Co-Education Leading To ‘Apostasy’ In Muslim Girls: Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 January 2023
Arshad Madani
---------
• Hate Preacher Anjem Choudary Urges Attacks on
British Soldiers after Prince Harry’s Taliban Comments
• Islamic Scholars From 14 Countries, Including The
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain And Tunisia, Visit Xinjiang Region,
Praise Efforts On Countering Terrorism, Extremism
• Head of an Islamic Country Alone Can Declare Jihad
In Light Of the Principles of Islam: Fatwa of 16 Religious Scholars of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
• United Arab Emirates Says It Will Teach Holocaust in
Schools
India
• Muslim League Wants Veg Delicacies for Kerala School
Youth Festival
• Supreme Court Upheld the Powers of Gujarat and
Uttarakhand to Set Up Their Own Committees to Examine the Subject of
Introducing a Uniform Civil Code within Their Borders
• Belagavi Corporation Issues Notice to Mosque in
Residential Area after Warning from Ram Sene Chief
• Hijab Ban in Karnataka against Rights of Students,
Says PUCL Report
• Bihar: Pasmanda Muslims cautious as parties firm up
plans to woo them in 2024 LS polls
• J&K village defence guards get arms training
after Rajouri terror strikes
• Muslim groups in Dhanbad ban DJs, dance, fireworks
in marriages
• Muslim man arrested under UAPA for links to PFI
granted bail
--------
Europe
• International community pledges $8.57bn to Pakistan
on flood damage at UN conference in Geneva
• Calling Muslims Not French Is Intolerable, Says
French Justice Minister
• UK summons top Iranian diplomat following latest
executions
• Denmark summons Iranian envoy over latest executions
• Germany summons Iran's ambassador over latest
executions
--------
Southeast Asia
• President invites Muslims to conserve national
cultural wealth
• Islamic Development Bank pledges US$4.2b for
Pakistan’s climate rebuilding efforts
• Why Indonesia and Malaysia are calling out EU
'discrimination'
• AG moots BM text to replace English as the
authoritative version of Federal Constitution
--------
Pakistan
• Imran Khan Asks Military To Refrain From 'Political
Engineering' In Next Elections
• TTP sets conditions for ceasefire with Pakistan,
seeks direction from Islamic clerics
• Saudi Arabia mulls increasing deposit in SBP to $5bn
• ECP Issues Arrest Warrants ForImran, Other PTI Leaders
in Contempt Cases
• PTI blasts Shehbaz for ‘massive’ spending on Geneva
visit
• Militants attack KP’s Dera police station
• Bannu police kill two terrorists in exchange of fire
• Fearing violence, PTI, JI want army deployed at
polling stations
--------
Arab World
• UN Security Council unanimously extends approval of
aid to Syria from Turkey
• Saudi Arabia to host pre-pandemic numbers for 2023
Hajj pilgrimage season
• Pope urges Zayed Award judging committee to act on
human fraternity, women’s rights
• Shoura Council speaker takes part in meetings at
Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Turkiye
--------
Mideast
• Israeli Spy Tech Sold to Bangladesh, World’s
Third-largest Muslim Country, Despite Dismal Human Rights Record
• Iran: France Not Entitled to Insult Other Religions
on Lame Excuse of Free Speech
• Israeli sanctions amount to ‘new war’ against
Palestinians: PM Shtayyeh
• Yemeni security forces dismantle two terror teams
tied to Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency
• ‘We're Palestinian Jews:’ Neturei Karta meet with
Islamic Jihad leaders in Jenin
• Leader: Foreign-Backed Rioters Sought to Destroy
Iran's Strengths
• Iranians Protest against Charlie Hebdo's Insulting
Move
• President Rayeesi Calls for Broadening of
Iran-Russia Economic Cooperation
• Israel’s PM Netanyahu races ahead to implement hard-line
agenda
• White House condemns latest Iran death sentences,
demands ‘immediate cessation’
• Meta’s Oversight Board tells company to allow posts
using ‘death to Khamenei’ slogan
• Gazans protest Israeli bans on medical imports in
ambulance march
--------
North America
• Carter Ordered CIA To Topple Islamic Republic 10
Months After The Revolution: Document
• US Supreme Court turns away Israeli spyware maker in
WhatsApp suit
• Pope Francis praises Türkiye's mediation efforts
between Russia, Ukraine
• US announces USD 100 million of recovery,
reconstruction funding for Pakistan
• US: Muslim community demands justice over police
killing of Bangladeshi man
• Man behind deadly NY truck attack sought martyrdom
• US national security adviser Sullivan says will
discuss Iran on Israel trip
--------
Africa
• Muslim Muslim Ticket: God Has No Business With
Nigerian Thieving Politicians – Adeyanju
• Fresh operation in Somalia kills at least 61
al-Shabaab terrorists
• Türkiye strives to boost ties with all African countries,
says foreign minister
--------
South Asia
• Undoing 20 Years of Progress in Afghanistan: SIGAR
• United Nations provide clarification on the cash
shipments to Afghanistan
• Myanmar jails 112 Rohingya for travelling 'without
documents'
• Afghan Athletes Showing Off Strength in Frozen
Harirud River in Ghor
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Co-Education Leading To ‘Apostasy’ In Muslim Girls:
Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani
9th January 2023
Arshad Madani
----------
Delhi: Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad
Madani in the national executive has said that co-education was leading to
‘apostasy’ in Muslim girls and to curb this more educational institutions
should be opened.
Describing the temptation of apostasy spreading rapidly
in the country as a danger, Maulana Madani said on Sunday, “It has been started
against Muslims in a planned way, under which our girls are being targeted.”
“If immediate and effective measures are not taken to
prevent this temptation, the situation may become explosive in the coming days
and this temptation is being strengthened due to co-education system, and that
is why we opposed it, and then the media presented our point in a negative way
and advertised that Maulana Madani is against the education of girls, while we
are against co-education, we are not against girls’ education.”
Madani said, “Whatever we can do, we have to do now
for the welfare of the nation and their educational development and after the
independence of the country, we as a nation are at a very critical point in
history.
“On the one hand, we are being entangled in various
problems, on the other hand, the ways of economic, social, political and
educational development are being blocked for us,” he alleged.
“If we have to defeat this silent conspiracy and
achieve zenith of success, then we have to establish separate educational
institutions for our boys and girls,” he added.
“In the end,” he said, “The history of nations is a
witness that education has been the key to progress in every age.
“So we have to attract our children not only towards
the higher education, rather, we have to encourage them for competitive exams
by taking out the feeling of inferiority from them, and in this way we can give
a resounding answer to every conspiracy against us,” he said.
In the meeting, the progress of the cases being fought
by the Legal Cell of Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind was also reviewed. Among these are
important cases to uphold the Citizenship Act in Assam and the Protection of
Places of Worship Act in the country.
The Jamiat body has filed a petition requesting the
court to protect the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1991.
Source:Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.siasat.com/co-education-leading-to-apostasy-in-muslim-girls-madani-2498748/
--------
Hate Preacher Anjem Choudary Urges Attacks on British
Soldiers after Prince Harry’s Taliban Comments
January 09, 2023
Prince Harry sitting in his position on a Spartan
armoured vehicle, in the desert in Helmand province in Southern Afghanistan in
2008.(AFP)
-----------
LONDON: UK hate preacher Anjem Choudary has urged
extremists to stage attacks on British soldiers in the wake of Prince Harry’s
comments about killing Taliban fighters, The Metro reported.
Choudary, who was convicted on terrorism charges in
2016 and has been accused of inciting a series of attacks, was featured in the
Arab News series “Preachers of Hate.”
Prince Harry, in his newly released memoir “Spare,”
revealed that he had killed 25 Taliban fighters while serving as a helicopter
pilot in Afghanistan, describing them as “chess pieces.”
In response, Choudary, 55, urged extremists to target
British forces in Syria, Iraq and North Africa.
“The world now knows of the wickedness that the US, UK
and others engaged in, including repeatedly murdering innocent unarmed
Muslims,” he said.
“Nevertheless, Harry still saw fit to plunge his knife
further into the hearts of Muslims with his callous boastful comments.”
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan-Smith
described Choudhary’s comments as a “direct and indirect threat to our
constitutional head of state, our monarchy, and for that matter our government
and all public servants.” Duncan-Smith urged authorities to “move on this man.”
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood said: “I would
encourage Prince Harry to follow up with a statement of humility to clarify it
was unwise to make such comments and out of step to what the rest of the Armed
Forces do.
“I believe he needs to recognize it was ill-construed
and will be interpreted the wrong way to ratchet up hate. Otherwise there will
be others in addition to Choudary who will try to stir up hatred.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2229216/world
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Islamic Scholars From 14 Countries, Including The UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain And Tunisia, Visit Xinjiang Region, Praise
Efforts On Countering Terrorism, Extremism
By Liu Xin and Fan Lingzhi in Urumqi
Jan 09, 2023
A delegation consisting of more than 30 Islamic
figures and scholars from 14 countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia and Bosnia and Herzegovina begin their Xinjiang visit
on Sunday. Photos: Fan Lingzhi/GT
----------
Visiting the exhibition on the fight against terrorism
and extremism, talking with religion groups, and interacting with local
residents at the bazaar… a group of Islamic figures and scholars are paying a
Visit to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to get a clear and
better understanding of the region in contrast to the US-led smear campaign.
Led by Ali Rashid Abudula Ali Alnuaimi, chairman of
the World Muslim Communities Council, the delegation consists of more than 30
Islamic figures and scholars from 14 countries, including the UAE, Saudi
Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, who began
their Xinjiang visit on Sunday.
Ma Xingrui, Party chief of the Xinjiang region,
welcomed the delegation - the first foreign delegation to the region in 2023 -
at a meeting in Urumqi on Monday, acknowledging their support for China's
stance on Xinjiang-related issues, as the US and some Western countries
continuously spread rumors, throwing mud at China and attempting to sow discord
between China and Islamic countries.
However, righteous people in the Islamic world have
never bent to the pressure from some Western countries, nor have they been
fooled by lies about the Xinjiang region, Ma said. Instead of following a few
Western countries in using Xinjiang-related issues to interfere with China's
internal affairs, these people have affirmed the development of the Xinjiang
region, exposed the political practices of the US and some Western countries,
and defended international fairness and justice, he said.
During the Monday meeting, Ali spoke highly of the
region's measures on countering terrorism and extremism, and also of the people
who have contributed to the stability and development in the region.
The scholar also noted that some anti-China forces
have attacked China, mainly on topics related to the Xinjiang and Xizang
regions and the island of Taiwan, which are related to China's national
security. In Chinese culture, there is no concept of targeting Muslims or the
Islamic civilization, Ali said, adding that it is their responsibility to tell
the world about China's prosperity and development.
Ali also noted that the whole world needs China, and
its stability and prosperity are also important to the world.
In addition to meeting with the Xinjiang Party chief,
the delegation also visited an exhibition on the fight against terrorism and
extremism on Sunday to learn more about how the region previously suffered from
terrorism.
The exhibition introduces the history of the Xinjiang
region, which is an inseparable part of China. It also showed how the three
forces of separatism, extremism and terrorism plagued the region from 1990 to
2016, resulting in thousands of terror attacks and leaving miserable memories
for local residents. Brief introductions on 52 terror attacks with photos of
scenes from the attacks and victims from different ethnic groups and religious
groups, were displayed.
The violence and brutality shocked the delegation.
Fahad Ahmed, a reporter from the UAE, told the Global Times that the pictures
and videos of the terror attacks were like "horror movies" and it is
hard to imagine people could do such brutal things to others. Such acts of
violence have nothing to do with religion, he said.
Saudi Arabia's former Minister of Education Abdullah
Saleh Al Obaid said they felt grieved to see the terrorist attacks in Xinjiang
region
Osama Elsayed Mahmoud Mohamed Saad, the Egyptian
president's advisor for religious affairs, said that the exhibition exposed the
crimes of terrorists and also showed the efforts made by the Chinese government
and Chinese people to counter terrorism.
Terrorists violate human dignity and cause a pandemic
among the people, said the Egyptian religious figure, calling on the
international community to understand the nature of terrorism and jointly
resist such atrocities.
"I think that what we saw today reflected what
actually happened on the ground… anyone coming to visit the region should come
and see this because this is part of its history. It's not only China - the
whole world has suffered from terrorism and extremism," said Ali.
He noted that all the terrorist attacks that happened
in the region should be documented and the new generation should learn about
it.
However, for a long time, the US and some Western
countries have applied double standards on terror attacks that took place in
China's Xinjiang region and described the Chinese government's counterterrorism
measures as "oppressing ethnic minorities."
We shouldn't play political games when countering
terrorism and extremism… This is why we think it's the responsibility of wise
people everywhere to understand that the threat of terrorism and extremism is
not a threat to one single nation or a single region. It's a threat to the
world. All of us should come together and fight terrorism and extremism,"
said Ali.
To learn more about the development of Islam in the
region, the delegation also went to the regional Islamic Association, the
Xinjiang Islamic Institute, and some mosques in Urumqi on Sunday.
Bai Shengfu, vice chairman of China's Islamic
Association, noted that the institute's new compound covers an area of 50,000
square meters with an investment of 279 million yuan ($41.1 million). It
includes teaching buildings, a library, a gym, playgrounds, canteens and
dormitories, and also has a hall for praying.
The delegation took a tour to different parts of the
institute and prayed with local students.
Mestaoui Mohamed Slaheddine, advisor to the Tunisian
Prime Minister, and also secretary general of the Supreme Islamic Council, said
he was impressed when he saw the institute's new and unique compound and was
amazed by the elegant design of the prayer hall. "I believe that Muslims
can feel peace the moment they step in here."
During a symposium of the delegation with teaching
staff and students in the Islamic Institute, AbdureqipTomurniyaz, president of
the institute, outlined the education of Islamic clergies in the region and
said that Muslims' freedom of religion has been fully protected, and no one in
the region has been treated unfairly due to their beliefs.
Source: GlobalTimes
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1283507.shtml
--------
Head of an Islamic Country Alone Can Declare Jihad In
Light Of the Principles of Islam: Fatwa of 16 Religious Scholars of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
Umer Farooq
January 10, 2023
PESHAWAR: Only the head of an Islamic country is
entitled to declare jihad, and anyone involved in revolt against the state is
required to be “crushed” in light of the principles of Islam.
Amid a surge in terrorist attacks, the significant
announcement came in form of an edict which was issued on Monday with
signatures of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 16 religious scholars on it.
The clerics said that the head of the Islamic country
will announce jihad since this is one of the basic components of the Islamic
country.
“According to the teaching[s] of Islam, all the
citizens of the Islamic country have to respect the law, and refusing to follow
the Constitution [of the Islamic country] is prohibited according to the
Shari’ah,” read the decree, a copy of which is available with Dawn.
Security personnel falling in fight against enemies of
Muslim state are ‘martyrs’; obeying head of state termed compulsory
Protection of an Islamic country is the responsibility
of all its citizens. “Since Pakistan is an Islamic State, there is no doubt
that all, including the military and police deployed to defend the country,
when killed in the battle against enemies, are martyrs,” the decree read.
The decree noted that a so-called religious scholar in
Islamabad as well as some enemies and some anti-state elements have been
issuing provocative and controversial statements.
“Obeying [the directions issued by the] head of the
State is compulsory under the Islamic principles and those refusing to follow,
is [rising in] revolt,” the decree read, adding “it is compulsory for all the
citizens to follow the head of the state and the Constitution”.
Anyone who took up arms against the state or the
[Pakistani] armed forces would be considered an insurgent, it said, adding that
such an act had been forbidden and anyone involved in revolt is required to be
crushed in light of the principles of Islam.
According to the scholars, there is no doubt that the
Western democracy is against the teachings of Islam. However, they added, ‘if
someone declares the parliament’s decision submissive to the Holy Quran, he
should not be called as misled’.
The decree read that shaving the beard was forbidden
in Islam but “it does not mean if somebody shaves the beard is a non-Muslim”,
adding that once there was a time when wearing a tie and pants was considered
dress of the Westerners but it had now become common among Muslims.
“No religious scholar has termed wearing a tie and
pants against Islam and this is the reason why religious scholars have
justified wearing pants at offices,” the 14-page edict read.
The decree has been signed by Shaikhul Hadis Maulana
Qari Ehsanul Haq of Darul Uloom Sarhad, Mufti Subhanullah Jan from
MadressahDarweshImdadul Uloom, Dr Maulana Ataur Rehman from Tafheemul Quran
Mardan, Maulana Hussain Ahmad from WifaqulMadaris Arabia, Maulana Dr Abdul
Nasir from TanzeemulMadaris Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mufti Mukhtarullah Haqqani and
Maulana SalmanulHaq Haqqani from Jamia Daraul Uloom Akora Khattak, Chief
Khateeb KP Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, provincial nazim of TanzeemulMadaris Maulana
Rehmatullah Qadri, Maulana Umar Bin Abdul Aziz from WifaqulMadarisAslafia,
Allama Abid Hussain Shakiri from Jamia Arif-Al-Hussaini Peshawar, Mufti
MairajuddinSarkani from Jamia Amania Peshawar, Mufti Raza Muhammad Haqqani from
Jamia Taleemul Quran Peshawar, Mufti Khalid Usmani from Jamia Islamia Kohat,
Mufti Shaikh Aizaj from Jamia Masjid Ahl-e-Hadis Fawara Chowk Peshawar and
Maulana Abdul Karim from KP Ulema Council.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730851/head-of-an-islamic-country-alone-can-declare-jihad-edict
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United Arab Emirates says it will teach Holocaust in
schools
09 January ,2023
UAE Israel Flags. (Reuters)
--------
The United Arab Emirates will begin teaching about the
Holocaust in history classes in primary and secondary schools across the
country, the country’s embassy in the US said.
The embassy provided no details on the curriculum and
education authorities in the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, on
Monday did not acknowledge the announcement.
However, the announcement comes after the UAE
normalized relations with Israel in 2020 as part of a deal brokered by the
administration of President Donald Trump.
“In the wake of the historic Abraham Accords, (the
UAE) will now include the Holocaust in the curriculum for primary and secondary
schools,” the embassy said in a tweet, referring to the normalization deal that
also saw Bahrain and ultimately Morocco also recognize Israel.
Ambassador Deborah E. Lipstadt, the US special envoy
to monitor and combat antisemitism, praised the announcement in her own tweet.
“Holocaust education is an imperative for humanity and
too many countries, for too long, continue to downplay the Shoah for political
reasons,” Lipstadt wrote, using a Hebrew word for the Holocaust. “I commend the
UAE for this step and expect others to follow suit soon.”
The announcement comes as a meeting of the Negev Forum
Working Groups, which grew out of the normalization, began in Abu Dhabi on
Monday. Officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, the UAE and the US are
to attend. Egypt has diplomatically recognized Israel for decades.
In the Holocaust, Nazi Germany systematically killed 6
million European Jews during World War II. Israel, founded in 1948 as a haven
for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust, grants automatic citizenship to anyone
of Jewish descent.
Other Arab nations have refused to diplomatically
recognize Israel over its decades-long occupation of land Palestinians want for
their future state.
The announcement by the UAE also comes after the
federation and other Arab nations condemned an ultranationalist Israeli Cabinet
minister for visiting a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site last week, for the first
time since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government took
office.
The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to
Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is the holiest site in Judaism, home to the
ancient biblical Temples. Today, it houses the al-Aqsa Mosque, the
third-holiest site in Islam. Since Israel captured the site in 1967, Jews have
been allowed to visit but not pray there.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
India
Muslim League wants veg delicacies for Kerala school
youth festival
9th January 2023
Kozhikode: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on
Monday termed as unfortunate the controversy over not serving non-vegetarian
dishes during the recently concluded Kerala State School Youth Festival and
urged the government to continue to serve vegetarian delicacies.
IUML leader K P A Majeed alleged that the demand for
the the non-vegetarian dish came from the Left circles.
IUML, a key ally in the Congress-led UDF, accused the
LDF government of attempting to create rift in the society over the issue.
Majeed in a Facebook post attacked the Kerala General
Education Minister V Sivankutty, who had earlier assured that from next year
onwards non-vegetarian dishes will also be served, and said the Left leader
made such an announcement without discussing with anyone.
On Sunday, eminent culinary expert PazhayidamMohanan
Namboothiri, who has been preparing and serving dishes to thousands of people
every day at the food pavilions of the Kerala State School Youth Festival, had
said that he will not be taking part in the gala in the coming years.
The controversy erupted after a section of netizens
questioned the authorities for not serving non-vegetarian dishes for the youth
festival and alleged that there was ‘Brahminical hegemony’ in the kitchen. The
issue died down after Sivankutty assured that the government will try to serve
both types of food from the next youth festival.
“It’s unfortunate that such a controversy came up with
regard to the food served for the state school youth festival. The whole
responsibility lies with the State government and the Education Minister. The
food has been served for the youth festival for many years and there was never
a controversy like this,” Majeed said.
“Vegetarian food can be consumed by everyone but some
people may not be able to eat non-vegetarian dishes and this is why the youth
festival has only one kitchen serving vegetarian dishes. There is no need to
divide the kitchen and it’s impractical. The Minister, without discussing with
anyone, declared that non-vegetarian dishes will be served and it’s not right,”
the IUML leader said.
He said this will only encourage discussions creating
rift in the name of caste and religion in the society.
“The government wanted to create a division in the
society and encouraged such a discussion,” Majeed said.
However, Congress leaders V T Balram and others had on
January 4 strongly criticised the serving of vegetarian dishes by a “Brahmin
cook” and demanded the inclusion of non-vegetarian dishes for the festival.
Later, a few social media handles claiming to be
“liberals” and some former journalists also raked up the issue triggering a
major debate in the State.
Sivankutty, to put an end to the controversy assured
that the government will consider including non-vegetarian dishes from next year.
Namboothiri had told reporters on Sunday that the
“unnecessary controversy” of not serving non-vegetarian dishes hurt him a lot.
However, government sources and Namboothiri himself
had earlier clarified that there were some practical difficulties in preparing
non-vegetarian dishes in such huge quantities for events where the number of
attendees cannot be ascertained in advance.
The youth festival is known for its huge participation
ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 every day.
For decades, lip-smacking vegetarian delicacies have
been served among participating children, their teachers and parents at the
food pavilions of the annual gala, known for its massive participation of
children.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-league-wants-veg-delicacies-for-kerala-school-youth-festival-2498871/
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Supreme Court Upheld the Powers of Gujarat and
Uttarakhand to Set Up Their Own Committees to Examine the Subject of
Introducing a Uniform Civil Code within Their Borders
R. Balaji
| New Delhi
10.01.23
The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the powers of the
states of Gujarat and Uttarakhand to set up their own committees to examine the
subject of introducing a uniform civil code within their borders.
The country now has different personal laws for
different religious communities — such as Hindus, Muslims and Christians — that
govern matters such as marriage, divorce, maintenance and guardianship.
Having a uniform civil code across the country has
been one of the core ideological positions of the BJP and the larger Sangh
parivar.
Now Gujarat and Uttarakhand, ruled by the BJP, have
set up their own committees to examine the matter of evolving a state-level
uniform civil code. Article 44 of the Constitution, relating to the Directive
Principles of State Policy, envisages a uniform civil code for the country sometime
in the future. However, unlike the fundamental rights, a citizen cannot seek
enforcement of the ideal envisaged in the Directive Principles, which have only
a persuasive value.
Petitioner Anoop Baranwal, who appeared in person
before the top court, had challenged the two states’ decision to set up the
committees. Citing Article 44, he had argued that Parliament alone had the
legislative competence to enact such a code.
The bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and
Justice P.S. Narasimha dismissed the public interest plea. “Article 162 of the
Constitution indicates that the executive power of a state extends to matters
with respect to which the legislature of the state has power to make laws,” the
court order said.
Source:TelegraphIndia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/supreme-court-nod-for-uniform-code-panels/cid/1908908
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Belagavi Corporation Issues Notice to Mosque in
Residential Area after Warning from Ram Sene Chief
Sagay Raj
Jan 10, 2023
Belagavi Corporation has issued a notice to owners of
a property in Sarathi Nagar seeking an explanation for the construction of a
mosque in a residential property. This came after Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod
Muthalik gave a one-week deadline to demolish it.
Pramod Muthalik warned Belagavi Municipal Corporation
to demolish a mosque which was allegedly illegally constructed at Sarathi
Nagar.
He further gave the corporation a one-week deadline to
demolish the mosque and said that he would ill go with his team to demolish the
mosque.
The Ram Sene chief said, “I'm telling this to the
Belagavi Municipal Corporation. If you don't demolish the mosque within one
week, we from Sri Rama Sene will raise the slogan ‘Sarathi colony chalo’ to
demolish the mosque. Let us see which force will stop us.”
Source:IndiaToday
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Hijab
Ban in Karnataka against Rights of Students, Says PUCL Report
Jan
09, 2023
Almost
a year after Karnataka high court ruled that hijab is not essential in the
religious practices of Islam and thereby upheld the state government order
barring all religious clothing in educational institutes, a report by the
People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) suggested on Monday the ban violated
various constitutional and fundamental rights of the Muslim students.
The
report also revealed how these students have not only been denied their right
to education but have also borne the brunt of a climate of hate, hostility, and
misinformation.
The
study analysed the impact of the judgement in three different parts of the
state: south Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, and north Karnataka. It focused on
five districts: Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shivamogga and Raichur.
The
report pointed out that there was an arbitrary and sudden restriction when six
Muslim students were prevented from sitting in classrooms at the Government
Girls PU College in Udupi on December 31, 2021.
“This
act of discrimination was met with no legal or disciplinary action against
college authorities by the Education Department or the Department of Public
Instruction,” it said.
After
the education department issued the government order, more colleges in Udupi
instituted a ban on the hijab. On February 10, 2022, the high court passed an
interim order restricting the wearing of hijab until the final judgement would
be delivered.
“The
arbitrary and sudden implementation of a ban of the hijab before the end of the
academic year, especially during examinations of students, came as a shock to
Muslim students across the state, and a violation of their right to protect
against arbitrary state action,” the report pointed out.
Since
January 2022, the rights of Muslim students to education without discrimination
have been gravely violated across Karnataka, the PUCL report said, adding that
young students in the five districts of the study opened up about their
experiences and expressed their grief at the calculated indifference towards
their plight is shown by their classmates, the college administration, and the
government.
“Our
main fear was that our attendance records would get affected. The Principal
told us that those who wore the hijab should sit at home and
give
up on their studies,” a student in Hassan district told PUCL.
Many
students were denied the right to write their examinations, which in effect,
cost the students’ families an entire year of college fees, thwarted the
students’ learning opportunities, and adversely affected the students’ mental
health, the report said.
In
other cases, students endured emotional turmoil because of the imposed ban. In
Udupi, a student shared, “There are very limited options for some of us. We
cannot afford a transfer to another college. So, I was forced to remove my
hijab. I felt naked without my hijab.”
In
Dakshina Kannada, a student said that the classroom became an extremely divided
space. “Our classmates will not even share their notes with us to help us. Even
college clerks and staff refused to provide any support to enable us to at
least continue our learning,” she said.
The
report pointed out that the compulsion to remove the hijab was an assault on
the Right to Dignity in many instances. For most Muslim students, the act of
forcing them to remove the hijab was insensitive and violent, especially when
perpetuated by teachers, principals and examination centre officials.
Along
with the misbehaviour of the college administration, social media provided an
offensive portrayal of Muslim students. Hijab-wearing Muslim girls had
overnight become the focus of everyone’s attention, it said.
The
report said the right to privacy of the students was violated in attempts to
control the dress which Muslim women wear. “On the day after the High Court
delivered its judgement, a camera person from TV9 climbed over the college
boundary, which was a bamboo fence and pointed his camera at me, ‘Why are you
here? Where is your ID card?” a student studying for her Bachelor of Science in
Hassan said.
The
report also mentioned that the restriction on wearing the hijab was a violation
of their freedom of expression, as many students shared with the PUCL team that
their choice of wearing the hijab was their way of expressing themselves.
Students reported several instances when they were shamed in public spaces for
expressing themselves with their hijab. Several students felt compelled to choose
between their right to freedom of expression and their right to education.
The
student’s right not to be discriminated against was violated by both the state
and citizens, the report said.
“By
denying them any process or mechanism to appeal to protect their fundamental
rights, and by excluding them from educational institutions through the
sweeping ban, the state and all its governance mechanisms discriminated against
Muslim women students.”
“As
is evident from the testimonies of the students, the violations of their
fundamental rights had serious impacts on their academic lives, aspirations,
economic losses, reduced self-confidence and their social relations with
students and people of other communities,” PUCL said in its report.
“All
students have expressed that they feel betrayed by the state government, who
emboldened the series of assaults on their constitutional rights. It,
therefore, becomes crucial to retain their voices, while investigating the role
of state authorities and the media, who failed to recognise the rights of
Muslim women students,” it added.
Meanwhile,
BJP spokesperson Ganesh Karnik said he strongly condemned the PUCL report,
adding that it was irresponsible in giving such statements.
“Whether
in the name of so-called freedom, as far as the faith is concerned, do we
refuse to accept the rule of law of this country? They may say that we have
been given the right to practice what we believe, but is comes with a certain
amount of reasonable restrictions. The Court, which is a competent authority,
has interpreted the law. It has said that as far as the rule of the institution
is concerned, that is paramount,” Karnik said.
“Why
do we have uniforms in armed forces, police and certain professions? Many a
time, the exemptions sought were turned down by the Supreme Court. So, the
question is not about getting into somebody’s faith and practices. So, it is
about the rule of law. As a responsible citizen, you are supposed to respect
the provisions of the Constitution,” Karnik added.
Karnik
also questioned the alleged role played by Campus Front of India (CFI) – the
student wing of the banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in
instigating the controversy over hijab. The report by PUCL, however, does not
mention the role of these two organisations in its report.
BJP
National general secretary CT Ravi said, “These liberals are propagating a
false narrative. PUCL is not a constitutional authority. The HC and SC both
have given a verdict. They are not above it.”
Source:
Hindustan Times
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Bihar: Pasmanda Muslims cautious as parties firm up plans to woo them in 2024
LS polls
Jan
09, 2023
By
Vijay Swaroop
With
Lok Sabha elections a year away, political parties in Bihar have started
preparing their strategies to woo the Muslim community, which forms 17 per cent
of the state’s population, and particularly Pasmanda Muslims, who constitute
80% of the Muslim population of the state.
Aware
of their importance, All-India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (AIPMM) has warned more
than 50 sub-castes of Muslims to beware of political parties, including BJP,
for their sudden love. They have demanded that Dalit Muslims and Christians be
included in the scheduled caste (SC) category and reservation for SC category
be increased.
Pasmandas
demand
Ali
Anwar, former Rajya Sabha member from JD-U and founder president of AIPMM, said
BJP and other parties have started showing special love for Pasmanda Muslims.
“Instead of misleading Pasmanda Muslims, the Narendra Modi government should
take necessary action to include Dalit Muslims and Christians in SC category
and increase reservations for SCs in jobs and education,” he said.
The
AIPMM, which held a meeting recently in Patna, has warned the weaker Muslim
sections about the vote bank politics. “Pasmanda Muslims do not support any
party blindly. No party should take them for granted,” said Anwar, who had
written a letter to the Prime Minister in July last suggesting that BJP’s “sneh
yatras” for Pasmanda Muslims “will prove effective only when communal harmony
is maintained in the society”.
“Even
if the BJP is extending a friendly hand towards Pasmandas for their votes,
could you at least take these few steps immediately: There are about a dozen
castes within the Pasmanda Muslims such as Halalkhor (scavenger, Bhangi),
Muslim washer man, cobbler, Bhatiyara, Gadhedietc for whom the Sachar Committee
and the Ranganath Mishra Commission have recommended SC status. Has your
government, in response to a query of the Supreme Court last year, replied it
will not accept this recommendation? Will you end this religion-based
discrimination by increasing the quota for scheduled castes?” Anwar has said in
his letter.
The
Social Justice Andolan (Bihar) and AIPMM has decided to hold a state level
conference in Patna in the last week of February to decide their stand.
BJP’s
plan
The
BJP’s plan to reach out Pasmanda community started after PM Modi, while
addressing his party’s national executive meeting in Hyderabad in July last
year, suggested that party leaders extend their support to deprived and
downtrodden sections of all communities. He also advised BJP to take out a
“sneh yatra” (affection rally).
“The
BJP’s hope of winning the support of at least a section of Pasmandas stems from
the belief that they are economically, socially, and politically weak and
impatient with the hegemony of upper-caste Muslims,” said Tufail Khan Qadri,
president of Bihar BJP’s minority cell.
“We
have been organising meetings with them and they have benefitted from different
central schemes like Ayushman Bharat, LPG subsidy and free ration. This has
helped us win the faith of Pasmandas,” said Qadri.
“The
sabkasaathsabkabiswas is the motto of the BJP and we are pursuing this to win
their support,” said senior BJP leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain.
Recently,
in Patna, BJP MLC and former Union Minister Sanjay Paswan held an event where
RSS leader Ram Madhav and prominent Muslim leaders were present. They discussed
the issues affecting Pasmandas at length while the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an
RSS affiliate, is also likely to reach out to people to dispel “phobia” among
the minority community created by “opposition parties.”
JD-U’s
plan
BJP’s
former ally JD-U is not far behind. Chief minister Nitish Kumar recently held a
meeting of Muslim leaders and warned them of Owaisi factor — a reference to the
presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Hyderabad MP
Asaduddin Owaisi in Bihar, which had won five seats in the 2020 assembly polls.
The
alarm comes from the fact that in the two recent assembly bypolls at Gopalganj
and Kurhani, AIMIM played a spoilsport to the ruling Grand Alliance’s plan and
succeeded in taking away a large pie of their Muslim votes.
In
Gopalganj bypoll, its candidate Abdus Salam polled 12,214 votes, cornering
seven per cent of the total votes. RJD lost the bypoll by a mere 1,700 votes.
CM
Kumar’s JD-U also enjoys a good support base among Pasmandas since he has
launched schemes for the weaver (Julaha) and other backward castes in the
Muslim community. Kumar has also given special focus to erecting boundary walls
around graveyards (kabristans) and pay parity for madrasa teachers, making him
acceptable within the Muslim community despite his long association with BJP.
Former
director of AN Sinha Institute for Social Studies D M Diwakar believes that
BJP’s drive will only make a nominal impact. “BJP does not give tickets to
Muslims. But it may ask its allies like Chirag Paswan to accommodate them.
Grand alliance constituents like RJD will have to give their representation to
nullify BJP’s drive,” he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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J&K
village defence guards get arms training after Rajouri terror strikes
Jan
10, 2023
NEW
DELHI: As part of a plan to re-energise the village defence committees (VDCs) —
often the first responders to terrorist attacks in the interior areas — in the
aftermath of twin attacks on civilians in Jammu division’s Rajouri, the J&K
administration has started holding camps in the district’s villages to assess
the condition of weapons given to VDC members and replace or upgrade them where
required. Also, the VDC members and volunteers who are not familiar with
handling the weapons are being trained afresh by the J&K police, Army and
CRPF in their use and upkeep.
Meanwhile,
the 1,800 additional CRPF personnel sent to Rajouri in the wake of two attacks
at the start of this year, in which seven people died, have been told to set up
nakas and pickets at vantage points so as to detect and intercept the movement
of suspicious vehicles and terrorists. The CRPF — which played a key role in
neutralising 135 terrorists and apprehending 209 others in J&K in 2022 —
will also assist the J&K police in intelligence-based cordon and search
operations across Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Listing
the steps to make the VDCs better equipped and prepared to counter possible
terrorist activity, a senior J&K government officer said camps were planned
in every panchayat to evaluate the working condition of arms, as part of a
special campaign led by Rajouri divisional commissioner Vikas Kundal. The first
such camp was organised in the Baljralan area of Rajouri a couple of days ago.
The weapons of the VDC volunteers, mostly .303 rifles, were examined and ones
not found to be functioning properly, were or are being replaced with those in
good working condition. New cartridges were issued for the ‘good’ weapons,” a
source in J&K government told TOI.
VDC
members are asked at these camps if they are familiar with handling these
weapons. The names of those who are not were taken down and they will be
imparted training by the J&K police, Army or the CRPF soon, said a source.
A
training camp was held only last week by the Army, which has a good presence in
Rajouri district, for the VDC volunteers in Lam village of Nowshera tehsil.
Source:
Times Of India
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Muslim
groups in Dhanbad ban DJs, dance, fireworks in marriages
10th
January 2023
Ranchi:
A total of 55 Muslim organisations in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad have announced a
strict ban on DJs, fireworks, and dancing in the marriage’s Baraat procession,
warning if this was violated, then no Qazi would officiate at the Niqah.
The
decision was taken by consensus in a joint meeting held on the initiative of
Tanzeem Ulema AhleSunnat at Wasseypur and has been imposed on the entire city.
Maulana
Ghulam Sarwar Qadri said that a campaign, ‘Nikah Aasaan Karo’ has been started
and will be carried out in the entire state after Dhanbad.
All
the representatives of the Muslim community who attended the meeting agreed
that the financial condition of the people was deteriorating due to
“unnecessary” show off during weddings.
They
added that fireworks and DJs violated Islamic beliefs and traditions and led to
an increase in extravagance, which is why it was decided to collectively
boycott such marriages.
Mufti
Mohammad Rizwan Ahmed said that spending the money on children’s education and
betterment would benefit them and would be a concrete step towards social
upliftment.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.siasat.com/muslim-groups-in-dhanbad-ban-djs-dance-fireworks-in-marriages-2499042/
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Muslim
man arrested under UAPA for links to PFI granted bail
9th
January 2023
A
28-year-old Muslim man who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged links with the Popular Front of India
(PFI) was granted bail.
Abdullah
Saood Ansari from Varanasi, got bail in a UAPA case for his alleged affiliation
with banned Muslim outfit Popular Front of India, his lawyer was quoted as
saying by Maktoob Media.
On
January 7, a mere four days ago, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed
a chargesheet against four members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in a
case related to “unlawful and anti-national” activities by the banned group in
Bihar, an official said.
They
were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/muslim-man-arrested-under-uapa-for-links-to-pfi-granted-bail-2498953/
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Europe
International
community pledges $8.57bn to Pakistan on flood damage at UN conference in
Geneva
Jan
9, 2023
ISLAMABAD/GENEVA:
Pakistan said on Monday that the international community generously responded
to its call for support by pledging more than $8 billion to help the
cash-strapped country rebuild in a climate-resilient manner after last year's
ravaging floods that killed 1,739 people and affected 33 million people.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif had sought $8 billion assistance over the next three
years in his remarks earlier in the day at the opening session of the
‘International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan' in Geneva, which he
co-hosted with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
"The
first part of the plan reflects the recovery and reconstruction, bearing in
mind that the minimum funding of $16.3 billion is required, half of which will
be met with domestic resources, half from foreign resources," Sharif said.
Pakistan
estimated that about $30 billion were needed to come out of the deadly impact
of the floods which was the worst in the last three decades.
Information
minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the first plenary of the conference had
culminated in a “generous outpouring” from the international community.
"The
European Union pledged $93 million, Germany $88m, China $100m, Islamic
Development Bank $4.2 billion, World Bank $2bn, Japan $77m, Asian Development
Bank $1.5bn, USAID $100m, France $345m,” she said on Twitter.
She
added that a total of $8.75 billion had been pledged so far.
Apparently,
the amount was more than Pakistan initially needed as it was looking to get
half of $16.3 required for the first three years or the first phase of
reconstruction.
The
purpose of the day-long conference — attended by heads of state and government
and other stakeholders — is to raise funds for the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of flood-hit Pakistan in a climate-resilient manner.
Earlier,
special assistant to the Prime Minister on public policy and strategic
communication Fahd Husain quoted the UN chief as saying that approximately $7.2
billion had been raised at the Geneva conference.
In
his remarks, Sharif said Pakistan witnessed a "monsoon on steroids this
year" that affected 30 million people, displaced more than eight million
and washed away roads spread over 8,000 kilometres but the government responded
quickly and the help of the world community restored the communication system
while delivering cash and food to affected families.
"One
can go on and on but to truly say, we are racing against time. We are thankful
for the support extended to us by the Asian Development Bank, UN, International
Monetary Fund and several other international organisations," he said.
He
said that the government had prepared a comprehensive plan for recovery,
rehabilitation, reconstruction, and resilience — the 4RF plan.
"This
conference today is not just about helping to rebuild lives, but in fact, it is
about the solidarity and vision needed to ensure a future not just on paper but
in schools and homes," he said.
On
his part, Guterres urged the international community for “massive investments”
to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods.
"No
country deserves to endure what happened to Pakistan,” the secretary general
said, revealing that 9 million people had been pushed to the brink of poverty.
He
also praised the people of Pakistan for coming out and helping the people hit
by the floods while stressing that rebuilding the country in a resilient way
would need $16 billion. However, he added that “far more” would be required in
the long run.
He
pledged to stand by the people of Pakistan who in his words were “doubly
victimised” by climate disasters and “morally bankrupt” global financial
systems that “routinely denies middle-income countries of debt relief and
concessional relief needed to invest in resilience against natural
disasters."
He
called for adopting creative ways for developing countries to access debt
relief and concessional financing.
"We
need to be honest about the brutal injustice suffered by developing countries
due to climate change,” he said.
French
President Emmanuel Macron, in his address through a video link, promised to
provide USD 10 million in aid support to Pakistan, as he announced that his
country would continue to provide expertise and some financial support to
Islamabad.
More
pledges are expected to be made but the real test would be to translate them
into action and hard cash which may take months if not years.
German
Ambassador in Islamabad Alfred Grannas said that his country had pledged an
additional 89 million euros to its climate and energy initiative in Pakistan.
"This
support comes on top of the 99m euros already promised. I'm grateful we can
continue our partnership with the people the government of Pakistan to build a
#ResilientPakistan!" he tweeted.
Citing
a senior official from the development agency USAID, the Dawn reported that
Washington would provide an additional USD 100 million in funding.
"I
am delighted to announce that the United States is making an additional $100
million commitment to Pakistan to help it recover from the devastating 2022
monster monsoon floods,” USAID deputy administrator Isobel Coleman told
reporters on the sidelines of the conference in Geneva.
Foreign
minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, finance minister Ishaq Dar, planning minister
Ahsan Iqbal, minister for climate change Sherry Rehman, and minister for
economic affairs Ayaz Sadiq also addressed the conference.
Source:
Times Of India
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Calling
Muslims not French is intolerable, says French justice minister
9/01/2023
Marginalizing
Muslims as being somehow not French serves to stoke hatred and is “intolerable,”
according to France’s justice minister.
"Saying
that Muslims are not as French as others is intolerable," Eric
Dupond-Moretti told broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday, criticizing remarks by
controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq.
"Saying
that they are robbers ... This stokes hatred and is against all of my
values," Dupond-Moretti added.
The
justice minister also lamented that such remarks have become "banal.”
"Fifteen
years ago, we would have been on the front line denouncing them," he said.
"We got used to this. This is what (philosopher) Hannah Arendt called the
banality of evil."
In
a magazine conversation last November, Houellebecq said: "People are
arming themselves … I think acts of resistance will occur when entire
territories fall under Islamic control. Attacks and shootings will be
perpetrated in mosques, coffee shops popular with Muslims.”
Source:
Yenisafak
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UK
summons top Iranian diplomat following latest executions
09
January ,2023
Britain’s
foreign minister James Cleverly summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat on Monday
after Iranian authorities executed protestors Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed
Mohammad Hosseini.
“Today
I have summoned the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires to condemn in the strongest
possible terms the abhorrent executions we witnessed over the weekend,”
Cleverly said in a statement.
Since
the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman MahsaAmini last September,
Britain said it had imposed more than 40 sanctions on leading officials in Iran
“for their role in serious human rights violations.”
The
two men were hanged on Saturday for allegedly killing a member of the security
forces during protests that followed the death of Amini.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Denmark
summons Iranian envoy over latest executions
Ebad
Ahmed
09.01.2023
COPENHAGEN,
Denmark
Denmark
on Monday said it summoned Iran’s ambassador over the latest execution of
protesters, as well as the country’s human rights situation and violent crackdown
on protesters.
Denmark
condemns “in the strongest possible terms this weekend’s execution of two young
Iranian demonstrators,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a
statement.
Iran
hanged two men on Saturday for killing a paramilitary soldier in late November
during nationwide protests over the custodial death of 22-year-old MahsaAmini,
who was arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating the
dress code for women.
The
executions have been condemned by several countries and global rights groups,
with questions raised over the legitimacy of what the UN has said were “unfair
trials based on forced confessions.”
“This
is completely unacceptable, and we have now said that in very clear terms to
the Iranian regime,” Rasmussen said in a Foreign Ministry statement, calling
out Tehran for its descent down a “destructive path.”
He
said Denmark wants to see the EU impose more sanctions on Iran, adding that he
will take this up with colleagues in Paris and Brussels.
The
EU has already imposed a raft of sanctions on Iran over its forceful crackdown
on protesters.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/denmark-summons-iranian-envoy-over-latest-executions/2783581
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Germany
summons Iran's ambassador over latest executions
09.01.2023
BERLIN
Germany
summoned the Iranian ambassador once again to condemn Tehran’s latest execution
of protesters, Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock said on Monday.
“Today
I ordered the Iranian ambassador to be summoned to the Foreign Office again to
make it absolutely clear that the brutal repression, the oppression and the
terrorization of the country’s own people, as well as the recent executions,
will not go unnoticed,” Baerbock said at a news conference in Berlin.
“A
regime that murders its own youth to intimidate its population has no future,”
she asserted.
She
vowed to increase pressure on Iran through EU human rights sanctions against
individual high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC).
Nationwide
protests erupted in mid-September after the custodial death of 22-year-old
MahsaAmini, who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating
the strict dress code for women.
The
US and EU have imposed additional sanctions on Iran for its crackdown on
protesters, as well as its decision to supply hundreds of drones to Russia for
the war in Ukraine.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-summons-irans-ambassador-over-latest-executions/2783471
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Southeast Asia
President
invites Muslims to conserve national cultural wealth
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) encouraged Indonesian Muslims,
especially members of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), to actively
partake in protecting and preserving the diverse cultural wealth of the
country.
The
president made the statement while attending the Nusantara Islamic Traditions
Festival in Banyuwangi District, East Java Province, on Monday, which was
broadcast on the official channel of the Presidential Secretariat.
Furthermore,
he urged Muslims to always use local cultures and arts as one of their da'wah
media to build better civilization in a bid to continue community development
and be able to adapt to various changes in future.
It
is because culture and arts are not only for entertainment but also contain
teachings and morals, he emphasized.
"(It
includes) the lessons in life to always remember the majesty of Allah SWT; to
invite (others to) amarma'rufnahimunkar (do what is right and forbid what is
wrong); refine empathy; (as well as) strengthen tolerance and moderation,” the
president remarked.
Jokowi
stated that local culture and arts also teach about maintaining harmony in
diversity and bolstering the social system in the community.
Hence,
the president lauded the implementation of the Nusantara Islamic Tradition
Festival -- which is part of the Centenary of NU that will be commemorated on
February 7, 2023.
The
festival showcased and reintroduced the wealth of the Indonesian Islamic
tradition as well as encouraged the love for the nation's cultural diversity,
he noted.
Furthermore,
Jokowi expressed gratitude to the NU community in maintaining people’s tolerance
and harmony as well as protecting the integrity of the Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
"Thank
you to the big family of Nahdlatul Ulama that have consistently shown
tolerance, harmony, and serenity; as well as always prioritizing ukhuwah
Islamiyah (brotherhood among Muslims); ukhuwahwathaniyah (brotherhood of
nation); (and) ukhuwahbasyariyah (mankind brotherhood)," he stated.
Source:
AntaraNews
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://en.antaranews.com/news/268959/president-invites-muslims-to-conserve-national-cultural-wealth
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Islamic
Development Bank pledges US$4.2b for Pakistan’s climate rebuilding efforts
09
Jan 2023
GENEVA,
Jan 9 — The Islamic Development Bank has pledged US$4.2 billion over the next
three years to Pakistan as aid for its climate rebuilding effort, the bank’s
president said today.
Source:MalayMail
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of the original story:
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Why
Indonesia and Malaysia are calling out EU 'discrimination'
A
European proposal to tackle deforestation can end up hurting a key source of
revenue for these Southeast Asian countries.
Indonesia
and Malaysia have decided to work together to defend their lifeline – the
exports of palm oil– that has become a new target of the European Union.
On
December 6, the European Union signed an agreement to fight global
deforestation, naming palm oil production as one of the causes of large-scale
deforestation.
The
two Muslim countries meet more than 85 percent of global palm oil demand.
Millions of farmers – most of them small landholders – depend on palm oil
plantations to provide for their families.
The
Southeast Asian neighbours and close allies will work to promote the commodity
through the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on
Monday.
Widodo’s
comments came after a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who
is in Indonesia on his first foreign trip since taking office in November.
What
are the EU measures about?
When
the regulation is adopted into law, it will oblige the EU’s 27 member states to
cut imports of commodities which they believe are responsible for the
destruction of forested areas, especially rainforests.
The
plan is to stop suppliers from selling palm oil, cattle, soy, coffee, cocoa,
timber, rubber and products made from these commodities, such as chocolate,
leather and furniture, in the EU markets.
It
is part of a broader EU effort to scale down the bloc’s carbon footprint. The
argument goes that these commodities are increasingly being planted on farms,
which have encroached onto forested regions.
Does
it ban all imports?
No,
it does not. As per the regulations, the companies involved in the trade of
these commodities and related products must ensure that they haven’t been grown
or produced on land that was deforested after December 2020.
This
means a Malaysian farmer who has been harvesting palm oil in a deforested
region before the cut-off date wouldn’t need to worry about the sale of his
produce.
But
then there’s the technicality of proving that these commodities are not
violating the regulation. This part is tricky and will likely pile up a cost
burden on small landholders, says the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Companies
importing the commodities would have to undertake strict monitoring of the
source of their products.
For
instance, the suppliers have to collect the precise geographic coordinates of
places where the commodities are produced.
The
plan will go into effect 18 months after the law is adopted sometime this year.
Malaysian
and Indonesian authorities say they already have strict rules and regulations
to protect their forests.
Why
are palm oil producers particularly angry?
For
a few years now, EU leaders have set their eyes on curbing the import of palm
oil, which is mostly used as a biofuel.
When
the proposal first surfaced in 2018, Malaysia criticised it severely, calling
it “crop apartheid”. Kuala Lumpur’s angst was not without reason.
Rapeseed
oil, which is produced in Europe, has the highest share in the production of biofuels.
But rapeseed oil has been exempted from the strict regulations, which target
palm oil, raising concerns about the EU's discrimination.
On
its part, the EU says it has based its decision on the impact of these
commodities on deforestation.
“EU
has classified palm oil feedstock as having a high risk to indirect land-use
change (ILUC), compared to other vegetable oils like rapeseed and sunflower
which are considered as a low-risk feedstock,” says a recent study on the
impact of the EU import ban.
The
EU plans to gradually phase out palm oil consumption as a biofuel and
completely ban it by 2030.
Source:TRTWorld
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/why-indonesia-and-malaysia-are-calling-out-eu-discrimination-64314
--------
AG
moots BM text to replace English as the authoritative version of Federal
Constitution
By
Ida Lim
09
Jan 2023
PUTRAJAYA,
Jan 9 — Six decades after Malaysia was formed, Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus
Harun has proposed making the Malay translation replace the original English
text of the Federal Constitution as the authoritative version.
Even
so, he said the proposal requires the Yang di-PertuanAgong's approval.
“The
Federal Constitution acts as our cornerstone in implementing the separation of
powers. Therefore, for the year 2023, pursuant to Article 160A of the Federal
Constitution, the AGC plans to reprint the Federal Constitution to incorporate
the latest historic constitutional amendments.
“The
AGC also plans to propose to the government that the prescription of the
Federal Constitution in the national language to be the authoritative text in
line with Article 160B of the Federal Constitution. These two plans are subject
to the approval of the Yang di-PertuanAgong,” he said in his speech at the
Opening of the Legal Year 2023 here today.
Article
160B states that: “Where this Constitution has been translated into the
national language, the Yang di-PertuanAgong may prescribe such national
language text to be authoritative, and thereafter if there is any conflict or
discrepancy between such national language text and the English language text
of this Constitution, the national language text shall prevail over the English
language text.”
Currently,
the English text for the Federal Constitution is the authoritative text in
Malaysia.
Based
on Malay Mail’s check of the AGC’s Federal Legislation portal where official
text of laws in Malaysia including the Federal Constitution can be accessed,
both the English version and Malay translation of the Federal Constitution are
displayed.
The
Federal Constitution displayed were from the latest reprint dated October 15,
2020, with the Malay translation of the Federal Constitution as of October 2020
having this note on its very first page: “Teks ini HANYALAH TERJEMAHAN oleh
JabatanPeguam Negara bagi Federal Constitution. Melainkanjika dan
sehinggaditetapkan sahih di bawahPerkara 160B Perlembagaan Persekutuan,
teksinibukanperundangan”.
The
note would mean that the Malay translation of the Federal Constitution was
stated to be “only a translation” by the AGC, and that it is not law unless and
until it has been prescribed by the Yang di-PertuanAgong as authoritative.
Based
on local daily The Star's September 30, 2003 report, the then Yang
di-PertuanAgong launched the Malay translation of the Federal Constitution on
September 29, 2003.
The
Star report had cited then attorney-general Tan Sri Abdul GaniPatail's speech
--- which was read out at the event by then solicitor-general Puan Sri Zaitun
Zawiyah Puteh --- who said the Federal Constitution was not drafted in Malay as
it was based on the Reid Commission's reports, and that a Malay translation was
produced in 1972 but with the Attorney-General's Chambers' review of the
translated text only completed in 2002.
Both
Article 160A and Article 160B are relatively new provisions, as they were
inserted into the Federal Constitution and only came into force from September
28, 2001.
While
Article 160B was inserted to enable the Yang di-PertuanAgong to prescribe the
Malay translation of the Federal Constitution to be the authoritative text,
Article 160A enables the reprinting of the Federal Constitution --- with the
Yang di-PertuanAgong's consent — to include all amendments to the Federal
Constitution and with the reprinted version will be treated as a true and
correct copy or the authentic text.
The
issue of which is the authoritative text of the Federal Constitution has been
raised in cases involving the unilateral conversion of children — born in
non-Muslim marriages — to be Muslims by their Muslim convert parent, with the
Federal Court in 2018 unanimously confirming in M. Indira Gandhi's case that
the English text of the Federal Constitution is authoritative since it has not
been shown that the Yang di-PertuanAgong has prescribed the Malay translation
to be authoritative.
A
lawyer for the Selangor Islamic Religious Council had in the Court of Appeal in
January 2022 attempted to argue that the Malay translation of the Federal
Constitution should be seen as the official version. The Court of Appeal did
not decide on this matter as hearing was postponed with the raising of that new
argument and to determine whether there is such a Malay translation.
Among
guests attending the event today were deputy minister from the Prime Minister's
Department in charge of law and institutional reforms, Ramkarpal Singh.
Among
other things, Idrus also said the AGC had constantly made amendments to laws in
Malaysia and had successfully reprinted about 100 laws --- especially those
related to election ---- in 2022 alone, with the updated and revised versions
of these laws made publicly available online on the Federal Legislation Portal
Malaysia.
Legal
aid
Idrus,
who chairs the National Legal Aid Foundation (YBGK), said the foundation was
established in 2011 and had relied much on the government's RM5 million grant
that year with additional support from the Malaysian Bar in the form of
RM200,000 as well as expertise, location and staff.
Idrus
said YBGK has continued to rely on government grants which it receives annually
since 2011, but said government funds alone cannot sustain the foundation's
current operation especially in remunerating YBGK lawyers who tirelessly
contributed their services to provide access to justice to those in need.
"As
a way forward, it is hoped that our counterpart, the Bar will provide arduous
support in finding additional financial resources and sponsorship in order to
sustain the operation of YBGK in years to come. I, therefore, wish to record
YBGK’s appreciation in advance for the support to be extended by the Bar in the
near future," he said.
He
said that YBGK had a 13 per cent increase in the number of cases it
represented, up from 197,621 cases in 2021 to 222,361 cases as of November 30,
2022, after the YBGK's website was updated to give easy access to the public.
Malaysian
Bar president Karen Cheah said YBGK lawyers, composed of Malaysian Bar members,
have handled approximately 1.7 million cases ranging from arrests, remands,
mitigation, bail, trials and appeals since YBGK's operations began in 2012.
Cheah
said the Malaysian Bar hopes that the YBGK programme would be further expanded
to enable the extension of access to justice to non-Malaysians.
Cheah,
who had delivered her speech before Idrus, called for the Malaysian government
to ensure the YBGK is given enough resources.
"It
is the duty and responsibility of the government as the governing machinery to
ensure that access to justice remains strong and present, and while the Bar is
an important stakeholder in facilitating this process for the nation, we urge
sufficient resources are made available for this programme to continue to be a
success," she said.
Source:MalayMail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Imran
Khan Asks Military To Refrain From 'Political Engineering' In Next Elections
09
JAN 2023
Pakistan's
ousted prime minister Imran Khan has asked the powerful establishment to
refrain from "political engineering" in the general elections later
this year as he asserted that his party is the only party that can pull the
cash-strapped country out of the current economic quagmire.
Addressing
the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s women convention in Karachi via
video link from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on Sunday, the
cricketer-turned-politician once again blamed former Army chief Gen (retd)
Qamar JavedBajwa for his ouster as well as the current political and economic
crisis facing Pakistan.
Khan
expressed fear that political engineering would be carried out in the next
general elections to weaken his party and urged the powerful establishment to
refrain from making such a mistake. "The military establishment has not
learned anything from its past mistakes as political engineering is being
carried out to hurt my party for the future elections," he claimed.
He
alleged that the military establishment was involved in efforts to unite
different factions of the MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi and sending
the BalochistanAwami Party (BAP) leaders from south Punjab into the Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) because it feared the political strength of his party. The
70-year-old politician also accused the establishment of making efforts to
bring the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to power in Punjab province.
Our
establishment has already done so much damage to the country... but still it is
not ready to learn anything from the past," said Khan, who had so far
observed caution regarding new army chief Gen Asim Munir and his policies. He
had rather hoped that the military under Gen Munir would remain neutral. Continuing
his tirade against Gen (retd.) Bajwa, Khan said the former military chief was
"responsible for the crisis in the country".
"This
man pushed Pakistan into crisis. I had told him (before the ouster of my
government in April last) that weakening the PTI government would not be in the
interest of the country. Bajwa ruined Pakistan’s political and economic
gains," Khan said, adding that only free and fair elections could steer
the country out of the crisis. Khan had been at loggerheads with Bajwa ever since
his ouster from power in April by a no-confidence motion.
Last
month, Khan accused Bajwa of playing a "double game" against his
government and said that he committed a "big mistake" by extending
the tenure of then military chief in 2019. Gen Bajwa, 61, retired on November
29 after getting a three-year extension in 2019 by the then Prime Minister
Khan, who turned out to be the biggest critic of the Pakistan Army.
Source:OutlookIndia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
TTP
sets conditions for ceasefire with Pakistan, seeks direction from Islamic
clerics
January
09, 2023
Peshawar:
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has laid down conditions for a fresh
ceasefire with the Pakistan Army. The TTP, which is fighting for the rights of
the Pashtun people in Pakistan, has carried out near-daily attacks against the
security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over tha past couple of
months.
In
a video message, TTP chief Mufti Noor WaliMehsood said the Taliban fighters
will maintain the ceasefire if Pakistan Army halts its operations.
“We
held talks with Pakistan mediated by Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. We are
still open to the ceasefire agreement,” the Dawn newspaper quoted TTP chief
Mufti Noor WaliMehsood as saying in the video.
Mehsood’s
change in stance comes amid reports that he has sought guidance from religious
scholars in Pakistan.
In
the video message, Mehsood said his outfit is “open to guidance” from
Pakistan’s religious scholars if they believe “the direction of our jihad” is
wrong, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.
“If
you find any problem in the jihad that we waged, if you believe we have changed
our direction, that we have gone astray, then you’re requested to guide us.
We’re always ready to listen to your arguments happily,” the TTP chief said.
In
November last year, the TTP called off an indefinite ceasefire agreed with the
government in June 2022 and ordered its militants to carry out attacks on the
security forces.
The
TTP, which is believed to have close links to al-Qaida, has threatened to
target top leaders of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N and Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s PPP if the ruling coalition continued to
implement strict measures against the militants.
The
TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of
several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of
Islam across Pakistan.
Pakistan
had hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to power would stop the use of
their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP operatives but they have
apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining ties with Islamabad.
The
TTP has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an
attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008
bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
Source:Firstpost
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia mulls increasing deposit in SBP to $5bn
January
10, 2023
Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has directed the Saudi Development Fund (SDF)
to study increasing the deposit amount in the State of Bank of Pakistan (SBP)
to $5 billion, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
“His
Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince
and Prime Minister, has directed to study augmenting the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia’s investments in the sisterly Islamic Republic of Pakistan which have
previously been announced on August 25, 2022, to reach $10 billion,” it said.
“The
crown prince also directed the Saudi Development Fund to study increasing the
amount of the deposit provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in favour of the
Central Bank of Pakistan which have previously been extended on December 2,
2022 to hit a $5 billion ceiling,” the report said.
The
move, SPA stated, confirmed Saudi Arabia’s position on supporting the economy
of Pakistan and its “sisterly people”.
The
development was reached within the framework of the existing communication
between Prince Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, it added.
Today’s
announcement comes a day after Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir — who was
on a week-long official visit to Saudi Arabia and UAE — held a meeting with
Prince Salman in Madina and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties between
the two countries.
In
2021, the SBP had signed an agreement with the SFD to receive $3bn, which would
be placed in the central bank’s account with an aim to improve its foreign
exchange reserves.
Subsequently,
in September last year, the SFD had confirmed the rollover of a $3bn deposit
for one more year. The deposit was set to mature on Dec 5, however, on Dec 2
Saudi Arabia had extended its term.
In
the last week of October 2021, Saudi Arabia had agreed to revive its financial
support to Pakistan, including about $3bn in safe deposits and $1.2bn worth of
oil supplies on deferred payments.
The
agreement was reached during the visit of former prime minister Imran Khan to
the kingdom the same month.
The
Saudi king had in August last year directed his government to invest $1bn in
Pakistan “in confirmation of the kingdom’s support of the Pakistani economy”
and its people.
The
directive from King Salman bin Abdulaziz had come a day after the Qatari
government said it would invest $3bn in Pakistan.
Saudi
Arabia and the UAE had earlier indicated to provide $1bn each in oil purchase
financing.
Later
in October, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud would soon be visiting Pakistan during which
he would announce a $10bn investment for establishing an oil refinery in the
country. However, the planned visit was later postponed for unexplained
reasons.
Cash
crunch
The
country is currently in the midst of a severe cash crunch, with foreign
exchange reserves in the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) depleting to an
eight-year low of $5.576 billion during the week ended on Dec 30, 2022.
This
decline left no space for the government to pay back its foreign debts without
borrowing more from friendly countries.
During
the week the SBP foreign exchange reserves saw an outflow of $245 million for
external debt repayments.
Foreign
debt servicing is the most troubling question for the PMLN-led coalition
government facing a serious threat of default. Several attempts to restart
talks with the IMF for the release of the next tranche have so far remained
unfruitful.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730914/saudi-arabia-mulls-increasing-deposit-in-sbp-to-5bn
--------
ECP
issues arrest warrants for Imran, other PTI leaders in contempt cases
Irfan
Sadozai
January
10, 2023
The
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued bailable arrest
warrants for PTI chairman Imran Khan and party leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Asad
Umar in cases related to the contempt of the electoral body.
The
order was passed by a four-member ECP bench headed by member Nisar Durrani.
The
ECP had in August and September last year issued notices, in exercise of its
powers of contempt, to Imran, Umar, Chaudhry, Mian Shabbir Ismail and Danial
Khalid Khokhar for allegedly using “intemperate” language against Chief
Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja and the electoral watchdog.
Party
leaders have repeatedly bashed the commission and Raja over what they claim is
their partisanship and frequently pillory the electoral body as a “subsidiary
of the PML-N”.
At
the previous hearing, the ECP had given the PTI leaders a last chance to appear
before the commission, warning that their absence before the commission at the
next hearing on January 17 would result in the issuance of arrest warrants.
During
the hearing today, the ECP rejected the pleas of PTI leaders seeking an
exemption from appearing before the commission and issued arrest warrants for
them against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each.
The
bench, subsequently, adjourned the hearing till Jan 17.
Reacting
to the development, Umar tweeted that the ECP, instead of fulfilling its
responsibilities, had indulged in such actions. “They themselves are guilty of
contempt of court by not holding Islamabad elections,” he said.
Chaudhry
said he would file contempt of court proceedings against the electoral watchdog.
“The
case was supposed to be heard on Jan 17 but it was fixed today in violation of
the rules. This is another biased verdict issued by the ECP members,” he added.
Meanwhile,
PTI lawyer Babar Awan claimed that the ECP was being used to run a campaign
against Imran.
“They
are just trying to somehow disqualify him. But let me tell you, this minus-one
formula won’t work on Imran Khan,” he told reporters outside a court in
Islamabad.
Contempt
cases
When
the ECP had issued contempt notices to PTI leaders last year, it had instructed
them to appear in person or through their counsels before the commission to
explain their position.
However,
instead of appearing before the ECP, the PTI leaders challenged in various high
courts the ECP notices and contempt proceedings on the grounds that Section 10
of the Elections Act 2017, which is the statutory provision regarding the
commission’s power to punish for contempt, was against the Constitution.
According
to the Election Act 2017, Section 10 titled “Power to punish for contempt”
states that the “election commission may exercise the same power as the high
court to punish any person for contempt of court and the Contempt of Court
Ordinance, 2003 (V of 2003), or any other law pertaining to contempt of court shall
have effect accordingly[…]”
The
PTI leaders had also sought from the high courts a declaratory relief from the
charges.
Later,
a petition was filed in the Supreme Court through Advocate SajeelSheryar Swati
on behalf of the ECP with a request to order consolidation of all six petitions
before one high court instead of defending the commission’s stance over the
issuance of contempt notices against PTI leaders in different high courts.
Last
week, the apex court had held that since the objections to ECP authority were
raised by the respondents in the pending proceedings under Section 10, the same
was required to be considered and decided by ECP before passing a final order
on the matter.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PTI
blasts Shehbaz for ‘massive’ spending on Geneva visit
January
10, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday fired a broadside at Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet members for allegedly spending a huge
amount on their “flopped” trip to Geneva to attend the donor conference since
the moot was held via video link, as no important leader had turned up at the
event.
The
party’s senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry said France, the host, gave $10
million, but not a single important leader participated in the conference.
He
questioned that if the entire conference was to be held through video link, why
was there a need to travel to Geneva, according to a statement issued by the
party’s central media department.
“The
money did not come, but several lakhs of dollars were spent on the visits of
the prime minister and his cabinet [members],” he lamented.
Another
senior PTI leader, Shireen Mazari, also criticised the government. In a tweet,
the former minister said: “Pathetic attendance and it is in one of the small
mtg [meeting] rooms of the UN in Geneva because this is where side mtgs are
normally held not main sessions of major conferences”.
She
said even “in this small venue attendance only seems to be of Pak officials
& only some mbrs [members] of cabal of crooks”.
Lashing
out at PML-N, Fawad Chaudhry alleged that lying was integral part of the life
of the leadership of the PML-N.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730869/pti-blasts-shehbaz-for-massive-spending-on-geneva-visit
--------
Militants
attack KP’s Dera police station
January
10, 2023
DERA
ISMAIL KHAN: Unknown militants attacked the Yarik police station here on Sunday
night with gunfire and ‘missiles’. However, no loss of life was reported.
A
police spokesman, Syed Yaqoob Shah, told Dawn on Monday that militants
surrounded the Yarik police station at around 1am and fired missiles at the
building.
He
said the police retaliated to the attack and an exchanged fire with the
attackers took place, which lasted for about 45 to 50 minutes. He said the
militants were forced to flee.
The
spokesman said the police station building was partially damaged.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730802/militants-attack-kps-dera-police-station
--------
Bannu
police kill two terrorists in exchange of fire
January
10, 2023
LAKKI
MARWAT: The police claimed to have killed two terrorists in a fierce gun battle
in Landi Jalandhar area of Bannu district along the Indus Highway on Sunday
night.
A
police official told Dawn that the two terrorists were wanted for killing Domel
police station’s head constable Pasham Khan and injuring constable Shah Wali
Khan in an armed attack on Saturday.
He
said district police officer Dr Mohammad Iqbal formed police teams to hunt down
gunmen.
The
official said on a tip-off about the presence of two terrorists, a police
contingent went to the Master Koroona village in Landi Jalandhar area, where they
came under a gun attack.
He
said there followed an exchange of fire, which led to the killing of the wanted
men and seizure of arms and ammunition.
The
official said the police shifted the bodies to a local hospital. He said the
two were also named in other cases of terrorism.
Meanwhile,
LakkiMarwat district police officer Ziauddin Ahmad on Monday visited the house
of a martyred police constable, Samiullah, in Wargarey area of Bittanni area
and offered condolences to his family.
Gunmen
killed Mr Samiullah and injured additional SHO Habibullah in an attack in
Bittani subdivision of LakkiMarwat district on Friday night.
The
policemen were attacked on the way to the Wargarey police station, whose
personnel were targeted by a group of terrorists.
DPO
Ziauddin said the constable’s sacrifice won’t go to waste and the department
would ensure his family’s welfare.
He
also went to the Wargarey police station along with tribal elders and praised
the personnel for fighting attackers.
PEACE
JIRGA: The police and elders on Monday agreed to launch joint efforts against
militancy in Bannu district.
The
agreement came during a peace jirga at the police lines in Bannu city, where
police officials, elders, and political and social leaders were in attendance.
DPO
Dr Iqbal told participants that the police and other law-enforcement agencies
were fighting terrorism gallantly but required the people’s support and
cooperation for its eradication.
“A
joint strategy is required to eliminate terrorism from our region,” he said.
The
DPO warned if the people didn’t challenge terrorists, they would be the main
sufferers.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730800/bannu-police-kill-two-terrorists-in-exchange-of-fire
--------
Fearing
violence, PTI, JI want army deployed at polling stations
Imran
Ayub
January
10, 2023
KARACHI:
Hours after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the plea of
MuttahidaQaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and ruled that the local government
elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions will be held on Jan 15, key
opposition parties on Monday demanded deployment of troops of army and Rangers
fearing that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) use government machinery
on the day of polling.
They
also cited the deadly violence during the first phase of the local government
elections in the province when the ruling party got its over 1,000 candidates
elected unopposed “exploiting its powers”.
The
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami held separate press conferences
but made a similar demand while expressing fears of rigging by the ruling
party.
PPP,
other parties may resort to violence, says PTI
Senior
PTI leader Ali Zaidi told a press conference that his “reliable sources”
disclosed that the ruling PPP and some other political parties could resort to
violence and chaos to harass voters to keep them away from the electoral
process.
MQM-P
terms ECP decision to hold LG polls on old voter list, delimitation ‘sheer
injustice
“This
all is being so that they [PPP] can rig the results, as they cannot defeat PTI
in a free and fair election,” he said.
“We
have already approached the ECP requesting it to declare all polling stations
in Karachi and Hyderabad as sensitive so that the deployment of the army and
Rangers inside and outside each polling station can be assured,” he said.
JI
concerns over PPP’s ‘ill intentions’
JI’s
city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman while referring to the results of the first
phase of the local government elections in the Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed
Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions said that the ruling PPP had managed to get
elected unopposed its over 1,000 candidates with the help of government
machinery.
“The
biased attitude of returning officers and district returning officers depict
the ill intentions of the PPP for the January 15 elections,” he said, adding:
“The deployment of the Pakistan army and Rangers personnel at polling stations
is very crucial to maintain smooth flow of affairs and transparency on the
polling day.”
He
said that the JI had written to the chief election commissioner asking him to
ensure deployment of the army and Rangers at polling stations on the same
grounds.
On
the other hand, the MQM-P strongly reacted against the ECP ruling and called it
a “sheer injustice” with the people of urban Sindh.
The
party vowed to consider all legal and possible options to challenge the ECP
ruling.
“With
this ruling, the ECP has failed to ensure free and fair local government
elections for people of Karachi and Hyderabad,” the party said in a statement.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730838/fearing-violence-pti-ji-want-army-deployed-at-polling-stations
--------
Arab World
UN
Security Council unanimously extends approval of aid to Syria from Turkey
09
January ,2023
The
UN Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to keep a key border crossing
from Turkey to Syria’s rebel-held northwest open for critical aid deliveries
for another six months.
In
a surprise, Syria’s close ally Russia, whose support had been in doubt, joined
in the 15-0 vote.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned that the already dire
humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening, and said if aid deliveries from
Turkey to northwest Idlib aren’t renewed millions of Syrians might not survive
the winter.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia to host pre-pandemic numbers for 2023 Hajj pilgrimage season
09
January ,2023
Saudi
Arabia will remove COVID-19 restrictions for the 2023 Hajj season and host
pre-pandemic numbers of pilgrims, the Kingdom's ministry of Hajj and umrah said
on Monday.
In
2019, the last year before the pandemic struck, some 2.6 million people
performed the Hajj. The Kingdom allowed only limited numbers from its residents
in 2020 and 2021 before it welcomed back one million foreign pilgrims in 2022.
The
ministry of Hajj said in a Tweet that the Kingdom, home to Islam's holiest
sites in Mecca and Medina, will impose no restrictions, including age limits,
for this season.
Access
was restricted in 2022 to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who have been fully vaccinated
or immunized against the coronavirus and did not suffer from chronic diseases.
Hajj
season is expected to begin on June 26 in 2023.
Over
the years, the Kingdom has spent billions of dollars on making one of the
world's biggest religious gatherings more secure.
Hajj
is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
An
economic reform plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aims to increase umrah
and Hajj capacity to 30 million pilgrims annually.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pope
urges Zayed Award judging committee to act on human fraternity, women’s rights
09
January ,2023
Pope
Francis urged the Judging Committee of the 2023 Zayed Award for Human
Fraternity to act to advance women’s rights, during their visit to the Vatican.
“Your
work is important in advancing the message of human fraternity,” the head of
the Catholic Church, who is a 2019 honorary recipient of the award, told the
judging committee members at the Vatican.
“It
is important in your work to uphold the dignity of women as women’s rights are
often outlined on paper, but not practiced in reality,” he added, highlighting
the ongoing crisis in Haiti, urging the international community to support the
country.
The
judging committee members, comprised of six people, expressed appreciation for
the signing of the historic ‘Document on Human Fraternity’ in 2019 alongside
the Grand Imam of al-Azhar Professor Ahmed al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi.
The
members of the independent judging committee are United Nations
Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Alliance of
Civilizations Miguel ÁngelMoratinos; former Vice President of Costa Rica Dr.
Epsy Campbell Barr; Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Holy
See Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle; 2014 Nobel Peace Laureate and child rights
activist Kailash Satyarthi; 2015 Nobel Peace Laureate and entrepreneur Dr.
OuidedBouchamaoui; and Zayed Award for Human Fraternity Secretary-General and
Muslim Council of Elders Secretary-General Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam.
“We
are extremely grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis for his continued support
of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. His Holiness presents a real and
unique example of a man of peace and continues to bring people together from
different walks of life, with the feeling that we are all members of the same
human family,” Judge Abdelsalam said in a statement on Monday.
The
Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is an annual international prize that
recognizes people and organizations from any background who work to improve
human connection and promote peaceful coexistence. This award was established
in 2019 to commemorate the meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of
al-Azhar, during which they signed the Document on Human Fraternity.
The
award is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the UAE,
who was known for his humanitarianism and commitment to helping people
regardless of their background.
Some
previous recipients of the award include Pope Francis and Professor Ahmed
Al-Tayeb (honorary recipients) in 2019, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
and Moroccan-French activist Latifa Ibn Ziaten in 2021, and Their Majesties
King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein and Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, and the
Haitian humanitarian organization FOKAL in 2022.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Shoura
Council speaker takes part in meetings at Asian Parliamentary Assembly in
Turkiye
January
09, 2023
ANTALYA,
Turkiye: The speaker of the Shoura Council, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed
Al-Asheikh was in attendance on Monday at the 13th meeting of the Asian
Parliamentary Assembly, which was held in Antalya, Turkiye.
Al-Asheikh
took part in the meeting of the Executive Council in the presence of the heads
of Asian parliaments and parliamentary delegations.
The
delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, led by Al-Asheikh, includes a number
of council's members and officials.
Earlier
this month, Al-Asheikh highlighted the importance of Saudi Arabia’s
participation in regional and international parliamentary meetings, in support
of cooperation and joint action in all fields and at various levels.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2229361/saudi-arabia
--------
Mideast
Israeli
Spy Tech Sold to Bangladesh, World’s Third-largest Muslim Country, Despite
Dismal Human Rights Record
Oded
YaronZulkarnainSaer Khan
Jan
10, 2023
Advanced
surveillance equipment, developed by a company controlled by the former
commander of Israeli intelligence’s technology unit, was sold last year to the
government of Bangladesh, official government documents and international
export records show, despite Bangladesh not being on Israel's list of countries
that such technology may be sold to - and despite its consistently poor human
rights record.
The
equipment, which is used to intercept mobile and internet traffic, was sold to
the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center, or NTMC, an arm of the Bangladeshi
Interior Ministry responsible for tracking internet and social media use inside
the country, as well as for online censorship and eavesdropping on citizens.
Bangladesh
is the third-largest Muslim country in the world, and does not recognize
Israel. The two countries have no diplomatic relations, and until 2021, all
Bangladeshi passports had “This passport is valid for all countries of the
world except Israel” written on them.
Passitora,
a firm registered in Cyprus, is controlled by Tal Dilian, an Israeli
businessman and former intel commander. Under its previous name WiSpear, it was
involved in a scandal that began with a boastful interview Dilian gave to
Forbes, in which he revealed the existence of the company’s SpearHead system,
which includes a van equipped with surveillance equipment and tracking
software, that gathers data from mobile phones via cellular and Wi-Fi networks,
including encrypted WhatsApp messages, Facebook chats, contact lists, calls and
text messages within a radius of about half a kilometer. A presentation on
WiSpear claims the system can be used to inject spyware on computers and mobile
phones within its range.
The
Forbes report embarrassed the government in Cyprus, creating political turmoil
and leading to an investigation into violations of European Union privacy laws.
In the end, all the allegations against Dilian and top company executives were
dropped, but WiSpear was fined one million euros (about $1.1 million) for
“extracting data unlawfully” from the devices of passersby at the Larnaca
Airport.
Export
records show that in June 2022, a SpearHead system was delivered from
Switzerland to the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. The supplier was Passitora,
and the buyer was NTMC. The shipment, weighing 991 kilograms, included the interception
system, operating software and hardware components (servers, drives, monitors,
etc.) at a total cost of $5.7 million.
Passitora
is part of the Intellexa Alliance, a network of companies run by Dilian that
acquired an array of sophisticated surveillance technologies, including mobile
phone hacking spyware, that it sells to government agencies around the world. A
Haaretz investigation revealed the network and a plane linked to Dilian, which
delivered advanced spying equipment to a notorious militia in Sudan in May
2022.
Sources
in Israel’s cyberarms industry say the company’s operations are not overseen by
the Israeli government. Amir Eshel, the outgoing Defense Ministry director
general, spoke to The New York Times in December about his inability to rein in
Dilian and others who set companies abroad. “It certainly disturbs me that a
veteran of our intelligence and cyber units, who employs other former senior
officials, operates around the world without any oversight,” Eshel said.
The
Israeli Defense Ministry did not specifically address Haaretz questions on
whether it oversees Passitora and the other firms mentioned in this report, and
whether it approved the spyware sales to Bangladesh, and said this in response:
“The Defense Ministry acts, and will act, to enforce unapproved defense
exports, including services and knowhow - according to its legal authority. As
a rule, the ministry does not divulge information on the defense export policy,
for security, diplomatic and strategic considerations”.
The
government's preferred weapon
Over
the last decade, intelligence bodies, the police and armed forces in Bangladesh
have developed a huge appetite for advanced monitoring and spy technology,
according to the organization Privacy International. Official government
documents prohibit accepting bids from Israel, but it appears that in the area
of cyberweapons, Bangladesh is ready to make an exception to the rule.
Likewise, Israeli companies are formally banned from doing business with
Bangladesh, but the exceptions seem to prove there is no longer much substance
behind that rule.
In
2021, Haaretz reported that the Israeli company Cellebrite had sold mobile
phone hacking tools to a notorious Bangladeshi police unit, the Rapid Action
Battalion, whose leaders are subject to U.S. sanctions due to its alleged role
in the disappearance of thousands of people, horrific torture and human rights
violations. Al-Jazeera revealed that another Israeli company, Picsix, sold
Bangladesh’s military intelligence a mobile phone surveillance and hacking
system for intercepting phone transmissions.
But
official documents cited in this report reveal for the first time four other
transactions for the purchase of Israeli spy technology by Bangladeshi
government agencies involved in human rights violations. The technology enables
them to surveil Bangladeshi citizens through their phone and to hack wireless
networks and monitor internet traffic.
The
companies are either Israeli or foreign with a clear link to Israel, and some
of the exports are by firms registered in the Virgin Islands, Cyprus and
Singapore who seemingly act solely as middlemen.
NTMC,
the Interior Ministry arm that bought the SpearHead system, was formed in 2013
and deals, according to reports, with eavesdropping on opposition officials,
protestors and ordinary citizens. It is the “Bangladeshi government's largest
legal interception system … that is connected with about 250 communications
providers in the country,” admitted one of its former senior officials. Every
provider is required to give NTMC full access to traffic on their networks.
NTMC’s
Director General is Maj. Gen. Ziaul Ahsan, who previously held a series of
operational and intelligence posts in the Rapid Action Battalion. A former
Bangladesh army chief, Aziz Ahmed, claims that Ahsan is personally responsible
for many of the disappearances that have occurred in the country.
“Today,
there’s no significant political opposition in Bangladesh – the government has
the will and the means to suppress its political opponents," says
ZulkarnainSaer Khan. A Bangladeshi journalist who now lives in exile, Saer Khan
has exposed political oppression in his country and took part in this
investigation.
“Bangladesh
isn’t capable of providing its citizens with basic infrastructure, but
government agencies enjoy the best modern spy technology money can buy.
Draconian laws have turned it into the government’s preferred weapon for silencing
and intimidating journalists, critics and political activists. Negative
propaganda against the father of the nation – the father of the current prime
minister – can end in 14 years in prison,” he says.
Two
of Khan’s colleagues were persecuted by the authorities after they criticized
the government: cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore was detained for 10 months
during which he was severely tortured; and the writer-journalist Mushtaq Ahmed
who was arrested, tortured and died while in custody. Photographer Shahidul
Alam was arrested in a similar manner after he criticized the government on an
Al-Jazeera interview. He was also tortured while in detention and released
after 100 days.
Training
trips to Greece
In
June 2021, the Bangladeshi cabinet decided to buy a “Vehicle Mounted Mobile
Interceptor” spy vehicle, which is equipped with, among other things,
technology to intercept mobile phone calls and text messages, locate the user
and hack into wireless networks. According to an official cabinet document, two
companies bid to supply the technology, and the one that was chosen was a Swiss
company, Toru Group Limited.
There
is no company that goes by that name in the Swiss companies registry, but a
company that does have that name is registered in the British Virgin Islands.
It has a Geneva address that is used by a firm that provides foreign
registration services for companies.
According
to a very general description on Toru’s website and LinkedIn page, the company
is a “world-leading provider of Cyber Security and Defense solutions… your
One-Stop-Shop which caters to all your Security & Defense needs.” But there
is no indication of what sort of “solutions” the company offers, and a search
of patents connected with it revealed nothing.
The
company's CEO is Assaf Elias, an Israeli citizen, according to profiles on
LinkedIn and Facebook. Until recently, Elias was a minority shareholder in
another company registered in Britain, together with several prominent figures
in the Israeli cyberoffensive industry.
Toru’s
website makes no reference to the sort of spy vehicle that Bangladesh purchased
from the company. As far as it is known, none of Elias’ partners in the British
company make such a vehicle. The one who does make one is Dilian, owner of
Passitora. Sales pitches by another Dilian firm showcased the spy van alongside
the SpearHead Wi-Fi interception system, the type which according to export
records was shipped to Bangladesh last June. According to three sources, Toru
Group, headed by Elias, acted as a middleman for various deals with Dilian’s
firms.
Official
documents from Bangladesh’s Interior Ministry reveal that the commander of the
NTMC and other senior officials flew to Greece in 2021 and 2022 to train on the
spy vehicle they had bought. According to the documents, the trips “were fully
funded by Toru.”
By
that time, Dilian had already moved his headquarters to Athens after his
entanglements in Cyprus. According to past reports, the office had set aside an
area with prayer mats for teams coming for training from Muslim countries like
Bangladesh.
NTMC’s
budget shows that the system was expected to arrive in Bangladesh in mid-2022.
Shipping documents show that the system was delivered at the end of June. Two
sources in Bangladesh say that a new, advanced spy van is already in service,
with its surveillance tools leading to the firing of seven police officers who
allegedly criticized the government on a secret WhatsApp group and communicated
with figures in the BNP opposition party.
Passitora
and Dilian did not respond to requests for comment. When reached for a
response, Elias hung up and declined to comment.
Not
just Big Brother on wheels
The
cyber shopping spree didn’t end here. An official document from the prime
minister's office dating from 2019 shows that Bangladesh’s internal
intelligence agency, or NSI, also bought a system for intercepting Wi-Fi
communications from a company called Prelysis.
That
year, four senior NSI officials went to Cyprus to inspect the system before it
was shipped to Bangladesh. Cypriot export records show a July 2019 Wi-Fi
interception system shipped from Prelysis to Bangladesh at a total cost of
about $3 million.
Prelysis
is registered in Israel and Cyprus under slightly different names. The Cypriot
firm is “dormant”, while the official document from Bangladesh has the Israeli
firm’s name. Its website says it is “a consultancy and integration company in
the intelligence and homeland security domain.” It boasts a platform that
integrates various intelligence sources, including wireless and cellular
communication sensors and device location. The founder of the company and its
current director, Israeli citizen Kobi Naveh, worked until 2014 at Verint.
In
reply to an “Haaretz” inquiry, into whether Prelysis is overseen by Israel’s
Defense Ministry and whether it OK’d the deal, Naveh said he “cannot respond”.
Israel-Singapore-Cyprus-Bangladesh
Sources
in Israel’s cyber industry say Bangladesh isn’t on the list of countries that
the Israeli defense establishment approves for exports of classified
technology, due to concerns that it will fall into the hands of Pakistan. They
say that in the past year, the list of countries approved for cyberoffensive
exports has been whittled down to just 37, most of them Western democracies.
The Defense Ministry consistently refuses to respond or divulge any information
on the list of approved countries.
Cyprus'
export records from July 2019 show another shipment for the Bangladeshi
military – this time for equipment used for the “active monitoring of mobile
phones” – at a cost of $1.6 million. The supplier is Coralco Tech, of
Singapore. A tender by the Bangladesh Army from 2018 shows that the military
was indeed interested in systems for active and passive tracking and locating
of mobile phones.
On
its now-inactive website and LinkedIn page, the company describes itself as “a
global cutting-edge espionage & telecommunications technologies company for
private government sectors. Delivering the highest level of professionalism and
service in covert operations.” It offers "tactical and strategic"
interception of cellular and Wi-Fi communications and tracking of mobile
phones.
On
Singapore’s companies registrar, Israeli EyalAlmog is listed as Coralco Tech’s
owner. In Israel, the company is registered under the same name and address,
and with the same owner. Almog's LinkedIn page carries endorsements from his
friends in the cybersecurity, defense, intelligence and homeland security
communities. Some of them worked with him. One of them, a Bangladeshi national,
says that as a local expert he installed various systems to intercept cellular
communications and helped connect telecom providers to the NTMC's surveillance
system.
In
response to this report, Coralco Tech said that “due to the nature of its
deals, the company does not comment on the identity of its clients and the
products that they buy. In general, all deals involving the company are fully
reported while attaining the proper licenses from the regulatory bodies,
including Israel’s Defense Ministry. The company sells its products after an
internal vetting process that takes into account human rights violations”.
Cyprus
export records reveal that another company, U-TX Technologies, provided
surveillance equipment to Bangladesh. This includes a “Web Intelligence”
system, valued at $2 million and delivered to NTMC in 2019; and a cellular
tracking system for military intelligence, valued at $500,000, in 2021.
U-TX
was set up in Cyprus by Israelis – it is registered and operates from the
island. It is helmed by CEO David Heled and at least two other Israelis are
managers in the company. In 2014, U-TX was purchased by Verint, which is traded
on the Nasdaq and offers artificial intelligence and data-analysis
technologies. Verint has also sold advanced cyberespionage tools to oppressive
regimes like those in South Sudan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, investigations
over the past decade revealed.
In
2021, Verint spun off its security operations into a new company called
Cognyte, which shares an address with Verint in Herzliya, Israel and supplies
the same cybersecurity services Verint once did. U-TX operates today under the name
Cognyte.
Source:
Haaretz
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran:
France Not Entitled to Insult Other Religions on Lame Excuse of Free Speech
2023-January-9
"Given
its dismal historical record of colonialism, violation of human rights, and
freedom of expression both at home and abroad, France has no right to justify
its brazen insult to the sanctities of other countries, nations, and followers
of divine religions under the pretext of freedom of speech," Kana'ani
tweeted.
The
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman pointed out that the incumbent French
statesmen must abide by is the observation of the basic and fundamental
principles in international relations, namely mutual respect, non-interference
in others' internal affairs, and respect for the national and religious values
and sanctities of others.
On
Thursday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry decided to shut down a Tehran-based
French archaeological and historical institute in protest against the French
weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo’s move to insult the top religious authority of
the Islamic Republic.
The
InstitutFrançais de Recherche, which is part of the cultural wing of the French
embassy, used to study ancient Persian antiquities.
The
move comes after the Iranian ministry decried Charlie Hebdo’s profane move as
an indication that Zionism has utilized media to act against Islam and promote
hatred and division among human beings.
Iran’s
Foreign Ministry condemned, in the strongest terms, the French magazine’s
decision to publish several insulting cartoons in a special issue later this
week. The controversial right-wing magazine had in early December announced a
competition for producing the cartoons.
It
said such an offensive move by the notorious magazine amounts to the violation
of the recognized moral norms, barbaric desecration of religious sanctities, a
sacrilegious move against the political and religious authorities, and an
offense against the administrative symbols and national values of Iranians.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli
sanctions amount to ‘new war’ against Palestinians: PM Shtayyeh
09
January 2023
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh says a raft of measures recently announced by
Israeli authorities amount to a “new war” against the Palestinian Authority
(PA).
Israel's
new right-wing cabinet led by Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday it will withhold
millions of dollars in tax revenues from the PA.
Speaking
at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting held in Ramallah on Sunday, the
Palestinian prime minister said the measures amounted to "a new war against
the Palestinian people, their capabilities and their funds, and a war against
the national authority (PA) and its survival."
Such
sanctions, he said, were "aimed at undermining the authority and pushing
it to the brink -- financially and institutionally."
Shtayyeh
said “acts of piracy, looting and vengeance practiced by the occupying power
will not discourage our people and our leadership from continuing in their
political, diplomatic and legal struggle. We do not barter our right to
self-determination and our freedom for money or privileges.”
Israel
has repeatedly withheld tax and customs revenues it collects on behalf of the
PA over the past years.
Since
the beginning of 2019 and until the end of 2022, Israel has deducted virtually
$570 million from the Palestinian tax funds. Israel deducts around $100 million
annually as a commission for the collection of taxes on goods and services for
the PA before transferring the funds to the PA treasury.
Shtayyeh
said the deductions decided by the Israeli courts, the most recent of which was
the deduction of $40 million in compensation for Israelis killed by
Palestinians, “are illegal and illegitimate and we do not recognize them.”
“These
cuts are illegitimate and illegal, are a unilateral measure that is not subject
to scrutiny by any Palestinian or international body, and are in violation of
the signed agreements.”
Tel
Aviv has already invoked a law to deduce tax revenues relative to the amounts
the PA pays to the Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails or the families of
those killed by the Israeli military.
Several
senior Palestinian officials condemned the decision, which they described as
“piracy and an illegal economic aggression.”
The
stipends benefit roughly 35,000 families of the Palestinians killed and wounded
by Israel. The PA says the payments are a form of welfare stipend to the
families who have lost their main breadwinner.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas has time and again defended such payments as an
important function of his administration.
The
latest developments followed the Palestinian Authority's successful lobbying
for a UN General Assembly vote referring Israel's occupation of the Palestinian
territories to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/09/696031/Palestinian-tax-Israel
--------
Yemeni
security forces dismantle two terror teams tied to Saudi Arabia’s intelligence
agency
09
January 2023
Yemeni
security forces have identified and dismantled two terrorist teams affiliated
to Saudi Arabia’s intelligence agency, which were involved in the assassination
of the Arab country’s minister of youth and sports affairs, Hassan Zaid, in the
capital Sana’a in late October 2020.
Yemen’s
Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported that members of the
terror team were in close contact with the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency.
They were plotting to carry out targeted killings of some officials and provoke
chaos in Sana’a as well as the southwestern provinces of Ibb and Dhamar.
Yemeni
security forces are going to broadcast a documentary, entitled “In the Grip of
the Security Apparatus” on Tuesday afternoon, which details the Riyadh regime’s
involvement in a massive intelligence campaign against its crisis-stricken
southern neighbor, and its frantic attempts to undermine Yemen’s national
security through assassination attempts.
The
film reveals that the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency is directly engaged
in formation of terror cells.
It
goes on to expose the identities and pictures of some Yemeni nationals, who
used to contribute to the Riyadh regime’s sinister plots and were captured
recently.
The
documentary also discloses that Yemeni citizens Mohammad Ali al-Maqdishi and
Fadl Hussein al-Maqri were assigned by Saudi intelligence officials to set up
two cells.
The
first cell, led by Tariq Mohammad Ahmad al-Ghazali, was tasked with disturbing
security and wreaking havoc across Ba'dan district in Ibb province. Its
members, however, failed to accomplish their mission.
The
other one was plotting to carry out assassination attempts against a number of
public and official figures in Sana’a, Ibb and Dhamar.
The
film further shows the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Abdullah
Al-Salami, and botched targeted killing of university professor Abdulkarim
al-Habsi in Dhamar. Habsi survived the assassination bid, but was seriously
injured in the assault.
It
also reveals a failed assassination attempt that targeted the deputy governor
of Ibb province, Abdulwahed al-Marouei.
Saudi
Arabia, in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics
support from the US and other Western states, launched the devastating war on
Yemen in March 2015.
The
objective was to crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement, which has
been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen,
and reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
‘We're
Palestinian Jews:’ Neturei Karta meet with Islamic Jihad leaders in Jenin
By
SHACHAR BERDISHEVSKY/MAARIV
JANUARY
10, 2023
A
group of Jews who belong to the ultra-Orthodox and anti-Zionist Neturei Karta
group arrived in Jenin on Monday to visit the refugee camp. They stayed at the
home of the senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Judea and
Samaria, Bassam al-Saadi. The members of the delegation met with senior PIJ
officials and declared their support for the Palestinians.
In
addition, the delegation from Neturei Karta met with the secretary general of
the Fatah party, Ata Abu Ramila, and the head of the PIJ, Maher al-Akhras. The
delegation met with al-Saadi's wife as well, and discussed "his
steadfastness despite the occupation operations." They said that the visit
to the camp is a symbol of rejection of the Israeli occupation.
Statements
from both sides
One
of the members of the group stated that "we are Palestinian Jews, we want
to live under the Palestinian flag and not the Israeli flag, in one country
which is the Palestinian state. Hundreds of years ago and before the occupation
began, we lived together in the Old City of Jerusalem and there was no
difference between Jews and Muslims. We all came From one father, Abraham, and
we lived happily together.
"Later,
the Zionists came and created pressure to separate us, but we [have rejected]
it. We want peace and not the racist Israeli law, which is a threat to the
lives of Jews and Muslims. No matter how much time passes, we will continue to
stick to our dreams and common goals. We want Palestine with its capital
Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority so that we can live happily."
Source:
JPost
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-728082
--------
Leader:
Foreign-Backed Rioters Sought to Destroy Iran's Strengths
2023-January-9
"The
rioters did not actually take to the streets to protest against the economic
hardships that the Iranian nation is going through as a result of Western
sanctions," Ayatollah Khamenei said on Monday addressing to a group of
people from Qom on the anniversary of the popular uprising in the holy city
against the former US-backed Pahlavi regime in 1978.
Ayatollah
Khamenei emphasized that foreign enemies were overtly involved in the
nationwide riots in the country while the United States and European countries
openly fueled the unrest in one way or another.
"There
is no doubt that we are beset with economic and livelihood problems now. But,
can these problems be solved by setting trash cans on fire, taking to the
streets, and instigating riots? They did not want to remedy the shortcomings,
but rather, sought to obliterate the Iranian nation’s strengths," the
Supreme Leader pointed out.
Ayatollah
Khamenei added that the media hype against the Islamic Republic was aimed at
creating the impression that rioters were discontent with economic problems and
shortcomings in economic and other sectors of the country.
“They,
however, did not want weaknesses to go away. The objective was rather to wipe
out the country’s strengths,” he pointed out.
Ayatollah
Khamenei referred to attempts aimed at undermining Iran’s national security,
stopping the country’s scientific progress through closure of educational and
scientific centers, impeding the growth of domestic production, and harming
booming sectors such as tourism as clear examples that back up his argument.
The
Supreme Leader pointed out that the enemies pushed their involvement in recent
riots through cyber-based propaganda and via Western and certain regional media
outlets.
Ayatollah
Khamenei reiterated that what the rioters did amounted to treason, calling on
relevant institutions and state officials to seriously deal with any act of
betrayal.
Foreign-backed
riots have hit various Iranian provinces since 22-year-old woman MahsaAmini
died at the hospital on September 16, three days after she collapsed at a
police station in Tehran. An investigation has attributed Amini’s death to her
medical condition, rather than alleged beatings by the police.
The
violent riots have claimed the lives of dozens of people and security forces,
while also allowing terrorist attacks across the country.
Over
the last three months, the terrorists have set fire to public property and
tortured several Basij members and security forces to death.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011019000756/Leader-Freign-Backed-Riers-Sgh-Desry-Iran's-Srenghs
--------
Iranians
Protest against Charlie Hebdo's Insulting Move
2023-January-9
On
Sunday, the protesters most of them religious seminary students, gathered in
front of the French Embassy in the center of the capital Tehran on Sunday while
holding placards to condemn the move by the French satirical weekly Charlie
Hebdo.
The
protesters set fire to France’s national flag and chanted slogans against
France, the US, Britain and the Israeli regime.
They
waved Iranian flags, held pictures of Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and signs reading, “I will sacrifice my life for
the Leader.”
The
participants also called on Iranian Foreign Ministry officials to take
necessary measures in response.
Similar
protests were also held in Iran’s holy city of Qom.
In
a statement, the religious seminary students said the French government must
stop its support for such irrational sacrilegious moves under the pretense of
advocating freedom of expression.
They
urged the French government and President Emmanuel Macron to apologize to the
Iranian people.
The
French magazine has published several insulting cartoons of Ayatollah Khamenei
after the controversial right-wing magazine had in early December announced a
competition for such cartoons.
In
a statement on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran holds the French
government responsible for the uncultured, inhumane move by the notorious
French weekly.
The
ministry also said it would review France’s cultural activities in Iran, and
that it was “ending the activities of the French Institute for Research in Iran
as a first step.”
A
day earlier, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had summoned the French Ambassador in
Tehran, Nicolas Roche, to protest the act of anti-Muslim bigotry.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011019000304/Iranians-Pres-agains-Charlie-Hebd's-Insling-Mve
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President
Rayeesi Calls for Broadening of Iran-Russia Economic Cooperation
2023-January-9
"Iran
and Russia have good grounds for cooperation in bilateral, regional and
international fields," he said while stressing the need for the expansion
of Iran-Russia ties in a meeting with the new Russian Ambassador to Tehran
Alexey Dedov.
The
Russian ambassador, who submitted a copy of his credentials to President
Raeisi, said the continuous development of all-out economic cooperation with
Iran is among his country’s priorities.
Dedov
added that Western countries have lost hope in their sanctions policy due to
the expansion of strategic economic cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.
Tehran
and Moscow both have been targeted with US-led sanctions in recent years, but
the sanctions have failed to secure Western countries’ interests.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Israel’s
PM Netanyahu races ahead to implement hard-line agenda
10
January ,2023
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government has wasted no time
implementing its ultra-nationalist agenda
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government has wasted no time implementing
its ultra-nationalist agenda, including adopting a seemingly petty ban on
displaying the Palestinian flag and shaking the foundations of Israel’s
democracy with a proposed legal assault on the Supreme Court.
After
barely two weeks in power, the most hard-line and religious government in
Israel’s history already is fomenting divisions at home and barreling toward
conflict with the Palestinians and Israel’s allies abroad.
“We
are not waiting, and I think the citizens of Israel already feel this,”
Netanyahu told lawmakers in his Likud Party on Monday. “We formed a different
government, with different policies, and we run things differently.”
Just
days after taking office, his national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir,
visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site — a hilltop compound revered by
Jews and Muslims. While Ben-Gvir respected existing norms that bar Jewish
prayer at the site, the visit was seen by many as a provocation given his past
calls for giving Jewish worshippers greater access. It drew Palestinian
condemnations and angry statements from the United States and Israel’s own Arab
allies.
Netanyahu
has also taken aim at the internationally recognized Palestinian leadership in
the occupied West Bank. Palestinians successfully lobbied the UN General
Assembly to seek a legal opinion from the International Court of Justice on
Israel’s policies in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and the Israeli
government responded with a series of punitive measures.
Some
of the steps have hit the Palestinians hard, such as withholding some $40
million in tax revenues and instead using the money to compensate Israeli
victims of Palestinian violence. There are also plans to halt development in
Palestinian villages in Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank.
Other
moves have been more symbolic, such as revoking the VIP privileges of top
Palestinian officials and banning displays of Palestinian flags inside Israel.
Israeli authorities over the weekend even broke up a meeting of Palestinian
parents discussing their children’s school conditions in east Jerusalem. Israel
claimed the meeting was funded by the Palestinian Authority but provided no
supporting evidence.
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday accused Israel of trying to “topple
the authority and pushing it to the brink, financially and institutionally.”
At
home, Netanyahu and his allies have unveiled a sweeping plan to overhaul the
country’s justice system. The centerpiece proposal would give parliament the
authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority. Critics
say that would destroy Israel’s democratic system of check and balances.
Thousands
of Israelis joined a demonstration over the weekend against the proposed legal
overhaul, and former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak warned that the plan
would turn Israel into a “hollow democracy.” Benny Gantz, a former defense
minister who now sits in the opposition, warned Monday that Netanyahu was
pushing the country toward “civil war.”
The
Netanyahu policies are no surprise. After four inconclusive elections in just
three years, Netanyahu was able to eke out a victory in a fifth round of voting
by joining forces with a collection of far-right and ultra-Orthodox partners.
“We
received a clear mandate from the public, to carry out what we promised in the
elections. That’s what we will do,” Netanyahu said at Monday’s faction meeting.
The
coalition is dominated by hard-liners who detest the Palestinians, oppose the
idea of peace talks and reject the establishment of an independent Palestinian
state. Ben-Gvir, for instance, is a follower of a deceased radical rabbi who
advocated mass expulsions of Palestinians from the country.
Convicted
over a decade ago on incitement and domestic terrorism charges, Ben-Gvir is now
a senior Cabinet minister overseeing the national police force. His partner,
the hard-liner Bezalel Smotrich, is a settler leader who has been placed in
charge of West Bank settlement construction. Netanyahu, who is on trial for
corruption charges, was willing to turn over authority to his partners because
they share his animosity toward a legal system they believe is elitist and
hostile. It is widely believed that the legal overhaul, spearheaded by Justice
Minister Yariv Levin, a close confidant of Netanyahu, will eventually lead to
dismissal of the charges against the prime minister.
“This
is the most extreme government that Israel has ever had,” said Nadav Eyal, an
Israeli commentator and author of “Revolt,” a book about the rise of populism
and nationalism worldwide. “What we’re seeing right now is a manifestation of
their views, and they are basically doing what they promised.”
“To
a large extent, the international community and many Israelis did not
understand that they intend to actually implement much of their portfolio, and
they don’t have anything to counter them politically,” he added.
ahum
Barnea, a veteran columnist at the Yediot Ahronot daily newspaper, said
Netanyahu appears to be “testing the waters” by allowing his partners to
promote their hard-line policies while he tries to deflect international
criticism.
But
he said Netanyahu will face problems reining in his coalition partners “because
he doesn’t have partners for a more moderate policy.”
He
said Netanyahu has no interest in picking a fight with the Biden
administration. “But Netanyahu is no dictator. He has to take into
consideration these very strong voices.”
Levin
said last week that his plans to weaken the Supreme Court are just a first
stage of action. The government’s published guidelines call for more West Bank
settlement construction, the legalization of dozens of illegally built outposts
and eventually the full annexation of the territory.
Such
proposals will almost guarantee a showdown with the US, the Palestinians and
the broader international community. The West Bank already is in the midst of
its deadliest burst of violence in nearly two decades.
So
far, the Biden administration has issued a series of cautious statements
stressing the deep ties with Israel while reiterating the US commitment to a
two-state solution.
The
tone could sharpen when top officials — including national security adviser
Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken — visit in the coming
weeks.
Israel’s
new Arab allies in the Arabian Gulf, particularly the United Arab Emirates,
could also play a key role. The 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel and four
Arab countries are among Netanyahu’s proudest accomplishments, and he has said
he hopes to add Saudi Arabia to the list.
The
UAE criticized Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Jerusalem holy site, and according to
Israeli media reports, delayed Netanyahu’s plan to visit.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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White
House condemns latest Iran death sentences, demands ‘immediate cessation’
10
January ,2023
The
White House on Monday condemned the latest executions of protesters announced
by Iran and said the United States stands with other countries demanding
“immediate cessation” of the death sentences.
“We
condemn the executions of Mohammad Mehdi Karami& Mohammad Hosseini and the additional
executions announced today,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tweeted,
referring to two people executed Saturday, and three more death sentences
announced Monday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Meta’s
Oversight Board tells company to allow posts using ‘death to Khamenei’ slogan
09
January, 2023
Meta’s
Oversight Board on Monday overturned the company’s decision to remove a
Facebook post that used the slogan “death to Khamenei” to criticize the Iranian
leader, saying it did not violate a rule barring violent threats.
The
board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said in a ruling
that the phrase is often used to mean “down with Khamenei” in referring to
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been leading a violent
crackdown on nationwide protests in recent months.
It
also urged the company to develop better ways of factoring such context into
its content policies and outline clearly when rhetorical threats against heads
of state were permitted.
“In
the context of the post, and the broader social, political and linguistic
situation in Iran, ‘marg bar Khamenei’ should be understood as ‘down with.’ It
is a rhetorical, political slogan, not a credible threat,” the board wrote.
Iran
has been gripped by demonstrations since mid-September, following the death in
detention of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman arrested for wearing
“inappropriate attire” under the country’s strict dress code for women.
The
protests, in which demonstrators from all walks of life have called for the
fall of Iran’s ruling theocracy, have posed one of the biggest challenges to
the government of the Shiite Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
The
unrest created a now-familiar conundrum for Meta, which has wavered repeatedly
in its treatment of violent political rhetoric on its platforms.
The
company bans language that incites “serious violence” but aims to avoid
overreach by limiting enforcement to credible threats, leaving ambiguity around
when and how the rule applies.
After
Russia invaded Ukraine last year, for example, Meta introduced a temporary exemption
to allow calls for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to give
users in the region space to express their anger over the war.
However,
days later it reversed the exemption after Reuters reported its existence.
Meta
also has faced scrutiny over how its platforms were used to organize in the
run-up to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Phrases like “kill them all”
appeared in thousands of US-based Facebook Groups before the attack, including
calls for violence against specific US political leaders.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Gazans
protest Israeli bans on medical imports in ambulance march
09
January 2023
Health
workers in the besieged Gaza Strip have staged a protest against Israeli
restrictions on the import of medical equipment despite repeated warnings that
the lives of hundreds of patients are in danger amid a years-long blockade
against the coastal enclave.
In
the protest on Monday, Gazans drove a convoy of some 25 ambulances to voice
their strong objection to the Israeli occupying regime’s ban on the import of
medical and diagnostic devices for patients in hospitals in the besieged Gaza
Strip for 16 years.
"Preventing
the entry of medical devices means the slow death of Gaza patients," read
a banner spread across one of the ambulances used in the rally.
"Medical
equipment is crumbling,” said another poster, in Arabic, Hebrew and English.
The
Palestinian Ma'an news agency cited the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza
as expressing concern about the lives of thousands of patients facing risk as a
result of the ban on the entry of medical equipment and spare parts.
"There
is severe crowding in the reception departments, and there is suffering for the
medical staff inside the operating rooms. Some of these devices are used in
diagnosing complex fracture cases, and some are used in removing clots from
patients who have a stroke in the brain or heart, and the other parts are used
in x-ray work,” said Medhat Abbas, the ministry’s director.
"Thousands
of patients need these devices, and thus delaying their entry means an increase
in the suffering of these patients and overcrowding in hospitals, which are
already suffering from severe overcrowding due to the blockade imposed on the
Gaza Strip," he added.
Ashraf
al-Qudra, a spokesman for the ministry, also said the protest came after the
Israeli prevention of four mobile X-ray machines from entering Gaza, in
addition to equipment used to treat stroke patients and those in intensive
care.
The
restrictions "expose patients of oncology, heart, strokes, complex
fractures and intensive care to health risks," Qudra said, adding that
importing spare parts for old machines was also an issue.
The
Palestinian Ministry of Health has previously warned that the Israeli blockade
imposed for more than 15 years on the Gaza Strip deprived about 50 percent of
Gazan patients of their treatment rights guaranteed by international
humanitarian law inside and outside the Strip.
The
Israeli regime’s crippling siege of the Gaza Strip for democratically electing
the popular resistance movement Hamas has turned the enclave into the world's
largest open-air prison and left many of its people destitute.
The
occupying regime brought the entire enclave under land, aerial, and naval
blockade in June 2007.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
North America
Carter
ordered CIA to topple Islamic Republic 10 months after the revolution: document
January
9, 2023
The
Leader said the report is based on declassified documents which are released
after 30 or 40 years.
The
document that the Leader referred to is related to a series of 359 documents
between 1979-1980. The document related to Iran is the one numbered 110.
Carter’s
order was declared to the Special Coordination Committee that included Turner,
national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Defense secretary Harold Brown,
and secretary of state Cyrus Vance.
It
was based on this order that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was provoked
to launch attack on Iran on September 22, 1980.
In
his order, Carter had said he considered operation against a “foreign country”
important for the American national security.
For
that purpose, Carter tasked Turner or his representative to brief congressional
committees on the operation and if necessary, hold briefing sessions to justify
the operation.
Carter
ordered propagandistic, political and economic operation against the Islamic Republic
in order to establish what he called a “democratic and responsible” regime in
Iran.
Source:
Tehran Times
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US
Supreme Court turns away Israeli spyware maker in WhatsApp suit
09
January ,2023
The
Supreme Court on Monday rejected an Israeli spyware maker’s bid to derail a
high-profile lawsuit filed by the WhatsApp messaging service.
The
justices left in place lower court rulings against the Israeli firm, NSO Group.
WhatsApp claims that NSO targeted some 1,400 users of the encrypted messaging
service with highly sophisticated spyware.
WhatsApp
parent Facebook, now called Meta Platforms Inc, is trying to block NSO from
Facebook platforms and servers and recover unspecified damages.
NSO
argued that it should be recognized as a foreign government agent and therefore
be entitled to immunity under US law limiting lawsuits against foreign
countries. The request appeals a pair of earlier federal court rulings that
rejected similar arguments by the Israeli company.
The
Biden administration recommended that the court turn away the appeal. The
Justice Department wrote that “NSO plainly is not entitled to immunity here.”
NSO’s
flagship product, Pegasus, allows operators to covertly infiltrate a target’s
mobile phone, gaining access to messages and contacts, the camera and
microphone and location history. Only government law enforcement agencies can
purchase the product and all sales are approved by Israel’s Defense Ministry,
NSO said. It does not identify its clients.
WhatsApp
says at least 100 of the users connected to its lawsuit were journalists,
rights activists and civil society members.
NSO
said it has safeguards in place to prevent abuses, although the company also
said it has no control over how its clients use the product.
The
WhatsApp case is among a series of legal battles plaguing NSO. In a separate
lawsuit, Apple says it aims to prevent NSO from breaking into products. It
claimed Pegasus had affected a small number of iPhone users worldwide, calling
NSO’s employees “amoral 21st century mercenaries.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Pope
Francis praises Türkiye's mediation efforts between Russia, Ukraine
DeryaGülnazÖzcan
10.01.2023
Pope
Francis on Monday praised Türkiye's mediation efforts between Ukraine and
Russia, calling on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to "continue his
efforts for peace."
The
Pope's comments came during his meeting with ambassadors in the Vatican,
including Türkiye's ambassador Lutfullah Goktas.
The
Pope told Goktas during the reception that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
should continue his efforts to achieve peace, the Turkish ambassador said on
Twitter.
"Türkiye's
efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine are also appreciated by the
Vatican," Goktas wrote on Twitter.
Türkiye,
internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and
Russia, has repeatedly called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through
negotiations.
In
July, Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to
resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which were paused
after the Russia-Ukraine war began last February. A Joint Coordination Center
with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to
oversee the shipments.
The
first ship carrying grain departed on Aug. 1 from the Ukrainian port of Odesa
under the historic deal.
Addressing
the ambassadors in the annual New Year's meeting, the Pope said it was time to
call for "a peace in a world that is witnessing heightened divisions and
wars."
He
addressed the key challenges facing the world today, including the war in
Ukraine, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Today,
I feel bound to renew my appeal for an immediate end to this senseless
conflict, whose effects are felt in entire regions, also outside of Europe, due
to its repercussions in the areas of energy and food production, above all in
Africa and in the Middle East," the Pope said, referring to the Ukraine
war.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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US
announces USD 100 million of recovery, reconstruction funding for Pakistan
Jan
10, 2023
WASHINGTON:
The United States has announced an additional USD 100 million to Pakistan for
its recovery and reconstruction efforts after the devastating floods last year
that killed 1,739 and affected 33 million people.
The
funding also includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery
efforts in refugee hosting areas, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told
reporters at a news conference here on Monday.
"I
am pleased to share that today the United States announced an additional USD
100 million of recovery and reconstruction funding, bringing our total
contribution to over USD200 million," he said.
The
new USD 100 million in funding will be for flood protection and governance,
disease surveillance, economic growth, and clean energy, climate smart
agriculture, food security, and infrastructure reconstruction, Price said.
The
United States' flood-related assistance complements its broader efforts to form
a US-Pakistan green alliance that looks at the range of climate and resilience
issues central to Pakistan's reconstruction, the spokesperson said.
"Pakistan's
recovery and reconstruction will be a continuing process in the months and
years ahead and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to build a
more climate resilient future for its people," Price said.
Source:
Times Of India
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US:
Muslim community demands justice over police killing of Bangladeshi man
9
January 2023
Local
rights groups and the family and friends of a young Bangladeshi man killed last
week in a police shooting in Cambridge, Massachusetts, demanded justice,
transparency and accountability during a protest on Monday.
The
protest was the second to take place in a week over the killing, which has led
to calls for an end to the Cambridge police's involvement in mental
health-related emergencies.
An
attorney for the local district said that on Wednesday 4 January police
officers responded to a call from a resident who reported seeing a person jump
out of the window of a neighbouring apartment. The resident said he saw a man
cutting himself with broken window glass and a knife.
The
district attorney said the preliminary investigation suggested that 20-year-old
Arif Sayed Faisal reportedly ran away with a machete-like knife after seeing
police. Police then say after attempting to verbally engage with him, Faisal
moved towards the officers while still in possession of the knife.
One
police officer shot Faisal with a "less-than-lethal" sponge round to
stop his advance, then after he continued moving towards the police, an officer
fired their gun and shot Faisal. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital
where he died from his wounds.
A
GoFundMe page set up for Faisal, an only child, stated that an eyewitness told
local news that they did not see Faisal attacking police at the moment he was
shot.
According
to local activists, Faisal was suffering from a mental health crisis at the
time. The district attorney's office is conducting an investigation into the
incident.
"Our
only son, Sayed Arif Faisal, who we lovingly called Prince, is no longer with
us nor in this world," his parents said in a statement published by the
Council on American-Islamic Relations' Massachusetts chapter.
"Prince
was a normal law-abiding citizen who had no record of any kind with law
enforcement. He was never violent towards anyone. We want to know what happened
and how this tragic event unfolded."
The
student's death was the first time that Cambridge police killed someone and it
was the first time since 2015 that the police had shot a person, according to
local newspapers.
"Arif
was one of my closest friends. He was a guy who no one could hate. He was
always helping others," a friend of Faisal's said during the protest on
Monday, before he was overcome with grief and unable to continue his remarks.
Difficulty
finding justice
During
the protest, organised by the Bangladeshi Association of New England (Bane),
scores of community members gathered in front of city hall to both mourn for
Faisal and also call on the city for answers as to why he was killed.
Fatema
Ahmad, executive director of the Boston-based Muslim Justice League, said
during the protest that the killing of Faisal will not go unforgotten, and
called on community members to demand an answer from the police, as well as
from city authorities.
"The
community demands justice and real change so this never happens again. Everyone
in crisis deserves to be met with support and care, not violence and
criminalisation," Ahmad told Middle East Eye in a separate statement.
"But
it is so difficult to define justice when someone has been taken from us. He
was a local student, active in the community, and the only child of his parents
so this has left a huge hole in the community."
Local
rights groups are also calling for an end to the use of police for emergency
services related to mental health.
Cambridge
police spokesperson Jeremy Warnick stated last week that police have a team of
specially trained officers to deal with people in a psychological crisis,
including two social workers, but they do not respond to situations involving
violence.
One
group, The Black Response, said that the killing of Faisal highlighted the need
for a completely alternative approach to dealing with mental health crises,
saying that the police should not be involved in these cases at all.
"No
one, especially not a person in crisis, should have to fear for their lives in
this time of need when they are most vulnerable. There is no justification for
the murder of Arif Sayed Faisal," The Black Response, a grassroots
organisation in Cambridge, said in a statement.
Source:
MiddleEastEye
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Man
behind deadly NY truck attack sought martyrdom
January
10, 2023
NEW
YORK: A man charged with using a truck to kill eight people on a Manhattan bike
path in 2017 believes his attack was justified and sought to die a martyr for
Islam, his defence counsel told the jury at his terrorism trial yesterday.
At
the first federal death-penalty trial since US president Joe Biden took office
in January 2021, defendant Sayfullo Saipov, 34, acknowledged through his
lawyers that he intended to murder and maim his victims and still believes he
had a religious duty to do so.
The
only point of contention with prosecutors was whether he carried out the attack
in order to join the Islamic State militant group, also known as IS, which the
US brands a terrorist organisation.
“That
is not why he did this,” David Patton, a public defender representing Saipov,
said in an opening statement at the US district court in Manhattan, saying
Saipov was only inspired by IS, and not planning to survive his attack and join
as a member.
“He
expected to die. He expected to become a martyr.”
Most
of the charges in the 28-count indictment include as an element that Saipov
committed murder and attempted murder in order to join IS.
Saipov
has pleaded not guilty.
He
sat by his lawyers in court wearing a green pullover and gray pants, a bushy
black beard curling beneath his face mask.
An
Uzbek national who moved to the US in 2010 and last worked as an Uber driver in
Paterson, New Jersey, Saipov was provided a headset to listen to an interpreter.
In
the public gallery behind him sat some of the wounded, including a woman who
lost both her legs, and relatives of the dead.
Five
Argentinian tourists, one Belgian tourist and two Americans were killed.
In
the prosecution’s opening statement, assistant US attorney Alexander Li said
Saipov left behind “a scene of devastation and horror” when he mowed down his
victims using a rental truck on Oct 31, 2017, before leaving a “truck-sized
hole” after crashing into the side of a school bus, leaving one child with
brain damage.
Saipov
expected the city to be busy with people celebrating Halloween and had planned
to also attack people on the Brooklyn Bridge that day, Li said.
He
carried serrated knives and fake guns that looked real.
“Right
after the attack, he proudly declared why he did it,” Li said.
“He
did it for IS, the brutal terrorist organisation.”
Saipov
was taken to the hospital after a police officer shot him near his crashed
truck, and later that night told an FBI agent that he wanted an IS flag to display
in his room.
His
lawyers confirmed this, saying Saipov still believed what Patton called a
“twisted and awful version of Islam”.
He
told the jury that Saipov had become isolated from his extended Muslim family
in Uzbekistan, and became convinced by sophisticated IS propaganda he had
consumed online for years that there was a western conspiracy to eradicate
Islam.
The
US department of justice told judge Vernon Broderick in September that it
intends to seek the death penalty for Saipov, although there has been a
moratorium on federal executions since July 2021 while the department reviews
its use of the punishment.
If
convicted, Saipov could also be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
He
has been jailed since his arrest.
The
jury will not consider punishment during the first phase of the trial, which
could last three months.
Source:Free Malaysia Today
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US
national security adviser Sullivan says will discuss Iran on Israel trip
09
January ,2023
US
national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday said he would be discussing
threats posed by Iran when he makes a trip to Israel to meet with the country's
new government.
Sullivan,
speaking to reporters during a trip by President Joe Biden to Mexico, said the
US government has made clear that a nuclear agreement with Iran is not a
priority at the moment and that it continues to believe that diplomacy is the
right away to ensure that the country does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Sullivan
said the Biden administration would have an opportunity to engage with the new
Israeli government about the issue.
“We
will work through any differences we have on tactics,” he said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Africa
Muslim
Muslim Ticket: God has no business with Nigerian thieving politicians –
Adeyanju
January
9, 2023
By
Seun Opejobi
With
less than two months to the presidential election, Nigerians have been
cautioned against voting for people along religious lines, saying God has no
business with Nigerian thieving politicians.
DejiAdeyanju,
a socio-political activist, gave the admonition while noting that God has no
plans with Nigeria’s thieving politicians.
Adeyanju
was condemning an Islamic preacher, Abdulmutallab Mohammed Auwal, for urging
Muslims to consider the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its Muslim/Muslim
ticket as a call to Jihad.
At
a special prayer session organised by Muslim clerics in Kano for the success of
Bola Tinubu’s candidacy, Auwal said the Tinubu/Shettima’s Muslim/Muslim ticket
had defined the supremacy of Islam.
Reacting,
Adeyanju said the cleric’s remark was not different from pastors endorsing a
particular candidate as God’s will.
In
a chat with DAILY POST, Adeyanju wrote: “Nigerians must reject the urge to vote
for people along religious and ethnic lines.
“I
condemn the remarks of the Islamic cleric in Kano calling on Muslims to vote
for Tinubu/Shettima by referring to their ticket as a jihad.
Source:
DailyPost Nigeria
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Fresh
operation in Somalia kills at least 61 al-Shabaab terrorists
Mohammed
Dhaysane
09.01.2023
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least 61 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed and dozens others wounded in Somalia
after an operation by the country’s National Intelligence and Security Agency
(NISA), Information Ministry said on Monday.
The
operation against al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group was backed by Somalia’s
international partners in the country’s south-central province of Middle
Shabelle.
The
ministry said in a statement that the operation targeted Khawarij militias, and
estimated 150 who were planning to attack the national army and the local
forces in Hawadlay.
The
government said the terrorists were also hit while they were preparing to plant
explosives in the area.
Somalia’s
deputy Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf al-Adalla, who spoke to
journalists in the capital Mogadishu, said the group were inflicted heavy
defeat and “the conspiracies they have been working on to destroy the national
army camp on the outskirts of Hawadley” were foiled.
It
is the first such operation conducted by the army backed by the international
partners against the terrorist fighters in the Horn of Africa nation since the
beginning of the year.
The
Middle Shabelle region has seen an increased military operations since
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” on the group
after his re-election last year.
The
military, last month said it had liberated the strategic town of Runirgod that
the army said was the last remaining al-Shabaab stronghold in the region.
Somalia
has been plagued by insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab being one of the main
threats.
It
has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international
forces since at least 2007, claiming thousands of lives.
The
UN has warned of growing instability in the country, with periodic reports last
year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and pro-Daesh/ISIS terror groups.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Türkiye
strives to boost ties with all African countries, says foreign minister
MerveAydogan
09.01.2023
The
Turkish foreign minister on Monday said Türkiye "works hard" to
strengthen its ties with all African countries, stressing, in particular, South
Africa, his first stop on a five-nation African tour.
"Today,
we maintain strong ties with the descendants of Abu Bakr Effendi, who laid the
foundation of our friendship with South Africa," said Mevlut Cavusoglu at
the inauguration of a new chancellery building at the Turkish Consulate in Cape
Town, South Africa.
Effendi
was a prominent Turkish scholar sent to South Africa in the 19th century by
Sultan Abdul-Aziz Khan to spread the message of Islam. The legacy of Effendi
and other Ottomans who came to reside at the Cape can still be felt after more
than 150 years through their writings.
Some
Ottoman descendants are now well-known in South Africa, among them judges,
doctors, and even politicians.
Saying
that Türkiye reaches out to its citizens across the globe via its 257 missions,
Cavusoglu said the number of Turkish foreign missions put it among the top five
worldwide.
"Our
representations enable us at the same time to expand our economic and cultural
relations," he added.
With
Turkish Airlines' Istanbul-Cape Town charter flights, connections between the
peoples of the two nations grew, said Cavusoglu, urging further interaction to
promote the "beauties, potential, and opportunities" of both
countries.
On
bilateral trade, Cavusoglu said it develops each day, pointing to last year’s
50% rise to $3 billion.
He
expressed hopes to increase the bilateral trade volume to $10 billion.
After
South Africa, Cavusoglu is due to proceed to Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Gabon, and Sao
Tome and Principe.
Cavusoglu
also announced the Turkish Maarif Foundation's plans to open another school in
Cape Town in 2024.
The
Turkish Maarif Foundation, established in 2016, is undertaking an important
role in the fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in the
education sector. The terror group has a network of private schools abroad as a
revenue stream to support its illegal activities.
FETO
and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the 2016 defeated coup in
Türkiye which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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South Asia
Undoing
20 Years of Progress in Afghanistan: SIGAR
By
Fidel Rahmati
January
10, 2023
The
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has released a
statement indicating the US government’s expenditure on several programs and
activities in Afghanistan during the past 20 years.
Between
2002 and June 30, 2022, the US government spent approximately $14.08 billion on
reconstruction and related initiatives in five key areas in Afghanistan:
advancing the rights of Afghan women and girls, fostering a free press,
educating Afghans, enhancing healthcare, and assisting Afghan non-governmental
organizations (NGOs).
The
statement read that the US government has spent $ 787.4 million on programs
supporting Afghan women and girls and at least $ 1 billion on 66 different
programs to develop the rule of law and protect, inform and advance women’s
rights in Afghanistan.
With
the return of the de facto authorities, Afghan women and girls again face
significant risks, including limited access to education and health, loss of
empowerment, ban on females working with national and international
organizations.
Similar
reverse has also been experienced in significant areas, including quality
education, access to free Media, health care system, civil society, and NGOs.
In
addition, recently, new policies introduced by the caretaker government further
banned female Afghan girls from going to universities and working with national
and international organizations.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/undoing-20-years-of-progress-in-afghanistan-sigar/
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United
Nations provide clarification on the cash shipments to Afghanistan
By
Fidel Rahmati
January
9, 2023
The
United Nations Mission in Afghanistan has distributed a press release providing
clarification on the cash shipments to Afghanistan.
The
statement read that The United Nations transported cash to Afghanistan for use
by UN agencies. The UN uses the money to carry out its missions in Afghanistan,
mainly to provide life-saving humanitarian aid to the many millions of Afghans
in need.
The
press release emphasized that “all cash transferred to Afghanistan is placed in
designated UN accounts in a private bank for use by the United Nations, which
will directly distribute to the United Nations entities including UNICEF,
UNHCR, WFP, UN-Women, OCHA, UN-Habitat, WHO, FAO, IOM and other small numbers
of approved humanitarian partners in the country.”
The
statement further clarified that “none of the cash brought into Afghanistan is
deposited in the Central Bank of Afghanistan nor provided to the Taliban de
facto authorities by the UN.”
Since
December 2021, the UN has brought to Afghanistan approximately US$ 1.8 billion
in funds for the United Nations and partners to conduct their work, and the
amount of cash brought into Afghanistan is proportional to the UN’s program of
Humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
UNAMA
official has not mentioned the amount of cash transformed to Afghanistan while
being notified that the amount brought to the country is proportional to the
humanitarian assistance program.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/cash-shipment-to-the-united-nations-in-afghanistan/
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Myanmar
jails 112 Rohingya for travelling 'without documents'
10th
January 2023
YANGON:
Myanmar authorities have sentenced 112 Rohingya, including a dozen children, to
between two and five years in prison for attempting to travel to Malaysia
"without legal documents", state media reported Tuesday.
The
group were arrested last month in the southern Ayeyarwady region and sentenced
on January 6, according to a report by the Global New Light of Myanmar, which
cited local police.
The
children were transferred to a "youth training school" near
commercial hub Yangon on January 8, the newspaper reported, without giving
further details.
The
report referred to the group as "Bengalis," using a pejorative word
for the Muslim minority, who are denied citizenship in Buddhist-majority
Myanmar and often require permission to travel.
A
military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017 sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya
fleeing into neighbouring Bangladesh with harrowing stories of murder, rape and
arson.
Myanmar
is facing genocide accusations at the United Nation's top court following the
mass exodus.
Thousands
of Rohingya risk their lives each year making perilous journeys from camps in
Bangladesh and Myanmar to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia.
On
Sunday a wooden boat carrying nearly 200 Rohingya refugees, a majority of them
women and children, landed on Indonesia's western coast, the fifth to arrive
since November, according to authorities.
Source:
New Indian Express
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Afghan
Athletes Showing Off Strenght in Frozen Harirud River in Ghor
By
Nizamuddin Rezahi
January
10, 2023
The
sports authorities in central Ghor province say that eight athletes from
different disciplines have completed heavy training in the frozen Harirud river
in Firuzkoh, the provincial capital of Ghor.
HamidullahHemaq,
head of physical education and sports of Ghor province told the media on
Monday, that these heavyweight sportsmen conducted an exercise in the icy cold
weather, a symbolic gesture, to show strength, unity, and empathy of the Afghan
people.
Mr.
Hemaq asked sports institutions and the people of Afghanistan to support
athletes so that they would become great remodels among the young
generation.
Raqeeb
Farooqi, known as the ‘Ice Man’ of Afghanistan is from Ghor province. He became
popular after one of his videos went viral on social media, exercising heavy
weight training in minus 22 degrees in the frozen Harirud river a few years
ago.
“Today,
athletes have gathered and displayed their physical strength in Harirud river.
Our goal is to display the physical strength of the athletes – the unity and
empathy of the people of Afghanistan,” Farooqi said.
This
freestyle athlete added that every year Ghori sportsmen do heavy training in
order to boost their physical strength in the cold and icy weather of Firouzkuh.
Jan
Mohammad Heydari and Mohammad Qasim Ferdowsi are two other athletes, known as
the snowmen of Afghanistan. They want the government and sports-related
organizations to support the athletes so that they can carry out their
exercises and make Afghanistan proud.
The
lack of facilities and proper training venues are some of the key challenges
the athletes are faced in Ghor province, which needs the immediate attention of
sports institutions and the central government of Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-athletes-showing-off-strenght-in-frozen-harirud-river-in-ghor/
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