'Hindu Activists' Storm, Shut Down Interfaith Marriage Reception in UP's Shahjahanpur
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 January 2026
Representational image
Shutterstock picture.
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· ‘Hindu Activists’ Storm, Shut Down Interfaith Marriage Reception in UP’s Shahjahanpur
· Ceasefire in Name Only: Israel Continues Widespread Destruction of Gaza
· Pakistan confers second-highest civilian award on Saudi commerce minister for strengthening ties
· UK: Man Sentenced for Threats to ‘Petrol Bomb’ Masjid-UI-Abraar Mosque and McDonald’s in Chatham
· Beyond Airstrikes: Trump Weighs Military, Cyber and Psychological Options Against Iran
· Islamic Scholars of Various Sects Refute Terrorism Financing Allegations Against Bauchi State Government, Nigeria
· British politician George Galloway praises Malaysia’s strong support for Palestinians among Muslim nations
· Iran’s Crisis as a Regional and Global Concern
….
India
· Authorities profiling mosques, madrassas in Kashmir after busting of 'white collar' terror module
· SC confirms interim bail granted to UP MLA Abbas Ansari in Gangsters Act case
· Congress attacks Yogi government over Meerut Dalit killing, alleges caste and religious targeting
· Allahabad HC sets February 3 hearing in the Gyanvapi mosque dispute case
· BMC polls: Thackeray cousins accuse BJP of trying to remove Mumbai from Maharashtra, divide Marathi voters; warn on unopposed elections
· MHA flags renewed Pakistan-backed bid to lure J&K youth across LoC, orders crackdown
· Kerala High Court allows name change in woman’s marriage certificate after religious conversion
· Delegation of Communist Party of China calls on RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in Delhi
· Army chief says J&K situation firmly under control, terror recruitment almost non-existent
· Madras High Court restrains unauthorised commercial use of Kamal Haasan’s image
· Taj Mahal to allow free public entry for three days during Shah Jahan’s 371st death anniversary
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Mideast
· Israeli police issues arrest warrant against former Netanyahu aide
· School resumes in tents under shadow of Gaza’s ‘yellow line’
· Hamas to hold leadership elections in coming months: sources
· Qatar joins US-led Pax Silica Alliance to secure semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains
· Aleppo unrest was Kurdish fighters’ bid to wreck Turkiye peace process: Erdogan’s party
· Can Lebanon overcome the lingering threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance?
· Jordanian and American commanders review military cooperation
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Arab World
· Visitors flock to enjoy Jazan during school break
· KSrelief delivers food, winter aid in Yemen
· Saudi Arabia, Japan sign memorandum on peaceful use of space
· Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs
· Saudi project clears 1,181 explosive devices in Yemen
· New endowment fund for ambulance services in Saudi Arabia
· Tuwaiq Sculpture returns to Riyadh with 25 international artists
· General Food Security Authority chief meets Canadian minister in Riyadh
· Makkah forum discusses nonprofit sector’s growing role in pilgrim services
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Europe
· Zelensky ‘nullifying’ Trump’s peace efforts – Moscow
· EU Parliament bans Iranian diplomats from premises
· Comments on Melanie Ward's Facebook investigated after mosque incident
· Another Complaint filed against Milorad Dodik for Hate Speech
· Cops probe online abuse after MP visits Scots mosque following 'meat cleaver incident'
· Mandelson makes personal apology for continuing Epstein friendship
· Hungary grants asylum to Polish ex-justice minister
· UK urged to act over Palestine Action hunger strikers
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North America
· Anti‑Iranian protests in Los Angeles turn chaotic after truck drives into crowd — What we know so far
· Mayor Mamdani urges nurses to ‘stay at the table’ as thousands walk out in biggest nurse strike in NYC history
· Commotion in court as man accused of attacking imam denied bail
· Former Fed chairs condemn criminal investigation into Jerome Powell
· Trump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Machado at the White House
· Minnesota sues Trump administration to block surge of ICE agents
· US Fed chief accuses Trump of ‘intimidation’
· Bidets and cats: Zohran Mamdani reveals his plans for Gracie Mansion as he moves in with wife Rama Duwaji
· ‘Creepy’ and ‘Clownism’: Trump’s ‘grabbing’ joke about Karoline Leavitt during flight turbulence enrages netizens
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Africa
· 155 Lakurawa Terrorists Killed As US Missiles Hit Sokoto Camps
· One Killed As Terrorists Attack Security Operatives At Dangote Cement Factory
· ‘Fake Alfa, Prophet, You Will Die In My Place’ – Saheed Osupa Replies Islamic Cleric
· Buratai Raises Alarm Over Presence Of Soldiers Everywhere, Says Police Capacity Eroding
· Tinubu Reportedly Warns Rivers Lawmaker To Desist From Impeachment Move
· Full List Of All Candidates Nominated For Awujale Of Ijebuland’s Throne
· Security Alert As ISWAP Plots Drone Attacks On Military Positions In Yobe, Borno
· Fubara’s Impeachment Proceedings Losing Momentum
· Police Invite Former Rivers SSG Over Alleged Plot To Assassinate Wike
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Southeast Asia
· Perak Sultan urges leaders to prioritise integrity over lust for power and position
· Melaka Islamic Religious Dept probes hotel allegedly using ‘gay-friendly’ label after social media buzz
· Indonesia's defense minister highlights Bosnia ties with mosque visit
· Zahid asserts support for unity govt ahead of Umno assembly tomorrow
· Will ‘offensive’ online remarks to ‘annoy’ still no longer be a crime? Federal Court to decide Feb 6
· JPN denies defying court order in 17-year-old’s MyKad application
· Singapore to review 2012 political pay structure after repeated deferrals
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South Asia
· Commission Approves Publication of Books Aligned with Islamic and Afghan Values
· Afghan, Indonesian Officials Discuss Bilateral Relations
· Transport Ministry Completes 20 Development Projects This Year
· Trump administration revokes more than 100,000 visas amid immigration crackdown
· Newly appointed Kabul envoy in India holds talks on visas, trade ties
· Japan Pledges $240,000 to WHO for Urgent Health Aid in Afghanistan
· Sust students protest EC ban on organisations' elections until Feb 12
· Seat-Sharing: 11-party chiefs to meet today to seal the deal
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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‘Hindu Activists’ Storm, Shut Down Interfaith Marriage Reception in UP’s Shahjahanpur
12.01.26
Representational image
Shutterstock picture.
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A mob of “Hindu activists” barged into the walima (wedding reception) of an interfaith couple in Kotwali police station area in Shahjahanpur on Sunday night forcing the family to cancel the event, a police officer said.
Dr Adnan Ansari, a dentist and resident of Zia Khel locality in Shahjahanpur city, had tied the knot with married Neelam, 35, an MBA working in a multinational company, in a Delhi court on September 12 last year.
The wedding reception was being held on Sunday night at a local banquet lawn in Shahjahanpur, around 177 km northwest of the Uttar Pradesh capital of Lucknow.
A large number of “Hindu activists” reached the event venue and created a ruckus, as reported by PTI. A purported video of the incident has also surfaced.
Rajesh Awasthi, a Hindu leader who participated in the protest, said they had received information that Adnan had married a Hindu girl and his family was holding a walima feast. Triggered by this, Hindu activists reached the venue and protested against the marriage.
Awasthi said the police were also informed, who arrived at the scene and the walima ceremony was eventually cancelled.
Awasthi said they had submitted a memorandum to superintendent of police Rajesh Dwivedi on Monday, demanding action against Adnan under the National Security Act.
Dwivedi told PTI on Monday that when police reached the spot after receiving information, the family members informed them that they had cancelled the walima ceremony.
The senior officer, citing family members, said Adnan's family had also printed invitation cards for the walima in which the bride's name was mentioned as Neelam Ansari.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/hindu-activists-storm-shut-down-interfaith-marriage-reception-in-uttar-pradeshs-shahjahanpur/cid/2142349
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Ceasefire in Name Only: Israel Continues Widespread Destruction of Gaza
January 12, 2026
A displaced Palestinian woman, carrying water containers, exits a destroyed building, where families have set-up up shelters, Gaza City, Jan. 11, 2026. (AFP)
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LONDON: Israel continues to destroy buildings and infrastructure in Gaza despite signing a ceasefire agreement more than two months ago, the New York Times reported.
At least 2,500 buildings have been demolished. While much of the destruction has taken place in Israeli-occupied Gaza, the NYT, using satellite imagery obtained from Planet Labs, showed that numerous buildings had been demolished in territory ostensibly controlled by Hamas, despite the terms of the ceasefire including an Israeli pledge to cease operations there.
A UN report last year found that as much as 80 percent of Gaza’s buildings were either damaged or destroyed during the nearly two-year conflict that ravaged the enclave, with most of its population displaced.
Gaza-based political analyst Mohammed Al-Astal told the NYT: “Israel is wiping entire areas off the map.”
He added: “The Israeli military is destroying everything in front of it — homes, schools, factories and streets. There’s no security justification for what it’s doing.”
A former Israeli military official called the activity “absolute destruction.” Shaul Arieli, a former commander who served in Gaza in the 1990s, added: “It’s not selective destruction, it’s everything.”
A Hamas official based in Qatar said Israel’s actions violate the ceasefire. “The agreement isn’t vague, it’s clear,” Husam Badran told the NYT. “Destroying people’s homes and property isn’t allowed. They’re hostile actions.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2629092/middle-east
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Pakistan confers second-highest civilian award on Saudi commerce minister for strengthening ties
January 12, 2026
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq, right, conferred the country’s second-highest civilian award on Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Kassabi in Riyadh. (SPA)
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RIYADH: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Ahmad Farooq has conferred the country’s second-highest civilian award on Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Kassabi for his role in strengthening ties between Islamabad and Riyadh, Pakistan’s Embassy in Saudi Arabia said.
Farooq presented the Hilal-e-Pakistan to Al-Kassabi during a meeting in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The parties also discussed ways to enhance bilateral trade relations.
“On behalf of the president of Pakistan, Ambassador Ahmad Farooq conferred the Hilal-e-Pakistan on Majid Al-Kassabi, minister of commerce of Saudi Arabia, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to strengthening Pakistan–Saudi Arabia relations,” the embassy wrote on X.
The award reflects the depth of the longstanding partnership and strong trade relations between the Kingdom and Pakistan and serves as an impetus to further strengthen joint cooperation for the benefit of both countries and their peoples, the SPA reported.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy cordial ties that date back decades and include cooperation in several sectors such as defense, trade, economy, agriculture, livestock and minerals.
Saudi Arabia is the largest source of foreign remittances to Pakistan, with over 2 million Pakistani expats residing in the Kingdom. Riyadh has also helped Pakistan during several economic crises over the years, providing oil on deferred payments and loans in critical times.
The two countries signed a landmark strategic partnership agreement in September 2025, according to which an act of aggression against one country will be seen as an attack on both.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2629081/saudi-arabia
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UK: Man Sentenced for Threats to ‘Petrol Bomb’ Masjid-UI-Abraar Mosque and McDonald’s in Chatham
13 January 2026
He made threats to "petrol bomb" McDonald’s in Chatham
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A man threatened to “petrol bomb” a mosque and a McDonald’s after police showed up at his door to warn him about his behaviour.
Michael Rayner, of Meadowbank Road, Chatham, was handed a three-month community order at Medway Magistrates’ Court yesterday (January 12).
The court heard that two police officers went to the supported accommodation where he was living on June 13, last year, to give him a community protection warning over his behaviour.
The 41-year-old had previously been told he could not be in the area around the Masjid-UI-Abraar Mosque in Dale Street, Chatham, and the town’s High Street McDonald’s.
The court was told that after being given the warning, Rayner became “unhappy” and started to shout: “I am going to petrol bomb the mosque.”
A member of staff working at the accommodation made attempts to calm the defendant down, but he continued and said: “I do not care, I am going to get arrested anyway.”
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The court was told Rayner, who has mental health difficulties and learning disabilities, then added: “I am going to petrol bomb McDonald’s.”
The remarks, which his defence said were “off the cuff” and had “no real meaning behind” them, were also said in front of two police officers who later returned to arrest Rayner, who was charged with making threats to damage and destroy property.
District Judge Stephen Leake said the threats led the staff member to become “very alarmed”.
He added: “Threats to petrol bomb and burn places where people are present are extremely serious because they cause people to fear that very considerable damage could be caused, and risk of serious harm to people’s lives.”
However, he stated there was “little or no planning” behind the remarks, which were said to a third party and not directed at the people or places themselves.
The court also heard the threats were not racially or religiously motivated and were in response to the community protection warning being issued.
Despite this, Judge Leake said the incident was “serious enough to make a community order”.
He handed Rayner a three-month community order and a three-month curfew restricting him to his address from 9pm to 7am.
Rayner, who pleaded guilty to the offence on October 16, was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and prosecution costs of £85 to be deducted from his benefits.
The reasons for the community protection warning were not divulged in court.
Source: kentonline.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/man-threatened-to-petrol-bomb-mosque-and-mcdonald-s-334999/
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Beyond Airstrikes: Trump Weighs Military, Cyber and Psychological Options Against Iran
Jan 13, 2026
US President Donald Trump was presented with an expanded menu of options that could be used to attack Iran, including military, cyber and psychological operations, as more than 600 people have been killed in nationwide protests in the Islamic Republic, several US media outlets reported on Tuesday, citing defence sources.
The defence sources told CBS News and The New York Times that air power and long-range missiles remain central to any potential military response against Iran. However, the Pentagon has also outlined cyber operation options and psychological campaigns aimed at disrupting Iranian command structures, communications networks and state-run media.
Cyber, psychological operations part of plan
Officials said cyber and psychological operations could be carried out alongside traditional military force, in what military planners describe as integrated operations, or be deployed as stand-alone measures.
Defence officials did not specify which digital infrastructure could be targeted or what the psychological campaign against Iran’s state-run media would entail if Trump were to authorise such actions.
Nuclear, missile sites among possible targets
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that potential targets could include Iran’s nuclear programme, expanding beyond the US airstrikes that battered it in June, as well as ballistic missile facilities.
Trump’s national security team is scheduled to meet at the White House on Tuesday to discuss updated options on Iran, CBS News reported, citing officials familiar with the matter. It remains unclear whether the president will be present at the meeting.
‘Diplomacy is always the first option’
Despite the expanded military planning, officials stressed that no final decision has been taken and that diplomatic channels remain open.
“Any attack is at least several days away and could prompt a vigorous retaliation from Iran,” an official told The New York Times. Some US officials believe Iran is attempting to delay a potential US attack rather than engage seriously in diplomacy.
Earlier on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is “unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary”, but emphasised that “diplomacy is always the first option”. She added that “what you’re hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite [different] from the messages the administration is receiving privately.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has reached out to US special envoy Steve Witkoff to explore direct diplomatic talks, according to two sources familiar with the matter. A possible meeting is under discussion.
However, it remains unclear what issues Tehran is prepared to negotiate. The two sides held talks last spring over Iran’s nuclear programme, which Iranian leaders say is for civilian use. US and Israeli officials, however, fear it could be diverted to produce nuclear warheads.
Tariffs ramp up pressure
Trump has announced a 25% tariff on countries doing business with Iran, escalating pressure on Tehran over its violent crackdown on nationwide protests. The president said the tariffs would take effect immediately.
“Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump said in a social media post.
Protests spread, internet cut
Protests have spread across all 31 provinces of Iran for more than two weeks. At least 644 people have been killed, according to Human Rights Activists News, which said most victims died from live ammunition or pellet gunfire, often at close range.
The Iranian government has also cut internet services nationwide, creating an information blackout. Leavitt said Trump had asked Elon Musk to explore whether SpaceX could provide internet access to Iranian citizens via the Starlink satellite network.
Trump warns of retaliation
Asked how the United States would respond if Iran were to strike American military bases, Trump said, “We will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iran appeared to be approaching a red line he had set, adding, “They’re starting to, it looks like.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of attempting to destabilise Iran by fomenting unrest. While pledging that the government would hear public grievances, he warned against violent protesters and urged Iranians to stay away from “rioters and terrorists.”
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/beyond-airstrikes-trump-weighing-military-cyber-psychological-tools-against-iran-whats-on-the-table/articleshowprint/126498232.cms
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Islamic Scholars of Various Sects Refute Terrorism Financing Allegations Against Bauchi State Government, Nigeria
January 13, 2026
Umar Sani
Islamic scholars from different sects in Bauchi State have dismissed allegations linking the state government to terrorism and banditry, describing the claims as false, misleading, and capable of undermining the peace of the state.
The scholars made their position known on Wednesday during a press briefing addressed by Imam Muhammad Yusuf on behalf of the Islamic community in the state.
Yusuf insisted that Bauchi remains one of the most peaceful states in the North, stressing that no town or forest in the state serves as a hideout for bandits or terrorist groups.
According to him, no individual has ever been arrested in Bauchi with weapons or food supplies meant for bandits, adding that security agencies in the state have remained proactive in addressing threats.
“It is on record that the Bauchi State Government responds promptly to security challenges. Governor Bala Mohammed has consistently supported security agencies and vigilante groups and has always taken swift actions whenever there were isolated incidents,” he said.
The cleric also rejected claims that the governor or any government official had any link with banditry, describing the allegations against the Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, and five other officials as baseless and unjust.
He clarified that individuals recently mentioned in connection with the allegations, including Bello Badejo, were only involved in cooperation on security matters and not in any criminal activities.
Yusuf urged members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information, while also warning politicians against exploiting security issues for political rivalry, even as he also called for continued prayers and collective efforts to sustain peace in the state.
Arewa PUNCH recalls that the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside three others, are facing allegations of terrorism financing by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
They have been arraigned in court twice and were denied bail.
Following the development, several groups in the state, including youth and religious organisations as well as political stakeholders, have rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and aimed at witch-hunting the Bauchi State Government, which is controlled by an opposition party a d which is being unnecessarily harrassed to join the ruling All Progressives Congress at the federal level.
However, the EFCC has dismissed the claims of political persecution, insisting that it is acting within its independent mandate to ensure transparency and accountability in governance.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/islamic-scholars-dismiss-terrorism-financing-claims-against-bauchi-govt/
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British politician George Galloway praises Malaysia’s strong support for Palestinians among Muslim nations
13 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — Veteran British politician George Galloway has described Malaysia’s support for the Palestinian people as standing out among Muslim nations while highlighting the country’s consistent commitment to the cause.
“Most countries in this world are not like Malaysia, (which is) dedicated to this question,” he said during a public lecture at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) here on Monday.
Speaking on the topic ‘Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors’, Galloway, known for his pro-Palestine stance, noted that there was a disparity in the global solidarity movement for Palestine.
The former Member of Parliament observed that public activism such as boycotts and mass demonstrations was currently more prevalent in Western countries.
However, he contended that the responsibility to liberate the Palestinian people ultimately lay with the Palestinians themselves, as well as Arabs and Muslims globally.
“Palestine will not be liberated from the West,” he said.
“Palestine can only be liberated by the Palestinians, the Arabs, and the Muslims themselves. The duty, the wajib, lies in Malaysia and Muslim countries,” he added.
The lecture was jointly organised by IAIS, Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia, the Palestine Centre for Excellence, Universiti Malaya’s Hashim Sani Centre for Palestine Studies (HSCPS) and IKRAM Malaysia.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan announced in 2025, Galloway dismissed the initiative as “dead on arrival,” arguing that it lacks the substance to bring about genuine peace.
“It’s dead already. It died the moment it was written. There is no peace plan,” he told reporters after the lecture.
“There is only the intention of Israel to continue to subjugate the Palestinians and keep their land and the struggle is to turn the rest of the world against this,” he added.
Galloway said true peace in the Holy Land would only be achieved when the rights of the Palestinian people are accepted, recognised and implemented through “deeds, not just words”.
Trump’s plan aimed to implement a ceasefire, end the war and oversee a redevelopment of ‘New Gaza’, among other objectives. Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to carry out attacks, with the death toll reportedly exceeding 71,000 people since Oct 2023.
Galloway also criticised Israel’s recognition of “Somaliland” as part of what he termed the “Greater Israel Project”, condemning it as a tool to further destabilise international peace and security especially in the African continent.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since operated as a de facto self-governing entity, but has yet to gain broad international recognition. Israel recently became the first United Nations member state to formally recognise it as an independent state, drawing condemnation from countries worldwide. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/01/13/british-politician-george-galloway-praises-malaysias-strong-support-for-palestinians-among-muslim-nations/205289
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Iran’s Crisis as a Regional and Global Concern
January 13, 2026
The ongoing crisis in Iran should not be viewed merely as an internal political issue; rather, it represents a serious regional and even global concern. Iran occupies a strategically vital position in the Middle East, and any prolonged instability within its borders has direct and indirect consequences for neighboring countries, regional security, energy markets, and international relations. For this reason, how the crisis is managed matters not only to Iranians, but to the wider world.
Public protests are a recognized form of political expression and a legitimate way for citizens to voice dissatisfaction. However, when demonstrations turn into law-breaking, vandalism, and the destruction of national infrastructure, the situation risks spiraling out of control. Such actions ultimately harm the very society the protesters claim to defend. Roads, public buildings, energy facilities, and other state assets belong to the people themselves. Damaging them weakens the country economically and socially, and deepens divisions rather than resolving grievances.
A more constructive path for protesters is engagement through dialogue. Entering into talks with the government, civil institutions, and mediators can help transform anger into achievable reforms. Dialogue does not mean surrendering demands; it means expressing them in a way that opens space for compromise and long-term solutions. History shows that sustainable political change is far more likely to come through negotiation than through chaos.
At the same time, state institutions, especially security forces, carry a heavy responsibility. They should avoid using excessive force against protesters as it can escalate tensions, erode public trust, and legitimize further unrest. Security bodies should prioritize restraint, proportional responses, and the protection of civilian lives. Treating protesters solely as enemies rather than citizens in line wuth law helps push society into a cycle of flexibility and peace that benefits no one.
Beyond Iran’s borders, major powers also play a crucial role. Global and regional powers must understand the sensitivity of the Iranian crisis. External interference, inflammatory rhetoric, or attempts to exploit unrest for geopolitical gain can dramatically worsen the situation. Instead of fueling tensions, powerful states should support de-escalation, encourage dialogue, and respect Iran’s sovereignty while advocating for peaceful solutions.
The international community has repeatedly learned that instability in one country can quickly spread beyond its borders. Conflict, sanctions, and prolonged unrest often lead to refugee flows, economic disruption, and increased radicalization across regions. In this context, promoting peace in Iran is not an act of charity—it is an investment in global stability.
So, the Iranian crisis demands responsibility from all sides. Protesters should pursue their demands through lawful and constructive dialogue; security institutions must avoid violence and prioritize protection over repression; and global powers should act as forces for calm rather than confrontation. Only through mutual restraint, understanding, and dialogue can Iran move toward stability, and only then can the region and the world be spared the consequences of prolonged conflict.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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https://thekabultimes.com/irans-crisis-as-a-regional-and-global-concern/
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India
Authorities profiling mosques, madrassas in Kashmir after busting of 'white collar' terror module
13 Jan 2026
SRINAGAR: Authorities have started a process of profiling mosques, madrassas and persons associated with the management of these religious institutions in Kashmir following the busting of the 'white collar' terror module last year, officials said.
A proforma has been given to village numberdars (village-level revenue department employees) for getting the details of mosques, madrassas, imams (prayer leaders), teachers and management committee members of these institutions, the officials said.
The focus of the enumeration drive is on the finances of mosques and madrassas, including the source of funds used for construction and meeting the day-to-day expenses, they said.
The officials said that besides the usual details, the teachers of madrassas and imams are also expected to provide details of their Aadhar card, bank account, property ownership, social media handles, passport, ATM card, ration card, driving licence, SIM cards and mobile phone model along with the IMEI number.
A senior official, who wished not to be named, said that among the objectives of the drive is to create a database of mosques and madrassas and the people associated with these.
"During the investigation into the 'white collar' terror module, which was busted in November last year, it came to light that some of the suspects were radicalised through madrassas or social media.
The role of some imams like Moulvi Irfan has also put them under the scanner," the official said.
The proforma also seeks details about the Muslim sect -- Barelvi, Deobandi, Hanafi or Ahle Hadeeth -- the mosque or the madrassa is following.
The officials said the rise of puritanical Islam, which abhors the Sufi version that is widely followed in Kashmir, is also seen as a factor in radicalisation of the youth in the valley.
The imams, teachers and management committee members have also been asked to provide details of any past involvement in terrorist or subversive activities, including details about any pending cases or convictions by a court of law.
Jammu and Kashmir Police, with the help of UP Police and Haryana Police, busted a 'white collar' terror module in the first week of November last year.
Nine people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of the module involving Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, spanning across Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Among those arrested were Dr Adeel Rather in Saharanpur, Dr Muzammil Ganaie in Faridabad and Dr Shaheen from Lucknow.
The 2,900 kg of explosive material included ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur.
Of this, 360 kg of inflammable material, suspected to be ammonium nitrate, and some arms and ammunition were recovered from Ganaie in a rented accommodation in Faridabad.
Another Kashmiri, Dr Umer Nabi, was driving the explosive-laden car that blew up outside the Red Fort Metro station in Delhi on November 10.
Ganaie, a teacher at the Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad, was arrested after Jammu and Kashmir Police named him as a wanted person in a case involving putting up posters supporting Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)in Srinagar.
On October 19, multiple JeM posters were found pasted at different locations in the Bunpora Nowgam area of the city here, threatening and intimidating the police and security forces.
That was the starting point of the investigation, leading to the unravelling of the inter-state terror network.
The police said the investigation revealed a 'white collar' terror ecosystem, involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers, operating from Pakistan and other countries.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2026/Jan/13/authorities-profiling-mosques-madrassas-in-kashmir-after-busting-of-white-collar-terror-module-2
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SC confirms interim bail granted to UP MLA Abbas Ansari in Gangsters Act case
13 Jan 2026
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday confirmed its earlier order granting interim bail to Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari, son of late gangster Mukhtar Ansari, in a case under the state's Gangsters Act.
On August 31, 2024, an FIR was lodged at Kotwali Karvi police station in Chitrakoot district under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, against Ansari and others on charges of extortion and assault.
On March 7 last year, the top court granted six-week interim bail to Ansari in the case.
On Tuesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Nizam Pasha, appearing for Ansari, and regularised the interim bail granted earlier in the case.
The relief from the top court in March 2025 had paved the way for Ansari's release from Kasganj jail.
He had been granted bail in all other criminal cases against him.
The bench had imposed certain conditions and later relaxed a few of them, including that he could not leave Lucknow without the investigating officer's nod.
Ansari was taken into custody in other criminal cases on November 4, 2022, and arrested under the Gangsters Act on September 6, 2024.
Granting him relief in March last year, the bench noted that he was granted bail in all other criminal cases except the Gangsters Act case.
On December 18, 2024, the Allahabad High Court rejected Ansari's bail plea in the case.
Navneet Sachan, Niyaz Ansari, Faraz Khan and Shahbaz Alam Khan are the other accused in the case.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Congress attacks Yogi government over Meerut Dalit killing, alleges caste and religious targeting
12.01.26
The Congress on Monday targeted the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh over the alleged killing of a Dalit woman in Meerut, alleging that hatred is being fuelled along caste and religious lines under the patronage of Bharatiya Janata Party dispensations.
A 22-year-old man allegedly killed the Dalit woman and abducted her daughter from a village in Meerut on Thursday morning, police said. The incident triggered tension in the locality, prompting the deployment of additional police forces. The deceased was identified as the mother of a 20-year-old woman.
The abducted Dalit woman, taken from Kapsad village in the Sardhana area, was recovered from Saharanpur district on Saturday and the accused arrested, police said.
Addressing a press conference, Congress Scheduled Caste department head Rajendra Pal Gautam said, “Hatred is being fuelled in the country on the basis of caste and religion, and this is happening under the patronage of the BJP government.”
“Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogiji is openly using resources to crush Dalits, tribals and backward classes. Chief Minister Yogi's bulldozer often operates only after considering caste and religion. When a Dalit is oppressed in the state, their bulldozer does not move,” he said.
“In Meerut, a girl was going towards the forest with her mother. The daughter was abducted and when the mother came to save her, she was brutally killed…. When we went to meet the victim's family, we were stopped,” Gautam added.
“If the Uttar Pradesh Police showed the same diligence in preventing crime and ensuring punishment for the guilty, crimes would stop happening altogether,” he said.
Gautam claimed that if the perpetrator was a Dalit, tribal or from the backward classes, the "chief minister's bulldozer" would run down his place within 24 hours.
"We believe that the law should not do its work by looking at caste and religion. If this is done, the country will weaken. The situation is such that the government itself has not made public the data on Dalit oppression after 2022. This is a complete failure of the government," the Congress leader said.
In the last five years, the highest number of cases of atrocities against Dalits in the country has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh, he claimed.
"Five BJP-ruled states in the country -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Bihar -- account for 76 per cent of Dalit-atrocity incidents. The shocking fact is that 26 per cent of Dalit-atrocity incidents have come to light in Uttar Pradesh alone," Gautam claimed.
"The government did not allow our protest earlier by saying that in any case, one must inform 10 days in advance to hold a protest. Our question to the government is -- if a rape or killing happens anywhere in the country, will we have to wait for 10 days to demand justice?" he asked.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Allahabad HC sets February 3 hearing in the Gyanvapi mosque dispute case
January 12, 2026
The Allahabad High Court has fixed February 3 as the next date for the hearing in the Gyanvapi mosque dispute case in Varanasi.
The court heard a petition which seeks a scientific survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the ablution area (wazu khana) of the Gyanvapi complex, excluding the Shivling.
The civil revision petition has been filed by Rakhi Singh, a party in the Shringar Gauri case.
The Single bench court of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal was hearing the case.
Rakhi Singh has challenged the Varanasi Civil Court’s decision of October 21, 2023, in the Allahabad High Court.
The Varanasi court had refused to grant permission to the ASI to survey the wazoo khana area of the Gyanvapi mosque.
However , the Supreme Court’s interim order prevents courts from passing any effective interim or final orders, including orders for a survey.
Source: thestatesman.com
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BMC polls: Thackeray cousins accuse BJP of trying to remove Mumbai from Maharashtra, divide Marathi voters; warn on unopposed elections
Jan 12, 2026
MUMBAI: In their first rally for the BMC polls at Shivaji Park ground, where the Shiv Sena was founded, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday accused BJP of trying to remove Mumbai from Maharashtra and also attempting to divide Marathi people, revealing their main electoral plank for the polls.
They said they came together to save Mumbai and Maharashtra. The cousins also emphasised how the Adani group received the bulk of projects in the country and the state.
Uddhav said that when his party was in power in the BMC, they created deposits worth Rs 3 lakh, but BJP created a scam worth Rs 3 lakh crore. He also claimed that most of the projects in the city used cement from the Adani group.
Raj alleged that BJP’s long-term game plan was to join Mumbai to Gujarat. “The Vadhavan port is being developed. BJP wants to take control of Palghar and join Mumbai to Gujarat. That is their long-term plan.”
The MNS chief further alleged that BJP wants to control municipal corporations so it could control land transactions more easily. “They will then be able to give Adani more land.”
Pointing out that the number of projects given to the Adani group shot up both in the country and the state from 2014, before PM Modi came to power, to 2024, Raj said: “The Adani group had projects in cement, ports, airports, power, real estate, data centres. Why was one corporate group favoured so much?” On the spate of unopposed elections to municipal corporations in which Mahayuti candidates are set to win, he said, “As many as 66 elections are unopposed. BJP is taking away your right to vote.”
He also said that BJP was trying to divide Marathi people in Mumbai and edge them out of the city. “This is the last election for Marathi people. If you miss this opportunity, who will you go to?” asked Raj.
He said that the martyrs of the Samyutka Maharashtra movement saved Mumbai from being given to Gujarat. Uddhav said the Jan Sangh was not involved in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, and mentioned that patriotic Muslims, like Shahir Amar Shaikh, were part of it.
He challenged CM Devendra Fadnavis to conduct a poll campaign without bringing in a communal divide.
“If he can conduct one election without bringing in Hindu-Muslim issues, I am willing to give him Rs 1 lakh.” Uddhav also questioned BJP’s electoral alliances with the MIM in Akot and Congress. “When you do it, it is ‘Amar Prem’, and when we do it, it is ‘Love Jihad’?”
Source: indiatimes.com
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MHA flags renewed Pakistan-backed bid to lure J&K youth across LoC, orders crackdown
Mukesh Ranjan
12 Jan 2026
NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently received a report from the intelligence agencies suggesting a renewed attempt by Pakistan-based handlers to lure young residents of Jammu and Kashmir into crossing over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, sources said on Monday.
The sources said the intelligence agencies have raised concerns over a possible attempt to revive terrorism in the Union Territory, which it witnessed in the 1990s, as the trend, which had in the recent past completely subsided, appeared to regain momentum.
The sources said, following the report instructions have passed on to the security establishment in J&K to launch a crackdown on such incidents and keep a close eye on the movement of people to and from the Union Territory.
Giving examples establishing the trend, in the report the intelligence agencies said that the recent attachment action by the Poonch Police of the properties belonging to Pakistan-based terror handlers Rafiq Nai and Jamal Lone, both accused of facilitating infiltration and encouraging locals to cross over to PoK, which is indicative of such movements.
It is learnt that Lone had himself crossed over into PoK earlier and has since then been involved in anti-India activities, the sources said, adding that Pakistan’s security establishment has again been seeking to increase the crossing over by the J&K youth, who are in turn trained and engaged in a range of illegal activities.
“These individuals are being used for narcotics smuggling, counterfeiting and to assist terrorist groups by becoming guides for them in the Union Territory,” a source said, adding that Pakistan's state and non-state actors are actively looking for terrain-savvy locals to support their nefarious design.
According to the sources, many of those, who crossed over in earlier years, later regretted the decision and sought assistance from Indian authorities to return and in several cases India facilitated their return and placed them in rehabilitation camps before reintegrating them into mainstream society.
It is also learnt that the intelligence agencies have cautioned the government that if such elements are left unchecked, the renewed drive to rope in J&K youth could pose serious security threat, as unlike earlier instances, which mostly driven by economic consideration, the present trend is relying more on propaganda and radicalization by engaging vulnerable through social media outreach.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Kerala High Court allows name change in woman’s marriage certificate after religious conversion
by Ashish Shaji
January 13, 2026
The Kerala High Court recently directed the marriage registrar in Alappuzha to issue a fresh marriage certificate reflecting a woman’s changed name following her inter-religious marriage.
Justice P V Kunhikrishnan allowed the plea filed by the woman who had sought amendment to the marriage certificate to reflect her changed name so that she could apply for a visa to join her husband working abroad.
Invoking its extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution, the Court directed that the necessary changes be carried out in the marriage certificate.
Findings
The woman had sought a major change to be made to the certificate which was not due to anything entered erroneously in form or substance, or to anything fraudulently or improperly made.
There wasn’t any prohibition in Islamic rules and customs that the woman cannot follow the Islamic faith without changing her name to a muslim name.
Husband was not willing to come on record but expressed willingness to appear online.
Change of name was also done with the permission of her parents.
Keeping head down with a folded hand before the loving parents of the petitioner. They only want a happy life for their loving daughter.
Additional entry should be made by authorities in the marriage register reflecting the petitioner’s present name and to issue a fresh marriage certificate with the added name within one month.
Background
After her marriage in 2017, the woman wanted to adopt her husband’s Islamic faith and legally changed her name through a gazette notification in 2023.
Despite the name change being reflected across all official documents, including her passport, Aadhaar, PAN card and voter ID, the marriage certificate continued to bear her former name.
This posed difficulties in applying for a family visa to join her husband, who is employed in the United Arab Emirates.
It was submitted that the application for a family visa must include the passports of the wife and children, as well as the attested marriage certificate, among other documents.
The local registrar had declined to alter the marriage certificate, citing Rule 13 of the 2008 Rules, which restricts major changes to entries unless they are erroneous or fraudulent. Feeling aggrieved by the rejection, the woman moved to the high court.
Also Read | Came for daughter’s wedding, ended up in jail: Kerala High Court awards Rs 14 Lakh compensation to NRI man, kin
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Ashish Shaji
Ashish Shaji
Ashish Shaji is a Senior Sub-Editor at The Indian Express, where he specializes in legal journalism. Combining a formal education in law with years of editorial experience, Ashish provides authoritative coverage and nuanced analysis of court developments and landmark judicial decisions for a national audience. Expertise Legal Core Competency: Ashish is a law graduate (BA LLB) from IME Law College, CCSU. This academic foundation allows him to move beyond surface-level reporting, offering readers a deep-dive into the technicalities of statutes, case law, and legal precedents. Specialized Legal Reporting: His work at The Indian Express focuses on translating the often-dense proceedings of India's top courts into clear, actionable news. His expertise includes: Judicial Analysis: Breaking down complex orders from the Supreme Court and various High Courts. Legal Developments: Monitoring legislative changes and their practical implications for the public and the legal fraternity. Industry Experience: With over 5 years in the field, Ashish has contributed to several niche legal and professional platforms, honing his ability to communicate complex information. His previous experience includes: Lawsikho: Gaining insights into legal education and practical law. Verdictum: Focusing on high-quality legal news and court updates. Enterslice: Working at the intersection of legal, financial, and advisory services.... Read More
Source: indianexpress.com
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Delegation of Communist Party of China calls on RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale in Delhi
13.01.26
A delegation of the Communist Party of China called on RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale here on Tuesday, sources said.
This marks the first party-to-party contact between the CPC and the BJP since the recent thaw in India-China relations following the deadly 2020 Galwan clashes along the Line of Actual Control.
The Chinese delegation met the RSS second-in-command here at 11 am at his office, and the meeting lasted for about an hour, the sources said.
"It was a courtesy call by them. The request for the meeting had come from the Chinese side," they said.
"A delegation of Communist Party of China under the leadership of Sun Haiyan (vice minister) visited BJP head office today. A BJP delegation headed by Arun Singhji discussed at length the means to advance inter-party communications between BJP and CPC. Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong also joined the delegation," BJP foreign affairs incharge Vijay Chauthaiwale said in a post after the meeting where he was also present.
This comes a day after a Chinese Communist Party delegation, led by its international department's Vice Minister Sun Haiyan, visited the BJP headquarters here on Monday.
During the meeting, the BJP delegation, headed by party national general secretary Arun Singh, discussed at length "the means to advance inter-party communications between the BJP and the CPC." Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong was also part of the delegation which visited the BJP office on Monday.
Sources said the Chinese team also invited BJP leaders to visit China. Singh headed a BJP MPs' delegation to China in 2019. Attempts are being made to open channels between the two parties, BJP sources said.
The restoration of ties began in October 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first bilateral engagement in five years on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. That meeting facilitated disengagement plans along the volatile border and enabled the resumption of other dialogues.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Army chief says J&K situation firmly under control, terror recruitment almost non-existent
13.01.26
Operation Sindoor remains ongoing and any future misadventure by Pakistan will be met with a firm and effective response, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi said on Tuesday, underlining that the armed forces retain full operational freedom to act against threats.
Addressing an annual press conference, General Dwivedi said, “As you may be aware, Operation Sindoor remains ongoing, and a future misadventure will be resolutely responded to.”
He described the operation as India’s “calibrated and resolute response to cross-border terrorism,” which demonstrated the military’s readiness, precision and strategic clarity, while resetting strategic assumptions by striking deep to dismantle terror infrastructure and puncturing Islamabad’s “longstanding nuclear rhetoric”.
General Dwivedi said Operation Sindoor stands as a clear demonstration of tri-service coordination under decisive political direction.
“It is the best example of jointness, where the armed forces were given full freedom to act or respond,” he said.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, claimed by The Resistance Front, a front organisation of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The operation targeted multiple terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), resulting in the elimination of more than 100 terrorists, according to official estimates. Pakistan’s subsequent missile and drone attacks were intercepted by Indian air defence systems, after which India struck Pakistani airfields, leading to a ceasefire on May 10.
Revealing the scale of preparedness during the operation, the army chief said the armed forces were fully prepared to launch ground offensives if Pakistan had attempted any misadventure.
“In those 88 hours, you saw that the army’s mobilisation to expand the conventional space was such that if Pakistan made any mistake, we were fully prepared to launch ground operations,” he said.
He noted that earlier assessments suggested conventional military options were shrinking due to the risk of rapid escalation to the nuclear domain.
“This time, the action we took — especially the kind of firing that took place in Jammu and Kashmir and the way we addressed it — showed that we expanded the conventional space,” he said, adding that Indian forces eliminated around 100 Pakistani personnel during the course of the operation.
“In Jammu and Kashmir, since May 10, the situation along the western front and Jammu and Kashmir remains sensitive but firmly under control,” he said.
“In 2025, 31 terrorists were eliminated of which 65 per cent were of Pakistan origin, including the three perpetrators of Pahalgam attack neutralised in Operation Mahadev. Active local terrorist is now in single digits. Terrorist recruitment is almost non-existent.”
He later said: “Only two cases of recruitment were reported in 2025.”
Responding to a question on terror camps in PoK, the army chief said, “As far as our eyes and ears are concerned, since Operation Sindoor is underway, they will remain fully alert. Under this, we have already put in place whatever actions are required from our side.”
He said nearly eight camps were still active to the army’s knowledge — two opposite the International Border and six opposite the Line of Control.
“We believe there is still some presence or training activity in these camps… If any such activity happens again, we will certainly carry out whatever action we intend to take,” he said.
General Dwivedi said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China has remained stable but requires constant vigilance.
“Renewed contact, and confidence-building measures are contributing to the gradual normalisation of the situation,” he said, adding: “Concurrently, capability development and infrastructure enhancement are progressing through a whole-of-government approach.”
The army chief said the past year saw a sharp rise in the number and intensity of armed conflicts worldwide.
“This global shift underlines a simple reality: nations that stay prepared, prevail,” he said, reiterating that Operation Sindoor showcased India’s preparedness and resolve.
He stressed that future conflicts would require a whole-of-nation approach.
“The battle of the future will not be won by a single arm or even a single service. It will be a national-level enterprise,” he said, referring to Prime Minister’ Narendra Modi’s vision encapsulated in the mantra of ‘Jai’, where “jointness integrates our effort, Atmanirbharta empowers our capability and accelerated innovation drives ideas into action”.
Highlighting improving ground conditions in Jammu and Kashmir, he pointed to increased development activity, a revival of tourism and the peaceful conduct of the annual Amarnath Yatra.
More than 4 lakh pilgrims participated this year, surpassing the five-year average.
“The transition from terrorism to tourism is steadily becoming a reality,” the army chief said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Madras High Court restrains unauthorised commercial use of Kamal Haasan’s image
12.01.26
The Madras High Court on Monday temporarily restrained the use of actor Kamal Haasan's name and photographs for commercial purpose.
Haasan filed a civil suit in the court stating that a Chennai-based firm named 'Neeye Vidai' has been selling T-shirts and shirts by utilising his photograph, name, the title 'Ulaganayagan', and his famous dialogues without obtaining prior permission.
When the matter came up before Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, Senior Counsel Satish Parasaran and Advocate Vijayan Subramanian, representing the actor, argued for the protection of personality rights and requested a prohibition against any entity using his name, image, titles, or dialogues without consent.
Accepting these submissions, the judge granted an interim injunction against the unauthorised commercial exploitation of Haasan's name and likeness.
The court further directed 'Neeye Vidai' to file a counter-affidavit and adjourned the proceedings to February.
Notably, the judge clarified in the order that no restriction applies to the use of the actor’s image in cartoons.
Since the plea sought to prevent any unauthorised third party from using his name or photograph, the court instructed the plaintiff to publish advertisements regarding this judicial order in both Tamil and English newspapers.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Taj Mahal to allow free public entry for three days during Shah Jahan’s 371st death anniversary
12.01.26
Free public entry will be permitted at the Taj Mahal for three days from January 15 to 17 on the occasion of the 371st Urs (death anniversary) of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, officials said on Monday.
During this period, visitors will also be allowed to view the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, located in the monument's basement, they added.
According to a schedule issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Urs of Shah Jahan will be observed at the Taj Mahal from January 15 to 17, corresponding to the 26th, 27th and 28th days of the Islamic month of Rajab.
ASI officials said the graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are opened to the public only once a year, for a period of three days, during the Urs.
As per the ASI order, free entry will be allowed from 2 pm till sunset on January 15 and 16, while on January 17 visitors will be permitted to enter the Taj Mahal from sunrise to sunset.
The order in this regard has been issued by Superintending Archaeologist, Agra Circle, Smita S Kumar, officials said.
The Taj Mahal remains closed to visitors every Friday as part of its weekly closure, they added.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Mideast
Israeli police issues arrest warrant against former Netanyahu aide
January 12, 2026
JERUSALEM: Israeli police issued an arrest warrant for a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, accusing him of being implicated in two affairs involving the premier’s office.
Israel Einhorn, a former campaign adviser to Netanyahu who now lives in Serbia, appeared on a list of people whom the police suspect of involvement in the so-called “Bild affair” and are prevented from communicating with the prime minister’s office.
Next to Einhorn’s name a line was added saying there is a “pending arrest warrant against him,” according to a document submitted to the court.
“We can confirm the warrant,” a police spokesman told AFP.
In a post on his personal Facebook page, Netanyahu said the arrest warrant showed he was being targeted via his former aides.
“They can’t beat me in elections, so they start a lawsuit, the lawsuit falls apart so they bring in my advisers one after the other to try to blackmail them,” he said in a video message in Hebrew.
The Bild affair involved the leaking of classified intelligence from the Israeli military to the German tabloid Bild in September 2024. Two other Netanyahu aides were arrested and indicted for the leak.
The document aimed to prove that Hamas was not interested in a ceasefire deal, and to support Netanyahu’s claim that the hostages captured by Palestinian militants in their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel could only be released through military pressure rather than negotiations.
Einhorn has not returned to Israel since the investigation was opened, but he was questioned by Israeli investigators in Serbia last year.
He is also a suspect in the so-called “Qatargate” scandal, in which he and other close associates of Netanyahu are suspected of being recruited by Qatar to promote the Gulf country’s image in Israel.
Qatar hosts senior Hamas leaders and has played a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement during the war in Gaza.
It also sent millions of dollars in cash to Gaza every month between 2018 and October 2023 to pay Hamas’s civil servants and for cash handouts to Gazan families.
The news of the warrant came after the police on Sunday detained a current senior aide to Netanyahu suspected of obstructing an investigation, with local media reporting that it was the premier’s chief of staff Tzachi Braverman.
Another former Netanyahu aide, Eli Feldstein, recently said during a televised interview that Braverman offered to “shut down” an army investigation into the Bild affair.
Feldstein himself is on trial for his alleged involvement in both the Bild leak and Qatargate.
In the same interview, Feldstein said Netanyahu was aware of the leak and was in favor of using the document to drum up public support for the war.
Israeli media reported on Monday that Braverman, picked to become Israel’s next ambassador to the UK, was barred from leaving the country for 30 days, and from being in contact with the Prime Minister’s office for 15 days.
AFP contacted the police and Braverman’s lawyer to confirm the bans but did not immediately receive a response.
Source: arabnews.com
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School resumes in tents under shadow of Gaza’s ‘yellow line’
January 12, 2026
GAZA/CAIRO: She spends her lessons in the wintry cold on the floor of a crowded tent, her teacher interrupted by regular gunfire and explosions from Israeli-controlled territory less than 1,000 meters away. But Toulin Al-Hindi, 7, is grateful to be in school at last after more than two years of war.
She is one of some 400 children attending lessons at the makeshift North Educational School, set up in blue plastic tents in the ruins of northern Gaza’s community of Beit Lahiya, within eyesight of the “yellow line” held by Israeli forces.
During a recent lesson, more than a dozen girls sat on the floor in two rows in one small tent, keeping warm in sweaters and puffy jackets, their notebooks out in front of them on a handful of slatted wooden crates.
They cheerfully sang out numbers while their teacher drew shapes on a chalkboard.
“Although we do not sit on chairs, thank God we started attending school,” said Toulin.
“During the war, there were no schools, and we were bored.”
Her mother, Yasmine Al-Ajouri, says she worries from the moment her daughter leaves for school until she comes home.
“Take care, take cover next to a wall, be quick on the road,” Yasmine said she tells her daughter.
Under the ceasefire in place since October, Israel still occupies more than half of the Gaza Strip and bars civilians from other areas.
Nearly all buildings in the Israeli-controlled sector have been leveled and residents driven out.
That leaves virtually the entire population of more than 2 million people confined to around a third of Gaza’s territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, where life has resumed under the control of an administration led by Hamas.
Although major fighting has been halted, Israel has routinely opened fire at Palestinians it accuses of approaching the yellow line, saying it aims to eliminate threats to troops.
More than 440 Palestinians have been killed since the October deal came into effect.
Palestinians say Israeli forces have been moving some of the yellow concrete markers westward, encroaching into unoccupied territory. Israel denies this.
Staff at Toulin’s school said they hear fire daily.
“We taught the children that as soon as we hear fire ... to lie down. This is not safe, and safety depends on God, but this is what we can do,” said Yara Abu Ghalweh, a school supervisor.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023
Source: arabnews.com
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Hamas to hold leadership elections in coming months: sources
January 13, 2026
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas is preparing to hold internal elections to rebuild its leadership following Israel’s killing of several of the group’s top figures during the war in Gaza, sources in the movement said on Monday.
“Internal preparations are still ongoing in order to hold the elections at the appropriate time in areas where conditions on the ground allow it,” a Hamas leader told AFP.
The vote is expected to take place “in the first months of 2026.”
Much of the group’s top leadership has been decimated during the war, which was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023.
The war has also devastated the Gaza Strip, leaving its more than two million residents in dire humanitarian conditions.
The leadership renewal process includes the formation of a new 50-member Shoura Council, a consultative body dominated by religious figures.
Its members are selected every four years by Hamas’ three branches: the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and the movement’s external leadership.
Hamas prisoners in Israeli prisons are also eligible to vote.
During previous elections, held before the war, members across Gaza and the West Bank used to gather at different locations including mosques to choose the Shoura Council.
That council is responsible, every four years, for electing the 18-member political bureau and its chief, who serves as Hamas’s overall leader.
Another Hamas source close to the process said the timing of the political bureau elections remains uncertain “given the circumstances our people are going through.”
After Israel killed former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, the group chose its then-Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar as his successor.
Israel accused Sinwar of masterminding the October 7 attack.
He too was killed by Israeli forces in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, three months after Haniyeh’s assassination.
Hamas then opted for an interim five-member leadership committee based in Qatar, postponing the appointment of a single leader until elections are held and given the risk of being targeted by Israel.
According to sources, two figures have now emerged as frontrunners to be the head of the political bureau: Khalil Al-Hayya and Khaled Meshaal.
Hayya, 65, a Gaza native and Hamas’s chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, has held senior roles since at least 2006, according to the US-based NGO the Counter-Extremism Project (CEP).
Meshaal, who led the Political Bureau from 2004 to 2017, has never lived in Gaza. He was born in the West Bank in 1956.
He joined Hamas in Kuwait and later lived in Jordan, Syria and Qatar. The CEP says he oversaw Hamas’s evolution into a political-military hybrid.
He currently heads the movement’s diaspora office.
A Hamas member in Gaza said Hayya is a strong contender due to his relations with other Palestinian factions, including rival Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, as well as his regional standing.
Hayya also enjoys backing from both the Shoura Council and Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
Another source said other potential candidates include West Bank Hamas leader Zaher Jabarin and Shoura Council head Nizar Awadallah.
Source: arabnews.com
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Qatar joins US-led Pax Silica Alliance to secure semiconductor and critical mineral supply chains
January 13, 2026
LONDON: Qatar joined the US-led Pax Silica Alliance on Monday in a move described as a strategic step to enhance cooperation in advanced technologies and supply-chain security.
The alliance was launched last month in Washington with the aim of securing global supply chains for semiconductors, artificial intelligence technology, critical minerals and digital infrastructure.
Doha said participation in the alliance will enhance its international partnerships in the fields of semiconductors, computing, cybersecurity and digital technologies, helping to boost the country’s technological capabilities and economic diversification efforts, the Qatar News Agency reported.
Ahmed Al-Sayed, Qatar’s minister of state for foreign trade affairs, and Jacob Helberg, the US under secretary of state for economic affairs, signed the Pax Silica declaration during a ceremony in Doha.
Al-Sayed said the world was undergoing a significant transformation driven by AI, rising energy and mineral demands, and rapid technological advancements.
He described the declaration as “a new milestone in the Qatar-US partnership, founded on trust, shared interests, and a unified vision for advancing stability and prosperity.”
He added: “Qatar recognizes that the currency of geopolitical power has changed. Sovereignty is no longer just about protecting borders, it is about securing the supply chains of the artificial intelligence era.”
Qatar is the second Middle Eastern country to join the alliance; Israel signed up in December. Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the UK and Australia have also joined the bloc.
“In a region often defined by its fractures, Pax Silica marks a historic opportunity for the region to shift from political rivalry to economic interoperability,” Helberg said.
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Aleppo unrest was Kurdish fighters’ bid to wreck Turkiye peace process: Erdogan’s party
January 12, 2026
ISTANBUL: Recent deadly clashes in Syria’s Aleppo were an attempt by Kurdish fighters to sabotage Turkiye’s efforts to end a decades-long conflict with the Kurdish militant PKK group, Ankara’s ruling party said Monday.
“The YPG/SDF terrorist organization’s attacks and the operation in Aleppo... is an attempt to sabotage the goal of a terror-free Turkiye,” said Omer Celik, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP, referring to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Over the past year, Turkiye has been engaged in efforts to draw a line under its four-decade conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it refers to as the “terror-free Turkiye” process.
Last year, the PKK announced an end to its armed struggle and began destroying its weapons, but Turkiye has insisted that the move include armed Kurdish groups in Syria, which Ankara sees as PKK offshoots.
Turkiye has long been hostile to the SDF that controls swathes of northeastern Syria, seeing it as a major threat along its southern border and repeatedly calling for its integration into the Syrian military and security apparatus.
That was supposed to have happened by the end of 2025 under a deal reached in March, but implementation has stalled over sharp differences between the sides, notably Kurdish demands for decentralized rule.
The tensions descended into violence last week, which only ended on Sunday as Syrian government forces took full control of Aleppo.
The standoff between Damascus and the SDF has had a chilling effect on Turkiye’s domestic peace moves, which have largely stalled.
Source: arabnews.com
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Can Lebanon overcome the lingering threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance?
NAJIA HOUSSARI
January 12, 2026
BEIRUT: A year after the guns fell largely silent along Lebanon’s southern frontier, the war is still killing — quietly, indiscriminately, and often unseen.
When the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, the country woke to a long-awaited calm. But the end of the bombardment did not mean the end of danger.
Daily Israeli violations persisted, and across the south, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs, a far more enduring threat lay buried beneath rubble, fields and roads: landmines and unexploded ordnance.
The scale of the bombardment Lebanon endured left behind a lethal mix of shell fragments, fuse remnants and unexploded artillery shells.
Much of this ammunition has become highly sensitive, capable of detonating with vibration or movement. For communities trying to return to normal life, it has turned routine activities — farming, construction, even clearing weeds — into potentially fatal acts.
Lebanon had once been close to turning a page. Before the clashes that erupted after October 2023, the country was nearing the disposal of most unexploded ordnance left over from the 2006 war, achieving a clearance rate of about 92 percent.
The latest conflict, however, dragged the country back to square one.
“All areas that were bombed by Israel are likely to contain unexploded ordnance and gallons of highly explosive TNT used to destroy buildings,” officials said.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that triggered the Gaza war, Hezbollah initiated limited operations against Israel’s north in solidarity with the Palestinian militant groups responsible for the assault.
Israel retaliated against Hezbollah’s attacks with escalating strikes, which included the use of incendiary weapons such as white phosphorus.
Besides the significant degradation of Hezbollah, the primary consequence of the grinding conflict, which ended with a fragile ceasefire in November 2024, was the mass displacement of communities and the devastation of civilian infrastructure across southern Lebanon.
Neither party has yet fulfilled its obligations under the US and French-brokered ceasefire deal, with Hezbollah failing to disarm and fully withdraw its fighters north of the Litani River and Israeli troops continuing to occupy five strategic hilltops on Lebanese territory.
The danger of landmines and explosive remnants lies in their unpredictability: some munitions can lie dormant for decades before suddenly exploding. It is a familiar tragedy in a country shaped by repeated wars.
Despite years of military surveys and clearance operations, unexploded ordnance, particularly old and internationally banned cluster munitions, continues to surface by chance — unearthed during excavation work, uncovered in farmland, or, in the worst cases, picked up by children.
After the 2006 war, Lebanon recorded more than four million cluster bombs dropped by Israel, including about one million that failed to explode. Two decades on, extremely costly removal operations are still ongoing.
In 2023 alone, the Lebanese Mine Action Center announced the destruction of 5,509 landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Established in 1998 and operating under the supervision of the Lebanese Army, the center works with international partners that provide technical, financial and field support. But the current challenge is unprecedented.
Today, unexploded ordnance is mixed between Israeli and Hezbollah munitions — all of it posing what officials describe as a silent, long-term threat.
A military source told Arab News that since the start of the war, army engineering units “have been working to clear and remove unexploded ordnance found in fields, homes and under rubble.”
Yet the true scale of contamination remains unknown. The Lebanese Army does not yet have a complete inventory of the ordnance scattered across the country.
“We need to wait until the survey of all areas affected by the war is completed to know the extent of the threat we are facing,” the source said, noting that access to some border villages is impossible “due to the Israeli occupation of some border points.”
Even so, the estimates are sobering. The military source put “the additional contamination after the recent aggression at around two million square meters,” describing areas littered with “aircraft bombs, rockets, artillery shells of various calibers, phosphorus shells, thermal balloons, cluster bombs, improvised explosive devices and traps, among others.”
“These are very dangerous to the safety of citizens,” the source said, because the sheer volume of debris “greatly hinders the clean-up operations, which require special equipment.”
Among the discoveries were “some internationally banned ammunition, including cluster bombs.”
The toll has not spared the army itself. Since the ceasefire was signed, 18 Lebanese soldiers have been killed during operations to remove unexploded ordnance.
Depending on the risk, munitions are either destroyed on site or transported to designated pits away from populated areas for controlled demolition.
UN peacekeepers are also grappling with the fallout. From Nov. 27, 2024, to Nov. 27, 2025, UNIFIL says it facilitated the redeployment of Lebanese forces to about 130 permanent locations, removed more than 330 roadblocks, and discovered hundreds of illegal weapons caches and unexploded ordnance, handing them over to the Lebanese Army.
On Dec. 8, UNIFIL said “the recent conflict left behind numerous unexploded ordnance in southern Lebanon,” adding that it was working with the army to remove hazards “to protect lives, restore freedom of movement and support Resolution 1701.”
The force carried out 34 clearance operations, removing 91 items of unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices, and has since expanded its capacity with additional mine-clearance, disposal and reconnaissance teams.
Six demining teams — from China and Cambodia — are now operating alongside new French survey units responding to the heightened threat.
Independent assessments paint an equally bleak picture. SARI Global, a risk intelligence company, said the war “left behind a dense mixture of unexploded ordnance, small cluster munitions and hazardous remnants in civilian and agricultural areas.”
While the immediate destruction was visible, the report said the long-term impact is defined by a “complex contamination footprint” in civilian and semi-urban zones.
The company highlighted the heavy reliance on aerial munitions — more than 55 percent of recorded activity — and documented cluster munition use in residential areas, creating what it called “a dense and volatile hazard landscape.”
Such contamination, it warned, restricts movement, delays rescue efforts, endangers aid workers and undermines recovery.
The human cost is already apparent. In Nabi Chit in the Bekaa Valley, a man and his son were injured when unexploded ordnance detonated as the father cleared weeds outside his home. In Majdal Zoun in the south, a soldier was wounded by a landmine explosion.
Frontline villages are the most affected. Tir Daba has been repeatedly targeted by cluster munitions, while Blida shows a high concentration of unexploded ordnance. Yaroun, according to SARI Global, is “a confirmed white phosphorus saturation zone.”
In Ayta Al-Shaab, extensive demolitions and indirect fire have left debris fields where deadly munitions are indistinguishable from ordinary rubble, complicating any future rehabilitation.
Even cities far from the front are not immune. Baalbek and its surroundings face what the report calls a “long-term strategic threat” after airstrikes on industrial and logistics infrastructure, including repeated attacks on heavy equipment essential for reconstruction.
Despite the efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Mine Action Center and their international partners, vast contamination, chronic funding shortages and the lack of comprehensive compensation plans continue to stall progress.
Clearing unexploded ordnance is painstaking, expensive and slow — but for many Lebanese communities, it is the only path back to safety.
A year after the ceasefire, the war’s most persistent legacy is buried underground, waiting.
Source: arabnews.com
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Jordanian and American commanders review military cooperation
January 12, 2026
LONDON: Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairperson of the Jordanian Armed Forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Vice Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, held talks in Amman on Monday about military cooperation.
They discussed ways in which joint efforts in operations, training and logistics might be enhanced, with the aim of improving the capabilities of both countries.
The officials highlighted the need for ongoing coordination to help enhance regional security and address present challenges, the Jordan News Agency reported.
They also reaffirmed the strategic partnership between their nations’ armed forces, and their shared commitment to enhancing the readiness of both to respond to regional and international developments.
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Arab World
Visitors flock to enjoy Jazan during school break
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: The mild weather and range of recreational activities on offer means waterfronts and public parks across Jazan are welcoming an influx of visitors during the school break.
Mayor Yahya Al-Ghazwani said the municipality had prepared many recreational spaces ahead of the holiday, including 22 waterfronts, 236 public parks, 20 scenic overlooks, 203 sports fields and 214 walkways, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Designated family-friendly areas have been provided at waterfronts and public parks, offering facilities such as seating areas, green spaces, children’s play zones, kiosks and a wide selection of restaurants and cafés.
Al-Ghazwani said the diversity of public facilities has boosted community participation in recreational activities. Popular activities include walking and cycling, as well as water sports such as swimming and beach volleyball.
He added the municipality had increased its efforts to prepare and maintain the areas, along with more monitoring of commercial establishments, to enhance services.
Jazan’s parks are central to the region’s quality of life projects, which directly align with Saudi Vision 2030’s goals of building a vibrant society, improving living standards and enhancing urban beauty.
Source: arabnews.com
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KSrelief delivers food, winter aid in Yemen
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief has dispatched a relief convoy to the wadi and desert districts of Yemen’s Hadramout governorate, providing tents and shelter kits.
These supplies will be stored as a strategic stockpile in local warehouses, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Field distribution teams will deploy the aid as needed, following precise mechanisms to ensure it reaches those in need, the SPA added.
Meanwhile, KSrelief has continued distributing over 27,000 food baskets to the most vulnerable families in Hadramout’s desert areas, benefiting 190,400 individuals.
The agency has also delivered 4,170 winter clothing sets to vulnerable families as part of its clothing distribution project which aims to protect residents from severe cold, improve living conditions, and alleviate winter hardships.
Since its establishment in 2015, KSrelief has implemented 1,178 projects in Yemen at a total cost of about $4.7 billion. This aid has helped in the areas of food security, early recovery, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, camp coordination, education, protection, emergency aid, and nutrition.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia, Japan sign memorandum on peaceful use of space
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: The Saudi Space Agency has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Japanese government on the peaceful use of outer space, on the sidelines of the Saudi-Japan Ministerial Investment Forum.
The memorandum was signed with Japan’s Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Communications and Information Minister Abdullah Alswaha, who is also chairman of the SSA, was present at the signing.
“The agreement underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation in peaceful space activities and advancing strategic partnerships in the sector,” the SPA reported.
“It aims to establish a framework for cooperation in space science and technology, capacity building, and the exchange of expertise, contributing to the development of the space sector and the promotion of the peaceful uses of outer space.”
The SSA said the memorandum builds on the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to enhance international partnerships in the space sector. And to play an active role in shaping a global space ecosystem that supports research, innovation, and the service of humanity.
Source: arabnews.com
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Riyadh forum to discuss AI impact on education, jobs
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: Experts from more than 50 international and local organizations in education, employment, and artificial intelligence will gather in Riyadh from Jan. 28-29 for the International Conference on Data and AI Capacity Building to explore the future of education during rapid AI advances.
Discussions will examine how AI is transforming work, its implications for current and future generations, and the new opportunities it creates, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority, the conference aims to redefine work and human capacity building to meet future labor market demands.
Participants will present practical solutions for empowering young people with AI skills, integrating AI into education, and aligning learning outcomes with the most in-demand future skills locally and globally.
By addressing AI’s evolving impact on the job market, the conference offers academics, AI and data professionals, policymakers, and students a platform to exchange insights and explore the latest innovations for societal benefit and national development.
An accompanying exhibition will highlight cutting-edge educational and digital transformation solutions from public and private sector organizations.
The exhibition will give young people direct access to educational, training, career, and technological opportunities while enabling them to learn from leading local and international experiences to shape their future careers.
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Saudi project clears 1,181 explosive devices in Yemen
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: Members of Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam removed 1,181 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included 1,114 unexploded ordnances, 61 anti-tank mines, four anti-personnel mines and two improvised explosive devices, according to a recent report.
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, Project Masam’s managing director, said the initiative had cleared a total of 531,868 mines since it began in 2018.
Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project trains local demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment, and offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Source: arabnews.com
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New endowment fund for ambulance services in Saudi Arabia
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: The Health Endowment Fund and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority have signed an agreement to ensure effective financing for ambulance services across the Kingdom.
The agreement builds on both organizations’ efforts to develop a sustainable financing system for the nonprofit health sector and enhance the effectiveness of endowment initiatives for ambulance services.
It also aims to improve emergency response readiness, addressing ambulance transport, pre-hospital care, and responses to accidents and disasters, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The fund seeks to engage the community and donors in supporting ambulance services through an endowment model that ensures sustainability while promoting governance and transparency.
This will be achieved through monitoring and disbursement mechanisms that allocate funds for ambulance services according to approved regulatory frameworks, the SPA stated.
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Tuwaiq Sculpture returns to Riyadh with 25 international artists
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: Twenty-five artists from 18 countries are taking part in the seventh annual Tuwaiq Sculpture, which began on Monday in Riyadh.
The theme this year for the international sculpture symposium on Tahlia Street, which continues until Feb. 22, is “Traces of What Will Be.” It will explore, through contemporary sculpture, themes of transformation and the future of cities.
The event is organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, through Riyadh Art, and its curatorial direction is led by artist Lulwah Al-Homoud, photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg and sculptor Sarah Staton, whose works span public art, spatial research and contemporary visual culture.
Until Feb. 5, the public can watch as artists create large-scale works on site using locally sourced granite and reclaimed metal, offering visitors a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the sculpting process.
The completed works will become part of Riyadh Art’s permanent collection when the event ends, installed at public spaces in the capital as part of the city’s growing public-art program.
Since it began in 2019, Tuwaiq Sculpture has hosted more than 150 artists from around the world, with the aim of establishing Riyadh as a major hub for contemporary public art.
Source: arabnews.com
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General Food Security Authority chief meets Canadian minister in Riyadh
January 12, 2026
RIYADH: General Food Security Authority President Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Fares met with Jodi Banks, deputy minister of trade and export development for the government of Saskatchewan, Canada, and the accompanying delegation in Riyadh on Monday.
During the meeting, they discussed food security in their countries and ways to enhance cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
They also exchanged expertise and reviewed other topics of common interest.
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Makkah forum discusses nonprofit sector’s growing role in pilgrim services
January 12, 2026
JEDDAH: The first Non-Profit Sector Forum in Service of Pilgrims was inaugurated at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce by Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
The opening ceremony was attended by senior officials, government representatives, nonprofit organizations, private sector representatives and donors, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Al-Rabiah highlighted the growing role of the nonprofit sector in serving pilgrims, noting that the number of associations has increased fiftyfold over the past five years, making it a core component of the Hajj and Umrah services ecosystem.
He underscored the ministry’s commitment to empowering the sector by moving “from readiness to sustainability” through a nonprofit strategy for Hajj and Umrah covering 2026 to 2030.
The strategy aims to increase diversity, improve effectiveness and enrich the experience of pilgrims and Umrah performers, the SPA reported.
The ministry oversees more than 100 associations serving Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors through partnerships, innovative initiatives and integrated cooperation between government, private and nonprofit sectors to improve efficiency and service models.
The forum featured a panel discussion on the future aspirations and expected impact of the nonprofit sector in serving pilgrims, the SPA reported.
The session was moderated by Rakan Al-Maddah, vice president of the Kingdom Discovery Sector at the Pilgrims Experience Program, with participation from Musad Al-Daood, mayor of Makkah Municipality; Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah Mashat; and Ghazi Al-Shahrani, CEO of the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques.
Panelists said that the nonprofit sector is an active partner in serving pilgrims, noting that the next phase requires greater diversity and a stronger role within the integrated Hajj and Umrah services system.
Another panel focused on sustainability solutions for the nonprofit sector, addressing funding, partnerships and social responsibility. Speakers emphasized the need to strengthen support, expand partnerships and empower initiatives to enhance the visitor experience.
The forum aims to build the institutional capacity of nonprofit organizations, improve operational readiness and promote the exchange of knowledge and expertise, the SPA reported.
It also seeks to enable endowments and donors to adopt innovative funding and investment models that ensure sustainable, high-quality impact, while strengthening strategic partnerships across sectors.
The forum includes three special workshops to build capacity and institutional readiness, an accompanying exhibition to diplay initiatives and projects, and the signing of agreements to formalize partnerships and enhance cooperation.
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Europe
Zelensky ‘nullifying’ Trump’s peace efforts – Moscow
13 Jan, 2026
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is undermining US mediation efforts by insisting on unrealistic conditions for a peace deal, Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, said on Monday.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has been working to broker a compromise resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Zelensky has maintained, however, that certain “red lines” cannot be crossed – a stance which Nebenzia says ignores the situation on the battlefield.
“By putting forward his conditions in response to the US proposals, he is essentially nullifying what is being done by the US,” the diplomat said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York.
“Until the Kiev ringleader comes to his senses and agrees to realistic terms for negotiations, we will continue solving the problems by military means,” he added. “He was warned long ago, and the conditions for negotiations will only get worse for him with each day he squanders.”
Nebenzia said the Zelensky government is “mired in terrorism, corruption, and lawlessness” and focused on extracting foreign funds for himself and his associates. He argued that Western nations that ignore Ukrainian crimes share responsibility for them. As a recent example of what he called a deliberate Ukrainian strike on civilians, Nebenzia cited New Year’s Eve drone attacks on a cafe in the resort town of Khorly, which killed 29 people and injured over 30.
Nebenzia also criticized a French-British proposal to deploy NATO troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement, stressing that NATO’s expansion toward Russia’s borders is a key cause of the conflict.
Source: rt.com
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EU Parliament bans Iranian diplomats from premises
13 Jan, 2026
The European Parliament has banned all Iranian diplomats and government representatives from its premises, President Roberta Metsola announced on Monday, stating that the “brave people of Iran” need more than just solidarity.
The move comes amid nationwide protests in Iran that began in late December following a sharp depreciation of the national currency. The rallies have escalated into deadly clashes, with mosques, medical centers, and government buildings torched across the country in what Western officials still describe as a peaceful protest movement.
“Today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises,” Metsola wrote in a post on X.
“The people of Iran can continue to rely on this Parliament for support, solidarity, and action,” Metsola wrote in a separate letter to MEPs, seen by Politico.
The ban is effective immediately and applies to all parliamentary buildings in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. “This House will not aid in legitimising this regime,” she stated, explaining that anyone with an Iranian passport will be checked at the door, and those found to be working for the government will be denied access.
“Those braving the streets, those political prisoners still detained, need more than just solidarity,” Metsola added, calling for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be designated as a terrorist organization and for EU sanctions to be extended against more Iranian officials.
US President Donald Trump has also issued a series of statements in recent days in support of the Iranian people’s quest for “freedom.” He claimed that the US is “locked and loaded” to intervene and vowed that the US will “start shooting” if the Iranian authorities open fire on “peaceful protesters.”
The Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of hijacking the protests to unleash a “terrorist war” against the country. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said armed infiltrators aided by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency have shot Iranian security forces and civilian bystanders “to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene militarily.
On Monday, Araghchi told foreign ambassadors that Iran is “prepared for war” but also “ready for negotiations” with the US.
Source: rt.com
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Comments on Melanie Ward's Facebook investigated after mosque incident
12TH JANUARY
By Rory Fell
Police are investigating whether “vitriolic” comments left on a Fife MP’s Facebook post amount to hate crime offences.
Melanie Ward, who represents Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, visited a mosque in the Lang Toun after people praying were allegedly threatened by two men wielding a meat cleaver.
The boxing day incident left women and children terrified, with two men arrested and charged.
Ms Ward said: “The Police have contacted me as they are looking into complaints made by members of the public about racist and threatening comments posted by others on my Facebook page.
“On Boxing Day, two men armed with a meat cleaver threatened people praying at Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre. This was appalling.
“Last week l visited the centre alongside elected colleagues, a local Church of Scotland Minister, and the Police. The visit was to convey support and solidarity in the wake of the awful incident, which left everyone at the mosque frightened, including women and children.
“I posted a picture from that visit on Facebook. The level of racism, hatred and vitriol written by people on that post was so appalling that I had to switch off the comment function, and delete some of the worst abuse.
“I am disgusted that people, most of whom are not from Kirkcaldy or from Fife, would seek to stir up hatred and division in this way. I know that most local people will join me in rejecting this.
“Standing alongside a local group threatened by a meat cleaver is not a controversial thing for a local MP to do; it is the right thing to do. Our community solidarity is one of our area's greatest strengths and I will never stand by whilst outsiders seek to cause harm and sow division.”
A St Andrews man appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court On 29 December 29, charged with threatening and abusive behaviour, carrying an offensive weapon and resisting an officer.
Another man, from Glenrothes, was charged with careless driving, driving under the influence, driving without a licence, threatening and abusive behaviour, and carrying an offensive weapon.
Source: centralfifetimes.com
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Another Complaint filed against Milorad Dodik for Hate Speech
January 12, 2026
Former prison inmate from Prijedor Satko Mujagić submitted another criminal complaint to the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Milorad Dodik for inciting national, racial and religious hatred, discord or intolerance during the pre-election rally of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) in East Sarajevo, reports Detektor.
As stated in the application, on November 10, 2025, at the pre-election meeting of the SNSD in East Sarajevo, Dodik made a speech in which he made a series of statements about Bosniaks, whom he called “Muslims” and “Turks”, “subjects”, accusing them of lies, Islamization and domination over Christians.
– This city must not allow additional Islamization. Let go of the stories that we are the same people. We are not the same faith. Nobody lies more than Turks. To oppose the great Muslim nationalism which is the reincarnation of political Islam, which has not finished its work here. It is not their Bosnia and Herzegovina. The story of a unitary Bosnia fails because they are not their own, but their subjects. Unlike us Serbs who know it, can do it and want it – Dodik’s speech was quoted in the application.
Mujagić told Detektor that his goal is not to “go to court” with anyone, not even with Dodik, but since the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH has not been doing its job properly for years and is not prosecuting hate speech as a matter of official duty, he filed a report.
– The point is that we have to learn to live in a state governed by the rule of law, where breaking the law is sanctioned, regardless of who it is. And precisely such statements from his “level” lead to others, even to incidents. Such insults and qualifications led to anarchy and mass crimes during the war – says Mujagić.
According to the application, this statement was made in the context of a political speech or media appearance, and refers to Bosniaks as an ethnic group and Muslims as a religious group, portraying them as liars and untrustworthy, and subjects, which is a classic example of hate speech.
– Considering the current security situation in the world, and the numerous war crimes and genocide committed against Bosniaks 30 years ago, this statement brings unrest and fear among Bosniaks, and violates the good interpersonal relations that were built after the war – the application states.
Verbal terror
Mujagić believes that there was enough verbal terrorizing.
– And I am ready to withdraw the report tomorrow if the person in question symbolically withdraws his statements, and if Kajganić [Milanko] continues to delay, the next step is disciplinary proceedings against him and the prosecutor working on this case, because they are not doing the work for which they are paid – concludes Mujagić.
In the document, Mujagić reminded that this new statement follows on from the suspect’s previous, similar statement from August 3, 2021, given during a guest appearance on the entity TV channel RTRS. At the time, Dodik said that Bosniaks were “subjective people without character and capacity”.
Four years ago, Mujagić filed a criminal complaint with the BiH Prosecutor’s Office for this statement, but no decision has yet been made. Mujagić also referred to this report as additional evidence.
– The case is being worked on, actions are being carried out according to the order of the prosecutor – the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH replied to Detektor.
“Like amoebas”
Detektor previously wrote that the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH decided not to process the complaint against Milorad Dodik for inciting religious hatred during a speech at a pre-election rally where he said that “Muslims are moving like amoebas” to areas where Serbs live.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina first confirmed that it had opened a case, but soon announced that it had been transferred to the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in East Sarajevo. The state prosecutors determined that the statements did not commit the criminal offense of inciting national and religious hatred, so they transferred the case to the East Sarajevo District Public Prosecutor’s Office, with the suggestion that it be prosecuted as public incitement and incitement of violence and hatred.
An earlier investigation by Detektor revealed that Dodik is the single largest source of hateful messages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the politician with the most statements that could encourage the spread of hatred recorded in the database during 2022, but only one investigation was conducted against him at that time, and to this day not a single indictment has been brought for hate speech, which he continued during the election campaign.
Source: sarajevotimes.com
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https://sarajevotimes.com/another-complaint-filed-against-milorad-dodik-for-hate-speech/
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Cops probe online abuse after MP visits Scots mosque following 'meat cleaver incident'
Gemma Ryder
12 Jan 2026
A probe has been launched into offensive online posts after a Scottish Labour MP posted a photo on social media of her visit to an Islamic centre.
Melanie Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, visited Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre on January 3 alongside a local Church of Scotland minister, Claire Baker MSP and police to show “support and solidarity” following an alleged Boxing Day disturbance in the centre’s car park involving two men with meat cleavers.
Two men, both aged 46, have appeared in court in connection with the incident on Boxing Day. Michael Williamson, from St Andrews, was charged with threatening and abusive behaviour, carrying an offensive weapon, and resisting an officer. He made no plea and was remanded in custody.
Craig Robertson, from Glenrothes, faced charges including careless driving, driving under the influence, driving without a licence, threatening and abusive behaviour, and carrying an offensive weapon. He also made no plea and was remanded in custody.
Officers from Police Scotland said there was no hate crime element to the disturbance.
Following her visit, Ward shared a photo online but said she was left “disgusted” by some of the comments, many of which were racist or threatening.
“The level of racism, hatred and vitriol written by people on that post was so appalling that I had to switch off the comment function, and delete some of the worst abuse,” she said. “The police have been investigating whether some of those abusive posts meet a criminal threshold.
“I am disgusted that people – most of whom are not from Kirkcaldy or Fife – would seek to stir up hatred and division in this way. I know that most local people will join me in rejecting this.”
Ward added: “Standing alongside a local group threatened by a meat cleaver is not controversial; it is the right thing to do. Our community solidarity is one of our area’s greatest strengths and I will never stand by whilst outsiders seek to cause harm and sow division.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed that comments on the post are being assessed to establish whether any criminality has occurred.
A spokesperson from the force said: “A report in relation to offensive online communication has been received. It is being assessed regarding any criminality.”
Source: dailyrecord.co.uk
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cops-probe-online-abuse-after-36540505
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Mandelson makes personal apology for continuing Epstein friendship
13 Jan 2026
Nicholas Watt
Lord Mandelson has offered a personal apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein over his decision to maintain a friendship with the late paedophile after his conviction.
The former cabinet minister had faced criticism after he offered a limited apology for system failures that had let women down, in a BBC interview on Sunday.
But in a statement to BBC Newsnight on Monday, Lord Mandelson went further: "Yesterday, I did not want to be held responsible for his [Jeffrey Epstein's] crimes of which I was ignorant, not indifferent, because of the lies he told me and so many others.
"I was wrong to believe him following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."
The UK government dismissed Lord Mandelson as its ambassador to the US last September. Downing Street said "new information" had emerged relating to the former ambassador's friendship with Epstein.
Emails revealed Lord Mandelson had been in contact with Epstein after the American financier's first conviction in 2008, where he advised Epstein to clear his name in a string of supportive messages.
Epstein's first conviction was part of a plea bargain Epstein reached in Florida. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to two charges, including soliciting girls as young as 14 for prostitution.
In 2019, Epstein died in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
In his first interview since his dismissal as ambassador on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Lord Mandelson did not apologise for maintaining his friendship with Epstein, insisting that he would have done so if he were "in any way complicit or culpable".
During the interview, Mandelson also said he believed he was "kept separate" from Epstein's sex life because he is gay and denied seeing young girls at Epstein's properties.
One cabinet minister told BBC Newsnight that Mandelson was now "persona non grata". Another minister described his interview as "horrendous and toe curling".
Lord Mandelson has now offered a personal apology after a backlash against his interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday.
In his statement to BBC Newsnight, Lord Mandelson said: "I was never culpable or complicit in his crimes. Like everyone else I learned the actual truth about him after his death.
"But his victims did know what he was doing, their voices were not heard and I am sorry I was amongst those who believed him over them."
Labour peer Baroness Kennedy told Newsnight on Monday it was "shocking" Lord Mandelson had not initially apologised.
She said: "I think it was shocking to many people that he didn't.
"I'm glad he's come out tonight and at least now is saying that his preoccupation was that people should understand that he did not himself know and had been persuaded."
She added: "Somebody like Peter Mandelson should have known better than to go on television and not to be apologising to those women who have suffered so terribly."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce9yv73klx5o
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Hungary grants asylum to Polish ex-justice minister
13 Jan 2026
Adam Easton
Hungary has granted political asylum to Poland's former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro who is facing charges of embezzlement.
Ziobro is facing 26 charges related to embezzling money from a fund meant to be spent on crime victims and rehabilitating criminals.
Instead, he is accused of authorising the purchase of spyware that was allegedly used to hack political opponents' phones. He says he is a victim of political persecution.
Granting asylum to a citizen of a fellow EU member state goes against the spirit of EU standards.
But in the case of Hungary it is neither new nor surprising.
Ziobro is the second politician of the former Law and Justice-led government to be granted this status - last year it was his former deputy Marcin Romanowski who fled to Budapest to seek protection.
Both are accused of corruption and misusing their power - most notably by using the money of the state-controlled Justice Fund which was under their oversight in order to fund their party and its cronies.
Ziobro was justice minister between 2015 and 2023 under the previous right-wing PiS-led government, which is politically aligned to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
If found guilty he could face up to 25 years in prison.
Writing on X, Ziobro said: "I have decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the government of Hungary due to the political persecution in Poland."
"I have chosen to fight against political banditry and lawlessness. I stand in opposition to a creeping dictatorship," Ziobro added, accusing Prime Minister Donald Tusk of waging a "vendetta" against him.
Ziobro is accused of authorising a 25m zloty ($7m; £5.15m) purchase of Israeli-made Pegasus spyware, which Poland's current coalition government and a European Parliament investigative team found was used to secretly hack the phones of political opponents.
Current Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his phone was hacked and Tusk said his wife's and daughter's phones were also hacked.
Ziobro is also accused of awarding Justice Fund grants to fire stations and women's associations without proper competition to bolster support for the government.
As minister of justice from 2015 to 2023, Ziobro was the author of judiciary reforms which provoked a major conflict with Brussels.
The issue led to a freeze of EU money for Poland as well as to verdicts of the European Court of Justice, which deemed them as violating fundamental EU rules and standards including the principle of judicial independence.
Orban, who faced similar criticism, and the PiS rejected and ignored those rulings, saying they violated Poland's sovereignty and constituted an overreach of Brussels's powers.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9n3r2p7zo
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UK urged to act over Palestine Action hunger strikers
12 Jan, 2026
Former hunger-strikers from Ireland, Palestine, and the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay have appealed to the UK government to intervene over pro-Palestine activists in British prisons, some of whom have been refusing food for over two months, warning that their lives are at risk.
In an open letter published by Al Jazeera on Sunday, the signatories said they were acting “in uncompromising solidarity” with eight Palestine Action prisoners who began refusing food in November.
The detainees are being held in detention in connection with alleged break-ins and damage at Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems UK’s site in Filton near Bristol and at RAF Brize Norton airbase in Oxfordshire.
Currently, three activists reportedly remain on hunger strike, while the others have suspended it.
The prisoners deny the charges. Their demands include immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, and the lifting of the terrorism designation imposed on the Palestine Action group, which was outlawed in July after activists spray-painted two planes red at Brize Norton in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.
The authors of the letter said the activists were imprisoned “without trial and without conviction,” accusing the authorities of “injustice” and of using terrorism-related language to “strip these prisoners of public sympathy and basic rights before any trial takes place.” They claim detention periods could last up to two years, exceeding normal custody time limits.
The signatories compared the case to earlier hunger strikes by suffragettes, Irish republican inmates in 1981 – when several prisoners died in Long Kesh prison – and Guantanamo detainees in the 2000s, arguing those movements were later vindicated.
They called for an “urgent ministerial meeting” with families and lawyers, “immediate bail” for the Palestine Action prisoners, the dropping of terrorism related charges, “fair trial conditions free from fear driven narrative and political interference,” access to independent medical care, an end to censorship and visit restrictions.
One of the hunger strikers, Kamran Ahmed, was hospitalized last week for a heart complication, according to Sky News, which cited medics warning they could be at risk of death.
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson has said hunger strikes are “not a new issue” for British prisons and that ministers will not meet the detainees, arguing it would be “entirely unconstitutional and inappropriate” for the government to intervene in ongoing legal cases.
The authors of the letter argued that “hunger strikes end only when power intervenes, or when people die.”
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/630859-palestine-action-hunger-strikers/
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North America
Anti‑Iranian protests in Los Angeles turn chaotic after truck drives into crowd — What we know so far
Jan 13, 2026
A peaceful demonstration in support of protests in Iran turned chaotic on Sunday in Los Angeles when a U‑Haul truck drove into a crowd of demonstrators.
The rally drew hundreds of people expressing solidarity with anti‑Iranian regime protests abroad. Video and eyewitness accounts show the truck entering the area around 3.30pm, causing protesters to scramble out of the way as it moved through the street. Officers later stopped the vehicle several blocks away and took the driver into custody. One person was struck by the truck but did not suffer serious injuries, and others declined medical transport after being checked by emergency crews.
After the truck entered the crowd, many protesters swarmed the vehicle. Footage shows people surrounding the truck, smashing its windows, attempting to remove signs from its side and confronting the driver. Some demonstrators tried to pull the driver out of the vehicle and struck it with flagpoles before police pushed the crowd back. Authorities eventually escorted the driver into custody as the situation remained tense at the scene.
Los Angeles police confirmed that the adult male driver was detained “pending further investigation”. Captain Mike Bland of the LAPD said the incident is under review and could lead to assault charges, with the vehicle being treated as a possible deadly weapon.
The identity of the driver or the details are still not public as of Monday. The truck displayed political slogans referencing Iran’s 1953 coup, but officials have not called the event a terrorist act. Law enforcement has asked for witness footage and statements to help clarify what occurred.
The protest in Westwood was part of a wave of demonstrations by Iranian communities and supporters across the world reacting to protests and a harsh government response in Iran itself. Unrest in the Middle East has drawn global attention, with many in the diaspora calling for change and an end to violent crackdowns under the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/antiiranian-protests-in-los-angeles-turn-chaotic-after-truck-drives-into-crowd-what-we-know-so-far/articleshowprint/126492172.cms
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Mayor Mamdani urges nurses to ‘stay at the table’ as thousands walk out in biggest nurse strike in NYC history
Jan 12, 2026
Thousands of nurses across three major hospital systems in New York City are walking off the job Monday after weekend negotiations failed to produce agreements, triggering what union leaders say is the largest nurses’ strike in the city’s history. The walkout is affecting The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, New York-Presbyterian, and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, with picket lines forming early in the day.
Nearly 15,000 nurses participated in the strike after no deal was reached, according to Nancy Hagans, president of the New York State Nurses Association. The union said a vast majority of its members had voted to authorize the strike last month. The work stoppage comes amid a severe flu season, raising concerns about patient transfers, canceled procedures, ambulance diversions, and added strain on hospitals not involved in the dispute, as patients seek care elsewhere.
Hospitals involved in the strike said they have hired temporary nurses to cover staffing gaps and insisted patient care would continue. During negotiations, hospital systems said they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore also issued a message assuring patients that scheduled appointments would be kept.
What nurses are demanding, and why talks collapsed
Although the strike is happening across multiple hospital systems at the same time, each facility is negotiating separately with the union. In recent days, several other hospitals in New York City and surrounding suburbs reached agreements that avoided walkouts.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but staffing levels and workplace safety remain the core issues. The union says nurses are being assigned unmanageable workloads and that hospitals have failed to meet earlier staffing commitments. Nurses are also calling for stronger security measures following recent violent incidents, including one last week in which a man armed with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room before being killed by police. The union has also raised concerns about hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospital systems involved in the talks say they have been working to improve staffing but argue that the union’s overall demands would be too costly.
City leaders warn of risks as flu season strains hospitals
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani both expressed concern as the strike deadline approached.
In an X post, Mamdani said: “The safety and wellbeing of this city is my top priority and ensuring New Yorkers have the care they need is critical, especially during flu season. The city's Emergency Management team, FDNY, health department, public hospital system, and my senior leadership team are in constant communication and closely monitoring the situation. We are prepared for any and all scenarios, including a strike. No New Yorker should have to fear losing access to health care, and no nurse should be asked to accept less pay, fewer benefits or less dignity for doing lifesaving work. Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable. I'm relieved that most hospitals have reached an agreement and urge the remaining parties to stay at the table and reach a deal that both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
The last major nurses’ strike in New York City occurred in 2023, when the same union staged a three-day walkout at Mount Sinai and Montefiore. That strike resulted in a contract that included pay raises totaling 19% over three years and promised staffing improvements. During that walkout, hospitals postponed non-emergency surgeries, diverted ambulances, transferred some patients, and relied on temporary nurses and administrators with clinical backgrounds. Some patients reported longer wait times and thinner staffing.
Now, the union says hospitals are retreating from those earlier guarantees and falling short on other commitments, while hospital systems dispute that claim. In contrast, several smaller hospitals, including multiple Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, have reached deals in recent days that the union said made sufficient progress to avert strikes.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/mayor-mamdani-urges-nurses-to-stay-at-the-table-as-thousands-walk-out-in-biggest-nurse-strike-in-nyc-history/articleshowprint/126486079.cms
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Commotion in court as man accused of attacking imam denied bail
By Tara Cosoleto
Jan 13, 2026
A man accused of attacking an Islamic religious leader in a road rage incident has tried to jump out of the dock after being refused bail.
Brendan Nicholls, 23, made the application in Dandenong Magistrates Court today after being charged with criminal damage and assault.
It's alleged Nicholls and a 22-year-old Cranbourne East man abused Imam Ismet Purdic and his wife in Melbourne's south-east on Saturday.
Police say the couple were travelling along the South Gippsland Highway in Dandenong South about 7.40pm when the occupants of a small black hatchback allegedly targeted them.
The couple's vehicle was boxed in and the accused allegedly drove dangerously to intimidate them before getting out and kicking the imam's car.
Imam Purdic was allegedly punched in the face while his wife was called a "Muslim b---" during the incident, the court was told.
Bystanders intervened before the accused allegedly returned to their vehicle and fled.
Nicholls and his co-accused were arrested in Dandenong South on Sunday and charged with criminal damage and common assault.
The 22-year-old man was bailed to appear at court in May, while Nicholls briefly faced Dandenong Magistrates Court yesterday.
His bail application was adjourned to today as he was withdrawing from drugs and was unfit to see a magistrate.
Today, Detective Senior Constable Courtney Milner told the court Nicholls was also facing separate allegations of choking a woman.
It's alleged he attacked the woman in December, choking her twice until she felt faint and dizzy.
The detective said Nicholls was an immediate risk to the woman's safety and no bail conditions could alleviate those concerns.
But Nicholls' lawyer said his client should be bailed because he had available treatment for drug and anger issues through the court-integrated services program.
Nicholls could also live with his mother in stable accommodation at a Dandenong South caravan park, the lawyer said.
But Det Sen Const Milner raised concerns about the address, saying the co-accused from Saturday's incident also lived in the same caravan park.
Magistrate Hugh Radford also flagged that as an issue as he refused Nicholls' bail application.
He accepted it was Nicholls' first time in custody and the CISP program would assist him if released.
But Radford said Nicholls would be facing a jail term if convicted, noting the choking allegations were relatively strong and the alleged attack on the imam was concerning.
There was commotion in the court as the magistrate handed down his decision, with Nicholls swearing and trying to jump out of the dock.
His mother ran to him but the guards pulled him from the courtroom.
Nicholls was remanded in custody to return to court in February.
Source: 9news.com.au
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https://www.9news.com.au/national/commotion-in-court-as-accused-imam-attacker-denied-bail/9936aea5-da3f-4168-a071-245947b80034
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Former Fed chairs condemn criminal investigation into Jerome Powell
Jan 13, 2026
Danielle Kaye
Three former heads of the US central bank on Monday strongly criticised a criminal investigation into chair Jerome Powell, describing it as a bid to undermine the Federal Reserve's independence.
In a statement, Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan, along with 10 other eminent former officials, rallied behind Powell.
"This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly," the former officials wrote.
"It has no place in the United States whose greatest strength is the rule of law, which is at the foundation of our economic success," they added.
The move by the Department of Justice (DoJ) comes after a year of relentless attacks on Powell by US President Donald Trump.
As well as criticising Powell's decisions on interest rates, Trump has launched personal attacks, calling the Fed chair a "major loser" and "numbskull".
The president said he did not "know anything" about the investigation. The Justice Department has been contacted for comment.
The DoJ probe was first disclosed by Powell in an unscheduled video statement on Sunday. He said the Justice Department had threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee last year about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings.
Powell called the investigation "unprecedented" and said he believed it stemmed from Trump's anger that the Fed had not brought interest rates down more quickly.
"This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings," Powell said. "Those are pretexts."
The central bank lowered the target for its key lending rate three times in the second half of 2025, putting it in a range of 3.50% to 3.75% - its lowest level in three years. But Trump has repeatedly said that the central bank has not cut interest rates as sharply as he would like.
The DoJ probe "should be seen in the broader context of the administration's threats and ongoing pressure", Powell said in his statement.
Monday's public condemnation of the DoJ move has been signed by former federal government officials appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents.
When asked by Fox News on Monday about the Fed's independence, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt deferred to the Justice Department.
"Jerome Powell has proved he's no good at his job," Leavitt said. "As to whether he's a criminal, that's an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find."
Trump has publicly urged Powell to cut interest rates in order to reduce the US government's hefty borrowing costs and to make it easier for Americans to get mortgages and other loans.
Last year, he spent months attacking Powell on social media and in remarks to reporters. He floated the possibility of firing Powell, only to quickly abandon the idea, which analysts say would rock financial markets and spark a legal battle.
Yellen, who served as Fed chair for a year during Trump's first term before she was replaced by Powell, said in separate comments that the probe was "extremely chilling".
"Knowing Powell as well as I do, the odds that he would have lied are zero so I do believe they're going after him because they want his seat and want him gone," Yellen told CNBC.
She suggested investors should be concerned about the development.
"You have a president that says the Fed should be cutting rates to lower rate payments on the federal debt… It is the road to banana republic."
Trump is expected to name someone in the coming weeks to replace Powell, whose term as Fed chairman will end in May.
But the Justice Department investigation and subsequent backlash could disrupt the confirmation process.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who is a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said he would oppose the nomination of Powell's replacement by Trump, and any other Fed Board nominee, until the matter was "fully resolved".
Initial reaction in US stock markets was muted on Monday. The S&P 500 was roughly flat in early afternoon trading - a notable contrast to last year, when markets were jolted by perceived threats to the Fed's independence.
Global markets also proved "remarkably resilient" on Monday, said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. She noted that despite the overall calm, financial stocks did slump, as investors weighed the effects of a possible 10% cap on credit card interest rates.
Still, analysts said the market reaction could grow if Trump succeeded in influencing Fed policy.
Some Republican lawmakers also raised concerns about how the Justice Department probe might affect the Fed's work.
Representative French Hill, the Republican chair of the House Financial Services Committee, said in a statement that the investigation was causing an "unnecessary distraction" and it could "undermine this and future administrations' ability to make sound monetary policy decisions".
Senator Kevin Cramer, a Republican member of the Senate Banking Committee, criticised Powell in a statement but added: "I do not believe however, he is a criminal. I hope this criminal investigation can be put to rest."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c394xwdve9lo
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Trump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Machado at the White House
Jan 13, 2026
Sakshi Venkatraman
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado will meet President Donald Trump on Thursday, the White House has confirmed.
The visit comes just weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was seized in Caracas by US forces. But Trump declined to endorse Machado, whose movement claimed victory in 2024's widely contested elections, as its new leader.
The US instead backed Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
Machado said last week she hoped to thank Trump personally for the action against Maduro and would like to give the Nobel Prize to him. Trump called it "a great honour", but the Nobel Committee later clarified that it was not transferable.
Earlier, Trump had expressed displeasure over Machado's decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour the president has long coveted.
Asked on Friday whether receiving Machado's prize might change his view of her role in Venezuela, the president said: "She might be involved in some aspect of it."
"I will have to speak to her. I think it's very nice that she wants to come in. And that's what I understand the reason is," he said.
Earlier this month, after Maduro's ouster, Trump had said Machado "doesn't have the support within, or the respect within, the country". "She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect," he said.
The US has so far backed Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela's interim president.
Trump describes Rodríguez as an "ally", and she has not been charged by US officials with any crimes.
"Delcy Rodríguez and her team have been very cooperative with the United States," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
But Machado has maintained that her coalition should "absolutely" be in charge of the country.
Machado has said nobody trusted Rodríguez, telling CBS that the interim leader was "one of the main architects... of repression for innocent people" in the South American country.
"Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played," Machado said.
The former legislator, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, described US military action in Venezuela as "a major step towards restoring prosperity and rule of law and democracy in Venezuela".
Rodríguez has rebuffed claims by Trump that the US was in charge of Venezuela.
"The Venezuelan government rules our country, and no-one else does," she said in a televised speech. "There is no external agent governing Venezuela."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7jzpr95yvo
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Minnesota sues Trump administration to block surge of ICE agents
Jan 13, 2026
Max Matza
The US state of Minnesota has sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block a surge of federal immigration agents into the state.
The lawsuit argues the deployment amounts to an unconstitutional "federal invasion". Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison said immigration operations had upended life for millions and caused "chaos and violence".
It comes after Renee Good, 37, was shot dead by an immigration agent in Minneapolis last week, triggering large protests in the city.
The lawsuit asks a federal court to declare the deployment illegal. The Trump administration has described the legal action as "baseless".
It has said said the agents are targeting undocumented migrants, and further agents are needed to ensure their safety during operations.
In a news conference on Monday, Ellison said the deployment violated the state's "sovereign authority to protect the health and wellbeing of every single person who lives within our borders".
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey alleged that agents were illegally targeting people who they assumed to be immigrants based on racial profiling. He said their actions had led to an increase in calls to 911, and forced city police to work overtime to investigate incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"The unlawful deployment of thousands of armed, masked, and poorly trained federal agents is hurting Minnesota," Ellison said.
He accused the Trump administration of "persecuting the state of Minnesota because of our political views". Democrats currently hold the governorship and control the state legislature.
"Keith Ellison made it abundantly clear today he is prioritising politics over public safety," Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
"This is a baseless lawsuit, and we look forward to proving that in court."
During the news conference, prosecutors said they would attempt to get a court to issue a temporary restraining order to block the deployment as early as Tuesday.
It comes as the US Department of Homeland Security says it plans to send more agents into the state as part of its Operation Metro Surge.
The department says the deployment is necessary to combat illegal immigration and crime. According to recent estimates, around 2,000 agents have been deployed to Minnesota.
Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News that "hundreds more" will be sent to the area "in order to allow our ICE and our Border Patrol individuals that are working in Minneapolis to do so safely".
The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago filed a similar lawsuit on Monday against what it called an "organized bombardment" and "occupation" by federal immigration agents.
"Uniformed, military-trained personnel, carrying semi-automatic firearms and military-grade weaponry, have rampaged for months through Chicago and the surrounding areas," the Illinois lawsuit states.
The shooting of Good last week led to fierce debate over federal law enforcement operations in US cities. Federal officials allege that the 37-year-old was attempting to run over immigration agents with her car when she was shot. Local officials have disputed this, and say firing shots was not necessary.
The FBI has said it will investigate the shooting. Local officials say they are being shut out of the federal investigation.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c394xywlj8jo
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US Fed chief accuses Trump of ‘intimidation’
12 Jan, 2026
US President Donald Trump’s administration is using a criminal investigation as “intimidation” to pressure the Federal Reserve over its monetary policy, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Monday.
The US president has long criticized Powell for refusing to make bigger interest-rate cuts, as well as over the $2.5 billion in reconstruction costs of the institution’s historical buildings, which Trump described as excessive.
The inquiry into whether Powell lied to Congress about the scope and costs of the Fed buildings renovation was approved in November by US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, a longtime Trump ally, the New York Times wrote on Sunday, citing insiders.
“This new threat is not about my testimony [to Congress] last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings,” Powell said in a video address published on X, arguing that the reasons given by the Department of Justice for the probe “are pretexts.”
The US president has denied any links to the investigation.
“I don’t know anything about it, but he’s certainly not very good at the Fed, and he’s not very good at building buildings,” he told NBC news on Sunday.
Trump had long threatened to replace Powell, arguing that the Fed’s refusal to cut rates faster was slowing down the US economy.
Powell has maintained that he has always done his job “without political fear or favor,” no matter the administration, and has vowed to continue to do so. He has served as Fed chair since 2018, nominated for the position by Trump during his first presidential term, and renominated by former President Joe Biden in 2022.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/630871-us-fed-chief-intimidation-trump/
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Bidets and cats: Zohran Mamdani reveals his plans for Gracie Mansion as he moves in with wife Rama Duwaji
Jan 13, 2026
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji have officially moved into the Gracie Mansion, the official mayor's residence in Manhattan. The 34-year-old mayor held a press conference at the mansion on January 12, 2026 addressing the media about the move and his plans for the historical 11,000 square foot home on the Upper East Side.
“Today is moving day. Tonight will be the first night that I sleep in Gracie. … We are so grateful to all of those who have already welcomed us to the Upper East Side, and I’m delighted to be back in the borough where I grew up, within walking distance of many of the museums that I went to as a teenager in this city,” Mamdani told the reporters during the conference.
However, he was quick to emphasise that the 18th-century mansion is not meant to feel like a private estate, repeatedly framing it as “the people’s house,” and sharing some of his plans for it.
Zohran Mamdani's quirky plans for Gracie Mansion
“Gracie has lived many lives,” he said. “And that legacy is not one that should be relegated to the past.”
Mamdani claimed he wanted to keep the mansion accessible and welcoming to New Yorkers who didn't get invited inside typically, promising to keep the space open beyond ceremonial events and formal receptions.
When asked what he plans to alter inside the mansion, he said decisions were still forthcoming but there were a few domestic priorities. One of them was installing bidets, plumbing fixtures that help people clean themselves after using the bathroom. “One thing that we will change is we will be installing a few bidets into Gracie Mansion,” he said. “That’s an aspirational hope. We’ll see if we can actually get it done.”
Additionally, the mayor revisited his desire to get a cat. He noted that due to his feline allergies, the same wasn't possible before but he is currently undergoing allergy shots to make that possible. “I am currently getting my allergy shots so that I can fight off my allergy to cats,” he said. “That’s the hope.”
However, Mamdani was insistent on addressing that despite his address, his day-to-day habits would remain intact. He said he still plans to take the subway, ride buses, use Citi Bike and spend time "in the streets" with New Yorkers, rather than retreat behind the gates of the mansion.
“I may be changing where I rest my head at the end of every evening,” he said, “but I will not be changing anything about how I interact with the incredible New Yorkers who call this city home.”
What lies inside Gracie Mansion?
For one, the house is rumoured to be haunted. However, Mamdani said he hasn't met the ghosts yet. “I haven’t yet met the ghost or heard from the ghost,” he quipped.
Apart from that, he and his illustrator wife Rama Duwaji are now privy to five bedrooms on the upper floor of the house that they can redecorate as they please. Downstairs, there is a formal ballroom and dining room along with an in-house chef.
The 227-year-old mansion is surrounded by a sprawling lawn with views of the East River and a veranda too.
What prompted Mamdani to move to the Gracie Mansion?
Before their move, Mamdani and his wife lived in Astoria, which is separated from Gracie only by a bend of the East River. The couple who tied the knot in 2025, lived in a rent-stabilised apartment since 2019 while paying $2,300 a month.
Considering his campaigning on affordable housing in NYC, moving into a mansion was actually prompted by a desire for security. “This decision came down to our family’s safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for,” said the mayor in a statement last month.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/bidets-and-cats-zohran-mamdani-reveals-his-plans-for-gracie-mansion-as-he-moves-in-with-wife-rama-duwaji/articleshowprint/126494652.cms
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‘Creepy’ and ‘Clownism’: Trump’s ‘grabbing’ joke about Karoline Leavitt during flight turbulence enrages netizens
Jan 13, 2026
American President Donald Trump is known for his fun-loving nature and peculiar humour to many. The 79-year-old Republican president does not shy away from expressing anything that comes to his mind. From veering away in speeches to reading notes out loud, he has acknowledged his own tendencies to wander in verbal speech.
However, his most recent comment about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has not made the internet double down with laughter. It has them furious over the President.
While aboard Air Force One on January 11, Trump was engaged in a mid-flight press interview as he returned to Washington from his stay at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. When the plane hit unexpected turbulence, he began searching for something to hold onto and balance himself with. Then, made a remark about the only person standing behind him, Karoline Leavitt.
“I’m looking for something to grab here because it’s going to get rough. I don’t seem to be in a great… I think you did this to me. You put me in a position where there is absolutely nothing to grab. So I’m looking for something to grab, and it’s not going to be Karoline,” he said on camera.
As he turned back to search for something to grab, Leavitt stepped aside showing him a handle nearby to grab on.
Netizens react to the viral video
The video of the seemingly humorous exchange quickly went viral online, prompting numerous comments condemning the President's thoughtless remark and raising questions about appropriateness and tone.
“What A Creep!," wrote an X user.
"Karoline is smiling but she is scared of Trump not sure what he may do," pointed out another.
"Always with the tasteless comments, even at a moment like that," condemned one.
"Absolute Clownism from him," quipped another.
Trump and Leavitt's flirty relationship
Interestingly, this isn't the first time Trump has made a comment on the 28-year-old press secretary. Previously, he has made a lengthy comment about Leavitt's physical appearance and professional prowess. “She’s become a star. It’s that face. It’s that brain. It’s those lips, the way they move. They move like she’s a machine gun,” he said.
The comparison of Leavitt's lips to a 'machine gun' drew immediate online criticism with many dubbing the remark inappropriate.
Trump's history of surprising comments
Karoline Leavitt isn't the only woman Trump has made eye-raising comments about. During the Christmas reception at the White House, Trump paused midway and grinned at a woman in the crowd. “Boy, you look like Ivanka,” he said, referring to his 44-year-old daughter. “Has anyone ever told you that? I’m looking and saying, ‘Is that Ivanka?’”
He even asked the woman to "turn around for the camera" asking the crowd to weigh in, “Doesn’t she look like Ivanka? It’s the most unbelievable thing,” he declared.
Before that he also made a shocking comment about his wife's undergarments. Speaking at a North Carolina rally in December 2025, he went off-topic to talk about the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022. “They went into my wife's closet ... they looked at her drawers,” he said, referring to Melania. The GOP leader then said: “Her undergarments, sometimes referred to as panties, are folded perfect, wrapped. They're, like, so perfect.” He even joked about her maintenance habits, saying, “I think that she steams them.”
While some consider these remarks as expressions of Trump's humorous nature, for others they tend to cross the personal and professional boundary.
Source: indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/creepy-and-clownism-trumps-grabbing-joke-about-karoline-leavitt-during-flight-turbulence-enrages-netizens/articleshowprint/126491330.cms
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Africa
155 Lakurawa Terrorists Killed As US Missiles Hit Sokoto Camps
January 13, 2026
Military airstrikes carried out by the United States in December 2025 killed no fewer than 155 Lakurawa terrorists in parts of Sokoto State.
According to a report by The New Humanitarian, about 200 additional Lakurawa fighters were declared missing in the week following the operation.
The publication disclosed that the strikes were conducted in collaboration with Nigerian authorities and involved Tomahawk missiles launched from a United States Navy destroyer positioned in the Gulf of Guinea.
The missiles reportedly targeted three local government areas – Isa, Tangaza and Tambuwal – although only Tangaza is widely recognised as a core operational base of the Lakurawa group.
While Tambuwal is not generally associated with organised armed violence, Isa is known as a bandit stronghold largely controlled by Bello Turji. However, details of the strike on Isa remain unclear, and Turji is believed to have survived the operation.
The report said a Lakurawa camp in Tangaza suffered the heaviest losses, following what appeared to be a two-stage missile strike.
The first missile reportedly killed about 30 fighters. As surviving members regrouped to assess the damage and assist the wounded, a second missile struck the location, killing those who had gathered.
In total, an estimated 155 Lakurawa fighters were said to have been killed, including 19 who were initially injured but later died from their wounds.
A key Lakurawa commander, Dando Sibu, was reported to have survived the attack after leaving the area less than five minutes before the second missile strike.
In the aftermath, about 200 fighters were reported missing, while the group was also said to have lost nearly half of its cattle – a major source of its revenue.
Despite the losses, the Lakurawa reportedly carried out a major retaliatory attack on Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State on December 31, 2025.
The raid, which lasted several hours, reportedly left at least 21 civilians dead, with nine of the victims said to have been beheaded.
The report noted that the US operation focused solely on the Lakurawa group and did not target other jihadist organisations operating in Nigeria, including Boko Haram and the al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/13/155-lakurawa-terrorists-killed-as-us-missiles-hit-sokoto-camps/
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One Killed As Terrorists Attack Security Operatives At Dangote Cement Factory
January 12, 2026
By George Oshogwe Ogbolu
One member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) was killed on Sunday night when suspected terrorists attacked a police position at Obajana, Kogi State, where security operatives are stationed at the Dangote Cement Factory.
Security sources told SaharaReporters on Monday that the attackers stormed the area late Sunday night in large numbers.
According to the sources, the assault was believed to be a reprisal following a recent military operation in which over 200 terrorists were reportedly killed in the area.
“We lost one CJTF during the attack. There was no police casualty and no arms were lost,” one of the sources said.
The source explained that the terrorists attempted to overrun the police position but were successfully repelled by security forces.
“They came in their numbers, all hooded, to avenge the heavy blow they suffered where over 200 of them were killed.
“They were successfully repelled and still suffered heavy blow even as they evacuated their corpses,” the source added.
Another source confirmed that troops stationed at the Dangote Cement Factory held their ground throughout the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat after sustaining further casualties.
“Last night, some terrorists attacked a police position at Obajana. The troops were stationed at Dangote’s Cement Factory at Obajana,” the source reiterated.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kogi State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the attack.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/12/breaking-one-killed-as-terrorists-attack-security-operatives-at-dangote-cement-factory/
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‘Fake Alfa, Prophet, You Will Die In My Place’ – Saheed Osupa Replies Islamic Cleric
January 12, 2026
By Rachel Okporu Fadoju
Legendary Fuji musician, Saheed Osupa, has replied to a controversial Muslim cleric popularly known as Alfa Olopa Meta, over a death prophecy about him.
Naija News learnt that the Alfa earlier claimed that Osupa will die on January 10 2026.
The cleric who claimed to have begged God on the singer’s behalf told Osupa to buy a big ram for prayers.
However, reacting to the prophecy during a live performance on Sunday, January 11 2026, Osupa said that those wishing him death would die in his place.
He said, “Fake Alfa and prophet please don’t wish me dead. Everyone who wishes me dead will die in my place.
“Close enemies, unknown enemies, enemies of my career and the ones in my neighborhood, better don’t wish me dead, or you would die before me.”
Meanwhile, Saheed Osupa recently expressed appreciation to Grammy award-winning singer, Burna Boy, after naming him his ‘greatest musician of all time’ (GOAT).
Naija News reports that Burna Boy, in a recent chat with tennis legend, Roger Federer, revealed that his “GOAT singers” are mostly Fuji artistes, like Saheed Osupa.
Reacting via his 𝕏 handle on Thursday, Osupa appreciated Burna Boy for the acknowledgement, stressing that the tribute to him on a global stage was a monumental moment that celebrates the soul of Fuji music and its timeless influence.
Saheed emphasised that the honour not only uplifts his journey, but also shines a brilliant light on the rich cultural heritage of Fuji music, bridging generations and genres worldwide.
The Fuji legend added that he looks forward to attending one of Burna Boy’s upcoming concerts.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/12/fake-alfa-prophet-you-will-die-in-my-place-saheed-osupa-replies-islamic-cleric/
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Buratai Raises Alarm Over Presence Of Soldiers Everywhere, Says Police Capacity Eroding
January 13, 2026
By Justina Otio
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has warned that the widespread presence of soldiers across the 36 states in the nation is eroding the growth of the Nigerian Police Force and other civilian security agencies
Naija News reports that military personnel are currently deployed across Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, in support of internal security operations.
However, speaking on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day lecture in Abuja, Buratai argued that the development was weakening the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The extensive deployment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in internal security provides immediate stability, but it also perpetuates a cycle of dependency that weakens civil police capacity and strains defence resources,” Buratai said.
According to him, the situation has created a dangerous imbalance in which the military is overstretched, defence budgets are diverted to routine policing duties, and the Armed Forces’ preparedness for conventional threats is reduced.
Buratai noted that constitutionally, the primary responsibilities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria include defending the nation against external aggression, protecting territorial integrity, suppressing insurrection and providing aid to civil authorities when required.
However, he stressed that internal security should fundamentally be civilian-led and intelligence-driven, with the police and state security services in the forefront.
“Internal security, more or less, should be civil-driven and intelligence-driven by the state intelligence services and the police, essentially,” he said.
He warned that developmental and internal security roles must not permanently replace the military’s core responsibility of defending the country against external threats.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains a vital force for national development and stability, but its expanded internal role must not compromise its core mandate or weaken civilian institutions,” Buratai said.
The former army chief called for a clear, time-bound and conditions-based exit strategy that would gradually return internal security responsibilities to civilian authorities, while preserving the military’s readiness for its primary mandate.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/13/buratai-raises-alarm-over-presence-of-soldiers-everywhere-says-police-capacity-eroding/
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Tinubu Reportedly Warns Rivers Lawmaker To Desist From Impeachment Move
January 13, 2026
By Enioluwa Adeniyi
Fresh indications emerged on Monday that the impeachment process initiated against Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, may not go far, following behind-the-scenes efforts and an alleged intervention by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that 26 lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress in the Rivers State House of Assembly, largely aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, last Thursday initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof Ngozi Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
However, a prominent Niger Delta elder and Ijaw leader, who spoke to Vanguard on the development, expressed optimism that the crisis would soon be resolved.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel for the governor. There is always light over darkness, right over impunity,” the elder said.
The Ijaw leader disclosed that efforts were ongoing behind the scenes to prevent the situation from escalating, though he declined to give details.
He said, “We are doing a lot of things in the background that I cannot disclose.
“But I can assure you that the impeachment process will not go anywhere. By God’s grace, all these things will be settled.”
Tinubu Reportedly Orders Suspension
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that President Tinubu, who is also the national leader of the APC, has directed the Rivers State House of Assembly to immediately suspend all impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy.
According to Vanguard, the President further instructed the lawmakers to consult with the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, for further directives.
The President was also said to have warned the legislators to desist from actions capable of further polarising the state.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/13/tinubu-reportedly-warns-rivers-lawmaker-to-desist-from-impeachment-move/
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Full List Of All Candidates Nominated For Awujale Of Ijebuland’s Throne
January 13, 2026
By George Oshogwe Ogbolu
A total of 95 princes and princesses from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ogun State have indicated interest in emerging as the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
This figure was revealed on Monday by the Olori Ebi of Fusengbuwa Ruling House who is also Otunba Jadiara, Lateef Owoyemi at the commencement of Nomination Meeting of the held at Bisi Rodipe Hall, GRA , Ijebu Ode.
Here is the list of candidates nominated for the position of Awujale of Ijebuland.
Prince Adetunji Adeleke
Prince Bello Ayodeji
Princess Oluwakemi Onanuga
Prince Babatunde Alesinloye
Prince Ayodeji Osibogun
Prince Oluwatosin Osunsanya
Prince Abimbola Onabanjo
Prince Adekunle Adeite
Prince Aderibigbe Morounfolu
Prince Adekoya Onakoya
Prince Odedina Taiwo
Prince Gbadebo Ali Adebambo
Prince Ogunwo Adebowale Emmanuel
Prince Abayomi Kadiri
Prince Hassan Adekunle Olubola
Prince Akintola Adewunmi
Prince Olabode Onanuga
Prince Ayo Olugbenga
Prince Ademorin Kuye
Prince Olamilekan Badiru
Prince Odubiyi Olufemi
Prince Abdulrasheed Kukoyi
Prince Ottun Olaseni
Prince Kayode Adenuga
Prince Adeleye Onanuga
Prince Olanrewaju Mabawonku
Prince Adeyemi Akeem
Prince Nurudeen Akeju
Prince Adeleke Adewale
Prince Olaide Ashiru
Prince Oriola Yusuf
Prince Ajibola Odunsi
Prince Aderibigbe Azeez
Prince Oriola Olawale Yusuf
Prince Fatai Adesegun Arowolo
Prince Alatise Saheed
Prince Bakare Adeleke
Prince Olukokun Adedeji
Prince Oludamisi Tuyo
Prince Jide Taiwo
Prince Adeyinka Bakare
Prince Sakiru Ademola
Prince Aderibigbe Adewunmi
Prince Adeleye Abdul
Prince Ademola Kazeem
Prince Sherrifideen Kazeem
Prince Bello Abiodun
Prince Bashorun Akeem Adetola
Prince Oshifuye Oduntan
Prince Bello Tajudeen
Prince Adegboyega Banjoko
Prince Abdulwaheed Shote
Prince Kama’ldeen Abdul
Prince Odejayi Akintunde
Prince Muideen Adeleye Adio
Prince Olalekan Shote
Prince Mustapha Mojeed
Prince Adegbenga Bakare
Prince Adebiyi Adeleye
Prince Okeowo Olusegun Obafemi
Prince Olumoko Qudus
Prince Shote Kazeem Olawale
Prince Adebowale Olufeko
Prince Muizdeen Abimbola
Prince Bamidele Adenuga
Prince Ogidan Adewale
Prince Adefuwape Adegboyega Abimbola
Prince Oduwole Tajudeen
Prince Adelaju Adenuga
Prince Odedina Oluwatobi
Prince Adekunle Adenuga
Prince Sulaimon Odubanjo
Prince Otun Abubakre Taiwo
Prince Olajibu Olalekan Azeez
Prince Abdul Olamilekan
Prince Adeleye Adeyemi
Prince Odedina Olukayode
Prince Osunsanya Oladapo
Prince Abiodun Onanuga
Prince Muftaudeen Abimbola
Prince Kamorudeen Lawal
Prince Abimbola Olusegun
Prince Tajudeen Abimbola
Prince Hammed Babatunde
Meanwhile, the Olori Ebi Fusengbuwa ruling house and former ICAN President, Otunba Abdul Lateef Owoyemi, has said that anyone displeased with the selection process for the next Awujale should channel grievances to the government, assuring that the kingmakers will not make any mistakes.
He stated that after the due process of nomination and submission of names, the kingmakers would sift through the best candidates and forward their names to the government for approval.
“We have 19 days for anyone aggrieved to express their displeasure. We have 86 princes and princesses who have expressed interest in the throne; we have successfully, peacefully, and harmoniously nominated eighty-six (86) candidates today. Now, it’s in the hands of the kingmakers to do their work and select one of them for us.
“We in the Fusegbuwa ruling house have conducted extensive traditional research through the oracles to guide us on what’s going to happen, and we have no doubt at all that the kingmakers will select the person the Almighty God himself has appointed, and our ancestors have also blessed,” he said.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/13/full-list-of-all-candidates-nominated-for-awujale-of-ijebulands-throne/
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Security Alert As ISWAP Plots Drone Attacks On Military Positions In Yobe, Borno
January 13, 2026
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has significantly expanded its drone capability and is concluding plans to launch coordinated aerial attacks on Nigerian military positions in parts of Yobe and Borno states
A confidential security assessment sighted by Premium Times indicated that the terrorist group intends to deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) against military formations and patrol teams operating in key conflict zones across the two states.
Sources familiar with the intelligence said ISWAP commanders have finalised arrangements for the attacks, which are expected to involve multiple drones operating at the same time against selected military targets.
According to the sources, fighters loyal to the group in the Timbuktu Triangle and Sambisa Forest axis recently received a fresh consignment of about 35 drones, allegedly transported through the Lake Chad corridor, a known logistics route used by insurgents in the North-East.
Security officials disclosed that the drones have already undergone test flights and were confirmed to be operationally ready, raising concerns within the military about a potential escalation in ISWAP’s asymmetric warfare tactics.
ISWAP has increasingly relied on drone technology in recent years, both for reconnaissance and offensive operations, signalling a dangerous evolution in the decade-long insurgency in the region.
Security experts said the group typically modifies commercially available drones to monitor troop movements, adjust mortar fire and, in isolated cases, drop locally fabricated explosive devices on military positions.
Military analysts noted that the group’s growing drone capability mirrors tactics adopted by extremist groups in other conflict theatres, where low-cost UAVs are repurposed to offset conventional military disadvantages.
Nigeria’s armed forces have intensified counter-terrorism operations across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in recent years, killing or capturing key insurgent commanders and dismantling several strongholds.
However, insurgent groups, including ISWAP and Boko Haram, have continued to adapt through the use of improvised explosive devices, ambushes on supply routes and, increasingly, aerial surveillance.
Security sources said the latest intelligence has prompted calls within the Nigerian Armed Forces for the urgent deployment of robust counter-drone systems to protect troops on the frontlines.
Neither the Nigerian Army nor the Defence Headquarters has commented publicly on the intelligence as of the time of filing this report, although military authorities have previously acknowledged the growing threat posed by insurgents’ use of technology.
Naija News reports that the Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009, has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across Nigeria’s North-East. ISWAP, which broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 and later pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, has since emerged as one of the most lethal armed groups in the Lake Chad region.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/13/security-alert-as-iswap-plots-drone-attacks-on-military-positions-in-yobe-borno/
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Fubara’s Impeachment Proceedings Losing Momentum
January 12, 2026
By Rachel Okporu Fadoju
The Impeachment proceedings initiated on the floor of the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara are gradually losing momentum, as the Governor is yet to receive any notice.
Recall that 26 lawmakers, reportedly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, recently initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, during plenary, citing allegations of gross misconduct.
Naija News learnt that four days after the impeachment proceedings began, Fubara is yet to be served with any notice, contrary to claims in some quarters that he has already received the impeachment letter.
A source within government circles, who spoke with Vanguard, disclosed that Governor Fubara had travelled to Abuja following his return from an official trip to Europe on Saturday night.
According to the source, it would have been impossible to serve the Governor with an impeachment notice, given that he has not been physically present in the state for several days.
The source said, “He was in church on Sunday for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day. Immediately after the service, he travelled to Abuja and is yet to return.
“There is no way they could have served him the so-called impeachment letter when he has not been around in the past few days. Reports claiming he has been served cannot be correct.”
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/12/fubaras-impeachment-proceedings-losing-momentum/
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Police Invite Former Rivers SSG Over Alleged Plot To Assassinate Wike
January 12, 2026
The Nigeria Police Force, through its Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has invited a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Wenike Danagogo, for questioning over a leaked phone conversation allegedly linked to a plot to assassinate the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
An invitation letter dated January 9 and issued by the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Intelligence Response Team, Force Intelligence Department, Abuja, directed Danagogo to appear in person at the IRT complex in Guzape District, Abuja.
The letter, obtained by SaharaReporters, instructed Danagogo to report on Thursday, January 15, at 10am, to the IRT facility located at the Old Abattoir area near Guzape Junction, Abuja.
He was also directed to report to CSP Hillary Ugwuanyi and his team upon arrival.
“This office is inviting you over an ongoing investigation, to appear in person to shed light on some information,” the letter stated.
The police described the summons as a fact-finding exercise, citing Section 53(2)(c) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as the legal basis for the invitation.
Although the invitation letter did not mention Wike by name or provide details of the alleged offence, sources familiar with the investigation said the invitation was connected to a viral audio recording that has heightened political tensions in Rivers State.
Danagogo, a close ally of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, previously served as Secretary to the State Government during the political crisis in the state.
Online reports have linked him to the leaked audio purportedly discussing a plan to eliminate Wike, his long-time political rival.
Recall that operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team had arrested a Port Harcourt–based medical doctor and pastor, Dr Tombari Joseph Gbeneol, over an alleged plot to assassinate the former Rivers State governor.
Security sources said Gbeneol, founder of Life Forte Chapel Church in Port Harcourt, was arrested following the interception of a phone conversation allegedly between him and Danagogo.
According to the sources, the recorded conversation reportedly involved discussions about bringing in Israeli nationals to carry out the assassination, with plans to approach Governor Fubara for funding.
“The content of the call was considered a grave national security threat,” a senior security source said, adding that the intelligence prompted immediate action by the IRT.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the case.
“He is in our custody. Investigation is ongoing,” the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said on Monday.
While the police declined to disclose the identity of the suspect or provide further details, sources said detectives are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged plot and identify possible accomplices.
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2026/01/12/just-in-police-invite-former-rivers-ssg-over-alleged-plot-to-assassinate-wike/
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Southeast Asia
Perak Sultan urges leaders to prioritise integrity over lust for power and position
13 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah has voiced concern over segments of the Muslim community who appear to have lost their moral compass, becoming trapped in materialism, obsessed with status, and intoxicated by power.
His Royal Highness said that material wealth has become a new creed for certain quarters of the ummah, fuelling unhealthy rivalry, ethical breaches, and a loss of humanity, as integrity is sacrificed in the pursuit of material gain.
Sultan Nazrin, who also chairs the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI), said integrity is sacrificed in the pursuit of worldly gain, with bribery to secure allegiance and slander to destroy rivals, where humanity appears to regress into a new age of ignorance, enslaved to power other than the Divine.
“Positions and power are, in truth, tests of faith and God-consciousness. When positions and power are not accompanied by faith and God-consciousness, they can erode devotion to the Oneness of Allah, shifting obedience away from divine command towards human decree.
“Allah’s declaration in verses 51 and 52 of Surah An-Nahl must serve as our compass in navigating the vast ocean of life. Reflect deeply, for position and power are at once divine gifts and profound trials,” Sultan Nazrin said at the 74th MKI meeting here today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also in attendance.
Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan and his deputy Marhamah Rosli, as well as Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee.
Sultan Nazrin said Islamic institutions are not immune to negative perceptions when weaknesses in governance or lapses in integrity arise among those entrusted with their leadership.
The Ruler said institutions that embody excellence and integrity are able not only to uplift the ummah, but also correct misconceptions about Islam, strengthen its message, and foster a positive and dignified image of the faith.
Sultan Nazrin stressed that those entrusted with leading Islamic institutions must possess integrity beyond question, think proactively, innovate boldly, work dynamically, and have the courage to cross new frontiers in pursuit of the greater good.
At a time when society is increasingly ensnared by the pursuit of outwardly success, often at the expense of moral integrity, spiritual purity, manners and religious obligations, Sultan Nazrin emphasised that the courage to uphold truth must be instilled from the earliest stages of life.
His Royal Highness stressed that Islam upholds an educational philosophy that prioritises inner strength and balance, nurturing holistic individuals who develop intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and physically, adding that academic excellence alone is insufficient if it is not guided by a clear moral compass, sound character, proper conduct, faith and piety.
“The pure spirit and noble purpose of education must be revived and given precedence in striving to guide the nation onto the right path, so that it may flourish as a territory fair and happy.
“The members of the MKI, representing diverse constituencies within this consultative council, must unite in word and in deed. Central to this endeavour is a steadfast commitment to the educational agenda of the ummah, with priority given to nurturing and guiding the community towards becoming true Muslims,” said His Royal Highness. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Melaka Islamic Religious Dept probes hotel allegedly using ‘gay-friendly’ label after social media buzz
By Malay Mail
13 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — The state government has instructed the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) to investigate claims that a hotel in the state is operating under a “gay-friendly” concept, following a surge of social media attention since yesterday.
State Executive Councillor for Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs, Datuk Rahmad Mariman, said an official statement would be issued after the investigation is completed, according to a report in Harian Metro today.
“I have directed JAIM to look into these allegations,” he said when contacted.
The issue was raised in a social media post by independent preacher Firdaus Wong Wai Hung, who questioned the trend of businesses using “friendly” labels as a marketing strategy.
In his post, he compared the “gay-friendly” concept with other terms such as pet-friendly, family-friendly, and Muslim-friendly, which he said are now widely used in business.
“Creative branding indeed. The label ‘Muslim-friendly’ can become a business, so what about ‘gay-friendly’? What other creative ideas will emerge next? ‘Pig-friendly’ or ‘LGBT-friendly’? I thought only sports had ‘friendly’, but now ‘gay’ has it openly too,” he wrote sarcastically.
The post drew mixed reactions online, with some expressing concern over the open acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in the state.
“Don’t normalise what is wrong…things like this are a test to see if Malaysians will object,” wrote one social media user.
Another user claimed the budget hotel had received poor reviews from customers.
“Good that it went viral. Hopefully, Muslims won’t choose that place,” they commented.
Source: malaymail.com
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Indonesia's defense minister highlights Bosnia ties with mosque visit
January 13, 2026
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited the Soeharto Mosque in Sarajevo during an official trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday, underscoring Jakarta’s humanitarian legacy and expanding defense ties.
In a statement received by ANTARA in Jakarta on Tuesday, the ministry said the visit reflected Indonesia’s historical solidarity and humanitarian commitment to Bosnia following the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
“The mosque was built on the initiative of the Indonesian government as moral and humanitarian support for the Bosnian people during post-war recovery,” Defense Ministry Information Chief Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait said.
Rico said the project symbolized Indonesia’s concern for Bosnia’s reconstruction and its long-standing engagement beyond diplomatic channels during the post-conflict period.
The mosque also reflects Indonesia’s role, particularly under former President Soeharto, in peace diplomacy and international solidarity during Bosnia’s recovery from war, he said.
Rico added that Indonesia consistently supported conflict resolution in Bosnia and Herzegovina through diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and multilateral cooperation during the turbulent 1990s.
Through the mosque visit, Rico said Indonesia aimed to further strengthen bilateral relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina across political, humanitarian, and cultural dimensions.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to deepen strategic partnerships, extending beyond defense cooperation to concrete contributions toward peace and regional stability, he said.
During the trip, Sjafrie also sought to expand military cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of Indonesia’s broader defense diplomacy agenda.
He met Bosnian Defense Minister Zukan Helez at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Sarajevo on Sunday, according to the Indonesian Defense Ministry.
“The bilateral visit aims to strengthen relations and explore the development of strategic defense cooperation,” the ministry said.
The two ministers discussed regional and global strategic dynamics and emphasized the importance of defense cooperation in maintaining international peace and security.
They agreed to cooperate in areas including defense industry development, military education, technology transfer, and joint support for humanitarian and peace missions under United Nations mandates.
The agreements were formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed by both sides during the meeting, the ministry said.
Officials expressed hope that the cooperation would further strengthen bilateral and military relations between Indonesia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the coming years.
Source: antaranews.com
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Zahid asserts support for unity govt ahead of Umno assembly tomorrow
By Malay Mail
13 Jan 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is confident that party members are all for the Malay party to remain a part of the unity government, on the eve of its general assembly tomorrow.
He was asked if he has full support to stay in the government and will not “pull the plug” until the next general election, The Star reported today.
“I have no doubt about it. This is not about my stand, this is the party’s stand,” he was quoted as telling reporters at the World Trade Centre here this afternoon.
Ahmad Zahid said he had raised the matter with the political bureau, the supreme council, and the party’s general assembly three years ago.
“I stand firm on it. The unity government should be strengthened by efforts not just by our party members but also our MPs,” he added.
Umno currently has 26 MPs out of 222 in the Dewan Rakyat.
The unity government is under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is from Pakatan Harapan.
The four-day Umno general assembly 2025 starts tomorrow until January 17 after being postponed twice last year to allow the party to prepare for the Sabah election.
Source: malaymail.com
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Will ‘offensive’ online remarks to ‘annoy’ still no longer be a crime? Federal Court to decide Feb 6
By Ida Lim
13 Jan 2026
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 13 — Was the Court of Appeal correct to decide that “offensive” online comments with the intention to annoy is no longer a crime in Malaysia?
The Federal Court is expected to decide on February 6.
A panel of five judges will deliver the decision, chaired by Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh. The other judges are Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Today, the Federal Court heard the government’s appeal against the Court of Appeal’s decision, which was in favour of activist Heidy Quah’s challenge against parts of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA).
Previously on August 19, 2025, the Court of Appeal ruled that the two words “offensive” and “annoy” in Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) are unconstitutional and invalid.
In other words, the Court of Appeal said that offensive online remarks with the intent to annoy should not be made a crime, as it goes against the right to freedom of speech and expression.
Before it heard the appeal, the Federal Court today allowed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission’s (MCMC) application to be an intervener, or to join the case at this stage.
Three questions in the appeal
The Federal Court is being asked to decide on three questions of law, including the effect of the Federal Constitution’s Article 4(2) in this case.
Another question is whether the objective of CMA’s Section 233(1)(a) – which includes the words “offensive” and “annoy” – is to prevent misuse of online communications network and to protect the Malaysian society’s basic standards, and that it is therefore in the interest of the public order and morality under Article 10(2) of the Federal Constitution.
This is because Article 10(1) of the Federal Constitution guarantees every Malaysian the right to freedom of speech and expression, but Article 10(2) allows Parliament to make laws to restrict this freedom if necessary for reasons such as public order or morality.
Among other things, the government is arguing that the restriction of freedom of expression through Section 233 is allowed as it falls under the category of being for public order and morality.
Just like the government, MCMC also holds the position that the Court of Appeal was wrong to declare the words “offensive” and “annoy” in Section 233 as unconstitutional and invalid.
Senior federal counsels Shamsul Bolhassan and Liew Horng Bin represented the government, while lawyers Benjamin John Dawson, Kresha Paskaren and Nor Syazana Jamaluddin represented the MCMC.
Among other things, Quah’s lawyers argue that the Court of Appeal was correct in deciding that criminalising “offensive” online remarks with the intent to annoy is not a permissible restriction under Article 10(2) and that it is disproportionate to the protection of public order or morality.
Lawyers who represented Quah today are lawyers Datuk Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, New Sin Yew, Surendra Ananth, Nur Izni Syazwani Ahmad, Yvonne Lim, and Abby Si Xinyi.
Four organisations today also provided assistance to the Federal Court as amicus curiae: the Malaysian Bar (represented by lawyers K. Shanmuga and Kee Hui Yee), while lawyers Lim Wei Jiet and Nevyn Vinosh Venudran represented the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Suara Rakyat Malaysia, and International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute.
Shanmuga said the Malaysian Bar urges the Federal Court to uphold the Court of Appeal’s decision, while the three other organisations want the Federal Court to dismiss the Malaysian government’s appeal.
Source: malaymail.com
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JPN denies defying court order in 17-year-old’s MyKad application
12 Jan 2026
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 — The National Registration Department (JPN) asserted that there has been no defiance of a High Court order regarding the MyKad application of a 17-year-old teenager, stating that all actions are being carried out systematically and in accordance with the law.
In a statement today, JPN said the teenager visited the Identity Card Division (BKP) counter at JPN Headquarters in Putrajaya on January 8 to submit the High Court order.
“Following the submission, JPN provided the application forms and a checklist for late registration of an identity card to be completed by the individual as part of the process to implement the Court’s order. However, as of today (January 12), JPN has yet to receive the completed late registration forms from the teenager for further action,” the statement read.
JPN also clarified that the requirement for witnesses on late identity card registration documents is not limited to elected representatives; witnesses can also be employers, community leaders or government officers in the management and professional group.
The department emphasised its full commitment to implementing the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision and order dated December 8 regarding the issuance of the individual’s MyKad within 30 days from the date the application is made, as directed by the court.
The department clarified that while the High Court’s decision pertains to the determination of the individual’s citizenship status, its implementation by JPN must follow the existing legal framework.
This includes requirements for identity card registration for individuals over the age of 16, which are subject to the late registration process.
According to JPN, the case does not merely involve a MyKad application but also involves document fraud during the birth certificate application made by the individual’s mother in 2008.
“The document fraud involved the illegal issuance of birth records by a medical facility, namely Taj Hospital, which has since been blacklisted by JPN. This issue was the basis for the inconsistencies and fraudulent documentation recorded by JPN before the individual’s citizenship status was brought to court,” the statement said.
Consequently, JPN stated that corrective actions and document verification must be carried out first, in line with legal provisions and registration procedures, before any identification documents can be issued.
JPN added that the department cannot simply print and issue a MyKad without completing the necessary record corrections and registration processes, particularly in cases involving prior inconsistencies or fraud while these steps are taken to ensure accuracy, the integrity of national records, and legal compliance.
“JPN consistently upholds the principle of the rule of law and carries out its national registration and documentation responsibilities professionally, transparently, and with integrity,” the statement said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Singapore to review 2012 political pay structure after repeated deferrals
13 Jan 2026
SINGAPORE, Jan 12 — Singapore will reportedly soon review the salaries of its political office holders, following the deferral of the last scheduled review in 2023.
Minister-in-charge of the Public Service Chan Chun Sing yesterday said the move is timely as the salary structure and benchmarks have not been updated since they were introduced in 2012, according to Singapore’s CNA.
He was responding to a parliamentary question by Alex Yam on whether the government would proceed with a review after the earlier delay.
The current framework was reportedly established following a 2012 review, and was intended to be assessed every five years by an independent committee and covers political appointment holders, Members of Parliament and Non-Constituency Members of Parliament.
A subsequent review in 2017 found the framework to be sound and recommended annual adjustments in line with benchmark salaries, but the government chose not to make any changes.
The scheduled review in 2023 was later deferred due to global economic uncertainty and downside risks at the time.
Chan said the government has now convened an independent committee, chaired by Gan Seow Kee, which will submit its report to the government before an update is provided to Parliament.
Source: malaymail.com
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South Asia
Commission Approves Publication of Books Aligned with Islamic and Afghan Values
January 13, 2026
KABUL: The regular meeting of the Book Evaluation Commission under the Publications Affairs Deputy of the Ministry of Information and Culture was held on Monday, approving the Publication of books aligned with Islamic and Afghan values.
The meeting was chaired by Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq Haqmal, Head of Bakhtar News Agency, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
At the outset of the meeting, the commission’s secretary presented a report on the previous session, during which the commission’s achievements and activities were reviewed and positively assessed.
“Decisions were made on many books submitted for evaluation, and books found to be in accordance with Islamic principles and Afghan cultural values were granted official permission for publication,” the statement said.
The commission also reviewed and took necessary decisions regarding 30 titles of imported and exported books, as well as several imported calendars, in line with established regulations.
At the conclusion of the meeting, 16 additional book titles referred to the commission were distributed among its members for detailed review, with reports to be presented at the next scheduled session.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Afghan, Indonesian Officials Discuss Bilateral Relations
January 13, 2026
JAKARTA: Mawlawi Saadullah Baloch, Ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Indonesia, held a meeting with senior officials of Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Director of Consular Affairs, the Director of Central and South Asia Affairs, and the Director of Human Rights, to discuss issues of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation.
According to a statement released by the Afghan Embassy on Monday, the talks covered a range of important topics, notably the situation of Afghan prisoners in Indonesia, the challenges faced by Afghan migrants and traders, and ways to ensure the humane and efficient handling of related cases.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of strengthening consular cooperation between the two countries, with both sides exchanging views on improving coordination, facilitating services for Afghan nationals, and enhancing mutual understanding.
According to the statement, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue and cooperation, highlighting the significance of constructive engagement in addressing shared concerns and promoting stable bilateral relations.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Transport Ministry Completes 20 Development Projects This Year
January 13, 2026
KABUL: The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has announced the completion of 20 major infrastructure projects during the current solar year, with a total investment of 294.828 million Afghanis.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the projects encompass the construction and rehabilitation of administrative buildings, airport runways, parking aprons, cargo and passenger terminals, ramp areas at airports, as well as other key facilities related to road transport and civil aviation.
The ministry said the projects were successfully implemented across several provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Samangan, Kunduz, Khost, and Nangarhar, contributing to improved transport infrastructure and enhanced aviation services nationwide.
The ministry emphasized that these initiatives aim to strengthen the country’s transport network, facilitate trade and travel, and support broader economic development.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Trump administration revokes more than 100,000 visas amid immigration crackdown
By Fidel Rahmati
January 13, 2026
The Trump administration revoked more than 100,000 visas last year, targeting students, workers, and residents as part of a broader immigration enforcement effort.
The U.S. State Department said on Monday that more than 100,000 foreign nationals had their visas revoked last year, setting a new record since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said the number represents a 150% increase compared with 2024. The revocations included thousands of individuals charged or convicted of crimes such as assault, theft, and driving under the influence.
Among those affected were roughly 8,000 students, 2,500 skilled workers, and even some lawful permanent residents. Officials said some revocations targeted individuals who had expressed support for Palestinians or criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, actions the administration described as potential threats to U.S. foreign policy.
Critics argue that these measures often sweep up individuals engaged in lawful political expression or activism, raising concerns about civil liberties and the balance between security and personal freedoms.
Pigott added that the State Department’s newly launched Continuous Vetting Center works to ensure that foreign nationals on American soil follow U.S. laws and that visas are revoked quickly for those deemed a risk to public safety or national security.
High-profile cases include Turkish PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk and Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, both of whom were released after successfully challenging their visa revocations in court.
Legal experts say the record number of revocations highlights the tension between strict immigration enforcement and political freedoms, particularly for students, activists, and long-term residents.
The Trump administration has defended the crackdown, saying it is necessary to protect Americans and national security, signaling that strict enforcement will likely continue in the months ahead.
Source: khaama.com
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Newly appointed Kabul envoy in India holds talks on visas, trade ties
By Fidel Rahmati
January 13, 2026
The newly appointed Kabul envoy in India met Indian foreign ministry officials in New Delhi to discuss visa facilitation, trade cooperation and bilateral engagement.
The Taliban’s newly appointed ambassador to India, Noor Ahmad Noor, held talks in New Delhi with Anand Prakash, an Indian foreign ministry official overseeing Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
A statement issued by the Taliban’s embassy in India on Monday said discussions focused on strengthening political and trade ties, including easing visa procedures.
Officials also raised concerns over visa-related difficulties faced by Afghan traders, students and Afghan nationals currently residing in India.
India does not formally recognise the Taliban administration, but it has maintained working-level engagement to safeguard its strategic and humanitarian interests in Afghanistan.
New Delhi has recalibrated its regional approach amid strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, seeking to preserve influence and connectivity in the region.
India’s foreign ministry did not comment publicly on the meeting.
The appointment of Noor Ahmad Noor is seen by analysts as significant for the Taliban’s efforts to expand diplomatic presence abroad and gain greater international engagement.
Source: khaama.com
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Japan Pledges $240,000 to WHO for Urgent Health Aid in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
January 12, 2026
The World Health Organization said Japan has donated $240,000 to support urgent healthcare needs in Afghanistan, focusing on women, children and addiction treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a new $240,000 contribution from Japan to support urgent health needs in Afghanistan, including assistance for women and children.
In a statement issued on Monday, January 12, WHO said the funding would help address critical healthcare gaps amid Afghanistan’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO’s representative in Afghanistan, welcomed Japan’s support, saying the contribution was vital for providing care to people suffering from substance addiction and other health emergencies.
Japan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Kenichi Masamoto, said Tokyo remained deeply concerned about the ongoing challenges faced by Afghans and was committed to supporting essential health services through WHO.
The announcement comes as international organizations warn that Afghanistan’s fragile health system is under severe strain due to economic collapse, displacement and limited access to medical care.
Afghanistan’s healthcare sector has struggled since foreign aid sharply declined following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, leaving millions without basic medical services.
International donors have increasingly focused on targeted humanitarian assistance delivered through UN agencies to avoid disruption to life-saving services.
Separately, Sweden announced more than $6 million in new humanitarian aid to Afghanistan earlier this week, while Italy has also contributed funds through the UN’s Special Trust Fund for the country.
The United Nations estimates it will require around $1.71 billion in 2026 to meet Afghanistan’s most urgent humanitarian and health needs, underscoring continued reliance on international support.
Source: khaama.com
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Sust students protest EC ban on organisations' elections until Feb 12
January 13, 2026
Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) staged a protest last night following an Election Commission (EC) directive, barring all professional bodies and organisations from holding elections until February 12, the scheduled date for the 13th national polls.
The protest began around 11:00pm yesterday in front of the university's IICT building, where students gathered before bringing out a procession that marched through key roads on the campus.
The Shahjalal University Central Students' Union (SUCSU) and hall union elections is scheduled for January 20.
However, the SUCSU Election Commission is yet to issue any notice regarding the polls date following the EC order.
Demonstrators said the SUCSU elections had remained suspended for a long time, and the latest decision amounted to a denial of their rights.
Mujahidul Islam, general secretary candidate of the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed 'Durbar SUSTian Oikya' panel, said, "We want students' representation, and that is our fundamental right. We will not accept this conspiracy to suspend the long-overdue SUCSU polls."
He added, "The EC must reconsider this decision. Otherwise, we will not return home without a clear resolution."
This morning, the protesters postponed their programme, announcing a sit-in at 5:00pm in front of the administrative building and a press conference at 6:00pm today.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Seat-Sharing: 11-party chiefs to meet today to seal the deal
January 13, 2026
Chiefs of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance are expected to meet today to finalise the seat-sharing deal for the February 12 parliamentary election.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair told The Daily Star that the liaison committee will place proposals before the alliance leaders, who are likely to settle the arrangement.
“We hope to inform the media about the seat-sharing deal through a press conference within a day or two,” he said.
An Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) leader said their Ameer, Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, has instructed all party candidates to attend a meeting in Dhaka.
“The Ameer will announce who has secured nominations from the alliance and instruct others to withdraw,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.
Following the uprising, Jamaat, IAB, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Nizam-e-Islam Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) and Bangladesh Development Party (BDP) launched joint programmes pressing for a level playing field and elections under the July National Charter.
The eight parties later formed an electoral alliance to field single candidates in all 300 constituencies based on seat sharing.
Later, the National Citizen Party (NCP), Liberal Democratic Party and AB Party joined the alliance, turning it into an 11-party coalition.
According to multiple sources, Jamaat wants to keep around 190 to 200 seats for itself and negotiate with other parties for the remaining seats.
Through internal surveys, Jamaat has identified about 170 to 175 constituencies where it believes it has a strong chance of winning. In addition, Jamaat wants to field candidates in around 20 more seats, where, according to the party, the alliance has failed to field strong contenders.
According to the latest information from insiders, Jamaat has agreed to give 40 seats to IAB, 30 seats to NCP, 12 to 15 seats to Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, seven to the Khelafat Majlis, four to the LDP, three to the AB Party and two to the BDP.
As IAB wants more seats, Jamaat has held several meetings with IAB in the last few days and in the end, after assessing popularity and qualifications, Jamaat may give IAB a few more seats, sources in Jamaat and IAB said.
When the NCP joined the seat-sharing talks, its leaders said they were assured of 30 seats. Although there were discussions about a slight reduction, Jamaat sources indicated the NCP is still likely to receive 30.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, led by Mamunul Haque, had demanded 25 to 30 seats. Jamaat initially discussed offering 13, but sources now say the party may settle on 15.
Jamaat may allocate four to seven seats to the LDP.
LDP President Col (Retd) Oli Ahmed will not contest the election, though his son, presidium member Omar Faruk, plans to run from Chattogram-14.
The AB Party is expected to get three seats, with Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju contesting from Feni-2 and General Secretary Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan (Fuad) from Barishal-3.
The BDP may receive two seats, with Chairman AKM Anwarul contesting from Mymensingh-9 and Secretary General Nizamul Haque Naeem from Bhola-3.
Smaller parties such as Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Nizam-e-Islam Party and JAGPA may each get one or two seats.
Amid discussions on seat sharing, Jamaat submitted nomination papers in 276 constituencies and IAB in 268. NCP filed in 47 seats, AB Party in 53, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis in 94, Khelafat Majlis in 68, LDP in 24, Khelafat Andolon in 11, Nizam-e-Islam Party in six, JAGPA in three and BDP in two.
The parties have to finalise the agreement on seat sharing before January 20 -- the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers.
Source: thedailystar.net
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