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Islamic World News ( 1 Dec 2021, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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A Landmark Report into the British Media’s Coverage of Muslims and Islam Finds Shocking Levels of Misinformation, Stereotyping and Islamophobia

New Age Islam News Bureau

01 December 2021

 

A Muslim worshipper prays beneath the timber 'tree' columns inside Cambridge Central Mosque on 23 November 2021 (AFP)

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• Religious Conversions and Love Jihad to Come Up For Discussion at Hindu Ekta Mahakumbh Chitrakoot Discussion

• US Delegation Expresses Deep Concerns over Afghans' Abuses at Doha Meet With Taliban

• Pakistan Calls for Increase in Funding For Peace Efforts in Conflict-Hit Nations

• Taliban, Myanmar Junta Unlikely To Be Let Into UN for Now, Say Diplomats

 

Europe

• Afghanistan Assets Must Be Unfrozen, Taliban Won’t Buy Weapon: Putin

• European diplomats warn no time for ‘niceties’ in Iran nuclear talks

• Macron urges Iran’s Raisi to respect nuclear obligations ‘without delay’

• Far-right commentator announces French presidential bid

• ‘Camps in NE Syria mean ticking bomb for Europe’: EU counter-terrorism chief

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India

• Muslim Community Ill-Treated By Karnataka Govt, BJP Leader Manippady Writes To CM

• BSF DG Concedes Threat Of Pak Pushing In Taliban Fighters, Abandoned US Military Equipment Into Kashmir

• Apply for citizenship under CAA once rules come, govt says but mum on timeline

• Balapur ancient mosque will be restored soon: Mohammed Saleem

• Jaish's IED expert among two terrorists killed in encounter in J&K's Pulwama

• Weapons Looted By Taliban in Afghanistan Can Be Smuggled Into India, Border Force Warns

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North America

• US removes Colombia’s FARC from terrorism list

• US held responsible for deaths of thousands of civilians in Syria

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Pakistan

• Pakistan expects $3 billion reserves deposit from Saudi Arabia in days

• Bilawal terms talks with TTP betrayal of martyrs

• Punjab chief secretary told to ensure recitation of Darood Sharif at school assemblies

• Pakistan puts transit conditions on Indian aid to Afghanistan

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South Asia

• Transgender breakthrough hailed in Bangladesh

• Taliban, US Conclude Their Two-Day Negotiations In Doha

• Saudi Arabia and India to reopen their embassies in Kabul

• Taliban’s ops on Daesh in Nangarhar province, three Daesh affiliates killed four Taliban wounded

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Southeast Asia

• Nearly 1,100 Cases of Child Abuse Reported In Selangor from Jan-Sept, State Assembly Told

• Negri Sembilan recorded 1,064 divorces involving Muslim couples from Jan-Sept, state assembly told

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Arab World

• Lebanese Sunni Scholar: International Law Needed To Back Islamic Unity

• Hezbollah working to delay Lebanon elections: Geagea

• Final results confirm Sadr’s victory in last month’s Iraqi vote

• Syria claims it seized amphetamine-based drugs headed for Saudi Arabia

• UAE won’t stop Lebanese traveling to the United Arab Emirates: Gargash

• Arab Coalitions targets Iran-backed Houthi militia training camp

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Mideast

• 446-Year-Old Selimiye Ottoman Imperial Mosque Getting Revamped

• Iran: Red List Sanctions Prevent Green Light for US Return to N. Deal

• Iran’s Top Negotiator in Vienna: All Issues of Previous Round of Talks Subject of Discussions

• Spokesman: Iran Merely to Accept Removal of Unlawful Sanctions

• UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces funding crisis

• Turkey jails opposition figure over ‘political espionage’: Reports

• Israel warns military option on table to block Iran nuclear quest

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Africa

• Libya's Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi Accuses Military Force Of Obstructing His Electoral Appeal

• Moroccans set fire Israeli flag, call for end to Rabat's normalization with Zionists

• Uganda and Congo attack Islamist militia in joint operation

• Al-Shabaab terror group attacks Ethiopian troops, airport in Somalia

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:  https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/uk-media-islamophobia-muslims-misinformation/d/125881

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A Landmark Report into the British Media’s Coverage of Muslims and Islam Finds Shocking Levels of Misinformation, Stereotyping and Islamophobia

 

A Muslim worshipper prays beneath the timber 'tree' columns inside Cambridge Central Mosque on 23 November 2021 (AFP)

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December 1, 2021

A landmark report into the British media’s coverage of Muslims and Islam has found shocking levels of misinformation, stereotyping and Islamophobia.

Conducted by the Muslim Council of Britain’s Centre for Media Monitoring (CFMM), the report analyses over 48,000 online articles and 5,500 broadcast clips between October 2018 and September 2019, finding that almost 60 percent of the articles and 47 percent of the television clips associated Muslims and/or Islam with negative aspects of behaviour.

The report, entitled, British Media’s Coverage of Muslims and Islam (2018-2020), also presents 10 case studies in which Muslims are misrepresented, defamed and libelled in major publications, with damages paid in nine of the cases, alongside public apologies.

Of the publications monitored, The Spectator, Daily Mail Australia, Mail on Sunday, Christian Today and the Jewish Chronicle were found to have particularly antagonistic coverage of Muslims and/or Islam.

Right-wing and religious publications were found to have a "higher percentage of articles either demonstrating a bias against, or generalising or misrepresenting, Muslim belief or behaviour".

The Times, which published the false “Christian Child Forced into Muslim Foster Care” story - still available on the newspaper's website despite having a complaint upheld against it by the UK's press standards organisation - is found to have repeatedly maligned Muslims and Muslim institutions.

During the period covered by the CFMM’s analysis, the Jewish Chronicle, the Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday all paid out libel damages to Muslims and Muslim institutions.

'Well-worn tropes and generalisations'

The report's analysis of television clips found that national broadcasters were more likely to demonstrate bias against Muslims than regional ones. It also found that right-wing pundits were on many occasions "left unchallenged when making generalisations against Muslims, including promoting falsehoods".

Rizwana Hamid, CFMM's director, said: “This latest report does not seek to place blame on any newspaper or broadcaster, nor on any individual journalist or reporter... However, it is time for the industry to admit that, on occasion and too often when it comes to Muslims and Islam, it gets things wrong."

The report's author, Faisal Hanif, said: “While neither Muslims nor Islam should be immune from criticism or inquiry, where warranted, we do expect this to be done fairly and with due care, without resorting to well-worn tropes and generalisations.”

Two British newspaper editors, Emma Tucker of the Sunday Times and Alison Philips of The Mirror, welcomed the report. Tucker said this welcome came "in the full knowledge that it contains criticisms of the press, my own paper included".

Philips said the report "shows how much we as journalists must question ourselves and the work we are producing in relation to reporting of Muslims and Islam".

Almost one in ten online articles analysed misrepresented Muslims and/or Islam, with the majority of misrepresentation (82 percent) coming from news reporting.

The report found that when it came to associating Muslims with negative behaviour and activity - something present in 60 percent of articles analysed - the news agencies Reuters, Associated Press (AP) and AFP were the top offenders.

Those wire services were found to have almost exclusively bookended reporting on the harsh living conditions faced by Palestinians in Gaza with descriptions of the area being ruled by the "Islamist militant" group Hamas.

Most articles did not mention the Egyptian and Israeli blockades of the coastal enclave, described by the Norwegian Refugee Council as "the world's largest open-air prison".

The CFMM report describes wire agencies as "incubators of negative aspect and behaviours" connecting, often entirely unnecessarily, Muslims and Islam to terrorism, violent political events and strife in the Middle East.

Source: ABNA24

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://en.abna24.com/news//british-media-coverage-muslims-and-islam-as-a-shocking-levels-of-misinformation-stereotyping-islamophobia_1203931.html

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Religious Conversions and Love Jihad to Come Up For Discussion at Hindu Ekta Mahakumbh Chitrakoot Discussion

 

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath,will address a session of the Hindu Ekta Mahakumbh. (File photo)

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Dec 1, 2021

Lucknow: Though touted to be completely apolitical, the 12-point agenda of Hindu Ekta Mahakumbh, scheduled to be held in Chitrakoot on December 15-16, has all the ingredients which can give a political overtone to discussions.

Among the issues that would come up for discussion are religious conversions and love jihad which may influence the political discourse in the state that would go to polls early next year.

According to sources, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in the capacity of head priest of Gorakhnath Temple, will address a session of the Hindu Ekta Mahakumbh, which is being claimed to be the biggest conglomeration of Hindu saints and seers from across the country.

The ‘mahakumbh’ is being organised by Padma Vibhushan Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya. Though it is being claimed that around 5 lakh saints and seers from across the country will be present in Chitrakoot on December 15, at least one lakh seers from all sects are expected to attend the programme.

The theme of the event is “Chaahe Panth Anek Ho, Saare Hindu Ek Ho (All Hindus are one irrespective of different sects)”.

The topics of discussions include ‘Shri Ram Temple – A symbol of national respect’, solution and problems related to administrative control on mutts and temples of Hindus, religious conversion – an international conspiracy, need for population control law, nationalism and uniform civil code, love jihad – deviation of youths and its solution, need for Indian philosophy-based education, de-addiction, cow protection, social harmony, demonization of Hindu religion through various means of publicity, and environment-oriented cultural rejuvenation.

The RSS, the BJP and other Hindu organisations have been raising the issues of cow protection, love jihad, population control law, uniform civil code and religious conversions on various platforms.

Since these issues have remained close to the RSS, the mahakumbh is likely to have political implications too in view of the participation of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and CM Yogi Adityanath.

Source: Times of India

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/love-jihad-conversions-on-hindu-meet-agenda/articleshow/88017620.cms

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US Delegation Expresses Deep Concerns over Afghans' Abuses at Doha Meet With Taliban

 

Representational image. AP

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Dec 01, 2021

A delegation from the United States expressed deep concerns over alleged human rights abuses in Afghanistan during its meeting with Taliban representatives at Doha in Qatar.

The team, led by special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West, asked the ruling Islamic militant group to take necessary action to protect the rights of citizens in the war-torn nation, the US state department said.

West led a senior interagency delegation to discuss the Afghanistan situation with the Taliban in Doha.

In a statement, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said american officials expressed deep concern regarding allegations of human rights abuses and urged the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans. The US also urged the Taliban to uphold and enforce its policy of general amnesty, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative government.

Ted said the US delegation “emphasised the importance of the Taliban fulfilling its public commitment not to allow anyone to pose a threat to any country from the soil of Afghanistan, safe passage for US citizens and Afghans to whom we have a special commitment, the protection of the rights of all of Afghanistan’s citizens, including its women, girls, and minorities, and the safe release of hostage Mark Frerichs”.

The US also remains committed to ensure that sanctions against the Taliban do not limit the ability of Afghan civilians to receive humanitarian support from Washington.

West said the Taliban are aware that the US is deeply concerned about reports of retaliatory killings and forced disappearances of former ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) members. “We have urged the Taliban to ensure their promise of amnesty is upheld throughout their ranks and hold those responsible to account.

Speaking about US’ continue support to Afghan people with humanitarian aid, West said, “We've provided $474 million this year, applaud the robust efforts of Allies & partners in this space, & are making every effort to help the UN & humanitarian actors scale up to meet needs this winter.”

“We will continue clear-eyed, candid diplomacy with the Taliban. Legitimacy & support must be earned by actions to address terrorism, establish an inclusive government, & respect the rights of minorities, women & girls – including equal access to education & employment,” he further said.

Source: Hindustan Times

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-team-expresses-deep-concerns-over-afghans-abuses-at-doha-meet-with-taliban-101638330700198.html

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Pakistan Calls for Increase in Funding For Peace Efforts in Conflict-Hit Nations

 

Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN

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November 30, 2021

UNITED NATIONS: Lauding the role of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in supporting peace efforts in conflict-hit zones, Pakistan called for enlarging funding for the 31-member body’s activities aimed at economic and financial stabilisation of affected nations.

“Pakistan, as a troop-contributing country for six decades, has observed first-hand how the UN peacebuilding can act as a catalyst to mitigate violence and restore peace and stability in conflict-affected countries,” Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN, told the body’s annual session on financing for peacebuilding.

Pakistan’s troops, he said, have often mobilised their own resources to complement peacekeeping efforts with peacebuilding initiatives, calling the benefits of such endeavours “profound and far-reaching.”

In his remarks, Akram stressed the need for sustaining the existing funding streams to the Commission, while referring to the programmatic funding earmarked for peacebuilding activities in several peacekeeping missions.

“This vital funding stream must not disappear,” the envoy said.

“It should, in fact, be enlarged through the Security Council’s legislation of the appropriate mandates and the resources for appropriate mandates which should cover this peacebuilding aspect as well.”

Akram said that specific needs and priorities of the selected countries should ideally be identified by the governments of the countries concerned in order to mobilize additional resources for peacebuilding.

“These needs should then be transformed into specific projects and the financial support then mobilized for such projects from bilateral and multilateral sources, including the Peacebuilding Fund.”

He said Pakistan supports the expansion of the Peacebuilding Fund through all possible means — larger contributions from existing donors, contributions from new donor countries especially countries which have a national security interest in stabilising a particular country coming out of conflict, and contributions from institutions especially the international financial institutions (IFIs)/Multilateral Development Banks in particular.

“Peacebuilding and humanitarian support to distressed populations should not be nullified by sanctions and asset freezes which contradict or undermine the objectives of peacebuilding and security stabilisations or humanitarian assistance,” the envoy stressed.

Source: Pakistan Today

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/11/30/pakistan-calls-for-increase-in-funding-for-peace-efforts-in-conflict-hit-nations/

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Taliban, Myanmar junta unlikely to be let into UN for now, say diplomats

December 1, 2021

A United Nations committee meeting on Wednesday is unlikely to allow Afghanistan’s Taliban or Myanmar’s junta to represent their countries at the 193-member world body, say diplomats.

Rival claims have been made for the seats of both countries with the Taliban and Myanmar’s junta pitted against ambassadors appointed by the governments they ousted this year. UN acceptance of the Taliban or Myanmar’s junta would be a step toward the international recognition sought by both.

A nine-member UN credentials committee, which includes Russia, China and the United States, will meet at UN headquarters to consider the credentials of all 193 members for the current session of the UN General Assembly. The committee will likely defer its decisions on the representation of Afghanistan and Myanmar on the understanding that the current ambassadors for both countries remain in the seats, four diplomats told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

The committee — which also includes the Bahamas, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden — will then send its report on the credentials of all members to the UN General Assembly for approval before the end of the year.

Both the committee and the General Assembly traditionally take decisions on credentials by consensus, diplomats say.

Leverage

The Taliban, which seized power in mid August from the internationally-recognised government, has nominated its Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador. The current UN ambassador appointed by the ousted government, Ghulam Isaczai, has also asked to keep the seat.

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 the ambassador of the government they toppled remained the UN representative after the credentials committee deferred its decision on rival claims to the seat.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the Taliban’s desire for international recognition is the only leverage other countries have to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s nominated UN envoy Shaheen posted on Twitter earlier this month: “We have all the conditions needed for occupying the seat of Afghanistan at UN. We hope legal requirements will supersede political preferences.”

Myanmar’s junta, which seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February, has put forward military veteran Aung Thurein to be its UN envoy. Current Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun — appointed by Suu Kyi’s government — has also asked to renew his UN accreditation, despite being the target of a plot to kill or injure him over his opposition to the coup.

The former UN special envoy on Myanmar, who stepped down last month, warned that no country should recognize or legitimise the junta, while Guterres pledged in February to mobilise pressure “to make sure that this coup fails.”

Source: Indian Express

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/taliban-afghanistan-myanmar-united-nations-seat-7650145/

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Europe

 

Afghanistan assets must be unfrozen, Taliban won’t buy weapon: Putin

01 Dec 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Taliban have billions of dollars worth of weapons left by the previous Afghan government and the US and added that they do not need to buy more so the assets of Afghanistan must be released.

Speaking at economic union in the Russian capital Moscow, Vladimir Putin said the Taliban desperately need the money to address the humanitarian crisis, buy medicines, and support the Afghan children.

Raising the voice, Putin has now joined the countries and international organizations that have been calling on the west to release over $9 billion of Afghanistan to help address the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Russian president has called on the Western Banks especially American Banks to pioneer and release the fund for humanitarian needs.

Source: Khaama Press

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-assets-must-be-unfrozen-taliban-wont-buy-weapon-putin-8758676/

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European diplomats warn no time for ‘niceties’ in Iran nuclear talks

01 December ,2021

European negotiators on Tuesday said they will assess the “seriousness” of the Iranian position over the next few days to decide whether to continue with recently resumed talks about reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

Without wanting to set “an artificial deadline”, “we don't have the luxury to spend time on niceties”, one of the European diplomats at the talks said, declining to be identified.

“If they don't show that they are serious about this work, then we'll have a problem,” diplomats from the E3 nations of Britain, France and Germany said.

“The next 48 hours will be very important.”

After Monday's formal meeting, groups of experts began work on Tuesday on the sensitive issue of US sanctions, before tackling Tehran's nuclear commitments on Wednesday.

While the EU chair of the talks, Enrique Mora, said he was optimistic at the end of the inaugural session, the diplomats were more measured: “We neither breathed a sigh of relief” nor cried disaster, one of them said.

The diplomats said they hoped to have “a clearer picture by the end of the week”, referring to a possible “breakdown” in negotiations if no progress was made.

“It will be time to reconsider our diplomatic approach, but we are not there yet.”

The 2015 agreement, known by its acronym JCPOA, offered Tehran the lifting of some of the sanctions stifling its economy in exchange for a drastic reduction in its nuclear program, which was to be placed under strict UN control.

But the US left the pact in 2018 under then president Donald Trump and reinstated the punitive measures.

In turn, the Islamic Republic, which denies it wants the bomb, has gradually abandoned its commitments.

US President Joe Biden's administration, eager to get back into the deal, is indirectly involved in these talks, which began in April before breaking down in June with the coming to power of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raissi in Iran.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/12/01/European-diplomats-warn-no-time-for-niceties-in-Iran-nuclear-talks-

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Macron urges Iran’s Raisi to respect nuclear obligations ‘without delay’

30 November ,2021

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi to return to fulfilling Tehran’s obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal “without delay” as negotiators seek to revive the accord at talks in Vienna, his office said.

In telephone talks on Monday, Macron urged Raisi to engage in a “constructive manner” in the talks that resumed after a suspension of almost half a year, following the election of the hardliner to the Iranian presidency.

European powers are seeking to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that has been moribund since the United States walked out in 2018, prompting Tehran to ramp up nuclear activities as Washington reimposed sanctions.

France’s objective “was to see Iran return to full respect for all of its commitments under the JCPOA and that the United States return to the agreement,” the French presidency said.

Macron also “underscored the need for Iran to engage constructively in this direction so that the exchanges allow a swift return to the agreement,” it added.

“Iran must return without delay to compliance with all its commitments and obligations... and quickly resume cooperation that allows the (UN atomic) agency to fully carry out its mission,” it said.

A statement from Raisi’s office added that he urged Macron “to strive with other parties in Vienna to conclude the negotiations and lift the sanctions against Iran.”

“Sending a full team to the talks shows Iran’s serious will in these talks,” Raisi said.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/11/30/Macron-urges-Iran-s-Raisi-to-respect-nuclear-obligations-without-delay-

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‘Camps in NE Syria mean ticking bomb for Europe’: EU counter-terrorism chief

Agnes Szucs  

30.11.2021

BRUSSELS

Former members of the Daesh/ISIS terror group and their families in camps and prisons of northeastern Syria mean "a ticking bomb" for European security, the EU’s new counter-terrorism chief said on Tuesday.

Speaking for the first time at the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defense, Ilkka Salmi, the recently appointed EU counter-terrorism coordinator, gave an analysis on the most pressing challenges for European security.

Salmi warned that the bloc had to provide humanitarian aid and support to reduce the radicalization of former Daesh/ISIS fighters and their families who are held in camps and prisons in northeast Syria.

“They're a ticking time bomb for European security if you ask me,” he pointed out.

He also noted that to improve the humanitarian situation, the bloc has to support the reintegration of Syrian and Iraqi camp residents into their local communities.

Salmi, who has just returned from the Balkans where he studied the situation of evacuated Afghans, promised to visit those Syrian camps next spring.

Talking about the consequences of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, he reminded that the EU had to prevent the infiltration of terrorists “through the development of a common procedure for systematic and timely security checks of biographical data, for instance, against all the relevant EU and internal databases.”

He also warned that they “might have a not insignificant number of Afghans” evacuated by the US and waiting now in Kosovo who could pose security concerns for the EU.

In total, there are 430 Afghans in Kosovo processed by NATO and another 2,500 Afghans in Albania who were assisted by US NGOs, he explained.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/-camps-in-ne-syria-mean-ticking-bomb-for-europe-eu-counter-terrorism-chief/2435145

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India

 

Muslim community ill-treated by Karnataka govt, BJP leader Manippady writes to CM

by Kiran Parashar

December 1, 2021

BJP leader and former Chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission Anwar Manippady has accused the Basavaraj Bommai-led government of ill treating the Muslim community in the state. In a letter to the Chief Minister, Manippady has expressed his disappointment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas is not being practiced in Karnataka and that the ‘Muslim community is being ill-treated, harassed and threatened with dire consequences even if our action are legitimate and legally binding’.

In his letter, he said that the Muslims are unable to get burial grounds despite a court order and they had to travel as far as 25-35km in search of burial grounds during the pandemic.

In the letter, he stated, “A burial ground allotted to us through the court order in 2005 has not been given to us. Recently, during the Covid pandemic we had to travel 25 to 35 kms in search of a burial ground for burying our brothers and sisters dead bodies which was rampant then. The expenses were touching up to Rs 40,000 inclusive of ambulance charges. Even during the normal times we had to travel quite a distance for the burial. Doddanagamangla, Survey no 5, Bangalore South Taluk has no Muslim burial grounds in an about 6-7kms vicinity. Moreover this Taluk has many Hoblis and villages without a burial ground.”

“In fact when 2 acres were being granted to our community we saw to it that Hindu and backward communities also got their lands for their cemeteries. None of them had come to fight for the land as they had their cemeteries in the close vicinity. We did that as an amiable gesture and also to get our land for the burial. As we thought that the majority community’s names could get our burial ground easily,” he added.

Source: Indian Express

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/anwar-manippady-basavaraj-bommai-muslim-community-7649990/

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BSF DG concedes threat of Pak pushing in Taliban fighters, abandoned US military equipment into Kashmir

Dec 1, 2021

NEW DELHI: BSF DG Pankaj Kumar Singh on Tuesday warned about the possibility of Pakistan using Taliban fighters and arms and war equipment left behind by US-led forces before withdrawings troops from Afghanistan, for waging jihad in Kashmir.

"We are very sensitive to this aspect. We are regularly monitoring and tracking terror plans and conspiracies hatched across the border, and since this is to be done by intelligence agencies, we are in touch with them to keep a strict watch. The government is very concerned and careful lest it is caught unawares," he said at a press conference organised by the BSF here.

Stating that BSF has deployed around 62 companies, or roughly 6,000 troops, in Kashmir purely for law and order duties – years after it made way for CRPF to assist the J&K police in this function – Singh said this was done at the request of J&K police following the string of targeted civilian killings in October.

Source: Times of India

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bsf-dg-concedes-threat-of-pak-pushing-in-taliban-fighters-abandoned-us-military-equipment-into-kashmir/articleshow/88016912.cms

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Apply for citizenship under CAA once rules come, govt says but mum on timeline

Dec 1, 2021

NEW DELHI: Discounting speculation about a rethink on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) a day after the three farm laws were repealed by Parliament, the government on Tuesday said the prospective beneficiaries of CAA can apply for citizenship once the CAA rules are notified. It, however, did not disclose any timeline for notifying the CAA rules.

In reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha, MoS(Home) Nityanand Rai also said the government had also not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), the official coinage for an all-India National Register of Citizens or NRC.

Widespread protests and sit-ins against CAA and NRC were held in several parts of the country between December 2019 and March 2020.

CAA was enacted in December 2019 but the rules are yet to be notified. The government has sought multiple extensions from committees of subordinate legislation, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with the latest one due to expire on January 9, 2022.

Source: Times of India

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/apply-for-citizenship-under-caa-once-rules-come-govt-says-but-mum-on-timeline/articleshow/88016873.cms

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Balapur ancient mosque will be restored soon: Mohammed Saleem

Mohammed Hussain Ahmed

1st December 2021

Hyderabad: The Chairman of the Telangana Waqf Board Mohammed Saleem along with the Revenue and Wakf Board officials undertook a visit to the ancient and defunct mosque at Balapur and decided to restore it.

This mosque at Balapur is 200 years old and registered in the Waqf Board record as mosque and graveyard under gazette number 6-A serial No 2674.

The local Muslim youths informed the Waqf Board Chairman that the people belonging to the majority community are using the kabrastan and mosque compound as animals’ pastureland.

They also informed that whenever they try to clean up the mosque and offer prayer there the locals object.

Source: Daily Siasat

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.siasat.com/balapur-ancient-mosque-will-be-restored-soon-mohammed-saleem-2233626/

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Jaish's IED expert among two terrorists killed in encounter in J&K's Pulwama

Dec 1, 2021

SRINAGAR: Terrorist commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Yasir Parray and a foreign terrorist were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said.

The encounter took place at Qasbayar area of the south Kashmir district.

“Two terrorists were killed in the encounter,” they said.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said one of the slain was Parray, commander of JeM and an IED expert.

#PulwamaEncounterUpdate: #Terrorist commander of proscribed #terror outfit JeM Yasir Parray, an IED Expert & foreig… https://t.co/Qn3mgfEkYu

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) 1638330597000

Source: Times of India

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jaishs-ied-expert-among-two-terrorists-killed-in-encounter-in-jks-pulwama/articleshow/88022925.cms

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Weapons Looted By Taliban in Afghanistan Can Be Smuggled Into India, Border Force Warns

November 30, 2021

New Delhi: Weapons looted by Taliban in Afghanistan can get smuggled into India and used in terror-related activities, Director General of Border Security Force said today, acknowledging threats emancipating from Afghanistan for the first time.

"It's a cause of worry since the Taliban cadre is now free and they have weapons. We are alert and are in touch with our sister agencies," DG BSF Pankaj Singh said.

Talking to reporters on the eve of the 57th Raising Day of the paramilitary, the BSF head said at least 67 drone sightings have been made this year till now along India's western border with Pakistan.

''Right now, the frequency of drones that are coming to our country is fairly small and these are by-and-large Chinese-made drones...they are very good...and carrying small payloads and in 95 per cent cases, they are carrying drugs'' he added.

''We have installed some kind of anti-drone systems at the border and they are working fairly ok but we are in the process of getting more and more technology,'' Mr Singh said.

He, however, added that covering the entire 2,300 km (of the India-Pakistan border) with anti-drone systems will cost a lot, and hence a ''trade-off'' can be thought of.

Like if we have a vital installation or important asset on the border, the anti-drone system to safeguard it can be installed there first, followed by other locations, DG Singh said.

According to him, there is no foolproof system available in the entire world. "There is no way as of now by which we can intercept, stall or make them (drones) de-active. We are in the process...this (getting anti-drone technology) is our number one priority,'' he said.

The BSF has shot down two drones till now along the Pakistan border, he said.

He said the force has also come across instances of drones carrying weapons payload from across the Pakistan border into India and ''dropping them into our area''.

"We are in touch with intelligence agencies and state police about these droppings as every time such a flight takes place, somebody is informed on the Indian side to take delivery," he added.

The DG said the force was getting ''wonderful cooperation'' from the Punjab Police in this context.

Talking about underground tunnels being found along this front, especially in the Jammu area, he said the force was keeping a vigil on this activity and devising new methods to check these structures that aid infiltration.

Armed terrorists have used such tunnels, that are as deep as 30 feet, 3-4 feet in width and height, and 100 meters below the international border fence, to infiltrate the country.

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Mr Singh said the force is looking for ''low-cost technology solutions'' with regard to creating 'smart fencing', sensors, radars, and even countering the drones or the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) threat.

Source: ND TV

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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/weapons-looted-by-taliban-can-be-smuggled-into-india-border-force-warns-2631215

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North America

 

US removes Colombia’s FARC from terrorism list

01 December ,2021

The United States on Tuesday announced it has removed the former rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia from its list of terrorist organizations.

“The Department of State is revoking the designations of the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia (FARC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FT),” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The US government had indicated its intention to remove the terror listing on November 23, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the peace pact between the Colombian government and FARC, which led to their being disarmed and dissolved after decades of fighting.

The United States officially designated FARC as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, the halfway point of the rebels’ six-decade conflict with the government.

On November 24, 2016, after negotiations in Cuba, the fearsome guerrilla group laid down their arms and signed a peace deal with then Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos.

But the terror label has continued to weigh over its members, including those who have now transformed themselves into a political party.

“The decision to revoke the designation does not change the posture with regards to any charges or potential charges in the United States against former leaders of the FARC... nor does it remove the stain of the decision by Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction of Peace, which found their actions to be crimes against humanity,” Blinken said.

“However, it will facilitate the ability of the United States to better support implementation of the 2016 accord.”

Some 13,000 guerrillas have surrendered their arms since the signing of the peace pact in 2016, and the FARC has since transformed into a minority political party.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/12/01/US-removes-Colombia-s-FARC-from-terrorism-list

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US held responsible for deaths of thousands of civilians in Syria

Ethem Emre Ozcan  

30.11.2021

The US and the international coalition forces it leads are being held responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in Syria.

A Monday statement by the US Defense Department that they ordered an investigation into the March 18, 2019 airstrike in the Syrian town of Baghuz, which killed dozens of civilians, brought to mind other crimes committed by US-led coalition forces against civilians in Syria.

The US-led coalition forces, which started a military intervention in Syria on Sept. 23, 2014 using the justification of combating the terrorist group ISIS/Daesh, acted in partnership with the terrorist group YPG/PKK – the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK – on the ground and bombed schools, mosques, and many other civilian areas.

A report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that since Sept. 23, 2014, US-led coalition forces killed more than 3,000 civilians on the pretext of fighting terrorism.

According to the report, over the course of six years at least 172 massacres (attacks in which at least five people were killed) were committed by coalition forces.

Coalition forces carried out more than 180 attacks on regions where civilians live, including schools, health centers, mosques, and bazaars.

More than 500,000 civilians immigrated and became homeless during the US and coalition attacks.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/us-held-responsible-for-deaths-of-thousands-of-civilians-in-syria/2435041

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Pakistan

 

Pakistan expects $3 billion reserves deposit from Saudi Arabia in days

Dec 1, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia will deposit $3 billion in Pakistan's foreign reserves in a week or so for one year at 4% interest under a support package signed on Monday, Pakistan's finance ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The South Asian nation has faced growing economic challenges with sliding foreign reserves, a widening current account deficit, a depreciating currency and high inflation.

Pakistan's total liquid foreign reserves stand at $22.77 billion, according to the central bank.

The Saudi support package that included a $1.2 billion oil loan facility was agreed during Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Riyadh last month.

Asked when the Saudi deposit would land in Pakistan's foreign reserves, finance ministry spokesman Muzammil Aslam told Reuters: "Hopefully this week or early next week."

He said it was a "one year demand deposit" with 4% interest.

Chief executive officer Sultan Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Marshad of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and Pakistan's State Bank Governor Reza Baqir signed the agreement in Karachi on Monday, the central bank said in statement.

"Under this deposit agreement, SFD shall place a deposit of $3 billion with SBP. The deposit amount under the agreement shall become part of SBP's Foreign Exchange Reserves," it said.

The Saudi facility has come a week after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed with Pakistan on measures needed to revive a stalled $6 billion funding programme.

The completion of the review, pending since earlier this year, would make available 750 million in IMF special drawing rights, or around $1 billion, bringing total disbursements so far to about $3 billion, the statement said.

Source: Times of India

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-expects-3-billion-reserves-deposit-from-saudi-arabia-in-days/articleshow/88023226.cms

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Punjab chief secretary told to ensure recitation of Darood Sharif at school assemblies

December 1, 2021

LAHORE: On the directions of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, the chief secretary has been told to arrange the recitation of Darood Sharif (Darood-i-Ibrahimi) before the national anthem and after the recitation of the Holy Quran in schools’ assemblies.

In this regard, the chief minister said Darood Sharif had immense virtues. It is an honour for every Muslim to offer Darood Sharif in the honour of Rehmatul Alameen Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), he added.

The Punjab Assembly has earlier passed a (non-binding) resolution in the last week of September, asking schools to recite Darood Sharif in the assemblies.

Meanwhile, the chief minister inaugurated a tea shop, Punjab’s first literary museum and adabi baithak at Majlis-i-Taraqqi-i-Adab (Board for Advancement of Literature) on Tuesday and laid the foundation stone of the e-library block. He took a keen interest in items belonging to Allama Iqbal, poets and intellectuals at Lahore literary museum while viewing a place for storytelling.

Culture Minister Khayal Ahmad Kastro, SACM Hasaan Khawar and director Mansoor Afaq were also present.

Talking to the literati, the chief minister said several steps were taken for the welfare of writers and poets, adding that membership cards were being issued to writers and poets by the Board for Advancement of Literature to provide financial assistance through the writers’ welfare fund.

They would be able to get books at subsidized rates besides accessing the antique books of the Board for Advancement of Literature, he maintained. They would also be able to benefit from any of the writers’ welfare schemes, he repeated.

He said Unesco has declared Lahore a city of literature and a Lahore literary park was being established in the city.

Source: Dawn

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1661180/punjab-chief-secretary-told-to-ensure-recitation-of-darood-sharif-at-school-assemblies

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Pakistan puts transit conditions on Indian aid to Afghanistan

Geeta Mohan

November 30, 2021

Pakistan has sent a list of conditions to India before allowing Indian aid to reach Afghanistan. The new terms come days after Pakistan officially announced allowing “transportation of 50,000 MTs of wheat and life-saving medicines through Wagah as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan”.

Officials on both sides are engaged to resolve this new impasse of humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. Sources have told India Today that Islamabad has sent a set of conditions, two of which are of most concern.

One, Pakistan insists that the supplies will have to be transported by Pakistani trucks. The Indian side has proposed that if not Indian, then at least Afghan trucks can carry the material across to Afghanistan. Afghan trucks have been plying these roads for transportation of goods and materials in the past as well. But, the Pakistani side for now is insisting on Pakistani trucks.

Secondly, Pakistan wants to levy shipment charges on aid being sent to Afghanistan. India is insisting that there should be no additional cost to supplies being sent as humanitarian aid.

Talks are underway to come to an understanding so that aid reaches the Afghan people through United Nations agencies at the earliest. While loading and unloading at Wagah could create logistical hassles, India still is open to Afghan trucks taking the material forward to their home country.

On November 24, Pakistan foreign office had stated, “As a goodwill gesture towards the brotherly Afghan people, the Government of Pakistan has decided to allow the transportation of 50,000 Metric Tonnes of wheat and life-saving medicines from India to Afghanistan via Wagah Border on an exceptional basis for humanitarian purposes.”

“The decision of the Government of Pakistan to this effect was formally conveyed to the Charge d’ Affaires of India at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.”

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, during his weekly briefing on Friday, had said that there was no deadline for the aid to reach Afghanistan but with winters approaching, India was looking to send help as early as possible.

Source: India Today

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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pakistan-puts-transit-conditions-indian-aid-afghanistan-1882482-2021-11-30

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South Asia

 

Transgender breakthrough hailed in Bangladesh

Stephan Uttom

December 01, 2021

A Catholic bishop has joined activists and netizens to congratulate a transgender person who made history by winning the post of chairperson of a local government body in a rural election in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Nazrul Islam Ritu, 43, bagged 9,557 votes to win the post of chairperson of Trilochanpur Union Council in Jhenaidah district of southern Bangladesh on Nov. 28.

Ritu, an independent candidate, defeated Nazrul Islam Sana, the incumbent chairman and candidate fielded by the ruling Awami League party, who secured 4,529 votes, according to the Election Commission of Bangladesh.

Since the news of Ritu’s victory spread, she has become a media sensation in a largely conservative country where transgender people face widespread social stigma and discrimination.

Many commented that her victory signals a change, albeit a slow one, in the public mindset about transgender people in Bangladesh.

Bishop James Romen Boiragi of Khulna Diocese, which covers Jhenaidah district, congratulated Ritu on her victory, noting that it shows a change in the negative perception of transgender people.

“I congratulate her on her victory because the challenge she has taken is truly admirable. This victory will give courage to more transgender people,” Bishop Boiragi told UCA News.

Boby Hijra, a transgender activist based in the capital Dhaka and head of Sustho Jibon (Healthy Life), a group promoting the rights of transgender people, also hailed the victory.

“The negative attitude of society toward us has been going on for ages. But I think at least some of these negative thoughts have changed now and there will be more changes ahead as proved by Ritu’s win in a Union Council election,” Boby told UCA News.

Mohammad Ali, 32, a voter from the constituency Ritu has just won, said the victory proves transgender people can contribute to society if society offers them love and care after long-running hatred toward them.

“We have to change the mentality of looking down on transgender people. It should not be limited to our area but all over the country. If we learn to stand by their side, our society will become more beautiful,” Ali told UCA News over the phone.

Rights activists like Boby Hijra say that for decades transgender people have faced abuses and discrimination in Bangladesh where they are popularly known as hijra (eunuchs).

According to the Social Services Ministry, Bangladesh has about 10,000 transgender people. However, rights activists say their number must be 10 times higher as a vast majority of them keep their identity secret fearing social ostracism.

Most live in extreme poverty amid a lack of support for education, employment and accommodation, forcing them to resort to begging, extortion, obscene singing and dancing and even prostitution.

Many face abusive treatment regularly including teasing, tirades, beatings and sexual violence as people consider them as “abnormal and cursed,” Boby told UCA News in a 2019 interview.

Nonetheless, there have been some positive changes in recent times thanks to years of campaigning from activists and aid groups.

In 2013, Bangladesh's government legally recognized hijra as the third or separate gender. The recognition allowed them to obtain national identity cards, vote in elections and avail themselves various state-funded social-economic benefits including allowances.

Since 2012, the government has run a project to improve living standards of the transgender community that provides scholarships to their children, skills training to those aged 18 and over, and allowances for people older than 50, among other services.

Source: UCA News

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.ucanews.com/news/transgender-breakthrough-hailed-in-bangladesh/95171#

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Taliban, US conclude their two-day negotiations in Doha

01 Dec 2021

The US and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have concluded their two-day talks in the Qatari capital Doha as the US has still its sanctions on the Taliban in place and Afghanistan is going through probably the biggest humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s delegation was led by the acting foreign minister Amir Khan Motaqi while US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West was leading the American delegation.

Both sides talked over humanitarian issues, ensuring safe passage to foreigners and Afghans by the Taliban, and counterterrorism while the Taliban officials asked their US counterparts in Doha to unfreeze Afghanistan’s reserves.

Spokesperson of Afghanistan foreign ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a Twitter post asked the US to unconditionally release over $9.5 billion, remove the Taliban leaders from the blacklist, and disconnect humanitarian issues from political.

The special representative Thomas West pledged to be supporting the UN’s and other humanitarian groups’ efforts in Afghanistan and acknowledged that the US is committed to ensuring the US sanctions do not limit the Afghans’ ability to receive humanitarian aids.

In the meantime, the US is still steadfast on its sanctions on the Taliban leaders and the frozen reserves of Afghanistan.

Source: Khaama Press

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https://www.khaama.com/taliban-us-conclude-their-two-day-negotiations-in-doha-45747/

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Saudi Arabia and India to reopen their embassies in Kabul

01 Dec 2021

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry in a statement said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sent a 14-member team of their embassy to Kabul and the country’s embassy will soon be reopened in the Afghan capital.

The Saudi Arabian diplomats have arrived in Kabul on Tuesday, November 30 and are intended to resume consular services in Kabul.

The ministry has appreciated the move and said that this was a profound step by Saudi Arabia that will lead to good bilateral relations.

In the meantime, India’s Hindu newspaper has reported that the country is willing to reopen its embassy in Kabul.

Source: Khaama Press

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https://www.khaama.com/saudi-arabia-and-india-to-reopen-their-embassies-in-kabul-47457/

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Taliban’s ops on Daesh in Nangarhar province, three Daesh affiliates killed four Taliban wounded

30 Nov 2021

Security officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Nangarhar province said that their special forces have conducted six-hour operations in the provincial capital Jalalabad that inflicted casualties to both parties.

As per the officials, the operations that targeted the residence of the target assassin of Daesh (ISIS-K), were carried out in the police district first of the provincial capital.

The police commander of Jalalabad city Tahir Mubariz said that the operations that were conducted on the residence of Attaurahaman killed three ISIS-K affiliates and wounded two more including Attaurahman.

Mubariz added that a woman also includes those killed who died after her explosive exploded.

“No civilian has been harmed during the operations and only two Taliban fighters have been wounded slightly.” Said Mubariz.

Source: Khaama Press

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https://www.khaama.com/talibans-ops-on-daesh-in-nangarhar-province-three-daesh-affiliates-killed-four-taliban-wounded-6457547/

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Southeast Asia

 

Nearly 1,100 cases of child abuse reported in Selangor from Jan-Sept, state assembly told

01 Dec 2021

SHAH ALAM, Dec 1 — A total of 1,076 child abuse cases were reported in the state from January to September this year, the Selangor state legislative assembly was told today.

State Public Health, Unity, and Women and Family Development Committee chairman, Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said based on statistics from the Selangor police, this number included cases of physical abuse (527 cases), emotional abuse (35) and sexual abuse or harassment (514), without specifying cases involving paedophiles.

She was responding to Juwairiya Zulkifli (PH-Bukit Melawati) who asked on the number of paedophilia cases recorded in the state, at the state legislative assembly sitting, here, today.

“To help prevent and reduce abuse cases involving children, including cases of paedophilia, the Selangor Social Welfare Department has 11 child protection teams (PPKK) in each district, with the role of supporting the group protection services at the community level,” she added.

Dr Siti Mariah said the PPKK was also responsible for coordinating activities at 17 Children’s Activity Centres (PAKK) in each district according to the needs of the local community.

Source: Malay Mail

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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/12/01/nearly-1100-cases-of-child-abuse-reported-in-selangor-from-jan-sept-state-a/2025133

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Negri Sembilan recorded 1,064 divorces involving Muslim couples from Jan-Sept, state assembly told

01 Dec 2021

SEREMBAN, Dec 1 — A total of 1,064 Muslim divorce cases were recorded by the Negri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS) and the state Shariah Court from January to September this year, the state legislative assembly sitting was told today.

Mentri Besar, Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the figure was considered low compared to the overall number in 2020 which recorded 2,563 cases and 3,177 cases in 2019.

“As for divorce cases involving non-Muslims, 1,418 cases were recorded by the National Registration Department (JPN) for the period 2019 until Aug 31 this year,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the assembly sitting here.

He said this in reply to a question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Gemencheh) who wanted to know the number of divorce cases for 2019, 2020 and 2021 and the assistance and advisory services provided.

Aminuddin (PH-Sikamat) said JHEAINS had been giving counselling services to couples who needed consultation and has collaborated with several agencies including the Social Welfare Department to provide guidance to troubled couples.

Source: Malay Mail

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/12/01/negri-sembilan-recorded-1064-divorces-involving-muslim-couples-from-jan-sep/2025126

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Arab World

 

Lebanese Sunni Scholar: International law needed to back Islamic Unity

December 1, 2021

A Sunni scholar says there is a need to adopt international laws on banning divisive measures among followers of different Islamic Madhhabs.

“Today we see in the West that racism has been banned internationally and individuals who violate the norms are being punished. However, we still have adopted no measure at the level of OIC or Arab Union or other scholarly councils that exist in many Islamic and Arab countries for announcing any action that could provoke killing of a Muslim as Haram,” said head of the Assembly of Lebanese Muslim Scholars, Sheikh Ghazi Hanina, in an interview.

He lamented that some media outlets have been turned into tools for sowing discord among Islamic Madhhabs instead of raising knowledge and providing guidance.

Some satellite channels’ promotion of Takfirism and division among Muslims has led to the killing of Muslims in countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen, he said.

Talking about the need for unity in the Muslim Ummah, Hanina added that “One of the reasons for the power of Islam is the unity among members of the Islamic Ummah; therefore, unity is a fundamental guarantee of the Ummah’s power and stability.”

The source of this unity, he added, is the belief in God, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the Quran.

Source: ABNA24

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://en.abna24.com/news//lebanese-sunni-scholar-international-law-needed-to-back-islamic-unity_1203935.html

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Hezbollah working to delay Lebanon elections: Geagea

30 November ,2021

One of Lebanon’s main Christian politicians accused foe Hezbollah and its allies of working to postpone a parliamentary election set for March over fears of electoral losses, warning such a move would condemn Lebanon to a “slow death.”

Western donors that Lebanon is relying on to stem its financial implosion have said the vote must go ahead. Politicians from all sides, including Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, have repeatedly said it should happen otherwise the country’s standing would be dealt a further blow.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

But Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces and an ally of Saudi Arabia, pointed the finger at Hezbollah and its ally President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement for moves to delay it “because they are near certain that they will lose their parliamentary majority.”

Aoun said this month he would not sign authorization for the vote, approved by parliament, to be held on March 27 as the date was too early.

Asked whether a postponement would lead to more fighting after clashes last month between the Lebanese Forces and Hezbollah, Geagea, said: “Not fighting, but to more slow death.”

“With the current way things are going, state institutions - and so the state - is dissolving day by day,” he told Reuters at his residence in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Jounieh.

Lebanon has no reliable opinion polling but should the election take place, Geagea’s party is widely expected to make gains, with the Free Patriotic Movement expected to lose seats, potentially robbing Hezbollah of its majority.

Without an election to shake up parliament “you will see more of the same,” Geagea said.

The United Nations says the economic meltdown has left nearly 80 percent of people in poverty.

Lebanon’s government, formed from most major political parties in September following a 13-month period of political paralysis, has already not convened in nearly 50 days amid a push by Hezbollah and its allies to remove the judge investigating the deadly August 2020 Beirut port blast.

Adding to the economic peril, Lebanon is facing a blast of Gulf Arab anger after a prominent broadcaster-turned-minister levelled blunt criticism at Saudi Arabia, in a row that has further strained Beirut’s ties with once generous benefactors.

Geagea, who maintained close contact to the Saudi ambassador in Beirut, said Hezbollah’s increasing influence was the main problem behind the rift that is harmful to Lebanon’s economy.

“We see Saudi and the Gulf as economic lungs for Lebanon,” he said.

Street clashes

Geagea’s Lebanese Forces is the second largest Christian party in parliament. It has stayed out of the cabinet since a popular uprising against the sectarian elite in 2019.

But the group was thrust back into the headlines when tensions over the probe erupted into the worst street violence in more than a decade last month, reviving memories of the country’s 1975-90 civil war.

Seven people, all followers of Hezbollah and its ally Amal, were killed.

Hezbollah accused the Lebanese Forces of ambushing its supporters at the protest. Geagea confirmed supporters of his party, along with others, were involved in the clashes, but denied the move was pre-meditated and blamed Hezbollah for entering Beirut’s mostly Christian Ain al-Remmaneh neighbourhood, a strong support base for the Lebanese Forces.

During Lebanon’s civil war, the Lebanese Forces, under Geagea, was a right-wing militia that controlled swathes of territory including eastern Beirut.

Following October’s clashes, Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused it of seeking to start a sectarian conflict and warned Hezbollah had 100,000 fighters at his disposal.

Geagea denied Nasrallah’s allegation that the Lebanese Forces had 15,000 fighters, saying the party had 35,000 members of whom only some had personal arms and perhaps more than 10,000 – “the whole old generation” - had military training.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/Hezbollah-working-to-delay-Lebanon-elections-Geagea

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Final results confirm Sadr’s victory in last month’s Iraqi vote

30 November ,2021

Iraq released final results on Tuesday from last month’s general election, confirming populist Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s movement’s victory as the biggest bloc, with 73 seats in the fractious 329-seat house.

The Taqaddum Party, which draws support from minority Sunni Muslims, won 37 seats. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law group won 33 seats, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) secured 31, according to the results cited by state media.

The results were broadly in line with preliminary figures released in the days after the Oct. 10 election, and unlikely to alter calculations much as politicians negotiate on the makeup of a new government. Pro-Iran groups who performed poorly have refused to accept the results.

Turnout reached 44 percent, the commission said, revised up from the 43 percent preliminary figure but still lower than in the last election in 2018.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/Final-results-confirm-Sadr-s-victory-in-last-month-s-Iraqi-vote

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Syria claims it seized amphetamine-based drugs headed for Saudi Arabia

30 November ,2021

Syrian authorities said Tuesday they seized over 500 kilograms (1,000 pounds) of amphetamine pills known by the brand name Captagon hidden in pasta packages in a van bound for Saudi Arabia.

An investigation was underway to determine who was behind the attempted smuggling, a statement on the official state news agency SANA said. It didn’t offer details on whether anyone has been arrested.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

US law enforcement officials say smuggling of the amphetamine-based drug from Syria and Lebanon has been on the rise, with over $3 billion worth of Captagon seized since February 2020.

The amount far exceeds the value of Syrian legal exports, said James Walsh, a high-level official with the State Department’s international narcotics bureau, earlier this month. He had no details on how much goes through Lebanon and how much is from Syria.

The statement carried by SANA said authorities became suspicious and stopped a van in rural Damascus carrying 525 kilograms (1,160 pounds) of the pills hidden in a shipment of pasta heading to Saudi Arabia. The smugglers had sprayed pepper over the pills to distract sniffer dogs, the statement said.

Walsh said the smuggling of amphetamines from Syria has a wide ranging impact on Europe, Africa and Asia and is obstructing efforts to resolve the country’s lengthy civil war, while contributing to deteriorating relations with Gulf states. He spoke at a conference organized by the Washington-based Atlantic Center earlier this month.

The US has imposed various sanctions on Syrian government officials and businesses linked to President Bashar Assad, whom it blames for much of the country’s decade-old conflict.

Arab countries have been making moves to re-engage the Assad government after years of boycott following the war’s outbreak.

Experts say a crackdown on drug smuggling would be key for Arab rapprochement with Syria.

Smuggling of Captagon has also been at the heart of a spat between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, after over 5 million pills hidden in a shipment of pomegranate from Lebanon were seized in the kingdom in April.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/Syria-claims-it-seized-amphetamine-based-drugs-headed-for-Saudi-Arabia

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UAE won’t stop Lebanese traveling to the United Arab Emirates: Gargash

30 November ,2021

The United Arab Emirates will not stop Lebanese from travelling to the country in a diplomatic row between Beirut and Gulf Arab states, a senior Emirati official said.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told reporters that Abu Dhabi would continue humanitarian support to Beirut and did not want Lebanese citizens to suffer more because of the country’s political and economic crisis.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Lebanon is facing a diplomatic crisis with Gulf states, triggered by a minister’s critical comments about the Arab Coalition in Yemen that prompted Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait to expel Lebanon’s top diplomats and recall their own envoys. The UAE withdrew its envoys.

Several Kuwait newspapers this month reported that Kuwait has suspended issuing visas to Lebanese citizens.

“We will not do anything that will hurt the Lebanese as private individuals, as citizens. We have taken a decision that it will not effect the ordinary Lebanese who are able to travel to the UAE,” Gargash said.

For Lebanon’s damaged economy, the big concern would be any measures affecting the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese who work in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the dollars they send home to a nation drowning in poverty.

“We had an informal dialogue with Lebanon for a long time saying that Lebanon losing its bridge with Gulf would be harmful, but none (of these messages) were heeded and when the crisis hit Lebanon it had no Arab support,” he said.

“They thought it was a storm and would go away.”

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/UAE-won-t-stop-Lebanese-traveling-to-the-United-Arab-Emirates-Gargash

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Arab Coalitions targets Iran-backed Houthi militia training camp

30 November ,2021

The Arab Coalition on Tuesday said it targeted a training camp belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi militia south of Yemen’s Mahliya in Marib.

An airstrike on the training camp left more than 60 Houthi militia members dead, the coalition added.

The Arab Coalition on Monday said it carried out 15 attacks against the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen’s Marib and al-Jawf in the past 24 hours.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/11/30/Arab-Coalitions-targets-Iran-backed-Houthi-militia-training-camp

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Mideast

 

446-Year-Old Selimiye Ottoman Imperial Mosque Getting Revamped

December 01 2021

The 40-month restoration process has begun in the 446-year-old Selimiye Mosque, one of the masterpieces of Mimar Sinan, the chief Ottoman architect, in the northwestern province of Edirne, the provincial directorate for foundations has announced.

“The illuminated minarets [of the mosque] will be seen by the Greek side,” Osman Güneren told İhlas News Agency on Nov. 30.

Within the scope of the restoration works, most of the inner parts and the windows of the mosque, lead plates and handwritings will be renewed.

Sinan, also known as the Grand Architect, started the construction of the mosque, which was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Selim II, in 1568 when he was 95 years old. The mosque, opened to public service in 1575 after seven years of rigorous work, became one of the highest achievements of Islamic architecture and a great example of Ottoman architecture.

The Selimiye Mosque was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.

“We handed the mosque to the restoration company on Nov. 26. We expect that it will take some 40 months to finish,” Güneren said.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/significant-ottoman-imperial-mosque-getting-revamped-169749

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Iran: Red List Sanctions Prevent Green Light for US Return to N. Deal

2021-November-30

The opening session of talks between Iran and the Group 4+1 (Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) on lifting sanctions was held in a “constructive, professional and straight” atmosphere.

All parties acknowledged Iran's right to insist on the lifting of sanctions, and it was decided that the meeting of the working group on removal of sanctions would start discussions.

The Iranian delegation stressed that until a decision on the sanctions, it will not be possible to decide on other issues.

It was emphasized that as long as the sanctions red list is in place, the green light for the US return to the agreement will not be turned on.

Sources in the talks said Russia and China fully supported the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Regarding the documents resulted from the previous 6 rounds of negotiations, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that these documents are only a draft and although Iran does not stand in rejection of all of them, the draft is basically changeable and negotiable; therefore the delegation of the Islamic Republic Iran intends to submit its views and proposals on previous texts and put new drafts on the table too.

It was emphasized that until everything is agreed, nothing will be agreed upon.

The former US president discarded a complete and final agreement. The current president is expected to be at least as bold as his predecessor in accepting the country's undertakings.

It was emphasized that only the complete removal of sanctions and end of maximum pressure with all its means can lead to the US return to the agreement.

It was stressed that the negotiations should determine the fate of the sanctions removal in a "sufficient, accurate and clear" way and that Iran will continue its compensatory measures until the removal of sanctions.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always carefully and obsessively demonstrated adherence to its undertakings in practice, and is now fully prepared and determined to reach a "fair agreement that guarantees the legitimate rights of the Iranian people". But if the US wants to play a sanctions game with Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond appropriately to this game.

It was noted that throughout the years of oppressive sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has learned how to confront the sanctions and does not see itself in a time urgency to reach an agreement.

Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani, who is also the deputy foreign minister, told reporters in Vienna on Monday that after the first round all participants agreed to focus on lifting sanctions against Tehran.

Baqeri Kani said that he was optimistic after the first meetings, adding that all parties agreed that focus of the talks should be lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran after the US unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He added that the participants also agreed that a special working group should start its work on Tuesday to discuss "the removal of illegal and brutal sanctions" imposed on the Iranian nation.

"I believe that this is a great achievement that all member states of the G4+1 group accepted Iran's rightful request and emphasized that the state of the US regime's illegal sanctions against our people must be clarified first and then other issues be discussed," Baqeri Kani said.

He added that guarantees should be given to Tehran that no new sanctions would be imposed on the country.

“During the meeting, we emphasized that the main factor behind the current conditions is actions taken by a country, which left the agreement in violation of the accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution [that upheld it], and also reinstated past sanctions [on Iran] in contravention of international laws and regulations while imposing new sanctions as well,” Baqeri Kani said.

The US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic benefits.

Envoys from Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – ended the first meeting of the seventh round of discussions in Vienna on Monday. The negotiations were paused in June, when Iran held its presidential election. Since then, the new Iranian administration has been reviewing the details of the six rounds of discussions held under the previous administration.

Source: Fars News Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000909000716/Iran-Red-Lis-Sancins-Preven-Green-Ligh-fr-US-Rern-N-Deal

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Iran’s Top Negotiator in Vienna: All Issues of Previous Round of Talks Subject of Discussions

2021-November-30

The previous rounds of Vienna talks were only a “draft”, Baqeri Kani told reporters after the first meeting with representatives of the Group 4+1 (China, Russia, Britain and France plus Germany) in Vienna on Monday.

“Nothing is agreed on unless everything has been agreed on," he added.

“The drafts are subject to negotiation. Therefore nothing is agreed on unless everything has been agreed upon."

"Accordingly, all the discussions that were concluded in the previous six rounds are subject to negotiations and this was agreed by all parties in today’s meeting as well,”Baqeri Kani said.

In response to a question about what guarantees Iran seeks from the European and American sides, the negotiator said that it will be discussed in Tuesday's working group on the removal of sanctions.

The situation of cruel and illegal sanctions will be on the agenda of today's working group on the removal of sanctions, Baqeri Kani noted.

"As the Iranian negotiation team enjoys a serious will and practical readiness to reach an agreement, we are optimistic about the future", he added, stating that "because we do not trust the other side, we are not too optimistic".

Baqeri Kani had also said on Monday that after the first round of talks, all participants had agreed to focus on lifting sanctions against Tehran.

Baqeri Kani, who is also the deputy foreign minister, told reporters in Vienna on Monday that he was optimistic after the first meetings, adding that all parties agreed that focus of the talks should be lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran after the US unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He added that the participants also agreed that a special working group should start its work on Tuesday to discuss "the removal of illegal and brutal sanctions" imposed on the Iranian nation.

"I believe that this is a great achievement that all member states of the G4+1 group accepted Iran's rightful request and emphasized that the state of the US regime's illegal sanctions against our people must be clarified first and then other issues be discussed," Baqeri Kani said.

He added that guarantees should be given to Tehran that no new sanctions would be imposed on the country.

“During the meeting, we emphasized that the main factor behind the current conditions is actions taken by a country, which left the agreement in violation of the accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution [that upheld it], and also reinstated past sanctions [on Iran] in contravention of international laws and regulations while imposing new sanctions as well,” Baqeri Kani said.

The US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic benefits.

Source: Fars News Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000909000540/Iran%E2%80%99s-Tp-Negiar-in-Vienna-All-Isses-f-Previs-Rnd-f-Talks-Sbjec-f

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Spokesman: Iran Merely to Accept Removal of Unlawful Sanctions

2021-November-30

"Vienna talks only concentrate on the removal of the illegal sanctions," Khatibzadeh said while rejecting issues such as step-by-step negotiations.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that the Iranian government participated in the Vienna talks with firm determination to be certain that what happens in Vienna is lifting the sanctions.

"If the other parties have joined the negotiations with goodwill instead of killing the time, talks will continue on the right path," he added.

In relevant remarks on Monday, Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani said that he is optimistic about the Vienna talks after the first round as all participants agreed to focus on lifting sanctions against Tehran.

Baqeri Kani, who is also the deputy foreign minister, told reporters in Vienna on Monday that he was optimistic after the first meetings, adding that all parties agreed that focus of the talks should be lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran after the US unilateral withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He added that the participants also agreed that a special working group should start its work on Tuesday to discuss "the removal of illegal and brutal sanctions" imposed on the Iranian nation.

"I believe that this is a great achievement that all member states of the G4+1 group accepted Iran's rightful request and emphasized that the state of the US regime's illegal sanctions against our people must be clarified first and then other issues be discussed," Baqeri Kani said.

He added that guarantees should be given to Tehran that no new sanctions would be imposed on the country.

“During the meeting, we emphasized that the main factor behind the current conditions is actions taken by a country, which left the agreement in violation of the accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution [that upheld it], and also reinstated past sanctions [on Iran] in contravention of international laws and regulations while imposing new sanctions as well,” Baqeri Kani said.

The US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic benefits.

Source: Fars News Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000909000599/Spkesman-Iran-Merely-Accep-Remval-f-Unlawfl-Sancins

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UN agency for Palestinian refugees faces funding crisis

30 November ,2021

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said Tuesday it was unable to pay its 28,000 employees on time this month because of a major funding crisis, warning of potential cuts in vital services to millions of people amid a global pandemic.

UNRWA runs schools, clinics and food distribution programs for millions of registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, mainly the descendants of Palestinians who fled or were driven out of what is now Israel during the 1948 war surrounding its creation.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The 5.7 million refugees mostly live in camps that have been transformed into built-up but often impoverished residential areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza, as well as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Jordan that the resumption of US support for the agency this year — which had been halted by the Trump administration — was offset by a reduction in funding by other donors.

The agency also went through a management crisis in 2019, when its previous head resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct, nepotism and other abuses of authority at the agency.

Staff went on strike Monday after being informed last week that salaries would be delayed, but halted the action following mediation, Lazzarini said.

“If UNRWA health services are compromised in the middle of a global pandemic, COVID-19 vaccination rollout will come to an end. Maternal and childcare will stop, half a million girls and boys not knowing if they can continue learning, and over two million of the poorest Palestinian refugees will not get cash and food assistance,” he said.

“The humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees keep increasing while funding to the agency has stagnated since 2013.”

Lazzarini said the agency raised enough donations at a recent conference in Brussels to cover up to 48 percent of its budget in 2022 and 2023. It also generated $60 million toward a $100 million shortfall until the end of the year to keep services running.

“I’m still not yet in a position to say when the November salaries will be paid,” he said.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/UN-agency-for-Palestinian-refugees-faces-funding-crisis

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Turkey jails opposition figure over ‘political espionage’: Reports

30 November ,2021

A well-known Turkish defense analyst and founder of the opposition Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), Metin Gurcan, has been jailed on charges of “political and military espionage,” local media reported on Tuesday.

Gurcan, a former member of the Turkish military, was one of the co-founders of DEVA party led by Ali Babacan, a former deputy prime minister within President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AKP party.

Turkish police detained him on Friday.

“I am being detained on charges of political espionage. The police are at home... They are searching. I am shocked and I seek your help,” Gurcan tweeted last week.

Gurcan was then jailed on Monday, according to the private NTV broadcaster.

“As far as we know, Metin (Gurcan) has no means to access to any classified state document,” Babacan told Haberturk television. “Because he is not working for the state.”

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/11/30/Turkey-jails-opposition-figure-over-political-espionage-Reports

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Israel warns military option on table to block Iran nuclear quest

30.11.2021

JERUSALEM

Israel on Tuesday threatened to use the military option to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"It is clear that the military option is on the table," Israeli Minister of Internal Security Omer Bar-Lev told a local radio station in Tel Aviv.

Following a five-month break, Iran and world powers on Monday resumed talks in Vienna in a last-ditch attempt to restore the 2015 nuclear accord.

Israel opposed the US return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany, and the EU.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions in a move aimed to bring Iran back to negotiations for what Trump hoped would be a "better" deal.

"We all know that since the (US) withdrawal from the agreement, Iran has advanced significantly and severely, to the ability to make a nuclear bomb,” Bar-Lev said.

He said Israel seeks a return to “a stronger and longer agreement”, noting the reimposition of US sanctions did not affect Iran.

On Tuesday, Israeli military spokesman Ran Kochav said the army was accelerating the pace to prevent Iran from becoming a "nuclear threshold" country.

"I do not interfere in political affairs, but as we said before, we are preparing for all possibilities,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday called on the international community not to make concessions to Iran in the Vienna negotiations.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-warns-military-option-on-table-to-block-iran-nuclear-quest/2434705

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Africa

 

Libya's Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi accuses military force of obstructing his electoral appeal

November 30, 2021

The son of the late Libyan President, Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Al-Islam, yesterday said that a "military force surrounded the Sabha Court for a second day in a row, and prevented judges and staff from accessing the building."

Saif explained on Facebook that the act had suspended the consideration of an appeal filed by his lawyer against a recent decision by the High National Election Commission to exclude him from running in the upcoming presidential election.

The United Nations earlier announced its dismay about the act.

The HNEC said recently that Saif Al-Islam was not "qualified to run in the country's next presidential elections," citing his previous convictions.

Libya is due to hold its first round of presidential elections on 24 December, after years of UN-led attempts to end the civil war and achieve political stability.

Source: Middle East Monitor

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211130-libyas-saif-al-islam-gaddafi-accuses-military-force-of-obstructing-his-electoral-appeal/

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Moroccans set fire Israeli flag, call for end to Rabat's normalization with Zionists

December 1, 2021

Moroccans have held massive protest across the country on Monday to denounce normalization of ties with Israeli regime and the military deal recently signed between Rabat and Tel Aviv regime.

Demonstrators on Monday took to the streets in several cities across Morocco to protest Rabat’s normalization of ties with the Israeli regime and recent military agreements signed between the two sides.

Moroccans, including activists and ordinary people, took part in large-scale protests in the cities of Oujda, Berkane, Ben Slimane, Beni-Mellal and Oulad Teima on Monday.

The demonstrators chanted vociferous anti-Israel slogans, calling for an end to normalization of relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv and voicing their support for the Palestinian cause.

The police, however, foiled a similar protest by pro-Palestinian groups in the capital Rabat on Monday, using brute force, according to reports.

The demonstrations protested under the banner of “The Moroccan Front to Support Palestine and against Normalization”, denouncing recent bonhomie between the Israeli regime and Morocco.

They also condemned the visit of Benjamin Gantz, the minister of military affairs of the Israeli regime, to Morocco and rejected any collaboration with “the enemies of the Palestinian people.”

The pro-Palestine demonstrators said any cooperation with the Tel Aviv regime constitutes a threat to Morocco and the whole region.

Gantz visited Rabat last week, his first visit to one of the Arab states that normalized ties last year, during which the two sides signed a military agreement and a pact that would see Israel sells drones and weapons to Morocco.

In a statement, Gantz said that the agreement was “very significant and will allow us to exchange ideas, enter joint projects and enable Israeli military exports here.”

The Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, called it “unprecedented and disgraceful”.

“The agreement between Morocco and Israel will jeopardize regional security, and will give the occupying regime the opportunity to escalate their attacks against the Palestinian nation, and to infringe upon the security of African people,” Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, wrote in a Twitter post.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee also denounced formalization of security cooperation between the North African state and the Tel Aviv regime.

“We hoped that the Kingdom of Morocco, which chairs the al-Quds Committee, would not take this dangerous step in light of the racist measures practiced by Israel against Palestinian people, its disregard of all peace agreements, its rejection of negotiations and the [so-called] two-state solution, and its imposition of a fait accompli policy,” it said in a statement.

Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan signed agreements to normalize relations with Tel Aviv in 2020 as part of the so-called Abraham Accords, brokered by the previous US administration.

Source: ABNA24

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://en.abna24.com/news//moroccans-set-fire-israeli-flag-call-for-end-to-rabats-normalization-with-zionists_1203915.html

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Uganda and Congo attack Islamist militia in joint operation

December 1, 2021

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo carried out joint air and artillery strikes against an Islamic State-linked militia in eastern Congo on Tuesday, both countries said, vowing to continue working together to secure the targeted area.

The strikes targeted the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, which has been based in Congo since the late 1990s and is accused of killing hundreds of villagers in raids after it pledged allegiance to Islamic State in mid-2019. read more

IS has in turn claimed responsibility for some of the ADF's violence, including a string of recent bombings in Uganda, but United Nations researchers have found no evidence of IS command and control over ADF operations.

In separate statements, the Congolese and Ugandan armies said they had allied to target ADF positions in Congo with air strikes and artillery.

"The targets were accurately hit and operations against the terrorists will continue as we look for other targets of opportunity during ground operations," Ugandan army spokeswoman Flavia Byekwaso said in a statement.

Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said the two sides had decided to cooperate further.

"It was agreed after an assessment to continue in-depth operations by the special forces of the two countries to clear the positions of the terrorists concerned," he said on Twitter late on Tuesday.

The joint offensive is the first time Uganda has publicly intervened against the ADF in Congo since a brief campaign in December 2017.

A local official and a resident said they heard explosions on Tuesday morning in Watalinga territory, North Kivu province, in the borderlands of eastern Congo.

"There is a real panic here at home, especially because we were not informed of this situation," said resident Julien Ngandayabo. "We have suffered too much with the ADF, who have massacred our families. We are waiting to see if this is the solution."

At around 4:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), Fabien Malule, a resident of the Congolese border town of Nobili, said he saw many Ugandan troops enter Congolese territory with their weapons.

"Today it is really a joy for some inhabitants here in Nobili. For me personally, as we have suffered too much, I prefer to wait for the result of their fight," Malule said.

RISKY INTERVENTION

A Congo army spokesman, Antony Mwalushay, said three ADF fighters were killed and three wounded during intense fighting at the Semuliki bridge, which connects the city of Beni to Uganda. One Congolese soldier was killed, he added.

A triple suicide bombing in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Nov. 16, which killed seven people, including the bombers, was the third Islamic State has claimed in the east African nation.

Source: Reuters

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-congo-launch-joint-attacks-against-islamist-militia-2021-11-30/

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Al-Shabaab terror group attacks Ethiopian troops, airport in Somalia

Mohammed Dhaysane  

30.11.2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia

A Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group attacked a military base and an airport in the country's South West State in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least one soldier and a civilian and injuring several others, a police official confirmed.

The al-Shabaab terrorist group used heavy weaponry in the attack on the airport and Ethiopian military base in Baidoa city, where the forces were operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), according to Abdi Ali Mohamud, a police officer in the city.

"A military base in Suuqa Hoolaha neighborhood in the city was also attacked by the terrorists and one soldier was killed and another wounded," he said.

"We don't know the exact number of people killed or injured in the airport attack," he said, adding that "we know a civilian was killed and several others were injured."

A resident in the area, Haawo Ahmed Suleyman, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that the Somali National Army and al-Shabaab terrorists were engaged in a fierce firefight.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/al-shabaab-terror-group-attacks-ethiopian-troops-airport-in-somalia/2434655

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URL:  https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/uk-media-islamophobia-muslims-misinformation/d/125881


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