46 Cases of 'Love Jihad' Reported In UP's Bareilly in Seven Months; Most of the Girls Admitted That They Were Forced To Convert: Report
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 July 2022
Representational image.
AFP
-----
• Joint Saudi, US Statement Sees Vital Agreements,
Action Plan to Tackle Global Issues
• US, Saudi Arabia Agree On Stopping Iran Getting
Nuclear Weapons -Joint Statement
• Pakistan Cannot Deviate from Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad
Ali Jinnah’s Stand on Israel: Jamaat-i-Islami Chief Siraj ul Haq
• China to US: Middle East ‘Not the Backyard’ Of Any
Country
India
• Allow worship of Shivling found at Gyanvapi mosque:
Plea in Supreme Court
• Patna SSP issues clarification after backlash on
PFI, RSS comparison
• Pakistan ‘Journo-Spy’: BJP Steps up Attack, Hamid
Ansari Reiterates Denial
• Ansari asserts he never knew or invited Pak
journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference
• Rubaiya Sayeed identifies Yasin Malik as her
abductors
• LuLu Mall: FIR against unknown people for offering
Namaz
• Kerala: Two men get 7-year jail term in Valapattanam
Islamic State case
• Amid Namaz row, Lucknow LuLu Mall puts up new
notice, 3 detained for attempting to read Sundarkand outside
--------
Arab World
• Biden will announce $1 bln for food security during
GCC summit in Saudi
• Saudi Arabia, US announce several agreements during
Biden visit
• Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman meet US President Biden
• Biden Welcomed To Saudi Arabia by Governor of Mecca
Region
• Iraqi cleric Sadr’s supporters throng Baghdad
streets in show of strength
• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince receives Egypt, Kuwait,
UAE leaders
• Syria Kurds urge Russia, Iran to prevent Turkey
attack
--------
North America
• Joe Biden confronts Saudi crown prince over
Khashoggi murder, expects action on energy
• US President Biden says ‘ground not ripe’ to restart
Israel-Palestinian talks
• US President Biden visits Bethlehem, meets
Palestinian president
• July 15 coup attempt, 9/11 attacks should be viewed
equally: Ex-envoy
• Abbas tells Biden he 'extends hand' for peace with
Israel
• US announces extension of visas for Saudi nationals
from five to 10 years
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Court Declares PM Shehbaz Sharif's Son Suleman
Proclaimed Offender In Money Laundering Case
• Nine terrorists killed, soldier martyred in
Balochistan in search for abducted man
• Sri Lanka crisis sends warning signals to
debt-ridden Pakistan
• JUI-F leader gunned down in North Waziristan
• Body to decide if President Alvi, ex-PM Imran can be
tried for treason
• Efforts on to allay tensions after days of violence
in Sindh
• Anchorperson Imran Riaz stopped from leaving country
• SC to hear PTI’s plea against changes to
accountability law from 19th
• Army soldiers rendering great sacrifices for
country: President, PM
--------
Southeast Asia
• Chinese President Xi Praises Paramilitary Group
Accused of Abusing Uyghur Muslim Minorities
• PAS could quit PN over Hadi’s exclusion from deal,
says analyst
--------
South Asia
• Man Shoots Himself in the Head, Adding to the Mystifying
Suicides in Afghanistan
• Acting Foreign Minister Mutaqqi: Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan Has Made Progress with International Countries Relations
• Cash-Strapped Taliban 'Exploiting' Afghanistan's
Natural Resources to Boost Revenue
• Canada’s Special Afghan Immigration Program Closes
to New Applicants
• Selling coal cheaply to Pak paints Taliban as
Pakistani puppets
--------
Mideast
• Iranian President: Slightest Mistake by US, Allies
to Face Iran's Rigid Response
• Iran: Biden-Lapid Statement Targets Entire Muslim
States
• Iran: US-Israel Statement Makes Iran More Resolved
to Go for Its Rights
• Israel strikes Hamas ‘military site’ after Gaza
rocket fire: Army
• Gravestones in Istanbul’s Jewish cemetery vandalized
• Iran navy announces drone division in Indian Ocean
during Biden’s Middle East visit
--------
Africa
• Islamic
Cleric Stresses on Religious Tolerance
• Tunisia's Islamist Who Went From Kingmaker to
Opposition
• Tunisia's Islamist leader says president moving
country towards dictatorship
• Muslim-Muslim ticket brings division in Kaduna – PDP
chieftain, Aliyu
• Presidency: Nigeria not divided by religion, ruling
class manipulating masses – Keyamo
--------
Europe
• End of Iran Nuclear Talks Near, But Unclear If They
Will Reach Deal: EU Official
• Western Balkans mark anniversary of defeated coup
attempt in Türkiye
• G20 talks overshadowed by Ukraine war as host
Indonesia seeks consensus
• Russian officials visited Iran to view drones, says
US official
• Greece a top haven for FETO terrorists fleeing
justice in wake of 2016 defeated coup in Türkiye
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/love-jihad-forced-convert/d/127497
--------
46 Cases of 'Love Jihad' Reported In UP's Bareilly in
Seven Months; Most of the Girls Admitted That They Were Forced To Convert:
Report
Representational image.
AFP
-----
Sandeep Sharma
July 15, 2022
Bareilly: As many as 46 cases of 'Love Jihad' have
been reported in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly from January 2022 till 10 July,
according to a news report.
As per the report in Dainik Jagran, many of these
cases have been registered as extortion by police, while victims' statements
tell a different story. In their statements recorded before the child welfare
committee, most of the girls admitted that they were kept in deception and then
forced to convert their religion, it added.
When asked about this, Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson,
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said, "This is not just
'love jihad', but human trafficking and grooming. Grooming must be defined in
the law as soon as possible and strict punishment be laid out for this".
There were as many as 250 cases of minors victims in
the last six months, out of which 46 girls were lured by men of other
religions, as per the report.
On average, at least seven girls in Bareilly were
subjected to 'Love Jihad' every month, it noted, adding that "eight girls
have said on record that Muslim boys posed as Hindus and lured them into a
relationship". The victims got to know about the reality only after
leaving homes.
One of the victims is said to be the daughter of a local
leader. The report stated that a Muslim boy had come to her house to install
CCTV cameras. Later on, the two got into a relationship and on 26 June, the
girl left her house with cash and jewellery at night, while the accused kept
her at his house.
Later on 28 June, police tracked the accused and
arrested him, the report stated, adding that the girl in her statement alleged
that the boy's family members were also involved in the matter.
The Dainik Jagran report shared another case wherein a
Muslim boy posed as a Hindu and lured a 15-year-old Hindu girl. The boy
reportedly gave a mobile phone as a gift to the victim and started talking to
her. He brainwashed her completely and took the teenager with him to Punjab, it
added. Later on, the victim reportedly got pregnant and asked her to not talk
to her family. However, the girl managed to talk to her parents and inform them
about the boy. Her parents later filed a complaint and brought her back from
Punjab.
Source: Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Joint Saudi, US Statement Sees Vital Agreements,
Action Plan to Tackle Global Issues
Governor of Mecca, Prince
Khaled al-Faisal al-Saud receives U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival in
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
-----
16 July, 2022
US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia at the
invitation of the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has led to a series of vital
agreements in future industries and action plans to tackle dominant regional
and international issues.
That’s according to a joint statement released by the
two countries following a lengthy meeting between the American president and
the Saudi leadership.
The meeting, which included the presence of
high-ranking officials, covered topic areas including energy security, climate
cooperation, security and defence, technology, and regional considerations.
At the outset, the statement clarified that the
US-Saudi partnership has been a “cornerstone of regional security over
decades,” adding that both countries share the vision of a “secure, stable, and
prosperous region, interconnected with the world.”
Noting the shared historic ties, both countries
welcomed extending the validity of business and tourism visas to 10 years to
facilitate greater social ties and economic cooperation.
Energy
In consideration of the Ukraine crisis and the ensuing
energy issue, both sides reportedly decided to consult regularly on global
energy markets in the near- and long-term, in addition to collaborating as
strategic partners in climate and energy transition initiatives, “recognizing Saudi
Arabia’s leading role in the future of energy.”
The US appreciated the Saudi Green Initiative and
Middle East Green Initiative, and welcomed Saudi Arabia’s participation at the
recent Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. This is line with the Kingdom’s
goal to meet 50 percent of its electricity generation from renewables by 2030.
This is in addition to finalizing the Partnership
Framework for Advancing Clean Energy, which will see substantial investments in
clean energy transition and addressing climate change, with particular focus on
renewable energy, clean hydrogen, human capacity-building in the nuclear energy
field, and more.
The US and Saudi Arabia will also aim to invest in
projects that support digital connectivity, supply chain sustainability, and
climate and energy security focused on low- and middle-income countries as part
of a global infrastructure push, the statement said.
Security and defence
The US strongly affirmed its commitment to supporting
Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial defence, importantly, facilitating the
Kingdom’s ability to obtain necessary capabilities to defend its people and
territory against external threats, the joint statement said.
The two countries also highlighted the need to deter
Iran’s interference “in the internal affairs of other countries, its support
for terrorism through its armed proxies, and its efforts to destabilize the
security and stability of the region,” according to the statement.
Crucially, both countries agreed on the importance of
preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear arms.
To improve and streamline the exchange of information
in the maritime domain, cooperation between the Royal Saudi Naval Forces and
Combined Task Force 153 will supposedly be enhanced in the coordination center
led out of the US Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain.
Also welcoming the next Global Coalition to Defeat
ISIS ministerial meeting to be held in Saudi Arabia in early 2023, both
countries underscored the importance of confronting terrorism and violent
extremism.
Focus lied on countering al-Qaeda and ISIS, by
stemming the flow of foreign fighters, countering violent extremist propaganda,
and cutting off terrorist financing streams, the statement said.
The countries stressed on the need for the global
coalition to continue its work and “make long-term and multi-year efforts to
return both detained ISIS fighters and the tens of thousands of ISIS family
members from northeastern Syria to their home countries,” according to the
joint statement.
Vision 2030
The US welcomed and appreciated Saudi Arabia’s vision
that will continue to see economic and social reforms under the Vision 2030
banner.
This includes efforts to increase women’s economic
participation and promote interfaith dialogue, in addition to increasing Saudi
investments in the American private sector.
The US also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the
World Expo 2030, which was last held in the neighbouring UAE emirate of Dubai.
Cooperation agreements in the field of tech,
telecommunication, space, cybersecurity and public health were also signed.
Regional and international issues
Yemen
Both the US and Saudi Arabia expressed their
unwavering support for the UN-backed truce in Yemen that is currently seeking
to be transformed into a lasting peace agreement.
US President Biden expressed his appreciation for the
role King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played in achieving the
truce, according to the joint statement.
Both sides also renewed their call to the
international community to stand united in the face of threats brought on by
the Iran-backed Houthis, while simultaneously calling on the group to return to
peace talks that can help reverse a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The two countries reiterated their support for Yemen’s
leadership council, a crucial political change in the country’s current
socio-economic scene, that recently helped restart fuel imports and flights
from Sanaa.
The Taiz blockade continued to be of concern since it
impedes the flow of essential goods and aid delivery inside Yemen’s third
largest city that has been under siege since 2015.
A provision in the truce agreement for the militants
to ease their siege of Yemen’s third-biggest city Taiz has yet to be
implemented, and the government has demanded roads to the city be opened.
Iraq
US President Biden welcomed the leading role of the
Kingdom in strengthening relations with Iraq, which will link its electricity
network to Saudi Arabia under a historic agreement that was signed on the
margins of the Jeddah Security and Development Summit on July 16.
Israel, Palestinian conflict
Both countries “welcomed all efforts that contribute
to reaching a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” according to the
statement on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
They reportedly underscored their commitment to a
two-state solution wherein “a sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state lives
side-by-side in peace and security with Israel.”
Syria
Both countries underscored the importance of
preventing renewed violence, maintaining established ceasefires, and to allow
the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to all Syrians in need.
The two sides also expressed their support for the
efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
reach a political solution to the conflict consistent with the formula outlined
in the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015).
Lebanon
Saudi Arabia and the US emphasized the importance of
the control of the government of Lebanon over its territory, while expressing
their continued support “for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, and
their support for the Lebanese Armed Forces that protect its borders and resist
the threats of violent extremist and terrorist groups,” according to the
statement.
A working government with a comprehensive political
and economic reform implementation plan would help overcome the crisis in
Lebanon and ensure that it does not become a “launching point for terrorists,
drug smuggling, or other criminal activities that threatens the stability and
security of the region,” the statement said.
Ukraine
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to providing
critical assistance to the Ukrainian people, while calling on solutions to
ensure unhindered export of grain and wheat products to alleviate the global
food crises, which threaten to acutely impact a number of Middle Eastern and
African states.
Afghanistan
The two sides underscored the importance of continued
humanitarian support in the Taliban-run country, while promoting the rights of
the Afghan people including the rights of women and girls to education and
availability of the highest attainable standard of health and, for women, the
right to work.
Libya
“Both sides affirmed their support for the Libyan
people as they engage in the UN-brokered political process to prepare for
presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible,” the statement
said.
They reportedly expressed their “full support” for the
Libyan ceasefire agreement and the Libyan call for the complete departure of
foreign forces, foreign fighters, and mercenaries without further delay, in
accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2570 (2021).
Sudan
The two countries also highlighted the importance of
dialogue between Sudanese parties and wishes the people peace and prosperity.
The joint statement concluded with: “The two sides
decided to expand and strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas discussed
in this meeting, prior to the next annual Strategic Dialogue between Saudi
Arabia and the United States to be held in the Kingdom later this year. This
Jeddah Communique should form the basis of work going forward to consolidate
and enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
US,
Saudi Arabia Agree On Stopping Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons -Joint Statement
Bandar
Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP
-----
Jul
16, 2022
The
United States and Saudi Arabia agreed on the importance of stopping Iran from
"acquiring a nuclear weapon", during a visit by US President Joe
Biden, a joint statement carried by the Saudi state news agency (SPA) said.
The
statement said Biden also affirmed the United States’ continued commitment to
supporting "Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial defense, and
facilitating the Kingdom’s ability to obtain necessary capabilities to defend
its people and territory against external threats."
Tehran
and Riyadh, the leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East,
severed ties in 2016 over backing opposing sides in proxy wars across the
region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere.
Saudi
Arabia and the United States underscored the need to further deter Iran’s
interference in "the internal affairs of other countries, its support for
terrorism through its armed proxies, and its efforts to destabilize the
security and stability of the region," the statement said.
Both
sides stressed the importance of preserving the free flow of commerce through
strategic international waterways such as the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of
Hormuz.
In
2015, Iran signed a deal with six major powers to limit its nuclear programme
to make it harder to obtain a weapon in exchange for relief from economic
sanctions. Iran says its nuclear programme seeks only civilian atomic energy.
In
2018, then-US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the pact,
saying it was insufficient to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran
has since ramped up some nuclear activities, putting a ticking clock on an
attempt to return to a deal in talks between Western powers and Tehran in
Vienna.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Cannot Deviate from Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Stand on Israel:
Jamaat-i-Islami Chief Siraj ul Haq
Jamaat-i-Islami
chief Sirajul Haq addresses the Haripur district bar association on Friday. —
Photo courtesy Jamaat-i-Islami Twitter
-----
July
16, 2022
HARIPUR:
Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said Pakistan cannot afford to deviate
from its policy on Israel that its founder Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had
devised during his role as leader of the All India Muslim League and later at
the independence of Pakistan.
“How
can we change the policy of the founding father of Pakistan towards Israel and
follow others,” he said while talking to Dawn after addressing members of the
district bar association here on Friday.
Asked
if, in the prevailing circumstances, Pakistan should also revisit its foreign
policy regarding Israel when some Muslim countries had already recognised the
Jewish state and some lobbyists were also tacitly busy urging Pakistan to join
others in that regard, Mr Haq replied that Pakistan was the leading Muslim
nation in the world and it would not follow others keeping in view the stance
that Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had taken for the rights of Arab Muslims,
especially Palestinians, before and after the partition of the subcontinent.
To
a question about the JI’s governance model, especially the economic policy, the
JI chief said his party had a complete programme that could help the country
steer out of the prevailing economic and political crises.
Claims
Jamaat has a plan to address economic crisis
Earlier,
while addressing the lawyers, Mr Haq said Americans and their European allies
had taken complete control of the economy, health and politics of the Muslim
countries, including Pakistan, through international organisations like the
International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organisation and World
Health Organisation, and both ruling and the opposition parties were dancing to
their tunes.
He
termed the PTI, PML-N and PPP the guardians of status quo and the interests of
world powers, and added that they all were grown up in the nurseries of the
establishment and caused irreparable loss to the country and disrespected the
Constitution of Pakistan.
He
said that the constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973 had clearly asked the
government to ensure Riba-free economy and the Shariat Court had decided the
case thrice against Riba, but the government had failed to implement the verdict.
He
claimed that after the failure of three mainstream political parties in
bringing relief to the general public, the people of Pakistan were left with
the only choice of JI, which he said, had the capacity to introduce Islamic
system, take the country out of economic crisis and bring real prosperity to
the people.
Later,
he inaugurated an Aghosh centre in Khalabat Township.
TWO
DIE ON ROAD: Two persons were killed and four others injured in a road accident
near Kotnajibullah Interchange of the Hazara Motorway on Friday evening.
According
to the motorway police, six friends from Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab
were on their way back after visiting Naran when their car skidded off the road
while overtaking another car and fell into maize fields, killing two friends,
namely Sultan and Ayaz, on the spot.
The
injured were identified as Abid, Ghulam Asghar, Yaseen and Waheed. The bodies
and the injured were shifted to the Haripur Trauma Centre, the police said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1699794/pakistan-cannot-deviate-from-quaids-stand-on-israel-siraj
--------
China
to US: Middle East ‘Not the Backyard’ Of Any Country
Photo:
Pakistan Observer
-----
15 July,
2022
China’s
Foreign Ministry said on Friday it won’t take a backseat to the US in the
Middle East, as President Joe Biden visits the region to reassert American
leadership.
“The
Middle East is not the backyard of any other country and there is no such thing
as vacuum in the region” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told
reporters in Beijing on Friday.
Underscoring
the country’s efforts in promoting peace and fair resolutions on the regional
issues, Wang said “China is ready to work with the international community to
continue to play a positive role in realizing peace and development in the
Middle East.”
Wang
also insited that his country would “fully respect and listen to the will of
the Pacific island countries” after the head of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
accused China of trying to pushing ahead with a sweeping new agreement covering
everything from security to fisheries in the region in May.
Henry
Puna, Secretary General of the PIF, told reporters Thursday that Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi came to the region with a prepared “outcome document”
for the meetings with his islands’ counterparts that yet to happen.
Wang
argued that China had “consulted extensively” with the island nations over the
document and that a “consultation process” is essential for the conclusion of
an important deal.
“We
will continue to maintain communication on this with the island countries,”
Wang added.
The
United States and the forum’s wealthiest nations, Australia and New Zealand,
are concerned about China’s growing influence in the region, in particular its
security pact with the Solomon Islands that could set off a large-scale
military buildup.
Wang
again stated Beijing’s readiness to work with other countries and international
financial institutions to help Sri Lanka get over the difficulties as the
country sought for an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund to
pay for food and other imports.
Beijing
has promised 500 million yuan ($75 million) of emergency aid to Sri Lanka and
delivered its second shipment of food this week, Wang said.
Beijing
is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest creditors after building a port and airport under
President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative to expand trade-related
infrastructure across Asia and Africa.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Allow worship of Shivling found at Gyanvapi mosque: Plea in Supreme Court
Srishti
Ojha
New
Delhi
July
15, 2022
A
plea in the Supreme Court has sought permission for the disciples and followers
of Lord Shiva to pray to the Shivling reportedly found inside the wazukhana or
reservoir in the Gyanvapi mosque complex during a court-ordered survey.
The
president of the Shri Krishana Janma Bhumi Mukti Dal - the petitioner - has
told the court that they would like to carry out their religious practices on
the Shivling as guaranteed under the Constitution.
Although
the Shivling is protected by court orders, there are no restrictions for the
devotees of Lord Shiva to offer prayers and perform rituals at the place, the
petition said.
Wazu
is being performed near the Shivling and it is painful for the followers of
Lord Shiva, it added.
The
petitioner also referred to the Ayodhya case where it was held that “once a
deity is always a deity and a temple, merely on being demolished, shall not
lose its character, sanctity or dignity”.
It
has been revealed from various records that the Gyanvapi Mosque was built after
demolishing a Shiv temple. The Shivlinga was found on the same premises during
the survey, the plea said.
“Therefore,
being a worshipper, if Shivling is there, the applicant's rights to worship
also survives,” the plea reasoned.
The
mosque complex was sealed in May by a Varanasi court after it was informed that
a Shivling had been reportedly found inside the premises during the survey.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Patna
SSP issues clarification after backlash on PFI, RSS comparison
15th
July 2022
Patna:
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manavjeet Singh Dhillon who found
himself in hot soup on Thursday for comparing the PFI with the RSS, on Friday
said his statement was wrongly interpreted.
“There
is no question of comparing an organisation with another. The meaning of my
statement was wrongly interpreted which is absolutely wrong,” Dhillon said.
The
senior police officer’s clarification came a day after the Bihar Police issued
show-cause notice to him after he compared RSS with PFI.
Jitendra
Singh Gangwar, the ADGP, law and order, had issued the show-cause notice to him
and asked him to reply within 24 hours.
He
had specifically asked Dhillon to clarify why he had compared RSS with PFI
which led to an uproar. The comparison has come under stiff criticism by the
BJP leaders.
On
Thursday, five persons were arrested in Patna for indulging in anti-national
activities following raids in the Phulwari Sharif area, which also led to the
recovery of several incriminating documents, including PFI’s ‘Mission 2047’.
Speaking
on the incident, Dhillon at a press conference on Friday said: “Now, I am
focusing on the thorough investigation of the Phulwari Sharif incident. The
investigation reveals that PM Narendra Modi was not having a direct threat.”
Earlier,
it was suspected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on the radar of the
arrested individuals.
Dhillon,
after the arrest of 5 persons including a former member of Students’ Islamic
Movement of India (SIMI) named Akhtar Parvez, a retired sub-inspector of
Jharkhand, Jalaluddin and a native of Phulwari Sharif Arman Malik, Tahir Ahmed
and Shamim Malik on Thursday for providing training on Islamic extremism and
terrorism to the Muslim youth of the country under the umbrella of PFI.
The
Patna SSP said that they were providing training in martial arts and physical
training similar to the Shakhas (branches) of the RSS.
During
the questioning of these accused, it appeared that some individuals including
suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma were on the target list of the
suspected terror module.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/patna-ssp-issues-clarification-after-backlash-on-pfi-rss-comparison-2370292/
--------
Pakistan
‘journo-spy’: BJP steps up attack, Hamid Ansari reiterates denial
Jul
16, 2022
NEW
DELHI: BJP on Friday intensified its attack on the former Vice-President Hamid
Ansari and UPA government over frequent visas between 2005-10 to Pakistani
journalist Nursrat Mirza, who recently said that he had shared with Pakistan’s
intelligence agency ISI the information he gathered during his visits to India.
“It
had not been even one year of the 26/11 attacks and an ISI agent was invited to
teach India how the country should tackle the menace of terrorism. That ISI
agent shared the dais with the then vice-president of the country and a Union
minister,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.
Bhatia
released photographs of the former VP with Mirza at a seminar on terrorism
organised on October 27, 2009 in New Delhi by Jama Masjid United Forum.
Ansari,
who had on Wednesday rejected BJP’s charge as a litany of lies, again referred
to his assertion that Mirza’s trip was cleared by the government and not him.
In
another twist, president of the International Council of Jurists and chairman
of the All India Bar Association, Adish Aggarwala, claimed the VP’s office had
insisted on inviting Mirza to a seminar organised by him.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ansari
asserts he never knew or invited Pak journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference
Jul
15, 2022
NEW
DELHI: In the face of a fresh attack by the BJP, ex-vice president Hamid Ansari
on Friday said he stands by his previous statement that he never knew or
invited Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference.
Mirza
has claimed that he had visited India five times during the UPA rule and passed
on sensitive information collected here to his country's spy agency ISI. Mirza
purportedly commented that he had visited India on Ansari's invitations and
also met him.
Ansari,
however, has dismissed the charge as a "litany of falsehood".
The
BJP on Friday stepped up its attack on the Congress over the matter and cited a
photograph of Ansari and Mirza purportedly sharing the stage during a 2009
conference in India on terrorism.
"The
former Vice President of India stands by his earlier statement that he never
knew or invited Pakistan journalist Nusrat Mirza to any conference, including
the 2010 conference mentioned by Nusrat Mirza or 2009 conference on terrorism
or on any other occasion," a statement from Ansari's office said.
Rebutting
the BJP's claim of inviting Mirza, Ansari had a couple of days earlier said it is
a known fact that invitations to foreign dignitaries by the Vice-President of
India are on the advice of the government, generally through the Ministry of
External Affairs.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rubaiya
Sayeed identifies Yasin Malik as her abductors
Jul
16, 2022
JAMMU:
Former J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya Sayeed,
who appeared before a special CBI court on Friday in a case related to her 1989
abduction, identified JKLF chief Yasin Malik and three others as her abductors.
Rubaiya
was abducted near Srinagar’s Lal Ded Hospital on December 8, 1989, and freed from
captivity five days later on December 13 after the then VP Singh government,
supported by the BJP at the Centre, released five terrorists in exchange for
her safe return. Her father was the Union home minister at the time.
Malik
is at present lodged in Tihar Jail and he was present in the court through
videoconferencing. He was arrested in early 2019 in connection with the 2017
terror-funding case registered by the NIA and was sentenced to life
imprisonment in May this year.
This
is the first time Rubaiya was asked to appear in the case. Rubaiya, who stays
in Tamil Nadu, is listed as a prosecution witness by the CBI, which took over
investigations into the case in early 1990. The case had gone cold and was
revived after Malik was picked up by the NIA on charges of terror-funding.
In
January last year, the CBI framed charges against 10 people, including Malik,
for Rubaiya’s abduction. Besides Malik, others charged in the case are Ali
Mohammed Mir, Mohammed Zaman Mir, Iqbal Ahmad Gandroo, Javed Ahmad Mir, Mohammed
Rafiq Pahloo, Manzoor Ahmed Sofi, Wajahat Bashir, Mehraj-ud-Din Sheikh and
Showkat Ahmad Bakshi.
During
the investigation, Ali Mohammad Mir, Zaman Mir and Iqbal Gandroo voluntarily
confessed before a magistrate to their role in the abduction of Rubaiya and
four others made confessional statements before CBI’s superintendent of police.
Source:
Times Of India
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LuLu
Mall: FIR against unknown people for offering namaz
Piyush
Srivastava | Lucknow
16.07.22
Police
have registered a case against unknown people who allegedly offered namaz at
the LuLu Mall here, and put under informal house arrest a Hindutva leader who
had threatened to recite from the Ramayan at the mall on Friday evening.
The
FIR was lodged on Thursday night, invoking penal sections 153A (promoting
enmity between groups) and 295A (outraging religious feelings), on a complaint
from mall authorities who stressed that no religious activities are allowed there.
They clarified that those seen offering namaz in a video were not their
employees, the police said.
Shishir
Chaturvedi, leader of the regional outfit Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, had
created a furore over the video clip, bringing chief minister Yogi Adityanath
under pressure from Right-wing groups that normally lionise him.
Adityanath,
a known patron of the mall built by Yussuffali M.A. from Kerala who runs the
Abu Dhabi-headquartered LuLu Group, had last year banned religious activities
in public places.
The
video shows purported shoppers walking around the seven or eight people
offering namaz, suggesting the site was a public area.
Chaturvedi,
who had agitated outside the mall gate on Thursday, told reporters on Friday
morning: “We have seen a second video showing two people offering namaz in the
mall.”
He
added: “We had said on Thursday that we would recite from the Sundar Kand (of
the Ramayan) as well as the Gayatri Mantra and Hanuman Chalisa at the mall if
anybody was found offering namaz there again. Now nobody can stop us from doing
Hindu puja there.”
He
said he would do so at 6pm on Friday. Soon after, policemen surrounded
Chaturvedi’s home and said he wouldn’t be allowed to move out. The police did
not officially declare a house arrest, and the Mahasabha leader continued
meeting reporters at his home.
“They
may have stopped me today but they cannot stop me forever. Very soon you will
see me there, praying to our gods and goddesses, if the guilty are not brought
to book,” he said.
The
mall authorities put up notices at several places in the facility on Friday
declaring: “No religious prayers will be permitted in the mall.”
Rajesh
Kumar Srivastava, additional deputy commissioner of police, south Lucknow,
said: “We have registered a case against unidentified people for conducting
religious activity in the mall against its rules on the basis of a complaint
from Sebtain Husain, public relations officer of the LuLu Mall. He has said the
people seen in the video don’t belong to the mall.”
Srivastava
said the police were probing both videos and trying to identify those seen
offering namaz.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Adityanath had reportedly been keen on bringing the
mall, one of the biggest in north India, to Lucknow.
Source:
Telegraph India
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Kerala:
Two men get 7-year jail term in Valapattanam Islamic State case
Jul
15, 2022
KOCHI:
An NIA special court in Kochi on Friday sentenced two men in the Valapattanam
Islamic State (IS)-related case to seven years imprisonment while a third
person has been sentenced to six years in jail.
The
National Investigation Agency (NIA) court special judge Anil K Bhaskar
sentenced the first and fifth accused in the case -- Mildhilraj (31) and Hamsa
(61) -- to seven years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
The
court has sentenced the second accused, Abdul Rasaq (38), to six years in jail
and imposed a fine of Rs 40,000.
The
trio were on Tuesday convicted by the court in the case in which they were
charged with spreading the terror outfit's ideology and attempting to migrate
to Syria.
The
court had convicted the culprits under Sections 38 (offence relating to
membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (offence relating to support
given to a terrorist organisation) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
(UAPA) and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code including Section
120B (criminal conspiracy).
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Amid
Namaz row, Lucknow LuLu Mall puts up new notice, 3 detained for attempting to
read Sundarkand outside
Jul
16, 2022
After
a controversy broke out over the viral video of people offering namaz inside
the newly inaugurated LuLu Mall in Lucknow, the mall authorities on Friday put
up notice boards at several places inside the mall mentioning that religious
prayers will not be permitted in the mall. Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharat Hindu
Mahasabha released another video of people offering namaz at the mall and
called the mall LuLu Masjid.
The
Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday detained three people from the LuLu Mall for
allegedly attempting to recite Sundarkand inside the mall premises. Police said
they belonged to Hindu Samaj Party and were detained at the mall's entry gate.
"Three
people were detained from the entry gate of Lulu Mall in Lucknow for allegedly
attempting to recite Sundarkand inside the mall premises. Three people of the
Hindu Samaj Party were detained at the mall's gate. Currently, there's a
peaceful situation," ADCP South, Lucknow, Rajesh Srivastava said.
What
is the controversy over Lucknow LuLu Mall?
LuLu
Group opened its first mall in Lucknow on July 10. Chief minister Yogi
Adityanath inaugurated the mall. Group chairman, Indian-origin billionaire
Yusuff Ali MA was also present. Soon after its inauguration, the namaz video
surfaced leading to complaints from the Hindu group that claimed the mall is
practising 'love jihad' as 70% of the mall staff are Muslim, the complaint
read.
Countering
the complaint of the Hindu group, the LuLu Mall authorities filed an FIR
against unidentified persons.
According
to reports, LuLu Mall authorities on Friday went to Hindu Mahasasabha national
spokesperson Shishir Chaturvedi's residence as the Hindu group were planning a
protest and assured him that there will be no namaz reading inside the mall.
Who
were seen offering namaz in the viral video?
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Arab World
Biden
will announce $1 bln for food security during GCC summit in Saudi
16
July ,2022
President
Joe Biden will announce on Saturday during an Arab summit that the United
States has committed $1 billion in new near and long term food security
assistance for the Middle East and North Africa region, a senior administration
official said.
Biden,
on the second leg of his first Middle East trip as president, has focused on
the planned summit with six Gulf states that make up the Gulf Cooperation
Council and Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia, US announce several agreements during Biden visit
15
July ,2022
Saudi
Arabia and the US will cooperate on a range of future industries including 5G
networks, enhanced cybersecurity, and space exploration, in addition to public
health, the two countries announced on Friday.
The
announcement came after US President Joe Biden met with Saudi Arabia’s leaders
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
Telecommunication
An
MoU will connect Saudi and US technology companies to deploy 5G technology
using open, virtualized, and cloud-based radio access networks locally, in
addition to developing 6G cell technology, a White House statement announced.
It
came as part of an MoU between the Saudi Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology and the US National Telecommunication and Information
Administration.
Saudi
Arabia had reportedly committed to a significant investment toward this project
under the umbrella of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment
announced at the G7 Summit in June.
Cybersecurity
An
additional stage of cooperation will see the two countries expanding an
existing bilateral relationship on sharing critical threats and malicious
activities in the cyberspace.
The
statement said that the move would “enhance the shared defense” of both
countries and help collaborate on “best practices, technologies, tools, and on
approaches to cybersecurity training and education.”
An
agreement was reportedly signed between Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity
Authority and two US agencies – the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and
the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency (CISA).
Space
exploration
Human
spaceflight and commercial development in the space sector will also be
amplified following expanded cooperation, the statement added.
“The
US and Saudi Arabia are expanding cooperation in all fields of space exploration,
including human spaceflight, earth observation, commercial and regulatory
development, and responsible behavior in outer space,” according to the
statement.
The
US President also welcomed the Kingdom’s dedication to preserving peace in
space through the signing of the Artemis Accords and “reaffirming its
commitment to the responsible, peaceful, and sustainable exploration and use of
outer space.”
Public
health
The
Saudi Ministry of Health and the US Department of Health signed an MoU that
will strengthen the nations’ commitment to public health.
The
agreement will bring greater collaboration in capacity building, disease
surveillance, public policies to promote health, and health information
systems.
Biden
also said that he discussed Saudi Arabia’s defensive needs during his meetings
with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
Biden,
who arrived in the Kingdom earlier in the evening, met with King Salman at Al
Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah before the Crown Prince headed a meeting with the
US president and officials from both countries.
Speaking
to reporters following his meetings, Biden said he had good discussions on
ensuring global energy security and adequate oil supplies during his meetings
with King Salman and the Crown Prince.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meet US President Biden
15
July ,2022
US
President Joe Biden said on Friday that he discussed Saudi Arabia’s defensive
needs during his meetings with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
in Jeddah.
Biden,
who arrived in the Kingdom earlier in the evening, met with King Salman at Al
Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah before the Crown Prince headed a meeting with the
US president and officials from both countries.
Speaking
to reporters following his meetings, Biden said he had good discussions on
ensuring global energy security and adequate oil supplies during his meetings
with King Salman and the Crown Prince.
“I
expect further steps from Saudi Arabia on global oil supply in the coming weeks
following a discussion with the Kingdom's leaders,” Biden said.
He
also said that the US and Saudi leaders have finalized an agreement to connect
Iraq’s electric grid to the Gulf Cooperation Council’s grids through Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia.
During
the discussions which tackled Yemen, Biden said he agreed with the Kingdom to
work to deepen and extend the ceasefire which has been in effect since April.
Biden
also announced that he concluded a deal under which international peacekeepers,
including US troops, will leave the strategic Tiran Island that lies between
Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Peacekeepers
have been stationed in the island as part of accords reached in 1978 and which
led to a peace deal between Israel and Egypt.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Biden
welcomed to Saudi Arabia by governor of Mecca region
July
15, 2022
JEDDAH,
Saudi Arabia, July 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden was welcomed on
Friday on arrival in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah by the regional governor,
at the start of a visit to the kingdom that is part of a Middle East tour,
Saudi state television Al Ekhbariya reported.
Biden
was greeted by Prince Khalid al-Faisal, the governor of Mecca province, where
the Red Sea port city of Jeddah is located. Other people in the Saudi greeting
party including the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Reema bint Bandar Al
Saud.
Source:
Reuters
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Iraqi
cleric Sadr’s supporters throng Baghdad streets in show of strength
15
July ,2022
Hundreds
of thousands of Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s followers thronged the streets
of Baghdad on Friday, answering the populist leader’s call to a mass prayer in
a show of strength to his political rivals.
Al-Sadr,
a Shia Muslim whose party came first in a general election in October, has
vowed to disband powerful Iraqi militia groups loyal to Shia Iran and to hold
corrupt Iraqi politicians to account.
But
the mercurial leader ordered all 74 of his lawmakers - around a quarter of the
parliament - to resign last month after his attempts failed to form a
government free of Iran-backed parties that have dominated many state
institutions for years.
Divisions
between al-Sadr and the Iran-aligned groups as well as Kurds vying for the post
of Iraqi president have already forced the country into its second-longest
period without an elected government. The country is currently being run by the
outgoing government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Iraqi
officials, especially those close to Iran, fear al-Sadr will now use his large
popular following of mainly working-class Shia to disrupt attempts to form a
government, or to threaten to bring down future leaders with protests.
“We
could be millions strong today,” said Riyadh Husseini, 42, a manual laborer
from the southern town of Hilla who travelled to Baghdad and slept on the
street overnight in front of the podium where he hoped Sadr would appear.
“If
al-Sadr calls for the removal of the corrupt parties in power, they’ll be gone
within the hour,” Husseini said.
Loyalists
from across southern and central Iraq attended the Friday prayer in stifling
summer heat in Sadr City, the vast Baghdad district where millions of al-Sadr’s
followers live.
Al-Sadr
did not attend the prayer, despite rumors he would deliver a fiery address.
Instead,
a representative reiterated al-Sadr’s calls for the next government to disband
militia groups loyal to Iran and punish corrupt politicians for squandering
Iraq’s vast oil wealth, which Iraqi officials and independent analysts view as
directed at his arch rival former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
“It’s
not possible to form a strong Iraqi government with unlawful militias. You must
dissolve those all those factions,” the representative, Mahmoud al-Jayashi,
said, adding, “the first step to repentance is to punish the corrupt without
delay.”
The
task of forming a government now falls to al-Sadr’s Iran-aligned rivals and the
country’s Sunni and Kurdish parties.
One
foot in power
Before
withdrawing his lawmakers, al-Sadr had pushed for a coalition with Sunni and
Kurdish allies to form what he called a national majority government - a
euphemism for a government free of Iran-backed parties.
Many
Iraqis blame those groups for mismanaging the country since the 2003 US-led
invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein and catapulted Iraq’s Shia
majority to power.
Al-Sadr
distances himself from day to day politics and does not run for office, but has
always kept one foot in power.
His
politicians still control hundreds of powerful jobs across the government,
including ministerial and civil servant posts.
On
Friday, some of those who spent hours in the heat to see al-Sadr were
disappointed he did not show up - several young men privately complained, but
declined to give their names.
Others
said they had faith that al-Sadr has a strategy.
“Al-Sadr
was here watching us. Loyalty is about answering his call,” said Safaa
al-Baghdadi, a 42-year-old religious instructor who works in the southern holy
city of Najaf.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince receives Egypt, Kuwait, UAE leaders
16
July ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received the leaders of Egypt, Kuwait
and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, ahead of the scheduled GCC+3 summit
in Jeddah. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived earlier in the
morning followed by Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed arrived later and was welcomed by the Crown
Prince upon arrival.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Syria
Kurds urge Russia, Iran to prevent Turkey attack
15
July ,2022
The
commander of US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria on Friday urged Russia and Iran
to prevent Turkey from launching a new attack in the country’s north, days
before an expected Syria summit.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - who will meet his Russian and Iranian
counterparts next week to discuss Syria - has warned that he may soon launch a
new offensive in Syria against Kurdish fighters.
These
include the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which formed a
crucial part of an international coalition against ISIS.
Mazloum
Abdi, chief commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, accused the
international coalition of taking a “weak” position that is “insufficient to
end the threats.”
Abdi
said that following negotiations with Russia, Kurdish forces had allowed the
Syrian regime to bring more troops into Kurdish-controlled areas such as Kobane
and Manbij in the north of the country.
Russia,
Turkey and Iran have in recent years been holding talks on Syria as part of the
so-called “Astana peace process” to end more than 11 years of conflict in the
Middle Eastern country.
Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi is set to host Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir
Putin on Tuesday.
Turkey
has launched successive offensives in neighboring Syria since 2016, targeting
Kurdish fighters as well as ISIS and forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar
al-Assad.
The
Syrian government has repeatedly condemned Turkish threats to mount a new
incursion and has called Erdogan’s bid to create a so-called “safe zone” inside
Syria an attack on its unity.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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North America
Joe
Biden confronts Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi murder, expects action on
energy
Jul
16, 2022
JEDDAH:
US President Joe Biden said on Friday he told Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman he held him responsible for the murder of Washington Post
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the
kingdom's de facto ruler.
On
a trip to reset relations with a country he had called a pariah after
Khashoggi's killing in 2018, Biden said the crown prince, known as MbS, denied
involvement in the murder and said he had held those responsible to account.
"With
respect to the murder of Khashoggi, I raised it at the top of the meeting,
making it clear what I thought of it at the time and what I think about it
now," Biden told reporters.
"I
was straight forward and direct in discussing it. I made my view crystal clear.
I said very straightforwardly, for an American president to be silent on an
issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am."
US
intelligence says the crown prince approved an operation to capture or kill
Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, who was murdered and dismembered by
Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Biden said what
happened to Khashoggi was outrageous.
"He
basically said that he was not personally responsible for it," Biden said
of the crown prince's response during their meeting. "I indicated that I
thought he was."
The
president said they also discussed energy and that he expected to see action
from Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, on energy in the coming weeks.
As
a presidential candidate, Biden had said the kingdom should be made a
"pariah" on the world stage because of Khashoggi's murder. He said on
Friday he did not regret that comment.
With
the body language being watched closely, at the start of Biden's Middle East
trip officials had said he would avoid close contact, such as shaking hands, as
a precaution against COVID-19. But the president ended up engaging in
hand-shaking during the Israel leg of the tour, too.
Biden's
interaction with the crown prince drew immediate criticism at home - including
from The Washington Post and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Khashoggi
had been living in self-imposed exile in Virginia. The late journalist's
fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, posted a photo of the fist bump on Twitter and said
Khashoggi would have written: "Is this the accountability you promised for
my murder? The blood of MBS's next victims is on your hands."
Biden
told reporters in Jeddah he was sorry she felt that way.
US
reporters shouted questions about Khashoggi at the crown prince at the
beginning of the meeting. "Will you apologise to his family?" one
called out. MbS, with the Saudi energy minister seated beside him, did not
respond and appeared to smile slightly as the reporters were led from the room.
Pressure
over oil
Energy
and security interests prompted Biden and his aides to decide not to isolate
the Gulf oil giant, which has been strengthening ties with Russia and China,
despite the president's disgust over the killing. Biden wants to
"recalibrate" Washington's relations with Saudi Arabia and not rupture
them, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The
Saudi ambassador to Washington, Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, who was part of the
Saudi greeting party, reiterated in an article for Politico the kingdom's
"abhorrence" of the killing, describing it as a gruesome atrocity,
and said it cannot define U.S.-Saudi ties.
Jeddah
hosts a larger gathering of Arab leaders on Saturday.
Biden
will discuss energy security with leaders of Gulf oil producers and hopes to
see more action by OPEC+ to boost output, but there were unlikely to be any
bilateral announcements from the talks, Sullivan told reporters en route to
Jeddah.
Biden
indicated he expected action soon.
"We
had a good discussion on ensuring global energy security and adequate oil
supplies to support global economic growth," Biden said. "I'm doing
all I can to increase the supply for the United States of America, which I
expect to happen. The Saudis share that urgency and based on our discussions
today I expect we'll see further steps in the coming weeks."
Saudi
minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said there was no
agreement made on oil and that Saudi and OPEC countries would make a decision
based on the market, not "hysteria" or "politics."
The
OPEC+ group that includes Russia meets next on Aug. 3.
The
United States and Saudi Arabia have reiterated their commitment to the
stability of global energy markets, a joint statement carried by the Saudi
state news agency, SPA, said.
The
US is eager to see Saudi Arabia and its OPEC partners pump more oil to help
bring down the high cost of gasoline and ease the highest U.S. inflation in
four decades.
Biden,
who flew to Jeddah after visiting Israel, also touted a pair of Saudi moves
widely seen as signs of a gradual thaw between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Riyadh
agreed to allow more overflights of its territory from Israel, which Biden said
he hoped would lead to broader normalization of relations.
He
also announced a US-brokered deal between Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia under
which a small U.S.-led international peacekeeping contingent will leave the
strategic Red Sea island of Tiran.
Cairo
ceded control to Riyadh in 2017. Israeli approval was required for any change
in the security arrangement there, and lengthy and complex negotiations were
required to seal the deal because of the lack of Israeli-Saudi diplomatic
relations.
Biden
was the first American president to fly from Israel directly to Jeddah. Ahead
of the visit, Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers,
paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in what Biden described
as a historic and important step toward building a more integrated and stable
Middle East.
The
United States and Saudi Arabia agreed on the importance of stopping Iran from
"acquiring a nuclear weapon" during the Biden visit, a joint
statement carried by the Saudi state news agency (SPA) said.
The
statement said Biden emphasized his country's strong and enduring commitment to
supporting the security and defence of the oil-rich kingdom.
Source:
Times Of India
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US
President Biden says ‘ground not ripe’ to restart Israel-Palestinian talks
15
July ,2022
US
President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US support for “two states for two peoples,”
adding, however, that the “ground is not ripe” to restart Israel-Palestinian
talks.
Speaking
alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, Biden said the
Palestinians require a political path toward peace with Israel, even if a
two-state solution to the conflict appears far off.
“There
must be a political horizon that the Palestinian people can actually see or at
least feel. We cannot allow the hopelessness to steal away the future,” Biden
said.
Abbas
articulated long-standing Palestinian frustrations over Israel’s five-decade
occupation.
The
veteran leader said Palestinians “look forward” to US efforts to “stop
settlements and settler violence” and an end to the “expulsion of Palestinians
from their land.”
“The
key to peace begins with recognizing the state of Palestine,” Abbas said.
On
Abu Akleh, a veteran reporter revered among Palestinians, Biden described her
death an “enormous loss to the essential work of sharing with the world the
story of the Palestinian people.”
She
was killed while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank city
of Jenin in May.
The
United Nations has concluded she was killed by Israeli fire, something
Washington said was likely while noting the US found no evidence to suggest
Israeli forces intended to kill an unarmed journalist.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
President Biden visits Bethlehem, meets Palestinian president
15
July ,2022
US
President Joe Biden arrived in the biblical town of Bethlehem in the occupied
West Bank on Friday for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Biden
was given a bouquet of flowers by a pair of Palestinian children as he arrived.
He held his hand over his heart as a Palestinian band played the US national
anthem before he entered Abbas’ office.
The
brief meeting with the Palestinian leader comes after two days of nonstop talks
with Israeli leaders. Biden is then to continue to Saudi Arabia for talks with
Arab leaders.
In
the West Bank, Biden is expected to announce some $200 million in additional
assistance to the Palestinians, after pledging $100 million to hospitals that
serve Palestinians in east Jerusalem earlier Friday.
While
voicing support for a Palestinian state, Biden is not expected to float any new
diplomatic initiatives during his visit.
Palestinian
officials have expressed disappointment over the US inability to restart peace
talks.
On
his way from Jerusalem, Biden’s motorcade passed by a billboard posted by an
Israeli human rights group saying, “Mr. President, this is apartheid.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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July
15 coup attempt, 9/11 attacks should be viewed equally: Ex-envoy
Michael
Hernandez
16.07.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US “could have done better” in its immediate response to the thwarted July 15,
2016 attempted coup, the former ambassador to Türkiye said on Friday.
James
Jeffrey, who served as Washington’s envoy to Ankara from 2008-2010, told
Anadolu Agency that both the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the attempted
coup should be viewed as equal “attacks on not only democracy, but also our
alliance,” a reference to the long-standing NATO ties shared by the US and Türkiye.
Reflecting
on the US response, Jeffrey said “some in the” Obama administration were “slow
and inaccurate in their descriptions of what happened.”
“We
could have been better,” he said during a brief interview. “Administrations are
often slow when they don't have all the information. I know for a fact that was
part of the problem with the White House. They didn't have all the information
immediately. They were trying to get more information.”
Also
complicating the response was what Jeffrey described as “friction” in the
bilateral relationship, which he said “unfortunately” has some in the US and
Türkiye to “not immediately assume the best of each other.”
“I
think we have to work on that,” he said.
The
Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen
orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.
The
Türkiye-designated terror group sought to wrest control of the country using
its members that had infiltrated the Turkish state, including the police and
military.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Abbas
tells Biden he 'extends hand' for peace with Israel
Qais
Abu Samra
15.07.2022
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas said Friday that he is ready to extend his hand to
Israel to restart peace negotiations.
"The
opportunity for a two-state solution on the 1967 borders may only be available
today, we don't know what will happen in the future," Abbas said in a
press conference alongside US President Joe Biden in the West Bank city of
Bethlehem.
"I
extend my hand to the leaders of Israel to make peace," he added.
Abbas
called for ending the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories and allowing Palestinians to obtain their "legitimate
rights" based on international resolutions.
The
Palestinian leader said Israel can be accepted to live in peace with its
neighbors in the region with the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Abbas
also called for reopening the US Consulate in East Jerusalem and removing the
umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from the US terrorist list.
"We
are not terrorists," he stressed.
The
Palestinian president also called for bringing the killers of
Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to accountability.
Abu
Akleh, 51, a Palestinian-American journalist working for the Doha-based Al
Jazeera network, was shot dead May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid
near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
While
Palestinian officials and Al Jazeera accused Israel of killing the reporter,
Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/abbas-tells-biden-he-extends-hand-for-peace-with-israel/2637704
--------
US
announces extension of visas for Saudi nationals from five to 10 years
16
July ,2022
The
US has announced that business and tourism visas for Saudi nationals will be
extended from five to 10 years, the official news agency SPA reported Saturday.
A
joint statement (Jeddah Communique) was issued late Friday between Saudi Arabia
and the US, and, as part of the raft of agreements, the Kingdom welcomed
“extending the validity of business and tourism visas to 10 years to facilitate
closer people-to-people ties and economic cooperation”, the statement said.
The
news comes amid US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Kingdom, which has led to
a series of vital agreements in future industries and action plans to tackle
dominant regional and international issues.
The
US President is in the Kingdom at the invitation of Saudi's King Salman bin
Abdulaziz as part of a wider Middle East tour.
On
Saturday he will join the two-day Gulf Co-operation Council summit (GCC+3)
which will bring together GCC leaders including Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egypt’s
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad
and Iraq’s premier.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
court declares PM Shehbaz Sharif's son Suleman proclaimed offender in money
laundering case
Jul
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani court on Friday declared Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's younger
son Suleman Shehbaz and another person proclaimed offenders in a money
laundering case.
The
Lahore Special Court (Central-I) declared Suleman and Tahir Naqvi proclaimed
offenders after they failed to appear despite being summoned, the Dawn
newspaper reported.
The
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked Shehbaz and his sons Hamza and
Suleman in November 2020 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Anti Money
Laundering Act.
Arrest
warrants were issued for Suleman and Naqvi on May 28. At the same hearing, the
court had also issued arrest warrants for another suspect, Malik Maqsood alias
Maqsood ‘Chaprasi', who passed away in the United Arab Emirates last month.
On
June 11, the FIA had submitted a report about non-bailable arrest warrants
issued for Suleman, Naqvi and Maqsood. In its report, the FIA had stated that
the warrants could not be executed since Suleman was not present at his address
and had gone abroad.
At
Friday's hearing, the court sought details about the properties of Suleman and
Naqvi as well as Maqsood's death certificate.
The
court also accepted the request for granting Prime Minister Shehbaz a one-time
exemption from attending the hearing but directed that he appear before the
court at the next hearing.
The
hearing was subsequently adjourned till July 30.
The
FIA in December 2021 submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to a
special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs 16
billion in the sugar scam case.
“The
investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family
through which money laundering of Rs 16.3 bn was committed during 2008-18. The
FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions,” according to an
FIA report submitted to the court.
The
amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and given to Shehbaz in a personal
capacity, the report added.
This
amount (Rs 16 bn) has nothing to do with the sugar business (of the Shehbaz
family), it claimed. The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees
by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks,
ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members, the FIA had
alleged.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nine
terrorists killed, soldier martyred in Balochistan in search for abducted man
Saleem
Shahid
July
16, 2022
QUETTA:
Nine terrorists were killed and a havildar was martyred during an operation
against the killers of Lt Col Laiq Baig Mirza, an army officer who was
kidnapped earlier this week while travelling to Quetta from Ziarat, the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Friday.
However,
Lt Col Mirza’s cousin, Umer Javed, who was kidnapped alongside him en route to
Quetta, has yet to be recovered.
Security
forces swooped down on a “hideout of terrorists” in the mountains near Ziarat
after Thursday midnight, ISPR said.
Once
the terrorists realised they had been encircled, according to the statement,
they opened fire at the advancing contingent, resulting in the martyrdom of
Havildar Khan Muhammad.
The
security forces later undertook a “clearance operation” and managed to
eliminate five fighters belonging to the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army
(BLA) after a heavy exchange of fire.
The
security forces then spotted another group of terrorists near Ziarat Nullah and
killed four of them, the statement added. The rest escaped under cover of heavy
rain and darkness.
“The
nine bodies of terrorists are being handed over to the civil administration for
completion of legal formalities,” officials said.
In
a statement on Thursday, ISPR had said that SSG commandos had launched a search
operation to recover the men and that on the night between July 13 and 14, a
group of six to eight terrorists was spotted moving in a nullah in nearby
mountains. Seeing the forces closing-in, the militants shot Lt Col Mirza in the
head and attempted to flee, the statement added.
In
the ensuing exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed while the remaining
managed to flee, along with their other captive, Mr Umer.
According
to APP, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the martyred Lt Col Laiq
Baig, saying his sacrifice would not go in vain and that the killers would be
taken to task.
Mr
Shehbaz offered condolences to the family of Lt Col Laiq Baig and prayed that
his soul rest in peace.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sri
Lanka crisis sends warning signals to debt-ridden Pakistan
Jul
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The economic meltdown in Sri Lanka triggering unrest and unprecedented
political upheaval has sent alarm bells ringing in the Indian Ocean region and
the loudest among them is in Pakistan, according to foreign policy analysis.
"We
may not be in Sri Lanka's shoes yet, but are not very far off as there are some
comparable symptoms. With negotiations with the IMF apparently inconclusive,
and the much-awaited financial support from friendly countries yet to come, the
country is not in a good state," Journalist and author Zahid Husain warned
in Pakistan daily Dawn, according to a report published in Islam Khabar.
Similar
to China, Sri Lanka is indebted to heavy loans and investments from China.
While Sri Lanka has defaulted on repayment and is already in a debt trap,
Pakistan, with investments under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is
a close second.
Major
investments in both the South Asian countries are in infrastructure and since
both the countries lack economic, industrial and managerial skills, they have
leased such projects to Chinese firms to manage, which as resulted in the two
countries incurring further debts plunging them in a vicious circle they cannot
escape from, the Islam Khabar report added.
Even
though there is a new government in Pakistan, the new regime is fighting on
multiple fronts. The previous government of the Pakistan Tahreek i-Insaf has
always been blamed for not being able to control inflation by the incumbent
rulers when they were in the opposition.
Imran
Khan was ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote, which he alleged
was part of a US-led conspiracy targeting him because of
"independent" foreign policy. Even after his ouster, the former PM
has continued with foreign conspiracy tirades at every rally.
The
result is the absence of economic activity, pushing away modest foreign and
domestic investment but above all, foreign aid is coming to a halt. The
International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also tightening the screws on Pakistan's
economy before it can release the much-needed USD three billion bailouts, the
report added.
The
Sharif Government has imposed unpopular measures like raising fuel prices,
slashing subsidies and imposing a ten per cent' super tax' on large-scale
industries. The dollar exchange rate is PKR 210. All these have sent inflation
skyrocketing at 15 per cent.
The
country has been facing a serious threat on the external front as the State
Bank of Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell to single digits despite a
USD 2.3 billion inflow from China late last month.
"The
increasing size of the external debt servicing in each quarter indicates the
government has been borrowing dollars at higher commercial rates to meet its
foreign debt repayment obligations," the report said.
Meanwhile,
the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and heavy rainfall affecting a large number of
households and lives have added to the woes of the country.
While
the IMF is in no hurry to release USD three billion - Pakistan is estimated to
require between USD 9 billion to 12 billion by the end of 2022 - China is also
playing its game, considering that both the IMF and Beijing are rivals.
Initially,
Beijing had agreed to roll over the syndicated loans before the ouster of the
previous PTI government. However, Sharif's administration had to wait for two
months to secure the Chinese loan.
Since
the IMF has visibly slowed down its negotiations with Pakistan, the country is
not getting project funding from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The
governments in FY22 that ended on June 30 could not control the influx of huge
imports totalling USD 80 billion creating a large current account deficit
(CAD), which alone is enough to understand the external weakness of the
economy.
For
Pakistan, the Sri Lanka comparison is unmistakable, both in over-dependence on
China and its own handling of the economy. "The Sri Lankan turmoil is a
classic example of an economy caught in an acute debt trap while failing to
boost its revenues. Indeed, political corruption, too, played a role in the
country's financial collapse," Zahid Husain said.
"Now
the IMF is the last hope for the country of 22 million, but aid will not come
without stringent conditionalities that may increase the hardship of the
people. In fact, a bailout by itself won't provide a long-term solution, which
requires undertaking fundamental structural reform to resuscitate the
economy," he added.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
JUI-F
leader gunned down in North Waziristan
July
16, 2022
NORTH
WAZIRISTAN: Unknown attackers gunned down a local leader of Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and his colleague near Mirali town here on Thursday night.
Locals
and officials said Qari Samiuddin and his colleague, Hafiz Numan Dawar were on
way home in Eidek village when their car was ambushed on Bichi Road. Both died
on the spot.
Relatives
said Qari Sami had no feud with anyone.
His
funeral prayers were held at a seminary attended by MNA Mohsin Dawar and a
large number of people.
This
was the second targeted attack on JUI-F leadership in the restive district
during last one week.
On
Monday, unidentified gunmen had killed a party’s councilor-elect Malik Murtaza,
also belonging to Eidak village.
He
was elected councillor during the second phase of the local body elections.
Qari
Sami was head of the JUI-F’s Mirali subdivision. He had contested election on
the party ticket from PK-111.
The
deceased actively participated in local politics, often criticising the
administration and law enforcement agencies for not handling law and order
situation in the district, particularly targeted killing.
Army’s
General Officer Commanding Maj-Gen Naeem Akhthar, in a statement, condemned the
killing.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1699799/jui-f-leader-gunned-down-in-north-waziristan
--------
Body
to decide if President Alvi, ex-PM Imran can be tried for treason
Khaleeq
Kiani
July
16, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Just a day ahead of the by-elections in Punjab, the federal cabinet on Friday
constituted a special ministerial committee to pursue high treason proceedings
against top office-holders of the former PTI government, and also decided to
appoint a commission of inquiry (COI) to probe into allegations of sexual abuse
against head of the country’s accountability watchdog and misuse of its
evidence for political objectives by the former prime minister’s office.
Briefing
the media after the cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the meeting through a
resolution welcomed the detailed judgement of the Supreme Court, and
constituted a special committee, led by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and
comprising ministers for information and interior and members of all coalition
partners, for legal action under Article 6 of the Constitution.
She
said the apex court decision was very clear and had mentioned the names of the
president, the then prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker of the National
Assembly who used their constitutional offices for personal political purposes.
She claimed the court had concluded that the narrative of regime change through
a foreign conspiracy was fabricated, false, and baseless. The resolution also
said the former PTI government had made serious efforts to damage economic
security and national interest on the foreign front.
The
minister said the cabinet also decided that constitutional disobedience and
violations and attacks on parliament should be taken seriously to avoid their recurrence
in the future. The special committee was therefore directed to come up with
recommendations on the future course of action before the next cabinet meeting.
The apex court had also buried the law of necessity and observed that
constitutional violations had been committed by the PTI government’s top
office-holders. The committee would cover all the points raised by the court.
Commission
of inquiry also appointed to look into harassment allegations against ex-NAB
chief
The
SC had ruled that the April 3 ruling of the then deputy speaker Qasim Suri had
apparently breached the Constitution and led to a chain of actions, including
allowing the then prime minister Imran Khan to hold on to the constitutional
office by illegally avoiding the no-confidence motion without a vote by the
assembly.
Under
Article 6, “any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in
abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in
abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other
unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason”. As of now, proceedings
under this article had been held only once in the country under which military
dictator former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf was convicted by a special
court, but the judgement remained unimplemented.
Ms
Aurangzeb further said the cabinet also decided to appoint a commission of
inquiry under the COI Act 2017 to probe all aspects of the allegations by
Tayyaba Gul and other women against outgoing chairman of the National
Accountability Bureau and head of the Commission on Enforced Disappearances,
retired Justice Javed Iqbal, and involvement of the Prime Minister Office in
the matter for political gains.
She
said Law Minister Tarar was designated as the head of another committee of the
cabinet to finalise the terms of reference of the COI in line with discussions
in the cabinet meeting, as well as asked to suggest a panel to choose a name
from for the head of the COI, and return to the cabinet for approval.
Tayyaba
Gul, she said, had lodged a complaint on the Citizen’s Portal of the prime
minister during the previous government against sexual harassment and abuse by
former NAB chief Javed Iqbal and sought justice. Ms Gul was first informed that
her complaint had been referred to the Human Rights Ministry, but then called
to the PM Office and “held in captivity” for 18 days.
The
minister alleged the then rulers “abducted” Gul and kept her hostage, and
instead of providing her justice or taking any action, all the evidences and
videos were collected from her and used by the PMO to blackmail and pressurise
the former NAB chairman to victimise the political opponents of Imran Khan.
This way, not only were Mr Iqbal and the NAB as an institution compromised, but
were used for political objectives and victimisation of opponents.
The
minister further said the COI would be time-bound to conclude its probe because
sexual harassment and abuse were not only serious social crimes, but involved
the office of the prime minister and its complaint portal.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Efforts
on to allay tensions after days of violence in Sindh
July
16, 2022
KARACHI:
With violence escalating in the wake of the killing of 35-year-old Bilal Kaka,
political leaders continued efforts to allay the tensions and appealed to
people to beware of conspiracies that aim to sow the seed of disharmony among
Sindhis and Pashtuns.
On
Friday, the Sindh government announced that another suspect accused of Mr Kaka’s
killing was in custody, while 76 people involved in the violence at Karachi’s
Sohrab Goth area, as well as forcibly closing businesses in other districts,
have also been arrested.
Hyderabad
SSP Amjad Sheikh told Dawn that the suspect, Afzal Khan, was the brother of
Shah Sawar, the hotel owner who was already in custody.
In
a press conference, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon claimed that
social media accounts of deceased people were used to circulate hate messages
and share videos to further fuel tensions.
Sindh
govt asks FIA to move against social media accounts fanning hate; political
leaders reiterate calls for calm; another suspect held for Kaka’s murder
He
said the federal interior ministry had been asked to take action against those
spreading hatred on social media, he said, while warning that such miscreants
will be arrested.
The
minister alleged that the PTI leaders tried to exploit the situation and spread
chaos to further their own vested interests.
“Special
Branch has sent photos of people leading the Sohrab Goth sit-in. The same
person was [previously] walking around with the flag of Afghanistan and his
brother is contesting local bodies elections on a PTI ticket,” he added.
‘Pashtuns
playing vital role in Sindh’s economy’
On
Friday, Acting Sindh Governor Agha Siraj Durrani met a 19-member delegation
from the Pashtun community at the Governor’s House, where the delegates assured
him of their complete support for the Sindh government in defusing tensions and
maintaining the peace.
Separately,
Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that ethnic polarisation was being
fanned for political point-scoring in the wake of Mr Kaka’s murder.
Addressing
a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq in Karachi, the JI leader said that some
political parties who have lost popular support are attempting to regain the
people’s sympathies by exploiting the situation.
Also
on Friday, an MQM-Pakistan delegation, led by deputy convener Waseem Akhtar met
ANP Sindh president Shahi Syed at Bacha Khan House in Karachi.
Mr
Akhtar condemned the Pashtun community’s victimisation in the backdrop of the
killing. Calling Sindhis “his brothers”, he urged all sides to amicably resolve
their differences.
Sindh
United Party (SUP) chairman Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah also appealed to
nationalist leaders to avoid provocation and maintain peace in the province.
Addressing
a press conference at the Hyderabad Press Club, Mr Shah said Pashtuns living in
Sindh were their brothers, but called for the repatriation of illegal
immigrants.
Protests
over police inaction
Workers
of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz and other activists held a demonstration in
Mirpurkhas’ Naokot and Jhuddo town on Friday. Protesters carrying banners and
placards demanded the police to immediately arrest all the accused responsible
for Mr Kaka’s killing.
Separately,
activists from the Awami Tehreek also staged a token hunger strike outside
Hyderabad Press Club on Friday against the alleged maltreatment of Sindhi
families during protests at several locations in Karachi on Thursday.
The
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also issued a statement expressing
concern over the “escalation in ethnic and political tension in Sindh.”
The
commission called for a “fair and transparent” investigation into the killing
and demanded the Sindh government to control violence. “At the same time, it
falls to the authorities as well as to all progressive voices in Pakistan to
shun divisive or racist rhetoric,” the statement added.
The
HRCP said it intends to conduct a fact-finding mission to ascertain the
evidence surrounding the murder and ensuing ethnic tension.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1699845/efforts-on-to-allay-tensions-after-days-of-violence-in-sindh
--------
Anchorperson
Imran Riaz stopped from leaving country
July
16, 2022
LAHORE:
Anchorperson Imran Riaz was offloaded from a Dubai-bound flight, Geo TV
reported on Friday.
Immigration
sources said his name was on the black list since he is facing sedition cases
registered across the country.
In
a tweet, Riaz said he was leaving for Dubai for some medical tests. “My doctors
told me that I was fed something while in jail that could be fatal for me [...]
thus, to prove this, I wanted to get my tests done,” he said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1699888/anchorperson-imran-riaz-stopped-from-leaving-country
--------
SC
to hear PTI’s plea against changes to accountability law from 19th
Nasir
Iqbal
July
16, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) will commence hearing of
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition, challenging the
recent amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) on Tuesday
(July 19).
A
bench will comprise Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul
Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah. It will take up the petition which
Justice Ahsan had ordered placement before a bench for regular hearing in his
chamber on July 6.
In
its objection, the registrar office had returned the petition seeking to strike
down the amendments made through the National Accountability (Second Amendment)
Act 2022 for being ultra vires to the Constitution.
The
PML-N-led coalition government introduced 27 key amendments to NAO but
President Dr Arif Alvi did not accord his assent to it. However, the bill was
later adopted in the joint sitting of parliament and notified.
Imran
claims amendments will have effect of legitimising certain forms of corruption
In
its petition, the PTI chairman argued that the amendments tended to scrap
corruption cases against the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers and
would provide an opportunity to already convicted public office-holders to get
their conviction undone.
The
amendments are tantamount to depriving the people of Pakistan of their right to
having access to law to effectively question their chosen representatives in
case of breach of their duty towards them, the petition argued, adding that the
amendments would have the effect of legitimising certain forms of corruption
and creating select islands of accountability to exclude from prosecution
certain members of the parliament, including ministers and the prime minister.
Moreover,
the word “benamidar” has been redefined making it difficult for the prosecution
to prove someone as the fictitious owner of a property. Redefining “assets” was
manifestly aimed at and will result in acquittal or discharge of all those
holders of public office who are presently facing trial for offences of
corruption, it added.
About
the deletion of Section 14 of NAO, which provided for presumptions of guilt and
shifting burden of proof on the accused person, the petition said this was
inevitable to prevent commission of crime by holders of public office with
impunity. After its omission, it becomes impossible for the prosecution to
prove white collar crime against the holders of public office.
The
petition also argued that the amendments were unreasonable and would defeat the
purpose for which the law was enacted by restricting the prosecution from
taking action against decisions taken by the prime ministers, ministers,
cabinet members, members and officials of committees and subcommittees, State
Bank of Pakistan and other bodies.
Under
the amendments, according to the petition, NAO would move only to those cases
of corruption where the concerned holder of public office had received a
monetary gain as a result of decisions taken by the high office.
It
said the amendments had not taken out of the ambit of accountability all such
cases of corruption where the facts indisputably reveal that through the act of
corruption, monetary, material or any other benefit had definitely been
provided to a private person, but no evidence of receipt of a monetary gain by
the holder of public office could be collected during investigation, thereby
protecting both the ‘private person’ and the holder of public office from being
prosecuted for their (proven) illegal gain provided by one to the other.
Likewise,
the blanket immunity from prosecution given to officials of all regulatory
bodies, regarding all matters decided by them, is also unreasonable,
unconstitutional and against the very concept of accountability, in that most,
if not all of these regulatory authorities, such as Nepra, SECP, the
Competition Commission of Pakistan, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority which
deal with matters vital to the financial interests and welfare of the people of
Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
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--------
Army
soldiers rendering great sacrifices for country: President, PM
July
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday paid tribute to the martyred Lieutenant
Colonel Laiq Baig, saying that the officers and jawans of the Pakistan Army
were rendering great sacrifices for the motherland.
Lt-Col
Laiq Baig, who was abducted on the night between July 12 and 13 while returning
from Quetta, was martyred while two terrorists were also killed in a rescue
operation.
The
prime minister said the sacrifice of Lt-Col Laiq Baig would not go in vain and
the terrorists would be taken to task. He said the entire nation was determined
to eliminate terrorism from the country.
PM
Sharif extended condolences to the family of Lt Col Laiq Baig and prayed for
the departed soul of the martyred to rest in peace.
Meanwhile,
President Dr Arif Alvi also expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Lt
Colonel Laiq Baig Mirza in Ziarat Balochistan.
In
a message of condolence, he prayed for the elevation of the ranks of the martyr
in heaven and for giving patience to the bereaved family to bear the immense
loss with fortitude.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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--------
Southeast Asia
Chinese
President Xi Praises Paramilitary Group Accused of Abusing Uyghur Muslim
Minorities
Sophia
Yan
July
16 2022
China’s
leader Xi Jinping praised a paramilitary group sanctioned for human rights
abuses in Xinjiang as he made his first visit to the country’s remote
north-west in eight years amid a crackdown that Western countries have called a
genocide.
Mr
Xi used the trip to meet with leaders of the Xinjiang Production and
Construction Corps (XPCC), which oversees much of Xinjiang’s development and
security and operates its own courts, schools and health systems.
It
is accused of forcing the region’s primarily Uyghur Muslim minorities to work
for little or no pay, prompting the US government to sanction the organisation
for “serious human rights abuses” in 2020.
“The
strategic role of the XPCC cannot be replaced,” Mr Xi said, according to state
media. “The rank and file ought to be proud of their progress.”
His
three-day tour included visits to a university and a trade zone in the regional
capital of Urumqi, where he called Xinjiang a “core area and a hub”, given its
role as a crucial link for his Belt and Road initiative, a multi-billion-dollar
infrastructure plan aimed at boosting China’s global clout.
A
photo by the Xinhua news agency showed a maskless Mr Xi surrounded by smiling
and clapping residents, many of them appearing to be Uyghurs.
A
long-time crackdown against Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities led to
sporadic anti-government and anti-Han Chinese violence, prompting Chinese
authorities to intensify its suppression campaign in 2017.
The
United Nations in 2018 estimated that at least one million people had since
been thrown into “massive internment camps”.
Former
detainees have recounted to The Daily Telegraph horrific stories of physical
torture – shackled, beaten and electrocuted with cattle prods – and being made
to pledge loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
Others
said they were made to work in factories, one of the conditions for release
from the camps, while others said they were compelled to do so after their
spouses or relatives were detained.
Source:
Independent
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
PAS
could quit PN over Hadi’s exclusion from deal, says analyst
July
15, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s exclusion from a deal between Perikatan
Nasional (PN) and Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the deputy prime minister’s post could
see the Islamic party quit the coalition, says a political analyst.
Azmi
Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said the fact that Hadi did not know about the
agreement showed there was a lack of unity within PN.
Last
week, Hadi, the PN deputy chairman, said there was no official agreement
between the coalition and Ismail on the DPM’s post for Bersatu.
This
prompted PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin to tell Hadi to ask PAS secretary-general
Takiyuddin Hassan on the matter as Takiyuddin was the one who drafted the
agreement.
“This
is a big issue (Hadi being unaware of the agreement),” Azmi told FMT.
“It
gives PAS a reason to distance itself from PN ahead of the next general
election (GE15). Essentially, for PAS, it’s a ticket to ditching Bersatu.”
Azmi
said he believes it would be more beneficial for PAS to contest GE15 on its own
as it could use its own logo and would not have to share seats with Bersatu or
any other PN component.
Another
analyst, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya, said PAS should have been kept
in the loop as a key member of PN.
He
said PN must now address the issues arising from the agreement as it could
affect PAS’ decision to contest under the coalition in GE15.
Awang
Azman said PAS grassroots were bound to be upset that Hadi had no knowledge of
the agreement.
“I
believe that at the end of the day, all PAS leaders will abide by whatever Hadi
decides on the matter.
“Right
now, Takiyuddin is trying to downplay the crisis by saying it is not an
agreement that was signed but a memorandum of agreement, but I think this is
confusing (for the grassroots).”
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Man
Shoots Himself in the Head, Adding to the Mystifying Suicides in Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
16
Jul 2022
A
20-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in Afghanistan’s Northern Province,
Faryab, according to local sources.
This
occurrence reportedly occurred on Friday night, 15 July, in the Shirin Tagab
district’s Tortakal village in Faryab province.
The
media was informed by sources that this young man, Mohammad Essa, was a
resident of the said village and committed suicide by shooting a rifle bullet
into his head.
This
young man committed suicide, although its exact cause and motivation still
remain unknown.
In
particular, Faryab province in northern Afghanistan is experiencing a rise in
suicide occurrences.
In
the most recent incident, a 20-year-old man took his own life on Wednesday
night by hanging himself in this province’s Almar district.
He
hanged himself in his chamber and went by the name of Mohammad. His suicide was
the result of an undetermined reason.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Acting
Foreign Minister Mutaqqi: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Has Made Progress with
International Countries Relations
July
16, 2022
In
a gathering on Thursday, Amir Khan Mutaqqi, the acting foreign minister, said
that the Islamic Emirate has made advances in interacting with the
international community.
The
acting foreign minister, who travelled to Kunduz province after visiting
Badakhshan, said that Kabul possesses good relations with all neighbours and
international countries.
Mutaqqi
met with local officials and residents across Kunduz.
“Our
relations are getting stronger every day. You witness these high-ranking
delegations of foreign countries who visit Kabul, and Kabul’s delegates are
going abroad,” said Amir Khan Mutaqqi.
It
has been eleven months since the Islamic Emirate seized power in Afghanistan
and its government has not yet been officially recognized by a single country.
Mutaqqi mentioned recognition as well.
“Our
relations with countries and our travels abroad are official, but there is a
separate issue involving the many reasons that recognition has not been
announced, we have progress toward recognition as well,” said Amir Khan
Mutaqqi.
Meanwhile,
political analysts said that the Islamic Emirate government has not been
recognized because it has not fulfilled conditions set by the international
community.
An
inclusive government, respecting the rights of women and girls, and fighting
insurgency are prominent demands made by the international community.
“A
lack of an inclusive government ... is a main reason that the Taliban-led
government is not recognized,” said Sayed Jawad Sajadi, international relations
expert.
“The
countries engage with ruling groups to prevent a humanitarian crisis,” said
Naseer Ahmad Taraki, an international relations expert.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-178945
--------
Cash-Strapped
Taliban 'Exploiting' Afghanistan's Natural Resources To Boost Revenue
July
15, 2022
By
Abubakar Siddique
Cash-strapped
and cut off from international aid, the Taliban-led government is tapping into
Afghanistan's natural resources to boost revenue.
Since
the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in Kabul and seized power in
August 2021, the export of and custom duties from coal have become a key source
of revenue for the militant group.
Afghanistan
has significant deposits of coal. Out of the country's 80 coal mines, 17 are
operational, with most located in central and northern Afghanistan. Much of the
coal is being trucked to neighboring Pakistan, which is facing a severe energy
crisis.
But
exports have hit snags recently after the Taliban hiked prices, in a move that
has put off importers. Competing claims over coal mines has also triggered
Taliban infighting.
‘Desperate
Need To Raise Funds'
Foreign
trade has fallen off dramatically since the Taliban seized power, and the
international assistance that once propped up the Afghan economy has
evaporated, leaving the Taliban to fund its government on its own. No country
has recognized the Taliban-led government, which has been hit by international
sanctions.
The
Taliban has relied heavily on tax collection and the increased export of
valuable natural resources like coal to generate revenue.
In
May, the militants increased coal exports to Pakistan, aiming to generate more
revenue from Afghanistan's mining sector and capitalize on record prices for
coal. Global supplies have fallen due to Russia's war against Ukraine and top
exporter Indonesia's ban on exports.
The
Taliban reportedly collected around $40 in million in customs duties from coal
exported to Pakistan in the first six months of this year. The hard-line
Islamists have also boosted coal exports to 1.8 million tons in the past year,
a rise of 16 percent. The Taliban has been exporting an estimated 12,000 to
14,000 tons of coal, mostly to Pakistan, each day.
But
the Taliban's plan to use Afghanistan's easy-to-extract coal deposits to
generate much-needed revenue has hit roadblocks in recent weeks.
Last
month, the Taliban increased its taxes on coal exports from 20 percent to 30
percent. In early July, the Taliban's Finance Ministry said it also lifted
prices for coal from $90 per ton to $200. On July 15, coal was trading at over
$300 per ton on international markets.
The
price hike came soon after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced
plans to import heavily discounted coal from Afghanistan using Pakistani rupees
to save dwindling foreign reserves.
The
revelation sparked a public outcry in Afghanistan, where many have long viewed
the Taliban as a Pakistani proxy. Islamabad has been the militants' key foreign
sponsor for decades and sheltered the Islamist group during its nearly 20-year
insurgency against Afghan and international forces.
"The
Taliban are sensitive to how Afghans domestically perceive them," said
Hameed Hakimi, an Afghanistan expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
"Therefore, selling coal cheaply to Pakistan would inevitably paint them
as Pakistani puppets."
Ultimately,
Hakimi said, the price hike has "a lot to do with the Taliban's desperate
need to raise funds and maximize revenues."
Pakistan
is reportedly reevaluating its purchase of Afghan coal following the Taliban's
decision to more than double prices for the commodity. Chinese energy companies
in Pakistan have threatened to stop importing Afghan coal.
‘Exploited
Mining'
In
forecasting a $2.6 billion budget that has impressed experts despite a
projected $500 million deficit, the Taliban claimed to have cleaned up
corruption in the collection of taxes and from the illegal mining and export of
natural resources.
But
experts said that significant amounts of coal were still being smuggled to
Pakistan, an issue also faced by the previous government. Observers said some
Taliban leaders and commanders were benefiting from illegal exports that
skirted their own government's revenue collection systems.
"Right
now, there is no legal and administrative framework for mining," said an
Afghan mining expert who did not want to reveal his identity for security
reasons. "The most powerful figures in successive Afghan governments have
exploited mining to line their pockets and this has continued."
Control
over natural resources has led to Taliban infighting. Last month, the Taliban
launched a major offensive against Mehdi Mujahid, formerly the most senior
ethnic Hazara security official in the Taliban government. Observers said the
violence was at least partly over the control of coal mines in Mujahid's native
northern province of Sar-e Pul.
"Competition
over mineral resources will be a key driver of Taliban infighting," the
Afghan mining expert said.
During
its insurgency, the Taliban partly funded its insurgency by operating mines and
imposing illegal taxes on the trade.
Source:
Gandhara
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Canada’s
Special Afghan Immigration Program Closes to New Applicants
By
Saqalain Eqbal
16
Jul 2022
The
federal government of Canada is no longer accepting new referrals for the
special immigration program designed to give priority to former employees of
the Canadian Armed Forces or government and their families, even though it is
less than halfway to its target of bringing 40,000 Afghans to Canada.
According
to CBC News, the Canadian government is reviewing the last of the 18,000
applications submitted by Afghans seeking to enter the country through the
program.
The
online referral platform for the program is still up and running, but a
spokesman for the Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser confirmed in a
media statement that all slots in the program have been filled.
The
program appeared to be poised to terminate in mid-June, according to Canadian
media, causing a coalition of humanitarian organizations to release a joint
statement criticizing the action.
Refugee
advocates continue to argue that the decision to phase out the program abandons
Afghans who are longing to go to Canada.
However,
other options for Afghans who want to come to Canada, according to the Canadian
Immigration Ministry, include a humanitarian program and another that assists
the families of former military translators.
Since
August of last year, around 16,540 Afghans have entered Canada through the
program.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/canadas-special-afghan-immigration-program-closes-to-new-applicants-584943/
--------
Selling
coal cheaply to Pak paints Taliban as Pakistani puppets
Jul
16 2022
New
Delhi, Jul 16 (IANS): Cash-strapped and cut off from international aid, the
Taliban-led government is tapping into Afghanistan's natural resources to boost
revenue, media reports said.
Ever
since the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in Kabul and seized
power in August 2021, the export of and customs duties from coal have become a
key source of revenue for the militant group, RFE/RL reported.
Afghanistan
has significant deposits of coal. Out of the country's 80 coal mines, 17 are
operational, with most located in central and northern Afghanistan. Much of the
coal is being trucked to neighbouring Pakistan, which is facing a severe energy
crisis, the report said.
The
revelation sparked a public outcry in Afghanistan, where many have long viewed
the Taliban as a Pakistani proxy. Islamabad has been the militants' key foreign
sponsor for decades and sheltered the Islamist group during its nearly 20-year
insurgency against Afghan and international forces.
"The
Taliban are sensitive to how Afghans domestically perceive them," said
Hameed Hakimi, an Afghanistan expert at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.
"Therefore,
selling coal cheaply to Pakistan would inevitably paint them as Pakistani
puppets," he said, RFE/RL reported.
Ultimately,
Hakimi said, the price hike has "a lot to do with the Taliban's desperate
need to raise funds and maximise revenues".
The
price hike came soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced
plans to import heavily discounted coal from Afghanistan using Pakistani rupees
to save dwindling foreign reserves, RFE/RL reported.
Pakistan
is reportedly re-evaluating its purchase of Afghan coal following the Taliban's
decision to more than double prices for the commodity. Chinese energy companies
in Pakistan have threatened to stop importing Afghan coal.
But
exports have hit snags recently after the Taliban hiked prices, in a move that
has put off importers. Competing claims over coal mines has also triggered
Taliban infighting, RFE/RL reported.
Foreign
trade has fallen off dramatically since the Taliban seized power, and the
international assistance that once propped up the Afghan economy has
evaporated, leaving the Taliban to fund its government on its own. No country
has recognized the Taliban-led government, which has been hit by international
sanctions.
The
Taliban has relied heavily on tax collection and the increased export of
valuable natural resources like coal to generate revenue.
In
May, the militants increased coal exports to Pakistan, aiming to generate more
revenue from Afghanistan's mining sector and capitalize on record prices for
coal. Global supplies have fallen due to Russia's war against Ukraine and top
exporter Indonesia's ban on exports.
The
Taliban reportedly collected around $40 in million in customs duties from coal
exported to Pakistan in the first six months of this year. The hard-line
Islamists have also boosted coal exports to 1.8 million tonnes in the past
year, a rise of 16 per cent. The Taliban has been exporting an estimated 12,000
to 14,000 tonnes of coal, mostly to Pakistan, each day, RFE/RL reported.
But
the Taliban's plan to use Afghanistan's easy-to-extract coal deposits to
generate much-needed revenue has hit roadblocks in recent weeks.
Source:
Daiji World
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=979537
--------
Mideast
Iranian
President: Slightest Mistake by US, Allies to Face Iran's Rigid Response
2022-July-15
Iranian
president's remarks came a day after US President Joe Biden embarked on his
first visit to the region since taking office.
"I
say that any mistake by the Americans and their allies in the region and the
world will be met with a harsh and regrettable response," President
Rayeesi said while referring to the hostile and destabilizing activities of the
US and its allies in the region.
"Today,
Islamic Iran is stronger than ever and the United States on the contrary is
weaker than ever," he added.
The
Iranian president reiterated that the great nation of Iran does not accept any
kind of insecurity and crisis in the region, and the Muslim nations of the
region hate the humiliating relations of their governments with America, which
has led to the looting of their country's wealth.
The
US president and the Israeli premier signed a joint statement on their
strategic partnership, which includes the United States’ official commitment to
the region in particular concerning the regime’s constant allegation over
preventing of the Islamic Republic from attaining atomic weapon.
In
the joint statement, which was published by the White House’s official website
on Thursday, Washington stressed on its steady abidance by maintaining and
enhancing Tel Aviv’s capability in deterring its enemies and defending itself
in the face of any threat or a combination of threats.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
Biden-Lapid Statement Targets Entire Muslim States
2022-July-15
"In
the joint Biden-Lapid statesment, stable and firm commitment of the US to
maintain security and military superiority of Israel has been emphasized,"
Kana'ani said in a tweet.
"It
should not be mistaken that the target is merely Iran, but Arab and Islamic
countries should constantly accept superiority of the Zionist regime," he
added.
Kan'ani
reiterated that therefore, the main source of threat for the region is
completely clear.
The
US president and the Israeli premier signed a joint statement on their
strategic partnership, which includes the United States’ official commitment to
the region in particular concerning the regime’s constant allegation over
preventing of the Islamic Republic from attaining atomic weapon.
In
the joint statement, which was published by the White House’s official website
on Thursday, Washington stressed on its steady abidance by maintaining and
enhancing Tel Aviv’s capability in deterring its enemies and defending itself
in the face of any threat or a combination of threats.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010424000253/Iran-Biden-Lapid-Saemen-Targes-Enire-Mslim-Saes
--------
Iran:
US-Israel Statement Makes Iran More Resolved to Go for Its Rights
2022-July-15
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its path towards enhancing steady
economic development and honorable effort to lift sanctions by the use of power
and reasoning," the Iranian foreign minister tweeted.
“We
will not fall short to pursue the inalienable rights of the great nation of
Iran,” he added.
Amir
Abdollahian reiterated that reaching a good, powerful and stable agreement is
Iran's goal, and said, "Undoubtedly, the puppetry by the White House and
Zionism in the region will make us more determined."
The
US president and the Israeli premier signed a joint statement on their
strategic partnership, which includes the United States’ official commitment to
the region in particular concerning the regime’s constant allegation over
preventing of the Islamic Republic from attaining atomic weapon.
In
the joint statement, which was published by the White House’s official website
on Thursday, Washington stressed on its steady abidance by maintaining and
enhancing Tel Aviv’s capability in deterring its enemies and defending itself
in the face of any threat or a combination of threats.
The
anti-Iran statement also mentioned that the US underlines that one of the
essentials of the commitment is complying with "preventing Iran from
developing nuclear weapon forever", and that the United States is prepared
to utilize all elements of its national might to guarantee this matter.
In
a relevant developmenton Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser
Kana'ani underlined that the joint statement issued by US President Joe Biden
and Israeli regime prime minister Yair Lapid does not merely target Iran but it
tries to dictate Tel Aviv's superiority over the Muslim and Arab states.
"In
the joint Biden-Lapid statesment, stable and firm commitment of the US to
maintain security and military superiority of Israel has been emphasized,"
Kana'ani said in a tweet.
"It
should not be mistaken that the target is merely Iran, but Arab and Islamic
countries should constantly accept superiority of the Zionist regime," he
added.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
strikes Hamas ‘military site’ after Gaza rocket fire: Army
16
July ,2022
Israeli
warplanes struck a weapons manufacturing facility in the Gaza Strip early
Saturday, the military said, after rocket fire against Israeli territory.
The
exchange of fire came hours after US President Joe Biden visited Israel and the
occupied West Bank.
“A
short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck a military site in the central Gaza
Strip belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation,” a statement from the Israel
Defense Forces said.
“The
military site consists of an underground complex containing raw materials used
for the manufacturing of rockets.
“The
strike on this site will significantly impede and undermine Hamas'
force-building capabilities,” it said, adding that Israel was responding to
“attacks from the Gaza Strip on Israeli territory”.
During
the night there had been two separate launches, each of two rockets, towards
Israeli territory, the military said.
Warning
sirens alerting residents to the rocket fire had sounded during the night in
the city of Ashkelon and elsewhere in Israel's south.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gravestones
in Istanbul’s Jewish cemetery vandalized
15 July
,2022
Vandals
broke into a Jewish cemetery in Istanbul overnight and smashed dozens of
gravestones, the local Jewish community said Friday.
It
said in a post on Twitter that gravestones were destroyed in the Haskoy
cemetery, sharing pictures of the vandalism.
“The
matter has been conveyed to the relevant authorities with all the pictures and
night recordings, and we expect the perpetrators of this vandalism to be caught
as soon as possible,” it added.
Interior
Minister Suleyman Soylu took to Twitter to condemn the “heinous” attack.
“Two
of the perpetrators were detained with the meticulous work of our Istanbul
Police Department, the investigation continues,” he said.
“Those
who try to disrupt our unity and solidarity with such provocative attacks will
never be allowed” to succeed, he added.
Istanbul
governor’s office said in a statement that five minors aged between 11-13 were
responsible for destroying the 81 gravestones in the Jewish cemetery.
“As
a result of the examination of the security camera footage, it was determined
that 81 gravestones were destroyed in the cemetery, and that the incident was
carried out by children aged 11-13,” it said.
The
suspects “have been apprehended and the investigation is continuing. We offer
our best wishes to our Jewish citizens.”
Turkey’s
Christian and Jewish cemeteries are regular targets of vandalism in the
predominantly Muslim country.
In
2020, graves in an Armenian cemetery in the capital Ankara were desecrated.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
navy announces drone division in Indian Ocean during Biden’s Middle East visit
15
July ,2022
Iran
on Friday announced its first drone division in the Indian Ocean, state TV
said, as US President Joe Biden visits the Middle East to rally support to
counter Iranian threats.
The
TV report did not say how many vessels or drones were included in each unit,
only that one ship carried 50 drones.
On
Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington believed that
Iran was preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones,
including some that are weapons capable, and that Iran was preparing to train
Russian forces to use them.
Iran’s
foreign ministry neither confirmed nor denied Sullivan’s statement.
Iran
has supplied unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to its allies in the Middle East.
Iranian
TV said the drones that were displayed on Friday included the Pelican, Arash,
Homa, Chamrosh, Jubin, Ababil-4 and Bavar-5.
On
Thursday, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge in
Jerusalem to deny Iran nuclear arms, an apparent move toward accommodating
Israel’s calls for a “credible military threat” by world powers.
Asked
by Israeli television this week whether his past statements that he would
prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon meant he would use force against
Iran, Biden replied: “If that was the last resort, yes.”
“The
Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price of using the word
‘force’ against Iran,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the
Iranian armed forces, was quoted as saying by Iranian media on Friday.
The
United States and Israel are seeking to lay the groundwork for a security
alliance with Arab states that would connect air defense systems, sources
familiar with the plan have said.
Iran
denies it seeks nuclear weapons, saying that its nuclear program is for solely
peaceful purposes.
Tehran
struck a deal with six major powers in 2015 under which it limited its uranium
enrichment program to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon in return for
relief from international sanctions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Islamic
Cleric Stresses on Religious Tolerance
By
Salifu Usman
Amid
rising religious intolerance in the country, Nigerians of different faiths have
been urged to imbibe the culture of mutual trust and sincerity to ensure
freedom of religion.
The
chief missioner of Nasrul-Lahi-l-Fatih Society (NASFAT), Imam Abdul-Azeez
Onike, gave the admonition in his goodwill message to Nigerians as Muslims set
to celebrate Sallah.
He
said only the culture of mutual trust and sincerity to one another would
guarantee good interfaith relations and peaceful co-existence, stressing that
the continuous accusation and counter accusations of religious persecution and
intolerance will not do the nation any good.
Citing
the presentation of Prof Usman Yusuf who represented the president of Supreme
Council of Islamic Affairs and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar Sa’ad, at
the 2nd Annual International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington DC on
June 28-30, 2022, Onike said: “The situation where the religion of Islam is
painted as the aggressive party, violators of peaceful coexistence and
religious freedom by people who profess other faith, will not assist our
resolve to fight our common enemy: those who are involved in banditry,
kidnapping and other vices.
“As
the people of faith, we are not expected to fan the embers of discord and heat
up the polity by feeding our members and the outside world with distorted facts
about the insecurity situations in the country, which evidently does not
discriminate on the basis of religion or ethnicity.
Both
Muslims and Christians and their worship centers have fallen victims to the
dastardly acts of haters of peace, and we all should work together to defeat
the enemies of peace. We need peace, security, love and tranquility, our Noble
Prophet (SAW) says.”
https://leadership.ng/islamic-cleric-harps-on-religious-tolerance/
--------
Tunisia's
Islamist who went from kingmaker to opposition
July
16, 2022
By
Angus Mcdowall
TUNIS,
July 15 (Reuters) - Tunisia's Rached Ghannouchi is coming full circle.
From
political prisoner and exile before the 2011 revolution to kingmaker and
parliament speaker after it, the Islamist leader is back under investigation by
authorities while an adversary sits in the presidential palace.
After
President Kais Saied last summer closed the elected parliament and started to
rule by decree, Ghannouchi accused him of a coup and positioned his Ennahda
party as one of Saied's fiercest critics.
Now,
with Saied having assumed extensive authority over the judiciary, a judge has
put Ghannouchi under investigation over suspicions of money laundering, charges
Ennahda have denied, calling them a political attack.
The
investigation comes soon before a July 25 referendum on Saied's new
constitution, which Ghannouchi and his party have vowed to boycott, seeing it
as a charade intended to enshrine the president's march to one-man rule. read
more
It
means that Ennahda and its leader Ghannouchi, now old and frail, his hands
often shaking, is once more centre stage in the tussle for Tunisia's future.
To
his admirers, Ghannouchi is a moderate whose penchant for compromise helped
avert political violence after the revolution and brought Tunisia to adopt a
democratic constitution.
However,
critics say he is a polarising and largely unpopular figure, due to ideological
divisions over Islamism and because of Ennahda's central part in years of
political paralysis and misgovernance that poisoned the well of democracy.
They
see him as a Trojan horse for more radical Islamists who used his party's
predominant position after 2011 to infiltrate every level of the state, charges
Ennahda denies.
REVOLUTION
Governing
power was a far cry from Ghannouchi's roots in a banned Islamist movement in
the 1980s, when he was imprisoned twice and then driven into two decades of
exile in the West London suburb of Ealing, accused of attempting a coup.
While
there he softened his ideology with democratic ideas and befriended fellow
Islamist leader Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
When
Tunisians rose up against president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, Ghannouchi
flew home. He landed a week after the autocrat had fled, and was met by an
exultant crowd.
Thousands
of his supporters filled the terminal, climbed roofs and perched on signposts
for a better view, chanting their support and sobbing with joy.
As the
small greying figure in a red scarf left the building with the throng pressing
around him, he took a loudspeaker to exhort them: "Continue your
revolution".
Ennahda
won the most seats in Tunisia's first free election nine months later, the
prelude to tense manoeuvring among rival factions with Islamists and
secularists increasingly at odds.
Ghannouchi
did not run for any public office until years later - an approach that set him
apart from Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood which won a presidential election within
16 months of the Arab Spring only to be forced from power by the army.
But
he remained the key figure behind an increasingly influential Ennahda.
As
divisions deepened in 2013 and spilled over into the streets, many Tunisians
feared the violence that had followed the revolt in neighbouring Libya would
break out at home too.
Ghannouchi
and a secularist president worked to calm the street, the launchpad for a new
constitution that was jubilantly ratified in parliament as rival politicians
embraced, weeping.
"We
succeeded in a peaceful revolution. We succeeded in avoiding civil war. We
achieved consensus," he said.
But,
for some, the compromises rankled.
Opponents
of political Islam accused Ghannouchi of turning a blind eye towards the
Tunisian jihadists who flocked to join Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and
carried out assassinations at home, something he denied.
Many
of his supporters meanwhile attacked his decision to support a controversial
law granting amnesty to officials accused of corruption under Ben Ali. He said
that as a former victim of political exclusion, he believed the new Tunisia
must include even those connected to the old regime.
But
as Tunisia's economy faltered and state services deteriorated, Ennahda was tied
to unpopular policies.
Meanwhile,
Ghannouchi sought to distance Ennahda from political Islam, rebranding it as a
"Muslim democrat" party and splitting its political mission from its
social and religious activities.
When
he stood for public office for the first time, in the 2019 parliamentary
election, Ennahda turned in its weakest performance for years but was still the
largest party with about a quarter of the seats.
He
won the speaker's office, a splendid 19th century confection of rich stonework,
carved plaster and gilt partitions, along a corridor from the main parliament
chamber under its stuccoed dome and arcade of horseshoe arches.
But,
with parliament fragmented, his own party restive and political leaders
squabbling, he was an old lion at bay.
Sitting
at the red wooden dais to address parliament members on their green leather
benches, his voice was often faint and his hands trembling as rivals stood to
challenge or bait him.
Source:
Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Tunisia's
Islamist leader says president moving country towards dictatorship
July
16, 2022
TUNIS,
July 15 (Reuters) - Tunisia's president is using a referendum on a new
constitution to move back towards dictatorship, the head of the biggest
Tunisian opposition party, the Islamist Ennahda, warned on Friday.
Rached
Ghannouchi, who was parliament speaker until President Kais Saied shut the
chamber and seized most powers last summer, said the atmosphere in the build-up
to the July 25 vote was "undemocratic and funereal".
Saied's
focus on political changes while the economy slid further towards crisis also
meant Tunisia faced a "Sri Lanka situation" with a looming social
explosion, Ghannouchi told Reuters in an interview.
"Saied's
speeches can only be translated into clashes, chaos and assassination...
Tunisia could reach the point of famine and is in dire need of dialogue to
confront these crises," he said.
Ghannouchi,
a former political prisoner, has been a leading player in Tunisian politics
since the 2011 revolution that ousted autocratic leader Zine al-Abidin Ben Ali,
introduced democracy and triggered the Arab Spring uprisings. read more
He
has been a main critic of Saied since the president's seizure of broad powers
last year.
"Tunisia
is moving towards a dictatorial regime that brings together all powers (under
one person)," he said.
Saied
has said his actions were needed to save Tunisia from years of political
infighting and stagnation, and that his constitution is correcting the course
of the 2011 revolution.
This
year, in the run-up to the referendum, Saied has greatly expanded his control
over the judiciary and the formerly independent electoral authority, raising
questions over rule of law and a fair vote.
His
proposed constitution gives him nearly unlimited powers while diluting the role
of the parliament and judiciary. Ennahda and most other parties have urged a
boycott of the referendum.
INVESTIGATION
Next
week, Ghannouchi must appear before an investigating judge on suspicion of
corruption, which he and Ennahda both deny, calling the charges political.
Activists
have warned that the authorities may use his hearing to arrest Ghannouchi.
"It would not be surprising if I am arrested," he said.
"Dictatorial
regimes seek to use the judiciary and employ the security services, as Ben Ali
did, against the opposition," he said.
Ghannouchi
compared the new constitution, which contains a legislative body based on
regional councils, to that of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and other Arab
autocrats.
"The
constitution establishes a unilateral, populist regime reminiscent of that of
Gaddafi and the Arab dictators," he said.
However,
he said, democratic principles had become well established among Tunisians over
the period since the revolution. He said Ennahda was urging its supporters to
boycott the referendum instead of voting 'no' because "entering a game
where your opponent sets all the rules is unwise".
Source:
Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Muslim-Muslim
ticket brings division in Kaduna – PDP chieftain, Aliyu
July
15, 2022
By
John Gabriel
A
chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kaduna State, Dr. Mustapha Aliyu,
has warned the governorship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress
Party (APC), in the state, Senator Uba Sani over his choice to fly a
Muslim-Muslim ticket.
DAILY
POST recalls that Uba Sani, a serving Senator, had on July 3, 2022, picked
Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe as his running mate for
the upcoming 2023 gubernatorial elections in the state.
Reacting
on Friday, Aliyu said for equity, justice, and fairness, Sani would have chosen
a Christian as deputy.
According
to him, Balarabe is even more than qualified, coupled with all her working
experiences in life, but when it comes to governance, it must be genuinely
looked at so that others may not see it as being cheated.
He
said Kaduna State is known to have two main religions; Christianity and Islam.
“Mallam
Nasir El-Rufai introduced Muslim-Muslim governorship in the state. He may think
he succeeded but other religions are not happy, because they have no
representative at the Government House to channel all their grievances when the
need arises,” he said.
According
to him, with a Muslim-Muslim ticket, the state is not only divided along
religious lines, but that other religion may feel inferior, unattended to,
rejected, or feel orphaned.
He
said the politics today is a complete departure from the past that brought
Christians and Muslims as one entity, adding that if politicians continued to
introduce what is not in the Constitution, people will hate themselves more.
“We
are not talking of failure or success of a political party candidate with
muslim-muslim ticket. At least, a candidate who introduced muslim-muslim ticket
knows how to manipulate elections to win. Our concern is not winning, but the
effect of muslim-muslim ticket on the people of the state. Many will see it as
division, hatred, instead of togetherness,” he said.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2022/07/15/muslim-muslim-ticket-brings-division-in-kaduna-pdp-chieftain-aliyu/
--------
Presidency:
Nigeria not divided by religion, ruling class manipulating masses – Keyamo
July
15, 2022
By
Fikayo Olowolagba
Festus
Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment says Nigeria is not divided
by religion or tribe as opposed to popular opinions.
Airing
his opinion via his Twitter page, the Minister said Nigeria is rather divided
into the ruling class and the masses.
According
to him, the ruling class projects division in Nigeria by manipulating the
masses with sentiments of religion and tribe so they don’t question the real
capacities of public officers.
His
tweet read: “Our nation is not divided by religion or ethnicity.
“It
is divided into the ruling class and the hapless masses who the ruling class
continuously manipulate by sentiments of religion and tribe so that the masses
will not wake up to interrogate their real capacities for public office.”
For
the past few days, Keyamo has been defensive of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the
All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2023.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
End
of Iran nuclear talks near, but unclear if they will reach deal: EU official
15
July ,2022
Negotiations
to bring Iran back into compliance with a landmark 2015 nuclear accord are
coming to an end, but it is not clear if they will result in an agreement
between Tehran and world powers, a senior EU official said on Friday.
In
2018, then-US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal, calling it too soft on
Iran, and reimposed harsh US sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach nuclear
limits in the pact.
“We
are very, very advanced in the negotiations. We have had a round of so-called
proximity talks in Doha; they produced no results and the reason is very clear
because we have negotiated everything that was on the table,” the official
said.
“We
can be more precise on some details that are still pending, we are waiting for
some ideas from Tehran and what the Americans have to say... I don’t know (if
it is) the end of the process, but the end of the negotiation, yes.”
France’s
foreign minister said this week there were only a few weeks left to revive the
deal and it was up to Iran to decide whether to sign what had been negotiated.
The United States says Iran has tacked on demands unrelated to discussions on
its nuclear program and had made alarming progress in enriching uranium.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Western
Balkans mark anniversary of defeated coup attempt in Türkiye
Talha
Ozturk
16.07.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Western
Balkan countries marked the sixth anniversary of the defeated 2016 coup attempt
in Türkiye with events across the region on Friday.
Residents
hailed Turkish courage in defeating those who attempted to stage the coup on
July 15, 2016 -- a day that has since been commemorated as Democracy and
National Unity Day in Türkiye.
The
Turkish Embassy in Belgrade organized a conference with academics at the
Serbian National Policy Center.
Foreign
Ministry State Secretary Nemanja Starovic, said then-Prime Minister and current
President Aleksandar Vucic was among the first European and world leaders to
support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the coup
attempt.
The
Turkish Ambassador to Belgrade Hami Aksoy said in a video message that it was the
will of the Turkish people that confronted the putsch and brought it to its
knees.
Also
to mark the day, Türkiye's Yunus Emre Institute organized a chess tournament in
Serbia for youngsters under the age of 18, including those with disabilities.
In
Novi Pazar, a photo exhibition on the coup attempt, featuring scenes captured
by Anadolu Agency, was opened to viewers.
The
city also hosted a football match between local FC Novi Pazar and FC Napretka
from Krusevac in honor of those killed in the putsch.
- Kosovo
In
neighboring Kosovo, the Turkish Embassy organized a memorial ceremony to mark
July 15.
Prime
Minister Albin Kurti was among those in attendance.
Kurti
said Turkish democracy had successfully overcome a serious challenge by beating
back the coup attempt and expressed his country's respect for those killed and
wounded.
-
Bosnia and Herzegovina
A
separate exhibition featuring photos by Anadolu Agency was also held in Bosnia
and Herzegovina's capital of Sarajevo.
The
president of the Srebrenica Mothers' Association, Munira Subasic, voiced
astonishment that such scenes could occur in Türkiye, praising its good people.
Also,
Sefik Dzaferovic, chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said
the Turkish people had shown their strength in resisting the coup and that they
would continue to have the strength.
-
Defeated coup
Türkiye
commemorated those killed during the defeated coup on Friday.
Since
its designation in October 2016, the country has marked July 15 as Democracy
and National Unity Day, with events to commemorate those who lost their lives
beating back the putschists and remembering the bravery of the nation.
FETO
and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which
left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.
Ankara
also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the
state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the
military, police and judiciary.
The
attempt by FETO to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time
(1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the following day.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
G20
talks overshadowed by Ukraine war as host Indonesia seeks consensus
July
15, 2022
NUSA
DUA, Indonesia: G20 finance leaders meeting in Bali must make progress tackling
the global economic threats sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine or the
humanitarian consequences would be catastrophic, host Indonesia said on Friday.
Some
Western ministers blasted Russian officials attending the talks, with US
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen saying Russia’s “brutal and unjust war” was
solely responsible for the economic crisis the world now faced.
Finance
leaders from the Group of 20 major economies are meeting on the resort island,
as host Indonesia tries to find common ground in a group frayed by the Ukraine
war and rising economic pressures from soaring inflation.
Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation,”
has overshadowed recent G20 meetings, including last week’s gathering of
foreign ministers.
Indonesian
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the world had high hopes the group
could find a solution to the threat of war, rising commodity prices and the
spillover effects on the ability of low-income countries to repay debt.
“We
are acutely aware that the cost of our failure to work together is more than we
can afford. The humanitarian consequences for the world, and especially for
many low income countries would be catastrophic,” she said.
G20
members include Western countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia and
accuse it of war crimes in Ukraine — which Moscow denies — as well as nations
like China, India and South Africa, which have been more muted in their responses.
Sri
Mulyani called for G20 members to talk less about politics and “build bridges
between each other” to deliver more technical decisions and concrete action.
Yellen
said Russian finance officials at the meeting shared responsibility for the
“horrific consequences” of the war.
“By
starting this war, Russia is solely responsible for negative spillovers to the
global economy, particularly higher commodity prices,” Yellen said.
Russian
Deputy Finance Minister Timur Maksimov was attending the meetings in Bali,
while Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov was participating virtually at
the time, a source familiar with the matter said.
Maksimov
addressed the gathering and there was no walk out by other leaders, the source
said.
Western
countries have repeatedly said there cannot be “business as usual” at the G20
meetings due to Russia’s presence.
Canadian
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told Russian officials that she held them
personally responsible for “war crimes” committed during Russia’s war, a Western
official told Reuters.
Freeland,
whose maternal grandparents were born in Ukraine, told the opening G20 session
that the war was the “single biggest threat to the global economy right now,”
the official said.
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walked out of one session of a G20 meeting with
his counterparts in Bali last week, following what he called “frenzied
criticism” of his country over the war.
That
meeting ended without a communique nor any announcements of agreements.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2122741/world
--------
Russian
officials visited Iran to view drones, says US official
July
16, 2022
JEDDAH:
The United States believes that Russian officials visited an airfield in Iran
recently to view attack-capable drones, US national security adviser Jake
Sullivan said on Saturday.
The
United States earlier this week said it has information that shows Iran is
preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones, including some
that are weapons capable, and that Tehran is preparing to train Russian forces
to use them. Iran’s foreign minister denied that.
“We
assess an official Russian delegation recently received a showcase of Iranian
attack-capable UAVs....To our knowledge, this is the first time a Russian
delegation has visited this airfield for such a showcase,” Sullivan said in a
statement.
The
statement included satellite imagery dated June 8 showing Iranian unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) “that the Russian government delegation saw that day.”
It said similar equipment was showcased for a second Russian visit to the
airfield on July 5.
On
Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a phone call with
his Ukrainian counterpart, rejected as baseless US accusations about Iranian
drones being sent to Russia for use in the war against the Ukraine.
Iran,
which has supplied UAVs to its allies in the Middle East, on Friday announced
its first naval drone-carrying division in the Indian Ocean as US President Joe
Biden visits the Middle East.
Biden
is expected to meet with Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia on Saturday and discuss
integrating missile and defense capabilities in the region to combat Iranian
drone and missile attacks in the Middle East.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2123331/middle-east
--------
Greece
a top haven for FETO terrorists fleeing justice in wake of 2016 defeated coup
in Türkiye
Derya
Gulnaz Ozcan
15.07.2022
ATHENS
After
the July 15, 2016 defeated coup attempt in Türkiye, neighboring Greece became a
top destination for members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO)
fleeing justice.
According
to the Greek press estimates, since July 15, 2016, nearly 20,000 Turkish
citizens, mostly FETO members, crossed into Greece via the Aegean islands or
the Meric (Evros) River. While some of them went on to other European
countries, about 9,000 of them sought political asylum in Greece itself.
Greece
rejects Ankara’s request for extradition of 8 coup plotters
Notoriously,
just one day after the coup bid, eight FETO member soldiers fled to the Greek
city of Alexandroupolis in a military helicopter belonging to Türkiye and
sought asylum there.
In
Greece, the soldiers claimed that they were unaware of the coup plot, and
Athens refused to agree to insistent extradition requests from Turkish
officials.
This
April the Greek media claimed that the FETO member soldiers were sent abroad by
Greek authorities out of fear Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization
(MIT) might seek to bring them home to face justice.
In
March 2021, FETO ringleader Fetullah Gulen sent a video message to a
promotional event in Athens for a book written about him.
"Greece
is a sister country," Gulen said. “Thanks to this brotherhood, we remember
them with gratitude and appreciation. [What Greece did] will be written with
gold and silver on the glorious pages of history.”
The
book about the terrorist leader, Fethullah Gulen: A Life of Service, was
written by US historian Jon Pahl and published in Greek by Papazisis
Publishers.
Defeated
coup
Türkiye
on Friday commemorates those killed during the July 15, 2016 defeated coup.
Since
its designation in October 2016, every year, the country marks July 15 as
Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held to commemorate those who
lost their lives beating back the putschists and remembering the bravery of the
nation.
FETO
and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which
left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.
Ankara
also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the
state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the
military, police, and judiciary.
The
attempt by FETO to overthrow the government began around 10 p.m. local time
(1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the next day.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/love-jihad-forced-convert/d/127497