Anti-Hindu Rampage In UK: Muslim Gangs Terrorising Hindus, Vandalising Property after India’s T20 Win over Pakistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
08 September 2022
Players of both teams
greet each other at the end of first match of Asia Cup. AP
----
• Message of Harmony: Muslims in Hassan Offer Prayers
during Ganesha Procession
• 'No One to Protect Us': Afghan Journalists Who Fled
To Pakistan Say Western Nations Have Abandoned Them
• Most of Top TV Shows Feature No Muslims, Actors
Negatively Stereotyped: Study by University of Southern California
• 'PKK Terror Group Luring Iraqi Children with False
Promises of Life in Europe'
Europe
• Swedish far-right politician caught sharing racist
images about Black people
• EU seeks closer ties with gas-rich Qatar amid energy
crisis
• Iranian diplomats burn documents hours before
leaving Albania
--------
India
• Opposition Tears Into Proposal to Change ‘Muslim’
Names of Wards in CM’s Gorakhpur
• SC: Nobody Prohibiting Hijab, Wearing It to School
the Issue
• Right to dress includes right to undress too? SC
Judge in hijab case
• Glass ‘More Than Half Full’ After Sheikh Hasina Visit
• "He Said Marry Me or...” Muslim Man Arrested
For Stalking Hindu Woman
• UP: BJP Leader and 21 Others Booked For Allegedly
Beating Muslim Man to Death in Bhadohi City
• Maharashtra: MP Navneet Rana Creates ‘Fracas’ At
Police Station over ‘Love Jihad’ Case
• Help Rohingya Girl in Assam Meet Parents in Bangladesh:
SC to Government
• NIA files chargesheet against 8 in Jaish-e-Mohammed
conspiracy case
• Two terrorists killed in Anantnag encounter
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban to Revise Mass Media Law In Afghanistan,
Condition Of The Press Could Deteriorate
• One Year On, Official Cabinet of the Islamic Emirate
Still Not Announced
• Hope Teesta water agreement would be resolved soon:
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
• Even as it struggles for recognition, Taliban claims
nations 'behave with us like an official government'
--------
North
America
• CNN Hires Retired Police Official Accused Of Lying
About Muslim Surveillance
• Israel’s Lapid rebuffs US call for West Bank tactics
review
• US condemns Iran’s alleged cyberattack on NATO ally
Albania
--------
Arab
World
• In A Snub to Sadr, Iraq’s Top Court Says It Can’t
Dissolve Parliament
• US Provides Military Training For YPG/PKK Terrorists
In Syria: Sources
• Syria’s foreign ministry: Israeli airstrikes on
airport amount to a ‘war crime’
• Four Egyptian journalists questioned over ‘false’
report
• UAE leaders congratulate Liz Truss on her appointment
as UK’s new PM
--------
Pakistan
• Imran Khan Vows Not To Let Sharif, Zardari Pick Next
Army Chief
• Eighteen die in Pakistan's unprecedented floods,
taking toll to 1,343
• Pakistan Sikhs seek action against man for
tarnishing community’s image
• Ex-premier Imran sold four foreign gifts, ECP told
• IHC refuses to accept apology of ex-judge in
contempt case
• Tirah residents asked to leave ahead of action
against militants
• Imran Khan alleges political conspiracy being
hatched to topple Punjab govt
--------
Mideast
• Iran’s Near Weapons-Grade Uranium Stock Grows, Probe
Stuck: IAEA Reports
• Turkish security forces nab 5 so-called senior
Daesh/ISIS terrorists
• Israeli prime minister threatens Iran amid tension
over nuclear deal
• Israel PM backs soldier who killed journo Abu Akleh,
rules out prosecution
• West’s ‘provocative’ policies against Russia not
correct, says Turkey's Erdogan
• US Senator dismisses Israeli military probe on Abu
Akleh's murder
--------
Africa
• Kenya's President-Elect, Outgoing Leader Speak After
Months in Boost for Smooth Transition
• Libya exhumes 6 bodies from mass grave in Tarhuna
• Major opposition front boycotts Tunisia’s
parliamentary elections
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Vital To Address Halal Guarantee Issues In Promoting
The Halal Industry: PM
• Zahid to know on Sept 23 whether to enter defence on
graft charges
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/terrorising-hindus-uk-muslim-pakistan-t20/d/127904
--------
Anti-Hindu rampage in UK: Muslim gangs terrorising
Hindus, vandalising property after India’s T20 win over Pakistan
Players of both teams
greet each other at the end of first match of Asia Cup. AP
----
September 07, 2022
New Delhi: After India’s victory against Pakistan in
the 28 August T20 match of ongoing Asia Cup, well-organised Muslim gangs have
been vandalising and terrorising Hindus in the UK’s Leicester city.
Videos of gangs escalating attacks on Hindus have been
shared on Twitter.
“Gangs running riot and escalating attacks on Hindus.
Innocent Hindus have been terrorized in their own properties, there have been
attempts to stab and there has been rampant vandalism of Hindu properties,” one
user wrote.
Meanwhile, in response to continued tensions, the
local police have put special measures in place to contain the situation.
A number of people were filmed making offensive
statements amid scenes of violence in the Belgrave area of the city, as per a
report by LeicestershireLive.
Leicestershire Police said it was treating chants made
by the men and related violence as ‘hate crimes’. Police have put in place
special stop and search and dispersal measure in neighbourhoods of Belgrave,
Rushey Mead and Spinney Hills, among others.
Also, dispersal powers under Sections 34 and 35 of the
Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 have been authorised by
Chief Superintendent Adam Slonecki which allow officers to return anyone under
the age of 16 to their home address.
According to local media reports, notices can be
issued for a period of up to 48 hours and anyone found breaching a notice is
liable to be arrested and face further action.
Besides this, powers have also been granted by a
senior officer under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act
1994. This allows officers to stop and search anyone in a specific area without
needing to have reasonable grounds.
Amid all this, an emergency meeting between faith
communities has also been called. A Leicestershire Police officer was also
assaulted during the violence, as per reports.
Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for the Federation of Muslim
Organisations, said a meeting will be held with the police and other
stakeholders to inform people what’s going on and give reassurances to the
community that they are taking things seriously.
Source: Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Message
of Harmony: Muslims in Hassan Offer Prayers during Ganesha Procession
Muslim
residents of Pension Mohalla offered prayers to Ganesha idol in Hassan on
Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
-----
September
07, 2022
At
Pension Mohalla, a group of Muslim men and women offered a garland, lighted
incense sticks, did Aarti and offered a coconut to the Ganesha idol
A
group of Muslim residents of Pension Mohalla in Hassan offered prayers to
Ganesha during the procession of Panchajanya Ganapati in the city on Monday.
This gesture by the Muslim residents has been appreciated widely.
Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh activists of Hassan city had installed Ganesha on the
premises of Hasanamba Kalakshetra. On the final day, the organisers took out a
procession of the idol on prominent streets of the city, before immersing the
idol at Devigere.
As
the procession reached Pension Mohalla, a group of Muslim men and women offered
a garland, lighted incense sticks, did Aarti and offered a coconut. A video
clip of their prayer is doing rounds in the city.
Message
of harmony
Hassan
Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar has said the event spread the message
of harmony. “It is a model gesture by Barline Masjid Committee in Pension
Mohalla. I appreciate all those involved in this act. They have sent a message
of harmony and peace to society,” he said.
Hundreds
of people from different parts of the district participated in the procession.
The police had made elaborate arrangements for the event. The SP appreciated
the cooperation of the organisers of the Panchajanya Ganapati Utsava and the
public in ensuring smooth conduct of the event.
Source:
The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
'No
One to Protect Us': Afghan Journalists Who Fled To Pakistan Say Western Nations
Have Abandoned Them
Nasrin
Shirzad, a former journalist with Afghanistan's Ariana TV,
-----
September
07, 2022
By
Majeed Babar
Speaking
truth to power was a lifeline for Nasrin Shirzad, who made her mark on
Afghanistan's media scene by covering issues that often conflicted with the
Taliban's extremist views.
That
lifeline was severed when the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August
2021, setting off a cascade of setbacks for the female newscaster and anchor.
Unemployed
and fearing for her life, Shirzad fled with her family to neighboring Pakistan.
For months, she has received letter after letter telling her she cannot be
helped because it is impossible to determine that she was under threat in
Afghanistan.
The
night letter the 42-year-old mother of three found on her doorstep in the
eastern province of Nangarhar immediately after the Taliban seized power tells
a different story.
Handwritten
and bearing a Taliban letterhead and stamp, the letter's message is as dire as
it is brief:
"To
Nasrin, daughter of Saif Al-Maluk, reporter for Ariana News in Kabul:
Since
you worked as a journalist for infidel channels (TV) and made propaganda
against the Islamic Emirate, you presented the Islamic Emirate as a terrorist
group to the people and thus you are a sinner in the opinion of the Islamic
Emirate. Make up for your mistakes and sins as soon as possible or the Islamic
Emirate will take care of you."
RFE/RL,
which reviewed the letter, was unable to verify its authenticity. In written
comments, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid dismissed the letter as a
"fake," and said "people make up cases like this" in order
to seek asylum in the West.
But
Shirzad said her work as a journalist has earned her and her family many such
threats over the years. It came as a relief when in February she finally
received a visa to evacuate her family to Pakistan.
Now,
however, her life is in limbo. Her visa has expired, her landlord has given her
an eviction notice, and her appeals to NGOs and Western countries to help her
move abroad have been rebuffed.
"We
were able to document your journalistic background but we were not able to
document the recent threats/safety problems you have been exposed to as a
result of your work," read one reply from Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
to Shirzad's request for support in applying for a visa to a third country.
When
she sought help from France, which was heavily involved in the nearly 20-year
U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, Shirzad said she was told by the embassy that
"they can't repatriate me and my family because they say I am not facing
any danger due to my journalism in Afghanistan."
Journalists
Covered Up, Silenced
A
WhatsApp group dedicated to Afghan journalists who have escaped to Pakistan
shows that Shirzad is far from alone. In the year since the Taliban retook
power, the group has expanded to about 200 journalists who share their stories
of living on the run with little help from the outside world.
Many,
like Shirzad, left their homeland out of fear of retribution for their work
over the past two decades as Afghanistan tried to develop a more open media
landscape.
Although
the Taliban has pledged to support media freedom, the message sent through acts
of censorship, pressure, and violence against journalists -- and orders that
female newscasters like Shirzad must abide by strict Islamic dress codes on air
-- made it clear the promise would not be upheld.
RSF,
in a report published on August 10, said that Afghanistan has lost nearly 40
percent of its media outlets and just under 60 percent of its journalists since
the Taliban takeover.
Women
journalists, the media watchdog said, were most affected by Taliban rule, with
more than 76 percent having lost their jobs and "disappeared completely
from the media landscape in 11 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces." Whereas
2,756 women journalists and media workers were employed in the country prior to
August 2021, only 656 are still working, the vast majority in Kabul.
In
July, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree that forbade
"false accusations against officials or criticism of them." The
decree has been called out by media watchdogs as an attempt to silence free
speech.
The
order joins the "11 rules for journalists" -- issued shortly after
the Taliban seized power -- that prohibit the publication or broadcasting of
reports that are "contrary to Islam" and which discourage reporting
of news that has not been confirmed by Taliban officials.
More
than 80 journalists have been arbitrarily detained since August 2021, and 50
have been the direct victims of violence at the hands of the Taliban's security
forces, according to RSF.
The
situation has led to calls by civil society and media organizations for
countries to protect and evacuate Afghan media workers, and promises of help
from Western countries.
The
United States pledged in September 2021 that despite the evacuation of American
troops it would continue to work to help "at-risk people leave
Afghanistan."
Visa
Issues
Days
before the Taliban takeover, Islamabad took steps to address such concerns by
easing its visa policy to help media workers who wanted to evacuate Afghanistan
via Pakistan.
ut
that measure expired last month and the government has yet to approve an
extension.
Malik
Muhammad Afzal, an official who works for the Pakistani Interior Ministry's
visa department, said the measure was slated to be extended this week but that
it is subject to approval by the country's intelligence agencies.
Even
with the eased restrictions, many Afghan journalists who fled to Pakistan have
said they've encountered numerous problems extending their visas, forcing some
to pay bribes in either Afghanistan or Pakistan to obtain new documents.
Abdullah
Hameem, a journalist with leading Afghan broadcaster Tolo TV who covered the
war between the Taliban and foreign and Afghan government forces, said that
"every day our colleagues are getting different legal, financial, and
emotional pressures, and we don't know where to go."
Most
are having visa renewal problems, and some of our friends went back to
Afghanistan for a fresh entry visa for Pakistan," Hameem said. "This
is a very dangerous move, to go to Afghanistan. Some of our friends paid $300
to $400 to private dealers for the renewal of Pakistani visas."
Hameem
said he manages to get by with financial support provided by the rights
watchdog Amnesty International.
Rafiullah
Nekzad, a 23-year-old who worked for the private Khurshid TV channel in Kabul,
said he went to Pakistan this spring after he had heard the Taliban was looking
for him.
"Two
months ago, I applied for a visa extension to stay in Pakistan legally, but I
still have not received the renewal," he said. "If I don't get my
visa renewal, then I am not able to rent a place to live, and if someone sends
money, I cannot collect it with an expired visa."
Sodaba
Nasiry, a 26-year-old journalist who worked for the former Afghan parliament's
television channel, said she left Kabul for Pakistan the day the Taliban
stormed Kabul.
She
said her visa expired this month, leaving her unable to rent a room legally.
For now, she is staying with an Afghan widow in Islamabad.
"I
don’t know where to go. All my e-mails and applications to the International
Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect
Journalists, and the German, French, Italian, and Canadian embassies have given
no positive replies to requests for any assistance," Nasiry said. "Now
I suffer from depression. I was admitted to a hospital for treatment but after
a few days I had to leave due to a shortage of money."
Afzal
from the Pakistani Interior Ministry's visa department offered assurances to
RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that all applications for visa extensions filed by
Afghan journalists are being processed. He said that if any Afghan media
workers provide proof about bribe-taking that legal action would be taken
against the perpetrators.
As
for outside help, media watchdogs such as RSF say they are doing what they can
to help.
"It's
very hard for me to talk about specific cases, but we are helping those who
fled from the Taliban and went to Pakistan or Iran or are still living in
Afghanistan," RSF Asia-Pacific director Daniel Bastard said. "Our
policy for Afghan journalists is to give them assistance."
Bastard
said the support his organization provides includes helping Afghan journalists
in Pakistan get to third countries because "we know they cannot live for
[the] long term in Pakistan."
Going
back to Afghanistan is not an option for journalists like Shirzad, who says her
hometown is dominated by the Taliban and whose husband, a cameraman, has also
received threats related to his work as a journalist.
With
no visa in hand and no one to take up her cause, she said she feels "great
hopelessness."
"You
work to tell the truth," she said of her profession, "only to face
death threats and find there is no one to protect us."
Source: Gandhara
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghan-journalists-pakistan-say-west-abandoned-them/32023039.html
--------
Most
of Top TV Shows Feature No Muslims, Actors Negatively Stereotyped: Study by
University of Southern California
Terrorist
mastermind ... Anjli Mohindra as Nadia in Bodyguard. Photograph: BBC
-----
Darren
Christopher Lyn
07.09.2022
HOUSTON,
Texas
Muslim
actors are virtually in the shadows on major television shows, according to a
study released Wednesday by the University of Southern California (USC)
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.
The
report looked at the 200 top-rated television series from 2018 and 2019 that
aired in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand and revealed that Muslim actors
are largely absent from pop culture TV shows.
“Muslims
make up 25% of the world’s population yet were only 1.1% of characters in
popular television series,” said Al-Baab Khan, the study’s lead author. “Not
only is this radical erasure an insult, it has the potential to create
real-world injury for audiences, particularly Muslims who may be the victims of
prejudice, discrimination, and even violence.”
The
USC study examined nearly 9,000 speaking characters and revealed that the ratio
of non-Muslim characters to Muslim ones was 90 to one
It
also discovered that 87% of the series that were scrutinized did not feature
any Muslim characters and about 8% of the programs had only one Muslim actor.
In addition, Muslim characters did not appear to grow over time with no Muslim
characters added in the programs studied from 2018 to 2019.
The
report stated that the study portrays the “disheartening reality of Muslims on
screen."
“For
Muslims this sends a message that they don’t belong or don’t matter," said
Riz Ahmed of the production company Left Handed Films, in a statement.
"For other people, we risk normalizing fear, bigotry and stigmatization
against Muslims."
“TV
shows are the stories we bring into our homes," Ahmed continued.
"They play a big part in shaping how we understand the world, each other,
and our place within it. This study reminds us that when it comes to Muslim
portrayals, we’re still being fed a TV diet of stereotyping and erasure.”
According
to the study, nearly one-third of the Muslim characters were depicted onscreen
as violent offenders and almost 40% were targets of violent attacks. 37.2% of
Muslim characters were shown as criminals and 15.7% worked in law enforcement.
Male
Muslim characters were more likely to be depicted with a job than female characters,
while female Muslim characters were also subject to other stereotyping,
including more than half of the women wearing a hijab versus men being dressed
in a variety of street clothes.
The
study also showed that Muslim women were often depicted as “fearful and
submissive to their male counterparts."
"Networks
and streaming services need to embrace their responsibility to ensure Muslims
of all backgrounds see themselves reflected in our favorite TV shows,"
said Ahmed. "And they would be wise to embrace this gigantic opportunity
to reach and connect with an underserved global audience – not just as part of
a passing diversity fad but as a decisive shift towards inclusive
story-telling."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
'PKK
Terror Group Luring Iraqi Children with False Promises of Life in Europe'
PKK
terror group has been abducting children as young as 12 and 13 from Iraq's
Kurdish Regional Government
------
07.09.2022
ERBIL,
Iraq
The
PKK terror group has been abducting children as young as 12 and 13 from Iraq’s
Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), luring them with promises of a life in
Europe, according to an official.
“Over
the past two years, the PKK has taken many children age 12-13 from Koysancak to
Qaradagh and Qandil with false promises of getting them to Europe,” Aso
Kakeres, an official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told Anadolu
Agency on Wednesday.
“Anyone
under the age of 18 are considered children. This is deception,” said Kakeres,
who is the PUK’s deputy chairman for Koysancak, a district in Erbil.
The
PKK terror group has been a constant thorn in the KRG’s side, he added.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU – has been responsible for the
deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Swedish far-right politician caught sharing racist images about Black people
Leila
Nezirevic
07.09.2022
LONDON
Swedish
politician has resigned after it was revealed that he shared racist images and
texts about Black people and Somalis, according to a Swedish magazine.
The
country’s anti-racist magazine Expo exposed and confronted Daniel Cedergren, a
top politician for the political party Sweden Democrats, about the images and
texts that he shared in private chats about Muslims, the Holocaust, Nazism,
hanging Black people, and murdering Somalis.
The
politician resigned on Tuesday, saying those were “jokes” between him and the
person that he was sending them.
According
to Cedergren, he was not asked to leave his post but he decided to resign,
saying "policy is not his thing.”
“I'm
not an academic. I'm an ordinary worker. I'm not politically educated in any
way," said Cedergren.
When
initially confronted, he claimed that he did not remember the chats or the
images but a few hours later, he announced that he had resigned from all the
missions for the Sweden Democrats.
The
far-right politician is number one on the Swedish Democrats' municipal ballot
in the Jarfalla area and was a member of the municipal council as well as the
Cultural and Leisure Board, and a replacement in the boards of two municipal
housing and real estate companies.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
seeks closer ties with gas-rich Qatar amid energy crisis
07
September, 2022
The
European Union opened an office in Qatar on Wednesday in a sign of the Gulf
state’s growing influence in solving the international energy crisis.
EU
council president Charles Michel was to meet the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al-Thani, and other top officials in Doha later in the day.
Michel
arrived from Algeria where he also discussed supplies of natural gas. Qatar is
one of the world’s top suppliers of liquefied natural gas and growing requests
have been made by Germany and other European nations.
Michel
said his visit was “an important signal of our political will to strengthen
ties with Qatar,” as he opened the EU mission.
The
EU wants closer ties on “the energy sector, economic development, security
challenges,” he told reporters.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
diplomats burn documents hours before leaving Albania
September
08, 2022
TIRANA:
Iranian diplomats burned documents in the early morning on Thursday hours
before they were to leave the country after Albania cut diplomatic relations
with Iran, accusing the Islamic Republic of an cyberattack in July.
In
a rare video address on Wednesday, Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama said he
had ordered Iranian diplomats and staff to close the embassy and leave the
country within 24 hours.
Rama
said the July cyberattack has “threatened to paralyze public services, erase
digital systems and hack into state records, steal government intranet
electronic communication and stir chaos and insecurity in the country.”
A
Reuters witness saw a man from inside the embassy throwing papers in a rusted
barrel, with flames illuminating the walls of the three-story embassy.
Washington,
Albania’s closest ally, also blamed Iran for the attack and promised to “take
further action to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security
of a US ally.”
Tehran
has strongly condemned Tirana’s decision to cut its diplomatic ties calling as
“baseless claims” Albania’s reasons for the move.
Albania
and Iran have had tense relations since 2014, when Albania accepted some 3,000
members of the exiled opposition group People’s Mujahideen Organization of
Iran, also known by its Farsi name Mujahideen-e-Khalq, who have settled in a
camp near Durres, the country’s main port.
Days
after the cyberattack Tirana based media have reported that hackers have
published personal data of the opposition members that were saved in Albania’s
state computers such as personal, social and security numbers, names and
photos.
On
Thursday morning, it appeared calm outside the embassy in Tirana located just
200 meters (yards) away from the prime minister’s office.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2158541/world
--------
India
Opposition
Tears Into Proposal to Change ‘Muslim’ Names of Wards in CM’s Gorakhpur
Shikha
Salaria
7
September, 2022
Lucknow:
Miyan Bazaar may be renamed as ‘Maya Bazaar’, Humayunpur as ‘Hanumant Nagar’,
Rasoolpur as ‘Maharana Pratap Nagar’ and Jafra Bazaar as ‘Atma Ram Nagar’ under
a delimitation exercise of the Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation in BJP-ruled
Uttar Pradesh.
While
10 wards are to be added to the existing 70, the exercise also proposes to
regroup around 245 Mohalla into wards. But what has raised the hackles of the
opposition is the proposal to rename wards that have ‘Muslim’ and ‘Persian’
names.
Around
50 wards, including the 10 new ones, are to be named after Hindu gods, freedom
fighters and other historic personalities. This has sparked allegations by the
opposition that it is a rerun of previous campaigns by now chief minister Yogi
Adityanath from when he first became Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur in 1998.
Back
then, Yogi had led a campaign demanding that ‘Urdu Bazaar’ be renamed ‘Hindi
Bazaar’ and ‘Ali Nagar’ be called ‘Arya Nagar’. In 2018, the Yogi government
had approved the renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad as Ayodhya and Prayagraj.
While
the Samajwadi Party has alleged that the exercise was done by civic officials
to “please” the government, the BJP claims that the opposition was
“ill-informed” as it had nothing to do with any caste or religion.
What
is the exercise?
On
August 31, the Gorakhpur civic body had issued a notification proposing the
delimitation of municipal wards and sought feedback within seven days. However,
the notification drew flak after the proposed names went viral.
In
the notification, accessed by ThePrint, the names of 49 out of the total 80
wards are new. The names of the 10 new wards include Baba Raghavdas Nagar, Baba
Gambhirnath Nagar, Ranidiha, Madan Mohan Malviya Nagar, Bagdo, Sanjhai, Dr
Rajendra Prasad Nagar, Matsayendra Nagar and Mohanpur.
If
approved by the government, these wards will incorporate several areas with
Muslim or Persian names including Salempur, Umarpur, Suba Bazaar and
Nuruddinchak.
Similarly,
the new names of existing wards include Sardar Bhagat Singh Nagar, Shaheed Shiv
Singh Chhetri Nagar, Hanumant Nagar, Ramprasad Bismil Nagar, Shaheed
Ashfaqullah Nagar, Maharana Pratap Nagar, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Bandhu Singh
Nagar, Sant Jhulelal Nagar, Raghupati Sahay Firaq Nagar, Geeta Press Nagar,
Aatmaram Nagar, Vishwakarmapuram, Maya Bazaar, Arya Nagar, Kanha Upvan Nagar,
Ghantaghar, Shivaji Nagar, and Devi Prasad Nagar.
Several
areas including Mohaddipur, Turkmanpur, Rasoolpur, Dilejakpur, Niyamatchak,
Ilahibagh, Daudchak, Daudpur, Rustampur, Zafra Bazaar, Alinagar, Humayunpur,
Abu Bazaar, Islamchak, Miyanbazar, Muftipur, Shahmaroof, Dhammal, Askarganj,
Chaksa Hussain, Zahibabad among others will be regrouped and end up getting new
names according to the ward they fall under.
A
municipal area is divided into wards, which in turn comprise several areas.
Samajwadi
Party corporators claim Gorakhpur municipal officials are only trying to
“please” Yogi by indulging in “Hindu-Muslim politics”.
On
Monday, a delegation of SP corporators protested the move at the office of
Gorakhpur Municipal Commissioner Avinash Singh, raising slogans before handing
over a memorandum to Singh.
“When
Yogi was the MP from here, he would regularly run a campaign and agitate to
change the name of Urdu Bazaar to Hindi Bazaar, Ali Nagar to Arya Nagar and
Miyan Bazaar to Maya Nagar. The Nagar Nigam officials are set to change the
names of the wards in a bid to please him,” SP spokesperson Kirti Nidhi Pandey
told media persons after the protest.
“If
the wards were to be named after freedom fighters, then why was the first
freedom fighter Mangal Pandey forgotten? If the names were kept after saints
like Digvijay Nath, then why did you forget Roshan Ali, Shaheed Abdullah
Ansari, Shaheed Sardar Ali Khan?” he further said, adding: “Why was no ward
named after Vindhyavasini Verma? Those personalities with link to Gorakhpur
were ignored and the renaming was done only to indulge in Hindu-Muslim
politics…”
Ismailpur
corporator and SP leader Shahab Ansari said the BJP leaders along with Nagar
Nigam officials have “conspired” to rename the wards. He also claimed that
corporators were not consulted before coming out with the proposal.
“While
we agree to renaming of the wards in the names of freedom fighters, the old
wards have been renamed with wrong names. For instance, the historically used
name Miyan Bazaar has been changed to Maya Bazar,” Ansari said. “We have spoken
to the corporators. All of those who disagree with the names will lodge
objections.”
Gorakhpur
civic chief Avinash Singh told the media that the corporation tried to send a
proposal following everyone’s agreement and consensus. He added that an attempt
has been made to ensure partnership with the public because all Nagar Nigam
activities are public-oriented.
“But
still if anyone has any objection, we will consider them…,” he said.
Claiming
that the opposition was ill-informed, the BJP gave the example of Ashfaqullah
Khan Nagar to stress that the exercise was focused only on “signs of oppression
under the British and Mughal rule”.
Uttar
Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told ThePrint that the motive was on
the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day pitch to get out
of slavery mindset. The name changes aim at doing away with the signs of the
oppressive British and Mughal rules, he added.
Source: The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
SC:
Nobody prohibiting hijab, wearing it to school the issue
Sep
08, 2022
By
Utkarsh Anand
Only
one community wants to come to educational institutions wearing hijab while
others are willing to follow the dress code, the Supreme Court observed on Wednesday
as it prima facie disagreed that the Karnataka government’s February order on
making uniforms mandatory targeted just one community.
Hearing
the Karnataka hijab ban cases, the bench of justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu
Dhulia also disagreed with the submissions of one of the petitioners that right
to dress is a fundamental right since it involves freedom of expression.
“You
cannot take it to illogical ends. If the right to dress is a fundamental right,
the right to undress also becomes a fundamental right... Nobody is prohibiting
you from wearing the hijab. The question is about wearing it in school,” the
bench told senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, who was appearing for a girl student
from Udupi which turned out to be the epicentre of the original protests
seeking to wear the hijab.
Kamat
sought to persuade the bench that the February Government Order (GO) by the
state government specifically mentioned that wearing of hijab is not a part of
essential religious practice of Islam, arguing that the GO targeted only one
community. The bench, however, responded: “You may not be right. Only one
community wants to come with hijab or head scarf while all other communities
are following the dress code.”
Kamat
tried to argue that it may not be true only about one community since students
also wear a ‘rudraksha’ (stonefruit worn by Hindus) or a cross in schools and
colleges, and therefore the question is about showing a religious symbol in
addition to wearing the uniform. “The State is required to be more generous.
That’s the concept of reasonable accommodation,” he added. But the bench
retorted: “Rudraksha or a cross is not worn outside but under your shirt.
Nobody is asking you to take out your shirt to see what you are wearing and
hence, it does not bother anyone. It is not a violation of a dress code.”
Clarifying
that he is not challenging the prescription of uniform but the mandate of the
state to deny fundamental rights of those wanting to wear a hijab without
contravening the dress code, Kamat contended that the ban on hijab cannot be
justified either as a reasonable restriction or on the grounds of public order.
He
also said that only a constitution bench should hear the clutch of petitions
against the March 15 judgment by the Karnataka high court, which held that
wearing of hijab by Muslim women does not form a part of essential religious
practice in Islam. The petitioners include girl students, women’s right groups,
lawyers, activists and Islamic bodies.
“The
issue is whether a student citizen in our Constitutional scheme is expected to
surrender her fundamental right in lieu of access to education. The argument of
the state is that you keep your fundamental rights at home when you come to
school...(but) I (the petitioner students) was wearing it (the hijab) for years
until some nationalist woke up and said this is anti-national,” rued Kamat.
The
senior lawyer also cited various judgments from courts in UK, USA, Canada and
South Africa to bring home his point that religious and cultural rights are to
be respected by educational institutions.
At
this point, the bench told Kamat: “How can we compare India to USA? The
judgments that you are citing are based on their society, their culture. We
cannot totally follow them here... no other country has diversification like
our country. All other countries also have uniform law for all their citizens
unlike us.”
During
the 120-minute hearing, Kamat also emphasised that the concept of secularism
accepted by the Supreme Court is “positive secularism”, as he quoted a verse
from Upanishads that meant one God is worshipped in different names.
To
this, the court remarked: “Is that statement that there is one God and
different ways to achieve it accepted as true by all faiths in India? Is that a
correct statement? Do all religious streams accept it since you are arguing it?
Mr Kamat, our Constitution talks about secularism and not faiths.”
As
Kamat added that secularism cannot mean restricting display of religious symbol
of just one faith, the bench pointed out that the words “secularism” and
“socialism” were not there in the original draft of the Constitution because
the framers felt they are implicit and run through the spirit of the
Constitution.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Right
to dress includes right to undress too? SC Judge in hijab case
7th
September 2022
The
Supreme Court’s bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia on
Wednesday proceeded to hear the appeals of the Karnataka High Court’s decision
upholding the prohibition on Muslim female students wearing the hijab in
various State schools and colleges.
Justice
Hemant Gupta said that Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat’s arguments regarding
freedom of expression, including the freedom to dress and the right to wear a
headscarf while in uniform, were “taking it to illogical ends” in the ongoing
row over letting Muslim girl students wear the hijab.
Kamat
was representing the petitioner in the lead petition, Aishat Shifa v. the State
of Karnataka. The right to dress was then followed by a question from Justice
Gupta regarding the right to “undress”. The Hijab case has seen some
interesting remarks and questions, as a day earlier one of the judges also
asked if girls can turn up in mini skirts.
Senior
Advocate Kamat had contended that freedom of dress (with regard to wearing a
hijab) was also protected by Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which
grants citizens the right to free speech. He continued by saying that this
privilege surely needed to be subject to acceptable limitations.
It,
the petitioner wasn’t against donning the uniform; rather, she only wanted to
do so while donning a hijab. Justice Gupta retroted quickly saying, “You can’t
take it to illogical ends. Right to dress will include right to undress also?”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/right-to-dress-includes-right-to-undress-too-sc-judge-in-hijab-case-2407355/
--------
Glass
‘more than half full’ after Sheikh Hasina visit
Devadeep
Purohit | Calcutta
08.09.22
Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will have reason to smile while flying back home
from India on Thursday.
The
Prime Minister will be taking back with her an offer to use a select set of
Indian seaports, land ports and airports for free transit of Dhaka’s exports to
third countries and a pledge to consider the steady flow of essential
commodities and to ensure fuel supplies from India.
The
other takeaways include a broad understanding to bring down the deaths along
the borders, an agreement to connect the two countries’ power grids and an
Indian assurance to support Dhaka for the expeditious and safe return of the
forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland.
That
Hasina was content with the outcome of her Delhi visit was clear on Wednesday.
“Having
forged a strong partnership over the last 50 years, both countries are working
on an increasingly wide range of sectoral collaboration,” she said.
“The
relationship is known to be the role model for neighbourhood diplomacy
worldwide,” Hasina added in her speech at a programme where direct descendants
of the Indian soldiers and officers martyred or critically wounded during the
Liberation War of 1971 were awarded the Mujib Scholarship.
On
Thursday, after visiting the Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Hasina will fly to
Dhaka, where she will face a barrage of questions.
The
success of bilateral visits by heads of state is normally measured in terms of
takeaways for both countries, but the yardstick has often been different in
Dhaka whenever Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh have visited each
other’s capitals.
“What
has Bangladesh got from the trip?” has been the predominant question in the
neighbouring country’s capital after all such visits.
Public
scrutiny of the takeaways for Bangladesh has been more intense whenever Hasina
-- often criticised in her country as pro-India -- has been involved in the
bilateral visits.
“The
glass is now more than half full.… I think the outcome of the visit is very
positive,” said Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, former foreign secretary of
Bangladesh, referring to the joint statement issued by both countries on the
penultimate day of Hasina’s visit to India after a gap of almost three years.
While
the Opposition parties in Bangladesh have already begun accusing Hasina of
“returning empty-handed”, a closer reading of the joint statement --- prepared
after officials of both sides burnt the midnight oil to reach a consensus --
reveals the incorporation of some of the most important concerns of Bangladesh.
Several
policy experts in Bangladesh, such as Chowdhury, believe that the free transit
for Bangladeshi exports to third countries, though not unrestricted, is one of
the major gains from the visit and would benefit the Bangladesh economy.
When
Bangladesh had earlier offered India transit through its territory, the
Opposition parties had accused Hasina of kowtowing to India without securing
anything in return. “This time, she clearly has something to show,” said
Chowdhury, congratulating Hasina for the progress made in areas of connectivity
that would give a big push to regional trade.
A
senior editor with a Bangladeshi news network said the cooperation in power
generation and transmission -- both in the public and private sectors -- was
the “best news” for the country as dwindling foreign reserves had prompted the
government to shut down diesel-fired power stations.
“We
are back to the days of long power cuts.… We hope the Adani group’s power
supply assurance will change the situation,” the senior journalist said.
As
Hasina faces the general election next year seeking a fourth term in a row, the
ruling Awami League is trying to address the power outages that have turned the
mood against the government.
The
knives have always been out for her after every bilateral visit since 2011,
with the much-awaited Teesta water-sharing agreement yet to be completed.
Though there was no likelihood this time, either, of any progress on the Teesta
deal – stuck because of opposition from Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee
-- detractors have already begun attacking Hasina.
The
fact, however, is that Hasina did mention the need for a speedy resolution of
the Teesta stalemate, and the Bangladeshi side also got it recorded in the
joint statement. Besides, the two sides not only signed an MoU on sharing the
Kushiyara river’s waters, they also made significant progress in the
discussions on managing water resources.
“Whenever
Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh meet, it generates a lot of
expectations.… The Opposition parties in our country can’t do anything other
than attacking the Prime Minister,” said Shammi Ahmed, international affairs
secretary, Awami League.
The
Indian side tried to address some of the Bangladeshis’ pet peeves, with the
joint statement incorporating an assurance to look into the demand for a
predictable supply of essential items such as rice, wheat, sugar, onion, ginger
and garlic.
In
the past, India had often restricted exports of some of these items when faced
with supply shocks itself. These decisions had stoked anti-India feelings in
Bangladesh. The issue of a steady supply of fuel has also found mention in the
joint statement.
Border
killings --- another contentious issue in the neighbouring country -- has also
made it to the joint statement, with both sides appreciating the fall in the
number of deaths along the border.
“Recently,
the DG of the BSF was in Bangladesh for the BSF-BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh)
conference.… It is true that the number of deaths along the border has come
down. We have made a lot of progress in our relationship and the joint
statement reflects that,” said Biplab Barua, office secretary of the Awami
League.
In
keeping with a demand from Hasina’s team, the joint statement has also included
the issue of Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar, for which Dhaka is seeking
India’s support.
A
source on the Indian side said that while New Delhi can do little about the
repatriation of Rohingyas, it recognises the humanitarian approach of the
Hasina government in giving shelter to over a million people from the Rakhine
province in Myanmar.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/glass-more-than-half-full-after-hasina-visit/cid/1885287
--------
"He
Said Marry Me or...” Muslim Man Arrested For Stalking Hindu Woman
September
07, 2022
Bhopal:
A Muslim man in Madhya Pradesh has been arrested for allegedly stalking a
19-year-old nursing student, a Hindu, and threatening her with acid attack if
she did not convert to Islam and marry him.
Monu
Mansoori, 22, allegedly confronted the woman and showered flowers on her on
Monday. The incident was reported from Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district. The
police said he had also threatened another woman in January this year, after
which he was jailed. He was granted bail later.
In
the latest case, both the woman and Monu Mansoori are residents of the same
village. The nursing student in her police complaint said he somehow got her
number and even pinged her on WhatsApp that he would kill her if she refused
his marriage proposal.
"He's
a Muslim guy. He followed me everyday to college from our village. He caught my
hand and I yelled at him. He threw flowers on me, said he will kill me. He sent
a photo of him on social media holding a gun," the woman told reporters.
The
police said Monu Mansoori has been arrested under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of
Religion Act and the Indian Penal Code. The Madhya Pradesh law seeks to punish
religious conversion by fraud, especially for marriage, and provides for up to
10-year jail.
The
nursing student yelled for help when Monu Mansoori, after sneaking up from
behind her, showered flowers on her head near a college, the police said.
Before he ran away, he threatened her with acid attack if she did not convert
to Islam and marry him, the police said.
The
woman then sought the help of a Hindu organisation and filed a complaint with
the police.
Source:
ND TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UP:
BJP leader and 21 others booked for allegedly beating Muslim man to death in
Bhadohi city
September
07, 2022
A
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and 21 other unidentified persons were booked by
the police on Wednesday for allegedly beating a Muslim man to death in Bhadohi
city of Uttar Pradesh, PTI reported.
Ashok
Kumar Jaiswal, who is also the chairperson of the local municipality, was
charged under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the
Indian Penal Code.
The
deceased man was identified as Mustqueem.
According
to the police, the incident occurred on Tuesday after an argument broke out
between two groups when a goat belonging to Mustqueem strayed into his
neighbour Sandeep’s house.
Additional
Superintendent of Police Rajesh Bharti said that later at night, Jaiswal and
others allegedly barged into Mustqueem’s home in the Katra Bazar area and
started thrashing them.
While
Mustqueem died from internal injuries suffered during the assault, his two sons
and daughters were also wounded, PTI reported.
“The
injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital and their conditions are
stable,” Bharti said.
Source:
Scroll
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Maharashtra:
MP Navneet Rana creates ‘fracas’ at police station over ‘love jihad’ case
September
8, 2022
Independent
MP Navneet Rana got into a spat with officers at the Rajapeth police station in
Amravati Wednesday.
The
Amravati MP alleged that a police officer recorded her phone call when she
called him asking for an update on the investigation into the ‘abduction’ of a
19-year-old girl. Rana termed the girl to be a victim of ‘Love Jihad’. The
accused, who is in his 20s, has been detained by the police, the girl, however,
has not been traced yet.
Police
sources said the accused and the teenager live in different areas of Amravati
city. The girl, a second-year degree student, and the man study in nearby
colleges. The teenage girl went missing two days ago, after which her family
lodged a complaint at the local Rajapeth police station.
At
the police station, Rana said: “If you (deputy commissioner of police Vikram
Sali) catch his family members, if you bring their parents to the police
station or catch his brother who is moving around freely, within one hour you
will trace the woman. There are so many such cases in Amravati. Amravati is
getting a bad name because of this. I am an MP and I am answerable for this.”
She
further said, “Who gave you the right to record my call. Why can’t I call to
ask about women safety. Is it because I am a Dalit that my calls are recorded?…
I always treat the police with respect. Call the police commissioner here or I
will not get up from here. Who gave you the order? Give me an answer…”
The
MP was seen banging a remote at the police station, shouting at the DCP and
claiming that she will not leave the police station. She along with her
supporters was finally escorted out of the police station.
Speaking
to media persons outside the police station, Rana said: “The woman is missing…
This is the fifth such incident from this region. When I asked them to deal
with the man strictly, the police officer asked me to repeat what I said and
started recording my phone call… We told them it’s a case of love jihad and why
they are unable to find the woman… This is happening everywhere in our
country.”
The
MP alleged that senior police officers asked their subordinates to record her
phone calls. “I will take action against them for recording my call. The
woman’s brother was at my home and was crying,” added Rana.
Rana
also targeted police commissioner Arti Singh, claiming that crime was
increasing in Amravati city.
Source: Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Help
Rohingya girl in Assam meet parents in Bangladesh: SC to government
Sep
8, 2022
NEW
DELHI: As a 14-year old Rohingya girl finds herself separated from her family —
the girl ending up in Assam and her parents in a refugee camp in Bangladesh —
the Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the plea of an NGO to unite the
minor with her parents in the neighbouring country and asked the Centre to help
her.
A
bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and V Ramasubramanian said it was a tricky
situation for the girl as she cannot be deported to her country and it would
also not be fair to leave the girl at the border. The court was hearing a plea
filed by the NGO Global Peace Initiative, which was approached by the parents
for help.
Senior
advocate Sanjay Hegde and lawyer Sriram Parakkat, appearing for the NGO, told
the bench that the petition was filed on behalf of the girl and her parents and
she should not be sent back to the war-torn country. Solicitor general Tushar
Mehta, appearing for the Centre, submitted that the custody of the minor girl
cannot be given to the NGO. He also said he had never heard about this NGO and
it could not be relied upon.
Sanjay
Hegde, however, assured the court that he would prove the credentials of the
NGO, which has been working extensively for the cause of humanity. He said the
NGO did not want custody of the child but only act as a facilitator to unite
the family.
The
court, however, questioned how it could be proven that the people who are
claiming to be her parents were really her parents. Hegde told the bench that
he will place a letter written by the parents to the NGO before the court.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
files chargesheet against 8 in Jaish-e-Mohammed conspiracy case
Sep
8, 2022
SRINAGAR:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet in a
Jammu court against eight accused -- two Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists and
six overground workers -- for a conspiracy to carry out attacks targeting
security forces in south Kashmir.
The
case was registered by Pulwama police on March 11 and was handed over to the
NIA on April 8.
Those
chargesheeted were Naseer Ahmed Malik, Imtiyaz Ahmed Rather, Rayees Ahmed
Sheikh, Yawer Rashid Ganaie, Suhail Ahmed Khan, Shahid Ahmed Shergojri, Anayat
Gulzar Bhat and Jahangir Ahmed Dar — all residents of Pulwama.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
terrorists killed in Anantnag encounter
Sep
8, 2022
SRINAGAR:
Anantnag Police killed two Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terrorists in a brief
firefight at Thajiwara, in the south Kashmir district’s Bijbehara area, on
Wednesday. Hours later, two hybrid terrorists affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba
were arrested with a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Shopian district,
also in south Kashmir.
The
slain terrorists were identified as Fayaz Ahmad Kumar alias Faheem Kumar, and
Owais Ahmad Khan, both from Bijbehara’s Waghama area, ADGP (Kashmir Zone) Vijay
Kumar said while lauding Anantnag Police for carrying out a swift encounter
sans collateral damage.
As
per police records, the duo was part of several terror crimes including an
attack on police personnel at Cheeniwooder Srigufwara on July 3 in which a cop,
Firdous Ahmad Dar, was severely injured. They were part of a similar attack in
Bijbehara’s Darashikon Park on August 12, another policeman, Ghulam Qadir, was
left with grievous bullet wounds. The two were also involved in grenade-lobbing
cases at Padshahibagh on June 15 and Sangam Chowk on August 22, said the ADGP.
Arms,
ammunition and other incriminating items were seized from the site of the
encounter and taken into case records. Police registered a case under relevant
sections of the law and initiated a probe.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
to revise mass media law in Afghanistan, condition of the press could
deteriorate
8
September, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], September 8 (ANI): With Taliban officials set to make changes in
the culture and religious sections of media books and revise the mass media law
in the country, the condition of media personnel in Afghanistan is likely to
get worse.
“We
will make some changes in the culture and religious sections and send it to the
Islamic Emirate leader to confirm, and in the near future it will be available
to the media,” said Taliban spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid in a tweet adding
that the Ministry of Information and Culture will review mass media law.
The
move occurred when Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) expressed “deep
concern” over the atrocities against media practitioners in Afghanistan, Khaama
Press reported.
Reiterating
revising the media law in the country, the acting minister of Information and
culture said that last year they identified 150 books against the Islamic
values that need to be revised, as per the Afghan media agency.
“Still
now, we reviewed 80 books and there were 150 books that are against the
principle of Islam, and there are some other books that are against unity,”
Khaama Press reported quoting the deputy of publications in the Ministry of
Information and Culture, Hayatullah Muhajir Farahi as saying.
Notably,
hundreds of male and female journalists have left the country since the Taliban
seized power in Afghanistan on August 15 last year.
More
than half of about 600 media outlets were shut down due to the financial
crisis.
Currently,
about 30 per cent of other media outlets that have been operating despite the
odds are on the verge of financial collapse.
In
the latest South Asia Press Freedom report 2022-22, the IFJ documented 75 media
rights violations, including 12 killings and 30 arrests, in Afghanistan from
May 2021 to April 2022 and attacks on Afghan journalists and media workers,
including imprisonment, harassment, and assault, have significantly increased.
The
ever-increasing restrictions against media in Afghanistan have also drawn
widespread criticism globally with the United Nations (UN) and the Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) decrying the arrests, demanding the Taliban stop
harassing local journalists and stifling freedom of speech through continued
detentions and threats.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
One
Year On, Official Cabinet of the Islamic Emirate Still Not Announced
Sep
8, 2022
Even
though it has been more than a year since the Islamic Emirate's acting cabinet
was established, the formal cabinet has still not been announced by the current
government, and all of the ministers are still serving as acting heads.
The
Islamic Emirate's spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, cited reasons including the
lack of a constitution, the inability to create a council, and a few other
governance-related issues as key reasons why an official cabinet has not been
announced.
"At
the moment, our cabinet is acting; however, this is still the result of some
wisdom, since there are still some governance shortages in the country that
need to be addressed. For instance, we do not yet have a council, the
constitution has not yet been established, and there are still some other
issues. Let us come together as a nation, and if we achieve stability, the
system will no longer be acting,” he remarked.
In
addition to this issue, the Islamic Emirate has not been recognized by any
country for more than a year, and the international community has consistently
called for the creation of an inclusive government. Kabul, however, has
continually emphasized that the current government is already inclusive.
"Tell
us so that we truly understand what kind of government you want. Believe me, they
haven't told us what kind of government they want up until now. However, the
Afghan government must be the one to find a solution to that country's issues,”
said Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister.
But
analysts have different views about the cabinet of the Islamic Emirate.
"Where
there is no legislation, the relationship between the people and the government
is not established, the structure of the government is not defined, the
responsibilities, obligations, and duties of each power are not stated, it is
difficult to announce the official cabinet," said Sayed Javad Sajadi,
another political analyst.
"The
Taliban should construct a normal government with all the standards, with
national legitimacy, a ruler, and declare their cabinet-- if the Taliban really
want to work for their country for their survival, and if they have come to
rule,” said Aziz Marij, a political analyst.
One
of the issues that sparked controversy during the past year was the current
cabinet's lack of female representation.
Meanwhile,
one of the demands of the international community over the past year was that
Afghanistan's territory not be used against other nations, and Kabul has
consistently said that it is bound to this commitment.
"No
person or group has been able to use Afghan land against any country in the
past twelve months," said Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-179746
--------
Hope
Teesta water agreement would be resolved soon: Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
Sep
7, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday expressed her hope
that the pending Teesta water agreement would be resolved soon, just as other
pending bilateral issues between the two neighbours, after a bilateral meeting
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.
“…I
recalled that the two countries had resolved many outstanding issues in the
spirit of friendship and cooperation and we hope that all outstanding issues
including Teesta Water Sharing Treaty would be concluded at an early date,”
Hasina said on Tuesday.
While
Hasina expressed hope on “Teesta” being settled soon, West Bengal chief
minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been seen as a “stumbling block” in the deal,
is keen to visit Bangladesh, accepting Hasina's invitation to see the Padma
Bridge, according to sources.
Whether
Banerjee will be able to make a trip to Dhaka, however, will depend on the
Centre giving its clearance for such a visit. Earlier the Modi government has
on two occasions denied the Bengal chief minister permission to travel to Rome
and to China.
Hasina
had communicated with Banerjee before her Delhi visit and had invited her to
see the Padma Bridge, a major development achievement for Bangladesh. Before
that Hasina had sent mangoes to Banerjee in the summer and the Bengal CM had
congratulated the Bangladesh PM for the Padma Bridge in July.
Hasina
and Banerjee have shared a cordial relationship, even as the Teesta waters have
remained a contentious issue on both sides of the border.
Banerjee
had objected to the Teesta treaty back in 2011, on the ground that the then
Manmohan Singh government at the Centre had ignored Bengal’s interest while
deciding to share 37.5% of Teesta waters with Bangladesh, retaining 42.5% of
the waters during the lean season between December and March.
Banerjee’s
contention has been that the quantity of water to be shared should be decided
in consultation with Bengal since its people are real stakeholders in the
agreement.
However,
Banerjee has since been willing to discuss Teesta with the Centre to work out
the quantity of water that Bengal can share with neighbouring Bangladesh.
But
the Modi regime since 2014, has seen aggressive rivalry between Banerjee’s
Trinamool Congress ruled-Bengal and the BJP-ruled Centre. This political
narrative has also come in the way of sorting out the Teesta waters issue.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Even
as it struggles for recognition, Taliban claims nations 'behave with us like an
official government'
Sep
07, 2022
One
year since the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban
government is still struggling for global recognition. On Wednesday, the
group's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi acknowledged that their government
remains isolated.
However,
AP reports that he claimed that in spite of that the former insurgents were
able to conduct business and trade internationally "as if it were
officially recognised on the global stage."
Since
August 2021, the country has been gripped by an economic crisis that has pushed
millions more Afghans into poverty and even famine. In the midst of it, the
Taliban has been attempting to shift from insurgency and warfare to governance.
The
Taliban's brutal rule when they were last in power, more than 20 years ago, has
made the international community hesitant in giving the year-old government
international recognition.
"This
is true that no country has made an announcement of official recognition of the
new government of Afghanistan," Muttaqi told reporters in the capital,
Kabul.
He
insisted, however, that "whatever interaction" is taking place
between the Taliban and other countries is "official".
"Maybe
they have some issues," he continued, this as per AP refers to the
Taliban's treatment of minorities, women, and other concerns.
Muttaqi's
comments highlighted the challenges the Taliban has had since seizing control.
Thanks to the delayed recognition Afghanistan's assets overseas have also been
blocked.
However,
Muttaqi claimed that other nations "behave with us like an official
government."
Source:
WIO News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
CNN
hires retired police official accused of lying about Muslim surveillance
7
September 2022
CNN
announced its newest hire, a retired New York Police Department top official
who faced criticism after claiming that the agency did not spy on Muslims post
9/11.
John
Miller has been brought on as CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence
analyst. At an eight-hour city council hearing on public safety in March,
Miller claimed years-long surveillance of neighbourhoods and mosques was just a
“perception”.
Following
his comments and calls for him to be fired, Miller retired from the NYPD in
June.
“John
will help deliver on CNN’s commitment to tackle complex issues while presenting
audiences with independent, objective news and meaningful analysis across
platforms,” the press release by CNN said. “As both a brilliant journalist and
experienced, compelling subject matter expert, he brings to the network an
incredible breadth of knowledge.”
In
March, Shahana Hanif, the first and only Muslim NYC council member, asked
Miller if the NYPD could commit to fully disclosing the extent of its Muslim
surveillance programme and if the law enforcement agency could also issue a
formal apology or public acknowledgement to Muslim New Yorkers for the
"discriminatory, fruitless, and damaging programme".
He
answered: “Perception allowed to linger long enough becomes reality. I know
from my own conversation with Muslim members of the community and Muslim
community leaders, that there are people… who will believe forever… [that]
there were spies in their mosques who are trying to entrap people," he
said.
"There
is no evidence that that occurred based on every objective study that's been
done."
Yet
according to reports, including from the Associated Press and NYPD’s own
internal documents, the NYPD did spy on Muslims.
The
AP investigation found that the NYPD profiled and surveilled New York City's
Muslims in an attempt to find "radicalisation", by mapping out
communities, conducting video surveillance, recruiting informants, and
generating intelligence databases.
A
year later, the NYPD acknowledged in a testimony that the unit in charge of the
surveillance - the demographics unit- never generated a lead or triggered a
terrorism investigation. In 2014, the unit was discontinued.
“The
nearly decade-long surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of the New York
City Muslim community under the post-9/11 surveillance program has left deep
scars, some of which have yet to heal. Knowing this full well, John Miller had
the audacity to lie under oath about the nature of this program to my face,”
Hanif told Gizmodo.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/cnn-hires-retired-officer-accused-of-lying-muslim-surveillance
--------
Israel’s
Lapid rebuffs US call for West Bank tactics review
07 September,
2022
Israel
signaled opposition on Wednesday to US calls to review rules of engagement in
the occupied West Bank as it pressed on with a near-daily series of operations
against militants in the area in which dozens of Palestinians have been killed.
“No
one will dictate our rules of engagement to us, when we are the ones fighting
for our lives,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said at a military ceremony
in Haifa, echoing earlier remarks by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
The
State Department said on Tuesday that Washington will urge Israel to review
rules of engagement practices after its military concluded that Al Jazeera
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely shot unintentionally by an Israeli
soldier.
The
Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Abu Akleh, who was
killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli raid in the Palestinian militant
stronghold city Jenin. Israel denies this.
“Israel
has expressed sorrow over her death. It was a tragedy that transpired in an
incident in which there was heavy enemy fire. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces)
never intentionally shoots at innocent people,” Lapid said.
Israel
has stepped up its incursions into the West Bank since a wave of deadly
Palestinian street attacks in Israeli cities. In the latest such raid, on
Wednesday, Israeli troops killed a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
As
part of near-nightly security sweeps, the army carried out arrests and searches
in several locations including the village of Tubas, where it said an
improvised explosive device was thrown and shots were fired at soldiers, who
returned fire.
Islamic
Jihad claimed the man killed, Younis Tayeh, as a member and said he had died
during clashes. Tayeh’s family denied he had taken part and said he was
crossing the street when shot.
US-brokered
peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza
and East Jerusalem collapsed in 2014.
The
diplomatic stagnation has contributed to erosion of the credibility of the
US-backed Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited self-rule and security
control in the West Bank.
Gantz
said the PA should do more to rein in militants. “The spread of weapons and
lack of governance are harming both the Palestinian people and the Palestinian
Authority itself,” Gantz said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
condemns Iran’s alleged cyberattack on NATO ally Albania
Beyza
Binnur Donmez
07.09.2022
The
US on Wednesday "strongly" condemned Iran’s alleged cyberattack on
NATO ally Albania, noting it will take "further action to hold Iran
accountable".
"We
join in Prime Minister Rama’s call for Iran to be held accountable for this
unprecedented cyber incident. The United States will take further action to
hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a U.S. ally and
set a troubling precedent for cyberspace," National Security Council
spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
The
statement came after Albania on Wednesday decided to cut diplomatic relations
with Iran over cyberattacks.
Watson
underlined that Washington has been on the ground for weeks to support
Albania’s efforts to "mitigate, recover from, and investigate the July 15
cyberattack that destroyed government data and disrupted government services to
the public."
"We
have concluded that the Government of Iran conducted this reckless and
irresponsible cyberattack and that it is responsible for subsequent hack and
leak operations," she said.
Noting
that Albania views impacted government networks as "critical
infrastructure," she said: "Malicious cyber activity by a State that
intentionally damages critical infrastructure or otherwise impairs its use and
operation to provide services to the public can have cascading domestic,
regional, and global effects; pose an elevated risk of harm to the population;
and may lead to escalation and conflict."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
In
a snub to Sadr, Iraq’s top court says it can’t dissolve parliament
07
September 2022
Iraq's
supreme court says it lacks the constitutional authority to dissolve the
country's parliament as demanded by influential Shia cleric and political
leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
In
a ruling on Wednesday, which came in response to a lawsuit filed by lawmakers
affiliated with Sadr, the country's apex court said it was only the parliament
that could dissolve itself if it were to be found in default of its duties.
After
the ruling, Iraqi security forces closed the gates to the heavily fortified
Green Zone in Baghdad, the seat of the government, fearing angry reaction from
Sadr's followers, according to reports.
The
Arab country has been grappling with a political stalemate since last October
when Sadr's parliamentary bloc won the general elections but refused to join an
alliance with its fellow legislative factions to form a government.
Sadr
and his followers have been calling for the parliament to be dismissed to pave
way for fresh elections.
Last
week, violent clashes between Sadr's loyalists and security forces led to the
killing of at least 30 people, pushing the country to the brink of civil war.
It
clashes followed the occupation of the country's parliament and the capital
Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone by the supporters of Sadr.
The
violence came to a halt only after the top Iraqi clergy stepped in, prompting
Sadr to order his supporters to withdraw.
The
United Nations Security Council also “appealed for calm and restraint” in Iraq,
urging different parties to refrain from violence and seek a political
solution.
The
leaders of the Coordination Framework, the rival parliamentary faction, say
they are not opposed to early elections but they insist that the parliament
should meet to vote on a new electoral law and dissolve itself.
Sadr
opposes that and has called on the judiciary to dissolve the legislature,
causing a political stalemate.
On
Saturday, it was reported that the parliament staff was to return to work for
the first time since July--when Sadr's followers stormed the legislature--as
various factions agreed to hold national dialog to resolve the ongoing power
struggle.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/07/688807/Iraq-Sadr-Supreme-Court-parliament-political-chaos
--------
US
provides military training for YPG/PKK terrorists in Syria: Sources
Esref
Musa, and Omer Koparan
07.09.2022
AL-HASAKAH
/ TAL ABYAD, Syria (AA) – US forces continue providing military training to
YPG/PKK terrorists in the Al-Hasakah province of northeastern Syria, according
to local sources.
US
Special Forces are providing armed training to 240 YPG/PKK terrorists in the
area of the city of Al-Malikiyah, close to the Turkish-Iraqi border, according
to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity over security concerns.
In
the training, in which many US-made Bradley armored fighting vehicles were
used, the terrorists were taught about the use of light and medium weapons.
US
helicopters also did reconnaissance flights in the training area on Tuesday.
Türkiye
has long objected to the US – its NATO ally – providing weapons and training to
the terrorist YPG/PKK. While the US says it is allied with the group in order
to fight terror group Daesh/ISIS, Türkiye says using one terrorist group to
fight another makes no sense.
Previous
training for terrorists
The
US and France, which are part of the coalition against the terror group
Daesh/ISIS, have previously supported YPG/PKK terrorists in Al-Hasakah and Deir
ez-Zor, east of the Euphrates River, with armed training and various exercises.
In
Al-Hasakah, the Mount Abdulaziz and Sports Complex areas besides some US bases
and the Omar Oil Field area in Deir ez-Zor have become training areas.
In
previous training, the terrorists were taught about using weapons, ways of
capturing positions determined by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the
ground, mortar attacks, artillery fire, airborne landings, and preventing
attacks on bases.
At
the sports complex in Al-Hasakah, which serves as a landing area for US
helicopters, YPG/PKK terrorists are also given practical airborne training.
The
French soldiers, acting under the auspices of the US in Syria, gave artillery
fire training to YPG/PKK terrorists.
Hence,
the US and the coalition forces it leads have provided armed training to
thousands of YPG/PKK terrorists since 2015.
Also,
last December and this February, US troops did joint armed exercises with
YPG/PKK terrorists in the desert.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syria’s
foreign ministry: Israeli airstrikes on airport amount to a ‘war crime’
07
September, 2022
Syria’s
foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday it considered Israeli
airstrikes on civilian infrastructure to be a “war crime according to
international law.”
The
statement specifically referred to Israeli air raids late on Tuesday on the
Aleppo International Airport, which put the site out of service for the second
time in a week.
“Israel
must be held to account for it,” the statement said.
Israel’s
strikes on the airport of Aleppo in northern Syria killed at least three
people, a war monitor said Wednesday.
The
identities and nationalities of those killed could not be immediately
confirmed.
Israel
rarely comments on the strikes it carries out against Iranian and allied
targets in Syria.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Four
Egyptian journalists questioned over ‘false’ report
08 September,
2022
The
editor-in-chief and three journalists from independent Egyptian news outlet
Mada Masr were interrogated by judicial officers on Wednesday for allegedly
“spreading false information”, the publication said on Twitter.
Mada
Masr head Lina Attalah and journalists Rana Mamdouh, Sara Seif Eddin and Beesan
Kassab were summoned following complaints from members of the pro-government
Mostakbal Watan (Future of a Nation) party over an article accusing them of
“serious financial infractions” that “should lead to their departure from the
political scene”.
According
to Mada Masr, the four journalists - who were released on bail in the evening -
were accused of defamation and “online harassment” as well as “spreading false
information with an aim to destabilise the country”.
While
Egypt's 2014 constitution guarantees freedom of the press, the country has
around 20 journalists behind bars and is regularly criticised for its human
rights record, with more than 60,000 prisoners of conscience, several of them
imprisoned for “spreading false information”, according to international NGOs.
Egypt
was ranked 168 out of 180 countries on the 2022 press freedom index compiled by
the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Mada
Masr is an online outlet that publishes investigations into matters involving
security and corruption in both Arabic and English.
The
publication -- which is often critical of the regime of President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi -- is one of hundreds of news sites blocked by the authorities in
recent years, and cannot be accessed in Egypt without a VPN.
In
late 2019, police searched the publication's offices in Cairo and arrested
three journalists, including Attalah, who was briefly detained again in May of
2020.
RSF
on Wednesday said it was “extremely concerned by this threat to one of the few
remaining Egyptian media outlets not to have been brought under the
government's control”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
leaders congratulate Liz Truss on her appointment as UK’s new PM
08
September, 2022
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of
congratulations to Liz Truss on her appointment as the UK’s new Prime Minister.
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of
Dubai, also dispatched a similar message to Prime Minister Truss, state news
agency WAM reported.
Liz
Truss on Tuesday formally became the new UK prime minister after being
appointed by Queen Elizabeth II during an audience at her Balmoral estate in
Scotland.
Royal
officials released a picture of the monarch and Truss shaking hands to
formalize her appointment, after Boris Johnson earlier tendered his
resignation.
Long
the front-runner in the race to replace Johnson, Truss has become the
Conservatives’ fourth prime minister since a 2015 election. Over that period
the country has been buffeted from crisis to crisis, and now faces what is
forecast to be a long recession triggered by sky-rocketing inflation which hit
10.1 percent in July.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Imran
Khan vows not to let Sharif, Zardari pick next army chief
Sep
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The appointment of Pakistan's next army chief after Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
retires in November turned into another potential minefield in the country's
politics after former PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan
declared he wouldn't allow his predecessor Nawaz Sharif and ex-president Asif
Ali Zardari to pick someone of their choice, come what may.
Addressing
a rally in Peshawar in the northwest late Tuesday, Imran defended his previous
stance on the issue. Last Sunday, he had accused the Sharif-Zardari duo of
trying to bring in an army chief of their liking in a bid to protect their
immense "looted wealth".
The
remark plunged him into a controversy, drawing -condemnations from various
quarters. The army’s media wing issued a -statement saying it was aghast at the
defamatory and uncalled-for statement about the institution’s senior
leadership.
Avoidind
any response to the army’s retort, Imran blamed his political rivals for
twisting his statements to pit his party against the military and the
judiciary. "They are planning to disqualify me first and then turn
Pakistan’s institutions, including the judiciary,against me through
propaganda," he alleged.
"Sharif
is a convict and absconder. We will not allow an absconder to select the new
army chief. The new chief should be appointed on merit," the former PM
said, adding that institutions are strengthened only when appointments there
are made on merit.
Responding
to the allegations of the coalition government, Imran said those who were
labelling him as anti-army had themselves targeted Pakistan’s institutions,
including the
military,
in the past.
Referring
to the so-called "Dawn Leaks" on national security, the PTI chairman
said the Sharif and his brother, PM Shehbaz Sharif, had sent a message to India
that Pakistan’s army was supporting terrorism while they had no role in it.
Likewise, the ousted PM said, Zardari through Hussian Haqqani, the then
Pakistani ambassador in Washington, had asked the US to save his government
from the army.
"Should
we allow such crooks (Sharif, Zardari) to make such important appointments? No
we will never," he said.
Imran
played videos of the ruling Pakistan Democratic (PDM) leaders, particularly
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, to show they had
criticised the army in the past.
In
an attempt to pacify the powerful military establishment, the former PM said,
"My criticism of the Pakistan Army is constructive. The army is mine. This
country is mine. Stability of the state is only guaranteed when institutions
are strong."
He
also played one of his own old videos during a public gathering in which he was
speaking in favour of the army.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Eighteen
die in Pakistan's unprecedented floods, taking toll to 1,343
Sep
7, 2022
SEHWAN,
PAKISTAN: Eighteen more people have died in Pakistan, authorities said on
Wednesday, taking to 1,343 the toll in unprecedented floods that have inundated
more than a third of the South Asian nation, making hundreds of thousands
homeless.
As
many as 33 million of a population of 220 million have been affected in the
disaster blamed on climate change, which officials estimate to have caused
losses running into a minimum of $10 billion.
Many
of the affected are from the southern province of Sindh, where Pakistan's
largest freshwater lake is dangerously close to bursting its banks, even after
having been breached in an operation that displaced 100,000 people.
National
disaster officials said eight childen were among the dead in the last 24 hours.
The floods were brought by record monsoon rains and glacier melt in Pakistan's
northern mountains.
With
more rain expected in the coming month, the situation could worsen further, a
top official of the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) has warned.
Already,
the World Health Organization has said more than 6.4 million people need
humanitarian support in the flooded areas.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Sikhs seek action against man for tarnishing community’s image
7
September, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], September 7 (ANI): Pakistan’s Sikh community has demanded strict
action against Muhammad Qasim Dogar, who is falsely claiming to be Sikh and
posting controversial videos on social media.
They
demanded action against him for tarnishing the community’s image in the
international forum by uploading defamatory videos on Facebook and other social
sites, Daily Sikh reported.
asim
Dogar reportedly belongs to the Madina Town area of district Faisalabad.
As
per reports, despite several protests and repeated warnings, Muhammad Qasim
Dogar has been posting videos, wearing a turban and speaking fluent Punjabi,
against a neighbouring country.
Notably,
the Pakistan government is misleading Sikhs and the international community by
maintaining only a handful of Gurudwaras in the country, whereas there are
hundreds of such structures of historical significance that are being ruined
and defiled, media reports said.
Hurting
the sentiments of the Sikh community, the local administration in Pakistan has
been desecrating their places of worship and have been illegally occupying
them.
Gurudwaras
in Pakistan are being blatantly neglected by the local authorities. The
conditions of many gurudwaras are dilapidated.
Many
such incidents have cropped up over which the Sikhs have registered their
concerns. One such Gurudwara is the historical Gurudwara Sri Damdama Sahib
which is situated in Raja Bazaar, Rawalpindi. It was built by Baba Khem Singh
Bedi in 1876, reported Islam Khabar.
One
more example of the sheer neglect of Gurudwaras in Pakistan is Gurudwara Sri
Guru Singh Sabha. It is located in Galha Mandi, Sahiwal in the Punjab Province.
The building is huge however the local administration has occupied the
gurudwara and has converted it into City Police Station.
Another
Gurudwara is Gurudwara Qila Sahib which was built in remembrance of Guru
Hargobind Singh. They are located in Guru Nanakpura Mohalla, District
Hafizabad. These historical Gurudwaras are either converted into tombs, graves
or shrines.
The
local Sikhs have raised such issues of illegal occupation by local police and
private individuals several times. Moreover, many Gurudwaras have been
desecrated by using them as meat shops, tombs, shrines and even sheds for the
animals.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ex-premier
Imran sold four foreign gifts, ECP told
Iftikhar
A. Kha
September
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on
Wednesday submitted a reply to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the
Toshakhana case against him wherein he admitted to having sold at least four
presents he had received during his tenure as the prime minister of Pakistan.
The
former premier maintained that the sale of the gifts that he had procured from
the state treasury after paying Rs21.56 million fetched about Rs58 million. One
of the gifts included a graff wristwatch, a pair of cuff links, an expensive
pen and a ring while the other three gifts included four Rolex watches.
From
July 2018 to June 2019, Imran Khan received a total of 31 gifts and paid for
only four as under the rules any gift below the assessed value of Rs 30,000 can
be retained without any payment.
Editorial:
Toshakhana saga
From
July 2019 to June 2020, he received nine gifts and paid an amount of Rs 1.71
million for three of them. He claimed to have gifted these presents to some
undisclosed individuals. One of the gifts included a box containing a gold and
diamond locket, a pair of ear tops (gold and diamond) and a diamond ring. He
deposited Rs 0.544 million to purchase this jewellery.
PTI
chief’s lawyer terms Toshakhana reference ‘politically motivated’
From
July 2020 to June 2021, he received 12 gifts and paid an amount of Rs12.90
million for five of these. From July 2021 to June 2022, he received six gifts
and paid Rs3.10 million for two of the presents.
Mr
Khan further said that as many as 329 gifts were received by different
functionaries during his tenure; out of which 58 gifts, including vases, art
pieces, lockets, and decorative items, were presented to him and his spouse
Bushra Bibi between August 01, 2018, and December 31, 2021. Out of all these
gifts, there were only 14 items worth more than Rs 30,000, which he bought by
paying money as per the regular procedure.
‘Quash
the reference’
Barrister
Ali Zafar, who is representing the PTI chief, urged the five-member ECP bench
to quash the reference against the former premier as he termed it a
“misleading” case based on “mala fide intentions and political motives”. The
reference was the misuse of power and the Constitution, the response added.
During
the hearing, Mr Zafar said that as per the NA speaker, the disqualification
case was to be made under Article 63(2), while in the reference sent to the
ECP, Imran Khan’s disqualification had been sought under Article 62(1)(f). He
emphasised that the ECP could not hear the case under Article 62(1)(f) in
proceedings of Article 63, adding that Article 62(1)(f) could only be applied
by a court, not by the commission. To this, the ECP bench said that if the
lawyer wanted to challenge the jurisdiction of the election watchdog, then he
may file a separate application.
In
Aug this year, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf sent the reference
to the ECP, seeking Imran Khan’s disqualification in the light of the
Toshakhana case. The reference contended that Imran Khan did not disclose the
details of gifts taken from Toshakhana and the amount received from the sale of
these gifts.
Editorial:
No need for secrecy
However,
the reply responded to these allegations and said that no member of the
National Assembly declared mobiles, watches, shoes, and other such items as
assets till date to the commission. The reply added that the four gifts were
sold during the 2018-19 financial year and the respondent did not have those
gifts by June 30, 2019. “Therefore, those were not mentioned by name in the
statement of assets filed on Dec 31, 2019. However, the sale amount was
received in [a] Bank Alfalah account and that amount was duly mentioned,” the
response added. Moreover, the total cost of gifts standing at Rs21,226,000 was
paid by the respondent and declared in the tax return for the year 2019, it
added.
According
to the response, the reference was not competent in the first place as no
reference under Article 63(2) of the Constitution could be referred to the
commission unless one or more of the “sixteen questions” are involved. Those
“questions” are contained in Article 63(1)(a) to Article 63(1)(p), it added.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1709026/ex-premier-imran-sold-four-foreign-gifts-ecp-told
--------
IHC
refuses to accept apology of ex-judge in contempt case
Malik
Asad
September
8, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave a last chance to a former Gilgit-Baltistan
chief judge on Wednesday to submit a list of witnesses to support his
allegations against former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar.
The
former GB chief justice, Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan, appeared before the high court
along with his counsel Abdul Latif Afridi and submitted an apology, but the
court didn’t consider it.
IHC
Chief Justice Athar Minallah observed that Mr Shamim had not backtracked from
his allegations and disowned the contents of an affidavit he executed in London
in November last year.
The
matter surfaced last year when a newspaper published a report on Mr Shamim’s
affidavit, which alleged that ex-CJP Nisar had made a phone call to an IHC
judge asking that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam
Nawaz not be released from prison until after the 2018 elections.
Rana
Shamim given ‘last chance’ to submit witness list
During
Wednesday’s hearing, Justice Minallah noted that if Mr Shamim failed to prove
the allegations, it would be “a grave contempt”, adding that the court would
consider his apology only if he proved that the contents of the affidavit had
been written out of misunderstanding, misapprehension or confusion.
The
high court referred to the judgement of a seven-member Supreme Court bench that
had laid down certain principles to deal with contempt of court law, including
the aspect of apology and pardon.
Justice
Minallah, however, assured Mr Shamim’s counsel that the IHC would provide every
opportunity to his client to prove the allegations during the course of trial
and advised him to submit a list of witnesses.
The
counsel, Advocate Afridi, insisted that since Mr Shamim did not disclose the
affidavit, he could not be tried under the contempt law merely for writing in
private.
The
IHC chief justice directed him to submit the list at the next hearing on Sept
12.
During
the hearing, Additional Attorney General Barrister Munawar Duggal submitted the
list of prosecution evidence and witnesses.
As
per the prosecution list, Islamabad’s deputy commissioner has been asked to
produce an authentic copy of the declaration of The News International and
Daily Jang newspapers along with copies of their Nov 15, 2021 editions, which
carried the news containing the affidavit.
It
also required the IHC registrar to produce Mr Shamim’s original affidavit
received from the UK.
The
duty roster of Justice Aamer Farooq has also been included in the evidence
against the former GB judge.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1708986/ihc-refuses-to-accept-apology-of-ex-judge-in-contempt-case
--------
Tirah
residents asked to leave ahead of action against militants
September
8, 2022
KHYBER:
Security officials in Tirah valley here have ordered residents of Sandana, Dray
Naghari and Sanda Pal localities to vacate their houses in anticipation of a
small-scale military operation against militants following recent attacks on
security forces.
Sources
in Bara told Dawn that local security commanders held a meeting with residents
of Sandana area on Wednesday morning after a late night attack attack on the
personnel deputed in the area. They said Sipah tribesmen, who inhabit the area,
were given choice to either hand over the suspects involved in the attack or
vacate their houses so that a military action could begin to flush out the
miscreants.
Official
sources also told Dawn that at least nine suspected persons were arrested
during a search operation in Sandana and Nangrosa localities, both inhabited by
Sipah tribesmen.
It
was learnt from local sources that a number of families, who recently returned
to Dray Naghari area, had once again started vacating their houses after
receiving instructions from security forces.
The
return of Sipah displaced families to Dray Naghari and Sanda Pal was
temporarily suspended some three weeks ago after some of the returning persons
reported to the security officials that armed militants were present in their
area.
Over
5,000 Sipah displaced families had started returning to their respective
localities on June 13, 10 years after they were displaced. Sipah tribesmen were
the last of seven Bara tribes allowed to return home after a nod from the
security officials.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1709018/tirah-residents-asked-to-leave-ahead-of-action-against-militants
--------
Imran
Khan alleges political conspiracy being hatched to topple Punjab govt
8
September, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], September 8 (ANI): Former Pakistani Prime Minister and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Wednesday alleged that a conspiracy
is being hatched to topple his party’s government in Punjab.
Speaking
during a jalsa in Chishtian, Punjab, Khan said that a new political conspiracy
was unfolding in the country in a bid to topple the Pervez Elahi-led Punjab
government, adding that “Mr X and Mr Y” were also issuing threats to him,
reported Geo News.
Addressing
the crowd, the former premier said that Chishtian was not a stronghold of the
Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) as it claims, rather the party’s
political centre was the city of London, taking a dig at PML-N supremo Nawaz
Sharif.
“Overseas
Pakistanis work hard to send remittances to the country but these people (PML-N
leaders) steal money from the country and send it abroad,” he said, adding that
the entire Sharif family was living in London and only visits Pakistan to earn
money here.
He
said that unless there was justice in the country, there would be no
prosperity, adding that he saw big dacoits in the National Assembly but petty
thieves in jails, reported Geo News.
“We
make the country’s biggest robbers prime ministers. Today’s ruling the country
today have been robbing the country for 30 years,” he reiterated.
Khan
once again accused the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and said that the
body was a “pet of the coalition government.”
Issuing
a clarification about the controversial statements he earlier issued against
the Pakistan Army, Khan said that “this country is mine and the army is also
mine.”
Khan
on Tuesday accused the ruling coalition of trying to pit him against the military
and judiciary and said that the government is “scared of him winning the
elections”, media reports said.
“I
have never tried to undermine the institutions, but they [the government] are
telling me to focus on the floods and ignore politics,” he said.
“However,
I will continue my haqeeqi aazadi (real freedom) movement to work against these
thieves simultaneously,” he added.
He
accused the government of deliberately trying to create discord between him and
the state institutions, reported The News International.
“I
have stated that the army chief should be selected on merit and I still stand
by my statement as there was nothing wrong with it. I have further stated that
the two dacoits, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari, should not select the future
army chief,” the former Prime Minister added.
Clarifying
his previous comments that Imran Khan made in a public rally in Faisalabad
where he criticized the government for delaying the elections to appoint an
army chief of its own, Khan said that he made such remarks as Nawaz Sharif was
a criminal. He alleged that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was convicted by
a court on corruption charges of billions of rupees and then escaped from the
country.
Sending
a message to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Khan said that he was waiting for him
to return to Pakistan, reported Geo News.
“I
am waiting for you, come back soon, the whole nation will welcome you in a way
that has never happened to anyone in the history of the country,” Khan said,
adding that the story behind Nawaz’s becoming an absconder started 10 years
ago.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran’s
near weapons-grade uranium stock grows, probe stuck: IAEA reports
07
September, 2022
Iran’s
stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to weapons-grade, has
grown to well above the amount that by one definition is enough, if enriched
further, for a nuclear bomb, a quarterly report by the UN atomic watchdog
showed on Wednesday.
Iran’s
uranium enriched to up to 60 percent and in the form of uranium hexafluoride,
the gas that centrifuges enrich, is estimated to have grown by 12.5 kg to 55.6
kg since the last quarterly International Atomic Energy Agency report issued on
May 30, the IAEA report to member states seen by Reuters said.
At
the same time, as in previous quarters, the IAEA issued a second report saying
Iran had still not provided credible answers on the origin of uranium particles
found at three undeclared sites that appear to mainly be old and which the IAEA
has been investigating for years.
“The
Director General is increasingly concerned that Iran has not engaged with the
Agency on the outstanding safeguards issues during this reporting period and,
therefore, that there has been no progress towards resolving them,” the second
report, also seen by Reuters, said.
The
issue of the undeclared particles has been a sticking point in negotiations to
revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, with Iran seeking to have the investigation
closed while Western powers and the IAEA insist it is a separate matter that
Iran is legally obliged to help clear up as a signatory to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty.
US
intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated
nuclear weapons program that it halted in 2003. Iran, however, insists it never
had such a program. Most of the sites are thought to date back to around 2003
or earlier.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
security forces nab 5 so-called senior Daesh/ISIS terrorists
Sefa
Sahin
07.09.2022
ANKARA
Turkish
forces have captured five so-called senior members of the Daesh/ISIS terror
group in northern Syria, the Turkish authorities announced on Wednesday.
Caught
on Aug. 31 in the district of Jarablus as they attempted to cross the border,
the terrorists included Daesh/ISIS’ so-called judicial, intelligence, social
media, and training chiefs, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry.
In
response to questioning by Turkish authorities, the so-called judicial head,
Ramo Muhammed al Hamed, codenamed Rami Remo, told authorities that the group
was preparing to launch an attack in Türkiye, the statement said.
It
added that the group had been released by another terrorist organization, the
PKK/YPG, on condition that they go to Jarablus, which was liberated in a
Turkish anti-terror operation in 2016.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for
the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The
YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
The
ministry also stated that six accomplices were also detained, along with an
AK-47 rifle, and ammunition.
In
2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a
terrorist group.
The
country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over
300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings,
seven bomb attacks, and four armed assaults.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
prime minister threatens Iran amid tension over nuclear deal
Abdel
Raouf Arnaout
07.09.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid has threatened Iran of using Israel’s military
capabilities to thwart Tehran’s nuclear program.
“It
is still too early to know if we have indeed succeeded in stopping the nuclear
agreement, but Israel is prepared for every threat and every scenario,” Lapid
said in a statement during a visit to the Nevatim airbase in southern Israel,
which houses the Israeli Air Force’s fleet of advanced F-35 fighter jets.
The
Israeli premier said Tel Aviv is making great efforts to discourage Western
countries from signing a "crystalline" agreement with Iran regarding
its nuclear program.
"If
Iran continues to test us, it will discover Israel's capabilities," he
added, going on to stress Israel’s " total freedom of action in preventing
Iran from becoming a nuclear threat."
Lapid’s
threat came as Tehran and Washington have entered the last stretch to salvage
the 2015 nuclear deal, with both sides currently exchanging comments on a draft
proposal tabled by the European Union.
Israel
accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb, a claim denied by Tehran,
which says its program is designed for peaceful purposes.
Former
US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear
deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions as part of a "maximum pressure
campaign" on Tehran.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
PM backs soldier who killed journo Abu Akleh, rules out prosecution
08
September 2022
Israeli
prime minister Yair Lapid has come out in full support of the soldier who shot
dead Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May, saying the regime’s
forces have the “full backing” of Tel Aviv, turning a deaf ear to international
calls for punishment of those behind the cold-blooded murder.
Lapid
claimed on Wednesday that the Israeli soldier behind the killing of Abu Akleh —
who was wearing a vest clearly marked “Press” when she was shot — was
“protecting himself” during exchanges of fire with Palestinians.
He
said he would not allow the soldier to “be prosecuted just to receive applause
from abroad.”
“No
one will dictate our rules of engagement to us,” he said, adding that Israeli
soldiers have the full backing of the regime and the Israelis.
Lapid
was reacting to an Israeli military report that conceded for the first time
that Abu Akleh, a US-Palestinian citizen, was likely shot by an Israeli
soldier.
Abu
Akleh was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid in the West
Bank city of Jenin,
On
Monday, the Israeli military announced that its investigations into the case
concluded that Abu Akleh was likely shot “unintentionally” by an Israeli
soldier who had mistaken her for a fighter.
“There
is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by [Israeli
military] gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed
Palestinian gunmen,” said the military report.
The
military report also added that troops conducting operations in Jenin had come
under heavy fire from all sides and had fired back, including towards the area
where Abu Akleh was standing about 200 meters from their position, but claimed
that they had not been able to identify her as a journalist.
This
is while a United Nations investigation concluded in June that there was “no
evidence of activity by armed Palestinians close by” when Abu Akleh was shot.
Initially,
the regime’s military insisted that it was impossible to determine the source
of the deadly shot that killed the celebrated journalist.
In
the immediate aftermath of her killing, the Zionist regime even claimed that
she could have been shot by a Palestinian gunman.
Abu
Akleh was one of the most recognizable faces reporting on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict for two decades. Her death triggered outrage
across the world and led to calls for an independent investigation.
The
Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting Abu Akleh.
Palestinian authorities and Al Jazeera, of which Abu Akleh was a staff member, see
the findings of Israeli investigations as unreliable and call for an
international probe.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
West’s
‘provocative’ policies against Russia not correct, says Turkey's Erdogan
07
September 2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he does not think the
“provocative” policies adopted by the West against Russia were correct after
the European Union and Group of Seven (G7) nations proposed a price cap on
Russian gas.
The
Turkish leader made the comments at a joint press conference with his Serbian
counterpart in Belgrade, two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin
threatened to halt all supplies if the EU went ahead with such a step, raising
the risk of rationing in the Western countries this winter.
“No
need to list the names but I can clearly say that I do not find the stance that
the West is adopting is correct. Because there is a West that is leading a
policy based on provocation, it will not be possible to achieve a result
there,” said Erdogan.
He
said other countries should not underestimate Russia against the backdrop of a
proposal by the European Union and G7 for a price cap on Russian gas.
Since
Russia began a “special military operation” in neighboring Ukraine on February
24, the United States and its European allies have imposed waves of sanctions
against Moscow, warning other countries against doing business with Russia’s
sanctioned companies and individuals.
Turkey,
despite being a NATO member, maintains good relations with Russia even after
the onset of the operation. This has angered the US, which is becoming alarmed
that Moscow and Russian businesses are allegedly using Turkey to evade Western
financial and trading restrictions against the Kremlin.
Last
month, the Turkish Industry and Business Association (Tusiad), Turkey’s leading
business association, said it had received a letter from US Deputy Treasury
Secretary Wally Adeyemo, warning of possible sanctions risks if firms continue
doing business with banned Russian entities and individuals.
Turkey
and Russia are currently stitching their economies more tightly together,
making Washington and its allies worried that the burgeoning relationship could
weaken the effects of sanctions imposed on the Kremlin.
“Because
the U.S. and EU countries closed their doors to Russia, Russia turned to
Turkey,” said Gıyasettin Eyyupkoca, the head of the Laleli Industrialists and
Businessmen’s Association, an industry group for Turkish trade with Russia.
On
Tuesday, Erdogan denounced Europe for imposing sanctions against Russia.
“Europe is actually reaping what it sowed. Putin is using all his means and
weapons, and the most important of these is natural gas. Unfortunately, – we
wouldn't want this but – such a situation is developing in Europe,” the Turkish
leader said at a press conference in Ankara. “I think Europe will experience
serious problems this winter. We do not have such a problem.”
The
Kremlin blames disruption to equipment maintenance caused by Western sanctions
for its halt to the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipe.
Gazprom,
the Russian gas giant, suspended natural gas flows to Europe via Nord Stream 1
pipeline last Wednesday. Two days later, it said it would halt gas supplies
through the key pipeline because of a technical fault, which it blamed on
difficulties repairing German-made turbines in Canada.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
US
Senator dismisses Israeli military probe on Abu Akleh's murder
07
September 2022
A
US Senator has dismissed an Israeli military investigation that claims there is
a “high possibility” that veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was
“accidentally hit” by an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank four months
ago.
Democratic
Senator Chris Van Hollen for Maryland posted a tweet on Wednesday, saying the
existing evidence did not support the claim that a soldier accidentally killed
Abu Akleh in the midst of a gun battle in Jenin.
Van
Hollen said the United Nations and reconstructions by major news outlets had
found the female journalist was not in the immediate vicinity of fighting with
the Palestinian resistance fighters and could not have been caught in the crossfire.
“The
crux of the ‘defense’ in this military report is that a soldier was ‘returning
fire’ from armed Palestinians” when Abu Akleh was struck, Van Hollen said. “But
investigations … found no such firing at the time. This underscores need for
independent US inquiry into this American journalist’s death.”
The
Committee to Protect Journalists has labeled the Israeli report “late and
incomplete.”
“They
provided no name for Shireen Abu [Akleh’s] killer and no other information than
his or her own testimony that the killing was a mistake.”
Palestinian
officials, rights advocates, and family of the slain journalist have already
denounced the findings of the Israeli inquiry.
The
journalist’s niece, Lina Abu Akleh, said the family had no confidence in the report.
“We could never expect any type of accountability or legitimate investigation
from the very entity responsible for gunning down an unarmed and clearly
identifiable journalist.”
The
family said an independent American investigation was “the bare minimum the US
government should do for one of their own citizens.” The family also said Abu
Akleh’s killing was a “war crime.”
On
Monday, the Israeli military admitted that the journalist was “accidentally”
killed by the regime’s gunfire on May 11, saying, however, that it will open no
criminal investigation into the assassination.
The
acknowledgement came after a final Israeli investigation concluded there was a
"high possibility" the journalist had been shot dead by an Israeli
soldier who mistook her for an armed Palestinian.
The
report claimed she could have been shot by Palestinian gunfire even though all
independent investigations on the shooting have totally dispelled the
allegation.
Wearing
press attire, the 51-year-old journalist was murdered in cold blood while
covering an Israeli military raid. Later, her funeral was also attacked by the
regime forces.
Israel’s
account shifted several times over the four months. However, eyewitness accounts and videos of
Abu Akleh and the area around her at the time of her killing do not show a gun
battle.
A
United Nations investigation earlier found Israeli soldiers fired “several
single, seemingly well-aimed bullets” at Abu Akleh and other journalists.
Investigations
by the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN have questioned the official
Israeli version of the episode.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/07/688810/Abu-Akleh-Israel-military-report-senator-van-hollen
--------
Africa
Kenya's
president-elect, outgoing leader speak after months in boost for smooth
transition
Andrew
Wasike
07.09.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
After
a months-long rift, Kenya’s President-elect William Ruto finally spoke to
outgoing leader – and his current boss – Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday.
The
phone call marks a major step forward in efforts to end the deadlock that
emerged after Ruto won the Aug. 9 presidential election, a victory challenged
by his Kenyatta-backed opponent Raila Odinga.
Kenyatta’s
decision to support opposition candidate Odinga over Ruto, who has been his
deputy president for nearly a decade, led to a complete breakdown in
communication between the country’s top two leaders.
Taking
to Twitter, Ruto announced that he had spoken to his estranged boss about the
country’s turbulent succession.
“We
discussed the just concluded General Election and the transition as envisaged
by our democratic tradition and practice,” he said.
The
phone call came just days after Kenya’s top court upheld Ruto’s election
victory, dismissing nine petitions seeking to nullify the result.
Kenyatta
visited Odinga and his family in Nairobi on Tuesday, the same day he made his
first address to the nation since the polls, vowing to respect the Supreme
Court verdict and ensuring a smooth transition of power.
Ruto,
55, and Rigathi Gachagua, his pick for deputy president, will be sworn in on
Sept. 13.
Ruto
has previously pledged that his government will “respect President Uhuru
Kenyatta in his retirement.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libya
exhumes 6 bodies from mass grave in Tarhuna
Walid
Abdullah
07.09.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Libyan
authorities on Wednesday exhumed six bodies from a mass grave in the city of
Tarhuna, south of the capital Tripoli.
In
a statement, the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing
Persons said the corpses were found in a landfill site in the city.
According
to the statement, forensic teams are examining the bodies to determine their
identity.
Discoveries
of mass graves are common in war-torn Libya, especially in Tarhuna city, a
former stronghold for warlord Khalifa Haftar.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/libya-exhumes-6-bodies-from-mass-grave-in-tarhuna/2679458
--------
Major
opposition front boycotts Tunisia’s parliamentary elections
Adel
Thabeti
07.09.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
The
opposition National Salvation Front said Wednesday it will boycott Tunisia’s
upcoming parliamentary elections in December.
"The
elections will be held under the supervision of a body that is not neutral and
is loyal to the ruling authority,” the front’s head, Ahmed Najib Chebbi, told a
press conference in the capital Tunis.
Tunisia
will hold parliamentary elections on Dec. 17, amid a deep political crisis in
the North African nation.
Chebbi
called for holding early elections in Tunisia “under the 2014 Constitution to
be supervised by an independent electoral commission that enjoys the confidence
of all parties.”
“We
extend our hand to all national forces to agree on a national salvation
government to deal with the social crisis” in Tunisia, he said.
The
National Salvation Front is a major opposition coalition consisting of five
parties -- Ennahda Movement, Heart of Tunisia Party, the Dignity Coalition, the
Movement Party and Al-Amal Party.
Tunisia
has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's
economic conditions since last year, when President Kais Saied ousted the
government, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority. He later
dissolved the assembly after lawmakers held a session to challenge his
measures.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Vital
to address halal guarantee issues in promoting the halal industry: PM
09-
08- 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Any issues related to halal guarantee is important to be addressed in
efforts to promote the halal industry because it risks damaging the image of
the halal industry that has been worked on over the years, said Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pix).
“The
halal guarantee refers to consumer confidence, standardisation, certification
and accreditation,” he said when officiating at the 18th Malaysia International
Halal Showcase (MIHAS) here today.
According
to the Prime Minister, there are now more than 8,000 companies in Malaysia
recognised as halal with more than 20 per cent of them being exporting
companies.
“The
Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) also works with halal
certification bodies from various countries for uniformity of standards in
compliance with the shariah laws,“ he said.
Ismail
Sabri said the Global Islamic Economic Indicator also predicted the halal
market would grow to nearly RM14 trillion (US$3.27 trillion) by 2028, from
RM8.8 trillion (US$2.09 trillion) as reported last year.
This
is in line with the increase in the global Muslim population which had reached
1.9 billion in 2021, at the same time showing high potential in diversifying
the halal industry in a more inclusive and comprehensive manner in the long
term, he added.
“I
am also proud to be informed that for nine consecutive years, Malaysia has
managed to maintain the top spot, based on the Global Islamic Economy Indicator
contained in the ‘State of the Global Islamic Economy 2022’ report, competing
with 81 other countries,” said the Prime Minister.
The
assessment, he said, was made based on economic digitalisation initiatives,
halal infrastructure development and increased government focus on food
security and healthcare.
The
organisation of the MIHAS this year is a testimony of the people’s faith in the
effectiveness of the government’s strategy in driving the development and
innovation of the halal industry in Malaysia and internationally, Ismail Sabri
added.
He
explained that the increase in sales from year to year will have a spillover
effect on the halal-related sector, and indirectly contribute to the success of
Malaysian companies, particularly the development of micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs).
“In
fact, the increase in the sales of the halal sector will ultimately boost the
growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in addition to opening up more
space and opportunities for the Malaysian community to bring the halal industry
to the international level,“ he said while inaugurating MIHAS 2022 here today.
The
Prime Minister added that to facilitate the growth of Malaysia’s halal
industry, ‘Halal Malaysia Industrial Parks’, one of the world’s largest halal
hubs, was established to provide world-class facilities, a skilled workforce
and ease of doing business, among other things.
It
covers an area of 200,000 acres in 14 strategic halal parks that have received
Halal Malaysia status from Halal Development Corporation.
“To
date, halal parks have attracted a cumulative investment of more than RM16
billion, of which RM9.5 billion or 59 per cent of this amount are foreign
direct investments (FDIs),” he said.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Zahid
to know on Sept 23 whether to enter defence on graft charges
V
Anbalagan
September
7, 2022
SHAH
ALAM: Former home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will know on Sept 23 whether he
is to enter his defence on 40 charges of receiving bribes from Ultra Kirana Sdn
Bhd (UKSB) to extend its foreign visa system (VLN) contract.
High
Court judge Yazid Mustafa informed the prosecution and defence of the date
today after hearing oral submissions since Sept 1.
“I
am fixing it for a Friday (Sept 23) because that is the day I usually deliver
rulings,” he said.
Yazid
also ordered the prosecution and the defence to put their oral submissions in
writing and submit them to the court by Sept 13.
The
prosecution closed its case after calling 18 witnesses. The trial began on May
24 last year and lasted 33 days.
The
prosecution has also offered Zahid’s legal team a list of 27 witnesses should
his defence be called.
Included
in the list are former immigration director-general Mustafar Ali, who is also
the current head of the National Financial Crime Centre. He also served in the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Others
include Chong Kian Leong @ Raymond, a director in Hong Kong company Maintech
System HK Ltd, and Fong Mee Yee, a director at Visa Malaysia Ltd Hong Kong.
Zahid,
who is also the Umno president and Bagan Datuk MP, is facing 33 charges of
receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as the
then home minister to extend the firm’s contract as the operator of the
one-stop centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the contract
agreement for the supply of the VLN integrated system.
The
principal charges are framed under the MACC Act while the alternative charge
comes under the Penal Code.
He
is also accused of another seven counts, under the Penal Code, of obtaining for
himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the
same company in connection with his official duties.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/terrorising-hindus-uk-muslim-pakistan-t20/d/127904
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism