Fatwa Against Music To Burning Lesbians’ Genitals For Being In A Lesbian Relationship; Bengal’s Murshidabad Has Become Islamist Hotspot
New Age Islam News Bureau
15 November 2022
In many Islamic countries, homosexuality is punishable
with death as same-sex relationship is considered among the most heinous crimes
in Islam, writes the author.
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• Mosques Need Protection As Islamophobic Hate Spikes
In Canada For Authoritarian Regime In Iran
• At Least 83 Muslim Americans Elected In 2022 Midterm
Elections: Report
• Taliban Orders Implementation Of Their
Interpretation Of Sharia Law In Afghanistan
• Boko Haram ‘Kills Women Over Witchcraft’ Charges
India
• Karnataka BJP MP Threatens To Bulldoze Bus Stand,
Because It Looks Like A Mosque
• Nashik ATS Arrests Maharashtra Chief Of Imam
Council, Maulana Irfan Daulat Nadvi For Alleged PFI Link
• Govt Seeks Time For The Third Consecutive Time To
Firm Up Its Response On Places Of Worship Act
• Delhi murder: Both sets of parents were opposed to
the interfaith relationship
• Gyanvapi mosque case: Varanasi court likely to
deliver its verdict today
--------
North America
• US says ‘eyes of the world are on Iran,’ welcomes
recent EU sanctions on Tehran
• US says no western strategy on Iran taking hostages
as protests continue
• US Navy seizes 70 tons of missile fuel hidden in
dhow from Iran to Yemen
• US says Iran threats to ex-officials Pompeo, Hook
persist
--------
South Asia
Taliban Calls on Academics to Return, Says Life of
Poverty at Home Is Better Than Life Abroad
--------
Africa
• Sudan’s Burhan congratulates Israel’s Netanyahu on
election win
• Tunisian soccer fans welcome national team in Qatar
ahead of World Cup
-------
Pakistan
• Imran Khan Again Targets Pakistan Army, Accuses It
Of Weakening Independent Institutions
• It's behind me: Imran Khan takes a U-turn on ‘US
conspiracy' claim
• Pakistan will be among first to receive G7 'Global
Shield' climate funding
• Pakistan out of UK’s ‘high-risk countries’ list
• Pakistan has enough dollars to meet foreign
obligations, says SBP governor
• Chaman border shut as Afghan side hunts ‘terrorists’
• Imran Khan moves Supreme Court for attack probe
• Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s
postponement of Pak visit creates squabble among Govt, PTI
--------
Europe
• EU Sanctions Iran’s Interior Minister, IRGC Chief,
State TV Over Protest Crackdown
• Terrorism is common fight, European Council
president says on terrorist attack in Türkiye
• Coleraine mosque hosts community group to improve
understanding
• G20 summit: Vladimir Putin may be absent, but he is
still on leaders' minds
• Britain sanctions Iranian officials over crackdown
on protesters
• UK to end troop deployment to UN mission in Mali
earlier than planned
• City hall in Netherlands hangs Turkish flag in
support of Türkiye
--------
Southeast Asia
• Sanusi Slams Actor ZulHuzaimy’s Alleged Remarks
About Harming ‘Enemies Of Islam’
• Unity Among Muslims And Non-Muslims Under PAS’ Administration:
Hadi
• Sarawak to up non-Muslim unit funding to RM200m next
year
• 'End the war', Indonesia leader Joko Widodo urges at
G20 opening
• G20 Summit: PM Modi, US President Biden share warm
hug at Bali
• PM Narendra Modi arrives at venue to attend G20
summit in Bali
• Hadi Awang: Harmony among Muslims, non-Muslim in
PAS-ruled states proof of ‘stability’ offered by party
--------
Arab World
• Kurdish-Led Syrian SDF Denies Involvement InTurkey Bombing
• Number of private schools in Dubai on the rise, data
shows
• UAE official calls for ‘unambivalent’ US security
commitment
• Saudi Arabia, UAE strongly condemn deadly Istanbul
bomb attack
• Qatar responds to criticism, boycott calls in Europe
ahead of World Cup
• UAE President inaugurates Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
in Indonesia
• Missile attacks target Kurdish armed group in
northern Iraq
• Saudi Arabia hopes G20 Summit will ‘contribute to
developing strong solutions’ to global problems
• US occupation forces, SDF militants smuggle crude
oil from Syria’s Hasakah to northern Iraq
• Russia: HTS militants, White Helmets preparing
false-flag attacks in Syria’s Idlib
--------
Mideast
• Iran Voices Concern over West's Politicization of
Human Rights Issues
• Leader's Delegation in Sistan-Balouchestan to Study
Recent Violence
• IRGC Pounds Terrorists' Positions in Iraq's
Kurdistan
• Spokesman Warns Iran Not to Tolerate Ukraine's
Threats
• Spokesman: IAEA Team to Visit Iran for Further Talks
• Iran Condemns Fatal Bombing in Turkey
• Hunger striker in Iran back in prison after hospital
treatment
• Israel says US move to investigate Shireen Abu
Akleh’s killing ‘serious mistake’
• No push for Iran nuclear talks, US envoy says, due
to protests, drone sales
• Iran says it has evidence of foreign interference in
protests
• Israel condoles with Türkiye over Istanbul terrorist
attack
• Iranian foreign minister, EU’s Borrell discuss
lifting of sanctions against Iran over phone
• Condemnations of Istanbul terror attack pour in from
across Middle East
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Fatwa Against Music To Burning Lesbians’ Genitals For
Being In A Lesbian Relationship; Bengal’s Murshidabad Has Become Islamist
Hotspot
By: Abhijit Majumder
NOVEMBER 13, 2022
In many Islamic countries, homosexuality is punishable
with death as same-sex relationship is considered among the most heinous crimes
in Islam, writes the author.
------------
Last week, Bengal’s Murshidabad district was in news
again for stuff the civilised world thinks it has long left behind in the
dustbin of shame. Two women were mercilessly beaten up, molested, and their
private parts burnt with hot rods by Sahebul Sheikh, Kadam Mollah, and Samjer
Sheikh. Two of them are relatives of the women.
What is their fault?
They were accused of being in a lesbian relationship.
Muslim-majority Murshidabad is frequently in news for
fatwas against music, lottery, or watching TV. In neighbouring Malda district
with 51 percent Muslim population, local Muslims banned a girls’ football match
in 2015 because they felt jerseys were too tight and un-Islamic for women.
In many Islamic countries, homosexuality is punishable
with death as same-sex relationship is considered among the most heinous crimes
in Islam. That makes it easy for men in places like Murshidabad to brand girls
as lesbians and use the culture of fear to sexually exploit them.
The extremely sensitive border district has seen high-profile
arrests of Al Qaeda, Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarulllah Bangla
Team operatives in 2020 by the NIA. It also is a transit point for terrorists
to sneak into India. Maharashtra ATS picked up in 2018 Bangladesh-trained
terrorist suspects from Navi Mumbai who had entered through Murshidabad with
forged documents.
The district has also seen wanton violence — burning
of trains and buses, ransacking of stations — during the anti-CAA protests.
Leftists and self-proclaimed liberals of national media had played it down and
focused instead on police action against violent students in Jamia.
There was turmoil in Murshidabad again after Bahutali
High School principal Dinbandhu Mitra asked students not to wear hijab to
school.
The district is one of the biggest narcotic hubs and
drug transit points in India. Tons of heroin finds its way from Murshidabad to
the youth in India’s big cities. Such is the lawlessness that about 30 Chinese
nationals ran a 2.61 lakh square foot (area equal to about four international
football fields) amphetamine-producing unit right under the nose of the
Murshidabad police for years. The land belonged to Boju Sheikh, a local TMC
leader.
Murshidabad is a perfect example of how historical
mistakes and demographic change come together to haunt a place. During
Partition, there was a strong case for Muslim-majority Murshidabad to be part
of Bangladesh and Hindu-majority Khulna to be in India. However, because of
their respective geographical quirks, the reverse happened.
In 1947, the Hindu population of Khulna was 52
percent. It now stands at 11 percent. In Murshidabad, however, the Muslim
population has swelled from 55 percent in 1951 to 67 percent on last count in
2011.
This brought with it an ever-deepening shade of
Islamism. It also tied the district to local and international terrorism and
criminal networks. To top it all, political patronage from the ruling TMC makes
it fertile ground for groups like the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
In February this year, the PFI held a massive rally in
Murshidabad. Its notoriety as an organisation involved in radicalising youth,
driving conversions, and funding communal trouble had spread far and wide by
then. But it did not stop Mamata Banerjee’s MLA Manirul Islam from sharing stage
with the radical group. In 2020, PFI posters in Murshidabad against CAA had the
name of TMC MP Abu Taher Khan as its patron.
And in 2018, when the queer community came out of the
streets of Bengal after a group of students at Kolkata’s Kamala Girls High School
were made to sign a confession letter stating they were lesbians, the
perpetrators found support from one of Mamata Banerjee’s most powerful
ministers. Then education minister Partha Chatterjee — now in jail for hoarding
hundreds of crores of cash — had said that he would not tolerate “lesbianism in
schools” and that it was against the state’s ethos.
Clearly, the education minister managed to remain
unscathed by rich, same-sex literature and cinema from Tagore’s Chitrangada to
Kaushik Ganguly’sArektiPremerGolpo starring the iconic gay director, Rituporno
Ghosh.
If he had, if his government had cracked down on the
madness and bigotry then, the young girls of Murshidabad would not have to
endure the hot, searing pain. The nation would not have to bear their scars.
Source:News18
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Mosques Need Protection As Islamophobic Hate Spikes In
Canada For Authoritarian Regime In Iran
By NayerehAkbarzadeh
Nov. 14, 2022
For Canadians with roots and relations abroad, events
unfolding beyond our shores can feel anything but foreign. Many of us in the
Muslim community have felt this, as protests in Iran thrust our lives under the
spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Our mosque in Toronto’s Thornhill area has been
vandalized and threatened by people who wrongly associate us with the
authoritarian regime in Iran. Islamophobic misinformation spread so widely that
we had to put out a statement reiterating that we are independent and have no
political affiliations.
Making matters worse, media coverage of women
protesting in Iran has often targeted the fashion choices of Muslim women here
in Canada. Some overtly state the latter are probably forced to wear veils or
head scarves. The bodies of Muslim women once again became a battleground.
Meanwhile, we’ve endured non-stop harassment:
insulting graffiti, ongoing protests, verbal abuse, Islamophobic rhetoric and
more. Someone said online that it’s “mandatory to bomb the mosque.” The phrase
“death to priests” was spray-painted onto our walls. Others compare our
congregants to animals in a stable. There was even a threat to intentionally
spread COVID-19 to our congregants. The York Regional Police is now looking for
people behind what they call an “act of hate.”
We realize we are not safe. We need to beef up our
community’s security and we need it done fast. But to our disappointment, the
government funding program we’ve applied to has been unhelpful and inefficient.
All we want is to peacefully gather and pray, but it’s
been close to impossible. The police try to help but it’s not working. Our
children and seniors are terrified as protesters scream Islamophobic slurs
outside our gates. We need better protection. Right now, the Ontario government
is considering the Our London Family Act, which tackles systemic Islamophobia
and racism. Part of it includes creating safe zones around places of worship to
prevent harassment of congregants at mosques, churches, synagogues, etc.
We also need Public Safety Canada to fix the Security
Infrastructure Program, which allows places of worship to apply for funding to
bolster their security. Too many people are applying, and the system is stuck.
Many, us included, are left waiting forever. Some wait months, others a year.
Our recent application just got put on a waiting list that could take up to
four months to process. That means none of the funding can be used to help us
right now. We are not alone, which is exactly the problem — too many
communities are going through the same thing.
Hate crimes have spiked recently. Places of worship
have been on high alert. Think about the shooting at the Quebec City mosque in
2017 or the harassment of mosques by Islamophobic militias in Alberta. Our
community has faced so much tragedy in recent years. The governments promised to
address Islamophobia and racism, but they must act.
Source:TheStar
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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At least 83 Muslim Americans elected in 2022 midterm
elections: Report
14 November 2022
Nabeela Syed, a 23-year-old Muslim candidate of Indian
descent, defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois to become the first Muslim
elected to the state legislature. (File photo)
------------
Muslim Americans have made history again as a record
number of Muslim candidates were elected into office in the 2022 midterm
elections, despite rampant hate and discrimination against the faith community.
At least 83 Muslim candidates swept up local, state,
and federal seats during Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to a joint
analysis by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights
and advocacy group, and Jetpac, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing Muslim
political representation in the United States.
Almost 150 Muslim Americans had run for office this
year, including 51 state legislative candidates across 23 states.
"I'm inspired by the historic wins we are seeing
in local and state elections across the country. It shows that the Muslim
community is building solid infrastructure for sustained electoral
success," Jetpac Resource Center executive director Mohammed Missouri
said.
"Policy decisions on education, housing, climate,
and civil rights are shaped by state legislatures and it is critical that our
voice is represented in the policymaking process," he added.
Many of the wins were in Republican-leaning states,
including Texas, Virginia and Georgia, and included 20 incumbents and 17 new
candidates. Those seats range from city councils to the US House of
Representatives, where congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and
Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Missouri, retained their seats.
This marks the highest number of electoral victories
for the community of around 3.5 million people, breaking the record of 2020,
when 71 Muslim Americans were elected into office.
CAIR National Executive Director NihadAwad said the
"historic string" of victories in this year’s election "is a
testament to our community's ongoing rise in American politics and the trust
our neighbors have place in us to represent them and fight for their
interests."
"We are witnessing the next step in the American
Muslim community's political transformation from marginalized voices that were
sidelined, or worse, to decision makers," he said. "These
newly-elected officials are building upon the success of our community's
decades-long investment in civic engagement, voter registration and running for
office."
The victories also ushered in some historic firsts,
with state legislatures in Maine, Illinois, Ohio and Texas getting their first
Muslim American representatives.
In Illinois’ 51st District, Nabeela Syed, a
23-year-old Muslim candidate of Indian descent, defeated a Republican incumbent
to become the first Muslim elected to the state legislature.
“It is so important for us to have a seat at the
table, for us to have a voice in the legislative process,” she told local media
soon after her victory.
Similarly in Minnesota, 25-year-old Zaynab Mohamed, a
Democrat, became the first Muslim woman of Somali descent to be elected to the
state Senate.
Four Muslim Americans were elected to state office in
Georgia for the first time, including Ruwa Romman, who won a seat at the state
House of Representatives, and Nabilah Islam, who was elected to the state
Senate.
In Texas, the first two Muslim lawmakers getting
elected into office were Salman Bhojani and Suleman Lalani, who won elections
to House districts 92 and 76 respectively.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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Taliban orders implementation of their interpretation
of Sharia law in Afghanistan
November 15, 2022
Taliban fighters on a Humvee in Kabul, Afghanistan,
August 15, 2021.
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The Taliban has ordered judges in Afghanistan to fully
impose their interpretation of Sharia Law, including potential public executions,
amputations and flogging, a move experts fear will lead to a further
deterioration of human rights in the impoverished country.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said
Afghanistan’s Supreme Leader Alaiqadar Amirul Momineen made the “obligatory”
command after meeting with judges to “investigate the cases of thieves,
kidnappers, and seditionists.”
“Those cases that have met all the Shariah conditions
of limitation and retribution, you are obliged to issue the limitation and
retribution, because this is the order of the Sharia… and it is obligatory to
act,” Mujahid tweeted Sunday.
Kaheld Abou El Fadl, a professor of Islamic Law at
UCLA and one of the world’s leading authorities on Sharia law, told CNN there’s
a rich history of debate on the laws of Sharia and various interpretations of
their meaning.
“Every point of law you’ll find 10 different opinions
… Sharia is very open-ended,” he said.
Sharia law within Islamic jurisprudence means the
“search for the divine will,” El Fadl told CNN. “Although, both in Western and
native discourses, it is common to use Sharia interchangeably with Islamic law,
Sharia is a much broader and all encompassing concept, according to a statement
from El Fadl’s website.
The Taliban’s hardline implementation of the doctrine
when the group was last in power from 1996 to 2001 included violent
punishments, such as public executions, stoning, floggings and amputations.
El Fadl said that within the 1400-year tradition of
Sharia, those punishments were rarely implemented because the majority of
Islamic jurists throughout history didn’t interpret the law the way the Taliban
currently does. “The Taliban have a particular approach to Sharia that one
cannot ignore,” El Fadl said. “Anyone who doesn’t fit their definition can be
possibly put to death.”
After seizing power last August, the Taliban attempted
to project a more moderate image to gain international support, but in the
months since, the group has clamped down on rights and freedoms.
Women in Afghanistan can no longer work in most
sectors and require a male guardian for long-distance travel, while girls have
been barred from returning to secondary school.
Last week, women were stopped from entering amusement
parks in the capital Kabul after the Taliban’s morality ministry said women’s
access to public parks would be restricted.
During the group’s first stint in power, the Taliban
banned most forms of music as un-Islamic, and this August, in echoes of the
policy, Afghan folk singer Fawad Andarabi was dragged from his home and killed.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the United Nations
Secretary-General, told CNN the Taliban’s recent announcement regarding Sharia
law was “worrying.”
“Since they took over as de facto authority, we expect
them to abide by their promise to uphold existing human rights commitments made
in Afghanistan,” Haq said. “They have not been living up to the commitments. We
will continue to press them on this. We are opposed to death penalty in all its
forms.”
The security situation in the country has also
deteriorated since the group’s takeover last year, with the nation growing
increasingly isolated and impoverished.
Nearly half of the country faces acute hunger,
according to the United Nations. An estimated 43% of Afghanistan’s population
is living on less than one meal a day, with 90% of Afghans surveyed reporting
food as their primary need, according to a May report by the International
Rescue Committee.
Source: CNN
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://us.cnn.com/2022/11/15/asia/taliban-afghanistan-sharia-law-intl-hnk/index.html
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Boko Haram ‘kills women over witchcraft’ charges
November 15, 2022
MAIDUGURI: Nigeria’s Boko Haram killed a group of
women after accusing them of witchcraft following the death of a militant
commander’s children in Borno state, relatives, residents and a woman who
escaped said on Monday.
Accusations of witchcraft are not uncommon in Nigeria,
a religious conservative country almost equally divided between the mostly
Muslim north and Christian south.
North-eastern Nigeria is at the heart of a conflict
involving security forces and Boko Haram and its rival, the militant Islamic
State West Africa Province group, which has killed more than 40,000 people so
far.
Last week, around 40 women were held in a village near
Gwoza town on the orders of Boko Haram commander Ali Guyile, whose children
suddenly died overnight, according to relatives and a woman who escaped.
In interviews conducted on Sunday and Monday, they
said the commander had accused the women of causing the children’s deaths
through witchcraft.
Guyile, a 35-year-old commander, asked his men to
arrest the women from homes known to practise witchcraft, said TalkweLinbe, one
of the accused women.
Linbe said she managed to escape and fled to the
regional capital Maiduguri after the killing of 14 women on Thursday (Nov 10).
“He (Guyile) said he would investigate our involvement
in the deaths of his children,” she said.
“On Thursday he ordered 14 among us to be slaughtered.
I was lucky I was not among them.”
Her relationship to Boko Haram was not clear, but
militants often force residents in territory under their influence into work or
relationships.
The relatives and residents interviewed did not
specify how the women died, but the term they used in Hausa usually refers to
militants slitting victims’ throats.
Nigeria’s security sources said they were aware of the
reports and were investigating, although they stressed the village was very
remote.
A Borno state government official said they were
checking.
On Saturday, the day Linbe arrived in Maiduguri, 12
more women were slaughtered accused of being witches, other relatives said.
“I received a call from Gwoza that my mother, two
aunts and nine other women were slaughtered yesterday (Saturday) on the orders
of Ali Guyile, who accused them of being witches,” said Abdullahi Gyya, who
lives in Maiduguri.
He also said he was told of the killing of an initial
14 women on Thursday.
Tijjani Usman, who lives in Maiduguri but originates
from Gwoza, said calls he received from relations in Gwoza corroborated Linbe
and Gyya’s accounts.
Boko Haram seized Gwoza in July 2014. Although it was
retaken by Nigerian troops the following March, the group continues to raid
nearby villages.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1721014/boko-haram-kills-women-over-witchcraft-charges
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India
Karnataka BJP MP Threatens To Bulldoze Bus Stand,
Because It Looks Like A Mosque
November 14, 2022
Bengaluru: A Karnataka BJP MP has courted controversy
for saying he will bulldoze a bus stand because it looks like a mosque. Pratap
Simha, who represents the Mysore-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, said that he
will himself bulldoze the bus stand, which is on the Mysuru-Ooty Road, if the
administration doesn't get it done.
"I've seen it on social media. The bus stand has
two domes, a big one in the middle and a small one beside it. That's a masjid
only. I've told engineers 3-4 days time is there. If not, I'll only bring JCB
(excavator) and demolish them," he said.
Mr Simha is not new to communally charged
controversies. When the state's hijab ban led to massive protests recently, he
had asked the students wearing the hijab to go to 'madrassa' for which the government
has set aside funds, instead of going to a school.
"Everyone comes to college to be able to secure a
good job, but these students want to come to college to sport their hijabs. If
you want, you (students) wear a hijab or a burkha or a skull cap or pyjamas.
But, don't go to school, go to a madrassa then. Respecting your sentiments, the
government has set aside funds for the running of madrassas. You visit
them," he had said.
When the state's Opposition leader said that
"shawls" are new while Hijab has been in practice for several years,
Mr Simha said that Siddaramaiah can be "Sidda'Rahim'aiah".
Mr Simha had also slammed the Karnataka government's
birthday celebrations of Tipu Sultan starting in 2015. He had said that Tipu
Sultan could be a "role model only for Islamists" and that the then
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was "encouraging Jihadists" in the state.
He had in 2019 posted a derogatory article against
multilingual film actor Prakash Raj, which he had later "regretted"
and withdrew his comments from Twitter and Facebook "unequivocally."
Source: NDTV
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of the original story:
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Nashik ATS Arrests Maharashtra Chief Of Imam Council,
Maulana Irfan Daulat Nadvi For Alleged PFI Link
Nov 14, 2022
NASHIK: Nashik ATS on Sunday arrested state president
of the Imam Council, Maulana Irfan Daulat Nadvi (35), from Malegaon after it
was found that he was closely associated with six arrested members of the
Popular Front of India (PFI) from Nashik and four others from elsewhere in the
state.
Nadvi was arrested under Sections 121 A Conspiracy to
commit offences punishable by section 121 (Waging or attempting to wage war, or
abetting the waging of war, against the Government of India), 153 A (promoting
enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, and doing act of
prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 120 (punishment for criminal
conspiracy) and other section of the IPC and other sections of the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act.
He was produced before the district court which
remanded him to 14-day police custody.
While requesting the police custody of the accused,
special public prosecutor Ajay Misar argued in the court that the police have
seized the cellphone of the Nadvi and have found that he has communicated
approximately 550 times with the six PFI members arrested form Nashik by the
ATS earlier who are now lodged in jail.
He has also communicated for more than 650 times with
four other PFI members arrested elsewhere.
Source: Times Of India
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Govt Seeks Time For The Third Consecutive Time To Firm
Up Its Response On Places Of Worship Act
R. Balaji
| New Delhi
15.11.22
The Centre on Monday sought an adjournment for the
third consecutive time to firm up its response to petitions challenging a law
that prohibits the conversion of any place of worship, except the
Ramjanambhoomi site in Ayodhya.
The Places of Worship Act was passed by the P.V.
Narasimha Rao government with a view to preventing different groups staking a
claim to shrines.
The 1991 act prohibits the conversion of any place of
worship and mandates that the character of a place of public worship shall not be altered as it existed on
August 15, 1947, except the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land, which at that
time was already under litigation.
“This (batch of petitions) challenges the Places of
Worship Act. I was given time during earlier hearings. I could not have
detailed consultations with the government. I would need consultations at a
higher level… the deliberations are going on at the highest levels,”
solicitor-general Tushar Mehta told a bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud
and Justice J.B. Pardiwala while seeking adjournment till the first week of
December.
This is the third adjournment the Centre has sought on
the issue. Earlier on October 12 and before that on September 9, the Centre had
sought adjournments after the top court sought its response on the PILs
challenging the act. Some Muslim organisations have opposed the petitions.
The NDA government’s stance on the issue will be of
much significance as the law was enacted by the then P.V. Narasimha Rao
government against the backdrop of the intensified Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid
row culminating in the eventual demolition of the mosque by kar sevaks.
Some members of the Hindu community have demanded the
restoration of the Kashi and Mathura temples to the Hindus on the ground that they
were ravaged by the Mughal invaders.
During Monday’s hearing, the BJP’s Subramanian Swamy
said that instead of quashing the 1991 Act, two more temples — Kashi and
Mathura — may be added as exemptions, along with Ayodhya temple.
“I am not seeking to set it aside, but only two more
temples need to be added and then the act can remain as it is,” Swamy
submitted.
Chief Justice Chandrachud said that the matter would
be taken up by a threejudge bench.
Accordingly, the court directed the Centre to file its
counter-affidavit by December 12. It said the Centre should furnish a copy of
the response to all the petitioners to enable them to file rejoinders and
posted the matter for further hearing in the first week of January 2023.
The batch of petitions has been filed by Hindutva
proponents while the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board and the Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind have filed intervention applications opposing the petitions.
Source: TelegraphIndia
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/govt-seeks-time-on-shrine-law/cid/1898124
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Delhi murder: Both sets of parents were opposed to the
interfaith relationship
Nov 15, 2022
By Sanjeev K Jha
The parents of both Shraddha Vikas Walkar and Aaftab
Amin Poonawala have said that they were against their relationship, right from
the day they found out that their children were dating
Poonawala, 28, and Walkar, 27, originally from Vasai
near Mumbai, had moved to Delhi in May and were living in a flat in south
Delhi’s ChhattarpurPahadi area, police said. On May 18, Poonawalla allegedly
strangled Walkar, chopped up her body into 35 pieces, and over the next three
months, disposed of the body parts in forested areas in Delhi.
While Walkar’s father Vikas Madan Walker said he was
opposed to the relationship because of the couple’s different faith --
Poonawala is a Muslim and Walkar was a Hindu -- Poonawala’s father, Amin said
he feared their relationship would become a communal issue some day.
Speaking to HT, Vikas Walkar claimed that his daughter
was “mesmerised” by Poonawala.
“Poonawala has ruined our lives. First, he took our
prestige in our community, and then he killed my only daughter. When my wife
asked her to end her relationship with Poonawala in 2019, she said she was an
adult and had the right to choose her partner. After few days, she left our
house and started living with Poonawala,” Vikas Walkar said.
“My wife couldn’t bear the pain of losing her daughter
and passed away on January 23, 2020. After her mother’s death, we had little
communication. In March this year, one of her friends told me that Shraddha had
gone on trip to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with Poonawala,” Vikas Walkar
said.
Vikas Walkar said he suspected something amiss only
when one of his son’s friends, Lakshman Nadar, who was in touch with Shraddha,
informed him on September 14 that her mobile phone had been switched off for
the last two-and-a-half months.
“On September 15, I lodged a missing person’s report
at Manikpura police station in Maharashtra… I came to know that Poonawala has
brutally killed my daughter. Now, I want justice for my daughter and capital
punishment for Poonawala,” he said.
Meanwhile, Amin Poonawala said he was waiting for some
clarity on what will happen ahead, adding that he too was opposed to the
relationship right from the start.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Gyanvapi mosque case: Varanasi court likely to deliver
its verdict today
Nov 14, 2022
A fast-track court in Varanasi today is likely to
deliver its verdict on the maintainability of the Adi VisheshwarVirajman case
and the plea seeking worship rights of the ‘Shivling’ that the Hindu side
claimed to be found on the Gyanvapi mosque premises.
The court had adjourned the matter for November 14
during the last hearing on November 8.
The lawyers familiar with the case said the verdict
that was expected on November 8 was deferred as the judge was on leave.
The case was filed by a Hindutva body– Vishwa Vedic
Sanatan Sangh (VVSS) in 2022, seeking a ban on the entry of Muslims on the
Gyanvapi premises.
The Muslim side is allowed to offer prayers on the
premises till the matter is in court.
On October 27, during the last hearing in the matter,
the fast-track court of civil judge (senior division) Mahendra Pandey reserved
the judgement for the next hearing.
During the previous hearing, the AnjumanIntezamia
Masjid Committee (AIMC) which looks after the Gyanvapi mosque challenged the
maintainability of the suit filed.
AIMC and others had moved the petition challenging the
maintainability of the original suit filed in the Varanasi district court in
1991, on grounds of maintainability and for being violative of the Places of
Worship Act, 1991.
The Hindu side had demanded carbon dating of the
structure they claimed to be a ‘Shivling’ found inside the Gyanvapi Mosque’s
wazukhana.
However, the Muslim side challenged the order of the
lower court in the matter of conducting a survey of the Gyanvapi complex from
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The AIMC argued that since the mosque is registered as
a waqf property, it was the waqf tribunal and not the civil court that had
jurisdiction in the matter.
VVSS has also sought possession of the premises to
worship the structure found earlier this year during a court-ordered survey.
Hindu groups say it is a ‘Shivling’ but Muslim parties say it is a part of an
old ceremonial fountain.
Source: Hindustan Times
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North America
US says ‘eyes of the world are on Iran,’ welcomes
recent EU sanctions on Tehran
14 November ,2022
The Biden administration on Monday criticized Iran’s
regime for the recent death sentence handed down to a protester while it
welcomed the latest sanctions package by the EU and UK against Tehran.
Nationwide anti-government protests have rocked Iran
for almost two months now, sparked by the death of 22-year-old MahsaAmini in
police custody. More than 300 people have been killed by security forces since
the protests began, with thousands of others detained, according to rights
groups.
“We are deeply concerned about reports from Iran of
mass arrests, sham trials, and now a death sentence for protesters voicing
legitimate demands against a government that systematically denies basic
dignity and freedom to its people,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
said in a statement.
Protesters have been chanting against Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei and calling for regime change. “The United States stands staunchly
with the Iranian people and their demands,” Sullivan said.
But the US has stopped short of calling for regime
change and has been criticized for statements on the protests, specifically
from US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley.
On Oct. 22, US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said
the protesters in Iran had been demonstrating for “respect” from the Iranian
regime. He was quickly criticized for the tweet, seen as diminishing the
protesters’ demands. Malley promptly apologized and said it was “a mistake.”
In Monday’s statement, Sullivan said human rights
abuses by the Iranian regime must not go without consequences.
“The hundreds of protestors already killed at the
hands of Iranian state authorities deserve justice,” he said, vowing to
continue pursuing accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US says no western strategy on Iran taking hostages as
protests continue
15 November ,2022
Western countries have no coordinated strategy on how
to bring home nationals held by Iranian authorities in a policy of
“hostage-taking,” the US envoy for Iran Robert Malley said in Paris on Monday.
Activists believe some two dozen Westerners are
currently being held by Iran in what they allege is a strategy of
hostage-taking aimed at extracting money or the release of Iranian prisoners
from the West.
The issue of foreign detainees in Iran is “a tragedy
shared by the United States, Europe, and other countries around the world,”
Malley told reporters, speaking in French.
“Obviously, it would be good if we had a common
policy... not only for Iran but all the countries which practice hostage-taking
as a bargaining chip and for political reasons,” he said.
“This is not the case at the moment, and it is true
that many countries are dealing individually with Iran,” Malley added.
“I hope that one day, hopefully in the not too distant
future, we agree on a coordinated response. This really needs to stop,” Malley
said.
He was speaking after two months of unprecedented
anti-regime protests in Iran which have further strained ties between Tehran
and the West and risk limiting the scope for diplomacy with the Islamic
republic.
Malley said there were three American “hostages” and
the US wanted to bring them back “as soon as possible”.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna had revealed
over the weekend that seven French nationals are being held in Iran.
The protests sweeping Iran have been characterized by
French President Emmanuel Macron as a “revolution” but Malley replied
cautiously that “it is not my role to find the term to characterize what is
happening in Iran”.
“There is a popular movement, deep, persistent,
courageous, which does not seem to be weakening. On the other side there is a
regime which uses brutal violence which we condemn, which we sanction.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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US Navy seizes 70 tons of missile fuel hidden in dhow
from Iran to Yemen
15 November ,2022
The US Navy said Tuesday it found 70 tons of a missile
fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound to Yemen
from Iran, the first-such seizure in that country’s yearslong war as a
cease-fire there has broken down.
The US Coast Guard ship USCGC John Scheuerman and
guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans stopped a traditional wooden sailing
vessel known as a dhow in the Gulf of Oman on November 8, the Navy said.
During a weeklong search, sailors discovered bags of
ammonium perchlorate hidden inside of what initially appeared to be a shipment
of 100 tons of urea.
Urea, a fertilizer, also can be used to manufacture
explosives.
The Navy said the amount of ammonium perchlorate
discovered could fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles, the
same weapons Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have used to target both
forces allied to the country’s internationally recognized government and the
Arab Coalition that supports them.
The apparent rearming effort comes as Iran has
threatened Saudi Arabia, the United States and other nations over the
monthslong protests calling for the overthrow the Islamic Republic’s theocracy.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US says Iran threats to ex-officials Pompeo, Hook
persist
14 November ,2022
The Biden administration has determined that Iranian
threats against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his former top
aides remain credible and persist nearly two years after they left office.
The State Department notified Congress last week that
both Pompeo and Brian Hook, who served as special representative for Iran
during the Trump administration, were still both subject to a “serious and
credible threat from a foreign power or agent of a foreign power” stemming from
their work while in government.
The determinations — which mean Pompeo and Hook will
continue to receive government protection — were signed by Deputy Secretary of
State for Management Brian McKeon on Nov. 8 and sent to Congress on Nov. 9,
according to the notifications obtained by The Associated Press.
“I hereby determine that the specific threat with
respect to former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo persists,” McKeon wrote. He
used identical language to refer to the threat against Hook.
The AP reported in March that the State Department was
paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to Pompeo and
Hook.
The latest determinations — the eighth for Hook and
the fifth for Pompeo since they left government in January 2021 — did not give
a dollar amount for the protection.
The notifications do not specifically identify Iran as
the source of the threats, but Iranian officials have long vented anger at
Pompeo and Hook for leaving the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure”
campaign against Iran, including designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps a “foreign terrorist organization” and subjecting it to unprecedented
sanctions.
In addition, some Iranian officials have accused them
of green-lighting a US drone strike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani
in Baghdad in Jan. 2020.
Source: Al Arabiya
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South Asia
Taliban Calls on Academics to Return, Says Life of
Poverty at Home Is Better Than Life Abroad
By SaqalainEqbal
November 14, 2022
The newly appointed Taliban Minister of Higher
Education appealed to the academics and intellectuals to return to Afghanistan,
stating that a life of poverty in the home country is better than life in
foreign countries.
Mawlawi Mohammad Neda Nadim, the Taliban’s acting
minister of higher education, said in a videotape aired on Afghanistan National
Television on Monday, November 14, that the group has no “enmity” with anyone
and urged university academics that had left the nation to return.
Addressing the academics and elites who have departed
Afghanistan, Nadim claims: “Everyone’s safety is protected, and we have no
enmity or resentment toward anyone. We request that the professors who left the
country return to the country to educate the new generation.”
The Taliban official, who replaced Mullah Abdul Baqi
Haqqani, requested that the appropriate agencies “invite capable people inside
and outside of the country” in order to address the shortage of professors in
the country’s educational institutions.
This is because, following the Taliban’s takeover of
Afghanistan, a major portion of the Afghan university and academic capacities
left the country, leaving educational institutions with a critical shortage of
academics.
Source: Khaama Press
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Africa
Sudan’s Burhan congratulates Israel’s Netanyahu on
election win
14 November ,2022
Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has
congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory in a letter voicing hope
for closer ties, the veteran Israeli leader’s office said Monday.
Sudan was among four majority Arab states that agreed
to normalize ties with Israel under a series of deals brokered by then-US
president Donald Trump in 2020 -- when Netanyahu had been prime minister.
But unlike the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and
Morocco, crisis-hit Sudan has not followed its accord with concrete steps to
establish ties with once-rival Israel.
Army chief Burhan, whose October 2021 coup derailed a
transition to civilian rule, told Israel’s premier-designate he looked “forward
to continuing our cooperation in order to promote relations in all areas,”
according to the statement from Netanyahu’s office.
There has been no official comment from Khartoum.
The Israeli leader has also received a congratulatory
call from Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Netanyahu’s office said in a separate
statement Monday.
The two leaders had frosty relations at times through
Netanyahu’s 15 years in power.
Jordan in 1994 became the second Arab country to
establish ties with Israel, and relations with Amman are seen as crucial by
Israeli security chiefs.
Right-wing leader Netanyahu has spent 14 months in
opposition before a decisive win in Israel’s November 1 election.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Tunisian
soccer fans welcome national team in Qatar ahead of World Cup
15
November ,2022
Hundreds
of Tunisian fans gathered in Doha's West Bay in Qatar to welcome their national
team to their hotel ahead of the football World Cup.
The
North African nation, which is preparing for its sixth ever World Cup, will
face France, Denmark and Australia in Group D.
The
Tunisians have never been past the group stage in five World Cup appearances.
There have been only two wins — the first against Mexico in 1978 and then
against Panama four years ago in Russia.
The
Carthage Eagles will play on more familiar ground this time in a tournament
hosted by an Arab nation for the first time.
None
of the four Arab teams at the 2018 tournament made it out of the first round,
with only a consolation victory each for Saudi Arabia and Tunisia in their
final group games.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Pakistan
Imran
Khan again targets Pakistan army, accuses it of weakening independent
institutions
Nov
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD/LONDON:
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has once again targeted the army and
accused it of weakening independent institutions in the past and acting
together with political dynasties as if “they're above the law”.
The
70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, who is recovering from injuries
sustained during an assassination bid, has been at the loggerheads with the
army for a few months after his ouster as the prime minister in April.
Khan
alleged that prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah
and major general Faisal Naseer were part of a sinister plot to assassinate him
in the same way former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a
religious extremist.
In
an interview with the Financial Times, he said: “The army can play a
constructive role in my future plans for Pakistan.”
“But
it has to be that balance. You cannot have an elected government which has the
responsibility given by the people, while the authority lies somewhere
else," he told the British newspaper.
Khan
accused the military of having previously weakened independent institutions
and, together with political dynasties like the Sharif family, having acted as
if “they're above the law”.
When
Khan was in power, the opposition accused him of trying to bring an army chief
of his choice who could support his alleged agenda of victimising opposition
leaders.
Since
he lost power in April this year, the equation has changed and now Khan is
saying that the coalition government wants to install an Army head of its
choice to protect looted wealth and steal general elections.
The
powerful army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its
75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters
of security and foreign policy.
Some
analysts call his criticisms of the military a cynical attempt to pressure them
into supporting him and try to influence the upcoming selection of a new army
chief.
Source:
Times Of India
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It's
behind me: Imran Khan takes a U-turn on ‘US conspiracy' claim
Nov
14, 2022
LONDON:
Imran Khan has said he wants to mend relations with the US if re-elected and no
longer blames it for his removal as Pakistan Prime Minister, apparently taking
a U-turn after accusing Washington of engineering his ouster by supporting the
then opposition's no-confidence motion.
Khan,
70, who was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote had been claiming that he
was the result of a conspiracy between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the
US, a top security partner to Pakistan that has provided the country with
billions of dollars in military aid.
He
had been claiming that the opposition's no-confidence motion against him was
the result of a foreign conspiracy because of his independent foreign policy on
Islamabad's ties with countries like China and Russia and funds were being
channelled from abroad to oust him from power.
In
an interview with the Financial Times following an assassination attempt this
month, Khan said he no longer “blamed” the US and wants a “dignified”
relationship if re-elected.
“As
far as I'm concerned it's over, it's behind me,” he told the British financial
newspaper of the alleged conspiracy, which both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
and the US deny.
Khan
has claimed that Donald Lu, the top American official dealing with South Asia
in the US state department, was involved in the ‘foreign conspiracy' to topple
his government.
“The
Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially
the United States.
“Our
relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a
master-slave relationship, and we've been used like a hired gun. But for that I
blame my own governments more than the US,” the newspaper quoted Khan as
saying.
Khan,
the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, suffered bullet
injuries in the right leg earlier this month when two gunmen fired a volley of
bullets at him and others standing on a container-mounted truck in the
Wazirabad area, where he was leading the march against the government.
Khan
has blamed Prime Minister Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Major
General Faisal Naseer for hatching a plot to assassinate him.
The
former cricketer-turned-politician said that early elections were the only way
to restore political stability. He did not outline specific plans for the
economy if he is returned to power but warned “it could be beyond anyone” if
elections are not held soon.
Khan
accused the military of having previously weakened independent institutions
and, together with political dynasties like the Sharif family, having acted as
if “they're above law”.
“The
Army can play a constructive role in my future plans for Pakistan,” he said.
“But it has to be that balance. You cannot have an elected government which has
the responsibility given by the people, while the authority lies somewhere
else.”
Khan
also criticised Pakistan's International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, first
started under his government in 2019 but revived by Sharif, for pushing
austerity measures like higher fuel prices at a time of painful inflation.
IMF
in July reached a preliminary staff-level agreement on the combined seventh and
eighth reviews for a $6 billion loan facility for Pakistan.
The
agreement paved the way for the release of the much-awaited $1.17 billion loan
tranche that had been on hold since earlier this year.
“When
you contract the economy, and some of the IMF measures make your economy
shrink, how are you supposed to pay off your loans, because your loans keep
increasing?” he said. “Consumption has crashed...So my question is: How are we
going to pay our debts? We are certainly going to head towards default.”
Critics
accuse Khan of further jeopardising this economic outlook by damaging relations
with the US, IMF and other international partners on whom Pakistan depends for
financing.
Source:
Times Of India
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Pakistan
will be among first to receive G7 'Global Shield' climate funding
Nov
14, 2022
SHARM
EL-SHEIKH: Pakistan, Ghana and Bangladesh will be among the first recipients of
funding from a G7 'Global Shield' initiative to provide funding to countries
suffering climate disasters, the programme announced on Monday at the COP27
summit in Egypt.
The
Global Shield, coordinated by G7 president Germany, aims to provide rapid
access for climate-vulnerable countries to insurance and disaster protection
funding after floods or drought. It is being developed in collaboration with
the 'V20' group of 58 climate vulnerable economies.
A
statement issued by Germany on Monday listed Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji,
Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines and Senegal as some of the initial recipients
of Global Shield packages.
Those
packages would be developed in the coming months, Germany
said.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-will-be-among-first-to-receive-g7-global-shield-climate-funding/articleshow/95504871.cms
‘It’s
not against Islam’: Pakistani trans actor tells of deep sadness over film ban
Zofeen
T Ebrahim in Karachi
Tue
15 Nov 2022
A
transgender star of an award-winning Pakistan film that depicts a love affair
between a man and a trans women has said she is very sad at the government’s
decision to ban the film and hopes it will be reversed.
Alina
Khan, who stars in Joyland, the first major Pakistani film to feature a trans
actor in a lead role, said: “I’ve been very sad. There’s nothing against Islam
[in the film] and I don’t understand how Islam can get endangered by mere
films.”
The
24-year-old added: “The Pakistani trans community was also very upset.”
Joyland,
which is Pakistan’s contender at the Oscars, was to go on national release on
Friday, but was banned over the weekend following pressure from hardline
Islamic groups who called the film “repugnant”.
Set
in Lahore, the film tells the story of Haider, a married man who joins a dance
troupe and falls in love with the lead transgender dancer, Biba, played by
Khan.
Khan
told the Guardian she adores Biba.
“She’s
a badass, strong-willed, fiercely independent, dominating, outspoken woman,
everything that I am not; I loved the role I played,” said Khan. When she was
offered the role, she was relieved not to play an “oppressed” character “which
is the life for most transgenders in Pakistan”.
Khan
said she was rejected by her family when she came out as trans. “My family did
not accept me, but neither did society.” She was told she embarrassed
relatives, and her mother was constantly angry with her. “She would tell me not
to make exaggerated hand gestures like a woman while talking, to sit like a boy
and not be in the company of girls,” said Khan. Her siblings called her khusra
– a derogatory term, which was originally used to refer to eunuchs but is also
a slur against trans people. But as Khan said: “I had never met a transgender
[person] in my life so did not know what they were like.”
Joyland
has been hailed on the festival circuit. It was the first Pakistani film to be
selected as an official entry at Cannes in May, winning two festival awards and
receiving a standing ovation in a packed Salle Debussy theatre.
“Tears
were trickling down my face while I continued smiling. I don’t know whether the
tears were of joy, were for all the hard work that I put in, or for my
struggles since I was a child and that continue,” said Khan, who made her
screen debut in the short film Darling in 2019. “For the first time in my life,
I felt my talent preceded my gender, I was given so much respect.”
After
such international success, her family welcomed her with open arms. “They
accepted me finally. They realised that I was not earning by begging or doing
sex work,” she said.
In
August Joyland won best film from the subcontinent at the Indian Film Festival
of Melbourne, last month it received the top award at Zagreb’s film festival
and it is Pakistan’s entry for best international feature film at next year’s
Oscars, which has received the backing of the Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai,
who joined the film as executive producer.
However,
the film had caused controversy at home. Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, a senator in the
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, called Joyland “cultural terrorism” and criticised
the government for the “shameless” act of allowing its release. “I condemn it
and will use every legal step to stop Joyland’s release,” he said.
“Glamourising transgenders in Pakistan, as well as their love affairs, is a
direct attack on our beliefs.”
He
is spearheading a campaign to repeal the 2018 law that enshrined transgender
rights in Pakistan law.
Cancelling
the film’s licence, which puts its Oscars’ contention in doubt, the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting, said: “Written complaints were received that the
film contains highly objectionable material which do not conform with the
social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to
the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion
Picture Ordinance, 1979”.
Shahzadi
Rai, a Karachi rights activist, was not surprised by the ban. “Of course this
was expected. We’re going towards religious extremism. I think soon Pakistan
will become another Afghanistan. The trans community is extremely disappointed
in the government for caving in to the pressure of the clerics.”
She
added that Alina Khan had “put us up in the mainstream in a good way”.
Lucky
Khan, a trans singer, said seeing such a film win awards was awesome. “I’d only
seen our community begging on streets, performing dances or in commercial sex
work.”
MerubMoiz
Awan, a trans woman, tweeted: “Had a cisgender woman or man instead of Alina
Khan played the role of a khwajasira dancer, they’d have had no issues with it.
But because it’s an actual khwajasira doing so, they have issues. They want
khwajasira people to be just begging in the streets.”
Source:
TheGuardian
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Pakistan
out of UK’s ‘high-risk countries’ list
November
15, 2022
LONDON:
The United Kingdom has removed Pakistan from its ‘high-risk third countries’
list through a statutory instrument, effectively meaning the UK foreign office
recognises the progress Pakistan has made to be removed from FATF’s grey list.
A
notification by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Monday
marked this development, saying the UK recognizes Pakistan’s efforts to improve
money laundering and terror financing curbs.
Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari hailed the development on Twitter, saying it
was “good news”.
Source:
Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1721001/pakistan-out-of-uks-high-risk-countries-list
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Pakistan
has enough dollars to meet foreign obligations, says SBP governor
Kazim
Alam
November
15, 2022
KARACHI:
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said on Monday the country
has enough dollars in its coffers to meet foreign debt obligations.
Speaking
to the press on the sidelines of a ceremony at the Institute of Business
Administration (IBA), Mr Ahmad said there’s no reason to worry about a
shortage of foreign exchange liquidity. “Our reserves are over $7.9 billion.
They’re more than sufficient to meet any obligations,” the governor said.
Foreign
exchange reserves of the SBP dropped $956 million during the week ending on Nov
4 because of external debt servicing, including a $500m commercial loan
repayment to China.
The
SBP governor’s statement coincided with Pakistan’s risk of sovereign default
hitting a multi-year high at the end of last week.
Significant
increase in five-year CDS negates his claim
The
country’s five-year credit default swap (CDS) — a type of insurance against the
risk of sovereign default — increased by almost four percentage points on a
day-on-day basis to 64.2 per cent on Nov 11.
The
rising CDS level is reflective of investors’ dwindling confidence in Pakistan’s
ability to pay back its international loans.
According
to Arif Habib Ltd, the five-year CDS went up by 4,210 basis points — or 42.1
percentage points — to 6,419 basis points on a month-on-month basis.
Mr
Ahmad said all letters of credit (LCs) amounting to less than $100,000 will be
cleared by the end of this week. Many businesses, especially those catering to
domestic demand for goods, couldn’t make dollar-denominated payments to their
foreign suppliers owing to the recent restrictions on the outflow of foreign
exchange.
“We’re
also facilitating (imports for) export-oriented projects. There’re some
businesses whose projects are nearing completion. We’ve cleared their imports.
Moreover, for some specific sectors, we’re allowing the equivalent of 50-60pc
of their past imports,” said Mr Ahmad without elaborating further.
With
regard to the ongoing investigation into the alleged manipulation of the
exchange rate by more than eight commercial banks, the SBP governor said the
central bank’s team looking into the matter will complete its task by the end
of November. “We’ll then take all the required regulatory actions,” he said.
Earlier,
the SBP governor inaugurated IBA’s Finance Lab, which will allow students
access to real-time data from the capital markets. The institute’s business
school has set up the lab in collaboration with Alpha Capital Securities, a
Karachi-based brokerage run by IBA alum Muhammad Azfer Naseem.
The
SBP governor said the Finance Lab should consider collaborating with related
disciplines to conduct studies on business processes, market sizing and value
chain assessments of various products from the perspective of growth and innovation.
Source:
Dawn
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Chaman
border shut as Afghan side hunts ‘terrorists’
Saleem
Shahid
November
15, 2022
QUETTA:
Guns on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border fell silent on Monday after an intermittent
exchange of fire between the security forces continued over the weekend at
Friendship Gate, which remained closed for a second consecutive day.
Pakistani
officials claimed they had no plan to reopen the border crossing at Chaman
until the Afghan forces hand over the armed men who opened fire on FC personnel
at the Friendship Gate before fleeing back into Afghan territory.
Reuters
quoted a spokesperson for the Afghan interior ministry as saying that the clash
had occurred between border forces from both sides due to a “misunderstanding”
and the incident was being investigated.
On
the other hand, a spokesperson for the media wing of Pakistan’s military said
they were looking into the situation to determine what had happened.
“We
have provided footage of the CCTV camera of firing at the Pakistan side from
Afghan territory to the Taliban officials,” Chaman Deputy Commissioner Abdul
Hameed Zehri said while talking to Dawn.
Afghan
authorities were also informed that the attackers who opened fire at Friendship
Gate were riding motorcycles and after firing they fled into the Afghan area.
The
Afghan border authorities, however, said the Taliban forces were not involved
in the shooting at Friendship Gate. “They might be terrorists who were involved
in firing,” they said.
The
Afghan authorities in Spin Buldak in the meantime issued a sketch of a
suspected shooter. “We are investigating the incident and making efforts to
arrest the wanted attacker,” Afghan officials said.
Official
sources said Pakistan refused to open Friendship Gate for transit trade and
crossing, saying the border would remain closed until the authorities got the
custody of the armed men who fired at Pakistani personnel, leaving one of them
martyred and two others wounded.
“Silence
prevailed on both sides of the border as no fresh incident of firing from any
side was reported throughout the day,” MrZehri told Dawn when reached on phone.
About
Sunday night’s gun battle between border forces, he confirmed that there were
casualties on the Afghan side.
“Friendship
Gate at the [Chaman] border is closed and we have no plan to open it till
handing over of the armed men who opened fire on the Pakistan side,” he said.
However, MrZehri said, on humanitarian grounds and as a goodwill gesture,
several hundred Afghan nationals who were stranded in Chaman after the border
closure were allowed to cross into their country from another area, considering
that there were patients among them who had come to Pakistan for treatment.
“They
were facilitated to cross into Afghanistan not through Friendship Gate, which
is still closed, but from another site, which is not a crossing point,” MrZehri
said.
The
remaining Afghan nationals would also be allowed to return to their homeland
through the same point when it would be opened for two to three hours on
Tuesday and at the same time the Pakistanis who were stranded in Afghanistan
would also return to Chaman, according to the officer.
About
Sunday night’s gun battle between border forces, he confirmed to Dawn that
there were casualties on the Afghan side.
Since
the closure of Chaman border, the immigration offices of the Federal
Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pakistan Customs have been closed. The offices
will remain shut till the reopening of the border.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1721044/chaman-border-shut-as-afghan-side-hunts-terrorists
--------
Imran
Khan moves Supreme Court for attack probe
Nov
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Former PM Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday approached the
Supreme Court seeking formation of a judicial commission to probe the assassination
attempt on him during a march earlier this month.
The
police had on the apex court’s orders last week registered an FIR but did not
include Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah and
senior ISI official Major General Faisal Naseer in the case.
Imran
wants the trio named as plotters of the November 3 attack in Punjab province’s
Wazirabad during his long march and is adamant that any FIR without including
them is unacceptable. “How come I cannot name those whom I suspect of my
assassination attempt,” Imran reiterated.
In
its petition, the PTI has requested the top court to hold public hearings and
form commissions on three matters -- the assassination attempt on Imran,
killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya and alleged video leak
of senator Azam Swati featuring him with his wife during their stay at an
official guesthouse in Quetta.
The
PTI’s plea claims the assassination bid was a “clear attempt to literally
eliminate the former prime minister”. “Another “grave injustice” continues to
fester as the police have refused to register the FIR according to the request
submitted by the complainant (Imran),” the petition says.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi
Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s postponement of Pak visit creates squabble
among Govt, PTI
15
November, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], November 14 (ANI): The postponement of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad
Bin Salman’s (MBS) visit to Pakistan has created a squabble between the
coalition government and main opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The
bickering began with the statement of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)
senior leader and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday claiming that the
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s (MBS) visit to Pakistan had been
postponed due to the PTI’s ongoing long march towards Islamabad, reported The
News International.
Taking
to Twitter, Asif said, “Imran Khan’s first sit-in seven years ago had led to
the cancellation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s to Pakistan and now the
Saudi crown prince’s visit has been postponed due to the announcement of the
November 21 sit-in. This person is working on an agenda against the country”.
Saudi
Crown Prince and Prime Minister Muhammad Bin Salman’s much-anticipated visit to
Pakistan has been postponed, the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed on Saturday,
said a news report.
Meanwhile,
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry engaged in a Twitter spat with Defence Minister
Khwaja Asif over the issue, reported The News International.
“Firstly,
Khawaja Asif is the defence minister of Pakistan but morally he is so low as to
feel no problem in telling a lie. Muhammad Bin Salman has postponed his visit
to the whole of Asia, not just Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.
In
another tweet, he said, “The second fact is that analysts in other countries
are suggesting their rulers that dealing with the current rulers in Pakistan
will show their disassociation with the people of Pakistan. Hence, any leader
interested in long-term relations with Pakistan would maintain his distance
from the present rulers”.
Prince
Mohammad bin Salman was due to reach Islamabad on November 21, on a two-day
visit but the visit was not officially announced by either Riyadh or Islamabad.
However,
diplomats did not contradict the reports on the Saudi Crown prince’s visit to
Pakistan in the media. Even, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after his recent
meeting with Prince Salman, had remarked that he was looking forward to the
monarch’s visit, reported The News International.
When
The News International contacted the Foreign Office’s spokesperson, she
confirmed that the visit had been postponed while a new date would be announced
later.
After
a lot of interaction between Riyadh and Islamabad, around 7 pm on Saturday, The
News was told by a government official, “We will issue a coordinated
announcement soon”.
However,
no agreement could be reached and a coordinated statement was not issued. On
Sunday, when The News reached out to the same official it was told, “Not
today”, despite the fact that Sunday is a working day in Saudi Arabia.
Source:
ThePrint
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of the original story:
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Europe
EU
sanctions Iran’s interior minister, IRGC chief, state TV over protest crackdown
14
November ,2022
The
European Union placed on Monday additional sanctions on Iran, targeting 29
individuals and three organizations, including the interior minister, the chief
of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iranian state television
Press TV, in response to the crackdown on protests over the death of
MahsaAmini.
“The
EU strongly condemns the unacceptable violent crackdown of protesters. We stand
with the Iranian people and support their right to protest peacefully and voice
their demands and views freely. We are today imposing additional sanctions on
those responsible for the suppression of the Iranian protestors,” EU foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell said.
Mass
protests have swept Iran since September 16 when MahsaAmini, a 22-year-old
woman died in the morality police’s custody.
Iranians
have gathered across the country to take part in demonstrations that called for
the downfall of the regime.
The
regime responded with a violent crackdown on protesters, with dozens killed in
clashes with the security forces and thousands arrested.
The
EU sanctioned: the four members of “the squad that arbitrarily arrested
MahsaAmini,” provincial heads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and
of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as Brigadier General
KiyumarsHeidari, the Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces, for their
role in the “brutal repression of the recent protests.”
The
latest EU sanctions also designated Iranian state television broadcaster Press
TV for being “responsible for producing and broadcasting the forced confessions
of detainees.”
The
EU also listed Vahid Mohammad Naser Majid, the head of the Iranian Cyber Police
for his responsibility in “arbitrarily arresting people for expressing online
criticism of the Iranian regime.”
The
EU also designated Iran’s Minister of Interior, Ahmad Vahidi, who is in charge
of the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), “which have committed serious human rights
violations.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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Terrorism
is common fight, European Council president says on terrorist attack in Türkiye
MerveAydogan
15.11.2022
European
Council President Charles Michel stressed Tuesday that the "fight against
terrorism is a common fight."
Speaking
at a press conference on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia,
Michel responded to a question by Anadolu Agency on the deadly weekend
terrorist attack on Istanbul’s Istiklal Street, saying "it is extremely
important to be all together, try to prevent (such attacks), to cooperate at
the level of intelligence services."
"The
EU has a very strong position. We want to coordinate, cooperate in order to
fight against terrorism everywhere," he added.
Michel
also said there is no meeting planned with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov.
Turkish
police arrested the perpetrator of the attack on Istiklal Avenue,
AhlamAlbashir, a Syrian woman who planted the explosives, in a pre-dawn raid,
while dozens of other suspects were detained.
The
police said Albashir has confessed that she was trained by the YPG/PYD/PKK
terror group as an intelligence operative and entered Türkiye illegally from
Afrin, Syria.
The
attack left six people dead and injured 81 others, two of them critically.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the EU – has been responsible for
the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
On
the bilateral meeting between the leaders of China and the US on the sidelines
of the summit Monday, Michel said it is "important" for both
countries to engage with one another "even if there are different opinions
on many topics with China."
"It’s
important to listen to each other, try to develop mutual understanding,"
he said while affirming the need for dialogue to "defend our values, to
defend our interests."
He
further noted that the timing of the US-China meeting is not a coincidence and
said "it is not a bad time."
Saying
that the US needs to "rebalance its relations with China" while being
firm on defending its interests and promoting values, Michel also said "we
don’t want to make the same mistakes we maybe made with Russia on fossil
fuels."
"We
were very dependent on Russia for fossil fuels. And we have today difficulties
in the field of energy. This is one of the consequences of the war by Russia
but also because of that dependency from Russian fossil fuels," he said.
He
said that with China, the EU does not "want to be too dependent for the
innovative technology that we need today."
Asked
about the possibility of further conflict amid Russia's war on Ukraine, Michel
said "Russia decided to use food and energy as weapons, mass
destabilization weapons."
Saying
that there is an energy crisis in Europe, he said such a crisis in Europe also
"has consequences everywhere in the world. The food security crisis has
huge consequences, especially in the developing countries."
He
further lashed out against Russia for using "nuclear rhetoric" and
said it "is extremely dangerous, which is not responsible."
"We
are trying in Europe to mobilize the rest of the world in order to defend the
UN Charter," he stressed, noting that it is "a battle for the UN
Charter. This is a battle for international law."
"There
is a risk for further instability and more conflicts, but we don’t want
(that)," he said.
On
the G-20 Summit, the European Council president said he will use the meetings
today and tomorrow "to convince all of the members of the G-20 to put more
pressure on Russia."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Coleraine
mosque hosts community group to improve understanding
By
Maria McCann
Nov
15, 2022
"It
is only through learning about each other that we can establish a better
understanding."
Dr
JaweedWali, president of the Muslim Association of Coleraine, hosted a
community group last week.
It
included people who never knew there was a mosque in their hometown.
Amanda
O'Donnell, who has lived in Coleraine her whole life, said people's mindsets
were "changing as the town changes".
"We're
a lot more diverse, we're willing to include and we're trying to be equal to
everybody in the town," she said.
"We're
trying to learn and empower people to learn more about the different religions
and about the different people coming to live here.
"Hopefully
that will bring peace to our community and bring us all together."
Dr
Wali said the Muslim community was growing, with up to 60 people regularly
attending prayers.
"The
Muslim community has been increasing all over Northern Ireland," he said.
"Certainly
in our area because of the influx of Syrian refugees. That has bumped the
numbers up here… It is a great thing for us."
Dr
Wali said he anticipated not everyone would feel the same, but that generally
the community had been welcoming.
"People
go out of their way to help them," he said.
"Even
people privately on their own have gone out of their way to teach them English
to help them, especially around Christmas, they bring gifts to them… they are
being welcomed and taken care of."
The
visit to the Coleraine Muslim Association was organised by Fergal Quinn, ethnic
communities officer from the Building Communities Resource Centre.
"When
we were setting up the programme, we wanted to have four venues where people
wouldn't normally frequent," he said.
"It
was a revelation to me that there was a mosque or Islamic Centre in Coleraine
as it was for a lot of the participants….and yet they're such a vibrant and
important part of the Causeway Coast and Glens community.
"Ignorance
sometimes is just a lack of knowledge."
The
group also visited the Orange Hall in Dervock, the LGBTQ+ society at Ulster
University and CAN Ballymoney, an organisation that supports people with
learning difficulties.
Source:
BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-63628919
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G20
summit: Vladimir Putin may be absent, but he is still on leaders' minds
Nov
15, 2022
JAKARTA:
Vladimir Putin may be absent from the Group of 20 summit but he'll still be at
the center of attention among world leaders wrestling with the consequences of the
Russian president's floundering war in Ukraine.
Putin
opted to avoid potential confrontations with President Joe Biden and US allies
at the summit starting Tuesday in Indonesia's Bali. After repeated setbacks and
climbdowns over Ukraine, the leader who has reveled in projecting a strong-man
image may also have had to contend with even friendly leaders politely
distancing themselves at the G20.
"If
Putin had gone he wouldn't have got meetings with Biden and other Western
leaders," said Oksana Antonenko, a director at Control Risks in London.
"Equally, any meetings with the leaders of China and India would just have
highlighted their lukewarm position on the war, which they want to see end as
soon as possible."
Having
sent foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in his place, the risk for Putin is that
Russia gets remembered as the unwelcome guest at the party. There have been
frictions over the organization of the traditional "family photo" at
the summit and tensions over the wording on the war in a final joint communique.
Lavrov,
who had no public engagements in Bali on Monday, is expected to leave the G20 a
day early after meetings Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres, according to a person close to the Russian
delegation.
"He's
not Putin but it's understood that whatever discussions are held with him will
be relayed back to the Kremlin," said Emily Ferris, a research fellow at
the Royal United Services Institute in London.
The
Kremlin explained the president's decision not to go to Bali by his need to
deal with urgent questions at home. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
reporters in a briefing on Monday, however, that it was "a routine workday
for the president" with his only public engagement being a discussion by
videolink about the harvest with one of Russia's regional governors.
Still,
the summit takes place only days after the humiliating retreat of Russian
forces from Ukraine's southern city of Kherson, the only regional capital
they'd captured since Putin's February 24 invasion began.
Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the recaptured city Monday, hours after
declaring "the beginning of the end of the war" in his nightly
address to the nation.
Putin
has remained silent about the defeat, which came less than seven weeks after he
declared Kherson and three other partially occupied Ukrainian regions to be
Russian "forever." It follows on the heels of other successes by
Ukrainian counteroffensives that have pushed Russian forces back in the east
and south of the country since September.
Russia
has also retreated repeatedly from attempts to escalate pressure on Ukraine's
allies. It walked back threats of a possible use of nuclear weapons after sharp
rebukes from the US and its Nato allies as well as warning signals from Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
Biden
and Xi met for about three hours in Bali on Monday in their first face-to-face
talks, and agreed a series of measures intended to improve relations.
Xi
told Biden that China is "highly concerned" about the situation in
Ukraine, the foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement. The two leaders
agreed that they oppose "the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in
Ukraine," according to a White House statement.
CIA
director Bill Burns warned of the consequences of Russia using nuclear weapons
at a meeting with Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei
Naryshkin in Ankara on Monday, a White House spokesperson said.
Days
after pulling out, Russia this month resumed involvement in a deal allowing
vital exports of Ukrainian grain via a Black Sea security corridor when
Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations continued shipments anyway. On Monday,
the Kremlin said it was having "constructive" talks with the UN on
extending the deal beyond a November 19 deadline.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Britain
sanctions Iranian officials over crackdown on protesters
14
November ,2022
Britain
on Monday sanctioned Iranian officials including a government minister over
what it called a “violent repression of protests” in the country.
The
sanctions include Iranian Communications Minister Issa Zarepour and a range of
local law enforcement and security officials, the British foreign office said
in a statement.
“These
sanctions target officials within the Iranian regime who are responsible for
heinous human rights violations,” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UK
to end troop deployment to UN mission in Mali earlier than planned
AysuBicer
15.11.2022
The
UK announced Monday that the country is ending troop deployment to the UN
mission in Mali earlier than expected, with British Armed Forces Minister James
Heappey saying that two coups in Mali in three years had "undermined"
international efforts to maintain peace.
"The
Wagner Group is linked to mass human rights abuses, and the Malian government's
partnership with the Wagner Group is counterproductive to lasting stability and
security in their region," Heappey said in a statement to the House of
Commons.
"This
government cannot deploy our nation’s military to provide security when the
host country’s government is not willing to work with us to deliver lasting
stability and security," he noted.
Known
as a Russian private military company, Wagner Group has reportedly operated in
Ukraine, Syria and Libya and some African countries including Mali and the
Central African Republic.
The
group has been targeted in the raft of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western
countries. Russia denies any links to the group.
Heappey
added, however, that the country's commitment to West Africa and the important
work of the UN is undiminished.
"I
will join colleagues from across Europe and West Africa in Accra to coordinate
our renewed response to instability in the Sahel," he said.
Since
2012, Mali has been battling growing violence orchestrated by militants in its
northern and central regions targeting both soldiers and civilians.
The
UN Security Council adopted a resolution in 2013 to establish a
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to support
political processes in the country and carry out security-related tasks.
In
2014, the 12,000-strong UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) peacekeeping force began deployment in
the troubled country.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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City
hall in Netherlands hangs Turkish flag in support of Türkiye
Seda
Sevencan
15.11.2022
A
Turkish flag was hung on the Rotterdam City Hall in the Netherlands in honor of
the victims in Sunday’s deadly terrorist attack in Istanbul.
“The
Turkish flag hangs at half-staff on the city hall of Rotterdam. Our thoughts go
out to the victims of the attack and their relatives,” the city of Rotterdam
said on Twitter on Monday, sharing a video of the flag.
At
least six people were killed and 81 injured in Sunday's bomb blast, which the
Turkish government confirmed was carried out by the terror group PKK/YPG.
AhlamAlbashir,
a Syrian woman who planted the explosives in the crowded commercial hub, has
been arrested along with dozens of other suspects.
Albashir
confessed that she was trained by the PKK/YPG terror group as an intelligence
operative and entered Türkiye illegally from the northwestern Syrian city of
Afrin, according to Turkish officials.
Authorities
said she took orders from the terror group's headquarters in Kobani, Syria.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Southeast Asia
Sanusi
Slams Actor ZulHuzaimy’s Alleged Remarks About Harming ‘Enemies Of Islam’
Tsubasa
Nair
November
14, 2022
IPOH:
PAS election director Sanusi Md Nor has denounced a local actor’s remarks about
harming the “enemies of Islam” or “Kafir Harbi”.
The
actor, ZulHuzaimy, made the remarks while speaking at an event in Terengganu
earlier this month.
A
video of Zul’s remarks has gone viral, and social media users have questioned
PAS over the matter as the actor has been seen campaigning for the party.
Speaking
to reporters after an event here last night, Sanusi said Zul did not represent
PAS.
He
said only PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and secretary-general Takiyuddin
Hassan could speak on behalf of the party, adding that he himself did not dare
do so.
“It’s
dangerous to be talking like that, you can be arrested,” Sanusi said when asked
to comment on Zul’s remarks.
Sanusi
pointed out that PAS has never perpetuated violence against anyone in the 32
years it ruled Kelantan, adding its citizens from all walks of life lived in
peace and harmony.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Unity
among Muslims and non-Muslims under PAS’ administration: Hadi
15-11-
2022
PORT
DICKSON: The unity and stability among the Muslims and non-Muslims, especially
in states under PAS’ administration proves that the party does not ignore other
races, said PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
As
such, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman, said there was no reason for
the non-Muslims to be afraid if the country continued to be governed by Muslim
leaders.
“In
states under PAS, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, there are no wrongdoings
under PN’s rule. There is stability and unity. The Chinese and Indian families
can live in Muslim villages,” he added.
Source:
TheSunDaily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Sarawak
to up non-Muslim unit funding to RM200m next year
By
Sulok Tawie
14
Nov 2022
SIBU,
Nov 14 — Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said he will allocate
RM200 million for the Unit For Other Religions (Unifor) to be channelled to
non-Islamic religious bodies in the state, up from this year’s figure of RM50
million.
He
said the increase will be part of the state’s Budget 2023 that will be
presented at the Sarawak state assembly later this month.
“You
want to request for an increase in the allocation for next year, then we will
increase,” he said at the Unifor’s Appreciation gathering here.
He
said the state government could afford the increase due to higher state revenue
of over RM10 billion, the highest in the state’s history.
He
said apart from the allocation from the state government, the GabunganParti
Sarawak (GPS) assemblymen have been provided with a special allocation under
the Rural Minor Project and Rural Transformation Project programmes to assist
non-Islamic religious bodies to carry out their activities and build new houses
of worship.
“This
means when you do good things, God will reward us,” he said.
When
you pray in a very comfortable house of worship, you can concentrate because
prayer normally is a connection with you and your God,” he said.
He
said this is for this reason that the state government is helping other
religions to build houses of worship “so you can request whatever you want to
request from your God.”
He
said as the premier he must be fair to all the people from different ethnic and
religious backgrounds.
Deputy
Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, who is also the minister in charge of Unifor,
thanked Abang Johari for providing the grants under the special development
assistance fund (SDAF).
He
said in the first year of the unit establishment in 2017, the allocation was
RM15 million and it gradually increased to RM50 million this year.
He
added between 2017 and this year, the total allocations were RM215 million.
He
added another RM10 million was given out as operational assistance during the
Covid-19 pandemic to houses of worship.
Source:MalayMail
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'End
the war', Indonesia leader Joko Widodo urges at G20 opening
Nov
15, 2022
NUSA
DUA, Indonesia: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Tuesday urged G20 leaders
to "end the war" as he opened a summit dominated by Russia's invasion
of Ukraine, with Washington and allies heaping pressure on Moscow.
"Being
responsible means creating not zero-sum situations, being responsible here also
means that we must end the war," Widodo said.
The
United States and its allies are looking to pin painfully high global food and
fuel prices squarely at President Vladimir Putin's door during the gathering.
Eyeing
a joint G20 declaration that would condemn the eight-month-old invasion and
threats to use nuclear weapons, US and European officials have painted the
summit as evidence of Russia's deepening isolation.
"I
think you're going to see most members of the G20 make clear that they condemn
Russia's war in Ukraine," a senior US official said, speaking on condition
of anonymity.
"Russia's
war of aggression is being condemned in the strongest possible terms," the
official said, adding that many "see Russia's war in Ukraine as the root
source of immense economic and humanitarian suffering in the world."
It
remained far from clear that Russia's G20 allies China, India and South Africa
would sign up to language that would condemn Putin's war so explicitly.
Such
a condemnation at the G20 would be a heavy diplomatic defeat for Moscow, which
has been keen to paint opposition to the conflict as Western-dominated.
There
was a hint at growing Chinese unease with Russia's prosecution of the war
though when presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden met late Monday.
Both
men voiced opposition to the "use or threat of use" of nuclear
weapons in Ukraine, the White House said.
European
Council president Charles Michel signalled that while a draft agreement had
been agreed to in principle, there was still work to be done.
"I
am absolutely convinced that we should try to use the meeting today and
tomorrow to convince all of the parties to put more pressure on Russia,"
he told media as the summit opened.
G20
leaders are gathered in Bali as soaring inflation drives millions more into
poverty and tips several nations toward recession.
US
allies hope to find common ground with G20 nations that, while cautious about
denouncing Russia, are deeply concerned about rising prices.
G20
members Argentina and Turkey are among the countries worst hit by food
inflation, while India and South Africa have avoided criticism of Moscow.
Putin
is skipping the summit after a string of embarrassing battlefield defeats in a
war that his supporters believed would be over in days.
Rubbing
salt in the wound, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky -- fresh from a visit to
liberated Kherson -- addressed G20 leaders in a video message.
Russia
is represented by Sergei Lavrov, despite the veteran foreign minister making
two Bali hospital trips in as many days for an undisclosed ailment.
Moscow
denied the top diplomat had been hospitalised.
Lavrov
is not seen as part of Putin's inner circle -- meaning the chance of a
diplomatic breakthrough to end the war is vanishingly small.
With
Zelensky and Putin absent "there is little chance of any real peace
diplomacy in Bali," said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group.
Still,
French President Emmanuel Macron has kept an olive branch extended. He will
call Putin after the G20 summit, according to a senior French official.
A
deal allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea is likely to be
another focus of conversation.
It
expires November 19, and Russia has already threatened to rip it up.
United
Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday he was
"hopeful" the deal would be extended, calling it crucial for food
security.
Ukraine
is one of the world's top grain producers, and the Russian invasion had blocked
20 million tonnes of grain in its ports before the United Nations and Turkey
brokered the deal in July.
"We
need urgent action to prevent famine and hunger in a growing number of places
around the world," Guterres said.
The
summit build-up has focused on Xi, who is making only his second overseas trip
since the pandemic.
He
meets Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron and Australia's Anthony
Albanese, a day after a first presidential sitdown with Biden.
The
pair cooled Cold War rhetoric in a three-hour summit as they tried to take some
of the heat out of their simmering superpower rivalry.
"The
world expects that China and the United States will properly handle the
relationship," Xi told Biden.
Former
US diplomat Danny Russel described the meeting as broadly positive.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
G20
Summit: PM Modi, US President Biden share warm hug at Bali
Nov
15, 2022
BALI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on Tuesday shared a
warm hug as the G20 Summit began in Bali.
In
an photo shared by the Prime Minister's Office, the two leaders are seen
shaking hands
"PM
@narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBideninteract during the @g20org Summit in Bali.
G20 working session on Food and Energy Security," Prime Minister's Office
tweeted.
The
two leaders will participate in the G20 working session on Food and Energy
Security today.
#WATCH
| Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Joe Biden and French President
Emmanuel Macron as the… https://t.co/8xXnQfHOy8
—
The Times Of India (@timesofindia) 1668478996000
PM
Modi also greeted and shook hands with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Earlier
today, PM Modi was greeted by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo at the venue.
Upon
his arrival in Bali on Sunday night, PM Modi was received a traditional
welcome.
"Grateful
to the Indian community for the warm welcome in Bali!" the prime minister
tweeted.
The
17th edition of the G20 Summit will extensively focus on key issues of global
concern under the theme of 'Recover Together, Recover Stronger'.
As
part of the G20 Summit Agenda- Three working sessions will be held on food and
energy security, health, and digital transformation.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with leaders of several other
participating countries on the sidelines of the summit and review the progress
in India's bilateral relations with them.
According
to the departure statement of the PM released by the Prime Minister's Office,
"India's G20 Presidency will be grounded in the theme
'VasudhaivaKutumbakam' or 'One Earth One Family One Future', which underlines
the message of equitable growth and shared future for all."
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PM
Narendra Modi arrives at venue to attend G20 summit in Bali
Nov
15, 2022
BALI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at Apurva Kempisnky Hotel in Bali to
participate in the Food and Energy Security Session at the 17th G20 Leaders
Summit. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo greeted PM Modi at the venue.
The
two leaders shook hands as they met at Apurva Kempisnky hotel in Bali. PM
Narendra Modi is on a three-day visit to Bali to attend the G20 Leaders Summit.
After arriving in Bali, PM Modi tweeted, "Grateful to the Indian community
for the warm welcome in Bali!"
During
the summit, PM Modi will have extensive discussions with other G20 Leaders on
issues of global concern, including reviving global growth, food & energy
security, environment, health, and digital transformation.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with leaders of several other
participating countries on the sidelines of the G20 summit and review the
progress in India's bilateral relations with them.
In
a departure statement ahead of his visit to Bali, PM Modi said that he is
looking forward to addressing the Indian community in Bali at a reception on
November 15. In the statement, PM Modi said that he will speak about India's
achievements and the nation's "unwavering commitment" to addressing
global challenges at the G20 summit.
According
to the departure statement released by Prime Minister's Office, "India's
G20 Presidency will be grounded in the theme 'VasudhaivaKutumbakam' or 'One
Earth One Family One Future', which underlines the message of equitable growth
and shared future for all."
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hadi
Awang: Harmony among Muslims, non-Muslim in PAS-ruled states proof of
‘stability’ offered by party
15
Nov 2022
PORT
DICKSON, Nov 15 — The unity and stability among the Muslims and non-Muslims,
especially in states under PAS’ administration proves that the party does not
ignore other races, said PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
As
such, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman, said there was no reason for
the non-Muslims to be afraid if the country continued to be governed by Muslim
leaders.
“In
states under PAS, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, there are no wrongdoings
under PN’s rule. There is stability and unity. The Chinese and Indian families
can live in Muslim villages,” he added.
Source:
MalayMail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Arab World
Kurdish-led
Syrian SDF denies involvement in Turkey bombing
14
November ,2022
The
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied Monday any role in a deadly
bomb attack in central Istanbul that killed six people, which Turkey has blamed
on Kurdish militants.
“Our
forces have nothing to do with the Istanbul bombing,” said Mazloum Abdi, the
chief commander of the US-allied SDF.
Turkey
considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) -- the main component of
the SDF -- an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Ankara
has blamed the PKK, which has waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades, for
carrying out the attack Sunday in Istanbul. The PKK also denied involvement in
the attack.
There
has been no claim of responsibility.
The
SDF is the de facto army of the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration in
northeastern Syria.
It
provided crucial assistance to a US-led coalition against extremists of the ISIS
group.
Turkish
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said “the order for the attack was given from
Kobane,” referring to a Kurdish-held city in Syria near the Turkish border.
Turkey
has launched waves of attacks on Syria since 2016 targeting Kurdish militias as
well as ISIS extremists, and Ankara and forces backed by it have seized
territory along the Syrian border.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Number
of private schools in Dubai on the rise, data shows
15
November ,2022
The
number of private schools in Dubai increased to 216 during the 2022-23 academic
year, the latest data from Dubai’s education regulator showed.
Dubai
continues to offer a variety of diverse school syllabuses, with private schools
offering at least 17 different criteria. At the beginning of this academic
year, four new private schools opened, the official Emirates News Agency WAM
reported on Monday.
Schools
offering UK curriculum remain the top choice for Dubai private school students,
with 36 percent opting for it, data from Dubai’s Knowledge and Human
Development Authority (KHDA) showed.
The
second most popular was the Indian curriculum (26 percent), followed by the
American curriculum (15 percent), the International Baccalaureate (7 percent),
and UK/IB hybrid curriculum (4 percent).
“These
student enrolment figures represent healthy, sustainable growth, and show the
trust that parents have in the ability of Dubai private schools to give their
children an education grounded in wellbeing that can meet the demands of the
future,” WAM quoted Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA, as saying.
“While
the range of curricula offered in Dubai speaks to the diversity of our
community; all schools are committed to a quality-driven, future-focused
approach that will enable students to thrive. We’re grateful to school leaders,
teachers, students and parents for their contribution to world-class education
in Dubai,” he added.
The
American curriculum still remains the top choice for Emirati students enrolled
in private schools, as KHDA figures showed that 60 percent of Emirati students
were attending US curriculum schools. The second most popular choice for
Emirati student were UK curriculum schools, with 24 percent opting for it.
The
KHDA also revealed that during the 2021-22 academic year, student enrollment in
private schools increased by 4.5 percent.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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UAE
official calls for ‘unambivalent’ US security commitment
14
November ,2022
A
senior United Arab Emirates official called on Monday for “codified and
unambivalent” commitments from the United States to its security, adding it had
no interest in “choosing sides”.
The
UAE and Saudi Arabia, wary of Iran's nuclear and missiles programs, have been
strengthening links with China, a major trade partner, and Russia, a fellow
member of the OPEC+ oil alliance, while the UAE has also forged ties with
Israel.
Both
have voiced concerns about the Washington's commitment to the region and chafed
at restrictions on arms sales from the US, their main security guarantor.
Anwar
Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE's president, said it needs security
partners who can help build defense capabilities as it also works to ease
regional tensions, focus on economic growth and collaborate on global
challenges.
“Our
primary strategic security relationship remains unequivocally with the United
States,” Gargash said.
“Yet
it is vital that we find a way to ensure that we can rely on this relationship
for decades to come, through clear, codified and unambivalent commitments,” he
added in a speech delivered to the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate.
The
UAE would continue avoiding dependence on “just one or two countries” for its
economic prosperity and security by maintaining balanced and diversified
relations, he said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia, UAE strongly condemn deadly Istanbul bomb attack
14
November ,2022
Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have offered their condolences and
condemned a deadly bomb attack in central Istanbul on Sunday, which killed at
least six people dead.
The
Kingdom’s King Salman, as well as the Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman, sent cables to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to
the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
“We
strongly condemn this criminal act, stressing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is
standing with the Republic of Turkiye and its brotherly people. We express to
Your Excellency, the families of victims and the brotherly people of Turkiye
our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy, wishing the injured a speedy
recovery,” SPA quoted King Salman as saying.
“I
received the news of the terrorist bombing that took place in Taksim square in
central Istanbul, which resulted in deaths and injuries, and I strongly condemn
this criminal act,” the cable from the crown prince said.
In
a statement, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation (MoFAIC) expressed “its strong condemnation of these criminal acts,
and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and in contravention of
human values and principles,” the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Qatar
responds to criticism, boycott calls in Europe ahead of World Cup
Omer
Tugrul Cam
15.11.2022
BRUSSELS
Qatar’s
labor minister responded Monday to allegations about the conditions of migrant
workers involved in construction work for the World Cup, saying a mechanism is
already in place for those seeking compensation.
In
response to boycott calls from some politicians and human rights organizations
in European countries following reports of some workers dying or being injured
during the construction work, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri said: “Have you ever
boycotted any previous editions of the World Cup?”
“I
just would like to confirm that each and every one of you is welcomed in Qatar
to attend the matches,” he added.
Touching
on allegations that some workers in Qatar have been unjustly treated, Al Marri
said “there is a mechanism to which everyone can resort in order to seek remedy
and get compensation.”
“At
least $350 million has been given as compensation to workers,” he said.
The
allegations about his country may have derived from a lack of communication, he
said, adding the proper information on the issue should be received from the
right source.
Al
Marri invited everyone to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, saying: “I can confirm
to you that the Qatar World Cup will be the best in football history.”
The
2022 World Cup, hosted by the Gulf nation of Qatar, is set to kick off on Nov.
20 and end on Dec. 18.
Ahead
of the World Cup, some politicians and human rights defenders in European
countries are calling for a boycott of the sporting event, accusing the country
of human rights violations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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UAE
President inaugurates Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Indonesia
14
November ,2022
UAE
President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed inaugurated the new Sheikh Zayed Grand
Mosque in Indonesia’s city of Solo with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on
Monday, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The
two leaders performed a ‘greetings prayer’ upon entering the mosque for the
first time and signed a commemorative plaque that will be hung in the mosque on
the Mihrab – a prayer niche built in mosques to show the direction of the qibla.
The
mosque is similar to Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, with incorporations
from traditional Indonesian designs and was built using local materials,
according to WAM.
The
new mosque has the capacity to accommodate 10,000 worshippers and is home to 56
domes and four minarets, as well as 32 columns in the main prayer area, WAM
reported.
“I
was pleased to join President Joko Widodo in Solo, Indonesia to inaugurate the
Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Named in honor of the UAE’s founding father, the mosque
represents his values of peace and goodwill [and reflects] the longstanding
ties that exist between our two countries,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Missile
attacks target Kurdish armed group in northern Iraq
Bekir
Aydogan
14.11.2022
ERBIL,
Iraq
One
person was killed in missile attacks on the headquarters of the Democratic
Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) in northern Iraq on Monday, according to
local health authorities.
The
attacks targeted the PDKI premises in the towns of KoySanjaq and Zirguez in
northern Iraq, local media reported.
Eight
other people were injured in the attacks, the Health Ministry of the Kurdish
Regional Government said in a statement.
PDKI
is an armed Kurdish group banned by Iran.
Iran's
powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had previously launched attacks on
Kurdish armed groups in northern Iraq, accusing them of fanning anti-government
protests in Iran.
Iran
has been rocked by nationwide protests since September over the death of an
Iranian woman in police custody.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia hopes G20 Summit will ‘contribute to developing strong solutions’ to
global problems
November
14, 2022
DENPASAR,
Bali: Saudi Arabia is expecting the upcoming G20 Summit to help resolve global
challenges, the Kingdom’s ambassador to Indonesia told Arab News ahead of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s arrival in Bali, where the meetings will take
place this week.
Indonesia,
the largest Muslim-majority nation, is holding this year’s presidency of the
Group of 20 biggest economies and will host its leaders’ meeting in Bali on
Nov. 15-16.
The
delegation of Saudi Arabia, which is one of the main members of the G20, will
attend all sessions of the summit.
The
crown prince, who also serves as the Kingdom’s prime minister, will also hold
meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the event.
The
Kingdom expects the summit to contribute in “developing strong solutions to the
world’s problems,” Saudi Ambassador Esam Abid Al-Thagafi told Arab News.
The
summit will take place as the global economy is struggling to recover from the
coronavirus pandemic, and in the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“The
Kingdom hopes that the results of this summit will limit the existing political
escalation as a result of the war and the bad economic effects that this
reflects,” Al-Thagafi said, adding that it is important to remember that the
G20 was established “to discuss the world’s economic future and solve its
problems.”
Since
Indonesia took over the G20 presidency from Italy at the end of last year,
Saudi Arabia, which chaired the group in 2020, “has been keen to provide all
support for the success of this hosting,” Al-Thagafi said.
“Most
of Saudi ministers participated in the meetings held in Bali and other
Indonesian cities throughout the year, and met their Indonesian counterparts
bilaterally.”
On
Nov. 2, ahead of the summit, Indonesia hosted the G20’s first-ever Religion
Forum.
The
event, R20, was organized by the country’s largest Muslim organization
Nahdlatul Ulama and the Muslim World League.
“It
came out with great positive results for more interfaith dialogue and peaceful
coexistence among the peoples of the world,” Al-Thagafi said.
Saudi
Arabia’s support for Indonesia is also in reciprocation of Jakarta’s support
for Riyadh two years ago.
“The
Saudi leadership is striving with all its support to make the (Bali) summit
works a success, a role that Indonesia also played when the Kingdom hosted the
work of the Group of 20 in 2020,” the ambassador added.
Since
establishing diplomatic ties in 1950, both countries have enjoyed decades of
strong religious and people-to-people relations — Saudi Arabia being the birthplace
of Islam, Indonesia home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Indonesia
sends the highest number of pilgrims to Makkah and Madinah each year. Before
the pandemic, over 200,000 Indonesian pilgrims would visit the Kingdom for Hajj
every year, and over a million Indonesians would arrive during the Umrah
season.
The
historic visit of King Salman to Jakarta and Bali in 2017 was the first by a
Saudi monarch in nearly five decades.
His
trip, which saw the signing of 11 pacts and other agreements, has since brought
about a series of high-level exchanges to further boost relations.
Al-Thagafi,
who presented his credentials to the Indonesian president in 2019, told Arab
News that the ties are currently at their peak.
“Saudi-Indonesian
relations are now going through their best stages and growing steadily in all
fields,” he said, adding that they are especially strong in terms of the
economy, trade and investment.
More
than 40 Saudi businessmen and investors arrived in Jakarta accompanying
Commerce Minister Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi during an official trip to
Indonesia earlier this year.
Several
agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed then, and they were
followed by multiple visits of Indonesian businessmen to Saudi Arabia.
“This
is a great indication that economic relations are in rapid growth between the
two countries,” the ambassador said.
Al-Thagafi,
who is also Saudi ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
said Indonesia can contribute to the implementation of Vision 2030, which aims
to pivot the Kingdom away from oil dependency and establish it as a global
investment powerhouse with a sophisticated digital infrastructure.
“There
are distinguished Indonesian experiences that can contribute to achieving this,
and consultations are continuing between the two countries to achieve the best
opportunities for participation,” he added.
With
megaprojects in both countries, such as the development of NEOM in Saudi Arabia
and a new capital city in Indonesia, the two nations have room to boost
relations in the investment sector, Al-Thagafi said. “It is important at this
stage to develop the investment sector between the two countries,” he added.
Indonesia
has indeed been seeking investment from Saudi Arabia to develop its $32 billion
capital city project.
An
initial commitment was announced earlier this year following a meeting between
LuhutPandjaitan, Indonesia’s coordinating minister of investment and maritime
affairs, and the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh.
Both
countries also need to develop their trade relations, Al-Thagafi said, “since
there are great commercial opportunities that have not been discovered so far.”
For
bilateral relations to grow further, Jakarta would need to work on several
things, according to TeukuRezasyah, an international relations expert from
Padjajaran University in the Indonesian city of Bandung.
Source:
ArabNews
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2199681/world
--------
US
occupation forces, SDF militants smuggle crude oil from Syria’s Hasakah to
northern Iraq
14
November 2022
The
US military, in cooperation with allied Takfiri militants, has reportedly used
dozens of tanker trucks to smuggle crude oil from Syria’s northeastern province
of Hasakah to bases in neighboring Iraq, where American forces and trainers are
stationed.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town, reported
that a convoy of 76 tankers, laden with oil from the energy-rich Jazira region,
left Syria through the illegal Mahmoudiya border crossing on Monday, and headed
towards Iraqi territories.
SANA
noted that the convoy was escorted by US-sponsored and Kurdish-led militants
affiliated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The
US military has for long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern
Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing
the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country’s natural
resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that
American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.
On
September 21, China called on the United States to stop plundering Syria’s
national resources and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the
Arab country.
“We
call on the United States to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity, unilaterally lift sanctions, and end the theft of Syria’s national
resources,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news
briefing.
Wang
said, “this is not the first time that the United States military has stolen
oil from Syria and they seem to be becoming more and more uncontrollable.”
Source:
Press TV
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Russia:
HTS militants, White Helmets preparing false-flag attacks in Syria’s Idlib
14
November 2022
Russia
has warned that members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist outfit
together with the so-called civil defense group White Helmets are planning to
stage another false-flag attack against civilians in the northwestern province
of Idlib to implicate Syrian and Russian military forces.
“The
Russian military has received information that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists,
in cooperation with White Helmets representatives, intend to carry out
provocations in the Idlib de-escalation zone,” said the deputy head of Russian
defense ministry’s Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria,
Major General Oleg Yegorov.
He
added that the false-flag attacks are meant to incriminate Syrian government
forces and Russian troops and accuse them of operations against populated areas
and civilian facilities.
The
White Helmets group, which claims to be a humanitarian NGO, is known for its
coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks
in order to falsely incriminate Syrian government forces and fabricate pretexts
for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since
2014.
On
April 14, 2018, the United States, Britain, and France carried out a string of
airstrikes against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack on the city
of Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital Damascus.
That
alleged attack was reported by the White Helmets group, which published videos
showing them purportedly treating survivors.
Washington
and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, an allegation strongly
rejected by the Syrian government.
The
Western media and governments have repeatedly accused the Syrian government of
using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war against terrorists.
This
is while Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint
mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has
also consistently denied using chemical weapons.
Russia
has been providing Syrian forces with crucial military assistance in the
ongoing battles across the conflict-plagued Arab country.
Source:
Press TV
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Mideast
Iran
Voices Concern over West's Politicization of Human Rights Issues
2022-November-14
Speaking
about the European countries’ stance towards Tehran over the recent
development, Kana'ani said a few states have taken political behavior, but Iran
will not let them meddle.
"A
few countries acted outside the domain of international framework regarding the
Iran's domestic affairs," he told reporters, adding, "But, Tehran
will not allow any state to interfere in its internal affairs."
"It
is clear that these behaviors are political and based on false excuses,"
the spokesperson stressed.
The
diplomat went on to advise the European nations to avoid using the issue of
human rights as a tool and pay attention to the interests of bilateral
relations.
"Sanctions
will not be effective and Iran will give proper response to the
sanctions," he said, adding that these sanctions will be harmful to the
Iranian nation, "but it will cost these countries as well."
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of MahsaAmini, a
22-year-old Iranian woman who fainted at a police station in mid-September and
days later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The demonstrations soon turned
violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
Supreme
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei severely censured
the deadly riots, saying they were orchestrated in advance by the United States
and the Israeli regime.
“I
state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist
regime and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent
Iran and the country’s progress. The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong
during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in
the future,” he added.
Iranian
officials have blamed the United States, the European Unions, and several
Western states for meddling in Iran's internal affairs over the death of Mahsa.
They advised the US and its allies against "opportunism and
instrumentalization of the issue of human rights" by misusing the
incident.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Leader's
Delegation in Sistan-Balouchestan to Study Recent Violence
2022-November-14
Speaking
in a meeting with a number of scholars on the recent events in
Sistan-Balouchestan, Mohammad Javad Hajj Ali Akbari, head of a delegation from
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Leader was saddened and concerned regarding
the incidents and ordered them to be carefully investigated.
He
said that the Supreme Leader has called for taking necessary measures based on
the results of the investigation.
Hajj
Ali Akbari also said there will be no appeasement with criminals and those who
foment insecurity.
“There
will be no appeasement with those who have harmed the national and provincial
security and committed crimes, and they must be punished and tried because the
society’s security is a red line for all governments," he added.
Late
in September, Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Balouchestan province which is
home to Iran’s Baluch minority, saw an attack on a police station and a mosque.
The
assailants torched a fire engine, an emergency station, and a bank there, but
according to authorities, their attempts to trigger an ethnic sedition in the
region fell flat thanks to the timely presence of security forces.
The
attacks, claimed by the so-called Jaish al-Adl terrorist group, left at least
19 people, including police officers, dead and 20 others injured.
Sistan-Balouchestan
which borders Pakistan has witnessed several terror attacks targeting both
civilians and security forces in recent years.
Terrorist
groups carrying out attacks against Iranian interests in Southeastern and
Southwestern parts of the country have known links to a number of repressive
regimes in the Persian Gulf region.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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IRGC
Pounds Terrorists' Positions in Iraq's Kurdistan
2022-November-14
The
IRGC’s Ground Force smashed the the strongholds of terror groups in Kurdistan
region in Northern Iraq on Monday, with ballistic missiles and suicide drones.
Commander
of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General
Mohammad Pakpour gave details of the fresh round of military operation, saying
his forces are cautious to prevent any collateral damage.
He
added that attacks on the positions of terrorists based in Northern Iraq
involved the strongholds that were away from centers of population.
The
top commander noted that a number of these sites had been targeted in an
operation in late September, but the terrorists returned to those sites and
were stationed there again.
"Today’s
military strikes were carried out with missiles as well as suicide and combat
drones," the brigadier general continued, adding that the strongholds of
terrorists along the common border were also hit in artillery attacks.
The
terrorists have taken shelter in the populated areas in order to use the
ordinary people as human shields, he stated, stressing that the IRGC is
cautious to avoid hitting innocent people and families.
The
military official said the new round of strikes took place after several
warnings to the Kurdistan Region and the Baghdad government officials about the
need to expel and disarm the separatist groups based in Northern Iraq.
He
warned that the IRGC will definitely hit more positions of terrorists in the
next military operations.
Spokesman
for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Nasser Kana'ani also reacted to the IRGC’s
strikes on the bases of terror groups in theKurdistan region.
“Iran
will not remain silent in the face of threats to its territorial security,
especially those being posed by separatist groups to border areas, and will
defend its security,” Kana’ani told reporters on Monday.
The
IRGC has in recent weeks launched a series of aerial operations on the
headquarters of Iraqi Kurdistan-based terrorist groups.
The
Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN has said diplomacy has failed to bring an
end to the presence of terrorists in Kurdistan region and the terror activities
in the Arab country has left Tehran with no other option but to use military
force against them.
In
mid-October, the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN sent a letter to the head
of the Security Council to elaborate on Tehran’s reasons for its recent
military operation against terrorist groups in Northern Iraq, explaining that
terrorists have used Iraqi territory to carry out armed attacks against
civilians and Iran's infrastructure. (READ MORE)
The
operation came after the illegal entry of armed teams linked with the Kurdish
terrorist groups into the Iranian border cities in recent months.
The
IRGC Ground Force has announced that that the operations against terror bases
will continue until all anti-Iran separatist and terrorist outfits holed up in
the rugged mountainous area lay down their arms and surrender.
The
Iranian Armed Forces, specially the IRGC, have repeatedly warned that they will
never tolerate the presence and activity of terrorist groups along the
Northwestern border and will give strong and decisive responses in case of
anti-security activities.
The
IRGC has on countless occasions attacked and destroyed terrorist hideouts in
the Kurdistan region with artillery fire, missiles and drones.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010823000252/IRGC-Pnds-Terrriss'-Psiins-in-Ira's-Krdisan
--------
Spokesman
Warns Iran Not to Tolerate Ukraine's Threats
2022-November-14
"Iran
has not sent any equipment and weapons to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
The country's defensive cooperation is in a bilateral framework and in legal
ways," Kan'ani said during his press briefing in the capital Tehran on
Monday.
He
noted that Tehran seeks friendly relations with other countries, including Ukraine.
"We
have presented our positions many times; Iran adheres to the policy of active
neutrality regarding Ukraine due to the good relationship which exists between
the two countries. We have tried to bring the two sides (Russia and Ukraine)
back on the right track, and our cooperation is on a bilateral track," the
diplomat added.
"Iran
is not a member of any military alliance, but when we see our national security
in danger, we will react. We tried to play a positive role in the Ukraine
case," the spokesperson continued.
"Iran
response decisively on moves that undermine its national security and history
shows this," he warned.
The
senior official cautioned that any official or nation that threatens Iran
outside the domain of international standards and friendly relations,
"must take into account the international responsibilities arising from
these approaches and think about the consequences of its attitude".
"Iran
hopes that Ukraine will not be affected by the foreign country's demands and
the plot hatched by the other parties," he concluded.
Iran
has on multiple occasions denied in the strongest terms the Western claims of
delivery of weapons to Russia to be used against Ukraine.
Iranian
officials have emphasized that Tehran takes no sides in the bloody conflict and
avoids any steps that may result in an escalation of the crisis. They
reiterated their opposition to war between the two countries.
Iranian
diplomats reiterated that Tehran has not provided Moscow with weapons for the
war in Ukraine, and cautioned Ukraine to be careful about extreme European
politicians' attitude towards Tehran-Kiev dispute.
Tehran
has also asked Kiev to submit evidence for the use of Iranian drones by Russia
in the war, and cautioned that arming Moscow or Kyiv will prolong the conflict
between the two neighbors.
In
Late February, President Vladimir Putin stated in response to a request by the
heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special
military operation. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of
occupying Ukrainian territories.
The
US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states have imposed sanctions against
Russian legal entities and individuals. They also increased supplies of weapons
to the Ukrainian authorities. Russia has officially become the most sanctioned
country in the world, surpassing Iran, Syria and North Korea, after launching a
military operation against Ukraine.
Back
in September, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi cautioned that the
expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a serious threat
to the stability and security of nations.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010823000447/Spkesman-Warns-Iran-N-Tlerae-Ukraine's-Threas
--------
Spokesman:
IAEA Team to Visit Iran for Further Talks
2022-November-14
"Direct
and indirect communication between Iran and the IAEA continues," Kana'ani
told reporters at his weekly press briefing on Monday.
"A
delegation from Iran had already traveled to Austria's Vienna and negotiated
with the IAEA officials, and the two will continue discussions during the visit
of the nuclear agency's team to Tehran," the diplomat stated.
"Iran
will continue its constructive relations to solve issues related to the
Safeguards Agreements," the spokesperson noted.
Deploring
some attempts to undermine the technical process of negotiations between Iran
and the IAEA, Kana'ani stated the European troika – the UK, France and Germany
– have displayed “hasty and unconstructive behavior” and are seeking the “political
utilization” of the IAEA.
“Some
countries are trying to damage Iran-IAEA cooperation,” he added.
"We
hope that the nuclear agency will resolve its issues with Iran within the
framework of technical negotiations," the official concluded.
Iran's
spokesman stressed that issuing an anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA’s Board of
Governors "will not help resolve problems on ‘safeguards’ issues".
He
advised European countries to behave tactfully and avoid counterproductive acts
that undermines the diplomatic process.
On
the Vienna talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, Kana'ani said that
Iran has taken constructive initiatives to advance the dialogue process and
conclude an agreement.
"Efforts
to maintain the course of negotiations continue," he added.
Iranian
officials blame the IAEA for making excessive demands beyond the scope of the
Safeguards agreement from Tehran, and blast the nuclear wathchdog for adopting
political approach over technical issues.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive.
Back
in September, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Mohammad
Eslami said the IAEA's reports confirm that there is no deviation in Iran's
nuclear program.
The
IAEA, under the pressure of the Western parties and the Zionist regime, has
always made claims about undeclared nuclear activities in Iran, which, of
course, are not consistent with the records of cooperation between Iran and the
nuclear agency, the nuclear chief noted.
"According
to the repeated reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are no
deviations in Iran's nuclear program, so they cannot advance their goals by
adhering to Mob Rule Ochlocracy," he added.
In
June, Eslami said that heightened propaganda against Tehran's peaceful nuclear
program, including the recent resolution at the UN nuclear watchdog, is part of
the Western states' maximum pressure policy against the Iranian nation.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010823000363/Spkesman-IAEA-Team-Visi-Iran-fr-Frher-Talks
--------
Iran
Condemns Fatal Bombing in Turkey
2022-November-14
"We
strongly condemn whatever act of terrorism that targets the country and people
of Turkey," Kana'ani said on Sunday.
"We
stand by the side of the friendly and brotherly government and people of the
Turkish republic," the diplomat added, wishing speedy recovery for those
who were wounded in the tragic incident.
Tehran
has announced that none of the Iranian citizens were killed in the tragic
incident.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian also condoled with the Turkish
government and people over the deadly attack.
The
top diplomat sympathized with the victims of the deadly attack and strongly condemned
the terrorist act targeting innocent people in Istanbul.
"Terrorism
is condemned both in Taksim Square, Shah Cheragh, or anywhere else in the
world," he wrote on Twitter, referring to a bloody attack on a holy Shrine
in the Iranian city of Shiraz.
The
remarks came after a heavy explosion ripped through the Turkish city's Istiklal
street, which was packed with people.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that the explosion in Istanbul’s Istiklal
street was caused by a “bomb attack”, and stressed the blast was a “treacherous
attack” and its perpetrators would be punished.
The
incident “smells like terrorism”, he continued.
On
Monday, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters Turkish police have
arrested 46 people over the bombing.
He
added that the suspects included “person who left the bomb that caused the
explosion” on a busy thoroughfare in the Turkey’s largest city.
No
group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.
Sunday’s
blast is the first such incident in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, in several
years.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010823000102/Iran-Cndemns-Faal-Bmbing-in-Trkey
--------
Hunger
striker in Iran back in prison after hospital treatment
15
November ,2022
Prominent
Iranian dissident Hossein Ronaghi has been taken back to prison after receiving
hospital treatment following more than 50 days on hunger strike, the judiciary
said Tuesday.
“He
has been discharged from hospital after being examined by doctors and has
returned to prison,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website reported.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Ronaghi
is one of dozens of prominent rights activists, journalists and lawyers
arrested in a crackdown on protests that erupted after the death of MahsaAmini,
following her arrest by the morality police, according to rights groups based
outside Iran.
A
Wall Street Journal contributor, Ronaghi, 37, has for years been one of the
most fearless critics of the Islamic republic still living in the country.
The
hunger strike he launched after his incarceration in Tehran’s notorious Evin
prison following his arrest on September 24 had raised fears for his health as
his family said he was suffering from a pre-existing kidney condition.
Mizan
Online had reported that Monday that Ronaghi was in a “stable” condition and
ready to be discharged from hospital.
His
family also said his health was good after a visit by his parents on Monday.
The
authorities have rejected reports that Ronaghi had been physically injured
prior to hospitalization, or that his heart had stopped and he had required
resuscitation on arrival.
The
United States has raised concern over his case.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel
says US move to investigate Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing ‘serious mistake’
15
November ,2022
Israeli
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel will not cooperate with
any external investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist
Shireen Abu Akleh.
Local
media reported that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched
an investigation into the killing of the reporter, who was fatally shot while
covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in May.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
No
push for Iran nuclear talks, US envoy says, due to protests, drone sales
14
November ,2022
Iran's
crackdown on protesters and the sale of drones to Russia have turned the US'
focus away from reviving a nuclear deal, which Tehran has so far rejected,
Washington's special envoy for Iran said on Monday.
Speaking
to reporters in Paris, Robert Malley insisted that the US would leave the door
open to resume diplomacy “when and if” the time came, but for now Washington
would continue a policy of sanctions and pressure.
Talks
to revive a 2015 accord between Iran and world powers have been at a stalemate
since September. Western states accuse Iran of making unreasonable demands
after all sides appeared to be nearing a deal.
“If
these negotiations are not happening, it's because of Iran's position and
everything that has happened since (September),” Malley said.
“Our
focus is not an accord that isn't moving forward, but what is happening in Iran
... this popular movement and the brutal crackdown of the regime against
protesters. It's the sale of armed drones by Iran to Russia ... and the
liberation of our hostages,” he said referring to three American nationals held
in Iran.
Anti-government
protests broke out in September over the death of 22-year-old MahsaAmini while
she was in police custody. The EU, the US, Canada and Britain have imposed
sanctions over human rights abuses in Iran as well as for its drone sales to
Moscow.
Iran
has continued its nuclear program, installing hundreds more advanced
centrifuges. The machines enrich uranium, increasing the country's ability to
enrich well beyond the limits set by the 2015 deal. Iran began breaching those
terms in 2019 in response to a US withdrawal in 2018 under then-President
Donald Trump.
The
2015 agreement limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for
Tehran to develop nuclear arms, in return for lifting international sanctions.
Iran denies wanting to acquire nuclear weapons.
Malley
declined to give a timeframe on how long Washington would accept the status
quo, but said if diplomacy failed the US was ready to use other tools.
“If
Iran takes the initiative to cross new thresholds in its nuclear program, then obviously
the response will be different and coordinated with our European allies,”
Malley said, without elaborating.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
says it has evidence of foreign interference in protests
14
November ,2022
Iran
said Monday it had provided evidence to countries whose nationals it claims
participated in unrest that has rocked the country in recent weeks.
“Regarding
foreign nationals detained in Iran in connection with riots, information,
evidence and explanations have been provided to the countries concerned,”
foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told reporters.
At
the beginning of October Iranian authorities announced the arrest of nine
foreign nationals who it claims were connected to the wave of protests
triggered by the death of MahsaAmini.
Those
arrested include citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and
Poland.
Amini,
22, died three days after her arrest by the country’s morality police for
allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Kanani
said “legal measures” had been employed for countries and foreign nationals
linked with the protests, adding that they had “caused damage” to Iran.
In
cases where the foreign ministry complained directly to concerned countries, he
said, ambassadors were summoned, provided evidence and requested to provide a
diplomatic response.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Israel
condoles with Türkiye over Istanbul terrorist attack
Said
Amouri
14.11.2022
JERUSALEM
Israel
has offered condolences to Türkiye over the victims of a terrorist attack that
hit Istanbul on Sunday, terming the bombing as “despicable" and
"horrific."
Six
people were killed and 81 others injured in a terrorist attack on Istanbul's
Istiklal Avenue on Sunday.
“Shaken
by news of the despicable bombing in Istanbul targeting innocent civilians,”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a tweet.
“On
behalf of the Israeli people, I extend our deepest sympathies to our Turkish
friends and the victims' families. The whole world must stand united and firm
against terror,” he added.
The
Israeli president later retweeted his condolences in Turkish.
Outgoing
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also expressed condolences “on behalf of the
Israeli government to the people of Türkiye following the heinous terrorist
attack in Istanbul.”
“Our
nations stand together in the fight against terror,” Lapid tweeted.
Outgoing
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also extended his condolences.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
--------
Iranian
foreign minister, EU’s Borrell discuss lifting of sanctions against Iran over
phone
HaydarSahin
15.11.2022
TEHRAN,
Iran
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and EU foreign policy chief Josep
Borrell spoke by phone Monday on negotiations for the lifting of sanctions
against Iran related to its nuclear activities.
The
cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran were
also evaluated during the phone call, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a
statement.
Iran's
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said earlier that a delegation was
sent to Vienna to hold talks with officials of the UN nuclear watchdog in an
effort to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, adding it was agreed that a delegation
from the IAEA would come to Iran to continue the talks.
Indirect
talks between Iran and the US on reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, have remained stalled
since August.
One
of the key sticking points has been Iran's demand that the UN nuclear watchdog
drop its investigation into uranium traces found at three undeclared nuclear
facilities in Iran.
In
September, a joint statement by France, Britain and Germany criticized Iran for
its demand to close the probe, blaming it for “jeopardizing” the marathon
talks.
In
recent weeks, amid unrest in Iran over the death of a young woman in police
custody after she was detained for violating Iran's strict dress code and
claims that Iran is supplying drones to Russia, efforts to resume JCPOA talks
have slowed down considerably.
Rob
Malley, the US special envoy for Iran talks, said in late October that nuclear
negotiations with Iran were not currently a priority for the Joe Biden
administration.
"It’s
really not our focus right now. It’s not on the agenda, because nothing has
changed," Malley said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Condemnations
of Istanbul terror attack pour in from across Middle East
Ibrahim
al-Khazen
14.11.2022
Countries
across the Middle East region strongly condemned Sunday’s terrorist attack in
the Turkish city of Istanbul, in which six people were killed and dozens
injured.
In
a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack “in the strongest
terms,” and extended condolences to the relatives of the victims, the Turkish
people, and the Republic of Türkiye.
The
ministry wished a speedy recovery for those injured in the attack, saying that
Egypt rejects “all forms of violence and terrorism."
Grand
Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, also denounced the terrorist
blast and extended his condolences to the people of Türkiye and the families of
the victims.
Saudi
Arabia also condemned the terrorist bombing “in the strongest terms.”
“The
Kingdom affirms its support for Türkiye against this cowardly act and offers
its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the
government and people of Türkiye,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a
statement.
Saudi
King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables of condolences
to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the victims of the terrorist
attack.
The
Qatari Foreign Ministry also denounced the terrorist attack and reiterated the
country's firm position on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of its
motives and justifications.
The
United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned the bombing and offered condolences to the
government, the people of Türkiye, and the families of the victims while
wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
UAE
President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan also sent a cable of condolences
to the Turkish president on the victims of the terror attack.
Condemnations
of the terrorist attack also poured in from Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan,
Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and
Mauritania.
The
Istanbul terrorist attack was also denounced by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
"We
strongly condemn whatever act of terrorism that targets the country and people
of Türkiye," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. "We stand by the
side of the friendly and brotherly government and people of the Turkish
republic," he added, wishing speedy recovery for those who were wounded in
the attack.
Israeli
officials also raced to offer condolences to Türkiye over the victims of Sunday’s
terrorist attack in Istanbul.
“Shaken
by news of the despicable bombing in Istanbul targeting innocent civilians,”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a tweet.
“On
behalf of the Israeli people, I extend our deepest sympathies to our Turkish
friends and the victims' families. The whole world must stand united and firm
against terror,” he added.
Outgoing
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also expressed condolences “on behalf of the
Israeli government to the people of Türkiye following the heinous terrorist
attack in Istanbul.”
“Our
nations stand together in the fight against terror,” Lapid tweeted.
Outgoing
Defense Minister Benny Gantz also extended his condolences. “Israel's defense
establishment is prepared to provide any assistance required,” he added on
Twitter.
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also condemned the terrorist attack
and offered condolences to Türkiye over the victims of the bombing.
The
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) extended condolences to Türkiye and reiterated
its firm position against violence, terrorism, and extremism.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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