‘Already Our Mother’: Adityanath Opposes Muslim Clerics’ Demand To Declare Cow As National Animal
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 June 2026
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath | Yogi Adityanath, @myogiadityanath/X
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· ‘Already our mother’: Adityanath opposes Muslim clerics’ demand to declare cow as national animal
· France warns Israel against ‘major strategic mistake’ of deeper military operations in Lebanon
· Saudi Arabia condemns Iranian attacks on Kuwait
· Turkey condemns Israeli groups’ entering Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
· ‘You’re f***ing crazy!’ Trump yelled at Netanyahu for derailing Iran talks – Axios
· Abu Huraira, Ba Yuram, Mallam Haruna Top ISIS Lieutenants Killed in US-Nigeria Airstrikes
· Malaysia condemns Zionist settlers’ storming of Al‑Aqsa Mosque, calls desecration abhorrent and provocative
· Hibatullah Akhundzada warned TTP to halt attacks in Pakistan, report claims
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India
· No Muslims in Bengal cabinet for the first time in more than half a century
· ‘BJP is slow-poisoning us’: Shinde Sena leader Abdul Sattar hints at merger with Uddhav faction
· Congress questions PM Modi’s silence on Israel’s Lebanon offensive, raises ‘fatherland’ remark
· Last pay cheque for religion dole yet to enter account
· All Assam Students’ Union leader’s murder sparks outrage, accused shot dead in encounter
· NIA charge sheet traces banned outfit TRF's Pahalgam attack responsibility claim to Pakistan
· BMC razes dargah, adjoining structures in Aarey anti-encroachment drive
· Karnataka Congress leader files complaint over ‘fake’ audio of minister Zameer Ahmed Khan
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Mideast
· Trump, Netanyahu in tense, expletive-laden call about Lebanon
· Iran war hands Syria windfall as airlines reroute over its airspace
· Lebanon announces partial ceasefire between Israel, Hezbollah but attacks continue
· Iran has not yet sent its response to US in talks, Mehr says
· Israel military says intercepted projectiles from Lebanon
· Medical team from Jordan arrives in Gaza to help care for Palestinians
· Israel says France banned its officials from weapons show
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Arab World
· Saudi crown prince extends condolences to son of former Yemeni president
· Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli incursion into Lebanon
· Demand holds steady despite rising gold prices
· Saudi Arabia opens visa applications for new Umrah season
· Kingdom showcases cultural heritage in Kuala Lumpur
· Prophet's Mosque: A Masterpiece of Islamic Heritage and Architectural Splendour
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Europe
· Thousands join Eid al-Adha celebrations across Maidenhead
· Russia accuses France and UK of piracy over cargo ship seizure
· Here’s what you need to understand about Russia and its neighbours
· Slough Borough Council grant lease for 250 years to Manor Park charity
· Istanbul to host Global Islamic Economy Summit on June 3-6
· Police investigating deliberate fire at abandoned Islamic nursery in Leicester
· Moscow slams lackluster IAEA reaction to Ukrainian attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear plant
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North America
· Fort Wayne imam responds to Lt. Gov. Beckwith’s comments on Islam
· NAIT Launches Trust (Waqf) with $1 Million Matching Fund to Protect Mosques, Counter Anti-Muslim Hate and Support Impacted Families
· US says it struck Iranian radar sites as Iran targets American forces in Kuwait
· Trump administration will abide by ruling halting $1.8bn 'anti-weaponisation' fund
· Trump inserts himself into the centre of America's 250th birthday celebrations
· US Democrats could attack Trump’s payouts to lawfare victims
· Asylum rejections without interviews? Trump administration moves to speed up deportation cases under new plan
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Africa
· Terrorist’s ‘test transmission’ in the Southwest
· Tanko Denies Claims Obi Demolished Mosque in Anambra
· Bandits kill boy, injure worshippers in Kaduna mosque attack
· Ebonyi Gov. assures sustained collaboration with religious denominations
· Bandits Contact Family of Abducted Retired General, Wife, Makes Demands
· We Will Not Close Borno Schools Because of Insecurity – NUT
· Two Lagos Police Officers Mistaken For Kidnappers Escape Being Lynched By Mob
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Southeast Asia
· Philippines strengthens position as Muslim-friendly tourism destination
· Lim Guan Eng urges RM150m MSME loans for Chinese and Indian businesses to be channelled through BSN, cites Shariah compliance restrictions
· Malaysia eyes Italy, France, US among options after Norway cancels NSM missile deal, says defence minister
· Anwar: Govt to bolster targeted aid, RON95 subsidy reforms as cost pressures persist
· Singapore partners UK nuclear regulator to bolster expertise as it explores nuclear power option
· Malaysia seeks compensation from Norway over missile deal
· Zulkifli praises Tabung Haji for highly organised hajj operations
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South Asia
· Kallas says talks, not airstrikes, key to easing Pakistan-Afghanistan tension
· Israel’s Expansion in Gaza Requires Global Responsibility
· Alleged defamatory remarks to Islam: Court concludes pre-trial conference in Gnanasara Thera case
· Bangladesh elected vice-president of 114th International Labour Conference
· Islami Bank plunges into fresh chaos
· Military-Technical Agreement with Afghanistan Focuses on Repair of Russian-Made Equipment, Zamir Kabulov
· Commission Strengthens Book Licensing and Intellectual Property Oversight
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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‘Already our mother’: Adityanath opposes Muslim clerics’ demand to declare cow as national animal
02.06.26
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath | Yogi Adityanath, @myogiadityanath/X
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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Monday opposed demands made by Muslim clerics that the cow be declared the national animal, saying that the “cow is our mother”.
At an event in Bijnor, Adityanath said that he had “come to know that some maulvis and maulanas” have demanded that cows be declared a national animal.
“The cow is already our mother and our bond with the cow spans several lifetimes,” he said. “No formal declaration is required to define the relationship between a mother and her child.”
“Gaumata [Mother Cow] is a self-proclaimed national mother, and doesn’t need to be declared as the national mother,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader described the demand as “double standards”, alleging that some people support cow slaughter while demanding national animal status for cows.
He also warned that the government would take action against anybody who slaughters cows.
The comments came weeks after several Muslim organisations and leaders on May 24 supported a demand made by Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (Arshad Madani faction), to declare the cow as the national animal.
This would help stop the issue of cow slaughter from being exploited politically, the organisations said.
The demand was also backed by former Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who told The Indian Express on May 25 that the cow should be declared the national animal if the “root cause of the problem” could be solved.
“In order to stop the slaughter of cows, if such a step is taken, then it is a good thing,” the newspaper quoted him as having said.
Source: scroll.in
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France warns Israel against ‘major strategic mistake’ of deeper military operations in Lebanon
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
June 02, 2026
A destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike is seen through a shattered window of the Jabal Amel Hospital, in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)
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NEW YORK CITY: France’s ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, warned the UN Security Council that Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon risked becoming a “major strategic mistake,” as he urged all parties to recommit to the fragile ceasefire agreement and pursue a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Speaking during an emergency Security Council meeting on Monday to discuss Lebanon, convened at the request of France, Bonnafont said the escalating violence threatened regional stability and undermined efforts to secure a lasting peace between Lebanon and Israel.
He reiterated that the blame for the conflict lies squarely with Hezbollah: “It is Hezbollah, supported by Iran, that bears responsibility for the outbreak of hostilities, having dragged Lebanon and the Lebanese people into a war that is not theirs.”
He condemned Hezbollah for its continuing attacks on Israeli territory, and affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. However, he argued that the Israeli military response had exceeded the legitimate limits of self-defense.
“Nothing can justify the continuation and scale of its military operations in Lebanon, the thousands of civilian deaths and injuries, and the forced displacement of populations,” Bonnafont told council members.
The conflict escalated significantly on Sunday when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to “deepen and expand” operations in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces subsequently advanced north of the Litani River and announced the capture of Beaufort Castle, where images of an Israeli flag at the site evoked memories of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.
Israel airstrikes also intensified across southern Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley and areas near Beirut, and sweeping evacuation orders were issued covering much of the south.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched rocket, missile and drone attacks against Israel, including strikes deeper into Israeli territory, and reiterated that it would not give up its weapons despite pressure from the Lebanese government to do so.
More than 3,400 people have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah began to surge on March 2. Four Israeli civilians and 26 soldiers have also been killed, as well as six peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, highlighting the mounting human cost of the conflict.
Bonnafont said Israel’s operations in Lebanon violated commitments made under the ceasefire agreement that came into force on April 17 under US auspices, as well as resolutions adopted by the Security Council.
He specifically highlighted the reported raising of the Israeli flag over the historic Beaufort fortress in southern Lebanon, describing the action as symbolic of a return to a period of occupation that many believed had ended with Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon 26 years ago.
“Far from bringing security to Israel and its citizens, a new occupation risks only fueling instability,” Bonnafont warned, arguing that civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure strengthen Hezbollah while weakening the Lebanese government and state institutions.
France called on Israel to support the efforts of Lebanese authorities to reassert state control and sovereignty, saying that Israel’s long-term security depended on peace and regional stability rather than military occupation.
Bonnafont emphasized that the April 17 ceasefire agreement remains the only viable framework for achieving a durable peace. France, he said, fully supports the direct talks between Lebanon and Israel that are being conducted under US sponsorship.
He described upcoming negotiations scheduled for June 2 and 3 as presenting a “decisive opportunity,” and urged all stakeholders, including the US, to work to ensure their success.
Paris hopes the talks will produce a comprehensive political settlement that includes the disarmament of Hezbollah, the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory, and guarantees of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, Bonnafont added.
He stressed that civilians, journalists and emergency personnel must never be targeted by attacks, and called for strict adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law.
France also demanded that Hezbollah immediately halts its attacks and surrenders its weapons to the Lebanese state, in line with decisions taken by the country’s government. Bonnafont called on Iran to end its support for Hezbollah and cease all actions that contribute to regional instability.
France opposes any long-term Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory, he said, adding that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon were “not negotiable.” He rejected any establishment of buffer zones between Israel and Lebanon, restrictions on the return of displaced residents to their homes, or acts of destruction that affect civilian infrastructure or cultural heritage sites, including the ancient city of Tyre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee told the Security Council that the conflict had undergone a “dangerous and alarming escalation.”
Israel’s presence north of the Blue Line, the demarcation between Israel and Lebanon established by the UN in 2000, violates Lebanon’s sovereignty and UN Security Council Resolution 1701, she added. Resolution 1701 was adopted by the council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from parts of the country south of the Litani River, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.
Pobee reiterated that Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups must disarm and allow the Lebanese state to exercise sole national authority over the use of force.
She also voiced concern over the worsening humanitarian conditions in the country, adding that continued attacks on homes, infrastructure and essential services were driving displacement and deepening suffering across Lebanon.
While she welcomed recent US-hosted meetings between representatives of Lebanon and Israel, as well the further talks planned this week, Pobee urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any actions that might trigger a wider regional conflict.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia condemns Iranian attacks on Kuwait
June 01, 2026
Vehicles drive along the highway in Kuwait City on April 29, 2026. (AFP)
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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned “repeated and heinous Iranian attacks” on Kuwait.
Kuwait’s air defenses intercepted Iranian missile and drone attacks on Monday, while Washington said it had downed two Iranian missiles targeting US forces in the country.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom emphasizes its categorical rejection of such attacks, which violate the sovereignty of Kuwait in clear contravention of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
“It affirms that these violations undermine international efforts aimed at restoring security and stability to the region,” a statement said.
The Kingdom also expressed its solidarity with Kuwait, its government and people, reiterating its full support for all measures taken by Kuwait to preserve its sovereignty, security, stability, and people.
Source: arabnews.com
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Turkey condemns Israeli groups’ entering Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
By Turkish Minute
June 1, 2026
Israeli security forces escort a group of Jewish settlers during an incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on June 2, 2019, as Israelis mark Jerusalem Day, which commemorates Israel’s 1967 occupation and annexation of the eastern part of the city. The compound is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
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Turkey on Monday condemned Israeli settlers who entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied east Jerusalem, raised Israeli flags and sang Israel’s national anthem under the protection of Israeli police.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the incident was carried out by Israeli extremist groups and included the display of the Israeli flag and the singing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.
Palestinian and Jordanian reports said the settlers entered the compound on Sunday through the Mughrabi Gate, the entrance used by non-Muslim visitors and controlled by Israeli authorities.
The reports said the group raised flags near the Dome of the Rock, a landmark inside the Al-Aqsa compound, and chanted inside the courtyards.
A Jerusalem-based monitoring group said video from the incident showed 10 settlers displaying seven Israeli flags inside the compound before singing the anthem.
The incident drew condemnation from Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which said the act violated the historical and legal status of the site.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is Islam’s third-holiest site and is part of a compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.
Under a longstanding arrangement known as the status quo, non-Muslims may visit the compound at certain times, but Jewish prayer there is barred.
The site is administered by the Jordanian-appointed Islamic Waqf, while Israel controls access to the compound.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the incident was aimed at undermining the historical and legal status of Jerusalem, particularly the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It said the acts violated international law and risked deepening instability in the region.
Turkey called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel over what Ankara described as dangerous provocations and violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites.
The statement came weeks after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the compound and after thousands of Israeli nationalists marched through Jerusalem’s Old City on Jerusalem Day, an annual event marking Israel’s occupation of east Jerusalem in 1967.
Palestinians view such visits and marches as part of an Israeli effort to entrench control over east Jerusalem, which they want as the capital of a future state.
Source: turkishminute.com
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‘You’re f***ing crazy!’ Trump yelled at Netanyahu for derailing Iran talks – Axios
June 2, 2026
FILE PHOTO © Drew Angerer / Getty Images
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US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, Axios reported on Monday, citing two American officials and a third source briefed on the call.
Trump allegedly accused Netanyahu of endangering US negotiations with Iran and demanded that Israel halt a planned strike on Beirut, in what Axios described as one of the worst calls between the two leaders since Trump returned to office.
“You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” one official summarized Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu. A second source briefed on the call said Trump was “pissed” and yelled at Netanyahu: “What the f*** are you doing?”
The US president reportedly emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself, but raised concerns that Netanyahu had escalated in a disproportionate way in recent days, with mounting civilian casualties and whole buildings razed to target individual Hezbollah commanders.
Israel has intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon in recent days, against what it describes as Hezbollah targets. The IDF has pushed deeper into the country’s south, seizing Beaufort Castle, a 900-year-old Crusader fortress and a key vantage point in the region.
Tehran has threatened to abandon talks with the US, since a memorandum being negotiated with Washington explicitly calls for an end to the hostilities in Lebanon. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said he had spoken with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and warned that Tehran’s response could go beyond halting negotiations.
“If the Israeli aggression against Lebanon continues, we will not only stop the negotiation track, but we will be in direct confrontation with the enemy,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he “had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon,” adding that the Israeli leader “turned his troops around.” Trump also claimed that representatives of Hezbollah’s leadership had agreed to stop firing at Israel.
Netanyahu said he told Trump that Israel would strike Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking his country.
“Our position remains the same,” Netanyahu wrote, vowing to continue operations in southern Lebanon “as planned.”
Source: rt.com
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Abu Huraira, Ba Yuram, Mallam Haruna Top ISIS Lieutenants Killed In US-Nigeria Airstrikes
June 1, 2026
Fresh intelligence from security sources has confirmed that the joint Nigerian-United States air operation that killed senior ISWAP commander Abubakar Mainok, also known as Abu Bilal Al-Mainuki or Abbor Mainok, also eliminated three of his closest aides.
The three lieutenants were identified as Abu Huraira, Ba Yuram and Mallam Haruna.
Sources said their deaths amounted to a major disruption of ISWAP’s command structure in the Lake Chad Basin.
According to the sources, battle damage assessments and multiple intelligence confirmations showed that Mainok was killed alongside the three aides during a precision strike on his hideout in the Lake Chad Islands west of Dogon Chukun.
The sources described the slain aides as key figures in the group’s operational, logistics and security network.
Abu Huraira was said to be the Fiya of Tumbun Mota and son-in-law to Mainok.
He reportedly played a major role in coordinating field operations and maintaining influence over fighters operating around the Tumbun Mota axis.
Ba Yuram was described as a powerful Amir responsible for logistics, procurement, weapons acquisition, supplies and transportation networks across ISWAP enclaves in the Lake Chad Basin.
Security sources told Zagagola Makama his death could significantly weaken the group’s ability to move weapons, supplies and resources across its operational zones.
Mallam Haruna reportedly served as Mainok’s personal bodyguard and chief security officer.
Sources said he coordinated the slain commander’s movements between insurgent enclaves and managed his security arrangements.
Security sources said the elimination of the four men in one strike created a major leadership vacuum within ISWAP.
They added that the operation destroyed a strategic command cell responsible for leadership coordination, logistics management, operational planning and security protection.
The latest confirmations add to the growing list of senior ISWAP figures reportedly killed during sustained Nigeria-US operations in the Lake Chad axis.
Among those said to have died was Abubakar Buduma, described as the Qa’id of Kirta Wulgo, who reportedly succumbed to injuries from an earlier strike.
Several foreign ISIS-linked fighters, including Arab nationals allegedly involved in drone operations, were also said to have been killed.
Naija News understands that security assessments indicated that the death of Ba Yuram, combined with the destruction of logistics warehouses, vehicles and supply depots, could seriously affect ISWAP’s operational capacity.
Sources said the strikes had disrupted the group’s ability to sustain large-scale attacks across the Lake Chad Basin.
Source: naijanews.com
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Malaysia condemns Zionist settlers’ storming of Al‑Aqsa Mosque, calls desecration abhorrent and provocative
02 Jun 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Malaysia has expressed utter condemnation for the latest storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by illegal Zionist Israeli settlers, including the raising of the Zionist Israeli flag within the holy compound.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said any attempt at the Judaisation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque was abhorrent and a desecration of the holy site.
The ministry, also known as Wisma Putra, said the recent action by the settlers, supported by the Zionist Israeli regime, is an attempt to change the reality on the ground as well as the cultural and historical characteristics of the Holy Al Aqsa.
“Such actions are provocative and unacceptable, disregarding the custodial role over Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.
“The international community must not remain silent while hostility and aggression are taking place in plain sight,” it said.
Malaysia reiterated its calls for the international community and the United Nations (UN) to take immediate and concrete action to halt these violations and ensure full accountability of the Zionist Israeli regime.
Malaysia also reiterated its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and reaffirmed its longstanding support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Hibatullah Akhundzada warned TTP to halt attacks in Pakistan, report claims
By Fidel Rahmati
June 1, 2026
Hibatullah Akhundzada has reportedly warned the TTP to stop attacks in Pakistan or lose support.
Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has reportedly warned the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to stop carrying out attacks inside Pakistan or risk losing the Afghan Taliban’s support, according to a report by Pakistan’s Express Tribune.
The Taliban administration in Kabul has not publicly commented on the report, and officials have yet to respond to the claims attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Citing a Pakistani security source, the newspaper said the message was conveyed informally to Islamabad as part of efforts by the Taliban administration to demonstrate that it is addressing Pakistan’s security concerns. The report said the Taliban hoped to show they were taking steps to restrain the TTP and other militant groups operating from Afghanistan territory.
However, Pakistani officials reportedly dismissed the move as insufficient, arguing that it lacks practical measures capable of producing meaningful changes on the ground. Islamabad maintains that assurances from Kabul must be accompanied by verifiable action against militant networks.
According to the report, Pakistani authorities believe recent Taliban messages are aimed more at easing regional and international pressure than addressing the root causes of the security dispute. Officials quoted by the newspaper said there has been no significant change in the Taliban’s approach toward militant groups operating in Afghanistan.
A senior Pakistani official told the newspaper that recruitment of Afghan nationals into militant networks continues despite repeated Taliban claims that they have taken measures to address Islamabad’s concerns. “The problem is not a lack of assurances, but a lack of verifiable actions,” the official was quoted as saying.
The Taliban administration has repeatedly denied that TTP leaders or fighters operate from Afghanistan territory and insists it does not allow any group to use Afghanistan against another country. Pakistan, however, says it has provided evidence that TTP members maintain sanctuaries across the border and continue to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of failing to curb cross-border militancy, while Taliban officials have rejected the allegations and called for dialogue to resolve disputes.
The security tensions have contributed to periodic border clashes, military operations and diplomatic friction between the two neighbors. Earlier this year, fighting along parts of the border raised fears of a wider confrontation before tribal elders and local mediators helped secure a temporary halt to hostilities.
Source: khaama.com
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India
No Muslims in Bengal cabinet for the first time in more than half a century
Meghdeep Bhattacharyya
02.06.26
Bengal was left with a government without Muslim representation for the first time in more than half a century as 35 new ministers were sworn in on Monday, swelling the Suvendu Adhikari ministry’s strength to 41.
While the ruling BJP had not fielded a single Muslim in the Assembly elections, with some senior leaders openly saying they did not need minority votes, the Constitution allows non-lawmakers to be inducted into governments provided they get elected within six months.
Monday’s development means that even the minority affairs department will have a non-minority minister, since all 41 ministers are Hindu. The portfolios are expected to be allocated on Wednesday.
Thirteen cabinet ministers and 22 ministers of state — three of them with independent charge — took the oath of office. They join Suvendu and the five other cabinet ministers sworn in on May 9.
Bengal, where almost a third of the voters are Muslim, has almost always had minority presence in the government. Among the few exceptions was the state’s first government after Independence, under then “Premier” Prafulla Chandra Ghosh.
Every Bengal government of the past 54 years, starting with Siddhartha Shankar Ray’s Congress government of 1972, has had prominent Muslim faces in the council of ministers.
“In the immediate aftermath of Independence and Partition, because of demographic shifts and intense communal polarisation, there were no Muslims in the Bengal government till S.M. Fazlur Rahman won from Kaliganj in the first Assembly elections in 1952,” a city-based political scientist said.
“He handled departments such as animal husbandry, fisheries, and local self-government in the Bidhan Chandra Roy and Prafulla Chandra Sen cabinets.
“But thereafter, other than a minor exception or two in the short-lived governments in the turbulent 1960s, there have been Muslim representatives in all proper Bengal governments. With no exceptions since, at least, 1972.”
The political scientist cited the examples of Syed Kazim Ali Mirza and Mohammed Rafique from the 1952-67 Congress governments, Mohammed Amin from the 1967-71 coalition era, and A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhury, Zainal Abedin and Abdus Sattar from the Ray government of 1972-77.
During its 34 years in power, the Left Front had Muslim ministers like Abdur Razzak Molla, Mohammed Amin, Anisur Rahaman and Mostafa Bin Quasem. Both the Speakers, Syed Abdul Mansur Habibullah and Hashim Abdul Halim, too were Muslim.
Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year reign featured Firhad Hakim, Javed Ahmed Khan, Md Ghulam Rabbani and Siddiqullah Chowdhury, among others, as prominent Muslim faces in the government.
North, districts rule In a state where the competitive wooing of the minority vote has been a key aspect of electoral politics, Monday’s developments seemed to mark a shift to geographical concessions, with north Bengal and rural areas the winners.
The northern districts, whose long-held grievances about economic and cultural neglect under the Left and Trinamool had turned them into BJP fortresses, have secured 10 ministerial berths — after having been rewarded with the election of Rathindra Bose as Speaker.
Mathabhanga MLA Nisith Pramanik, sworn in with Suvendu, has now been joined by Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh, Falakata MLA Dipak Burman and Kumargram MLA Manoj Oraon in the cabinet. The rest are junior ministers.
The hills, however, have been left entirely unrepresented yet again — a trend continuing since the 1960s — despite the BJP sweeping the region.
The ministry expansion has also shattered the decades-old south Calcutta hegemony, one represented by Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Javed Ahmed Khan, Subrata Mukherjee, Partha Chatterjee and Sovan Chatterjee, apart from Mamata Banerjee herself.
Although Suvendu now represents Bhabanipur after giving up his Nandigram seat, he is indubitably from East Midnapore. And his team belongs firmly to the districts and the fringes.
From the city proper, only Maniktala’s Tapas Roy and Rashbehari’s journalist turned politician Swapan Dasgupta have made it to the cabinet alongside Behala Paschim’s Indranil Khan. So has Saradwat Mukhopadhyay from neighbouring Bidhannagar.
Shyampukur’s Purnima Chakraborty is a minister of state.
The list also reflects a calculated effort to reward the ideological old guard while addressing specific ethnic and class aspirations.
The RSS imprint is unmistakable in the selection of Mayureswar’s Dudh Kumar Mondal and Suri’s Jagannath Chattopadhyay (another journalist turned politician) as cabinet ministers.
In a nod to grassroots outreach, Kalita Maji, the Ausgram MLA who once worked as domestic help, has been made a minister of state. She took her oath alongside Rajesh Mahato, a Kurmi Samaj leader who spent decades agitating for language recognition and Scheduled Tribe status.
But women’s representation remains thin at just 7, accounting for 17 per cent of the ministry.
Agnimitra Paul remains the lone woman cabinet minister, joined by six ministers of state — Maji, Purnima Chakraborty, Malati Rava Roy, Moumita Biswas Misra, Sumana Sarkar and Gargi Ghosh Das.
Omissions
The list of those who missed out is no less surprising. Prominent actor-politicians Roopa Ganguly and Rudranil Ghosh have been conspicuously bypassed. Equally striking is the exclusion of the Panihati MLA, mother of the raped and murdered RG Kar doctor.
While her election victory symbolised the public fury at the hospital atrocity that contributed to unseating Mamata Banerjee, the party managers in Delhi have ultimately preferred seasoned party hands over emotional choices.
“The ministry formation reflects the BJP’s campaign position.… In the future, thoughts and perspectives could change within any political party,” political scientist Subhamoy Maitra said, commenting on the BJP not fielding any Muslims in the election.
“There are liberal forces within the BJP, too. So, this might change in thecoming days.”
Source: telegraphindia.com
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‘BJP is slow-poisoning us’: Shinde Sena leader Abdul Sattar hints at merger with Uddhav faction
Jun 2, 2026
Former Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar, a senior leader in the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Monday accused alliance partner BJP of attempting to finish off his party systematically. In light of the growing friction over seat sharing for the upcoming Legislative Council polls, Sattar emphasised the need for the two rival Shiv Sena factions in Maharashtra to consider reunification.
“Our own ally (BJP) is trying to ‘decapitate’ the Shiv Sena… The BJP has already broken our arms and legs and is now trying to chop off our heads,” Sattar told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where his son, Sameer Sattar, was an aspirant for the Legislative Council seat, but the BJP fielded its own candidate, Suhas Shirsat, instead. Subsequently, Sameer Sattar filed his nomination as a rebel candidate.
The BJP has been asserting claims to seats historically held by the Shiv Sena. Alleging that the BJP quickly forgot the political compromises made to form the government, Sattar said, “Goddess Kamakhya in Guwahati knows our sacrifices, but the BJP has forgotten them. Instead, they are actively trying to create rifts within our party.”
Sattar, who was the only Muslim face in the previous Shinde-BJP government, lamented that while BJP leaders are growing more powerful, the Shiv Sena is being structurally weakened. “The Shiv Sena used to rule the zilla parishad and the municipal corporation. Now, we are completely out of power there,” he said.
Describing the BJP’s strategy as “slow-poisoning,” Sattar said, “We left our former leader (Uddhav Thackeray) to come here and join hands with this old friend, the BJP. But we are facing the exact same situation again. Even though we are in power, we are effectively being shown the door. The local BJP leaders are behaving in an unacceptable manner.”
Sattar stated that he intends to take this grievance directly to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “Except for Paithan and Sillod, all our constituencies surrounding the city are being wiped out,” he claimed.
Highlighting that the BJP behaves like a “big brother,” Sattar said, “They are trying to finish us off by splitting the Shiv Sena in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. They are backing one internal faction against the other.”
“In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee and the BJP were once allies. But later their relations soured, and now they are at each other’s throats. Leaders like me will have to remain alert so that the situation in Maharashtra does not turn into what happened in West Bengal.”
Responding to a recent statement by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve, who suggested that both Sena factions should merge into a single unit, Sattar expressed support for the idea. “I also feel that now both Shiv Sena factions should come together. If our leader, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, decides to unite the parties, there will be no need to ask anyone else. Whatever decision my leader takes, I will fully accept it.”
‘Mandatory to maintain discipline’
Reacting to Sattar’s outburst, BJP vice president Keshav Upadhaye said, “When the three parties of the Mahayuti alliance are ruling together, everyone must follow the established rules of the coalition. It is mandatory for leaders of all three parties to maintain alliance discipline.”
Meanwhile, reacting to Sameer Sattar’s decision to contest as a rebel, BJP leader Atul Save said, “The senior leadership made this decision, and the rebellion by Sattar’s son is an insult to the orders of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.”
Party sources within the Shiv Sena confirmed that following his controversial statements, Abdul Sattar has been urgently summoned to Mumbai by Eknath Shinde to explain his remarks.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Congress questions PM Modi’s silence on Israel’s Lebanon offensive, raises ‘fatherland’ remark
02.06.26
The Congress on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being "completely silent" on Israel devastating Lebanon and "sabotaging" the US-Iran agreement, asking whether the "so-called fatherland" meant much more to him than his actual motherland.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the negotiations continue between the US and Iran to bring a halt to the war in West Asia.
The immediate impact of such an agreement would mean the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz and a downward pressure in oil prices - both of which India has a tremendous stake in, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said on X.
But the negotiations have not been clinched, primarily because of Israel's continuing military operations in Lebanon which have seen unprecedented incursions, Ramesh said.
US President Donald Trump himself has expressed extreme frustration and anger with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in expletive-filled language, he said.
"Many other countries have been condemning Israel's offensive in Lebanon. Not surprisingly the one head of government who has kept completely silent while Israel goes ahead with devastating Lebanon and sabotaging the US-Iran agreement is Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Ramesh said.
Does the so-called fatherland mean much more to him than his actual motherland, the Congress leader asked, taking a dig at Modi.
Trump has said he persuaded Prime Minister Netanyahu to call off the strike on Beirut, following which the Israeli leader "turned his troops around".
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social on Monday evening amid reports that the conversation between the two leaders was "heated" and the US president telling Netanyahu that he would have been in prison but for his intervention.
"I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today (Monday), asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around. Thank you Bibi," he said, referring to the Israeli prime minister by his widely used nickname.
Trump's phone call with Netanyahu came after Iran threatened to end the negotiations with the US over Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Netanyahu had said Israel would hit "terror targets" in Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel.
The president said he also had a conversation with the representatives of the leaders of Hezbollah, who agreed to "stop shooting at Israel and its soldiers".
US media outlet Axios reported that tempers flew during Trump's phone call with Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Modi had described Israel as the fatherland and India as the motherland of Indian Jews, a context that is often overlooked in the trolling of the prime minister.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Last pay cheque for religion dole yet to enter account
Jun 1, 2026
Kolkata: Monthly financial assistance provided by the state govt to imams, muezzins and Hindu priests was discontinued from June, with beneficiaries receiving their last payments in May, following a decision by the newly elected BJP govt to end religion-based assistance schemes.
Last month, the state cabinet approved a proposal to discontinue assistance schemes based on religion that were being run by the information and cultural affairs department and the minority affairs and madrasah education department. Officials clarified that the decision covers monthly honorariums paid to imams, muezzins and purohits.
Several beneficiaries TOI spoke to on Monday confirmed that the stipend was not credited to the bank account on the first of the month.
The honorarium for imams and muezzins was introduced by the former Trinamool govt in 2012. Financial assistance for purohits was launched in Sept 2020.
“Financial help to imams, muazzims and purohits is being discontinued. A fresh notification will be issued listing the schemes that are being discontinued,” said a govt official after the cabinet meeting.
Later CM Suvendu Adhikari had defended the move at a public meeting saying it was govt’s responsibility to provide financial doles to religious functionaries.
According to official figures, the minority affairs and madrasah education department was providing financial assistance to 41,205 imams and 39,028 muezzins. The information and cultural affairs department was extending similar assistance to nearly 5,000 Hindu priests.
Under the scheme, imams received a monthly honorarium of Rs 3,000, while muezzins and purohits received Rs 2,000 each.
Initially, the govt paid the honorarium directly to imams and muezzins from the state exchequer. However, the Calcutta High Court later struck down the arrangement. The state then routed the payments through the West Bengal Board of Auqaf. Funds were transferred to the board, which then disbursed the honorarium to imams and muezzins.
Religious functionaries and representatives of their organisations largely welcomed the govt‘s decision.
“We welcome the new govt‘s decision to discontinue the stipend of imams and priests. We hope and urge the govt to work for all citizens without discriminating against anybody on basis of caste, community and religion,” said Bakibillah Molla, president of the All India Imam Association.
“Imams play a crucial role in society and help in conveying policies and message of the govt. We will continue to fulfil all our responsibilities,” Molla added.
Abdullah Gaji, imam of a mosque in Reckjoani in Rajarhat, said the assistance was not sought by religious leaders. “We did not go to the former govt asking for a stipend. The govt decided on its own and also gave the same stipend to priests. Now the new govt has discontinued it, which is fine,” Gaji said.
Representatives of Hindu priests also backed the decision.
“We support the decision of the govt to discontinue the stipend to imams and priests. Govt must work for all the sections of the society,” said Gopal Mukherjee, a member of the Bangiya Purohit Samaj.
Jayanta Kushary, principal of Sarba Bharatiya Prachya Vidya Academy, which organises training camps for Durga Puja priests, said govts should not provide allowances to religious functionaries. “The govt cannot provide allowances to priests. It is a serious crime. Instead, the govt should focus on employment generation for youths,” said Kushary.
Rajib Banerjee, former state minister and Trinamool Congress neta who had played a key role in initiating financial assistance for purohits, expressed concern over the impact of the decision. “It is the decision of the present govt to discontinue this scheme from today. However, poor purohits will be severely impacted,” said Banerjee.
Source: indiatimes.com
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All Assam Students’ Union leader’s murder sparks outrage, accused shot dead in encounter
Sukrita Baruah
Jun 2, 2026
Within 24 hours of a 20-year-old All Assam Students’ Union member being killed and his 17-year-old cousin critically injured in an attack that has shaken Assam, the accused was killed in an encounter in Nalbari district Monday afternoon.
According to police, the deceased accused, a Muslim youth, was also likely a teenager but that details of his identity are yet to be ascertained. Nalbari SSP Bibekananda Das said that the family of the injured teenage girl have alleged that the accused had been trying to pursue her romantically.
“The accused was from a village neighbouring that of the victims. However, there was nobody in his family’s home and they seem to have fled after the incident. So, we are unsure about his exact age, but it is likely to be either 17 or 18. The victim girl’s mother has alleged that he would call her and message, and was trying to get her to be his boyfriend but that she had rejected him. She has alleged that he had threatened her because of this,” said SSP Das.
The girl, who is a higher secondary student and her cousin, Madhurjya Barman, who was a district level office bearer for the AASU, had been travelling together in a two-wheeler when they were assaulted on Sunday evening. While Barman succumbed to his injuries, his cousin was sent to the district hospital for treatment and was subsequently transferred to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
GMCH Superintendent Dr Devajit Choudhury said that she has sustained injuries from a sharp weapon in multiple places including her scalp, neck, back and arms. He added that she is in post-traumatic shock and is being treated in the general ICU.
“We got information about the incident at around 8 pm on Sunday. They had gone to buy books together, and it appears that they had been stopped on an empty road when there were not many houses, and that’s where they were attacked. We had been looking for the accused, who had been named by the injured girl, since last night and had conducted multiple raids,” said SSP Das.
He said that Monday, they received information that the accused was hiding in a char (riverine island) area and went there to apprehend him.
“After our team apprehended him there, he was leading them to the machete which he had used in the attack. At that time, he snatched an SLR rifle from one of the personnel and fired 4-5 rounds at the police team, in retaliation to which they too opened fire at him. No police were injured in the incident, but he died,” he said.
The attack on the cousins had triggered outrage in Nalbari district, with the local AASU taking out a protest Monday demanding that the accused be arrested. In the midst of the inflamed atmosphere, Nalbari MLA and cabinet minister in the last NDA government Jayanta Malla Baruah termed the assault “love jihad”.
“’Love jihad’ is a chronic social challenge that is slowly spreading its roots in Assam. As a society, we must remain alert, aware and united against any attempt to exploit, deceive or target our daughters and disrupt social harmony. I appreciate the swift and decisive action taken by Assam Police in the Nalbari case. Their prompt response sends a clear message that those who commit such crimes will not escape the law,” he said.
Source: indianexpress.com
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NIA charge sheet traces banned outfit TRF's Pahalgam attack responsibility claim to Pakistan
01 Jun 2026
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its charge sheet, has stated that both the claim of responsibility for the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and a later denial issued by the banned outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) originated from Pakistan.
Investigators said the first post appeared on the open-source social media platform Mastodon at around 4.32 pm on April 22, barely two-and-a-half hours after terrorists carried out the attack at Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The message was circulated through a TRF-linked propaganda handle called “Kashmir Fight” and explicitly referenced the attack using the hashtag #PahalgamAttack.
The attack left 26 people dead, including 25 tourists - 24 Indians and one Nepali national - as well as a local Kashmiri resident. According to eyewitness accounts cited by investigators, the victims were singled out on the basis of religion and shot at close range in front of their families before the attackers fled the scene.
The TRF, a militant organisation active in Jammu and Kashmir and designated a terrorist group by both India and the United States, withdrew its claim three days later. On April 25, it used a newly created Telegram-based outlet titled “TheResistanceFront Official” to deny any involvement in the killings.
The NIA has described the retraction as an attempt by both the TRF and Pakistan to create plausible deniability in the face of global outrage and condemnation, including criticism from the United Nations Security Council.
According to the agency, digital forensics established that the internet protocol (IP) address used to publish the initial claim was traced to Battagram in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Telegram account that issued the denial was traced to Rawalpindi and was registered using a Pakistani mobile phone number.
“TRF had claimed the Pahalgam attack 2.5 hours after the attack through social media posts. It withdrew the claim after three days. Analysis of both posts revealed that they were uploaded from Pakistan from handles associated with TRF,” a senior NIA official said, quoting the agency’s charge sheet filed before a Special NIA Court in Jammu.
The NIA formally took over the investigation on April 27, 2025, following directions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Its charge sheet, filed on December 15, named Pakistan-based TRF chief Sajid Jatt as the mastermind behind the attack, alleging that he remained in direct contact with the three terrorists involved in the killings.
Three months after the attack, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that the attackers - Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran and Hamza Afghani - had been killed during Operation Mahadev, a joint operation by the Army, the CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Dachigam forest area near Srinagar.
The operation led to the recovery of the weapons used in the massacre as well as two mobile phones belonging to the terrorists. Investigators later discovered that both devices had been shipped to Pakistan by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, with company records showing deliveries to addresses in Karachi and Lahore.
A forensic examination of the phones uncovered screenshots stored in the AlpineQuest navigation application containing geographical coordinates adjacent to Baisaran meadows. The screenshots were taken on April 15 and April 16, 2025, indicating that reconnaissance and planning for the attack had begun at least a week before the attack.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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BMC razes dargah, adjoining structures in Aarey anti-encroachment drive
Jun 2, 2026
Continuing the anti-encroachment drive against illegal structures, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday morning demolished a Sufi Islamic shrine or Dargah owing to alleged illegal construction. According to the civic officials, the structure stood on a land parcel that belongs to the dairy department of the state government and also falls under the buffer zone of the state forest department.
The BMC’s move of demolishing this structure comes a week after the civic body and railways razed 500 slums at Bandra East’s Garib Nagar to make way for a railway project.
Located inside unit 32 in Mumbai’s Aarey forest at Goregaon (East), the Shrine has been in place for more than 50 years, locals said. However, on Tuesday morning the authorities razed the structure by using bulldozers and JCB machines. Civic officials said that the complaint against this shrine was launched by the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya.
The civic officials said that alongside the Shrine, 10 other structures were also demolished which were being used as housing tenements by a group of people.
“The state government had issued the occupants notices asking them to vacate the premises since the land is owned by them. Following which we (BMC) also issued notices citing coercive action and sought their documents for verification. During the process it was found that the land was captured illegally and we told them to vacate the premises at the earliest,” an official told the Indian Express.
The civic officials said that the occupants were given time till May 31 for vacating their premises and since they failed to do that the BMC had to raze the entire structure on Tuesday morning. The civic body had deployed two bulldozers and JCB machines for carrying out the operation and the process was carried out under the supervision of heavy police posting.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday Somaiya had issued another letter to Mumbai’s municipal commissioner and police commissioner demanding discontinuation of Namaz offering on the streets and public spaces of Mumbai.
“Such gatherings disrupt traffic and cause inconvenience to commuters, sometimes for nearly an hour. Even on working days, prayers are allegedly conducted at crowded and traffic-sensitive locations. No group should be allowed to obstruct the daily lives of citizens in the name of religion,” Somaiya’s letter stated.
Earlier on May 31, the BMC demolished 150 structures across Mulund’s Amar Nagar and Khindipada to make way for the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. With a total of 384 structures identified along the project alignment, 234 more residential and commercial structures are slated to raze in the upcoming week.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Karnataka Congress leader files complaint over ‘fake’ audio of minister Zameer Ahmed Khan
Jun 2, 2026
A Congress leader from Karnataka’s Davanagere filed a complaint with the city’s cybercrime police station on Monday alleging that a fabricated audio clip purportedly featuring a conversation between him and Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan was circulated on social media to defame them.
Mohammed Siraj, a nominated member of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, complained that unidentified people created and shared the audio clip along with photographs of him and the minister on social media platforms on Sunday.
While the audio clip’s authenticity has not been independently verified, the purported conversation appeared to discuss voting patterns in the recent Davanagere South Assembly bypoll. The clip was circulated with the claim that the two leaders helped the SDPI candidate against the Congress nominee.
In his complaint, Siraj stated that he has been actively associated with the Congress and recently campaigned in the bypoll under Zameer’s leadership.
Seeking legal action against those responsible for creating and circulating the clip, Siraj alleged that the content was part of a deliberate attempt to gain political mileage by targeting him and the minister.
According to the complaint, Siraj came across the content around 10 am on Sunday. He said he subsequently contacted media organisations and issued a public clarification denying any connection with the audio clip and asserting that it was fabricated.
Various media outlets aired the audio clip.
Siraj has submitted copies of news reports, downloaded videos, and recordings of his clarification to the police as part of the complaint. Police sources said the digital material would be examined as part of the inquiry.
Zameer has also dismissed the clip as fabricated. In a statement, the minister alleged that the audio had been generated using artificial intelligence tools to create confusion within the Congress.
Siraj has alleged that the clip was part of a larger conspiracy aimed at damaging the minister’s political standing amid speculation surrounding the formation of a new Cabinet in the state.
The Davanagere South bypoll was mired in controversy over allegations that a section of Congress leaders from the Muslim community tried to sabotage the party’s prospects in the election following a dispute over the choice of the candidate.
Source: indianexpress.com
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Mideast
Trump, Netanyahu in tense, expletive-laden call about Lebanon
June 02, 2026
DUBAI: President Donald Trump dropped the “f-bomb” during a heated telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Israel’s escalation of military activities in Lebanon, website Axios has reported.
The report, citing three sources, including two US officials, quoted Trump as having told Netanyahu: “You’re f***ng crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Another source said Trump was “pissed” and at one point yelled at Netanyahu: “What the f**k are you doing?”
Netanyahu earlier vowed to push deeper into Lebanon after Israeli troops captured the medieval castle of Beaufort on Sunday, calling it a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah.
Israel has also threatened to bomb Beirut’s southern suburbs if Hezbollah continues to attack Israeli towns and cities.
Trump feared Israel’s escalatory actions in Lebanon would hinder talks with Iran, as an earlier report claimed Tehran had suspended indirect negotiations with the US because of the Israeli attacks.
The report added that Trump was concerned at rising civilian deaths from Israeli attacks, and objected to the Israeli military’s actions of knocking down buildings to take out a single Hezbollah commander.
This was one of Trump’s worst calls with Netanyahu since he returned to office, Axios reported, quoting one official.
Trump later posted on his Truth Social account he had asked Netanyahu “not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his Troops around.”
“I also had a conversation with Representatives of the Leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel, and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them,” Trump posted.
Source: arabnews.com
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Iran war hands Syria windfall as airlines reroute over its airspace
June 02, 2026
DUBAI/LONDON: Syria recorded nearly 12,000 aircraft transits in May as regional airlines rerouted around airspace disrupted by conflict in the Middle East and into skies that most carriers had avoided for more than a decade.
Figures from Syria’s General Authority for Civil Aviation show 11,801 flights crossed Syrian airspace, more than double the 4,267 recorded in February, the last full month before the Iran war disrupted regional aviation. Overflights in May were about 375 percent higher than in the same month last year.
Syria’s airspace was a no-go zone throughout the 14-year civil war that ended with the ousting of President Bashar Assad in late 2024.
The turnaround is potentially lucrative for Syria, which increased the fees it charges airlines early this year.
Based on a flat fee of $499 per flight introduced by Syria’s new government, last month’s traffic could have generated as much as $5.9 million in overflight revenue, according to Reuters calculations.
The General Authority for Civil Aviation declined to comment on revenue potential and the new fees. Airlines were forced to reassess Syria after US and Israeli airstrikes began the Iran war on February 28 and the airspace over Iraq and the Gulf that airlines previously relied upon was shut during March.
A ceasefire led to the reopening of airspace in April, but the majority of flights to Europe from Dubai and Doha — two of the world’s busiest aviation hubs — have since crossed central Syria rather than Iraq, according to flight-tracking services Flightradar24 and AirNav.
Flying over Syria cuts journey times and fuel costs as airlines try to lessen the impact of the surge in international oil prices caused by the disruption linked to the Iran war.
SYRIA IS STILL HIGH RISK
Syria upgraded infrastructure at Damascus International Airport after receiving advanced radar and navigation systems from Turkiye late last year, according to Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.
Even so, OPSGroup, an aviation risk monitoring advisory body, said that airspace over Syria is still considered risky and is operating with “procedural control only” — the most basic level of air traffic control.
Traffic remains less than half the levels before Syria’s war, according to aviation officials, and the increase in traffic is largely limited to Gulf carriers as Europe’s aviation safety agency still recommends airlines avoid flying over the country and region due to the Iran conflict.
Asian and North American carriers are also largely avoiding Middle Eastern airspace.
Syrian authorities, however, are upbeat.
“The increase in overflight traffic reflects the beginning of a real shift in how airlines view Syrian airspace, as a viable and dependable route once again within the regional air traffic network,” General Authority for Civil Aviation head Omar Al-Hosari told Reuters.
He said GACA had updated air routes, reassessed traffic patterns and strengthened navigation, surveillance and air traffic control systems and adopted risk-based safety assessments in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
As part of an overhaul of the payment systems for overflights, GACA has outsourced the collection of charges to Syrian handling agents, as well as OPSGroup and International Flight Planning Solutions, a private Lebanese flight-planning firm.
Syria’s flat fee of $499 per flight — divided between a $430 charge and a $69 communication fee — is regardless of aircraft type, size or operation type, according to a GACA document reviewed by Reuters and FAS Aero, one of the handling agents contracted by the government. Handling agents often add further fees on top.
Under Assad, Syria charged $75 for smaller aircraft to fly over the country, or about $1 to 1.25 per metric ton for larger planes, according to OPSGroup and a Syrian aviation official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The GACA document also shows a 50 percent reduction in levies for domestic flights and aircraft registered in Syria, and full exemptions for aircraft belonging to heads of states, official delegations, and search and rescue operations.
Source: arabnews.com
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Lebanon announces partial ceasefire between Israel, Hezbollah but attacks continue
June 02, 2026
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday in what would amount to a limited de-escalation of a conflict that has killed thousands of people and inflamed the broader US-Israeli war with Iran.
According to Lebanon's embassy in Washington, the agreement would not end the conflict in that country. But it calls for Israel to refrain from strikes on Beirut and its suburbs controlled by Hezbollah, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel.
Hostilities in southern Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March, continued on Monday evening. Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said that it intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into northern Israel, and that no injuries were reported.
US President Donald Trump, who first announced the agreement, said Hezbollah, through intermediaries, had pledged not to attack Israel. No US president has ever spoken with Hezbollah, with or without intermediaries. The US has designated the group as a terrorist organization.
Trump also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to pull back any troops preparing to attack Beirut.
After Trump's announcement, Netanyahu said Israel would continue military operations in southern Lebanon, where ground forces are pushing toward the Zahrani River, their deepest incursion in Lebanon in 25 years.
France’s foreign minister said Tuesday that nothing could justify Israeli troops remaining deep inside Lebanon, after Israel and Hezbollah clashed overnight despite a US announcement that both sides had agreed to halt fighting.
“Nothing can justify the continuation of military operations and Israel’s prolonged occupation deep inside Lebanese territory,” Jean-Noel Barrot told France TV.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the militia would support a full ceasefire across all Lebanon as a precursor to the withdrawal of Israeli troops. He did not say whether the group would stop its strikes on Israeli territory.
Lebanon said it would seek to expand the ceasefire in talks with Israel in Washington on Wednesday.
That could clear the path for renewed efforts to end the three-month-old war that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The process has been stuck in limbo for weeks under a fragile ceasefire as negotiators have been unable to agree on an initial framework for peace talks.
The Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2 as an offshoot of the broader conflict and has been entangled with it ever since.
Iran has insisted on a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a condition of any deal to end the war, while the US has said the two conflicts are separate.
"The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement.
Iran threatens to break off talks
Iranian state media said earlier on Monday that Tehran was halting indirect peace negotiations with the US and might end a ceasefire that has largely held since early April, citing the war in Lebanon.
There was no direct confirmation of the reports from Iranian officials, and Trump told an NBC reporter that he had not heard from Iran. He said in a CNBC interview on Monday that the peace talks had "started to get very boring" and that he did not care if they were over.
"I really don't care, I couldn't care less," Trump said.
Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly said he is close to signing a peace agreement but has yet to do so. Despite the ceasefire, Iran and the US have exchanged strikes several times over the past week.
Meanwhile, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, Esmaeil Qaani, threatened to expand its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab El Mandeb Strait, another chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Iran has already bottled up maritime traffic in the Gulf that before the war provided one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, sending prices sharply higher.
Oil prices rose 4 percent on Monday on the heightened tensions.
Source: arabnews.com
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Iran has not yet sent its response to US in talks, Mehr says
June 02, 2026
WASHINGTON: Iran has not yet responded to a proposed final agreement with the United States aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries, and discussions on the final text are continuing in Tehran, a source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Mehr News on Tuesday.
The source said Iran was reviewing the proposal cautiously because of what it sees as a history of US non-compliance and longstanding mistrust.
“Based on previous experiences, Iran is seeking tangible and real benefits,” the source said.
US President Donald Trump told ABC News on Monday that he thinks there will be a deal with Iran to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “over the next week”, according to a post from the outlet on X.
Trump said that talks with Iran were ongoing, despite a report that Tehran had suspended indirect negotiations with the US to end hostilities.
“Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported earlier that Tehran was halting indirect negotiations with the US after Israel ordered troops to push deeper into Lebanon.
In telephone interviews with news outlets after that report, Trump said he had not been told that Iran was suspending talks with Washington.
“They haven’t informed us of that,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News.
Trump said that silence between the two sides would be fine and he was willing to wait.
“I think we’ve been talking too much if you want to know the truth. I think going silent would be very good, and that could be for a long time,” he told NBC.
A suspension in negotiations would not mean the US would start bombing Iran, Trump told the network, adding that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
In a separate interview with CNBC, Trump had said he did not mind if the talks were over.
“I don’t care if they’re over, honestly ... I couldn’t care less,” CNBC quoted him as saying.
Shortly after those media interviews were reported, Trump issued his social media post saying talks with Iran were continuing.
Halted talks
Tasnim had earlier said the Islamic Republic’s negotiating team was stopping exchanging messages with Washington through mediators over attacks on Lebanon, where the US-Israeli war against Iran has reignited Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.
The move posed a further obstacle to hopes of a swift end to the crisis, after Iran said it had attacked a US air base following weekend US strikes on Iranian military targets that put further strain on a fragile ceasefire.
Oil prices rose more than $5 a barrel after the Tasnim report.
Trump had earlier reiterated on social media that he believed Tehran wants to reach a deal. But hopes of a breakthrough were tempered by comments by Iranian officials criticizing the “constantly changing” US negotiating stance.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also raised Lebanon, where another ceasefire is in place, as a stumbling block.
“Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” he said on X.
‘New fronts’
The war launched by the US and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. It has also caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas.
Tasnim said Iran and the Resistance Front, which includes its Shiite allies in Yemen, Lebanon and Iraq, had set an agenda to completely block the strait and activate other fronts, including the Bab El Mandeb Strait, to “punish” Israel and its supporters.
If the Houthis, Iran’s allies in Yemen, open a new front in the conflict, one obvious target would be the Bab El Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen, a shipping chokepoint and narrow passageway that controls sea traffic toward the Suez Canal.
Referring to Iran’s demands on Lebanon, Tasnim said “there will be no talks until Iran and the resistance’s views on this matter are met.”
Iran and the US have sporadically traded blows despite their ceasefire, which has been in place since early April, while Pakistan has been trying to mediate a durable peace agreement.
The US military said it had at the weekend struck Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two drones that were threatening ships after “aggressive Iranian actions,” including shooting down a US drone over international waters.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday it had targeted an air base used by the US in response to an attack on southern Iran.
It did not identify the base, but Kuwait activated air defenses on Monday and denounced Iranian missile and drone attacks, which it said were undermining efforts to reduce tensions in the region.
US forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait late on Sunday, the US military said on Monday, adding that no American personnel were harmed.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel military says intercepted projectiles from Lebanon
June 02, 2026
Jerusalem: The Israeli military said early Tuesday air defenses intercepted two projectiles from Lebanon, hours after US President Donald Trump announced that fighting would end.
“Following the sirens that sounded at 01:35 (2235 GMT) in several areas in northern Israel, the IAF intercepted two projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” the military said on Telegram.
A “suspicious aerial target” that later fell in Israeli territory near the Lebanese border was also identified it said, adding that no injuries were reported.
It came after Trump announced he had persuaded Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate.
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East conflict on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
A truce was supposed to have halted the fighting since April 17, but has been repeatedly violated.
“There will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” Trump said on his Truth Social network after a “very productive” call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he added.
Netanyahu later said hetold Trump “that if Hezbollah does not cease attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut.”
But Trump doubled down on his ceasefire push, posting on Truth Social that “hopefully” Israel and Hezbollah would stop fighting “for ETERNITY!“
Source: arabnews.com
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Medical team from Jordan arrives in Gaza to help care for Palestinians
June 01, 2026
LONDON: A medical team sent from Jordan to northern Gaza as part of the country’s continuing support for the health sector in the Palestinian territory arrived at a field hospital in Tel Al-Hawa on Monday.
It includes 31 medical, administrative and technical personnel from the Jordanian Royal Medical Services, who will help ensure the continuous delivery of healthcare services and treatment for the residents of Gaza, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Elsewhere in the territory, medics affiliated with the Jordanian Armed Forces are operating a field hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, and another in Tel Al-Hawa. They also set up a field hospital in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, in late 2023.
In addition, since March last year Jordanian authorities have evacuated hundreds of sick Palestinian children and their families from Gaza and taken them to Jordan for medical treatment as part of an initiative that aims to help about 2,000 youngsters.
Jordan has been at the forefront of efforts to provide Palestinians in Gaza with food and other humanitarian aid since the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel says France banned its officials from weapons show
June 01, 2026
TEL AVIV: Israel’s defense ministry said on Monday France had banned Israeli government officials from a major weapons show in Paris, and had imposed restrictions on companies from the country exhibiting there.
France’s defense ministry — which barred Israel from taking part in the 2024 Eurosatory arms exhibition over the war in Gaza — later said Israeli companies would be limited to showing equipment and materials related to air defense and missile defense, but did not go into any detail on the reasons.
It did not address the report that Israeli officials would not be allowed to attend.
“This is a disgraceful decision, one that reeks of political and commercial calculation, and regrettably, it comes as no surprise,” the Israeli defense ministry spokesperson said.
“It fits a deeply troubling pattern in French conduct in recent years — a pattern that has consistently placed France on the wrong side of history.”
Israeli-French relations have deteriorated since late 2023, with Paris criticizing Israel’s conduct in its wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and the decision by Israel and the United States to launch a war against Iran earlier this year.
Israel’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also protested at President Emmanuel Macron’s decision last year to recognize Palestinian statehood.
More than 2,600 exhibitors are due to take part in this year’s Eurosatory — one of the world’s largest weapons shows — which begins on June 15, according to its website.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Saudi crown prince extends condolences to son of former Yemeni president
June 01, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extended his condolences on Monday to Nasser Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi after the passing of his father, former Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.
The former president died on Thursday aged 80 in Riyadh.
He was Yemen’s president from 2012 until 2022, when he transferred his powers to the Presidential Leadership Council as part of efforts to advance a political process to end conflict in the country.
During a phone call with his son, the crown prince expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy over the death of the former president and prayed that God have mercy on the deceased, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Hadi expressed his deep gratitude to Prince Mohammed for his condolences and prayed that God reward him abundantly, SPA added.
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Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli incursion into Lebanon
June 01, 2026
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Monday Israel’s aggression against Lebanon’s territory, rejecting what it described as a violation of its sovereignty.
The Kingdom called on the international community to assume its responsibilities in halting the escalation and ending Israeli military movements aimed at expanding into Lebanese territory.
It stressed the importance of safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring the security of its people in line with relevant international agreements.
The Kingdom also reaffirmed the importance of adhering to the Taif Agreement in a way that ensures the extension of Lebanese state authority across all its territory.
It also stressed compliance with Lebanese government decisions to restrict arms exclusively to the state and its legitimate institutions, in order to restore security and stability in the country.
Source: arabnews.com
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Demand holds steady despite rising gold prices
AFSHAN AZIZ
June 01, 2026
JEDDAH: The gold market in Jeddah has entered a period of relative stability following weeks of heightened seasonal demand, with traders reporting a shift in buying patterns as consumers become more price-conscious.
“Demand remains strong during Hajj, especially from pilgrims purchasing gifts and small jewelry pieces, but we also see more selective buying compared to earlier peaks,” Mohammed Salem, a Jeddah-based gold trader, told Arab News. “Customers are comparing prices more carefully and asking more about making charges and purity.”
Gold prices in Saudi Arabia continue to reflect international market trends, but local seasonal cycles remain a key factor shaping retail demand.
Traders note that elevated price levels have added to the overall cost of purchases during the ongoing pilgrimage period, with 21-carat gold trading in the range of SR480–496 per gram ($128–$132) and 22-carat gold between SR520–547 per gram ($139–$146).
Although global gold prices have remained elevated in 2026, reaching around SR530–550 per gram for 21-carat gold, which remains the most commonly preferred category among customers, consumer activity has not declined.
Instead, buying patterns have shifted, with many consumers showing increased interest in higher-purity coins and bars.
Speaking to Arab News, Mohammed Akbar, who owns a gold shop at the Mahmoud Saeed gold market, said: “This year we have seen ups and downs in gold prices, including sudden spikes, which is why gold is increasingly seen as a financial asset as much as a cultural purchase. This has helped maintain steady baseline demand even outside peak seasons.”
He added: “Investment-driven buying has become more visible, particularly among younger consumers who view gold as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations.”
Retailers also point to making charges as a key factor influencing purchasing decisions, with costs varying depending on design complexity and shop location.
Some traders say customers are in a stronger position to negotiate as competition increases among retailers.
Market participants expect demand to remain stable in the coming weeks, with gradual activity likely to build again.
“I came to buy gold as a souvenir from here and for family members back in my country. It is a memorable part of our pilgrimage. I noticed that prices varied slightly from shop to shop, and we were able to negotiate to get a better deal,” said Hasan Raheem, who came from India to perform Hajj.
Badr Ali, a pilgrim from Kuwait, said: “Gold is always one of the first things people look to buy, whether from Makkah, Madinah, or Jeddah. It is more like a souvenir and a meaningful reminder of the journey.
“But since gold prices have increased, we pay more attention to making charges and different designs, including whether the pieces have stones or not, as prices vary accordingly.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia opens visa applications for new Umrah season
RASHID HASSAN
June 01, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has opened visa applications for the new Umrah season from Sunday, Dhul Hijjah 14, 1447, corresponding to May 31, 2026.
According to the Umrah season calendar for 1448, released by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims will be able to enter Makkah and obtain Umrah permits through the Nusuk application beginning Monday, June 1.
The ministry recently announced the new Umrah season calendar, which outlines the schedule and electronic services linked to visa issuance, contracting, and welcoming pilgrims.
This comes as part of the ministry’s efforts to enhance operational efficiency, elevate the experience for pilgrims, and raise the readiness of the Umrah ecosystem for the upcoming season.
Shawwal 1, 1448, corresponding to March 9, 2027, will be the final date for Umrah visa issuance, and Shawwal 15, 1448 (March 23, 2027), will be the final date for Umrah pilgrim entry into the Kingdom.
The ministry confirmed that Shawwal 30, 1448, corresponding to April 7, 2027, will be the final date for Umrah pilgrim departure.
The ministry called on Umrah service providers and overseas agents to adhere to the approved schedule and comply with all regulations and instructions issued by the MoHU to ensure the delivery of high-quality services to pilgrims throughout the season.
Arif Anwar, an Alkhobar resident, welcomed the announcement, telling Arab News: “I was waiting for the announcement by the ministry to open visa applications for the new Umrah season. I saw the report about it and am looking forward to applying for it for my parents-in-law to come for Umrah. Now, I will follow up to get the Umrah visa as advised by the ministry.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Kingdom showcases cultural heritage in Kuala Lumpur
June 01, 2026
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia hosted a cultural evening in Kuala Lumpur, bringing together Malaysian and Saudi diplomats, officials, academics, and cultural figures, highlighting strong ties between the two countries and the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage.
The “Saudi Night” event was recently held on the sidelines of Saudi Arabia’s participation as guest of honor at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair.
Attendees included Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission CEO Abdulatif Al-Wasel, Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia Osama Al-Ahmadi, Malaysian Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, as well as ambassadors, diplomats, university leaders, intellectuals, and media representatives.
Speaking at the event, Al-Wasel said the Kingdom’s role as guest of honor reflects the growing international presence of Saudi culture and its commitment to cultural exchange worldwide.
He noted that Saudi-Malaysian relations are built on longstanding friendship and cooperation, and expressed appreciation to Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan for supporting the Kingdom’s cultural initiatives.
Al-Ahmadi said the event is part of broader efforts to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural presence internationally and introduce global audiences to the Kingdom’s traditions, including music, literature, fashion, and heritage arts.
He added that such initiatives deepen cultural understanding between nations and showcase Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation under Vision 2030.
Guests were treated to performances of traditional Saudi folk arts, including Al-Khatwah, Samri, and Khubaiti, along with a selection of dishes representing the Kingdom’s diverse regional cuisines.
The evening offered visitors a chance to experience the richness of Saudi cultural heritage, reflecting the Kingdom’s efforts to promote intercultural dialogue through arts, literature, and culinary traditions.
The event was part of a wider cultural program organized by the Saudi commission during the book fair, featuring seminars, panel discussions, and artistic performances through June 7.
The Saudi pavilion is witnessing strong attendance from visitors, officials, cultural figures, and media professionals, with wide interest in its cultural content highlighting the diversity of the Saudi cultural scene.
Accompanying events have also drawn notable attendance, particularly cultural seminars featuring Saudi specialists discussing literature, translation, cultural exchange, and Saudi-Malaysian relations, alongside interactive corners introducing visitors to Saudi arts and heritage.
A cultural symposium exploring myth in Arabic and Malaysian literature and its intersections with symbol and identity was held as part of the program organized by the commission.
The symposium was presented by writer and novelist Abdullah Al-Hawas and moderated by journalist Ahmed Al-Alkami, drawing attendance from several intellectuals and literature enthusiasts.
During the session, Al-Hawas discussed the concept of myth and its role in shaping the cultural memory of societies, noting its continued presence in modern and contemporary literature as a means of expressing identity and reflecting human transformation.
He also highlighted myth in Arabic literature, citing Scheherazade and Sinbad as prominent narrative symbols associated with imagination, travel, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Al-Hawas noted that Arabic literature has drawn many of its myths from desert landscapes, the sea, and inherited human stories.
Source: arabnews.com
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Prophet's Mosque: A Masterpiece of Islamic Heritage and Architectural Splendor
01 Jun, 2026
The Prophet's Mosque stands as an unparalleled architectural masterpiece that blends Islamic heritage with the splendor of design. It showcases the beauty of Islamic art and precision craftsmanship throughout its vast complex.
Ornately decorated movable domes adorned with intricate geometric patterns draw the eye upward. The mosque's historic minarets reflect the successive phases of expansion that have shaped the site over the decades while preserving its distinctive architectural identity.
Across its arcades and courtyards, finely detailed Islamic motifs reveal a high level of artistic craftsmanship. Gilded chandeliers further enhance the grandeur of the setting. Every detail has been carefully considered and meticulously executed.
The mosque's giant gates highlight the scale of the Kingdom's expansion projects, which have significantly increased capacity to accommodate growing numbers of visitors. Outside, the iconic giant umbrellas shade the courtyards and provide a comfortable environment for worshippers. They combine aesthetic appeal with practical function and further enrich the visitor experience throughout the Prophet's Mosque.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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Europe
Thousands join Eid al-Adha celebrations across Maidenhead
02 June 2026
Thousands of people observed prayers and joined in with Eid al-Adha celebrations across Maidenhead last week.
Eid al-Adha is the second of the two main festivals in the Islamic calendar, following Eid al-Fitr which took place in February this year.
The celebration signifies the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca and the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim.
This year, residents and visitors across Maidenhead kicked off their celebrations from Wednesday, May 27, observing prayers and gathering for festivities.
A ‘strong turnout’ of more than 2,000 attendees were at Maidenhead Mosque.
Across the day, the mosque welcomed guests from across the Maidenhead and wider area to join in with the celebrations.
“The atmosphere was warm, inclusive, and full of celebration,” Zia Mahiudin, a trustee of the mosque said.
The day started with Eid prayers, split across four sittings, and this was followed by time for the community to celebrate, he explained.
Source: maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk
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Russia accuses France and UK of piracy over cargo ship seizure
1 Jun, 2026
Moscow has accused France and the UK of engaging in “piracy” after French and British naval forces intercepted and diverted a cargo ship sailing from Russia’s Murmansk to Cameroon in international waters.
The vessel, the Tagor, was stopped on Sunday, more than 400 nautical miles off the coast of Brittany, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. French authorities claim the ship was operating under a “false” flag.
In a statement on Tueday, Zakharova said the Russian Embassy in Paris has demanded full information concerning the circumstances of the detention, warning that the operation violated international maritime law. She also stated that Moscow is taking measures to protect Russian crew members aboard the vessel.
The spokeswoman rejected France’s justification for the operation, which cited Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The provision allows warships to board and inspect vessels on the high seas under limited circumstances, including when a ship is suspected of having no nationality.
However, international maritime law does not permit a warship to compel a vessel to alter course and escort it from international waters to a national port, according to Moscow.
Zakharova also dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron’s insinuation that the ship was violating “international sanctions,” arguing that only restrictions approved by the UN Security Council qualify as international sanctions. Unilateral measures imposed by European states cannot be considered international under law, she said.
The spokeswoman accused European governments of selectively interpreting legal norms to suit their interests, while cautioning that attempts to enforce sanctions in areas governed by freedom of navigation could have broader consequences for global shipping.
She added that many vessels operating in the interests of European countries sail under so-called flags of convenience, cautioning that extending such enforcement practices to the high seas could prove costly for international maritime trade.
Source: rt.com
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Here’s what you need to understand about Russia and its neighbors
Timofey Bordachev
1 Jun, 2026
President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan last week was an important moment in bilateral relations. It gives us the opportunity to think more broadly about the current state of Russia’s relations with those former Soviet republics that remain most friendly towards us.
This is especially necessary now, as elections approach in Armenia and its leadership speaks openly about moving closer to the European Union. Once again, we hear the familiar claim that Russia is “losing” the post-Soviet space. The argument is not new and it’s supported, in different ways, by the open desire of some neighboring states to strengthen cooperation with the West, and by the less visible but steadily growing presence of Western corporations, NGOs and political actors in countries near Russia.
But we should begin with a simple fact. Against the background of the geopolitical catastrophe of 1991, Russia has retained, and continues to retain, considerable influence over its immediate neighborhood.
There are two reasons for this. First, Russia’s size, economy, culture and geography make it a natural center of attraction for states that don’t make hostility to Moscow the organizing principle of their existence. Even Georgia, after bitter experience, has learned that the West is not always capable of helping those it encourages.
Second, most of our neighbors are themselves acting with a degree of statesmanship in that they may maneuver and diversify their foreign relations, but they’re not usually seeking to sever ties with Russia. The established states of the former USSR pursue pragmatic policies and understand the value of their special relationship with Moscow and, in recent years, Russia has also found new ways to ensure that those who benefit from cooperation outnumber those who profit from conflict.
The military-political confrontation between Russia and the West has nevertheless created a difficult environment. Our neighbors have benefited from it in some ways, especially through trade and financial opportunities, but they’re also under serious pressure from Brussels and Washington. One result has been a decline in some trade flows and the appearance of new problems in areas that previously developed with little political interference.
Kazakhstan remains one of the countries with which Russia has the closest and most trusting relations and this was confirmed during Putin’s visit. Kazakhstan’s president, along with the leader of Uzbekistan, attended the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, and cooperation between our countries extends far beyond economics or routine social contacts.
At the same time, Kazakhstan is building relations not only with Russia but also with our adversaries, and while this doesn’t mean Astana wants to distance itself from Moscow, it does mean Kazakhstan must remain part of the global economy on which its export revenues depend. What matters is that it is confidently seeking ways to avoid harming its cooperation with Russia.
A recent example is revealing. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice announced that it would not comply with a ruling by the International Financial Centre in Astana upholding a Swiss arbitration decision in the case brought by Ukraine’s Naftogaz against Russia’s Gazprom for more than $1.4 billion. This is precisely the kind of practical behavior that matters more than loud declarations
Armenia presents a more difficult case. The country’s defeat in its confrontation with Azerbaijan has produced deep moral exhaustion and a desire for peace almost at any price. The political forces now in power are exploiting these feelings and trying to convince society that rapprochement with the West is the key to a peaceful future.
This could soon lead to a serious weakening of Armenia’s ties with Russia, and nobody should pretend otherwise, but the cause isn’t simply a failure of Russian diplomacy. It lies in the historical path taken by Armenian society since independence in 1991. We cannot yet know what trials this people, so close to us, will have to endure, or what relations between Russia and Armenia will look like in 10 or 15 years.
The deeper point is that even the best diplomacy cannot always overcome the objective consequences of social development in neighboring states. We understand how profoundly Russian society has changed in recent years and we shouldn’t forget that our neighbors are also undergoing internal transformations.
New generations are coming of age and often they are more nationalistic, partly because they have less direct experience of international engagement and of the shared Soviet past. New elites want to displace older establishments that historically had closer ties with Moscow while longstanding economic problems remain unresolved, often because these states simply lack the resources to solve them.
In Armenia, many young people support the current government not because they hate Russia, but because they see the “European choice” as a route to personal self-fulfillment in the West. Often they are disappointed with their own country and Russia cannot realistically absorb everyone who wants a different future.
Ukraine is another case altogether and the reason for the tragic turn of events there wasn’t primarily a mistake in Russian policy, but the failure of the Ukrainian people to build durable statehood, combined with a systemic Russophobia that had been developing since Soviet times. Georgia’s turn away from a disastrous course after 2012 wasn’t the result of Russian pressure or assistance, but of the Georgian elite and society recognizing their own circumstances. Finland’s anti-Russian shift after 2022, meanwhile, was the product of an internal crisis made irreversible by its entry into the European Union’s political and economic system.
Objective processes cannot simply be reversed and they must be understood. Russia should know how to act in circumstances that did not arise only because of its own mistakes.
Most importantly, we must think long term because history doesn’t end with tomorrow’s statement from Brussels or Donald Trump’s next social media post. Russia’s relations with its neighbors move in cycles and the setbacks we are seeing now will eventually be followed by a return to a more favorable trajectory.
We often admire the ability of the United States to influence other countries, but what Russia should learn most from the Americans is their historical optimism and not their pressure tactics. Even in Latin America, the region closest to the US, Washington’s influence has never been absolute and look at how Venezuela has been governed since 1999 by forces openly unfriendly to America. Cuba has remained outside American control for decades and Nicaragua returned Daniel Ortega, an old friend of the USSR, to power after years of pro-American rule.
None of this led Washington to conclude that history was over or that every unfriendly turn was irreversible. Russia should adopt the same patience. The Soviet Union weakened itself partly through excessive spending on its external presence. We must not repeat that mistake, because for a military superpower, the most dangerous enemy is often itself.
Russia’s own socio-economic stability is more important than events in the post-Soviet space or anywhere else. This doesn’t mean retreating from our neighbors and, on the contrary, we should strengthen ties through trade and human contact, and we shouldn’t treat every ebb and flow in these relations as a tragedy.
Source: rt.com
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Slough Borough Council grant lease for 250 years to Manor Park charity
02 June 2026
Councillors have agreed to grant a 250-year long lease to a Slough charity based at Manor Park Pavilion.
The council holds the freehold of Manor Park Pavilion in Villiers Road.
But in September last year, the site was deemed a ‘surplus’ by the local authority and identified for disposal.
The site is a former sports pavilion and is now used as a cultural centre and mosque, home to the Ujala Foundation.
The charity began offering its services at Manor Park Community Centre in 2011 before moving to its current venue in 2018.
It has leased the site from the council for six years, and in 2024, the lease was extended for another 20 years.
The single-storey Manor Park Pavilion has prayer rooms, changing rooms, a kitchen and a storage area.
At a cabinet meeting on Thursday (May 28), councillors agreed to surrender the existing lease and grant a 250-year lease instead to the Ujala Foundation.
Disposing of the property on a long leasehold rather than the freehold would ensure ‘the council keeps future control’ of the asset and that it’s used for its intended purpose rather than developed into something else, the cabinet report said.
Cllr Iftakhar Ahmed (Con, Wexham Court) said he had previously made a written representation in support of the charity but added that he was ‘open-minded’ on this matter.
“[Ujala Foundation] has been very popular [and] well received by the members of the youth, women and everyone alike,” Cllr Ahmed added.
“I think we certainly would like to see more assets coming back to the community since we have the policy in place and we recognise them as being a special purchaser.”
The trustees of the Ujala Foundation pay the council £45,000 per year, with no break options in the existing lease.
Although disposing of the site would lead to the loss of a steady income, the total value of the lease is lower than the capital receipt the council would receive from the sale, the report said.
The asset is revalued every year, and the offer for the site ‘exceeds’ the valuation, it added.
The income will then be used to reduce the cash-strapped council’s borrowing from the Government.
Addressing the cabinet, Cllr Sabia Akram (Lib Dem, Farnham) asked for reassurance that the council will follow the heads of terms for this agreement.
The meeting heard that the council will ‘not be moving away’ from the heads of terms included in the confidential part of the report.
Manor Park Pavilion was not marketed because the charity is a ‘special purchaser’.
Cllr Akram further clarified: “I have never had any conversation or tried to obstruct the purchase or the disposal of this asset.”
The council leader, Cllr Wal Chahal (Con, Langley Marish), interrupted her and said “I think we’re going off topic.”
Cllr Waqas Sabah (Lib Dem, Farnham) also addressed the cabinet and was glad to see that community assets were being retained for community use.
He reiterated that he had ‘never tried to obstruct any of these purchases’. Cllr Sabah was also interrupted by the council leader.
But Cllr Chahal recognised that the council’s asset disposal policy looking to bring ‘assets back into the community, was a grandchild of this administration’.
Source: sloughobserver.co.uk
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Istanbul to host Global Islamic Economy Summit on June 3-6
Mücahithan Avcıoğlu
01 June 2026
The 3rd Global Islamic Economy Summit will be held in Istanbul on June 3-6, bringing together global policymakers, central bank governors, investors, financial institutions, academics and industry representatives.
The four-day summit, organized by the AlBaraka Islamic Economy Forum under AlBaraka Summits Türkiye, will take place at Halkbank's headquarters at the Istanbul Financial Center.
This year’s event will be held under the theme “Capital in the Islamic Economy: Structuring Wealth for Sustainable Development,” focusing on ethical finance, sustainable development and the future of Islamic economics and finance.
Sessions will address artificial intelligence, digital transformation, digital capital, financial innovation, Islamic fintech, sustainable liquidity ecosystems and youth entrepreneurship, and Anadolu will serve as the global communications partner of the event.
A flagship session, “Digital Capital and Financial Innovation: Technology, Governance and Shariah Integrity,” will examine the use of artificial intelligence in Islamic finance operations, including credit assessment, risk monitoring, automated compliance and tokenization of Shariah-compliant assets.
The summit will also host a special panel of central bank governors and ministers, moderated by Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN special envoy on financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The panel will feature Fatih Karahan, the governor of Türkiye's Central Bank, Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour, governor of Bank Negara Malaysia, and Yahya Jawdat Hafez Shunnar, governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority.
Discussions are expected to cover financial stability frameworks, capital flow governance, sustainable liquidity ecosystems and economic resilience.
Türkiye’s Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek will also deliver a keynote address on capital, development and inclusive prosperity.
The summit will include sessions for young business leaders, entrepreneurs and digital creators, focusing on Islamic finance instruments, sustainable business models and value creation in the digital economy.
Several memorandum of understanding signing ceremonies are planned to strengthen cooperation among academia, finance and industry.
The first AlBaraka Strategic Report will also be launched at the summit, presenting a vision for the future of the Islamic economy and its role in sustainable and inclusive growth.
Interactive sessions will be held under the Saleh Kamel Islamic Economics Award, which has a total award value of 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,500)
The summit is being organized in strategic partnership with the Investment and Finance Office of the Turkish presidency, Türkiye Wealth Fund, Istanbul Financial Center, Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum and Ibn Haldun University.
Source: com.tr
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https://aa.com.tr/en/economy/istanbul-to-host-global-islamic-economy-summit-on-june-3-6/3953184
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Police investigating deliberate fire at abandoned Islamic nursery in Leicester
Samuel Kalantzis
01 Jun 2026
A fire in an abandoned Islamic nursery in Leicester is believed to have been started deliberately.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service was called at 5.50pm, on Sunday, May 31, to a fire at a property in Beal Street in the city centre.
According to officers, the fire affected all three floors of the building and was extinguished by 11pm.
No one was injured as a result of the blaze.
Leicestershire Police said it believes the fire was started deliberately.
A spokesperson for the force said: "Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance and officers were also at the scene dealing with public safety and traffic concerns.
"The fire is believed to have been started deliberately."
While attending the incident, multiple road closures were put in place in the surrounding area, including Maidstone Road at the Junction with Jupiter Close and Beal Street itself.
The building has been abandoned for at least six years.
Source: leicestermercury.co.uk
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https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/police-investigating-deliberate-fire-abandoned-10992628
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Moscow slams lackluster IAEA reaction to Ukrainian attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear plant
1 Jun, 2026
Russia has urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide an adequate response and take practical steps over Ukrainian attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant and the nearby city of Energodar, according to Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev.
Likhachev held an “extraordinary unscheduled” phone call with the IAEA leadership and Director General Rafael Grossi on Monday to discuss the “inadequacy” of the watchdog’s reaction after a Ukrainian fiber-optics-guided drone struck the machine hall of ZNPP’s sixth power unit, puncturing a hole in the building on Saturday.
The Rosatom chief described the strike as the “first targeted attack on an operating nuclear power unit in human history,” saying that Russia expects a clear response from the IAEA, including “indications of both the perpetrators and the reasons for all these strikes.”
The IAEA, which has its experts deployed at the ZNPP, acknowledged damage “consistent with the impact of a drone,” but once again stopped short of blaming Ukraine. Grossi called the strike “a serious incident that endangered key nuclear safety principles.”
“The silence, absence of assessments and personification of risks is essentially a green light for further escalation,” Likhachev told journalists after the call. “Radiation knows no borders and does not recognize passports. In this sense, any nuclear incident poses a threat to a number of countries and this threat will last for many years.”
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been targeted by Ukraine on multiple occasions since Russia took control of the facility in March 2022.
In recent months, Kiev has also increasingly targeted infrastructure linked to the plant and in Energodar, including kindergartens, schools, roads, transport enterprises, and vehicles carrying supplies for the community, according to the Rosatom chief.
Face-to-face contacts with the IAEA will continue this week, Likhachev added. Interdepartmental consultations involving the Russian Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Rostekhnadzor, Rosatom, and IAEA leaders are scheduled for early July.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/640837-zaporozhye-attacks-iaea-reaction/
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North America
Fort Wayne imam responds to Lt. Gov. Beckwith’s comments on Islam
Jun. 2, 2026
By Tom Powell
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - The Fort Wayne Muslim community is reacting to recent comments from Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
Beckwith made the remarks during an appearance on a Christian talk show called “FlashPoint.” He said he “hates Islam” and called it a “demonic death cult.”
The imam at the Universal Education Foundation in Fort Wayne says the lieutenant governor’s comments are creating division and fear. Imam Hamzah Sharif says he felt compelled to address the comments because they’re coming from the second-highest-ranking public official in the state.
Security concerns raised
Sharif says it breaks his heart to hear these comments from Beckwith.
“I called it hate speech because he’s talking about hate. He’s talking about promoting hate,” Sharif said.
In the original clip from “FlashPoint,” Beckwith said, “I hate Islam. It’s a demonic death cult. Now, I love Muslims because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them. But I hate Islam. Now, I love Muslims because they make great Christians when Jesus gets a hold of them. But I hate Islam. And we need to be okay with hating again.”
Sharif says some of the hundreds of people he preaches to weekly have expressed security concerns after hearing Beckwith’s comments.
“A lot of people… there are physicians who came to me and expressed their concern about what’s going on, and they’re asking what kind of security measures we’re taking in the mosque. And all of this is because of this hate,” Sharif said.
Beckwith responds
In a statement, Beckwith said he loves and supports all groups of people that “come to our country legally and assimilate.”
“I said what I mean. I mean what I say. I mean, I have no love for Islam. Now, I love Muslims. Every single Muslim I have a big heart for. And I certainly would give them the shirt off my back. But their ideology is incompatible with who we are as Americans,” Beckwith said.
Invitation extended
Sharif says the Fort Wayne Muslim community is one of peace and that it’s growing. He points to the construction of an expanded center called “The House of Peace.” He wants the lieutenant governor to pay a visit.
“I invite lieutenant governor to open his eyes and to overcome his fears, and to actually reach out to Muslims. If he, like he says, that he loves Muslims, he should listen to them,” Sharif said. “We can’t oppose hate with hate. We know in the gospel that Jesus’ teachings say, ‘Love thy neighbor.’ And it’s the same thing in Islam: love your neighbor. We should work together towards loving one another.”
Source: 21alivenews.com
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https://www.21alivenews.com/2026/06/01/fort-wayne-imam-responds-lt-gov-beckwiths-comments-islam/
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NAIT Launches Trust (Waqf) with $1 Million Matching Fund to Protect Mosques, Counter Anti-Muslim Hate and Support Impacted Families
June 1, 2026
(WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 1st, 2026) — The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), the nation’s pioneering and largest custodian of Islamic community properties, today announced the creation of the Resilience and Protection Waqf (endowment), a proposed multi-million-dollar endowment fund designed to educate, train, equip, and protect American Muslim communities from rising anti-Muslim hate and violence. The Fund also intends to provide aid to families impacted by similar crimes.
NAIT also announced a partnership with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, to arrange regional safety trainings conducted by security experts for mosques, Islamic private schools and other faith-based institutions.
To catalyze this massive national effort, NAIT has committed to matching all public campaign contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $1,000,000 (One Million Dollars), aiming to build a multi-million-dollar foundational safety net.
By preemptively equipping the Islamic institutions and community, the Endowment aims to help prevent and minimize the impact of any terrorist attacks like the one on May 18, 2026, at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) in Clairemont, California perpetrated by anti-Muslim white supremacist extremists. The mass shooting claimed the lives of three community pillars—security guard Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad—who heroically drew gunfire away from nearly 140 elementary school children sheltered inside the complex.
This waqf is dedicated in loving memory and honor of the San Diego Martyrs. May Allah (swt) accept this noble endeavor as a source of Sadaqah Jariyah on their behalf until the Day of Judgment.
“Muslim communities across the nation continue to face targeted attacks that leave deep, lasting scars on affected families and entire communities,” said Maqsood Quadri, Executive Director of NAIT. “With the Resilience and Protection Waqf, NAIT is establishing a perpetual safety net that we intend to grow into a multi-million-dollar national resource. We are calling upon our partner mosques, community members, interfaith groups, philanthropists, and national organizational leaders, and all our friends to join us in securing our institutions and supporting those grieving from similar immense tragedies.”
Members of the public, community leaders, and philanthropic organizations are urged to maximize the impact of their giving by participating in this $1,000,000 match campaign. Donations can be made securely online at: https://www.launchgood.com/naitresiliencefund
For more information about the Resilience and Protection Waqf or to schedule an interview with NAIT leadership, please contact info@nait.net or 630-789-8500.
Funds raised through this campaign will be deployed across three critical areas:
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance: Providing immediate financial support to the families of victims and impacted individuals from similar tragedies and incidents.
Preventative Security Infrastructure: Educating and guiding communities to develop robust national initiatives, apply and obtain grants from federal, state, local agencies and private foundation to upgrade security protocols, physical infrastructure, and protection measures at mosques, Islamic schools, and community centers across America.
Community Resilience and Institutional Support: Enhancing long-term community strength and providing essential institutional support to Islamic centers.
Strategic Safety Partnership with CAIR
As part of this comprehensive initiative, NAIT is partnering with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, to launch a proactive, nationwide safety campaign aimed at mosques, Islamic private schools and other faith-based institutions. This collaboration is meant to actively reinforce community security by:
Upgrading Safety Standards: Working alongside security professionals to update and expand CAIR’s Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety manual.
Regional Security Seminars: Hosting in-person regional workshops to bring mosque and Islamic school staff together with security professionals to master these protocols, learn about federal and state security funding, and connect with local specialists.
Sustained Support Networks: Networking training participants into a continuous peer group, providing them with ongoing support, real-time security alerts, and direct assistance with grant opportunities.
As an irrevocable multi-generational endowment (Waqf), the fund will be managed in perpetuity, the fund principal staying intact while investment return can be used as needed, ensuring that resources remain continuously available to counter anti-Muslim/anti-Islam hate crimes and reinforce community resilience for decades to come, inshaAllah (God willing).
About the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT)
Founded in 1973, the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the American Muslim community. As the trusted custodian of deeds, NAIT holds and protects the real estate assets of the mosques, Islamic schools, and centers in the United States, safeguarding them from financial, legal, and operational vulnerabilities.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/nait-launches-trust-waqf-with-1-million-matching-fund-to-protect-mosques-counter-anti-muslim-hate-and-support-impacted-families/
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US says it struck Iranian radar sites as Iran targets American forces in Kuwait
June 2, 2026
Harry Sekulich
The US has said it hit Iranian military sites over the weekend while Tehran said it responded by targeting a US base, marking the third escalation in a week around the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched "self-defence strikes" in response to "aggressive Iranian actions", which included a US drone being shot down over international waters.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted an air base used by US forces for an attack on Iran.
Centcom said two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting US forces in Kuwait had been intercepted and "no American personnel were harmed".
Kuwait earlier said its forces had confronted "hostile" missiles and drones.
US President Donald Trump urged his critics to "sit back and relax" in a post on Truth Social early on Monday, saying it would "all work out well in the end". He said Iran "really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA".
The strikes mark the latest exchange between the two sides after negotiations on a deal to end their months-long war failed to advance over the weekend, with US media reporting Trump had requested changes to its terms.
The changes are related to the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel and the removal of highly enriched uranium from Iran, the BBC's US news partner CBS News reported. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the US was "constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands", which he said would naturally "prolong negotiations".
The country's chief negotiator had said on Sunday that Tehran would not agree to any deal unless Iranian rights were fully secured.
The US military said it had on Saturday and Sunday conducted "self-defence strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones" in the city of Goruk, near Iran's southern coast, and Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Centcom said US fighters struck the Iranian military's air defences, a ground control station and two drones that it said "posed a clear threat to ships transiting through regional waters". No American personnel were injured in the attacks, it said.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the strikes had been a violation of the ceasefire.
The IRGC said it targeted the base which it claimed the US had used to strike a communications tower on Sirik Island in the Gulf, around 40 miles (65km) from Iran's southern coastline.
Iran's military added that its response would be "completely different" if US aggression was "repeated", according to IRGC remarks reported by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.
Kuwait's military said early on Monday it was "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks", with state news agency KUNA reporting air raid sirens sounded across the country.
Its foreign ministry later released a statement condemning "in the strongest terms... the heinous and repeated Iranian attacks, which represent a dangerous escalation and a direct assault" on Kuwait.
It said such attacks "undermine" efforts to deescalate tensions in the region and said the country reserved the right to "take whatever measures are necessary" to defend itself.
Tehran targeted an air base in Kuwait last week in response to earlier US air strikes, which it said were conducted to prevent Iranian boats and missile strikes from laying mines around the shipping channel.
While a ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, Trump has repeatedly suggested the US and Iran are close to a permanent deal and that negotiations are progressing, but so far no formal agreement has been reached.
Trump and senior aides met on Friday to make a "final determination" about a framework for extending the ceasefire, but the meeting concluded without clarity on the next steps before reports later emerged that the president had requested changes to the text.
The latest terms include a 60-day cessation of violence and a call to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News reported - the shipping lane through which approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments usually pass, whose effective closure has sent global oil prices soaring.
It also reportedly includes a framework to reopen negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme - which Tehran has long maintained is peaceful - although Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied this had been on the table on Monday.
"No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war," Baghaei told a press briefing.
He added that an end to the conflict in Lebanon remained an "essential condition" for any deal and that Washington and Tehran had not yet reached "a final conclusion".
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi echoed this in an X post on Monday, writing: "The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
"The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation," he added.
Lebanon was drawn into the war between the US, Israel and Iran on 2 March.
The Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to which Israel responded with an air campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlpy8n7pr6o
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Trump administration will abide by ruling halting $1.8bn 'anti-weaponisation' fund
June 2, 2026
Nardine Saad
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) says it will abide by a court ruling halting the Trump administration's $1.8bn (£1.3bn) fund meant to compensate people who allege unfair treatment by the federal government during previous administrations.
In a statement on Monday, the department said it "disagrees strongly with the decision" made by the court.
The administration last month announced what it called an "anti-weaponisation fund" as part of its settlement agreement with US President Donald Trump over a leak of his tax returns.
Democrats have criticised it as a "slush fund", Republicans have opposed it and a federal judge temporarily blocked its creation until a hearing on 12 June.
The DOJ defended the fund's establishment on Monday, saying in a statement on X that it was created "to make up for the tremendous abuse, harm, and hate unfairly shown to so many people".
The fund was "open to anybody who was so weaponized, targeted, or persecuted, whether they were Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent, or otherwise", the DOJ said.
The White House directed comments about the decision to the justice department.
Last week, US Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily stopped the creation of $1.776bn government fund to compensate individuals who claimed to be targets of political investigation by previous administrations.
The fund had been set aside for "victims of lawfare" to seek compensation, and eligibility for it appeared broad.
Brinkema barred the justice department from taking any steps to stand up or operate the fund - including processing or dispersing claims - until a preliminary hearing on 12 June.
Responding to the judge's two-page order last week, a DOJ spokesperson said they were "extremely confident" in the legality of the scheme.
The order came down after two men who alleged the fund was discriminatory filed a lawsuit in Virginia. The plaintiffs said they had been targeted for political retribution by the Trump administration but believed they would not be allowed to file claims for compensation.
Many Trump supporters who were prosecuted over the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021 have expressed plans to file claims, as well as members of Trump's former inner circle.
Several Republican lawmakers, as well as Democrats, have voiced opposition to the the fund since it was announced last month by Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche - Trump's former personal lawyer who stepped in as the country's top prosecutor after the ouster of Pam Bondi from that role in April.
Senate Majority leader John Thune, the top Republican in the US Senate, has come out forcefully against the fund.
He reiterated his stance on Capitol Hill on Monday by saying that he prefers that the White House shut down the proposed fund if Congress is to pass a $72bn (53.5bn) budget reconciliation package to fund immigration agencies.
"I made my views very clear on the issue," Thune said, adding that "the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves".
Earlier on Monday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, signalled that his party would push to eliminate the fund.
"Senate Democrats will push legislation to ban Trump's corrupt MAGA slush fund and ensure that no president can ever do this again, " Schumer added on X. "We will make sure that it's dead and can't be revived—just like we did with Trump's ballroom."
Over the weekend, former US Vice-President Mike Pence, who served as second in command during Trump's first term, sharply criticised the fund, saying it was a "bad idea from the start" and should be dropped.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkpyj41m15o
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Trump inserts himself into the centre of America's 250th birthday celebrations
June 2, 2026
Anthony Zurcher
As a growing list of musical acts announced they were dropping out of, or had never agreed to participate in, a series of concerts celebrating the 250th anniversary of America's independence, Donald Trump said that he didn't need them anyway.
"I don't want so-called 'artists' that get paid far too much money, who aren't happy," the president wrote on Truth Social. "I only want to be surrounded by happy people, smart people, successful people and people that know how to win."
The president instructed his "representatives" to look into making him the featured attraction of a planned 16-day "Great American State Fair" celebration on the National Mall in Washington DC later this month.
While it's unclear whether the musicians will in fact be replaced by what Trump has called a "giant Make America Great Again Rally", it would only be the latest, most pointed illustration of how the president has inserted himself directly into America's Independence Day celebrations.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump frequently has reflected on how his four-year break from the presidency means that he now is serving a second term during historic national events – including this year's World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and America's 250th birthday celebrations.
The last of these, with its red-white-and-blue pageantry dripping with patriotic pride, seems to be of particular interest to the president.
While the US Congress established an "America 250" commission to oversee the celebrations a decade ago, Trump-backed groups formed a competing, privately funded "Freedom 250" committee to host their own events.
The current list includes the state fair on the National Mall, a UFC fight at the White House, a physical fitness competition in Orlando, Florida, an August Grand Prix race through the streets of Washington and what Trump is billing as the world's largest fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
The president frequently boasts of these events on social media, including through AI-generated images of him waving a green flag to kick off the street race and standing in front of an octagon fighting ring by the White House, flanked by lightning.
America 250, by contrast, is decidedly smaller, sponsoring art exhibits and coordinated "block parties" across the country.
Trump also focused on "beautification" projects around Washington in preparation for months of events.
Fountains in Sheridan Circle, Meridian Park and Columbus Circle – among more than a dozen others - have been repaired. Lafayette Park, across from the White House, is currently closed for significant renovations.
A contractor is resurfacing the reflecting pool that stretches between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument – albeit with some concern over funding and the methods used.
Four bronze horse statues that stand near Memorial Bridge are set to be coated with 23.75 karat gold leaf. Crews have repaved streets in downtown Washington and repainted lamp posts.
In talking about the renovations, Trump has at times sounded more like a municipal official than the leader of a global superpower - for example, devoting more than 20 minutes to the improvements during last week's Cabinet meeting.
"I love construction," the president, who spent much of his adult life as a real-estate developer, said. "DC is looking beautiful."
Last month, the US Commission of Fine Arts also approved the construction of a 250-foot triumphal arch across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial – although the project requires further approval and faces legal challenges from critics.
Independence Day celebration efforts have stretched throughout Trump's administration, as top aides and advisers take steps to directly tie the current president to festivities.
In March, the US Treasury approved a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump standing at a desk. Last week, Treasury secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that his department also was working on a special $250 note with Trump's face – although putting a living president on currency would require congressional approval.
That latest move prompted sharp condemnations from Democrats, who appear united in their opposition.
"Get over yourself," Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, wrote on X. "The upcoming July 4th anniversary is not about a wannabe king. It is about celebrating the American journey."
Trump and his officials deride such criticism as unpatriotic and claim the administration's efforts befit a momentous occasion.
The result, however, is a celebration that, instead of being a unifying event, has become yet another partisan battleground, as Trump presides over a nation as sharply divided as ever.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clypkj2e349o
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US Democrats could attack Trump’s payouts to lawfare victims
June 2, 2026
Democrat-led US states are considering imposing a 100% tax on payouts by a $1.8 billion fund set up by US President Donald Trump for victims of attempts to weaponize the legal and political system against them.
Trump and his allies have long claimed to have been subjected to politically motivated investigations and prosecutions during the Biden administration, including the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, the probe into his supposed ties with Moscow, and other criminal cases.
Trump’s team has presented the ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ as part of a broader effort to compensate people allegedly mistreated by the federal government.
However, critics have described Trump’s proposal as a “slush fund,” with Colorado Senator Michael Bennet calling it a “corrupt theft of taxpayer dollars” in an interview with the Washington Post on Sunday.
A US federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s administration from setting up the fund on Friday.
What is the fund?
The ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ is a $1.776 billion pool of federal money intended to compensate people who claim they were victims of government lawfare and were targeted for political, personal, or ideological reasons.
The Justice Department (DOJ) created it earlier this month as part of a settlement ending Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax records. The sum is a symbolic reference to 1776, the year of the US Declaration of Independence.
History of ‘lawfare’ against Trump
The announcement of the fund comes after years of Trump describing the criminal investigations against him and his supporters as politically motivated “weaponization” of the justice system, which was a central theme of his 2024 presidential campaign.
Examples cited by Trump’s camp include the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago over classified documents, the years-long investigation into the now-debunked Russia collusion, prosecutions related to the January 6 Capitol riot, and the leak of Trump’s tax records by former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn.
The administration has also pointed to cases involving lesser-known Trump supporters like 70-year-old former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters, who was imprisoned in 2024 over an attempt to uncover evidence of voter fraud.
Vice President J.D. Vance has said it would be “reasonable” for Peters to “get some compensation” from the Anti-Weaponization Fund, arguing that her sentence was “completely disproportionate.”
Who decides who gets paid?
The fund would be overseen by a five-member commission. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s defense attorney, is expected to appoint most of its members.
The commission will be able to authorize payments to claimants who show they were illegally targeted by the federal government, issue apologies, or request more information from claimants and federal agencies.
The DOJ has said there are no partisan restrictions on eligibility. A senior administration official told the New York Post that anyone can apply, including Democrats, January 6 defendants, or even former US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
Why are critics angry?
Opponents have described the arrangement as a taxpayer-funded “slush fund” that could benefit Trump allies, including people connected to the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol.
Democracy Forward, the group behind one of the lawsuits challenging the fund, has argued that no administration has the authority to spend public money through a “political rewards program.”
Some Republicans have also objected. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said it would be “absurd” if someone who assaulted a police officer, admitted guilt and was convicted was subsequently pardoned and then received taxpayer-funded compensation.
The viral ‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Angeli-Chansley, who was one of the Trump supporters involved in the Capitol Hill riots, has also come out against the fund, stating he would not take “a dime of that blood money” after becoming disenchanted with the president over his handling of the Epstein Files, attack on Iran and support for Israel.
Blue states threaten to tax everything
While Democrats remain a minority in Congress and have limited power to block the program, some state-level officials have been looking for ways to prevent residents from keeping payouts.
California Assembly Budget Committee Chair Jesse Gabriel said Democrats are planning to include a tax on the payments in the state budget. “That money belongs to taxpayers, and we’re going to make sure it stays with taxpayers,” he told the Washington Post on Sunday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has endorsed the idea, saying it is “an action we look forward to taking.” Lawmakers in New York and Wisconsin are also working on bills targeting any payments from the fund.
“If you’re a New Yorker and you take from this illegal slush fund, New York state will tax 100% of it,” New York Assembly member Alex Bores said in a video posted on X. “If you storm the Capitol and you take from this slush fund, too bad, we’re taking it.”
The DOJ has criticized the state proposals, accusing blue-state governors of “flaunting their love of lawfare.”
What does the Trump side say?
The DOJ has defended the fund, saying it “remains extremely confident” in its legality.
“We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare,” a department spokesperson told Reuters.
Supporters also argue the fund is not unprecedented, pointing to the existing DOJ Judgment Fund, which has long been used to settle claims against the federal government, and stating that the program is “just a rebranding of an existing legal settlement fund Congress authorized decades ago.”
What is the current status of the fund?
On Friday, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked the Trump administration from setting up or operating the fund while she considers additional legal arguments. The order will remain in effect at least until June 12.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/640819-democrats-tax-trump-fund/
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Asylum rejections without interviews? Trump administration moves to speed up deportation cases under new plan
Jun 1, 2026
Trump administration is preparing a new immigration policy that could reject asylum seekers without even interviewing them, according to a report cited by CBS News.
The proposed rule was developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under the plan, officers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would be allowed to deny applications if they believe the claims were filed more than a year after the applicant entered the US. This would bypass the long-standing practice of conducting interviews in nearly all asylum cases before a decision is made.
Applicants whose cases are rejected under this process would then later be deported by immigration courts, where they would have to argue their case in a formal legal setting.
US immigration law generally bars asylum applications filed more than one year after entry, although there are exceptions. These include cases involving serious medical issues, ineffective legal counsel, or applicants who were minors travelling alone. The proposed regulation would still allow officers to move cases forward for interview if they believe an exception applies.
However, the key change is that officers would be able to rely on paperwork alone to dismiss cases that appear to fall outside the legal time limit, rather than interviewing applicants as part of the initial review.
A USCIS spokesperson said the administration is looking at different ways to deal with a growing backlog of asylum cases.
"This would allow USCIS to avoid wasting time on asylum applications that it would otherwise refer to immigration proceedings and will allow illegal aliens to have their claims heard by a judge," the spokesperson said.
The statement also said the backlog was the result of what it described as “the Biden administration’s dangerous open borders policies,” and that the government was reviewing options to address more than a million pending claims.
The proposal has raised concern among immigration advocates, who warn it could lead to people being pushed into deportation proceedings without being given a proper chance to explain delays in filing their claims.
Conchita Cruz, co-executive director of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, said there are often legitimate reasons why asylum seekers miss the one-year deadline.
"The government would be changing the rules on immigrants who have been navigating a complex immigration process, often for many years," she added.
Under US law, most people on American soil can request asylum, even if they entered the country illegally. However, they must prove they are fleeing persecution based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Those who are granted asylum can remain in US permanently, while those who are refused are deported.
The asylum system has faced growing pressure in recent years, with government figures showing 1.5 million pending applications with USCIS as of last year. Immigration courts under the Justice Department are also dealing with a backlog of around 3.3 million cases, including 2.3 million asylum-related claims. The delays can encourage migrants who may not qualify for protection to remain in the country while their cases are processed.
Trump administration has also pursued agreements with other countries to accept deported asylum seekers, including “safe third country” arrangements, which require applicants to seek protection outside the US, sometimes in nations with disputed human rights records.
The administration has also previously frozen asylum applications in specific circumstances, including after an Afghan asylum seeker was linked to an attack on two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC last year. That pause was later eased but continues to apply to applicants from 39 countries listed under a travel ban proclamation.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/asylum-rejections-without-interviews-trump-administration-moves-to-speed-up-deportation-cases-under-new-plan/articleshowprint/131446593.cms
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Africa
Terrorist’s ‘test transmission’ in the Southwest
01 June 2026
By Oludayo Tade
This year, the Children’s Day and the Eid Al-dha festival was celebrated on the same day. While the former is used to engender and protect the welfare of children, the latter (Festival of the sacrifice) is to honour the act of willingness of prophet Ibrahim who wanted to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command. But God is kind. He realized that children are not animals that should be slaughtered. Hence, animal was used to replace Ishmael who would have been slaughtered. God values children’s lives. Do we? How do we protect our children and show them that we are capable of protecting and nurturing them rightly? As I struggle with the answers to these questions, I remembered the 46 children and seven teachers Ahoro-Esiele/Yawota in Oriire local government area of Oyo state on 16 May 2026. They had planned their day to learn but were captured and coerced into the forests. The agrarian community went into confusion as automatic rifles bellowed into their hearing. A teacher who tried to escape was shot dead. The Okada owner who would not trade his means of survival with the terrorists was not spared for daring to challenge the jihadists. The terrorists came prepared and must have been lurking around the community for a while. As combined forces trailed the marauders, they sacrificed the mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun in the most gruesome way designed to halt their chase and forced captives to do videos where they pleaded with the government to jettison kinetic approach but embrace non-kinetic negotiation strategy so that they could make it out of the forest alive.
The 2026 global terrorism index explains the gravity of what battles us. According to the data, the Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates remained the deadliest terrorist organisations in 2025. The four deadliest terrorist organisations were IS, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and al-Shabaab. All of them accounted for 70percent (3,869) of terrorism fatalities. Terrorism remains highly concentrated. Just under 70 per cent of deaths from terrorism occurred in only five countries: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Six of the ten countries most impacted by terrorism are in sub-Saharan Africa which is now the epicenter of terrorism. Nigeria recorded the largest increase in 2025. Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram were responsible for 80 per cent of all terrorism deaths in the country. To show the magnitude of those who attacked us, the Defence Headquarters linked them Bokoharam JAS. They are not ordinary criminals. Why did army forces conduct aerial bombardments without adequate ground clearance operation? A well-coordinated ground clearance operation would have ensured that those fleeing bombardments in the north would have been killed and not allowed free mobility elsewhere. Unfortunately, these terrorists had enough time to move with their armory.
The mobility of terror to the southwest region is a test-transmission by terror groups. The first attack was at Owo massacre on June 5 at St. Francis Catholic Church, Ondo State. It was during the celebration of the Pentecost when they struck. By the time they finished, no fewer than 40 people were massacred and many were injured. Those arrested in connection with the massacre are still awaiting judgment five years after. Ondo state government stood up to the challenge under the leadership of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN). Amotekun and their collaborators went into the forests and ordered illegal occupants out. They arrested and chased others away. But criminals only retreated. They went back to relaunch. They created terror routes through the northcentral axis, killing, abducting and sacking communities in Kwara state. As people desert communities, terrorists occupy them and to push further in their expansionist agenda. The border community to that axis is Oriire Local Government, Ogbomoso in Esinele community. The terrorists are mapping vulnerable communities in their routes!
Certainly, all is not well with the land governed by the Jagaban of Borgu, President Bola Tinubu.Nigerians are held captive by their leaders(dealers)and this includes those who reportedly invited terror groups into the country. Corrupt leaders kidnap collective resources that should have been used to develop health, education and power infrastructure. Billions of naira are stolen in a land where youths remain largely unemployed. Poverty envelopes the land and disillusionment cover the faces of the masses. The economy grows on paper but not manifest in their lives. Governments abandon the rural areas. Terrorists see rural communities as under-protected and vulnerable. They feast on them.
Governor Seyi Makinde deserves commendation for prompt mobilization of inter-agency forces. Kudos to our gallant security men who have encircled the terrorists. The captives are now used as human shield. This has slowed down rescue operations even as the terrorists have opened communication with government to negotiate.
We need to understand how they operate to be able to prepare prevention and containment strategies. Studies have shown that terrorists and bandits attacks take place early in the morning or late in the night and in remote and isolated places. These are times of the day when people have lowered their guard. The people of the southwest expect a coordinated response from their governors, supported by the federal government. The lives of Nigerians must matter and must not be traded on the altar of politics. President Bola Tinubu must demonstrate political willingness to fully wipe out jihadists and halt their expansion. The armed forces have said that they have the capacity to end terrorism. Government should allow them to work. No economy can grow when there is insecurity. No tourist will visit a country that allows dozens of her people to be captured, tortured, killed and forced to rescue themselves with ransom in a country with governments.
At the regional level, the nature of threat is changing and calls for review of strategies. Southwest Governors must collaborate, cooperate and coordinate security operation due to geographical contiguity. They must fund sustained clearance operations of southwest forests to destroy criminal occupants and their hideouts, and their fish out their collaborators in communities. Communities must be trained to detect, collect, process and communicate intelligence information. Traditional rulers need to activate their community watch, conduct threat analysis and monitor suspicious movement around their communities. Market men and women should be able to sense dangers when strangers or a community member make exceptionally high purchase of food items. We must not allow terrorists to work with criminals who live among us. They cannot settle down in our region once we break their supply routes.
Fear is necessary but will not solve our problems. We need to help security agencies to secure and protect us. We should stop attending church or mosque programs in remote locations and on isolated mountains. Stop night vigils and don’t put your lives at risk. Heavens help those who help themselves. We must also avoid unnecessary gatherings in isolated and remote locations. Commuters should avoid late night journey as much as possible. Employing those who ran away from terror zones because they offer cheap labour could be very dangerous at this time. Don’t employ them in your neighbourhood without security screening and clearance. Our Governors must coordinate the activities of all informal security organisations in the zone – hunters, vigilante, Oodua people’s congress, Agbekoya among others. We must invest in security technology. Activities of estate merchants should be regulated so as not to sell lands to criminal organisations. When people arrive from an unknown place to rent an apartment, we should do due diligence, particularly in rural communities. Mining sites are locations of security breaches and they must be under serious surveillance. We must not allow terror groups to displace our population and start extortion economy in the southwest. The security of the zone is a collective one. If individuals are safe, the communities are safe. If the communities are safe, the states are safe. If the states are safe, the region is secured. A stitch in time saves nine.
Source: thesun.ng
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https://thesun.ng/terrorists-test-transmission-in-the-southwest/
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Tanko Denies Claims Obi Demolished Mosque In Anambra
Habeebah Basah
02 June 2026
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, has dismissed allegations that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, demolished a mosque during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, insisting that the claims are false and unsupported by available evidence.
Tanko said records from Obi’s time in office show that the former Anambra governor maintained cordial relations with the Muslim community and supported the construction of a mosque in the state.
In a post shared on X, the Obidient Movement leader said the group would continue to challenge what it described as misinformation and deliberate attempts to misrepresent Obi’s record in public office.
“We will continue to debunk the false allegations against His Excellency, Peter Obi,” Tanko wrote.
“From the claim that he demolished a mosque, when evidence shows that he supported and built one, to the misinformation surrounding the ID card issue, we will continue to present the facts.”
He maintained that the movement would not remain silent in the face of claims it believes are aimed at damaging Obi’s image ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, the Obidient Movement remains committed to presenting factual information and correcting narratives it considers misleading.
“As we have always done, we will challenge falsehoods and expose every malicious attempt to tarnish his integrity and reputation,” he stated.
“Truth remains constant, and no amount of propaganda can change it. A New Nigeria is Possible, and Nigeria will be OK.”
Tanko’s remarks come amid renewed arguments on social media over Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, with supporters and critics trading claims over decisions taken during his administration.
The allegation that Obi demolished a mosque has resurfaced repeatedly in political discussions online, although his supporters insist that historical records and engagements with the Muslim community contradict the claim.
The latest intervention by Tanko underscores the growing political exchanges surrounding Obi as preparations and alignments ahead of the 2027 elections continue to gather momentum.
Source: leadership.ng
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https://leadership.ng/tanko-denies-claims-obi-demolished-mosque-in-anambra/
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Bandits kill boy, injure worshippers in Kaduna mosque attack
June 1, 2026
A boy has been killed and several worshippers injured after bandits attacked a mosque during Maghrib prayers in Namama community of Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The incident was contained in a post shared on X on Monday by security analyst, Bakatsine.
According to the post, the attackers stormed the mosque while worshippers were observing evening prayers amid heavy rainfall and opened fire indiscriminately on those inside.
The attack reportedly led to the death of a young boy identified as Adamu, while several other worshippers sustained injuries and were rushed for medical attention.
“Yesterday evening, bandits attacked worshippers during Maghrib prayers at a mosque in Namama community, Giwa LGA of Kaduna State, amid heavy rainfall. The attackers opened fire indiscriminately, killing a young boy identified as Adamu and injuring several other worshippers,” Bakatsine wrote.
According to Bakatsine, prayers are also ongoing for the recovery of those injured.
“How many more civilians must lose their lives in places of worship before effective measures are taken to protect vulnerable communities?,” he asked.
Source: dailypost.ng
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https://dailypost.ng/2026/06/01/bandits-kill-boy-injure-worshippers-in-kaduna-mosque-attack/
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Ebonyi Gov. assures sustained collaboration with religious denominations
JUNE 1, 2026
In a bid to ensure sanity and freedom of religious denominations, Governor Nwifuru has assured of a sustained collaboration with different religious denomination in order to strengthen interfaith dialogues which is critical in state building and development.
The governor while appreciating the various religious groups in the state for their support and understanding said he will continue to partner religious organizations to deliver good governance as enshrined in the People’s Charter of Needs Agenda”.
Nwifuru urged Muslim Ummahs and devotees of Prophet Mohammad to as a matter of moral urgency, pray to Allah for “peace, unity, love and social cohesion among all Nigerians.
In the spirit of Eidel Kabir, the Governor acknowledged that the plethora of challenges facing the country can be tackled with supplications and heartfelt contritions to Allah.
“The truth is that sacred occasions, events and seasons like this offer us not only the opportunity, but rare privilege to seek spiritual solutions to the plethora of physical challenges greeting and staring starkly at us as a nation.
“And Eidel Kabir is such an opportunity graciously granted to us to seek Allah’s face and intervention”, he asserts.
While insisting that the Kabir season should be leveraged by Muslim Ummahs in Nigeria’s best interest, the Governor observed that
“Peace, unity and love are the tripartite solutions to our pluralistic questions.
“And so as we celebrate this sacred event, I urge our muslim brothers and sisters to pray for peace across the country, unity in pursuit of a united political front and love for one another to ensure social cohesion”.
Governor Nwifuru also assured of sustained collaboration with with different religious denomination to strengthen interfaith dialogues which is critical in state building.
“As government, we will continue to partner religious organizations to deliver good governance as enshrined in the People’s Charter of Needs Agenda”.
Source: authorityngr.com
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https://authorityngr.com/2026/06/01/ebonyi-gov-assures-sustained-collaboration-with-religious-denominations/
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Bandits Contact Family Of Abducted Retired General, Wife, Makes Demands
June 2, 2026
A notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, has reportedly opened communication with the family of the abducted retired senior military officer, Major General Rabe Abubakar Batsari.
The retired Major General and his wife were said to have been abducted on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Katsina State after their vehicle was attacked along the Marabar Musawa-Kafinsoli Road in Matazu Local Government Area.
Reports revealed that the bandit leader, who operates in parts of Katsina State, contacted relatives of the retired officer on Monday morning, two days after the abduction.
The development has raised fresh concern over the worsening insecurity in the state, especially on highways and rural routes that residents say have become dangerous due to repeated attacks by armed groups.
Naija News reports that the retired officer and his wife were reportedly travelling when gunmen ambushed their vehicle on the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli Road.
According to Daily Trust, witnesses said the attackers emerged from hiding, blocked the road and opened fire on the vehicle, forcing it to stop.
The gunmen later abducted the retired General and his wife and took them into a nearby forest.
Residents said the road had become unsafe because of repeated bandit attacks, adding that many travellers now avoid the route unless absolutely necessary.
Official Confirms Contact With Abducted General
A senior local government official in Batsari, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, confirmed that he personally spoke with the abducted officer during a conversation facilitated by Kachallah Muhammad.
The official said the retired Major General told them that he and his wife were alive and in stable condition.
He said, “I spoke with Major General Rabe through Kachallah Muhammad. He told us that he is hale and hearty and that his wife is also fine.”
According to the source, the retired officer also assured his family and associates that they were being taken care of by their captors.
The development was said to have slightly eased the anxiety among relatives and residents, although concerns remain high over their safety.
Bandit Leader Makes Demand
The source further disclosed that Kachallah Muhammad used the communication to state his demand.
According to the official, the bandit leader insisted on the immediate release of his relatives, whom he claimed were being held by Nigerian security authorities.
The official said, “He said what he wants is the immediate release of his relatives in government custody.”
The source added that Kachallah Muhammad also expressed readiness to return to negotiations, saying he was open to dialogue that could restore peace in Matazu and neighbouring communities under his influence.
The official said, “He said he is ready to go back to the negotiation table to achieve peace in Matazu and neighbouring communities.”
Relatives of the retired officer have expressed deep concern over the abduction, describing the incident as painful and disturbing.
A family member, Mariya Ibrahim, said the retired General was travelling to Katsina for a wedding with his wife when they were abducted.
She described him as the breadwinner of the family and appealed to the authorities to ensure his safe return.
She said, “He served this country with dedication and deserves protection even in retirement. We want him and his wife rescued alive and unharmed.”
Another relative, Aisha Abubakar Batsari, described the retired officer as the pillar of the extended family and pleaded for urgent intervention to secure his release.
Residents of Batsari also expressed worry over the incident, saying the abduction of a retired senior military officer showed the level of insecurity in the area.
A resident, Ibrahim Mamman Batsari, said the incident had created fear among ordinary citizens.
He said, “If a retired senior military officer can be kidnapped, then ordinary citizens are even more vulnerable. Government must rise to its responsibility.”
Residents also noted that the retired General had remained active in community development projects in Batsari, even after leaving military service.
A community leader, Haruna Mai Maganin Kwari Batsari, said the retired officer was expected in the town on the day of the incident to discuss community matters before news of the abduction spread.
A security expert, Abubakar Ibrahim, described the incident as a sign of dangerous escalation in Katsina State.
He warned that criminal groups appeared to be growing bolder and called for urgent action to secure major highways and rural communities.
He said, “The kidnapping of a retired Major General shows how emboldened bandits have become. It exposes the vulnerability of major highways and rural communities. If urgent and decisive action is not taken, the situation could further deteriorate.”
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/06/02/bandits-family-of-abducted-retired-general-wife/
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We Will Not Close Borno Schools Because Of Insecurity – NUT
June 2, 2026
The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said shutting down schools in Borno State over rising insecurity would amount to giving terrorists the victory they seek in their campaign against education.
The National Publicity Secretary of the union, Comrade Yusuf Tom, stated this during an interaction with journalists in Maiduguri, the state’s capital, on Tuesday (today).
According to The PUNCH, Tom, who spoke on behalf of the state chairman, Comrade Zali Garba, said the union had not directed the closure of schools in the state despite the security situation.
He said teachers in Borno remained committed to keeping classrooms open, adding that closing schools would only embolden insurgents and deepen fear among pupils, parents and education workers.
Tom said the NUT would continue to encourage teachers to remain at their duty posts and sustain learning in their respective schools.
According to him, the goal of terrorists is to create fear and force schools to close, but teachers must not allow that objective to succeed.
He said, “We did not order the closure of schools in Borno State. If you close school, it is a victory for fear.
“Therefore, we will continue to encourage our teachers to teach in our respective schools, for us to continue to defeat their game of seeing schools closed. That is what we are agitating for, we are not agitating for the closure of schools.”
Tom noted that while teachers were deeply worried about insecurity, the answer was not to abandon education but to demand stronger protection from the government.
The NUT spokesman said the planned nationwide rally by teachers would give the union an opportunity to press for urgent government action over the rising cases of abductions in schools.
He said the union was particularly concerned about abducted learners in Askira Uba, including pupils and students of Mussa Primary and Secondary School.
Tom said education remained a fundamental right and urged government at all levels to intensify efforts to rescue abducted pupils, students, teachers and other education workers.
He stated, “Education is part of human rights. But in recent times, the reverse is the case, and this is why we are organising this rally to make our voice heard so that our learners in Askira Uba of Mussa Primary and Secondary School will be released unconditionally.
“These children deserve human rights; they deserve protection. We want the government to intensify efforts in rescuing these children, teachers and colleagues in Borno and other states. The protest will take place nationwide and we are in solidarity with that.”
Naija News reports that teachers across the federation were expected to converge on state secretariats on Tuesday for a nationwide protest to demand the unconditional release of abducted teachers and students in Oyo State, Borno State and other parts of the country.
The simultaneous rallies were scheduled to take place in all 36 state capitals.
The protests were organised by the Nigeria Union of Teachers in response to the growing wave of kidnappings targeting schools, pupils, students and education workers.
The action followed a directive from the national leadership of the NUT in a circular dated May 29, 2026, and signed by the union’s President, Audu Amba, and Secretary, Clinton Ikpitibo.
The circular directed all state chapters of the union to stage solidarity rallies to draw national attention to the worsening insecurity affecting schools.
The union said the safety of learners and teachers must remain a priority, especially in states where schools have repeatedly come under attack.
Tom said the rallies were not meant to shut down education but to push the authorities to act decisively and restore confidence in the school system.
He added that teachers would continue to defend the right of every child to learn, while demanding that government provides the security needed for schools to operate safely.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/06/02/borno-schools-kidnapping-nut/
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Two Lagos Police Officers Mistaken For Kidnappers Escape Being Lynched By Mob
June 2, 2026
By Richard Ogunsile
Two serving officers of the Nigeria Police Force attached to a Police Mobile Force Squadron in Lagos State narrowly escaped a mob attack in Ogun State after they were mistakenly identified as suspected kidnappers.
Naija News learnt that the incident occurred on Monday at Kanuyi Community in Simawa, Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State, where residents reportedly apprehended the officers and raised an alarm over alleged kidnapping activity.
The situation caused tension in the community as videos and photographs of the officers were later circulated on social media, fuelling speculation and public concern.
However, the Ogun State Police Command has clarified that the two men were not kidnappers but serving police officers from Lagos State.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said police operatives were immediately deployed to the scene after the command received a distress report.
Babaseyi said the officers were rescued from an agitated crowd and taken into protective custody for proper verification.
According to him, preliminary investigation showed that the men were serving police officers who had lost their way while returning from an official duty in Sagamu.
He explained that their identities were confirmed through valid police identity cards, deployment documents and further verification from their parent formation in Lagos State.
The police spokesperson said the officers were mistakenly profiled as kidnappers by some members of the public before security operatives arrived at the scene.
He noted that before the intervention of the command, the officers had already been searched, photographed and recorded by residents.
The images and videos were later shared on social media, leading to what the command described as misleading narratives about the incident.
Babaseyi said the circulation of such materials without verification could cause panic and damage the reputation of innocent persons.
The Ogun State Police Command commended residents for being vigilant but warned against taking the law into their own hands.
The command said public vigilance was important in fighting crime but must be exercised responsibly and within the law.
It urged residents to always report suspicious persons or activities to security agencies for proper investigation instead of resorting to mob action.
The police stressed that suspects must be handed over to lawful authorities for verification and investigation, rather than being subjected to violence based on suspicion.
The command also appealed to members of the public to avoid spreading unverified information on social media, especially in matters involving security, as such actions could heighten tension and endanger lives.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/06/02/lagos-police-mistaken-for-kidnappers-mob/
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Southeast Asia
Philippines strengthens position as Muslim-friendly tourism destination
June 2, 2026
The Philippines is continuing efforts to position itself as a Muslim-friendly destination in Asia through expanded halal tourism infrastructure, workforce training and targeted engagement with Muslim-majority markets.
The country was recently ranked eighth among non-OIC destinations in the 2025 Global Muslim Travel Index by Mastercard-CrescentRating, reflecting growing recognition of its halal and Muslim-friendly tourism initiatives.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) said Muslim-friendly travel experiences across the country now include a growing number of halal-certified restaurants, accommodation options, prayer facilities and tourism services designed to support Muslim travellers.
To date, 67 accommodation establishments nationwide have received recognition under the DoT’s Muslim-Friendly Accommodation Establishment (MFAE) programme. Megaworld Hotels & Resorts has also become the first hotel group in the country to achieve full MFAE recognition across all its properties.
The DoT said approximately 3,000 tourism frontliners and stakeholders have undergone halal and Muslim-friendly tourism training programmes focused on cultural understanding and service delivery.
Destinations including Boracay, Cebu, Davao City, Cagayan de Oro and Metro Manila continue to expand Muslim-friendly tourism offerings. In Boracay, initiatives include the development of Marhaba Boracay, an 800m² beach cove designed for Muslim families.
The Philippines is also strengthening tourism ties with neighbouring Muslim-majority countries including Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia under the BIMP-EAGA regional framework.
Alongside infrastructure development, the DoT continues to promote the country through targeted campaigns and the Muslim-Friendly Travelogue of the Philippines series, highlighting halal dining, cultural heritage and tourism experiences across the archipelago.
The tourism department stated improved international and domestic connectivity is supporting easier access to destinations including Manila, Cebu and Clark, allowing Muslim travellers to explore multiple regions across the country.
Source: ttgasia.com
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https://www.ttgasia.com/2026/06/02/philippines-strengthens-position-as-muslim-friendly-tourism-destination/
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Lim Guan Eng urges RM150m MSME loans for Chinese and Indian businesses to be channelled through BSN, cites Shariah compliance restrictions
02 Jun 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng has called for RM100 million in loans allocated for Chinese-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and RM50 million under Tekun Nasional for Indian-owned MSMEs to be channelled through Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) instead of other financial institutions.
According to a press statement issued in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Lim said placing the special RM100 million financing for Chinese-owned MSMEs under SME Bank and Bank Rakyat — which require Shariah-compliant business activities — has caused dissatisfaction among non-Muslim Chinese businesses.
He said this could limit access for Chinese-owned MSMEs involved in sectors such as food and beverage, traditional Chinese medicine, and entertainment, which may not meet Shariah compliance requirements.
“The RM50 million Skim Pembangunan Usahawan Masyarakat India (SPUMI) under Tekun Nasional for fully owned Indian companies also requires their business activities to be Shariah compliant,” he said.
Lim argued that while Malay-focused financing under Tekun Nasional is not subject to the same restriction, Chinese- and Indian-specific allocations are still bound by Shariah requirements, which he said raises concerns over fairness.
He added that BSN would be a more suitable channel as it does not impose Shariah-compliant restrictions and allows customers to choose between Islamic and conventional banking products.
“To ensure equal financing access for all MSMEs, such loans should be placed under BSN, which serves all Malaysians regardless of religion,” he said.
Lim also highlighted BSN’s wider branch network of 387 outlets nationwide compared to SME Bank’s 17 branches and Bank Rakyat’s 148 branches, saying this would improve accessibility, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said the proposal would ensure broader and more equitable access to financing for MSMEs across communities.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/06/02/lim-guan-eng-urges-rm150m-msme-loans-for-chinese-and-indian-businesses-to-be-channelled-through-bsn-cites-shariah-compliance-restrictions/222256
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Malaysia eyes Italy, France, US among options after Norway cancels NSM missile deal, says defence minister
02 Jun 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Malaysia is reviewing several missile manufacturers as alternatives after it failed to secure deliveries of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) following Norway’s cancellation of the export licence for the weapons system.
According to Berita Harian, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said companies under consideration include those from Italy, France, Turkiye, South Korea, the United States and Japan.
He said the government would first assess availability to avoid long delivery delays, noting that new orders could take up to four or five years to be completed.
“These missiles need to be ordered in advance, but the issue is that new production takes time. The US may already be producing for its own ships, and Italy may also be doing the same, so if there is availability, we want to secure it earlier,” he said.
He added that vessels expected to be delivered in December would be equipped with a surface-to-surface missile system capable of striking targets up to 300km away.
Mohamed Khaled, who is also Kota Tinggi MP, said the ministry would also evaluate system integration and pricing before making a final decision.
Meanwhile, he said legal action and compensation claims against the Norwegian company over breach of contract would continue.
“(Norway apologised) Apologies are fine, but we will proceed with the claim. The lawsuit will continue against the company. If Norway truly wants to maintain friendship with Malaysia, they can assist and prioritise the compensation, which exceeds RM1 billion.
“The missile system cost more than RM600 million, and there are additional costs including training and system integration. So the question is who will bear the losses caused by this failure,” he said.
Norway had earlier revoked the export licence for the NSM anti-ship missile system and its related launchers to Malaysia, citing national security concerns.
The procurement agreement between the Royal Malaysian Navy and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) was signed in April 2018, valued at €124 million (RM571.9 million), to equip six new Littoral Combat Ships.
Following the cancellation, Malaysia has issued a compensation claim exceeding RM1 billion and is awaiting a response from the Norwegian government.
Source: malaymail.com
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Anwar: Govt to bolster targeted aid, RON95 subsidy reforms as cost pressures persist
02 Jun 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said the government will continue refining targeted assistance measures and other support programmes to help Malaysians cope with rising living costs while preserving economic stability.
According to The Star, Anwar said Malaysia is operating in an increasingly challenging environment shaped by economic uncertainty, climate-related concerns, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and evolving geopolitical developments.
He said the government would respond to these pressures through policies and measures aimed at maintaining stability and reducing the burden on the rakyat.
Speaking at the investiture ceremony held in conjunction with the official birthday celebration of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, Anwar said efforts to address cost-of-living concerns include fiscal reforms, the targeted RON95 fuel subsidy mechanism and the Budi Madani programme.
He also gave an assurance that access to healthcare and education would continue to be improved.
Despite global challenges, Anwar said Malaysia’s economy remained on a positive trajectory, pointing to increased domestic and foreign investments, low unemployment and stronger confidence among international investors.
He said ongoing fiscal reforms, support for small and medium enterprises, and the government’s digitalisation drive were creating more opportunities for quality jobs, particularly among younger Malaysians.
On governance, Anwar said Putrajaya remained committed to strengthening democratic institutions and upholding the rule of law, in keeping with Sultan Ibrahim’s emphasis on good governance and efforts to prevent wealth from being concentrated among a select group.
He said the government would continue implementing policies aimed at ensuring a fairer distribution of opportunities and development across the country, especially for poorer and marginalised communities.
Anwar also expressed appreciation to Sultan Ibrahim for His Majesty’s guidance and stewardship under Malaysia’s constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy system.
He said the government would continue carrying out its responsibilities with dedication under the King’s patronage, while stressing the importance of unity and loyalty among Malaysians in advancing the nation’s progress.
Describing Sultan Ibrahim as a symbol of national unity and dignity, Anwar also prayed for Their Majesties to be blessed with continued good health and wisdom in carrying out their duties.
Source: malaymail.com
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Singapore partners UK nuclear regulator to bolster expertise as it explores nuclear power option
02 Jun 2026
SINGAPORE, June 2 — Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in nuclear safety regulation, including the exchange of information and expertise, and the training of scientific and technical personnel.
Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) said the agreement was signed with the UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to support an overarching effort to build capabilities in nuclear safety and to study the feasibility of the safe deployment of nuclear energy in Singapore.
NEA deputy chief executive officer Koh Li-Na said the collaboration will strengthen Singapore’s capabilities in radiation protection, nuclear safety, and assessment.
“Through partnerships with well-established regulators like ONR, NEA will deepen its technical expertise to understand new reactor technologies and build the institutional capabilities needed to rigorously assess nuclear safety,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to NEA, this collaboration will also enhance its regulatory knowledge as Singapore continues to study the potential role of nuclear energy in its energy future.
NEA has also been developing Singapore’s nuclear safety and regulatory capabilities through close partnerships with established regulators in Finland, France, and the United States, as well as Asean partners. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Malaysia seeks compensation from Norway over missile deal
1 Jun 2026
Malaysia demands compensation from Norway for losses incurred after the cancellation of the Naval Strike Missile export licence, says defence minister.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the right to claim appropriate compensation from Norway and the company involved, following the cancellation of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) export licence, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic).
He said the claim is justified given that Malaysia has suffered financial losses, as well as lost valuable time and opportunity as a result of the cancellation.
“A substantial amount of public funds was allocated for this programme. If Norway had informed us earlier about the export licence cancellation, those funds could have been redirected to other purposes,” he said in a statement today.
Mohamed Khaled made these remarks in response to a New Straits Times article today titled “Move on from missile deal and find replacement”.
He said Malaysia is indeed moving forward and actively exploring alternative solutions to meet the nation’s defence needs; however, actions taken without accountability cannot be accepted or simply overlooked.
He stressed that finding a replacement for the NSM system is no easy task, as a weapon of such sophistication cannot be swapped out overnight.
He said the process would require fresh contract negotiations and the integration of a new system into existing platforms, all of which demand considerable time, cost and resources.
“More critically, this episode transcends a bilateral contract dispute. It has left our national defence and security in a vulnerable position.
“A firm message must be sent to Norway and the international defence community: such actions will not go unanswered or unaccounted for,” he said.
He added that Norway must be held accountable in a meaningful way, as both a lesson and a deterrent, to ensure this does not happen again, rather than being let off without consequence.
“What is equally concerning is the growing tendency for commitments and contracts to be set aside based on political or ideological considerations, thereby undermining trust in international agreements,” he said.
Describing Norway’s action as unjustified and damaging to bilateral ties, Mohamed Khaled said smaller nations and middle powers rely on a stable and predictable international environment, where every commitment and obligation is honoured.
“If a country or company can walk away from commitments without any accountability, it sets a dangerous precedent for defence, economic and strategic cooperation in the future. Therefore, compensation is not merely about recovering money that has been spent.
“If Norway truly respects the principles of a rules-based international order and values its long-standing relationship with Malaysia, then it should support a fair and reasonable compensation process, one that takes into account the full impact of this cancellation,” he said.
Source: thesun.my
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Zulkifli praises Tabung Haji for highly organised hajj operations
1 Jun 2026
Minister Zulkifli Hasan says Tabung Haji’s systematic hajj management sets a global benchmark with new green and digital initiatives.
SEPANG: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan has described the management of this year’s hajj pilgrimage by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) as highly organised and systematic, further demonstrating that Malaysia has one of the best hajj management systems in the world.
He said this was the result of TH’s continuous commitment, which remains at the forefront of global hajj management.
“This is the first time I have been informed by TH that Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Tawfiq Fawzan Al-Rabiah, visited our camp, inspected our preparations and interacted with Malaysian hajj pilgrims.
“In summary, Alhamdulillah, this year’s hajj operations were extremely well-organised, systematic, orderly and meticulous. I congratulate TH for continuing to lead as a global benchmark in hajj management,” he told reporters upon arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 here after performing the hajj.
He also praised the implementation of several new initiatives, including the Green Hajj programme, which has positioned Malaysia among the pioneering countries promoting sustainability during the hajj season.
“Malaysia is ahead of many other countries through efforts to recycle and upcycle ihram garments and other reusable items. We have also implemented cleanliness campaigns in the Masyair areas and pilgrims’ accommodation,” he said.
In addition, he said the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) had helped enhance the quality of services provided to Malaysian hajj pilgrims.
“TH has integrated digital technology and artificial intelligence into its hajj operations, including through the e-TAIB application, which enables pilgrims to obtain information and answers in real time, monitored by guides or syariah reference experts,” he said.
He also highlighted the Labbaitom Award received by TH for the fifth consecutive year, as well as its retention of the Diamond Award for a second consecutive season in the 1447H/2026 hajj season.
The Diamond Award is the highest recognition conferred by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on the world’s best hajj management institutions.
“This is proof that our country has one of the best hajj management systems and serves as a global reference,” he said.
Source: thesun.my
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South Asia
Kallas says talks, not airstrikes, key to easing Pakistan-Afghanistan tension
By Fidel Rahmati
June 1, 2026
Kaja Kallas said recent tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban have had serious humanitarian consequences and risk increasing instability and extremism in the region, urging both sides to pursue dialogue rather than military escalation.
Speaking during the eighth EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Islamabad, Kallas said Pakistan has the right to defend itself under international law but stressed that negotiations remain the most effective way to reduce tensions and prevent a broader crisis.
“Dialogue, not airstrikes, is the best path to de-escalation,” she said, adding that the European Union has consistently called on all parties to exercise restraint and seek a political solution.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said discussions with the EU focused on Afghanistan, regional security in South Asia and the Middle East, as well as broader international issues including tensions between the United States and Iran.
Dar also welcomed EU support for Pakistan’s mediation efforts aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Tehran, saying Islamabad would continue working toward a sustainable diplomatic solution.
Afghanistan was a central topic of the talks amid ongoing disputes between Pakistan and the Taliban administration over cross-border militancy. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban of failing to prevent members of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) from operating from Afghanistan territory, an allegation the Taliban deny.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Border clashes, military operations and competing claims over militant activity have repeatedly fueled tensions between the two neighbours.
The European Union has expressed concern over the humanitarian impact of insecurity along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, warning that instability could worsen displacement, disrupt trade and create conditions that extremist groups could exploit.
The meeting also reviewed cooperation in trade, investment, migration and counterterrorism. Officials noted that the EU remains one of Pakistan’s largest economic partners, with bilateral trade estimated at around 12 billion euros annually.
Source: khaama.com
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Israel’s Expansion in Gaza Requires Global Responsibility
June 2, 2026
The recent reports of Israel’s plan to expand its control over nearly 70 percent of the Gaza Strip have sparked deep concern among Palestinians and the wider international community. For the people of Gaza, already devastated by nearly two years of war, this expansion represents not only the loss of land but also the erasure of their homes, livelihoods, and dignity. Displaced residents speak of despair, questioning whether anything remains of Gaza to be taken, and expressing fears that permanent displacement is the true objective behind the buffer zone strategy.
Displaced Palestinians voiced the anguish of many when they asked how long the world will remain silent. Their words reflect the frustration of a population that hears talk of ceasefires but sees only continued military advances. They highlighted the impossibility of survival if 70 percent of Gaza is occupied. They described the hopelessness of living under such conditions, where death sometimes seems preferable to the daily suffering. These testimonies underscore the human cost of policies that disregard the fundamental rights of civilians.
According to reports, Israel already controls about 64 percent of Gaza, leaving little room for Palestinians to live securely. The expansion plan has been described as an unjust decision that risks transforming temporary displacement into permanent exile. Hamas has called upon the United Nations Security Council and the international community to intervene, urging enforcement of the ceasefire and protection of Palestinian rights.
From the perspective of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the principle is clear: aggression against oppressed peoples must not be tolerated, and silence in the face of injustice is unacceptable. The Emirate emphasizes that the international community has a moral and legal responsibility to prevent further displacement of Palestinians and to ensure that ceasefire agreements are respected. The suffering of Gaza’s residents is not only a regional issue but a global humanitarian crisis that demands urgent attention.
The expansion of occupation undermines prospects for peace and violates the basic norms of international law. It risks fueling further instability in the region and deepening the wounds of a population already enduring immense hardship. The Islamic Emirate calls upon governments, humanitarian organizations, and international institutions to stand firmly against these violations, to support the rights of Palestinians to live in their homeland, and to resist any attempt to normalize aggression.
The world must not remain silent. To ignore the plight of Gaza is to abandon the principles of justice and humanity. The expansion of Israeli control over Gaza is not merely a territorial issue it is a test of global conscience. The international community must act decisively to halt this process, enforce the ceasefire, and ensure that Palestinians are not condemned to permanent displacement.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Alleged defamatory remarks to Islam: Court concludes pre-trial conference in Gnanasara Thera case
1 June 2026
Colombo, June 1 (Daily Mirror) - The case filed against Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera over allegations that he made defamatory statements against Islam and the Holy Quran in 2014 was taken up before the Colombo High Court today for a pre-trial conference.
When the matter was called before Colombo High Court Judge Buddhika Sri Ragala, the case was fixed for further proceedings on June 26.
The Attorney General has filed indictments against Ven. Gnanasara Thera alleging that he made statements defamatory to Islam and the Holy Quran on April 12, 2014, in the vicinity of the Slave Island Police Station.
During the proceedings, defence counsel informed court that the statements allegedly made by their client nearly 12 years ago were made in the interest of the country and were directed against certain extremist elements. Counsel further stated that the defence had no intention of unnecessarily prolonging the proceedings or wasting judicial time.
Appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, State Counsel informed court that the prosecution had yet to produce the compact discs (CDs) containing recordings relevant to the alleged statements.
Following submissions by both parties, the High Court fixed the matter for June 26 for further pre-trial proceedings.
Senior Counsel Asoka Weerasooriya with Sanjaya Marambe, Akarsha Weerasooriya and Pasan Karunaratne appeared for Gnanasara Thera.
Source: dailymirror.lk
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Bangladesh elected vice-president of 114th International Labour Conference
2 Jun 2026
Bangladesh has been unanimously elected vice-president of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC), marking a diplomatic milestone for the country on the global stage.
Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Nahida Sobhan assumed the role of vice-president alongside President of the Conference Juan Castillo, Minister of Labour and Social Security of Uruguay, and two other vice-presidents, Kristen Kaufman from the United States and Gerardo Martínez from Argentina.
The International Labour Conference is the premier global forum on labour and employment issues convened annually by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The election, held on June 1, was endorsed by delegates representing 187 countries, reflecting the confidence and trust of the international community in Bangladesh's constructive leadership in global labour governance.
"This prestigious position underscores Bangladesh's new Government's commitment to promoting democratization of ILO, decent work, advancing social justice and protecting labour rights," said the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva.
It reflects international recognition of Bangladesh's contribution to advancing multilateral cooperation in addressing the evolving challenges facing the global workforce, it said.
As vice-president of the conference, Bangladesh will contribute to guiding the proceedings of the ILC and facilitating consensus-building among member states and social partners on key policy issues affecting workers and workplaces worldwide.
The International Labour Conference, often referred to as the "world parliament of labour", is the highest decision-making body of the ILO.
It brings together governments, workers' organisations and employers' representatives from across the world to deliberate on critical issues shaping the future of work.
This year's conference has drawn approximately 5,000 delegates, making it the largest global gathering dedicated to labour, employment and social justice.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Islami Bank plunges into fresh chaos
2 JUNE 2026
The appointment of a new chairman threw Islami Bank into fresh turmoil, as protests, police action, and internal disorder gripped the country’s largest Islamic lender yesterday.
Hundreds of people gathered in Motijheel under the banner of the Conscious Customers’ Forum, demanding that the central bank cancel the appointment of Md Khurshid Alam as its chairman and reinstate ex-managing director Md Omar Faruk Khan, who recently resigned.
Khurshid was among the four Bangladesh Bank top brass who were forced to resign amid protests of hundreds of central bank officials days after the fall of the Awami League-led government on August 5, 2024.
The Conscious Customers’ Forum’s rally began around 9:30am yesterday. Soon, police moved in and used sound grenades and water cannons on the protesters, which left some people injured. The demonstrations continued throughout the day.
Law enforcement agencies attacked a peaceful human chain, injuring more than 100 protesters injured, according to the Conscious Customers’ Forum.
The unrest eventually spread into the bank itself, halting customer transactions on the first working day after the Eid holidays.
The protests thwarted the scheduled board meeting to formally introduce the new chairman, who was appointed on the eve of the weeklong Eid-ul-Azha holiday starting on May 25 and hours after M Zubaidur Rahman was asked to resign.
The police and Detective Branch (DB) officials were pressuring the acting managing director, Md Altaf Hossain, to hold the board meeting virtually so that the former MD’s resignation could be accepted, according to protesters.
This correspondent observed two senior police officers inside Altaf’s office. Altaf, however, denies any allegation of pressure exerted on him.
Later, the bank sought the BB’s approval to hold the meeting virtually.
Five board members attended the virtual meeting, which was presided over by the new chairman.
At the meeting, the board decided to accept Omar Faruk’s resignation and continue the operations under Altaf’s leadership, BB Spokesman Arief Hossain Khan told The Daily Star.
Around noon, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesperson Deputy Commissioner (Media) NM Nasiruddin told The Daily Star that police had repeatedly requested the demonstrators to clear the area, as it is a busy commercial zone and their presence could disrupt business activities.
The demonstrators behaved aggressively towards the police. As they refused to leave, police used water cannons and sound grenades to disperse them, he said.
Amid the protest, BB Spokesman Khan told journalists that no banking decision would be determined by street protests, stressing that the central bank would act strictly in accordance with the law and institutional interests, free from any form of pressure or emotion.
All decisions would be made through established legal and regulatory processes, he said.
Meanwhile, following yesterday’s police action, the protesters also demanded the resignation of the central bank governor.
The resignation of Islami Bank’s chairman and MD is an unlawful interference by the government, said Nur Nabi Manik, president of the Islami Bank Affected Customers’ Coordination Council.
Shareholders and customers immediately demanded the cancellation of Khurshid’s appointment, he said, while calling the new Islami Bank chairman an associate of S Alam Group.
Manik also called for Omar Faruk’s reinstatement as the MD.
However, BB ignored the customers’ demands and continued efforts to facilitate the return of individuals linked to the S Alam Group to Islami Bank, he said.
The group has announced a human chain programme today in front of Islami Bank branches all over the country.
The central bank remains defiant.
The BB spokesman stressed the governor’s firm stance against political interference in the central bank and commercial banks.
Bank officials have been encouraged to report any political pressure directly to the governor, who has pledged to personally address such issues if necessary.
BB further warned against associating any bank with a particular political party, saying that such identification poses a serious threat to a bank’s long-term sustainability.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Military-Technical Agreement with Afghanistan Focuses on Repair of Russian-Made Equipment, Zamir Kabulov
June 2, 2026
MOSCOW: Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s special representative for Afghanistan, has said that Russia’s military-technical cooperation agreement with Afghanistan is primarily aimed at repairing and restoring Russian-made military equipment currently in use in the country.
Speaking to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, Kabulov described the agreement as both practical and framework-based, stressing that Russian law requires a formal legal foundation for any military-technical cooperation.
“This agreement has a framework and practical nature. Under Russian legislation, such a legal and contractual basis is necessary for any military-technical cooperation,” Kabulov said.
Russia and the Islamic Emirate signed the military-technical cooperation agreement on May 27.
Following his return from Russia, the country’s Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said practical implementation of the agreement is expected to begin in the coming days.
The agreement is seen as an important step toward maintaining and modernizing military equipment of Russian origin that remains operational in Afghanistan.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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Commission Strengthens Book Licensing and Intellectual Property Oversight
June 2, 2026
KABUL: The meeting of the Book Evaluation Commission of the Ministry of Information and Culture was held on Monday to review a number of publications and discuss key issues related to book licensing and the protection of intellectual property rights.
During the meeting, commission members evaluated several manuscripts and publications submitted for review, assessing their compliance with established publishing standards and legal requirements, the ministry said in a statement.
The discussions focused on ensuring that books published in the country contribute positively to cultural, educational, and intellectual development, the statement said.
The commission also examined matters concerning the issuance of book publishing licenses and explored measures to further improve procedures within the publishing sector. Participants emphasized the importance of maintaining transparency, professionalism, and adherence to relevant regulations in the licensing process.
A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to intellectual property rights, with members highlighting the need to safeguard authors, researchers, translators, and publishers from copyright violations.
The commission underscored that protecting intellectual property is essential for encouraging creativity, supporting academic and literary production, and fostering a healthy publishing environment.
The Book Evaluation Commission regularly holds meetings to review publications, address challenges facing the book sector, and support efforts aimed at developing a well-regulated and vibrant literary and cultural landscape in Afghanistan.
Source: thekabultimes.com
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