Ban on Muslim Vendors: Government Should Break Its Silence and Take Action against Temple Authorities, Otherwise People Will Act, Said BJP MLC
New Age Islam News Bureau
28 March 2022
BJP MLC H. Vishwanath
-----
• Islamic State of Afghanistan Decides To Ban
International Media, BBC Asks To Reverse Its Decision
• Islamic State Affiliate Wilayat Sinai Steps up
Attacks under New Leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
• Arab World Understands Israel ‘On Side of Peace’:
Israeli Prime Minister
• Anti-Islam Rhetoric in French Election Risks ‘Spiral
of Hatred’, Says Paris Mosque Rector
India
• Pro-People Organisations Come Together To Oppose Ban
on Muslim Traders during Festivals
• Hijab Won’t Be Allowed During Class X Boards:
Karnataka Minister
• CUET Won’t Take Away Your Admission Powers:
Education Ministry To AMU
• J&K Cleric Calls for Ban on the Kashmir Files,
Says Muslims’ Blood Ignored For 32 Years
• Terror-funding case: NIA raids house of jailed
activist in J&K
• Muslim Man Murdered For Celebrating BJP's Win in UP,
CM Yogi Orders Probe
--------
South
Asia
• Mullah Hebtullah Akhundzada, Taliban’s Supreme
Leader Orders Ban on Recruiting Teenagers in Military Bases of the IEA
• With Eye to China Investment, Taliban Now Preserve
Buddhas
• Impoverished Afghan families; private schools,
universities lose students
• Qatar, Indonesia sign letter for providing
humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan
--------
Arab
World
• Iraq building Syria wall to keep out ISIS fighters
• Iraq parliament fails to elect new state president
over lack of quorum
• Egypt’s FM to join summit of Arab, US diplomats in
Israel
• Lebanese Christian politician says judicial
decisions against party unlawful
• Arab Coalition launches airstrikes targeting Houthi
strongholds in Yemen’s Hodeidah
• Yemen’s Houthis suspend strikes on Saudi Arabia for
three days: Political office head
• Iraqi PM urges political parties to bridge
differences to form gov’t
--------
Mideast
• Nuclear deal may bolster Iranian plots, Israel warns
• US to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons:
Blinken
• West must not ignore Iran’s ballistic missiles:
Ex-Israeli UN envoy
• Dozens of fanatic Jewish settlers defile Aqsa Mosque
• South Africa, Namibia at UNHRC call for an end to
Israeli apartheid
• Two Israeli police killed in attack claimed by
Islamic State group
• Iran Increases Oil Production Level to Pre-Sanctions
Era
--------
Europe
• Turkey could be among countries to offer Ukraine
security guarantees: Kyiv
• Turkey military finds mine close to border with
Bulgaria
• Azerbaijan denies troops pullout from peacekeepers’
zone in Nagorno-Karabakh
• Next round of Ukraine-Russia talks to take place in
Turkey, Ukrainian negotiator says
• France holds talks with Saudi Arabia, UAE on diversifying
Europe’s energy supplies
• UN condemns attacks on civilian facilities in Saudi
Arabia, Yemen
--------
North
America
• US City Of Minneapolis Allows Muslim Call to Prayer
from Mosque Speakers
• US envoy for Iran Malley says not confident that a nuclear
deal with Iran is imminent
• Daughter of David Haines to confront his alleged
Islamic State kidnapper in US trial
--------
Pakistan
• Three 'Rats' Looting Pakistan for Last 30 Years:
Imran Khan Targets Opposition at Islamabad Power Show
• Fazl refutes PM's claim of foreign plot against
govt, says PTI chief showed 'fake letter'
• After PM Imran, no-trust motion submitted against
Punjab CM Buzdar
• Separated by Partition, brothers reconnect at
Faisalabad village
• Siraj, other JI leaders issued notices for violating
poll code of conduct
• Pakistan: PML-Q seeks time to decide on
no-confidence motion against Imran Khan govt
• Pakistan: JUI-F’s ‘Mehangai’ march enters Punjab
province
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Minister of Islamic Affairs Meets With Saudi
Universities Graduates In Indonesia
• Sarawak Islamic Council announces mask exemptions
for mosque, surau officials on duty
• Unifor removes congregation cap on non-Muslim houses
of worship, funerals in Sarawak
• Haj industry players hope quota set for Malaysian
pilgrims will be increased
• Melting faster than ever, Indonesia’s little-known
glacier may disappear by 2025
--------
Africa
• Tunisia Says It Has Dismantled 150 Militant Cells In
Past Six Months
• Jordan’s king to hold talks in West Bank with
Palestinian president
• Two migrants drown off Morocco coast, more than 200
arrested
• Libya's Bashagha says he has ‘good relations’ with
Turkiye
• West African bloc issues ultimatums to Mali, Burkina
Faso junta leaders
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ban-muslim-vendors-temple-mlc/d/126671
--------
Ban on Muslim Vendors: Government Should Break Its
Silence and Take Action against Temple Authorities, Otherwise People Will Act,
Said BJP MLC
BJP MLC H. Vishwanath
-----
28th March 2022
BELAGAVI:
Banning Muslims from conducting business on temple premises is
illogical. The government should break its silence and take action against
temple authorities, otherwise people will act, said BJP MLC H Vishwanath.
After meeting former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi at
Gokak on Sunday, he said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the message
of ‘Sab Ka Vikas and Vishwas’. But our state is moving in the wrong direction.
How are those Muslims, who sell flowers, fruits, and puja material near
temples, going to earn their livelihood? It amounts to untouchability.
The government should think beyond party, caste and
religion.” On a ministerial berth being
denied to Ramesh Jarkiholi, he said, “Some unknown hands are working behind the
scenes, trying to end my and Jarkiholi’s careers. We are the reason for the
present BJP government to come to power. We will not tolerate it if the party
tries to suppress us. An atmosphere is being created against backward leaders
including Siddaramaiah, Jarkiholi and me.”
Source: New Indian Express
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original story:
--------
Islamic State of Afghanistan Decides To Ban
International Media, BBC Asks To Reverse Its Decision
Taliban bans international news broadcasts in
Afghanistan
----
March 28, 2022
The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has decided
to ban the broadcasts of international media outlets being telecasted via local
media.
The BBC became the first to stop broadcasts on Sunday
night, reports Khaama Press.
In a statement, the BBC has asked the Taliban to
reverse its decision, saying it would affect more than six million viewers of
Persian, Pashto and Uzbek language service programmes.
The BBC Persian TV channel can still be accessed, but
only by the 20 per cent of Afghans who have satellite TV.
"The BBC's TV news bulletins in Pashto, Persian,
and Uzbek have been taken off air in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered our
TV partners to remove international broadcasters from their airwaves,"
Khaama Press quoted the statement as saying.
Besides the BBC, the Taliban has also banned Voice of
America, German Deutsche Welle and China Global Television Network from further
broadcasts.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in
August last year, 40 per cent of media outlets in the country, while an
estimated 6,400 journalists are currently unemployed, according to the
Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
More than 80 per cent of Afghan female journalists
have also lost their jobs since the fall of Kabul.
Afghanistan ranked 122 in the 2021 World Press Freedom
Index.
In a report published in February, the RSF said that
at least 50 journalists and media workers have been detained briefly or
arrested by the police or the Taliban's intelligence agency called
"Istikhbarat".
Under a decree issued in November 2021 by the Ministry
for Promoting Virtue and Suppressing Vice, journalists were forbidden from
interviewing commentators who might criticise the Taliban regime, or invite
them to take part in TV studio discussions.
Women journalists were told that they must wear full
hijab, according to the RSF.
Source: Business Standard
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original story:
--------
Islamic State Affiliate Wilayat Sinai Steps up Attacks
under New Leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
Egyptians carry the coffin
of a soldier who was killed a day earlier in the restive Sinai Peninsula in an
attack claimed by the Islamic State, during a funeral ceremony in the 10th of
Ramadan city, north of Cairo, Egypt, July 8, 2017. - Mahmoud Bakkar/AFP via
Getty Images
------
March 27, 2022
Egypt’s security authorities are closely following up
on the situation in the Sinai Peninsula following the appointment of Abu
al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as the Islamic State’s (IS) new commander after
IS-affiliate Wilayat Sinai pledged allegiance to the new leader.
On March 17, IS published on its media mouthpiece Amaq
photos of Wilayat Sinai militants pledging allegiance to Qurashi.
Wilayat Sinai was previously known as Ansar Bayt
al-Maqdis, before pledging allegiance to IS in November 2014, when the
organization was led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at the time.
On March 11, Reuters revealed that the new IS leader
is the brother of Baghdadi, who was killed in a US raid in northern Syria in
2019.
On March 10, IS confirmed the death of its leader Abu
Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who is believed to have blown himself up Feb. 3
during a US raid in the border town of Atmeh in northwest Syria.
Meanwhile, Egyptian media has been busy shedding light
on IS’ new leader. Al-Bawaba news reported March 10 that the new IS leader is
Iraqi and was one of the leading commanders who were close to the IS founder,
Baghdadi.
In its March 11 report, Reuters quoted an Iraqi
security official as saying that the new leader “is a radical who joined Salafi
jihadi groups in 2003 and was known to always accompany Baghdadi as a personal
companion and Islamic legal adviser.”
The source noted that Qurashi (the new leader) “has
long been head of IS' Shura Council, a leadership group that guides strategy
and decides succession when a caliph is killed or captured.”
It seems the appointment of the new IS leader
encouraged Wilayat Sinai to step up its attacks in northern Sinai, as Mada Masr
confirmed in a report posted on its Facebook page March 22. Quoting a local
source, the media outlet said, “Three days after Wilayat Sinai announced its
allegiance to the new IS leader, an armed civilian belonging to the Sinai
tribes collaborating with the Egyptian army was killed and another one was
wounded in a blast south of Sheikh Zuweid.”
The tribes in Sinai have been recently fighting
against Wilayat Sinai under the umbrella of the so-called Sinai Tribes Union,
at a time the Egyptian army has refrained from publishing any information on
its confrontations with the radical organization.
In a report published Dec. 23, 2021, Mada Masr said,
“The Sinai Tribes Union, led by the Tarabin tribe, the largest in Sinai, with
the support of the armed forces and security services, is engaged in extensive
campaigns in the areas where Wilayat Sinai is heavily present.”
It continued, “The armed forces’ military spokesman
did not mention [recently] any military operations involving the Sinai Tribes
Union, be they official or supported, in northern Sinai.”
According to the union’s Facebook page, the
organization consists of a unified tribal front that includes the vast majority
of the Sinai tribes with the aim of confronting extremist organizations and
providing logistical support to the Egyptian armed forces in Sinai.
On March 22, the Sinai Tribes Union announced the killing
of two tribal members during direct clashes with militants in the east of Rafah
in northern Sinai, which also led to the killing of three radical elements.
Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported March 14, “Wilayat Sinai
launched successive attacks on different parts of northern Sinai in the past 72
hours, which killed and wounded 10 [Egyptian] soldiers and seven members of the
tribal groups supporting the army.”
Maher Faraghli, freelance researcher in jihadi
movements’ affairs, told Al-Monitor, “The new IS leader is a symbol for Wilayat
Sinai members because he is the brother of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”
He said, “The new leader is a leading figure in the
organization, and was influential when his brother was its leader.”
Faraghli noted, “The new IS leader and the group’s
members are keen to keep up their jihadi operations in Egypt, given Cairo's
importance in the region. Therefore, Qurashi may be interested in keeping
jihadi operations going in Egypt, but he will face an obstacle, which is the
tight Egyptian army’s security and control.”
He said, “In the next stage following Wilayat Sinai’s
allegiance to the new IS leader, the organization may entrench its presence in
Sinai, by carrying out more armed operations. Wilayat Sinai relies on sporadic
and limited operations in light of the tight security and military control.
There is no doubt that these operations will not stop, but they are no longer
as influential and painful as they were in the past years.”
He explained, “The Sinai Tribes Union’s participation
in the fight against Wilayat Sinai has weakened the radical groups, which
exploit the mountainous desert nature in Sinai and direct their strikes against
the Egyptian army forces. The tribesmen are very familiar with the Sinai
environment and are thus able to repel the attacks of the organization.”
Faraghli added, “The Egyptian [army] succeeded in
besieging IS in recent years, and Western countries have welcomed the Egyptian
army’s success in confronting the attacks of the radical organization and
limiting its organizational capabilities.”
In a February report, the UN Security Council praised
Egypt’s role in confronting terrorist organizations, and confirmed that
“terrorist activity declined drastically in Egypt, especially those led by
IS-affiliated Wilayat Sinai in 2019.”
Source: Al Monitor
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original story:
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Arab World Understands Israel ‘On Side of Peace’:
Israeli Prime Minister
Israeli Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett (R) receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) within
the Negev Summit in Tel Aviv, Israel on March 27, 2022. (Photo Credit: GPO)
-----
Zain Khalil
27.03.2022
JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday said
that the Arab world understands how Israel is “on the side of peace” and
cooperation in the region.
Bennett made his remarks at the opening session of his
weekly cabinet meeting ahead of an upcoming summit in Israel with the
participation of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and
the US.
"This is a very festive day. We are hosting the
Negev Summit here in Israel," Bennett said.
"The Arab world understands more and more that
Israel has always been on the side of peace and cooperation," the Israeli
premier said. "I would like to welcome all those who are coming here.
Welcome to Israel! We are very pleased and moved to welcome you here; our door
is always open.”
The Negev summit is expected to take place over two
days on Sunday and Monday, which will address the Iranian threat, according to
Israeli media.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/arab-world-understands-israel-on-side-of-peace-bennett/2547250
--------
Anti-Islam Rhetoric in French Election Risks ‘Spiral
of Hatred’, Says Paris Mosque Rector
A supporter of the
far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour holds a poster reading ‘So that
France remains France’ at a campaign rally in Paris on Sunday. Photograph:
Michel Euler/AP
------
27
Mar 2022
A
rise in anti-Islam rhetoric in the French presidential election campaign risks
creating a “spiral of hatred”, scapegoating law-abiding Muslims in a similar
way to the discourse against Jews in the 1930s, the rector of the Paris mosque
has said.
“I’m
extremely worried,” said Chems-eddine Hafiz, the rector of Paris’s historic
Grande Mosquée. “We’re in a society that is fractured and searching for itself,
a society that is weakened and fearful after the pandemic. The fact of looking
for a scapegoat – there have been precedents to that: in 1930 when the finger
began to be pointed at Jews who became ‘the problem of a whole society’ … Today
it’s no longer Jews, it’s Muslims … I thought in the 21st century we’d be safe
from that type of discourse.”
Hafiz
published a book this month, With All Due Respect, We’re Children of the
Republic, to counter what he called heightened anti-Muslim rhetoric sweeping
across the French right during the election campaign.
With
the centrist Emmanuel Macron leading the polls and favourite to win re-election
next month, some rival candidates have focused on Islam and immigration.
The
far-right outsider candidate Eric Zemmour, a former TV pundit who has
convictions for inciting racial hatred, refers regularly to the discredited
conspiracy theory of the “great replacement”, in which he claims local French
populations could be replaced by newcomers, making France a majority Muslim
country on the verge of civil war.
In
a TV interview after declaring his candidacy, Zemmour called on Muslims in
France to renounce the practice of their religion. In a TV debate last month,
he told a voter he was standing to “save France from Islam” and from French
people’s “replacement”.
The
far-right Marine Le Pen, who intends to hold a referendum on immigration and
ban the Muslim headscarf from all public places, is shown by polls as the most
likely candidate to face Macron in the final vote on 24 April.
Valérie
Pécresse, who is running for Nicolas Sarkozy’s traditional right party, Les
Républicains, has been criticised for referring to the great replacement theory
at a Paris rally. She has vowed to limit the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in
some public spaces, including by athletes in sporting events.
All
candidates on the right have referenced a mood of fear in France after the
Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris 2015 and the horror of the decapitation of
a French secondary schoolteacher, Samuel Paty, in 2020.
Hafiz
said he was the first to condemn Islamist terrorism and his mosque was at the
heart of work to combat radicalisation in France. But he feared that the
majority of law-abiding Muslim French citizens were being conflated with
terrorist attacks, despite often being the victims of terrorism themselves.
“For
several years now, at every election in France, certain candidates have spoken
of the ‘problem’ of Islam, linking Islam to immigration or to terrorism,” he
told the Guardian.
“French
Muslims have faced stigmatisation or insults or the view that Islam is
incompatible with the rules of the French Republic, or with the west. But in
this election, it’s much more serious because there is a candidate who
completely lets loose and talks of the ‘great replacement’ and who affirms with
vehemence that Islam and Muslims can’t stay in France, that their place is
elsewhere, and if they want to stay in this country they must no longer
practise their religion.”
Hafiz
said other candidates on the right appeared to compete with Zemmour on Islam,
such as during Les Républicains’ internal primary race to choose a candidate.
He said that despite the main concerns of French voters being issues such as
making ends meet, it had become “almost fashionable” for candidates “to
criticise Islam and Muslims, to see them as non-desirables who are dangerous or
who bring insecurity.”
He
said: “We’re in 2022, we’re in the fourth, even fifth, generation of Muslims in
France and they are still considered foreigners.”
There
are estimated to be between 800,000 and 1 million people who attend mosques or
Muslim prayer rooms in France.
Hafiz
said he feared there could be an increase in anti-Muslim acts after the
election.
He
said other elements of Zemmour’s discourse were worrying, including his claim
that the Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Pétain saved French Jews rather
than aiding their deportation to death camps.
Zemmour,
the Paris-born son of Jewish Berbers who emigrated from Algeria in the 1950s,
last week responded to Hafiz’s call for Muslims to turn out to vote in the
April elections in order to counter hatred. Zemmour tweeted: “The rector of
Paris’s Grande Mosquée has appealed to vote against me. Do you intend to obey
him?”
Anne
Hidalgo, the Socialist party candidate, who is languishing in the polls,
visited the Paris mosque recently where she warned against presidential
candidates “scapegoating” Muslims. She said she was extremely worried about
“hateful” political discourse that damaged “fraternity” in France.
Source:
The Guardian
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click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Pro-people
organisations come together to oppose ban on Muslim traders during festivals
MARCH
27, 2022
The
meeting resolved to appeal to Hassan DC not to pay heed to demands of VHP
leaders
Leaders
of various progressive organisations in Hassan have joined hands to oppose
alleged efforts of the pro-Hindutva forces to spread hatred by demanding a ban
on Muslim traders during festivals.
Representatives
of the organisations, who met in Hassan on Saturday, have resolved to form a
forum for harmony and oppose all attempts to divide society. A few leaders of
Vishwa Hindu Parishat and Bajrang Dal recently approached the Belur taluk
administration seeking a ban on Muslim traders during the Channakeshava
Rathotsava to be held in April. This was in the backdrop of several similar
incidents in other parts of the State.
The
participants in the meeting have decided to meet Deputy Commissioner in Hassan
on Monday and appeal to him not to pay heed to the demands of the Hindutva
groups. Besides that, the representatives would go to Belur and stand by the
people targeted by the anti-constitutional forces.
The
meeting also discussed the ways to reach out to youth and students and make
them understand the basic principles of the Indian constitution and the
necessity of harmony among the communities. Only pro-people politics could
counter the communal politics, the participants concluded.
Source:
The Hindu
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hijab
won’t be allowed during Class X boards: Karnataka minister
Mar
28, 2022
BAGALKOTE:
Karnataka primary and secondary education minister B C Nagesh on Sunday said
that wearing the hijab (head scarf) will not be allowed during the Class X
state board examination. It starts from Monday and ends on April 11.
More
than 8. 76 lakh students are appearing for the exam in over 40,000 halls in
3,440 centres across the state.
“After
the high court order, we’ve not allowing the (hijab). We’ve given clarification
that they (students with hijab) can come to the campus wearing
the
same but will not be allowed to wear it in the classroom. The same condition
will apply during the exams,” Nagesh said.
He
said there would not be re-examination for those who skip the exam.
Replying
to a query, he said the Supreme Court lawyers have already argued for the hijab
before the full bench of the high court, after which the verdict was delivered.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
CUET
won’t take away your admission powers: Education ministry to AMU
By
Fareeha Iftikhar
Mar
28, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The Union ministry of education has conveyed to the Aligarh Muslim
Univesity (AMU) that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) will not take
away its “power to admit students of its choice” as per the existing university
norms, officials said on Sunday.
The
University had last month written to the education ministry expressing concerns
over CUET as the case on its minority status is subjudice. Under Article 30 of
the constitution, all minorities, whether based on religion or language, have
the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
In continuation of that, AMU reserves 50% seats for students of university
recognised schools in various undergraduate courses.
However,
the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 21 announced that the CUET will
be mandatory for all central universities for undergraduate admissions. The
computer based test will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in
the first week of July in 13 languages.
According
to officials at the University, the ministry of education on March 15 wrote a
letter to the vice chancellor Tariq Mansoor stating that the subjudice matter
“does not bar AMU from participating in any test for selection of candidates.”
“It
is mentioned that the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is in no way going
to take away the inherent power of AMU to admit students of its choice, and as
per existing eligibility condition/quota rules of the university. The interim
order mentioned in your letter also does not bar AMU from participating in any
test for selection of candidates as the order is mainly applicable for
admission in the context of reservation quota which is not to be affected as
the university will follow its own rules, regulations, eligibility condition
and quota,” the ministry said in the letter, a copy of which is seen by HT.
The
ministry said that those students of university-recognised
“Madaris/institutions” who are eligible to take admission in UG course AMU will
continue to be eligible.
“CUET
will be used only for making merit lists of applicants by the University
itself. The CUET is to focus mainly on the undergraduate admissions like B.A,
B.Sc, B.Com; the university will continue with its existing practices in other
technical admissions (engineering/management, etc.), as well as postgraduate
admissions,” the letter added.
The
ministry said that the NTA will retain only 10% of the income from application
fee over expenditure for maintaining administrative cost and the rest will be
shared with the universities. “It will be further ensured that the loss of
internal revenue, if any, to the universities due to CUET will be adequately
accounted for in future allocation of funds under OH 31,” the letter added.
A
senior official at the University, who wished not to be named, said, “The
ministry’s letter will be placed before the executive council of the university
for further discussion.In all likelihood, AMU will participate in CUET since it
is now mandatory for all central universities.”
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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J&K
cleric calls for ban on The Kashmir Files, says Muslims’ blood ignored for 32
years
Sunil
Bhat
March
27, 2022
The
row over Vivek Agnihotri’s directorial ‘The Kashmir Files’ continues even after
weeks of its release. The movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri
Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has kicked a storm in the country. Now, a
cleric in Jammu and Kashmir has called for a ban on the film, slamming it for
allegedly ignoring the Muslim community’s pain and bloodshed.
Addressing
a gathering inside Jamia Masjid in J&K’s Rajouri district, Maulvi Farooq
claimed that the pain and suffering of Kashmiri Muslims has been ignored. He
further alleged that the movie is divisive and accused it of “demonizing”
Muslims.
“We
condemn the makers of the movie. Can't they see the pain of Muslims? Why are
they just focusing on Pandits?” Maulvi Farooq said.
In
his provocative speech, Maulvi Farooq claimed, “We (Muslims) have ruled this
country for 800 years. However, the Hindus came to power just 70 years ago. You
can't eliminate us or our identity.”
The
cleric further alleged that thousands of Kashmiri Muslims have been killed but
their pain was ignored. He said, “After 32 years, they saw the blood of
Kashmiri Pandits, but in 32 years, how many Muslims were killed, women were
widowed, houses were destroyedthey did not see the blood of Muslims.”
He
condemned the movie and accused it of being a “conspiracy against Muslims”.
Source:
India Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Terror-funding
case: NIA raids house of jailed activist in J&K
Mar
28, 2022
SRINAGAR:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday raided the residence of
jailed human rights activist Khurram Parvez in Srinagar’s Sonwar Bagh area in
connection with a terror funding case and seized documents related to financial
transactions.
The
agency, in a statement, said the raids were conducted by a joint team of NIA
officers, J&K Police and paramilitary personnel. “The case pertains to
collection and transfer of funds by certain NGOs, trusts, societies and
organisations on behalf of terrorist outfits to sustain secessionist and terror
activities in Kashmir Valley,” said an NIA spokesperson.
A
special NIA court in Delhi had earlier sent Parvez to judicial custody in the
case. Parvez’s wife worked in the social welfare department under the women
empowerment mission of the erstwhile J&K government during Omar Abdullah’s
tenure in 2013. She has been drawing a consolidated pay of Rs 40,000 per month.
Her brother, a doctor, is the chief medical officer in Srinagar.
Meanwhile,
the NIA on Sunday filed a chargesheet against Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba
terrorist Imdadullah alias Ali Babar alias Dujana who was arrested by the Army
during a foiled infiltration bid along the LoC in Baramulla district’s Uri
sector last year while his aidee was killed. A huge cache of arms, ammunition
and explosives was seized from the spot, said an NIA spokesperson.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Man Murdered For Celebrating BJP's Win In UP, CM Yogi Orders Probe
Samarth
Srivastava
March
28, 2022
Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry into the murder
of a Muslim man in Kushinagar, for purportedly promoting the Bharatiya Janata
Party.
Babar
Ali, a 25-year-old Muslim man, died on Sunday after being beaten up allegedly
by his neighbours in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district for participating in
the BJP's election campaign and celebrating its victory in the recently-held
state polls, police said.
Source:
India Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Mullah
Hebtullah Akhundzada, Taliban’s Supreme Leader Orders Ban on Recruiting
Teenagers in Military Bases of the IEA
28
Mar 2022
Supreme
leader of the Taliban Mullah Hebtullah Akhundzada has ordered military
officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan not to recruit teenager members
to their ranking.
The
supreme leader in a decree said no teenager must be allowed in military bases
of the IEA and should not be given a part in any military operation.
“Teenagers
are unable to conduct military operations and the existence of underage members
in the military ranking will lead to intrigue and notoriety.” Reads part of the
decree.
In
the decree, military officials are strictly asked to implement the order and
the military commission has been given the task to disarm those who fail to
implement.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/talibans-supreme-leader-orders-ban-on-recruiting-teenagers-6758656/
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With
eye to China investment, Taliban now preserve Buddhas
March
27, 2022
The
ancient Buddha statues sit in serene meditation in the caves carved into the
russet cliffs of rural Afghanistan. Hundreds of meters below lies what is
believed to be the world’s largest deposit of copper.
Afghanistan’s
Taliban rulers are pinning their hopes on Beijing to turn that rich vein into
revenue to salvage the cash-starved country amid crippling international
sanctions.
The
fighters standing guard by the rocky hillside may once have considered
destroying the terracotta buddhas. Two decades ago when the Islamic hard-line
Taliban were first in power, they sparked world outrage by blowing up gigantic
buddha statues in another part of the country, calling them pagan symbols that
must be purged.
But
now they are intent on preserving the relics of the Mes Aynak copper mine.
Doing so is key to unlocking billions in Chinese investment, said Hakumullah
Mubariz, the Taliban head of security at the site, peering into the remnants of
a monastery built by first-century Buddhist monks.
“Protecting
them is very important to us and the Chinese,” he said.
Previously,
Mubariz commanded a Taliban combat unit in the surrounding mountains battling
with U.S.-backed Afghan forces. When those troops capitulated last year, his
men rushed to secure the site. “We knew it would be important for the country,”
he said.
The
Taliban’s spectacular reversal illustrates the powerful allure of Afghanistan’s
untapped mining sector. Successive authorities have seen the country’s mineral
riches, estimated to be worth $1 trillion, as the key to a prosperous future,
but none have been able to develop them amid the continual war and violence.
Now, multiple countries, including Iran, Russia and Turkey are looking to
invest, filling the vacuum left in the wake of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal.
But
Beijing is the most assertive. At Mes Aynak, it could become the first major
power to take on a large-scale project in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan,
potentially redrawing Asia’s geopolitical map.
Top
priority
In
2008, the administration of Hamid Karzai signed a 30-year contract with a
Chinese joint venture called MCC to extract high-grade copper from Mes Aynak.
Studies show the site holds up to 12 million tons of the mineral.
But
the project got tied up in logistical and contract problems, and it never got
past some initial test shafts before it ground to a halt when Chinese staff
left in 2014 because of continued violence.
Mere
months after the Taliban seized Kabul in August, consolidating power over the
country, the group’s newly installed acting Minister for Mining and Petroleum
Shahbuddin Dilawar urged his staff to re-engage Chinese state-run companies.
Ziad
Rashidi, the ministry’s director of foreign relations, approached the
consortium made up by MCC, China Metallurgical Group Corporation and Jiangxi
Copper Ltd. Dilawar has had two virtual meetings with MCC in the last six
months, according to company and ministry officials. He urged them to return to
the mine, terms unchanged from the 2008 contract.
A
technical committee from MCC is due in Kabul in the coming weeks to address the
remaining obstacles. Relocating the artifacts is key. But MCC is also seeking
to renegotiate terms, particularly to reduce taxes and slash the 19.5% royalty
rate by nearly half, the percentage owed to the government per ton of copper
sold.
“Chinese
companies see the current situation as ideal for them. There is a lack of
international competitors and a lot of support from the government side,”
Rashidi said.
China’s
ambassador to Afghanistan has said talks are ongoing, but nothing more.
Acquiring
rare minerals is key for Beijing to maintain its standing as a global
manufacturing powerhouse. While stopping short of recognizing the Taliban
government, China has stood out from the international community by calling for
the unfreezing of Afghan assets and has kept its diplomatic mission running in
Kabul.
For
Afghanistan, the contract at Mes Aynak could bring in $250-300 million per year
to state revenues, a 17% increase, as well as $800 million in fees over the
contract’s length, according to government and company officials. That’s a
significant sum as the country grapples with widespread poverty, exacerbated by
financial shortfalls after the Biden administration froze Afghan assets and
international organizations halted donor funds. Some has since resumed.
Graveyard
of empires
At
Mes Aynak, a 2,000-year-old Buddhist city sits uncomfortably alongside a
potential economic engine. Afghanistan’s tumultuous modern history has gotten
in the way of both exploring the archaeology and developing the mines.
Discovered
in the 1960s by French geologists, the site was believed to have been an
important stop along the Silk Road from the early centuries AD.
After
the Soviet invasion in the late 1970s, Russians dug tunnels to investigate the
copper deposit; the cavernous bore holes are still visible. These were later
used as an al-Qaida hideout, and at least one was bombed by the U.S. in 2001.
Looters
then pillaged many antiquities from the site. Still, archaeologists who came in
2004 managed a partial excavation, uncovering remnants of a vast complex,
including four monasteries, ancient copper workshops and a citadel. It became
clear the area had been a major Buddhist settlement, a crossroads for traders
coming from the west, and pilgrims from afar, even China.
To
the shock of the non-Taliban technocrats in his own ministry, Dilawar is
committed to saving the site and told MCC’s director in Beijing it was an
important part of Afghanistan’s history, according to two officials present in
one virtual meeting.
He
dismissed open-pit mining schemes that would raze the site entirely. The
alternative option of underground mining was judged too pricey by MCC. The
Culture Ministry has been tasked with presenting a plan to relocate the relics,
most likely to the Kabul Museum.
“We
have already transferred some (artifacts) to the capital, and we are working to
transfer the rest, so the mining work can begin,” Dilawar told The Associated
Press.
While
the ministry is optimistic a deal can be reached, MCC officials are cautious
and pragmatic.
They
did not speak to the AP on record, citing sensitivities around the talks
happening while international sanctions still prohibit dealings with the
Taliban.
They
expressed concerns over the feasibility of other contractual obligations,
including building a railway to the Pakistan border at Torkham, a coal-fired
power plant, and community amenities such as a hospital and schools.
Another
issue is how to compensate residents of three villages near Mes Aynak cleared
out a decade ago.
Mullah
Mera Jan, a 70-year-old local elder, said he is still waiting for funds
promised to him by ministry officials after being forced out of his village of
Wali Baba.
Still,
he too hopes mining will start soon. Villagers were promised 3,000-4,000 direct
and 35,000 indirect jobs. The men from his village are on top of the hiring
list.
In
the ministry’s labyrinthine halls, hopeful investors stand in line, documents
ready to stake their claim of Afghanistan’s untapped mineral riches, including
large iron deposits, precious stones and — potentially — lithium.
Knocking
on Rashidi’s office door these days are Russians, Iranians, Turks and of
course, the Chinese.
All
are “in a great hurry to invest,” he said. Chinese interest is “extraordinary,”
he said. Rashidi has also reached out to China’s CNPCI to revamp an oil
contract to explore blocks in Amu Darya near the Turkmenistan border,
terminated in 2018.
Dozens
of small-scale contracts have been handed out local investors, many of whom
have joint ventures with international companies, mainly Chinese and Iranian.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Impoverished
Afghan families; private schools, universities lose students
27
Mar 2022
Owners
of private schools and universities in the Afghan capital Kabul complain that
they have lost 60% of their students as the new educational year has just begun
across Afghanistan.
The
owners say that the ongoing humanitarian crisis and economic situation in the
country have adversely affected the livelihood, thus most of the families have
changed their children to study in public schools.
Further,
they added they have announced satisfying discount though, less number of
students have turned up this year.
Meanwhile,
owners of private universities in Afghanistan also complain about the number of
students adding most of the students have quit studying.
When
it comes to universities, the case is not the same in schools meaning there is
no law based on which a student from a private university can be shifted to a
public one that is free.
The
situation will lead to less number of qualified people will badly affect the
future of the country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Qatar,
Indonesia sign letter for providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan
28
March, 2022
Doha
[Qatar], March 28 (ANI): Qatar has signed a letter of content with Indonesia
based on which both the countries will cooperate in providing humanitarian and
development assistance to the people of Afghanistan, local media reported.
The
agreement was signed at the sideline of the Doha Forum between Qatar’s Foreign
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Shiekh Muhammad Bin Abdurahmand Al-Thani and
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Khaama Press reported.
Both
sides announced their intentions to offer humanitarian aid and credit to the
people of Afghanistan.
The
letter aims to establish a cooperative mechanism to support the capabilities of
the Afghan people and empower Afghan women, Khaama Press reported citing Qatari
news agency.
Both
sides also agreed to provide scholarships for Afghan people and give them
professional training.
The
situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the
Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power in August last year.
Although
the fighting in the country has ended, serious human rights violations continue
unabated.
The
Taliban have committed and continue to commit human rights violations including
extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary
detentions, a massive rollback of the rights of women and girls, censorship of
and attacks against the media.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Arab
World
Iraq
building Syria wall to keep out ISIS fighters
27
March ,2022
Iraq
is building a concrete wall along part of its border with Syria to stop ISIS
extremists from infiltrating, an Iraqi military source said Sunday.
In
the “first stage” of construction, a wall around “a dozen kilometers (seven
miles) long and 3.5 meters (11 feet) high was built in Nineveh province,” in
the Sinjar area of northwest Iraq, a senior officer told AFP, requesting
anonymity.
Iraq,
which shares a more than 600-kilometer long border with Syria, seeks to “put a
stop to the infiltration of [ISIS] members” into its territory, the source added,
without specifying how long the wall would eventually run.
Iraq
in 2018 said it had begun building a fence along the Syrian border for the same
reason.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the
wall’s construction was carried out in an area facing the town of al-Shaddadi,
in the south of Syria’s Hasaka province.
In
January in the Kurdish-controlled province, ISIS fighters attacked a prison to
free fellow extremists, sparking days of clashes that left hundreds dead.
Many
prisoners are thought to have escaped, with some crossing to neighboring Turkey
or Turkish-held territory in Syria’s north, the Observatory said.
ISIS
overran large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014 before Baghdad proclaimed
victory in late 2017 after a grinding campaign.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraq
parliament fails to elect new state president over lack of quorum
26
March ,2022
Iraq’s
parliament failed again on Saturday to vote for a president after Iran-backed
groups boycotted the session, in a setback to an alliance led by cleric Moqtada
al-Sadr which won the election and threatened to remove them from politics.
Sadr
had hoped parliament would elect Rebar Ahmed, a veteran Kurdish intelligence
official and current interior minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
But
only 202 members of parliament out of 329 were present, which is less than the
necessary two-thirds quorum needed to choose a new president for the mostly
ceremonial post, while 126 lawmakers boycotted the session.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“It
is a storm in a cup. Today is a good proof that the party that had claimed that
it has the majority had failed to achieve it. It is a bad situation getting
worse,” said Farhad Alaaldin, chairman of the Iraq Advisory Council, a policy
research institute.
A
win for Sadr’s allies would threaten to exclude Tehran’s allies from power for
the first time in years.
The
delay prolongs a bitter deadlock in Iraqi politics months after an October
general election from which Sadr emerged the biggest winner, with his Shia,
pro-Iran rivals receiving a hammering at the polls.
The
vote on the president was postponed to Wednesday. The current caretaker
government will continue to run the country until a new government is formed.
Sadr,
a Shia cleric, has pledged to form a government that would exclude key Iranian
allies that have long dominated the state, a red line for those parties and
militias and the first time they would not have a cabinet place since 2003.
The
candidates put forward for president in the months since the election has been
viewed by Iran-aligned groups as Western-leaning and a threat to their
interests.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Egypt’s
FM to join summit of Arab, US diplomats in Israel
26
March ,2022
Egypt’s
foreign minister will take part in groundbreaking talks in Israel from Sunday
alongside his counterparts from the US and three Arab states, an Israeli
official said.
Sameh
Shoukry will be joining US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign
ministers of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco for a series of meetings hosted by
their Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, an Israeli official told AFP on Saturday,
on condition of anonymity.
The
two-day event will be held against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine, a conflict that has sparked wider security concerns and sent oil and food
prices soaring.
It
also comes as the United States is close to reaching an agreement with Iran to
restore the 2015 accord limiting Tehran’s nuclear activities in return for
removing sanctions on the country.
The
United Arab Emirates forged diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 under a series
of US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords.
Bahrain
and Morocco followed suit, while Sudan also agreed to normalize ties with
Israel although it has yet to finalize a deal.
The
two-day meeting in Israel follows a three-way summit hosted by Egypt on Tuesday
at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh between Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
Egypt
was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, after
decades of enmity and conflict. Jordan followed suit in 1994.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanese
Christian politician says judicial decisions against party unlawful
26
March ,2022
Lebanese
Christian politician Samir Geagea said on Saturday that recent judicial
decisions against his party were against the law.
Speaking
at a news conference days after a judge charged him over deadly violence in
Beirut in October, Geagea said that the judicial decisions were aimed at
tarnishing the image of his Lebanese Forces (LF) party.
“The
attempts to isolate, encircle, intimidate and abolish the Lebanese Forces
continue to this day... And the latest attempt in this regard was judicial
decisions that were born-dead because they are against every law,” he said,
without mentioning the charge.
Seven
people, all of them followers of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its Shia
ally the Amal Movement, were killed in the October 14 clashes near an old
frontline of the 1975-90 civil war.
Geagea
was summoned to a hearing at military intelligence last October over the
violence but did not attend.
The
October 14 violence began as people were gathering for a protest called by
Hezbollah against the judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port blast.
Hezbollah
accused the LF of mounting an ambush to try to drag the country to a civil war.
Geagea
has said the trouble began when supporters of the Shia parties entered the
Christian neighborhood of Ain al-Remmaneh where they vandalized cars and four
residents were wounded before a shot was fired.
Geagea
was speaking at an event to launch the candidacy of an LF candidate who is
running in a May parliamentary election.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Arab
Coalition launches airstrikes targeting Houthi strongholds in Yemen’s Hodeidah
26 March
,2022
The
Arab Coalition said on Saturday it had begun launching airstrikes against the
Iran-backed Houthi militia’s strongholds in Yemen’s city of Hodeidah, state
news agency (SPA) reported.
The
coalition also asked civilians to stay away from the surroundings of the Salif
port in Hodeidah.
Earlier
on Saturday, the coalition gave the Houthis a three-hour deadline to remove all
weapons from the ports of Hodeidah and Salif and the Sanaa international
airport.
It
also said that keeping weapons in the Sanaa airport and other civilian areas
would “end their status” as safe regions not to be targeted by the coalition’s
strikes.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Yemen’s
Houthis suspend strikes on Saudi Arabia for three days: Political office head
26
March ,2022
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthi militia said on Saturday it was suspending missile and drone
strikes on Saudi Arabia for three days, in a peace initiative it said could be
a lasting commitment if the Arab Coalition stopped airstrikes and lifted port
restrictions.
The
group also announced a three-day suspension of ground offensive operations in
Yemen, including in the gas producing region of Marib, said Mahdi al-Mashat,
the head of the Houthis’ political office, in a speech broadcast on television.
Mashat
said the group was ready to release all prisoners, including the brother of
Yemen’s President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The
announcement came after the Arab Coalition launched airstrikes against Houthi
strongholds in Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah and destroyed a weapons warehouse
in the vicinity of the Salif Port in Yemen after the Houthis transported
weapons to it.
The
coalition earlier gave the Houthis a three-hour deadline to remove all weapons
from the ports of Hodeidah and Salif and the Sanaa international airport.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraqi
PM urges political parties to bridge differences to form gov’t
Ibrahim
Saleh
27.03.2022
BAGHDAD
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Sunday called on the country’s political
parties to bridge their differences to form a new government.
"I
call on all political parties to work for forming a government that could
function very soon and serve the Iraqi people," al-Kadhimi said in a
statement issued by his office.
"We
have to look for logical solutions that reflect political maturity and
responsibility,” he added.
On
Saturday, the Iraqi Parliament failed to elect a new president after dozens of
lawmakers boycotted the voting session.
The
assembly set March 30 to hold another session to elect the country’s new
president.
On
Wednesday, the party of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced an agreement with
the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance on
naming the KDP’s nominee Reber Ahmed for the presidency and Mohammad Jaafar
al-Sadr of Al-Sadr party for the position of Iraq’s prime minister.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Mideast
Nuclear
deal may bolster Iranian plots, Israel warns
March
28, 2022
AMMAN:
The US and Israel “see eye to eye” on preventing Iran from obtaining atomic
weapons, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday ahead of talks in
Israel with Arab foreign ministers skeptical of a nuclear pact with Tehran.
Blinken
sought to reassure Washington’s Gulf allies and Israel that the administration
of President Joe Biden is committed to their security ahead of the possible
renewal of the international nuclear deal with Iran.
Israel
and its neighbors believe any easing of sanctions and the delisting of the IRGC
would embolden Iranian-backed militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon,
the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Wadie
Abunassar, the Haifa-based director of the International Center for
Consultations, told Arab News that countries taking part in the summit “are
concerned about the Iran deal.”
He
added: “All participants wish to ask the US to introduce additional conditions
not only regard- ing Iran’s nuclear program, but also other Iran-related issues
such as production of ballistic missiles and drones.”
Blinken
met Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Sunday amid growing hints that the
tattered 2015 landmark deal Tehran signed with major powers will soon be
restored.
Speaking
alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Blinken said the US believes
restoring the agreement is “the best way to put Iran’s program back in the box
that it was in but escaped” after the US withdrew from the deal under former
president Donald Trump in 2018.
Lapid
said Israel had “disagreements” with Washington about the Iranian nuclear
issue, which it was airing with its key ally in “open and honest dialogue.”
He
added: “Israel will do anything we believe is needed to stop the Iranian
nuclear program. Anything.”
Blinken’s
remarks came as US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said he was “not
confident” that a nuclear deal was likely.
“I
can’t be confident it is imminent. A few months ago we thought we were pretty
close as well,” Malley told the Doha Forum international conference on Sunday.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2051746/middle-east
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US
to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons: Blinken
Ahmed
Asmar
27.03.2022
The
United States on Sunday vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,
reassuring Israel against any Iranian threat.
Speaking
in a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Blinken
said Washington believes that restoring a nuclear deal with Iran "is the best
way to put Iran's program back in the box it was in."
Blinken
acknowledged that there are "disagreements" with Israel on the
Iranian nuclear issue, but reiterated that the US commitment to prevent Iran
from "acquiring a nuclear weapon is unwavering."
Lapid,
for his part, said that Israel will do anything "needed to stop the
Iranian nuclear program."
"From
our point of view, the Iranian threat is not theoretical. The Iranians want to
destroy Israel. They will not succeed. We will not let them," Lapid added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/us-to-prevent-iran-acquiring-nuclear-weapons-blinken/2547248
--------
West
must not ignore Iran’s ballistic missiles: Ex-Israeli UN envoy
March
27, 2022
LONDON:
Western countries should not overlook Iran’s growing missile capabilities, a
former Israeli representative to the UN has warned.
Writing
in the Sunday Telegraph, Dore Gold said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,
commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, has failed to prevent the country from
building a stockpile of ballistic missiles.
As
a result, Iran’s missile capacity has grown “both in number and quality,
including the range and accuracy of its missile force,” he added.
Gold
drew a comparison with the UN’s treatment of the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq,
where resolutions required that ballistic missiles with a range greater than
150 km be “removed or destroyed under international supervision.”
That
condition has not been applied to Iran, meaning that it “is already altering
the balance of power in the region,” he said.
This
was demonstrated in the 2020 attack on the US-controlled Al-Asad Airbase in
Iraq and the activities of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, Gold added.
He
noted comments by Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command,
who said this month that Iran’s 3,000 ballistic missiles have become “the
greatest threat to Middle Eastern security.”
Gold
argued that rather than moderating Iran’s behavior, the JCPOA has had the
opposite effect in licensing Tehran to “rapidly increase the number of Shiite
militias” and making the Middle East “far more dangerous.”
He
said the removal of Western economic sanctions on Iran “prepared the groundwork
for funding militias across the region, especially in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.”
Tehran
is using the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as “its chosen instrument for
spreading the new militancy,” he added.
Under
the JCPOA, Gold said, the IRGC was stripped of its terrorist label — a decision
that was “morally and factually wrong” and likely to empower the network “to
conduct more attacks,” referencing its rocket strike on the US Consulate in
Irbil earlier this month.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2051411/middle-east
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Dozens
of fanatic Jewish settlers defile Aqsa Mosque
March
28, 2022
Hordes
of Jewish settlers escorted by police forces desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in
Occupied al-Quds on Sunday morning.
According
to local sources, dozens of settlers entered the Mosque in different groups
through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards.
During
their tours at the Islamic holy site, the settlers received lectures from
rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a number of them provocatively
performed Talmudic prayers.
Meanwhile,
the Israeli occupation police imposed movement restrictions on Muslim
worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and gates.
Source:
ABNA24
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https://en.abna24.com/news//dozens-of-fanatic-jewish-settlers-defile-aqsa-mosque_1242663.html
--------
South
Africa, Namibia at UNHRC call for an end to Israeli apartheid
March
28, 2022
On
Friday, 25 March, the UN HRC held an Interactive dialogue with the Special
Rapporteur, Michael Lynk, under Agenda Item 7: Human rights situation in
Palestine and other occupied Arab territories. The dialogue focused on the
Special Rapporteur’s report on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPT) that concluded the policies of the Israeli regime against the
Palestinian people amounts to apartheid.
South
Africa’s representative at the UN Human Rights Council, Mxolisi Sizo Nkosi,
said the following:
“South
Africa welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on the current human
rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). We remain
disappointed that the Special Rapporteur has still not been granted access to
the OPT. As the report indicates, the human rights situation of Palestinians in
the West Bank, East al-Quds and Gaza was marked by significant deterioration.
The amount of violence that Israel is employing in order to sustain its
occupation is constantly increasing and impacting the lives of Palestinians in
a myriad of different ways.
Mr
President, the Palestinian narrative evokes experiences of South Africa’s own
history of dispossession, racial segregation and oppression. As oppressed South
Africans, we experienced first-hand the effects of racial inequality and
discrimination. We are all well aware of the long-term impact and consequences
of racial and other forms of discrimination. The fundamental freedoms that many
of us take for granted, remain absent for Palestinians living in the OPT.
Regular
land dispossession and illegal seizure of homes are similar to apartheid forced
removals endured by black South Africans. South Africa urges the international
community, and in particular the UN, to ensure the safeguarding of the rights
of the Palestinian people. In this regard, we welcome the conclusion of the
Special Rapporteur in the report - that the political system of entrenched rule
in the OPT which endows one racial national ethnic group with substantial
rights, benefits and privileges while intentionally subjecting another group to
live behind walls, checkpoints and under permanent military rule, without
rights, equality, dignity and liberty - indeed satisfies the prevailing
evidentiary standard for the existence of apartheid.
Mr
President, sadly those who aided and abetted the apartheid regime in South
Africa until 1985 are standing on the wrong side of history yet again. I thank
you.”
Namibia’s
representative, Julia Imene-Chanduru, was equally strong on this issue:
“Before
us today is the historic report of the Special Rapporteur on the OPT confirming
that Israel has imposed an apartheid reality on Palestine in a post-apartheid
world. The report, simply put, concludes that Israel is an apartheid state. It
is clear for everyone to see that the Israeli apartheid system comprises of
discrimination, brutal repression, oppression, racism and special rights. These
are all done to maintain the dominance of one ethnic group over the other. Mr
President, there is an obligation on all of us – including this Human Rights
Council – to stop the Israeli apartheid machine. Apartheid constitutes a total
negation of the principles and purposes of the United Nations and it is a crime
against humanity. We must all take a stand against Israeli apartheid by calling
a spade a spade.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
Israeli police killed in attack claimed by Islamic State group
March
27, 2022
by Nir
KAFRI
Two
police officers were shot dead in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group
in the northern Israeli city of Hadera late Sunday as top US and Arab diplomats
visited the Jewish state for an unprecedented regional meeting, authorities
said.
Police
said the two gunmen -- Israeli Arabs identified by Israeli intelligence as
local IS operatives -- were killed by counterterrorism officers who happened to
be nearby.
"Two
members of the Jewish (state's) police force were killed and others were injured
in an immersive commando attack," IS said in a rare claim of an attack
inside Israel.
Emergency
medical responders said "two Israelis" were killed in the attack -- a
man and a woman -- with four other people taken to hospital and two more
treated at the scene.
Police
said "two terrorists arrived at Herbert Samuel Street in Hadera, and began
shooting at a police force there," resulting in two deaths.
Members
of "an Israeli counterterrorism force happened to be in a restaurant
nearby and they ran out and neutralised the terrorists," police said in a
statement.
Dudu
Boani, the police deputy commander for the region, told reporters the two
victims of the attack were police officers. He said the assailants were shot
dead.
A
government security official said the two assailants were IS operatives from
Umm El Fahm, an Arab Israeli city.
Residents
of the city, which is located near Hadera, said police had deployed heavily.
Defence
Minister Benny Gantz's office said he was conducting a situation assessment
with military, police and intelligence chiefs, while Prime Minister Naftali
Bennett had arrived in Hadera and been briefed by police on the attack, his
office said.
The
army said in a statement that it was deploying additional forces in and around
the occupied West Bank.
-
'Heinous' attack -
Hamas,
the Islamist movement that rules the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, praised the
attack, calling it a "heroic operation" and a "natural and
legitimate response" to Israel's "crimes against our people".
Islamic
Jihad, another Gaza-based militant Palestinian movement, called the attack
"an eloquent message from our people against attempts to break our
will".
On
Tuesday, a man wielding a knife stabbed several people and ran over another in
southern Israel, killing four, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country
in recent years.
Authorities
identified the attacker as an Israeli Arab who had previously been convicted
for supporting IS.
As
Sunday's attack took place, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was hosting his
counterparts from three Arab states that recently normalised ties with Israel,
alongside Egypt's top diplomat and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at a
resort in southern Israel, in a gathering that Israel called
"historic".
"I
briefed the participants of the Negev Summit on the details of the Hadera
attack," Lapid said in a statement.
"All
the foreign ministers condemned the attack, sent their condolences to the
families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded."
"Tonight's
heinous terror attack is an attempt by violent extremists to terrorise and to
damage the fabric of life here," Lapid said.
"Israel
will uncompromisingly fight terrorism, and we will resolutely stand together
with our allies against anyone who tries to harm us."
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Increases Oil Production Level to Pre-Sanctions Era
2022-March-26
The
promise of boosting oil production capacity to pre-sanctions level has been
fulfilled in the 13th government of President Rayeesi, reaching more than
3.8mln bpd, Public Relations Department of the Iranian Oil Ministry said.
Return
of Iran’s oil production capacity to the level before period of unilateral US
imposition of sanctions on Iran is one of the promises of 13th government under
President Rayeesi, it added.
A
senior official said earlier this week that Iran is designing plans and
preparing ground for the production of over 4ml barrels of crude per day in the
Persian New Year (started on March 21).
Iran’s
prospect for the new Persian year is to ramp up crude oil production above 4
million barrels per day, CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mohsen
Khojasteh Mehr said.
Last
week, Iranian Oil Minister Javaf Owji said his ministry planned to raise
production capacity of crude and condensates in the new current year to 5.7
million bpd from about 3.7-4 million bpd.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010106000133/Iran-Increases-Oil-Prdcin-Level-Pre-Sancins-Era
--------
Europe
Turkey
could be among countries to offer Ukraine security guarantees: Kyiv
28
March ,2022
Turkey
is among countries that could offer Kyiv security guarantees as part of any
deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official said on
Monday.
“Turkey
is among those countries that could become guarantors of our security in the
future,” Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office,
said ahead of peace talks scheduled between Kyiv and Moscow in Turkey.
Kyiv
has said it wants legally binding security guarantees that would offer Ukraine
protection from a group of allies in the event of a future attack.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
military finds mine close to border with Bulgaria
28
March ,2022
A
Turkish military dive teams secured a mine detected off the coast of the
northern Igneada district, close to the border with Bulgaria, Turkey’s defense
ministry said on Monday,
Russia
had warned that several mines had drifted away from Ukrainian ports amid the
fighting, and authorities on Saturday warned vessels to stay away as a dive
team inspected another mine in the region.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Azerbaijan
denies troops pullout from peacekeepers’ zone in Nagorno-Karabakh
27
March ,2022
Azerbaijan
on Sunday denied pulling out its forces from a zone policed by Russian
peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, contradicting a statement by
Moscow which had accused Baku of violating a peace agreement by entering the
area.
“There
has been no change in the positions of the Azeri army in the village of
Farrukh, which is part of the sovereign territories of our country,” the Azeri
defense ministry said.
Moscow
on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating a 2020 peace agreement by entering
the zone and striking positions of Nagorno-Karabakh army with drones, although
Azerbaijan refuted Russia’s version of events.
On
Sunday, the Russian defense ministry said that after negotiations, Azerbaijan
had withdrawn its forces from the area.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Next
round of Ukraine-Russia talks to take place in Turkey, Ukrainian negotiator
says
27
March ,2022
The
next round of face to face talks between Ukraine and Russia will take place in
Turkey on March 28-30, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said on social
media on Sunday.
Ukraine
described previous talks with Russia, launched after Russia unleashed an
invasion last month, as “very difficult.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
France
holds talks with Saudi Arabia, UAE on diversifying Europe’s energy supplies
28.03.2022
By Shweta
Desai
PARIS
France
held talks Sunday with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on
diversifying Europe's energy supplies in order to reduce the continent’s
dependence on Russia.
Foreign
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a phone call with his Saudi and UAE counterparts
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan stressed the
importance of coordination with the two Gulf states with a view to diversifying
the oil and gas supplies of European states, according to a statement from the
Foreign Ministry.
He
underlined the “need for strong international mobilization, in all forums and
in all circumstances, in the face of the aggression led by Russia in Ukraine,
which represents a serious threat to European security,” the statement said.
Le
Drian is also scheduled to visit Qatar next week, during which the topic of
energy diversification will be discussed, BFMTV news reported. Doha is among
the world's top three exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
France
is also in the planning stage of installing a floating LNG terminal in the port
of Le Havre to increase its LNG landing capacity and reduce its dependence on
Russian gas, French news daily Les Echos reported Saturday.
Russia
is the leading supplier of crude oil, natural gas and solid fossil fuels to
European Union states. The stability of energy supplies is threatened due to
the sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war on Ukraine.
Under
the French presidency of the European Council, France has declared the goal of
pursuing energy independence for the EU in the coming decade, which can be
achieved by diversifying supplies and sources of oil and gas.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UN
condemns attacks on civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Jeyhun
Aliyev
27.03.2022
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday denounced attacks on civilian
facilities in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
"The
Secretary-General strongly condemns the recent escalation of the conflict in
Yemen including Friday’s aerial attacks on civilian and energy facilities in
Saudi Arabia by the Houthis and the subsequent Coalition airstrikes in Sana’a,
reportedly killing eight civilians, including five children and two
women," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
It
noted that the airstrikes resulted in damage to the UN staff residential
compound in Sanaa.
"The
Secretary-General is deeply concerned about reports of ongoing airstrikes in
Hudaydah city and the targeting of Hudaydah’s ports, which provide a critical
humanitarian lifeline for the Yemeni population. The Secretary-General calls
for a swift and transparent investigation into these incidents to ensure
accountability," it said.
Noting
that the conflict enters its eighth year, Guterres reiterated his calls for all
parties to exercise maximum restraint, immediately deescalate, cease
hostilities and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian
law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.
He
urged all parties to engage constructively and without preconditions, with his
special envoy to reduce violence and urgently reach a negotiated settlement to
end the conflict.
Houthi
rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility Friday for drone and missile attacks on
Saudi energy facilities.
One
attack targeted an oil storage facility of state oil company Aramco, causing a
fire in two storage tanks.
Following
the attacks, the Saudi-led coalition launched a military operation in Yemen,
including rebel-held Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of al-Hudaydah.
The
coalition said the operation aims to stop attacks on Saudi oil facilities and
“protect global energy sources.”
The
Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthis since 2015, one year after the
Iran-aligned rebels overran much of Yemen, including Sanaa.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US
city of Minneapolis allows Muslim call to prayer from mosque speakers
28.03.2022
By
Islam Dogru
NEW
YORK
The
Muslim call to prayer can now be heard several times a day in one of the
biggest cities in the US Midwest.
The
call to prayer, also known as the adhan or azan, can be played by local mosques
in the city of Minneapolis, the largest in the state of Minnesota.
The
city council approved a bill, presented by council member Jamal Osman, allowing
the prayer to be played publicly by loudspeaker between the hours of 7 a.m. and
10 p.m., so long as local noise ordinances are respected.
Calling
the measure a step in the right direction for religious equality, Osman said,
"We have a lot of work still to do to make sure everyone is enjoying the
same rights, every religion is enjoying.”
Under
the measure, mosques will be able to make the call the prayer by loudspeaker
three times a day, except for morning and night prayers, provided that the
volume is below a certain decibel limit.
“The
Adhan is one of the most important parts of our faith,” Osman wrote on Twitter,
adding that the call can be made at the same hours allowed for Christian church
bells.
He
called the move “a signal of the equality and community we have built here.
This is America and we are allowed to share our faith from the rooftops, just
like everyone else.”
The
call to prayer was first legalized in the US in 2004 in the city of Hamtramck,
Michigan, by a decision of the local government, followed by Dearborn, the only
US city in the same state where Muslims are a majority.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
envoy for Iran Malley says not confident that a nuclear deal with Iran is
imminent
27
March ,2022
US
Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said on Sunday that he is not confident
that a nuclear deal between Western powers and Iran is imminent.
“The
sooner we get back into the deal, which is in our interest, and presumably
Iran’s interest, the more faithfully we implement it, and the more we can build
on it to address the other issues between us and Iran and between Iran and the
region,” Malley said speaking at the Doha Forum international conference.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
United States will maintain sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards even if
there is a deal to limit the country’s nuclear program, Malley said.
Iran
has insisted that taking the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) off a US
terrorist list be part of a revived nuclear accord, which diplomats say is
close.
But
Malley told the Doha Forum: “The IRGC will remain sanctioned under US law and
our perception of the IRGC will remain.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Daughter
of David Haines to confront his alleged Islamic State kidnapper in US trial
Josh
Halliday
Sun
27 Mar 2022
The
daughter of a British man murdered by Islamic State will demand to know the
whereabouts of his remains when one of his alleged kidnappers goes on trial in
the US this week.
Bethany
Haines, 24, will fly from her home in Perthshire, Scotland, to Virginia to
confront El Shafee Elsheikh in person, nearly eight years after her father,
David Haines, was killed.
Haines
said she would plead with Elsheikh “to do the right thing” and reveal where the
remains of her father and other western hostages lie. “Don’t do it for me,” she
will tell him. “Do it for my son, so that he can finally say goodbye to his
grandad.”
Elsheikh,
one of the so-called “Beatles” group of British IS members, will become the most
senior Islamic State fighter to face western justice when his trial gets under
way in Alexandria this week.
The
33-year-old from Shepherd’s Bush, west London, is accused of being involved in
the murder of 28 British, American and foreign hostages in Syria between 2014
and 2015. He denies the charges.
Haines
will be in court every day of the trial and will read out a victim impact
statement if Elsheikh is convicted. “I’ve prepared for this for years,” she
told the Sunday Times. “I want to be able to see him at all times; to see his
facial expressions.”
She
doubts Elsheikh will show remorse. “He thinks he’s above this all,” she said.
“It’s all beneath him. He even smirked at a witness at an earlier hearing.”
David
Haines, a former RAF engineer, was a humanitarian aid worker in Syria when he
was abducted in 2013. Footage of his murder was shared around the world.
His
daughter said it felt “like a miracle” that Elsheikh would finally face
justice. The former IS fighter has told investigators he has specific details
about David Haines’ death.
He
has also claimed that Mohammed Emwazi, the ringleader nicknamed “Jihadi John”,
buried James Foley, a US citizen, and burned the body of Steven Sotloff, a US
journalist.
Haines,
who has repeatedly travelled to Syria in the search for answers about her
father’s death, said she would make clear in court that his murder had nothing
to do with religion.
She
told the Telegraph: “When it first happened I was young and naive. I thought:
Christians don’t go around doing this stuff. But when I travelled to Syria I
met so many Muslims who had been affected by IS. It changed my view and woke me
up – this has absolutely nothing to do with religion. It’s despicable for them
to hide behind that.”
Some
families of the victims were frustrated when the US agreed to drop the death
penalty in the case in exchange for access to sensitive operational information
from British authorities.
She
said: “Frankly I just wanted them to be hung from a tree, anywhere. I wanted
them to disappear, because prison isn’t going to change their mind. They’re
hardened extremists who will never feel anything close to remorse. Why do they
deserve to be on this planet when they’ve committed unspeakable crimes?”
Source:
The Guardian
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Three
'rats' looting Pakistan for last 30 years: Imran Khan targets opposition at
Islamabad power show
Mar
27, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday launched a scathing attack against
the opposition parties ahead of the no-confidence vote and said that
"three rats" are looting the country for the last 30 years. He blamed
them for seeking amnesty for politicians, political workers who were accused of
corruption.
Speaking
at a power show in Islamabad, Imran Khan lauded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
lawmakers for refusing the opposition's offers to bribe them in return for
their votes on the no-trust motion. "I am proud of you," he said.
While
referring to the main opposition parties (Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan
Peoples Party), he said, "These three rats are looting the country for the
last 30 years."
"For
the last 30 years, they jointly sucked the blood of the country. They have
accumulated millions of dollars worth of property outside the country and have
offshore accounts. All this drama is happening for the sake of NRO (National
Reconciliation Ordinance). They want Imran Khan to kneel in front of them, as
(former Pakistan army) General Pervez Musharraf did," Imran Khan said
during a rally at the Parade Ground in the capital city.
"From
day one, they (opposition) have been trying to blackmail me," he added
The
Pakistan PM thanked the participants for responding to his call for the rally
and vowed to speak his heart out to discuss the conspiracy against him.
The
show of strength by Imran Khan comes as the opposition geared up for a no-trust
vote in the National Assembly to oust his government. This comes as the
opposition has geared up for a no-trust vote in the National Assembly to oust
his government over massive corruption, unemployment, inflation and price hike.
Earlier
this week, Imran Khan had claimed that the no-confidence motion was tabled so
that the opposition leaders could get an 'easy escape'. "Three rats are
trying to hunt me down but what they don't know is that they will be hunted
down instead... I will defeat them," he had said during a rally in
Mansehra.
Earlier,
rumours of Imran Khan resigning from his office were rife after the renaming of
Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office YouTube channel to "Imran Khan" on
Saturday.
The
no-confidence motion was submitted by the Opposition parties on March 8 after
the Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) long march in Islamabad. The Opposition has
been confident that its motion would be carried as many PTI lawmakers have come
out in the open against PM Imran Khan.
As
the crucial no-confidence motion session inched closer and uncertainty
continued to shroud political alliances, at least 50 ministers belonging to the
ruling party had gone 'missing' from the political front.
The
Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength of 342 members, with the
majority mark being 172. The PTI led coalition was formed with the support of
179 members, with Imran Khan's PTI having 155 members, and four major allies
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid
(PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA)
having seven, five, five and three members respectively.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Fazl
refutes PM's claim of foreign plot against govt, says PTI chief showed 'fake
letter'
March
28, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Chief of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur
Rehman on Sunday refuted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim of receiving threats
to his government and claimed that the letter shown by Mr Khan during the
public meeting was “fake.”
Addressing
a rally at H-9 sector in Islamabad where the opposition parties are scheduled
to hold a public meeting on Monday (today), the Maulana called the prime
minister “an agent” of the West and alleged that he had been imposed on
Pakistan to meet the agenda of West and destroy the country.
The
Maulana, who is also the head of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), said
the participants of the PDM public meeting could hold a march towards D-Chowk
in front of the Parliament House. He, however, said that they would not do so
in respect of the Supreme Court’s orders which had barred public gathering at
Islamabad’s Red Zone.
Talking
about the prime minister’s claim that he was receiving threats and got a
letter, the PDM chief said: “He [PM] waved a false letter that he was receiving
threats. You are making people fool by writing false chits but no letter can
save you,” he added.
The
Maulana said it was the prime minister and not the opposition who was seeking
an NRO.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682148/pti-chief-showed-fake-letter-fazl
--------
After
PM Imran, no-trust motion submitted against Punjab CM Buzdar
Umar
Farooq
March
28, 2022
After
Prime Minister Imran Khan, the opposition has now turned its guns towards
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and submitted a no-confidence motion against
him in the Punjab Assembly on Monday.
A
delegation of senior lawmakers submitted the no-trust motion against Buzdar
with Punjab Assembly Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti. The secretary confirmed
that the motion had been submitted, adding that it would be presented to the
assembly speaker according to the rules and regulations.
"Speaker
Chaudhry Parvez Elahi will take action on the no-confidence motion and
requisition [notice] in accordance with the Constitution and the law," he
said.
According
to Radio Pakistan, the chief minister cannot dissolve the provincial assembly
once the motion is submitted while the speaker is bound to convene the session
within 14 days.
The
requisition notice, a copy of which is available with Dawn, has been signed by
PML-N leaders Rana Mashhood, Samiullah Khan, Mian Naseer, and others.
An
official handout issued by the provincial assembly stated that 127 lawmakers
had signed the no-trust motion against Buzdar while 120 had signed the
requisition notice.
"As
per the Constitution, the signatures of 74 members are required to requisition
the provincial assembly session," Mashhood said in a video, adding that
Buzdar can't dissolve the assembly once the no-trust move is submitted.
Speaking
to media outside the Punjab Assembly later in the day, Mashhood, along with
other opposition members, said that the speaker was now required to call a
session of the provincial assembly within 14 days.
"The
requisition was submitted at 9:45am today and it is the decision of the people
of Punjab, who no longer want Buzdar as the chief minister," the PML-N
leader said.
He
said that the opposition had collected signatures for the motion back when the
no-trust move was being submitted against the federal government. "We have
more than 126 signatures and, God willing, on the day it will be tabled, more
than 200 people will vote against Buzdar."
PML-N
leader Hina Pervez Butt shared a copy of the requisition notice, and said:
"We still have to go to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir."
The
move comes just a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan, in what the PTI billed
as a historic rally named the Amr Bil Maroof public gathering, alleged that a
"foreign-funded conspiracy" was hatched against his government.
On
March 8, a delegation of senior opposition lawmakers had submitted the no-trust
motion against the prime minister with the National Assembly Secretariat.
However, the motion has not been tabled in the lower house of parliament so
far.
The
NA speaker — who had called the opposition-requisitioned session on March 25,
three days after the expiry of the constitutionally mandatory 14-day deadline —
had adjourned the sitting until Monday (today). He did not allow the
opposition’s no-trust resolution to be tabled after offering fateha for the
deceased PTI MNA from Hangu Khayal Zaman as per the parliamentary tradition.
Buzdar
vows to face no-trust move
Meanwhile,
Buzdar vowed to face the no-trust move. Tweets shared by the office of the
chief minister stated that the chief minister was in constant contact with
provincial lawmakers who had expressed their trust in him.
"Our
numbers are complete," he said, adding that the Chaudhry brothers were
well aware of how the Sharifs had broken promises in the past.
"I
expect the PML-Q to stick with us," he said. Buzdar also added that the
group of lawmakers led by estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen were a part of
the party and would support him, adding that there was plenty to
"suprise" the opposition with in Punjab.
PTI
assures ‘Q’ Elahi is their man for Punjab
The
move against Buzdar also comes after the government made last-ditch efforts on
Saturday to convince their allies, the PML-Q and MQM-P, to support the prime
minister.
“A
government team led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has given his
words that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will be asked to resign in a day
or two, and that Elahi is the PTI government’s preferred choice for his
replacement,” a PML-Q senior leader told Dawn seeking anonymity.
After
some news channels quoted sources as saying that Buzdar had prepared a summary
to dissolve the Punjab Assembly, a PML-Q leader claimed: “The Punjab Assembly
will not be dissolved, but a change of leader of the house is on the cards.”
“PML-Q
secretary general and federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema told the government
team to make a formal announcement regarding Mr Elahi as the candidate for the
CM before going for voting on the no-confidence motion in the National
Assembly,” a leader of the allied party told Dawn.
At
the same time, the PML-Q has also been in contact with the PML-N. On Sunday,
the government's key ally at the Centre and Punjab, sought more time for
consultations before making a final decision on the issue of no-confidence
resolution against PM Imran, stating that it wanted all the allies to make a
collective decision.
“We
will try to come out with our decision in a day or two,” declared Cheema while
talking to reporters after a meeting of the PML-N delegation with PML-Q chief
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682238/after-pm-imran-no-trust-motion-submitted-against-punjab-cm-buzdar
--------
Separated
by Partition, brothers reconnect at Faisalabad village
Tariq
Saeed
March
28, 2022
TOBA
TEK SINGH: Scores of resident of Chak 255-RB Bogran in the Dijkot area of
Faisalabad warmly welcomed Indian citizen Sikka Khan (78) when he arrived at
the house of his brother Siddiq Khan (80) on Saturday night after waiting for
his entry into Pakistan for two months.
Sikka
(real name is Muhammad Habib) and Siddiq Khan were separated during the
Partition of India. Their father was killed in the violence, Siddiq and his
sister moved to Pakistan while Sikka was left in India along with his mother.
Both brothers had met at Kartarpur Corridor on Jan 10 this year with the help
of a Pakistani YouTuber Nasir Dhillon and his team. Both the brothers had
appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to issue the younger brother a visa for
visiting Pakistan. The Pakistan government had immediately issued Sikka a visa
for two months. However, he could not come earlier due to the restrictions from
the Indian side. His visa was still valid when the Indian government lifted the
restrictions and Sikka travelled to Pakistan to meet his brother.
Sikka
Khan had crossed Wagha-Attari border on Saturday where he was welcomed by
Siddiq and his family, including grandchildren. He was clad holding a long club
as a support to walk and wearing a peach turban. YouTuber Nasir Dhillon was
also there to welcome him. It took them several hours to reach Chak 255-RB
Bogran as there were hurdles on the highways due to political rallies. In the
village, as soon as Sikka Khan stepped out of the car, almost all male
residents of the village, especially the youth, started dancing on the
drumbeats while flowers and currency notes were showered on him. Both brothers
were looking very happy after seeing each other for the second time since the
Partition.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682200/separated-by-partition-brothers-reconnect-at-faisalabad-village
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Siraj,
other JI leaders issued notices for violating poll code of conduct
March
28, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Election Commission of Pakistan has issued notices to several leaders of
Jamaat-i-Islami including its chief Sirajul Haq for violating code of conduct
during second phase of local bodies’ elections in 18 districts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Other
JI leaders, who were issued notices, included its provincial president Senator
Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, MPA Inayatullah Khan and candidate of the party for Barawal
tehsil council, Jahan Alam.
The
district monitoring officer of Malakand, Ziaur Rehman, also issued third notice
to PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to appear before him on March 29 to
explain his position regarding violation of code of conduct. The DMO has
already issued him two notices but he didn’t turn up.
DIR
Upper DMO Sarmad Hassan has issued these notices to the JI leaders for holding
a public rally at a stadium and violating code of conduct for the polls.
“It
has been brought into the notice of the undersigned (DMO) through monitoring
teams and media that you have participated/addressed a public gathering at a
stadium in Dir Upper on March 26 which is in violation of the code of conduct,”
states the notice issued to JI chief Sirajul Haq.
The
notice asked him to appear in person or through counsel on March 28 (today)
before the DMO to explain his position for violating code of conduct.
It
said that if the JI chief didn’t appear before the DMO or submit written reply
by today (Monday), it would be presumed that he had nothing in defence and the
matter should be dealt with and decided under the relevant laws/rules and
available record in his absence.
The
Dir Upper DMO has also served notices on JI provincial chief Senator Mushtaq
Ahmad Khan, MPA Inayatullah Khan and JI candidate Jahan Alam for addressing the
same public rally. They have been directed to appear before the DMO on March
28.
Similarly,
Kolai-Pallas Kohistan DMO Wajid Ali also served notices on PTI MNA Saleh
Mohammad Khan Swati, MPA Mufti Obaidur Rehman, MPA Abdul Ghaffar and PTI
candidate for Bataira tehsil council Mohammad Iqbal for using state resources
in the election campaign.
The
DMO has directed them to appear in person or through counsel to clarify their
position before him on March 28.
Meanwhile,
the district monitoring officer of Mansehra has referred several cases of code
of conduct violation to Election Commission of Pakistan for onward proceeding.
Those
whose cases were referred to ECP include candidate for Mansehra tehsil council
Kamal Saleem Swati, candidate for Balakot tehsil council Mohammad Mushtaq and
candidate for Baffa tehsil council Abdul Shakoor Laghmani.
The
DMO had directed them to appear on Sunday to clarify their position for
violating code of conduct, an official of the provincial ECP said.
Source:
Dawn
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Pakistan:
PML-Q seeks time to decide on no-confidence motion against Imran Khan govt
28
March, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], March 28 (ANI): Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ally, Pakistan
Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), on Sunday sought more time for the consultation
before coming to any decision in the no-confidence motion against Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan led government.
Addressing
the reporters after a meeting of Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N)
delegation with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Dawn quoted Tariq Bashir
Cheema, PML-Q member and Pakistan Housing and Work Minister, saying “we will
try to come out with our decision in a day or two.”
“Balochistan
Awami Party (BAP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the other two
allies of the government, have their own issues. We also have some issues. But
since we are smaller parties, it is our desire that we all make a collective
decision regarding support to the Opposition so that we can have a strong defence
line,” Cheema was quoted as saying by Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
Regarding
the meeting between PML-N and PML-Q, PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique said that
they came to meet the PML-Q chief and the party’s leaders as “they know the
affairs of state in a better way”.
Rafique
denied the reports that were stating that the PML-N’s supreme leader Nawaz
Sharif had rejected the idea of offering Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the Punjab
province Chief Minister’s office.
While
responding to the reporter’s question on the offer that PML-N gave to Chaudhry,
Rafique said that they had come only to convince PML-Q leadership that it
becomes necessary to oust Imran Khan-led government in the wake of prevailing
political and economic crisis.
The
PML-N leader accused the PTI government of ruining Pakistan’s economy.
A
high-level delegation of the Opposition party PML-N met the leaders of PML-Q at
the same time when the Pakistani PM was addressing the public rally at
Islamabad’s Parade ground, according to Dawn.
Meanwhile,
on Sunday, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) chief Shahzain Bugti, an ally of the
ruling government, announced his separation from the government, saying that he
will vote in favour of the no-confidence motion against the country’s PM.
Bugti
announced that he would support the Opposition in the wake of the no-confidence
motion submitted against Imran Khan. Imran Khan’s party is set to face a
no-trust motion in the National Assembly. The session is called on March 28.
Source:
The Print
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan:
JUI-F’s ‘Mehangai’ march enters Punjab province
26
March, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], March 26 (ANI): The Mehangai (inflation) march of Pakistani
Opposition party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), which started from
Karachi, Sindh, has entered Punjab province.
The
participants in the JUI-F ‘Mehangai’ march who were joining the joint
opposition protest against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad,
received a warm welcome from the JUI-F supporters at the Iqbalabad Interchange
on Friday, Pakistani channel Dunya News reported on Saturday.
Tight
security was arranged for the participants when they reached Rahim Yar Khan, a
city in Punjab province.
After
staying a while in Rahim Yar Khan, JUI-F ‘Mehangai’ march left for Multan via
motorway. The JUI-F is scheduled to reach Islamabad on March 27, according to
Dunya News.
Last
year, in November, the alliance of major opposition parties, the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) decided to hold a ‘Mehangai’ march in provincial
capitals before going ahead with a long march towards Islamabad.
Earlier
today, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rasheed said that voting on the
no-confidence motion against Pakistani PM is expected to take place on April 3
or 4.
The
federal minister made this comment at a press conference in Islamabad today.
Meanwhile,
after the no-confidence motion against Khan was adjourned to March 28, Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf has intensified its efforts to woo its allies.
A
delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) is likely to hold a
meeting with Pakistani PM today, ARY News reported citing sources.
The
no-confidence motion was submitted on March 8 after the PPP’s long march in
Islamabad. The Opposition is confident that its motion would be successful as
many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-jui-fs-mehangai-march-enters-punjab-province/889716/
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Southeast
Asia
Minister
Of Islamic Affairs Meets With Saudi Universities Graduates In Indonesia
March
28, 2022
JAKARTA
— The Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh met here Sunday with a
number of Saudi universities graduates in Indonesia.
At
the outset of the meeting, he conveyed to the participants the greetings of the
prudent Saudi leadership, expressing his happiness to see them, and get
reassured of their situations.
He
also reminded them that he is in fact meeting with preachers who studied in
Saudi universities as part of the scholarship program for the Indonesian
students, stressing the importance of preachers' adherence to the moderation of
faith.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/618669
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Sarawak
Islamic Council announces mask exemptions for mosque, surau officials on duty
28
Mar 2022
KUCHING,
March 28 — Wearing face masks continues to be compulsory at mosques and suraus
but officials on duty to sound the azan and to lead prayers will be exempt,
said the Sarawak Islamic Council (MIS).
In
its update of standard operating procedures (SOPs) today, the council said also
excluded are khatib berkhutbah and speakers for lectures or forums held in
mosques or surau with reasonable physical distancing.
On
March 22, MIS had released its state-wide SOPs for the transition to the
Covid-19 endemic stage, which mandated the use of face masks in mosques and
suraus.
It
said that Friday prayers, fardu, sunat, khutbah, and wirid after prayers are
allowed without the need for physical distancing.
Other
activities allowed to be held on the condition that physical distancing is
practised at all times are studies, lectures, talks, courses, workshops,
Tadarus, Tahlil, breaking of fast, Moreh, Qiamullail, Sahur, Iktikaf, and
Khatamal al-Quran.
MIS
also said the organisation of appropriate social activities at mosques and
suraus as well as the management and burial of remains unrelated to Covid-19
are permitted but with physical distancing.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Unifor
removes congregation cap on non-Muslim houses of worship, funerals in Sarawak
28
Mar 2022
KUCHING,
March 28 — The Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) will remove the limit on the
number of attendees for non-Muslim houses of worship, as well as funeral and
burial ceremonies from April 1, but physical distancing will still be required
as the country transitions towards Covid-19 endemicity.
Unifor
released its latest standard operating procedures (SOPs) today, allowing the
reopening of non-Muslim houses of worship and their administrative offices, as
well as for religious activities to be held.
The
same set of SOPs is also applicable for the Qing Ming Festival at cemeteries,
columbariums, and memorial halls with immediate effect.
The
SOPs stated face masks must be used and attendees must constantly wash and
sanitise their hands, as well as avoid physical contact.
Attendance
must be registered either through MySejahtera or a guest book, except at
cemeteries.
Those
who are symptomatic are not allowed to attend.
Cleaning
and disinfection activities must be done regularly, while good ventilation must
be ensured at the premises.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Haj
industry players hope quota set for Malaysian pilgrims will be increased
27
Mar 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, March 27 — Haj package industry players hope that the quota for
Malaysian pilgrims to visit Saudi Arabia to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam
will exceed the earlier quota of 32,000 pilgrims.
TH
Travel & Services chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Ruzman Ahmad Razali
said this was because since 2019 no pilgrims were allowed to enter the Holy
land following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This
year it is hoped that the Haj pilgrimage restriction is lifted with additional
quota given. Haj and umrah travel agencies have suffered the impact when they
failed to get customers in 2020, 2021 and this year.
“For
the past three years over 90,000 pilgrims were denied and if the quota remains
the same (pre-Covid) then many more will have to postpone their trip,” he told
reporters at a briefing for haj and umrah tour operators by the Saudi Arabian
Foreign Ministry in Malaysia here today.
The
briefing was to introduce a new application that will be launched tomorrow to
facilitate haj and umrah travel process and expedite operations of the Saudi
Arabian Immigration in Jeddah and Madinah as well as the Saudi Arabian Embassy
in Malaysia.
Source:
Malay Mail
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Melting
faster than ever, Indonesia’s little-known glacier may disappear by 2025
SHEANY
YASUKO LAI
March
27, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesia’s little-known glacier may disappear as early as 2025, the
Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency BMKG said on Sunday, with
rising temperatures having accelerated the melting of the ice.
The
tropical glacier, one of a handful left in the world, lies on a mountain near
Puncak Jaya in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua. It has undergone a
rapid loss of ice coverage and thickness in the past two decades that could
lead to the snow completely disappearing in just a few years’ time.
The
Papuan glacier is remnant of glaciers that have existed for around 5,000 years,
researchers said. It is one of the few remaining tropical glaciers, with others
located in South America and Africa.
Dodo
Gunawan, who heads BMKG’s climate change department, told Arab News: “The snow
on Puncak Jaya will vanish soon. This is happening because of global warming.”
“Because
temperatures at the peak have already increased, it can no longer sustain the
snow to compact down into the glacier.”
Though
the glacier has been melting for years, increasing global temperatures and
reduced rainfall that has been exacerbated by El Nino — a phenomenon that
causes tropical ocean water and atmospheric temperatures to get warmer — has
sped up the thinning of the glacier.
Donaldi
Permana, the agency’s deputy director climate and air quality research, said
around the beginning of the industrial revolution, in 1850, the total glacier
area on the Puncak Jaya mountain range was estimated at around 20 sq km. By
2002, ice coverage in the area had decreased to around 2 sq km, and was
recorded at 0.34 sq km by May 2020.
The
thickness of the glacier has been greatly reduced since 2010, when it was at 32
meters, to 22 meters in 2016. The ice thinned to around 8 meters by 2021.
“Under
these conditions, between 2025 and 2027, it is likely that the ice will
vanish,” Permana told Arab News.
Tropical
glaciers are highly sensitive indicators and recorders of climate change,
according to the World Meteorological Organization.
The
disappearance of the snow-capped peaks in Papua would not only mean the loss of
a rare site for Indonesia, but might also affect the fauna and flora in the
area, an aspect that Permana said researchers still need to explore further.
It
will also be a huge cultural loss for the local Papuan community.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2051526/world
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Africa
Tunisia
says it has dismantled 150 militant cells in past six months
26
March ,2022
Tunisian
police forces have dismantled about 150 militant cells in the past six months,
a spokesman for the National Guard said on Saturday.
He
added that some of the foreign militants arrested were planning to join “Jond
Kilafha,” a group linked to ISIS in Libya and in the mountains on the
Tunisian-Algerian border.
“Attempts
of attacks targeting neighboring countries were thwarted and a cell that was
planning to stab the interior minister in the south of the country was
dismantled,” Houssem Eddine Jbebli told reporters.
The
North African nation has been under a state of emergency since 2015, after an
assault in which a number of presidential guards were killed.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Jordan’s
king to hold talks in West Bank with Palestinian president
27
March ,2022
Jordan’s
King Abdullah will hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the
occupied West Bank on Monday, the Palestinian Television said.
The
visit is widely expected to focus on efforts to reduce tensions in the
Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem ahead of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, which begins in April this year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Two
migrants drown off Morocco coast, more than 200 arrested
27
March ,2022
Two
migrants drowned after their boat capsized and more than 200 others have been
detained as they prepared to leave Morocco by sea, state news agency MAP
reported Sunday.
The
bodies of the two migrants washed up “after a boat capsized,” MAP reported,
without giving further details.
Separately,
Moroccan authorities arrested 236 migrants during operations on Friday and
Saturday in the southern province of Tarfaya and the city of Laayoune, the main
city in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
The
migrants were reportedly seeking to cross to Spain’s Canary Islands.
Tarfaya
is located 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Canary Islands and has been a key
transit point for migrants hoping to reach Europe.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Libya's
Bashagha says he has ‘good relations’ with Turkiye
Moataz
Wanees
27.03.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Libyan
Prime Minister-designate Fathi Bashagha said Sunday he has a “very strong
relationship” with Turkiye.
In
an interview with the local Alwasat TV, Bashagha said there are some parties
trying to disrupt his relations with Turkiye, without naming these parties.
“My
relationship with Turkiye is strong and we have a very solid friendship,” he
said.
“Our
relations with the Turkish state have never been affected,” Bashagha added.
The
former interior minister said some lawmakers from the Tobruk-based House of
Representatives offered to visit Turkiye to clarify the situation in Libya.
“My
relationship with Turkiye was built during difficult times and won't change
under any circumstances,” he stressed.
Bashagha
also revealed that he has received positive signals from both Qatar and the
United Arab Emirates on his designation as prime minister.
Last
month, sitting Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh unveiled a plan to hold
elections on June 30 after failing to hold presidential and parliamentary polls
on Dec. 24, 2021 amid differences over electoral laws.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libyas-bashagha-says-he-has-good-relations-with-turkiye/2547299
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West
African bloc issues ultimatums to Mali, Burkina Faso junta leaders
James
Tasamba and Enoch Fiifi Forson
26.03.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda/ACCRA, Ghana
West
African leaders met Friday to examine the political situation in Mali, Burkina
Faso and Guinea, issuing warnings for failure to restore constitutional order
following recent coups in the three countries.
At
an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) regional bloc in Ghana’s capital, Accra, the bloc’s chairman, Ghana’s
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. described the three countries as
recalcitrant members of the bloc.
“Members
of the authority of ECOWAS, I want to welcome your excellences back to Accra
again to take stock of where we are with our three recalcitrant member states -
Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to make appropriate decisions on the way
forward,” he said. “I want to thank you once again for the short notice you
responded to the invitation to this meeting, once again a clear indication of
your determination to assume your responsibilities for the security of ECOWAS”
The
West African leaders gave Mali’s transitional authorities 12 - 16 months to
arrange elections, according to the final communique issued after the meeting.
Mali
witnessed two coups, in August 2020 and in May 2021.
In
Guinea, the military overthrew president Alpha Conde in September.
The
junta in Mali initially promised to hold elections in February but later
changed that timeline, saying elections would be held in 2026, a move rejected
by the ECOWAS.
The
bloc invited the transitional president of Mali, Col. Assimi Goita, to attend
the meeting Friday in person but he declined, preferring to attend virtually.
The
communique said ECOWAS regretted Goita’s failure to honor the invitation to
attend the summit to seek a solution to the current situation.
Burkina
Faso asked to free former president
The
bloc, meanwhile, asked Burkina Faso's interim leaders to reduce a proposed
transition period of 36 months to a “more acceptable timeline.”
The
leaders also expressed “deep concern over the continued detention of former
Burkina Faso leader Rock Kabore since the coup, despite several calls for his
unconditional release.”
It
demanded the release of Kabore “no later than March 31, 2022 beyond which
individual sanctions will be imposed on the transitional authorities.”
ECOWAS
also asked Guinea to present an “acceptable timetable for the transition”
before the end of April.
After
that deadline, individual sanctions would be imposed on members of the
government and the National Transitional Council (CNT), it warned.
ECOWAS
has already imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea for delaying the restoration
of constitutional order.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ban-muslim-vendors-temple-mlc/d/126671