First Flight With Israeli Tourists Lands In Dubai As UAE Changes Laws
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 November 2020
The first flight carrying Israeli tourists to the
United Arab Emirates has landed in Dubai, after Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi signed a
controversial normalization deal earlier this year.
-----
• First Flight With Israeli Tourists Lands In Dubai As
UAE Changes Laws
• Communal Camaraderie: Mosque Donates Land For Temple
Pathway In Kerala
• Call For End To Violence Against Bangladeshi
Minorities
• Pakistan, Turkey Write To Muslim Countries’ Heads On
Blasphemy: Pakistan Minister for Interfaith Harmony
• Development In Egypt's North Sinai Snags As
Militants Shift Tactics
• Over 50 'Beheaded' After Daesh-Linked Militants
Storm Ceremony In Mozambique
• Austria Police Raid More than 60 Addresses Linked to
Radical Islamist Organisation
• Don’t Paint France With Same Brush, Umno’s Fathul
Bari Tells Dr Mahathir After ‘Punish French’ Remarks
Mideast
• First Flight With Israeli Tourists Lands In Dubai As
UAE Changes Laws
• Mahmoud Abbas urges Joe Biden to enhance ties with
Palestine
• Iran: Israel Seeking War on US Soldiers’ Blood
• EC Secretary: Next US President Should Lift All
Sanctions, Apologize to Iranian Nation
• Israel invites Biden to Jerusalem as Palestinians
seek reversal of embassy move
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India
• Communal Camaraderie: Mosque Donates Land For Temple
Pathway In Kerala
• Jammu and Kashmir Police Suspend Info Gathering
Exercise in Jammu's Muslim-Majority Areas After Outcry
• Amid Gujjar stir in Rajasthan, Jats and Muslims
renew quota demand
• Encounter breaks out between militants, security
personnel in south Kashmir
• Mufti’s U-turn on tricolour: ‘Will hold both flags
together’
• India, Maldives sign 4 pacts including $100M grant
for key connectivity project
• On Kartarpur anniversary, Pak says India yet to
reopen its side of corridor
• ‘You can talk to China, why not Pakistan?’ PDP chief
Mehbooba asks Centre
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South Asia
• Call For End To Violence Against Bangladeshi Minorities
• Myanmar Votes In General Elections Amid Exclusion Of
Rohingya Muslims
• 10 Taliban Killed in Helmand Province
• Taliban Destroys 600 Meters of Ghazni Highway
• Taliban expect Biden to abide by Afghanistan pullout
deal
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Pakistan
• Pakistan, Turkey Write To Muslim Countries’ Heads On
Blasphemy: Pakistan Minister for Interfaith Harmony
• Pakistan PM’s Special Advisor Terms Marvi Sirmed 'Filthy
Thing'
• 82yr-old Ahmadi man gunned down in Peshawar
• Pakistan Army to brief parliamentarians on
prevailing security situation
• ANP withdraws decision to march on Islamabad after
apology from govt jirga
• Student booked on charges of hurting religious
feelings in capital
--------
Arab world
• Development In Egypt's North Sinai Snags As
Militants Shift Tactics
• Lebanese, Syrian figures hit by latest US sanctions
targetting supporters of Assad
• Gunmen attack on lookout point west of Baghdad kills
11
• UAE-Italy ministers discuss Iran, Libya, eastern
Mediterranean during Abu Dhabi talks
• Saudi Arabia’s King And Crown Prince Congratulate Joe
Biden On US Election Win
• Return of refugees number-one priority for Syria:
Assad to Putin
• Four US soldiers killed in explosion northeast of
Syria: Report
--------
Africa
• Over 50 'Beheaded' After Daesh-Linked Militants
Storm Ceremony In Mozambique
• UN launches new peace talks to end turmoil in Libya
• Ethiopian PM fires top officials amid military
campaign in Tigray region
--------
Europe
• Austria Police Raid More than 60 Addresses Linked to
Radical Islamist Organisation
• European Council President: We need to setup
institute to train Imams in Europe
• Russia deploys peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh as
war draws to close
• UN says lacks funds to pay full Palestinian salaries,
confident Biden will help
--------
Southeast Asia
• Don’t Paint France With Same Brush, Umno’s Fathul
Bari Tells Dr Mahathir After ‘Punish French’ Remarks
• CMCO: Friday prayers in Perak red zone to be
replaced with Zohor prayers at home
• Firebrand Indonesian cleric returns from 3-year
Saudi exile
--------
North America
• US To Impose New Sanctions On Iran Every Week Until Biden’s
Inauguration: Axios
• In coordination with Israel, Trump reportedly
planning to impose new Iran sanctions
• China, Russia And Iran Line Up To Scrutinize US On
Human Rights At UN Body
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/first-flight-with-israeli-tourists/d/123429
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First Flight With Israeli Tourists Lands In Dubai As UAE Changes Laws
09 November 2020
The first flight carrying Israeli tourists to the
United Arab Emirates has landed in Dubai, after Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi signed a
controversial normalization deal earlier this year.
-----
The first flight carrying Israeli tourists to the
United Arab Emirates has landed in Dubai, after Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi signed a
controversial normalization deal earlier this year.
FlyDubai Flight No. FZ8194 entered Saudi Arabia’s
airspace before landing at Dubai International Airport just after 5:40 pm on
Sunday.
A number of businessmen eager for opportunities in the
UAE were among the passengers.
The flight comes after Israel and the UAE, which have
long had clandestine contacts, agreed to full normalization of relations on
August 13.
The UAE and Bahrain signed the controversial
agreements to normalize ties with Israel at the White House on September 15,
amid outrage across Palestine and the Muslim world.
The UAE and Israel have agreed to launch regular
commercial flights between soon, while other recent flights have carried
business and governmental delegations.
The government-owned budget airline FlyDubai plans to
begin its flights to Tel Aviv later this month. The carrier described Sunday’s
flight as a “commercial charter flight” for the incoming tourists, without
elaborating.
The first direct flight from Israel to the United Arab
Emirates landed in Abu Dhabi on August 31, carrying US and Israeli officials.
On October 19, the first commercial flight from the
UAE to Israel landed at Ben-Gurion airport. The Etihad Airways Flight EY9607
carried an Israeli travel and tourism delegation and headed for Abu Dhabi later
in the day.
The arrival of tourists comes as the UAE tries to
revive its economy, which is hit by the coronavirus pandemic and lower oil
prices.
The Persian Gulf Arab country, where expatriates
outnumber nationals by nine to one, on Sunday introduced new changes to its
laws in an attempt to encourage expatriates to put down deeper roots and invest
in the country.
The new changes include decriminalizing alcohol and
suicide attempts, and allowing unmarried couples to share accommodation.
They also include allowing couples who married outside
the UAE to follow the laws of their home country during divorce proceedings.
Similarly, expat jurisdictions can be used for inheritance purposes.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638235/First-flight-Israeli-tourists-Dubai
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Communal Camaraderie: Mosque Donates Land For Temple
Pathway In Kerala
Staff Reporter
Malappuram, November 03, 2020
Kerala mosque donates land for pathway of a temple
(Photo - The News Minute)
-----
In a display of communal camaraderie, a mosque near
Kondotty donated a part of its land to construct a pathway to a temple.
It was a moment of celebration for the people of
Muthuvallur panchayat the other day when the civic body chief Ahamed Saghir
inaugurated the newly constructed pathway to the Bhagavathi Temple near
Kozhikkodan Moochithadam colony.
Although the temple perched on a tiny hill was more
than 40 years old, it did not have proper access to it. The temple managers
approached the Parathakkad Juma Masjid committee requesting their help to get a
pathway.
The mosque committee members decided to donate the
land required for the pathway. However, with an assurance from the grama
panchayat about constructing concrete steps to the temple, the mosque committee
handed over the land to the panchayat.
“The panchayat promptly built the pathway and helped
the people living in the colony to reach their place of worship without
difficulties,” said Shihab Edakkad, mosque committee secretary.
The panchayat constructed steps at 115 metre length
and handed the pathway over to the people of the colony.
“Such acts of communal camaraderie and coexistence
should inspire the people,” said Mr. Shihab.
Temple priest Babu C.U. said, “Now, everyone can reach
the temple without taking any strains. It is a blessing not only for the
temple, but for the people of this colony.”
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/mosque-donates-land-for-temple-pathway/article33016048.ece
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Call For End To Violence Against Bangladeshi Minorities
November 09, 2020
Christians, Hindus and Buddhists join a rally in
Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on Nov. 7 to protest recent attacks on religious
minorities. (Photo: R. Noel)
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Hundreds of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians joined
nationwide rallies in Bangladesh to seek justice after a series of recent
attacks on religious minorities over the alleged hurting of Muslims’ religious
sentiments.
Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council organized the
rallies in capital Dhaka and all divisional cities and district towns across
Bangladesh on Nov. 7.
Recent attacks have targeted Hindu girls and women in
Parbatipur area of Dinajpur district and Hindu houses in Muradnagar of Comilla
district, while defamation charges and arrests of minority students and a professor
have followed allegations of hurting religious sentiments.
Protesters also condemned the brutal murder of
Shahid-un-Nabi Jewel, a mentally challenged Muslim man, by a Muslim mob in
Lalmonirhat district on a baseless allegation of desecrating the Quran.
Leaders and activists have placed a host of demands in
front of the government including an end to harassment of minorities, immediate
release of arrested students and dismissal of cases against them, formulation
of a law for protection of minorities, and a separate commission and ministry
for minorities.
“A conspiracy is ongoing against religious minorities
and social media has been exploited to circulate defamatory posts from hacked
accounts of religious minorities to set a pretext to abuse and attack them. We
are frustrated to see that in most cases police and local administration didn’t
take a quick initiative to save minorities,” said Rana Dasgupta, secretary
general of the council.
Dasgupta, a Hindu and Supreme Court lawyer, also
alleged that all the attacks were planned by a vested quarter with an intention
to tarnish the image of minorities and to destroy communal harmony.
“All kinds of abuses and attacks on minorities should
stop and the government must ensure justice for all attacks on religious minorities,”
he added.
Nirmol Rozario, president of Bangladesh Christian
Association, noted that minority Christians are aggrieved to see a new wave of
attacks on minority communities in various places.
“Targeting minorities over false allegations is deplorable
and it causes panic and frustration in all minority people. Minorities are
equal citizens of the country and they must be protected from all kinds of
abuses and attacks. We appeal to the government to put in place a proper
mechanism to ensure the upholding of rights of minorities,” said Rozario, a
Catholic.
The recent cases show an urgent need for a law to
protect minorities as well as a commission and ministry for them, he added.
About 90 percent of more than 160 million people in
Bangladesh adhere to Sunni Islam. Hindus make up about 8 percent and the rest
belong to other faiths including Christianity and Buddhism.
Bangladesh has a long tradition of religious
pluralism. However, violence against minorities often stems from issues
relating to national and local politics as well as land and property disputes.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/call-for-end-to-violence-against-bangladeshi-minorities/90221
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Pakistan, Turkey Write To Muslim Countries’ Heads On
Blasphemy: Pakistan Minister for Interfaith Harmony
November 09, 2020
PESHAWAR
- Federal Minister for Interfaith
Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri on Sunday strongly condemned blasphemous caricatures
of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recently published in France, and said that
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turk President Tayyip Erdogan had sent letters to
the heads of all Islamic countries on this heinous act.
Addressing a National Meladun Nabi Conference held at
Mula Gori here, he said each and every Muslim has a great respect and reverence
for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and no one would be allowed
to target the personality of the last prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon
him).
The minister said action taken by both the Muslim’s
leaders was commendable, adding, “We would never feel shy from giving
sacrifices to protect the honour and dignity of the last prophet (PBUH).
He further said voices on blasphemy had been raised
not only on the parliament’s floor, but also in different countries across the
globe in the shape of protest demonstrations.
He said the teachings of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad
(PBUH) are beacon of hope for the pious as following his teachings is must if
one wants to achieve success in this world and in the life hereafter. The
minister said so much sacred is prophet’s honour for the Muslims that they
never feel reluctant to lay down their lives for that.
Qadri welcomed holding of Melaadun Nabi Conference,
and said that “We are the real followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the
relation of love and respect between us and the prophet (PBUH) would continue
till death.”
The conference was attended by large number of people
and addressed by Allama Mohammad Adnan Qadri, PTI senior leader Haji Ameed
Mohammad Khan, Chairman Zakat Committee Maulana Ehsanullah Junaidi, Malik Abdul
Manan Mulagori, Malik Fazle Mola, Haji Ashraf Afridi and Maulana Wasaulah
Qadri.
https://nation.com.pk/09-Nov-2020/pakistan-turkey-write-to-muslim-countries-heads-on-blasphemy-qadri
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Development in Egypt's North Sinai snags as militants
shift tactics
09 November 2020
When Egyptian farmer Mohamed al-Qalaji’s family
returned to their village in North Sinai last month after the army had expelled
extremist militants, his son was killed by a booby trap in a sheep pen.
Egypt is rolling out ambitious development projects in
the peninsula adjoining the Suez Canal, Israel and Gaza, but pockets of
instability persist despite an intensified military campaign.
Large scale assaults on military and government
positions have subsided but militants have shifted tactics, staging more
individual attacks, deploying snipers and planting explosives, security sources
and analysts say.
Their ability to temporarily overrun villages near Bir
al-Abd in north-west Sinai this summer shows security remains fragile, while
poverty and neglect have not been fully addressed, they say.
At least 15 people have been killed by explosive
devices around Bir al-Abd since Oct. 10, security sources said, alarming
residents and highlighting the risks for development projects.
“Eight booby traps went off in houses in our village
alone,” said Qalaji, 39, speaking by phone. “People are afraid to enter their
houses.”
While southern Sinai is home to the highly secured Red
Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and other tourist spots, much of the rugged
peninsula is thinly populated and underdeveloped.
An extremist insurgency spread in northern Sinai after
the military overthrew President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in
2013.
Hundreds of policemen and soldiers, and more than
1,000 civilians have died, according to official statements.
Sinai Province, a militant group loyal to ISIS, has
drawn support from local Bedouins complaining of marginalization, a charge the
government denies.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Last month on the anniversary of the 1973 war with
Israel that led to Egypt regaining control of Sinai, the government publicized
projects to provide social housing, water, roads, industrial zones, education
and healthcare.
Inaugurating a university and museum in Sharm el-Sheikh,
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said 600-700 billion Egyptian pounds ($38-44
billion) had been spent on development in Sinai
over the past six years.
In northeastern Sinai, the army has created a buffer
zone and destroyed tunnels which it says were used by smugglers to send weapons
and fighters between Egypt and Hamas-run Gaza.
“Every day we are launching new projects in towns
across the governorate,” North Sinai governor Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha told
local TV.
Contacted by Reuters, Egypt’s state press center sent
an official video in which Sisi says countering terrorism in Sinai will not
prevent “real development” there.
Among the projects are more than 1,000 free-standing
“Bedouin homes,” after some residents complained that they preferred houses
with farmland to the apartments the government was building.
Sheikh Abdallah Juhama, head of the Sinai tribal war
veterans who fought in 1973 against Israel, said development projects such as
housing and agriculture had helped Bedouins.
The state had shown more interest in the region by
also building roads, wells, schools and bridges. “We demand more development
and the state is going in this direction,” he said.
Foreign aid
To help drag the region out of poverty, the United
States has run projects to provide water worth $50 million in North Sinai. Arab
countries have also extended aid.
Oded Berkowitz, a security analyst, said militant
attacks had fallen to 15 a month from 40 in late 2017 as Egypt improved
security on its borders with Gaza and Libya.
But the temporary capture of inhabited areas around
Bir al-Abd, lower-frequency militant activity in north-eastern Sinai, and
attempted assaults near the Suez Canal show how challenges remain for the
security services, he said.
Militant sniper operations, which have shifted west
from the Gaza border to the outskirts of el-Arish, rose to at least 18 between
January and September 2020, up from 16 in 2018 and 2019 combined, two Egyptian
security sources said.
Militants have also kidnapped and killed those they
accuse of collaborating with the state.
An Israeli security source said the Egyptian army
controlled the territory, but continued attacks were a source of concern.
Squeezed by military operations, Sinai Province has
upped its activity around Bir al-Abd, accessible from desert tracks to the
south, security sources said.
“Bir al-Abd is an open desert area which is hard to
monitor,” said one of the sources. Hassan al-Shaarwai, who has a workshop in
Bir al-Abd, said: “There is more terrorist activity here, there are more
incidents on the roads.”
Travel to North Sinai is restricted to residents.
Some Western donors have held back projects over
security concerns or for lack of a local partner who can work independently of
the authorities, one diplomat said.
“It’s a military zone where you cannot operate without
military approval so you can’t verify progress of projects,” the diplomat said.
Several residents said they had received new
apartments from the state in Rafah, bordering Gaza, or other towns, after their
homes were destroyed.
But others said they preferred to stay in Ismailia, a
mainland city across the Suez canal, and were still afraid to return.
“Certainly militant capacity has been degraded, but
not to the point of securing the province for the safety of its residents or of
economic development,” said Allison McManus, Senior Fellow at the Center for
Global Policy.
“For the most part, massive development of North Sinai
is still a rather far-fetched vision.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/11/09/Development-in-Egypt-s-North-Sinai-snags-as-militants-shift-tactics
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Over 50 'beheaded' after Daesh-linked militants storm
ceremony in Mozambique
10 November 2020
Suspected Daesh-linked militants beheaded more than 50
men and teenagers participating in a male initiation ceremony in Mozambique,
local media says, in the latest violent incident in the insurgency-hit
northeast.
The dismembered bodies were found on Monday, scattered
across a forest clearing in Muidumbe district.
Radical militants operating in the area had attacked
several nearby villages over the weekend, looting and burning down homes before
retreating into surrounding thicket.
"Police learnt of the massacre committed by the
insurgents through reports of people who found corpses in the woods," said
an officer in the neighboring Mueda district who asked not to be named.
"It was possible to count 20 bodies spread over
an area of about 500 meters," he added.
"These were young people who were at an
initiation rite ceremony accompanied by their advisers."
An aid worker in Mueda, who also declined to be named,
confirmed the massacre had taken place, saying some of the boys had come from
that area.
She said body parts had been sent to their families
for burial on Tuesday.
"Funerals were held in an environment of great
pain," said the worker.
"The bodies were already decomposing and couldn't
be shown to those present."
Extremists have caused havoc in Mozambique's
northeastern Cabo Delgado province over the past three years, ravaging villages
and towns as part of a campaign to establish a caliphate.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/12/633897/Mozambique-Daesh-linked-militants-gas-exploration-project-Total-oil-company
The militants have stepped up their offensive in
recent months and violently seized swathes of territory, terrorizing citizens
in the process.
In April, extremists shot dead and beheaded more than
50 youths for allegedly refusing to join their ranks.
The unrest has killed more than 2000 people since
2017, more than half of them civilians, according to the US-based Armed
Conflict Location & Event Data group.
More than 400,000 others have been displaced by the
conflict and sought refuge in nearby towns and cities.
Around 10,000 people fled to the provincial capital
Pemba via boat over the past week alone, Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday,
raising concerns over access to clean water and sanitation.
Little is known about Mozambique's extremists, who
call themselves Al-Shabab - although they have no known links to the group of
that name operating in Somalia.
Last year the militants pledged allegiance to Daesh.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/10/638288/Mozambique-Daesh-linked-militants-behead
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Austria Police Raid More than 60 Addresses Linked to
Radical Islamist Organisation
NOVEMBER 09, 2020
Austrian police launched raids on more than 60
addresses allegedly linked to radical Islamists in four different regions
Monday, with orders given for 30 suspects to be questioned, prosecutors said.
The Styria region prosecutors' office said in a statement it was "carrying out
investigations against more than 70 suspects and against several associations
which are suspected of belonging to and supporting the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood
and Hamas organisations".
It stressed "the operation has no connection to
the terror attack in Vienna of November 2".
https://www.news18.com/news/world/austria-police-raid-more-than-60-addresses-linked-to-radical-islamist-organisation-3060479.html
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Don’t paint France with same brush, Umno’s Fathul Bari
tells Dr Mahathir after ‘punish French’ remarks
29 Oct 2020
BY ZURAIRI AR
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Umno Supreme Council member
Datuk Fathul Bari Mat Jahya has slammed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the
latter’s blog post today on the response against France and its president
Emmanuel Macron.
Quoting part of a Twitter thread posted by the former
prime minister, the cleric said Dr Mahathir was wrong to be prejudicial against
the French.
“Tun, this is not right. Islam does not teach its
adherents to punish wholesale,” he posted on Twitter, referring to Dr Mahathir.
“This is a reprehensible tribalism. As a statesman,
and a figure popular abroad, with due respect I request Tun to delete this
remark.”
Fathul Bari had quoted a post from a longer thread,
where Dr Mahathir wrote: “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions
of French people for the massacres of the past.”
Fathul Bari said Dr Mahathir should instead take to
heart the lesson behind the Christchurch mosque shootings in March last year.
In August this year, Australian white supremacist
Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the massacre
of 51 Muslim worshippers in two Christchurch mosques for 20 minutes during Friday
prayers last year.
The atrocity shocked New Zealand and prompted Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern to immediately tighten gun laws and pressure social
media giants to curb online extremism.
Earlier, Dr Mahathir published a blog post suggesting
that Muslims “have the right to punish” the French for their alleged wrongs
committed against the community, amid escalating violence in France.
Posted just a few hours after a knife attack outside
Nice, France that killed three people and injured others, the former prime
minister said Muslims also deserve to be angry and a boycott against the
republic will not even suffice.
Dr Mahathir’s post came as a knife-wielding attacker
shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a
suspected terrorist attack at a church in the French city of Nice today.
The attack comes while France is still reeling from
the beheading earlier this month of French middle school teacher Samuel Paty by
a man of Chechen origin.
Since Paty’s killing, French officials — backed by
many ordinary citizens — have re-asserted the right to display the cartoons,
and the images have been widely displayed at marches in solidarity with the
killed teacher.
That has prompted an outpouring of anger in parts of
the Muslim world, with some governments accusing French leader Emmanuel Macron
of pursuing an anti-Islam agenda.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/10/29/dont-paint-france-with-same-brush-umnos-fathul-bari-tells-dr-mahathir-after/1917600
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Pakistan
Pakistan PM’s Special Advisor Terms Marvi Sirmed
'Filthy Thing'
Nov 9, 2020
ISLAMABAD : Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's
special advisor made a derogatory remark against a renowned political
commentator in the country by terming her a "filthy thing" and
further disparaged people with liberal ideology as 'libtards'.
While the US President Donald Trump's tweets during
the tense election process were flagged, this tweet, however, has not been
flagged by the microblogging site Twitter as of now, for its use of derogatory
language against a woman.
"Poor filthy thing .. Asking for an Ali Amin
Gandapur kinda response so she can go whine to fellow libtards? How are you
such a comprehensive package of all different kinds of filth combined
#MadamCessPool," tweeted the Special Assistant to Khan, Sayed Bukhari.
Poor filthy thing .. Asking for a Ali Amin Gandapur
kinda response so she can go whine to fellow libtards?How are…
https://t.co/E3JLybYosJ
— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) 1604866713000
Bukhari's tweet was in response to a political
commentator Marvi Sirmed's tweet that read, "One of those moments when PM
wasn't at the top, and First Lady wasn't in the room."
This comes after a "misogynist" remark
targetting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on
Saturday, by Pakistani Federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur who said that her
"beauty" was due to several "surgeries she got using taxpayers'
money".
"She is beautiful, I will speak the truth. But
listen to this as well -- she spent tens of millions on surgeries during Nawaz
Sharif's two governments, using your tax money to fix herself," Gandapur
said while addressing a rally in Gilgit-Baltistan's Shigar, as quoted by Geo
News.
Social media in Pakistan too did not spare the federal
minister, terming him a "disgrace".
Pakistan has been guilty of inflicting violence
against journalists, commentators and human rights activists. In Pakistan, over
130 journalists were killed since 2002 and not even a single person was
punished, encouraging total impunity for murderers, read the statement. Besides
fatal attacks, journalists face other categories of threats such as physical
attacks, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, imprisonment, and torture.
In July, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a Paris-based
non-profit organisation, warned Pakistani authorities from targeting the
country's journalists based abroad and if anything happens to them or their
families, the authorities will be held responsible.
Pakistan is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in RSF's
2020 World Press Freedom Index, three places lower than in 2019.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/imran-khans-advisor-terms-woman-political-commentator-filthy-thing/articleshow/79132571.cms
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82yr-old Ahmadi man gunned down in Peshawar
Nov 9, 2020
ISLAMABAD: An 82-year-old Ahmadi man was shot dead by
unidentified assailants at a bus terminal in the outskirts of Pakistan’s
northwestern city of Peshawar on Sunday.
This is the fourth such targeted killing of a member
of the minority Ahmadi community in recent months, proving that there has been
no let-up in violence against the minority group in the country. Police
confirmed the murder but declined to cite a motive.
Saleemuddin, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Ahmadi
community, said the octogenarian, Mahboob Khan, was killed because of his faith
and demanded “decisive action” against the perpetrators. “One after another,
members of our community are being targeted in Peshawar while the government
has repeatedly failed to protect and stop the violence against us,” he said.
Last month, a professor from the Ahmadi sect was
killed by his colleague following arguments on religion.
Around 6,00,000 Ahmadis who consider themselves
Muslims reside in Pakistan. In 1974, they were declared non-Muslims through a
constitutional amendment. The noose around their necks was further tightened by
former military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq who introduced additional
constitutional amendments in 1984.
Under Pakistani laws, members of the Ahmadi community
face three years’ imprisonment if one is heard calling himself/herself a
Muslim. They are also barred from calling their places of worship mosques or
their prayers “azaan”.
From targeting their congregations to attacking their
graveyards, Ahmadis have seen and experienced the worst form of intolerance in
Pakistan. According to Saleemuddin, since the controversial blasphemy laws were
amended in 1984 to include several Ahmadi-specific clauses, more than 370
members of the sect have been killed.
Scientist Abdus Salam, who shared the 1979 Nobel Prize
in Physics and was from the Ahmadi community, has largely been ignored in
Pakistan due to his religious identity.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) in May this year had
termed the Pakistan government’s exclusion of members of the Ahmadi community
from a commission on safeguarding the rights of minorities “absurd”.
“The Ahmadis are among the most persecuted communities
in Pakistan and to exclude them from a minority rights commission is absurd,”
said Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, a US-based rights group.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/82yr-old-ahmadi-man-gunned-down-in-peshawar/articleshow/79136335.cms
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Pakistan Army to brief parliamentarians on prevailing
security situation
09th November 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army officers will brief the
country's parliamentarians on the prevailing security situation this week,
officials said on Monday.
It will be the first briefing since former premier
Nawaz Sharif criticised Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI chief Lt.Gen. Faiz
Hameed for interfering in politics.
The National Assembly, or the lower house, issued a
statement that Speaker Asad Qaisar called a meeting of parliamentary leaders of
various political parties on Wednesday for briefing.
"Military officials will brief the meeting on
security issues," according to the statement.
Such briefings are generally organised around some
important security issues.
However, it was not specified which issues would be
central during this briefing.
Qaisar sent a formal invitation for the high-level
interaction to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Key federal ministers would also attend the meeting
along with the leaders of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The briefing was being arranged a week after Army
chief Bajwa met Prime Minister Imran Khan and discussed internal and external
security situation matters.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/nov/09/pakistan-army-to-brief-parliamentarians-on-prevailing-security-situation-2221606.html
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ANP withdraws decision to march on Islamabad after
apology from govt jirga
10 Nov 2020
PESHAWAR: The Awami National Party (ANP) on Monday
withdrew its decision to march on Islamabad on Wednesday (Nov 11) after a jirga
comprising federal ministers visited Bacha Khan Markaz to tender an apology
over remarks by the interior minister that ANP workers were killed by militants
in reaction to their stance on militancy.
Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak, Interior
Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah and provincial ministers went to the ANP’s
central secretariat to apologise for Mr Shah’s remarks.
ANP’s central secretary general Mian Iftikhar Hussain,
provincial president Aimal Wali Khan and other leaders were present on the
occasion.
“We apologise for the remarks which might have hurt
feelings of the ANP leaders and workers,” said Defence Minister Khattak while
talking to the media after meeting the ANP leadership. He said the ANP leaders
accepted “our apology and withdrew their call to march on Islamabad”.
‘We apologise for the remarks which might have hurt
feelings of ANP leaders and workers,’ says Pervez Khattak
“We respect the goodwill gesture of the ANP,” he
added.
Speaking on the occasion, Ijaz Shah once again said
that he was quoted out of context by the media regarding his remarks about
militancy and the ANP. “The ANP leadership accepted our jirga and we are
thankful to them,” he added.
When asked about the scheduled rally of the opposition
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Peshawar on Nov 22, the interior minister
said that all political parties should take a decision on their own if holding
a public rally in view of the rising cases of coronavirus was right.
The jirga was constituted on the directives of Prime
Minister Imran Khan who reportedly also expressed his displeasure over the
remarks attributed to the interior minister.
He asked Pervez Khattak to visit Bacha Khan Markaz
immediately and pacify the ANP leadership.
The ANP had announced the protest plan following the
remarks of the interior minister against the party’s martyred leaders and
workers. The media reports had caused serious unrest among ANP leaders and the
party had asked the interior minister to tender resignation, otherwise its
workers would march on Islamabad to force him to resign.
According to ANP leaders, the interior minister
recently claimed that the party’s leaders and workers had been killed as a
reaction to their opposition to the Taliban.
ANP’s provincial president Aimal Wali Khan told the
media that his party accepted the jirga as per Pakhtun traditions and forgave
the interior minister for his remarks against the party’s martyrs.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1589594/anp-withdraws-decision-to-march-on-islamabad-after-apology-from-govt-jirga
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Student
booked on charges of hurting religious feelings in capital
10
Nov 2020
ISLAMABAD:
A college student was booked by the capital police for allegedly using
derogatory remarks about a companion of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), it is
learnt on Monday.
The
case was registered at the Shalimar police station on the complaint of a member
of the teaching staff on charges of the PPC’s section 295-A (Deliberate and
malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting
its religion or religious beliefs) and section 298-A (Use of derogatory
remarks, etc., in respect of holy personages), the police said.
According
to the FIR, a class of Pakistan Studies was in progress at the college when
some students spotted the course book of another student on which the alleged
derogatory remarks were written alongside the name of a companion of the
Prophet (PBUH). The students engaged in an argument with the student possessing
the book, it added.
The
book’s possessor hurt the religious sentiments of thousands of people and
students, the FIR stated. The Shalimar police said the investigation was in
progress.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1589589/student-booked-on-charges-of-hurting-religious-feelings-in-capital
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Mideast
Mahmoud
Abbas urges Joe Biden to enhance ties with Palestine
08
November 2020
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas has urged US President-elect Joe Biden to strengthen
relations with Palestine, indicating that he will end his three-year political
boycott of the White House.
In
a statement issued from his office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah
on Sunday, Abbas congratulated Biden on his victory in the race against
incumbent President Donald Trump.
“I
look forward to working with the president-elect and his administration to
strengthen the Palestinian-American relations and to achieve freedom,
independence, justice and dignity for our people.”
Abbas
had cut all political dealings with the Trump administration after the American
president recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel in December
2017 and later relocated the US diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
al-Quds in a highly provocative move.
The
decision sparked outrage among Palestinians, who deem Jerusalem al-Quds as the
future capital of a Palestinian state.
The
boycott has been warmly welcomed by Palestinians, who celebrated Trump’s defeat
on the streets on Sunday.
Back
in January, Trump unveiled a controversial land grab plan – dubbed the ‘deal of
the century peace initiative’ – which blatantly undermines Palestine’s right to
statehood in exchange for vague promises of basic economic opportunities.
The
scheme, made without input from the Palestinians, was harshly rejected by Abbas
and all Palestinian factions and parties and triggered waves of protests among
Palestinians.
Recently,
Trump brokered much-condemned normalization deals between the Tel Aviv regime
and three Muslim countries, namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and
Sudan.
The
outgoing US president has also cut funding to the UN agency responsible for
Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
In
his four-year tenure, Trump has refused to condemn Israeli settlement
construction in the West Bank, breaking with a decades-long Washington policy
that settlement expansion is an obstacle to “peace.”
Separately
on Sunday, Bassam al-Salhe, a senior member of the Abbas-led Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), said the boycott was primarily linked to “the
hostile policy” of the Trump administration.
“When
Biden announces that this is going to change – and he announced that during his
election campaign – there will be no reason for the boycott.”
Biden,
77, has already said he will restore funding to the West Bank and the besieged
Gaza Strip that Trump had slashed, including aid delivered through the US
Agency for International Development and UN agencies.
In
the past, Biden had expressed his opposition to Israeli settlement construction
in the West Bank, voicing support for the so-called two-state solution to the
conflict between Israel and Palestine.
But
the president-elect is unlikely to reverse the decision on the issue of
Jerusalem al-Quds and the US embassy. He has also welcomed Tel Aviv’s
normalization deals with Abu Dhabi, Manama, and Khartoum.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/08/638179/Abbas-Biden-Palestine
--------
Iran:
Israel Seeking War on US Soldiers’ Blood
2020-November-9
“The
Israeli officials like war very much and they want to launch it on the blood of
the US soldiers. They are aware that Iran does not joke with anyone on its
national security,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters
in Tehran on Monday.
He
added that the “usurper” Israeli regime has since the very first day of its
existence been after stirring crisis in Palestine and the region.
“The
(Israeli) regime pursues Iranophobia and fear in the capitals of other
countries,” Khatibzadeh said, adding that the Israelis have received a crushing
response whenever necessary and have hidden in their dens.
In
relevant remakrs last month, Iranian Parliament Speaker's Special Aide for
International Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that the future of the
region will be built without the presence of Israel and the US.
“The
Persian Gulf littoral states have always welcomed Iranian initiatives on
regional cooperation. But, KSA and one other state have repeatedly provoked the
US to wage war against Iran. Iran is a reliable and stable state," Amir
Abdollahian wrote on his twitter page.
He
added that "Israel and America have no room in the future of the region”.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990819000609/Iran-Israel-Seeking-War-n-US-Sldiers%E2%80%99-Bld
--------
EC
Secretary: Next US President Should Lift All Sanctions, Apologize to Iranian
Nation
2020-November-9
"The
40-year sanctions policy and the optimism of some Iranian officials have
destroyed many opportunities which were ahead of our national economy,” he
noted.
"The
new US president must lift all sanctions at the earliest opportunity, apologize
to the Iranian people for past actions, and compensate for the economic damage
caused to the Iranian people by the sanctions," the EC secretary stressed.
On
the other hand, Rezayee reiterated that Iran should not wait for the lifting of
sanctions, and instead, it should rely on its own capabilities and strengthen
its economy, culture, and security.
"We
are not looking for war, but we will firmly defend the rights of our
people," the former IRGC commander concluded.
In
relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
underlined that the world is waiting for the new US administration to
completely shift the strategies and policies exercised by its predecessor.
“The
American people have spoken,” Zarif wrote on his twitter page on Sunday,
referring to the victory of Democrat candidate Joe Biden in the presidential
election.
“And
the world is watching whether the new leaders will abandon disastrous lawless
bullying of outgoing regime—and accept multilateralism, cooperation and respect
for law,” he added.
Zarif
stressed that “deeds matter most”, saying, “Iran's record (is clear): dignity,
interest and responsible diplomacy.”
Biden
won the presidency after flipping the state of Pennsylvania blue and claiming
more than the 270 Electoral College votes required for the White House. Trump
was at his golf course when the result was declared. He refused to concede and
vowed to fight the outcome in court.
Following
this announcement, Trump issued a statement, indicating that he is not ready to
accept his electoral defeat.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990819000320/EC-Secreary-Nex-US-Presiden-Shld-Lif-All-Sancins-Aplgize-Iranian
--------
Israel
invites Biden to Jerusalem as Palestinians seek reversal of embassy move
Emily
Judd
09
November 2020
Israel’s
president has invited US President-elect Joe Biden to Jerusalem amid reports
that the Palestinian leadership will ask Biden to revoke American recognition
of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin congratulated former vice president Biden on winning
the US presidency in a video posted to social media on Sunday.
Read
more: Most Palestinians don’t see a Joe Biden presidency as positive: Palestine
poll
“I
was pleased to welcome you to Jerusalem as Vice President and I look forward to
welcoming you to Jerusalem as President of the United States,” Rivlin said,
calling Biden a “long-standing friend of Israel.”
The
invitation comes as Israeli media reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas will ask Biden to reverse the Trump administration’s decision to move the
US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The
move recognized a “united” Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Palestinians,
Arab states, and many other countries support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict that calls for a divided Jerusalem, with East Jerusalem becoming the
capital of a future Palestinian state.
Leading
Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, reported Sunday that a senior member of Abbas’
staff said that the Palestinian president will ask Biden to move the US embassy
to Tel Aviv.
The
US embassy in Jerusalem opened in May 2018 despite Palestinian leaders warning
the move would cancel Washington’s role as mediator to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
“With
this step, the US administration has canceled its role in the peace process and
has insulted the world, the Palestinian people and the Arab and the Islamic
nation and it has created incitement and instability,” Abbas spokesman Nabil
Abu Rdeineh said at the time.
However,
Biden said in April that he would keep the US embassy in Jerusalem if elected
president.
He
said that he would instead reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem, closed by
the Trump administration in 2019
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/09/Israel-invites-Biden-to-Jerusalem-amid-reports-Palestinians-will-ask-to-revoke-status
--------
India
Jammu
and Kashmir Police Suspend Info Gathering Exercise in Jammu's Muslim-Majority
Areas After Outcry
Mudasir
Ahmad
November
10, 2020
Srinagar:
Following an outcry, the Jammu and Kashmir police have stopped the exercise to
collect information about families living in Muslim majority neighbourhoods in
Jammu.
The
issue came to the fore a few days ago when locals from Bathindi and Sunjwan,
the two predominantly Muslim majority areas in the winter capital, raised
apprehensions that police, in addition to seeking details of tenants, were also
collecting personal information on families living in these localities.
According
to the locals, police had issued two forms to every house owner. While one form
asked for particulars of the tenants, the “house owner verification” form,
which drew consternation, sought complete details about family members. Many
people from these areas took to social media to express their apprehensions
about the move by the police.
Inspector
General of Police (IGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh on Sunday said he has taken note
of the “apprehensions” and directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu
district to immediately “rectify the format.”
“I
have come across apprehensions of certain people in Bathindi and Sunjwan area
regarding a format which is being circulated for verification. The format has
been taken note of. It is asking for more data than is required,” the IGP said,
in a video message.
He
claimed that the form was primarily intended for tenant verification which was
being undertaken for the “entire district of Jammu.” “I want to assure people
that we care for their safety and security and we will take every step to
ensure that they are safe and secure,” the IGP said, trying to assuage fears.
Many
house owners however said it was for the first time that, apart from details
about tenants, they were being asked to provide information about families as
well.
A
resident of Bathindi-Morh said a policeman along with two persons in civvies
arrived at his home and handed over the forms. “When I tried to inquire about
the details being sought of the family members, I was told ‘the information is
meant for Census’. I became conscious and raised the issue with other residents
of the area,” he said, wishing not to be named. “Seeking personal details of
owners including Aadhaar Card numbers made us suspicious of the entire
exercise.”
He
said while they were not hesitant about sharing the details of the tenants,
seeking details about the families, and that too only from selected areas, had
led to anxiety. Many residents, he said,
have already submitted the information sought under these forms with the police
stations concerned.
A
senior advocate from Jammu, Sheikh Shakeel Ahmad said he was approached by
people from different areas including Gujjar Nagar, Bathindi, Sunjwan and
Narwal, inquiring about why the police was asking them for details about their
families, if the verification was meant to get particulars of the tenants.
“There
is also a question being raised whether this information was sought in these
few selected areas or from across the district. When we tried to cross-check,
we came to know this information was being sought from these few areas only
which led to fears and concerns among residents of these localities,” said
Shakeel.
As
per the form details, the house owners were asked to provide information
including name, age, photograph, address, mobile number, date of construction
of the house, a photograph of the house, vehicle details, information regarding
any criminal background, identification proof, details about family members and
their mobile numbers.
“People
were even asked to submit the GPS location of their houses. This is unheard of
anywhere,” said Shakeel.
He
said since the visit of leaders of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration
to Jammu last week, tensions in the area had been high. A few days ago members
of some right-wing parties held protests outside the residence of National
Conference President, Farooq Abdullah, who is heading the alliance. Upon her
arrival to Jammu, Peoples Democratic Party chief, Mehbooba Mufti, who is vice
president of the Gupkar Alliance, was also greeted with protests.
“There
is already tension. Now, if you selectively distribute such forms in these
selected areas and then ask the residents to fill them up without informing as
to why you need information about the families, it is bound to lead to fears,”
said Shakeel. According to him, the police stopped the process to seek
information about house owners and their families in “selected areas” after
protests by civil society members.
https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-kashmir-police-muslim-majority-areas
--------
Amid
Gujjar stir in Rajasthan, Jats and Muslims renew quota demand
by
Hamza Khan '
November
10, 2020
AMID
THE protests by the Gujjar community, a section of Jat and Muslim communities
have renewed their demand for reservation under the Other Backward Classes
(OBC) category.
“If
the government wants anarchy and only listens to agitations, then we will
decide on a strategy through eight mahapanchayats in the district (Bharatpur),
the first of which will be at Pathena village on November 18,” said Nem Singh
Faujdar, convenor of the Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti. “We will not set any
vehicle on fire, nor will we damage any property, but we will do a chakka jam
that the government can’t even imagine,” he said.
The
Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur districts were excluded from the Central OBC list
following a Supreme Court order in March 2015, and then from the state OBC list
following a High Court ruling in August that year. In 2017, the Vasundhara
Raje-led government had extended reservation to Jats of these two districts
under the state OBC list.
“Our
first demand is that the state government should write to the Centre, recommending
reservation for Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur. Second, our selected candidates
should be given appointment immediately. Third, cases filed against members of
the community during the agitation should be withdrawn,” Faujdar said.
The
Muslim Minority Development Committee (MMDC) has demanded 10 per cent
reservation for backward Muslim castes “along the lines of reservation for
Gujjars”.
Keeping
its cool
While
the agitation by the Gujjars on the railway tracks has entered its ninth day,
the Ashok Gehlot government appears to be patiently trying to avoid any
confrontation and violence. The government’s representatives have continued to
hold talks with leaders from the community even as the latter have been trying
to up the ante.
MMDC
General Secretary Yunus Ali Khan said, “Muslim OBCs fare worse than other OBC
castes in education and social backwardness.” The MMDC has sought separate
reservation for Muslim OBCs in education and services in the state “on
Karnataka pattern”.
Meanwhile
in Karauli, State Youth Affairs Minister Ashok Chandna and top officials from
the district administration held another round of talks with Gujjar leaders led
by Kirori Singh Bainsla and his son Vijay Bainsla on Monday. However, no
agreement could be reached.
The
key demands of the Gujjar protesters, who have been occupying the railway
tracks in Bharatpur for nine days now, include filling up the backlog of
vacancies, reservation in pending recruitment processes, rehabilitation of the
families of those killed in violence while seeking reservation, execution of
Devnarayan scheme and withdrawing cases against Gujjars. The government has
been saying that most of the demands have been fulfilled.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/amid-gujjar-stir-in-rajasthan-jats-and-muslims-renew-quota-demand-7034029/
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Encounter
breaks out between militants, security personnel in south Kashmir
Nov
10, 2020
SRINAGAR:
An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Shopian
district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
Security
forces launched a cordon and search operation in Kutpora area of the south
Kashmir district following specific information about the presence of militants
there, a police official said.
He
said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired
upon the security forces, who retaliated.
The
exchange of firing is going on and further details were awaited, the official
added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/encounter-breaks-out-between-militants-security-personnel-in-south-kashmir/articleshow/79141318.cms
--------
Mufti’s
U-turn on tricolour: ‘Will hold both flags together’
Nov
9, 2020
SRINAGAR:
Former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday did a U-turn on
her refusal to hoist the tricolour, only to ignite a fresh controversy by
saying that terrorism had spiked under BJP's watch because Kashmiri youth would
rather pick up the gun than get hauled to jail for voicing dissent.
"I
have taken oath with my hand on both Jammu and Kashmir's (erstwhile)
constitution and the Constitution of India to protect the sovereignty and
integrity of the country. I will hold both flags together," Mehbooba told
reporters at the end of her five-day Jammu outreach.
"We
are the people, especially those in the Valley, who had held the tricolour high
over the years at the cost of thousands of lives. It is only because of the
government's high-handedness that youth in Kashmir are again taking to the
gun," she said.
In
her first presser after being released from detention under the Public Safety
Act last month, Mehbooba had said that she wouldn't hoist the national flag
until J&K's special status was restored along with its flag.
The
PDP chief, whose party is partnering Farooq Abdullah's National Conference and
Congress in the seven-party People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, dismissed
the "perception" that J&K's erstwhile special status was a
privilege meant only for Kashmiri Muslims. "The special provisions under
Article 370 that were snatched from us on August 5 last year had been extended
to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir during Maharaja Hari Singh's time to save
Dogra culture," she said.
Asking
the Narendra Modi government to "learn from the foreign policy adopted by
former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee", Mehbooba said restoring
"normalcy" along the India-Pakistan border should be the priority as
many innocents were being caught in the crossfire and killed.
"I
reiterate the slogan of Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for opening more and more
border routes," she said, alluding to the campaign for
"unification" of J&K with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "We
want Article 370 back...The darkness that descended on the Valley post-August
5, 2019, has engulfed Jammu, too. The people here are as worried about the
sequence of events as we in the Valley are."
On
the Gupkar alliance's decision to jointly contest the first-ever District
Development Council polls, Mehbooba said the modalities for distribution of
tickets were yet to be finalised.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/muftis-u-turn-on-tricolour-will-hold-both-flags-together/articleshow/79136334.cms
--------
India,
Maldives sign 4 pacts including $100M grant for key connectivity project
Rezaul
H Laskar | Posted by Abhinav
Sahay
Nov
09, 2020
India
and the Maldives on Monday signed four agreements, including one for a
$100-million grant for a connectivity project, as visiting foreign secretary
Harsh Shringla and the Maldivian leadership discussed ways to boost economic
recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Shringla
is on a two-day visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago as part of New Delhi’s
outreach to key countries in the neighbourhood and beyond. The Maldives is the
sixth country he has visited in the aftermath of pandemic-related travel
restrictions, the others being Bangladesh, Myanmar, France, Germany and the UK.
One
of four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the two sides was for the
grant of $100 million by India for the $500-million Greater Male Connectivity
Project (GMCP) that will link capital Male with three islands. India will also
provide a $400-million line of credit for the project, the largest such
infrastructure venture undertaken in the Maldives.
The
other MoUs were for setting up soil and plant testing laboratories through a
grant of 1.71 million Maldivian rufiyaas, establishing a drug detox facility
through a grant of 7.7 million Maldivian rufiyaas and cooperation in sports and
youth affairs.
The
GMCP, “an economic lifeline connecting Male with Villingili, the new commercial
port at Gulhifalhu and industrial zone at Thilafushi” will “conform to the
hallmarks of Indian development cooperation – transparency, full participation
and ownership of the host country, and competitive pricing”, Shringla said
while speaking at the foreign ministry in Male.
“We
deeply appreciate the government of President [Ibrahim] Solih for its ‘India
First’ foreign policy. This is reciprocated in full measure by our
‘Neighbourhood First’ policy in which the Maldives enjoys a very special and
central place,” he said.
Talks
between Shringla and his Maldivian counterpart Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed focused on
economic recovery. They emphasised “resilience efforts to curb the onset of the
Covid-19 pandemic, including boosting tourism, accelerating the implementation
of the ongoing development cooperation projects across the Maldives, and the
means of elevating connectivity and bilateral trade”, according to a statement
from the Maldives’ foreign ministry.
Also
Read: On Kartarpur anniversary, Pak says India yet to reopen its side of
corridor
India
has unveiled a slew of measures to boost economic recovery in the Maldives,
where the tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. In September,
India provided a soft loan of $250 million as budgetary support. The two sides
also launched a cargo ferry service to cut transportation costs.
Shringla
began his visit with a meeting with President Solih, seen as one of India’s
strongest allies in the neighbourhood.
The
two sides discussed ways to enhance regional trade and connectivity, economic
cooperation, tourism and overcoming the pandemic. Solih thanked the Indian
government for agreeing to implement an air bubble between the two sides and
noted that increasing numbers of Indian tourists had visited the Maldives since
it reopened its borders.
Also Read: India, Nepal ties get back
on track. Foreign Secy heads to Kathmandu on Nov 26
Solih
thanked India for backing development projects through a line of credit
agreements, including the GMCP, Gulhifalhu port project, water and sewerage
projects on 34 islands and a cancer hospital.
Shringla
also met Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and defence minister Mariya Didi, whom he
assured of India’s “continued assistance to safeguard our shared interests in
the Indian Ocean”, according to a tweet from the Indian high commission.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-maldives-sign-4-pacts-including-100m-grant-for-key-connectivity-project/story-xWzjTgJzxwRCbAt9S7pQEI.html
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On
Kartarpur anniversary, Pak says India yet to reopen its side of corridor
Imtiaz
Ahmad , edited by Vinod Janardhanan
Nov
09, 2020
On
the occasion of the first anniversary of the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor,
Pakistan has said that while it had reopened the corridor in June after closing
it due to concerns over Covid-19 pandemic, India is yet to reopen its side.
The
Pakistan foreign office statement on Monday came days after India’s protest
against Islamabad’s decision to hand over management of Durbar Sahib Gurdwara
in Kartarpur to a body without any Sikh representatives.
Last
week, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Aftab
Hassan Khan, chargé d’affaires at the Pakistan high commission, was “summoned
and our strong protest was conveyed”.
“It
was also conveyed to him that this unilateral decision by Pakistan is highly
condemnable and runs against the spirit of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor as also
the religious sentiments of the Sikh community at large,” he said.
According
to a notification issued on November 3, Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry
handed over management of the gurdwara to a “project management unit” under the
Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a government department that oversees
shrines of the country’s minorities.
The
gurdwara was earlier under the management of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak
Committee (PSGPC). There are no Sikhs among the officials and staff appointed
by the ETPB for Darbar Sahib Gurdwara.
The
Kartarpur corridor was temporarily closed on 16 March due to the Covid-19.
“As
the religious places started gradually opening up around the world, Pakistan
also reopened the Corridor on 29 June 2020 with Covid related necessary health
safety protocols. India has yet to reopen the Corridor from its side and allow
the Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib,” the Pakistan foreign ministry
statement said.
The
Corridor, inaugurated on 9 November 2019 by Prime Minister Imran Khan on the
eve of the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak, fulfilled the
long-awaited desire of the Sikh community from all over the world, it noted.
Kartarpur
has a special significance in the Sikh religion, as the first Guru of Sikhism,
Baba Guru Nanak Saheb, had spent the last years of his life in Kartarpur, the
statement noted.
It
said that the Kartarpur Corridor, also known as the “Peace Corridor”, is a true
symbol of inter-faith harmony and religious unity.
The
Sikh as well as the international community, including the UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres, who while visiting Kartarpur described it as “Corridor of
Hope”, has immensely appreciated this landmark initiative of Pakistan, it
added.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/on-kartarpur-anniversary-pak-says-india-yet-to-reopen-its-side-of-corridor/story-lsnYuN1aZojDLxvfNmjZ3J.html
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‘You
can talk to China, why not Pakistan?’ PDP chief Mehbooba asks Centre
Ravi
Krishnan Khajuria
Nov
09, 2020
Speaking
against the nullification of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu
and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister
Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said at a press conference that such an arbitrary and
illegal decision had forced the young people to pick up arms.
Mufti
said militancy had increased in the region since the erstwhile state of J&K
was first put under President’s rule and then bifurcated into two Union
Territories (UTs) on October 31, 2019.
“Today
10-15 young men are joining militancy from each village because the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) have suppressed their voice. People don’t have an option
left. A young man thinks he can either go to jail or pick up arms. So he thinks
it is better to pick up arms and die. Because you don’t allow people to speak.
They are ready to explode,” she said.
Advising
the Centre to extend an olive branch to Pakistan in a bid to bring border skirmishes
to an end and restore peace, she asked, “If you can talk to China, why can’t
you talk to Pakistan? We have been pleading with China to give us our land back
but they are not budging from their stand. Why can’t we talk to Pakistan?”
She
said that there was no other way out to resolve Kashmir than the one shown by
former Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and what her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
always yearned to see. “My father always wanted to see border routes opened
between India and Pakistan. Let J&K become a bridge of peace between India
and Pakistan,” she added.
She
said that during her recent three-day visit to Jammu, she found people
disheartened. “Our jobs, natural resources and land…everything has been put on
sale by the BJP. Article 370 was a protective shield provided by Maharaja Hari
Singh to protect the distinct Dogra identity and culture under the Indian
Constitution. However, the BJP has desecrated Dr BR Ambedkar’s constitution,”
she said.
“Article
370 is not linked to Muslims or Hindus. It was enacted to protect the identity
of J&K. People are now worried about their future,” she added. “The state
flag didn’t appear out of nowhere. It was given to us under the Constitution
but they took it away...Our constitution and rights were snatched away from us
and today, our natural resources are being exploited by outsiders,” she said.
Commenting
on the recently concluded three-phase Bihar assembly elections and the BJP’s
poll pitch in the state, she said, “They could not sell Article 370 in Bihar
and I would like to congratulate Tejashwi Prasad Yadav for setting the right
narrative of ‘roti, kapda, rozi Aur makaan’. Article 370 and 35 A didn’t
attract people there. Today is their (BJP’s) time, tomorrow our time will come
and thereafter, they (BJP) will also meet the same fate as [Donald] Trump.”
Slamming
the BJP for allegedly resorting to divisive politics and pitting Hindus against
Muslims, Gujjars against Kashimirs, Dogras against Kashmiris and Scheduled
Castes/Scheduled Tribes s against Paharis, Mufti said, “We demand our special
status and the state flag back. The BJP has broken the link that connected
J&K with [the rest of ] India. We have not accepted their decision taken in
the dead of night and they shall pay back with compound interest,” she asserted.
“Even
the people of Jammu realised that Article 370 was the biggest insulation for
them. When I became the chief minister of [then] J&K, I swore by the state
constitution. Give us our state flag back and I will hold both-- the state flag
and the national tricolour in my hands,” she demanded.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/you-can-talk-to-china-why-not-pakistan-pdp-chief-mehbooba-asks-centre/story-I4fAyYx8KHI4txXytaDgQO.html
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South Asia
Myanmar
votes in general elections amid exclusion of Rohingya Muslims
08
November 2020
People
in Myanmar have voted in the country’s general elections, with Aung San Suu
Kyi’s political party widely expected to win as her government excluded
thousands of voters from the ethnic Rohingya group.
More
than 37 million people were registered to vote on Sunday in the election — only
the second since the end of five decades of military rule in the country — to
pick members for the upper and lower houses.
The
vote comes amid a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak in Myanmar, which has
recorded more than 60,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,390 deaths since mid-August.
Opposition
parties had called for an election delay over the COVID-19 surge, but the
governing NLD and the Union Election Commission insisted on forging ahead.
Elderly
voters were allowed to cast ballots in advance while the government promised to
provide adequate personal protective equipment for poll workers and to ensure
social distancing at every polling station.
Suu
Kyi, whose party is under widespread international criticism over atrocities
against Rohingya Muslims, said in her final campaign speech on Thursday that
she would strengthen democracy if re-elected.
She
said that the “the important thing is to solve these problems by peaceful means
within the boundaries of the laws,” and urged voters to remain calm and
maintain “stability”.
'Fundamentally
flawed' election
The
elections, however, came as polls were cancelled in ethnic minority areas,
disenfranchising more than 1.5 million people, according to the Human Rights
Watch (HRW).
The
rights group has decried the election as “fundamentally flawed,” due to the
exclusion of these voters, the criminal prosecution of government critics ahead
of the vote, as well as unequal party access to state media.
The
elections commission claimed that the move was taken due to security concerns
amid fighting between the military and ethnic groups in the region.
The
region's worst-affected by the vote cancellation was Rakhine state, home to
Rohingya Muslims, who have been described as the world’s most persecuted
community by the United Nations.
Thousands
of Rohingya Muslims were killed, injured, arbitrarily arrested, or raped by
Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist mobs mainly between November 2016 and August 2017
in what the UN has said was genocide.
Some
800,000 other Rohingya survived only by fleeing to Bangladesh, where they live
in cramped camps.
Another
600,000 Muslims still remain in Myanmar under apartheid-like conditions,
confined to camps and villages and denied access to healthcare and education.
The
Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and considered illegal immigrants
and have no right to vote, despite their ancestral roots dating back centuries.
UN
investigators have accused Myanmar’s military of “genocidal intent,” but Suu
Kyi has rejected those claims.
The
Nobel peace prize laureate defended the military's actions, at the UN's top
court in the Hague, late last year.
She
claimed that the military's actions were in fact a "clearance
operation" in response to militant attacks against police stations in
Rakhine state.
A
United Nations fact-finding mission had previously found that “the gravest
crimes under international law” had been committed in Myanmar and called for
genocide trials.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/08/638160/Myanmar-election-Aung-San-Suu-Kyi-Rohingya-genocide-coronavirus
--------
10
Taliban Killed in Helmand Province
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
10
Nov 2020
The
Ministry of Defense says 10 Taliban fighters were killed in an airstrike by Afghan
Air Forces (AAF) in Helmand province.
MoD
said on Tuesday that Afghan Air Forces targeted a gathering of Taliban fighters
who were planning to attack security forces’ positions last night.
The
airstrike took place in Nahr-e-Siraj district of Helmand province, statement
reads.
Recently,
defense forces airstrikes have intensified against the group as Taliban attacks
expanded over security forces’ positions.
The
Taliban have escalated the war across the country, according to experts, the
group’s goal in intensifying war and offensive clashes is to gather scores in
the Intra-Afghan peace negotiations.
https://www.khaama.com/10-taliban-fighters-killed-in-helmand-province-878979/
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Taliban
Destroys 600 Meters of Ghazni Highway
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
09
Nov 2020
Taliban
insurgents destroyed a 600-meters stretch of the Ghazni-Paktika highway in
Andar district of southern Ghazni province on Sunday, officials said.
A
spokesman for the Ghazni governor, Wahidullah Jumazada, told Khaama Press that
the Taliban had destroyed the 600 meters Ghazni-Paktika highway in the
Khan-e-Baba area of Andar district two days ago.
He
added that the Taliban had destroyed the road with tractors, making it
difficult for the people of Ghazni and Paktika to trek.
Jumazada
said, this is not the first time the Taliban had damaged public facilities, but
that they had previously destroyed seven kilometers of the Ghazni-Paktika
highway through machinery.
The
Taliban have not yet commented on their hostility against the highway.
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-destroys-600-meters-of-asphalt-on-ghazni-highway-987897/
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Taliban
expect Biden to abide by Afghanistan pullout deal
08
November 2020
The
Taliban militant group says it expects US President-elect Joe Biden to abide by
a deal reached with outgoing President Donald Trump, who promised to withdraw
American troops from Afghanistan.
The
Trump administration signed the deal in February. The agreement was also
supposed to lay the groundwork for a peace process between the Taliban and the
Afghan government. The recent uptick in violence has only made that prospect
unlikely.
Mohammad
Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban, said on Sunday, “We signed the agreement
with the American government not a person.”
“We
hope that the process that has started will not be weakened, but rather
strengthened.”
“The
ongoing intra-Afghan talks is part of the agreement (with the US) and shall
continue unaffected.”
Violence
continues in Afghanistan even as Kabul negotiators and the Taliban have been
meeting in Qatar to reach a peace deal. There has been little progress in those
meetings since September 12.
Both
sides have routinely accused each other of upping hostilities and killing
civilians.
Scattered
calls to boycott the ongoing peace talks have been raised following
back-to-back attacks on education centers in Kabul claimed by the Daesh Takfiri
terrorist group. Some in the government insist they were carried out by the
Taliban.
At
least 35 people, mostly students, were killed last week, when heavily-armed
gunmen stormed the Kabul University.
The
United Nations has already warned that it is alarmed by the steep increase in
the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan and a “striking deterioration”
in the security situation.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/08/638199/Taliban-US-Kabul
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Arab world
Lebanese,
Syrian figures hit by latest US sanctions targetting supporters of Assad
09
November 2020
The
United States on Monday imposed sanctions on officials, entities and
individuals it accused of providing support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
as Washington continued its efforts to cut off funds for Assad’s government.
The
action, which also targeted the Syrian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral
Resources, aims to push Assad’s government back toward United Nations-led
negotiations and broker an end to the country’s nearly decade-long war.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
US Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on Syrian
military officials, members of the parliament, and government entities, as well
as on Syrian and Lebanese people it accused of attempting to revive Syria’s
petroleum industry.
“The
Treasury Department is determined to continue to apply economic pressure on the
Assad regime and its supporters for the repression conducted by the regime,”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.
Millions
of people have fled Syria and millions more internally displaced after a
crackdown by Assad on protesters in 2011 led to civil war, with Iran and Russia
backing the government and the United States supporting the opposition.
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington supports UN Special Envoy
for Syria Geir Pedersen’s “call for a nationwide ceasefire, the release of
political prisoners and detainees, the drafting of a new constitution, as well
as the convening of UN-supervised free and fair elections.”
“The
Assad regime has a choice: take irreversible steps toward a peaceful resolution
of this nearly decade-long conflict or face further crippling sanctions,”
Pompeo said in a separate statement.
Among
the 19 individuals and entities blacklisted in Monday’s action are Syrian Air
Force Intelligence Unit chief Ghassan Ismail and Syrian Political Security
Directorate head Nasr al-Ali, as well as companies in the oil sector.
Syria
has been under US and European Union sanctions that have frozen the assets of
the state and hundreds of companies and individuals. Washington already bans
exports to Syria and investment there by Americans, as well as transactions
involving oil and hydrocarbon products.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/10/Lebanese-Syrian-officials-hit-by-latest-US-sanctions-targetting-supporters-of-Assad
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Gunmen
attack on lookout point west of Baghdad kills 11
09
November 2020
Unidentified
gunmen killed at least 11 people and wounded eight others including soldiers in
an attack on an Iraqi army post in western Baghdad, police sources and medics
said on Monday.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
The
assailants in four vehicles attacked the post in the capital’s southwestern
district of Al-Radhwaniya using grenades and automatic weapons, the sources
said.
The
Iraqi military said in a statement that a “terrorist group” of four elements
attacked a post of a government-backed Sunni militiamen, killing four people
and wounding three.
The
army and police forces have started an operation in search of the attackers,
police sources said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/09/ISIS-attack-on-lookout-point-west-of-Baghdad-kills-11
--------
UAE-Italy
ministers discuss Iran, Libya, eastern Mediterranean during Abu Dhabi talks
Emily
Judd
09
November 2020
Italy’s
foreign minister visited the UAE on Monday for high-level bilateral talks on
regional developments, including Iran, Libya, and the eastern Mediterranean.
Italian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio met with UAE foreign minister Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a strategic dialogue in the capital Abu Dhabi,
according to Emirati state news agency WAM.
“The
two sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, notably
Libya and Iran,” according to the report.
The
two officials also discussed developments in the eastern Mediterranean, where
Turkey is currently at odds with Greece, Italy’s fellow European Union member
state.
Turkey
signed an agreement last year with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA)
on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea, which prompted disputes with
Greece and Cyprus over energy exploration, among other countries, and has
prompted international condemnation.
With
the agreement, Turkey claims “the right to manage, regulate and dominate the
distribution – if not the actual exploitation – of the vast reserves of liquid
natural gas in that part of the Mediterranean,” according to Hussein Ibish, a
scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute.
In
September, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was one of seven European
leaders to issue a statement urging Turkey to end “unilateral and illegal
activities” in the eastern Mediterranean.
Conte,
along with the heads of Cyprus, Greece, France, Portugal, Malta, and Spain,
warned of potential EU restrictive measures against Turkey.
“We
regret that Turkey has not responded to the repeated calls by the European
Union to end its unilateral and illegal activities,” the leaders said in a
statement.
This
week, EU member states extended for another year a sanctions framework against
Turkey allowing visa bans and asset freezes against individuals involved in
contested gas exploration in the Mediterranean.
Turkey
has been negotiating EU membership since 2005, but the EU Commission said last
month that “Turkey’s accession negotiations have effectively come to a
standstill.”
The
Commission expressed “serious concerns” about human rights and the rule of law
in Turkey, in its annual report on the country.
The
Turkish Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as “biased, far from
constructive,” and rejected criticism of its economy, democracy and courts.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/11/09/In-UAE-visit-Italy-s-foreign-minister-discusses-Iran-Libya-eastern-Mediterranean
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Saudi
Arabia’s King and Crown Prince congratulate Joe Biden on US election win
08
November 2020
Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on
Sunday congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect
Kamala Harris on winning the presidential election, state news agency SPA
reported.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
In
his telegram, the King expressed his wishes for success to the elected
president, wishing the American people further progress and prosperity.
King
Salman also praised the distinctive historical ties existing between the two
friendly countries and peoples.
Democrat
Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump on Saturday to become the 46th
president of the United States, in a rare upset where a sitting US president
loses the reelection bid.
Trump
became the first president to lose reelection since Republican George H.W. Bush
in 1992.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/08/Saudi-Arabia-s-King-and-Crown-Prince-congratulate-Joe-Biden-on-US-election-win
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Return
of refugees number-one priority for Syria: Assad to Putin
09
November 2020
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that
the return of Syrian refugees is a priority for the Arab country, a few days
before an international conference in Damascus on refugees’ return.
The
Syrian leader, who was speaking via a video call broadcast by the Syrian
presidency's Facebook page with Putin, said on Monday that the two-day conference
on Wednesday and Thursday is just the beginning of addressing this humanitarian
issue, Syria's official news agency SANA reported.
Assad
also indicated that “the largest part of the refugees” is willing to return to
their homeland after the Syrian government set things right for their return.
"As
you know, the largest part of the refugees are those who have escaped from
terrorism, from the killing and fear... Another part is made up of those who
left because of the destruction of infrastructure, which made their life in
cities, villages or neighborhoods impossible," the Syrian president added.
Assad
stated that the biggest obstacle facing the return of refugees is the Western
sanctions imposed on Syria, both on its government and people, adding, "Therefore,
the return of the refugees requires assurances about provision of their basic
needs and ensuring their livelihood."
“The
issue of refugees is a humanitarian issue for us and you and for a lot of
countries, but for us, it is a national cause,” Assad told the Russian
president.
The
return of the Syrian refugees to their home country “is a priority for us as a
government in the coming period, especially after the liberation of large parts
of the Syrian territories, and after the battlefield has receded despite the
continuation of terrorism,” the Syrian president said.
Such
return requires “the provision of their basic needs such as water, electricity,
and schooling,” Assad added, blaming deteriorating conditions on “illegitimate
and unjust” sanctions imposed by the West, particularly by the United States.
Putin,
for his part, said the volume of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Arab
country is still big, stressing that Moscow supports the convening of the
conference and it does its best to make the event a success.
The
Russian leader also said Moscow would continue efforts to encourage a political
solution to the crisis in Syria and that it preserves the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Arab country.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638274/refugees-return-Syria-Assad-Putin
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Four
US soldiers killed in explosion northeast of Syria: Report
09
November 2020
Four
American troops have been killed by an explosive device in the countryside of
Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, the Arab country’s official news agency
reports.
The
American soldiers were killed after their vehicle was targeted with an
explosive device near the village of Markadeh on Hasakah-Dayr al-Zawr road,
SANA reported Sunday.
The
incident happened while the troops were travelling between the US-occupied
Al-Shaddadi and Al-Omar bases, according to ASB News.
Following
the explosion, the US forces cordoned off the area amid the flight of American
warplanes in the area, SANA reported.
The
report also said a translator was among the victims, who were taken to the
al-Shaddadi base in Hasakah countryside.
Other
reports claimed the bomb attack was allegedly carried out by Daesh.
A
US-led military coalition has been bombarding what it claimed Daesh positions
inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus
government or a UN mandate.
A
large number of American troops are also operating on the ground in eastern and
northeastern Syria. While the US claims its troops in Syria are assisting the allied
SDF Kurdish militants in their purported fight against Daesh, there is ample
evidence which shows the US is there to loot Syria’s oil resources.
Last
month, it was revealed that the US military has used dozens of tanker trucks to
smuggle crude oil from Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah to western
Iraq.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported that a convoy of 37
tankers left Syria through al-Walid border crossing near al-Ya'rubiyah town in
late October, and headed towards Iraqi territories.
The
sources added that several armored vehicles belonging to the US military and
militants affiliated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) escorted
the convoy until it arrived at the border crossing.
The
looting of Syrian oil by the US was fist confirmed during a Senate hearing
exchange between South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in late July.
The
US president has more than once acknowledged that American military forces are
in Syria for the country's oil.
Three
killed in Hama blast
In
another explosion, three members of the “engineering teems” affiliated to
“Al-Bab police” in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo have been killed in
the explosion of an IED, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The
incident took place Al-Bab city which is under the control of the factions of
the so-called “Euphrates Shield” operations room.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638210/Hasakah-Syria-explosion-US-troops
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Africa
UN
launches new peace talks to end turmoil in Libya
09
November 2020
In
Libya, the two power rivals have opened UN-led talks aimed at ending nearly a
decade of political turmoil and warfare by arranging elections across the
country.
There
was a meeting between the respective representatives in Tunisia on Monday.
UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the delegates in a video message at the
opening of the event that the two sides now had an opportunity to seize.
“You
have the opportunity to end a tragic conflict,” Guterres said. “Now it’s your
turn to shape the future of your country.”
Stephanie
Williams, the UN Libya envoy, has also called for “a clear road map” toward
holding polls.
“Elections
need to be the ultimate objective here.”
Williams
also cited “progress on the ground in terms of confidence measures that have
accompanied the military dialogue” as well as the resumption of domestic
flights to the country’s south and a surge in oil production.
“This
is a unique opportunity,” Williams said of the talks. “There has been
significant progress on the ground.”
The
75 people taking part in this week’s dialogue were selected by the UN to
represent the country’s political, military and social makeup.
Williams
also urged all the figures to make compromises at a time when the COVID-19
disease has killed more than 900 people in Libya.
“The
status quo cannot continue,” Williams said, urging participants “to come with
spirit of compromise to be willing to make concessions for the sake of Libya.”
The
rivals eventually agreed to sign a permanent ceasefire agreement in all areas
in the Swiss city of Geneva last month.
The
country, which sits atop the largest oil reserves in Africa, descended into
fresh violence last year after the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) under
rebel commander Khalifa Haftar moved toward the capital Tripoli to seize the
city. Government forces repelled him.
The
conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war fueled by foreign powers
pouring weapons and mercenaries into the country.
According
to the ceasefire, all military units and armed groups must pull back from the
front lines and return to their camps. All foreign fighters and mercenaries
must leave Libya within three months – by January 23.
Libya
initially plunged into chaos in 2011, when a popular uprising and a NATO
intervention led to the ouster, and later killing, of long-time dictator
Muammar Gaddafi.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638276/UN-peace-talks-Libya
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Ethiopian
PM fires top officials amid military campaign in Tigray region
09
November 2020
A
military confrontation between Ethiopian forces and a powerful tribal faction
in the northern Tigray region that is feared to escalate into a civil war is
still ongoing after five days, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed now announcing
three major replacements in his government.
Abiy's
office announced on Sunday that the army chief, the head of intelligence and
the foreign minister had been changed without providing any explanation as to
what had prompted the decision.
Deputy
army chief Birhanu Jula, the office said, was promoted to army chief of staff,
deputy prime minister Demeke Mekonnen took over the foreign ministry, and
Temesgen Tiruneh, the president of the Amhara region, was named the new
intelligence chief.
Amhara
regional state forces and federal troops have launched a military campain
against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a powerful ethnic faction
that led the ruling coalition for decades until Ahmed took office in 2018.
Meanwhile,
president of the Tigray region Debretsion Gebremichael hinted at the
possibility of stopping the fighting with federal troops and entering into
negotiations instead.
Gebremichael,
who is also chairman of TPLF, said Sunday that fighting would continue until
the federal government agreed to negotiate, adding that despite the continued
airstrikes, the federal government held no authority in Tigray.
"Federal
control is zero within Tigray," he pointed out.
Tigray
held regional elections in September, which the federal government called
illegal, thus prompting tensions that led both sides towards armed clashes.
The
regional government said a number of Tigrayans serving in the federal police
and army had been sacked.
The
military operations in Tigray were launched last week by the prime minister in
response to what was described as an attack on federal troops.
Before
Ahmed was elected, the Tigrayans held most of Ethiopia’s political power from
1991 to 2018.
Since
2018, Ahmed's government has introduced a number of reforms, including
legalizing previously banned opposition groups, and making peace with
Ethiopia’s longtime enemy, neighboring Eritrea.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638221/Africa-Ethiopia-Ahmed-Tigray-Gebremichael
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Europe
European
Council President: We need to setup institute to train Imams in Europe
Tuqa
Khalid
European
Council president Charles Michel said on Monday there was a need for creating
an institute to train Imams in Europe, as he visited Austria to pay tribute to
the victims of last week's attack in Vienna.
“Terrorist
attacks aim at destroying lives, at sending shockwaves, but also at undermining
the values of the European project. But we will not give in,” Michel spoke
about the shooting in Vienna in which four people – including the assailant –
have died.
He
said: “We need to combat the ideology of hatred with all our strength. Here is
my concrete proposal: The creation of a European Institute for the training of
Imams in Europe.”
“We
must ensure that there is no impunity on the internet when messages glorifying
terrorism are posted. We must be able to quickly delete such content. Several
proposals are on the table. I hope they will be adopted by the end of the year
and become operational.”
Fifteen
people were injured in the attack in the center of Vienna.
The
shooting last Monday was Austria’s first major attack in decades and its first
blamed on an “extremist,” identified as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, who was
killed by police.
The
Austrian authorities said the attacker had served a 22-months prison term for
attempting to travel to Syria and join the ISIS group.
The
government a few days later closed a mosque and an Islamic association
frequented by the assailant.
The
BVT domestic intelligence agency “told us that the visits to these mosques
furthered the attacker’s radicalization,” Integration Minister Susanne Raab
said last week.
A
statement from the officially recognized Islamic Religious Community of Austria
said one officially registered mosque was being shut because it had broken
rules over “religious doctrine and its constitution”, as well as national
legislation governing Islamic institutions.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/10/European-Council-President-We-need-to-setup-institute-to-train-Imams-in-Europe
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Russia
deploys peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh as war draws to close
10
November 2020
Russia's
President Vladimir Putin says Russian peacekeepers are being deployed to the
disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, following a new ceasefire agreement
between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
"A
Russian peacekeeping contingent is being deployed along the contact line in
Nagorno-Karabakh and along the corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the
Republic of Armenia," Putin said in a televised statement on Tuesday.
The
Russian Defense Ministry said it had begun dispatching 1,960 servicemen, along
with their equipment and vehicles.
"The
fifth Il-76 military transport aircraft with Russian peacekeepers on board took
off from the Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airfield. Personnel from the peacekeeping
unit, armored personnel carriers, and materiel are on board," the ministry
said in a statement.
Earlier
in the day, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a statement
on ending the war in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. The ceasefire agreement
came into effect overnight.
Azerbaijan
and Armenia had been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh since September. Russia was
attempting to mediate an end to the war.
Karabakh
is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but it is held by ethnic
Armenian separatists backed by Armenia since 1992, when they broke from
Azerbaijan in a war that killed some 30,000 people.
According
to Putin, the two warring sides would exchange prisoners of war and the war
dead, and all economic and transport links in the area would be reopened.
Under
the deal, Azerbaijan will reportedly get to keep all of its territorial gains,
and ethnic Armenian forces must hand over control of a number of other
territories between now and December 1.
Putin
expressed hope that the deal would pave the way for a lasting political
settlement of the conflict in the region.
"We
are operating on the premise that the agreements will create the necessary
conditions for a long-term and fully-fledged settlement of the crisis around
Nagorno-Karabakh on a fair basis and in the interests of the Armenian and Azeri
peoples,” the Russian president said.
Azerbaijan's
President Ilham Aliyev said Turkey — which is an ally of Azerbaijan — would
also be involved in the peacekeeping efforts.
Nagorno-Karabakh's
leader Arayik Harutyunyan said the ceasefire was unavoidable.
The
deal followed three failed ceasefire attempts and relentless advances by Azeri
troops.
Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, "The decision was made based on a
deep analysis of the combat situation and in conjunction with the best
experts."
"This
is not a victory, but there is no defeat until you consider yourself defeated.
We will never consider ourselves defeated, and this shall become a new start of
an era of our national unity and rebirth,” Pashinyan wrote on social media.
The
separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh said on Monday that it had lost
control of the mountainous enclave's second-largest city of Shusha and that
Azerbaijani forces were closing in on the main city of Khankendi, also known as
Stepanakert.
Protesters
storm Armenia parliament
Following
Pashinyan's statement, hundreds of protesters angry at the deal stormed
Armenia's parliament in the early hours of Tuesday and seized control of its
chamber to decry the country's leadership.
Taking
the seats of parliamentarians, the protesters shouted "Resign!" or
"Out!"
Earlier,
thousands of protesters had gathered outside the government headquarters in
Yerevan and stormed the building to protest against the deal, shouting "We
will not give it up." They also vandalized offices.
According
to local media outlets, Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was physically
assaulted.
Pashinyan
said Mirzoyan had suffered injuries after being beaten up by protesters, adding
that his wounds were not life-threatening.
As
the night wore on, the number of protesters got smaller, but some of them
remained inside the parliament.
Pashinyan
urged demonstrators to go home. "At this difficult time, we must stand
shoulder to shoulder," he wrote on Facebook.
In
a joint statement on Tuesday, Armenia's Defense Ministry and General Staff
urged the people to refrain from taking actions that could undermine the
statehood, stressing the significance of strengthening the army.
Armenian
opposition also began gathering signatures to call a parliament meeting on the
deal.
"We
are collecting signatures to convene an extraordinary meeting in order to
cancel this decision," Iveta Tonoyan, a member of the National Assembly
for Prosperous Armenia, told Sputnik.
Amid
the mounting anger in Armenia, President Armen Sarkissian said he had learned
about the deal from the press.
"From
the press I also learned about the conditions. I did not take part in any
negotiations," the Armenian president said.
Sarkissian
added that he had started consultations to address people's concerns.
Meanwhile,
the agreement was welcomed by Azerbaijanis, who took to the streets of the
capital, Baku, to celebrate in the early hours of Tuesday. They carried flags
of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Baku’s main military ally.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/10/638297/Russia-deploying-peacekeepers-to-Nagorno-Karabakh-after-truce-deal
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UN
says lacks funds to pay full Palestinian salaries, confident Biden will help
09
November 2020
The
UN agency for Palestinian refugees, hammered by US cuts, said Monday it lacks
the funds to pay full November salaries but is confident president-elect Joe
Biden’s administration will restore support.
The
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) “never recovered” from the total funding cut imposed by President
Donald Trump in 2018, agency spokeswoman Tamara Alrifai told AFP.
Before
Trump’s cuts, the US had been providing UNRWA $300 million a year, roughly a
third of its core annual budget.
Alrifai
said 2019 shortfalls were filled by additional support from several Arab
states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Both
the European Union and individual European states, notably Germany, also helped
close the gap, she said.
This
year, “financial support waned,” Alrifai added, noting that the coronavirus
pandemic “didn’t help”, as key donors faced increased domestic financial
pressures.
“The
agency needs to raise US$70 million by the end of the month if it is to pay
full salaries for the months of November and December,” an UNRWA statement
said.
The
funding shortfall affects 28,000 staffers, spread across Jordan, Lebanon, the
occupied West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza.
Only
those whose work is covered by special emergency budgets could be spared,
Alrifai said.
Israel
had been critical of UNRWA before Trump’s election, arguing its presence was no
longer necessary decades after the conflict following Israel’s creation in 1948
that created some 750,000 Palestinian refugees.
Israel
has also criticized rules under which Palestinians can hand down refugee status
to their children.
On
the possible impact of Biden’s election win, Alrifai said UNRWA was “very
optimistic the US will resume its support”.
Asked
if the agency had received specific commitments from the incoming
administration, she said: “We have engaged very close with the Biden campaign
team and they do understand the uniqueness of UNRWA for the stability of the
region.”
Biden’s
2020 campaign website said he would restore “humanitarian aid for the
Palestinian people” but did not directly mention UNRWA.
The
agency’s core annual budget for 2020 stood at $806 million, with an additional
$300 million for emergency programs, including the coronavirus response and
Palestinians caught up in Syria’s conflict.
Founded
in 1949, UNRWA runs schools and provides health services as well as other
humanitarian aid to an estimated 5.7 million Palestinians with refugee status.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/09/UN-says-lacks-funds-to-pay-full-Palestinian-salaries-confident-Biden-will-help
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Southeast Asia
CMCO:
Friday prayers in Perak red zone to be replaced with Zohor prayers at home
10
Nov 2020
IPOH,
Nov 10 ― Friday prayers in mosques and surau in the red zone in Perak will be
replaced with Zohor prayers at home throughout the duration of the conditional
movement control order (CMCO).
Perak
Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk) chief executive officer
Shahrul Azam Shaari said the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah has consented
to the decision upon the advice from the state Fatwa Committee.
The
committee also referred to the guidelines by the National Security Council and
the Health Ministry.
He
said congregational prayers for all fard prayers were be limited to six people,
while all religious activities such as talks, lectures between Maghrib and
Isyak and after Subuh prayers, tahlil and doa selamat would be postponed.
So
far, Kampung Buaia in the Kuala Kangsar district was the only red zone declared
in Perak after recording 101 Covid-19 positive cases from the Rengas Cluster.
“For
mosques and surau in yellow zone, Friday prayers are allowed but limited to 23
people, while other people can replace it with Zohor prayers at home,” he said
in a statement here, today.
Shahrul
Azam said the same regulations applied for fard congregational prayers, and
lectures between Maghrib and Isyak as well as after Subuh prayers were allowed
on a small scale.
Taiping
and Selama in Larut, Matang and Selama district; Bagan Serai, Bagan Tiang,
Kuala Kurau and Parit Buntar in Kerian district; Sayong in Kuala Kangsar; Ipoh,
Chemor, Lahat and Sungai Terap in Kinta and Batang Padang are categorised as
yellow zone.
For
Friday prayers and fard prayers in green zone, Shahrul Azam said the number of
congregation was limited to 40 people, and small-scale lectures between prayers
were also allowed.
“Only
Malaysian citizens are allowed to join congregational prayers in mosques or
surau,” he said, adding that congregation committee members or mosque officers
must play the role to ensure that people abide by the guidelines.
He
said the directive and regulations would take effect immediately, subject to
any new directive from MAIPk. ― Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/11/10/cmco-friday-prayers-in-perak-red-zone-to-be-replaced-with-zohor-prayers-at/1921162
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Firebrand
Indonesian cleric returns from 3-year Saudi exile
10
Nov 2020
JAKARTA:
Thousands of followers of a firebrand cleric joyfully welcomed him at an
Indonesian airport early on Tuesday (Nov 10) as he returned home from a
three-year exile in Saudi Arabia after criminal charges including a pornography
case were dropped.
The
supporters, waving welcoming banners and placards, burst into joy when they saw
Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, and his family exit
immigration at the airport heading to their residence in central Jakarta.
Television
footage showed thousands of men, women and children, many wearing white Islamic
robes, chanting "God is Great" as they marched and filled a major
road to the airport's arrival gates. They halted traffic along the way to the
airport.
"We
did not mobilise them to come, they came voluntarily because they had long
missed their beloved leader,s Front spokesman Slamet Ma'arif told TVone. He
urged Shihab's followers to welcome their leader in an orderly manner and
comply with health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many
of them spent the night in the airport waiting and praying before Shihab's
arrival, airport spokesperson Haerul Anwar said. Authorities had beefed up
security at Soekarno-Hatta airport by deploying more than 1,500 security
personnel, including police and military, he said.
Shihab
left Indonesia in 2017 to go on an umrah, or minor pilgrimage, to Mecca shortly
after the National Police charged him in connection with a pornography chat
case and for allegedly insulting the Pancasila state ideology.
Police
dropped both charges last year due to weak evidence, but authorities in Saudi
Arabia had banned him from leaving the country without any explanation.
Coordinating
Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Muhammad Mahfud said last week
the Indonesian government was not preventing Shihab from coming home.
"We've
never stopped him from going home, if he was impeded, it is his business with
the Saudi Arabian government," Mahfud told reporters in response to an
address by Shihab on the Front's official YouTube channel in which the cleric
announced his imminent return.
Agus
Maftuh Abegebriel, Indonesia's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said Shihab was
given a visa to leave Saudi Arabia this month for Indonesian citizens who
undergo a deportation process.
The
front was once on the political fringes and has a long record of vandalising
nightspots, hurling stones at Western embassies and attacking rival religious
groups. It wants Shariah law to apply to Indonesia's 230 million Muslims.
The
group has gained significant influence through humanitarian and charity work.
It was a key organiser of massive street protests in 2016 and 2017 against the
governor of Jakarta, who was subsequently imprisoned for blasphemy.
Indonesia
is the world's most populous Muslim country, but has a secular government and a
reputation as a tolerant, pluralist society that respects freedom of
expression. Most Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam, but a small
extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years.
In
an interview with the Associated Press last year, President Joko Widodo said he
would try to work with Muslim groups as long as their views do not violate
Indonesia's founding principles that include a secular government and tolerance
of several officially recognised religions.
"If
an organisation endangers the nation in its ideology I won't compromise,"
he said.
Widodo
in 2017 banned Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, a smaller group than the Islamic
Defenders Front that campaigned for a global caliphate.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-muslim-islam-cleric-return-exile-supporters-13507202
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North America
US
to impose new sanctions on Iran every week until Biden’s inauguration: Axios
Yaghoub
Fazeli
09
November 2020
The
Trump administration will impose new sanctions on Iran every week during the
ten weeks leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan.
20, Axios reported on Sunday, citing Israeli sources.
The
US State Department’s Special Representative for Iran and Venezuela Elliott
Abrams is in Israel to discuss the sanctions plan, according to the Axios
report. Abrams met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National
Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat on Sunday and will meet with Minister of
Defense Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Monday.
Abrams
reportedly announced the new weekly sanctions in a closed briefing recently,
said Axios.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
According
to the report, the Trump administration believes these sanctions will increase
pressure on Tehran and make it harder for the Biden administration to return to
the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which Trump abandoned in 2018. The Trump
administration has since imposed crushing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Biden,
who was vice president under President Barack Obama when the nuclear deal was
reached, has pledged to rejoin the accord if Iran returns to complying with its
terms.
Sanctions
linked to missiles, proxies, violations
The
Trump administration’s planned sanctions are linked to Iran’s ballistic missile
program, support for its proxy groups in the region, and human rights
violations, according to the report.
Abrams
will also travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the
sanctions plan, according to Axios.
Iran’s
foreign ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday that the US must
“repent” and stop the “economic war” against Iran, referring to sanctions.
While
Tehran recognizes the “obvious” differences between Biden and Trump, “we are
waiting for practical steps,” Khatibzadeh added.
On
Saturday, Iran’s first vice president Eshaq Jahangiri tweeted that Tehran hopes
to see a change in Washington’s “destructive” policies under a Biden
administration.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/11/09/US-to-impose-new-sanctions-on-Iran-every-week-until-Biden-s-inauguration-Axios
--------
In
coordination with Israel, Trump reportedly planning to impose new Iran
sanctions
09
November 2020
The
administration of lame-duck President Donald Trump is reportedly planning a
flood of new sanctions against Iran in coordination with Israel and other US
allies in West Asia.
Two
Israeli sources told Axios about the sanctions as the Trump administration’s
envoy for Iran, Elliott Abrams, arrived in Israel on Sunday and met with
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and national security adviser Meir
Ben-Shabbat.
Abrams
was set to meet on Monday with the Israeli minister of military, Benny Gantz,
and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to brief them on the anti-Iran plan.
Trump
has only 10 weeks left until US President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on
January 20.
“The
planned sanctions are not connected to the Iranian nuclear program — such
sanctions are more likely to be canceled by a Biden administration and open the
door to reviving the 2015 nuclear deal,” read the report.
US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also arriving in Israel on November 18.
Iran
has hailed the end of Trump and his hawkish policies, expressing hope that his
successor, would return to the rule of law and respect other nations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/11/09/638213/Trump-to-impose-flood-of-sanctions-on-Iran
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China,
Russia and Iran line up to scrutinize US on human rights at UN body
09
November 2020
The
United States is facing its first review in five years at the UN’s main human
rights body, with the detentions of migrant children and the killings of
unarmed Black people during the Trump administration’s tenure among issues high
on minds.
Foes
from countries like Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Russia and China were among those
seeking to question and scrutinize the United States as the Human Rights
Council gave the US its turn Monday in a regular examination of every UN member
state’s record on human rights known as the Universal Periodic Review.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Nearly
120 countries lined up for slots to raise questions in the 3 1/2-hour session
that follows up on an August report about the US rights record over the past
several years — and what steps US authorities are taking to improve it.
US
Ambassador Andrew Bremberg said the strength of the US democratic system is
that “it allows for continued scrutiny, advocacy and debate, which fuels
progress and reform,” and said “we are willing to openly acknowledge our
shortcomings.”
“As
we witness a time of unprecedented degradation of human rights by authoritarian
governments around the world, it is more important than ever to stand up to
defend human rights and fundamental freedoms, and we do so by demonstrating we
welcome transparency and constructive criticism," Bremberg said in opening
remarks.
A
sampling of some of the questions sent in advance suggested intensity scrutiny
of the US record on human rights.
China
asked how many migrant children had been detained and how many migrants had
died in detention in the US over the past four years; Iran asked if the US will
end its “unlawful practice” of imposing sanctions on other countries; the
Syrian government asked what measures US authorities had taken to end the
“occupation” of its territory by US forces.
“Does
the United States plan to end military intervention in other countries and stop
killing their civilians wantonly,” asked China’s delegation.
Envoys
— most of them beaming into the Geneva session via videoconference because of
the COVID-19 pandemic — were to be granted less than a minute to air their
questions and comments, while an array of US officials were on hand in person
and virtually to take part.
The
United States last came up for its turn for such a review in 2015. The Trump
administration pulled the United States out of the Human Rights Council two
years ago, accusing it of an anti-Israel bias and of being too accepting of
autocratic regimes that regularly abuse human rights as members.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/11/09/China-Russia-and-Iran-line-up-to-scrutinize-US-on-human-rights-at-UN-body
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