Assam: Muslim lynched to death on suspicion of cow theft, 14 held
New
Age Islam News Bureau
08
February 2023
Representational
photo
---------
•
Former Taliban officials reportedly hate working office hours to run the
government, 'missing the days of jihad'
•
Pakistan highlights rising Islamophobia at observance of Int’l Day of Human
Fraternity
•
Saudi Arabia hands down death sentences to two Shia citizens over alleged
cooperation with terrorists
•
Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll crosses 5,000
•
At least 24 killed in second day of fighting in Somaliland
•
US says helping earthquake-hit Syria but not Assad
•
Salman Rushdie counts himself lucky, retains his sense of humour
•
Originally meant for the poor, Menu Rahmah becomes choice order as many tighten
purse strings
India
•
‘Muslims are integral part of India, their history will never disappear’
•
Delhi HC upholds jail term to Muslim cleric for sexually assaulting minor
•
AIMPLB to increase women representation in board
•
India hits out at Pakistan for raking up Kashmir issue at UN
•
31 District Magistrates Allowed To Give Citizenship To Non-Muslims: Centre
•
Under BJP pressure, Shinde puts survey of Muslims on hold
•
Man shot; cars damaged in clash after inter-faith marriage in Haryana
•
Pakistan immigration stops India-bound Hindu pilgrims at Wagah border pending
clearance
•
Indian enters Pakistan to complete his journey on foot to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
•
PM Modi gets emotional over Turkey situation, recalls 2001 Bhuj earthquake
--------
South
Asia
•
Rights of Women, Girls Violated in Afghanistan: UN Secretary-General
•
40 Afghan Nationals Released From Karachi Prison: Taliban Officials
•
Saudi ‘exit’ from Kabul sparks fears of exodus
•
Kabul, Jalalabad among the most earthquake-prone cities in Afghanistan: Report
•
Afghanistan: Taliban 'desperate' for resumption of flights to India
•
Afghanistan: Taliban issuing gun licences to traders, businessmen as abductions
soar
•
Turkey, UAE to Reduce Missions in Afghanistan Over ‘Security Concerns’
•
Exiled Afghan Journalist Wants to Sell his Kidney for Survival
--------
Pakistan
•
12 TTP terrorists killed in intelligence-based operation in KP’s LakkiMarwat:
ISPR
•
Peshawar Mosque Attack Conspiracy Hatched in Afghanistan: Pakistan
•
Religious decrees given in light of Quran, Sunnah acceptable, implementable:
Ashrafi
•
Sindh to dispatch 100,000 tents to Turkiye: Sharjeel
•
Pervez Musharraf laid to rest; several retired and serving military officers
attend funeral prayers
•
PM Shehbaz’s visit to Turkiye postponed due to relief activities: Aurangzeb
•
Amid spate of arrests, Imran gives army chief ‘benefit of doubt’
--------
Arab
World
•
Engineers, search dogs sent to Turkey, Syria after quake
•
Children pulled from rubble as Turkiye-Syria quake toll tops 8,300
•
Two UAE relief planes arrive in earthquake-hit Syria
•
State Department hits back at claims that sanctions are blocking Syria
earthquake aid
•
Lebanese MP delivers petition to US: Sanction obstructers of Beirut blast probe
•
Saudi King, Crown Prince order air bridge to deliver aid to Syria, Turkey
•
UAE pledges $100 million in earthquake relief to Syria, Turkey
•
In a first, Egypt’s Sisi calls Syria’s Assad after devastating earthquake
•
Syrian Red Crescent appeals to Western countries for aid after devastating
earthquake
•
Qatar to send 10,000 mobile homes for quake victims in Syria, Türkiye
•
Hezbollah sends aid convoys to quake-hit Syria, decries US-led sanctions
--------
Mideast
•
Israel steps up Jerusalem home demolitions as violence rises
•
'Waiting for our dead': Anger builds at Turkey's earthquake response
•
Iran unveils underground base for fighter jets
•
Iran Celebrates Space Technology Day by Unveiling 2 Home-Made Satellites
•
Security Chief Lauds Deep-Rooted Relations Between Iran, Russia
•
Iran Categorically Denies WSJ Report over Drone Production with Russia as Sheer
Lie
•
Chinese earthquake rescue team arrives in Turkey
•
Ukraine says sending 87 rescuers to Turkey after earthquake
•
Iranian president conveys condolences over deadly earthquakes in Türkiye
•
Palestinians perform prayers for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Syria
--------
Africa
•
Tunisia president fires foreign minister amid political crisis
•
Russia’s Lavrov vows aid for West Africa’s extremist fight
--------
North
America
•
US man convicted of aiding Daesh as sniper, trainer
•
Omar hoping Biden speaks ‘about the rise’ in anti-Muslim bigotry in State of
the Union address
•
Pakistani-American cop, shot during ‘robbery’ attempt in New York, dies
•
Turkish Embassy in Washington DC collects aid materials for earthquake victims
•
Omar hopes Biden will condemn 'rise’ in anti-Muslim bigotry in US
--------
Europe
•
French magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks Türkiye after two deadly earthquakes
•
Swedish PM ready to restart Nato membership talks with Turkey
•
Germany says Russia must pressure Syria into ensuring quake aid arrives
•
WHO: Turkiye, Syria quake could affect up to 23 million people
•
UK charity Penny Appeal working to provide aid for victims of Turkiye
earthquakes
•
UK accuses Syrian president of rebuilding chemical weapon stockpile
•
Scotland’s health secretary drops legal case against nursery for discrimination
over Muslim name
•
EU conference starts with silence honoring losses in Türkiye earthquakes
•
Iran, Russia have deep-rooted, developing ties in various fields: Top security
official
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
NGOs from Malaysia-Indonesia aim to collect RM3m to aid Turkiye, Syria victims
•
Marvel superheroes return to China after nearly 4 years
•
Why fear MACC probe if you’re clean, Anwar tells Bersatu
•
Calls mount on Philippine government to review labor agreements with Kuwait
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Assam:
Muslim lynched to death on suspicion of cow theft, 14 held
7th
February 2023
Representational photo
---------
Guwahati:
A man was lynched to death in Assam’s Sivasagar district on suspicion of cow
theft, officials said on Tuesday, adding that 14 people have been arrested so
far.
Superintendent
of Police of Sivasagar, Shuvrajyoti Borah said: “The incident took place in
Bamunpukhuri tea garden area on Sunday night. A group of people had beaten a
man identified as Naju Ali on the suspicion of cow stealing there. After that
he was taken to a local hospital and later shifted to the Jayasagar civil
hospital.”
However,
the man succumbed to the injuries.
“According
to the initial investigation, we have arrested 14 persons for being involved in
the case. Further investigation is underway,” Borah said.
Meanwhile,
locals have alleged that Naji Ali was accused of cow stealing earlier and had
been arrested more than once.
They
also protested against the arrest of the 14 persons, saying that they were
“innocent”.
Source:Siasat
Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/assam-muslim-lynched-to-death-on-suspicion-of-cow-theft-14-held-2520975/
--------
Former
Taliban officials reportedly hate working office hours to run the government,
'missing the days of jihad'
By
Jared Wee
Wednesday,
08 Feb 2023
After
20 years of insurgency, Taliban officials find public service a lot less
thrilling. — Reuters pic
-----------
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 8 — After achieving their goal to take control of Afghanistan in
2021, the Taliban have been faced with the reality of actually running it.
Men
who once rode horses armed with machine guns now spend their time behind
computers working office hours in the city, some allegedly addicted to social
media.
Five
former Taliban members, aged between 25 to 32, shared their struggle to adapt
to a new way of life in a recent interview with non-profit research agency the
Afghanistan Analytics Network.
“I
sometimes miss the jihad life for all the good things it had,” said 25-year-old
clerk Abdul Nafi.
“In
our ministry, there’s little work for me to do. Therefore, I spend most of my
time on Twitter... Many mujahedin (guerilla fighters), including me, are
addicted to the Internet, especially Twitter.”
Many
of the former fighters find that they have lost their freedom and now
‘shackled’ by high living costs and nine-to-five working hours.
All
of them have also been working away from their family provinces, moving into
Kabul for civilian and security work.
“The
rent of houses is very high for us since our salary is no more than 15,000
afghanis (RM773),” former jihadist Omar Mansur said.
“It
is fully sufficient for Yahyakhel but not for Kabul. As soon as, God willing, I
have a good salary, I will bring my family here.”
With
capitalism taking control of their lives, the former members realised how
replaceable they are in the workforce unlike the days of war where they once
found belonging.
“We
used to live among the people. Many of us have now caged ourselves in our
offices and palaces, abandoning that simple life,” an office worker named
Kamran said.
“The
real test and challenge was not during the jihad. Rather, it’s now...We are
tested by cars, positions, wealth and women.”
“Many
of our mujahedin, God forbid, have fallen into these seemingly sweet, but
actually bitter traps.”
Source:MalayMail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
highlights rising Islamophobia at observance of Int’l Day of Human Fraternity
8
Feb 2023
UNITED
NATIONS, Feb 08 (APP):Pakistan highlighted the growing phenomenon of
Islamophobia and escalating hate speech against Muslims in some parts of the
world at a virtual event held to mark the International Day of Human Fraternity
on Tuesday.
“While
none of the religious communities are immune from violence based on religion or
belief, a particularly alarming global trend is the resurgence in Islamophobia
that has emerged as a new form of racism characterized by xenophobia, negative
profiling and stereotyping of Muslims,” Ambassador Munir Akram said in remarks
at the event organized by the Missions of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as
well as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
The
International Day of Human Fraternity was established by the UN General
Assembly on December 21, 2020, as a way to promote greater cultural and
religious tolerance. The declaration “Human Fraternity for World Peace and
Living Together” was co-authored by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb.
“It
is true that observing the international day of Human Fraternity is now ever
more important, considering the deplorable fragmentation of our world today,”
the Pakistani envoy said.
“Along
with rising frictions and divisions among and within specific communities,
there is a global upsurge in intolerance, discrimination, racism, negative
stereotyping, and violence against individuals on the basis of religion or
belief.”
Referring
to increasing Islamophobia, Ambassador Akram said, “There are open calls for
expulsion and even ‘genocide’ of Muslims, politicization and censorship of the
hijab, discriminatory citizenship and migration laws, deliberate vandalizing of
Islamic symbols and holy sites and burning of the Holy Quran as also evident in
recent unfortunate incidents in Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark.”
In
this regard, he said the commemoration of the first anniversary of the General
Assembly resolution designating 15 March as International Day to combat
Islamophobia will take place at the UN.
The
resolution, sponsored by 57 OIC countries, was piloted by Pakistan in the
193-member member Assembly.
“The
purpose of commemorating this day is to exhibit unfettered solidarity with
humanity, convey a strong message of respect for human dignity, and reiterate
our common commitment to ‘unity in diversity’,” Ambassador Akram said, adding,
“This day is about uniting, not dividing.”
“Through
the observance of this day,” he said, “we aim to build a better global
understanding of Islam and Islamic precepts.”
“It
is in our enlightened interest to respect each other’s religions, avoid
denigration of religious symbols and personalities, eliminate religious
discrimination, and combat incitement to violence, including its contemporary manifestation
of Islamophobia,” the Pakistani envoy said.
UNAOC’s
High Representative, Miguel Angel Moratinos, said that Islamophobia was indeed
on the rise and that his organization would work with Pakistan, chair of the
OIC group at the UN, in observing the first International Day to Combat
Islamophobia on March 15.
“Pakistan
can count on UNAOC support in this regard,” he said.
Source:APP
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia hands down death sentences to two Shia citizens over alleged cooperation
with terrorists
07
February 2023
The
combination photo shows two Shia citizens who have been handed down death
sentences by a court in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Tasnim news agency)
----------
Saudi
Arabia has issued death sentences for two Shia citizens for allegedly
collaborating with terrorist groups, as a crackdown led by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman continues against political dissidents and pro-democracy
campaigners in the kingdom.
The
kingdom’s Specialized Criminal Court handed down death sentences to Ali
Muhammad al-Rabi and Ali Hassan al-Safwani on Tuesday, according to a report by
the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights.
This
is while the Saudi prosecutor’s office had earlier called for a 20-year prison
sentence as well as a travel ban to prevent them from leaving the country.
Ali
Muhammad—who is from a Shia community which faces systematic discrimination by
the Saudi regime -- has been accused of being a member of a terrorist
organization, supporting a terrorist ideology, helping and sheltering a number
of terrorists and providing them with food, using information networks and
social networks, and plans to contact terrorists.
Ali
Muhammad was arrested on February 7, 2021, after Saudi forces attacked his
house without a warrant. He was held in solitary confinement for 3 months and
denied access to his family during this time.
Ali
Hassan has also been accused of being a member of a terrorist organization,
supporting terrorist ideology, and aiding and abetting a number of terrorists.
Both
of them had rejected the accusations in court and had been forced to confess
without having access to a lawyer, the European human rights body said.
Since
bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has
arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others for their
political activism, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the face
of international condemnation of the crackdown.
Muslim
scholars have been executed and women’s rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured as freedom of expression, association, and belief continue to
be denied by the kingdom's authorities.
Over
the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target
activism.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey,
Syria earthquake death toll crosses 5,000
08.02.23
Countries
around the world dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts, and Turkey’s
disaster management agency said more than 24,400 emergency personnel were now
on the ground.
File
Photo
-----------
Rescuers
raced on Tuesday to find survivors in the rubble of thousands of buildings
brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks that struck
eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria, with the discovery of more bodies
raising the death toll to more than 5,000.
Countries
around the world dispatched teams to assist in the rescue efforts, and Turkey’s
disaster management agency said more than 24,400 emergency personnel were now
on the ground.
But
with such a wide swathe of territory hit by Monday’s earthquake and nearly
6,000 buildings confirmed to have collapsed in Turkey alone, their efforts were
spread thin. Attempts to reach survivors
were also impeded by temperatures below freezing and close to 200 aftershocks,
which made the search through unstable structures perilous.
NurgulAtay
told The Associated Press she could hear her mother’s voice beneath the rubble
of a collapsed building in the city of Antakya, the capital of Hatay province,
but that her and others efforts to get into the ruins had been futile without
any rescue crews and heavy equipment to help.
“If
only we could lift the concrete slab we’d be able to reach her,” she said. “My
mother is 70-years-old, she won’t be able to withstand this for long.”
Across
Hatay province, just southwest of the earthquake’s epicentre, officials say as
many as 1,500 buildings were destroyed and many people reported relatives being
trapped under the rubble with no aid or rescue teams arriving. In areas where
teams worked, occasional cheers broke out through the night as survivors were
brought out of the rubble.
The
quake, which was centred in Turkey’s province of Kahramanmaras, sent residents
of Damascus and Beirut rushing into the street and was felt as far away as
Cairo.
Sebastien
Gay, the head of mission in Syria for Doctors Without Borders, said health
facilities in northern Syria were overwhelmed with medical personnel working
around “around the clock to respond to the huge numbers of wounded”.
In
Turkey’s Hatay province, thousands of people sheltered in sports centres or
fair halls, while others spent the night outside.
Aid
crossing closed
The
only crossing between Syria and Turkey that is approved by the UN for
transporting international aid intoSyria is closed because of earthquake damage
to roads around it, according to UN officials.
The
crossing, known as Bab al-Hawa, has been the lone link for aid for the past
nine years.
Source:
TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/turkey-syria-earthquake-death-toll-crosses-5000/cid/1914996
--------
At
least 24 killed in second day of fighting in Somaliland
February
08, 2023
BOSASO,
Somalia: At least 24 people were killed and another 53 injured in a second day
of heavy fighting in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, two doctors
said, after local leaders declared their intention to rejoin federal Somalia.
Somaliland
broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international
recognition for its independence, and has faced opposition from some clan
elders in the east of the territory who seek to be governed from Mogadishu.
On
Tuesday Somaliland said fighters from neighboring Puntland, a semi-autonomous
region of Somalia, were fighting alongside local militias in the town of Las
Anod, accusations Puntland denied.
Two
doctors said the bodies of 58 people had been brought to their public hospital
in Las Anod since the clashes began on Monday morning, with many more injured
unable to reach the hospital because of heavy fighting in the town.
Local
elders in Las Anod said electricity and water had been cut off, and health
centers attacked with mortars.
“Somaliland
forces are carrying out heavy attacks on medical facilities and civilian homes.
The deaths and injuries of civilians cannot be counted,” said Mukhtar Abdi, a
resident of Las Anod, the administrative center of Sool region.
It
was unclear which side started the fighting, but it came a day after a
committee of local leaders, religious scholars and civil society groups said in
a statement they did not recognize Somaliland’s administration.
“Today,
the (perpetrators) were supported by militias from the neighboring Puntland
region of Somalia and the so called Khatumo militia in a carefully coordinated
manner,” Somaliland’s state broadcaster said on Twitter.
Puntland’s
interior minister Abdi Farah Said Juhaa said his government, which has
controlled the town in the past, was not involved in the fighting, and that
Somaliland should withdraw its troops from Las Anod and other areas.
Somalia’s
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday called for a cease-fire: “let the
Somaliland administration and the clan elders of Las Anod sit and talk. The
solution is in our pursuit of united Somalia.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246926/world
--------
US
says helping earthquake-hit Syria but not Assad
Feb
8, 2023
WASHINGTON:
The United States said Tuesday it was working with partners to provide
earthquake relief in Syria but would stand firm against working with the
Damascus government.
The
United States also said it expected to send further assistance to Turkey after
sending two rescue teams to the Nato ally, which suffered heavily as well in
Sunday's earthquake.
"In
Syria itself we have US-funded humanitarian partners that are coordinating
lifesaving assistance," secretary of state Antony Blinken told reporters
as he met his Austrian counterpart.
"We're
committed to providing that assistance to help people in Syria recover from
this disaster, just as we have been their leading humanitarian donor since the
start of the war in Syria itself," Blinken said.
"I
want to emphasize here that these funds, of course, go to the Syrian people --
not to the regime. That won't change."
The
United States has refused normalization of relations with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad or any direct reconstruction aid, seeking accountability for
abuses during the brutal nearly 12-year civil war.
Assad
has wrested back most of the country and over the past year has been restoring
relations with other Arab nations as well as Turkey.
Stephen
Allen, who is leading the response on the ground for the US Agency for
International Development, said that most of the damage was in areas not under
Assad's control and that USAID had local partners there.
USAID
is reorienting assistance that was already in place to help war-hit Syrians,
instead focusing on rescue efforts and other immediate needs including
providing shelter and food, Allen said.
"We've
got the full gamut of humanitarian response going in northwest Syria right
now," Allen told reporters.
He
declined to name the non-governmental groups working with the United States,
citing operational security.
The
United States has announced that it was sending two rescue teams to Nato ally
Turkey. Allen said the teams would arrive Wednesday morning and head to the
city of Adiyaman, where search efforts have so far been limited.
The
teams, coming on two C-130 transport aircraft, are bringing 158 personnel, 12
dogs and 170,000 pounds (77,100 kilograms) of specialized equipment, he said.
"What
we're focused on right now in Turkey is getting those teams out and saving
lives, to put it bluntly," Allen said from Ankara.
"If
they need further assistance when it comes to populations who may be without
housing or need immediate assistance, we are certainly ready to provide
that," he said.
The
7.8-magnitude earthquake has killed more than 7,100 people in the two
countries, according to officials and medics.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Salman
Rushdie counts himself lucky, retains his sense of humour
Anita
Singh | London
08.02.23
Days
before Sir Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage at a literary festival, he
dreamt that an attacker would hurt him with “a sharp object”.
In
the nightmare, a figure “like a gladiator” came at him, the author revealed in
his first interview since the near-fatal attack last August.
That
day at the Chautauqua Institution in New York state, Rushdie was stabbed more
than a dozen times.
“It
was a colossal attack,” he told The New Yorker, speaking of his “overwhelming”
gratitude to the people who saved his life — the doctors and emergency workers
who staunched his wounds at the scene, and the team of surgeons who operated on
him for eight hours in theatre.
“There
is a lot that was just lucky because the amount of injuries were such that it
was more probable that I would not survive. It was a very close thing. But
fortunately I came out the right side of the close thing,” he said.
Asked
how many wounds he received, Rushdie joked: “I wasn’t counting.”
He
said of his attacker: “I only know this from reading the newspapers but
apparently he had 27 seconds before people jumped on him. So that’s how much
damage you can do in 27 seconds.”
Rushdie
was stabbed in the chest, liver, hand, face and neck, and has lost the sight in
his right eye.
But
he has not lost his sense of humour, telling friends that the tinted lens he
must now wear over one of his eyes makes him look like Johnny Depp.
The
interview was accompanied by a striking black-and-white portrait of the author,
in which the scars on his cheek and neck are clearly visible.
Rushdie
then posted his own picture on social media with a tinted glass in the right
lens of his spectacles. “The photo in The New Yorker is dramatic and powerful
but this, more prosaically, is what I actually look like,” he wrote.
Alan
Yentob, the BBC presenter and Rushdie’s friend of many decades, also shared a
photograph — taken on Sunday over Zoom — in which the writer poses with a copy
of Victory City, his latest novel that hits the US bookshops today.
Yentob
told The Daily Telegraph: “When he was asked before the stabbing, who he would
like to play him in some drama, he said Johnny Depp.
“That’s
his sense of humour and he hasn’t lost it.
“In
the midst of this trauma he said to me very early on, when he knew he was going
to be blind in one eye, ‘I’m going to look like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the
Caribbean.’
“He
is not a victim and he doesn’t want to be a victim. He is his cheerful self.”
Rushdie
also joked in the interview that people who turned against him during the
fatwa, issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 over The Satanic Verses, have
changed their tune.
“People
didn’t like it. Because I should have died. Now that I’ve almost died,
everybody loves me.
“That
was my mistake back then — not only did I live, but I tried to live well. Bad
mistake. Get 15 stab wounds, much better.”
The
injuries to his chest and neck have healed, Rushdie said, but he has lost
feeling in the fingertips of his left hand which means he is unable to type
properly. He is having regular physical therapy.
Rushdie
also revealed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and
struggling to write.
“There
have been nightmares, not exactly of the incident but just frightening, and
those seem to be diminishing.
“I’ve
found it very, very difficult to write. I sit there and nothing happens. It’s a
combination of blankness and junk, stuff that I write that I delete the next
day. There has been a lot of that. And I’m not out of that forest yet.”
He
plans to write about the attack and its aftermath. While his 2012 memoir,
Joseph Anton, was written in the third person, the new book will not be.
“It
doesn’t feel third person-ish to me. When someone sticks a knife into you,
that’s a first-person story,” he said.
Writing
about his ordeal will give him “an artistic reason to think about it”, he said.
HadiMatar,
24, was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder and
second-degree assault. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial is likely to
take place next year.
Rushdie
finished Victory City, a month before the attack.
Asked
if he worried that it would be read through the prism of what happened to him,
Rushdie said: “I’m hoping that to some degree it might change the subject. I’ve
always thought that my books are more interesting than my life. Unfortunately,
the world appears to disagree.
“What
I’m hoping is that people will be able to say, ‘Oh, here’s a writer.’
“I’ve
tried very hard not to adopt the role of a victim. Then you’re just sitting
there saying, ‘Oh, somebody stuck a knife in me, poor me.’ Which I do sometimes
say. It hurts. But that’s not what I want people reading the book to think.”
Rushdie
is also working on his first play, Helen, about Helen of Troy. It is scheduled
to open in London next year, and the writer said he was hoping to attend the
first night.
He
spent more than a decade in hiding after the fatwa, but thereafter led a
relatively normal life and he believed that the risk to his life was low.
“I
won’t say that I hadn’t thought about it over the years — I had. I had come to
feel that it was a very long time ago and then the world moves on. That is, I
guess, what I had agreed with myself was the case. And then it wasn’t.
“I
have a lot to think about as a consequence of that. I haven’t finished with
that thinking,” he said.
But
he remained defiant, saying that he was determined not to let the experience
destroy him as an artist.
“I
could be scared and write scared books — a book that doesn’t tackle anything
important, that shies away from things because you worry how people will react
to them. That’s a scared book. There are a lot of them around these days. I’m
too old for that,” he said.
Rushdie
described his assailant as “an idiot”. The 24-year-old was born in California
to Lebanese parents and lived with his mother in Fairview, New Jersey.
According to The New Yorker, one of the last emails that Matar sent —
cancelling his gym membership — carried an image of the Supreme Leader of Iran,
Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
Rushdie
said he was concerned about freedoms in Iran and about the fate of the Iranian
football team after they supported anti-government protesters at the World Cup
in Qatar.
Friends
agree that he remains committed to freedom of speech.
Yentob
said: “We are living in a world where in Iran, in China, in Russia, in Egypt,
there is no freedom of expression. It is something that sadly is still with us.
“We
have to remember Salman is a champion of freedom of expression.”
The
Daily Telegraph, London
Source:
TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/27-seconds-that-brought-alive-a-bad-dream/cid/1915040
--------
Originally
meant for the poor, Menu Rahmah becomes choice order as many tighten purse
strings
By
ZarrahMorden
08
Feb 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR, Feb 8 — Since time immemorial, Malaysians have been known to hunt for
cheap eats, and they would have no trouble finding some at places like the food
court at the Subang Jaya branch of the Mydin hypermarket.
There,
a major draw was now its rows of food stalls, each displaying large posters of
their “Menu Rahmah” dish for RM5.
At
Kampung Selera, one of the stalls that sold “nasi campur” or Malay for economy
rice, those opting for Menu Rahmah have a choice whether to have their white
rice served with either a keli or catfish, sardine or chicken, with any one
vegetable dish.
“In
a day, I usually get 100 or more orders for the catfish, 60 orders for sardine
and another 60 for the chicken dish,” stall owner Ishaq Qin told Malay Mail.
“The
demand is quite good,” he added.
He
said he usually has five or six types of vegetable dishes that Menu Rahmah
customers can choose from.
Two
stalls away, another stall he also owns that offered Chinese Muslim food had
dumplings served in soup as its Menu Rahmah item.
A
stall about 10m away offered a plate of chicken rice instead.
“We
get around four to five hundred orders a day for it,” one of the foreign
workers, a tall man of South Asian origin, said.
But
despite the high number of orders for the dish, he said customers also opt for
the other items offered by the stall.
Menu
Rahmah was initially a programme spurred by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and
Cost of Living for the hardcore poor, which targeted the participation of
15,000 premises nationwide.
Last
month, its minister, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, said around 12,000 premises
have already offered the menu, including restaurants affiliated with the
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas), the Malaysian Muslim
Restaurant Owners Association (Presma), Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop
Proprietors General Association (MCSPGA), and Mydin supermarket outlets
nationwide.
Malay
Mail’s visit to the food court in Mydin — which is one of the initiative’s
first partners and most high-profile advocate — found that the dishes that fell
under the menu was a hit with the customers regardless of their financial
status, a testament to Malaysians’ eagerness to save money where they can amid
a challenging economy.
One
of Ishaq’s customers, a civil servant who gave her name as Nurul praised the
initiative, admitting that the dishes offered were “pretty good”.
“I
bring my children here to eat their lunch after school,” the 47-year-old said.
“For
RM5 you can get fish, vegetables and rice,” she gushed.
A
frequent customer of the food court, Nurul also goes around to the other stalls
for their Menu Rahmah offering.
Another
frequent customer was Marina Kamaroon, who had just purchased six packets of
the rojak offered under Menu Rahmah in another stall.
“[The
initiative] can save you some money, especially with the economy as it is right
now,” the 50-year-old babysitter said.
It
was her first time purchasing the dish under the Menu Rahmahprogramme, which
she said was “worth it” as the rojak was usually priced at RM6.
“I
usually buy the rojak here but it’s my first time today buying it as part of
the Menu Rahmah,” she said.
Saari
Ahmad, 61, meanwhile had just gone to Mydin Subang Jaya to check out the Menu
Rahmah offerings.
When
asked what he thought about the initiative, he said: “Thank god, I think it’s
really good.”
The
business owner said that if he felt the food tasted good for its price, he
would love to see more of the programme.
“It’s
my first time here. I want to taste test if the cooking is good first,” he
said, adding that the price point is just nice considering soaring living
costs.
Minister
Salahuddin has since said the programme would be extended to public higher
education institutions after Aidilfitri, starting with 20 institutions in the
Klang Valley.
The
sustainability of the programme under the new Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional
coalition government, however, has been questioned, as Salahuddin had
previously been reported saying the government was trying to make it a
“zero-budget initiative”.
Salahuddin
said he would propose at the next Cabinet meeting that participants receive
possible incentives, such as reduced rental rates and easier applications for
migrant labour.
A
similar programme was introduced under the Datuk Seri Najib Razak
administration called “Menu Rakyat 1Malaysia” in 2012, promising breakfast
below RM2 and lunch below RM4.
Source:MalayMail
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India
‘Muslims
are integral part of India, their history will never disappear’
SARFARAZ
AHMED
Feb
7, 2023
NAGPUR:
Delhi-based historian Syed Ubaidur Rahman has authored five books on the Indian
Muslim freedom fighters, Muslim states and empires in medieval India, tracing
the community’s history across the subcontinent from 14th to 18th century. He
was in Sewagram to deliver a talk on freedom fighter and Bharat Ratna Khan
Abdul Ghaffar Khan on Sunday.
Later,
he also interacted with Muslim intellectuals and students in Nagpur. In an
exclusive interview with TOI, Rahman said changing names of cities, gardens, or
monuments, is a ploy to divert public attention.
“Attempts
are on to rewrite medieval India’s history. But it can’t be changed. Books
authored by reputed scholars are still available and referred to. Muslims are
an integral part of India and their history will never disappear,” he said.
Excerpts.
Q.
How do you perceive moves to change names?
A.
The name changing spree has no specific grounds. For example, they want
Ahmednagar’s name changed. Before the founder of Nizam Shahi Sultanate Ahmed
Nizam Shah settled it, there was no town named Ahmednagar. On what basis are
they wanting to rename it? His father Malik Bahri embraced Islam.
Bahri
was prime minister in the Bahmani empire. Ahmednagar was the most important and
powerful state in this empire. Similarly, Aurangabad is a historic town, but a
decision has been taken to change its name without logic.
Before
becoming Aurangabad, others claim Buddhist and other sects inhabited it. This
whole exercise of nomenclature is entirely baseless, a means to divert public
attention from real issues.
Q.
What are its implications on history or Muslims?
A.
Historic places will lose their importance and people will forget them because
you are diluting the truth. Its background, reason for giving its original
name, its founder will be forgotten. This is what the government’s intentions
are, to wipe out the contribution of Muslims, take away their credit for
creating marvellous monuments, and make Muslims irrelevant.
Q.
What is the basis for this claim?
A.
Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) project aims to rewrite medieval
history in the next five years. English and Persian sources won’t be used in
this exercise rather they would be collating information from vernacular
sources. Basic writings during the medieval period were in Persian and towards
the later medieval it was English.
According
to military writer Richard Elton, there was no tradition of documenting history
in vernacular languages in India. So, now they will create mythological
backgrounds.
A
recent exhibition in Delhi showcased references to medieval history. They
portrayed very small, unknown dynasties from villages and talukas as big ones.
No mention of Bahmani or Delhi Sultanate was made in it. Not a single Muslim
dynasty found a place in it. This means they want to make Muslims irrelevant.
Q.
What difference will it make for today’s Muslim’s?
A.
It will have a catastrophic impact on Muslims. They would feel let down,
completely disconnected. Right now, there are some references about Mughals in
school, college textbooks, but they are fast disappearing.
Chapters
on Vijaynagar are getting bigger and those on Bahmani Empire getting smaller.
The original history books are not going to disappear from the world. They are
intact in world libraries. The whole world will criticize you for fudging
history.
Q.
What will be the acceptability of new history?
A.
It will be worthless. A time will come when original history will resurface. It
will not disappear. For vested interests, some historians are fooling around.
Books by Irfan Habib, Richard Elton will not disappear. They are referred to in
every book at the international level. This exercise will only leave a blot on
the face of those in power.
Q.
How are you going to counter this?
A.
We need to circulate authentic history books by reputed authors as much as
possible. We need to introduce our kids to history books. We need to make them
easy to understand. People like Ram Punyani must be supported. Resources like
YouTube need to be utilized. Small efforts need to be taken.
Source:
Times Of India
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Delhi
HC upholds jail term to Muslim cleric for sexually assaulting minor
Feb
08, 2023
Great
faith and trust is reposed in the Maulvi/Hafiz, who teaches to others, the
tenets of holy Quaran and is looked up to, with reverence, the Delhi high court
has said while upholding the six-year jail term awarded to a Muslim cleric for
sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl.
In
a judgment of February 3, justice Poonam A Bamba said that the convict held a
position of great trust and faith which has been breached by him by sexually
assaulting a gullible girl child.
“It
is established that the appellant/accused (cleric) sexually assaulted the
victim, who was six years of age at the time of the incident…Thus, I find no
infirmity in the judgment of the trial court in concluding that the appellant
is guilty of aggravated sexual assault in terms of Section 9 (m) POCSO Act,
which is punishable under Section 10 POCSO Act and convicting the appellant
under Section 354 (molestation) IPC and Section 10 POCSO Act,” the court said
in a 20-page judgment.
The
incident took place in Delhi’s Burari area in September 2016 and a complaint
was given to the police by the girl’s family that she had been sexually
assaulted by him.
The
child, who used to go to the man’s house to learn ‘Kayda’, had informed her
mother about the incident and was medically examined at a hospital.
The
convict had challenged the trial court’s January 2021 judgment by which he was
sentenced to six years imprisonment. Seeking a reduction of sentence, he had
submitted that he has four minor children and a wife to look after and has
clean antecedents with good conduct in jail.
However,
the court rejecting his prayer noted that the appellant is a maulvi/ hafiz, who
taught Quran Sharif and “Kayda” (basics to beginners) to the victim.
“A
great faith and trust is reposed in the maulvi/ hafiz, who teaches to others,
the tenets of the holy Quran and is looked up to, with reverence…Thus, the
appellant held a position of great trust and faith, which he breached by
sexually assaulting the victim, a gullible girl child of six years of age.
Thus, the appellant does not deserve any indulgence in this regard,” it said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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AIMPLB
to increase women representation in board
7th
February 2023
Lucknow:
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has decided to include more
women in decision-making committees of the Board.
After
discontinuing its women’s wing in March 2022, the AIMPLB has not only restored
it now, but has decided to include them in all its important committees for
getting their views.
The
women’s wing will educate women of the community about the rights and duties of
women, according to Islamic Shariat.
Women
members of the Board will campaign against expensive marriages, dowry in the
Muslim society, as well as make families aware of giving daughters a share in
the property instead of dowry.
Dr.
Qasim Rasool Ilyas, executive member of the AIMPLB, said, “The women’s wing has
been restored in the Board meeting on Sunday. The AIMPLB has 251 members across
the country, out of which the number of women members is 30. The number of
members of the executive committee is 51 in which four women have been
included.”
He
said, “Now, there will be one convener and five joint conveners in the women’s
wing of the Board. They will work to make women members across the country.
These members will make women aware about the rights of women and their duties
found in Islamic Shariat. They will also give information about
Islah-e-AsharaTafaheem-e-Shariat and Kanoon-e-Shariat.”
Source:Siasat
Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/aimplb-to-increase-women-representation-in-board-2520870/
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India
hits out at Pakistan for raking up Kashmir issue at UN
Feb
7, 2023
UNITED
NATIONS: India has slammed Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue in the
United Nations, saying Islamabad harbours a deep sense of insecurity and
orchestrated hatred for its neighbouring country and its secular credentials.
Responding
to Pakistan's raising of the Kashmir issue during a UN General Assembly (UNGA)
meeting, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Rajesh Parihar,
said on Monday that Islamabad repeatedly utters falsehoods about India.
"I'm
constrained to take the floor to respond to the frivolous remarks made by the
representative of Pakistan against my country. While such a statement deserves
our sympathy for a mindset, which repeatedly utters falsehood, it is important
for me to set the record straight,” he said in the UNGA.
Parihar
said irrespective of what the representative of Pakistan believes or covets,
the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always
be an "integral and inalienable" part of India.
“We
expect nothing new from this delegation that harbours a deep sense of
insecurity and orchestrated hatred for India and our secular credentials and
values that my country stands for,” he said.
Tensions
between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of the
Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5,
2019. India's decision evoked strong reactions from Pakistan, which downgraded
diplomatic ties and expelled the Indian envoy.
India
has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of
Article 370 was its internal matter. It also advised Pakistan to accept the
reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
India
has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad
in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.
At
the outset, Parihar, in his remarks, conveyed India's condolences to the
families in Syria and Turkiye, who have suffered loss of lives and destruction
due to the devastating earthquakes.
A
7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks struck eastern Turkey and
neighbouring Syria on Monday, Killing more than 5,000 people.
Source:
Times Of India
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31
District Magistrates Allowed To Give Citizenship To Non-Muslims: Centre
February
07, 2023
New
Delhi: The central government has empowered 31 district magistrates in nine states
to grant citizenship to people belonging to minority communities of Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh under the Citizenship Act, according to Union
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The
delegation of this power is aimed at speedy disposal of the citizenship
applications of such foreigners as decisions can now be taken at the district
level itself after examining each case, Mr Rai said in a written reply in Lok
Sabha today.
These
districts have been chosen keeping in view the needs of applicants, he said.
"The
central government, in exercise of powers conferred by Section 16 of The
Citizenship Act, 1955, has delegated its power to grant citizenship by
registration under Section 5 and by naturalisation under Section 6 of The
Citizenship Act, 1955 to the Collectors of 31 Districts... for speedy disposal
of citizenship applications of person(s) belonging to minority communities of
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh namely, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi
and Christian," Mr Rai said.
The
31 districts are in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.
The
move to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and
Christians coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan under the
Citizenship Act, 1955 and not under the controversial Citizenship Amendment
Act, 2019 (CAA) bears significance.
Source:
NDTV
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Under
BJP pressure, Shinde puts survey of Muslims on hold
Feb
08, 2023
By
Surendra P Gangan
The
state government has put a survey, aimed to assess the socio-economic condition
of Muslims, on the back burner after the alliance partner, BJP, took objection
to it.
The
minorities affairs department had on September 21 last year issued a government
resolution (GR) stating that Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) would
visit 56 Muslim-dominated towns and conduct a study of the community’s
condition. TISS was also mandated to study the benefits reaped by the community
from the government schemes in education, employment, health, banking and other
sectors. The GR said the state had made an allocation of ₹33,92,040.
Soon
after, women and child welfare minister and BJP leader MangalprabhatLodha wrote
to chief minister Eknath Shinde. He claimed that the GR was issued without
following the due process and without the knowledge of the chief minister.
“The
proposal was prepared by former minority welfare minister Nawab Malik when the
Uddhav Thackeray-led government was in power. Even the then CM was not taken
into confidence on it. When I brought this to the notice of the CM (Shinde), he
ordered to stay it,” Lodha said.
The
minister also questioned why other minority communities (Sikh, Christian,
Parsi, Jain and Buddhists) were not included in the order for the survey. “It
is now up to the CM to decide the fate of the project,” he said.
The
project is unlikely to see the light of the day, officials said. “Immediately
after the minister raised objection, the CM asked for the file and ordered a
stay on it. There are no further directives on it,” an official said, adding
the CM, who heads the minorities affairs department, was aware of the proposal
before the GR was issued.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Man
shot; cars damaged in clash after inter-faith marriage in Haryana
7th
February 2023
Gurugram:
A man was shot at and vehicles were damaged in a clash between two groups
allegedly after an inter-faith marriage in Haryana’s Pataudi area, police said
on Tuesday.
On
January 30, a Muslim man from Pataudi’s Baba Shah locality lodged a police
complaint alleging that his 22-year-old daughter had gone missing. It was later
found that she had married one Rakesh, they said.
After
the wedding, Rakesh had started receiving threat calls. He informed his
relatives in Rewari about the calls and they reached out to Bajrang Dal members
for help. A group of men led by the outfit’s leader reached the man’s house
where the clash erupted, they said.
An
FIR was registered against the Muslim party under sections 148 (riots), 149
(unlawful assembly), 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 380
(theft) and 427 (causing damage) of the IPC.
Source:Siasat
Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/man-shot-cars-damaged-in-clash-after-inter-faith-marriage-in-haryana-2521314/
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Pakistan
immigration stops India-bound Hindu pilgrims at Wagah border pending clearance
YUDHVIR
RANA
Feb
7, 2023
AMRITSAR:
Around 190 Pakistani Hindu pilgrims were stopped at Wagah border by Pakistan’s
immigration officials on Tuesday pending clearance.
According
to sources here, a group of over 190 Hindu men, women and children of all age
groups was on way to India on a pilgrimage to Haridwar and meet their relatives
in Rajasthan.
“Probably,
the Pakistani immigration officials were suspicious about their return from
India and subjected them to questioning,” said a source, adding that it
appeared that they were not convinced of their replies and stopped them at
Wagah.
Notably,
the number of Pakistani Hindus arriving in India with most of them settling
here, especially in Rajasthan, where their relatives live, has increased in the
recent past.
Sources
said that in the past three months, as many as 70 groups of Hindus had arrived
in India from Pakistan and many had sought asylum.
Most
of these Hindus carry even the smallest of their household items while
traveling to India which raises the suspicion of the Pakistani immigration
officials, said sources.
Source:
Times Of India
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Indian
enters Pakistan to complete his journey on foot to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Feb
7, 2023
LAHORE:
An Indian national, who was earlier denied a visa by a Pakistani court, entered
the country on Tuesday to complete his marathon journey on foot to Saudi Arabia
to perform Hajj.
Shihab
Bhai, 29, arrived in Pakistan via the Wagah border and was welcomed by Sarwar
Taj, who had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on behalf of Shihab,
and Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan chairman Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi.
Qureshi
told PTI that Shihab was very happy to get the visa to continue his journey to
Mecca.
"He
has brought a message of love, friendship and brotherhood," Qureshi said,
adding he wanted to organise an event in Shihab's honour on the premises of
Lahore High Court but could not do so because of security issues.
Shihab,
who hails from Kerala, embarked on a 3,000-km journey on foot in October last
year from his home state to the Wagah border where he was stopped by Pakistan's
immigration authorities as he did not have a visa.
"Shihab
pleaded before the immigration authorities that he was going to perform Hajj on
foot and had already travelled 3,000 kms and should be allowed to enter the
country on humanitarian grounds. He wanted a transit visa to reach Saudi Arabia
via Iran," a Federal Investigation Agency official had said.
Hajj
is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, considered the
holiest city for Muslims.
Taj,
a resident of Lahore, filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC)
requesting that Shihab be granted a transit visa to allow him to travel to Saudi
Arabia.
He
argued that just like the Pakistan government issues visas to Sikh pilgrims
from India to take part in the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak and on other
occasions, it should also grant a visa to Shihab.
Source:
Times Of India
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PM
Modi gets emotional over Turkey situation, recalls 2001 Bhuj earthquake
Feb
7, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Condoling the deaths in the earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday turned emotional and recalled the 2001
Bhuj earthquake that claimed thousands of lives in Gujarat.
The
PM turned emotional while addressing MPs at the Bharatiya Janata Party
parliamentary party meeting held this morning ahead of the start of proceedings
of the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, according to sources. He recalled
the devastating 2001 Bhuj earthquake when he was the chief minister of Gujarat
and spoke about the challenges posed for the rescue operations.
The
Prime Minister also mentioned humanitarian assistance being provided by the
Government of India to the disaster-hit country after a magnitude 7.8 quake
rippled through both Turkey and Syria on Monday.
PM
said he could very well relate to what Turkey was going through right now.
In
2001, a massive earthquake jolted Bhuj in Gujarat's Kutch district in which
more than 20,000 people were killed and over 1.5 lakh people were injured. The
earthquake left thousands homeless.
At
least 4,372 deaths have been confirmed and thousands were injured after a
powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria early Monday,
according to officials and agencies, according to officials and agencies. In
Syria, 1,451 deaths and 3,531 injuries have been reported by officials.
Thousands
of buildings collapsed in both countries and aid agencies are particularly
worried about north-western Syria, where more than 4 million people were
already relying on humanitarian assistance.
The
quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23
kilometres (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey's Gaziantep province, at a
depth of 24.1 kilometres (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said.
India
has sent the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team to Turkey after
earthquakes jolted Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The
first Indian Air Force plane carrying disaster relief material and rescue team
to support search and rescue efforts in Turkey arrived today in Adana in the
earthquake-hit country, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said.
India
will be sending two more C17 aircraft with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster
Relief (HADR) to quake-hit Turkey along with 60 Para Field Hospital and
personnel.
The
C17 flight with over 50 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) and a specially trained dog squad along with necessary equipment,
including medical supplies, drilling machines and other equipment equired for
the aid efforts had departed for Turkey early this morning.
Turkish
Embassy in New Delhi tweeted: "First batch of earthquake relief material
along with NDRF's special search and rescue teams and trained dog squads just
arrived in Turkiye. Thank you India for your support and solidarity."
Source:
Times Of India
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South Asia
Rights
of Women, Girls Violated in Afghanistan: UN Secretary-General
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
8, 2023
While
explaining the United Nation’s 2023 programs, Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres has said that Afghan women and girls have been ‘isolated’ due to the
restrictions imposed by the country’s caretaker regime.
Mr.
Guterres on Tuesday said the world needs a sustainable peace, that is in line
with the United Nations resolutions and international laws.
While
explaining the UN’s agendas for the year 2023 on peace and gender equality,
Guterres emphasized the organizations’ continuous efforts towards restoring sustainable
peace and fighting against the violation of women’s rights across the globe.
He
has also warned that the growing tensions among some governments are worrying,
therefore, a collective comprehensive approach is required to ease the tensions
and move towards lasting peace and stability.
“Violation
of women’s rights is rapidly increasing, and the ‘isolation’ of Afghan women
and girls are a clear example,” he said.
Mr. Guterres has further added that the rights of women and girls have
been violated in Afghanistan, and brutal terrorist attacks continue in the
war-torn country.
Lack
of gender equality and gender segregation has led to miserable living
conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan. Henceforth, the UN’s focus for
2023 will be concentrated on achieving gender equality and sustainable peace
worldwide.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/rights-of-women-girls-violated-in-afghanistan-un-secretary-general/
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40
Afghan Nationals Released From Karachi Prison: Taliban Officials
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
7, 2023
The
Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation of Afghanistan today announced that 40
Afghan nationals including five families were released from a prison in
Karachi, following the efforts of the Afghan Diplomatic Mission in Islamabad.
The
released Afghan refugees will soon return to the country through the Spin
Boldak land route, according to the ministry officials.
According
to official sources, during search operations, Pakistani police have
incarcerated Afghan migrants in different cities of Pakistan including,
Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi over the past week on charges of failing to
provide legal stay documents.
Afghanistan’s
Refugees and Repatriation Ministry in a statement said that the release of 160
Afghans imprisoned in Pakistan’s Landi and Peche prisons is under
administrative procedures, and their release will be issued by the relevant
court within the next couple of days. So far, there is no data on the exact
number of Afghan nationals being detained in Pakistani prisons.
Refugee
authorities in Islamabad say that the released prisoners will be transferred to
Spin Boldak and will be received by Kandahar Refugee and Repatriation
Department to manage their safe return to Afghanistan.
Over
the past month, hundreds of Afghan nationals have been released from Pakistani
prisons and returned to Afghanistan. Most of these refugees were undocumented
Afghan nationals who had failed to provide legal stay permits (visas) in the
host country.
Since
the overthrow of the previous regime in Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan
experienced new waves of Afghan refugees, most of whom entered the country
without visas through the Spin Boldak crossing point. In Pakistan, Afghan
refugees are plagued with critical challenges including harassment,
discrimination, unemployment, and worst of all the uncertain future that awaits
them amid these difficult times.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/40-afghan-nationals-released-from-karachi-prison-taliban-officials/
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Saudi
‘exit’ from Kabul sparks fears of exodus
Tahir
Khan
February
8, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Saudi diplomats’ departure from Kabul amid security concerns has sparked fears
that at least three other countries were also planning to close their embassies
in Afghanistan, though Taliban and other officials have dismissed such reports.
An
Afghan Taliban official has confirmed to Dawn that Saudi Arabia has withdrawn
its staff, but said the Saudis “have told us that they have withdrawn embassy
staff for a week-long training”.
After
Saudi Arabia’s “temporary withdrawal” of staff, reports surfaced about the
closure of the UAE, Qatari and Russian missions in Kabul.
However,
the Afghan official, who did not wish to be identified, denied rumours about
the closure of the UAE’s mission, saying that although the UAE did not have an
ambassador there, the embassy was still being run by several diplomats.
Taliban
dismiss reports of UAE mission closure; Qatar, Russia deny ‘evacuation’ of
embassies
Meanwhile,
Dr Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, the special envoy of Qatar’s foreign minister,
met Taliban ministers on Sunday to discuss a host of “important developments in
Afghanistan, especially in politics, economy, development, and education”.
On
Monday, a senior Russian official also reiterated that his country had no plans
to close its diplomatic mission in Kabul.
“Such
thoughts have not even occurred,” Zamir Kabulov, director of the Foreign
Ministry’s Second Asian Department, told the TASS news agency.
Separately,
a Reuters report claimed on Monday that the Saudi diplomats had left by air and
relocated to Pakistan late last week, but there has been no acknowledgement of
this, either from Kabul or the Foreign Office in Islamabad.
Although
the US and European countries have yet to reopen their embassies in Kabul,
Pakistan was among the handful of countries — including Russia, China, Turkey
and Iran — that continued to retain a diplomatic presence there.
Sources
in the Pakistan embassy in Kabul also dismissed rumours of an evacuation of
diplomats, but the country’s charge d’affaires in Afghanistan — Ubaidur Rehman
Nizamani, who survived an assassination attempt on Dec 2 – has yet to return to
his post.
Official
sources insist Islamabad is still waiting for security assurances from the
Afghan government before sending him back.
The
militant Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K) group had claimed the attack on
MrNizamani. The same day, gunmen had stormed the central office of
Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan as its chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was delivering a
Friday sermon. Guards there killed two attackers, who were also said to be IS-K
men.
Reports
suggest that an IS-K resurgence has made foreign missions in the country
uneasy, with the group claiming attacks on Pakistani and Russian embassies and
a hotel run and frequented by Chinese nationals. While Taliban officials always
downplay any threat, the international community is wary of their claims.
In
the immediate aftermath of the US evacuation from Kabul, the group claimed the
attack on Kabul International Airport, which took at least 183 lives. It has
also staged deadly attacks in southern Kandahar and northern Kunduz provinces.
Pakistan’s
former envoy to Kabul, Mansoor Khan, told Dawn that the militant Islamic State
group had been a serious threat in Afghanistan for many years, and after the
Taliban takeover in Aug 2021, several intelligence agencies have said in their
assessments that the number of IS-aligned fighters in various parts of the
country has been on the rise.
In
his view, the Afghan interim government should bolster cooperation with its
neighbours for cooperation in counterterrorism actions to combat IS-K and other
terrorist groups, such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735959/saudi-exit-from-kabul-sparks-fears-of-exodus
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Kabul,
Jalalabad among the most earthquake-prone cities in Afghanistan: Report
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
8, 2023
Afghanistan
lies in a seismically active zone, and earthquakes pose a severe threat to many
regions of the country, including densely populated urban centres.
The
country is earthquake-prone because it is located in the mountainous Hindu Kush
region, divided into the Central Highlands, which are part of the Himalayas,
the Southwestern Plateau, and the country’s fertile Northern Plains.
Over
the last decade, more than 7,000 people have died due to earthquakes in
Afghanistan, with an average of 560 deaths per year. The Chaman, Hari Rud,
Central Badakhshan, and Darvaz faults are expected to pose the greatest seismic
danger of the potentially active faults.
These
faults can produce 7 to 8 Magnitude earthquakes. Among these faults, the Chaman
fault is the likelihood of solid shaking, impacting North-eastern Afghanistan.
Furthermore,
Afghanistan’s northeastern region faces a high earthquake risk due to its
borders with Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Kabul
is among the vulnerable and at high risk of severe earthquake impacts in the
country due to its proximity to the Chaman fault and unplanned, nonstandard
rapid urbanization and population growth in recent years.
Jalalabad
is in the same seismic zone as Kabul and has historically suffered more
large-scale earthquakes.
In
addition, Khost city was struck by a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in eastern
Afghanistan last year, killing at least 920 people. Khost is another city close
to the neighbouring country’s border, Pakistan. Over the past five years, the
city has recorded nearly 50 quakes, according to the US Geological Survey.
The
severe shaking of the earthquake in Afghanistan is estimated to have caused
extensive infrastructure damage in Kabul and Jalalabad. Approximately 30 per
cent of infrastructure will collapse if exposed to severe shaking, and 60 per
cent will suffer damage.
The
reason could be the building and construction, which has not seismically sound,
as stated by the office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/kabul-jalalabad-among-the-most-earthquake-prone-cities-in-afghanistan-report/
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Afghanistan:
Taliban 'desperate' for resumption of flights to India
AjeyoBasu
February
08, 2023
Kabul:
With the global community yet to recognise the current regime in Kabul, the Afghan
Taliban is reportedly desperate for flights to resume between India and
Afghanistan.
According
to a Hindustan Times report, the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan are optimistic
that India will agree to resume direct flights between New Delhi and Kandahar.
The
Afghan Taliban’s hopes of resumption of flights between India and Afghanistan
gained a fresh lease of life after flights resumed between Kandahar and Dubai.
Last
week, the Taliban had welcomed India’s budget for the 2023-24 financial year,
saying that the announcement of aid by India for Afghanistan would help improve
ties and trust between the two nations.
Khaama
Press reported that the remarks by the Taliban came after India’s finance
minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a $25 million development aid package for
Afghanistan.
Source:Firstpost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Afghanistan:
Taliban issuing gun licences to traders, businessmen as abductions soar
AjeyoBasu
February
07, 2023
Kabul:
In a somewhat hilarious decision, the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan have
decided to provide gun licenses to traders in the capital Kabul.
The
Taliban’s security department in Kabul has announced that businessmen in
Afghanistan’s capital will be provided with security and gun licences.
According
to a report by Tolo News, the Taliban arrived at the decision after a series of
meetings with traders in Kabul.
Khalid
Zadran, a spokesman for the security department in Kabul, informed the local
media the Taliban will provide security for traders as well as common citizens
in Afghanistan.
“We
not only pay attention to the security situation of the citizens but also the
traders. We have meetings with them (traders) at the end of every month ad
every week and discuss their security issues in coordination with them,” Zadran
was quoted as saying by Tolo News.
According
to the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), around 350 gun
licenses have been issued to Afghan businessmen.
“The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has helped the private sector in security
issues. In only one day, it issued 350 licenses for weapons and also provided
any kind of help we asked them for,” acting head of the ACCI, Mohammad Younus
Momand said.
This
move by the Taliban comes after the media reported the abduction of 13 traders
in Afghanistan. However, the security department in Kabul had denied those
reports.
This
decision by the Taliban is somewhat ironic as lethal weapons, including
Kalashikov rifles and rocket launchers are freely available all over
Afghanistan.
The
militaristic Afghan culture, which promotes the possession of weapons by men,
coupled with the unstable security situation of Afghanistan has resulted in a
large section of the population owning guns.
Source:
Firstpost
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Turkey,
UAE to Reduce Missions in Afghanistan Over ‘Security Concerns’
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
8, 2023
According
to sources, the embassies of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in
Afghanistan seek to reduce their missions due to security concerns following
reports that international staff received threatening letters from unknown
parties.
According
to anonymous sources in the Taliban government in Kabul, “the Turkish embassy
has the plan to decrease its diplomatic activity in Kabul due to various
security concerns.” At the same time,” the UAE wants to move its diplomatic
mission to a small office before closing its embassy.” However, sources said
neither the UAE nor Turkey had confirmed the matter.
Earlier
last week, Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Kabul amid warnings of heightened
risks of attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul. The official authorities
confirmed that the diplomatic and employees of the embassy had been evacuated
to Islamabad, and the exact return date is unclear.
According
to a Saudi foreign ministry official, ISIS was plotting an attack on the Saudi
diplomatic mission in Kabul with a car bomb. The threats compelled them to
close the embassy and relocate its staff to Islamabad.
However,
a Taliban spokesman stated that Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic mission has travelled
to Riyadh for training and will return soon.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/turkey-uae-to-reduce-missions-in-afghanistan-over-security-concerns/
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Exiled
Afghan Journalist Wants to Sell his Kidney for Survival
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
February
7, 2023
An
Afghan journalist who feared death treads and fled to Pakistan now wants to
sell his kidney to cope with the serious economic challenges he is plagued
with.
Sami
Jahesh, an Afghan Journalist currently residing in Pakistan Tuesday said on
Twitter ‘I have no money, no food to eat, no other option, but to sell my
kidney’.
Jahesh
took on Twitter by posting one of his pictures and WhatsApp number, asking
people who need kidney to directly contact him.
Prior
to the recent regime change in Afghanistan, Jahesh used to work for Aryana
News, a private broadcasting channel in Afghanistan. After the Taliban seized
power in August 2021, he fled to Pakistan fearing death threats and persecution
under the Taliban regime.
According
to his relatives, Jahesh was bitten and harassed by the de facto authorities of
Afghanistan a couple of times. Many Afghan journalists who fled the Taliban
regime, now live in desperation and uncertainty in Pakistan and other neighboring
counties.
Since
the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, thousands of Afghans migrated
to the neighboring countries. A large group of journalists, human rights
activists, and civil society members also left the country for fear of
persecution and killing by the ruling regime.
Many
Afghan journalists and human rights activists expected to be transferred from
the neighboring countries to one of the refugee-accepting states still remain
in Pakistan and Iran and are struggling with grave economic challenges.
Groups
of Afghan journalists have already protested and called on organizations
supporting journalists, however, they have been long forgotten and left in
complete desperation in Pakistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/exiled-afghan-journalist-wants-to-sell-his-kidney-for-survival/
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Pakistan
12
TTP terrorists killed in intelligence-based operation in KP’s LakkiMarwat: ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
February
8, 2023
Security
forces killed 12 terrorists of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s LakkiMarwat
area, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
According
to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), security
forces and the terrorists exchanged fire late Tuesday night during which the
militants were killed.
“Terrorists’
movement and activities were being watched by intelligence tentacles for the
last one week. Terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for escape that
was intercepted and neutralised,” the ISPR said.
Weapons,
ammunition and Afghan currency were also recovered from the terrorists during
the operation, it stated, adding that security forces were carrying out a
clearance operation in the area.
“Locals
appreciated the operation and lauded the efforts of Pakistan Army in
eliminating terrorism,” the statement concluded.
Over
the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened,
with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.
Since
the talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has
intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in KP and areas
bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their
violent activities and formalised a nexus with the outlawed TTP.
According
to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security
Studies (PICSS), January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July
2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received
injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Peshawar
Mosque Attack Conspiracy Hatched in Afghanistan: Pakistan
By
Fidel Rahmati
February
7, 2023
The
investigation has revealed that the plot to target a heavily protected mosque
in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hatched in Afghanistan and
supported by their intelligence agency, Pakistan’s law enforcement officials
said on Tuesday.
On
January 30, a bomb blast occurred at a mosque in Peshawar during the afternoon
players, killing 101 people and injuring more than 200 others. The attacker was
in police uniform and riding a motorcycle with a helmet and mask on, entered
the high-security zone, officials said.
The
Peshawar mosque suicide attack plot was developed in Afghanistan and supported
by the Kabul-based intelligence agency, officials stated.
The
Taliban-led government in Afghanistan have not yet commented on the matter.
Recently,
Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has increased its attack across the country
since the ending of its unilateral ceasefire with the government in November,
targeting police officers, government officials, foreign citizens, and the
military area.
On
the other hand, in the recent past, Pakistani leadership has repeatedly accused
Afghan authorities of giving sanctuaries to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups to attack Pakistan.
However,
Afghan Taliban officials, in response to the accusation, have said they will
not allow Afghanistan’s soil to utilize against Pakistan or other neighbouring
countries.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/peshawar-mosque-attack-conspiracy-hatched-in-afghanistan-pakistan/
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Religious
decrees given in light of Quran, Sunnah acceptable, implementable: Ashrafi
7
Feb 2023
ISLAMABAD,
Feb 7 (APP): Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony
and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said only those
Fatwas (religious decrees) were acceptable and implementable which were given
in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.
Talking
to media, the prime minister’s aide who is on a visit to Indonesia these days
said Islam did not prevent interfaith dialogue and protected the rights of
minority communities.
Ashrafi
who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council and Secretary General of
International Tazim-e- HaramainSharifain Council urged the Muslim Ummah to play
a proactive role in a bid to mitigate the menace of Islamophobia. Terrorism and
extremism had badly harmed Muslims and Islam, he added.
He
said there was a huge responsibility of world religious leaders to educate the
people of all faiths about peaceful coexistence as the incidents of desecration
of Islamic sanctities and values were continuously increasing in European
countries, the US and Canada.
He
urged unity in all ranks of Muslims because the blood of oppressed people of
Kashmir and Palestine was being shed for decades now.
He
expressed the hope that the religious leaders and peace-loving people should
come forward for practical measures to resolve the Kashmir and Palestine
issues.
Ashrafi
said Ulema must use modern means of communication to propagate the true moral
ethics of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him and teachings of Islam
worldwide.
Source:
APP
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Sindh
to dispatch 100,000 tents to Turkiye: Sharjeel
February
8, 2023
KARACHI:
The Sindh government will send 100,000 tents to Turkiye to provide shelter to
the earthquake-hit people.
Information
Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said in a statement that the earthquake had caused
extensive damages in Turkiye and Syria and the people of Sindh are with their
brethren in this difficult time.
He
said that the provincial cabinet in its meeting on Monday had approved 100,000
tents for the affected people in Turkiye which had provided immense support and
relief assistance to the flood victims of Sindh.
“We
can never forget the generosity and services rendered by the Turkish government
and people in every difficult time,” he added.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735938/sindh-to-dispatch-100000-tents-to-turkiye-sharjeel
--------
Pervez
Musharraf laid to rest; several retired and serving military officers attend
funeral prayers
Feb
7, 2023
KARACHI:
Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was on Tuesday laid
to rest with full military honours in an army graveyard here in the presence of
his relatives and several retired and serving military officers.
The
79-year-old former president's funeral prayers were held at the Gulmohar Polo
Ground in Malir Cantonment in the afternoon in a low key ceremony which was
neither attended by President ArifAlvi, nor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
However,
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and former army chiefs -
Qamar JavedBajwa, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Aslam Beg - attended the funeral.
Former
ISI chiefs - General (retd) Shuja Pasha and General (retd) Zaheerul Islam - and
several serving and retired military officers also attended the funeral
prayers.
Politicians
including MuttahidaQaumi Movement (Pakistan) leaders Khalid Maqbool Siddiqi, Dr
Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Amir Muqam, Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaaf leader and former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, former federal
information minister Javed Jabbar, were also in attendance.
No
top leaders from the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in the Sindh province or the
Jamaat-e-Islaami were present at the final rites.
Musharraf's
coffin was draped in Pakistan's green and white flag, though the ceremony was
not a state funeral.
The
casket of Musharraf was then taken to the army graveyard reserved for top
officials on Shahrah-e-Faisal and buried there with full military honours and
protocol.
Tahir
Hussain, who has been Musharraf's spokesman in Karachi since the ex-ruler
formed his party - the APML - in October 2010, said a large number of military
officials, senior bureaucrats and businessmen attended the funeral prayers
under military security.
Musharraf,
the architect of the Kargil War in 1999 and Pakistan's last military ruler,
died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness. The former president was
undergoing treatment for amyloidosis in Dubai. He was living in the UAE since
2016 in self-exile to avoid criminal charges back home.
Musharraf's
mortal remains arrived here on Monday on a special flight from Dubai.
His
wife Saba, son Bilal, daughter and other close relatives arrived with the body
on the special aircraft of Malta aviation arranged by the UAE authorities.
The
aircraft touched down at the old terminal area of the Jinnah International
Airport amid heavy security with the former president's family and the body was
taken to the Malir Cantonment area, officials said.
His
mother was buried in Dubai while father was laid to rest in Karachi.
Musharraf
enjoyed immense support and popularity among many but also hated and vilified
by the bar councils, civil rights groups and political parties for his
anti-democratic actions.
On
Monday, sharp differences among political leaders came to the fore in Senate
over the offering of prayers for the former military ruler. Pakistani
Parliament follows a tradition of offering Fateha (prayers) for the departed
soul when a leading politician or personality of the country dies.
The
members of the Senate, the upper House of Parliament, hurled allegations
against one another for supporting dictatorial regimes and violators of the
Constitution when the issue of prayers for Musharraf came up.
The
move of supplication was led by the leader of the opposition in the senate
Senator Shehzad Wasim of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and supported by
other members of his party.
When
Senator Mushtaq Ahmad of rightwing Jamaat-i-Islami, who was about to lead a
joint invocation for those killed in the earthquake in Turkey, was asked to
also pray for Musharraf's soul, he refused by saying that he would only lead
the invocation for the quake victims.
The
refusal led to vociferous exchanges among lawmakers with some members reminding
Senator Mushtaq that his party had also once supported Musharraf.
Later,
the PTI lawmakers led by Senator Wasim, who was given a break in politics by
Musharraf, offered a customary prayer while the treasury senators refused to
join them.
The
split in the upper House over offering a prayer for a dead person was rare and
an apt reflection of Musharraf's chequered legacy.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PM
Shehbaz’s visit to Turkiye postponed due to relief activities: Aurangzeb
Sanaullah
Khan
February
8, 2023
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Turkiye scheduled for today has been
postponed due to the “ongoing relief efforts” there after a major 7.8-magnitude
earthquake struck parts of Turkiye and Syria on Monday morning, Information
Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed.
The
premier was set to leave for Turkey today. He had also set up a relief fund
along with sending a 51-member rescue team.
The
All Parties Conference (APC) called to discuss the national security situation,
which was rescheduled for Feb 9, had also been postponed for a second time for
this very reason.
It
is not clear yet when the multi-party moot would be held, considering the prime
minister’s visit has been postponed.
Pakistan
aids in relief efforts
The
devastating earthquake, which had its epicentre in Kahramanmaras in central
Turkiye, has claimed more than 8,300 lives in Turkiye and Syria till now, with
thousands injured and many still trapped under rubble.
The
quake tremors were felt as far away as Greenland while multiple aftershocks of
huge magnitudes and extreme winter weather further worsened the situation.
On
Tuesday morning, the first batch of relief items from Pakistan reached Turkiye,
a Pakistan Air Force spokesperson said.
Separately,
in a tweet on Tuesday, Aurangzeb announced that the federal cabinet had also
decided to donate their one-month salary to the relief fund.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Amid
spate of arrests, Imran gives army chief ‘benefit of doubt’
Zulqernain
Tahir
February
8, 2023
LAHORE:
A week after his party urged the president to take notice of “brazen
interference by intelligence agencies and some sections of the establishment”
in politics, PTI chief Imran Khan on Tuesday gave Army Chief Gen Asim Munir the
“benefit of the doubt”.
The
remarks by the former prime minister came in the wake of a spate of arrests,
which did not spare his close aides and allies, and an ostensible delay in the
elections for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assemblies.
Imran
Khan, who met journalists at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, talked about
elections, the ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement, the economy, the incumbent
government and multiparty moot, and his relationship with former army chief Gen
Qamar JavedBajwa.
When
asked if MrBajwa’s successor was following the former chief’s policies with
regards to the PTI, Mr Khan responded that Gen Munir had been in office for
mere two months and he was willing to give him the “benefit of the doubt”. He,
however, claimed that there was a “visible” chasm between the army and the
public, something he described as “very dangerous” for the country.
PTI
chief claims Gen Bajwa struck deal with Nawaz in return for his extension
As
he compared his ouster via a no-confidence vote with the coup against the
government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999, Imran Khan claimed that people celebrated
when Mr Sharif was removed from power, but in response to Mr Khan’s ouster, the
public thronged the streets as it did not like the “establishment siding with
corrupt politicians” of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).
The
former premier spent a better part of the conversation talking about Nawaz
Sharif, who has been in self-imposed exile in London since 2019 owing to health
reasons.
“Nawaz
has set two conditions for his return — my disqualification and victory in
Punjab polls,” Mr Khan said. “But let me tell you that my disqualification is
not possible in any of the fake cases they have instituted against me if legal
procedures are followed.”
Talking
about the ruling coalition’s plan, Imran Khan claimed, “The PDM will ensure my
disqualification and arrest, institute cases against my party leaders; once it
is certain that PTI has gotten weak, it will go for elections and utilise all
resources at hand to massively rig them.”
Asked
if he had limited options to push the PDM for polls in both provinces after
quitting parliament and dissolving both provincial assemblies, the former prime
minister said, “No … how long the PDM will be running away from elections.
Whenever they are held, PTI will win. Mark my words.”
Mr
Khan also compared his party with the Pakistan Peoples Party during the
dictatorship of Gen Ziaul Haq in the 80s. “Through oppression, the political
parties do not get weak, but rather emerge stronger. Take the example of PPP,
which faced oppression at the hands of Gen Zia,” he added.
Speaking
about the “court arrest” movement, which he announced last week, Imran Khan
said he would be at the forefront of the struggle. “I will be leading the Jail
Bharo Tehreek — which is a non-violent drive — after recovering from bullet
wounds in two weeks or so,” he said, adding that preparations have been started
in this regard.
Mr
Khan added that the PDM could not delay the elections in two provinces beyond
90 days without violating the Constitution.
In
a comment on the interim government in Punjab led by Mohsin Naqvi, Mr Khan
alleged that Shehbaz Sharif was “directly controlling” the province. “What is
happening to us today in Punjab might have happened when the tenure of the
assemblies would have completed,” he said to a question about whether he
regretted the decision to disband the assemblies.
‘Nawaz-Bajwa
deal’
The
former prime minister once again admitted that his decision to grant former
army chief MrBajwa a three-year extension was a “big blunder”. He claimed that
“Nawaz Sharif and company had struck a deal” with MrBajwa in return for
endorsing his extension in parliament. In return, MrBajwa started securing
relief for Nawaz and others in the corruption cases, Imran Khan alleged.
After
cases against the Sharifs were halted in NAB, a “regime change plan” was hatched,
which I came to know of in October 2021, Mr Khan claimed. He added that his
government and MrBajwa were on the same page until the latter struck a deal
with the PML-N supremo.
Though
PTI has yet to make up its mind regarding the multiparty conference, which has
been postponed twice, Imran Khan questioned the need for such a moot and said
the government should take measures to address terrorism, “as the PTI did in
its tenure”.
He
reiterated that the Afghan Taliban government was not anti-Pakistan and Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari should have visited Kabul to take up matters
with the regime. “We have a 2,500km-long border with Afghanistan and we cannot
afford any trouble there,” he said.
It
may be noted here that State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar did
visit Kabul last year.
Speaking
about the economic situation, Mr Khan said the government had no other option
but to go to the IMF. “Economic stability can come in Pakistan only through
elections and not through auction … this everyone will have to understand as
they (government) have tried everything but failed to stabilise the economy,”
Mr Khan declared.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735961/amid-spate-of-arrests-imran-gives-army-chief-benefit-of-doubt
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Arab
World
Engineers,
search dogs sent to Turkey, Syria after quake
Feb
8, 2023
Structural
engineers, soldiers, paramedics and handlers with trained search dogs are
heading to Turkey and Syria to help locate and rescue survivors of Monday’s
earthquake. Here's a glance at the assistance being provided:
The
European Union has mobilized search and rescue teams to help Turkey, while the
bloc's Copernicus satellite system has been activated to provide emergency
mapping services. At least 19 member countries have offered assistance. The
European Commission is also helping neighboring Syria by funding humanitarian
organizations supervising search and rescue operations.
The
United States is coordinating immediate assistance to Turkey, including teams
to support search and rescue efforts. In California, nearly 100 Los Angeles
County firefighters and structural engineers, along with six specially trained
dogs, were being sent to Turkey.
War-ravaged
Syria called for the United Nations and its members to help with rescue
efforts, health services, shelter and food aid. Both government-held territory
and the last opposition-held enclave were damaged by the earthquake.
The
International Committee of the Red Cross has sent enough surgical material to
treat 100 people to one of the public hospitals in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
More medical equipment is on its way to Aleppo, Latakia and Tartous. The Red
Cross also is donating canned food, blankets, mattresses and other essential
items for distribution in the many shelters being set-up in affected areas.
Russian
rescue teams from the Emergencies Ministry were sent to Syria, where Russian
military deployed in that country already has sent 10 units comprising 300
people to help clear debris and search for survivors. The Russian military has
set up points to distribute humanitarian assistance. Russia also has offered
help to Turkey, which has been accepted.
The
Israeli army is sending a search and rescue team of 150 engineers, medical
personnel and other aid workers to render lifesaving aid in Turkey. The two
countries are mending ties after years of tensions. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said he has also approved a request for humanitarian aid for Syria.
Israel and Syria do not have diplomatic relations.
A
team of 82 rescuers sent by the Chinese government has arrived in Adana,
Turkey. They include specialists in search and rescue as well as medical
treatment, and they brought in 21 tons of rescue equipment and supplies.
China's CCTV also said a non-governmental rescue and search organization from
Zhejiang province also sent an advanced team to Turkey.
Palestinian
Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the Palestinian Authority will dispatch two
humanitarian missions to assist in Syria and Turkey. The aid missions will
include civil defense and medical teams.
Neighbor
and historic rival Greece is sending Turkey a team of 21 rescuers, two rescue
dogs and a special rescue vehicle, together with a structural engineer, five
doctors and seismic planning experts in a military transport plane.
The
Lebanese army says it will send a team of 15 members of the military’s
engineering regiment to neighboring Syria to help in rescue operations in
government-held parts of the country. Tuesday’s announcement came a day after
the army sent 20 members of the same regiment to Turkey to help rescuers there
who are racing to find survivors.
One
of Libya’s rival governments said it will dispatch a 55-member team to Turkey
to help in rescue efforts. The government of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah
said the team would include rescuers, medical members along with four dogs.
Spanish
medical workers will set up a field hospital in Turkey to treat the wounded.
Spain has mobilized troops and drones from the country’s Military Emergency
Unit to Malatya airport, where the Turkish authorities have installed an
international aid center. Spain will also contribute to aid efforts through the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Spain will
also contribute to rescue efforts in Syria through NGOs operating there.
Germany’s
THW civil protection agency is sending a 50-member rescue team to Turkey on
Tuesday. A team from the group International Search and Rescue Germany, with 42
experts and seven dogs, has arrived in Turkey and is heading to Kirikhan, near
the Syrian border. Germany also has been readying deliveries of emergency
generators, tents, blankets and water treatment equipment.
A
South Korean military aircraft transporting a 118-person team of rescue and
search workers and troops is headed to Turkey. It's also sending medical
supplies and pledging other humanitarian support.
Pakistan
has sent one flight of relief supplies and another carrying a 50-member search
and rescue team. The government says daily aid flights to Syria and Turkey will
start Wednesday, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set up a relief fund, urging
people to donate generously. The federal cabinet is donating a month’s salary
and all government employees are donating a day’s salary toward it.
Britain
is sending 76 search-and-rescue specialists with equipment and dogs, as well as
an emergency medical team, to Turkey. The U.K. also says it’s in contact with
the U.N. about getting support to victims in Syria.
India
is sending 100 search and rescue personnel from its Natural Disaster Response
Force to Turkey, as well as specially trained dog squads and equipment for
relief efforts. Medical teams with trained doctors, paramedics and essential
medicines are also ready, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Taiwan
is sending 130 rescue squad members, five search dogs and 13 tons of equipment
to Turkey. Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang said the first group left for Turkey
late Monday and another was sent Tuesday. Taiwan earlier said it would donate
$200,000 to Turkey.
Swiss
rescue dog service REDOG is sending 22 rescuers with 14 dogs to Turkey. The
government said it would also send 80 search and rescue specialists to the
country, including army disaster experts.
The
Czech Republic is sending Turkey a team of 68 rescuers, including firefighters,
doctors, structural engineers and also experts with sniffer dogs.
Japan
is sending a group of about 75 rescue workers to Turkey.
Austria
has offered to send 84 soldiers from a military disaster relief unit to Turkey.
Poland
is sending Turkey 76 firefighters and eight trained dogs, with equipment.
Romania
is sending specialized personnel and material to Turkey on two military
aircraft.
Croatia
is sending 40 personnel and 10 dogs, rescue equipment and vans to Turkey.
Serbia
is sending 21 rescuers and three liaison officers to Turkey.
Montenegro
is sending at least 24 firefighters to Turkey.
Moldova's
president says 55 rescue workers have been sent to Turkey.
France
is dispatching rescue teams to Turkey.
Jordan
is sending emergency aid to Syria and Turkey on the orders of King Abdullah II.
Mexico’s
foreign affairs secretary said the country will send equipment and rescue
specialists to Turkey.
Egypt
has pledged urgent humanitarian aid to Turkey.
Italy’s
Civil Protection Agency has offered assistance to Turkey. A firefighting team
was preparing to leave from Pisa, and the Italian military says transport
flights will carry equipment as well as health and other personnel.
New
Zealand is providing $632,000 to the Turkish Red Crescent and $316,000 to the
Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver items such as food, tents and blankets, as
well as provide medical assistance and psychological support.
China’s
Red Cross Society is providing the Turkish Red Crescent and the Syrian Red
Crescent with $200,000 each in humanitarian assistance.
Albania
and Kosovo have sent emergency teams to Turkey to assist in search and rescue.
Albania’s 53-member team consists of firefighters and army and health
personnel.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Children
pulled from rubble as Turkiye-Syria quake toll tops 8,300
February
8, 2023
Heartrending
scenes of a newborn plucked alive from the rubble and a broken father clutching
his dead daughter’s hand have laid bare the human cost of violent earthquakes
in Syria and Turkiye that by Wednesday had claimed 8,300 lives.
For
two days and nights since the 7.8 magnitude quake an impromptu army of rescuers
have worked in freezing temperatures to find those still entombed among ruins
that pockmark several cities either side of the border.
Officially,
the death toll from the disaster now stands at 8,364. But that could yet double
if the worst fears of experts are realised.
The
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that time is
running out for the thousands injured and those still feared trapped.
For
Mesut Hancer — a resident of Turkish city Kahramanmaras, near the epicentre —
it is already too late.
He
sat on the freezing rubble, too grief-stricken to speak, refusing to let go of
his 15-year-old daughter Irmak’s hand as her body lay lifeless among the slabs
of concrete and strands of twisted rebar.
‘Children
are freezing’
Even
for survivors, the future seems bleak.
Many
have taken refuge from relentless aftershocks, cold rain and snow in mosques,
schools and even bus shelters — burning debris to stay alive. Frustration is
growing that help has been slow to arrive.
“I
can’t get my brother back from the ruins. I can’t get my nephew back. Look
around here. There is no state official here, for God’s sake,” said Ali
Sagiroglu in Kahramanmaras.
“For
two days we haven’t seen the state around here… Children are freezing from the
cold,” he said.
In
nearby Gaziantep, shops are closed, there is no heat because gas lines have
been cut to avoid explosions, and finding petrol is tough.
Sixty-one-year-old
resident Celal Deniz said the police had to intervene when impatient crowds
waiting for rescue teams “revolted”.
About
100 others wrapped in blankets slept in the lounge of an airport terminal
normally used to welcome Turkish politicians and celebrities.
“We
saw the buildings collapse so we know we are lucky to be alive,” said
ZahideSutcu, who went to the airport with her two small children.
“But
now our lives have so much uncertainty. How will I look after these children?”
Across
the border in northern Syria, a decade of civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial
bombardment had already destroyed hospitals, collapsed the economy and prompted
electricity, fuel and water shortages.
In
the rebel-controlled town of Jindayris, even the joy of rescuing a newborn baby
was tainted with sadness.
She
was still tethered to her mother who was killed in the disaster.
“We
heard a voice while we were digging,” Khalil al-Suwadi, a relative, told AFP.
“We
cleared the dust and found the baby with the umbilical cord (intact) so we cut
it and my cousin took her to hospital.”
The
infant faces a difficult future as the sole survivor among her immediate
family. The rest were buried together in a mass grave on Tuesday.
International
response
Dozens
of nations including the United States, China and the Gulf States have pledged
to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by
air.
A
winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads — some of them
damaged by the quake — almost impassable, resulting in traffic jams that
stretch for kilometres in some regions.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in
10 southeastern provinces.
The
World Health Organization has warned that up to 23 million people could be
affected by the massive earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the
disaster zone.
The
Syrian Red Crescent appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide
aid as President Bashar al-Assad’s government remains a pariah in the West,
complicating international relief efforts.
Secretary
of State Antony Blinken said the United States would not work with the Damascus
government.
“These
funds, of course, go to the Syrian people — not to the regime. That won’t
change,” he said.
Aid
agencies have also asked the Syrian government to allow border crossings to be
reopened to bring help to rebel-held areas.
The
Turkiye-Syria border is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones.
Monday’s earthquake was the largest Turkiye has seen since 1939, when 33,000
people died in the eastern Erzincan province.
In
1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed more than 17,000.
Experts
have long warned a large quake could devastate Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16
million people filled with rickety homes.
Pakistan
dispatches first batch of relief items to Syria
On
Wednesday morning, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched
the first batch of relief items to Syrian capital Damascus via a Pakistan
International Airline (PIA) flight.
The
relief supplies include 260 tents and 2600 blankets. It stated that a medical
team will also leave for the quake-hit country tomorrow (Thursday).
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1736010/children-pulled-from-rubble-as-turkiye-syria-quake-toll-tops-8300
--------
Two
UAE relief planes arrive in earthquake-hit Syria
08
February ,2023
The
United Arab Emirates’ Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defense has
announced the arrival of two aircraft carrying humanitarian aid from the UAE at
the Damascus Airport as part of the airlift launched to stand by the people
affected by the earthquake that struck Syria.
A
total of 12 tonnes of essential supplies and several tents to lodge 216
displaced people are part of the initial aid package that falls within the
'Gallant Knight / 2' operation on its first day, state news agency WAM reported
Wednesday.
The
United Arab Emirates Tuesday pledged $100 million to Syria and Turkey, one of
the largest sums yet following a massive earthquake that killed more than 6,256
people across both countries.
The
Gulf nation – which had already pledged some $13.6 million to Syria – is
spearheading regional relief efforts, having dispatched planes to both
countries with relief items and rescue teams following the 7.8-magnitude quake
that struck early Monday.
The
United Arab Emirates Tuesday pledged $100 million to Syria and Turkey, one of
the largest sums yet following a massive earthquake that killed more than 6,256
people across both countries.
The
Gulf nation – which had already pledged some $13.6 million to Syria – is
spearheading regional relief efforts, having dispatched planes to both
countries with relief items and rescue teams following the 7.8-magnitude quake
that struck early Monday.
Countries
across the world have pledged humanitarian aid following Monday’s disaster.
Egypt
on Tuesday sent five plane-loads of medical supplies to victims of the
earthquake in Syria and Turkey, according to a statement by President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
State
Department hits back at claims that sanctions are blocking Syria earthquake aid
08
February ,2023
The
State Department on Tuesday hit back at what it said were inaccurate press
reports about US sanctions impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians
impacted by the devastating earthquake over the weekend.
Assad
regime officials and their allies, including Iran-backed Hezbollah supporters,
have been claiming that American sanctions are preventing badly needed aid from
getting to areas that were destroyed.
Assad
and Hezbollah supporters took to Twitter and used hashtags, blaming US
sanctions and a so-called siege on Syria.
“Any
US or international sanctions include humanitarian, medical, food, and other
aid exemptions. US President Joe Biden was clear when he said the US was
prepared to provide any and all types of aid to the people of Syria, and the US
is not preventing any countries from doing so,” a State Department official
said in Arabic.
“The
United States stands by the Syrian people,” the official said in a video posted
to Twitter.
On
Monday, Biden issued a statement saying he was “deeply saddened by the loss of
life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.” He said
that he had ordered all needed assistance to be delivered.
It
is worth noting that the earthquake destroyed large swathes of territory in
northeastern Syria, which is not under the Syrian government’s control. However,
a small part of the government-held territory in Aleppo was hit hard.
While
the majority of Syria is under the control of the government in Damascus, most
of the north is controlled by different — and sometimes conflicting — groups.
The northwest is divided between land de facto controlled by Turkey and by
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a insurgent group with ties to al-Qaeda. Syria’s
northeast is mostly held by US-backed Kurdish-led groups.
International
search teams may be reluctant to enter earthquake-affected areas controlled by
HTS, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US
Syrian
Civil Defense members, also known as the White Helmets, have been at the
forefront of rescue efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake killing at least
7,000 people in Syria and Turkey.
But
Turkey, Russia and Syria’s refusal to open cross-border points for
international aid has also badly impaired efforts to get food, medicine and
other staples to those in need.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanese
MP delivers petition to US: Sanction obstructers of Beirut blast probe
07
February ,2023
A
leading Lebanese opposition MP recently delivered a petition to US officials
signed by expatriates and local residents, calling for sanctions against
Lebanon’s current and former officials who are obstructing investigations into
the Port of Beirut blast.
The
letter, signed by more than 30 groups and organizations inside and outside of
Lebanon, called for the governments of EU countries, Australia, Canada, Japan,
the UK, and the US to take measures and sanction “perpetrators accountable” in
the deadly 2020 explosion.
Lead
investigator Tarek Bitar has faced several obstacles by the political elite and
judges they back, blocking him from being able to subpoena suspects for
questioning.
Hezbollah
and its allies have been the main sides blocking Bitar’s work, with the
Iran-backed group reportedly going as far as threatening “to remove” the judge.
Bitar
has received death threats, been issued a travel ban by Lebanese courts, and
had charges filed against him for efforts to question sitting and former
officials.
“Other
forms of obstruction that the investigation faced include officials not showing
up when subpoenaed, judicial and administrative stalling tactics, as well as
the use of violence by some political actors,” read the letter, which was seen
by Al Arabiya English.
The
groups said their call for international sanctions was due to the Lebanese
state’s failure to comply with international obligations under the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention Against Corruption. Lebanon
is party to both.
Mark
Daou, the opposition MP mentioned above, raised the investigation and the
letter during his meetings in Washington last week at the State Department. He
said that State Department officials vowed to look into the petition and come
back with an answer.
Al
Arabiya English has reached out to the State Department for comment.
The
petition listed several officials they said were impeding the path to justice.
The names include:
Former
Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter (Amal Movement)
Former
Interior Minister NouhadMachnouk (formerly close to Saad Hariri)
Former
PM Hassan Diab (backed by Hezbollah)
General
Security chief Abbas Ibrahim (close to Amal and Hezbollah)
State
Security chief Tony Saliba (close to Free Patriotic Movement)
Former
Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil (Amal Movement)
General
Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat
Youssef
Fenianos (Marada Movement)
Judge
Ghassan Khoury
Dated
Jan. 30, the letter calls for pressure to be exerted on Lebanese authorities to
ensure the safety of Bitar and to take measures to ensure the probe proceeds without
political interference. They are also requesting a UN fact-finding mission to
support the investigation.
The
request comes after similar calls in recent months by the Lebanese Judges’
Association, the Beirut Bar Association, and more than 40 Lebanese lawmakers.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
King, Crown Prince order air bridge to deliver aid to Syria, Turkey
07
February ,2023
Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on
Tuesday directed the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief)
to operate an air bridge to provide various aid to help the earthquake victims
in Syria and Turkey.
According
to a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the air bridge
will provide health, shelter, food and logistical assistance to alleviate the
effects of the earthquake on the Syrian and Turkish people.
The
directives also include organizing a campaign through the “Sahem” platform to
help the earthquake victims in both countries.
Dr.
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Rabeeah, advisor to the Royal Court and the
Supervisor General of KSrelief, confirmed that the assistance provided comes
out of the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown
Prince to stand by those affected by the quake in Syria and Turkey, according
to SPA.
Meanwhile,
the death toll from the massive earthquake rose above 6,200 on Tuesday,
official data showed, with rescue workers still searching for trapped
survivors.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
pledges $100 million in earthquake relief to Syria, Turkey
07
February ,2023
The
United Arab Emirates Tuesday pledged $100 million to Syria and Turkey, one of
the largest sums yet following a massive earthquake that killed more than 6,256
people across both countries.
The
Gulf nation – which had already pledged some $13.6 million to Syria – is
spearheading regional relief efforts, having dispatched planes to both
countries with relief items and rescue teams following the 7.8-magnitude quake
that struck early Monday.
On
Tuesday, Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan “ordered the
provision of $100 million for the relief of those affected,” the official WAM
news agency said.
The
sum would be equally split between Syria and Turkey, with each getting $50
million, according to the news agency.
It
was not immediately clear if the funds for Syria included the $13.6 million
previously announced.
Major
General Saleh al-Ameri, commander of joint operations at the UAE’s defense
ministry, said Tuesday that three military planes had been dispatched to
Turkey, carrying search and rescue teams who have since commenced operations.
A
total of seven flights are planned to the quake-hit countries, including two to
the Syrian capital Damascus, he told local media.
Syria’s
official SANA news agency said Tuesday that an Emirati plane carrying 10 tonnes
of food supplies had arrived at the Damascus international airport.
The
UAE reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital in December 2018, suggesting an
effort to bring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime back into the Arab
fold after years of boycott.
In
March last year, Assad made a visit to the UAE – his first to an Arab state in
more than a decade of brutal civil war.
Meanwhile,
the death toll from a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose
above 6,200 on Tuesday, official data showed, with rescue workers still
searching for trapped survivors.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
In
a first, Egypt’s Sisi calls Syria’s Assad after devastating earthquake
07
February ,2023
Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Syria’s Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday to
offer support after a devastating earthquake, their offices announced, in the
first official exchange between the two leaders.
Ahmed
Fahmy, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, said Sisi “expressed his sincere
condolences” in the wake of the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit Syria and
neighboring Turkey early Monday, killing more than 5,000 people.
In
Syria, state media and rescuers said more than 1,600 have died and over 3,600
injured across the country.
“President
Sisi reiterated Egypt’s solidarity with Syria and its brotherly people in this
calamity. He also directed that all possible aid be provided to Syria,” Fahmy
said.
Syrian
state news agency SANA said “President Assad thanked Egypt for this position,
which reflects the fraternal relations that bind the two brotherly countries.”
Condolences
have poured in and dozens of nations have offered aid since the pre-dawn
earthquake that wiped out entire sections of cities in both Turkey and Syria.
The
Egyptian and Syrian foreign ministers spoke on the phone on Monday, with Cairo
promising “emergency humanitarian aid,” according to an Egyptian statement.
While
Egyptian state media noted the presidents’ call was their first since Sisi
assumed office in 2014, the two countries have maintained relations during
Syria’s 12-year war, unlike some other Arab countries who severed ties with
Damascus.
The
conflict in Syria was triggered by demonstrations in 2011 in the wake of the
Arab Spring revolts across the region, which in Egypt toppled President Hosni
Mubarak.
That
same year, Syria was suspended from the Arab League.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syrian
Red Crescent appeals to Western countries for aid after devastating earthquake
07
February ,2023
The
Syrian Red Crescent on Tuesday appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions
and provide aid after a powerful earthquake has killed more than 1,600 people
across the war-torn country.
The
7.8-magnitude quake early Monday, which has also killed thousands in
neighboring Turkey, led to widespread destruction in both regime-controlled and
Syrian opposition-held parts of Syria.
After
more than a decade of war, President Bashar al-Assad’s government remains a
pariah in the West, complicating international efforts to assist those affected
by the quake.
Khaled
Haboubati, head of the Syrian Red Crescent, urged on Tuesday “all European
Union countries to lift economic sanctions on Syria.”
“The
time has come after this earthquake,” Haboubati, whose organization is based in
government-held areas, told a press conference broadcast by Syrian state TV.
His
call echoes a similar plea by Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who on
Monday said the government was ready to “provide all the required facilities”
to receive humanitarian assistance.
Despite
the sanctions, government-controlled parts of the country receive aid through
United Nations agencies, many of which have headquarters in Damascus.
Syrian
state media and rescuers said at least 1,602 people have died in the earthquake
and more than 3,600 have been injured across the country.
The
Red Crescent has dispatched 3,000 volunteers, Haboubati said.
“I
appeal to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide
assistance to the Syrian people,” he added.
The
Syrian government’s main allies Iran and Russia have expressed willingness to
send aid.
The
White House and the European Commission both said on Monday that humanitarian
programs supported by them were responding to the destruction in Syria.
More
than a decade of conflict and years of economic sanctions have devastated
Syria’s economy and its ability to respond to large-scale disasters.
The
war has killed nearly half a million people and forced around half of the
country’s pre-war population from their homes, with many seeking refuge in
Turkey.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Qatar
to send 10,000 mobile homes for quake victims in Syria, Türkiye
Ahmed
Youssef
07.02.2023
DOHA,
Qatar
Qatar
said Tuesday it will send 10,000 mobile homes to Türkiye and Syria after the violent
earthquakes that struck the two countries.
A
statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the move “is part of Qatari
efforts to contribute to relieving the quake-affected people in Syria and
Türkiye.”
On
Monday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ordered the launch of an
airlift to help quake victims in Türkiye.
State
news agency QNA said a rescue team, a field hospital, relief aid, tents and
winter supplies will also be dispatched to the country.
A
magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province early
Monday and another magnitude 7.6 quake hit the same area in the afternoon,
killing at least 3,432 people and injuring 21,103 others, according to the
country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Hezbollah
sends aid convoys to quake-hit Syria, decries US-led sanctions
08
February 2023
The
Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says it has sent convoys of humanitarian
aid to earthquake-affected areas in Syria in the wake of a devastating
earthquake that struck the Arab country amid crippling Western sanctions.
Hezbollah
Deputy Secretary General Sheikh NaimQassem told Lebanon’s Arabic-language
al-Manar television network on Tuesday that countries around the world must
rush to send rescue workers, equipment and aid to help victims of the
earthquake.
He
offered his condolences to the Syrian nation and government, saying Hezbollah
has dispatched convoys of humanitarian aid to quake-hit areas.
A
devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and
northwestern Syria early Monday, killing and injuring thousands of people and
reducing many buildings to rubble.
Rescue
workers are still working in freezing temperatures to find those still trapped
under debris with the latest death toll nearing 8,400.
The
huge earthquake brought down whole apartment blocks in Turkish cities and piled
more devastation on millions of Syrians displaced by years of war.
Sheikh
Qassem argued that US sanctions, backed by most Arab countries, are hampering
relief and rescue operations, adding that the coercive measures run contrary to
the fundamental humanitarian principles.
The
top Hezbollah official stressed that the West must realize that Syrians are all
united in the fight against Takfiri militant groups and that the nation will
not accept any foreign diktats.
He
also underscored that Hezbollah stands by the side of Syria and Turkey in the aftermath
of the tragic incident.
Earlier
on Tuesday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) called on the United States and
the European Union to lift the siege and economic sanctions against Syria,
which are severely hampering relief work in quake-stricken areas of the
country.
Foreign
Minister Faisal Mekdad has also highlighted Syria’s need for humanitarian
assistance after the earthquake, warning that US sanctions have worsened the
circumstances as the illegal bans have prevented the delivery of everything to
the country.
“What
exacerbated the tragedy and catastrophe was the sanctions imposed by the United
States and Western countries on Syria,” Mekdad said on Tuesday.
“While
Americans claim they did not impose sanctions on humanitarian aid, we tell them
that your sanctions prevent everything from Syria, including the purchase of
medicines, just as Washington and its Western allies give orders to some
countries, and threaten them with sanctions if they deal with Syria or any
Syrian banks,” he added.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mideast
Israel
steps up Jerusalem home demolitions as violence rises
February
08, 2023
JERUSALEM:
RatibMatar’s family was growing. They needed more space.
Before
his granddaughters, now 4 and 5, were born, he built three apartments on an
eastern slope overlooking Jerusalem’s ancient landscape. The 50-year-old
construction contractor moved in with his brother, son, divorced daughter and
their young kids — 11 people in all, plus a few geese.
But
Matar was never at ease. At any moment, the Israeli code-enforcement officers
could knock on his door and take everything away.
That
moment came on Jan. 29, days after a Palestinian gunman killed seven people in
east Jerusalem, the deadliest attack in the contested capital since 2008.
Israel’s new far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called not
only for the sealing of the assailant’s family home, but also the immediate
demolition of dozens of Palestinian homes built without permits in east
Jerusalem, among other punitive steps.
Mere
hours after Ben-Gvir’s comments, the first bulldozers rumbled into Matar’s
neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.
For
many Palestinians, the gathering pace of home demolitions is part of the new
ultranationalist government’s broader battle for control of east Jerusalem,
captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians as
the capital of a future independent state.
The
battle is waged with building permits and demolition orders — and it is one the
Palestinians feel they cannot win. Israel says it is simply enforcing building
regulations.
“Our
construction is under siege from Israel,” Matar said. His brothers and sons
lingered beside the ruins of their home, drinking bitter coffee and receiving
visitors as though in mourning. “We try really hard to build, but in vain,” he
said.
Last
month, Israel demolished 39 Palestinian homes, structures and businesses in
east Jerusalem, displacing over 50 people, according to the United Nations.
That was more than a quarter of the total number of demolitions in 2022.
Ben-Gvir posted a photo on Twitter of the bulldozers clawing at Matar’s home.
“We
will fight terrorism with all the means at our disposal,” he wrote, though
Matar’s home had nothing to do with the Palestinian shooting attacks.
Most
Palestinian apartments in east Jerusalem were built without hard-to-get
permits. A 2017 study by the UN described it as “virtually impossible” to
secure them.
The
Israeli municipality allocates scant land for Palestinian development, the
report said, while facilitating the expansion of Israeli settlements. Little
Palestinian property was registered before Israel annexed east Jerusalem in
1967, a move not internationally recognized.
Matar
said the city rejected his building permit application twice because his area
is not zoned for residential development. He’s now trying a third time.
The
penalty for unauthorized building is often demolition. If families don’t tear
their houses down themselves, the government charges them for the job. Matar is
dreading his bill — he knows neighbors who paid over $20,000 to have their
houses razed.
Now
homeless, Matar and his family are staying with relatives. He vows to build
again on land he inherited from his grandparents, though he has no faith in the
Israeli legal system.
“They
don’t want a single Palestinian in all of Jerusalem,” Matar said. Uphill, in
the heart of his neighborhood, Israeli flags fluttered from dozens of
apartments recently built for religious Jews.
Since
1967, the government has built 58,000 homes for Israelis in the eastern part of
the city, and fewer than 600 for Palestinians, said Daniel Seidemann, an
Israeli lawyer specializing in the geopolitics of Jerusalem, citing the
government’s statistics bureau and his own analysis. In that time, the city’s
Palestinian population has soared by 400 percent.
“The
planning regime is dictated by the calculus of national struggle,” Seidemann
said.
Israel’s
city plans show state parks encircling the Old City, with some 60 percent of
Jabal Mukaber zoned as green space, off-limits to Palestinian development. At
least 20,000 Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem are now slated for demolition,
watchdogs say.
Matar
and his neighbors face an agonizing choice: Build illegally and live under
constant threat of demolition, or leave their birthplace for the occupied West
Bank, sacrificing Jerusalem residency rights that allow them to work and travel
relatively freely throughout Israel.
While
there are no reliable figures for permit approvals, the Israeli municipality
set aside just over 7 percent of its 21,000 housing plans for Palestinian homes
in 2019, reported IrAmim, an anti-settlement advocacy group. Palestinians are
nearly 40 percent of the city’s roughly 1 million people.
“This
is the purpose of this policy,” said Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at IrAmim.
“Palestinians are forced to leave Jerusalem.”
Arieh
King, a Jerusalem deputy mayor and settler leader, acknowledged that
demolitions help Israel entrench control over east Jerusalem, home to the
city’s most important religious sites.
“It’s
part of enforcing sovereignty,” King said. “I’m happy that at last we have a
minister that understands,” he added, referring to Ben-Gvir.
Ben-Gvir
is now pushing for the destruction of an apartment tower housing 100 people.
Trying to lower tensions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed the
eviction that was planned for Tuesday, Israeli media reported.
King
contended it was possible for Palestinians to secure permits and accused them
of building without authorization to avoid an expensive bureaucracy.
When
the Al-Abasi family in east Jerusalem found a demolition order plastered on
their new breeze-block home last month, they contemplated their options. The
government had knocked down their last apartment, built on the same lot, eight
years ago. This time, Jaafar Al-Abasi decided, he would tear it down himself.
Al-Abasi
hired a tractor and invited his relatives and neighbors to join. The
destruction took three days, with breaks for hummus and soda. His three sons
borrowed pickaxes and jackhammers, angrily hacking away at the walls they had
decorated with colored plates just last month.
“This
place is like a ticking time bomb,” said his brother in law, 48-year-old
Mustafa Samhouri, who helped them out.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2247031/middle-east
--------
'Waiting
for our dead': Anger builds at Turkey's earthquake response
Feb
8, 2023
GAZIANTEP:
With every passing moment, Ebru Firat knows the chances dim of finding her
cousin alive under the rubble of a flattened building in the southern Turkish
city of Gaziantep.
And
with that fading hope, the 23-year-old's grief is being replaced by rage at the
government's earthquake response.
Monday's
7.8-magnitude pre-dawn tremor killed more than 7,800 people across swathes of
Turkey and Syria, injured tens of thousands and left many more without shelter
in the winter cold.
"I
have no more tears left to cry," she said.
Despite
the importance of every minute, no rescue team arrived at the scene in the
critical first 12 hours after the disaster, forcing victims' relatives and
local police to clear the ruins by hand, witnesses said.
And
when the rescuers finally came on Monday evening, they only worked for a few
hours before breaking for the night, residents told AFP.
"People
revolted (on Tuesday) morning. The police had to intervene," said Celal
Deniz, 61, whose brother and nephews remain trapped.
In
the miserable cold, Deniz and his relatives try to warm themselves around a
fire they lit in the open air, not too far from the destroyed building.
"There
isn't anywhere that our rescuers cannot reach," Turkey's Red Crescent
chief KeremKinik declared in a TV interview.
But
Deniz disagreed.
"They
don't know what the people have gone through," he said.
"Where
have all our taxes gone, collected since 1999?" he asked, referring to a
levy dubbed "the earthquake tax" that was implemented after a massive
earthquake destroyed large parts of northwestern Turkey and killed 17,400
people.
The
revenues -- now estimated to be worth 88 billion liras, or $4.6 billion -- were
meant to have been spent on disaster prevention and the development of
emergency services.
But
how this money was actually spent is not publicly known.
If
there aren't enough rescuers, volunteers say they will have to step in and do
the hard work themselves.
"We
go to places to help people who were originally supposed to be rescued by the
Red Crescent, but where no help comes," said CerenSoylu, a member of a
volunteer group set up by the right-wing opposition Iyi Party.
The
Iyi Party's presence on the ground delivers a warning to President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan -- whose chances of extending his rule into a third decade in May
elections could hinge on his handling of Turkey's worst disaster in decades.
In
Gaziantep, where violent aftershocks rumble on, residents lack almost
everything. Shops are closed, there is no heat because gas lines have been cut
to avoid explosions, and finding petrol is tough.
Only
bakeries remain open, drawing long queues.
Some
of the worst damage in Gaziantep's eponymous province took place in the most
remote districts, where hundreds of buildings have collapsed.
"The
roads have been partly destroyed, it's very difficult to bring aid to these
areas," said GokhanGungor, a cook who volunteered to distribute food to
survivors.
"People
lack water and food there," he said.
Many
survivors are feeling abandoned as they also battle cold weather, especially
since many rushed outside without even having time to put on shoes when the
quake struck.
On
Tuesday afternoon, rescuers and search dogs were deployed again.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
unveils underground base for fighter jets
February
8, 2023
TEHRAN:
Iran’s army on Tuesday unveiled its first underground base for fighter jets
designed to withstand possible strikes by US bunker-busting bombs, state media
reported.
The
base — named Oghab 44 (“Eagle” in Persian) — can accommodate “all types of
fighter jets and bombers, in addition to drones”, the official news agency IRNA
said, released images and videos from inside the base.
IRNA
said it was one of the country’s most important air force bases, housing
fighters equipped with long-range cruise missiles.
The
exact location of the base was not revealed, but state media said it was “at
the depth of hundreds of metres under the
mountains“,
and capable of withstanding “bombs by strategic US bombers”.
Subterranean
facility made to repel attacks by US ‘bunker busters’
The
latest unveiling comes the day before Iran marks Air Force Day, part of the
build-up to the 44th anniversary on Saturday of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
State
media on Tuesday showed Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General
Mohammad Bagheri and the army’s commander-in-chief Major General Abdolrahim
Mousavi at the newly established base.
Oghab
44 is “one of numerous tactical underground air bases for the army’s air force
built in different areas of the country in recent years”, IRNA reported.
According
to Press TV, Mr Mousavi, while speaking at the ceremony, said Oqab-44 is one of
the “combined” bases of the IRIAF, meaning both manned and unmanned aircraft
carry out missions from the tactical base.
Stressing
that the IRIAF’s “equipment has been upgraded from tactical to strategic in
accordance with the threats and type of missions,” Mousavi said the new weapons
and equipment installed on the fighters are state-of-the-art and projected for
possible engagement with strategic targets.
It
can prepare fighter jets to “counter possible offensives” such as those
practised by the US and Israel in their recent military drill, according to
state media.
“Any
attack on Iran from our enemies, including Israel, will see a response from our
many air force bases including Eagle 44,” Mr Bagheri told state TV.
On
the sidelines of the unveiling ceremony, the long-range air-launched cruise
missile ‘Asef’ was also showcased, Press TV reported.
The
missile is equipped with a warhead that features a high destructive and
explosive power and can destroy heavy fortifications.
The
Asef missile, which is manufactured by Iranian experts, is mounted on the
Sukhoi 24 fighter jet.
Iran
has mostly Russian MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets that date back to the Soviet
era, as well as some Chinese aircraft, including the F-7.
Some
American F-4 and F-5 fighter jets dating back to before the revolution are also
part of its fleet.
Similarly,
in May last year, the Iranian army had shared some details of an underground
base for its military drones.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735990/iran-unveils-underground-base-for-fighter-jets
--------
Iran
Celebrates Space Technology Day by Unveiling 2 Home-Made Satellites
2023-February-7
Iranian
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Issa Zarepour and
President of Iranian Space Agency Hassan Salarieh were present in the unveiling
ceremony in Tehran
The
prototype of the Nahid-2 and the Tolou-3 satellites have been unveiled during
the ceremony.
Nahid
2 is a communication technology satellite which is equipped with a thruster
(spacecraft) capable of conducting orbital modifications. Its development has
been considered as an important step in Iran’s efforts to manufacture low earth
orbit communication satellite systems.
Tolou
(Dawn) is a sensing satellite which can take images with an accuracy of 25
square meters from a distance of 500 km above the earth.
Iran
has taken giant strides in the field of science of technology in recent years,
despite US sanctions.
In
early June, the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) announced that work was underway to
prepare seven more satellites for launch into the orbit.
Iranian
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi has stressed continued efforts to further
advance space technology.
“The
obtainment of this technology is among the manifestations of national might,
which was made possible with the efforts of the Armed Forces - specially the
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Communications Ministry - and
which must continue with greater force,” he noted in mid-March.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Security
Chief Lauds Deep-Rooted Relations Between Iran, Russia
2023-February-7
Shamkhani
arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for the fifth regional security dialogue on
Afghanistan that is scheduled to be held in the Russian capital on Wednesday.
Upon
arrival, the top official described the relations between Iran and Russia in
different fields including economy, defense, security, science and technology
as growing faster than ever.
He
noted that it was necessary to review the roadmap drawn up by the two
countries’ top officials for strengthening bilateral cooperation over the next
two decades.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Shamkhani stated the participants at the regional security
dialogue meeting would discuss the latest political, economic and security
developments in Afghanistan.
Iran’s
top security official added that the problems of the Afghan people are rooted
in the ineffectiveness of the occupying forces and the post-occupation
incidents.
The
ways to settle issues in the war-stricken country would be discussed in the
Moscow meeting, given the fact that “Afghanistan can become a crisis point in
the region”, he continued.
Looking
at all regional countries hit by foreign intervention, he went on, one can see
that the problems in those countries are caused by two central issues, namely
“creating discord within them and preventing the resolution of regional crises
by the countries of the region themselves".
He
further emphasized that extra-regional powers are the ones sowing discord in
regional countries and interfering in their internal affairs in an attempt to
limit their power to solve regional crises.
Since
Tehran and Moscow enjoy common interests in economic, military and security
affairs as well as friendly relationship pursue common policies on regional and
international developments especially when it comes to taking stances in the
face of the United States’ unilateral and interventionist strategies.
Iranian
officials say Tehran and Moscow, both subjected to tough economic sanctions by
the Western countries, are determined to deepen their economic cooperation,
adding that there are great capacities for increasing the volume of bilateral
trade.
Several
officials in Tehran and Moscow have repeatedly accused the United States of
using the dollar as an instrument to wage economic and political war. Iranian
and Russian officials have touched on the policy to replace the dollar with
national currencies, and use other currencies in place of the dollar, and
stress that the dollar should be gradually ditched from global transactions.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011118000612/Secriy-Chief-Lads-Deep-Red-Relains-Beween-Iran-Rssia
--------
Iran
Categorically Denies WSJ Report over Drone Production with Russia as Sheer Lie
2023-February-7
“Iran
does not participate in any independent or joint project for production of
drones in Russia,” Nour News said in a tweet, adding, “Reports by Western media
in this regard are sheer lies.”
“Western
strategists had better find more believable excuses for the continuation of the
war of attrition in Ukraine,” it noted.
On
Sunday, The WSJ newspaper cited unnamed "officials from a country aligned
with the US" as saying that Moscow and Tehran have advanced plans to build
an Iranian-designed factory in Russia to produce at least 6,000 combat UAVs.
"The
two countries are aiming to build a faster drone that could pose new challenges
for Ukrainian air defenses," the daily reported, citing officials.
Kremlin
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also said Moscow has its own programs for the
production of drones.
“Russia
has a number of its own programs to create unmanned aerial vehicles for a
variety of purposes. These programs are being implemented. You know that a list
of presidential instructions was recently adopted, signed and made public on
the development of the unmanned aerial vehicles area,” he told reporters, commenting
on the report.
“Therefore,
we have our own development programs,” the spokesperson added.
Peskov
stated that he did not know what sources the paper relied on.
Kiev
and its Western allies have repeatedly claimed that Tehran has provided Russia
with arms to be used in the war in Ukraine.
Iranian
officials have repeatedly rejected claims about Tehran's arms sales to Russia
to be used in the ongoing war against Ukraine, stressing such allegations are
aimed at legitimizing the West's military assistance to Kiev.
They
reiterated that Tehran will not help either side in the Russia-Ukraine crisis,
and cautioned that arming Moscow or Kyiv will prolong the conflict between the
two neighbors.
In
Late February, President Vladimir Putin stated in response to a request by the
heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special
military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of
occupying Ukrainian territories.
The
US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states have imposed sanctions against
Russian legal entities and individuals. They also increased supplies of weapons
to the Ukrainian authorities. Russia has officially become the most sanctioned
country in the world, surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, after launching a
military operation against Ukraine.
Back
in September, Iranian PresdientSeyed Ebrahim Rayeesi cautioned that the
expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a serious threat
to the stability and security of nations.
The
Iranian president described NATO's expansionist policies as one of the causes
of insecurity in different parts of the world and stated, "As foreign
policy thinkers, advise politicians and statesmen so that the people of
different parts of the world do not bear the cost of their mistakes".
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Chinese
earthquake rescue team arrives in Turkey
08
February ,2023
An
earthquake rescue team dispatched by China’s government arrived in Turkey’s
Adana Airport early on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.
The
team, comprised of 82 members, brought 20 tonnes of medical and other rescue
supplies and equipment, as well as four search-and-rescue dogs, according to
CCTV.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ukraine
says sending 87 rescuers to Turkey after earthquake
07
February ,2023
Ukraine
said Tuesday that it would send a team of several dozen rescue workers to
Turkey after an earthquake left thousands dead there and in neighboring Syria.
Kyiv
will send “to the republic of Turkey a combined search-and-rescue team of the
State Emergency Service consisting of 87 people,” including 10 flight crew
members, according to Ukraine’s government website.
Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and “expressed condolences over the horrific tragedy that befell the
people of Turkey due to the earthquakes.”
“I
informed him of the decision to send a group of rescuers and equipment from
Ukraine to Turkey to help in overcoming the aftermath of the emergency,”
Zelensky said on social media.
“Ukrainian
specialists have relevant experience in overcoming the consequences of natural
disasters and will arrive in the affected regions as soon as possible,” he
added.
Close
to both Kyiv and Moscow, Turkey has acted as mediator between them since Russia
invaded Ukraine in February last year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
president conveys condolences over deadly earthquakes in Türkiye
Diyar
Guldogan
07.02.2023
Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday conveyed his condolences to Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a day after powerful and deadly earthquakes hit southern
Türkiye.
In
a phone call with Erdogan, Raisi expressed his sympathy on the death of
hundreds of people and wished recovery for the injured, Türkiye's
Communications Directorate said in a statement.
At
least 3,549 people were killed and 22,168 others injured in 10 provinces of
Türkiye after two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southern part of the
country.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinians
perform prayers for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Syria
Abdelraouf
Arnaout
06.02.2023
JERUSALEM
Palestinians
performed prayers at East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday for the victims
of a powerful earthquake that killed hundreds in Türkiye and Syria.
According
to an Anadolu reporter, hundreds of worshippers took part in the prayers.
A
7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Türkiye early Monday, killing at
least 1,014 people and injuring 5,385 others, according to the country’s
Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
At
least 592 people were also killed and hundreds injured in Syria from the quake,
according to figures from the Syrian regime's Health Ministry and Syrian Civil
Defense.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Tunisia
president fires foreign minister amid political crisis
07
February ,2023
Tunisian
President Kais Saied on Tuesday fired the country’s top diplomat – the fourth
minister to lose his post this year in the politically divided nation.
Nabil
Ammar, Tunisia’s ambassador to the European Union, will replace Othman Jerandi
as foreign minister, the presidency said in a statement on its official
website, without providing a reason for the move.
Saied
has already replaced his trade, agriculture and education ministers this year,
but Jerandi, who had served as foreign minister since September 2020, is the
most senior official to lose his post.
Deepening
political divisions have wracked Tunisia since Saied launched a dramatic power
grab in July 2021.
He
sacked the government, froze parliament and seized far-reaching executive
powers, pushing through a new constitution in a referendum in July last year
that defanged the parliament and installed a hyper-presidential system.
Tunisia
has faced mounting economic woes in recent months, with repeated strikes by
teachers and transportation workers along with shortages of basic goods,
including milk.
Just
11.4 percent of Tunisians turned out for a second round of voting in January
for the now toothless legislature after opposition parties called for a
boycott.
The
public discontent has put growing pressure on Saied, whose critics have accused
him of launching a “coup” in the birthplace of the pro-democracy Arab Spring
uprisings.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia’s
Lavrov vows aid for West Africa’s extremist fight
February
07, 2023
BAMAKO:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday promised the Kremlin’s help
for states in West Africa’s Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea which are facing a
ruthless extremist insurgency.
“The
fight against terrorism is of course an issue for the other countries in the
region,” Lavrov said during a visit to Mali, which Russia is already helping
militarily.
“We
are going to provide our assistance to them to overcome these difficulties.
This concerns Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad and the Sahel region generally and
even the coastal states on the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
Lavrov
made the remarks at a press conference during a visit to Bamako that the
Russian envoy described as a “historic” first.
Since
seizing power in 2020, Mali’s ruling junta has brought in Russian planes,
helicopters and paramilitaries to strengthen its fight against extremist
militants.
The
closer ties with the Kremlin have coincided with the departure of France, the
country’s former colony and traditional ally, which says the Russian operatives
are Wagner mercenaries.
Human
Rights Watch (HRW) and the UN have implicated Wagner and the Malian army in an
alleged massacre at Moura in central Mali last March in which several hundred
people were rounded up and killed.
The
landlocked state is the epicenter of an extremist insurgency that began in
northern Mali in 2012 and spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
Thousands
of civilians have died across the three countries, and millions have fled their
homes.
Discontent
within the military in Mali and Burkina has spurred two coups in both
countries.
Sporadic
cross-border attacks have also taken place in Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast in
recent years, spurring fears that the extremists are seeking to push southwards
to the Gulf of Guinea.
France
wound down its long-running military presence in Mali in the face of mounting
hostility with the junta and pulled out its last troops in 2022.
Similar
tensions have recently broken out between France and Burkina Faso. The French
military contingent there, a unit of special forces numbering around 400 men,
is to be withdrawn this month.
Lavrov
promised Mali further military support and declared Russia’s wider backing for
Africa in the face of what he described as the West’s “neo-colonial approach.”
“We
are going to provide our support for resolving problems on the African
continent,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246601/world
--------
North
America
US
man convicted of aiding Daesh as sniper, trainer
February
08, 2023
NEW
YORK: A former New York stockbroker-turned-Daesh group militant was convicted
Tuesday of becoming a sniper and trainer for the extremist group during its
brutal reign in Syria and Iraq.
The
trial of Ruslan MaratovichAsainov, a Kazakh-born US citizen, was the latest in
a series of cases against people accused of leaving their homelands around the
world to join the militants in combat.
“Today’s
verdict in an American courtroom is a victory for our system of justice” and
against the Daesh group, Brooklyn-based US Attorney Breon Peace said in a
statement. Asainov’s lawyers had no immediate comment.
A
onetime broker who doted on his toddler daughter, Asainov converted to Islam
around 2009 and later quit his job and started watching radical sermons online,
his ex-wife testified. He abruptly left his family in Brooklyn in December 2013
and made his way to Syria as IS stormed to power.
In
a case built largely on Asainov’s own words in messaging apps, emails, recorded
phone calls and an FBI interview, prosecutors said he fought in numerous battles
and built a notable profile in IS by becoming a sniper and later an instructor
of nearly 100 other long-range shooters.
“The
evidence has shown that people died as a result of the defendant’s conduct. It
is time to hold him accountable,” prosecutor Douglas Pravda told a Brooklyn
federal court jury in a closing argument.
Asainov,
46, didn’t testify, telling the court he was “not part of this process.”
His
lawyers didn’t dispute that he went to Syria and affiliated with the Daesh
group, but they argued that his accounts of his role were boasts that had no
firsthand corroboration and didn’t prove anyone died because of his conduct.
“Nobody’s
arguing to you that Mr. Asainov’s view of the world is not a very warped view,”
defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said in her summation, asking the jury “not to
confuse his views with what is needed to convict him beyond a reasonable
doubt.”
“There’s
not a single piece of paper that ties Mr. Asainov to anything in the Daesh
group that would tell you he, in fact, is the person he claims to be,” she
said.
Jurors,
whose identities were kept confidential, found Asainov guilty of offenses that
include providing and attempting to provide material support to what the US
designates a foreign terrorist organization. The jury also concluded that his
actions caused at least one death, a finding that means he faces the potential
of life in prison. His sentencing is set for June 7.
IS
fighters seized chunks of Iraq and Syria in 2014, sweeping millions of people
into a so-called caliphate ruled according to the group’s iron-fisted
interpretation of Islamic law, enforced through massacres, beheadings, sexual
slavery and other atrocities. The group’s bloody campaign attracted tens of
thousands of foreign fighters; at least scores of them were US citizens,
according to a 2018 academic report from George Washington University’s Program
on Extremism.
Fighting
left a swath of deaths, displacement and destruction in major cities and
beyond. The extremists lost the last remnants of their realm in 2019.
Asainov
was picked up soon after by US-backed forces and turned over to US authorities.
Unabashed as FBI agents questioned him, he gave his occupation as “sniper” and
frankly detailed how he’d taught others, explaining that he could spend three
hours just on the fine points of pulling a trigger, according to video played
at trial.
He
had also been forthcoming in messages and calls from Syria to friends and the
now-ex-wife he’d left behind, according to trial evidence.
“Have
you heard of Daesh? Right. I-S-I-S. Do you watch news on TV? That’s where I am
located. I am one of its fighters,” he told his ex in a voicemail that
authorities translated from Russian. “We are the worst terrorist organization
in the world that ever existed.”
He
sent photos of himself in camouflage garb with a rifle and pictures of the
bloodied bodies of men with whom he said he’d fought. He texted one confidante
— in fact a US government informant — a rundown of prominent battles in which
he said he’d participated and asked for money to buy a night scope for his
rifle.
Later,
with the sounds of explosions in the background of Asainov’s phone, he asked
another friend for money to send his new wife and children to safety as
US-backed forces fought to capture the extremists’ de facto capital of Raqqa in
2017.
Shroff
urged jurors not to take his remarks at face value.
“To
say the same wrong things over and over again does not make them accurate,” she
argued.
After
his arrest, a defiant Asainov declared at his arraignment that he was an “Daesh
citizen, not a United States citizen,” and jail officials said they later found
a hand-drawn version of the militants’ flag in his cell.
He
told his mother on the facility’s recorded phones that her son “doesn’t exist
anymore,” replaced by a man who saw himself as a holy warrior who fought and
killed on divine command, didn’t regret it and would “be fighting until the
end.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246906/world
--------
Omar
hoping Biden speaks ‘about the rise’ in anti-Muslim bigotry in State of the
Union address
BY
OLAFIMIHAN OSHIN
02/07/23
Rep.
Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday said that she hopes President Biden addresses
“the rise and the continuation” of anti-Muslim bigotry in the U.S. in his State
of the Union address.
During
an appearance on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” Omar told guest host Mehdi
Hasan that she thinks bigotry played a large role in her being voted off the
House Foreign Affairs Committee by GOP House members last week, noting that
fellow Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and former President Trump have made
bigoted remarks about Muslim Americans in the past.
“It
precisely has to do with bigotry,” Omar said. “These are people who certainly
don’t believe Muslim immigrants, Somali immigrants, refugees — and certainly
someone who carries all those identities together — should be in the United
States, let alone in Congress and wield any kind of power.”
Omar
also told Hasan that she would like to hear Biden address anti-Muslim bigotry
in his Tuesday night address to Congress, saying that Black immigrants matter
and are a part of American society.
“I
haven’t heard the president been asked or address any of this, and would love
to hear the president of the United States speak about the rise and the
continuation of anti-Muslim bigotry, the demonization of Black immigrants, the
demonization of Black people in this country,” Omar told Hasan.
“We
are humans. We matter. We are part and parcel of American society,” Omar added.
“And our lives should be valued and our opinions should be valued as every
other American.”
Omar
was ousted from the Foreign Affairs Committee by House Republicans last week by
a 218-211 vote.
The
resolution, sponsored by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), listed a number of remarks
Omar made in the past that Republicans said were antisemitic, arguing that the
Minnesota congresswoman disqualified herself from serving on the committee.
When
asked if she blames prominent GOP figures such as Speaker Kevin McCarthy
(R-Calif.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Greene, for the recent attacks and
threats she received, Omar replied that all of them do not “understand the
weight that their language carries” and have no remorse for it.
Source:
TheHill
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistani-American
cop, shot during ‘robbery’ attempt in New York, dies
February
8, 2023
A
Pakistani-American police officer, who was shot last week during a suspected
robbery in New York City, succumbed to his injuries today, a senior official of
the New York Police Department said on Wednesday.
The
officer, AdeedFayaz, 26, was admitted to a New York hospital soon after he was
attacked by the suspected robber during an alleged mugging attempt.
The
police had on Tuesday arrested a suspect, who is a 38-year-old man, and hinted
he could face charges.
The
suspect, Randy Jones, was arrested from a Days Inn hotel 50 miles away from the
crime scene, police officials said. Jones was hiding there with his girlfriend
and five young children following Saturday night’s botched robbery in Brooklyn.
In
a tweet today, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell voiced his grief at the loss,
saying “our department deeply mourns his passing, and his family and loved ones
are in our prayers”.
“Police
officer AdeedFayaz was a father, a husband, a son, and a protector of our great
city,” the commissioner added.
Michael
Baldassano, assistant chief of the NYPD Detective Bureau, had on Sunday told
reporters that the officer, Adeed, was on Ruby Street in East New York on
Saturday at around 7pm trying to buy a car he saw listed on Facebook
Marketplace.
“The
arrangements for this purchase were made over a social media platform, and the
location was selected. The officer arrived at the location accompanied by a
relative,” Baldassano said.
Police
said the suspect displayed a gun and demanded money as soon as he saw Adeed.
The officer was hit in an exchange of gunfire.
Sewell
told reporters that suspect Jones was handcuffed by an NYPD detective with the
cuffs Fayaz used before he was wounded.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
Embassy in Washington DC collects aid materials for earthquake victims
Rabia
İclalTuran
07.02.2023
WASHINGTON
Turkish
Americans and US citizens are sending aid to earthquake victims after two
strong earthquakes jolted southern Türkiye, killing at least 4,544 and leaving
many in need of assistance.
The
Turkish Embassy in Washington DC shared a list of in-kid materials on social
media Monday for those who are willing to help residents in need in Türkiye.
The
materials donated across the US and collected at the embassy include blankets,
tents and winter clothing. They are shipped to Türkiye every night via Turkish
Airlines.
Turks
in the US are working voluntarily at the embassy to help collect and ship aid
to Türkiye.
Turkish
consulates in Miami, Houston, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, are also
collecting materials for quake victims.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Omar
hopes Biden will condemn 'rise’ in anti-Muslim bigotry in US
07
February 2023
US
House Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has expressed hope that the president
addresses “the rise and the continuation” of anti-Muslim bigotry in the United
States.
During
an appearance on Monday on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” Omar told guest
host Mehdi Hasan that she is hoping that US President Joe Biden addresses
growing anti-Muslim bigotry in his upcoming State of the Union speech in
Congress on Tuesday night.
I
think bigotry played a large role in my being voted off the House Foreign
Affairs Committee by GOP House members last week, Omar said, adding that fellow
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and former President Donald Trump have made
bigoted remarks about Muslim Americans in the past.
“It
precisely has to do with bigotry,” Omar noted. “These are people who certainly
don’t believe Muslim immigrants, Somali immigrants, refugees — and certainly
someone who carries all those identities together — should be in the United
States, let alone in Congress and wield any kind of power.”
Omar
also told Hasan that she would like to hear Biden clarify in Congress that
Black immigrants matter and are a part of American society.
“I
haven’t heard the president been asked or address any of this, and would love
to hear the president of the United States speak about the rise and the
continuation of anti-Muslim bigotry, the demonization of Black immigrants, the
demonization of Black people in this country,” Omar told Hasan.
“We
are humans. We matter. We are part and parcel of American society,” Omar
insisted. “And our lives should be valued and our opinions should be valued as
every other American.”
Omar
was ousted from the Foreign Affairs Committee by House Republicans last week by
a 218-211 vote. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), listed a
number of anti-Israeli remarks Omar made in the past that Republicans claimed
were antisemitic, arguing that for this the Minnesota congresswoman
disqualified herself from serving on the committee.
When
asked if she blames prominent GOP figures such as Speaker Kevin McCarthy
(R-Calif.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Greene, for the recent attacks and
threats she received, Omar replied that all of them do not “understand the
weight that their language carries” and have no remorse for it.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
French
magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks Türkiye after two deadly earthquakes
AlaattinDogru
07.02.2023
French
magazine Charlie Hebdo has sparked outrage with a cartoon it published mocking
Türkiye after the country was hit by two deadly earthquakes on Monday.
The
cartoon, shared under the heading "cartoon of the day" on Twitter,
shows collapsed and damaged buildings, a reversed car, and hills of debris.
"Earthquake
in Türkiye," was written on the top right corner of the cartoon.
"(Didn't)
even need to send tanks," it says at the bottom.
Internet
users reacted to the drawing by expressing their frustration and anger.
Charlie
Hebdo is a French satiric magazine also known for its cartoons insulting
Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
At
least 3,419 people were killed and 20,534 others injured in 10 provinces of
Türkiye after two strong earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country,
an official from Türkiye's disaster agency AFAD said Tuesday.
Early
Monday morning, a 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the Pazarcik district of
Kahramanmaras province, then about nine hours later, a 7.6 magnitude quake
centered in Kahramanmaras’ Elbistan district rocked the region, affecting
several other provinces.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Swedish
PM ready to restart Nato membership talks with Turkey
February
7, 2023
TALLINN:
Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said today he was ready to restart
stalled negotiations over Sweden’s application to join Nato as soon as Turkey
was.
Finland
and Sweden sought Nato membership shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
last year, and while most member states have ratified the applications, Turkey
has yet to give its approval in what must be a unanimous process.
The
three nations last year reached an agreement on a way forward, but Ankara
suspended talks last month as tensions rose following protests in Stockholm,
where a far-right politician burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
“The
first thing we need to do is calm down the situation. It is hard to have good
talks when things are literally burning around you,” Kristersson told a news
conference during a visit to Estonia’s capital.
He
said preconditions for restarting talks were good, but that with Turkish
elections due in May, it was understandable Turkey was focused on domestic
policy.
“As
soon as they are prepared (for talks), we are obviously prepared,” Kristersson
said.
Turkey
last week said it looks positively on Finland’s application, but does not
support Sweden’s, even though the two Nordic neighbours are seeking to join at
the same time.
Finnish
president SauliNiinisto today said he hoped Finland and Sweden would soon
become members.
“The
goal is to be accepted as soon as possible, both Finland and Sweden,” Niinisto
told a joint news conference in Helsinki with Canada’s visiting
governor-general.
Finland
and Sweden are progressing in full “co-understanding” and remain in close
contact with Nato’s headquarters, the White House and Turkey, Niinisto said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Germany
says Russia must pressure Syria into ensuring quake aid arrives
07
February ,2023
German
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday called on Russia to help pressure
Syria into allowing humanitarian aid into the country for victims of Monday’s
deadly earthquakes quickly and without additional obstacles.
“All
international actors, including Russia, should exert their pressure on the
Syrian regime to ensure humanitarian help for victims can arrive,” said
Baerbock during a news conference in Berlin with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat
Mirsojan.
“It’s
important that weapons are now set aside and all efforts in the region are
focused on humanitarian aid and on recovering and protecting victims,” said
Baerbock, adding that every minute counted.
With
a confirmed death toll in Syria already above 1,600, rescue workers from across
the frozen front lines of the country’s 12-year civil war have said that
hundreds more people likely remain under the rubble.
AdelheidMarschang,
a WHO Senior Emergency Officer, said on Tuesday that Syria was in need of
massive humanitarian aid after the quake, which was “a crisis on top of
multiple crises.”
Aid
to Syria, with which Germany has no official relations, is being sent via
international non-governmental organizations.
Baerbock
announced that an additional million euros would be provided to the Malteser
International aid group and that Germany was working to make more money
available to other international non-governmental organizations in the country.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
WHO:
Turkiye, Syria quake could affect up to 23 million people
February
07, 2023
GENEVA:
Up to 23 million people could be affected by the massive earthquake that has
killed thousands in Turkiye and Syria, the WHO warned on Tuesday, promising
long-term assistance.
“Event
overview maps show that potentially 23 million people are exposed, including
around five million vulnerable populations,” the World Health Organization’s
senior emergencies officer AdelheidMarschang said.
“Civilian
infrastructure and potentially health infrastructure have been damaged across
the affected region, mainly in Turkiye and northwest Syria,” she said.
The
WHO “considers that the main unmet needs may be in Syria in the immediate and
mid-term,” Marschang told the WHO’s executive committee in Geneva.
She
spoke as rescuers in Turkiye and Syria braved freezing cold, aftershocks and
collapsing buildings, as they dug for survivors buried by a string of
earthquakes that killed more than 5,000 people.
“It
is now a race against time,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
explaining that the UN health agency was urgently sending aid to the area.
“We’re
mobilizing emergency supplies and we have activated the WHO network of
emergency medical teams to provide essential health care for the injured and
most vulnerable.”
Disaster
agencies said several thousand buildings were flattened in cities across a vast
Turkiye-Syria border region — pouring misery on an area already plagued by war,
insurgency, refugee crises and a recent cholera outbreak.
Through
the night, survivors used their bare hands to pick over the twisted ruins of
multi-story apartment blocks — trying to save family, friends and anyone else
sleeping inside when the first massive 7.8-magnitude quake struck early Monday.
The
situation is particularly dire in northern Syria, which has already been
decimated by years of war.
“The
movement of aid through the border into northwest Syria is likely to be or is
already disrupted due to the damage caused by the earthquake,” Marschang said.
“This
in itself would be a huge crisis already.”
She
addressed a special meeting on the tragedy, which held a minute’s silence for
the victims.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246376/middle-east
--------
UK
charity Penny Appeal working to provide aid for victims of Turkiye earthquakes
February
08, 2023
LONDON:
British charity Penny Appeal said on Tuesday it is liaising with partner
organizations that are working in the areas hit by the devastating earthquake
in Turkiye on Monday to provide aid for those worst affected by the disaster.
“Penny
Appeal will be working with its partners on the ground to support the affected
communities and provide much-needed assistance to the victims of this
calamity,” the Yorkshire-based charity said.
“This
will include those who have lost their homes, who have lost family members and
who have no means of obtaining food, water or medicines.”
Charitable
organizations in many countries have quickly mobilized to send aid and deploy
rescue teams after the earthquakes and aftershocks, which killed more than
7,200 people. The initial magnitude 7.8 quake and a series of strong
aftershocks cut a swath of destruction across hundreds of miles of southeastern
Turkiye and northern Syria. They toppled thousands of buildings, heaping more
misery on a region already suffering as a result of the 12-year civil war in
Syria and the resultant refugee crisis.
“The
initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the city of Gaziantep in
Turkiye has been reported as the worst earthquake to hit the region in a
century,” Penny Appeal said.
“This
earthquake that caused hundreds of deaths and widespread damage was followed by
a 7.5 magnitude earthquake reported to have caused further deaths and
destruction across the Elbistan district of Turkiye’sKahramanmaras province.
“The
third earthquake, of 6.0 magnitude, followed within hours of the first, causing
complete havoc and despair for communities across Turkiye and Syria, leaving
thousands injured and many more expected deaths.”
The
charity added that its partners on the ground “are working closely with the
local authorities and other aid agencies to coordinate their relief efforts and
ensure that aid reaches those who need it most.”
Ahmad
Boston, director of marketing and communications at Penny Appeal, said: “The
victims of the earthquake in Turkiye desperately need our help.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246911/world
--------
UK
accuses Syrian president of rebuilding chemical weapon stockpile
February
08, 2023
NEW
YORK CITY: The UK on Tuesday accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of
restocking his regime’s arsenal of chemical weapons for at least the past five
years.
Barbara
Woodward, Britain’s permanent representative to the UN, told the Security
Council that her country is “gravely concerned that the Assad regime has been
working actively to rebuild its chemical weapons stockpile since at least 2018,
in flagrant violation of its obligations (under) the Chemical Weapons
Convention.”
Her
allegation came during a meeting of the council to discuss the implementation
of Resolution 2118. It followed a recent report by the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the watchdog responsible for implementing the
CWC, that concluded there is enough evidence to conclude that a chemical attack
on the city of Douma in April 2018 was carried out by the Syrian Arab Air
Force.
Resolution
2118 was unanimously adopted in September 2013 following a UN investigation
that confirmed the use of chemical weapons against civilians during an attack
in a suburb of Damascus.
It
ordered the Syrian regime to destroy its stockpiles of chemical weapons by
mid-2014, and set out punitive measures to be imposed in the event of
non-compliance. It also banned Syria from using, developing, producing,
acquiring, stockpiling or retaining chemical weapons, or transferring them to
other states or non-state actors.
In
October 2013, Syria submitted to the OPCW a formal initial declaration of its
chemical weapons program, including a plan for destroying its stockpiles.
Fernando
Arias, the director general of the OPCW on Tuesday briefed the council on the
latest report by the organization’s Investigation and Identification Team. He
said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe the Syrian Arab Air Force was
responsible for the chemical attack on Douma five years ago.
The
IIT, which is responsible for identifying the perpetrators of such attacks in
Syria, concluded that on the evening of April 7, 2018, at least one helicopter
belonging to the Syrian army’s elite Tiger Forces division dropped two yellow
canisters filled with toxic chlorine gas onto two residential buildings in the
city.
The
attack resulted in the confirmed deaths of 43 named civilians. Some estimates
put the true toll at 50. At least 100 people were injured.
Now
that the world knows the facts, Arias added, it is up to the international
community to take appropriate action.
The
IIT said it reached its conclusions about the identity of the perpetrators on
the basis of “reasonable grounds,” the standard of proof consistently adopted
by international fact-finding bodies and commissions of inquiry.
According
to the report, the third published by the team, investigators, analysts and
several external independent experts scrutinized physical evidence collected
from the scene of the attack, which included environmental and biomedical
samples, witness statements and other verified data such as forensic analyses
and satellite images.
“The
IIT considered a range of possible scenarios and tested their validity against
the evidence they gathered and analyzed to reach their conclusion: That the
Syrian Arab Air Forces are the perpetrators of this attack,” the OPCW said.
Ambassador
Bonnie Jenkins, the under secretary for arms control and international security
at the US mission to the UN, also expressed concerns about Assad’s efforts to
rebuild his regime’s chemical weapons program.
“It
is not lost on us that many of the Syrian first responders now pulling
civilians from the rubble (after Monday’s Earthquake in neighboring Turkiye)
were, just a few years ago, helping civilians who had been burned or suffocated
by the Assad regime’s chemical weapons,” she told the Security Council.
The
IIT has now identified five separate instances of chemical weapons use it
attributes to the Assad regime, Jenkins said. The latest report notes that
Russian forces were stationed at the base from which the Assad regime
helicopters launched the 2018 attack, she added, and jointly controlled the
airspace over Douma with the Syrian Air Force.
“The
United States and others have also long pointed out the extremely troubling
role of the Russian forces in the aftermath of the attack, when Syrian and
Russian military police denied and delayed OPCW inspectors access to the site,”
Jenkins said.
“In
an effort to set up their own staged investigations, they also attempted to
sanitize the site and remove incriminating evidence of (chemical weapons) use.”
She
added that the OPCW report “puts to rest Russia and Syria’s baseless
allegations that opposition forces were to blame for the Douma attack. The IIT
made clear that it found such a fable lacked any shred of credibility.”
In
common with the majority of council members, Jenkins called for the
perpetrators of the attack to be held accountable, and for the Assad regime to
comply with its international obligations and provide OPCW staff with
“immediate and unfettered” access so that they can continue their
investigations.
However,
Russia’s permanent representative to the UN repeated his country’s claim that
the IIT report is a “hoax.” VassilyNebenzia also again alleged that the work of
OPCW and IIT is biased and politicized.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246876/world
--------
Scotland’s
health secretary drops legal case against nursery for discrimination over
Muslim name
February
07, 2023
LONDON:
Scotland’s health secretary and his wife have dropped a £30,000 ($36,000) legal
case against a nursery they had accused of discriminating against their
daughter due to her Muslim-sounding name.
Humza
Yousaf and Nadia El-Nakla claimed in August 2021 that the Little Scholars day
nursery in the Scottish city of Dundee had refused to give their 2-year-old
daughter a place, while at the same time had taken in children with “white
Scottish-sounding” names.
El-Nakla,
along with one of her white friends, subsequently applied to the nursery using
fictitious applications for children with “white-sounding names,” who were
accepted.
In
a Twitter thread posted by Yousaf and his wife at the time, which laid out
their allegations, the health secretary said: “I cannot tell you how angry I
am.”
The
couple launched legal action following a report from the Care Inspectorate,
which upheld their complaint and found the nursery did not “promote fairness,
equality and respect.” It instructed the nursery to make changes in its
procedures.
The
owner of Little Scholars, Usha Fowdar, who herself is of South Asian origin,
was reported to be “furious” at allegations of discrimination on religious or
ethnic grounds at the time of the complaint.
The
legal representative for Yousaf and El-Nakla, who is one of the most prominent
Muslim politicians in the Scottish National Party, confirmed court proceedings
had ceased, the BBC reported.
“[The
couple] only ever wanted the nursery to accept the findings of the independent
Care Inspectorate investigation and for the nursery to make changes,” Aamer
Anwar said.
“The
nursery owners may wish to say that they were prepared 100 percent to go to
court, but this was a joint agreement reached, and on their acknowledgment of
the findings of an independent investigation and implementing the necessary
changes in full.”
Fowdar
said in a statement on Tuesday: “Whilst we were 100 percent prepared to see Ms
El-Nakla in court, we are extremely pleased that this baseless legal action has
been terminated.
“It
bears repeating that, despite some extremely misleading headlines and spurious
allegations, the Care Inspectorate identified administrative processes for
improvement which had nothing to do with discrimination, because there never
was any discrimination.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246811/world
--------
EU
conference starts with silence honoring losses in Türkiye earthquakes
Agnes
Szucs
07.02.2023
BRUSSELS
By
the request of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the EU diplomatic
service’s conference on disinformation started on Tuesday with a minute of
silence honoring the losses in earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria.
Borrell
started his keynote speech by grieving for the “terrible catastrophe” in Türkiye
and Syria at the European External Action Service conference titled Beyond
Disinformation: EU Responses to the Threat of Foreign Information Manipulation.
“You
have to remember the victims and the brave rescue workers who are still working
around the clock to find the survivors,” Borrell said.
He
called on the audience to start the event with a “minute of silence for those
who have passed away and for the people who are working there.”
After
the pause, Borrell said he talked on Monday to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu.
In
a slightly emotional comment, the EU foreign policy chief also revealed that he
thinks a lot about “the people who are trapped under the rubbles.”
At
least 3,432 people were killed and 21,103 others were injured in 10 provinces
of Türkiye after two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southern part of
the country, according to latest figures by the country’s disaster agency on
Tuesday.
The
earthquakes were also felt in several countries in the region, including
Lebanon and Syria.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran,
Russia have deep-rooted, developing ties in various fields: Top security
official
07
February 2023
Iran
and Russia have deep-rooted and expanding relations in various economic,
defense, military, security and scientific fields, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme
National Security Council Ali Shamkhani says.
Shamkhani
made the remarks upon his arrival in Moscow where he is scheduled to participate
in the fifth round of the regional security dialogue in the Russian capital of
Moscow on Wednesday.
He
noted that it was necessary to review the roadmap drawn up by the two
countries’ top officials for strengthening bilateral cooperation over the next
two decades.
Back
in January, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the Iranian
and Russian presidents have tasked the top diplomats of the two countries with
working out the 20-year roadmap for cooperation.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Shamkhani said the participants at the regional security
dialogue meeting would discuss the latest political, economic and security
developments in Afghanistan.
Iran’s
top security official noted that the problems of the Afghan people are rooted
in the ineffectiveness of the occupying forces and the post-occupation
incidents.
The
ways to settle issues in the war-stricken country would be discussed in the
Moscow meeting, given the fact that “Afghanistan can become a crisis point in
the region,” he said.
Looking
at all regional countries hit by foreign intervention, he went on, one can see
that the problems in those countries are caused by two central issues, namely
“creating discord within them and preventing the resolution of regional crises
by the countries of the region themselves.”
He
further emphasized that extra-regional powers are the ones sowing discord in
regional countries and interfering in their internal affairs in an attempt to
limit their power to solve regional crises.
The
US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 following the September 11, 2001 attacks
on the United States, despite the fact that no Afghan national was involved in
the attacks. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans died in the US war of aggression
on the country.
American
forces had occupied the country for about two decades on the pretext of
fighting against the Taliban. But as the US forces left Afghanistan in August
last year, the Taliban stormed into the capital Kabul, which was weakened by
continued foreign occupation.
The
Taliban took over the capital Kabul on August 8, 2021, and declared that the
war in Afghanistan was over. The militants entered the presidential palace
after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Hundreds
of thousands of Afghans died in the US war on the country while Washington’s
irresponsible withdrawal is also leading to a humanitarian crisis in the
war-torn state.
Secretaries,
advisers and representatives of the national security organization of
Afghanistan’s neighboring countries plan to take part in the Moscow meeting to
exchange views about the political, economic and security developments in the
country.
Shamkhani
is scheduled to meet some of his counterparts and discuss bilateral, regional
and international issues on the sidelines of the meeting.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
NGOs
from Malaysia-Indonesia aim to collect RM3m to aid Turkiye, Syria victims
08-02-
2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: A coalition of 23 Malaysian and Indonesian humanitarian
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are targetting to collect RM3 million to
aid victims of the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria.
Among
the agencies involved in the NGO coalition of the humanitarian mission are
Malaysia For Syria; Global Peace Mission (GPM) Malaysia; Muslim Volunteer
Malaysia (MVM); Hayrat Relief Malaysia; Impactive Malaysia; Cinta Syria
Malaysia; DT Peduli Indonesia; Asar Humanity Indonesia dan Childrity.
Malaysia
for Syria chief executive officer SyahrirAzfar Saleh who is representing
coalition said the joint venture involving both countries was to ensure that
the aid provided was large-scale, has a positive impact on the Turkish and
Syrian communities affected by the earthquake.
‘We
would like to create one momentum of togetherness in channelling aid to Turkiye
and Syria. We are now working on providing early aid totalling RM250,000
commitments from our NGO friends and it will be handed over and taken to
Turkiye and Syria this week.
“We
are focussing on three types of aid, SAR operations equipment, emergency first
aid needs like tents, petrol and fuel (for the winter), canvas and hot food, as
well as recovery assistance such as their placement,“ he said.
He
announced this at a virtual press conference ‘Malaysia For Syria’ and Global
Peace Mission with a coalition of 21 Malaysian humanitarian NGOs concerned
about the Turkiye and Syrian earthquakes through the Zoom application
yesterday.
Syahrir
said the priority of the aid mission is to collect RM250,000 to deploy a
reconnaissance team and to purchase early-stage aid items.
He
said the five-member reconnaissance team will also be sent to Turkiye and Syria
at least by Thursday (Feb 9) to conduct field surveys and purchase early aid
items for the earthquake victims.
“We
will go to Turkiye first to offer our assistance because to enter Syria we will
need to get clearance from Turkiye first. We have expressed our intention to
the Turkiye Embassy in Malaysia for a special clearance and this may take time
but we are hoping the clearance will be given to us quickly.
“From
Malaysia, we will focus on cash contributions. Besides that, only first-hand
items like clothes and daily items are accepted. The conditions are not imposed
arbitrarily but they are requirements by Turkiye,” he said.
Syahrir
also said the coalition has also established two temporary aid and protection
coordination centres in Gaziantep, Turkey and Aleppo, Syria.
The
total value of this initial aid amounted to RM400,000.
“Contributions
to this relief mission can be channelled to any NGOs involved in this
coalition. We are in solidarity with friends in Turkiye and Syria. We ask for
the help and support of Malaysians and Indonesians in this relief mission,“ he
said.
Source:
TheSunDaily
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Marvel
superheroes return to China after nearly 4 years
February
7, 2023
SHANGHAI:
Marvel’s superheroes began their return to China’s massive movie market after
an apparent ban of nearly four years on Tuesday, with fans streaming into
cinemas to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.
The
Disney-owned studio’s hugely popular franchises have been absent from Chinese
screens since 2019, with no explanation.
Marvel
blockbusters have raked in billions globally, and their return to one of the
world’s biggest movie markets means hundreds of millions of dollars in
potential earnings for Disney – the first Black Panther film alone took in
US$105 million at Chinese cinemas.
“I’m
super excited,” said a woman named Chen, beaming as she lined up to enter a
packed theatre in Shanghai for the midnight premiere of “Wakanda Forever”.
“I’ve
had to use streaming sites to watch the last couple of movies… But I hope this
means I’ll watch Marvel movies more often in theatres now.”
The
end of the apparent block on Marvel films has coincided with China’s loosening
of the strict zero-Covid policies that disrupted its entertainment industry for
years.
China’s
communist rulers have also recently eased a tech crackdown, including on the
lucrative gaming sector.
“Because
of Covid, it’s already been a long time since we’ve been to the cinema,” said
hospital worker Kun, 25, who came to the Shanghai theatre to watch “Wakanda
Forever” with his friends.
“We
still have to work tomorrow but it’s a rare opportunity so we came here.”
For
one mother-and-son duo at the Shanghai cinema, the return of Marvel revived a
family tradition.
“He’s
always been a Marvel fan – during the Avengers series, we would always watch
the midnight screening,” said Lin Fan, with her visibly excited 13-year-old son
Jiang Xiaoyi.
Next
up for Chinese Marvel fans is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, set for
release on February 17.
Lucrative
market
“Spider-Man:
Far from Home” was the last Marvel film released in China, in July 2019.
The
China Film Administration, affiliated with the Communist Party’s propaganda
department, has not given a reason for the absence of Marvel films from
cinemas.
During
that period, Disney declined requests by censors to remove references to
same-sex relationships in Marvel films, including 2021’s “Eternals” and “Doctor
Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” a year later.
However,
the global media giant has also faced accusations of bending to Beijing’s will.
Its
remake of “Mulan” faced boycott calls after it emerged that some of the scenes
were filmed in China’s Xinjiang, where widespread rights abuses against the
region’s Muslim population have been widely documented.
And
two episodes of the popular animated show “The Simpsons” have been unavailable
on the company’s Disney+ streaming service in Hong Kong — one that references
the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, and another mentioning “forced labour
camps” in China.
Regulators
and Disney have not publicly commented on the apparent restriction of these
episodes.
Disney
is not the only company accused of bowing to censorship requirements in China,
a multi-billion-dollar media market.
A
2020 report by the anti-censorship group Pen America said Hollywood studios
changed scripts, deleted scenes and altered other content to avoid offending
Chinese authorities.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Why
fear MACC probe if you’re clean, Anwar tells Bersatu
Elill
Easwaran
February
6, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: Political parties that are free of corruption should have nothing to fear
if they are investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),
Prime Minister and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He
said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had fully supported a similar move by
MACC to freeze Umno’s accounts in 2018 as part of an investigation into the
1MDB scandal. Muhyiddin was the then home minister.
“Muhyiddin
even praised the MACC’s professionalism,” Anwar said at a press conference here
this evening with PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli and secretary-general
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Anwar
said the government had no desire to interfere with the process. “If you’re
clean, then don’t be scared,” he said.
On
the brink of ruin because of corruption
He
called for enforcement and legislative bodies to be provided space to carry out
their task of combating corruption and abuse of power.
“This
country is on the brink of being ruined because excesses and corruption have
become part of a system that is not easily dismantled.
“Believe
me that after several months in the government, I am confident this problem is
one that is truly complicated and difficult to take down.
“And
that is why political leaders should not be using religious and racial
arguments to question anti-corruption efforts,” he said, Bernama reported.
Anwar
said he was making this call because there were some who had been citing petty
religious points to defend corruption and abuse of power.
However,
no religion, including Islam, can be used to defend such tainted acts, “what
more Islam which firmly rejects abuse of power and destruction of a system
caused by corruption that has been rampant in this country”.
Last
week, MACC chief Azam Baki confirmed that Bersatu’s accounts had been frozen
under the law against money laundering. It is understood the action is linked
to an investigation into alleged misappropriation of billions of ringgit meant
for Covid-19 stimulus packages.
On
Thursday, Muhyiddin said the party will write to MACC seeking the immediate
lifting of the freeze if MACC did not find any proof of misappropriation of
funds or abuse of power.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Calls
mount on Philippine government to review labor agreements with Kuwait
ELLIE
ABEN
February
07, 2023
MANILA:
Philippine lawmakers are calling on the government to review labor agreements
with Kuwait after increasing reports of abuse, including a brutal murder, of
Filipino migrant workers.
The
murder of 35-year-old maid JullebeeRanara, whose charred body was found
abandoned in a desert in late January, had sent shockwaves across the
Philippines. She was one of over 268,000 Filipino workers living in Kuwait, a
group of mostly women employed as domestic helpers.
After
Ranara’s murder, Philippine authorities tightened rules for recruitment
agencies in Kuwait. In another case that emerged in the media recently, a
Filipina worker in Kuwait was reportedly paralyzed after trying to escape her
abusive employer.
“There
is growing clamor for a review of all labor agreements entered by the
Philippines with countries of destination to determine specific guidelines and
mechanisms needed for the protection of their human rights,” lawmaker Marissa
Magsino said in a resolution introduced in the House of Representatives on
Monday.
The
agreements, Magsino said, must not only ensure the welfare of overseas Filipino
workers and guarantee their access to legal support but also “provide for
serious consequences” in cases of abuse.
She
told Arab News on Tuesday that such bilateral labor agreements are very
important, “especially with Kuwait,” where about 100 overseas Filipino workers
were now at a shelter, waiting for repatriation.
“They
are those who were maltreated, abused, and then they ran away (from their
employer),” the lawmaker, who is also a member of the House’s Overseas Workers
Affairs committee, said.
“The
only reason why they are in the shelter is that it’s the last recourse for them
to seek refuge, to be able to run away from their abusive employers.”
Ranara’s
murder was not the first such incident in Kuwait, where the 2018 killing of a
Filipina domestic helper, Joanna Daniela Demafelis, whose body was found in a
freezer at an abandoned apartment, led to the Philippines imposing a worker
deployment ban to the Gulf country.
The
ban was partially lifted that same year after the two countries signed a
protection agreement for workers.
But
it was again introduced in January 2020, after the 2019 killings of Filipina
maid Constancia Lago Dayag and JeanelynVillavende, who was tortured by her
employer to death.
The
ban was lifted when Kuwaiti authorities charged Villavende’s employer with
murder and sentenced her to hanging.
According
to Sen. Rafael Tulfo, another ban might be needed following the latest
incidents. He has also called for a “tighter screening process on foreign
employers to avoid abuse and maltreatment of (Overseas Filipino Workers),” his
office said in a statement on Monday.
Source:
Arab News
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2246541/world
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