Attempt On Imran Khan’s Life Will Further Sully The Political Scene In Pakistan
New
Age Islam News Bureau
04
November 2022
An unidentified man being captured after he fired on Pakistan's former prime
minister Imran Khan and PTI
---------
•
Mere possession of jihadi literature not an offence: Court in UAPA case
•
Pope aims to foster dialogue between Christians and Muslims during Bahrain
visit
•
Nigeria bishop addresses the evils of Islamist extremism at interfaith summit
•
China's message to US: Ties with Pakistan ‘none of your business’
•
Deputy FM: US Sanctions Murdering Hundreds of Iranian Patients
•
Australia sees spike in cyber-attacks from Iranian, Russian state-linked groups
•
Russia-Taliban in a desperate partnership of convenience
Pakistan
•
Imran believes Pakistan PM, interior minister, senior army officer behind
attack
•
Pakistan's history of coups and assassinations
•
Maulana Faz-ur-Rehman Condemns Firing Incidents On PTI Rally
•
PTI says won’t back down despite attack on chairman Imran Khan
•
ANP, JI, PPP leaders condemn bid on Imran’s life
•
Dialogues process with Taliban comes to halt: Barrister Saif
--------
India
•
Coimbatore blast: 'In IS style, Mubeen shaved body; wrote about jihad'
•
UP: Protests Over Quran Burning, Police Arrest Muslim Man, Claim He Was
'Mentally Ill'
•
Kashi madrasa teaches Sanskrit too, along with other subjects
•
Muslim body visits Hindu temple in TN's Coimbatore, stresses on communal
harmony
•
Pavoor Village has set an example of religious harmony in India
•
Karnataka HC stern view on kids selling toys
•
Delhi prods Canada on terror tag
•
‘Call out those’ providing terrorists safe havens: India targets Pakistan,
China
•
India celebrates diversity and welcomes world’s persecuted to its shores, says
RSS leader Ram Madhav
•
India criticises China and Pakistan for ‘unwarranted Jammu and Kashmir
references’
•
HC Adjourns Hearing On Mosque Committee Plea Challenging Lower Court Verdict In
Gyanvapi Case
•
Man arrested for sacrilege bid at mosque in Shahjahanpur
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Arab World
•
Qatar: Carpet of freebies, but mind the criticism
•
Al-Azhar Grand Imam receives Archbishop of Constantinople.
•
Qatar condemns attack on ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan
•
Al-Azhar Grand Imam receives UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence
•
Lenderking heads to UAE, Saudi Arabia as US looks to extend Yemen truce
•
Iran state-linked Telegram channel posts video of simulated attack on Saudi
Arabia
•
Parliament decides caretaker government can run Lebanon
•
Forthcoming elections solely aimed at strengthening tyranny in Bahrain,
prominent Shia cleric says
--------
Africa
•
South Africa’s Ethiopian diaspora welcomes agreement for peace
•
UN says millions at risk of hunger in South Sudan
•
Rights group hails end of war in Ethiopia, demands justice for victims,
survivors
•
2023: Islamic group reveals what Pa Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu means
--------
North America
•
Blinken thanks outgoing Israel PM, warns on West Bank violence
•
Biden vows to ‘free Iran’ in West Coast campaign speech
•
US condemns gun attack on former Pakistani prime minister
•
US designates oil smuggling network linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran’s Quds
Force
•
US to continue exposing Iran’s role in Ukraine war, including use of drones:
Malley
•
US approval of F-16 sale to Turkey coming soon: Erdogan spokesperson
--------
Mideast
•
Iran Adds Canadian Top Officials to Sanctions Blacklist for Supporting
Terrorism
•
IDF shoot dead Islamic Jihad terrorist behind killing of Israeli commando
•
Cleric killed in restive Iranian city amid protests
•
Israel set for most extremist regime in its history
•
President: War, Sanctions Unable to Hinder Iran's Progress
•
IRGC Neutralizes Terrorist Cell in Western Iran
•
Top Commander: Iran Challenging US Hegemony Across Globe
•
Iran Categorically Denies WSJ Report over Military Operation Against S. Arabia
•
Envoy Calls UN Anti-Tehran Meeting Interference in Iran's Internal Affairs
•
Iranian Movie “World War III" Snatches Main Award at Tokyo Film Festival
•
Iran Underlines Constructive Approach, US Destructive Attitude in Talks
•
Israeli aircraft strikes several targets in Gaza Strip
•
Israeli PM Lapid congratulates Netanyahu as he cements election win
•
Many young Iranians lose their fear in struggle for freedom
•
Assailant stabs officer in Jerusalem, is shot dead: Israel police
--------
Europe
•
Chairman of Leicester Muslim and Hindu unrest inquiry steps down after online
abuse
•
Iran plans to supply Russia with arms ‘unacceptable’: NATO chief
•
Kremlin says Türkiye's participation in resumption of grain deal 'reason to
trust the agreement'
•
Czech Republic to close its embassy in Afghan capital
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Indonesia’s soft power diplomacy in R20, promoting Indonesian Islam to the
world
•
Syed Saddiq: ‘Biggest hypocrisy in Malaysia’ is politicians who send their kids
overseas but block changes to education system
•
Institutions like Berita Harian have helped Malay/Muslim community improve: DPM
Wong
•
Malaysia GE15: Perikatan Nasional seeks to win all 8 Negeri Sembilan federal
seats
•
Hadi finally explains PAS’ reason in choosing Perikatan, says Umno too hungry
for power
•
Anwar sends legal notice to ex-PKR member over Chin Peng claims
•
Tawfik to stand as independent in Bagan Datuk after PH fields own man
--------
South Asia
•
Afghanistan’s opium cultivation grew by 32% after Taliban takeover last year,
finds UN report
•
Blast in Kabul hits bus carrying Taliban administration employees, injures 7
•
UN to Complete Construction of ‘Earthquake-Resilient’ Houses in Afghanistan
before Winter
•
Bangladesh delves into Gulf to attract foreign students with cheaper tuition
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Attempt
On Imran Khan’s Life Will Further Sully The Political Scene In Pakistan
Seema
Guha
03
NOV 2022
An
unidentified man being captured after he fired on Pakistan's former prime
minister Imran Khan and PTI
----------
The
attempt on former Pakistan prime minister and PTI leader Imran Khan’s life has
sent shock waves among his supporters and is likely to further enhance his
rising popularity.
Cricketer-turned-politician
Imran Khan is at the moment on top of his political game with public support
for him skyrocketing. It is no wonder that Farrukh Habib senior party said
after the attempt on Khan warned the former prime minister’s enemies to
``remember this is the life of 220 million people.’’ While this incident will
further muddy the political debate in Pakistan, whether it will force the
government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to hold elections immediately as
the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Islam is demanding is unlikely.
After
being ousted from power in a vote of no-confidence in April, Imran Khan has
claimed that the Joe Biden administration in Washington has with the support of
the country’s discredited political parties (read the Pakistan Muslim League and
the Pakistan People’s Party) ousted him from power. It was a conspiracy hatched
in Washington and London (Where Nawaz Sharif lives) to rid the country of a
Prime Minister who refused to take dictation from the US. He had visited Moscow
and met Vladimir Putin on the day Russian troops were ordered into Ukraine.
Though there is little evidence of it, Imran Khan has claimed at several
rallies that he was hoping to buy oil from Russia at a lower rate, much like
what India had done.
This
narrative that the corrupt politicians joined hands with the US to oust him,
was ironically accepted as the gospel truth by many Pakistanis as ordinary
people are today virulently anti-American. Khan has cleverly played into these
emotions and despite his government’s dismal economic performance, people do
not blame him for their plight. Since his ouster, Khan’s popularity has soared.
This
has given him immense confidence and put all his opponents, including
Pakistan’s powerful military leaders that he has dared to take on the back
foot.
Khan
won the 2018 national elections with the support of the military establishment.
But he has now fallen out with army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, who after two
extensions is to finally retire this year. Khan was unhappy with Bajwa also
over the removal of former spy chief Faiz Hameed, a favourite of the former PM
who allegedly helped PTI to form a coalition government and helped to keep the
smaller parties in check. But Faiz Hameed was removed not because he had issues
with the army chief, but as his chances of becoming army chief a few years down
the line would have been affected unless he commanded a corps. He was
transferred as Peshawar Corps Commander after his hugely successful stint as
Inter-Services Intelligence chief. He played an important role in guiding the
Taliban through the Doha negotiations and helped to sort out internal squabbles
within the Taliban as the took power in Kabul in 2021.
Khan
is no fan of the current low key ISI chief General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum. The PTI
leader tore into the Director General ISI after he held an unprecedented news
conference aimed at rubbishing much of Imran Khan’s claims. But the PTI leader
has now come out strongly against the current military leadership. Many will
try to link this with the attempt on his life today. But such speculation is
premature and if the establishment was involved, the assassin would possibly
not aim at Imran Khan’s legs. One remembers the horror of Benazir Bhutto’s
assassination where she was shot in the head, and bombs hurled on her SUV. Who
killed her still remains a mystery, though many believe the establishment of
that time was involved. That investigation was never completed though her party
came to power riding on a sympathy wave.
Imran
Khan was on a container truck in Wazirabad, when shots were fired at close
range. He was injured in the leg but luckily survived the assassination
attempt. He was immediately taken to hospital and is said to be in stable
condition. Four to five PTI leaders were also injured. There are also reports
of one death. The gunman was over
powered by Khan’s supporters and is now in police custody.
Source:OutlookIndia
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Mere
possession of jihadi literature not an offence: Court in UAPA case
Nov
4, 2022
The
NIA has also made allegations of terror funding in this case over a transaction
of Rs 60,000 between the accused. (File)
-----------
NEW
DELHI: A Delhi court has discharged a 26-year-old Kashmiri youth booked under
the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), observing that mere possession
of jihadi literature having a particular religious philosophy would not amount
to an offence unless there was material to show execution of such philosophy to
commit terrorist acts.
But
the court ordered framing of charges against nine others in the case that
pertained to online propagation of Islamic State (IS) ideology.
Discharging
Muzamil Hassan Bhat, principal district and sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma said
the prosecution could not present any “iota of evidence” to prima facie
establish that the accused had been a member of any terrorist organisation,
including the IS.
Nine
others booked in the case by the NIA — Mushab Anwar, Rhees Rasheed,
Mundadiguttu Sadanananda Marla Deepthi, Mohammad Waqar Lone, Mizha Siddeeque,
Shifa Haris, Madesh Shanker, Ammar Abdul Rahiman and Obid Hamid Matta — will
face charges under UAPA and the IPC. The accused are from Kerala, Karnataka and
Kashmir.
The
court said the accused had been operating social media platforms as a “toolkit”
for spreading the IS ideology to “allure, impress and radicalise” others and had
been “furthering the provocative, violent and divisive ideology” of the
terrorist group.
The
accused, highly radicalised themselves, were in connection with IS operatives
and were “purposely, actively disseminating information about its philosophy
and ideology”, it further said. They were sharing “highly inflammatory,
anti-national and secessionist propaganda” on social media platforms, the court
noted.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pope
aims to foster dialogue between Christians and Muslims during Bahrain visit
3
Nov 2022
Pope
Francis is escorted by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (C-R) as he
leaves the Royal Palace in the capital Manama on November 3. – AFP
-----------
Pope
Francis, leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, on Thursday began a trip
to Bahrain aimed at fostering dialogue between Christians and Muslims.
The
first papal visit to the island nation is this pontiff's second voyage as pope
to the Arabian peninsula, after a 2019 trip to the UAE also aimed at
inter-faith outreach.
The
pope, 85, who is using a wheelchair due to knee problems, used an electronic
platform to board the plane and broke with his usual practice of greeting
journalists on arrival.
Uniformed
guards on horseback and Vatican and Bahrain flags lined the route of his short
journey to the lavish Sakhir Royal Palace, where he was greeted by a crowd of
cheering children.
During
his trip, which lasts until Sunday, he will meet the King of Bahrain, hold an
open-air mass and lead a prayer for peace at a vast modern cathedral opened
last year.
In
the days before his visit, international rights groups urged him to speak out
against alleged abuses.
Francis
is set to conduct a "courtesy visit" with King Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa following a welcoming ceremony, and then give a speech to authorities,
diplomats and members of civil society.
On
Friday, Francis will address the "Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West
for Human Coexistence", organised by the UAE-based Muslim Council of
Elders.
Banner
of dialogue
Afterwards,
he will hold a private meeting with Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of the
prestigious Cairo-based Al Azhar.
The
two religious leaders signed a joint document pledging interfaith coexistence
during Francis' UAE trip in 2019.
On
Tuesday, Francis asked the faithful assembled on Saint Peter's Square to pray
for his upcoming trip, calling it "a journey under the banner of
dialogue".
Prayer
for peace
Friday's
"prayer for peace" will be held at the cavernous Our Lady of Arabia
Cathedral in Awali, which seats more than 2,000 people and opened in December.
It
was built to serve Bahrain's approximately 80,000 Catholics, mainly workers
from southern Asia, including India and the Philippines.
On
Saturday, Francis will lead mass at Bahrain's national stadium before a crowd
of nearly 30,000 people, where workers on Wednesday were adding finishing
touches, including a giant gold cross above Francis' chair.
About
2,000 spots will be saved for Catholics arriving from Saudi Arabia, Bishop Paul
Hinder, the apostolic administrator for the vicariate of Northern Arabia, told
Vatican News.
Francis
will preside over a prayer meeting with Catholic clergy and others on Sunday
before returning to Rome.
Source:
KhaleejTimes
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Nigeria
bishop addresses the evils of Islamist extremism at interfaith summit
By
Zelda Caldwell
Nov
3, 2022
Bishop
Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria | EWTN/YouTube screen
shot
------------
Before
a gathering of religious leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous
Muslim-majority country, a Catholic bishop from Nigeria gave an account of how
his country had become a “cauldron of violence” at the hands of Islamist
extremists.
Addressing
the G20 Religion Forum in Bali on Nov. 3 in advance of the Group of 20’s
meeting later this month, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah testified to the violence
committed against both Christians and Muslims caught in intra-sectarian
warfare.
“Every
day, news of abductions, armed robberies, kidnappings for ransom, murders, and
assassinations of our innocent citizens persists. Our sacred spaces have become
killing grounds,” the bishop said. “Hundreds of worshippers have been murdered
in mosques and churches across the country.
According
to a report by the nongovernmental organization Open Doors, 4,650 Christians
were killed in Nigeria in 2021— that’s more than the number killed in all of
the other countries in the world combined.
The
G20 Religion Forum was hosted by Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama political party,
which, according to its press release, represents 120 million “moderate”
Muslims, or about 40% of the country’s 231 million Muslims.
The
conference was convened to “prevent the weaponization of identity” and “curtail
the spread of communal hatred,” according to its stated goals.
Kukah,
the bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto in the northwest region of Nigeria, where
Muslims are in the majority, commended the group for “taking the historic step
to address these issues directly,” he said.
In
his address, he shared details of some of the recent acts of violence committed
by Muslim extremists in his diocese, including the kidnappings of fellow
priests and the case of Deborah Samuel, a Christian student who on May 13 was
accused of blasphemy and brutally murdered by a mob of Muslim students.
Kukah
explained that Muslim elites see secular laws as a threat to Islam and,
therefore, disregard them. Nigeria’s constitution includes protections of the
freedom of religion and prohibits federal or state governments from adopting
any religion as a state religion.
“In
northern Nigeria, Muslim elites have tended to see the institutions of the
modern state as an alien imposition that attempts to displace their own
religion, with Western education as a foreign enemy to Islam. They thus
consider the present constitution and secular laws as fundamentally subordinate
to Islam, and in practice ignore the written laws of the land as they see fit,”
the bishop said.
He
urged the world’s religious leaders to work together to oppose those who commit
violence out of “grand delusions” that their religion requires it of them.
“This
cancer of the weaponization of religion threatens us all. History shows us that
empires and emperors have had their day. The world will always be full of men
and women with grand delusions about how they have been divinely sent to create
a new world at the cost of human blood,” he said.
The
Nigerian bishop pressed the religious leaders to “work in collaboration with
civil society to “ensure a fairer world for all.”
In
conclusion, he called on governments to end religious discrimination and defend
their country’s constitutions.
Religious
leaders, he said, should also avoid “the manipulation of identities” and
instead “encourage areas of integration through education, common citizenship,
intermarriages, and other platforms of social cohesion anticipated and
enshrined in our constitutions,” Kuha said.
The
G20 Religious Forum also featured the testimony of the Chaldean Catholic
archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, Bashar Matti Warda. In his address, Warda painted a
pessimistic picture of Iraq given the majority-Muslim country’s long history of
violence.
“Throughout
the Islamic world, the reality of structured violence, persecution, and
marginalization against the minorities remains, century after century,” Warda
said.
“To
raise this matter in Western or global audiences is to invite a charge of
‘Islamophobia,’ mainly from social critics speaking theoretically from places
far removed from any threat or actual experience. But for we Iraqi Christians
this is not an abstract matter,” he said.
Warda
continued: “There is a crisis of violence in Islam and for the sake of
humanity, including the followers of Islam themselves, it must be addressed
openly and honestly.”
There
is hope, he said, but only through forgiveness and the renunciation of
violence.
“Ours
then is now a missionary role, to give daily witness to the teachings of
Christ, to provide a living example to our neighbors of a path to a world of
forgiveness, of humility, of love, of peace. Lest there be any confusion here I
am not speaking of conversion. Rather, I am speaking of the fundamental truth
of forgiveness and a renunciation of violence which we Christians of Iraq can
share and do so from a position of historically unique moral clarity.
“We
forgive those who murdered us, who tortured us, who raped us, who sought to
destroy everything about us. We forgive them. In the name of Christ, we forgive
them,” the archbishop of Erbil said.
Source:CatholicNewsAgency
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
China's
message to US: Ties with Pakistan ‘none of your business’
Anwar
Iqbal
November
4, 2022
WASHINGTON:
The Chinese feel that the United States should not urge China and Pakistan to
renegotiate Beijing’s debt and should not ‘bad mouth’ the Pakistan-China
relationship, according to the director of the China programme at the Stimson
Centre.
Speaking
at a two-day seminar on US-Pakistan relations, Chinese foreign policy expert
Yun Sun said Pakistan’s relationship with the US was a factor in China’s
overall strategy for South Asia, but “China has plenty of confidence that its
relationship with Pakistan is going to continue regardless of the modality of
US-Pakistan relations.”
She,
however, said that China was also adjusting or recalibrating its policy and
expectations towards Pakistan, especially in terms of the CPEC.
“And
from that recalibration there’s almost a welcoming attitude in China that
Pakistan should re-balance its external strategy. And there’s a welcoming
attitude that Pakistan is reaching out to the United States again,” Ms Yun
said.
“This
readjustment of Pakistan’s expectations and external alignment strategy has
much approval in China.”
The
Chinese, she said, did not believe that the recalibration of US-Pakistan
relations would come at the expense of China’s interests in the region “because
India’s still there and because CPEC will remain one of the most significant
campaigns regardless of how people feel about it.”
About
China’s reaction to US-Pakistan interactions, she said, “[it] has more to do
with what the US has said, rather than what Pakistan has said.
“This
is none of your business,” said Ms Yun when asked about China’s reaction to the
US suggestion that Pakistan should renegotiate its debt with Beijing.
She
said she had seen multiple analyses from China, claiming that the US intends to
sabotage Pakistan-China relations and urging Washington ‘not to bad-mouth
Pakistan-China” ties.
“Dan,
is it none of our business?” Moderator Shamila Chaudhary asked another
panelist, Daniel Markey of the US Institute of Peace (USIP).
“At
some level, of course, it is our business… We look at its debt burden… have
concerns about the growth of its economy. We see Pakistan going to the IMF and
other lenders. So, of course, it’s right that the US asks questions about the
other forms of debts that Pakistan holds, including from China,” he said. “Gap
in transparency is also a cause of concern for us.”
Pakistan’s
envoy in Washington, Masood Khan, however, explained how the end of the war in
Afghanistan had created an opportunity for Pakistan and the United States to
start afresh.
“Pakistan-US
relations have been de-hyphenated from India and Afghanistan,” said Ambassador
Khan in his keynote address at the two-day conference, organised by the Center
for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR), University of Lahore, the
School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and Engro
Corporation here this week.
“The
US policy in the past was based on regional equilibrium,” the ambassador said,
adding that the US relationship with India stood on its own. “We are engaged
right now to recalibrate, reenergise and rejuvenate a broad-based relationship
in the new technological age,” he said.
Others
were not as confident. Former Chief of Naval Staff Tahir Afzal suggested
correcting past mistakes to build a better relationship. “The relationship
needs another event. When there is an event, the relations will be good. When
the event is over, we will move from being the cornerstone of US policy to
being the most sanctioned country,” he said.
Ms
Chaudhary, a non-resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council, noted that
Pakistan was not even mentioned in the new US national security strategy,
released last month, although “there’s a lot of conversation” about the region,
as well as Afghanistan and India.
“The
strategy is talking around Pakistan, but if you look at the themes of strategy
…there’s a lot of fruitful conversation that we can have about how US and
Pakistan can collaborate with each other.”
Mr
Markey noted that some equate strategic stability in Pakistan with the safety
of its nuclear assets. Noting that this was “a very narrow context,” he said,
Pakistan was also strategically important to the US because “it’s an enormous
country”.
The
nuclear issue, however, was “central to the US interests” as it would like to
“ensure that these types of weapons are never used”.
The
nuclear issue was also “central to Pakistan’s sense of its own security. It is
at the core of Pakistan’s security in the region. So, that continues to be a
strategic concern,” he said.
Mr
Markey noted that the US has a strategic partnership with India, while Pakistan
has a strategic partnership with China and this arrangement too has become
strategically important as US-China and Pakistan-India relations are strained.
The US and Pakistan, he said, “need a firm and established equilibrium… to move
forward”.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1718723/chinas-message-to-us-ties-with-pakistan-none-of-your-business
--------
Deputy
FM: US Sanctions Murdering Hundreds of Iranian Patients
2022-November-3
TEHRAN
(FNA)- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri Kani said that the US
sanctions have had a dire impact on the health of a some Iranian patients, and
added that the embargoes have cost the lives of hundreds of patients in Iran in
recent years due to denial of access to needed medicines.
----------
Baqeri
Kani was speaking at a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of other
countries to Tehran, which was held at the foreign ministry building on
Wednesday and aimed to clarify recent developments in Iran.
The
diplomat referred to unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US against
Iran, including sanctions on medicine imports, which he noted have resulted in
the death of many people, among them children.
"Have
you ever asked yourself that despite the fact that in the past few weeks you
have heard the name of the Iranian girl 'Mahsa Amini' many times in the
positions and stances of Western officials and in the news and reports produced
by the Western media, but until now there is no name of the ten-year-old girl
'Zahra Papi' from Lorestan, and another ten year on boy 'Amir Hossein Naroi'
from Zabul as well as 623 thalassemia patients who have been murdered since
2018 due to unilateral cruel sanctions and denial of access to needed
medicines?" he stated.
"You
have definitely not heard of it. The answer is very clear, those imposing
sanctions are not willing to admit to the crimes caused by the sanctions, let
alone create political and media space for it," the senior official added.
Baqeri
Kani unredlined that "the illegal and oppressive sanctions" against
the Iranian nation are considered "the world’s biggest project of
systematic human rights violations" – the United States is the project
manager of the sanctions, with many Western countries running it.
"The
purpose of this project is simply to present the Iranian nation with a dilemma:
surrender or die!" he stressed.
"Do
you know how many of my compatriots have been killed, injured, unemployed, had
their income severely reduced or even denied access to humanitarian items by
the silent arrows of cruel unilateral sanctions?" the top siplomat
underscored.
"Now
here is the question posed by the innocent people whose fundamental rights have
been violated: Which Human Rights Council’s Member States are going to deal
with the systematic, widespread, and incessant violations of the rights of the
Iranian people caused by the unilateral sanctions?" Iran's deputy foreign
minister asked.
The
US launched the so-called maximum pressure campaign of sanctions against Iran
in May 2018, after unilaterally exiting the 2015 nuclear deal.
The
sanctions have restricted the financial channels necessary to pay for basic
goods and medicine, undermining supply chains by limiting the number of
suppliers willing to facilitate sales of humanitarian goods to the country.
Iran
has repeatedly denounced the sanctions as an act of “economic war”, “economic
terrorism”, and “medical terrorism”.
The
US launched the so-called maximum pressure campaign of sanctions against Iran
in May 2018, after unilaterally exiting the 2015 nuclear deal.
The
sanctions have restricted the financial channels necessary to pay for basic
goods and medicine, undermining supply chains by limiting the number of
suppliers willing to facilitate sales of humanitarian goods to the country.
Iran
has repeatedly denounced the sanctions as an act of “economic war”, “economic
terrorism”, and “medical terrorism”.
Although
Washington and its Western allies claim that humanitarian goods are exempted
from sanctions, tens of thousands of patients in Iran have over the years died
or developed critical ailments due to the non-availability of essential drugs
over the years.
Iranian
officials have rejected Washington's claim that it has exempted humanitarian
trade from sanctions against Tehran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010812000245/Depy-FM-US-Sancins-Mrdering-Hndreds-f-Iranian-Paiens
--------
Australia
sees spike in cyber-attacks from Iranian, Russian state-linked groups
04
November, 2022
Employees
can be seen in the Security Operation Centre for Telstra, Australia's biggest
telecoms firm, which is used to monitor, detect and respond to security incidents,
including cyber attacks, during a media event in central Sydney, Australia.
(File photo: Reuters)
-----------
Cyber-attacks
against Australia from criminals and state-sponsored groups jumped last
financial year, with a government report released on Friday equating the
assault to one attack every seven minutes.
The
Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) received 76,000 cybercrime reports last
financial year, up 13 percent from the previous period, according to its latest
annual cyber threat report.
While
just over half of attacks targeted individuals for fraud and theft, the report warned
that state-sponsored attackers made cyberspace a “battleground” and cited
attacks from China’s Ministry of State Security, Iran and Russian state-linked
groups.
Multiple
attacks against Australian essential services were thwarted over the period, including
a November 2021 attack on government-owned utility CS Energy, responsible for a
tenth of the nation’s electricity output.
“It’s
not just about the frauds or the texts that you or I might receive, but real
issues around the security of our country going forward,” Cybersecurity
Minister Clare O’Neil told state-owned Australian Broadcasting Company on
Friday in reference to the report.
“It
is a national security focus of the government.”
The
ACSC, part of the intelligence-collecting Signals Directorate, reported 95
cyber incidents impacting critical infrastructure last fiscal year.
The
third annual report covers the period before high-profile hacks at Australia’s
second-largest telecoms company Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications
Ltd, and its biggest health insurer Medibank Private Ltd, which combined
compromised some 14 million customer accounts.
The
report underscored accusations that the Optus and Medibank hacks were
relatively unsophisticated, blaming the majority of major incidents on
inadequate software updates.
Experts
told Reuters last week a skills shortage is making it harder for Australia’s
understaffed and overworked cybersecurity specialists to stop breaches.
Business
losses attributable to cyber crime rose on average 14 percent over the period,
with the average crime costing a small business A$39,000 ($24,540).
The
jump in attacks and damages is making insurers wary and premiums in Australia
jumped 56 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, according to Marsh &
McLennan Companies Inc.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Russia-Taliban
in a desperate partnership of convenience
By
CLAUDIA CHIA YI EN
NOVEMBER
3, 2022
The
signing of a provisional deal between Russia and the Taliban in September 2022
marks the Taliban’s first known major international economic deal.
But
beyond the announcement that Russia will supply gas, oil and wheat to
Afghanistan, the payment and pricing details have not been released to the
public. How the two countries will navigate international sanctions and their
exclusion from the global banking system remains unclear.
This
deal comes against the backdrop of active trade talks between the Taliban and
its regional neighbors and Russia’s discussions with several non-Western
countries on long-term oil contracts.
The
economic value of Afghanistan-Russia trade relations might be dismal, but more
bilateral engagements and partnerships are a positive diplomatic asset for
Russia and the Taliban. They show the international community that neither
country is isolated.
The
Taliban has been striving to diversify its trading partners and enhance
relations with its regional neighbors. International sanctions, followed by the
freezing of assets by the United States, have affected Afghan businesses. Since
August 2021, the economy has shrunk by 20% to 30%.
The
ongoing humanitarian crisis, along with an increase in violent attacks by other
militant parties, has worsened living conditions. The incoming winter pressures
the Taliban to hastily secure oil and gas imports.
Negotiations
with Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are ongoing. In July 2022, the Afghan
Ministry of Commerce and Industry signed a contract with a Turkmenistan oil
company to supply fuel at a discount and inked an agreement with Iran to
purchase oil.
The
Taliban initially had high expectations for Chinese investment but this has not
materialized. Beijing remains reluctant to invest and harbors suspicions about
the Taliban’s commitment to cut ties with the Turkistan Islamic Party, formerly
known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
Khan
Jan Alokozay, the vice president of Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and
Investment, publicly stated that “there has not even been a penny of investment
by China.”
Russia
is a natural choice for the Taliban because it is an existing trade partner
with significant energy resources. The Taliban has remained neutral regarding
the Ukraine–Russia conflict, officially calling for restraint on both sides.
Despite
being bogged down in the Ukraine crisis and facing ongoing European
disentanglement from its oil and gas, the Russian economy seems to be resilient
against these shocks. In September 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
forecasted that Russia’s GDP will decline by 3.4%, an adjustment from its
earlier forecast of an 8.5% fall.
Russian
oil companies have been enticing non-Western buyers with discounts, insurance
coverage and alternative payment schemes. Countries like Sri Lanka, India, Turkey
and China have continued to purchase oil from Russia amid international
sanctions.
Cheaper
prices are attractive for countries facing rising inflation, supply chain
disruptions and economic setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The October
2022 clash between Saudi Arabia and Washington over plans by OPEC+ to cut oil
production also drew speculations within the US that Riyadh is siding with
Moscow.
Despite
their provisional trade deal, it does not appear that the Kremlin will
officially recognize the Taliban. The clearest indication yet is the exclusion
of the Taliban from the September 2022 Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO)’s summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Whether
Afghanistan will retain its observer status at the SCO is unknown, given that
the international community has not recognized the Taliban as the legitimate
government of Afghanistan.
Aside
from issuing statements on helping the Afghan economy, the summit discussions
highlighted that the region is more concerned with how best to protect
themselves against any potential spillover of violence from Afghanistan.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly expressed his wariness of militants
camouflaging as refugees from Afghanistan crossing into neighboring states and
plotting acts of terror.
The
so-called Islamic State (IS) has reportedly increased its anti-Russia
propaganda. They have lambasted Russia as a “crusader government” and “enemy of
Islam”, actively encouraging their supporters to inflict harm on the country.
The
September 5 suicide bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul exemplified Russian
concerns about the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP)’s expanding
presence in Afghanistan. That was the first attack on a foreign embassy since
the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021.
Other
than undermining Russia’s legitimacy, IS and ISKP are also challenging Taliban
rule within Afghanistan. Since 2014, both the Kremlin and the Taliban have
shared the view that IS poses a significant threat. Russian officials have
publicly acknowledged exchanging information with the Taliban regarding IS.
Reports
of former Taliban and Central Asian fighters joining IS ranks have added to the
severity of the security threat. The expansion of IS and its anti-Russia
messaging further undermine Russia’s sphere of influence in Muslim-dominated
Central Asia.
The
Taliban still calls for international recognition of its status as the
government of Afghanistan. But with the economy in limbo and ongoing
hostilities with militant organizations, it is aware that it needs to
prioritize the flow of aid and resources into the country. Political and
socioeconomic stability is of paramount importance for the Taliban if it is to
maintain its hold on Afghanistan.
It
is worthwhile noting that Russia’s unwillingness to officially recognize the
Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and its classification of
the Taliban as a terrorist organization since 2003 have not hindered their
bilateral relationship so far. For the time being, Russian–Taliban engagement
will continue.
The
Taliban views Russia as an attractive economic partner that could offer the
cheaper oil and gas supplies that the Afghan economy desperately needs. For
Russia, the Taliban is the most stable option in the region’s evolving security
matrix and, for now, the only party that could curb the expansion of IS. Both
sides have no reason to give up these benefits.
Source:
AsiaTimes
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://asiatimes.com/2022/11/russia-taliban-in-a-desperate-partnership-of-convenience/
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Pakistan
Imran
believes Pakistan PM, interior minister, senior army officer behind attack
Nov
3, 2022
GURJANWALA:
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary-General Asad Umar said on Thursday
that party Chairman Imran Khan suspects three people -- Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a senior military officer -- were
behind the assassination attempt on him, according to a media
report."Imran Khan has said that he had the information beforehand that
these people might be involved in the assassination attempt on him," Umar
said in a video statement alongside party leader Mian Aslam Iqbal, Geo News
reported.
Umar,
quoting the PTI chairman, demanded that all three people should be removed from
their office, the report said.
The
PTI leader added that Khan has warned that if these officials are not removed
from their office, the party would hold countrywide protests as Pakistan cannot
run in this manner anymore.
"If
the demands are not met, all the party workers are awaiting Khan's call, and
when he does give that call, protests will take place across the country,"
Umar said.
Meanwhile,
Sharif has condemned the firing incident in Gujranwala and directed Interior
Minister Rana Sanaullah to seek an immediate report from the inspector-general
of police and chief secretary of Punjab.
Protests
erupted in multiple cities across the country after Khan and other PTI leaders
were injured in a gun attack during PTI's long march in Gujranwala.
Khan
and other PTI leaders were injured after a man opened fire near the PTI
reception camp at the Allahwala Chowk during the party's long march, ARY News reported.
Following
the gun attack, protests erupted in different cities across the country against
the assassination attempt on Khan, the report said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
history of coups and assassinations
Nov
3, 2022
Former
Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was shot at in the shin on Thursday when his
anti-government protest convoy came under attack in the east of the country, in
what his aides said was a clear assassination attempt.
Pakistan
has a history of political coups and unrest. Here are some details.
2007
- Two-time PM Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after
holding an election rally in Rawalpindi. A few months before her death, she
survives a suicide bomb assassination attempt in Karachi, where at least 139
people were killed in one of the country's deadliest attacks.
1999
- Former army chief Pervez Musharraf seizes power in a bloodless coup. He is
sworn in as president and head of state in June 2001. He resigns in 2008 and
Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's husband, takes over as president.
1988
- Military ruler president Mohammad Zia ul-Haq is killed when the Hercules
C-130 aircraft carrying him crashes under mysterious circumstances. Conspiracy
theorists have suggested a case of mangoes put aboard the plane shortly before
take-off contained a timer device that released gas that knocked out the
cockpit crew.
1979
- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the father of Benazir, who was elected as prime minister
in 1970, is hanged on a disputed conviction for conspiring to commit a political
murder, by Zia ul-Haq.
1977
- Zia ul-Haq seizes power after a coup against the Bhutto government. He puts
Bhutto under house arrest, imposes martial law, suspends the constitution and
bans political parties
1973
- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto elected as prime minister, taking over from General Yahya
Khan.
1958
- In Pakistan's first military coup, Governor-General Iskander Mirza enforces
martial law with General Ayub Khan as chief martial law administrator. Ayub
Khan later assumes the presidency and sacks Mirza, who is exiled.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Maulana
Faz-ur-Rehman Condemns Firing Incidents On PTI Rally
Umer
Jamshaid
November
03, 2022
ISLAMABAD,
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Nov, 2022 ) :Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl
(JUI-F) Chief Maulana Faz-ur-Rehman on Thursday condemned the tragic incident
of firing on the rally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Wazirabad.
Maulana
Fazl who is also the head of Pakistan Democratic Movement said this incident
had left a big question mark on the performance of Punjab government related to
the law and order situation in the province.
Source:
Urdu Point
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/maulana-faz-ur-rehman-condemns-firing-inciden-1589056.html
--------
PTI
says won’t back down despite attack on chairman Imran Khan
Amjad
Mahmood
November
4, 2022
LAHORE:
The leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) appeared unfazed by the
assassination attempt on former premier Imran Khan, who was hospitalised after
an injury to his legs but later vowed to continue with his party’s long march
towards Islamabad.
The
attack on Mr Khan prompted strong protests across the country, with senior PTI
leadership stepping forward to express solidarity with the party chief and a
dozen more party supporters wounded in the attack near Wazirabad on Thursday.
In
a tweet, senior party leader Asad Umar said the rulers could not stop Imran
Khan, so “the cowards tried to martyr him”. He added: “The blessing of Allah is
with Khan and Allah Almighty has to get a lot of work done for the nation by
the Captain [Imran].”
Another
PTI senior leader, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, posted on Twitter, “This attack was
not on Imran Khan but on the Pakistani nation. After this cowardly act, now
Imran Khan will move towards the destination [Islamabad] with more force. God
willing.”
In
his tweet, PTI leader Ali Mohammad Khan urged the Supreme Court to take notice
of the attack on the party chairman. He said that the government was
responsible for the security of the former premier and participants of the long
march and that the PTI would not rest until the suspects involved in the
assassination bid were arrested.
Yasmin
Rashid, president of PTI’s Punjab chapter, tweeted: “You cannot deter us. You
cannot! [Imran Khan] is injured but safe. There are some critical [injuries],
but we will not be deterred and we will take you to task! May Allah protect us
all.”
PTI
leader Omar Ayub Khan said the PTI would not step back, as it was “not afraid
of the cowards’ attacks”. PTI General Secretary Hammad Azhar and Information
Secretary Andleeb Abbas also condemned the attempt on Imran Khan’s life, saying
the attack on the peaceful ‘Haqeeqi Azadi’ march was in fact an “attack on 220
million Pakistanis”.
They
said the march could not be stopped by any tactic, as the nation “led by Imran
Khan has come out on roads for its real freedom and that peaceful protest is
the right of the PTI”. They said the life of the party chairman was saved in
the attack because of the prayers of the masses who were standing with the PTI.
The
PTI leaders also questioned the narrative that only one shooter — who was
apprehended — was involved in the attack on the former prime minister and
hinted towards a “larger conspiracy” to eliminate the party chief.
As
per Dawn.com, PTI leader Ali Haider Zaidi alleged that there was not just “one
shooter” behind the attack on Mr Khan. He also said that if former PTI leader
Faisal Vawda had information about the talk, he should be included in the FIR.
“Don’t try to deter us. It is going to be a shutdown across the country,” he
said.
PTI
leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that the attack on Mr Khan was a “well-planned
assassination attempt”. “It was not 9mm [pistol], it was burst from an
automatic weapon, no two opinions about that it was a narrow escape,” he tweeted.
In another tweet, he said their movement would continue till the announcement
of snap elections.
CM
Punjab visits Imran
Separately,
Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi visited Imran Khan at the Shaukat Khanum
Memorial Hospital in Lahore and expressed serious concern at the incident.
He
also expressed his resolve that the accused involved in the incident would be
brought in a court of law.
PTI
leaders Asad Umar and Mian Aslam Iqbal, in a video statement, said Imran Khan
had named three officials himself, while Aslam Iqbal said that the PTI would
approach the police to register a case against the said officials.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1718780/pti-says-wont-back-down-despite-attack-on-chairman-imran-khan
--------
ANP,
JI, PPP leaders condemn bid on Imran’s life
November
4, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Leaders of various political parties have condemned the armed attack on
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ‘Azadi March’ in Wazirabad and called for unveiling
the people involved in the heinous crime.
Awami
National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan and Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul
Haq in their separate statements here on Thursday said that they were strongly
opposed to the tendency of violence in politics and added that such incidents
needed to be checked strictly.
The
ANP chief said his party believed in the non-violence philosophy of Bacha Khan
and would follow the principles in future. He said the government should
properly investigate the incident to ascertain as to why proper security
arrangements not made for former prime minister Imran Khan.
Mr
Khan said it was duty of the federal and Punjab governments to take immediate
steps for arrest of the accused persons. He also asked for taking action
against the relevant police officials for failing to ensure security of the
former premier.
Similarly,
the JI chief also condemned the attack and said that it was a heinous act.
He
said JI never supported violence in politics and always stressed the need for
following the teachings of Islam and ethics. He expressed sympathy with the PTI
chief and others who sustained wounds in the attack.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1718831/anp-ji-ppp-leaders-condemn-bid-on-imrans-life
--------
Dialogues
process with Taliban comes to halt: Barrister Saif
November
3, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Special Assistant of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif
has said that dialogues process with Taliban has come to a halt.
Talking
to media in Peshawar on Thursday, he said that proceeding on dialogues with
Taliban is expected by end of ongoing month.
Barrister
Muhammad Ali Saif said that the provincial government was facing financial
issues and if its dues were cleared, it could lessen its economic hardships.
He
said that the federal government has stopped 25 million rupees of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Coimbatore
blast: 'In IS style, Mubeen shaved body; wrote about jihad'
Nov
4, 2022
COIMBATORE:
Jamesha Mubeen, the 29-year-old suspected suicide bomber killed in the car
explosion in front of the Sangameswarar temple in Coimbatore on Diwali-eve, had
shaved his body before the mission in keeping with the standard practice of
Islamic State terrorists sent on such missions, police said on Thursday.
“His
body wasn’t charred in the blast. We found enough skin to conclude he had
shaved his body before setting out,” said an official privy to the
investigation before the NIA was called in.
CCTV
footage of Mubeen prior to the explosion, caused by one of two LPG cylinders in
the car he was driving, shows him in a shirt and pair of trousers different
from what he was wearing during the incident on October 23. “We found the
trimmer with which he shaved off his body hair before bathing and changing. He
seems to have offered prayers and drawn the IS flag on a slate using chalk,”
the official said. He said Mubeen scribbled on the slate in Tamil that “those
who dare to touch the house of Allah will be uprooted”.
“We
have material that shows he was influenced by videos of Sri Lankan Easter
blasts mastermind Maulvi Zaharan Bin Hashim,” he said.
Mubeen
also purportedly wrote on a piece of paper about the “the call of duty of
jihad”, an officer said. “He mentioned it was the duty of the youth — not
children and elderly people — to wage a holy war. He listed humans under two
categories in ascribbling—as Muslims and Kafirs. One of the scribblings reads
vaal yenthu(wield the sword)”.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UP:
Protests Over Quran Burning, Police Arrest Muslim Man, Claim He Was 'Mentally
Ill'
Asad
Rizvi
Nov
4, 2022
Lucknow:
Protests broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur on Wednesday, November 2,
after four copies of the Quran were found burnt in a mosque. Police arrested
one person in connection with the case on Thursday, and described him as a
mentally ill Muslim man.
The
incident took place in the Masjid Shah Faqre Alam Mia area, which comes under
the jurisdiction of the Kotwali police station.
Shahjahanpur
Pesh Imam, Huzoor Ahmad Manzari, told The Wire that the arrested person
resembles the person seen in the CCTV footage.
Before
the arrest
Aggrieved
at the desecration, hundreds of people had initially gathered around the mosque
and staged protests, demanding the arrest of the accused. Stone pelting was
also reported in the area.
Some
protesters had also allegedly torched hoardings and banners on the roads. Some
of them chanted slogans against the police and blamed them for not responding
promptly to their complaint and for arriving at the scene very late.
The
police allegedly lathi-charged the protesters in some areas. Policemen also had
to extinguish small fires on the streets.
The
situation was brought under control after the police and clerics appealed to
the mob to maintain peace.
Heavy
police forces have since been deployed in various parts of the town.
In
a statement on Wednesday, superintendent of police S. Anand said that the
police had heard that some pages of a religious book were found desecrated at a
place of worship in the area.
He
added that the police talked to the people at the protest site and filed a
first information report. It also examined CCTV footage to identify the
miscreants, he said.
SP
Anand told The Wire that “the police have videos of the miscreants who created
a ruckus in the town.” He added that they will identify them and “take stern
action against them.”
Source:
TheWire
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kashi
madrasa teaches Sanskrit too, along with other subjects
Nov
04, 2022
VARANASI:
Ensconced in the by-lanes of busy Orderly Bazar (locally referred as ‘Ardali’
Bazar) here, is Madarsa Khanam Jaan. What makes this over 30-year-old
institution stand out is the fact that it is perhaps the lone madrasa in Kashi
that has been teaching Sanskrit for the past 10 years. Not only this, the
management of the madrasa also makes sure that a number of seats are reserved
for Hindu children.
“Mazhab
nahi sikhata apas mein bair rakhna…(Religion never promotes cultural
differences). We strongly believe in this line from the song ‘Saare Jahan Se
Accha Hindustaan Humara’. And for this reason, we believe in promoting Ganga
Jamuni tehzeeb among the children irrespective of their caste and religion,”
said Maulana Salauddin Raza, principal of Madrasa Khanam Jaan or Madrasa Khanam
Jaan Arabic School.
Raza
said the madrasa management decided to introduce Sanskrit language for the
first time almost 10 years ago. “Under the modernization programme, Sanskrit
and other languages were introduced,” recollected Raza.
Initially,
the management thought there would be no takers for Sanskrit. “But gradually
students started showing interest in the language after which the madrasa
management decided to hire a dedicated teacher for the subject. Sanskrit is
taught along with other languages including Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English and
Hindi,” he said.
Namita
Srivastava, a senior Sanskrit teacher at the Madrasa said presently there were
around 50 students, largely Muslims, who had opted for Sanskrit as a subject.
“What I have seen is that non-Hindu children are taking more interest in the
language and are doing well,” said Srivastava.
Ayesha
Khatoon, a student, said Sanskrit was a classical language of ancient India.
“It is one of the most beautiful languages. Those students who opt for French,
German and other foreign languages should first learn their own language, that
is Sanskrit, and then explore further,” another student said.
The
madrasa management also reserves around 30 percent seats for non-Muslim
children. “Presently there are around 1476 students, of which over 400 are
Hindus. Also there are around 34 teachers of which 7 are non-Muslims,” said
Danish Shahab, manager of the Khanam Jaan Madrasa.
At
present, there around 207 madrasas here. However, officials of Madrasa Board
said that barring Khanam Jaan, they had never come across any madarasa
imparting Sanskrit education. “Barring Khanam Jaan, we never came across any
madrasa teaching Sanskrit,” said Sanjay Mishra, deputy director,
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
body visits Hindu temple in TN's Coimbatore, stresses on communal harmony
03rd
November 2022
COIMBATORE:
The city jamaat on Thursday strongly condemned the recent car explosion in
front of a temple here and said the Hindu-Muslim unity cannot be disturbed by
anyone.
A
13-member delegation from the Coimbatore Jamaath, including 'Ulemas' (Muslim
scholars), visited the Kottai Eswaran temple here as part of efforts to
strengthen communal harmony in the region and spoke to the priests and other
authorities over the incident for nearly an hour.
Head
priest, Sundareshan and temple secretary Prabhakaran welcomed the members with
shawls.
The
noble gesture comes days after the cylinder explosion in the car in the
communally sensitive Ukkadam area left one person dead, sending shock waves
across the state.
The
National Investigation Agency is probing the blast, amid the state BJP's claim
that the victim is an ISIS sympathiser.
Later,
addressing reporters, Jamaat President, Inayatullah said Islam never supported
violence and favoured only peace.
The
meeting with the priest and others will serve as a platform to maintain
communal harmony and peace among all sections of the citizens, irrespective of
religion, cast and creed, he said adding that Jamaath wanted Coimbatore to be
known for communal harmony.
The
members of the Jamaat laid emphasis on peace and brotherhood and said no power
on earth can break the Hindu-Muslim bond.
Source:NewIndianExpress
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--------
Pavoor
Village has set an example of religious harmony in India
3rd
November 2022
Syed
Ali Mujtaba
Mangaluru:
In the age of anti-Muslim and Anti – Islam rants in Indian media, there is a
tiny hamlet called ‘Pavoor,’ in Mangaluru taluk that has set an example of
communal harmony in the country.
Members
of the Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities living in Pavoor village have
initiated a campaign to promote religious harmony by constructing an entrance
arch that’s common to their places of Worship.
As
part of the initiative, the single entrance arch will lead the Hindus to the
Sri Vaidyanatha Temple, Muslims to Al-Mubarak Juma Masjid, and the Christians
to Infant Jesus Church.
‘Residents
cutting across religions and political parties have united to construct this
arch whose foundation stone ceremony was held recently,’ said Mangaluru MLA UT
Khader.
‘Elected
representatives, religious leaders, and residents of Pavoor village have come
forward to lay the foundation stone of a symbol of religious harmony that is
essential to living peacefully in a multi-religious society like India,’ said
UT Khader.
The
arch is built in memory of my father late UT Fareed who was the MLA of the
erstwhile Ullal constituency and an avid campaigner of religious harmony in
Dakshin Karnataka, said Khader.
‘Residents
of ‘Pavoor’ are making continuous efforts to make their village a more
harmonious place to live and they do not pay heed to any religious propaganda
to disturb the peace,’ he added.
Pavoor
village is an oasis of peaceful coexistence where people live harmoniously
without allowing conflicts in the name of religion and politics.
The
village has set an example of communal harmony unparalleled in the country.
Such kind of communal harmony is needed all over the country which is the
foundation of India’s unity in diversity.
Source:Siasat
Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/pavoor-village-has-set-an-example-of-religious-harmony-in-india-2448652/
--------
Karnataka
HC stern view on kids selling toys
04.11.22
The
city Jamaath on Thursday strongly condemned the recent car explosion in front
of a temple here and said Hindu-Muslim unity cannot be disturbed by anyone.
A
13-member delegation from the Coimbatore Jamaath, including Ulemas (Muslim
scholars), visited the Kottai Eswaran temple here as part of efforts to
strengthen communal harmony in the region and spoke to the priests and other
authorities over the incident for nearly an hour.
Head
priest Sundareshan and temple secretary Prabhakaran welcomed the members with
shawls.
The
gesture comes days after a cylinder explosion in a car in communally sensitive
Ukkadam area left one person dead.
Jamaath
president Inayatullah said Islam never supported violence and favoured only
peace. The meeting with priests and others will serve as a platform to maintain
communal harmony and peace, he said. PTI Karnataka High Court has taken serious
note of children being forced to sell trinkets and toys at traffic signals and
street corners and directed the stakeholders to meet and suggest ways to
rehabilitate and provide education to such kids.
A
division bench of the court headed by Chief Justice P.B. Varale directed the
meeting
to be held on November 15 under the aegis of the Karnataka State Legal Services
Authority (KSLSA). Stakeholders and organisations working for the protection of
child rights would be part of the meeting.
The
court was hearing a petition of a child rights foundation from Bangalore. The
court noted it had, on earlier occasions, directed the authorities concerned to
take
action.
It
pointed to a February 18, 2021, direction following which a meeting of
stakeholders was held. The state government also filed an action-taken report.
But no suggestions on rehabilitation of such children were made, the court
noted.
All
stakeholders who were part of the earlier meeting would attend the November 15
meeting and make suggestions regarding the government’s report. The meeting
would be organised in the high court itself.
2
die in Mathura hotel fire
Two
employees were charred to death and at least four persons, including two
guests, suffered burn injuries in a fire that broke out at a hotel in Mathura
early on Thursday.
The
deceased employees of Hotel Vrindavan Garden in Mathura city have been
identified as Umesh Kumar, 30, and Veer Singh, 40. Police said they were
sleeping in the storeroom of the hotel when the fire started there around
4.30am and engulfed the entire hotel within 15 minutes.
Police
sources said around 100 devotees from Haryana and Punjab had been staying in 25
rooms of the hotel since Tuesday.
Piyush
Srivastava
Court
live-stream plan
Chief
Justice of India-designate Justice D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday said a national
infrastructure plan was being formulated to enable live streaming of all court
proceedings.
Source:TelegraphIndia
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/karnataka-hc-stern-view-on-kids-selling-toys/cid/1896023
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Delhi
prods Canada on terror tag
Anita
Joshua | New Delhi
04.11.22
The
Centre on Thursday urged Canada to designate as terrorists under Canadian law
individuals and entities who have already been declared as terrorists under
Indian law ahead of the second phase of the “Khalistan Referendum” — scheduled
to be held in Toronto on Sunday.
While
acknowledging the fact that the government of Canada has conveyed to New Delhi
that it will not recognise the “so-called referendum”, external affairs
ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi iterated that India finds it “deeply
objectionable that politically motivated exercises by extremist elements are
allowed to take place in a friendly country”.
Bagchi
said those already designated as terrorists by India should be treated in the
same way by Canada. He did not provide any names. Sikhs for Justice, the
organisation that has called for the “Khalistan Referendum”, was banned by
India in July 2019.
The
Centre on Thursday urged Canada to designate as terrorists under Canadian law
individuals and entities who have already been declared as terrorists under
Indian law ahead of
the
second phase of the “Khalistan Referendum” — scheduled to be held in Toronto on
Sunday.
While
acknowledging the fact that the government of Canada has conveyed to New Delhi
that it will not recognise the “so-called referendum”, external affairs
ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi iterated that India finds it “deeply
objectionable that politically motivated exercises by extremist elements are
allowed to take place in a friendly country”.
Source:TelegraphIndia
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/delhi-prods-canada-on-terror-tag/cid/1896018
--------
‘Call
out those’ providing terrorists safe havens: India targets Pakistan, China
Nov
4, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: India on Thursday urged the international community to “call out
those” who provide safe havens to terrorists and come to their defence
including in the UN Security Council sanctions regimes, a veiled reference to
Pakistan and China.
Foreign
secretary Vinay Kwatra made the remarks while speaking at the open debate held
under Ghana’s Presidency of the 15-nation Council on ‘Peacebuilding and
sustaining peace: Integrating effective resiliencebuilding in peace operations
for sustainable peace. ’
“The
threat posed by terrorism… needs a unifiedvoice from the international
community. We should strengthen capabilities of the host state security forces,
join hands in preventing the terrorist forces from gaining access to financial
resources and must collectively call out those who provide safe havens to
terrorists ,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
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India
celebrates diversity and welcomes world’s persecuted to its shores, says RSS
leader Ram Madhav
Ishita
Mishra
NOVEMBER
03, 2022
India
to host R-20 summit of global religious leaders, parallel to G-20, during its
presidency in 2023
India
is set to overtake Indonesia as the country with the largest Muslim population,
RSS leader Ram Madhav said on Thursday, telling a group of global religious
leaders that India celebrates diversity and welcomes the world’s persecuted to
its shores.
He
was speaking at Religion-20 (R20), a global summit of religious leaders being
held parallel to the G20 summit, which is being hosted by Indonesia this year.
Next year, when India will hold the Presidency of the G20, it intends to also
host the R-20, Mr. Madhav announced.
“We
have 180 million Muslims in India, 25 million Christians. The projections say
that in 2030, India’s Muslim population will be equal to that of Indonesia and
by the end of 2050, we will be the world’s largest Muslim population with 310
million Muslims in India”, said Mr. Madhav, speaking on the concluding day of
the summit in Bali.
The
RSS leader emphasised that India is a country that doesn’t just tolerate or
respect diversity but celebrates it, noting that Indian Muslims have held the
roles of President, Vice President and Chief Justice. India gives absolute
respect to all religions and diversities, he said.
“India
is a mosaic of religion and mother ship of spirituality. India is a country
where all religions of the world exists and lives far from the persecution. All
the persecuted come to India, came to India and continue to come and take
shelter in India,” added Mr. Madhav.
Terming
the summit as ‘significant’ and ‘unique’, he hailed the initiative and said
that it had unleashed a tectonic force by bringing together leaders of all the
important world religions to discuss the important issues of 21st century.
“It’s not just a religion-centric event but a
humanity-centric event. Here, we brainstorm challenges like climate change,
terrorism, wars, disharmony, hunger, poverty. These issues require the
attention of spiritual, cultural, and religious leaders apart from the leaders
of the government,” he said.
Mr
Madhav also stressed that humans are entering an era of artificial intelligence
which is already making machines that are more intelligent than human beings.
“There
is a discussion in psychiatry circles that today’s machines have their own mind
and will they also have their own consciousness. Will they start crying, will
they start responding to situations? It may sound absurd today but please don’t
rule out the ability of humans to create demons. We are entering into that kind
of an era,” he added.
He
added that in the past, when humanity faced such challenges, there were
philosophers and religious leaders, who guided mankind in the right direction.
Source: TheHindu
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India
criticises China and Pakistan for ‘unwarranted Jammu and Kashmir references’
Nov
4, 2022
NEW
DELHI: With Pakistan and China again raising the Kashmir issue in a joint
statement, India Thursday rejected the “unwarranted references” with the
government reminding the two countries that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are
and always will be integral and inalienable parts of India.
While
the joint statement issued after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had mentioned the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) and their efforts to extend it into third countries, India “resolutely”
rejected any attempts to utilise such projects to change the status quo in
areas illegally occupied by Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
HC
Adjourns Hearing On Mosque Committee Plea Challenging Lower Court Verdict In
Gyanvapi Case
03
NOV 2022
The
Allahabad High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the Gyanvapi mosque
management committee's petition challenging the Varanasi district court's order
rejecting its objection to the maintainability of a plea seeking daily worship
of Hindu deities whose idols are located on an outer wall of the mosque.
The
hearing on the matter resumed at 2 pm on Thursday. After some time, the court
adjourned the hearing till Friday.
On
September 12, the Varanasi district court had said it will continue to hear a
petition by some Hindu women seeking daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols
are located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi Masjid, dismissing the mosque
committee's argument that the case is not maintainable.
District
Judge A K Vishvesh rejected the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee's petition
questioning the maintainability of the case, which has reignited the Kashi
Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Masjid dispute.
The
mosque committee's dismissed plea had cited the Places of Worship (Special
Provisions) Act, 1991 to make its case.
Source:
OutlookIndia
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Man
arrested for sacrilege bid at mosque in Shahjahanpur
Nov
03, 2022
LUCKNOW
Tension prevailed in UP’s Shahjahanpur after a copy of the Quran was found
burnt in a mosque on Wednesday evening. The police on Thursday claimed to have
arrested a man for allegedly damaging the holy book, apparently with the intent
to create law and order problem in the district, said police.
The
accused, Taj Mohammad, was identified with the help of CCTV footage and later
arrested from Barujai locality, Ramit Sharma, IG, Bareilly range, said in a
press conference. He said the initial intention behind damaging the holy book
was to disturb law and order, but the police were interrogating him to
ascertain any other intent behind it.
The
incident was reported around 4.30pm on Wednesday when one Nadeem informed the
cleric of the Fakhre Alam mosque in Kotwali area of the city that a few pages
of the holy book were found torn and burnt. The CCTV footage revealed that a
man secretly entered the mosque, burnt a few pages after tearing them from the
book and escaped easily without being noticed by anyone, said S Anand, SP
(Shahjahanpur).
He
said the case was registered against an unidentified person at Chowk police
station on the complaint of Nadeem.
After
information about the incident, hundreds of people gathered outside the mosque
and staged a protest. Some people engaged in arson by pulling down hoardings
installed on the roadside. The police had to use mild force to disperse the
mob, said the SP.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Arab World
Qatar:
Carpet of freebies, but mind the criticism
Tariq
Panja
04.11.22
It
is an offer good enough to make any soccer fan stop and listen. Free flights to
the World Cup. Free tickets to matches. Free housing during the tournament and
even a bit of spending money.
But
the offer comes with a catch.
The
handpicked fans who accept this trip of a lifetime — financed by Qatar, the
host nation of this year’s World Cup — will be required to abide by contracts
that will require them to sing what they’re told to sing, to watch what they
say and, most controversially, to report social media posts made by other fans
critical of Qatar.
Yet
despite those rules, hundreds of supporters have signed up.
The
invitations went out in late September and targeted some of the most
well-connected and well-known fan leaders backing the 32 teams. A Dutch fan
told the broadcaster NOS that he had agreed to vet other supporters from the
Netherlands. A board member from the American Outlaws, the biggest US
supporters’ group, agreed to take part, and then helped sign up fellow members
and others.
Fans
from all of Fifa’s confederations have accepted the offer; dozens have already
travelled to Qatar at least once for luxurious pre-World Cup visits. Those,
too, were paid for by tournament organisers.
Other
fans, though, have declined. The conditions attached to the offer, one French
fan told Le Parisien, felt like a step too far. “Despite the appetising side of
the dish, I preferred to stay true to my values,” said Joseph Delage, a member
of a prominent French supporters’ group.
Qatar’s
offer, which came out of a fan engagement programme started in 2020, is the
first time a host nation has paid for groups of fans from all the competing
nations to attend the World Cup. But it is not the first time Qatar has worked
to fill stadiums with friendly voices; in 2019, migrant workers and schoolchildren
were enlisted to fill empty seats at the world track and field championships in
Doha.
In
exchange for their World Cup perks, this year’s fans — as many as 50 from each
country — will be required to perform in a ceremony before Qatar opens the
tournament against Ecuador on November 20. Organisers have dedicated five
minutes of that celebration to a fan-themed segment that will require the
beneficiaries of Qatar’s generosity to perform a chant or song specific to
their country, selected not by them but by tournament organisers.
Representatives
of Qatar’s World Cup organising committee, the Supreme Committee for Delivery
and Legacy, tried this week to play down the requirements explicit, and
implicit, in the offer. “There is no obligation to promote or do anything,”
Ahsan Mansoor, the fan engagement director for the 2022 World Cup, said in an
interview.
But
a closer look at the terms of the relationship revealed that chosen supporters
are encouraged to do just that, and also to amplify messaging from the organisers
to support the World Cup “by ‘liking’ and re-sharing third-party posts.” At the
same time, according to documents and contracts reviewed by The New York Times
and authenticated by multiple fans, participants are warned that although they
are not being asked to be a “mouthpiece” for Qatar, “it would obviously not be
appropriate for you to disparage” the country or the tournament.
The
fan leaders have also signed up to be on the lookout for such negativity in
comments on their posts; a clause in the code of conduct asks that they “report
any offensive, degrading or abusive comments” to the organisers. Where
possible, the code says, they should supply screenshots of any offending posts.
Those
who breach regulations are warned that they could be dismissed from the
programme.
“At
best they’re volunteers for the World Cup and at worst they’re a mouthpiece for
the Supreme Committee,” said Ronan Evain, the executive director of Football
Supporters Europe, an umbrella organisation of fan groups recognised by Uefa.
In the dozen years since Qatar was awarded the World Cup, the country has taken
pains to shape and defend its national image amid corruption claims,
environmental concerns and human rights issues.
Source:TelegraphIndia
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Al-Azhar
Grand Imam receives Archbishop of Constantinople.
03
Nov 2022
Manama,
Nov.3 (BNA): Al-Azhar Grand Imam, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Chairman
of the Muslim Council of Elders, received at his residence, His Holiness
Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch, Archbishop of Constantinople.
Dr.
El-Tayeb hailed praised the role of religious leaders in promoting interfaith
dialogue, stressing support to efforts aimed to achieve global peace and
tolerance between people.
Source:BNA
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https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDkhMdQaBUO%2fLmgg14vjkGo0%3d
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Qatar
condemns attack on ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan
Ahmed
Youssef
04.11.2022
DOHA
Qatar
has condemned Thursday's attack on former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan
in which he was injured.
"Qatar
strongly condemns the attempted assassination of former Pakistani Prime
Minister Imran Khan, who was wounded in a shooting at his convoy east of the
country," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The
Gulf country affirmed its position in "rejecting the use of violence in
the context of political differences," warned against "falling into a
cycle of violence as a result, and stressed its keenness to establish security
and stability in Pakistan."
The
ministry also wished Khan a "speedy recovery."
A
gunman opened fire at a campaign truck carrying Khan in the Wazirabad district
in the eastern Punjab province, wounding him in the leg. He was shifted to a
hospital in Lahore and is said to be in stable condition.
Leaders
of his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, say it was a planned assassination
attempt, and have accused the prime minister, interior minister, and an
intelligence official of being involved in the attack.
Since
his ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April, Khan has held a
series of anti-government rallies for "real freedom," and has alleged
that he was removed in a US-sponsored conspiracy. The coalition government and
Washington have denied the claims.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/qatar-condemns-attack-on-ex-pakistan-pm-imran-khan/2729414
--------
Al-Azhar
Grand Imam receives UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence
03
Nov 2022
Manama,
Nov.3 (BNA): Al-Azhar Grand Imam, His Eminence Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Chairman
of the Muslim Council of Elders, received at his residence, UAE Minister of
Tolerance and Coexistence Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.
Dr.
El-Tayeb hailed scientific, religious and cultural relations binding Al Azhar
and the United Arab Emirates, lauded the UAE leaders' efforts to foster the
values of fraternity and tolerance and advocate Arab and Islamic causes.
Source: BNA
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https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmFJgiscL2fwIzON1%2bDlf8OPj70cML6hwO%2foMnGHY%3d
--------
Lenderking
heads to UAE, Saudi Arabia as US looks to extend Yemen truce
03
November, 2022
US
Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is in the Gulf as Washington looks to
renew the UN-mediated truce in Yemen, which expired last month, the State Department
said on Thursday.
Lenderking
has traveled to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, two countries that have played a
pivotal role in trying to end the yearslong war that has pitted the
internationally-recognized government of Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis.
The
Houthis refused to extend a fragile truce that had been in place since April.
“We
remind the Houthis that the world is watching their actions and urge them to
cooperate with the UN and listen to Yemeni appeals for peace,” the State
Department said Thursday. “The only path forward to ending eight years of
destructive war is through a durable ceasefire and political settlement that
allows Yemenis to determine the future of their country.”
Late
last month, the Yemeni government said it had intercepted armed drones launched
against the al-Dhabba oil terminal in Hadramawt.
The
Houthis claimed the attack as a warning to prevent the vessel from “smuggling”
crude oil from the port.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iran
state-linked Telegram channel posts video of simulated attack on Saudi Arabia
03
November, 2022
A
Telegram channel affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) published on Wednesday a video of a simulated attack on oil facilities
in Saudi Arabia after the US expressed concern about threats from the Islamic
Republic against the Kingdom.
The
video, posted by an IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel with over 350,000
subscribers, showed a simulated drone attack against Saudi Aramco oil
facilities.
A
White House spokesperson said Tuesday the US was concerned about threats from
Iran against Saudi Arabia.
The
Wall Street Journal had first reported that Saudi Arabia had shared
intelligence with the US warning of an imminent attack from Iran against the
Kingdom.
Iran
said on Wednesday reports of Iranian threats against Saudi Arabia were
“baseless accusations.”
The
chief commander of the IRGC, Hossein Salami, issued a threat against Saudi
Arabia on Saturday, saying: “Be careful, we will come for you.”
He
accused Riyadh of stoking ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran.
On
October 17, Salami accused Saudi Arabia of interfering in Iran’s internal
affairs and “provoking” Iranian youth through its media, warning the Kingdom to
“be careful.”
Protests
sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini have rocked
Iran since her death on September 16. Protesters have been chanting against
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and calling for regime change.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Parliament
decides caretaker government can run Lebanon
November
03, 2022
BEIRUT:
The Lebanese Parliament has decided that the caretaker government headed by
Najib Mikati can be handed the powers of the presidency amid the leadership
vacuum, according to constitutional principles.
Former
President Michel Aoun sent a letter to parliament on Sunday, 24 hours before
the end of his term, asking MPs to withdraw confidence in Mikati’s government.
He argued that it has no legitimacy and should not assume the duties of the
presidency.
Parliament
held a session to discuss the letter on Thursday. Some MPs believed that the
correspondence was pointless given that the Lebanese constitution gives the
government, even a caretaker one, the right to run the country in the light of
a presidential vacuum. They stressed that the priority is to elect a president,
not discuss governments.
Other
MPs, including Aoun’s bloc, the Free Patriotic Movement, said that the letter
would transfer the dispute between Aoun and Mikati to parliament.
Many
representatives warned against such conflict provoking sectarian strife between
the Maronite and Sunni sects.
After
Aoun’s letter was read, reformist MPs, the Kataeb Party, and MP Michel Mouawad
walked out of the assembly hall on the grounds that “according to Article 75,
parliament is now an electoral body only and not entitled to perform any other
function.”
Mikati
said during the session that if his government fails to carry out its
responsibilities, including in caretaker mode, it would be subject to
constitutional accountability for violating its duties as explicitly stipulated
in Article 70.
Mouawad
said: “This is an attempt to create sectarian tension to justify the power
vacuum. Those who want to defend the president’s powers ought to abide by the
constitution and elect a president.”
Sami
Gemayel, head of the Kataeb Party, said: “Aoun’s letter aims to create tension
and stir up sectarian conflicts among the Lebanese.
“If
the goal is to drag parliament into strife, there is no need to hold this
session because our mission is to elect a president.”
The
reformist MPs said that electing a head of state should be prioritized over
other matters and that holding a session to read and discuss a letter was wrong
at this time.
MP
Bilal Al-Hashimi said: “We do not want to discuss issues that are now in the
past. We need to elect a president because the people can no longer bear the
miserable economic and social situation.”
MP
Ghassan Hasbani, of the Lebanese Forces, said that the priority is to elect a
president without being distracted by side issues.
The
session, which was held without the media’s presence, ended with Lebanese
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's recommendation that any change in the status
quo requires a constitutional amendment, and that now is not the time.
A
heated debate took place between Strida Geagea, of Lebanese Forces, and Free
Patriotic Movement’s head Gebran Bassil, over the next president’s popular
representation. Geagea said her husband, Samir Geagea, had the strongest
Christian base in terms of popularity.
Bassil
defended Aoun’s letter after the session, accusing Mikati of not having wanted
to form a government before the end of Aoun’s term and deliberately leading the
country into a power vacuum.
Berri
withdrew the call for dialogue he had made to agree on a candidate for the
presidency, citing objections by the LF and FPM on such discussion between
blocs.
The
constitutional deadline for electing a new president ended with Aoun’s term,
and parliament has so far failed, after four voting sessions, to deliver any
candidate.
Hezbollah
and its allies deliberately disrupt quorum, cast blank votes, refrain from
naming a candidate and accuse other candidates of being provocative.
Berri,
who set Nov. 10 as a new date to vote, said: “Starting next week, we will hold
a weekly voting session until a president is finally elected.”
Mikati
said in his speech at the Arab Summit on Wednesday: “The beacon of light has
gone out; the port that was considered the gateway to the East has suffered an
explosion; and the lights of the airport, which should be a connection
platform, are out due to lack of fuel.
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2193236/middle-east
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Forthcoming
elections solely aimed at strengthening tyranny in Bahrain, prominent Shia
cleric says
03
November 2022
Bahrain’s
most prominent Shia cleric has dismissed the country’s upcoming parliamentary
polls, saying the ruling Al Khalifah regime wants to maintain its grip on power
and strengthen tyranny in the Persian Gulf kingdom by means of the ballots cast
in the elections.
“Elections
in Bahrain are only meant to reinforce tyranny, and people play into the hands
of the ruling regime and are treated as playthings,” Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Isa
Qassim wrote in a post published on his Twitter page.
“Does
common sense dictate participation in such elections?” he questioned.
Earlier,
Bahrain’s main opposition group, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, had
called for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country,
amid an escalation of political repression and absence of meaningful reforms.
In
a statement released on September 14, al-Wefaq described the boycott of
November 12 polls as a national duty, emphasizing that the ruling Manama regime
maintains absolute control over the electoral process and seeks to install a
weak legislature, whose main task would be to burnish the image of the corrupt
Al Khalifah dynasty and cover up its human rights abuses.
It
added that the constitutional and political rift between the Bahraini regime
and the nation is deepening day by day, the main reason for which, it said, is
the lack of any social agreement between the two sides.
In
the absence of a real administration, the Al Khalifah regime continues its
authoritarian rule by imposing its political, economic, security and social
wills on the Bahraini nation, al-Wefaq said.
Demonstrations
have been held in Bahrain on a regular basis ever since a popular uprising
began in mid-February 2011.
Source:
Press TV
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Africa
South
Africa’s Ethiopian diaspora welcomes agreement for peace
Hassan
Isilow
04.11.2022
The
Ethiopian community in South Africa welcomed news Thursday of the signing of an
agreement to end hostilities between their government and the Tigray People’s
Liberation Front (TPLF).
“I
am very happy with the outcomes of the peace negotiations. I hope peace will
now bring development and stability to my country,’’ Ethiopian businessman
based in Johannesburg, Suleiman Hussein, told Anadolu Agency.
He
commended African Union facilitators and the South African government for
hosting talks and said the war was not good for Ethiopia.
Peace
talks between the government and Tigray rebels bore fruit Wednesday as the two
warring sides agreed to a new cease-fire deal, in talks hosted in the South
African capital of Pretoria.
The
two-year civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions will likely
end if parties respect the deal.
“The
outcome of the peace negotiations in Pretoria was the best for Ethiopia, Africa
and the world. War will never solve any problem for any country,’’ another
Ethiopian businessman, Muzeyah Ntulu, told the Turkish news agency.
Olusegun
Obasanjo, the high representative of the chairperson of the African Union
Commission, announced the outcome of the peace, describing the outcome as a new
dawn.
“Today
is the beginning of a new dawn for Ethiopia, for the Horn of Africa and indeed
for Africa as a whole. Let me hasten to thank God for this new dawn,” the
former Nigeria president said Wednesday. “We are seeing in practice and
actualization what we have tried to achieve for ourselves over the years – African
solutions for African problems. We also see in today’s peace agreement signing
exercise the implementation of Agenda 2063 which embodies silencing the guns in
Africa.”
An
Ethiopian national who identified himself as Jonas, said: “This news has made
me homesick. I wish I was in Ethiopia to celebrate in my country. This is very
good news. We are one people, all Ethiopians, why should we kill one another?’’
Elizabeth
Damos was equally happy and thanked South Africa for hosting talks that began
Oct. 25.
South
Africa has a very large Ethiopian migrant community involved in different
sectors of the economy.
South
Africa welcomed the deal in a statement Thursday that said it is honored to
have been the host for the talks and will continue to work with all parties to
ensure that peace is maintained in Ethiopia.
It
said the agreement signals a commitment to ending the use of force to settle
differences and disputes and confirms the correctness of South Africa’s
principled position that political differences are best resolved through
meaningful dialogue and diplomacy.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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UN
says millions at risk of hunger in South Sudan
03
November, 2022
Almost
eight million people in South Sudan, or two thirds of the population in the
deeply troubled country, are at risk of hunger, the United Nations warned in a
report on Thursday.
One
of the world’s poorest nations, South Sudan has spent more than half of its
life as a nation at war, with nearly 400,000 people dying during a five-year
civil war that ended in 2018.
“Hunger
and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood, drought, and
conflict-affected areas of South Sudan, with some communities likely to face
starvation if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and climate adaptation
measures are not scaled-up,” it said.
The
joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN children’s fund
UNICEF and the World Food Program said the proportion of people facing high
levels of food insecurity and malnourishment “is at the highest level ever,”
surpassing levels seen even during the conflict in 2013 and 2016.
It
said 7.76 million people are likely to face acute food insecurity during the
April-July 2023 lean season while 1.4 million children will be malnourished.
The
report blamed a combination of conflict, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme
climate events, and spiraling costs of food and fuel as well as a decline in
funding for humanitarian programs.
“We’ve
been in famine prevention mode all year and have staved off the worst outcomes,
but this is not enough,” Makena Walker, acting country director for WFP in
South Sudan, said in a statement.
“South
Sudan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis and day in, day out families
are losing their homes, cattle, fields and hope to extreme weather,” Walker
said.
“Without
humanitarian food assistance, millions more will find themselves in an
increasingly dire situation and unable to provide even the most basic food for
their families.”
The
world’s youngest country has grappled with deadly conflict, natural disasters,
economic malaise and relentless political infighting since it won independence
from Sudan in 2011.
Famine
was declared in South Sudan in 2017 in Leer and Mayendit counties in Unity
State, areas that have often been a flashpoint for violence.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rights
group hails end of war in Ethiopia, demands justice for victims, survivors
Andrew
Wasike
03.11.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Amnesty
International joined other rights groups Thursday in hailing the end to the war
in Ethiopia with a peace deal signed between the government and Tigray rebels.
The
rights group said the agreement must deliver justice to victims and survivors
of the two-year conflict between the government and the Tigray People’s
Liberation Front (TPLF) because millions have been displaced and hundreds of
thousands killed.
“The
signing of a peace agreement on Wednesday is a step in the right direction, yet
further strides must be taken to address the accountability deficit that has
permeated the conflict since it began,” said the group’s head of East and
Southern Africa, Muleya Mwananyanda, in a report.
She
said all parties had committed unspeakable abuses, including mass,
extrajudicial executions, and sexual violence against women and girls.
“These
appalling crimes cannot simply be washed away,” said Mwananyanda.
The
report cited that at present, the accord fails to offer a clear roadmap on how
to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity “and
overlooks rampant impunity in the country, which could lead to violations being
repeated.”
Amnesty
advised authorities to grant unrestricted access to human rights investigators,
including the UN-mandated International Commission of Human Rights Experts on
Ethiopia.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
2023:
Islamic group reveals what Pa Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu means
November
3, 2022
By
Don Silas
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended Pa Reuben Fasoranti, former leader of
Afenifere, for endorsing All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential
candidate, Ahmed Tinubu, as his preferred presidential candidate for Nigeria’s
2023 presidential election.
MURIC,
in a statement by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Thursday, said Pa
Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu is capable of uniting the Yoruba people as
Christians and Muslims will now rally behind the former Lagos State governor in
a united front.
“MURIC
commends Pa Reuben Fasoranti for his sportsmanship and broadmindedness. Pa
Fasoranti’s name will be engraved in letters of gold for ignoring the
illogical, irrational and inexplicable choice of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who declared
support for Peter Obi of the Labour Party,” MURIC’s statement read in part.
“A
major significance of Pa Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu is that it is
capable of uniting the Yoruba people as Muslims and Christians will now rally
behind Tinubu in a united front. The likely fallout of this development is a
future payback by Yoruba Muslims who have shown the willingness to support a
Christian candidate in future if their Christian counterparts vote for Tinubu,
a Yoruba Muslim, in the 2023 presidential election.”
DAILY
POST reports that Tinubu recently received the blessing of Pa Fasoranti, who
had resigned as the President of Afenifere.
Source: DailyPost Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
Blinken
thanks outgoing Israel PM, warns on West Bank violence
04
November, 2022
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced alarm on Thursday about rising
tensions in the West Bank, in a call to thank outgoing Israeli Prime Minister
Yair Lapid, who has conceded defeat in his country’s elections.
Blinken
spoke to Lapid to “commend Israel for its free and fair elections, and to thank
the prime minister for his partnership,” the State Department said in a
statement.
Blinken
voiced “his deep concern over the situation in the West Bank, including
heightened tensions, violence and loss of both Israeli and Palestinian lives,
and underscored the need for all parties to urgently de-escalate the
situation.”
The
occupied West Bank is witnessing its deadliest period in years, as Israel
prepares to form perhaps its most right-wing government in history under
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s
Likud party and its far-right allies triumphed on Tuesday in the country’s
fifth election in four years.
The
West Bank has seen near-daily army raids and an increase in clashes and attacks
on Israeli forces. Israel on Thursday killed four Palestinians, including an
alleged attacker and an extremist fighter, medics and security officials said.
Lapid
last year cobbled together a motley coalition united in opposition to
Netanyahu.
Also
serving as foreign minister, Lapid put a priority on smooth relations with the
United States, warning that Netanyahu had alienated Israel’s allies in US
President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Biden
vows to ‘free Iran’ in West Coast campaign speech
04
November, 2022
US
President Joe Biden on Thursday vowed to “free” Iran, and said that
demonstrators working against the country’s government would soon succeed in
freeing themselves.
“Don’t
worry, we’re gonna free Iran. They’re gonna free themselves pretty soon,” Biden
said during a wide-ranging campaign speech in California, as dozens of
demonstrators gathered outside holding banners supporting Iranian protesters.
Biden
did not expand on his remarks or specify what additional actions he would take
during the remarks at MiraCosta College near San Diego.
The
White House’s National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
Seven
weeks of demonstrations in Iran were ignited by the death of a 22-year-old
woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
The
protests triggered by Amini’s death on Sept. 16 have shown the defiance of many
young Iranians in challenging the clerical leadership, overcoming fear that has
stifled dissent in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The
United States on Wednesday said it will try to remove Iran from the 45-member
UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) over the government’s denial of
women’s rights and brutal crackdown on protests.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
condemns gun attack on former Pakistani prime minister
Servet
Gunerigok
03.11.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US on Thursday "strongly" condemned a gun attack on former Pakistani
Prime Minister Imran Khan, calling on the parties in the South Asian nation to
remain peaceful.
"United
States strongly condemns the attack on Imran Khan and the supporters, and hopes
for the swift recovery of all who are injured," White House Spokeswoman
Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.
Asserting
that violence has no place in politics, Jean-Pierre said: "We call on all
parties to remain peaceful and refrain from violence."
A
gunman opened fire at a campaign truck carrying Khan in the Wazirabad district
of the eastern Punjab province, wounding him in the leg. He was taken to a
hospital in Lahore and is said to be in stable condition.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-condemns-gun-attack-on-former-pakistani-prime-minister/2729148
--------
US
designates oil smuggling network linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran’s Quds
Force
03
November, 2022
The
US announced Thursday the designation of members of an international oil
smuggling network that facilitated oil trades and generated revenue for
Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force.
The
network includes individuals and several front companies and vessels that
worked to blend oil to conceal the Iranian origins of the shipments and
exporting it around the world in support of Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF,
according to a statement from the Treasury Department.
“The
individuals running this illicit network use a web of shell companies and
fraudulent tactics including document falsification to obfuscate the origins of
Iranian oil, sell it on the international market, and evade sanctions,” said
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian
Nelson.
“Market
participants should be vigilant of Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF’s attempts to
generate revenue from oil smuggling to enable their terrorist activities around
the world.”
The
latest US move against Iranian oil smuggling comes as efforts to revive Iran’s
2015 nuclear deal have stalled and ties between the Islamic Republic and the
West are increasingly strained as Iranians keep up anti-government protests.
The
move targeted a Gulf-based network of individuals and companies that the
Treasury said as of mid-2022 were blending and exporting Iranian oil. The
network used storage units in the Port of Sharjah in the UAE and blended
products of Indian origin with Iranian oil to obfuscate the origin, Washington
said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
to continue exposing Iran’s role in Ukraine war, including use of drones:
Malley
03
November, 2022
The
US will continue to expose Iran’s actions in the Russia-Ukraine war, the US
Special Envoy for Iran said in an interview with Al Arabiya, after reports of
Iran sending drones and missiles to Russia recently emerged.
“I
think it’s clear that Iran has moved closer to Russia. We think it’s a very bad
bed that Iran has made, but it’s clear to the world today that Iran has sided
with Russia and its war of aggression against Ukraine,” the top US diplomat for
Iran Rob Malley said.
“It’s
something that we have exposed, that others have exposed, and I think … the
first step to take is to make sure the world knows to run, and people know what
their government is doing. And it’s clear as well that the Iranian government
is embarrassed by that because they keep denying that they’ve transferred these
drones to Russia in the face of mounting and incontrovertible evidence,” he
added.
Ukraine
and its Western allies have repeatedly accused Moscow of using Iranian-made
drones in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.
In
September, Ukraine decided to significantly reduce its diplomatic relations
with Tehran over alleged arms deliveries to Moscow.
The
Ukrainian National Resistance Center reported in October that Russian forces
took Iranian instructors to the occupied Kherson and Crimea regions to launch
Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drones.
“We
will continue to expose [Iran’s actions], will continue to expose the transfer
of drones, or of any other weapons, and as you know, the reports of Iran
potentially transferring missiles to Russia,” Malley said, adding that the US
will “continue to sanction anyone who is related even tangentially to those
transfers.”
“Any
economic operator in the region, or elsewhere, should be very careful about
involving themselves in such transfers because we will sanction them,” he
warned.
“We
will take other steps necessary that we deem appropriate to try to stop those
transfers. But again, it is a step that Iran has taken. We know that they have
transferred those drones.”
“We
know that they’ve also trained Russian operators in using those drones and we
know that those drones have been used to target civilians and civilian
infrastructure. That’s not something I think that the Iranian regime wanted the
world to know. The world now knows it.”
Iran
is allegedly preparing to deliver more weapons to Russia to be used in its war
against Ukraine, CNN reported on Tuesday citing officials from a western country
which closely monitors Tehran’s weapons.
It
has been estimated that Iran will send around 1,000 weapons to Moscow, some of
which include surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and attack
drones.
According
to the officials cited in the CNN report, Iran’s last shipment of arms to
Russia included 450 drones that Moscow used in Ukraine. Although it is not yet
clear when the weapons in question will be sent to Russia, officials said they
expected the transaction to occur before the end of this year.
“There’s
no doubt that sanctions are not the perfect solution… But we will continue to
sanction because we do think there’s a naming and shaming component that’s
important. But there’s also a deterrent aspect,” Malley explained.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
approval of F-16 sale to Turkey coming soon: Erdogan spokesperson
04
November, 2022
President
Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said the process of the United States approving the
sale of F-16 fighter jets to NATO member Turkey was going well and could be
completed within a couple of months.
Turkey
made a request to the United States in October 2021 to buy 40 Lockheed Martin
Corp F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes
to update its air force after the purchase of F-35s fell through.
CNN
Turk cited spokesman Ibrahim Kalin as saying in an interview with the
broadcaster on Thursday evening that the administration of President Joe Biden
was making sincere efforts on the issue.
“It’s
not very easy to give a clear forecast but it appears there is a high
probability of the process being completed in the next month or two,” Kalin was
quoted as saying when asked if the United States would sell F-16s to Turkey.
“When
this happens the F-16 problem, both the modernization and the purchase of new
F-16s, will be resolved.”
In
September, Erdogan said he had received “positive” feedback from two US
senators he met in New York on their potential support for the sale.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran
Adds Canadian Top Officials to Sanctions Blacklist for Supporting Terrorism
2022-November-3
The
foreign ministry announced the sanctions in a statement on Wednesday, saying it
has adopted the measures over, inter alia, the targeted individuals' support
for the anti-Iran terrorist cult of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO)
terrorist group.
After
the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the MKO terrorist group began its enmity
against Iran by killing thousands of Iranians and terrorist activities. Several
members of the terrorist group and its leaders are living in European countries
now, freely conducting terrorist activities.
The
ministry named the sanctioned individuals as Canada's Minister of Public
Safety, Marco Mendicino; Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand; Chief
Justice, Richard Wagner; Chief of the Defense Staff, Wayne Eyre; Commander of
the Royal Air Force, Eric Kenny; Navy Commander, Angus Topshee; Commissioner of
the Royal Mounted Police, Brenda Lucki; and Judge David Brown, who has ordered
seizure of Iranian assets in Canada.
The
sanctioned institution has been named as Canada's National Post, which has been
found liable for backing anti-Iran sanctions as part of an Iranophobic agenda.
The
targeted individuals and body have also been found responsible for encouraging
terrorist and violent activities against the Iranian people, disseminating
misinformation about the Islamic Republic, and contributing to enforcement of
oppressive sanctions on the Iranian nation.
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry's statement obliges all Iranian mechanisms and
organizations to comply with the sanctions, including by refusing to issue
visas for the targeted entities, preventing them from entering sovereign
Iranian territory, enabling closure of the bank accounts that are associated
with them, and freezing their Iran-based assets.
Back
in October, the Iranian Foreign Ministry blasted Canada's boycotts against the
country’s media outlets, and said that the West's sanctions policy is driven by
madness.
Reacting
to Canada's new sanctions against Iranian media, Iranian Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Nasser Kana'ani wrote in his Instagram page that the US
Administration’s sanctions frenzy has gone viral and is quickly spreading to
its friends.
Sanctioning
"Tasnim News Agency", "Keyhan Newspaper", "Noor
News", "Fars News Agency", the managing editor of Kayhan
newspaper, the incumbent and former head of the IRIB and its reporter is the
latest sanction list of the Canadian government against Iran and Iranians, the
official added.
He
noted that this was not the first act of the Canadian government in sanctioning
Iranian media, the country had previously sanctioned "Press TV", an
English-language Iranian news channel.
"From
the point of view of the Canadian government and its anti-Iranian western
partners, the Iranians do not have the right to vote and express their opinions
in addition to economic sanctions. Unless they speak like them and in their own
cultural language, like Iran International, Manoto, etc," Kana'ani said.
"Sanctioning
the Iranian media and people is a violation of a part of the fundamental rights
of the Iranian people to convey their voice and opinion to the world, and also
shows the absurdity of the West's slogan regarding free access to information
and freedom of expression," the Iranian diplomat added.
“When
[empty] slogans are unmasked and logic becomes weak, there is no option but to
resort to force and sanction. Sanction has become the international language of
the US and its allies,” the spokesman stressed.
He
went on to say that resorting to force and sanctions by Canada in order not to
hear the voices of others is not so surprising.
"Canada
tends to show its apartheid behaviors occasionally, a proof of which is the
discovery of mass graves of indigenous children in that country," the
diplomat reiterated.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
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--------
IDF
shoot dead Islamic Jihad terrorist behind killing of Israeli commando
03
November, 2022
The
security forces on Thursday shot dead a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ), who according to the military was responsible for the killing of an
Israeli commando.
Faruk
Salama, the commander of the Jenin branch of the the Quds Brigade - Islamic
Jihad's armed wing, was eliminated during a daytime IDF raid in the Jenin
refugee camp in the West Bank.
Five
other terrorists were detained during the raid.
The
military entered Jenin to conduct an operation, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit
said. Soldiers and the Border Police's Yamas special forces unit took part in
the raid.
Videos
shared on social media appeared to show the sound of heavy exchanges of rifle
fire, and air raid sirens being sounded inside the city.
The
military said Salama was involved in the killing of Command Sgt. Maj. Noam Raz,
a veteran of the elite Yamam counterterror police unit earlier this year.
No
casualties among the troops were reported.
Salama
is set to have been scheduled to get married this Saturday.
Salama's
squad recently gave an interview to CNN, where they talked about the militants'
strained relationship with the Palestinian Authority, claiming it isn't
"pulling its weight" in the fight against Israel, and
"hemorrhaging support" among the populace.
"The
Palestinian people have lost faith in the PA and its leaders as a result of the
occupation, raids and the continuous creation of far-right governments in
Israel," said one of the brigade members.
He
noted that the lack of hope is the reason why many Palestinian youths are
taking up arms, even those with college degrees, having lost all expectation of
living with dignity.
Source: YnetNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h15yrbbhj
--------
Cleric
killed in restive Iranian city amid protests
November
4, 2022
TEHRAN:
A cleric at a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in the restive, mostly Sunni Muslim Iranian
city of Zahedan has been shot dead, the official news agency IRNA said,
threatening a spike in sectarian tensions complicating government efforts to
contain widespread unrest.
IRNA
named the dead cleric as Sajjad Shahraki.
“A
special task force has been formed for the purpose of identifying and arresting
the perpetrators,” said Ahmad Taheri, police commander of Sistan-Baluchistan
province.
Zahedan
was the scene of one of the deadliest days during a wave of popular protests
that have swept the Islamic Republic since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini
in the custody of the morality police on Sept 16.
Amnesty
International said security forces killed at least 66 people in a crackdown on
protesters in Zahedan on Sept 30.
Authorities
in the city in Iran’s far southeast sacked its police commander and the chief
of a police station afterwards.
The
Zahedan deaths were widely criticised, including by a top Sunni cleric who said
senior officials in the Shi’ite establishment including Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were responsible “before God.”
The
nationwide demonstrations, which resound with chants calling for the death of
Khamenei, have posed one of the boldest challenges to the state since the 1979
Islamic Revolution.
Iran
blames its foreign foes and their agents for the protests and accuses them of
trying to destabilise the country.
Zahedan,
close to Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to a
Baluch minority estimated to number up to 2 million people who have faced
discrimination and repression for decades, according to human rights groups.
The
Sistan-Baluchistan region around Zahedan is one of the country’s poorest and
has been a hotbed of tension where Iranian security forces have been attacked
by Baluch militants.
Forty
prominent Iranian human rights lawyers publicly criticised Iran’s Shi’ite
theocracy, saying crackdowns that have crushed dissent for decades will no
longer work and protesters seeking a new political order will prevail.
“The
government is still drowning in illusions and believes it can repress, arrest
and kill to silence,” the lawyers, some inside the country and some outside,
said in a statement sent to Reuters.
“But
the flood of people will ultimately remove a government because the divine will
side with the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God.”
Those
inside Iran risk arrest with such comments. However, the lawyers’ statement is
the latest example of how an increasing number of Iranians are no longer
paralysed by the fear of the state that kept them in line for decades.
Among
the lawyers signing the statement is Saeid Dehghan, who has represented dual
nationals jailed in Iran on security-related charges. Another is Giti
Pourfazel, who was among activists jailed for signing an open letter in 2019
urging Khamenei to resign. She was released in 2021.
‘Every
tactic’
In
past years major protests, which were violently quelled, focused on election
results and economic woes while the current unrest has one main demand – the
fall of the Islamic Republic.
Iran
has been widening its crackdown, deploying security forces at protests and
making arrests of a wide range of Iranians from lawyers to doctors to rappers.
Videos
shared on social media show that a crowd of hundreds gathered yesterday in a
central avenue of the city of Karaj to pay respects to Hadis Najafi, a young
woman who was shot dead by security forces, according to her sister and social
media.
Protesters
in Karaj, which lies just west of the capital Tehran, were seen in an online
video burning and ripping up a brown “abah,” the long robe that Shi’ite clerics
wear.
A
member of the hardline Basij militia was killed in Karaj and five police
officers were wounded during a riot, the semi-official Tasnim news agency
reported.
Human
Rights Watch said Iranian authorities had escalated their assault against
widespread dissent and protests by filing dubious national security charges
against detained activists and staging grossly unfair trials.
“Iran’s
vicious security apparatus is using every tactic in its book, including lethal
force against protesters, arresting and slandering human rights defenders and
journalists, and sham trials to crush widespread dissent,” said Tara Sepehri
Far, senior Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“Yet
every new atrocity only reinforces why Iranians are demanding fundamental
changes to a corrupt autocracy.”
Rights
group Hengaw reported yesterday that a 27-year-old rapper from Kermanshah was
charged as being an “enemy of God,” a capital offence under Iran’s Islamic law.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
set for most extremist regime in its history
04
November 2022
Israel’s
most extremist former PM and his ultra-right coalition are set to be in power,
as former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu won elections while standing
charges on corruption and political dysfunction.
In
a final swing at the premiership, Netanyahu allied with the extremist MK Itamar
Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party and Betzalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party.
His coalition earned a total of 64 out of 120 seats, by that making up the
majority of the Knesset.
The
elections, which kicked off on Tuesday, are a fifth attempt by Israel in only
four years to end a paralyzing political stalemate in the Tel Aviv, amid deep
political divisions among the regime’s political parties.
Illegal
settlement expansion and extremism
Netanyahu's
previous term was marked with sheer expansion of Tel Aviv's illegal settlement
activities.
Netanyahu’s
major ally, Ben-Gvir, is notorious for his constant provocative raids of
Palestinian towns and Islamic Holy Places such as al-Aqsa mosque. He is also
infamous for rallying illegal Israeli settlers that call for the death of Arabs
and Palestinians and chant racist slogans against Muslims and Arabs.
Moreover,
Ben Gvir has links to the late Meir Kahane, the US-born rabbi who openly
advocated for the expulsion of Palestinians from Israeli-occupied land. Today,
the racist ideas espoused by Kahane and his political descendants have become
mainstream among a large segment of Israeli settlers.
In
October, he urged Israeli settlers to shoot Palestinians, while brandishing a
loaded gun in the occupied East al-Quds neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
The
previous Israeli regime, under Netanyahu, sped up annexing Palestinian lands in
order to expand settlement projects. Also, Political commentators and
Netanyahu’s critics have long criticized him for demonizing the Arab community
with his political rhetoric.
Even
the pro-Israeli occupation lobby in the US, AIPAC, which practically never
criticizes Israeli politicians, has criticized Netanyahu over his actions.
Concerns
remain on what will Netanyahu’s policies towards Palestinians would be like,
with a much possible spike in settlement expansions and green light to settler
attacks against Palestinians.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
This
is at the time the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has assured that the
apartheid Israeli regime is an occupying force in its entirety, and that it
cannot give legitimacy to its occupation of the Palestinian territories by
staging elections.
Pressure
to end Netanyahu's trial
Meanwhile,
as Netanyahu claims he will not use his authority to upend the legal process
and the charges against him, some of his coalition partners have signaled to
have other plans.
They
have said they will push to legalize one of the crimes he is accused of
committing — or even to end the trial entirely. Therefore, this come back, as
his allies imply, would mean politicizing the judicial system to rescue Netanyahu
from punishment on charges he faces.
Netanyahu,
who is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in the first such trial
of a sitting Israeli prime minister, has denied all wrongdoing, portraying
himself as the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Even
though he has long denied the charges, but the scandal delivered a telling blow
to his staying power, and eventually saw him being ousted when PM Yair Lapid
and his coalition partner Naftali Bennett cobbled together an alliance with others.
Ripping
out a fresh deal?
Meanwhile,
questions remain on whether Netanyahu will follow Trump’s lead in withdrawing
unilaterally from a historic deal; in Netanyahu’s case it would be the recently
sealed deal between Lebanon and the Israeli regime on demarcating the maritime
borders.
Netanyahu
had threatened to "neutralize" the agreement, which came into force
last week after some 12 years of indirect US-brokered talks. He has vehemently
denounced the agreement, calling it an "illegal ploy" and said that
he would not be bound by its terms. However, Lebanon's negotiator Elias Bou
Saab, who is also deputy parliament speaker, assures that the maritime deal
“cannot easily be canceled."
Source:
Press TV
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--------
President:
War, Sanctions Unable to Hinder Iran's Progress
2022-November-3
President
Rayeesi made the remarks in a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal
Mekdad here in Tehran on Wednesday.
The
president stated that the same people who pushed Syria to crisis are working
against Iran.
"When
the enemies saw that the coup, the Imposed War [with Iraq], and years of
threats, terror, and sanctions could not stop the progress of the Iranian
nation, they openly carried out the conspiracy to incite riots against the
people," he stressed.
Rayeesi
noted that Iran will continue the path of progress, justice and resistance with
strength, and clarified, "Attempts to destabilise Iran are manifestations
of the enemy's anger and desperation to achieve its goals in Iran and the
region. These conspiracies will not make the great nation of Iran hesitate in
achieving its great goals".
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, a
22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police station in mid-September and
days later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The demonstrations soon turned
violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei severely censured
the deadly riots, saying they were orchestrated in advance by the United States
and the Israeli regime.
“I
state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist
regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent
Iran and the country’s progress. The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong
during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in
the future,” he added.
In
recent days, Iranian officials have blamed the United States, the European
Unions, and several Western states for meddling in Iran's internal affairs over
the death of Mahsa. They advised the US and its allies against
"opportunism and instrumentalization of the issue of human rights" by
misusing the incident.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010812000326/Presiden-War-Sancins-Unable-Hinder-Iran's-Prgress
--------
IRGC
Neutralizes Terrorist Cell in Western Iran
2022-November-3
The
IRGC said the three members of the group, who were arrested in the Western
border city of Ilam on Wednesday, made explosive devices for attacks on
military and security centers.
They
were linked to foreigners and planned to carry out counter-security acts and
set up operational groups to direct the riots, it added.
Aside
from the explosives, fire arms and a large cache of ammunition were also
confiscated from the detainees, it noted.
In
late October, Iranian security forces defused a bomb in Shiraz that was set to
detonate concurrent with a deadly terrorist attack in the Southwestern Iranian
city.
The
bomb attempt comes as 15 pilgrims, including a woman and two children, lost
their lives and at least 19 others were wounded after a heavily-armed terrorist
opened indiscriminate fire at Shah Cheragh, a highly revered Shia shrine in
Shiraz. Shortly after the attack, the Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) terror
group claimed responsibility.
Iran
has in recent months identified and arrested several members of spy networks
affiliated to foreign secret services.
Back
in July, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced that it has captured a
network of Israeli Mossad agents who had entered the country to conduct terror
attacks on sensitive sites.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010812000470/IRGC-Neralizes-Terrris-Cell-in-Wesern-Iran
--------
Top
Commander: Iran Challenging US Hegemony Across Globe
2022-November-3
Maj.
Gen. Baqeri made the remarks in a statement on Thursday, on the eve of the
National Day of Fight against Global Arrogance, also known as the National
Student Day, which marks the anniversary of the takeover of Washington Embassy
in Tehran in 1979.
"Although
it has been 44 years after the victory of the independence-seeking and
anti-arrogance revolution by the Iranian nation, which led to the departure of
the US and its vessel state, the Islamic Revolution has been able to challenge
the fake hegemony of the US in the region and the world," he stated.
"The
octopus-like hands of this colonialist power [America] are being cut off in
countries one after another, in a way that the walls of America’s backyard are
crumbling down," the top commander noted.
The
Iranian military chief said prominent American institutions, theorists and
strategists have acknowledged that the United States is in decline that the
US-led unipolar world order is nearing its end.
“They
speak of the formation of a multipolar world in the near future, in which the
Islamic Republic will be “one of the effective players,” Baqeri continued,
adding, “The secret to the conspiracies of the US and its regional lackeys
against the Iranian nation lies in this point.”
He
was echoing comments by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei who noted that "the US is completely vulnerable".
"The
world is approaching a new order in which the US will be isolated and Asia will
rise to power," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.
"The
signs of the US decline are obvious. They have economic, social, and moral
problems inside the US. There are discords and bloody divisions. These are
their domestic problems. And there are their miscalculations in global
affairs," the Leader noted.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010812000449/Tp-Cmmander-Iran-Challenging-US-Hegemny-Acrss-Glbe
--------
Iran
Categorically Denies WSJ Report over Military Operation Against S. Arabia
2022-November-3
Kana'ani
said in a statement on Wednesday that
the WSJ report was biased and part of psychological warfare against Iran.
The
newspaper reported on Tuesday Saudi Arabia has warned US intelligence officials
of an imminent attack on its territory from Iran. While no details of the
intelligence in question was revealed by the daily, American, Saudi and allied
forces in the Middle East have reportedly been placed on high alert.
“Such
biased news stories are cooked up by certain Western and Zionist outlets with
an aim to poison the atmosphere against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and buck
the current positive trends [of growing relations] with regional countries,”
Kana'ani noted.
“The
Islamic Republic of Iran pursues the policy of good neighborliness with its
neighbors on the basis of mutual respect, and within the framework of
international principles and rules," the spokesperson continued.
The
diplomat further stated that Iran believes that the promotion of stability and
security in the region is possible through the establishment of constructive
interaction with neighbors, adding that Iran will therefore follow such a
policy seriously.
The
Wall Street Journal report comes as Saudi-sponsored news outlets, elements and
terror groups together with certain Western states have been accused of
instigating unrest in some Iranian cities over the past few weeks following the
death of Mahsa Amini.
Iran's
Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)-affiliated Nour News said in a report
on Wednesday that the claim about Iranian threats to Saudi Arabia, for which
the American paper has so far failed to provide any evidence to corroborate, is
actually an attempt to disseminate news on the basis of accepted principles
such as “legitimate defense”, which, of course, has a high credibility factor
among the world public opinion.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Envoy
Calls UN Anti-Tehran Meeting Interference in Iran's Internal Affairs
2022-November-3
Iravani
made the remarks while speaking at the UN Security Council Stakeout in New York
on Wednesday.
He
noted that the Arria-formula meeting took place as the US once again resorted
to a "disinformation campaign in a blatant hypocrisy".
The
Iranian ambassador stated it is ironic that the US has alleged that the event
is intended to "protect" human rights in Iran, "while Iranians
continue to suffer greatly as the result of the United States’ decades-long
brutal sanctions; a true war in which the actual warfare is replaced with food
and medicine".
"It
has become a standard practice for the US to abuse such valued concepts as
human rights and manipulate the UN platforms and resources to advance its
ill-based political agenda," the top diplomat emphasized.
Iravani
said that the US has never been really concerned about human rights in Iran or
elsewhere as the history is self-evident enough to prove it.
The
Iranian official reaffirmed the country's strong objection to the
politicization of human rights issues and manipulation of the UN system by
certain states to advance their short-sighted political objectives, adding that
"this is a dangerous precedent, and Iran has already warned against
it".
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran has always been and continues to be committed to the
promotion and protection of human rights. We are determined to continue our
efforts in pursuit of these noble goals," he continued.
Iravani
stressed that Iran's Constitution recognizes the rights to freedom of
expression and peaceful assembly while the government has always supported the
enjoyment of these rights by the Iranian people.
He
added that Iran has no intention to compare itself to other countries that lag
behind it when it comes to respecting human rights, stressing that Tehran seeks
to evaluate its situation in relation to the aspirations and values that it
revolutionized 43 years ago, as well as the overall administration of justice,
morality, and religion.
"We
are determined to continue our efforts in promoting and protecting human rights
situation," the senior Iranian envoy said.
"All
Iranians within and outside the country who are concerned about Iran's
territorial integrity, political independence, and national sovereignty are of
the view that whilst such enjoyments of rights should be deemed inviolable,
protests should not lead to violence and destruction, chaos, or
instability," he added, referring to recent riots in the country that
followed the death of a young Iranian woman in a police station last month.
Iravani
said every government is responsible to protect its people against insecurity
and violent and terrorist acts, and upholding the law and order, and that Iran
is no exception.
He
reiterated that Iran has always made its utmost efforts to address human rights
issues and would "continue to give the Iranian people the better living
circumstances they deserve and establish a legal framework to alter laws and
regulations."
Iranian
law enforcement have the ability prevent or manage any unrest and maintain
complete tranquility across the country, but they will not do so at any cost,
the official added.
The
envoy noted that the process of decision-making in Iran is based on the
importance of human life and dignity, saying, "Therefore, the restraint
displayed by Iranian law enforcement should not be a sign of weakness."
"We
believe that exaggerating or underestimating protests in Iran serves only as a
diversion from finding a viable solution and resolving the problem,"
Iravani added, reminding the UNSC of the Iranian government's efforts to
present a "thorough solution" to the ongoing problem "by making
use of its elite, academic, and scientific resources and capacities".
The
ambassador urged the international community to respect and uphold the
principles of national sovereignty of states and non-interference in their
internal affairs.
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini, a
22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police station in mid-September and
days later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The demonstrations soon turned
violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei severely censured
the deadly riots, saying they were orchestrated in advance by the United States
and the Israeli regime.
“I
state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist
regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent
Iran and the country’s progress. The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong
during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in
the future,” he added.
In
recent days, Iranian officials have blamed the United States, the European Unions,
and several Western states for meddling in Iran's internal affairs over the
death of Mahsa. They advised the US and its allies against "opportunism
and instrumentalization of the issue of human rights" by misusing the
incident.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
Movie “World War III" Snatches Main Award at Tokyo Film Festival
2022-November-3
The
35th edition of Tokyo International Film Festival has conferred its two main rewards
to Iranian titles “World War III” and “Butterflies Live Only One Day”.
“World
War III" won the special prize of the festival’s jury, while
"Butterflies Live Only One Day", directed by Mohammadreza Vatandoust,
won the festival’s prize for the best Asian feature film.
The
35th edition of Tokyo Film Festival was held in the Japanese capital between
October 24 and November 2.
In
September, “World War III" won two awards at the 79th Venice International
Film Festival in Italy. (READ MORE)
In
the Orizzonti section of the awards at the Venice International Film Festival,
which runs parallel to the primary competition, the top honor was given to
“World War III". The movie also featured a best actor award winner in
Mohsen Tanabandeh, who played the protagonist.
The
film tells the story of a worker named Shakib, who loses his wife and child in
an earthquake, and then meets a deaf girl called Ladan.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Underlines Constructive Approach, US Destructive Attitude in Talks
2022-November-3
"Iran
is ready for conclusion of a strong and durable agreement," Amir
Abdollahian told the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell during
a phone call on Wednesday.
"We
have relayed our opinion to the American side through the European Union, with
a constructive and forward-looking approach," Iran's diplomat noted.
Addressing
Iran's ongoing collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), the foreign minister stated that Tehran was working with the United
Nations' nuclear agency towards realization of "an agreement over good and
strong cooperation" between the two sides.
Borrell,
for his part, said, "We will continue our constructive efforts until arrival
at the point of a final agreement", adding that the EU was
"optimistic" about eventual realization of this prospect.
He
also evaluated Iran and the IAEA's ongoing cooperation as a "forward
step".
Iran
stresses it has not quit the negotiating table with the world powers, but will
not put all its eggs in the negotiation basket and will not wait for the United
States to return to its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal. Iranian
officials stress that Tehran has not left the negotiating table with the world
powers, but arriving at a deal requires the US pragmatic attitude.
The
United States and Iran have traded responses via the EU to a proposal put
forward by Borrell. Tehran submitted its initial answer in mid-August and
Washington replied to it about a week later.
Washington
claims that Tehran has taken "a step backward" with its latest
response to a European Union proposal, calling a near-term agreement
"unlikely".
Tehran
says its response to Washington's view regarding the EU's proposed draft text was
constructive and transparent. Officials stress that receiving guarantees from
the Western side is the most important issue in the talks and Iran wants
stronger guarantees from the US to clinch an agreement.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Joe Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by
Donald Trump against Iran. Iranian officials say the Biden administration has
yet done nothing but hollow promises to lift sanctions against Tehran. They
blast the US addiction to sanctions, and slammed the POTUS for continuing his
predecessor's policy on Iran.
Tehran
and the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal have held several rounds of
negotiations since April last year to restore the agreement, which was
unilaterally abandoned by Trump in May 2018.
In
quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he
called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are
being enforced to this day by the Biden administration, even though it has
repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Iranian
officials say the ball is in the US' court, and the Biden administration should
assure Tehran that it will not repeat Trump's past mistakes.
Diplomats
have also criticized Washington for raising excessive demands from Tehran
during the nuclear talks, and blocking efforts to reach an agreement on the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). They emphasized the Tehran's will
to reach a good, strong and lasting agreement, and stressed that the US should
lift unilateral sanctions, and assure Iran that it will not repeat its past
mistakes.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
aircraft strikes several targets in Gaza Strip
04
November, 2022
Early
Friday, Israeli aircraft struck several targets in the Gaza Strip in response
to rocket fire Thursday evening from the Palestinian enclave.
The
rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes were the first cross-border violence
since a cease-fire ended a round of fighting between Israel and the Islamic
Jihad militant group there in August.
The
violence flared as Israel completed the counting of votes in national elections
held this week, with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right
allies capturing a comfortable majority of seats in Israel’s parliament.
In
the West Bank, Israeli troops operating in the Jenin refugee camp, a militant
stronghold, killed at least two Palestinians, according to the Palestinian
Health Ministry.
The
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad said one of those killed was a local
commander.
Late
Thursday, Gaza militants fired a rocket into southern Israel, setting off
air-raid sirens in the area.
The
Israeli army said the rocket was intercepted, and that three other launch
attempts failed and exploded inside Gaza.
There
was no immediate claim of responsibility, but in the past, Islamic Jihad has
fired rockets in response to the killings of its members.
In
response, the Israeli military said it targeted an underground site used by
Gaza’s Hamas rulers as a rocket-making facility.
The
airstrikes “will significantly impede” Hamas’ rocket capabilities, it said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
PM Lapid congratulates Netanyahu as he cements election win
03
November, 2022
Israel
Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on his
election win as final results confirmed the former premier’s triumphant
comeback at the head of a solidly right-wing alliance.
Netanyahu’s
victory is set to end an unprecedented stalemate in Israel after five elections
in less than four years.
This
time around Netanyahu, the dominant Israeli politician of his generation, won a
clear parliamentary majority, boosted by ultranationalist and religious
parties.
Tuesday’s
ballot saw out the centrist Lapid, and his rare alliance of conservatives,
liberals and Arab politicians which, over 18 months in power, made diplomatic inroads
with Turkey and Lebanon and kept the economy humming.
But
with the conflict with the Palestinians surging anew and touching off
Jewish-Arab tensions within Israel, Netanyahu’s rightist Likud and kindred
parties took 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats.
Netanyahu
still has to be officially tasked by the president with forming a government, a
process that could take weeks.
“The
time has come to impose order here. The time has come for there to be a
landlord,” tweeted Itamar Ben-Gvir of the far-right Religious Zionism party,
Likud's likely senior partner.
He
was responding to a stabbing reported by Jerusalem police. In the West Bank,
troops killed an Islamic Jihad militant and a 45-year-old man in a separate
incident, medics said. Queried on the latter death, the army said it opened
fire when Palestinians attacked them with rocks and petrol bombs.
A
West Bank settler and former member of Kach, a Jewish militant group on Israeli
and US terrorist watchlists, Ben-Gvir wants to become police minister.
Israeli
media, citing political sources, said the new government may be clinched by
mid-month. Previous coalitions in recent years have had narrower parliamentary
majorities that made them vulnerable to no-confidence motions.
With
coalition building talks yet to officially begin, it was still unclear what
position Ben-Gvir might hold in a future government. Since the election, both
he and Netanyahu have pledged to serve all citizens.
But
Ben-Gvir’s ascendancy has stirred alarm among the 21 percent Arab minority and
centre-left Jews - and especially among Palestinians whose US-sponsored
statehood talks with Israel broke down in 2014.
While
Washington has publicly reserved judgment pending the new Israeli coalition’s
formation, a US State Department spokesman on Wednesday emphasized the
countries’ “shared values.”
“We
hope that all Israeli government officials will continue to share the values of
an open, democratic society, including tolerance and respect for all in civil
society, particularly for minority groups,” the spokesperson said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Many
young Iranians lose their fear in struggle for freedom
03
November, 2022
As
a child in Iran, Shideh heard her parents warn her older siblings against
taking part in anti-government demonstrations because of the bloody crackdown
that would follow. But today, with protests raging across Iran, things have
changed.
Both
Shideh - now a teenager - and her mother say they have joined seven weeks of
demonstrations ignited by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the
custody of Iran’s morality police.
The
protests triggered by Amini’s death on September 16 have shown the defiance of
many young Iranians in challenging the clerical leadership, overcoming fear
that has stifled dissent in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“I
have one life and I want to live it freely,” said Shideh,17, who asked that her
family name not be used. “We are not scared of being killed. We will eventually
change the regime.”
Her
sentiment was echoed by a dozen young Iranians from across the country
interviewed by Reuters by phone. The students, who asked not to be named, said
the protests reflect what many young Iranians see as a darkening future for a
country ruled by hardliners seeking to tighten rigid social controls.
Iranian
officials, who have blamed Amini’s death on preexisting medical problems, say
the unrest has been fomented by foreign enemies including the United States,
and accuse armed separatists of perpetrating violence.
Iran’s
interior ministry and chief of police’s office did not immediately respond to a
request for comment for this story.
The
authorities have used tried-and-tested means of quelling dissent - from tear
gas and bullets to intimidation and arrests - many young demonstrators have
remained unbowed.
“Shoot
us! We are not afraid anymore,” shouted a small group of young women kneeling
without their headscarves in front of riot policemen in Tehran last week, in
one video shared on social media.
More
than two-thirds of Iran’s 85 million people are under the age of 30. Even if
the latest protests subside, the fearlessness of young Iranians could spell
more trouble ahead for the establishment, according to rights activists, analysts
and one former moderate official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of
anonymity.
The
power wielded by Iran’s security apparatus still looms large: Shideh and her
mother declined to be identified for safety reasons, and also requested their
location in Iran not be disclosed.
But
for Shideh’s mother, the death of Amini - who was arrested for “inappropriate
attire” - marked a turning point.
It
“changed everything,” she said.
Too
frightened to oppose Iran’s ruling clerics for years, she has joined thousands
of women at the forefront of protests that have turned into a revolt against
what demonstrators describe as increasing authoritarianism.
“I
cried for days for Mahsa. My Shideh could be arrested by the morality police
and killed like Mahsa. That thought hit me hard,” said her mother, speaking
from her home in central Iran.
“As
a mother, I feel I should stay on the streets and reclaim Iran for my daughter,
for all Iranian girls.”
Symbol
of grievances
Amini’s
death has become a symbol for many of the manifold grievances in Iranian
society, galvanizing some protesters to demand the downfall of the Islamic
Republic.
As
a young woman, her death sparked anger among Iranians who do not want their
daughters arrested because of how they dress. As a Kurd, her death touched on
long-standing minority grievances in Iran, a mosaic of ethnic and religious
groups that say they have long faced discrimination by Tehran.
Experts
on Iran say the clerical establishment’s staying power has been underpinned
since the 1979 revolution by its willingness to use whatever force is necessary
to silence dissent.
But
“fear has a limit, like repression,” said Saied Golkar, an Assistant Professor
of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“There
is a turning point when repression and fear don’t work anymore: when people
realize they have power when they act collectively and when they fear the
gloomy future more than the regime,” he said.
For
the first time, schoolgirls have taken into streets, along with thousands of
Iranians from all walks of life, including ethnic minorities.
“It’s
a revolution to end years of discrimination. We will not remain silent,” said
Ziba, 15, who has been protesting in Iran’s Kurdish region. “We want freedom
for all Iranians, from Baluchis to Kurds and Turks.”
Breaking
taboos
Security
forces have fiercely confronted the protesters, killing at least 300 of them -
including 45 minors - wounding hundreds and arresting thousands, according to
rights groups.
Iranian
authorities have denied children were killed during the unrest.
Security
forces have raided several schools across the country, detaining schoolgirls,
according to videos posted on social media, which Reuters was unable to verify.
They fired teargas outside a Tehran school after a clash between staff,
students and parents when the principal insisted on checking girls’ phones,
according to the one of the videos.
Other
social media images have shown schoolgirls tearing up pictures of Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei and the late founder of the 1979 Islamic revolution
Ruhollah Khomeini, burning their veils and knocking clerics' turbans from their
heads in the streets.
Such
taboo-breaking moments reflect a widening gap between Iran's clerical
leadership and a young population, analysts say.
Many
young Iranians have long called for the lifting of social restrictions, such as
internet censorship and strict dress codes.
The
dozen schoolgirls and university students from across Iran interviewed by
Reuters - drawn from different ethnic groups and backgrounds - expressed hope
the protests could be a turning point.
“They
can kill us. They can arrest us. But it is the start of their end,” said
Farzaneh, 16, in a southern Iranian city.
“Maybe
today. Maybe next week or next month. But our revolt is irreversible.”
However,
Sanam Vakil, deputy director at the Royal Institute of International Affairs,
said she still expected to see a robust pushback by Iran’s security forces,
involving “more violence and intimidation and fear.”
Iran’s
most widely feared force, the Revolutionary Guards - a hardline military force
used by the state to crush political unrest - have yet to be deployed to quell
the protests but its top commander warned demonstrators on Saturday to get off
the streets.
“Pushing
for change”
Yet
unrest among university students, who played a major role in toppling the
US-backed shah in 1979, is far from dying down, with protests persisting at
over 130 universities.
With
student numbers swelling in Iran’s young population, such signs of growing dissent
cannot be easily ignored by the authorities, a former moderate official said.
“These
protests will end eventually but wounds will remain and rifts will deepen. We
should be worried about future protests,” he said.
With
deepening economic misery, largely because of US sanctions over Tehran’s
disputed nuclear work, many young people are feeling the pain of galloping
inflation and rising joblessness.
Inflation
has soared to over 50 percent, the highest level in decades. Youth unemployment
remains high with some 50 percent of Iranians being pushed below the poverty
line, according to reports by Iran’s Statistics Center.
By
defying state warnings to end protests, students have paid a heavy price.
Security forces have raided university campuses, arrested hundreds of students
and injured many more, according to witnesses, social media videos and rights
groups.
“We’re
angry over years of repression, over a dark future,” said a student at Tehran’s
Sharif university, where security forces used teargas and pellet guns to
disperse students repeatedly. “We want freedom. We want a future.”
Ali
Fatholla-Nejad, an Iran expert with American University of Beirut, said the
clerical rulers were themselves being engulfed by a “revolutionary process” and
would likely face more unrest in the future.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Assailant
stabs officer in Jerusalem, is shot dead: Israel police
03
November, 2022
An
assailant stabbed an officer in Jerusalem’s Old City Thursday before being shot
dead, Israeli police said, with two other officers injured at the scene.
Police
said the attacker aroused suspicion and was ordered to stop for inspection
before he “stabbed one of the officers in the upper body.”
He
was then shot by two other officers “and later was pronounced dead,” a police
statement said.
Medics
from Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said they treated three men at
the scene and took them to hospitals in Jerusalem.
Shaare
Zedek hospital said they were treating a man suffering a stab wound to the
torso in moderate condition, and another man who was lightly wounded by a
gunshot to the leg, likely from shots fired by police.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Chairman
of Leicester Muslim and Hindu unrest inquiry steps down after online abuse
Nicky
Harley
London
Nov
03, 2022
The
newly appointed chairman of an inquiry into unrest between Hindus and Muslims
in Leicester has stepped down after receiving online abuse.
Chris
Allen, an associate professor in hate studies at the University of Leicester,
was due to lead the inquiry into the rioting in September, in which tensions
between mainly young Muslim and Hindu men culminated in large-scale disorder in
the British city.
It
led to police officers being injured and nearly 50 arrests, 158 crimes and nine
people being charged.
But,
comments made by Dr Allen before his appointment, ruling out Islamist
extremism, led to a backlash from Hindus who vowed to boycott the inquiry.
A
video also emerged online allegedly showing Dr Allen claiming that the
September 11 terrorist attack was a set-up.
In
a letter to Leicester's mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, signed by 13 Hindu temples in
Leicester, they said they had “little confidence” in the inquiry and said Dr
Allen's comments ruling out Islamist extremism in the unrest had “cast strong
doubts on his suitability to lead the review”. The letter also said that “to
assert a conclusion ahead of the review” raised doubts about his independence.
On
Thursday, Dr Allen issued a statement to say he was stepping down.
“I
have reluctantly taken the decision to stand down from the role on the basis
that I no longer feel confident that my team and I are able to conduct the
review in a way that the ensuing findings would meet the necessary levels of
academic scrutiny," he said.
“As
someone with a long history of undertaking research that is independent and
impartial, the need for academic objectivity and rigour are vitally important.
In the current climate, I do not believe that it is possible for me to do so in
an impartial way and so it is in the interests of the city and the need to find
ways to resolution that I have decided to stand down.
“It
is important to stress that my decision was not made in response to the
unprecedented levels of hate that have been directed towards me in recent weeks
or the spurious allegations circulating on social media. While many are
outright lies, some are rather more pernicious: distorting and misrepresenting
the truth for their own individual and ideological gain.”
The
review was set up to uncover the reasons for the unrest and to make
recommendations for change.
Sir
Peter, who commissioned the review, said the levels of online abuse relating to
it were disturbing, and he understood Dr Allen’s decision.
“I
am sorry that Dr Allen will not be able to lead the research but understand the
decision that he and the university have taken," he said.
"I
do think it’s important to proceed with a review, and will be taking soundings
locally and nationally as to whether any individual or organisation could take
it forward in a way that has the confidence of all parties concerned.”
A
spokesman for the University of Leicester said it was concerned over the abuse
Dr Allen had received.
“The
university fully supports Dr Allen in his decision to stand down from leading
the review. We have a duty of care for all of our staff, and it was concerning
to see the unwarranted abuse Dr Allen was receiving online, and the effect it
might also have on his research team," the university said in a statement.
“Our
academic staff have the right to carry out research work without any undue
interference, or any suppression, in accordance with their professional
responsibility and subject to nationally and internationally recognised
professional principles of intellectual rigour, scientific inquiry and research
ethics.
“Dr
Allen has, for two decades, researched hate extremism and the policies designed
to counter them. He is widely published nationally and internationally across
both the academic and non-academic spaces. His research has been submitted to
various government bodies.
Source:
TheNationalNews
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Iran
plans to supply Russia with arms ‘unacceptable’: NATO chief
04
November, 2022
Iran's
plans to supply Russia with weapons including drones and ballistic missiles in its
war against Ukraine are “unacceptable”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
said on Thursday.
Kyiv
and its Western allies accuse Iran of supplying drones to Russia.
“We
see Iran offering drones and considering ballistic missile deliveries to Russia,”
Stoltenberg told a news conference in Istanbul.
“This
is unacceptable. No country should provide support to Moscow in this illegal
war.”
Kyiv
has said around 400 Iranian drones have already been used against the civilian
population of Ukraine, and Moscow has ordered around 2,000.
Tehran
has rejected the allegation.
Stoltenberg
added Russian President Vladimir Putin was failing in Ukraine, but “responding
with more brutality”.
“In
recent weeks, we have seen dozens of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine.
Including on critical infrastructure,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Kremlin
says Türkiye's participation in resumption of grain deal 'reason to trust the
agreement'
Elena
Teslova
03.11.2022
MOSCOW
Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Türkiye's participation in the
resumption of the grain deal is the main reason why Russia trusts the
agreement.
Speaking
at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov highly praised the work carried out by
Ankara to get written guarantees from Kyiv on the non-use of humanitarian
corridor for military purposes.
"The
guarantees provided to the Turkish side, for obvious reasons, could not be
provided directly to us. So, in his case, Moscow and Ankara are acting as
parties to whom these guarantees are given.
"The
importance of the deal is emphasized, and, of course, the work that was carried
out by Ankara and personally by the Turkish military, Turkish diplomats, and
President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan deserves high praise," Peskov said.
Peskov
also noted that the resumption of the deal does not mean it will be extended
after Nov. 19.
"We
still have to discuss the topic of extension officially, the deadline has not
been reached yet, it is still working. (...) By the 19th (of November), before
making a decision to continue, it will be necessary to assess the effectiveness
of the implementation of the deal," he stressed.
Meanwhile,
the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul reported that the Russian delegation
resumed its work and joined the inspections of ships going from and to the
ports of Ukraine.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Czech
Republic to close its embassy in Afghan capital
Askin
Kiyagan
03.11.2022
The
Czech Republic will close its embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Jan. 1,
2023 as no improvement in the country’s security situation is expected anytime
soon, local media reported Wednesday.
Czech
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has decided to close the Czech embassy in Kabul,
said the Czech News Agency (CTK).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/czech-republic-to-close-its-embassy-in-afghan-capital/2728214
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Southeast Asia
Indonesia’s
soft power diplomacy in R20, promoting Indonesian Islam to the world
November
4, 2022
By
Jalaluddin Rizqi Mulia
G20
is an annual forum that was originally a meeting to respond to the financial
crises which occurred in 1998 and 2008. The formation of G20 initially emerged
from expansion in the membership of G8 – eight countries that became the most
significant actors in facing the financial crisis (to mention a few: France,
Germany, UK, and United States), to become the G20 with the entrance of
countries with emerging economies; such as China, India, and Brazil, and also
an intergovernmental organization: European Union. The forum, which was
originally aimed at dealing with economic issues, has grown to be more
comprehensive and multidimensional.
As
the role of G20 and its presidency rotation develops, G20 forums are then
divided into two tracks: financial track that is attended by the Ministers of
Finance and the Central Bank Governors of each member state to coordinate on
financial issues; and sherpa track, which discusses non-financial issues. The
activities in the sherpa track agendas are determined and set primarily by the
country holding the presidency. A country with potential modalities, Indonesia
has a significant position in playing its role in this multilateral forum.
Multicultural
society as Indonesian modality
Indonesia
has valuable resources in particular that other countries rarely have. To be
specific: Indonesia is a respected multicultural country. Many view Indonesia
as a unique state that unites vastly diverse elements – e.g. ethnicity,
religion, to race; and be a unified nation. Erratically, the multiculturalism
still maintain boldly despite Islam being the majority of believers. Indonesia
has a civilization able to maintain harmony in the midst of diversity. This
modality is perceived as reference for serious problems faced by other parts of
the world, particularly the Islamic world.
For
instance, Indonesia has the Ministry of Religion Affairs (Kementerian Agama) as
the overseer of units representing the interests of each official religion.
Regarding the social context, culture of tolerance is habituated and quite
rooted in the society, in spite of facing differences in identities. To cite an
instance, in the context of education, Islamic educational institutions are directed
and coordinated to familiarize themselves with the bahtsul masail – a learning
model that allows Muslims in Indonesia to interpret fiqh, or Islamic
jurisprudence, according to the local context.
Religious
traditions in Indonesia, especially Islam, have been studied continually.
Clifford Geertz, for instance, introduced his work The Religion of Java which
classified the trichotomy of Javanese society at that time: santri (born from
the social substructure of the market), priyayi (government), and abangan
(village). After the era of Indonesia’s Reformation, according to Masykuri
Abdillah, there are three groups of Muslims based on their ideology: some who
seek formal application of sharia (structural approach), some approach sharia
in the ethical-moral realm only (cultural approach), and some who look up a
balanced orientation between Islam and nationality.
Indonesia
is well-known for its position as the largest Muslim country in population.
Although Indonesia includes different variants of Islam, these conditions
cannot be separated from entity of Indonesia itself. Bambang Pranowo, an
Indonesian muslim scholar, even exhibits an analogy Indonesian Islam to kue
lapis (layer cake) in which consisting of several colorful layers. The parts of
the cake don’t have to be the same, and in fact, any part with any color is
still the part of that particular cake.
Furthermore,
Indonesian Islamic identity does have quite complex and unique attributes. In
terms of uniqueness, Indonesian Islam could be characterized to several
elements: Islamic character of wasatiyah (moderation), openness, also
accomodating local wisdom. One of the latest Islamic discourses in Indonesia is
the Nusantara Islam – firstly initiated by the largest Muslim organization in
Indonesia: Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). In short, the terminology seeks to reformulate
and mainstream the moderate Islamic understanding.
This
also reflected in the history of a formed Indonesia in the early days of
independence. Indonesia is neither a theocratic or secular state. Nonetheless,
built upon the agreement between the nationalists and Islamists, Indonesia
became a distinctive religious country; whereas the conceptual framework of
state legislation is normally based on religious norms.
Religion
Forum (R20) International Summit of Religious Leaders is one of NU’s
initiatives as a series of G20 agendas. NU aims that the forum can be a medium
for prominent religious leaders to express their voices and concerns; thus
forming shared moral and spiritual values. As aforementioned, NU has a unique
view on the context of Indonesian Islam – Islam Nusantara, which was firstly
released back in 2015. It aims to protect the concept of nation statehood and
promote moderate Islamic values. Previously, NU had also held similar programs
several times to promote religion as a peacemaking contributor.
Indonesian
experiences and R20 as a soft power diplomacy
Indonesia’s
skilled diplomacy is a well-known role, exceptionally those related to
religious terms and issues. It includes various implementations, including the
interreligious dialogue which were carried out during the Rohingya case in
Myanmar in accelerating the domestic development of religious harmony.
Indonesia has made efforts to establish bilateral and multilateral relations
that focus on interfaith dialogues, such as the Asia-European Meeting (ASEM)
Interfaith Dialogue. Regarding government cooperation with NU, Indonesia had
held the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS); discussing
Islamophobia, conflicts in Muslim countries, and so forth.
Practices
of diplomacy can not only be carried out by the government, but by
organizations which are then classified as one of non-state actors, namely
non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The development of diplomatic
capabilities from state to non-state occurs in line with the expanding
dimensions of issues in international relations. The R20 activity itself has
been directly supported by the Indonesian government, in particular the
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The diplomatic
process carried out by NGOs tends to be easier in setting public’s attention
and opinion due to its close stance to the grassroots than political elites.
Religion
is an important issue in global politics. Religious affairs themselves are
referred to as intermestic (international and domestic) policy issues. It is
also deemed as influencing international relations in the same way as other
value systems and ideologies; affecting the behavior of state and non-state
actors.
In
particular, soft power diplomacy is the ability to influence others by relying
on the power of cooperation instead of violence or military power. Soft power
is also defined as an indirect or intangible influence; such as culture,
values, and ideology. Public diplomacy, as part of soft power, is a vital tool
to promote a country’s soft power. Thus, religious issues can be recognized as
a form of soft power; creating a new term of religious diplomacy. This
understanding is also in line with NU’s concept that religion, on one hand,
oftentimes can cause conflicts, but on the other hand has the significant
potential to be a force that builds and maintains peace.
According
to the R20 committee release, more than 200 distinguished religious leaders and
politicians from Indonesia and abroad will attend the forum. The issues raised
in R20 focused on placing religion as a solution rather than a problem through
raising internal problems in religion, interreligious relations, and seeking
shared solutions to humanitarian problems.
Several
topics that will be discussed, to mention a few: the process of reconciliation
over historical grievances, identification of shared values held by major world
religions and civilizations, recontextualization of problematic understandings
in religions, up to the values development in guaranteeing world peace.
Furthermore, the General Chairman of the NU Central Board, Yahya Cholil Staquf,
stated that R20 was indeed designed in such a way that religious leaders
honestly convey the problems faced by each religion.
Introducing
Indonesian Islam to the world in building peace
Briefly,
public diplomacy is an emphasis on efforts to solve problems by seeking common
interests and conveyed through messages of peace. Whereas high politics focus
on government-centered issues, R20 activities can be viewed from a diplomatic
perspective which is more grounded. The impact generated by public diplomacy
will be more felt in the community due to its orientation which focuses on the
formation of public opinion.
The
idea can be seen from the supports that provided by numerous institutions in
successing the event; both from the government (Ministry of Religion Affairs
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs), to domestic and international religious
organizations (such as Muhammadiyah – also a large Indonesian Muslim
organizations, and the World Muslim League). In addition, the organized
activities are also correlated with the concept of public diplomacy. The
international conference, as planned by NU as one of R20 activities, is a form of
public diplomacy. In case there are parties who disagree in the forum, it
actually aims to produce an agreement that hopes to reduce conflicts and
disputes in the future.
Source: ModernDiplomacy
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Syed
Saddiq: ‘Biggest hypocrisy in Malaysia’ is politicians who send their kids
overseas but block changes to education system
By
Keertan Ayamany
04
Nov 2022
PETALING
JAYA, Nov 5 — Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq
Syed Abdul Rahman has labelled politicians who object to progressive
educational reforms but send their children to private schools as “hypocrites”
who are damaging the country’s education system.
In
an interview with Malay Mail recently, the Muar MP said these politicians — who
he did not name — are creating a system where the richest Malaysians have
access to quality education while the poor are being left behind.
“The
same people who say I’m hurting Islam and Malays when it comes to our education
system, are the ones who are sending their children to private schools,
international schools, heck, even tadika in France (or) going to boarding
school in UK, in Eton College,” he said, using the Malay word for kindergarten.
“And
yet they’re saying, ‘Don’t shake the system’.”
“I
think that’s the biggest hypocrisy in Malaysia, and I think we have to fight
these politicians to ensure that we reset and shape our system for all
Malaysians,” he said when met at his office in SS1 here.
Examples
of reforms that Syed Saddiq said he supports are extended school hours to focus
on core subjects including English and Mathematics, and allowing students to
begin on the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) programme
earlier.
Currently,
students are allowed to begin on TVET in Form 4, however, the government said
in August that it is mulling introducing TVET in Form 1.
Source:MalayMail
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Institutions
like Berita Harian have helped Malay/Muslim community improve: DPM Wong
Clement
Yong
NOV
3, 2022
SINGAPORE
- Organisations like Berita Harian and Mendaki have been integral to improving
the Malay/Muslim community’s well-being at all levels, said Deputy Prime
Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday.
He
said at the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Awards that many Malay/Muslim
organisations have been working closely with the Government to support and
uplift the community, putting in practice the idea of mutual support.
This
has helped the Malay/Muslim community to continue to progress, whether in
school or business, he added.
“This
idea of mutual support, by helping one another to progress and succeed, is not
new,” he said, adding that Singapore has put this idea at the heart of its
approach to help every Singaporean pursue excellence and success.
“In
the last 10 years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of Malays
among the top 10 per cent of scorers in national exams. We have also seen a
substantial increase in Malay graduates at our autonomous universities.”
DPM
Wong, who is learning Malay, spoke briefly in the language before transitioning
to English.
He
said SPH Media’s Malay title Berita Harian, which turns 65 in 2022, has
established itself as a well-respected institution which has promoted both the
community’s well-being and Malay language and culture.
He
said Berita Harian partnered with local asatizahs (religious teachers) to
produce socio-religious content on its social media platforms when in-person
gatherings at mosques and other places of worship were suspended in 2020 due to
the Covid-19 pandemic.
It
also recently collaborated with Mendaki to launch a portal offering free
educational content for primary school pupils, he noted.
“Good
education outcomes lead to better jobs and opportunities,” he said. “And this
is also the reason why we are also seeing the incomes of Malay households
increase steadily over the years.”
DPM
Wong was speaking at the Four Seasons Hotel, where three Malay/Muslim
individuals who have excelled in their fields received Berita Harian’s Achiever
of the Year Awards.
They
are Mr Mohamed Noor Mohamed Yusofe, 85, who received the Lifetime Achiever of
the Year award for his 40-year illustrious career in music; Associate Professor
Hadijah Rahmat, 64, who was awarded the Achiever of the Year award for her
literary work and contributions to bilingual educational policy; and
“hawkerpreneur” Lee Syafiq Ridzuan Lee, 30, who was named the Young Achiever of
the Year.
DPM
Wong also lauded groups such as Mendaki, which helps children from lower-income
families, AMP Singapore, which develops Muslim professionals, and the Singapore
Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which nurtures enterprises, for their
efforts.
He
said he hoped awards such as the Berita Harian achiever awards can inspire more
Malay/Muslims to strive for success and excellence in their respective fields, while
making sure those who are able to, give back to the community by helping and
mentoring others.
Source:StraitsTimes
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Malaysia
GE15: Perikatan Nasional seeks to win all 8 Negeri Sembilan federal seats
04
Nov 2022
NILAI,
Negeri Sembilan: Perikatan Nasional (PN) will contest all the eight
parliamentary seats in Negeri Sembilan and it is confident of winning all of
them in the coming 15th General Election (GE15), said its state advisor Dr Rais
Yatim on Thursday (Nov 3).
Dr
Rais told reporters that PN aims to dominate all the eight parliamentary seats
in Negeri Sembilan, so that it can help to change the federal government in
Putrajaya.
“PN's
stance is that we must change the government according to the will of the
people, in accordance to the good values they believe in, including against
corrupt practices that must be eradicated if Malaysia wants to be back on the
global map," Dr Rais was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
He
was speaking to reporters at an announcement ceremony of PN’s GE15
parliamentary candidates for Negeri Sembilan.
According
to Dr Rais, PN which is led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has
become more energetic to contest in GE15, adding that PN has also become more
acceptable by the voters.
In
GE15, PN has confirmed that it will field eight candidates for all the federal
seats in Negeri Sembilan. Four of the candidates will be from Parti Pribumi
Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), three from Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and one
from Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan).
In
the 2018 general election, Bersatu while contesting under the Pakatan Harapan
(PH) coalition fielded two candidates, but only won one seat. PAS fielded eight
candidates but did not win any seat.
In
Perak, PN has announced that it will contest all the 59 seats in the state. In
GE15, only three states: Perak, Penang and Pahang will have concurrent state
elections to elect new members of their respective legislative assemblies.
According
to a Bernama report, Perak PN secretary Zainol Fadzi Paharudin said Bersatu
will vie for 26 seats, while PAS and Gerakan will contest 24 and nine seats,
respectively.
Before
the dissolution of the Perak state assembly, PN held only eight state seats
whereas BN held the majority of 25 seats.
Separately,
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang announced on Thursday night that several axed BN
members will be defending their parliamentary seats as PN candidates.
Among
them are caretaker federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim and caretaker
deputy minister of housing and local government Ismail Abdul Muttalib who will
contest in Arau, Perlis and Maran, Pahang respectively.
Mr
Shahidan said that he chose to represent PN as Mr Abdul Hadi understood his
stand, adding that both of them had always remained friends despite having
differences of opinion.
“I
yearn for the unity of the ummah (Muslim community). I want PAS and UMNO
(United Malays National Organisation) in Arau to support me. Let Muafakat Nasional
(the mutual cooperation between UMNO and PAS) begin in Arau,” he was quoted as
saying by Bernama.
Mr
Shahidan who was dropped from the list of Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates on
Tuesday, made a surprise appearance at the announcement of PN candidates in
Marang, Terengganu on Thursday night.
On
Wednesday, Mr Shahidan said that he wants to be the model to Muafakat Nasional
(MN) and those from UMNO should support him because it was his Arau BN’s
election machinery that made the effort to make the MN collaboration a success.
According
to Bernama, Mr Abdul Hadi has said that more BN leaders have expressed their
interest in becoming PN candidates in the coming polls.
He
added that PN was processing their applications and would announce their names
on Nomination Day on Saturday.
In
a Facebook post, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin emphasised the need for PN
component parties to close ranks and cooperate in order to emerge victorious in
GE15.
“This
desire will not be achieved if each party moves alone and not in one
congregation. Thus I emphasise the need for cooperation among the parties to
create one large congregation to lead the country,” said Mr Muhyiddin.
“We
must not let Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan come back to power. The
people must ensure that any covert plans by them (BN and PH) to come together to form the government after
the election will not happen.”
Source:ChannelNewsAsia
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Hadi
finally explains PAS’ reason in choosing Perikatan, says Umno too hungry for
power
By
Ashley Yeong
04
Nov 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Umno has too many “power crazy” individuals who are willing to
pawn their religion for PAS to be able to work with in the 15th general
election, the Islamist party’s president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said
today.
After
months of holding his silence while his party sought to persuade Umno to team
up with PAS under their Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact for the common goal of
Muslim unity and just a day before nominations and the start to official
campaigning, he finally broke his silence on the reason his party chose to
stick with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
“People
like this should be rejected in GE-15,” he said in a video post on Facebook.
According
to Hadi, it was Umno that requested to meet PAS to explore teaming up under MN
when Parliament was dissolved, rather than what the Malay nationalist party had
been telling the media all this time.
“Nevermind,
we were prepared and we met at the hotel. I and my deputy president, Umno with
its deputy president.
“Then
they gave the condition that PAS can only be with Umno and break up with other
parties, especially Bersatu,” Hadi said.
He
alleged that PAS was only given two days to decide.
“If
no decision were made, no working together with PAS. They can command us.
Later, they wanted to arrange the seats,” he said.
He
claimed Umno demanded PAS’ traditional seat in Pasir Putih, Kelantan as well as
its Kubang Kerian representative “to return to Jerantut”, which is a
parliamentary seat in Pahang.
“Change
here, change there. He became our seat arranger.
“Finally,
we made a decision, PN not MN. Why we made the decision of PN and not MN is
because of the problems earlier. Because things are very complicated,” Hadi
said.
MN
was formed by PAS and Umno following the two parties’ electoral defeat in 2018,
ostensibly as an attempt to unite the Muslim community in multiracial Malaysia,
or what they call, the “ummah”.
Ties
between the two parties became increasingly thinner when PAS joined hands with
Bersatu to form the PN coalition to take Putrajaya following the collapse of
the Pakatan Harapan government.
Bersatu
is led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, a former Umno deputy president who has been
a vocal critics of the Malay nationalist party’s current crop of leaders after
his exit.
PN
has announced that it will contest in 169 parliamentary seats in the GE15, with
PAS to field candidates for 64 seats.
Source:MalayMail
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Anwar
sends legal notice to ex-PKR member over Chin Peng claims
November
4, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has issued a letter of demand (LOD) to a
former party member over a TikTok video which he says contains numerous
defamatory statements against him.
In
the letter sighted by FMT, he said Faizal Effendi Hasim had made serious
allegations against him through his TikTok account @mr_ari11.
Among
them were:
That
he is capable of sacrificing his principles to become the prime minister;
He
had promised earlier that a day after being sworn in as the prime minister, he
would send a five-man delegation to Thailand to negotiate the return of Chin
Peng (when he was still alive) to Malaysia; and
Faizal’s
claim that if he brought Chin Peng back to Malaysia, the people of Sungai
Manik, Perak, would be the first to rise against him to defend Malaysians.
Anwar
said Faizal’s allegations in the video that went viral were false, libellous
and defamatory.
He
said the claims meant or implied, among others, that he had abused his powers
as an MP, was deceitful and a traitor, and not a good Muslim and a hypocrite.
“You
have produced the video clip with a plan to destroy my character, especially
during this time when the next general election is coming up. It has caused
serious damage,” the LOD sent by his lawyer, SN Nair, said.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Tawfik
to stand as independent in Bagan Datuk after PH fields own man
November
3, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Gerak Independent co-founder Tawfik Ismail will be contesting for the
Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat as an independent candidate, despite attempts to
contest under Pakatan Harapan’s banner.
The
son of Malaysia’s second deputy prime minister, Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman,
expressed disappointment over PH’s decision to field Shamsul Iskandar Akin from
PKR as its candidate for Bagan Datuk.
“In
order to avoid a split in votes and to ensure the defeat of (Umno president)
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, I had reached out to PH leaders to allow me to contest
under the PH banner.
“However,
this proved futile as I failed to elicit any response from PH’s top
leadership,” Tawfik said in a statement today.
He
said his sole purpose in running for the Bagan Datuk seat was to defeat Zahid,
whom he described as “the embodiment of corruption”.
“He
represents the scourge of Malaysia, especially the way corruption has eaten
away the dignity of our rakyat. I cannot stand by and let that happen,” he
said.
Zahid
will be seeking to defend his seat for a seventh term, having been the Bagan
Datuk MP since 1995. So far, he is set to be challenged by Tawifk, Shamsul and
Bersatu Supreme Council member Faiz Na’aman.
Tawfik
said he was offering Bagan Datuk voters the choice between a clean MP or one
who was tainted by corruption and had been slapped with 47 charges of corruption.
“I
humbly seek the support of the constituents of Bagan Datuk. I hope they will
give me an opportunity to serve them as an MP,” he said.
Previously,
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang had urged PH to allow Tawfik to contest under the
coalition’s banner against Zahid.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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South Asia
Afghanistan’s
opium cultivation grew by 32% after Taliban takeover last year, finds UN report
SUCHET
VIR SINGH
3
November, 2022
New
Delhi: A year since the Taliban takeover, opium cultivation in Afghanistan has
increased by 32 per cent, found a new report by the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Around
233,000 hectares of land were used for opium cultivation after the August 2021
takeover. It also meant this 2022 opium crop was the third-highest area under
cultivation “since the beginning of systemic monitoring” in Afghanistan
starting 1994, the report said. About 56,000 hectares of more land were used
for cultivation of opium the previous year, added the report.
“Opium
prices have soared following the announcement of the cultivation ban in April
2022,” it noted.
While
illegal opium trade has been booming in Afghanistan, despite the Taliban’s ban
on it, synthetic drugs such as heroin and crystal meth are also being exported
from the country. According to reports, the availability of a shrub called
Ephedra has allowed for the production of meth and heroin across Afghanistan.
Farmers’
income triple from opium sales
The
UNODC report also found that farmers’ income from opium sales have tripled to
$1.4 billion in 2022 from $425 million in 2021. This has been the most
profitable poppy cultivation for Afghan farmers since 2017. The surge in income
accounted for nearly 29 per cent of Afghanistan agriculture sector’s value in
2021.
However,
the total revenue generated from the sale of opium far exceeds $1.4 billion
because “larger sums are further accrued along the illicit drug supply chain
outside the country”, the report added.
Afghanistan
accounts for 80 per cent of the poppy plant produce globally.
“Most
of the 2023 opium crop must be sowed by early November; farmers will take
decisions on whether and how much opium poppy to plant amid severe economic
disruption and humanitarian crisis, continued high prices for opium and
uncertainty about how the de facto authorities will enforce the cultivation
ban,” the UNODC report said.
Opium
cultivation in South-West Afghanistan
The
report also said that around 73 per cent of Afghan opium is cultivated in the
country’s South-West region. Especially in places such as Hilmand, where
122,045 hectares of opium is cultivated annually.
In
Kandahar, opium is grown on 29,229 hectares of land, Nimroz had 2,429 hectares
for poppy to grow, while 14,557 and 1,531 hectares were cultivated in Uruzgan
and Zabul respectively, the report added.
Western
Afghanistan accounted for 14 per cent of overall poppy cultivation, with
Baghdis, Farah, Ghor, and Hirat as the predominant provinces.
Afghanistan’s
economy has contracted after the Taliban takeover, with figures suggesting a
contraction of $5 billion or 21 per cent since 2020. Annual per capita income
has also declined by 14-28 per cent in this period.
Source:ThePrint
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Blast
in Kabul hits bus carrying Taliban administration employees, injures 7
Nov
02, 2022
A
blast hit a bus carrying Taliban administration employees in the Afghan capital
on Wednesday morning, police said, injuring seven people.
"Due
to a blast on a mini bus from the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and
Development, seven have been injured," said Khalid Zadran, Kabul's police
spokesperson, adding the explosion was caused by a roadside mine.
It
was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.
Several
attacks have taken place in urban areas in recent months. Last month an attack
by gunmen on a vehicle in western Afghanistan, which was claimed by the Islamic
State, killed five medical personnel employed by Taliban security forces.
The
Taliban say they are focused on securing the war-torn nation since they took
over the country in 2021.
Source:Hindustan
Times
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UN
to Complete Construction of ‘Earthquake-Resilient’ Houses in Afghanistan before
Winter
By
Saqalain Eqbal
November
3, 2022
The
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that 1,000
“earthquake-resilient” houses are being built for over 8,000
earthquake-stricken people of the Barmal district of Paktika province in
southeastern Afghanistan.
The
houses will be turned over to the victims, this organization has stated in a
series of tweets posted on Thursday, November 3, “before snow isolates the
remote regions.”
The
construction work of the residential structures started on the 19th of August,
this year, in response to the fatal earthquake that devastatingly shook
southeastern Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces.
The
UN agency previously stated that these houses are being constructed with a $14
million allocated budget in response to the earthquake that left hundreds dead,
thousands injured, and many people displaced.
Source:
Khaama Press
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Bangladesh
delves into Gulf to attract foreign students with cheaper tuition
SHEHAB
SUMON
November
03, 2022
DHAKA:
Bangladeshi educational institutions are to showcase their facilities to
foreigners at an exhibition starting in the UAE on Friday, as the South Asian
country is looking to attract more students from the Gulf with cheaper tuition.
Bangladesh
has witnessed a gradual growth in international enrolment, with slightly more
than 1,600 overseas students — mostly from India, Nepal, Bhutan, and African
countries — currently studying at its universities, according to the University
Grants Commission, the nation’s higher education regulatory body.
Authorities
are seeking to increase numbers and tap into a new market, the Middle East, by
offering courses at the country’s 163 state and private universities, 115
medical colleges, and more than 2,500 other higher education institutions.
Bangladesh
Education Forum 2022, taking place in Dubai from Nov. 4 to 6, will be the first
convention to promote Bangladesh’s higher education in the Gulf.
Officials
from the Ministry of Education, the University Grants Commission, and the
Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh will be participating in the
event which is expected to feature around 1,000 academicians and students.
Bangladeshi
Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury is scheduled to inaugurate
the forum.
“People
from the Arab nations mostly don’t know about the education quality and
facilities provided by the universities here,” Prof. Biswajit Chanda, a member
of the University Grants Commission, told Arab News.
“If
we can reach out to the people from the Arab nations, we will receive a good
number of students from there in the coming days.”
What
may help attract foreign students is the relatively cheap tuition offered by
Bangladeshi universities and low costs of living.
“They
can have quality education here at a competitive cost, which is even up to 60
percent lower comparing with neighboring countries like India,” Chanda said.
“In
similar-standard universities, if a student needs to pay $1,000 per year for
having a degree from India, here the student needs to pay between $400 and
$600.”
He
added that the competitive quality of education in Bangladesh and its ongoing
improvement, supported by a government boost in spending on the sector to $4
billion this year.
“In
terms of quality, especially for medical, engineering, science, and technology,
our teachers are very well-equipped. Some of the teachers have acquired PhDs
from different North American universities. So, we have quality faculties as
well,” he said.
“In
some cases, some students don’t get chances in American and European
universities due to very hard competition. For them, our universities can be a
good platform for higher studies.”
Saifur
Rahman Chowdhury, the chief executive officer of Pan Asian Group, the organizer
of Bangladesh Education Forum 2022, said the Dubai event aimed to strengthen
the country’s reputation as an alternative destination for quality and
cost-effective education and “reposition Bangladesh” in the Middle East.
“Bangladesh
Education Forum aims to promote Bangladesh’s higher education in the Gulf
region with a target to increase foreign students’ enrolment into Bangladeshi
universities, engineering, and medical colleges,” he told Arab News.
Besides
the obvious target, which is nationals of Gulf states, the forum will also seek
to attract students from Bangladeshi families living and working in the region.
“More
than 50,000 Bangladeshi families live in the UAE among the 1.2 million
non-resident population,” Chowdhury said.
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2193261/world
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