Non-Availability of Muslim Officers Hindering Indian Ambassador Posting in Saudi Arabia
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 March 2022
Representative Image
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• Indian Muslims Deprived Of Religious And Human
Rights: Speakers At Indian American Muslim Council event
• Pak Opposition Rebukes Imran Khan for Using
'Religion Card' To Save His Govt
• Taliban Announced Not To Hinder People Celebrating
New Year, Nowruz, In Afghanistan
• Iran Urges OIC to Use Capacities to Fight
Islamophobia
India
• Under Pressure from Hindutva Groups, Karnataka
Festival Bans Muslim Traders
• Hosa Marigudi Temple Auctions Stalls Only To Hindus for
the Annual ‘Suggi Mari Puja’
• Deoband Ulema: Teach Bhagavad Gita Only To The
Willing
• India’s Independent Foreign Policy Gets Pakistan
PM’s Applause
• No Class 12 Re-Exam for Hijab Protesters: Karnataka
Govt
• Hindutva YouTuber Calls For Genocide, Sexual Assault
Of Muslims
--------
North
America
• US to condemn as 'genocide' Myanmar's violence
against Rohingya Muslims
• Police believe attack at Mississauga mosque was
motivated by hate
• US condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, affirms
support to Riyadh: White House
• US court dismisses $900M case against Palestinian
Authority
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan PM Urges Islamic Nations for Joint Islamic
Effort to Engage With ‘New Realities’
• Pakistan Parliament to meet on Friday to take up
no-trust motion against PM Imran Khan
• Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith
Harmony Requests PM Imran Khan to Ban Game Shows during Ramadan
• Accidental fire triggers powerful explosions at
military depot in Pakistan's Sialkot
• Truck mafia created the Taliban, claims former
secretary
• Pakistan condemns Houthi attack on Saudi energy
facilities
• Group of Sikhs clashed on streets of Nankana Sahib,
Pakistan
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Bans Official Afghan Tricolour Flag
• US President, Secretary of state, special envoy to
Afghanistan wish happy Nowruz
• Civil activists in Kabul ask for release of
Afghanistan’s reserves
• Navroz festival not to be celebrated in Afghanistan
under Taliban regime
• Afghanistan world’s unhappiest country, even before
Taliban
• Myanmar's Rohingya refugee crisis in key dates
--------
Mideast
• IRGC Navy Commander: Foreign Forces Must Leave
Persian Gulf Region at Earliest
• Iran, Taliban Discuss Border Cooperation
• Iran's Khamenei Hopes for Economic Upturn In Persian
New Year Speech
• Turkish envoy reiterates support for unity,
prosperity of Iraq
• Turkiye condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
• Houthis under fire for ruining peace efforts to end
war
• Israeli PM to visit India in April
• 'Unjustified' Saudi siege on Yemen complicating
conflict: Foreign ministry
• President Assad: Israel Seeks To Displace Christians
across Region
• Two Israeli officers injured in alleged stabbing attack
in al-Quds
--------
Africa
• Fatwa House: Reconciliation Requires Justice and
Accountability
• Terrorists suspected in gunfire on Tunisia police
post, no casualties reported
• Bodies of 17 migrants found off Tunisia coast
• Gunmen attack National Guard facility in central
Tunisia
• Libya’s electoral body says ready to hold polls once
deal reached
• Sudan’s Hemedti says army to hand over power to
elected gov’t
• Gunmen kill at least 11 Burkina Faso government
troops
--------
Europe
• Russia Urges West to Address ‘Iran’s Legitimate
Demands’ In Vienna Talks
• Turkiye ‘very important for the defence of NATO’s
eastern flank’: Netherlands
• Germany to explore LNG supply options with UAE,
Qatar, distancing itself from Russia
• Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says Israel good place for
holding talks with Russia
• Turkey: Russia, Ukraine ‘close to agreement’, made
progress on ‘critical’ issues
--------
Arab
World
• Houthis Unleash Barrage of Drone, Missile Strikes On
Saudi Arabia
• Egypt displays recently discovered ancient tombs in
Saqqara
• Saudi FM meets with special envoy for Ukraine’s
president in Riyadh
• Iraq War: 'Huge mistake that can’t just be stricken
from the record'
• No deal among Kurds on Iraq’s new president:
Politician
• Syrian govt. forces, locals block US convoy in
oil-rich Hasakah, force it to turn back
• Kuwait’s parliament speaker slams intl. double
standards, demands Israel’s expulsion from Inter-Parliamentary Union
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Religious Affairs Minister Condemns ‘Offensive’
Teaser for TV Series Due to Be Screened During Ramadan
• Terengganu Islamic Council: Congregational Prayers
without Physical Distancing Allowed In State from April 1
• Political instability can only end with GE15, says
Johari
• 2 migrants dead, 26 missing in Indonesia boat
accident
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Non-Availability of Muslim Officers Hindering Indian
Ambassador Posting in Saudi Arabia
Representative Image
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21st March 2022
By Irfan Mohammed
Hyderabad: Time and again Muslim crisis erupted in the
ministry of external affairs for choosing top diplomatic positions in Saudi
Arabia. The latest transfer of Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed has again brought
forth the issue of a shortage of senior-level officials from the community.
It was widely believed that Ausaf Sayeed’s tenure
would likely be extended till his retirement next year. However, he was
transferred and posted into New Delhi.
Also, a section believes that since he was promoted to
secretary level and his transfer was imminent. However, a few officials in the
similar category as Dr. Ausaf Sayeed deployed as ambassadors in various
important countries.
The external affairs ministry with insufficient
strength of the diplomatic corps is often facing a tough time over posting
high-ranking diplomats to oil rich Kingdom.
Only Muslim officers are being posted as Ambassador in
Riyadh and Consul General in Jeddah from Nehru to Modi era; the cited reason is
Haj pilgrimage operation. The Pakistan that sends higher number of Hajis than
India, yet its ambassador has little role to play in Haj operations, similarly
Russia sends largest pilgrims from Europe has no Muslim diplomat. Whereas in
India traditionally sending only Muslims as Ambassador and Consul Generals.
The non-availability of Muslim officers in the
ministry has been a recurring subject whenever New Delhi posts top diplomats in
Saudi Arabia as Muslim officers barely constitute one percent in a pool of 800
IFS officers.
Ausaf Sayeed
Hyderabad native Dr. Ausaf Sayeed who recently
finished his tenure in Saudi Arabia is the only senior diplomat of 1989 batch
Muslim IFS officer in the ministry. Most NRIs described him as a master of
Indo-Saudi relations.
Former PMO official and seasoned diplomat Javed
Ashraf, who presently serves as Ambassador in France and had played an
important role in Rafale jets deal and Anwar Haleem, ambassador in Jordan,
Nagma Mohammed Mallick ambassador in Poland – all three from 1991 batch-
seniors among Muslims other than Dr. Ausaf Sayeed.
Javed Ashraf, Nagma both having their tenure remain in
Paris and Warsaw unlikely to be posted in Riyadh. In the past, they were among
diplomats who were not keen to work in this part of the world.
However, Anwar Haleem, who worked previously in Jeddah
(1999-2002), who is completing his tenure in Amman, is likely to be considered
for Saudi Arabia, said sources.
Political appointment can’t be ruled out
Many believe that a political appointment also can’t
be ruled out. During the AB Vajpayee government, Mohammed Kamaluddin Ahmed,
former MP, who quit congress for denial of party ticket to contest Lok Sabha
and joined BJP, was appointed as Ambassador in 2003.
The Congress government also made similar political
appointments in Saudi Arabia due to lack of career diplomats.
Departing from traditional diplomacy, Narendra Modi
government, known for bizarre and bold policy decisions, may also send a
Non-Muslim IFS diplomat to Riyadh in keeping view of changing scenario.
The Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is scheduled to
retire next month in April and before his retirement a major reshuffle is
expected where many key appointments including ambassador to Saudi Arabia are
also likely to be made.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Indian Muslims Deprived Of Religious And Human Rights:
Speakers At Indian American Muslim Council event
Angana Chatterji and Hatem Bazian
-----
20th March 2022
Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), along with five
other groups, raised awareness about the threat of mass violence faced by
Indian Muslims on Saturday. They spoke about “egregious human rights
violations” happening in the country that cannot be ignored.
The event was called “The Impending Indian Muslim
Genocide and Global Islamophobia”. It was organised by San Diego Coalition For
Human Rights and saw noteworthy intellectuals present their case.
Attendees like anthropologist and activist Dr Angana
Chatterji said, “India is subsumed in a momentous political crisis, the most
daunting since 1950.” Dr Chatterji also said that the BJP manifests caste
oppression in the violent relationship of dominant caste privileged Hindus to
Adivasis and Dalits, supports forcible conversions of Christians to Hinduism,
and prohibits Muslim women’s rights to wear the hijab.”
“Many of us need to understand the replacement theory,
which has been developed in France, but the Hindu nationalists are using the
same type of argument,” said Dr Hatem Bazian, Professor of Islamic Law and
Theology at Zaytuna College.
The professor spoke about how Hindu nationalists say
that Muslims are attempting to replace Hinduism, and said that it was similar
to how conservative Americans think minorities coming into America are trying
to replace the white race.
“How can I represent an India where Muslim girls and
Muslim women are stripped of their head covering, which is part of their
clothing, in the middle of the streets before they step into their schools and
colleges?” said Dr Samina Salim, Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy
at the University of Houston. “I do not represent this India where Muslim women
are raped, killed, and burned alive. I am not proud of India. This is an India
I did not grow up in; this is an India that I do not identify with.”
Malcolm Morgan, Public Relations Director of Muslim
Leadership Council of San Diego said, “We must unite together, whether we are
Muslim or not, to hold the oppressive Indian government accountable for
spreading Islamophobia and inciting violence against Muslim minorities. This is
not merely a case of religious rights being violated. This is an egregious
human rights violation that must not be ignored.”
The San Diego Coalition For Human Rights comprises of
the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) -San Diego Chapter, the Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Jewish Voice for Peace, Pillars of the
Community San Diego, Muslim American Society–PACE, and the Muslim Leadership
Council of San Diego.
Source: Siasat Daily
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original story:
--------
Pak Opposition Rebukes Imran Khan For Using 'Religion
Card' To Save His Govt
Pak PM Imran Khan (ANI/ File Image)
----
Mar 21, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Amid political instability in the country,
Pakistan Opposition parties on Sunday lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan
for using "religion card" in an effort to save his government.
The Opposition parties also accused the Imran Khan
government of launching a "propaganda campaign" through its social
media team against the army over its "neutrality", Dawn newspaper
reported.
Bilawal also lashed out at Khan for using Islam for
party politics and asked him not to use the slogan of Madinah state, the
Pakistani newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, opposition parties have also slammed
National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser for not convening the assembly session
within 14 days of its requisition to take up their no-confidence resolution
against Khan and demanded that he should be tried under Article 6 of the
Constitution, Dawn newspaper reported.
The Pakistan Army's top brass, led by General Qamar
Javed Bajwa, has reportedly asked Imran Khan to resign after the conference of
the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Earlier, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairperson and
Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hit out at the National Assembly (NA)
Speaker Asad Qaisar for violating the Constitution by not convening the NA
session within two weeks of requisition request by the Opposition, the
Pakistani newspaper reported.
The development comes after the Pakistan National
Assembly Speaker summoned a session of the National Assembly of Pakistan in
Islamabad on March 25 for a no-trust motion against Imran Khan.
The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning
mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the
National Assembly secretariat on March 8. While the Imran Khan government has
exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion, the Opposition is sure that
they will oust Khan.
The resolution needs to be passed by 172 Members of
the National Assembly (MNAs) and the Opposition faces the tough task to bring
that number not only in the National Assembly but also ensuring that they
remain inside the Assembly hall during the voting time.
Notably, if Imran Khan is voted out through the
motion, it would create history as a vote of no-confidence has never been carried
against the Prime Minister in Pakistan.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Taliban Announced Not To Hinder People Celebrating New
Year, Nowruz, In Afghanistan
Photo: Khama Press
----
20 Mar 2022
Deputy Minister of Information and Culture and chief
spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid said that
the interim government will not officially celebrate the new solar year (Nowruz)
but will not prevent people from celebrating the day.
Speaking with BBC Zabiullah Mujahid said that there is
now a celebration for Nowruz in Islam so they do not celebrate the day.
Monday, March 21, 2022, marks the first day of the New
Year in Afghanistan and a number of central Asian countries which is also known
as Nowruz.
In the meantime, the interim government of the IEA has
also cancelled the Nowruz as being an official day off. The first and the
second day of New Year are official off days in Afghanistan.
People will not celebrate the day the way they would
do before the change in government in Afghanistan. Most of the people have
reasoned their poor economy and financial woes for not celebrating the day.
It is worth mentioning that the Taliban had banned the
celebration during their first regime in the 90s as well.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-announced-not-to-hinder-people-celebrating-new-year-675876/
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Iran Urges OIC to Use Capacities to Fight Islamophobia
Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Ali Hosseini
------
2022-March-20
Hosseini made the remarks in a video message on the
eve of a foreign ministerial level OIC meeting due to be held in Pakistan on
March 22-23.
He noted that the OIC was founded with the aim of
providing support for the Palestinian cause and the liberation of the occupied
lands, adding that this hope should not fade away.
Hossini said that the regular meetings of the
organization, including the upcoming meeting in Pakistan, provides a chance
that should be taken to deal with the most significant issues of the Muslim
World.
In relevant remarks earlier this week, Iran's
Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht
Ravanchi said that the country welcomes and supports the UN unified stance
against Islamophobia in the world.
Takht Ravanchi made the remarks, addressing the UN
General Assembly after the body voted in favor of a resolution naming March 15
as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
“By marking this occasion, we can generate a better
understanding of Islam and Islamic principles,” the envoy said.
“The resolution proves our determination to
effectively and constructively confront Islamophobia as one of the main
challenges facing the international community,” he added.
Takht Ravanchi urged all UN members to act on their
responsibilities and legal commitments in this regard, thus contributing to the
promotion of common values, peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and mutual
understanding throughout the whole world.
‘”Over the past decades, anti-Islam and anti-Muslim
agitation have been chronically reinforced by some media outlets, politicians,
influencers, and also across the academic discourses,” he noted.
It is highly important for the UN members to adopt a
unified stance in the face of instances of Islamophobia, such as travel ban
against Muslims, hijab bans, bans on Muslim symbols, and “application of such
despicable and ignorant terms such as ‘Islamic terrorism”, the ambassador said.
“It is our conviction that terrorism, in all its forms
and representations, cannot and should not be attributed to any religion,
nationality, civilization or ethnic group,” he added.
Takht Ravanchi also said that the country backs the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s endeavors towards fighting
Islamophobia.
Reports said in October that Some 67.5% of the Muslims
living in the US has experienced Islamophobia at least once in their life,
according to a study by the University of California, Berkeley.
Women reported more Islamophobic experience than men
as the rates stood at 76.7% for Muslim women compared to 58.6% Muslim men, the
Othering & Belonging Institute said in a press release.
According to the survey, two out of three Muslims were
exposed to Islamophobic acts, while 33% of respondents said they had hidden
their religious identities at some moments to in fear of Islamophobic acts and
88.2% stated that they avoided certain speeches and actions for fear of facing
backlash.
An overwhelming 93.7% of the respondents stated that
Islamophobia affects their emotional and mental health.
Nearly 45% of those aged between 18-29 were more
likely than any other group to have hidden their religious identity.
“The survey, conducted two decades after the 9/11
attacks which led to a surge of hate crimes and prompted government policies targeting
Muslims, provides insight into the experiences, lived realities, and
psychological impacts of Islamophobia on millions of US residents,” the press
release read.
A total of 1,123 Muslims, roughly half women and half
men, joined the survey. The participants live and/or work in the US and they
are both citizens and non-citizens. Among them are Muslims of various ages,
national and ethnic backgrounds, and educational levels. The survey includes
over 60 questions.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001229000241/Iran-Urges-OIC-Use-Capaciies-Figh-Islamphbia
--------
India
Under Pressure from Hindutva Groups, Karnataka
Festival Bans Muslim Traders
21st March 2022
New Delhi: Under pressure from Hindutva groups, the
organisers of an historic festival in Karnataka have banned Muslim shopkeepers
from doing business during it.
The organising committee of the Kote Marikamba Jatra
in Shivamogga has buckled to demands by Bharatiya Janata Party, Bajrang Dal and
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad that no Muslim be allowed to ply his trade during the
festival, The Hindu has reported.
The committee has now allotted the tender to a
Hindutva group.
The Kote Marikamba Jatra festival is held once in two
years and is immensely popular among revellers who join festivities
irrespective of caste or religion.
The Hindu’s report essays how the committee had
initially allotted the tender for managing shops and collecting fees to a
certain person for Rs 9.1 lakh. When Muslim traders tried to set up stalls,
Hindutva workers created a ruckus, leading the original tender holder to cancel
the allotment made to him.
On March 19, the committee, after a meeting with
Hindutva groups, decided to offer tender to the latter so they could allot
shops. The president told The Hindu that this decision was taken to ensure that
the festival went smoothly and that “the committee had never taken a stand
against any particular religion all these years.”
Source: The Wire
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Hosa Marigudi Temple Auctions Stalls Only To Hindus
for the Annual ‘Suggi Mari Puja’
Mar 20, 2022
Udupi: Upset that Muslim traders closed their shops
and business establishments on Thursday, as a protest against the high court’s
verdict on the hijab row, the managing committee of the Hosa Marigudi Temple at
Kaup decided not to allot shops and stalls to Muslims, in an auction held on
Friday. The auction was held for the annual ‘Suggi Mari Puja,’ an annual
festival to be held in the temple on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The temple decided to allow only Hindus to participate
in the auction for shops and stalls, and those who participated in the auction
were reportedly directed not to sublet their shops to any Muslim traders on the
temple premise, to avoid law and order problems.
On the sidelines of this development, Ramesh Hegde,
president, temple management committee told TOI, “We had received
representations from several organisations, including Hindu Yuva Sene, Bajrang
Dal and others, that only Hindus should be allowed to put up stalls as part of
the temple festival,” he said.
Further, he said that after two years, the festival is
being held like it used to be in the pre-Covid days. “This year we are
expecting a large number of people to gather, and hence we have reduced the
number of stalls to be put up. We have given permission for about 50 stalls to
be put up, mainly selling ‘hannukai’, bangles, sweets, juice and so on, so that
more devotees are accommodated, and devotees do not have to undergo hardship.
Generally, the temple earns about Rs 10-15 lakh through auctioning places for
nearly 200 stalls. This year the income has been reduced to about Rs 5 lakh,”
he said.
Source: Times Of India
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of the original story:
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Deoband Ulema: Teach Bhagavad Gita Only To The Willing
Mar 21, 2022
MUZAFFARNAGAR: Reacting to the recent decision of the
Gujarat government making the 'Bhagavad Gita' a part of the school syllabus
from classes 6 to 12, Ulema (scholars) at Deoband, seat of the Darul Uloom
Islamic seminary, said that they found "nothing wrong" with teaching
the holy book in schools but it should not be imposed on those who are not
willing.
Maulana Qari Ishaq Gora, the patron of Jamiat Dawat-ul
Muslameen, a social organisation based in Deoband, said that the government
must first get the students' consent and teach to "only those who are
willing."
"It is a good thing to read and know about the
holy books of all faiths. I have read the holy book of my religion, and of
other religions too. I have read the 'Gita'. But I feel that it is not
appropriate to impose a religion or its holy texts on anyone."
The cleric further said that the "school is a
temple of learning, not a temple to propagate the ideology of a particular
religion". He added: "The Karnataka high court, in its recent
observation on the issue of 'hijab', had said that the 'school will run by
uniform and not by any religious practice'. So, if we go by the court, is it
appropriate to include 'Gita' in the school curriculum?"
Source: Times Of India
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India’s Independent Foreign Policy Gets Pakistan PM’s
Applause
Mar 21, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan on Sunday praised
India for having an independent foreign policy, saying the neighbouring country
has always taken decisions in the best interest of its people.
Speaking at a rally in the northwestern Malakand
region, Khan lauded India for the stand it took in the aftermath of Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine and said he believed that his country’s foreign policy
should also be independent of all external pressures. “The American sanctions
on Moscow didn’t stop India from importing oil from Russia despite close strategic
ties between Delhi and Washington,” Khan said, maintaining that like “our”
neighbouring country, his foreign policy would also be in favour and interest
of the people of Pakistan.
“I haven’t bowed before anyone and will not let my
nation bow either,” Imran said.
He took on Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in
the national assembly, for objecting to his criticism of the European Union
envoys who had urged Pakistan to condemn Russia in the United Nations. Imran
said the EU ambassadors had violated the protocol by asking Pakistan to condemn
Russia.
Source: Times Of India
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No Class 12 Re-Exam For Hijab Protesters: Karnataka
Govt
Mar 21, 2022
BENGALURU: Hundreds of pre-university (PU) II students
in Karnataka who had participated in hijab protests will not be given a second
chance to appear for their practical examinations, which they boycotted in
February-March. In Karnataka, Class 12 is called PU II.
Two days after hinting at a re-exam, the government on
Sunday categorically ruled out that option for students who were “absent” for
the practicals conducted as part of the board examinations.
“How can we even consider the possibility? If we allow
the students who boycotted the practicals for not being allowed to wear hijab
to the exam even after the high court gave its interim order, then another
student will come citing some other reason and seek a second chance. It is
impossible,” primary and secondary education minister B C Nagesh said.
Source: Times Of India
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Hindutva YouTuber Calls For Genocide, Sexual Assault
Of Muslims
20th March 2022
Adding to the growing Islamophobic and unrest in the
country, especially since the release of the movie The Kashmir Files, a video
of a man inciting violence on Muslims in the country has surfaced on social
media.
The man masked in saffron, calls for a mass genocide
against Muslims to avenge the death of the targeted killings of Kashmiri
Pandits in 1990. The man in the video (whose name is unknown) runs a YouTube
channel specifically to spew hatred against the Muslim minority in the country.
“We do not want bloodshed now and again. We do not
want one to cry over the other. We will kill everyone from the youngest to the
oldest. If we leave the young ones they’ll want to know who killed their
father. They’ll grow spiteful and will want revenge,” says the man, calling for
a genocide of Muslims in the country, in one of his videos that surfaced on
Twitter.
“We Hindus do not want bloodshed. We love and want
peace. Our army will murder and finish them all at once. If you are a Hindu and
want to avenge (the deaths) Kashmiri Pandits, if you know a Muslim, trouble
them,” adds the man.
The man that hides behind the saffron scarf, sits in
the backdrop of an Indian flag as he directs Hindus not to develop amity with
Muslims
“Use them and abandon them in difficulty. Leave them
in a labyrinth of some kind. Use them (to your benefit). Trouble them so much
that they cry, leave them tormented. Create an atmosphere that forces them to
leave the country. We won’t let them leave nor will we let them live in the
country,” he adds.
The saffron-clad goon who incites Hindus to commit
atrocities on Muslims discreetly also runs a page on Instagram that he uses to
inflame people against the religious minority.
“Use your brains and do it discreetly. If the
administration (law) gets to know they’ll be forced to punish you. It is an
independent country right now, so it is following the Constitution. Hence they
will be forced to arrest you, so do this in secrecy,” he adds.
The man also incites sexual violence against Muslim
women and threatens to rape them.
“If I was in control, I would split up your
six-month-olds and hand each part to a parent. I don’t have power or I would
rape your mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and others,” the man threatens
before he begins to hurl sexist abuses at Muslim women in Hindi.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hindutva-youtuber-calls-for-genocide-sexual-assault-of-muslims-2293594/
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North
America
US to condemn as 'genocide' Myanmar's violence against
Rohingya Muslims
Mar 21, 2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to
describe as 'genocide' the violence perpetrated against the Muslim Rohingya
community by the military in Myanmar.
Mr Blinken is due to speak at the Holocaust Museum in
Washington on Monday, for a new exhibition called Burma's Path to Genocide on
the killing and persecution of the minority community.
In December last year, during a visit to Malaysia, Mr
Blinken said the US was looking "very actively" at whether the
treatment of the Rohingya might "constitute genocide".
The US State Department released a report in 2018 that
described violence against the Rohingya in western Rakhine state as
"extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared towards both
terrorising the population and driving out the Rohingya residents".
"I'll never forget the painful stories I heard in
2017 from members of the Rohingya community in Burma and Bangladesh - stories
of violence and crimes against humanity," US senator from Oregon Jeff
Merkley write on Twitter on Sunday about news of the genocide designation.
"Good to see the admin take this overdue step to
hold this brutal regime accountable, which I've pushed for years," he
said.
About 850,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in
neighbouring Bangladesh, having fled mass killings and sexual violence, while
another 600,000 members of the community remain in Rakhine where they report
widespread oppression.
A legal designation of genocide - defined by the UN as
acts "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or part, a national,
ethnical, racial or religious group" - could be followed by further
sanctions and limits on aid, among other penalties against the already-isolated
junta, The New York Times reported.
The US slapped a series of sanctions on the country's
leaders and, like other Western nations, has long restricted supplies of
weapons to its armed forces, which even before the junta took power faced
allegations of crimes against humanity for the brutal campaign against the
Rohingya.
The case opened against Myanmar by The Gambia at the
International Court of Justice in 2019 has been complicated by last year's coup
that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government, triggering
mass protests and a bloody crackdown.
The Nobel peace laureate, who faced criticism from
rights groups for her involvement in the Rohingya case, is now under house
arrest and on trial by the same generals she defended at The Hague.
The administration of President Barack Obama had
pumped large amounts of political capital into Myanmar's transition to a
fledgling democracy, offering financial help and diplomatic support.
Source: The National News
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Police believe attack at Mississauga mosque was
motivated by hate
SALMAAN FAROOQUI
Mar 21, 2022
A day after a man armed with an axe and bear spray
stormed Mississauga’s Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre, in what police believe was
a hate-motivated attack, a member of the mosque said he and other congregants
will not be kept from their daily prayers.
Noorani Sairally, a volunteer at Dar Al-Tawheed, was praying
there on Saturday when the attack happened. He returned to the mosque on
Sunday.
“The event that happened will not deter any of the
congregants who were present,” he said. But, he added, having his routine
interrupted by an armed assailant will not be easy to forget.
“As much as I want to shake this off and go about
life, there is a scar,” he said. “This is one thing that is playing in my mind
over and over again. It was a very traumatic and frightening event that
happened.”
Peel Regional Police said the attack started around 7
a.m. on Saturday, when a man walked into the mosque and discharged bear spray
toward people who were praying. Members of the mosque were able to subdue the
attacker until police arrived.
A 24-year-old man, Mohammad Moiz Omar, was arrested in
relation to the attack. Peel police have charged him with offences that include
assault with a weapon, administering a noxious substance with intent to
endanger life, uttering threats and mischief to religious property. In a
Saturday news release, the force said the attack was “believed to be a
hate-motivated incident.”
Speaking on Saturday evening, hours after the attack,
Mr. Sairally said he could still feel the bear spray in his lungs and feel his
eyes burn if he touched them. His first instinct, he said, was to wonder if
someone was trying to repeat the 2017 mosque shooting that left six people dead
in Quebec City.
When the attack started, prayer had been under way for
about five minutes, he recalled. He heard a scream behind him and turned to see
someone discharging bear spray at the back of the prayer group, before a young
man knocked away the attacker’s axe and tackled him to the ground. Others
helped keep the attacker down until police arrived, Mr. Sairally said.
Many people in the mosque ran outside afterward
because of the noxious effect of the bear spray, he added.
Mr. Sairally said the mosque is trying to gather all
the people present during the attack to offer support to those who need it.
Peel police Superintendent Rob Higgs said the force’s
investigation is continuing, and the mosque said police are increasing their
presence in the area.
“Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our community
and we are taking this matter extremely seriously,” Supt. Higgs said.
Mr. Sairally said Marco Mendicino, the federal
Minister of Public Safety, and Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, paid a
visit to the mosque on Sunday to reassure congregants.
Members of the mosque spoke to the cabinet ministers
about getting funding to improve security measures at the facility, he added.
Ibrahim Hindy, the imam at Dar Al-Tawheed, said the
mosque is considering locking its doors to prevent unwanted visitors, but that
doing so would be inconvenient, because it would mean excluding people who are
a few minutes late to prayers.
The attack occurred two weeks before the start of
Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, prayer and community dinners that is the
busiest time of year for many mosques.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attack
over the weekend and said such violence has no place in Canada.
Source: The Globe And Mail
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US condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, affirms
support to Riyadh: White House
20 March ,2022
The US condemned Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia
attacks on Saudi Arabia and affirmed its support for the Kingdom’s defense,
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.
“We condemn the Houthi attacks over the last 48 hours
against civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. These attacks reportedly
targeted water treatment facilities as well as oil and natural gas
infrastructure. The Houthis launch these terrorist attacks with enabling by
Iran, which supplies them with missile and UAV components, training, and
expertise. This is done in violation of UN Security Council resolutions
prohibiting the import of weapons into Yemen,” Sullivan said in a statement.
He added: “Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Government have
endorsed multiple UN calls for ceasefires and de-escalation over the last year.
The Houthis have rejected these calls, responding instead with new offensives
in Yemen and terrorist acts, such as those launched against Saudi Arabia last
night. It is time to bring this war to a close, but that can only happen if the
Houthis agree to cooperate with the United Nations and its envoy working on a
step-by-step a process to de-escalate the conflict.”
“The United States stands fully behind those efforts,
and we will continue to fully support our partners in the defense of their
territory from Houthi attacks. We call on the international community to do the
same.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Arab Coalition announced that
Saudi Arabia’s Air Defense Forces had intercepted and destroyed nine drones
launched by the Houthi militia towards Jazan, Khamis Mushait, Taif, Yanbu and
Dhahran al-Janoub in the Kingdom.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US court dismisses $900M case against Palestinian
Authority
Jaafar Qasem
20.03.2022
A US court in New York dismissed a case worth $900
million against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the umbrella Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO).
The case was filed by Jewish Americans demanding
compensations for the death of their relatives in attacks in the occupied West
Bank.
In a statement on Sunday, the Palestinian Finance
Ministry described the court ruling as a "breakthrough" in regards to
dismissing cases against the PA and PLO of supporting terrorism.
“The court verdict was issued despite repeated
attempts by the plaintiffs and right-wing organizations to file cases against
Palestine for financial compensations worth millions of dollars,” the ministry
said.
According to the statement, the US court found that a
recent Congress decision subjecting the PA and PLO to the jurisdiction of the
US law was "unconstitutional."
Last week, a court in Manhattan also dismissed another
similar case worth hundreds of millions against the PA.
Since 2002, the PA and PLO faced several cases brought
to courts by Jewish families and groups claiming that their relatives were
killed by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-court-dismisses-900m-case-against-palestinian-authority/2540730
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Pakistan
Pakistan PM Urges Islamic Nations for Joint Islamic
Effort To Engage With ‘New Realities’
March 20, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan underlined that
Islamic nations must carefully navigate the “new realities” and actively shape
the emerging world order to realise their individual and collective interests.
“Toward that objective, they must first promote and
preserve their own sovereignty and territorial integrity by upholding
principles, avoiding involvement in great power rivalries, resolving inter-Islamic
disputes, and preventing foreign interference and intervention,” the prime
minister said in an opinion for the Arab News.
The prime minister further said that as a force for
peace with justice, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) must continue
to support the just causes of Palestine and Kashmir for self-determination and
liberation from foreign occupation.
“Although these goals are daunting, I am convinced
that the arc of history bends toward justice,” the prime minister shared his
thoughts as Pakistan is set to host the 48th session of the Council of Foreign
Ministers, an OIC body, on March 22-23 in Islamabad.
He observed that the convening of the conference on
the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence is an extraordinary display of
Muslim solidarity with Pakistan.
The prime minister said the meeting was taking place
at a critical moment in world history.
“Structures of the global security and economic order
established in 1945 have been eroded by the repeated unilateral use of force, a
new ‘cold war’ and growing inequalities among and within nations, exacerbated
by the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of climate change and the technology
revolution,” he observed.
The prime minister said the OIC is the world’s
second-largest intergovernmental organisation and represents the collective
voice of the Islamic world.
While reiterating that Pakistan would always remain a
fortress of Islam and a defender of the rights and interests of Muslims around
the world, said that over the years, the organisation had proactively advanced
the shared interests and objectives of the Islamic world.
“It has sought to promote international peace and
security, understanding and dialogue among civilisations, cultures and
religions, and to foster the noble Islamic values of peace, justice and mutual
respect,” he said.
He said that India’s attempt to impose a Final
Solution on occupied Kashmir, by robbing it of its identity, changing its
demography and brutally repressing its people, would fail.
“Durable peace and stability in South Asia is
contingent on pacific settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance
with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the wishes of the
Kashmiri people,” he stressed.
The prime minister said Pakistan sought friendly
relations with all neighbours, including India, adding New Delhi should create
the conditions conducive for a sincere and result-oriented dialogue with
Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, by reversing its unilateral measures in
occupied Kashmir, including demographic changes, and halting its gross and
widespread violations of human rights.
After 40 years, he said there was a real opportunity
to restore peace and security in Afghanistan and the region.
“We must act collectively to avert a humanitarian
crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan, and engage actively with the
Afghan authorities to promote human rights, especially women’s rights,
encourage greater inclusivity, and develop effective strategies to eliminate
the terrorist threat from the country,” the prime minister added.
He said it was vital to resolve the conflicts in
Syria, Libya and Yemen through accommodation and cooperation between the
concerned Islamic countries, and exclude non-Muslim interference in these
conflicts.
The OIC should seriously consider establishing its own
peace and security architecture to promote conflict resolution through dialogue
and negotiations whenever disputes arose among Muslim countries or between them
and non-Muslim countries or entities, he added.
“The Muslim world as a whole is well endowed in terms
of human and natural resources. We need to better coordinate with a view to
exploiting complementarities and building capacities,” he said, adding the
joint Islamic action in the economic and commercial spheres would constitute an
important step toward greater political convergence and solidarity.
The prime minister further said Islamic countries must
join other developing countries to mobilise adequate resources for recovery
from the pandemic and realisation of the sustainable development goals.
“This should include debt relief and restructuring,
fulfilment of the 0.7 percent official development assistance target,
redistribution of the unutilised $400 billion in new special drawing rights,
larger lending by the multilateral development banks, massive public and
private sector investment in sustainable infrastructure, and mobilisation of
the promised $100 billion-plus annually in climate finance,” he added.
The prime minister emphasised that they must also
demand fair and equal treatment in the international finance, trade and
taxation architecture.
“We must boldly arrest and reverse the outflow of
billions of dollars each year from our countries to “safe havens” through
corruption, fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance,” he added.
The OIC countries, the prime minister said, needed to
prepare themselves for a knowledge-driven, integrated and digital global
economy of the future and suggested setting up an OIC “Commission for the
Future” to study the trends in science and technology, trade and finance and
recommend a clear long-term strategy.
Khan said that they should promote economic
cooperation with all countries and groups, with both the West and the East.
“At the same time, we should exploit the economic
complementarities among the Islamic countries, utilising the Islamic
Development Bank and other OIC institutions. A special expert task force could
develop a plan for economic, financial, trade and technology cooperation among
OIC member states,” he added.
To another objective, the prime minister said that
they must promote global respect for our faith, Islam, and offer protection to
every Muslim everywhere.
“We must object vigorously to the defamation or
denigration of Islam, our Holy Book or our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him,” he
reiterated.
The prime minister sad the worst manifestation of
Islamophobia was the officially sanctioned campaign to transform India into an
exclusively Hindu state. There was a danger of genocide against Muslims in
India.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan Parliament to meet on Friday to take up
no-trust motion against PM Imran Khan
MARCH 21, 2022
The PTI has 155 members in Pakistan’s National
Assembly and needs at least 172 lawmakers on its side to remain in the
government
Pakistan's National Assembly will convene on Friday to
take up a no-trust motion against embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan, who on
Sunday offered an olive branch to some 24 dissident lawmakers of his party,
saying he was ready to forgive them like a "compassionate father" if
they returned to the party.
Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) submitted the
no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8,
alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government led by Mr. Khan
was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the
country.
On Sunday, the National Assembly Secretariat issued a
notification, paving the way for holding the key session which the Opposition
had demanded to be convened by March 21 as per the legal requirements.
"The session will convene at 11 a.m. on Friday
and will be the 41st session of the current National Assembly,” according to
the notification issued by Speaker Asad Qaiser.
The Opposition has been demanding that the session
should be summoned within 14 days but Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said at a
press conference it can be delayed due to extraordinary circumstances.
The delay in this case is due to the 48th Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on March 22 and 23 at
the Parliament House.
Initially, the Opposition had threatened to stage a
sit-in if the session was not called on time. However, they toned down its
stance by stressing that Pakistan’s political turmoil will not be allowed to
affect the high-profile event in any way.
The lower house will deliberate on the Opposition's
no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Khan on March 25. Once the
motion is formally taken up by the house, the voting should be held between
three to seven days.
Mr. Khan, 69, is heading a coalition government and he
can be removed if some of the partners decide to switch sides.
In the 342-member National Assembly, the Opposition
needs 172 votes to remove Mr. Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician.
The PTI has 155 members in the House and needs at
least 172 lawmakers on its side to remain in the government. The party has the
support of 23 members belonging to at least six political parties.
Nearly two dozen dissident lawmakers of the ruling
party recently came out in the open ahead of voting on the no-confidence motion
against Prime Minister Khan, with the government accusing Opposition parties of
horse-trading.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan on Sunday offered an
olive branch to rebel lawmakers of his party saying he was ready to forgive
them like a "compassionate father" if they returned to the party
fold.
"I will forgive you if you come back. We all
commit mistakes. I am like a father who forgives his children and I will pardon
you as well and no action will be taken against you,” he said while addressing
a public rally in Malakand district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
At the same time, he warned that those not heeding to
his words should be ready to face a ‘social boycott’.
"Return to the party’s fold or face social
boycott,” he warned the rebel PTI lawmakers.
Before offering the olive branch, Mr. Khan accused
them of selling their conscience and told the rebel lawmakers that they will be
forever known as people who "sold their conscience” and it will be
difficult for them to attend social events like marriages.
"Even it will be difficult for them to arrange
marriages of their kids,” he said.
He also blasted the Opposition that has filed a
no-trust motion against him, warning them that "you are going to lose this
match badly."
In another development, supporters of rival parties
were protesting against or in favour of various PTI lawmakers who announced to
go against Mr. Khan.
The Dawn newspaper reported that the PTI supporters
gathered outside the house of rebel lawmaker Malik Ahmed Hassan Dehar in Multan
to protest against him, while workers of the opposition Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) staged a rally outside the residence of another PTI
dissident Noor Alam Khan in Peshawar to give moral support to him and his
family.
Similar rallies were also held at other places like
Lahore after Khan defended the peaceful right of his party activists against
the ‘turncoats’.
On Saturday, the ruling party issued show-cause
notices to its dissident lawmakers for alleged defection and sought an
explanation from them by March 26 as to why they may not be declared defectors
and disqualified as a member of the National Assembly.
Source: The Hindu
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Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony
Requests PM Imran Khan to Ban Game Shows during Ramadan
Mar 20 2022
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith
Harmony Noor-ul-Haq Qadri on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran
Khan, requesting to put a ban on game shows during the month of Ramadan.
In a letter shared by the Ministry of Religious
Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Twitter, Noor-ul-Haq mentioned six guiding
principles of Ramadan broadcasting on the complaints issued by the public.
The letter said that the promotion of religious and
professional harmony during the holy month should be the top priority of the
Ramadan broadcast. It further said that “controversial issues and professional
topics should be avoided.”
The letter also stated that the show hosts should be
equipped with the necessary knowledge, adding that the dress code of the hosts
and guests should be in accordance with the holy month.
It further said that “respect for holy figures and
adherents of different sects should be kept in mind.” Moreover, broadcasting
game shows and frivolous programmes during Sehr and Iftar should be avoided.
Source: Geo TV
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Accidental fire triggers powerful explosions at
military depot in Pakistan's Sialkot
Mar 20, 2022
LAHORE: An accidental fire caused by shot-circuit
triggered a series of powerful explosions at a military depot in Pakistan's
Punjab province on Sunday morning, sparking rumours that the key army
installation was targeted by terrorists.
The accidental fire broke out in ammunition shed near Sialkot
garrison, some 100 kms from Lahore.
Pakistan Army's media wing - the Inter Services Public
Relations (ISPR) - issued a statement, saying "due to short circuiting,
accidental fire broke out in an ammunition shed near Sialkot Garrison. No loss
of life. Effective and timely response contained damages and fire has been
extinguished."
According to reports, a large fire and explosions
rocked the military depot near the cantonment area at 6am. Fire brigade and
Rescue 1122 reached the spot and extinguished the fire reportedly after several
hours.
When asked about damages and any casualty or injuries
in the wake of the Sialkot explosions, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 told
PTI that only the military is authorised to talk on the matter.
Source: Times Of India
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Truck mafia created the Taliban, claims former
secretary
Irfan Aslam
March 21, 2022
People say that Pakistan created the Taliban but it’s
wrong though we might take a credit for it. The Taliban came into existence
through the truck mafia, said former foreign secretary Najmuddin A. Shaikh.
“When they used to go to Kandahar, they had to pass
eight to 10 checkpoints where they had to pay a fine. The truck mafia said to
the seminary students and ordinary sepoys, who were not Taliban to give it a
safe passage and requested them to provide it and they did that,” he said while
speaking in a session, The Imperial Ghost Wars in Afghanistan on the concluding
day of the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) on Sunday.
“Then we said, ‘the Taliban are our boys’ but the
Taliban did not accept that and told that Naseerullah Babar had nothing to do
with them.”
Mr Shaikh added that Osama bin Laden went to
Afghanistan in a C-31, which was only possible through the US government. “I
was then the foreign secretary. I wrote to our intelligence agencies to keep a
watch on him because his presence there was going to create problems for us.”
He termed peace in Afghanistan essential for Pakistan
because any disturbance there would multiply in Pakistan.
Former ambassador to the US Maleeha Lodhi said that
for Pakistan, the US was part of an external strategy to counter India’s
threatening posture with Pakistan. She said the relationship has been very
mercurial, problematic and turbulent and it was best when the both sides had
common objectives like both sides wanted US withdrawal from Afghanistan, both
sides wanted the dissemination of Al-Qaida.
“We are in a transitional phase. It is hard to see how
the new relationship is going to be redefined unless there is meaningful
engagement at the senior level which I am not seeing so far. Perhaps the US has
other issues now in mind vis-à-vis Ukraine.”
Ms Lodhi said the relationship is going to be affected
by three factors, the Sino-US confrontation, India factor as Pak-India
relations are not normalised and the situation of Afghanistan where Pakistan
wanted a greater engagement.
Writer and journalist Zahid Hussain said US-Pakistan
relations had gone through many phases in the last sixty years but a new
alliance emerged after 9/11. “Before 9/11 happened, the US and Pakistan were
pursuing different policies in Afghanistan but things changed after 9/11.”
He said after the incident, Pakistan was important for
the US to engage in Afghanistan as the mastermind of 9/11 was living there and
Pakistan was deeply involved in Afghanistan before that.
“There had been a lot of political statements by political
leaders that ‘one call’ led to Pakistan’s alliance with the US which was
completely wrong. Pakistan did not have a choice.”
After the return of US forces from Afghanistan, the
nature of relations had completely changed and they had gone back to the same
situation that was before 9/11, he said.
Zahid Hussain added that there had been a lot of talk
that the US had betrayed Pakistan but one thing should be clear that nations
make their relations based on their national interests.
He said when Taliban ruled Afghanistan before 9/11,
there were no Taliban fighting in Pakistan but now the TTP had emboldened, and
its back in the former tribal areas of Pakistan which should be a concern for
Pakistan.
AKBAR ZAIDI: Political economist Akbar S. Zaidi
talking about his book, Making of A Muslim, said many things told about
Pakistan and the Muslims of 19th century were wrong.
“I was intrigued by the idea how the idea of a Muslim
is portrayed in history, social sciences by very prominent historians,
including the one who was here yesterday but I can’t take the name.
“There was a region in Hindustan where everything was
written in Urdu and our historians, with some exceptions, don’t read Urdu
despite writing extensive books.”
Mr Zaidi said the crux of this book was to explore
what were the Muslims talking about in the 19th century, adding that he read
newspapers from that era, exploring the Khuda Bakhsh Library in Patna, Aligarh
Library and British Library.
He said contemporary historians claim that a Muslim
nation came into being after 1857. “I refuse to accept it. There was nothing
like it.”
He declared there was no better word than Zillat
(humiliation). “The book has many themes and there is one theme of Zillat.”
The Urdu speaking elite realised that the condition they
were in was utter Zillat.
“People think that the sects of Islam, Deobandi,
Barelvi and Ahle Hadith, had been there since centuries. In 1867, the Deoband
sect started, the Barelvis came in 1895 and Ahle Hadith originated in
1870-1875. These sects are just infants compared to the 1,400 years long
history of Islam.”
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1680960/truck-mafia-created-the-taliban-claims-former-secretary
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Pakistan condemns Houthi attack on Saudi energy
facilities
March 20, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned a
missile and drone attack at Saudi energy and water desalination facilities by
the Houthi group, the Foreign Office said.
Drone strikes hit a petroleum products distribution
terminal in the southern Jizan region, a natural gas plant and the Yasref
refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia
said in a statement.
“The assault on Yasref facilities has led to a
temporary reduction in the refinery’s production, which will be compensated for
from the inventory,” it said, referring to Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining
Company, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical
Corporation (Sinopec).
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the
group fired ballistic and winged missiles as well as drones at Aramco
facilities in the capital Riyadh, Yanbu and “other areas,” followed by attacks
on “vital targets” in other Saudi regions.
“Pakistan reaffirms its full support and solidarity
with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and
territorial integrity,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press
statement.
The statement said such attacks not only violated
international laws but also threatened the peace and security of the oil-rich
kingdom and the region.
Pakistan also called for an immediate cessation of
these attacks.
“The successful interception of the ballistic missile
by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Force prevented loss of innocent lives and is
commendable.”
Saudi Arabia has struggled to extricate itself from
the seven-year conflict which has killed tens of thousands and left millions of
Yemenis facing starvation. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have also endangered
the kingdom’s airports, oil facilities and caused some civilian deaths.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Group of Sikhs clashed on streets of Nankana Sahib,
Pakistan
Mar 20, 2022
AMRITSAR: Turbans were tossed on the streets of
Nankana Sahib, Pakistan in a fight between the two groups of Sikhs who clashed
over financial matters on Sunday.
According to sources, as many as three Sikhs were
injured in the incident. One of the Sikh residents of Nankana Sahib had
received head injuries while another sustained serious leg injuries.
In a video, two groups of Sikhs are seen thrashing
other Sikhs. One of the Sikhs had fallen on the road while another one is seen
pulling him with hair while another hitting him with a baton.
According to sources, a resident of Nankana Sahib
Amarjit Singh had opened a cosmetic shop in the Shahdara area after taking a
loan from other Sikhs but didn’t pay back his loan.
The lenders had demanded to pay back their money
several times but to no avail. On Sunday they tried to forcibly occupy the
cosmetic shop which erupted the fight between the two groups, informed sources.
Sources also informed that police had arrested five
persons including Amarjit Singh, Jasbir Singh, Amir Singh.
While confirming the clash between local Sikhs of
Nankana Sahib, Pakistan’s Sikh Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mohinderpal
Singh said he was in the Gurdwara to bring a truce between the warring groups
of Sikhs.
Source: Times Of India
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South
Asia
Taliban bans official Afghan tricolour flag
21 March, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 21 (ANI): The Taliban
regime in Afghanistan on Sunday issued a decree banning the official tricolour
flag of the internationally-recognised Afghan government (black, red, green)
and replaces it with the white coloured flag of the Islamic emirate.
Under the decree, all government agencies in the
country and abroad must now use the white-coloured Taliban flag with a
black-ink Islamic scripture reading “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is
His prophet,” Sputnik News Agency reported.
The decree prohibits the Taliban officials to appear
in public with the tricolour Afghan flag.
The development comes weeks after the Taliban ordered
the residents of Khost province in Afghanistan to remove the Afghan national
flag from the rooftops of their houses and their vehicles.
The Afghan people had been requesting the Taliban not
to change the flag as it belongs to no leader and faction, but to the nation,
Khaama press had reported.
Notably, the leaders of the Islamic Emirate has been
making extensive attempts to achieve international recognition.
Taliban’s acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan
Muttaqi on Friday said that the Islamic Emirate is inclusive and has fulfilled
all the requirements and it should be recognized by the international
community, reported Tolo News.
Last year, in August, the Taliban came to power in
Afghanistan and established an interim government led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund,
who had served as the foreign minister during the first Taliban rule in the
late 1990s.
The new authorities have not yet been internationally
recognized even though the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the country’s name
used by the Taliban) was declared restored in December.
Source: The Print
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https://theprint.in/world/taliban-bans-official-afghan-tricolour-flag/881358/
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US President, Secretary of state, special envoy to
Afghanistan wish happy Nowruz
21 Mar 2022
The US president Joe Biden along with the First Lady
Jill Biden celebrated Nowruz (New Solar Year) by standing beside a table on
which the traditional dry fruit (Haft-Sin) was prepared at the White House.
President Biden on his official Facebook page wrote
that this was the message of the new beginnings, hope, and joy of Nowruz.
“It is a celebration of the vibrant cultures and
friendships of our many diaspora communities who make extraordinary
contributions every day here in the United States.” Reads the Facebook post.
In the meantime, US secretary of state Antonio Blinken
in a video clip wished happy Nowruz for people around the world and wish them
prosperity and peace.
The US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas
West also joined the President and secretary of state with the Afghan people
and everyone who celebrates a joyous Nowruz.
It all comes as this year’s Nowruz is the worst one in
the decades as the de facto authorities in Afghanistan denied to celebrate the
day officially.
Source: Khaama Press
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Civil activists in Kabul ask for release of
Afghanistan’s reserves
20 Mar 2022
A group of civil activists in Kabul asked US president
Joe Biden to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and prevent the country’s economic
collapse.
The activists in a press conference on Sunday, March
20, 2022, said no Afghan was involved in 9/11 so they urge the international
community especially the US to unfreeze the assets of the Afghan people.
They have also expressed concern about the private
sector being in a dire economic situation as $2 billion in the total money
frozen belongs to them.
Freezing the assets has stopped hundreds of projects
across the country.
“Projects worth millions of dollars have been stopped.
Afghans cannot even do business with the US and Asian countries. Our
businessmen cannot buy things in the UEA and cannot do imports to the country.”
Said a participant of the conference.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/civil-activists-in-kabul-ask-for-release-of-afghanistans-reserves-5467568/
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Navroz festival not to be celebrated in Afghanistan
under Taliban regime
20 March, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 20 (ANI): Navroz or Nowruz
which marks the Persian and Iranian New Year will not be celebrated in
Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
Nowruz, the day is dedicated to the beginning of the
spring and renewal of Nature and it is celebrated on the first day of the first
month of the calendar followed by Zoroastrians.
“We do not celebrate any ceremony that is not in
Islam,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that their government
would not celebrate Nowruz, as per media reports.
However, the spokesman claims that the group will not
prevent people from celebrating Nowruz.
Source: The Print
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Afghanistan world’s unhappiest country, even before
Taliban
20 Mar 2022
Afghanistan is the unhappiest country in the world –
even before the Taliban swept to power last August. That is according to a
so-called World Happiness Report released before the United Nations-designated
International Day of Happiness on Sunday.
The annual report ranked Afghanistan as last among 149
countries surveyed, with a happiness rate of just 2.5. Lebanon was the world’s
second saddest country, with Botswana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe rounding out the
bottom five.
Finland ranked first for the fourth year running with
a 7.8 score, followed by Denmark and Switzerland, with Iceland and the
Netherlands also in the top five.
Researchers ranked the countries after analysing data
over three years. They looked at several categories, including gross domestic
product (GDP) per capita, social safety nets, life expectancy, freedom to make
life choices, generosity of the population, and perceptions of internal and
external corruption levels.
Afghanistan stacked up poorly in all six categories,
as it did before the Taliban’s return to power. The country was under the
United States occupation for 20 years during which Washington alone spent
$145bn on development, according to reports by the US special inspector general
for Afghanistan.
Still, there were signs of increasing hopelessness.
Gallup conducted a poll in 2018 and found that few
Afghans they surveyed had much hope for the future. In fact, the majority said
they had no hope for the future.
Afghans have faced years of war, corruption, grinding
poverty and lack of jobs.
When Masoud Ahmadi, a carpenter, returned to
Afghanistan from neighbouring Pakistan after the 2001 collapse of the Taliban,
his hopes for the future were bright.
He dreamed of opening a small furniture workshop,
maybe employing as many as 10 people. Instead, sitting in his dusty six-foot by
10-foot workshop on Saturday, he said he opens just twice a week for lack of
work.
“When the money came to this country, the leadership
of the government took the money and counted it as their personal money, and
the people were not helped to change their life for the better,” said Ahmadi.
Source: Al Jazeera
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/20/afghanistan-worlds-unhappiest-country-even-before-taliban
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Myanmar's Rohingya refugee crisis in key dates
Mar 21, 2022
YANGON: The Myanmar military launched a ferocious
crackdown against the country's Rohingya Muslim population in 2017, driving
around 740,000 into neighbouring Bangladesh.
On Monday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due
to officially announce the decision to designate that crackdown a genocide.
Here are key dates in the crisis.
On August 25, 2017, Rohingya militants stage
coordinated attacks on police posts in Myanmar's Rakhine state, killing at least
a dozen officers.
The army retaliates with operations in Rohingya
villages ostensibly to flush out insurgents.
It says it killed 400 rebels but opponents say most of
the dead were civilians.
The United Nations says at least 1,000 people lost
their lives in the first two weeks of the military operations.
By September 5 more than 120,000 Rohingya have fled
into Bangladesh, overwhelming its ill-equipped refugee camps.
There are already at least 200,000 Rohingya in
Bangladesh from previous waves of violence.
International anger mounts against Myanmar. Soldiers
are accused of razing Rohingya homes and some world leaders allege "ethnic
cleansing".
In her first statement on the crisis, Myanmar's
civilian leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi pledges on September
19 to hold rights violators to account but refuses to blame the army.
Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23 agree to start
repatriating refugees.
But the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says
conditions are not in place for their safe return and the process halts.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on
December 5 warns of possible "elements of genocide" and calls for an
international investigation.
On August 25, 2018, tens of thousands of Rohingya
refugees stage protests to mark the first anniversary of their exodus.
UN investigators call for the prosecution of Myanmar's
army chief and five other top military commanders for genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes.
In November an attempt to repatriate 2,260 Rohingya
fails as they refuse to leave without guarantees for their safety.
On September 3, two Reuters journalists who are
accused of breaching Myanmar's state secrets law while reporting on a Rohingya
massacre are jailed for seven years.
They will spend more than 500 days behind bars before
being released on a presidential pardon.
On July 16, 2019, Washington announces sanctions
against Myanmar's army chief and three other top officers.
About 3,500 Rohingya refugees are cleared to return
home but none turn up to make the journey on August 22.
On November 11 The Gambia files a lawsuit at the ICJ
accusing Myanmar of genocide for its treatment of the Rohingya.
Three days later the separate Hague-based
International Criminal Court (ICC) green-lights a full investigation into the
persecution of the Rohingya.
In the same week, a third case is filed by rights
groups in Argentina under the principle of universal jurisdiction.
On December 10 The Gambia lays out its case at the ICJ
with Suu Kyi personally leading Myanmar's defence.
She refutes accusations of genocide, denying
"misleading and incomplete" claims and insisting Myanmar is dealing
with an "internal armed conflict".
She admits the army may have used excessive force.
Delivering its ruling on January 23, 2020, the ICJ
orders Myanmar to take urgent steps to prevent alleged genocide and to report
back within four months.
In February 2021 Myanmar's legal team -- minus Suu
Kyi, who is under house arrest following a military coup -- argues the court
has no jurisdiction over the case, and must throw it out before it moves on to
substantive hearings.
Source: Times Of India
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Mideast
IRGC Navy Commander: Foreign Forces Must Leave Persian
Gulf Region at Earliest
2022-March-20
"We have always maintained that regional
countries are responsible for safeguarding security in the Persian Gulf and
that foreigners must leave this region at the earliest," Rear Admiral
Tangsiri said on Saturday, addressing a meeting with a number of officials and
commanders of the IRGC Navy bases.
"Unity among Muslim countries of the region is
indicative of stability of lasting security and regional security is a red line
for us."
Rear Admiral Tangsiri emphasized that Iran will
confront any sinister plot or sedition designed to harm the Islamic Republic's
security.
The IRGC commander said the Iranian forces are
duty-bound to fully defend national interests anywhere and anytime and to
closely monitor all enemy moves with full vigilance.
He noted that enemies constantly seek to harm Iran,
saying, "We should always increase our readiness and combat capability to
strongly protect the Islamic Republic of Iran's territory."
He also called all the IRGC Navy's commanders and forces
to monitor the enemies' moves "with open eyes" and do not overlook
acts of enmity even for a moment.
Rear Admiral Tangsiri noted that the IRGC Navy's
control over the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and North of the Indian
Ocean has been boosted after it received new advanced homegrown defense
hardware.
The IRGC Navy on Tuesday took delivery of a series of
new advanced homegrown defense hardware with special capabilities, including
smart sub-surface vessels along with missiles and speedboats.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran, Taliban Discuss Border Cooperation
2022-March-20
During the meeting in Kabul on Saturday, the two sides
discussed issues related to the cultivation and trafficking of narcotics from
Afghanistan into Iran, calling for joint cooperation in the fight against drug
trafficking.
Referring to some border problems between Iranian and
Afghan border forces, Mortazavi asked Haqqani to resolve border
misunderstandings by forming a joint border committee as soon as possible.
This issue was welcomed by the Taliban minister and it
was decided to take action in the near future.
"Let no arrogant powers once again impose war and
insecurity on the Muslim nations of the region after leaving the region,
especially Afghanistan," Haqqani said
He reiterated that Taliban will seriously fight
against the terrorist movement inside Afghanistan, and said that the Taliban
will not allow anyone to threaten Afghanistan's neighbors.
In a relevant development in late December, Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a meeting with Taliban's acting
foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Islamabad underlined the need for the
formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of
all parties and ethnic groups.
"Iran continues to strive for the formation of an
inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan
and encourages all parties to achieve this goal," Amir Abdollahian said during
the meeting on the sidelines of the 17th extraordinary session of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on
Afghanistan.
He added that formation of an inclusive government
will help to the establishment of political and security stability in
Afghanistan.
Amir Abdollahian voiced concern about the conditions
of Afghan people on the threshold the cold season, saying that the
international community should support the Afghan people and “humanitarian aid
should flow to this country". Meantime, a spokesman for the Taliban
interim government said that during the meeting, the two sides discussed the
current security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, as well as the
political, trade and economic relations between the two countries.
Amir Abdollahian also held a separate meeting with the
Palestinian foreign minister on the sidelines of the OIC conference on Sunday.
He stressed Iran’s support for the Palestinian people
and the liberation of the holy Quds, and condemned continued crimes by the
Zionist regime in the occupied territories.
Amir Abdollahian had earlier today in an address to
the OIC meeting had said that sustainable security and political and social
stability in Afghanistan wilould be to the interest of all regional states.
“What has gathered us here today is the prolonged
crisis of Afghanistan, the dimensions of which are expanding on a daily basis,”
Amir Abdollahian said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the
sustainable security and political and social stability in Afghanistan to be in
line with the collective interests of the entire region. We believe that
sustainable security and political and social stability in Afghanistan is
possible only through real collective participation and an inclusive and
effective government in which all ethnicities and religions play a role,” he
added.
Any postponement, will give the enemies of Afghan
people the chance to activate an extensive network of social criminals through
spreading the terrorism of Daesh (ISIL), creating economic hardships, and
critical conditions in livelihood, healthcare and the basic needs of life.”
“Furthermore, the enemies of the people of Afghanistan
may seize the opportunity to disperse chaos, poverty and famine after 20 years
of occupation and destruction of any infrastructure and impose inefficiency on
the authorities in Kabul and the people of this country.”
“National reconciliation, national cohesion and
inclusive participation in government and governance, alongside the good faith
and benevolent contribution of the neighboring countries, as well as regional
and Muslim states in the fight against terrorism, insecurity and instability in
addition to providing humanitarian assistance are the most urgent requirements
for supporting Afghan people and guaranteeing a bright future for them,” the
Iranian foreign minister said.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001228000663/Iran-Taliban-Discss-Brder-Cperain
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Iran's Khamenei hopes for economic upturn in Persian
new year speech
20 March ,2022
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed
on Sunday hopes for the improvement of his country's economy during a speech to
mark Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Iran's economy has suffered under stringent sanctions
that were reimposed by the US in 2018 after it unilaterally pulled out of the
2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
“These economic problems are curable and we hope that
some of them will disappear this year,” Khamenei said during his televised
speech.
The problems “will not all disappear at once but
gradually”, he said.
Khamenei said the toughest problems encountered last
year were due to “rising prices and inflation”.
Iran has been holding direct talks in Vienna to revive
the 2015 nuclear deal with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. The US
has been participating indirectly.
Various actors have recently suggested that an
agreement is close.
“One of the most important happy events of the last
year was that the Americans themselves admitted that they suffered a shameful
defeat in their maximum pressure policy against Iran,” Khamenei said on Sunday.
Former US president Donald Trump had used the term
“maximum pressure campaign” to describe his administration's policy towards
Iran, including the strict sanctions regime.
Khamenei said that the Iranian New Year, which begins
on Monday, will focus on production and the creation of jobs.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkish envoy reiterates support for unity, prosperity
of Iraq
Haydar Karaalp
20.03.2022
The Turkish ambassador to Iraq has over the past days
held talks with several Iraqi officials, reiterating his country's support for
the unity and prosperity of Iraq.
About his meeting with Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime
minister and leader of the State of Law Coalition, in Baghdad, Ali Riza Guney
tweeted on Sunday: “Our message is clear: Turkiye supports the unity, integrity
and prosperity of Iraq."
Earlier, he met Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the
Shiite National Wisdom Movement; Haider al-Abadi, former prime minister and
Nasr (Victory) Coalition leader.
The Turkish ambassador also visited Hadi al-Amiri, the
leader of the Shiite Conquest Coalition (Fatah Alliance) three days ago, and
Alaa al-Rikabi, leader of the Imtidad (Extension) Coalition.
He also met Ahmed al-Mutairi, head of the political
body of Sadrist movement.
Regarding his meeting with Hamid Naeem al-Ghazi, the
secretary-general of the Council of Ministers, he said they talked about
bilateral cooperation opportunities in the field of trade and investment.
Turmoil in the country continues since the October
2021 general elections as negotiations among political groups have since failed
to form a majority coalition.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkiye condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
Gözde Bayar
20.03.2022
Turkiye has condemned the drone and rocket attacks on
multiple locations in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
“These terror attacks that aim to disturb the peace
and stability in our region and that are also in contravention of the
international law are totally unacceptable. We are in solidarity with Saudi
Arabia on this,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkiye-condemns-drone-attacks-on-saudi-arabia/2540753
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Houthis under fire for ruining peace efforts to end
war
March 20, 2022
AL-MUKALLA: The Iran-backed Houthis have been strongly
criticized for striking civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia and intensifying
military operations in Yemen as the UN special envoy for Yemen proposed a
humanitarian truce during the holy month of Ramadan.
Yemen’s government officials, human rights activists,
journalists and the public have slammed the Houthis for torpedoing the current
peace efforts by the UN and Gulf Cooperation Council to reach a peaceful
settlement to end the war.
Last week, the Gulf bloc invited warring factions in
Yemen, including the Houthis, for peace talks under its aegis in Riyadh, a step
that revived hopes of finding an end to the country’s aggravating humanitarian
crisis.
The Houthis quickly turned down the offer, launching
deadly cross-border strikes on Saudi Arabia and escalating attacks on
government-controlled areas in Yemen.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry criticized the Houthis’
“aggressive and terrorist behavior” and their continuing resistance to all
efforts to stop hostilities in Yemen, calling the latest attacks as the
militia’s “response” to the GCC offer.
“[The ministry] renews the firm and supportive
position of the Republic of Yemen for the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
its solidarity in all measures it takes to confront these cowardly terrorist
acts, preserve the safety of its citizens and residents and protect its vital
facilities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official
news agency SABA.
Other Yemenis argued that the escalating military
operations and the cross-border attacks show that the militia is not serious
about peace and is determined to thwart initiatives to end the war.
Hamdan Al-Alaly said that the Houthis refused to take
part in the coming conference since they would have to face the Yemeni forces
that opposed their project.
“They will find themselves small and despicable in
front of all the Yemeni components that reject them,” Al-Alaly said, adding
that the Houthis demanded direct talks with Saudi Arabia so as to legitimize
their military takeover of power.
“They are looking for regional countries’ recognition
of their rule by asking for talks with the coalition, not with the Yemenis.”
Yemen’s Minister of State Gen. Abdul Ghani Jamil said
that the Houthis would do everything at their disposal to foil the peace talks
in Riyadh since those talks would bring together Yemenis against their
oppressive rule.
“I think the message of the Houthis tonight is crystal
clear. They do not want an invitation that seeks to unify the ranks [of their
opponents] under the umbrella of the older sister, Saudi Arabia,” Jamil said.
Meanwhile, on the ground, fighting between the Houthis
and the government flared in flashpoint sites outside the central city of Marib
as the Houthis push to break months of military stalemate.
A local military official told Arab News on Sunday
that the Houthis amassed huge military forces and intensified their drone and
missile strikes on government-controlled areas outside the city.
“We shot down two explosives-rigged drones. They also
fired a ballistic missile at a camp for displaced people in Marib city. The
Houthis are preparing for a major assault,” said the official, who requested
anonymity, adding that army troops and allied tribal fighters pushed back the
latest Houthi attacks as the coalition’s warplanes hit the militia’s locations
and military equipment.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2046356/middle-east
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Israeli PM to visit India in April
March 20, 2022
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
will visit India next month, in a trip marking 30 years since the countries
established diplomatic ties, his office has said.
“At the invitation of the Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi — Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will pay his first official
visit to India in early April,” Bennett’s office said in a statement on
Saturday.
It later added that the trip would take place on April
2.
“This visit will reaffirm the important connection
between the countries and the leaders, and will mark the 30th anniversary of
the establishment of relations between Israel and India,” the statement said.
Modi visited Israel in 2017, and his Israeli
counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu made a high-profile return visit a year later.
Netanyahu’s trip was the first by Israeli leader to
India since 2003.
While India has historically been a vocal supporter of
the Palestinians, it has also increasingly purchased military hardware from
Israel’s highly vaunted defense industry.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2046726/middle-east
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'Unjustified' Saudi siege on Yemen complicating
conflict: Foreign ministry
21 March 2022
The Yemeni foreign ministry has slammed the ongoing
Saudi siege imposed on Yemen as “unjustified”, warning that it would complicate
the situation in the war-wracked Arab country.
Yemen’s al-Masirah television network reported early
on Monday that the deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Azzi said the ongoing
Saudi siege could lead to a more complex stage, urging “the wise people” top
avoid it.
He stressed that the continuation of the blockade is
“unjustified and unnecessary arbitrariness.”
The siege is also “a crime” and “an ongoing offense to
a neighboring nation that aspires to peace and good neighborliness.”
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies —
including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — launched the devastating war on
Yemen in March 2015. The war was meant to eliminate Yemen’s popular Houthi
Ansarullah movement and reinstall a former regime. The conflict, accompanied by
a tight siege, has failed to reach its goals, but has killed hundreds of
thousands of Yemeni people.
Essam al-Mutawakel, a spokesman for the Yemen
Petroleum Company (YPC), said earlier this month that the Arab country was
experiencing the toughest crisis since the start of the Saudi aggression and
siege nearly seven years ago.
Yemen’s Minister of Oil and Minerals Ahmad Abdullah
Dares has warned that the Saudi seizure of ships carrying petroleum products to
Yemen could lead to the suspension of the service sectors and cause “a
humanitarian catastrophe.”
The Yemeni army and popular committees have
intensified their retaliatory attacks against targets deep inside Saudi Arabia
and the UAE in response to the Saudi siege.
Air traffic suspended at Jeddah airport
On Sunday, Yemeni forces targeted facilities belonging
to Aramco in several Saudi cities and other strategic positions in the kingdom
as part of the operation “Breaking the Siege 2”.
Lebanon’s El-Nashra news website cited local sources
as saying that air traffic at Jeddah international airport was disrupted due to
the missile attack that targeted a facility of Aramco in the Red Sea city of
Jeddah.
According to the report, the attack left flights
unable to land at the airport.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi Energy Ministry said the
output of the kingdom’s oil refinery in the city of Yanbu dropped temporarily
after a Yemeni retaliatory attack.
‘Yemen graveyard for aggressors’
Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, during a session on
Sunday, praised the latest retaliatory attacks carried out by the Yemeni forces
and their allied fighters, especially the operations “Breaking the Siege 1
& 2”.
The council reiterated that “Yemen is a graveyard for
invaders”, adding that member countries of the Saudi-led coalition “would pay
price” for the crimes they committed against the Yemeni people.
The council also criticized the Saudi calls for peace
as “not sincere”, describing it as a “usual prelude to a large-scale military
escalation”.
The statement comes as the Saudi-based Persian Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) invited the Ansarullah resistance movement and other
Yemeni parties for talks.
Ansarullah declined to attend the talks, stressing
that it would welcome talks to discuss a peaceful settlement to the ongoing
conflict if the venue is a “neutral country”, and that the priority is lifting
“arbitrary” restrictions on Yemeni ports and Sana’a airport.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/21/678921/Saudi-siege-Yemen-unjustified-arbitrariness
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President Assad: Israel seeks to displace Christians
across region
21 March 2022
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned that the
Israeli regime is after displacing the Christian population across the region
as part of its sectarian schemes.
“The displacement of Christians is a main goal for the
external schemes for the region, but it is mainly an Israeli goal,” he told
participants of the International Ecclesiastical Conference held in Damascus on
Sunday.
Explaining how this could further Israel's interests,
he said, “When the countries of the region are divided into different sectarian
states, each with a single color, then Israel will become part of the natural
tissue."
“Therefore, maintaining the texture of the region and
its diverse identity are a need that we should defend,” Assad said.
Syrians adhering to the Christian faith “have never
been a ‘guest,’ nor a ‘passenger’ citizen, but a true partner in work and
production,” he added.
Syria and Israel are technically at war due to Tel
Aviv's continued occupation of the Arab country’s Golan Heights.
Israel maintains a significant military presence in
the territory, which it uses as one of its launchpads for attacks against the
Syrian soil.
The Tel Aviv regime mostly keeps quiet about its
attacks on Syrian territory, which many view as a knee-jerk reaction to the
Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.
Israel has been a key supporter of terrorist groups
that have opposed Assad’s government since foreign-backed militancy erupted in
Syria in March 2011.
Syria pavilion at Expo 2020 hosts intl. meeting
Separately, SANA said a pavilion that Syria has been
running at Dubai Expo 2020, hosted an international meeting on Syrian
archaeological sites.
The event was held at the invitation of the Syrian
Trust for Development under the title “Restoring the Syrian heritage and
reviving local communities.”
The meeting took place following a visit by Assad to
the United Arab Emirates, which came despite efforts by the United States and
its allies to isolate Damascus either through backing anti-Syria terrorists or
slapping sanctions on the Arab country.
Assad traveled to the UAE on Friday, where he met Abu
Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dubai’s ruler
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
During his meeting with Assad, the UAE crown prince
"stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security.”
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/21/678911/Syria-Israel-Christians
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Two Israeli officers injured in alleged stabbing
attack in al-Quds
20 March 2022
Two Israeli officers have been wounded in an alleged
stabbing incident in the holy occupied city of al-Quds in which a young
Palestinian man was seriously shot and injured.
The incident happened at Bab al-Amoud, also known as
Damascus Gate, which is one of the entrances to al-Quds’ Old City.
One Israeli police officer was taken to hospital with
“stab wounds to his upper body,” the Times of Israel reported. Another officer
was treated at the scene,the report added.
The paper identified the attacker as a 23-year-old
youth from the nearby JabelMukaber neighborhood, saying he was detained by
Israeli forces after initially fleeing the scene.
Israeli forces closed down Bab al-Amoud after the incident.
DawoodShahab, an Islamic Jihad leader based in Gaza,
said such attacks reflect the intensity of the Palestinian nation’s increasing
outrage at the Israeli regime’s hostile policies towards Palestinian
prisoners—thousands of whom are in Israeli detention.
“The occupying regime will pay the price of its
bullying and impudence, and will realize that the Palestinian nation is in
possession of such power and will that will further strengthen its resolve and
steadfastness in the face of the policies of terrorism and animosity that are
being implemented against it,” he added.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/20/678904/Israel-forces-injured-al-Quds-stabbing
--------
Africa
Fatwa House: Reconciliation requires justice and accountability
March 20, 2022
The reconciliation maintains a high status in Islamic
Sharia, but it should come along with the restitution of rights and
accountability, the Fatwa House said, on Friday.
Since the 2011 uprising that overthrew Muammar
Gaddafi, aggravated by the emergence of a parallel government in the east in
2014, many initiatives have evolved around healing the deep social wounds left
by years of repression under authoritarian rule and the post-revolution
violence. The differences, however, remained on how to combine reconciliation
and punishment.
In a statement, the Council of Sharia Research and
Studies at the Fatwa House said it had long called for peace within the
provisions of Sharia that guarantees fairness and justice for all.
"Setting out the rights of victims is essential
for healing the wounds, then it is up for the injured parties to waive their
rights willingly," the statement read, underscoring that reconciliation
does not mean making the forbidden permissible or vice versa.
In its fatwa, the council pointed out that its
decision also includes the states that allied with the "aggressors"
or participated in the killing of Libyans and the destruction of their
property.
"The reconciliation advocated for in the Qur’an
and the Sunnah is with those who did not engage in oppression and
corruption."
Addressing the displacement issue, the Fatwa House
said that true reconciliation depends on establishing transitional justice; In
this regard, it called on the authorities to provide the IDPs with decent
places that preserve their dignity, until securing their safe return to their
cities.
The council considered the brigades that raised arms
in the face of the legitimate authorities in 2014 as aggressors, saying they
bare the responsibility for the killings, torturing, and looting they
committed.
Source: Libya Observe
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/fatwa-house-reconciliation-requires-justice-and-accountability
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Terrorists suspected in gunfire on Tunisia police
post, no casualties reported
20 March ,2022
A firefight broke out between suspected terrorists and
police near a national guard barracks early Sunday in the central Tunisian
region of Kairouan, police said.
They said in a statement that gunmen in a car opened
fire but were repelled by a “massive” retaliatory barrage, without any
casualties reported in the exchange.
Those responsible for “this cowardly attack were
probably... part of a terrorist cell,” operating between Kairouan and Sousse in
eastern Tunisia, that had been dismantled with arrests made, the statement
said.
The attack came on Tunisia’s independence day and with
the country plunged in political crisis since a power grab last July by
President Kais Saeid.
Following the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime
president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia saw a surge in militant attacks
across the country.
Many Tunisians also travelled to Syria or Iraq to join
ISIS or other extremists.
In March 2016, 13 members of the security forces,
seven civilians and at least 55 terrorists were killed as ISIS members launched
a battle in the town of Ben Guerdane near the border with Libya.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Bodies of 17 migrants found off Tunisia coast
19 March ,2022
The bodies of 17 migrants who were attempting to reach
Europe have been found off Tunisia’s northeast coast, the civil defense said on
Saturday.
The bodies washed up off Cape Bon, a peninsula on the
strait of Sicily, between Friday and Saturday, spokesman Moez Triaa told AFP.
“The majority were from sub-Saharan Africa but there
were also Syrians,” Triaa said, without providing details on where they had set
off from or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya are key departure points
for migrants seeking to reach European shores.
In late February, nine migrants from various African
countries drowned after their boat capsized off the Tunisian coast while they
were trying to reach Europe.
Earlier this month, the bodies of four African
migrants were found in eastern Tunisia, with authorities saying they had
probably died of cold or hunger after crossing the Algerian border.
The United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR has said that
around 1,300 migrants drowned or went missing in 2021 on the Central
Mediterranean route, making it the world’s deadliest migration pathway.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Gunmen attack National Guard facility in central
Tunisia
By Najih al-Zaghdoudi
20.03.2022
KAIROUAN, Tunisia
Gunmen opened fire on a security facility in Tunisia’s
central Kairouan city on Sunday, the National Guard said in a statement.
The statement said the attackers had fled the scene
unscathed.
No injuries or damage were reported.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attack,
but local media suggested that the attackers were likely members of a terrorist
cell.
The Interior Ministry has yet to comment on the
report.
Tunisia is in the throes of a deep political crisis
since President Kais Saied ousted the government, suspended parliament and
assumed executive authority last year, in a move decried by critics as a
“coup”.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/gunmen-attack-national-guard-facility-in-central-tunisia/2540604
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Libya’s electoral body says ready to hold polls once
deal reached
Walid Abdullah
19.03.2022
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libya’s electoral body said Saturday it is ready to
conduct elections once a political agreement is reached.
US Ambassador Richard Norland met with Imad al-Sayeh,
the head of Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC), to discuss
developments in the crisis-stricken country.
“It was encouraging to hear Dr. al-Sayeh confirm
HNEC’s readiness to conduct elections once a political agreement has been
reached on the way ahead,” an embassy statement quoted Norland as saying.
The US diplomat said the joint committee of the House
of Representatives (parliament) and the High Council of State proposed by UN
adviser Stephanie Williams “represents the next practical step toward this
goal, and we urge all sides to support this process.”
As a result of differences about electoral laws and
the role of the judiciary in the electoral process, Libya could not hold presidential
and parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 24, 2021.
On March 4, Williams called on the House of
Representatives and the High Council of State, which acts as a senate, to
nominate delegates for "a joint committee dedicated to developing a consensual
basis."
Several Libyan lawmakers, however, came out to
criticize the proposal, accusing the UN adviser of seeking to divide the
country.
Opponents argue that Williams’ proposal bypassed a
constitutional amendment recently approved by the Libyan parliament on forming
a panel to make constitutional amendments.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Sudan’s Hemedti says army to hand over power to
elected gov’t
Talal Ismail
19.03.2022
KHARTOUM, Sudan
The deputy leader of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council,
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, on Saturday reiterated the army’s commitment to hand
over power to an elected government.
"We are committed to handing over power to
patriots after the national accord that leads to elections,” Dagalo, also known
as Hemedti, told a rally in the city of Port Sudan and cited by a statement
issued by the Sovereign Council.
“We will return to the barracks after the arrival of
an elected government through the ballot boxes," he added.
Hemedti vowed not to hand over power to those he
described as being on “payroll from the embassies.”
Meanwhile, Hemedti slammed some politicians he did not
name for deluding the youth that the authorities plan to sell the country’s
ports on the Red Sea.
"We say to these people that we are not agents to
sell the resources of the Sudanese people,” he added.
Hemedti's statement came in response to claims raised
by political activists on social media that the military authorities in
Khartoum plan to conclude a deal to sell ports on the Red Sea to Russia.
Sudan has been in turmoil since Oct. 25, 2021, when
the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government
and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political groups as a
“military coup.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Gunmen
kill at least 11 Burkina Faso government troops
March
21, 2022
OUAGADOUGOU:
Unidentified armed attackers killed at least 11 Burkinabe soldiers and wounded
eight more in Burkina Faso’s Est region on Sunday, four sources in the state
military told Reuters.
The
region is among those hit by rising insecurity as jihadist groups with links to
Al-Qaeda and Daesh seek to gain control over once peaceful territories in West
Africa’s Central Sahel region.
The
sources did not share further details on the latest attack and there was no
immediate comment from the government.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2046631/world
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Europe
Russia
urges West to address ‘Iran’s legitimate demands’ in Vienna talks
19
March 2022
Russia
has called on the Western parties to the negotiations in Vienna to work on
addressing “Iran’s legitimate demands” instead of blaming Moscow for the
stalemate in the talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
In
a post on its Twitter account on Friday, the Russian Permanent Mission to the
International Organizations in Vienna quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova as saying that the West is raising doubts about Russia’s commitment
to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) rather than admitting its own
mistakes.
“Doubts
of #Russia’s commitment to #JCPOA is a card played by those who can’t admit
their own mistakes. We suggest our Western colleagues focus their energy on
addressing #Iran’s legitimate demands regarding the draft restoration
agreement,” she said.
Washington
left the JCPOA in 2018 and began to implement what it called the “maximum
pressure” campaign of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, depriving the
country of the economic benefits of the agreement, including the removal of
sanctions, for which Iran had agreed to certain caps on its nuclear activities.
In
the meantime, the other parties to the deal, in particular France, Britain and
Germany, only paid lip service to safeguarding Iran’s economic dividends as
promised under the JCPOA, prompting Iran – after an entire year of “strategic
patience” – to reduce its nuclear obligations in a legal move under the deal.
The
talks began in the Austrian capital last April on the assumption that the US,
under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum
pressure policy pursued by former president Donald Trump.
Tehran
says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in
a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon
the agreement again.
Earlier
this month, the talks were paused for an undetermined time despite reports
suggesting that they were in final stages.
The
Europeans pinned the blame on Russia for the suspension of the talks, citing
Moscow’s demand for guarantees that its trade with Tehran would not be affected
by Western sanctions over the operation in Ukraine.
Earlier
this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Moscow has
received guarantees from Washington it can continue its nuclear cooperation
deals with Iran.
The
US State Department also confirmed that the Biden administration would “not
sanction Russian participation in nuclear projects that are part of resuming
full implementation of the JCPOA.”
Republicans
push for ban on sanctions waiver on Russia
However,
Republican Senator Ted Cruz told The Washington Free Beacon that he is
sponsoring a bill to prohibit the administration from waiving sanctions imposed
on Russia over Ukraine.
"The
Biden administration is dismantling sanctions and is aching to secure a new
agreement with the Iranian regime that is even weaker than the original
catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal," he said.
Free
Beacon also reported that Republican Congressman Darrell Issa is authoring a
parallel House version of the bill.
In
the House of Representatives, Congressman Jim Banks announced that he has
introduced “a resolution condemning the Biden admin’s attempt to re-enter the
failed, Obama-era Iran nuclear deal.”
The
Republican push against Vienna talks since April 2021 is not new, but a
decision by the Biden administration earlier this week to accept last-minute
Russian demands has added a new twist to the dynamics of the opposition.
Iran
converts enriched uranium into cancer detection material
The
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement on Friday that
Iran has converted a fraction of its stockpile of enriched uranium into
material crucial for detecting cancers and other diseases.
Iran,
it said, had used 2.1 kilograms of its 60% enriched uranium to produce “highly
enriched uranium targets” at a facility in Isfahan.
Those
“targets” will be irradiated at the Tehran Research Reactor and later used to
produce molybdenum-99, it added.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/19/678811/Russia-West-Iran-Vienna-talks
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Turkiye
‘very important for the defence of NATO’s eastern flank’: Netherlands
Abdullah
Asiran
19.03.2022
Dutch
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday that Turkiye is very important for the
defense of NATO’s eastern flank amid Russia's war on Ukraine.
Rutte
spoke at a Cabinet meeting and said he will visit Turkiye on March 22 ahead of
an extraordinary NATO leaders’ summit March 24, which will discuss the war.
He
said contact with Turkiye should not be solely from Germany's side, adding that
Berlin should also have good relations with Turkiye even if there are
disagreements on some issues.
Rutte
said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of the few leaders who has
contact with Moscow and Kyiv, therefore, he talked to Erdogan to visit Ankara
in a recent telephone call.
He
said his relationship with Turkiye has always remained good.
The
Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international
condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of
global firms from Russia.
At
least 816 civilians have been killed and 1,333 injured in Ukraine since the beginning
of the war, the UN said, while noting that figure is probably higher.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Germany
to explore LNG supply options with UAE, Qatar, distancing itself from Russia
19
March ,2022
German
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Saturday that he will explore liquefied
natural gas (LNG) supply on a trip to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and
aims to secure a hydrogen deal, making Germany less dependent on Russia.
Russia
is the largest supplier of gas to Germany, according to data on the Economy
Ministry’s website.
Since
Russia invaded Ukraine, Habeck has launched several initiatives to lessen
Germany’s energy dependence on Russia, including large orders of non-Russian
LNG, plans for a terminal to import LNG and slowing the nation’s exit from
coal.
Habeck,
ahead of the weekend trip, said “the goal ... is to establish a hydrogen
partnership in the medium term, that is, to flank it politically.”
He
will be accompanied by around 20 representatives from corporate Germany, many
from the energy sector.
He
also wants to discuss “short-term” LNG supply and to “give the companies that
ensure the gas supply in Germany the political framework to become independent
of Russian gas, topics that could not be higher on the political agenda”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
Ukraine’s
Zelenskiy says Israel good place for holding talks with Russia
March
21, 2022
KYIV:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that Israel was
undertaking many efforts to arrange top-level peace talks between his country
and Russia and suggested they might take place in Jerusalem.
Zelenskiy,
speaking in his daily video appeal to Ukrainians after addressing Israel’s
parliament by video link, said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had been trying
to act as an intermediary between Kyiv and Moscow.
“Of
course, Israel has its interests, strategy to protect its citizens. We
understand all of it,” said Zelenskiy, seated at a desk in his trademark khaki
T-shirt.
“The
prime minister of Israel, Mr. Bennett is trying to find a way of holding talks.
And we are grateful for this. We are grateful for his efforts, so that sooner
or later we will begin to have talks with Russia, possibly in Jerusalem.
“That’s
the right place to find peace. If possible.”
In
his address to the Israeli parliament by video link Sunday, Zelenskiy
questioned Israel’s reluctance to sell its Iron Dome missile defense system to
Ukraine.
“Everybody
knows that your missile defense systems are the best... and that you can
definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews,”
said Zelenskiy, who is of Jewish heritage.
In
the past week, Bennett has intensified his efforts to bring the two sides
together and has spoken on several occasions to both Zelenskiy and Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Last week, he flew in secret to Moscow to meet the
Kremlin leader.
Zelenskiy,
who is Jewish, also addressed again the Russian accusation that he heads an
administration that espouses “Nazism.”
Switching
from his usual Ukrainian to Russian in his remarks, he said: “Russian
propagandists have a tough job on their hands today. For the first time, a
Ukrainian president spoke to the parliament of Israel and, by video recording,
to the people of Israel, a Ukrainian accused of Nazism by Moscow. “This very
fact already proves that things are not as Moscow says.”
Zelenskiy
made his latest appeal for Israeli help as Russian and Ukrainian forces fought
for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Sunday, where residents are trapped
with little food, water and power.
Mariupol
has suffered some of the heaviest bombardments since Russia invaded Ukraine on
Feb. 24. Many of its 400,000 residents remain trapped with little if any food,
water and power.
Russia
called on Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to lay down their arms, saying a
“terrible humanitarian catastrophe” was unfolding.
It
said defenders who did so were guaranteed safe passage out of the city and
humanitarian corridors would be opened from 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT) on
Monday.
Ukrainian
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said over 7,000 people were evacuated
from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Sunday, more than half
of them from Mariupol. She said the government planned to send nearly 50 buses
to Mariupol on Monday for further evacuations.
Russia
and Ukraine have made agreements throughout the war on humanitarian corridors to
evacuate civilians, but have accused each other of frequent violations of
those.
Mariupol
city council said on Telegram on Saturday that several thousand residents had
been “deported” to Russia over the past week. Russian news agencies said buses
had carried hundreds of refugees from Mariupol to Russia in recent days.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2046656/world
--------
Turkey:
Russia, Ukraine ‘close to agreement’, made progress on ‘critical’ issues
20
March 2022
Turkey’s
foreign minister says Russia and Ukraine have made progress on their
negotiations and are close to an agreement to end the war, nearly a month after
Russia launched an operation in Ukraine to demilitarize and de-Nazify the
country.
“Of
course, it is not an easy thing to come to terms with while the war is going
on, while civilians are killed, but we would like to say that momentum is still
gained,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday, according to AFP. “We see that the
parties are close to an agreement.”
Moscow
and Kiev reported some progress in their negotiations last week, but at the
same time accused each other of dragging matters out.
Cavusoglu,
who traveled to Russia and Ukraine last week, said there had been
“rapprochement in the positions of both sides on important subjects, critical
subjects.”
“We
can say we are hopeful for a ceasefire if the sides do not take a step back
from the current positions.”
In
an interview with Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, Turkish presidential spokesman
Ibrahim Kalin said the sides were negotiating six points: Ukraine’s neutrality,
disarmament and security guarantees, the so-called “de-Nazification,” removal
of obstacles to the use of the Russian language in Ukraine, the status of the
breakaway Donbass region and the status of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia
in 2014.
Turkey
says it is ready to host a meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia
and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
“We
are working day and night for peace,” Cavusoglu said on Sunday.
Ten
million fled homes in Ukraine: UN
Separately,
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Sunday that ten
million people – more than a quarter of the country’s 37 million population –
have fled their homes in Ukraine due to the war.
“Among
the responsibilities of those who wage war, everywhere in the world, is the
suffering inflicted on civilians who are forced to flee their homes,” said
Filippo Grandi.
“The
war in Ukraine is so devastating that 10 million have fled either displaced
inside the country, or as refugees abroad.”
The
UN refugee agency says more than 3,389,000 people have left the country since
Russia began the operation on February 24, with some 90 percent of them being
women and children. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are eligible for military
call-up and cannot leave.
UNICEF,
the UN children’s agency, has said more than 1.5 million children are among
those who have left the country, warning of “real, and growing” risks of human
trafficking and exploitation they face.
At
least 902 civilians killed in Ukraine: UN
The
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also said on Sunday
that at least 902 civilians have been killed and nearly 1,500 injured in
Ukraine since the conflict began. Most of the casualties were from explosive
weapons such as shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket
systems, and missile and airstrikes, the office said. It added that the actual
toll is thought to be considerably higher since the OHCHR has not yet been able
to receive or verify casualty reports from several badly hit cities, including
Mariupol.
President
Putin announced the “special military operation” on February 24 aimed at the
“demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, largely populated by
ethnic Russians, in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the two regions – collectively
known as the Donbas – declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize
Ukraine’s Western-backed government.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/20/678900/Turkey-Russia-Ukraine-close-agreement
--------
Arab
World
Houthis
unleash barrage of drone, missile strikes on Saudi Arabia
March
21, 2022
DUBAI:
Yemen’s Houthi rebels unleashed a barrage of drone and missile strikes on Saudi
Arabia early Sunday that targeted a liquefied natural gas plant, water
desalination plant, oil facility and power station, Saudi state-run media
reported.
The
attacks did not cause casualties, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in
Yemen said, but damaged civilian vehicles and homes in the area. The salvo
marked the latest escalation in Houthi cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia as
peace talks remain stalled and the conflict that over seven years has laid
waste to much of Yemen rages on.
Top
crude exporter Saudi Arabia announced a “temporary reduction” in oil output at
a facility run by energy giant Aramco on Sunday following the cross-border
attacks which came as state-backed Aramco announced that its profits surged 124
per cent in 2021 to $110 billion, a big jump fueled by renewed anxieties about
global supply shortages, soaring oil prices and a recovery in fuel demand from
the pandemic.
Yehia
Sarie, a spokesman for Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, said the group had
launched a wide and large military operation into the depth of Saudi Arabia,
without immediately elaborating.
The
Saudi-led military coalition said it thwarted an attack on a liquefied gas
plant at a petrochemicals complex in the Red Sea port of Yanbu run by Aramco.
Other
aerial strikes targeted a power station in the country’s southwest, a
desalination facility in Al-Shaqeeq on the Red Sea coast, an Aramco terminal in
the southern border town of Jizan and a gas station in the southern city of
Khamis Mushait, the coalition said.
The
extent of damage on Saudi infrastructure and energy facilities remained
unclear. The official Saudi Press Agency posted various photos of firetrucks
dousing leaping flames with water hoses, as well as wrecked cars and craters in
the ground allegedly left by the drone and ballistic missile strikes.
The
barrage comes days after the Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council said it
invited Yemen’s warring sides for talks in Riyadh aimed at ending the war, an
offer dismissed out of hand by the Houthis, who demanded that negotiations take
place in a neutral country.
Peace
talks have floundered since the Houthis have tried to capture oil-rich Marib,
one of the last remaining strongholds of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in
the country’s north.
Yemen’s
brutal war erupted in 2015, after the Iran-backed Houthis seized the country’s
capital, Sanaa, and much of the north. Saudi Arabia and other Arab states
launched a devastating air campaign to oust the Houthi threat and restore the
internationally recognised government.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1681046/houthis-unleash-barrage-of-drone-missile-strikes-on-saudi-arabia
--------
Egypt
displays recently discovered ancient tombs in Saqqara
19
March ,2022
Egypt
on Saturday displayed recently discovered, well-decorated ancient tombs at a
Pharaonic necropolis just outside the capital Cairo.
The
five tombs, unearthed earlier this month, date back to the Old Kingdom (1570
B.C. and 1069 B.C.) and the First Intermediate Period that spanned more than a
century after the collapse of the Old Kingdom, according to the Ministry of
Tourism and Antiquities.
Mostafa
Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said Egyptian
archeologists started excavating the site in September. The tombs, he said,
were for senior officials including regional rulers and supervisors of the
palace in ancient Egypt.
“All
of those five tombs are well-painted, well-decorated. Excavations did not stop.
We are planning to continue our excavations. We believe that we can find more
tombs in this area,” he told reporters at the site.
The
tombs were found near the Step Pyramid of Djoser, in the Saqqara Necropolis, 24
kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo.
Footage
shared on the ministry’s social media pages showed burial shafts leading to the
tombs. Walls were seen decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and images of
sacred animals and after-life items used by ancient Egyptians.
The
Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of
Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids as well as smaller pyramids at
Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO
World Heritage site in 1970s.
In
recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to
international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more tourists to
the country.
The
vital tourism sector, a major source of foreign currency for Egypt, suffered
from years of political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that
toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
FM meets with special envoy for Ukraine’s president in Riyadh
19
March ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the
crisis in Ukraine with Rustem Umerov, a special envoy for Ukraine’s president,
in Riyadh, state news agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.
Prince
Faisal reaffirmed the Kingdom’s support to efforts that contribute to
de-escalating the conflict, protecting civilians and reaching a political
solution.
Russia
launched a multi-pronged attack on Ukraine on February 24, which President
Vladimir Putin claims is a “special military operation.”
But
the conflict has escalated to become the largest military invasion in Europe
since World War II.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iraq
War: 'Huge mistake that can’t just be stricken from the record'
Darren
Lyn
20.03.2022
HOUSTON,
Texas, US
The
US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003, on the premise that there were weapons of
mass destruction in that country.
This
marks the 19th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a moment that strikes
home with Zaid al-Mahdawi, an Iraqi living in Houston who was in Baghdad when
the war began.
“Most
of the people in my country knew before the US invasion that (weapons of mass
destruction) was a pretext, a false flag, that the US and Allied Forces used to
make the ends justify the means,” al-Mahdawi told Anadolu Agency.
Al-Mahdawi
was a political officer for the United Nations Assistance Mission of Iraq at
the time.
“There
was a lot of sadness when the war began because of all that happened to our
people,” he said. “There was a humanitarian cost. Whole cities were destroyed.
Many innocent people were killed.”
The
basis of the war hinged on the 16 words uttered by President George W. Bush at
his State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 2003.
“The
British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant
quantities of uranium from Africa,” he said, referring to the then-president of
Iraq.
“The
statement was based on faulty intelligence from a compromised source that was
itself caught up in the politicization of intelligence to provide basis for
taking action against Saddam,” said Prof. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a fellow
for Middle East studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute.
“The
US and Britain went to war to eliminate weapons of mass destruction which Iraq
was presumed, erroneously, to have retained,” Coates Ulrichsen told Anadolu
Agency. “The Bush administration also believed there was a link between Saddam
Hussein and Al-Qaeda, which British officials tried unsuccessfully to counter,
as no such link existed.”
The
invasion led to the capture of Saddam in December 2003. He was handed over to a
court for trial, found guilty and executed in 2006.
But
political turmoil in Iraq, the US military’s continued presence in the region
and no trace of chemical weapons being found created a firestorm of criticism
against the US, as to why they invaded Iraq in the first place.
“The
Bush administration initially attributed much of the early resistance to US-led
forces in Iraq to ‘regime dead-enders,’” said Coates Ulrichsen, “but the fact
that the war continued long after Saddam’s capture and execution indicated that
the insurgency had far greater depth than was at first assumed.”
Nearly
two decades later, Iraqis like al-Mahdawi are still frustrated and angry about
a war they believe should never have happened.
“The
US spent billions and billions of dollars for nothing,” said al-Mahdawi. “Just
because you are stronger, doesn’t mean you are smarter. The US felt it knew
everything but didn’t want to listen to anyone else. They removed the regime,
but they couldn’t control the country.”
Because
of the false pretenses that led to the war and the fact that no chemical
weapons or weapons of mass destruction were ever found, America has since been
seen in a different light by the rest of the world.
“The
invasion of Iraq caused immense damage to the American and British image in the
Middle East,” said Coates Ulrichsen, “which was comparable in the British case
to the fallout from the Suez Crisis in 1956 and which took a generation to
recover from.”
“The
Iraqi people suffered a decade of internal displacement caused by the multiple
and overlapping conflicts triggered by the invasion and the insurgency and
which culminated in the horror of the emergence of ISIS and its capture of
large areas of Iraq between 2014 and 2017,” he added.
“That
war was a huge historical mistake,” emphasized al-Mahdawi, “The US lost
credibility and made things worse. This will have a long-term effect, with
people always saying, ‘Hey, Iraq, remember what the US did?’”
But
there is a double-edged sword to the war that al-Mahdawi does not want to let
go unnoticed or unrecognized. He moved to Houston with his family in 2015 to
find a better life and live in a free country.
“The
system helped me and is really great,” said al-Mahdawi, who applied for
American citizenship in 2022.
“(The
US) has really provided me an alternative home with open arms,” he said. “They
don’t treat me differently because I am from a different culture or have a
different religion or have an accent when I speak.”
Like
many Iraqis and Iraqi-Americans, al-Mahdawi said the world will never forget
the atrocities of the war.
“It
was a huge mistake that can’t just be stricken from the record,” he said.
But
al-Mahdawi believes lessons can be learned from history and hopes the US will
not make the same mistake.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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No
deal among Kurds on Iraq’s new president: Politician
Ali
Jawad
19.03.2022
BAGHDAD
A
member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said Saturday no consensus has
been reached on the candidate for the country’s presidency.
"So
far, there is no agreement between the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and
KDP,” Majid Shankali told the state news agency INA.
The
Kurdish politician said KDP’s candidate Reber Ahmed “is the closest candidate
to be elected president."
The
Parliament has set March 26 as a date to elect a new president.
There
are 33 candidates vying for the post, including Reber Ahmed on the KDP ticket
and Barham Salih Ahmed of the PUK.
Last
month, the Iraqi parliament failed to elect a new president amid a boycott of
most parliamentary blocs due to differences over presidential candidates and
the government formation.
The
election of a president is an important step towards forming a new government
following the Oct. 10 parliamentary elections.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/no-deal-among-kurds-on-iraq-s-new-president-politician/2540209
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Syrian
govt. forces, locals block US convoy in oil-rich Hasakah, force it to turn back
21
March 2022
Amid
smoldering public resentment over the presence of American occupation troops in
northeastern Syria, local residents of several neighboring village in the
oil-rich province of Hasakah have joined forces with government troops to block
a US military convoy attempting to pass through the community.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA reported that a US convoy of six armored vehicles was
forced to turn around and head back in the direction on Sunday afternoon it
came from after locals of the villages of Qabr al-Saghir and Qabr al-Gharajeneh
as well as Syrian troops blocked the road and prevented its movement. No
injuries were reported.
The
development took place only two days after a US military convoy was forced to
retreat from an area in the same Syrian province after residents of the
villages of Rehiyeh al-Sawda and Tamna al-Rehiyeh in the countryside of
Qamishli City blocked its way.
SANA
cited local sources as saying that the convoy was made up of six military
vehicles, and tried to cross into Tamna al-Rehiyeh through the Rehiyeh al-Sawda
checkpoint on March 18.
The
residents of the two villages, backed by the army troops, stopped the convoy
from moving forward, hurling rocks at the vehicles and chanting slogans against
the US occupation forces.
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern
Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing
the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s
resources.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Kuwait’s
parliament speaker slams intl. double standards, demands Israel’s expulsion
from Inter-Parliamentary Union
20
March 2022
The
Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, Marzouq al-Ghanim, has condemned the
international community for exercising double standards vis-à-vis the world’s
ongoing conflicts, calling for the expulsion of the Israeli delegation from the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Speaking
at an IPU meeting in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta on Saturday, Ghanim
noted that Kuwait is opposed to any kind of occupation, citing the fact that
the Iraqi military invaded his oil-rich Persian Gulf kingdom more than thirty
years ago, and fully occupied the country within two days.
“How
could demands be made for expelling the Russian delegation [from the IPU] for a
military campaign that started days or weeks ago, and yet not ousting Israeli
delegates, whose regime has been occupying Palestine for more than 60 years?”
the senior Kuwaiti legislator questioned.
“So
this is a double standard that I don't think the IPU president [Duarte Pacheco]
would accept,” Ghanim pointed out.
Kuwait
is staunchly opposed to normalizing ties with Israel, unlike some Arab
countries in the region, which have signed normalization agreements with the
occupying regime in recent years.
In
May last year, Kuwait’s National Assembly unanimously approved bills that
outlaw any deals or normalization of ties with the Tel Aviv regime.
On
August 18, 2020, 37 Kuwaiti lawmakers called on their government to reject a
normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Anti-Israeli
sentiments run high in Kuwait. A poll conducted in 2019 by the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, an American think tank, showed that 85 percent
of Kuwaitis oppose normalizing ties with Israel.
Back
in September 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed normalization
deals with Israel. Morocco and Sudan later signed similar agreements with the
Israeli regime as well.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Southeast
Asia
Religious
Affairs Minister Condemns ‘Offensive’ Teaser for TV Series Due To Be Screened
During Ramadan
March
19, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad has slammed as “shocking and
provocative” a teaser for a TV drama series featuring actor Zul Ariffin, due to
be screened during Ramadan.
In
a Facebook post today, Idris said he was disappointed with the emergence of the
video.
He
said he would contact the parties involved and advise them so that this matter
could be settled sensibly.
“I
am disappointed that such an outrageous clip was shared to promote a show which
will be screened during a month when Muslims would usually do good deeds
(taqwa).
“Ramadan
may be tainted and I think that should be stopped.
“Entertainment
is not prohibited in Islam, but it must adhere to certain rules, especially
when it involves scenes showing physical proximity and interaction between men
and women. Such scenes may be considered immoral.
“I
don’t want to restrict our entertainment industry, but I cannot allow it if it
can corrupt our religion and morals. We need to advise them,” he said.
The
20-second teaser, which is no longer available on the actor’s Instagram page,
went viral on social media yesterday.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Terengganu
Islamic council: Congregational prayers without physical distancing allowed in
state from April 1
20
Mar 2022
KUALA
TERENGGANU, March 20 — Terengganu will allow Friday and obligatory prayers at
mosques and surau to be performed without having to observe the physical
distancing rule following the country’s transition into the endemic phase
beginning April 1.
Terengganu
Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maidam) president Datuk Shaikh
Harun Shaikh Ismail said children aged seven and above could perform prayers in
mosques and surau, with the attendance of their parents, adding that mosque and
surau committees were encouraged to set special control measures for these
children.
Sheikh
Harun said all religious classes and related activities would be allowed with
regular capacity of congregants, however religious classes or talks that
require a large number of worshippers needed to get written permission from the
state Religious Affairs Department (JHEAT).
He
added that activities involving the community such as ‘gotong royong’ and
feasts following the activities were also permitted.
In
addition, he said, marriage solemnisation ceremonies in mosques, surau and
private premises could be hosted with an unlimited number of guests.
According
to him, religious activities throughout the Ramadan month such as Terawih
prayers, breaking of fast events, Quran recitation in groups, among others, are
also allowed as well as Hari Raya Aidilfitri prayers that can be performed by
male and female worshippers and children aged seven and above, without having
to observe the physical distancing rule.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Political
instability can only end with GE15, says Johari
March
20, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The 15th general election should be expedited to restore political
stability so that the nation can get back on track to growth and prosperity,
and people’s lives can improve, said Umno Supreme Council member Johari Ghani.
Taking
a statesman-like stance, Johari said political stability was more important
than the question of who would be victorious in the next general election
(GE15).
“Even
though the government today is led by Umno leaders, we still depend on the
support of the opposition. This government has no legitimacy. Umno-BN only has
42 parliamentary seats – the rest are dominated by the opposition,” Johari told
Mingguan Malaysia in an interview.
Due
to the resultant instability, many policies could not be implemented as each
opposition party had its own ideology. Also, Malaysia was losing out in both
local and foreign investments due to this instability.
Although
Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been prime minister since last
August, his Cabinet line-up includes leaders from other parties such as PAS and
Bersatu who opposed Umno in the recent Melaka and Johor elections.
In
addition, Johari pointed out, Ismail also signed a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) with Pakatan Harapan (PH), and he was now bound by the opposition
coalition’s various demands.
This
must change and that was why, Johari said, GE15 should be held sooner rather
than later.
Asked
whether he was not concerned that the opposition rather than Barisan Nasional
might win in GE15, Johari answered calmly in a manner that may not go down too
well with some Umno members but which would be welcomed wholeheartedly by
ordinary Malaysians.
“What
we are looking for is stability for the nation. It doesn’t matter whether BN or
the opposition wins. What we need most is for the winner to create a
politically stable environment for the good of the rakyat.”
However,
Johari, a former second finance minister, was confident the people would
recognise BN’s record in ensuring political stability and national development
compared to the rule of PH and Perikatan Nasional.
“When
the (PH) opposition coalition won the last general election, it failed to
provide the same political stability that Barisan Nasional ensured for 61 years
and which had an impact on the nation’s economic growth. This is because the
political ideology of the component parties is very different and they
quarrelled with each other,” said Johari.
Political
instability was also caused by politicians who switched sides and that is why
special laws had to be enacted to curb the practice, he said.
“Umno-BN
has also been affected by this ‘hopping’ culture. Many of the MPs who won under
a BN ticket also jumped over to opposition parties. With the anti-hopping law
to be introduced in Parliament later, it will give a clear signal to
prospective MPs in GE15. They can no longer indulge in such practice,” said
Johari.
Regarding
the Umno general assembly which ended yesterday, Johari urged all leaders to
unite and work towards Umno’s victory in GE15. Umno yesterday decided to hold
its party elections six months after GE15.
“After
GE15, we can hold elections within the party. Whoever wins the election can be
given a chance to hold the highest office in the party. This is so that the
party’s journey is in line with government policies.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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2
migrants dead, 26 missing in Indonesia boat accident
March
20, 2022
MEDAN:
At least two people are dead and 26 others are missing after a ferry carrying
dozens of migrants sank off the coast of Indonesia, an official said Sunday.
The
wooden fishing boat was carrying 89 on board when it departed for neighbouring
Malaysia through an unguarded route.
But
it sprung a leak soon after departing before being hit by strong waves and
sinking.
A
man and a woman were found dead while 61 others were rescued and immediately
transported to hospitals for treatment. The remaining passengers are still
missing.
“We
have deployed our personnel to search for the 26 missing victims but our
efforts haven’t been fruitful so far,” head of local search and rescue team Ady
Pandawa told AFP on Sunday, adding that the damaged boat had been evacuated to
the nearest port.
The
passengers had come from across Indonesia and were seeking work in Malaysia
without proper documentation, he added.
“We
suspect the number of passengers exceeded the boat capacity so when the vessel
was hit by strong waves, it immediately sank,” he said.
Relatively
affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia,
many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and
agriculture.
Indonesians
illegally seeking work in neighbouring Malaysia often risk dangerous sea
crossings, and accidents are common due to bad weather and poor safety
measures.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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