New Age Islam News Bureau
16 December 2022
Representative Image
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• Over 120 Arrested As Moroccans Face 'Racist
Violence' In France after World Cup Clash
• Peace Accord with S. Arabia Will Lead to Resolution
of Conflict with Palestinians, Says Netanyahu
• Blasphemy: Sharia Court Sentences Kano Cleric Sheikh
Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara To Death By Hanging
• Canadian Charged With Trying To Set Up GoFundMe
Accounts to Raise More Than US$20,000 For The Islamic State
India
• We Cannot Let Another '9/11 of New York' Or '26/11
of Mumbai' Happen Again': Indian Foreign Minister
• ‘Love Jihad’: Marriage Registrars in Madhya Pradesh
May Soon Have To Get Police Pre-Verification of the Applicant Couples
• Annual Two Days Sunni Ijtema to be held at Mumbai,
On December 16 the Ijtema Is Exclusively for Women and 18 for Men
• Telangana: 603 Muslim students secure convenor seats
in MBBS
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Europe
• Britain’s Sunak Appoints Egypt’s Mubarak-Era
Minister As ‘Senior Treasurer’
• UK to hold inquiry into reports Afghan civilians
killed British Special Forces
• Iran censures EU for new sanctions over protests
• Türkiye congratulates Bosnia and Herzegovina on
obtaining EU candidate status
• Germany to maintain military presence in Mali until
May 2024: Defence minister
• Bosnia-Herzegovina gets candidate status for EU
membership
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Arab World
• Dr. Al-Sheikh, Saudi Minister And Sheikh Al-Deen Of
Russia Sign Executive Program For Rehabilitating Russian Imams, And Muezzins
• Lebanon’s caretaker PM says those responsible for
Irish soldier’s death will be punished
• Saudi Arabia launches cultural capability
development strategy
• Hajj and Umrah Conference returns to enrich
religious, cultural experiences
• Around 80,000 Saudi citizens trained, qualified to
work in tourist sector: Minister
• Saudi inflation rate eases to 2.9 pct in November;
housing costs behind price rises
• UN chief urges 'swift' investigation into killing of
Irish peacekeeper in Lebanon
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Africa
• Nasarawa School Graduates 7, Honours 4 Muslims for
Contributions To Islam
• Police officer killed during protests in Jordan over
high fuel prices
• Libya’s Dbeibah defends extradition of alleged
Lockerbie bomber
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North America
• Ex-Twitter Employee Sentenced To 42 Months In Prison
For Selling Info About Dissidents To Saudi Arabia
• Inquiry possible into forged papers sent to Muslim
charity, Trudeau says
• Ontario man charged in FBI investigation into
alleged Islamic State financial support
• Netanyahu: US needs to reaffirm support for allies,
including Saudi Arabia
• US Congress urged to repeal war authorization to
assure no ‘unchecked’ president could ‘misuse’ it
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Pakistan
• Pakistan Miniature Satellite to Land on Moon with
China's Probe to Detect Ice Traces on the Moon
• No enemy could do what General Bajwa Did to
Pakistan: Ex-PM Khan
• Pakistan to increase its scholarships for students
to go to universities in Türkiye
• Linking terrorism with Islam is mistaken notion:
Bilawal
• FM Bilawal responds forcefully to Indian terror
allegations
• Centcom chief Gen Michael Erik Kurilla hails
Pakistan’s gains in fight against terrorism
• UK to extend technical support for economic
improvement in Pakistan
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South Asia
• Islamabad and Dushanbe Stress on Formation Inclusive
Government in Afghanistan
• Afghan Nationals Make Half of Iran’s Foreign
Investment
• Pakistan’s Policy towards Afghanistan to be reviewed:
Pakistan Senate
• Pakistani Diplomat to Return to Kabul after Security
Assurance: FO
• Afghan and Pakistani Forces in Yet another
Cross-Border Armed Engagement
• Pakistan: Afghan Taliban shell border town, killing
civilian
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Southeast Asia
• Residents of Daegu Protest Mosque Construction with
Pork Barbecue Stepping Up the Ongoing Clash with Muslim Residents of the City
• DAP critic Ridhuan Tee axed from RTM's Islamic forum
• Kit Siang criticised for 'provocative and extremist
statements'
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Mideast
• Netanyahu: Unprecedented Iran Protests Have Led To
US ‘Rethinking’ Of Nuclear Deal
• Mahmoud Abbas says against armed military resistance
with Israel
• Turkiye makes arrests over alleged Israeli Mossad
operation targeting Palestinians
• Palestine welcomes UN resolution in favour of
Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources
• Palestinian activist’s family seeks ICC probe into
his death
• Ansarullah warns UAE of retaliation if war on Yemen
not stopped
• Car bomb blast in southeast Turkey wounds eight
police officers: Security sources
• Police officer killed during clashes in southern
Jordanian city: Police source
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/university-mangaluru-interfaith-relationship-/d/128645
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18 Pre-University Students in Mangaluru Suspended For
Supporting Inter-Faith Relationship
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14th December 2022
A private PU (pre-university) college in Vittalm,
Mangaluru, has reportedly suspended 18 students over an alleged inter-faith
relationship. The management has asked the students to appear only for the
upcoming exams in March 2023.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, the college
management was made aware of a relationship between a Hindu girl and a Muslim
boy.
When gossip about a love affair between a Hindu girl
and a Muslim boy started doing the rounds, the college management decided to
inspect the mobile phones and bags of the students.
Upon inspection, they found an alleged love letter
addressed to a Hindu girl by a Muslim boy. The boy was absent on that day.
The management asked the girl’s parents to come over
and told them that their daughter need not attend further classes but can
appear for exams in March 2023.
Meanwhile, as news of the girl’s suspension spread,
the Muslim boy attended the class the following day. He faced the ire of a few
Hindu boys who questioned him over his alleged affair with the girl.
As soon as the management came to know about the
incident, they asked the parents of the Muslim as well as Hindu boys to come
over for a discussion. As the discussion was held, it was revealed that there
were six other Muslim boys had helped the alleged couple.
The college management then decided to put everyone,
including the six Muslim students who support their friend, involved under
suspension. They told their parents that their children can come to college
only during the examination.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Over 120 Arrested As Moroccans Face 'Racist Violence'
In France after World Cup Clash
Photo: News.az
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Esra Taskin
15.12.2022
PARIS
More than 120 people were arrested on Wednesday night
for what lawmakers denounced as “racist violence” in Paris and other French
cities after France’s World Cup semifinal win over Morocco.
Some 10,000 police officers were mobilized across
France over fears of possible riots, including 5,000 for Paris and the
surrounding area alone.
Despite the measures, Moroccan fans faced verbal and
physical attacks from some far-right groups as raucous celebrations erupted
across the country after France won the game 2-0.
At least 115 people were arrested in total in Paris
and its surrounding areas, local media reported.
Among them were 40 far-right suspects who were trying to
reach the Champs-Elysees, the capital’s busiest spot that was packed with
football fans, the reports said.
Violence was also reported in major cities such as
Lyon, Nice, and Montpellier.
At least six people, including two members of a
right-wing group, were arrested after a fight between rival fans in Lyon,
according to reports.
French lawmaker Thomas Portes condemned the “planned
attacks” and “racist violence” against Moroccan fans.
“We are close to a tragedy. We must react,” he wrote
on Twitter.
Antoine Leaument, another parliamentarian, said
“fascists … shouting racist remarks” attacked Moroccan fans in Nice.
“Racism is a crime,” he said in a tweet, calling for
the perpetrators to be punished according to French law.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Peace Accord with S. Arabia Will Lead to Resolution of
Conflict with Palestinians, Says Netanyahu
A screenshot of presumed
incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking in an interview with Saudi
broadcaster Al Arabiya that was aired on December 15, 2022. (Twitter
screenshot: used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
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December 16, 2022
A peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel
would lead to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Jewish
state’s prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with
Al Arabiya, a Saudi daily, on Wednesday.
Netanyahu suggested that extending the progress made
in the 2020 Abraham Accords — a peace initiative between Israel, the United
Arab Emirates, and Bahrain — to other Arab states would be a more effective
route to peace than engaging with Palestinian leaders directly, who he alleged,
were not willing to recognise Israel.
“I think peace with Saudi Arabia will serve two
purposes: It will be a quantum leap for an overall peace between Israel and the
Arab world, it will change our region in ways that are unimaginable,” he said.
“And I think it will facilitate, ultimately, a Palestinian-Israeli
peace. I believe in that. I intend to pursue it.”
Netanyahu pointed the blame at Palestinian leaders for
the failure to achieve peace.
“The reason we’ve not had an Israeli-Palestinian peace
is because the Palestinian… leadership for the last century has refused to do
what is finally happening in the rest of the Arab world — and that is to
recognise that the state of Israel is here to stay.”
But Benjamin Netanyahu added that achieving peace with
Riyadh was “up to the leadership of Saudi Arabia”.
In 2002, Saudi Arabia spearheaded the Arab Peace
Initiative, a proposal to achieve Arab-Israeli peace if Israel agreed to
reverse all occupation of Arab territories. When asked about the initiative and
if he was prepared to use it as a blueprint, Netanyahu avoided committing to
the terms it laid out.
He said it was “an indication of a desire to end the
conflict in all its terms, but I think 20 years later we need to have a fresh
view”.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the biggest backers of
the Palestinian cause and has repeatedly stated that it needed to see a
Palestinian state before taking up normalisation with Israel.
Although Riyadh has not officially commented on the
Abraham Accords, there have been signs of a thaw in relations in recent years.
In an Oct 2020 interview with Al Arabiya, the
influential former Saudi Ambassador to the US Bandar bin Sultan said: “The
Palestinian cause is a just cause, but its advocates are failures. And the
Israeli cause is unjust, but its advocates have proven to be successful.”
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Blasphemy: Sharia Court Sentences Kano Cleric Sheikh
Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara To Death By Hanging
Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara,
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December 15, 2022
An Upper Sharia Court sitting in Kano on Thursday
sentenced Islamic cleric Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara to death by hanging.
The Sharia court also ordered the State Government to
seize the two mosques belonging to the accused.
The Kano State government had barred the cleric
(Sheikh Kabara) from preaching in the State for his mode of teachings which
were considered “too incendiary.”
The court presided over by Khadi Ibrahim Sarki Yola,
convicted the embattled cleric after finding him guilty of the charge of
blasphemy leveled against him.
“This Honorable Court is convinced that the
prosecution counsels have proven their case beyond reasonable doubt.
“Therefore, the court has convicted the defendant of
all the charges leveled against him, hence, sentenced him to death by hanging,”
the judge, Khadi Ibrahim Sarki Yola said on Thursday.
Khadi Ibrahim Sarki Yola also urged the media to
refrain from using any of Abduljabbar’s teachings and pictures.
Sheikh Kabara, who denied any wrongdoing, said he will
not beg for leniency.
“I am ready to die and I will die like a hero,” he
said.
The cleric has only 30 days to appeal the judgment,
failure to which he will forfeit his right of appeal and will be hanged until
he dies.
During the court proceeding, Counsel to the defendant,
Barrister Aminu Ado Abubakar, prayed the court to accord leniency to the
accused cleric, arguing that his client committed what he did out of ignorance.
But in what surprised everyone, the accused (Sheikh
Kabara) stood up promptly and told the court he did not know the lawyer who
claimed to be his legal counsel.
“I don’t know him. This is the first time I am seeing
him. He should not be allowed to speak on my behalf. I can and should be
allowed to speak for myself,” he stated.
The trial judge however responded that the lawyer is
recognised by the court as the defence counsel.
“My lord, after I heard how you twisted all my
evidence, you turned around all my submissions upside down, you have assigned
words to me that I have never uttered.
“Deliver your judgement and I am not asking for
leniency at all. I want all my followers to know that I will die a hero and I
don’t want you (the judge) Ibrahim Sarki Yola to do me any favour or grant me
leniency. This is my last word. Assalamu Alaikum,” Kabar told the judge.
Source: The Nation Online Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://thenationonlineng.net/blasphemy-sharia-court-sentences-kano-cleric-to-death/
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Canadian Charged With Trying To Set Up GoFundMe
Accounts To Raise More Than US$20,000 For The Islamic State
December 15, 2022
U.S. authorities have charged a Toronto man they say
used Bitcoin Cryptocurrency and set up GoFundMe accounts to try to raise more
than US$20,000 for the Islamic State terrorist group.
A U.S. criminal complaint unsealed in New York
describes Khalilullah Yousef as a 34-year-old Canadian citizen and one of four
members of an alleged terrorist fundraising conspiracy.
Mr. Yousef was arrested by police in Canada this week
and now faces a U.S. extradition bid. The other three suspects are Americans
citizens arrested in the eastern United States and are in their 20s or 30s.
All are facing charges that they conspired to provide
material support for the Islamic State (IS). U.S. authorities say detectives
unfurled the plot by using a confidential informant to spy on an encrypted
group chat.
In that discussion, which began in early 2021,
participants are alleged to have talked about raising funds to support the
terrorist group – including by launching crowdfunding sites in the name of
charitable causes.
But the ultimate intent was to help IS buy bullets and
ammunition, according to a sworn statement from U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation special agent Melissa Garcia.
In court documents, she states that more than
US$25,000 in total cryptocurrency funds were routed from the conspirators to an
unnamed Islamic State facilitator who claimed to be part of the group’s
“central media organization.”
The FBI says that the lion’s share of donated
cryptocurrency funds came from the Canadian suspect. He is accused of sending
the equivalent of US$20,348 in bitcoin in 26 transactions between February,
2021 and July, 2022.
It is not clear how Mr. Yousef acquired the money. The
criminal complaint says he created several GoFundMe pages where he urged donors
to give money under pretexts, including to “help raise funds for some needy
families for Eid.”
The complaint says that Mr. Yousuf came to the
attention of U.S. authorities after the March, 2021, arrest of another
suspected IS supporter. FBI searches of that suspect’s computers revealed “over
1,700 communications” involving Mr. Yousuf, according to the court-filed
criminal complaint.
Last winter, when Ottawa invoked the Emergencies Act,
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the federal government was
taking measures to better scrutinize online money flows.
“We are broadening the scope of Canada’s anti-money
laundering and terrorist financing rules so that they cover crowdfunding
platforms and the payment service providers they use. These changes cover all
forms of transactions, including digital assets such as cryptocurrencies,” she
said at the time.
The federal government gave greater authority to the
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada to scrutinize
large and suspicious transactions.
In a statement, the organization said it could not
comment on the new U.S. case. “FinTRAC is prohibited from speaking to
information that it may have received or financial intelligence that it may or
may not have disclosed to law enforcement or national-security agencies,” said
spokeswoman Erica Constant.
GoFundMe said in an e-mail that it is in full
compliance with all applicable rules and regulations: “While we do not comment
on pending legal investigations, GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly
prohibit activities that support terrorism, and it is our policy to co-operate
with formal law enforcement requests,” said spokesman Jalen Drummond.
Source: The Globe And Mail
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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India
We Cannot Let Another '9/11 of New York' Or '26/11 of
Mumbai' Happen Again': Indian Foreign Minister
Dec 15, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: India's External Affairs Minister S.
Jaishankar hit out on Thursday at double standards on terrorism practised by
China and Pakistan and said that the international community should
collectively act against those countries trying to gain politically from it.
"We cannot let another '9/11 of New York' or
'26/11 of Mumbai' happen again," he declared at the Security Council
briefing on counter-terrorism.
Jaishankar quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
"We consider that even a single attack is one too many and even a single
life lost is one too many. So, we will not rest till terrorism is
uprooted."
The "challenge is how do we deal with double
standards, both inside and outside this Council", he said without
mentioning China or Pakistan by name.
"The contemporary epicentre of terrorism remains
very much alive and active, whatever gloss may be applied to minimise
unpleasant realitiesa and "we cannot forget that old habits and
established networks are still alive, especially in South Asia", he said.
There were double standards in taking action against
terrorists, he said, in a reference to China blocking sanctions against
Pakistan-based terrorists.
Jaishankar said that the "same criteria are not
applied to sanctioning and prosecuting terrorists. It would seem sometimes that
the ownership of terrorism is more important than its perpetration or its
consequences".
"For too long, some have persisted with the
approach that terrorism is just another instrument or stratagem. Those invested
in terrorism have used such cynicism to carry on."
He warned: "It is not just plain wrong but could
be downright dangerous, even for the very people whose toleration extends this
far."
"No individual state should endeavour to seek
political gain from terrorism and none of us collectively should ever put up
with such calculations," he said.
"When it comes to tackling terrorism, we must
overcome our political differences and manifest a zero-tolerance
approach," he said.
At the start of the session, Jaishankar called for a
moment of silence in memory of the victims of terrorism, the Irish peacekeeper
killed in Lebanon on Wednesday in Lebanon and all peacekeepers killed in UN
operations.
Before Jaishankar spoke, Anjali Vijay Kulthe, a nurse
from Cama and Albless Hospital in Mumbai, told the Council about her
face-to-face encounter with Pakistan-based terrorists on 26/11 and how she
worked to save mothers, mothers-to-be, and newborns at the medical centre.
Jaishankar called on the Council "to
re-invigorate its counter-terrorism agenda. And that is overdue because the
threat of terrorism has actually become even more serious".
He called for vigilance against new and emerging
technologies being adopted by terrorists.
"This is likely to be the next frontier of our
battle," he said. Terrorists "have diversified their funding
portfolio and expanded their recruitment toolkit" by exploiting "the
anonymity afforded by new and emerging technologies", he said.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/we-cannot-let-another-9/11-of-new-york-or-26/11-of-mumbai-happen-again-jaishankar/articleshow/96260483.cms
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‘Love Jihad’: Marriage Registrars in Madhya Pradesh
May Soon Have To Get Police Pre-Verification of the Applicant Couples
December 16, 2022
To check ‘love jihad’, marriage registrars and other
institutions responsible for solemnising marriages in Madhya Pradesh may soon
have get police pre-verification of the applicant couples, said State Home
Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday.
Talking to journalists, Mr. Mishra said the Marriage
Registrar Bureau and other institutions involved in the registration process,
including the notary, receive information about the bride and the groom one
month prior [to the date of wedding], and discuss it with the police. They
should consider getting police verification done.
‘Love jihad’ is a term used to describe alleged
efforts by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam post marriage. “We are
serious towards ‘love jihad’ and therefore the government is thinking seriously
that the marriage registrars and organisations like Arya Samaj get mandatory
police verification [of the couple] done. Decision will be soon taken in this
regard,” he said in a statement.
Highlighting one such alleged case from Bhopal that
came to light on Wednesday, the Home Minister said police verification will
give the girls “double protection”.
“MP Religious Freedom Act [2021] is already in
implementation in the State for the purpose. By getting police verification
done, marriages where actual identity is hidden could be prevented before
registration. Police verification does not mean that the ‘love jihad’ law is
not effective, but we want double protection. Therefore the proposal is being
mulled seriously so that in future no Shraddha [Walkar, the victim in the
infamous Delhi murder case] has to lose her life and incidents like chopping of
her body could be prevented,” the Minister said.
Source: The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/mp-minister-narottam-mishra-bats-for-pre-police-verification-of-couples-who-wish-to-get-married-to-check-love-jihad/article66268284.ece
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Annual Two Days Sunni Ijtema to be held at Mumbai, On
December 16 the Ijtema Is Exclusively For Women and 18 for Men
By Aditya Poonia
December 16, 2022
Over three lakh Muslims are expected to gather at Azad
Maidan for two days, Friday and Sunday, for the annual Sunni Ijtema, a
religious meet, where community leaders will give speeches on social issues
like the role of women in society, poverty, ignorance and obscenity in public.
Ijtema is a congregation for preaching. This is the 30th annual ijtema being
organised by the Sunni Dawat-e-Islami.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/annual-sunni-meet-at-azad-maidan-today-and-sunday-8327281/
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Telangana: 603 Muslim students secure convenor seats
in MBBS
15th December 2022
Hyderabad: Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health
Sciences has completed the three phases of web counseling. Total 603 Muslim
candidates got admission in MBBS A category on the bases of NEET 2022 score in
Telangana.,
The number of Muslim candidates under Category A
selected for Government Medical Colleges including Osmania, Gandhi, Kakatiya
Medical stood at 179, while 94 students got admission in non-minority private
medical colleges and 330 students got admission in four Muslim minority medical
colleges.
The cut-off marks for the BC-E category was 422 and
for Muslim minority colleges stay at 424. The cut-off of the categories after
the final stage mop-up stood at OC (General category) 449, BCA 360, BCB 437,
BCC 372, BCD 444 and BCE 422 and SC 373 and ST remained at 376.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.siasat.com/telangana-603-muslim-students-secure-convenor-seats-in-mbbs-2480416/
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Europe
Britain’s Sunak appoints Egypt’s Mubarak-era minister
as ‘senior treasurer’
15 December 2022
Britain’s ruling Conservative party has appointed as
senior treasurer an Egyptian billionaire who served as transport minister under
autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
The Guardian said in a recent report that Mohamed
Mansour was given the position by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday night
during a reception for donors.
Mansour is the owner of Unatrac, a British
construction supplier owned by Egypt’s Mansour Group, which has donated over
600,000 pounds to the Conservatives. He was Egypt’s transport minister between
2006 and 2009.
“It is a great honor and privilege to have been
appointed as senior treasurer of the Conservative party and a member of the
treasurer’s team of the party.”
“The prime minister is making the hard choices that
are necessary during a tough period for the country and, as a proud British
citizen, I look forward to working with the team to support the party and the
country,” the tycoon said.
Mubarak’s 30-year rule over Egypt was defined by
cronyism and repression. He was ousted during the popular uprising in 2011.
The longtime ruler died in 2020. Mubarak was charged
alongside several of his associates with corruption and killing protesters. But
many of the sentences were overturned after then army chief and current
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi seized power from Egypt’s first
democratically-elected President Mohammed Morsi in a coup in 2013.
The Guardian news follows a series of scandals which
have hit the British government and royal family.
In July, Prince Charles, the then heir to the British
throne, faced new scrutiny over the financing of his charities after a report
found that one organization had accepted a donation of 1 million pounds from
the family of Osama bin Laden. Charles became King following the death of his
mother Queen Elizabeth II in September. As first reported by The Sunday Times,
the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund received the donation in 2013 from the
brothers Bakr and Shafiq bin Laden, half brothers of Osama, the founder of
al-Qaeda terrorist group and architect of the 9/11 attacks.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/15/694542/UK-Sunak-Mubarak-Egypt-Mohamed-Mansour
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UK to hold inquiry into reports Afghan civilians
killed British Special Forces
15 December 2022
Britain's military has announced it would launch an
inquiry into reports that its Special Forces carried out dozens of
extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan.
The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) would concede to
longstanding demands for an “independent statutory inquiry,” defense minister
Andrew Murrison said in the House of Commons on Thursday.
BBC reported earlier this year that British elite
Special Air Service (SAS) killed Afghan civilians "in cold blood".
Murrison said the Afghanistan inquiry, which is to
start in early 2023, will focus on alleged unlawful killings by the British
Special Forces during deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan from
mid-2010 to mid-2013.
It will also examine the “adequacy of subsequent
investigations” by the Ministry of Defense into allegations of wrongdoing,
including murder.
However, Murrison noted the inquiry will ensure that
all service personnel, veterans and current and former civil servants who are
asked to engage with the inquiry will be given full legal and pastoral support.
The announcement follows reports that 54 Afghans were
killed in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit in Helmand province between
2010 and 2011, and accusations that this amounted to war crimes.
Tessa Gregory, from the UK law firm which is
representing the families of the deceased, said an inquiry should have been
launched years ago.
“The allegations of extrajudicial killings and
cover-up are of such gravity, and the concerns expressed contemporaneously
within the British and Afghan army and by a reputable international
organization working on the ground in Afghanistan were so serious and so
widespread, that an inquiry should have been instituted by the government years
ago,” she said.
The families of eight people, including three young
boys, reportedly murdered by British Special Forces in two separate operations
during night raids in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 welcomed the inquiry, saying
they waited 10 years for justice.
“Over 10 years ago, I lost two of my brothers, my
young brother-in-law and a childhood friend, all boys with a life ahead of them,”
one of the family members said.
“I was handcuffed, beaten and interrogated outside our
family home by British soldiers.
“My relatives and friend were each shot in the head as
they sat drinking tea.
“My family has waited 10 years to find out why this happened."
The family member expressed relief that “after so many
years, someone is going to investigate this thoroughly”.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/15/694555/UK-SAS-Afghan-Civilian-Killing-Inquiry-
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Iran censures EU for new sanctions over protests
15 December ,2022
Iran condemned the European Union on Thursday for
imposing new sanctions on the Islamic republic over its response to protests
sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Protests have swept Iran since the September 16 death
of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged
breach of the Islamic republic's dress code for women.
Officials in the country say hundreds of people have
been killed in the street violence, including dozens of security forces, and
thousands have been arrested.
The EU announced on Monday sanctions targeting Iran's
state broadcaster IRIB, its army chief, Revolutionary Guards commanders and a
cleric over what it called the “repression” of the protests.
Iran's foreign ministry hit back on Thursday, branding
the 27-member bloc's move as “unacceptable and groundless”.
“Iran's police and security forces have tried to
control rampant violence in accordance with very precise and specific rules of
conduct... as well as our religious teachings, based on respect for human
rights and the rights of every individual,” it said in a statement.
Courts in Iran have sentenced 11 people to death in
connection with the protests, and two people have been executed in the past
week. Campaigners say a dozen other defendants face charges that could see them
also receive the death penalty.
The EU also slapped sanctions on eight drone makers
and air force commanders accused of being involved in supplying UAVs to Russia
for its war in Ukraine.
Iran, however, maintains it has not sent any weapons
to Russia to be used in the conflict.
The Islamic republic's “fundamental position in the
Ukraine crisis is to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the need
to end the conflict through political solutions,” the foreign ministry said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/15/Iran-censures-EU-for-new-sanctions-over-protests-
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Türkiye congratulates Bosnia and Herzegovina on
obtaining EU candidate status
Faruk Zorlu
16.12.2022
Türkiye congratulated Bosnia and Herzegovina on
Thursday for being granted candidate status for European Union membership.
"We welcome the aforementioned decision of the EU
and consider that it will make a contribution to the peace and stability of
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said
in a statement.
EU leaders approved the decision at a summit in
Brussels following a recommendation by the European Commission in October and
voting in the European Council and General Affairs Council this week.
"We believe that the conditions specified in the
decision will be fulfilled by Bosnia and Herzegovina as soon as possible, and
we expect the EU to constructively support the process," it added.
Stressing Türkiye's role in the peace and prosperity
of the Balkans and its support of all efforts in this direction, it said:
"Within this framework, Türkiye has supported the integration of the
Balkan countries with the EU and the Euro-Atlantic institutions from the very
beginning."
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkiye-congratulates-bosnia-and-herzegovina-on-obtaining-eu-candidate-status/2765182
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Germany to maintain military presence in Mali until
May 2024: Defence minister
Ahmet Emin Dönmez
16.12.2022
YAOUNDE, Cameroon
Germany will maintain its military presence in Mali
until the end of the transition period in May 2024, the country's defense
minister said Thursday.
Christine Lambrecht attended a meeting with her Malian
counterpart Colonel Sadio Camara in the Malian capital Bamako.
Germany will maintain a military presence until 2024 when
the military transition period in country ends, Lambrech stressed, noting that
the purpose of her visit was to confirm cooperation between the two countries.
Germany has about 1,100 soldiers stationed at the UN
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.
The rapprochement of Lieutenant Colonel President
Assimi Goita, who took over the government in Mali through the 2021 military
coup, with Russia caused the reaction of Western countries.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/germany-to-maintain-military-presence-in-mali-until-may-2024-defense-minister/2765147
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Bosnia-Herzegovina gets candidate status for EU
membership
Talha Ozturk
15.12.2022
BELGRADE, Serbia
The European Council on Thursday granted
Bosnia-Herzegovina a candidate status for EU membership.
The EU leaders approved the decision at a summit in
Brussels following a recommendation by the European Commission in October and
voting in the EU Council and General Affairs Council this week.
The bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed
the decision.
"This is a decision for the people of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Political leaders can now turn this ambition into reality through
decisive reforms," he said.
The Slovenian Foreign Ministry congratulated
Bosnia-Herzegovina on its gaining EU candidate status.
"This decision is important for the EU, the
Western Balkans region and for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We
congratulate BiH on this historic day!" it said in a statement.
Oliver Varhelyi, an EU commissioner for enlargement,
welcomed the decision as well, saying that Bosnia's future lies in the EU.
"The time has finally come! Bosnia and
Herzegovina is now one step closer to the European Union," Austria's
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.
Denis Becirovic, a Bosniak member of the tripartite
Bosnian presidency, said that the decision is an encouragement for all the
citizens.
"With this decision, the relations between Bosnia
and Herzegovina and the EU are further strengthened. The candidate status is a
step forward in the process of European integration, although there is still a
lot of work to be done," he added.
Bosnian Croat leader, Dragan Covic, who officially
submitted Bosnia's application for the EU membership in 2016 as the chairman of
the presidential council, said it took almost seven years to reach the decision
on Thursday.
"We can last in this status for years. Our goal
is to get out of this status by the end of next year. We have been given a
hand, we must accept it to the end," Covic said.
Serb leader Milorad Dodik said he already lost his
optimism.
"I admit that if it was a few years ago, I would
have been more optimistic. Now I don't really care. Basically, I think that
this is not part of the regular procedures. I think it's a belated reaction to
the injustice that was done this year, after granting Ukraine and others that
status," he said.
Bosnia-Herzegovina's top priorities are joining the
political and economic community of European states, along with joining NATO.
The Balkan country became a potential candidate for the
bloc during the European Council summit in Thessaloniki in 2003.
It officially applied for EU membership in 2016.
Candidacy status is the first step in a country's
long-term EU accession process.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/bosnia-herzegovina-gets-candidate-status-for-eu-membership/2765036
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Arab World
Dr. Al-Sheikh, Saudi Minister And Sheikh Al-Deen Of
Russia Sign Executive Program For Rehabilitating Russian Imams, And Muezzins
December 15, 2022
JEDDAH — Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and
Guidance Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh signed Thursday with the
Head of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Russia Sheikh Rawi Ain
Al-Deen, the executive program of the memorandum of understanding (MoU)
previously signed between the two sides in Islamic fields.
The two sides agreed to carry out the MoU's executive
program through diplomatic channels for the years 2023-2024-2025, holding
scientific training sessions in Russia for rehabilitating preachers, imams, and
muezzins to introduce Islam and explain its virtues, tolerance, and fight
against extremism.
The executive program also called for both side
clarifying their position on current issues, and supplying copies of the Holy
Qur’an of King Fahd Complex to the Russian Muftis Shoura Council and the
religious administration of Muslims in Russia.
The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance
reaffirmed that under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and
Russian President Vladimir Putin, relations between the two countries
experienced significant growth and cooperation in a variety of fields.
Source: Saudi Gazette
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Lebanon’s caretaker PM says those responsible for
Irish soldier’s death will be punished
December 16, 2022
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib
Mikati said on Friday that investigations into the killing of an Irish soldier
on a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon were ongoing, adding that those
responsible “will be punished,” according to a statement.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2217091/middle-east
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Saudi Arabia launches cultural capability development
strategy
MOHAMMED AL-KINANI
December 15, 2022
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has launched a cultural
capability development strategy as part of the country’s Human Capabilities Development
Program — a giant leap in the transformation process of the Kingdom’s education
and culture sectors.
The Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education on
Thursday launched the strategy in Riyadh. The plan aims to link academic output
with the needs of the labor market in the cultural sector.
The 33-initiative strategy is a comprehensive national
umbrella, under the support of the Saudi Vision Realization Program. It is also
part of the Quality of Life Program, aiming to foster a creative generation
that serves the 16 cultural sub-sectors on which the Ministry of Culture is
focusing.
The strategy will help create a culture industry in
accordance with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which considers culture
critical to improving quality of life.
The aforementioned ministries are collaborating with
the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the Technical and
Vocational Training Corp., the Education and Training Evaluation Authority, and
the National eLearning Center on the strategy, which will work to include
culture and the arts at all levels of public, technical and vocational
education.
Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin
Farhan Al-Saud said the strategy is a natural outcome of the great support and
care the education and culture sectors are receiving from King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“We always say that education comes first, especially
in the fields of culture, arts, and creativity. So, we are, in light of this,
launching the cultural capacity development strategy in order to develop the
cultural and artistic capabilities and skills of society members, through a set
of policies, standards, academic programs, and capacity development
opportunities that can enrich cultural creativity in the Kingdom, ensure
linking education outputs to the needs of the labor market and support
sustainable practices in the cultural sector,” the minister said.
Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan said his
ministry seeks to invest in human capital, as it is a significant element in
building societies and developing nations.
“The inclusion of culture and arts in all education
stages contributes to increasing competencies, developing the educational
process, as well as remodeling activities and patterns of interaction; to
create an attractive and inspiring learning environment,” he said.
Al-Benyan added that his ministry is implementing the
strategy within an integrated project between various government entities, to
hone local students’ talent and develop their capabilities to compete globally.
He affirmed his ministry’s readiness to support the
strategy. The most important thing, he added, is to provide opportunities for
talented minds in Saudi Arabia, and to nurture their abilities from an early
age, in a way that can contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of the
educational and cultural sectors, regionally and globally.
In a tweet posted on his official account, he said:
“The strategy of developing cultural capabilities integrates with the efforts of
the Ministry of Education in enhancing the national identity of male and female
students, developing their skills, and investing their cultural talents in the
educational environment to build globally competitive citizens.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216706/saudi-arabia
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Hajj and Umrah Conference returns to enrich religious, cultural experiences
December 15, 2022
JEDDAH: The Kingdom is set to host a conference and
exhibition for Hajj and Umrah services aimed at improving the pilgrim
experience at the Two Holy Mosques.
Organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Expo Hajj
2023 will bring together decision-makers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and
researchers under one roof in Jeddah at the beginning of January next year.
The conference will involve discussions on pilgrim
services, aiming to enhance the quality of pilgrimages while enriching the
religious and cultural experiences of visitors. It comes as part of the Pilgrim
Experience Program, a pillar of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Featuring a range of schemes and initiatives within
the Hajj and Umrah sectors, several workshops will also be held to discuss
activities through which the ministry seeks to achieve excellence and
sustainability in serving pilgrims.
The conference will also present proposals for future
projects to develop infrastructure and technical solutions, as well as
rehabilitate religious sites and historical monuments.
On the sidelines of the conference, events and
activities will take place in the presence of ministers of Islamic affairs,
endowments, and Hajj, ambassadors and consuls in Saudi Arabia, in addition to
pilgrim agency officials from the public and private sectors.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216696/saudi-arabia
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Around 80,000 Saudi citizens trained, qualified to
work in tourist sector: Minister
15 December ,2022
Saudi Minister of Tourism, Ahmed al-Khateeb, said the
tourism sector in the Kingdom in particular, and the economy in general, was
witnessing unprecedented growth, and called on hospitality operators, workers,
and investors to keep pace with these rapid developments.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA),
the minister made the statement on Wednesday during his monthly meeting held
virtually with more than 100 hospitality operators and investors from various
parts of the Kingdom, in the presence of Princess Haifa bint Mohammed, Deputy
Minister of Tourism, and a number of senior ministry officials.
During the meeting, al-Khateeb said the aim of the new
tourism regulations was to support innovation and boost the tourism sector,
underlining the Ministry’s keenness to attract investments in the tourism
sector.
“The launch of the new tourism regulations, according
to the minister, documents the aspirations of Kingdom’s leadership and attract
investments -- one of the pillars of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Al-Khateeb said the Kingdom’s leadership was looking
forward to diversifying the national economy, strengthening its non-oil
economy, as well as attract 100 million visitors annually by 2030.
“We have been working on developing and enriching the
tourism regulation in the Kingdom to culminate in a series of legislations and
regulations issued over the past three years, with the aim of achieving the
targets of the national strategy for tourism,” he added.
This involved upgrading and promoting the sector and
its attractiveness based on the best practices that were selected based on the
index of the top 20 countries in the competitiveness of travel and tourism
issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The Tourism Minister stressed the importance of
localizing the tourism sector and enhancing the role of citizens in its growth
and prosperity, pointing out that the ministry has allocated $107 million (400
million riyals) to train and qualify 100,000 citizens to work in the local
tourism sector, including 10,000 young men and women who are currently training
outside the Kingdom in a some of the most prestigious hotel and tourism
education institutions globally.
He pointed out that the ministry has so far completed
the training of 80,000 Saudi young men and women, who are now ready to work in
the sector.
The ministry is also currently moving towards adopting
various technological innovations to enhance communication with various
categories of beneficiaries, especially hospitality operators and investors.
Al-Khateeb also stressed that the ministry will not
hesitate to protect investments and the rights of operators of hospitality
facility operators, take care of them, and harness all capabilities that ensure
their growth and prosperity.
He confirmed that the Ministry has adopted flexibility
with regard to the requirements in the regions of Mecca and Madinah, including
the allowing of the size of the hospitality units to differ from the standard
specifications by no more than 30 percent of the size specified for no more
than 20 percent of the total hotel units. The flexibility in requirements allow
a 10 percent discrepancy rate in changing toilet spaces, exempting a four-star
rating from a fitness room, and other exemptions that support hospitality
facilities in the two holy cities.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/business/economy/2022/12/15/Around-80-000-Saudi-citizens-trained-qualified-to-work-in-tourist-sector-Minister
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Saudi inflation rate eases to 2.9 pct in November;
housing costs behind price rises
15 December ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate eased to 2.9
percent in November from 3 percent in October, government data showed on
Thursday, with price rises driven mainly by housing costs.
Consumer prices increased slightly by 0.1 percent
compared to October, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics said.
Housing rents rose by 5.4 percent, pushing the overall
increase in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels to 4.7 percent.
Food prices, which have been the main driver of
increases in the last couple of months, increased by 3.6 percent while
transport
costs rose 4 percent.
The Saudi government, in its recently released budget
statement, forecast inflation in the Kingdom to average 2.6 percent by the end
of 2022 “under the exceptional global circumstances.”
High oil prices have helped Saudi Arabia’s fiscal
balance to tilt to its first surplus since 2013 this year, at 2.6 percent of
GDP.
It also revised its GDP growth forecast for 2022 to
8.5 percent from 8 percent, boosted by an expansion in non-oil private sector
activity.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/business/economy/2022/12/15/Saudi-inflation-rate-eases-to-2-9-pct-in-November-housing-costs-behind-price-rises
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UN chief urges 'swift' investigation into killing of
Irish peacekeeper in Lebanon
Betül Yürük
15.12.2022
UNITED NATIONS
UN chief Antonio Guterres urged a "swift"
investigation Thursday into the killing of an Irish peacekeeper in southern
Lebanon, according to his spokesman.
Guterres is "deeply saddened" by the death
of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper, Stephane
Dujarric told journalists.
"He urges a swift investigation by relevant
authorities to determine the facts related to the incident and the need for
accountability," he said.
The Irish soldier was killed and three other soldiers
injured when their vehicle came under fire late Wednesday, according to the
mission.
UNIFIL spokeswoman Andrea Teneti said details are
still "sparse and conflicting" and added that UNIFIL is coordinating
with Lebanese forces.
The multinational peacekeeping force has been deployed
in southern Lebanon since 1978. Its primary objective is to maintain security
in the region and monitor a cessation-of-hostilities agreement.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-chief-urges-swift-investigation-into-killing-of-irish-peacekeeper-in-lebanon/2765098
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Africa
Nasarawa School Graduates 7, Honours 4 Muslims For
Contributions To Islam
Dec 16, 2022
AN Islamic school based in Nyanya, Gwandara in
Nasarawa State, Wa’dul Adabiyat School of Arabic and Islamic Studies, has
graduated seven of its students after completing the learning of the Holy
Qur’an.
The school also presented awards to four individuals
for their contributions to the growth of Islam in Karu Local Government Area of
Nasarawa State and its environs.
The Ustadz-in-charge of the school, Alhaji Asim
Amusat, called on parents to create time for their children to study the word
of Allah.
According to Amusat, studying the Qur’an and
understanding its message will enable the children to tread the path of Allah,
be role models in the society and spread the message of Islam to the world.
He said those who were given awards have been
outstanding in their contributions to the growth and development of Islam in
the area.
“This is the 15th in the series of our Walimah Qur’an
and we are happy for the progress so far. More than 100 students have passed
through us and, Alhamdulillah (thank God), we have been able to impart in them
the ways of Islam and how to relate with the people and promote peaceful
coexistence in the society. They are our pride anytime any day.
“For the awardees, they have been outstanding in their
contributions to Islam and we think we should give them the recognition they
deserve and encourage them to do more,” Amusat said.
Source: Tribune Online Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://tribuneonlineng.com/nasarawa-school-graduates-7-honours-4-muslims-for-contributions-to-islam/
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Police officer killed during protests in Jordan over
high fuel prices
December 16, 2022
AMMAN: One senior police officer was killed on
Thursday in clashes with demonstrators in the southern Jordanian city of Maan
during protests over high fuel prices that spread to several cities across the
kingdom, police and witnesses said.
In a statement, police said the officer was shot in
the head while dealing with “rioting” by a group of outlaws in the impoverished
city that has in the past seen bouts of civil unrest over fuel hikes and cuts
to subsidies.
“We will strike with an iron fist anyone who tries to
attack lives and property,” the police statement added.
A police source had earlier said the officer was shot
by unknown assailants during clashes in the Husseiniya area of Maan. Four other
policemen were injured, the source said.
Witnesses said a long convoy of armored vehicles was
seen entering Maan as reinforcements were sent to the neighborhood where the
police officer was killed.
Youths had clashed with police in several impoverished
neighborhoods of the city and in the heavily populated industrial city of
Zarqa, north east of the capital Amman, witnesses said.
Anti-riot police fired tear gas in the Jabal al Abyad
neighborhood of the city of Zarqa to break up protests that broke out in
Jordan’s second most populous city.
Witnesses said dozens of youths also staged a protest
in the Tafiyla neighborhood of the capital, where police chased demonstrators
who were chanting anti-government slogans.
Youths burned tires on a main highway between the
capital and the Dead Sea, disrupting traffic, witnesses said.
In the north of the country near the border with
Syria, youths clashed with police in several neighborhoods in Irbid, the
country’s third-largest city by population.
Sporadic skirmishes spread to other smaller towns in
the vicinity where police used tear gas to disperse stone throwing youths.
The US embassy issued a security alert saying US
government personnel had been restricted from both personal and official travel
to southern Jordan.
Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several cities
in southern Jordan after days of sporadic strikes by lorry drivers protesting
high fuel prices.
The government has promised to look into the strikers’
demands but has said it already has paid over $700 million (500 million dinars
) to cap fuel price hikes this year.
However, officials say they cannot spend more to
subsidise prices because of limits in place under an International Monetary
Fund (IMF)-backed structural economic reform program.
Shops in Maan and several other Jordanian provincial
cities shut on Wednesday in solidarity with demands the government reduce
diesel prices, which truck drivers blame for mounting losses.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216911/middle-east
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Libya’s Dbeibah defends extradition of alleged
Lockerbie bomber
December 15, 2022
TRIPOLI: Libya’s interim prime minister on Thursday
confirmed and justified the extradition of the man alleged to have made the
bomb that destroyed a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie in Scotland in 1988.
Tripoli-based premier Abdelhamid Dbeibah said he had
“acted with respect for the sovereignty of Libya” in cooperating “when it comes
to crimes committed outside its territory.”
Dbeibah has come under heavy criticism from political
opponents and rights activists since the extradition.
Abu Agila Mohammad Masud, 71, who allegedly worked as
an intelligence agent for the regime of former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi,
appeared in a US court on Monday to face charges for the terror attack that
killed 270 people.
He was charged by the United States two years ago for
the Lockerbie bombing.
Dbeibah, in a speech broadcast on national television,
said Masud was “responsible for the bomb-making cell” in Qaddafi’s regime, and
that “he is responsible for the deaths of more than 200 innocent people.”
Dbeibah added that it was important to “make the
difference” in the case between the “responsibility of the Libyan state, and
that of the individual,” stressing that as regards national responsibility,
“the case has been definitively closed” since 2003.
“I will not allow it to be opened again,” he said.
In 2003, Libya agreed compensation for the victims of
the bombing after lengthy talks with British and US officials, leading the UN
to lift sanctions later that year.
“I no longer tolerate that Libya and its people pay
for the consequences of more than 30 years of terrorist operations, and that
Libyans are classified as terrorists because accused persons are in Libya,”
added Dbeibah.
Only one person has been convicted over the
deadliest-ever terror attack in Britain.
The New York-bound aircraft was blown up 38 minutes
after it took off from London, sending the main fuselage plunging to the ground
in the town of Lockerbie and spreading debris over a vast area.
The bombing killed all 259 people on the jumbo jet,
including 190 Americans, and 11 people on the ground.
Two alleged Libyan intelligence operatives —
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah — were charged with
the bombing and tried by a Scottish court in the Netherlands.
Megrahi spent seven years in a Scottish prison after
his conviction in 2001 while Fhimah was acquitted.
Megrahi died in Libya in 2012, always maintaining his
innocence.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216846/middle-east
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North America
Ex-Twitter employee sentenced to 42 months in prison
for selling info about dissidents to Saudi Arabia
Michael Hernandez
15.12.2022
WASHINGTON
A former Twitter employee was sentenced to
three-and-a-half years in prison for acting as an undeclared foreign agent of
Saudi Arabia, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Ahmad Abouammo, 45, was sentenced Wednesday to 42
months behind bars for using his role at Twitter to access, monitor and convey
confidential and sensitive information that could be used to identify and
locate people of interest to the Saudi royal family, the agency said in a
statement.
“Mr. Abouammo violated the trust placed on him to
protect the privacy of individuals by giving their personal information to a
foreign power for profit. His conduct was made all the more egregious by the
fact that the information was intended to target political dissidents speaking
out against that foreign power,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen.
“We are committed to holding accountable those who act
unlawfully as unregistered foreign agents and advance hidden influence
campaigns on behalf of foreign regimes," he added.
Court records show Abouammo began receiving bribes
from the Saudis beginning in at least December 2014 while he was a media
partnerships manager for the Middle East and North Africa at Twitter. The
bribes were made in exchange for information about dissidents and critics of
the Saudi government and royal family.
Abouammo was convicted of lying to the FBI about the
payoffs and he falsified a document about the payments in October 2018. The
bribes came from a Saudi official who headed the royal family's "private
office," and who was a minister of state before becoming a minister of
defense and is now a deputy crown prince, according to the Justice Department.
Judge Edward Chen, of the Northern District of
California, said in court while sentencing Abouammo that his actions were
"serious" and "consequential," further emphasizing that
"exposing dissident information is a serious offense."
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/ex-twitter-employee-sentenced-to-42-months-in-prison-for-selling-info-about-dissidents-to-saudi-arabia/2765082
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Inquiry possible into forged papers sent to Muslim
charity, Trudeau says
December 15, 2022
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is open to
pursuing an independent investigation into forged government documents that
falsely suggest the RCMP and the Canada Revenue Agency are paying informants
within the Muslim Association of Canada to build a terrorist-funding case
against the grassroots charity.
Although the evidence that the documents are fake is
overwhelming, MAC remains skeptical that they didn’t originate inside the
government, and is calling for an independent inquiry. Mr. Trudeau was asked by
reporters whether he would heed that call.
“We are obviously very concerned about these reports
of Islamophobic forged documents,” Mr. Trudeau said. “We are following up right
now in understanding the situation. We will pursue an investigation if that is
necessary.”
MAC operates mosques and community centres across the
country. The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that, for more than year, the
organization has been receiving documents from an anonymous sender that allege
law enforcement and tax collection authorities are trying to entrap it by
creating the appearance that it is funnelling money to extremist groups.
A Globe investigation found that the trove of
documents – hundreds of pages sent in 11 packages from April, 2021, to late
November of this year – are not authentic. They include fake RCMP search
warrants, phony records of SWIFT money transfer payments to informants and
printouts that look like internal government e-mails between RCMP personnel and
CRA investigators. The CRA, the RCMP and the Bank of Canada have all said the
documents are fake, and the authors of some of the supposed e-mails have sworn
in affidavits that they didn’t write them.
The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
weighed in on Thursday, saying the “troubling allegations” of possible
government targeting of MAC require further investigation by an independent
party.
“Whether this is a hoax or not, the unfortunate
reality is that we know Muslim Canadians and Muslim organizations have been
targets for surveillance and criminalization under the guise of
counterterrorism driven by systemic Islamophobia and racism. It is important
that the government take this issue seriously and act on it quickly,” TICLMG
national co-ordinator Tim McSorley said in a statement.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, whose
responsibilities include the RCMP, said the federal police force has assured
him it will find out what happened. A police investigation would not satisfy
calls from MAC and others for an independent probe.
“We have been in touch with law enforcement and I
understand they are conducting their investigation to get to the bottom of
this,” Mr. Mendicino told reporters.
He said the Mountie investigation must be done with
great care, and he promised that the government will be transparent once it is
completed.
”With the history of the community’s interactions with
the RCMP and other institutions, it’s very important that there’s transparency
about exactly what happened here. And obviously, if anyone broke the law in a
way to target this organization … there should be an investigation and
appropriate consequences that would follow from that.”
He also noted that the Liberals have tabled Bill C-20,
which would create a public complaints commission that would provide
independent civilian review of the RCMP.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, whose riding
includes the part of Mississauga where MAC is based, called the allegations
that the organization had been targeted “extremely troubling and serious.”
“I am going to let the RCMP do its investigation,” he
said. “The way our system works is that politicians should not be directing the
authorities – police and law enforcement – to influence their investigation.”
Ahmed Hussen, the Minister of Housing and Diversity
and Inclusion, declined to comment. He said he is staying silent because the
matter is before the courts. (The purported targeting of MAC is not before the
courts, although the charity is suing to stop an unrelated audit by the CRA.)
Four major Canadian Muslim organizations – the
Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, Human Concern International, Justice
for All Canada and Dawa Net – issued a joint statement saying the contents of
the documents are “consistent with the experience of Canadian Muslims” over
many years.
Since the 9/11 attacks, the statement said, national
security agencies in Canada have increased their “surveillances and
intimidation” of Muslims, eroding confidence in law enforcement.
“It is the government’s responsibility to thoroughly
and transparently investigate these leaked documents,” the statement said. “The
investigation must be independent, the results must be made public and those
responsible must be held accountable.”
The Canadian Council of Imams issued a separate
statement also urging the Prime Minister to order an “independent and
transparent investigation to determine if these documents or their content are
authentic and hold those involved in this unethical approach accountable.”
The fake records sent to MAC, which were obtained by
The Globe, make it seem as if the charity is riddled with informants supplying
the RCMP and the CRA with details of its operations. A purported Mountie
“Informant Manifest” lists six informants who are supposedly working with the
National Security Joint Operations Centre, as well as 18 “secondary asset”
informants.
Perhaps the most explosive documents sent to MAC are
purported records of cash payments and SWIFT wire transfers to RCMP and CRA
informants who are supposedly supplying investigators with information on the
organization.
The purported transfers show 13 payments into offshore
bank accounts, supposedly for the benefit of three informants. All but one list
the Bank of Canada as the sender. The documents show the equivalent of more
than $320,000 being deposited into accounts in the British dependency of
Guernsey.
But the Bank of Canada, in a statement to The Globe
earlier this week, said the SWIFT transfer documents bearing its name are
forgeries.
“We can confirm that the documents purporting to be
SWIFT transfer records are not genuine,” the bank said.
The fake records sent to MAC portray the CRA as being
under pressure from its leadership to nail the Muslim charity for wrongdoing.
The documents make investigators appear willing to bend or break the rules in
order to do so.
An e-mail dated March, 2022, and purportedly sent by
Wayne Welch, an investigator with the CRA’s criminal investigation division in
Mississauga, mentions the “urgency that the chief has placed on breaking ground
on having a smoking gun on MAC.” It continues by saying: “We need to be more
creative if not downright dirty in roping these bad actors in.”
Source: The Globe And Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-inquiry-forged-papers-muslim-charity/
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Ontario man charged in FBI investigation into alleged
Islamic State financial support
December 15, 2022
An Ontario man has been charged after an FBI
investigation uncovered an alleged scheme to use online campaigns disguised as
humanitarian efforts to raise money for the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant.
The U.S. Department of Justice says the 34-year-old
man was arrested by Canadian police Wednesday under a provisional arrest
request, often the first step in the extradition process.
He is facing charges in the U.S., along with three
Americans, for allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.
The Canadian Department of Justice and the RCMP did
not immediately respond to requests for comment.
U.S. officials allege the Canadian was part of an
encrypted social media group chat of ISIS supporters where members discussed
posting donation links that appeared to support humanitarian causes but were
actually intended to aid Islamic militants.
They allege he created multiple GoFundMe campaigns
purportedly for humanitarian causes and allegedly contributed US$20,347 to a
cryptocurrency address tied to the terrorist group.
Source: The Globe And Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-man-charged-in-fbi-investigation-into-alleged-islamic-state/
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US Congress urged to repeal war authorization to
assure no ‘unchecked’ president could ‘misuse’ it
15 December 2022
A coalition of 37 rights organizations and anti-war
groups have urged the US Congress to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use
of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq, noting that such a measure could assure
no other “unchecked” president could “misuse” the law to wage other wars.
The coalition has sent a letter to several Senate and
Congress members, calling on the lawmakers to take action on what they called a
“long overdue repeal.”
“Repealing this outdated and unnecessary law would
constitute a basic act of constitutional hygiene while also ensuring that the
2002 Iraq AUMF cannot be misused to breathe new life into an unforeseen
national security crisis, driven by an unchecked president,” reads part of the
letter.
The 2002 resolution, dubbed the ‘Authorization for the
Use of Military Force’ (AUMF), was overwhelmingly passed by the US Congress,
granting the American president permission to wage military action – without
the need for any Congressional approval – as laid out in the specific terms set
in the legislative measure.
The resolution was used by former US president George
W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003. However, next presidents also used that despite
the war in Iraq having ended.
One of the latest instances of reference to this
resolution was in early January 2020 when ex-president Donald Trump ordered
assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani, along with the deputy chief of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
“This scenario has already played out once, in early
2020; there is nothing to prevent it playing out again, until Congress takes
the 2002 Iraq AUMF off the books,” adds the letter.
By repealing the 2002 AUMF, Congress “would finally
reclaim its constitutional war powers in a manner both deeply significant and
increasingly uncontroversial. We urge you to seize this opportunity to get it
off the books for good,” added the letter.
Efforts for repealing the resolution come as there is
still a wider-ranging 2001 AUMF in place which was adopted in the aftermath of
the 9/11 attacks.
The congressional authorization has been applied
entirely in Muslim-majority countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya,
Somalia, and Yemen.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/15/694537/US-lawmakers-urged-to-repeal-2022-AUMF
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Pakistan
Pakistan Miniature Satellite to Land on Moon with
China's Probe To Detect Ice Traces On The Moon
Dec 16, 2022
Pakistan will land on the moon with China. China space
expert Andrew Jones tweeted on Thursday that Pakistan's ICECUBE-Q cubesat will
fly to the far side of the moon in Beijing's lunar sample return mission,
Change-6, slated for launch in 2025.
The role of the Pakistani instrument is to detect ice
traces on the moon. Cubesats are miniature satellites based around a form
factor consisting of 10cm cubes and weighing 2kg each.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-miniature-satellite-to-land-on-moon-with-chinas-probe/articleshow/96261788.cms
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No enemy Could Do what General Bajwa Did to Pakistan:
Ex-PM Khan
By Arif Ahmadi
December 16, 2022
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Ouster Prime Minister Imran Khan
said that General Qamar Javed Bajwa “did to Pakistan what no enemy could do to
the country”, according to sources, adding that the former army chief gave NRO
II to the then opposition.
Earlier this month, Khan accused Bajwa of playing a
“double game” against the government, saying he committed a “big mistake” when
extended the tenure of then military chief in 2019.
“Gen (retd) Bajwa asked me to grant NRO II to the then
opposition when the government had to pass laws related to the Financial Action
Task Force,” the PTI chief said in his address to the nation via video link, as
The Siasat Daily quoted. “It was Gen (retd) Bajwa who gave NRO II to the then
opposition.”
Khan said the way his party was treated in the past
seven months was “unprecedented”.
“(Our allies) were receiving calls from unknown
numbers and were asked to stop supporting Imran Khan,” he said.
“What happened with Arshad Sharif, Azam Swati, Shahbaz
Gul and Jameel Farooqui happened only because they were giving statements in
our favour,” he added.
The PTI chairman said he did not witness the kind of
violation of human rights during the rule of former dictator General (Pervez)
Musharraf that happened this time, Express Tribune reported.
“No enemy could do what General (retd) Bajwa did to
Pakistan.”
“I want the establishment to be neutral so its honour
increases,” he pressed and noted that the distance between the establishment
and the public had widened over the last few years.
He reiterated that a strong army was in the country’s
best interest and he did not want the institution to weaken. He pointed out
that criticising some “black sheep” in the institution was “not the same as
criticising the army”.
Earlier, Ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan accused former
army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa of playing a “double game” against the
government, according to sources, saying he committed a “big mistake” when
extended the tenure of then military chief in 2019.
Khan made the remarks during an interview with a local
TV channel on Saturday, days after he hoped the newly appointed Chief of Army
Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir will work to end the prevailing trust
deficit between the nation and the State.
“I would believe in everything General Bajwa would
tell me because our interests were the same… that we had to save the
country,” said 70-year-old Khan, as India Today quoted.
The Paksitan Tahreek Insaf (PTI) chairman also claimed
he received reports from Intelligence Bureau (IB) on “what games were being played
against his government”.
He claimed that then military establishment was in
contact with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif to topple
his government and the plot against him became clear following the removal of
Lt Gen (retd.) Faiz Hameed as ISI chief in October 2021.
General Omar Javed Bajwa as Pakistan’s Army Chief
On November 29, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar
Javed Bajwa retired after completing a six-year tenure as head of country’s
all-powerful military. General Syed Asim Munir was appointed for the position.
“Under the leadership of General Qamar Javed Bajwa,
the army demonstrated exemplary services in effectively dealing with various
challenges, including the country’s exclusion from the FATF (Financial Action
Task Force) Grey List, COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent flashfloods,” the PM
office said in a statement.
“You had the honor of leading the best army in the
world,” he added as quoted by the Arab News.
In an interview published in an international media
outlet on Sunday, Bajwa reiterated the army’s resolve to remain apolitical and
– in an apparent reference to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf party – said that a campaign had been launched against the
armed forces because it refused to intervene in politics.
“Despite some criticism and undue vilification of the
armed forces through mass propaganda and meticulously crafted false narratives,
the institutional resolve to remain apolitical will remain steadfast,” the
outgoing army chief said in the interview, as Arab News reported.
“I am certain that this political quarantine of the
armed forces will auger well for Pakistan in the long term by fostering
political stability and strengthening the army-to-people bond.”
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/no-enemy-could-do-what-general-bajwa-did-to-pakistan-ex-pm-khan/
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Pakistan to increase its scholarships for students to
go to universities in Türkiye
December 15, 2022
ISLAMABAD: A high powered delegation led by the
Ambassador of Türkiye to Pakistan Mr Mehmet Paçacı called on the Federal
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain
here on Thursday.
Rana Tanveer said the two countries have cultural,
linguistic and people to people love for each other. He discussed exchange of
expertise and knowledge regarding Vocational and Technical Training.
He said the two countries can benefit from the
experience of each other. He acknowledged and praised the long standing
brotherly relation between the two countries.
The Minister welcomed the exchange of teachers and
students to further mutual cooperation especially for Skilled Vocational
Training. He said that there is significant potential in cooperation between
the two countries.
He said that Pakistan will increase its scholarships
for students to go to universities in Türkiye to enhance people to people love
and cooperation.
The Ambassador said that people of Türkiye have deep
affiliation with Pakistan. He said University to University cooperation and Technical
Institution to Technical Institution collaboration is the way forward. He
briefed the Minister about the multiple ongoing projects by the Government of
Türkiye under Turkish cooperation and coordination Agency (TIKA).
The projects cover a wide range of socio-economic
aspects. He was told that TIKA completed 20 such projects in 2022 alone. The
Minister was briefed about the various ongoing projects such as development of
an Incubation center at QAU, establishment of Ultrasound ward and solarization of
DHQ at D.I Khan..
Establishment of fashion design and culture centre in
GB, Upgradation of medical equipment for Thalassemia patients in various
hospitals, establishment of mobile health units in rural Sindh and Balochistan
in addition with numerous primary and secondary schools that have more than
13,000 students enrolled.
Both delegations agreed to revive the Pak Turk
Mobility grant Program which will enhance exchange of teachers between the two
countries. In addition with that construction of Centre of Hospitality at NSU
will also take place.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the future is in
Vocational Training of the population of Pakistan. He said that it provides the
best opportunity to the people to find jobs.
He said Pakistan and Türkiye through NAVTTC should
exchange teachers and students to learn from the expertise of each other. Rana
Tanveer Hussain praised the current government’s efforts in modernising the
education system of Pakistan.
The Minister thanked the Ambassador and highlighted
the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries. He said the two
countries have shared history and literature.
Source: Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/12/15/pakistan-to-increase-its-scholarships-for-students-to-go-to-universities-in-turkiye/
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Linking terrorism with Islam is mistaken notion:
Bilawal
16 December, 2022
NEW YORK (Dunya News) – Foreign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari on Thursday urged the international community to help Pakistan
combating and go after those who backed, supported, financed and facilitated
terrorism in Pakistan.
The foreign minister, in a press briefing, after he
hosted the Ministerial Conference of G-77 Plus China, apprised the media of a
dossier issued by Pakistan containing the pieces of evidence of Indian
involvement in a terror attack in Johar Town area of Lahore in 2021.
He said Pakistan had also sought the United Nations to
list four individuals associated with the attack in Pakistan which was aimed at
targeting Pakistan’s economic engagement with China under One Belt and One Road
Initiative.
He said a former Indian National Security Advisor was
also on record to have confessed the Indian backing of terrorism in Pakistan.
Calling upon the Indian government to end such
tactics, the foreign minister said the terrorists would not be content to
attack only Pakistan rather one day they would hit India too.
To a question, he said “Osama Bin Laden is dead but
the Butcher of Gujarat is alive and the prime minister of India. This the prime
minister and foreign minister of RSS which derives inspiration from Hitler.”
He said the RSS did not believe in the ideology of
Gandhi but instead treated his killer as a hero.
“We should finally work together to put an end to this
longstanding point of irritation between the two countries…Let us look to the
future and ensure to going forward,” he remarked.
He told the media that in an open debate held on
Wednesday, Pakistan had sought reforms and emphasised that permanent members
had been unable to address the host of issues at the UN which necessitated the
further democratisation of the world body.
Regarding the UNSC’s meeting on counter-terrorism, he
said it could have been more “inclusive and transparent” if it was held as an
open debate allowing all countries, particularly like Pakistan to share its experiences
and strategy to defeat terrorism.
He said Pakistan was proud to have fulfilled two
action plans of the FATF simultaneously and owing to the very achievement,
Pakistan aspired to become the FATF member to share its experiences with other
countries.
Bilawal Bhutto said that linking terrorism with Islam
is mistaken notion. He called for the world to move away from the Islamophobic
narrative and framing of terrorism as terrorism knew no religion or boundaries.
He said instead of knowing Muslims as a victim of
terrorism, they were defined by those who carried out the attacks because the
perpetrators were Muslims.
He said as per statistics, more Muslims were killed in
terrorist attacks from 2001 to 2022.
About the flood-caused devastation in Pakistan, the
foreign minister told the media that many parts of Sindh and Balochistan were
yet under water.
He said the flood-hit areas were faced with climate,
health and education emergency with malaria spreading and 47% of schools
infrastructure partly or completely damaged.
He thanked the UN Secretary-General, who would co-host
a conference in Geneva on January 9, for building climate resilience of
Pakistan.
Coming to Afghanistan, the foreign minister called for
the international community to engage with the Afghan government and also
emphasised the measures to address the challenging economic situation of the
war-torn country deteriorated by the frozen assets and closed banking channels.
However, he also urged the Afghan government to
fulfill its commitment with the international community for the rights of women
and girls’ education.
Asked about the attack on Imran Khan, the foreign
minister emphasised the Punjab government to carry out a thorough investigation
into an attack on the former prime minister. For the federal government’s part,
the prime minister has written a letter to the superior judiciary for a
judicial commission, he added.
He opposed the notion of the popularity of Imran Khan
saying that he had lost his own party’s seats in the by-election and that he
failed to gather an impressive crowd for his Rawalpindi procession.
Regarding an attack on Pakistan’s head of Mission in
Kabul, he said the country had raised security concerns with the Afghan
government which had also assured to apprehend the culprits.
He said the envoy was in Pakistan for consultations
and would be back to his office once the security concerns were addressed.
Regarding the improvement in the Pak-US ties, he said
after 2001, 90% of the discussions marked terrorism and extremism but currently
it was replaced by talks on cooperation in health, climate change and economic
opportunities.
Source: Dunya News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/681030-Linking-terrorism-with-Islam-is-mistaken-notion:-Bilawal
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FM Bilawal responds forcefully to Indian terror
allegations
Anwar Iqbal
December 16, 2022
UNITED NATIONS: “The butcher of Gujarat lives, and he
is the prime minister of India,” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told a
UN briefing room on Thursday, minutes after his Indian counterpart accused
Pakistan of perpetuating terrorism and sheltering Osama bin Laden.
“I would like to remind Mr Jaishankar that Osama bin
Laden is dead, but the butcher of Gujarat lives, and he is the prime minister
(of India),” said the Pakistani foreign minister while responding to Indian
Minister of Foreign Affairs S. Jaishankar’s remarks.
“He (Narendra Modi) was banned from entering this
country (the United States). These are the prime minister and foreign minister
of RSS, which draws inspiration from Hitler’s SS,” he added.
Minutes before Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s briefing, Mr Jaishankar
addressed the media at a UN stakeout site, repeating the allegations he made
inside the UN Security Council on Wednesday, where he accused Pakistan of
“hosting Osama bin Laden”.
Says not ‘pursuing or receiving’ discounted energy
from Russia
He also responded to the remarks Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar made in Islamabad on Wednesday, calling India
“the biggest perpetrator of terrorism”.
Mr Jaishankar said that Ms Khar’s remarks reminded him
of the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Islamabad more
than a decade ago when she reminded Pakistan that “if you have snakes in your
backyard, you cannot expect them to bite only your neighbours”.
He claimed that Pakistan was “not great at listening
to good advice … and now look what’s happening there. Today, it’s the epicentre
of terrorism … and has its fingerprints over a lot of activities in the region
and beyond”.
Urging Pakistan not to blame others, the Indian
minister asked: “How long Pakistan intends to practice [terrorism] and hide it
by taking that debate elsewhere? Please clean up your act. Please try to be a
good neighbour.”
At Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s briefing, a journalist asked
him why the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers were engaged in a war of words.
“This is not in a war of words. I have not noticed,”
the minister said, adding that he was a victim of terrorism as his mother was
killed by terrorists along with thousands of other Pakistanis.
“We have lost far more lives to terrorism than India
did,” said Mr Bhutto-Zardari while pointing out that “India has been playing in
the space” that has made it “very easy” to bracket Muslims with terrorism.
“India has very skilfully blurred this line, making like us all terrorists who
are actually victims.”
The Pakistani foreign minister noted that India has
continuously perpetuated this philosophy, not just for Pakistani but Muslims in
India too.
Energy from Russia
Meanwhile, in an interview with PBS Newshour, Mr
Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan “is not pursuing or receiving” any discounted
energy from Russia, according to a Dawn.com report.
“As far as Russia is concerned, we aren’t pursuing or
receiving any discounted energy, but we are facing an extremely difficult
economic situation, inflation, pump prices,” he said. He, however, admitted
that Pakistan was facing energy insecurity. “We are exploring various avenues
to expand our areas where we can get our energy from,” he said, adding that
“any energy from Russia will take a long time for us to develop.”
Last week, State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik
announced that Russia had decided to provide crude oil, petrol, and diesel to
Pakistan at discounted rates. Mr Malik said that detailed terms and conditions
of the discounted oil commodities would be settled during the upcoming visit of
the Russian energy minister to Islamabad by mid-January, but rates would be
similar to the discount being given to other countries or even cheaper.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.dawn.com/news/1726575/fm-bilawal-responds-forcefully-to-indian-terror-allegations
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Centcom chief Gen Michael Erik Kurilla hails
Pakistan’s gains in fight against terrorism
December 16, 2022
LANDI KOTAL: In his first visit to Pakistan after the
change in the army’s command, US Central Command (Centcom) chief hailed the
country’s gains in the fight against terrorism and visited the Torkham border
crossing.
Centcom Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla also
met Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir during his visit to the GHQ on
Thursday, APP reported.
He acknowledged Pakistan’s achievements in flood
relief and contributions to regional peace.
General Kurilla also held a delegation-level meeting
with the army’s top brass where matters of mutual interest, regional stability,
security cooperation and military ties were discussed, according to APP.
Later, the Centcom commander visited the Torkham
border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with an eight-member delegation,
sources said.
The delegation, which arrived at the border crossing
via a helicopter, was received by Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General
Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat.
The sources said Major General Noor Wali Khan, IG
Frontier Corps, KP (North), briefed the delegation on the security and fencing
of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The crossing was closed during the
delegation’s visit and all activities were suspended leading to long queues of
passengers and vehicles on both sides.
There are also concerns in the US over the resurgence
of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
“We remain committed to further degrading Al Qaeda,
Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), and other terrorist groups that pose a threat to the US and our partners
and allies,” the US State Department spokesperson told Dawn last week.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.dawn.com/news/1726573/centcom-chief-gen-michael-erik-kurilla-hails-pakistans-gains-in-fight-against-terrorism
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UK to extend technical support for economic
improvement in Pakistan
December 15, 2022
FAISALABAD: Counsellor and Group Head (Economy &
Trade) British High Commission Islamabad Maheshwar Mishra Thursday said that
mainstreaming of the female population could help Pakistan take a quantum jump
towards economic improvement and the UK is ready to extend technical support
for the purpose.
He was speaking during his visit to Faisalabad Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (FCCI). He had a detailed discussion with President
Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Dr Khurram Tariq on this
occasion.
Maheshwar underlined the importance of bilateral-trade
between Pakistan and UK and said that Britain was one of the major trading
partners of Pakistan. “Pakistan is included among the top five countries
getting maximum financial assistance from the UK,” he said and added that
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was extending a technical support
to Pakistan so that it could graduate from developing to the developed
countries.
He said that UK supported foundations and institutions
and had launched many projects in Pakistan to improve its economy. He said that
“Karandaaz” had been floated to support the SME sector through micro-finance
support. This foundation had utilised a grant of 140 million euro, he said and
added that the programme continued for ten years and now many more similar
institutions had emerged to support this sector. Maheshwar said that the
private sector of developing countries must follow the pattern of developed
countries by treading on the growth trajectory initially by coping and
utilising the technologies. He said that the government must provide a
predictable policy environment and the private sector should talk to their
government to catalyse industrial growth.
Dr. Khurram Tariq, President FCCI explained in detail
the role of Faisalabad and FCCI and said that textile was the main economic
strength of the city. However, other sectors were also playing their role to
expedite the overall economic growth, he said.
Maheshwar Mishra said, “IT is one of the most
promising sectors and we are contemplating to develop Faisalabad as an IT city
on the pattern of silicon valley.” He said that the UK needs highly skilled
human resources and Pakistan was ready to provide it in accordance with their
requirement. He requested Mishra to identify the segment in which human
resource was required, so that people could be trained in that specific sector
with the technical support of UK experts.
Senior Vice President Dr Sajjad Arshad, Vice President
Muhammad Aslam Bhalli, former president Women Chamber Mrs Nighat Shahid,
Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry, Jawad Asghar, Engineer Ahmad Hassan, Muhammad Tayyab,
Rana Muhammad Fayyaz and other executive members were also present during this
meeting.
Source: Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/12/15/uk-to-extend-technical-support-for-economic-improvement-in-pakistan/
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South Asia
Islamabad and Dushanbe Stress on Formation Inclusive
Government in Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal
December 15, 2022
The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of
Tajikistan both underlined the imperative for an inclusive administration to be
formed in Afghanistan, concurring that a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is
to the security, prosperity and development of the region.
According to a statement from the Pakistani Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Tajik President, Emomali Rahmon paid a visit to
Pakistan, upon an official invitation of the Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz
Sharif.
The two leaders discussed a wide range of joint
development matters as well as global and regional matters of shared interest
during the president of Tajikistan’s two-day official visit to Pakistan.
The president of Tajikistan and the prime minister of
Pakistan also exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary
of the start of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fostering
additional bilateral cooperation in the areas of security and counterterrorism
in order to address security challenges facing their countries as well as other
countries in the region.
The officials of the two countries also signed 8
cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding vis-a-vis combating drug
trafficking, trade and transit, industry and technology, and customs.
A call for the establishment of an inclusive
government in Afghanistan was made by the parties, who also announced an
agreement between Islamabad and Dushanbe to increase their joint efforts to
combat terrorism and support security and peace in Afghanistan.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/islamabad-and-dushanbe-stress-on-formation-inclusive-government-in-afghanistan-65434/
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Afghan Nationals Make Half of Iran’s Foreign
Investment
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 15, 2022
Afghan nationals are responsible for half of Iran’s
foreign Investment in 2022 alone, stated, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the special envoy
of the Iranian President for Afghanistan on Thursday.
Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the special representative of the
Iranian President to Afghanistan said in his remarks, “Afghan nationals in Iran
play a pivotal role towards the national economy. Half of Iran’s foreign
investment comes from them, therefore, the high capacity of Afghan citizens
should be utilized when the country is facing difficulties in attracting
foreign investment.”
Mr. Qomi further added that during the past year the
United Arab Emirates expelled 700 Afghan businessmen from this country, whose
capital was estimated at $30 million. Unfortunately, we failed to attract this
capital and embrace Afghan traders to invest in Iran.
Currently, Iran is plagued with a major challenge in
attracting foreign investment. To address the issue the Iranian government
needs to come up with a comprehensive policy to ensure that Afghan business
owners can legally run their businesses and other economic activities without
facing hurdles. In the past, the bank accounts of Afghan citizens were blocked
for vague reasons which was a big blow to foreign investment.
The estimated assets of Afghan businessmen and
companies operating in Khorasan province is around $1 billion according to the
announcement of the Association of Afghan Economic Activists in Razavi
Khorasan. This is a massive amount. To capitalize on the existing opportunity
by providing work permits, visas, and license to Afghan citizens, Iran can
attract more foreign investors from Afghanistan, the region, and beyond.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/afghan-nationals-make-half-of-irans-foreign-investment/
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Pakistan’s Policy Towards Afghanistan to be Reviewed:
Pakistan Senate
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 16, 2022
Farook Hamid Naek, Chairman of the Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs of Pakistan called on Islamabad to review its policy towards
Afghanistan following the attack on the Pakistani Diplomatic Mission in Kabul.
Apparently, Pakistani politicians are frustrated with
the failed assassination attempt on their Ambassador to Kabul, Ubaid-ur-Rehman
Nizamani, which took place on December 2, 2022. Mr. Nizamani survived the
attack but one of his security guards was critically injured.
“Peace and stability in Afghanistan were indispensable
for Pakistan. However, the terror attack on our chief diplomat in Kabul and the
on-and-off cross-border shelling in Spin Boldak suggests a dire need for
Pakistan to review its foreign policy towards Afghanistan,” the senator said.
“We are functioning as the spokesperson for
Afghanistan, not India, in the world, but on the contrary, the Afghan
government often opposes Pakistan and uses guns against us, which is
unfortunate,” said the Pakistan Peoples Party senator.
Meanwhile, the tensions between the security forces of
Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the rise considering the recent cross-border
shelling at the Chaman crossing point. The Pakistani politicians’ claim to be
functioning as the spokesperson of Afghanistan in the world further undermines
the credibility and independence of the de facto regime in Afghanistan.
Pakistan in return expects respect and loyalty but receives opposition and
gun-firing from Afghanistan’s Taliban government.
Pakistan and the world at large does not formally
recognize Afghanistan’s interim government. Pakistan — along with China,
Russia, Turkey, Qatar, and several other countries — has, however, kept its
embassy in Kabul open.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/pakistans-policy-towards-afghanistan-to-be-reviewed-pakistan-senate/
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Pakistani Diplomat to Return to Kabul After Security
Assurance: FO
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
December 16, 2022
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry announced that its
diplomat ‘Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani’, who escaped unhurt in the Kabul attack,
would return to Afghanistan after security assurance.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs stated in a media briefing, Chargé d’affaires Nizamani was
still in Pakistan and would leave once the consultation process was complete.
She described the recent visit of State Minister for
Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar to Kabul as “very successful that provided
the opportunity to convey Pakistan’s concerns”. “We hope that the assurances
given to us by the Afghan authorities will be fulfilled,” she said.
This comes as the terrorist attacks and bombings have
intensified in Kabul over the past couple of weeks, the latest of which
targeted the Chinese-run hotel, and the Diplomatic Mission of Pakistan in the
heart of Kabul. These attacks sparked serious condemnation from world
governments, NGOs, and organizations and signaled a lack of security for
foreign nationals and business entities.
Meanwhile, this is the second time, shelling took
place between the Afghan and Pakistani forces in Spin Boldak crossing the
border over the past week, taking the lives of several civilians and injuring
more from both sides. Pakistan warns of provoking firing of the Afghan Taliban
security forces at the crossing point in Spin Boldak while the Taliban accuses
the Pakistani military of the attacks.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/pakistani-diplomat-to-return-to-kabul-after-security-assurance-fo/
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Afghan and Pakistani Forces in Yet Another
Cross-Border Armed Engagement
By Saqalain Eqbal
December 15, 2022
Local authorities in the Kandahar province of southern
Afghanistan said that Afghan and Pakistani forces re-engaged in an armed
skirmish on Thursday near the Chaman border.
According to the local officials, the clash erupted
between the Afghan and Pakistani sides on Thursday, December 15, at around 11:30
local time, in the Shiro Oba area of Kandahar province’s Spin Boldak district,
along the supposed Duran borderline.
Following a clash that occurred in the same week, four
days ago, which left seven people dead and sixteen injured, there is currently
an armed conflict between the parties at the Chaman border crossing.
Pakistan’s Samaa News Agency reported that at least 1
civilian has been killed and 12 others including women and children were
wounded and were taken to the DHQ hospital, citing Pakistani military sources.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan,
earlier this week denounced the Afghan Border Forces’ “unprovoked shelling” of
people in Pakistan’s Chaman district and urged the Afghan side to ensure that
such occurrences “not repeated again.”
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.khaama.com/afghan-and-pakistani-forces-in-yet-another-cross-border-armed-engagement-32566/
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Pakistan: Afghan Taliban shell border town, killing
civilian
December 15, 2022
Pakistani authorities on Thursday said one person was
killed and 11 were wounded when Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars toward
civilians near the southwestern Chaman border crossing, reflecting increasing
tension between the neighboring nations.
The latest violence follows a series of deadly
incidents and attacks that have strained relations between Pakistan and
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers in recent months. It was not immediately clear
what preceded the shots near Chaman, a key trade route between the two sides.
Thursday's ongoing violence came days after seven
Pakistani civilians were killed in the across-border shelling by the Taliban
forces. No military spokesman was immediately available for comment and there
was also no comment from the Afghan Taliban.
Akhtar Mohammad, a doctor at a hospital in Chaman,
said staff there received 12 wounded people following the clashes. One of them
later died and some of the injured were listed in critical condition.
Abdul Hameed Zehri, a government administrator in the
town of Chaman in Baluchistan province, also confirmed the casualties. Security
officials say Pakistan’s army responded to the Afghan fire, but did not give
further details.
Authorities say mortars fired by the Afghan Taliban
forces also hit a truck near Chaman. They accused the Afghan Taliban forces of
intentionally targeting the civilian population, The officials said the
exchange of fire had subsided and Pakistani authorities were in contact with
the Afghan Taliban rulers in Afghanistan to prevent any further escalation.
Afghanistan’s Taliban seized the Afghan capital of
Kabul last year. Since then, the countries have traded fire mainly over
lingering disputes about Pakistan's construction of a fence along the Afghan
border. Incidents of militant attacks on Pakistani security forces have also
increased since the country's new army chief Gen. Asim Munir took the charge on
Nov. 29 and replaced Qamar Javed Bajwa.
On Thursday, U.S. CENTCOM chief Gen. Erik Kurilla
visited Pakistan and met with Munir in the garrison city of Rawalpindi,
according to a military statement. The two military leaders discussed a range
of issues, including the regional stability and security cooperation. The
statement said Kurilla also visited the northwestern border town of Torkham
near Afghanistan.
Source: The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/two-dead-nine-injured-in-bomb-blast-in-pakistans-northwest/article66266105.ece
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Southeast Asia
Residents of Daegu Protest Mosque Construction with
Pork Barbecue Stepping Up the Ongoing Clash with Muslim Residents of the City
By Song Jung-hyun
Dec 16, 2022
Residents of Daehyeon-dong in Daegu in opposition to
the construction of a mosque in the neighbourhood on Thursday cooked a whole
pig near the construction site, stepping up the ongoing clash with Muslim
residents of the city.
On the same day, the Daegu anti-mosque committee,
which was formed to stop the construction, held a press conference at the west
gate of Kyungpook National University, announcing the assault by a Pakistani
international student.
“The Pakistani student was charged with a summary
offense for shoving the arm of a resident of Daehyeon-dong who tried to remove
the construction owner’s tent,” the committee announced. A summary offense
occurs when a case is deemed light in nature and a judge assigns a fine in
writing, without a formal trial.
“Despite the assault of our resident, the Muslim
community is claiming that we are hampering the construction just because we
placed the head of dead pig near the construction site,” the committee said,
forewarning that they would take “firm responses to the assault by the Muslim
student”
Earlier in October, residents of Daehyeon-dong had
placed a pig's head near the construction site in protest of the mosque
construction. Pork is a forbidden food in Islam in accordance with the Quran.
Following the press conference, members of the
emergency committee immediately moved to the mosque construction site and held
what they called a “Daehyeon-dong year-end party”
Source: Korea Herald
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?mp=1&np=1&ud=20221216000112
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DAP critic Ridhuan Tee axed from RTM's Islamic forum
December 14, 2022
A Muslim preacher known for his criticism of DAP
politicians has been barred from appearing on a popular Islamic talk show by
public broadcaster RTM, in a move set to raise questions on the new
government's commitment to free speech.
Ridhuan Tee Abdullah said an invitation to appear as a
guest panellist on Forum Perdana Ehwal Islam tomorrow was revoked "on the
instruction of the minister".
"I think this is an immature move. Those who
fight for freedom of speech suddenly are the ones who take action to block
people from speaking," he told online news channel TV Pertiwi.
It also quoted Ridhuan as saying that the move to bar
him from a forum that had featured him for so long showed that the new
government "was afraid of its own shadow".
"Listen first to what we have to say. We have
barely started talking, but we're already gagged. Strangely, these are the same
people who used to fight for freedom of speech and all kinds of other
freedoms," he said.
Ridhuan is known for his staunch criticism of DAP and
has in the past used the "ultra kiasu" label on the party's leaders.
The latest development is bound to increase criticism
against Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, who has come under
the spotlight since he was appointed to the portfolio which also has
jurisdiction over RTM and other government communication agencies.
Fahmi has drawn fire for a series of statements
threatening the critics of the coalition government headed by Anwar Ibrahim.
Source: Malaysia Now
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/12/14/dap-critic-ridhuan-tee-axed-from-rtms-islamic-forum
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Kit Siang criticised for 'provocative and extremist
statements'
By Zuliaty Zulkiffli
December 11, 2022
ALOR STAR: Sik parliamentarian Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman
has criticised DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang for making "provocative and
extremist statements" about the steps Malaysia needs to take to prevent
becoming an Islamic country in 10 years.
Tarmizi described Lim's statements as "extremely
irresponsible" and a "serious accusation" made with malicious
intent.
The incitement to raise a racial issue based on
religion is also something that authorities need to investigate, he said.
He said it clearly showed that Lim does not understand
the Federal Constitution which outlines Islam as the official religion and
accused him of becoming an agent of injecting Islamophobia among the
pluralistic society in this country.
Lim had on Dec 9 said the government should implement
reform policies and national reconstruction programmes to prevent Malaysia from
drowning in Pas' "green wave".
The former Iskandar Puteri member of parliament
stressed the future of the "green tide" would depend on whether
effective measures were taken to end the toxic politics of lies, fear, hate,
race and religion, and whether the unity government could make Malaysia great
again.
He had said the move could ensure that Malaysia does
not become a fully Islamic country in two more elections, which he estimates
will be in 2032, which is 10 years from now.
Source: NST
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2022/12/859901/kit-siang-criticised-provocative-and-extremist-statements
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Mideast
Netanyahu: Unprecedented Iran protests have led to US ‘rethinking’ of nuclear
deal
15 December ,2022
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu
said Wednesday that the ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran are unprecedented
and that they have led to Washington “rethinking” the tattered 2015 Iran
nuclear deal.
The current protests have swept across Iran since
September 16 when 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died after
being detained by the so-called morality police in Tehran.
They are the most significant demonstrations since the
1979 revolution that led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic,
Netanyahu said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.
“If you look at what is happening now, since 1979,
nothing like this has happened,” Netanyahu said.
“Initially, people thought well, it’s like the green
revolution [of 2009], but it’s not. It’s stronger.”
The unrest today in Iran reflects the “weakness” of
the Iranian regime, which unlike other regional powers like Israel and Saudi
Arabia, has “not done anything" for its people, Netanyahu said.
The Islamic Republic’s failure to meet its citizens’
basic needs as well as its failure to implement reforms has led to the current
situation in Iran, the Israeli politician said.
The Iranian regime is committed to a “radical
ideology” that is “bad” for Iranians and everyone else, Netanyahu added.
“They don’t work for their people. They work for a
radical ideology that is bad for Iranians, bad for Arabs, bad for Israelis, bad
for Americans and everyone else in between.”
Netanyahu said it was too soon to say whether the
protests will lead to the downfall of the regime.
‘Rethinking’ in Washington regarding the JCPOA
Netanyahu said the protests have also led to a
“rethinking” in the US concerning the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“I think there is a re-thinking in Washington. From
the initial contacts that we have [had with the Biden administration], I think
there’s a rethinking of that. And I’m glad there is,” he said.
Under President Joe Biden, resurrecting the 2015 deal
has been a foreign policy priority. Since April 2021, the Biden administration
has sought through indirect talks with Iran to reenter the deal, which
Washington pulled out of in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.
But efforts to revive the agreement have stalled for
months, even since before the current protests in Iran.
The original deal offered Iran sanctions relief in
exchange for strict but temporary curbs on its nuclear program.
The “courage” of Iranian protesters has led “a lot of
people” to give up on the JCPOA, Netanyahu said.
‘Horrible agreement’
Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to the JCPOA,
calling it a “horrible agreement.”
He said he opposes the deal because the sanctions
relief it offers Iran would not go to the Iranian people. He also said the deal
fails to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed state.
Israel will do “whatever is necessary” – with or
without consent from the US – to stop Iran from having a nuclear arsenal,
Netanyahu said.
“I want to protect [Israel] against Iran’s aggression,
and against a regime that openly calls for the annihilation of my country. With
or without an agreement [from the US],” he said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/15/Netanyahu-Unprecedented-Iran-protests-have-led-to-US-rethinking-of-nuclear-deal
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Mahmoud Abbas says against armed military resistance
with Israel
15 December ,2022
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he was against
armed military resistance with Israel, but said he could “change his mind”
about that at any given moment.
“I might change my mind at any given moment, of
course! Maybe tomorrow or the day after or anytime. Everything can change,”
Abbas told Al Arabiya in an interview.
“The peaceful popular resistance is real, but when
push comes to shove, the people will do anything… and I keep issuing warnings
against making the Palestinian people get to this stage and lose their
patience,” the president added.
Asked if he threatened to dissolve the Palestinian
Authority (PA), Abbas said it will never be dissolved, after the years of
struggle that went into establishing it.
“We would never do that. We built the Palestinian
Authority with our effort, our struggle, and our martyrs.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/15/Mahmoud-Abbas-says-against-armed-military-resistance-with-Israel
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Turkiye makes arrests over alleged Israeli Mossad
operation targeting Palestinians
December 15, 2022
ISTANBUL: Turkish security authorities on Wednesday
reportedly arrested several people linked to an Istanbul consulting company
allegedly involved in targeting Palestinian expats and organizations operating
in Turkiye.
As part of an operation launched earlier this week, 44
suspects had been identified as having ties to the Israeli intelligence agency
Mossad, Turkiye’s pro-government Sabah newspaper said.
Seven have been jailed, others remain at large, and
some are still being investigated by Turkiye’s counter-espionage unit.
The alleged campaign against Palestinian citizens,
non-governmental organizations, and institutions based on Turkish soil is
thought to have involved threats and damaging reputational remarks made via
social media channels, as well as information about them being leaked to
Mossad.
Members of the network allegedly received thousands of
dollars in exchange for their work, Sabah added.
The founder and president of the Private Detectives
Association in Turkiye, Ismail Yetimoglu, was believed to have been among those
arrested. He became a private detective in 2003 after 23 years working as a
civil servant and opened his company in 2007.
In recent years, counter-espionage investigations have
uncovered several networks operating in Turkish territories and working for
Russia and Iran to kidnap and assassinate targets in Turkiye.
In June, members of an Iranian cell planning an attack
on Israelis were caught in Turkiye as part of a joint operation by police and
the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).
They were said to have been monitoring Israelis after
having travelled to Turkiye posing as businesspeople, tourists, and students.
However, they had been kept under Turkish surveillance.
In February, MIT also uncovered another Iranian-led
plot to kill an Israeli-Turkish businessperson using a network of hitmen.
And in October last year, Turkiye arrested 15 people
suspected of providing Mossad with information on possible foreign students
from Turkish universities suitable for recruitment to the defense industry.
The network of operatives working for Mossad consisted
of five separate cells with three people in each.
Turkish authorities have been scrutinizing
Istanbul-based consulting firms for some time over claims some were being paid
to spy on Palestinians and their non-governmental organizations.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against
Nuclear Iran, told Arab News: “This (Wednesday’s) operation demonstrates that
Turkiye has a complicated set of calculations and interests that it balances
with respect to Israel, Iran, and the Palestinians.
“It cracks down on Iranian terror plots targeting
Israelis to appease Jerusalem to improve ties; it permits sanctions evasion;
while at the same time trying to portray itself as a champion of the
Palestinian people.”
Israel has so far not commented on the arrests or
allegations.
Since July, Israel and Turkiye have been working
toward improving relations and both countries recently exchanged ambassadors.
Louis Fishman, associate professor at Brooklyn
College, said the latest arrests came at a time when Israel and Turkiye were
doing their utmost to bring about reconciliation.
“This will only hurt the already strong
intelligence-sharing the two countries have, and if there were any truth to it,
it would seem like a big gamble for Israel, with little results.
“Still, with the general lack of transparency within
Turkish courts, we may never get the full story. Thus, we need to wait and see
how this unfolds over the next few weeks,” he added.
There are around 571 Palestinian students studying in
Turkiye on Turkish government scholarships, while Palestinians living in
Turkiye have launched several NGOs and business institutions in the country
such as the Palestinian Friendship Association, and the Palestinian
International Charitable Organization in Istanbul.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216801/middle-east
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Palestine welcomes UN resolution in favor of
Palestinian sovereignty over natural resources
December 15, 2022
RAMALLAH: Palestinian leaders on Thursday lauded a UN
resolution in favor of Palestine having sovereignty over its natural resources,
the Palestine News and Information Agency reported.
The UN General Assembly on Wednesday renewed its position
on the issue of the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the
occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in
the occupied Syrian Golan, over their natural resources.
A total of 159 member states backed the resolution,
while Canada, Chad, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and
the US voted against, and 10 abstained.
A UN statement said: “By the text, the (General)
Assembly demanded that Israel, the occupying power, cease the exploitation,
damage, cause of loss or depletion and endangerment of the natural resources in
the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the
occupied Syrian Golan.”
The resolution called on Israel to stop exploiting
natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East
Jerusalem, and to halt any environmentally harmful activities of Israeli
settlers, including the dumping of waste materials, the destruction of vital
infrastructure, and the seizing of wells and agricultural land.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Riyad
Al-Maliki said: “Voting in favor of the resolution affirms the Palestinian
people’s right and their sovereignty over their natural resources, including
land, water, and energy resources, including gas.”
Al-Maliki noted that the construction of a dividing
wall and settlements in occupied territories, including in East Jerusalem,
breached international law.
He urged the international community, “to compel
Israel to implement the international resolutions and ensure the freedom of the
Palestinian people to benefit from their natural resources.
“The Palestinian people have the right to demand
compensation and redress for the exploitation, damage, loss, or endangerment of
their natural resources in any way, and an end for all forms of exploitation,
violation, and theft of their natural resources,” he added.
While thanking the countries that supported the
resolution, Al-Maliki asked those who voted against or abstained to stop
applying double standards and consider protecting the Palestinian people’s
inalienable right to their land under international law.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216761/middle-east
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Palestinian activist’s family seeks ICC probe into his
death
December 15, 2022
RAMALLAH, West Bank: The family of an outspoken critic
of the Palestinian Authority who died last year after allegedly being beaten by
Palestinian security forces said Thursday it has asked the International
Criminal Court to investigate the death.
Nizar Banat was a harsh critic of the PA, which
governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and had called on Western
nations to cut off aid to it because of what he said was its authoritarianism
and human rights violations. Banat’s family said he died after Palestinian
security forces arrested him and beat him with batons.
“Having lost confidence in the independence of the
Palestinian judiciary, Nizar Banat’s family sent a request to ICC prosecutor
Karim Khan to investigate their son’s brutal murder and prosecute all those
responsible,” the family said in a statement.
At the time of Banat’s death, the United States, the
European Union and the United Nations called for an investigation, and
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced the formation of an
investigative committee. But critics say the committee has dragged its feet on
the probe.
It is rare for Palestinians to ask for an
investigation into their own leadership.
Banat’s death came amid a crackdown on dissent by the
internationally-backed PA, which faces a growing backlash from Palestinians who
view it as corrupt and increasingly autocratic — a manifestation of a
three-decade peace process with Israel that is nowhere close to delivering
Palestinian independence.
His death sparked protests in east Jerusalem and
demonstrators burned tires, blocked roads and clashed with riot police in the
West Bank city of Ramallah, where the PA is headquartered.
Banat’s family said it views Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas as bearing full responsibility for Banat’s death. Abbas was
elected in 2005 for a four-year term and faced a crisis of legitimacy last year
when he called off long-delayed elections where his Fatah party was expected to
suffer an embarrassing defeat to its rival Hamas. Abbas cited a dispute with
Israel for the latest delay.
Abbas’ forces coordinate security with Israeli troops,
targeting Hamas and other armed groups that threaten both. The policy is deeply
unpopular with Palestinians, many of whom view it as collaboration with an
occupying power.
The Palestinians have asked the ICC to investigate
alleged war crimes by Israel, a probe it launched last year. The family of
Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist killed during an Israeli
raid in the West Bank this year, have referred a complaint on her death to the
international court.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2216636/middle-east
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Ansrullah warns UAE of retaliation if war on Yemen not
stopped
16 December 2022
A member of the political bureau of Yemen’s Ansarullah
movement has warned the United Arab Emirates that the resistance movement will
respond with missiles and drones if the Saudi-led aggression on Yemen is not halted.
Abdullah Muhammad al-Naimi said in a tweet on Friday
that “the UAE thinks it is playing smart by handing over some of the Yemeni
provinces and islands it occupies to the Israeli, British and American forces,
but it should know that the answer to that will be ballistic missiles and drone
attacks.”
He said the UAE is bullying the Yemeni people and is
treating them as if these people are a backward nation, warning the UAE that it
should reconsider its calculations and its role in Yemen.
“Now that we have ballistic missiles and drones, we
will force this small country (the UAE) to come to its senses and repent before
the world [for participating in the attack on Yemen],” al-Naimi added.
Pointing to the expired truce between the warring
sides, he said that “during the ceasefire, the forces of Ansarullah have been
able to make special progress in the field of building military equipment, and
that the Saudi-led coalition will regret it if it wants to continue to besiege
and kill the people of Yemen.”
Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war on Yemen in
March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics
support from the US and other Western states.
The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly
regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement,
which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government
in Yemen.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/12/16/694586/Ansrullah-warns-UAE-retaliation-if-war-on-Yemen-not-stopped
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Car bomb blast in southeast Turkey wounds eight police
officers: Security sources
16 December ,2022
A bomb hit an armored police van in southeastern
Turkey on Friday, injuring nine people and reviving fears of new unrest in the
mainly Kurdish region.
Eight police officers and another person were hurt in
the attack near the city of Diyarbakir, the local governor’s office said.
The nine were rushed to hospital as a “precaution,” a
statement said, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.
Television images showed a white bus standing on a
debris-strewn road with its luggage compartment heavily damaged.
The mangled remains of a smaller vehicle stood nearby.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility.
The blast on a road between Diyarbakir and the city of
Mardin was the first in the region reported by officials in more than five
years.
It came with Turkey stepping up air strikes against
Kurdish forces in northern Syria, and continuing its limited ground campaign in
Iraq.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to
launch a new ground offensive in northern Syria after a November bombing killed
six people in Istanbul.
Last Sunday, he told Russian President Vladimir Putin,
a key player in the Syrian conflict, to “cleanse” Kurdish forces from the
border region.
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),
designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has
claimed some of the past bombings in the region.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/16/Car-bomb-blast-in-southeast-Turkey-wounds-eight-police-officers-Media
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Police officer killed during clashes in southern
Jordanian city: Police source
16 December ,2022
A senior Jordanian police officer was killed on
Thursday during clashes with demonstrators in the southern city of Maan during
protests over high fuel prices, a police source said.
The officer died after being shot by unknown
assailants during clashes in the Husseiniya area of Maan. Four other policemen
were injured, the source said.
Earlier, youths clashed with police in several
impoverished neighborhoods of the city and in the heavily populated industrial
city of Zarqa, north east of the capital Amman, witnesses said.
Witnesses said dozens of youths also staged a protest
in the Tafiyla neighborhood of the capital.
Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several cities
in southern Jordan after days of sporadic strikes by lorry drivers in protest
at high fuel prices.
Shops in Maan and several other Jordanian provincial
cities shut on Wednesday in solidarity with demands the government reduce
diesel prices which truck drivers blame for mounting losses.
Source: Al Arabiya
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of the original story: https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/12/16/Police-officer-killed-during-clashes-in-the-southern-Jordanian-city-Police-source
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