Facebook Removes Trump Campaign Ads Featuring Symbol Used by Nazis
New Age Islam News Bureau
20
Jun 2020
•
Muslims, Jews, Hindus And Sikh Have Higher Covid Death Rate Than Christians, UK
Figures Indicate
•
Russian Experts: US MQ-4C Triton Drone Downed by Iran's ‘Mythical Missile’
•
Indonesia’s Islamic Charities: Plugging Gaps in Economic Relief
•
Four JuD Leaders Convicted in Terror Finance Case
•
No Threat to West as US Troops Leave Afghanistan: Taliban
•
Arab League Plans Urgent Virtual Meeting on Escalating Conflict In Libya
•
Mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca Set to Reopen On June 21
•
Charge Sheets Filed Against 46 Foreigners in Connection With The Congregation
At Markaz Tablighi Jamaat In Nizamuddin
North America
•
Facebook Removes Trump Campaign Ads Featuring Symbol Used by Nazis
•
US To Release Lebanese Businessman Accused of Ties to Hezbollah
•
US economic embargo on Syria is 'crime
against humanity': Analyst
•
US counter-terror analyst sentenced to 30 months for leaks
--------
Europe
•
Muslims, Jews, Hindus And Sikh Have Higher Covid Death Rate Than Christians, UK
Figures Indicate
•
Islamic Charity Which Described Qassim Soleimani As 'Great Martyr' Given
Official Warning By Watchdog
•
SETA To Publish Report to Point Out Growing Anti-Islam Sentiment
•
France will renew calls to preserve nuclear deal with Iran, says French FM
•
Terror groups 'exploiting coronavirus pandemic to radicalise new recruits', QC
warns
•
Europe wants to extend Iran arms embargo
•
EU must pay full $6.5B to Turkey: Top Hungary diplomat
•
UK fails to inspect factory supplying Saudi's Yemen war
--------
Mideast
•
Russian Experts: US MQ-4C Triton Drone Downed by Iran's ‘Mythical Missile’
•
Iran Unveils Naval Version of 3rd of Khordad Air Defense Shield
•
Iran’s Navy Commander: Supersonic Missiles Production atop Agenda
•
Envoy: Iran to Take Appropriate Action in Reaction to IAEA BoG Resolution
•
UN’s nuclear watchdog passes resolution calling for Iran’s cooperation
•
Iranian judge accused of corruption in Iran found dead in Romanian capital
•
Israeli anti-racism chief sheds light on police profiling of Ethiopian Jews
•
UK, France, Germany accessories to Trump, Netanyahu: Iran FM
•
Kurdish terrorist attack kills four in southeast Turkey
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Indonesia’s Islamic Charities: Plugging Gaps in Economic Relief
•
Saudi limits on Hajj over COVID-19 spark ill feelings and resignation in
Indonesia and Malaysia
•
New Normal in an Islamic Boarding School in Tangerang
•
Anticorruption fight at risk as Supreme Court acquits another high-profile
graft defendant
--------
Pakistan
•
Four JuD Leaders Convicted in Terror Finance Case
•
Covid-19 Cases Witnessed Drop for Fifth Consecutive Day: NCOC Pakistan Records
136 Deaths In 24 Hours
•
2 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers among 4 killed in bomb blasts in Sindh
province
•
Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan
•
$1.5bn loan agreements signed to fight virus
•
Two Rangers personnel among three killed, five injured in Ghotki blast
--------
South
Asia
•
No Threat to West as US Troops Leave Afghanistan: Taliban
•
The Rohingyas and the Elephants: How Humans and Nature Collide in Refugee Camps
•
West reluctant for 'dangerous' Taliban prisoners to be freed: sources
•
US Investigates Alleged IS Plot to Kill American Peace Envoy to Afghanistan
•
Top General Says U.S. Troop Cut In Afghanistan Hits 8,600 Target In Line With
Taliban Deal
--------
Africa
•
Arab League Plans Urgent Virtual Meeting on Escalating Conflict In Libya
•
Al-Qaeda North Africa confirms chief is dead: SITE
•
Troops killed 41 Boko Haram fighters in Borno –DHQ
•
Nigeria Attacks Spark Fears of Bloodier Jihadist Strategy
•
Nigerian military destroys Boko Haram's tactical command centre, kills
militants: official
--------
Arab
World
•
Mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca Set to Reopen On June 21
•
After US Elections, There Will Be Little Change In Middle East Policy: Experts
•
Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince sends jet to reunite Syrian parents with
children
•
Saudi Arabia welcomes IAEA’s resolution pressing Iran for access to nuclear
sites
•
Kuwaitis denounce Tunisia’s Ghannouchi’s state visit invite, recall pro-Saddam
stance
•
Top court orders release of Kurdish opposition leader in blow to Erdogan
•
Egypt to repatriate nationals stranded in Sudan due to coronavirus crisis
--------
India
•
Charge Sheets Filed Against 46 Foreigners in Connection With The Congregation
At Markaz Tablighi Jamaat In Nizamuddin
•
Indians stranded in Pakistan will arrive back home in three batches
•
Northeast Delhi riots: Two more chargesheets filed against AAP ex-councillor
Tahir Hussain
•
Pakistani drone shot down by BSF along IB in J&K
•
Sharjeel's hate speech led to looting of temple donation boxes and arson: UP
•
Farooq demands restoration of J&K’s special status
•
26/11 plotter Tahawwur Rana arrested in Los Angeles, faces extradition to India
•
J&K: At least 8 militants killed in 24 hours in separate encounters
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/facebook-removes-trump-campaign-ads/d/122172
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Facebook Removes Trump Campaign Ads Featuring Symbol Used By Nazis
JUNE
18, 2020
The red inverted triangle was used by the Nazis to designate political enemies in concentration camps. (Image from Facebook)
-------
Facebook
removed a series of ads from the Trump campaign on Thursday for prominently
featuring an upside-down red triangle in its posts about antifascist activists,
a symbol once applied by Nazi Germany to political prisoners.
“We
removed these posts and ads for violating our policy against organized hate,”
Facebook said in a statement. “Our policy prohibits using a banned hate group’s
symbol to identify political prisoners without the context that condemns or
discusses the symbol.”
The
ads, first reported by the Washington Post, declared that “Dangerous MOBS of
far-left groups are running through our streets and causing absolute mayhem”
and “are DESTROYING our cities and rioting.”
The
posts also asked the president’s supporters to demand that “ANTIFA” be
designated a terrorist organization, though “antifa” does not comprise formal
organizations and instead is an umbrella term for leftists who actively oppose
far-right figures and groups such as neo-Nazis and white nationalists.
“Whether
aware of the history or meaning, for the Trump campaign to use a symbol — one
which is practically identical to that used by the Nazi regime to classify
political prisoners in concentration camps — to attack his opponents is
offensive and deeply troubling,” Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation
League, the anti-extremist organization, said in a statement.
“It
is not difficult for one to criticize their political opponent without using
Nazi-era imagery,” Greenblatt said. “We implore the Trump campaign to take
greater caution and familiarize themselves with the historical context before
doing so. Ignorance is not an excuse for appropriating hateful symbols.”
A
Trump campaign spokesman did not respond to a request for comment, but on
Twitter, the campaign’s rapid response team tweeted that the red triangle is
“widely used by Antifa. It was used in an ad about Antifa. It is not in the
ADL’s Hate Symbols Database.”
Though
some antifascist activists have used the red triangle symbol before, “it is not
a particularly common antifa symbol,” Anti-Defamation League spokesman Jake
Hyman wrote in an email.
“Their
use is similar to the use of the pink triangle by some LGBTQ+ groups,” Hyman
said. “Usage of a concentration camp symbol by the heirs of persecuted
categories, such as antifascists and those in the LGBTQ+ community, is however
very different from someone using a Nazi concentration camp image to label
one’s enemies.”
The
ADL spokesman added: “As for the Trump team defense about the particular symbol
not being in our database, it should be noted that the database is not a
database of historical Nazi symbols; it is a database of symbols commonly used
by modern extremists and white supremacists in the United States.”
Trump
has blamed antifascist activists for the violence that erupted during some of
the recent protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but federal
law enforcement officials have offered little evidence of this. In California
and Nevada, there have been arrests of people linked to far-right fringe groups
believed to be aiming to capitalize on protests.
The
Trump campaign has previously been criticized for sharing content linked to
right-wing extremists or featuring anti-Semitic imagery.
In
November 2015, Trump retweeted an image with fake African American crime
statistics that first appeared on a neo-Nazi Twitter account. In January 2016,
he retweeted a user named @WhiteGenocideTM. He thanked an apparent white
nationalist for support in February 2016 and retweeted another apparent white
nationalist in April 2016 who was praising him for his policies. In July 2016,
Trump tweeted a photo of Hillary Clinton next to a Star of David, which Trump
claimed was a sheriff’s badge.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-06-18/facebook-trump-campaign-posts-symbol-used-by-nazis?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
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Muslims, Jews, Hindus And Sikh Have Higher Covid Death Rate Than Christians, UK Figures Indicate
Jun
19, 2020
The Royal Free NHS hospital is pictured in London. (File/AFP)
------
LONDON:
The death rate from Covid-19 in England and Wales is higher among people who
identify as Muslims, Jews, Hindus or Sikh than Christians or those with no
stated religion, Britain's statistics office said on Friday.
The
latest figures from the Office for National Statistics also reflected previous
studies which showed that black and other ethnic minority groups had a far
higher risk of death from the disease than those with white ethnicity.
According
to the ONS, which examined data from the start of March until May 15, the
mortality rate among Muslims was higher than any other group, with those who
were Jewish, Hindu or Sikh also showing higher death rates.
"With
ethnicity included, (this) demonstrates that a substantial part of the
difference in mortality...between religious groups is explained by the
different circumstances in which members of these groups are known to live; for
example, living in areas with higher levels of socio-economic deprivation and
differences in ethnic makeup," the ONS report said.
"However,
after adjusting for the above, Jewish males are at twice the risk of Christian
males, and Jewish women are also at higher risk," said Nick Stripe, Head
of Life Events at the ONS, adding that more research was needed to explain
this.
The
mortality rate among Muslim men was 98.9 deaths per 100,000 and 98.2 deaths per
100,000 for women. For those who said they had no religion in Britain's 2011
census, the figure was 80.7 deaths per 100,000 males and 47.9 deaths per
100,000 females.
The
findings coincide with more statistics which show that black and Asian people
in England and Wales were at higher risk from the novel coronavirus.
Figures
showed that the highest mortality rate was among black men at 255.7 per 100,000
compared to a rate of 87 deaths per 100,000 white males. The death rate was
119.8 per 100,000 for black women and 52 per 100,000 for white women.
That
echoes an official study earlier this month which found black and Asian people
in England were up to 50% more likely to die after becoming infected with
Covid-19.
"Significant
differences also remain for Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian men," Stripe
said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/muslims-jews-have-higher-covid-death-rate-uk-figures-indicate/articleshow/76463772.cms
--------
Russian Experts: US MQ-4C Triton Drone Downed by Iran's ‘Mythical Missile’
Jun
19, 2020
US MQ-4C Triton Drone Downed by Iran's ‘Mythical Missile’
------
According
to the IRGC Aerospace, concurrent with the flight of a US Navy MQ-4C Triton
high-altitude drone from al-Dhafrah air base of the UAE, an American maritime
patrolling P-8 aircraft and an MQ-9 drone were also flying in the region while
the P-8 was 16 kilometers distant from the drone.
The
American drone flew toward the Strait of Hormuz and violating the Iranian First
Information Report (FIR) continued its way toward Chabahar. Then after its
turn, it was detected by the Iranian radar at a distance of 490 kilometers.
The
radar, a product of the Iranian specialists and engineers of the Ministry of
Defense, is capable of detecting three-dimensional pictures of more than 200
targets in a 500-kilometer range simultaneously.
Once
the drone violated Iran's FIR, the two sites near Jask and Kouh-e Mobarak were
assigned to shoot it down. Then the two systems locked on the drone.
The
detecting radar detected the target at an altitude of 12 kilometers, with a
speed of 700 k/h and distance of 169 kilometers.
The
3rd of Khordad missile system locked on the drone at a distance of 120
kilometers and, after preparations, the missile was launched at a distance of
90 kilometers and the drone was shot 75 kilometers away over Iran’s territorial
waters.
The
drone was flying at an altitude of 14 kilometers and was increasing altitude
when it was targeted.
The
manned P-8 aircraft was 17 kilometers away from the drone and MQ-9, too, was
nearly 17 kilometers away from MQ-4C Triton.
After
downing the drone, despite ranting by the Americans, especially by the US
President, there was no aggressive reaction on their side after three days.
Only a number of F-22 fighters and bombers came to the region while no special
military move was reported by them.
Russian
military experts, after bringing down the drone, said that the drone was
targeted by a “mythical missile”.
On
June 20, last year,the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force
announced that it used the Iran-made short-range and mid-altitude 'Third of
Khordad' missile defense shield to bring down a US Navy MQ-4C Triton
high-altitude drone over the country's Southern coasts, releasing videos that
show the flight path of the plane as well as the moment it was brought down.
The
incident marked the first direct Iranian attack on US assets and came amid
heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. The downing of the $220mln
drone was also the latest in an escalating series of incidents in the Persian
Gulf since mid-May, including suspected attacks on six tankers that the US
blamed on Iran. Tehran has denied any involvement in the incidents.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990330000257
--------
Indonesia’s
Islamic Charities: Plugging Gaps In Economic Relief
June
20, 2020
Although
the Indonesian government has increased its budget deficit to accommodate a
larger stimulus package, it is seen as insufficient to address the economic
damage from the COVID-19 pandemic. Philanthropic organisations, in particular,
Islamic charities, have stepped in to fill the gaps.
By
Alexander R Arifianto and Jonathan Chen*
As
an emerging economy, Indonesia has made significant progress alleviating
poverty within the past four decades. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however,
has not only engendered a massive public health crisis in the country but also
dealt a heavy blow to the economic well-being of millions of Indonesians who
have lost their jobs and income. Surveys conducted showed that half of
Indonesian workers had stopped working as a result of the pandemic.
The
SMERU Research Institute, a Jakarta-based public policy think-tank, has
estimated in a working paper that if the Indonesian economy contracted by 3.2
percent by the end of 2020, it would have resulted in a 9.7 percent increase in
the poverty rate. In the worst-case scenario, the poverty rate would increase
by 12.4 percent. In real numbers, this translates into 8.5 million more
Indonesians becoming poor, virtually wiping out Indonesia’s progress in
reducing poverty achieved within the past decade.
Limitations
of Government Aid
The
Indonesian government has recently announced a new stimulus package worth 677
trillion Indonesian rupiahs (IDR) (US$47.6 billion). Of this, IDR204 trillion
(US$14.3 billion) has been allocated to provide a social safety net for poor
citizens affected by the ongoing pandemic.
However,
observers were concerned that the data of poor Indonesian households who are
eligible to receive the stimulus package was based on the last national survey
on poverty, conducted in 2014. This means that many affected households would
have been bypassed in such an exercise as they are not categorised as poor.
The
problem is especially chronic among the informal sector workers, who often do
not possess a national identity card issued by the city in which they live and
work, thus not properly recorded by the census. Bureaucratic red tape has also
delayed distribution of the government’s social assistance schemes,
particularly in the outer island regions.
Filling
the Gaps: Islamic Charities
Islamic
charitable organisations have provided assistance to millions of poor
Indonesians since the pandemic was declared as a national emergency in March
2020. These faith-based charities have lately benefitted from significant
middle-class support. It is estimated that up to IDR286 trillion (US$20
billion) is collected annually from zakat (obligatory religious alms) and other
related contributions.
During
the pandemic, several organisations have distinguished themselves by providing
food, protective health equipment, and other forms of assistance to families in
need. Fundraising efforts for COVID-19 and zakat were combined during the
Ramadan month of fasting as the number of COVID-19 cases peaked during April
and May.
Most
charities reported a massive increase in donations ─ mostly collected online ─ as compared to 2019. Foremost
amongst them are Lazismu (affiliated with Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s
second largest Islamic organisation) and NU Care-Lazisnu (affiliated with
Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organisation) with a 90 percent
increase in donations.
COVID-19
disaster relief donations are classified as social funds for humanity (dana
sosial kemanusiaan) according to Islamic principles, thus donations in-cash and
kind can be distributed to all Indonesian citizens regardless of sectarian
preferences.
Muhammadiyah
and NU Charities
For
Lazismu, Muhammadiyah’s charity arm, philanthropic efforts are centralised
under the newly established Muhammadiyah COVID-19 Command Centre (MCCC). By the
first week of June 2020, Lazismu had raised a total of IDR154.8 billion
(US$10.9 million) in donations for its pandemic relief, and distributed aid to
approximately 3.2 million Indonesians.
Muhammadiyah
also relies on its 77 hospitals and approximately 300 health clinics located
throughout Indonesia – now designated as referral centres for COVID-19 cases.
Due
to the decentralised nature of NU, its charity wing Lazisnu (NU Care), depends
largely upon its nearly 29,000 pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) throughout
Indonesia to raise charitable funds. A major source of proceeds for Lazisnu
came from donations from the Javanese folk singer Didi Kempot’s live-streamed
charity concert in April, before his untimely death in May.
Lazisnu
also raises funds from third-party donations – mainly funds donated by private
companies and state-owned enterprises.
However,
not all Islamic charities have achieved an uptick in donations due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. With large-scale social restrictions (Pembatasan Sosial
Berskala Besar or PSBB) in place, charities that do not have a significant
online presence and still rely heavily on cash donations suffered a significant
decline in donations, especially during the month of Ramadan when mosques were
shut down due to the nation-wide restrictions.
Towards
a “New Normal”
It
remains to be seen whether the “New Normal” protocols announced by the Jokowi
administration with effect 1 June, represent a boon or bane for Islamic
charities in general. Both Lazismu and Lazisnu representatives state that the
funds they raised so far only meet a small portion of the total needed by poor
Indonesians and the state has a major role to play in alleviating poverty
caused by the pandemic.
Faith-based
philanthrophic bodies have often been seen as a band aid solution to the
economic problems faced by the Indonesian state. Realistically, however,
Islamic charities also largely depend on the health of the economy and the
financial capacity of their donors.
While
they have contributed significantly to aid poor Indonesians during the ongoing
crisis, they need to work together with the state to ensure their poverty
alleviation efforts effectively reached those who need it the most.
Nonetheless,
it is clear that the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic thus far has shown
that charities perform a crucial role in plugging the gaps where the
authorities may have overlooked or discounted. More importantly, it has forced
charities to rethink how they can better source for donations and deliver
services under lock-down conditions, either through greater digitalisation for
the former and stronger synchronisation for the latter.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/20062020-indonesias-islamic-charities-plugging-gaps-in-economic-relief-analysis/
--------
Four
JuD leaders convicted in terror finance case
Wajih
Ahmad Sheikh
June
19, 2020
LAHORE:
An anti-terrorism court on Thursday convicted four leaders of Jamatud Dawa
(JuD) in one of the terror financing cases registered against the organisation
by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in different cities of Punjab.
ATC-III
Presiding Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar convicted Malik Zafar Iqbal and Muhammad
Yahya Aziz under section 11-N, read with 11-I(2) (b) of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997
and handed them down five-year rigorous imprisonment each with a fine of
Rs50,000.
The
judge also sentenced Abdul Rehman Makki and Abdul Salam to one-year
imprisonment each under section 11-F (6) of the ATA with Rs20,000 fine.
The
CTD had in 2019 registered the FIR against the convicts and others under
sections 11-F (2)(5)(6), 11-H(2), H-I, 11-I, 11-N, and J-2 of the ATA 1997.
Initially
the trial was held before Sahiwal ATC, however, it was later shifted to Lahore
following an order passed by the Lahore High Court on the request of the
convicts. The CTD had registered total 23 FIRs against the JuD.
The
prosecution alleged that the convicts, being office-bearers of proscribed
Al-Anfaal Trust, had possessed property measuring one kanal and three marlas in
Okara for the purpose of terrorism and to support terrorist activities. A
seminary namely “Madressah Jamia Sataria” was constructed on the said land.
To
the extent of section 11-H of the ATA, the judge observed in the decision that
the provision dealt with fundraising and the investigating officer
categorically maintained that he had not collected any evidence to substantiate
the fact of fundraising. “So prosecution has failed to prove charge u/s 11-H of
ATA 1997,” the judge said.
He
also observed that the convicts admitted that they were members of the
proscribed organisation prior to its proscription, however, denied the hostile
activities. He noted that the property in question remained in control and
possession of the convicts for the purpose that has reasonable cause to suspect
that it was used for the purpose of terrorism.
“There
was a strong suspicion that the said property was used or suspected to have
been used for the purpose of terror financing,” ruled the judge.
The
convicts, through their counsel, had denied the charges, alleging that they had
been implicated in the case due to malice and ulterior motives. They said the
authorities in the country had turned hostile towards them since long.
They
said they were not the office-bearers when the organisation was proscribed by
the government.
The
judge said in the order that the sentence of the convicts would run
concurrently with their previous sentence, if any. He also ordered the
government to confiscate the property in question.
CTD
spokesman said three of the convicts were also ‘UN Designated Persons’ involved
in terrorism financing. He said their conviction would play a major role in
checking terrorism financing in Pakistan.Earlier, on Feb 12, 2020, ATC-I had
handed down five-and-a-half-year rigorous imprisonment to JuD chief Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed and Malik Zafar Iqbal each in two of the cases.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1564431/four-jud-leaders-convicted-in-terror-finance-case
--------
No
threat to West as US troops leave Afghanistan: Taliban
Jun
19, 2020
KABUL:
The Taliban on Friday played down concerns that Afghanistan could be used as a
launching ground for future attacks on the West, after the US said it had so
far upheld its pledge to reduce its military presence in the country.
The
top US commander for the region said it cut the number of troops to around
8,600 in line with a deal agreed with the insurgents in February, but warned
conditions must be met for a full withdrawal by next year.
General
Kenneth McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, said "conditions would
have to be met that satisfy us -- that attacks against our homeland are not
going to be generated from Afghanistan".
McKenzie
said the Taliban were "no friends" of the Islamic State group, but
that it needs to see "deeds and not words" about what they would do
against al-Qaeda -- the group responsible for the September 11 attacks on New
York and Washington.
"And
so we're very focused on what the Taliban is doing, how they're participating
in these negotiations as we go forward," he told a panel discussion hosted
by the Aspen Institute on Thursday. "The jury is still very much
out."
The
Taliban on Friday said it was committed to the February deal, "especially
the US and the West's concern about a threat to them from Afghanistan".
"Our
country will not be used against anyone. They should not be concerned,"
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
The
February deal calls for all US and foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan
by mid-2021, nearly 20 years after Washington invaded the country following the
September 11 attacks.
Under
the agreement, the United States said it would pull out all troops in return
for security guarantees from the insurgents and a pledge to hold peace
negotiations with the Afghan government in Kabul.
However,
a recent expert report to the UN Security Council said that Al-Qaeda and the
Taliban "remain close" and were in regular consultations over the
negotiations with the United States.
The
Afghan government which has moved closer to talks with the Taliban in recent
weeks, has long accused the insurgents of providing a platform to groups such
as IS and Al-Qaeda to carry out attacks in the country.
President
Donald Trump, who is running for re-election in November, has said repeatedly
that he wants US troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/no-threat-to-west-as-us-troops-leave-afghanistan-taliban/articleshow/76463418.cms
--------
Arab
League plans urgent virtual meeting on escalating conflict in Libya
19
June 2020
The
Arab League on Friday announced plans to hold an urgent virtual foreign
ministers’ meeting to discuss the escalating conflict in Libya.
The
meeting, to be held at Egypt’s request via video conference, comes as fighting
continues between rival administrations based in Libya’s capital and the east.
For
more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
“Coordination
is currently underway with the current session’s head (the Sultanate of Oman)
to determine the meeting’s date, which is expected to be next week,” said Arab
League deputy head Hossam Zaki.
Egypt,
which backs forces of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar, is pushing for a
peace deal in Libya.
Earlier
this month, it proposed an initiative calling for a ceasefire and peace talks
following a series of military victories for Tripoli’s UN-recognized
government.
Haftar
has since last year sought to regain control over the west, fighting the
Government of National Accord (GNA) in an abortive attempt to seize Tripoli.
Libya
has been mired in chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed
longtime dictator Moamer Gaddafi.
Besides
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia back Haftar’s forces, while the GNA
is supported by Turkey and Qatar.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/19/Arab-League-plans-urgent-virtual-meeting-on-escalating-conflict-in-Libya.html
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Mosques
in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca set to reopen on June 21
19
June 2020
Mosques
in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca are preparing to reopen their doors on June 21 after
the coronavirus pandemic forced them to halt prayers for three months, state
television channel al-Ekhbariya reported on Friday.
For
more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
More
than 1,500 mosques will be allowed to reopen in the city if they follow
preventative health measures against COVID-19, according to state television.
Individuals
will have to bring their own prayer mats and maintain social distancing during
prayers.
Ahead
of the reopening, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs hired agencies to sterilize
the inside of the buildings completely and accepted dozens of volunteers who
will work to implement precautionary measures inside the city’s mosques.
Mosques
across the Kingdom, except in Mecca, have been allowed to welcome believers
since the end of May.
The
interior ministry had later issued a statement saying that it would be
suspending all prayers in all mosques in the city of Jeddah from June 6 until
June 20 as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The
Kingdom has so far reported 150,292 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/06/19/Coronavirus-Mosques-in-Saudi-Arabia-s-Mecca-set-to-reopen-on-June-21.html
--------
Charge
Sheets Filed Against 46 Foreigners in Connection With The Congregation At
Markaz Tablighi Jamaat In Nizamuddin
June
19, 2020
New
Delhi: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police on Friday filed a fresh charge sheet
and 11 supplementary charge sheets against 46 foreign nationals in connection
with the congregation at Markaz Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin area of the
national capital.
The
charge sheet, filed before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gurmohina Kaur in a
Saket court, will come up for consideration in the last week of June and in
July.
The
foreign nationals had attended the Nizamuddin congregation, which had
reportedly become an epicentre for the spread of coronavirus across the
country.
According
to the police, the foreign nationals belonging to 12 different countries are
being charged for violation of visa rules, violation of government guidelines
and regulations regarding the Epidemic Diseases Act, violation of the
provisions of the Disaster Management Act, and violation of prohibitory orders.
So
far, a total of 47 charge sheets against 915 foreign nationals have already
been filed before Delhi courts, which have slated them for consideration on
June 25, July 9 and 16.
The
police have said that the accused foreign nationals belonging to 35 different
countries and are presently staying at various places approved by Delhi High
Court in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
No
one has been arrested in the case so far, the police said.
A
case has also been registered against the Tablighi Jamaat chief and others over
the event.
https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/coronavirus-india-charge-sheets-filed-against-46-foreigners-in-delhi-mosque-event-case-2249015
--------
North
America
US
to release Lebanese businessman accused of ties to Hezbollah
19
June 2020
A
Lebanese businessman imprisoned in the US for evading sanctions and accused of
ties to Hezbollah will be released soon, his family and another source with
knowledge of the matter said Friday.
Kassim
Tajideen's family said they were looking forward to his return to Lebanon “in
the near future.”
The
statement added: “We are grateful to the Lebanese and US authorities for
facilitating his return home.”
Tajideen
was arrested in 2017, in Morocco, following an international arrest warrant and
then extradited to the US.
Although
he was accused of financing Hezbollah, Tajideen only pleaded guilty to charges
of evading sanctions imposed on him, not for financing the Iran-backed militia.
An
authoritative source with knowledge of the matter told Al Arabiya English that
the move was a “swap of good gestures between Washington and Beirut to ease
tensions.”
Tajideen's
release comes after the March release of a Lebanese-American man who was arrested
upon arrival in Lebanon last year.
Amer
Fakhoury had worked with an Israeli-backed militia in southern Lebanon until
2000, before fleeing.
“This
has to do with the Fakhoury release. You did something nice for us, and we will
do something nice for you,” the source said, referring to the Lebanese
government's decision to allow Fakhoury to be airlifted out of the country.
Asked
about ramifications of the release on US-Iran tensions, the source said it had
nothing to do with this.
“Iranians
will not exchange any prisoner for someone that is not Iranian. Tajideen's
release has nothing to do with Iran.”
Tajideen
is expected to be released before the end of June. Following the US judge's
decision on May 27, prosecutors were given one month to appeal. This one-month
period will expire on June 27 and the source said, prosecutors will not appeal
the decision.
The
statement from Tajideen's family said the US judge agreed to release the
Lebanese businessman “because of the risks of [coronavirus] on his life should
he remain in prison.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/19/US-to-release-Lebanese-businessman-accused-of-ties-to-Hezbollah.html
--------
US
economic embargo on Syria is 'crime against humanity': Analyst
19
June 2020
The
US economic embargo against Syria which doesn't have the approval of the UN
Security Council is a “crime against humanity," a Canadian political
commentator has said.
Mark
Taliano added that the United States and its allies are supporting the harsh sanctions
against the Arab country which are “cancer to the world."
The
new sanctions came into effect under the so-called Caesar Syria Civilian
Protection Act on June 17, targeting almost all Syrian economic and trade
activities as well as the country’s government and business officials loyal to
Damascus.
The
restrictive measures, signed by US President Donald Trump last December,
penalized 39 companies and individuals, including Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and his wife Asma — the first time she has been hit by US sanctions.
The
US and European Union had already imposed sanctions on Syria, freezing the
assets of the state and hundreds of firms and individuals.
But
the new measures can freeze the assets of anyone dealing with the Syrian
government, regardless of nationality, and target many more sectors.
“I
don't even call them sanctions because they're entirely criminal. It’s an
economic embargo. It doesn't have the Security Council approval. These are high
crimes. It's collective punishment, crimes against humanity,” Taliano told
Press TV in a phone interview on Friday.
“The
US and its allies, including Canada, are rogue states. They are collectively
punishing countries that insist on the rule of international law and
nation-state sovereignty and self-determination. They are cancer to the world,”
he added.
“They're
targeting everyday civilians and they are not targeting, in fact, they're
supporting al-Qaeda and ISIS as they have been doing for the last 10 years in
Syria. It's entirely diabolical.”
Taliano
went on to say that the US and its allies are “guilty” of international war
crimes and that their acts of invasion under the guise of humanitarian purposes
enjoy support from the US intelligence agencies.
“What
the mainstream doesn't say is that the West is entirely guilty of supreme
international war crimes, daily really. The entire regime-change wars have no
basis in international law. They claim that it's about humanitarianism but of
course there's nothing humanitarian about it,” the Canadian analyst said.
“The
West does not now and never did wage wars for humanitarian purposes. The West
is criminally occupying, looting petroleum resources… There's nothing
humanitarian about this,” Taliano added.
“The
West supports all the terrorists and so I mean those of us who are aware of
what's going on are just totally disgusted at the criminality of our
government, and the duplicity of our politicians, who do not represent us, and
we denounce the censorship of the truth, and the negation of any and all forms
of International Justice,” he underlined.
US
Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday
that the sanctions are aimed to prevent Damascus from achieving victory in the
fight against foreign-backed militants.
Syria
has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian
government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are
aiding the Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
The
government forces have already managed to undo militant gains across the
country and bring back almost all of Syrian soil under government control.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/19/627819/US-economic-embargo%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B-on-Syria-is-'crime-against-humanity'
--------
US
counter-terror analyst sentenced to 30 months for leaks
June
18, 2020
Washington
(AFP) - A former counter-terrorism analyst at the US Defense Intelligence
Agency was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Thursday for leaking classified
information to journalists, including details about foreign countries' weapons
systems.
Henry
Kyle Frese, 31, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty in February to
transmitting top secret defense information to two journalists, one of whom he
lived with.
"When
this information was published, it was shared with all of our nation's
adversaries, creating a risk of exceptionally grave harm to the security of
this country," Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement.
The
Justice Department said Frese leaked information to two unnamed journalists in
2018 and 2019.
One
news outlet, which was also not named, published eight articles containing
classified information.
Frese
searched restricted government computer systems at least 30 times in 2018 for
information to pass on verbally to the two journalists, according to the
Justice Department.
He
also sent some secret information via private messages on social media.
The
journalists involved appeared to work for CNBC and NBC News, according to US
media.
CNBC,
citing "sources with direct knowledge of US intelligence reports,"
reported in May 2018 that China had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and
surface-to-air missile systems on the contested Spratly Islands.
Frese,
who was arrested in October, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Full
report at:
https://news.yahoo.com/us-counter-terror-analyst-sentenced-30-months-leaks-162427505.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Europe
Islamic
Charity Which Described Qassim Soleimani As 'Great Martyr' Given Official
Warning By Watchdog
19
June 2020
A
UK-registered Islamic charity which described an Iranian general assassinated
by the US military as a “great martyr” has been dealt an official warning by
the sector watchdog.
The
Islamic Centre of England (ICE) praised Qassim Soleimani, who was killed in a
drone strike, on its website and hosted a vigil for him at its headquarters in
north London earlier this year.
Soleimani
was the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and is credited with
masterminding the spread of Iranian influence across the Middle East, giving
military and financial support to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to President Assad’s
forces in Syria. The US accused him of plotting global terrorism.
The
ICE has now been issued a warning by the Charity Commission, who have ordered
it to review the content on its website and "ensure appropriate
consideration is given and risk...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/19/islamic-charity-described-qassim-soleimani-great-martyr-given/
--------
SETA
to publish report to point out growing anti-Islam sentiment
JUN
19, 2020
The
Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) will publish its
yearly European Islamophobia Report (EIR) on June 20, which sets light to
growing racism and anti-Islam sentiment on different fields such as media and
politics in various regions.
The
report, edited by Enes Bayraklı and Farid Hafez, has been published annually
since 2015. This year's 2019 report will include a general assessment of
islamophobia in 32 countries across Europe and additional countries such as
Russia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and
Montenegro.
More
than 32 scholars, experts and civil society activists from various European
countries participated in drafting the report. All of the experts are
specialized on racism and islamophobia studies and have covered various issues
linked to islamophobia through various media outlets and within politics.
The
year 2019 distinguished itself greatly by cold and ruthless islamophobic terror
attacks in places such as New Zealand’s Christchurch, Germany, the U.K., France
and Norway.
Mosques
have been targeted all across Europe, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Some
European governments work hard to track and neutralize far-right terrorist
groups. On the other hand, they participate in the normalization of
islamophobic conversations in Europe through discriminative declarations, bills
and security policies targeting Muslims.
Full
report at:
https://www.dailysabah.com/world/islamophobia/seta-to-publish-report-to-point-out-growing-anti-islam-sentiment?gallery_image=undefined#big
--------
France
will renew calls to preserve nuclear deal with Iran, says French FM
19
June 2020
Britain,
France and Germany will on Friday define their Iran strategy for the coming
months amid talks at the United Nations and violations by Tehran of a 2015
nuclear deal, France’s foreign ministry said.
Under
Iran’s deal with world powers to accept limits to its nuclear program in return
for the lifting of sanctions, a UN weapons embargo is due to expire in October.
The United States, which exited the deal in 2018, says it wants to extend the
embargo.
If
the UN Security Council does not extend the embargo, Washington has threatened
to trigger a so-called snapback of all UN sanctions on Iran, using a process
outlined in the nuclear deal.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Such
a move would be likely to kill the nuclear accord.
“The
(foreign) ministers are meeting to see what Europe can do to end these
violations by the Iranians, while keeping the deal, but also to discuss how to
avoid a snapback in New York,” said a European diplomat.
Foreign
ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a in a statement that the
ministers, who meet in Berlin, would also discuss Iran’s cooperation with the
UN watchdog.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/19/France-will-renew-calls-to-preserve-nuclear-with-Iran-says-French-FM.html
--------
Terror
groups 'exploiting coronavirus pandemic to radicalise new recruits', QC warns
June
20, 2020
Terrorist
groups are using the pandemic lockdown to gather and radicalise new recruits by
blaming coronavirus on the “wrath of God”, a top QC has warned.
Lord
Carlile of Berriew said extremists groups are trying to “use the Covid-19
global crisis to their advantage”, particularly targeting vulnerable people who
have been isolated by the lockdown and social distancing rules.
He
said ISIS and Al Qaeda propaganda is claiming the virus is a “divine
punishment” from God, while far right groups are latching on to conspiracy
theories around the pandemic to boost followers.
Lord
Carlile, who spent a decade as the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorist
legislation, warned governments would be “negligent to lower their guard
against terrorism” during the current crisis.
“Terrorist
groups are making efforts to use the Covid-19 global crisis to their advantage”,
he said, delivering the annual Barnard’s Inn Reading Lecture.
“They
are determined to try and capitalise on the new geopolitical realities.
“They
believe that key national and international institutions will be distracted by
the crisis at home, that counter-terrorism, security, and military budgets will
be reduced as a result of the economic consequences of the pandemic, that
instability in conflict zones will continue with increasing numbers of
refugees, and that unemployment and economic hardships will impact increasing
numbers of potentially vulnerable people across the world.
“In
addition, the lockdowns imposed in many countries may have helped terrorist
groups to recruit and radicalise new individuals.”
Lord
Carlile said terrorist attacks around the world have increased in the last few
months, and studies suggest there has been a surge in interest in far-right
propaganda which targets minority groups.
“Far
right is using the pandemic to advance its movement and ideology”, he said.
The
experienced barrister said Islamic extremist groups “define Covid-19 as a
result of God’s wrath, calling for Western countries to turn to Islam in
response”, while ISIS recently put a call for attacks while countries are
“weakened” and their public services stretched.
Lord
Carlile made his comments as he warned of the weaknesses of the UK's Prevent
programme when trying to tackle extremism behind bars, and called for the
re-introduction of terrorism control orders.
Full
report at:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/coronavirus-terrorism-lord-carlile-warning-a4473436.html
--------
Europe
wants to extend Iran arms embargo
Ayhan
Şimşek
20.06.2020
BERLIN
Europe’s
three major powers announced Friday they oppose lifting an arms embargo on Iran
that expires later this year.
Foreign
ministers from Germany, France and the UK said Iran’s nuclear program,
ballistic missile tests and “destabilizing regional activities” remained a
serious concern for Europe.
“We
believe that the planned lifting of the UN conventional arms embargo
established by Resolution 2231 next October would have major implications for
regional security and stability,” the ministers said in a joint statement
following a meeting in Berlin.
“We
recall that the EU embargoes on conventional arms exports and missile
technology will remain in force until 2023,” according to the statement.
The
ministers said they would continue talks with UN Security Council members,
particularly Russia and China, but also with other key stakeholders.
UN
Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between
world powers and Tehran, envisages easing the arms embargo beginning in
October.
Earlier
this month, the US proposed a draft UN Security resolution to “indefinitely”
extend the embargo, but Russia and China signaled opposition.
In
2015, world powers including the US, China, Russia, France, Germany and the UK
agreed to lift economic sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran agreeing to
limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes.
But
US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and
intensified pressure on Tehran by re-imposing broader sanctions.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/europe-wants-to-extend-iran-arms-embargo/1883535
--------
EU
must pay full $6.5B to Turkey: Top Hungary diplomat
Agnes
Szucs
19.06.2020
BRUSSELS
The
EU should respect its commitment to Turkey and pay the entire sum of €6 billion
($6.5 billion) promised under a 2016 deal to stem irregular migration,
Hungary’s foreign minister said Friday.
“Turkey
has a crucial role in stopping illegal migration,” which is why “the EU should
pay the €6 billion it previously promised to Turkey,” Szijjarto said in
streaming video on Facebook, speaking after a high-level videoconference with
his counterparts from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, and Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Szijjarto
was referring to the 2016 Turkey-EU deal, meant to stop irregular refugee flows
and improve the conditions of Syrian refugees in Turkey. Some €3.4 billion
($3.8 billion) has been disbursed from the total agreed amount of €6 billion
($6.5 billion), though the EU has said the remainder is in the pipeline.
In
his video, Szijjarto also stressed that “EU and Turkey need strong strategic
cooperation.”
“Turkey
has one of the most dynamically developing economies,” he said, adding that
Turkey will soon belong to the “world’s top 10 largest economies.”
Szijjarto
said he was convinced the Visegrad countries whose foreign ministers met today
– Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland –and Turkey have an interest
in working together on nuclear energy as well.
He
also praised the cooperation between Turkey and Hungary during the COVID-19
crisis, when Turkey made medical equipment available for Hungary to purchase.
-
Turkey-EU deal
Under
the March 2016 deal, the EU had pledged €6 billion ($6.5 billion) aid for the
refugees.
According
to recent EU data, all operational funds have been committed, €4.7 billion
($5.3 billion) contracted, and €3.4 billion ($3.8 billion) disbursed.
In
previous communications, the EU promised to pay €4 billion ($4.5 billion) by
2020, and the European Commission recently promised to accelerate the payments
of a further €485 million ($545 million) by the end of the year to help
mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis.
The
full €6 billion is expected to be paid by 2025.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-must-pay-full-65b-to-turkey-top-hungary-diplomat/1883164
--------
UK
fails to inspect factory supplying Saudi's Yemen war
Karim
El-Bar
19.06.2020
LONDON
An
exclusive report by Declassified UK, an investigative news site, reported on
Thursday that the British government broke its own inspection rules at a
Scottish missile factory which supplies the Saudi Arabian Air Force in its war
in Yemen.
Britain
is supposed to carry out “regular and thorough inspections” every three years,
but the Scottish factory, which manufactures parts for the Saudi air force, has
not been checked in three years -- breaching the UK government’s own
guidelines.
The
factory is owned by the US arms manufacturer Raytheon, and located in
Glenrothes, east Scotland. It has not been inspected since November 2016 --
almost the entire duration of the war in Yemen. The factory makes parts for the
Paveway IV missiles used by Saudi Arabia.
The
UK government in its statements has consistently said it has “one of the most
robust export control processes in the world.”
Declassified
UK quoted Andrew Smith, the spokesman for the Campaign Against Arms Trade as
saying: “These sites have been crucial in terms of producing arms for the
Saudi-led bombing campaign. The fact that the government appears to be failing
in its own obligations raises serious questions about the scrutiny being
applied and the cosy and compromising relationship between arms companies and
government.”
“This
does not look like a case of one mistake, it looks like a systematic failure,”
he added.
A
coalition of human rights groups referred Raytheon, as well as BAE, to the
International Criminal Court in December 2019 for being accomplices to alleged
war crimes in Yemen.
A
Scottish government spokesperson was quoted as saying that Scotland “expects
inspection regimes to be adhered to and has consistently called on the UK
government to end its flawed foreign policy approach.
"The
Scottish government has repeatedly made very clear that, whilst this is a
reserved matter, the UK government must properly police the export of arms and
investigate whenever concerns are raised.”
Scottish
National Party MP Douglas Chapman, also a member of the All Party Parliamentary
Group on Yemen, said the lack of inspections “highlights the reckless,
irresponsible attitude of the UK government towards the conflict in Yemen.”
“Despite
repeated calls to cease trade of deadly weapons to Saudi Arabia, this practice
continues and the UK government has the blood of innocent children on its
hands. The UK Government needs to start taking responsibility for its actions,
because so far it has turned a blind eye to the pain and suffering its weapons
are causing,” he added.
Yemen
has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran
much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
The
crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a
devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.
Full
report at:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-fails-to-inspect-factory-supplying-saudis-yemen-war/1883028
--------
Mideast
Iran
Unveils Naval Version of 3rd of Khordad Air Defense Shield
Jun
19, 2020
The
system has been stationed on the IRGC Shahid Siavoshi frigate and is capable of
target lock and missile fire with the frigate on the move.
Third
of Khordad missile system, that has been 100% mass produced by the experts of
the IRGC Aerospace Force, is the same system which shot down on June 20, 2019
the highly advanced MQ-4C Triton drone of the American terrorists in Iran’s
territorial waters South of the country near Kouh-e Mobarak region at an
altitude of 50 thousand feet.
This
system was unveiled for the first time during the visit of Supreme Leader of
the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. It is capable of engaging
and intercepting 4 active targets at each round and has been assigned for
countering tactical and strategic aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and
drones and can also shoot down its targets under electronic warfare conditions.
Last
year, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh had
informed of designing and making a missile system that, unlike the existing
systems in the world, can trace, lock, engage and intercept targets on a moving
platform.
The
Third of Khordad Air Defense Shield fires Taer-2 Missiles which have also been
developed and mass produced at the IRGC Aerospace Force. Third of Khordad
defense shield is also capable of launching Sayyad-2 missiles with a range of 75
kilometers.
These
images have for the first time shown the production phases and production line
of the system at the industrial sections of the IRGC Aerospace in which there
are young men and women working to this end.
Shahid
Siavoshi frigate of the IRGC Naval Force, which carries the Third of Khordad
missile system, has been domestically made and it is the same frigate which had
an encounter with the USS Vella Gulf warship of the US Fifth Fleet on March 7,
2020 while patrolling the Persian Gulf and forced it to move away.
On
June 20 last year, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force
announced that it used the Iran-made short-range and mid-altitude 'Third of
Khordad' missile defense shield to bring down the US spy drone over the country's
Southern coasts, releasing videos that showed the flight path of the plane as
well as the moment it was brought down.
The
incident marked the first direct Iranian attack on US assets and came amid
heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. The downing of the $220mln
drone was also the latest in an escalating series of incidents in the Persian
Gulf since mid-May, including suspected attacks on six tankers that the US
blamed on Iran. Tehran has denied any involvement in the incidents.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990330000312
--------
Iran’s
Navy Commander: Supersonic Missiles Production atop Agenda
Jun
19, 2020
There
will be changes in the engines of the Navy’s missiles that will enable them to
tolerate higher temperature for longer time, Khanzadi said.
He
added that the fueling and navigation systems of the Navy will also undergo
changes.
Rear
Admiral Khanzadi noted, “Today we have reached the range of 300 kilometers and
we will achieve a bedazzling range in near future.”
He
said that the Navy is also pursuing production of the generation of Talaeey-e
missiles, adding, “The missiles that have been used as cruise today, are of the
infrasonic generation and they will fly with supersonic speed soon.”
In
sum, we are trying to make the missiles capable of vertical flight as this will
enable us to station more missiles on the deck of the ships to shoot at a
variety of targets, Khanzadi further said.
In
June, the Admiral had stressed his forces' full determination and preparedness to
defend the country against enemies' threats.
Iranian
Navy forces are standing firmly against all enemies' plots and are afraid of no
threat, Rear Admiral Khanzadi said on June 10.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990330000343
--------
Envoy:
Iran to Take Appropriate Action in Reaction to IAEA BoG Resolution
Jun
19, 2020
"The
adoption of this resolution in the Board of Governors with the aim of
requesting Iran's cooperation with the IAEA and ignoring the existing
cooperation, is deeply disappointing and unfortunate," Qaribabadi said on
Friday addressing the last day of the quarterly meeting of the IAEA's Board of
Governors in Vienna.
"I
would like to put on record the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the
resolution just adopted," he added.
Qaribabadi
reiterated that at the outset, "I would like to sincerely appreciate
Russia, China, Azerbaijan, India, Mongolia, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa and
Thailand for not supporting the Resolution, specially Russia and China for all
their efforts in objecting this unconstructive path".
He
further said that considering the extensive level of constructive cooperation
between Iran and the Agency and simply overlooking this level of cooperation,
adoption of this resolution aimed at requesting Iran to cooperate with the
Agency is deeply disappointing.
The
Iranian envoy said that it is also a deep regret that this resolution was
presented by the three European States which have not taken any concrete
practical step in the implementation of their obligations under the JCPOA,
adding, "These lacks of willingness or inability to take practical actions
in this regard, along with the unilateral, illegal and destructive measures by
the US caused the future of the JCPOA to remain gloomy."
"Our
advice to the E2+1 States is that if they cannot do something to save the deal,
they can at least avoid making the situation more complicated and difficult!
Paradoxically, your lack of action was needed here, which it seems that you
couldn’t even do this," he added.
Qaribabadi
further said that it is noteworthy that "we consider the current state of
affairs as a trap set by the US and Israeli regimes, who in the past two years,
not only spared no efforts to destroy the JCPOA, but also used all tools of
pressure on the Agency, including through presentation of such baseless
allegations, to deflect the ongoing appropriate course of cooperation and
divert the attention from their non-compliance with their relevant
international obligations, or being stayed out of the most important
international instruments on disarmament and arms control."
He
pointed out that saying that this resolution is required for strengthening of
the Agency’s safeguards system proves how inconsistent are the behavior and
actions of the Secretariat and the main sponsors of the resolution, and said,
"If one really wants to maintain and strengthen the safeguards and
verification regime, it is advised to take a professional and impartial
approach."
He
underlined that the fact that on the one hand the Safeguards Implementation
Report for 2019 and the DG’s report on the status of implementation of
safeguards during COVID-19 indicate that there are a number of safeguards
related difficulties in several States, and on the other hand, the Secretariat
and the PMOs, specially the Board, opted to keep their eyes closed over these
difficulties, specially "the nuclear activities of Saudi Arabia and the
regime of Israel, who are not even allowing the Agency to do the required
inspection, should be considered as a concern".
"I
would also like to put on record that the Islamic Republic of Iran is applying
the Additional Protocol voluntarily and provisionally due to its political
commitment under the JCPOA, and since it is not yet adopted officially through
its national legislative procedures, Iran does not consider it as a legal
obligation," Qaribabadi said.
The
Iranian ambassador further underlined that adoption of this resolution will
neither encourage Iran to grant access to the Agency based on fabricated and unfounded
allegations, nor will it force Iran to come down from its principal positions.
"Iran
categorically deplores this resolution and will take appropriate action in
response, the repercussions of which would be upon the sponsors of this
resolution," he added.
Qaribabadi
said that finally, Iran does also have a solemn advice to the Secretariat of
the Agency to: adhere to the limits of your authorities; acknowledge the
cooperation between Iran and Agency; carry out your mandate in a professional,
independent and impartial manner; do not pave the way for manipulation of
issues for those with political agendas through taking positions and reporting
hastily; behave in a way not to be blamed for the obliteration of the last
bastion of multilateralism in Vienna and the destruction of the JCPOA.
The
E3 drafted, US supported the resolution on Iran at IAEA the board passed 25 in
favor, 2 against and with 7 abstentions, wall street journal reported.
The
resolution calls out Iran over non-cooperation with the IAEA probe. First
resolution since 2012 calling out Iran.
A
Wall Street Journal correspondent noted in
a tweet, "Just as vote result comes in, UK says E3 foreign mins to
meet Friday to discuss Iran, China."Talks will focus on the importance of
finding a diplomatic solution to de-escalate tensions, holding Iran to account
for its destabilizing regional activity, & keeping the door open..."
In
relevant remarks on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
urged the IAEA Board of Governors not to let the enemies of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) endanger Iran's interests, and said the
three European countries (the UK, France and Germany) should not become their
accessory.
"BoG
should not allow JCPOA enemies to jeopardize Iran's supreme interests,"
Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.
The
Iranian foreign minister said that "E3 should not be an accessory, after
failing own JCPOA duties."
"We've
nothing to hide. More inspections in Iran over last 5 yrs than in IAEA
history," he noted.
"An
agreeable solution is possible, but Res will ruin it," Zarif reiterated.
In
relevant remarks on Tuesday addressing a joint press conference with his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Zarif said we will not let the IAEA to become a tool
for ending Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA.
Iran
has always behaved with full transparency with the IAEA, he said arguing that
15 reports of the IAEA have indicated that Iran has always been committed.
"We
will not let Iran be subject to investigation the documents of which are based
on spying claims," he noted.
Iran
will give a suitable response if the IAEA wants to take advantage of illogical
ways, Zarif reiterated.
Top
Iranian diplomat said it will be regretful for the UN Secretariat and the IAEA
if they tend to move in line with killing the JCPOA.
In
relevant remarks on Thursday, Iranian President's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi
censured Britain, France and Germany for collaboration with the US in its
attempts against Iran at the IAEA.
Instead
of expressing unfounded concern and encouraging the IAEA to surrender to the US
pressures and continue its political and discriminatory approach towards Iran,
the European Troika should uphold JCPOA commitments which are remaining on
paper, Vaezi wrote on his twitter page on Wednesday.
Full
report at:
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990330000320
--------
UN’s
nuclear watchdog passes resolution calling for Iran’s cooperation
19
June 2020
The
board of governors at the UN’s nuclear watchdog has passed a resolution
critical of Iran, diplomatic sources said Friday, the first of its kind since
2012.
The
resolution calls on Tehran to provide inspectors from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) with access to two sites in Iran in order to clarify
whether undeclared nuclear activity took place there in the early 2000s.
Earlier
this week Iran warned that such a resolution would be “counterproductive” and
that it would take “appropriate measures” in response.
Even
though the sites in question are not thought to be directly relevant to Iran’s
current nuclear program, the agency says it needs to know if activities going
back almost two decades have been properly declared and all materials accounted
for.
Despite
the row over the two sites, the IAEA says it still has the access it needs to
inspect Iran’s declared nuclear facilities, as the agency is mandated to do
under the landmark deal between Iran and world powers reached in 2015.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/19/UN-s-nuclear-watchdog-passes-resolution-calling-for-Iran-s-cooperation.html
--------
Iranian
judge accused of corruption in Iran found dead in Romanian capital
19
June 2020
Gholamreza
Mansouri, an Iranian judge accused of corruption in Iran and of human rights
violations by activists, has been found dead outside a hotel he was staying at
in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday, according to media reports.
Mansouri
died after falling out of a window in the hotel, RFE/RL's Romanian service
reported.
It
is unclear if the incident was the cause of an accident, whether he committed
suicide, or if a crime was committed.
Mansouri
had fled Iran after being accused of taking 500,000 euros in bribes.
He
had previously denied he is on the run in a video shared on social media,
saying he is abroad to receive medical treatment, and that he will be returning
to Iran soon. He did not say what country he was in.
“We
are waiting for the official report on the cause of this incident and we ask
the Romanian authorities to officially inform us of the exact cause of the
incident,” the official IRNA news agency reported foreign ministry spokesman
Abbas Mousavi as saying.
Last
week, Iran said Mansouri was arrested in Romania by the Interpol.
Judiciary
spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Mansouri could not yet be extradited back
to Iran due to coronavirus restrictions.
Mansouri’s
promise to return was not “serious,” which is why Iran took legal action to
have him arrested, said Esmaili.
The
editor-in-chief of Mashreg News, a news website close to the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), hinted at a possible Iranian involvement in
the death of Mansouri.
“As
of today, Romania is a point of strategic depth [for Iran],” he said in a
now-deleted tweet.
Iran
uses the term “strategic depth” to refer to its military influence beyond
Iranian borders.
Mansouri
is also accused of having been involved in the arrest and torture of dozens of
journalists in Iran. This prompted a number of Iranian journalists and human
rights activists to demand his arrest in Europe.
A
judge in Bucharest had temporarily released Mansouri under “certain
conditions,” giving Iran until July 10 to present a formal extradition request,
Radio Farda reported last week.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/19/Iranian-judge-accused-of-corruption-in-Iran-found-dead-in-Romanian-capital.html
--------
Israeli
anti-racism chief sheds light on police profiling of Ethiopian Jews
19
June 2020
The
head of Israel’s top anti-racism body has taken the wraps off discrimination in
the Occupied Territories, stating that security forces have not actually taken
any concrete measures in order to combat systemic racism.
Speaking
in an exclusive interview with English-language the Times of Israel online
newspaper published on Thursday, Aweke Kobi Zena said he hoped the regime’s law
enforcement officials would improve their cooperation with him and his team as
he described his relationship with police as “very complicated.”
“Yehuda
Biadga is dead and Solomon Tekah is dead and this year we saw a lot of, I don’t
want to say racist, but interactions with police and citizens [involving]
violating rights, so I think we have a lot of things to do and I hope that
someday the police will be ready to understand there is a problem in policing
practices.”
The
official highlighted that he wanted Israeli police to treat all people in the
occupied lands equally, and “to understand that their job is to serve the
citizens, to defend their rights” and to end racial profiling.
“They
are saying that they are not doing profiling,” yet Ethiopian citizens are still
arrested at a disproportionate rate, he said.
Israeli
immigrant absorption minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, the first woman from the
Ethiopian community to serve in the Israeli cabinet, also echoed Zena’s
concerns and called on acting police chief Motti Cohen and public security
minister Amir Ohana to “wake up” and start sacking racist officers.
She
said she planned to ensure the matter stays on the agenda of relevant
authorities.
Deputy
minister of public security Gadi Yevarkan, himself the child of Ethiopian
immigrants, has reinforced his battle against Israeli police brutality.
He
has proposed a legislation to dismantle Israel’s internal affairs and replace
it with a new agency under the auspices of the so-called justice ministry.
“This
is one of the most racist, cruel and deadly events ever recorded. The case
proves again that racism is a lethal weapon. … Police violence against blacks
is a plague, with many countries around the world fighting against it.
"One
thing people must know is that white citizens of Israel feel safe when there is
a police car in the neighborhood, while black citizens of Israel do not feel
safe at all,” Yevarkan wrote on his Facebook page after the May 25 killing of
George Floyd, an African-American man who died in police custody after a police
officer in Minneapolis kneeled on his neck for several minutes. His death
sparked worldwide protests.
According
to a recent report by Israel’s national anti-racism unit, the number of
complaints of racial discrimination it received doubled last year. A total of
37 percent of such charges came from the Ethiopian community.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/19/627797/Israeli-anti-racism-chief-sheds-light-on-police-profiling-of-Ethiopians
--------
UK,
France, Germany accessories to Trump, Netanyahu: Iran FM
19
June 2020
Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the European countries that
sponsored a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against
the Islamic Republic serve the interests of the United States and the Israeli
regime.
On
Friday, the UN nuclear agency's Board of Governors passed a resolution -- put
forward by Britain, France and Germany -- to push for intrusive inspections of
two Iranian nuclear sites that the trio claims may have been used for
undeclared nuclear activities in the early 2000s.
Succumbing
to Washington’s pressure, the three European countries -- parties to Iran’s
2015 nuclear deal with world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA) -- have so far failed to honor their commitments under a
landmark agreement and offset the impacts of US sanctions, which were
re-imposed on Iran following the US' unilateral withdrawal from the deal in May
2018.
“E3
must stop public face-saving & muster the courage to state publicly what
they admit privately: their failure to fulfill even own JCPOA duties due to
total impotence in resisting US bullying,” Zarif tweeted on Friday.
“Behind
facade, E3 are accessories to Trump & Netanyahu—& in no position to
counsel Iran,” he added.
The
Islamic Republic rejects any allegations of non-cooperation with the IAEA,
insisting that it is prepared to resolve potentially outstanding differences
with the IAEA.
Full
report at:
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/06/19/627825/iran-trump-netanyahu-iaea-resolution-inspection-jcpoa
--------
Kurdish
terrorist attack kills four in southeast Turkey
JUNE
18, 2020
Four
workers were killed when Kurdish soldiers detonated a roadside bomb that struck
a laborers' pick-up truck as it passed by in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, the
local governor's office said.
The
blast occurred in the Silopi district, near the borders with Iraq and Syria,
while the vehicle was carrying fuel to be used by workers involved in road
construction, the Sirnak governor's office said in a statement.
It
said the explosives were planted and detonated by members of the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK).
The
PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European
Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people
have been killed in the conflict, focused in southeast Turkey.
Full
report at:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/kurdish-terrorist-attack-kills-four-in-southeast-turkey-631897?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Southeast
Asia
Saudi
limits on Hajj over COVID-19 spark ill feelings and resignation in Indonesia
and Malaysia
06/17/2020
Jakarta
(AsiaNews/Agencies) – In the Muslim-majority countries of Southeast Asia, Saudi
Arabia’s decision to scale back the Hajj due to the novel coronavirus pandemic
is generating ill feelings.
Saudi
authorities are still looking at procedures and timing to ensure maximum safety
for the limited number of pilgrims who might be allowed. Some sources are even
suggesting that the annual pilgrimage might be cancelled.
A
South Asian official in contact with Saudi hajj authorities said that Riyadh is
“buying time” before making its decision. “It's a toss-up between holding a
nominal haj and scrapping it entirely,” he said.
In
the event of a go-ahead at the last minute, most countries would not be able to
organise travel and assistance to pilgrims. This is why the most probable
scenario appears to be a reduced pilgrimage limited to Saudis and a symbolic
number.
Normally,
Hajj attracts around 2.5 million people a year. With such numbers, physical
distance is nearly impossible and even basic sanitation would be guaranteed
with extreme difficulty.
This
has led the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia to withdraw from the
pilgrimage, a decision met with a mixture of ill feelings (in Indonesia) and resignation
(in Malaysia).
For
Malaysia’s Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, the decision
to cancel participation was dictated by the need to protect public health.
Pilgrims are at risk contracting the coronavirus and causing new outbreaks upon
their return.
He
said he hoped that his fellow coreligionists would continue “to be patient and
accept the decision” however painful it might be.
Most
Malaysian Muslims appear to be heeding the minister’s appeal and fully grasp
the need for protection of public health since the pandemic is still raging.
The
situation is different in Indonesia. The decision to cancel the hajj has
triggered a series of rumours and fake news on social media which are fuelling
anti-government sentiments.
According
to some hoaxes, the authorities are said to have pocketed the funds earmarked
for Hajj, diverted part of them to prop up the local currency or used them in
certain projects and infrastructures.
Indonesia’s
Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi said that the pandemic and as well as
Saudi Arabia's indefinite suspension of the umrah (big hajj) did not leave
enough time for the government to prepare people's visas and protection
measures.
“There
is no hajj departure this year,” Fachrul said. “Those who have paid and
registered will be placed for next year’s departure.”
Indonesia,
the most populous Muslim country in the world, usually has the largest quota of
Hajj pilgrims. This year it planned to send an estimated 221,000 pilgrims, and
180,000 had already paid for travel and accommodation, the Religious Affairs
Ministry said.
In
an attempt to dispel rumours, Indonesia’s Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH)
issued a statement saying that the funds are safe in the pilgrims’ accounts and
will only be used for the pilgrimage.
The
country faces many hoaxes on a daily basis but Indonesia’s Muslims could see
what is good and true, noted Zuhairi Misrawi from Nahdlatul Ulama.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Saudi-limits-on-Hajj-over-COVID-19-spark-ill-feelings-and-resignation-in-Indonesia-and-Malaysia-50372.html
--------
New
Normal in an Islamic Boarding School in Tangerang
BY
YUDHA BASKORO
JUNE
19, 2020
The
An Nuqthah pesantren, or Islamic boarding school, in Tangerang, Banten,
welcomed back its students on Thursday after an absence of four months.
The
pesantren was forced to close its doors because of the coronavirus pandemic and
many of its students, called santri, were sent home.
Education
and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim announced on Monday that boarding schools
should stay closed during the July and August school holiday.
Since
there are no normal classes at An Nuqthah, the students spend their day
exercising, making art and cleaning up their dorms and classes.
The
pesantren had to apply for a permit from the Education and Culture Ministry and
the local government to reopen the school.
The
permit was granted since the school is located in a "green zone" with
a low number of Covid-19 cases and because it has enough facilities to stick to
the government's public health guidelines.
Full
report at:
https://jakartaglobe.id/vision/new-normal-in-an-islamic-boarding-school-in-tangerang
--------
Anticorruption
fight at risk as Supreme Court acquits another high-profile graft defendant
Galih
Gumelar
June
19, 2020
The
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has once again hit a wall in its fight
against corruption after the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of the former
head of state-run electricity company PLN, Sofyan Basir, the latest graft
suspect to evade conviction.
His
acquittal was formalized in a court ruling dated June 16, in which the Supreme
Court rejected the KPK’s appeal against a not-guilty verdict handed down by the
Jakarta Corruption Court last year.
Previously,
KPK investigators detained the former PLN president director for allegedly
receiving bribes in relation to a coal-fired power plant (PLTU) project in Riau
province.
While
the KPK claimed that the supporting evidence gathered was sufficient to prove
Sofyan’s involvement, the court insisted that the Jakarta Corruption Court’s
prior decision was the correct one.
Activists
have lambasted the court ruling, saying it poses a new threat to anticorruption
efforts, given that it was not the first time that a major graft suspect had
been cleared of wrongdoing by the courts.
Last
year, the Supreme Court acquitted former Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency
(IBRA) chairman Syafruddin Arsyad Temenggung, the man at the center of the Bank
Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) scandal, of corruption charges.
At
the time, the court granted an appeal filed by Syafruddin to overturn a lower
court’s decision to sentence him to 15 years in prison with a fine of Rp 1
billion (US$70,736) for his role in the multimillion-dollar graft case.
“The
court’s action [of granting acquittals to graft suspects] has rendered
antigraft efforts by law enforcement agencies futile,” said Kurnia Ramadhana of
Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW).
Supreme
Court spokesperson Andi Samsan Nganro declined to comment, saying only that the
court’s decision to reject the KPK’s appeal against Sofyan’s acquittal was
based on evidence presented in the trial. “Everything was based on the facts,”
Andi said.
Kurnia
claimed on Thursday that the decision to clear Sofyan of the charges only
served to exacerbate the lack of commitment to the fight against corruption,
confirming an ICW report finding.
The
April report on court ruling trends recorded that Indonesia’s lower and higher
courts handed down not-guilty verdicts on 41 graft suspects in 2019, almost
double the 2018 figure.
The
antigraft watchdog also found that the courts had “let off” 13 defendants,
meaning that they were guilty of wrongdoing but the act that they were accused
of could not be considered criminal.
“Expect
fewer successful corruption cases in the future if the court keeps granting
acquittals, because graft offenders will find it easy to dodge charges laid
against them,” he told The Jakarta Post.
Indonesia
had been gradually improving its standing in the fight against corruption, but
the tables have turned since efforts to defang the antigraft body began last
year.
Indonesia
scored 40 out of 100 in Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perception
Index, its highest since 2012, but a score below 50 is still an indicator of
serious corruption.
Zaenur
Rohman, a researcher at Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anticorruption
Studies (Pukat UGM), said that while the public must respect every decision the
courts make, the growing number of acquittals had begun to form a trend,
leading him to question the integrity of court judges.
For
Transparency International Indonesia researcher Wawan Suyatmiko, the increase
in acquittals has already crushed public faith in the court system as a partner
of the KPK in the war against corruption.
Wawan
said there was a need for more court justices like Artidjo Alkostar to restore
the public's faith in the courts.
Artidjo,
now a member of the KPK’s oversight body, was a former Supreme Court justice
known for his no-nonsense demeanor and clean track record.
He
made graft convicts think twice before lodging an appeal, as he would often
give them harsher sentences than their initial verdicts.
Previously,
activists have suggested that the court arrange a set of guidelines for judges
to follow when handling corruption cases, so as to restore trust in the court
system.
KPK
spokesman Ali Fikri said the antigraft body would respect all rulings issued by
a court, even though they appeared to undermine its anticorruption efforts.
Full
report at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/06/19/anticorruption-fight-at-risk-as-supreme-court-acquits-another-high-profile-graft-defendant.html
--------
Pakistan
Covid-19
cases witnessed drop for fifth consecutive day: NCOC Pakistan records 136
deaths in 24 hours
June
20, 2020
The
National Command and Operation Centre noted on Friday that coronavirus cases
saw a drop over the past five days after witnessing a continuous increase since
the outbreak of the infection.
The
meeting of the NCOC, chaired by Federal Minister for Planning and Development
Asad Umar, was informed that around 103 more ventilators have been earmarked
for serious Covid-19 patients, taking the total number of ventilators available
for such patients across the country to 1,503.
It
was informed that more ventilators are being procured on a fast-track basis to
meet the further requirement of hospitals. More than 1,500 additional ventilators
would be available by the end of July.
In
order to ease the burden on major hospitals across the country, 2,150
additional oxygenated beds are being operationalised on a war footing.
Sixty
beds would be added to hospitals in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 200 to Balochistan
hospitals, 40 to hospitals in Gilgit Baltistan, 450 to the Islamabad Capital
Territory hospitals, 400 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hospitals, 500 to Punjab
hospitals and 500 to hospitals in Sindh.
The
National Command and Operation Centre was told that testing capacity has
increased by 65 times and is being further ramped up to more than 100,000 tests
per day by mid July.
A
total of 168,564 cases have been detected so far, including 769 in AJK, 8,998
in Balochistan, 1,225 in Gilgit Baltistan, 9,941 in Islamabad, 20,790 in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, 61,678 in Punjab and 65,163 in Sindh.
Punjab
has recorded 1,540 new cases and 63 deaths over the past 24 hours, the
government’s Covid-19 portal said.
Full
report at:
https://pakobserver.net/covid-19-cases-witnessed-drop-for-fifth-consecutive-day-ncoc-pakistan-records-136-deaths-in-24-hours/
--------
2
Pakistani paramilitary soldiers among 4 killed in bomb blasts in Sindh province
Jun
19, 2020
KARACHI:
Two Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were among four persons killed in separate
incidents of a roadside bomb explosion targeting a security vehicle and a hand
grenade attack on a government office in Sindh province on Friday, police said.
Two
Pakistan Rangers personnel and a civilian were killed when a roadside bomb
targeting the vehicle of the security troops exploded near a railway station in
Ghotki town in Sindh province.
Three
other persons, including a paramilitary official, were also injured in the
blast.
The
remote-controlled blast took place near the vehicle of the paramilitary
Pakistan Rangers which was parked at the main railway station in Ghotki, police
said.
Two
Pakistan Rangers troops and a civilian who were at a meat shop in a market near
the railway station were killed in the explosion, they said.
Hours
later, a man was killed and eight others injured when unidentified assailants
hurled a hand grenade at a government office in the congested Liaquatabad area
of Karachi, police said.
According
to police, a large number of people had lined up outside the Ehsaas programme
office to collect cash being distributed by the government under the initiative
to help poor people hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Two
persons riding on a motorcycle came to the Ehsaas programme office. One of them
hurled a hand grenade at the office which led to an explosion," a police
official said.
Nine
persons were injured in the explosion. They were shifted to the nearby Abbasi
Shaheed hospital where one of them succumbed to his injuries, the official
said.
No
group has claimed responsibility for either attacks, which occurred at a time
when the country is battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Pakistan
has been witnessing scores of militant attacks in recent times.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/2-pakistani-paramilitary-soldiers-among-4-killed-in-bomb-blasts-in-sindh-province/articleshow/76465155.cms
--------
Gilgit-Baltistan
Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan
19th
June 2020
ISLAMABAD:
A total of 118 new COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Pakistan in the last
24 hours, including Agriculture Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Janbaz Khan, a
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.
As
many as 5,358 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the
tally of COVID-19 cases in the country to 162,973, the News International
reported.
Khan,
64, was on ventilator for four days according to local media.
The
coronavirus-related death toll in the country has reached 3,228, while the
number of recoveries reached 59,215.
The
Sindh province, with 62,269 cases, is the most affected and is followed by the
Punjab province, which registered over 60,138 cases. 20,182 from Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, 9,637 from Islamabad, 1,213 from Gilgit Baltistan, 8,794 from
Balochistan and 740 from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/jun/19/gilgit-baltistan-agriculture-minister-among-118-new-covid-19-deaths-in-pakistan-2158674.html
--------
$1.5bn
loan agreements signed to fight virus
Syed
Irfan Raza
June
20, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday witnessed the signing ceremony of $1.5
billion loan agreements with three international financial institutions for
combating the Covid-19 crisis.
According
to the Prime Minister Office, the agreements were signed with the World Bank
(WB), Asian Development Bank (ABB) and Asian Infrastructure Development Bank
(AIIB).
An
agreement is related to Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support
Programme (CARES) amounting to $500 million:
The
ADB is extending $500m under the Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure
Support Programme aimed at supporting the Pakistan government’s efforts to
strengthen the health system and mitigate socioeconomic impacts of the
pandemic.
The
AIIB is extending co-financing of $500m under the same programme to augment the
government’s efforts to mitigate direct and indirect impacts of the Covid-19
pandemic.
Sindh
leads other provinces in number of coronavirus cases; 5,551 cases, 130 deaths
reported across country in single day; complaint management system for
healthcare workers launched
Another
agreement relates to the Securing Human Investments to Foster Transformation
worth $500m. It aims to strengthen the civil registration and vital statistics,
health and education systems essential for human capital accumulation,
recognise and support the contribution of women to economic productivity and
improve efficiency of the national safety nets.
Economic
Affairs Secretary Noor Ahmed signed the three loan agreements on behalf of the
government of Pakistan and WB Country Director Patchamuthu Illangovan and ADB
Country Director Xiaohong Yang on behalf of the World Bank, ADB and AIIB.
The
$1,500m loan amount will be disbursed to Pakistan in the next few days.
Sindh
leads in Covid-19 cases
Sindh
is leading other provinces in terms of number of coronavirus cases as it
surpassed the 65,000 mark on Friday.
The
country reported 5,387 Covid-19 cases and 129 deaths over the past 24 hours,
taking the national tally of cases to 167,956 and casualties to 3,278.
According
to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, 13,642 tests were conducted during the
last 24 hours, of which 2,894 were positive, taking the provincial tally to
65,163 cases. The province also reported its highest single-day death toll at
49, taking the total fatalities to 1,013. About 673 patients are said to be in
critical condition, while 113 are on ventilators. A total of 1,691 people
recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 32,725.
Punjab
has so far reported 61,678 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 20,182, Balochistan 8,998,
Islamabad 9,941, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,225 and Azad Kashmir 769 cases.
Complaint
management system
Special
Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said the government
had launched a complaint management system to address the grievances of
healthcare workers.
Addressing
the media after a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre, he said
the healthcare workers could call on 1166 or message through WhatsApp on
+923001111166 to register their complaints.
“When
a complaint is received, the staff will determine which province the complaint
is from and its category and then it will be forwarded to the government’s
focal point in that province,” he said, adding that the staff would also call
back the healthcare workers to inform them about the status of their complaint
and how it has been resolved.
Full
report at:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1564684/15bn-loan-agreements-signed-to-fight-virus
--------
Two
Rangers personnel among three killed, five injured in Ghotki blast
June
20, 2020
GHOTKI:
Three people, including two Rangers personnel, were killed while five others
were injured in a blast in Ghotki on Friday.
The
police said that Rangers personnel were buying meat in the market when the
blast took place. Heavy contingents of police and Rangers rushed to scene soon
after the blast and cordoned off the area for collecting evidence.
Those
who died in the blast were identified as two Rangers personnel, Zahoor Ahmed
and Fayyaz Ahmed, and a civilian Ghulam Mustafa.
The
dead bodies of the victims and injured were shifted to District Headquarters
Hospital Ghotki for medico-legal formalities and treatment, respectively. The
police said that the bomb was planted near a meat shop in the market where
Rangers vehicle was parked.
Full
report at:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/06/19/two-rangers-personnel-among-three-killed-five-injured-in-ghotki-blast/
--------
South
Asia
The
Rohingyas and the Elephants: How Humans and Nature Collide in Refugee Camps
By
Shah Tazrian Ashrafi
June
19, 2020
On
August 19, 2017, at around 1 a.m. when everyone was asleep, an elephant
ventured into camp 6 of Kutapalong Refugee Camp, damaging shelters and wreaking
havoc. Everyone was able to escape except 75-year-old Amin Shorif, who was
trampled to death by the elephant. This is not an isolated incident. Up until
2019, 14 people from the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh have been killed
by sporadic elephant incursions.
Recently,
however, there have been no deaths caused by the elephants and that is
attributable to the fact that an Elephant Response Team, set up by the UN
refugee agency, UNHCR, has been operating in the camps. The volunteers of the
team get hands-on training from professionals so that they are well equipped to
handle an emergency.
There
is an elephant watch tower in each camp. The volunteers keep in touch with the
watchmen stationed at the towers. When the team members spot an elephant, they
gather in one place and try to drive it away by surrounding it. They use
torches, microphones, loudspeakers, and whistles so that the elephant doesn’t
charge at them. They keep one way open for the elephant to go out. At the same
time, they alert the people using loudspeakers and whistles, so others know not
to come out of their shelters.
Abdurozok,
a 52-year-old Elephant Response Team volunteer and a team leader, says that the
elephants mostly come at night, so the volunteers are required to be more
active then. He finds staying awake challenging.
“We
have to spend our nights at the watch tower, and if we fall asleep then, it
will jeopardize the people’s lives. We are accomplishing our duty, but we are
not paid well,” he says.
Another
volunteer, 20-year-old Kurban Ali, says, “People were not safe here when there
was no elephant response team but now the situation has changed because we,
alongside organizations like IUCN [the International Union for Conservation of
Nature] and UNHCR, are working here to save both the people’s and animals’
lives.”
When
they first came here in 2017, Abdurozok saw a considerable number of elephants.
But now, elephant sightings have reduced in and around the camps.
“This
place belongs to elephants. There were many elephants before. Last year we saw
elephants every month but this year their visits have lessened. We only saw
them twice during the winter season,” he says, “When we first came here, there
were forests around us but now they’re gone.”
According
to a 2019 estimate by IUCN, there are about 268 elephants in Bangladesh, and
35-45 of them live around the Rohingya refugee camps. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) Bangladesh officials told me that approximately 40-42
elephants are confined in the forests of Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar. The
existing elephant population is critically endangered, facing an acute scarcity
of food and water with the threat of further habitat loss and a shrunken
foraging area due to human encroachment and indiscriminate resource collection.
Rajib Mahamud, Senior Forestry Specialist at FAO Bangladesh, said, “The
location of the refugee camp blocked the elephants’ corridor. Several attempts
by the elephants to cross through the camp caused conflict. These amazing
creatures face a battle of survival because of a number of threats, including
habitat loss, food scarcity, and conflict with humans. We are doing what we can
to help the elephants. We are giving some of their forest back to them. It’s
their home as well.”
Raquibul
Amin, Bangladesh representative for the IUCN, tells me that due to the
shrinking forest area and a blocked migration path, the elephants are in
veritable danger, since being confined to a small area could cause a shortage
of food as well as conflicts. Elephant-human conflicts arise because of the
blocked migration path, which the elephants have been using for centuries. The
migration pattern is embedded into their psyche, and so, they are battered by
confusion when they find overpowering hurdles like sprawling camp areas on
their route.
The
elephants have been using the route — it traverses where the Kutapalong Refugee
camp now stands — to travel between Bangladesh and Myanmar in search of food
and shelter for centuries. In a statement, Ehsanul Haque, Assistant Environment
Officer from UNHCR Bangladesh, says, “Before the refugee influx, two out of
three migratory corridors of the elephants were blocked, as found by an IUCN
study in 2016. Later, many refugee camps were established in 2017 over the only
corridor left open. So far, IUCN-UNHCR intervention in partnership with the
refugees and host community has handled 106 incidents of ‘Human-Elephant
Contacts’ since 22 February 2018.”
Aside
from blocked migratory routes, the loss of vegetation has also brought a cloud
of tension over Cox’s Bazar. The latest finding reveals that 8,000 acres of
forest area have been razed to make way for the settlements accommodating a
large number of refugees since the mass exodus in August 2017. A team of forest
ministry estimated the environmental loss to the tune of 24.20 billion
Bangaldeshi takas ($285 million). A 2018 UN report finds that the refugee population
has had to rely on fuelwood from surrounding forests for cooking and on trees
for building their shelters, which caused an intense depletion of vegetation
cover from the hills.
Ramzan
Ali, a 46-year-old man who used to work as a woodcutter to sell logs to other
refugees to support his family, says, “When I first came in this camp, there
were forests around me; so I had to cut trees to build shelter and to use them
as fuelwood. My neighbors also had to cut trees for the same reasons. We always
used them to cook because we were not provided any gas cylinder at that time.”
A
Small Ray of Hope
The
situation has now changed, however. There are new policies on the table that
encourage using LPG (liquified petroleum gas) as an alternative to fuelwood,
since production of fuelwood gives rise to deforestation. Ehsanul Haque of
UNHCR says that the demand for fuelwood within the refugee community has been
reduced 80 percent. If that trend continues, he says, the natural habitat of
tropical forest ecosystem will regenerate soon, and the refugees’ need to go to
the forest to collect fuelwood — and the subsequent exposure to wildlife — will
also be reduced.
Since
2018, a total of 1,135,735 LPG refills have been distributed among the refugee
population. A recent study confirmed that after the LPG distribution, the rate
of deforestation has come within sustainable forestry rates and the rate of
firewood demand has also plummeted to “pre-influx levels.”
In
a statement, officials from FAO Bangladesh told me that they have launched SAFE
Plus — a joint effort among FAO, the International Organization for Migration
(IOM), and the World Food Program (WFP) that addresses environmental
degradation through distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and stoves,
reforestation, and improved livelihood opportunities. FAO leads the
reforestation segment and is currently working with the Forest Department to
restore 2,000 hectares of forest. So far, 672 hectares have been restored. The
provision of LPG cooking facilities and fuel to almost every household in the
camp, along with 35,000 people from the host community, has greatly reduced the
pressure on forests, they said.
Meanwhile,
FAO has developed technical guidelines to restore wildlife habitats, with a
focus on elephants, and will pilot the restoration work on 20 hectares of
forest in Cox’s Bazar later this year. As part of a conservation strategy, FAO
– in collaboration with the IUCN and the Forest Department – is assessing the
area’s floral diversity (the diversity of naturally occurring indigenous or
native plants). The work will identify “indicator species” to monitor the
long-term health of the forests, as well as potential “mother trees” that can
be harvested for high-quality seeds to reforest the areas.
Robert
D. Simpson, the FAO representative in Bangladesh, says, “We are deploying FAO’s
global expertise and working with our partners so that these elephants do not
disappear altogether from the forests of Cox’s Bazar. Our reforestation work in
the area will be crucial to the elephants’ long-term survival. By taking these
measures, we will not only be protecting humans from elephants but also
elephants from humans.”
The
Troubled History of the Rohingya People
Muslim
settlers came to Arakan as early as the 1430s. In 1784, the state was conquered
by the Burmese Empire, and subsequently, from 1824 until 1948, the British ruled Burma as part of
British India. In that period, many Muslims from the Indian subcontinent
(especially Bengal) entered Burma as migrant workers. At the time, it was
considered internal movement since Burma did not have the status of a separate
country. Thus Muslims’ roots in Burma can be traced back centuries, but after
Myanmar gained independence from Britain in 1948, it refused to accept the
Muslim population as its citizens. In 1982, Myanmar officially stripped the
Rohingya people of citizenship, which led to rising discrimination in jobs,
healthcare, and education and to restrictions on their movement outside Rakhine
state. Because of the citizenship law, the Rohingyas are considered stateless;
Myanmar officially refuses to even use te name “Rohingya,” preferring to call
them “Bangladeshi immigrants.” Myanmar recognizes 135 ethnic groups within the
country, but the Rohingyas are excluded from the recognition.
In
1962, Myanmar launched Operation King Dragon, and unleashed its military forces
upon the Rohingya people. Accusations of human rights abuses like rape,
destruction of property, and mass incarcerations rose, and the Rohingya people
started pouring across the border into Bangladesh. A similar campaign followed
in 1991, named Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation, which drove more Rohingya
people out of the country. In 2017, theArakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a
Rohingya militant group, launched attacks on more than 30 police posts, and the
state retaliated by propelling retributive measure that spurred a mass flight
on Rohingyas in August 2017. Persecuted, they desperately fled across the
border and most of them settled in the closest safe spot — Bangladesh’s Cox’s
Bazar. They brought with them stories of horror and genocide. On May 24 this
year, Myanmar submitted a required report to the International Court of Justice
on the persecution of the Rohingya people. Although the report has been deemed
“an important milestone,” the discussion around safe repatriation of the
Rohingya people and easing the burden on Bangladesh seems lukewarm, as the
refugees remain in constant and justified fear of persecution after going back.
The
amputated hills and forests of Cox’s Bazar stand as testaments to the fact that
it is not only humans who bear the brunt of such violence. The environment
does, too. Even though the future of the elephants in Cox’s Bazar hangs in the
balance due to the disruption of their migratory movements, it is worth
noticing that concerted efforts by the government and international bodies have
facilitated an atmosphere of coexistence. For the Rohingya refugees and the
elephants, this rocky life of coexistence treads forward as it has since the
exodus.
With
reforestation and other significant conservation plans — like radio collaring
to understand elephant behavior in the wild and their response to the new
situation — underway, a ray of hope flickers on the horizon, although more
breakthroughs in settling the environmental tension are yet to emerge.
“Across
the world, the socioeconomic needs of human populations must be balanced with
the sound management of wildlife species and their habitats. It is incredibly
important to do all that we can to protect the remaining elephants in Cox’s
Bazar, which sadly are very few,” says Robert
Simpson of the FAO.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/06/the-rohingyas-and-the-elephants-how-humans-and-nature-collide-in-refugee-camps/
--------
West
reluctant for 'dangerous' Taliban prisoners to be freed: sources
Hamid
Shalizi, Abdul Qadir Sediqi
JUNE
18, 2020
KABUL
(Reuters) - Western powers are backing the Afghan government’s refusal to free
hundreds of prisoners accused of some of Afghanistan’s most violent attacks, a
release demanded by the Taliban as a condition to start peace talks, five
sources told Reuters.
The
issue is a final major sticking point which, if resolved, is expected to lead
quickly to intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Qatar aimed at ending more than
18 years of war in a U.S.-brokered peace process.
“The
contentious part right now is the prisoners issue,” a senior government source
told Reuters. Two European diplomats, an Asian diplomat and another Afghan
official confirmed his account.
“There
are some dangerous Taliban fighters named in the list, and releasing them is
literally crossing a red line,” said a senior European diplomat.
“Some
NATO members find it extremely uncomfortable to support the release of Taliban
prisoners who were behind large-scale suicide attacks on minority groups and on
expats.”
The
Taliban struck a troop withdrawal agreement with the United States in February
to pave the way for talks with the Afghan government. But the insurgent group
insisted a list of 5,000 prisoners be released, leading to months of delay as
the Afghan government initially refused to set free that many prisoners before
talks.
One
Afghan security source and one diplomatic source told Reuters the United States
had also expressed reservations about releasing some of the group that NATO and
the Afghan government were objecting to setting free.
A
U.S. State Department spokesperson said it wanted peace talks to be launched as
soon as possible.
“The
United States continues to be encouraged by the great progress on prisoners
release by both sides. We support additional releases by both sides to get the
issue off the table,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The
sources said that if all prisoners walked free, including those accused of
killing many civilians in some of Afghanistan’s bloodiest attacks, it would
give the impression the insurgent group had the upper hand over the government
while negotiations got under way.
The
sources spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday the group still insisted that all
5,000 be released so talks could begin.
The
Afghan government in recent weeks released around 3,000 of the prisoners and is
prepared to set free all but a few hundred, government sources said. The
Taliban has also released hundreds of prisoners.
Included
in the contentious group were prisoners involved in large-scale attacks, such
as the 2017 truck bombing near Germany’s embassy in Kabul, which killed more
than 150, according to two sources.
The
Taliban denied high-profile attackers were on their list.
Full
report at:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-taliban-prisoners/reluctance-to-free-most-dangerous-taliban-prisoners-slows-afghan-peace-talks-sources-idUSKBN23P3A9?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
US
Investigates Alleged IS Plot to Kill American Peace Envoy to Afghanistan
By
Jeff Seldin, Ayaz Gul
June
18, 2020
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD
- U.S. officials say they are seriously investigating Taliban claims that
Islamic State in Afghanistan was plotting to assassinate Zalmay Khalilzad, the
American peace envoy for the country.
The
Taliban have recently shared with journalists a video of two blindfolded men in
their custody, saying they were recruited by Islamic State for the would-be
suicide mission aimed at killing Khalilzad.
"The
U.S. government takes any potential threat against U.S. personnel
seriously," a State Department spokesperson told VOA when contacted for a
reaction.
"U.S.
officials are investigating the video, in addition to Afghan government
authorities," the spokesperson added.
Khalilzad
led the U.S. team that negotiated and sealed a landmark pact with the Taliban
in February that aims to end the nearly 19-year Afghan war, America's longest.
The
two captives, speaking in Pashto, said in their purported confession that the plot
to kill the U.S. envoy was facilitated by former and current officers within
the Afghan intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
They
also named Rahmatullah Nabil, a former NDS chief, as being one of their key
contacts. Nabil swiftly denied the charges and denounced the video as fake two
days after the Taliban released the nearly seven minutes of footage via its
social media outlets.
"Very
soon I will provide verified information in this regard in order for my fellow
Afghans to reach an informed conclusion. Being honest with my people is always
the main principles and values of my life," the former Afghan spymaster
Sunday.
The
would-be assassins in their video confession claimed that their team was to
carry out the suicide car bombing outside the Kabul residence of a prominent
Afghan jihadist leader, Hamid Gailani, where Khalilzad was scheduled to be
during one of his trips to the country last month.
But
the American envoy did not show up that day, and the hit team was ordered to report
back to a contact in Logar province 10 days later, the men said. They added
that Taliban insurgents stopped them at one of the posts on the road and took
them into custody after recovering NDS credentials from their possessions.
The
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), which is training, advising and assisting
Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), also questioned the
militant assertions.
"The
department is not currently aware of credible intelligence that suggests that
the government of Afghanistan is working with ISIS to undermine the
U.S.-Taliban agreement," said a Pentagon statement, using an acronym for
the Middle Eastern terrorist outfit.
A
U.S. defense official instead praised the role of the Afghan government and its
security forces in fighting Islamic State militants throughout the country.
"Let
us not allow this to overlook the extraordinary effort that continues to be
undertaken by the ANDSF, and the many successes they have achieved against
ISIS," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Peace
talks
The
Taliban, in a statement, claimed the failed alleged assassination plot was
solely meant to sabotage the insurgent group's historic agreement with the U.S.
to end years of war in Afghanistan and to find a political settlement to four
decades of turmoil in the country through intra-Afghan talks.
It
is not yet known whether Taliban leaders in their frequent meetings with
Khalilzad in Qatar, where the two adversaries signed the peace pact, have
officially conveyed details of the alleged plot to kill him.
"Mechanisms
remain in place for DoD and other [U.S. government] departments to raise and
address issues of concern with the Taliban," noted a U.S. defense
official.
The
U.S.-Taliban agreement requires all American and coalition troops to leave
Afghanistan by July 2021 in return for insurgent assurances not to allow
terrorist groups to use Afghan soil for international attacks.
The
Taliban have promised to engage in intra-Afghan negotiations to agree on a
permanent cease-fire and power-sharing arrangement in postwar Afghanistan.
Full
report at:
https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-investigates-alleged-plot-kill-american-peace-envoy-afghanistan?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Top
General Says U.S. Troop Cut In Afghanistan Hits 8,600 Target In Line With
Taliban Deal
June
18, 2020
The
United States has reduced its troop presence in Afghanistan to levels agreed to
as part of a February deal with the Taliban, the general who oversees the
region says.
"We
agreed to go to the mid-8,000 range within 135 days," General Kenneth
McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, said at an event hosted by the
Aspen Institute think tank on June 18. "We're at that number now."
The
February deal provides for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and is intended to
pave the way for peace talks between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed government
in Kabul.
Under
the deal, the United States agreed to reduce its forces in Afghanistan from
12,000 troops to 8,600 by mid-July. If the rest of the deal goes through, all
U.S. and other foreign troops will exit Afghanistan by mid-2021.
McKenzie
said a full U.S. troop withdrawal was "conditions-based” on the Taliban
meeting their commitments.
A
key plank of the agreement requires the Taliban to sever all ties with
extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) that could launch
attacks on the United States and its allies.
McKenzie
said the Taliban was already at odds with the IS group.
"What
we need to see is what they're going to do against Al-Qaeda," he said,
referring to the group responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
on the United States. "And we need to see that in deeds and not
words."
The
Taliban has "not yet completely made that case," he said. "There
remains an opportunity for them to do it, but time is now beginning to grow
short."
A
UN report released on June 1 said the Taliban still maintained close ties with
the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.
"Relations
between the Taliban, especially the Haqqani network, and [Al-Qaeda] remain
close, based on friendship, a history of shared struggle, ideological sympathy,
and intermarriage," said the report sent by independent UN sanctions
monitors to the UN Security Council.
The
report added that the Taliban "regularly consulted" with Al-Qaeda
during negotiations with the United States and "offered guarantees that it
would honor their historical ties."
U.S.
special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad downplayed the UN report, saying
it largely covered a period before the February agreement.
Taliban
militants control about half of Afghanistan's territory and have continued to
carry out attacks since the U.S.-Taliban deal was signed.
The
government has said that in recent weeks some 422 Afghan personnel have been
killed or wounded across the country in at least 220 Taliban attacks.
IS
militants have also carried a number of high-profile attacks, killing dozens of
people.
An
attack on May 24 on a maternity hospital in Kabul on May 24 killed was
described as "horrific" by Doctors Without Borders, which last week
announced it would cease activities at the hospital.
Full
report at:
https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-us-troops-taliban/30678552.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Africa
Al-Qaeda
North Africa confirms chief is dead: SITE
19/06/2020
Al-Qaeda's
North Africa wing has confirmed that its Algerian chief Abdelmalek Droukdel is
dead, according to SITE, the US watchdog for extremist groups.
France
said early this month that its forces killed Droukdel in northern Mali near the
Algerian border, where it says the group has bases it uses to carry out
bombings and abductions of Westerners.
"After
nearly two weeks, AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) has officially
acknowledged the death of its long time leader Droukdel (Wadud), with a video
eulogy narrated by AQIM's head of media, pledging continued battles against
occupying French forces and others in N. Africa and the Sahel," SITE director
Rita Katz said Thursday on her Twitter account.
French
Defence Minister Florence Parly said June 6 that many close associates of the
Algerian -- who commanded several groups under the AQIM banner -- were also
"neutralised."
AQIM
emerged from a group started in the late 1990s by radical Algerian Islamists,
who in 2007 pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.
The
group has said it has carried out numerous attacks on troops and civilians
across the Sahel, including a 2016 attack on an upmarket hotel and restaurant
in Burkina Faso that killed 30 people, mainly Westerners.
The
death of Droukdel -- once regarded as Algeria's enemy number one -- could leave
AQIM in disarray, French military sources have said.
France
has deployed more than 5,000 troops to combat jihadist groups in the region --
a largely lawless expanse stretching over Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania
and Niger, where drugs and arms flow through porous borders.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200618-al-qaeda-north-africa-confirms-chief-is-dead-site?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Troops
killed 41 Boko Haram fighters in Borno –DHQ
June
19, 2020
The
Defence Headquarters has said troops killed 41 insurgents during an attempt by
the hoodlums to overrun Monguno, Borno State, on June 12.
It
explained that soldiers of Operation Lafiya Dole in the counter-attack also
rescued 33 captives and recovered a large cache of arms, ammunition and
equipment.
The
troops also reportedly eliminated high-value Boko Haram leaders and some of
their fighters at Garin Maloma, on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest.
The
Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, disclosed to
journalists in Abuja on Thursday that the armed forces have equally continued
to build on recent successes against bandits operating in the North-West.
He
stated, “The counter-attack by our troops at Monguno resulted in the
neutralization of 41 terrorists. Within the period under review, the land and
air components of Operations Hadarin Daji, Katsina and Accord, carried out
aggressive clearance operations at several identified bandits’ enclaves.
“Most
importantly was the attack on three camps operated by one Adamu Aleiro in a
forest along Katsina-Zamfara boundary area.”
Meanwhile,
the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole has destroyed a compound housing
some high-value Boko Haram leaders and their fighters.
Full
report at:
https://punchng.com/troops-killed-41-boko-haram-fighters-in-borno-dhq/
--------
Nigeria
Attacks Spark Fears of Bloodier Jihadist Strategy
JUNE
19, 2020
The
attacks were swift and brutal: fleeing villagers were gunned down or crushed
under the wheels of trucks. When the Islamist fighters left, dozens of mangled
bodies lay scattered around.
People
in northeast Nigeria are no strangers to horror after a decade-long jihadist
insurgency that has seen thousands massacred and schoolgirls kidnapped. But a
flurry of bloody assaults last week has ramped up fears that a powerful
jihadist faction may be opening a grim new chapter by extending its murderous
attention from military to civilian targets.
Fighters
of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) splintered from the main Boko
Haram group in 2016. The rupture was in part over claims veteran leader
Abubakar Shekau‘s campaign of suicide bombings against local Muslim residents
was too cruel.
After
pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group, the new faction sought to win
support from communities by offering them rudimentary services. The insurgents
focused their attacks on the Nigerian military and other outside players —
killing hundreds of troops and abducting employees from international aid
groups.
‘Wounded
Lion’
Now
the recent surge in killings — which saw around 120 men, women, and children
butchered over just a few days — has pushed some to see a turning point.
The
bloodiest of the assaults came last Tuesday on the remote cattle-herding
village of Felo. Residents and officials said 81 people were either shot dead
or run over by vehicles as they tried to escape.
Survivors
said the attack was a targeted reprisal after locals, tired of the jihadists
stealing their cattle, formed a local defense group and began killing ISWAP
members. “This was what led to the carnage on the herders,” Babakura Kolo, head
of another government-backed militia, told AFP.
Security
sources and experts say the ferocity may be down to Nigerian army offensives
that have piled pressure on the insurgents since April.
A
regional security official said the operations — which the military claims have
killed 1,400 jihadists — have no doubt “incensed the group.”
“The
Nigerian army often exaggerates the successes in its favor, but it is true that
it has inflicted heavy casualties on ISWAP in recent months,” said Bulama
Bukarti, an analyst for sub-Saharan Africa at the Tony Blair Institute. “And
like a wounded old lion, ISWAP is reacting violently.”
Leadership
Change
Feeding
into the potential hardening of tactics is believed to be a change of ISWAP’s
leadership in a bloody internal purge last year.
Former
head Idriss al-Barnawi was ousted and killed for being too “moderate” and
replaced by a new shadowy figure known as Ba Lawan.
“This
could be a fundamental turning point in the evolution of ISWAP,” Bukarti said.
A
source with deep knowledge of ISWAP’s internal workings said the leadership was
now “in the hands of more radical elements who see the local population as an
enemy that should not be spared.” “They accuse villagers of passing information
on them to the military and (anti-jihadist) militia,” the source said. “Ba
Lawan and his lieutenants pursue the same extremely violent path that makes
them no different from the same Boko Haram.”
In
fact, the new commanders have even begun reaching out to the rival faction.
A
meeting was held with Boko Haram emissaries in March where the foes “agreed to
bury the hatchet and work together against their common enemy,” the source
said.
Vincent
Foucher, an analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said recent
attacks “seemed to pursue specific objectives: to drive out the traitors, to
multiply the tax receipts.” But it remained too early to tell if the group’s
strategy had changed definitively.
Full
report at:
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/06/19/nigeria-jihadist-strategy/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1300563_
--------
Nigerian
military destroys Boko Haram's tactical command centre, kills militants:
official
2020-06-20
ABUJA,
June 19 (Xinhua) -- A tactical command center of terror group Boko Haram was
completely destroyed and a number of militants killed by the Nigerian military
following a series of airstrikes in the northeastern part of the country, an
official said on Friday.
John
Enenche, spokesman for the Nigerian military, who confirmed this in a statement
made available to Xinhua, said the airstrikes were conducted on Wednesday at
Yuwe, a part of the Sambisa Forest in the northern state of Borno.
The
Sambisa Forest is known as the largest training camp of the Boko Haram group in
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
Enenche
said the operation on Wednesday was in continuation of the air interdiction
missions being conducted to unhinge the leadership of the terror group.
"Nigerian
Air Force fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force to take out the command
center took turns in attacking the location, scoring accurate hits," he
said.
This
accurately led to the destruction of the Boko Haram powerhouse and
surroundings, as well as the "neutralization of several fighters," he
added.
Full
report at:
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/20/c_139152637.htm
--------
Arab
World
After
US elections, there will be little change in Middle East policy: Experts
19
June 2020
Washington’s
Middle East policy is unlikely to see major change regardless of the outcome of
the US presidential elections in November, analysts and former US government
officials say.
While
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald
Trump have already set out contrasting visions for the country ahead of the
November 3 election date, US foreign policy in the Middle East has not been the
campaign focus so far.
According
to experts, Middle East policy is likely to see little change whether under a
Trump or Biden administration – although there are some policy differences
between two candidates.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
A
range of policy analysts and experts told Al Arabiya English that Washington’s
policy toward Iran might be the most significant difference.
Biden
has said that he would return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
nuclear deal, reached during the Obama administration but later abandoned by
the Trump administration, which accuses Iran of failing to halt its
destabilizing regional activities.
But
Biden’s approach is not guaranteed to change Iran’s behavior or policies
vis-à-vis the use of its proxies and militias in foreign countries.
His
approach will depend on Iran’s reaction, according to Robert Danin, a former
senior State Department and National Security Council official.
“It
will have to be played out,” said Danin, a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy
School’s Belfer Center, in an interview with Al Arabiya English.
In
contrast, a second Trump term would mean maintaining the current maximum
pressure sanctions campaign against Iran.
According
to Paul Salem, president of the DC-based Middle East Institute, this approach
could force Iran to negotiate “because they can’t survive” under the current
circumstances.
Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates
The
difference between the Democratic and Republican approach to Saudi Arabia and
the UAE is “not profound,” said Salem.
“[The
US and Gulf countries] need each other and there are common interests between
the sides,” he said, adding that there will be no significant change.
“There
are enduring US interests that are facts of life, which no US president can
reinvent or fully ignore,” Salem said.
He
cites the continued importance of trade and energy flows through the Gulf, Red
Sea, and Suez Canal “regardless of how much shale the US produces.”
But
Karen Young, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said
that a Biden presidency and Democrat-majority Senate might have different
policy priorities in the region.
Former
US Ambassador to Morocco Ed Gabriel echoed Young that there would be a
different emphasis and “balance of interests” for US policy in the Arabian Gulf
if Biden were elected.
Danin,
like Salem, said that US interests endure in Gulf security and Saudi Arabia’s stability.
Iraq,
Syria, Lebanon
The
officials and analysts do not see a major shift in counterterrorism tactics and
expect the war on terrorism to remain a challenge.
Both
Trump and Biden see the best thing for the US – in agreement with Iraq – is to maintain
a limited but significant presence in Iraq to counterbalance Iran, Salem says.
Young
believes that both Trump and Biden are weary of US military engagement in the
region and “both are hesitant to commit more military or economic resources to
Iraq.”
As
for Syria and Lebanon, Young says neither Trump nor Biden have indicated much
interest.
The
recent announcement of the US Caesar Act, which looks to cut off revenues from
reaching the Assad regime and his allies, went into effect on June 17.
And
with the bipartisan support for the sanctions legislation, there appears to be
little variation between Trump and Biden’s approach. There is currently no
pathway for any future US administration to undo the legislation.
Last
July, Biden pledged to end “forever wars” that the US was involved in. However,
Obama, Trump, and their predecessors all vowed to do the same. Therefore, it
appears likely that there will be some continuity despite this rhetoric.
“There
has been some shared reluctance to want to continue US involvement in
open-ended conflicts in the region,” Danin said.
In
Lebanon, sanctions will continue under either president. Republicans have
tended to argue for a more aggressive sanctions policy, although the Trump
administration has held back on sanctions beyond Hezbollah.
The
threat of this changing remains.
Gabriel
pointed to the current administration’s activeness, “putting forth strong
proposals for Lebanon and its sovereignty.”
Arab-Israeli
conflict
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s widely criticized plans to annex the West
Bank are set to begin July 1. If they go ahead, little will remain to be
discussed on the US mediating role.
Biden
has hinted that he would be less tolerant of Israeli land-grabs, but while he
may change the “way he talks … there will be no real movement there,” Salem
said.
Resuming
talks with the Palestinian Authority and reversing Trump’s decision to stop
funding the UN refugee agency for Palestinians might be all that Biden could
salvage if elected.
“This
is a strange, unprecedented and unusual period in American diplomacy,” said
Danin, adding that under Biden, there would be a return to “a more traditional
US position somewhere between both sides.”
Post
COVID-19 America and more focus on domestic issues
The
US that entered the COVID-19 pandemic will be different and more inward
looking, noted the analysts.
According
to Salem, economic recovery and jobs will be the focus with no appetite in
Congress or among the public for international aid adventures. “Policy will be
limited,” he said.
Danin
– who served under every administration from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama –
has seen transitions from campaigning to governing, which is “very sobering.”
“You
campaign against your predecessor’s policies, come into power and realize it’s
much murkier and you realize you have to govern, not get elected,” he said. “I
saw it under Obama and every other president.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/06/19/After-US-elections-there-will-be-little-change-in-Middle-East-policy-Experts.html
--------
Coronavirus:
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince sends jet to reunite Syrian parents with children
19
June 2020
A
Syrian father shared a heartfelt thank you message to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed after the leader sent a private jet to reunite the
man and his wife with their daughters in the UAE, following months of
separation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For
more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
“Today,
June 16, airports are closed, and people are upset because of the coronavirus,
because they left their children and families. The UAE’s stance, and I
especially want to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who has a big heart, for
sending us a private airplane to take us, my wife and I, from a European
country back to our children,” the man said in a video that has been
circulating on social media.
The
father of two and his wife, who are residents of the UAE, were reportedly left
stranded in Bosnia and Herzegovina after airports worldwide suspended flights
in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.
When
Sheikh Mohammed heard about how the two young girls were being looked after by
their elderly grandmother, he ordered a private plane to bring back the
parents.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/06/19/Coronavirus-Abu-Dhabi-Crown-Prince-sends-jet-to-reunite-Syrian-parents-with-children.html
--------
Saudi
Arabia welcomes IAEA’s resolution pressing Iran for access to nuclear sites
19
June 2020
Saudi
Arabia has welcomed a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA calling on
Iran to stop denying the agency access to two suspected former sites and to
cooperate fully with it, according to a statement from the Kingdom’s ambassador
to Austria.
The
International Atomic Energy Agency 's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a
resolution on Friday, adopted in a vote called after China expressed opposition
to it, in which it raised pressure on Iran to let inspectors into the sites
mentioned in two of its reports because they could still host undeclared
nuclear material or traces of it.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the adoption of the Board of Governors of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the draft resolution submitted by
the three European countries (France, Germany, Britain) calling for Iran to
fully and immediately cooperate with the agency, including allowing the agency
access to the specified sites,” read the statement from Prince Abdullah bin
Khalid bin Sultan al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Austria.
“The
Kingdom supports this decision because it represents an important and serious
step in efforts to address Iran's violations and breaches of international
agreements and treaties related to its nuclear program, which comes in line
with the Kingdom's repeated requests to the international community to assume
its responsibilities towards not enabling Iran to develop nuclear technology
for non-peaceful purposes in order to maintain international security and
peace,” the statement added.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/06/19/Saudi-Arabia-welcomes-IAEA-s-resolution-pressing-Iran-for-access-to-nuclear-sites.html
--------
Kuwaitis
denounce Tunisia’s Ghannouchi’s state visit invite, recall pro-Saddam stance
20
June 2020
Many
Kuwaitis have voiced their anger at a recent state visit invite sent to
Tunisian parliament speaker and Islamist Ennhadha party leader Rached
Ghannouchi, recalling his pro-Iraqi invasion of Kuwait stance and saying he was
a persona non grata.
Ghannouchi
was afforded an invite by Kuwait’s parliament to visit the country as part of
protocol given his position as the Tunisian parliament speaker, according to
Marzouq al-Ghanim, the current speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Kuwaiti
writers and former ministers said Ghannouchi would not be welcomed in the
country by citizens given the former’s support of the Iraqi invasion of their
country in 1990 by late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
“Ghannouchi
was one of the strongest supporters of the 1990 invasion and was threatening
the countries that contributed to the liberation of Kuwait and threatening
others. Given the historical background, how can he be afforded a state visit
invite? He has never apologized for his stance but has rather continued on the
same path and narrative,” said Hajjaj Bukhdhur, a Kuwaiti political analyst.
Following
the uproar in Kuwait, al-Ghanim clarified in a statement late on Friday that
the invite to Ghannouchi to visit Kuwait was preliminary and part of protocols
and that there was no order to formally activated or confirm a visit.
According
to al-Ghanim, the invitation on was sent last February 9 and its delivery was
delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Full
report at:
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/06/20/Kuwaitis-denounce-Tunisia-s-Ghannouchi-s-state-visit-invite-recall-pro-Saddam-stance.html
--------
Top
court orders release of Kurdish opposition leader in blow to Erdogan
June
20, 2020
ANKARA:
The Constitutional Court of Turkey announced on Thursday night that it had
ordered the release of former presidential candidate and co-leader of the
pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas.
The
court ruled that Demirtas’ right to liberty had been violated because his
detention had exceeded “a reasonable time,” and ordered that compensation of
TL50,000 ($7,289) be paid to Demirtas.
The
surprise ruling followed several calls from the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) for the release of Demirtas, who is accused by the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) of having links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) — an accusation denied by both Demirtas and the HDP.
The
Kurdish leader — who has been in prison since 2016 on terror charges carrying a
sentence of up to 142 years — will not be set free immediately though, as he is
now being held in relation to a case pertaining to Kurdish protests in October
2014, despite not being named as a suspect in that investigation.
Human
rights activists say the court’s Thursday ruling is a tactical move to
alleviate mounting pressure from the Council of Europe — a human rights
organization of which Turkey is a founding member — over the high-profile case,
which is still pending before the ECHR’s Grand Chamber. While the ECHR stated
in November 2018 that Demirtas’ detention was not justified, it will not
usually issue an official verdict on a case until all avenues of the relevant
domestic judicial system have been exhausted.
Demirtas
— who has been called ‘the Kurdish Obama’ — was a robust challenger to Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during Turkey’s June 2015 elections, managing to
extend the HDP’s traditionally limited Kurdish constituency by reaching out to
liberal and left-wing Turkish voters, which resulted in the pro-Kurdish party
gaining parliamentary representation for the first time.
However,
the charismatic leader’s rapid ascent stopped in November 2016 when he was
jailed.
“This
ruling of the Turkish top court confirmed once again the need to release
Demirtas immediately. However, it is unlikely that it will happen soon under
today’s circumstances in the judiciary,” Erdal Dogan, a human rights lawyer,
told Arab News.
“This
case is politically motivated. However, if the ruling government opts for a
democratic approach to the Kurdish conflict, it will have to release Demirtas
and hundreds of HDP officials. It is a matter of making choices,” he continued,
adding that the situation is further complicated for Ankara by the cross-border
situations in Syria and Libya and its ongoing standoff with Russia.
“Demirtas
should not spend one single minute behind bars but unfortunately his case is related
to so many national and international dynamics (that have) to be negotiated,”
Dogan said.
Demirtas
has been suffering from health issues related to his heart in prison, but
Turkey’s recent ruling allowing the release of 90,000 prisoners to ease overcrowding
in jails and protect prisoners from the COVID-19 pandemic excluded those jailed
over terrorism charges, so he remained incarcerated.
Amnesty
International recently launched a campaign for the release of political
prisoners in Turkey amid the pandemic, warning that their lives might be at
risk highlighting its concerns about the health precautions the Ministry of
Justice has put in place during the pandemic.
Andrew
Gardner, senior Turkey researcher for Amnesty, told Arab News that the
organization is monitoring the situation. A new report by the Human Rights
Association has echoed Amnesty’s concerns, saying that conditions in the
prisons during the pandemic are worrying.
The
Amnesty researcher also noted that it has long been clear that the cases against
Demirtas — which Gardner described as “baseless” — are politically motivated
and that the government has used them to try and silence him and intimidate his
followers.
“The
Turkish government is facing increased pressure over its policy of locking up critics
— not only Demirtas, but also activist-philanthropist Osman Kavala and many
others. After this ruling, the Council of Europe can further question Turkish
authorities about why Demirtas is still in prison,” Gardner said.
Full
report at:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1692496/middle-east
--------
Egypt
to repatriate nationals stranded in Sudan due to coronavirus crisis
June
20, 2020
DUBAI:
Egypt said it will facilitate the repatriation of 800 stranded citizens in
Sudan early next week, local daily Al-Ahram Online reported citing the
Emigration and Expatriate Affairs Minister Nabila Makram.
The
citizens will return back to their home country through the Egyptian-Sudanese
border, with buses offered to transport them to Egypt.
Stranded
Egyptians should send their return requests to their embassy in Khartoum,
Makram said.
The
border between Egypt and Sudan was reopened after both countries earlier agreed
to close it to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1692596/middle-east
--------
India
Indians
stranded in Pakistan will arrive back home in three batches
Jun
19, 2020
AMRITSAR:
Pakistan government has agreed to repatriate the Indian nationals who are
stranded in Pakistan post coronavirus induced lockdown in three batches.
According
to highly placed sources Pakistan's ministry of Interior has directed the
Director General (DG) of Pakistan Rangers to repatriate the the stranded
Indians on June 25th, 26th and 27th via Attari international border.
Earlier,
the Indian high commission in Islamabad had asked the Pakistan government to
repatriate nearly 700 Indians on June 23rd via Attari international border.
While
quoting a letter of ministry of Interior written to Pakistan Rangers DG , the
intelligence sources here informed that a total of 748 Indians would be sent
back by Pakistan.
According
to sources the standard Indians in batches of 250 each would be repatriated in
three days.
Majority
of the Indians who are stranded in Pakistan are those who had either gone to
meet their relatives in Pakistan or visit religious places besides students
from Jammu and Kashmir.
Many
standard Indians had uploaded their videos on social media urging Pakistan
government to send them back home since they had not only run out of their
money but many of them required urgent medical assistance.
Pakistan
government has also released a list of 748 standard Indians who would be sent
home in 3 days beginning from June 25th.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indians-stranded-in-pakistan-will-arrive-back-home-in-three-batches/articleshow/76472252.cms
--------
Northeast
Delhi riots: Two more chargesheets filed against AAP ex-councillor Tahir
Hussain
Jun
20, 2020
NEW
DELHI: Trouble seems to be mounting for suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain
as Crime Branch of Delhi Police has filed two more chargesheets against him in
the northeast Delhi riots.
In
the first chargesheet, Tahir was allegedly found instigating arsonists to throw
Molotov cocktails at a crowd in a parking lot near his house on main Karawal
Nagar Road. He had also incited 10 others to shoot at the crowd from his
terrace.
Hussain
has also been accused of leading a mob to loot and ransack houses in the second
chargesheet. A godown was set on fire leading to a loss of Rs 25-30 lakh to the
owner. Several eyewitnesses told police that Hussain had led 40-50 youths who
went on the rampage.
Police
said a mob had gathered outside Pradeep's parking lot adjacent to Hussain's
residence near Chand Bagh pulia on February 24. The rioters broke open the gate
of Pradeep's house and robbed his belongings. His family was preparing for a
wedding. The rioters destroyed the hall and items for the ceremony.
The
ex-councillor instigated the crowd outside his house after which someone
started firing shots. Another group dropped petrol bombs on the parked vehicles
due to which several of them were gutted.
Ten
people, including Hussain and his younger brother Shah Alam, have been named in
the chargesheet. Both have been arrested and named as accused in the murder of
IB sleuth Ankit Sharma too. The sequence of events and eyewitness accounts have
been mentioned in the document.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/northeast-delhi-riots-two-more-chargesheets-filed-against-aap-ex-councillor-tahir-hussain/articleshow/76475932.cms
--------
Pakistani
drone shot down by BSF along IB in J&K
Jun
20, 2020
JAMMU:
A Pakistani drone was shot down by the Border Security Force along the
International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday,
officials said.
The
drone was spotted hovering in the skies by a BSF party on patrol duty in the
vicinity of Border Out Post Pansar around 5.10 am, the officials said.
They
said the BSF personnel fired about nine rounds and shot down the flying object
250 metres inside Indian territory.
Senior
BSF and police officers have rushed to the spot and further investigation is
on.
Jammu
& Kashmir: Weapons recovered from the Pakistani drone shot down by Border
Security Force (BSF) personnel in K… https://t.co/YN1dUP3reu
—
ANI (@ANI) 1592625916000
Meanwhile,
the officials said Pakistani rangers fired a few rounds on Babiya post in
Hiranagar sector around 8.50 am. There was no retaliation by the BSF guarding
the IB, they said, adding the situation is being monitored closely.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bsf-shoots-down-drone-that-entered-jks-kathua-from-pakistan/articleshow/76476385.cms
--------
Sharjeel's
hate speech led to looting of temple donation boxes and arson: UP
Jun
20, 2020
NEW
DELHI: Uttar Pradesh government on Friday told the Supreme Court that the FIR
lodged by UP police against Sharjeel Imam should not be clubbed with the FIRs
lodged by police in Delhi, Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh as his January
16 speech at Aligarh led to vitiate communal harmony for next two months and
large scale arson, stone pelting and firing at police.
Though
the SC adjourned hearing on Sahrjeel's petition seeking consolidation of all
FIRs, which made his alleged speech to cutoff Assam from India with five lakh
persons, in all five states as states of Assam, Manipur and Arunchal were
granted time to put in their responses, the Yogi Adityanath government said the
accused person's speech at Aligarh Muslim University on january 16 during an
anti-CAA protest had distinct local effect and hence different from the
offences that could have been committed in other states as those FIRs showed.
The
state government said "subsequent to the January 16 hate speech at AMU and
it becoming viral on social media platforms, there have been large scale
incidents of stone pelting, arson and firing in the Aligarh district."
"On
January 23, around 150-200 protesters, including AMU students, blocked the road
and raised slogans of hatred. On January 31, more than 500 persons congregated,
including AMU students, for an anti-CAA demonstration creating a tense
situation. On February 23, more than 500-600 unknown persons pelted stones,
looted donation boxes at temples, scuffled with temple priests, leading to
conflict and tension," the state said in its affidavit.
"Again
on February 23, more than one thousand persons in a pre-planned manner forcibly
entered Kotwali Upkot and created a riotous situation by firing from illegal
firearms. On February 24, a congregation raised hatred slogans and pelted
stones at police and fired upon them with illegal weapons injuring several
policemen and damaging public property," it said.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sharjeels-hate-speech-led-to-looting-of-temple-donation-boxes-and-arson-up/articleshow/76475364.cms
--------
Farooq
demands restoration of J&K’s special status
Jun
19, 2020
SRINAGAR:
First time since the annulment of J&K’s special status in August last year,
Farooq Abdullah and his party colleagues have demanded restoration of the
special Constitutional privileges enjoyed by the erstwhile state.
Senior
National Conference functionaries, headed by former J&K chief minister and
Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah, in a statement released on Friday underscored the
need to restore J&K’s special status and the constitutional guarantees
extended under binding covenants, “that were unconstitutionally, arbitrarily
and unilaterally taken away on August 5, 2019”.
The
NC demanded immediate annulment of all decisions made on August 5, 2019 and
restoration of J&K’s constitutional position that existed till the previous
day (August 4, 2019).
The
statement also called for opening of all traditional routes including
Kargil-Skardu, Jammu-Sialkot, Poonch-Rawalakot, allow free movement of people
across LoC and LAC and promote people-to-people contact and strengthen
inter-regional trade and cultural links.
The
MPs also expressed “deep anguish” over skirmishes on LoC and LAC and the
consequent loss of life and property.
“The
civilian population in the border areas, it is pointed out, is under huge
economic stress and the border skirmishes are to further compound its problems.
It is stated that revocation of August 5, 2019 decisions and unconditional
dialogue with all the stakeholders is pivotal to the lasting peace and
prosperity in the region,” the statement said.
The
statement further said, the apparent shift in BJP’s stand from “belligerence to
amity and peace”, discernible from the recent statements of Rajnath Singh and
Nitin Gadkari, two senior Ministers in the Union Cabinet are welcome steps.
The
NC statement also welcomed the “bold admission” made by Gadkari that while he
and his colleagues want to make India strong, “the strength does not come from
expansion” and they want “peace not violence” and to “work together”.
Full
report at:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/farooq-demands-restoration-of-jks-special-status/articleshow/76472781.cms
--------
26/11
plotter Tahawwur Rana arrested in Los Angeles, faces extradition to India
June
20, 2020
A
Chicago businessman, who spent more than 10 years in prison for aiding
terrorist groups, has been arrested in Los Angeles to face murder charges in
India for attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed more than 160 people US
prosecutors said Friday.
Tahawwur
Rana, a Pakistani-born Canadian, was convicted of a terrorist charge connected
to the group behind the Mumbai killings, sometimes called India’s 911 though US
prosecutors failed to prove he directly supported the threeday rampage.
Rana,
59, was serving a 14-year sentence when he was granted early release from a Los
Angeles federal prison last week because of poor health and a bout of
coronavirus but he never got out before being arrested to face extradition to
India prosecutors said.
He
has been charged with murder and murder conspiracy in India, according to court
documents. A request for comment to Rana’s public defender was not immediately
returned.
Rana
was convicted in Chicago in 2011 of providing material support to the Pakistani
terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba which planned the India attack and for supporting
a never-carried-out plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of
the Prophet Muhammad in 2005. The cartoons angered many Muslims because
pictures of the prophet are prohibited in Islam.
Jurors
cleared Rana of a more serious charge of providing support for the attacks in
Mumbai, India’s largest city, that killed 166 injured nearly 240 and caused 15
billion in damage.
Ranas
lawyer said he had been duped by his high school buddy David Coleman Headley,
an admitted terrorist who plotted the Mumbai attacks. The defense called
Headley the government’s chief witness who testified to avoid the death penalty
a habitual liar and manipulator.
Rana
was accused of allowing Headley to open a branch of his Chicagobased
immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and travel as a
representative of the company in Denmark.
Prosecutors
said Rana knew Headley had trained as a terrorist Headley shared information of
the scouting missions he conducted in Mumbai and of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel
where gunmen later slaughtered dozens of people.
Headley,
who was born in the US to a Pakistani father and American mother, said his
hatred of India dated to his childhood when his school in Pakistan was bombed
by Indian military planes during a war between the countries in 1971.
Months
after the Mumbai attacks, Headley who did not take part in the attacks told
Rana he was even with the Indians now according to a court document Rana said
they deserved it.
Headley
who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder was sentenced to 35 years in prison
As part of his plea deal he cant be extradited to India.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-terror-attacks-26-11-plotter-tahawwur-rana-arrested-6467622/
--------
J&K:
At least 8 militants killed in 24 hours in separate encounters
June
19, 2020
At
least eight militants have been killed in two separate encounters in Jammu and
Kashmir over the last 24 hours. Security forces launched two operations on
Thursday, in which five militants have been killed in Shopian and three in
Awantipora.
Defense
spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said three militants have been killed in an
operation in Pampore area of South Kashmir’s Awantipora district, including two
who took refuge in a mosque.
“Maintaining
the sanctity of the mosque, two terrorists hiding inside were eliminated.
Precise operation with no collateral damage ensured. Joint operation in
progress,” he said.
In
Shopian district, at least five militants have been killed in an ongoing
operation.
Full
report at:
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-encounter-with-militant-shopian-awantipora-6466116/
--------
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