at Ramlila Ground in Delhi for December 18 Deferred
·
New Temple Transforms India’s
Ayodhya but Muslims Feel Neglected
·
NIA Raids 19 Places in South
India Against A 'Highly Radicalised Jihadi Terror Group'
-----
Europe
·
UK, Germany Call For
‘Sustainable' Gaza Ceasefire: ‘Too Many Civilians Killed’
·
French top diplomat calls for
'immediate and durable' Gaza truce
·
Demonstrations in Paris to
demand an immediate & permanent ceasefire in Gaza
·
Spain Catholic Church says
receives law firm’s sex abuse audit
·
French foreign minister
reiterates support for Israel despite killing of ministry staffer in southern
Gaza
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Southeast Asia
·
‘Stop The War Crimes:’
Thousands of Indonesians Protest for Palestine Outside US Embassy
·
Over 6,000 flood evacuees at 30
relief centres in four states
·
Man to plead guilty to making
bomb threat on Scoot flight that returned to Singapore under RSAF escort
·
Anwar, Dr Wan Azizah convey
condolences on the passing of Kuwait's Emir
·
Gaza residents seeking refuge
at a centre in Jabalia al-Bala appeal for assistance
------
Arab World
·
Yemeni Army’s Operations Have
Left Significant Economic Impact on Israel: Ansarullah
·
Climate-change research
critical for intervention in Kingdom, say experts
·
Prince Faisal Bin Salman,
Special Advisor Praises Role of Darah in Enhancing Kingdom’s Cultural Values
·
Over 5 million worshipers visit
Prophet's Mosque in one week
·
Sheikh Khalifa holds meetings
with chambers of Islamic countries
-----
Mideast
·
Facing Pressure, UN Security
Council to Vote on New Gaza Ceasefire Call
·
Another Hezbollah member killed
in clashes on Lebanon’s border with Israel
·
Israel Questions Jerusalem’s
Al-Aqsa Preacher Amid Incitement Charges
·
Israeli army says biggest Hamas
tunnel found
·
Israel faces new calls for
truce after killing of hostages raises alarm about its conduct in Gaza
·
Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital a
‘bloodbath’ says WHO
·
WHO says appalled by Israel's
destruction of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital
·
Jihad hits enemy soldiers,
vehicle concentrations in several areas in Gaza
·
Al-Qassam publishes scenes of
destroying Zionist tank in Deir al-Balah
·
Erdoğan Foresees End To 'Gaza
Massacres as Islamic World Grows'
·
Muslim Teacher Files
Discrimination Complaint After Being Put On Leave For Pro-Palestine Email
Slogan
·
505 Palestinians killed by
Israeli fire in West Bank this year
----
Pakistan
·
Over 14,000 Pakistani Nationals
Languishing in Foreign Jails
·
No Afghan Refugee with Legal
Documents Deported: Kakar
·
Civil society supports APS
Peshawar families’ demands
·
Durrani calls for probe into
supply of US weaponry to terrorists
·
Pakistan’s army chief and UN
Secretary-General discuss Afghanistan
·
Kakar to visit Kuwait to offer
condolences on Emir’s death
·
Power restored to Adiala jail,
nearby areas after 10 hours
·
Pakistan condemns attack on
police headquarters in Iran
------
South Asia
·
Islamic Emirate Calls UN
Chief's Report 'Optimistic'
·
Ministry: Maintenance of Border
Signs with Iran 15% Completed
·
ARCS Seeks Cooperation of Qatar
Red Cross in Treatment of Patients with Heart Defects
·
People’s Interest in
Cooperating with Security Organs Raised Well: Minister Haqqani
·
Islamic Emirate Expressed Its Sympathy
Over the Demise Emir of Kuwait
·
PM reiterates call for
resisting arsonists, killers
·
Bangladesh doesn't want to be
dragged into tension between superpowers: Momen
·
GPE announces $110 million in
aid for education in Afghanistan
·
People cooperation leads
Islamic Emirate towards further achievements
-----
Africa
·
US Lawmaker Wants Nigeria on
‘Concern List’ Over Blasphemy Killings
·
Kenyan Church Set Up to Welcome
LGBT Worshippers Has Secretly Operated For 10 Years
·
Abuja musician, band members
reportedly kidnapped while returning from event
·
Suspected bandits kill four
farmers, abduct eight others in Katsina
·
REAoL and Ministry of Industry
activate Go Green Initiative’s mosques solar electrification project
-------
North America
·
Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians
in Gaza: US-European Conspiracy to Create Greater Israel
·
Car rams into US President
Biden's motorcade outside his Delaware campaign headquarters
·
Black American solidarity with
Palestinians is rising
-----
Australia
·
Pro-Palestine Demonstrators
Rally InAustralia's Melbourne To Demand Gaza Ceasefire
·
More than 300 people evacuated
after floods wreak havoc in Australia
·
Families stranded on rooftops
overnight as northern Australia battered by rain and flooding
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hindus-meat-halal-jhatka-giriraj-minister/d/131335
------
Hindus Should Give Up Halal Meat, Eat
Only Jhatka: Union Minister Giriraj Singh
Union
Minister Giriraj Singh
---
17th December 2023
Marziya Sharif
Begusarai: Union Rural Development
Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday said Hindus should give up eating halal meat
and consume only ‘jhatka’, the flesh of animals slaughtered by a single blow of
the blade.
Singh, a senior BJP leader, made a plea
to the effect in his Begusarai parliamentary constituency where he also made
his supporters take the pledge that they will henceforth not spoil their
‘dharma’ by eating halal meat.
Talking to reporters, he said, “I admire
the Muslims who make it a point to consume only halal meat. Now Hindus should
demonstrate a similar commitment to their own religious traditions.”
“The Hindu way of slaughter is jhatka.
Whenever Hindus perform ‘bali’ (animal sacrifice), they do so in a single
stroke. As such, they must not corrupt themselves by eating halal meat. They
must always stick to jhatka,” said Singh.
He also stressed on the need for a new
business model in which there would be abattoirs and shops selling only jhatka
meat.
Notably, a few weeks ago, Singh had also
written a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to ban the sale of food
products labelled as “halal”, drawing inspiration from the Yogi Adityanath
government in adjoining Uttar Pradesh.
Replying to another query, the Union
minister taunted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for coming out with a “delayed”
response to the recent security breach in Parliament.
The BJP leader, however, slammed Gandhi
for linking the breach to unemployment and price rise, issues that the persons
who entered the premises carrying smoke canisters had sought to highlight.
“It is not the first time that Rahul
Gandhi has expressed sympathy towards the ‘tukdetukde’ gang. On an earlier
occasion, he had expressed solidarity with those who raised seditious slogans
inside the JNU campus,” Singh claimed.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/hindus-should-give-up-halal-meat-eat-only-jhatka-giriraj-2936282/
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‘Modi Taught a Lesson During 2002 Gujarat Riots to Not Repeat the Act’: Home Minister
By The Observer Post
Prime Minister Modi and HM Shah
----
17 December 2023
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed
the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Sanand, Gujarat, on Saturday, commending
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and highlighting the state’s
impressive record of no communal riots since 2002.
Shah said that under Modi’s guidance,
India’s economy has significantly improved, and industrial development has
reached higher levels during the Prime Minister’s tenure.
“In 2002, there were riots, and
thereafter Modi saheb taught a lesson to not repeat the act. Have there been
riots thereafter? The rioters were taught such a lesson in 2002 that to date no
one dares to cause riots in Gujarat,” Shah stated during the event held at the
Sanand gram panchayat.
The union home minister lauded Modi’s
role in quelling the riots in Gujarat in 2002 when he served as the Chief
Minister, saying that the lesson taught by the Prime Minister at that time has
deterred people from attempting to incite riots in the state for the past 21
years.
The 2002 Gujarat riots took place in the
Indian state of Gujarat, resulting in communal violence and loss of lives.
Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time, faced
criticism for the handling of the situation. The riots occurred after the
Godhra train burning incident, and Modi's government was accused of not doing
enough to prevent the violence. Modi's role in the events remains a subject of
debate and controversy. He went on to become the Prime Minister of India in
2014.
Shah encouraged the youth to work
towards realizing the dreams of freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh, Khudiram
Bose, and Rani Lakshmibai, who fought for India’s independence.
“Modi saheb has been instrumental in
various significant accomplishments, including the abrogation of Article 370,
the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the successful landing of
Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, and the enhanced security situation in the country,”
Shah said.
Later in the day, Amit Shah concluded
his engagements with the Sixth Advancements in Endourology conference at 6 p.m.
held at the Forum Convention Centre in Ahmedabad. The conference focused on
medical advancements in endourology, underscoring the importance of innovation
in healthcare.
Source: theobserverpost.com
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https://theobserverpost.com/modi-taught-a-lesson-during-2002-gujarat-riots-to-not-repeat-the-act-amit-shah/
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Italian PM Giorgia Meloni Sparks
Controversy with Remarks on Islamic Culture, Its Compatibility Issues with
Europe
Italy’s first woman PM Giorgia
Meloni. AP
-----
18 DEC 2023
Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni,
sparked controversy as she asserted that there is a "compatibility
problem" between Islamic culture and the values and rights of European
civilization.
Meloni addressed a gathering organized
by her right-wing, ultra-conservative Brothers of Italy party, attended by UK
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and billionaire Elon Musk.
"I believe there is a problem of
compatibility between Islamic culture or a certain interpretation of Islamic
culture and the rights and values of our civilization," she stated,
highlighting her concerns.
Meloni also pointed out that a
considerable number of Islamic cultural centers in Italy are financed by Saudi
Arabia, a fact that does not escape her attention.
Furthermore, the Italian Prime Minister
criticized Saudi Arabia's strict Sharia law, where acts such as apostasy and
homosexuality are considered criminal offenses.
"Sharia means lapidation for
adultery and the death penalty for apostasy and homosexuality. I believe that
these should be raised, which does not mean generalising on Islam. It means
raising the problem that there is a process of Islamisation in Europe that is
very distant from the values of our civilisation," reportedly said Meloni.
Sharia law, rooted in the Quran and the
Hadith, represents a set of principles and regulations constituting the
foundational religious texts of Islam.
Source: outlookindia.com
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https://www.outlookindia.com/international/italian-pm-giorgia-meloni-sparks-controversy-with-remarks-on-islamic-culture-its-compatibility-issues-with-europe-news-337138
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Jakim Lifts Ban on Non-Islamic Festive
Greetings on Display Products
The
Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has declared the 2020 ban on
non-Islamic festive greetings on displayed halal products is no longer
applicable. FILE PIC
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18 Dec 2023
ARFA YUNUS
PETALING JAYA: The Islamic development
department (Jakim) directive from 2020 which banned products containing
non-Islamic festive greetings being put on display is no longer applicable, the
department said.
According to Jakim, there is no
restriction for premises with halal certificates from writing festive greetings
on cakes and related products.
Jakim also said that it will continue to
review and reevaluate Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual (MPPHM).
“Based on Jakim's statement, it is clear
that there is no restriction for business premises that have a Malaysian Halal
Certification to write any festive greetings on cake orders or anything
similar.
“Jakim will review and re-evaluate any
related matters in the MPPHM.
“With this explanation, Jakim's previous
statement in 2020 is no longer applicable,” Jakim’s Corporate Communications
department under the Halal Management Division said in a statement on Monday
(Dec 18).
On Saturday, Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said
there are no restrictions on halal certificate holders writing celebratory
festive greetings on cakes for customers to take home.
This followed an internal memo from a
cake house purportedly telling its staff not to write Merry Christmas or X'Mas
on their cakes, even on request from customers.
Instead, employees were told they could
provide a "Season's Greetings" cake topper.
In the circular dated Dec 14 and signed
by the bakery's operations manager, the justification for the decision was to
comply and meet the halal certification requirements by Jakim.
Source: thestar.com.my
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the full text of the original
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/12/18/jakim-lifts-ban-on-non-islamic-festive-greetings-on-products
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Riyadh Theatre Festival Honours Works
Of Saudi Playwright Mohammed Al-Othaim
The Riyadh
Theater Festival is commemorating the late Saudi playwright Mohammed Al-Othaim
through one of his plays and an art exhibition dedicated to his career.
(Supplied)
------
December 17, 2023
RIYADH: The Riyadh Theater Festival is
commemorating the late Saudi playwright Mohammed Al-Othaim for his pioneering
theatrical contributions through one of his plays and an art exhibition
dedicated to his career.
The exhibition includes a collection of
Al-Othaim’s audio and written works and poems, in addition to the shields and
certificates of honor that he obtained during his career.
The festival will also present a film
that tells Al-Othaim’s biography and artistic history, during which his friends
and colleagues present testimonies on his achievements, how he began his career
and his passion for theater and writing.
During the past 50 years, Al-Othaim
formed a unique cultural, artistic and intellectual movement in the Kingdom.
His theatrical texts are distinguished by the inspiration they take from Arab,
Islamic and Saudi heritage and myths.
During his artistic career, Al-Othaim
was keen to present only the best works to the public, and he saw theater as a
gateway to art through which he could display his creativity and artistic
writings.
He devoted much of his time to
theatrical writing, presenting 45 successful works over 33 years. He was the
first to write a play for the inaugural Souk Okaz Festival.
Najla Al-Saleem, a plastic artist, told
Arab News: “Honoring creative people, especially during their period in life,
is considered a great support. For juniors, honoring seniors means support and
encouragement for novice artists.
“The artist does not only present art,
he presents culture and (is) considered as a beautiful ambassador to his
country, so it is important to honor the artist during his life.”
She added the Ministry of Culture has
contributed to honoring many innovators and pioneers in the fields of
literature and theater, among others.
“As plastic artists, we are living in a
beautiful golden phase supported by the Ministry of Culture and the
government,” Al-Saleem said.
Riyadh Theater Festival was launched
last week and is organized by the Theater and Performing Arts Commission.
The festival aims to stimulate and
activate the Saudi theatrical movement through a package of performances to
support local theater productions.
The festival, which runs until Dec. 24,
is being held at the conference center at Princess Nourah University in Riyadh.
It will feature plays performed by
theater groups from eight cities, as well as activities including seminars,
critical reading sessions and workshops.
The festival aims to support Saudi
talent by helping participants further their careers and create content that
inspires audiences and enriches the Saudi theater scene.
Tunisia is also participating in the
festival within the framework of the strong historical ties between the two
countries.
The festival will also present awards in
11 categories including best theatrical script, best theatrical direction, and
best theatrical music.
By organizing this festival, the
commission aims to boost the theater sector in line with the National Strategy
for Culture, part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Source: arabnews.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2427366/saudi-arabia
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India
Pro-Palestine Slogans Heard at Kolkata
Queer Pride Walk
17th December 2023
Marziya Sharif
Kolkata: Pro-Palestine slogans condemning
the deaths of civilians in Gaza Strip in the battle between Israeli army and
Hamas militants were heard here on Sunday during the annual Queer Pride walk.
However, the participants in the walk
consciously avoided chanting any “anti-Israel” or “pro-Hamas” slogans during
the walk.
Well-known fashion designer and an
organizer of the annual event, Navolin Das, said that the aim is not to evoke
hatred against Israel or express solidarity towards Hamas.
“Our aim is to condemn the killing of
innocent civilians, non-combatants and children. Every year on the occasion of
this annual event we pick up any issue that needs to be condemned. This year,
the most relevant issue is what is happening in Gaza Strip,” Das said.
Aditya, who has been participating at
the walk since its inception, said picking up contemporary issues is also an
attempt to send a message that the Queer community is also a part of the bigger
and mainstream society and the representatives are not unaware of the ongoing
social developments.
“What is happening at Gaza Strip is
anti-humanity and the Queer community cannot be silent on it,” said Aditya.
Debika Barua, city’s popular face in
Queer Rights activism said that the walk, which started as a movement against
discrimination that the people of the community had been facing had now turned
into an event of celebration of achieving so many goals the prime of which is
decriminalising the same-sex relationship.
“The last hurdle of the right for
same-sex marriage is yet to be achieved. But we will make it some day,” Barua
said.
Source: siasat.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.siasat.com/pro-palestine-slogans-heard-at-kolkata-queer-pride-walk-2936319/
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'Muslim Mahapanchayat' Scheduled to Be
Held at Ramlila Ground in Delhi for December 18 Deferred
December 18, 2023
An 'All India Muslim Mahapanchayat',
which was scheduled to be held at the Ramlila ground in Delhi on December 18,
has been "deferred" as the Delhi Police did not receive "written
assurance" from the organisers about safe and smooth conduct of the event,
an official said.
On December 1, the city police told the
Delhi High Court that they have granted permission to Mission Save
Constitution, an organisation that claims to be working for protection of
citizen rights, to hold the event at the Ramlila ground on December 18 with
subject to certain conditions for safe and smooth conduct of the event.
"We have not received any written
assurance related to certain points to conduct the event, therefore
no-objection certificate (NOC) cannot be issued. Nobody approached us till
Sunday night," a police officer said.
When contacted, the organisation, headed
by advocate Mehmood Pracha, said they again moved a petition before the court
on the issue and the hearing on the matter is scheduled December 19.
The police authorities, represented by
advocate Arun Panwar, had asked the petitioners to assure them on certain
points including that the gathering will not significantly increase from the
proposed 10,000 people to ensure that the event was conducted safely and
smoothly.
The city police also said the names and
number of speakers, as conveyed to the authorities, will not exceed or change,
and no speaker would say anything against Indian laws or make hate speech that
could disturb public harmony, peace and tranquillity of the area.
The event at the Ramlila ground is not
going to happen but a small gathering is planned at Aiwan-e-Ghalib auditorium
near ITO on Monday, the organisers said.
Earlier, Mission Save Constitution had
said in its plea that it wanted to initiate a series of events for
strengthening the weaker sections of society, beginning with minority
communities and followed by other communities like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled
Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and that the voice of all the oppressed
would be raised at its meetings.
Source: thehindu.com
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https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/muslim-mahapanchayat-scheduled-to-be-held-at-ramlila-ground-in-delhi-for-december-18-deferred/article67648834.ece
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New temple transforms India’s Ayodhya
but Muslims feel neglected
December 18, 2023
In the northern Indian city of Ayodhya,
which was once marred by communal tensions, labourers are finalizing a $6
billion infrastructure facelift ahead of the opening of a grand Hindu temple
that is igniting an economic boom – which some of Ayodhya’s poor and its Muslim
community say is passing them by, Reuters reported.
City officials expect about 4.5 million
tourists a month – more than Ayodhya’s entire population of 3 million – once
the first stage of Ram Mandir, as the temple is known, opens on Jan. 22 inside
a sprawling complex of carved pink sandstone and white marble.
Ayodhya made international headlines in
1992 when a Hindu mob razed Babri mosque – where the Mandir will stand – saying
it had been built on the site of an earlier Hindu temple. The incident sparked
nationwide riots that left 2,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.
After decades of legal contests, India’s
Supreme Court in 2019 awarded the site to Hindu groups for temple construction.
While the $180 million temple project in
Uttar Pradesh state is funded by donations, the state government – controlled
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) – is pulling out all the stops.
The BJP – which had made construction of
the temple a national campaign pledge – is in government spending billions on
rebuilding Ayodhya, with a new international airport, parks, roads and bridges
in the offing.
Hindu priest Rajendra Das says the
temple – which believers say is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, one of
Hinduism’s most sacred deities – has boosted Ayodhya’s hospitality and real
estate sectors like never before.
“Everyone will benefit by the temple,”
said Das, a 64-year-old dressed in a dhoti sarong. He is spending $120,000 to
rebuild his tourist lodge – which is being demolished in the city’s revamp –
with bigger rooms that have more amenities.
“Foreign tourists and people from every
nook and corner of India will come.”
Reuters interviewed dozens of residents
and businesspeople who said the Mandir is bringing a flood of new investment
and prosperity to Ayodyha, though some complain of being left behind.
Locals whose property was demolished in
redevelopment feel displaced by soaring land prices and scant compensation. And
some from the city’s sizeable Muslim community of an estimated 350,000 said
they are not reaping the benefits of the boom.
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi denied
that Muslim residents were being left out: “If roads are getting widened then
Muslims will also use them. If electricity supply is getting fixed, Muslims
will also benefit.”
“This temple is expected to stand as one
of the grandest Hindu temples, much like India’s own Vatican City,” said Lodha
chief executive Samujjwal Ghosh, adding that businesses were marketing Ayodyha
as a premium consumer product.
Each year, millions of Hindus travel to
Indian temple cities like Varanasi and Tirupati, which have become tourist
hotspots with thriving hospitality sectors.
The revamp, however, has upset many in
the city’s Muslim community. In its 2019 order, the Supreme Court also said
authorities must allocate the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, which
advocates for Muslim rights, “suitable” land at a “prominent” place to build a
new mosque.
The board was issued land 15 miles from
the temple, just next to the city border. That effectively means Muslims are
excluded from the development boom downtown, said Azam Qadri, president of
Ayodhya district committee of the board.
When Reuters visited the site designated
for the mosque, there was no construction or infrastructure development ongoing
in the quiet surrounding area. A poster on a wall showcased the proposed design
and read: “A Masterpiece In Making”.
“Everyone is focused on the temple.
There should have been focus on promoting mosques too,” Qadri said.
Muslims still don’t have wide acceptance
in the city and even if the community tried to build hotels, Hindu religious
tourists might not visit, he added.
Source: ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/new-temple-transforms-indias-ayodhya-but-muslims-feel-neglected/
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NIA raids 19 places in South India
against a 'highly radicalised jihadi terror group'
18th December 2023
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation
Agency (NIA) carried out searches at 19 locations in South India by busting a
"highly radicalised jihadi terror group," sources said.
The raids have been underway since
Monday morning. The anti-terror agency is conducting these raids in close
coordination with the state police forces.
The sources, privy to the development,
did not share the inputs about the exact location and about the jihadi group
due to some operational reasons. Of the 19 places being searched by the NIA,
the majority of them are linked to suspects affiliated with the jihadi group.
As per inputs, the terror group is
engaged in anti-India activities and has learned to plan attacks, recruiting
youths, said the sources.
The move comes days after the NIA raided
multiple locations across Bengaluru, Karnataka, in a case relating to the
radicalization of prisoners by a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist.
A total of six locations, including the
houses of four accused, one of whom is still absconding, were extensively
searched in the case on December 13 as part of the NIA's continuing
investigations into the case (RC-28/2023/NIA/DLI).
The other locations that were searched
were premises connected with two other suspects.
In that raid, the NIA teams seized a
host of digital devices, various incriminating documents, and cash amounting to
Rs 7.3 lakhs during the raids, conducted at the premises of Mohammed Umar,
Mohammed Faisal Rabbani, Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammed Farooq, as well as
absconder Junaid Ahmed.
Three accused are currently absconding
in the case, registered under various sections of IPC, the UA(P) Act, 1967 and
the Explosive Substances Act, 1884.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/dec/18/nia-raids-19-places-in-south-india-against-a-highly-radicalised-jihadi-terror-group-2642638.html
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Europe
UK, Germany call for ‘sustainable' Gaza
ceasefire: ‘Too many civilians killed’
Dec 17, 2023
Israel-Hamas War: Their comments come
days after US President Joe Biden called Israel’s recent bombing of Gaza
“indiscriminate.”
The foreign ministers of the UK and
Germany jointly called for “a sustainable cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip in a
letter published in the Sunday Times.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron and his
German counterpart Annalena Baerbock warned that “too many civilians have been
killed” during the Israeli Defense Forces’ assault on Gaza.
Their comments come days after US
President Joe Biden called Israel’s recent bombing of Gaza “indiscriminate.”
The diplomats said they understand that
demanding an immediate end to hostilities isn’t the right approach. “It must be
peace lasting for days, years, generations,” Cameron and Baerbock wrote. “We
therefore support a cease-fire, but only if it is sustainable.”
Israel’s campaign started after the
Islamist Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel from the Gaza Strip
on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people in towns, kibbutzim, army bases and at a music
festival in the desert. About 240 people were taken hostage and over 100 remain
captive in Gaza.
The US is pressing Israel to shift the
war, now into its third month, from a crushing air and ground assault to an
operation focused on targeting leaders of Hamas, which is designated a
terrorist group by the US and the European Union.
In their letter, Baerbock and Cameron
highlighted the humanitarian plight of “children in the rubble of their
destroyed homes, not knowing where to find food or water, not knowing where
their parents are.”
“Israel will not win this war if its
operations destroy the prospect of peaceful coexistence with Palestinians.”
they wrote. “They have a right to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas. But too
many civilians have been killed.”
The pair also condemned “hateful acts”
of “extremist” settlers in the West Bank, who they said were “seeking to
sabotage” steps toward a two-state solution.
Jewish settlers in the West Bank enjoy
an unprecedented level of support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
government, and have become increasingly aggressive since the Oct. 7 attacks.
From Oct. 7 through Dec. 4, 236
Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israeli forces,
with another eight killed by Israeli settlers, and another two killed by one or
the other, according to United Nations data. Four Israelis, three of them
soldiers, were killed by Palestinians, according to the same source.
The US has taken action in this area
this month when Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the State Department is
implementing a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals linked to
undermining peace, security, or stability in the West Bank.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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------
French top diplomat calls for 'immediate
and durable' Gaza truce
Dec 17, 2023
French Foreign Minister Catherine
Colonna on Sunday pressed for an "immediate and durable" truce in the
Gaza war, saying "too many civilians are being killed" in the
Palestinian territory.
Israel has come under growing
international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, where its war against Hamas
militants has killed at least 18,800 people, mostly women and children,
according to the territory's Hamas government.
The offensive comes in response to
Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attacks in southern Israel in which about 1,140
people were killed, mostly civilians, and about 250 taken hostage, according to
the latest Israeli figures.
Meeting her Israeli counterpart Eli
Cohen in Tel Aviv, Colonna stressed that the victims of Hamas's attacks must
not be forgotten, including those reportedly subjected to sexual violence.
"Needless to say, France believes
the word of these women victims... those who had to witness these rapes and
mutilations, these desecrations," she said.
There is concern the war is spreading to
other parts of the region.
There have been regular cross-border
exchanges of fire between Israel and armed groups in southern Lebanon, notably
the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Cohen said Israel "has no intention
to start another front on our northern border".
But he warned that ensuring the security
of Israelis near the border meant pushing Hezbollah "north of the Litani
River".
"There are two ways to do that:
either by diplomacy or by force," Cohen said, adding that France could
play a "positive and significant role" in preventing all-out war.
Colonna called on all parties to
"de-escalate" along the border.
"If things were to spiral out of
control, I don't think anyone would benefit, and I say this to Israel
too," she said during a stop at the Shura military base.
Colonna also said France and its allies
were weighing a response to attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Major shipping firms have suspended
passage following attacks by Huthi rebels in Yemen aimed at pressuring Israel
over the Gaza war.
"These attacks cannot go
unanswered, and we are studying several solutions," including a
"defensive role to prevent this from happening again", Colonna said.
She was also due to meet the families of
French hostages still held in Gaza, and meet her Palestinian counterpart Riyad
al-Maliki in the occupied West Bank.
She has condemned violence in the West
Bank, where more than 290 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or
settlers since October 7.
"Since October 7, unfortunately,
some settlers, driven by their ideological blindness... have committed
crimes" against Palestinians, she said, adding that "these settlers
must be punished".
There are also tensions after a French
foreign ministry employee was killed in Gaza by an Israeli strike. Paris
demanded Saturday that "light be shed" on the circumstances.
Source: thedailystar.net
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-----
Demonstrations in Paris to demand an
immediate & permanent ceasefire in Gaza
[17/December/2023]
PARIS December 17. 2023 (Saba) -
Thousands of citizens participated in demonstrations in Republic Square in the
center of the French capital, Paris, on Sunday, demanding an immediate and
permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the cessation of Zionist military operations in
the Gaza Strip.
The demonstrators gathered in
"Republic" Square and began to move in marches at the invitation of
several organizations and various political and union groups supporting the
Palestinian people, as well as French political parties, to demand an immediate
ceasefire.
Several other pro-Palestinian marches
were organized in other cities in France, especially in Lyon, where about 1,850
people participated in the demonstration, according to the French authorities,
and between 4,000 to 5,000 according to the organizers.
Source: saba.ye
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-----
Spain Catholic Church says receives law
firm’s sex abuse audit
18 Dec 2023
MADRID, Dec 17 —Spain’s Catholic Church
confirmed today that it had received an audit into child sex abuse by members
of the clergy that it commissioned nearly two years ago from a private law
firm.
A spokeswoman for the CEE Episcopal
Conference, which groups Spain’s leading bishops, told AFP the report was
received on Saturday, without giving any further details.
“The Episcopal Conference has received
the report of the law firm Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo. This report is being
studied for its integration into the work of the Conference and will be
published in its entirety in the near future,” a brief CEE statement said.
The Church had in February 2022
commissioned Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo with looking into child abuse by both
clergy and lay figures, with the firm saying it would probably take a year,
though its report was later delayed.
On October 27, the conclusions of
Spain’s first-ever official investigation into such abuses were published, with
the expert panel estimating that more than 200,000 minors had been abused by
clergy since 1940.
Adding in abuses by lay people, that
figure rose to more than 400,000, or around 1.13 percent of Spain’s 40 million
population, said panel chair and ombudsman Angel Gabilondo when presenting the
700-page report.
At the time, CEE head Cardinal Juan Jose
Omella said the Church was aware of 1,125 cases of sexual abuse, and later cast
doubt on the “dubious reliability” of the figures.
Historically, Spain has been a deeply
Catholic country where around 55 percent of the population identifies as Roman
Catholic, and where 1.5 million children study in some 2,500 Catholic schools.
In recent decades, thousands have spoken
out about harrowing abuses by clergy across Europe, the United States,
Australia and beyond, prompting several Church inquiries seeking redress for
the victims.
But until last year, there had never
been such an investigation in Spain, where no official statistics existed on
child sex abuse by the clergy.
The ombudsman’s probe was backed by MPs
in March 2022, a month after the Church took its first step towards addressing
clerical abuse by engaging the law firm, with Omella saying it was to “take
responsibility... to clarify past events and ensure they don’t happen again”.
But the move was dismissed as a
“smokescreen” by victims’ associations that have long accused the Church of
stonewalling and denial over such abuses. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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-----
French foreign minister reiterates
support for Israel despite killing of ministry staffer in southern Gaza
Nur Asena Erturk
17.12.2023
Despite the killing of a Foreign
Ministry staffer in southern Gaza a day earlier, France's top diplomat on
Sunday reiterated the country’s support for Israel.
"I have come here also to recall
the importance of a new humanitarian truce ... and a truce that should lead us
to a humanitarian cease-fire," Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told a
joint news conference with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen during a two-day
visit to the Middle East.
Previously, she posted on X: "Came
to Israel to: - Recall Israel's right to defend itself while strictly
respecting humanitarian law and protecting civilian populations – Help avoid a
regional fire."
Addressing Cohen in another post, she
pointed to "France's attachment to Israel's security in the face of
terrorism."
She also stressed the urgency of "a
humanitarian truce in Gaza" to release hostages and allow the delivery of
humanitarian aid.
A French Foreign Ministry employee
succumbed to injuries from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in southern Gaza, said
the ministry late Saturday.
The house of a French Consulate
colleague where the staffer had taken shelter was bombed on Wednesday evening,
the ministry said.
"Our colleague has been working for
France since 2002," the ministry said in a statement, offering condolences
to the victim's family.
"France condemns the bombardment of
a residency building that also caused several other civilian casualties,"
the statement added.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from
the air and land, imposed a siege and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation
for a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 18,800 Palestinians, mostly
children and women, have since been killed and 51,000 injured in Israeli
attacks, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas
attack stands at 1,200, while more than 130 hostages are still held by the
Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
Southeast Asia
‘Stop the war crimes:’ Thousands of
Indonesians protest for Palestine outside US embassy
December 17, 2023
JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians
protested outside the US Embassy in Jakarta on Sunday, calling on President Joe
Biden to stop supporting Israel’s attack on Gaza, which has killed nearly
19,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 1.9 million people in the besieged
enclave.
Indonesian protesters were mostly
dressed in white and black and wearing traditional Palestine scarves as they
chanted “Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die” in front of the US
embassy, and carrying Palestinian flags and banners reading “Stop Genocide,
“Ceasefire Now,” and “Israeli genocide funded by the US.”
The demonstration was organized by more
than a dozen Islamic mass organizations, which denounced US support for Israel
and its most recent veto against a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the UN
Security Council.
“Palestine is our spirit and soul. We
oppose what is done by America and Israel. We call on (President Joe Biden and
the US government) to stop the war crimes,” said Nazar Haris, from the
executive committee of the Islamic mass organization council, in a speech
outside the US embassy.
A group of protesters carried mock-ups
of dead Palestinian children during the rally, while others put up red-painted
hands to illustrate the atrocities committed by Israeli forces.
Protesters also demanded that the
Indonesian government file a case against the Israeli leadership to the
International Criminal Court and recall the Indonesian ambassador to the US to
protest Washington’s support for Tel Aviv.
“Every day, Israel shows its ignorance
to the world. Today we ask countries around the world, where is your humanity?
To my fellow Muslims, today we show our solidarity with Palestine. As long as
Palestine is not free, Indonesia still carries a debt,” NurjannahHulwan, head
of the KPIPA women’s coalition, said.
Indonesia has been a staunch supporter
of Palestine for decades, with its people and government seeing Palestinian
statehood as mandated by the nation’s constitution, which calls for the
abolition of colonialism.
“These are the people of Indonesia
eagerly standing up for Palestine,” said Ahmad Heryawan, who is also from the
executive committee of the Islamic mass organization council. “As long as
Palestine’s independence has not been granted, we will always stand up to fight
for it.”
Another protest took place on Sunday at
the National Monument complex in Jakarta, a few kilometers away from the
embassy. The demonstrations are the latest of several huge protests across
Indonesia since Israel began its deadly attack in October.
The proportion of civilian deaths in
Gaza, at about 61 percent in the first three weeks of Tel Aviv’s onslaught, is
significantly higher compared to the average in all conflicts around the world
during the 20th century, according to a study published by the Israeli
newspaper Haaretz.
“Israel’s actions are not acts of war,
it is genocide,” protester Ahmad Zaky Qolbuddin told Arab News. “Just like what
it said in Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, all colonialism in this world must be
abolished.”
Source: arabnews.com
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------
Over 6,000 flood evacuees at 30 relief
centres in four states
18 Dec 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 — A total of 6,271
people were at 30 flood relief centres in four states this morning, with the
number of evacuees rising in Kelantan and Selangor, dropping in Terengganu and
remaining unchanged in Perak.
In Kelantan, 5,327 evacuees from 1,688
families were being housed at 17 relief centres in Pasir Mas and Tanah Merah as
at 9am, up from 4,840 from 1,528 families last night.
In Terengganu, the number of evacuees at
10 relief centres had dropped to 812 (from 180 families) as at 8am, compared to
824 (184 families) last night.
The Terengganu Disaster Management
Committee secretariat said the three affected districts were in Dungun with 583
evacuees from 147 families, Marang (179 evacuees) and Setiu (50 evacuees).
In Selangor, the Social Welfare
Department Disaster Info portal reported that 43 evacuees from 12 families were
housed at two relief centres this morning compared to 39 evacuees from 11
families last night.
SekolahRendah Agama (SRA) Padang Jawa in
Klang was housing 23 evacuees while 20 more are at SK ParitMahang in Kuala
Selangor.
The Public Infobanjir portal reported
that the levels of Sungai Klang in Selat Muara (Klang) and Sungai Buloh in
ParitMahang (Kuala Selangor) were at the alert points of 2.4 metres (m) and
3.5m, respectively.
In Perak, 89 evacuees from 26 families
were being housed at a relief centre at Padang Tembak Multipurpose Hall, Teluk
Intan.
Disaster Management Committee
secretariat of the Perak Civil Defence Force (APM) said that the level of
Sungai Bidor in Changkat Jong was at the danger point of 3.51m and the
Meteorological Department has forecast rain in the afternoon and evening in Hilir
Perak. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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-----
Man to plead guilty to making bomb
threat on Scoot flight that returned to Singapore under RSAF escort
18 Dec 2023
SINGAPORE, Dec 18 — The man who
allegedly made a bomb threat on a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth in
October, forcing the plane to turn back to Singapore under fighter jet escort,
is set to plead guilty next month.
Hawkins Kevin Francis, 30, appeared in
court through video link today where he was represented by defence counsel
Dhillon Surinder Singh.
The Australian man was earlier charged
in court on October 14 under the United Nations Act for making a false bomb
threat while onboard an aircraft.
On the afternoon of October 12, the
police were alerted to a bomb threat made on board Scoot flight TR16, which was
en route from Singapore to Perth.
During the flight, Hawkins had allegedly
informed a male cabin crew member: “I have a bomb.”
Hawkins also repeatedly uttered the word
“bomb” to another female cabin crew member.
At this point, the plane had already
departed Singapore and had to turn back with the escort of the Republic of
Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter jets because of the threat.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a
Facebook post then that two F-15SG fighter planes were scrambled to escort the
Scoot flight back to Changi Airport.
The Scoot plane landed on the same
evening.
Officers from the Airport Police
Division and Special Operations Command’s K-9 Unit were then mobilised to
investigate the purported bomb threat, said the police in a statement on
October 14.
At the time, the Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore said one runway was closed for about an hour “to
facilitate ground operations”, with eight arriving flights and six departures
experiencing some delay because of the incident.
During the hearing, Dhillon told the
court that he had discussed the issue of sentencing with Deputy Public
Prosecutor (DPP) Grace Chua.
As his client has been in remand for
close to three months and would likely be released soon based on the
prosecution’s sentencing position, Dhillon sought an expedited date for Hawkins
to plead guilty.
District Judge Brenda Tan granted the
request and set Hawkins’ date to plead guilty on December 22.
Anyone found guilty of making a false
bomb threat could be jailed for up to 10 years or fined up to S$500,000 (RM1.7
million), or both. — TODAY
Source: malaymail.com
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Anwar, Dr Wan Azizah convey condolences
on the passing of Kuwait's Emir
18 Dec 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on Monday
expressed condolences to the Royal Court and the people of Kuwait on the
passing of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The prime minister said His Highness'
contributions to the strengthening of vibrant relations between Malaysia and
Kuwait will always be remembered.
"Azizah and I would like to convey
our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Your Highness, the Royal
Court and the people of the State of Kuwait on the passing of your beloved
father His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
"May Allah the Almighty shower his
soul with peace and place him among the righteous,” he said in a post on X.
Sheikh Nawaf, who was hospitalised due
to health problems, died at the age of 86 on Dec 16.
Sheikh Nawaf passed away after a
three-year reign.
Deputy ruler Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 83, has been named as Kuwait's new emir. – Bernama
Source: thestar.com.my
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-----
Gaza residents seeking refuge at a
centre in Jabalia al-Bala appeal for assistance
Hakim Mahari
December 18, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Gaza residents are seeking
refuge and medical aid at a centre in Jabalia al-Balad, appealing to the global
community for assistance amid the ongoing crisis.
Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Shareef
reports that a significant number of victims are women and children, bearing
the brunt of the latest assaults.
Expressing anguish, one resident stated,
"They are targeting innocent children. We are hosting poor, helpless, and
displaced people who can't find a place at the schools.
"Israeli forces have targeted all
of us inside our houses."
Accusing Israeli forces of committing
"genocide," another Palestinian issued a plea to the world: "Our
message to the world is that enough is enough... stop sleeping and get up.
"Don't you feel that we are part of
humanity?"
A medical professional at the hospital
emphasised the collapse of the healthcare system in northern Gaza and urgently
called for an "immediate ceasefire," describing the situation as
"catastrophic."
"We are facing a genocide,"
they said.
Earlier, it was reported that Israeli
airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Sunday resulted in
the death of around 90 Palestinians.
According to Reuters, the spokesperson
for Gaza's health ministry verified the casualties, yet Israel has not provided
an immediate response.
Al Jazeera conveyed that in the recent
Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, 25 people lost
their lives, including 10 members of a single family.
The Al Jazeera team, present at Nuseirat
shortly after the overnight strike, reported that the Abu Garqud family members
were inside their home when the bomb struck without warning.
A young man who survived the tragic
incident lamented the loss of his brothers and young nephews in the deadly
strike.
Source: nst.com.my
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-----
Arab World
Yemeni army’s operations have left
significant economic impact on Israel: Ansarullah
18 December 2023
The spokesman for Ansarullah resistance
movement says the Yemeni army's operations against the vessels that are owned
by Israel or bound for the occupied Palestinian territories have taken a big
toll on the regime's economy.
"Yemen's operations have left a
significant economic impact on the Israeli enemy," Mohammed Abdul-Salam
said on Sunday.
Yemen's Armed Forces have warned that
they will target all the vessels that would use the country's territorial
waters in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to reach Israeli ports.
The Yemeni Army says it has targeted two
container ships in waters off the country’s coast, the latest of their
operations to support Palestinians who are under brutal attacks by Israel.
The Yemeni army has also announced that
its operations will continue as long as the Israeli regime keeps up its all-out
aggression against the Gaza Strip and a concomitant siege that the regime has
been imposing on the coastal territory remains in place.
Around 19,000 people have been killed in
the Israeli regime's onslaught on Gaza that began on October 7 following an
operation by the territory's resistance movements, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa
Storm.
"All actions taken by the Yemeni
Armed Forces are linked to lifting the siege of Gaza and halting the [Israeli]
aggression against it," Abdul-Salam said.
"If you want to stop Yemen's naval
operations against the Israeli enemy, you must lift the blockade on Gaza, and
food and medicine must be allowed in," he added.
At least four international shipping
firms have already suspended transit through the Red Sea's internationally
important Bab al-Mandab strait, citing the potential of Yemeni attacks.
This has reportedly inflicted three
billion dollars in damage on the Israeli economy by increasing the price of the
goods that are imported to the occupied territories three times.
Stressing that "the Red Sea is safe
except for ships associated with the Israeli enemy," Abdul-Salam also
praised a decision taken by a Chinese company to stop sending its ships to the
occupying entity's ports.
The Ansarullah official affirmed that
Yemen's stance on Palestine stems from religious, national, and moral
principles, while describing Israel as a source of threat to the unity of
Muslim nations.
More shipping giants suspend passage
through a key Red Sea strait after attacks by Yemeni forces.
"The Palestinian cause is not open
to negotiation and we cannot accept what is happening to the people of
Gaza," he reiterated.
Abdul-Salam, meanwhile, announced that
"there is ongoing communication with influential countries with the goal
of achieving [Yemen's] stated objectives, including lifting the blockade of
Gaza and stopping the aggression against it."
Source: presstv.ir
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------
Climate-change research critical for
intervention in Kingdom, say experts
December 18, 2023
JEDDAH: There should be a greater focus
on climate-change education and research to ensure effective strategies for
future interventions in the Kingdom, it was proposed at a conference here.
The two-day event organized by the
National Meteorological Center, which ended on Sunday, saw the participation of
various experts who discussed “enhancing education, training, skills
development and expertise of the future generation of climate scientists,” the
Saudi Press Agency reported.
It was proposed to have regular
international conferences on climate change, and to ensure university students
conduct more research.
Several participants presented their
research at the event.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Special
AdvisorPraises Role of Darah in Enhancing Kingdom’s Cultural Values
December 18, 2023
RIYADH — Prince Faisal bin Salman,
special advisor to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and chairman of the Board
of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives
(Darah), made an inspection tour of the headquarters of the Darah in Riyadh on
Sunday.
Last Tuesday, Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman issued a royal decree appointing Prince Faisal as his
special advisor, and chairman of the board of Darah. Prince Faisal made the
visit in the presence of Darah’s Acting Secretary General Dr. Fahd Al-Sammari
and CEO Turki Al-Shuwaier.
During the visit, Prince Faisal bin
Salman was briefed on the latest projects and initiatives that the Darah is
working on within the policy it has pursued since it was honoured by King
Salman by chairing the board of directors of the Darah for two and a half
decades. Prince Faisal also visited the departments and the memorial hall at
the Darah.
Speaking on the occasion, Prince Faisal
expressed his gratitude for the generous support that the Darah receives from
King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. “This
support and guidance strengthen the Darah’s role in achieving remarkable
successes during its past journey, and an honorable future to be a national
reference for the history of Arabia, consolidating its culture and preserving
its heritage,” he said.
Prince Faisal praised the efforts made
by the competent and qualified Saudi staff at the Darah, saying that these are
instrumental in developing several scientific, cultural and heritage projects.
He stressed the importance of developing administrative capabilities and
strategic plans to achieve the leadership’s aspirations concerned with history,
culture and national heritage. This is in addition to enhancing the historical
depth of Saudi Arabia as the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the place of
revelation of the Holy Qur’an, the land of Islam and peace, and a source of
cultural radiation from the Arabian Peninsula to the entire world.
It is noteworthy that the King Abdulaziz
Foundation for Research and Archives was established in the year 1391 AH as a
cultural institution concerned with serving the history of the Kingdom, its
geography, and its intellectual and urban literature in particular, and the
Arabian Peninsula, the Arab countries, and Islam in general, in addition to
collecting and classifying multiple historical sources related to Saudi Arabia
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Over 5 million worshipers visit
Prophet's Mosque in one week
December 17, 2023
MADINAH — The Prophet's Mosque welcomed
approximately 5,119,000 worshippers between Dec. 8 and 15.
The General Authority for the Care of
the Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque effectively organized and facilitated the
entry of 501,938 visitors to Prophet Mohammed’s tomb, and 235,341 devotees
performed prayers at the revered Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah.
The Authority reported comprehensive
services for the mosque's visitors.
Notably, 15,295 elderly and individuals
with special needs accessed designated sites, while translation services in
various languages were utilized by 87,446 people of diverse nationalities.
In addition, the mosque's library
attracted 13,584 visitors, 4,783 people explored exhibitions and museums, and
8,638 utilized phone services and other communication channels.
The authority distributed over 111,600
bottles of Zamzam water, provided 92,992 Iftar meals, and gifted 42,125
presents to worshipers and visitors.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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-----
Sheikh Khalifa holds meetings with
chambers of Islamic countries
DECEMBER 17, 2023
Officials of Qatar Chamber have held
individual meetings with several heads of delegations representing member
countries of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) on the sidelines of
the 39th General Assembly Meeting of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry,
and Agriculture (ICCIA) recently held in Doha.
Qatar Chamber chairman Sheikh Khalifa
bin Jassim al-Thani was joined by board members Dr Mohamed bin Jawhar
al-Mohamed, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Jalil al-Abdul Ghani, and Abdullah bin
Mohamed al-Emadi during the meeting.
They met with the following officials:
Abdou Idrees, president of the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce,
Industry and Agriculture (FPCCIA); Khalil el-Haji Tawfiq, president of the
Jordan Chamber of Commerce; Hossein Selahvarzi, president of the Iran Chamber
of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA);
Mammad Musayev, president of the
National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) of Azerbaijan Republic
(ASK); Olive Kigongo, president of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce
& Industry (NCCI); and Ibrahim Jani AbdulGaniyu, vice president of the
Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture
(NACCIMA).
The meetings focused on strengthening
cooperation relations between Qatar Chamber and their Islamic counterparts and
exploring ways to enhance private sector ties of all parties concerned. The
discussions also aimed at boosting trade, stimulating mutual investments, and
exploring the possibility of establishing joint ventures.
During these meetings, Sheikh Khalifa
emphasised the chamber’s eagerness to strengthen cooperative relations with all
chambers of commerce in Islamic states. He said, “This commitment stems from
the conviction that concerted efforts are necessary to elevate inter-Islamic
trade, which currently falls below our aspirations.”
Source: gulf-times.com
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----
Mideast
Facing pressure, UN Security Council to
vote on new Gaza ceasefire call
December 18, 2023
NEW YORK CITY: The United Nations
Security Council will vote Monday on a new resolution calling for an “urgent
and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza, as Washington exhibits
growing impatience with key ally Israel.
The vote comes days after the United
States blocked a previous Security Council resolution that would have called
for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the battered Palestinian territory, where
Israel continues its deadly strikes in retaliation for Hamas’s unprecedented
attack on October 7.
But in the General Assembly, the UN’s
193 members voted overwhelmingly for a ceasefire, with 153 in favor — exceeding
the 140 or so countries that have routinely backed resolutions condemning
Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
The upcoming Security Council resolution
was introduced by Arab countries that had come away from last Tuesday’s General
Assembly vote bolstered by such broad international support, though the latest
text’s fate remains uncertain.
The new draft, drawn up by the United
Arab Emirates and seen by AFP, calls for an “urgent and sustainable cessation
of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza
Strip.”
It also affirms support for a two-state
solution in the region and “stresses the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip
with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”
In a move criticized by Israel and the
United States, the draft does not explicitly name Hamas, though it does call
for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and condemns “all
indiscriminate attacks against civilians.”
The Security Council has faced sharp
international opprobrium as it has managed to pass only one resolution on Gaza
since the start of the war, in which the 15-member body called for
“humanitarian pauses” — after five other resolutions were rejected, including
two thanks to American vetoes.
According to diplomatic sources,
negotiations on the new text continued Sunday in an effort to avoid another
impasse, days after US President Joe Biden warned that Israel was at risk of
losing international support due to its “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza.
“The United States should now back those
words by acting at the United Nations Security Council to pressure Israel, as
well as Palestinian armed groups, to comply with international humanitarian law
and protect civilians,” Louis Charbonneau, the UN director at Human Rights
Watch said, telling Washington: “Don’t use vetoes to block resolutions aimed at
stopping mass atrocities.”
Security Council resolutions are
technically binding, but are often ignored by the countries involved.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health
ministry, some 18,800 people, mostly civilians and children, have died since
Israeli bombardment began in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’s October 7 attack,
which Israel said left 1,139 people dead, also mostly civilians, and saw some
250 people kidnapped.
“In the face of such atrocities, there
is only one moral position, one defensible position: Ceasefire now, ceasefire
now, ceasefire now,” Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Friday.
But his Israel counterpart Gilad Erdan
countered: “Calling for a ceasefire now, while (hostages) are still being held,
is the most immoral thing to do.”
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------
Another Hezbollah member killed in
clashes on Lebanon’s border with Israel
Naeem Barjawi
17.12.2023
Lebanese group Hezbollah said Sunday
that one of its members had been killed in clashes near Lebanon’s border with
Israel.
The group, however, did not give any
details about the circumstances leading to its member’s death.
Tension has flared along the
Lebanese-Israeli border amid intermittent exchange of fire between Hezbollah
and Israeli forces in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a
full-scale war in 2006.
At least 109 Hezbollah members have been
killed since the clashes first erupted on Oct. 8, according to figures released
by the group.
The border tension comes amid an Israeli
military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on
Oct. 7.
Source: aa.com.tr
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----
Israel questions Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
preacher amid incitement charges
Abdul Salam Fayez
17.12.2023
Israeli authorities on Sunday summoned
the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, for
questioning on incitement charges, according to his defense lawyer.
“Sabri was questioned on accusations of
incitement at the Moscovia Detention Center in Jerusalem,” Hamza Qutina said in
statements cited by Wafa news agency.
Israeli intelligence agents raided
Sheikh Sabri’s home on Dec. 4 and slapped him with a travel ban.
The 84-year-old preacher was detained
multiple times by Israel and was banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for
several months.
Sabri is a staunch critic of the
decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. He had
previously held the position of mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian
territories from 1994 to 2006.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's
third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple
Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where
Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire
city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: aa.com.tr
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----
Israeli army says biggest Hamas tunnel
found
December 18, 2023
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories:
Israel’s army said Sunday it had found a vast Hamas tunnel as it pressed its
offensive in Gaza despite growing international calls for a ceasefire and pleas
from relatives to bring home the remaining hostages.
Israel’s army said it had uncovered the
biggest Hamas tunnel so far near the border crossing at Erez — large enough for
small vehicles to use, an AFP photographer reported.
Israel said the tunnel cost millions of
dollars and took years to construct, featuring rails, electricity, drainage and
a communications network.
The Gaza war started when Hamas
militants burst through Gaza’s high-security border fence on October 7 and
carried out the worst-ever attack on Israel, killing 1,139 people, mostly
civilians, and abducting around 250, according to updated Israeli figures.
The Israeli army says 121 soldiers have
died in the ground operations that began late in October to accompany
relentless aerial and artillery bombardment.
Israeli soldiers operate on December 15,
2023, in an iron-girded tunnel designed by Hamas to disgorge carloads of
Palestinian fighters for a surprise storming of the border. (Reuters)
The bloodiest ever Gaza war has
devastated much of the Palestinian territory, sparking global concern.
Dozens more were killed in Israeli
strikes on Sunday, said the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory where
authorities report more than 18,800 people, mostly women and children, have
been killed.
Most of Gaza’s population has been
displaced as homes are bombed and they struggle to find fuel, food, water and
medicine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu again vowed: “We will fight until the end. We will achieve all of our
aims” — eliminating Hamas, freeing all hostages and ensuring that Gaza will not
again become “a center for terrorism.”
But French Foreign Minister Catherine
Colonna, visiting Tel Aviv, was the latest envoy to call for an “immediate and
durable” truce.
“Too many civilians are being killed,”
she said.
France also condemned an Israel
bombardment that caused the death of one of its foreign ministry officials who
had taken refuge in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Colonna’s British and German
counterparts, David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock, also said too many civilians
had been killed. But it was not, they said, the right time to call for “a
general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent.”
That, they wrote in Britain’s Sunday
Times, would ignore the threat Israel faces from Hamas.
Pope Francis deplored the death of a
Christian mother and daughter who, according to the Latin Patriarchate of
Jerusalem, were shot dead by an Israeli soldier at Gaza’s only Catholic church,
where families were sheltering.
“This happened even inside the parish of
the Holy Family where there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick or
disabled people,” the pope said.
The United Nations estimates that 1.9
million Gazans — around 80 percent — have been displaced by the war.
“I would not be surprised if people
start dying of hunger, or a combination of hunger, disease, weak immunity,”
said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian
refugees, UNRWA.
They have also faced repeated
communications outages but on Sunday Gaza’s main telecoms firm said mobile and
Internet service had been gradually restored after field teams fixed “the main
damaged site.”
In what was once the courtyard of Kamal
Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, Palestinians waded through the rubble,
searching for corpses.
The Hamas health ministry had reported
on Tuesday that Israeli troops stormed the hospital during a days-long “siege.”
Israel’s army said Hamas had used the facility as a command center. It has made
similar accusations about other hospitals, claims Hamas had denied.
Outside the hospital courtyard, which
showed tank and bulldozer tracks, Abu Mohammed, who came to look for his son,
stood crying.
“I don’t know how I will find him,” he
said, pointing to the debris.
The Israeli government has come under
growing pressure, including from its top ally the United States, but also from
families of hostages, to either slow, suspend or end the military campaign.
Washington provides Israel with billions
of dollars in military aid.
There are 129 hostages still in Gaza,
Israel says, and relatives again rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to call for a
deal to bring them home after the army admitted to mistakenly killing three of
the captives in the territory.
On Sunday weeping relatives of one of
the three men, Alon Shamriz, 26, wept and clung to each on grief at his burial
near Tel Aviv.
At the funeral, Shamriz’s brother said
the government “abandoned” and “murdered you.”
Israel’s military has said the soldiers
had violated rules of engagement.
Netanyahu said the killing of the three
“broke the whole nation’s heart” but that military pressure was necessary to
bring back the other captives and win the war.
One hostage already freed,
German-Israeli Raz Ben-Ami, 57, spoke of the “daily humiliation, mental,
physical,” she endured, including one meal a day and no proper toilets.
Qatar, which helped mediate a truce last
month that saw 80 Israeli hostages exchanged for 240 jailed Palestinians, said
there were “ongoing diplomatic efforts to renew the humanitarian pause.”
But Hamas said on Telegram it was
“against any negotiations for the exchange of prisoners until the aggression
against our people ceases completely.”
The Gaza war has also seen violence
spiral in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israeli forces killed five Palestinians
Sunday morning at a West Bank refugee camp, according to the Palestinian health
ministry. Israel’s army said air strikes had targeted militants who had
endangered soldiers.
More than 290 Palestinians have been
killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the war erupted,
health officials say.
The war has also raised fears of a
broader Middle East conflict.
Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah
militants are exchanging regular fire across Israel’s northern border with
Lebanon.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels,
saying they want to pressure Israel, have launched attacks on passing vessels
in the vital Red Sea shipping zone, forcing major companies to redirect
vessels.
Israeli air strikes against targets near
Damascus on Sunday wounded two Syrian soldiers, the Syrian defense ministry
said.
Israel primarily targets Iran-backed
forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions in the country,
and has stepped up such attacks since October 7.
Source: arabnews.com
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------
Israel faces new calls for truce after
killing of hostages raises alarm about its conduct in Gaza
December 17, 2023
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israel’s
government faced calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European
allies on Sunday after a series of shootings, including the mistaken killing of
three Israeli hostages, fueled global concerns about the conduct of the
10-week-old war in Gaza.
Israeli protesters are urging their
government to renew negotiations with Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whom Israel has
vowed to destroy. Israel is also expected to face pressure to scale back major
combat operations when US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Monday.
Washington is expressing growing unease with civilian casualties even as it
provides vital military and diplomatic support.
The war has flattened large parts of
northern Gaza, killed thousands of civilians and driven most of the population
to the southern part of the besieged territory, where many are in crowded
shelters and tent camps. Some 1.9 million Palestinians — about 90 percent of
Gaza’s population — have fled their homes.
They survive off a trickle of
humanitarian aid. Dozens of desperate Palestinians surrounded aid trucks after
they drove in through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, forcing some to stop
before climbing aboard, pulling down boxes and carrying them off. Other trucks
appeared to be guarded by masked people carrying sticks.
Israel said aid passed directly from
Israel into Gaza for the first time Sunday, with 79 trucks entering from Kerem
Shalom, where around 500 trucks entered daily before the war. Another 120
trucks entered via Rafah along with six trucks carrying fuel or cooking gas,
said Wael Abu Omar, Palestinian Crossings Authority spokesman.
Aid workers say it’s still far from
enough. “You cannot deliver aid under a sky full of airstrikes,” a spokesperson
with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Juliette Touma, said on social
media, while the agency estimated that more than 60 percent of Gaza’s
infrastructure had been destroyed in the war.
Telecom services in Gaza gradually
resumed after a four-day communications blackout, the longest of several
outages during the war that groups say complicate rescue and delivery efforts.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
said Israel “will continue to fight until the end,” with the goal of
eliminating Hamas, which triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack into southern
Israel. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly
civilians, and captured scores of hostages.
Netanyahu vows to bring back the
estimated 129 hostages still in captivity. Anger over the mistaken killing of
hostages is likely to increase pressure on him to renew Qatar-mediated
negotiations with Hamas over swapping more of the remaining captives for
Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
CALLS FOR A NEW CEASE-FIRE
In Israel on Sunday, French Foreign
Minister Catherine Colonna called for an “immediate truce” aimed at releasing
more hostages, getting larger amounts of aid into Gaza and moving toward “the
beginning of a political solution.”
France’s Foreign Ministry earlier said
an employee was killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Rafah on Wednesday. It
condemned the strike, which it said killed several civilians, and demanded
clarification from Israeli authorities.
The foreign ministers of the UK and
Germany, meanwhile, called for a “sustainable” cease-fire, saying too many
civilians had been killed.
“Israel will not win this war if its
operations destroy the prospect of peaceful co-existence with Palestinians,”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Foreign Minister Annalena
Baerbock wrote in the UK’s Sunday Times.
The US defense secretary is set to
travel to Israel to continue discussions on a timetable for ending the war’s
most intense phase. Israeli and US officials have spoken of a transition to
more targeted strikes aimed at killing Hamas leaders and rescuing hostages,
without saying when it would occur.
Hamas has said no more hostages will be
released until the war ends, and that in exchange it will demand the release of
large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants.
Hamas released over 100 of more than 240
hostages captured on Oct. 7 in exchange for the release of scores of
Palestinian prisoners during a brief cease-fire in November. Nearly all freed
on both sides were women and minors. Israel has rescued one hostage.
The Israeli military said Sunday it had
discovered a large tunnel in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into
Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such
conspicuous attack preparations by Hamas.
SHOOTINGS DRAW SCRUTINY
Military officials said Saturday that
the three hostages who were mistakenly shot by Israeli troops had tried to
signal that they posed no harm. It was Israel’s first such acknowledgement of
harming hostages in the war.
The hostages, all in their 20s, were
killed Friday in the Gaza City area of Shijaiyah, where troops are engaged in
fierce fighting with Hamas. An Israeli military official said the shootings
were against the army’s rules of engagement and were being investigated at the
highest level.
Israel says it makes every effort to
avoid harming civilians and accuses Hamas of using them as human shields. But
Palestinians and rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of
recklessly endangering civilians and firing on those who do not threaten them,
both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, which has seen a surge of violence
since the war began.
Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace,
saying “unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at, and this has even
happened inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists
but families, children and sick people with disabilities, nuns.” He spoke after
the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said two Christian women at a church
compound in Gaza were killed by Israeli sniper fire.
A British lawmaker, Layla Moran, said
several family members were among hundreds sheltering in the compound. “This is
a church. It’s a week before Christmas. This is Advent. This is an important
time in the Christian family’s religious calendar. And there is a sniper
killing women and firing at children,” she asserted.
In Gaza, Palestinians on several
occasions have said Israeli soldiers opened fire at fleeing civilians.
The offensive has killed more than
18,700 Palestinians, the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory said
Thursday in its last update before the communications blackout. It has said
that thousands more casualties are buried under the rubble. The ministry does
not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but has said that most
of those killed were women and children.
On Sunday, five people were killed and
many injured after a reported Israeli airstrike hit near a UN-run school in the
southern Gaza city of Khan Younis where displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
A cameraman with The Associated Press counted five bodies delivered to a
hospital.
The plight of Palestinian civilians has
gotten little attention inside Israel, where many are still deeply traumatized
by the Oct. 7 attack and where support for the war remains strong.
Israel’s military says 121 of its
soldiers have been killed in the Gaza offensive. It says it has killed
thousands of militants, without providing evidence.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital a ‘bloodbath’
says WHO
December 17, 2023
CAIRO: Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital is
providing only basic trauma stabilization, has no blood for transfusions and
hardly any staff to care for a constant flow of patients, the World Health
Organization said on Sunday.
After a UN visit to deliver medicines
and surgical supplies, the team described the emergency department in the
enclave’s main health facility as resembling a “bloodbath.”
The WHO said there were hundreds of
wounded patients, with new ones arriving by the minute and trauma injuries
being stitched on the floor, with almost no pain management available.
Only four hospitals of 24 working in
north Gaza before the war with Israel began have even partial service, and
three of those are barely functioning, the WHO said.
The WHO said it was urgently gathering
information at the Kamal Adwan hospital, where Gazan authorities said Israeli
forces this week used a bulldozer to smash through the perimeter of a site
Israel has said was used by Hamas fighters.
The group which governs Gaza has denied
using the Kamal Adwan or other hospitals for militant activities.
Israel has also said Al Shifa, which it
had occupied earlier in the war, had been used by Hamas.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians are
believed to remain in north Gaza, after Israelis forces pushed most of the
population to the south during the first days of the bombing campaign and
ground war that began after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Gazan health authorities under the Hamas
government say that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been injured during the
Israeli operation, and 19,000 killed.
The WHO said “tens of thousands” of
displaced people were using the Al Shifa hospital for shelter, describing
severe shortages of safe water and food.
Gaza is home to 2.3 million people, most
of whom have been displaced from their homes by the offensive.
Kamal Adwan
At the Kamal Adwan hospital, the Gazan
health ministry said Israeli troops made hundreds of internally displaced
persons leave, and evacuated wounded patients and medical staff to the hospital
grounds.
Citing the ministry’s reports, WHO chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “extremely worried” about the situation.
The Israeli military said the hospital
had been used as a Hamas “command and control center” and that soldiers had
detained around 80 militant fighters before leaving the site on Saturday. Gazan
authorities said some 70 medical staff were detained by Israel, including the
head of the hospital.
Video obtained by Reuters showed two
bodies in shrouds, an injured boy along with a wrecked car, smashed and burnt
walls and piles of abandoned belongings at the hospital. Reuters could not
determine the cause of the fatalities or the injuries.
“They raided the building, and they took
all the employees for investigation, also the injured people were being
investigated,” said Ahmed Al Kahlot, a doctor at the hospital.
The military released video on Saturday
it said showed soldiers shooting at the hospital, finding weapons hidden in
medical apparatus, and displaying several guns and grenades.
Reuters could not independently verify
the accounts.
Reuters was also unable to verify
reports, including from the Palestinian health minister Mai AlKaila, citing
witnesses who claimed civilians were buried under earth moved by Israeli army
bulldozers in the vicinity of the hospital.
Gazan health official Munir Al-Bursh
demanded an international investigation into what he called a “deliberate
crime” by Israel at the Kamal Adwan hospital.
Israel did not immediately respond to a
request for comment about the allegations.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
WHO says appalled by Israel's
destruction of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital
18 December 2023
The World Health Organization has
sounded the alarm about Israel's destruction of a hospital in the northern Gaza
Strip amid reports that the regime's forces buried Palestinians alive at the
facility's courtyard during the operation.
WHO's Director General Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus made the comment in a Sunday post on X social media platform
concerning an Israeli operation targeting the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the city
of Beit Lahia.
Ghebreyesus said the Israeli military's
attack on the facility had rendered it non-functional and resulted in the
killing of at least eight patients and detention of many health workers.
"We learned that many patients had
to self-evacuate at great risk to their health and safety, with ambulances
unable to reach the facility," he added.
The WHO's head noted, "Of the
deceased patients, several died due to lack of adequate healthcare, including a
nine-year-old child."
He also expressed "extreme
concern" about the well-being of the internally-displaced people, who were
sheltering in the hospital building at the time of the Israeli attack.
"Gaza’s health system was already
on its knees, and the loss of another even minimally functioning hospital is a
severe blow," Ghebreyesus warned, adding, “Attacks on hospitals, health
personnel, and patients must end. Ceasefire NOW.”
On Saturday, Qatar's Al Jazeera
television network reported that Israeli bulldozers had demolished tents of
displaced Palestinians outside the hospital, "burying people alive"
inside them.
Video footage from Al-Jazeera shows
mangled tents and belongings of Palestinians at the courtyard of Kamal Adwan
Hospital.
Video footage provided by Al Jazeera
showed mangled tents and belongings of Palestinians at the hospital's
courtyard.
The report said at least 20 bodies had
been found lying in the yard following the Israeli operation.
The operation came amid the regime's
genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which started on October 7 following an
operation by the territory's resistance movements, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa
Storm.
Around 19,000 people, most of them women
and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes so far.
The Palestinian health minister calls
for an international investigation into reports that Israeli forces buried
Palestinians alive in the courtyard of a hospital in Gaza.
The Palestinian health minister has
called for an international investigation into reports that Israeli forces have
buried Palestinians alive in the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Mai Alkaila said on Saturday that
information and testimonies collected from eyewitnesses, medical teams, and
media crews indicate that the Israeli regime’s forces buried Palestinians alive
in the hospital’s courtyard.
The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean
Human Rights Monitor has also called for an international investigation into
the horrific act.
Euro-Med said its teams are documenting
what happened in the hospital, stressing the need for an international
investigation “into all the horrific Israeli violations that happened to
patients, displaced civilians and medical workers in the hospital over the past
days.”
Source: presstv.ir
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------
Jihad hits enemy soldiers, vehicle
concentrations in several areas in Gaza
[18/December/2023]
GAZA December 18. 2023 (Saba) - Jihad
Movement has said that it targeted Zionist enemy soldiers and their vehicle
concentrations in several areas in the Gaza Strip, causing losses among their
ranks.
According to the Palestine Today Agency,
Jihad said in a statement that its fighters engaged in fierce clashes with
anti-tank missiles, machine guns and mortar shells with the enemy forces
penetrating the eastern and northern axes of Khan Yunis (south of the Gaza
Strip) and achieved confirmed casualties among the ranks of enemy soldiers and
vehicles.
It also bombed the military
concentrations in Taqaddum axis of Beit Lahia, east of the Zaytoun
neighborhood, and in "Juhr al-Dik," "East al-Maghazi," and
the "Engineering Company" with a barrage of 60-caliber regular mortar
shells, and they achieved direct hits in the enemy ranks.
The brigades targeted four Zionist
military vehicles with “Tandum” shells and “commander action” devices in the
Jabalia, Tal al-Zaatar and al-Tawam axes.
The brigades bombed the settlements of
"Sufa" and "Hawlit" with missile attacks.
Source: saba.ye
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-----
Al-Qassam publishes scenes of destroying
Zionist tank in Deir al-Balah
[18/December/2023]
GAZA December 18. 2023 (Saba) - The
Palestinian resistance has published scenes showing the destruction of a
Zionist Merkava tank with al-Yassin 105 shells in the southeastern Deir
al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip.
According to Sama News Agency, al-Qassam
Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas,” said in
a statement “Its Mujahideen/ fighters targeted a gathering of Zionist enemy
soldiers east of the city of Khan Yunis with heavy-caliber mortar shells.”
The scenes show the moment the Zionist
tank was targeted, rising smoke from it after the targeting.
"Al-Qassam Brigades" explained
that its members bombed "Nirim" kibbutz with the 114 mm short-range
"Rajum" missile system.
"Al-Qassam Brigades" said
"Our fighters were able to detonate an anti-personnel device, 'Ra'adiya',
against a Zionist foot force consisting of ten soldiers north of the city of
Khan Yunis, leaving them dead and wounded."
"Al-Qassam Brigades" also
destroyed two Zionist troop carriers north of Khan Yunis city with
"al-Yassin 105" shells, adding a Marwiha plane landed to evacuate the
dead and wounded.
Source: saba.ye
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------
Erdoğan foresees end to 'Gaza massacres
as Islamic world grows'
December 17 202
Erdoğan argued the increased
self-confidence within the Islamic and Turkic worlds, notably referencing
Azerbaijan's recapture of Karabakh in September.
"There is now a much more positive
and courageous atmosphere in both the Islamic and Turkic worlds than in the
past," Erdoğan told the audience at Istanbul's Atatürk Culture Center late
on Dec. 16.
The president asserted that Türkiye's
rise in power will also contribute to this perceived process, ultimately
curbing what he defines as the aggressive actions of Israel in the Palestinian
territories.
"Don't worry, the days when we will
prevent the massacres in Gaza and the aggressive actions of the cruel Israeli
government in Jerusalem with the support of Western states are near, God
willing," Erdoğan said.
Drawing attention to the historical
events in the region since 1947, Erdoğan highlighted the gradual shrinking of
Palestinian lands. "Think about Palestine in 1947 and Palestine now. From
where to where? How did they exploit it?" he added.
"The world Zionism is trying to
take what happened in Palestine even further, just as they have determined this
condemnation and these borders."
Meanwhile, the president also raised his
concerns over what he termed as the "insidious, destructive and negative
effects" of international social media platforms.
Erdoğan asserted that many societies
around the world, particularly in Western countries, are anxious about the
future due to the perceived detachment of new generations.
"We also have to protect our
children against this new media," he remarked.
The president pointed out the
detrimental effects of foreign social media platforms, linking their usage to
significant moral decay and corruption. He went on to express his worries about
the emergence of "deviant movements that distort and threaten the national
structure of Türkiye."
Erdoğan linked the perceived moral
corruption disseminated through these social media channels with "attacks
on families," emphasizing the connection between ethical sustenance,
prosperity and the values instilled within families.
"We should evaluate the attacks on
the family institution in the world and in our country from this
perspective," Erdoğan stated. He argued that a society fostering
individuals enslaved by ego and greed cannot produce "halal sustenance"
— permissible and ethical livelihood in Islamic terms.
Source: hurriyetdailynews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/erdogan-foresees-end-to-gaza-massacres-as-islamic-world-grows-188698
-----
Muslim teacher files discrimination
complaint after being put on leave for pro-Palestine email slogan
Melike Pala
17.12.2023
An Egyptian-American teacher filed a
discrimination complaint after she was put on administrative leave pending an
investigation due to her pro-Palestinian email signature.
Speaking with CNN, Hajur El-Haggan, who
was teaching in the Eastern state of Maryland, explained why she added the
phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" to her
email signature, saying she wanted to stand against injustice to oppressed
groups and show that she believes in freedom, justice, and the rights of all
people.
Rebuffing the UN Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) claim that the phrase is antisemitic and used by supporters of terrorist
groups, El-Haggan said that there may be some debates around it, "just
like any political slogan," but stressed the importance of its intended
meaning.
"And the intended meaning is for
freedom and justice for the Palestinians and the oppressed people in general,”
she said.
‘Double standards’
El-Haggan's lawyer Zanah Ghalawanji said
the school administration's policy of "teachers refraining from including
political statements in their emails" is not applied to all teachers.
"There were other teachers at
school who added political slogans to their email signatures, ranging from
Black Lives Matter to slogans revolving around the LGBTQ movement. However,
Hajur was the only one disciplined for her email signature."
Ghalawanji decried the double standards
applied to Arab and Muslim employees, saying that these employees were
"disciplined at work due to disproportionately applied policies, while
other employees were not."
Ghalawanji also said that the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a complaint alleging that the incident
shows discrimination.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/muslim-teacher-files-discrimination-complaint-after-being-put-on-leave-for-pro-palestine-email-slogan/3085263
----
505 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire
in West Bank this year
Awad Rajoub
17.12.2023
At least 505 Palestinians have been
killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank this year, the Health Ministry said
Sunday.
A ministry statement said that 111
children were among the victims.
Last year, the Palestinian death toll
from Israeli army fire reached 224 people, according to Palestinian figures.
The Health Ministry said 297
Palestinians lost their lives in the West Bank since the start of the Israeli
war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched air and ground
attacks on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attack, killing at least
18,800 Palestinians, mostly children and women and injuring 51,000 others,
according to health authorities in the seaside enclave.
Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to
have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in
captivity.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/505-palestinians-killed-by-israeli-fire-in-west-bank-this-year/3085161
----
Pakistan
Over 14,000 Pakistani nationals
languishing in foreign jails
December 18, 2023
Zaki Abbas
ISLAMABAD: More than 14,000 Pakistani
citizens are languishing in prisons across the globe, with 58 per cent of them
incarcerated in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on various charges.
On the other hand, 183 Pakistani
citizens were executed overseas between 2010 and 2023.
This data was shared by Justice Project
Pakistan — an advocacy group that represents vulnerable Pakistan prisoners at
home and abroad — which is set to unveil today (Monday) a comprehensive,
independent database of Pakistanis imprisoned abroad.
The database provides a country-wise
breakdown of prisoners, crime-wise statistics, details of prisoner transfer
agreements and consular access and protection.
“In alignment with International Migrant
Workers’ Day, the launch of this interactive webpage symbolises a collective
commitment to addressing the challenges faced by overseas Pakistani prisoners
and advancing the cause of justice on a global scale,” JPP said in a press
statement on Sunday.
JPP database shows 58pc of all prisoners
incarcerated in UAE, Saudi Arabia
JPP Executive Director Sarah Belal said,
“The launch of this webpage is a key step towards evidence-based policies that
are likely to ensure that overseas Pakistani prisoners are aware of their
consular protection rights and legal options.”
58pc prisoners in UAE, Saudi jails
According to the database, as of
December 2023, at least 5,292 Pakistani nationals are imprisoned in the UAE. As
per the breakdown, 235 people are in jail on drug charges, 48 are imprisoned on
theft/robbery charges, 46 are jailed for ‘immoral activities’, and 21 and 13
are respectively imprisoned for murder and rape.
In Sept last year, the number of
prisoners in the UAE was about 1,600 and it gradually rose to 5,292 by Dec this
year, according to a graph shared by JPP.
Though Pakistan has a prisoner transfer
agreement with the UAE, most Pakistani citizens “are not afforded full access
to their legal rights”.
“These migrants find themselves in a
foreign system without adequate access to impartial translators and legal
counsel. They are at risk of facing the death penalty for a wide range of
crimes,” the JPP said. In 2022, the UAE sentenced a Pakistani to death over a
murder charge.
Saudi Arabian jails are housing at least
3,100 Pakistani nationals. Out of them, 691 are on drug offences, whereas 180
are imprisoned for theft and robbery charges. 21 are detained over ‘traffic
incidents’ whereas 58 are in jail for financial crimes. “Executions of
Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia continue, with 4 in 2023.
In total, 7 Pakistanis have been
executed since last year,“ said the JPP, adding that Pakistanis in conflict
with the law in Saudi Arabia “face a harsh legal system”. “Many of those facing
harsh sentences for drug crimes are victims of trafficking themselves, coerced
and threatened into smuggling narcotics.”
In Greece, 811 Pakistani nationals are
imprisoned, mostly for illegal entry and immigration-related charges, the JPP
said, citing data shared by the foreign office with a Senate panel in September
last year.
At least, 683 Pakistani citizens are
jailed in India for various reasons, including drug smuggling, terrorism,
foreigners act, arms act, and illegal stay. In Iraq, 672 citizens are detained.
In Italy, 586 Pakistani nationals are
currently in jail for murder, rape, drug trafficking, and financial crimes.
Oman’s jails have 540 Pakistani prisoners.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1798766/over-14000-pakistani-nationals-languishing-in-foreign-jails
-----
No Afghan Refugee with Legal Documents
Deported: Kakar
Naweed Samadi
December 17, 2023
The Prime Minister of the caretaker
government of Pakistan, Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, claimed that Pakistan has not
deported any Afghan refugee who posesses legal documents .
Speaking at a gathering, Kakar said that
Islamabad has no responsibility regarding the Afghan citizens and that it
prioritizes the Pakistani nationals.
“These hundreds of thousands of people
who didn’t have legal documents, have been informed repeatedly by us to go back
to their countries as we have records of political, social, criminal and
terrorism challenges. We asked them to leave, and we have not committed any
oppression act on them,” Kakar said.
But the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman,
Zabiullah Mujahid, urged the Pakistani government to use tolerance towards the
refugees.
“Under whatever pretexts, the refugees
should be treated with legal action and humanity,” Mujahid said.
This comes as the Afghan refugees in
Pakistan said that they are concerned as their refugees’ cards are expiring.
“After the deportation of the Afghan
refugees, the Afghans who have legal documents to live in Pakistan but which
have limited time, are worried,” said Javid Ibrar, an Afghan refugee.
Earlier, the Pakistani caretaker
government started expelling thousands of Afghans on a daily basis as part of
its deportation policy for undocumented refugees.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186532
-----
Civil society supports APS Peshawar
families’ demands
December 18, 2023
Islamabad: Civil society activists,
human rights defenders, academics and school children held their annual
candlelight vigil to remember and pay tribute to students, teachers and staff
of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar – both victims and survivors.
Civil society supported APS parents' and
families’ demands after Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s barbaric attack and
massacre. These demands have not changed during the past 9 years because they
have not been addressed – especially their demand for answers to their
questions about the attack itself, and the imperative need to see Justice being
done – still denied.
The activists yet again reminded the
State of its fundamental Constitutional responsibility to provide protection
and security to all citizens, particularly to children and schools – and its
repeated failure to do so, e.g.
TTP attacked hundreds of girls’ schools
in Swat (2007-09); ex-FATA (now NMDs) and Frontier Regions (FRs), Pakhtunkhwa;
Gilgit-Baltistan; APS Peshawar; Hangu government school where our brave
child-hero Aitezaz Hassan Bangash Shaheed gave his own life to save his school
mates.
Activists repeated the APS families’
demands to the State: no “reconciliation talks” with Taliban and offshoots, no
appeasement, no surrender, no distinction between “good” vs. “bad” Taliban, no
“military assets”, no “strategic depth”, the protestors demanded. Civil society
reminded the State that Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are self-proclaimed twin
brothers, with exactly the same ideology and political philosophy. They said
Pakistani Taliban and their offshoots are repeatedly attacking security installations
– we lost 23 soldiers in just one attack this week (DIK, South Pakhtunkhwa).
"After 80,000 Pakistani lives lost,
we can no longer witness relentless terrorist attacks on our children,
citizens, security personnel, LEAs." The participants denounced Pakistan’s
enforced deportation of Afghan refugees and indiscriminate repatriation of
those Afghan citizens who are at high risk of imprisonment or death on their
return to Taliban-headed Afghanistan.
They said this is a violation of UN
Conventions and global humanitarian principles. They repeated the urgent need
to implement the National Action Plan (2014) in letter and spirit; to repeal
the so-called “Single National Curriculum” (2021); to counter the rapid spread
of youth radicalization, by eradicating poverty, unemployment; and to focus on
population stabilization. They said that activists continue to stand in
solidarity with the APS Peshawar families – and with suffering
fellow-Pakistanis, Palestinians, Afghans and Kashmiris.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1139347-civil-society-supports-aps-peshawar-families-demands
------
Durrani calls for probe into supply of
US weaponry to terrorists
December 17, 2023
ISLAMABAD:Former federal minister and
senior politician Muhammad Ali Durrani has expressed grave concerns over the
source and trafficking of the latest American weapons and technology to
terrorists in the war against Pakistan.
"Where are the terrorists fighting
against Pakistan obtaining the latest American weaponry?" Durrani
questioned as he demanded an inquiry into the matter.
"It is imperative to undertake
these investigations to root out terrorists and eliminate the scourge of
terrorism,” he said in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said that the United States of
America (USA) should assist Pakistan with cutting-edge technology which is in
the interests of both the US and global security.
“The possibility of another 9/11 cannot
be ruled out if the supply of the latest weaponry to terrorists is not
curtailed,” Durrani urged.
The former minister said that the
availability of sophisticated arms to terrorists is a matter of concern for
regional and global security.
“A new war is being orchestrated against
Pakistan through the latest American arms,” he said. In such circumstances, the
US should support Pakistan with the latest technology in the war against
terrorism. “It is the interest of the US to play a role for peace in the
region,” he said.
Durrani said that American weapons and
technology are being used against Palestinians by Israel and against Pakistan
by terrorists. The presence of such weaponry and technology among terrorists
raises numerous questions that cannot be ignored, he added.
Senator Durrani said that the
responsibility lies with the United Nations and especially with the United
States to prevent the supply of new technology and weapons to terrorists and
terrorist organisations.
"The goal of terrorists, be they
state or non-state actors, is to sow chaos, posing a threat to the safety and
security of the world," Durrani said.
He said that Pakistani armed forces and
the nation defeated terrorism with their unparalleled bravery and sacrifices
and “all political parties, institutions and the masses will have to stay
united and move forward with a comprehensive and robust plan of action.”
Pakistani nation and armed forces would
once again defeat terrorists, who are using American weapons and technology, he
said.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2450312/durrani-calls-for-probe-into-supply-of-us-weaponry-to-terrorists
-------
Pakistan’s army chief and UN
Secretary-General discuss Afghanistan
December 17, 2023
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim
Munir met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday and
conveyed Pakistan’s concerns over the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistani media
reported.
Pakistan has also been alarmed by a
sudden increase in militant attacks and is seeking international support to end
“cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan,” Dawn newspaper reported.
Munir flew to New York from Washington
early Friday after concluding the initial round of discussions with top US
officials, including secretaries of state and defense, in Washington.
The discussions delved into bilateral
interests, global and regional security concerns, and ongoing conflicts. Both
parties expressed a mutual commitment to sustained engagement, aiming to
explore potential avenues for collaboration in pursuit of shared interests,
according to a statement from Pakistan army.
Pakistan has been alleging that attacks
on its soil are rooted in Afghanistan, a charge Kabul denies.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA)
has repeatedly said that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used
against any other country.
Source: ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/pakistans-army-chief-and-un-secretary-general-discuss-afghanistan/
-----
Kakar to visit Kuwait to offer
condolences on Emir’s death
December 18, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will undertake a one-day visit to Kuwait on Monday to
convey sympathies and condolences to the government and people of Kuwait on the
demise of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Foreign
Office spokesperson said on X on Sunday.
Meanwhile, PM Kakar declared Monday,
December 18, as a day of mourning in Pakistan, as an expression of fraternal
solidarity with the royal family, the government and people of Kuwait on the
sad demise of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah. The national flag
would fly at half-mast throughout the country on the day.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1139386-kakar-to-visit-kuwait-to-offer-condolences-on-emir-s-death
-----
Power restored to Adiala jail, nearby
areas after 10 hours
December 18, 2023
RAWALPINDI: Power was restored in Adiala
Jail and its surroundings after 10 hours.
According to the jail administration,
power was suspended in the Adiala Jail and adjoining areas for more than 10
hours, which has now been restored.
Jail sources said that two generators
were used as an alternative power system in the jail.
IESCO sources said that due to work on a
132 kV transmission line, the electricity supply was suspended in the area. The
jail administration had been informed about it on December 13.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1139390-power-restored-to-adiala-jail-nearby-areas-after-10-hours
------
Pakistan condemns attack on police
headquarters in Iran
December 18, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned
on Sunday the terrorist attack at the Rask Police Headquarters in the
southeastern region of Iran, which killed 11 Iranian officials and injured
several others.
“Pakistan stands in full solidarity with
the government and brotherly people of Iran in this hour of unspeakable
tragedy,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson in a press statement.
The spokesperson said that they extended
heartfelt condolences to the families of victims and prayed for swift recovery
of the injured. Terrorism is a threat to regional as well as global peace and
security and it needed to be confronted by all means, including through
bilateral and regional co-operation, the FO statement added.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1139383-pakistan-condemns-attack-on-police-headquarters-in-iran
------
South Asia
Islamic Emirate Calls UN Chief's Report
'Optimistic'
Metra Majeedi
December 17, 2023
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman,
Zabiullah Mujahid, called the quarterly report of the UN Secretary-General
regarding Afghanistan “optimistic."
UN’s Chief Antonio Guterres in his
report to the United Nations Security Council highlighted the security,
political, economic and social developments in Afghanistan.
However, Mujahid told TOLOnews that
Guterres has no precise definition about the formation of an inclusive
government in Afghanistan.
“The government is inclusive. We have
shared it with the UN. Any definition that they have for an inclusive
government, we can share with them now that our government is inclusive… but
unfortunately they do not have yet any general definition,” Mujahid said.
According to Guterres’s report,
“security incidents linked to the armed opposition and attacks by the Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan (ISIL-K) continued.”
However, he said that the country
continues to face unprecedented levels of humanitarian need with over
two-thirds of its population requiring assistance amid significant shortfalls
of funding.
It stated in the report that available
data indicates that “armed clashes decreased by 41 percent, from 104 to 61
incidents” in 2023, the report said, adding, “the armed opposition posed no
challenge to the Taliban for territorial control during the reporting period.”
Mujahid meanwhile stressed that the
activities of the Islamic Emirate’s opposition are not a challenge for them.
The political analysts gave various
opinions regarding the report.
“We call on the government to respect
the wishes of the people. Every Afghan should see themselves, and the
universities should be reopened for our sisters, and our sisters should be
appointed in the posts where they are needed,” said Hasham Alokozai, a political
analyst.
“These reports are in the interest of
the people of Afghanistan… and for the presence of the international community,
as well as the contribution of the international community to find a solution
for Afghanistan,” said Wais Naseri, political analyst.
It was mentioned in the report that
“actual attacks on the de facto authorities were fewer in number, despite an
increase in the number of claimed attacks by groups on social media.”
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186530
----
Ministry: Maintenance of Border Signs
with Iran 15% Completed
Nazir Shinwari
The Ministry of Border and Tribal
Affairs said that the renovation work of border signs with Iran have been
fifteen percent completed.
The ministry’s spokesman Hamdullah
Fitrat told TOLOnews that the work on a plan to renew the border signs with
Afghanistan's neighboring countries, including Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan and China, is still ongoing.
“The process of renewal of border marks
with Iran has so far progressed by 15 percent. We also have some areas with
Tajikistan as well, which need to be renewed. We are working in general to mark
the border areas,” Fitrat said.
The spokesman added that talks are now
underway with Tajikistan to renew the border signs between Afghanistan and
Tajikistan.
Political analysts consider the renewal
of border signs between Afghanistan, China, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and
Tajikistan to be effective in solving some challenges.
“A delegation composed of the Ministry
of Border and Tribal Affairs, the intelligence and also the political deputy of
the PM should follow up the issue and mark the areas, so there will be no
problem in the future,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst.
“Putting marks in the crossings which
have been recognized by Afghanistan, is a good step,” said Tariq Farhadi,
another political analyst.
According to the information provided by
the Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs, Afghanistan and Iran have nearly two
hundred border signs on the border, and work is underway to renew these signs.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186535
----
ARCS Seeks Cooperation of Qatar Red
Cross in Treatment of Patients with Heart Defects
2023-12-17
KABUL (BNA): The Deputy President of
Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, in a meeting with a
representative of Qatar Red Cross, Ahmad Al-Osmani, asked for cooperation in
the treatment of children suffering from congenital heart defects.
According to a statement released by
ARCS, Mr.Turabi discussed the treatment of children with congenital heart
defects, and some of the treatment of patients with heart defects is not
possible in Afghanistan.
According to the statement, Ahmad
Al-Osmani, the representative of the Qatar Red Cross, pledged cooperation in
creating facilities to assist the Afghan Red Crescent in this endeavor.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/arcs-seeks-cooperation-of-qatar-red-cross-in-treatment-of-patients-with-heart-defects/
-----
People’s Interest in Cooperating with
Security Organs Raised Well: Minister Haqqani
2023-12-17
KABUL (BNA): The Acting Interior
Minister, Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani stated that people’s cooperation with
security organs has raised well.
According to a statement released by the
Ministry, Khalifa SirajuddiHaqqanini during a meeting with Mawlavi Abdul Kabir,
Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs said that people’s interest in
cooperating with security organs has risen well in society.
Haqqani acknowledged the efforts of the
Islamic Emirate officials in the political sector, along with other sectors,
and mentioned that currently, there is a good development of collaboration
between the people and the government.
Deputy PM Kabir hailed the
administration’s efforts in the Ministry of Interior Affairs and emphasized
that cooperation between the nation and the Islamic Emirate leads to the
adaptation of major infrastructure projects and the improvement of living conditions
for the people.
According to another report, some
officials of the Islamic Emirate, scholars, mujahidin, and national figures
also met with Mullah Abdul Kabir, expressing satisfaction with resuming office
and his credibility.
They found the efforts of the political
deputy’s office in the area of national cohesion and listening to the people’s
suggestions to be the welfare of the community.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/peoples-interest-in-cooperating-with-security-organs-raised-well-minister-haqqani/
------
Islamic Emirate Expressed Its Sympahty
Over the Demise Emir of Kuwait
2023-12-17
KABUL (BNA) The Islamic Emirate in a
statement on behalf of government and Afghan nation expressed its sympathy with
the Kuwaiti nation, over the demise of Sheikh Nawaf Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah the
Emir of Kuwait.
Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad
al-Jaber al-Sabah has died at the age of 86, Kuwaiti state TV announced.
The crown prince, 83-year-old Sheikh
Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, has been named as his successor.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-expressed-its-sympahty-over-the-demise-emir-of-kuwait/
-----
PM reiterates call for resisting
arsonists, killers
Dec 18, 2023
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday
reiterated her call for the people to resist the arsonists and killers.
"It's not possible to win the
hearts of the people through carrying out arson attacks and killings. They
[BNP] should know this and they should act accordingly," she said.
The premier was addressing a discussion
at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, organised by the Awami
League on the occasion of Victory Day.
Hasina said the BNP does not want the
welfare of people, rather it wants to establish a regime of looting. "They
don't want to take part in elections because they know it very well that people
will not cast their votes for arson terrorists and killers."
Knowing the bitter truth, the BNP and
its allies wanted to foil the polls and overthrow the government, the PM
alleged.
She said the AL was not born in the
pocket of an illegal power grabber, rather it is the organisation of this land
and people of this country.
"This party has grown up through
fighting against all odds. So, the party's politics is deeply rooted [in the
soil of the country]. They [BNP] can't unseat the Awami League government in
this way."
She urged all to put up resistance
against the arsonists and those who removed railway tracks to kill people.
Hasina said blockade and strike are the
only programnes of BNP.
She said the BNP and its allies are
carrying out arson attacks and enforcing hartals and blockades at a time when
Bangladesh is advancing defying the problems rendered by Covid-19 pandemic and
Ukraine-Russia war.
The PM said the AL has carried out
electoral reforms and given back the voting rights to the people.
"People will decide whom they will
elect and who will form the next government. People of Bangladesh know what is
good for them and and what is bad. And they know when they get benefit."
AL General Secretary and Road Transport
and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and presidium member Abdur Razzaque, among
others, also spoke.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/7-arrested-over-sabotage-gazipur-rail-line-3496936
-----
Bangladesh doesn't want to be dragged
into tension between superpowers: Momen
Dec 17, 2023
Bangladesh does not want to be dragged
into any tension that exists among the superpowers, Foreign Minister AK Abdul
Momen said today.
"We don't want to be dragged into
any problem," he told journalists when asked about Russia's statements on
the US stance in Bangladesh.
Momen spoke to journalists after a
seminar on the achievements of Bangladesh at the Foreign Service Academy.
Indian columnist MJ Akbar also spoke there.
On Friday, spokesperson of the Russian
Foreign Ministry MV Zakharova said that on December 12-13, in a number of areas
of Bangladesh, opponents of the current government blocked road traffic, burned
buses, and clashed with the police.
"We see a direct connection between
these events and the inflammatory activity of Western diplomatic missions in
Dhaka. In particular, US Ambassador Peter Haas, which we already discussed at
the briefing on November 22," she said.
She added that there are serious reasons
to fear that in the coming weeks an even wider arsenal of pressure, including
sanctions, may be used against the government of Bangladesh, which is
undesirable to the West.
Zakharova said key industries may come
under attack, as well as a number of officials who will be accused without
evidence of obstructing the democratic will of citizens in the upcoming
parliamentary elections on January 7, 2024.
"If the results of the people's
will are not satisfactory to the United States, attempts to further destabilise
the situation in Bangladesh along the lines of the 'Arab Spring' are
likely."
Zakharova said that unfortunately, there
is little chance that Washington will come to its senses and refrain from yet
another gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.
"We are confident, however, that
despite all the machinations of external forces, the issue of power in
Bangladesh will ultimately be decided by the friendly people of this country,
and no one else."
Asked about the statement, Foreign
Minister said he has no headache about foreign statements.
"We have a very balanced foreign
policy and we want to maintain it."
MJ Akbar said Bangladesh is now not in a
position to be afraid of the foreign powers' interventions.
The country has achieved significant
success and it can on its own address the challenges that it faces, he said.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bangladesh-doesnt-want-be-dragged-tension-between-superpowers-momen-3496571
------
GPE announces $110 million in aid for
education in Afghanistan
December 18, 2023
The Global Partnership for Education
(GPE) has said that it approved grants totaling $110 million to support
children’s education in Afghanistan.
Over the next two years, the grants will
help Afghan girls and boys continue to participate in community-based education
and better learn basic skills in public schools. The programs are expected to
reach more than 7.66 million children across the country, GPE said in a
statement.
“We are very pleased to be able to
continue our support to education in Afghanistan,” said Laura Frigenti, CEO of
the Global Partnership for Education. “This funding, channeled through UNICEF
and Save the Children, partners that have a lot of experience working in
complex settings, will help the hardest-to-reach Afghan children to access the
education they need to become productive members of society and build a better
future,“ she added.
The $59.5 million grant overseen by
UNICEF will ensure that children in remote and difficult to reach areas,
especially girls, can continue to attend community-based classes, including by
providing supplies and textbooks and supporting community teacher’s salaries.
In addition, the program will provide new textbooks, teacher guides and other
school supplies to around 15,000 public schools. Over 28,000 teachers and
headmasters will receive training to strengthen teaching of math and reading as
well as classroom management, GPE said.
The $50 million grant overseen by Save
the Children will focus on community-based education, ensuring that girls and
boys living in remote areas can continue to learn in safe spaces. This will
include improvements to school buildings and rehabilitation of water and
sanitation facilities, and procuring equipment and textbooks for classrooms.
The grant will also train young women to become primary school teachers,
according to GPE.
Source: ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/gpe-announces-110-million-in-aid-for-education-in-afghanistan/
------
People cooperation leads Islamic Emirate
towards further achievements
December 18, 2023
KABUL: The Deputy Prime Minister for
Political Affairs Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, in a meeting with a number of scholars,
elders said the people’s cooperation with the Islamic system will lead to the
implementation of large infrastructure projects in the country. Assuring their
full cooperation with the Islamic Emirate, the elders said that they would not
allow anyone to work against the current system and security, Deputy PM office
said in a statement Sunday “The Islamic Emirate needs the cooperation of the people
and scholars, and we are grateful to everyone in this field,” the statement
quoted Mawlavi Kabir as saying. Also, in a separate meeting with the Acting
Interior Affairs Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Mawlavi Kabir appreciated
the ministry’s efforts and achievements in maintaining security, the statement
added. Speaking at the meeting, Haqqani said the people’s cooperation with the
Islamic system has increased within the past two years. Calling the efforts of
the officials of the Islamic Emirate in the political field significant,
Haqqani said that the cooperation of the people with the government has
increased, causing the IEA departments to achieve further goals in various
fields. In the meantime, Mawlavi Kabir said the joint cooperation and coordination
of the people and the Islamic Emirate will lead to the implementation of large
infrastructure projects and provide a better life for the people in the
country. Mohammad Nabi Naibi
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/people-cooperation-leads-islamic-emirate-towards-further-achievements/
-----
Africa
US lawmaker wants Nigeria on ‘concern
list’ over blasphemy killings
18th December 2023
Johnson Idowu
A member of the United States House of
Representatives, Christopher Smith, has asked the US Department of State to
include Nigeria in the list of countries of ‘Particular Concern’ over the
rising cases of religious prosecution in the country, including killings for
blasphemy.
Smith, in a letter read on the floor of
the parliament on December 12, noted that Nigeria has the highest record of
religious persecution cases recorded globally with 90 percent of such cases
recorded in the country.
He stressed that the religious
persecution, mostly perpetrated by militants within the Fulani Muslim herder
and backed by legislation from some state government, has left several people
killed, kidnapped and jailed.
The letter read in part, “As religious
freedom advocates and proponents, and leaders of grassroots organisations with
millions of American members, we appeal to you to urgently respond to the
Department of State’s failure to adequately address egregious, systematic, and
ongoing religious persecution in Nigeria, as required by the International
Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.
“We specifically urge Nigeria’s
designation as a Country of Particular Concern under the IRFA and the
appointment of a special envoy for Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region.
Additionally, we urge you to support and cosponsor the bi-partisan legislation
authored by Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. Henry Cuellar House Resolution 82, which
calls for the State Department to carry out these two steps.
“A staggering 90 percent of all the
Christians killed for their faith worldwide last year were killed in Nigeria,
according to Open Doors, an increase from the 80 percent it reported in 2021.
Over 5,000 Nigerian Christians are reported to have been killed for their faith
in 2022.
“Most of this slaughter is now carried
out by militants within the Fulani Muslim herder population, who have been
allowed to act with impunity. While some Muslims have also been killed by the
same forces, the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa found that, from
October 2019 to September 2022, Christians in Nigeria were 7.6 times more
likely to be killed and six times more likely to be abducted than Muslims by
terrorist and militia groups, when taking into account their population’s
proportions in Nigeria’s states.
“Catholic priests, evangelical pastors,
and Methodist bishops have been special targets of kidnapping by Fulani and
unidentified gunmen, typically shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
“Authorities also engage directly in
religious persecution by enforcing Islamic blasphemy laws that have resulted in
recent death sentences for Sufi musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu and two Muslim
clerics, and ‘religious insult’ laws that led to a 24-year sentence for
Nigeria’s Humanist Association head, Mubarak Bala.”
Smith expressed fear that if religious
persecution continues to thrive in Nigeria, it may spread to other African
countries considering the status of Nigeria as the most populous country in
Africa.
“As Africa’s most populous country and
its largest economy, Nigeria wields significant influence in Sub-Saharan
Africa. By allowing religious persecution to proliferate within its borders,
Nigeria is compounding already heightened regional insecurity. Both American
interests and the International Religious Freedom Act require a response, “ he
stated.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://punchng.com/us-lawmaker-wants-nigeria-on-concern-list-over-blasphemy-killings/
------
Kenyan Church Set Up to Welcome LGBT
Worshippers Has Secretly Operated For 10 Years
December 17, 2023
Achurch in Kenya has been secretly
welcoming gay worshippers to its congregation, BBC reports.
The church which was said to have been
in operation for 10 years does not publicise its services in the country
because of its inclusive policy towards LGBT community.
"The first time I entered the
church I cried," John, a pastor initially ordained in a mainstream church,
told the BBC.
He left his parish when church leaders
advised him that his sexuality was evil and that he should remain celibate.
"I never imagined in my life as a
priest, I would be in a space where I would say three words that people think
are conflicting. That I am black, I am gay, I am a priest."
He learned about the church where he now
preaches through social media, however most people learn about it through word
of mouth. His name, like that of everyone else interviewed in the church, has
been changed to protect his identity.
Its members are also very cautious about
releasing details about their gatherings; those who seek to join are rigorously
checked before being welcomed in, to ensure it is not a trap or someone nasty.
All worshippers agree that security and
safety are of the utmost importance.
Gay intercourse is banned in Kenya, a
socially conservative country, however, the Supreme Court this year overturned
a restriction on gay and lesbian associations registering as non-governmental
organisations.
Music floats from the interior of a
nondescript structure as a BBC reporter joins a service on a warm and breezy
Sunday.
People start pouring in, and it quickly
fills up with about 30 people.
"We are about to begin. Shall we
close our eyes and meditate," says Pauline, a minister in a long black
robe and crimson red scarf. The whole room hushes.
Pauline is an openly non-binary lesbian,
who uses "they" and "them" as personal pronouns, and is one
of the church's founders. Initially it was just a few friends coming together
to offer each other support.
"When you are removed from a space
[church], there is an urge to know if anyone else has been
excommunicated," says Pauline, who was not excommunicated but never felt
accepted at mainstream churches.
"We wanted to meet other queer
Christians who affirm themselves."
A feeling of alienation had dominated
Pauline's life, especially since their father died of HIV/AIDS when they were
12.
"After my dad died, people started
treating us differently. They thought we all had HIV. My mum would be served in
different cups and plates and we stopped being allowed into some spaces. Church
was one of the places we couldn't visit because people believed my mum was
'dirty'," says Pauline.
Such ostracisation became a pattern,
with every church seeming to question some aspect of Pauline's life - whether
it be how they dressed or why they chose not to be perceived as being in a
conventional relationship.
So Pauline and their friends started
meeting on Sundays to watch sermons on YouTube while reaching out to other LGBT
Kenyans as well.
It occurred at a period when anti-gay
propaganda was on the rise in East Africa. Uganda was debating the introduction
of a severe new anti-homosexuality law, which has since been toughened.
They had no idea that after ten years,
their small gathering would have grown to include more than 200 people.
Most of them felt compelled to abandon
their prior places of worship.
For Regina, it followed a dramatic
confrontation with a fellow volunteer - part of a team that organised events at
her church.
The team gave her an ultimatum when the
volunteer found out that she had a girlfriend: her or them.
"It felt like betrayal. I had
mentored some of them and now, I couldn't be a part of them anymore. Here were
people who couldn't extend grace for people to be different," she was
quoted by BBC.
Regina chose her girlfriend. A decade
later, yearning to reconnect with her Christian faith and a community, her
journey led her to the queer-affirming church.
"There was a time I felt like I had
no access to God. All I'd ever heard was that I was a sinner. If prayer is a
way of talking to God, how then could I pray? Coming back into a community of
faith has allowed me to let go of past hurt," she said
Source: saharareporters.com
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https://saharareporters.com/2023/12/17/kenyan-church-set-welcome-lgbt-worshippers-has-secretly-operated-10-years
-----
Abuja musician, band members reportedly
kidnapped while returning from event
18th December 2023
Eric Patrick
A Nigerian Juju musician known as Omoba
De Jombo Beats and his crew members were allegedly kidnapped while returning
from an event on Sunday.
A Nigerian musician, Adeyinka Adeboye,
also known as Boyebest revealed this in a post shared on his Instagram account,
titled, “A whole full band members kidnapped, Naija is fu*k up I swe$r my
prayers are with you guys. You all would come out alive.”
They were said to be kidnapped by
unknown gunmen after performing live at a show in Abuja during the weekend.
According to Boyebest, the kidnappers
are demanding N10 million ransom to release them.
Reacting to the incident, an Instagram
user, known as noblenaire, wrote, “May God save you all from the hands of the
wicked broke and evil hearted.”
Another user, onyinlomodiamond, wrote,
“You all shall come back safely unhurt. The blood of Jesus is upon u… None of
you will be hurt.”
Mcbeloved, wrote, “You will get back
home to your family unhurt.”
Mccalz01, wrote, “May God cause
confusion in their midst and make an escape route for you and your group. what
God can not fix doesn’t exist.’
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/abuja-musician-band-members-reportedly-kidnapped-while-returning-from-event/
-----
Suspected bandits kill four farmers,
abduct eight others in Katsina
December 17, 2023
Suspected bandits killed four farmers
and abducted eight others from Nahuta village in Batsari Local Government Area
of Katsina State on Saturday.
Police spokesman in the state, ASP
Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed the attack on Sunday in Katsina.
He said the farmers were harvesting
their crops when the assailants struck.
One of the farmers who managed to escape
received gunshot wounds, he added.
“The suspected bandits attacked the
farmers, and opened fire on them thereby killing four and injuring one; they
also abducted eight others,’’ Aliyu said.
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
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https://tribuneonlineng.com/suspected-bandits-kill-four-farmers-abduct-eight-others-in-katsina/
------
REAoL and Ministry of Industry activate
Go Green Initiative’s mosques solar electrification project
December 17, 2023
Sami Zaptia
The Renewable Energy Authority of Libya
(REAoL) and the Ministry of Industry and Minerals activated the ‘’Go Green’’
initiative to power mosques with solar generated electricity.
The news was announced after a meeting
was held between the two parties at REAoL Tripoli headquarters Sunday.
The meeting was held to activate the
memorandum of understanding concluded between REAoL and the Ministry of
Industry and Minerals, which was signed at the beginning of 2023.
REAoL reported that the meeting reviewed
and discussed ways to activate cooperation between REAoL and the Ministry of
Industry and Minerals in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency.
The project to electrify several mosques using solar energy systems, that REAoL
has begun to implement, was also reviewed within the first phase of the Go
Green initiative.
REAoL said this comes within the
framework of implementing the National Strategy for Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency and the programmes it contains, including the Go Green initiative,
which aims to electrify public institutions through the installation of solar
energy systems.
The meeting included the Chairman of
REAoL, Abdel Salam. Al-Ansari, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of
Industry and Minerals, Mustafa Al-Samou.
Source: libyaherald.com
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https://libyaherald.com/2023/12/reaol-and-ministry-of-industry-activate-go-green-initiatives-mosques-solar-electrification-project/
----
North America
Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in
Gaza: US-European conspiracy to create greater Israel
Dec 17, 2023
Latheef
Farook
United States and European backed Israeli genocide and
destruction in Gaza is the continuation
of the conspiracy to
ethnic cleanse Palestinians in Gaza
to create Greater Israel to ensure
Middle East remains in turmoil .
They are adopting the very same
1948 tactics adopted to ethnic cleanse Palestinians from their lands
to establish in its place Zionist Jewish
settler colonial state of Israel.
They achieved this by means of lies, deception, bribery, blackmail,massacres
and genocides in violation of all
accepted human values, decency and moral
values.
Zionist Jews have nothing to do with Judaism although
they exploited religion to
achieve their agenda.Instead they
are a politically oriented fascists as
proved by their crimes during the past 75 years. British Imperial
power which was the mandatory authority on Palestine in
the aftermath of World War 1 decided to plant this alien entity in Palestine to
keep the Middle East in turmoil
Britain and France which brought Middle
East under their power in the aftermath of the defeat of the Ottoman
Empire during World War 1 divided the
region into states and installed their stooges in power . British imperial
power and the Zionist Jews have got together
to kick out Palestinians from their
lands to set up state of Israel in Palestinian lands.
British mandatory authority trained
Jewish terror gangs such as Stern ,Hagana and Zvai Leumi, led by Menachem Begin
and Yitzhak Shamir who both later became
Prime Ministers of Israel. Menachem
Begin, godfather of terrorism, was even awarded coveted Nobel prize.
They committed genocides to drive out
Palestinians from lands. Their first
genocide was in the village of
Deir Yassin- a few miles off Jerusalem.
Menachem Begin went on a murderous rampage and
butchered 254 innocent Palestinian men, women and children .
Unarmed Palestinians, unaware of the
British and Zionist Jewish conspiracies, resisted.
However the British mandatory
authority supported Jewish terrorists .
Since then Jewish terror gangs massacred many Palestinians villages forcing
Palestinians to flee to settle down
as refugees elsewhere . Some of those Palestinians now being slaughtered
by Israel in Gaza were the
descendants of Palestinian fled for their lives.
Once sufficient Jews were brought in and
settled on Palestinian lands, US.British
and European powers blackmailed United Nations and partitioned
Palestine on November 29,1947 to create the state of Israel. In the
proposed Jewish state too the Arabs had a majority as , of the total population of 1,008,900 the
Arab-Jew ratio was 509,780 to 499,020.
The United Nations itself violated its
principles and lost its credibility when its resolution provided Palestinian
lands to Israelis who have not even seen this land.
Since then Israel, together with their
US European partners, turned the Middle East into a killing field with its
repeated massacres and invasions
In 1956 Israel together
with Britain and France invaded Egypt after late Egyptian President
Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized Egypt’s Suez Cana . Twelve years later in 1967
Israel ,backed by US and Europe, invaded and captured Sinai and Gaza from
Egypt, South Lebanon, West Bank and East
Jerusalem from Jordan and Golan Heights from Syria.
Since then Arab front remained crippled
and Israel was law unto itself until Palestinian freedom fighters Hamas
attacked Israel on October 7 and killed
Israelis and captured Israelis whom they now use as bargaining chip.
In 1981 Israel invaded South Lebanon and and
slaughtered thousands of Palestinians
with the support of US.UK and European powers . Vivid details of Israel’s barbarity in South Lebanon was explained in detail in
many books including the one by British
Journalist Christopher Dobson titled God Cried.
After numerous so called peace overtures Israel signed Oslo Agreement with
Palestinians on the White House lawn on 13 September 1993 . A core issue of the
Oslo Accords was the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Palestinian
territories. The plan was a withdrawal in phases and a simultaneous transfer of
responsibilities to the Palestinian authorities for maintaining security.
Thirty years 30 after
today the Oslo Agreement is largely remembered as a prime example of
diplomatic deception. Israel and its US European partners took Palestinians for
a long ride. Israel’s land grabs and
settlement expansion, which have increased the number of Israeli settlers from
115,000 in 1993 to roughly 700,000 today, have rendered the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state unfeasible. The entire area between the Jordan
River and the Mediterranean is now effectively a single state where segregated
Palestinians are systematically denied basic fundamental human rights.
The records reveal that the signs of
eventual failure were apparent from the very beginning. The Palestinian
Authority created under this agreement has become Israel’s policemen brutally
suppressing the very Palestinians it was supposed to liberate .
As a result Palestinians
continue to suffer under endless Israeli oppression.
In the case of Gaza, Israel’s on going genocide is not the first
such war crimes. Israel could remain lawless and violate all international laws
and human decency because it has the blind support of US,UK and Europe as demonstrated even today by
morally bankrupt US President Joe Biden,British Prime Minister of Indian
origin Rishi Sunak, French President
Emanuel macron and others.
As it is
known the US-European- Israeli
ultimate target is to create
Greater Israel which include Gaza, part of Saudi Arabia,Iraq,
Syria and Egypt to control the entire
Middle East.
So far ,during its latest genocide, Israel has killed around 19,000 Palestinian civilians, half of
them children and more than 300o women, flattened more than 70 percent of
residential, commercial and other buildings and
made Gaza unlivable throwing
Palestinians into streets to suffer in
rain and cold deprived of water,food, fuel electricity and medicine.
However October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel changed not only Israel and Middle East but US-Europe
and rest of the world. Israel is no more
invincible as it was .
The question is whether Israel will ever
be brought before justice and made
accountable .
Source: muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/eng/ethnic-cleansing-of-palestinians-in-gaza-us-european-conspiracy-to-create-greater-israel/
------
Car rams into US President Biden's
motorcade outside his Delaware campaign headquarters
18th December 2023
WILMINGTON: A car crashed into a parked
SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden's motorcade Sunday night while the
president was leaving a visit to his campaign headquarters in Delaware. The
president and first lady Jill Biden were unharmed.
The incident occurred when Biden was
walking from the campaign office to his waiting armoured SUV. After a loud bang
caused by a sedan slamming into an SUV positioned in a nearby intersection
about 130 feet (40 meters) from Biden, security personnel rushed the president
into a waiting vehicle and he was whisked away from the building in downtown
Wilmington.
Biden paused and looked over toward the
sound, surprised, before he was ushered into the vehicle, where his wife was
already seated, before being driven swiftly back to their home. "Both the
president and first lady are fine," a White House official told an AFP
reporter who witnessed the incident.
"Today, at approximately 8:09 pm
(0109 GMT), a Secret Service vehicle securing the president's motorcade route
was struck by another vehicle in Wilmington," said US Secret Service
spokesperson Special Agent Steve Kopek, adding: "There was no protective
interest associated with this event and the president's motorcade departed
without incident."
Pool reporters had gathered on the
sidewalk outside the campaign offices -- where the president and First Lady
Jill Biden had dinner with staff -- and had just finished shouting questions to
Biden from a distance when they heard the crash and saw him with a surprised
expression on his face.
Agents sprang into action, cornering the
silver car with Delaware license plates and drawing weapons on the driver, who
held up his hands. Reporters were then quickly rounded up by staff to join the
motorcade as it departed the rain-drenched scene. "They're evacuating, you
guys gotta go," a staffer told reporters as security personnel secured the
area.
Biden arrived safely at his family home
without further incident. His schedule was otherwise unaffected by the
incident.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/dec/18/car-rams-into-us-president-bidens-motorcade-outside-his-delaware-campaign-headquarters-2642620.html
------
Black American solidarity with
Palestinians is rising
December 17, 2023
CHICAGO: Cydney Wallace, a Black Jewish
community activist, never felt compelled to travel to Israel, though “Next year
in Jerusalem” was a constant refrain at her Chicago synagogue.
The 39-year-old said she had plenty to
focus on at home, where she frequently gives talks on addressing anti-Black
sentiment in the American Jewish community and dismantling white supremacy in
the US. “I know what I’m fighting for here,” she said.
That all changed when she visited Israel
and the West Bank at the invitation of a Palestinian American community
activist, along with two dozen other Black Americans and Muslim, Jewish and
Christian faith leaders. The trip, which began on Sept. 26, enhanced Wallace’s
understanding of the struggles of Palestinians living in the West Bank under
Israeli military occupation. But, horrifyingly, it was cut short by the
unprecedented Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants. In Israel’s ensuing
bombardment of the Gaza Strip, shocking images of destruction and death seen
around the world have mobilized activists in the US and elsewhere.
Wallace, and a growing number of Black
Americans, see the Palestinian struggle in the West Bank and Gaza reflected in
their own fight for racial equality and civil rights.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2427471/world
------
Australia
Pro-Palestine demonstrators rally in
Australia's Melbourne to demand Gaza ceasefire
17 December 2023
For the tenth week in a row, thousands
of demonstrators marched in the southeastern Australian city of Melbourne on
Sunday to express solidarity with Palestinians and demand ceasefire in the Gaza
Strip.
Footage shows activists marching with
flags and banners through the city's central business district while chanting
"Palestine will be free" and "Ceasefire now!"
"We are for freedom. We want
ceasefire. So that’s our main course and the reason why we are here today.
We’ve been here for 10 weeks every Sunday. We won’t stop until it ends,"
said a demonstrator.
"It’s been going on for 75 years
plus and what they do is inhumane. And the killing of the innocent people,
women, children, elderly, [and] even men is just horrific," said another
activist.
The series of protests come after Israel
started its bloody onslaught on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s
Palestinian resistance movements launched the surprise Operation al-Aqsa Storm
against the occupying entity in response to the regime’s decades-long campaign
of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/17/716558/Melbourne-march-Gaza-ceasefire
-----
More than 300 people evacuated after
floods wreak havoc in Australia
Dec 18, 2023
Damage was reported along an expanse of
coastline that stretched about 400 kilometres (250 miles) across northern
Queensland.
Stranded residents sheltered on a
hospital roof as flash floods swamped northeastern Australia on Monday, with
raging waters severing roads and flushing crocodiles into towns.
Rescue teams evacuated more than 300
people overnight, police said, and military helicopters were dispatched to help
inundated areas cut off by the floods.
Damage was reported along an expanse of
coastline that stretched about 400 kilometres (250 miles) across northern
Queensland.
With another deluge expected Monday,
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said the unfolding disaster would have a
"billion-dollar impact" on the state.
Nine people, including a seven-year-old
patient, huddled for safety overnight on the roof of a hospital in the largely
Aboriginal settlement of WujalWujal.
"We know that those people are in a
desperate way now," said Kiley Hanslow, the chief executive of the
WujalWujal Aboriginal Shire Council.
Police said the group eventually
clambered to a safer location before flood waters rose again on Monday
afternoon.
Surrounded by a mountainous hinterland
of tropical rainforest, hard-to-reach WujalWujal is one of the most
disadvantaged regions in Australia.
Hanslow told national broadcaster ABC
the town centre was a "sea of dirty water and mud."
"There's also crocodiles swimming
around in that water now," she added.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina
Carroll said flood waters would likely wash "crocs and all sorts of other
things" into residential areas.
"You would recall from past events
we've had sharks, crocs, you name it," she told reporters.
Wildlife officers in the rural town of
Ingham used a lasso to catch a crocodile that had been bathing in shallow water
next to houses.
- 'Next level' rains -
The state of Queensland has been
pummelled by damaging winds and driving rain in the wake of Tropical Cyclone
Jasper, which barrelled in off the Coral Sea late last week.
The tourist hub of Cairns has been
almost completely surrounded by the floods, which have washed over the major
highways running into the city of 150,000 people.
On the outskirts of Cairns, locals used ropes
to try and rescue helpless livestock swept away by the torrents.
Stagnant pools of flood water lapped
against the wings of planes parked at the Cairns international airport.
"This level of rainfall is next
level," Queensland Premier Steven Miles told reporters on Monday.
"We deployed literally every boat
we could get our hands on in Cairns to evacuate those who couldn't safely
evacuate themselves."
Miles said authorities were starting to
worry about the dwindling supplies of clean drinking water, urging people to
conserve "as much as they can".
The Australian military used two heavy
lifting Chinook helicopters to ferry supplies and personnel into flood-stricken
towns.
Police Commissioner Carroll said
authorities were thankful they had not seen any deaths or serious injuries
during the emergency so far.
Researchers have repeatedly warned that
climate change amplifies the risk of natural disasters such as bushfires,
floods and cyclones.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Families stranded on rooftops overnight
as northern Australia battered by rain and flooding
December 18, 2023
SYDNEY — Floodwaters brought by northern
Australia’s heaviest rain in decades have left a number of families stranded on
rooftops overnight as weather forecasters predicted more deluges Monday that
are likely to hamper rescue efforts.
Cairns, a city of more than 150,000
people known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, has been almost entirely
cut off by heavy rains brought by the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Jasper,
which made landfall last week before stalling over Queensland, authorities say.
“We have people stuck on roofs there
that have been there all night,” Queensland Premier Steven Miles said Monday.
Nine people, including a child, were
stranded on the roof of a hospital about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of
Cairns, he said.
“We can’t get aerial support into them
because the cloud is so low and the rain is just so heavy,” he added. “So we
have people standing by ready to do those rescues. But we’ve got to wait till
it’s safe to do so.”
Some 300 people were rescued in and
around Cairns on Sunday, the Queensland state emergency service said Monday. No
deaths or injuries have been reported, according to authorities.
Cairns recorded more than 300
millimeters (about 11.81 inches) of rain in six hours, and more than 650
millimeters (about 25.6 inches) across 19 hours, Miles said.
Photos from the city showed roads
entirely submerged in murky water, with many damaged or collapsed. One image
from CNN affiliate Nine News showed a passenger plane half underwater, with the
Cairns Airport closed over the weekend, and all flights canceled.
The rain left about 15,000 residents
without power, Miles said. He added there were “hundreds” of personnel on the
ground – including from the police, military and energy providers – but “the
real problem at the moment is the rain just won’t stop.”
He also warned of dire water shortages
in Cairns, where the local council has warned people to conserve water for
emergency use only. After rescuing those still stranded, authorities must next
contend with problems accessing drinking water, sewage systems, power and
telecommunications, and clearing blocked roads, he said.
Major flood warnings were in place for a
number of rivers in Far North Queensland on Monday morning, according to the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). It warned of more flash flooding in the
region, with 300 millimeters of rain expected every six hours Monday between
the towns of Hope Vale and Port Douglas.
“The risk in those areas is still very
much there for potentially life threatening and very dangerous flash flooding,”
said BOM Senior Meteorologist Laura Boeke.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also
pledged the military’s full support for disaster relief efforts, telling public
broadcaster ABC on Monday there are defense personnel on standby. The
government has provided financial support for residents directly impacted, he
said.
“The forecast, tragically, is predicting
more rain still throughout today and the major flood warnings are in place for
several communities which are already cut off or without power,” Albanese said.
— CNN
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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