Afghanistan: Taliban member kills young girl after she rejected marriage proposal
New
Age Islam News Bureau
09
November 2022
•
Initial denial of permission for RSS rally is to appease Muslims, says VHP
general secretary
•
Dominant issue in Pakistan politics: Who will be next Army chief?
•
Bus driver in Turkey refuses to stop for prayer, igniting fresh secularism
debate
•
Raid on pro-Iran militia convoy in eastern Syria kills around 15: Monitor
•
Sabah govt announces RM54m allocation for non-Islamic institutions
•
2023: Muslims must be active in election – Ekiti Council for Islamic Affairs
•
Blinken welcomes Omani FM to Washington
• Russia-Ukraine conflict accelerates need for clean energy transition: Britain’s Sunak
South Asia
•
Norway Contributes NOK 8 Million to Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund: OCHA
•
US Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan Visits Pakistan to Discuss Afghan Refugees
•
Taliban: Afghan Export Earnings to Hit $2 Billion by End of Year
•
‘Use perfume, prioritise hygiene’ — Afghan minister SirajuddinHaqqani to
Taliban members
--------
India
•
Muslim ‘kin’ help orphan Hindu girl get married
•
Malali Mosque row: K’taka court to give verdict on survey demand
•
Centre alludes to ‘foreign origins’ in its affidavit on Dalit Christians, Dalit
Muslims
•
Gyanvapi: Verdict on plea seeking ban on entry of Muslims on Nov 14
•
DMs of 31 districts of 9 states can give citizenship to non-Muslims from
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan
--------
Pakistan
•
PM constitutes committee to highlight Dr. Allama Iqbal’s philosophy
•
PM confident upcoming visit of Saudi crown prince will strengthen ties
•
Imran Khan's assassination bid: Police in Pakistan's Punjab province finally
register FIR
•
Crown Prince’s visit testimony to strong Pak-KSA ties: Ashrafi
•
Imran ‘abandons’ designs to sway chief’s selection
•
Prohibited funding case: Court suspends FIA call-up notice to Imran
•
PM reiterates desire to further strengthen bilateral ties with Germany
•
Soldier martyred, terrorist commander killed in Khyber IBO
--------
Mideast
•
Iranian Envoy Blasts UNSC for Politicizing Syria's Chemical Weapons Case
•
Israel builds fake cemeteries around Al-Aqsa Mosque, says Palestinian committee
•
Judiciary Spokesman: Imprisoned Iranian Still Kept in Solitary Confinement for
1,100 Days
•
Norwegian Envoy to Tehran Summoned over Parliament Chief's Meddlesome Remarks
•
Military Chief: Iran Ready to Share Defense Experiences with Iraq
•
Large Amount of Illicit Drugs Seized in Southeast Iran
•
Iran Welcomes Peace Agreement in Ethiopia
•
Iran, Zimbabwe Vow to Broaden Bilateral Ties
•
Putin ally Patrushev travels to Iran for talks, ‘security consultations’:
Report
•
UN experts demand Turkey release doctor held over chemical arms comment
•
Iran Revolutionary Guards arrest top lawyer: Sister
•
Protesters and police deploy tech apps in fight for future of Iran
•
Yemeni military adviser assassinated in Marib
•
Palestinians say teen dies after Israeli raid in West Bank
--------
Arab World
•
House fire in Turkiye kills 8 Syrian refugee children, woman
•
Türkiye can play key role in Iraq’s development: Iraqi prime minister
•
HM the King thanked by Al Azhar Al Sharif Grand Imam
•
Foreigners repatriated from Syrian Islamic State camps reach record high
•
Lebanese, Israeli leaders vow to cooperate at climate summit
•
UAE and Egypt sign agreement to develop 10 GW onshore wind energy project
•
Iran envoy: Repeated UN meetings on Syria chemical file attest to
politicization
--------
Southeast Asia
•
The hottest federal seats in GE15: Where, who and why
•
Anwar sends legal notice to Perak PAS chief over LGBT claims
•
‘Special agents’ to monitor PN party members who help rival parties
•
Thailand proposes cooperation plan as Saudi investment delegation visits Bangkok
--------
Africa
•
Sudan security forces fire tear gas at anti-coup protesters
•
Israel, Jordan move forward with water-for-energy deal
•
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor visits Libya mass graves
•
Rescuers search for five missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
•
Türkiye invests millions in development projects in Southern Africa
•
Azerbaijani Embassy in Morocco marks 2nd anniversary of Karabakh victory
--------
North America
•
Biden to meet with leaders of Egypt, Cambodia, Indonesia: Officials
--------
Europe
•
Putin ally Patrushev travels to Iran for talks
•
Bulgarian police officer shot dead at border with Turkiye
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Afghanistan:
Taliban member kills young girl after she rejected marriage proposal
9
November, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], November 8 (ANI): Afghanistan’s Taliban security head killed a
young girl in Balkh province after she rejected his marriage proposal, Khaama
Press reported citing local sources.
The
Taliban administration’s head of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice
in the Sholgara district of Balkh province, Mullah Yasin killed a young girl
named Maryam after she rejected his marriage proposal.
Surprisingly,
the Taliban government officials in the Balkh province acknowledged the
incident and claimed that Mullah Yasin was detained and assured that he is in
custody.
According
to Mohammad Asif Waziri, the spokesperson for the Taliban chief of police in
the province of Balkh, Maryam was the victim of a single murder by a department
employee, reported Khaama Press.
Among
the topics that create headlines in the media are sexual corruption and
scandals involving the Taliban and the insatiable yearning for marriage.
The
Taliban leader had previously told his people to decide on a path of action,
think about their responsibilities, and refrain from having more than one wife,
according to Khaama Press.
This
occurs at a time when Taliban commanders are reported to have paid sizable
dowries to their fathers-in-law in return for the hands of their daughters, and
a Taliban commander recently transported his newlywed bride home on a military
chopper belonging to the Afghan National Army, as per Khaama Press.
Ever
since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the plight of Afghan women has
continued to be deplorable in the country.
Women’s
lives have become worst under the Taliban’s regime. The girls were stopped from
going to school beyond a sixth grade on March 23 and a decree against the
women’s dress code was issued after a month. There are restrictions on
movement, education and freedom of expression of women posing a threat to their
survival.
Not
only this, the lack of female healthcare workers has prevented women from
accessing basic medical facilities, and international donors, who fund 90 per
cent of health clinics, are hesitant to send money because of their fear of the
funds being misused.
Around
80 per cent of women working in the media have lost their jobs, and almost 18
million women in the country are struggling for health, education and social
rights. Many women, particularly those who worked in security agencies, lost
their jobs after the Islamic Emirate was re-established.
The
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report the
previous month, outlining the human rights situation in Afghanistan since the
Taliban takeover.
The
report summarized UNAMA’s findings with regard to the protection of civilians,
extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and
detentions, the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, fundamental freedoms
and the situation in places of detention.
Amid
this, the rehiring of women officers comes as a ray of hope for the women
facing several severe challenges in the country.
Some
female police forces urged the Islamic Emirate to allow more women to work in
government institutions. “We ask the Islamic Emirate to let all the women
return to their jobs,” said Mashoqa, a police officer. (ANI)
Source:ThePrint
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
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Initial
denial of permission for RSS rally is to appease Muslims, says VHP general
secretary
NOVEMBER
09, 2022
The
VHP is planning to add two lakh members in Tamil Nadu as part of its ongoing
membership drive
Vishva
Hindu Parishad general secretary MilindParande on Tuesday alleged that the
Tamil Nadu government’s initial denial of permission for the
RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh’s route marches was to appease the Muslims.
Rejecting
the concerns expressed by the government over law and order, he said the route
marches were being organised by the RSS across the country, including in
Kerala. He blamed the DMK government for being biased against Hindu
organisations and the Hindus.
Addressing
media persons during his visit to Chennai as part of the VHP’s ongoing
membership drive, he said the organisation was planning to add two lakh members
from Tamil Nadu through visits to 2,000 places. When asked about its present
membership in the State, he said the organisation did not want to look behind
and instead wanted to look forward to the members going to be added.
He
said the organisation was committed to pressing for legislation against
religious conversion across the country, including in Tamil Nadu, and
transferring the management of all Hindu temples from the government to Hindu
society.
Source:TheHindu
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--------
Dominant
issue in Pakistan politics: Who will be next Army chief?
9
November, 2022
Pakistan
army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (Left) and PTI Chief Imran Khan (File
Images)
-----------
Islamabad
[Pakistan], November 9 (ANI): As Pakistan’s Army General QamarJavedBajwa’s term
is coming to an end, the entirety of the country’s politics is wrapped up in
the question of who will be the successor, KunwarKhulduneShahid writes in The
Diplomat.
Currently,
in Pakistan, it is ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan and the military, which are
the two epicentres of the country’s multipronged political incoherence.
And
this all started after Khan stated that any army chief not appointed by him
will not be accepted by his party as well and even not his supporters who
constitute a very significant section of the voting population, according to
The Diplomat citing former Punjab chief minister and political analyst
NajamSethi, the author of “Trial of Democracy.”
In
the seven months since Khan’s ouster, he has been at loggerheads with the
military establishment, which continues to orchestrate its cycle of churning
civilian leaders in and out of power. The central government, led by the
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which itself was a victim of the
military’s engineering in 2018, is currently tasked with doing the military’s
bidding so as to reaffirm the army’s hegemony.
It
is pertinent to note here that Imran Khan became the first Prime Minister in
Pakistan’s history to be ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote.
“The
involvement of the establishment in politics throughout our history is known to
all. Things remain stable only when [the military] remains within its limits
and accepts civilian leadership,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Vice
President Ejaz Chaudhary told The Diplomat.
Immediately
after his ouster Khan’s narrative, which doubles down on absolutist populism,
is destabilizing the country, despite the military’s historical manoeuvres
safeguarding the institution’s own interests, The Diplomat reported citing PTI
Chief’s critics.
According
to New Lines Magazine, the ouster of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has
led to an unprecedented backlash against the country’s all-powerful military
establishment.
People
have expressed anti-army sentiments after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief
Imran Khan accused the military of planning his downfall along with the United
States. In rallies held across Pakistan, protesters have raised slogans in
support of Khan and against the military.
One
of the slogans raised by protesters is “Anyone who is friends with America is a
traitor” translated from “Amreekakajoyaarhaigadaarhai,” New Lines Magazine
reported.
Presently,
anti-army sentiments are highly visible in Pakistan. People continue to voice
their opinion against the military on social media despite accounts being
suspended and arrests being made of people accused of planning anti-army
campaigns on the internet.
After
Pakistan army chief General QamarJavedBajwa travelled to the United States in
October, hashtags like BajwaHasToGo and BajwaTraitor trended on social media,
accusing General Bajwa of following US orders in Pakistan, according to New
Lines Magazine. (ANI)
Source:ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/dominant-issue-in-pakistan-politics-who-will-be-next-army-chief/1205470/
--------
Bus
driver in Turkey refuses to stop for prayer, igniting fresh secularism debate
08
November, 2022
People
gather outside Anitkabir, mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, to participate in
official celebrations of 99th Republic Day of Turkey, in Ankara on October 29,
2022. (AFP)
-----------
A
long-distance bus driver’s unwillingness to stop so that a passenger could pray
in Turkey has helped ignite a fresh debate over secularism in the predominantly
Muslim country.
Following
the driver’s refusal at the weekend, the passenger complained on Twitter,
drawing a controversial response from the travel company.
“None
of the rights defined by (Turkey’s) constitution can be used to violate the
democratic and secular conception” of the republic, the firm Oz Ercis said in a
statement, which went viral.
The
controversy is the latest example of a long-standing debate in a country with a
Muslim majority but a secular tradition, despite the erosion of this principle
under President RecepTayyipErdogan.
The
bus was making one of the longest journeys through Turkey – connecting the Van
region near the Iranian border in the east to Izmir on the Aegean coast in
western Turkey – the travel firm’s lawyer said on Tuesday.
The
journey takes more than 24 hours.
“The
company finds itself at the center of a controversy on secularism. We are being
singled out as a target. But we are respectful of all beliefs,” said the
lawyer, TuncayKeserci.
“It
is not possible... to ignore the rights of other passengers who do not pray and
who want to arrive at their destination in time, for a passenger to pray,” the
firm’s statement added.
The
response drew both praise and criticism, with supporters commending Oz Ercis
for their “courage” in defending secularism, while detractors said they would
not travel with the company again.
The
Islamic faith provides that travelers can adapt prayer times and length when
travelling.
“We
are victims of a lynching campaign, as if we were preventing people from
praying,” said Keserci, adding that the passenger in question was able to pray
later when the bus stopped at a rest area.
Keserci
said secularism “does not mean that we are not religious. Secularism also
protects Muslims.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Raid
on pro-Iran militia convoy in eastern Syria kills around 15: Monitor
09
November, 2022
The
strike took place in eastern
Syria near the border with Iraq. (Reuters)
-----------
A
strike on a pro-Iran militia convoy in eastern Syria near the border with Iraq
killed around 15 people overnight, a war monitor said Wednesday, without
specifying who carried it out.
The
strike hit a convoy of “fuel tankers and trucks loaded with weapons,” in the
theAlbu Kamal area of the border, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said.
The
US military told reporters in Iraq that it had no involvement in the raid.
The
US-led coalition told reporters in Iraq that it had no involvement in the raid.
An
official of the Iraqi border guard said the trucks were transporting fuel from
Iran to Lebanon overland through Iraq and Syria.
He
said the convoy consisted of 22 tanker trucks, of which 10 were hit after
entering Syrian territory through the Al-Qaim - Albu Kamal border crossing.
Four trucks were “completely burnt,” he added.
The
Britain-based Observatory said at least 14 people were killed in the strike. It
said a nearby militia position was also hit.
Contacted
by AFP, a spokeswoman for the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the
Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria said that the strike was not carried out
by the United States or any other coalition country.
Pro-Iran
militias have a major presence around the Iraq-Syria border and are heavily
deployed south and west of the Euphrates in Syria’s DeirEzzor province.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Sabah
govt announces RM54m allocation for non-Islamic institutions
09
Nov 2022
KOTA
KINABALU, Nov 9 — The Sabah government has announced an allocation of RM54
million, from RM47 million last year, for Chinese and missionary schools, as
well as other non-Muslim organisations for 2023.
Chief
Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor said the increase of RM7 million in the
allocation was in line with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-BarisanNasional (GRS-BN)
government’s commitment to ensure the needs of the community continue to be
given priority.
“I
hope that the aid by the state government will help to ease the burden of the
parties concerned in developing and repairing non-Muslim schools and houses of
worship in Sabah for the benefit of non-Muslims in the state.
“The
state government always emphasises justice and fairness in all aspects,
including in helping the people, regardless of race and religion,” he said in a
statement here today.
Hajiji
said the support of the Chinese community in Sabah to the GRS-BN government in
the 15th General Election (GE15) would ensure the well-being of the community
would continue to be fought.
Meanwhile,
Hajiji said various achievements had been by the GRS-BN government for the past
two years, especially in efforts to restore the state’s economy after the
Covid-19 pandemic.
“The
investor-friendly approach implemented by the state government has brought many
foreign and local investors to Sabah,” he added. — Bernama
Source: MalayMail
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2023:
Muslims must be active in election – Ekiti Council for Islamic Affairs
November
8, 2022
By
Emmanuel Ani
The
Council for Islamic Affairs, Ekiti State chapter has urged Muslims to remain
prayerful and abide by Allah’s injunctions in the years ahead, especially as
the 2023 elections approach.
At
its monthly meeting held at AwoEkiti, Irepodun /Ifelodun Local Government Area
over the weekend, the council’s president, Alhaji (Dr) Hammed AfolabiBakare,
FCA, congratulated the Muslim community in Ekiti State over the recent
appointment of Alhaja (Dr) HabibatOmolaraAdubiaro as the Secretary to Ekiti
State Government (SSG), saying Ekiti State governor, BiodunAbayomiOyebanji has
done well by heeding the calls of Muslims as regards the political appointment
even though more is still expected.
While
urging Muslim parents to send their children to school to acquire western and
Islamic education in a bid to gain relevance in various spheres of life in
society, he charged all Muslims to ensure more active participation in politics
and all Islamic activities to gain more relevance in the governance in the
state.
The
Immediate past president of the Council in the state, Barrister YakubuSanni
also, at the occasion, urged Muslim clerics and leaders not to indulge in
ungodly acts that could be detrimental to Islam politically, educationally and
economically.
He
noted that the council has a stake in advising government and making
recommendations towards the good of all citizens in the state.
The
Alawo of AwoEkiti, Oba AbdulazeezOlaleye who also attended lauded the
reinvigorated strides of the Council in Ekiti State stressing that it has woken
the Muslim community from its slumber and motivated leaders from various
sectors to project issues affecting Islam within and beyond Ekiti State.
On
the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, stakeholders at the forum urged Muslims
not to sit on the fence before, during and after the elections but rather
contribute towards entrenching the country’s democracy and the emergence of a
widely accepted presidential candidate.
A
Muslim scholar and secretary, Irepodun /Ifelodun Local Government Area,
MrJunaidYunus opined that Muslims would benefit more in politics by actively
participating rather than being just observers.
He
noted that Islam as a religion allows adherents to partake in politics with a
view to making a positive impact on society rather than leaving it in the hands
of adherents of other religions.
Also
at this November meeting of the Council, the need for government to employ more
Islamic and Arabic teachers in public schools was emphasized while concerned
stakeholders were urged to rescue the Esure Central Mosque from collapsing.
Members
of the council were also invited to the turbaning of the President of the
Council, Alhaji Hammed AfolabiBakare who would be installed as Baba Adiini of
ErijiyanEkiti Muslim Jama’ah on 10th December 2022 at ErijiyanEkiti.
In
attendance were executive members of the council, several Muslim organizations
and stakeholders including Muslim women groups from various communities across
the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State.
Source:DailyPost Nigeria
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Blinken
welcomes Omani FM to Washington
09
November, 2022
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed Omani Foreign Minister SayyidBadr
al-Busaidi at the State Department Tuesday as they launch a new strategic
dialogue between Oman and the United States for greater cooperation on regional
issues.
Blinken
and al-Busaidi say their meeting will cover a “number of critical issues”
including discussion on Yemen and Iran as well as trade and investment,
education and culture and the climate crisis.
“I’m
particularly pleased that we’ve started our strategic dialogue,” Blinken said
as the counterparts began their meetings. “We’re focused on a number of
critical issues that I think will be to the benefit of people in both
countries.”
The
Omani Foreign Minister said “This dialogue, I am sure, will elevate the
relationship to a new level as we collaborate to face new challenges.”
Al-Busaidi
added, “our views and perspectives on a range of issues, whether it’s Palestine
or Yemen or regional security. I think the relationship with the United States
is very much appreciated by my country. We value this friendship that has stood
the test of time for nearly 200 years, and I think it is only fair to say I
think it is bound to grow stronger and deeper in the years to come.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/11/09/Blinken-welcomes-Omani-FM-to-Washington
--------
Russia-Ukraine
conflict accelerates need for clean energy transition: Britain’s Sunak
08
November, 2022
The
Russian-Ukrainian conflict has accelerated the need for clean energy
transition, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Al Arabiya at the UN
climate conference in Egypt.
“Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance for all of us transitioning
to safer, cleaner and cheaper forms of energy and removing our dependence on
fossil fuels,” Sunak said on Monday at the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm
el-Sheikh.
The
Russian-Ukrainian conflict has caused an energy crisis and disruption in energy
outflow, prompting EU countries that have cut down on energy supply from Moscow
to find other sources of energy.
However,
some optimists hope that the crisis will push countries further to adopt clean
energy sources.
“There
cannot be lasting peace or prosperity without action on climate change,” the UK
premier said.
Sunak
underscored that the “preferable” solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is
a “peaceful resolution,” adding, however, that asking Ukraine to negotiate a
solution is not “fair…at the same time as their country is being violently
attacked.”
Commenting
on talks to restore a nuclear deal with Iran, Sunak noted that Tehran did not
take the opportunity to move forward when a deal was put on the table in March.
“Iran
did not take the opportunity to move forward with [the deal] and I think the
situation now is very difficult and we'll have to consider what the best next
steps are with our international partners,” Sunak said. “But that is made more
difficult by Iran’s violent treatment of the protesters and their continued
actions that are destabilizing the region.”
As
for the relationship with the Gulf countries, Sunak praised the strong ties the
UK has with them adding that he looked forward to further develop this
relation.
“We’re
very fortunate to have important and historical ties with our friends and
allies among the Gulf states,” he said. “Looking forward, what we want to have,
is a modern relationship that is built not just on our historic defense and
security cooperation, but also enhances our economic dialogue, partnership and
development.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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South Asia
Norway
Contributes NOK 8 Million to Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund: OCHA
By
SaqalainEqbal
November
8, 2022
The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) announced
that Norway has contributed 8 million Norwegian Krone to the Afghanistan
Humanitarian Fund.
Norway’s
pledge of NOK 8 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund was welcomed by
the UN OCHA in a tweet on Tuesday, November 8.
The
Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund is a pooled country fund overseen by the UN
(AHF). In times of natural disasters, UN OCHA coordinates the international
emergency response to protect the people and save lives.
According
to the OCHA’s tweet, since 2014, Norway has generously donated the AHF 18
million dollars, upholding the notion of investing in humanity.
Meanwhile,
the Croatian government also donated an amount of $100,000 to the AHF, OCHA
reported on Monday, November, 7th.
The World Food Program (WFP) has stated that
the desperate position of many Afghan families is projected to worsen in the
upcoming months following a year of severe economic hardships and natural
calamities like drought, earthquake, and flood.
Millions
of families, according to the organization, have almost no means of surviving
the hard winter, and the WFP has started to step up aid throughout Afghanistan.
Due
to the economic crisis caused by the Taliban’s control of the government, the
UN has repeatedly urged other countries and international organizations to
provide humanitarian relief to the people of Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/norway-contributes-nok-8-million-to-afghanistan-humanitarian-fund-ocha-45346/
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US
Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan Visits Pakistan to Discuss Afghan Refugees
By
SaqalainEqbal
November
8, 2022
The
Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan Karen Decker visited
Pakistan, Afghanistan’s eastern and southern neighbor, to discuss the situation
of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
The
US official for Afghanistan, who remotely works from Doha, the capital of
Qatar, visited Pakistan as part of her “listening tour”, according to a thread
of tweets she posted on her Twitter handle on Tuesday, November 8.
A
series of tweets suggests that the US official will learn about the plight of
Afghan refugees in Pakistan as well as the organizations and individuals
working to support Afghans and Afghanistan in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
According
to the tweet, the US official is visiting Pakistan after 30 “long” years, after
reports of Afghan women and children detained and imprisoned in Pakistani
jails.
Following
news of Afghan refugees, notably women and children, being held in detention
facilities in Pakistan’s Sindh region, the former president of Afghanistan,
Hamid Karzai, also posted on his Twitter account his regrets regarding the
predicament of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Former
President Karzai requested Pakistan to “adopt a healthy approach befitting a
good neighbor” with the Afghan immigrants in accordance with international
norms and human rights.
The
US official’s visit to Pakistan is hailed by social media users, particularly
the Afghan refugees waiting to be resettled to the US, those eligible under the
US’s P1/P2 program.
They
express concern over the program’s sluggish development over the past year and
complain that their children are deprived of receiving an education in
Pakistan, the third country.
Source:
Khaama Press
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Taliban:
Afghan Export Earnings to Hit $2 Billion by End of Year
By
SaqalainEqbal
November
8, 2022
The
Taliban government stated that in the first seven months of the current year,
Afghanistan exported $1 billion and $85 million in export revenues and will
reach $2 billion by the end of the year.
Afghanistan’s
exports will double compared to last year, according to a statement released on
Tuesday, November 8 by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban
administration in Economic Affairs, if the current pattern continues.
According
to the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, 97% of the exports
to the regional countries, including Iran, Pakistan, and China, were fresh and
dried fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants, and minerals.
JawadDabeer,
the Taliban Ministry of Industry and Commerce’s Head of Information and Public
Relations, also said that in the previous seven months, Afghanistan’s exports
brought in over $1 billion.
According
to Dabeer’s tweet from Saturday, November 6, Afghanistan has exceeded $743
million in exports to Pakistan, $207 million to India, and $23 million to
Tajikistan.
The
increase in Afghan exports to Pakistan was earlier noted by the US Special
Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in a report on Friday,
November 4.
As
a result of international sanctions, SIGAR said that Afghanistan has had the
most trade with Pakistan, putting Pakistan at the top of the list of Afghan
export destinations.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-afghan-export-earnings-to-hit-2-billion-by-end-of-year-45846/
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‘Use
perfume, prioritise hygiene’ — Afghan minister SirajuddinHaqqani to Taliban
members
RAGHAV
BIKHCHANDANI
8
November, 2022
New
Delhi: A year since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the de facto
government’s first deputy leader, the Minister of Interior Affairs and its
paramilitary wing chief, SirajuddinHaqqani, now appears to have delved into
issues concerning men’s health and hygiene.
According
to freelance journalist and former TOLO News correspondent AbdulhaqOmeri,
Haqqani was filmed giving a speech to the Taliban members and its supporters on
the usage of perfume and importance of keeping oneself clean.
The
video, uploaded on Twitter by Omeri Monday, was subsequently re-shared by
US-based journalist NazranaYousafzai, drawing reactions from several users on
the platform.
Born
in 1979, Haqqani has been a prominent member of the Taliban since the late
2000s, and is suspected to have been involved in the abduction of American
journalist David S. Rohde as well as a series of terror attacks in Afghanistan.
The
fall of Kabul in August 2021 saw him assume the post of the Taliban’s first
deputy leader, while he continues to head the de facto government’s
paramilitary wing, the Haqqani network.
Efforts
to increase engagement on social media platforms
Haqqani’s
video has been making the rounds on social media amid a bigger concerted effort
by the Taliban to increase engagement and support on platforms like Twitter and
YouTube, with the help of content creators and propagandists.
As
explained in ThePrint article by KabirTaneja, fellow at Observer Research
Foundation’s Strategic Studies Programme, Taliban leaders like Haqqani have
their fingers on the pulse of what are considered acceptable narratives for the
international community, as well as the path forward to a gradual normalisation
of the regime.
According
to a piece by Zafar Iqbal Yousafzai, published by the think-tank Global Network
on Extremism and Technology, and which Taneja also cites, social media has been
“increasingly used” by the Taliban to propagate its ideology since 2011.
Following
the takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban has employed “reconciliary tactics” on
Twitter — being banned from other social media platforms — to improve its
global image as purported populists, while continuing to carry out its militant
authoritarian policies offline.
Source:
ThePrint
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India
Muslim
‘kin’ help orphan Hindu girl get married
09th
November 2022
By
Rajesh Asnani
JAIPUR: A beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim
brotherhood was seen in Ramgarh town of Alwar district. People from Muslim
community in this Rajasthan town recently put in major efforts for organising
the wedding of an orphan Hindu girl. In the marriage of the girl, who had lost
her parents in childhood, the people from the Muslim community arrived as
maternal uncles for a special ceremony called myra or bhaat. They gave Rs
31,000 and other gifts to the girl and helped in arranging food for the wedding
party.
When
the bride Aarushi, a resident of Ramgarh, was just one year old, her parents
had passed away.
Despite
coming from a poor background, her uncle JayaprakashJangid raised Aarushi and
helped her in her education till MA. Last Friday, her marriage was fixed with
Dalchand, a resident of DholiDubh. When
this information reached the Anjuman Education Committee president and
PanchayatSamiti president Nasru Khan, he and the committee came forward to fill
Aarushi’smyra in view
of
the poor financial condition of the family.
The
members reached Aarushi’s house and got her marriage conducted with full
rituals. They regarded Aarushi’s aunt as their sister and covered her with a
chunari. Other wedding items were given
as gifts and the cost of arranging the ceremony was also borne by the Anjuman
Education Society. Nasru Khan blessed the bride Aarushi while performing Hindu
rituals. He asserted, “I reach out to the girls who do not have parents. In
this case, Aarushi was brought up by her uncle and aunty and we fulfilled all
needs according to Hindu customs.
Though
there is an atmosphere of communalism in our Ramgarh because elections are
often contested on the basis of Hindu-Muslim divide, we have done this as a
part of our Ganga JamniTehzeeb. It is an
attempt to keep the Tehzeeb (culture) alive. We hope and pray that the distance
between the two religions decreases and our brotherhood increases. Anyway, this
is not about religion but humanity as one feels happy after a girl from a poor
family gets married.”
At
the time of farewell, Aarushi hugged her benefactors. Her uncle JayprakashJangid
said that he will never forget the positive gesture. “Despite the poverty
situation, we got Aarushi educated till MA and I was marrying my daughter by
taking loan from people. But the people of Muslim society who came to fill the
Mayra took away half of my tension. I can never thank them enough.”
Source:NewIndianExpress
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Malali
Mosque row: K’taka court to give verdict on survey demand
November
9, 2022
A
Karnataka court will give its verdict in connection with the Malali Mosque
dispute on Wednesday.
Some
Hindu organisations had submitted a petition demanding survey of the mosque on
the lines of the Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh. Malali Mosque row: K’taka
court to give verdict on survey demand.
This
was followed by the surfacing of Hindu temple structure at the time of
renovation of the mosque.
Challenging
this, the management of the mosque and Muslim organisations had argued that the
court did not have jurisdiction to look into the matter. The court was supposed
to deliver the judgment in this regard on Monday.
Earlier,
a Karnataka local court had reserved the order for November 9 in connection
with the Malali mosque row in Dakshina Kannada district.
The
Third Additional Civil Court in Mangaluru, after reserving the orders, directed
that status quo had to be maintained in the premises of the masjid.
Vishwa
Hindu Parishad (VHP), one of the petitioners, demanded the appointment of court
commissioner to conduct a survey in the Malali mosque.
The
management of the Malali mosque maintained that the petition by the VHP should
be quashed. It also maintained that the court could not take up the matter.
The
court had recorded arguments and counter arguments. The judgement was earlier
reserved on October 17, which was adjourned to November 9.
The
Hindu organisations and minority community were looking ahead for the judgment.
If the court considers the petition by Malali mosque management, the demand of
VHP to get a survey of the mosque done would get quashed. And if the court
considers the petition of VHP, there would be a survey of mosques.
Source:TheStatesman
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Centre
alludes to ‘foreign origins’ in its affidavit on Dalit Christians, Dalit
Muslims
AbhinayLakshman
INOVEMBER
09, 2022
It
justifies the ‘intelligible differentia’ between Scheduled Castes practising
Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism and those practising other religions
The
affidavit filed by the Union government before the Supreme Court Bench hearing
the case for the inclusion of Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims on the list of
Scheduled Castes contradicts itself at several junctures, leading to a lack of
clarity on its arguments defending the current criteria for determining which
communities can be classified as Scheduled Castes.
Among
the arguments the government has put forward justifying the exclusion of Dalit
Christians and Dalit Muslims from the list is one that alludes to the seemingly
“foreign” origins of Islam and Christianity as opposed to Hinduism, Sikhism and
Buddhism without directly saying so.
The
government said in its affidavit, “It is submitted that the present is a case
of classification between Indian citizens and foreigners which cannot be
doubted on any count. It is well established that Article 14 forbids class
legislation but does not forbid classification,” though the present case does
not involve any foreign citizens as parties.
It
added that the classification must be put to the “twin test of classification”
as per which, “permissible classification must be founded on an intelligible
differentia which distinguishes persons or things that are grouped together
from others left out of the group, and the differentia must have a rational
relation to the object sought to be achieved by the statute in question”.
In
the affidavit filed through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in
October, the government justified the “intelligible differentia” between
Scheduled Castes practising Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism and Scheduled
Castes practising other religions by saying, “It is submitted that there exists
a clear intelligible differentia between local contributions to the sector and
foreign contributions,” possibly pointing to the argument that Christianity and
Islam are not Indic religions and that there were foreign contributions to the
creation of Christian and Muslim populations in India.
It
said, “Scheduled Castes converts to Buddhism embraced Buddhism voluntarily at
the call of Dr. Ambedkar in 1956 on account of some innate socio political
imperatives. The original castes/community of such converts can clearly be
determined. This cannot be said in respect of Christians and Muslims who might
have converted on account of other factors, since the process of conversions
has been taken place over the centuries.”
Further,
it argued that the objective of reservation and identification of Scheduled
Castes is “over and beyond” the social and economic backwardness. It said, “The
identification of Scheduled Castes is centredaround a specific social stigma
[and the connected backwardness with such stigma] that is limited to the
communities identified in the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950.”
The
government filed the 70-page affidavit in response to a batch of petitions
arguing that the exclusion of Christian and Muslim Dalits from the list of
Scheduled Castes was discriminatory. Currently, only Dalits of Hindu, Sikh and
Buddhist faiths can be categorised as SCs.
The
contradictions
As
for contradictions, the affidavit, defending the exclusion, in paragraph 31
said, “...The exclusion of Christianity or Islam was due to the reason that the
oppressive system of untouchability which leads to economic and social
backwardness of some Hindu castes was not prevalent in Christian or Islamic
Society.”
In
the very next sentence, the government said, “There is authentic data to
suggest that the oppressive environment which existed in Hindu Society for
hundreds of years qua Scheduled Castes also existed in Christian or Islamic
Society.”
Moreover,
at one point, the government said, “There is also no documented research and
precise authenticated information available” to establish that disabilities and
handicaps faced by Dalits in the social order of origin (Hinduism) persisted in
“oppressive severity in the environment of Christianity/Islam”.
However,
in the next page, it said the exclusion of Christianity and Islam from the list
was “based on historical data which clearly established that no such
backwardness or oppression was ever faced by members of Christian or Islamic
Society”.
Three-member
panel
Despite
this position taken in its affidavit, the government submitted that it has set
up a three-member Commission of Inquiry, headed by former Chief Justice of
India K.G. Balakrishnan, to look into the “seminal and historically complex sociological
and constitutional question” of whether Dalit Christians and Dalit Muslims can
be included in the SC list.
Source:TheHindu
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Gyanvapi:
Verdict on plea seeking ban on entry of Muslims on Nov 14
Nov
09, 2022
A
fast-track court in Varanasi on Tuesday deferred judgment on the
maintainability of a plea seeking a ban on the entry of Muslims inside the
Gyanvapi Masjid complex.
The
verdict will now be delivered on November 14. People familiar with developments
said the verdict was deferred as the judge was on leave.
This
case was filed by the Vishwa Vedic SanatanSangh (VVSS) in 2022, seeking a ban
on the entry of Muslims on the Gyanvapi premises.
The
body also sought possession of the premises in order to worship a structure –
found earlier this year during a court-ordered survey – that Hindu groups say
is a “shivling”. Muslim parties have said that the structure is a part of an old
ceremonial fountain.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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DMs
of 31 districts of 9 states can give citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Afghanistan
09th
November 2022
NEW
DELHI: The district magistrates of 31 districts and the home secretaries of
nine states have been given powers to grant Indian citizenship to the Hindus,
Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians coming to the country from
Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
According
to the annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for 2021-22, from
April 1 to December 31, 2021, a total of 1,414 foreigners belonging to these
minority communities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan were given Indian
citizenship by registration or naturalisation under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The
move to grant Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis
and Christians coming to the country from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan
under the Citizenship Act, 1955 and not under the controversial Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) bears significance.
The
CAA also provides for granting Indian citizenship to these non-Muslims coming
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
However,
the rules under the CAA have not been framed by the government yet and hence,
no one so far has been granted Indian citizenship under it.
The
annual report of the MHA said the Centre delegated its powers to grant Indian
citizenship by registration or naturalisation in respect of foreigners
belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Christian or Parsi communities
from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to the collectors of 13 more
districts and the home secretaries of two more states in 2021-22.
"With
this, collectors of 29 districts and home secretaries of nine states have been
authorised to grant citizenship in respect of the aforesaid category of
migrants," the report said.
The
district magistrates of Gujarat's Anand and Mehsana were also given similar
powers last month.
The
nine states where Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation is given
under the Citizenship Act, of 1955 to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Afghanistan are Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana,
Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra.
Interestingly,
the authorities of none of the districts of Assam and West Bengal, where the
issue is politically sensitive, have been given the powers so far.
The
delegation of powers, the report said, will speed up the process of granting
Indian citizenship to the aforesaid category of migrants as the decision would
be taken at the local level.
"From
April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, a total of 1,414 citizenship certificates
have been granted by all authorities including this ministry. Out of this,
1,120 were granted by registration under section 5 and 294 were granted by
naturalisation under section 6 of the Citizenship Act, 1955," the report
said.
Under
the CAA, the NarendraModi government wants to grant Indian nationality to
persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan --
Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- who came to India
till December 31, 2014.
There
were massive protests in some parts of the country after the CAA was passed by
Parliament in December 2019 and the subsequent presidential nod.
More
than a hundred people lost their lives during the protests or in police action.
However, the law is yet to be implemented as rules under the CAA are yet to be
framed. Rules under the law have to be framed for its implementation.
According
to the Manual on Parliamentary Work, the rules for any legislation should be
framed within six months of the presidential assent or an extension has to be
sought from the committees on subordinate legislation in the LokSabha and the
RajyaSabha.
In
January 2020, the home ministry notified that the Act would come into force
from January 10, 2020, but it later requested the parliamentary committees in
the RajyaSabha and the LokSabha to give it some more time to frame the rules as
the country was going through its worst ever health crisis due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
The
MHA was granted yet another extension last month by the parliamentary
committees on subordinate legislation in the RajyaSabha and the LokSabha to
frame the rules under the CAA.
Source:NewIndianExpress
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Pakistan
PM
constitutes committee to highlight Dr. Allama Iqbal’s philosophy
November
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday constituted a high level committee to
highlight work of the national poet, Dr. Allama Mohammad Iqbal.
The
prime minister desired to arrange a detailed programme, to highlight the life,
work and philosophy of Dr. Allama Iqbal, may be developed for the month of
November.
The
committee under the supervision of Senator Irfan Siddiqui, shall complete the
task within three days, said a notification issued by PM office.
According
to the notification, National Heritage and Culture Division shall provide
secretarial support to the committee and it would finalize the events which
must be befitting the stature of the towering personality of Allama Iqbal.
The
resources, expertise and venue of the Iqbal Academy shall also be utilized to
the fullest extent.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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PM
confident upcoming visit of Saudi crown prince will strengthen ties
November
8, 2022
SHARM
EL-SHEIKH: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a meeting with Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, expressed confidence that his
forthcoming visit to Pakistan would further promote cooperation.
“Looking
forward to the upcoming visit of the Crown Prince to Pakistan, the prime
minister said that he was confident that this visit would promote bilateral
cooperation in all areas of mutual interest,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
said in a statement after the meeting.
The
meeting held on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh
reviewed the bilateral relations with a view to further enhance the ongoing
cooperation in various fields.
“Both
sides expressed determination to further strengthen the multilateral
partnership between the two brotherly countries,” the statement added.
During
the meeting, the two leaders also discussed regional and global issues of
mutual interest.
Prime
Minister Sharif reiterated that Pakistan attached great importance to its ties
with Saudi Arabia, which were deeply rooted in common faith, culture, values
and an eternal tradition of mutual support.
He
also appreciated the hospitality and cooperation of Saudi Arabia for the two
million Pakistanis working in the Kingdom, which contributed to the development
and prosperity of the two brotherly countries.
Referring
to their recent meeting in Riyadh, the prime minister and the crown prince
expressed satisfaction at the growing high-level ties.
The
two leaders expressed their determination to further strengthen the
multilateral partnership between the two countries.
Sharif
particularly emphasised the importance of increasing trade, investment,
development and people-to-people ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in the
mutual interest of the people of the two brotherly countries.
Appreciating
Saudi assistance to the flood-hit people, the prime minister said that Pakistan
was one of the countries most affected by the effects of climate change.
He
expressed hope that COP27 would yield concrete results, especially in
developing countries with regard to the financing of waste and damage caused by
environmental causes.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Imran
Khan's assassination bid: Police in Pakistan's Punjab province finally register
FIR
Nov
8, 2022
LAHORE:
Police in Pakistan's Punjab province on Tuesday registered an FIR in the
assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, days after the
incident, and named the assailant who was taken into custody as the prime
accused in the case.
The
move comes after the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the provincial government
to file an FIR in the assassination bid on Khan within 24 hours.
The
FIR named the assailant, Naveed Mohammad Basheer, as the prime accused.
However, it does not mention the names of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif, Interior Minister RanaSanaullah and a senior Pakistan Army official
Major General Faisal Naseer, three people who Khan had accused of hatching a
plot to assassinate him.
"We
are going to challenge the FIR in the apex court," a senior leader of
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Fawad Chaudhry said.
The
delay in getting a case registered in Punjab province, which has PTI at the
helm, has raised eyebrows.
"I
wonder if I, being the former prime minister of Pakistan, can't get an FIR
registered regarding an attack on me, what will happen to the common man,"
he said. On Sunday, Khan said that an FIR has not been registered on the
botched "assassination attempt" on his life as authorities are
refusing to file the case unless he removes an Army general's name from the
complaint.
Punjab
police said it has registered the FIR on the direction of the Supreme Court and
nominated the suspect, Naveed, under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and
Section 302, 324, and 440 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Police
said they nabbed Basheer from the crime scene after confessed to his crime. In
a confessional video, Basheer said he attacked Khan because he was
"misleading the public."
Khan,
70, suffered bullet injuries in the right leg on Thursday when two gunmen fired
a volley of bullets at him and others mounting on a container-mounted truck in
the Wazirabad area of Punjab province, where he was leading a protest march against
the Shehbaz Sharif government.
"I
was hit by 4 bullets," Khan said in his address to the nation from a
hospital in Lahore on November 4, a day after he was shot during a rally in
Punjab province.
He
underwent surgery for the gunshot wounds at the ShaukatKhanum Hospital owned by
his charitable organisation.
The
former cricketer-turned-politician, who underwent surgery, was discharged from
the hospital on Sunday and moved to his private residence in the city, hospital
officials said.
Khan's
march to the federal capital, demanding fresh elections, was suspended after
the shooting last week.
Senior
PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan said the march will resume on November 10 from
Wazirabad.
Khan,
ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April, says he
will not join it while he recovers from his injuries.
The
federal government led by Shehbaz Sharif has rejected Khan's demand for fresh
elections, which are due only after August next year.
Source:
Times Of India
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Crown
Prince’s visit testimony to strong Pak-KSA ties: Ashrafi
By
AsimYasin
November
09, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The special aide to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East,
Hafiz Muhammad Tahir MahmoodAshrafi said on Tuesday, that the visit of the
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad-bin-Salman to Pakistan is a testimony of
the strength, stability and improvement of ties between Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia.
“The
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has emerged as a strong and positive thinking
leader not only for the Muslim world, but the world at large,” he said this,
while talking to media, following his three-day visit to Bahrain.
Ashrafi
said, that the conference on climate change in Egypt and Saudi Arabia’s Green
Middle East vision would pave the way for development in many areas of mutual
interest between Pakistan and the countries of the Middle East.
He
said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif aptly interpreted the nation and the
country in Egypt on the challenges of climate change and post flashflood
damages in Pakistan. Ashrafi said that religious scholars are constantly
working for the awareness of the people on the issues of climate change and for
the importance of interfaith and interreligious dialogue around the globe.
He
said the conferences hosted by Dar Al-Ifta Egypt and Bahrain Islamic Council
have given guidance to the world, and an effective voice has been raised
through these conferences regarding the eradication of poverty, ignorance and
for the cause of promoting peace.
“The
leadership of all religions through these conferences have appealed to end the
Russia-Ukraine war,” he said. Ashrafi said that the world is facing problems
due to the war and the world leadership should promote peace by making an
effort to end it soon. Hafiz Ashrafi also announced that the ‘5th International
Message of Islam Conference ‘Relations of Pakistan-Saudi Arabia and Islamic World’
will be held under the aegis of the Pakistan Ulema Council on November16, 2022
in Islamabad. He said that top leaders of the Islamic world will address this
coveted conference. Ashrafi elaborated:
“Under
the patronage of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and
with the support of the Government of Egypt, the World Conference on climate
change has determined an effective and positive direction at the global level
in general and in the Islamic world specifically.”
He
said Pakistan has already welcomed the vision of the Saudi Crown Prince
vis-a-vis a Green Middle East and Green Saudi Arabia initiatives and Pakistan
will fully extend cooperation with Saudi Arabia in this regard. He said that if
the internal situation of Pakistan is stabilised an investment of around 25 to
30 billion dollars can come into Pakistan in the next one to two years.
Ashrafi
revealed that Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain are all eager to
extend their cooperation towards Pakistan and Prime Minister MianShahbaz Sharif
has instructed all the respective departments and ministries to create all
possible facilities in this regard.
In
response to a question pertaining to the current situation in the country,
Hafiz Ashrafi said that the ongoing protest, blockade of the roads and the
blame game is not a solution to the problems.
He
said that the attack on Imran Khan is condemnable and the facts should come
out. Ashrafi said a conspiracy narrative has been created to defame the most
sensitive institution of the country, with aims to create division in the
nation and the army, which has no authenticity. “For the Pakistani nation, its
red line is its religion, homeland and the army,” he said.
Meanwhile,
the leadership of the Pakistan Ulema Council have appealed to the leaders of
the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to open the closed roads at various places, saying
that the PTI has the right to protest peacefully, but realising the
difficulties of the public is also the responsibility of the leadership and
workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Source:
TheNews Pakistan
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Imran
‘abandons’ designs to sway chief’s selection
Zulqernain
Tahir
November
9, 2022
LAHORE:
After repeatedly calling for a consultative process before picking the new army
chief, ousted prime minister Imran Khan now does not see any problem if the
appointment is made by the Shehbaz Sharif government.
In
an interaction with journalists at his Zaman Park residence on Tuesday, the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman offered a fresh take on the issue of
appointing a new chief of army staff.
When
asked whether he had demanded that the appointment of a new chief be made in
consultation with him and/or his party, Mr Khan said: “No… they can appoint
whoever they want.”
Earlier,
in several public meetings and remarks made over the course of the past
several months, Mr Khan had declared that “the Sharifs and the Zardaris” were
unfit to make the appointment to the top military slot on the basis that
“thieves cannot be allowed to appoint the next army chief”.
But
when a journalist asked Mr Khan on Tuesday whether incumbent army chief Gen
QamarJavedBajwa was being given an extension, the former premier responded
with: “This is a billion-dollar question.”
Mr
Khan also revealed that his relations with the military establishment became
strained on the issue of “accountability”, adding that the premier should be
empowered if the country was to run smoothly.
“I
had no issue with the army. Problems only cropped up on accountability matters.
However, the army can play a positive role. I believe if the country is to run
smoothly, then the prime minister should also be given power along with the
management,” Mr Khan said.
He
was of the opinion that a coalition government had to make many compromises.
“The prime minister can be blackmailed in a coalition... a two-third majority
gives strength to the premier,” he maintained.
Talking
to Dawn, a senior PTI leader also confirmed the impression that relations
between Mr Khan and the military leadership soured during the PTI government
when the latter advised the PM to shift focus from accountability of opposition
leaders to fixing the economy. “Not budging from his stance, Imran Khan invited
trouble,” he said.
‘Farcical
FIR’
Mr
Khan was not happy over the FIR registered over the attempt on his life, as it
did not name any of suspects he had nominated.
“On
the issue of the farcical FIR, my lawyers will give my position,” Mr Khan said
in a tweet.
He
told journalists he would challenge the FIR in the court to get the three
persons – Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister RanaSanaullah and
ISI Counter Intelligence Wing head Maj-Gen Faisal Naseer – nominated in the
case. But, if an investigation proves their innocence, he said, their names
should be struck off the FIR. He also claimed that the statement given by the
shooting suspect, Naveed Ahmad, was a lie, adding that he had asked the Punjab
government to ‘protect’ Ahmad while he is in police custody.”
Separately,
in an interview with TRT World, Imran Khan called on the chief justice of
Pakistan to be “more assertive” when it comes to dispensing justice.
“Justice
persists when every person, even the most powerful, is brought under the rule
of law. I, as the head of a province, can’t get the three people to be
investigated, imagine what the situation will be for the common man,” he said,
adding that PTI’s movement for “real struggle” demanded rule of law.”
Source:
Dawn
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Prohibited
funding case: Court suspends FIA call-up notice to Imran
November
9, 2022
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Tuesday suspended a call-up notice of the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) issued to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman
Imran Khan in the prohibited funding case.
Earlier,
Advocate IntizarHussainPanjhuta argued on behalf of Mr Khan that the FIA had no
power to proceed in the matter, especially when the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) did not even hold that any law had been violated in opening or
operating the bank accounts in question.
He
said the ECP never directed the FIA or any other agency to inquire into any
aspect of the bank accounts.
Justice
AsjadJavedGhural asked the counsel whether the federal government could ask the
FIA to initiate an inquiry.
Advocate
Panjhuta said the impugned notice issued by the agency did not disclose whether
there was any direction from the federal government.
He
argued that only the federal government and the ECP could take actions against
the political parties.
He
said the FIA summoned the petitioner in personal capacity, which was illegal.
The
judge asked the counsel whether the petitioner owned the bank accounts
mentioned by the agency.
The
counsel said the petitioner’s party disowned 13 bank accounts, while owned only
eight. He said there were no allegations that the funds received by the PTI
were illegal or linked to any crime.
He
asked the court to quash the impugned notice and also declare the FIA inquiry
illegal and without lawful authority. The FIA had summoned the former prime
minister for Nov 7.
After
hearing the arguments, the judge suspended the impugned call-up notice and
sought a reply from the FIA by Dec 7. The judge also directed the attorney
general of Pakistan to assist the court in the matter on the next hearing.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1719847/prohibited-funding-case-court-suspends-fia-call-up-notice-to-imran
--------
PM
reiterates desire to further strengthen bilateral ties with Germany
November
9, 2022
SHARM
EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underscored that COP-27
must take bold decisions to address climate change, particularly in the context
of climate justice, adaptation and establishing a dedicated financing facility
for climate-induced loss and damage.
The
prime minister met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of Climate
Implementation Summit at COP-27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
The
two leaders reviewed the bilateral ties and discussed potential avenues for
enhancing cooperation. Regional and global issues of mutual interest were also
discussed, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
The
prime minister underscored that despite its negligible contribution to global
emissions, Pakistan was facing the brunt of climate-induced natural disasters.
He
expressed gratitude for Germany’s support during the recent climate-induced
floods in Pakistan and briefed Chancellor Scholz on the government’s
rehabilitation and reconstruction plans.
The
prime minister lauded the resilience and work ethics of the German people and
reiterated Pakistan’s strong desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation
with Germany, particularly in the fields of trade and investment, climate
change, and renewable energy.
Touching
upon the need to capitalize upon Pakistan’s young population, the prime
minister called for greater cooperation between Pakistan and Germany for
creating productive opportunities for the youth in diverse areas.
Appreciating
the technical training support that Germany had been providing to Pakistan over
the years, the prime minister underlined the need for continued knowledge
exchange.
He
also expressed appreciation for Germany’s continued support for Pakistan’s GSP
Plus status with the EU, which was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Chancellor
Scholz evinced keen interest in Pakistan’s reconstruction and rehabilitation
plans in the wake of the devastating floods, and assured the Prime Minister of
Germany’s continued support.
Discussing
the regional situation, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s efforts in
facilitating evacuations from Afghanistan on the request of foreign
governments, including Germany.
The
prime minister emphasized that continued engagement of the international
community with the Interim Afghan government was critical to ameliorate the
dire humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan. Chancellor Scholz
reiterated the need for an inclusive government and protection of human rights.
The
prime minister also drew attention of the German chancellor to the situation in
Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and the consequent risks
to peace and stability in the region.
PM
welcomes inclusion of ‘loss, damage issue’ as COP-27 agenda item
Prime
Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underscored that the vulnerable
developing countries such as Pakistan, were already witnessing unprecedented
devastating impacts of climate change, even though they have contributed very
little to it.
He
also underlined that the issue of ‘Loss and Damage’ is one of the key
priorities for Pakistan and welcomed its inclusion as an agenda item of COP-27.
The
prime minister attended a high-level roundtable at COP-27 on the “Scaling up
Action and Support on Losses and Damages – the Global Shield Against Climate
Risks”.
The
event was jointly hosted by German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and President of
Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo on the significant topic of ‘Loss and Damage’ associated
with Climate Change.
The
meeting was attended by a number of heads of state and government, PM Office
Media Wing said in a press release.
The
prime minister briefed the participants on the situation in the flood-hit areas
of Pakistan and the actions being taken by the Government for the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood impacted areas.
He
highlighted that it was for the first time that the COP had agreed to formally
discuss funding arrangements for loss and damage, achieved through persistent
push by the developing countries under Pakistan’s chairmanship of Group of 77
and China.
Appreciating
the significance of the “Global Shield Against Climate Risks” initiative, the
prime minister called for renewed international solidarity and cooperation to
address the impacts of climate change.
He
underscored that the desired financing facility should serve as the primary
vehicle to coordinate and mobilize financial resources to address loss and
damage in the developing nations.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Soldier
martyred, terrorist commander killed in Khyber IBO
November
8, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
A soldier of Pakistan Army on Tuesday embraced martyrdom in a heavy gunfight
during a joint intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted in general area of
Shakas, Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The
security forces, however, killed an important terrorist commander identified as
Liaquat Ali alias Shaheen, who was also propagated as a ‘Missing Person’, an
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said.
It
added that intense fire exchange took place between troops and terrorists,
during the conduct of the operation whereas the forces’ troops effectively
engaged the terrorists’ location. During the operation, a large number of
weapon and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorist. The killed
terrorist remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security
forces, target killing and extortion,” the ISPR added.
The
martyred soldier was identified as SepoySaleem Khan (age 28 years, resident of
Topi/Swabi) having fought gallantly, and embraced shahadat.
The
sensitization of the area was being carried out to eliminate any other
terrorists found in the area.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iranian
Envoy Blasts UNSC for Politicizing Syria's Chemical Weapons Case
2022-November-8
Iravani
made the remarks while addressing a UN Security Council meeting on “The
Situation in the Middle East: (Syria – Chemical)” on Monday.
He
slammed the use of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) for political ends, referring to the back-to-back meetings held by the
UNSC to discuss Syria's chemical weapons despite the country’s full
cooperation.
The
diplomat stressed that by holding these summits, the suspicion that they are a
political reiteration of charges against Damascus is strengthened.
"Iran
once again strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere,
and under any circumstances, as a flagrant violation of international
law," the Iranian envoy noted.
He
added that Tehran underscores once more that any investigation into the use of
chemical weapons must be "impartial, professional, credible and objective,
and must fully comply with the Convention's requirements and procedures".
"Equally
crucial, the OPCW must be able to perform its duties in an impartial,
professional, and objective manner in order to establish facts and develop
evidence-based conclusions," Iravani said.
"We
reiterate our call that the Chemical Weapons Convention must be implemented
fully, effectively, and without discrimination," he continued, adding,
"We believe that politicizing the Convention's application and exploiting
the OPCW for political reasons endangers both the Organization's and the Convention's
credibility."
The
full text of his statement is as follows:
Mr.
President,
Syria
voluntarily joined the Convention in 2013, and, dismantled its weapons arsenal
as well as the facilities used to manufacture such weapons. While encouraging
dialogue and consultations between parties, we believe that the collaboration
of the Syrian Arab Republic with the OPCW should be recognized.
We
further commend the Syrian Arab Republic for providing monthly reports to the
OPCW Director-General, detailing activities on its territory related to the
destruction of chemical weapons and their production facilities.
The
high-level meeting between Syria's Foreign Minister and the Director-General of
the OPCW, which we hope will take place, has the capacity to pave the way for
the parties to resolve the outstanding issues.
The
Syrian National Authority requested to the Technical Secretariat that the two
parties convene a coordination meeting in Beirut to agree on the agenda for the
high-level meeting, which the Technical Secretariat responded to on 3 October.
The
previous Council meeting on the Syrian chemical file was on October 25, and we
now have another meeting today only after less than two weeks, during which no
new development has happened; therefore, it is clear that there is no new point
for today's discussion other than the repetition of claims against the Syrian
Arab Republic.
We
agree with this view that conducting monthly meetings on this subject is
costly, not only in terms of UN resources but also in terms of security council
time.
Moreover,
while the Syrian Arab Republic has met the requirements of the Convention and
continues to cooperate constructively with the OPCW, handling this file in a
political and double-standard manner will only divert discussions away from
their technical nature.
We
support the discussion of this matter in its own technical track in the OPCW in
order to foster positive dialogue between Syria and the OPCW and resolve the
open issues.
The
Western media and governments have repeatedly accused the Syrian government of
using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war against terrorists.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
builds fake cemeteries around Al-Aqsa Mosque, says Palestinian committee
November
8, 2022
The
Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council
accused the Israeli occupation authorities yesterday of constructing fake
cemeteries around Al-Aqsa Mosque, Quds Press has reported.
According
to the head of the Committee, Ahmad Abu Halabiyeh MP, this was an attempt to
forge "evidence" to "prove" a historic Jewish presence in
the Palestinian, Arab and Islamic holy city.
"Recently,
the Israeli occupation has built hundreds of tombs to prove that the Jewish
existence dates back hundreds of years," explained Abu Halabiyeh. Around
300 fake tombs have been built in Jabal Al-Zaytoun, east of Al-Aqsa Mosque, he
said, and 200 others in Wadi Al Hilwa in Silwan, south of the mosque, in
addition to hundreds more in different areas across occupied Jerusalem, mainly
in the Old City.
The
MP pointed out that these tombs were built over the past two years. One area,
he said, has even been called the "Jewish Cemetery".
"This
is a clear distortion of history, as well as proof that the Israelis are
intruders," added Abu Halabiyeh. Building tombs without human remains
inside, he stressed, reinforces settlement projects and serves the occupation's
interests.
Source:
MiddleEastMonitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Judiciary
Spokesman: Imprisoned Iranian Still Kept in Solitary Confinement for 1,100 Days
2022-November-8
"Iran's
Judicial system will pursue Hamid Nouri's rights as an Iranian citizen,"
Setayeshi stressed at his press conference on Tuesday.
The
spokesperson announced that "Wednesday is the third year of Hamid Nouri's
arrest and imprisonment".
Nouri
was arrested upon arrival at Stockholm Airport in November 2019. In July, the
former judiciary employee was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in
Sweden. Iran has dismissed the Swedish court's sentence as illegal and called
for Nouri's release.
"He
(Hamid Nouri) has been in solitary confinement for a thousand and one hundred
days, and human rights claimants are silent," the judiciary official said,
adding, "In the last two months, he had a conversation with his family for
only five minutes."
The
charges against Nouri stem from allegations leveled against him by members of
the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group. Nouri has vehemently
rejected the allegations.
Tehran
has strongly condemned the Swedish court ruling for the life imprisonment of
Nouri, saying the court is basically unqualified to address the case.
The
court statement is fundamentally "rejected, distorted and
unacceptable", Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani stated
in mid-July, adding that "the court lacks legal legitimacy to deal with
the case".
The
spokesperson noted that "Iran holds Sweden accountable for the damages
caused to bilateral relations between the two countries by this statement and
ruling".
He
argued that instead of responding to the Iranian public opinion about allowing
free activity of a terrorist group, the Swedish judicial system is supporting
and promoting terrorism in practice.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Norwegian
Envoy to Tehran Summoned over Parliament Chief's Meddlesome Remarks
2022-November-8
The
director general of Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry conveyed Tehran’s
vehement protest at remarks by Norwegian Parliament President MasudGharahkhani
in an interview with an anti-Iran, Saudi-backed network based in London.
The
Iranian official strongly condemned Gharahkhani's remarks in support of the
recent unrest in the country and his interference in Tehran's internal affairs.
The
Norwegian diplomat stated that he will immediately convey Iran’s protest to
Oslo.
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of MahsaAmini, a
22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police station in mid-September and
days later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The demonstrations soon turned
violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei severely censured
the deadly riots, saying they were orchestrated in advance by the United States
and the Israeli regime.
“I
state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist
regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent
Iran and the country’s progress. The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong
during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in
the future,” he added.
In
recent days, Iranian officials have blamed the United States, the European
Unions, and several Western states for meddling in Iran's internal affairs over
the death of Mahsa. They advised the US and its allies against
"opportunism and instrumentalization of the issue of human rights" by
misusing the incident.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Military
Chief: Iran Ready to Share Defense Experiences with Iraq
2022-November-8
Maj.
Gen. Baqeri made the remark in a Monday phone call with new Iraqi Minister of
Defense Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi.
“The
Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys high potentialities and
capabilities in various fields, including the fight against terrorism and
defense industry and can transfer this experience and knowledge to the Iraqi
armed forces to help bolster security in Iraq,” the Iranian commander noted.
“The
level of the two countries’ military relations does not conform to my
expectations. The two countries' people and armed forces must have excellent
relations with each other and [realization of] this issue is among important
responsibilities of me and you,” he added.
The
senior commander expressed regret that some clauses of a memorandum of
understanding signed between the two countries in 2015 to improve defense
cooperation have not been implemented, stating Iranian and Iraqi commanders and
officials need to hold consultations at various levels to strengthen more
effective interaction.
The
Iraqi defense minister, for his part, said his country's government and nation
would never forget Iran's role in the fight against terrorism and the defeat of
the Daesh terrorist group and would always be grateful for the Iranian people
and Armed Forces in this regard.
Abbasi
added that the Iraqi armed forces are ready to boost military cooperation with
Iran.
In
a message to the newly-elected Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Iranian
President SeyedEbrahimRayeesi congratulated him on his election, and called for
the expansion of mutual cooperation between the two countries in different
fields.
President
Rayeesi hoped that the relations between Tehran and Baghdad would develop and
deepen even more during Rashid's presidency.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Large
Amount of Illicit Drugs Seized in Southeast Iran
2022-November-8
Commander
of Sistan-Balouchestan Police Brigadier General Ahmad Taheri noted on Tuesday
1.1 tons of narcotics have been confiscated in the Hamoun County.
He
added that the seized cargo includes 673 kg of opium and 373 kg of hashish.
On
Sunday, the police commander of Hormozgan province in the South of Iran said
that in the past 72 hours, 18 drug smugglers and distributors were identified
and arrested, and 792 kilograms of drugs were confiscated.
"Four
light and heavy vehicles carrying 747 kg of opium, 40kg of hashish, 1 kg of
heroin and 4 kg of other types of drugs were seized," Brigadier General
GholamrezaJafari stated.
He
added that 15 drug smugglers, 3 drug retailers and distributors were detained
during the operation.
For
decades, Iran has been fighting a relentless battle against international drug
networks, but the war has cost it the loss of many lives and finances. Iranian
security forces confiscate tons of narcotics every year in ambush operations
against drugs traffickers.
The
war on drug trade originating from Afghanistan - the major supplier of the vast
majority of the world’s opium and heroin even during the 20-year occupation of
the county by US-led forces - has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 Iranian
police officers over the past four decades.
In
late June, the head of the Iranian anti-narcotics police said European
countries owe Tehran a lot for blocking the transit of drugs destined for
Europe, adding that the country confiscated over 1,200 tons of illicit
narcotics last year.
Majid
Karimi, however, slammed Europe for depriving the Islamic Republic of the
latest technology to fight drug trafficking in line with sanctions spearheaded
by the US, while they directly benefit from Iran’s anti-drugs measures.
“If
the Islamic Republic of Iran stops the fight (against drugs) for only a month,
the European countries will have to gather every gram of the huge hauls of
drugs from their streets,” he warned.
Iran’s
Interior Minister has also criticized the Western governments for their “poor
performance” in the fight against narcotrafficking.
Ahmad
Vahidi stated in late June the main culprits behind the promotion of drug use
are some Western intelligence agencies and Western politicians.
He
noted that the production of industrial drugs is a lucrative business for the
Western countries.
He
demanded that Western banks control the financial operations of
narcotrrafickers, saying it’s questionable that financial institutions in the
West turn a blind eye to the issue.
Vahidi
underlined Iran is now going it alone in the fight against narcotics but
instead of being thanked, it’s getting accused by its adversaries under various
pretexts.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010817000652/Large-Amn-f-Illici-Drgs-Seized-in-Sheas-Iran
--------
Iran
Welcomes Peace Agreement in Ethiopia
2022-November-8
Kana'ani
expressed hope that the peace process helps Ethiopia improve security and
tranquility on its soil.
The
spokesperson announced Iran’s readiness to help Ethiopia improve peace in the
African country.
"We
congratulate the African Union as the main mediator and South Africa as the
host of the negotiations and all participating parties for their constructive
efforts in the last two years to achieve national unity and lasting peace and
security in Ethiopia," the diplomat noted.
Last
week, the federal government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to the
cessation of hostilities, a diplomatic breakthrough two years into a war that
has killed thousands and displaced millions.
The
truce has raised hopes humanitarian aid can start moving back into a region
where hundreds of thousands face famine.
The
Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces have established a telephone hotline
following the truce, the African Union’s chief mediator OlusegunObasanjo stated
on Monday as both sides meet in Kenya for talks on implementing the ceasefire.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010817000165/Iran-Welcmes-Peace-Agreemen-in-Ehipia
--------
Iran,
Zimbabwe Vow to Broaden Bilateral Ties
2022-November-8
Iranian
Minister of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare SolatMortazavi and visiting
Zimbabwean first lady AuxilliaMnangagwa met and conferred on a bilateral
relations and regional development in the Iranian capital on Tuesday.
During
the meeting, Mortazavi and Mnangagwa called for the expansion of mutual
cooperation in different areas.
"Relations
between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Zimbabwe have always been brotherly
and friendly and I hope they will develop day by day," Mortazavi said.
Mortazavi
described Zimbabwe as a friend and strategic ally of Iran in Africa, and said
that the two countries have common positions in international forums.
"Iran
and Zimbabwe are under the cruel sanctions of the West and the United States.
Hence, we must try to develop economic relations and be able to use our bilateral
capacities," he added.
Mortazavi
reiterated that the two countries plan to hold a joint commission meeting in
Tehran, and said, "A sum of 11 documents for cooperation have been drafted
for signing."
He,
meantime, voiced Iran's readiness for transfer of knowledge and creating a
platform for development of energy, transportation, tourism, medicine, and
mining in Zimbabwe.
Mnangagwa,
for her part, said that Zimbabwe is ready to benefit from all capacities for
development.
She
said new technologies and the development and growth that exist in Iran can
help drive Zimbabwe's prosperity.
Zimbabwe
needs Iran’s support and counts on it to defeat sanctions and grow its economy.
The
Zimbabwean first lady hailed Iran’s experiences in beating sanctions,
especially its ability to emerge strongly in the field of production by relying
on its domestic capacities.
She
pointed out the existence of many mines in Zimbabwe, announcing her country’s
full readiness to support the transfer of knowledge of Iranian engineers for exploitation,
extraction and processing of the mining resources.
“There
are many economic and investment opportunities in Zimbabwe and we provide any
support needed to Iranian companies,” she added.
In
relevant remarks last year, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
underlined that Tehran and Harare need to further broaden their cooperation in
different fields, specially in fighting the terrorist groups.
"Iran
and Zimbabwe have a transparent background in fighting colonial powers; the two
countries can share their experiences to help uproot terrorism in the
world," Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting with Zimbabwean Ambassador to
Iran in Tehran.
The
senior advisor also underlined the need to follow up and implement all
agreements signed between senior officials of the two countries.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010817000702/Iran-Zimbabwe-Vw-Braden-Bilaeral-Ties
--------
Putin
ally Patrushev travels to Iran for talks, ‘security consultations’: Report
09
November, 2022
Russia’s
powerful Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev was in Tehran on Wednesday
for consultations with Iranian officials on security matters, the TASS news
agency reported.
“In
Tehran, Patrushev will hold scheduled Russian-Iranian security consultations
with the participation of Security Council experts and representatives from
both countries’ ministries and agencies,” TASS cited the Russian Security
Council’s press service as saying.
The
visit comes as allegations that Iran has supplied “kamikaze” drones to Russia
to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine remain in focus.
Over
the weekend, Tehran acknowledged for the first time it had sent a “small
number” of drones to Moscow, but said they were shipped before the war began.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
experts demand Turkey release doctor held over chemical arms comment
08
November, 2022
UN
rights experts on Tuesday called on Turkey to release a doctors’ union leader
held on “terrorism” charges after calling for a probe into alleged army use of
chemical weapons against outlawed Kurdish militants.
The
five independent experts, including the special rapporteurs on torture, on
extrajudicial executions, and on protecting human rights while countering
terrorism, called for SebnemKorurFincanci to be let go “immediately and
unconditionally”.
They
pointed out that Fincanci’s arrest at her home on October 26 was believed to be
“in retaliation for her public comments calling for investigations into the
alleged use of chemical weapons and associated deaths by the Turkish military.”
Turkey
has rejected allegations in media outlets close to the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) that its army has used chemical weapons in operations in
northern Iraq.
The
PKK is listed as a terror group by Turkey and its Western allies.
Fincanci
-- a renowned forensic medical practitioner and anti-torture expert -- told AFP
last month that she had examined video footage and had only called for “an
effective investigation” into the allegations.
Her
arrest “appears part of a deliberate pattern of applying counter-terrorism
legislation to discredit human rights defenders and organizations and interrupt
their vital human rights and medical work”, the experts said.
“We
have documented many cases where counter-terrorism legislation and other
criminal provisions have been used to harass, arrest, detain and convict civil
society actors... on spurious grounds,” said the experts, who are appointed by
the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak for the world body.
They
called on Turkey to stop using counter-terrorism legislation to intimidate
rights defenders, warning that doing so undermines the rule of law and
encroaches on fundamental freedoms and democratic values.
“Human
rights defenders and medical practitioners’ ability to speak truth to power
must be protected,” they insisted.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Revolutionary Guards arrest top lawyer: Sister
08
November, 2022
Iran's
Revolutionary Guards have arrested prominent lawyer MostafaNili, one of more
than a dozen rounded up amid a crackdown on protests sparked by MahsaAmini's
death, his sister said.
Guards
intelligence agents detained Nili at Tehran's Mehrabad international airport on
Monday night before raiding his mother's house and taking him into custody,
FatemehNili tweeted.
Another
prominent lawyer, SaeidDehghan, who is believed to be abroad, confirmed his
arrest in a post on Twitter.
Nili
was one of the “few hopes for citizens against a political system that is the
enemy of lawyers” as well as against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who
“consider themselves the law”, Dehghan said.
Security
forces have waged a campaign of mass arrests that has netted artists,
dissidents, journalists and lawyers since protests broke out over Amini's death
on September 16.
Amini,
22, died three days after falling into a coma when she was arrested by the
notorious morality police in Tehran for allegedly flouting Iran's strict dress
code for women based on Islamic sharia law.
Security
forces, including the Guards, have killed at least 186 people during the
crackdown on the women-led protest movement, the Norway-based group Iran Human
Rights says.
At
least another 118 people have lost their lives in distinct protests since
September 30 in Sistan-Baluchistan, a mainly Sunni Muslim province on Iran's
southeastern border with Pakistan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Protesters
and police deploy tech apps in fight for future of Iran
08
November, 2022
Lima
and her friends in Tehran fear arrest, beatings and even death by joining mass
protests demanding more rights and a new leadership in Iran. But a yearning for
change and a kit bag of tech, from mobile apps to encrypted chat, have kept
them going.
Struggling
to suppress the biggest show of dissent in years, Iran’s authorities have also
turned to technology, using delivery apps, Twitter and facial recognition to
track protesters, eavesdrop on opponents and harass women who defy their strict
dress code, rights campaigners said.
That
has made technology a “double-edged sword in the protesters’ fight for
freedom,” said AzinMohajerin, lead human rights officer at Texas-based Miaan Group,
which supports rights organizations in Iran.
Iran’s
Ministry of Information and Communications Technology did not respond to a
request for comment.
Lima,
a 23-year-old student who did not want to use her full name, uses a virtual
private network (VPN) to access banned sites as she takes to the streets, all
the while checking social media and messaging apps to dodge the security
forces.
Data
shows a 1,000 percent daily increase in the number of Iranians signing up for
VPNs to stay under the radar in the crackdown.
Lima
also relies on Gershad, a crowdsourced app that lets users share and track the
real-time locations of morality police
who
can harass or detain women for “inappropriate dress.”
“We
use the app because we’re scared,” said Lima, who has used Gershad about a
dozen times in the past five months.
“We’ve
managed to change direction and dodge the morality police several times only
because of the app,” she added.
Iran
has been gripped by protests since the death in September of a 22-year-old
Kurdish woman, MahsaAmini, in the custody of the morality police. In response,
authorities have cracked down with force, imposing internet shutdowns and
blocking social media platforms to stem the flow of information.
Gershad
was created in 2016 by a human rights non-profit -- United for Iran -- with the
aim of supporting women in Iran.
It
is among several tools favored by journalists, activists and other Iranians as
authorities step up digital surveillance in a bid to quell the anti-government
protests among a young and increasingly frustrated population.
Gershad
has had some 86,000 downloads and many users have used it to dodge the morality
police, with protesters repurposing it so they can also report the whereabouts
of riot police, said FiruzehMahmoudi, executive director of United for
Iran.
“There
is a need to support Iranian women as they are being persecuted and oppressed
by the morality police,” she told the
Thomson
Reuters Foundation by phone from San Francisco.
“This
is also a sensitive app, so some people are removing it from their phones when
they go out, and instead use social media to report and view the location of
security forces. But if the internet is shut down, then all bets are off,” she
said.
Safe
tools
Iran
was one of the countries with the highest number of internet shutdowns last
year, with authorities pulling the plug
regularly
this year to clamp down on the new dissent, and prevent protesters sharing
footage of any police violence, human
rights
groups say.
The
activist HRANA news agency said 318 protesters had been killed in the unrest as
of Saturday, including 49 minors. While
government
officials have not provided their own estimate, state media said last month
that more than 46 security forces members, including police, had been killed.
Authorities
say Amini had health issues, and have blamed foreign enemies and their agents
for the unrest. Officials have said they will hold public trials of about 1,000
people charged over the protests in Tehran.
As
security forces crack down on women defying the dress code and increasingly
calling for new leadership, tech experts have cited Iran’s covert campaign of
digital surveillance as a key threat and urged demonstrators to arm up in
defense.
“A
lot of these young people getting arrested, getting killed, are high school or
college students and don’t have the knowledge on how to be secure online,” said
SussanTahmasebi, founder of Femena, a rights organization in Washington, D.C.
US
authorities in September issued guidance expanding the range of internet
services available to Iranians to help circumvent state surveillance and
censorship.
In
Iran, demand for VPNs that allows users to mask their identity and access
blocked sites, has surged more than 1,000 percent daily on average since
protests began, according to research site Top10 VPN.
Iranians
are also using Nahoft -- or “Hidden” in Farsi.
The
Android encryption app turns Farsi text into a jumble of random words or a
picture that can be sent as an attachment on a
messaging
app, said Mahmoudi of United for Iran, which helped build the app.
Since
the protests began, 3 million to 4 million people in Iran have logged on every
day to Psiphon, which allows users to set up a private server to access the
internet and monitor banned sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
“It
is important to tell people about safe tools to connect to the internet rather
than tools that might be used against them, or for surveillance,” said
Psiphon’s media manager Ali Tehrani.
Real
harm
Iranian
officials have said that facial recognition technology would be used to
identify and punish any women who failed to wear a hijab, as publicly decreed.
Authorities
have also created channels that encourage citizens to snitch on protesters, on
platforms such as Telegram, Twitter, and Instagram.
“Real
harm is being done,” said NimaFatemi, founding director of non-profit tech firm
Kandoo.
Authorities
are also monitoring citizens through cellphone location tracking, said Amin
Sabeti, founder of CERTFA, a cybersecurity firm.
“People
have learned to turn off their mobile phones while going to protests because it
is easy for the mobile company to find their exact location,” he said.
Even
ride-hailing or delivery apps are used to tell on women not wearing hijab
correctly, with agents able to access data
from
private firms that offer no data protection, said RoyaPakzad, founder of
advocacy group Taraaz.
“The
government has always been keen to segregate women, control their public
participation and limit their presence in public places, and they can use even
these well-meaning or benign technologies to do it” she said.
“There
are no checks and balances, no limit to how technology is used.”
The
Intercept -- a news publication based in New York -- said Iranian authorities
use a software program to alter, disrupt, and monitor how customers use their
phones, aiming to rupture encryption and track user movements.
A
more tech-savvy government is a grave threat for Iranians, said Tahmasebi.
“This
generation, as brave as they are, as invincible as they feel to be, face great
risks,” she said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Yemeni
military adviser assassinated in Marib
Omar
Alothmani
08.11.2022
SANAA,
Yemen
An
adviser to the Yemeni defense minister was assassinated in the central Marib
province on Tuesday, according to a military source.
Gunmen
opened fire on Brigadier General Mohammad al-Jaradi as he was driving to Marib
city, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized
to speak to the media.
His
driver was also killed in the attack.
The
Yemeni Defense Ministry confirmed the assassination, saying he was killed in a
terrorist operation.
There
was no claim of responsibility for the assassination.
Al-Jaradi
is a prominent military figure in Yemen. He was a founder of the Yemeni army in
2015.
The
Yemeni government and Houthi rebels share control of the oil-rich Marib
province.
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/yemeni-military-adviser-assassinated-in-marib/2733012
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Palestinians
say teen dies after Israeli raid in West Bank
November
09, 2022
JERUSALEM:
A Palestinian teenager died early Wednesday in an Israeli raid on in the city
of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Palestinian
officials identified him as Mahdi Hashash, 15, and said he died of shrapnel
wounds during an Israeli raid. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli
army. The militant group Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade identified Hashash was one of
its members.
The
clash came during one of the deadliest years on both sides of the conflict,
including after last week’s national elections. Former Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu prevailed, with the backing of a far-right ultranationalist party.
Palestinian
attackers have killed at least 24 people in Israel since the start of 2022.
Intensified Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem
has also killed some 130 Palestinians this year, making it the deadliest since
2006, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2196366/middle-east
--------
Arab World
House
fire in Turkiye kills 8 Syrian refugee children, woman
November
09, 2022
ANKARA,
Turkiye: A house fire in northwestern Turkiye believed to have been caused by a
heater has left eight children and a woman dead, an official said Wednesday.
The victims were Syrian refugees.
The
fire broke out late on Tuesday in the first floor of a four-story building in
the Yildirim district in Bursa province, Gov. YakupCanbolat said.
The
victims were six siblings aged between 1 and 10, their 31-year-old mother and
two cousins aged 10 and 11.
Their
father, who was not at home when the fire broke out, tried to rescue his family
members but was affected by the smoke and hospitalized, according to the
governor.
“Our
fire extinguishing teams immediately rushed to the area and tried to put out
the fire, but unfortunately, after the fire was extinguished, the picture (they
saw) inside was saddening. We were deeply saddened,” Canbolat said.
“It’s
a huge heartbreak. It’s impossible to describe,” he added.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2196346/middle-east
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Türkiye
can play key role in Iraq’s development: Iraqi prime minister
HaydarKaraalp
08.11.2022
BAGHDAD
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said Tuesday that Türkiye can play a key
role in Iraq’s development.
"We
have a high trade volume between the two countries,” Al-Sudani told a press
conference in Baghdad. “Türkiye is an economically developed country and can
play a key role in the development of Iraq,” he added.
The
Iraqi premier said that decreased rainfalls and the low amount of water coming from
Türkiye and Iran create a water problem in Iraq.
“We
are in favor of cooperation to solve this issue,” he added.
Meanwhile,
Al-Sudani said Iraq will continue to play a mediating role between Iran and
Saudi Arabia to help serve regional stability.
Iraq
has hosted several rounds of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in recent
months in an effort to normalize their relations and ease tensions between the
two neighbors.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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HM
the King thanked by Al Azhar Al Sharif Grand Imam
08
Nov 2022
Manama,
Nov.8 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has received a letter of
thanks from His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Sheikh of Al Azhar Al Sharif and
Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders.
HE
Dr Al Tayeb expressed deepest thanks and gratitude to HM the King for the warm
welcome and gracious hospitality, hailing HM the King's appreciation of the
role played by Al Azhar in serving Islam and promoting its values.
HE
Dr Al Tayeb praised the hosting of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum: "East and
West for Human Coexistence" in the Kingdom of Bahrain under HM's
patronage.
"This
forum was an exceptional historical event among all other seminars and
conferences I attended before", he said, noting that the forum was a true
translation of the nature of Bahrain and kitsr people in terms of respect of
human dignity, belief in peace and coexistence between Bahrainis and everyone
who lives on the Kingdom's good land.
HE
Dr Al Tayeb extended thanks and gratitude to HM the King for hosting the
meeting of the Council of Muslim Elders, hailing HM the King's efforts and
constant affirmation of peace and the values of dialogue and justice between
all people.
Source:
BNA
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDnB1B%2bEZ6O3Xcd4oe910rh0%3d
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Foreigners
repatriated from Syrian Islamic State camps reach record high
NOVEMBER
8, 2022
Repatriations
of foreign women and children affiliated with the Islamic State from detention
camps in northeast Syria hit a record high in 2022, Kurdish authorities said on
Tuesday.
Thousands
of foreigners including women and children had gone to Syria to live in IS's
so-called "caliphate" until 2019, when US-backed Kurdish forces
snatched the last pocket of Syrian territory from the jihadists.
Fleeing
women and children were housed in overcrowded detention camps run by Kurdish
authorities and international NGOs, who had pushed for repatriations due to
rising violence and dire conditions in the camps.
Governments
responded slowly, fearing security threats and a public backlash over the
return of individuals radicalized by Islamic State.
But
the pace picked up his year, with 517 women and children repatriated so far,
according to Kurdish authorities' statistics.
Where
were people repatriated to?
They
included more than 100 from France and over 50 from Germany. More than 150 were
returned to Tajikistan, the first for that country.
Returns
numbered 324 in 2021, 281 in 2020 and 342 in 2019.
More
than 10,000 foreign women and children remain in the Al-Hol and Roj camps,
BadranJia Kurd, a senior official in the autonomous administration, told
Reuters.
Letta
Tayler, Human Rights Watch's counter-terrorism lead, said the rise could be due
in part to criticism by the United Nations and the European Court of Human
Rights of European countries' failure to repatriate their nationals.
Also,
states had found they had the legal framework to prosecute and jail those who
had traveled to IS-held territory, making those governments more willing to
bring them home, Tayler added.
Source:JPost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-721757
--------
Lebanese,
Israeli leaders vow to cooperate at climate summit
08
November, 2022
Israel’s
environmental protection minister attended a regional meeting Tuesday alongside
Iraqi and Lebanese leaders at the global climate conference taking place in
Egypt, the minister’s office said, where the group pledged to work together to
tackle climate change.
Israel
is still officially at war with Lebanon, fighting a war against the Iran-backed
Hezbollah in 2006, and Israel and Iraq have no diplomatic relations and a
history of hostilities.
While
Lebanon and Israel recently signed a landmark, US-brokered maritime agreement,
any hint that the two states are open to cooperate even as part of a regional
setting would be meaningful. Lebanon bans its citizens from having any contact
with Israelis and the sea deal was negotiated through American shuttle
diplomacy, with no Israeli or Lebanese officials ever publicly meeting.
According
to a statement from the office of Israeli Environmental Protection Minister
Tamar Zandberg, the meeting took place as part of a regional forum of eastern
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries.
The
agreement by the member countries said the parties would work to “strengthen
regional cooperation” and “act in a coordinated way” on climate change.
“The
countries of the region share the warming and drying climate and just as they
share the problems they can and must share the solutions. No country can stand
alone in the face of the climate crisis,” Zandberg said in the statement.
In
photos provided by her office, she is seen seated behind a small Israeli flag.
Two seats away from her is Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and across the
room is Lebanese Prime Minister NajibMikati, each behind their countries’
flags.
Mikati’s
office played down the incident, saying it was being overblown in Israeli
media.
It
said the meeting was called for by the presidents of Egypt and Cyprus and was
attended by a large number of Arab and international officials like other
meetings at the climate change conference. “There was no contact whatsoever
with any Israeli official,” it said.
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh also attended the meeting at a time when peace
negotiations with Israel are moribund and a far-right government is likely set
to take power in the coming weeks after national elections held last week.
An
official close to Zandberg said she and Shtayyeh shook hands, a claim a
Palestinian official denied. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. Public contact
between Israeli and Palestinian leaders is rare.
Zandberg
is set to leave the post soon, after her political party Meretz, a dovish
faction that supports Palestinian independence, failed to win enough votes to
enter the new parliament.
Former
Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take power in the coming weeks as head of what is
expected to be Israel’s most right-wing government ever.
Netanyahu
was prime minister when the Trump administration brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords,
a series of deals with Middle Eastern countries — the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan — that normalized ties with Israel.
The
climate meeting is not expected to lead to any similar agreements with Israel’s
enemies. But seeing the leaders of Arab countries in dialogue with an Israeli
minister was rare.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
and Egypt sign agreement to develop 10 GW onshore wind energy project
08
November, 2022
The
presidents of the UAE and Egypt witnessed the signing of an agreement on
Tuesday to develop a 10 gigawatt (GW) onshore wind project in Egypt, Emirati
state news agency WAM reported.
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi oversaw the signature of the agreement between UAE’s renewable
energy company Masdar and Egypt’s Infinity and Hassan Allam Utilities to
develop the wind project, which is one of the largest wind farms in the world,
WAM said.
The
Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE
Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Special Envoy for Climate,
and Chairman of Masdar, and Dr Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, Egypt’s Minister of
Electricity and Renewable Energy. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of
the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) that is being held in
Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh.
When
completed, the 10 GW wind farm will produce 47,790 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of
clean energy annually and offset 23.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide
emissions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
envoy: Repeated UN meetings on Syria chemical file attest to politicization
08
November 2022
Iran’s
ambassador to the United Nations (UN) has blasted the UN Security Council for
holding meetings on Syria’s chemical weapons file repeatedly, despite the
country’s full cooperation with the world body, saying such a trend may prove
the political nature of such meetings.
Addressing
a Security Council meeting, titled “The situation in the Middle East: (Syria –
Chemical),” Amir Saeed Iravani said the previous such session was held on
October 25, “and we now have another meeting today only after less than two
weeks, during which no new development has happened.
“Therefore,
it is clear that there is no new point for today’s discussion other than the
repetition of claims against the Syrian Arab Republic,” the envoy said.
He
renewed the call for any investigation into the use of chemical weapons must be
impartial, professional, credible, and objective, and in full compliance with
the Chemical Weapons Convention.
“While
the Syrian Arab Republic has met the requirements of the Convention and
continues to cooperate constructively with the OPCW (the Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), handling this file in a political and
double-standard manner will only divert discussions away from their technical
nature,” he said.
The
Iranian diplomat stressed that the politicization of the provisions of the
Chemical Weapons Convention and the exploitation of the OPCW for political
purposes threaten the credibility of the organization and the convention.
Underlining
that Syria voluntarily acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2013,
Iravanisaid,“We believe that the collaboration of the Syrian Arab Republic with
the OPCW should be recognized.”
BassamSabbagh,
Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, said in March that the United
States was seeking to discredit his country and exert political pressure on the
Damascus government by manipulating reports compiled by the OPCW.
Reiterating
his country’s vehement opposition to the use of chemical weapons under any
circumstance, Sabbagh told a UN Security Council meeting in New York that
serious flaws in the OPCW fact-finding mission’s reports on Syria had tarnished
the image of the international body.
On
April 14, 2018, the US, Britain, and France carried out a string of airstrikes
against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city of Douma,
located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus. Washington and
its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, a charge the Syrian government
rejected.
According
to concealed OPCW documents that were revealed later, the investigators of the
Douma incident had found “no evidence” of a chemical weapons attack. However,
the organization censored the findings under pressure from the US and its
allies to conceal evidence undermining the pretext of the ensuing US-led
bombing of Syria.
Syria
surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by
the United States and the OPCW, which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
The
hottest federal seats in GE15: Where, who and why
By
Debra Chong
09
Nov 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Every general election in Malaysia has been touted as the
mother of all general elections, but the floodgates have truly been opened wide
this year.
On
nomination day last Saturday, the Election Commission (EC) confirmed a record
945 people as candidates vying for 222 parliamentary seats in the 15th general
election.
And
if that is not dizzying enough, there has been a boom in coalitions and
alliances this time around compared to the 14th general election in 2018, which
was almost a straightforward fight between the BarisanNasional (BN) behemoth
and the Opposition PakatanHarapan (PH).
Events
in the past four years with the 'Sheraton Move' and the aftermath saw parties
splinter and form their own breakaway pacts.
Some,
which have been formally recognised by the Registrar of Societies, like
Bersatu, cut loose from PH to team up with PAS to form PerikatanNasional (PN)
and pulled several stray parties in.
Others
have yet to gain registration, like the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), an assortment
of lesser-known Malay Muslim parties, headlined by former two-time prime
ministerTunDr Mahathir Mohamad’s newest vehicle, Pejuang.
Some
political warlords and incumbents who were dropped by their parties have gone
rogue and nominated themselves as independents in certain seats.
And
yet other high-profile individuals — scions of past government leaders, social
rights activists, and social media influencers — touting themselves as free of
political partisan baggage, have entered the fray.
Source:
MalayMail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Anwar
sends legal notice to Perak PAS chief over LGBT claims
K.
Parkaran
November
9, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Anwar Ibrahim has issued a letter of demand to Perak PAS chief
RazmanZakaria over his claim at a ceramah that the PKR president will promote a
LGBT agenda, allow same-sex marriage and support the communist agenda.
In
the letter delivered yesterday, Anwar gave the former GunungSemanggol assemblyman
seven days to respond and pay him RM5 million for seriously damaging his
reputation, together with legal costs.
He
also wants Razman to make an unconditional apology in the media of Anwar’s
choice, and a written assurance that he will not repeat the allegations in any
form, failing which legal proceedings will begin against him.
“These
claims are prima facie spurious, outlandish and preposterous. This is
calculated to maliciously disparage his reputation in the midst of the general
election campaign”, said the letter sent by his lawyer SN Nair.
In
the letter seen by FMT, Nair said Razman had also alleged that if the Malays
voted for PakatanHarapan it would mean they were surrendering the government to
DAP.
He
said the allegations made by Razman and posted on his Facebook account and
published by Malaysiakini meant or implied that among others things, Anwar had
abused his powers as an MP, was deceitful, a traitor, a hypocrite and not a
good Muslim.
Anwar
said this had caused serious damage to his reputation as Razman’s Facebook post
had attracted more than 43,500 views, 1,000 comments, 3,100 reactions and 256
shares as at the time the demand letter was sent.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Special
agents’ to monitor PN party members who help rival parties
November
9, 2022
TASEK
GELUGOR: PerikatanNasional (PN) will station special agents at campaign sites
to monitor whether party members or those from coalition parties are helping
other parties to campaign during the 15th general election (GE15).
PN
secretary general HamzahZainudin said if these special agents received reports
with evidence that members of PN component parties were campaigning for other
parties, those guilty would be stripped of their membership.
“We
will track these members (those who campaign for other parties) based on
reports from their division heads or chairman.”
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Thailand
proposes cooperation plan as Saudi investment delegation visits Bangkok
RYN
JIRENUWAT
November
08, 2022
BANGKOK:
Authorities in Thailand on Tuesday proposed a bilateral cooperation plan to
strengthen the country’s newly restored relations with Saudi Arabia, a
government spokesperson said, as a high-profile investment delegation from
Riyadh arrived in Bangkok.
A
Saudi delegation of 150 representatives of state-owned and private enterprises
led by Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih participated on Monday in the
Thai-Saudi Investment Forum organized in Bangkok by the Thai government.
A
similar forum was held by Saudi authorities in Riyadh in May, following the
resumption of bilateral relations earlier this year. “Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
proposed a draft of a plan to strengthen bilateral relations between Thailand
and Saudi Arabia in 2022 to 2024. The plan was submitted to the Cabinet and the
Cabinet approved it,” Thai government deputy spokesperson RatchadaThanadirek
said in a press conference.
“The
mobilization to strengthen the relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia has
been happening since the time the Thai prime minister paid an official state
visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
“There
have been mobilizations of cooperation in trade, investment, and Thai labor
export to Saudi Arabia. These have been happening continuously.”
She
added that the cooperation plan would be signed with Saudi Arabia during an
expected visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this month.
The
crown prince has been invited as a special guest by the Thai leadership to
attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok on Nov.
18 and 19.
“The
two nations will sign a memorandum of understanding between the government of
the Kingdom of Thailand and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
the establishment of the Saudi-Thai Coordination Council,” Thanadirek added.
“This
will be a structure for coordination, consultation, and discussion on the
topics that both Thailand and Saudi Arabia are interested in.”
Ties
between Saudi Arabia and Thailand stalled in the 1980s and were renewed in late
January, following Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to Riyadh, on
the invitation of the crown prince.
It
was the first top leadership meeting between the two kingdoms in more than
three decades.
Since
the restoration of ties, many agreements and official visits have followed. The
two governments have also signed a series of cooperation deals.
The
current plan to strengthen relations covers the areas of politics, security,
visa procedures, as well as energy cooperation, exports of petrochemicals,
food, construction, and consumer products, and cooperation in e-sports and
sports tourism.
“These
will be highly beneficial to Thai business owners,” Thanadirek said.
Visit
Limlurcha, vice chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, who attended the Thai-Saudi
Investment Forum on Monday, told Arab News that Saudi Arabia’s dependence on
food imports presented opportunities for Thai producers.
Although
Saudi Arabia is one of the most food-secure countries in the world, it relies
heavily on imports, through which it meets about 80 percent of its food needs.
“Food
is one of Saudi Arabia’s main imported goods. They really do focus on importing
foods,” said Limlurcha, who also serves as the chairman of Thailand’s Processed
Food and Future Food Committee.
“We
have a lot of food products, apart from halal food that can serve the needs of
Saudi Arabia.”
He
saw export potential also in other sectors such as auto parts, cosmetics, and
jewelry.
The
investment that Saudi Arabia may attract from Thailand — which has long-established
expertise in tourism promotion — is in the hospitality sector.
“The
industry that Saudi Arabia wants Thailand to invest more is tourism and hotels.
Saudi Arabia has been trying to open up their country and wants more people to
visit,” Limlurcha said.
Monday’s
forum, he added, gave Thai businesspeople an opportunity to do
business-matching with their Saudi partners.
He
said: “The atmosphere at the forum yesterday was bustling.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2195961/world
--------
Africa
Sudan
security forces fire tear gas at anti-coup protesters
08
November, 2022
Sudanese
security forces fired tear gas Tuesday as they confronted thousands of
pro-democracy demonstrators in the capital Khartoum, an AFP correspondent said.
Protesters
chanted “No to military rule” as they marched towards the presidential palace,
denouncing a coup last year led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that
derailed a transition to civilian rule.
Burhan
seized power in October 2021 and arrested civilian leaders appointed following
the 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir, plunging Sudan into a
political and economic crisis.
“We
will not stop until the military power is toppled and replaced with a civilian
government,” said protester Hadia Mohammed.
“We
will not leave the streets until we achieve the goals of the revolution:
liberty, peace and justice,” said Samer Omar, another activist, draped in a
Sudanese flag and wearing a yellow helmet for protection.
Eyewitnesses
said thousands also demonstrated in the city of Wad Madani, south of Khartoum,
and Gedaref in the east.
Security
forces have cracked down on near-weekly protests since the 2021 coup, resulting
in at least 119 deaths, according to pro-democracy medics.
Since
the military power grab, activists have warned that several Bashir-era
loyalists had been appointed to official positions, including in the judiciary,
which is currently trying the former dictator.
Burhan’s
pledge of elections next year is seen as far-fetched, and no civilian leaders
have taken up the mantle of the army chief’s promised civilian government.
Meanwhile,
experts said a surge in ethnic violence in recent months has highlighted a
security breakdown in Sudan, with the United Nations reporting over 370 people
killed in clashes and at least 210,000 forced from their homes this year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Israel,
Jordan move forward with water-for-energy deal
08
November, 2022
Israel
and Jordan on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to move ahead
with a water-for-energy deal after an initial examination of the project proved
it to be feasible.
The
idea, first announced a year ago, is for Jordan to build 600 megawatts of solar
generating capacity that would be exported to Israel. In return, Israel would
provide water-scarce Jordan with 200 million cubic meters of desalinated water.
The
MOU was signed at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt at an event hosted by the
United Arab Emirates, who in 2020 became the first Gulf state to normalize
relations with Israel and has been a partner in the project.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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International
Criminal Court chief prosecutor visits Libya mass graves
08
November, 2022
The
International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor has met families of
victims of alleged killings by a notorious militia at the site of mass graves
in western Libya.
Near
the town of Tarhuna, southeast of Tripoli, Karim Khan inspected mass graves on
Monday at a landfill and a local farm where dozens of bodies have been
discovered since the summer of 2020.
Khan
later told victims’ relatives of “his commitment to accelerate work in the
Libya situation,” the ICC said Tuesday on Twitter.
Khan
arrived in Tripoli on Saturday and is the first ICC prosecutor to visit Libya
in a decade.
The
visit included talks with several Libyan officials, including Presidential
Council head Mohamed el-Manfi, Justice Minister Halima Ibrahim and the military
prosecutor.
On
Wednesday, Khan is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on the situation
in Libya, the ICC said.
More
than 270 bodies have so far been discovered in mass graves around Tarhuna by
international teams.
The
first mass graves were discovered in June 2020, following the withdrawal of
forces loyal to KhalifaHaftar, a leader from eastern Libya who led an abortive
campaign to capture the capital Tripoli between April 2019 and June 2020.
But
the abuses began in 2015 when the town fell into the hands of a particularly
violent local militia, known as the Kaniyat.
The
ICC has a long history of investigating crimes against humanity and war crimes
committed in Libya, as well as human rights violations suffered by migrants.
Before
taking over as the ICC’s lead prosecutor, Karim Khan defended Seif al-Islam
Kadhafi, son of slain leader Muammar Gaddafi, whose arrest the ICC is seeking
for “crimes against humanity.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Rescuers
search for five missing after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia
08
November, 2022
A
boat carrying at least 16 migrants who were trying to cross the Mediterranean
to Italy sank off the Tunisian coast on Tuesday, with at least five people
missing and one body recovered, a security official said.
The
official told Reuters 10 people had been rescued.
Coastguard
units were continuing to search for the missing people who were on board the
boat that capsized off the coast at the northern city of Bizerte.
In
recent months, dozens of people have drowned as the frequency of attempted
crossings from Tunisia and Libya towards Italy has increased.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Türkiye
invests millions in development projects in Southern Africa
Hassan
Isilow
09.11.2022
PRETORIA,
South Africa
The
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency or TIKA has invested more than 100
million rands ($5.62 million) in supporting sustainable development projects in
the Southern Africa region, the state-run aid agency has said.
“We
have conducted 69 projects since our Pretoria office started operations in 2018
to date. This year we focused on projects supporting sustainable development
with a focus on education, training, and agriculture,” TIKA coordinator
AbdulkadirAbukan told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview in Pretoria,
South Africa’s capital.
Abukan
said this year they installed a greenhouse project at a school in the
northeastern Mpumalanga province to enable learners to gain skills in
agriculture, and agribusiness and also support the school feeding scheme.
“We
did a similar project in Lesotho last year, where we installed greenhouses at
five schools,” he said, adding they contain a water tank and a drip irrigation
system, with seedlings and other agricultural materials.
He
said TIKA plans to continue supporting greenhouse projects in schools in South
Africa to back school feeding schemes and train learners.
TIKA
gives varsity digital fabrication lab
Early
this year, TIKA also donated a digital fabrication lab to Johannesburg’s Wits
University. It also provided training for 3D design, modeling, and fabrication
to the academic staff at the engineering faculty.
Participants
of the training program got their certificates from Turkish Ambassador
AysegulKandas and Wits University Vice Chancellor ZeblonVilakazi.
Abukan
said TIKA has also recently renovated and refurbished the beauty salon of
Golden Steps Special School, which will offer hairdressing and manicure
training for learners with special needs. The school was looted and vandalized
during the July 2021 protests in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
“Before
the end of this year, we hope to provide a kitchen to a school in Mpumalanga, a
science laboratory to a secondary school in Johannesburg, and upgrade the
electric workshop for an institute in Cape Town,” the TIKA coordinator said.
TIKA
also joined the South African National Teaching Awards and will provide two
mobile libraries before the end of 2022.
A
library will be donated to the Siviwe School of Skills in the Western Cape,
whose principal Yolanda Lupondo gained excellence in the Special Needs
Leadership Award. The other library will be delivered to Empangeni High School
in KwaZulu-Natal, whose principal Sizwe Desmond Zwane was awarded excellence in
Secondary School Leadership at the National Teachers Awards.
Women’s
empowerment
Last
year, the Turkish development aid agency launched training to empower women
entrepreneurs with skills in e-commerce and others for businesses.
“We
held training in various South African provinces including Gauteng (which
consists of Johannesburg and Pretoria), North West, Free State, and neighboring
Lesotho.”
Abukan
said they have already completed training more than 100 women entrepreneurs
whom they hope in the future will become trainers or partners in their
projects.
Last
year, TIKA distributed seeds, fertilizers, and insecticides to help farmers in
Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West province get healthy and abundant crop yields and
increase food security as well as alleviate poverty.
“Later
this month we shall be heading to Zambia to train more women entrepreneurs,” he
said.
In
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, TIKA donated equipment to help the Agricultural
Ministry in diagnosing poultry diseases. They also donated embroidery machines
to development centers for women empowerment.
TIKA
also said in Malawi they distributed food hampers during the Muslim holy month
of Ramadan this year and are planning to have more development projects in
2023.
During
the COVID-19 pandemic, TIKA distributed thousands of personal protective gear
to several hospitals and governments in the region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Azerbaijani
Embassy in Morocco marks 2nd anniversary of Karabakh victory
Khalid
Mejdoup
08.11.2022
RABAT,
Morocco
The
embassy of Azerbaijan in Morocco has celebrated the second anniversary of the
southern Caucasus country's 2020 victory that ended Armenian occupation in the
Karabakh region.
"Today
we celebrate Victory Day. Yesterday, Morocco celebrated the anniversary of the
Green March. Our destiny is one," Charge d'AffairsBabakAkhmedovsaid
Monday, referring to a 1975 mass demonstration to force colonial power Spain to
hand over land to Morocco.
At
the event held in the capital Rabat, Akhmedov thanked Morocco for its "supportive
stance" toward Azerbaijan since the beginning of the war that resulted in
liberation of Karabakh and other territories under occupation for nearly three
decades.
Türkiye's
military attache in Rabat, ArkanGokbulak, also attended the ceremony saying in
a speech that Ankara "bows before the heroism that the Karabakh War
witnessed."
During
the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300
settlements and villages.
On
Nov. 10, 2020, Baku and Yerevan signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end the
fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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North America
Biden
to meet with leaders of Egypt, Cambodia, Indonesia: Officials
08
November, 2022
US
President Joe Biden will meet with the leaders of Egypt, Cambodia and Indonesia
during a wide-ranging trip that includes an international climate summit and
meetings of ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialized nations, senior
administration officials said on Tuesday.
The
officials were not able to say whether Biden would have a separate meeting with
China’s President Xi Jinping, who is expected to attend the summit, and what
their agenda might include. The two governments have been working toward
arranging what would be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders
since Biden took office in January 2021.
Biden
will begin his trip by traveling to Egypt to participate in the COP27 United
Nations climate change summit on Friday, where he will talk about America’s
efforts to reduce emissions and also hold a bilateral meeting with Egypt’s
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the officials said.
He
will then travel to Cambodia from Saturday to Sunday to participate in the
annual US-ASEAN summit and the East Asia Summit where he will focus on the
Indo-Pacific region and talk about US commitment to a rules-based international
order in the South China sea, they said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Europe
Putin
ally Patrushev travels to Iran for talks
November
09, 2022
MOSCOW:
Russia’s powerful Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev was in Tehran on
Wednesday for consultations with Iranian officials on security matters, the
TASS news agency reported.
“In
Tehran, Patrushev will hold scheduled Russian-Iranian security consultations
with the participation of Security Council experts and representatives from
both countries’ ministries and agencies,” TASS cited the Russian Security
Council’s press service as saying.
The
visit comes as allegations that Iran has supplied “kamikaze” drones to Russia
to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine remain in focus. Over the weekend,
Tehran acknowledged for the first time it had sent a “small number” of drones
to Moscow, but said they were shipped before the war began.
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2196291/world
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Bulgarian
police officer shot dead at border with Turkiye
November
08, 2022
SOFIA:
A Bulgarian police officer was shot dead at the border with Turkiye in the
southeastern part of the Balkan country in a shootout with a suspected group of
migrants, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said on Tuesday.
The
incident occurred at 8:30 p.m. (1830 GMT) on Monday, when shots were fired from
Turkish territory at a border police officer and a serviceman patrolling a
stretch of the border near the village of GolyamDervent, Demerdzhiev said.
The
police officer, who was inspecting a cut in the fence along the border, died on
the spot. The serviceman, who was not hurt, had returned fire after hearing 10
to 15 shots and a group made up of suspected migrants had withdrawn, officials
said.
“This
is a criminal act, an extreme aggression ... This is the first attack with
firearms by migrants,” Dermendzhiev, who rushed to the site of the incident,
told reporters.
“From
now on, we will be uncompromising to anyone who endangers the health and life
of our officers,” he said.
It
was not immediately clear how large the group was, or if one or several people
opened fire on the officer and soldier.
Dermendzhiev
said Turkish authorities have pledged to cooperate and seek the perpetrators
and that he would ask them to combat human trafficking rings more actively.
Bulgaria
has deployed some 350 troops along its southern border with Turkiye and Greece
to help border police combat a growing migrant influx.
Source:
Arab News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2195711/world
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