All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam, an Organisation of the Barelvi Sect to Start Akhand Bharat Movement
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 December 2021
Source: Wikimedia Commons
-----
• “Ramlila Artists from Indonesia Who Performed During
Deepotsav Were All Muslims: UP CM
• French Far-Right Presidential Hopeful, Eric Zemmour,
Calls for Muslims' Assimilation
• Sikh from US Reveres Pakistani Muslim Couple Who
Defended His Family during Independence
• Al-Azhar Denounces 'Zionist Storming' Of Ibrahimi
Mosque in Hebron as 'Assault on Islamic Sanctities'
• 150 Extremist Jewish Settlers Defile Aqsa Mosque in
Morning Tours
India
• Civil Society Organisations, Labour Unions and
Left-Wing Groups Protest Disruption of Namaz in Gurugram
• Ladakh Buddhist Association Action Sought Against
Muslim Youth for Marrying Buddhist Girl
• CBSE Asks Who Was in Govt during 2002 Gujarat
Anti-Muslim Violence, Then Calls it 'Error'
• After remarks against BJP, AIADMK removes last known
Muslim leader
• Terror violence in J&K down by 41% post-Article
370
------
Europe
• Turkish foreign minister meets Belarusian, EU top
diplomats in Sweden
• Turkish parliament speaker meets president,
counterpart in Poland
• French media slam far-right presidential hopeful for
illegal use of imagery, logos
• Italian ambassador hails 'excellent' relations with
Turkey
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistani Shia cleric: Imran Khan bowed down before
terrorists
• Minority students are stressed out in Pakistan
• JI chief for adopting ‘interest-free’ Islamic
banking system
--------
Arab World
• UAE leaders crown country’s Golden Jubilee, usher in
next 50 years
• Massive blasts heard as Saudi-led war coalition
attacks Yemen’s Sana’a, Sa’ada
• Army forces, allies shoot down intruding Saudi-led
spy drone in northwestern Yemen
• Roadside bomb explosion hits US military supply
convoy in Syria’s Hasakah
--------
Mideast
• Atomic watchdog says Iran making nuclear advance
despite talks to salvage 2015 deal
• Western Diplomats, Media Launch Psychological
Operations against Vienna Talks
• Iran's Chief Negotiator, EU's Mora Discuss Future
Talks in Vienna
--------
South Asia
• World Bank to Unfreeze $280M Of Afghanistan’s
Reserves
• Mayor Arrested For Opposing Depiction of Sheikh
Mujib in Mural In Bangladesh's Rajshahi
• Clashes between Taliban and Iranian forces under
control: Mujahid
• Blast heard in Afghan capital Kabul: Report
• 16 countries pledge to provide Afghans with
humanitarian aids
• Taliban hide drug trade revenue detail amid Afghan
financial crisis: Report
--------
Southeast Asia
• Federal Court Rules That Muslim Individual Cannot Be
Made Party In Legal Marital Dispute Involving Non-Muslim Couple
• China's Crackdown on Uyghur Muslims Revealed By
German Academic
• PAS rep heckled after asking Penang to limit alcohol
sales
--------
Africa
• Sudan’s PM Hamdok Would Quit If Post-Coup Deal Not
Implemented: Source
• Libya court upholds presidential bid of PM Dbeibah
• Fewer Libya arms embargo breaches but foreign
fighters ‘presence’ remain: UN panel
• Ethiopia needs no foreign interference to end
internal conflict: Top Chinese diplomat
• 4 West African countries launch joint anti-terror
operation
--------
North America
• ‘Racist Demagoguery’: GOP Asked To Discipline
Boebert for Islamophobic Remarks
• US Republicans in a letter to Biden vow to block any
sanctions relief for Iran
• Muslim group protests alleged hate crime in Maryland
public school
• Top Turkish, US officials discuss bilateral,
regional issues
• Taliban demand unfreezing of Afghan assets in talks
with US
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-tanzeem-ulama-barelvi-akhand-bharat/d/125886
--------
All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Islam, an Organisation of
the Barelvi Sect to Start Akhand Bharat Movement
Source: Wikimedia Commons
-----
1st December 2021
New Delhi: Muslim organisation All India Tanzeem
Ulama-e-Islam which claims to be the prominent organisation of the Barelvi sect
of Muslims, has said that it will start a movement for Akhand Bharat (Undivided
India), which means India should be again geographically as it was in the
pre-Independence era.
The organisation’s general secretary Maulana
Shahabuddin Razvi, who is based in Bareilly while the organisation is
headquartered in Delhi, told IANS, “It’s our intention that India should attain
Akhand Bharat status with merger of Pakistan and Bangladesh as it was before
partition.”
He said that when Germany can unite why not India,
which has the same culture as Pakistan and Bangladesh. We should move forward,
it will make India a strong country.
India was partitioned in 1947 when Pakistan came into
existence and in 1971 Bangladesh was liberated from Pakistan, forming three
separate nations.
When asked if he associates himself with the RSS,
which has propagated the Akhand Bharat theory, he said, “We are with a good
cause, whichever organisation does it,” but claimed he has no idea if the RSS
is running any such movement.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat
had on November 26 said that the country had witnessed a major stumble at the
time of partition and it cannot be forgotten, and thus will not be repeated
again.
Launching a book – “Vibhajan Kaleen Bharat Ke Sakshi”
(The Witness of Partition of India) – written by Krishnanand Sagar, the Sangh
chief said that this is India of 2021, not 1947. Once the country was divided
and now it will not happen again.
Bhagwat also advocated for ‘Akhand Bharat’ (united
India) at the event. He termed the partition as an unforgettable event and
asserted that the pain of division will only end when the partition would be
revoked.
Bhagwat said that a conspiracy was hatched for the
partition of India, which continues even today. Partition took place for peace
but even after that, there were riots in the country, he asserted.
He said that the identity of India is Hindu, so what
is the harm in accepting it.
Source: Daily Siasat
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-barelvi-sect-to-start-akhand-bharat-movement-2233962/
--------
“Ramlila
Artists from Indonesia Who Performed During Deepotsav Were All Muslims”: UP CM
UP CM Yogi Adityanath
----
Dec
2, 2021
AYODHYA:
Talking about the universal appeal of Lord Ram, chief minister Yogi Adityanath
said, “Ramlila artists from Indonesia who performed during Deepotsav were all
Muslims.
A
country with the world’s largest Muslim population still has a close
relationship with Ram. Indonesians may have changed their way of worship, but
they believe Ram was their ancestor.
And
it’s a moment of pride that the capital of Suryavansh, Ayodhya, is touching new
heights of development.” The chief minister was speaking on Wednesday at the
concluding ceremony of Vishnu Shanti Mahayagya for progress and peace of the
nation, organized by Maharishi Ved Vigyan Vidyapeeth in the temple town.
He
said, Lord Ram is an incarnation of Vishnu and all Indians take pride in the
tradition of Ayodhya, which is the nerve center of Suryavansh. “Everyone wants
to be associated with this tradition and Ramlilas from many countries performed
during Deepotsav at Ayodhya,” he said.
BJP's
Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, who also participated in the
rituals, said the historic development of Ayodhya will realize the vision of
Ram Rajya.
Later,
CM Yogi shared his statement on Koo social media platform, where he wrote “Lord
Rama never committed or tolerated injustice. And we will not commit any
irreligious act or tolerate such acts. Previous governments pretended to be
secular and turned away from India and Indianness. And it was Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi who dared to put India's point before the world. His work is commendable.”
In
another post on Koo, he said, “When there was a false propaganda about the
Vedas, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi boldly presented the real teachings of Vedas,
episodes of Ramayana and quotes from Mahabharata on global forums.”
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
French
Far-Right Presidential Hopeful, Eric Zemmour, Calls for Muslims' Assimilation
Eric Zemmour, ar-right
presidential candidate in France
-----
Ahmet
Gencturk
01.12.2021
A
far-right presidential candidate in France has called for the assimilation of
French Muslims.
In
an interview aired on the TF1 television channel, Eric Zemmour vowed to be
"the president of all French people" including French Muslims, if he
wins the election to be held slated for April 2022.
Underlining
that he does not "distinguish between Islamism and Islam" but rather
between Islam and individual Muslims, Zemmour argued that French Muslims should
assimilate and "renounce" the practice of the religion that he said
"imposes a legal and political code" on them.
Dismissing
earlier remarks he made on women during his years as a journalist, he said he
was the best candidate for female voters, as well, and that women today were
not threatened by a "hypothetical white patriarchy."
Zemmour
has made highly divisive remarks with ultraconservative views on national
identity including against Muslims, Islam, migrants, Black people, and other
minorities.
He
has also faced legal action for racist remarks and religious hate speech,
including a 2010 sentence for saying that most drug dealers were "Blacks
and Arabs."
In
September 2019, he was fined €3,000 ($3,500) for a hateful rant against Muslims
during a television appearance.
Zemmour
was born in Paris in 1958 to a Jewish family of Algerian origin that came to
France during the Algerian War of Independence.
The
63-year-old started a career in journalism at Quotidien de Paris in 1994,
joining right-wing newspaper Le Figaro in 1996.
He
was fired from Le Figaro in 2009 for his controversial remarks but started
writing a weekly column for Le Figaro Magazine in 2013.
Zemmour
has authored books and has been a part of several television programs since the
2000s, giving him a platform to disseminate his contentious views and to gain a
large following in France.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Sikh
from US Reveres Pakistani Muslim Couple Who Defended His Family during
Independence
Dr
Tarunjit Singh Butalia during Pakistan visit.
-----
By
Sher Ali Khalti
December
02, 2021
LAHORE:
After 75 years, a Sikh, Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia, is on a visit to Pakistan to
visit the graves of a Pakistani couple who had saved the lives and honour of
his family during the bloody Partition of India in 1947 when hundreds of
thousands of souls were lost to the senseless, mindless violence.
Talking
to The News, Tarunjit Singh, the Executive Director of Religions for Peace,
USA, said, "I came here to pay homage and The long overdue gratitude to
the Muslim family of Bashir Ahmed Virk and Amna Bibi, who provided protection
to my Sikh grandparents, Captain Ajit Singh Butalia and Sardarni Narinder Kaur,
in Lahore during the deeply distressing period."
Butaila
visited their graves and in a gesture of offering his deep abiding love, he
kissed the graves. "They were great souls who saved the lives and honour
of my grandparents and two uncles during the deeply dreadful period,” said
Tarunjit Singh. "While Bashir Ahmed Virk and Amna Bibi are no more in this
world but their goodness lives on and we cherish that in our hearts every
day."
He declared: "As I bid farewell to the
graves, I knelt down to kiss them. And that was when the words of gratitude
exhausted and the tide of tears overflowed."
Singh
said he was told by his grandmother that Bashir Ahmed Virk, the father of
current MNA of Gujranwala Mehmood Bashir Virk, swore upon the Holy Quran that
he would not let any harm come to the family of his grandfather, and took him
in as his brother. "Amna Bibi stitched new clothes for my grandparents and
took care of my two uncles as her very own, one of whom was about three-month
baby at the time."
At
the chaotic times when trust and confidence in friends and neighbours was lost
in the cries of murdering hordes and smouldering homes, there were several
lofty human souls who endured all to uphold human dignity by protecting others
on both sides of the newly-drawn borders (Pak-India) in the face of existential
threat.
His
family was in mortal danger, uprooted and haunted when Bashir Ahmed Virk
protected his grandparents, Captain Ajit Singh Butalia and Sardarni Narinder
Kaur.
He
said that he wanted to tell the world of the magnificent heroes on both sides
of the borders, who came to the protection of people caught in the harms way.
Those were tumultuous and chaotic times and entrusting someone with the lives
of their dear ones was waning in the blood and smoke.
"The
late Virks had won the trust of my grandparents which we cherish to this day.
The time offers to heal the deepest of scars, 75 years have now passed. Now it
is time to march ahead, forego the past, defeat the hatred that is holding the
region hostage in the interest of larger humanity. It is in the interest of
people of Pakistan and India to allow peace to prevail on both sides of the
border," said Dr Butalia, suggesting to the South Asian nations to
minimize their differences, so that enmity could be transformed into friendship
for the prosperity and well-being of their peoples.
Talking
to The News, Mehmood Bashir Virk, PMLN MNA from Gujranwala, said his parents
had abiding love for the fellow human irrespective of caste or creed and as an
influential of the area, they ensured no harm comes to anyone in the village.
"During
that challenging period, no Hindu or Sikh was killed or even slightly harmed in
the village," he claimed. "My father protected the life and honor of
the entire village from troublemakers."
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Al-Azhar
Denounces 'Zionist Storming' Of Ibrahimi Mosque In Hebron As 'Assault On Islamic
Sanctities'
Harrison
Jacobs/Business Insider
Tour
guide Eliyahu McLean in front of the building known as the Cave of the
Patriarchs to Jews and Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims.
-----
1
Dec 2021
Al-Azhar,
the world's leading Sunni Muslim religious institution, condemned the Sunday
storming of the sacred Ibrahimi Mosque in the Palestinian city of Al-Khalil
(Hebron) by the Israeli president and Jewish settlers, describing it as “a
blatant aggressive act” and “an assault on Islamic sanctities.”
“Al-Azhar
strongly condemns the storming of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank
by the president of the Zionist entity with the aid of security forces from the
Zionist enemy army,” according to a statement released on Tuesday.
On
Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog — accompanied by security forces, Jewish
settler leaders, and Knesset members — stormed the mosque to “light a candle”
to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Muslims
attach great value to the Ibrahimi Mosque that was built in 1320 AD, as they
believe that it was built over the caves containing the tombs of Prophet
Abraham and his family.
According
to the Palestinian WAFA news agency, the Israeli army closed the mosque’s gates
and prevented Palestinian residents from praying or standing nearby. They also
closed shops as well as obstructed and assaulted press crews that were trying
to document the attack.
“Al-Azhar
affirms that these blatant aggressive practices are an assault on Islamic
sanctities and a miserable attempt to create a new reality in the occupied Arab
Palestinian lands and will only increase the Palestinian people’s steadfastness
and strength and adherence to their rights, land, and religious sanctities.”
Hebron
is the largest city in the occupied West Bank with a population of over 215,000
Palestinians.
Several
hundred heavily armed Jewish settlers are concentrated in the centre of the
city and regularly attack Palestinians and storm the mosque.
In
2017, the UNESCO recognised the West Bank’s Hebron as a world heritage site.
The
world heritage body’s decision has been hailed by Palestinian officials as a
diplomatic victory against pressure from Israel and the US to derail the vote.
Al-Azhar
called on the international community and all governments worldwide to assume
their responsibilities to put an end to such violations and provocations and to
respect the feelings of nearly two billion Muslims around the world.
On
Tuesday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the
storming, describing it as part of a plan to take control of the city.
The
OIC said the storming of the mosque is “a provocation of Muslims’ sensibilities
and a continuation of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people’s
rights, land, and holy sites.”
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
Source:
Ahram Online
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/443621.aspx
--------
150
Extremist Jewish Settlers Defile Aqsa Mosque In Morning Tours
Dozens
of extremist Jewish settlers escorted by police forces on Wednesday morning
desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).
-----
December
2, 2021
Dozens
of extremist Jewish settlers escorted by police forces on Wednesday morning
desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).
According
to local sources, at least 150 settlers entered the Mosque in different groups
through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under tight police
protection.
During
their tours at the Islamic holy site, the settlers received lectures from
rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a number of them provocatively
performed Talmudic prayers.
Meanwhile,
the Israeli occupation police imposed movement restrictions on Muslim
worshipers, and searched and maltreated many of them in the Old City and on the
roads leading to the Aqsa Mosque.
The
Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by Jewish settlers and police
forces in the morning and the afternoon except on Fridays and Saturdays.
The
Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is used by Jews to enter the
Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their morning tours at the holy
site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is reopened for evening tours by
settlers.
During
the presence of settlers inside the Mosque compound, entry restrictions are
imposed on Muslim worshipers at the entrances leading to the Mosque and their
IDs could be seized until they leave the holy place.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Civil
Society Organisations, Labour Unions and Left-Wing Groups Protest Disruption of
Namaz in Gurugram
Dec
02, 2021
By
Abhishek Behl
Civil
society organisations, labour unions and left-wing groups on Wednesday held a
protest against the demand of right-wing entities to stop the offering of namaz
in designated public spaces that has led to the disruption of Friday prayers in
the city over the past couple of months.
The
protesters staged a Dharna on Wednesday at Civil Lines and also submitted a
memorandum to the government demanding action against individuals and
organisations disrupting Friday Namaz in the city.
SL
Prajapati, secretary, Democracy Forum, a group of civil society organisations,
said that they sat on a daylong Dharna to protest against the activities of
right-wing groups that were harassing members of the Muslim community offering
prayers at designated public spaces peacefully.
“We
have asked the administration to take stringent action against these groups
that are trying to polarise the city on communal lines. The administration and
police should register cases against the antisocial elements who are harassing
Muslims praying peacefully,” he said.
The
protesters, who staged a sit-in at the camp office of the divisional
commissioner, Gurugram, said that there was a need to ensure that the Muslim
community felt safe in the city and was able to offer prayers at the sites
designated by the administration.
Altaf
Ahmad, founder, Gurugram Nagrik Ekta Manch, said, “We have demanded that action
be taken at the earliest against individuals against whom complaints have been
submitted,” he said. Members of Muslim community on Tuesday submitted a
complaint against three right-wing members who have been leading the protest
against namaz on designated public land.
Members
of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a left-aligned trade union, also
supported the dharna. “The right-wing groups want to create deep divisions in
the society. The purpose is to divide the people and reap benefits but we won’t
let it happen,” said Satbir Singh, vice-president, CITU.
The
other groups which participated in the dharna included Loktantrik Manch,
Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Students Federation of India, and Sarv Karmchari Sangh,
Haryana.
Darpan
Kumar Kamboj, tehsildar, Gurugram, who accepted the memorandum on behalf of the
divisional commissioner said that the protesting groups had raised concern
about problems being faced by members of the Muslim community in offering namaz
and harassment by a few individuals. “The protesters were assured that an
impartial probe will be conducted and none will be allowed to take the law in
their hands,” he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ladakh
Buddhist Association Action Sought Against Muslim Youth for Marrying Buddhist
Girl
Ashraf
Wani
December
2, 2021
Ladakh
Buddhist Association has sought action against a Muslim youth for marrying a
Buddhist girl. The association has threatened to create a stir in the region if
the alleged conversion of the Buddhist girl to Islam is not stopped.
The
Association has written to Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Radha Krishna Mathur
alleging that a Muslim youth from Padum Zanskar has “forcibly” married a
Buddhist girl. The Association has demanded that the girl should be recovered
and handed back to the family.
A
local from Zanskar said that interfaith marriages are not new in Ladakh region,
but unfortunately, such issues have started attracting attention from past few
years. He said several years back, dozens of Buddhist willingly embraced Islam,
though the action of those Buddhists had invited sharp reaction from the
Association.
In
a communique to L-G Radha Krishna Mathur, the Ladakh Buddhist Association has
alleged that the sole motive of interfaith marriage is forceful conversion. The
association further added that inter-community forceful conversion through
‘allured’ marriages in Ladakh have always triggered ill-fated communal riots in
the past, causing extensive damages to the private and public properties.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
CBSE
Asks Who Was in Govt During 2002 Gujarat Anti-Muslim Violence, Then Calls it
'Error'
Dec
2, 2021
New
Delhi: The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) recently included a
question asking which political party was in power when the “anti-Muslim
violence in Gujarat in 2002 took place”.
The
question, which was included in the CBSE’s Term 1 sociology test for Class 12
students, was shared to social media by several users. It read: “The
unprecedented scale and spread of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat in 2002 took
place under which government?”
The
question is a reference to the anti-Muslim violence that tore through Gujarat
in February 2002 following the burning of two coaches of the Sabarmati Express
populated with Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya in the Muslim-majority
town of Godhra.
What
followed was retaliatory violence against the Muslim community in the state
where, reportedly, thousands of Muslims lost their lives.
The
Union government at the time had been formed by the BJP with Atal Bihari
Vajpayee serving as the Prime Minister. In Gujarat, now Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was serving as the chief minister.
After
images of the question surfaced online, the CBSE’s official Twitter handle
posted on the social media platform, noting that a question in the December 1
sociology paper was “inappropriate and in violation of CBSE guidelines”,
without making any specific reference to the question about the anti-Muslim
violence in Gujarat in 2002.
In
a statement, a CBSE official said the board’s statement referred to this
particular question, the Indian Express reported. The newspaper also reported
that the question seems to have come from the chapter, ‘The Challenges of
Cultural Diversity’ included in the NCERT sociology textbook for Class 12,
Indian Society.
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
After
remarks against BJP, AIADMK removes last known Muslim leader
by
Arun Janardhanan
December
2, 2021
Senior
AIADMK leader A Anwar Raajhaa, the minority face of the party from
Ramanathapuram, was Tuesday night removed from the party’s primary membership
following remarks critical of its alliance with the BJP. Raajhaa, who had been
with the AIADMK since its formation by M G Ramachandran, has been backing V K
Sasikala, the ousted AIADMK general secretary, to take over as leader of the
party.
A
joint statement from AIADMK coordinator O Panneeraselvam and joint coordinator
Edappadi K Palaniswami said Raajhaa was removed from the party and all
responsibilities for “anti-party activities”.
Raajhaa
joined the DMK in the 1960s, and moved to the AIADMK when it was formed.
Speaking
to The Indian Express, senior AIADMK leaders regretted that it had become a
party without Muslims with the removal of Raajhaa. “He criticised Palaniswami
in district leaders’ meetings, but above all, it was his staunch opposition to
the alliance with the BJP that invited this action. He blamed the alliance for
the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections.”
Earlier,
in May this year, the AIADMK had taken action against party leader Nilofer
Kafeel. A third senior Muslim year, Mohammed Jan, died last March.
“These
were leaders who ensured the minorities backed the AIADMK when Jayalalithaa was
alive. However, things have changed since Palaniswami became CM,” said a
leader, known to be a Raajhaa supporter.
Under
Palaniswami, who has gradually acquired supremacy in the AIADMK since
Jayalithaa’s death, the party has grown closer to the BJP. In fact, this
association with the Centre was one of the reasons blamed for the AIADMK’s loss
in the recent Assembly elections.
The
Palaniswami group is rivalled by Paneerselvam’s, who is believed to be more
aligned with Sasikala, Jayalithaa’s close confidante who has been trying to
retake control of the AIADMK since her release from jail. Sources said
Paneerselvam had opposed the action against Raajhaa, taken ahead of the AIADMK
executive council meeting Wednesday.
At
the meeting, the AIADMK announced the appointment of Tamil Magan Hussain, a
Muslim leader who was part of the MGR Mandram, as the interim presidium
chairman of the party.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/anwar-raajhaa-aiadmk-bjp-7650755/
--------
Terror
violence in J&K down by 41% post-Article 370
Dec
2, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Terrorist violence in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 dipped
by 41% — to 496 incidents from August 5, 2019 to November 22, 2021 from 843 in
the same time span before the move was taken — the home ministry informed the
Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Also,
79 civilians and 45 security personnel were killed in the 841 days
post-abrogation, against 86 and 78, respectively, in the same time span prior
to Article 370 abrogation, junior home minister Nityanand Rai.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Turkish
foreign minister meets Belarusian, EU top diplomats in Sweden
Dilan
Pamuk
02.12.2021
The
Turkish foreign minister met his Belarussian counterpart and the EU foreign
policy chief in the Swedish capital on Wednesday for talks on foreign policy
issues and bilateral relations.
The
top diplomats held separate meetings in Stockholm where they have gathered for
the 28th meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) Ministerial Council, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on
Twitter.
Cavusoglu
and EU's Josep Borrell discussed foreign policy issues including Afghanistan,
Libya, Ukraine, and Cyprus during their meeting.
Turkey-Belarus
relations, regional development, and irregular migrants made the headlines of
the bilateral meeting between Cavusoglu and his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir
Makei.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
parliament speaker meets president, counterpart in Poland
Ahmet
Alp Ozden
01.12.2021
WARSAW,
Poland
The
visiting Turkish parliament speaker met the Polish president and counterpart in
Warsaw on Wednesday.
“Turkish-Polish
friendship and alliance have deep and historical roots for six centuries,”
Mustafa Sentop told reporters following his meeting with Polish President
Andrzej Duda.
He
said the two countries have taken important steps recently to further improve
bilateral relations.
Sentop
also stated that they want to strengthen the tripartite mechanism between
Turkey, Poland and Romania by adding cooperation on the level of parliament
speakers.
Underlining
that EU membership is still a strategic goal for Turkey, he praised Poland’s
support in this context.
Referring
to the current migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border, Sentop reiterated
that Turkey is in full solidarity with Poland.
Duda,
on his part, mentioned the Polish purchase of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2
unmanned aerial vehicles and said more steps would be taken in security
cooperation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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French
media slam far-right presidential hopeful for illegal use of imagery, logos
Cindi
Cook
01.12.2021
PARIS
French
media outlets slammed far-right presidential contender Eric Zemmour on
Wednesday with some threatening legal action for his unauthorized use of logos
and images in a video announcing his candidacy.
Zemmour
utilized a wide array of imagery and logos from prominent news channels,
including BFM TV, France24, and their sister channel Radio France International
(RFI) in a YouTube video published Tuesday, without first obtaining permission.
“France24
demands the immediate withdrawal of these images … and if our demands are not
met, we will examine our legal options,” the station said in a statement.
Zemmour’s
team quickly rushed to defend the decision with National Events Director
Olivier Ubeda saying in a statement to BFM TV: “The clip was scrutinized by our
legal team. 95% of the images are ours or in the public domain … most of the
images are perfectly usable.”
The
video interlaces a constant barrage of images with Zemmour sitting at a desk in
a hushed, dark library setting, reading from pages in front of him.
Zemmour’s
team also utilized imagery from the television station for the Senate, Public
Senat. The channel’s spokesperson said there were “five seconds of images with
its logo which was not its property because it belonged to President Emmanuel
Macron’s political party, La Republique En Marche.”
The
elections will be held in April and Zemmour, who will run as an independent,
faces stiff competition from incumbent President Emmanuel Macron but is said to
be posing a stiff challenge to far-right competitor Marine Le Pen.
The
independent candidate is a highly controversial figure in France. A Jew of
Algerian descent, he is widely known for his inflammatory and often bigoted
remarks and has been convicted twice in French courts for racist statements,
once in 2011 and a second time in 2018.
The
2018 case is pending review before the European Court of Human Rights. Since
2008, he has been acquitted six times of other charges.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Italian
ambassador hails 'excellent' relations with Turkey
Ahmet
Gencturk
01.12.2021
Italy’s
ambassador to Turkey has reiterated the excellent, historical and multi-faceted
relations between the two countries.
"Relations
between and Turkey and Italy are excellent, both in political and economic
level," Massimo Gaiani said in webinar organized by the Jean Monnet Chair
at Istanbul 29 Mayis University on Tuesday, adding that Turkey is an important
partner not only for his country but also for the European Union.
He
consequently drew attention to the high-level communication between senior
Italian and Turkish officials of various state institutions.
Regarding
Turkish-EU relations, Gaiani said Turkey’s membership to the union, fervently
and continuously supported by Italy, would be mutually beneficial for both the
parties.
This
is so even when Italy, Turkey and the EU disagree on many things, he said,
adding that Turkey is a crucial actor in the struggle against crime, irregular
migration, terrorism and many other regional problems.
Asked
by Anadolu Agency about the recent Italian-French rapprochement and its
possible effect on Italian-Turkish relations considering France’s warm
relations with Greece, Gaiani said Turkey’s relations with France and the EU
would benefit from this.
"We
will make the case of Turkey to our French friends," he said.
Gaiani
reiterated that Italy attributes significant importance to Turkey and has shown
this on various occasions.
He
specifically mentioned the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF), of which Italy
is a member, and pointed out that his country blocked some elements of the
forum, which could be perceived as anti-Turkish.
The
EMGF is an international organization founded by Egypt, Palestine, Jordan,
Greece, Italy, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus.
The
EastMed project is a 1,900-kilometer (1,180-mile) undersea natural gas pipeline
extending from Israel to Greece and then on to Italy.
Critics
say it will not be possible to fill the pipeline with the current known gas
reserves off Israel's Eastern Mediterranean coast, and even if Egypt is added
to the project, the project's feasibility banks on potential discoveries of
reserves in the region.
Remarking
that Turkey and Italy are important partners to each other and Italy is one of
the most prominent foreign investors in Turkey, Gaiani also praised the
bilateral economic ties.
"Trade
flow between the two countries is balanced and growing more sophisticated day
by day," he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/italian-ambassador-hails-excellent-relations-with-turkey/2435425
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Pakistan
Pakistani
Shia cleric: Imran Khan bowed down before terrorists
December
2, 2021
Well-known
Pakistani Shia cleric and Secretary General of MWM, Allama Waheed Kazimi, said
"The Government of Imran Khan has bowed down before terrorists of TTP and
miscreants of TLP", He added that "the Government should take strict
action against the terrorist rather than opting for negotiation".
Allama
Kazimi stated "Our party has started contacts with other political
organizations on this National issue. In this regard, the Head of MWM Allama
Raja Nasir Abbas Jafferi is meeting with Political figures to unite them on
this grave issue".
He
further said that Oil diplomacy with Saudi Arabia is fatal for Pakistan because
Saudi country supports our country just to impose its ideology here. It wants
to urge sectarianism in our beloved homeland and looking to make us its colony.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Minority
students are stressed out in Pakistan
Kamran
Chaudhry
December
01, 2021
Lack
of interest in studies, an increased sense of inferiority and exclusion,
discrimination in educational and professional lives, diminishing interaction
with Muslims and fear of hate are common concerns shared by minority Christian,
Hindu and Sikh students in Pakistan.
When
a Catholic human rights body conducted a survey of about 400 students, parents
and educators across 12 cities last year, all of them chose to speak on
condition of anonymity.
“When
one of my classmates, a Muslim girl, learned that I was Christian, she said
‘Your complexion is fair. You look like one of us and not at all like a
Christian. You are my best friend. You should convert to Islam,’” recalled a
female student from Faisalabad in Punjab province.
“My
parents keep reminding me to be vigilant while engaging in discussions with
followers of the majority religion on any sensitive or religious topic. I
understand that they fear for our safety,” said a college student from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province in the north.
Similar
comments keep appearing in a study titled “On the Same Page? Perceptions on
religious content in curricula and textbooks: impact on harmony and tolerance”
published by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) in Lahore on
Nov. 26.
The
NCJP has been monitoring Pakistan's education policy, curriculum and textbooks,
sharing its analysis since 2012. The commission joins educationists in pointing
out that Islamic content at the expense of learning is equally harmful to both
majority and minority faiths.
“A
few students spoke of instances where the curriculum itself contained made-up
things about their religion and the teacher appeared to reinforce it. At other
times, when a Muslim student posed an insensitive comment or question about a
minority religion, some teachers sided with or encouraged such students,”
claimed the study.
On
several occasions, students claimed their class fellows were transferred to
another section after teachers discovered their religious identity.
“Persuasion
by fellow students to change religion adds to the distress of the family of a
female student. Early marriages are common because the family is afraid that
their daughter might marry someone from another religion,” the study stated
while narrating the psychological and social impact of religious content in the
curriculum.
The
study further noted that the threat of involuntary conversions and forced
marriages of young girls from religious minorities, especially Hindu girls in
Sindh province, adds to the anxiety.
All 21 Sikh respondents said their religion was
inadequately represented in the public curriculum. As many as 78.5 percent of
Hindu respondents believed that religious references had a negative impact on
them. A clear majority believed its effects to be long-lasting.
Most
of the Sikhs believed that families of students are also affected. The highest
ratio of very worried respondents was noted in Balochistan province. All of
them rejected a positive outlook. Eighty four percent questioned their
standing/place in society.
Christians
had the highest ratio of reporting a lack of support to the dangerous impacts
of the curriculum.
Church
officials in Pakistan often complain about hate material in the curriculum and
an overemphasis on Islam in the education system, often with a bias against
non-Muslims. Article 22 (1) of the constitution prohibits the teaching of
religion to students other than their own.
Saqib
Nisar, a former chief justice of Pakistan, created a one-man commission with
Dr. Shoaib Suddle as its member in 2019 to push the federal and provincial
ministries and departments to implement the Supreme Court’s 2014 landmark
judgment on religious minorities.
A
key recommendation was to reform the curriculum.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan introduced a uniform education system — the Single National
Curriculum (SNC) — which was criticized for the overtly Islamic content in
compulsory subjects. Educationists fear that Khan’s inclination toward madrasas
(schools for Islamic instruction) might lead to the loss of students’ ability
to think and reason independently from the dictates of Islamic thought.
The
Federal Ministry for Education and Professional Training has already completed
the first phase of the SNC for grades one to five. The National Curriculum
Council is now seeking recommendations from civil society to revise the
Education Policy Framework 2018 while preparing the second phase of SNC for
grades six to eight, to be launched next year.
“The
important findings derived from the research provide an insight that can
meaningfully inform the government and the relevant stakeholders in SNC
development on human rights concerns,” said Naeem Yousaf Gill, NCJP executive
director.
NCJP
research is the first to share such findings, observed Riaz Ahmed Sheikh, dean
of the faculty of social science and education at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology at the University of Karachi.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/minority-students-are-stressed-out-in-pakistan/95176
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JI
chief for adopting ‘interest-free’ Islamic banking system
Abdul
Rasheed Azad
02
Dec 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Chief Sirajul Haq, Wednesday, while advocating
for adopting interest-free Islamic banking system has said the interest-based
financial and banking systems have plagued the national economy.
Talking
to media men along with JI emir Professor Ibrahim, Mian Aslam, and the legal
team of the JI here outside the Federal Shariat Court, he said that
interest-based financial system is one of the major reasons behind the
inflation, unemployment, and miseries of the people.
He
demanded the government introduce model of Islamic economy to put the country
on track.
He
earlier presented arguments on the hearing of JI appeal seeking elimination of
riba.
Informing
the judges that he as the finance minister of the KP (2002-2007) had introduced
a successful model of interest-free economy, Siraj requested the court to issue
order to the government to take steps to eliminate un-Islamic economy in the
country achieved in the name of Islam.
The
court, he said, had already announce the decision in this regard in 1991 but
the governments remained reluctant. If a country like Japan was implementing
the model of interest-free economy then what were the hurdles in Pakistan for
it, he said.
He
demanded the government to end interest of agriculture and house-building
loans. He said it was not less than an irony that the prime minister on the one
hand was making claims to transform Pakistan into a Madina state, while on the
other hand the country’s entire economy was running on riba.
Source:
Brecorder
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40137325/ji-chief-for-adopting-interest-free-islamic-banking-system
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Arab World
UAE
leaders crown country’s Golden Jubilee, usher in next 50 years
01
December ,2021
Leaders
of the United Arab Emirates have heralded key milestones marked in the nation
over the past 50 years ahead of the Golden Jubilee National Day celebrations,
as they ushered in a new era of growth for the country.
In
statements to the Nation Shield, the UAE Armed Forces’ magazine, the country’s
leaders spoke of their highlights over the past half-a-century ahead of the
anniversary of the historic unification, to be marked across the country on
Thursday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
President
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan said the UAE will continue to steadily
pursue a solid ecosystem of well-established values and principles, with human
capital lying at the heart of the ‘UAE Strategy for the Future’.
“It’s
this resilient set of legislation that’s enabled our nation to establish a
coherent society with a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, a
world-class healthcare system, an advanced education sector, an integrated
modern infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and an enviable status in
global competitiveness rankings,” added the President.
In
his statement, the President shed light on the key milestones achieved over the
recent period: “We have come a long way in empowering women and youth, and
developing a diversified economy. The outer space welcomed our first Emirati
astronaut and our Hope Probe in historic milestones that have made our nation
the first in this sphere in the Arab region and the fifth worldwide.”
“We
launched the Arab region’s first multi-unit nuclear plant that turned the UAE
into a regional hub for renewable and clean energy. We’ve adopted a national
strategy to retain and attract talent in a way that further reinforces the UAE’s
stature on the Gulf, Arab, Islamic and global levels. And under the theme
“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, we’re hosting Expo 2020 Dubai, the
world’s Greatest Show’ for the first time in the region’s history.”
The
past fifty years of the country’s history, he continued, have fructified into a
myriad of achievements, including sustainable development, political stability
and security, a government that is among the most efficient in the world, and a
private sector that has played a significant role in stimulating the domestic
economy and enhancing its competitiveness and productivity.
“We
have introduced to the world an inspiring development success story, which has
rendered our country a leading regional and international financial center, and
a sought-after place to live, work, invest and travel.”
“In
so doing, we have surpassed others in terms of wellbeing, service excellence,
corporate governance, trade openness, quality of life and entrepreneurship. We
have successfully weathered the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and
restored normalcy while observing full compliance with preventative measures in
place.’’
“Thanks
to this enviable track record of achievements, we’re ushering in the next 50
years of our history with a comprehensive, long-term, and well-thought-out
strategic vision, based on meticulous pursuance of excellence to secure a
brighter future for future generations, who, by the time they will be
celebrating our Centennial 2071, will see their nation amongst the best in the
world thanks to a sustainable and vibrant economy.”
“We
are proud of all UAE residents, and their vital contributions to development
and nation-building.”
Dubai’s
ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum also gave a statement, with a warm
tribute to the UAE’s founding father the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
al-Nahyan.
“As
we celebrate the achievements of the country’s first 50 years and appreciate
our progress, we commemorate our fathers who established the country and the
foundations of its development and prosperity.
“We
commemorate our father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and words
cannot express our appreciation of his leadership and wisdom. Without him, the
UAE would have never become a reality.
“With
gratitude and appreciation, we commemorate the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al
Maktoum, Sheikh Zayed’s partner in establishing the country’s foundations on
18th February, 1968.
“We
also remember their brothers, the Rulers of the Emirates, who supported them
and joined them in consolidating the Union.”
“On
this day, we remember the first generation of Emiratis who built the country
and worked hard, with loyalty and devotion, to establish the state’s
institutions.”
“Even
though 17 years have passed since the death of Sheikh Zayed, he is alive in our
hearts, and every 2nd December, his presence is consolidated in my own heart. I
have worked under his leadership since the formation of the UAE. I have learnt
a lot from his values and principles, as well as his decisions and stances. He
always aimed to achieve our nation’s interests, make our people happy and
strengthen the Union.”
“The
late Sheikh Zayed always worked to reinforce the Union and helped establish the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and helped lead the efforts aimed at
strengthening the Arab cooperation.”
“The
legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed in terms of leadership and governance is
valuable for this country’s generations. It is a lesson in establishing
relations with others, reconciliation, crisis management and facing challenges.
“Challenges
never deterred us from pursuing our path, and our major challenge was to
challenge ourselves. We had to prove our ability to establish an efficient
country and an ambitious development model.
“Over
the past 50 years, we have faced different challenges in security, politics and
economy. Nonetheless, we handled these challenges with the belief that our
national worth is about confidently facing them with faith and optimism.
Therefore, we were able to address challenges during the stages of the
formation of the country and during the global economic recession, the first
Gulf war, Kuwait’s invasion, the occupation of Iraq, and the so-called Arab
Spring.”
Fellow
citizens, On this day, we must think about where we were 50 years ago and what
we “have become.
“Tomorrow,
we begin our next 50 in our journey for development, guided by the UAE
Centennial 2071 vision plan, the Principles of the 50 and the 10 principles
approved by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as
guidelines for all UAE’s institutions to strengthen the Union, build a
sustainable economy, harness all possible resources to build a more prosperous
society, foster positive regional and global relations to achieve national
goals, and support peace and stability across the world.”
For
his part, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and
Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, said” “Our celebration of
National Day this year is of special importance, as our beloved nation
completes 50 years of its rich history. It is an occasion full of important
lessons and great significance for the present and the future.”
“The
UAE is striding towards the future, determined to excel in many fields and to
create a bright future. Our country derives strength and confidence from its
major achievements and relies on its wisdom, values, and the teachings of the
late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to guide us today and into the future.
Our nation looks to the martyrs’ sacrifices as a beacon that lights the way as
it aims to contribute to the history of humanity and write a new chapter in its
economic and development story.”
Sheikh
Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah,
said the UAE Founding Fathers had worked hard to develop human capital by
supporting education and qualifying Emirati citizens to contribute to the
country’s development and its achievements.
This
year’s UAE National Day celebration is distinctive as the country celebrates
the UAE’s Golden Jubilee that marks its 50-year development journey, he added.
“Each
time we mark this very special occasion, we must remember the endless efforts
made by the late Founding Fathers to pave the way for such progress. Their
strong will to achieve unity and futuristic visions made them role models of
success.”
Sheikh
Humaid bin Rashid al-Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, stated
that the journey of the Union went from success to success thanks to the strong
solidarity of the country’s leadership tireless efforts, and their deep belief
in the value of unity as a basis for building a modern state.
‘‘On
2nd December, 1971, the world witnessed the birth of the state of the United
Arab Emirates, the day will be remembered in history and remain alive in the
conscience of the Emirati and Arab citizens.
No
matter how many years pass, the Union will remain an immortal memory in our
hearts, dear to our souls, which generations pass through. It is a reality we
witness and the good we live in under the shadow of a lofty homeland in which
human beings advance, their dignity preserved, and people enjoy security and
prosperity.”
Sheikh
Saud bin Saqr aal-Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, said that 50 years have made
the UAE a global oasis of tolerance and coexistence, and a destination that
attracts people of different cultures and backgrounds.
“In
the UAE, we are proud to be the pioneers of one of the most successful
experiences of the Union at the regional level, an experience that paved the
way for establishing a modern state, which turns challenges into opportunities,
and created the conditions and reasons that make it a major player on the
global map.
“What
we have achieved in fifty years is an exceptional model that is unique to the
UAE. We know our strength, that we are capable of defining our goals and
ambitions, and the keenest to create a better tomorrow for our future
generations.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Massive
blasts heard as Saudi-led war coalition attacks Yemen’s Sana’a, Sa’ada
02
December 2021
The
Saudi-led military campaign has carried out airstrikes against the Yemeni
provinces of Sana’a and Sa’ada, with reports of massive explosions in the
capital.
The
Saudi-led coalition said it carried out the air raids on Thursday morning,
claiming that it targeted one of the main stores of weapons and other supplies
in the capital, Sana’a.
“In
the east of Sana’a, we destroyed two sites under construction as warehouses for
military use,” the war coalition said.
It
also claimed that it destroyed workshops that store ballistic missiles and
drones in Sa’ada.
The
Ansarullah resistance movement, which runs the Yemeni government from Sana’a,
has not responded to the Saudi side’s narrative, but Yemen’s Masirah news
network and local sources confirmed that the attacks occurred.
Massive
explosions were reportedly heard in the capital.
According
to the reports, three airstrikes targeted Sana’a, after which Saudi jets continued
to fly over the Yemeni capital for some time.
Back
in March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its regional allies launched what they called
Operation Decisive Storm to crush the Ansarullah movement and return to power
the former Riyadh-backed regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
Having
failed to reach its goals and live up to its name, the operation was declared
over a month later, only to be replaced by Operation Restoring Hope, under
which the gruesome onslaught on Yemen raged on with full support from the United
States.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/12/02/671808/Saudi-led-war-coalition-airstrikes-Yemen-Sanaa-Saada
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Army
forces, allies shoot down intruding Saudi-led spy drone in northwestern Yemen
01
December 2021
Yemeni
army forces, supported by allied fighters from the Popular Committees, have
intercepted and targeted an unmanned aerial vehicle belonging to the Saudi-led
military coalition as it was flying in the skies over Yemen's northwestern
province of ‘Amran.
The
spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said in a post
published on his Twitter page that Yemeni air defense forces shot down the
Chinese-made CH-4 combat drone with a surface-to-air missile as it was carrying
out hostilities over al-‘Amshiyah area of the Harf Sufyan district in the early
hours of Wednesday.
The
CH-4 drone has a 3,500- to 5,000-kilometer range and a 30- to 40-hour
endurance. It is also capable of carrying six missiles and a payload of up to
250 to 345 kilogram.
The
unmanned aerial vehicle can fire air-to-ground missile from altitude of 5,000
meters, therefore it can stay outside of effective range of most anti-aircraft
guns.
Back
on November 13, Saree said on Twitter that Yemeni air defense units had used a
“suitable” domestically-developed surface-to-air missile to shoot down a
US-built Boeing Insitu ScanEagle spy drone belonging to the invading alliance
as it was carrying out hostile acts over the al-Jubah district in Yemen’s
oil-producing province of Ma’rib.
On
November 9, Yemeni army forces and their allies shot down a Saudi ScanEagle reconnaissance
drone as the aircraft was flying over the same district of Ma’rib province.
‘Saudi-led
military campaign has come to a dead end’
Separately,
a high-ranking official from the administration of Yemen’s fugitive former
president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, says the atrocious Saudi-led military
campaign to crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement had come to a dead
end, and the Riyadh regime and its allies were about to call it off and declare
it a failure.
“It
is no longer a secret to anyone what has happened in the aftermath of the
Houthi revolt, and the point to which the attempt to restore power in Yemen has
come. Things are clearer now. The military campaign has reached a dead end and
it is expected to be declared a failure,” former Yemeni prime minister and
current Speaker of Shura Council, Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher, wrote in a series of
posts published on his Twitter page on Tuesday.
He
added, “We have in front of us a torn homeland, which is bleeding. A homeland
destroyed by war and almost disintegrated into states and societies.”
‘Yemeni
forces were confident of Saudi-led coalition defeat’
In
response to Dagher's remarks, the spokesman for the Ansarullah movement said
Yemeni army troops and Popular Committees fighters were fairly confident from
the start that the Riyadh regime and its allies were bound to fail in their
military onslaught against Yemen and would obtain none of their objectives.
“Praise
be to God! We were quite certain from the onset of the Saudi-led aggression
that it was doomed to failure. We informed the Yemeni nation of the fact. We
declared that the invasion is not only wicked, but will also make use of
proxies to achieve its own goals. We also stated that it would be more in
Yemen’s best interests to confront foreign intervention than to encourage it,”
Mohammed Abdul-Salam tweeted on Wednesday.
He
added, “Years of war proved the rightness of what the Yemeni people went
towards. Yemenis will continue to tread the path. It is necessary to stand up
against the Saud-led aggression and siege in order to prevent Yemen from being
subjugated to foreign powers. We overtly and covertly invited them to hold
negotiations. Our offers, however, fell on deaf ears as they insisted on the
war.”
Saudi
Arabia, backed by the US and other key Western powers, launched the war on
Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing Hadi’s government back to power
and crushing the Ansarullah movement.
Having
failed to reach its professed goals, the war has left hundreds of thousands of
Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s
infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.
Despite
heavily-armed Saudi Arabia’s continuous bombardment of the impoverished
country, Yemeni armed forces and the Popular Committees have grown steadily in
strength against the Saudi invaders and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down
in the country.
Last
week, international weekly magazine The Economist wrote in a report that Saudi
Arabia was growing desperate to end its disastrous war on its southern
neighbor.
The
report said while the Yemen conflict has become a "quagmire" for the
Riyadh regime, and cost the kingdom untold billions and damaged its relations
with key partners, the Yemeni forces think they are winning the conflict.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Roadside
bomb explosion hits US military supply convoy in Syria’s Hasakah
01
December 2021
A
roadside bomb has reportedly struck a convoy of trucks carrying military
equipment and logistic supplies for US troops in Syria’s northeastern province
of Hasakah.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported that the blast took
place on Wednesday when the convoy of vehicles was passing near Semalka border
crossing.
The
sources added that two vehicles went up in flames after the attack.
There
is no immediate report of casualties so far.
Back
on November 22, a convoy of three US armored vehicles was forced to turn around
and head back in the directions it came from after locals intercepted it in the
village of Hamou, which lies on the southern outskirts of Qamishli city. The
villagers threw stones at the convoy.
SANA
reported at the time that the convoy was accompanied by a car belonging to
US-sponsored and Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the so-called Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF).
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern
Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing
the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s
resources.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mideast
Atomic
watchdog says Iran making nuclear advance despite talks to salvage 2015 deal
December
2, 2021
Iran
has started producing enriched uranium with more efficient advanced centrifuges
at its Fordow plant dug into a mountain, the UN atomic watchdog said on
Wednesday, further eroding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during talks with the
West on saving it.
The
announcement appeared to undercut indirect talks between Iran and the United
States on bringing both fully back into the battered deal that resumed this
week after a five-month break prompted by the election of hardline President
Ebrahim Raisi.
Western
negotiators fear Iran is creating facts on the ground to gain leverage in the
talks.
On
the third day of this round of talks, the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) said Iran had started the process of enriching uranium to up to 20 per
cent purity with one cascade, or cluster, of 166 advanced IR-6 machines at
Fordow. Those machines are far more efficient than the first-generation IR-1.
Underlining
how badly eroded the deal is, that pact does not allow Iran to enrich uranium
at Fordow at all. Until now Iran had been producing enriched uranium there with
IR-1 machines and had enriched with some IR-6s without keeping the product.
It
has 94 IR-6 machines installed in a cascade at Fordow that is not yet
operating, the IAEA said in a statement.
A
more comprehensive IAEA report circulated to member states and seen by Reuters
said that as a result of Iran's move the nuclear watchdog planned to step up
inspections at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant that houses the centrifuges,
but the details still need to be ironed out.
Iran
played down the report as routine despite the fact that the IAEA, which does
not explicitly give a reason for such reports, typically issues them only for
significant developments such as fresh breaches of the deal's nuclear
restrictions.
"The
recent report of the IAEA on Iran's nuclear activities, is an ordinary update
in line with regular verification in Iran," Iran's permanent mission to
the UN organisations in Vienna said on Twitter.
However,
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made clear he viewed the development with
concern.
"This
redoubles the alert. It is not banal. Iran can do it, but if you have such an
ambition you need to accept inspections. It's necessary," Grossi told
French broadcaster France 24.
Iran
and major powers are trying to revive the 2015 deal under which Tehran limited
its nuclear programme in exchange for relief from US, EU and UN economic
sanctions.
US
then-President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh US
sanctions, angering Iran and dismaying the other parties: Britain, China,
France, Germany and Russia.
This
week's indirect talks between Tehran and Washington — with others shuttling
between them because Iran refuses to meet US officials — have made no visible
progress.
Iran's
foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday accused Israel of "trumpeting
lies to poison" the talks.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Western
Diplomats, Media Launch Psychological Operations against Vienna Talks
2021-December-1
Reuters
quoted European diplomats as claiming that 70 to 80 percent of the draft
agreement has been written in the last two days in Vienna.
Informed
sources close to the Iranian negotiating team dismissed the report, saying that
such remarks are not supported at all by facts and a long way still remains
until resolution of the remaining issues.
Deputy
foreign policy chief of the European Union Enrique Mora had also said that the
current talks in Vienna are continuation of the previous 6 rounds of
negotiations.
His
comments were dismissed immediately by Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri Kani.
The
previous rounds of Vienna talks were only a “draft”, Baqeri Kani told reporters
after the first meeting with representatives of the Group 4+1 (China, Russia,
Britain and France plus Germany) in Vienna on Monday.
“Nothing
is agreed on unless everything has been agreed on," he added.
“The
drafts are subject to negotiation. Therefore nothing is agreed on unless
everything has been agreed upon."
It
seems that the western media and diplomats have united to create a
psychological atmosphere which would blame Iran in case of failure in reaching
an agreement in Vienna.
Observers
believe that this is a masterminded plan to increase pressure on the Iranian negotiating
team to give up its main demand of removing the cruel sanctions and accept
demands raised by the European allies of the US in a short period of time.
The
Iranian delegation participating in the Vienna talks underlined on Tuesday that
the removal of all sanctions is a prerequisite for Washington to return to the
nuclear deal, adding that Iran is not in an emergency situation to accept any
agreement.
Meantime,
the Iranian delegation is trying to keep a positive atmosphere prevailing over
the talks, despite the opposite parties' blame-game efforts.
A
source in the negotiating team said the opening session of talks between Iran
and the Group 4+1 on lifting sanctions was held in a “constructive,
professional and straight” atmosphere.
The
Iranian delegation stressed that until a decision on the sanctions, it will not
be possible to decide on other issues.
It
was emphasized that as long as the sanctions red list is in place, the green
light for the US return to the agreement will not be turned on.
Sources
in the talks said Russia and China fully supported the positions of the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
Regarding
the documents resulted from the previous 6 rounds of negotiations, the
representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that these documents
are only a draft and although Iran does not stand in rejection of all of them,
the draft is basically changeable and negotiable; therefore the delegation of
the Islamic Republic Iran intends to submit its views and proposals on previous
texts and put new drafts on the table too.
It
was emphasized that until everything is agreed, nothing will be agreed upon.
The
former US president discarded a complete and final agreement. The current
president is expected to be at least as bold as his predecessor in accepting
the country's undertakings.
It
was emphasized that only the complete removal of sanctions and end of maximum
pressure with all its means can lead to the US return to the agreement.
It
was stressed that the negotiations should determine the fate of the sanctions
removal in a "sufficient, accurate and clear" way and that Iran will
continue its compensatory measures until the removal of sanctions.
The
Islamic Republic of Iran has always carefully and obsessively demonstrated
adherence to its undertakings in practice, and is now fully prepared and
determined to reach a "fair agreement that guarantees the legitimate
rights of the Iranian people". But if the US wants to play a sanctions
game with Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond appropriately to this
game.
It
was noted that throughout the years of oppressive sanctions, the Islamic
Republic of Iran has learned how to confront the sanctions and does not see
itself in a time urgency to reach an agreement.
The
US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s
full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the
UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against
Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic
benefits.
Envoys
from Iran and the remaining signatories to the JCPOA – Britain, France,
Germany, Russia and China – ended the first meeting of the seventh round of
discussions in Vienna on Monday. The negotiations were paused in June, when
Iran held its presidential election. Since then, the new Iranian administration
has been reviewing the details of the six rounds of discussions held under the
previous administration.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Chief Negotiator, EU's Mora Discuss Future Talks in Vienna
2021-December-1
Baqeri
Kani, also Iran's deputy foreign minister for political affairs, and Mora
discussed the coordinating arrangements for future Vienna talks in the coming
days.
The
meeting between Baqeri Kani and Mora came a day after Iran and the Group 4+1
(China, Russia, Britain and France plus Germany) held the first round of the
new talks in the Austrian capital to discuss the removal of the US unlawful sanctions
imposed against the Iranian nation.
In
relevant remarks on Monday, Iran's top negotiator said that the parties had
agreed that the removal of the sanctions should be the focus of future talks.
He
told reporters in Vienna that he was optimistic after the first meetings,
adding that all parties agreed that focus of the talks should be lifting of
sanctions imposed on Iran after the US unilateral withdrawal from the landmark
2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He
added that the participants also agreed that a special working group should
start its work on Tuesday to discuss "the removal of illegal and brutal
sanctions" imposed on the Iranian nation.
"I
believe that this is a great achievement that all member states of the G4+1
group accepted Iran's rightful request and emphasized that the state of the US
regime's illegal sanctions against our people must be clarified first and then
other issues be discussed," Baqeri Kani said.
He
added that guarantees should be given to Tehran that no new sanctions would be
imposed on the country.
“During
the meeting, we emphasized that the main factor behind the current conditions
is actions taken by a country, which left the agreement in violation of the
accord and the United Nations Security Council resolution [that upheld it], and
also reinstated past sanctions [on Iran] in contravention of international laws
and regulations while imposing new sanctions as well,” Baqeri Kani said.
Baqeri
Kani said that issues discussed in the previous six rounds of talks between
Tehran and the world powers will be reviewed in the new round of negotiations.
The
previous rounds of Vienna talks were only a “draft”, Baqeri Kani told reporters
after the first meeting with representatives of the Group 4+1 in Vienna on
Monday.
“Nothing
is agreed on unless everything has been agreed on," he added.
“The
drafts are subject to negotiation. Therefore nothing is agreed on unless
everything has been agreed upon."
"Accordingly,
all the discussions that were concluded in the previous six rounds are subject
to negotiations and this was agreed by all parties in today’s meeting as
well,”Baqeri Kani said.
In
response to a question about what guarantees Iran seeks from the European and
American sides, the negotiator said that it will be discussed in Tuesday's
working group on the removal of sanctions.
The
situation of cruel and illegal sanctions will be on the agenda of today's
working group on the removal of sanctions, Baqeri Kani noted.
"As
the Iranian negotiation team enjoys a serious will and practical readiness to
reach an agreement, we are optimistic about the future", he added, stating
that "because we do not trust the other side, we are not too
optimistic".
The
US unilaterally abandoned the multilateral nuclear deal in 2018 despite Iran’s
full compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the
UN nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against
Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic
benefits.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
World
Bank to unfreeze $280M of Afghanistan’s reserves
02
Dec 2021
The
World Bank’s Board has decided to release $280 million of Afghanistan’s frozen
fund to help tackle the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
The
World Bank is intended to be transferring the money to two aid agencies-World
Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF, told a familiar source to the matter.
The
sources have told Reuters that, the 31 donors to the World Bank-administered
Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) must approve the transfer before
the money flow to the two aid agencies.
The
donors are reportedly expected to be meeting on Friday, December 2.
The
move will be one of the greatest news for the people of Afghanistan after the
Taliban takeover.
World
Bank conducted an informal meeting on Tuesday to consider releasing $500
million of the $1.5 billion funds aided in the ARTF to humanitarian aid
agencies.
The
White House and Treasury Department have not immediately commented on the issue
but the department has previously confirmed that banks can conduct money
transactions for humanitarian purposes to Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/world-bank-to-unfreeze-280m-of-afghanistans-reserves-4357457/
--------
Mayor
arrested for opposing depiction of Sheikh Mujib in mural in Bangladesh's
Rajshahi
December
2, 2021
DHAKA:
Mayor of a city in Bangladesh who refused to permit a mural depicting Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father on religious grounds was arrested on Wednesday,
police said.
Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman was Bangladesh’s first leader and since his daughter took power
in 2009, authorities have erected more than 1,000 murals and monuments to
venerate him. Scores of people have been charged for defaming him under the
country’s notorious internet laws, which rights groups say have been used by
Hasina to silence dissent.
Abbas
Ali, the mayor of western Rajshahi city, found himself in the spotlight last
month after an audio clip of his comments against a proposed Mujib mural went
viral. “This is not correct according to Islamic Sharia,” he had said. “That’s
why I won’t keep it. I will build everything as it’s planned, except for this
last part.”
Islamic
traditions forbid depictions of people in murals or statues. His comments
triggered protests in his hometown. The mayor initially claimed the clip was
fake, but later apologised on Facebook and fled town.
Police
arrested Ali from a hotel in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday, spokesman
Khandaker Al Moin said.
“He
admitted he made the comment. He was absconding in different hotels in Dhaka
since November 23. We had information that he’s planning to flee the country,”
he added.
The
case follows last month’s sacking by Hasina of Zahagir Alam, the mayor of the
industrial city of Gazipur, after he allegedly defamed Mujib.
Both
Alam and Ali are members of Hasina’s ruling Awami League party. Mujib led his
country to independence in 1971 after a horrific nine-month war. He was
assassinated four years later along with most of his family members.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Clashes
between Taliban and Iranian forces under control: Mujahid
02
Dec 2021
Spokesperson
and deputy minister of information and culture of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid said that Wednesday’s skirmish between the
Taliban fighters and Iran’s border guards has been under control now.
Zabiullah
Mujahid said that there was a local argument between the Taliban fighters and
Iranian border guards in the Keng district of Western Nimroz province that have
been resolved.
“There
was a misunderstanding between the fighters of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan and Iranian forces that have been directed to be resolved through
negotiations.” Said Zabiullah Mujahid in a statement.
In
the meantime, Iranian mainstream media have also reported that there was a
misunderstanding at the border between Afghanistan and Iran that has been
settled now.
As
per the Iranian media, an Iranian former was shot at by unknown gunmen after he
reportedly crossed a wall that is erected by Iran to prevent smuggling and
trafficking.
The
Taliban fighters misunderstood the wall as the official border between two
countries.
Unverified
reports say that Taliban fighters have captured a number of outposts in Iran
and have entered the territory but IEA has not commented on the claim yet.
Iranian
embassy in Kabul has also confirmed the issue to have been settled between Iran
and Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/clashes-between-taliban-and-iranian-forces-under-control-mujahid-789756/
--------
Blast
heard in Afghan capital Kabul: Report
Dec
2, 2021
KABUL:
A blast was heard in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Thursday, Xinhua News
Agency reported.
No
casualties have been reported so far, according to the news agency.
Source:
Times of India
--------
16
countries pledge to provide Afghans with humanitarian aids
01
Dec 2021
Afghanistan
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that an Afghan delegation led by the
acting foreign minister Amir Khan Motaqi met with representatives and
ambassadors of 16 countries on Wednesday, December 1 in Doha.
The
countries include,
Germany,
Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Italy, South Korea, EU, Spain, US, Norway,
Sweden, Netherland, Australia, England, and Japan.
A
statement released by the Afghan foreign ministry reads that the meeting was
concentrated over security, humanitarian, economic, political and
health-related issues.
“In
the meeting, developments in the areas of security and politics by the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan were applauded and asked for urgent humanitarian aids to
the people of Afghanistan.” Reads the statement.
The
Afghan delegation assured the representatives of providing security while
delivering aids to the Afghan people and asked the countries to reopen their
embassies in Afghanistan.
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Source:
Khaama Press
https://www.khaama.com/16-countries-pledge-to-provide-afghans-with-humanitarian-aids-5745756/
--------
Taliban
hide drug trade revenue detail amid Afghan financial crisis: Report
December
2, 2021
Taliban
which was always suspected to be one of the wealthiest militant groups in the
world, has never let out the details about the volume and revenue of the drug
trade, as Afghanistan going through grave financial crisis.
Despite
involvement in the drug trade was never a secret for the Taliban, its dimension
was never completely understood. Though they were always suspected to be one of
the wealthiest groups in the world, the Taliban never let out the details about
the volume and revenue of drug trade which was powering after two-decade, the
Portal Plus said in a new piece.
According
to Portal Plus, Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium, which can
be refined to make heroin. With an estimated annual export value of 1.5-3
billion dollars, it is a vast business, making the country a supplier of the
majority of heroin worldwide.
As
per a UN estimate, opium harvesting provided almost 120,000 jobs in Afghanistan
in 2019. These volumes act as a cash cow for the Taliban in the form of several
kinds of taxes and levies.
Ten
per cent tax on the harvests of irrigated land used for opium poppy cultivation
contributes the lion's share when it comes to revenue from drugs, according to
Portal Plus.
Reports
suggested that the Taliban's total annual income was around 1.5 billion
dollars, to which drug trade is estimated to be contributing around 420 million
dollars a year, while according to other sources the drug trade accounts for up
to 60 per cent of the total revenue, reported Portal Plus.
While
the drug trade acted as a lifeline for the Taliban during the past twenty
years, the ruins it brought to Afghanistan's ordinary citizens cannot be
overstated.
According
to 2017 study by European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) reflects
upon the extent of illicit drug industry involvement in civilian life. It said
that the interwovenness of drug trade within Afghanistan shows its deep
anchoring in society and in the lives of civilians.
Approximately
one out of ten Afghans are engaged in the drugs business. The employment,
however, often results in dependency and debt traps particularly for
individuals in rural communities. The effects can be felt in the form of
volatile incomes for families and lack of formal alternatives, as per Portal
Plus.
Source:
Business Standard
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Federal
Court rules that Muslim individual cannot be made party in legal marital
dispute involving non-Muslim couple
Wednesday,
01 Dec 2021
PUTRAJAYA,
Dec 1 — The Federal Court, in a 2-1 majority decision, ruled that a Muslim
individual cannot be cited as party in legal marital dispute involving
non-Muslim married couple in the civil court.
In
delivering the majority decision by a three-member bench, Chief Justice Tun
Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said Section 3 (3) of the Law Reforms (Marriage and
Divorce) Act 1976 (LRA) clearly provided that Muslims are excluded from the
application of LRA.
Justice
Tengku Maimun, however, said the law is applicable against Muslim converts in
cases where his/her non-Muslim spouse files a petition after the former
converted to Islam after their civil marriage.
She
said the object of the LRA is not only to govern non-Muslims marriages and
divorces, but it is also to demarcate the separate personal laws applicable to
Muslims and non Muslims in the country.
She
said this was in the light of Article 121 (A) of the Federal Constitution on
the separation of jurisdiction between civil courts and Syariah Court.
With
the majority decision, supported by Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Mohd Zawawi
Salleh, the court dismissed the appeal brought by a woman whose identity is
withheld.
The
other judge on the bench, Federal Court judge Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan
dissented.
The
case today is pertaining to an appeal by the woman over her legal bid to
include a Muslim woman as co-respondent in her judicial separation petition
filed in July last year in the High Court against her husband, claiming that
her marriage broke down due to an alleged affair between her husband and a
Muslim woman.
The
High Court ruled that a Muslim can be named as co-respondent in a divorce
petition and not in judicial separation and as such the court has no
jurisdiction to condemn the co-respondent for damages under Section 58 of the
LRA.
In
a divorce, a marriage contract is annulled, whereas in cases of judicial
separation, the marriage continues to exist but the couple is permitted to live
separately.
The
Court of Appeal, in allowing the Muslim woman’s appeal, ruled that the law is
not applicable to Muslim.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
China's
crackdown on Uyghur Muslims revealed by German academic
December
1, 2021
German
academic, Adrian Zenz, revealed unpublished documents on linking China's
crackdown on Uyghur Muslims, the Twitter report says.
According
to the report, the documents show China's racist policies against Uyghur
Muslims, including mass internment in re-education camps, coercive labour
transfers and optimising the ethnic population by increasing Han population
shares.
Dr
Adrian Zenz, the German academic who was asked by the tribunal to authenticate
the documents, said the top secret and confidential papers are significant
because they show multiple links between the demands of the Chinese leadership
of 2014 and what subsequently happened in Xinjiang.
China
has come under increased criticism as a result of its treatment of Uyghur
Muslims. In August 2018, a United Nations Human Rights Committee reported that
China is holding nearly one million Uyghur Muslims in secret
"re-education" camps in East Turkistan. Many return to their families
weak, unable to walk and talk and showing signs of abuse.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PAS
rep heckled after asking Penang to limit alcohol sales
Predeep
Nambiar
December
1, 2021
GEORGE
TOWN: A PAS assemblyman who sang praises about the curbs on the sale of alcohol
imposed by Kuala Lumpur and Kedah was heckled by backbenchers at the Penang
assembly today.
It
began when Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (PN-Penaga) said Penang should emulate what DBKL
and Kedah were doing in limiting alcohol sales.
He
said it was an approach taken by the PAS-led Kelantan in 1990 and was
well-received by non-Muslims there.
Yusni
said drink-driving fatalities were on the rise and the restriction in alcohol
sales would be timely.
He
narrated incidents where a city council worker and a nasi lemak seller were
killed and their children orphaned because of drunk drivers.
Yusni
said Penang should also follow in Kedah’s footsteps by banning 4D outlets.
He
thanked the Penang government for assuring him in a written reply that the
number of 4D outlets will be reduced in the future. He did not give further
details.
“An
average of 115 arrests were made every year in Penang from 2015 to 2019
involving drunk drivers. This is a very high number,” he said in debating the
2022 state supply bill.
Weighing
in, Dr Afif Bahardin (PN-Seberang Jaya) said curbs on alcohol sales were
appropriate, stating that many developed countries had done so.
He
agreed that drink-driving accidents were on the rise.
Satees
Muniandy (PH-Bagan Dalam) said while alcohol consumption is haram (forbidden)
in Islam, such a restriction should not be extended to non-Muslims.
“The
relevant Islamic enforcement agencies should take action against Muslims who
drink or place bets at 4D outlets.
“In
countries such as Bahrain, alcohol is sold in the open. But yet, they do not
impose such strict rules which go against the rights of non-Muslims.
“We
don’t need PAS to be the country’s moral police. Given the chance, PAS will
take us back to the Stone Age.
“This
is a question of fundamental liberties of all Malaysians. If a person wants to
drink, it is his personal choice.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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--------
Africa
Sudan’s
PM Hamdok would quit if post-coup deal not implemented: Source
01
December ,2021
Sudanese
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok will quit if a political agreement he signed with
the military last week is not implemented or fails to receive backing from
political factions, a source close to him said on Wednesday.
Hamdok
was released from house arrest and restored to his job under the deal reached
on Nov. 21, four weeks after he was removed in a military takeover.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
takeover ended a 2019 power-sharing agreement between the military and
political groups involved in toppling former leader Omar al-Bashir.
Those
groups have rejected the agreement, as have resistance committees that have
organized a campaign of protests.
The
latest of those protests, on Tuesday, drew tens of thousands of people to
central Khartoum under the slogan “No partnership, no negotiation, no
compromise.”
Further
protests are planned for December on key anniversaries from the 2018 start of
protests against al-Bashir.
Opponents
say the post-coup agreement favors the military by leaving the army chief in
charge of a body, the Sovereign Council, that was meant to pass to civilian
control.
The
agreement lets Hamdok appoint a new technocratic cabinet, and calls for the
release of political detainees and investigations into crackdowns on protests
in which medics say 43 people died.
Hamdok
has said he signed the agreement to stop bloodshed and preserve much-needed
international financial support.
On
Wednesday Hamdok issued a decree replacing most of a group of caretaker deputy
ministers that had been installed by the military after the coup. The decree
did not include the finance, federal rule, and information ministries.
The
Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Wednesday 98 people had been
injured the previous day, mainly from tear gas canisters and stun grenades. The
group, which is aligned with the protest movement, also said that doctors had
noticed stronger reactions to the tear gas used on the day.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libya
court upholds presidential bid of PM Dbeibah
01
December ,2021
A
Libyan appeals court on Wednesday rejected two petitions against interim prime
minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s candidacy in this month’s presidential election,
Libyan media reported.
The
cases argued that Dbeibah was not eligible as he had not quit his post three
months before the December 24 vote as required by a controversial electoral law
passed in September.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Tripoli appeals court had agreed to examine the petitions, filed by rival
candidates including influential former interior minister Fathi Bashagha.
But
on Wednesday, Dbeibah’s “appeal was accepted, allowing (him) to take part in
the election,” his lawyer Abdulraouf Qanbij told journalists at the court.
He
added the ruling was “final and cannot be appealed.”
Dbeibah,
a billionaire tycoon from the western port city of Misrata, was appointed head
of a transitional administration in February with a mandate to lead the North
African country into parliamentary and presidential elections, part of a United
Nations-led peace process aimed at ending a decade of conflict.
The
elections have been beset by disputes over their legal basis and deep divisions
between prominent candidates including Dbeibah, eastern military chief Khalifa
Haftar and Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi, whose
ouster in a 2011 revolt plunged the country into a decade of violence.
An
electoral law signed in September by the speaker of the eastern-based
parliament, Aguila Saleh, has sparked anger in the country’s west, where many
accuse him of bypassing protocol and pushing through legislation favoring a run
by his ally Haftar.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Fewer
Libya arms embargo breaches but foreign fighters ‘presence’ remain: UN panel
01
December ,2021
Fewer
violations of the arms embargo on Libya have occurred this year as compared
with 2020, but the “continuing presence” of foreign fighters is “still a
serious threat,” UN experts said in a confidential report.
Nonetheless,
while the “intense pace of delivery” of banned weapons has abated, “the arms
embargo remains totally ineffective,” the experts tasked with monitoring the
embargo said in an interim confidential report recently given to the Security
Council and seen Tuesday by AFP.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
For
the study, which covers January to November 2021, the experts traveled twice to
the north African country, in April and again in September.
For
the first time since 2017, they were able to go to the eastern city of
Benghazi, the stronghold of Khalifa Haftar, who is running for president in the
election set for December 24.
The
elections come as part of a push to end a decade of violence in oil-rich Libya
following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed former ruler Muammar
Gaddafi in 2011.
An
October 2020 ceasefire brought to an end a fierce year-long battle sparked by
Haftar’s bid to seize the capital Tripoli.
It
also led to a fragile unity government taking office in March, with a mandate
to take the country to elections.
But
the UN experts, who said they also traveled to France, Italy, Spain,
Switzerland and Tunisia to complete their work, note that the majority of Libya
is still controlled by armed groups.
“Based
on the 2020 transfers, arms stockpiles remain high and sufficient to sustain
any future conflict,” the experts said.
“The
control of the supply chains by some member states continues, thus
significantly hindering detection, disruption, or interdiction” of arms
deliveries, they added, without naming any offending countries.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Ethiopia
needs no foreign interference to end internal conflict: Top Chinese diplomat
Addis
Getachew
01.12.2021
ADDIS
ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
needs no foreign interference to resolve its internal conflict, said China’s
foreign minister on Wednesday.
Wang
Yi made the remarks during his meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke
Mekonnen in the capital Addis Ababa, according to local broadcaster FANA.
Wang
said China is closely following the situation in Ethiopia and is opposed what
he described as attempts by external forces to impose their political interest
on the domestic affairs of Ethiopia.
China,
together with Russia and India, last month opposed sanctions on Ethiopia
proposed to the UN Security Council by Ireland – a move seconded by the US and
other Western countries.
Ethiopia
has been fighting the forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF)
after the group attacked federal army bases stationed across Tigray last
November, according to the Ethiopian government.
Nearly
3 million people have been displaced, while close to 10 million need food aid
due to the armed conflict, now in its 13th month.
Demeke
briefed his Chinese counterpart on developments in the conflict, saying TPLF
forces are now on the defensive as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed went to the front
last week to lead his army in person – a move that triggered mixed reactions at
home while it trended on social media.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
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--------
4
West African countries launch joint anti-terror operation
Fatma
Esma Arslan
01.12.2021
DAKAR
The
West African countries of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo jointly
conducted an anti-terror operation, a top security official said on Wednesday.
Burkina
Faso Security Minister Maxime Kone said that 5,720 troops were deployed to
common borders under a security agreement signed in 2017.
More
than 300 suspects were caught and large caches of weapons, ammunition, drugs,
and bomb equipment were seized as part of the Koudanlgou 4 Zone 2 operation on
Nov. 21-27, Kone said.
In
the Sahel region, south of the Sahara Desert, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger
have been attacked by terrorist groups al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS.
As
these groups have expanded their sphere of influence to Togo and Ivory Coast by
moving south in recent years, the countries of the region are trying to combat
them with joint operations.
The
fight against terrorism remains a top issue for Sahel countries despite the
French military operation Barkhane, the European Task Force Takuba, and the UN
Financial Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) in the
region.
The
Burkina Faso government came under severe criticism after the death of 58 soldiers
in two terrorist attacks in November.
The
attacks led to protests calling for the resignation of President Roch Kabore
and accusing the government of failure in the fight against terrorism.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/4-west-african-countries-launch-joint-anti-terror-operation/2435634
--------
North America
‘Racist
Demagoguery’: GOP asked to discipline Boebert for Islamophobic remarks
01
December 2021'
The
recent Islamophobic remarks made by a notorious Republican Congress member
against a Democratic House colleague is fast snowballing into a major political
controversy in the US.
The
US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday called on GOP leaders to
discipline Lauren Boebert, a House representative from Colorado, for her
hate-filled comments against Ilhan Omar, a representative for Minnesota's 5th
congressional district.
Hoyer
said Boebert's suggestion that Omar poses a dangerous threat fits a larger
"pattern" of racist demagoguery within the Republican ranks, urging
the Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to rein in such rhetoric that could inspire
acts of violence, particularly against minorities.
"It's
a pattern, and so that makes it even more concerning. It's particularly
concerning because it inflames ... the passions of people who then convert
words into dangerous, threatening and harmful actions. And that's why this
conduct is so reprehensible and dangerous," Hoyer said on a press call.
“Hopefully,
the Republican Party and its leadership itself would take direct action to
cleanse itself from this toxic kind of conduct that its members are pursuing,”
he hastened to add.
He
further said that Boebert's comments "should be sanctioned, not only by
the Republican leadership, but by Republicans in general and by the American
people”.
Boebert
stirred a controversy recently when a video leaked of her telling a crowd in
her district that a ride in an elevator with Omar "should be fine"
because Omar "doesn't have a backpack."
In
the viral video, shared by a Twitter account called PatriotTakes, Boebert
recounted her encounter with Omar at the US Capitol, referring to Omar as a
member of the "Jihad Squad" and claimed that a Capitol Police officer
thought she was a terrorist.
So
the other night on the House floor was not my first jihad squad moment. So I
was getting into an elevator with one of my staffers. And he and I are - we’re
leaving the Capitol. We're going back to my office and we get in the elevator,
and I see a Capitol Police officer running hurriedly to the elevator,” Boebert
said in the video.
“I
see fret all over his face, and he's reaching… The door’s shutting, like I
can’t - I can’t open it - like, what's happening? I look to my left, and there
she is. Ilhan Omar. I said, ‘Well she doesn't have a backpack, we should be
fine,’” she added, with audience heard laughing over it.
The
Minnesota Representative dismissed the story as fiction, calling her a
“buffoon”.
“Fact,
this buffoon looks down when she sees me at the Capitol, this whole story is
made up. Sad she thinks bigotry gets her clout,” Omar said on Twitter.
She
said anti-Muslim bigotry “isn’t funny and shouldn’t be normalized”, adding that
the Congress “can’t be a place where hateful and dangerous Muslims tropes get
no condemnation”
The
two warring lawmakers spoke over phone on Monday, which ended with both of them
accusing the other of incivility.
Omar
claimed in a statement that Boebert "doubled down on her hurtful and
dangerous comments," which led her to "end the unproductive
call."
Hoyer
on Tuesday said that McCarthy had called him to facilitate the call, but after
talking to Omar, Hoyer had advised against it.
Hoyer
went on to say that there appears to be a financial incentive for lawmakers to
invoke racist or violent imagery — a strategy which he said "raises them
money because it's confrontational and demeaning to others”.
"It's
sad that that raises them money, but I think that's what their MO apparently
appears to be."
The
three Muslim Democratic lawmakers — Omar and Representatives Rashida Tlaib of
Michigan and André Carson of Indiana, have said that their party is looking at
options to sanction Boebert.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
Republicans in a letter to Biden vow to block any sanctions relief for Iran
01
December 2021
With
Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal resuming the stalled
talks in Vienna aimed at lifting cruel sanctions on Iran, Republicans in the US
have vowed to block any sanctions relief for Iran.
According
to a report in The National, a group of 25 Republican Congress members, in a
letter to the US President Joe Biden this week, accused the White House of
“withholding information” from Congress about the nature of negotiations with
Tehran.
“Despite
over a dozen letters by members of the Republican Study Committee asking for
information on Iran sanctions enforcement, your administration has continued to
leave Congress in the dark regarding its plans to weaken sanctions enforcement
and provide sanctions relief to Iran,” the letter read.
The
Republican Study Committee has 150 members, who have been the vocal advocates
of former US President Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran.
In
the letter, the signatories remind the Biden administration of the power of
Congress to re-impose sanctions on Iran, which again points to the duality of
US stance on Vienna talks.
“We
are writing to remind you that the power to regulate commerce with foreign
nations and hence the ability to enact economic sanctions resides in Congress,”
the letter adds.
The
seventh round of talks between Iran and the P4+1 grouping — Britain, France,
Russia, and China plus Germany — aimed at lifting the draconian sanctions
imposed on Iran by the previous US administration resumed in the Austrian
capital on Monday.
Ali
Baqeri-Kani, who is leading the Iranian delegation at the talks, made a strong
case for lifting the US sanctions before moving on to discussion of
nuclear-related issues.
He
asserted that Iran has confirmed its full compliance with obligations under the
deal and underlined his country’s determination to reach an agreement that is
acceptable to the people of Iran.
Enrique
Mora, the top EU representative at the talks, said there is a sense of urgency
of putting the deal back on track, but pointed out many difficult political and
technical issues to be sorted out.
Mikhail
Ulyanov, Russian envoy to the UN nuclear agency, said participants agreed on
“further immediate steps” during the fresh round of negotiations which he said
“started quite successfully".
On
Tuesday, participants held expert-level meetings of the working group formed
exclusively to deal with the removal of US sanctions against Iran.
On
Wednesday, another working group dealing with nuclear issues is expected to
hold meetings.
While
reports coming from Vienna inspire hope that the remaining signatories to the
nuclear deal are willing to discuss with the seriousness it deserves, news
coming from the US is far from assuring.
The
Republican signatories to the letter threatened to block any relief if they win
a majority in the US House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.
“When
Republicans return to the majority soon, we look forward to re-asserting
Congress's authority over economic sanctions by passing the Maximum Pressure
Act and circumscribing the ability of your administration, like the Obama
administration before it, to lift sanctions and abuse waiver and license
authorities to provide sanctions relief to Iran,” the letter said.
In
a tweet on Tuesday, US Senator from state of Arkansas, Tom Cotton also warned
that the deal will be “torn up when Republicans take power again”.
“President
Biden has sent his team to Vienna to negotiate an American surrender to the
ayatollahs. This administration is unwilling to hold the Iranian regime
accountable for its nuclear blackmail efforts, support for terrorism, and
attacks on American troops and our allies,” Cotton wrote.
“A
Biden-Iran nuclear deal will be even worse than what came before it—and will be
torn up when Republicans take power again,” he added.
White
House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that the US “objective
has not changed”.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
group protests alleged hate crime in Maryland public school
By
Sean Salai
December
1, 2021
A
Muslim advocacy group is urging Baltimore County Public Schools to immediately
notify parents and guardians of alleged hate crimes after a sixth-grade girl
said another student tried to yank off her hijab between classes last month.
Zainab
Chaudry, Maryland chapter director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), called on the district to implement “systemwide written policy changes
that require school officials to immediately notify parents or guardians” of
alleged hate crimes after a mother complained that Franklin Middle School
failed to call her about the Nov. 19 incident in Reisterstown.
“This
investigation is definitely not complete,” Ms. Chaudry told The Washington
Times.
The
school system’s communications office emailed a statement to The Times on
behalf of Franklin Middle School.
“Baltimore
County Public Schools does not condone or tolerate bullying, harassment, or
intimidation by any student in any of its schools,” the statement reads in
part. “The incident in question was reported to the school on Friday, Nov. 19,
and as per school and system policy, an investigation was begun immediately.
That investigation has continued into this week.”
Annie
Torres, a mother of six, said a female student wearing a full-face balaclava
mask tried to yank off her sixth-grade daughter’s headscarf between classes on
the Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving.
“This
is bigger than a school incident; it was an attack on her identity as a
Muslim,” Mrs. Torres told The Times.
Source:
Washington Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/dec/1/muslim-group-protests-alleged-hate-crime-maryland-/
--------
Top
Turkish, US officials discuss bilateral, regional issues
Omer
Tugrul Cam
01.12.2021
RIGA,
Latvia
Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
discussed bilateral and regional issues on Wednesday.
Cavusoglu
and Blinken met on the second day of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in
Latvia's capital Riga.
Speaking
to reporters before the meeting, Cavusoglu expressed his pleasure to meet with
Blinken again.
Cavusoglu
stressed that they have many issues to discuss, adding that they will hold a
follow-up meeting on the issues discussed and decisions taken during the Rome
meeting on Oct. 31 between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his US
counterpart Joe Biden.
He
also noted that as two NATO allies, they will exchange views on bilateral
relations and regional issues such as Ukraine, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Blinken
also expressed his pleasure to meet with Cavusoglu again and said they also
discussed the situation in Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and the Caucasus
during the two days of the meeting in Riga.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/top-turkish-us-officials-discuss-bilateral-regional-issues/2435970
--------
Taliban
demand unfreezing of Afghan assets in talks with US
01
December 2021
Representatives
from the Taliban interim government and the United States have concluded a
second round of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The
two-day dialog, which took place amid growing calls for immediate foreign
assistance to Afghanistan, ended on Tuesday, with the Taliban urging US
officials to unfreeze Afghan state assets and remove sanctions and Washington
pledging to continue to support the United Nations' efforts to address the
situation.
US
special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and the Taliban's acting
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led their respective delegations at the
talks. A first session between the two sides had been held in Doha in October.
In
a post on Twitter, Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi
described the discussions as "positive," saying the two sides
exchanged views on political, economic, health, education, security and
humanitarian issues.
"The
Afghan side assured them about security, urged immediate unconditional
unfreezing of Afghan reserves, ending of sanctions and blacklists, and
disconnecting humanitarian issues from political considerations," Balkhi
said. "Overall the sessions were positive and both sides agreed to
continue such meetings moving forward."
US
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington "remains committed
to ensuring that US sanctions do not limit the ability of Afghan civilians to
receive humanitarian support from the US government and international community
while denying assets to sanctioned entities and individuals."
He
said the US Treasury Department "has issued general licenses to support
the continued flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and
other activities that support basic human needs."
Price
said the US delegation had emphasized the importance of the Taliban fulfilling
their public commitment not to allow anyone to pose a threat to any country
from Afghan soil, as well as safe passage for US citizens and at-risk Afghans.
The
US officials also urged the Taliban to protect the rights of all Afghans,
implement a commitment to provide countrywide access to education at all levels
for women and girls, and take additional steps to form an inclusive and representative
government, according to the US State Department.
The
Taliban, who had previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, took power
again on August 15 as the US was in the middle of a chaotic troop withdrawal.
The group announced the formation of a caretaker government on September 7. No
country has yet recognized their rule. Since then, the Taliban have been
struggling to contain a deepening economic crisis.
Most
of the international forums stopped their aid and assistance to Afghanistan
after the Taliban returned to power. Besides, the United States also seized
nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank. The Taliban
have repeatedly called for the release of the assets, but Washington has
rebuffed the call, saying the new government in Kabul must "earn"
international legitimacy first.
War-ravaged
Afghanistan also needs urgent international action to support millions of
people struggling with rising hunger and the collapse of services. The
Taliban's efforts to stabilize the situation have been undermined by
international sanctions, as banks are running out of cash and civil servants
are going unpaid.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
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